Still dark outside and us very much fresh and excited.
Bad start to the day, I woke up late! Reporting time for 11km runners started at 6.15am but I woke up a few minutes after 6am! You should've seen how I scrambled out of bed trying to do so many things at the same time. Good thing I had already pinned my number and laid out everything for the run the night before so all I had to do was put things on and grab my stuff on the way out. I had breakfast while driving, that's how I was struggling to get there before 7am; flag-off time. Parking was still available (thank God!) and with 10mins to spare with Nadia waving for me to wait up, we reported just in time. We were each given black wristbands before being allowed to the starting point. I managed to stretch with the limited time left and not long after... BOOM! Gun went off at 6.57am on my watch! Whhaaattt!? That meant I actually had 7mins to spare. Haha.
Gosh just getting out of the stadium area from the starting point was hilly! I already saw people going from a jog to walking here. I broke into a slow jog the moment the gun went off and kept on for a good 4km I believe. By then we had passed a roundabout, gone up a hill and down again, and up and down again. Roughly a few hundred meters away frm the water station I power walked for a minute and later slowed down for a cup of 100 Plus. Dah teguk 100 Plus and sambung lari, time tu lah plak rasa nak berak. Time aku tunggu kau keluar kau taknak keluar... time aku lari 11km for the first time la nak buat hal. Urgghhh. Guess what I did? Yeah, I sucked it all in and continued running. That's the spirit yo! I'm not sure whether it's the fibre from the breakfast bar I had earlier or the combo of both that and the drink. That was the only station I paused for a drink. I was afraid if I stopped at another water station, gesaanku for you-know what tak dapat ditahan-tahan lagi.
With Ricky Martin singing Cup of Life and Jai Ho among others blaring in my ears, I ran on anyway alternating with power walks. King of The Road I was... the whole of Shah Alam stopped to make way for a yellow-tudung girl clad in a bright orange vest running her very 1st 11km. Man, that was definitely something. Shah Alam wey! We caused traffic alright! On a Sunday morning pulak tu! As I was running towards the stadium, I spotted a guy who runs at my neighbourhood park running the half marathon. I actually saw quite a few familiar faces, people from uni, school. Was quite amazed really.
I'd have to say that the moment I saw the stadium, I just wanted to go all out... and so I attempted. I thought the run was about to end considering the fact that we started outside the stadium and so I assumed that's where it was about to end. So there I was running with all my might carrying my assumption... but no, it goes on and on... in the tunnel and into the stadium. I was running in the tunnel and then macam apahal tak sampai-sampai lagi so jalan sikit sebab penat lari all out and still tak sampai-sampai. All of a sudden, I saw light... at the end of the tunnel and so I ran again; for a while I felt like I was in the Olympics.
As soon as I emerged at the other end, the route went onto the tracks in the stadium and this is where I picked up and felt like a true runner (macho la sket kan padahal muka dah memang macam nak meletup je rupa) with people cheering by the banisters. That moment... was awesome. Indescribable in fact. Memang macam lari at the Olympics! Like woahhhh, this is how it feels (eventhough Kenyan runner --toksah cakap Kenyan la, yang lari half marathon pun dah lama sampai dari aku yang lari 11km je ni.) But screw that, it was MY personal achievement. I may not have received a finisher's medal but I made it to the finish line. I didn't withdraw from the race, I didn't hitch a ride from anyone to the stadium nor did I suffer from any major injuries. And that's what counts for me. I crossed the finishing line at exactly 8.37am. By then, rasa nak berak pun dah hilang. Hahahah.
Us with our certs and catching Nadia crossing the finish line. Will you just look how happy she looked crossing that line?
Super proud of this soon-to-be Mrs. too. It is also her 1st ever run and she did wonderfully well. She also helped a half marathon runner pakcik who happened to tergolek in front of her some kilometers away from the stadium. Good on you babe! Running is not just about beating your time and running competitively. Have some sort of compassion and alertness to others running with you. Who knows, it could be you rolling/kneeling by the side of the road someday.
Kings of the Road!!!
Overall I had a great time. Organization was excellent, no complaints on my part. Route was super challenging (baca: berbukit-bukau; King of the Hills & Roundabouts maybe?) so I probably need to work on that. Goodie bag? What goodie bag? I was only given a vest and bib. No other Adidas merchandise whatsoever, something I was secretly hoping for. But I have to say, this orange vest is a lot better than the other 2 vests I received thus far. Adidas Formotion oke! I'm still tending to a purplish-blue toenail though... *sniff sniff*
Looks like this will be my last run before Ramadhan greets us. Until then, maybe I'll update on my Singapore trip. Or maybe just pictures. Have a great weekend people!
Editted:
I'm not sure if any of you read the news of the runner (Gary Leon) who died after running KOTR. Obviously, I don't know him but there's a deep sadness engulfing his mysterious demise among runners who ran along with him that day. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. May he RIP.
The late Gary upon reaching the finish line. You can see a glimpse of me running in the background. So technically, I did run along with him that day without realizing.
And me looking God knows where nearing the finish line.
Many thanks to Tey for the pictures!
Only think of two things - the gun and the tape. When you hear the one, just run like hell until you break the other. --Sam Mussabini
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