My Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore Experience 2011 (Part 2) -- Second Chance

With the help of my ever-reliable Sleepasil, I was able to get almost six hours of restful sleep before I woke up and put on my new pink Asics top (so much for not using new gear during a run!), my black Nike socks, my trusty Nike Eclipse shoes with about 140km of mileage, my 2xu compression pants which had proven their worth during my previous 32k race, my Garmin Forerunner 405cx, and my Ultimate Direction bib belt with a small pocket and single hydration bottle with a single pack of my favorite strawberry-flavored Clif Shot Bloks. I was careful to put on my bib immediately, since I'd already had experiences of forgetting my bib and d-tag during two separate occasions. I realized I'd left my visors in Manila, so I had no choice but to go without them. I ate a piece of fire floss bread I'd gotten from Bread Talk so I could drink my Celcoxib.

Bib # 736403!

After getting all dressed up, I went on the ten-minute walk towards Orchard Road with my roommates Mich and Drew. As I prayed on the way to the finish line, I told myself that the good thing having run my first full marathon at the Bull Runner Dream Marathon under the most dreadful conditions was that there was little room for surprise and there was almost no way I could do any worse. Running with plantar fasciitis? Done; the pain was in fact more worse the first time around, and this time I was armed with Celcoxib to ease the pain. Running with my monthly period? Check; my previous marathon was run on the second day of my monthly visitor. Lack of sleep? Done; I'd had zero hours of sleep the night before TBR. Hot and humid weather? Also done; TBR had been held in summery March.

Memories of the summery heat of TBR (my first full marathon) on March 20, 2011 in Nuvali, Laguna

Having specified a safe target time of 6:15 to complete marathon in my registration, I was placed in the last wave of full marathon runners, so I headed for (almost) the end of the line with Mich armed with my red bib. I had a sub-6 goal in mind, but I figured any time better than my previous 6:42 would make me happy. I strapped the very useful 5:30 and 6:00 finish time guide bands I got from the BMW booth during the expo on my right wrist. I had previously read that pacers were only available for those aiming for a finish of 5:30 or faster, but it didn't matter, the only thing that went through my mind were the words "slow, sure, and injury-free."

These turned out to be really useful!

The gun fired at almost exactly 5 AM, and given the massive crowd that had shown up to run the full marathon, it took almost ten minutes before I started up my Garmin as we crossed the starting line. Many of the runners around me seemed overly excited, but due to the crowds it was quite impossible to run for the first minute or so without crashing into another runner. There was also a tunnel near the start that got quite claustrophobic, and I realized then that this was going to be a very crowded full marathon. Thankfully, however, it wasn't as hot nor as humid as I expected it to be, though I reminded myself we were just starting.

Fort Canning Tunnel. Photo credit: Shonn Tan (http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/5915924293_c0fae63572.jpg)

After about a couple of kilometers the crowd cleared up a bit and I was able to move more freely. I skipped the first 100-plus/water hydration station since runners were crowded all around it, and at around KM 3, I realized I was already in Chinatown and quite warmed up. I enjoyed the first familiar sight, the Esplanade, but after a few more kilometers my plantar started to act up, and I realized I needed to remove my gel insoles.  I veered to the side for a while to roll the insoles on my belt and immediately noticed my soles felt better running without them. But I reminded myself that I needed to take caution or risk suffering the consequences later.

The Esplanade at Night.
Photo credit:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/The_Esplanade_%E2%80%93_Theatres_on_the_Bay.jpg/
350px-The_Esplanade_%E2%80%93_Theatres_on_the_Bay.jpg

The water and energy gel stations were well placed during the first kilometers of the run. We were provided with Shotz energy gel packs, which I stuffed into my belt as well. At around KM 10, I noticed that one of my gel support soles was missing, but I decided to forget about it as there wasn't really anything I could do about it by then.

After a couple more kilometers we entered East Coast park, where we went through lots and lots of trees. By this time, runners were already beginning to slow down. I kept on checking my Garmin then, to make sure I was still on target, as I could feel myself start to slow down as well. I showed no signs of fatigue, but my plantar continued to act up, so I figured it might do me good to run on the sandy sidelines. Not only would this help me avoid the crowds of runners who had already started to walk, it would also do my soles good to run off the concrete. Even more importantly, I realized I needed to change my foot stride. My forefoot strike wasn't going to work this time -- not with the pain of plantar, and not unless I wanted to suffer like I did during TBR.

