Shiok! 200km (24 - 26 Dec 2020)

A non-stop 200km route around Singapore, organised by the Running Guild, to be completed within 45h in any direction or start point. It will be my first attempt at this distance (though not the duration).😊

Work was crazy hectic and I only studied the route hours before I started. It was a good thing to print out my little “race” table because it really came in handy later on. I started on Xmas eve night from outside my place, and went in a WSEN direction. It was a little unnerving to be self-supported without mental sign-postings of where the next “checkpoints” were, esp. when in unfamiliar parts of Singapore.

It was also my first time using the navigation modes on my Coros Vertix and Garmin 935. Where the sharp turnings were unclear, I referred to the Google map with the Shiok! route. Unfortunately, my G935 hanged at 44km, and totally died after some hours! I used the Vertix til the end; I plugged it into my powerbank for 5-10min a few times, and it finished with 85% juice! But somehow it recorded an extra 20km despite tracking a known route. The drift confused my distance-time estimates, so in the last 50km, I referenced my handy printout for the distance countdown.

0 – 50km

The first 30 – 40km went ok. I ran into NTU, over that little steep slope, and past the Yunnan Garden. There were several 24h coffeeshops and McDonalds around Jurong West, Pioneer, and the Jurong Lake Gardens (first time there!) area, so no lack of food or toilets. Some of the housing estates were decked in festive lights, and many leisure cyclists were still out at 2am! Stopped at 40km at the West Coast Esso and downed a litre of coconut juice and milo. I used to live opposite the petrol kiosk and was reminded of my growing up days in the area.

Continued on to Clementi, Alexandra, and discovered that my G935’s display screen was frozen and unresponsive. Grateful for other sights that perked me up – a historic” road sign named “Albert Winsemius Lane”, a coffeeshop at Dover which opened at 530am, and old folks on early morning walks. I bought a steamed pau at the Henderson food market and made my way to Mt. Faber. I used to train here regularly with the Safra Running Club. Ahh, the memories of doing hill workouts on MF Loop.

50 – 100km

Stopped at Tiong Bahru MRT coffeeshop (~59km) for a hot tea and hum-jin-pang, and saw that my Garmin had flatlined... Eleven elapsed hours later, I was at the Jalan Kubor Cemetery (~65km). It is the oldest Muslim burial ground in Singapore and situated next to the pedestrian pavement. I had arranged to meet Jasmine at East Coast Road, so I hurried on. Still, I was distracted by the interesting cafes around Tg Katong, Mountbatten, and E.Coast Road. Oooh, those freshly baked croissants looked absolutely inviting!

I realised that my Coros Vertix had drifted by about 5km when Jasmine joined me at Frankel Avenue, and my time-distance estimates were wrong. We ran for 18km through Bedok and Tampines, and stopped for a quick lunch. Ahh the salty soup with wanton noodle and a teh-o-peng. 😊 We got to Tampines Ikea, and Jasmine went back. I plodded on in the hot sun through the exposed Pasir Ris Industrial Drive to Punggol; 5km of heat with nowhere to escape.

100 – 150km

Sengkang to Buangkok to Hougang was a blur because I was tired and unfamiliar with the area. Spotted a “Mt Everests Spa” in the Hougang Ave 8 heartland, hmmm… 😉 Took the chance to have porridge and tea, and escaped a sunny-downpour. “Rainbow after the rain”, and I was glad to catch a double rainbow over the Sallim Mattar Mosque.

It was soon dark and I navigated through more unfamiliar places – Upp Aljunied Road, past the Gurkha’s compound, Bidadari and Woodleigh, Upp Serangoon Road, Potong Pasir, and Bendemeer. All the looping around major roads was playing tricks on my mind. Didn’t I just cross Macpherson Road? (Note: It cuts Paya Lebar, Aljunied, and Upp Serangoon). Didn’t I pass the Kallang River? Oh ya, that was early in the morning… It could get fairly disorientating.

Jalan Besar was impossible to run through, with the crowds and traffic. I stopped for dinner at the food centre, but with little appetite. I was hungry yet slightly nauseated. Took a slow frustrating jog through Orchard Road; half of Singapore was there on Xmas night. Got to Dunearn Road and I took a snooze on an open bench; very helpful in picking up energy level!

Cutting through Kheam Hock Road to the Sime/Lornie Road junction was a new for me; had always wanted to explore that route. Must say that it was a bit unsettling jogging past tombstones in the dark, and I muttered some silent prayers. Some pavements looked so dark that I ran on the road instead. As I reached the Lornie overhead bridge, I bumped into Kannan and his friends. At that time, I didn’t know that he was back to correct his missed segment and clock the correct route. 😊 I took the same wrong turn onto Lornie Hwy as well, until my Vertix prompted that I was deviating too much! Got to MacRitchie and met Lizzy and her friends who were attempting loops for HKSG Ultra. Glad to have see familiar faces, and managed to catch another snooze while there was company.

