It has been raining quite often in the month of Decemeber.
Taking all the opportunities to pound the pavement along Punggol Waterway to see this view, is all worth while.
Running after the rain makes me feel so happy and feels so good.
Running alone and waving to the familiar faces along the path, just makes it so exciting and the once in awhile sightings of other living creatures like a monitor lizard (yes a monitor lizard) and just last week, a sea otter as tall as a 1 year-old child standing up (not kidding).
Running along the waterway after the rain isn’t a smooth run because of all the flooded mini ponds and that I need to avoid them. Which really increase my agility level. You might want to avoid the tracks after a really really heavy rain or wear an older pair of shoes which I always do so to run the wet tracks.
Praça do Comércio (Commerce Sq). Surrounded by government custom and naval offices.
Bull fights, Ronaldo, Booze, Red Meat and a total lack of motivation to run at Madrid made the unfit runners, totally not prepared to take on the hilly slopes of Lisbon. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is one of the oldest cities in the world. Another nick name for Lisbon is “City of 7 Hills”.
We had a sense of forbidding when we had to challenge the steep stairwells of Lisbon, along with our 10KG luggage (pretty light by any standards!) to our apartment in the old district of Alfama . Our arms were dead tired by the time we collapsed at our apartment and we decided to take a few hours nap in order to recover from our hill-climbing-with-luggage ordeal.
The steep stairways are almost everywhere
We totally ruled out running around the hills of Lisbon.
Lucky for us, Lisbon is also well known as a famous seaport with a long stretch of coastal land, which is definitely the ideal type of terrain for the unfit runners.
We started our run from the winding alleys of Alfama, down the hills towards Rossio Square (most important square and meeting point for the city dwellers), along the straight avenues of the modern shopping and commercial district of Baixa, under the Rua Augusta Arch , past the Praça do Comércio before we reached the coastline of Lisbon. From there, the coastal route gave us a magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean. Using my iPhone 5, I took so many pictures on that beautiful morning and I could have written lengthy compositions of the significance of the landmarks which I ran pass. I will pass all those prose and selected only a few of the numerous pictures that I have taken. Meanwhile, if you are interested to find out what all those landmark means, you can click on the Wikipedia links to find out more about the landmarks yourself.
The alleys of Alfama
Roadside cafe at Alfama
Rossio Square. One of the most important Sq in Lisbon
Hobo and his dog camping out at Rossio Square
The wide commercial avenue of Rua Augusta leading towards Rua Augusta Arch
Rua Augusta Arch is built to commemorate the city’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake
I have mixed feelings when it comes to the running route along the coast of Lisbon. The western route from Praça do Comércio will take you all the way to Belem Tower, one of Lisbon’s most famous landmark, a UNSECO World Heritage Site. The entire route is around 7.5 km and sad to say, I only covered around 2 km of this coastal route as I need to take into consideration back to my apartment and up the hilly steps of Alfama. There is a nice pavement along the coast but along the way, the pavement will be blocked by harbors and buildings, forcing a runner to detour and run around the building. There are also old abandoned warehouses and stretches whereby there is a strong fishy smell. It is unlike Australia Gold Coast whereby it’s just one long stretch of beautiful beach and waves, the Lisbon coastline has a wide variety of interesting and uninteresting things to see, which makes the run, well, interesting….
Old abandoned warehouses with colorful graffiti art
Cais do Sodre Ferry Terminal. Thousands of people take the ferry to get to the other side to work
Beautiful micro brewery
Lots of interesting artwork by local graffiti artists along the way
The pavement can change from stones to tarmac to cobblestone
Woot! Pacman!
With my injured knee still acting up every now and than if I try to push it, I am in no condition to actually run more than 4km. I was actually pushing my luck when I decided to turn back at 3km along this beautiful and varied coastal route. Well, health and knee is more important. No point suffering another Dusseldorf when I pushed myself so hard that I had to sit out and not run for the rest of the European trip, which included Berlin and Paris the year before.
It’s a slow jog back to apartment and I took a slightly different route to try to explore the more modern part of Lisbon.
Portugal is in deep recession. Property a bargain there
Pastries in Lisbon is probably on par, if not superior to French patisseries (Ducks a flying Baguette)
The famous Lisbon tram at Praça da Figueira
The run at Lisbon is a pleasant one. The whole city is a juxtaposition of old and new with very different terrain to suit different runners with different needs. Want a vertical marathon? No problem, challenge the hills of Lisbon and you will get a beautiful view of the city when you reach the top. You want a one way trip along the coastline? No problem, there are trams and buses that will take you back to the starting point. Want to enjoy sightseeing while doing a run? Lisbon has tons of cultural sites all within walking/running distance. I will recommend Lisbon as one of the top possible destination to run in Europe, thanks to the wide variety of terrain, interesting sights and very very good food and booze.. I mean drinks…
I ended by run at Rossio Square. My knee is indeed starting to throb. Selfie time!
Captain Canada back again. I have not written in over two weeks which breaks a promise to myself that I will post my antics once per week. Well I think it was worth collecting my thoughts and waiting to do my first race review on JustRunLah.
PAIN
When you think about the word pain what are some things that come to mind? Is it that strange ache coming from that part of your body you didn’t even know exists? Is it the head ache I get from my lovely fiance lecturing me about how much I run? or is it the pain of knowing that you are about to endure 42km of torture?
Well if your answer is all of the above then you are about half way correct with my experience of the Standard Charter Marathon 2014.
I will take a moment at this time to walk you through Captain Canada’s Play by Play of SCM 2014 and the lessons I have taken away from this years event.
3AM the sound of my annoying Car horn alarm rings and little did my phone know I was already awake waiting for it. As I turn off the phone and go through my morning ritual of singing the Canadian national anthem I get my head prepared for what was coming my way.. I walked over to Redhill station to take an early MRT ride as I had spent all my money and could no longer afford to take a taxi (See Previous Post lol).
