MR-25 5km Time Trial (February)

1:59

"Actually I want to say... the positivity of sport. Actually I want to make the sport a clean sport. I want to make [the sport] an interesting sport whereby all human beings can run, can wake up very early in the morning to run and together when we run... we can make this world a beautiful world. You can kick away most of the diseases by just running."

Eliud Kipchoge

12 October 2019

On what he would like the world to remember about his mark on history

National Vertical Marathon 2019

MR-25 Progressive Run 2019 (10km)

Loving the surprising, sneaky finish

Asics Relay Singapore 2018

Race Against Cancer 2018

National Vertical Marathon 2018

The greater race was getting to the venue after rounds.

Food

In this first month, I've been given lots of food.

From superiors.

From patients and families.

From nurses in the ward and on call.

In a way it sustains me. Physically. But beyond that, my food doesn't lie in these rewards. My food is to do God's will.

Akira Swift Road Relay Championships 2018

I was the burden in my team hahah

Luck out of proportion to probability.

IVP 2018

Blessed to have been able to participate and I absolutely enjoyed and treasured the God-given opportunity!

Alongside.

Gratitude.

Photo credits: Alvin

I had always wanted to run for IVP. This year (or I should say, in the AY 2017-18), I found out with minimal notice (essentially about a week) that qualifying for the 5000m was possible. Yet the other consideration was - when was the 5000m - as there was some variation in schedules across previous years. 

I can choose to attribute my qualification for the right event at the right time as pure coincidence or God's blessing and I choose to acknowledge that it must have been the latter. 

Consider my circumstances. I was in the midst of preparation for MBBS, therefore was running minimally (20-30km a week, a far cry from the mileage and intensity I was doing just a year ago). After MBBS was over, I would fly to Taiwan from 15th January onwards. This meant that I could only take part in IVP if the event I participated in fell on 13th January 2018 (Saturday). Furthermore, I had to qualify. God opened the opportunity for me, and I seized it.

The week of MBBS was a challenging one, physically. I was unwell. Thankfully, much of the preparation took place in the months preceding. It forced me to recognise my limitations and rely on God for His providence. I write this prior to receiving my results but I write this confident that whatever the outcome, He wills for it and is pleased with what I chose to do.

On the day of IVP itself, I was still unwell. I had an uncomfortable throat and lingering lethargy. The weather was drizzly (as it had been for the past 120 hours?). Though a little excited, I was joyful. Sheer joy at the privilege and blessing to be running that afternoon.

We were flagged off just after 5pm. It was still drizzling and the ground was damp - in fact it had been persistently drizzling for about the past 3 days.

I settled into a decent pace, perhaps a tad too fast for my fitness at that moment. Surprisingly, the first 2km felt absolutely comfortable. I was running with Yurong for the first few laps, before he started to drop back ever so slightly. Ahead of me was a pack of about 4 runners. I could hear the cheers suggesting I catch that pack, however I knew that even trying to speed up by a few seconds would cost me dearly. In fact, I was probably running a few seconds too quick.

The pack ahead maintained an amazingly consistent pace, gradually pulling further ahead. This left me in no man's land. Yet I realised I was in 8th position - which would actually enable to me to score points. It wasn't long till one of the pack dropped back and I caught him - I was now in 7th! I was surprised to even be in a position of getting points for NTU, having seen the start list. However, a couple of podium contenders did not start.

It was a largely uneventful race till the second last back straight, where Yurong pulled up beside me. Were we going to complete this race again? The bell rang. And I guess Yurong realised we were only starting the bell lap. Yet another miscalculation on his part hahaha.

I saw it was just around 17:32 where we started the bell lap. This meant a sub-19 was still possible! I remained conservative for the first 200, before starting to kick as I rounded the final curve. It was well within control, yet immensely satisfying. In previous races, satisfaction was best attained by running intelligently, running negative splits, or really running till I got myself nauseous. Today, it was just about running. That was enough.

I have seen how God has opened up this opportunity - and other opportunities - over the past few months as I returned in Singapore. I have gotten my spiritual life into better order and perhaps as I contemplate my circumstances through clearer lenses, I constantly am awakened to the blessings that have saturated my life.

To God be the Glory.

The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever.

MBBS

Be perfect, in love.

Matthew 5:48

2018

Pursue His presence, not His presents.

Timing

The wait was worth it.

It's all about timing.

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2017

Asics Relay 2017

Singapore Aquathlon 2017

Real Run 2017

The Flying Doctors

The Start.

Entering Coney Island.  

Not gonna be this comfortable for much longer.

Almost.

Privileged to be running with these docs.

UK Parkruns

Fulham Palace with Anmol.

