I ran the PJ Half Marathon last Sunday and finished in 57:38.
I was very much looking forward to this year's PJ Half Marathon in its 27th iteration; I participated in the event last year and achieved a PR in the 10k (51 mins) which stands till today. After the organizers announced a new route for this year, I did not wait any longer than necessary and registered online at www.myraceonline.com.
Unfortunately, I suffered a serious case of food poisoning a day before the race. The diarrhea episodes kept me up the whole night and I felt lethargic even before the race began the next morning. As my sister and bro-in-law had planned to run together with me in this race, I thought I would just run alongside them and not worry about finishing time. This was going to be an easy and comfortable run for me, I told myself..
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| Laman MBPJ |
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| Race corral at Laman MBPJ |
The race was flagged off at 5:30 a.m. (methinks it's too early for a 10k flag off - 6 a.m. is more reasonable) from Laman MBPJ area, opposite the PJ Civic Centre. We stood in the middle of the pack so that when the horn blew and the runners were off, I found myself running in a crowded lane. It was difficult to navigate my way around the other runners - I was worried about knocking over of being knocked over by passing runners.. It was still pitch dark in some areas of the course (note to self: include headlamp in my checklist of items to carry on race day).
As my pace picked up after the first kilometer, I switched to running on the pavement along Jalan Gasing in an attempt to dodge other runners while passing them. I figured it's safer to run on the pavement than it is to run out of the coned boundaries on the road. Besides, the marshals on duty were quick to direct any overzealous runner that breached this safety rule. The 2nd kilometer was completed in 5:01! I knew that there was a real risk of me crashing if I ran too fast too soon in the race as I had lost lots of fluids due to the diarrhea. And it also dawned on me - I had lost track of my sister and bro-in-law! We did say we would meet at the finish line if we got separated in the race, so it was fine that I was running solo.
Running along the NPE Expressway was unnerving as there were cars zipping by on both sides. I watched as the marshal on duty managed the traffic and I felt an urge to give him a high five for looking after the safety of the runners. Relieved after getting off the expressway (thank goodness it was only a short distance on it), I felt severely thirsty and wondered if I had missed the hydration station.
My legs started to feel weak by the time I found the water station (it was around 4.4km into the course, a little too far I felt). I resorted to walking for a short distance before picking a comfortable pace of 5:30/km.
Running along Jalan Templer transported me back to my childhood days when my family used to live in Jalan 18, off the Old Klang Old. I remember fondly the buildings on this road, namely the Bangunan Peladang and UiTIM as I often had to sit in the family car and wait impatiently at the railroad crossing.
More nostalgia followed as I passed the former primary school of my sister's, SRK Jalan Selangor. Along Jalan Othman, I could hear the beautiful and calming sound of chanting from a nearby Hindu temple, and behold, a profound sense of serenity washed over me.
My legs continued to take a beating and I slowed down at the second and final water station at 8km, by which time my legs were shaky and were not listening to me! I wanted to resume running but they only made tiny steps so I walked for a good 30-second break before I ambled along the tail-end of the course..
Unfortunately, my rubbery legs were not able to keep up upon entering Jalan Selangor after the roundabout where Assunta Hospital is located. The hospital looked magnificent in the early hours of the morning and certainly brought back some fond memories of the birth of some of my younger relatives. Memories of my visits to the emergency room due to asthma in my childhood came back to me with astonishing clarity. I remember how my mom would watch over me by the bedside throughout the night when I stayed in the children's ward several times in my school days due to asthma.
Back to running: The incline along Jalan Selangor was the toughest one on the course to tackle. My strategy of lifting my knee high when running on inclines did not work this time so I gave up and walked for the rest of the incline. Many runners passed me by at this point and I was glad for them that they would be reaching the finish line soon. I was beginning to feel the abdominal cramps from the diarrhea and more weakness in my legs. I started to have doubts if I could finish the race as my body was giving me more signals that it was on the verge of a meltdown, but my mind was telling me to climb over the proverbial runners' wall. So I trudged on, gained a little distance and kept my focus for the final kilometer..
After turning into Jalan Sultan and feeling a little better, I resumed running at a conservative pace, my one and only goal: to cross the finish line.
And cross the finish line I did at 57:36.
I felt severely tested in this race but I'm glad that willpower coupled with a clear focus pulled me through..
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| Standing up once again, after falling on crossing the finish line |
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| One for the album.. PJ Half Marathon is special to the Yeoh's |
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| Love this year's running tee from Ultron |
Results:
Official time: 59:02
Net time: 57:26
Rank: 106/759
