In fact, this won't be the first time that i'll be participating in a marathon. Back in 1999, i ran the half marathon at the now defunct Terengganu Bridge Run and ran the distance of 21 km. And mind you, i didnt't just finish the race back then. I finished it within the specified qualifying time for that distance of 2 hours and 30 minutes, although i did that by just over a minute before the qualifying time ended. Still, it was quite an achievement for me given that no one gave me a ghost of a chance to even finish the race. I managed to impress a number of people at the time, most notably my dad who had been heavily sceptical about my participation, and my mum who must have spent most of her time during the race waiting for me at the first aid area, where ambulances would be bringing the casualties of the race. Up to this day, that moment when i crossed the finishing line of that half marathon still ranks as one of the most memorable and fondest one of my life.
At a glance, the 10km that i'll be running this time might appear as a lighter challenge: the distance is only half of what i've already experienced. However, 10 years since those glorious days is a very long time and many other variables have changed since then: my weight have since ballooned by 10kg, my body fat has probably quadrupled and my fitness level is a fragment of what it used to be. Hence, judging by these rate of growths, it would probably take more than halving the distance of the race to make it at par as the marathon i ran 10 years ago.
I registered myself for the run because i felt i needed some motivation to drive myself to be fit. My fitness and body weight has gone to alarming levels of late that it has somehow affected my well-being. Those who've read my blog entry in April titled It Was The Worst Of Times... can probably have an idea how bad things had been. The saying that a healthy body breeds a healthy mind could not have been more true when i found myself at times struggling for a peace of mind and sanity due to the combined effects of overworking and lack of exercise. Ever since those dark moments, i have been finding the time to do reasonable amount of physical exercise to ensure i keep both my body and mind fit. This marathon gives me just the edge to push the envelope further, giving a greater sense of purpose for all these physical activities i've been picking up again.
My exercise routine has mostly involved cycling on my exercise bicycle, and weekly swimming. I only started my running exercise in earnest yesterday, running a distance of 5km. It took great effort and mental strength to do it however and it felt like i was doing 10 times the distance. It would take a lot of work in the next 2 weeks if i am ever going to make this 28th June as memorable as that fine morning in Kuala Terengganu 10 years ago.
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