Race Review: SCMS 2014

After battling ITB for weeks, I was totally in dilemma and unsure if I should go ahead with the marathon, but I eventually made up my mind after REPC, I think somehow collecting the rack pack got me hyped up and motivated, thus I decided to just make my way slowly to the end point. Another push factor for me was the fact that I read a friend's post about how she finished her marathon in over 9 hours, and another article about how a couple walked their way to the finishing line in over 7 hours. I was thinking: Hey, if they can do it, I can do it too!

Love my bib number and everything was in blue

With the experience of the previous marathon, I knew it was crucial for me to get to the race site early as bag deposit will take some time. I decided to take the first train to town and thus I planned to sleep by 9pm so that I can wake up at 2.30am to prepare myself. But alas, I had too much rest during the day (even though I did not take a nap) so I had difficulty falling asleep that night. Usually, I do not have problem with insomnia, but the night before my marathon, I was really lying in bed for hours, with eyes wide open. Even though I tried playing soothing music on my laptop, it did not help.

I drifted in and out of sleep till it was past midnight, I felt like I hardly catch a wink and it was time for me to wake up and get ready. The first train started from Jurong East around 2.45am, so I estimated it will take roughly half an hour to reach my station, thus i left the house slightly after 3am to catch the first train to Orchard. There were already several other runners waiting at the platform when I reached, and when the train came, it was filled with people in blue. The station was already crowded with runners walking in all directions when I reached Orchard, I quickly found my way to the lorries for the baggage deposit. The queues were forming up but it was not as bad as 2013, and I managed to deposit my bag by 4.15am.

Next, it was the issue of finding the toilets. Last year, I saw Wendy's on the way to the start line and quickly went in to use the washroom. This year, I was disappointed to see that Wendy's was not opened, so I had to follow the signages to get to the portable toilets at the back of the MRT station. I got there at 4.30am and the queues were super long, there must be 15-20 runners in each line. After waiting for sometime, some guys sneaked off to the bushes nearby (dark hilly area behind the portable toilets) to make it a fast one, I wish all the guys can do that and leave us ladies queueing but that did not happen. When I finally left the toilet and headed towards the start pen at almost 5am, the first wave was already flagged off. I'm glad that I was thick skinned enough to get a blue bib so I was able to move to the front of the remaining pack, since the red bib people were barricaded behind.

I was apprehensive and worried about my right knee, therefore I've decided to adopt the 1 min walk - 4 min jog method again. Unlike last year, I did not need to attach the Gymboss timer to my SPI belt as my Garmin watch have the function, one more advantage of using my GPS watch! Unfortunately, in the middle of the run, I had wanted to change the ratio of walk: jog to 1:3 or 2:2 but I wasnt able to do so. This is one downside of using the watch.

After we inched forward and moved past the start line, my pace was quite steady and I was happy as I did not feel any pain at the knee area. Nevertheless, I still tread carefully. Prior to putting on my compression long tights, I had taped my knee as a preventive measure. After awhile, I saw a group of pacers catching up with me and I thought that those must be the 5.30 pacers I had intended to follow. But as they drew closer, I realised they were the 5.15h pacers. I soon bid farewell to them as I could never do such a fast pace with the condition of my knee. I kept on running till the 5.30h pacers appeared around the 11km mark, I kept up with their pace for a km or so and I actually felt good doing that. Unfortunately, I felt a strain at my knee after awhile and I had to slow down before the onset of the pain affect me too much.

By that time, we were already approaching the ECP stretch and finished 1/3 of the race. I pushed on using the walk-jog method but I could feel that it was a sluggish effort, I stopped for toilet break when I felt that my bladder was full but actually it wasn't. Soon after the U turn point at ECP, I slowed down to a walk. In the previous edition of SCMS, I just kept on walking. But this time round, I stopped several times to get Tiger Balm from the volunteers or to tie my shoe laces. The muscleache was just the normal ache I experienced during long run but this was the first time I stopped to rub my muscles and rest, it was soothing but I also know that I had slackened a lot and only aimed to finish the race. I was eagerly waiting for the banana station and I was expecting it to be an energy booster before we leave the ECP at 26-27km. It was disappointing when it wasn't there but I kept pushing on, looking out for it as I didn't really study the route map and the organisers might have moved it further down the race. The banana station did not turn up ( turned out there was a glitch in the supplier's part and there wasn't a single banana in the whole race!) Anyway, we just walked on as 2/3 of the race was already over, I was just glad that my knee didn't work up and it was really a miracle in itself. I would admit that there were points of times I really considered giving up and just take a bus back to get my bag, but I'm glad I pushed on. 

The final 14km is the most challenging part of the race as runners were all exhausted and the sun shone mercilessly on us during that long uncovered stretch of road before we enter GBTB, everyone around me was already walking by this time. It was really bad this year as I nearly wanted to ask for water from the volunteers but I could see that they were also suffering under the hot sun. Finally the water station came up and there was many people resting in the shade. I joined them and started chatting to an Aunty, somehow it motivated me when I meet the friendly veterans who did not give up. By a strange stroke of luck, it's the first time I brought along a chocolate bar in a race, thinking of using it to motivate myself after I reached the mid way mark at ECP. It had melted as I did not take it out earlier but it served its purpose at that point as I had given up hopes of finding the bananas. I ate half of the bar and continued on my grueling journey.

When we reached the Marina Barrage, things took a turn for the worse as the volunteers there were shouting that it's the last water station! It was also supposed to be a gel station but I didn't get any gel there, my own supply had ran out after ECP as I was expecting the organizers to top up the last 2 gels. We still have 8km more to go without water so it was quite depressing, I sat down to enjoy my last two cups of isotonic drinks. However, I have same strange stroke of luck for this race, I also put in a $5 bill earlier, half thinking that I might need it to take public transport if I gave up halfway. When we passed satay by the bay, I went in to buy a bottle of mineral water, and I also bought a banana from the fruit stall. Both items were grossly overpriced by I didn't mind a bit, I was the only one who get to enjoy my banana and that made me a happy runner. 

Feeling soooooo happy with my banana

We trudged on and just before the U turn point to get on Sheares bridge from GBTB, I saw volunteers packing up at the water station that had closed and realised they had ran out of water. It was the same at the next station but there were volunteers giving out bottled water when we exited the bridge. By this time, I was already 7h into the race and looking forward to finish the last few km. There was another old uncle who chatted with me as we passed the F1 gallery, another foreigner lady who was walking towards the float to collect her stuff cheered me on. Finally, I finished the race at 7h 30min, the timing is horrendous but the feeling was really awesome. 

There was no free muesli bar or banana at the end of the race this year. I collected the medal, finisher tee and left Padang feeling really good about myself. Later that day, I saw many posts on FB commenting about the bad weather and demanding condition of the race this year, and I felt better about my lousy timing. The feeling was really good when I got home and stand under the hot shower, however i saw the shape of the racer back runner tee imprinted onto my skin, almost sun burnt!

With SCMS over, it also marked the end of my year in runs/fun runs/races for 2014. These are the races I've attended this year:

Best feeling in the world to get these 'souvenirs'

Safari Zoo Run 
Venus Run
Garfield Run
Shape Run
Hello Kitty Run
Straits Times Run at the Hub
Great Eastern Women's
Newton Challenge
SCMS 2014