Some of you will know this feeling. There are runs in a year which you simply have to do just because it’s an annual thing that you do. Not doing it will simply mean breaking tradition. There are also those runs that you don’t really have to do, but you sign up for it anyway, simply because nothing else is in the calendar.
Well, for me, Brooks Half Marathon 2013 falls in between both of the above. The 21km of Brooks happen to be a route which I had ran my very first half marathon, so there is a bit of a sentimental attachment to the event (it was the Bareno Run route in 2011). It’s also a run which happened to just be right after Chinese New Year, a quiet period where things are just picking up. So, I didn’t need to think long and hard about it and just signed up.
Perhaps I didn’t thought about it hard enough, but I never expected to be so undertrained for the race! Hehe… Before I rant about the details, I’d say first that it was a really painful experience. A run that i was proud to have done and finished, but one that I unnecessarily suffered a bit too much.
I hadn’t clocked in enough mileage. DID NOT RUN ENOUGH.
That’s what holidays and long vacation breaks does to you… inconsistent training as well as indulging a bit too much in the savoury department. Oh, but then again it was perhaps just me and not being stronger-willed in this period. 😛
The few days coming up to the event was a mental battle of whether I should or should not be doing it. At 50:50 between yes and no, it could have gone either way, but thanks to the determination of my good friends, Yvonne and Andrew in making sure I don’t quit, I gave in. Perhaps it was a befitting positive “punishment” to tell myself I should not have taken it lightly… lol.
Here’s a little list of what I faced, good and bad, (perhaps more bad, but then again, I’ll look at it positively as the things I needed to improve on… hehe…)
- The extra weight I put on during the holidays did not help, but I managed with walk breaks in each km of the run (in contrast, I ran10k before without once stopping to walk)
- My feet hurt before and after the run. Think it was due to trying to do forefoot running during training as well as the event. (it was ok last time, but then again I had been training consistently then)
- Pacing certain runners in the event that was about my speed certainly helped me to keep at it. (especially the ones wearing professional compression suits, cause I was motivated to keep up with them)
- Starting the race early was great as the run was rather cool throughout. (although that also meant that I had to get up at inhumane hours of the morning… to get out to the site :P…)
- One big reason I had to finish the run also was because this was the first in this new running season. I’d just be crushed if I failed at finishing this first big run of the year.
Crossing the finish line in the end, despite a dismal time, was such an ELATION! Towards the end, the pain gave way to a numbing determination to just finish and a for that little trophy to inspire me to push on.
In the big scheme of things, it was so good to have completed this half marathon. It told me both, that I needed to keep it up and reiterated that I could do it if I set my mind on it.
This picture describes how I feel physically… 😛
This one is how I feel MENTALLY… 😛
KEEP THE LEGS MOVING, KENNY. DON’T BE AN IDIOT AND STOP… 😛