25th April – 7:13
Like all somewhat cliché stories, the day after I wrote about how great the previous week had been, something happened.
I decided that Monday would be the last day I would run until today. I wanted to surpass ten kilometres to be mentally prepared for the pain I would face today.
However, it wasn’t the pain I had expected.
Sharp stabs inside my knee, the junction between my leg and thigh no longer had a clear path, and with each step, it felt as if it was falling apart a little. Meanwhile, the same was happening in the other leg, leaving me confused about which one to limp on.
“It’ll pass, after ten minutes you won’t even notice the pain,” I kept telling myself.
Ten minutes passed.
The pain didn’t ease.
Suddenly, the area connecting my hips to my legs lost its strength.
The muscles at the back of my leg were contracting violently, and gradually, I lost the sense of walking. I pushed on for another two minutes, but it didn’t make sense. The treadmill stopped, and I could barely move.
The discomfort lingered until late, but it slowly faded away, leaving only a needle-like sensation in my knee as a reminder that it had been there.
–
Today is race day, D-day. I haven’t run since then.
The sharp stabs persist with every step, whispering to me what’s about to come.
Today, the battle isn’t just against the goal, but against all the setbacks.
It’s going to be the hardest pain, the most severe challenge. But I’ll make it.
Ten kilometres in under an hour.
It will happen, it has to happen.
