JUST DO IT!

It was 'Impossible Is Nothing' on Wed evening. It was Just Do It today when I went down to collect my $200 Bowerman Running Shoes voucher from Nike. This was awarded to the top 20 runners who finished 90km in the Nike Runaholics Marathon Training Series. There were a total of 8 runs in the series, and I thouroughly enjoyed all of them, except for the last one where I was away. For the effort, most of us got nice Runaholics running tops to boot. The few of us at SgRunners (DO, Brokie, stazla, Kayano, Dream) who got the shoe voucher will be planning a shopping session after SCSM to get some suitable Nike runners...hmm, wonder what I should get?

SCSM06 Battle Gear

D-2, REDCON 2

Impossible Is Nothing

Went down to Suntec Adidas for the final adiRUN before D-Day. All those runners who have attended about 8 adiRUNs collected our very nice Adidas white running sleeve top. Behind the top were the words adiRUN, Impossible Is Nothing! COOL! The material was soft, and my S size fitted me well. Beverly also collected her S size ladies. We will probably collect our adiZero shoes after the SCSM.

A crowd of 20+ turned up, and we had shortlegs, Mun and OP join us for their first adiRUN. The group don our new adiRUN Ts and posed for a great photo shot. Michiko was excited with her stylo-mylo Oakley M Shades, saying she would not walk on race day wiith that...how's that for motivation :). To show support to Fahmy and Adidas for their generosity, we wore our new adiRUN Ts for the 8-9km tapering run along The Marina Promenade towards Kallang Sea Sports area and back. This probably being my final run before race day, I decided to go a little faster to get a good workout. I think I went at a 5:20min/km pace, and was following the mini group of cfred, simon and fennel mostly.

George was the fastest today. As we moved on, Superboy's hunky friend moved up to join cfred and gang, and they increased the pace to near 5min. I stuck with my pace throughout. There were quite a number of runners around the area putting in their final runs as well. Workmen could be seen putting up signboards and sponsors' billboards. We ran past the 40km marker which would be the real teaser on race day, as it would signal that the ultimate finale was close. I finished the approximately 8km in about 36min. The front group decided to run up to The Esplanade, while I took a breather and walked back to catch up with Beverly. The last run has been done. Time to rest the legs, and begin carbo-loading. This Friday night will have me doing my favourite Steamboat with the SAFRA MF gang. D-3, REDCON 2,,,,let the engines REV!

Holiday Heat Run

Went for a little getaway this weekend, and managed to get a short 10km run in along the beautiful Palawan and Tanjong beaches and Dolphin Bay. When I started the run at 9.30am after a late sleep-in, the sun was out with its full heat. I tried getting into the shady areas whereever possible. I planned to do a 50min run just to get the engine warmed up, but being careful not to overwork the body. I went exploring the jungle trail for the final 2km, before heading back to the start point...estimated I ran 10km in 51min. I was sweating buckets as I took some time to stretch down.

Since I was in the CBD area on Tuesday, I managed to go down to join the CBD run. It was a nice 10km run, and we got a chance to meet up with the SCSM Trifam pace groups. There was a sizeable turnout from SgRunners, and together with the 20 odd Trifam Pacers, we ran as a large group into Marina South. It was impressive, as the pace were well maintained, and the various runners ran together as a group. I followed the 4hr pace group, led by David Tay. It was a nice 5:30min/km pace they set. However, there was a even faster group of about 10 people led by choonwei and doraemon running at 5min pace and below....wow, I had to try not to be drafted along by them....I was able to follow the 5:30min pacers from the Jetty all the way out to the start point at Tanjong Pagar MRT.

Team Trifam's pacers (holding pace timings) for the SCSM06

We did about 9.5km in 52min....very consistent 5:30min pace bah. I had a nice workout, not too taxing, just nice to deplete more glycogen ahead of the loading from Thursday evening. We had a nice chat with the pace groups on their strategies, and took some very nice photos, with the pacers holding up their pace times. I think this year's SCSM marathon will be interesting...at least there will be a chatty and steady pace group to help keep me alert during the first 3/4 of the race at least....NICE!

Pre-SCSM International Friendship Run

International SgRunners at East Coast Parkway

Organised a pre-SCSM run this morning mainly to gather SgRunners for a final get-together run, attend the race expo as well as do some pre carbo-loading. There was a good turnout of about 25 runners at East Coast Parkway F2 carpark. Met up with shortlegs and OP from overseas, and a couple of other SgRunner groups like hohorunner, aichai, spiffy. Took the customary group photo and away we went at 7.45am heading towards NSCRCC. The sun was up, but with a breeze, it didn't feel too hot at first.

The Ozzie & German based SgRunners

Led by Doraemon, the first of the groups shot ahead with speedy OP. They were enjoying the nice pace and chatted merrily. I was running in the middle of the pack, and tried to form a link between the front and the rear. As it was supposed to be a sight-seeing run, the pace hovered around 6min/km with the exception of the frontrunners. I waited at the turning point for all to arrive, and when leggie, Mun and Shutehelup turned, I too followed along and ran along with leggie. We have souted and posted in the SgRunners forum, but this was the first time I got to meet her in person. She does a nice fore-foot stride, and was steady in the pace. Kayano was also running along with us. When we arrived back near to F2, the group were waiting for us....took a few good shots..hehe.

