Hoseh bo? Wish everyone who is running SCMS all the best and run happy!

Ask, and you will receive what you’ve ask for! Thank you Just Run Lah! for the race slot! Because now I really am thinking thrice before registering for any races and I feel that the race fee for SCMS is just too expensive, with this amount of race fee I can sign up for 2 or 3 other runs but actually it can’t be compared this way because even for chicken rice there’s $3 or the $30 ones. But seriously I don’t really understand why the flag off for 42km and 21km is together. Really got no eyes see ? Hopefully no bottlenecks and not chaotic at all. Or they got plan swee swee liao so all these will be avoidable? Just hope everything will go smoothly for the runners on race day. And this year there is no train services but lame excuse from SMRT that SCMS never informed them earlier and due to track maintenance, cant do that on the rest of the 364 days? And then why SCMS never inform earlier leh? Since every year SCMS is at about the same period right or must be the cost to activate train service over budget? So anyway, I bought the shuttle bus tickets at $5, which will be picking me up super early at 2am because I want to deposit my bag, I don’t want to bring bag as it’s troublesome but I want to have fresh set of clothes to change into and slipper, it’s shiok that after a run you get out from your soaking wet clothes. Just a reminder to those who purchased shuttle bus tickets to remember to collect the wrist tag for the shuttle bus during the race pack collection ?

Last year, I hero signed up for the full marathon alone while my friends ran the half marathon. The race singlet and finisher tee is Adidas, and very difficult to go wrong with black so the finisher tee is super nice, so I guess for last year, its what makes the race fee worth it and also running a full marathon is one of the item on my bucket list and it have been long that I want to strike that off from my bucket list and finally able to clear it last year. Maybe life is also about making your dreams come true. A few weeks ago, I was at Sportslink and I saw the exact same Brooks race singlet selling on their racks ? It’s not exclusive anymore and don’t know why people will buy it if they are not running unless they are collectors.

I’ve only know that Standard Chartered Marathon races is available in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Taipei. So far, I’ve ran Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Next year, I will be running in Hong Kong, which makes me a Wonder Woman again wondering that I shall go to Taipei Standard Chartered in 2018 maybe? ? Can’t believe it that just for a piece of medal I decided to run 42km instead of the 21km. And I’ve got only 2 more months to prepare for it! OMG! ? Still better than Sundown marathon this year, I ran a full marathon in a 1 day notice ?

SCMS is one of the largest running event of the year in Singapore and the race pack collection is at Expo. It’s at Hall 4 and when I reached at 5.30pm on the first day of REPC after work there is no queue at all! Phew! But many of my friends were complaining of long queues for their collection. But don’t know what they mean by long queues since our tolerance level of queues is low nowadays, but should not be that long I Guess ?

Thank you P_eace for the customised prints on my race singlet! Love it so much! We can choose from a few meaningful the designs template and customise our name on it. And the design that I choose is in Chinese characters, which means surpassing limits. Best thing is, it’s only a 10 minutes wait for me while I use the time to explore the race village.

July and I went to the Jaybird booth and play basketball. It’s in one minute time see how many shots you can score and the top scorer of the day will win their ear piece worth $200plus! I thought it’s easy, but it’s not ? But so nice lah, they still got a “thank you for your participation gift”, a draw string bag.

My favourite part of the whole Expo is none other than the Madamn Tussauds Mofarah Maqnequinn! ? The pose is cute right? Show the world some love! ❤️ Recently I’ve been thinking of poses during running, so it’s not the common “peace” and “good” signs. Maybe I shall try sailormoon and ultraman pose if I spot any Photographers during my run ? So Madamn Tussauds have a contest to post a cutest caption to stand a chance to win a Fitbit. But if it’s a “valentine day challenge” think my pose may qualify for the cutest pose, the boyfriend will feel so much love right? ? So the #buddybuddy and #friendshipgoals can use this as reference ?

There’s many things but I only get some hair bands, shorts and the sports bra is only at $20 each and it’s nice!

