Time: 16:00
Distance: 1.8 miles
I was on the cross country team in eighth grade. Middle school cross-country races are 2.1 miles long- a distance I thought I could achieve if I was on the team long enough. I never did. I was one of three girls on the team that never was able to run a full 2.1 miles. Somewhere around the 1.5 mile marker, I would always have to stop and walk at least a quarter mile. My coach was no help. Our practices consisted of him saying "go run" and my team dispersing through the school campus. If anyone stopped in the woods to take a breather, he always seemed to be right behind us, chasing us out of the woods. The daily non-stop running sessions made my legs cramp up in the middle of class and during the races- if anything, I got worse as the season went on, never able to fully run a race that everyone else seemed able to do.
One race was different: the Malone Invitational. This course, for some reason, was much shorter- 1.7 miles. Knowing this, I told myself I wouldn't walk at all in this race- by this point, I should be able to run 1.7 miles. And I did. I was so proud of myself- it was the farthest I had ever run.
Until today. 1.8 miles is still far from my goal of 3.1, but regardless, it's the furthest I've ever run. I can run the Malone race. I can run 2 miles. And one day, I will run a 5K.
Today's agenda: My first outdoor run in the Cleveland Metroparks!
No comments:
Post a Comment