It was the second overnight and the snooze frequencies were becoming higher. I stopped again at a random bus stop along AMK Ave 1. Jasmine came by to keep me company through the night, and we struggled through the next 10km – AMK Ave 3 (3km) was long and boring, and YCK was even more depressing (7km), with no amenities along the way. We walked all the way because we needed a toilet and there was none. Poor girl had to put up with my whining and incessant complaints about why YCK went on forever. It was the single longest segment in the whole route, and we only finally found a porta-loo at the Thomson Nature Park! It was almost daybreak and we stopped for Teochew porridge breakfast after Nee Soon Road. At that point, I was so far behind my estimated schedule that I had doubts about completing the event within 45hrs.

150 – 200km

The next segments through Sembawang, Yishun, Canberra, Admiralty, and Woodlands were slightly bearable as I was more familiar with those areas (no thanks to previous editions of Craze Ultras). Had a mini-nausea episode at one point, which went away after I rested in the shade for a bit. I think it was a cumulation of heat and physical exhaustion, and I felt much better after that. We even managed to get some happy photos at the Woodlands Waterfront Jetty! Jasmine headed off soon, after some 34km with me, and I looked forward to the remaining 26km home.

Familiar roads for most parts, and Woodlands Road to Kranji MRT was fiery hot. Picked up a large palm leaf base from the ground and held it over my head, incurring some curious stares from the foreign workers by the road. I went into Kranji MRT and got two cold drinks. Ahhh, the sun eased off a little after that, so I quickly made my way to Sungei Kadut.

I walked mostly from CCK to Teck Whye and met Melvin there. He came with cold supplies of coconut juice and a soft flask of pocari, and picked up my hydration pack. 😊  (And while I ran, he very kindly unpacked and rinsed the dirty pack for me. Awww……)  Whew, thankful to offload the weight and focused on finishing the last 10km! But first, another miserable 5km tracing the Bt Panjang LRT viaduct before I reached Dairy Farm for the true home run. Up and down Hume Ave and I jogged as best as I could in the last 2km. Yes!!

The End

But! I then spent a couple of minutes waiting for a traffic crossing to “close the loop” on my map tracking, and another few minutes figuring how to stop and save my Coros workout record. *roll-eyes* 43:50h. And I almost thought I lost the record when the watch took a few syncs to upload to the app. The Coros Vertix had 85% juice left that I really thought I did not start the watch recording!

I was lucky that there were no cramps this time; maybe because of my slow-plod pace. I could still shuffle a respectable 8min pace on the last 2km. Thankful for my Altra Torin 4 shoes with their wide toe-box; my feet were unscathed this time, zero blisters! No hallucinations either (which happened during UTMB). Grateful for the chance to run and be healthy. It was a new level of pain to push through the sleep deprivation and sore feet on never-ending roads. No regrets, no repeats, and no reverse. 😉  Good luck to all who are attempting this!

Food intake

 

-        Bottles of non-carbonated Pocari and H20, coconut juice, Milo, and Vitasoy

-        2x bahkwa slices, 2x peanut butter satchets, 2x Honey Stinger gel (caffeine), 1x Honey Stinger waffle, 1x snickers bar, sweets

-        Steamed pau, salted “pancake”

-        Wanton noodle soup

-        ½ Porridge + egg

-        ½ prawn noodle soup

-        ½ Porridge + veg

 

Adventures of 2017

Adventures of 2017

Let's see. Where do I begin? This is the year of several firsts, and many ambitious back-to-backs on red-eye flights and long distance buses, maximising all hours. Could not have experienced all these without the generosity and support of so many of you (spot yourselves in one or more adventures 😉). Grateful for the opportunities.

• January kicked off with my favourite HK100 race, and three days later I was in Argentina. Glad the Aconcagua summit did not evade me this third time. 🙏 • February saw me attempting the TransGrancanaria 125km in the Spanish Canary island, and my first DNF of the year. 🤦‍♀️ • March offered a hiking through the Big Bend national park in Texas, soaking in the vastness of the land and being so so close to the Mexican border. Plus a weekender to Quebec and Montreal to catch the Hotel de Glacé (ice hotel). Discovering my name on #27 of the new Ultra-Trail World Ranking was a surprise bonus perk-me-up! • April was a crazy month, presenting my second 100-miler at Zion100 - a breathtaking scenic meandering through the canyons just outside the Zion national park. A week later, it was The Boston Marathon, my very first! Followed by bucket-list Peru to gasp in wonder at the Machu Picchu ruins and trekking up the amazing Rainbow mountain. • Then Melvin came over to NYC in May where we went snow-shoeing in Colorado, and ran the TNF NY Bear Mountains - got my second DNF of the year. 😂 Graduated from my Masters programme with my family in attendance, and finally home-sweet-home to SGP. 😍
 
