Mizuno Wave Run 2008

all the guys & 1 baby girl?

Having skipped last year's Mizuno Wave Run, which received quite a fair bit of flak, I jumped into this year's race with the hope that things could only get better. With Brokie's connection, I managed to get quite a good registration fee, so that made the decision easier.

I parked at SAFRA Tampines, and made my way to the start point at Temasek Polytechnic. Spotted Ultraman, Mashie and SealBoon inititally. Then Brokie, Vincent, tekko and startdust showed up. Then more SgRunners showed up. I was trying to locate some SAFRA MF runners to pass them my SAFRA top for logo printing. There was a sizeable crowd of about 4000+, and the weather was looking cloudy but cool.

At the strat, I could feel some droplets of water, but fortunately, that was all that came down. The start was a little slow and difficult, with the bunch of us having to meander round the tight track, and then running along a narrow corridor of pavements. That continued for at least up to 1km. I sped up a little when I had the chance, and then settled into a 4:45min/km sorta pace. There were a bunch of schoolgirls that were trading places with me....Cedar, ACJC, etc....they were pretty nifty.

When we reached Bedok Reservoir Road, the Kenyans were already way ahead. It got more spacious, and I was able to move along better. The weather was still cool as I made my way eventually to Bedok Reservoir's sandy surface. It was that slip-sliding once again, but that was when I was able to overtake more runners, as they slowed down after the initial 5km. I was pacing with this strong gal in grey, and she was catching up with Rhoda in front. I just followed them from about 20m, and then I sensed that someone was pacing me for quite some time...I took a peek, oh, it was Ultra. I acknowledged him, and continued on. Caught up with Trevor along the way, and Ultra followed suit.

I was careful not to over-stride less fatigue set in...after some steady shuffling, we exited out from the gravel onto road parallel to Tampines Ave 1. Figuring it was about 2km left, I continued to maintain pace, but was feeling tired already. Then along the canal, I saw the 9km mark, and decided not to slow down. That final 1km seemed so long, and by the time I reached the stadium, I was spent. I saw the tracks, and moved ahead a few runners, including Rhoda. I realized then that 44min was out of reach...I strode to a finish in 45min20sec, with my arms raised. If there was any solace, I found out later that the distance was actually 10.3km, which was announced by the Organizer. If that is the case, I would have done a Personal Best of sub 45min for my 10km...whoopee!

SgRunners family @ Mizuno Wave 2008

I gulped down 6 cups of 100plus, and mingled with the SgRunners for photos and chit-chats. I hung around for quite a bit, before making my way back to SAFRA Tampines for a meeting to discuss SCSM Marathon Pacers' Training. Met the SAFRA Tampines runners who has just finished their Sunday LSD, and we chatted a bit about the PI Pure Run and the upcoming SAFRA Location Run. Thereafter, I met up with our run-leading team (Team FatBird) from the Human Race Training in city for discussions and makan. It was a very fruitful and enriching day of both running and planning of more run activities.

Distance: 10.3km__Time: 45:20min__Pace: 4:24min/km

I-Run @ International Business Park

I wasn't feeling well....down with a sore throat and a bit of a cold. Was feeling drowsy the whole day, and decided to invite DO to join me for the I-Run @ IBP. With my condition, I planned to do the shorter 5km (7.5km in actual distance) route, leaving Kenneth, Maverick and DO to do the 10km run. The weather was quite cool, but still I put on a cap just in case the sun came down hard on me.

It was a smooth run with one of the Creative seniors, discussing about Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon and Sundown Ultra-Marathon. Soon we hit the mid-way point, and DO went along with him. I stayed at the U-turn point to wave and cheer the rest on. Met a 55-yo guy on blades, and he told me he used to be a 3:20 marathoner. He was attracted to my Sundown 84km finisher T, and asked me about the race. He has since taken up inline skating marathons....wow...I might want to do that someday.

It was a day of jogging and chatting for me. On the return, I was with Eric, another new runner who was into triathlons. Eric has bad knees and he is hoping than Dr. Ben Tan can give him some good advise so he can resume longer distance runs. Back at the Atrium, the drinks once again ran out....hmm, either the number of I-Runners has increased, or the drinks delivered were less than usual. All had a good run nevertheless, and we ended the evening with more chats about Malaysian and overseas races.

Bzy Weekend

The weekend began with an early training run on Saturday at the Nike Human Race Training Series. A few of us went down to help lead, marshal, run-along and motivate the 100 runners who signed up for the 4km at ECP. Vincent from MR25 gave out the Human Race T, followed by Sacha of Nike providing the Nike Zoom Victory and Nike Sportsband for us to trial. It was an interesting set-up with nutrition-bar breakfast, 100plus and run training tents.

