Today was everything I like about running, pushing back the boundaries and reaching new heights. For today was the day I make my debut at the half-marathon distance in the Penang Bridge Run. To say I have been eagerly awaiting this day is an understatement. I have been training hard in anticipation of tackling such a daunting distance, a distance I have never come close to running. Despite some hiccups in training in the build up, most notably with the haze, I was raring to go.
After returning from my walk the night before at only around 11pm, I was only able to snatch around 4 hours of sleep. But somehow, I woke up not feeling tired at all, must be the adrenalin doing its job.
Since the bridge run is a major event, quite a few roads have been sealed off to motorised vehicles. From a point of view as a runner actually running in the race, it is brilliant, but the same cannot be said for me as someone trying to go to the registration point. It was hell in fact, thoroughly confusing. To add insult to injury, it took a good 20 minute run to get there. My adrenalin was still flowing so I barely felt it.
After arriving at the registration point, the gates of hell USM, I was greeted by a huge crowd. They were the same as me, slightly late and trying to register. To add insult to injury, the gate was open only a crack to allow the runners to trickle in. I had godawesomesofastyoucantseeme Aikido evasion technique to go through, that and some good old fashioned shoving.
That was not the end of the hurdles blocking our way, for after registering, we participants in the men's half-marathon were held up on the USM field. We were only allowed to walk to the starting line, some 10 minutes away, 5 minutes before the starting gun was fired. Needless to say, the race has already begun when I finally made it to the starting line.
I frantically started running, eager to make up lost ground. Ok scratch that, I was frantic, but I started with a relatively sedate pace. My school coach advised me to start conservatively since this is my first half-mara. But still I can't bear the thought of lardasses being ahead of me just because they were super 'kiasu' in walking to the start. Thankfully, my more rational side prevailed, and I didn't use tear up the roads, lest I flame out on the way back. On a tangent, I observed that many went out real fast, irrespective of their current physical shape, and I was proven right even within the first mile or so, when the first fatsos were panting like crazy, while some suffered on the way back.
Anyway, it was certainly a surreal experience running on a bridge at 5.30 in the morning. The air was cool but I wasn't shivering or cold. The sky was also very beautiful, and looking into it was like looking right into the universe. And to those of you wondering, yes, I was able to enjoy the scenery, I was going that slow. Going in towards the halway point, I was very comfortable, perhaps too comfortable, for I reached it in 54 minutes, waaaaaay over my target of 47-48 minutes.
Having known that, I decided that it was now or never, and decided to 'fly'. If I have to endure a painful finish then so be it. At this point, my breathing and heartbeat were fine, barely strained in fact, it's just my legs that were my main concern. They always seemed to break down before I am able to reach exhaustion. Anyway, I started to overtake people. Along the way, I was surprised to find out that so many older guys were faster than me up to that point. Either that or they had a damned good start. No matter, speed is the preserve of the young and I made short work of them.
I was even more surprised when I passed the mid-span, for there were a huge number of youngsters ahead of me. Most look younger than me. I can't be THAT slow, or could I? Fortunately, it turns out that they are participants in the 10k junior race turning back. In spite of having 10 km more, I still found the energy to pick them off as they tired in the closing miles. Call me an egoist, but there's no greater pleasure than seeing the looks on their faces while I am smugly gliding past them, while trying to convey a sense of apathy.
With all that said, I managed to run the second half in 48 minutes for a time of 1 hour 42 minutes. not bad at all in my book for a first attempt. That is also good enough to redeem my failure on Friday by my reckoning. That's all for now, as I am incredibly tired. There will be more to come about the post-race, but that is a story for another day, maybe tomorrow.
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