No third time lucky for me

Hmm I'm not very used to the new blogger layout... and am not really in a mood to blog as I'm flying tonight and my itinerary is not done at all...

Plus I'm still upset that I got cheated a third time because I still did not catch my sunrise... sigh.. the first time, too cloudy... the second time, too slow... the third time, too fast (though my friend told me is cloudy also)... cheaterbug!!!

The route is the same as my last year's ultra marathon and thus I did not really practice the route as I know it is quite an easy flat path. Of course, not being in Singapore for the past 9 months is part of the reason I wasn't even practicing in Singapore's humid weather and I'm not sure if that is part of the reason for my poor starting. In fact I was nauseated at the start which I could not figure out if it is true butterflies in the stomach at work, the dinner or I was not feeling good health wise. After all I was rejected for blood donation again due to low blood pressure just 2 days ago and I was feeling light-headed at the start of the marathon.




Thus I barely made it to the U-Turn and kept wishing to be on the other side of the path. I remembered I was in ECP and I saw the top few runners on their ritarno journey, I was so envious. Kept wishing to see the U-turn soon. Itchyfinger was saying U-Turn was the most depressing point for him. But to me, U-turn was the point of motivation. For the last two race, the 20-30 interval, I always run faster. Though this time round, I did not pick up the speed and thus it seems I dropped in performance (having maintained my 21km in roughly about 2hrs 46 mins). But I was quite motivated to keep jogging at the slow pace until I see the slope back (last 3-4km). I remember my first time up that slope was with CL on NB Real Run. Coincidentally, this year's sundown is by NB. I don't really bother who the sponsors are anyway. But I remember how this slope killed me every time, especially the torturous 84 km where I had to climb up twice. So this year, I told myself I should continue slow jogging up the slope as a new accomplishment.

And I'm proud to say, I did it and thus this is my first marathon that I really did not walk as much as I expected. In addition, each marathons, I always seem to have dragged my pacer and for this one, I was feeling extremely bad that I was kinda dragging his performance again for the first 30km because he was running at a pretty good speed which i could not catch up at all. But thankfully, my determination to continue running for the last 12 km rubbed onto him as well as he had reached his mental block whereas I felt energized having drank that super-sweet energy gel (my pacer's advice that I should drink it with water came a kilometre too late when I finally met him at the next hydration point) and refused to stop jogging at least. (Short rest at hydration points allowed.)

Photography Credits: My ever motivating Pacer

The reward, I sliced off about 9 minutes.. not remarkable but well I can now say I can finish a full marathon within 6 hours right haha..
2009 Sundown Marathon - 6:16:14
2010 Spirit of Marathon - 6:07:26
2011 - 05:58:57

Anyway my results breakdown as follows
5km - 00:31:11
10km - 01:09:38
21km - 02:46:17
30km - 04:23:54
Chip Time - 05:58:57

And the reward for all the 'siao lang' (i.e. mad people) haha..

Oh I did try to catch sunrise after breakfast with Itchyfingers and pacer but hmm was too tired to wait too long for it. Body really could not take it after the event, slept the whole day away...

Lastly, good luck to Pacer for his 100km if he decides to challenge himself...

Photography Credits: Pacer

p/s: I'm debating whether this will be the last marathon... cheated too many times already haha...

GE Run

It was my first time volunteering for a sport event.. quite happy to hear about the lobang that time and just jumped into it because GE run had been one of those ladies run I had wanted to participate when I was in my previous job.

The day started early for the volunteers... and we had our free breakfast. As it was free, I shall not complain too much about the quality of it, because it is still edible nonetheless. Be grateful especially when you have transport provided, food given, reimbursement and goodies to get too. It really is a good deal.

Then we made our way to the various stops. Mine was the last water stop! For once I finally understood the drinks that I have been drinking, how it was being prepared and how it was being delivered in my hands (if I had been running). I would say seriously, I may think twice drinking the sports drink for my next marathon... but but.. I think my stomach is made of steel so should be alright...

Waited till all the participants ran past us before we start packing up. I realised there is a heap of wastage generated after the event. There are still recycling efforts being taken especially with the carbon boards and plastic bottles. But we also did generate quite a fair amount of rubbish sadly. All those paper cups that the sweeper has to sweep it up. Hmm sometimes such event isn't really healthy for earth I guess.

After that, the morning is gone and I went out with my friend. Oh I must say GE run goodies is just as good as Shape Run. Seriously I think I should just focus on ladies run, they really give me much more useful stuff.

Shape Run

Finally a run only for the ladies. Well the men don't get it is always the fun part. At least there were so many pretty ladies for me to admire and thus if my running result is bad, I got a super good excuse right? No?

Anyway shape run is a run I have always wanted to join. Why? Because of the goodies. Look at the plentiful stuff in the goodies bag, so much better than Sundown right?

