When the sun goes down ... and that's about the only thing going in that direction.



Hehe. Can you believe it?! I actually joined the Sundown Marathon!

And I'm a FINISHER of a full 42 Km marathon ....... ZVARRI!

Just before the marathon I was telling Andy I was wondering why I actually even signed up. But hey! It's an experience I'll never forget! (Not saying it's a good one per se ... !)

Still can't believe it? Haha. Won't blame you because I myself can't too :) The next time you run a marathon, tell yourself that if a couch potato can do it, so can you!

Being the couch potato I am, I rather show off my innate abilities. *Ahem* Here goes.. I watched almost the whole series of Coffee Prince the other day, from 11+ a.m. till 2+ a.m. ... A whopping 14 hours straight of teevee! And if you haven't already known, my currently sleep record holds at 21 hours or so. Heh. Heh. Heh. Heh.

Ahem ok back to the Sundown thing.

Timing!



Hmm... 6 hours and 21 minutes! Not that fast but not that slow either!

But imagine running for near 6 hours straight! That is enough to send one of his/her rockers I tell you!

Anyway here's the route the runners took that night ...



00:00
The marathon officially begins but hasn't in reality. Stuck in a human traffic jam... so I'd say real starting time was around 00:20. Slow jogging at this time... hearing Nigel and friend joke about some stuff.

01:30
Completed first 10km ... I don't know why but there were lots of guys peeing by the bushes. x_x Not that I'd care to see anything! Ran past East Coast Park and the sea breeze absolutely showed no mercy! With all that hot sweat and cold wind... I thought I was handed a que number to see the doctor for sure. So it was like hot, cold, hot cold... just like how some people are eh? Oh, but it was fun seeing so many beach-goers cheering for us despite the non-acquaintence :)

02:30, 20 km
Caught up with Nigel after drinking a cup of concentrated 100-plus. Ever wondered how it tastes like? Enough to give you diabetes for sure! Got out of East Coast Park and headed for Siglap Park area or something.

03:30
Lost track of distance and time... I only know I was starting to feel zonked out ever since seeing that 22 km mark. And somehow, 22 + 2 no longer equals 24! Ran for like an eternity, and stopping to walk more than run... Gosh. If lactic acid is supposedly pH 3.5 then why does my legs felt like pH negative five??

??:??
This part of my memory after 03:30 seems fuzzy and conked out. Don't really remember anything... my soul must have drifted away back home and was sleeping on my bed. Anyway! At one point when I stopped to pour sand out of my shoes, there was this guy who stopped to stretch and gave me a woeful look saying it's his second round. *Gulp* Right. He's telling me "no lazing around"!

05:00
So far, nothing much interesting. Up, down and across dozens of overhead bridges,HDBs. And god! One thing I must mention is the litter a marathon creates! Yikes ... It looks seriously ugly with white paper cups decorating grasses like snow. Ah. The irony. And it was the only time I've littered on that many counts!

05:30, 34 km
My legs have reached an ultimatum whereby neither walking nor running was an option. Actually in fact, it hurts less to run. I guess when you stop running, all the pain then creeps up on you and sets in. Ouch. And then. A drop. Two drops. Drops ... of nightmare falling from the grey skies......... And soon I found myself in need of a windshield wiper to defend against ...
MY ARCH-NEMESIS: THE RAIN!
Ergo! I couldn't believe it ... My phone was in my pocket. And then it was the time to choose between my legs and my phone. Sigh... What was I to do but run?!

06:15
I knew the end was nearing. Seemed like there was an inverse relationship between the distance left and the intensity of the rain. I sprinted for the last 3 km in a ditch to save my phone. It's true when they say people have extraordinary powers when facing a crisis! Never knew where those extra leg power came from that night .... and at last. The finishing point.

The aftermath?

Two swollen knees, 4 blisters, both 2nd toenails coming off, several skin abrasions and a happy marathoner who gets to rot at home.

And of course, the classic crab-walk.