MacRitchie Runners 25 (Singapore)

 Background

I went for this race with Kien Mau’s adult group from Mileage. We arrived at Siem Reap on Thu 3Dec and we spent the days prior to the race visiting the city and of course enjoying the food. Among the places we visited are the Artisans d’Angkor, the markets and the National Museum and also the temple of Angkor Wat. There’s quite a bit of walking around the city, mostly between restaurants and the hotel. The temples are very nice and it’s amazing how people of those days actually carried these blocks of rocks over distances to build these temples. Some of us have been here before and according to them, there were only locals at the temples and not many tourists then. Now, what you see at the temples are motley assemblages of tourists. Some of the steps at the temples were very steep and high, I am sure these temples are venerated by all those who see them.

For training, for over about 2 months I have been consistently doing 2 interval sessions per week, on Tuesdays 10k pace (88s pace) and on Thursdays 5k pace (80s pace), usually with Kien Mau. For the last week, I did track intervals on Tue 1Dec with Ben Chua, planned 7×1km @ 88s, R60s, our usual 10k pace, but I could only do 3×1km and 3×800m, feeling too tired from previous Sunday’s hard long run (10k @ 40:04 followed by 4.5km easy then 3km fast in 12:24). Also, Monday I had a massage. I could have done the 7×1km, but for the sake of tapering, I went by feel and didn’t want to push too hard during this last week. Considering the previous Tuesday we did 5×1400m @ 88s + 5×600m @ 86s, this 7×1km @ 88s should be very easy.

So my legs were a little tired for the interval session, and on Wednesday I did my own easy run of about 42min, legs not fresh either. The guys from Mileage rested on Wednesday and planned to do an easy run on Thursday and I decided to join them. We did it at a nearby park in Siem Reap near Victoria Hotel. Apart from my right knee feeling tight and swollen (had to put Kefentech, ice, apply Tmax for the next few days), my legs felt rather fresh and rested suddenly, compared to the tired feeling from Mon to Wed. I was glad for it because I was a bit worried I will be tired through till Sunday. Friday is a rest day, visiting places and on sat morning, we went to recce the race route on our minibus and did a 20min jog near Bayon temple and 3 stridings. Legs felt fresh, knee no pain while I run, though the tight feeling is still there whenever I flex my knee too much like squating. I was looking forward to the race and confident to go at 4min/km pace, which will give me a PB for the half marathon. At the same time, I was a bit concerned about how I will feel after 10-12km because during past 2 Sundays hard long run, after 10k @ 4min/km pace I was already quite tired (2 Sundays ago was 40:32, last Sunday was 40:04). I knew the race will not be easy going at this pace and I had spent days mentally preparing myself for this, knowing that on race day 4min pace should feel easier than during training. Also giving me confidence is the recent Mizuno Wave Run (13 Sep 2009) at AMK which I did 17km in 1:09 which is 4:06/km pace.

Race Day

Kien Mau believed that during overseas races we rest better. Probably. Despite walking quite a bit during the day, I felt well rested because I sleep well every night. On the race day, we were to leave the hotel at 0500h. I woke up at 0415h and managed to have a heavy breakfast of 4 slices of whitemeal bread with peanut butter and jam, and a mug of Milo. Went to the toilet twice but did not pass out a lot. But it didn’t bother me much. We set off on our minibus at around 0515h. I was still feeling very sleepy – had difficulty waking up and I could have even slept on the bus. Instead, knowing that the race is going to start in about 1hour, I find ways to wake myself up instead. I blinked my eyes, widened my eyes, did some stretching, and looked outside the windows. On the bus, Kien Mau asked me if I am wearing my HRM, I said I’m still thinking about it. He said he is also thinking about it. Later, we both decided to wear it. But he said, “I think it’s ok for me to wear because my HR is usually low and it can make me push myself. But your HR is usually high, so not a wise idea as it may be a distraction.” I decided to wear it anyway but will try not to look at the HR readings during the run. I wanted to have the HR values of the race as a feedback.

