So... What next?

April 14th, 2011



I did it!! I really did it!!

After 7 hours and 43 minutes of grueling muscle strain, I crossed the finish line.
And it felt good. It felt REAL good!

I was definitely far from anything even remotely related to a podium position (hell, even the free pizza was finished by the time I was done), but I did not care at all. I was not there to win. I was there to complete the race!

The lack of proper training was felt throughout the day.
The swim was pretty hard, especially trying to fight the current that was pushing us outwards, but I managed to do a personal best and finished within less than 50 minutes.



The bike was ride was challenging, mainly because of the strong winds, even though the whole course was flat. It's funny, about 10 miles in the ride, I remembered that I had not done a proper, 30+ mile ride for more than a month. The last couple of weeks I had focused on running and swimming, so the bike took its toll, both on my butt and on my back. It took me 3 hours and 40 minutes, which was longer than I wanted, but it was no big deal.

The run was the part I was dreading the most. I hate running, I am not good at it, I do not enjoy it and I have never in my life run more than 6 miles in one go. You can imagine how daunting it seemed to have to run a half marathon after having already exercised for 4 and a half hours. Surprisingly enough, when I started running, I realized that the muscles required for the run were still practically untouched. That increased my self confidence significantly and was ready the last few hours of sweat.



It really did prove to be the hardest part. By about mile 7 I was in pain all over. By mile 10 my chest felt like it was going to explode. The last mile was simply neverending. My legs just did not want to cooperate anymore and I was begging for it to end.
And then, I saw the last stretch. 100 yards to the finish line and suddenly, out of nowhere, this burst of energy pushed me to start sprinting like a mad man and finally bringing me across the other side of the finish line. You can see this actually in the short video below.



The feeling of satisfaction and relief the moment I stopped running cannot be described. I was literally in tears and in awe of what I had just achieved!

The evening following the race found me lying in bed, unable to walk due to trashed muscles all over my body, unable to relax due to the bucketloads of adrenaline that was still flowing, sunburnt like hell and with chaffed nipples and arm pits to the point of almost bleeding.

Honestly... It was worth every moment of pain. I did something that I never pictured myself capable of doing. I pushed my limits and proved to myself that nothing is beyond reach. This has been a tremendous confidence boost for me and I can now say with certainty that absolutely nothing is beyond me! As long as I desire it, there is nothing I cannot do! NOTHING!



I have never felt more proud of myself in my life!

M.