Wearing my Captain Canada bib I got a friendly hello from a couple of youngsters who told me they have read my blog. I guess I now know what 15 minutes of fame feels like, and I will tell you there is no better feeling than that before heading out on a long miserable run.
Fast forward 20 minutes and my journey of PAIN begins. Arriving at the baggage check in I was conflicted with a very tough decision as we were getting close to flag off time and the baggage line was longggggg. I had made a grave mistake and had eaten a burrito for lunch the day before so the PAIN of either waiting in line for baggage and risk… You know what happening.. or going to the equally long toilet line and risk being late for flag off toyed with my emotions. Luckily I was with a couple of my dear friends who decided not not make me suffer and off to the toilet queue I went.
A little tip for all of you.. If you do need to do a pre race number 2 always line up behind a female to increase your odds of a cleaner toilet seat.. just saying…
Anyways fast forward to the 8km mark and PAIN # 2 strikes.. Again El Chapo Guzman came back to play games with my stomach and I found myself running to the washroom underneath the pit for a “Speedy Gonzales”. Now you may think this is the PAIN I am talking about, but this is not the case. The PAIN I am talking about was the fact that there was an equivalent of 8 squares of tissue to assist in my sanitary needs. Again toying with my emotions I am glad for an innate learned ability of problem solving. I hope none of you have ever found yourself in a similar situation.. Ever..
Now things were moving along quite smoothly and I actually thought that may be the end of my PAIN and suffering, and I may have nothing to contribute to Just Run Lah again this week. Well was I mistaken. Let’s jump ahead to 22km and the next level of PAIN.. I love the fact this event had a crowd and volunteers cheering. This is the first event I have run in Singaporewith a great vibe to it…. I think however this was a ploy to bait me into a Booby trap and the SCM organizers playing the antagonist in my day. As I was enjoying high fiving all the “High Five” signs I proceeded to high five a broken sign with staples sticking out. Tetanus is Captain Canada’s kryptonite apparently (see pic below).
So here I am with a hand bleeding and talk about throwing salt on the wound (Literally as I was sweating like the Cho Angmoh I am) the next PAIN reared it’s ugly head…. HEATTTTTT……. I wrote about this in my first post and I will tell you I would like to reiterate the fact that Canadian Sweat is that of maple syrup and it felt as if my shoes were sticking to the ground with every step I took…. Or…… maybe that is because they were melting in the oven I was running in haha. This pain unfortunately lasted with me the rest of the race.
From 35km all the way to the finish line I was introduced to a PAIN I have never felt before being a fake superhero and all…. “Embarrassment” LOL. I have never thought in my life I would meet such a worthy competitor in an 80 year old Angmoh bent on seeing me lose to him lol. My poor legs are hating me for it today, but the look on this fine gentleman’s face as we continuously passed each other was priceless. See emoti pic below and tell me that you would want to lose to this?? hahah
So As I cross the finish line in a personal worst (At least I had one personal victory… I beat my nemesis) All the PAIN came to an end……… Just Kidding…… It only just began.. After getting into the Padang in search of shade my aching legs decided to give out landing me into the fence and knocking it over haha. Luckily only 10,000 people saw this… not embarrassing at all.
One victory I did have was somehow I managed to get a free massage and food from one of the corporate sponsors… In the words of Charlie Sheen…. “Winning” (Pic below is the unnamed booth which we hijacked for free food and massage haha)
Now the great baggage search began. I met a guy who knew a guy who spoke to a guy that said the baggage was at the Floating Platform… Floating Platform?? Floating Platform??? This was the point in time that my final PAIN set in.. What is it you ask… Well I fell asleep during the movie the maze runner, but I am guessing it is something that those guys who went in to the maze looking for the exit experienced 😛
After about 30 minutes of playing Where’s Waldo we finally found our bags and enjoyed a cold beer and hurricane Standard Charter walking back from Boat Quay.
My final words are this.. PAIN is Temporary, but the memories last forever… and “Live Love Run Beer”
The Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) was held on 7 December 2014, the usual first Sunday of December. This IAAF Gold Label Road Race drew many participants this year as usual, with thousands of runners from all walks of life run past some of Singapore’s iconic landmarks such as the Esplanade and Sentosa.
This is my third marathon since I started my running journey, with SCMS2013 being my first, as well as my second marathon for this year after Sundown Marathon 2014 in May.
Race Expo
As usual, Race Pack Collection Expo was held 3 days before the actual race at Singapore Expo. This is probably done to facilitate overseas runners with their collection. Went there on Thursday around 5pm, pretty glad that there was no queue. Collection was rather smooth. However, one point to note is that the clear bag for baggage was separated from the race pack. This is relatively weird as for last year, the clear bag was included inside. But for this year, most runners have the issue of having to exit from the hall and enter again just to collect the clear bag, which caused much confusion. SCMS’s FB page was also flooded with runners complaining about this issue. On top of this, some runners also experience the wrong running singlet being issued to them- getting the female one when they registered for male, and vice versa. The organisers need to look into this issue of briefing the volunteers and ensuring the correct items were issued to them
Full Marathon Starting Line
Race Day
Public transport started early as usual, which is a good move. Took the first LRT from my house out, and transferred to MRT to reach the starting point at Orchard. Met my running buddy and we proceed with baggage deposit. I would say that the whole process is smooth. Volunteers were clear of the deposit procedure, so the queue moved rather quickly.
After which we went to the starting point. The crowd at the starting point was overwhelming! Many of the runners, like us, were excited and eager to start the race. Flag-off was divided into 3 waves, unlike 2 last year. This helped to stagger the runners and prevent the issue of overcrowding during the race. I was in the third wave, and flagged off around 5.15am.
The starting part feels good, with the cool breeze and the Christmas lights along Orchard Road. SCMS is the only race that starts from Orchard Road, which makes it a plus point. Managed to see Uncle Chan along the way! Many runners were eager to take photos with him. (Read more about Uncle Chan here) The first part of the run was generally good and managed to keep up to my desired pace.