We took a short break before proceeding towards Fort Road. This stretch will have us running 14km to/fro, with many parts not shaded. RR who went to the gents earlier joined me to play catch up with the group which had moved ahead. We moved along at about 5:30 pace and slowly caught up with the group. I ran with leggie for yet another stretch. Because she was only prepared for a 12km run this morning, she did not have 'fuel', and suffered a little side stitch. I advised her to slow a little and catch some deep breaths to recover. I moved ahead and moved on towards Fort Road exit. The sun's heat was getting to me a little, but I thought it was good conditioning for us. With 1 km to the Fort Road exit, I saw George, followed by Doraemon running strongly back. xdd could even smile and looked very relaxed. OP, fennel, renoh and the rest ran past.

I waited for leggie to arrive at the U-turn point, and explained a little to her about the reason for the unusually large number of palm trees along that marathon stretch :). We had a good laugh, before proceeding on to finish the remaining 7km of the run back to F2. I maintained a steady pace of about 5:40 pack, and as I neared the seafood centre, I could makeout Cokiee and renoh. We gave each other some words of encouragement before moving ahead to finish the run at F2. Sotong and the front group was already there to snap some good finishing photos of us. My time showed 2hr15min for around 21km, including waiting and stoppage time. I estimate an average of 5:45 pace for me throughout, not fast, but good enough atthis late stage of tapering.

We rested and were treated to very yummy isotonic jello, courtesy of Doraemon, and Gatorade + 100Plus from Brokie and acleong. Thanks for the nice re-loading. We all had a refreshingly cool bath before proceeding to Marina Food Court for carbo-loading. I had my favourite beef kimchi ramen. Visited the race expo st Suntec thereafter and went away with some nice sports beans, Yankz lace, Adidas cap, Fuel-Belt pouch....met many familiar faces...Sandy, choonwei at Polar, Karen at VRP, Dexter at Adidas, Ruth and her friend, Dr. William Tan, and a host of other running kakis. It was one melting pot for the running community. The latest news I heard was there were 9,000+ Full Marathon runners at SCSM06...might be the beginning of a running boom in Singapore?

Distance: 21km__Time: 2hr__Pace: 5:45min/km

SCSM06 Countdown...Tapering Runs

It rained on Monday evening. It rained again on Tuesday late afternoon. I went down Tuesday evening to SAFRA MF to do a tapering 10km run into Canterbury Estates with the MF folks. It was pouring buckets when I arrived at 6.30pm. However the rain stopped when we set off at 7pm. It was cooling and shiok as we ran along Depot Road, and I was having a short chat about our 'pale-ness' with Kee Sin and Wai Fung. As we entered in Canterbury Estates, I moved ahead to do a faster pace to get the engine working. Then it started to pour. I increased the pace further as the raindrops irritated me, and I wanted to get out there quick. I must have been doing a 4:30min pace inside Canterbury. It was still pouring as I exited and ran for a bit with Melvin along Alexandra Road. My adiZero SN were really put to the test as I splashed them through large puddles of water. They were wet, but I could still sense a good grip...and the shoes have already gone 800km...very durable. I wanted to add about 2km more, but as it was still pouring as I approached Labrador Park entrance, I decided to just go back to ClubHouse. With about 500m to go, the rain came to a stop. I could feel the water in my shoes drained off. Finished the whole 10km in 49min.

It rained again on Wed afternoon. Good that it stopped and made way for a cool evening adiRUN. Fahmy came back after his 3 week vacation to join us. We had some nice group photos taken with Fabian (a fast marathoner), a poster boy for adidas running (dunno his name) and Fahmy. This must be the 10th adiRUN, and I remembered we took some nice group photos for the first few runs then. Instead of the originally planned 10km Fort Canning route, we did the 14km Marina South Jetty route instead. Brokie, who just did 32km the previous evening, started at her slow recovery pace along with Beverly, Meteor and myself ... The rest of the group went ahead, and the few of us ran at about 6min/km pace. After taking a water break at the Jetty, it was just me and Beverly, running at 5:45min pace, playing catch up to the rest. Bev was maintaining good form...I think she should do well for her maiden 21km at SCSM06. As we ran round the steamboat area, we spotted Cokiee and Meteor in front. We maintained our pace and slowly narrowed the gap till we caught up as we exited Marina South into Shenton Way. From there, we ran as a group to finish the 14km in 1hr25min. Did a good warm-down stretch led by Cokiee, before heading back to Adidas Suntec for our 100plus and bananas.

Did a 12.4km run at from SAFRA MF to Labrador Park. The weather was cool, after some afternoon showers. It was great that the rain did not come back like Tuesday. I decided to go for an additional 3 laps around the 800m small loop at Labrador Park. It was a nice, peaceful run, and I took care not to exert myself. Took about 1hr3min of running time, averaging 5min pace.

