Escapades

Another Morning First - Trail!

2012-02-01T00:01:00.002+08:00

Rested a day on Monday, and managed to haul myself out of bed today for a run. Decided to try the trails on a weekday instead of road-chokeful-of-morning-traffic. I went on the MTB route which I did last Sat.

I explored the Wallace Trail, which was a wonderfully compact 1km. It had every obstacle imaginable packed in little distance - rocks, sand, stumps, roots, mini-stream, wooden planks and steps, and undulating terrain. There was no space to open up my stride. It took me 8 - 9min to clear that trail. But it was fun!

Ah the joys of early morning trails. The only bugbear was running face-in into invisible cobwebs... Yucks.

Trail Weekend

2012-01-31T23:56:00.001+08:00

Saturday - had a make-up class at 10am. Squeezed in a 1.5h run around DF-ZH and home. Sort of enough to get the engine going and compensate for dinner yu-sheng later.

Sunday - hosting a lunch party so had to rush through a long run. Managed BT-MR round of 23km, and cut 5min off my usual time. The stress of having a 'deadline' to meet and get home.

More than my usual share of runs and trails for this entire CNY week. :)

Resuming Morning Runs

2012-01-28T00:00:00.001+08:00

Ok not bad, I managed two consecutive morning runs this week. Yesterday and today. Let's see if I can keep it up for tomorrow.

For the two runs, I went around BB East Ave 6, past my old house to the park canal, then up Ngee Ann Poly and home. The short stretch from my place to the main road always smelt so fresh & sweet. I guessed I could have gone into the trails in the mornings too, but the tarmac clocked a longer distance over the same running duration. That route took 1:18h, I reckon it was about 12-13km going at 6min pace.

Plan for tomorrow is to do the shorter trail loop.

Exploring new trails

2012-01-26T23:44:00.000+08:00

We managed to move into our new place on new year's eve and I just adore its location. I love it that I can just step out of the house and in 1:50min hit the trails. :) I love how the air is so fresh, and the surroundings so tranquil (I'm not one for noise and crowds). I explored the trails over a few weekends and loving it!

The trail from BT to MR is supposedly 10.9km one way. So a round trip would be about 22km. What I would do it run to MR, do a complete loop, and run home. I seemed to take forever for that distance! I averaged 2:45h, throw in a couple of toilet or water breaks and we are looking at a 3h run each time. Am I that slow? Once I attempted two loops in MR before heading home. It took me close to 4h!

There is another loop about 10+km which I do. It goes along the mountain bike trail at Dairy Farm, pitstop at the visitor centre toilet, cross to Zhenghua park, and back along Rifle Range Road. That takes me about 1:20h.

Then there is the usual tarmac road loop, which is about 1:20h too, but easier and longer. It should be about 12-13km.

I have also started to do lunges, push-ups and dips after each run. Hopefully they make me stronger to tackle the trails!

Nepal EBC Trek

2011-12-29T23:31:00.000+08:00

I managed to convince a couple of friends to go on an Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar trek with me over the Dec hols. I had been there about ten years ago, and I had unfinished business to complete. There were five of us and we decided to maximise the time we have in Nepal and chose to skip the annual Singapore marathon. We flew off that morning as many of our running friends were chugging their lungs out. I was very much looking forward to the trip, it had been many long and stressful weeks leading up to this.

A trek to EBC and Kala Pattar takes minimally 12 days. Throw in a buffer day for the weather, and another 2 days to fly in and out of Nepal, and we are looking at a 15-day (minimal) itinerary:

4 – 18 Dec 2011 ITINERARY:

4-Dec: Day 1 – Arrive in Kathmandu

5-Dec: Day 2 – Fly to Lukla (2800m) , Trek to Phakding (2650m)

Day 3 – Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3400m)

Day 4 – Namche Bazaar rest day, short acclimatisation hike

Day 5 – Namche Bazaar to Tyangboche (3900m) and Deboche (3700m)

Day 6 – Deboche to Dingboche (4200m)

Day 7 – Dingboche rest day, short acclimatisation hike

Day 8 – Dingboche to Lobuche (4900m)

Day 9 – Lobuche to Gorakshep (5150m), then Everest Base Camp (5350m) after lunch

Day 10 – Gorakshep to Kala Patthar (5550m, highest point), descend toPeriche (4280m)

Day 11 – Periche to Namche Bazaar

Day 12 – Namche Bazaar to Lukla

Day 13 – Spare day (for flight delays or extra rest day)

17-Dec: Day 14 – Lukla fly to Kathmandu

18-Dec: Day 15 – Depart Kathmandu

This itinerary allowed for proper acclimatisation, but our descent was a bit of a rush. We actually got to Lukla by Day 12, but could not get onto a flight out to Kathmandu. For those 'proven' above 5,000m, you could potentially remove the rest day at Namche. Some people chose to climb Kala Patthar after lunch in Gorakshep on Day 9 and trek to EBC in the morning of Day 10 instead.

We were very lucky in that we could fly out to Lukla right on schedule. Flight delays between Kathmandu and Lukla are very common because of the fog. When a small window of clear weather opened up, all the airlines scrambled to send flights out on the 35 - 45min flight. The flight is memorable for first-time visitors to the Everest region, the aircraft is a dodgy-looking propeller plane, squashed and tiny. But don't worry, the pilots are amongst the most experienced in the world, simply because the Lukla landing strip is such a short one, any miscue and one would overshoot into the mountains or off the cliff. :) The runway is deliberately sloped so that the planes make use of gravity to brake or takeoff. (Tip: If you are flying from Kathmandu to Lukla, sit on the left hand side of the aircraft so that you can see the mountain range as you approach Lukla. On the return, sit on the right hand side.)

In the initial days, we were greeted with lush greenery, endless suspension bridges over rapid rivers (shudders to think how cold the water would be) and many stupas and prayer wheels. Nepalis walk around those objects of blessings in a clockwise manner. We were on a teahouse trek (ie. staying in the lodges rather than outdoor tents). On our first day's trek to Phakding, our porter overshot the lodge and almost reached Namche. He had my and WH's duffels and had all of us worried when it was nearing sunset and our things were nowhere to be seen. Our assistant guide and another porter went back down towards Lukla to look for him, while our guide went upwards towards Namche. Someone finally found him and it was a huge relief when he showed up with our duffels.

The food in the teahouses was generally the same. One could get the usual dal baht (rice with veg and lentil soup), fried rice/ noodles, momos (like gyozas) toast (if there was bread), eggs, pizzas and chicken or yak steak if there was meat. The menu was the same over 12 days, the only difference being the prices in the right hand column. Things got more expensive as we trekked higher, since everything had to be manually transported from Kathmandu to Lukla to wherever the destination was. It was amazing to see teenage boys carrying supplies up the mountainous trails, their steady cadence and assured footsteps putting us to shame. I saw one boy who had 2 boxes of Pepsi on his back, each containing 9 x 1.5L bottle, amongst many other things. The Pepsi alone weighed close to 30kg. On the average, each porter carried 50 - 60kg of duffels (approx 2-3 bags), and easily outwalked anyone of us.

Anyway, back to the food. After a few days of staring at the same menu, we ran out of options and appetite. The comfort food we brought from home offered much relief. Ikan billis, preserved olive veg (the kind that goes with porridge), green chilli (no sambal in case the stomach churned in high altitude), Japanese sesame seasoning flakes, preserved bean curd, and lots of savoury chips and nuts. Bah kwa would have been nice but we forgot to pack it in. Oops.

We trekked through awesome scenery and up-close views of famous mountains like Ama Dablam, Chola East, Lobuche, and of course Everest. At one teahouse, my window had a perfect view of Ama Dablam (I called it my ice-cream cone because it was shaped like a semi-licked Mac cone!). We got to Gorakshep in the afternoon and decided not to attempt the Kala Pattar summit in case we did not have enough time. We opted to trek to the Everest Base Camp instead. Our guy gave us a turn-around cutoff time of 3pm so that we had enough sunlight to get back to the tea house. It was a mad dash, literally! But we made it the base camp in about 2h, a lot less time than usual. So I finally saw what EBC was like. That was the closest that I had gotten to Everest. *dream...*

The next morning, we set off for Kala Pattar at 430am. Kala Pattar meant "Black Rock", so there it was, a rocky peak at about 5,500m. There was enough moonlight but it was cold. I wore my down jacket and shell. Not as windy or brutal as Aconcagua, but still enough to numb my toes. We got to the summit just slightly after day break. The last stretch to the peak required some scrambling, and it was only a small area to house so many trekkers. Unfortunately, we missed the snow on our trip. Typically, the EBC would have been all white and snowed under. One would have witnessed snow from Tyangboche or Dingboche. But that year, it was zilch. EBC was exposed rocks, brown and grey throughout. Kala Pattar was similarly drab. :( Perhaps that was why the weather was so chilly, the cold before the snow.

The summit day was a very long-drawn day. After descending to Gorakshep and getting some lunch, we rushed downwards to Periche. We arrived there close to 5pm, a full 12h cycle since we started off in the wee morning. One of my friends enquired about horse riding the rest of the way, and it was a whooping USD300! So we walked on and took about another 2 days to trek out to Lukla. However, there was a backlog of flight delay and stuck passengers who were waiting to fly out. So we had to stay an extra night and could only fly out to Kathmandu 2 days after reaching Lukla.

It was a very fun trip, especially when the company is good. You learn a lot of things about one another that you don't get a glimpse of in urban fast-paced Singapore. I was pleased that we ended the trip with more converts and fans of the mountains, and we started to dream of our next destination. Ahhh, put me in the moutnains any day! :)

You can view our trip photos online.

Christmasy Runs

2011-12-25T23:24:00.002+08:00

It was a short week since we got back from Nepal. I had two runs with MF club and then another short one on Xmas day. The weather was gloomy for most days, with the clouds dumping on us with a vengeance. It was certainly a wet chilly Xmas. The runs were ok, but not great. I suppose I have yet to get back into the groove. I doubt I will be able to harness the energies to tackle triathlons for a while, getting kinda lazy. And the mountains still beckon not matter how long I go away from them.

Three absent months

2011-11-30T00:13:00.001+08:00

It has been 3 solid months since I last posted. Life had been a whirlwind, breathless and packed. School picked up, work stacked up, and then there was the new house. Running continued but a far shade off what I used to do. I was thankful just being able to squeeze in a run, anytime. So then I got lazy and did not blog much. Time seemed to just slip by. Now that school's over, work's done, I'm counting down to my Nepal trip. How nice to be back in the mountains once again. Thin air, nature, great company. Awesomeness! 3 more work days. Yoohoo!

Desperation Drives Speed

2011-08-28T22:59:00.000+08:00

Moody after a week of lacklustre morning runs and one evening run. Engine would not start up, or I woke up late etc.

Made it to MR prior to a dinner gathering. A friend lived next to MR so I timed the run to finish at her place. Completed 2 rounds, approx. 1:10h each. Then dashed through the Northern Trail and back, about 6km. I literally flew down the slopes in a bid to get out before it got dark. There were still some people strolling and jogging, but it was getting harder to see the rocks clearly. Can't recall the last time I 'let go' on the slopes, but it was great fun by the way. Hunger and desperation notwithstanding. :)

Ran a total of 26km.

31.km Trail

2011-08-21T22:53:00.000+08:00

Lost count of the various morning runs in the week. Succeeded in running a 31.5km (3 loops) in MR but got plenty of sports bra abrasion as a result. I think I took about 1:15h per loop and finished in 4h, inclusive of toilet breaks. My Asics trails are getting softer and falling apart soon.

Weekly Runs

2011-08-14T19:55:00.002+08:00

Managed to squeeze in two short runs before my weekend trail. Legs started off heavy, but typically eased off after 30min into the runs.

Friday - usual 10+km route. So hot!

Saturday - did not get to hit the trail in the morning, so headed out for a pre-dinner run, about 12km. Just in time for a good meal. :)

Sunday - die-die had to get to MR trails today, albeit late at 10am. Nonetheless, ran my normal route, and then the reverse way. 20km. Sweltering heat and humidity! It only cooled off a little after midnoon, when the cloud covers came in. Luckily, I did not chance upon any reptiles today. Only a small cutie squirrel. But I met a caucasian guy on his MTB as I was ending my run, and promptly told him no bikes allowed. Geez, don't people read signages?

Slow Easy Evening Run

2011-08-11T23:03:00.002+08:00

Legs refused to move this evening. I did a short 5km loop around MF before continuing with the Safra route for tonight. An easy 10km to Fort Canning and back. It felt kinda stressful to be running with a group, even though I did not attempt to keep pace. But still, I was more used to my morning solo runs, at my own pace and cadence.

At dinner, we picked up an abandoned black hamster from the hawker centre. Told Alber to buy a 20c plastic food container and put it in. Haha. Brought it home, bathed, fed and housed it in a fully-equipped hamster cage! Oh, the life (of the hamster)! Everyone went gaga, wondering if it was a rat or hamster. But it was too tame and slow to be a rat. Ahh, a rat would never be caught, and if placed on the hawker centre chair, would have jumped off instantly. Oh well, a new addition. :)

National Day Trail Galore

2011-08-09T16:06:00.003+08:00

Had a whack of a time in the trails today. 3 loops of MR = 31.5km. Yoohoo! Managed a fairly constant pace of 1:15h per loop. The nagging tightness on my left knee was much better. I think I should work on some strength-training on my quads and hamstring muscles. Legs felt a little wobbly as I jumped around the rocks.

Half of Singapore was probably out hiking at MR today, it was so crowded and I had to zig-zag around people all the way. The crowd only thinned on my last loop, which was close to noon. But the crowd also meant that there were no snake today. Whew!

Ahh, life is good with lots of trail. Happy national day!

Another Snake Sighting

2011-08-06T16:10:00.000+08:00

Ok I 'fess up. Over-ran this week. Ran every morning Mon - Fri and finally the trails on Sat.

Mon - 11km
Tue - 11km
Wed - 11km
Thu - 14km
Fri - 11km
Sat - MR 21km

Total mileage of 79km.

After the MR trails, I could feel a little strain on my right shin. Time to rest on Sunday.

I had another snake sighting in the trails today. I ran and interrupted a snake fight. A beautiful rich-blue-coloured with red outline snake was snarling and attacking a wiry thin brown one. Both snakes slithered off in opposite direction as people approached, and parted company. I thought the blue one was kinda beautiful, until one uncle next to me said nonchalantly, "That is a very poisonous snake, one bite and....." *gulp* Oops. So much for pretty colours attracting prey!

Running on....

Morning Legs

2011-08-02T22:32:00.002+08:00

Ah ha! Managed to head out for runs on Monday and Tuesday. Legs felt kinda heavy though, possibly after the long runs over the weekend. Monday was a drag, and I had to get to office early. Incredibly started my run at 6am, self-pat. Today felt better. After a while, my legs just carried on with their own rhythm and my mind was able to wander off to other issues. About 11km each morning. Target for tomorrow is a longer distance! :)

Snake Fight!

2011-07-31T19:22:00.002+08:00

A weekend of trail runs. Finally, no more cement. Ran 2 loops on Sat, and 1.5 loops on Sun. Would have gone for more, but did not have time as I started so super late on both days. Next weekend vow - to wake up earlier and run.