• June was the Muar Camel Run 22km, finished 9th place with loads of otah. Then a Krabi chill rock-climbing weekend. • July had the MSIG SG 50km, which was cut short by a thunderstorm, followed by a Malacca weekend drive. • August's poison was my first Craze Ultra 100km, where longans and coconut juice got me to 2nd place. Two weeks later was my first ever win at any event - the GreenRace 60km. • September squeezed in a recee training at Mt Kinabalu, a feeble attempt to "dash" up the mountain. A week later, it was off to Sapa for the Vietnam Mountain Marathon 100km. • Early October was my third Chicago marathon, good to be back in the Windy City. Followed by my first Mt Kinabalu Climbathon - glad I survived it. Loving the high altitude events. • November was relatively low-key, with only the Swissotel Vertical Climbathon, over in like 11min and finished 4th. So I basically chilled for almost two months, which felt like an eternity. • Glad to end December with a local favourite MR Ultra. Soaked up the camaraderie in my favouritest playground, had loads of fun, ran my eight loops with the support of several people, and closed 2017 with a 3rd placing.

Amidst all of this, read a tonne of books and journals and articles, juiced a couple of brain cells, wrote a stack of papers and assignments, organised a conference, completed my studies, re-adapted to work and picked up new skills, and connected with many new faces in our running community.

May 2018 be another year of exciting opportunities and adventures. Looking forward!

Trans GranCanaria (24 - 25 Feb 2017)

My curiosity in the Trans GranCanaria (TransGC) was piqued during the UTMB race expo last year (2016). They had a promotional booth and the lady quipped that Gran Canaria was a lovely island with 22C sunshine. I took a photo and got a free race belt, but I was really sold on the weather (so lame, right?) Alas, more on that later.

Some background to GC. It is the largest of the Canary Islands, an autonomous region of Spain. Touted as Europe's sports island, it is a big round island with long coastal fronts and a volcanic mountainous interior. Due to its warmer climate (relative to Europe), GC hosts many sporting events each year, from trail runs, marathons, mountain biking, golf etc. However, GC is described as a continent in terms of its weather, with micro-climates across the island. Huge cacti of many varieties dot the island amidst green valleys and vistas; it is a fascinating mix. More photos of GC here.

 

 

The south is the proverbial 'sunny beaches', where it is warmer and people are out sun-tanning. The north and interior are much colder. When the TransGC lady told me about the weather, I had in mind a cooler version of Lombok or Krabi,... alas!

The Race

TransGC is a collection of 5-6 race categories. Its namesake, which I signed up for, is 125km, +8,000m, 30h. It is also part of the Ultra Trail World Series, and a UTMB 6pt race. There were 900 runners in this category, majority from Europe (escaping the cold winters), some from N. America, and only a handful from Asia. Very under-represented.

I stayed near the race expo at ExpoMelonaras, which was also the finish line. Race pack collection, bag drop, pasta party, and race briefing went smoothly.

The race starts on Friday 11pm and ends on Sunday 5am. It is a point-to-point race, i.e. different start and end points. There was a bus shuttle to the start point in Agaete on Friday night, and it arrived 1.5h ahead of the start time! For me, who usually gets into the line just in time for the flag-off, I was wondering what to do in the interim. There were no race tentages or facilities for runners. So I plonked myself in a cafe to escape the cold and wind, and drowned self in coffee and hot chocolate.

Overall, TransGC was one big 'meat grinder' climb (to quote a friend's description). It had four back-to-back major climbs, interspersed by their descents. Each climb was ~1,000-1,500m in elevation gain, over distances of 8-13km. (To give a sense of perspective, HK Lantau Peak is 934m; Hiking from the lake to the crater rim at Mt Rinjani is approx +1,000m. Repeat four times non-stop.) Some were straight-up climbs, and others were endless winding slopes. These climbs were front-loaded in the first 81km of the race, where the drop bag major checkpoint was (strangely it was not around 60km mark). We encountered the first climb right after the flag off, to CP1 (9km, +1,021m) The cutoff time was 3h, and I took 2:10h. Mental note to self to build more buffer time. Descending to CP2, there was a bottleneck at a trick slippery section, where we had to wait in line for the rope. Subsequently, that ate into my buffer by a few minutes. 

Getting to CP3 involved the longest climb, a 13.3km stretch, +1,500m, with a time allocation of 3.5h. It was a fairly long time without an aid station, and it reminded me of the CP5-6 section of HK Vibram100. Exposed windy ridge, endless ups and downs in the dark. I met a German lady and we ran alongside, taking turns to lead and spot the route markers. It was daybreak by the time we reached CP3, but still misty and cold. What happened to the promised 22C? 

