Wednesday, July 27

warm look

Home to office
8.7 km
Start: 7:21
End: 8:41

Always feels really bleah first 10 minutes of the run. You're kicking up the legs but don't seem to be gaining much speed or distance. Like a piece of lead being stirred up in a bowl of liquid cement.

But after the first 10 minutes, there are some bright spots.

Well, there are the regulars that I meet along the way. There is a guy who runs every morning. We nod to each other as a greeting.

I call this the warm look.

You see it on the faces of the joggers passing me from the opposite direction. A look which affirms and says hello with no words.

You're not looking for it, but it springs out of the blue and it makes you want to shine a light out too to the other people who are running by, like the headlight of a car which momentarily passes by.

Monday, July 25

Marina 21k

Forgot that I signed up for this run until I got the email to collect the race kit about 2 weeks ago. When did I do this? What was I thinking?!

I spent the whole week not running. And entire Saturday afternoon groaning in bed and wanting to avoid this.

I didn't feel up to it but that's the way with run events.

You just have to roll out of bed and turn up.

It would be a good way to find out what my 21 k timing was. To feel the distance and find out how my new shoes felt - a pair of Adidas jaw paws with a minimal heel and as close to barefoot without the tarmac scraping effect.

The reality didn't sink in until I stood there near the start. The MC was blaring, the music was going and I got a bit excited - it was 2008 again. My first 10 k at the Stand Chart.

Then we were off!

I started off cool and slow, adjusting the timer on my watch. At the first 1 km marker, I was about 7 minutes plus down. Ok, good. Let's try to keep this pace. Aim was to run 21 k under 3 hours.

Kept similar pace at the 2k, 3k and 4k marker. There were no distance markers until the 10 k mark - 1 hr 22 mins.

That was when I started getting quite pumped. I had a chance to complete it under 3 hours!

My legs started to feel quite heavy and my running form suffered when I got tired so I shook off the fatigue by walking. I walked at every water station to load up on a cup of 100 plus.

NDP fireworks went off in the sky. Aaahh.

Was really tired but it felt like a game. Lots of people overtook me, but I was overtaking a few people too and even though I was keeping a slow pace, I knew that I was trying my best.

For the last 100 metres, I sprinted and celebrated as if a firework had burst inside. It was going to be under 3 hours!

2 hours 45 mins.

Monday, July 18

Takes me 1.5 hrs to complete 8.7 km. You can't really call it running. It's more like shuffling along the beach, feeling a bit hungover - coz that's your body's way of saying you should be in bed.

Sat 16 July
Run walk ECP from carpark c1 to Bedok Jetty
8.7 km
Start:7:53
End: 9:25


Sunday 17 July
carpark c1 to Bedok Jetty
8.7 km
Start: 6:46
End: 8:10
Watch right knee for twinges after 20 minutes.

Thursday, July 14

Thursday and still no run for the week!
Fueled up on eggs and bread. 5 k easy run from nicoll highway to office.

The strap on my bag pack kept creeping up from my left shoulder to chafe against the left side of my neck. Convinced that my shoulders are imbalanced - my right shoulder hanging lower causing the strap on the left to creep upwards.

Start: 7:45
End: 825

Monday, July 11

first ten minutes always the hardest

Gary accompanied on a run-walk to office this morning.

Fueled up with prata, one egg and one cosong. Showed him the sea view over the benjamin sheares bridge, laughed at cars that were stuck in the rush hour traffic that we were passing by even at walking pace. He said he felt like my security aide running alongside me. So used to running on my own, it did feel a bit that way.

Ran along Guillemard, walked the rest of the way. Apart from sharing our life, we can share nalgene bottles now.

7:20 Crane Road
7:40 Nicoll highway
8:40 End

Saturday, July 9

the longest 28 minutes

Treadmill. It's been a long time.

3.2 km 28 mins. Felt like the longest 28 minutes in my life.

cheezels n nutella

Sat 9 July
ECP carpark C1 to Bedok Jetty
Distance: 8.4 km
Start: 625
Bedok Jetty: 7 am (3 sets of wooden logs x10)
End: 755

Have to lay out running clothes the night before to prevent procrastination.

Fueled up on a handful of cheezels and 2 tablespoons of nutella and went to ECP for the first long run! Woo! Think keeping accountable to this training log helps.
Friday 8 July
Suntec to home
Distance 6.7 km
Start: 1923
End of Nicoll: 1944 (walked till 1955)
End: 2023
Have to watch for TOFP on right foot

Wednesday, July 6

first training log

Soo: You need a training log.
Me: What's a training log?
Soo: Write down what distance you ran, how you felt. Timing.

Following my running guru's advice, I start my first training log today full of running detail which no one would care to know.

Distance: 8.5k
Start: 7:23 am
Thiam Siew Avenue: 7.30
Nicoll highway traffic light: 7:50 (drink water)
Erp gantry: 7:57
End: 8:42
Felt good.