I began running in 2012. Throughout the years, I have tackled many distances lesser than 21 km, but never more than that. I usually break into cold sweat thinking about the marathon.

I surprised myself by making a sudden decision to join the full marathon in the Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM). Caught in transition between completing a degree and job-hunting, my brain told me that this was a good time to fully-focus on training for an event that requires a high level of commitment and dedication. I was not quite mentally prepared to tackle a full marathon, but to quote my brother, “if not now, when?” Training for a marathon seemed quite appealing when there is nothing much going on in a person’s life.

I began hunting for a marathon training plan immediately after registering for the race. After much investigation, I picked a plan that seemed feasible for me. It was a four-month training plan that incorporated gradual increases in mileage as well as various running workouts for an intermediate-level runner. The plan advised five days of running in a week, with one day of rest/cross-training and one full day of rest. I also incorporated my own strength and core workouts with this routine, sourced from the Internet.

I adhered to the plan to the best of my abilities. The runs were smooth in the first 10 weeks of training, but disaster struck in the following week. I picked up a stomach bug, resulting in fever, vomiting, and stomach aches for almost a week. Recovering from that illness alone took away almost two weeks of scheduled quality runs from my training (and about 2 kg of my weight).

I resumed training after that bout of illness, following the plan as much as I can. I sensed a slight drop in my performance, especially during hard training sessions. But all is fair in the running world: you have good days, and then you have random bad days.

The taper weeks flew by, and then suddenly it was race day. I reached Queensbay Mall before midnight, hoping not to get caught in the jam of vehicles and participants. I had no cause to worry though as traffic seemed to be managed well that night. I changed into my race apparel, packed my gels in my pocket, and left my luggage at the baggage drop zone.

A number of participants were warming up at the start point of the route. I joined them, furtively spying on their antics as I performed some drills. I felt a little intimidated watching the elite runners going through their paces. After a brief warm-up, I walked up to the starting line 30 minutes before the race and bided my time there. I remember being caught in a seven-minute procession at the starting point of a 10 km race a few years before, and I sure did not want to experience that again!

All potential marathoners that day were greeted with a brief fireworks display. Each burst of fireworks amplified the tug of nervousness I felt in my heart and tummy as I knew it was finally time to run the marathon. As the gun sounded off, I felt a strange sense of relief as I began focusing on the run instead of my feelings.

I began my run slow and steady. Legions of runners flew by me as I pottered along the road. Balloons bobbed up and down in front of me as the pacers set the various tempi for the participants. I aimed at just finishing the marathon, but found myself comfortably settled in between the pacers targeting for four hours and four hours 30 minutes finishing times.

Besides being greeted by supporters, we were also yelled at by hecklers hiding in the bushes and pedestrian crossings. Loud blares from the random vuvuzela were accompanied by the excited barks and mournful wailings of dogs roaming in the suburbs and factories located along the route of the race.

Tailgating was rampant that day, as with all races. I followed people, and people followed me. Runners ran huddled in groups due to the cool conditions that day, despite minimal headwinds. One such group I followed got told off by the person we followed, which I found to be quite puzzling and yet amusing.

I relied heavily on the water and isotonic drinks which were amply provided at the 15 water station located throughout the race route for hydration and energy, as well as the energy gels I consumed on an hourly basis throughout the race. The race seemed to proceed smoothly for me until I encountered a minor twinge on the left side of my tummy after the 20th km of the race. The twinge grew into a full scale assault as the race proceeded; I began to have severe tummy cramps and the urge to throw up all the carbs I loaded on in the last few days. By the 30th km, I was alternating my run with brief walking sessions. The mere thought of drinking was enough to turn my stomach, and I sipped only water as the race progressed.

As I approached the final kilometres of the race, I was battling the urge to stop running as well as an urge to clear a path among the legion of half-marathoners who were completing the race. Stubbornness and training won; I wanted to finish the marathon, and I was not ready to take no for an answer. It was at this point I understood importance of training the mind to finish a task. I was glad that I always finished a training run no matter how badly I felt that day. I could only look up wistfully as the 4:30 balloons began bobbing far away in front of me.

The finish was a blur. I ran, half-dazed, across the finish line, and stopped my watch: 4:38:37. I stood there for a while, basking in the pain and promising myself that this would be my final marathon ever, when I suddenly heard a voice, “Ranjetta!”

