StarWalk Virgins and Proud of It

Posted on 16. Dec, 2008 by Krista in What's New

We entered StarWalk on a whim.

Actually I bugged Nic to join. He was noncommittal about it but I am the ever persistent one. After all, we’ve been clocking 6km each week in our thrice weekly walks around Tasik Aman in USM for the past one year. We were ready to take on this 10 km walk.

And so we did.

I was so proud of myself because we accomplished the goal we set for ourselves. That’s capping the year with a flourish!

I was thinking, could we complete the 10 km route in less than 2 hours? (This was the stipulated time if we wanted to be eligible for the lucky draw, held right after Starwalk 2008). Hell, if Kenny Sia can run a full marathon, there’s no reason why I cannot walk 10 km in 2 hours or less.

Nic said we should be walking 5 km per hour and speed up at the last few minutes if we were to make it. We started well, walking briskly. Our weekly walks paid off as we were still energetic after the 5 km mark and didn’t look like we were going to collapse.

It was an exciting event being with some 14,000 other walkers on a beautifully cool Sunday morning. It was more of a carnival than a walk. Moms pushing babies in strollers, friends having a good time, lovers hand in hand, grandparents with grandkids, every Penangite was intent on enjoying this walk. Maybe it was because of the Non-Competition category. We were going to enjoy the journey!

Of course, lots of walkers got sidetracked along the way – by breakfast, by loo breaks. Some people stopped at coffee shops and food stalls along the way to grab a bite or buy some kuih or get some nasi lemak. All I had that morning was a banana muffin and some cereal beverage.

But we timed ourselves and knew we had to be at the finishing line before 9.15am. And at the last 500 meters, we overtook others who were still languidly strolling, and managed to beat the clock by 2 minutes.

Just for comparison, the professional walkers completed the 10 km in 55 minutes or less.

But sweet victory, like Paul says, is not about how good you are, but how good you want to be. So next year, we’re joining the Competition category.

So this means I have to up the ante and clock more kilometers in our weekly walks. If I want to clock 10 km per walk, I have to go 25 circles around Tasik Aman!

Get the sweaty me (and walk highlights) from my Facebook photos…..

Tags: malaysia walking competition, starwalk 2008