After cheering off the half-marathoners, those of us running the 5K warmed up together, gave ourselves a great cheer, and we were off. I put myself about 1/4 of the way into the pack. Not in front, but not in back. Now, I tell myself over and over again that I'm not a competitive runner, and I'm not doing this to compete against others. But there is a side of me that is a competitor, and I think of running as a sport whose only real competition is with yourself. Yes, there are other runners who run the race with you, or maybe even against you, but I really believe that all those other runners are just variations of your own self.
I started the race out kind of fast--maybe a little faster than I would have wanted. But I had to break free of the pack and find a place where I could run at my own speed. I ran clear of the slower paced people, and then it was a matter of picking off people, or being picked off. I actually didn't get picked off too much, but I was impressed when a lady pushing a stroller picked me off. She actually pushed and excuse-me-ed her way through, and I paced her for a bit before picking her off again. Then it was me and another girl. I ran right on her shoulder the last half of the race. There was a part of me that couldn't muster the will to pass her. I just didn't have the inner strength. But then the finish line came into view. It was still a long ways off, and having it in view can be more painful than not knowing where it is at all. She started to tire, and I managed to pass her for a minute, but then she kicked and flew past me, and there was that little competitor in me who reared up and yelled, oh, HELL no!!, and I put my kick in. I ran up and caught her, and we were side by side, but then she didn't have the gas, and I yelled, come on! come on! And she came back, and we were both flying, and my legs were a little numb from the cold, and in the strangest moment of self-doubt I've ever had, I had the oddest sensation that I wasn't wearing any shorts, and I had to look down to confirm that they were there, and, assured that my shorts hadn't dropped down and mysteriously shimmied off my ankles, I continued to kick, and I beat her, or maybe she didn't have it in her, and that made me a little sad, since she carried me the whole way. I finished in 25:24, which is officially my best time for a 5K since high school.
As if that weren't enough for one day, the next item on my agenda was a gig with Maze at the shopping center next to RCW. It was one of those throw-away gigs--you go into it knowing no one will show up, except maybe some of your friends, and any random people who happen to be there. So it was fun and easy. We debuted Naori, which went semi-ok, but not perfect. I also debuted my She Goes solo, which I worked on all week. I played it semi-ok too, but it was enough to make me feel confident and happy.
Then there was a couple hours of rest, and then a well-deserved sushi dinner. I ate 6 plates of sushi-boat goodness, which is a record for me. I have a bottomless stomach.
And then we went to check out Slam Bam Story Jam, for an evening of storytelling. Coke, a student in my class, was in the show, as well as Mark and Brenda from Ghosts and Girls days. Coke was really amazing. It's so wonderful to see people you know in the daily context of their lives transform into new beings when they perform. It was a special thing to see that tonight.
And phew, am I tired! I did more today than I usually do in a month. It's hard to get me out of the house sometimes, but today all those things were totally worth it.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment