We had a pretty good game today. Perhaps the opponents made us look good. I wouldn’t say a team of middle aged men would pose much of a resistance to us, but nonetheless a good win was a good game.
Since this was the last game of the year, why not enjoy ourselves and go out with a bang?
It was as enjoyable seeing everyone play with confidence as much as playing the game. I ruled the defence for once. After only 20 mins into the game, we were 3-0 up.
Then it had to come.
Farid was brought down in the box, and the ref did not hesitate to award a penalty. Once again, everyone turned their gaze to me. I knew I can’t run away. I had to take it.
Take it easy and take it the way I had rehearsed in my mind all these while.
Put the ball down on the spot, left boot to its left, right boot at the point of contact with the ball. Then take four steps back. Right foot back, left foot back, right foot back again, the left foot back. Go slightly further back to compensate for the greater strides from running later. Aim for the lower right corner. Just think of the lower right corner.
Now just wait for the whistle.
“PEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Left foot forward, take a look at the ball. Right foot forward, take a look at the target. Left foot forward again and take a last look at the ball, then strike the ball with the right foot!
“Please go to the lower right hand corner…”
My heart dropped when the keeper stayed his ground and did not dive. My shot was not struck very accurately so it drifted more to the centre. Fortunately, the keeper did not dive to the right either. He just landed on his ass and saw the ball sail past his left thigh.
GOAL!!!
My immediate celebration might a bit extravagant, but for those who knew the hat trick of misses earlier on, they forgave me.
Finally, I managed to get a goal before the year ended. And what a way to lay the previous ghosts to rest before the New Year began.
Happy New Year’s Eve everyone!!!
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Standard Chartered Marathon 2006
Today is SCM '06 – the day of my first marathon. Instead of waking up with zest and anticipation, I was shrouded by a cloud of uncertainty instead.
“Will my archilles tendon give way in the middle of the race? What will be the maximum I can last?”
I was particularly worried about my maximum distance because I did not do anything close to 30 km in my trainings. Why didn’t I train until 30? Procrastination, haze, busy rushing assignments, underestimation of the distance during my trainings, inexperience…
Excuses.
I should have done a better and earlier preparation for it. Anyway it was too late to be worried about all these. The race will start in 2 hours’ time. Try my best and see how things go.
I was on my way to the start point after a can of red bull, 1 litre of water, and 2 bars of snickers.
Atmosphere at the esplanade was rather inspiring. The emcee said something which I found quite meaningful later on in the race.
“This is your own race. Yes, I mean you the guy from Chua Chu Kang who travels to Shenton Way to work everyday. You, the lady who lives in Pasir Ris. All of you, ordinary people from all walks of life. This is your race! Make sure you look up and lift your chest when you cross the finishing line. You deserve it!”
You go, dude.
There wasn’t much time to let the mind wander around. The race was going to start soon. Better concentrate and consolidate my energies on the road ahead.
The full-marathon runners clearly impressed me with their attitude. I was able to begin on a jogging pace immediately after the start line. That wasn’t the case for the previous races I had participated. I used to walk for a kilometer or two after the start line in AHM.
The first 27 km were pretty comfortable. It took me through parts of marina south before first light came, a Shenton Way not used to a different type of crowd occupying its streets, the never ending stretch from Nicoll Highway to Fort Road, and 2 km past ECP Macdonalds.
Finally I felt the tendon.
To be on the safe side I did not persist, but took a short break at the water point. Managed to get some ice from the volunteers to treat the inflammation. It felt better almost immediately. After around 100m of walking I started jogging again. I was determined to put in an honest effort for this marathon.
I would not walk if I could jog.
That jogging brought me over the psychological barrier of the ECP turning point, all the way to the 30 km mark. That was then I felt a very weird fatigue engulf me. It was not the usual kind of fatigue that made me sleepy from playing hard court soccer or table tennis. Nor did it make me feel weak like working out in a gym. In fact I felt very alert and awake, but something was burning in my chest. I needed to gasp for air just to keep that fire down, and the burning just restrained my legs from making that one more step.