Turned into ECP at about the 15km mark, and it was close to 7am. The sunrise scenery was spectacular, and it did stop many runners to take photos! Pacing was still decent for us during the first part of ECP. Saw Mok Ying Ren, Singapore’s fastest marathoner already on the other side of ECP! My body began to give way after crossing the 22km mark, feeling the ache and strain on my thigh area. Muscle rubs were readily available from most volunteers, which makes things a lot better.
Expected to see the banana station at the 29km mark, but when we reached there, no bananas were in sight! Not even any banana skins on the ground! A check on SCMS’s twitter after the race and it says that they ‘experienced a glitch at the banana station’. This left many runners disappointed and many were ranting their frustrations on various social media platforms. Indeed, bananas forms a important part of the run for long distance runners- replace energy lost and help runners conquer ‘the wall’. Spectrum Worldwide needs to do some proper explanation on this issue.
What makes matters worse was the stretch from 30km to 34km that runners called as the ‘Death Valley’- absence of shelter and water point for a stretch of 4km. The scorching sun left many runners feeling the burn and exhausted. Despite that, my buddy and I decided to push on as we know we are less than 10km from the finishing line.
The most challenging part came at Benjamin Spears Bridge- another killer. The uphill was tremendous for the marathon runners as most of us are physically and mentally tired upon reaching this section of the run. Conquered it and reached push ourselves towards the finishing line! Collected our finishers’ tee and medal and proceed to chill at one corner before collecting our baggage.
Full Marathon Finisher Tee and Medal
Post Race
Baggage was at the Viewing Gallery, which is quite a distance from Padang. Despite feedback from the mass about the baggage collection venue for last year, there is no change of the venue for this year. Many runners had to brave the pain and walk over to collect their baggage.
The change in the timing vendor was a good move too, as provisional results are available shortly after runners crossed the finishing line from the SCMS app, a great improvement from last year as close to 4000 runners were affected due to some technical issues.
On the whole, it was still a good race. A great way to end 2014. 🙂
If you woke up early enough last Sunday, you would have witnessed dozens of people in blue race singlets gathering at your bustops, the MRT stations and in town. They might have looked a little anxious, excited or tired. Yet, all of them seemed well- prepared for something big. What were they preparing for? Well, it is none other than the annual Standard Chartered Marathon! Standard Chartered Marathon is one of the biggest and most competitive marathons held in Singapore annually. If you are a great fan of marathons in Singapore, you would have known that this is one of the marathons that you cannot miss out. This year, they have attracted about 14 000 participants for its full marathon category, 12 600 participants for its half marathon category and 20 900 participants for its 10km category. Sounds phenomenal, doesn’t it? In fact, I was lucky enough to be one of the 20 900 participants to complete my 10km and also, my last race for 2014, last Sunday.
At 6.30am, many of the 10km race participants were already making their way to the starting point. With the cool breeze and the picturesque scenery provided near One Fullerton, no one was really complaining about the walk from the MRT station to the starting point of the race despite it being a long one. In fact, many of them were either busy taking selfies with their running buddies or, busy capturing the beautiful morning scenery of Marina Bay Sands. Not to forget, many of the serious race participants took the long walk as a warm –up instead.
Morning sceneryMaking our way to the starting point
Flag-off
The race horn sounded at 7. 15am sharp together with the familiar beeping of stopwatches, the enthusiastic cheers from the hosts and the pumped-up music by the DJ. With such an intense yet fun-filled atmosphere, it was hard not to dash across the starting point. You would have thought that with such an overwhelming number of 10km race participants, it would be hard to dash across the starting point with ease. Yet, Standard Chartered Marathon 2014 proved you wrong. With the changes made to its race routes this year and its wise choice of wider race routes, not only can you dash across the starting point of the race with ease, you can pretty much sprint your way throughout the race without experiencing much congestion too.
For beginners, Standard Chartered Marathon is probably a good one to act as your 1st step into running long distance or into joining more races in the future. Not only is the race route a fairly easy one with little slopes or inclinations, there were also plenty of supporters along the race route to cheer you on and make your 10km race a less torturous one. Some of them were holding on to placards that said “You can do it” and “Go for it” whilst others were musicians who played bells, tambourine and drums. Not to forget, under every signage that showed the mileage you have clocked in, there were quotes that were contributed by race participants themselves! Besides, the idea of indicating the last 1km with 500m, 400m and 300m is really useful for race participants who were planning to sprint for the last stretch of the race.
Any race would not be as fantastic without an awesome post- race carnival. The same goes for Standard Chartered Marathon. Besides the free 100 Plus photo booth, there were also plenty of places for you to take a post- race photo without having to queue for it. Not to forget, event helpers were around to provide you with the motivational placards for you to take a post- race photo with! Furthermore, if you were experiencing any aches or cramps, Tiger Balm had its helpers around to apply its soothing cream onto your aching areas. If you were not rushing off from the carnival, you would have gotten the chance to take a picture with the famous Haile Gebreselassie! Yes, he was at the Patrons’ Club booth from 9.15am onwards!
No matter how awesome a race is, there is always a room for improvement. For Standard Chartered marathon, despite the endless number of portable restrooms, they were placed too far away from the starting point of the race. Yet, the race participants were lucky that along the way, there were still other restrooms around. Besides, despite my understanding that having motivators in the middle of the race route can act as an additional encouragement and element of fun for the race participants, it can also act as a hindrance for serious runners who have their timings to watch out for.
To conclude, despite its flaws, I would say that Standard Chartered Marathon did well to manage its overwhelming amount of crowd this year in terms of its choice of race routes and also, its post- run carnival. It has made my conclusion of my list of races this year a satisfying one. I would definitely join it again next year!
Go fast enough to complete, but slow enough to enjoy
This was my third participation at Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore and I completed my third half marathon for 2014!
The 6.30am flag off was at Sentosa Gateway and a sunrise greeted the runners at the starting point. The route was pretty challenging as it started off with mini slopes inside Sentosa for the first 4 to 5km before reaching Keppel Way and AYE where there was barely any shelter from the hot sun.
