big walk

I'm documenting parts of my life, illustrated by awards that I've won in my 26 years. Could I be less narcissistic and tell the story without flaunting my shimmies? Heck yes but where's the attention-seeking fun in that?

Part 4!

Back when I was still running, we used to have pre-season training, like most sports. It was the fun part of the season where during the year-end vacation we'd do easier, fun stuff then go play LAN after that. Pre-season was about long, low-intensity runs, a little sprinkle of gym here and there, the occasional swim and then waterpolo in the wading pool. Then usually the coach would sign us up for a race like a half marathon (goodness) at the end of December so we'd have something to leisurely work towards.

It was in 2006 that coach decided to do something different. Totally random, but he decided that we should join what was then the last edition of the Newpaper Big Walk, schools' challenge category. 

It was to be our first experience with the glorious sport of race walking, the most awkward sport of all time.

Glorious.

Of course, it was meant as a side for us since our focus was still running. So we spent all of 2 days preparing and learning how to race walk. Plenty of technicalities, but we managed to nail it pretty quickly.

The wait before the flag off was just like any old running race. Except Kevin was more excited about the helium balloons and left the starting line to go find one. The race started before he could come back with his ball of floating rubber. Typical.

Flag off was particularly odd for me, being a habitually quick off the block in running races. It was really strange attempting to make a blistering start by forcefully trying to salsa. 

That's where I got my sexy walk from, son; those hips don't lie.

Anyhow, we found out along the way that we were pretty damn good at race walking. Particularly David, who was honestly quite bad at running and seemed to walk faster than he usually ran. David of course went on to finish 3rd in the entire category. Cool.

Someway near the halfway mark, Kevin Ng appeared out of no where with his balloon. He had missed the start by like five minutes but buoyed (heh heh) by the excitement of his new toy, he managed to make up on lost ground and even overtook me. It's unfair, those long legs.

When you're not experienced enough to know the abrasions that thick thighs like mine might cause in the groin during race walking and hence not prepare for it, you'll finish the last two kilometers like I did.

Vaseline, guys. Remember your Vaseline if you not only don't have a thigh gap, but have a thigh overlap.

Anyhow, I managed to finish 4th in the team and 8th place overall. I think it was 1hr 11mins for 10km. Pretty sweet for a first-time and it also earned me a top10 medal to rub into Xide's face because he finished 11th. 

After gloating for half an hour at Xide's expense, the official results came out and apparently I had received 3 yellow cards along the way for not race walking properly. I was disqualified and Xide moved up to 10th, which means he got his top10 medal and the pleasure of counter gloating, which by the way is still happening to this day.

Is there a deeper meaning to all this? No there isn't. I know the last few posts had such a pattern but I just remember the Big Walk fondly. Good times.