Annual Cross Country 2005 report

Position: 9th

I truly wondered how could I ever achieved such a position. It was unexpected, though I told myself that I was to achieve 7th or 8th position, and that I had a super stitch in the middle of the race. Yet one thing is true, I could not have done it without two people, one of them is David Kwok, and the other, is no other than you.

At the beginning, I started out strong, running with the pack of fast runners(not the chi0nging group). The pack is second to the top pack, who were basically unreachable. I got myself detached from the pack, in the large gap between the top runners and the rest. I was going strongly until a downslope, where I leaned forward to gain momentum. I was hit by the first wave of stitch then, which gradually increase in pain as I continued into the guys' route.

I continued going despite the increasing pain, while the upslope to the exit of the forest took its toll on my stamina and worsen the stitch. I exited onto Lornie Road with rock bottom speeds, and thus I was overtook by two other people. It just did not stop there, my stitch worsened to the extent that I could not breathe. I then had to stop to catch my breath, tying my shoelace too. The breathlessness took my momentum and pace away, causing me to slow down significantly. It was then David popped by my side, instead of just clapping to cheer me on, shouted unexpectedly...

"RUN!! DAMMIT!! RUN!!"

It felt as though he had shook the doubt arisen in me away. I began to suppress the pain, and slowly but surely, proceeded to move forward. One step, two steps and another, and another, my momentum and pace picked up. I was back to my original speed and pace, rhythmically catching up with David. I wanted to encourage him on, but my shortness-of-breath disallowed it totally. I was barely in front of him when we came to where Mdm Asnida was, she was telling me and David that we were in the top 10.

Unknown to me on what forces propelled me, I started my sprint, gaining momentum and pace even though my muscles screamed in protest. Every step is truly pure pain, yet I pushed it, my limits. Upon seeing the people at the finishing line, I knew that was it. I could not hear the people around me properly, I could only vaguely tell that they are cheering me on. I let myself loose. My brain shut down except for two thoughts. To finish the race, and to fulfil expectations of my own and what you had for me. I threw open the doors to my adrenaline, and with a bit more speed, I dashed across the finishing line, claiming the position of 9th. David finished 10th.

There it was. The finishing touches to the last major sporting event in my Secondary School life. Never again, would I leave MacRitchie after a race, to celebrate with my friends at West Mall. Never again, would I be able to get another prize with the CSS crest. Never. I felt a short sense of achievement and happinss, for I had gotten top 10 and that I had did it without much training. After that short period of time, I felt only exhaustion and dizziness, no sense of achievement, no sense of happiness. My thoughts flowed slowly through my oxygen-depleted brain, headaches and blurred images sets in. Unable to focus at all, I took to the ground. Not wanting to get up as the pain seemed to be going nowhere. After a long while, I recovered enough to change up in the Mens' and gathered for further instructions.

I felt as though a mountain of questions had rained upon me: Had I reached your standards? Had I fulfilled my self-promise to you? Will everything today, stay for eternity?

I've answered these questions.

On another note, I'll be posting the photos taken at cross country soon, taken by Haikal and others, should they be kind enough to allow me this honour.