Today my run was interrupted by a sight. A big brown snake was having a brunch fight with a small greenie tree snake. The greenie was perched on the mid-upper of the brown one, and the two kept flipping around - one to eat, and the other to escape. A group of us halted in our steps because the snake was sprawled across the trail, making it impassable. One shall not interrupt a feasting snake nor go near a snake-fight. So we stood and watched. And finally it was over. The brown snake ate the greenie, and slithered away very quickly into the grass. Wow! Ok, admittedly, I was paranoid for a bit after that. I stared very hard at all the twigs and branches, making sure they were not snakes!

More Morning Runs

2011-07-29T22:21:00.001+08:00

Continuing the good morning discipline..... :)

Thurs - 1:38h
Fri - 1:20h

But somehow the scale seems to be going up again....
Drats.

Safra Evening Run

2011-07-26T22:55:00.002+08:00

Joined in the evening run at Safra tonight. It felt kinda different running in the evening as compared to the mornings. More stressful. There was more traffic on the roads, and runners to 'chase' after.

We ran to Kent Ridge Park and did 5 loops, and headed back via Depot Road. Not used to the slopes for a while and knees felt a little 'burning' after the loops.

Total 1:38h.

Monday Blues

2011-07-25T22:54:00.000+08:00

Tried to run this morning after a total KO sleep since returning from PD race. It was impossible. Felt crampy for the first 15min and decided to head home. Then felt slightly better, and hence took a detour. Essentially took a reverse direction of my usual route. All in 55min. Felt so not up to it.... :(

Port Dickson OD Triathlon 2011

2011-07-24T22:53:00.001+08:00

Our annual drive up to Port Dickson for an OD triathlon race. I was feeling fluish, had a sore throat, and totally untrained. The last I touched my bike was since IMNZ in March 2011 (4 months ago) and last swum in June (a month ago). I was naturally a little jittery about the two disciplines since I was not a cyclist nor swimmer to start with. I kept thinking whether I would forget how to front-crawl, or how to clip into my cleats... I enjoyed the convoy drive. Along our way, we had a fabulous seafood lunch, completed our race registration etc, and had another seafood dinner. It was an eating escapade!

Race morning, the body surprisingly went into clockwork. I remembered how to wake up and get ready for a race. After the bike check-in and body-marking, we went for breakfast. I kept thinking I might have forgotten something because the last couple of races I did were long distance - half or full-IMs - and the logistics involved were a lot more complicated.

Anyhow, the females were the last wave to be flagged off for the swim. It was an extremely low-tide morning, and swimmers had to walk-hop-jump in the water for a fair distance before we could start swimming proper. I got into the water and yes! remembered how to pull and crawl. Haha. The sea was very calm and my body felt fresh (from not using all that non-running muscles). I was quite enjoying myself in the water. :) The swim distance felt much shorter, I completed in 35min.

Next up the bike. I mounted without any accident and pedaled off. Legs felt fresh, the feeling of cycling returned. It was a rolling hills route and I forgot how scenic it was. Funny how I never really stopped in previous years to appreciate the view. The weather held up fabulously too, all cloud cover and no sun. I also forgot that I was riding my Renault Assault wheels and wondering how come I gained speed. Gaaah.... I was that divorced from my bike. Oops. In any case, did not improve or deteoriate. 40km, 1:25h.

Last leg, run. This year, Uncle Chan (the organiser) decided to make participants do a semi-trail run and put us winding along the beach front for a good 2-3km. It almost felt like the Real Run in Singapore - tarmac, sand/ beach, some trail. I kept smiling to myself as I imagined many participants cursing the route. I was happy, and happier the longer I stayed on the trail. :) I stopped to stretch a little after the trail section. A fellow runner enthusiastically ran over, asked me how I was, and sprayed SalonPas on my calf! How thoughtful and generous!

After the u-turn point, I picked up speed and tried to catch up with friends ahead. About less than 1km to the end point, Alber met me and wanted to pace me. But he was also tired. So I passed him my bottle instead and ran off. Afterall, the end was so near. In typical Uncle Chan's discounted race distances, the run was only about 8.5km. I took about 45min.

All in, 3:01h.

A happy, no-frills, and no-stress race. :) The sea and clouds cooperated, and the stars were aligned. Everything went well for many participants.

My Morning Runs

2011-07-22T22:44:00.002+08:00

*ahem* Proud to say that I persisted with my early morning runs for the rest of the week, and kept up the discipline by sleeping before midnight.

I try to cover anything between 1 - 1.5h each morning, and so far have kept to pretty much the same route. I was going up and down that 2.4km PCN with some slight variation on my return, and by Friday, I seriously felt I had to find a new route.

Wed - 1:10h approx 11km
Thurs - 1:30h approx 14km
Fri - 1:10h

But maybe I was overdoing it, I felt slightly fluish. And good golly, I had an OD tri-race this weekend!

Survived 6am!

2011-07-19T22:06:00.002+08:00

So yesterday I procrastinated and wondered if it was safe to run in the dark at 6am, and yet not be along some route that would be infested by traffic by 7am. I woke at 530am, hesitated and went back to sleep.

Today I was determined to head out for an early morning run. The days of running in Canada inspired me. It felt healthy. Legs felt fresh at the start of the day, and it was a good perk up for the rest of the day.

I awoke at 6am, headed to the nearby PCN and enjoyed my jog. I was surprised by the number of early risers on their morning strolls etc. The day seemed chirpier and the feeling at the crack of dawn was very alive. :) Just me enjoying my me-moment. However, it was extremely humid, unlike the cool Vancouver 13 - 16degC weather. Suddenly my running vest felt cumbersome and unbreathable. Anyhow, I miscalculated the distance and overshot. Clocked 1:30h total. Ran home for a quick shower and off to the office.

Ahh, I made it! 6am! Let's see how long I can sustain this.

Trail Weekend

2011-07-17T21:47:00.002+08:00

Back to humid Singapore. To be fair, the weather on Sat was rather cool, lots of cloud cover. I succumbed to bed early the night before and was all fresh to run at MR the next morning. Ok, it was not too early, I only got there at 11am. It was a full 12h sleep! The run was nice, did the 10km route and a little extension via the trail to fitness corner and back. Total run time 1:30h.

Sun - It was much hotter today and I was melting in the trails. Almost being cooked! I managed 2 rounds. I was supposed to ride, but ended up running instead. I think I would be so busted at the OD-tri race at PD next weekend. Oops.

Running Around Residential Estate

2011-07-12T21:38:00.000+08:00

I stayed over at a friend's place in the Bay Area on my way back to Singapore. It was extremely difficult to find a decent running route as it was right smack in a residential estate. I ventured out, hard-pressed to find a continuous stretch. I ran along the road, to a nearby college, and ended up tracing the carpark around its perimeter. Then I headed towards a nearby park, cut through some houses and found a pedestrian bridge that took me across a major highway. There was an equestrian field across the bridge, but nothing much else. Another residential area. So I headed back, and deliberately looped around the small park in all possible combination. I finally gave up and ran to a nearby supermarket. Wholefoods, my favourite!

Stanley Park Run

2011-07-10T20:45:00.000+08:00

And I managed to complete that loop around Stanley Park, and still made it to the conference on time! *Pleased with self* It was not that long a distance afterall, perhaps 15km? But I took more time because I stopped to snap pictures along the way.

The last of my 6am runs. I left just past 630am and made my way along the Beach front towards Stanley Park. It is the largest park in downtown Vancouver, situated at the Western end of the Seawall, and houses many species of flora and tourist sights. I read about the totem poles and just had to run my way there to see them. I also ran past the statute of a Girl in Wetsuit (that looked like the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen), the 9 o'clock gun, Jubilee Fountain and various. Along the way, I saw cyclists on road bikes training in the cool Sunday morning sun.

I had to dash back to my hotel after taking a tad too many photo stops. But it was a worthwhile run. Ahhh, running is still the best way to see a city. :)

Running in Canada

2011-07-10T13:06:00.002+08:00

Been away in Canada for about 10 days. Surprised that I'd been extremely disciplined to wake up at 6am everyday for a morning run! :) *self-pat* Took pretty much the same route daily along the various waterfront and admired the sight.

Ottawa - was extremely hot and humid, felt like I never left SGP! My hotel (Lord Elgin) was a 3min access to the waterfront. I mainly ran alongside the Rideau Canal and followed its winding walkway. It is so nice to be in a city where everyone shared the walkway, and cyclists are reminded not to go beyond 20kmh and to yield to pedestrians. Ottawa is branding itself to be the Cycling Capital.

4-July: 14km
5-July: 14km
6-July: 18km (and got caught in a sudden 5min flash thunderstorm, the likes of what we get in SGP. Totally drenched and had to leave for the airport in an hour's time!)

Vancouver - the weather was a lot kinder, cooler and less humid. We stayed in the Ramada Inn and was 5min from the waterfront. Clearly, Vancouver had a property boom (bubble?) compared to Ottawa. Blocks and blocks of high-rise condominiums dotted the waterfront Seawall. The Seawall along the beach forms a continuous 22km stretch winding in/ out of the inlets. That was where I headed each morning. Alas, our conference started early daily and I could not run as long as I wished.

7-July: 11-12km (Reached Stanley Park after 25-30min from my start! The seawall winds 8.8km around the park. I was unable to spare the time.)

8-July: 11-12km (Detoured around Stanley's entrance and ended up at Coal Harbour. Uhh.... wrong way. Supposed to run towards the famed Totem Poles)

9-July: 10km (The reverse waterfont was not as scenic. Went past the Edgewater Casino, Science World and Olympic Village etc)

Hopefully I get to clock a long, long run on Sunday, and go around the entire Stanley Park distance!

More Recovery Runs

2011-06-30T23:53:00.001+08:00

Tues - 1x MF 5km loop + 1x 9km Canal-Ridley-Tanglin route
Total 14km. Legs were still heavy.

Thurs - Late and only had time for 1x Henderson 5.3km loop. :(
Legs were fresh but alas! shoes heavy. Ran with a pair of Kayanos and boy, were they heavy!

Recovery Trot

2011-06-27T22:46:00.003+08:00

Managed a short recovery run 5.3km. Legs were surprisingly ok, not dying or injured. Still slightly peeved that I didn't finish the 100km yesterday, but oh well. Focus on the next race.

Sundown Ultra-marathon 2011. My First DNF. OMG!

2011-06-26T22:16:00.004+08:00

There's a first to everything. Including DNFs in a race. And it had to happen during a running event. Ok I'm losing it.

I was taking part in the SD100km over the weekend. It was no form right from the start. We used a 30min-3min strategy (run-walk) that helped preserve my legs. I was also using the Compressport calf compression which were very good! But I am not a night runner, never was able to overcome the sleep monster. Punctuated with multiple toilet stops, it was very slow going.

As the aid stations were 10km apart, I ran with my hydration pack with about 1.5L water. Probably overkill since I don't drink that much anyway. But the food at the aid stations was very well-stocked. I must say that this is one of my best race experiences in Singapore. The stations reminded me of Ironman quality. And the volunteers were excellent. Well-done to the organisers!

I completed the first 50km in 7:30h. Legs were still ok, nothing dying. I took my time, drank soup, ate a hotdog (not the cheap chicken frank types, but a nice fat sausage!), refilled my pack and so forth. Spent about 20min chilling out. Re-started my run at 8h. That left me 10h to complete the other 50km, ample time. Or so I thought.

50 - 60km, still ok. Kept to the average 90min/10km pace.

Then trouble. Body started shutting down after the 60km pit-stop. Like really dozing off. I walked. Zig-zag. No fun to be running alone. :( Could not even walk in a straight line. I sat at a bus-stop for a while and was very tempted to lie on the bench. Then I thought maybe I should stop after I crossed the timing line at 70km. So I plodded and got to the next pit-stop. Took me 2:30h to walk that last 10km.

And made the decision to take the shuttle bus back to the start point.

And therein, my very first DNF.

Oh bummer.

Last 10km

2011-06-21T22:29:00.002+08:00

This could be my last 10km before the Sundown Ultra. I can't believe it's happening in 4 days' time. 100km. Road, tarmac. Eeeeks. I must have been unconscious or deluded when I signed up last year.

I was late tonight, as usual. Ran by myself around the 10km MF loop. Managed to catch the guys in time for dinner.

Tired.

Backlog of Runs

2011-06-21T22:23:00.002+08:00

Oh my! It has been more than a week since my last blog posts. The schedule has been crazy, I barely had time to run and certainly no bandwidth to blog about them either. :(

I think I ran pretty much the same route each time.

Last Tues - Labrador Park loops x 7, each about 9min
Wed and Thurs - Telok Blangah - Henderson 5.3km loop x 2

Sat - 1h loop around estate
Sun - 1:18h loop around estate

Shudders at the thought of looming 100km when 10km was a struggle. :(

Canterbury Loops

2011-06-09T23:08:00.003+08:00

Didn't join the Safra route today as I was late. Ran with Alber into Canterbury and we did 3 loops at conversational pace. Average 20min per loop of 3ish-km each. Total run time: 1:35h. Enough to earn my dinner.

Looking forward to the weekend trip with my IM kakis. Finally, an endurance trip of a different sort. No power gels, no bikes, no runners. Just pure city decadence!

Telok Blangah Loop

2011-06-08T23:44:00.001+08:00

Legs felt like lead today. Attempted a 10km route - two loops around T.Blangah Heights. Plodded along, about 33min per loop. 10km felt like 50km. Groan.

Running round the MF 山

2011-06-07T23:37:00.000+08:00

Loop and loop, revisited MF again.

6x MF loops. On average 10:++ min per loop.

Nice & chill. :)

Back to Swim

2011-06-06T23:05:00.000+08:00

Back to swim class. Every time I resume swim after a short break, I get giddy from the head turning and laps. Tonight was no different. After a couple of sets, I was 'floaty'.

8x 200m
break
10 x 100m

Done.

What I Did Last Week

2011-06-05T22:48:00.000+08:00

Post-Sundown marathon, my legs were still so jellied, I trotted a few times.

Mon - too dead to run
Tues - late meeting, no run
Wed - 2x Telok Blangah Hts 5km loop 1-ish hour
Thurs - spent 2.5h on the bus trying to get home, missed swim & did a 1:20h run around the estate
Fri - more furniture shopping
Sat - food marathon
Sun - it rained so heavily that many parts of Singapore were flooded. Managed to squeeze in an 1h run

Sundown Marathon (42km) 2011

2011-05-29T22:10:00.002+08:00

I was flagged off at 10pm with thousands of other runners attempting the Sundown marathon. It was my first night 42km race, I was not prepared for it per se. I was going to use this as mileage building towards my ultra-100km next month. I think I might start regretting signing up for that race.

The crowd of runners generated a lot of body heat and humidity. We took 14min to clear the first 2km, already sweating buckets. The road eased off a little after 5km. I finished the first 10km in 1:01h. Decent. Then I met Johnny and we ran together all along the ECP to Fort Rd u-turn. Next 10km - 1:02h. But I had to go to the toilet. Perhaps it was dinner or the 100-plus, but anyhow, diarrhea was unpleasant.

Then it went downhill from that point onwards. By 23km, I was starting to cramp. The next 7km was a pain of run, walk, run, walk. It was also past midnight and my body clock was starting to shut down. Ok, remind me again why I do not like and could not survive night runs... It took me forever to reach 30km. It was 3:31h. Right,... that was the time I took in the trails and with zero cramps. But on the road, I was hopeless. My shins and ankles were cramping up. Maybe it was my shoes...?

32km and we were back on the Coastal PCN again. The most boring stretch. I decided to try and run through the next 10km. My stomach was acting up again. Plodding on. Hopes of getting an "average" 4:30h were dashed. Nor that of a 5:00h time. This has got to be my slowest marathon outside of an IM! Haha.

