4:00

CBD Record!

Nicks attached to faces and bodies - courtesy Brokie & DeepCruiser

It was a record turnout at the CBD Run this evening...the final CBD meet Pacers training run before the SCSM. Many new and fast runners, especially the gals....many runners whom I've not seen in a while were back...and many more Pacers turned up....yeah! It was another dry evening.....good for a marathon-paced run. I tried my new PI tights, and found it to be rather comfy, although slightly tight.

The 4hr pace group had our usual members from last week, plus more.....quite fun, although many complained the pace was a little slow...hehe...but DO and I felt it was just about right at 5:30min/km. We did increase pace slightly to 5:20min/km for the final 2km stretch. Mashie has a slight accident, injuring her underfoot....hope that will not affect her run this Sunday. Brokie was running on oent-up energy, could hardly keep this gal within pace...haha.


Cobalt was just another man tonight....wow....he's all set for a PB alright. Yee Hua, TarePanda, littleAnt, wishbone, Burnz, Yankee were in the zone....they will all be ready! I really feel so slack going into this Sunday's race....which is not necessarily a bad thing...we shall see! Received the bright red marathon pacers tank top from Aichai after the run....just in time too for me to break it in once this Thursday....now I am not sure if I should wear my adiZero CS red/green to match the top....hahaha....funny!

The Lucky No.

Final Pacer Weekend

One more week to the big race....the SC Singapore Marathon. Runners were out in full force, pacing in groups, at East Coast Parkway putting in their final tapering runs. Of course the Pacers were there to do our final paced run...a number of SgRunners showed up.

Our 4hr pace group maintained a steady pace of about 5:30min/km thoughout....it was good fun chatting with David Tay who joined us, plus DO, xdd, Ultraman, SassyRunner, babumouse, all running as a coordinated group. Somehow the 4:15 pace group was in front of us, but we were quite happy to keep to our comfy pace. David Tay shared his Boston and New York Marathon experience...it was great. We reached NSRCC, the mid-point in 45min...an estimated 7.8km from the start at MacD.

We met many of the runners from the aniMILES, SgRunners, and many familiar faces along the way...waving and acknowledging one another...DT mentioned he was tempted to join the 4hr pace group if these were the kind of pacees (babes and hunks lah) to be expected on race day...haha. We continued to maintain the 5:30min/km pace all the way back to MacD, takinh a total time of 1hr29min. Ultra, DO and myself each grabbed a 100plus, drank as we walked for 50m, before heading out for another 6km or so.

Discussions centred around the 84km Sundown UltraMarathon we have just signed up at the SCSM Race Expo yesterday. The Sundown will be one exciting challenge for many of us and our kakis...we will be planning to jio even more friends and kakis to participate. Nice company and chats made time pass quickly, and we soon completed the 21.5km in 1hr59min.....not a bad outing....all were set for race day next Sunday. Headed off to MacD with SassyR, cfred, DO, DT and gang for a ice-cream cone and iced-milo...went down later to get a good sports massage from Neny....nice, those tightness have been reliefed, no doubts. Said hello to xdd and tktan as they came over for some ITB relief, and went on for some nice lunch.

Final Track Countdown...

Was lazing around on Thursday....went to collect PSLE results with Sean, Beverly and Amanda....he did well enough to top his school, and set a school record too.....yay! One milestone down for us....his has just started. Life is like a marathon....each milestone like a kilometre marker!

Bev and I decided to just pop down to join the SAFRA MF gang for their final track interval training before SCSM07. With the tapering mood, there was a much smaller gathering this evening. A number went for their own runs, while the rest of us proceeded to Queenstown Stadium with a 4km slow warm-up jog. We did sets of 1,600m, 1,200m, 800m x 2 and 400m x 2. The pace was slightly faster than marathon race pace....I averaged about 5min/km pace though the sets, enjoying the cool evening along with the occasional fartleks with kakis.

