Limping Marathon Runner

This morning's Ultramarathon at MR was no easy feat. Landslides detours, muddy tracks, slippery board walks and more. Having said all that, the weather was fantastic and definitely better than last year. We took a group photo before the flag off. The first lap was with Shut, Cfred, SassyRunner. I stopped for a short stretch and went for my second lap. Along the way, I bumped into my ex-colleague who brought his family out to the TreeTopWalk. They were surprised to hear that there is a race here in MR. Almost finishing my second lap, my stomach was growling! I stopped at pit stop for some bananas and took my initial third lap as a stroll. 20 minutes later, I continued to run. Reaching pit stop for lunch, I had some prata with sugar. It was a real treat to see Taz, Astrogirl and Run3. As each lap progressed, I saw less runners. Each runners were better spaced out then. I walked during the fourth lap after my lunch and the shoes seem to be giving problems. My left foot was feeling weird with muscle strain. Technically, I have not ran in this pair of shoes for such a long distance in trail. I have violated the Runners Code: "Do not try anything new on race day". I changed my shoes for my fifth lap but the strain already set in. Each step taken was a chore. Sumiko passed me to give me a thumb up to check if I was okay, I did a thumb up. Boy am I glad to see Roonz and Meteor cheering for me 400m away from the finishing point. They walked with me to the finishing point! *Tearing* Thanks! I was greeted by a row of supporters that was cheering for everyone who ran pass. They shouted, "More more more!" for more laps. I wish I could. There was still enough time. But, I just could not (fearing of stressing on the muscle strain further). I sent in my BIB to collect my Tshirt and certificate of participation. Just a mere 52.5km. Although I was hoping for one more lap. Next time, I guess! I thought Cosmic and SuperBoy would be doing the full event today. Our two official photographer, LaoKaYu and Mythos were there. Waa!! I got to shake Mythos, who recently completed his Busselton Ironman. W00T! Our unofficial a.k.a. last minute guest appearance photographers, Tiwazz and Sotong. Support of the supporters Cheow12 and Violet made guest appearance with their Jack Russell as well.

Thanks for all the goodies piled on the table, support and photographs. I even managed to get a shoulder massage from Sotong for my first lap! Talk about service. Every lap of completion, runners are greeted with shutter sounds from cameras.

Now, a run through of 2006. Great to know so many nice people around. Thankful for knowing all these people. To be able to take part in many races was bonus to me. The real treat happened in May and another smaller scale in October. There are still changes going on. But, they are all part of one's life. Looking forward to 2007.

The stage is set for 2007. Let the journey begin.