I had read somewhere that glycogen in the body will be depleted around the 30-32 km mark. After that the body would turn to the fat reserves to compensate energy. But fat does not burn as efficiently as glycogen, which will result in a commonly known event as "hitting the wall."
I never knew that burning of fat was such a different feeling from the burning of glycogen.
Moreover I am a skinny person, so I do not have much fat to burn. Compared to a fatter person at this stage, I should feel more tired than him/her. To make things worse, I am starting to feel the cramps. I still have 12 km to go. What should I do?
Just as my legs started to limp uncontrollably, some of the best images of my life suddenly surfaced before my eyes. Like old friends coming forth with their encouragement.
The sharp pain in my left calf broke me out of my trance.
I knew it would be impossible to complete the rest of the distance by jogging. For someone who ran and exercised regularly, it definitely dealt a huge blow to my ego. Even if I were to reach the finishing line later, the satisfaction would no longer be there. I could not meet my target of completing this marathon by running. Why continue since I am no longer enjoying it?
To make things worse, it threatened to rain at the 32km mark (the Fort Road exit of East Coast Park).
I was highly demoralized by then. My cramped up legs, the inflamed Achilles tendon, the slight drizzle which had already descended, the inexplicable fatigue from glycogen depletion, not able to make it back in 6 hours… I just stood there in the middle of the crowd watching people overtake me.
It was at this moment that I saw an image that would stay in my mind for a long time to come. It was an old man jogging in such small steps that he would faster if he walked. Yet he persevered with his small steps. I wanted to question his reason for not taking the more efficient alternative by walking, and his Adidas “Reason” tag secured at his back gave everyone the answer.
“The beauty is in the quality of the steps you make.”
Irregardless of how fast you completed the marathon, irregardless of how others do better than you, irregardless of how incompetent you are. No matter how slow a runner may be, as long as each step he/she made at that point in time was the best effort put in, the honesty involved made it flawlessly beautiful.
Isn’t it the same in life? As long as we tried our best and put in our best effort in whatever decisions we make, the results are inconsequential. To put it simply,
No regrets at the end of the day.
Regrets = Something could have been done to make it better along the way = Not the best effort put it.
No Regrets = Even if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would still produce the same result = I had done all that I could.
That same old man was about 50m ahead of me getting ready to turn out into Fort Road. From this moment onwards I knew there could only be one image of a dashing man in my mind.
Not those handsome men with well-built bodies parading on tv.
But someone who had the courage to go on despite things not going their way.
Just like that old man who was taking his own but assured small steps. Just like the lady who limped on despite the obvious pain that she was feeling.
And I just realised I was one of these beautiful people around.
That gave me the determination to go on. It was hard to believe that moments ago, I was feeling so disgusted with myself for not able to complete this thing by jogging. Now I am proud of myself for walking. Nonetheless a lot of pressure was relieved when I lowered my expectations of myself. It was then that I began to appreciate the strangers cheering for all of us along the way.
The group of tai tais toasting champagne to use all morning at Fort Road. The ang mo who literally shouted at everyone who dared to walk in his area at ECP. The man who held up his banner at Kallang which so deeply touched me. It said,
“Silent warrior. The body will give excuses, but it is mind over matter.”
And of course, people from churches and many others more giving out water melons, bananas, drinks, deep heat, lubricants, every goodie you could think of.
And now who said Singapore is a society full of selfish people?
As I filled myself with more positive thoughts along the way, the journey seemed to pass faster and became more enjoyable. There were a couple of times where I chatted with strangers as if they were friends of mine, just because I offered to share my deep heat with them while stretching. But I had to break paths with them somehow, as I insisted on not walking if I could jog.
That brought me sooner than expected to the Esplanade. By now the morale was high among all of us. No one wanted to cross the line limping like a fool if we could afford the last bit of energy. From the 41km mark onwards, there were more joggers than walkers.
42km mark. The beginning of the last stretch of the race. As I took my first step into the final 195m, the huge gantry above it shouted out my timing loudly.
5:40:39+++
Goodness, I am still within my target of finishing below 6 hours! What a nice twist at the end. That drove me to a striding pace all the way to the finish.
I was glad that I had completed it finally. The feeling of running that last 195m was simply magical. The crowd, the noise, the ambience, the huge gantry which loomed closer and closer, and of course,
The beckoning of a personal milestone.
