Mar 9, 2015
Four years and a semi marathon
I woke up yesterday morning with thousands of butterflies in my stomach. What was I thinking when I signed up for the semi marathon of Paris? Me, the fair-weather jogger who had just indulged in two weeks of holiday diet and last ran exactly four weeks to the day, never mind the fact that I’ve never yet completed a distance further than 12-13K, top! I nearly crawled right back into bed and stayed under the cosy duvet with my Kindle.
Outside, the sun was shining. It would be a bright day with clear, blue sky. It reminded me of my first days in Paris, when I was still pinching myself at the reality that I’ve moved to the City of Light. Cherry blossom was blooming just outside my window, culminating in this gorgeous view weeks later. With that, I was also reminded of my vow to enjoy Paris to the max and be brave in taking on new challenges.
What’s a more fitting way to cap my fourth year in Paris?
I can’t say I did spectacularly well for my first semi marathon, but I was very happy to say I finished it, which was the aim of the day. F was spotting a bad knee but decided he would run anyway, along my side, spurring me on when I seemed to be flagging – the kilometers beyond 16K mark was quite a slough – and I had never been happier to see the finishing line, nor had water been more refreshing and fruits sweeter than those we grabbed along the way. The route was also beautiful, and I saw parts of Paris that I was unfamiliar with. All the little joys.
Today, I am paying for the lack of preparation. I feel some fifty years older and hot bath and massages are sorely needed to relief these aches that invaded my body overnight. Nonetheless, I couldn’t stop feeling proud of my finisher status, no matter how wee this achievement is. I am also very thankful that F was there to keep me motivated and running; I wouldn’t have abandoned the race but I would most likely finished a lot slower!
And guess what I’m doing, on the first day of my fifth year? Looking at upcoming runs that I may potentially sign up to. Maybe my head needs checking. ;)
This year, I’m also hoping it’ll (magically) transform into the year in which my currently plateau-ed level of French will improve in leaps and bounds, and this “race” will be harder to finish without significant time investment. It frustrates me that my French is good enough to get by for most of the day-by-day but nowhere near the level to hold debates and make my arguments clearly and concisely. Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever get there, but most days, I am clinging stubbornly to the believe that I will. It’s just moving along a bit too slowly for my liking. Battle it, I shall!
Great job lil!!! More to come too eh…splendid and i am sure u will finish well on your French ‘race’ as well :)
Not as impressive as you yet, and can I encourage you to come and run the Paris Marathon 2016? ;)
Tempting…tempting….u run i run? ;) kekekek
Hehehe, I was going to say yes, then I realised the date for next year’s run may be interfering with some travel that I am thinking of planning with my siblings. Dilemma, right?