it's good to leave some regrets sometimes.
I AM PROUD TO BE A FINISHER OF 42.195KM @ADIDAS SUNDOWN MARATHON (:
buahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah~
to prepare for the night run, which is really really tough on the mind that constantly slips off to shut-off or power-saving mode, i was a total leech at home on friday. i woke up at 12pm and when back to bed again at 4pm to be awoken again at 8pm for dinner. i totally hate it when things go missing at the very last minute, like my tights and shorts(i absolutely refuse to run around in just tights, my buttock is too precious to be revealed fully. HAHAHHA. bullshit la me.).
we(my brother, my brother's girlfriend, my sister and i) were amazed at how some "competitors" decided to be their own driver, riding and driving their own automobiles to the venue. questions like "how can they still manage to concentrate on the road with all that exhaustion?", "don't they worry if they suffer from cramps on the road halfway driving?" and "don't the question of capability in driving ever breeze through their brawny minds?" oh wells. *SALUTES* i havent been to changi village in ages so let alone seeing the buslinest of the area. because the flagoff for the full marathon starts at 11.59pm whereas categories like the team marathons and the women's 10k had their flagoff in the evening, it wasnt very encouraging to see the latter competitors enjoying themselves at the food market while we past by to proceed to the starting point. the only comfort we get is when we seeing ultra-marathons struggling to complete their first lap(one lap=42.195km, so they're supposed to run two rounds. FREAKING BASTARDS WITH CRAZY MIND AND BODY) and knowing that we'd be running with people who are more exhausted than we are during the journey. haha. im so much of a bitch.
the weather was awfully humid last night and everyone was breaking out in sweat from the stuffy-ness. it was a terrible way to start a race, moreover the sky was decorated with pink clouds, an indication of oncoming rain which i think most of us were either praying or cursing for it to go. AND IT WORKED (: it was rather amusing to stand around my brother's colleagues, seeing how they freak out more than me. like the amount of powergel they prepared, and the hydration salts.. blah blah blah. but you couldnt exactly blame them for the exaggeration, most of us were first-timers and most of THEM didnt train seriously for the run. we, the runners, took a group photo before the race, in hope that a difference would be more prominent at the end of the run.
at the starting point(note how i elegantly chose to use the word point instead of line.. the area was significantly packed with gawd-knows-how-many-people..) some people looked too excited for the race as they start to jog on the spot and psycho their mind. other's were simply no longer bothered anymore as they find a spot to wait for the siren to sound. we belong to the latter... one of the mates said something damn classic:
"eh. those completing please go in front, those comPETing come here and stand around.." ok. it doesnt sound too funny, but it definitely cracked me up. HEH. light sticks were given out and i happily got a PINK one O_O. im just sad that it only last 6 hours.. AND IT DOESNT GLOW ANYMORE ): ): ):
kiasu-ism was well displayed at the first 4km. singaporeans. classic. everyone was going at a speed a little faster than jogging. and NO ONE was walking. or at least hardly anyone was walking.. then at the first 3 or 4 water points, you see men and women doing what they do best: self-service and then leaving the place with volunteers in horror. you see, we were supposed to get the cups from volunteers, not going behind the tentage to help ourselves. im guilty of being one of those over-automatic runners. LOL.
the race was truly tedious for the first 2 hours as i struggle with my undigested dinner. i was burping BBQ pork ribs and suffering from stitches. i wanted to stop and puke out a bit, but my pride was too huge to be stopped.. every now and then, i was walking. i fact, i think i probably walked more than running/jogging. HMMMM. i don't know how i made it through the 42kilometres now that i recall of the long and tedious journey through CHANGI to EAST COAST PARK to BEDOK to TAMPINES to PASIR RIS and back to CHANGI(i forgot when i ran past kembangan..). HARDCORE SIA.
a few interesting notes to point out. 1) a man farted A LOT. LOUDLY in front of me. i was expecting some reaction at least from other runners pacing near him.. but i guess everyone was just too shagged to give a damn about it. 2) another guy pee-ed in the open, and no one gave a damn either. we see, we go. HAHAHAHAHA. who says singaporean are conservative?! 3)we crossed a total of 4(if i didnt remember wrongly) overhead bridges. i thank the organiser for planning unstepped overhead bridges as much as possible. determined fellows were still able to pace their run up the slopes. but i guess everyone died at the stepped one. i also thought people would curse at the sight of overhead bridges. but uh. think everyone is REALLY too tired to waste another breath on vulgarities. LOL. 4) my shirt and my brother's were stained from the safety pins(used to secure our number tags) that rusted very right on our shirts while running. this proved we have significantly been producing salt and water. *nods* 5) it's an absolutely common thing to hear runners burping throughout the journey. 6) you see the poor volunteers dozing out at their stationed points. but hey, so what they've been there since 6pm the day before? they're earning CIP hours lor. 7) met jolyn loh's clique at one of the water station and we simultaneously asked "what are you doing here?" hmmm. a question way too redundant.
knowing im near the finishing line though unknown of exactly how far, i hastened up my speed. whatmore i heard a runner who just completed, "com'on! com'on! 500metre more only!" and so i did.. but only to realise it was a bridge further down to be crossed.. and so i held my pace AND STAMINA and ran to the other bridge.. telling myself, 300metres more only!! argh. it was an absolute test of my patience and stamina as i desperately search for a end-point. like WHERE THE F*** IS IT?! LOL. (i didnt curse lah. cause not enough breath at that point of time anyway..) HAH. when i finally see a sensor, i jumped over it.. only to realise that the FINAL one's 20metres ahead -_-" AWWW MAN. i didnt even think of the camera! i must look fugly in the shot ):
all in all, it was a good run with a timing of 6hours 10 or 20mins? i could have done it under 6 hours, but my cramps were holding me back every now and then. so that's probably one of the few things i regret. and hey, it's my FIRST attempt anyways, i applaud myself to even agree to sign up for it. hey. imagine withstand the torture of blisters, burns from abrasions(especially my arm, i feel like a chicken now cause i cant put my arm down properly), occasional cold breeze and cramps(yes i ran with my period. MY GAWD. and to make matters worse, all the drinks were COLD... ) i don't know why, but im no longer as persistant in saying "this is my first and last marathon" maybe i'll just sign myself up for another one when i get over the all the pain im suffering. for now, i'll just try to keep up with the walking pace of my mom, suddenly, she walks so fast that me and my brother lagged behind her everywhere we go. we're the new grandpa and grandma of the family :/ not very funny hor. wait till you see how we struggle to stand and sit.
till then, maybe i get a speedy recovery from all these sports-incurred injuries. OH MY TIAN. i just realised 2 more toe nails are dropping!! which would be a total of 4. MY GAWDDDDD.
All the sleepless nights;
and the tears you cry
at 1:59 PM
and the tears you cry
at 1:59 PM