I have brought together some SgRunners for a 20km tourist-pace International Friendship Run for our running friends arriving from overseas for SCSM06. It will be a good time for lots of us to get together as well. We plan to go down to the Race Expo after the run, and then have a pre carbo-loading ritual at the Marina FoodCourt, offering the best of Singapore Delights. RUN IT. EAT IT. DO IT. :)

Final LSD & Heat Conditioning

After 2 days of rest for my feet, I was feeling better for the Nike Runaholics 20km at Marina Promenade. I had intended to add 15km of run in the heat to the 20km for a grand total of 35km, which will have to do as my longest run in preparations for SCSM on Dec 3. I had about 4hrs of sleep....not bad, the night before race day will have me sleeping for an hour maybe. Picked up stazla and superboy early, and we were at the start point at Marina Promenade area by 7am. Along the way, we saw the group of Animiles runners making their way towards the Kallang/Indoor Stadium area. Saw acleong, RealRunner,Cokiee at the start point, along with quite a good turnout of runners...most likely doing their final prep runs as well :). Saw Vivian, Anna, and the rest of the Animiles reach the overhead bridge....wow, they were fast...we acknowledged one another. Then Roentgen and Divey were spotted doing their Ninja runs as well...both looked very strong, especially Divey.

Stephen Lee gave a brief of the route, and it turned out that we had to run to/fro all along Marina Promenade and The Esplanade area...hmm, the hard surface on that stretch will really hurt the legs...I intended to be cautious. As I had planned for a 35km, I tried to do a 5:30min/km pace throughout, and see if I could hold on for the entire run. The run was flagged off before 7.30am, as I was going for a final toilet break. Brokie and Vincent were not there yet. I joined in the group, and was content to stay in mid-pack to maintain a 5:30min pace. The sun was rearing its might early in the run, and fortunately, the water points were well stocked with isotonic drinks. As I was running back from the Sea Sports area, I spotted Brokie, Vincent and leh-lio running towards me...they were about 20min late. I maintained my pace as I saw stazla, superboy and cokiee not far behind. I finished the first 10km in 54min...ok, steady 5:30min pace.

I decided to increase pace slightly for the next 10km to try to bank in some miles. I was feeling ok for the 2nd 10km as I was not really pushing for any timing, just wanting to run an average 5:30min pace for the full 35km. I had some fun doing mini-paced runs with the mid-pack runners, taking turns to trade places with a few selected runners. The MR25 Elites were blazing the routes as I saw them running back at break-neck speed after each of the 4 U-turns we had to do. I was quite happy with taking my Powergel mix at the 10km and 18km mark, and I will definitely be bringing my Fuel-Belt along for this year's SCSM. As I passed by the 17km mark, back at the start point, MR25 Hock Leong just finished his 20km in 1hr30min...that was fast...further ahead near The Esplanade, RealRunner was followed closely by Ronnie, both at a very good pace...RR looks good for a 3hr30min marathon this year. I was content to continue with my 5:30min pace, and finished the 20km in 1hr47min. Took some isotonic drinks, a banana, and got my log card recorded. Spent some time chatting with Vincent of MR25, and with a pit-stop of about 10min in total, I set off for my additional 15km of conditioning.

I proceeded for a 3rd time towards the Kallang Sea Sports area, then took a short stretch of Nicholl Highway, before running along the Kallang River to the Indoor Stadium. Crossed over the Waterfront Bridge and towards the Costa Rhu and waterfront condominium areas. That stretch was really 'mental' due to the scant cover from the minimal number of trees and buildings....hot hot. There were just a few solitary runners, mostly carrying camelbaks. There was a slight reprieve from the sun when it was momentarily blocked by some passing clouds. I decided to turn back after 2hr20min of running in order that I could finish the 35km in about 3hr and a bit. As I turned back towards Indoor Stadium, and along People's Academy, I was reminded of the very tough final 5km in SCSM05. That was the part where I was so drained I had to walk, and was the determining point for blowing off my sub-4hr target in my maiden marathon. I did learn a lot since then. When I again passed this point this morning, I felt much stronger (I only have covered 28km by then), and I was determined to overcome the 'mental' demon. As I ran into Kallang Sea Sports centre, the sun was blazing...good conditioning though, as I ran round to the other side of Singapore River. I took another sip of my Powergel mix to provide the final boost to finish the remaining 7km.

Though it was hot, I kept myself cool by focusing on getting into the shady areas. As I hit back to Marina Promenade, I saw stazla running back from her additional mileage too...this gal is really strong. I picked up pace and continued to push on till I reach back to the Runaholics start point. Brokie, Lai Chee, Ronnie, Vincent, and those who had finished earlier were chatting. I took a quick drink, and joined them for a short exchange. I told them I would do another 3km+ towards The Espanade and back to complete 35km. From then on, it was just me and lots of tourist groups moving around. My legs still felt good, though the tiredness were beginning to get to me. There were still no signs of cramps, which made me more confident. I continued to push the 5:30min pace, and not to be distracted. The heat was getting to be unbearable, and after the final U-turn, I looked for a shady area to finish my final drink in a 1min walk. I completed the 35km run in 3hr07min, exclusing part of the stoppage after the Runaholics 20km. I was happy to have completed without to much a-do, and feeling quite good, in spite of the hot weather. I am now more confident of tackling the heat on race day. I actually bumped into an army mate and an ex-colleague today doing the Runaholics, and although I waved at them, they could not recognize me anymore....haha. My outlook must have changed too much....hahaha. We had a wash-up, followed by carbo-reload at Marina Sq. Foodcourt with kakis who had participated at the Swissotel Vertical Marathon. Tapering for me has begun with this final LSD, and I am arranging for a informal 'friendship' run for some of our international SgRunners kakis next Saturday, followed by makan and a visit to the SCSM Race Expo...Looking forward to all these fun tapering activities :)

Distance: 35km__Time: 3hr07min__Pace: 5:21min/km

If I am able to maintain the average 5:21min/km pace for the whole marathon, I can theoretically do it in 3hr46min, better than my PB of 3hr48min established at Phuket 2006.