Timing wise, let's say I never train. And even if I do, I'm not competitive enough to really challenge the time. I prefer to sight see. So I never push myself hard at all. And the results is...

Net Time - 01:16:36
Gun Time - 01:17:21
Placing - 1437

Ok and my next run... Let's keep in wraps till confirmed.

Source:
http://www.shape.com.sg/promo/2010/shaperun/

NLB Vertical Marathon

I had wondered how tall can the library be. And it did not 'disappoint' me. It was just 16 storeys.

The view wasn't fantastic either. Plus it was enclosed (i.e. Glass walls) so photography was pretty limited. Sigh as I was preparing to take photos like how I did for my Swiss vertical marathon. Talking about that, saw a few Swiss vertical past marathoners. They changed the shirt to red colour. I prefer my white shirt haha.

However for a free event, I must say I'm impressed that a medal is found in the goodies bag. Oh and I like the toilet in that level, has a pretty good view... that is why cannot resist taking photos of the toilet..

Oh I met my NUS cum ex-colleague and a girl in the event. I did wonder who she was as I know his gf is in Malaysia.. And he kind of guess I was wondering so when we met again at the top, he properly introduced the lady to be his sister. Luckily his sister does not look like him at all. Haha.

The Spirit of Marathon

“Sometimes the moments that challenge us the most define us.” - Deena Kastor in Spirit of the Marathon.

In Dec 2009, I relighted the fire that I had dismissed after barely completing a full marathon in May 2009. It was probably due to the korean movie Marathon

Now one day before the event, I reviewed my past thoughts...

Would I ever repeat this agony again? While at Bedok Reservoir, my friend had said if I ever want to do 84, please do not find him. Of which I replied if I ever suggested anything from 42 onwards, you should just kill me.

Yah, I think my limit is 26 only. One should know her limit at times too, because even if you force it, you will end up getting hurt right? I don't know... lately I got too much stuff that I am unable to figure out... Argh...
- Previous post: Sundown Marathon

I watched "The Spirit of Marathon" (because it is the movie going to be screened tomorrow and well since I cannot partake in the movie screening, decided to watch it first.. unless I really don't participate in the event???

And because I gave up my training having flown to Italy for two weeks and not able to run much at all these few days because I did not want to incur any injuries (excuses one may say)... I started telling most people who asked my preparation that I am prepared to die (minus the step to create a will only).

As usual I cut my toenails, fingernails. Ate my joint support pills which I tried to do so dilligently especially in Italy.

And I set my goals:
1) To finish the event
2) To watch the sunrise
And pray I can accomplish both (please GA pretty please).

And wonder when I first started running, it was to complete a full marathon before XX age. When I managed to tick that event off my "bucket list", I thought that is the end. It had challenged me mentally thoroughly. But there lies deep down a nagging thought, that can I challenge myself more? Ultra marathon. The event name sounded demonic enough. Will it destroy me? But if I never try, I will never know. And I read about people running a few days (e.g. the gruelling 150-mile (240km) Sand Marathon or Marathon des Sables which can take 6days if I am not mistaken). So I thought, 84km is not too bad, is it? 12-14 hours of running. Is that madness?
(Note: In the movie, they say people who start marathons change, often for the better.)

More about the movie after-thoughts:
Do you know in the marathon history, women were once banned for marathon. It is said that their uterus might dropped out while running. Crappy right?
(Anyway, as per past report, 537 men and 65 women runners had entered for the 84K ultra in 2009. The ladies were just a mere 9% of the total ultra marathoners. Hmm.. How about 2010? Guess I can only find out tomorrow..)

That there is a lot of respect to people who train alone as compared to those who train in a group. (I agree, without my partner in crime, I might not be too disciplined to train at all.) And when you are running long distance, thoughts just keep running in your mind too. And sometimes you zoned out.

Too bad I'm not from Kenya. There was this Kenya runner who was invited to run with the Japanese runners (by Yakult). There were also runners who represent charity. (I am thinking that if I can turn serious, I might want to be a charity runner. Thoughts in progress and depending on whether I survived this event.)

Boston marathon is like a prestige and is one of the 5 World Marathon Majors. I never knew there are qualifyers to be met for marathon till I watched this movie.

And most felt that if they could complete a marathon, it would regain their self-confidence in accomplishing anything else. In fact, it could become an addiction too. Maybe that was what I was looking for when I signed up for a half marathon then.

