Back from my 8th Full Marathon, 3rd overseas Marathon and 2nd KL Marathon.
Having done a number of marathons, I begin to ask myself why do I want to subject myself to such pain and torture. It is no longer about proving to myself that I could complete one, nor achieving personal best timings (because personal best timings are getting harder and harder to come by as I age and as work pressures mount).
On the night before each marathon, I would always ask myself why am I doing this? When it comes to overseas marathons, I would also ask myself why do I bother to incur the cost and trouble only to be in pain for the next couple of days.
So why do I bother? Honestly, I do not really have an answer. All I know is that when registration opens for a marathon that I could possibly participate in, I would automatically sign up...
I guess one of the reasons why I am doing this is that it makes me feel very alive. Appreciating how blessed I am to be able to participate and complete them. Another reason could be to be part of a fraternity of like-minded friends who enjoy similar pain. Whatever the reason might be, I do not foresee myself stopping.
This year's KL marathon was a vast improvement from last year's. The whole organisation of the race went pretty much without a hitch for me. The route was pleasant enough and water stations were well stocked. There was also minimal overlapping of routes with the other categories. The race was also not congested and runners did not need to navigate through a maze of people right from the beginning. My only gripe was the course elevation.
I was doing pretty well, on target for a PB when I hit the incline at 37km and another one at 39km. It floored me completely and I literally ran out of steam. At 41km, my legs almost gave up and I thought they were going to play me out for good. The last km was indeed the longest km of the race. I cannot imagine how could anyone attempt and complete 84km at Sundown. Respect!
Managed to complete the race in 4 hours 35 mins. 5 mins worse than last year's KL marathon and 10 mins off my PB.
I have complete respect for Malaysian runners. My sense is that runners in Malaysia take their marathons seriously and would only sign up when they are really ready for it. This is evidenced by the perceived lack of 'walkers'. Also, I would usually come in top 10% of the field in Singapore races. However, in Malaysia, I will usually come in the middle of the field.
Again wondering if I will repeat this marathon next year. Well, I will know when registration opens. Haha.
Next race: HP Tri-Factor Series: Timex TRI-Run
No comments:
Post a Comment