At the Finish Line
2013 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon held on Dec 1st (Sunday) was the 8th time I had completed the full marathon. At 51 years of age, I feel I am still in my prime mentally, though physically I have probably dropped about 30% from the peak fitness of the mid 20s and early 30s. I had prepared on and off during the year for this marathon and I feel blessed that I can still complete the full 42.194km distance. My best time to date is 4 hours 45 minutes set in 2007. I believe if I train regularly enough, this time is beatable, because, when then is an iron will to succeed, the body will adapt to overcome the odds to achieve it.
Finishing in style (at least I think so)
For posterity I will recap the route as this will be a good record of the coming marathons. The 5.00 gun at Orchard Road went off and 16,000 full marathoners (I believe a full 5,000 did not finish or DNF) took to the cool and humid streets of Singapore's shopping belt Orchard Road.
I had the pacer strapped to my hand and was quite happy to be going at a 7 minutes pace per km for the first 20 km. I had taken a full bottle of Red Bull (Europe made) and in my training runs, this had proven super effective in warding off the tiredness for over 3 hours. Previously I would pop Power Gels every 10 km or so, but with the Red Bull in me, it was my Secret Weapon. I carried with me the following ;
a) Anti muscle ache spray (Tiger Balm, small bottle, 75 ml)
b) Pocari Sport bottle (in my hand - top up my tank anytime)
c) Small cloth (wipe off any excessive perspiration, and also act as a heat dissipater)
d) Oakley Sunglasses (for vanity reasons, and of course, cutting back the glare of the sun)
The race in its early stages was smooth, I had been training up to 4 times a week in the lead up of 3 months before December, and I must state that IT IS VITAL TO RUN AT LEAST 5 RUNS ABOVE 30 KM. So I had around 4 - 5 runs this year of almost 4 hours. This is what I would call body conditioning. It is imperative that I run around 50 km per week 1 month or even 2 months before the actual marathon.
I practised in the late morning, again, for body conditioning. This would ensure that even in the searing heat, I could endure, therefore, the morning heat of the actual marathon should not be a big problem for me.
The first 10 - 20 km were basically just focussing on getting my gait right, not overpronating, neither was I pushing too hard. I was fluctuating between the run pacers of 5 hours (which I thought was great), to 6 hours (which I thought I could definitely beat), drinks stations were plentiful, at every 2 km, and I hardly drank from my bottle for the first 30 km. After close study of the route, I knew when I would take my toilet breaks (twice), once around the 23km mark and another around the 30 km mark all within the East Coast Parkway. The runspirators (or people cheering us on) were fantastic, with plenty of hand slappers, bananas, aid stations for massage, and ice cream. I did not really stop at any of these as I was super focussed on finishing the race.
Amazingly around the 30 km mark, I felt fine, the legs felt strong, and no stretching or muscle pulls were evident. I pressed on only to pause for toilet and drink breaks, plus to spray on the muscle relaxant after the 30 km mark.
Around the 33km mark, which is before the Gardens by the Bay, I started to stop a little, and decided to walk about 100 m. "Get going !!" the voice inside me shouted and I moved on. So I would run about 800m and walk for 100m for about 3 km up to the Marina Barrage. I was so fired up at that time to break the 6 hour mark, I practically vowed to run till I dropped, and the phrase popped up " One day I will not run another step, but TODAY is NOT THAT DAY !!". So off I went ignoring the aches and stiffness and I willed myself to the finish - in style.
My final time of 5 hours 53 minutes is far from my best time, but its better than the last 3 years timing (5 : 59, 6 : 04 , 6 : 09).
Well Done !!
The last 5 to 10 km are the most challenging !
This new year, 2014, I set myself a new interesting challenge, that is to run 2 overseas marathons. You see, I am not getting any younger, my business is quite secure, and I am at that stage in life in achieving or self actualising myself. It sounds selfish, but I want to add value to the society at large and for the Paris Marathon which I signed up (or intend to anyway), I am helping the British Heart Society raise funds for heart research in the UK. Minimum of BP 1,000 which will be donated to the charity.
So 2 Overseas Marathons is my target, 1st one is Paris Marathon 2014 on 6th April 2014.
Where will or when will the next one be ? Hong Kong ? Macau ? Korea ? Delhi ? All these places I have business interests in. Your guess is as good as mine !
I take solace in a Mr. Chong who is 83 years of age, and has run 97 (yes 97 !) marathons in his lifetime. When interviewed by the Straits Times recently, he said and I quote :
" Running is like breathing to me, the day I stop running, is the day I will die "
Well I hold the exact same view, although I don't think I will drop dead if one day I cannot run a step more. It would be ideal actually if I did die during a run, for it would be something which I loved doing my whole life.
Seize the Day !!!
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