The problem with being married to a runner is that too often, it means you have to run. Or be involved in running things. Whether you want to or not. I am not a athlete. I have never wanted to be. I am happy to be a cream puff book worm. (does that even make sense?)
But somehow, I have become a person who others associate with running. It's vaguely embarassing. Because I can power walk faster than i can run. But when i meet somebody new, they say, "hey, you're the woman who runs! You write those blogs and you organize those races and stuff..." And i cringe. And I hope they will never meet me on the road. When Im (trying) to run. But yes, I am the woman who ran in the perimeter relay last year. Our team was the last one to cross the finish line, it took us 13 hours to do it. But we felt pretty good about ourselves.
It's now a year later and I am offfcially crazy. Because I have signed myself up to run in the Perimeter Relay AGAIN this year. 102km of hell. And there are five other women equally as crazy who are planning to do it with me. Why am I doing this? I ask myself that when I drag myself out of bed at 4:30am so I can make it to a 5am training session. Running at Faleata complex with dogs and drunken killers. I ask myself that when Im trying to power up a hill and all I can think about is the three different kinds of pie I ate the night before and Im fighting NOT to vomit them all up. I ask myself that when I remember what LAST YEARS relay was like... Okay, so let’s reminisce. Yes I got fit. And yes I got to be friends with a superb group of women. And yes, there is an incredible sense of achievement when you finish the last km. But honestly. Seriously. Was it fun? No. Was it exhausting and gut wrenching? Yes. Was it depressing finishing last? A little. Was it frustrating and frightening stumbling in potholes and running in the dark by yourself? Yes. Was it slightly spooky running through the bush in total darkness and then passing an old woman standing by the road...at 3:30am...all by herself...who smiles eerily and says Malo le taumafai! ...and then you shiver and hope desperately that everybody else following in the van can see the old woman too... Definitely spooky. Was it uncomfortable being crammed in a van with 7 other people and all their accumulated gear? Yes. Was the scenery beautiful? I couldn’t say, I was staring at the ground most of the way. Was it annoying when dogs chased you and their owners just stood there and stared because they were so in shock trying to figure out why such wackos were runing through their village like that? Extremely anoying. And was it infuriating when another team openly CHEATED by using 12 different runners, alternating them whenever they got tired instead of the regulated 6 runners? And then they finished ahead of you and you just wanted to throw rotten bananas at them at the prizegiving? Yeah, a little. Okay - so why they heck am i doing the relay again?
Hmmm...I'll have to get back to you on that one.