Eventually, I finished the race in 5:16h. Mega, mega yawns... Body shutting down.
I wonder how I would finish the 100k next month! *panic*

MR Two Loops

2011-05-22T22:32:00.002+08:00

I have always liked the feeling of running-skipping-and-flying downhill in the trail. It is so carefree, so light, with nary a worry. Unfortunately that carefree feeling only lasted a short while.

I was up and running in MR, targeting two loops. Had to rush off for a lunch appointment so only had time for two rounds. Completed them in exact even split timing. 1:07h each.

There is a Sundown marathon this coming weekend and I am so under-prepared for it.

Run & Soup

2011-05-17T23:49:00.000+08:00

Had an ultra quick 1.5 loops at MR. The weather was excellent this afternoon but I did not have enough time to complete two rounds. :( Had to turn around about 1km to the trail exit and head back. I bumped into KC along the golf course on the way back. He was going in the opposite direction, but we had a group dinner to catch. So he turned and ran back with me. Alas he went so fast that I gave up keeping pace after a while.

Dinner was a soupy affair at a double-boiled soup place in Sin Ming. We had a total of 26 'pots' of
soup! Heavens.

My First 30km LSD

2011-05-15T20:33:00.002+08:00

Yes! I finally completed my first 30km LSD in two months. The weight gain got to me and goaded me into action this morning. I hit the MR trail and willed myself to run 3 loops. It was a slow but steady pace, the first 2 sets having an even split timing, and the last set was a notch slower.

I stayed within the trail all the while, and did not bother exiting to the concrete or visitor centre. That meant that I went from A-B, B-A and A-B again, covering the same route 3 times in slightly different directions. That also meant that I kept seeing some of the people strolling on the trail more than a few times.

The ranger station toilet became my pit stop. It was about 5km from either end of the trail. The weather was not as sweltering as the past weekends, but it was still humid. I was soaking wet and succumbed to a Gu-gel on my 3rd loop.

Total run time ~ 3:32h.

Thoroughly enjoyed myself and the quiet time in the trail. :)

Cooling Swim

2011-05-12T23:32:00.000+08:00

The pool was much cooler tonight, after the heavy downpour this morning. We had so many days of extremely hot weather, the rain was very refreshing.

5x 200 @5:30 - 4:59, 5:18, 5:08, 5:08, 5:08
1x 300 - 6:22

6x 100 @2:45 - 2:20, 2:24, 2:29, 2:31, 2:28, 2:34, 2:31 (first one was a trial)

5x 100 @3:00 -2:37, 2:38, 2:43, 2:35, 2:30

Round and Round the MF Loops

2011-05-10T23:44:00.002+08:00

I was very early today and went for a 5km run prior to Safra's group, followed by MF loops. I skipped the stairs and ran back to club.

5km - 29min

5.5x MF loops - 9.36, 9.47, 10.01, 10.01, 10.56, ...

Continued by the return via Kg Bahru.

Total 19km

Yeah!

Heat-stricken Pool

2011-05-09T23:01:00.000+08:00

5x 200: 4:56min 4:57, 4:54, (I missed two)
1x 300: 7:36

7x 100: 2:15, 2:20, 2:20, 2:21, 2:30, 2:25, 2:15

5x 100: 2:27, 2:26, 2:23, 2:29, 2:31

It was so so super hot in the pool, I felt like I might get a heatstroke in the water!

Evening Sweat

2011-05-08T21:50:00.000+08:00

Another ultra hot day. I slept in til noon, having stayed up til 4am to catch the election results. I deliberately waited til 730pm to go for a short run, but alas, it was still as humid. The air was stale and whatever little breeze we had was warm.

Alber took me on a 10km run around the Woodlands - Admiralty estate. We went along the PCN and then I did not recognize where I was any more. Winding in and out of the roads, we eventually made a huge 10km loop. I was immensely glad to be back, totally drenched in sweat despite the sunset. Yucks.

Humid MR

2011-05-07T15:00:00.000+08:00

The heat was unabated this weekend. I went to MR at about 11am. It normally was quite cool in the trails, but today, it was as humid as running on the road. I was drenched pretty soon, from the heat, not the effort.

Managed to run 2 loops nonetheless. The heat was putting a strain on my run and I left with a headache.

Today was Polling Day, and also house-viewing day. I had a long day ahead....

Sets of 200m

2011-05-05T23:53:00.002+08:00

We did many 200m sets tonight. I was late and got into the pool in time to join them for the sets.

200m - 5:05min, 5:02.... missed timing two sets

4x 200m - 4:56min, 5:09, 5:15, 5.10

2x 50m slow - 1:15min, 1:21

5x 50m @ 1:30 - 1:11, 1:15, 1:12, 1:19, 1:15

5x 50m - 1:14, 1:16, 1:22, 1:17, 1:18

Done! :)

Two new loops

2011-05-04T23:45:00.000+08:00

Safra training plan: 3 loops of 5+km tempo run around Depot Rd - Telok Blangah Hts.

It was the first time I ran that route. There was a long gradual upslope near Telok Blangah Hts which was rather fun to attempt. The roads were slightly wet after the rain and the weather very cool. It was the perfect weather for a personal 'time out' chat to self. I did my first loop at 33min. Obviously not a 'tempo' pace. Oops. I went on my second loop and was overtaken by Jackie and WL at the mid-way point, their third loop. Very fast guys. Alas, towards the end of my second loop, it started raining, and most people stopped.

Long Running Weekend

2011-05-02T23:37:00.000+08:00

Thank goodness for a long weekend. The weather held up gloriously. Slight drizzle throughout the days made for very cooling runs. I was happy to be able to run at any time of the day. :)

Saturday - Did an evening run around my estate. For a moment, I thought that the election campaign banners were wrongly placed, until I realised that I had run from one GRC to another. On my way back, I decided to jog through the Sunset Way estate to check out the houses there. Some of the bungalows were really huge and beautiful in a quiet estate. Aspirational. I ran about 14-15km.

Sunday - There was a morning drizzle but I headed out anyway. Thought that I could do a long run, but no, sugar low. Ran from my house to Clementi canal to NUS through the winding slopes and out. Along the way, the rain started and stopped and restarted. I was very tempted to flag a cab home, and there were many empty ones that drove past me. But I trotted along until Clementi and decided to take a bus back because I was rushing for an appointment. Definitely an off-form run. Another 15-16km perhaps?

Monday - Dropped by MF Safra in the late afternoon. Plan was to complete two loops around MF, but alas the gym was closing early today. So I had to shorten my run to 1.5 loops. 15km.

But immensely happy with my slow trots. :)

My 手忙脚乱 Swim

2011-04-28T22:54:00.000+08:00

Back to the pool again after an 8-week hiatus. No kidding, it was that long. Coach thought I vanished. He took a look at me and commented, "Ya, I can see that you have been laying off...". What a great opening welcome line! Oh bummer....

We did some easy laps -
50m - 1:07min, 1:13, 1:16, 1:18

Then drills.

Then 100m @ 3:15min. He told us to "slow down" - 2:25min, 2:32, 2:39, 2:45, 4:24 (150m)

Then I got giddy. Must be all the head-turning and getting "tossed" in the water. Of course it just meant that I was not used to being in the water. So for the next sets, I tried to swim straight and not throw up, and skipped some laps. Coach said my swim was all floundering, hands legs everywhere. "PS, you very 手忙脚乱."

100m - 2:34, 2:42, 2:37, 2:42, 2:42, 2:46, 2:44, 4:02 (150m)

Done. Survived my first swim.

The GRCs through the lens of a runner

2011-04-28T01:36:00.006+08:00

The Singapore General Elections is such a hot topic on Facebook nowadays. There are so many posts and updates on the candidates, GRC (Group Representation Constituencies) contests, issues and such.

But to a runner, I just had a simple curiousity. What would the electoral boundaries look like as running routes?

So I googled for a list of the GRC and respective wards, and a GRC map that was superimposed onto a google map of Singapore. Then I went to Mapmyrun and retraced the boundaries. Some of the boundaries were slightly amended to make them 'runnable', but I tried to follow as closely to the real wards as possible.

Sample distances:

Tg Pagar GRC: 37km (This is easy to plot since it primarily traverses built-up areas.)
Holland-BT GRC: 50km (I love this route, it hits the major trails and nature reserves!)
West Coast GRC: 148km (This is the least accurate as it should technically include all the offshore islands and majority of our western coastal limits.)
Jurong GRC: 31km (This is where I live. Aiyo, so "short"? I'm only 1 traffic junction from H-BT and the trails.)

There are a total of 15 GRCs and 12 SMCs (Single Member Constituencies) for this election. I did not have time to map all of them, but perhaps someone else might complete the route mappings and share them.

Just for the fun of it. :)

The ideal 10k

2011-04-27T23:25:00.000+08:00

It rained again. It has been pouring almost every evening, thwarting all my run plans. I changed nonetheless and got ready to head out. There was a slight drizzle. The raindrops looked big and I half contemplated not to run. But I was glad I forced myself out of the gates, taking that first step out. The raindrops did not seem so daunting afterall!

I ran my usual 10k route around my estate, and came to a realization that 10k was a nice comfortable distance for an evening run. It was not too short-changed. Not too sapping. Just enough to recharge and refresh and continue with the night's work.

Ahh, the endorphin-ic comfort of a cool run. Life's good. :)

Another MR Weekend :)

2011-04-24T18:58:00.002+08:00

So it was another week of zero training, for a variety of reasons. I am soon turning into a weekend warrior-junkie at this rate. My excuse to self was that there were no races in April and hence my rest month. "Month" was a long time, when one's activity timeline was once measured by days and weeks.

MR was becoming my salvation. :) It was a long weekend, but I was catching up on sleep on Friday. So on Saturday, I forced myself to MR. It was almost noon and the mid-noon sun was suffocating. Once I started running, I was happy I made it there. I only managed one loop, drained more from the weather than effort.

Sunday morning we had a gathering at W's house, a perfect excuse to get Alber to agree to running with me at MR again. We did one loop, then in reverse. I was happy to side step and fly down the slopes. Trails are such sanity!

MR Devotion

2011-04-17T23:03:00.000+08:00

An entire week, 6 days straight!!! without a single mileage of training. Work was crazy, the weather was bonkers, and I was all strung up, ready to snap at everyone within sight any time. Because I was missing all my workouts and run and that endorphin cold-turkey was killing me.

So this past weekend, I was on a MR vengeance.

On Sat, I ran with the guys and we started at a somewhat self-punishing pace. I knew I would not survive the full loop at that speed. But still, it felt so so very good to be running in the cool weather after the morning downpour. I found my pace, and ran 2 loops. Happily. After the much-needed endorphin shot, life was back to normal again. Everything seemed happier and chirpier. :)

On Sun, the weather was the exact opposite. It was easily the hottest day of the week. I headed to MR in the late afternoon at 5pm. My friend thought that I was joking when I said I was going to MR again. It was still hot but not so once I was in the comfort of the trail. I completed one loop, then u-turned and went back towards the fitness station and out again. Total of 14-15km. It was a very different crowd at MR on a Sunday evening vs the usual times I was there. Tonight, it was very much a family affair. I saw parents jogging with their children, playing in the open field and so forth. It was a nice change from all the chiong-ing runners in the morning.

MR Junket

2011-04-09T16:13:00.000+08:00

It was almost 1030am when I got to MR. Plans to join my Safra friends for their morning long run got waylaid by sleep. So there I was, the trail was the only decent running spot in the hot morning. Fairly decent speed. I managed 1:09h for the 10km loop back to car park, with some stroll-breaks and a drink-stop in between. Wondered if I should do a second loop, but the heat was so overbearing, it made breathing difficult. I really need to clock more run mileage though. SD ultra was coming up in a few months and I absolutely had no preparation plans!

Sub-1hour

2011-04-06T23:55:00.002+08:00

I ran the 10km MF loop tonight and was pleasantly surprised that I could still go below an hour, plus some walking. 58min to be exact. On Monday, it was 1:00h. 2min faster. Not a terribly huge difference, but it was significant in my context - slacking, long distance ploddings and generally slow, slower, slowest. So my face lit up when I checked my watch. :)

Running Ideation

2011-04-04T23:49:00.002+08:00

I went running around MF tonight. 10km. It was a very warm evening, but the fun of running compensated for the humidity. It was amazing how running could become such a great ideation process. I was fresh out of a workshop and random ideas were still milling in my mind. Loved it when they collide randomly as I stomped my way around the MF hill.

Oooh! Now I wonder what it might be like to design and conduct a running brainstorming session. That's right, run and think at the same time. Oh and don't forget the facilitator having to trot alongside and get people thinking/ talking! Ahhh.... wicked!

First Love - Running Shoes

2011-03-31T23:23:00.002+08:00

No amount of self persuasion or coercion could get me to the pool tonight. Sigh. My friends stopped the class and I found no motivation to enter the water. Very reluctantly. So I headed for the next path of least resistance, to my running shoes.

Alas, my calves and lower calves were so tight, no kidding. They were like rock solid 'bloated', and felt impossible to run with that heaviness. So I waddled along. Poor Alber had to keep jogging on the spot, running backwards and all sorts, just to wait for me.

We went up Morse Road, the usual 6km route. But we turned up a flight of stairs back onto MF loop, instead of running past clubhouse for a second round. A little confusing for my first time, but I soon understood the route.

Total: 12km.

Woodside Trail Run

2011-03-27T14:59:00.003+08:00

I had pre-registered for a 50km ultra at Woodside Trail. I love trail running and California is one of the best places in the world for that. They have so much forest land and trails of all distances. And the weather! In normal circumstances, the weather was a plus. Alas, it had been raining the entire week in Palo Alto and this morning was no different. The rain started in the night and continued strong into the wee hours. When I woke up at 7am, it was cold, windy and wet. It felt like 7degC. The kind of weather where I would sleep in in Singapore and scrap all my training plans. I contemplated a long while if I should go for the run. The intent for all overseas trail runs was a scenic view because on my own, I would not be able to figure out the distances and routes. It was less about clocking mileage. So if it was going to be bad weather and miserable, that defeated the aim.

I was indecisive for a good 30min before I decided to 'kick my butt' and get going. I got dressed, ate breakfast and drove to the Park. I was late by 20min for my category. Oh well. I registered, collected my race tag, and started running. The instruction was to follow the Pink ribbons, which should appear every 3-4 min. But somehow somewhere I must have missed a turn, and did not see any ribbons for more than 10min. I had no idea how far I had run or if I was on the right track, since there were no other runners in sight. So I backtracked, saw some people who pointed me in the right direction, and ended up merging with the tail-end of the 35krunners. I was now far behind the 50k runners. Brilliant. I think I would switch category instead.

Meanwhile, the rain continued, and the race course was like a giant teh-tarik mud puddle. The waters and mud were shoe-deep, so every step was soaking cold. I was trying out my 'rain gear combo' to see what worked in a cold, wet race. (Ask me separately how each gear worked) Mentally, it was IMNZ deja vu, with a tinge of apprehension. Yours truly was wrapped up like a Michelin man:

Top: Nike comfort fit long-sleeved with thin fleece lining, Mountain Hardwear GTX Paclite shell, Nike running skull cap, Serius gloves
Bottom: CWX cold weather compression long tights, Montane featherlite outer pants to block the wind & some rain, REI trail running gaiters, REI merino wool socks, Salomon XA Pro 5
And my camera & water bottle

Along the way, I was bypassed by a group of college runners on their training run. The guys were in Tshirt and shorts. One girl had on the tiniest pair of short tights. So next to them, I looked like a klutzy hiker.

