First thing is first……What a beautiful day for a half marathon! Congratulations to everyone out there who gave it their all today! I hope everyone had a great experience!
Last year 2016, has been filled with many runs and my 1st half marathon, of course….Maybe it’s because I just can’t say no or maybe because I am slightly crazy, but last sunday- marked my second half marathon The Twincity Marathon in Cyberjaya-Putrajaya. This is a great race for beginners and experienced runners alike. It really is a nice course to run. I know I’ll be back to this run again! It is definitely a race you should experience at least once. I would do this race every year if I could.
The organisers did a good job with registration and race pack collection. It was held at D’ pulze for 3 days. On the first day, a slight technical error happened however, it was rectified ASAP, then it was smooth onawards. The volunteers always know what they are doing at this race which is nice. KUDOS to all of them!
Sunday morning, after a sleepless night..as always my alarm rang at 3.03am….ehem…lucky number- wanted to do a PB for sub-3 (LOL) anyway, we arrived at 4.50am because we were afraid the traffic is usually pretty heavy. There were already lots of cars coming in but we ended up getting a great parking spot, quite near to the start/finish area. The RELA and volunteers did an awesome job with the car parks and traffic control. There were lots of runners socializing as we walked around to see the start area. The race start area was very organized, and you really need to be, with a race of this size. Hubby and I did our race ritual- porta porties. The facilities was plenty. No issues on queues or long lines. Very sufficient. After that, we were led by a cool team of Zumba dancers for the warm up zumba session. Fuh Yoh! I really enjoyed it….I was wide awake and I think my muscles were jumping for joy too! The zumba session lasted for 15 minutes after that we got into our corral. It was a pretty packed corral as I believe many runners are always shooting for a sub 2 hour half marathon.
The flagged off was on time, though we could barely hear the emcee due to the speakers however, with all the hype and excitement-the runners just wanted to start the run…..The weather was nice for running. Then at 5.30am sharp we were flagged off! The corral typically goes out pretty fast and then people start to somewhat seperate. A much thinner crowd, by the time I hit the 2 km marker.
The course also had tons of volunteers handing out water and energy drinks. I did enjoy the course. You are never alone during the race as there are always people of the same pace no matter what your pace is…
On to my race…..well the half marathon continues to be my nemesis and I do not know why….The plan was…hmmmm……I actually had NO PLAN! Just to complete and finish the race..LOL..with this being a nice flat course…turns out a positive attitude goes a long way! I just kept reminding myself to relax my shoulders, I smiled and had fun with the ups and downs…the hills not the emotions..LOL
A nice little surprise awaited the runners at the 16 km, Nasi Lemak! Glorious…yummylious…..”Nasi Lemak Anak Dara” was served at the stop. Many runners made a pit stop to reload. Seriously, it was a cool and awesome sight to see during a marathon race.
The last 3 km was a struggle! The route was tougher in the second half of the race, but I was able to negotiate those pretty okie. The morning was cool but a little humid so the plentiful sponges were really helpful.
The organisers did a tremendous awesome job with the traffic control and marshaling! The runners safety were their top priority and that was really great! Thank you dear organisers! The start and finish were efficiently handled!
On a more positive note, I was so touched by all the cheers from passing runners..it made me feel awesome even though I was struggling! I appreciate each and every one of them and I am truly sorry I did not cheer back, I did in spirit..! But I was very focused on keeping one foot in front of the other. I hope you enjoyed my pain-“sakit” face! Ha ha ha!
I was hoping for a better time today and possibly even a PB. We are runners and we expect more of ourselves after all that is why we do it and that is what fuels the fire to keep training. So needless to say this has only fueled my fire more and I will be back to training to hit my running goals as I am not content with my current PBs and not ready to throw in the towel!
So whether you had an AWESOME day ( I heard of a lot of amazing PBs today at the Twincity Marathon today!!) or not so awesome day, I hope you can learn from it! That is the amazing thing about running, there is always something to learn and grow from!
Running season is here…..BRING IT ON! until next time onwards and upwards!
Thank you Twincity Marathon! YOU ROCK!! Woot woot!
chrisywong.com 
Awesome!!!!!! (As always) thank you for always keep us update of your races.. So keen to join the race with their well-organized event.
Congrats Chrisy Wong!!!
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