Well, this is it folks!
After a year of training for and racing short-distance triathlons and some six weeks of more specific run training, I’m heading off at the end of the week to Singapore for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 21K. The two-week taper has done me some good as I’m feeling really fresh and fit (and finally over that cold virus). Hopefully this translates into a pleasant running experience. I don’t have a hard time goal, but I do know what paces I’m capable of at this point and hope that I can perform reasonably.
What’s really nice about ending my year this way is that while I haven’t discussed it much, 2019 marks 10 years since I started joining fun runs and races. Ten years! I’ve been running much longer than I’ve stayed at any one particular job. It’s been a constant and become very much a part of what I do for myself.
I started running on a gym treadmill in 2005 because it burned the most calories out of all the machines available there. I signed up for my first 10K in 2009 because I wanted to beat a nemesis at it — and then that person missed their alarm on race morning, lol. I’ve grown a lot in what motivates me to run (it’s no longer weight loss efforts or spite). These days I run because it’s one of my favorite ways to exercise, clear my head, and feel that I did something good for myself. It’s also been a great excuse to travel the world, whether a marathon/half-marathon/10K/5K or as part of a triathlon.
I always treat an A race like a celebration of the work that was done to prepare for it. While I might be “celebrating” on the road a bit longer than I used to take, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be on Saturday night than in that starting corral at the F1 pit waiting for the gunstart.
If you’re going to be in Singapore for the SCSM, let me know!
