Well Captain Canada has just completed his final race of the year and is feeling (As Tony the Tiger would say) Grrrrrreeeeattttt!!!!!
I figured maybe this week I would tone down my nonsense a little bit and give a normal review for once… Then I thought to myself… who the heck am I kidding I can’t do that I am Captain Canada LOL.
Anyways this weekend I had the pleasure of participating in one of my favorite events of the year hosted by the outstanding group The Runners Guild. What a classy bunch of runners whom I have to commend on putting on a great event. I will give my rating upfront and say 10/10. Awesome event, great spirits, tons of photographers to capture the beauty within Captain Canada’s pain and a delicious meal at the end.
Hats off to you all from Runner’s Guild for an amazing morning you really taught me something this weekend.. What you may ask?? The power of Friendship. It was a small event on a Sunday with a close group of friends which is what really made this special.
I will keep this brief and would love people to add to this list, but after this weekend I thought I will put together of the types of friends that accompany us while training, competing or living our daily lives.
Without Further Ado I would like to call this list Captain Canada’s guide to understanding your running or life companions.
1) The Spouse : Well Ladies and Gents I think opinions may differ here, but let’s just say don’t bring sand to the beach. If you are anything like Captain Canada running is my way to relieve stress not create it haha. Opinions?
2) The Drunken Friend: What could I possibly say about this one haha. This is that friend who has the brilliant idea of drinking the night before a race… oh it’s only 8km and you can even eat the Banana while you run…. Let’s just say waking up at 6AM last Friday was that moment your stomach is either getting a $500 drinking on subway ticket, or being brought down by the Singapore Task Force.
3) The Complainer: This is my Favorite lol…. Common complaints I hear… Man this is boring let’s go drink a beer….. Dude why didn’t we fill our water bottles full of beer.. water is for wimps (hmmmm).. Bro slow down man I drank too much… last……… nigh… wait a minute I just realized the complainer friend of mine is also the drunken haha.
4) The Ultra Runner: First of all I would like to ask you guys.. You do know the movie Forest Gump was only a movie right?? You send me home in tears after each training/ race and look up into the sky wondering why I was cursed with lactic acid in these legs. Damn you hahaha.
5) The brother/sister from anotha motha: These are the friends till the end, but also the ones that base every decision off of their own limits lol. Common examples of this would be….. Im Gei Gei DNF ultra marathon with you don’t worry you will finish. Well sounds like a great idea let’s do it. See pic below of how that turns out. Good things is at least they won’t take pics of me dying on the ground.
6) The Clown: This is the person who loves watching you suffer. The are waiting for that moment where you are lying on the ground dying to go paparazzi on you. Where do you think the pic above comes from haha.
7) The guy who always has to use the toilet: What can I even say about this besides I learnt how to utilize 8 squares of toilet paper best from them lol (See previous post)
This might actually help hahahahaha.
I want to cut it short here because I would love to hear others opinions on this. I really do feel there are so many other types of friends we train/ run with and I want to hear it. Oh see some pics below of some of my favorite friends.
Again thank you to the Runners Guild for an amazing event and inspiring me to think about all the lovely people I come across in my adventures.
Captain Canada is off to see his lovely fiance for x mas and heading to Canada till February. I will be back with a vengeance in the new year with tales from the land of Ice and Snow.
Happy Holiday all and have an amazing new year. till 2015! Captain Canada up and awayyyy!
Firstly, it’s me thinking about why I run and secondly it’s a school report for the SinaiStrider 2014 running performance. Now that the SCMS dust has settled and the Mount Sinai Striders have had their boozy ‘that was the year that was’ lunch review, I can close the racing year with a review and some introspection.
Why Do I Run ?
I am quite sure you’ve all pondered this whilst out on a long run somewhere, or sitting on the grass after a tough race, or whilst in the shower or some other pre/post run activity. There are lots of great books on the subject too….
Common reasons are (I think) Fitness, Lose Weight, Feel Good about Yourself, meet new people, improve health etc….
I am a fairly competitive person, I also work (and have always worked) in a team environment. Running is a deeply individual thing, even when you train with a club, run with friends, it’s all about you – no one can help you when you are running (not directly anyway) and conversely, you don’t have to rely on anyone else to run. I like this a lot – add this to the simplicity of running (shorts, t shirt, trainers and a stretch of footpath) means I can run wherever and whenever I like. If I want to go out and do a quick lap of macritiche, I just go, if I want to do intervals up and down the Pandan PCR, boom – there I go.
So that’s number 1 for me – self reliance and simplicity.
I am also a pretty sociable guy, I like to chat, I like to chat while I run – so I like to run with my mates. I am not a huge fan of running in big groups, but I do like to do my long/steady runs with a mate or two (two or three runners max in a group for a long run is perfect, any more and it becomes two or more subgroups or isn’t enjoyable in my experience) I can just shoot the breeze with.
So that’s number 2 – hanging out with my mates
I’m a decent runner. I dont know why, but fortunately I have the right genetic makeup for distance running and I have the ability to train in a sufficiently structured way that I can improve my base. I honestly don’t know if I would or could do it if I wasnt good at it – even if I enjoyed it (which is probably a huge character flaw in me!), but fortunately I am ok at it, even if I dont run for 3-6 months I can knock out a 46-47 min 10k, although I’d pay the price the next day – and I can usually manage to make improvements when I focus and train hard.
So number 3 – doing something I am good at, trying to get better at it.
Obviously it’s a very personal thing – what about you? why do you run ( not why did you start, why do you run now?)
So, after the introspection, a quick report card for 2014.
2014 Racing Review
Overall Grade : B- (Some positive signs, but could do better)
The numbers
I have run just under 2000km’s so far this year, pretty steadily through the year – averaging 150-180km per month.
(this is high mileage for me, low for many. I can’t run super high mileage or I get injured very easily)
I completed 15 races, plus One DNS (orange ribbon, hip injury) One DNF (stan chart marathon, hip injury) and 6 park runs.
I won $450 in prize money (first money I have ever won running in my life)
I set 1 PB (5k – 18:31 in November @ Park Run).
Seasons Best : 10k 40.10 at Tampines 10k and Half Marathon 1.34 at the Army Half.
Both these are a good way off PB’s so there is a lot of work to do.
The Good
My favorite races this year were the Newton 32, the Green Corridor and the Mizuno PAssion Run 16k.
I met some great folks (at F1 Runners and through Park Run).
I rediscovered some passion for running and racing.
The Bad
I started to get frustrated with the SG Race scene. In 2015 I am going to pick my events more carefully. I am also learning that I am better suited to 5 – 10k racing here, 21k and above and my inability to hydrate properly is preventing me from hitting good times still.
The Ugly
Ending the year with a DNF was the low point, for sure.
In Summary
A good year overall, I have a great base now, and I know what I need to work on to improve (endurance).
Thank You
Lastly, thanks to the people without whom my year wouldnt have been anything like as good.
Shug, Scouse Pete (the eleete athlete), The Claw – my fellow Mount Sinai Striders and best running kakis, Lexus, Vanja, Alan, Chee, Prasant, ZhiYong and the F1 Gang, Ming Ham for the awesome photos, Ben, Stu, Carol and Troy, Dom & Anna and the rest of the park runners, Jason, Andreas, Peter and the JustRunLah family, Inge and my running work colleagues. In one way or another, you all helped me this year – see you again next year, for more races, grind and sweat.
It’s been slightly more than 1 week since the SCMS 2014 – my first half marathon, The Human’s second… and I’m pleased to declare that I AM STILL ALIVE AND BOUNCING!
Before anything, I gotta address the doubts I had prior the race…
Did I prepare enough? No. (and I blame The Human for that)
Did I hit the wall? No. (but she did LOL)
Can I finish in a respectable timing? This is kinda subjective eh? 02:41.40 – you be the judge.
And my greatest worry of falling off and getting lost midway? Well… as I’m still here, clearly that didn’t happen. Phew ~ had a few scares though, when fellow runners brushed roughly past The Human and hit me right in the face. Lucky I was strapped on pretty good, with a safety pin at the top of my head for additional security.