The final 400m lap was the highlight of the evening. We were divided into 2 relay teams of about 10 each, and a mini 400m relay competition ensued. It was so much fun, and there were so many high-speed monitors. By the time it ended, my team winning, the lights went off...it was quite fun lah as we pretended to leave the stadium and waving at the grandstand of imaginary spectators....haha. Had a good 4km jog back, wash-up and makan at Henderson. A relaxing day, and with the tapering and additional input of carbo, I should be looking at 1-2kg of gain by race day :)

Pacers @ CBD Run

Its been many moons since I joined in the SgRunners' CBD Run. With arrangements being made for the Pacers to be at this run, I took the liberty to inform a few others to come along to meet their respective Pace Groups. Only a handful of the Pacers could make it this evening, and in spite of the threat of rain, we had good fun.

I started from behind to play catch up as the group went ahead, and the smaller group behind got caught at the traffic junction. By the time I settled into my 5:30min/km pace, it was about 1km into the run. After a while, I had a group of about 10 running at that pace, with runners for 42km, through 21km to 10km...what a variety.

Interestingly, all stuck to an average of 5:30min/km, with the final 2km pushing for 5:20min/km. All were consistent, right up to the 10km babe who averages a 58min 10km...cool.
There's one more Pacer Run next Tuesday, and we hope more runners could get their final pace act together....ready, setz, GO!

Adizero Response

Adidas Response Cushion 16

Bought my second pair of adidas runners in a week...hehe....The Adidas Response Cushion 16...more cushioned than the CS, and I hope to use it for more training runs, leaving the performance-based CS for shorter runs and racing. Thanks to Philip of SgRunners who organized this and made the arrangements for a special discount for those of us who attended the Anniversary function.

I also tried on the very cushy Adizero Supernova Cushion shoes, and in spite of it feeling more comfy than the Response, I could not get used to the new Adidas Formotion technology it encapsulates...at least not for now. I hope that this pair of Response will work well for me, and can last as long as my previous Adizero SN....we shall see :). Some of the other kakis like Brokie got the high-end Tempo, DO got the Supernova, whilst Gentle got captivated by the Response. For Gentle and Brokie who are going to experience their very first pair Adidas runners, I wish them a very enjoyable 'Virgin' experience eh...Impossible Is Nothing!

The Twin Turbos @ Demoralizing Run

It was to be the final LSD before the big event on Dec 2. Because of road blockages, I had to take a detour to get to Changi Beach Park from the SAF Yacht Club chalets where I was having a family holiday. With just 2 hours of sleep, I was hoping that Brokie would be doing something much less than 30km....just fortunate that there was a very good turnout, and Team BroKiE was out in full force to pace Brokie. Hunky kk, Highbury and tktan along with xdd. Great to meet new runners hophing, Mashie and long-time-no-see SgRunners like cosmic_wind (who arrived in a gust of wind from a taxi) and babumouse (the resident Ironman) and Shutehelup. leh-lio gal was slightly late, and Ultra was there to shower the whole group with loads of sunshine. acleong popped up during photo-taking.

After the customary group photos, Brokie led a few for the warm-up. I planned to do about 26km this morning, since I already did 15km the previous day with the Pacers. DO and I decided to just run along for as far as we can at a 5:30min/km pace. It was a great start as all were moving as a group on pace. On to the Changi Coastal Road pathway, there was good shade as we broke into 2 larger groups...Brokie, SassyRunner, Highbury, hophing in front, with me and DO in midpack, then the rest. We figured they were going a tad fast at about 5:20min/km pace. Caught up with Highbury as we neared the canal....he was picking up drinks off bottles in the streets....no wonder nobody touches those drinks at all...they look wierd....haha

Courtesy of Gentle 'Spy'

We took the small canal detour that led us to NSRCC, by which we had covered about 11km in 1:02hr. We shouted for them to take their powergels. DO decided to turn back at the Sailing Centre, while I wanted to carry on. Picked up leh-lio from that point and encouraged her to run for as long as she could at that pace. She was like an inquisitive gal, with lots of questions about running and fuelling...I was just happy sharing with her what to expect and do, providing her with 'mental' food. We reached F2 with no issues, and continued on till the U-turn at the Bicycle Kiosk (15km mark) in 1:31hr. Brokie, Raven, hophing turned back and we were heartened that we were still sticking to pace, and not too far away.

