I woke up at 4 a.m. to the sound of wind rushing and heavy clouds. It was still dark, yet I knew it was going to rain. True enough, as I was driving to the race venue it began to drizzle. The drizzling gradually turned to a torrential downpour. It wasn’t raining cats and dogs, but the rain was heavy. Yet, I was determined to go for the run. The organizers did not call off the race as there was no thunder and lightning. Upon lining up at the starting point, I was happy to see a few familiar faces and the energy was great – everyone was eager to run too!
By the first water station at 4km, I was already soaking wet. The rain came down on us in big fat droplets, leaving us drenched from head to toe. Thankfully, I was wearing my black Mumtaz hijab, so it remained opaque even when wet. The wind was blowing, but it was heavy enough so it did not flip up, yet well-ventilated so it dries up quickly when the rain stops (optional: to securely attached your Mumtaz hijab, pin it at the shoulders).
My black Mumtaz Hijab was a life-saver!
We prayed Fajr (subuh) in the rain at the first water station. Nothing was going to stop us!
As expected from last year’s event, the route was hilly. Mental preparation is indeed important apart from physical training. I will keep a positive attitude, and I will not beat myself up if the race does not go as expected. It was just going to be me against myself. Through out the run, I could not help but think about how I felt compared to last year. I did not feel like the hills were mountains that were needed to conquer, but it was all part of the course that we must embrace. It wasn’t raining last year, but at least the weather is cool so we can go faster. Plus, I was glad that I invested in the right gear such as the right hijab, top, pants, and shoes.
I was feeling fine when I reached the 15km marker. Perhaps those cross-training were starting to pay off? Perhaps the additional mileages were starting to show results? I must have done something right, and I am indeed grateful for all of the support I received. I was on track to complete the 30km within 4 hours, however, just after midway I had a stomach ache attack. I spent precious minutes getting off track, looking for a toilet and calming my stomach down. The pain was seriously affecting my mental state, I really wanted to turn back to the 15km marker and hop on the ambulance. However, a volunteer encouraged me to keep on going no matter how slow I had to walk as I was already halfway. Finally, I found a toilet after asking at a few shop lots at the side of the road.
Despite not renewing my personal best for this event (I finished around the same time as I did last year), I finished the race feeling significantly stronger. It was definitely a challenging route, yet I had no regrets about signing up for it. Newton Challenge, I will be back again next year if my running calendar permits.
Until next week,
The Weekend Runner.
