Cuz my legs are worn out till they’re numb.
I have no idea how, but I managed to decently finish TNF 100 Progressive Run 2 of 20km on Saturday and Run NUS 2009 of 12km on Sunday. Surprisingly, both with good timing too! =)
Thanks to the ultimate Care Bear, Jimmy, he volunteered to pick up and drop (to and fro) Mike, Elaine and me from our place in SK although he lives in Pasir Ris. He’s given me lifts so many times, I’ve lost count! TNF started with high spirits with us talking a lot of bull between us, a lot of insider jokes and pulling each others’ legs! The run started with an immediate claustrophobic feeling of running in thick vegetation with muddy terrain (since it rained the night before) and roots, braches, dead falls and forest litter all around the place. And the only thing that was missing, came around – rain. Although I was drenced to the bone, thankfully the forest gave sufficient shelter from the worst part of the rain so some of the body heat was conserved well and cold didn’t hit as fast. Trail running is so monontonous it’s just staring at the shoes of the person in front of you and hope you don’t slip and fall over the muddy roots – like Elaine did, twice, on the way back. The opening from the thick vegetation was a welcome sight at the PUB but then it was more bashing through a thin trail between tall lalangs near the PUB fence. Thankfully, the sun was out by then, so the timing was more than perfect! Thanks to the terrain was not being as undulating as the one we did the week before, most of the energy was kept right in and enabled me to still push up all the slopes without much difficulty. The major of the problem however, was the ankle twsisting and the slippy muddy slopes and roots – where I hit my already injured toe again. Hurt like hell tt one! The biggest challenge of all of course was navigating through the trails cuz they all look the same without any markers. TNF guys really need to work on this for the next progressive run. As exciting and novel the route and the terrain was, yet, it surely reminded me of times I spent alone in Brunei during Chill Hermit. Somehow, the old Devils keep coming back once the going gets tough. Maybe once u go thru that, ull get tougher and get going again. Also since she’s my parter and her morale plumetted to abolute zero after her two falls, second of which caused an open wound, I kept with her till the end point – tts wat partners are for, rite? Although, she was injured and I was mildly pissed off cuz of the slippiness, we both managed to run the route (yes, some people got lost 1/2 way thru the return and popped up from all over BT hil but all back in one piece), thanks to an experienced uncle who brought Elaine, an ang moh couple and me out to the right path. In fact, we clocked a good time for the 20km – 2h:12m:32s. We both look forward to more runs together – the first of which will be this Thu evening. =)
Run NUS 2009 was a different affair altogether – with road running and lots of slopes. Thanks to the Tri-tights that I got, my legs although sore were good to go for Sunday. As expected, there were delays. But thankfully, it was not as bad as 2007 – where ti was delayed by more than an hour and the sun was blazing away. Andrew was so desperate to start, he screwed the registration process for the NUS Men and just jumped in the same wave as me. Well, I was supposed to go for Wave 3 but jumped into Wave 2, cuz I was getting annoyed with the heat turning up. So, if my time is amazing fast on the results page and the cert, add 10mins to it. Tts my real time – 59:23 – not amazing in my current best timings for 12km but surely PB for the hell of the terrain that NUS and Kent Ridge has. As andrew said, I think we have both come a long, long way from Run NUS 2008. Since the route was almost the same, we did much much better this year. Thanks to all the hill training for me and his hill and stair training for his MIR training. The results of this was that we were both, at different timings overtaken by only two people – Mok Ying Ren (AH DUH! He flew past me at 4km+ near the SPC station) and his friend (who was close behind) who neither of us know the name of – sorry bro. And as fate would have it, when I was at Science Park, the rain hit again. This was more welcome to me rather than a pain cuz I would have given up if the sun were out! The last 3km was a blistering downpour and this time around, I didn’t have the protection the forest had to give. Either way, since I was almost at the last leg of the race, I was looking forward to finishing it rather than be bothered by the rain. As I ascended the UH slope, I was expecting to get on the track and end the race – however, there was a twist to the run this year. We had to go around the sheltered walkway that links Science and AYE and back to the track. Maybe, cuz of the lightning, they altered the route. For me it was a good run, however, I guess for Wave 5+ or so (can’t) be too sure, they had to scrap the event. I think for John (if he came, cu he was down with a bad tummy) and Jimmy, who just arrived as I was heading back after the hard run, it was a disappointment cuz they didn’t get to run this year. So as assholic as it was to jump the waves and stuff, Andrew and me, it seems made the right choice to just go ahead and run. Apologies to the organisiers for messing it up for you guys. So if you’re reading this and intend to go for Run NUS 2010, plan on registering as Men’s Open rather than other categories. They’re usually the first few waves to flag off – u get an opportunity to beat the elements.
Last evening, Dad wanted to go jalan jalan at ECP. So although I was sore all day, it was a good change to go there not for any activites but to walk about, talk cork and slack. Maybe he decided this cuz there was nothing good on Zee. Either way, we got some good family time together.
Tts all for the weekend. My calves were sore all day yesterday and this morning. Tmr morning, I wanna got for a 25k LSD – if I can wake up, legs feel ok and the weather holds. Too many variables.
On a totally different note, feelings on both sides seem to have worn off, it’s always a good sign – since it is mutual. Sometimes, some distance and space of course time, teaches what is important for now.
