Finish Lines

So happy to have finished the race before my goal time!

Clement and I after I crossed the
finish line! I was so happy to have
 his company for the last two miles!

 In late June, after my family’s visit to Malaysia, Christina (my roommate) and I knew that we needed to have something to work towards and keep us occupied. Despite the tropical heat and having to wear very conservative clothing, we decided to start running. Moreover, we decided to train for the annual Perhentian Island Challenge in October 2012. In addition, I decided to train for the Singapore Mizuno Wave Run 16K in September 2012.

Crossing the finish line! Finished 10 seconds
before my goal time!

The Singapore Mizuno Wave Run 16K was the first race that I ever participated in. I spent the weekend with my friend Clement and his family in Singapore. The morning of my race, Clement took me by his motorcycle to the starting line. With my jersey on and Ipod buds in my ears, I ran with the thousands of others. It was so exhilarating to be running alongside so many people from all over the world, and it was awesome to be running 10 miles around Singapore! In fact, the racecourse lead right in front of Clement’s home. When I ran through his neighborhood, I was overcome with happiness to see Clement and his dad cheering me on and taking photos. As I smiled at them, Clement ran up next to me. To my surprise, he kept me company for the final two miles of the race. He ran alongside me and encouraged me to keep running, even when I was tempted to walk! (Thanks Clem!) The Singapore 16K was one of my favorite memories from my year abroad, because I crossed the finish line 10 seconds before my goal time!

ETAs and friends, Adeel &Kristin, and I after the race! 

Friend & ETA, Adeel, came
to Singapore to cheer us on!
He even made a shirt

I dedicated my run to my
dear Uncle Jerry!

We finished the race and earned medals,

Kristin and I before the race!
I was feeling a little nervous!

After the Perhentian Island
Challenge, I was sore and
 itchy to say the least.

The Perhentian Island Challenge took place in October on the Perhentian Islands. Three female ETAs and I decided to sign- up and train for it. The only catch – it’s a challenge, so they do not tell you what the course entails until the morning of the race. So, we did our homework and looked at what the challenge had entailed for the three years prior. From what we could gather, it would be about an 8K to 10K run around the island. “We got this,” we thought to ourselves. Needless to say, we showed up at the starting line on the day of the race only to discover that for this particular year it was a 21K run/jungle trek with 70% incline. As you can imagine, we were shocked, but we set off and began the race anyway. Within the first twenty minutes, the four of us became separated. Even more, it was three hours before the first water station. The Perhentian Island Challenge was completely different than we had expected, and I can honestly say that I felt as though it was some sort of cruel joke. On the particular day itself, none of us found it very funny. However, now, three months later I think it is hilarious. Although many of the participants ended up with typhoid and I was terrified after hiking through the jungle for forty-five minutes all alone and witnessing the largest snake I had ever seen and climbing up muddy slopes, it was an adventure. That’s what life is all about.

*(By the way, out of about 240 participants, only about 60 actually finished. And, no, my friends and I were not some of them.)

Sometimes you reach your finish lines, and sometimes you even surpass your goals. Other times, you do not reach that moment of victory and may not even accomplish your task. But, it is about giving it your all and remembering what you learned even in the midst of so-called failure. Then, taking what you learned and trying again. 

Boat ride back after the race. My friends and I
did not make it to the finish line, but we gave it
our best try. That's what mattered, and I was happy for
making it as far as I did in ~ 7.5 hours. AND, I was
especially happy that I had the typhoid vaccine!

These were the bands I received for the levels I made it to
within the challenge. Two bands symbolized two water
stations / 7.5 - 8 hours in the jungle.

I did not come out looking 'pretty' to say the
least. The bushes and thorns left us with
some lovely rashes and scrapes.

Ouch! Thorns in my hands. Because it was
a challenge, we did not know what the race
entailed until right before starting. Therefore,
we did not have proper gear! Next time, I will
remember gloves!