I turned to the voice and saw a face peering excitedly at me from the crowd. I was still in a daze and could not fathom who the face belonged to, until she called out to me again, “Ey! You cannot recognise me ah?”

“Gwen! Sorry ah, I am so blur right now. This marathon was so tough and painful. I sit down first ah.” I groaned loudly as I sat on the pavement.

“Ah, sit sit. Nevermind. Everyone marathon always say like that one. Later they join again, hahaha!”

She sat with me and told me stories about her running escapades, and for that moment, I was glad for her presence. Happiness was a slow and gradual process that arrived about an hour later, despite all the throwing up and stomach cramps that persisted after the race and throughout the day. I finally completed my first marathon, ranking 28th in my category.

I am also quite determined to run another marathon some day.

• Race pack collection was held in MBS Convention Centre in conjunction with the SCSM Expo where sponsors and exhibitors showcased their latest products.
• I collected my race pack within 5 minutes of waiting and was happy that my running T-shirt fitted very well.

• Gone were the days when the MRT started running early on race day to bring us to start venue so I bought the 2am shuttle bus ticket and reached the race venue outside Orchard Cineleisure at 240am.
• I chose the 2am shuttle bus instead of 3am because during registration, I was unsure of the flag off timing hence chose the earlier bus to be safe.
• Although I waited around 2 hours for flag off, it was a blessing in disguise as some runners who arrived via the later buses had to walk a long distance to the start point due to road blocks.
• I did not bring any baggage hence was not affected by the long queues for baggage deposit which resulted in some runners starting their runs only an hour and a half after flag off.

• Flag off was on time.
• Although the full and half marathon runners were flagged off together, there was virtually no congestion along the route as the majority of the roads were closed for the run.
• It was a warm and humid morning and I was already sweating profusely 1km into the run.
• My GPS started to malfunction as early as 4km into the run due to interference from the surrounding tall buildings. Fortunately the distance markers were clearly placed at every kilometer and I had to rely on them to gauge my pace.
• Hydration stations were present at around every 2km intervals and there was plentiful supply of mineral water and 100 Plus drink.
• In addition, there were a few aid stations with bananas and energy gels.
• The run brought us to many iconic places in Singapore eg the National Museum, the Masjid Sultan Mosque, the Central Fire Station, Chinatown and Gardens By The Bay, just to name a few.
• There were many photographers from FinisherPix and I encountered at least 15 of them along the route.
• Running Shots also had 5 photographers ie Marcus, Sotong, Eugene, Tekko and Epalite taking memorable photos of runners.
• I was worried that the sun would become too hot to bear after 8am but fortunately it was a cloudy morning.
• There are many groups of volunteers at various points along the route and they were energetically cheering us on.
• After completing the marathon, we were rewarded with finisher T-shirt and medal, as well as 100 Plus drink, mineral water, banana and apple.
• I was fortunate to get the finisher T-shirt of my size as some of the runners who returned later had to settle for smaller sizes.

• There are 2 major marathons in Singapore every year ie (1) Sundown Marathon and (2) Standard Chartered Marathon which one of my friends jokingly named as Sun-up Marathon.
• The main difference is that Sundown flags off at 12 midnight whereas Standard Chartered flags off at 430am.
• This year, I ran both and I preferred Standard Chartered over Sundown because my body performed better when running in the light than in darkness.
• Thank you, organizers and sponsors of Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon for the beautiful finisher T-shirt, the unique finisher medal and the memorable finisher photos. I will definitely sign up again in 2018.

This is my 3rd time doing SCSM, I have never been a huge fan of the local annual marathon race largely due to the warm climate conditions as well as the route which includes a segment whereby the 42km route merges with the 21km crowd. These made it harder to run a personal best (PB) in Singapore. Adding on to the list is the inhuman flag-off time at 4.30am.

However, this year due to schedule clashes with other overseas marathon and the eagerness to join in the fun with my teammates who are joining the race. I decided to take the plunge.

D-day -1

Race Pack Collection

Sherlynn (my girlfriend), John (teammate) and I collected our race pack on Saturday, the day before the race. Despite reaching 20mins after the race expo opens, a queue has already formed up and we waited for approximately 20mins for our turn.

We ended up spending another 20-30mins at the collection booth, as the crew members were unable to find our teammate’s bib, it turned out that someone else had collected the bib for him without informing him.

