For me, the finish line is magical. I often reach the line, healthy but am a shambles once I’m on the other side of it.
Three people told me I looked good in the last half mile of SBIM, but once I crossed the line everyone was concerned. June even ran up to me to help me… Then I sat down until I vomited.
And that’s not a unique occurrence. In my first 15K I ran fairly normally, but was unable to walk once I crossed the line — somewhere in the race I had acquired a stress fracture in my pelvis — and I’m sure that didn’t happen in that last step.
In many marathons and ultras I pretty much have collapsed with dehydration — once I cross the line.
Something happens during a race and I don’t notice pain or other problems, but once I finish I am finished.
The French word for the finish line is arrivée — arrival — which, to me, an English speaker, has completely different connotations. “Arrival” seems to focus on what comes next rather than what has been. It ignores the race that has happened in favor of — well, I’m not sure what.
Perhaps I’d race better in France.
December 3, 2013 at 7:43 am |
It’s true about the French word. “What’s wrong?” is asked with the verb “arriver” if I remember correctly.
December 4, 2013 at 6:45 am |
I think it’s more “what’s happening?” than “what’s wrong?”