More about women marathoners:
Roberta Gibb was the first woman to run the full Boston Marathon in 1966. Gibb, who did not run with an official race number during any of the three years (1966-68) that she was the first female finisher, hid in the bushes near the start until the race began. In 1967, Katherine Switzer did not clearly identify herself as a female on the race application and was issued a bib number. B.A.A. officials tried unsuccessfully to physically remove Switzer from the race once she was identified as a woman entrant. At the time of Switzer's run, the Amateur Athletics Union (A.A.U.) had yet to formally accept participation of women in long distance running. When the A.A.U. permitted its sanctioned marathons (including Boston) to allow women entry in the fall of 1971, Nina Kuscsik's 1972 B.A.A. victory the following spring made her the first official champion. Eight women started that race and all eight finished.
Source: Boston Marathon History

Off for my second nap based on my running mate's proposal:

27 0000h - Sleep Deprivation Cycle Begins
28 0500h - Nap
28 1000h - Rise and Shine
28 1500h - Nap
28 1800h - Hydration and Cabo-loading
28 2100h - Nap
29 0400h - Rise and Shine
29 1200h - Power Nap
29 1645h - Departure for Race.
29 1700h - Pick up
29 1800h - Start of Race.
30 0630h - Estimated End Race

Before the event I actually had cold feet and wanted to run away from the event. I even told my pacer that in the event I could not do the second round, he should just go ahead without me. I have full confidence that I will finish a full marathon, just not sure if I can do it a second time immediately. And indeed the first half marathon, I felt pretty alright and my speed was relatively constant. Then I remember last year where I told myself my limit was 26km. This year, at the 26km mark, while my speed did slow down by then, I was glad I had not started walking. When I hit 33km and persisted in jogging, I trust I should be able to finish the first round in a better time than last year. Sadly at the last 4km of the first round I kind of slowed down and decided let the full marathoners run first instead of trying to overtake them. With such mentality, I started to walk to the pit-stop and then continued my second round with the last batch of full marathoners.

At that time it did not occur to me but these people have just started the full marathon.. by walking? Hmm, anyway maybe they were just warming up. And I'm one of those people walking a full marathon at that time too haha. Indeed the second round zapped all my mental strength (physical strength already died out) and thoughts of giving up were repeated constantly. I'm glad to say, I did pass the test to see how much determination do I possess.

But I cannot take credit that it is all within me to have completed this arduous task. H20, Water, counterpain and my goody pacer helped me tremendously.. especially the counterpain. I never once subjected myself to it for all the marathons I ran before. But this race, I knew that if I do not try to immunize the pain, I can probably just give up.  The only regret is I did not beat the sunrise and thus miss the beautiful sunrise. Sad... It would have been a good spot to catch the sunrise because I remember the place is quite open.

So my results is as follows:
10km: 1:11:57
21km: 2:46:12 (about 7.6 kph)
30km: 4:02:19
42km: 6:07:26 (about 6.3 kph)
52km: 7:53:34
63km: 9:58:24 (about 5.5 kph)
72km: 11:39:52
84km: 13:49:06 (about 5.6 kph)

Average speed: 6.1 kph

More facts:
Of the 414 who finished, 9% were women and 91% were men.

Oh and while I did not meet the 2009 champion Jeanette Wang, I believed I did caught sight of 1 arm runner and Singapore blade runner. And they actually subconsciously motivated me to finish the marathon especially Singapore blade runner. Somehow I felt if he could persevere given his unique condition, I don't believed I should give up that easily either.

One more thing to note, I did not meet Jane, the Sahara dessert marathoner to-be (and trust me I believe girls are a rarity in this event so I do notice females as I was lamenting why all guys around me hahaha). But I wish I had met her  so that it will motivate me to see the sunrise.. at least she caught it... ENVY!!!

Check out her blog at Racing the Sahara for the perfect sunrise photo. And all the best to her. I soooo sooo envy her for being in Antartica and now for visiting Sahara too!

1 more medal to my collection... yipee!

p/s: Next up is NLB vertical marathon... and Shape Run 2010...

Related Posts:
Relight the Fire
Marathon
Sundown Marathon

Searching for Fairy Princess of Mt Ophir (2nd April 2010 - 4th April 2010)

Time flies even when I am idling and it is soon the Easter long weekend. The weekend I am supposed to go Mt Ophir. What shocked me is the long queue in Kranji MRT station. It was longer than I ever encountered. And due to some hiccups, I end up being the only one to make my way via bus. Luckily I was alert when I went for my Berkelah Waterfall trek and remember the bus number. Thus I made my way to woodlands checkpoint, through the customs (the queue was not long though which surprised me as I remembered the long queue then) and had the customs guard wished me luck to JB. I sensed something fishy and upon taking the escalator down to the bus stop, immediately understand why he wished me luck. The queue downstairs was terribly long despite the newspaper advising Singaporean that there will be a huge crowd heading to Malaysia during this long holiday.

