running for a cause

The last time i ran was two years back for a NGO i support. When i heard of the concept for running for a cause, i found the idea interesting. You would register for a fee and run – how very interesting! i had opted for the 5Km run last time - and i was not even sure whether i would be able to complete it. The first time i went for a trial run, after 10 minutes i was like a tired bitch – i was wheezing and panting like i had just completed a marathon! No stamina. i was beginning to wonder whether it had been a mistake on my part to have thought i could run 5K without disintegrating into a mass of sweaty muscles (sweaty muscles?!).

But a challenge is something i can never take lying down. Show me a challenge and i would behave like a dog running after a bone. Hours at the gym followed – running on the treadmill until i was almost about to faint. Never had i tortured my dear ol’ body the way i did then –maybe except for the time we hiked down to Grand Canyon, which is another story for another day.

So the day of the event dawned – and of course, i had registered as a volunteer too. So i had to wake up at some unholy hour, long before the sun rose. i spent some hours helping around and then switched over roles and prepared myself for my maiden 5K run. All of my colleagues were there and i dreaded the thought of having to face them if i were to be brought to the finish line on a stretcher! Bang! And the race was on – god, 5K is a long distance, i thought it would never end. After 15 minutes, i guess it was just my will pulling along my muscles – or maybe my muscles pulling along my will. i would have sold the shirt off my back (because i was wearing something underneath! – god, my sense of humour or the lack of it..) to get a glimpse of the finish line. But i guess it was my stubbornness which made me go on till the last – i did not even stop to rest. And i completed it in 36 minutes – my goal was to complete it under 45 minutes.

And now, i have put myself in the same spot again. I have registered for another race – this time, 10K. Of course, i am out of my mind. And god knows how i can pull this one off. i don’t even remember the last time i exerted any of my leg muscles! My constant itch for something to conquer is going to get me into trouble one of these days. 10K- god, i would have to run for more than an hour! But i am excited too. i want to see how much i can push myself. i just want to know if i can complete the race.

i have to start training – it is going to be tough, so tough. But god, i will see myself to the finish line. Just hope i don’t collapse into a heap halfway!!