SunriseLeft: Penguins from Madagascar, Right: Me
While inside Universal Studios, I decided to stop (which I normally wont at all) and took some selfies with the cute mascots.
Left: Me, Right: Princess Fiona from ShriekChristmas Tree inside USSon West Coast Highway, under the cable carsEnergy shot!
I managed to grab a pack of Shotz’s energy gel at one of the water points and it was wild berry flavoured! This was extra boost to conquer the long stretch of AYE before approaching the padang finally.
Downloaded the SCMS mobile app and checked my results. This is not my ‘personal best’ timing but it was one of the best runs with many motivating runners!
Special thanks to all the tough training sessions done with Safra Jurong Running Club as well as the bodycombat and bodypump classes at Fitness First. Looking forward to more great and awesome trainings and races in 2015!
As I sit with my throbbing feet up, I am reminiscing about this morning’s SCMS event. Having had the worst run so far, I am not the least bit surprised. Returning recently from a 40th birthday party bash in Boracay, Philippines, my training suffered significantly (meaning I didn’t do any). As the race day loomed my strategy suddenly became simple. Survive. Walk if I must and walked I did for a lot of it.
The morning started off well enough. Along with fellow neighbours, we arrived early enough to enjoy the atmosphere and the breaking dawn. By 7.00am we were established on the Esplanade Bridge waiting for the countdown. One thing I have a lot of fun with at any racing event is taking pics of the endless sea of participants. Last month it was all red at GEWR, today a sea of blue with the lovely CBD in the background.
Fellow neighbours from my condo.A sea of blue.
As the gun goes off the crowd slowly spills over the Start line but it’s a bottle neck and difficult to break through until the space opens at the F1 Pitstop. From there it’s smooth sailing with plenty of drinking stations along the way and reasonably good weather. Slight clouding has kept the sun at bay, making the distance easier to bare.
I intentionally took off at a slower pace hoping it would carry me through most of the run. Unfortunatley, my lack of training for this event made it impossible to get past my aching legs, particularly my ankles so I found myself barely making it to 3km and having to walk. “Oh man, this was going to be a long race,” played in my head. However, given that I was prepared for this kind of eventuality, I took it in stride and just kept going forward.
Sadly, I also forgot my headphones at home which meant it was a very silent run. No Daddy Yankee, no Pitbull, no Coolio, no Wisin, no Urban Latin music was going to blare in my ears to keep me going. It was just me and the voices in my head and yes, the voices won often. However, on an upside, it made me more aware of my surroundings and mostly peaceful except for the occasional Darth Vader breather passing me by and pulling me out of my trance.
As I reached the 7km mark, I check in with hubby to let him know I’m likely to make it back in time for the Kids Dash. He has two kids in different categories and needed me to make it back in time. I pulled off the road to enjoy the view as I rested temporarily. Given that there were 16,000+ participants in this category it was not surprising to still see them coming on the opposite side of the road.
Left side just reaching 3km mark, right side happily clocking up the last 3km.This was a welcomed sign. 70% complete. Nearly there.
With only 3km to go I was inspired to pick up the pace again and whilst I barely kept the pace below 8min/km, I pushed on for 2km, walked 500m and then took the last 500m home. I loved the big signs counting down each 100m, the familiarity of City Hall and I was relieved to cross that finish line. Not my best run but there’s always another year, another race, another time to try again. Tip to myself though – don’t party too hard before a major race. Noted.
Ranked 4016/16,650 for 10km.
Half Marathon
Whilst I’m making my way through the 10km, my fellow Team Costa members are tackling their half marathon from Sentosa Island. Certainly not lacking in fun, a quick pic with Grover from Sesame Street added to the day’s spunk, especially since the AYE segment was lengthy and uninspiring.
Quick pic with Grover as they race through Universal Studios.
Suffering an injury at the 10km mark Chelle found herself having to push through the next 11km. Usually that’s when you find out what you’re made of. Do you yield and withdraw from the race or harness all that you have and carry on through the pain. For Chelle quitting is not an option and Tiger Balm was sought at every opportunity for injury management. Chelle’s highlights were running through Sentosa even though hilly and Universal Studios where she met Grover and other Madagascar characters.
David on the other hand had a very good race today by shaving off 20min from his last attempt. In his own words:
“The motivation I get from seeing everybody on the team go for bigger and bolder goals is awesome. Go Team Costa!”
For Stan this race was a culmination of months of effort, of 5am runs up and down East Coast Park that may have been slightly marred by the fact that he was at the same 40th birthday bash and wasn’t able to sustain the training as a lead up to today’s event. However, here’s his take on his experience today:
“I was aiming for a 5:45/km race and thought I could keep it up through the Sentosa hills. That was a big mistake, better strategy would be to take it easier through those hills and speed up on the flats later. By the time I got out of Sentosa I was spent. But overall I loved the race, with it’s great organizers able to pull it off with this many people participating. Next year I’ll be prepared!”
Stan with his son who ran in the Kids Dash.
Kids Dash
My daughter, Trinity’s running debut was the 2013 SCMS when she was just 5 years old. We had so much fun that it set us on a new path in 2014, searching for kids races. Since then she has completed the 2.5km Jurong Lake Run, SAFFRA Father & Child, NorthPassion Run, culminating to the 2014 SCMS. Together with her friend Justin (Chelle’s 7 yo son), they tackled the 930m course (yes it’s longer than advertised but it was well worth it) at their best speeds. Justin gave my hubby a run for his money by keeping a pace of 6.11/km, whilst I hobbled behind my daughter at 6.54/km (in my mind begging to stop; I didn’t want to take another step).
As junior Team Costans, they are the new generation of athletes. Best described by SCMS this “race is designed to encourage kids to participate in a running event and take up the sport while they are young. Kids are encouraged to come out, have fun, and experience the festivities and be part of this momentous occasion”. Setting an example as parents by participating in adult events, the kids are inspired to participate in their own age related events. Keep the races coming Singapore.
Trini’s debut in 2013 with her buddy David.This year with her buddy Justin.
