Kumusta mga kapamilya, kapuso, at kapatid! (Hello Everyone!) This is Ruel, your travelblogger from Philippines. Today, I will share to you my breath-taking bone-wrecking death-defying experience to reach the finish line of a 12 km race. And you're right, I'm exaggerating a bit. :D
If you read my blog on my most recent trip to Cambodia-Thailand border (link here), then you will know the place where I had my very first 12 km marathon in my whole life. Yes, I and my friends went to Sa Kaeo province to join the 2017 Run Aran Marathon.
As I mentioned, it was my first time to run that long and not only that, there was a minimum speed requirement where everyone who failed to reach the target will be cut out from the race. I have never tried running more than 5km in my life so I was thinking I may end up in the hospital after this. :D
The next day, we have to get up at 3 am to prepare for the race. Indeed, waking up at 3 am is much more difficult than staying awake until 3am. But for the love of marathon, yes we did. Here's the official marathon shirt with my race tag that we should wear on the race.
And then the race started.
After running 7 km, I got really exhausted and and my legs started to get hurt unbearably. The overall sensation reminded me of the song "I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing." At that time, I was thinking of giving up and quit the race to stop all the pain. But then I realize something.
"Life is a big race. Even if you're tired enough, you have to keep moving forward."
This is one important lesson I got from joining this marathon.
To cut the story short, I finished the race and I successfully reached the speed requirement. (Hooray!) Though this is not a big deal, I was very happy at that moment.
Successful runners are rewarded with this medal "FINISHER".
Yes, we were literally taking a bath of our own sweat after race but reaching the finish line got us genuinely smiling. The feeling is surreal.
Another thing I've learned from this is that
"Never doubt yourself. You'll never know if you can do it, if you won't."
Credits to my friends for planning this trip. It was Sanoook Makk! (Thai word for very enjoyable).
I hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. And stay tuned for more action-packed adventures. If you want to join our journey to the Ancient World before we went to the marathon, you can checkout my latest travel blog here.
Previous Episodes
Episode 1: Have you been to the World's Best Airport?
Episode 2: Samet Island Experience
Episode 3: A Slice of Heaven in Thailand: Kanchanaburi
Episode 4: Must-See Places in Bangkok
Episode 5: Ancient Realm at Cambodia-Thailand Border