Final 2 weeks

2 more weeks to go before D-Day. I did a 14km SAFRA MF run to Portsdown Road and Queensway area. I was feeling rather tired after a whole day of meeting. When I reached Portsdown Road, I was feeling rather thirsty and decided to veer off the main group to Buona Vista MRT for a much needed drink. My throat has been very dry, and I have been feeling under the weather for the whole day...I did have a slight cough developing...yikes.

As I ran along Commonwealth, I saw Jaime, Eng Hwa and a few other runners. They were running strong and steady. My legs were feeling tired despite the distance being quite short. My breathing was still not smooth as I ran all the way back along Depot Road back to ClubHouse. Was happy to complete the 14km. There was a Birthday celebration for Wong and Phei Sunn, and we were all treated to very nice cheese cake and lots of fruits...healthy stuff. I was still hungry when I got home, and I went for a round of home-cooked Korean Ramen :). Must take a good rest to prepare for Sunday's final LSD at Marina Promenade.

The Longest AdiRUN

Time flies. We were doing the 8th or 9th adiRun already; not sure; I lost count. This evening's run was supposed to be 16km into Marina South, running mainly the StandChart 21km/42km route, in what will be the longest adiRUN yet....hmm, no wonder only the serious ones turned up, though it was quite a large group. We had a 'rare guest' in the form of an ironman who had recently taken a keen interest in dragon-boating...hehe. Leh-lio Gal joined us for the first time too, and we had the return of the ang-moh runner as well.

Because of the longer distance, we started the run with some quick stretches, led by Cokiee. As per normal, all were soon running in front, and very soon it was just Beverly, Meteor, leh-lio (who had a slight mishap in the toilets...hmmm) and me doing a 5:45min pace along Shenton Way, and into Marina South. When we reached the left turn along the Marathon Route, DO was waiting, and I handed leh-lio safely to DO to carry on the faster journey...haha. Superboy and Stazla caught up in spite of being late, and they raced ahead. I continued on with Meteor and Beverly, and the gals were keeping up to a good 5:45min pace. I ran a bit in front to lead them round the steam-boat area, all the way through the 'rather boring' stretch to Marina Jetty. On the way to the Jetty, we saw cfred on the return, followed closely by SC5, and then Brokie and the rest.

We reached the Jetty after running for 52min...hmm, the halfway mark must have been more than 8km based on timing and pace, more like closer to 8.5km. Somehow, my stomach was feeling slight queasy and I wanted to go for a quick 'mission' at the Jetty. I told Beverly to go ahead with Meteor and I would catch up. I did some small arty fire, and soon was on my way to play catch-up. I spotted Bev, Meteor and Cokiee running back along the steam-boat area. I took quite a while to catch up as they were running at a very steady 5:45min pace. I caucght up at the steam-boat area, and we ran together all the way to Shenton Way. I tried to pick up my pace, but found that the gals were just 25-50m behind throughout. Wow, they were very consistent and strong.

I was glad to finally finish the run, taking about 1hr45min. I estimated that it must be more than 16km, more like 18km. It was later confirmed by many that it was closer to 17km. The adidas guy was kind enough to bring the 100plus all the way to Esplanade exercise area for us..really grateful to him. I was so thirsty. All were happy with the run, as many of them felt good after running fast paces. SC5 ran sub 5min pace throughout, DO was 5min pace, Brokie was slightly over 5min, and of course leh-lio and stazla were the Cheetahs, as usual. We had some interesting chat on the way back, and as the time was quite late, we dispersed rather quickly once we reached back Suntec. Another good AdiRUN.

Distance: 17km__Time: 1hr45min__Pace: 6:11min/km

A solitary 18km

I had a late night, and after sleeping barely 2 hours, I woke up to do some reading...yikes...Ate some peanuts and was feeling quite stuffed when I went back to try to catch a short nap. Tossed and turned for an hour, before deciding to wake up at 5am to get an early morning run in...haha. Then I won't have to do the MF run in the evening, which I might not get time to do anyway.

Took a banana and off I went, already having decided to revisit this long, straight to/fro road from my place all the way up along Upper Serangoon Road, to the end of Ponggol Road. The last time I did this route must have been more than a year. The morning breeze was quite cold, and it took me a while to get warmed up. I could do a reasonable 5min pace in that cool morning setting. As I passed the many eateries and coffee-shops along Serangoon Road, it struck me that there were people taking their late supper or early breakfast...haha. The smell of food couldn't invoke my senses, as I was feeling rather sleepy then.. I tried to stay alert, and imagined myself running on actual race day with very little sleep. Otherwise, my legs felt good, and I just maintained at that comfortable pace, taking care not to over-stride and tiring myself.

As I passed Serangoon River, it reminded of the start point just ahead where I gathered with Ultra, Alvo, Mika and a few more for the NTU 168km Run, waiting for our eventuak winner Lim Nghee Huat, whom we were supposed to pace...nice memories. I continued on, and soon went over the Sengkang Bridge and all the way to Pongool MRT. That stretch reminded me of the time when I ran alone at about the same time into that quiet road leading to the Ponggol Jetty, where I was chased by a pack of stray dogs...Brrr! I finished up the first bottle of Gatorade mix in my fuel-belt, before proceeding to do a loop around the EdgePlains area. My time showed 50min...hmm, should have covered about 9.5km.

