pushing my limit...

It was about 24 hours ago when I was in pain from the waist down. The leg muscles were sore and feet were in pain. I could barely walk and bending my legs was an ordeal. Today was an improvement. Only the thighs are still sore. All these pains were a result of running my first ever marathon - 42.195km - on Sunday, 2 December 2007.

So, I did it! I never thought I could even run to begin with and now, a year since I started running regularly, I participated in my first marathon. It was very much a mental challenge. The first 20km was alright as I could maintain a momentum but after 30km, it was all in the mind. My feet were in pain and my leg muscles began to ache after 28km. On top of that, the heat of sun starts to get to you. Those were the challenges and I could not overcome it and was a bit disappointed with myself.

I checked the results today. Yesterday, the gun time indicated that I finished the race in 6 hours and 27 minutes but my chip time indicated that I crossed the finishing line in 6 hours and 22 minutes. It was about 1 hour and 20 minutes more than my target time i.e. 5 hours and 30 minutes. At this point, I am still stoked that I actually ran a marathon to even care about the time or my placing.(*) This being my first marathon, crossing the finish line is an accomplishment.

If you asked me on Sunday if I would run a marathon again, I would have said, 'No' what with the aches and pains. But my response from today is 'Yes, in a heartbeat!' I now know what to expect when running a marathon and I will definitely put in my best effort in training very hard for my next marathon.

Off course running a marathon is a very big deal for me and I have to let people know. Hee. Hee. So I sent text messages to friends about it. Here are the replies, which I received:

Noridah : Hi. Hope you had a good time at the Standard Chartered Marathon and improved your time. Rest Well.
(Off course Noridah thought I was running the 10km race like I did last year. I received her message before I sent out my text message but I appreciate the words of encouragement!)

Armand : Congrats! You are officially a marathoner. :-D

Andrea : Congratulations! Well done!

Ebrahim : That's amazing. Well done. That's a real achievement.

Dave : Good for you! I guess all the training paid off. Congratulations. Next time in under 6 hours.
(Now, that is a challenge, Dave!)

Liza : Congrats! Sang (our mutual Thai friend) said to come to Thailand now. She already book Thai massage for you!

Wan-Ling: Ran so much. No wonder traffic jam near my place. Because you slow lah. Ha. Ha. Ha. Congrats!

Kim Hong : That's great ! It is an achievement for you. Congrats! Rest & eat well for speedy recovery.
(Kim Hong was the one who encouraged me to sign up for the marathon and has been there with advise this past year. He, off course, is a seasoned marathoner. He completed his marathon in 3 hours and 9 minutes)

Sal : Very impressive! I'm sure there are more to come. London or New York one day eh?
(Hey! Never say never!)

Moh : Well done! Finishing it is an accomplishment. Try for your target again next year.
(He gives me stretch targets, which I always find it a challenge. Meeting the challenged target is another story. Ha. Ha.)

Polly : Well done my friend! I can't imagine how tired you are now. Morever, it was quite hot today.

Wendy : Congratulations! What an achievement. Take a good rest.

Amelia : In fact you wanted to complete it below 5 hours, right? It is not a bad result after all. Congrats for completing the race.

Rohani : Wow! Congrats! Hope you enjoyed it! Time for a good rest now. Take care.
(Enjoyed it? More like suffering it! Ha. Ha.)

Alex : Go and rest now. You earned it!!

Siew Yen : Wow! Congratulations for completing your first 42km race!

Nora : Oh wow! I am sure that's an accomplishment for you. Rest and pamper your legs silly now. Take care.

Jack : Have a good massage! And rest. You did well!

Kevin : Congratulations! Fantastic news! I'm glad you survived it! Sounded like a bit of an ordeal. Hopefully you've rested up, have a nice long bath to rest your weary legs. I hope you are taking a day off tomorrow. If not, I am sure you will be ok. All the best!!
(Kevin thought I was crazy to even attempt it since the day I told him that I am taking part in the marathon. He was just jealous but still encouraging nonetheless)

Rob : That is very good! I think that would have taken me 12 hours. Can you feet your legs again?

Kwai Fong : Give yourself a pat. Well done!

LET : Hope your legs are ok.

Now, with positive words like that, how can I not run another marathon?

* - Apparently, there were approximately 1400 female runners in the marathon category compared to the 10,000 male runners in the same category. I finished 888th place among the female runners.