(Loading with Pinoy-Sg Runners after the race pack collection)

(With Ying Tian, one of the pacer from Running Department pacing the 5hr15mins)

(With Coach Arnel)

This isn’t my race. I’m just suppose to go and show support to my friends who are running and do a short run then go home continue with my “beauty sleep”. Somehow, I have a little bit of of regret that I didn’t signed up and I become Wonder Woman now how come I didn’t signed up ? Must be because the thought that I have to cut down on races since August when during July and August I have a total of 9 races! That’s about 1 every weekend! That I have to forgo one of my favourite activity to nua on bed during weekend ? I thought I’m not what they call a medal slave, to run for medals but now I look back I think I’m indeed one medal slave ? See my signature pose: Sorry to damage your eyes because seeing too much of me ? Apparently I really am a medal slave since I’m quite sad that I have to go home without a medal and have to borrow Rey’s medal for a photo ? Moral of the story is: Just register lah! ?

Anyway there is this Run Free run next year. It is a free run! Free! But includes nothing, wonder if you run past their hydration point can even take water to drink or not ? It’s concept is interesting, if you want to get anything from them can buy. You can buy the baggage deposit at $2, can buy their accessories like singlet and medal and bib. Singlet I will consider as it’s quite nice, but do I need it? ? I have so many race singlet already which my wardrobe is about to burst ? Don’t say it’s bluffing you it’s a free run because you need to buy medal and bibs and etc, you can don’t buy what. A medal slave like me will definitely and willingly buy the medal which cost $9.90 and I think I will buy the bib too which is also $9.90, a “hoarder” like me keeps bibs and medals for all my runs ? Though I must say my medals and bibs didn’t wash and contains my sweat as I didn’t wash or even wipe ? MUAHAHA!

The coming standard chartered marathon in Hong Kong only have medals for runners who run full marathon and have to finish within a cut off time of 6 hours! That’s what makes me so undecisive of which category to sign up for because it’s too risky for me that I may probably finished more than the cut off time ? But I want the medal! So how eh? Just run lah?

Luckily I reached just in time to see the 50km runners to flag off at 7am. So while Kelvin and I went to video the flag off so that our friends will have some snap shot of the video as photos but the super noob me only realised after like 3 minutes that I didn’t press record on my phone ? Think I didn’t fully wake up yet and was still dreaming ? I did manage to video the 25km and 13km runners at least ? I have created a photo album for photos of TNF2016, I may have captured you ? Is not I try to be consoling to myself that the blur photos is lousy but I think it turns out to be actually quite nice and artistic because there’s some part is focus and some part is blur ? It’s your perception that determines what a good photograph is, just like how people have different taste and view in beauty and food ?

I still remembered my cross country in my secondary school which was also at MR. I was in secondary 2 that year and I shocked a lot of people that someone with no CCA can even get a trophy for coming in as the top few runners. Because the rest of the top runners are either the Netball girls(my school Netball girls used to be super strong) or girls who are in the sports team. I don’t run last time but I play basketball in the neighbourhood basketball court very frequently with friends since I was in primary school, which I backside itchy choose a secondary school without girls basketball team. That’s my only achievement in running other than coming in 5th (there’s only 5 runners, just kidding lah ? At the very least also more than 100 runners estimated) from my company’s running event last year ? (What a typical “street basketballer” looks like in those days. I remembered we love to wear slippers to play basketball and wear those No Fear, No Rules T-shirt we get from Pasar malam ? The right one was me when I was 12 years old ?)

So, according to different category they have different requirements to have hydration bag/pouch with them and weigh in before going into the start pen. After Chiu Ping Zeh Zeh goes into the start pen, I have about 5 mins to chiong to another spot because I wanted to capture runners running with a different scenery. Like I said beauty is subjective, I think it’s a nice background of the Reservoir with people at the back Kayaking ? (Photo Credits: Me ?) Love this photo of Chiu Ping Zeh Zeh as this is what a genuine run happy is!

After that I went for a short run myself as I have about 1 hour plus before the 13km runners flag off. One thing I like about running in MacRitchie Reservoir is I always sweat more whenever I run there, soaking wet with sweat, I like! Must be because of the slopes that makes it tougher. So the plan was after the short run, waited after the 13km runners flag off I’ll go home sleep then go pole class and attend my company’s dinner and dance in the evening ?

