This morning, I raced and completed the Newton 30K Run at The Playground@Big Splash. I climbed over the barricade (with expressed permission) and inched my way to a gun-time flag-off. I wore my Newton Gravity shoes to match the theme of the race; this pair was used only for races, and I have clocked several personal best times in the last three months in them (including a surprising category win).
Last year, I ran the same race and registered an unofficial 2:35, as the electronic sensors failed to detect my RFID signal from my bib. This year, I hope that my performance was captured as I did improve both gun-time (about 2:33) and actual time (2:32). I ran intuitively, occasionally checking my pace and heart rate. I completed my first 21K in about 1:50, and I was doing 4:45-4:50 for the first 10K. It may have been a tad faster than I should for I struggled on my second loop (of 12K).
Big thanks go out to Wilson Ang and his team manning the Mileage tent. The crew (included Coach Lim Kien Mau) provided drinks, spray mist, and snapshots for runners. I appreciate uber-runner Andrew Ngo for encouraging me on.
I ran with a Hilly hand-held bidon that contained my High-5 gels (non-caffeinated). I overtook a few regular faces (which boosted my morale), but was disturbingly overtaken by strangers in my second loop. My body decided that it did not want to bear with the heat, so it took longer pauses, subsequently, at the aid-stations. I acknowledged a few runners along the run, however I missed twice as many as I was focused on completing the race. The cough I picked up did affect my breathing, so I was not able to hold a harder pace for long; I was mildly concerned that I would be affected by it. I was near my 5-minutes-per-kilometre pace today, but not spot-on. I am hopeful that I may dip under the archway of 3:30:00 at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on 4 December. A Better Boston Qualifier (BBQ) of sub-3:25:00 would be a brilliant bonus.
Upon completing my run, I caught up with a few friends and focused on hydrating my body (only solid food I ate was a banana). I then walked with Hui Koon to the car park to collect his car; he improved his time by nearly 20 minutes!. Back home, I drank Muscle Milk whey protein (for muscle repair) and pomegranate juice (to ease my muscle soreness). I also stretched my tight muscles (especially the calves and adductors); my plan seemed to work as I was walking with more mobility and less soreness in the afternoon.
Photo-credit: MILEAGE Runner
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