Though it was tempting to rush home and get myself under the covers for an hour or so before returning to my new passion of Christmas card making, I forced myself to get on an unfamiliar bus and head to a somewhat shady part of town to meet the other members of Team Diabetes.

You may or may not recall that I’m going to be running a 5K on May 25, 2008, a decision I made somewhat impulsively. Yesterday was an opportunity to meet the coordinator for the organization, others who are racing in Ottawa or in other exotic locations (more on that later) and hear about how to survive running in the winter, and how to minimize running injuries.

When I arrived at the location, the door was locked, but there was a bell. I rang the bell a million times and nobody answered, which of course made me think I had the wrong day. I didn’t have the number of the coordinator, and I was 100% sure that I was at the right place, so I decided God must be giving me permission to go home and relax after all…until I noticed another door to the left. I knocked on that door, got directed back the first door, where someone was hurrying over to open for me.

First impressions upon entering the room:

• the coordinator looks nothing like I had pictured (I had imagined a slender but toned woman, hair the colour of caramel, in her late 20s to mid 30s, stylish, a bit more goal-oriented, businesslike than warm, but nice). I have no idea why I had such a vivid picture in my head
• Oh my goodness, everyone (especially the guys) look so fit! How intimidating! I am so lumpy! Why aren’t there any overweight people who look like beginners here (other than the coordinator, that is)?

I sat at a table with a very slender “I bet she’s all muscle” woman and another man. They were running buddies. They’re both discussing their next marathon. To be fair, the guy has never run a marathon before this, but the woman had. They were joined by another woman who I would not have guessed was a runner. In my head I picture all runners and sleek, slender lithe figures, not curvy women, but this woman defied that image in my head. She was also a veteran and had run various races, from the 10K to the marathon. And then there was that table of chronic ironman runners. Ugh.

I can see how running can become expensive, but when compared to its benefits, the cost is negligible.

Everyone introduced themselves and shared what races they had run before and that’s when I heard of all the cool places you can choose to run your race, from the 10K to the marathon—Rome, Barcelona, Iceland, Hawaii, Ireland, Easter Island!—as long as you’re willing to do the fundraising required for those locales, you can choose to do the run at one of the available places! I can’t deny that I felt a twinge of “Wow! Hawaii! Maybe…” before reigning myself in: first of all, I’m not ready to sign up for a 10K and secondly, the amount you have to raise is substantial, and I think I’ll take this running thing on in baby steps. Finally, an exotic locale would be more fun with a friend or sister.

I got some good information out of the session, and everyone was nice and encouraging, even when I told them that this is my first race and I’m an absolute beginner. There was complete conviction on everyone’s part that I was going to do this, and they were all encouraging me to sign up for the 10K, with the rationale that a 5K is nothing and I’ll be disappointed when it’s all over because it’ll go by so fast. I’m going to see how my training goes before biting off more than I can chew. I met a girl who is around 19 or 20 years of age who is diabetic, and she’s using the insulin pump instead of injecting herself with insulin (like my mom currently does). I wanted to ask her questions but I didn’t; perhaps next time I will.

It was a good experience and I’m looking forward to the January session.

When I got home, I watched The Biggest Loser with my mom and parents and how inspiring is that show? It’s amazing that people can drop all that weight (the weight of an entire person!) and be so totally transformed, all without surgery. You also see the long journey and the hard work and discipline involved, even with all the support they have from personal trainers on the show. The two winners (the twins) looked amazing, but it’s always the women’s transformations that get me the most: Hollie looks a bit like Katie Holmes now.

Should I admit that I watched the finale of TBL while eating takeout Chinese food (there were lots of veggies involved though!)?

Filed under: Operation 5K by jummy