Today, June 2, is Global Running Day.
A workout story first. I kicked off my Global Running Day by popping out of bed, excited like a kid in a candy store to meet my Strong Women Squad for Workout Wednesday on the first day possible to do so since Lockdown 3.0 began in NS on April 20. Restrictions, including public health restrictions lifted beginning today, allowing us to gather for our sport in a group of 10. What a Global Running Day gift.
My Global Run Day workout, 10 x 2 minutes at 8km pace, featured the honour of being dropped by some of fastest women in the city. My post-evening shift body was dragging. Some tightness left from 1km time trial on weekend. Steph was up ahead from the first interval. Kaili and Meaghan got away from me on the last three, I just couldn’t maintain contact with them. I’m not being cheeky: it’s really an honour to be dropped by these fast women. And extra so when it’s witnessed, which it was, by my neighbour Jamie who was running in the opposite direction at the Commons, hehe.
Global Running Day coincides with a wonderful time of year for a high school coach. At this time, I get to read the reflections that my athletes write as part of their IB program to collect needed CAS (creativity, activity, service) hours. It’s such a treat to see these young athletes consider how their sport of running has impacted their high school experience.
So with their permission, on this Global Running Day, I’m sharing some highlights to fill your running tanks. Enjoy:
- I reached a good amount of competitiveness which allowed me to still take racing seriously without getting too stressed about it. I am very happy about this because it means I can see myself continuing to have fun with racing for a long time to come.
- My finishes were never very high, but I am glad I participated because it has helped me get back into running. I have been running all my life, and I was always in the middle of the pack, so I thought to myself “what is the point if I’m not going to win?”, and therefore I struggled with motivation to run. This season taught me to enjoy running for the sake of it, which I am happy about.
- I am proud of myself for finishing
- I knew I wasn’t going to win anything, but I showed up because I wanted to help the senior team at provincials.
- I am very proud of the season I had. I am not the greatest runner, but I decided to participate in cross country because it was my senior year and I knew I would regret not doing it. Especially because all sports would be cancelled later in the year, I am very glad I took part in cross country.
- I am not the fastest, but since I have been running all my life I know the warmup drills, so I was able to set a good example for those who are new. I made an effort to talk to people outside of my regular friend group, which payed off as I ended up making friends with a grade 11 and we have similar interests.
- I performed better than I expected in many of the races this season.
- Being part of a team environment helped me succeed, as my friends and other teammates cheering me on really pushed me to go faster. In turn, I cheered them on, and it created a positive atmosphere no matter the running level.
- I am proud of my mid-field finishes, as they were higher than last season.
- I am sad that there was no track and field this year, but I am thankful that I had you as a coach and I got to be a part of such a great team.
- I have grown as a person and as an athlete by doing cross country, and I can draw on what I learned in athletics, perseverance, and teamwork, later on in life.
These are just the best. Wonderful reminders of why we run and why one of the very best things about our sport is bringing other people into it.
After writing about these amazing young people…. I am dedicating my small, singular experience of Global Running Day to the 215 children, babies from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation found in the unmarked mass grave at Kamloops Residential School. Babies who did not get to grow up and experience an adolescence like these young people did because of the genocide inflicted by colonial, settler Canadians.
I have brought you words from healthy and thriving running children here.
Every Child Matters.
There is so much circulating on social media right now. Read the Indigenous voices. It’s so much pain. But for those of us who are settlers, White, Non-Indigenous: we can’t shy away because it’s painful. Read it. Learn more. Amplify these Indigenous voices. Learn more about allyship and lean in hard. And then keep at it. We are runners, we are good at keeping at it.
(header photo from Fall 2020 High School XC Season when groups of 25 and 50 could practice together)
