11.4 kilometres of Ponderings and Enlightenment.

He thinks it is his duty as the ruling mammal to prove to himself and his peers about pushing the limits and boundaries. He is trying to assert and establish a firm standing on his 'Biggest Loser' status-quo. He tries hard to run away from his ghost of the past. He wants to be on the same plateau with the likes of 'Kings of the Road', trying to run 11km in 50 minutes of time. This, is the story of that particular 'Clueless One', and his conquest of running the distance...

0 km- Arrived at the lake park. Started off with his routine stretches. Whilst stretching his calf and bending his knees, a dude ran past him with perfect running form and moderate speed. He thinks he should be able to catch him up somewhere after 2 kilometres...

800m- He caught up to the dude. He was rather slow actually, barely on his cruising speed. The dude was intimidated by his lackadaisical performance and appears to feel being mocked by his calm breathing. The dude was pissed and breathing uncontrollably. He got past the dude easily.

1.2 km- He took a slight different route, off about 200 metres from the path he usually took. The blown past dude was again feeling a bit pissed. The dude stayed on the normal route and slightly upped his speed and was again the front runner.

1.3 km- Again the dude got blown past easily. The dude tried as he might just to stay with him, but his breathing technique sucked. Or rather, blows. The dude couldn't keep up and finally admitted defeat 50 metres later.

3km- The morning sun warmth was felt on his cheeks. He suddenly realised that anybody who is anybody that is his peers had finally landed a job. He appeared to be the last one standing. Or rather, the last scrub unemployed. He pondered a bit about his unemployment status.

3.8km- He completed a full round of the course. He was pumped. His steps began to get lighter, his heart was pumping more rigorously, yet steadily, as it had been countless of times before.

4.5km- On a lighter note, he remembered that there is going to be a wedding sometime next week that he is invited to. He remembered that he had wronged the would-be-groom with his words sometime back when he was in high school. He made a mental note that he should attend the wedding and apologise to the groom. For what it's worth at least. Because simply, it's the right thing to do. Because it's his rite of passage of becoming an honourable man.

6km- He got the answer to his state of 'unemploymentness'. He still has duties to be done in taking care of his grandma, which he can't do if he were to be out working. Besides, with every great story, which, he thinks, his, will be monumentally awesome in proportion, must start out with a humble beginning. He rationalised his story as not being humble enough to even begin with. At least not yet. He is again confident and wants to let things in his life play out like it should be.

7km- Only 600 metres before he completed the second round of the course. The thought of just stopping at 7.6km had crossed his mind, but he remembered that it would be such a waste since he had completed 2/3 of his goal, why not just go the whole 9 yards?

8km- He started to pick-up his pace. Though his arms had gotten tired from the swinging motions of running the last 8 kilometres, his feet felt lighter than ever. It was as if he was on auto-pilot, possessed if you might say, by a speed demon slumbering in his will, waiting for the time to burst into a wind chaser.

9.6km- He started to slow down for some reason. The shirt he wore was soaked with his sweat accumulated from the long distance running. It felt lead-heavy. He was ready to call it quits. After all he was already overdue by 1 minute of the would be 'qualifying time' set for the 'King of the Road' challenge for the 11km course. But he again remembered something... If he were to quit, then everything else in his life will also be another cause of quitting. "No," he said to himself. "I am no weak-ass." He continued pacing himself.

10.9km- "Another 500 metres to the finish line," he thought. "To hell with time," says him. "I don't care if I can't be the best. What's important I know I DID my best. What's important is that I KNOW I achieved my goal, no matter how long it takes. Everything in my life had always been like that. " With one mighty heave of air inhaled into his lungs, he let it out into one explosive burst of sprint. His legs were firmed onto the ground with every steps, his breathing were mere erratic puffs, but his eyes could only see the tree that had marked where he had started.

11.4km- Within seconds, he already had passed the tree. He had ran the full 3 rounds of the course. He stopped. He spat out what felt like a drowning pool of saliva that is choking him. He took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Success," he thought to himself. "And no one can take this moment away from me," he proudly said with adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

After everything had been said and done, he didn't feel any remorse. He had given his best. Yes, he didn't do it according to other's expected terms, but still an achievement nonetheless. For himself at least. He walked barefooted with held up high and his right hand holding his running shoes, walking to his car. Another day conquered. Another meaning found. Enlightened indeed.