Shoes addiction

Two weeks back, we went to Queensway Shopping Centre to get some shoes.

As part of my marathon preparation, I decided that I need a new pair of Asics running shoes. Actually, I still have two pair of Asics that I'm using in gym and training but I just wanted something of a nicer design (girls being girls!). I know nothing about the practical function of those running shoes and the one and only thing I was looking out for was design and colour! And of course, the price as well.

After going up and down the shopping centre and looking through all the shoes in the shops, I finally settled on a Asics Gel-Fujiracer 2. The shop didnt put up any signage and I was pleasantly surprised when there was a discount. Sadly, a few days after my purchase, I went to school wearing my new running shoes and one of my colleagues D commented that its a pair of ugly shoes. (-_-) Its kind of abrupt in some ways as we are not on such close terms and its quite weird that he commented about my shoes negatively. I checked with K and he also said that when we were picking out the shoes, the design didnt impress him. (!!!) Anyway, after taking a good hard look at my shoes, I decided that I still love them no matter what they said. I took it for a run that evening and it was quite light and the cushioning was comfortable. Unfortunately, when I went home to pick up my running stuff last Friday I forgot to bring it along and didnt get to wear it for my first FM. :(

As I had been wearing Asics (and swearing by it), it's strange how I have the pair of Nike for all my races this year. It's no that much of a surprise as K is a super BIG fan of Nike. As a guy, the number of Nike shoes he has at home far exceed the total number of all my shoes put together. Can you imagine that? We bought a pair of Nike training shoes each earlier this year when he decided to start going to gym (that determination only lasted till June).

After I bought my new pair of Asics, he had his eyes on some Nike Kobe System 8 shoes and I paid them for him since he loved them so much and there was a discount in the store. Those shoes are pretty but its more for walking and light gym training, I was just trying on a pair to see how it looked. Even though they were nice, I was reluctant to get extra pairs of shoes and just leave them sitting around without much usage. But alas, I succumbed to the thoughts that its cute if we have matching Kobe 8 shoes and since he offered to pay for mine, I got my second pair of shoes.

I'm quite happy with those and had been wearing them quite a bit instead of my usual Converse after our purchase. Meanwhile, K is still on his crazy shoe mission and he had bought a few more pairs of Nike to add on to his foamposite collection (whatever they are) *roll eyes*.

Workstation Annual Spring Cleaning

This is the only time of the year when I have the chance to do a thorough cleaning of my work station. By now, most of my colleagues had already left for their holidays and the staff room was extremely quiet when I went back for my last bit of cleaning today. I'm satisfied with the end results, hopefully I can sustain this for at least a few weeks after the school reopen.

My First Marathon Experience

I always have this impulsive habit of signing up for marathons but ended up not training and not turning up for them. Yesterday, I FINALLY completed my first marathon.

It started with signing up with the U Run premium package at the end of last year and feeling very motivated to start off the year with more running and training. Actually, I did just that. 2013 is definitely the year I went to gym/workouts/jogging more than previous years, its almost comparable to the time I was ten years young and still active camping and kayaking. As of today, my nike+ accounted for 64 whooping runs this year!

These are the races I completed this year:
1) U run (10km+OMB Climb)
2) Nike We Run SG 2013 (10km)
3) Shape Run (10km)
4) Great Eastern Women's Run (HM)
5) Brooks Happy Run (9km)
6) Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (FM)

Other than signing up and completing these races, I didnt really keep to the marathon training as planned. One month before the marathon, I was having second thoughts about going for it due to the lack of training and there was no way I could cram more long runs into this short period. After reading about many others with similar concerns and encouragement from the rest of the running community, I decided to just go for it and only aimed to finish the marathon, telling myself this is really something I have to achieve.


I started reading up on motivational articles, running tips and training methods, preparing myself during the last one month before the race. During the REPC, instead of just picking up the race pack, I spent a bomb getting all the running gear I need: SPI belt to hold my energy gels, new Oakley sunglasses, new compression top and bottom etc. Lots of articles mentioned that I should not be wearing/doing anything new during my big race, but since I was not aiming to achieve any PB, I just wanted to make sure I was comfortable enough (and looking good as well).

After the REPC, I was really excited when I was packing my stuff and getting ready for the race. I only had less than two hours of sleep but the caffeine in the energy gels kept me going during the race so I didnt really feel the fatigue. I woke up before 3am and started to gear up for the event. I was really glad that SCM is a big running event, as the MRT was already up and operating by 2.30am. This was unlike the few previous morning races when I took a cab to the event site.

Even while I was waiting for the train, there were already other FM runners waiting on the platform. Soon, the train arrived and it was filled with other marathoners. I felt so happy and excited that I was one of them, just attending the race was already an achievement in itself. However, upon reaching the event site, I was quite frustrated that the baggage deposit took up 20 min as I felt the urge to visit the restroom even while I was still queueing. I initially planned to make it to the start pen early but ended up spending the time queueing and feeling nervous about it.

Anyway, there were still lots of others behind me when I finally reached the race pen, I knew the first wave had started but there were lots of people still waiting to inch forward and start the race. During the first part of the race, most people really paced themselves well and the overall momentum was slow and steady. Surprisingly, the roads were wide enough and there were no bottlenecks despite the big turnout of the running. Due to the lack of training, my strategy was to adopt the Galloway method of Run-Walk-Run and I specially ordered a Gymboss timer to clip onto my new SPI belt a few weeks before the race. It kept me going quite effortlessly all the way till ECP and 1/3 into the race.

As I was running along ECP and eager to approach the U turn point, it eventually became harder to start running after my one minute walking break. I walked through all the drink stations along the way, but on top of that, my walking breaks became longer. I started to look forward to the next distance marker and I noticed most people around me were also slowing down and eventually walking, there were only a few still jogging and overtaking me after 25km. When I finally left ECP behind me at the 29km mark, I had already given up trying to jog and just walked along with the rest. The pain in my knees became hard to ignore and there was just no way I could command my legs to jog or even run any longer. It was really a test of endurance and I kept doing mental calculations of how fast I was moving along and how long it was going to be before the race will be over. Unfortunately, it was still another 2 hours to go when I hit the many many "runner's walls".

I was amused that even we approached the last 500m, I couldnt get my legs to move faster unlike other races and I was still strolling along. It was only the last 200m when I saw so many people lining the finishing point that I forced myself into a slow jog. Finally, when I finished the race, the pain in my knees and the urge to visit the toilet overcame the feeling of euphoria I was supposed to feel. But after some rest, I'm now determined to train harder next year and achieve a better timing in my next marathon or even HM. I'm eagerly looking forward to next year's running events. :)