Happy Thursday and welcome back to OTM! This past Sunday was the day of my marathon relay, and it was the most fun I’ve had running in a long time. I was assigned to the third leg, starting at mile 13 (alongside the high-endurance regular marathon runners) and eager to run my eight miles. I felt like Forrest Gump, like I could have kept going forever; I felt faster than the cars I passed on the highway. However, it hit me within the first mile that I likely felt this way because I was surrounded by already-tired marathonners that had run thirteen miles while I’d only ran one. I weaved past them easily during my eight-mile leg, often turning around to offer thumbs-ups and cheers for those that looked like they were struggling. It was, in my opinion, sweet and comedic, but I also felt a little bad running past all of them. Most shockingly, it made me instinctually want to run a full marathon. I wanted to feel that burn, to feel the satisfaction of crossing the finish line after twenty-six long miles. After finishing, I realized this wasn’t just a fleeting runner’s-high induced thought; I think I actually will start training, at least for a half. That really excites me.
Tag: running
OTM #34: Sweating
Hi everyone, welcome back to OTM! I’m happy to announce that I’ve been training for a marathon (relay) with my Michigan Daily co-writers, and it’s been such a fun experience. I already love running, but the added aspect of friendship and self-growth makes it all the more exciting. I’ll be running the relay this Sunday, so I took my last run before the race today as I’ll be tapering in the meantime.
I cut my hair short (as I usually do) this past weekend, and now I’m unable to fit all of it in my ponytail. I usually think this is a cute style, but when I’m running, it becomes a different story. As my face and hair get damp with sweat, the cold air helps to essentially freeze those two tassels of hanging hair. I was so engrossed in my five mile run that I failed to realize what was going on. “Ouch! Was I wearing big, clunky earrings when I left this morning? There’s no way,” I think to myself, only to then realize that it’s my cold, hardened hair smacking against my face. How hilarious. I feel sweaty, tired, and, strangely enough, joyous at the end of this run. There’s something so fun and cool about being so in-tune with your body moving that you fail to recall that your hair is a part of you; I guess I must be really into running. I’m happy to be back, and will hopefully provide an update on how the big run went next week! Thanks for reading.