Surprise!

A few weeks ago, when I was feeling overly-confident and perhaps a tad arrogant, I made a bet with my BF that I would beat him at a 7km run. The winner would have to buy the other one dinner. Our local running club puts on 'Super Sevens', which is, I think, seven weeks of a 7km run on Tuesday nights. The course literally starts over our garden fence. Like, for the last three weeks I have been able to watch them start and finish from right out our living room window, which is great. It is so fantastic to see so many people enjoying Summer and running.

So, I made a bet that I would beat him. I started training, but unsurprisinly, that quickly went downhill (NOT in a good, momentum-building way), as I realised I was no where near fit enough mentally or physically to run 7km.  On my practise runs, I was gasping for breath, felt my calves tiring (a new sensation, having never had any issues with my calves before) and had to bargain with myself to make even 5km. My goal had been to run it in around 45mins, but the two 7kms I did manage to do, (with a bit of walk/sprint thrown in as a self-bargaining tool) I came in at 48.37 and 47.13. 

I panicked. I wasn't going to beat him! I would have to buy him dinner! How embarrassing!

 The first week rolled around, and we honestly had totally forgotten it, and had just finished a long afternoon of tennis, so called it a day. When I injured my back the next week, I was glad of the excuse not to get out there, and I am sure he was quite pleased too. But then on Monday, he 'rolled his ankle' on the way to work. However, I had no excuse. In fact, this week was my only option, as I start back at working the evenings next week. He couldn't do it, but I would beat him by going without him. Even though I would be running alone, I headed out our back gate, straight to register.

I saw a few people I knew at the start, asked them about the course, and waited around to start. The first stretch is across a field, through a gap in a fence, and along a thin walkers' track. Talk about amateur hour. There were people with buggies and babies and kids, which was great, I am a big family person. But if you need to stop - don't stop in the middle of the very thin track! Same goes for walkers. If you are going to start and walk, don't do it in a bottle neck where no one can get around you. Maybe I am being unfamily friendly, but the first km took me 7.28, and the second 6.45 purely because I actually had to stop and walk in some places, and was stuck behind people for aaaaages, which threw my pace. It is so so great they got out there, and I know better than many what it feels like to be the walker, but I also remember being very careful not to take up more than my share of the track. So that was a bit frustrating, and it definitely slowed me down.
 
And that is really all I remember for the first 5km. I remember making a bit of an effort to pass the people ahead of me and when I got to the 2km mark I thought, 'Phwoar, that was crazy easy, barely noticed that going by.' I passed some more people, got to half way where there was a drink station, got a stitch in my side, but ran on, passed some more people, and was passed by two blokes.

At around 5km, I could feel someone creeping up behind me, and I knew it was a girl I had just passed. With a couple running holding hands (Really?!!) in front of me, and the other side of the road blocked off for traffic, I was stuck. I could feel her breathing right behind me, and as we got to a slight incline, I moved to the left to let her pass. Killing it on the hills was not in the plan (and never is!)

But when it leveled out, I had a Will Smith moment. Was going to sit back and be passed? Oh, hell no. And from then on, I got deeper in the running zone, and ran harder and harder. I passed her, and one of the men who passed me earlier. After running around 6.20-6.30kms (6.34, 6.23 and 6.27 to be specific!), the 6th kilometre took me 6.10 minutes. I passed a lady and her partner, and when it came to a decline, I thought I heard a kid giggling as they built up momentum and lost a bit of control running down the hill. I smiled, imagining this wee kid having a great time, when the person passed me, and I realised it was the lady and her bloke. She sounded effing ridiculous to me at that point, putting on a baby voice for a male. I could not let her beat me.

From then on, every person in front of me became a target. Even though were were running through a bottle neck, I just weaved and zoomed in and out of and around them. Some I barely noticed, because there were so many, and because I was concentrating on going fast.

It honestly felt like I sprinted the last km, and I actually did sprint the last length back across the field to the finish line. I didn't even look into my living room window to see if George was watching my awesome strong finish. With about 500 metres to go, I did start to feel quite ill, but with such little distance to run, I knuckled under and ran harder.

The last km took me 5.33.Overall, it took me 45.20, and for the rest of the evening I was on a major high. I still am on a semi-runners high, just because I surprised myself and reached a goal I thought was out of my  reach. #Runninggeek! lol


When I walked towards my house, I saw George watching from inside, and I raised my arms in triumph. Between you and me, I reckon I definitely would have bet him, but it felt even better to beat myself... and maybe some of the other runners out there last night, haha. I rarely get competitive when running. But last night showed how much I love this sport, and how much I value it, and how glad I am to be back on track.