Seven Days

In seven days, God created the Earth. I don’t remember much from Sunday School, but I’m pretty sure that’s right. Unless…did he create everything in six days and then rest on the seventh? Or did he create the seventh day so everyone else could rest on it? Damn, I should know this.

In seven days, I will create a marathon finish. I will walk, run, crawl, pull over, restart, drink water, drink Gatorade, eat some snacks, use the port-o-let, and otherwise make my way from the start to the finish. It ain’t no Big Bang or Creation Story, but it sure is somethin’.

I think the best part of what I will do in seven days is what I have done leading up to the race. Every time I had to write an e-mail, begging for money to sponsor MetroLacrosse, I knew I was doing something good for others. Every time I untied my shoes after a long run, I felt like I was doing some good for myself. Sure, the idea of needing to come up with $5000 when I could barely afford to by my own-self some new sneakers was a bit daunting, and I was definitely pissed when the money I was raising didn’t even go toward my $200 entry fee (selfish, I know). Sure, the weather was horrible some days and I hated the actual event of running, and when I got home I cursed the skies and blasphemed everything in sight. But, overall, the training experience has given me: a goal to work toward in my post-school pre-real-job boredom, a release for some everyday frustrations (most often work-related, am I right?), an appreciation for how the heck non-profits can afford to pay even one single employee, the realization that I'm getting (a tad) older and need to pay more attention to my body, and a healthy plan to follow so I don’t sit inside watching E! television and reading crap magazines in my “down-time”.

Plus, I get a cool fluorescent orange team jersey and a medal. And I guess I also get to feel good about helping inner-city kids stay off the streets and learn sports and health and good stuff like that…that’s not bad either.