With body sensing, leh-lio was able to confirm she was still feeling fresh on the legs and mind at the 20km mark...hehe...good. I told her we could attempt to up the pace when we got back to Changi Coastal Road. Brokie and Raven was always about 100m in front. hophing was nearby. On Coastal Road, we were met with one guy who was out exploring the new pathway. He paced us most of the way, and soon found himself drifted further and further from ECP, where his wifey was...haha. He exclaimed that the Coastal Road was one very long, demoralizing road...nuff said. Midway along Coastal Road, about 23km mark, leh-lio made her move and advanced ahead of me. The guy looked at me, but I stayed on pace. He was tempted to move up, just like what hophing had done much earlier...haha. I could see leh-lio closing the gap on Brokie and finally overtaking her somewhere close to the Changi Ferry Point. I think nothing could stop her at that point.

My legs were growing weary, and I decided I didn't want to push the pace. I was happy to just pass the various runners along the way....Ultra with Mashie discussing about running tactics, Shut in his 'zone', babumouse with cosmic giving one another the encouragement, kk with his 6-packs basking in full glory of the sun...haha. Took a break at the Ferry Terminal toilet, and had a chat with the party of DO, SassyRunner, Highbury who were kind enough to drive to that point after their run, in case anyone needed help. They had nice cold 100plus and mineral water....wow, shiok. I wanted to stop there to slack, but it seemed everyone else like kk, babumouse, the 'lost' runner, Brokie, leh-lio, hophing all had moved up. Aiyah...bo pian....I just continued in the shade of the beach area lah....and when we hit out onto the unshaded road, it was so HOTTTT.

With about 2km to go, I just plodded along, behind hophing and the lost runner. We finally made it in 3hr (excluding stops)...31km according to Raven...wow...I felt this was a good, hard workout for me. Downed 2 cans of 100plus, and wondering why Mashie could still look so fresh and prim in that kind of weather, esp. after a long run...anyway, she did say she had it hard too...heng arhh, I was not alone...haha. The two sisters, the Twin Turbos were really neck-neck for the final 3-4km...must have been a sight. kk, cosmic, Shut and the rest soon made their way back. leh-lio looked like she still could go for another 10km or so...well done...she would do well on race day. Brokie too looked strong, as was Vincent....they finished within 10min of one another.

Because I had to rush back to the Yacht Club, I did not stay too long to chat with the rest about their runs...from the looks on their faces...SealBoon, Raven, hophing and the rest all looked very conditioned. I am heartened that Team BroKiE was there to pace the Brokie for her final LSD, and I will be looking forward to the grand challenge of Brokie vs Gentle on race day...btw, Gentle did pop in in his very shwe bike and biking gear, and even took some photos of the fine running form of our protege...hmm, hope he doesn't misuse those photos! Suffice to say, a very good workout, and all who turned up and did the run will be in good shape for their respective targets on Dec 2....we can expect records to fall like pins....Yeah!

Distance: 31km__Time: 3hr00min__Pace: 5:48min/km

Marathon Pacers

The fate is sealed. It is confirmed. I will be part of the Pacers Team for the 4:00hr timing at this year's SCSM07. Went down last evening to collect the Adidas sponsored Pacers running gear...was surprised to see a running T-Shirt instead of a singlet.

Was bright an early at the ECP this morning where all the Pacers gathered for a full-dress rehearsal. As I was having the Demoralizing Run the next day, I decided to do just 15km. DO and I attempted to stay together all the way, doing about 5:35min/km pace. We were at the back of the pack most of the time...haha....but we stuck to our pace nevertheless. We were joined by many familiar faces, and was even running with the Mt. KK Climbathon photographer, Wee. Wee had done a few marathons within the one year since he heard and shared in our running experience, and today, he is a motivated and improving runner....nearing the 4hr mark for a marathon....wow!

