All in one weekend.
Adidas Auckland Marathon 2012
The day before the marathon, I arrived Auckland at 4.30pm. Ivan picked me up and I made him drive me to Devonport and check out the running route. I am so afraid I wouldn't be able to run it because Auckland is so much more hilly than Sydney. Saw the slopes and got pretty nervous. But at least I've seen it so I am a little bit more mentally prepared.
Headed to Yin and Shaun's place after that for an early dinner to carbo load - Pasta party!! Swan and Ying Xuan were there too. Had Swan's famous baked pasta, love it!!! It was good hearing Shaun's experience of the marathon route, knowing that the Harbour bridge slope is not actually the last slope, got to prepare myself for another mini one right after the bridge, and another one near the rose garden.
Got home and started counting down the hours. Had to catch the ferry by 5.10. Takes about 35-40 mins to get to city, plus have to pick Ivan's friend, Tim, up before heading to Victoria Park to get a car park and then another 15 min or so to walk to the ferry. That means I need to leave the house by 3.45 a.m, so I need to get up around 3.15! Did my pre-race prep, put my bib onto my shirt, tied the timing tag to my shoes... Looked at the clock and it was already 10pm. Great, 5 hours of sleep. Not how I would have liked it. Didn't really help that I have been sleeping 5-6 hours for the whole of last week as well, being busy with all the lead up to my cousin's wedding.
Got to bed but somehow I couldn't fall asleep right away, was thinking about the run too much. Just thinking about how good it would feel after crossing that finishing line. And then I started worrying that I am not falling asleep. I.NEED.SLEEP.
I set my alarm at 3am and snoozed till 3.15am. Had my oats since the pantry is pretty much empty with no milk, no eggs, no milo as mum and dad cleared the kitchen before they left for Sydney.
Got a good car park spot near Victoria Park which is where the finishing line will be. Caught the 5.10am ferry to Devonport with Ivan and Tim, had a banana whilst on the ferry. Got there and it was rather chilly. Did a small tiny jog to test out the calves. It felt good. No sharp pain whatsoever. I have been putting my runs off for the past two weeks leading up to the marathon as I have been suffering from a calf injury ever since I ran 32km 4 weeks ago.
6.10 am - Off we go!! I was running with Ivan for the first 100-200m or so and then he asked me not to wait for him and to go ahead. You see, this fella, played basketball two weeks ago despite knowing he is so prone to ankle sprains. And surprise surprise, he sprained his ankle. And we all know, 2 weeks isn't enough time for the ankle to recover. I am surprised he still decided to do the marathon. Brave monkey. So... I went off. Tim was quite far and not to be seen after the gun went off. So here's a little bit about Tim. He is Ivan's running buddy, they have been doing a few long runs together. From what Ivan told me, he completed the Cathay Pacific Half Marathon in 1 hour 30 mins or so. Crazy right? So, I did not bother to even keep up with him. I just decided to run at my own pace.
But around the 2km mark, I saw him and so I decided to follow him. It didn't last for long, he went ahead after the 3km mark. Haha!! Fail. Despite it being a little chilly at the start, with the temperature sitting at 14 degrees with lots of clouds, I thought it was perfect once I started running. Didn't stop for any drinks for the first 10km. All I had in my mind was "Shermayne, once you get pass the Harbour Bridge and you'll be fine. Just focus, you can do this. Conquer the slopes!!" I got through the slopes one at a time, stride after stride, trying to keep my cadence constant. At the 10km mark, this girl asked me what the time was... I looked at my watch - 50 min 42 sec. She smiled. I think she was impressed with her pace. I was shocked. How am I going that fast? I felt great, not tired, I felt comfortable ... And so, I just continued with what I was doing. At some point, I saw the 3:45 pace setter. I can't remember if he had creeped up from behind or was he initially ahead of me. But anyway, I ran passed him after I saw him, being highly ambitious and hopeful that MAYBE I could do it under 3:45. That would be so awesome!! Took a gulp of water at the 11.5km mark. I knew the bridge is coming up so I'd better hydrate before I climb the bridge.