Pre-Race

In order to wake up at a later time on the race day, have a place to shower and relax, the team decided to have book rooms at Swissotel, which is just a stone’s throw away from the finish line. We discovered after checking in that many other local runners had similar arrangements too, with Fairmount and Carlton Hotel as the other popular options.

D-day

Warm-up, Start pen

Getting to the start line was pretty straightforward, as we jogged down Orchard road from City hall to Somerset. After doing our individual warm-up routines, we entered the pen (pen A) about 15mins to flag-off. In my opinion, this year’s arrangement was better than the previous as “serious” runners can easily manoeuvre their way towards the front even though we entered the pen late. Within a blink of an eye, the race was flagged-off.

Race

Coming to the race, I had no expectation as this is my B race and 2 weeks before the race I had a minor hamstring strain. The plan was to start out conservatively at 4.45 – 4.40 min/km for the first 3k, decrease the pace to 4.35 – 4.30 and maintain it until 30k. Gradually then decreasing the pace at 30km until the finish.

I started the race as planned, ensuring that I remained relaxed, finding a smooth and comfortable rhythm. I bumped into Coached’s Head Coach (Ben Pulham) whom then exclaimed “Good Boy! I see you are starting conservatively”.

It wasn’t until 6-7km that I caught up with my teammates (Sia, Ben & Mini mok) whose plan was to start off at 4.40 – 4.35min/km. Mini mok (Mok Ying Rong) was contending for the local women marathon championship, Sia was contending for the local veteran championship while Ben has planned to pace mini mok.

Sia dropped off the pack at about 12-13k while Ben, Mini mok and I stuck together until 35k. Being teammates, we took care of one another, taking drinks for one another and passing gels around. It was a true demonstration of running as a team sport and not an individual sport. We motivated one another, ensured that each of us got our drinks at the water station and maintained at a consistent pace.

In the middle of the race at a water-point, Ben exclaimed at Mini mok “Your race is more important than mine, take the drink”. It made me reflected for a moment, this is just my B race, I had no expectations and surely won’t be breaking any PB. Her race is indeed more important than mine, she was contending for the local marathon championship and had a high chance of getting on the podium. I then decided to embark on plan C which is to pace her for the race.

Gradually Mini mok crept her way to 2nd position overtaking Bao Ying, Anne and Jasmine.

Ben dropped off the pack at 35k just before Sheares bridge. He had been tanking more than us, such as being the pace-setter and speeding up slightly at water points so that the 3 of us would not collide with one another while taking drinks.

Mini mok’s pace started to drop along Sheares bridge. It didn’t help that we had to constantly shout at the 21km participants to make way as we weave through them on the up-slope.

We struggled past to 40km and she began asking “Where is the finish line?”. For those who know, 2 out of her recent 3 races, she fainted within 1-2k from the finish line, namely CSC 21km and Real Run 10km, and for both races, she was in 1st position.

She always asks that question just before she faints. I was wary and worried that it will happen again. I yelled “you better don’t faint! We can do it! ”. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have used negative words such as “faint”. It is scientifically proven that our brain doesn’t register negative words well. You could see her straining her facial muscles in the picture below.

Fortunately, we managed to crawl towards the finish line, not literally but figuratively. Upon crossing the finish line, she dropped to the ground and I heaved a sigh of relief. She stayed on the floor for the next 20mins.

Post Race

After the race, the team headed back to the hotel and some of us proceeded for a hot-spa for recovery. We were too afraid for a cold spa.

Race Review

In my opinion, the race was very well-organized.

● Ample water points (except from 30 – 42km)
● Enthusiastic volunteers who shouted words of encouragement (except some at 10km+ who shouted: “You’re almost there!!” LOL)
● Good starting pen protocol (didn’t have to squeeze to get near to the front)
● Start on time

Aspects that the organizers will need to improve on are
● Merger of the 42km and 21km route
● Mobile application that doesn’t scale well with higher traffic
● Baggage collection (didn’t experience it, only from hearsay)

Will I do the race again?

Yes, I will do it if the team does it.

The Offer

For want of a better name, I decided to title this post “Anniversary Run” for a good reason.  Back in Dec 2014, I ran the first 10k race of my life.  This year, it would be my third time running the 10k in StanChart Singapore Marathon.  Back in Oct, thanks to a fellow blogger and running buddy, Kenjoe, who managed to secure from Peter Ong of JustRunLah, a free slot for me to join SCSM 2017.  I picked the 10k category as I just recovered from a long drawn PF injury. I was looking forward to join the other runners on 3 Dec; in the largest event on the running calendar in Singapore.