East Coast Park.  Photo credit: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/20786093.jpg

At around KM 15 I could feel myself starting to slow down more so I popped another of my Clif Bloks. My legs and breathing seemed to be working well then, but I figured it couldn't hurt, and that besides, I was getting hungry. The endless trees went on for about twenty more kilometers, past the 21km mark. I hardly noticed any kilometer markers and had to rely on my Garmin and time guide bands to keep on target. My average pace at the 21 km mark was slower than during TBR, and I knew by then that a sub-5:30 finish was impossible.

Onward to the Second Half

As I passed more of the endless trees I noticed it was getting even hotter and that I was getting slower, but two things gave me a boost of confidence. First, I realized I shouldn't really worry as the people around me were slowing down much more than I was. And second, I realized that although I felt like I was getting broiled under the sun, the Celcoxib seemed to be taking effect on my soles already.  I knew I was really, definitely going to finish this, and the thought gave ne a renewed vigor. My Nikes, despite being all muddy and dirty by then, were going to take me to the end of the race.

Second wind!  From Marathon-Photos.com.

At around KM 25, I passed a Tiger Balm muscle rub station and held out my hands to get some of the ointment, but realized it was going to be hard to rub on my legs as I was wearing compression pants, so I rubbed it on my back and shoulders instead. BIG, BIG mistake; the tiger balm started to heat my skin up and I could hardly keep from yelping in pain. I had to risk staining my top as there was nothing else I could use to wipe myself. I was a bit disappointed while thinking I'd probably lost a few minutes while getting it off, but when my Garmin signaled the passage of KM 28 I couldn't help but smile; KM 28 had been my wall during my first marathon, and I'd been unable to rebound from that wall back then. This time, however, I still felt strong, and I could feel the endorphins coursing through my bloodstream.

You know how they say you should never try anything new during a race? I had to learn this the hard way...

The last ten kilometers felt like a death march. But while I wasn't as strong as I'd been during my 32km race two weeks ago, I could still run though not consistently, in contrast to the other runners around me who had resigned to walking slowly and tiredly.  Passing two water stations that had run dry made me very grateful for my single hydration bottle. Unfortunately, the songs on my Walkman were also running dry. I had only come up with my playlist the day, hence it was already on repeat by this time.

Felt like a death march!  From Marathon-Photos.com.

When my Garmin beeped again to signal the end of KM 38, I felt that mixture of happiness, relief, exhaustion, and victory again as I felt my eyes well up. I popped the last of my Clif Bloks and tried to run/power-walk a little faster until my Garmin beeped to signal that I'd passed KM 42, I looked out eagerly until I finally caught sight of the finish line.

Oh yeah!

I checked my time and realized that I'd done it; I'd accomplished a sub-6 finish with just a few minutes to spare...I'd clocked in at 5:56:50, chip time! While I had not quite achieved my secret goal of 5:45, I was still happy to have finished a whopping forty-six minutes better than my TBR time!

The reading on Bee, my Garmin :)

Post-Marathon

After getting through the marshals and checkers, I immediately lined up to claim my medal and finisher's shirt (unfortunately a bit too big for me, but the design on the back was pure love).

Back of the Full Marathon Finisher's Shirt!

There is no feeling that can beat the feeling that comes with finishing a full marathon, but I had to put my euphoria on hold while I looked for my friends in the crowd.  After spotting a few of them I eventually found  Drew and started to calm down, and it was then that I realized I needed to set out to find Mich, since we had to be in the airport in about four hours. After a bit of commotion which consisted of me bugging the staff, panicked phone calls to our friends, and witnessing fallen runners trembling on stretchers while connected to IV tubes, Drew and I went back to the hotel.  However, I eventually decided went back to Marina Bay, worried, but later Drew told me to come back to the hotel, which was where I found a limping Mich with blistered feet.

The rest of the day went by like a blur. We took showers and pack our things, and once Mich and I boarded our plane that afternoon with our flightmates Memes and Ron, we were almost immediately knocked out.  I woke up about 30 minutes before we landed.

There's nothing like your first time; there's no doubt about it. But my second full marathon, I would have to say, was just as unforgettable as my first. When I remember how I tolerated the heat of the sun, ran (and walked) through the endless trees, winced through the pain of plantar fasciitis (now double plantar!), and mastered the art of weaving through death marchers, most of whom I'd probably never see again, I couldn't help but feel mixed feelings of gratitude and disbelief: I felt grateful to people who pushed me to go for the full mary, and at the same time I silently cursed myself for being so crazy.

Still can't believe I ran this far!

But best of all, my second full marathon made me realize that I'd grown as a runner. After TBR I was literally limping, and I couldn't even drag myself to work the next day, something I was able to do this time. This time I felt euphoric, happy, powered by endorphins, and eager to do better in my next full marathon. So if there's one statement that could describe how I felt about my entire SCMS experience, I'd say that second time's a charm :)