It was a beautiful run. Got dark at the end because we didn't start until eight twenty or so, so I had to find another runner I could keep up with that had a light. Before I found one, I had to watch the runner about eight strides ahead of me, watching her legs reflect in the dark, trying to place my feet were hers were, seeing as she wasn't falling. I almost seriously ate it two times. The course had a lot of dirt trails with little miniature canyons caused from water run off, perfect for rolling your ankle or sending you flying face forward onto your nose.
We started in the front at what I felt was lightening fast. You feel like you are in a wave, and you can't control the speed at which you are moving forward. And there's runners everywhere, trying to make their space. My first thought was, Don'tfallonyourface, don'tfallonyourface...and I pretty much said that to myself the whole run. The trail was tricky, rocky, holey, uneven. I have a hard time seeing in the dark, hate driving in the dark, and this race was seriously a picture of faith, of running head on into the unknown, trusting your footing, scared as hell but knowing that if you fall you will just pick yourself up again and keep running. Fast.
I am extremely competitive. You wouldn't think this about me, or maybe you would but I wouldn't think this about myself, but reality proves otherwise. When I worked in sales everyday was always a competition between the other girls, especially, and the same thing happens when I run, not surprisingly.
I told myself not to let this special part of myself ruin my race, to enjoy it and not always be thinking about passing the person ahead of me, and I did the best I could.
But that competitive side is just plain fun. My husband has the bug too, really bad. I can't blame him though, he's a male and has all that going on. He got second place. I am so proud of him I could scream.
So, uh, when's the next race?
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