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My Racing Adventure and the lesson learned

What i learned today Well today was D Day for me . The race i have been in training for finally arrived. The Doomben 10 klm race!!!!! It was also a half Marathon but i only did the 10 klm. Well this was my first race ever and what a race it was. My only pre requests where To finish no matter what Not to hurt myself And probably the most important thing …..TO ENJOY IT !!! So i would look forward to doing it again. So last night i could not sleep, even though i knew full well that i needed to be up at 4:30 am on Sunday i just could not sleep. Every possible thing that could go wrong raced through my head and every conceivable doubt like “ what the hell are you doing taking on running and racing at 40?? “ to “Haven’t you heard on the news in the past of people who die doing this type of thing? “ to “No way are you healthy enough, you will probably pull out half way through “and the ultimate “ i am going to be so embarrassed crossing the line last”. Yup if you can think it , i probably thought it. So of course the morning comes around and th self doubt has not disappeared, if anything it was worse due to the anxiety of getting to the race. So i shuffled around in the morning and got my gear together, we loaded up the car an headed out to Doomben. Thinking “ well if we run out o fuel its not my fault i didn’t run “ and maybe the road works could hold us up long enough to miss the race” yup i was on fire with this crap which only got worse on arrival. So we arrive and there are people everywhere and mean everywhere . All these YOUNG, healthy fit people stretching and jogging on the spot and getting prepped and not sweating it, they had done this many times before. WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE? I CANT COMPETE WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!!!! And that’s when it hit me, they were all here to compete against each other whereas i was here to compete against myself. Or more importantly To prove something to myself. I knew what my training time was so i had that to beat , but also this was a learning experience to see how to run in a pack, and see if i would crumble under pressure. So with this new found thoughts i put my running chip on my shoe laces and pinned my number to my chest and we approached the line. What an amazing intense feeling standing there amongst that crowed, all the adrenaline pumping and people keen and eager to get of the mark…..the energy and happy vibes were intoxicating!!!! I could see the attraction now, this huge influx of vibes coming in from all directions with people with smiles on their dials. So the race starts and you take off with the crowed , not even realising you are keeping up and going strong till your loving partner reminds you its only the start and we don’t want to burn out to fast, so we tone it back and that’s when he internal conversations take over. You start becoming aware of your breathing and your stride and your pace, and yo start making judgments on how you feel. You feel your body and notice little niggling pains and try to change your pace or stride to accommodate it . But this is only going on in the back ground as you are watching the other runners and studying there style and methods. You look for the klm markers and start to get excited as your passing them “ Yeah baby im doing it “ and look forward to the next drink marker taking in the new scenery and the beauty of the day. Quietly cheering people on as they go by you and just generally having a great time proving to yourself you can do it . Anyway as we are coming to the Finish line the adrenaline really does kick in and even with sore legs and badly chaffed arms you pick up the pace to cross that line with a loud internal YESSSSS!!!!! We completed the race in one hour thirty five minutes which is 17 minutes better than our last time. It was truly a liberating moment , all the crap i have been dealing with, all the things that have either not worked , or come through and all the feeling of failure for that moment slip away….you did it . As i never really did sports nor was encouraged to do so i think this is a valuable lesson here to be learned for everyone that i missed out on. For Man to enjoy his life and be the most he can be MUST test himself on a regular basis, and especially when times are hard and not going the way you planned. You have to start stacking up those positive and personal wins no matter how big or small they are to balance yourself out. And its not about winning the race and doing the victory lap it is far more significant, it is about proving to yourself your still in the game , and you can still change , and that is this is how you roll!!!!!…. And that surrounding yourself with positive people and positive influences and allowing yourself to become intoxicated with positive vibes is the ONLY way to achieve positive outcomes in your life. If i had approached this race with positive thoughts instead of the negative lead up i gave it the outcome may have been different but oh what a lesson learned!!!! Anyway i better get back to looking up the next race , i will keep ya updated