Before The 23-Hour Flight

I’m already on leave and packing up for NYC. NYCM will most likely be my last marathon for the next 1 year due to work reasons. To run a good marathon takes too much time commitment. With that statement I hope I’ve not put a damper on the distance. I love the marathon for all the preparations that one needs to put in, the history and tradition of it, the legends who have mastered the race, the chance to tread the same paths as these masters, its challenges that parallels Life, and the heroism of mortals in rising above their limitations to conquer the distance. When I sign up for one, I always try to train my best even though most of the time the training will be patchy. I paid dearly for treating Sundown Marathon as a walk in the park. Moral of the story: Treating the marathon with respect means according it a proper training regimen.

Next year will see the completion (hopefully!) of a 3-year mega project that I’ve been part of and I’ll basically be neck deep in it. As much as I’d like to be pursuing my marathon goals, it will not be realistic of me achieving it. I’ll probably miss StanChart’s inaugural sponsorship of the KLIM in May but that’s life. I may still be able to "bluff" my way through selected shorter races and record PRs too!

I digress. Before I hop on the plane, let me just record my thanks and appreciation to all of you - Luc, Frank, Choi, Lawrence, Loke, Kit, Anil, the Younglings - for being there at one time or another during my training for my 10th. I remember clearly just after completing my 2nd Penang Bridge Run (the 22.3K category) during my school days, I couldn’t imagine doing another round of the bridge to complete a marathon distance. 10 isn’t many by others' standards but making NYCM as the 10th is a dream come true ever since following the race annually in Runners World during the ‘80s. Who knows, after watching the race live on Eurosport this Sunday (9:30pm), it could be your race destination too. Even after last year’s no-go, I’ve never doubted it that I’ll make it there. I'd like to thank Nike Sales Malaysia for the gear support and wear-test opportunities and Powerbar for taking care of my sports nutrition needs.

Having Geraldine along for the adventure is a bonus – just watch out for her bursting off Wave 2! The experience is so much more richer and memorable with a fellow runner tagging along. So thank you for coming along for the wild B2B and Hell Week runs with me. Train well for your upcoming races and I’ll see you on the roads when I come back. The next posting should be on the trip and race report!

Ps. Justin, if you’re reading this, make sure we stick to our dream of doing the running pilgrimage of Coos Bay, Portland, Hayward Field, Boulder, and run the infamous 22-mile Waitakere Mountains course that once reduced Snell to tears. Even if it’s only after our retirement, we WILL do it! Hopefully the exchange rate will be more forgiving then.