This might look painful, but I assure you it didn’t hurt a bit!
My day began at 3am, with the annoying sound of the alarm clock blaring. The Human hit the snooze button and only woke up 1/2hr later. After which was the frenzy of having breakfast, worshipping the porcelain God, taking a quick shower, then scooting outta the house.
Travelling in style, yo!
She was supposed to meet her friends at Harbour Front MRT at 5am, and would have made it only slightly late if she didn’t forget to take her wallet when she left the house. Really people, pleaseeee ensure that you get everything ready and laid out the night before!! *facepalm*
Rushed home to take her wallet, and that genius decided that she would take a cab down instead – totally forgetting about the numerous road closures. The Human hitched a ride with 3 other half-marathon participants who she spotted trying to flag a cab in the same area. If you guys are somehow reading this, thanks a million for the ride!
To cut a long story short, she was late. And after being “stuck” a little at the baggage deposit, she flagged off in the second wave as the sun started to rise over the horizon.
oooo… so many people!
Save for festive countdown parties, I have never seen so many people at one place before! Spirits were high, and the energy was fantastic as the surge of runners set off, crossing the starting line… and I can’t help feeling curious about the stories everyone has/and will have to tell. Their reasons for taking part, the motivation that got them outta bed at that ungodly hour, the race experience they are gonna have… etc.
The first half of the race was good. The Human wisely stopped at every water point she came across, and popped her 1st energy chew at about the 7km mark (she can’t bring herself to consume those icky gels).
The first hint of trouble came around the 14-15km mark when The Human went up the West Coast Highway. By then, the sun was starting to scorch, and the slopes were taking a toll on her. I could feel her mental fortitude starting to waver, and prayed that she would not break. She soldiered on, like I knew she would.
16km. The Human’s left knee started to bother her, causing her to slow down to a walk. She pretty much did that for the next 2-3km, walk-jog-walk-jog, popping chews occasionally, glancing down at me to ensure that I was still strapped on and patting me on the head now and then.
19km. The end was near, and she has crossed into familiar territory (the CBD area is where she works & runs). By now, The Human has resigned herself to walking… or rather, limping, the rest of the way.
20.5km. The Human could see the 10km runners coming in from the other direction, and she could feel the energy emanating from the finishing line. She pushed herself forward and successfully managed to jog the rest of the way despite hurting. w00t !!~!
We Finished!!!
The Human’s ordeal was not over though. She still had to collect her baggage. At the Marina Floating Platform. Ugh. This is my only gripe about the event, to be honest. The poor thing limped all the way there, then all the way back to meet up with the rest of the gang.
Our “day” ended with a hearty meal at the Marina Square food court, where we chatted about our experience and monitored those who we know are still running via the SCMS app.
It’s almost Christmas, folks! If you’re anything like me, gift-shopping can be an intimidating experience – Who do I have to shop for? What to buy? Where to go? How to avoid all those other shoppers? When can I go home already? What if my friends and family don’t like the presents? How much do I have left in my bank account? Oh my God, is it too early for a glass of wine?
Runners, you’re not always easy to shop for!
Runners in particular, can be a notoriously difficult group to shop for. My partner never fails to tell me so each Christmas and birthday, so I know this to be true. The one fail-safe gift – running shoes – is also impossible to buy as a surprise present. There’s size to verify, brand, model and colour to choose from, and of course, with a hefty pricetag, it’s not the sort of gift one really receives (or dare to ask for) from anyone save the closest of family.
From my own experience, the types of gifts people default to upon learning that I’m a runner, tend to be the small-and-practical types of things. Think running armbands for my phone. Technical socks. Caps. Water bottles. I even once received a AA battery-operated handheld light, in case, you know, I got lost running in the forest at night or something, and needed a thin beam of visual aid… Also, earphones. So many earphones.
So, what to do when you’re working with a budget, but wish to do better than earphones?
SleekTags: Beyond the Practical
A while ago, JustRunLah introduced us to the SleekTag. It’s stylish, it’s affordable, and it could save your life in emergencies. Worth reiterating: with up to five lines for details, you could engrave your name, emergency contact details, allergies, blood type, or other useful information you can think up of. In case the unimaginable happens, SleekTag carries all the information people would need to assist you. SleekTags also come in SleekTag Lite for children and a Pet Tag, for a complete peace of mind.
That said, with a choice to engrave whatever you desire, you’re not limited to announcing details like your spouse’s mobile number and the fact that you’re allergic to prawns and bees. You could put whatever you want! If it’s going to be a corporate gift, engrave your company’s logo. Sports club? Use your team’s slogan. Family? Write a personalised message of love. Be creative!
What I like: delivery time was super-fast What I love: how comfortable it feels What I use it for: a constant reminder of why I run.
My Two Cents’ Worth
My SleekTags arrived in the post after only a couple of days; I wasn’t expecting them for a while yet. The SleekTag Prime is lightweight, the silicon feels pleasant against the skin and the stainless steel tag and clasp are of solid quality. It took me a little while to figure out how to cut the thing down to size, but the website does explain how to do it. I’ve also included a tutorial below.
Once on, it looked and felt great! It really is a statement piece to complement your running outfit, and if you love yours as much as I do mine, you’ll never want to take it off. I’ve even worn it out to lunch. It’s not a piece of jewellery that would draw admiring glances from strangers, but if the message on it is done right, it’ll give you the warm fuzzies just putting it on.
A Tutorial On Sizing Your SleekTag Prime
For those who have already received a SleekTag, hooray! Depending on which model you got, you may be able to pop it straight on. If that is the case, lucky you! Now what are you waiting for? Go run! If you got the SleekTag Prime, you will need to customise your gift just a little bit more, to suit your size. Although the SleekTag website provides instructions, I’ve taken some photos while fiddling with mine and popped them on here, just to save you some time on waiting for another page to load. You are welcome.
You will receive your tag like this.
#1: Lift the flap.
#2: Press down the two side buttons to release clasp.
#3: Open the clasp.
#4: Turn it over.
#5: Use a pen/pin to lift hook. You may struggle a bit, but you shall prevail!
#6: It looks like this when opened.
#7: Measure the length you desire. NOTE: Leave 1.5cm extra to fit into the clasp. Cut the silicon band.
#8: Now it’s all short and sad… Mine wasn’t even 100% straight.
#9: Never mind, it goes underneath the hook of the clasp you’ve just opened, and nobody will ever know it’s not 100% straight.
#9a: Make sure it’s sitting tight.
#10: Push the hook back in to secure the silicon band. Yes, it’ll be another struggle, but once it’s done, you’re good to go!
#11: Pop it onto your wrist.
#12: Secure the flap. Now go for a run, you superstar!
With a variety of colours available for the silicon band, and the stainless steel tag, create a beautiful personalised gift that runners will love.
As a boy, I grew up watching a lot of Hong Kong Martial Arts movies. A common theme would typically portray a Master-Protege situation. The master always imparts knowledge, but never experiences.
2012 : My comeback (main) event : SCMS 2012. My target was to at least equal my previous Marathon timing from ’91 – 4:41 ! I trained hard after signing up on the last day of the early bird promo, and did 2x 40KM DIY runs, and on the final week … stupidly got myself injured by trying out a new routine in my training. I was down with ITB ! I went into the event heavily taped and finished in 5:40 ! Lesson 1 : DO NOT OVER TRAIN !!!
2013 : I was quietly confident I could come close to or break the 4-hour barrier, but I did not have a race plan! I started too fast and cramped up after just 15KM in (I never cramped on training runs of up to 30KM). Lesson 2 : PACE PACE PACE !!!
2014 – Pre-SCMS events : Objectives 1 & 3 … met during SAFRA Bay Run, Craze Ultra, TNF100 !
