Shannanigan's Search for More...

It has been almost a year since I have run...and that includes all forms of running (cross-country, jogging, and using treadmills). There is more than one reason for that, some more legitamate than others, but that's not what I really want to talk about. I want to talk about my first run for 2006, which I did tonight.

The coach begged me to be in the races this year, not because I was good, but because due to GPA requirements, the team was short by just one eligible female. I ran last year, and my coach knew my marathoning history, so my GPA sealed the deal and I was finally coaxed into signing the dang consent form and agreeing to run.

I sat in the gym lobby, wondering if I had come at the right time for the last practice run before the meet (tommorow). I didn't see any other girls in running gear around, so maybe I had come too late. This would have sucked seeing as I left my last class early to drive home as fast as I could, grab my sneakers, and drive back. Finally, coach shows up, tosses a uniform at me, ans says "Glad you made it. Make sure this fits."

It fit.

When I came back out there were three other girls. One I knew, she ran last year, but the other two I had never met. They were stretching and waiting for one more girl.

I've realized tonight that running brings out a different person in me. As I thought about what I was about to do I felt a tinge of excitement growing within me. We were going to run, and whether we all ran at different paces or all ran together, it didn't matter. This was time that I had set aside from my assignments, from my classes, from my obligations...to just immerse myself in physical work. I don't know if you've ever participated in an endurance sport such as running, but if you have anything that you need to escape from, they are perfect for just that. The strength it takes to keep on pushing yourself totally ovetakes you, while at the same time, you can give your mind enough freedom to wander and enjoy the surroundings.

My surroundings tonight were the soccer field, the airport, and, believe it or not, my old high school's football team practicing on the field. As I ran, sorry, as WE ran our first lap (together...team spirit!) the football guys were doing sprints, and as some of them hit the line while we ran past, I heard a few "Hey Shannon!"'s. Made me feel good to be remembered like that.

I did say that running makes me a different person; it does. I hadn't met two of the girls I was running with, but boy I couldn't stop talking. In a sport like cross-country, a lot of your ability depends on your ability to keep your mind off of what you are doing and on what you are trying to do: keep running. I sang some funny men's chants I had heard, told some jokes about running, and before we knew it one lap was down, two to go.

We still felt strong, but don't worry, we were feeling the effects. Now it was on to singing our favorite songs, talking about the newest electronics, and joking about a new team mate for the boys who we had recently overheard asking if he needed sneakers to run. (!)

The third lap was brutal; my friend from last year started to give in. "Fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee!" I yelled, and she picked herself up and caught up. A girl said she wanted to powerwalk; I told her that we'd hold out until the home stretch (knowing that nobody ever walks the home stretch ) At one point I felt the pace seriously drop, so I started making up chants to pick it back up (UVI health club UVI health club, we run for fun, we run for fun, UVI health club UVI health club....it was funny because we were supposed to be the "cross-country team" but every girl had admitted that we were really just running to stay in shape, not to win )

Home stretch. Nobody powerwalked. A sprint to the finish and silly dramatic arm-waving commenced. I made two new friends in a 20-minute evening run. I love sports.