Totally Awkward Tuesday: Running Through Cement

I recently started reading a new blog, The Secret Life of Tova Darling. She has a fun recurring "Totally Awkward Tuesday" theme where she invites other bloggers to play along, so today I thought I would play! I have tons of totally awkward stories, so it was hard for me to decide which one to tell. Ultimately I decided on the story I have self-titled "Running Through Cement." Ready? Here goes.

Toward the end of my 8th grade year, some kids came over from the high school to recruit for the cross country team. My BFF Holly and I were bound and determined to be super involved in high school so we would magically go from totally uncool to massively popular over the course of the summer. Cross country practices started that summer so we thought it would be a good way to get "in" with the high school kids before school even started in the fall. Yeah. OK. Whatever. We signed right up (I think we were the only 8th graders who signed up, which probably should have told us something about how cool it was).

I convinced my mom I needed these ultra super dooper top-of-the-line cross country training shoes, because I was going to be a serious runner. So we went out and spent like $85 on these shoes, which at the time was unheard of. They were bright purple and green. I will never forget them.

So Holly and I showed up to our first practice (which was WAY too early in the morning for me, by the way) and we were feeling all cool in our coolest workout outfits and purple and green shoes. I had spent hours in the bathroom that morning trying to achieve that "I just threw my hair back this morning, I'm just naturally this beautiful while I work out" look. The team captain said, "Easy day today, guys.... We're going to run down to the Pump 'N Pour and back."

The Pump 'N Pour was a gas station/convenience store located about a mile away. Two miles was considered an "easy day?!?"

I'll admit it: I didn't really know what "cross country" was, and I didn't bother trying to find out. All I cared about was getting "in" with the high school kids.

Anyway, no problem! I was a dancer, I was in shape. I could do this!

I lasted one block. One block, before I thought I was having a heart attack. I motioned for Holly to go on without me. When I was almost half-way there (walking, of course) everyone else passed me on their way back.

These types of practices went on for about a week and a half before the run that ended it all for me. This was a much longer run, though I couldn't tell you how many miles. All I know is that once again I was "running" (and I use that term very loosely) by myself. I would run for a block and then spend the next three dragging my knuckles on the ground, falling over myself and gasping desperately for air.

I rounded a corner and said to myself, "OK, Christine. This is it. You are going to run, and run hard! You can do this!" I took off, blocking out the world around me. I was hitting the pavement hard and fast, when all of a sudden my run went slow motion, as I felt like I was running through quicksand.

I stopped, turned around and saw two huge footprints, at least 6" deep, in the sidewalk behind me.

I had just run through freshly laid cement (I was told later that the other runners had witnessed them actually working on the sidewalk... when they ran around it).

I looked at my footprints, then up at the house to see if there were any witnesses, and took off running faster than I had ever run in my life.

When I got back to the school Holly was waiting on the curb for me, and the team captain was with her. Most of the other runners had already gone home. When Holly saw me with dried cement shoes (yes, the $85 pair!), sporting the "splattered cement leg" look (bet ya didn't know that existed, huh?), she lost it. Thank goodness for her hysterical laughter. It was the only thing keeping me from bursting into tears. The team captain kept trying to tell me things would get easier, yadda yadda yadda. She did an amazing job of keeping her composure.

But I'm pretty sure she had a good time telling that story to all her cool high school friends afterwards, because wouldn't you know it? High school started a couple months later and I hadn't magically turned cool over the summer. In fact, I'm sure I was even less cool than I was before.

Running through cement will do that to a girl, I guess.

I hope you have enjoyed reading just one of my many life's totally awkward moments. If you want to play along, write your own "Totally Awkward Tuesday" blog post and then leave a comment on Tova's blog here with a link to yours!