“Guys let’s go for a marathon!”
“No way!”
“Siao ah!”
“I don’t wanna waste money to pay for a run”.
These are some of the responses we might get when we invite others to join a marathon. My marathon experience wasn’t pleasant, but it has definitely taught me a lot and I hope to share my experience so that others can be better prepared, or get to know how it was like attempting one. Not only will it test our physical and mental endurance, it will allowed us to understand ourselves better, develop resilience and allow us to appreciate the compassion of others.
I used to think that all we need is mental endurance to complete a marathon. It isn’t entirely wrong but proper training would have made the journey less painful. Many a time my mind would shout “let’s go” yet my body “please give chance”. Till now, the marathon experience had caused the back of my knee to ache since the run 2 months back which might be due to over exertion. Thus, proper training would have accustomed our body to withstand the fatigue and prevent injury.
Apart from fatigue, the most challenging part of this marathon experience was from the 10 to 18km stretch.
The calling of my stomach that it was “business time”. During that eventful stretch, I was praying for a portable toilet but unfortunately there wasn’t any nearby. It was so bad to the extent that I wanted to let it go in the bushes along the route but had second thoughts because it’ll leave me overly exposed. Without any choice, I endured with short jogs and walked till I reached the 18km mark. Step by step, a portable toilet finally came into sight and my morale got an extra boost as I would finally be able to discharge. The medic worriedly attended to me when I reached the portable toilet. I guess my facial expression exposed the painful process. To add-on to the epic event, there were no lights in the toilet and had to settle a “big business” based on instinct. “Phwee”.
Understand ourselves better
During the run, I’d ask myself ” Why did I sign up for this?”, “How long more?”, etc. Self doubt arises during certain parts of the run. These thoughts can be quite demoralizing, however, we should use this opportunity to understand ourselves better by finding out the reason which made us doubt ourselves. The experience differs from individuals and I’m glad to have undergone this process. By thinking about the end state in mind, it gave me confidence and made me optimistic about the run. For instance, the image visualization of the satisfaction for completing the run reinforced my determination to complete it as compared to the negative thoughts of ” Why did I sign up for this?”, “How long more?”, etc (complaining thoughts). This is applicable to life where we should picture the end goal in mind and not let short term hurdles dampen our confidence.
Mental Resilience of Singaporeans.
During the run, I came across Singaporeans of different age and sizes. I’m a guy of average fitness and it’s expected that participants my age will be faster than those in their 40s or above. However, that was not the case. Many times I was overtaken by older participants. This highlighted the determination and drive our fellow counterparts possessed and it’s an attribute that we could work on.
Compassionate people
There are many touching moments throughout the run. There was a foreigner carrying a speaker on his back and blasting music to motivate other runners. Furthermore, there were numerous pit stops where Singaporeans stationed themselves to cheer the participants on. The most memorable would be the 21st and 36th km mark where Singaporeans distribute isotonic drinks, food and cold spray on their own accord and expenses.
” Is it worth it?” Well, it definitely is. Not only did I get to understand myself better, it reminded me about the little kindness which we might have overlooked everyday.
“Will I attempt a marathon again?” Well, probably not anytime soon but we’ll never know about the future!
Life is like a marathon, there are challenging and down moments, but along with them, are successes and joy. Embrace it and we’ll lead a life filled with fulfillment!
