Earlier this month, I participated in the Singapore Standard Chartered marathon 2013. It was my first attempt at 21K - yes the freaking Half marathon.
Why did I sign up for it ?
Around July, when the registration opened, two running enthusiasts promised to be in Singapore for a vacation and be part of the marathon as well.
Lesson learnt - Always register together. Don't trust people without passports to participate in international events.
As per SCM statistics, 12,000 runners participated in the half marathon. And a total of 54,000 runners participated in the different categories. What I learned from this marathon is that even though we all run towards the same finish line, each and every one of the runners are engaging in a different marathon in their minds. Each one of us have a different demon to tackle. I absolutely fell in love with the idea and guess what, registered for the next run with my girlfriends :)
While running, we all spot someone as markers. We tend to keep up with them. When we fall behind and eventually catch up with our marker runners, it feels great. What we realise is that we have those markers not to compete with, but to keep up with. Those are the runners who help us to keep up our pace and help us achieve our targets.
Personally I enjoyed this 21K run more than last year’s 10K. The route for half marathon here is amazing - starting from beach side and then through the universal studios where the whole of Madagascar, Sesame Street, Shrek & Co. and even Marylin Monroe cheer for us. After that we get to run along the expressway enjoying the views of the Marina and downtown Singapore!
I want to encourage each and everyone of you to attempt a communal event or sports which would test and push your limits. I want you to enjoy and revel in the incredible feeling when the target is achieved. It is an amazing experience running the race and getting the emotional and motivational high.
When we crossed the finish line, I still couldn’t believe that we achieved such an amazing feat! Two years back, if you had told me that I would be running a distance of 21K I would have laughed at you. But today I feel proud of my achievement.
Obviously, the most important factor in all my runs is Manu. Cheers to him for constantly pushing my limits, motivating me always and at times dragging me along ;)
2 comments:
"What I learned from this marathon is that even though we all run towards the same finish line, each and every one of the runners are engaging in a different marathon in their minds."
You nailed it. :)
Right now, even 30 mins daily on a treadmill feels like an achievement to me - but I wasn't doing even this a year ago. Perhaps some day, I will run myself! :)
:)
That is awesome Gow!
Good running!
When I started, I used to run like 10 minutes and walk the rest :P
With the treadmill, just be careful about your body positioning. It is very easy to make the mistake of leaning forward and putting a lot of strain on your knees and shin bones while on treadmill. I screwed up a bit there when I started and that is when I took to the grounds.
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