The ""Run to Live 2024""

I ran the Run to Live race and signed up for the 10km. It was held at the Metropole Thu Thiem area in Thu Duc, and even though it was only the first edition, almost 7,000 people showed up.

I'll be honest, I was a little nervous before the race. Not nervous about losing to anyone, just something simpler: whether I could actually finish the whole 10km, or whether I'd hit some point and end up walking. Standing at the start line in a crowd of a few thousand, some of them clearly training way more seriously than me, that worry got louder.

It turned out the hardest part of the 10km that day wasn't my legs. It was the first moment I felt tired and a thought popped into my head, "walking for a bit is fine, no big deal." I wouldn't die if I walked. Nobody would notice. But I knew if I gave in once, there'd be a second time. So I just held the pace, slow, but I didn't stop. Crossing the finish line, I didn't feel like I'd done anything impressive. I just felt relieved, because I hadn't negotiated with the part of me that wanted to quit.

Uy Nguyễn (Mike)