Been there, done that, literally got the t-shirt
Forgot to mention I ran my first race! Like full on numbered bib, timing chip, got-a-t-shirt sort of race. I joined a thousand other women for a race around the Frogner park mid-day, in the scorching heat. 5 kilometers.
Was I fast? No. Was it a blissful runners-high sort of run? No. Am I proud of myself? Hell yeah! I haven't competed in any sport since I left school (well I did fence for a while but it wasn't so much competing) and to reiterate: All my life I've REALLY hated running. Yet there I was, I'd paid good money to run with a paper bib pinned to my T-shirt.
It was hot, terribly hot. After running outside all winter my body definitely hasn't adapted to working out in the heat, and these last couple of months I've been running around sundown for the cool evening air. Running mid-day in 25 degree heat was madness, and I felt quite ill about halfway. Like, I felt freezing cold in the heat. For a moment I thought "This is it, this is how I die".
Thank God for the water stand that appeared right about then. The organizers had talked at length about their 3 km water stand at the pre-run show, and there he was -- some guy handing out clear plastic bottles. I grabbed one, took a swig -- it was soda! I just happen to think soda is the most nauseating drink on earth, I can't stand it, so I dumped it over my overheated head instead. That helped.
Still, the heat was brutal. I'm already an embarrassingly slow runner. I was running and people were strolling past me. I heard the announcer say on the PA system, "Oh, seems like we've still got some stragglers". At long last I saw the finish line and I felt a lot better so I decided to break into a sprint -- just as a girl behind me started sprinting as well. Right at that moment, just gunning for the finish line trying to reach it before the other girl did, actually racing against each other... That was incredible. Those eight or so seconds was the absolute highlight of the race. That's the moment I felt the rush other runners keep talking about.
Was I fast? No. Was it a blissful runners-high sort of run? No. Am I proud of myself? Hell yeah! I haven't competed in any sport since I left school (well I did fence for a while but it wasn't so much competing) and to reiterate: All my life I've REALLY hated running. Yet there I was, I'd paid good money to run with a paper bib pinned to my T-shirt.
It was hot, terribly hot. After running outside all winter my body definitely hasn't adapted to working out in the heat, and these last couple of months I've been running around sundown for the cool evening air. Running mid-day in 25 degree heat was madness, and I felt quite ill about halfway. Like, I felt freezing cold in the heat. For a moment I thought "This is it, this is how I die".
Thank God for the water stand that appeared right about then. The organizers had talked at length about their 3 km water stand at the pre-run show, and there he was -- some guy handing out clear plastic bottles. I grabbed one, took a swig -- it was soda! I just happen to think soda is the most nauseating drink on earth, I can't stand it, so I dumped it over my overheated head instead. That helped.
Still, the heat was brutal. I'm already an embarrassingly slow runner. I was running and people were strolling past me. I heard the announcer say on the PA system, "Oh, seems like we've still got some stragglers". At long last I saw the finish line and I felt a lot better so I decided to break into a sprint -- just as a girl behind me started sprinting as well. Right at that moment, just gunning for the finish line trying to reach it before the other girl did, actually racing against each other... That was incredible. Those eight or so seconds was the absolute highlight of the race. That's the moment I felt the rush other runners keep talking about.