8 Reasons Why Run A Marathon

Running is perhaps the simplest sport a person can do. Just yourself and a good pair of shoes, some may even argue that you don’t even need shoes at all! I grew to only enjoy running when I was older. It is quite Ironical that in the last few years, I have actually run more distances than all my life in my 20s and 30s. Running is no doubt good for exercise. In those years, you never need to run more than 2.4km to pass the annual Individual Physical Proficiency Tests or the IPPT. Bumping into someone who said he/she have completed or will run a 42km race, everyone will have this common reaction “you are crazy!” So how then I went over to the crazy side of running? I reflected on what were my motivations then, so I might motivate somebody who can be converted to the crazy side. These are some of the reasons, chronologically aligned leading to my first full Marathon:

1. The Forrest Gump Effect

Remember the awards winning 1995 movie, Forrest Gump? I have watched the movie countless times. Every time, I picked up quotes I didn’t catch or remember the last time. Recently, I watched this classic again with my kids. I suddenly realized there were so many life lessons I can teach them out of the story. The most catchy quote they have taken away from the movie was: “Run Forest Run!”. And then I told them my running story.   

Once in 2013, for some unfortunate work event, I was very upset. Psychologically and physically drained. I remember this movie which I just watched barely days ago. I had that uncanny feeling of just felt like going for a run. Maybe it is being too upset, or just because of movie’s inspiration, I head out to just run. Round a few blocks were what I normally do, about 2-3km, and only to train for the seasonal fitness test, never voluntarily. That evening, I ran the same route. Then interestingly, rounding the usual finishing spot, I thought since I ran up till here, I might as well keep running, just like when Forrest reached the “end” and turn around to continue. I ran and ran, thinking of the work day, screw it, and continue to run. By the time I was summoned back for dinner, I have completed 8-9km. I couldn’t remember when was the last time I did that distance, probably 20 years ago in school cross-countries?

Suddenly, completing a 10 km race seemed rather doable. Based on the slightly less than an hour timing I did for that run, if I run 10 plus km, and walk the next few km, I can then finish the Half-Marathon in 3 hours, which is acceptable timing. So I held that thought for a while.

2. Going to Races with Friends Colleagues and Relatives 

Incidentally, soon after than run. A colleague came up to me and tried to sign me up for a 10km race. No problem. It was the SAFRA bay run. The run gave me a really positive experience. First, I like the carnival atmosphere at the race village. Fun music and cheerleaders along the way. Second, running along iconic roads in Singapore exclusively reserved for runners. Third, running alongside lots of people. Some motivate you (overtaking young chaps), some demoralise you (being overtaken by old folks). By and large, It was an easy and enjoyable run. So this set the stage for me taking part in more races. I was no longer satisfied with only 10km. I still held the thought of completing a Half Marathon. So together with the colleague, we signed up for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in Dec 2013 (the 21.1km catergory). 

I was somewhat proud to announce that I was going to run 21 km, akin to running from my house in the Northern end of Singapore to the City Centre (@ southern end). I did so at one of our family gatherings. My wife’s cousin-in-law, in his mid-40s then, told me he was going for the full one. I was still like, that’s crazy, and I leave it at that, try the half first before anything further than that. But then the thought of him being older and yet able to finish a full Marathon lingered with me for some time.  

My brother-in-law who is a year older also began to sign up for running races independently until we had dinner together one day. He became my training and race partners, joined by my colleagues. 

3. Desire to Achieve Something During a Mid-life Crisis

So we all ran that first Half Marathon. Start the race together but ended with varied timings. We trained diligently with recommended weekly milages. And so I managed to score a respectable timing of just over 2 hours and a negative split. This meant that I ran faster in the second half of the race than the first. I had a strong finishing, and like the Movie Forrest Gump,  I felt that I could still go on, might as well continue. Out of a sudden, the thought of completing a Full Marathon starts to occupy my brain, already trying to comprehend whether I was in a midlife crisis or not. Then I remembered how I arrived at the Half – if I could finish the half without stopping, and ran a bit more, the rest of the full distances can be done by walking. I could still complete 42km in under the allowable 6-7 hours cut-off time.  And so, I began to feel that running a Marathon is not so crazy after all.

Actually, the truth then was, life is getting stagnant and I needed to achieve something significant before crossing the 40-year-old mark. And so it happened that running a Marathon is much cheaper than owning a flashy sports car.