As I ran back on the return, lots more runners and early exercisers were out along the roads and bridge. The air was still cool. I decided to increase pace after I have covered about 12km so I could get back home before the sun is up. It was nice weather to run in, and though the traffic had started to build up, I was lucky enough to be able to run through most of the traffic junctions. Took 40min to finish the approximately 8.5km return journey, completing the whole 18km flat road run in 1.5hrs.

Distance: 18km__Time: 1hr30min__Pace: 5min/km

Runaholic + 10

Just recovered from my 2 week bout of flu, and was feeling good. Went with the family for a very big carbo-loading tom-yum steamboat dinner on Saturday night, topped up with very nice cheesecake, and I was feeling stuffed the whole night. I was anticipating the Sunday's Nike Runaholics 20km, plus another 10km of the trail route, to make a 30km LSD. I felt really weak at last week's 25km Runaolics run at MR, and hope to get back my form this time. I woke up at about 3am...hmm, interrupted sleep again, and then finally got back to sleep at about 4am, before waking up at 6am...haha. Downed another piece of cheesecake...sinful...for brekky, followed by coffee and 1 large banana. I couldn't wait to get the run in to 'off-load' the very high glycogen levels...hehe.

Because of the 2nd Link Bridge Run and some other events this morning, a smaller group came for the Runaholics Run. This was the 7th run, and those of us who had done 3 runs would get our Nike running top for free. I would also have reached > 100km in Runaholic mileage, likely landing me a pair of Nike Bowerman runners....haven't tried them before, hope they will find a nice place in my running shoe cabinet :). Stephen came a brief of the 2 loops we would be doing, and we would be running up to Lornie Road, and coming by that way back to the toilet for a 10km loop....hmm, I took the trails back last week; no wonder it felt so much longer and tougher then...hehe. I started slow for the first loop, and was running mostly by myself from the rear, slowly moving up along the way. Went through the slopes at the Northern Trail quite effortlessly, and with small strides too...exited to SICC Golf Couse in about 21min...not fast, but steady enough....I had to conserve as I planned to do at least 30km, 10km more after finishing the Runaholic 20km requirement. The highlight of the first loop was JW overtaking me twice...haha...she is such a 'smooth' runner; no wonder she did so well at those Ironman races.

I felt good mostly, even taking my time to avoid the muddy puddles and grass patches...haha. Took a sip of the Powergel mix (2 packets) in the fuel-belt bottles, and finished the first 10km loop in 58min. Went off for the second 10km loop, and overtook most of the tiring runners along Northern Trail. By then, Ultra, DO, RR, JW and the front-runners were out of sight. I enjoyed the quite journey alone, exiting the Northern Trails in 21min yet again. Continued with a second sip of the Powergel mix, and chugged through Sime Trail and back to the tree-roots area. Managed to run through the tree-roots area, albeit at a slow pace, and along Lornie Road, I picked up pace to complete the 2nd loop in 58min yet again....how's that for consistency? hehe... Completed the Runaholics 20km in 1hr56min.

Saw RealRunner and Ultra who had earlier completed their 20km...these are cheetahs lah. Sotong, who was injured, did a commendable 1 loop, and was under advice to rest. I took my record card, and collected my Runaholic Running Top. Made a quick change into the new top, and away I went for my own 3rd 10km loop. I finished off the Powergel mix, and continued strongly up Northern Trails for a 3rd time. Met Wilna, Lingam and the K2 team doing their Ninja training....speed intervals up slopes....they asked if I wanted to join in, but I decided to finish the final loop to complete my LSD training...will join them next time. I felt strong still, and decided to increase pace. The sun was out, although not in full heat, but was good enough for some 'heat conditioning' for me.

My legs were feeling good through the 3rd 10km loop, and no sign of tightness or cramps...hmm, could be the easy pace I was adopting....I was quite happy with things....enjoying the scenery. Ran up the tree-roots for a third time, and I decided to take Lornie Road back again. It was definitely a lot easier than taking the trail route back, where there would be 2-3 slopes to tackle. I finished the final 10km loop in 58min yet again...wow, very even splits. I body sensed at the end, and felt that I could finish another 10-12km without getting cramps...good, I hope I will feel this way on Marathon Day. Met DO who had already finished his training. I did some stretches while waiting for Brokie, Vincent and Cokiee, who were finishing off their 30km too....they were more or less ready for the full marathon itself.

When all came back, we were treated to 'heavenly' barley, and got a chance to meet Kayano and his friend, who had completed the 2nd Link Bridge Run. Trifam cw and snail who also did the Runaholics 20km were stretching down as well. Vincent and Brokie who had done 30km for the first time in a long while, felt it in their legs, and had a little bit of cramps; but otherwise, they were pretty 'conditioned'. I did not feel very tired today, and really enjoyed the longish run. I hope to do the final LSD next week at Marina South....hopefully, I will be able to do a 35km then. 3 weeks to D-Day; All systems ready and I must keep myself away from viruses for now :).