They simply drowned all the bitching made at the 30km mark. Right now I couldn’t be more proud of my trashed legs, my more than exhausted self, and the cool looking finisher’s tee.
Among the many important lessons I had brought away with me from this experience, one clearly stood out.
More often than not, things are very much different from what we had thought to be. Just take it easy with no regrets and life will be great.
That doesn’t mean I will take it easy on my preparation for SC 2007. Because from another one of the lessons learnt, preparing for a marathon is a serious business. If I tried to cut corners in my preparation, the distance will not lie, and they will prevail ultimately.
I still haven’t completed my objective of completing a marathon by running. But I know someday I will get it done. It may not be 2007, it may be much later. But even if that day finally arrived, it can never displace the significance of SCM 2006 in my life. Because in 2006,
I learnt humility from the most painful 12 kilometres of my life.
“Will my archilles tendon give way in the middle of the race? What will be the maximum I can last?”
I was particularly worried about my maximum distance because I did not do anything close to 30 km in my trainings. Why didn’t I train until 30? Procrastination, haze, busy rushing assignments, underestimation of the distance during my trainings, inexperience…
Excuses.
I should have done a better and earlier preparation for it. Anyway it was too late to be worried about all these. The race will start in 2 hours’ time. Try my best and see how things go.
I was on my way to the start point after a can of red bull, 1 litre of water, and 2 bars of snickers.
Atmosphere at the esplanade was rather inspiring. The emcee said something which I found quite meaningful later on in the race.
“This is your own race. Yes, I mean you the guy from Chua Chu Kang who travels to Shenton Way to work everyday. You, the lady who lives in Pasir Ris. All of you, ordinary people from all walks of life. This is your race! Make sure you look up and lift your chest when you cross the finishing line. You deserve it!”
You go, dude.
There wasn’t much time to let the mind wander around. The race was going to start soon. Better concentrate and consolidate my energies on the road ahead.
The full-marathon runners clearly impressed me with their attitude. I was able to begin on a jogging pace immediately after the start line. That wasn’t the case for the previous races I had participated. I used to walk for a kilometer or two after the start line in AHM.
The first 27 km were pretty comfortable. It took me through parts of marina south before first light came, a Shenton Way not used to a different type of crowd occupying its streets, the never ending stretch from Nicoll Highway to Fort Road, and 2 km past ECP Macdonalds.
Finally I felt the tendon.
To be on the safe side I did not persist, but took a short break at the water point. Managed to get some ice from the volunteers to treat the inflammation. It felt better almost immediately. After around 100m of walking I started jogging again. I was determined to put in an honest effort for this marathon.
I would not walk if I could jog.
That jogging brought me over the psychological barrier of the ECP turning point, all the way to the 30 km mark. That was then I felt a very weird fatigue engulf me. It was not the usual kind of fatigue that made me sleepy from playing hard court soccer or table tennis. Nor did it make me feel weak like working out in a gym. In fact I felt very alert and awake, but something was burning in my chest. I needed to gasp for air just to keep that fire down, and the burning just restrained my legs from making that one more step.
I had read somewhere that glycogen in the body will be depleted around the 30-32 km mark. After that the body would turn to the fat reserves to compensate energy. But fat does not burn as efficiently as glycogen, which will result in a commonly known event as "hitting the wall."
I never knew that burning of fat was such a different feeling from the burning of glycogen.
Moreover I am a skinny person, so I do not have much fat to burn. Compared to a fatter person at this stage, I should feel more tired than him/her. To make things worse, I am starting to feel the cramps. I still have 12 km to go. What should I do?
Just as my legs started to limp uncontrollably, some of the best images of my life suddenly surfaced before my eyes. Like old friends coming forth with their encouragement.
The sharp pain in my left calf broke me out of my trance.
I knew it would be impossible to complete the rest of the distance by jogging. For someone who ran and exercised regularly, it definitely dealt a huge blow to my ego. Even if I were to reach the finishing line later, the satisfaction would no longer be there. I could not meet my target of completing this marathon by running. Why continue since I am no longer enjoying it?
