Penang Bridge International Marathon

Yes...I participated in the Penang Bridge Run...the full marathon...
Wonder was I plain stupid or just mad...

Why do I think I'm plain stupid?
Well if u know my mileage for this year...dun even talk abt this month...I'm sure u would think so too :P
I believe my mileage for this year (based on the Polar Precision Peformance Software) includes...
Feb...5 + 10 + 6 (very very slow) + 2.5/10 (NUS biathlon mini and full distance)
Mar...5 + 10 (Singapore biathlon)...
Apr...3 + 5 (JP Morgan...also very very slowly :P)...
May...0...
Jun...6...and finally...
Jul...10 (Shape Run) + 10 (Health relay)

...hmm...that adds up to be abt 80km since Jan...and 20km for this month ;)

Stupidity??

Then why could I just be mad?
Oh well...it's not the first time the mileage I clocked is less than optimal...and so far I have survived well ;)
So maybe I'm just mad...a bit screwed up in the head?
After all...I signed up b'cos I happened to be back in Penang...emailed them way after the closing date...and in fact...I was only included in the race 3 days ago...there were only 27 female participants including me!!! :D

So wat happened today?
Slept at abt 8 plus yesterday..and woke up at abt 2.45am this morning...good thing I stay abt 15 mins from the starting pt...
Otherwise the lose screw in my head wouldn't have got me into signing up in the first place :P
Somehow everyone at home is awake too...aunt haven't slept yet...mum and dad just got up...mum wanted to walk with me to the starting line...dad's got a golf game in Ipoh...he has to take the ferry...but not this early!!! :P

Anyway, I reached the starting pt..Sg Gelugor Primary Sch..at abt 3.30am..where we were "locked" inside...hehe...until almost 4am when we were gg to start the race...
The crowd here was definitely a lot smaller than the Stan Chart S'pore Marathon...
Even though I started from behind...I believe I crossed the starting pt in less than a minute...that's how small the crowd was!!!

Stucked to my previous marathon strategy of following my heart rate...din wanna kill my heart :P
Think I started off a bit slow though...HR was less than 140 :P
After abt 2 km...I started to speed up to HR of abt 150-160...which I maintained till abt 30km...then slowly went up above 160...
Managed to overtake quite a no. of ppl throughout the race...esp towards the end...hehe...that's wat happens when u start of slow...makes u feel good even though u r probably at the back of the pack :D

Anyway, the route started off with a loop from Sg Gelugor...towards the coastal rd...U-turn at RECSAM...then the Penang Bridge...very nice run there...U-turn at the end of the bridge...then coastal rd towards the Free Industrial Zone...U-turn near Seagate...along the coastal rd again...all the way to the Marine Police building...then finally back to the USM...phew...dun think most of u have any idea wat I'm talking abt here :P

I saw Angel so many times during the run...first time along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah near RECSAM while she was walking to the starting line (she joined the half marathon)...
Then on the bridge..we happened to meet where there was a gap in the center...most parts were blocked at the center...
Finally I saw her again after the race...while gg to get a drink...hehe

I also saw Jayce and Elaine running on the bridge...din even know they came...and when I was abt to reach the ending pt...I saw them again...I made a dash to catch them even though my leg was almost dead then...wahaha...

Chatted with a few other guys towards the last 10km of the race too...most were not from Penang...a few were from Pacesetter in KL...one told me he always told himself that it would be his last 42k...but ALAS peer pressure prevailed...hehe :P
It was good that we chatted and cheered each other on at that stage of the race...

In the end I finished the race in more than 5 hrs...abt 5:20...I knew I couldn't do sub-5 the moment I hit the 10km mark...it was already more than 1 hr...got to the 20km mark at abt 2:20...after that it was abt 18-19 mins per 2.5km...
Can't say my timing was good...but with the kinda mileage I put in prior to the marathon...wat do u expect :P
I even managed to come in 16th!!! wahaha...since there were only 27 ladies...that wasn't even top 50%...but I still got my medal (given to the top 20)...hehe :P

It was quite a wait to get that medal though...ended up chatting with IMD who came in 12th for Men's Open...woohoo...go sgrunner!!
Hui Ping...whom I met at the charity swim was there too...she came in 7th...just behind Clare...an Australian who's currently staying in Penang with her hubby, Graham...who can't run now due to a previous back injury...almost recovered...but maybe start off with swimming first? ;)
Hoping to see Clare in the coming SCSM!!

I was abt to walk home after an hour's wait...but then...I saw Jayce and Elaine...they came in 17th and 18th respectively for the half marathon!!! Ended up hanging out there another hour...b4 we finally got our medals and left...phew...

Now I'm moving at snail speed...
Supposed to meet a couple of frens tom...Miss Chew, my classmate from PCGHS...just back from US...
and Becky, my roommate in JC!!! din even know she was back!!! Long time no see man...it's gg to be Becky, M.D. in a few more years :P
Maybe meeting my primary schmate...cum swimming and tennis fren...Foong Hooi...

Hopefully I'm not in too much pain tom...hehe :P

...also hopefully I din get any darker...otherwise I would get screamed at soon :P Already kena for participating in such a massive free-radical generating event :P