When I got to the Harbour Bridge, I told myself. "Right, this is it. This is The Climb!!" Kinda wished I had took music with me.You see, ever since I have been waking up in the wee hours of the morning to run, I have stopped running with music. Simply because I didn't have time then to fix my mp3 before heading out for a run. I rather have that extra 5 minutes of sleep rather than fumbling with my earphones. And eventually, I sort of got used to running without music. Just enjoying the sound of my footsteps and the surroundings. But that run up the Harbour bridge... I could so imagine Miley Cyrus's The Climb playing in my head right at that time.
I told myself not to think too much of the slopes and how far more I need to run before it goes downhill. I distracted myself by savouring that special moment... of running across Auckland's Harbour Bridge. It is something so very special that I had always wanted to do. And the view from the bridge was indeed stunning. I found myself running pass several other runners. I saw a few of them walking. I felt great and did not even think of walking.
After the bridge, I knew there was gonna be a slope coming up at Point Erin Park at Sarsfield street. It was going to be a loop and before I hit Sarsfield street, I already saw Tim coming from the opposite direction. That fella is fast. I did the slope with little difficulty. It's all in the mind, I kept telling myself that.
Took a sip at the 16km mark. Was tempted to open my first GU Gel but as I only had 2 with me, I thought I'd save it for the half way mark and another at the 30km mark. Between the 16km and 21km mark, it was rather flat, all along Westhaven Drive and along the bay and towards viaduct. I tried to tell myself "imagine you're running along Pyrmont. Running along the wharf, beside the water. Just imagine that." But I felt hot, my feet started to ache and there was that occasional sharp stabbing pain on the soles of my feet. I kept looking out for the next drink station as I needed a reason to stop. There was a point in the run where there were two arrows.. one pointing left saying "Full Marathon", one pointing right saying "Half Marathon". It got my spirit up a little bit... it was like "Yeaa!! For once I'm heading towards the Full Marathon sign. I'm going to be a full marathon runner by the end of this!!"
When I passed the 21 km mark, I looked at my watch and I was at 1 hr 50 min. I was so shocked. This is 8 mins faster than my PB. I could smell 3 hour 45 min. I thought it's about time for my first GU Gel. I'm sure the water station wouldn't be too far now. I kept looking out for it but no. I don't see it. Saw the 10km runners and 5km walkers as I was looking out for the drink station. I'm sure it should be somewhere here.
Soon enough, I saw the sign that says "Powerade station, 500m ahead". Great. Not too far now. But being so desperate for water, 500m suddenly felt like a long way. I thought to myself "Ohh no... is this how it feels when they say you've hit the wall?". "No, you must keep going, Shermayne. People only hit the wall at the 30km mark. Hitting the wall means you just can't move anymore. Just keep moving those legs and you'll be fine. You are much stronger than this, you are the most prepared one for this race compared to other races". I kept telling myself not to get beaten down mentally again. It always happens to me during races. Always.. always at the half way mark.
I hung in there and kept jogging (no more running, now is jogging. Running and jogging is so different. Running is where you feel really light on your legs, you feel like you're flying. Jogging on the other hand... feels heavy.). One leg after another, I picked them up. The water station isn't too far now. But before I reached the water station. I saw a familiar back...walking.. hunching... moving slowly. Aha!! It's Tim. I caught up to Tim. "He's walking? Hmmnn.. should I run pass him? It would be awesome to finish ahead of someone who did a half in 1 hour 30!" That's my ego talking. But, the other half of me was saying "Walk, Shermayne, Walk." I gave in to that other half. And so, I tapped Tim on his back and said "Hey, come on, keep going! Keep going!". He looked exhausted. I came to find out he was about to turn back and head towards Victoria Park. I am so glad he continued. At least I have someone to jog with now. We both stopped by the water station, opened my first GU gel, thought it would give me a sudden burst of energy but not really. I was still going slow. I decided, forget that 3 hour 45 min. Just finish this!