I continued running and/ or walking for what seemed like an eternity, and finally reached the first aid station. It was at the 9.7k mark, but I had already taken 1:45h! The getting lost bit must have added much time although I had no way to verify how much. I had no sense of geography or distance (everyone counted in miles).

The aid station was quite well-stocked. In addition to the usual race munchies, it had boiled potatoes and salt. That turned out rather tasty. I took my time to eat, drink and take pictures before heading out. The next aid station was another 9k away, then another 9km back. Then the last 7-8km to Finish line.

Despite the mud and rain, everyone was in good spirits, and smiling. We had more than we signed up for. In my last few km, I met an elderly runner and we ran together to the Finish. The chatting and pacing was very helpful because both of us were already very tempted to stroll. All in, I ran 5:30h. But no idea what the distance was.

I think trail runners are such a crazy bunch. Smiling and enjoying ourselves despite the mud and weather. Totally nuts. Loving it. :)

Ironman New Zealand 2011

2011-03-07T23:40:00.004+08:00

Brutal. Brutal. Brutal. Those are the only words I have to describe the race. I have my fair share of endurance events around the world, but IMNZ 2011 ranks up there (finger points to sky) as one of the most brutal and miserable ones. It was a race that tested, stretched, and almost snapped my limits. A race where I was that oh-so-close (eyes narrow to a slit) to giving up or getting cut off, but miraculously found the foolhardiness to finish it just in time. A race where, for the week after, I was so mentally drained that I felt no urge to resume running - which is rare for a hyper-bunny like me.

Race Day Morning

It rained the entire night and continued into race day morning. Not a good sign. The weather forecast was for heavy rain and I wondered how that would be, relative to the tropical downpours we have in Singapore. We got up, fed ourselves silly with breakfast and walked to the race site for body marking. I decided to put on my wetsuit in the comfort of the room and as an added insulation against the cold. It was a 10-15min stroll. We had our markings, pumped our bicycle tires and checked in our Special Needs bags. Then we made our way to the swim start. The rain was a heavy drizzle that never stopped.

Swim

Perhaps it was the excitement of the race. Or that I had been walking around in my wetsuit. The water did not feel as cold as I anticipated. I only just waddled into the lake when the canon blasted and the race began. The lake was clear and visibility good. I could see the swimmers around me, and soon many overtook me from behind. I plodded on. Siew Ling was next to me, I could recognize her by her swimming gear. I did not know how many buoys there were in total. They were marked in ascending order, so I just counted and made sure I got to the next buoy and aimed for the next. I managed to swim in a relatively straight course because the buoys were easy to sight. I did not dare to look at my watch and simply looked ahead, secretly hoping that I was not the last. I exited the lake at 1:51h and realised that it was still raining. Yeah! Swim cleared! Supporters were at the swim-exit, happily cheering us on despite the weather. I brisk walked the 500m path to the transition tent.

Bike

The transition tent volunteers yanked the wetsuit off me (thanks!). I dried myself and changed into my cycling gear - an UnderArmour coldgear long-sleeved top, a CWX compression long tights, and an Orca cycling shorts. Then the accessories like gloves, shoes and race belt. I underestimated the weather and did not have any protective gear with me. My running jacket was in my run Special Needs bag! Argh. I stepped out of the transition tent and promptly got drenched.

It was cold and miserable. I struggled through the first 10km of rolling hills. I started shivering from the cold and it got so bad that I had problems controlling my bicycle. The kind of shivering that starts with simply feeling chilly, to involuntary shudders from internally. I thought I might black-out or fall off the bike. I took 1h to cover 20km (what?!) and seriously contemplated giving up the race. At that speed, there was no way I was going to cover 180km within the cut-off time. I was seriously losing it. But there was no chance to quit. An ambulance zoomed past me, and obviously I did not look like I was in enough trouble for it to stop by me. Cyclists flew by on the opposite side. The pros made it seem to easy. Several of them were in sleeveless tri-suit and I really wondered if they felt cold at all.

I stopped at 20km. There was an aid station across the road and a volunteer ran up to me. I asked if she had a poncho - I was desperate - and bless her, she found one and helped me put it on and tied the loose ends. I psyched myself to continue pedalling, step by step. So there I was, riding in the rain like a crazy woman with a flapping plastic sheet. Friends who saw me on the opposite road later told me that they did a double-take at my ridiculous 'outfit'. I told myself that that could not be worse than attempting a mountain summit in the howling winds. No guide was there to tell me I could not make it or turn me around. If anyone decided to go or quit, it was me alone. So move that butt and keep pedalling!

I thought that I should at least stake it out to the u-turn point and see what 45km looked like. I physically stopped at every aid station and ate a chocolate bar. Bananas could not generate enough body heat like the chocs did. Then I filled my aero-bottle with coke, and it was coke-choc-coke-choc all the way. I lost count of the number of choc bars I took. And for a person who does not take soft-drinks, I must have filled my year's quota of coke!

Miraculously I made it to the u-turn. Then I thought that I should at least get back to the starting point if I wanted to quit, or be stranded in the middle of nowhere with the grazing cows. Meanwhile, the rain continued unabated. It sometimes drizzled, sometimes poured and the chilly wind attacked us. I kept my poncho, never mind the (lack of) image. My speed was unglamourously low and I kept making mental calculations of the distance and time remaining. I cleared the first loop, and there was no way one could stop in the city with so many people cheering us on. Just as madly as the athletes. It was admirable, the supporters.

So I went on my second loop even as many riders completed their bike leg. The pain of the slopes repeated itself. I was panicking now because the prospect of being cut off was very real. My mental calculations refreshed themselves every 10km, counting down the speed I needed to maintain. Girl, keep riding and keep that speed at XX. At one point, I made an erroneous calculation and had a major panic attack, only to realise that I had counted an extra 10km. It was down to that level of granularity and emergency planning. Still, I was on Mission Urgent to make it back to the transition tent. My abductors cramped a few times. In the last 20km, I decided to push my bike up a particular slope for fear of cramps affecting the last segment. I needed those legs to pedal all the way back. I packed my running shoes all the way across a 10h flight and I must use them! I fought against time, never before so intensely, and finally crossed the timing mat at 10:25h, with 5min to spare. 8:15h on the bike. Whew! I knew I was not a strong cyclist, but never expected to be so waylaid. I was the second last to complete the bike leg and it was a hallelujah moment. Almost proud.

Run

It was with great joy that I put on my running shoes. Once I had them on, I knew I would be able to complete the race. I had about 6:30h left and I targeted 6h for the marathon. That would be my longest marathon timing ever. But in a race like today, I realistically only aimed to survive and finish within 17h. Nothing more.

I shuffled those legs. I started with 6.5min pace, not bad I thought. But then slowed to 7min and eventually close to 9min. It was one of those dilemmas where I would love to stroll a little, but risked shivering once I stopped. So I kept moving. The aid stations had cups of salted chips and pretzels and they were way more appetizing than powergels and lemon-lime-anything. I changed my poncho a few times at the aid stations.

10km. 15km. 21km. Friends had completed but I was just on to my second loop. Funny how I never thought of giving up once I was on the run. A marathon? Yeah, bring it on, it was the only thing that kept me in the race thus far. Keep going, hanging on. There was only one thing playing through my mind - shuffle, shuffle, and shuffle. 25km. 30km. 32km. After that it was just counting down every km. Winnie, Lynn and Henry were slightly ahead of me. I hoped not to see and overtake them because it meant that they were walking and we were all cutting it close to the 17h. They did not disappoint and kept their place in front of me.

Finally, round the bend and toward the finishing chute. It was one hell of a race, totally mentally and physically drained. So I think I truly deserved that finishing moment of running in with my hands raised in some sort of a wild victory wave. 16:44:44h. It was so close. The weather put a spoiler in my race and I was not sure if I could make it. IMNZ was really something.

Post-race, we found out that we had a completion rate of 97%! For a race so tough and demanding, it was a marvelous achievement for everyone. Thanks to all for their cheering along the way. :) Congratulations!

Hongkong Marathon 2011

2011-02-21T23:34:00.001+08:00

Ahh, the HK marathon. The year of the Rabbit medal. I was happy to be back in HK for the race. I had taken part every year except for 2010 when I went to Langkawi IM over the same weekend. It was a challenging hilly route, lots of ups and downs over the highways and into the tunnels. It was likewise this year, no letting up on those slopes.

The weather was a lot cooler this year, 13 - 15 degC. It definitely made running much more enjoyable. We gathered at the start line outside Mira Hotel and were flagged off at 6:45am. There was a slight drizzle and it was chilly when the wind blew. I was dressed in a long-sleeved top, 2XU long tights and a thin running jacket. I started off feeling snug and comfortable, and whipped out my jacket hood when it started raining. However, I soon began to warm up. By 6km, I had to stop and remove my jacket. I tied it around my waist and continued. I felt like I went out too fast in the first few kms, and my rhythm was off. So I slowed a little and tried to find my pacing.

I picked up pace after 10km and was on a roll. I took half a banana and the isotonic sports drinks at various counters. I saw the Sharks running ahead of me. This year, we had three Sharks, two of which were female runners. Power! Alas, I had to go to the portaloo at about 32km. That cost me 3 precious minutes. I plodded on, trying to recover the lost time. Another alas! We merged with the 21km runners for the last 15km or so. They meant I had to weave in and out of the human congestion, and I was certainly not pleased. I had managed to keep to a 5:45min/km pace and the crowd slowed me down.

My legs felt relatively strong and fresh, up to about 36km. The last stretch always gave me problems in my previous races - I typically get cramps on the last few slopes, triggered by steady downslope pounding. Argh, careful now. I slowed down to a more than 6min/km pace as I negotiated the last bends and slopes. The last 2km was a flat out through the city streets, shops and supporters. I picked up pace and went as fast as I could towards the finishing line - not that it would make any dent in my timing.

4:13h. Five minutes off my previous HK PB. It was a good run. :)

First 10km - 1:00h
2nd 10km - 56min
3rd 10km - 1:00h
4th 10km - 1:02h
Last 12km - 13min
Total - 4:13h

Run & Core

2011-02-17T23:24:00.002+08:00

Today we did a short run to the Queenstown Stadium, followed by some core exercises, then back to Safra. It was my first time joining in their group core exercises. Not as intense or long as the ones we used to do in Yellowfish Strides class, but it was a nice refresher. We did sets of jumping jacks, push-ups, leg raises, side planks and frontal plank. Fun! The 4km jog back to club was reasonably fast, I enjoyed the higher cadence and pace.

Now it remains to pack my gear and hope not to crash in HK marathon this weekend. :)

Last Long Ride

2011-02-13T14:56:00.002+08:00

Absolutely last long ride, after which the bikes get serviced, cleaned and packed for IMNZ. We cycled from my house to meet with the rest of at Casuarina. Akira joined us too, another super fast rider. Lai Chee came too, hers was sheer power. I was promptly dropped at the word go. I pretty much cycled alone, within sight of Lee and Alber. Once we hit Coastal Road, I did not even see any of them. Argh. So I skipped the B1 pit-stop and continued towards West Coast. Even with the headstart, at the speed I was going, I would reach Mac at about the same time as the rest.

I was trying to figure out how to crank up the speed and put the carbon wheels to good use. It was tough spinning it up to 32kmh, before the wheels took on a life of their own. I experimented along the way, small gear, big gear. I could only up the speed on the heavy front gear, but that meant I would not last the distance in the same gear. Dilemma.

I ate a hotcakes meal, surprised that I was not as starving as last weekend. We headed to Tuas to be slapped by the Tuas-selton winds. Lovely. The headwind was relentless, my speed dropped to the 15-16kmh. Tiring.

Another pit-stop at SPC. 130km. By then, every single bump and vibration on the road was amplified 10x and my butt was tremendously sore. Some cyclists went off to West Coast and back. Alber and I decided to follow WH, H and Lee to NTU and return from Brickland Road. Distance: 155km.

Love Miles in the Trail

2011-02-12T22:10:00.002+08:00

Some people call them junk miles. To me, junk miles are only junk if one is following a training plan towards some race targets. Not when one spontaneously sneak a rendezvous with those trusty running shoes and head out for a quickie. I call them love miles.

The idea was to do my long run at MR this morning. Obviously I woke up late and had to rush back for a noon appointment. So I ended up running 1x complete loop, and 1x Northern trail loop. It was a nice morning, the trails would never feel as hot as running on the roads. I lost a lot of my speed, my legs were not used to a higher cadence nor my heart comfortable with pumping hard. But I enjoyed the run, no pressure. Well ok, technically I was supposed to be training for HK marathon next week, but it was too late to do anything useful. So heck, I would just run along happily and hope not to collapse along the way or something embarrassing.

I was rather looking forward to 6-March, the day after IMNZ. Happy to not have to do long swims and long rides thereafter. Happy to just be reunited with my shoes. No more swim-bike-run. Going back to plain vanilla run-run-run. :)

Running is a great way to de-stress

2011-02-10T23:03:00.000+08:00

Work had been hectic. Very hectic. I missed a couple of swim/ run sessions and my mileage had basically dropped a lot in the past weeks. I would turn up at runs totally stressed and strung. But there is something in a run that makes one relax and not think about work. The mind tunes out the world and just chills.

That would be me tonight. I showed up for run late. By the time I started, I was still thinking about work. But I just ran and ran and slowly, the tension eased off.

Met TCM at Safra and he mentioned going on a climb. Ahha! I perked up immediately. :)

Drenched Splish Splash

2011-02-08T23:24:00.002+08:00

Dark clouds were threatening to open up on us during the run. We were running through Canterbury towards Kent Ridge Park when the rain came pouring down. It started with a drizzle and progressively became a downpour. All of us were drenched and we cut short one loop in the park. My shirt was hanging heavy from the wetness and my shoes splished splashed sloshed their way on the tarmac. By the time we reached the club, however, the rain had stopped. Ahh oh well.

Quickie Run

2011-02-06T18:50:00.002+08:00

There was sea swim this morning, which I skipped. Had a great plan to do a long run, but got derailed. In the end, I did not want to sit around the house or defer my run, so I just went. Pulled on my trusty GTs and headed out. It was the 3rd time this week that I was running around the Clementi canal PCN and Jurong Jln Kechil route. It was about 10 - 11km depending on where I turned back.

Junk miles are junk only when one is following a training plan. They are not junk when I steal 1-2h for a spontaneous rendezvous with my running shoes. :)

Back just in time for my open-house party.

Mega Mega Ride

2011-02-05T17:35:00.003+08:00

I finally clocked a super long ride today, to ease my panicking mind over the impending IMNZ. We started from my house at 5am and rode the 15km to Casuarina to meet with the guys. We had 7 riders this morning - us, Melvin, Gary, Henry, WH, Lee, Eddie and May. All strong riders, I would definitely be dropped. It was a round-island ride, going along the usual Hougang - Tampines - Loyang - Coastal Road. The front guys had disappeared and there was no difference from me doing my weekend rides alone. As usual, my engine refused to kick-start before dawn. Even though I had a peanut butter cheese sandwich, I felt my energy sapping away. By the time we got to B1 (approx 60km) , I was flat. Anyway, that did not matter since I was the slowest and last rider.