So the protege heads to SCMS 2014 feeling as ready as he’s ever been … and to lay the ghost of 2013 to bed. Flag-off pace control was good. But then the race decided to throw me a big baddie ! Stomachache ! Something I’ve never experienced before during races! A worrying and alarming first for me! After putting this baddie away at the 13th KM, I recovered and was confident I could yet make up for it in the last 12KM! My master had something else up his sleeves : Zzzzz Monsters! Wow totally underestimated this little villains! I’ve met these fellas before during Sundown 2013, and emerged victorious against them then. With daylight breaking, I was confident I would be able to repeat that feat by the next few KMs. Boy, I was in for a surprise! This time around, there was a lot more lackies & Big Boss hasn’t even showed himself yet! In the end, I failed to totally defeat the Big Boss, but instead it ended in a stalemate. My Master’s final Lesson (3) : NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF REST !!!
He told me : No 2 individuals are the same. Some can go on without sleep and (yet) perform, some like me … cannot. Why? Because of experience. I am still a rookie when it comes to race events flagging off at unearthly hours. I do not do enough waking-up-at-2/3AM-runs-which-starts-at-5AM! My body is not conditioned, nor battle hardened!
I thanked my Sifu, and will remember his final lesson and come back ready in 2015. To be continued in 2015 ………….
SCMS 2014 – 42.195 KM : A Personal Race Review / Journal
Race Entry Pack Collection (REPC)
Singapore Expo Hall 5
collected on Day 1, 4th Dec noon.
possibly the worst SCMS Goody Bag
bumped into a few friends; William, Pris, Mervyn, Dorcas, Teck Hoo
@ REPC, with William Muk
@ REPC, with Pris Chew & William Muk
Gei Gei Running Club
Gei Gei Running Club [Facebook Page Here] : For all runners who like to geh geh (pretend). Can run but pretend cannot run. Got run but pretend never run. … is formed!
Pre-Race
last min decision : went with the PB Vest 2.0 instead of the Fastpack 20 ! done a lot of runs in this manner, besides it’s good training for Ultras
good Gear List from SCMS ! but where’s the mobile phone, and audio gears ?
brekky
Saturday, 6th Dec … up since 0730AM … afternoon siesta from 1630-1800PM … dinner at 2100PM – McDonald’s Quarter Pounder meal … trouble sleeping … soon it was 0145AM … toilet/bathe … breakfast … geared up … left home 0230AM in time for first train. Train operates at 15 mins interval. missing one as I did last year, time crunch! Train arrived at Yew Tee approximately 0250AM !
At Orchard station, bumped into Ethan and later Angelina Then. William soon arrived and we decided to make our way to our Starting Pen. Where previously I entered via the Red bib entrance (Patterson Rd) … this time I got in thru the rightful Blue one (Orchard Rd). I soon spotted Alex Ang with his fanciful Xmas cap. The 3 of us made our way closer to the front after Alex got back from his short stint of being interviewed by a media coverage group. The strangest thing isn’t it … time always seemed to just go by ever so quickly when you are waiting in the Race Pen. I soon caught sight of my fellow JustRunLah blogger John aka sinaistrider (aka Without Limits). It was great meeting John for the very first time! He soon made his way ever closer to possibly try to rub shoulders with The Kenyans! I rid myself of the empty 500ml (mineral) bottle of my Nuun drink just prior to flag-off. As always, I failed to find space to go thru my short warming up routine. I just feel so much more mentally prepared going thru my ritual. Oh well !
with Alex Ang & William
Start : Orchard to F1 Track Drink Station [8KM Mark] – So Far So Good
The Elites were first to be flagged off at 5:01AM !
Wave 1, 3mins after Elites’ flag off. Alex immediately took off like a man possessed, not without first wishing all the best, zigzagging his way to chase the 03:45 pacers! I ran with William at a sustainable pace (still able to chat somewhat comfortably) until somewhere between 4 to 5 km when I asked him to go on ahead as I felt I was holding him back. Right, I was on my own now! Continued with my strategy of keeping pace between 5.30-6.00 mins/km …. and refraining from stopping at any drink stations where possible.
F1 Track to ECP U-Turn [22.5KM Mark] : SNAFU (Big Baddie)
9KM in, towards the end of the Nichol Highway stretch I felt the first uneasy feeling in my abdomen. The temptation to head for the amenities of The Sports Hub when I was at the junction of Stadium Walk – Stadium Boulevard was strong, but I decided against it as it seemed a hassle and a tad too far to be heading to and back (on course). The on again – off again struggle was somewhat getting to me! I’ve never been in this situation and the last thing I needed was an embarrassing moment of getting the runs on the move! I decided to try to run it (the urge) off, but at the same time keeping a lookout for porta-loo (last ones I saw was at the 8KM Drink Station) or public toilets. Darn it, none to be had!
12KM in … my personal battle was still ongoing! The route was now into the Tanjong Rhu Road stretch. I contemplated begging the guards of the properties I was running by for permission to use their facilities; Singapore Swimming Club, Dunman High School … even The Waterside condo construction site! I was getting desperate! I even considered getting into the canals, but decided the risks of getting bit by snakes and rats was simply not worthwhile. Katong Park came and went … can’t help but think if I’d blown my chance.
13KM in … I knew my fight was up! Though now within striking distance of the toilets along ECP … I also knew that they might have been occupied by the guys ahead of me. Time for an evasive action. Desperate moments calls for drastic decisions! I spotted the Heavy Vehicle Park to my right. Nice, Perfect! Out of mind, and out of sight! I broke off course and headed for it. The marshal stationed there looked at me bewilderedly as I came ever closer to him. Sounded him out briefly as I hastily went in search for an emergency landing site ! Found my ideal open spot, obscured from view by the mini buses parked there (the drivers were sleeping whilst waiting for their shift to start). I PARKED my payload. Bushes and grass were out of the question for me. Last thing I needed was to be swarmed by ants !!! Thank goodness my decision to run with my pack paid off big time! I had toilet paper !!!! I deduced it’s gotta be the butter bun I consumed whilst waiting at Orchard MRT Station.
I made my way out, notified the marshal out of courtesy (lest he tot I’d MIA and am attempting a shortcut … OUCH ! this was where the diversion took place later in the race ya ? lolz) and resumed with my race. FREE … DOM !!!! I was ‘flying’ once again! And just in time too to catch a glimpse of the Elites Pace Car, followed by the speedy Kenyans ! Further back, I also spotted Dr Mok and applauded him. Nice chap! still acknowledging with a lift of his right wrist, and a smile.
At the 16KM Drink Station, I finally relented and stopped for some water (drinking wasn’t the first priority 😉 ) lolz (better be safe ya) LOLz.
Continuing on, I soon spotted my friends from Craze Ultra setting up shop on the other side of the track. My calls of “Habib ! Habib!” were in vain. I soon chanced upon Wolfie (Zac Chen) and Adam Onearmrunner whom I teased by first addressing him as Mr Subaru (and quickly making it known to him that I was pulling his leg) !
After ECP U-Turn to Marina Bay Golf Course [33KM Mark] : “Hi’s” & Lows
1) Of Monsters & Men
25KM in … a new adversary! One that I had made the acquaintance of back when I was doing Sundown Marathon back in 2013. I whipped out a 2-piece Kit Kat to try to counter it’s effect. He soon called upon his allies. My nemesis from earlier on in the race was also starting to stir (pun) trouble yet again, such that as I was considering regrouping at the East Coast Lagoon Food Village facility. I decided against wasting more time, and knew I had backup further down this stretch of ECP should I need to head into the pit stop! More worryingly, the little villains were getting bolder. I was having trouble staying awake. I was starting to reach a compromise by dosing off on the run at 10-20 metres intervals, a strategy that I had employed successfully back during my maiden Sundown Marathon. I felt confident. I also headed into drink stations pouring water down my face. That wasn’t enough, I was also starting to slap myself silly on the cheeks ever so increasingly. As the KMs past, I was slowly but clearly starting to sink into despair …. this was daylight breaking and I found it more and more difficult to keep my eyes opened for any prolonged amount of time. I was soon reduced to a run-walk strategy against my wishes. I knew I had to head into CP4 for any hopes of salvation from these vicious monsters! My thoughts also turned to how I was gonna defeat sleep if and when I do take up Craze Ultra 100 Miles challenge in 2015.
