Another dream marathon destination – Tokyo! I love Japan! But this was another ill-prepared race. Unfortunately, I had not recovered from gastric flu since HK Marathon. Because of that, I did not train at all. The constant stomach spasms had also caused a lot of discomfort throughout the trip.

I arrived in Tokyo three days before race day. Stayed at the Keio Presso Inn which was just 3 mins away from the start point (Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) and 10 mins walk from Shinjuku Station (near Lumine 1 departmental store). I super love the Inn (albeit far)! Love the very warm and cosy room. For $153/night, you also get free breakfast daily. Even Keio Plaza Hotel (which is twice the price – about $240) does not offer free breakfast.

I spent the next two days at the marathon expo, catching up with Japanese friends and my friend of 22-years, Sarah, who happened to be there for work. They were pretty tiring two days I must say.

Race day – I woke up two hours (7am) before the race. Went down to the lounge in my PJs for breakfast (too lazy and didn’t want to change into my running gear yet). I was expecting to see other guests in their yukata but I was wrong. Most were dressed in suits going to work and a few in running gear (fellow marathoners). From past experience where I didn’t eat breakfast before a marathon, I had quite a big breakfast – mini croissant, chocolate croissant, a bun and potato salad for breakfast. As I was eating by the window, I saw many runners warming up. Feeling stressed, I ate quickly and went up to change, warm-up and did some stretches.

Left my room at 8.30am and met a nice Japanese couple in the lift who was also going to the marathon. We made friends and they asked to go to the race together. Thank God I met them because I didn’t even know we were supposed to wait according to our stipulated gate alpha printed on our bib. The wife and I happened to be in the same gate (hers was G and mine was H)! It was 7 deg c and the wind was very chilly. I was freezing of cos but there was nothing I could do as I only wore that much – Asics long-sleeved running top which I bought at the expo, a Nike short-sleeved top which I bought at the Gotemba factory outlet the day before, my Mizuno compression tights (also bought in Japan) and a Nike running skirt (which I bough at the factory outlet too). The lady and I waited together as I looked around to see what other runners were wearing. The Japanese are really creative in their dressing. They can really mix and match with colors and shorts over pants, etc, and don’t care what people think! Respect! I saw a caucasian lady in woolen turtle neck sweater. She must be feeling the most comfortable as the rest of us were freezing.

At 9.10am, the gun went off and as we were waiting rather far from the start point (there were 37,500 marathon runners!), we could only see smoke in the sky and the sound of a helicopter looming above. We started walking to the start line which was about 10 minutes away. The start point where Tokyo Government Metropolitan Building is, was a majestic sight, grey buildings on both sides and officials in suits waving to us from the grandstand. There was confetti on the road too (what did I miss?).

The first 3 to 10km was painful. It was so cold. I felt nauseous, gastric pain and a sharp pain in my head from the cold wind. I felt like I was running in a freezer. Wanted to give up so many times along the way, but it’s not me to give up and I told myself that I will run as long as I feel ok to run, listen to my body and stop if not well. The nausea and pains went on for 14km, my tummy felt bloated, spat out some saliva as I could not vomit out anything. At 20km, I stopped and walked a bit. The tummy discomfort kept coming and going and my head was so painful from the cold wind. It was so painful that I felt dizzy whenever I stop at the drink stations.

I persevered and continue running and walking when I didn’t feel well. The supporters and many old folks who were also running, motivated me to push on and not give up. I also felt very well taken care of throughout the course. I was very very surprised to see a station of peeled bananas, chocolate buns and raisins after 21km (because I’m used to seeing banana stations only at 30km)! I was greedy and wanted to try the chocolate buns even though I wasn’t hungry. Japanese supporters also crowded along the streets and brought us sweets, red bean soup, miso soup, chocolates, rice crackers, sour plums, grapes, oranges, chocolate buns, etc, etc. Yes, I had them all. I didn’t even need to use my other two GU chocolate gels that I had brought in the end as there was just so much food. It was like a eat-and-run marathon. haha. Many had brought their little children and they were standing out in the cold, offering us food in trays. I felt so grateful and touched (almost moved me to tears) as I’ve never been to a marathon where even the non-runners bother to come and support us, despite the cold. The organisers had also prepared more food stations with bananas, chocolate buns and raisins at 30km and 35km! That’s like the most number of food stations I’ve ever got in a marathon! They even served us salted plums which helped in preventing cramps (fortunately, I didn’t experience any cramps).

