Run, baby, run!!!

Why do people call life a race?

Is it because we are always racing against time? Or is it because so often we find ourselves caught up in the ‘rat race’ of struggling to survive in this crazy, hectic world of ours? Or because we are always striving to outdo others, to do better, to be THE best?

I experienced a combination of all three last Saturday, 30 May, at the Adidas Sundown Ladies 10KM Run.

Ankles aching and already weary from being in my speed blades for practically the entire afternoon (12:30-7PM), I gulped down a banana and several mouthfuls of a Subway sandwich in the car on the way from ECP to Changi as I laced up my running shoes. We were running short of time. It was 7:45PM, and our run flagged off at 8:30PM.

Kim and I reached with just barely half-hour to spare, and amassed at the starting point with some other 10,000 ladies. The blasting music, the booming DJ’s voice, and the small percussion band added to the already hyped-up atmosphere, and for a few short moments I actually forgot I was tired.

3…2…1…..GO!!!

The feeling was delicious - the rush of adrenaline through the veins; the cheers of the crowd; the sea of faces when I looked behind; the blur of bobbing heads when I looked ahead; the exhileration as we took the first few steps into the race, with some 20,000 steps more to go...

The adrenaline lasted the first 1.5KM.

Autopilot mode - the state of running where your mind is no longer thinking about the actual movement, but busy with other thoughts - took over for the next 7KM.

Zombie mode - the state of running where your mind is no longer thinking, numbed by exhaustion - sustained me through the ninth KM.

And then exhilaration upon spotting my supportive family at the stands pushed my legs to their limit with a final sprint the last 200M to the finish line.

The time totaled = 1 HR and 16 Min.

In most races, there is only one winner. This, however, was one race where every runner was a winner - for everyone who participated in the race was running it for themselves, for whatever reason. It was a cause for celebration that Kim and I managed to shave off an extra 2 minutes off our previous 10KM timing, despite our state of sheer exhaustion that night.

We pushed ourselves more than we thought we could, and emerged the better for it.

Come next year's Adidas Sundown, I'll do it all over again.