Getting ready
For as long as I’ve worked at “Astra”, I’ve heard about people taking part in marathons. And my own service department is no exception. This time it was my turn to test my own strength.
At first I couldn’t believe that I, someone who’d never run before, could cover not just some stretch of a distance, but a full 10 km. Sure, that’s not a marathon, or even a half-marathon, but it’s still no small distance. But as the saying goes, the eyes fear it, the hands do it. I needed to start training.
I started preparing for the run back in May. Running in the summer and spring months has its pros and cons. Among the pros: beautiful green scenery, wonderful warm weather; among the cons – the temptation to just enjoy the sun and do nothing.
Still, getting ready was fun. In the digital era there are plenty of smartphone apps that help track your main running metrics: distance, speed, elevation gain, calories burned. And in a Viber group chat you can share your results, track your progress. By the way, that’s one of the factors that motivates you to get out for a run instead of staying home. Constant questions kept me from slacking off too: “How’s the training going?”, “How far have you run so far?” These kinds of prompts force you to keep yourself in a moral state of readiness. But I’m grateful to my colleagues for their care and support.
My main fear was letting my friends down, since I was running a relay. Our team was “Only for girls”: me, Ivanka Diakunchak, Katia Yermolaeva and Vitalina Berezynets.
Marathon day
And so the day of the marathon arrived. Two things worried me: “Just let it not rain” and “The main thing is to make it to the finish line”. But then you see your colleagues, you catch their positive mood, and you head to the start line with bright thoughts.
The first kilometer turned out to be the easiest. You’re feeling positive, charged up by the start’s overall atmosphere. Then you gradually get used to it, start running at a steady pace, taking in the surroundings of Kyiv, glancing at the other participants. Some run in groups, others alone. Among them are both amateurs and professional athletes. There are people who simply take part in marathons, and there are those who’re building up their resilience. I was especially struck by cyborg-runner Tetyana Vorotilina, who completed the marathon distance on a prosthetic. Moments like that make you realize how important it is not to give up, but to keep working on yourself.
The hardest for me personally turned out to be the fifth, eighth and tenth kilometers, where the elevation changes were the biggest. But that doesn’t compare to the feeling that you did it, that you pulled it off.
The last of the worry finally passes when you see the last participant at the finish line with their medals, and you’re overcome with joy and pride, not just for yourself, but for the whole close-knit team.
Impressions and takeaways
After the Wizz Air Kyiv City Marathon I realized a few things: it’s worth not being afraid to try something new, you need to push past yourself, your own laziness and fears. And a marathon isn’t just a run for the sake of checking a box – every person has their own unique, personal goal. Someone runs for charity, someone for team spirit, and someone tests their own resilience and endurance. Still, whatever the goal is, you need to not give up and take a step toward it every day, because ahead lie not just new marathons, but new achievements and accomplishments too!
Svitlana Kubarska
Administrator, after-sales equipment service department
