The big 21k
That was probably one of the craziest decision I have ever made. But I don't regret it at all.
It really changed my life.
I have been a regular runner, but we are talking about 2-3 miles run and nothing close to 13 miles. So this is a big journey that I want to share with all of you guys of how I feel and of how I learned so much from it.
The story began 12 weeks ago.
I decided to go through a training for a half marathon and sign up for the race. With 3 months preparation, I thought I should be able to nailed it. Grant and Andrew, my friends from the States decided to join in the fun (which I am really glad and thankful). So it begins.
It was a great 12 weeks of training, it's not perfect by any means, but I said we did a pretty good job getting ourselves awake on 6:45 am almost everyday and follow through our running plan. But let me tell you, without those guys, I probably have quit a long time ago.
So every week, we are getting stronger and stronger. We were keeping up a good pace and really stay focus for our race day. We were planning to finish no later than 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Until the week before the big race. I got really sick with a cold. I knew that it was coming because I was really busy and had lack of sleep and have to deal with a change of weather on top of it. And I fought it, I did, I dose on vitamins, try to get as much sleep as I possibly can. But fever, sore throat, runny nose, cough and headache came like no one's business.
But I wasn't going to back out on my race. There is nothing can stop me to do that race! Even people around me was telling me to stop and said, "Why do it? It's not worth it." but I was determined.
I have trained for 12 weeks and I am not going to throw everything and wait another year for this. I know that this is more than just a race for me, this is a matter of doing what I say I am going to do. I have learned so much through the training, and I know if I can get through this, I will see many breakthrough in my life.
I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but it does to me.
I got up at 3:45 am and drove with my buddies to the starting point. The race started at 5 am.
I was feeling better, but not completely healed yet, and of course, with 300 others who were there to run the race with me, I got so energetic. I left my jacket in my car.
We started at a good pace. The morning Chiang Mai air was pretty cold but it wasn't as cold as I thought it would.
kilometer 4: my left feet started to fall asleep. -- a continuous problem of mine while running long distances. I asked to loosen my shoes.
kilometer 6: both feet are asleep, I was so frustrated. Loosen my shoes again, and this time I decided to just go at it. And if I have to have cramps, so be it. Well, it turned out that after the shoes was loosen the 2nd time, it goes away slowly.
kilometer 8: entering into the road that has a canal in the middle. A 5 degree temperature drop. I was starting to get cold.
kilometer 9: a few people started to run on the opposite side of our path, it means that they reached km 13 and already returning back.
At this point, running just got so much harder because we were seeing this people ahead of us and we were expecting for the turning point to come soon, and I feel like we ran for forever until we see any check point or a turning point. I was really cold and miserable.
kilometer 13: we passed our turning point and at this point the sun is starting to rise and everything seems a lot brighter. But I feel like it is much darker than how it was at 5 am. My head started to feel very light, my chest is in pain and I feel like I cannot breathe. And I am very cold. Imagine, I have been running and I am sweating but I am in such deep cold. I was coughing and my nose was stuffed. And those road were merciless to me, cars passing by and when they do, the cold winds would blow its death on me. I cannot seem to go on.
I stopped running and hacked my breath. But my running partners didn't let me. They talked to me, they keep me going, prayed for me, dragged my cold arms and push my back. Really, the only reason I would be running at this point is because of them.
And I know that I still have 7 km to go. I cannot give up now. I know I will finish, I just don't know when.
I struggles so much at this point, to the point of shedding my tears. Not just because the pain in my body, but also the feeling of frustrated in myself, I have trained for this and why today, that I have to feel like this. Why of all days, it has to be this week that I am sick. And also, these guys have to go slow because of me, they could've finish much earlier but I am holding them back.
I keep saying that I am sorry that I am slowing us down, and they said that it's okay. It's okay. We just need to finish. If we get back to the city, it will get slightly warmer, let's just aim for that for now.
it was the hardest 5 kilometers in my life. I would walk for 5 seconds then run again, I would cough, I would get dizzy and didn't run straight, I held on to Grant's arm while Andrew put his palm behind my back to push me. I feel pathetic. At the same time I feel strong.
I prayed. I prayed that God will be with me. I asked that no matter what happen, that He would help me finish this race.
So we pushed through. Until we reached the city.
kilometer 19: next thing I know is that I saw the sign that says 2 more kilometers. I could not be more happier.
On the last kilometer, there's this 62 years old Thai lady finishing with us. She has overlapped with us a few times so we kind of chatted our last km together. This is her 6th half marathon. I feel embarrassed, but I don't really care at this point. I just knew in my heart I whisper, "This is just a start for me..."
And it really was. It was just a start of something in me. I conquer myself. The hardest battle to fight in is a battle with yourself. The most amazing feeling is when you do something that others said you cannot do, but for me it's when I do something that I said I cannot do. I did it, I finished the 21k with fever and a cold. It doesn't matter how good I did (our time was 2hrs40min), it matters that I did it and I finished it.
Let this be a lesson where I can become a person who will do things I say I will do. To be a person who are persistence, who determined for the finish line, who are resilient through hardships. And also knowing that my running partner (God) is never going to leave me run this alone.
Thank you Grant and Andrew for sharing this valuable lesson with me.
