Was THAT The Hill?

Last night was our first official run with Team Sakina. It's exciting to be a part of a women's running group, especially one like this. Team Sakina operates on many levels: bringing together women runners to encourage them individually and to build community among them; supporting the mapping, care, and use of local running trails; and supporting academic and health initiatives in a small village in Tanzania. I love it!

And yet I was nervous about going. Shocking? No. Not so much. Not if you've read, say, any other post I've ever written. I pretty much operate in the world by vacillating between peppy enthusiasm and abject nervousness.

It would be lovely if someday I felt worthy of being in the group I'm attempting to join. Don't get me wrong - I'm totally fabulous and they're lucky to get me - but in terms of fully meeting the running requirements of the group...it's a bit of a stretch. I can do what they said are their requirements. When they said 11 to 12 minute mile pace, I took them at their word! I can do 12, but I bet they were hoping for closer to the 11. It's very clear I'm the absolute slowest one in the whole group. And it turns out, there is also an unwritten agility requirement for Team Sakina. (I may not have mentioned it recently, but I am not the most graceful land creature.) Last night we met up and then jogged (i.e. everyone else bounded like gazelles while I huffed and puffed) along the highway for a half a mile or so to get to the field/trails. Then the thirty of us hiked another quarter mile through the damp mugginess until we got to a narrow, slippery pipe bridging a creek which the gazelles (all 29 of them) pranced across. (Ok - Donna would sooooo object to being called a prancing gazelle! But she bravely and sure-footedly traipsed across that pipe.) My options were to slide down the creekbed and climb up the other side as quickly as I could or attempt the pipe crossing, fall, crack my head and die. Hmmmm. Let's see, which should I choose? (When Donna saw the pipe, she didn't even say anything - she just held out her hands in an offer to carry my towel and water bottle for me. There is a lot to be said for a partner who knows you so well and loves you anyway.)

So before we even got to the trail, I was an adrenaline-charged mess. I was grateful that we did some team building stuff (=name games and "What does running mean to you?" type things) before we started in on the hill workout. The other women were kind and funny and admitted to not being as confident as they all looked. Then it was time for the not quite mile long hill loop. Somehow as we started off, I ended up about three quarters of the way back in the line. Not good. I was totally stressed about holding up the gals behind me! Flat, flat, turn into the field and then up, up, up. As I (finally) crested the hill I heard one of the ladies up ahead of me say in an incredulous voice as she started the descent, "Was that the hill?" So. Demoralizing. But inspiring in a twisted, rankling kind of way. I want to be the person who gets to the top and doesn't even think it qualifies as a hill!!!! I want to be that strong. I'm pretty sure I need to run a lot of hills to get there. Sigh.

But it was gorgeous! The sun was setting and the trees were literally shimmering in the light. The uphill part was on a mowed path through the tall grass and the downhill was along a shady trail through the woods. It was humid as only the South can be, but so heart wrenchingly beautiful. The second loop was still physically hard for me but mentally and emotionally more comfortable. The third loop - when I'd finally managed to get everyone ahead of me and could run at my own pace - was much smoother. It was 30 seconds slower but my breathing was better and I actually enjoyed it. I could have done a fourth but I was glad to stop at three and rest on my (relative) laurels. I'm looking forward to Team Sakina's long run tomorrow morning.

TODAY I LOVE: my 39 year-old (today) sister!!