Sunday 27 May 2012

Day 331-Borneo International Marathon


Me with Just and FaiZ, 2 of my 3 running buddies at the airport leaving for Sabah, East Malaysia.
Pic was taken to taunt the 3rd friend who decided to stay in Singapore one more day for work.

I wasn't sure if I should post about the Borneo International Marathon or BIM 2012 because at first glance, it seemed completely unrelated to miniatures. Yet, BIM was about running and a big part of my life; a part of my life that could explain why it has taken me so long to start creating with my hands and finding a world just as fulfilling.

Handball in Uni back when I had hair down to my butt

My love-hate relationship with running started since I was 8.  Back then,  in my very small primary school, those of us who could run just a little quicker were invariably selected year after year for all the events during Sports Day. I remembered running in the 100m, 200m races and the 400m relay. I also shot-putted, high jumped and long jumped. My childhood room was littered with all the trophies, mostly bronze, some silver, one or two gold for races and competitions that I had won. I continued to run in secondary school but I started to dread the competitions because I hated the gun at the beginning of the races. In junior college and then the university, I stopped running and played in team sports like basketball, netball and handball. 

Me and the netball team in Uni 

I guess you can call me the sporty type. Crafting? Back then, it was as if  sports and crafts were mutually exclusive. You just didn't do both. In any case, school, sports, dance and a huge dose of disbelief that I could make anything with my hands helped me veered my course off art. I thought you must be born with the talent before you should even try. Living in a family where everyone of my siblings could draw except me did not help. 

Photo by CK- MacRitchie Reservoir 2010 during one of our runs

I stopped running when I started work but picked it up again after I had gained 10 kg. I became addicted to running because I would run, rain or shine and by shine, I meant flaming hot. That was until 2005 when I took part in my first full marathon. I completed the marathon in slightly under 6  hours when a few laughed and told me I could not. The skin on my toes came off and I could barely take off my shoes. I injured my knees and could not walk for 3 days and for the next 3 years, I did no running.

Running buddies- 6.30am, 2011 Wetland Run

It was only in 2008 that I resumed running again. Since then,  I have participated in at least 2-4 half marathons a year. And I thank my running buddies, Just, CK and FaiZ for re-igniting my passion.  


FaiZ, whom I introduced running to and who in 2005 came in 1 hour after me in the same marathon, not only did not stop running, he started a small group to run every Sunday and now runs at least  1 km or more ahead of me in every race. 

In search of the Shinto Temple Run 2012 where we had to cross a reservoir on rubber tubes 

Our Sunday morning runs which woke us up at 6 in the morning, took us to all parts of Singapore and it became a highlight of the week for all of us. I love my Sunday morning runs although I was always the last one in. There were a few times I got hopelessly lost because I was too far behind and my sense of direction did not help. 


This year however, I enjoyed a breakthrough. We decided to sign up for our 1st overseas run and I started training seriously. I ran 3 -4 times a week , 9km each time and I used a timer. I wanted to achieve a personal best because this was an overseas run. The long and short of it is that I did. I shaved off 20 minutes from my last time and did 21 km in 2:22:59 minutes. I even beat one of the guys and came in 3rd amongst us 4. 


I don't know how this post which was supposed to be about Sabah came to be about running. Perhaps like me and miniature making, I was trying to say that nothing is impossible. I never thought I could beat any of these guys. Like I never thought I could work with my hands. 

I am serious when I tell you, if I can, so definitely can you.

40 comments:

Drora's minimundo said...

With each post we get to know something else about you and how versatile you are. Have fun at the Marathon! Good luck!
Hugs, Drora

Margriet said...

Why should each post be about miniatures...I like it to know more about Sans :-)
You must be a very determined woman...if you want something you go for it! I really admire you for it!
Hugs, Margriet

rosanna said...

Dearie, I am so HAPPY to read from you !
I was worried, don't know why , about you.
Yomake me want to give running a try: my walking is quicker and quicker , nearly a running in disguise.
May be in 2014 we might challenge each other ;o))
Hugs, Ro

Josje said...

Rather you than me, hahaha! Have fun at the marathon, good luck!

carmen said...

una buena manera de compensar las horas sentadas haciendo miniaturas

Remco said...

You keep suprising me, a running maid..
I personal am to lazy to run, but I give you a big respect!
Tought this was the result of all those walkingtrips with Rosanna, but after reading your story seems you have the running gene in you all your life!

Enjoy your run, and show us all the prices ;-)

Greeting Remco

Ilona said...

Hi Sans! I like to read your posts and to know more about you as a person. Running is good for a person: making contact with the earth. Miniatures making is good for the head: to give your creative challenges freedom!!
I wish you good luck on the marathon ;)
Hugs, Ilona

Kikka N said...

Enjoy and good luck!
Hugs
Kikka

Eva said...