The traffic was ok until near Angkor Wat temple area it went slow due to people going to the race site. We only managed to park the minibus and start to warm up at about 0550h. I jogged for 15 minutes and did 4 stridings. By then it was already around 0615h and very bright. Sunrise there is typically around 0530h. The majestic Angkor Wat Temple faces the startline, and with her outline sketched by the rising sun at her back, she appeared indescribably beautiful, as if lighted up by an enormous lantern.

We saw our friends from Singapore – Vivian Tang, Tony Seakins, Sumiko Tan, Ronnie Teo, Terry Nair. There was a big crowd but one can see that only a small number are serious about the race. This is one good thing about this race having not many participants and therefore there are no barricades. Thankfully, we were able to do our stridings very near the start line. The weather was quite cold and even after jogging I wasn’t sweating much. After the striding, I wished I had some sports drink. I had a bottle of water but didn’t drink too much of it in case I need to use the toilet. Later I managed to get half a GU gel from Aziz. Just about 10min before the start, Kien Mau and I managed to squeeze ourselves into the phalanx of competitors at the front of the start in the middle by crashing in through the sides. Just before the start, I asked Vivian Tang and Ronnie Teo what pace they each plan to run. Vivian was 3:56 and Ronnie 4:03-4:05. My plan was to follow Vivian Tang but upon knowing she is going at 3:56/km, I couldn’t come up with a quick enough calculation for the 5km splits (I intended to lap my watch every 5km), so I decided that I should run my own race at 4min/km and keep a look out for her.

The race started very promptly at 0630h without a countdown. From the time of us doing stridings and the flag off was only 5-10 minutes, which was good, it meant that we didn’t have to waste time standing around the start line waiting. The weather was so cold it wouldn’t give us any benefits standing around. Even after striding I don’t feel as warmed up as like in Singapore.

After the flag off, I found myself in front, even in front of Kien Mau, but of course he soon overtook me and went for the lead guy. But I did not see Vivian or Ronnie. So I decided that I have to run by myself.  Tony Seakins came up maybe after 1km or so. I found myself at 11th place at the first bend. The race hasn’t settled down yet, so I told myself to run comfortably and be patient. I was very relaxed though I knew my pace was most likely faster than my target 4min (due to my tendency to start fast). Throughout I kept reminding myself to stay relaxed and be patient. The pace felt very comfortable but I had to remind myself that the first few kilometers are surely comfortable, so all the more I must relax as much as possible. There were a few guys around, including some Cambodians, and we kept changing places. It’s quite fun and exciting running with ‘overseas strangers’! It was only after about 3km that the race settled down. Some of the Cambodians obviously started too fast and dropped back. A Japanese guy who was very strong and with patches all over his legs came from behind, I tried to follow him but couldn’t (he eventually finished 6^th). At 3km mark I checked the time on my watch, it was 11:40, same split as last Sunday at ECP from carpark C2 to B1. I was happy that I was above target and feeling comfortable and told myself to stay that way. The weather was very cooling and I don’t feel tired at all. First 5km time was 19:42 (3:56/km) which I was happy when I saw it. Although I was wearing my HRM, my eyes only saw the time as looking at my heart rate reading might distract me.

As the competitors settled down into their respective paces, they were also juxtaposed with the people of a similar pace. I was now running with about 3 caucasians and 2 of them appeared to be friends, and occasionally they even chatted along the way. I think there were some people following behind us. The pace was about right (I felt I was maintaining my starting pace) so I just tagged along behind them. Let’s address them as Mr WHT (wearing white), Mr BLK (wearing black) and Mr YEL (wearing yellow). With this group we managed to overtake a group of 3 consisting of what it seemed to be 2 Cambodians (couldn’t remember very well after the race). Mr WHT was stronger and soon opened a gap. I stayed with Mr BLK and Mr YEL. The gap between us and Mr WHT gradually opened and he pulled away further and further away. When Mr WHT opened a gap and I sensed that he is running away, I was initially deliberating whether to follow him or stay with Mr BLK and Mr YEL. My dilemma was based on: I was feeling rather comfortable at that point of time vs it’s not yet even 10km and this is the first time I am trying 4min/km pace for a half marathon and I am above my target pace. So I decided to be patient to avoid making mistakes too early in the race. Now upon reflection, I think I could have tried going with this guy, it may be faster than I could cope till the end, but it can at least give me a chance to break away from Mr BLK and Mr YEL. Who knows, anything can happen. But I did not regret staying with them because overall, I still had a good hard race, especially the final 3km, which you will read about soon. Mr WHT is fit and even though he was in front, it looked very easy for him and he even ran in a zig-zag manner in order to shake hands with the village children along the way.

