I woke up today and immediately knew it was a mistake... I groaned and reached for the source of the mindless cacophony that was my alarm clock and peered through the dark.... 6.00am.... 22nd Nov.... Damn.... Dragging myself out of bed I shuffled to the kitchen in search of breakfast.... oats.... some ham.... banana....
Cherry blossom petal floating to the ground.... 5 centimetres per second.
Breakfast, quick shower and a fresh change of clothes later I was in my car starting up the engine.... Fast forwarding past a lonely drive through nearly abandoned streets to a not so abandoned Queensbay Mall.... I was finally forced to take denial and chuck it where sense had gone a long, long time ago....
Average human walking speed.... 150 centimetres per second.
To be more specific, I had, in a moment of lunacy or drunken stupor (probably both) committed my self to a torture regime where my out-of-shape legs would carry me ten kilometres along a planned route to the Penang Bridge and back in no more than 90 minutes. The name of my event?
Fastest soccer ball recorded.... 6, 167 centimetres per second.
Now everyone knows that misery loves company.... So I was overjoyed to find that a handful of familiar faces were around. Hardy, if not foolish, souls who were running with me! Yay!
Why bravest you ask? The answer's elementary my dear reader.... Us intelligent beings had started preparations for this long before the race was to commence.... a whopping 15 minutes. We were pretty sure we'd survive.... maybe....
(Sheila's survival kit) Water, little bag, camera, 100 Plus and mp3 player.... CHECK!
A deep breath.... a heartbeat....
Ferrari Enzo cruising at top speed.... 9, 860 centimetres per second.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Hence, together with my bipodal comardes... I took that step. The run began in similar fashion as a a bunch of crazed sheep being herded through a tar-lined road. From where we stood to the distant horizon... all one could see was bodies, bodies and MORE bodies!!!
The great wall of 2009 Penang Bridge Fun Run.... All I want for christmas is my friggin bulldozer...
We ran... dodged... swerved... and pulled tricks that would have made the Ninja Assassin proud... And after an eternity and 20 minutes of shadow melding into the crowd, we were rewarded with fresh air, our own personal running space and a first class view of the scenery around us.... (which we conveniently failed to appreciate cause we were friggin starved for oxygen...)
I can't say I didn't enjoy the run though... It was ten kilometres of heart pounding, quad burning, air gasping running where the only focus was to keep going, and the only desire was to that glimpse of the finishing line. So bite me, but I found it a thoroughly enjoyable experience nonetheless... there's something absolutely incredible about feeling the wind in your face, the drops of morning drizzle on your cheeks and the rythmical thumping of your feet on the road below. Not to mention all the free time to ponder the bits and pieces that make up that incredible experience which is life... You'll be surprised at the thoughts your oxygen deprived brain is capable of pondering when you've got nothing to accomplish but putting one foot in front of the other... again and again and again...
Putting away my hypoxic delusions, I'll admit that I was relieved to see the finishing line. :D Let's face it, noone in history has ever gone into depression at seeing the end of a marathon no matter how much they like running. And so it was that I brought my aching limbs to a gradual halt amidst the sounds of clapping, cheering and Queen's "We Will Rock You" blaring off some speakers somewhere out there... My shirt soaked, my body aching, and my mind still trying to figure out the Fun part of that Run... Oh, my reward? A blank certificate and the opportunity for me to unabashedly take my picture in the Penang Bridge International Winner's Tent... My fearless buddies tagged along.
From L to R : Muaself, Alwyn, Sheila, Atikah and Jollivet
Hence I bring my running tale to an end. It was fun while it lasted... it was painful even after it ended... but I can't say I won't be there again next year. Once again pushing myself to run a little longer, suck in one more breath of air, and keep up with that hot chic with those amazing pair of legs. And even if this truly ends my running life...
Kenneth Kuan running ten kilometres.... 287 centimetres per second (Total time : 58m 22s)
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