My coach had the whole running group in suspense when he announced this Saturday’s long run would be a surprise. I was a little scared, thinking maybe it was a crazy amount of repetitions mixed with something else. We were put at ease when he announced during the week that we were running a 5k with an easy route. It never crossed my mind that there would be any other surprises, I just focused on finding a way to finish in less than 40 minutes. 

After we were all given numbers and were waiting to start he mentioned one last thing: we would be running without phones, music or watches. They passed around a box where we had to put our phones and watches. My first thought was no, I can’t and won’t do it and other people were opposed to it too but we didn’t have an option, those were the rules. So I took my watch off, put my phone in the box, forgot about both of them and joined the others doing a short and relaxed run to warm up.

I felt pretty well when the race started but tried not to start too fast and get tired too quickly. I ran for close to the first mile with a friend, both of us going close to the same speed. It was fun being able to talk without any of us checking how long we had left or how fast we were going.

When I finished, I wanted to know how long it took me from the last time I checked my watch to when I checked it again. It had been about 40 minutes. I was a little disappointed because I thought not having distractions should have made a difference.

As we enjoyed breakfast, each of our times on the race were calculated. I thought I was hearing wrong when they said my time had been 35:48, but they repeated it. I couldn’t believe it, that was a lot less than 40 and a lot closer to my personal record in a 5k.Now I know I will be able to do that again!

Later they sent us a list of the times and it turns out I did hear wrong; it wasn’t 35:48, it was 35:14. That is than my personal record of 34:46. I learned that the key is not only not checking the time so much but also warming up, which I don’t usually do, but I noted the difference when I do warm up. 

Today I finished the run I missed last week. I walked for a few minutes before I started my run to warm up but today I did have my watch, phone, was listening to music and I took pictures when I walked. I could feel the difference between yesterday and today but even though it took me a little longer it was also a short 3 mile run and I was in no rush. 

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Published by mariacristinasanfeliu

I’m an aspiring writer still looking for exactly what I want to write about, with a lot of creativity, imagination and desire to write. I studied Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University where I explored many different sides of writing through my classes and extracurricular activities in order to narrow my search for an identity as a writer. I have written for Citrus TV Noticias and La Voz magazine, both of which gave me the chance to explore different mediums in which to write in. Through Citrus TV Noticias I also gained experience in translating from English to Spanish and vice versa, which is also something that I would be interested in working on since I am fluent in both of these languages. I was also an intern at Syracuse University Press where I got hands on experience in what goes into actually editing and publishing a book. Through out the last four years I have faced a lot of challenges, which helped chape the person I am today. After being in a tragic car accident, being in comma, having a Traumatic Brain Injury, and being in therapy for over a year, I am a new me, willing to face challenges and knowing how to deal with them. I want to write about my accident and life after it to help others, show them it can be done and help in any way I can.

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