At 10km mark my time was 39:34 (3:57/km). The 5km split was 19:51 (3:58/km). I was happy that I was able to sustain this sub-4min pace so well until this point and it made me more confident. I was eager to see my time at 10.5km mark and I probably sped up a bit. It wasn’t marked out, but during the recce yesterday, Aziz pointed out the spot and it is at the “Cambodian People’s Party” blue signboard next to a few village houses. It showed 41:07, it meant a possible 1:22 finish. Now, how can I possibly take only 1:33 to run 500m? Maybe I lapped my watch too early. From this point on I kept telling myself to stay relaxed and if I can do that for the next 6km, I can aim for a 1:22. I still stayed with Mr BLK and Mr YEL till 15km, occasionally I surged ahead because I felt they were slowing down the pace. But whenever I went ahead they always kept up with me. I suppose this kept the group going, otherwise who knows who might come from behind? When we reached 15km mark the time was 59:30 (3:58/km). From 10km to 15km the split was 19:56 (3:59/km). I was still feeling good, so I decided to make a move and break away from them run the next 5k hard on my own with a good split of 19+ as I know that down to the last 1km I will be able to do it. I hoped to leave them behind forever. So I pushed the pace a bit, and they didn’t come along, but I could sense them following behind not too far away. I think certainly the gap was widening. Then I saw one lady walking along the road and she called to me ‘6^th’. Then she called out ‘7^th, 8^th’. It gave me an idea how far back Mr BLK and Mr YEL were. Was she telling me my position? If it was then I am surprised because I was sure there were more than 5 guys in front – Kien Mau, a Cambodian, Tony Seakins, a Japanese, Mr WHT and definitely more. If it was true I would be happy.

It was when we reached Elephant Terrace that disaster struck. There is supposed to be a left turn followed by a right turn towards Bayon. I had thought that at the first junction I was to turn right, and forgot that I had to turn left first. There was no one ahead of me and the policeman at the junction didn’t tell me anything. He just stood there, probably didn’t see me. I glanced at the ground and there was a white arrow on the right side of the road. So I turned right, but wasn’t sure if I was correct, until after running a short distance I heard one of the Caucasians (realized later it was Mr BLK) behind me shouted ‘Which way?’ to the policeman then followed by ‘Hey! This way!’ I realized he was calling me and I quickly turned and realized my grave mistake. According to Vivian Tang, she said I reacted quite fast. She was behind our pack and was approaching the junction and wanted also to shout at me, but I had already turned back. I should not have committed such a serious mistake because yesterday during the recce, we also initially thought this was a right turn but realized that on the map we have to turn left first. When I turned around to run back on the course, Mr BLK and Mr YEL were already some distance ahead, maybe 50m. It affected my focus and concentration to see me suddenly behind them when I worked so hard to break away from them. The first thing I told myself was that I have to quickly catch them because I was supposed to be ahead. If I were 6^th I cannot drop to 8^th because of a mistake. Before the mistake I was actually feeling good and strong and motivated and pushing the pace. Then in a reversal of fate, I found myself behind them and working very hard to catch these 2 men and it actually made me tired suddenly. I eventually caught them after a few minutes but it took a lot of effort. At this time, there was another Caucasian, Mr GRE (wearing grey) who suddenly came from behind (he was with us in the beginning and must be following us all this while) and overtook the 3 of us and sped ahead. If he became 6^th, then I would have to fight with Mr BLK and Mr YEL for 7^th place. I tried to follow Mr GRE but could not, as I was tired chasing and I decided to stay with Mr BLK and Mr YEL until maybe last 1km and ‘whack’ them. This was maybe around 18.5km to 19km.