Distance: 30km__Time: 2hr52min__Pace: 5:45min/km

Just recovered from my 2 week bout of flu, and was feeling good. Went with the family for a very big carbo-loading tom-yum steamboat dinner on Saturday night, topped up with very nice cheesecake, and I was feeling stuffed the whole night. I was anticipating the Sunday's Nike Runaholics 20km, plus another 10km of the trail route, to make a 30km LSD. I felt really weak at last week's 25km Runaolics run at MR, and hope to get back my form this time. I woke up at about 3am...hmm, interrupted sleep again, and then finally got back to sleep at about 4am, before waking up at 6am...haha. Downed another piece of cheesecake...sinful...for brekky, followed by coffee and 1 large banana. I couldn't wait to get the run in to 'off-load' the very high glycogen levels...hehe.

Because of the 2nd Link Bridge Run and some other events this morning, a smaller group came for the Runaholics Run. This was the 8th run, and those of us who had done 3 runs would get our Nike running top for free. I would also have reached > 100km in Runaholic mileage, likely landing me a pair of Nike Bowerman runners....haven't tried them before, hope they will find a nice place in my running shoe cabinet :). Stephen came a brief of the 2 loops we would be doing, and we would be running up to Lornie Road, and coming by that way back to the toilet for a 10km loop....hmm, I took the trails back last week; no wonder it felt so much longer and tougher then...hehe. I started slow for the first loop, and was running mostly by myself from the rear, slowly moving up along the way. Went through the slopes at the Northern Trail quite effortlessly, and with small strides too...exited to SICC Golf Couse in about 21min...not fast, but steady enough....I had to conserve as I planned to do at least 30km, 10km more after finishing the Runaholic 20km requirement. The highlight of the first loop was JW overtaking me twice...haha...she is such a 'smooth' runner; no wonder she did so well at those Ironman races.

I felt good mostly, even taking my time to avoid the muddy puddles and grass patches...haha. Took a sip of the Powergel mix (2 packets) in the fuel-belt bottles, and finished the first 10km loop in 58min. Went off for the second 10km loop, and overtook most of the tiring runners along Northern Trail. By then, Ultra, DO, RR, JW and the front-runners were out of sight. I enjoyed the quite journey alone, exiting the Northern Trails in 21min yet again. Continued with a second sip of the Powergel mix, and chugged through Sime Trail and back to the tree-roots area. Managed to run through the tree-roots area, albeit at a slow pace, and along Lornie Road, I picked up pace to complete the 2nd loop in 58min yet again....how's that for consistency? hehe... Completed the Runaholics 20km in 1hr56min.

Saw RealRunner and Ultra who had earlier completed their 20km...these are cheetahs lah. Sotong, who was injured, did a commendable 1 loop, and was under advise to rest. I took my record card, and collected my Runaholic Running Top. Made a quick change into the new top, and away I went for my own 3rd 10km loop. I finished off the Powergel mix, and continued strongly up Northern Trails for a 3rd time. I felt strong still, and decided to increase pace. The sun was out, although not in full heat, but was good enough for some 'heat conditioning' for me.

My legs were feeling good through the 3rd 10km loop, and no sign of tightness or cramps...hmm, could be the easy pace I was adopting....I was quite happy with things....enjoying the scenery. Ran up the tree-roots for a third time, and I decided to take Lornie Road back again. It was definitely a lot easier than taking the trail route back, where there would be 2-3 slopes to tackle. I finished the final 10km loop in 58min yet again...wow, very even splits. I body sensed at the end, and felt that I could finish another 10-12km without getting cramps...good, I hope I will feel this way on Marathon Day. Met DO who had already finished his training. I did some stretches while waiting for Brokie, Vincent and Cokiee, who were finishing off their 30km too....they were more or less ready for the full marathon itself. when all came back, we were treated to 'heavenly' barley, and got a chance to meet Kayano and his friend, who had completed the 2nd Link Bridge Run. Trifam cw and snail who also did the Runaholics 20km were stretching down as well. Vincent and Brokie who had done 30km for the first time in a long while, felt it in their legs, and had a little bit of cramps; but otherwise, they were pretty 'conditioned'. I did not feel very tired today, and really enjoyed the longish run. I hope to do the final LSD next week at Marina South....hopefully, I will be able to do a 35km then. 3 weeks to D-Day; All systems ready and I must keep myself away from viruses for now :).


Distance: 30km

The Amazing Ultra Marathon Man

Dean Karnazes finished 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days, culminating in the New York City Marathon. Now he is running home, across America, to San Francisco. Think super-hero, think Extreme Running, think Forest Gump. The Amazing Ultra Marathon Man *Kudos, Salute, Hail*

The New York City Marathon loomed as the final event in The North Face Endurance 50. Not one day passed without a mention of the culminating, 50th event. Couple that with all of the hype that shrouds one of the world's grandest marathons, plus the hundreds of thousands of spectators basking under perfect blue skies, and there could not have been a better finale. That is, unless Dean Karnazes were to dig deep and turn in a marathon performance for the ages.

And that he did. Dean pushed his pace, knowing that he did not need to save his legs for another marathon the next day, or the day after. He ran nearly even splits and blazed a 6:53-minute-per-mile pace on his way to a 3:00:30 finishing time.

Afterward, Dean spoke with the crowd about his Gotham run. "Everybody asked me if I beat Lance," he joked, referring to seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong, who was running his first-ever marathon. "I found out later that he was just a few seconds ahead of me-if I had known he was there, I might have tried to catch him." In fact, Armstrong ran an impressive 2:59:36, later describing it as "the hardest physical thing I have ever done". He had run one of them. Dean had 49 under his belt....


