HZ Marathon

11 November, 2007, Sunday

Armistice-day
Bachelor’s day
Hangzhou marathon day

11 Nov is a day to remember of some sorts for me, not least because it was Armistice day, and also Bachelor’s day in China – it was also the day of the Hangzhou International Marathon, where I had signed up to do a half-marathon.
3 months before, a half-M hadn't even crossed my mind – some of the serious drinkers in the Hash hounds also happened to be serious runners and they did mention the upcoming marathon but I was nonchalant. Putting one foot in front of the other continuously for 21,000m. hmm. thanks, but no thanks.

Prior to this, I’d never ran anything more than 10k (Standard Chartered marathon 10k race in 2004). Why would anyone want to torture themselves running continuously for 2 and half hours (ok, less if you run faster)?

BUT… somehow, along the way, over the course of drinks in the bar, and hash club meetings, I was persuaded by my friends that I was more than ready for it. They said things like “of course you can do a 21k run – no problem!” and “You can DEFINITELY do a half-marathon, you’re already so fit! And it’ll be fun if we all did it together!. It was this potent combination of flattery, peer pressure and the infectious mood did it and I signed up. “Surely you’d like to test your limits and see how far you can push yourself!” That’s it. They got me. That was a challenge and I was itching to do it. And there was an instant support group to help me get going. I even received a customized training Excel spreadsheet!

My goal was to complete a half-marathon and make it out alive. Very simple. Thus, I embarked on setting a “Half-Marathon Training Plan”. From 10k to 21k – how to get there. I meticulously drew up a training plan which included running 3 times a week, and yoga and hash runs as cross-training twice a week. I’m proud to say I have never managed to complete a single 5x a week training – it was a case of over-zealousness and ambition in my planning! I did join the Tuesday “Even-If-It-Rains” running club and did circuits around the lake faithfully every Tuesday evenings as and when I could make it. On Saturdays, I went running alone, increasing the distance gradually. During the whole month of October, the entire lakeside was awashed with the scent of the sweet-smelling osmanthus flowers in full bloom. It made me forget I was actually running when I inhaled the cool, crisp sweet-smelling fresh air. On Sunday, it was trail running with the hash. The weather got progressively cooler and my shoes progressively worn out over the weeks. I was beginning to get used to the permanent soreness in my quads.

2 weeks prior to the marathon day, I managed to do 16k – my last training run and it was the furthest I had ran, Ever. I felt great mostly after these runs, tired but on a runner’s high. It made me so much more energetic over those few weeks to the point I felt cranky and antsy if I missed a workout. Could this actually be happening to me?! I don’t’ even like running to begin with!

The day before the marathon, I was already pumped up with adrenaline. 6 of us had got together to do the Vasque 28k mountain race as a relay team – each of us running about 6k each. It was a great release after a rough week at work. I never felt better as I ran through the hills, it was tough but I enjoyed it tremendously. We went for a kebab afterward and shared the funny stories. I didn’t sleep much that night as I was so excited about the Sunday race. I kept waking up and thinking its time to go (when it was just 2am, and then 4am) and I was just so revved up.

Race day was beautifully sunny, clear skies as about 10,000 people gathered at the Yellow Dragon sports stadium. There was the 42k, 21k, 13.8k, 6.8k and 1.2k kiddies dash. Most of my friends were on the 21k route and we gathered excitedly at the start-point.

The race-route (touted as “the most beautiful marathon route in the world”) takes you anti-clockwise around the eastern and southern part of the lake, down HuPao road, to the 6-harmonies pagoda before looping back to the western side of the lake (Yang causeway) back to Yellow Dragon stadium.

I got off to a slow-start, feeling sluggish and stiff from the mountain race the day before. It felt like eternity before I got to the 5k mark.. It was crowded as there were several participants on the 13.8k route – mostly as part of an inter-school competition. There were cheering spectators, many of them shouting encouraging “jia you!” and waving flags to add to the atmosphere. It was a mostly jovial mood as the students ran, joking and laughing. At Nanshan road, the course split – the full and half marathoners went down Tiger Springs road and that was when the runners thinned out and things started getting a little more serious. I was tired by then. I usually hit the 10k in an hour during training but this time, I took an extra 10mins. Along the way, there was plenty of encouragement from other runners. I got some encouraging pats on the shoulder and friendly shouts of “pengyou, jia you!”, cheeky “meinu, jiayou!” from some college boys when I slowed down to walk, and all these really helped to push me along. So did the cheers and smiles from on-lookers. As much as I could, I also did the same to my fellow runners who were running on a similar pace as me. We chatted briefly and ran together, giving each other words of encouragement. At one point, I did get a little emotional as I wondered if I would make it to the 21k mark, I almost burst into tears!

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, I got to the 12k mark - 6-harmony pagoda. I had taken more time than I had anticipated but I didn’t think I could make up the speed in the 2nd half either.

My energy was waning at and I started getting hungry at the 15k mark – man, I could use a sandwich! I told myself to hurry along so I could get to breakfast. Gulped down some Gatorade for some sugar, and plodded on. Yang Causeway was extremely familiar territory – this is the road I’ve gone down several times during my weekly runs. I’m almost at the end I started slowing down more often to walk, just to catch my breath.

At one point, I was walking along almost bending over when a little kid on the kerb asked her mother loudly “Mummy, why is this auntie not running anymore?” oookay… feeling slightly embarrassed, I decided to pick up pace. So much for pressure! The spectators did a great job, each time I saw them, I felt obliged to run, and told myself to walk only when they weren’t looking. However, given there were enough spectators, that kept me going for abit. There were plenty of police on duty – and while they were mostly silent, they did have the kindly look of encouragement (or was it pity) as the tired runners filed past.

Another female on-looker I passed asked me point-blank as I trudged past “Waaaah, you are already so thin, why are you still running a marathon?”

A fellow runner who was beside me snorted “Duh! There is no correlation between slimness and fitness!!”. I would have responded exactly the same way except I was way too breathless to start a debate! We had a chuckle and commiserated over our pain doing our first half-marathon. I declined his kind offer of some chocolate for extra energy.

Meanwhile, another old grandfather zipped past me cheerily. He looked about 65 and hardly broke into a sweat. Obviously there is no correlation between age and fitness either!

Countdown … 4k more, 3k more, 2k…soon I was on Shuguang road, and Huanglong stadium loomed ahead. Psychologically, I was on a high – I ran past Maya bar – which was our starting point for our weekly runs but physically I was hurting. #2683 and myself whom I had been running on and off with started picking up speed – there was tacit agreement between us to keep going and we ran together into the stadium. The policemen standing outside the gates yelled out “只剩 600米 , 坚持！！”. Hang on, only 600m!

I knew my friends were there waiting for me and I saw a couple of them cheering for me, jumping up and down excitedly when they saw me coming in. I forgot my pain for about 30 secs as I sprinted towards them. My face broke into the biggest smile as I crossed the finishing line – I made it!

Vital statistics:
Time clocked: 2hrs 38mins
Placing: no idea, except i was the last amongst my friends!
Number of km intended in my training plan: 150
Actual number of km ran as part of my plan (excluding Sunday hash runs) : 80
Favourite part of my training: carbo-loading

p.s. i wish i could say with conviction "Wow, that was great, i can really aim for a full marathon now! but nah. There is that initial euphoria, and i'll definitely keep running to stay fit, but i think trail running is more my cup of tea than road-running. There is the Hangzhou mountain series in March 2008. Anyone interested?