NB 30k Double HIlls x 2

Event : New Balance 30K
Date : 17 Jan 2009
Time : 0530
Place : Padang Merbok, going to Hartamas through double hills
Distance : 29.49k
Terrain : +/- 242.1m. Tough!
Climate : About 20C before 7am, cloudy to 8.30am
Finish Time : 2:45:59
Pace : 10.7kph?

I was on a plane back from Singapore on Friday when I was seriously contemplating whether to go ahead with this run. The last time a distance close to that was at the Singapore Marathon. In between, my longest run was only 16k.

I knew it would not be a walk in the park, as my conditioning has probably deteriorated significantly with less than 40k logged for every week between SG and this race. However, if taking into consideration the elevation change between the 2 courses (This race had almost double the elevation compared to SG), I would say I did pretty OK. I wasn't putting too much hope on achieving a PB so my 3 priorities were to 1. Finish the race 2. Finish by 3:00 or, no 3. if possible, 2:45.

The race was punctual, with no rain and very cool weather. My wife even complained that it was pretty chilly, even when there was no wind.
I did the first km at crawling pace as I decided to start from the back. The narrow road leading out of Padang Merbok didn't help either. By the 2nd km, I was able to reach close to my target pace.

True to form, I had the speed but not the endurance to beat my PB for the equivalent distance. To cut a long story short, the undulation was a big heart stopper for most of the runners, including yours truly.

At KM21, my left calf was beginning to twitch, normally the first signs that lactate build up was beginning. Toward KM 25, My toes on the left foot was spontaneously contracting. Let's say this is the first time I experienced this. It was like my toes was trying to go into a claw form every time I lifted my foot. This abated after a few minutes.

However, after passing Padang Merbuk to do last assault at KM27, it finally caught up to me, causing me to walk run KM27-29. As the last leg of the race approached, I managed to put all these problems aside to do a last 'kopek' sprint.

Post medal collection, I was struck by the cramps on the left calf while walking to the car. Ouch! My wife helped to push my foot and it took a good 2-3 minutes before I could stand.

Guess not warming down didn't help, coupled with the lack of mileage prior to this race.

All in all, it was good fun, full of challenges and organized quite well.

Next race...Putrajaya Half!

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

Date : 6 December 2009
Time : 5.30am
Place : Esplanade Drive, ends at the Padang.
Terrain : As promised, pretty flat.
Weather : Good
Crowd : Huge
Organization : 3.5/5.0
Time : 4:23:40 (gun time)

Singapore Marathon was recommended strongly on 2 points. It has a course which is pretty flat and has potential to go for PRs. The 2nd thing is that it has been pretty well organized in the past.

The collection process was definitely as smooth as it can go. It took only 3 minutes to get in line and get the stuff out. The exhibition held in conjunction was also a gadget nut's dreamland, with the compression clothes, HRT watches, sports nutrition and other running peripheral involved with the exhibition.

The only problem was the location. It was located near Changi, which is good for those coming in by flight but not so much for locals staying in other parts of Sg.

After the collection, we had a look around Sg, going to the race site as well as Bugis Street, which was a pretty long walk. Whether this had any bearing on the marathon's outcome is anybody's guess.

Having very minimal sleep the night before didn't help either.

I got at 4am and quickly made my way out to Esplanade drive. Although I arrived there at 4.45am, it took me a good half an hour to locate the bag drop point, leaving me very little time for anything else.

The lesson here : You should be getting into the corral at least 20 minutes before, else be prepared to start far away from the start line.

Given the big crowd, the 1st km was pretty slow. However, I managed to make up for lost time within the first 3km.

The first 20k was quite smooth, keeping a minute or two ahead of the 4:00 pacers. Hydration was quite straight forward with regular stations every 1.5k and bananas at 12k.

The supporters were also there, also quite sparse.

The going got tough going into the 32k mark and it was downhill all the way. I finally lost the pacers at km35, which was real blow. With my target goal down the drain and cramps developing in the calves and hamstring, my pace literally fell off to a walk, or even less. At certain points, I had to stop to stretch my calves to avoid going into more serious cramps.

By km 40, it was becoming a possibility that I would not be able to get a PB. I decided to slowly jog to ensure getting at least at a PB. Surprisingly, the cramps didn't bite as much for the last km or so. In a way, I did manage to finish strongly, albeit a much slower time than I expected.

Luckily, my wife was supporting me in the race and she helped to get my luggage from the bag drop point.

Good points;
1. Good kit collection process.
2. Very orderly in the race.
3. Lotsa of drink stations
4. Supporters (almost non existent except at the end for the KL marathon)
5. Pacers.

To improve ;
1. Bag drop point - should be more easily accessible, signs should be clearer.
2. Goodie bag - what goodie bag?
3. The crowd, which was huge towards the last 3k.


3 points to learn from this run;
1. No sightseeing the day before.
2. Get enough quality sleep.
3. Don't bring any baggage, saves a hell of a lot of time.

Hopefully, being better prepared in the next run, a sub 4 may be a possibility.

Next race, 12k Malakoff. Until then.....