Hello friends. I’m back. And because I’ve been gone for quite a while, I’ll tell you a detailed story of my newest quest. The half marathon.
Standard Chartered’s event was my first half marathon and at a distance of 21-km, it is the longest outdoor run I’ve had. I remember running similar distances before but on the treadmill, and I know it’s not the same. I normally finish 10-km in under an hour, so I was wishfully thinking I can finish 21k in just a little bit over 2 hours. I was wrong. I ended finishing it officially at 02:30:09 (hh:mm:ss). ‘Not very good, but not very bad either.
The race (Dec 5, 2010). It started at 6:30AM from around Vivo City in Harbourfront. I got there by 6:40ish, had some warm-ups, queued for the portalet, pinned my bib and after finally attaching the chip timer on my shoes, I began to cross the START line at about 7:00AM. Despite being a Sunday and early, I don’t really feel sleepy at all. I’m actually excited for this day as it is the most renowned marathon in Singapore. This year, it attracts over 60,000 runners from all over the world and because it happens annually during the month of December, I’m guessing (and almost sure) I will not be in this city for the next one, December 2011.
The first few kilometers around Sentosa were not easy for several reasons. First, there were lots of curves and uphills along the way and because the track is intertwined, there are parts where you see other people coming back already. The sight is a no-good motivator. I know we didn’t start all at the same time, but the view of endless people ahead of me is a bit discouraging. But if you think about it, I could also see it in a way that I have to surpass all of these heads and catch up. The kilometer reminder also greets my exhausting body each and every single kilometer which is not really bad late in the race, but early on, I just realize more how much long I have to drag myself. Sometimes when I spot the kilometer post ahead, I try not to look at it only to find myself peeking at the very last second. Once, I couldn’t believe that after only passing the 4km mark, I feel tired already. I refocus, and after finishing all the twists and turns of Sentosa, I checked my time and it was still sub-30 minutes for the first 5k. ‘Still on target, so I just continued my pace until reaching Universal Studios. Entering the theme park was both good and bad. For the most part, the USS track was the least strenuous of all. Why? Because they have music, and they prep all their mascots and casts to welcome us along side the streets. Around the corners, runners stop completely for photoops and sooner there was queue. It was jam-packed in several spots, but I manage to get by. The exit to Sentosa Island was concluded via RWS parking-lot-tunnel-style which was really a bad choice of the organizers. It was dreadfully hot in the entire length of it, and it was even hard to breathe. I find myself reaching out at the end, finding light and some cool, fresh air.
At this time I think I covered nearly half of the race, drank about 4 cups of water and 100 Plus, and just continued on my even pacing. The highway bridge comes next and the agony with it is that, well, it’s long and since it’s a bridge, there’s no shading in any form from the sun. From here, I can spot countless runners way ahead of me, they were marching like ants, trudging uphills and ignoring their limitations. Despite my body obviously complaining, I refuse to just walk. I’m afraid that if I stop and walk, I might walk all the rest of it. The sun gets higher, and it continues to scorch my human skin. I can feel the heat burning my arms and the back of my neck. I can taste the salty sweat unpretentiously streaming from my forehead down to my dehydrated mouth.
In the middle of the race, I see people walking, apparently tired; others are stopping, having a rest, or stretching. I even spotted one man lying on the ground in front of an ambulance. Because I don’t know anyone in my race category, it was easy for me to reposition myself and stay focused. I didn’t walk nor stop in the entire race, and probably the closest thing to slowing down I had are occasional walks to get cups of water, wherein at one time, I even poured all the contents of a cup from the top of my head. I didn’t care much as I’m wet anyway.
I think of something else. I think for new ideas in a filming I’ve long wanted to do, or the next piano piece I will try to play. I think about the flycam glider/stabilizer I’ve yet to set up, and I think if I should buy a new mobile phone or not. I think about what all these other people around me were thinking precisely at that moment. But there’s one thing that didn’t cross my mind. I never thought that I would not be able to finish the race. That’s the spirit. And then I realize, this is probably me having too much confidence in myself. Again.
I finally see the last kilometer mark. I draw any remaining energy I have and for the last moment, I overtake as much as I could until my withering body crosses the finishing line. In the end, it proved me I was right, once more.
