If you are wondering where I’ve been for the past few days, I was actually in Penang, taking part in the half marathon event in the Penang Bridge International Marathon 2010 on Sunday. I can’t say my buildup to the race was the best, having been sick the week before, puking my guts in the morning a day before the race, and going to the toilet 5 times hours before the race.

The race started very early at 3 a.m., with the start and finish line being located at Queensbay Mall, Bayan Lepas. The course was rather flat with some highway ramps (always downhill) and the “bump” on the Penang bridge which we had to tackle twice. It would have been easy to hit a best time on a track like this, but the stomach problem I had over the weekend was giving me a hard time.

The problem with running with stomach discomfort is that, not only you feel uncomfortable every time you see a portable toilet by the roadside, the stomach gives a rumble that says: “Hey, you shouldn’t be running man, try taking a dump…or fart at least, both feel the same at this point”. It was horrible. The thunderstorm that came in at 4 a.m and soaked every single one of the half marathon runners was the least of my worries that morning.

I ended the race at 2 hours 56 minutes, 26 minutes over my expected finish time. But one thing I’m proud of is that the rest of my colleagues finished the half marathon as well, and for some of them, this was their first half marathon (their first race even)! Some of my colleagues took part in the 10 KM event, and they made it through as well. Overall, it was a very good group outing and everyone came back with finisher medals for a job well done!