We had a good time mingling with the runners, and cheering them at the U-Turn and end points, and even had time to take one or two photos with them. There was some good stretching and cool-down by Racer's ToolBox trainers, followed by a very nice lucky draw. I had to rush off for a recce of a new run coming up in the East; so could not stay behind for long. The recce turned out to be pretty good, and we managed to locate a nice route in the end.

Because of all the very short runs I have been doing for the past few weeks, there was a real need for me to do some LSDs. Bev decided to join me to do the 20km MF run @ SAFRA MF on Sunday. 2 loops of the hilly 10km Signature route of MF provided a very good workout in pretty hot weather. I did the first lap conservatively, together with Niwas and DO in 54min. Going up MF via Kampong Bahru was not easy the first lap. The second time up was even more taxing, but I managed to run though it successfully. Managed to do a 52min in the second lap for a total 1hr46min for 20km. I felt good after the good workout, followed by a well-deserved large serving of Yong tau Foo with lots of chilli :)

Good crowd @ River Promenade

There was an outstanding turnout of more than 100 runners at the I-Run @ River Promenade this evening. There were many new runners who showed up, including running kakis and friends. A slight glitch with the mic, but we managed to get the enthusiastic crowd to do some good warm-up stretching.

Our run-leading team was in good form, as we managed the various turns and positions with much better ease. We rushed to the 3km and 5km U-Turn points at the start, and stationed there to cheer and turn the runners around. Then it was a series out fartleks for myself, before settling down to a strategic spot at The Esplanade entrance to clap, cheer and encourage the runners.

The I-Runners have been progressing well, with good times and form to boot. The whole Esplanade became one melting pot with the Running Lab Runners and other running groups running alongside the I-Runners. It was interesting to observe the runners moving fluidly, with some very focused on completing their runs. In spite of an extra crate of 100plus which I brought along, there was still insufficient drinks for all. We have urged all runners to register for their respective distances so as to show to the organizers the large turnout of runners, which will require more drinks. The weather turned out to be nice and dry, after some early showers. And yes, we have made bookings for the ChunCheon and Soeul Marathon in October....Korea here we come :)

Upcoming NIE Director's Race

The 3rd NIE Director's Race is here again. The fun-filled event will be held on Friday 22 August from 4.30pm to 9.15pm. Besides the competitive and fun run, there will also be an exciting Director's Challenge, a new event consisting of activities for teams to put their teamwork, talents and wits to the test.

The adopted beneficiary for this year's Director Race is the Singapore Children's Society.

Full Details & Registration

Hort Park visit

Went down to SAFRA MF on Sunday morning after an absence of 2 weeks. It was good to meet up with the SAFRA gang, chairman, trainer Ong, Michael, Jimmy, Trevor et al. It was a pleasant surprise to see Ultraman and Ang turn up for the run, and Niwas from I-Run @ Promenade showed up too. Quite a bunch, as we headed off along Depot Road, 99-winding road and the NUS slopes.

It was a much needed LSD for me as I have been too many short runs recently. I caught up with the front runners slowly as the sun blazed down. Saw Ultra at the Central Library and we ran together towards Kent Ridge Park. Runalone came along and took Ultra away, while I satyed on to wait for the rest. Niwas and DO did not turn up, and I suspected they took another turn back.

I ran alone through HortPark and then back along Depot Road, for a total distance of about 19km. It was a good run for me, especially the first 15km of relatively steady pacing. Had a good kopi break with Ultra and DO at Ah Kun, before going on to visit Kayano. Francis will be going for an important operation next week, and we wished him well. He will be out of action on the running scene, but we will still await his return to fly along with Team FatBird on our new and exciting journey. We Just Run!

We Just Run

I-Run Training & Leading (Team FatBird)

It was a full week of I-Runs for me at River Promenade and International Business Park. It was especially great on Thursday's I-Run @ River Promenade, where we were joined by a large group of 80+ I-Runners. My team of I-Run Leaders were out in full force, all decked in our new Nike gear. It was through some supportive soul that we were able to get the gear on time to present a united front as well as for real easy recognition by the runners, as we led them through the twists and turns of the fun 3km 5km and 7km routes along the river and Esplanade area.

I-Runners @ River Promenade stretching

We had very good warm-up and cool-down stretching sessions conducted by Benny, with the few of us run leaders showing the group our moves. It was good to be joined by friends and kakis from SgRunners who had come to give the run their support. We all had good fun cheering and motivating the runners, and many of them registered their PBs on what was a very cool evening. In between stretching and cheering, there were lots of observers and camera-men who must be pretty amused by our activities, and were busy clicking away.