The other highlight of the run was the costumes! They got me distracted as I saw spiderman, power ranger, mickey mouse, mini mouse, little red riding hood, witches in broom sticks, french maids, nurse, duck, bears, goose, doaremon and interesting head gears like bus on the head, temple over the head, etc, etc. What a colorful sight! Even though I did not finish it under 5h, I had a wonderful experience which I will never forget in my lifetime! I’m not sure if I’ll ever run the Tokyo Marathon again. If it wasn’t for the cold, I would definitely run it again.

Split times: 5km – 00:33:15; 10km – 00:70:18; 15km – 1:49:17; 20km – 2:33:00;  25km – 3:23:34; 30km – 4:13:51; 35km – 5:00:50; 40km – 5:46:43; 42km – 6:05:49.

This was one of my dream marathon destinations, never mind the polluted environment and its frequent bird-flus. I applied, got in and there I was in HK on Saturday morning. Rather rushed as I got the dates mixed up initially.

I reached the start point early and ended up with the 6:45am wave, even though I was supposed to be with the 7:15am wave. Anyway, the earlier I start, the better, since I was aiming for a less than 7 hours finish. Didn’t train at all for this run as I haven’t been in good health – headaches, tummy cramps, indigestions. Problematic I know.

Race day – It was surprisingly not as cold as I thought it would be. In fact, it wasn’t cold at all! Many runners were wearing singlets. The temperature was at least 18 deg. I ran at a consistently slow pace. 10km – 1h 6m; 21km – 2h 15m; 30k – 3:35m. Didn’t stop for a toilet break or walk, only at water points to drink. Really enjoyed the view and the breeze on two bridges that we ran on, cos the air was so refreshing!

I enjoyed the tunnel runs too! I tend run faster in tunnels cos the course is usually flat. They weren’t as polluted as many said it was. I brought a disposable mask just in case, but didn’t end up wearing it. At 33km, we started sharing the course with the half marathoners. My friend Ron, spotted me from behind and we stopped to take a picture! So happy! We weren’t sure if we would meet at first, but we did! This was Ron’s first half marathon and he was so excited about it!

At the last tunnel, I heard many male runners shouting in front. We had reached 35km! Only 7km more to go and everyone was feeling relieved that the end is near. I too, gave a small shout and told myself not to give up yet. I had already felt pain in my thighs and right knee, and my tummy wasn’t feeling too good from drinking too much water and isotonic drinks.

The last few km was painful. There were steep slopes on highways. Man, this has gotta be the worse marathon route ever! So many steep uphills! But I persevered and told myself to continue running and not stop to walk. And so after all the slopes, we finally reached the city area, passing construction sites and before I knew it, we were right smack into the shopping district of Causeway Bay. It was out last km!! Hooray!!!! There were so many shoppers lined up in rows along the roads cheering for us as we ran past. I felt like a HK movie star for once! Those cheers brought a smile to my pain and I teared, touched that the man-on-street would cheer for us, even though they may not understand our passion for running. It was past 5h and I knew I wouldn’t make it at sub-5h. I picked up speed and ran as fast as my legs could carry me towards the finishing line. The last 100m to the finishing line was another grand stand with supporters cheering us. I teared again, as emotions start to set in, how I managed to complete the race in 05:08:00 without stopping and despite not training for it all.

It was a painful and dreadful run that felt like a full marathon. I was still nursing a four-week old chesty cough and had been ill-prepared for this race.

It didn’t help that the route was dead boring. We ran along the same stretch of  East Coast Park two to three times. I heeded Robin’s advise not to run too hard and to slow down my pace. At 5km, I felt like giving up. Legs felt so heavy already. Time was 30’55″. There goes my 3h goal. I completed the first 10km in 64 mins. By then, we were already running beneath the scorching sun. I had forgotten to put on my sunblock today. In fact, I forgot many things. I remembered my inhaler but I had forgotten to bring my red bull, power gel and sunblock!

