A disappointing performance after 3 months of training. Although this is just my first half-marathon, I certainly need to put in more hours into training runs if I intend to do a full marathon anytime in the near future. In fact, the mileage covered during our usual training runs is not enough, with the maximum distance capped only at 16km.

But I will definitely not use these as excuses for my poor showing today. 21km may not be a very long distance to begin with but to be actually on the ground running it is a different story. I can say that the initial stages of the run were rather smooth-going though slow since it is a distance that we covered every other week during training runs.

However, as the run dragged on, I found trouble coping with the pace and distance, especially after the Marina Barrage. Hence, I started stopping more for water points to rehydrate myself. Not that the weather is hot (in fact, it was the kind of perfect conditions to be running in), but rather, I made use of these opportunities to rest my tired legs and slow down my pace.

Honestly speaking, it was just pure psychological torture running the last 6 clicks. Probably because I am not conditioned enough to be able to finish strongly. It had pushed me to my physical limits, and it was all mental strength that spurred me on towards the finishing line. I slowed down but my mind kept telling me that I could not stop because it would be hard to get going again.

2:17:27 (official – 2:17:19). That was the timing on my watch as I crossed the finishing line. The result was abysmal and I missed my target timing of 2:15:00. I am totally shattered and disheartened. Nevertheless, though this may be a setback, at least I will have this experience to fall back on for future marathons. I am contented to know that I have put in my utmost best in today’s run, but I will strive to achieve a better timing next year.

P.S. To the organizers, the decision to have the holding area at the Padang was a bad one. Look at the state of the muddy field and mobile toilets. The NDP floating platform last year was a much better choice. Please factor this into consideration for next year’s Singapore Bay Run/AHM.