Skip to main content

International Road Race #1

Throughout the summer holidays, I became more interested in the topic of running. I read some books, I attended some workshops, I joined a run club and I did lots of research on the web. In particular, after reading a book called Run the World, by Beckie Wade, I became very interested in the idea of running races internationally. So, I decided to sign up for my very first international road race in Salalah, Oman, a place I had been told was definitely worth visiting. Luckily, I was able to convince a running buddy of mine to join me on this crazy adventure.

After travelling for approximately 24 hours from Canada to Dubai, I had less than another 24 hours before I needed to catch the flight to Salalah. Of course I was tired, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from enjoying my first international race.

When we arrived in Salalah, it was quite late; we checked into our hotel and headed straight to bed to get some rest. The next morning, we had breakfast and made our way to the start line where we needed to register and pick up our race packs prior to the late afternoon race. Knowing we had little time to spend in Salalah, after registering, we kindly asked our cab driver if he could show us around a bit. He brought us up a mountain, by the palace and to the beach. It was a great little treat! After our short tour, we headed back to the hotel to fit in a short nap.
The time had come for us to return to the start line and to wait for the race to begin. It was a very long wait and as we started seeing other racers appear, we, well I, began getting a tad nervous. The weather was quite warm and humid, there was a bit of a drizzle off and on, I didn’t feel like I had eaten or drank adequately throughout the day, the late start felt odd to me, I wasn’t going to be racing with my watch, I had no idea of the route, my ankle was still bothering me and well, geeze…some of these runners looked good!


I had an idea of what time I wanted to finish in, but unfortunately, considering the conditions I was running under, I knew I would probably need to rethink everything. My first 5 kms went really well, but were probably too fast. My body began overheating and I was incredibly thirsty, but I knew I couldn’t drink too much water as I was running. After about 15 kms, I felt like my mind and my body wanted to give up. That was very uncharacteristic for me - I'm not one who gives up easily. For the first time in a very long time, I had to allow myself to walk every so often over the last 5 kms. As I followed the girl just ahead of me, I mimicked her walk-run-walk-run pattern. I felt a little defeated I must admit, but I also felt I just needed to listen to my body. Fortunately, I was still able to finish strong with a sprint to the finish line.
My time wasn’t great (actually, for me it was quite terrible - 2:12:35), but I was most proud of myself for finishing what I would call a pretty tough race for which I was not fully prepared. I had forgotten how long 21 kms was! Maybe starting off the run season with a half marathon was a little too ambitious, but hey… I guess now it can only get better!

Onwards and upwards!   :) 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mirror, Mirror

  “I could try to be just like you, but I wanna be like me - the girl in the mirror.” Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself and thought “YIKES!”? Of course you have! We all have! We can all get a little self-critical from time to time, can’t we? I’ll be honest, I don’t often love seeing pictures of myself, especially those really close up, like selfies. Every image seems to amplify my insecurities and highlight “ flaws ” that I wish would disappear. I’m a pretty simple girl—no make-up, no heels, just me as I am, and I find that the world often holds up a different standard of beauty for females, one that's heavily curated and polished. My negative thoughts can weigh heavily at times, and social media ( with all its’ filters ) only magnifies those feelings of self-doubt. Over the last year, I’ve taken a number of selfies or mirror pictures. Some were taken to capture moments during my solo trips, some were taken to track physical changes influenced by diet, training and r...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fly Away

  “Until you spread your wings, you’ll never know how far you can fly.” For as long as I can remember, there has been a relentless pull within me; a desire to fly away, to explore beyond the boundaries of familiarity, and to immerse myself in the cultural richness of our world. It all started over 15 years ago with a pivotal moment: my first international trip to the Dominican Republic for humanitarian purposes. Little did I know then that this remarkable trip ( *along with teaching in a challenging multicultural school ) would set the stage for a life defined by adventure, discovery, and personal growth. Since that transformative experience, my life has been a whirlwind of movement and exploration. I've been blessed with the opportunity to experience living and working abroad, both in the UAE and in Vietnam, and along the way, I've had the privilege to traverse more than 40 countries, each offering its own unique blend of culture, history, landscape and perspective. Looking ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The runner in me

“Mind over miles.” A few years back, I was all in. I was that person signing up for every race that came across my radar—10K’s, half-marathons, marathons—you name it. The thrill of crossing the finish line, the camaraderie at the starting line, the way the crowds cheered you on, it was all so energizing. I didn’t even need music to get through a run, even a whole 42km marathon, which, I know, sounds crazy to most people. But there I was, in my zone, taking it all in and doing something I enjoyed. I collected lots of medals and racked up plenty of podium finishes, but most importantly I had some memorable international races, and met tons of amazing people along the way. I discovered that running was a really accessible sport; all you needed was a pair of shoes and the will to go. I could literally show up to a race, put one foot in front of the other, and—boom—be part of a community of people all working toward the same goal. So, what happened? Why did I stop running? For me, it came d...
Post a Comment
Read more