Had a briefing after the run by David Tay, the man who started this whole Pacer thingy in support of runners at the SCSM...a very commendable effort indeed. We were all slotted into the various time slots which were comfortable to all, averaging 3 runners per pace group, covering (3:45, 4hr, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45, 5hr, 5:15 and 5:30 for the full marathon) and (1:45, 2hr, 2:15 for the half-marathon). There will be a Pacers-meet-the-Runners session at CBD area on Tuesday for the CBD runners to get an opportunity to try out their targeted times with the respective Pacer teams.

Easy Tempo...

Went down to SAFRA MF after a hard day of Brain New World...haha...a 14km tempo run awaited us....a good turnout, and the threatening skies held on well. I put on my new Adizero CS, and she attracted loads of attention from all the curious bystanders and jealous runners...hehe. I treated her with care, gingerly striking the forefoot at low impact points, to get her into the mood. She behaved responsively, and soon got warmed up. I trailed behind the pack for a while, as I felt her 'smooth' operation.

As we moved along Buona Vista Road, I picked up speed to chase after Beverly....she was on a speed trail....I had a hard time keeping up. Along Commonwealth Ave, I helped Bev refill her water bottle, before giving chase again. It wasn't until Depot Road that I caught up with her. After a much needed drink from the bottle, she sped away and me and CS trotted along....up the slopes, and finally back to ClubHouse.

A good performance by Adizero CS....the cushion was ok...the grip and feel still needs to improve when compared with beloved Speedstar...well, we cannot always have them all, yah? A nice enjoyable run in dry weather, good fat-burning workout, followed by yummy Kway Chap at ABC Food Centre :)

Continuing with Adizero...

My Adizero CS (2007 model)

My second pair of Adizero SN finally gave way at last week's MR25 35km run. These shoes has been one of the more durable and good-fitting shoes, with the right amount of forefoot cushion for me. After hunting around for a bit. managed to get the latest model of the Adizero CS (2007) from Queensway Shopping Centre. The stocks are running very low at many retail outlets, and it may have to do with the fact that Marathon World Record Holder, Haile Gebrselassie, dons a pair of them Adizero CS. I cannot wait to take them out for the maiden run.

Rainy Saturday, Immaculate Sunday

Thought I should go down to East Coast Parkway for the Pacesetters training on Saturday...intended to do28km, but hopes were dashed by the early morning rain which started from 3am. xdd, tktan, DO, Bev and myself went down to ECP at 6.30am...collected my new MR25 running attire from DO (thanks to Vincent for a free cap thrown in)....fits well. We sat at MacD and chit-chatted till 7:15am before deciding to drive off to Kovan for makan.

I later did a 18km slow run from my house along the Upper Serangoon/Sengang Road/Ponggol Road route....it has been some time since I ran along there....Despite the irritating series of traffic junctions along the Upper Serangoon Road stretch, the run was pretty smooth and comfy....I enjoyed the solitary run. Will do the MF run with Bev on Sunday to add on additional mileage, as well as for Bev to put in her training requirements for the week...hehe. SCSM07 is nigh, andour mileage are still low by any standards....but its ok, since I will be enjoying my Pacer role this year :)


It was a different story on Sunday, where many of us turned up to make up for our missed Saturday run. The weather forecast was for rain, and against all odds (or was it because of the guest apperance of Ultraman?), the weather turned out to be good, even bothering on being HOT at one stage. Brokie, Vincent, Beverly were already prepared to run together at about 5:45min/km pace. DO, Ultra and I were more than happy to pace them for as long as they would go.