Follow Dean's progress across the country by checking www.ultramarathonman.com.

The Endurace 50 Final Video
Documentary Coming Spring 2007 from Journeyfilm


Life Is A Marathon. Keep On Running!

Canterbury Plains & Labrador Park

It rained heavy on Thursday afternoon, only to stop by evening to provide a nice cool weather for running. The SAFRA MF gang were slated for Telok Blangah Hills intervals, while Do, Bug and I decided to go for some plain....I mean plains running....ie. running on flat road...:). Because SCSM is mainly flat, we needed some lonish runs on flat surfaces.

We started off right at 7pm, and headed straight for the Canterbury Estates along Alexandra Road. We started off with a warm-up pace of about 5:30min/km along Depot Road. By the time we entered Canterbury Estates, we increased the pace tp about 4:45min/km or faster. We maintained the 'hard' pace throught the 5km stretch within Canterbury, and by the time we got back out, we had a good workout of 8km. We moved on along Alexdra Road, and entered Labrador Park, doing a slower pace of about 5:15. Was pleasantly surprised to bump into xdd and tktan who had just finished a loop in Labrador, having done 9km earlier from NUS. They decided to join us for a bit, and after a short chat, we ran at our own pace.

I covered 2 800m loops of the inner Labrador flats, before exiting together with DO back to Alexandra Road. xdd and tktan had gone off on their own by then. We were joined by Bug, who did an additional loop, and together we finished the remaining 2.5km or so up the 'mental' slopes of Henderson Road. I was drenched with perspiration once back to the ClubHouse, an indication of the high humidity in spite of the earlier rains.

Distance: 14km__Time:1hr15min__Pace: 5:21min/km

Club AdiRunners

The weekly Wednesday gathering of runners at Adidas Singapore has become known as Club AdiRunners. It has grown to about 30 regular runners who have been attending regular Wed evening runs since 2 months ago, right through the IMF event. Distances have steadily progressed from 8km to 14km, taking through runners through interesting routes along Orchard, Marina Promenade & Kallang, and even Marina South (part of the SCSM Marathon route). The runners should be getting a Club running top soon, to foster a greater sense of identity.

In preparation for the SCSM, last evening's training saw the group of about 20 take the 14km Marina South Route, starting from The Esplanade area. The weather was cool and primed for a nice longish run. I was with Beverly right from the start, and we ran closely with Susan all throughout. Along Shenton Way, Beverly picked up the pace, and I had to slow her a little so she will not 'ponchet' too soon....hehe, there's always some pressure in newbies to want to keep up with the faster runners. As we entered into Marina South, we ran a steady pace. Bev and Susan were very focused, and we just ran along without chatting much. Near the Jetty, we could see the front group of Simon, Stacy, Michiko, Superboy, DO and a whole bunch on the return. The 3 of us proceeded to the toilets for our break. I told Bev that was about the mid point, and that she can pick up pace if she wanted to.

We ran back from the Jetty, keeping right all the way, passing the Steamboat area, and out back along Marina South. The gals were slowing slightly, and Bev was pushing herself to maintain the pace. We did not see the others along the way, and presumed they had gone back by then. With 3km to go, Bev said her glycogen levels were low. I urged her to slow a little to recover. Susan was still running steadily in front, and we were just happy to keep a comfortable distance from behind all the way back to exercise area at The Esplanade. I was drenched and my mouth was dry after the run, probably due to the humidity. After some cool-down stretches led by Superboy, we took a nice walk back to Suntec City where we had 100-plus and bananas, courtesy of Club AdiRunners.

Distance: 14km__Time: 1hr20min__Pace: 5:43min/km

Recovering From Flu

I developed a mild cough this week, following last week's blocked and runny nose :(. However, I was well enough to join in the SAFRA weekday long run to Botanic Gardens, and back via 'Demoralizing' Margaret Drive. There was a smaller turnout of about 20+, with Ong and Jaime still on their 'honeymoon' and many of the new runners tied up due to work and other matters.

As I was familiar with the route, cm asked me to look out for some of those mid-pack runners, and he would be sweeping the rear. Derrick and Alan will take care of the elites in front. The weather was cool, after some showers in the late afternoon. Once we got on to the Delta Canal, after the series of traffic stops, most of the runners picked up speed. I followed along, and was just trailing Colleen and Hock Soon. When we ran into Ridley Park, and the old CMPB area, Ronnie was with me and we ran at a faster pace till the traffic lights before Botanic Gardens. There we paused, and waited for the rest of the mid-pack to join up. Once into Botanic Gardens, Derrick raced away, leaving Ronnie, Colleen, Chin Hwatt and the few of us to run a pleasant pace up to the usual 'Meeting Place' for a water stop. My watch showed we have taken about 45min and possibly covered about 8.5km. Soon, Adam and the rest came up and we gathered and ran the second part together.

