“Here’s
how you run a marathon. Step one, you start running. There is no step two.”
-Barney Stinson
With that infamous quote, my journey into the world of distance running began. It is that particular quote that I kept on grilling into my brother since he returned to Ontario. It is also the same quote that ended up burning me as my brother registered me into 2010 Mudpuppy Chase without my knowledge.
So in the Spring of 2010, I get awaken by my brother with a challenge. "So you say that running a long distance race only involves one step, right? Prove it. Complete the Mudpuppy Chase." Before I could reject the idea of running, I simply had no other choice but to say okay. Now I consider myself a fairly fearless individual, although some might even say reckless, so the next couple words that came out of my mouth were "When would I be competing?" The response that I received wasn’t the one I was expecting, as my brother responded with “In an hour”. The thought that raced through my mind was “What did I just agree to? I never even trained or know if I can even run such a distance.” And before it really sunk in that I would have to run, all I could think of was, “What would Barney do?” I said, “Meh. Let’s do it.”
When we got to the registration booth, the other shoe dropped. I saw one participant wearing an “OFSAA Champion” shirt. There was a couple wearing “Boston Marathon” jackets. Originally, I was secretly hoping that I could complete the run without the paramedics having to be called in, now I had to adjust my goal: to not get completely embarrassed.
Since this was my first rodeo, I spent my hour before the race chatting up with other participants. Little did I know that the veterans spent their time stretching and trying to secure a good position at the starting gate.
When the race started, I just followed Barney’s theory and ran. As I began passing people, I thought, “Damn. I might actually be finish this in a decent time.”
My favorite moment came near the end of the race. About 50 meters short of the finish line, I caught the glimpse of a little old lady, whom unbeknownst to me, had been drafting behind me for an indeterminate distance, began to try and race past me. The only thought that raced through my mind was “I can’t beat by grandma”, so I summoned my last bit of energy and started sprinting.
In the blink of an eye, I realized that I reached the finish line and as I looked back, I didn’t lose to the old lady. I laughed and almost cried all at once.
-Barney Stinson
With that infamous quote, my journey into the world of distance running began. It is that particular quote that I kept on grilling into my brother since he returned to Ontario. It is also the same quote that ended up burning me as my brother registered me into 2010 Mudpuppy Chase without my knowledge.
So in the Spring of 2010, I get awaken by my brother with a challenge. "So you say that running a long distance race only involves one step, right? Prove it. Complete the Mudpuppy Chase." Before I could reject the idea of running, I simply had no other choice but to say okay. Now I consider myself a fairly fearless individual, although some might even say reckless, so the next couple words that came out of my mouth were "When would I be competing?" The response that I received wasn’t the one I was expecting, as my brother responded with “In an hour”. The thought that raced through my mind was “What did I just agree to? I never even trained or know if I can even run such a distance.” And before it really sunk in that I would have to run, all I could think of was, “What would Barney do?” I said, “Meh. Let’s do it.”
When we got to the registration booth, the other shoe dropped. I saw one participant wearing an “OFSAA Champion” shirt. There was a couple wearing “Boston Marathon” jackets. Originally, I was secretly hoping that I could complete the run without the paramedics having to be called in, now I had to adjust my goal: to not get completely embarrassed.
Since this was my first rodeo, I spent my hour before the race chatting up with other participants. Little did I know that the veterans spent their time stretching and trying to secure a good position at the starting gate.
When the race started, I just followed Barney’s theory and ran. As I began passing people, I thought, “Damn. I might actually be finish this in a decent time.”
My favorite moment came near the end of the race. About 50 meters short of the finish line, I caught the glimpse of a little old lady, whom unbeknownst to me, had been drafting behind me for an indeterminate distance, began to try and race past me. The only thought that raced through my mind was “I can’t beat by grandma”, so I summoned my last bit of energy and started sprinting.
In the blink of an eye, I realized that I reached the finish line and as I looked back, I didn’t lose to the old lady. I laughed and almost cried all at once.
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