Marathon
Very simply said about the marathon as articulated by the only marathon runner in our group: “it’s a race, you have to suck it up”. Enough said.
And on that note, me and my throbbing feet will hang up the keyboard for another day and farewell SCMS for another year. For me the SCMS is the final event for 2014. My runners need time out from racing, so I may indulge in the upcoming festivities. The new year promises lots of fun races that include running events, an obstacle course race, the Tri Factor series, the Green Corridor run, my first running event in Australia and that’s just the first 8 months.
Have I prepared enough? Will I hit the Wall? Can I finish in a respectable timing?
This will be my first REAL run with my human companion (PS. she will henceforth be referred to as “The Human”). Yeah sure, I attended the Hello Kitty Run (“HK Run”) at Sentosa with her a month ago, but that seemed to be more of a ‘fun event’ than anything else. During the HK Run, I spent most of the duration in the pocket of her running shorts. This time, the plan is that I conqueror the 21km, strapped to her armband.
My greatest worry – Will I… fall and *gasp* get lost midway?
I hope not 🙁
I wonder she is ready. This will be her 2nd Half Marathon, and honestly, I don’t think she has trained enough for it… running 1-2x a week, about 5km at a time. Her previous attempt, at the Straits Times Run, took her almost 3hrs. She seemed disappointed, and I think she is hoping for a time closer to 2hr 30m. I wish she knows how proud of her I am regardless of her finish time.
I have other plushie friends joining me tomorrow too. Some are doing the half as I am, and some are doing the full. It WILL be fun.
Best of luck to everyone taking part in the SCMS 2014 tomorrow! Say hi ~ and take a selfie with me if you manage to spot me!
The man is here in Singapore this weekend, he’s running Stan Chart with us all on Sunday.
So I thought it would be great to finish the series of running heroes with a real legend of the long distance scene.
Haile was born in 1973, one of ten children in Asella, Ethiopia. Legend has it he ran 10k each way to school as a boy, which contributed to his unique crooked left arm runnign style, apparently due to carrying books to school as he ran.
Not much has been recorded about his childhood, but aged 18 he won the 5k and 10k at the Youth World Championships – this set the tone for a glittering 1990’s, when he won 4 world championships and 2 olympic gold’s at 10,000m and was pretty much unbeatable over 5000 and 10,000 metres.
His track career came to an end in 2004, when he failed in his quest to win gold three olympics in a row at 10,000m, beaten by his protege Kenise Bekele – with a pretty impressive set of PB’s : 5k 12.41 10K 26.22
At the grand old age of 31, Haile did what many of us do in our thirties – he started road running, specifically marathoning.
Except unlike us, he started at the top – and stayed there.
Haile and I have one thing in common……we both made our marathon debut in the 2002 London Marathon. That’s where the similarities end though, whilst I was very happy with 3:32 and something like 2000th place, Haile was finishing 1 hour and 26 minutes ahead of me, in 3rd place.
He then won 9 Global Marathons over the next 8 years, winning the Berlin Marathon a record 4 times and setting a then World Record of 2:03:59 aong the way.
Eventually, time has caught up with Haile and he isnt winning marathons any longer, but he is still keeping the young guys honest and can still run a sub 2:06 at the age of 40.
Spot the difference?
What next for Haile?
From his twitter feed it seems a career in Ethiopian politics is possible
“A lot of messages in the news about me going into politics. Yes, I want to be in the parliament in 2015 to help my country to move forward.”
There’s no doubt in my mind he will be successful.
Meanwhile, Haile and I will do another race together this weekend, although I’ll be sticking to the 42k while he steps down to the 10k.
Maybe I can take that as my own little victory over the great man 🙂
That’s the end of my series, I hope you have enjoyed reading about my running heroes, Pre, Steve Ovett and Haile Gebreselassie – all individuals, all talents, all amazingly inspirational!
Good luck to everyone running on Sunday, may the force be with you.
PRESS RELEASE, DEC 3, 2014: THE MAZE CHALLENGE ASIA, the first of its kind not only in Malaysia, but in the world, has been officially given the title of The Largest Maze in Malaysia by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR). This adventurous and adrenaline packed event was held on the 29th & 30th November 2014 at Sepang International Circuit.
Organised by 2Spicy Entertainment, THE MAZE CHALLENGE ASIA is supported by Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, an agency under Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture. This 7700m2 of maze was preceded and finished with military styled obstacles which stimulated participants’ body and mind, through visual perception, coordination and critical thinking.
THE MAZE CHALLENGE ASIA saw some 3,200 participants over two days, vying for the grand prize worth up to RM5,000. The winners of the race were judged separately for the two days, 29th November and 30th November due to a bad storm that ruined part of the maze on late Saturday afternoon. The winner for the Saturday, 29th November is Mohd Khairul Ikhwan Bin Mhd Yusoff for the Open Category. The winners for the Sunday, 30th November are Choi Choon Onn for the Open Category, Abdullah Ariffudin Bin Ashari for the Media Category and Xavier Azad Hairston-Khan for the Tourist Category. Both the Saturday and Sunday winners have won cash and prizes worth up to RM5,000.
“We would like to thank all our sponsors that made this event possible. Although most of the feedback we receive from the public was positive, we want them to know that this year’s event was just a beginning and we promise to make next year’s Maze Challenge even better” said Brian Corvers, Director, of 2Spicy Entertainment Sdn Bhd.
Within just two years 2Spicy Entertainment, a fully integrated, Malaysia-based entertainment company, became a leader in live concerts, club events and their related businesses across South East Asia. The fully integrated, broad-based company stands at the forefront of every aspect of popular dance, trance and clubbing.
About Malaysia Major Events
Malaysia Major Events (MME) is a division of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia (MoTAC). MME was established under the Government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) to identify, promote, facilitate as well as support viable international events to be staged in Malaysia. With its main objective to enhance Malaysia’s economic growth and profile, MME is also tasked to identify and support major event bids for sports, arts, lifestyles and entertainment events and provide assistance to home-grown and home-hosted events in order to further strengthen Malaysia’s global appeal as the venue of choice for major events in the region. MME also acts as a conduit between the public and private sectors in ensuring seamless processes are achieved through synergistic relationships with diverse event stakeholders in staging successful events in Malaysia.
