I finally did the race last night.
Last year got cancelled on both attempts due to the "Strong 80km/h winds" and i was extremely disappointed that after all my training that i would not be able to go for my run.
This year, we got to the park early at 4:30pm and it was threatening rain. It started to drizzle around 5pm and all we could do was wait around anxiously.
By 6pm we all packed up and headed towards the starting line.
Its self seeded and you were expected to line up next to the time where you thought you could run per km.
So there were markings for people who could do a km in under 4.5 mins and then there were markings for those who thought it was take >4.5 mins to run per km. For the elite competitors, they were supposed to stand in the front and walkers were expected to start behind anyone running. This was to keep it fair.
But the signage wasnt clear, or people were blind, or they just didnt care. People walking the race went straight to the front near the elite. I was going to make a serious attempt, but i knew my limits and so i stood after the signage for >4.5 mins/km. But since walkers were crowding around in front of me, my team and i moved forward near the signage that said <4.5 mins/km.
I'm relieved that i moved forward. Next to me was some girls with oversized handbags on their shoulders, some with backpacks...obvious walkers...and it irritated me so much that i just wanted to sound to go off for the start.
The race was late by 10 minutes.
I was getting antsy.
Then the sound went off and when i got to cross the start line 1:15 mins was already lost. The first km was a hill and although i knew that it was going to be there, i didnt know the course well and was surprised. Going down the hill for 500m everyone around me just picked up exceptional speed and so i followed suit.
For some reason, when you have markings telling you how many kms you have just passed, it makes the whole experience feel extremely long. 1km felt like 2kms to me. I had maintained an even pace except for the hill bit, until i hit 3kms and i could feel the burn.
Its funny, i was motivating myself by talking to myself...not out loud, but in my head, i was telling myself to keep running. Things like "you've done 5-6kms before, this is nothing different"..."P is just ahead, keep her in your line of sight"..."you can finish this, c'mon!!!"..."just keep jogging, dont start walking, just keep jogging"...
So, i slumped between 3-5kms, intermittently picking up. I tried to pick it up to a consistent pace...when we hit 5kms, i heard someone in the background telling his team that now was the time to peak. And so i thought "yeah, 600m...i should pick up the pace"...but i was really thirsty. I tried to pick it up. And i did run faster than i had been in the last 2 km, but then i slowed down because i couldnt maintain it.
Then something weird happened. And i'm sure the runners out there will know what i'm referring to.
When i could finally see the clock it displayed 34:59 and i got really peeved because i wanted to do the run in under 35 minutes. And this was the point where i sprinted the last 200 metres and overtook around 20 people to get the time of 35:12, draining every last breath i had in me.
I'm not the fittest looking person. I'm sure the video footage of me, had someone filmed me from start to finish, would have looked extremely funny. I wonder how i looked while running the last sprint overtaking so many people...
My legs were like jelly. I was sooo dehydrated...I was dripping head to toe in sweat...I was pretty red in the face too...But i was so happy that i did 5.6km in 35:12 minutes.
Its in line with my expectations. And if you minus the delay from the start, i reached my goal by getting under 35 minutes.
I'm definitely going to do this race again next year!
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