Not that we have much choice as our passport has been chopped already. But I did saw some people getting out of the exit; probably they really gave up and made a detour back. Oh and I met my Appco batch mate. Haha he was saying Singapore so big and yet customs so small because we never meet again after he left Appco (within 2 weeks) haha. Not that I lasted any longer, probably 3 weeks to a month.

Anyway he must be thankful to have caught sight of me else he probably will not head to JB due to the long queue. Although I seriously cannot fathom how some people could just decide to go JB shopping like going to Tampines shopping to me. XX was right to say, where he stays probably is a strong factor ha-ha. For me though, I will avoid Malaysia during public holidays already. Actually other than a promised Penang trip, I don't really see myself heading to Malaysia again. Perhaps if my teacher-docent friend is planning to bring me to Malaysia to catch butterflies, I might reconsider. Haha reminds me that I have not gone Cameroon Highlands too hmm.

We finally made it to JB checkpoint and I thought there will be a long queue awaiting us. But I saw a new building and got a shock.

My friend told me coach checkpoint is different from car and also from public bus. Hmm and this checkpoint is new because I remember my Berkelah trip, the checkpoint was not so grand. The queue was manageable too. Most importantly, majority of the crowd headed to City Square shopping centre like my friend. Hmm I have never been there but I guess it is ok as I am not an avid shopper.

We took bus 160 to Kota Raya to collect the car (Malaysian Proton).

The bus was super empty as most people will head to Larkin Terminal which was where I went in Berkelah trip to catch our buses. There are two known ways of reaching Gunung Ledang (Mount Ophir), one is from Sagil, Johor and the other is through Asahan, Melaka. We chose through Sagil and thus made our way to Tangkah town.

Then is a long drive to Tangkah town. The tolls were initially 1 to 2 RM till we reached Tangkah where it suddenly cost us more than 20 RM and our touch-and-go card was zapped clean. We stopped at a rest area to buy drinks in the convenience store and had our dinner at their café which was Nasi Lemak plain or with Chicken Redang, Otak-Otak. And it was really lucky that we chose to dine early instead of at the canteen in the nature park because we almost lost our way. We went to the wrong resort (Gunung Ledang Resort) at Pintu A when we should be heading to Pintu B where the National Park office is located. We ended up travelling that road a few times to find the security guard at Pintu A because he can speak English haha. And he thought we are Malaysians as we were driving a Malaysian car. Sigh I am supposed to master my Malay but after one year, still NO progress.

Anyway after travelling up and down, we finally met the guy who is supposed to meet us. Then we went through a long stretch of dirt road (palm oil estate) before finally reaching our rest area. Then a quick cold shower and I plod straight to sleep just as what the FB Application – Message from God revealed...

On this day, God wants you to know...
... that tonight you can turn your worries to God, and have a good night's sleep. You've been worrying too much about the future lately. So tonight, go ahead, put your faith in God, and just have a peaceful evening and a restful sleep.

Woke up early next morning to wash up and have breakfast. A wise choice that we only ordered 2 Nasi Lemak sets although it would have been better if we had eaten earlier. Because when we started the trek, breakfast was not digested and thus the guys were feeling uncomfortable. (My friend said for Mt KK, they were not allowed any breakfast and had only one cup of thick Milo.. probably we should do that next time.)

After climbing up 739 steps and some trekking, we made it to checkpoint 1 which they already felt like the summit. Then is more trekking to checkpoint 2...checkpoint 3...checkpoint 5.

The estimated time and actual time taken for this "gentle" uphill from Checkpoint 1 to Checkpoint 5.

CP1 to CP2 25 minutes / 21 minutes
CP2 to CP3 60 minutes / 34 minutes
(Probably because we skipped Twin Fall)

CP3 to CP4 25 minutes
CP4 to CP5 60 minutes } 84 minutes

And the total distance from start point to CP5 = 3.9KM

From CP1 to CP5 I still have some energy to take photos and made observation e.g. I saw lots of tree trunks buffed shiny by the ropes… and lots of vandalised rocks and trees… and lots of trampled grasses and broken roots.. sigh.. all man’s fault for wanting to conquer mountains, yours truly included :-(

And then a tougher road lies ahead.. The KFC (Killing Fitness Centre). It is a more tedious and steeper climb
and the ultimate challenge is the rocks climbing!!! I want to give up!!!

The reward? A beautiful prelude of the scene you get to see at the summit. Somehow the guide leaves us not much choice so we had to reach the summit even if we wanted to give up. There is a rule however that if anybody cannot reach summit before 3.00pm, he/she must turn back from the point where he/she is. But I don’t want to go back via this way again and so we pressed on to the summit to be able to go back via an alternative return path.

The total trail length for KFC = 1.9 KM
Thus the grand total is 5.8 KM / 1286 metres high. I wonder which is tougher, my marathon buddy’s 20KM marathon training or Mt Ophir climb?

