Run for a Reason

Some of you who I met in South Carolina might have known that I caught a bit of a running bug. I'll admit it, I like to run. I always thought it was silly to run for no purpose, but there's something about a long, slow Saturday morning trail run that is my happy time. Thanks to my friend "crazy Katie" I've done some longer endurance challenges that prior to 2009 I would have thought to be ridiculous.

When I moved to Australia, I decided that I wasn't going to train for anything. Training for a marathon or a half-ironman takes a lot of time.

It's a lot of quiet Friday nights going to bed early and Saturday mornings are consumed. I didn't want to feel guilty about deciding to go to the pub on Friday night with some new Aussie mates, or leaving early Saturday morning for a weekend trek out to the bush. So I ran when I had time and when I wanted to.

I finally decided that I was going to see how an Australian race compared. August 2015 I was going to run a full marathon. I started getting back into my training regime in April. I remember my 14 mile run in the rain before a Dockers Saturday night footy match. I ran through Subiaco, Kings Park, onto the campus of University of Western Australia and back to the city via the foreshore. I was splashing through puddles and felt good. Countless weeks of not running, three physios, a torn meniscus & cyclops lesion, a knee surgery later, and almost two years later I had still yet to run in an Australian road race. (I may have walked 100 km, but that's different)

I knew it was going to be ugly. I knew it would be my slowest half marathon race yet. But I knew I had to do it and get it out of the way. My training was sparse (I still have some sightseeing to do! Plus I'm missing part of my meniscus (think cushion between your bones), so I tried to take it easy.

The race of choice? One of Perth's biggest, HBF Run for a Reason. 30,000 participants taking on the 4 km, 12 km, or half marathon. And I can walk to the start and finish lines. Not to mention my dearest friend (not a runner) was in town, so I signed her up for the 4 km too, and everyone else I know.

I pinned my race bib on before dawn and thought. "This is the least prepared I've been for a race."

And how does an Australian race compare?

Well, the course music was a little different. I think I hear a cold chisel song. But I also heard Sweet Home Alabama running through the freeway tunnel. It's the same as any other race I've done. It was a beautiful, and relatively flat course, with no race clocks. I didn't wear a watch so I had no idea of my pace. After a bout of flu two weeks prior (no, not the man flu, the real flu), I ditched any goals I had and just ran my "happy pace". But I was happy when I crossed the finish line. And as we were corralled from the finish line, some 70 year old man told me "You're a great runner". I wanted to say "oh, this is the worst race I've ran" or "I'm usually a lot faster". But my laid back Aussie attitude was content with finishing, pleasantly surprised by my time, and just happy to be running again.

Happy trails everyone. Whether you're running, walking, or cheering on a friend. Be thankful.

Some proof that I actually did run and finish.