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This was my 'before' message:
Dear friends,
As you may or may not already know about me, although I do like to be active, especially if it involves being outdoors: cycling, hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. - I don't like running. To be honest, I've always thought of it as a bit of a mild form of torture. However...always open to having my mind changed about things if it's possible that I'm wrong, and believing that it might in fact be possible to enjoy this if I tried, I slowly started to try it out.
It began a couple of years ago - in Sudan, of all places (if you're going to torture yourself why not do it in sweltering heat to add to the challenge??) with a couple of good friends, quiet Juba mornings, and a little energy. When I moved to Brussels, I decided to see if I could keep it up on my own, and concluded that while the running part still wasn't that fun, it was a fantastic excuse to get myself to the forest at least once a week, escape the city, inhale some green and let my mind wander - and I got some exercise to boot.
My kind of place to be.Time passed...and some months later, my colleagues decided to convince me that I should try to run the Brussels Half Marathon. I laughed. But with some significant coercion, the added twist that I could do it for a cause, I began to consider the idea, and an inkling of faith that I might actually be able to do it began to grow in my mind.
And thus - I am now officially registered for the Brussels 20K on May 30th. I'm doing it as a fundraiser for an organisation called Retrak (www.retrak.org) which runs projects to assist street children in Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya - inspiring them to find a viable alternative to life on the street. Having spent a summer working with Kenyan street kids, this is a cause I fully support - and also have good friends who know the organisation well and vouch for the good work they do.
I've been training for the last couple of months - and although I got rather intimidated with training plans filled with jargon and mathematics, and try to stay away from treadmills and gadgets, preferring to run in the real world - I have seen a lot of improvement, and do now have a little log book, and a pedometer and heartrate monitor on loan... that's serious! I'm not promising any time. My goals are simple: Finish the race. Learn to run without hating it. Raise some money for street kids. Do it with joy.
To the trail!
Kendrah
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Time passed. Trails were trodden, shoe laces were tied, heart-rate monitor manuals were read, training plans were studied (and forgotten), forests were enjoyed, a body shouted angrily at a mind claiming that it was being tortured, companionship with fellow runners was enjoyed, serious exercise became a normal part of my routine....It wasn't always pleasurable, but it was good.
And then: race day arrived. (Oh the fear & trembling!)
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The 'after' message:
Dear friends/fans/believers in my humble abilities,
One week has passed since I survived the Brussels 20K run, and I owe you all a report on my achievement. Well…..
I did it!! I did it!! 20 whopping kilometers!! And – what’s even more amazing – I enjoyed it! I achieved my primary aim! It wasn’t quite as grueling as I thought it would be…I had the energy I needed to carry me through…the supporters along the way and bands and drummers were fun and encouraging…the solidarity amongst the runners was uplifting…the weather was grey, but actually perfect to run in…and I did it!! And get this – I’m even considering the idea of doing it again and doing it even better!
As you can tell by the volume of exclamation marks, I’m really quite happy about my achievement. - And I managed it in 2hrs 9min and 34sec, which was very nicely in my rough target range – and I’m quite pleased with it. (Attached is a photo of me glowing in my post-run victory, and another of me in action – just to provide you with a little proof.) Now I know many of you have said ‘I told you so’, or ‘I knew you’d be fine’ – but I was genuinely surprised that it wasn’t utter torture and that I had it in me. So, thank you for believing in me even when I don’t. I guess “that’s what friends are for”, as they say.
And – more importantly than my wee Sunday jog…there are a bunch of street kids in Kenya and Uganda and Ethiopia whose lives are going to be impacted in part due to the donations many of you have made to Retrak on my behalf. With all of your generous contributions, I was able to raise a total of €821! Merci, merci! And others provided words of wisdom, training tips and encouragement.
I’m humbled by the support and encouragement I receive from each of you – in this part of my life and many others.
With love,
Kendrah
Action - high-5's to my supporters!
Victory
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