Yes...I participated in the Penang Bridge Run...the full marathon...
Wonder was I plain stupid or just mad...
Why do I think I'm plain stupid?
Well if u know my mileage for this year...dun even talk abt this month...I'm sure u would think so too :P
I believe my mileage for this year (based on the Polar Precision Peformance Software) includes...
Feb...5 + 10 + 6 (very very slow) + 2.5/10 (NUS biathlon mini and full distance)
Mar...5 + 10 (Singapore biathlon)...
Apr...3 + 5 (JP Morgan...also very very slowly :P)...
May...0...
Jun...6...and finally...
Jul...10 (Shape Run) + 10 (Health relay)
...hmm...that adds up to be abt 80km since Jan...and 20km for this month ;)
Stupidity??
Then why could I just be mad?
Oh well...it's not the first time the mileage I clocked is less than optimal...and so far I have survived well ;)
So maybe I'm just mad...a bit screwed up in the head?
After all...I signed up b'cos I happened to be back in Penang...emailed them way after the closing date...and in fact...I was only included in the race 3 days ago...there were only 27 female participants including me!!! :D
So wat happened today?
Slept at abt 8 plus yesterday..and woke up at abt 2.45am this morning...good thing I stay abt 15 mins from the starting pt...
Otherwise the lose screw in my head wouldn't have got me into signing up in the first place :P
Somehow everyone at home is awake too...aunt haven't slept yet...mum and dad just got up...mum wanted to walk with me to the starting line...dad's got a golf game in Ipoh...he has to take the ferry...but not this early!!! :P
Anyway, I reached the starting pt..Sg Gelugor Primary Sch..at abt 3.30am..where we were "locked" inside...hehe...until almost 4am when we were gg to start the race...
The crowd here was definitely a lot smaller than the Stan Chart S'pore Marathon...
Even though I started from behind...I believe I crossed the starting pt in less than a minute...that's how small the crowd was!!!
Stucked to my previous marathon strategy of following my heart rate...din wanna kill my heart :P
Think I started off a bit slow though...HR was less than 140 :P
After abt 2 km...I started to speed up to HR of abt 150-160...which I maintained till abt 30km...then slowly went up above 160...
Managed to overtake quite a no. of ppl throughout the race...esp towards the end...hehe...that's wat happens when u start of slow...makes u feel good even though u r probably at the back of the pack :D
Anyway, the route started off with a loop from Sg Gelugor...towards the coastal rd...U-turn at RECSAM...then the Penang Bridge...very nice run there...U-turn at the end of the bridge...then coastal rd towards the Free Industrial Zone...U-turn near Seagate...along the coastal rd again...all the way to the Marine Police building...then finally back to the USM...phew...dun think most of u have any idea wat I'm talking abt here :P
I saw Angel so many times during the run...first time along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah near RECSAM while she was walking to the starting line (she joined the half marathon)...
Then on the bridge..we happened to meet where there was a gap in the center...most parts were blocked at the center...
Finally I saw her again after the race...while gg to get a drink...hehe
I also saw Jayce and Elaine running on the bridge...din even know they came...and when I was abt to reach the ending pt...I saw them again...I made a dash to catch them even though my leg was almost dead then...wahaha...
Chatted with a few other guys towards the last 10km of the race too...most were not from Penang...a few were from Pacesetter in KL...one told me he always told himself that it would be his last 42k...but ALAS peer pressure prevailed...hehe :P
It was good that we chatted and cheered each other on at that stage of the race...
In the end I finished the race in more than 5 hrs...abt 5:20...I knew I couldn't do sub-5 the moment I hit the 10km mark...it was already more than 1 hr...got to the 20km mark at abt 2:20...after that it was abt 18-19 mins per 2.5km...
