Ich bin heute 27 Kilometers gelaufen...

Today, I ran a twenty-seven kilometer road/xc race up, around, and down a mountain. It sounds like something very random to do on a year abroad, especially when you are not in shape and have not trained at all, but that’s mostly because it is very random. My host-father runs long distances fairly frequently, and asked me if the run was something I wanted to do. The fifteen kilometer option sounded reasonable enough, so I said, “warum nicht?” ...why not, and when it turned out the twenty-seven kilometer race was the only one with spots left, I again said, “warum nicht?” According to my converter, twenty-seven kilometers is slightly less than 17 miles. Over four times longer than the Casco Days road race and with about the same percentage of up hill climbs...

Thoughts that crossed my mind during the race include, but are not limited to...

• “How do people even run up this 86 degree incline?!”
• “There are literally only old men for hundreds of people in front of me and behind me...”
• “I hope none of these old men fall, and I have to carry them down the mountain. Although, Senior Awareness has me a little prepared...”
• “Scheiße, it’s only been seven kilometers.”
• “Scheiße, it’s only been one kilometer since the last kilometer.”
• “Whoa, this is such an amazing view!”
• “People could fall off this narrow path and never be seen again...”
• “Oh, remembering to breath should probably be more of a priority than planning your blog post about this run...”
• “Downhills are so nice!”
• “Ich habe Hunger...”
• “It feels good to see that I have less distance left to run than I have run thus far.”
• “I still have two cross country races left...”
• “NO!” (to my legs many times during the last seven kilometers because they would not stop cramping up)
•  “I can’t believe I just ran that far...”

Now that it’s over, I feel great! Although my legs are a bit tired. I ran the race in three hours, which is not too bad for not training at all, and definitely fine with me since my goal was to reach the finish line. The race was something I never imagined doing, but it makes me sure that saying “wurum nicht?” to most things that get offered to me for the rest of my stay, and the rest of my life is a good way to go. Plus, if I hadn’t run, I never would have experienced having cake and beer with all the runners after we had finished.