I followed them and before we reached the 20km mark, I heard very small and quick footsteps coming and recognized immediately that these must be those of Vivian Tang’s. True enough, she appeared from my left and even signaled to me. However my legs were starting to complain especially the right quads, and I let her go past me. Mr BLK went with her and even paced and encouraged her something like ‘Way to go, lady!’. They managed to open a slight 5m gap which I made sure not to let it open further. It was already down to less than 2km, I told myself that I had already made a bad mistake; I cannot afford to lose so many positions (3) because of it. I tried very hard to hold on to this gap of 3-5m (Mr YEL stayed with me) as I was sure if I can do this, there is a good shot at me sprinting past both of them over the last few hundred meters. At 20km mark, the time was 1:19:43 (3:59/km); my 5km split was 20:13 (4:03/km). So I lost maybe 20sec from the mistake.

It was maybe the last 800m or 600m or so (by then I couldn’t judge the distance well but I could see the bridge to Angkor Wat Temple which is opposite the finish line), when there were crowds along the sides of the road that I started to push and overtook Mr BLK and Vivian. There was a lot of shouting and cheering I think because Vivian was the first woman they see and also we are coming in as a bunch. Before us it was only Mr WHT and then Mr GRE. Though I was ahead of all of them again, I knew that all 3 of them (including Mr YEL) are close behind me. When I approached the last bend, I couldn’t tell that all the shouting was also because there as a bunch of 4 of us coming in together. I should have known that it was also a signal that someone was closing in on me, and after making the last right turn, I saw Mr YEL coming from my right. He was coming to get me. I sprinted harder and my right calf nearly cramped up, and it was just a couple of metres before the finish line, he past me and in denouement, finished just a step of me and it caught me by surprise. It was really unlucky because it was so close. I was ahead of all these people, then went the wrong way, caught them back and then lost it at the last few seconds. Kien Mau later said he was there at the bend shouting at me that ‘he is catching me’.

After the race, my legs were very sore and I had difficulty doing a proper cooldown jog. I jogged back onto the route to cheer for the other Mileage guys. My last 1.1km took 4:02, which translated to a 3:40/km pace. I also realized that I had blisters under the ball of both feet. Socks too thin? Upon returning to the hotel I saw a blood blister under the ball of the left foot. I looked for Mr BLK and thanked him for shouting at me when I made the wrong turn.   

My finish time was 1:23:46 on my watch, although the official time says 1:23:54 – I don’t know why, since I formed up right in front. Though it was my PB, I wasn’t very satisfied right after I finish because of the mistake I committed. I should be very happy, since I shaved about 6min from my previous PB of 1:29 (AHM), but I felt I could have run a better time. I’m glad I achieved my target of 1:24, and this would give me confidence when I approach future training sessions.

Summary

Based on 39:34 @10k the average pace is 3:57/km, it would have given me 1:23:29 for 21.2km. Based on last 11.1km (1:23:46 – 39:34 = 44:12), the average pace was 3:59/km.

Based on 1:23:46, the average pace is 3:58/km. Well, the good thing to know is from first 10k and my pace didn’t drop very much, though last few km was really tough.

AHR: 177, MHR: 190 (191 and 192 are erroneous)

After the race, upon checking Sumiko’s finish line photos, I realized I was 10^th. So I was not 6^th according to the lady on the road. Glad that I can still squeezed in top 10, though I wasn’t expecting any finishing position for this race, just a PB. There are only prizes for top 3 and no cash prizes as this race is organized by a Japanese organization for charity.

The right knee was not good after the race, it’s probably due to tight muscles around the knee pulling the knee the wrong way.