RSS
Home
The reluctant runner
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
I have never called myself a runner. If anyone asks I say I run but I am not a runner. I don't have fancy running gear or read running magazines. I don't know what time I run a mile in and my tennis shoes are at least two years old. Running more than a few miles bores me and running a marathon is my definition of crazy. But since moving to Santa Monica from New York City, it seems everyone around me runs. And I mean they are runners. They run several marathons a year, have GPS watches, 4 pairs of new running shoes; they know how fast they run a mile down to the second.
.jpg)
Everyone who's run a marathon says it's the best high, natural or otherwise. My sister has run the New York City marathon multiple times, my friend Julie just ran two marathons within six days of each other, and another friend of mine flew half way around the world to China to run a marathon for a weekend, just to experience that high.
So, on a whim, I decided to enter the Brentwood 10K to chase the high and to see if it lived up to all the hype.
I was nervous about the race. I'd been out of the country a week earlier and though I'd run while I was away, the jet lag had caught up to me and I hadn't hit the pavement once since my return. I wasn’t sure what to eat the night before or the morning of. I didn’t know if there’d be lockers to put my personal belongings in or if I should leave everything, except what I’d be running with, in the car.
The morning of the race, as I arrived wearing my new running outfit that I’d bought off eBay the week before; I felt a surge of adrenaline. There were tents set up everywhere sponsored by different local businesses and purveyors of energy drinks and power bars. My fellow runners milled around, stretching, getting their caffeine fix, and chatting with friends. This being Brentwood, there were several men and women who had shoved their kids into running strollers. I was happy I’d decided to leave my personal belongings behind because there were no lockers. It would have been a rookie mistake to bring anything except what I planned to have on my person while I ran.
I had no idea what the etiquette was. I was running with my friends, Julie and Johnny, who did marathons in their sleep, but this was only a 10K. Would we run together or would it be every woman for herself? After all the talk I’d heard about best times, I assumed this was not a social event and I’d be left in the dust as soon as the gun was fired. Not that I’d be complaining. I was happy to run at my meager pace.
As I waited, I stretched and chatted with my friends, but when the race began I was left alone, surrounded by hundreds of other runners, with only my iPod and my feet. It was a mildly scenic and flat course (I’d quickly learned runners always talk about how scenic and/or flat a course is) that weaved around San Vicente Boulevard. At first, I held back, worried I’d wear myself out and, God forbid, have to walk part of it. But, by the last couple of miles, I felt energized and started to push myself. And, I have to admit, it felt f*cking fantastic to start passing people in those last two miles. I finished the race in just under an hour and I was flying high.
Afterwards, while we were having brunch (calories be damned!), I saw a couple of other racers and gave them a knowing smile as if we were all friends now because we’d run this race together. They just looked at me like I was nuts. They must have been seasoned pros. But I didn’t care. I had tasted that high and I was hooked.
The next weekend I ran a 5K beach run. Do I know how fast I ran it? No, but I wouldn’t have counted it anyway. Beach runs aren’t accurate because the sand slows you down. So I’m told. I am planning on running the Santa Monica Boardwalk 10K next month and I must be halfway to crazyville because I’ve signed up for the Hamptons half-marathon in September. I still have my old running shoes but I’m looking to upgrade.
More About:
Active Living
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
The Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica is hosting "Cause On The Rocks" on Tuesday, December 8 from 7-10pm. Come in, relax, and order "The …
Want to get your funny on? Head on over to the Apple Store on 3rd Street Promenade tonight to meet actor, Joel McHale. He stars on the new NBC …