As I head towards Tamaki Drive, just after KFC, there was another small climb. But there were drummers. And so, I set my footsteps according to the beat of the drums. It was a struggle. I thought I could run down instead of jog... but I couldn't. After we jogged down the bridge, Tim said to go ahead. He started to walk. And so, I jogged. Looked at my watch and I was doing 6 min plus per km pace. Not long after, the 3:45 pace setter ran pass me. I thought to myself "OK, set my target to 4 hours. I can do 4 hours."
I started walking a little as my calves were burning. The 4 hour pace setter must be 15 minutes behind. I've got 15 mins to spare. I walked, jog, walked, jog. "500m, Powerade station ahead". I jogged that 500m to the water station. 26km. Took some Powerade. Ooo!! Porta-loos! "Maybe if I empty whatever I have in me, I would be lighter and I can go faster!". I got in there and SAT down. I just sat there. I was extremely exhausted. Nothing came out. I just sat. For a few mins or so. "Tim would have ran passed me by now. Screw it, I will just walk for the next 16km, maybe Ivan will catch up with me, and then I can walk with him. Hmnn.. I wonder if the 4:00 pace setter ran pass me. Probably."
I then got out. And started to jog again. "Arghh.. I should have stretched back there. My calves, they are still so tight. Oh look.. there's a tree. Let's stop there and stretch." At this point, I think I have really hit the wall. Actually, I think I might have hit the wall at the 21-22km mark. But I was in denial. As I was stretching, I saw someone familiar walking towards me. Is it Ivan? Ohhh... it's Tim! So he didn't catch up with me afterall during my "toilet pit stop". It was his turn to say "Come on, let's walk and run. We can do this." And I replied "Yeaa.. we will finish this. Still got hope for under 4:15. By the end of this, we would be marathoners!!" Trying to psych ourselves up.
We walked a little bit and just before Kelly Tarlton's, I decided, ok... time to jog. We'll aim for Mission Bay. Jogged towards Mission Bay, saw the water station, stopped again and hydrate. 32km. I can so see myself stopping at every single water station now. 10 km to go! I can do this... the 4:15 pace setter have not ran pass us. Walked more after Mission Bay. Just before Kohimarama, we decided to jog. Not too far now and we will reach St. Helier's Bay.
Once I did the turn, I knew, I am going to finish this!!! You see, throughout the whole jog along the bay, I really felt like just U-turning as I see other runners running from the opposite direction. Saw the 3:45 pace setter running towards me when I was at Mission Bay I think. Saw the 4:00 pace setter not long after. So de-motivating. But it was good having Tim running beside me. He kept saying things like "One foot after another, we can do this. Relax your mind, don't think too much about it. Less than 9 km to go, 8km to go...." Stopped a couple of times after the turn. Walked, stretch.
I was finding every single excuse to stop. If it's not the calves, it's the knee. It's the quads, It's the hamstrings. It's the hip. Or if it's not muscular, it's the stomach. Oh, stitch! Need to stop, need to stop. Ohhh!! I think it was just before Mission Bay where the 4:15 pace setter ran pass us. "ARghhh!!!! Ok, screw it. 4:30!!! And since I can't do 4:15, I will Gangnam my way towards the finishing line!!" I said to Tim. Got to Mission Bay and stopped again at the water station. Ahh.. powerade.. *gulp*... Ahhhh... Coke... *gulp*And then.. ohhh no! Stitch... walk. "Ohhh.. maybe I should practice my victory Gangnam style". I tried... Tim tried too. But being so un-co... I decided, ok, Gangnam is out of the picture. Ohhh well... I will think of something to do my victory run.
When we started to jog, from the distance, we saw a familiar tall figure... running rather awkardly... limping and running.... Ahhh!! It's Ivan. Omg!! He actually is running this. He did not turn back halfway afterall. He is also going to complete the full marathon. What a champ!! We both gave him hi-5s as we jogged pass. He was probably 3-4km behind us.
Got to Okahu Bay and it was 35km. 7km to go! Drank more powerade/water/coke before going again. I wanted to jog all the way back since it's only 7km more but that other half of me said "No" and kept finding the same excuses to stop.