I kept the 35min buffer before descending to CP4. It was the only stretch that had more paved and flatter roads, where I built up a 55min buffer. Times like that, I appreciate also having a road running base to pound pavements. Next, it was a gradual roll to CP5 and CP6. Very good, buffer increased to 75min. The sun shone through briefly and I warmed up a bit. Gosh, I would love to run this in warmer weather, like during UTMB's 'heatwave'.

  

Enroute to CP6, I met a Filipino runner who was living in Germany. Subsequently, we fell into a similar pace on the long climb and ran together until CP7. The estimated time allocation was 2h and we took 20min more than that, which drew down my hard-earned buffer. After working hard on that climb, I now had to continue chiong-ing (rushing) some 6km/ -400m down to CP8.

For me, the toughest and most mental section was between CP8-9 (to the drop bag). It was a vertical 10.7km to Rogue Nublo, +1,200m, and a time allocation of 2h. I thought I should have enough time to clear it. Alas, the zzz monster attacked and I moved oh-so slowly, trying to stay awake. We went higher and skirted many smaller trails to reach The one leading to Rogue Nublo. It is a giant rock protecting the centre of Gran Canaria, and a popular hike for tourists. 

Rogue Nublo standing majestic in the distance

The last section was a surprise as we had to 'deviate' and go up to Nublo and get our bibs scanned. That took an extra 15min up and down before I could continue to CP9. Yikes, it was nearing the CP closing time and I still had a long descent, with the CP nowhere in sight. Watching the minutes tick by, I sprinted as best as I could. My mind raced through what I needed to do at the CP, and decided that I could forego picking up my drop bag. Finally, I made it to the CP within 6min of cutoff. 3h just for that segment. Ouch!

81km done, another 10h to go. With no time to lose, I refilled my soft flask, added some Tailwind, and set off towards CP10, some 12km away. It was dark again, and difficult to go fast. I mistakenly thought that we had to climb to the highest peak in Gran Canaria, and was expecting a vertical onslaught. Then I realised that it was the highest point in the race, and not the island. Mental face-palm. I should better study the race map and profiles next time. It was a long long long descent, a little technical and rocky but fairly runnable. Unfortunately, the CP was far far far away, and by closing time, I was still in the trails. Not wanting to give up, I still gave it a shot and ran hard to the CP. Unfortunately, on hitting town, we still had to circle around to reach the CP. Sheesh, so that was the end of my race. My first DNF of the year. 94km, 23:15h.

Post-race Musings

The extra popiah from dinner

Some thoughts about TransGC. Definitely need to review my nutrition. For those of us pampered by support stations, especially in HK or USA trail races, the distribution and food at TransGC was a challenge. Out of 13 checkpoints, there were four that were 12-13km apart (i.e. 3 – 3.5h from the last station). In addition, there were three drinks-only stations alternating with the food-drinks stations. For example, we had a long climb and descent over 23km and allocated 5.5h to get to a checkpoint with food (there was a drinks station in between). I was also not used to the food. HK typically races have sushi rice rolls, USA races have peanut butter jelly sandwiches, and European races have ham/ salami, cheese and dry bread rolls. Ham and cheese were not to my taste, so I simply had nuts and dry baguette slices, which was not enough. Luckily I had a random fried spring roll in my pack, which was heavenly. The next time that I participate in an European race, I will have to better figure out the food.

On perfect hindsight, I might have overestimated myself and underestimated the race. Reviewing my past races, TransLantau was 100km, +5,500/5,800m, 33h cutoff; TNF Lavaredo was 120km, +5,800m, 30h; UTMB was 170km, 10,000m, 46h. By comparison, TransGC’s intensity (125km, +8,000m, 30h) would be somewhere between Lavaredo and UTMB. Or a TransLantau 100 plus another TransLantau 50 compressed into half the distance (25km with 2,200m gain). Gulp! Would be more mindful of pace and times next time in order to complete TransGC.

Despite the challenging elevation, I think Laverado was more technical in terms of variation (e.g.  ice/ snow, big boulder scrambling), altitude reached, and a scenery typical of ski mountains. TransGC was more runnable and had mixed sceneries, some of which reminded me of SE Asian plantations at times. Anyhow, I am biased. J If one could only pick one race, I would definitely recommend Lavaredo for overall ‘adventure’ and scenery.

So now there is an unfinished business. 😬 Haiz…. Maybe if I review my race strategy, I might be able to complete TransGC. 