Can't say my timing was good...but with the kinda mileage I put in prior to the marathon...wat do u expect :P
I even managed to come in 16th!!! wahaha...since there were only 27 ladies...that wasn't even top 50%...but I still got my medal (given to the top 20)...hehe :P
It was quite a wait to get that medal though...ended up chatting with IMD who came in 12th for Men's Open...woohoo...go sgrunner!!
Hui Ping...whom I met at the charity swim was there too...she came in 7th...just behind Clare...an Australian who's currently staying in Penang with her hubby, Graham...who can't run now due to a previous back injury...almost recovered...but maybe start off with swimming first? ;)
Hoping to see Clare in the coming SCSM!!
I was abt to walk home after an hour's wait...but then...I saw Jayce and Elaine...they came in 17th and 18th respectively for the half marathon!!! Ended up hanging out there another hour...b4 we finally got our medals and left...phew...
Now I'm moving at snail speed...
Supposed to meet a couple of frens tom...Miss Chew, my classmate from PCGHS...just back from US...
and Becky, my roommate in JC!!! din even know she was back!!! Long time no see man...it's gg to be Becky, M.D. in a few more years :P
Maybe meeting my primary schmate...cum swimming and tennis fren...Foong Hooi...
Hopefully I'm not in too much pain tom...hehe :P
...also hopefully I din get any darker...otherwise I would get screamed at soon :P Already kena for participating in such a massive free-radical generating event :P
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
Weddings and President's Challenge Health Relay
Haven't been posting much 'cos it's been always the same old thing...work work work...busy busy busy...
I did have 2 weddings to attend though...one of them is a ROM reception of certain IWA oyster...oops...but I had something on...wanted to go later...but all the soulezian have left to have supper at Kovan...din really know the other ppl that were still at oyster's place...so I ended up at Kovan instead :P
Sorry, Oyster...I'll make sure I'll be there for ur wedding ;)
The other wedding was that of my fellow JC classmate cum hostelmate...Vania...met up with quite a no. of Indon frens from CJC Hostel or NJ...Sari, Albert, Silvia, Liliana, Dedy (not exactly from CJCH or NJ...knew him from tennis)...Liliana stays in the same apartment as me..hehe...din know she was gg too...haven't met her in the lift for quite a while...she's moving out soon though...
Also met some Indon frens from KR??!! Ah...those are the groom's frens...Felicia, Heri...can't rem who else...
It was a really beautiful wedding...glad to have attended it...thanx for inviting me, Vania :D
Sun...I went for the President's Challenge Health Relay...the relay started on Sat morning and ends on Sun morning...it covers 185km (SGH is 185 years old this year ;P)...various healthcare institutions will form teams of 6 ppl...and each team will run abt 10 km...
Luckily the team I joined..Singhealth..is running the last leg...so we dun have to run in the middle of the hot sun...or in the middle of the night ;)
Our leg was from Heng Mui Keng Terrace to Seah Im...
We r supposed to start at 7am...but we started a bit earlier...abt 6.45am...we r also supposed to run at abt 6km/hr...but think we did something like 10km/hr...ended up hanging ard Morse Rd for close to half an hour...
After that we continued our run to Seah Im...where the baton was passed on to the Minister of Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan...and we continued our journey to the National Dental Center...where the President was waiting for us...hehe :D
Had a cool down session and some performance there...
Overall it was a pretty good workout...my last run b4 I embark on the crazy full marathon at the Penang International Bridge Run...hehe ;)
Penang...here I come!!
I did have 2 weddings to attend though...one of them is a ROM reception of certain IWA oyster...oops...but I had something on...wanted to go later...but all the soulezian have left to have supper at Kovan...din really know the other ppl that were still at oyster's place...so I ended up at Kovan instead :P
Sorry, Oyster...I'll make sure I'll be there for ur wedding ;)
The other wedding was that of my fellow JC classmate cum hostelmate...Vania...met up with quite a no. of Indon frens from CJC Hostel or NJ...Sari, Albert, Silvia, Liliana, Dedy (not exactly from CJCH or NJ...knew him from tennis)...Liliana stays in the same apartment as me..hehe...din know she was gg too...haven't met her in the lift for quite a while...she's moving out soon though...