CP4 was supposed to be a stone’s throw away from me (supposedly at the 28KM mark) … but yet every KM on, I was nowhere nearer to it. Run-walk run-walk, and I soon heard someone shouting out my name as he was passing : “Jason! walk some more … my grandfather can run faster than you!” …. my friend Michael, whom I had about 1.5KM lead on after the U-turn. I told myself I would be taking a 2-mins nap at CP4 to recharge. And I knew I had to keep on pushing on just in case I do emerged victorious against this beasty.
Just before CP4, I recognized the cycling jersey of my Craze Ultra buddy BC Seah ! I caught up to him just as we arrived at CP4. Unlike me, he just carried on without even stopping however briefly.
2) CP4 … and the Good Samaritans Alley
A most relieved sight to see Habib & Yeo Kim Song!
Habib immediately handed me a chilled face towel, whilst a crew member handed me a cup of Coke! I asked Habib to allow me a 2-min nap in his makeshift bungalow, but he was having none of it. He was going off on his mic “no no no! You’re so close …. another 13KM left. You don’t know what you’re doing! Go go go!!!”
pale faced me
with Habib
Reluctantly and with a heavy heart and heavier eyelids … I thanked my friends at CP4 … and headed out of there after topping off 3/4 of my 500ml bottle with Coke.
SCMS 2014 … BEST Checkpoint by a MILE !!!!
And imagined to my horror to find out that my TNF secret weapon (Coke) was of not much use against the Zzzz Monsters. I was half regretting letting them talk me out of my 2-min shuteye. I was also not sure at this point if I was even able to maintain a straight path walking/running. I’m pretty sure I was staggering along, but somehow still had my wits about me to keep to the left when I was walking / running.
I was now in Volunteer Support alley ! Volunteer Support Crews were setup on the left and right of the path. It had a feel of a Race Expo sans photographers!
I spotted Sandy Heng with her customary box of grapes. The runner just ahead of me grabbed a whole handful of them, leaving me with only 2! I took one, and left the other for the next person. Thanked her, and sidewinder myself over to the left side for a small slice of watermelon before asking a couple of ladies who were busying themselves cutting oranges if I could help myself to the already cut ones. Took one (didn’t dare risk taking too many lest it triggered the other monster again. To court Master Bowels aka Mr Runs now was less than an ideal time as I was approaching the end of the ECP = no toilets ! Besides, I would have no concealment, coupled with the fact that it’s bright and sunny now as well!), bit down really hard on it on the run … praying and hoping it was super sour. Wasn’t sour enough but it helped perked me up for like the next 200m before I got reeled back in again to LaLa land. Man, how I wished there were sliced lemons to be found.
think these were the ladies busy cutting the oranges !
My situation was getting dire. I was still resorting to pouring water down my face at every drink station (and getting my top drenched in doing so, on hindsight not such a good idea …. it’s only getting heavier as a result) and damping the face towel from CP4. I was lumbering on, with fatigue now slowly starting to be a factor too. I also decided against consuming one of the 2 packets GU Energy Gel that I had brought along in my pack … (1) I don’t really rely on gels (2) brought as emergency backup (3) didn’t wanna risk another round of upset tummy! And to compound my predicament further, I was beginning to get that same sensations I had during my recent DIY modern-day version of the ’95 Mobil Marathon – tightness on the calf (I can’t even remember which one !). And it is only after the race that I wondered if it would’ve made any difference to my state of alertness had I taken out my Bluetooth Creative WP-250 earphones from my pack as well. That possibility didn’t even cross my mind then …
Out of the ECP and onto the service road enroute to GBTB East, I can’t help but lament how nice it’d be if CP4 was a mobile unit!
I was still on that slapping-face-wake-up-call routine for who knows how long, when I spotted a single female (official) volunteer doing her best to motivate the runners passing her. I went up to her : “Excuse me, could you do me a favour?” … and before she could answer, I asked if she could blow the whistle (she’d been using) as loudly as possible into my (left) ear! Wow! that startled me into action …. for some 200m yet again … before the same old same old feeling sunk in (yet) again.
Marina Bay Golf Course to Republic Boulevard [40KM Mark] : My Saviors
1) Jakob [33KM Mark]
I knew Jakob on FB after Craze Ultra 2014. He was the night 43KM Craze champ. He had ran past me at the Woodlands PCN (near The Sports School) when I was heading back towards MR to complete my 101KM event. We bumped into each other again later on during our TNF100 50KM event.
33KM into SCMS 2014, I spotted the towering figure of a man dressed in red t-shirt, his trademark color. As I got closer, I decided to call out to him : “Ulrich … Ulrich (calling out the “h” as a “k”) !” Hmmm he does not respond, and I’m thinking perhaps I am mispronouncing it. I called out with 2 other variations : “Alrick … Erik” and still nothing. I was dead certain this is him. I gently tapped him on his back … and he immediately recognized me and called me “Jason”! So as it turns out, I’d failed to (ever?) notice his first name is Jakob ! (that’s what it says on his bib as he showed me). I laughed at my folly, and asked how come he wasn’t running. He was carrying an injury. This man has a PB of 3:26 at the Boston Marathon! We walked and chatted and I shared my disappointment at not being able to achieve anywhere near my target goal of 4:00! Glancing down on my Pebble, I soon realized that I am bordering on my PB. I’d be lucky if I could match it. About 10KM to go, and with that much dreaded Benjamin Sheares Bridge segment coming up, it’s daunting enough if I had my game face on …. but terribly and utterly deflating given the state I find myself in now. Jakob did his best to encourage me to be off … but the combination of sleepiness and weariness are starting to take it’s toll. Twice I tried but the afterburner could not be fired up.
Just up ahead at the bend that would take us back to The Barrage, a Coca Cola stand ! My Coke refilled at CP4 had all but finished now, and out of courtesy I thought I would take no more than 2 cups; one for refilling, and other for immediate consumption. But the SG Freedom Freaks crew without hesitation automatically refilled my bottle to the brim! I was taken aback by this kind act of generosity! (they didn’t look like they had a lot of 2L pet bottles with them). I thanked them profusely and carried on to catch up with Jakob, who then tells me to start using fellow runners as pacers! Aha ! something which I’ve employed successfully on previous occasions but guessed I was just too stoned to even thought of myself. I thanked Jakob, wished him all the best and was off on my way.
2) Shaofei [Just Before 35KM Mark]
Shaofei is a recent addition to my FB friends list of no more than 2 days (ago). He is one of the runners from Braddell Heights Running Club, of which I am friends with a few of its members, the first 2 being Boon Heng and Michael whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the end of the most recent Craze Ultra when I went to retrieve my baggage at MR. Shaofei is also a fellow member of the phantom Gei Gei Running Club, but for some reason he opted not to don the bogus bib during this race. As a result, I was not able to confirm his identity when I first noticed him from the back. I’d ran ahead thereafter, glanced back at his bib … but was not able to make out the details on it. I soldiered on from there … and as I was walking some metres later, he pulled up alongside and smiled at me. He wasn’t running freely too, as he was suffering from ITB!
with Shaofei
probably relating what Michael said to me as he passed me back at ECP … grandpa running faster than me ! lolz
with the CP4 magical face towel in my hands …
Shortly after running across The Marina Bridge to get over to The Barrage (36KM Mark), I went ahead just after taking some fluid from the drink station. There were several other support groups set up over on this side as well. I went about to hunt down for ice-cream and sng bao. The one group that had the latter apologized and said they were meant for the Official Pacers. I understood that, and thanked them all the same as I was heading off.
I carried on with my run, and then did a u-turn as I remembered I had forgotten to dampen my face towel.
one of my favorite shots …
3) Eugene Lim [38.4KM Mark]
Eugene Lim was a fellow participant of the TNF100 50KM race. He’d been in and around SatayRunner & myself thruout most parts of that event. He also suffered the same problems concerning faulty timing chips – non-recording functionality.