Love this post because it makes me feel closer to you, because I have learnt more things about my friend.
Running it is just a part of you...and seems that Rosanna nowas runs too....me not ...LOL
Big besos

Dark Squirrel Victoria said...

Sans, we can't make minis 24/7. I think it is great to challenge ourselves. You are Awesome!

Hugs,
Victoria

Eva - tatalamaru said...

Hola Susan, cuantas cosas haces. Así que también corres en maratones? Que bien, me gusta, vales para todo, jajaja.
Un beso y pásalo bien

BiWuBär said...

Hello my dearest of all veterans (little insider joke... teehee), in my opinion this is YOUR blog and not your miniature's blog, so feel free to post about anything you like to - the result is always a beautiful post, whether it is about minis or not... ;O) I think it's more fun to run (oops, that rhymes) in such a group - and more motivating. Loved the first pic - and of course the logo of the marathon!

Greetings
Birgit

Piikko said...

Yo girl! Respect!
Runninig!!? Oh my...garden!
A big respect!!
Well, you are right, nothing is impossible! But running... ;D
I give you even more and more respect! -Good luck Sans, enjoy!
Hugs, piikko

Rosamargarita said...

Corres!!! O que envidia siento, eres buena en muchas cosas y diferentes todas.
Bravo!
Besos

The Old Maid said...

Thank you for sharing that, dearest Sans!!
What can I say? I am PROUD of you!!!!:)

Maria Ireland said...

A wonderful runner too :) It is great to get to know you better. I wish I could enjoy running lol but its not for me but I do admire people that can. Have a wonderful time at the Marathon and good luck.
Hugs Maria

Unknown said...

It's nice to know you better, thank you for sharing this with us. I'm really impressed.
Your post ALMOST makes me to begin running ;)
Good luck!
Mona

malu2 said...

Susan, siempre tienes algo en marcha,
tu cabeza siempre pensando en nuevos retos!!
Me alegro mucho verte tan felíz.
Muchos besos desde España.MªLuisa.

Eliana said...

But that brave girl! Congrats on your determination and the medal. ;)
Hugs

Sans! said...

Thank you Drora :). Sometimes I let my fingers drift and what I planned to write comes up differently :).

My next half marathon will be in July. It is a night run. I love night runs because it is cooler. The heat here really affects the run :).

Sans! said...

Margriet :), I guess being the eldest in the family helped me acquire the fighting spirit quite young in life. I fought with my mum to get what I wanted - eg go watch a movie, staying out a little late ..heh heh. My sisters and much later, brother got it easy as I had fought most of these battles for them :).

Sports also taught me the value of discipline and hard work but it also instilled a competitive nature that sometimes was unnecessary in life. :) I was quite lazy where sports was concerned. I was quite happy to be sitting on the bench being on the reserved team. Because I wasn't prepared to sacrifice to be the best. Too many interests :). But somehow running never left me.

I knew I love mini like no others when I realised that I was prepared to make the sacrifices, put in the hours and practise,practise, practise. Luckily I have no talent :):) which just makes me work harder.

Sans! said...

Ro, keep at it! We are running in the States ok? Let's just make a pact now. Arizona Marathon. There are smart phone apps we can use which can link us virtually. Runkeeper or MapMyRun. Yesterday when I was running alone in the night, I was using MapMyRun which tracked how far , where , how fast I was running. My running mate Just was tracking it from his living room (he ran in the morning) and was texting me to give me encouragement :). He knew I could be too lazy to run yesterday so he kept telling me he would be watching. The fact that you did 5km in 37 mins also spurred me on. I kept thinking if you did this kind of pace, I must try to keep up :). You knew eventually I did it in 39mins. :):).

So if you start training now, you will be more than ready to run a half in 2014. In fact, you should be able to do one by the end of this year. I am sure there are many races in Genoa. Sign up your 1st one, join a 10k run. I will write you more on this :).

Sans! said...

Josje, you won't believe how much I hated running when I started. I still get very lazy some days :). But the endophins!!! The best kind of high is a runner's high. With side effects like possible weight loss (if you don't overeat like I do) rosy cheeks and less disease plus it's so easy to do. Just need a pair of shoes, a broken t-shirt and your ugliest pair of shorts. :)

Sans! said...

Remco, I have thrown away all the trophies from schools. But I kept all the finisher's medals of my runs. My favourite is this BIM one because of the proboscis monkey (endangered). The most significant one was of course the one for my 1st and only full marathon. I hope to do another one soon.

You look fit when we last met so running should come easy to you, Remco. It's just laziness, that I have too :), plenty! Let me know if you want to start . If you use MapMyRun, you can link to me using FB :) . Run! So that when you visit, you can see more of my beautiful country when we go running!

Sans! said...

Illona, I love what you said about running: making contact with the earth. Tomorrow when I run, I will think of what you said :).

