KL Marathon Recap

Marathon #10

I completed my tenth marathon on Sunday. Yeah! The morning started early. Our alarms went off at 2:45 am. That's the earliest I've ever gotten up for a run, but with a 4:30am start it was necessary.The kids spent the night with our friends which was good, so we didn't have to worry about them. I was a little worried about even getting to the start. A lot of the main roads were already closed and the marathon officials were recommending that everyone ride the train from their nearest station to the start.  We drove to KLCC and parked and caught the train from there. We made it to the start in plenty of time to use the port-a-cans and get positioned in the corral. Selflessly, Ryan accompanied me even though his half marathon race didn't start until 6 am. He said he found a bench and took a little snooze while he waited.

The weather was clear and hot, of course. Probably 76 -78 degrees and only going to get hotter as the race progressed. I was far back in the corral and tried to move up a bit. This is usually pretty do-able in a US race where most people leave a fair amount of personal space that can be invaded. But, in Asia, where personal space is rarely considered, it was already packed pretty tight and I didn't want to be any more uncomfortable than necessary. So, I just hung out where I was. The gun went off and it only took about 2 minutes for me to cross the start line.

This is my first marathon in 3 years, but I've been feeling good, running well and injury free for all of that time. I started slow, according to my plan, and enjoyed getting started. I passed a lot of people since I was so far back. I passed the 6 hour pacers, the 5:30 pacers and the 5 hour pacers within the first 3 miles. At mile 4, I saw my friend Anissa. She came out to cheer me on at 5:15am! What a true friend! Seeing her gave me a boost and I figured 4 miles was a good warm-up, so I started to pick up the pace. I ran fast (for me) for the next 10 miles. I was familiar with the course. These are the same roads I use to get to the grocery store, school and the 2 different places that we've lived here. I passed the 4:30 pacers and continued to pass people.

Then, I went up an overpass at mile 14 and it sucked the life out of me. I downed an energy gel, drank some water and started walking. Hoping, miraculously, that it would kick in quickly. I began to question what I was doing and why was a doing it. It's still dark, I'm only 1/2 through this stupid race and I don't want to do it anymore. The first guy that passed me gave me a thumbs-up and asked if I was OK. The next guy clapped and said "come on, come on, you can do it, let's run!" They were so sweet! Their encouraging words helped and I thought about people that I know that are going through tough times. Not given an option to quit, their strength and faith helped me focus. A water stop was up ahead and more port-a-cans. I didn't really need to go, but I convinced myself that I just needed a break. A break would help. I used the potty and when I came out, I felt great! I started running again and fast (for me, that is). Mile 15 passed with ease. The sun came up.

At mile 16, my ipod died. It's been on the fritz for a while and not holding a charge. This was disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. I took out the earbuds and shoved them down my sports bra. Miles 17 - 20 were OK, but I was starting to get bored and run out of steam. I slowed a little. At mile 20 we turned off the completely closed highway onto a road that we shared with traffic. This was somewhat refreshing because it at least gave me something to look at and something else to think about and there was only 10K to go. Just run!

Easier said than done. I could feel my hamstrings fatiguing and my calves on the verge of some major cramps. A young guy ran past me and said "come on" so I ran with him for a bit then he took off. I caught up to him again and said "lets run". He joined me for a while. Told me it was his first marathon. Good for you, just 4 miles to go now. He took off again.

I talked with another man from Chicago. Also, his first marathon. Just 3 miles to go. Keep going! At this point we turned to join the half marathoners who were walking to the finish! It was a sea of slow moving people when we needed to keep the momentum up. I walked and ran as much as I could just wanting to be done already. 1km to go (that's .6 mile) and the 4:30 pacers passed me. I tried to keep up, but I couldn't.  I didn't care, I was over it. I crossed the finish line at 4:31. Happy to be done!

The KL marathon was very well organized. The course was great, the water stops were excellent. I carried my own water so I didn't stop that often, but they were happy to fill my bottle and hand me a sponge. The sponges were awesome - I drenched myself from my cap, face arms, back and legs. I was a dripping mess when it was all over. I seriously had taken numerous baths out on the course. They also had some cooling muscle spray for our legs. It was at the start and at most water stops. I enjoyed that, too. The only downside was the lack of spectators. No entertainment, very few cheers - so different from the Houston Marathon, it made me a bit homesick.

Ryan had waited another hour after his race for me to finish. We hobbled back to the train. Whew! The trains - filled with wet, sweaty runners - were packed! We picked up the kids, showered, stretched and then went to a favorite Mexican food place to celebrate with friends and margaritas.