Run For Hope 2017

Service.

I dwelt on the word, even as I rushed over for group training and as I got up early (earlier than my other races) on race day.

This race was about performance. I needed to perform according to my expectations. Today, it was to pace other runners to a 60min 10km race.

I first chanced upon the opportunity to become a pacer for Run for Hope 2017 on Facebook by Coffee Tea Runners. They're a group that conducts regular casual group runs in addition to providing pacing support to a variety of local events. One aspect which enticed me was that apart from the time trial, there were only 2 training sessions prior to the event day. This meant significantly less time commitment (which admittedly, is a challenge) as opposed to becoming a pacer for other events. In addition to that, Run for Hope champions cancer awareness and research.

Pacer selection was determined through a 10km time trial, whereby we were flagged off minute by minute and made to run the (approximately?) 10km route with as little km to km variation in our splits.

Upon selection, we engaged in two group training sessions. The bunch of pacers came from diverse walks of life. Some were retirees, while others were freshly starting out in the workforce. As a student, I was the youngest. Nonetheless, despite varying backgrounds, all of us there were like-minded in seeking to perform well, for the benefit of others. Service.

Our first group training.

Colourful. Our second training.

Looking back over the couple of years since I've started running, I recognise how it's given me a keen sense of purpose, in addition to helping me organise my life and priorities. I knew that this was a great chance to give back to the sport and the community.

We paced fellow runners to a finish of just below an hour. Service; with humility.

En route. Credit to Running Shots.

Akira Swift Cross Country 2017

It's great to be running with the NTU lads yet again.

We all raced this morning. For most, it was the IHG Road Relay. For me, it was the Tembusu Vertical Marathon.

Representation.

Credit to Syed Taha Aljunied.

Flag-off was prompt at 4pm. It was a pretty small field. Yurong, Sunil and I probably lost track of the number of participants that overtook us. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say about 85% of the field. However, with the plan of running a conservative first portion, Yurong and I were certain we'd catch quite a number.

Credit to Syed Taha Aljunied.

The route took us along the pavement. Seemed like my Salomon's weren't required after all (I had expected much more trail). A few hundred in, we started catching people one by one. I could feel the residual soreness from my AM race. It wasn't helping that my eyes were getting rather dry, having worn my contacts since early that morning. However, I knew this conservative approach meant that we would get faster (and faster...hopefully).

The climb began around 2km in. First came the gradual, manageable hill. Then the steeper one. I slowed considerably (and deliberately). Yurong started to pull ahead a little, before we mounted the hill and I slowly drew a little closer. Nonetheless, there was a bit of a gap. I was confident of his pacing and focused on sticking with him.

At the bottom of the hill, we finally hit the trail portion of this cross country race. Bedok Reservoir isn't the nicest of trails to run as the terrain is somewhat sandy. A greater degree of friction would have been desirable. It was time for some catching as we gradually passed other runners.

All this while Yurong had a decent gap over me of perhaps 3-5 seconds. Though I wasn't comfortable, I wasn't particularly willing to dig deep. I was content to treat this race as a workout (which meant nothing too hard). However, as I gradually started to see the Finish across the water, I attempted to marginally pick up my pace. I could also see Chun Hong further away in the distance.

At the rate I was going, it crossed my mind that I could catch Yurong.

Until he picked up the pace as well in the last 100m or so. And then I got lazy.

It was all smiles at the Finish. No expectations, no pressure, just sheer enjoyment at racing with the team.

Strava data if you're interested :)

Tembusu Vertical Marathon 2017

Aching calves.

Blessed.

Photo credits: Yong Jian

Long awaited; blessed.

What was also long awaited was me getting down to writing about this event. What drew my attention to this was both the cause (supporting Tembusu College's tCambodia) and the activity (stair-climbing).

I was particularly keen to start in an early wave for this event as a stairwell is only so wide. Furthermore, I had to rush off to classes after I was done. Thankfully, I started in the first wave.

I found myself leading initially. Then again, waves were of tiny groups of about 5 and not even segregated by gender. It wasn't long before a female climber caught up with me. Judging from her movements however, I suspected I would soon catch up and she'd probably be in lots of pain.

The route was pretty complex as besides the stairs, some careful navigation was needed. Unfamiliarity wasn't of any use. Nonetheless, I didn't take this race too seriously. I was certain I would secure a podium, the exact position wouldn't matter too much to me. And I had another race with the NTU Cross team in the afternoon.

With a controlled ascent of the first block of 20-odd floors, I began my first descent. I quickly heard pounding footsteps approaching from behind - it had to be Kai Peng. Unsurprisingly, he passed me. This meant he probably had gained a good 20 seconds on me since he had started in the second wave.

I quickly knew why he was so fast with this - he flew down the flights of stairs. 

The rest of the race was just a repetition of ascending a block before descending. It got progressively harder. Lots of concentration is required in a stair race as footing and even the number of steps matters tremendously. Cut an unnecessary step and you'd save a fraction of a second. Do this for... many flights... and it adds up.

Eventually, I was back down to the ground and conservatively sprinted towards the Finish. Kai Peng was waiting.

I also caught a quick word with Yaner who was queuing for his wave's start. To be honest, Yaner's definitely a faster climber than me, though I didn't know about his descents. Nonetheless, the Men's Open was mine due to my fortunate first wave start.

Next up is NVM 2017 - multiple categories!