Procrastination – or the art of running a half-marathon faster than writing an essay.
Gedankenstrich_01
This is by no means my greatest procrastination achievement (so far).
Of course, one runs faster than one writes. But in order to run more than 15min continuously, one must be prepared – at least for the asthmatic that I am.
I "started" with running, almost out of obligation. My partner committed that crime as he wouldn't stop talking about the many benefits of it, such as "getting fresh air" and "a clear head". Getting quite irritated by this incessant sales pitch, but at the same time curious as to the WHYs one would self-inflict to run from point A to point B for no valid reason, I eventually looked for a course. Last autumn, when I saw that my Pilates teacher from uni was offering a cheap-ass running class for newbies, I signed up... Why? Because the woman is a beast! Not only does she know her stuff and share her knowledge with enthusiasm, she also has the heart in the right place. – But why do I refer to her as "a beast", you may ask? I will answer with one word, the same one she once let slip during a warm-up session, she did an: Ironman. Twice.
So there I was, running in circles once a week, trying to survive the freezing winter months and endure the rain. Because of course it rained. At e-ve-ry training. Yes, all of them. We were drenched at the end – and many times already before the start – of each run. But it was kind of fun, even if I can't explain why.
Anyway ... By the end of the semester, only three of the 25 starters remained. As we completed our last lap, the trainer came to us and asked why only Jacky and Yvonne had signed up for the next class. When I replied that it was a half-marathon preparation and I wasn't sure if I could meet the requirement of "being able to run 10km in 1h10 or less" as I'd never run more than 7km in my life – omitting the fact that it was 10 years ago – Jacky looked at me and said "Well, you've got all January to figure that out", and Yvonne added with a hint of a smile, "You can do it!" – Girl ... Let me tell you something about Jacky and Yvonne: they are f.cking athletes! They both studied sports science and played nothing else but, yes sir, you guessed it: soccer. In Germany. So, when I say the girls are fast, I mean it. And if you're wondering if they've ever run a half-marathon, the answer is ... yes ma'am! – Anyway, those comments really got on my nerves. I mean, I was cold. And rain-soaked. It was dark outside. I just wanted to go home and tell my partner in crime "I did the course, got fresh air, now and then even a clear head, I got it! Now, let's talk about something else than running!" But no. Our coach told me that I could definitely do the course and run the half-marathon in the spring, that it would be tough, but if I sticked to the plan it would not only be doable but also something that I could enjoy. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get tricked into joining the running community. So I signed up. And I took great pleasure – and pain – in not writing a long overdue essay for my degree.