Apologies. I didn't update last week for a number of reasons, but mainly because I didn't feel I had anything vitally important to say.
Today, however, I do have something exciting to report: I did my first 5K run. It was the CIBC Run for the Cure, a run whose proceeds go towards the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. A number of my friends signed up for it, so some of us met in the morning before the race. We were excited to be there. The gloomy sky and the spitting rain didn't deter us.
The race was not timed, so I brought my phone in lieu of a proper stopwatch. The run started at Queen's Park, went down Queen's Park/University, looped back up to Bloor, then back down St. George till College, where we ran eastward until the entrance to King's Circle, where the finish line lay.
I made sure to start at a brisk pace, because unlike the 10k, I didn't have to conserve my energy for later. I could feel I was pushing it faster than usual, but I felt good. Just past the 3K (I think) mark, there was a water station, so I grabbed a cup. I took a little sip and then aimed my cup at a garbage bag a man was holding for empty cups. I threw it in, but I think I got some on him, so I turned around to yell that I was sorry. While not looking forward, I ran right into another man who was handing out water. I swerved out of his way.... right into a garbage can. It almost fell, so I steadied it quickly, as I yelled out more apologies and continued on my way. The episode was absolutely ridiculous, and it unsettled me, my heart speeding from guilt, embarrassment, and residual fear.
Despite this hiccup, I finished the run at 27:46. That's a 5:33 min/km, faster (as planned) than my previous 10K pace (5:51 min/km.)! In a previous entry, I wrote that 25 minutes was my goal, but that I would be happy not reaching it this time around. Indeed, I'm absolutely happy with my time! I'm very proud that I ran strong, and I'm confident that I will improve next time.
Something that also really struck me today was that I was running for something very near and dear to many people's hearts, and something that, honestly, is a threat to me and all of my friends and family. Breast Cancer is a looming shadow over the shoulders of many women, a number of them younger than I am. Today I heard a statistic that 1 in 9 Canadian women is expected to, at some point in their lives, be stricken with breast cancer. 1 in 9?! That's terrible. So today I ran for the people that cannot run themselves. I ran for my future, my friends' futures, my family members' futures. I ran to promote healthy living, something that has so many healing properties, both physical and mental. I ran to show that there are people supporting you when you feel hope is lost in the face of an indiscriminate genetic sentence.
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