Also met some Indon frens from KR??!! Ah...those are the groom's frens...Felicia, Heri...can't rem who else...
It was a really beautiful wedding...glad to have attended it...thanx for inviting me, Vania :D
Sun...I went for the President's Challenge Health Relay...the relay started on Sat morning and ends on Sun morning...it covers 185km (SGH is 185 years old this year ;P)...various healthcare institutions will form teams of 6 ppl...and each team will run abt 10 km...
Luckily the team I joined..Singhealth..is running the last leg...so we dun have to run in the middle of the hot sun...or in the middle of the night ;)
Our leg was from Heng Mui Keng Terrace to Seah Im...
We r supposed to start at 7am...but we started a bit earlier...abt 6.45am...we r also supposed to run at abt 6km/hr...but think we did something like 10km/hr...ended up hanging ard Morse Rd for close to half an hour...
After that we continued our run to Seah Im...where the baton was passed on to the Minister of Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan...and we continued our journey to the National Dental Center...where the President was waiting for us...hehe :D
Had a cool down session and some performance there...
Overall it was a pretty good workout...my last run b4 I embark on the crazy full marathon at the Penang International Bridge Run...hehe ;)
Penang...here I come!!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Shape run!!!
Yeah...I went for the Shape Run...even though my registration was unsuccessful :P
Wanted to crash the race...but Brokie's fren who signed up couldn't make it...so I decided to use her tag to run :D So she now has a cert with my timing on it...wahaha...can't rem wat's my exact timing...but it's ard 1:05...hehe...slacker....
Anyway, the day started off with kops21 giving me a lift...he hijacked me at CTE...near St Wilfred sports complex...hehe...thanx, kops :D
Kops was there to accompany his sis to run...hehe...Shape run is for ladies only in case u dunno :P
First person I met there was JerryWan from trifam...just out from the car park...haha...another guy...don't they know it's a ladies' event??!! haha :P
Then we went to say hi to the other Sgrunners who r gathered at our usual teh tarik place...left my stuff with them too :D
Found out that the mods planned to wear uniform color...yellow top and black bottom...and just nice I was wearing that...haha...xin ling xiang tong :D
After some photos...we proceeded to the starting pt...
There was actually a warm up session there!!! Everybody was crowded together...how to do stretching there?!?! Such a weird event...
Saw a few other frens there...like sxuanjing, angel and cupid...Vicky was there too...she's definitely a potential podium finisher ;)
Started the race at 8am...
This race is really small...I could actually see the end of the pack during the run...and I was quite near the front initially...
Anyway, sxuanjing and I ran together through out the race...we started off with Brokie...but obviously we r not gg to keep up with this chilli padi...hehe...anyway, both of us are using someone else's no. tag :P
I have not run for soooooo long...but I'm always a bit screwed up in the head...that's y I still went on joining the 10km run :P
We started off slow...with my heart rate below 150...getting overtaken left and right....slowly moved up after 1km...then ard 3km mark...we kinda stop 'cos we saw this gal who fell and sprained her ankle...hmm...but no medic seem to be ard...then another gal also got injured within a few meters of her...injury prone zone?? Din do much...just advice her to rest the ankle and keep it elevated until help comes....
Later a policeman came by to help out...so we left and continued with our run...
