Week 5: The Race of your Life


Mike Finch |

The first thing I thought of, as I opened my eyes, was ‘I need to go for a run immediately.’ The endless wedding-organisation tasks had finally consumed me.

Alana week 5 - 1

With my wedding a matter of hours away I was full to the brim nervous energy and adrenaline, as well as feeling sluggish after enduring 13 consecutive days of running the total distance of the square root of zero.

Now, I was chomping at the bit like Seabiscuit to gallop for a few kilometres and get rid of that restless energy. I had asked my bridesmaids the night before to make sure that we allocated at least one hour of this monumental day to a very relaxed 5km run. If we failed to tie our shoelaces and get out the door, I wasn’t sure if I would make it through the hectic schedule of the next 12 hours. The to-do list included: hair and make-up, hopping into a dress, walking down the aisle, vows, endless photography, multiple speeches, cutting of the cake and then squeaking a few hours of tekkie on the dance floor. All before midnight!

9am: Run start. HR 90: Slightly high for not even starting to run yet, must be the nerves!

We make our way out the farm gate of the wedding venue. The Tulbagh valley looks glorious in the misty dawn, with big clouds rolling off the Groot Winterhoek mountains towards the orchards. The idea is to have a very chilled run – so that I can have a good warm-up, but still save some energy to dance into the night.

We ease into a steady pace, but I can feel my heart rate is increasing quickly. I glance at my watch and I see that actually, it has risen quite slowly; it must be the pre-wedding jitters that I’m feeling instead. Luckily, Donnee (one of my bridesmaids) keeps seeing the most beautiful photo opportunities, so we stop a few times to take in the scenery and take a few deep breaths.

Alana week 5 - 2

9:20am: Mid-run. HR 170: The Panic

Mid-run, my mind starts churning over the day’s details … would everything roll according to plan?! What if it starts raining? What if I hate my make-up? What if the dress that fitted like a glove three days ago doesn’t zip up? What if our guests don’t enjoy themselves? The more these thoughts roll through my head, the more I pick up the pace, and the harder I find myself running. This is where my HR peaked: 185bpm, with me in a state of pure ‘I’m about to be a bride!’ panic.

Before I knew it, I was running at near-sprint pace! Apparently panic is normal in this situation, so I just ran with it for a minute or two to release some of the anxiety. And not long after – as running somehow always manages to do – my mind was clear of all the wedding stress, and I was thinking of nothing else other than placing my feet and keeping my breathing even.

9:45am: Last 2km. HR 145-150: Take it easy. ‘Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.’

As we head back towards the venue and wrap up the final kilometres of the run, suddenly a quotation pops into my head: ‘Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.’ It is at this point that I realise that marriage and marathons are much alike. They both bring their ups and their downs, they show us our true character, and they inspire us to never give up.

I feel the tension slowly leave my body as I look down at my watch. My heart rate has settled into that sweet spot where I feel like I can run forever.

Alana Doyle is a committed trail and road runner and has completed events like the famed 160km UTMB (Ultra Trail Mont Blanc) run in France. This year her target events include the Hout Bay Challenge Trail Run and the Sanlam Cape Town marathon.

Follow Alana’s running journey here:

Week 1: Running Hard Is Easy

Week 2: My First Win… But at What Cost?

Week 3: When The Heart Says Go, But The Body Says No

Week 4: Life’s Curveballs

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