I love you both and let's do it again!
It really changed my life.
I have been a regular runner, but we are talking about 2-3 miles run and nothing close to 13 miles. So this is a big journey that I want to share with all of you guys of how I feel and of how I learned so much from it.
The story began 12 weeks ago.
I decided to go through a training for a half marathon and sign up for the race. With 3 months preparation, I thought I should be able to nailed it. Grant and Andrew, my friends from the States decided to join in the fun (which I am really glad and thankful). So it begins.
It was a great 12 weeks of training, it's not perfect by any means, but I said we did a pretty good job getting ourselves awake on 6:45 am almost everyday and follow through our running plan. But let me tell you, without those guys, I probably have quit a long time ago.
So every week, we are getting stronger and stronger. We were keeping up a good pace and really stay focus for our race day. We were planning to finish no later than 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Until the week before the big race. I got really sick with a cold. I knew that it was coming because I was really busy and had lack of sleep and have to deal with a change of weather on top of it. And I fought it, I did, I dose on vitamins, try to get as much sleep as I possibly can. But fever, sore throat, runny nose, cough and headache came like no one's business.
But I wasn't going to back out on my race. There is nothing can stop me to do that race! Even people around me was telling me to stop and said, "Why do it? It's not worth it." but I was determined.
I have trained for 12 weeks and I am not going to throw everything and wait another year for this. I know that this is more than just a race for me, this is a matter of doing what I say I am going to do. I have learned so much through the training, and I know if I can get through this, I will see many breakthrough in my life.
I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but it does to me.
I got up at 3:45 am and drove with my buddies to the starting point. The race started at 5 am.
I was feeling better, but not completely healed yet, and of course, with 300 others who were there to run the race with me, I got so energetic. I left my jacket in my car.
We started at a good pace. The morning Chiang Mai air was pretty cold but it wasn't as cold as I thought it would.
kilometer 4: my left feet started to fall asleep. -- a continuous problem of mine while running long distances. I asked to loosen my shoes.
kilometer 6: both feet are asleep, I was so frustrated. Loosen my shoes again, and this time I decided to just go at it. And if I have to have cramps, so be it. Well, it turned out that after the shoes was loosen the 2nd time, it goes away slowly.
kilometer 8: entering into the road that has a canal in the middle. A 5 degree temperature drop. I was starting to get cold.
kilometer 9: a few people started to run on the opposite side of our path, it means that they reached km 13 and already returning back.
At this point, running just got so much harder because we were seeing this people ahead of us and we were expecting for the turning point to come soon, and I feel like we ran for forever until we see any check point or a turning point. I was really cold and miserable.
kilometer 13: we passed our turning point and at this point the sun is starting to rise and everything seems a lot brighter. But I feel like it is much darker than how it was at 5 am. My head started to feel very light, my chest is in pain and I feel like I cannot breathe. And I am very cold. Imagine, I have been running and I am sweating but I am in such deep cold. I was coughing and my nose was stuffed. And those road were merciless to me, cars passing by and when they do, the cold winds would blow its death on me. I cannot seem to go on.
I stopped running and hacked my breath. But my running partners didn't let me. They talked to me, they keep me going, prayed for me, dragged my cold arms and push my back. Really, the only reason I would be running at this point is because of them.
And I know that I still have 7 km to go. I cannot give up now. I know I will finish, I just don't know when.
I struggles so much at this point, to the point of shedding my tears. Not just because the pain in my body, but also the feeling of frustrated in myself, I have trained for this and why today, that I have to feel like this. Why of all days, it has to be this week that I am sick. And also, these guys have to go slow because of me, they could've finish much earlier but I am holding them back.
I keep saying that I am sorry that I am slowing us down, and they said that it's okay. It's okay. We just need to finish. If we get back to the city, it will get slightly warmer, let's just aim for that for now.
it was the hardest 5 kilometers in my life. I would walk for 5 seconds then run again, I would cough, I would get dizzy and didn't run straight, I held on to Grant's arm while Andrew put his palm behind my back to push me. I feel pathetic. At the same time I feel strong.
I prayed. I prayed that God will be with me. I asked that no matter what happen, that He would help me finish this race.
So we pushed through. Until we reached the city.
kilometer 19: next thing I know is that I saw the sign that says 2 more kilometers. I could not be more happier.
On the last kilometer, there's this 62 years old Thai lady finishing with us. She has overlapped with us a few times so we kind of chatted our last km together. This is her 6th half marathon. I feel embarrassed, but I don't really care at this point. I just knew in my heart I whisper, "This is just a start for me..."
And it really was. It was just a start of something in me. I conquer myself. The hardest battle to fight in is a battle with yourself. The most amazing feeling is when you do something that others said you cannot do, but for me it's when I do something that I said I cannot do. I did it, I finished the 21k with fever and a cold. It doesn't matter how good I did (our time was 2hrs40min), it matters that I did it and I finished it.
Let this be a lesson where I can become a person who will do things I say I will do. To be a person who are persistence, who determined for the finish line, who are resilient through hardships. And also knowing that my running partner (God) is never going to leave me run this alone.
Thank you Grant and Andrew for sharing this valuable lesson with me.
I love you both and let's do it again!
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