'The year of struggle!'...
Yup..that would definitely summarize my whole journey until this very last day of year 2014.
But, although it was a struggle I would never exchange all those experiences for anything else as they are the reasons I'm now back writing and sharing in this space after months of self-isolation.
To start..
I had to start all over again after I got injured from last's year event (yup, you saw that right...since 2013 guys!) and subsequently, caught up with all those mystery illnesses for months that limits me to only runs within a short distance (the max was 3k) and a short period of time. I was so devastated that I ended up being sedentary for many months as I almost lost all of my confidence and hope for cure, To add to the loss, I also gained back all of my weights that had gone for the past one year. It was a total desolation for me.
Until...
July 2014 and Alhamdulillah, my hope and pray for cure was granted by Him, the Almighty. It felt different at first after all those weird niggles and strains in my body were totally gone and left me only with normal muscle cramps. After few massage therapies, my physical being was back to its 'fitrah' and I was ready to recommence my journey albeit from scratch at that time.
Slowly i put in effort after effort to regain my shape and confidence to continue my ambition (with the continuous and enormous support from my beloved wife of course) until month of September 2014 where I registered my first event for the year (or even perhaps the last for the year, :P) which was the PJ Half Marathon just to see how far I've gone.
And Alhamdulillah, the rest was all history...
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| The last 200m before the finishing line under the 21k category. Glad to see me smiling again.. |
and it was worth it..
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| So happy! |
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| The joyous feeling! |
If you guys look carefully to the picture, I didn't wear my ever loyal companion, the Nike+ GPS watch which went kaput just days before the actual event. Hence, i ran free and only followed my instinct to whatever pace that I could conjure up.
And to my surprise, i even managed to run non-stop (with stops at water/sponge stations) until the 17k mark!!. Memang terbaiklah!
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| The result and timing. |
The result also was just what I expected after so many months missing from any running action. Huhu!
But all in all, I was grateful and fully satisfied with my effort.
So what now?
Up to this final day of 2014, I have successfully clocked-in miles after miles and ran consistently up to 13k for my LSD. But most importantly, I could feel that all those heaviness in my limbs start to slowly disappear and even the pace is slowly reappear especially after i did all those tempo/speedwork/hill routines week after week.
And so my take from all of the above: Do not give up! Because, if you continue to dream and work to realize it even after so many falls along the way, insyaAllah, with patience the result and the rewards will finally arrive in front of you.
My last note for this year 2014: May this year be the learning year for all of us after so many tragedies (personal or in the public level) happened within our surroundings, before we take our first step into year 2015.
As for me, only excitement and hardwork are waiting in front of me and I can't wait to continue pushing myself until I can fully realize my ambition to be called an 'Ultramarathoner'.
One day guys, one day...
Finally, HAPPY NEW YEAR to everybody and may our future continue to be blessed and filled with happiness and joy!!
See you on the road next year people!!
Adios
