This is my last race for the year.I've nothing lined up subsequently (until 2010 approaches)......so it had better be darn memorable!!
For this "holiday" (every race in Singapore is now consider a holiday coz I come back feeling SO much better and slightly more prepared mentally for work), I took the Friday before and up till Tuesday after race-day, off work!!
* CS and PS enroute to Singapore!!
Went down on Friday with CS via FirstCoach...(love this bus!) and bumped into Uncle Sonny and wife, Jenny (I think.....).
In fact they were sitting right IN FRONT of us.
Coincidence? I keep bumping into him this trip.
Anyway when we got to Singapore, we were picked up by Nard (thanks again, dude...you're THE MAN!) and we went to Expo to collect our race kit.
The rest of the Subang-Lake runners weren't there yet...(ironic that this is my running gang considering I'm NOT from Subang and I STILL think PJ kicks Subang's behind!) and the remaining are arriving on Singaporean soil Friday night.
* Look at the amount of counters available and all the volunteers eagerly awaiting to help us with our race kit collection!!!
But we wanted to look around the Expo so we went first.
The collection process was smooth and fast!
They had SO many counters open to assist in the quick and effective race kit collection.
Puts the KL marathon to SHAME!!!!
* ME NUMBER!!!
After that, we walked around the sport/health/fitness expo adjacent to the collection area looking at really cool stuff that would be difficult to obtain from KL unless via Choi.....and even Choi has limited choices!!!
Again bumped into Uncle Sonny while browsing at the different display booths.....
* Lynette and her newly-converted Singaporean self
That same night, met Lynette (who has transplanted her entire career and life to Singapore since middle of last month) for dinner and then went for a walk at the airport while waiting for Nard's sister's flight arrival.
I don't know about this...but Singaporeans LOVE their airports so much that they are sorta converting it into a pseudo-shopping mall!!
Now it's not just a place to catch a flight to somewhere...it's a must-visit shopping experience!!!
And perhaps while you're at it, catch a glimpse of and ogle at some really hot air-stewardess or pilot....*shrugs shoulders*
* Mr. Marathon-Maniac (Mohan) and Uncle Sonny
The next day we had to go back to Expo again to meet up with the remaining of Subang-Lake runners (coz y'know...they still need to collect their race kits and stuff) and plan the rest of pre-race day and the logistics on race day itself.
Again....bumped into Uncle Sonny and this time with Mr. Marathon-Maniac....
In fact, bumped into the Ipoh running uncles as well!!!
Which is good for photo-op!!!
* Girls in RED!!
* Foong and Leen
* Oi...Ipoh Mali!!!
Anyway the remaining of the Saturday was for last minute bingeing on food and to try and pass gluttony for carbo-loading.
It was all eating....walking around Orchard Road to view the diminutive Christmas decorations (as compared to when the economy was booming but overall definitely a whole lot better than the 'Look-closely-or-you'll-miss-it' decorative efforts in KL!), then more eating......then a trip to Velocity to look at more "sporting stuff" and then back to Orchard for more food.
I know....I already feel SO tired just recollecting the entire day's event!!
* Supposedly famous prawn noodle...right after breakfast!!
* Best pre-race dinner ever!!! LOVE Japanese food!!!
Sunday (RACE DAY!!!!) morning was a bit of a blur. Woke up 3am (but at least we had a somewhat nap prior to the waking up as compared to PBIM!!) to prep for race before rushing off to catch the charter bus to race site.
Of course we were dilly-dallying and in the end had to RUN to the Bedok Stadium to catch the 4am bus....but later had to alight from it as CS forgot to bring WWM's bib which he had collected on his behalf.
So we had to catch the 4.30am bus.
I figured we've had enough warm up from all that frantic running to catch the second bus!
* My motivational statement!
* On the bus, first time around.
* CS, WWM, Foong, Nard......you guys ready!?
So we met up with the troupe that was running the full.
Me...CS....Nard....WWM....Foong.
Tactic.....run slow and try to NOT die prior to crawling across the finishing line.
Good plan, no?
The first 10km was such a nice and easy run. Didn't even feel like I was running.....like running a slow pace for a Sunday long run.
Then the next 10km until the 21km point, we've lost CS and WWM....so I was running with Foong and Nard.
Pace was slightly increased but it's still tolerably comfortable.
At the East Coast Park, was just hoping that the turnaround would be soon....but it was so torturous as it was never ending!!
And I could see Uncle PK running back on the other side wearing, as always, the club's bright neon yellow vest......oops, I guess I must have missed the memo!!!
The chattering and jokes shared early on in the race has now subsided into an occasional pointing and chuckling when seeing some oddly dressed runner with some "oddly written motivational note" pinned on the back.
Nard took off into a faster pace at around 25km and I ran more or less with Foong until before 30km.....then I lost him as well.
Was not quite sure if he was running ahead or behind me.
30km onwards was pure torture.
My feet hurts...my toes hurt....my knees hurt.....
Heck...the entire lower part of my body hurts and I just want to keep on walking!!
Honestly, despite this being the second time running a 42km....nothing prepared me for the overwhelming sense of fatigue that I was feeling then.
Yes....I'm as forgetful as always and I seem to have forgotten about the pain that my previous full marathon had "blessed" me with during the race.
Alright FINE....I didn't prepare that well for this marathon either.
I admit that was my own fault.
I always vow to prep better for subsequent races which I almost never do.....
Procrastination!!!!! (I will change...I WILL....erm...maybe TOMORROW!)
The last 10km was such a daze for me.
I was walking more than I was running.....and everyone around me was walking as well.
I felt nauseated from the Powergels that I was consuming and the thought of taking in another banana almost made me puke.
The isotonic drinks started to taste stale and luckily I had that electrolyte tablets (Nuun in some berry flavour) to break the monotony of 100-plus!
I swear..the last 3km was a total blur. I think I was on my feet and I think I was somewhere between a shuffle and a walk....if you can still call it a walk....more like dragging feet beneath me...thinking sweet thoughts about the finishing line!
And when I do SEE the finish line....suddenly my legs don't feel that lethargic anymore and I feel the renewed energy in my legs and I started running.....like really running and not the slow pathetic shuffle that I was doing previously.
And when I pass that finish line...I look down and DARN IT.....I didn't get 5:30....
Instead, my second full marathon finishing time was 5:45:43.......
I can live with it.
It's still a PB, I consoled myself.
* How MY FEET felt!!!
The pain of my ankles bilaterally and feet were excruciating but luckily subsided tremendously by Day-2 post race and by Day-3, legs were almost back to normal.
GOOD BITS:
1. Good planning from the get-go
2. Tons of hydration station
3. Compression tights rock!
4. Finishing time better than BIM
5. Good company
BAD BITS:
1. Got sunburnt despite being cloudy day...oh fine, I'll use sunscreen next time!
2. Crap training....yes, my fault! Will train better...next time.
3. 100-plus starts to taste like CRAP after 30km
4. No more races after this until 2010 rolls around!!!
Sigh.....
That's the problem with running a marathon.
You always forget the pain and the agony....while only cherishing the good bits thus luring you to run MORE marathons, in hope that the pain will lessen (just like your finishing time) with each subsequent race!!!
* Good job guys!!
* My sunburnt self.....and Lynette after her FIRST EVER HALF MARATHON.....running as Alice
* FOOOOOODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!
Sigh......ok.....so when is my next marathon?!
Later!!!!!
p/s: BTW...did I also mention that I, again, bumped into Uncle Sonny right after I collected my finisher's medal and shirt and walking around like a zombie? Oh nevermind....
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