It's 2.46am on a thursday night and I can't sleep!! I guess it's due to my post-race excitement..
This journey started out strangely enough.. I was randomly browsing through the Internet portal one day when I remembered there was a jpm run around this time of the year. I tried to look for more information on the portal but there wasn't anything. I did more random searching and found this internal channel for runners in sgp. I wasn't exactly v interested in running with ppl in Barcap but I joined the channel anyway.
About 2-3 weeks later I saw a posting in the internal channel regarding the closing of slots for the JPMorgan run. I was like ahhhh it's closing already??? I had to make a decision if i wanted to get out of 'retirement' and start running again. I pondered about it for a good half hour before deciding to signup.. To my extreme disappointment, the website didn't allow me to fill up my details coz our Barclays team was full. I was pretty devastated as I thought it would be pretty damn awesome to run under the Barclays brand name..
I chatted the team captain and he called the organisers to open more slots for us.. How amazing is he right?!? I also asked Edvin to signup too! (: So now I had running Kaki. As I was registering, the website prompted me for an estimated timing. I was going to put 30mins, but Eric suggested I input 29mins in case they have staggered groups. At that point of time, I did not think how significant this 29 mins would be for me...
The trainings soon began.. Long runs twice a week after work and Sunday MacRitchie runs. It was reallyyyyy tiring... Imagine the evenings after work, you are mentally and physically drained and I need to go run for >1hr??? I always felt like cancelling those trainings. But Macritchie was the hardest! I was so slow I was running by myself most of the time in the middle of nowhere, not really recognising the landmarks. Not to mention the temptation to give up was very strong.
Luckily for me I had my trainer/motivator/slave driver in the form of my boyfriend heehee.
My first Macritchie timing for the 8k route was 51mins the first week, 48min, the 2nd, 46min the 3rd, and 44min the 4th. I shaved off TWO minutes each time I was there. Long runs with Eric got longer and longer.. Not to mention the pace faster..
With 29min goal, I also had to increase the intensity of the trainings closer to the race day to include intervals. Eric paced me for my first intervals and I sooooo wanted to give up after 5 sets. I was left on my own the subsequent 2 interval sessions and I did 12 sets and 10 sets of 400m to a 2min pace.
Come the week before the race and Eric told me I needed to taper my training and don't get injured. I had to be watchful of the food I ate and I was so afraid I would fall sick.
Surprisingly I managed to sleep 'early' the night before the race (but not the night of the race hahah) at 11.15pm. Woke up today feeling tired as usual as well as random bursts of adrenaline throughout the day whenever I envisioned myself running the race.
I was distracted all afternoon, checking and re-checking the baggage point online as well as the other pertinent race details such as the route etc.
Edvin told me he did a 4.30/km interval training and that he would pace me for the race. I was really relieved coz I wasn't sure if I could do it on my own.
We left work ~4.45pm. My colleague told me I could go at 4.15 when I told her I couldn't focus anymore.. That I was too nervous hahah! We reached the venue and it was so crowded already.. There were soooooooo many people and the queue for the baggae was super long. In addition, there were SOOO many people already gathered at the start line. Edvin and I spent a good 20mins navigating the crowd until we too got stuck 200m away from the start line. That was alot of people to overtake >.<
Soon enough, the horn blew and people started moving off.. I had adrenaline pumping in my ears already and we couldn't even move off yet! We started jogging really really slowly to reach the start line and once at the start line we overtook slow pokes like crazy. Haha. Edvin set a very fast pace I kept wondering if I could sustain such a pace.. I didn't really feel like I was running but more as though as I was sprinting to overtake people as fast as possible.
Soon he disappeared, occasionally reappearing in the distance and I was on my own, trying desperately to catch him.
I finally felt like I was running proper only after the 3k marker. I did not notice the markers earlier probably coz I was busy overtaking people.. I looked and my watch and saw 6.30. I was like shitttttttteee!! Did I reset my watch?? it wasn't possible for me to have run 3k in 6mins.. Where got so imba one?! I kept trying to see if I could change the mode back to my stopwatch but in my race-hazed-dazed mind I kept pressing the wrong button -.-" i felt super sianzz ttm!
But in a way it was good to focus all my efforts on the running, the overtaking, the breathing.. I started 'feeling' and understanding my body - what I could push myself to do and maintain the correct pace..
A fee stray thoughts here and there during the race.. Most common was the "omgggg I'm gonna dieeee" but I managed to press on (:
As I passed the 5k marker I knew the end was near.. I could hear the music blasting. Some people started to sprint towards the finish line.. I held myself back.. Didn't wanna burn out too soon.
Once I caught sight of the clock I saw 28.06 I was thinking oh nooo! I'm not sub 29 anymore..
But then I was like what the heck... Chiong ahhhhhh!!!!!!
I kicked like I haven't kicked in years.
No, seriously, YEARSSSS.
It felt damn good... Nobody could overtake me. I imagined the spectators glancing my way and going "wahhhhhh look at the girl sprint" and I kicked even harder lol.
Was really sad to see 29.17 but I consoled myself that I may have still gone below 29 since we started wayyyy after the horn. I finally managed to update my watch to the correct setting and was relived to find that it was still 28+! (:
I was so so so relieved I tell you.. And I was the 5th fastest runner for the Barclays women's team woohoo~!
I didn't really see anyone I knew at the race but I found out after that Jayanta, Kelvin & Baldwin all ran once I got back. The results were released so quickly! And my final 'unofficial' timing is 28.10! YAY ME. =D
Okayyyy I really need to sleep now. It's almost 4am. heh.
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