Oh and when you reach the summit you can penned your thoughts... you know the scene where one climb to the highest and start to record one's thoughts and feelings. It probably is a good time to seek Fairy Princess too. However I only spent some seconds at the summit because there were too much flies. Not sure if it is because of the leftover food discarded at the summit but the flies sure killed any good feeling you had when reaching the summit. Even the guide went down after a short smoke. Felt sad because the view is quite serene where you can see the birds flying on top.

Anyway a little bit more about Gunung Ledang (Mount Ophir).
The name “Ophir” itself is thought to have originated from the Hebrew language.
In the 14th Century, Chinese seafarers called it 金山.
And Javanese during the period of the Majapahit empire named it Gunung Ledang means “mount from afar”.

Standing at 1,276 meters (4,187 foot), on the 64th highest mountain in Malaysia, it is said on clear days you can get a panoramic view of Segamat and Jementah town of Johor, as well as the historical Melaka. Well I fail my geography so I will just appreciate what I see – Earth and Sky!


On our way to descent, the thunder got louder and the skies got darker. Soon it began to rain. At first I thought that the rain will not reach us as the foliage should protect us. But I was wrong. The rain got heavier and I got wetter and colder. Luckily I borrowed a plastic bag from my friend to protect my bag. Seriously for this trip, I did not pack appropriately. I had even forgotten that I should get a backpack needless to say water-proof my valuables.

With the rain, I slipped and fell more often that I lost count already. Before that, I had slipped into a stream while trying to test the coolness of the water. When the rain fell, I no longer bother about water puddles as I was already wet from head to toe. In addition I could not take any photos because I did not want to test if my camera is water-proof even though I saw a snake and heard the horn bill. The snake encounter was a scary one as it was heading straight into our path as we were on the same path as where the water was flowing. So the guide kept trying to divert its direction till all of us crossed safely.

We managed to reach base by 6pm. Actually come to think of it, I am quite grateful of the rain as we did not dehydrate too much because our water supply went low after reaching summit. I did replenish my thirst with some spring water during the descent (before rain fell). But with the rainfall, my thirst was constantly replenished through my eyes, lips, skin haha. Luckily I was not wearing spectacles or contact lens else I will be extremely uncomfortable.

Upon reaching base, we had our carbonated drinks and cleared the tagging (they will count the food wrappers we brought down to tally with what we accounted for). Then wash up …

(This was taken near the wash up area)

and had our dinner. Somehow the canteen being the only monopoly, took their time to cook. Luckily we brought down our tidbits and were munching it. When the food did arrive, we immediately gobble them down.. that I forgot to take photo even though I brought my camera down. A sample of their serving can be found here where we had been given someone's share wrongly and it was at our table untouched for minutes.. Luckily!

After dinner, we immediately retire back to the hut and with lights out, my friends all went back to rest their eyes. Me? Haha I was typing parts of this post but the flies got attracted to the light emitted from the phone while I was typing till I fell asleep haha.

My last note for that day probably is to say thanks to the guide. As mentioned, he really gave us no choice but to reach the summit. He is 36 years old and had been climbing Gunand Lebang for 10 years. He told me he climbed here about 5 times a month. And the toughest he tried was Mt Tahan, the tallest in peninsula, (my friend told me it meant East Malaysia; guess I still got lots to learn about Malaysia). I wondered if I should start climbing Bukit Timah every week haha... Must jio my teacher docent sia..

The last day we left for Malacca. Woah is like I just been here 2 months ago and I'm coming back again haha. Since we have no idea what we want for breakfast, I suggested trying the chicken rice ball. This time I remember to take photo of the feast haha.

After the feast we headed to Malacca zoo. It was quite well decorated actually. Took the tram to go round for an overview. Then took random photos e.g.

Ring-tailed lemur looks pregnant right?

Somehow due to aching legs, I never really explore the zoo properly. So sad. Even the observation tower, I was too lazy to climb.. and the mini safari, I just take a picture from the entrance.. sighz

My personal highlight is to catch sight of red panda. Was upset when I could not find it as I have not seen firefox yet. Phew, now I dont really need to fly to Hong Kong to see firefox already. This was really a surprise for me.

Had our "ANW" feast too. Somehow a trip to Malaysia always must end with an "ANW" feast haha. Then we headed back.

On the spur of moment we decided to head to Kota Tinggi to see the waterfall. Talk about sponatarity.

There was a Wet World for one to play water near the waterfall.

And well one can climb up but as my legs were aching and it was drizzling plus we are quite pressed for time, decided not to climb for today,

Stayed awhile, while we ate the remnants of the packed chicken rice... And then is home sweet home. I did some research about Kota Tinggi and realized one can see fireflies there. Oh so sweet.. I still have not seen my fireflies.. sigh

Oh ya before I penned off, more about the legend of the fairy princess in Mt Ophir can be found here...