I went with Bev all the way for a 23km distance, skipping the additional 5km of MF Hills. The NUS Slopes and the heat got the better of Bev and a few others, and when we emerged from NUH, she wanted to 'hitch a ride'...haha. Heng was sitting on the ground taking a breather....I guess they had taken a hit from the 'wall'....the slopes had sapped their energy, and I advised Bev to take her Powergel once we hit Kent Ridge Park. With a second wind, she was able to run along with Ong, Shirley and myself all the way to Telok Blangah, before feeling 'drained again'....the Powergel effect had dissipated after 40min...

Fortunately, it was just a km to go....we completed the 23km in about 2hr30min...a respectable time for the longest distance that Bev had attempted. Brokie, DO, Ultra all came back very strong....and Brokie completed the MF hills and 28km in good form, all these after a 23km run on Friday night....we had to advise her to start tapering and conserve for the big day :). Had a good surprise of 'Sng Pow' from Siew Lee and friends....followed by a carbo-reloading lunch at the Food Centre. Bev was so poofed she hit the bed upon reaching home...my, what a weekend!

Haw Par Villa, Herbal Duck Soup

The NUS Hill Runners @ NUS Guild House

I made all the necessary re-arrangements and even finished off the meetings in town early, just to make it for the NUS Hill Run....why? the promise of good food and a 'happening' group of runners to enjoy the run with :)

Reached at 6.30pm, and saw SealBoon at the carpark who was joining us for the first time. Walked to the usual waiting area at Guild House and saw Brokie, leh-lio, wend88 and dkw warming up. Ronnie, Freddy and xdd were early as well. Then DO walked by, followed by tktan (who was to take a rest after a hard Tue's workout). We were complete and started off at 6.45pm to make it up the slopes of Haw Par Villa (HPV). xdd was kind to kickoff with her slower-than-normal pace, so we were able to chit-chat and catch-up.

Up the slopes of HPV and into the quite enclave of housing estate, before coming out onto Buona Vista Road. Knowing that the steep Vigilante Drive was coming up, I urged all to save some energy. We had a steady and good climb up. Wend88, who was not to used to slopes, took it easy and made it to the top to all's applause. We carried on to Kent Ridge Park, took a quick toilet break, and then ran steady out Science Park I, crossing over to Science Park II. tktan surprised us at a strategic corner and snapped at us.....hehe.

All were enjoying ourselves, and then at the start of PGP slopes, Freddy could no longer contain himself, and sped all the way up the slopes. We followed closely behind, and made our next stop at the top of PGP slopes to cheer all runners. With a final 3.5km to go, we increased the pace slightly and ran all the way without stopping anymore. It was fun for me pacing the runners, and the final stretch had Brokie, dkw and myself pacing to the finish...dkw was more than able to maintain a solid pace....he should do well at SCSM07. We finished the 12km run in about 1hr17min...a good workout sufficient to burn off some excesses so we could indulge :)

The highlight came after a quick session by the 'sauna' and 'pool'...yes, 9-course dinner at the Guild House Chinese Restaurant. The Herbal Duck Soup was just great, the veg dishes I loved, the fish was quite interesting, although the dessert was so-so. Discussions about the Chiangmai and GE30km runs in December and January took centrestage, interspersed occasionally about the Gentle-Brokie Challenge....team BroKiE's spirits were high, although we can be sure Gentle's spy would be feeding him some of the strategies that were discussed.....we can expect counter-measures and insurgencies in the remaining 3 weeks to come....this is just getting so interesting....last I heard Brokie was even prepared for a nail-biting head-head finish, and have requested for video cams to capture any photo-finish just in case....haha

MR25 35km Progressive Run 2007

SgRunners who were @ The 35km Progressive Run

Got back at nearly midnight from a tiring journey to Genting Highlands. I didn't feel up to it, but this was the final Progressive Run that I had committed to do. Anyhow, I made my way down to MacRitchie, and met up with lots of SgRunnners (Ultraman, Kayano, SealBoon, Ronnie, Freddy, Brokie, leh-lio, DO, kk, Bug, Raven, TLR, cfred, SassyRunner, teelee), some MF Runners (Phei Sunn, Goola, sok hwa, Ironman Chua, Yuen), Nike Runaholics (half-timer, babes) and MR25 Runners (Vincent, Neo, Kien Mau, many many more)....a big crowd this morning...what a nice way to begin the Sunday.