For more information, please visit www.mymajorevents.com.my and follow us on www.facebook.com/MalaysiaMajorEvent, twitter @MyMajorEvents and Instagram @mymajorevents.
THE MAZE CHALLENGE ASIATM was sponsored and supported by IJM Land as the Silver Sponsor, Concorde Inn KLIA, Skybus, Revive, Fly FM, One FM, 8TV, Time Galerie, 20th Century FOX Malaysia, GNC, Fitness First, Banana Boat, Loacker, YouthUnited.MY, Nuffnang and Justrunlah.com.
About IJM Land Berhad
IJM Land Berhad, the property development arm of IJM Corporation Berhad, has garnered a reputation as one of Malaysia’s premier property developers. Through the years, we are honoured to have shaped Malaysia’s township landscape and built thriving communities that are well into the future.
A strong sense of responsibility drives our business. What defines us is our customer passion, innovative spirit, drive for excellence and sustainable practices. At IJM Land, our design and build philosophy is always been about providing quality experiences and delivering meaningful value to those who matter most – our customers.
The company’s vast portfolio includes townships, sustainable developments, iconic waterfront community, luxury homes, landed and high-rise residences, offices and commercial properties in prime areas of Penang, the Greater Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak. Our global footprint extends to Vietnam, China and the United Kingdom
I have a confession… I’m not the most active/sporty person in the world. Most of my free time are spend lazing at home (probably reading the latest Young Adult book from the library), trying out a new restaurant, going shopping, surfing the internet, or just catching some Zzz’s.
When I got invited by my friend Priscilla (below photo, right) – who’s one hell of a runner – to join the Maze Challenge Asia in Kuala Lumpur, I hesitated. Sure, I’ve joined a few marathons for the past few years in my attempt to become more fit and healthy, but the thought of running and overcoming obstacles along the way freaked me out. But I decided to take on the challenge and gave her my most emphatic YES!
Ready or not, here we come!
On the day before the race (29 November), at about 745 am, I found myself at Golden Mile Complex about to board the bus which would take us to Kuala Lumpur. When we got there, we headed to Concorde Hotel near KL Sentral and when we checked in, discovered that it was the wrong hotel. So we took another hour to go to the right hotel – Concorde Inn at KLIA.
When we got to the hotel, which was kind enough to sponsor the racer bloggers with an overnight stay including meals, we headed straight to our room to get that much deserved rest for the big day ahead.
Race Day – 30 November 2014
The racing duo.
We woke up at about 530am on the day of the race, pumped up and ready to overcome whatever may come our way. But first, we needed energy so we grabbed a bite at The Melting Pot, the hotel’s restaurant which fed us with freshly cooked eggs, vegetables, and protein for that added boost. And then, we were on a van heading to Sepang International Circuit for the Maze Challenge Asia.
Some backgrounder on this event: It’s a first of its kind in Asia, and it features a temporarily built maze that is peppered with obstacle courses along the way. You wouldn’t really know what you would be in for until you enter the venue itself. Intimidating, right?
We got to the venue with a little time to spare, so we rushed to the entrance and the host was already counting down the seconds until we officially begin. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!!! Then the gates opened and we just ran like zombies were chasing us.
All set and ready to run, or crawl, or climb…or whatever.
Climb every mountain; in this case, it was a wooden wall.
The first obstacle, though tough, was probably the easiest of the lot. There was a kind of tarp on the ground that was wet and very slippery. Above it was an entrapment of ropes that prevented us from walking. My friend and I just crawled and crawled until our knees and elbows hurt.
When we stood up, there was a giant wooden wall looming at us. The marshals told us that we had to climb it using a rope. My reaction was like, “No way!” but if I didn’t do it, I’d get disqualified. Mustering all my courage, I grabbed the rope and started my shaky ascent. When I reached the top, I discovered that I had to go down the same way. But I’m proud of myself that I did it without chickening out.
The third obstacle was a very wet one. There were about three makeshift pools that we had to wade through. To make it more interesting, there were tires below and we had to step into the holes while we made our way. The last pool surprised us… not with sharks… but with ice cold water.
The view from inside the maze.
Cold and dripping wet, we reached the biggest obstacle of them all– the MAZE! There were four entrances and my friend and I took the 2nd one. I don’t know how long we were inside but there were a number of times when we just wandered aimlessly. But we were not alone, we saw a couple of racers who were also going in circles. We decided to team up with some of them and came up with a strategy to find that elusive exit. And voila, we found it!
Before the finish line, there were two more challenges we had to do. The muddy trail with a few bricks to step on and another wall climbing obstacle. But after surviving everything before these, we just breezed through them and ran towards the finish line.
I got a medal! Woohoo!
We conquered the biggest maze in Malaysia.
Overall, the Maze Challenge Asia was a good learning experience for me. It was a great accomplishment being able to break the chains of my mind and do all the obstacles I didn’t think I was capable of before all this.
Being able to be a part of this event also fuelled my thirst to become a more active and healthier person. In conclusion, you’ll be seeing more of me in upcoming marathons and events like these in Singapore. If you do, please say hi. I won’t run away.
*Special thanks to Maze Challenge Asia for allowing us to participate in this event and for Concord Inn at KLIA for sponsoring our hotel stay and meals in Malaysia.
Both Dudi and I took a coach bus from Singapore to attend the inaugural Maze Challenge Asia which was held at Sepang International Circuit on 29-30th November 2014.
The Maze Challenge Asia was a world’s first running event that featured a giant complicated maze with physical obstacles in its course. It was more than your usual race, offering both a body and mind workout, through visual perception, coordination and critical thinking!
We had the privilege to stay at Concorde Inn KLIA over the weekend and had our carbo-loading sessions with buffet lunch and dinner at the Melting Pot Cafe.
