OK! OK!

Finally.. the main highlight of the end of the year..!!

Standard Chartered Marathon 2010..!!

Yes people. The annual inaugural event of the running year. The event I've been preparing for. Ok, i didn't prepare much for it. But nonetheless i did clocked in some mileage for it. One word to describe this day is -- EPIC.

And I'm quite elated. I can finally put away the ghost of Sundown 2009. Where i ended in a time of 8hrs++.. I completed Standard Chartered in 6 hours and 2 minutes and 45 seconds..!!! I could have completed it just under 6 hours if not for the epic moment at the end where i thought a chip timing mat was the finish line when the actual finish line was 150m away.. epic fail moment..

okay.. the night before, i went to Yam's belated party. I told most ppl that i wasn't gonna go coz i have standchart the next day. but everyone would be there and i already missed jovee's party. So might as well come down. And so i did. and kinda regret coz that left me with roughly only 1 and a half hours of sleep. Coz i came home rather late from it. Lucky i had all my stuff for the marathon all prepared on the dining table. So should i be late, i could just grab and go.

Was gonna run with kenneth loong for it. Met up with him. Got to the baggage deposit where it was mega epic fail coz there was so many ppl and it was so bloody slow. Met guolong here first. Guolong managed to deposit his bag first so he went off first. When we finally managed to deposit our bags, we were already half an hour behind the start time. So we had to run to the start. LOL. epic.

Okay so i ended the run in like 6hrs. so i can't possible write down 6hours worth of reading material here right? so i'll try my best to write down a condensed version of events.

Start was good. Got into a nice comfortable pace with kenneth that we both could sustain. But hey, kenneth's faster than me at 10km. but this is different, this is 42km. Our plan was to walk for a few seconds at the drink stations then continue running.. a walkbreak strategy.

the first leg was thru orchard road down to chinatown

at chinatown, it was still dark, so it was cooling.

after chinatown, we exited to nicoll highway where the sun started to rise.

Then it was to ECP where the bulk of the distance was. Caught up with Guolong here. Met sulaiman here too but he was already on the way back. He seems to have gone thru quite a change since the last time i met him.

and it was also where kenneth got a nasty cramp that took him outta the game and lost some momentum for us..

so the walkbreaks became more frequent as the pain became unbearable for kenneth. so i stopped with him. and during one of the stops, after the u-turn. someone caught up to me. it was my relative, Irsyad. lol. funny. so he joined us. his friends all had left him. so it was run and walk break all the way..

exited ecp to go into this weird place. the MCE service road.. this was the hardest stretch of the race.. it was the hottest..!! the sun was out full force and burning down on us and the worst thing is.. at 10km away.. it had no SHADE..!! not a slightest hint of a tree to provide a moment of gratifying shade..

super duper hot..!! i got a tan from it.. this was also where i met yvonne.

then the MCE service road exited to the newly constructed, Gardens at the Bay. It's the patch of land opposite the Marina Barrage. and it was also here that kenneth gave in and quit running the rest of the way.. he couldn't take the pain away. so he told me to carry on without him..

so i carried on with irsyad.. across marina barrage, thru marina bay road. exited to AYE where i met falina who was a volunteer first-aider.. and we ran up benjamin sheares bridge. but walked down it.. LOL..!! super cui lah..

my calves and forefoot was throbbing mad..!! now i know why ppl wore those compression calf socks.. think i'm gonna get a full length compression tights.. and have a look at shoes.. to combat this problem.. i had the same pain back during sundown..

we passed the F1 pit building, pass the Flyer where i met heechai.. at raffles avenue i met my wifey chinyan who just finished her half-marathon..

Irsyad and I concluded that for the last KM.. we were going to run it.. and so we did.. and along the way. across esplanade drive. there were some photographers and being me. I cheekily posed with a peace sign. LOL.!! and it was capture on camera..!! LOL..!!

So we turned in at fullerton and there in the distance, infront of connaught drive was a huge banner indicating which lanes should runner's from the respective distances take. And they had a chip timing mat there too so i thought that was the end.. so we chionged for it.. when we reached closer to it. we realised that that was NOT the finish line..!!! the finish line was 150m away..!!

that took the wind out of me.. so i ran as much as i could to the finish.. clocking in a time of 6hrs 2 minutes and 45seconds.. An Epic moment.

Ghosts chased. Self-respect gained.

i want more..!! next year..!! and i'll start training at the start of the coming year..!! i'll clock lots of mileage for it.. and i managed to get size S for the finisher tee so it fits me nicely now..!!

and i'll pamper myself with a new pair of shoes.. if i can't find a nice plush adidas pair, then i'll go back to asics..

Standard Chartered Marathon 2010 marks the end of running for this year. It's all rest time. Come next year. i'll start running again.. and do gymming too..

I WILL go for Standard Chartered Marathon 2011.. Come join me..!! Don't say i never jio..!!

But for now.. I'm in unbearable pain and waddling like a penguin..!!