Eugene was a heaven sent. I was soon walking after the final drink station before embarking on Sheares Ave, a rather long unshaded stretch of road that would eventually link with The Sheares Bridge! The sun was ruthlessly hot this particular morning. It would not be too much of an understatement to say that it was baking hot! He called out to me from behind. For a brief moment, I addressed him as Kenneth. And soon realized my mistake and called him by his rightful name.
As sadistic as this may sound, it was good to see him just as tired as I was, but he showed great determination (as opposed to seeing someone looking really fresh and tearing up the tracks which would usually be demoralizing more so than is inspirational). We both agreed to start running. The ascend was now proving to be a tad difficult and taxing. We both agreed we were going to power walk our way up as fast as we can. We also took the opportunity to take deep breaths to get ourselves recharged. That helped significantly. As we got closer to the top, I glanced at my Pebble and suddenly realized that I still had a fighting chance of not finishing too far off my PB of 4:40 !
I wished my 3rd savior, Eugene all the best and sped off down the other side. I immediately noticed 2 other FMers; a man & a lady. They weren’t together. I targeted them as my pacers as they were some distance ahead of me. The man was the closer to me. We did not run shoulder to shoulder, but he was resilient for every time i overtook him, he returned the favour. I soon caught up to the woman too. She too proved a tough nut to beat. I eventually lost both of them at the Republic Boulevard drink station.
A greater challenge was in stored for me up just up ahead!
10KM participants, notably the walkers! So intent to make the road their own, the whole road was practically blocked by participants not only intent on leisurely strolling along but holding hands too. They were in Phalanx battle formation! I found myself increasingly frustrated trying to navigate thru. At times I wondered why I even bothered with the “Excuse me, Make way, Passing thru, Coming thru” … only 2 out of 10 times a path was cleared for me to go thru. The rest of the time, I had no choice but to gently budge my way. It was horrible. The race organizers definitely made a real mess of this, this time around. I don’t recall it being this bad last year. It’s made it that bit much more stressful that I had a timing to beat!
Republic Boulevard to The Padang : Finishing Line
Less than 2KM was all that separated me from finally ending my misery. I believe I was still occasionally slapping myself on the cheeks.
My calf (can’t remember which one) cramped for a split second after I was asked to get back onto the tarmac. I had been using the sidewalk to avoid the walkers. I stomped the affected foot on the ground, felt no pain and carried on!
I somehow wasn’t feeling at my optimum too. I could not summon up my (usual) reserves to go charging in and finishing strongly. I was just too fatigued. I began to wonder and stole glances on my Pebble more than I’d ever done this close to the Finishing Line. I was resigned to missing it by the thin of my teeth.
The home stretch … and I could finally, yes finally … relaxed a little and looked to my right at all the spectators to try and spot my wife and son who had made their way here to support me!
Alas, I crossed the Finish Line … Pebble : 4:38 !!! By golly, a new PB by a mere 2 mins ! I Can’t believe it !!! and lo and behold, over to my left … Michael “Grandfather can run faster than you!” I called “Michael!” I can’t remember for the life of me what happened next! Not sure if we’d even congratulated each other! Strangest thing it is …. sleepy as I was thruout the race, I could still register the accounts of events …. but these few seconds upon crossing the line remains a mystery! A blank! This is why I have this blog. It’s my running journal. I do not wish to have a repeat of not being able to recall what transpired during and after my maiden Marathon all those years ago!
Done & Dusted !
I headed down the proper channeled metal barriers for the Marathon Finishers. I was immediately given a Medal & a bottle of mineral water. I next had to head for the correct sizing Finisher Tee counter. Here, I was further issued my tee, and a can of 100Plus. The boys were nice. Gave me an ice cold one after I mentioned the initial one wasn’t cold enough. I asked the 2 boys if I could spend some time by the empty table ahead of theirs. I proceeded to do a shortened version of my regular cooling down routine, and yes … I was still feeling a tad sleepy! I bowed down my head to try to facilitate blood flow to the brain. The boys looking on, asked if I was okay. I gave them a brief account of my day’s proceedings. One said he was attempting a HM possibly next year. I commended him! I thanked the boys and headed out of the tent.
It was super duper hot outside! Little to no shade as far as the eye could see. I headed for the closest one, the First Aid tent. Took out my mobile to try to locate my wife, but at the same time feeling a little lightheaded. I went further into the tent, and situated myself in front of the fan. No sooner had I sat down, one of the personnel informed me that I was not permitted in there. Duh ! didn’t even first asked if I was alright! Informed her of my situation, and she arranged for 2 teenage volunteer girls to have me wheeled (yes, wheelchaired) to the main Medical Tent adjacent to the Finishing Line area. The girls were struggling to get me past those humps down on the ground, and I insisted that I was fine to walk … and it would have been faster. Nope, gotta follow protocol lest I should fall and resulted in a bigger headache for all concerned. I relented and enjoyed my rare moment of being treated somewhat like a VIP, but all the while looking out and hoping none of my friends would jump out in front of me to ‘stomped’ me!
Wow, seemed like more runners in the main Medical Tent than there were last year! YES! I was in here last year too, but for a different reason. My hands were swollen by the time after the race. I was worried it was a symptom of hyponatremia cos I had been guilty of downing fluid at every single station. Hence why this year, one of my objectives for this race was to avoid over drinking! Well, it wasn’t … and I refused the antihistamine jab as per the Dr’s suggestion. Glad i didn’t too cos my wife spotted the UV Arm Sleeving that I had rolled up to my biceps. They had been up there all the while thruout the race cos it was a cloudy day last year. It kinda acted like a tourniquet! So guys and gals … PLEASE TAKE HEED. ROLL DOWN UV ARM SLEEVINGS TO YOUR WRIST WHEN NOT IN USE!
Back to this year’s … so there I was and I could not be entirely sure if I was sleepy or that I was blacking out due to fatigue. I knew from past experiences that one should not close their eyes no matter how tired after a race, more so if you have the urge to lay down. The Dr brought me a cooling pad and positioned it and the back of my neck after he had taken my temperature (38 deg Celsius). I soon felt a lot better, thanked the very patient Dr who then offered me the coldest drink I’ve had had the whole day, 100Plus …. walked back to The Padang from whence I came from ie going thru the collection areas, where they wanted to give me my 2nd set of momento, which I pointed out the tick on my bib when declining.
Medical Tent
Spent the rest of the time catching up with friends …………
Left The Padang just before 12 noon. Headed to my secret location to clean up and change … and as did last year, took a bus down with my family to Alexandra Village FC for duck rice!
with Phillip
with Phillip & Joanna
with Wai Thing, William, & Esmond. Esmond had seen my FB posting when I was in the Medical Tent. Feeling worried for me, he returned from City Hall Stn to check in on me. Thanks bro Esmond !
with Gentle, year-end Singapore Marathon #23 since 1992 !
with Terence, Tick Hock, Eric, Danny, Kim Lai
Personal Observations :
Failure to get a good rest a whole week ahead of the race. Been keeping late nights.
Inexperience with regards to such early flag-off events. having to stay up for hours before 0500AM start time
Use towel as opposed to pouring water down the face, thereby getting running tops soaking wet and heavy
Oughta given earphones a try when fighting Zzzzz Monsters
Absence of Runner’s High and Second Wind for the first time I think
Took the shortest amount of time to clear Sheares Ave & Benjamin Sheares Bridge as compared to previous 2 years
Did not cramp … a first for SCMS (Nuun is the key?)
Did not over drink
The Gei Gei Runners bib has potential … hoping to see more in future events
Personal Lessons :
Rest is of paramount importance
Pack toilet papers whenever possible
Sliced lemons for future esp if knowing not getting adequate rest coming into the event. A must for Ultras!
No oily food / buttery products few hours before
Bring Ziploc bags to store food (ala doggie bag)
Pace control to keep cramps striking early and ruining the event
Expect the unexpected, and dealing with it
Personal Conclusions :
A good personal race on the whole. Could have been a lot worst. Should have been a lost worst had it not been the support of not just the 3 saviors; Jakob, Shaofei, Eugene but also the voluntary Support Groups setup along ECP, GBTB East, The Barrage!
