I had been living in Hawaii for the past six months when I ran this marathon. During that time, I had been adjusting to student life and to life abroad in Hawaii. But I still loved running, and I wanted to experience running a marathon in this strange new land. My final exam was starting the very next day. But who cares? I wanted to run the marathon and I was not going to let some silly exam stop me.
Did I train for this marathon? No, not at all. I was too busy studying, not wanting to fail another exam. I ran maybe once or at the most twice a week along the beautiful tourist-infested Waikiki Beach and Magic Island. Each run was leisurely. I was busy admiring the beautiful sceneries and females at the beaches. Each run was a mere 7 to 9 km. And I did not carbo load at all. Why didn’t I carbo load? Because I had never even heard of carbo loading at that time.
My ignorance about marathon preparation continued...
So there I was, eager to run my first marathon in this scenic land of paradise. I enjoyed the sceneries – with the beautiful green mountains on one side and the blue Pacific Ocean on the other. I was surrounded by beauty.
The finishing point was Waikiki Beach. After I had crossed the finish line, beautiful Hawaiian girls put leis (flowers) around my neck. (In Hawaii, leis are used for celebrations including weddings, graduations etc.) My timing was 4 hours and 31 mins – 9 mins slower than my previous marathon the previous year. But it was ok. It was just a leisurely run for me.
Now it was time to go back to my Waikiki studio apartment to study for my exams. But first I had to enjoy a delicious cup of chocolate yogurt. At the Waikiki food stall, a cute girl noticed my leis and running attire and asked if I had just run the marathon. I smiled and replied with a proud “yes” as she handed me the yogurt. |