Persevere! About 20+ km more to West Coast Mac for a much-needed breakfast. There were several big trucks and long trailers along the West Coast Highway. Traffic was relatively light so they were going very fast. Although they were typically 1 lane away from me (them being in the middle lane), I could clearly feel their draft each time they sped past. My new deep-section wheels caught the wind especially well. Wobble. Finally we reached Mac! Double-fortune-fillet-o-fish, iced-milo and hash brown! :)

Continuing on, we rode to Tuas. The guys brought me to a new extension. We nicknamed it Tuas-selton because it totally resembled the race route in Busselton. Flat, fast, but with strong head and cross winds at some sections. The roads were newly paved and the ride was smooth. There was a stretch without any wind and my wheels gained speed. 37kmh. I was stunned and took a double look to re-check. No mistake. Wow! (Coming from someone who plods along at 27kmh) I slowed down to 32kmh and picked up speed. It steadily and quickly increased... 35... 36... 37... Impressed! Finally, that must be the effect of the carbon wheels. I was initially thinking that I was not strong enough for them and that maybe I should switch back to normal lightweight wheels. The fun ended too soon and suddenly I was hit by a crosswind after a right turn. I could literally feel my bike going sideways, and I had to lean my weight to one side to counter it.

We took another pit stop at SPC along Jln Buroh. 130km. The last segment was to NTU and Neo Tiew before heading home. I managed to do the climb in NTU, and seeing the meter go from 10kmh to 9.9kmh to 9.0kmh,... and still pedaling on. Pant. And then I did not dare to go down the other side so I held on to both my brakes and slowly rolled down. Panic. By the time I got to the Lim Chu Kang cemetery stretch, I was really bored. My legs were just rolling as long as my bike was moving, with no care for speed. 20kmh. Don't care. Just roll. Finishing off at the Kranji junction, we bade farewell and Alber and I continued home instead of going back to Casaurina.

Our usual coffeeshop along Upp Bt Timah Rd was open for business, so we stopped for fresh iced lemon tea and lunch. Getting back onto my bike after that was literally a pain, my butt bones were sore rubbing against the saddle. It was like stopping for a sleep after a 50km run, and trying to restart. Ouch.

Finally made it home. Total 173km. Well ok, we had multiple stops along the way, but I would not have been able to complete the distance otherwise. Could not imagine running 42km after that. Ouch.

Melting Run to Mandai

2011-02-04T17:22:00.000+08:00

It was really tough running under the sweltering heat. We started at 230pm, from my house towards Mandai. It was my usual cycling route, but the road felt so different on the run vs bike. I noticed more things and details than I did while riding.

After 40min, the heat got to me. It was really depressing and mental to continue the run, but I had to at least make it to the Shell station to top up my water. I strolled a little and ran a little. Thankfully, the cloud cover drifted over and the weather cooled a little. We managed to run up a section of the Mandai slope before turning back. A pit-stop at Esso after Linear offered a great respite. Ice-cold Minute Maid juice! Alas the weather was erratic and we ran into a drizzle near home. So from burning sun to being drenched. Oh my. Total distance 23-24km.

I was more interested in running along Mandai to Seletar Reservoir actually. The rolling slopes resembled the HK marathon route and made for good training. Just like cycling. But that meant I would have to drive to somewhere along Mandai to start the run. Hmmm, that would take some planning.

CNY Bunny Run

2011-02-03T17:18:00.001+08:00

Glorious sunshine today. I took advantage of the good weather to squeeze in a run in between visits. Basically it was the same route as yesterday, minus the park extension to Ghim Moh, but in a much hotter weather. Distance was about 11.something km. My first run in the Year of the Rabbit. :)

Back to visiting...

Finally, a run!

2011-02-02T21:50:00.001+08:00

Days of pouring showers - the last weekend count was almost 60h non-stop! - have messed up everyone's training plans. My long runs and rides were cancelled over the weekend and I was missing them.

Thankfully, the sun shone through today. It is the eve of the lunar new year, the highlight being the traditional reunion dinner. But I had a 2h slot in between cleaning up my room and the dinner, and I made a beeline for my running shoes immediately.

Alas, my GTs were not with me and I had to make do with the DS-Trainers (not my ideal shoes). I ran from house to the Ulu Pandan canal park connector, and covered the canal end-to-end. Then I headed back along Ngee Ann Poly, Jln Jurong Kechil and Bt Batok East Ave 6. Estimated distance was 15km? There were several runners and cyclists along the way. I guess everyone was happy to be back in the outdoors after the torrential washouts.

Very pleased that I was finally able to be out running. :)

Paying Respect to MF

2011-01-25T23:41:00.002+08:00

My first run up the MF slope tonight. 10km route. It took me almost 45min to warm up and barely made it up the Kg Bahru slope. And by the time my legs found their rhythm, the run was finishing. Fab... I think I need more hill runs and mileage to get in shape for the HK marathon 3 weeks away. *gosh*

Low-Sugar on Carbon Wheels

2011-01-23T21:41:00.001+08:00

I tried out my new carbon wheels today. I was suppose to ride with Henry and WH but I totally overslept. Oops. Alber had class and could not ride with me today. So I ended up cycling alone. I was a little hesitant because friends told me that a deep-section wheel catches more wind and is more wobbly. The brakes also take a little bit longer to be seasoned since carbon is 'slippery'. Great....

I headed for the only familiar route that I knew - Mandai. My aim was to complete 5 loops. The wheels were smooth and nice. Except that they were nice only above 30kmh. They picked up speed easily after that, but then I don't normally cruise at 30kmh so I did not benefit much from that. Uphill battle, downhill breeze. In fact the downs gathered speed so quickly, I was a little scared. The wheels had a nice zzzzzng sound when they free-wheeled. Ahhh... but that also meant I slacked off a lot. Oops. Ok, it's the rider's problem, not the wheels. My bike handling skill was not ace. And if the engine doesn't whoosh and zoom, the wheels couldn't whoosh and zoom....

The first three rounds were ok, but I started to feel hungry. Just as I pulled into the bus stop near Shell for a cereal bar, it started to drizzle. But it was a passing shower that stopped in 10 minutes. I only had one cereal bar, which was a mistake.

My fourth round was better, boosted by the cereal bar. I ambitiously thought perhaps I could complete 6 rounds. I saw Henry and Lucille jogging near the Mandai PCN. Wow, brick training, power!

Then trouble struck. I headed for the 5th round and just 6km after, I started to feel low sugar. Extremely low sugar. I felt cold, light-headed and could just go at a sustenance pace. I could feel the body shutting down, as if it was trying to conserve what little energy there was left. I had to fight to stay awake, and alert. To the extent that I stopped at the pedestrian path at the Woodlands-Mandai junction and stoned out for a while to recover.

I contemplated taking a cab home, but figured I should be able to last until the coffeeshop enroute home. So I skipped the rest of the loop and u-turned at the Crematorium junction and headed back. It was a lot of cruising and free-wheeling. I had another pit-stop at Shell, and recomposed myself for the last 5km to the coffeeshop.

That 5km never felt harder or longer. I had to stay focused and not drift off. Once at the coffeeshop, I polished off an iced milo, an iced lemon tea and a pau. It was another 5km home. Whew. Next time, I would bring more food on the ride.

New Wheels!

2011-01-22T20:40:00.002+08:00

My first set of racing wheels - the Reynolds Assault. Ahhhh......

It was a decent set of carbon deep-section wheels. Friends had recommended them to me. So on a nice sunny afternoon, we all turned up at Cycleworkz,.... to buy wheels and gear! Or simply to gather and socialize. Between the 7-8 of us, we bought 3 sets of new wheels. :)

I shall try them out tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to get used to them and not fall off.

Happy Trails

2011-01-22T20:27:00.002+08:00

My first trail run of the year. Happy happy trails. :) Until I discovered new cement steps inside the trail, horrors! I hope NParks doesn't keep 'repairing' the trail until it becomes a fake, sculptured trail.

My hamstrings were extremely tight. I don't feel the pull when I walk, only when I run. And my back, tensed ramrod. It had been a long and tiring week at work, little sleep, too much computer and mouse time that my right shoulder ached. Well ok, I was sore everywhere.

So my run was really really slow. I saw a number of friends in the trail while I shuffled along. Luckily I was still able to complete two rounds. Whew. Time for a massage!

Nice Long Run

2011-01-20T23:15:00.002+08:00

I had a whole day of workshop facilitation today, so it was nice to be having a long run in the evening for the mind to tune out and reflect. We did the 14km Portsdown - MOE - Alexandra route. I was late and ran with Alber. It was an easy slow run, not that I was capable of anything faster either. We did not see any of the other runners until Depot Rd and nearing Safra.

I relished the time alone to think to myself. I had another workshop coming up and was cracking my brain on how to design it. The run was a perfect opportunity to mull over possible ideas.

A great session at work today, followed by a nice long run, that triggered more ideas for the upcoming workshop. Ended off with an entire plate of nai-bai (vegetables) all to myself! Ahh total bliss. :)

12km Only. 30km More

2011-01-18T23:12:00.002+08:00

My first proper run since I got back. 12km full of upslopes.
(1) the zig-zag hort park route to kent ridge park
(2) south buona vista road
(3) kent ridge park

Obviously I was totally unconditioned for the run/ slopes. My knee ached a little and by the end of the run, my right toes were cramping.

My gosh, so cmi... and 30km more to a full marathon. I am so gone...

Wetsuit for a Cold Day

2011-01-17T23:00:00.000+08:00

It took me ten minutes to tug on my wetsuit, and I was already late for class to begin with. But it was a good evening to try out my newly bought wetsuit, because it was so cold after the rain. It was my first time swimming in the wetsuit. It was an Orca Sonar (mid-level), a third-hand piece and already seasoned after a few races. Last IMWA, I rented an Orca Equip (entry-level) and it fitted me ok. So I decided to get the Sonar when the opportunity arose as I knew the owners before me.

I could feel the water enter my back when I got into the pool. Was it suppose to? Then some water crept in through my sleeves too, but not much. W had the same problem too apparently. Perhaps we were not bulky enough to fill up the wetsuit snugly.

8x 50 easy swim - 1:12, 1:13, 1:09, 1:09, 1:09, 1:11, 1:14, 1:07

8x 100 @ 2:45 - 2:19, 2:23, 2:27, 2:20, 2:23, 2:21, 2:25, 2:23, 2:26
(by which time I started to feel the heat in the wetsuit)

Supposedly 10x 50 @ 1:05 - kidding??
1:16, 1:13, 1:07, 1:14, 1:20, 1:21 (skipped last 2 sets)
(felt the drag and heaviness now)

First Ride of the Year

2011-01-16T22:50:00.004+08:00

It was my first ride of the year. We met at Mandai to do loops. The target was 5 rounds. Note - target. My legs and butt were certainly not conditioned for the bike. I was going slow, oh so slowly, but still the fatigue set in quickly.

1st loop - long and boring, but ok.
2nd loop - lactic setting in.
3rd loop - why am I doing this??

And then the guys stopped! They had started earlier and had completed an additional loop. Well ok, my quads were tired and I was mostly cruising by that time. So we went for lunch instead.

It was a pain to get back onto the saddle after lunch. There was 5km to home, and I almost cramped. Great, CMI.... Could not feel my butt nor legs. 180km in 7 weeks... omg!

Lane 0 To Myself

2011-01-13T23:11:00.000+08:00

I had an entire Lane 0 all to myself today. I was so slow and there was an unused lane so I was demoted there. Which was fine by me, I could go slowly at my own pace. Getting back into the rhythm of things.

We did many many sets of 50m drills with pull-buoys. Then we swam 100ms throughout the night.

6x 100m @ 3min - 2:39, 2:++, 2:55, 2:51, 3:01, 2:56
Repeat - 2:48, 2:53, 2:56, 2:54, 2:58, 2:56
Then to draft the people in Lane 1 - 2:20, 2:15

Sputtering Swim & Run

2011-01-11T22:47:00.000+08:00

Home finally! It was a long long time away, I was eager to resume my training routine..... if I still remembered how to swim, bike or run.

First test, swim. 20 laps at Safra. My arms started to feel heavy after only 10 laps. Oops.

Second test, run. Alber and I did a short run around Canterbury and we did the inner loop twice. It was a jog at conversational pace. Survived.

An Adventurous 2010

2011-01-09T01:50:00.011+08:00

One week into 2011 and I am trying to recall the highlights of 2010. We had welcomed 2010 with a house party with good friends and training kakis. Those were folks who saw me dripping wet from inelegant swims, sweaty from my clumsy rides, who heard me grumble and swear on the run, and in all degrees of unglam race situations. Those friends never gave up on me, and cheered me on during races. We toasted farewell to 2009 and popped crackers on New Year's Day.

2010 was a year of travels and races, crowned by a long mountaineering expedition to Argentina. I am thankful that I had my health, fitness and mobility to pursue the extreme sports that I love. I continued my 'tradition' of having some race or event each month. It was not intentional, but I just could not sit still without some adventure or distraction.

I started the year teaming up with KC for the Safra Avventure Race. We had a bad puncture that cost us much time, but it was good fun. Once again I thought seriously about getting a mountain bike, but never got to doing it.

Then I plunged into more swim, bike and run than I ever did before. I tackled my second Ironman in February. It was the last IM Langkawi, touted to be the hottest race in the series. Many athletes suffered at the lack of water and soaring temperatures. I was glad to complete the race and earn my finisher tee.

I did more trackwork and intervals, but IM had introduced a new concept of slowness. My speed plummeted from all the ultra distances and endurance races that I did. March saw the inaugural 218km NTU Run Round Singapore. I offered to pace Melvin for a short segment, which eventually turned out to be 60km. Totally unplanned, but I had great fun and was inspired.

In April, I gamely joined friends for the 6.5km Kapas Marang Swim. The maximum distance I ever covered in the open sea was 3.8km, and only because of Ironman races. I swam half and finished the distance on the police jet ski. It was amazing to see people who can swim fast like fish in the open waters.

Back on the roads, I paced Alber for one round (42km) of his Sundown 84km Ultra Marathon. I was not conditioned for long distance road running and cycled the second run, dishing out drinks and food. It was interesting to be a supporter instead. No pressure, just enjoying myself and the atmostphere.

I spent a good part of June in Scandinavia, soaking in MidSummer Night and the never-ending summer "days". Serendipitously, I visited Pat in her new home in Norway and learnt much more about her than I ever did when we were training in Singapore. I had hoped to join a race in Scandinavia, but summer races were so popular they were sold out almost a year in advance! I was almost up for a St. Petersburg Marathon but pulled out at the last minute. There was a little tinge of regret but I am sure I would have the chance to run other interesting races in the future.

Fresh from the trip, we headed for Port Dickson OD Triathlon. Short, fast races were not my cup of tea, but the convoy drive up to Malaysia and road trip made up for the bad timings. Races were just an excuse to get together.

Unfortunately, good things do not last long. I battled lower back and ITB problems soon after the race. I must have overused the muscles. That meant a lull of two months in August and September, while I spent an inordinate amount of time and money on treatments, with an eye to recover for my next key race. It was a jittery and trying period. My mood went on a lull as well as I diligently did all my stretching and strengthening as instructed by my physios.

In September, I decided to add stairs climbing to my training routine. I had an expedition to Mt Aconcagua at the end of the year and figured I should start training for it. It was somewhat opportune with my injury because stairs was low-impact and did not seem to induce much pain.