After walking a little bit after the 37km mark... I decided.. "Ok, less than 5km to go. Reset your mind and go! 4km, it's only like a warm-up. You can do this. Easy." So we jogged. I could still feel the burn in my legs, coming back again. I thought, Ok, maybe walk up that bridge again just before KFC. But then, those drummers were still there. You know, these drummers are really awesome. I thank them for being there. It made me ran up that slope. Soon, I saw KFC :) Can't wait to have KFC after my run. And so many spectators all along Quay Street.. all the way towards the finishing line. They were awesome. I don't remember Sydney having this much spectators and being so encouraging. They cheered, not only for their family/friends... but for strangers like us. It was an awesome feeling. I even remembered one person shouting out "Go yellow shorts!" Haha!! Super LIKE!! Some were even handing out lollies. I remembered taking one from a lady along Kohimarama Bay. "Don't take lollies from strangers" Yeaa.. right! It was great.
So we pretty much jogged./ran the last 3km or so. I say RUN now because I had that sudden burst of energy out of no where. Tim was however struggling. I tried my best to encourage him. But it seemed like he couldn't go anymore. The last km, I wanted to go fast. I had so much energy. But I didn't want to leave Tim behind. He was so supportive throughout the last half of the marathon, I can't just leave him behind.
Towards the last 200-300m, I said to Tim "Come on! Let's sprint!" He shook his head and hands and told me to go ahead. He wasn't picking up his pace. I knew his reserved fuel tank is also pretty much empty. The last 100-200m stretch, I heard people screaming "Go Sher Mayne!! WOOOOooooOOOO!!" Ahah!!! It's the cheer group for me! Shaun, Yin, Swan, Ying Xuan, Boon, Kai-Ann, Chin Ann... They had their cameras out. I ran towards them and attempted my Can Can dance. I knew it was better than my attempted Gangnam style. I was hoping they took a video but this is good enough :)
I was told there's gonna be video cameras to capture our finishing... So I ran probably the last 50m waving my arms frantically... and after crossing the finishing line, I did my victory leap! Too bad it wasn't caught on camera... but you can see it in the video here.
And so... I clocked in with a time of 4 hour 28 min 26 sec. So I did managed it under 4:30, which was my initial goal when people asked me what my target time was. I set a low target time hoping I would do way faster than that so I can sound super awesome... secretly hoping for 4:15 and would be awesome if it was 4:00. It almost came true until... the halfway mark. A little bit gutted.
On a brighter note, I did a PB for a 21km, 1 hour 50 min 20 sec, with a pace of 5:13/km. Along with those slopes at the start.. I am stoked! But too bad it isn't official. Who knows if I would have done that well if I were to just run a 21km... I probably crash again at the halfway mark. Will have to find out in my next half!! Looking forward to run another half soon!!
Tim finished just a few seconds behind me. I need to really thank him. If it weren't for him, I probably finish this in 5 hours or so. After the finishing line, he told me he was really dizzy and felt really unwell. Brought him to the St. John's tent.. turns out, he was really dehydrated.
Special mention to my monkey, who completed his first full marathon also, 50 mins behind me... but with a recently sprained ankle... so proud of him!! I really admire his determination.
And here's a huge congrats to the ex-UMSA-ians who completed their half marathon on that day!! Well done guys!! And thanks for the cheering towards the end. Definitely gave me that V-Power boost!!
Super pain, super exhausted. Could hardly walk. No more. No more marathons. My first and last one EVER!!!
That was the feeling for the next 5 days. But now, as I'm blogging this, looking back.... I think I want to do another one. I want to finish one without walking. I want to be well rested before running it. Not running around crazy two days before and in heels. Not having so little sleep two weeks before the marathon. And definitely not anytime soon.
On top of that, I have raised $1726 for the Heart Foundation!!! Never knew I could have raised so much. Thanks to all those kind-hearted people out there who have donated. It made me train harder. It was one of the factors as to why I really have to finish this and there's no turning back!
Thanks to everyone who's given me supportive and encouraging words during the journey towards completing my marathon. Thanks to those who advised me, to rest when I really needed it. I am glad I took that week off two weeks before my marathon when I was suffering from a calf injury.