A Goal, A Dream

Adventures 2016

2016 has been a good year for races and adventures. Run more, climb more, go further. I am thankful for the many highlights and new experiences. With each step, I learn something more about myself and my limits. Below is a quick recap of my race/ events this year, so many memorable ones. If I had to choose..... it would be my Denali expedition and UTMB race, and signing off 2016 with an ultra-marathon of a lifetime. :) May 2017 be a similar year of growth, good health and adventures. Happy new year!

HK 20th Anniversary Marathon (42km) (17 Jan 2016)
The 20th anniversary of the HK Marathon. We were lucky to register two slots (fast fingers) and run the race together. It was a wet and cold run on race day, and we saw some runners turn around and did not even start the race. 3:57h.
 
HK100 (23 - 24 Jan 2016)
Still my favourite-st 100km race, simply because the HK100 was my maiden 100km undertaking in 2012. The 2016 event saw a freak hail/ice-storm in HK that iced up the last section on Tai Mo Shan, where we slid and skidded our way down the last 5km. A most eventful race. 24:41h. (Race blog)

Marin Ultra (80km) (12 Mar 2016) 
Marin County across San Francisco, where one gets a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean from the trails. Alas, it was raining the entire day, which brought the temperature a few notches down from the stated 12C. Wet, windy, foggy, chilly. 13:21h.

TNF Washington DC (80km) (9 Apr 2016)
This was a flat course through the Algonkian Park, DC, so I thought my timing should be pretty decent. Alas, it was a wet and cold day. The trails became all muddy and we sloshed our way through the slippery gooey stuff. The race took us along the Potomac River and past the scenic Great Falls, which made the run worthwhile. 12:25h.

TNF New York Bear Mountains (80km) (May 2016)
The Bear Mts course was one of the tougher ones in the TNF Endurance series, with fairly technical climbs and descents and a tight cut-off. I almost did not make it, being the last runner through one of the checkpoints before it was closed. Whew! Finish it, I must! It was also my first time in a technical trail race without using my trekking poles, and I definitely felt it in my knees post-race. 13:27h. (Race blog)

Mt. Denali (6,190m) (14 May - 7 Jun 2016)
One of the highlights in 2016 was definitely my expedition to Mt Denali, the highest peak in N.America (6,190m). It was an experience of a lifetime, I had never had so much snow and ice before. We landed directly on the glacier in full climbing gear, and I had my first trial at sledding my equipment across the snow fields. My 25 days of arctic survival included getting hemmed in by fierce winds and snow and forced to count days slipping by and our summit window narrowing, a 16h summit attempt followed by long descents towards basecamp through the 'night' (for the sun does not really set in summer), and then being stuck at basecamp because the glacier planes could not fly in. Few Singaporeans have climbed this mountain... precious memories.

MR Marathon (42km) (12 June 2016)
Back from NYC in time to run the MR marathon. Alas, cramps set in on the 3rd loop and my placing dropped from 5th to 9th. But it was good fun to be reacquainted with my favourite playground and fellow trail runners. :) 5:00h

TNF Lavaredo, Italy (119km) (24 - 26 June 2016)
119km in the gorgeous Dolomites mountain range & valleys, north-eastern Italy. Total elevation 5,850m. Cutoff time 30h. It was my first attempt at a distance over 100km, and it felt a lot more like a trekking trip than run with all the climbs, river crossings, and some technical descents. The scenery was breath-taking and some climbs fairly brutal. It was also my first time running close to 30h. I remember crossing the finishing line and wondering why I signed up for the upcoming UTMB... Eeeks! 29:33h.

TNF Ontario, Canada (50km) (16 July 2016)
TNF Ontario set in the lovely Blue Mountain Village, a quaint ski town resort area north of Toronto. My most blur race ever. (1) Misread the race elevation profile - change of 3,640m and thought it was gain. Mentally psyched to climb and wondered why we were not at the peak of some hills. (2) Confused by the loops and aid stations and thought I had 10km more to go. So convinced that I missed a turn somewhere, I was prepared to DQ and skip the finisher medal as I crossed the finish line. Then realised that I had misread the aid station distances all along - read the 50mi instead of 50k markers. Ah ha! Oh well, the slight DNF panic during the race made me run... It ended well. 6:56h. 

Laugavegur Trek, Iceland (55km; 2 days) (Aug 2016)
Attempted a solo trek on the famous Laugavegur trekking trail in Iceland. A typical trip would take took 3 - 4 days, and I compressed it within 2 days. It is also the same trail route for the Laugavegur ultra-marathon, so I figured that a fast hiker should be able to cover that distance in 2 days in good timing. I was also lucky to have long summer days up to 9pm, which allowed me to cover more distance each day. I There were four river crossings in fast flowing freezing waters which numbed my toes and threatened to sweep me off sideways. In return, I was rewarded with vast endless nature and beauty which no photos could do justice to. Hearts.

