Five minutes too late...

This morning, I joined the Penang Hill Climb competition organized by Kwong Wah Yit Poh. The climb starts from Youth Park and ends at the top of the hill.

The number of participants was astounding... much more than the Hikathon which I participated a few months ago. But a very large percentage of the participants were school kids, so it reminded me of my school time cross-country events. :)

YB Lim Guan Eng made the special trip to the Youth Park to flag off the competition. I guess his popularity is still very high among Penangites as there were thunderous claps when everyone saw him. A few even tracked back to snap photos with him.

We took the tar road all the way so the climb was a bit mundane, but it was challenging as there were many steep sections. The first part was (up to 56) was particularly challenging, which left many of us (myself including) gasping for breath as we took a rest. After an arduous climb, with numerous rest stops in between... I did make the whole climb up to the top. In 125mins... 5 mins later than the 120mins limit set by the organizers for certification. What a bummer!!!

{I did get a cert, actually... maybe I looked so pathetic that the officials took pity, or maybe the officials just gave out all the certs that they have already printed to everyone who completed the climb. I strongly suspect it is the latter).

But looking back, I only have myself to hold responsible for being 5 minutes too late. I managed to push myself to complete the task, but apart from the sore thighs from the steep sections, I also had to battle a lot of negativity can cropped up in my mind. At one point, I was already planning to give up when i reached 84. I even thought of a title for the entry in my blog... "Tackled 56, Defeated at 84". Sounds catchy, right?

But anyway, the point I wanted to make was that I have the willpower to attain what I have aimed. But not a strong enough mind to banish the negative thoughts that arose in the process of achieving what I have set out.

In retrospect, I achieved my goal of reaching the top. With or without the negative thoughts of giving up. Wouldn't it have been a better achievement had I maintained the confidence of reaching my goals throughout the process? 5 minutes is not a long duration. I could have easily shaved it. I wouldn't have taken so many rest stops or the rest stops could have been shorter had I not had to battle the devils in my mind.

And I would have returned being more proud of my cert.