This year, for the first time in SCSM history, the running apparel was sponsored by Under Armour.  The event organizer, Ironman Asia, was helming it for the second time.  I was planning to be just there, run the 10k and be done in less than 1.5hours and head home.  No baggage deposit.  No hassle.  However, I was mentally expecting the huge human traffic on race day though.  But it was worse than I could imagine.

Race Pack Collection (REPC)

Normally, I would collect my race pack personally as it usually happened on a weekend way before race day.  But SCSM REPC has always been different; it is planned to happen a couple of days prior to the event.  And so I asked a colleague of mine and also running kaki (thanks Tony Halim) to pick up the race pack on my behalf.  I told him to help me take a couple of photos of the REPC venue too.

Pre-Race Preparation

Since I had just run the Performance Series Changi about a month ago, there wasn’t much preparation I had to do.  I just needed to make sure I didn’t over-train or strain myself too much to cause injury again.  Hence, my pre-race preparation was mainly confined to short runs, tempo runs plus a bit of strength training.  No runs longer than 10km.

Since I wasn’t gunning for a PB, so there wasn’t any pressure at all.  Having done a couple of 10km post-injury, I knew that completing the 10km wasn’t a problem.  I did check the 10km route and found out that midway I would be climbing the Sheares Avenue and that might slow me down considerably.  Mentally, I set myself a reasonable target of 62-65mins, considering my current condition.  Here’s the #flatlay I did for the race.

Race Day

As usual, I would get pre-race jitters but this time it wasn’t that bad.  I slept pretty well and woke up at 5am.  After the usual morning routine, I wolfed down what I called “happy trio” breakfast – a banana, a slice of peanut butter bread and a cup of coffee.  These would suffice for the 10km run.  I was out of my home at 5.30am and took me a whole 20mins just to walk to the train station which I could have done in 10min if I were to run there.  The better part of me said not to run, so I did a slow stroll.  I hopped onto the first train and to my surprise, there weren’t many participating SCSM runners in the train compared to previous years.

I made a mistake by alighting at Raffles Place station, thinking that it was nearer to Fullerton Hotel where it was the designated start point.  I ended up having to make a big detour and walked all the way to the Esplanade side to join Pen C (which my bib indicated.)  This was rather unusual because in all my past 10km races, runners were never segregated into pens.  How much difference in timing can the runners be, I thought to myself?  For the HM and FM, I can understand.  Never mind, let’s see how they do this.

Shortly after I joined the Pen C runners, I realized that I was so far back from the starting line that I could not see the starting arch/banner at all.  Oh, this is bad!  This would mean a late start if each wave was going to be flagged off 5mins apart.

So the waiting game began.

The 7.15am official flag off time for the first wave for Pen A was on time.  10minutes passed; we hardly moved.  20minutes, the start point was nowhere in sight.  30mins, I could barely see the START arch. I didn’t know how many waves had passed.  Then I heard people cheering the first runners of the 10km category coming in fast and furious – and I had barely started.  Argh!!!  I had to wait a full 45mins to be flagged off!  I swore that I had lost all the hydrating fluids I partook before the race

The first 1-2km was not easy.  There were far more walkers and strollers than runners right from the beginning.  Weaving through the human maze wasn’t easy.  I had to zigzag my way through a sea of blues and greens to get myself into empty space.  I could not find my rhythm; my body was not warmed up enough and I was going at an unnatural fast but erratic pace.  I was barely settled into my race pace when I was confronted with the foreboding Sheares Avenue climb.  The steep incline reduced many of the runners to walkers but I was determined not to be intimidated by it; knowing that if I were to walk, I would lose precious minutes and probably also break my momentum.  When I checked by GPS watch, I was doing 6min/km up the slope.  Not bad, I thought.

So far so good.

I caught a quick breather as I crested the top and hit the down slope.  Then sun decided to peek out of the clouds.  Even though gravity was on my side, the heat from the sun from 6km onwards was enough to slow my pace considerably.  I dug deep and continued to press on despite the sudden surge in heat and humidity.  I could feel my body overheating and my heart racing.  I was probably dehydrating.  At the next two water points, I gulped down two cups of 100plus and soldiered on.  By now, I could feel myself dialing back the pace.  This was going to be a positive split race for me.

