2024 Half-marathon
"The final stretch was a battle of will, my legs heavy, my mind urging forward... All my willpower was spent keeping a smiling face."
I participated in the Hong Kong Marathon 2024, running the half-marathon on January 21, 2024. I wrote down this entry the day after the race so that when one day I couldn't run, I could relive this memory.
// Race Ledger & Milestones
- The Wake-up Call: Before going to bed at around 9 P.M. the previous night, I set multiple alarms — three on my phone at 4:25, 4:30, and 4:35, and one on my watch at 4:45. Unsurprisingly, I woke up as soon as the first alarm went off. Undoubtedly, alarm clock is only invented for people to do things that they don't like at all.
- The Fuel Strategy: After a quick trip to the bathroom, I started my first battle - preparing breakfast. My mind was twisting and turning on the right kind and amount of food to have before the match (Yes I was so inexperienced). In that process I lost count of how many slices of bread I had (At least one, probably), so I ate another half slice just to be safe — by my calculation I would at least have sufficient energy blocks to carry out the run.
- Pacing Coordination: Maintaining tactical momentum during intermediate course splits required absolute focus. I was trying to maintain my speed, hoping to have a 1 minute margin by the time I finished the race.
- The Power Up: As I went near the central piers, the supporting crowd emerged. Most of them kept cheering for their friends — or they treated all runners as friends — and some of them made a banner with plastic, with the words "Tap for power up" on it. It beckoned, and I complied. I was wrong about the importance of rapport; I thought it was for the mentally weak. I ran close to that banner, tapped on it, smiled, and kept running.
- The Smiling Catalyst: The final stretch was a battle of will, my legs heavy, my mind urging forward. I kept checking on my watch to see whether I could meet the 2-hour mark but I couldn't process the maths in my burdened brain. All my willpower was spent keeping a smiling face; I read from somewhere that the facial expression could affect the body. I had to keep smiling to relieve the soreness of my muscles. It seemed to work as I accelerated with power out of nowhere. I was going for the 2-hour goal.
- The Final Sprint: The last 100 meters stretched infinitely. I was exhausted and time escaped me swiftly — I saw the watch showing 1:59:45. With only seconds left, I ran like Forrest Gump. Pushed, pushed, pushed, and stopped my watch the moment I crossed the line. It was 2:00:00 sharp.
