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| Photo of blisters taken before we set off from home. |
Yes! I had blood blisters on both my feet before the run! Simon advised me to give up as he did not want me to jeopardise my other runs with further injuries.
I listened. I deliberated. I decided.
I wanted to run this first half-marathon of my life. Whilst I had thousand-and-one doubts in my brain, my heart didn't want to give up. Not without giving it a try! Somehow, this run meant a great deal to me - consciously or sub-consciously - it signified an important yardstick on my road to recovery from my cancer.
We had to wake up at 2.00 a.m. due to the early gun time (4.45 a.m.). I always like early gun time. This would allow most runners to cover a substantial part of their race routes before sunrise.
Simon boiled some potatoes to load his carb. Never a fan of potatoes, I seek comfort in sandwiches and chocolate milk for fuel. By 3.00 a.m., we were ready to leave home. God knew the butterflies in my stomach!
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| A couple shot before we left home. All geared up! |
We arrived at 3.45 a.m. The organisers had chosen a good starting/finishing venue. Accessible by buses, taxis and situated just next to a MRT station. For us drivers, there were ample parking lots in the nearby commercial buildings. We thought we were early, but realised many runners were already there! Had they ever slept at all?
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| The brilliant Billboard! |
Simon would agree with me that the lighted billboards instructing check-in times for respective categories were brilliant! Straight forward. No confusion. At exactly 4 a.m., the first wave were allowed into the start pen by the security guards. Dark as it might be, kudos to these guys for scrutinising the bib of every participant before granting access into the pen.
As it would be another 45 minutes before gun-time, many early birds chose to sit around. Few hardworking ones were already starting to warm-up. Needless to say, Simon forced me to do some exercises too. I was reluctant and chose to take shots with my iPhone after doing some simple stretching to appease him.
By 4.30 a.m., the starting pen was looking full for the first wave. The emcee started to cheer the crowd on with his humour and encouragements. It would be better if his voice was more powerful. It would wake us up in the early morning! The atmosphere was a tad too serious due to the lack of music.
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| Runners waiting for gun-time |
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| Simon posing |
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| The crowd's in! |
I can assure you that time passes really fast when you hope for it to stop/drag. Before I knew, the race had started and the crowd was fast moving forward. I reckoned it was 4.45 a.m. sharp.
My oh my! These people ran fast! Within few seconds, I lost sight of Simon too. He disappeared into the sea of yellows and blacks. I was the lonely fighter again. Fortunately, the weather was good and there was wind chill at this hour. I managed to run 1 full km before starting to brisk walk. My first km took about 7 min. Never had I done this speed. That's a stretch for my fitness level! I knew I could not sustain if I were to continue at this pace. Simon's reminder kept creeping back to the back of my mind "Complete. NOT Compete! My dear!". Yeah! I was not there to compete! My objective was to reach the finish line in one piece, and before the 4-hour cut-off time! With this realisation, I re-adjusted my pace and averaged 8 min 30 sec for the subsequent few km.
All went well until after the loop, on our way back to the new sports hub (probably 4 km mark for half-marathoners?) when I heard a loud siren and saw a rushing ambulance. Runners had to give way to the ambulance. My heart sank as it would only mean mishap. True enough, we heard about the bad news soon. Fellow runner, Mr. Martynn Koh, 45, died in race day tragedy. Being a one-year cancer survivor, I had delayed death in a way. I really feel for the family. My deepest condolences...
Without knowing the real situation, I continued with my run/walk. On the way, I religiously chanted in my heart "Complete. Not Compete"..."Complete. Not Compete". Before the race, Simon shared with me the importance to have 'my own song' during my run to keep my momentum and maintain my pace. So, ~~I want to break free~~ accompanied me silently all the way! It was amazing that I sustained and performed better than my normal training days with this song.
I checked my watch again at 6.50 a.m. and knew that Simon would have finished his race already. The sun had not risen. I was not in a hurry. Let him wait. He couldn't go home without me!
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| Few people at the end point when Simon finished his race. |
I enjoyed the route for the half-marathon. Spacious and minimum chokage. There were sufficient water points and supplies to keep us well hydrated. The volunteers were cheerful and helpful. What more could I ask for?
Before long, I was already into the 19 km mark at the Helix Bridge. It would be ideal if we could avoid climbing the stairs. Many had to slow down to make their way up. By then, most runners along my pace were already walking. Me too!
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| Walking...Shagged |
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| Beautiful sunrise (after Helix Bridge) |
Did I mention that my blisters were triumphing their way during my run/walk? The pain had become almost unbearable. My toe nail turned purple too! Ouch! I had no choice but to slow down significantly after 10 km. Never settle for wrong sized shoes like I did! Mine was half a size too small and I had to pay with endless blisters and pain.
How elated was I when I finally saw the finishing point! By then, my feet couldn't carry me through the finishing line in a run anymore. I walked through my first 21.1 km line. What an un-glam finishing!
It was really congested at the end point. Many runners were back from all 3 categories (full/half-marathon, 10 km). Whoever thought of giving us an ice-cold towel after the race has to be a genius! That's really a treat! I didn't mind the long queue for the drink/banana/medal/finishing-tee collection because of this treat.
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| Long queue at the end point. |
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| Feisty mood after the race. |
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| Simon changed into his Finisher-Tee |
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| My hard-earned medal |
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| Our possessions. Finisher-Tees + Medals |
We love the jerseys as well as the medals. All nicely designed. We stayed for a while to soak in the happy ambience before leaving for home.
I finished my race! I did my embarrassing personal best at 5 km (41 min), 10 km (1 hr 27 min), 21.1 km (3 hr 21 min 05 sec). Ahead of Simon's prediction of 4 hr. He thought that I would barely make it just before the cut-off time. I hope he's happy for me. I abide to his "Complete. Not Compete" motto!
I have nothing to shout about my finishing time. It is nowhere near a decent timing. But hey! Not too bad considering I was still having my chemo treatments in my bald head this time last year. And that I had never run in my life until 4 months ago!
The race left me feeling freaking painful on both feet. But, I am happy! Overall, this was a well organised race that had boost my confidence for more runs in future. A fruitful morning. Time well spent!
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