Run baby run
This year Nora surprised us all by voluntarily joining the school team that was running the Eindhoven Mini-Marathon. Well you need to have quite some courage and faith when you decide to associate the term marathon to the distance of 1.5km. The magic word this time is inclusion, I guess we want to have as many people as possible join in into the dream that brought Philippides from Marathon to Athens in one long long run.
As Philippides, many people that run the marathon not as a job have an objective for doing so. On a very small scale I tried to identify what was Nora's objective. This was not too difficult, she wanted to be noticed at school. I found it quite clever of her, considering that the largest majority of the students in her school can hardly walk volunteering for the mini marathon definitely sets you in another league. If indeed she wanted to be notice, I have to give it to her, she found a very good vehicle.
Before she embarked onto this enterprise I had never seen her run more than 10 meters. We tried to make her visualize how much 1.5km was and she understood. She even agreed with much reluctance to train. Before the real event she run the distance three times.
On the day itself the only word that I can find to describe what was going on in town is "collective hysteria" , not to talk about the war maneuvers which were necessary to get my family, my parents and my brother's family to the location of the race. I will mention only one detail, after several schemes were rejected the final plan included yours truly having to cycle to town and back.
Music was booming all over the center of town, all along the race course and the Sunday athletes (daddies mommies and kids) were cheered as much and maybe more than we would do with real athletes.
The PE team of Nora's school was perfectly in line with the general mood, Nora and the two other participants were received as heroes. Family and friends were strategically positioned all along the route to cheer and encourage.
Ready, steady go! Nora and Dennis (with his GoPro strapped to his chest to film the whole event) were off! I gathered with great difficulty all the local and visiting members of my family and we moved towards the finish.
Nora was hoping to get a medal, I had already reassured that she would get a medal no matter what. Getting the medal actually took longer than the actual race, which was over in almost no time.
Nora was a boiling pot of emotions. She had actually run for most of the distance so she was tired, happy, confused, overwhelmed and more.
Her objective was accomplished, on Monday the heroes of the Mini Marathon with medals in hand were properly celebrated in front of the whole school
As Philippides, many people that run the marathon not as a job have an objective for doing so. On a very small scale I tried to identify what was Nora's objective. This was not too difficult, she wanted to be noticed at school. I found it quite clever of her, considering that the largest majority of the students in her school can hardly walk volunteering for the mini marathon definitely sets you in another league. If indeed she wanted to be notice, I have to give it to her, she found a very good vehicle.
Before she embarked onto this enterprise I had never seen her run more than 10 meters. We tried to make her visualize how much 1.5km was and she understood. She even agreed with much reluctance to train. Before the real event she run the distance three times.
On the day itself the only word that I can find to describe what was going on in town is "collective hysteria" , not to talk about the war maneuvers which were necessary to get my family, my parents and my brother's family to the location of the race. I will mention only one detail, after several schemes were rejected the final plan included yours truly having to cycle to town and back.
Music was booming all over the center of town, all along the race course and the Sunday athletes (daddies mommies and kids) were cheered as much and maybe more than we would do with real athletes.
The PE team of Nora's school was perfectly in line with the general mood, Nora and the two other participants were received as heroes. Family and friends were strategically positioned all along the route to cheer and encourage.
Ready, steady go! Nora and Dennis (with his GoPro strapped to his chest to film the whole event) were off! I gathered with great difficulty all the local and visiting members of my family and we moved towards the finish.
Nora was hoping to get a medal, I had already reassured that she would get a medal no matter what. Getting the medal actually took longer than the actual race, which was over in almost no time.
Nora was a boiling pot of emotions. She had actually run for most of the distance so she was tired, happy, confused, overwhelmed and more.
Her objective was accomplished, on Monday the heroes of the Mini Marathon with medals in hand were properly celebrated in front of the whole school
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