This being the first 35km Progressive Run I was doing, I had already planned to do a relaxed pace....just enough for me to complete the 35km without any hassle, in preparation for my pacing job at the SCSM07. A quick brief by Stephen, and off we went...I started from near the back and was quite contented to lag behind many of those who needed to go upfront. After 2km into the Northern trails, I was alone...enjoying the cool serenity of the morning. As I was getting into the mood, the soles of my AdiZero SN came off...arghh, what a time to happen...I ripped it off, and continued my run. Just then, somebody shouted my name from behind....it was Brokie...wow, she had caught up. Good, we decided to run along at 4hr marathon pace...some catching up and soon was joined by Andrew, another SgRunner....and then cfred & SealBoon. Together we came out of the Northern Trail in 22min+....ehh? quite fast leh...

The morning air was crisp as we ran up Chunky Hill...alongside the Runaholics who were doing 15km. We moved on to aircond road, and could see many familiar faces coming out already...TLR, followed by Bug, Freddy not far behind...then it was Ultra, DO and a few others. We continued along merrily, and on the way out, was joined by Kayano....wow, this guy had improved by quite a bit. We could see Charmaine and teelee in front, and used them as targets to pace ourselves. Out onto LPR, and then to Main Gate after a few slopes...all were doing well, and I urged them to keep up the good pace. At the Casuarina Road junction, Charmaine stopped for a while to get directions, and we continued on along Upper Thomsom Road. Back on to OUTR, and it was time for the runners to refuel as we had probably ran for about 13km. A brief stop at the Main Gate, and we got on back to Aircond road, and did the 4km to/fro....this time meeting DO and the front runners.

Once more, Kayano's Powergel kicked into effect, and he overtook us....only a large Iguana moving across the LPR toilet area stopped him for a bit....haha....quite a large sighting, that one. Back along the bridge, a string of kites could be seen flying from poles. The sun was out, but the winds were cool...making the whole run quite enjoyable. The group was feeling strong as we ran back along the Golf Course and then on to Rifle Range trail junction. Another stop for Brokie, SealBoon, Charmaine to refuel. Kayano had dropped back slightly. Once into the trails, it was every runner's concentration to get up the 'mentally challenging' slopes. We caught up with teelee along Rifle Range Road, and ran together towards the U-turn point. Could see kk, Ultra, DO on their return leg. Finally reached the water point. The runners were all feeling good...and having run 2hrs along a rather challenging course, it was good news for them.

The return back to Rifle Range trails became more challenging, but we kept one another chugging along. At the rate we were going, a sub 4hr marathon was within reach for SealBoon, Charmaine and Brokie. teelee fell back slightly...the rest decided to move along. We finally made it out to the Rifle Range junction along SICC in about 3hr8min. Having covered 3hrs of running, and with only about 6km left, I told all to 'push' for the finish. Their legs were still feeling good...wow...great conditioning. Once we got back into Northern Trails, I increased the pace to encourage the 'push'.

The future MR25 water uncles & auntie

Charmaine was able to follow very closely, with Brokie and SealBoon not too far back. The final 1km of slopes did slow them a little, but they were not about to quit....super! I finally made the finish, along with Charmaine in 3hr35min. Brokie was just a few min behind. I was proud of them...they were all set for a 4hr marathon this year. Their mental strength had improved lots. I felt good after the 35km....most importantly, was able to burn off some excesses from the Genting trip...:). Cheered other friends and running kakis as they completed the run. Bee and Cokiee were surprise visitors. Some nice group photos and makan at Adam Road topped up the good feeling from this morning run.

Distance: 35km XC__Time: 3hr35min__Pace: 6:09min/km