Oops I did it again

Unlike the over-commercialised Singapore Marathon, it was evident that the KL Marathon was more for serious runners. There were less than 2000 full marathoners who participated and there was barely any queue when we went to collect our race packs.

On Sunday morning, Jacky, Keith, Benjamin and myself only slept 4 hours the night before and we dragged our feet to Merdeka Square where the race was held.

The race was scheduled to start at 5am sharp, but it started raining at 4.55am.
Nonetheless, the organizers went ahead with the flag off and all of us ran in the rain.

It was a rather cooling and enjoyable experience to be running in the rain, but the only thing I disliked was to have both my socks and shoes soaked.

The rain stopped after about 2 hours and the 4 of us separated to run at our own paces.
I reached the 21km mark at around 2:20 and I was very confident of a 5:00 – 5:30 finish.

Unfortunately, as the morning sun rose and the rain water from the ground evaporated. I felt very light-headed and dehydrated from 29km onwards. I also started to develop heat cramps and it slowed me down a lot.

The cramps got very painful and I was very tempted to give up, but I kept reminding myself that I didn’t come all the way here to just participate in this race. I had to finish it.

I stopped a few more times during the last 10km but each time, I got back up on my feet and carried on.

KL terrain is very different from SG. Their roads are very bumpy and uneven, and the marathon route consisted of plenty of upslopes.
Moreover, unlike the SG route which consisted of ECP (with plenty of rest points and toilets), the route in KL is just one never-ending stretch of expressways.

I did a 5:50, much slower than my expected timing,
but still it was a good experience.

Thank God for giving me the strength to sustain the last few kilometres.
Indeed, His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

I am a sucker for sweet beverages.

I used to have a cup of vanilla latte whenever I go out.
If my budget is tight, I’ll settle for some coke light at the very least.

But I’ve been coughing for 2 weeks now and all that I am drinking is plain water.

Argh.

I went for a short 10km run last night and I woke up this morning with a strain on my left hamstring.

Seemed like my old injury has made a comeback, although it wasn’t as painful as before.

I need to get well in about 2 weeks time for another race later this month.

Meanwhile, something school related.

Then Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, “Crucify Him!”
Mark 15:14

Similarly,
“Why, what evil has the church done?”

The governor could find no fault with the accused.

What defines CHC?

For many, the thing that comes to their minds are usually something along the lines of China Wine, $310 million, Ed Hardy, giving 10%, misuse of funds, etc.

For me, CHC is where 33,000 people’s lives get transformed for the better, the help given to Banda Aceh after the tsunami, the parent of Sichuan’s orphaned survivors, the relief given to Haiti after the earthquake, a place where dreams are realized and success is celebrated.

Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. This is mine.

I am thinking of doing something really crazy.

http://www.kl-marathon.com/

It’s on the 27th of June.

Update: