MR25 (30km) Progressive Run 2008

The warriors @ MR25 30km Progressive Run - We Survived!
L-R = NomadRunner, FeetOfFury, DO, Chantelle, DreamRunner, acidburn

With the heavy rains over the past few days, and even up to last night, we were all prepared for a Muddy and Slippery Progressive Run at MacRitchie this Sunday morning. I put on my old and trusty Speedstar, and met up with the usual gang at MR. Ultraman, Cheow12, Bug, teelee, Earth, Lai Chee were all carrying their 2-litre hydration packs as part of the NorthFace Challenge training. SealBoon, acidburn, Chantelle, Alvo, DO, Colleen, FeetOfFury, Mr. & Mrs. RealRunner, NomadRunner and myself were all ready to do some serious fat-burning exercise....hehe.

We started off in nice cool and dry weather, although the ground was still damp. I ran along with Neo, DO, Lian Hock, and a fast veteran MR25 runner most of the initial way. The pace set by the small group was quite comfortable, and we exited Northern Route in 21min+. We were rewarded with an opportunity to 'slack' while we waited for a good 2-3min for the golfers to tee off along the Reservoir.

The rest were in front by that time, and I only saw the main group when we ran into AirCond Road. Chantelle ran with Goola for a bit, and then with Nomad subsequently....they looked strong and relaxed, and I was glad they were enjoying this normally grueling 30km run. Deeper into AirCond Road, an old friend called out to me....a pleasant surprise....haven't met Song for many years, and he mentioned he read about my running a couple of times in the newspapers...haha.

I was just tagging along the group of 4, and giving thumbs up to the runners who were joining this for the first time....just to assure them that they were on track and in the right direction. I reached the UPR Main Gate in about 56min...slightly slower than the usual 52min for shorter runs. The guys carrying the hydration packs seemed to slow down after about 20km. Because of the slow initial pace I was following, I still felt pretty good as I entered the Rifle Range Trails. It was one muddy affair, and I nearly slipped a couple of times....wah, damn dangerous. I just had to slow down to avoid any mishaps. After navigating the long and winding Rifle Range Road, finally reached the U-turn point, and I was glad to grab a banana.

On the return back to Rifle Range Trails, saw Cheow12 and acidburn, and urged them to keep it up. The banana gave me some renewed energy and I went into Sime Trails, and spotted Neo, Earth and Ultra. I kept within range of them all the way until Lornie Trails. Sensing that it was quite close to 3hrs, I picked up my speed, and went past the few of them to finish the run in 2hr56min. I felt pretty good, not panting, although there were some tightness in my muscles.

Marks Of A Warrior

I attributed the 'feel good' factor to the higher energy levels I had from the 2 day carbo-loading sessions prior to the run...hehe. Went to wash up, and later heard Chantelle coming back to rousing cheers of the SgRunners group...Chantelle came back with lots of bruises from a bad fall she had in the trails, and she was very proud to show off her bloody scratches on the shoulders, arms and knees...ouch! We had some nice group photos to capture the memories, before heading down to Adam Food Centre for some good food and lots of fun and laughter :)

Distance: 30km XC__Time: 2hr56min__Pace: 5:52min/km