And did I meet fairy princess? Did fairy princess answered my queries? Well is for me to know and for you to find out.

p/s: I went to do a comparision between Berkelah Waterfalls & Mt Ophir.. Actually Berkelah Waterfalls being my first hike, I find it quite scary on the way to the summit too. While it does not have the rock climbing, it had a narrow ledge where any small step, you will plunge into the water or the land... and it was lucky that we were not carrying our camping equipments that time as my friend had volunteered to look after our stuff. So I am still unsure if I want to trek Mt KK even though I have been assured that one can hire porters and one can rest halfway as there are actually accomodations in the middle of the track. Let me think again in 2011.

Related Posts:

Trek1: Berkelah Waterfalls
Trek2: Endau Rompin (Selai)

Relight the fire...

Time to relight the fire.. stop running after the full marathon event. Rejected all runs even SC run because seriously it is the been there done it feel. So don't know why my brain decide to fry itself up a day before I left Europe and sign up for this marathon. Whether I turn up though, that is the BIG question haha. But in the meantime, while I search for training plan, I came across various upcoming marathons and some are so interesting I had to blog to remember them.. e.g.

1) Rusti Run 2010 – Run with Dogs and Family
2) Run for My Lunch 2010
3) MacRitchie Runners 25 - can you imagine running 5 km in 25 mins. (Sorry I go by an easy pace.) Or running at least 5 rounds of MacRitchie (I think I will get bored...)

Ok I'm tired... tomorrow continue my trainiing... As for all these runs, they were just references for a friend. Hope she can cross out this to-do task soon, like how I crossed mine out last year... (and stupidly added another to-do task for 2010).

Marathon

It has been quite a long time since I ran...
It has also been some time since I check FB...

So it seems coincidental that today, someone had recommended this movie just as I realised this morning had been the SC marathon. The marathon I ran a year ago... I had wanted to go down to take photos but I kept forgetting to check the date. And then i realised it is today while in the zoo.



A year ago, I ran for a reason. A year later, I stop running due to my kneecap problem. Besides, been there, done it. So I felt there isn't a need to run another marathon again. Hmm but this movie did really tempt me to want to run again..

Sundown Marathon

It is a 42.195km Marathon route which features four uniquely named sections:
1) String of Lights (22km) – This runs along Nicoll Drive, behind the Changi Airport runway and down towards East Coast Park
2) Heartland Twist (7km) – This features 3 overhead bridges linking East Coast Park with Bedok Town Park and Bedok
3) Waterfront Trail (6km) – This goes around the reservoir towards Pasir Ris
4) Home Run (7km) – This last stretch is where runners will face a 300m uphill battle before reaching the finishing line.

Interesting route? To tell you the truth, I did not read up about the route while I was practising. Thus on the day itself, I was quite surprised when I learnt of the route. Because my 2nd last practice run, I had tried Bedok Reservoir.. and my last practice, I tried Pasir Ris to Changi. The only problem was these 2 practice runs, my body had not went through 26km then. Thus the 2 practice runs were easily accomplished (actually not true, the Changi run I had to give up the last 1 km to the Changi market because I needed to rush back on time for guests that day).

So on the day itself, I continued to feel nervous. Cut my toenails to prevent inflicting any self-injury. Tried sleeping but couldn't really sleep. And the questions on whether I can finish, do I have the mindset, am I determined enough haunt me repeatedly. Probably why I blocked all the naysayer beforehand so that they will not add on to my anxiety. Personally I know a full marathon is tough, and to accomplish one without training isn't a good idea. But I felt that training is only required if you want a good time. I, on the other hand, may have wanted to complete by 5.5 hours but it wasn't a must.

Anyway the first half of the marathon was bearable. I guess it was only around the 26km that I truly start to feel deflated and started walking all the way from Kembangan MRT to Bedok Reservoir. But the walking did not stop, at the sandy track, even though it reminded me of the real run, I refused to jog because I felt it would take extra effort on my part.

I guess I was happier though when I caught my hometown in sight. And by the time I saw this sign

I was trying to trick my mind that I am doing my regular jogging in the morning (esp since I had reached it around 5am) and am trying to jog down to find my sunrise.

The only problem is I know this last leg well to know that I got a long D to cover... and by the time I hit the path to Changi, I'm back to the walking stage. The only times I tried to jog is when there is a slope down. Actually I told my friend I want to walk all the way back. But you know when someone tells you, you have 1 km left, somehow you really wish to end the agony faster. So I had to slow jog all the way back.. to obtained the following results:

Rank: 275/738
Bib No: 5954
Gun Time: 6:16:14.05
0-10km: 1:12:02.12
10km-20km: 1:35:50.95
20km-30km: 1:25:33.52
30km-42km: 2:02:47.46

Would I ever repeat this agony again? While at Bedok Reservoir, my friend had said if I ever want to do 84, please do not find him. Of which I replied if I ever suggested anything from 42 onwards, you should just kill me.