Strategising
Even though we had to wake up at 5.30am for breakfast, both of us were excited over this race and we secretly hope that we can win a place in the top 10. We brainstormed several ideas to help us navigate through (e.g: using compass, etc), but after all, in reality, we just kept running aimlessly along with other participants! =p
Time to run!
Our race slot was for Sunday, 30th November. At the race venue, there were booths providing free drinks from chocolate milk to reviving isotonic drinks! The race was flagged off at about 7.35am with several other awesome participants in great hype!
Want to get an idea of how it was running the maze? Check out this video we took!
Obstacles
1. ‘The Crawl’
The race started with us crawling under wires on a slimy floor and getting slightly drenched from water sprinklers.
2. ‘The Climb’
My pearl izumi gloves certainly came to good use! With the encouragement and advice from the helpers at the tip of the inverted V-shaped structure, I conquered my fear of heights and completed the obstacle in a piece. From my vague memory, I think this was slightly higher than ‘The Highrise’ from Run For Your Lives. I hope the race could end after this, but this was only the beginning. :p
Managed to take photos of my buddy before climbing and while she was descending from this tall inverted V-shaped structure.
3. ‘The Dip’
Next, we came to a big pool of cold freezing water. There were tyres hidden in the water and I unknowingly slipped on some of them.
4. Maze
Finally, the maze appeared right before our eyes. The maze master told us to choose one of the four entrances to enter. We randomly chose the second one and dashed in.
After walking around for 10 minutes, we realized that we were going in circles as we reached the same hydration point for a few times!
Luckily, we bumped into other participants and we managed to find the exit door together! After which, there were another two more obstacles such as muddy trails and climbing before we approached the finishing line.
Lastly, a big thank you to the race organizer, Concorde Inn KLIA and JustRunLah! for this a-maze-ing experience in the largest maze ever, and my travel buddy Dudi for completing it with me! =)
It is just the right time to fill up your 2015 running calendar. Many new races have been introduced around the region and few races are getting popular among Singaporeans. The one race that many have been talking about is the Borneo International Marathon (BIM) scheduled to be held on 3 May 2015. It is a relatively small race in Sabah Malaysia, about 2.5 hours by flight.
Run, Eat, Play!
What’s special about this event is the stuff that you can do after the race. We all have heard about Mt Kinabalu and Sabah’s beaches. You don’t have to go far to enjoy a day rolling in the sand, just 15 minutes by boat from the capital Kota Kinabalu and ta-dah, you’re at another island and your holiday mode is on. Or, if your legs still can corporate after BIM, you can go on a short trek at Kinabalu Park, about 1.5 hours away by road. Since you’re there, why don’t you just climb the mountain lah!
Another thing that is a must-do is eat seafood – after the race that is. It’s fresh and amazingly cheap. Lobster, big tiger prawns and steam grouper fish with a cold beer dinner sounds like a big food treat after running a marathon.
There are many city hotels in Kota Kinabalu and the places you need to go are within walking distance, so there’s no need to take a taxi. Just look at it as recovery for your legs.
Borneo International Marathon will be held on 3 May 2015. To register, please go to www.borneomarathon.com
Check out Borneo Marathon’s official page on Facebook.
Sg Unfit Runners have explored many places in Singapore but there is this infamous place at the Southern tip of the island which we haven’t explored yet. And what is it infamous for? It’s infamous for its 600m walkway from the newly opened Marina South Pier MRT station to the Marina Bay Cruise Center. So we decided to swing by Marina Bay Cruise center while starting from our usual starting point at the Helix Bridge.
The financial hub of Singapore and barren lands…
After cutting across Marina Bay Sands, we ran along Marina Boulevard, and the area is a stark contrast to the glistering build-up commercial towers to the north. Barren, hot and weedy. It feels a bit like the desert of Vegas between you drive into the Sin City of US.
Lots of weedConstruction materialsForeign Labor. The people who build the foundation of Singapore… Literally2.5 km run towards Marina South Pier
The route leading towards Marina South Pier cuts across a few major junctions, namely the major road towards Sheares Bridge and the major road leading into the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE). Lots of traffic junctions and a lot of waiting . On the bright side, the pavements are wide and it seems like that is a cycling road running parallel to the pedestrian pavement. The Singapore government seems to have an intention to encourage people who work in the CBD to cycle in. Interesting…
The Marina South Pier is officially opened on 23rd November 2014 and will link the Marina South Pier and the Marina Bay Cruise Center with the public transport system of Singapore. I don’t recall seeing a bus stop around the area, so I guess that is probably the only way to get to the pier by public transport if you do not want to take a taxi. The Marina South Pier is the gateway to Singapore’s southern islands such as Kusu Island and St John Island. The Singapore Maritime Gallery is also located at the Marina South Pier. The Singapore Maritime Gallery showcases Singapore’s maritime history and how a sleepy fishing port transforms itself into one of the busiest and most important trading port in the world.
Marina South Pier MRT. Opened 23th Nov 2014SelfieMarina South PierSingapore Maritime Gallery.Grrrr.. Welcome to Singapore!
Right next to the Marina South Pier, we see a long, straight, 600 meters long covered walkway, stretching as far as the eye can see. The sight of such a architectural feat should be promoted as one of the achievement of Singapore and should be showcase as one of the “Must Take Picture” sight in Singapore. I should swing by at night when all the walkway lamps are lighted up. Should be a spooky sight!
I can’t see the end!!Is this part of the Tick Eye Museum exhibit??
After an exhausting run (imagine hauling luggage for 600 meters in hot humid Singapore to take a luxury cruise to no-where!), I reached the mostly desolated Marina Bay Cruise Center. The current cruise center at Harborfront, is at full capacity and it’s narrow waterways and more shallow waters make it unsuitable for mega cruisers to navigate and dock. Marina Bay Cruise Center with it’s naturally deep waters, is a more ideal docking ground. The cruise center looks like a futuristic battleship, which I believe if needed, can really stay afloat in case of a global disaster whereby Singapore is flooded and we need a Noah Ark equivalent.