Nothing much happened after that...just post for plenty of cameras..hehe...some fren's, some organizer's....also saw a few other frens...like Merey, San San and Ching Hui from SSC...ah...Merey and San San are back...team Chelonia can meet up again soon ;)
After 1 hr 5 mins...we r back at the finishing line...so our run was abt 1:02 (we stopped ard 3 mins at the 3km mark according to my HRM :P)...someone will sure say I slack one :P
Anyway, it was a pretty comfortable pace...able to chat with sxuanjing throughout...so guess I'll do the same in next Sun's president challenge health relay...supposed to cover 10km in 1 hr :D
I'm joining the Singhealth team...just found out run3 is also in that team...yippee...someone I can chat with during the run!!! I thick-skinned...go and email organizer to ask them whether I can join any team...hehe...that's how I ended up with Singhealth ;)
After hanging ard finishing pt...eating kiwi fruits and taking photos...we walked back to our teh tarik gathering place to get our stuff...hehe...and take more photos...then headed towards Marina Square to collect goodie bags...super long queue man!!!
Ended up in the foodcourt first...after that...I decided to head home...
Was back late yesterday 'cos of some problem with the POS system...and I was up and out since 8am!!!
Time for a nap now...yawnzz...
Wanted to crash the race...but Brokie's fren who signed up couldn't make it...so I decided to use her tag to run :D So she now has a cert with my timing on it...wahaha...can't rem wat's my exact timing...but it's ard 1:05...hehe...slacker....
Anyway, the day started off with kops21 giving me a lift...he hijacked me at CTE...near St Wilfred sports complex...hehe...thanx, kops :D
Kops was there to accompany his sis to run...hehe...Shape run is for ladies only in case u dunno :P
First person I met there was JerryWan from trifam...just out from the car park...haha...another guy...don't they know it's a ladies' event??!! haha :P
Then we went to say hi to the other Sgrunners who r gathered at our usual teh tarik place...left my stuff with them too :D
Found out that the mods planned to wear uniform color...yellow top and black bottom...and just nice I was wearing that...haha...xin ling xiang tong :D
After some photos...we proceeded to the starting pt...
There was actually a warm up session there!!! Everybody was crowded together...how to do stretching there?!?! Such a weird event...
Saw a few other frens there...like sxuanjing, angel and cupid...Vicky was there too...she's definitely a potential podium finisher ;)
Started the race at 8am...
This race is really small...I could actually see the end of the pack during the run...and I was quite near the front initially...
Anyway, sxuanjing and I ran together through out the race...we started off with Brokie...but obviously we r not gg to keep up with this chilli padi...hehe...anyway, both of us are using someone else's no. tag :P
I have not run for soooooo long...but I'm always a bit screwed up in the head...that's y I still went on joining the 10km run :P
We started off slow...with my heart rate below 150...getting overtaken left and right....slowly moved up after 1km...then ard 3km mark...we kinda stop 'cos we saw this gal who fell and sprained her ankle...hmm...but no medic seem to be ard...then another gal also got injured within a few meters of her...injury prone zone?? Din do much...just advice her to rest the ankle and keep it elevated until help comes....
Later a policeman came by to help out...so we left and continued with our run...
Nothing much happened after that...just post for plenty of cameras..hehe...some fren's, some organizer's....also saw a few other frens...like Merey, San San and Ching Hui from SSC...ah...Merey and San San are back...team Chelonia can meet up again soon ;)
After 1 hr 5 mins...we r back at the finishing line...so our run was abt 1:02 (we stopped ard 3 mins at the 3km mark according to my HRM :P)...someone will sure say I slack one :P
Anyway, it was a pretty comfortable pace...able to chat with sxuanjing throughout...so guess I'll do the same in next Sun's president challenge health relay...supposed to cover 10km in 1 hr :D
I'm joining the Singhealth team...just found out run3 is also in that team...yippee...someone I can chat with during the run!!! I thick-skinned...go and email organizer to ask them whether I can join any team...hehe...that's how I ended up with Singhealth ;)
After hanging ard finishing pt...eating kiwi fruits and taking photos...we walked back to our teh tarik gathering place to get our stuff...hehe...and take more photos...then headed towards Marina Square to collect goodie bags...super long queue man!!!
Ended up in the foodcourt first...after that...I decided to head home...