So after my run die me run, I went to look for the rest of my friends who are running the 13km. I was very happy to be covered with sweat, feels really good. Then I suddenly have the thought why not run with them? It will be fun and this place is open to public right? I can just run with them! Plus considering I ate KFC for the past two days, and I need more stomach space for feasting at dinner and dance the night so why not just run together with them? ? Considering doing the “beautiful beautiful pace” with Serene Zeh Zeh and think I can still reach home on time and go to pole class ??

(Baggage deposit, spraying inspect repellent, part time photographer and route navigating/familiarising ?) After they go in the start pen, there’s only about 10 minutes to flag off, I rush to Mushroom Cafe to get myself Ice Milo and gulp down. I really need it because I didn’t had any food yet only ice teh much earlier and I saw coach Arnel and the rest of the Pinoy-Sg runners and manage to get a photo with them before rushing off to camp at a spot to video the 13km runners ?

Running on trail is not easy, there’s rocks, there’s mud and there’s upslope and downslope. All are potential fall risks so have to be extremely careful so I’m always very humji to run on trail, which I think I only ran before at (if Green Corridor is also considered)Green Corridor, MacRitchie Reservoir and Bukit Timah Hill. Saw many runners went Cameron Ultra recently at Cameron Highlands running the 25km and 50km that I’m also tempted to go next year. Even the leave for it is approved already although it’s next year July but still see how first. Not I kiasu, is my company kiasu that every year November have to plan and ballot for the leave next year already ? But still I’m quite scared to go run on trail because I worry of “I want to play a game” or 127 hours may happen that I fall and get stuck I will need to cut a part of me to stay alive. Or got kidnapped and get hidden under the kidnapper’s basement. Always imagining the worst case to die, sibeh sadist. Watched too much gore and horror movies already ? But what’s living with fearing to die? Means that I haven’t live enough to welcome death yet. But first thing first! Bungy jump I’m coming! Recently I’m very interested in going overseas to run, even if it’s just the next door Malaysia I will be happy. Maybe I’m bored with Gardens by the Bay and East Coast Park already. I was supposed to run Penang Bridge but I decided not to go anymore since I’m lazy to run 42km so I decided that I will definitely be happier running 21km at SCMS. Registered for it at first because I thought Penang is my hometown because my parents are from there and I’m giving up Malaysian citizenship so I thought it is quite meaningful as I was saying bye bye to blue ic and hello to pink ic. I was born in Singapore so Singapore, I grew up here so here is my hometown. I will leave the 42km to places like Japan, Taiwan or Hong Kong. But even just thinking of 42km is torturous, really respect the ultra runners. So much perseverance and determination is needed.

(Photo Credits: Me ? Another really nice photo that I like! Serene Zeh Zeh’s run happy smile!)
The 13km category have really a lot of runners and I ran with Serene Zeh Zeh the 13km entirely ? Thank you for sharing water with me and give me ice cream to eat after the run ? It is super enjoyable chit chat run except that some runners is not graceful and kept yelling. I heard one uncle even shouted: “Hello! Uneducated is it? Don’t know how to keep left ah?” Just nice I saw this at the photo booth at my company’s Dinner and Dance that evening. Seriously I’m not happy about that uncle ? It’s really not nice and there’s so many foreigners in this run, the image he is giving out about Asians and Singapore is not very nice. It’s a run, not a matter as big as life and death. It’s nature and nature is a peaceful and happy place. I’m sure everyone tried their best to stay left but it’s just that the path is too narrow, the terrain is also not easy to navigate and there is too much runners.

The weather is good though at one point I thought it will rain as the sky turns very dark but luckily it didn’t. Some parts of the route is very muddy due to the rain the previous day. There’s one hydration at about 4km for the 13km runners. Consider it 2 hydration point since the return journey also will also pass by the same hydration point. But there’s a ranger station just a little more than 1 km which have water cooler so water should be enough for the runners. There’s food like Subway, ice cream and banana for the runners.

So, after the run I rush back home immediately for a bath then head out to go pole class with all my barang barang for dinner and dance. I didn’t want to attend pole class at first as I was too tired and pole class is getting disheartening. Last week we learnt shoulder mount and dismount which is simply cruel and torturing to my collar bone and shoulder. As predicted, I attended pole class with no strength to do the moves. I’m hungry, I didn’t had any solid food yet since previous evening’s KFC. I’m considered at “advanced” class but I just feel very weak and like a beginner and after class I still even asked my instructor that after this term if I’m still lousy will I get “retained”? ? But I was told not to be silly and that everyone progress at their own pace ?? (Participating in our dance studio contest ?)