Making sure that I did not lose my running form completely, I began a quick mental check from head and toe and tried to get connected with the rest of my body again.  When I hit Republic Bouvelard, I knew I was already near the home stretch.  The open space with the direct sun in my face and the heat from the F1 pit ground reduced me to a 7min/km pace.  There was nothing in my tank to go any faster.  Even the mist tunnel did not help.  A runner of friend later complained that it was spraying hot water at her.  Haha.  The only saving grace at the F1 pit was the team of photographers from “Running Shots” who braved the heat to capture us in action and helped to take our minds off the heat temporarily.

Thank you and kudos to all the photographers.

The last 1-2km was just plain mind over body as the heat was overpowering.  I had to stop at the last water point to pick up another drink.  I made a mental note to remind myself never to run the 10km category anymore if this multiple waves flag-off were to take place again in future.  I will either do the HM or FM with an earlier start time.  The 8am flag off time for a 10km race under Singapore weather was not only impractical but cruel.

Nudging myself to climb the last slope over the Esplanade Drive before turning right into Anderson Bridge and into the Padang, I had to draw upon every ounce of energy I had to make that final surge.  Crossing the finish line just inside of 64mins was indeed an achievement under such adverse conditions.  I picked up my medal, a cold towel, my fair share of banana/apple and isotonic drink and made my way to the race village; which was actually packed to the brim as most runners from the HM and FM were also streaming in.  It was a huge mass of humans bathed in sweat; but thankfully we were all too exhilarated and oblivious of the smell that enveloped the Padang that morning.  Sometimes I wonder how the non-runners and supporters could stand up to the stench!

Post Race Routine

The race village was so packed with runners from all categories at 9.30am that there were no way you could locate any of your running buddies if there were no prior arrangements made.  Anyway, I was too engrossed in cooling myself down from the overheating.  I downed one bottle of water and a can of 100plus before I could feel myself again.  I didn’t bother to walk around and just went straight to a nearby grass batch and watched the remaining of the runners streaming into the finish line.  It was a hard race for me.

Oh yes, a BIG shoutout to all the volunteers who toiled tirelessly throughout the wee hours of the morning till noon.  Without you, we will not be properly hydrated along the way, marshaled to the right place and the many stations that provided information, medical aid and logistical support to the tens of thousands of tired runners that day.

As I sat at there waiting, I realized that many of my friends were in the HM or FM category.  They had either finished earlier (for HM) or still haven’t completed (for FM.)  I was happy to bump into a fellow colleague, Kartini (also an ex-student) and her friend, Lorine.  We chatted for a while before we parted ways.

On my journey home in the train, I was thinking to myself.  So this marked the 3^rd anniversary of my racing journey which began in Dec 2014.  During those years, I had eight 5k races, fifteen 10k races, two half marathons, one Ekiden and three virtual runs; despite sustaining two injuries which plagued me almost half of 2016 and 2017.

What did I learn from these 3 years of racing and running?  T

The races kept me on my toes, literally; while the injuries kept me humbled.  Some runners are defined by the number of races that they participated and the PBs that they erased time after time.  To me, my best times, although painful, were experienced while recovering from injury.  The days and months of rehabilitation and patient waiting thought me many lessons.  The downtime was spent reading about running and learning from others who had done more mileage than me.  Strange as it may sound, I also get to know more of myself this year.

Closing Thoughts

Finally, I want to thank the people who came alongside me during the last one year; Coach Sham from Team Runfanatics who was there to help me pick the right shoes, Emily who assisted me with deep therapy in the early stages of the PF injury, Dr Ivy and the physiotherapists at the Sports Clinic at Changi General Hospital who guided me through a solid 5 months of regular consultation and care.  And to friends and fellow runners who gave me much encouragement throughout 2017, I am deeply grateful for your friendship and support.

Please allow me to dedicate this last race of 2017 to all of you who had contributed in one way or another to my recovery – Thank You!

As I told a running friend of mine, I hoped to re-visit the plans that I had put on hold in 2016 and 2017.  I may not fulfill all that I set out to do but at least I can make a comeback to the running scene again in 2018.

This time, I hope to be stronger.

N.B. For those who want more of my running journey, please follow me on Instagram @twtwriter.