Was back late yesterday 'cos of some problem with the POS system...and I was up and out since 8am!!!
Time for a nap now...yawnzz...
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Photos from Vietnam and Cambodia
Who went backpacking in Vietnam/Cambodia...
Feei was behind the camera...hehe
Me and my studious travel mates...clockwise...me climbing on the bus, Feei reading in a library at Angkor Thom, Mei2 busy at the comp, lawyers reading Vietnamese newspaper...
Housemates in traffic light color...
Kidnapped victims?
Our favorite past time...play dai di or bridge...wahaha...clockwise...Madame Cuc Hotel in Saigon, on the bus on the way to Phnom Penh, Pavilion Indochine in Siem Reap and Paragon Hotel in Phnom Penh...
more photos coming ur way...
Feei was behind the camera...hehe
Me and my studious travel mates...clockwise...me climbing on the bus, Feei reading in a library at Angkor Thom, Mei2 busy at the comp, lawyers reading Vietnamese newspaper...
Housemates in traffic light color...
Kidnapped victims?
Our favorite past time...play dai di or bridge...wahaha...clockwise...Madame Cuc Hotel in Saigon, on the bus on the way to Phnom Penh, Pavilion Indochine in Siem Reap and Paragon Hotel in Phnom Penh...
more photos coming ur way...
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Back from Vietnam
I'm back!!
Anyway, to continue from where I left off....
The second day at Siem Reap...we went around the temples on a mini-van with a tour guide, Thom...that's his nickname...which means big...although he's quite a small guy...hehe...he does martial arts though...wow!!!
The temples...esp Angkor Wat...are really impressive...
It was really tiring climbing all those super steep steps at the "Wat"s
The following day...we decided to rent electric bikes and ride round Siem Reap and the temple area...it was really fun...but we got pretty wet as it rained in the evening...and certain ppl got burnt really "funnily" with an obvious t-shirt line on the arms...wahaha...from the morning and afternoon sun...a rare sight during our trip since it's been cloudy or raining almost all the time...
Then it was back to Phnom Penh...all squeezed in the taxi again...but this time our driver, Porate, speaks English...so we had some stopover to take photos and try out weird stuff...like spiders, crickets and frogs!!!
At Phnom Penh we visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda....
Took a bus back to Saigon the following day...and spent the rest of the day shopping...first at Ben Thanh market where I finally found the gac fruit!!! Din really buy much other then food there...hehe...Wei Lee and I are food ppl...we just went round the market looking at food stuff although they sell almost anything there!!!
In the evening, we shopped near our hotel...Liz and I also went to pick up our suits...which was really nicely done :D
On the last day...we went for a half day tour to Cu Chi tunnel...a network of 200 plus km of tunnels!!!
It's really amazing how they managed to dig such a long network of tunnels...
The tunnels are really narrow...just nice for Asians...not Americans...hehe...maybe that's y our tour guide, Tom, is so small sized...
After the tour, we had lunch and it was time to go to the airport...
...and now I'm back in S'pore...will add photos to my post later...to lazy to sort them now :P
Anyway, to continue from where I left off....
The second day at Siem Reap...we went around the temples on a mini-van with a tour guide, Thom...that's his nickname...which means big...although he's quite a small guy...hehe...he does martial arts though...wow!!!
The temples...esp Angkor Wat...are really impressive...
It was really tiring climbing all those super steep steps at the "Wat"s
The following day...we decided to rent electric bikes and ride round Siem Reap and the temple area...it was really fun...but we got pretty wet as it rained in the evening...and certain ppl got burnt really "funnily" with an obvious t-shirt line on the arms...wahaha...from the morning and afternoon sun...a rare sight during our trip since it's been cloudy or raining almost all the time...
Then it was back to Phnom Penh...all squeezed in the taxi again...but this time our driver, Porate, speaks English...so we had some stopover to take photos and try out weird stuff...like spiders, crickets and frogs!!!