After pole class headed directly to City Hall and meet my colleagues to go Dinner and dance. Totally forgot that it says door opens at 6.30pm does not means that food will be serve on time, waited till 8pm then the first dish is serve, after the so hardcore run and the so hardcore pole class makes me so hungry and finally first solid food for the day! Hungry and angry (Hungry woman is also angry woman! Roar!!) (Picture Credits: 300) Seriously this is me when the food comes and luckily 2 of my colleagues didn’t turn up so so I no need paiseh and eat ah! Meow! ?

By right the next day I’m meeting Sabrina for a run, but luckily she gladly welcome the idea to change it into “Exploring Singapore Day” ? And we seriously took a minimum of 500 photos and I’m not exaggerating! ? We were out since 8.30am in the morning and our first stop is at Changi Airport. Inspired by Justina’s beautiful photo at Changi Airport with #buddybuddy and #friendshipgoals so I also want to go there and take photos ? Had been aiming the Hello Kitty cafe for a long time at Terminal 3 and secondly because of the super big Pikachu. It’s cute although I have never watched a single episode of Pokemon in my life and I’ve never downloaded Pokemon Go in my phone. But I can’t resist cute things, just like Hello kitty, I’ve never watch a single episode of Hello Kitty or even Winnie the Pooh, or did I even watch Micky Mouse before?

The Hello Kitty cafe is at T3 and open 24 hours! I find the food and dessert nice! Especially the pink velvet cake, will never say no to dessert and definitely want to go again to try other desserts ?

After that we went to the Singapore Art Museum, Fort Canning Park, National Museum and the National Gallery. And wow, thank you so much for reading to the very end! ? Hope what I’ve written is entertaining for you during your toilet break or transport journey and now let the pictures do all the talking ?

(Changi Airport)

(Singapore Art Museum: An Atlas of Mirrors)

(Singapore Art Museum)

(Singapore National Museum: What is invisible is not invisible)

(Fort Canning Park)

(Singapore National Gallery)

(Singapore National Gallery)

Strange topic other than Thanksgiving day was just over by the time this is published. Started writing this on Thanksgiving Day.

Having done quite a fair bit of running races (regular readers may remember my race reviews), I’ve decided to try swimming and cycling a bit more the later half of this year.  Also, I had probably ‘over’ run my limits, as I was still recovering from Plantar Fasciitis (PF) the past few months.  I thought too, that cross-training with these variations would help.

Mid Sep, I had decided to take on a 9 week challenge to ride 1050 km (Togo1050) within 9 weeks.   This was organized by TOGO PARTS, the final challenge for 2016 to celebrate its 15th anniversary.  I had signed up and diligently cycled, working out a schedule, and landed up going for rides almost every night in October.  The distance was tracked using Strava apps.

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Early October I went for my OCBC Sportive Ride and did much faster than last year though I had a fall and hurt my wrist.  I ignored the pain and continued my exercise regime.  I stacked up on swimming a wee-bit and then went for the Swim for Hope organized by SAFRA.  However this time, I didn’t try and do an ultra but signed up for just two sessions, one of them with my good pal Francis Tan.  I completed 130 laps (130x50m) in total.  This was for charity and so I felt good about it.  I was sunburned but I got tanned too.   Glad that Francis could join this year,  except this year’s format was different, and there wasn’t any trophy awarded too, for any ultra swimmers.  He could have easily attained that as he is a great swimmer.

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As of 2nd Nov,  I was on schedule and I remembered that I had another 189 km to complete.   I had been cycling between 10-30 km per night and targeted to complete a few days before 13th Nov.  So, on target – should receive a finisher cycling vest in December.

Beginning November, I felt good with the runs that I was doing, and found that I had recovered from my PF.  I wasn’t having those morning sole pains for past couple of days.  I drew the conclusion that some cycling (cross-train with other body muscles) helped in aiding recovery.   I was so glad that I shared this good news on FB with my friends – I am free from PF !

