Sunday, May 11, 2008

Safra Sunday Long Run (21km)

I reached Safra late and did not manage to catch the route briefing nor the runners heading off. Oops. I had a vague recollection that it was the MSP 21km route and ran down Henderson Rd. Rightly so, and from afar, I spied a group of orange tees moving down the slope. Too far for me to catch up. So for the most part of the run, I was alone, and half the time wondering if I was on the correct route. I was eager to try if my hip was really better, or if last Friday's long run was a fluke success.

It was a cool yet humid morning. Cool from the downpour in the pre-dawn hours, but humid nonetheless. As I turned into Marina Way, I saw Chairman running with another lady whom I did not know. It did not seem like they were with the Safra group today. Soon I saw Trevor already on his return run. Then Wayne & Shirley. The sequence of runner sightings made me even more confused because of their different speeds and relative positions in the run. Finally I met Jimmy, DO, Ultra and Anthony as I was going into MSP. Jimmy offered to wait and run with me back to Safra. Thanks! At least with his pacing & presence, I had no choice but to follow. He had some knee problems and we walked-ran the way out of Marina South. We stopped at 7-11 to get some Pocari and met Freddy at the nearby junction. Wow, he was really fast! He had extended the run towards Nicoll Highway and now he was overtaking me. Oops.

By 1:30h into the run, I was starving. Took a sip of Gu-gel and trudged to Kg Bahru. Jimmy returned to Safra while I went to Henderson. By the end of my run, I was drenched in sweat from head to toe. Toxic!

Deserved a nice lunch after a tiring run. It was Mother's Day celebrations and I had a family lunch buffet to attend. In the late afternoon, I tried a physiotherapist recommended by Kenny. I wanted to experience the difference between a "trained-certified physio" vs my usual Chinese acupressure types. I learnt a couple of stretches too, which was useful. As for the sports massage, well, I would know the aftermath tomorrow.

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