Burgess Park with Andrew. And lots of stares.

Hampstead Heath with Andrew

Richmond Runfest 2017

Surpass.

I signed up for this event months in advance, at Yirong's suggestion. Why a half? It was cheaper than the 10k, while remaining a reasonable distance (the full marathon would render me antalgic for some time).

With all that was going on in London, it was surprising that I actually got to run regularly in UK. Most of it came down to me wanting to explore and the fact that school didn't start anywhere as early as back home. Then again, schedules were very flexible as an elective student...

The race pack was delivered via mail without additional charge. 

On race day, as I was scheduled for the first wave (based on my previous HM time), I was due for flag off at 9.00am. In Singapore, that would have been torture. In London, the weather was gloomy though thankfully it wasn't drizzling. Probably around 12-14 degrees Centigrade that morning. I wore my NTU top, shorts and my gloves. My thermoregulatory mechanisms seem to neglect my hands. Significantly.

After the tube ride to Zone 6, I headed over to the park. A quick security check, bag deposit and then a brief visit to the portable toilets. Portable urinals were certainly a significant time saver. It's certainly an idea worth adopting back home.

To prevent myself from gradually freezing, I tried to stay within any crowd I could find. Thankfully, it wasn't long till flag off. 

To put my expectations into perspective, I had about three weeks of decent running (40-50km, with some workouts) in my legs. Prior to that, I had about 2 months of averaging 20km a week of slow running. I knew there were supposed to be pacers for 1:30 and 1:45. Following the former seemed rather risky yet the latter would have certainly been somewhat unfulfilling. A year ago, with about 3 months of solid mileage, I ran a sub 1:30 with about 20 hours notice. Under my present circumstances, I wasn't certain I could manage that again. But I was open to trying.

The Start. Credit to Richmond Runfest's Facebook page.

The first km was passed comfortably. Legs were good, lungs were brilliant. Many people passed me - considering I started only about 20 from the front. It's interesting how unlike in Singapore, the Brits don't cram themselves right to the start (at least in this race). There was so much room at the start line that I felt obligated to occupy the empty space.

Anyway, I knew I'd gradually be catching up with many that were passing me. First km in 4:15. Settled into a rhythm and clicked off the next couple of Ks in sub 4:10. I was breathing absolutely comfortably. However, it wasn't long till I felt the niggles in the thighs. Seems like the mileage (or lack thereof) was catching up with me. Aerobically I knew I wouldn't be in trouble. Paramount to a good race was therefore, to make sure my legs could keep up with my lungs.

The course took us through variable terrain - minimal grass, a fair amount of tarmac and gravel. As always, I gradually started catching up with runners over the first 10k. I passed 10k in sub-42min pace. The thighs were starting to get a little sore, which was worrying. I knew I could afford to slow down. It was going to be a fine line and I needed to make sure I threaded lightly in order to maximise my chances to arrive at the finish with functioning limbs.

There were a couple of hydration stations along the way. Unlike back at home, the low humidity here meant dehydration wasn't as noticeable. I drank at every occasion I could. Bottles were convenient to drink from, though I felt wasteful at the limited amounts I could consume before I'd toss the bottle to the side.

I found myself running beside a Caucasian lady for a substantial portion of the race. I noticed another Asian man as well. I was thankful for their company, though no words were spoken. The route was enjoyable, though I was gradually having trouble focusing on my surroundings.

I was certainly starting to hurt. Or at least the legs were. The breathing was still comfortable - judging by the respiratory rate. Towards the last third of the race, I knew I had lots of time in the bank for a sub 1:30 performance. I deliberately slowed down, in the hope that the legs would take less of a beating.

At some point towards the last few Ks, I was passed by a pacer. I knew the fastest pacers were 1:30 pacers - and I was certainly running sub 1:30 pace - whereas he was kinda flying past me. Then came a huge group of runners (about 6-8). I contemplated sticking with them, but realised the legs just could not.

Thankfully, the agony the legs encountered was soon over (only in retrospect). The last few Ks were miserably slower than the average pace (though then again, the terrain was slightly more challenging). I finished joyfully in 1:28:13. What a pleasant surprise. I certainly wasn't expecting this performance, considering the limited mileage over the past few months. In fact, over the previous 4 months, I had averaged less than a half-marathon per week. Per week.

Committing to surrender my running to God was no doubt a blessing. Not only did it free my time, but it freed my heart. And I was blessed with a satisfying performance in my first overseas race.

Towards the Finish. Credit to Prestige Events.

The full marathon winner.

Old shoes.

Happy Singaporeans.

If

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster,

And treat those two imposters just the same...

You'll be a man, my Son!

If - Rudyard Kipling