|
|
Singapore Marathon 2005 Dec 4th
For me Singapore is always a tough place to run a marathon. The heat and the humidity are always the killing factors. However this is exactly the challenge that hooked me on for the third time. Another reason is that this is the place where I have lived for the past seven years and here was the place that started me running again, after a break of 24 years. Here my dream of running a marathon was also fulfilled from a procrastination of 24 years.
Ok, arrived late Friday night on 2nd of Dec and woke up quite early Saturday morning. So off I went for an easy run along the esplanade- a session of the course close to the start and the finish point. The landscape along the Espanade is beautiful and quite relaxing with the Singapore Art center -The Promenade or the so called “Dorian” at the back looking over the Fullerton hotel with the financial center skyscrapers on the opposite side of the harbor. Here you can easily go for a 7 to 30 over kms run along the Singapore River passing the famous Boat Quay and Clarke Quay (eating and drink places) in one direction or towards the East Coast Park on another. When I was living here I went almost every day alongside here to and from work. Another good point here is that the weather is the same almost everyday - warm and warm and warm. (You all know how difficult it is to get out of a warm bed here in winter time).
Saturday weather was perfect – relatively cool and over cloud with light drizzle. Pity it was the wrong day. Saw many elite runners doing the same thing, except their easy run is equivalent to my 100 meter dash in full steam. My heel pain (that stopped me from training for three weeks) is still there but wasn’t too bad after warming up. The heavy wrapping my physio done seemed to work. I am ready!
Sunday - woke up at 4.30 am to get ready for the start at 6 am. Managed to meet up my Singapore running friends there as well as found “Hung Kam Bo “the only other Lok Wah member I knew. We managed to start together but he is too fast for me to pace with. So after the gun he soon disappeared. As usual Heaven always does not bless us, the weather is nothing like the day before, it was still ok at 6 am, but as the sun rises, you can feel the steam and heat. I was looking forward to every drink stations, not for drinking but to pour them over my head to cool down.
The full marathon route:- Esplanade Bridge > Raffle Quay > Marina South > Shenton Way > Nicoll Highway > Mountbatten Rd> East Coast Park > U-turn at Bedok Jetty > back along East Coast park> Stadium Drive > Kallang Rd > Marina Promenade > St. Andrew Rd.
If you don’t know Singapore well, basically the first part of the race takes us through the financial center, than a loop back passing the starting area and into East Coast Park and back.
As usual, I ran the first half faster and faded into walk/run towards the last 10km. The runspiration team along the way did boost my spirit very much. Especially those scantily dressed dancing girls. I partly blame them for my always slow time in Singapore. Pity I didn’t carry a pen and note book to take down their phone numbers (Runspiration are voluntary cheering groups organized by the organizer) to cheers the runners along the course.
After 4 hr 21 min under the heat I was extremely released to be able to cross the finishing line. Here the organizer really looking after the runners with plenty of chairs and drinks for runners to recover well before they move to the adjacent carnival area for partying or free massage. The party goes on until late in the afternoon. There is no time limit too, the slowest runners I call them - walkers arrived around 7 hours or so.
As I cool down soon I felt very bad and throw out a few times. I was telling myself never to do this again (same feeling after the race in 2004) but I know after a good rest, this will be over-ruled. You see I still did not meet my target of a sub-4 hr marathon in Singapore.
Until than I shall return.
PS And I did, every year and failed every year to conquer this one. |
|
发表于 2009-3-7 21:28:56
When I come here,I feel very excited!
楼主