Team FatBird @ I-Run

It was a good first for the team as we set up the whole stand, registration of runners, led the stretching routines and managed the entire run from start to finish. It was a challenge with the small team we had, and we were glad all turned out very well, as evident from the reponses we received from the runners. The only set-back was the shortage of drinks due to the large group of about 100 in total. I hope HPB will provide more drinks for the runners in future runs. We had a good experience as all went back feeling very satisfied with a job well done. Cheers to the dedicated team of I-Run trainers and leaders :)

The Complete Album

MR25 (25km) Progressive Run 2008

Part of the MR25 Progressive Run Series, this morning's run was the final 3, leading to the SCSM08. Always held at the sprawling and lush grounds of MacRitchie, this year we would be coming back by the repaired Sime Trail and Ranger path. There was a large crowd at this 25km run, and met many new SgRunners, faces whom I've yet to see. There were ckoksing, tim2lmt, fruitloops...and of course the regulars, PassionRunner, Alvo, Gentle, Ultraman, DO, Brokie, Vincent, teelee, Sarah. FeetOfFury (Fof) also joined in. Colleen, Eng Hwa and Goola from SAFRA MF was there too. DO did marshal duty today.

I started from behind, and took my time to inch forward. I made sure to reserve my energy for the always challenging Rifle Range pipeline. Came out of the Northern Trail in 20min+....hmm, not to hard pace, feeling good. Took my time to navigate the Chunky Hill, and then had Fof just tagging along. He overtook me when we entered into air-cond route, and from there, I was happy to just tag along. Waved and cheered the familiar faces. I was feeling quite good actually, in spite of the rays from the scorching sun. aircond road was real cool this morning.

Out from aircond and onto UPR, I followed LWB and then overtook him at the main gates. There wasn't much 100plus available due to the large turnout of runners. It was good I brought my own Gatorade mix. Turned from the Main Gate in 53min, and I just progressed steadily all the way up and down, to finally reach the entrance of Rifle Rangle trails. That was the tough part I was preparing for. I felt good in fact, and decided to increase the pace. At the pipeline crossing, saw the front runners on the return....wow, they were fast. I carried on all the way to the U-turn point at CIS, where DO was stationed. He told me quite a few runners mentioned that the route was pretty tough...hehe. I took a nice 100plus drink, and away I left DO to continue feeding mosquitoes and chase away monkeys..haha.

The slopes on the return from Rifle Range were real challenges, and I was glad to finish them. Once back onto the Chunky Hill, I spotted Ultra just running off towards the Ranger station. I decided to just follow from behind, and finally caught up with Ultra along Sime Trails. I almost twisted my ankle a couple of times there. Once past the bridge, and onto the Golf Course, I moved ahead to leave Ultra to talk to two ang moh runners. Spotted Leng Leng form MR25 taking a walk due to stitches. We exchanged 'hi', and I targeted for the finish. I picked up pace, and caught up with a few runners, before finishing in 2hr17min. DO and Passion were there to cheer us on to the finish...satisfying run for me!

Had a good gathering with the SgRunners, and found that tim2lmt was a real speed monster. I recommended that he report to Chairman of MR25TT (Brokie) to take his 5km Time Trials...haha. Was impressed that Wendy brought iced barley freeze all the way for us to try...it was yummilicious...shiok. Had a good talk with Grace, who will be off to the Berlin Marathon after her 3rd place finish at the Sundown 84km. I wish all those from Singapore going to Berlin all the best. I also mentioned to the rest that some of us will be doing ChunCheon Marathon @ Korea in Oct08. With Passion's pail, and Brokie's dipper, I finally had my maiden full-body bath on the outside of the MR toilets...hahaha....must really celebrate. Thereafter, we went to Adam Food Centre for my favourite Prawn Noodles.

Distance: 25km XC__Time: 2hr17min__Pace: 5:29min/km

I-Run Lead Runners

Exer-Fit which runs the Fitness Network Gym at Science Park, has become the organizer of the weekly runs at the River Promenade. I have assembled a I-Running team of trainers and leaders who went down for our inaugural runs on Tuesday and Thursday evening, hoping to bring our passion for running to the running community at the River Promenade.

The running group is growing, and figures about 60-80 runners at each run. That number is about the same as the group we are leading at International Business Park @ Jurong. We will progressively introduce running and fitness concepts to the group, like recording of runners' heart rates before and after runs. There are plans to conduct fitness assessments i.e. weight, fat composition, blood pressure, resting heart rate and girth measurements for all registered runners. This assessment will help in assessing their progress.

We have trainers, running leaders and assistants to lead, guide and motivate three running groups i.e. 3km, 5km and 7km. The existing route is rather convoluted due to construction work, and we have plans to smoothen the route and extend distances as we become familiar with the place and the runners. The group of 10 of us were pretty well received as we ran along with the different groups, and shouted out directions as best as we could to guide and motivate them. We all had fun, and it was good chatting with new faces and some familiar ones alike. I hope this will develop into an interesting running group where we can share our training tips and race experiences with.