Running my first full marathon was indeed an experience. Training for it is also a whole new different experience. Banned myself from alcohol and KFC for almost a year. Suffered many injuries. Waking up at 5.30am on some winter mornings to run, wearing a hoodie and beanie. Looking back now, it sounds crazy. But definitely an experience. I surprise myself for being that disciplined.
Complete a full marathon before turning 25: Checked :)
After the bridge, I knew there was gonna be a slope coming up at Point Erin Park at Sarsfield street. It was going to be a loop and before I hit Sarsfield street, I already saw Tim coming from the opposite direction. That fella is fast. I did the slope with little difficulty. It's all in the mind, I kept telling myself that.
Took a sip at the 16km mark. Was tempted to open my first GU Gel but as I only had 2 with me, I thought I'd save it for the half way mark and another at the 30km mark. Between the 16km and 21km mark, it was rather flat, all along Westhaven Drive and along the bay and towards viaduct. I tried to tell myself "imagine you're running along Pyrmont. Running along the wharf, beside the water. Just imagine that." But I felt hot, my feet started to ache and there was that occasional sharp stabbing pain on the soles of my feet. I kept looking out for the next drink station as I needed a reason to stop. There was a point in the run where there were two arrows.. one pointing left saying "Full Marathon", one pointing right saying "Half Marathon". It got my spirit up a little bit... it was like "Yeaa!! For once I'm heading towards the Full Marathon sign. I'm going to be a full marathon runner by the end of this!!"
When I passed the 21 km mark, I looked at my watch and I was at 1 hr 50 min. I was so shocked. This is 8 mins faster than my PB. I could smell 3 hour 45 min. I thought it's about time for my first GU Gel. I'm sure the water station wouldn't be too far now. I kept looking out for it but no. I don't see it. Saw the 10km runners and 5km walkers as I was looking out for the drink station. I'm sure it should be somewhere here.
Soon enough, I saw the sign that says "Powerade station, 500m ahead". Great. Not too far now. But being so desperate for water, 500m suddenly felt like a long way. I thought to myself "Ohh no... is this how it feels when they say you've hit the wall?". "No, you must keep going, Shermayne. People only hit the wall at the 30km mark. Hitting the wall means you just can't move anymore. Just keep moving those legs and you'll be fine. You are much stronger than this, you are the most prepared one for this race compared to other races". I kept telling myself not to get beaten down mentally again. It always happens to me during races. Always.. always at the half way mark.
I hung in there and kept jogging (no more running, now is jogging. Running and jogging is so different. Running is where you feel really light on your legs, you feel like you're flying. Jogging on the other hand... feels heavy.). One leg after another, I picked them up. The water station isn't too far now. But before I reached the water station. I saw a familiar back...walking.. hunching... moving slowly. Aha!! It's Tim. I caught up to Tim. "He's walking? Hmmnn.. should I run pass him? It would be awesome to finish ahead of someone who did a half in 1 hour 30!" That's my ego talking. But, the other half of me was saying "Walk, Shermayne, Walk." I gave in to that other half. And so, I tapped Tim on his back and said "Hey, come on, keep going! Keep going!". He looked exhausted. I came to find out he was about to turn back and head towards Victoria Park. I am so glad he continued. At least I have someone to jog with now. We both stopped by the water station, opened my first GU gel, thought it would give me a sudden burst of energy but not really. I was still going slow. I decided, forget that 3 hour 45 min. Just finish this!
As I head towards Tamaki Drive, just after KFC, there was another small climb. But there were drummers. And so, I set my footsteps according to the beat of the drums. It was a struggle. I thought I could run down instead of jog... but I couldn't. After we jogged down the bridge, Tim said to go ahead. He started to walk. And so, I jogged. Looked at my watch and I was doing 6 min plus per km pace. Not long after, the 3:45 pace setter ran pass me. I thought to myself "OK, set my target to 4 hours. I can do 4 hours."