Sure I lost a few battles, but I won the war (against myself) in the end ! new PB : 4:38 !
Hits & Misses Of SCMS 2014 :
Hits :
Results and Timings ! Most efficient system employed to date.
SCMS Tracking App … works !
Reroute to Sports Hub a welcome change
This new diversion also removes past incidences of runners tripping over MBS area, and having to run thru poor lit areas in that stretch
Making the effort to honor Uncle Chan upon completing his SCMS Marathon, his 100th Marathon to date … and a ripe old age of 84 ! Fantastic !
Muscle Rub abundantly available, just as last year
Misses :
Diverting of slower Marathon participants without first clearly stating in B/W. Not making known the cut-off of individual CPs that might affect these runners, thus leading to confusion and a lot of unpleasantness amongst the runners
Giving out Medals & Finisher Tee in the name of Appreciation of Participation does not go down well with those who slog so hard for the same coveted items
No Bananas (complete disaster)
Severe lack of Energy Gels … some suspected no gels even
No Sweeper bus ???
Running Community Wristbands – didn’t see too many fellow Marathon participants wearing theirs
10KM participants making Republic Boulevard Road their own … thus blocking Marathon runners … should have segregated them early on. Don’t need to be negotiating this when one is battling fatigue and possibly personal milestones on the line
With already a few reviews on Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore, I was asking myself whether I should join the fray as well. But since my only 2 posts are related to the Standard Chartered Marathon Series – why not? So let me start off with something most of might be familiar with – The Runner’s Lie. “I won’t be doing this again.” Prior to Sunday I said something along this line when asked what race I be considering for next year. 5 days on I am thinking if I will hold true to this next year. Afterall Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore was when I took on my first half marathon as well as full Marathon a few years back. Somehow it would really feel weird to just stop. Back to this later.
Race Pack Collection
Went in on Friday morning with relatively no queues and was directed to a counted in about 2 minutes. Impressive start but what was to follow was almost a joke. Informed the volunteer that I was here to collect my race pack as well as my daughter’s kid dash(which was registered in my name). She took my IC and then asked if I had a authorization letter to collect for my daughter. I pointed out that: I) my daughter was not even 3 II)registration was done with me as the parent The volunteer then look at me as if I didn’t make sense and replied – “yes but still you need a authorization letter.” I was about to ask them to print one out so that I as my daughter’s father could authorize myself to collect on my daughter’s behalf when another volunteer spotted that I was holding on to a photocopy of my daughter’s birth certificate and relented. Not that I would kick up a fuss but seriously some common sense would really help. Perhaps not realizing that kid’s dash participants are KIDS they then proceeded to give me a adult pack which I requested to change to a kid’s pack. Tempted to take a look at the gear and race sign-ups, I resisted the temptation and did a fast march out of the race expo do keep my credit card firmly in my pocket.
Self Authorized…
Race Day
Got up at 430 for a quick bite before heading out for a train ride to HarborFront. This initiative is a good one, as some of cabins were relatively packed and is definitely something that benefits the runners. Even though I proceeded over to the start point at about 0615hrs, I unfortunately was still in the 2nd pen which meant a 15min wait after flag off. Honestly, in all my runs I have never been placed in a 2nd pen(as I tend to be early) but somehow for SCMS I end up in the 2nd pen(last year I barely made it into the 1st). While it is just 15mins, it can really be quite frustrating as you not only stand around and do nothing but “preparation” – consumption of gel 15mins before start, basically gets screwed up. Hence I would say I kinda started on the wrong foot for the race.
Eventually got flagged off and once into Sentosa it was pretty much like the return leg of puma run going from Artillery Avenue to Allanbroke Road to Palawan Beach then onto Siloso Beach. Past the bus stop at the start of Imbiah Road it was uphill and downhill along Imbiah Road then past the Stilt Walkers at Festive Hotel before proceeding along Artillery Avenue to everyone’s favorite Universal studio. It never ceases to amaze me that people will actually stop to queue to take photos with the characters. But I must say it really does lift the spirits after 7km into the run.
Out of USS, it was along Artillery Avenue again before going into the underground car park. Here I lost my GPS signal(anybody else has this problem) which surprised me as when I did Hong Kong Marathon this year I didn’t lose my signal thru the Harbor Tunnel. Putting aside this distraction, I push on out of the car park and onto the ‘surface’ whereby signal was resumed and also the way out of Sentosa.
The 10km mark was around the Prima Towers and then it was up the ramp to the West Coast Highway. As I went pass the sign which read 15km(for the other returning runners), I realised that I had not paid attention to the route in the information booklet and in the course of it not realise that there was 4km on the highway! By now I started to feel the effects of the heat and probably the after effects of stomach flu( which I had just finished my medication on Saturday). Hence my run walk strategy started earlier than I wanted for the next 7km till the down ramp to maxwell road. This move to segregate the runners is definitely a good one and it allows the half marathon runners to run along Robinson Road towards Lau Pa Sat as well as Raffles Place MRT and somehow just adds a special touch to run thru the CBD. Not too sure if it was this special feel or for other reasons, I was so happy to see the 20km mark near the AIA Tower!
As I near the Fullerton bridge, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of my wife and daughter doing the kid’s dash but they had yet to start as well. So I toiled for another few hundred meters to cross the finish line at just pass 3hrs(3:01).
Afterthoughts
Initially, I was kind of sad as well that I didn’t get to do my daughter’s first kid’s dash but my wife reassured me that it was more of a mummy-carry-and-run category and if I wanted to do a kid’s dash with my daughter next year, I either run faster or stick with the 10km category.
Despite the timing, I am glad to have at least finished the run especially after the bout of stomach flu and the pain I felt in my left foot after last month’s run in Bangkok. Am still not sure if it is due to an old injury(multiple toe fractures) or was it simply the shoe cushioning wearing off – but for now I will go with the latter and retire this pair which has seen 4 Standard Chartered half marathon with me this year.
Retired. (Sunglasses too if someone donates a pair to me) 😛
As always, my view is the run is always that the run is a challenge against yourself and that completion is an achievement in itself. Medals and finisher tees are nice but they must be earned. Without dwelling too much into the subject, I can only say “Respect The Distance” and go for something you are prepared to train for. Hence even though “it is only half,” well this is something I have to say:
Not for PB – cos too slow.
Not for finisher tee – cos HM don’t have.
Just to be able to say “I did it while you were sleeping”
(And maybe just because I have OCD)
OCD – Obsessive Collection Desire
As I mentioned earlier, there is somehow a special affinity with this run and it seems somehow hard to stop. So back to the runner’s lie – yes I will be back next year. 21km or 10km I am not too sure. But for now – a month’s break before starting on next year’s run with The ‘Sold-Out’ Race 🙂
WHAT: The Green Corridor Run is a running race along Singapore’s most unique course – an uninterrupted stretch of greenery and woodlands stretching the entire length of Singapore. The 2015 race is being held in conjunction with Singapore’s World Water Day celebrations.
WHEN: Sunday, 8th March 2015.
WHERE: Singapore’s Green Corridor. Starting at the historic Tanjong Pagar Rail Station and finishing at the old Bukit Timah Rail Station.
WHO: Runners, walkers, nature lovers, those seeking a unique experience. In 2014, over 70 nationalities were represented.
WHY: To encourage Singaporeans to experience this incredible piece of land for themselves and focus attention on developing countries lacking access to safe drinking water.
The 2015 Green Corridor Run is set to be the most exciting edition of the event so far. Running on 8th March, the 10.5km course is an uninterrupted stretch of greenery and woodlands cutting directly through the centre of Singapore. It’s an area of great ecological and historical significance to Singapore, but not very well known by the general public. The trail, known as the ‘Green Corridor’, covers the entire length of Singapore from the old Tanjong Pagar rail station in the south to the border of Malaysia in the north. Even though the trail cuts directly through the centre of the island, it is still one of Singapore’s least known natural assets.