Reykjavik Marathon, Iceland (42km) (20 Aug 2016)
Reykjavik Marathon (20 Aug 2016). After a week of drizzles, the weather cleared up to a nice 13 - 17C, with sunshine along the way. Flag off 8:40am, self-seeded time zones. Icelanders were out in running vests and shorts, soaking in the sun. This is a fairly popular race with Europeans, Canadians and Americans, and I also heard some Cantonese and Mandarin. Pretty strong runners, many were chatting while yours truly was trying to keep pace. The 21km and 42km started together, and split off at 18km. It was relatively packed for the first 5km (though not sardine packed like in other major marathons), and then spaced out after the split. I was happily following the pacers' balloons until they went off with the 21km. Oh well...

The course was largely along the Reykjavik coastline with some gentle rolling slopes and bridges, and a teeny weeny bit of dirt track. We were treated to expansive views of blue waters that touched the blue skies, Mt Esja (highest peak in Reykjavik 914m), the Grotto lighthouse (where wildlife resides), and even a mini "waterfall" feature. I ran alongside an elderly gentleman wearing a "Everest Marathon" vest, who kindly shouted out for me to run on the inner lane; "it's shorter", he said. At the 41km point, he got caught in a random fishing string on the ground and took a slight tumble, but then caught up and overtook me. Inspiration! All in, one toilet break, two Gu gels, three refills of bottle, and a 3:47h time. No BQ, no PB but heaps of blue skies and fresh air.

UTMB, Mont Blanc (170km) (26 - 28 Aug 2016)
THE trail race of the year, 10 year in the making. 170km, 10,000m elevation. From clocking qualifying points from races just to get a chance to ballot for UMTB, to lead-up training races, toeing the start line, experiencing sleep deprivation and hallucination, receiving generous cheers and support from friends, to finally crossing that finishing line.... it was a dream come true. An epic race and experience, difficult to repeat. 44:11h, and maybe the 2nd SGP female finisher. Gasp! (Race blog)

Chicago Marathon (42km) (9 Oct 2016)
Last year, I clocked my PB and BQ timing at Chicago. This year, I decided to run it again to see how I would fare. Chicago is known for its flat and fast timing. The race did not disappoint. I managed to clock a BQ of 3:42h, just 3min within the timing for my age-group. Hopefully this timing will get accepted at Boston 2018. Fingers crossed.

Philly Marathon (42km) (20 Nov 2016)
My second time at the Philadelphia marathon. It was a super windy race day, with wind chill bringing down the temperatures to 0C. At times, there was helpful tail wind, but for most parts, the wind was just blasting in our faces and swirling up leaves and twigs on the ground. 3:48h. 

MR Ultra (12h cut-off) (18 Dec 2016)
Again, I got back to Singapore just in time for the MR Ultra, my final race for the year. It was a nice cool day because of the overnight rain and cloudy skies. I stayed conservative and tried not to over-push so that I would not get cramps. The race went well and I was in the 1st - 2nd lead, until I did a superman spectacular flat-face fall near the Jelutong Tower and suffered a deep cut (two stitches) above my eyebrow. The first-aid and subsequent medical checks cost me a good amount of time and I was lucky to be able to regain a steady pace on the next few loops. Managed a 3rd place with 8 loops (80km) in 11:36h.

A Mega Crazy Capstone-cum-Running Week

I could not even begin to count how crazy this week had been.

We had a Major Capstone Exam. An 8h long paper with a Pass/ Fail grade - my Prof said that it was impossible to fail, and I would take his word for it. But I would still have to put in the minimal readings and preps. So I was on study leave for a a couple of days to coop myself up at home and mug. I must say that my place is really nice and quiet to be focused and productive. In between the mugging, I squeezed in times for runs and clocked a fair bit of mileage this week.

Let's see,

Mon - ran in the morning 1.5h before dashing to school for a study group, then back home, worked a bit, and out for a class dinner. After the long runs over the weekend, I was surprised that my legs could still push and go fast, so I covered more ground this morning within my usual duration.

Tues - again, dashed a quick 50min, cut 2min before heading to work. Then home to study.

Wed - clocked a 2h through the evening trails in the nice, cool post-rain weather. Back to the books.

Thurs - Capstone! Survived! Desperately need a mental break. So another 1.5h in the evening, this time on the road to avoid the mega-downpour in the day.

Fri - Mad rush at work, then off to Valedictory Dinner and my last chance to see my foreign classmates, who were graduating and returning home this weekend. And to pack for my PD Race trip tomorrow.

Literally madness. Average of 2am bedtime each day.
Did not know howI survived, but I did. Whew!

Planning an Aconcagua Expedition

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.

