I ran the marathon today. 

Well, it was the half marathon but still, 21 km is no joke. And I managed it in 3 hours and 50 mins so I'm rather proud of myself. I never thought I had it in me and all who know me know that I'm not exactly the fittest person they knew. But what I discovered was that by the middle of the distance, your body settles into a rhythm and the rest is more of a mental battle. Every time I thought we were about to finish, there would be another loop or turn, detouring the route for another 5 km. My hopes would surge, thinking it was all going to be over and then come crashing down when I saw how far the lap stretched after the bend. But quitting was never an option to me and I just learned to stop looking up to see where the end was, concentrating instead on my feet hitting the road. 

I was thoroughly impressed with the sheer number of people who turned up for the marathon. I never realised what a huge event it was even though the marathon happens every year. Roads had been blocked off and traffic rerouted for the thousands that had turned up for the run. To keep the energy up, they had posted cheerleaders along the route who would cheer us on and signs with slogans like 'the pride you'll gain is worth the pain'. Indeed, I am proud. 

I am also in pain. In the last 5 km, I wanted to just push myself and run it off but my calves decided that they'd have enough. Every time I broke into a jog, my muscles would cramp painfully and I had to slow myself to a brisk walk. By the end of it, I could barely take another step and I've been limping around for the rest of the day because my left ankle and knees are sore. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow when the muscle ache sets in. 

But I can now proudly say that I've run a marathon in my lifetime :)