Today I ran the pacer. I absolutely despise the pacer. Running back and forth, getting faster and faster until you're running out of breath and practically collapse on the gym floor.
I ran for 28 laps. To pass for my age, you have to get 23. But I would like to know, who decides exactly at what level of laps are considered "fit enough". Who decides whether we are the athletes versus the couch potatoes? Because that's a lot of authority to rest on just a few people. What about the kids who take just one less lap than that level that is considered "fit"? Who, I dare ask.
When you start on the first lap, you feel confident, like you could run a thousand. But if you're like normal people, by the tenth lap, you're getting tired. And by the time I pass the test, I get so dehydrated that I start to see black spots and my hearing starts to go. By 28, I have to stop. It's too much. I stop at the white line, hands on knees, panting for breath. I want to get just one sip of water, but a water fountain that works is nowhere in sight. I tell my partner my score, and he records it down on a piece of paper. It all sickens me.
So, before you take that pacer test again, be the brave one to ask, who? Who is the one who decides that we're active or not? Whether we're fit or not? Who?