When I first got to Australia, I immediately looked up gym memberships.
Gym memberships can get kind of expensive, especially when you currently have no source of income. I was a bit of a group fitness class addict at home, but here, it wasn’t going to happen. Not at these prices!
I have a Danish friend here who is maximally fit. She’s a lifeguard. She does all sorts of adventure sports. And she runs. Seeing my predicament, she decided to ask me to go running with her.
I had to stay in shape somehow. I reluctantly agreed to go running.
But it seemed as though all my gym-going back in the States had paid off.
And that’s how we became running buddies.
A picture I drew for her in class. Because drawing > developmental genetics
My friend is a hardcore sporty girl, though. Running casually wasn’t enough.
In order to do a half-marathon, she had to train. And as she trained, she sneakily started to make our runs longer and longer.
As much as I hate running, though, there’s something satisfying about being able to run longer and longer. We started at 5, then 7, then 10, and finally…
Here’s a photo we took at the Opera House! Yeah…. I’m short.
I didn’t always run with my friend, though. She continued to run greater and greater distances in preparation for her half-marathon, distances that I couldn’t keep up with. Finally, the day of her half-marathon rolled around.
So, at an ungodly hour of the morning, my friend and I traveled to Sydney Olympic Park.
The race began, and my friend took off.
An hour later, she was still going strong…
…and kept going…
…until she crossed the finish line.
It was awe-inspiring to see all these runners push themselves to the maximum, especially since one of them was my friend. I’ve always thought of runners as almost another breed of people. Runners are unobtainable. Runners are people who are more fit and motivated than I will ever be. I’ve never thought that I’d be a runner. But really, runners are just like anyone else. My friend wasn’t born with the ability to run; she had to put time and effort into her training. And so, when I saw my friend’s victorious face…
I couldn’t help but think:
I haven’t been able to get it off my mind. I want to do it. I COULD do it… right? If only I could stay motivated when I got home.
But it seems like I’m the only crazy one.
Still, I have promised myself that I will run a half-marathon when I get back to Boston. Do you think I could do it?
Which is why I’m writing this now. Remember this well, readers, and hold me up to this promise: I, Vy, will train for and complete a half-marathon in 2014. Yes. It’s going to happen. I’LL MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Maybe I’ve just finally gone off the deep end.
I’ll be your running buddy 🙂
Yes please! 😀
Hi Vy !
How was “Study-Hell”?
Don’t push to hard on your running goal. Try a calm approach to reach the running distance.
Find your individual rythm for your training (you may train alone in the end!).
I started jogging this way: I ran as far as I was able to.
Next time my goal was: Run as far as you are able to, but at least a bit further than the last time !
Repeat !
Happy running, you will make it, i am 100% certain :)) .
RoBo
Hi RoBo! “Study-Hell” is still going strong; though I’ve finished my assignments, I’ve still got plenty of exams to study for! 😛
That’s good advice. It’s useless to push yourself too hard if you’re just going to be injured in the end. I’m going to try to train over at least a few months, with a recommended training plan.
Thank you! I hope I can do it as well; wish me luck!
Oh wow! 😀 I believe you can do it!
As RoBo said, take it nice and slow at first and your body will naturally get stronger. 🙂
I’m sure your running buddy in Australia would be happy to run with you there at first as you have been doing! Sounds fun. 🙂
Haha, I’m sure that even when she’s back in Denmark and I’m back in the States, she’ll find some way to keep me motivated. I really hope I can find someone to run with back in Boston; running’s a lot less boring when you have someone to talk to! 🙂
dang, thats some crazy stuff. 5ks are pretty difficult. have fun with 13 miles!
Hahaha, thanks! I’ll manage it somehow…I hope!
The most impressive thing about your running buddy: that she ran 13 miles? No! It’s that she ran 13 miles while smiling the whole time!
By the way, I think you hit on something really important – we think of something like “being a runner” or “being into knitting” or “being into martial arts” or “being a keen cyclist” as something that people “are”, something that makes them different from other people and sets them apart. But it’s not about what we “are”, it’s about what we do. There is no great barrier between runners and non-runners; any non-runner can become a runner tomorrow just by stepping out their front door and going for a run. As you have admirably proved!
Good luck with your preparation for the half-marathon, Vy. I know it’s not to be taken lightly as a challenge, but I know you can do it and I look forward to reading about it! がんばって！
You know, that’s often what I tell my friends about drawing. People think I have some sort of unobtainable cartooning skill– but in reality, all I’ve done is practice a lot! I still believe that anyone can learn how to draw.
And, ありがとう！I’m definitely going to train hard once I get back to the States. Look forward to it! 😀
What you say is true, but I do think you have a special talent – not just in the mechanical aspects of drawing (though that’s important too) but in your ability to express ideas and convey feelings so directly and efficiently in deceptively simple drawings. I love reading your posts; they always make me smile.
I just looked at the photos again – your Danish buddy is literally the only person who looks like she’s enjoying herself.
Haha, she made sure to smile every time she passed us by. Before she saw us, though, her face was one of pure concentration.
And thank you! I’m not the most technical artist, but I’m glad I’m able to get the emotions across in my comics. That’s always been my goal.
Sorry to take so long. I have been behind on things. Of course, you can run 1/2 marathon! You can do anything you set you mind to! This is coming from someone who is really supposed to be dead. I have overcome my stroke with God helping me. You can, too. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Scott
That’s amazing that you were able overcome a stroke– you are truly a strong person to be able to do that! Thank you for your thoughts. I’ll need it if I ever want to run 21k. 😉
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