To make things worse, it threatened to rain at the 32km mark (the Fort Road exit of East Coast Park).
I was highly demoralized by then. My cramped up legs, the inflamed Achilles tendon, the slight drizzle which had already descended, the inexplicable fatigue from glycogen depletion, not able to make it back in 6 hours… I just stood there in the middle of the crowd watching people overtake me.
It was at this moment that I saw an image that would stay in my mind for a long time to come. It was an old man jogging in such small steps that he would faster if he walked. Yet he persevered with his small steps. I wanted to question his reason for not taking the more efficient alternative by walking, and his Adidas “Reason” tag secured at his back gave everyone the answer.
“The beauty is in the quality of the steps you make.”
Irregardless of how fast you completed the marathon, irregardless of how others do better than you, irregardless of how incompetent you are. No matter how slow a runner may be, as long as each step he/she made at that point in time was the best effort put in, the honesty involved made it flawlessly beautiful.
Isn’t it the same in life? As long as we tried our best and put in our best effort in whatever decisions we make, the results are inconsequential. To put it simply,
No regrets at the end of the day.
Regrets = Something could have been done to make it better along the way = Not the best effort put it.
No Regrets = Even if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would still produce the same result = I had done all that I could.
That same old man was about 50m ahead of me getting ready to turn out into Fort Road. From this moment onwards I knew there could only be one image of a dashing man in my mind.
Not those handsome men with well-built bodies parading on tv.
But someone who had the courage to go on despite things not going their way.
Just like that old man who was taking his own but assured small steps. Just like the lady who limped on despite the obvious pain that she was feeling.
And I just realised I was one of these beautiful people around.
That gave me the determination to go on. It was hard to believe that moments ago, I was feeling so disgusted with myself for not able to complete this thing by jogging. Now I am proud of myself for walking. Nonetheless a lot of pressure was relieved when I lowered my expectations of myself. It was then that I began to appreciate the strangers cheering for all of us along the way.
The group of tai tais toasting champagne to use all morning at Fort Road. The ang mo who literally shouted at everyone who dared to walk in his area at ECP. The man who held up his banner at Kallang which so deeply touched me. It said,
“Silent warrior. The body will give excuses, but it is mind over matter.”
And of course, people from churches and many others more giving out water melons, bananas, drinks, deep heat, lubricants, every goodie you could think of.
And now who said Singapore is a society full of selfish people?
As I filled myself with more positive thoughts along the way, the journey seemed to pass faster and became more enjoyable. There were a couple of times where I chatted with strangers as if they were friends of mine, just because I offered to share my deep heat with them while stretching. But I had to break paths with them somehow, as I insisted on not walking if I could jog.
That brought me sooner than expected to the Esplanade. By now the morale was high among all of us. No one wanted to cross the line limping like a fool if we could afford the last bit of energy. From the 41km mark onwards, there were more joggers than walkers.
42km mark. The beginning of the last stretch of the race. As I took my first step into the final 195m, the huge gantry above it shouted out my timing loudly.
5:40:39+++
Goodness, I am still within my target of finishing below 6 hours! What a nice twist at the end. That drove me to a striding pace all the way to the finish.
I was glad that I had completed it finally. The feeling of running that last 195m was simply magical. The crowd, the noise, the ambience, the huge gantry which loomed closer and closer, and of course,
The beckoning of a personal milestone.
They simply drowned all the bitching made at the 30km mark. Right now I couldn’t be more proud of my trashed legs, my more than exhausted self, and the cool looking finisher’s tee.
Among the many important lessons I had brought away with me from this experience, one clearly stood out.
More often than not, things are very much different from what we had thought to be. Just take it easy with no regrets and life will be great.
That doesn’t mean I will take it easy on my preparation for SC 2007. Because from another one of the lessons learnt, preparing for a marathon is a serious business. If I tried to cut corners in my preparation, the distance will not lie, and they will prevail ultimately.
I still haven’t completed my objective of completing a marathon by running. But I know someday I will get it done. It may not be 2007, it may be much later. But even if that day finally arrived, it can never displace the significance of SCM 2006 in my life. Because in 2006,
I learnt humility from the most painful 12 kilometres of my life.
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