At Phnom Penh we visited the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda....
Took a bus back to Saigon the following day...and spent the rest of the day shopping...first at Ben Thanh market where I finally found the gac fruit!!! Din really buy much other then food there...hehe...Wei Lee and I are food ppl...we just went round the market looking at food stuff although they sell almost anything there!!!
In the evening, we shopped near our hotel...Liz and I also went to pick up our suits...which was really nicely done :D
On the last day...we went for a half day tour to Cu Chi tunnel...a network of 200 plus km of tunnels!!!
It's really amazing how they managed to dig such a long network of tunnels...
The tunnels are really narrow...just nice for Asians...not Americans...hehe...maybe that's y our tour guide, Tom, is so small sized...
After the tour, we had lunch and it was time to go to the airport...
...and now I'm back in S'pore...will add photos to my post later...to lazy to sort them now :P
Monday, July 03, 2006
Hello from Siem Reap
I'm in Siem Reap now!!!
Took a bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh yesterday...met a couple of guys from Norway...one of them is a Vietnamese though...but he's been away in Norway since a very young age...
They are supposed to be Siem Reap now too...not too sure where...maybe we'll see them again tom...hehe...
Today after visiting the genocide museum...a depressing place...we went for a short "retail therapy" at the Russian Market nearby...was fetched ard by this nice Engish speaking tuk-tuk guy...hehe...
Then we took a 4hr ride on a taxi...4 of us squeezed at the back...all the way here!!! phew...
Tomorrow we'll be headed towards the "Wat"s...go to Angkor Wat...then dunno go to wat other Wat lah :P
Now I shall head back to our nice comfy room to read and watch tv...
Took a bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh yesterday...met a couple of guys from Norway...one of them is a Vietnamese though...but he's been away in Norway since a very young age...
They are supposed to be Siem Reap now too...not too sure where...maybe we'll see them again tom...hehe...
Today after visiting the genocide museum...a depressing place...we went for a short "retail therapy" at the Russian Market nearby...was fetched ard by this nice Engish speaking tuk-tuk guy...hehe...
Then we took a 4hr ride on a taxi...4 of us squeezed at the back...all the way here!!! phew...
Tomorrow we'll be headed towards the "Wat"s...go to Angkor Wat...then dunno go to wat other Wat lah :P
Now I shall head back to our nice comfy room to read and watch tv...
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Hello from Saigon!
Today is my second day in Saigon...
Arrived late afternoon yesterday...so only managed to try their yummy beef noodles...and Liz and I went to get some suit tailor-made ;)
The whole of today was spent at Mekong Delta...saw the locals making coconut candy and rice popcorns...it was a pretty interesting river cruise where we met 3 other S'poreans and an American, Austin...from Texas...hehe...funny huh...
Our tour guide, Tony, was a pretty interesting guy too...he told us abt the history of Vietnam...how Saigon is now known as Ho Chi Minh City...he is also very optimistic with the current progress in Vietnam ;)
Tomorrow we'll be headed towards Phnom Penh...followed by Siam Reap the following 3 days...then back to Saigon...b4 its time to head back to S'pore...
Will post plenty of photos when I get back...
Arrived late afternoon yesterday...so only managed to try their yummy beef noodles...and Liz and I went to get some suit tailor-made ;)
The whole of today was spent at Mekong Delta...saw the locals making coconut candy and rice popcorns...it was a pretty interesting river cruise where we met 3 other S'poreans and an American, Austin...from Texas...hehe...funny huh...
Our tour guide, Tony, was a pretty interesting guy too...he told us abt the history of Vietnam...how Saigon is now known as Ho Chi Minh City...he is also very optimistic with the current progress in Vietnam ;)
Tomorrow we'll be headed towards Phnom Penh...followed by Siam Reap the following 3 days...then back to Saigon...b4 its time to head back to S'pore...
Will post plenty of photos when I get back...
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