Pain

I have just completed the Army Half Marathon yesterday. It was the first time I had ran in the AHM but it was not particularly daunting as I had ran full marathons before. Thinking that it was only half the distance of a full marathon, I made the mistake of not wearing my protective knee brace.

The huge number of people running and the relatively narrow roads at some stretches meant that I had to slow down for quite a number of times. And the constant acceleration and deceleration took a toll on my knees. Add to that the uneven road surface and my knees were begging for me to stop towards the end. I had no choice but to walk for most of the last few kilometres. It's not worth risking my legs for a run like this. Crossing the finish line didn't bring as much elation as I had expected. The satisfaction is not as much as that of completing a full marathon. I was just relieved to finally get some rest for my legs.

My father crossed the finishing line some 20 minutes after me. It was the first time that we took part in a race together. I think my father is getting fitter nowadays. Influenced by his colleagues, he has been going running in recent times. He's even going to join the full marathon at the end of the year. For someone his age, that's quite an achievement and an endorsement to the saying that it's never too late to start getting fit.

Sometimes, I wonder what is it that keeps me wanting to join these runs and torture myself. After much thinking, I've come to realise that the torture is part of the appeal. The pain experienced during the run makes crossing the finish line all the more satisfying.