Running is a great way to de-stress

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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. :)