I started walking a little as my calves were burning. The 4 hour pace setter must be 15 minutes behind. I've got 15 mins to spare. I walked, jog, walked, jog. "500m, Powerade station ahead". I jogged that 500m to the water station. 26km. Took some Powerade. Ooo!! Porta-loos! "Maybe if I empty whatever I have in me, I would be lighter and I can go faster!". I got in there and SAT down. I just sat there. I was extremely exhausted. Nothing came out. I just sat. For a few mins or so. "Tim would have ran passed me by now. Screw it, I will just walk for the next 16km, maybe Ivan will catch up with me, and then I can walk with him. Hmnn.. I wonder if the 4:00 pace setter ran pass me. Probably."
I then got out. And started to jog again. "Arghh.. I should have stretched back there. My calves, they are still so tight. Oh look.. there's a tree. Let's stop there and stretch." At this point, I think I have really hit the wall. Actually, I think I might have hit the wall at the 21-22km mark. But I was in denial. As I was stretching, I saw someone familiar walking towards me. Is it Ivan? Ohhh... it's Tim! So he didn't catch up with me afterall during my "toilet pit stop". It was his turn to say "Come on, let's walk and run. We can do this." And I replied "Yeaa.. we will finish this. Still got hope for under 4:15. By the end of this, we would be marathoners!!" Trying to psych ourselves up.
We walked a little bit and just before Kelly Tarlton's, I decided, ok... time to jog. We'll aim for Mission Bay. Jogged towards Mission Bay, saw the water station, stopped again and hydrate. 32km. I can so see myself stopping at every single water station now. 10 km to go! I can do this... the 4:15 pace setter have not ran pass us. Walked more after Mission Bay. Just before Kohimarama, we decided to jog. Not too far now and we will reach St. Helier's Bay.
Once I did the turn, I knew, I am going to finish this!!! You see, throughout the whole jog along the bay, I really felt like just U-turning as I see other runners running from the opposite direction. Saw the 3:45 pace setter running towards me when I was at Mission Bay I think. Saw the 4:00 pace setter not long after. So de-motivating. But it was good having Tim running beside me. He kept saying things like "One foot after another, we can do this. Relax your mind, don't think too much about it. Less than 9 km to go, 8km to go...." Stopped a couple of times after the turn. Walked, stretch.
I was finding every single excuse to stop. If it's not the calves, it's the knee. It's the quads, It's the hamstrings. It's the hip. Or if it's not muscular, it's the stomach. Oh, stitch! Need to stop, need to stop. Ohhh!! I think it was just before Mission Bay where the 4:15 pace setter ran pass us. "ARghhh!!!! Ok, screw it. 4:30!!! And since I can't do 4:15, I will Gangnam my way towards the finishing line!!" I said to Tim. Got to Mission Bay and stopped again at the water station. Ahh.. powerade.. *gulp*... Ahhhh... Coke... *gulp*And then.. ohhh no! Stitch... walk. "Ohhh.. maybe I should practice my victory Gangnam style". I tried... Tim tried too. But being so un-co... I decided, ok, Gangnam is out of the picture. Ohhh well... I will think of something to do my victory run.
When we started to jog, from the distance, we saw a familiar tall figure... running rather awkardly... limping and running.... Ahhh!! It's Ivan. Omg!! He actually is running this. He did not turn back halfway afterall. He is also going to complete the full marathon. What a champ!! We both gave him hi-5s as we jogged pass. He was probably 3-4km behind us.
Got to Okahu Bay and it was 35km. 7km to go! Drank more powerade/water/coke before going again. I wanted to jog all the way back since it's only 7km more but that other half of me said "No" and kept finding the same excuses to stop.
After walking a little bit after the 37km mark... I decided.. "Ok, less than 5km to go. Reset your mind and go! 4km, it's only like a warm-up. You can do this. Easy." So we jogged. I could still feel the burn in my legs, coming back again. I thought, Ok, maybe walk up that bridge again just before KFC. But then, those drummers were still there. You know, these drummers are really awesome. I thank them for being there. It made me ran up that slope. Soon, I saw KFC :) Can't wait to have KFC after my run. And so many spectators all along Quay Street.. all the way towards the finishing line. They were awesome. I don't remember Sydney having this much spectators and being so encouraging. They cheered, not only for their family/friends... but for strangers like us. It was an awesome feeling. I even remembered one person shouting out "Go yellow shorts!" Haha!! Super LIKE!! Some were even handing out lollies. I remembered taking one from a lady along Kohimarama Bay. "Don't take lollies from strangers" Yeaa.. right! It was great.
