Coming Full Circle: The Successful Completion Of The Running For Life Project In 2008 After Three Years In The Making
And so with minimal training, the last run being two weeks ago and hitting only 16km (the furthest I have ever run), I sold my body to the adidas sundown marathon most excitedly at midnight yesterday.
I did complete the race – not that there was ever any doubt on my part about not being able to – I’m a firm believer that personal dogged determination can power you anywhere literally, provided circumstances neither thwart nor interfere. Which was why I signed for this with nary a thought: I was proving a point to the world and myself
I just didn’t realise how hard it could get, trying to get my legs moving in the second part of the run from 22km onwards The spirit was willing but the flesh was simply hurting like mad. My knees felt they were going to give way every time I attempted to resume a jogging pose; my lower back was throbbing and my calves were screaming for attention too.
Well, that was okay. I could still walk quickly. But the soldiering on became next to impossible towards my last 10km on the course. KNS, I was literally dragging my feet and had to stop every 10 minutes to stretch the legs and lift my knees in a 90 degree position to ensure they didn’t end up buckling the other way.
So what could have been a no sweat run if I could maintain a consistent pacing of runs/walks swelled to an embarrassingly epic duration of 9.5 hours!! I was still optimistic about finishing within 7 hours before the run started but gave up on the thought at 6am when I had lead for legs. And it rained too, so I walked even more slowly ‘cos I didn’t want to slip and end up an invalid. The body was totally vulnerable by then.
And I love April for walking back to look for me after she had completed hers in just under 8 hours. When she saw miserably-determined-me trudging, she promptly took my sweaty and smelly waist pack off me and carried it herself so that I could feel lighter and better. And yes, while I was still making my way slowly in the last 500m of the race, my heart was singing and I could ignore my legs. We both finally did it after our solemn promise three years ago!
Thanks to April’s hubby for driving me to the run and back home too .
*
Geraldine’s wedding dinner takes place in Fullerton tonight and while I have the perfect dress and shoes for the New York chic theme, I might have to wear flats instead of my very cool brown high-heeled boots now that I’m quite crippled (I have been hobbling around at home and my knees feel absolutely foreign – going up down the stairs is a long and painful process). Which doesn’t go at all with the flamboyant red dress. Damn. No, not attending is not an option. The lengths I go to for friendship.
I did complete the race – not that there was ever any doubt on my part about not being able to – I’m a firm believer that personal dogged determination can power you anywhere literally, provided circumstances neither thwart nor interfere. Which was why I signed for this with nary a thought: I was proving a point to the world and myself
I just didn’t realise how hard it could get, trying to get my legs moving in the second part of the run from 22km onwards The spirit was willing but the flesh was simply hurting like mad. My knees felt they were going to give way every time I attempted to resume a jogging pose; my lower back was throbbing and my calves were screaming for attention too.
Well, that was okay. I could still walk quickly. But the soldiering on became next to impossible towards my last 10km on the course. KNS, I was literally dragging my feet and had to stop every 10 minutes to stretch the legs and lift my knees in a 90 degree position to ensure they didn’t end up buckling the other way.
So what could have been a no sweat run if I could maintain a consistent pacing of runs/walks swelled to an embarrassingly epic duration of 9.5 hours!! I was still optimistic about finishing within 7 hours before the run started but gave up on the thought at 6am when I had lead for legs. And it rained too, so I walked even more slowly ‘cos I didn’t want to slip and end up an invalid. The body was totally vulnerable by then.
And I love April for walking back to look for me after she had completed hers in just under 8 hours. When she saw miserably-determined-me trudging, she promptly took my sweaty and smelly waist pack off me and carried it herself so that I could feel lighter and better. And yes, while I was still making my way slowly in the last 500m of the race, my heart was singing and I could ignore my legs. We both finally did it after our solemn promise three years ago!
Thanks to April’s hubby for driving me to the run and back home too .
*
Geraldine’s wedding dinner takes place in Fullerton tonight and while I have the perfect dress and shoes for the New York chic theme, I might have to wear flats instead of my very cool brown high-heeled boots now that I’m quite crippled (I have been hobbling around at home and my knees feel absolutely foreign – going up down the stairs is a long and painful process). Which doesn’t go at all with the flamboyant red dress. Damn. No, not attending is not an option. The lengths I go to for friendship.
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