Thank God I'm Vain!--- My Botak 42K Run

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Last Sunday, I joined my first Full Marathon and grabbed my first Marathon Finisher's Medal. I must admit, I'm happy,,, well, not really...I'm feeling rapturous! :)


Will this mean more marathons for me?....that, I'll have to think about. :) Certainly this won't be the last, the only question is "when" :) I told myself yesterday, because of some execrable pain I'm going through, I might not join another one until the Singapore Marathon. However, now that I'm feeling better, I am eager to join another one hopefully before my first international full-mary in the land of the Merlion. I just want to be sure how long it will take me to finish 42.something kms.

"I'm Almost a Marathoner"

Why "almost"? Because I didn't get to complete the entire course, not because I can't, but because I got lost!!!....silly me! After reviewing the map, I missed a good 5 kilometers. At least now I know, without pressuring myself too much with time, I can finish a full marathon.

I can't wait to be a full pledged Marathoner

Pacing with my Takbo.ph fellas during the first half of the run, Sir Poj and Doc Roy (who finished the entire course...congratulations!), really helped a lot. Taking it nice and slow during the first half is the key. In long runs such as this, I think it's always good to start slow rather than firing up immediately after the gunshot and end up drained in the middle of the course.

There are some shortcomings in terms of how the race was organized, from water stations to water cups, uninformed race marshals (the reason why I got lost in the first place :) ), late start, etc. In spite of these, I must say that it was a good experience. At least I get to acquaint myself with dire situations that I may encounter in future runs. If there's one thing I'd have to learn how to endure, it's how uncomfortable it is to run under extreme heat...except the fact that I got a nice tan (minus the "singlet line" :)) - Thank God I'm vain!

Add'l Photos by Dr. Roy L. Tan