The next 10km was even more dreadful. I felt hungry, legs felt heavier and I didn’t feel like running anymore. It was as if I had hit the wall. But at 12km? Oh man. Another 18km more to go and I really don’t know how I’m going to complete this race.  At the next hydration point, I was pleasantly surprised to see bananas and gels! It lifted my weary spirits a little. I ate a banana and took a gel that tasted horribly sugary sweet. But that kept me happy for the next 5km. I picked up speed. But at about 17km, I started having sharp pains in the stomach and had to look for a toilet. The nearest toilet was about 1.5km away and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it there in time. The pain got increasingly painful and I was getting really stressed out. What if I really don’t make it there in time? Then, almost as if God heard my cries, I saw a lonely portable toilet beside a hydration point just before McDonald’s. It was as if the toilet was meant for me. Heh. Really. It was out of nowhere!

I completed 21km in 2h 35mins. Another 9km more to go and I thought it would be easy peasy. Should be able to complete the run in less than 3.30h. But I had another stomach attack at 22km and again at 23km. I was quite sure the stomach attacks were caused by the banana and gel combination. Half regretted taking them cos I think I had wasted a total of 20 mins visiting the toilet today!:(

The last 7km was torturous as I struggled to keep my legs moving. I stopped at every hydration point as I was thirsty and it gave me an excuse to take small breaks. I ended up drinking so much liquid that I suffered a bad stitch throughout the last 5km.  The stitch never went away but I persevered and ran slowly, breathing in as deeply as I could, hoping the pain would gradually disappear. The final 3km seemed never ending. I took forever to reach the last U-turn. At 29km, a guy running from the opposite direction, took out his camera, stretched his arm and took a picture of me. WTF!!!!! Can leave me alone or not?!!! Pissed but decided to let it go, I pushed hard towards the finishing line.

Result: 04:02:39. Rank: 185 out of 291 women runners. A far cry from my 3h goal..the result of an ill-prepared run. At least I completed the race.:)

I managed to run on Monday night after a week-long hiatus. The lack of running last week was mostly due to the bad weather and my poor health. The persistent chesty cough just never seem to go away and I have been experiencing breathing difficulty. But I so badly needed this run because the Newton 30k is this Sunday! Really needed to work the muscles and keep the heart going so I don’t suffer so much during and after the race.

I hope to get back to my regular run routine now that those mega F1 structures are cleared. The event kinda took away my motivation to run because my regular route was altered with partial park closure and steel structures that ate into the already narrow foot path along Republic Avenue that we were left with.

I had a great run. Surprisingly, legs did not feel heavy at all. I expected they would be heavy since I did not run for a few days. I wore my bulky Nike, testing it to see if I should wear it this Sunday, but they felt rather heavy for a 30km run.

As I was running along Marina Promenade, a lorry honked at me. I turned towards it to see if it was honking at any car. Nope. No other cars in sight. How irritating. But I was quite scared. I looked around to see if there was any other joggers. There was no one in sight. Paranoid, I sped towards the F1 track, hoping that I would meet joggers there. But when I reached the entrance of the track, it was pitched dark. There were no joggers except workers working to remove the grandstand structures. I took a  gamble and ran in cos I love running on the track! I was utterly disappointed that the track was sandy instead of the nice bouncy tarmac. Ahhhh. Still no joggers in sight.

At the Marina Bay Promontory, I stopped to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Thinking to myself, how blessed I am to have such a nice running route! Was smiling to myself until I passed Fullerton Bay Hotel. A hotel staff whistled at me just after I ran past the entrance. Can’t they just leave me alone to enjoy my run peacefully?

I continued my run in anger and ran all the way home. Was ecstatically high that night. Total distance 15.02km.

It has been two years since I last ran a 10k race. I stopped participating in 10k runs when I started running marathons. But this was a highly coveted global race which I did not want to miss after failing to sign up for it for two consecutive years.

So as soon as registration opened, I organised and signed up with my run buddy (It’s $10 cheaper if you sign up with a buddy). Thank God we registered early as all 12,000 slots were taken up in a record-breaking of 48 hours!

I totally dig the fabulous race pack which came with a chio orange tee that matches my running shoes:) and a cool black NIKE water bottle. For $25, it was definitely value-for-money. Not forgetting the cute finisher thumb drive that everyone gets after completing the race!

I was not in top form – still nursing a slight runny nose. But that did not make me change my goal of doing a sub-55 mins. I was still determined to pb at this race.

