Cause for Celebration

this may come a month late, but i like to think it's still valid. february 1st of last year, i was released from the hospital after suffering an ultra mini stroke with strict orders of taking it easy. it came as a huge wake up call on my part, forcing me to take a long hard look on the way i lived. i decided i liked living, so i made changes to make sure i'd go on living for the next 60 (hopefully) years. as part of these changes, i discovered running.

i am a newbie, having begun this love affair with running only in july of last year. it has been tempestuous at best, enough to drive me crazy at times but addicting enough to make me want more and more. like a jealous lover, running has etched itself into my head.

so it began with 5Ks and daily runs. i would look forward to the daily runs, trying to see just how well or worse i will do on a particular day. but i was not satisfied. i craved more.

so today, i power ran. i was at the Mall of Asia at 6 am, to join other infatuated runners, as we bid the sunrise hello on the land of sunsets. there was also one major difference in my race today. i joined the 10K.

as i took my place on the starting line, doubts rose within me, knowing full well i did not train as hard as i wanted for this run. i was pretty sure i would not finish the course. i was pretty sure i would end up walking even before i hit the 7th kilometre.

miracle of miracles, i actually finished the race! coming in at exactly 70 minutes, i felt it was a pretty decent time, too. definitely sticking to the 10k plan!

i will be running two more 10Ks with a two week interval. my goal for the next two 10Ks is to still finish the course with a solid run and maybe, JUST maybe, decrease my time by a tiny bit. definitely a great way to start summer i have to say :) who knows, maybe the 21K is lurking just around the corner... until then i'll just have to keep on running :)