I could have written a more dramatic introduction to this post but I can't think of any other way to put words together to express my joy in achieving my seems-to-be-impossible goal. Summer is definitely doing a lot of tricks to my brain lately. Or maybe it was because I have been slacking in the blogging department for a long time and my blog-hiatus state of mind put my brain on freeze-mode. But this is not my excuse. In fact I have no excuse. I just don't feel like blogging - Period! (And that goes for my 5 other blogs that are suffering from blog-drought, as well.) To say the least, I have nothing to say about the famous lighthouse because this post is not really about the lighthouse. This is about me!
I've been living here in Maine for almost 10 years now but I only visited the lighthouse 5 times since I migrated here in 2007.
The first time was on the 7th of July, 2007 when I got married to the love of my life.
The 2nd time was when I volunteered for the 2011 TD Beach to Beacon 10K.
The 3rd time was in the winter of 2014 when my brother Japol came to Maine for a visit.
The 4th time was in the summer of 2015 when I brought my 2 Filipina friends to play tourists for a day.
And the 5th one is today, for the 2016 TD Beach to Beacon 10K.
And today, I feel like blogging because this recent event is worth writing about. I have been waiting for this moment since I started "the high-heeled Diva's Running bLog" where I tried to document my running journey.
I started my running career (Yah, I know, there is no such thing, I just like the sound of it. So professional. So elite. LOL) in 2011. I was never an athlete to begin with so running as a career choice is never a choice. And running per se is not an option either. I didn't have a choice nor an option to be honest with you. I just run because I am always bored. Living in Maine gave me a whole new lifestyle way different from what I was used to. And as I have mentioned in one of the blogs I posted - I am a high-heeled Diva, but a lot of times I believe I am more of a walk-away Diva because I mostly walk when I go for a run. LOL
But things begun to take a different route when I signed up for the Mary's Walk (my very first race) to join RSU #57's Team Orr in support of Sandy Orr who lost her battle to cancer in 2011. Watching those runners passed by as we - the walkers were waiting for our turn to join them gave me a different feeling of obsession. I was so jealous and regretted that I signed up as walker instead of runner when I registered for the race.
So that day after the Mary's Walk I went home and instantly signed up for the 2011 Beach to Beacon 10K not realizing that it is a longer race and the most coveted race in New England where runners of all abilities join the nations' and world-class runners to reach Maine's beacon for the race of a lifetime. Well, for me it's a race of a lifetime because I have tried to register for this race since 2011 and always fail. I wasn't even lucky to be chosen in the lottery too. The first time I registered I cried like a baby when my computer froze. Hubby thought that someone in the Philippines died when he found me sobbing inconsolably in front of the computer. It was my birthday too.
Since then, I tried every year. I volunteered a couple of times just to be a part of it which was really awesome. The volunteers have to go to a "volunteer appreciation party" two days before the race for free food, drink, live music and a chance to meet up with other volunteers. And being a volunteer gave me a different perspective about the race. It was awesome to be a part of something so special even if my job was just to give out water bottles to runners because doing so made me a part of the event. And yes, we received cool free stuff too. wink* I so love the shirt by the way. But then, in my mind and heart I want that "white" B2B runner shirt so bad.
And so this year, as soon as my birthday month came, I braced myself for yet another failure to get into the race. And just like in the past years, that Friday, the 11th of March, I psyched my brain up to register for another B2B race for the 5th time. I had my browser set on the TD Beach to Beacon 10K website registration window and waited (for like an eternity) for the registration button to pop up. The ticking of the clock seemed to be forever. My heart was pounding like crazy and my hands were sweaty. When my computer said 7:00 AM and my computer monitor didn't do nothing I started freaking out. Then the clock registered 7:03 AM and that "button" suddenly popped up and I felt my heart popped out of my chest. With cold shaking fingers, I clicked that button and next thing I knew I was typing 100 words per minutes. I filled up the boxes provided with information. I felt like my brain was draining. I typed for like 4 minutes and I froze just as I saw the "submit" button popped up. I was trembling but not surprised because I knew that feeling before. I had that feeling since 2011. And for 2 seconds I hesitated then went ahead afraid that I get booted out of the system. And I clicked it. Then, I froze!
It took me about 5 minutes to get back to my senses after I clicked the "submit button". I remember that I waited for that familiar spinning circle in the screen as soon as I clicked the button. But there was none. I waited for that notice too that says... "I'm sorry. Registration is closed. Sign up for the Lottery instead." But nothing appeared. I waited for another email thinking that they might have come up with another kind that tells me - "You didn't get in. Try again next year. Or quit!" No, I didn't think they would do that. Then, I got one unfamiliar email. I haven't received that kind of email before. It said... "Thank you for your registration. See you in August 6, 2016 for the 2016 TD Beach to Beacon 10K." Then, I froze, again!
It took quite awhile for me to regain my strength. I know, this sounds really over-dramatic. (Yup, I am saving the drama for the last paragraph.) But if you have listed the B2B in your running bucket list, you will understand. This is the holy grail of my running goal. This is a dream race for me. This is the event five years in the making. This is one of the reasons why I run or jog or walk or even crawl.
This is why I run to the lighthouse.
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