Sunday, December 01, 2013
It began as a "Once-in-a-lifetime" experience in 2007. Little did I expect that it would have continued for a 7th time this morning, at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2013.
It has since been a day that I look forward to each year, even putting a countdown app in my mobile phone for it. Although for this year, my weekly mileage has dropped, the mere registration for the marathon is sufficient to ensure that I cover a minimum distance every week. It's perhaps a psychological thing.
This morning, I entered the race with a 3-hour sleep, somewhat longer than previous years. I didn't feel as lethargic as some years, but I got hunger pangs very early in the race. Too much cravings for food began to infiltrate my wandering mind, but at least I have got a motivation to complete.
As usual, the ECP stretch was a long one, covering the 12km-mark to 30km-mark. It is here that I clocked my fastest 5km; it's also here that I began to get cramps and blisters. After the 23km mark, I started to alternate between run/walk. I made sure that from every route marker to the next, there wasn't once when I walked the full kilometre. At times, I had to cajole myself to "start running after that bend" or "continue running to the next route marker". It's a battle of the inner voices.
Weather-wise, it was an absolutely cooling day, with no cruel sunshines. I was very thankful for it, because the normal sunshine at 9am would have forced out perspiration and drained me out. There wasn't that worry at all. But there was the intermittent rain that made it a little uncomfortable on the vision. Still, the small rain was a comparatively preferred condition.
At 37km, I was overtaken by the 5:30 pacers. It was at the foot of the Benjamin Sheares bridge, my most dreaded stretch, because negotiating a long upslope after covering 37km was demoralizing. But the pacers did wonders to me! Their vibrancy, liveliness and encouragement made me jog the entire bridge, something that I had never expected myself. Thanks to them, my initial thoughts of walking up the bridge was thrown to nowhere.
I was still 2km away from the finishing line at my PB timing set last year. It took another 17 minutes to cover that last bit, finishing at 5:17:48. Nowhere near the best of timings, but I was truly happy at yet another completion and the addition of 1 more count to the marathon experience.
人生是黑白的.
8:37 PM <3
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