There are some days when life gets you down, I say go for a run. It is truly the best anti-depressant :). Running has saved a few people I know this way :):).Trust me on this, when you (anyone of you) are feeling a little down, put on your shoes and run around your street for 20 minutes or more. You will see what I mean. I am sure it will be even better if we think about what Illona said " I am making contact with the earth, feeling alive and strong :). "

Sans! said...

Thank you Kikka :)

Sans! said...

Eva, you know a lot about me already :):). This is the thing about blogging. The posts really reveal how comfortable one feels with blog friends right? Back in 2009, I would never dream of posting pictures of myself , not to mention, pictures from ages ago :).

Sans! said...

Vic , thank you! You guys inspire me no end where mini making is concerned. And where running is concerned, my running buddies inspire me :). Amongst us, the fastest is also the oldest (50+), there's someone with heart problems, kidney disease. My dad asked why we could not get sponsors for the race (haha), I told him who would want to sponsor the sick, the slow (me) and the old?

We kid and insult each other a lot but they know they are my heroes. Amazingly, we all did our personal best in the BIM this May. The fastest was 2:09. The one who came in after me was only 1 minute slower. I guess we are the sick, the slow and the old no more :).

Sans! said...

Birgit, veterans indeed :). So funny that for an impending race in September, they have changed the term "veteran" to "master" . In many of these races, the veterans tend to clock in better times. As I said, the fastest amongst us clocked in at 2:09 (faster than most teenagers) and he is in his 50+ :):):). One time, one of the guys participated in a race where they call it like it is "Over 40" LOL!

B, I love running with the boys but the beauty of running is also the fact that it is very much a solo sport. No need to co-ordinate with anyone, if you feel like you need one, just go, at whatever time. I call it my meditation time :). Even when I run on Sunday, I put my music on with the ear phones and hardly talk to anyone. The best thing about our Sunday runs apart from the adventurous routes is breakfast afterwards. That' s when we yak non-stop.

Sans! said...

Piiko, anyone can run. I have a girlfriend, fair as morn and never ran or do any kind of sports in her whole life. She went through a tough patch and was looking for a way to cope. I told her to run with me and in one year she did a half marathon in 3 hr 30 minutes. :)I am extremely proud of her. She has stopped running now , injured her knees as well , not quite how I would like the story to end. Just wanted to say if my friend can do it, seriously, ANYONE can :):):).

Sans! said...

Carmen , Me toma una hora para terminar una carrera, pero un día entero para hacer algo pequeño :).

Sans! said...

Eva Tata! Besossss!

Sempre he estat molt activa. Tinc molts interessos. Jane de tot el comerç i mestre de res! jajajaja

Sans! said...

Rosam, no soy bueno en la mayoría de las cosas que hago. Pero acabo de hacer, porque estoy disfrutando al hacerlo. Después de hacer muchas veces, a mejorar. Una cosa sin embargo, espero ser muy bueno en miniaturas :) :). Para las miniaturas, que se puso en mi corazón y el alma, sangre sudor y lágrimas :).

besosss

Sans! said...

Thank you Ewalina :):) That means so much, SS :):) I received your parcel and sent you an email!

Ascension said...

Una buena reflexion.....lo que se quiere se puede......
Solo hay que verte a ti y como has corrido con fuerza ese maraton, enhorabuena.
........he pensado que me voy a correr, a ver si pierdo todos los kilos que me sobran (no se cuando volvere.....tengo que perder muchisimosssssssssssjejejeje)
besitos ascension

Ascension said...

............pensandolo bien.....empezare mañana jejejeje
besitos ascension

Daydreamer said...

Congratulations Sans! I have no doubt you can accomplish whatever you set out to do! You have energy, determination and a belief in yourself! (This is why you are now good at mini's too!)
Me, I am not a runner! I like the quieter pursuits. I like walking if I must.... gardening because I LOVE it.... making things... because I LOVE it... Painting things.... because I LOVE it...! I am a good sprinter.... but have never had an interest in spending my TIME running! But I admire the perseverance it takes to run Marathons!!!

CWPoppets said...

I love to follow other non-miniature related stories from blogs I follow. It is very interesting to learn about their hobbies (other than miniatures I mean), interests, how they life, even what they eat. But I have alway's been very curious. :-)
I doesn't surprise me that you run. It somehow fit's you I think. But what's about the medaillon? It looks like the guy has a tail ? Or do I need glasses.

Eva - tatalamaru said...

Susan es bueno hacer muchas cosas y probar diferentes, eso enriquece a la persona.
Me alegra saber que ahora muestras fotos, y nos cuentas cosas sobre ti, así te conocemos mejor.
Por cierto, tienes un premio en mi blog.
Besos

Sans! said...

Christine, that's a proboscis monkey !!! LOL , you can see pics of one in my current post :)

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