My reasons were legitimate enough: I had deadlines and after being away several weekends, it really wasn’t fair to take more time away from my family. My get up and go had got up and gone. I was tired and I just didn’t want to go. I got on Twitter – as I always do when I’m looking for ways to procrastinate – and saw that one of my tweeps was having a little trouble with her get up and go as well. We commiserated back and forth for a couple of tweets before she encouraged me to go, saying since I had paid for the race, I shouldn’t waste my money. It wasn’t the thought of wasting money that swayed me. I would have been quite content skipping the run, viewing the nominal race fee as a donation to the race organization. It was those final thirteen characters that did it: “I’ll run if you do”.
I mentioned in a previous post what a big source of motivation my Twitter and dailymile followers are and this totally proves my point. And so with that challenge, I put on my big girls pants – in this case my Nike running capris – and got out there.
Even though I was out the door and in transit to the race, I considered turning around. I was so not into it. I’d forgotten my chip, hadn’t downloaded my latest playlist or fully charged my iPhone. It seemed as though nothing was in my favor. But when I stepped off the tram, I was greeted by loud music, an energetic crowd and the start line, less than 200 meters away. I’d signed up, I was there, it was time to make like Nike and “just do it” and in the process, try to have fun.
While I wouldn’t exactly say I had fun, I was glad I did it. The clock read 1:08:15 when I crossed the finish line, and since I not only forgot my chip, but also to start my Garmin when I crossed the start line, I will have to accept that as my official pace.
I was greeted at the door by my daughters when I came home, who, seeing the medal around my neck exclaimed, “You won! You’ve got a gold medal!” Um, well, let’s see; I got out there and did it. So yes, I’d most definitely say I won.
