Alex: “It’s just a hill, get over it”

Back in November I signed up to run in the Two Oceans Half Marathon here in Cape Town. I’m a big fan of half marathons, and when I read that this particular one is considered to be “the most beautiful race in the world” I knew I had to sign up for it. However, I didn’t take into consideration just how busy I would be here. Between my internship, activist projects, and exploring the city, I didn’t have the time, nor did I make the time, to train like I should have. As the time passed here I slowly came to the conclusion that there was no way I would run it. I was incredibly disappointed, however, I felt it was better for me to not hurt myself trying to run it.

Wednesday I went to the running expo to collect my number. There was an international friendship run on Good Friday, and I knew I still wanted to participate in that so I collected all of my items. The only problem was once I found myself in the expo I became so excited, so the idea of running came back full force.

Friday morning Dan, Kimmi, and I went to the Waterfront to run the International Friendship Run. There were 80 countries represented, which was really amazing. Everyone was dressed in their country flags or colors, and they passed out country flags people could run with. I loved seeing so many nationalities all mixed into one event. It was a really neat feeling knowing that even though we are all from so many places, we had all come together to meet other people and participate in such a fun and peaceful event. It was a very enjoyable race and there was free breakfast after! After we finished the 5k-friendship race I made up my mind to run the next day. I decided to ignore the fact that that was the first time in over a month that I had been running, and started getting pumped.

Saturday morning arrived very quickly and we left at 4:30am to get to the start. I was so excited, and much more calm than I have been before any of my other half marathons. Before I knew it 6am had arrived, the gun was fired, and we were off. We ran a really pretty route, and I think the best part were the encouraging and amusing signs posted throughout the race. “It’s just a hill, get over it.” “Don’t stop and smell the flowers.” “Feel it in your sole.” It definitely helped me make it through, and gave me a few laughs along the way. Before I knew it I was crossing the finish line, soaking wet, but feeling incredible.

The race was great! Despite the fact that it was cold and pouring rain, I have never felt better. This was the first race that I actually enjoyed, because I didn’t worry about my time- I just wanted to survive. Luckily, I survived and didn’t do as poorly as I thought I would. As I crossed the finished line I felt so accomplished, it was awesome. The best part of the entire experience, however, was having so many of my housemates there at the end. Knowing that they were there to support us, even in the terrible weather, made me feel like I truly had another family here. We all celebrated in the International Tent with free food and coffee, trying our best to warm up.

Needless to say, my spur of the moment decision couldn’t have been better. Having so many people I care about at the end made it that much better. Just another great experience here that I’m so thankful for. Hopefully I’ll be able to run it again next year!