May 28, 2016

Sundowner

It was a balmy early August night at the start of the 2015/2016 school year. We were standing on the sidewalk outside an outdoor eatery on Joo Chiat. It was the first social event of the year, and the first gathering since I had started drinking again after a ten year hiatus; I was a bit nervous and excited as I chatted up colleagues and asked about their summers- I nursed my second beer, careful to pace myself so early in this new re-drinking phase.

I listened to Scott tell Nancy that he was in the process of training for a half-marathon. It sounded so cool those words, “I’m training for a half-marathon.” So determined and focused. So strong and so, so out of my sandbox. I was tired and aging and cranky and achy.

I had been entertaining the idea of getting into running, but had never verbalized to any one before. I knew my fiends Ari and Anthony had both run half-marathons, and like a good friend as soon as my admiration faded, I was left with a big pile of jealousy at their accomplishments And on that nigh in August, there was Scott, “Training for a half-marathon.”

Why couldn’t I do it? At least say the words? Why couldn’t I sound brave and strong and determined? So feeling a bit too confident, and perhaps slightly buzzed, after my second beer, I said it out loud too “I'm thinking about running too.” That was easy enough. “Nothing major. You know an hour or so, a couple of times a week. How hard can it be?”

They all looked at me like I was an idiot. Paula had joined the conversation and she said there was no way I could run more than a few minutes. No way was I going to be able to run an hour right off the bat. I scoffed. They recommended a couch to 5K program or something to start. Sure I said, but in my head I said how hard can it be. You put one foot in front of the other and you run.

The next weekend I was off to Melbourne, but I had promised myself that upon my return I would start. I bought some shoes, some running clothes and I was off. I lasted about 13 mins before I was winded. I had run about 2km. Man! This is not going to be easy.

But I stayed with it. I was soon running 5km in 30min and actually enjoying it. I was up to 8, 9, even 10km in about an hour. I met my goal by Christmas and I have since run two10km races, the latest which I clocked in at 55mins. I have a running watch and I manage to run three times a week. And without ever saying the words, “I’m training for a half-marathon,” I am about to run one in a few hours.

Yup. I am running a sundowner 21km race tonight. I am pretty sure I am not ready and that I need more training, but I want to see how it feels. I want to run a real one next year, hopefully in Cambodia, so I want to see what this will look like. Can I even do it? Am I close?

Best case scenarios: I run about 16 or 17km, a bit passed the longest I have ever run and I end by jogging, walking, crawling to the finishing line in around 2 hours and 45 mins. This is ambitious. I know. Realistically. I see myself running about 15km, I end up walking most of the end and clock in at about 3 hours. Worst case scenario: I barely scrape our 12km walk and cry myself to the end at well over 3 and a half hours.

I will be happy with anything under three hours, but in the two and a half hour zone.

It is raining slightly and humid as hell. I hope it doesn’t get cancelled. The flag time is 11:45pm. I little post midnight rainstorm would make this pretty special. I’ll post results in the morning. Wish me luck.



Had a date night with just Skye tonight, while Mairin and Kaia went out on their own. Skye and I went to her choice of restaurant- Veganburg, followed my some time at a playground, a bus ride home, some ice cream at Baskin Robbins and we started to watch White Fang. Every few minutes she would grab my arm, snuggle and tell me how happy she was that we were spending time alone together. As an only child, the concept is new to me, but it is so important to spend time alone with each of your children. It is such a different dynamic.

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