Leong Kwok Peng, Vice President of the Nature Society (Singapore), the official charity partner of the Green Corridor Run, says, “Imagine running half of Singapore south to north without having to cross any roads and enjoying the view of a different side of Singapore with its greenery. At times along the Green Corridor you actually don’t feel that you are in Singapore.”
In an exciting development, the 2015 race is being held in conjunction with Singapore’s World Water Day celebrations. World Water Day (WWD) started as a United Nations initiative to focus attention on the 768 million people who lack access to fresh drinking water and sanitation. WWD also advocates the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
With this theme in mind, a new category has been created to raise awareness. The Water Challenge is a new non-competitive category within the Green Corridor Run that encourages participants to experience first-hand what it is like for 44% of the world’s population who have to walk large distances to fetch clean water for their families daily use.
The challenge is to carry a bucket of water from the start to the finish line of the Green Corridor Run course (10.5km). For every litre poured into the ceremonial well at the finish area, the event organisers will donate $1 to charity; a non-profit organisation that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations through sustainable water projects. The Water Challenge will use raw water (or an equivalent) which will be recycled after it is carried.
Registration for the Water Challenge and standard race categories are expected to sell out quickly, so register now at www.greencorridorrun.com.sg
Running past the Standard Chartered 10 km finish line wraps up the runs in 2014. 16 runs in total.
My resolution for 2014 was to take part in an ‘official’ run each month and I kept it!
I did it! Cheers to me! Hip Hip Hurray!
The 16 runs included three kids runs that I took my kids to and of course, I ran with them. Running helps cultivate values like determination and hard work. (More like my hard work- imagine dragging them out of bed before sunrise, changing them and psyching them up for the run.) During the run, any whining or signs of giving up is responded with ‘Come on, come on, don’t give up!’ or ‘Press on, we are getting there!’ My younger girl would hold on to the other end of the towel as I ‘dragged’ her to the finish line. How fun! This is family bonding at its best!
Nevertheless, the outcome is sweet. The medals they receive at the finish line give them courage to push boundaries and build resilience to face challenges on a daily basis. ‘Look at my medal, mummy!’ the three year old beamed with sparkle in his eyes. That in itself was my trophy, knowing how pleased he was with himself for running in the rain as he completed his Cold Storage Fun Run.
My older girl’s sheer thought of wanting to do another 5 km run next year was enough to put a smile on my face. But she had a special request, ‘Can we sign up for evening runs? This way, I don’t have to wake up soooo early!’ All right, girl, I got the hint!
Between 10 km Puma Run on 1 November and 10 km Standard Chartered Run on 7 December, I did a Great Eastern Half Marathon and a 2.2 km Santa Run. Of all the runs in 2014, GE Half Marathon was THE run, MY run. Being part of the #RuntoLiveGreat programme definitely helped shape how I mentally and physically prepared for the 21 km run, which was my 4th HM. The fringe activities were super fun and rewarding. The best part had to be training with the pacers from Running Department. The ladies were motivating and inspiring. Thanks to the super fit pacers’ encouraging shouts and cheers during the run on race day, I achieved my personal best. I will do GE run or the #RuntoLiveGreat programme again in a heartbeat.
Santa Run for Wishes was a hit with the children. 5000 Santas dressed in Santa’s red outfit ran along Marina Bay Sands. Spirits were high despite having to run in the rain with raindrops pelting down on our backs. It was an uplifting experience with Santa’s elves dressed in green tops cheering us on and giving us directions along the route. To top it off, our medals were given out by Santa Claus at the finish line. Besides taking pictures with Santa, the children were also treated to free kiddy rides during the carnival. The air was truly filled with the Christmas spirit and knowing that we have run for a good cause made it more meaningful.
SCM 10 km was my first Standard Chartered Run and apart from the fact that I took about thirty minutes to get from Connaught Drive to Esplanade Drive because of the bottleneck at Anderson Bridge, I think the whole event was well organised. There was an abundance of 100 Plus and water at the hydration stations and the roads were wide enough to accommodate the thousands of 10 km runners. I especially enjoyed running past all the iconic landmarks in the area, it made me feel all proud to be a Singaporean and to never take the peace in my country for granted
I now look forward to the runs that I have already signed up for in 2015. Next year will be one with more half marathons and my very first full marathon. Woohoo! Wish me luck!
As for the remaining weeks of 2014, training will resume soon so that I can go ahead with the festive feasting, guilt-free!
Here’s Running Bee, wishing one and all, Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!
Singaporeans must be really training hard to combat the potential rise of the transportation cost in Singapore.
With the price of ERP, COE, train fare, taxi fare, bus fare going up, the pragmatic Singaporeans are finding a potentially new way to save on their travel expenses, support a cause, get a nice running Tee and keeping fit at the same time. They have been signing up for running events in doves.Looking at the running calender, there seems to be a run every weekend and the traffic police in Singapore is getting very proficient in setting up road blocks and redirecting traffic as more and more of these running events pops up.
I often wonder why are there so many running events for an activity that is essentially free and why Singaporeans are so crazy about signing up for running events.
Perhaps it is due to social media that drives Singaporeans to sign up for these expensive running event. In fact, the more expensive it is, the faster the tickets are being snapped up.
Why social media makes a difference?
When I go on my normal run around Bedok Reservoir during my evening runs, take a selfie and post my run route on my facebook/instagram, I get 2 likes.. top…
No likes! Not even for my FCbarcelona Buff scarf
However, when I go for a running event and take a selfie along with my race medal, I get 20 likes and positive affirming comments like
“OMG, you are there at the event too, I am there too!”
“Good Job!”
“I wish I could join you bro!”
“Looks fun!”
Suddenly, the $50 that I paid for the running event becomes all worthwhile!
And whenever I wear my event T-shirt for my usual run and I see another person running in a normal plain T-shirt, I will smile internally knowing that I have achieve something special (by paying for it) and getting acknowledged for it by my friends and relatives on social media (which they have probably forgotten by then).
I guess that explains why people pay $75 for a run to celebrate the birthday of a girl who is not a cat. I thought it is more appropriate to celebrate a girl’s birthday by throwing a party at a club with a $3,000 pink multi-tier cake. But No, this kitty girl is looking for something special. She celebrates her birthday by making people sweat for her! And it attracted 14,000 party-goers!
Top that Paris Hilton!
On that day, my facebook and instagram literally lit up with hundreds of selfies (An exaggeration, but that’s how I felt) posing with their Kitty running Tee, their Kitty stickers, and the Kitty mascot. I was so jelly and I liked every picture, cursing why I thought $75 is too expensive for a run when it seems like the party of the century. At that moment that I felt like driving down to Sentosa just to gate crash Kitty’s birthday run.
Good thing I didn’t. It started to rain heavily and I decided to go back to sleep.
I guess we need that something special to spice up our everyday hobbies and to get that acknowledgement that what we are doing meant something to someone.
The people organizing these running events understand that need and they are coming up with more and more outrageous ideas in order to get people to participate in their running events. The more outrageous the idea, the more expensive the event fee will be. Of course there will be that special edition Tee and medal which is exclusive to the runners.
The greatest irony is yours truly who is criticizing Singaporeans needing acknowledgement about their running habits is a blogger addict who blogs about his own and his friends running activities for the world to see.
Darn. If you can’t fight them, might as well join them.
Time to sign up for the NUS Bizad Run 2015. Damn if my injured knee goes to hell. I need that likes and comments on my facebook/instagram to compensate for that 1 year I survived without participating in a single running event.
I’d like to start this post by congratulating all our bloggers on Just Run Lah who have participated in the various events of the SCMS 2014 – hats off to you, ladies and gentlemen, for bravely signing up, running, and surviving what demarcates us as runners from the rest of the world: incomprehensible self-inflicted insanity that nonetheless puts a stupid smile on our faces. Having read various reviews of the experience, the one thing that stood out, and got me nodding furiously in agreement was the brutality of the heat.
