I was 15 years old and after an afternoon of partying with my friends, yes, back in the days there was really no minimum age for drinking and partying…, I took my bicycle back home. On the way home I noticed a sign that said ‘ 10km run, tomorrow here in Dorst’. I never ran a race and with a few beers in my stomach I thought it would a fantastic idea, no, an uber cool idea, to try it out.
Back home, by than it was around 6 pm, I thought about it again and the more the beers started to work, the greater the idea seemed to me at that time. ‘But’, I stumbled ‘ I haven’t trained for it and if this race is tomorrow, than I better start training’….and so it happened. I found a few running shoes and a pair or shorts and told my mom, that I would go out for a 10K run to train for a run that would take place tomorrow.
Of course, like any other mom, she nodded her head and asked if I thought that would be smart. Of course moms are always right, particularly in this case, but we also know how stubborn kids can be and thus she let me go and do my thing.
Surprisingly enough it went well. I ran 10k without major problems and when I came home I fell I was ready to show the other runners how it is done.
But OK, before the next morning, as it was Friday night, I had to go out to my friends and party a bit, telling them I was going to win a race tomorrow. Of course there were some beers involved and my friends really were convinced I was going to win. We almost ended up celebrating my victory that of course never happened. As it was getting late I was going back home to take a good rest for race day…..
The day after the night before…
The alarm went off and as I was ready to get out of bed, I noticed I couldn’t….my muscles….those damn muscles….as I never had run a 10K before, and I hadn’t stretched nor doing a warm-up (except for those beers) or a cool down, my muscles were so bloody sore that I actually couldn’t walk. I seriously couldn’t get up, well, I did, but crap, that hurt.
Going down the stairs like I just got out of a major surgery, my mom looked at me…you can only imagine what went through her mind….just that look…
Of course the race started without the ‘possible’ winner..me 🙂
The moral of the story:
- Moms are always right
- Don’t drink and run
- I was 15 and stupid
At least I had an excuse because of reason # 3 🙂
Bert van Mackelenbergh 