Confessions of a first-time half marathoner

“It’s impossible.” said pride
“It’s risky.” said experience
“It’ pointless,” said reason

“GIVE IT A TRY.”
whispered the heart

After completing my first ever 10km at the SCKLM 2013, I had no intention of participating in another race. So how did I end up signing up for the Half Marathon (HM) in 2014?

My usual run is 5 km, with an occasional 10 km on the weekend. The furthest I have ventured is 12 km. Yet, the desire to see how far I can go could not be denied. So how did I overcome my fears (and shame) of not completing the race? I gave myself the maximum cut-off time and convinced my inner voice that it’s okay to walk when I could not run anymore.

With this mindset, I focused on longer routes with elevations to build endurance, as part of my training preparation. With a week to go and feeling that I hadn’t logged enough run mileage, I did some short runs to restore some much needed confidence and carbo-loaded as recommended. Here is how it went.

Race Day
Up at 3.30am, at run site by 4am. Managed 4 hours shut-eye.

As the gun went off at 6am, I was among the 6000+ hopefuls running to complete 21km within the 3-hour time limit. I started slow and was careful not to make the beginner mistake of going too fast and getting tired before the end.

Warming up gradually, I found my stride 14 minutes into the run but was already a minute behind my target of 6 minutes per km. At the 5 km mark, my pace dropped further to 7.5 minutes per km. With the passing of the first hour, I passed the 8 km mark. I ran the first 10 km comfortably in 74 minutes, encouraged by the upbeat music by performing bands along the route. I hydrated regularly at water stations which were never more than 2 km apart.

Somehow, I was able to up my pace slightly and completed the next 8 km at the end of the second hour. By then, I was beginning to struggle. Winded after the second uphill at KM13 , I developed a stitch on my left side. From experience, I focused on regulating my breathing and it soon went away. But, other discomforts set in. By the KM15, I could feel the back of my calves cramping and the temptation to slow down was very, very strong. My feet, seemed to be on fire!

At the start of the home stretch at the Jalan Parlimen/Kuching roundabout, my flagging spirits picked up, for all of 5 seconds. With 5km to go, it was not long before my protesting legs slowed again. At KM17, I was on autopilot, putting one foot down in front of the other, totally oblivious to my surroundings, as my will and screaming muscles battled for supremacy.

Running past the Museum, I relented and had the back of my legs sprayed for some much needed muscle relief. Two minutes later, my relief hit a new high upon seeing the race marshall wave the 1KM board at me. About time.

From then on it was a mental game to the finish line. With 500m to go, a glanced at my watch told me I would not make it inside of 2:30:00, eventually crossing the finish line with a time of 2:33:05.

The best part of running, is the euphoria and satisfaction after. All the pain is canceled out and I will want to run again to experience the same feel-good feeling. That is what keeps me going. This time was no different. Tired but happy, the take-away after completing my first HM is positive. I was able to ‘run to finish’ with no untoward incidents or major injuries. Post-run, recovery time for soreness, chaffing and tender toes usually takes a week.

Another plus is bragging rights. Flashing the finisher medal and wearing my marathon T-shirt is a given, as are marathon certificate / photo / video, which can be purchased online and shared with family and friends. SCMKL also provides detailed results such as my placing in the entire field, by gender and division, pace, speed and split times. The feel good factor continues with statistics such as the number of runners of the opposite sex I was ahead of and how many runners in my division I passed vs the number who passed me. Yes, I am a sucker for ego-boosting trivia facts, so bring-em on.