It has now been two weeks since I’ve returned to my Motherland. Have I successfully acclimatised? Well… I’m getting there. A part of me wants so badly to get used to running comfortably in the tropics, while another part of me is thinking: wait a minute, you’re going back to -5°C in a few weeks time. So, it got me thinking about how different my runs have been in Singapore so far, compared to “back home”, if you will.
1. Time of the day
In France, especially in winter, most runners tend to fit in a midday run during lunch break. This is the only way you’ll ever catch the 20 minutes of weak sunshine for the day, hopefully enough to ward off Vitamin D deficiency. Also, it’s the warmest time of the day, which means you don’t need to spend 1 hour warming up.
Here in Singapore, I find myself waking at the crack of dawn, or for my LSD runs, a couple of hours before the sun rises. I am bleary-eyed, a little bit grumpy, and hope I don’t wake my mom up as I stumble in the dark getting dressed and geared up. I’ve learnt to lay out all my necessities the night before – clothes, phone, GPS, water, food, keys, cash, shoes in the right order to minimise the stress in the morning. If you are anything like me, your speed of moving in the morning is inversely correlated with the time of the day, and at 4.45am, you’ll be thankful for the prep from the night before.
2. Safety!
Believe it or not, I find myself having to keep my wits about me a lot more in Singapore than in France. Yes, I’ll admit, a part of it has to do with a lack of familiarity here; Mother dearest has moved away from my childhood neighbourhood and where we are now is more foreign to me than Carlton (Melbourne), Forestville (Adelaide), Sablon (Metz) or even the sparsely populated countryside of Meuse. I’m also very used to running along long stretches of riverside, where my mind switches off and my feet take over. Here, to make the distances on my training plan, I sometimes need to wander outside of my neighbourhood. Inevitably, despite my constantly looking at street signs, I find myself lost.
This isn’t the safety point I wish to bring up though, for I am armed with an amazing bail-out tool known as the EZ Link card. No, what’s more dangerous than getting hopelessly lost in an unfamiliar part of the country is the fact that in Singapore – or at any rate, this corner of it – there are no bike lanes. This is a huge problem, given the number of cyclists I have encountered on the pedestrian footpath. I recall cycling on the shoulder of the roads as a teenager, much to the alarm of my mother, who thought it was suicidal. Yet, I reasoned that the chances of a collision were much higher on a footpath.
Worse, cyclists don’t seem capable of sticking to their designated tracks within the parks and park connectors. This has, in turn, forced me to cross over onto the bicycle track while running to avoid the oncoming cyclist on my running lane. Come on, cyclists, show a little courtesy to us runners! We’re not going to win against your two wheels, so please be nice to us!
3. Post-run re-fueling
How many of you pay close attention to your post-run fueling? I’m personally pretty fastidious about this, ever since I’ve seen marked improvements in my running performance and injury prevention after tweaking my nutrition. I shan’t go into detail since most of you are well-versed in this already, so I’m just going to make a couple of observations.
I like to eat my salt. After a good workout, nothing beats a solid and balanced meal to put everything I need back in. However, I have found the heat and humidity in Singapore is oppressive enough to kill my appetite post-run. Worse, my sweat seems to be a lot saltier here (if you really must know, aside from occasionally accidentally tasting it, I can also smell it on my clothes).
As a result, I’ve been having to rely on these:
Drop a tab in a glass of water and bob’s your uncle.
I’ve also replaced my lunchtime hot meals with cold breakfasts of yogurt, eggs and fruits to get the post-run carb+protein combo we need. Yes, I miss sinking my teeth into a filet mignon with roasted root vegetables, or nursing a nourishing pot au feu, but hey! Here I get to pig out on rambutans, roseapples, mangoes, pineapples, mangosteen, jackfruit, durian, lychees, starfruit…
4. Laundry
So much laundry. Thanks to the above-mentioned increase in salty sweat. If I counted the amount of time I spend each week on doing the laundry, it’d add up to another workout in itself.
5. You call that running?
Finally, the skeleton in my closet. My secret shame. The embarrassing truth. When I was a newbie, I was one of those runners. You know, afraid of what people thought about me. I ran my slow runs too fast, and my fast runs too slow. I ran myself into multiple injuries, and made laughable progress.
After a few years, I’ve learnt to leave my pride in the shoebox before I lace up and go out the door. I’ve also learnt to pay attention to this thing a little bit more:
It’s not a lousy cliché – listen to your heart!
My various types of runs, which used to be defined by running speeds, have been replaced by heart rate ranges. This was probably the smartest move I’ve ever made as a runner, to ensure my heart doesn’t blow up and I keel over and die. For those who are interested in seeing how this translates, here is an illustration (for the sake of easier comparison, I’ve only tabulated my 4-mile runs):
1. Look at the two lines highlighted in yellow. The average heart rate during the training is comparable but the maximum heart rate and average speed are different. My maximum heart rate on 4th November was higher than on 1st December, and yet, the average speed was faster on the later date. This was circumstantial – I had spent 24 hours flying and crossing 10 time zones prior to the run on 4th November.
2. Look at the two lines highlighted in blue: Once again, the average heart rate during the training are comparable, as are the average speed. However, the maximum heart rate on 6th November was 30 beats per minute lower than on 14th November (a figure which physicians may find alarming, but fear not, I just have a very high maximal heart rate). This was related to training – on 6th November I was only aiming to maintain speed over a certain distance, while on 14th November, in a moment of madness, I thought sprinting around Flagstaff Hill would an ideal way to start my day.
So, the point here is, although I am embarrassed by some of the shockingly slow times I’ve been clocking of late, I know that I’m working out as hard as I was back in France, and there are so many confounding factors: travelling, climate, changes in diet and sleep patterns, etc. It’s simply a matter of keeping perspective, hanging in there, and plodding on forward ever-so-slowly…
Before I start posting on Just Run Lah! – just a quick and brief introduction of myself:-
1/ My name is Max – but i go by the pseudonym kikurazz
2/ I started running back in Uni – hadn’t look back since 🙂
3/ Started competitive running in 2012 – first 21km marathon in Australia, clocked in at 2:27
4/ I have a boring 9-5 office job so running is not my main job
5/ Runs that I have participated in – SAFRA 2013, SCMSG 2013, 2XU 2014, Sundown 2014, NTUC 2014, SCMKL 2014 and most recently the PBIM 2014 (which I will post a review soon)
Okay i guessed that is quick and brief enough – so thank you again to Just Run Lah! for taking me on board!
It’s cliche but I have to say it’s nice to be sharing what spurs us all – running.
So stay tune and sit tight – when I have a little bit of time in the tank I’ll write a review about the PBIM 2014 (from a different perspective).
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 scenery
Making 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!
![Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014 [42KM] (by ‘The ReAwakenedRunner’)](https://www.justrunlah.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Dashboard-01-AMENDED-FEATURED1-768x473.jpg "Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014 [42KM] (by ‘The ReAwakenedRunner’)")
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The 16 runs included three kids runs that I took my kids to and of course, I ran with them. Running helps cultivate values like determination and hard work. (More like my hard work- imagine dragging them out of bed before sunrise, changing them and psyching them up for the run.) During the run, any whining or signs of giving up is responded with ‘Come on, come on, don’t give up!’ or ‘Press on, we are getting there!’ My younger girl would hold on to the other end of the towel as I ‘dragged’ her to the finish line. How fun! This is family bonding at its best!
![Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014 [42km] – PAIN! (by ‘Captain Canada’)](https://www.justrunlah.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/FB_IMG_1417847583001-768x576.jpg "Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014 [42km] – PAIN! (by ‘Captain Canada’)")
![Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014 [42km] (by ‘TheMinionGoesRunning’)](https://www.justrunlah.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SCMS2014-Race-Review-Banner-768x400.jpg "Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014 [42km] (by ‘TheMinionGoesRunning’)")
![Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon 2014 [10km] (by Chelza)](https://www.justrunlah.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/20141207_064514-768x432.jpg "Race Review: Standard Chartered Marathon 2014 [10km] (by Chelza)")
