My first attempt on a marathon was in 2007. It was quite a random decision as I thought I should try running a marathon when I had ample time to train as a student. Being also relatively fresh from the army, it was a good period to attempt something as demanding as a marathon.
I signed up for the Standard Chartered Marathon and gave myself a runway of about half a year to train for it. I gradually stepped up my jogging distance from 5 to 21 km, in roughly 5 km increments. During the jogs, it was quite enjoyable as I tried running different routes or at different places. I wasn’t going for speed nor timing, so each jog was at a very comfortable pace.
On the day of the marathon, it was quite an experience. It was my first time at a full marathon and interesting to see so many people trying to do the same thing- run. I was on my own, as I wanted to just run at my own pace, in my own world. The marathon started and I pretty much ran continuously for more then half the distance, after which, I had to listen to my body to do a run walk combination towards the finish. I completed the marathon and felt really good about it. Of course the aches didn’t come in until the next day, it was painful to climb steps as the muscles are trying to recover from the strain.
I thought that I would simply just do a marathon once just for the experience. I was wrong, I continued to sign up for subsequent marathons in 2008 and 2009. I did the same training, slowly building up the distance and completed those marathons. It was satisfying and something to look forward to. In 2010, I signed up again, but this time I did not train as much as before. I decided to just run halve the distance and call it a day, not pushing my body without the necessary preparation. In 2013, I signed up again to accompany a friend. I did minimal trainings, but completed the marathon at a slow pace. This would be the last time I would run a marathon, as I had accumulated many good experiences and the marathons were getting too crowded.
Marathons are something worth doing, it is not a short term affair as it requires discipline to prepare oneself. The physical and mental strength is important for a marathon, both of it is significant to complete a marathon. It is not about the speed, but the perseverance and determination to complete the distance, that makes a marathon wonderful.