Singapore Biathlon

The annual Singapore Biathlon was held this morning. No, I did not take part. I could not swim to save my life, let alone meet a time trial of 40min for 1.5km. Anyone who tells me that he/she cannot swim, and yet go below 40min is so not in my league of non-swimmer. Many of my friends were racing, so I went to ECP to join in the fun. After dropping Alber off at the F2 carpark in the morning, I drove to B1 Fort Road for a run.

I thought of doing a short run since there was a long 30km planned tomorrow. The weather was nice and cool this morning. I set off, relaxed, and enjoying the morning serenity along the beach. There were a few groups doing morning exercises. One Chinese lady was teaching a group some dance and workout steps, another Malay lady was leading her group in stretching exercises. Further down, a group of uncles and aunties were enjoying their regular dip in the waters. I saw Angela in the opposite direction, who was doing her own long run. There were 2 SAF soldiers patrolling the beach near Marine Vista, and a police patrol car driving up and down the cycling path. Probably a stepped-up patrol presence in response to the recent detainee escape.

I ran from B1, past the seafood lagoon to the hawker centre. It was the biathlon 1km u-turn point. The early waves of biathlon participants had completed their swim and started on their 10k run. From afar, I could hear the incessant beeping as runners crossed the timing mat with their champion chips. I stood at the mat for a while, trying to spot familiar faces. Finally, I saw Helen from Tampines Safra. Shouted 'Hi' to her and she looked momentarily surprised. I continued my run back to B1, bumping into Angela again. I think we must have criss-crossed each other about 4 times today since we were both running up and down repeatedly along ECP.

There was a slight drizzle on the run back. I hoped the organizers would not call off the race, as what happened during last year's OSIM and Triladies. There was no thunder or lightning, and the rain was not heavy, so the race should probably continue. I reached B1 in a start-stop-start-stop rain, and decided to do a quick tempo run to the end of Fort Rd fence and back to the carpark. Distance clocked: about 12ish km. Probably had sufficient time to cover another 5-6km before rushing over to meet the bi-ing group. Took a quick water refill and set off in the direction of Mac about 2.5-3km away. The rain got heavier, but no choice, I was midway into the run. By the time I returned to B1, I was totally drenched. Angela had finished her run and strolling back to the carpark, soaked as well. Completed about 17-18km today.

Called Alvin Ong and found out that the guys had finished their events. Oops! I hurriedly drove over to meet up with them. Getting into the car with squishy clothes and dirty shoes was a challenge. I tried to minimize my contact with the seats etc. Grrr...... I would need to clean the car in the afternoon.

Met Peter and Margaret as I was walking towards the race site. She came to cheer his inaugural biathlon, how supportive! :) Sumiko won 5th prize so the guys were waiting for her prize collection. I think she gets a healthy extra allowance each month simply by winning at events. Haha. Melvin was there with his boy, and Trevor too. We took a couple of photos in various combinations. Everyone was in a jovial mood and we went for lunch at the hawker centre.

I really cleaned out the car when I reached home. I could now totally understand why guys were obsessed with polishing and waxing their cars. I pulled out all the carpets and vacuumed them thoroughly. Then I wiped every inch of the interiors with an anti-bacterial spray. Even wiped parts of the exterior, though I think the $6 car wash would do a better job. There, the car's interior was sparkling clean and smelling fresh. :)