So we pretty much jogged./ran the last 3km or so. I say RUN now because I had that sudden burst of energy out of no where. Tim was however struggling. I tried my best to encourage him. But it seemed like he couldn't go anymore. The last km, I wanted to go fast. I had so much energy. But I didn't want to leave Tim behind. He was so supportive throughout the last half of the marathon, I can't just leave him behind.
Towards the last 200-300m, I said to Tim "Come on! Let's sprint!" He shook his head and hands and told me to go ahead. He wasn't picking up his pace. I knew his reserved fuel tank is also pretty much empty. The last 100-200m stretch, I heard people screaming "Go Sher Mayne!! WOOOOooooOOOO!!" Ahah!!! It's the cheer group for me! Shaun, Yin, Swan, Ying Xuan, Boon, Kai-Ann, Chin Ann... They had their cameras out. I ran towards them and attempted my Can Can dance. I knew it was better than my attempted Gangnam style. I was hoping they took a video but this is good enough :)
I was told there's gonna be video cameras to capture our finishing... So I ran probably the last 50m waving my arms frantically... and after crossing the finishing line, I did my victory leap! Too bad it wasn't caught on camera... but you can see it in the video here.
And so... I clocked in with a time of 4 hour 28 min 26 sec. So I did managed it under 4:30, which was my initial goal when people asked me what my target time was. I set a low target time hoping I would do way faster than that so I can sound super awesome... secretly hoping for 4:15 and would be awesome if it was 4:00. It almost came true until... the halfway mark. A little bit gutted.
On a brighter note, I did a PB for a 21km, 1 hour 50 min 20 sec, with a pace of 5:13/km. Along with those slopes at the start.. I am stoked! But too bad it isn't official. Who knows if I would have done that well if I were to just run a 21km... I probably crash again at the halfway mark. Will have to find out in my next half!! Looking forward to run another half soon!!
Tim finished just a few seconds behind me. I need to really thank him. If it weren't for him, I probably finish this in 5 hours or so. After the finishing line, he told me he was really dizzy and felt really unwell. Brought him to the St. John's tent.. turns out, he was really dehydrated.
Special mention to my monkey, who completed his first full marathon also, 50 mins behind me... but with a recently sprained ankle... so proud of him!! I really admire his determination.
And here's a huge congrats to the ex-UMSA-ians who completed their half marathon on that day!! Well done guys!! And thanks for the cheering towards the end. Definitely gave me that V-Power boost!!
Photos by Shaun and Ying Xuan
The post-marathon feeling?Super pain, super exhausted. Could hardly walk. No more. No more marathons. My first and last one EVER!!!
That was the feeling for the next 5 days. But now, as I'm blogging this, looking back.... I think I want to do another one. I want to finish one without walking. I want to be well rested before running it. Not running around crazy two days before and in heels. Not having so little sleep two weeks before the marathon. And definitely not anytime soon.
On top of that, I have raised $1726 for the Heart Foundation!!! Never knew I could have raised so much. Thanks to all those kind-hearted people out there who have donated. It made me train harder. It was one of the factors as to why I really have to finish this and there's no turning back!
Thanks to everyone who's given me supportive and encouraging words during the journey towards completing my marathon. Thanks to those who advised me, to rest when I really needed it. I am glad I took that week off two weeks before my marathon when I was suffering from a calf injury.
Running my first full marathon was indeed an experience. Training for it is also a whole new different experience. Banned myself from alcohol and KFC for almost a year. Suffered many injuries. Waking up at 5.30am on some winter mornings to run, wearing a hoodie and beanie. Looking back now, it sounds crazy. But definitely an experience. I surprise myself for being that disciplined.
Complete a full marathon before turning 25: Checked :)
Yes... I love this picture A LOT!!
