My first time

I have waited for it for more than a month now. It was supposed to happen at the end of July, but somehow it got postponed till last weekend. I even took a day off from work, to groom myself properly, and oil myself up for the big day.

I have forgotten the last time I did it. It was so long ago that it was not worth mentioning. Don't look back, they said. Instead, move on, meet more people, date more women, and get the bigger picture out of life.

And so I did. And when Sunday greeted me with its gloomy skies, I knew the day couldn't have been any better. I was all ready and psyched up. It was time.

The first 10 minutes was always the hardest. It was when I could feel the pain in my gut, wrenching me breathless and letting me groaned in pain. After a while, I could feel the rhythm coming to me, my breathing was getting constant. And that was when the pain travelled up my chest. My heartbeat was still trying to adjust to the sudden increase of activities, it was pandemonium. Every part of my body was screaming for more blood, and my poor heart was pumping frantically. And my brain kept sending instruction to every nerves and muscles in my body. And after a while, the pain turned into pleasure, and I could feel myself grinning in anticipation.

Half an hour passed by, and I was still going strong and constant. But as I continued on, I was faced with an uphill struggle. My steps faltered, and my breathing became laboured. But I continued on, determined to reach my climax at my targeted time.

And suddenly, I could see the finishing line up ahead. But it was still a distance away, and I've left with less than 10 minutes to cross it. I increased my pace, pushing myself to my limits, and draining every ounce of reserved energy I still had. I knew I would pay the consequences later, as exhaustion and all sorts of bodily aches crept up on me. But that did not matter.

All that matter was for me to finish what I've started. And finished it I did, with a minute to spare. 58 minutes and 46 seconds. That was how long I took to run my first 10km race.