D and I met at 5:45am and did a slow 1.2km jog to the race site at Old Kallang Airport. It was a sea of orange as everyone was told to wear the running tee. No tee = no run = no finishing item. As we waited patiently for the race to begin, it started to drizzle. This was my first race that did not start punctually. By 7:15am, everyone was surprised that we were still not flagged off yet. We finally started running at 7:25am, after the GOH arrived.

I started the run trying to chase the fast runners in front of me. At 2km, I had clocked 9 mins, which meant I was running at 4’50″/km pace. Pleased, I told myself that I had to maintain my pace. But I struggled as the flow of air from nose to lungs became congested and I suffered from breathing difficulty. Again, I had forgotten to take the inhaler.

By the time I reached 5km, 27 mins was gone. Too slow. Was aiming for 25 mins. Damn. I felt a little discouraged and worried that I may finish after 60 mins. I had to maintain pace all the way in order to complete in 55 mins. I pushed myself hard, but the legs were sooo heavy! I dreaded that I still had 5km to go. I completed 6km in 33 mins and 8km in 46 mins.

The final 2km was mentally challenging as I was deciding on whether to go all out or continue to maintain pace. I decided to go all out.

At the final 500m, I checked my watch. It was already 55 mins! There goes my goal of completing in sub-55mins.

Result: 00:57:45. Rank #59 (>25 yo female).

I managed a final run before this Sunday’s Nike race at East Coast Park this afternoon. Good thing the writing course ended at 4:30pm! Initial plan was to do 21km, but the weather didn’t look too good. So I decided to just run 10km starting from carpark B1.

Set a goal of 55 mins, cos that’s what I’m aiming for, for this Sunday’s run. It was about 6pm. I looked around to see if there were any runners. Just a handful of men. No ladies in sight.

Ran at an average pace of 6’15″ according to my Nike + GPS app. Legs felt heavy again and butt felt even heavier. I felt I was almost dragging my feet. Was thinking if lifting my legs higher and taking wider steps might help to increase pace, but the mind still felt strongly about taking quick, small steps and landing in the middle of foot to minimise impact to knees.

Anyway, this dilemma went on for 4.5km before it started to drizzle. I forgot about technique and started focusing on getting back to carpark B1 as fast as I could. As the rain got heavier, I wanted to stop and take shelter. But each time I came close to one, I ignored it and continued running. Since I’m already wet, I might as well continue running. There were also a few runners that I overtook along the way and I didn’t want them to overtake me. So I braved the rain and ran as fast as my legs could take me.

I was soaked by the time I got back to carpark B1. Managed 9.56km in 60mins. What a run!

I went for a run this evening at East Coast Park with Jero and his running buddy Eddie. This run was to prepare for Sunday’s Nike We Run SG 10k.

I probably shouldn’t have run this evening after spending the last 1.5 days in bed (with headaches, flu and sore throat). I didn’t realise how running with a runny nose could affect my head so badly that I felt I was going to have brain damage. I chased Jero and Eddie for a good 3km until the intensity of pain grew sharper the farther and faster I ran. So painful that I had to stop and rest whenever I could not bear the pain. I lost sight of them after McDonald’s. Damn. Was supposed to go all out today, but I just couldn’t. Mind willing but body unwilling.

Then, as though I haven’t suffered enough, my nose started running like a tap despite having taken my nasal spray before the run. I struggled breathing through my nose as the muscuous kept flowing out and I was trying very hard not to breathe through my mouth. Maybe I should have rested today.

I managed to catch up with them at the Cable Ski (at around 4.6km), but slowed down pace again as the pains in the head became worse. Once again, I struggled my last 5km with a mix of fast runs and walks in between, then pushed myself to finish off the final 1km.

Total distance – 9.72km. We underestimated our 10k route from Carpark B1 to hawker centre. Oh well.

Lately, I have been in need for some motivation to run, so I joined Derrick and Lisa to MR for a run on Saturday morning even though I am not a fan of trail running. The plan was to do 22km ( 2 loops).

It was 8am and there were many people, young and old, either trekking or running in the narrow trail. We followed Lisa through 11km of nature trails starting from the car park to Lornie Trail, Terentang Trail and MacRitchie Nature Trail.

At times, I could feel the sharpness of the rocks piercing through my shoes. It felt like nails poking into the soles of my feet. I thought that this would be the end of my trusty Asics. But that didn’t stop me from running, as I chased Lisa who was a much faster runner than me. Lisa waited for me at major junctions before I got lost after 6km. Every time I tried to speed up towards her, she would disappear in a flash again. The uphills killed me each time I tried to run up like a playful little kid but my heavy weight kept pulling me towards gravity.

