"I heard that next Sunday, there is a ten k race in a little village close to Graz," Gerald informed us after the centre meditation.

Chewing enthusiastically on a piece of fruit cake – it was Anni's birthday and she had brought the treat to celebrate with us – I looked at the slim, brunette boy with mild interest.

I had just mastered the frightening distance of two kilometers. Therefore, ten kilometers were clearly out of my range and a race of that length was therefore even more clearly out of question.

Yes, I had run about eight kilometers before. Once. But that had been in the evening after sunset and while talking with Anni about spiritual matters. In other words: under ideal conditions.

"Hey, we really should go," The girl in question suggested brightly.

Have fun, I thought, taking another bite of my cake after having briefly glanced at the tall blonde.

"Yes, we could all go together." Ingeborg was another dedicated runner, even though she was already in her early sixties and had only started with the sport a few years prior.

After she had become a disciple.

Having experienced the beneficial effects of running for myself – yes, even after only two km one can feel invigorated and cleansed – I could understand her enthusiasm.

Even thought I did not fully share it, since I truly had no idea how anybody was able to survive any distance beyond what I had been able to achieve.

After all, even that short distance regularly took my breath away. And not in a good way.

Although. . . Once again that one, glorious evening appeared before my inner eye.

The affirmative comments that popped up from my fellow disciples sitting on the soft, carpeted floor all around me, added to that something that was stirring within me.

Maybe. . . Nah, I immediately discarded the thought. Ten is five times two, remember? Five times!

True, a soft inner voice agreed, but only two more than eight. . .

But that was different! Don't you simply love it when you're having an argument with yourself?

Or in this case - judging from what I had learned about the workings of the inner being - your mind with your heart/soul?

"What about you? Do you plan on going?" Eva, a brunette girl who had taken over the task of organizing the cars, asked me expectantly.

"Uhm." I quickly swallowed the last piece of the cake. Was I the only one still eating? Apparently. "I don't think so. You know my running capacity. Or lack thereof."

She did. Everybody was well informed about all the aspects of my spiritual life. I seem to enjoy sharing. . .

"You can always stop, if it gets too much. Just start," Ingeborg suggested, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, you can simply walk the rest." Berni smirked.

Walking. Hm. I had not thought about that. For once, he was actually right. I could walk. Ten kilometers was not that long, after all.

Torn between a healthy respect for the distance and an inner joy at the thought of accepting the challenge, my eyes swiveled between my friends.

"We could even pick you up with the car," Andreas suggested.

Frowning, I regarded the sturdy blonde for a moment. "All right," I finally conceded. "I shall give it a try."

Which was why the following Sunday - a cloudy, early autumn day - saw me struggling along a deserted country road.

Deserted? During a race?

Yes.

Well, you see, I was kind of being. . . the last.

The very last, in fact.

Strangely, that fact did not really phase me, since I was feeling surprisingly well.

About twenty minutes into the run my body had found its rhythm, making the motion of running feel almost effortless. Almost. Of course, my legs were a bit stiff and my muscles hurt - due to the prolonged exertion - but my spirits were high and joy was blossoming in my heart. In spite of the (bearable) pain in my body.

Besides: I was going to run ten kilometers. For the first time in my life!

Excitement blossomed within me at the thought, keeping my feet pounding the asphalt.

A motorbike drew up next to me. "If you're tired, just hop on", the police officer on top suggested, sounding hopeful.

He had been tasked to drive behind the last runner – in this case: me – to ensure his safety.

"No, thanks. I'm fine," I managed to force out in between two breaths.

"You're sure? I could also take you part of the way. Then you would not have to run that much. You do look a bit tired."

I felt for the poor man on his bike. He was probably bored to tears, having to trail behind me. But, unfortunately for him, I was neither into cheating (I did believe in karma, after all), nor was I ready to give up.

Having already gone farther than ever before in my life, I had tasted blood. Or the clean country air. Or. . . whatever. In any case, I really wanted to complete the race.

Which I did.

Eventually.

Followed by a thoroughly disgruntled police officer.

Who had tried two more times to convince me to 'just hop on'.

"There you are. We almost sent out a search party for you," Berni teased me after I had finally crossed the finish line and found the nearest curbstone to collapse upon.

"Well done!" Eva beamed, coming up behind him.

"You did it!"

A moment later, the whole centre – all nine of them – had assembled around me. Beaming, smiling and congratulating me for a feat that was nothing to them, but a remarkable achievement for me.

They all looked like they had barely broken a sweat. Unlike poor me.

Still, I was rather content and satisfied. With both: the after-running euphoria surging in my body and the knowledge that I had just successfully managed to cover a considerable distance all by myself.

I had definitely made progress.

"Everybody, please assemble before the registration tent. We shall have the award ceremony in a few moments." The tinny voice of the announcer interrupted our little celebration.

Getting up from the curb took some effort, but I managed. All those years of yoga had not been for nothing, after all. . .

"First, we shall draw the winners of our lottery. As you know, every runner automatically entered with their number." We were informed via the megaphone as we were approaching the marquee.

I had not known.

"As a reward for joining this race, you might soon be the proud owner of the latest-in-technology running shoes."

Ah. Well, I had never won anything at any kind of lottery, ever. Therefore, I didn't really expect my luck to change this time.

But it did.

Which took some nudging from my friends for me to comprehend.

"Hey, they called your number!" Berni shouted into my ear.

Ever noticed how even a crowd of just a few people can create quite some noise? In this case, about 150 people were assembled in the medium sized marquee. Together with the cackling sound system, they created quite a ruckus.

"What?" I shouted back at Berni.

I might have been a bit lost in my own world at that moment, trying to take everything in. This kind of experience was new for me, after all.

"Go!" He pushed me towards the speaker standing on the low stage, who was looking around expectantly.

"Me?" I found that hard to believe.

"Yes, you. Now, go!"

So I did.

To collect my prize.

A pair of brand new running shoes.

Size 47.

Men's shoes.

Honestly, did they not expect any female runners?

Fortunately, they came with a receipt and the assurance that I would be able to exchange them in any shop of the chain for a pair in my size and for my gender.

Receiving my prize, I did so with a smile and a sigh. This was surely a sign from the Supreme: my first race and my first lottery win ever. And it just had to be running shoes. . .

When the officials moved on to the proper award ceremony, I did not really pay close attention.

I clapped as soon as the speaker announced the names of the winning runners, without really listening.

After all, having been the last one to cross the finishing line, I could not possibly have placed among the first three girls. Right?

Wrong.

"Hey, they have just called your name. Again! You are third." Berni shouted into my ear for the second time within the span of a few minutes.

"What? No way, you must have misheard."

Berni gave me a flat look. "No, I haven't."

In that moment, I heard it, too.

My name. On third place.

"But that's not possible," I protested, already moving in the direction of the stage. I was rather puzzled, to say the least.

As it turned out, there had only been three female runners in my age category (even though there had been over 70 contestants all together).

"I could have stopped to have a hot chocolate (I don't like coffee) and I would still have been third." I later joked with Eva, making her smile.

Two prizes for my first race ever. If that was not the Supreme's way of showing me that he fully supported my running endeavors. . .

I sighed deeply. All right. . .

There is just something about running :)