2009 Dean Karnazes Silicon Valley Full Marathon, California, USA – 25 October 2009

“Die die must try or regret, ah!” is a favorite “Singlish” saying. Essentially, it means to live life with no regrets. Running and finishing a full marathon (42 KM or 26.2 miles distance) had been on my personal bucket list for as long as I could remember. I simply HAD to do it even if, as the saying goes, I die trying! I finally accomplished this personal goal on Sunday, 25 October 2009. Needless to say, it was a monumental personal achievement – one that I will remember for a long time coming. Here are a few things I learned from this experience:

1. The heart is stronger than the mind and body. When one has heart, one will succeed, no matter how difficult it gets; and difficult the marathon definitely was! On the return leg of the course, I started to wane. My body started to tire out and my pessimistic mind tried to persuade my body to stop and quit. Lacking sufficient oxygen to the brain, my thoughts became incoherent as well. The line that separates the winners from the rest is drawn when the heart persists despite all the physical and mental hardships. The heart and spirit become the physical and mental turbo charge to propel one to finish. The heart will tell the mind to be positive – to look for strength from God and other positive influences. The body, trained and conditioned with months of running and proper dieting, will eventually co-operate with whatever the heart desires. So, despite the difficulty, my heart persevered.

2. I also learned that the goal of finishing was not the end all. It was the “getting there”, the journey, that mattered more than the leap across the finish line. The finish line was but a reference point. We can have many “finish lines” (or goals) in life but if we do not take the first step, or continue to take the steps on the course, we will never cross them.

3. Food science was never an area of interest but to prepare for my long-distance runs, I had to study how food was used as fuel for my body. As carbohydrates became my best friend, pastas and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches became my staple diet. I also consumed many high-carb and potassium-rich bananas as they help to stave off cramping and replenish electrolytes lost in perspiration. I learned about electrolytes the hard way - when I felt nauseous and had headaches after each run. A quick research indicated that I had to increase my salt intake. I started loading up on electrolyte-filled drinks like Powerade to stay hydrated. I also started calcium, magnesium, iron and fish oil supplements, in addition to my daily multi-vitamin pills.

4. I noticed a transformation of my body and mind over time. The going was rough initially as I built up stamina and endurance. I learned that the body would typically break down fat after the initial 20 minutes of running. Most novice runners would start to feel sluggish at this point as the body needed more oxygen to break down fat. Once fat was broken down, however, the body would start to develop muscles that stored energy, which the body would use as fuel. Over time, the body would become toner and leaner in spite of the carb intake. The mind would also become clearer and more focused. The natural endorphins derived after each run were also excellent mood stabilizers. It also helped to do some light stretching exercises after each run to wind down and improve flexibility. I definitely gained self-awareness in the process - I learned to be attentive to my body and mind as they sent signals to help me in my preparation.

5. I learned about shin splints from a personal experience. Four weeks into my training, I bought a new pair of running shoes and wanted to break them in. Not realizing that they were wrong for me in terms of balance and support, I got over-confident and sprinted at the final lap. Big mistake – I tore a muscle on my right calf as I made the turn. I gradually learned to let time heal my wound. No amount of superficial cold compressions could speed up the healing process of a deep tissue-level wound. I rested and let nature take its course despite feelings of despair and disappointment. I was even prepared to forego the marathon. The pain was crippling, both physically and mentally. During the rest and healing period, I continued to walk and hike. When I felt my leg was recovering and getting stronger, I tried running again. Taking that first running step was frightening as I recalled the sharp pain on my leg (the mind can play tricks on us). But when I ran and felt no pain, I was overjoyed that I was healed! There was hope after all for me to continue my marathon training and actually run it! I learned that failure is OK and that time heals all wounds. Keep the faith and be patient. 

6. My body would undergo tremendous strain with every big run. I would be completely fatigued - my legs would become weak like jello and so stiff from hours of constant running that it would hurt to bend them; my hips and knees would be sore as well. I would be in pain from shoulders to feet. Despite the physical hardships, I was grateful for them. "No pain, no gain", so they say. This journey has taught me to 1) take things in my own stride, 2) treasure my health, and 3) make the most of my body now to do the things I want to do in life. We never know when our bodies will break one day. Everything in this world is passing away. So while my body can still endure the strain and recover from it, I wanted to test my mettle and know what I am capable of. I finally ran and finished a full marathon. That's one thing checked off of my bucket list..... next! :)

I detail below a log of my distance build-up over a 6-month period:

2009	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Total
May 17-23	6KM		6KM				6KM	18KM
May 24-30	8KM		6KM		8KM		6KM	28KM
May 31-Jun 6	8KM		6KM	6KM	6KM		6KM	32KM
Jun 7-13	10KM		6.8KM				6KM	22.8KM
Jun 14-20	2.8KM				6KM			8.8KM
Jun 21-27	6.5KM		4KM					10.5KM
Jun 28–Jul 4						4KM		4KM
Jul 5-11	6KM							6KM
Jul 12-18
Jul 19-25
Jul 26-Aug 1
Aug 2-8	4KM				5.15KM			9.15KM
Aug 9-15	10.3KM		10.3KM		10.3KM			30.9KM
Aug 16-22	10.3KM		10.3KM		10.3KM		10.3KM	41.2KM
Aug 23-29		10KM			10.3KM		10.3KM	30.6KM
Aug 30-Sep 5		10.3KM			10.3KM		10.3KM	30.9KM
Sep 6-12		10.3KM		10.3KM		10.3KM		30.9KM
Sep 13-19			20.6KM		10.3KM		10.3KM	41.2KM
Sep 20-26		10.3KM		10.3KM			10.3KM	30.9KM
Sep 27-Oct 3		30.9KM			10.3KM		10.3KM	51.5KM
Oct 4-10		10.3KM		10.3KM		10.3KM		30.9KM
Oct 11-17	26KM			7.74KM		7.74KM		41.5KM
Oct 18-24	7.74KM		6.5KM		5.2KM			19.4KM
Oct 25	42KM							42KM

Notable weeks:

Jun 14-Jul 4: Shin splint issue

Jul 12-Aug 1: Healing time

Oct 11-24: 2 weeks of tapering down

Oct 25: Completed the race in 05:22hrs (less-than-ideal but I finished and that’s what counts!)