By October, I managed to recover enough to run somewhat pain-free. It was mentally agonizing and I tested my recovery at the Desaru long-distance triathlon. It was another road trip with training kakis, and I had no expectations except to complete the race. Thankfully I did. My "ace race" was the TNF 100 Duo and I wanted to defend my podium position from last year. I had an excellent partner in Lai Chee and we came in first. I was ecstatic, my very first "Champion" trophy!

I took a short break to go rock climbing in Krabi with Alber, before resuming my training for my climbing expedition. We then made our annual trip in November to Powerman Malaysia to battle the hot weather for a gruelling long distance duathlon.

Amidst my triathlon trainings, my focus shifted from local races to my Mt Aconcagua expedition in December. But there was one last race for the year, the Singapore Marathon. Totally unprepared for it, but I had a free slot two weeks before the event and took the chance to slowly burn some tarmac.

The marathon somewhat calmed my nerves. I was all too anxious and apprehensive over my climb a few days away. It was a bold decision, to venture to Argentina alone for a month. It was a mountain that I trained for, and a region that I had never been to. I was too long out of the mountains and the thought fascinated me. No Singaporean female climber had scaled Aconcagua and I wondered if I would be the first.

I made a short acclimatization climb to Mt Vallecitos and readied myself for Aconcagua. Alas, planning for expedition dates and timing the summit weather was like trying to strike lottery on hindsight. I did not summit the mountain, coming 400m short of the peak. I was really disappointed, but every climb teaches us something useful for the next expedition. I surprised myself with each successful ferrying to higher altitudes, with pack weights that I never imagined I would carry. There was some solace in that.

I ended 2010 and began 2011 in the mountains. I only hope that 2011 will be as fruitful and eventful (minus the injuries) as before. I am certainly looking forward to more exciting adventures. I had a list of activities that I would love to attempt in this lifetime. Maybe I might frame it up as a constant reminder to myself:

- Mt Denali in Alaska
- Mt Vinson in Antartica
- Run a polar marathon (basically visit the N and S Poles)
- Trek & pull snow sled across Antartica
- High altitude trail ultra-marathon
- Mt Elbrus in Russia
- Mt Everest.....

In the meanwhile, there are some races already lined up for 2011. But what I really eagerly look forward to, is my impending flight home in 18h. Can't wait! :)

Mt Aconcagua Climb

2011-01-03T06:19:00.020+08:00

Pictures:
Album 1 - Start to Base Camp
Album 2 - High Camp 1 to Summit Day
Album 3 - Post-Summit

It is not possible to record all the events in the past 20 climbing days in a single blog entry. Should I note down the factual bits, when we did what, numbers and how? Should I focus on the summit day in particular, or a theme perhaps like food? It was a long climb. Tiring. I had lines and ideas flowing through my mind on the many long treks, but now that I am comfortable in my Hyatt room, where do I even start?

Chronological Events -

16-Dec: We had 3 guides and 11 clients. We got our permits and drove 4-5h from Mendoza (800m) to Penitentes (2400m). We stayed at a nice ski hotel with hot shower. We organized and weighed our duffel bags for the mules, and had a good steak dinner. I had my last ice-cream for the year 2010!

17-Dec: We did a slow and easy trek from 11am to 5pm (with hourly breaks), going from 2400m to 2800m. The route followed along the river. We carried only our jackets and food. The approach was very windy but hot and dry. We reached Pampa de Lanas campsite and pitched our own tents. We were expected to do so at each campsite. We had a traditional Argentinian meat BBQ dinner, cooked by the mule drivers. It was my best steak ever, succulent, juicy with crispy skin. Ooooh...

18-Dec: Breakfast was scrambled egg. Then we broke tents and set off at 1030am. There was a short bridge crossing along the way. It was very windy along the way and anything that was not secured got blown away. We arrived at the next campsite at 5pm, 3200m. We had some tea and snacks. The guides made us avocado & salad with bread. Then dinner, which was typically some pasta or carbs of sorts.

19-Dec: Basecamp: River-crossing day! Not exactly because it was a dry season and the "river" had shrunk by two-thirds. What was left was a few metres of cold water about calf deep. We chose not to bother with changing and carrying wet shoes, and got a mule driver to ferry us across, one-by-one. We started at 915am and stopped at 2pm for a picnic lunch. I totally over-ate. The subsequent trek to our Basecamp (BC) Plaza Argentina was an absolute chore. We arrived at 330pm, 4200m. The BC was a luxury. We had a big dining tent with tables, chairs and laid out cutlery. Juice, nuts and snacks were prepared for us. There was a huge tent by Daniel Lopez that offered B&B service, internet, phone and so on. A hot shower cost USD20! We had shepard's pie for dinner and cake for dessert. Bliss.

20-Dec: It was a rest day at BC. Food was amazingly good, we were very well taken care of by two young Spanish ladies who manned the kitchen tent. It was fully equipped with a giant oven and all sorts of culinary contraceptions. After an idle breakfast, we went to the medical tent to be checked by the BC doctor. Everyone had to be measured and 'approved' by him. Readings: O2=84, pulse=90, BP=110/80. Lunch was a sumptuous grilled chicken thigh and vegetables. I cleaned off the meat to bare bones. Then our guides handed out snack packs and briefed us on the ferrying routine for the next days and what to pack.

21-Dec: It was our first ferry/ carry attempt. Above BC, we started wearing our plastic boots all the way. The idea was to bring some personal gear up for storage at HighCamp 1. Some of our climbers chose to engage personal porters. I prepared my pack, it was 17kg. My new Osprey Ariel 75 was put to good use, it dwarfed me. We left at 1030am and arrived at HC1 at 340pm, 4900m. It was a tough terrain, with lots of loose scree along the way. We deposited our gear and headed back to BC. The descent took about 3h. It was a long day, and some of our climbers felt sick from the altitude. Oxymeter reading: 80 (O2)/ 95 (pulse).

22-Dec: Another rest day at BC, much appreciated. One of our climbers, Martin, decided to stop the climb. But before he left, he kindly shared his satellite phone minutes with everyone, as an early xmas present. Awww.... I managed a call back to Singapore. And also rewarded myself with a hot shower. My hair was feeling yucky and starting to itch by that point and it was irritating to sleep on them. The shower was a great investment, I felt so clean and refreshed after that! It was grooming time, helped by the very hot day at BC today. Everything was pulled out of the tent to be aired in the sun. We had lasagne for lunch, and an awesome steak for dinner. Oxy-reading: 85/90.

23-Dec: HighCamp 1: Today we move from BC to HC1, leaving behind the comfort and fine dining. My pack was 14kg. We left at 1030am and arrived at 330pm to super-duper heavy winds. It was a challenge setting up our tents. Everything was flapping and rattling away. We could not do much but lied in our tents and waited out the weather. Underneath the shelter, we could hear our tent poles rattling viciously in the wind. I went outside to pee and nearly got blown off balance by the sudden gusts of wind. One of our climbers was diagnosed with HAPE by a doctor who was at the campsite. He ordered her to descend immediately and a guide went with her. It was a sad moment for the expedition.

24-Dec: We did a carry/ ferry to HC2 at 5300m. It took us 4h from 11am to 3pm. We had to cross a col, and did a short section on ice using crampons. I took some group gear and my pack was 15kg. It was not as tough a carry compared to BC-HC1. We left our gear and returned to HC1 by 5pm. I used the infamous 'grey shit bag' for the first time. Climbers in Aconcagua were expected to carry all litter out, including poo. So each of us were issued bags to collect them. It was 'challenging', I squatted over the bag until I almost cramped. It was Xmas eve and we had pasta with choc chip xmas bread. The guides gave us an Aconcagua collar pin each as present. One climber, Christina, had some xmas songs on her iTouch. Everyone was in a festive mood. Another group of climbers had xmas tinsels and bells on their tents.

25-Dec: It was a rest day for us at HC1. It was also Xmas Day. We woke up to find 2 gold chocolate coins outside our tents. I think one of our climbers left them there because the coins had Fort Knox and US Quarter imprints. It was a nice gesture. It was a hot day, no more winds. But it was hard to kill time because we had left all our books in BC. There was absolutely nothing to do but sit around. There was a limit to how often one can trim those nails, clean one's face and do more grooming. Oxy-reading: 79/94.

26-Dec: HighCamp 2: We moved from HC1 to HC2 at 5300m today. It took us 5h from 10am to 2pm, longer than the previous carry. I had 18kg on me today - whew! my heaviest ever. It was more than one-third my body weight. I had half my tent, and my tent-mate, Brett, took the other half. It was indeed energy sapping, I felt like a porter. Each porter in Aconcagua is limited to 20kg of carry. Oxy-reading: 79/84.

27-Dec: We continued our carry to HC3 in the morning. I had a light pack, perhaps 12kg. But it was cold and snowy. I felt the cuts of the snow and wind across my face, and visibility was low. Everything was shrouded in white. It was a tough trek because of the weather. We took 3h from 11am to 2pm to reach 5800m, and just 1h to return to HC2. Oxy-reading: 72/89.

28-Dec: Rest day at HC2, another day of doing nothing and trying to stay sane. Some of the girls played game using soil and stones. The weather was ok so we had lunch outside in the open. Oxy-reading: 71/97.

29-Dec: HighCamp 3: We move to HC3 today. Yes!! No more waiting around. I was excited because that meant summit attempt would be the next day. HC3 was too high to be 'staying and resting' there unnecessarily. We took slightly less than 4h from 11am to 2:50pm. There was snow but not cold. We set up our tents at 5800m and got organized for summit attempt. Dinner was instant mashed potato with canned tuna. Delicious really at that altitude. We were each given 2L of boiled water for the summit push.

30-Dec: Summit Attempt: I had a restless night and kept looking at my watch. We finally heard the shouts of "Hot Water!" from the guides at about 5am. We reluctantly got up and readied ourselves. There was some wind but not strong. We had to put on all our warm clothings and crampons. I wore a thermal, micro-fleece, down jacket and shell. I put on two pairs of socks and inserted hand-warmers in between them, on the arches of my feet. Then I wrapped on my gaiters and strapped on the crampons. I did not have time for breakfast and took a cereal bar instead. It was cold outside, the warmers did not feel like they worked. I skipped the ones for my hands (a BIG mistake) and put on my glove liners and down mitts. We were told to put 1x nalgene bottle in our down jackets, and another bottle in the backpack. All our food was within access in our shell jackets. By the time we started, it was almost bright and there was no need for headlamps. We set off at 630am.

Barely an hour into the attempt, all except 4 climbers (out of 9) had turned back to the campsite. So it left 4 of us and 3 guides, trudging on. I made good progress in the first 1-2h. But the lack of breakfast soon caught up with me, and I could feel my energy sapping out. I reached for a Clif Bar, but it had frozen in the cold and was impossible to bite off. I sucked on a sweet, but it was insufficient. It was also almost impossible to unwrap the tiny candy in my clumsy mitts. Like a battery draining, by the 4th hour I was quite flat. I managed to get an Quaker cereal bar, and endured. Meanwhile, one of our guides, Maria, had problems with the altitude and chose to descend. She asked if I wanted to go with her, but the thoughts of summit were too tempting. I pressed on with 3 other climbers and 2 guides, but not for long. I was moving extremely slowly and would not have lasted another 8h. There was still another 4h up to cover that last 400+m, and 4h down to HC3.

I turned around with one guide at about 6500m. Sadly. I actually felt quite strong and confident for this climb. According to our guides, it was a tough summit day - it was not as cold nor windy, but there was too much snow which made the trek up very tiring. At many points, the snow was more than calf deep. It took me another 2h to descend to HC3, very slowly. I discovered that 3 fingers on my left hand felt numb and looked discoloured. I think they were mildly frost-bitten. *gasp*! It was my first time encountering frost-bite! Maria gave me some hot noodle soup, which I took in Dawn's & Olya's tent. It was always warm and cosy in there. I was so exhausted that I just lied there and had my first nap of the expedition. In the meanwhile, we waited anxiously for radio updates from the rest of the climbers. They met with some winds and bad incoming weather, and finally turned around at close to 6900m. They were so close to the summit, about 45min - 1h away, but everyone was very drained as well. They took another few hours to descend, totaling a 12h summit attempt. I skipped dinner that night and slept all the way.

31-Dec: Those of us who attempted the summit were still tired. We were supposed to break camp and pack up to go down to Plaza de Mulas (the basecamp of the normal route). I was very slow and unfocused in the morning. The descent took about 4h, and the first hour was through thick snow that was very tiring. I woke up late and did not get breakfast again. That, coupled with the no-dinner last night, meant that I was moving along uninspired and at a subsistence pace. Plaza de Mulas was a HUGE campsite at 4200m, totally commercialized because there were so many groups there, each with their own set of dining support, camping grounds, shower/ toilets and other support facilities. We used the facilities offered by Grajales. It was NY's eve and apparently there would be some bonfire and celebrations around the campsite. But I was too tired. Dawn and I were given two free bunk beds in one of the B&B tents, we promptly fell asleep. The rest of our team was snuggled together in the big dining tent.

1-Jan-2010: The first day of the year!! But we were to spend 8h walking on a dried river bed and trekking through an endless valley to get to Penitentes. It was utterly boring because after 2h, the surrounding sights seemed the same. Just a long never-ending walk with no end in sight. We stopped a few times for very quick drinks and plodded on. Everyone was stretched (mentally) by the trek out. It was not tough, given that we were dropping altitude. It was just too long. We finally got to the Park entrance and waited for our van, and arrived at Penitentes close to 8pm. Whew! That marked the end of our Aconcagua expedition - the physically demanding segment was over, almost too soon. We all headed for a well-deserved hot shower.

Start of Expedition

2010-12-16T22:46:00.003+08:00

Pictures

Today we set off and leave Mendoza to go to Penitentes. In the morning, we went to the permit and tourist offices to get our climbing permits. This being the high season, it was an astonishing AR3000 = USD757 = SGD1000!! *breathless* We got the "Ascent/ Climbing Permit" as opposed to the rest of the short/ long trekking permits. Those who needed last minute gear rental etc went off to settle our last errands. We have a doctor on board this expedition, so that was good. I hope he stays with us throughout the climb.

We would be setting off on the 3.5h drive to Penitentes, where we would stay a night, organize our duffels for the mules, and start our approach trek towards Base Camp tomorrow. The approach to Base Camp at Plaza Argentina (4200m) would take approximately 3 days. Our tentative climbing itinerary is dynamic and would change depending on the weather and climbers' conditions. Our guides will also be sending dispatches to the expedition coordinator in the city, who will upload it on the company's website.

May we get good weather and a safe climb. :)

Til I am back next year.
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!!

To track us:
Climb itinerary
Progress dispatches
(15 Dec season)

Expedition Meetup - Last Day in Mendoza

2010-12-16T03:09:00.003+08:00

Today is the day my expedition team meets in the Hyatt Hotel. This is the most expensive and possibly the only 5-star hotel in Mendoza, a grand structure overlooking the Plaza Independencia. I have the unenviable task of moving all my duffel and barang from the Monkey Hostel to the Hyatt, half a block away. There was no way I could bring everything across, I needed two trips. In between, I squeezed in a phone call to Singapore and a side trip to the money changer.

The Hyatt lived up to its American heritage, and expensive rates. The difference between a USD30 private hostel room and this USD200 Hyatt room is that the latter gives you a bathroom weighing scale and makes you pay for wifi in the room. Ok, I could have gotten free wifi in the hotel lobby, but I decided to treat myself this little luxury of connecting in the comfort of my room. Afterall, we paid for this huge extravagant bedroom.

