The Marathon Experience season II

"No medal for us but just a certificate and quite some energy left, I purpose not to miss this kind of race and again. God willing I will be back next year to do the 21km race." Those were my words in my blog dated 10/27/2008 titled The marathon Experience.

Am so thankful to God that those words came to pass. Yesterday we were at it again, this time I had no butterflies in my tummy like I had the previous year the day to the marathon on the contrary I felt organised. However the only problem was that I was unwell the last week to the marathon and am still nursing myself and as such had slacked in my training the last two weeks to the marathon. All in all I was not ready to let the ill health nor the fact that pms was all over the place hold me back!

Dark and early I rose and by 6.30 we were at the stadium. At about 7.25 the race began. I felt comfortable running all through past to the 10 km and I think up to the 15 km point. At some point it started raining and stopped and even started again even more heavily and I was thinking this is just thee race! Trouble started when I was about 4 km or so to the finish line, I had felt my right knee twinge earlier on and had ignored it but now the pain became more and more intense, like it was a dislocated knee or something. Not that I have dislocated a knee before, but I hope u get my drift. Poor me I thought, I had done so well managed to pass many people along the way but now this, everyone will overtake me!.....quel pitie!

I stopped and walked for a while and getting that knee to run again was the hardest and most painful thing i had to endure, from then on it was run a little bit then walk until I got to the stadium entrance.

I definitely knew that my colleagues who had finished earlier on were at the stadium waiting for the rest of us and they might applaud as I approached the finish line but I wasn’t sure if I could run the last 300 meters with my paining knee (talk of wanting to make a statement ;)). I stood outside for a minute or two trying to compose myself while other runners were trying to encourage me and telling me that I can do it and at long last I entered the stadium limp-running and just as I approached the finish line I heard them cheering me on, it felt nice to be encouraged but ideally I would have loved to finish in style.......that is do the last 100 meters sprint as you wave to the 'fans'. Slowly and with difficulty I ran on and waved at them and nothing felt better than crossing that finish line (with some style too). My assumption is that I did the race in about 2.5 or a bit more hours.

I got a medal, a certificate and had no ounce of energy left like the previous year but loads and loads of self satisfaction.
What next? I pray that God gives me another year to do another marathon even though it feels like my body will never be able to exercise again I know that I will recover and again it’s for a good cause....for someone to be blessed with the ability to see!
Dreams do really come true!