1) So this Sunday I took part in the 2018 SSE Dublin Marathon. It was meant to be my final swan song before returning to Malaysia, but it didn't go according to plan. If there's one thing I've made clear that I wasn't a big fan of here in Dublin, it's the weather. Particularly the perishingly cold weather that we were subjected to today.
2) Anyway, things kicked off relatively well - we took a nice group photo in front of the college, and then got ready to run in our own waves. I thought that I had accounted for the weather by suiting up with thermal wear underneath the singlet and shorts, but evidently I was wrong. I started off happy, running on the spirit and atmosphere of a fantastic crowd.
3) We had a couple of tough slopes to overcome, but in the end - that wasn't the deciding factor in my unimpressive DNF today. Yes, I did not finish the marathon today. Everything was going fine for the first 10km. I met a couple of doctors and we had a lovely chat. The Sun was out for some time, and my prospects were looking quite good at the moment.
4) Then, after the halfway mark (which is 21km by the way), my calves started cramping. Common sense dictates that you stop and rest, but at the same time, I'm well aware that stopping completely only makes things worse. So onwards till mile 16 it was, when the temptation to have a little rest by the pavement got the better of me. Depending on how you look at it, it was either the best or worse decision I made.
5) For the next fifteen minutes my calves and ankles spasmed uncontrollably, and any sort of movement (flexing, extending, adducting or abducting) would trigger a spasm of some sort. I was literally hunched over, a mixture of disappointment and anger as I knew a) the race was practically over for me, b) I might have averted this if I had layered up more and rehydrated a lot more. Ankle spasms are completely new to me, and they felt a lot worse than the usual ones I get in my calves.
6) An EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) came to assist me, and when I first tried, I couldn't stand up. After some time, I could stand up and hobbled my way to the medical tent - which was thankfully only 20 paces away. The sight of rain and a gloomy sky seemed to be giving me all the signs to stop and call it a day. So they called a van to pick me (and some other runners) up and bring us back to Merrion Square - the starting point.
7) Along the way, I had plenty of time to reminisce about the situation. On one hand, bitterly disappointed that it had to end this way, considering I wouldn't be returning for the next iteration of the marathon. But on the other - perhaps it had all been for the better that I did listen to my body. If I had successfully finished the marathon but at the expense of my health, would it have been worth it? But it's easy to think clearly when it's all over, not so when you see waves of runners finishing up and start thinking "why did I stop?"
8) Finally, some of you (or let's be honest, maybe none of you XD) may have been wondering why on earth I would take part in this gruelling event in the first place? With little training, a lesion in my lung, absolutely nothing to gain as I've done the marathon before and finished in time, why would I even bother? To be honest, the main reason is much more personal than all that. I'll leave it at that. But after more than a half marathon, what gave way was my legs, not my lungs.
Thus, the moral victory is mine...
That's basically it from my blog, thanks very much for visiting. Have a nice week ahead, cheers! :)
The RCSI Running Team for the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon 2018
The night before the run :))
From l-r: Shwe, Areen, Myself, Jane
(just before the starting gun went off)