Selfie with the Noah Ark of SingaporeFishermen hard at work.Entrance to the Cruise Center
By the time I reached the cruise center, I feel a familiar throb on my knees again. I think I pushed myself too far today, especially in the hot morning sun when I dehydrate more rapidly and the chances of my ligament strain become higher. I had no choice but to start a 3.5KM walk back to the Helix bridge.
Yes, I left my EZ link card in the car, just in case you are wondering why I didn’t take the MRT back to Promenade MRT.
By 830am in the morning, the sun is already blistering hot and I am already panting with my tongue out like a overheated doggie. Halfway along Marina Boulevard, I spotted a small path that cuts through Garden by the Bay, which looks a lot cooler than the barren wasteland ahead.
Oh well, let’s take the plunge, if it can get me some shade with all the leafy foliage around.
In fact, I will recommend this route to the runners who are interested to try out my route, as this route skips 2 major traffic junction and the path is a lot more scenic… unless you enjoy looking at weed, ERP gantry, construction sites, zooming cars and foreign talents…
In any case, Garden by the Bay is all fully decked up for Christmas, giving it a very festive atmosphere. I also notice thousands of LED and light bulbs screwed into all these Xmas installment, which I think, will make the already spectacular night lightnings at the Gardens even more Epic at night. Gardens should be one of the “Must Go” places for this Christmas, especially for dating couples.
It has been a pleasurable walk through the Gardens by the Bay despite the pain in my knee. Oh well, I will probably swing by Gardens in one of the evenings with my DSLR camera. Meanwhile, Mcdonald breakfast at Marina Sq awaits.
Ouch… My knee hurts ….
The narrow path into Gardens by the BayA Very BIG Christmas TreeThe beautiful Xmas structures at Gardens by the Bay.
You have trained for weeks and it’s finally Marathon Day.
Having a good game plan can help ensure that you do the absolute best you can on that day.
What not to do:
Starting too fast.
The first 2km should feel comfortable. If you start out too fast, quickly adjust your pace and your mindset: think ENDURANCE. If you don’t, be prepared to hit the wall – hard!
Starting out too slow.
Negative splits work for shorter distances but for endurance runners, you won’t have enough left in you to go faster as your body (and your mind) start to become exhausted.
Changing things up unnecessarily.
Eat pasta the night before – this is good advice only if it’s something you’ve been practicing in the last 20 weeks of training. Stick to your usual diet so you get a sense of how much you can eat comfortably without bathroom breaks.
What to do:
Control your pace very well.
If you feel great on race day and your test races predict success, lock in your goal pace and be vigilant to maintain it over the race.
Be mentally prepared for the wall.
You will probably hit “the wall” during a marathon (between 27km-35km) depending on your glycogen stores and metabolism.
What starts as a major mental battle transforms into a strange ache, pain, or cramping. Physically, your body is switching from using glycogen, a fast burning fuel, to fat, a much slower burning fuel. Remember it’s not forever. You will come out on the other side ready to finish the final 10K of the race in style.
The last 10K
The last 10K presents the greatest mental and physical challenge. At 32km, here’s where the marathon really begins. Your mind will need to fight off the negative thoughts of doubt and defeat. Our advice? Look at your heart rate monitor and remind yourself that your body is coping just fine. This can also help quiet your mind by getting your breathing back on track. Try to hold on for as long as you can. If you have to slow down, do it in stages, never come to a complete stop.
Enjoy yourself.
Enjoy the experience. Be well-aware of your pace, don’t maintain at the wrong pace. Find your pacer and stick closely to him/her!
Christmas came early for Singapore this year! If you were at The Promontory @ Marina Bay last Saturday evening, you would have double- checked your calendar and thought that Christmas was yesterday instead. Decked in Santa-lookalike race tees and Christmas hats, thousands of Santa Run For Wishes’ participants were gathered in town yesterday and ready to start off Christmas with not only a generous heart, but also, in a healthy manner. How so? Well, the registration fees and donations made will go to Make-A-Wish Singapore, the only wish granting foundation in Singapore that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions between the ages of 3-18 years. After all, Christmas is about the spirit of sharing joy, love and laughter, isn’t it?
As any runner would know, warm-up exercises are important before any run. Accompanied with groovy music, we were lucky to have enthusiastic instructors from Fitness First to lead us with some dynamic exercises. Despite the cold weather after the rain, it was hard not to feel pumped- up for the race after the exercises.
As the race horn sounded, thousands of Singapore’s very own Santas and Santarinas dashed across the starting line with enthusiasm, passion and joy. It was as if they were all rushing and eager to deliver Christmas presents to the good kids! (We all know naughty kids do not get the presents!)
A comfortable run
Despite the huge number of participants, there was no overcrowding experienced during the race at all. Not only is the race route wide enough, it is also a relatively easy one with little slopes and inclinations. Not to forget, the scenery was breathtaking. Besides the sea of red and white balls of wishes floated along Singapore River, one can also witness the myriad of kites being flown at Marina Barrage. In addition, the Merlion can be spotted at a distance.
Besides, it was encouraging to have passers- by to cheer you on for the run. Furthermore, you get to witness the myriad of costumes that the participants donned on during the run. From kings with crowns to Green Lantern, many participants were keen on winning the Best Dressed Competition. There were even ladies dressing as sexy Santarinas and Catwoman!
When one thinks of Christmas, besides Santa Claus, one will not forget the elves. Dozens of elves were there to help out for the carnival. Not only were they selling popular snacks like popcorns and candy floss, they were also facilitating games stations like the Bouncy Castle and H2O walkers. Bring any kid to the carnival and it would literally be like a paradise of fun and joy for them!
Overall, despite it being a new run, Santa Run for Wishes exceeded my expectations. It would be a great run for any beginner and also, for anyone who is keen on bringing their families along to a run. Not to forget, it is a run that encapsulates the spirit of Christmas- sharing joy, love and laughter.
Ho ho ho!
paradise of fun and joy for them!