Unfortunately on 2nd Nov, just the following day, I decided to go for a morning ride in another stretch of the Park Connector.  I was looping and gaining confidence when disaster struck.  I went too fast and the bike hit a rough patch.  I felt myself flying and landed hard on my bottom.  Felt my tailbone hit the hard concrete tarmac, hard, real hard. I felt a snap, and intense pain shot up to my brain or was it my eyes ?  I remembered shutting my eyes hard as I registered the pain !

My body fell backwards to the ground by reflex somehow.  I couldn’t sit up as I felt my lower body muscles tightened in spasm.  For a brief moment, my thought was : did I injure my spine, was I paralyzed ?  The pain was INTENSE.  I wriggled my toes and thought I could feel them still.  But I couldn’t sit up.  It was a bit late in the morning.  After a momentary pause when I thought the world has stopped, a young man and an older woman walked towards me.  Are you alright ?  I quickly said yup, I was alright, feeling embarrassed that I could only answer them in that position.  I was waiting for myself to recover enough to sit up by myself.  But after a while, I realized I couldn’t control my body somehow.  I couldn’t sit up !

To go through those moments, and the next few days would require many more paragraphs.  I’d rather summarized thus.  Pain, limited movements for the following days ensued till today.  But the intensity had decreased.  Was referred to A&E Department of hospital in the end and diagnosed with fractured wrist (from the OCBC Sportive ride) and fractured L1, L2 of the lumbar region of the spine.  Miraculously I didn’t hit any major nerves.  I had a wrist cast on for a few days but removed it myself as I felt tingling in my fingers due to the tightness and I needed my hands for support during those days where movements were impeded.

I got an appointment for the spine specialist a week later and was supposed to see the wrist specialist at the same hospital the following Monday so that they could put on a fiber glass cast.  I thought it was an hassle so I cancelled the second appointment on Monday for the wrist.  For the spine fracture, the specialist said I needed to rest for at least 6 weeks for the vertebrae to heal.  They would require me to see them in another 3 weeks, so that they could take an x-ray and assess further.  No, it was not necessary to do any physiotherapy or rehabilitation – just stop exercise and rest.  Rehabilitation only after the bones healed in about 6 weeks.    The doctor must have thought after all, how active could a 53 year old man get ?

I needed to rest completely to let the bones heal.  Everybody said the same thing.  2 days after accident, I thought of the TOGO1050 challenge.  I wrote in to ask if they would allow me to complete the mileage within a week after my recovery.  No answers.  I guessed to be fair, a challenge was a challenge and there were rules.  5 days after, though I could only get out from any sitting or lying position with pain and difficulties, still, I thought I would give riding a try again.  So at night, I slowly took my ‘trusty’ bike for the ride.  I did this for about 8 days, but cutting usual mileage.   I managed to complete 1051+ km by target date.  I then placed my bike out of my sight.  I needed to rest my spine more completely thereafter.

A few more days passed.  I tried walking at my usual running route.  I completed 3.5 km slowly.  The next day, I did the same.  I researched on how to walk a bit quicker so I read up a bit on race-walking.  I tried the following day but couldn’t sway my hips as much.  The following day, more pain.  I stopped the race-walking mode.  I just walked again.   Last few days, I managed to continue to walk.  I couldn’t jog.  I felt the jarring impact of each stride and I experienced some pain.   I walked on.   I was determined to walk back to health somehow even if I couldn’t run for the time being.  So I am grateful.

Running last two years had given my body some additional resources and strength to draw on.  So while some well-meaning friends said I had to train smarter, that I had to run less, I had a different perspective.  Running has inspired me to get this far.   To quote Shakespeare: ‘Bid Me Run And I Will Strive With Things Impossible’, unquote.   Besides, the marathons, races, challenges sharpened my sense of wanting to go on, to continue to improve myself.  In living we often forget our sense of being, other than just working for a living for example.

Accidents do happen in life.   I am grateful for having been able to run the past two years or so, and most times I run as if this could be the last day.  That has driven me so far to complete the challenges I set for past two years.  Speed has never been top of my priority though I try to improve.   I valued more the freedom  that running had given me.  And this feeling is even keener during these days of non-running.  I will be back.  It will take some time.  But I know, I will run.  So hope everyone has his/her own moments of Happy Thanksgiving.  With God’s Grace, I have run, and with God’s will, I will continue to run.  Be Safe.  I am grateful.