A Race Like No Other... Indeed
Are you crazy?Why do you have to pay money to suffer?
I keep getting these when I told my friends or the people around me that I have signed up for the full marathon. Yes the full 42.125 km marathon.
I do ask myself these questions as well. Why do I need to do this to myself, to wake up so early in the morning just to go to a run which I will suffer? Why do I need to endure 6 hours, or more, suffering where I could have cuddled myself in the comfort of my own bed, and it's on a weekend morning?
Well at least for the past 2 marathons, I had company, so the whole journey won't be that bad. But this time, I was doing it alone. I didn't really think so much when I signed up for the marathon. Maybe I was influenced by the much discounted rate, as I have participated last year, and well, it's a hype. Since everyone is doing it, so why not me? Moreover, by signing up for the run, I would have better reasons or rather lesser excuses to exercise.
In the end, I didn't really run enough to prepare my body for the marathon. Not enough is just an understatement.
Nevertheless, I managed to wake up early in the morning, and delivered my unwilling body and mind to Orchard Road, the starting point of the 42km marathon.
I was thinking, it ain't bad after all. There were actually quite a lot of people and much energy at the starting point. The nicely decorated Orchard Road with Christmas ornaments did some help too.
And so, the horn sounded, and everyone started the long long run.
For the 1st 15 km or so, it was ok for me. Though slow, I could find my momentum to sustain the rate I was going. I thought, at that time, it ain't that bad after all if I could sustain this for quite the whole race. I was wrong.
Somehow, the sun got out and my legs seemed uncorperative with the mind. They got heavier, the breath too got heavier, and the body started to break down after about 22km. Then at 25km, it seemed too much for the legs and they started to cramp. The thighs, the toes, the calves. Everywhere. That time, I knew it. The lack of conditioning and preparation had shown.
The next 10km or so was a torture. East Coast Park was never ending. The road behind Fort Road was worse. No scenary, no breeze, no NOTHING!! My aim, then, was not to finish the run fast. My aim is just the next kilometer.
At 35km mark, I thought to myself. YES! 7 km more! I could finish the run after all. Suddenly I was overwhelmed by emotions and thoughts.
I was thinking, signing up for this marathon is not crazy. The main thing about marathon is not just finishing it at the fastest possible time, or to challenge yourself, or to suffer. It's more than that.
The main thing, is the participation.
Along the way, I saw couples, holding hands, though tired, both are encouraging each other to finish the run. I see friends, who just participated together, not to see who finished earlier, but just to do something together and to bond.
I saw individuals, who just wanted to challenge themselves, to do things they had never thought of doing and trying hard. I saw people who helped other people they have never met before in their life, and probably won't meet in the future.
It's more than just a competition.
For me, I realised that marathon is just like life. It can be long, gruelling and lonely (42km is not a short distance, trust me). There are a lot of hurdles and problems that will arise (the hot sun, the frequent occuring cramps). But still we cannot give up. We have to finish the run somehow. When I had cramps, I just slowed down and walked, instead of ignoring and continued which could be bad. In life, we have 'cramps' too, and when we bumped into any problems, I guessed we just have to slow down, endure the pain, do some 'stretching', try to overcome problems and we move on.
I have always wanted to get the best results in everything I do. Though that was not a bad thing, I realised success is not always the case. I had a timing in mind while starting the marathon, but in the end I had to change my target timing along the way because of the different conditions. In life, we also need to make adjustments to the target, as long as not too much compromise have been made. We can't possibly be too inflexible and stick too close to what we want. That will be really too hard on ourselves.
I also realised that other people's target may not be the one for myself. Although I was a bit too ambitious to sign up the full marathon, and also that category wasn't really meant for me, or other people. That's why shorter distances were opened as well. But that doesn't mean those who participated in the shorter distance are any less superior. In life, it's just not one size fits all. Others may be a businnesman, a doctor, a lawyer or a billionaire, but that doesn't mean I am meant to be one of those. I just need to know what I want to be.
I wondered why so many thoughts went through my mind, even though I was dog tired.
I was glad I managed to finish the race eventually. The finisher T shirt, the medal, the timing (I admitted I was slow) weren't so important after all. It's the craziness, it's the experience, it's the satisfaction in completing the run, no matter how far, that made the run more memorable.
Congratulations to all, who had finished your own race! :)