There were times when I was alone and there was no one in sight. My mind went crazy whenever there were sounds and sights of moving leaves, thinking that a snake or monkey might suddenly spring out to attack me.

I struggled my final 5km, completing one loop in 1 hr 23 mins. There was no way I was gonna do a second loop. haha.

Elite runner Mok Ying Ren updated his status on his facebook page today: “Hey guys who else is injured and can’t run like me? My advice: let’s be patient together haha”. Yay! Not ‘yay’ that Mok is injured, but ‘yay’ cos we can ‘be patient together’. I think… I’ve been…suffering alone…for a long time.

I don’t know why but I always have this disillusion that the elite runners don’t get injuries. I seem to see them participating in almost every race and wonder how they do it. I believe iron-women and men exist because I’ve met and dated one so I know how an iron man’s body is like. Woahhh!  Oh well, maybe their iron bodies do break down. It’s like how a machine will break down if overworked!

Seeing Mok’s post today reminded me of the importance to be patient and REST when you are injured. Injuries occur because your stronger mind pushes the weaker body to go beyond what it can bear. The longer I rest, the longer I will be able to run!

Last Thursday, this Monday and Tuesday, I did my 7th, 8th and 9th run (since July) along my usual run route to Marina Bay in a bid to resume my running regime. For the first time, there was no pain in my left knee and left ankle. I think they are healed! Praise Jesus! I’ve finally understood why I should REST. I managed 10k-15k-10k.

I hope to resume my morning runs next week after F1 is over. Need to start training for upcoming runs - Nike We Run SG 10k, Newton 30k, NB Real Run 10k and Singapore Marathon.

I love reading runners’ blogs and would like to share Brigidier-General Tan Chuan-Jin’s running reflections which he posted on Wednesday, 21 September 2011 on his facebook note – https://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=tan+chuan-jin&init=quick&tas=0.7141511776681275&search_first_focus=1316742850395#!/notes/tan-chuan-jin/running-singapore-sungei-kallang/248798661829583

Running Singapore – Sungei Kallang

Our park connectors are really quite wonderful. Quiet and quite scenic, they provide an urban oasis for some late evening running. As Jeremy pointed out in his post on my FB, “running at night clears the mind”. I hope not completely though, I still have a dialogue with ASME later this morning!

I have always like the Potong Pasir stretch of the canal. St Andrew’s is really quite fortunate to be able to straddle this part of Sungei Kallang. The Kallang Park Connector link from there to the Kolam Ayer Waterfront isn’t the most ‘exciting’ given the eternal roadworks that is taking place in the area, but I trust it’d be better when all is done. One nice spot is the old Singapore Aerated Water building. I have distinct memories of the “Kickapoo Joy Juice” signboard (was there also a ‘Sinalco’ sign somewhere?) when I took bus 61 to Sennett Community Center when I was in primary school.

Part of MOM will be re-locating to Bendemeer Road. Encountered a lady who stopped right in front of it in her cat-mobil van, to feed some stray cats. I half thought of tellling her to make sure she clears the food after they feed, but it was late and she might have thought me mad! Veron would be proud of her Have to give it to them for their dedication and care for these strays. Let’s see how we work out something useful with our animal welfare groups.

Encountered one rodent along the way. Some say Singapore cats are so used to the good life that they don’t bother feeding on rats anymore. If you have not been to the Kolam Ayer Waterfront area, you should. Really quite pretty in the evening. Its a rather wide canal and despite the rain, little debris to be seen (save bridge over Geylang Lor 3 area…quite a fair bit of trash flushed down the drain I imagine). Nice boardwalks. The lights from the HDB flats reflecting quietly in the dark waters. The banks have been landscaped as part of PUB ABC Waters effort. Looking forward to this project extending across the country.

Streets were clean. Few people running. Perhaps of the light drizzle.

On the homestretch, some foreign workers were navigating a heavy vehicle under the PIE. With a smile and a wave, they gestured me to cross the path. They’ve always been polite and gentle in my encounters with them. Around the estate, a number were sitting by the road chatting on their mobiles. Probably to their loved ones back home, far away.

- Tan Chuan-Jin