A Bridge Not Far Enough

Unlike the Japanese author Haruki Murakami who thinks of various things when he’s running, as in “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”, I don’t think about anything lofty when I’m running.  Most of the time, it’s all terribly quotidian, like when is the next water stop, or what should I have for breakfast, or my toenail is hurting.

When I do think about running, I often think about Forrest Gump, the character brilliantly portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 1994 movie of the same name.  I think about Forrest Gump because, in the movie, on a sudden impulse, he started to run and he didn’t stop, running clear across the Continent and achieving a cult-like status in the process. 

Running the 2014 Penang Bridge Marathon

First published in The Star, (Malaysia) Dec 13, 2014

In 2013 I signed up for what was supposed to be the first run on the then spanking new Second Penang Bridge.   As it turned out, that run was held for the last time on the First Penang Bridge, but things turned out OK because I still got bragging rights to running my first run in Penang for the last run on the First Penang Bridge.

In 2014, I signed up for what would certainly be the first run on the Second Penang Bridge.  I’ve always been irked by the unwholesome hours for the Penang Bridge runs, at the best times to sleep.  The run on the Second Bridge was no exception, but I guess that’s the price you have to pay for bragging rights.

I drove up the day before the run, and basked in the warmth of friends in Penang complaining of knee, joint and other assorted pains so that I could smugly inform them I was running the next day and enjoy the look of incredulity of their faces.  The advantage of smugness over bragging rights is that you don’t actually need to have done anything, just announcing your intention is enough to elicit a response. It’s shallow and all that, but we live short lives filled with moments of instant gratification.