Safra Avventura Race

I set off early this morning for Jurong Safra where the Safra adventure race would be held. It was the first time they were using the brand new club and vicinity. After a gear check and registration, we were done and had to wait for an hour before the race flag-off. So I caught a snooze in the car while waiting.

The race began with a 8-9km run from Jurong Safra towards Discovery Centre near SAFTI MI. All the checkpoints would be conducted within the army training compounds. It felt like TNF run, deja vu! We were making good time on the run and were amongst the earlier mixed teams to reach the first checkpoint. The ride in was on tarmac so that was not as worrying for me.

Alas, at one of the checkpoints, we were asked to deflate 2 tires and re-inflate them. We deflated both of KC's tires, and that was when one of the valves broke as we were pumping it. Oops! Change of inner tube. But something was wrong with the tube too, and it burst after a short ride. Darn. Luckily Foo had another spare and gave it to us. So that was time wasted with tube changes and pumping, and we dropped far behind the other teams. What a lame activity...

Next up was the Team Biathlon segment - ie. one to ride, one to run. The organizers made us go many loops, I was totally lost. Thankfully KC was an ace navigator, all I had to do was follow. He was also a very strong runner, and I was hopeless cycling on the trail. In the end, he ran faster than I rode, and was even ahead of my bike! *unbelievable*

We rode to the canoe checkpoint, hauled the boat into the waters and rowed away. I think it was some reservoir that seemed closed to the public. More team biathlon after the canoe, we kept going round and round. The guys flew down the rocky slopes while I pushed the bike. Eeeks! I was still fearful of bashing downslope. There was a lot of cycling this year, some parts felt rather aimless to me. Cycling for the sake of clocking the distance.

Finally, we dropped the bikes and ran to the rope stations. It was held at the SOC area and we literally had to go through some of the army boys' SOC stations! Monkey bar, wooden beam, log steps, ramp, and then finally the jumar and abseil towers. But the bottleneck meant a long wait for our turn at the ropes. We waited more than an hour before getting hooked up onto the ropes. Sheesh. Ropework was my favourite, but unfortunately it was always the bottleneck during races. Reminder to self to get thicker gloves. My palms burnt as I abseiled down. Ouch.

That was the last checkpoint. We had to run all the way back to Jurong Safra. On the way exiting the military grounds, we had to do a few more obstacles. By the time we left, we had only 40min to make it back before the cut-off time. Gosh. We ran and ran, or rather, I chased and chased. We thought we were taking the same 8-9km route back, in which case, we might not meet the time. Argh, mad dash! Luckily, it was a different and shorter route and made it back safely within the time cut-off. Whew!

NTU Odac Adventure Challenge

I teamed up with KC today for the NTU adventure race under the Mixed Open category (there was only that for non-students). We were flagged off from Sengkang Compass Point, 6 teams per 10min, so we had to wait until the 4th wave (40min!).



It was a mostly running race. Getting to checkpoints was all on foot, unlike other races where one might cycle to the next checkpoint. As such, the race route was contained within the Sengkang-Punggol region. First checkpoint was the jetty about 3-4km away. Enroute, there were activities, like getting into mud water and crawling up a muddy slope. Then there was a mud crossing to retrieve a puzzle piece. Only 1 member needed to wade across, KC kindly volunteered.

The weather was super hot in the morning, and our running pace was quite on-the-ball. ie. KC easy run while I chased.... The main checkpoint was kayaking. The kayaking route was near the shoreline, hence very susceptible to waves and currents that kept sweeping us off. We were not very coordinated, I kept hitting KC's paddle. Oops, my fault.

The next major checkpoint was the cycling segment. To get there, we had to run along the coastal line, again with random activities thrown in. Had to wade across a 'river' that was about waist deep. Then more running. Trail cycling was more sand cycling. The route was all sand and I was really tensed on the ride. Every time the wheels hit a deeper patch of sand and skidded a little, I was reminded of my Desaru fall. At certain sections, it was faster for me to run and push the bike, than to peddle! We had to look for a picture along the route - I was totally focused on riding and missed it. Luckily KC spotted it. Whew....

Hot hot hot, the ice cold water at the various checkpoints was a welcome relief. Next up was rock climbing. This was one race where participants were not allowed to bring our own gear - harnesses, crabs etc. Everything was provided for, and I must say, the equipment was quite brand new. The rock wall was in Edgefields Primary School. Only 1 member had to scale the wall, so I offered. I underestimated the wall, thinking that it was 'primary school'. It was tougher than I thought. There was a small concave section and a slight overhang. It was easy in that the wall was 'real rock' that one could smear or pinch. Yet it was challenging because the handholds were small, not like the giant jugs at Yishun Safra. Maybe that was why it was a primary school wall - for tiny hands! Haha. The climb was tricky, because if you 'fell', you would have to restart from the bottom. Two tries and the team would suffer a time penalty for incompletion. I hung on to the wall for dear life! Whew, made it to the top. Retrieved another part of the puzzle.