Yah, I think my limit is 26 only. One should know her limit at times too, because even if you force it, you will end up getting hurt right? I don't know... lately I got too much stuff that I am unable to figure out... Argh...

Moi First Kayaking Experience

I cannot figure out whether to post this here or in my Grasstales because the only reason I'm posting it is because I saw a pair of horsehose crabs!!!!

Ok I should rewind and start by mentioning the expedition... a short expedition (luckily). Met early morning in Pasir Ris - PA Water Venture. Geez, I did not know that place is called PA Water Venture even though I jogged past it many times. Haha and I was once again breathless due to my jog from home to PA. (Sigh, yesterday 8+ km test jog with my friend already made me realise the gap I need to train especially when he still has so much energy to expend... Oh but I realised ECP is quite nice to jog too.. worth considering route.)

Then is rent the kayaks (@ both PA and Watercross) and listened to instructions (clueless me need to know what are the signs my expedition leader will use to communicate with us). And is march (or rather kayak) on to Coney Island.

So what is Coney Island? It used to be called Pulau Serangoon (Coney Island) and is quite near to Punggol if you checked the map.

Nature wise, it is said that it is an important location for migratory birds like the endangered Magpie Robin and the Plover.

Usage wise, Coney Island was an island retreat popular with families looking for picnic spots. It was accessible from Punggol or Changi Point via boats (Heard a bridge is slated to be built from Punggol to Coney Island hmm). In later years, the island became popular for water-skiing, boating, and fishing.

Source: Singapore Infopedia

I remembered leader said it is a 2km kayaking expedition. Hmm 2km seems doable if you were asking me to run as I will probably just take 15-20 minutes. But this was kayaking and it was REALLY SLOW. Geez. My poor friend had to paddle doubly hard because clueless and useless me was only there to find out how does kayaking feel and to get some tan. Haha!

Along the way, saw the kelongs which I used to see when jogging.. you know how's the life of a kelong? I remembered my visit and interview with one of them, it was peaceful and serene and so out of the world.. Oh that was also the first time I seen kayaking, while in the boat looking after their belongings. (In the background Within Temptation's Memories was being played.. so apt!)

Also saw a pair of sea gulls and some of them spotted the jelly fish (I didn't as I was clumbsily paddling my way to Coney Island). Then a short rest at a spot in Coney Island. I saw the rubbishes strewn up the coastal area, so sad. At that time I did not know what Coney Island is for though so was quite puzzled. Anyway , there was a yatch and when it was moving off, we caught sight of flying fish after it (or so I believed) haha. So cute!

It is also at this spot that we saw the Horseshoe Crab. Woah it is bigger than the one in the Zoo Mangrove section.

A picture of a pair of mating Horseshoe Crab caught in action, courtesy of my friend for taking it. Initially the male was on top of the female and then slowly, the female will pauses every few feet to dig and lay her eggs...

No wonder there was so much burrowing... and we thought the pair was shy after being caught in action by so many of us.. just kidding! Read more facts in my Grasstales.

Tide down, it is back to Pasir Ris where we shower and then have lunch. Overall, this trip had allowed me to know kayaking better. Seriously though, I don't feel like taking certication for it.. but leisure kayaking should be fun. Hmm except I still don't have confidence to kayak alone and I think it isn't very fair to my partner if we kayak doubles. Still feel bad...

Some thoughts on FB and the half marathon

Getting more and more uneasy lately in a way I cannot define, probably due to FB and the upcoming half marathon.

With regards to FB, started when an ex-colleague (around mum's age) asked me how I know X (my age). Turns out X is her daughter's ex. Pretty shocking.

Then I saw another ex-colleague commenting a photographer's wedding photo. I had seen the groom before when he came to the office to give the cards to my current colleagues. I ended up seeing my colleagues' pretty faces in the album. Mental note: I better behave as my career world of contacts just shrank.

(Another example of how small FB makes my social network become…. Zzz.. I was talking to this newly found Socian senior cum current colleague of mine when I realized his wife is Doc & Tatter’s friend… what????)

Then I did something wrong in FB. I tried too hard to maintain a conversation and he ended up cutting me short. Point is I kept telling myself don't bother but my hands don't listen.

I ended up sleeping little and idle at home the next day preparing to collect my race pack. Like what my friend said, half mara has half the Q of the full mara. Weird there were more full than half though using my theory, I get a better deal paying the same price for a longer journey. Bravo to the full marathoners!