The guides from Patagonicas went around checking everyone's gear. And I mean literally, everything. They started from the feet (boots, pants etc) and worked their way up. I had to physically take out and show them each item for approval. Impressive that they take the trouble for each client. Responsible.

My room mate was a girl from DC. She arrived this afternoon but not her duffel. They were stuck in transit at Santiago, and now we anxiously await those bags. Apparently, the guide said it happened often, and typically the missing bags go on the next flight out to Mendoza. Hopefully they will get here by this evening. Not a pleasant experience even if one could claim travel insurance for this. Too traumatising for me, especially since I took a bus from Buenos Aires and not a flight. I could not imagine what might happen if my bags missed my flight. Shudder.

Later in the evening, the team met in the lobby to fill out some paperwork and for an admin briefing. There was a mixed group across ages, but mostly from the USA. Looks were deceiving because many times, people who seemed inexperienced ended up performing superbly in the mountains. After the briefing, we headed for dinner at the same restaurant I went last night. Too much wine and food, I was struggling to stay awake (after last night's meagre 4h of snooze) without seeming rude.

Tomorrow we go to get our climbing permits done. The high season fee was USD757! Man, daylight robbery. :(( Then it's off to Penitentes and the start of our climbing expedition. We can track our status at: http://patagonicas.com/2010-2011-season-dispatches/

Acclimatization Climb - Mt Vallecitos (10 - 14 Dec 2010)

2010-12-15T05:46:00.008+08:00

10 Dec 2010 (Mendoza - Refugio Mausy @ 2900m)

Pictures

I had booked myself for an acclimatization climb from 10 - 14 Dec 2010. I checked out of my hostel and left with my guide on a 2h ride from Mendoza to the mountains. We were in a 4WD and I was happy to leave the hot and dusty city weather behind.

We arrived at Refugio Mausy (2900m) just before noon. It was a cosy wooden lodge in the Cordon del Plata region. It was one of several that dotted the winding road to the mountain. They housed hikers and climbers who were attempting short hikes in the cool weather, or climbing the many peaks there. This region is a favourite amongst climbers who are acclimatizing for Aconcagua. It has similar terrain and weather to Aconcagua, and offers several peaks, each scalable within a few days. We could choose between Cerro Plata (6000m) or Cerro Vallecitos (5500m), both shared the same approach right up to the High Camp. Although in Apu's opinion, it was better to take it easy and climb Vallecitos, because the idea was to acclimatize. It would not be wise to over-stress the body before Aconcagua.

After a lazy sandwich bite, we headed out for a short hike, up to 3200m. I also managed to have a hot shower that afternoon, a luxury in the mountains. :) My guide, Apu, made us dinner that night - stewed steak & potato.

11 Dec 2010 (Refugio Mausy to Camp 1 @ 3600m)

I got up at 9am and got organized. I had arranged for Walter to bring my pack to the first camp. Walter was looking after the Refugio Mausy and could also provide 'porter' services. The concept of porter was certainly different from what we were accustomed to in Nepal. I must admit that Nepal trekking hospitality totally spoilt us all, unmatched in any other parts of the mountaineering world.

We set off at 11am for a slow easy trek to Camp 1. The terrain comprised loose rocks all the way. We passed some greenery and moved to a dry desert like landscape. Camp 1 was at 3600m, and we arrived at 1.30pm (2.5h). Walter passed us along the way, with my much loaded backpack.

Apu & Walter set up the tent. We had some bites of bread, ham and cheese for lunch. It was windy that day, and all my down gear was out. We lazed around in the tent and campsite. I could sleep a lot when I am in the mountains. An afternoon snooze in the sun, with the wind cooling things down sounded promising. Soon, Apu made us dinner - sausages and potato soup!

In the mountains, the summer daylight was from 6am to 845pm. It felt really good to have such long hours of sunshine. I did not have to use my headlamp at all. I did my usual routine of wet wipes and was snug in my sleeping bag by 830pm. It started snowing lightly.

12 Dec 2010 (Camp 1 to High Camp @ 4200m)

It continued snowing throughout the night. I woke up intermittently and heard the spattering of snow on the tent. By morning, we were covered in snow and assaulted by howling winds. The view at 8am outside my tent was not pleasant. The climbers in the other tents were discussing if they should set off or stay put. Walter had arrived with our other supplies. He was meant to carry them up to the High Camp, but with the weather questionable, we told him to leave the things and go back. We arranged to meet him again the next day at 4pm.

Miraculously, the weather cleared up at 10am. Such was the weather in the region. Climbers began to break camp. We now had a problem of how to bring all our gear between Apu and myself. We somehow managed to strap everything - I am so so thankful I bought this Ariel 75L backpack! My pack was not that heavy - perhaps 12 - 15kg? But it was so stuffed, it looked bigger than me.

We set off at 11am and arrived at the high camp at 2:30pm. We were now at 4200m, and the weather was glorious. Bright sunshine and clear skies. There was even some melting snow nearby that we could get water from. I made a bottle of Tang orange juice in my Nalgene bottle. It was a satchet mixed with water. It was my first time trying the drink, but the sweet flavouring at high altitude was welcoming. For dinner, Apu boiled us some cheese ravioli pasta, accompanied by canned tuna. I also had the luxury of hot tea.

13 Dec 2010 (High Camp - Vallecitos Summit @ 5500m - Refugio Mausy)

We woke up at 4am to prepare for the summit. We set off at 5am and were blessed with great weather. There was no wind at all - a huge difference in the mountains - and visibility was good. I was decked in my new Scarpa boots, down jacket, and shell. There was no snow, but the double boots were an insulation against the cold. It was not so extreme that morning, and I did not have to use my down mitts or balaclava. Nonetheless, I carried them in my pack (just in case) together with my water bottle. I was using a stow-able summit pack (a handy Tatonka travel backpack that kept into a tiny pouch in itself, a birthday gift from friends).

There was a residential dog at High Camp that followed us all the way. We also met a pair of Swiss climbers along the way. Or rather, they overtook me. They were also going to Aconcagua two weeks later. The summit of Mt Vallecitos looked so far. The slopes were steep (we were going from 4200 to 5500m!) and I was going very slowly. We finally made it to the summit at 11am, some 6h after setting off. :) The dog included. Wow! Mt Vallecitos was pronounced as "Val-yel-ci-tos". In Espanol, the double-L sounded like a "Yel".

The descent was not easy at all. All the loose rocks meant a lot of sliding and strain on my knees. I took 3h (2pm) just to get back to High Camp. We hurriedly ate something, packed up and rushed to Camp 1. We were supposed to meet Walter at 4pm and most likely not be able to make it. Apu rushed ahead to try and catch Walter. My knees were feeling the strain from all that descent. More loose rocks. I arrived at Refugio Mausy at 630pm. It had been a long long day, almost 13h of trekking.

We wanted to have pizza for dinner - real food. To my surprise, Walter promptly whipped out his pots and started kneading one from scratch! In the meanwhile, I had another hot shower. Ah bliss. The pizza was heavenly too. All in, I paid Walter Ar 580 for the porter and dinner services. Gladly.

I was extremely sleepy by 9pm. My knees were sore, and my right ankle felt wobbly - the result of a loosened boot on loose rocks. Luckily it was ok after some ankle rotation and stretching.

14 Dec 2010 (Refugio Mausy - Mendoza)

There was a bunch of Argentinian youngsters at the Refugio last night. They were on summer vacation and stayed there for a few days, just doing short hikes and enjoying the outing. How nice! Pity we could not do that sort of escapades in Singapore. Looking at the mountains around me, I would have loved to be there and go trail running everyday. Apu said that he ever ran from Refugio Mausy to Mt Plata in 8h. And that in 2006, he ran up Aconcagua in 20h (road to road)! Gosh, I would be happy if I could do that in 20 days!

The drive back to Mendoza was a rude welcoming to the heat and dust. I spent the afternoon updating Alber and my Facebook photos, and just chilling out. I sent my clothes to the laundry and walked around. I managed to order some lunch - sandwich and tea - via sign language. I did not speak a word of Espanol, and most people did not speak English either. I popped by Carrefour to buy more water, tea bags and Tang orange juice satchets. It was extremely well-stocked, I should not have brought so many items from Singapore. Anyway, the heat was just too much, I bailed out after 2h and returned to my hostel. Sitting in the dining area and writing my blog seemed a better idea. Maybe I would go out to get dinner much later - as the locals do.

Finally, Mendoza

2010-12-10T07:56:00.007+08:00

9-Dec-2010 (AR time)

Pictures

Some 30-odd hours after leaving Singapore, I finally arrive at the city of Mendoza. This is the access point to the Andes, but I don't see many trekkers or climbers on the street. I am thankful that my bags and I all made it intact here. The bus ride last night was very decent, the seats are 180-deg-inclined so that I could stretch out fully. Meals & drinks were served on-board the ride. For all that, it was only half the price of an airfare from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. Quite a good deal.

Mendoza is a sleepy city. It is sweltering hot here, summer time. The temperature today was 34degC, almost like in Singapore. But it is very dry, minus the humidity. And dusty. The toilet system here is like China's - one cannot throw paper into the toilet, but into a bin provided. Deja vu.

Everything literally shuts down after lunch, when people take their siestas (not joking). Things come alive again after 5pm, and dinner time is past 8pm. It is still bright now at 8pm. I had gone out much earlier for dinner and the dining places were still empty. I had a non-descript pasta, the cheapest item on the menu. Dining out was not cheap here. Restaurants charge for bottled water and expect tips. Some of the South Am guys here are gorgeous, with their olive-kissed tan bods. Just like in the movies! Ooooh. Good to look at.

I am now back in my hostel room, which is in a mess. Earlier in the day, my guide came by to check my equipment. I am going for an acclimatization climb for the next 5 days to Mt Plata (abt 6,000m) or Mt Vallecitos (5,500m). Then I come back to Mendoza next week and wait for my Aconcagua team to arrive. My guide is Peruvian and have been guiding for about 10 years. He sounded experienced, and I should be in good hands. He took me to a few gear shops to look for down mitts. I eventually rented a pair as he insisted that they were necessary for Aconcagua.

Singapore is 11h ahead of Argentina, and my body clock is confused after all that flying and transits. But the good thing from that is that I could sleep anywhere, anytime and not having much problem with jet lag.

The Journey Begins - Argentina

2010-12-08T14:35:00.003+08:00

Leaving was tough. I hadn't count on that. I certainly didn't think of that when I made my bookings and plans for the climb. The thought of being away for 1 month already got me missing everything. It must be age. 5years ago, I would have gladly jumped on any flight that took me far and long. I was apprehensive, and for all that uncertainty in the planning, I was glad I took SQ. Leaving wasn't easy, but SQ made it more bearable. Something reliable that I was familiar with. I realised that I was more nervous than going for an IM race. That would ending 17h. This would be 25 days of non-stop adventure. Very different from a triathlon for sure, too many elements outside of our control.

I managed to sleep 7h on a flight of 10.5h. Decent! The flight was not full and I could lie across three seats and snooze. There was a moment as we descended to Johannesburg when the plane was flying at 6,700m. A sudden reality spank when I realised that I was trying to climb above this plane?! Aconcagua stands at 6,900+m. Gosh!

I'm now in transit in Johannesburg. I hope my bags made it onto the plane too. I had an enormous giant duffel at 20kg, and a smaller one at 8.5kg. Putting everything into one bag would have made it impossible to lug it. I wonder how I would manage them when I arrive in Buenos Aires, but I would leave the worrying to 12h later. My next flight is 11h. I have not flown South African Airways before, I hope it goes well.

The journey has started. I was told by friends that no Singaporean female climber has summitted Aconcagua. Really? I found that hard to believe. Let's see how my climb goes. At the very least, I will be back with new lungs. :)

Run to Calm My Nerves

2010-12-07T22:31:00.001+08:00

I will be flying off tonight in the wee hours. My flight is 2:30am. Earlier in the day, there was a little emo moment where I got all sentimental in the car. Thank goodness for sunshades to shield the eyes, so unglam, cmi! So a short recovery run was in good order. Something familiar, comforting. Something to calm my nerves and distract me and keep me occupied before I go.

Singapore Marathon 2010

2010-12-05T21:20:00.001+08:00

I got a bib just 2 weeks before the race. Alber and I did not sign up nor plan to run this year, but many people were giving up their slots at the last minute. So we accepted the opportunity and took part in the race. Neither of us had trained for this at all. The last long run we did was TNF 50km on trail. Then it was 21km max at Powerman. So this marathon would be our first training run, well, for the marathon itself. *grin*

The marathon had a new format this year. The three categories - 10km, 21km, and 42km - had different start points and times. The 42km full marathon was flagged off at Orchard Road, amidst the xmas lightups at the malls. Rather beautiful. I was reminded of the HongKong marathon that begins along Nathan Road each year. The atmosphere was fun too, I was enjoying myself.

I had no expectations for the run, just to soak in the crowd, a training on a Sunday morning, and burn some calories. Hmmm, in that case, should I seek to run longer and burn more?

My first 10km was right on a 6min pace. 59min. --> 4h.
But with every 10km, my race completion time was extended by another 15min.
21km - 2:06h, still ok, and sharply deteoriated thereafter.
30km - 3:13h.
37km - stuck at the human congestion on the Republic Ave ECP where all the categories merged, and majority of the 10km participants were strolling, blocking the way.
Final - 4:47h

But then again, this was first full marathon in almost 2 years. I have not done a proper 42km race since HK in Feb 2009. Wow! The race support this year was great, water and muscle rub were in plentiful supply. I stopped many times to drink (for once I did not hold my bottle) and smear myself with Tiger rub. I felt like an xmas turkey being smeared and marinated all over!

When a person expands his/ her horizons, and when life does not simply revolve around 1 race, it is much easier not to get overly attached to the event. Race done. Moving on to my climb. :)

Last Stairs

2010-12-01T23:46:00.002+08:00

Absolutely my last stairs training before I leave for my climb. The pack gets dried and emptied and well, packed.

But my legs were so tired, it was literally a drag. I pulled through 6 sets and quit. It was my shortest ever training, but what the heck, it was my last. By this time, it would not have made any difference if I did more or less sets.

9:16min, 9:08, 9:42, 10:02, 10:34, 10:39

Gone case.

Fingers crossed for a good climb.

Planning an Aconcagua Expedition

2010-11-30T13:30:00.001+08:00

I had been planning for my Aconcagua expedition since the start of this year. However, I was very undecided about the climb, paid a deposit, still indecisive, and only committed a few months prior to the trip when we had to pay the balance. And that began a series of last minute scrambles to get myself trained and organized. Oops. Friends had asked about various aspects of my expedition, so I am jotting down my logistics and planning thoughts for future reference.

(To be updated along the way)

Climb

My climbing portion (as it is now being planned) comprises 2 segments: (1) an acclimatization climb to Mt Plata (~6,000m), and (2) the actual Aconcagua climb (6,900m).

Acclimatization Climb

Many climbers do an acclimatization climb prior to attempting Aconcagua. If you have some days ahead to spare, consider signing up for one. There are many easy trekking peaks in the valley near Aconcagua ranging from 4,000+m to 6,000m. Popular acclimatization climbs include Cerro (Mt) Vallecitos (5,538m) and Cerro Plata (6,000m).

I chose to do my acclimatization climb on Cerro Plata with a company called Andes Vertical.