More running... along the way we overtook many teams that were walking or slowing down. But KC did not look like he was ever going to need a break! Continued chasing lor... The next checkpoint was piecing together the puzzle using the pieces we collected along the way. It was like those childhood game where we had to form a square with the pieces. Took a bit of brain work, and it was done.

Last checkpoint was abseiling from a multi-storeyed car park about 4 storeys high. The sky was darkening and a light drizzle began. Again, we grabbed the equipment, geared ourselves and ran up to the abseiling deck. Because we were going down storeys, there was a tendency for the participant to swing in in-between the floors. Some hit their legs on the ledges during the swing. Ouch... That was it, the end of the checkpoints and the last stretch was returning to the start/end point to report. By then, the rain had gotten heavier and we were totally drenched when we returned.

We went to a friend's house nearby to shower and have lunch, before returning to the race site to collect our bikes. Just in time to hear the results being announced. We came in 1st! :)) Totally unexpected but what a pleasant surprise!

RPM Challenge & SAC Gathering

The Singaporeans from Sabah race were meeting up tonight for a catch up dinner. But first, I had to pump some adrenalin out of the way following the jog-ala-stroll yesterday. Prepped myself for a spin class after work. Yes, my first RPM in I-can't-remember-how-long. I think I'm just wasting my gym membership from low usage. Sigh.

The class was unusually full today. Eddie was there too, had not seen him in a while. Ali took the class through the usual 9 tracks for a RPM Challenge, and threw in an extra speed track at the end. Nobody in class objected nor supported the addition. Probably all too flustered after the last climb to respond. Ha. "To flush out the lactic from the legs", Ali reasoned. It was an old speed track from RPM 22. Good to have a familiar music piece to motivate the legs.

Drove over to catch up with the SAC racers after class. Rowdy and hilarious bunch, mostly hardcore MTBrs. The two Indian chaps were there too, regaling stories about their very adventurous race, wrong turns, lost in the dark and getting stuck in a mini whirlpool in the dark for an hour. The rest of them were trading stories about MTB trails in Singapore, the upcoming 100k at the new Tampines trail park, a newly rated ubin trail etc. Something totally out of my usual circuit, as I listened on curiously. I was fascinated by the trail descriptions, but from a runner's perspective. I would love to run on them and explore the terrain. A tempting idea obviously. The dinner ended with most people declaring their intentions to race again next year in the 10th anniversary of the SAC. Yes indeed, but first, I would need a decent MTB and full armour to guard against more stitches or broken body parts. Oops!

Sabah Adventure Challenge (Part 1)

The stitches are out! :)

It's been a week since my inaugural crash on my virgin mountain bike ride during my first real adventure race overseas. Too many firsts all at once. Our trip to the Sabah Adventure Challenge was full of surprises and crises. Recap....

19 March 2008, 2am. A day before our departure. One of my team mates discovered, to all our horror, that he lost his passport! A frantic search and contingency plans ensued - replacement candidates, cancel the trip, join the race late etc. Thankfully, the immigration officers helpfully issued a temporary travel document in the same day and we were set to go.

20 Mar 2008, 4am. Morning of the flight. My humble house. Our transport came to collect us and our bikes/ gear to Senai Airport in Johor. 1 giant carton-box, 1 big carton-box, 1 relatively compact bike case, 1 huge duffel bag, and 3x 50-60L backpacks. We had a MPV. The giant carton-box would not fit into the length of the car! Frantic attempts to shove and prop the boxes. The winning configuration was the 3 bike boxes lying comfortably on 2 rows of totally flattened out seats, while Dom and I precariously squashed ourselves atop those flattened backs. KC, by virtue of his length (height) enjoyed the front passenger seat. The lead-up to the race in the past week seemed like a roller coaster, and we were not even on the plane! I only hoped that we would safely hop on the flight and reach Kota Kinabalu. Everyone suffered from lack of sleep in the past week, and we snoozed the entire journey.

We landed. At last! A sigh of relief. Dom's aunt, Fiona, was at the airport with her friend, Michael, to pick us. Another round of loading and unloading before we got everything secured on the back of the 4WD truck. Fiona generously put us up at her apartment during this trip. It was a nice cosily renovated 3 bedroom place, airy and comfortable. :) The rest of the day was spent re-assemblying our bicycles and registering for the race. For some strange reason, KC's front tire did not sit well, and we burst 2 inner tubes trying to align the wheel. We had to find a new tire but many bike shops were closed. We finally bought a spare one (RM75!) from the race organizers. After the race briefing and packing, it was past midnight when we were done. We had to meet at 630am the next morning.