I then head to the gym but somehow did not feel like running too much on the eve. Just practise a bit, and do other exercises. I think I neglected these machines while preparing for this half mara. Must head back to them soon.

Hmm I kind of forgot what other whines I have. Probably some trivalities like a guy coughing onto me in the post office and that there are so many SAM machines yet the ones that weigh parcel break down the same time (different locations). Maybe I wasn't thinking too positively then.

Anyway I am happy now as I'm typing because I managed to send my xmas present to the child. I need to think of a pretty term for her.. Can't really call her my child as she has parents. She call me sponsor tho. And what makes my morning is receiving her xmas card (I thought I was early in sending, she's earlier haha) .

Oh and as I'm typing this while on the way to the half mara, I think from now onwards I will remember MRT first train for sunday is 6am. Definitely gonna be late.. Oops.

Just hope the run will be ok because I couldn't do any prep on the eve. I wanted to listen to CL and carbo load abit as well as rest early. But I had a wedding dinner on the eve and such dinner usu has more protein than carbo. Luckily the hotel is the nearby Changi Village Hotel. Change of name but the feel is still there where I attend my then very good friend's wedding with .. Anyway it was a lovely wedding and I'm taking a chance to see how's my friend sprain since we touched down from Japan. Still having a slight limp tho, hope she recover faster. Then I rush back home in a cab to sleep before midnight. At least I have 4.5 hours of sleep before the event.

Hmm here onwards is the aftermath of the run haha. I join the queue just when the event flag off. The point is, the queue was very very very long haha. And we just kept strolling towards the starting point that the emcee kept urging us to please start running to the starting. Oh I got too lazy to take photo of the start and end, probably wait for professional photos haha.

<-- Now you know how many people were in front of the queue .. because the chip and the clock totally don’t come close haha

Halfway through the race I learnt another thing - never get shirt size XS. (But the NB size S was big, sigh.) The shirt caused me some abrasion that I kept pouring water on my left arm to alleviate the discomfort. Hope I did not wet anybody's shoes. Then there are times I will try to motivate myself… drink stops are good motivation points (the fruit aka banana stop was an even better motivator because that means you reach turning point already)… and then when you are at the other side… Still remember at that scenic Kallang area, the other side was the Marina Barrage which I told my friend when I reach there then see (because I wasn’t tall enough to see the other side then). Then there are times you need to u-turn, or round-about etc.. and when I’m on this side, I feel kinda depressed… The theory of the grass is always greener on the other side =p. And when I’m finally back to the Kallang area, on the other side, it really felt so much better to know I’m on the return journey plus the fact I maintained my running style like how I did for the Real Run, constant running pace with only occasion stops at water point.

Seriously I felt I came a long way from my first marathon – then Vertical Marathon. Coincidentally I passed by that building along the race route. Vertical Marathon really gives you a different feel as it was very well organized and at the end you get beautiful memories of the helicopter view when you completed plus a beautiful medal. Because of it, I thought all marathons should be interesting to join.

After that, the SwingKPE (pretty bad in terms of organizing, I did not even get an accurate assessment of my race though it was probably bad too as I was walking more than jogging). Then the Nautical run. I like the shirt though, but I did had a hard time completing it as it was the first time I ran under the sun (SwingKPE tunnel was darkness and shade all the way). The only race that came close to enjoyment probably was the Real Run (trial) because I loved running on the soft sand when the sun was not high up and there was much lesser people.

SC half mara is a different feel. It is a run I am not prepared, I did not even tried to train to 15km by then. So to complete it, and to look back with all my other races, I do feel proud of myself. Most importantly, it was this run that made me join all the other horizontal marathons (I used to wonder what I get at the end of such marathons unlike that helicopter view – still loved that best). One of the advices dispensed was to run the marathon for your own sake, not for others. Indeed, when I joined this race, I did not expect anything, I just wanted to see what I can accomplish. Although meeting him could still be a bonus but fate thought otherwise. No worries though as after the event, my mental state was not clear haha. My trekmate commented I looked very happy when we met at the booth… hmm.. probably not thinking straight by then.

Alright before I end this post, here’s my timing (average of 8km/h which is good as I expected to go slower this round)


and the race route for half marathon (I ran for the sake of seeing the scenery.. but after running I realised I forgot how to make my way there again... sigh the usual me - directionless.  Imagine after passing a building then I told my friend I think I just passed my work place haha.)


and the medal


In some sense, thankfully I finally see another medal… having a medal still makes a marathon more enjoyable. Else I might just give up on horizontal marathons from now onwards. Considering after the event I slept the whole afternoon shows how tough this had been for me =p. But I thank GA for the fine weather, not running with the sun on Nicoll highway is still a good thing.. not having the drizzle like what I’m encountering today is also a good thing.