It has been exactly a week since the run ended and 6 years! to have the courage to take part in 21km.
It was a leap for my running affair.
What took me so long?
I was thinking to myself these 6 years of running 5km, 10km mostly. If it was so tough mentally and physically to run 10km, can you imagine how bad it would to be? The picture of pain was always in my mind.What if I ran 10km and my leg hurts so much till I have to limp another 10km? Ouch! Another awful scenario. Pain aside, I think I was simply coward.
So how did I end up running 21km this year?
- I wanted to find out how it was like: was it going to be painful, what if I could only run half of it and walk the other half? What if I was the last one to finish the run, wouldn’t it be embarrassing?
- I wanted something different this year: I wanted to challenge myself mentally (more than physically) so on the first day of 2010, I set 3 resolutions ‘witnessed’ by my other 3 friends, one of which was to complete a 21km run. I’m happy to announce out of the 3, 2 goals are achieved. It was a stretch for me, a good one though! I believe I’ve gained so much from the run.
About the race
- So was the run as tough and painful as what I thought it was? NO! It was easier though I didn’t expect so many slopes in Sentosa. I’m glad that the half-marathon route includes Universal Studio. It was a huge bonus for the runners! More so for me since I’ve never been there. Sometimes in life, we think too much, our mind cooks up many ‘what ifs’ to prevent us from moving out of the comfort zone. We need to step out to expand our mental capacity, just like how my 21km run has proven to myself that it’s achievable.
- Did I run half and walk the other half? NO! Though I didn’t run the entire race but I’m proud to admit I was running for at least 15-16km before I walked 400-500m at every drink station from 16km onwards. It took a much louder voice to overshadow the other to start running after the walk.
- Was I the last one to finish? NO! I competed the race in 3.5 hours, much better than the expectation of 4 hours. Actually time wasn’t too much a factor for me as all I had in mind was to complete the race.
It was a memorable and proud moment for me, largely due to the running I’ve done over these months. Though not consistent and I didn’t even ran the half-marathon distance before the race, it was a great start for me!
In my attempt to be a minimalist runner, I was running with my running shoes, nike shorts, event tee and a arm pouch with an Ezlink card, ATM card and keys. No mobile phone, no watch, no music player! It works perfectly for me. I love the distraction-free run and perhaps most importantly I didn’t have to walk back another 2km (yes, after the 21km) to retrieve any baggage which was deposited before the race.
Proud of myself.
I came across the item ID Band in some of the running forums and was curious to find out what it is all about