4. Audio Book as the Companion

Actually, the race itself is just another running session if you have been training. Having signed up for one keeps the process of preparation alive and motivated. Most recommendations by friends and online experts will tell you to progressively clock mileages and running duration, regardless of speed if you just want to complete the race distance. So, on a weekly basis, I will do long runs on weekends, and maybe a shorter but faster one during the week. But frankly, long runs are boring. Your motivation to do it on a Sunday morning instead of a comfy snooze can sometimes be batted. I tried radio talk shows, music etc. These works to kill boredom during a run, but does not offer motivation to start. I was introduced by another colleague an ebook/audiobook app – Overdrive.

I used the Overdrive app with my National Library membership to loan audiobooks, 3 weeks each time up to 8 audiobooks. I came to realise I could just run in my sustainable heart-rate zone for hours … listening to an audiobook – Biographies, Chinese classics, motivational books, histories, etc. So other than work and facing my kids, running became my ME time. With the right book, the running session became a enjoyable pass time. These few years of running long distances, I have “read” more books than 20 years of my working life. 

5. Its Trendy to be Running

Running activities have grown much larger in the past few years. Good money for the organisers too. It is noteworthy to mention that the past few years, the number of organised races have increased. Each race’s participants has also increased. This year in 2018, the SCMS has grown to a 2 days format incorporating more categories. 

If you haven’t noticed, runners are getting trendy. Like golf, there is a whole fashion fraternity related to the sport. Running gears, apparels, accessories and related products are big business. As the saying goes “win loose never-mind, pattern must be nice”. A runner in a very professional outfit – e.g. sweat absorbing cap, latest sports headphones, high-end HRM & GPS tracker watch, professional water bladder, race belt filled with running gels,  compression socks, and a pair of latest running shoes – effectively won half the race. It is rather self-satisfying having the best gadgets, latest apparels, and parade them during a race. I am perfectly fine with just the free event running tees, shorts, a bottle belt and a pair of good off-season discounted running shoes, plus my reliable Fenix 5X.         

6. All Year Race Calendar

Races were organised all year round. Somehow, the organisers knew how to de-conflict their racing calendars. After all, more participants mean more revenue, I guess there must some sort of coordination done, at least for the big races. There were 2 mainstream Full-Marathon races in a year. Once in the mid-year which is the Sundown Marathon, and the other which is an internationally accredited race, Standard Charted Singapore Marathon happens at the end. Half Marathons are conveniently organised about 1-2 months before the full, and that ties in with the training distances one ought to achieve before attempting the full one.

The 2XU and Run350 half-marathons are normally scheduled in Apr and that will lead up to the Sundown for the mid-year. For the year-end, you have STrun (which is 18.45km) and Newton (32km), leading up to the SCSM. Along the way, there are many lesser-known races in distances of 5km, 10km. So if you attempting a full marathon, you can pick and choose some of these intermediate races to spur up your training runs or clocking your training distances.   

On weekends where there are no officially organised races, some running clubs will just insert their own. When you check out race calenders from RunSociety, Just-run-lah or Running Guild, there will not be a weekend freeof events.

7. Scalable: Up, Down or Go Overseas

Runners go to races for a myriad of reasons. The elites race for the prize, others go for personal bests, and most want to collect finisher T-shirts and medals for bragging rights. So this is about running in general, whatever your reasons are there is a race catered for you regardless of the distance. After finishing a milestone, one can feel like how Forrest felt, continue to try longer and longer distances, challenging your limits. This is what run fanatics called ultramarathons. Some running societies offer races up to 180km! That to me is really crazy, yet there are loads of runners signing up. Or one can just make the tick in the box and fall back to a more sustainable (I meant for your knees) distances like the half-marathon, but this time getting a better time. Others may just continue to collect race medals as I do. You may also want to join races elsewhere as part of your holidays, such as the renowned Gold Coast, Big Sur or Great wall Marathons etc.  

8. It is good for your health

I will not say more about this. This is common sense, running is good for you. As you age, your metabolism is going to slow down, if you don’t eat less, you will be growing horizontally, which come associated with health issues. But I am not about to strongly advocate everyone should be running a marathon. It may be damaging for someone who has preexisting conditions, and that distance is going to make it worse. You know yourself best, so I am not going to nag further. I just want to point out, once you sign up for that race, your life is going to change for the better. Regardless you finish the race or not, the process by which you start your first training run to the eve of the race, and I can bet my last dollar, you will be in a better fitness, health and mental wellbeing. 

Simply, Just Run

If these 8 reasons have not catalysed your interest to go for that first marathon, nevermind. Just go and run any distance when you feel like it. I did. It led me to my first marathon completed in 2014 run-jog-walk. Then in 2015 finished the distance without stopping.  

gobassky