They gave me a low quote of USD800 (+ USD100 for transport) for a private climb, whereas Patagonicas and 7Summits quoted me around USD1500 - 2000+ for a single pax. I am not sure why there is a such a huge discrepancy, and I will find out after my trip. *gasp*

Aconcagua Expedition

The company I am going with for my main Aconcagua is Patagonicas, and we are climbing via the ameghino-valley-upper-guanacos-traverse route. Patagonicas is a Colorado-based climbing company and also operates out of Chile.

I paid USD3,700. They usually have offers for the next season from Feb/ Mar onwards - I signed up very early this year. The non-early-bird rate is currently USD3,900 but I expect this to increase next year because the climbing permit fees for foreigners have just increased substantially. The peak season permits used to be USD500, but was just upped to USD700.

Patagonicas seemed very experienced & professional over the emails, logistics, admin instructions etc. I have also spoken to them over the phone. The lady, Bonnie, manning the office in Colorado was very experienced and organized, and could recognize my name just from the email exchanges when I called her! She was very friendly and helpful. They were not hard-selling. I was indecisive of my trip, so they told me not to rush, and that the mountain would always be there. Then I wanted to switch my dates, and Bonnie highlighted that I would be the only female in my new choice, and advised me to reconsider. I felt like they were thinking of issues from the client's angle, rather than just wanting me to haphazardly commit and pay up. Do email them to ask for quotations.

I know some friends who went with a local company called Grajales a few years ago. It was much cheaper, below USD3,000. But I had problems getting email replies from them, typically a few days after my email. That made it very difficult for me to seek clarifications and advice.

Getting There

See a world map. To get to Aconcagua and the Andes region, you will need to get to Mendoza in Argentina. Mendoza is closer to Santiago, Chile than to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

From SGP to Buenos Aires: Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airways, British Airways/ Qantas - these are on OneWorld. Some people chose to fly in via Santiago instead of Buenos Aires.

For Star Alliance routes - the shortest is to go thru South Africa, next is to route thru Auckland/ Australia. A long way is to route thru Europe and, even longer via USA (East Coast).

I deliberately did want to fly through USA because it would be (1) much longer, and (2) usu via East Coast, and those airports are known to close in heavy snow storms (Dallas, Chicago, NYC) in Dec/ Jan periods, and (3) SGP to east coast requires an extra transit stop in between.

From Mar 2011, SQ flies direct to Sao Paolo (Brazil). If they had it this year, I would have taken it! I do not want to risk lost bags, delayed & cancelled flights etc. Now I have one sector on South Africa Airways, whose reviews are only 1-star. :(

I am taking a 13h overnight coach from Buenos - Mendoza and saving on one night's lodging. An one-way ticket on a first-class coach costs about SGD180, with a fully-inclined seat and served meals. An one-way domestic flight ticket would cost USD180.

But if you're flying all the way, do not break up your international ticket. An international ticket gets a higher baggage allowance than a separate domestic ticket. And travelling with big duffels & backpack & expensive gear, I would not want to keep transferring my luggage multiple times. So I prefer flying from Changi instead of going to KLIA for a cheaper ticket on Malaysia Airlines. It will be very tiring to move those bags & risk them getting lost in airport transits.

Accommodation

Hostels in Argentina are very cheap, so do not worry abt where to stay. Will be able to give you more feedback after my trip.

There are several decent hotels and hostels in Mendoza. For the couple of days that I was alone, I stayed at the Monkey Hostel, half a block from the Hyatt Mendoza (5-star) (where my expedition would be staying). These are next to the Plaza Independencia (the main square). Nearby, there is Hotel Internacional (4-star), Hotel Mendoza and various others. My guide stays at the Hotel Windsor (1-2 star) for a month when he is in Mendoza. Another decent hostel is the Mendoza Hostel. All within walking distance to Carrefour and tourist services.

Tips:

1. If arriving from Buenos Aires airport, change your USD to Argentinian peso at the bank outlet right outside the Arrival hall (after clearing immigration). The money changers' rates on the inside are much worse.

2. Carrefour in Mendoza is very very well-stocked, and cheap. There is no to bring all the toiletries and munchies for the climb from Singapore. J&J baby wet wipes come in more variety than in Watsons! Not to mention a whole variety of other toiletries & personal hygiene items.

3. Tang orange powder mix comes in satchets for Ar 0.95 each (S$0.30). Very handy for the climb.

4. The weather in Mendoza is very very hot and dry. Drink lots and lots of water to adjust.

5. Summer days are very long, still bright at 8pm. Shops close from 2-5pm for siesta, and re-open at 5-8pm. Dinner starts after 8pm and lasts til 1am.

Swim Drop Swim Drop

2010-11-29T23:41:00.001+08:00

Tonight was a night of 100ms. We had a new routine of having a short drink break between every sets, and everyone scrambled out of the pool and jumped back in.

8x 100m, 8x 100m, 8x 100m, 6x 100m.

Did not bother with timing the sets. My legs refused to kick, I was getting dropped at every 100m and had to merge. I probably could count the number of times I touched both walls end-to-end!

Brrrrr......

We went for dinner after class, probably the last time I would see everyone before we all go off for our overseas races, and my climb. There was a slight tinge of sadness in me.

Anyhow, I went to collect my wetsuit on the way home. I bought Winnie's 2nd-hand Orca Sonar wetsuit that she had initially sold to J who used it recently at Clearwaters 70.3. So it is considered 3rd-hand, but still ok. I had thought of buying the Blue Seventy Helix that was on clearance sale now, but the neckline was too high. The last time I tried it on, I could not breathe, the neck was choking. :( So no go with that. The Sonar is a mid-range wetsuit, decent, seasoned (after multiple swims by the girls) and fitted me well. Next would be to try it out in the pool.

Killer Stairs in Dripping Sweat

2010-11-28T23:38:00.001+08:00

The aim was to get to BT for some real stairs early in the morning. The final execution was the stairwell at TB. I decided to run my errands and shopping before going for training so that I could have a long uninterrupted and unhurried session in the trail. Alas, by the time I was done, the skies were in overcast. So I decided to execute the backup plan - HDB flats.

Whereas the skies were gloomy in the north-west, it was bright sunshine in the south-central. It was absolutely warm and humid in the stairwell, and I was soon dripping buckets. It certainly made a huge performance difference between training in the afternoon and evening, even if both were indoors. Or maybe it was the result of my run yesterday, but I actually felt my quads threatening to cramp.

Pack: 22kg
Ankle weights: 5kg

10 sets - and cmi towards the end
9:19min, 8:54, 9:13, 9:57, 9:53, 10:25, 10:35, 10:49, 11:50, 11:33

This is my slowest set of training, ever.

Mid-day Tranquility in the Trails

2010-11-27T23:23:00.000+08:00

Ok I confess, I was running in the trails at 11am simply because the bed was more enticing in the morning. So there I was, braving the mid-day sun and trying to get a decent jogging lane amidst all the people going for walks in MR. Surprisingly, the weather turned cool shortly, with the sun shielded by some gloomy clouds. Past noon, the crowd thinned and I was enjoying having the trail all to myself, the peace & tranquility.

I managed to complete 2 loops, each about 1:13h. This was my first and last LSD before the full marathon next weekend. It was not long, but certainly very slow. Kinda suicidal to attempt 42km next Sunday. Hmmm....

Slow Run & Stretching

2010-11-24T22:47:00.002+08:00

A short 5km run around HarbourFront and club, followed by a nice deep stretch on my trigger ball. Left knee was a wee bit locked, but after a good rub at a traffic junction, all was well. Whew. I was getting a little paranoid, fearing a recurrence of the previous right knee injury.

I have gotten a last minute bib for the full marathon and am still wondering if I should participate. My legs are not conditioned for a 42km and my last training was, well, yesterday. Oh well, maybe I will just go along for a trot and earn myself a dim sum treat. :)

Bad Horribly Stiff Neck

2010-11-23T23:53:00.002+08:00

Saturday - I woke up on Saturday morning with a stiff neck. I could not rotate my head and could barely turn it. Driving was a chore because I had to turn to check blindspots. I went for a much needed massage (eversince the pain of sitting through the Powerman 10h bus ride), but my neck was still bad. Sigh, no training.

Sunday - My neck was still horrid. Range of motion: right turn, look down. Another wasted day of no training. I went to see Frankie, and had a painful session. The tension was much worse than I thought. I never had a stiff neck so, .... stiff. Perhaps it was the accumulation of (1) nodding off in a weird position on the Powerman coach ride, (2) weeks of training with a heavy backpack, (3) aero-position cycling, (4) over-zealous swimming, (5) doing up a deck of powerpoint slides via the tiny touchpad on my laptop, and generally heatiness and lack of sleep.

Monday - Range of motion increased a tiny wee bit: right turn, look down, semi left turn. If I supported my neck spinal bone, I could lift my head and do a full left turn. In certain positions at my office desk, there would be a sharp pull when I moved my arm. Sheesh. The medicated plaster was permanently going on my neck.

Tuesday - Unaided turning left, and semi-upwards. Still not complete range of motion, but I getting there. Neck and shoulder felt less tensed up, and the level of pain was less acute. Today, it felt like a typical pillow-stiff-neck day.

..... wonder what the next few days will be like?

Trotters Tottling on Slopes

2010-11-23T23:40:00.002+08:00

I skipped stairs training today because my neck was still not fully rotational. Sigh. I joined the MF guys for their training run at Telok Blangah Hills. This was my first run since the Powerman race. My running mileage has really plummetted in the past months!

I managed to heave my heavy trotters up the slopes, 8 times, slowly. Amongst our runners, I must be the tow-truck.... slowly chugging along. It drizzled for a while on my 5th loop, then stopped and I could continue my run.

6:44min, 6:32, 6:33, 6:37, 7:04 (drizzled), 6:52, 6:52, 6:55

Legs felt heavier, knees unused to the pounding and slopes, and all that for 54min of sweat. Hmmm....

Poor Water Feel

2010-11-18T23:13:00.003+08:00

For whatever reason, I was extremely tired in the first hour of swim class tonight. Maybe it was the milo that I drank just 15min before class. I felt like my heart rate was going up and my breathing was not smooth. So I was swimming with a lot of exertion, but not moving very much. In other words, inefficient swimming.

So I stopped and commented to Coach. He said "Your feel of water is very poor.". Uh... ok, I guess different people have different 'feel and sense'. Like how some people can never take to a bicycle or find their footing in a trail. My nemesis is the water. He told me to do more sculling drills in the water. Then he observed me and commented that my pulling was clumsy. So I tried to focus on that, and the last few sets felt slightly better.

8x 50m @ 1:30min - 1:04, 1:09, 1:06, 1:09, 1:08, 1:13, 1:11, 1:11

8x 200m @ 5:30min - 4:55, 4:59, 5:11, 5:12, 5:07, .... (skipped 1 set, merged 1 set, and the last one was 150m)

Leisure 2x 100m - 2:33, 2:38

8x 50m @ 1:30min - 1:12, 1:12, 1:12, 1:12, 1:14, 1:11, 1:15, 1:10 (where I focused on my pulls. At least I was consistent.)

Birthday Stairs

2010-11-17T17:40:00.000+08:00

It was meant to be a birthday ride this morning, but I refused to wake up. So Alber went ahead with the guys, and I headed off later to BT for some nature-stairs. I wanted to try out my new plastic boots (yoohooo!) but figured they were too bulky for a time-constrained training session.

There were so many people at BT today, the car park was entirely full. There were groups of public strolling around, and groups of students on training. I bumped into KK, who was there with SL and some others for a hike. Then I bumped into Jas and Yihui, who was there with her students. I was training with two trekking poles, and some of the students referred to me as the 'mountain skier'. Haha.

We had a lunch appointment with friends and I had only 2h to complete my training. Barely sufficient, but I had to make do. So I decided to focus more on the tougher Rengas trail.

Summit x1: 3:21min
Rengas x4: 6:13, 6:14, 6:38, 6:58
Jungle Fall: 6:35, 6:16, 5:48

Either I was getting desperate for time at the end, or I finished too much water (and lightened the load), or both.... but I made it down to my car in time.

Good sweatout.

Powerman Malaysia 2010

2010-11-15T02:10:00.000+08:00

Friday/ Saturday

The annual bus journey to Powerman race in Lumut, Perak began on Friday night. I missed the race last year, but otherwise, this would be my 3rd race there. We had a long and tedious routine of loading our beloved bicycles onto the coach buses and clearing immigration before we were finally on our way. It was close to midnight. We had the usual pit stop at Yong Peng, and I really wondered why the food there remained in the functional state after so many years and customer flows. Sigh.

We arrived at the Orient Star Hotel in Lumut around 8am. Sleepy and groggy, we unloaded our bicycles, collected the room keys and headed for breakfast. Then Melody came by for our race briefing and distribution of race packs. Next on the agenda was a sumptous lunch, a 8/9-course Chinese seafood lunch that was oh-so-filling. We stopped by the race site and Giant supermarket for some last minute shopping before returning to the hotel.

Sunday

Race morning, we checked out of the hotel at 6:15am and had a leisurely 8km ride to the race site. There was a light drizzle. Along the way, I spotted 2 packets of Gu gels on the road. I thought it could be Alber's because few people used Gu gels. So I headed back a little to retrieve them. True enough, they were his fallen ones!

I arrived at the race transition area with only about 5-10 min to set up my bicycle and gear. And then a mad dash to the washroom before making it to the start line, just in time for flag-off. Whew.

The first 11km run was ok. If past races were track records, then I would cramp on the second run and had to walk. So my strategy was simply to push a little harder when I still felt ok. I finished the run in about 59min.

The weather remained cool throughout. I went a little faster than usual on my first loop. The bridges and rolling slopes were not as steep as the ones in Langkawi. Or maybe it was my first loop and I was still fresh. The route was very straightforward, but mostly in bumpy conditions. It was difficult to overtake because the smoothest part of the road surface was within the roadside divider. I finished the first bike lap in 1:02h. The fatigue started to set in on the second loop, and my speed dropped a little. Oh well. The sun was starting to peek out now, argh, the run leg would be really hot. I made it back to the transition area and took my time to apply my 'Zheng Gu Jiu' - the Chinese medicinal muscle oil. Freddy used it on me during the recent TNF race and it worked like a charm to alleviate cramps. So I bought a small bottle for trial today. It was awesome, the menthol sensation beat all other muscle creams and sprays that I had ever tried (and I had tried a LOT).

I still had a little quad and hamstring cramp in the first 1km, but after soothing on more medicinal oil, I was ok and able to jog. In previous years, I would have limped the entire 5km! I managed to jog through the 10km, while polishing off two bananas. The sun was in full glory now and it was extremely hot. Luckily it was only 10km.

I made it back within the 5h cut-off mark. Not sure if my timing was any better than previous years, but well, it was always nice to complete a race. :)

Times:
Lap 1 run: 31min
Lap 2 run: 28min
Run 1: 59min
T1: 7min

Lap 1 bike: 1:02h
Lap 2 bike: 1:13h
Bike: 2:15h
T2: 7min

Lap 1 run: 36min
Lap 2 run: 37min
Run 2: 73min

Total: 4:42h

Stairs 'Eat Snake'

2010-11-10T22:40:00.002+08:00

I left the office late and only started my stairs training around 715pm. Argh... it will be a long night. Mind still preoccupied with work projects, I started climbing the stairs. Surprisingly, I was very consistent tonight, no outlier timings. But I got really bored (I was alone) and bailed out by the 8th set (instead of 10).

Pack: 22kg
Ankle weights
9:36min, 9:39, 9:46, 9:51, 9:47, 9:31, 9:29, 9:45

Total: 1:17h

Drenched.