On The Beirut International Marathon 2010

As I was reading Sietske’s post on “Not the Beirut Marathon”, I giggled at the part she said “I thought other bloggers would probably cover the marathon, but I haven’t seen any posts yet”. See I couldn’t help but wonder if any other bloggers who went to the marathon shared some of the same aftereffects that put me out…

I don’t run, let alone walk on most days. I’m not a sportive person, not at all! But, something (an email from The Human Resources division at work) encouraged me to register for the 10KM fun run at The Beirut International Marathon which took place last Sunday November 7th, 2010…

We met up at 6:00A.M. that morning, and rented a bus to take us to the capital. We were the “Happy Planet” Team, here’s our cute group:

But that’s about as good as it got for me because what I registered for, well, it wasn’t what I would’ve dubbed a “Fun Run”. By the time I’d reached the 3KM checkpoint, I was beat. But I kept going. At 5KM, I developed a blister on each of my feet and walking turned into the most painful experience ever. I should have stopped right then and there, but I was at the point of no return and I didn’t want to leave the group (or, I didn’t want the group to leave me!). So like Johnny, I kept walking…

At 7KM I had an urge to sit down and start sulking but after all the ache, what was 3KM more? I still don’t know how I dragged myself to the finish line, got my medal and souvenir pack filled with a bottle of water, Granny Smith, apple juice, a packet of nuts and dried fruit, a T-Shirt, a bottle of Listerine, and some brochures…

Its also ironic how at the finish line (which I reached in a record breaking 4 hours!), there was a sign that read: “I thought I couldn’t… I can!” Well I can’t even begin to tell you how much the “I thought I couldn’t” part rings true! Oh dear God, thank God the marathon is over! Unfortunately, my pain isn’t…

I limped to work yesterday and today wearing thick socks and sneakers, and I got a couple of friendly smirks from some of my colleagues like, “Nour, Marathon’s over, take off your running shoes”. The blisters on my feet are still there and my leg muscles are still aching. I’m only hoping I’m all healed up by Saturday, as that’s when my nine day vacation officially begins, and I’ve got a lot of action packed for the next couple weeks... stay tuned! :-)