Reuben and I ran a half marathon last weekend. It was a small, local race. I had to get special permission to register to run, because I wasn't Malaysian. They didn't want a bunch of foreigners coming in (a.k.a. the Kenyans) to win all the prize money. But they didn't have anything to worry about me, of course. But run I did. The race began ridiculously late - almost 7am (once the sun comes out, you're a goner in this heat!). We do most of our long runs starting at 5-something in the morning so we can be mostly finished before dawn. Luckily, it was a perfectly overcast day and wasn't too bad. Unluckily, they only had 2 water stations during the race and one in the last kilometer ("water stations" - two were carbonated beverages - Malaysians love their isotonic drinks!) Luckily, I packed my own water!
I ended up running a PR and making 6th place (womens)! I won 100rm ($33USD). I was happy and shocked. My time, although great for me, was nowhere near competitive in any other normal race. I have other fellow runner friends here who would have blown me out of the water. Had it been in the US, I probably would have placed 400 out of 500. But nobody else has to know that.
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| There's my name! |
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| I won just enough to pay for the race registration fees |
And now that I have reached the height of my competitive prowess (ha) I need to take a break. I've been developing a case of achilles tendonitis in both legs since the beginning of the summer. For now I'm going to be doing lots of icing every day, but also looking into seeing a sports doctor or acupuncturist. And lots of cross training and less running. Today I did the stationary bike for 30 min and swam for 30 minutes. 2/3 of a triathlon!
My next event is the Run/Bike/Run Powerman in PutraJaya (October), and the Penang Bridge Half Marathon at the end of November. NO chance of placing there.
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