Monday, September 13, 2010

The Run

The day of The Run (as it came to be known in our house) dawned cloudy and cool, a late Autumn day that held Roc's graduation fate in his hands. He had to complete The Run in a certain amount of time in order to graduate, and so far The Run had been his nemesis.
That day they made them walk from the Academy to the starting point. Roc remembers it being downright chilly and on the road to cold as he was wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt. The Run began in a park, headed up towards the Williamsburg Bridge, turned around, and came back.
They started off with a bang---literally---a gunshot going off. The runners were grouped by Company, and that means that you ran in a group of about thirty people. Roc began running and about a quarter of a mile in, he began to feel that same winded feeling and the tightness in his chest. He was bringing up the rear, but there were still people behind him, so he felt like he was doing okay. Then he started to see people already on the return, running past him. He kept pushing, but the asthma-like breathing he was experiencing kept trying to pull him back. He found himself basically neck and neck with a girl in his company, and they started encouraging each other.
"Come on Roc! You can do this."
"Come on, Abby! You can do it!"
They chanted back and forth to each other as they ran. When they finally came in towards the end, the rest of the Company was hanging on the sidelines, cheering them on like rabid fans at a Jets game. Roc checked the time. He was going to do it. He yelled once more to Abby and crossed the Finish line.
Under time.
Golden.
He'll tell you the walk back to the Academy was the best. The air was crisp, the skyline beautiful, the wind at his back, and the heaviness of the run was now gone, like a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.
It was a Friday night. We had a great dinner and the dog got the other wristband.

2 comments:

  1. left you a blog award on my blog. stop by to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Rebecca
    I am very honored! Thanks so much and God Bless
    XO SCW Stella

    P.S. The working out thing is a challenge for everyone...even fitness instructors!!

    ReplyDelete

 
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