Running out from Botanic Gardens and along Farrer Road towards Commonwealth Ave had Ronnie, Colleen and Chin Hwatt breaking away from the rest. As Adam and Melvin were jaga-ing those behind, I proceeded to run forward with them, guiding them all the way into Margaret Drive, and from there, it was one long road to Delta Canal. I kinda enjoyed that long stretch as the weather was pretty cool, and my legs were making up for 'lost mileage' due to my bout of cold...hehe. Played catch up with all those running in front. I waited once more at the traffic junction, and when most of the mid-pack had arrived, we continued all the way along Delta Canal, Tiong Bahru, Henderson Road back to ClubHouse. I felt good, and my nose didn't trouble me much. I enjoyed the nice cool run, at a relatively easy, but 'need to work' pace. Finished the run in about 1hr23min.

Distance: 15km__Time: 1hr23min__Pace: 5:32min/km

Runaholics @ MacRitchie

I was still nursing a cold on Saturday; I decided to do the Nike Runaholics 25km, instead of the orginally planned MR25 35km Progressive Run. My blocked nose have been giving me sleeping problems for the past few days, and with a late night wedding reception on Saturday night, I would not be in a good position to finish the very challenging 35km MR route.

I tossed about in bed till about 4am...gotta be the excitement and the effects of the wine from the 'fun' wedding dinner on Saturday night. There were 6 tables of SAFRA MF Runners at the Sheraton Towers for Jaime and Ong's wedding. The food was great, the red wine good, and the company was fun. Got up at 6.30am, with only about 2 hours of sleep, and a 'quite stuffy' nose. Went to MR to do the 5th Nike Runaholics Run. Met lots of folks...SgRunners, the K2 team, MR25 Runners, SAFRA MF Runners, and of course, many new runners for the Nike Run...wow..seemed like half of Singapore's Runners were at MR this morning...haha....had difficulty getting a car-park.

After exchanging pleasantries with many runnning kakis (apologies to those I did not verbally acknowledge during the run, cos I was just too shagged...I probably gave you a half wave of acknowledgement yah? :), getting a brief from Stephen, off we went towards the zig-zag bridge to do the first 5km, comprising mainly of the 4.8km x-country route. I did quite a steady pace, possibly a little too fast at times. I slowed down a little, and just before hitting Lornie Road, overtook Fahmy and gave him some words of encouragement..this is the first time he is trying the route, and he was doing very well. Since I started off at the front, I did not get to see Brokie, Vincent, Stacy, Sotong, Cokiee, Superboy, Cosmic, loneshark, Andy, acleong, Charmaine and the rest of the SgRunners during the Nike Run, save at the start and after completion. At the end of 5km, I was back at the MR carpark, and Colleen came from behind. We chatted a little, before I moved on to do the 10km MR route from the Northern Trails. As I climbed the slopes at the front part of Northern Route, it struck me that my breathing was not too regulated, and my nose was still stuffy. I was more of my mouth to breathe, and that made me even more thirsty. I was trying to maintain a slower pace, since there was another loop of this 10km ahead. Ronnie started to pace me in the first 10km loop, as he was not too familiar with the route.

There were only a few water points for the Nike Run, and one of them was at the Golf Course area as we came out from Nothern Trails. I was glad I brought my fuel belt along, although I had only 2 bottles of Gatorade mix with me. As we proceeded through Sime Trail, Jelutong Tower, and the open Gold Course area, we could feel the heat trapped by the haze, although the rays of the sun weren't really that strong. I chatted with Ronnie a little, and asked him to walk through the 'tree-roots' area, to conserve energy. After the short walk, we proceeded to run along the trail to the left of the exercise area, all the way back to Lornie Trail and then reaching the carpark in 1hr28min. I took a PowerGel just before reaching this water point, and was happy to flush down the gel with water. Ronnie moved ahead of me for the final 10km loop, and I trailed him from about 50m throughout. My legs stll felt ok for this final 10km, but the initial slopes at the Northern Trail were making my breathing heavy, especially with my stuffy nose.

The journey for the remaining 6km or so as we came out from the Northern Trails a second time was shared with 1-2 more Nike Runners, one of which was a tall lanky Indian with good strides. Ronnie went further ahead as we hit Sime Trail, and I caught up with the Indian Runner at Jelutong Tower. All the way to the tree roots area, I was running alongside him. I took my final walk at the tree-roots area, where the Indian runner went ahead. I saw him exiting Lornie Road...hmm, I didn't think that is part of the 10km route. I chose to run back along the trails, and after some struggle (glycogen levels were low, and breathing was heavy), I finished in 2hr33min. Saw Bug, RealRunner, Ultra, TLR, sci, DO all having finished their 35km Progressive Run...all of them did very well! Ronnie was already done. I took a long walk to catch my breath, and took in lots of fluids. I was glad to have completed, especially in such trying conditions. Teelee was having fever and flu, and he went on to complete 35km...waah! All the SgRunners and SAFRA MF Runners who went for the Ruaholics Run and Progressive 35km did very well, hitting their training targets, and really depleted all their glycogen stores from any carbo-loading they have done for the past few days...hehe :)

Stacy and leh-lio came back shortly, and they went for an additional 5km...not enough mileage...*faint*. Fahmy and his friend came back and was famished from their 'birth giving' experience..haha. We had a quick wash-up, before proceeding to Adam Food Centre for the famous Prawn Noodle, Nasi Lemak and drinks. We were already planning for an additional portion to be added on to next week's Runaolics 25km at Marina Promenade. That should be the final LSD for me, and tapering for SCSM 42.195km to follow.

Distance: 25km__Time: 2hr33min__Pace: 6:08min/km