Monday, June 14, 2010

Finished!

'The sun was out in all its glory. 
The sweat was pouring. 
The legs were hurting. 
The finish line was looming. 
I was ecstatic!'

That would sum up how it was on my first 10K race in god knows how long. It was a hard and painful run but I'm glad to say that I stuck it out and finished in a pretty respectable time for an old man who hasn't run in ages :D

It really was a grueling run and to be real honest, there were numerous times when I just wanted to quit and go home (afterall my house wasn't too far away from the venue) but I'm glad I stuck it out cos even though I came nowhere near the top finishers, the satisfaction of crossing that finish like was well worth it. I had this big huge smile as I crossed the line and I'll bet those who saw me probably thought I was insane or something ... LOL!

And what made it even more sweeter was seeing wifey at the finish line :D She volunteered to accompany me for the run as a spectator and I was glad that she was there :D She waited the entire time I was running and that made me even more determined to finish the run. We even dragged the boys along too but I don't think they appreciated waking up at 5.00am though ... hehehe ...

The early birds ...

We headed out early even though it was a 5 minute drive away from my place cos I wanted to get some decent parking nearby and when we reached there, there was already quite a bit of early birds with the same idea. The crowd started coming in soon after that and the carnival atmosphere got underway in full gear.

It was really great to see people of all walks of life and from all ages, some as young as 5-6 years old (there was a family 3K fun run) to some as old as 50 plus (at least I think they were) all waiting for the run to start. Everyone seemed to be happy mingling around that sometimes it's hard to believe that we have morons around in this country creating a rift between the races but I'll not get into that though.

A section of the crowd mingling around ...

The race proper flagged off at 7.30am and from then on it was a test of my will power and determination to complete the race. I had made up my mind that I was going to complete this race even if I had to crawl back to the finish line. At the end of the day, I'm glad to know that I still can run 10K's and even managed to get a certificate for it too!

 The starting line ...

The start ...

Wifey said she was so happy to see me running into the stadium and completing the race. She was afraid that I'd pass out on the road or something ... LOL! I do have certain grouses about the organizers but I won't spoil my happy mood by listing them out here.

 Some of the runners at the finish line ...

After the run, we stayed back to wait out the lucky draw which I didn't win ... drats ... well, maybe I did win but I wouldn't know cos we left after the main top ten lucky draw was announced. I was too exhausted to stay back for too long and we did have to go grocery shopping later cos the fridge was totally bare already.

Waiting for the lucky draw ...

I'm already looking forward to a few races in the next two months and especially a particular one in July cos wifey wants to take part in it and I'll be accompanying her in the run :D I can't wait to be running with her. I'm sure it'll be a blast :D
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30 comments:

  1. Nick is clearly Malaysia's finest athlete

    *clap* *clap* :P

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  2. Fulamak... good for ya, Nick. Now I'm inspired to go to the gym!

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  3. Wah! Good for you, Nick! *Clap on the back*.

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  4. Boy - Malaysia's finest athlete ... LOL! Not to that extent la.

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  5. Rose - Thank you Rose :D Now my legs ache like crazy ... LOL!

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  6. Lina - Thanks :D I'm just glad I actually completed it.

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  7. FUyoooooooo cayalah Nick!!!!!!!!!

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  8. I just can;t believe it! Lazy Nick participated in a 10k run!!! Well done boy!!

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  9. OMG! Good for you and CONGRATS! *woot woot*

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  10. Zen - Yes, that lazy old Nick actually decided to start running again ... LOL!

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  11. Meleah - Thank you, Meleah :D I'm really happy I actually finished the race.

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  12. WAH, I am so impressed (and ashamed of myself). Once you start doing races, you'll keep going. Good job!

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  13. BT - Thank you :D As a runner yourself you know how bloody difficult it is to start running again but you're right, once you start, you don't want to stop :D

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  14. haaa spotted, u were wearing pink outfit right?? :P

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  15. woohoo! congrats Nick! you deserve a pat on the back.

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  16. 10K?? I think you should also be commended for even waking up b4 5am to run! ;)

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  17. Great job Nick! Keep it up and perhaps I'll get a chance to take a shot of you in action in one of the coming runs ... Siemens Run? KL Marathon? Or Shape Night Run? Give me a clue and I'll be on a lookout for you.

    I was there too at the MSPJ run. Maybe, I might have a pic of you in action ... you can check out Kota Kemuning Pacers' photo album.

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  18. It means you still have the best body condition.
    Completing a 10K run is a job well done. :-)

    This is like what we recently had, the Gothenburg Marathon, which was joined by more than 10k runners. It wasn't a contest but those who get to the finish line before 7pm gets a medal. Whoa!

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  19. Boy - Darn, I thought my pink outfit was well hidden ... LOL!

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  20. Carol - Thanks :D I'm happy that I made it through.

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  21. Wenny - The KL Marathon? I'd love to take part in a full marathon but I really don't think I can right now, maybe in a years time :D

    You were there? Let me go check your pix and see if you did 'accidentally' get a shot of me ... LOL!

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  22. Lydd - Hahaha ... yes, yes, the waking up at 5am was the hardest part :D

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  23. Marlene - Thanks but I still think I need loads of training before I even get anywhere to what my body condition was before :D

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  24. Well done Nick! I admire you, I can barely run for the bus when I'm late for work. Must do something about my fitness levels.

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  25. You must still be recovering from this race! Considering you haven't written any new blog posts in a week!

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  26. The World According To Me - Thank you :D I decided that I really needed to start working out.

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  27. Meleah - LOL! I'm all recovered now. I've just been busy with loads of work!

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