Bangkok Trip 2015 Day 2

I guessed I must have fallen asleep around 2am+ local time after having some snacks and tom yum cup noodles (there wasnt a hot water flask in the room, the staff brought up a flask with water already boiled when we asked for one, really cool). I woke up early this morning, before 8am. Just like our previous trip to Bangkok, we dont really have a solid plan of what to do for the 3 days of the trip, it pretty much also depend on P and his mood too (I was really surprised the last trip when he asked to go to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho etc). When waiting for P to wake up, just like any other trip, I was looking up Tripadvisor for a good place for brunch near our hotel as breakfast is not provided for our stay. I chanced upon Medinii restaurant during my research and it seemed pretty good as they have a pasta and pizza buffet promotion, it is currently ranked 23 among 8k+ eateries in Bangkok and they have a hotel lunch buffet that cost 499+ with pretty good reviews. I used a EZTable link on Tripadvisor to make a reservation at 12.30pm.

The Jacuzzi all ready for me

I was updating this blog while P was snoring away, and I decided to go for a good hot bath using the room's Jacuzzi tub. It take quite awhile to fill up the tub, the guide said it takes a good 15min and it was also a bit noisy as the tub filled up from a rain shower outlet coming down from the ceiling. It is pretty cool but I did the mistake of only using the hot faucet for most of the tub and did not test the water temperature before getting in. I felt so cooked into the hot water that I had to wait around at the edge of the tub before immersing myself again. The Jaccuzi tub is like an infinity pool with the water overflowing its edge and it is quite spacious for one person but I doubt it can accommodate two people comfortably. The water massage feature is not very strong and can be almost considered non existent so I was pretty much like soaking myself in a big bathtub, still quite shiok! One thing about the whole dressing and shower area is that there's no privacy so it might be awkward if you're there with friends and family. The room is however big enough for others to avoid the area if one do not want to see your counterparts in the shower.

Lift lobby decorated with comfy chair (every level is different)

The different levels of the hotel

I also tried out the expresso machine after that, it looked complicating to operate but actually it is quite idiot proof with the comics menu. The coffee was not as aromatic as I thought it should be, it still tasted quite okay if one need a coffee fix during the stay at Maduzi, there's complimentary free flow tea and coffee from the bar downstairs anyway. I woke P up to have his shower at noon as our lunch appointment is at 12.30pm. We finally set off from the hotel at 12.30pm.

Make shift stalls appeared outside our hotel

Going up to 35th floor

The Medinii

It is quite easy to navigate to the Continent Hotel using my phone data sim card, the entrance of the hotel is hidden away from the side of the Asok BTS but actually it is right next to it. The restaurant is on the 35th floor of the hotel and the whole place looked pretty posh. The service was quite good and the staff were trying their best to attend to us with their limited English once we had sat down. My booking was not in their records as I guess it was made too last minute, but the restaurant was not full as it is a weekday afternoon so we still get our seats immediately. The restaurant was lined by see through glass panel from ceiling to floor so that diners can have a good view of the surrounding area, we were sitting right next to it so the view was really good from the high floor. Even though the buffet line included pasta in the cooked food, an extensive salad bar and a dessert area, there was a menu for us to order the pizza and pasta of our choice. It seemed too good to be true so we even checked with the server another time to ensure that all is included in the price of the buffet. We can never get this price for a hotel buffet in Singapore!

Buffet lunch with a view

Full view of the city

The yummy dessert line

I would not say that food tasted top notch, but the quality was not too bad. The corn soup we both had was really thick and sweet, not the the diluted ones we always have at Pizza hut or Swensen's. P focussed on the cooked food section while I went for the salad bar. We ordered a pizza (8 pieces with a choice of 1 or 2 toppings) and I ordered a creamy pasta. I was really full after one round of soup, salad and the pasta so I doubt anyone can really eat that much as its all carbo. There was still plenty of time even though we only arrived there at 12+, the buffet time was actually from 11.30am-2.30pm for brunch. We sat around and chit chat while admiring the nice view from the top. It got pretty hot at one point so the server helped us to move the shades halfway down so that the sun do not get to us, but soon dark clouds came and it rained.

My starters, soup and salad

The pizza and pasta we ordered

We were seated at a more private section 

When we finally got to dessert, I must say that the quality of the dessert there was really good. Even though their focus was really on the pasta and pizza, I would say that the taste of the dessert was outstanding while the pasta and pizza more mediocre. I tasted creme brulee that tasted much better than the top hotel buffets in SG, the other egg based desserts (forgot the name) was also really good. Unfortunately, I was feeling really full from all the carbo loading so I did not go for a second round. We left when the buffet hour was almost over, the manager even came to us personally to check how things were, so the service was impressive. The bill came up to 1170 THB, which was only $23SGD per pax! *thumbs up* The rain had stopped when we left, it almost looked like it did not rain at all. I woke up quite early in the morning so I was feeling sleepy after the very good meal. As we were near the hotel, we went back to take a nap. The next thing I know, it was already 5pm+. Our short rest at the hotel became a 4-5h break as P was also sleeping when I woke up. Nevertheless, it is still a good staycation as we are resting well in the hotel.

Pic taken at the lobby

The bed beckoning me

Snapped more pics while waiting for the lift

P suggested going to Siam Paragon for the evening as he wanted to look for his sneakers. I read from Tripadvisor that tourists can get a discount card from the information counter at the basement and we did just that. After time was spent queueing and filling up the form for the card, we did not buy anything at Siam Paragon as P could not find the shop he was looking for. The stores there are like ION with big international brand name, but they have this floor with all the luxury and power cars displayed like Lamborghini, Bentley, BMW etc. All these stores were already closed and I realised the stores in BKK closes quite early, many were closed when we were there at 8.30pm.

Exit from the very crowded Siam BTS 

Siam Paragon looking grand as always

P mentioned that we should try out street food for dinner so that became our mission for the night. We walked to the sidewalk just next to Siam center and Siam Paragon where there small stalls set up for the night. Its pretty amazing that these stalls just spring up as and when they like and can disappear anytime too. When we walked out of our hotel at noon and in the evening, there were different set of street stalls that appeared right outside. Its pretty interesting and I also think I should try as much street food as I can for this trip, after reading so much from the blogs of others.

The popular orange juice

We walked along the stretch and it was quite crowded, with stream of people coming from both directions. There were stalls selling food and clothes, almost like the night market of Taiwan. It also dawned upon me that I did not notice BKK having this night market thingy until this trip although I do know they have a lot of street food there. As far as I've observed, the stalls also do not have a designated place unlike the night market in Taiwan. There's many of them selling food like noodles and rice dishes, so they also have tables and chair set up right next to the stalls. We walked all the way to MBK, but we only bought a bottle of orange juice. I've seen many people drinking orange coloured juice from transparent plastic containers and there's also many stalls selling the same stuff. The drink is sweeter and thicker than the normal orange juice we have, and the orange is also different from the ones that are common in SG. I'm quite sure they've added sweetener so even though it's very refreshing to drink these on a hot day, it is probably not healthy to drink too much. They also have the pomegranate and lime version, most vendors are squeezing the juice on the spot and the pomegranate one looked quite good too so I'm thinking I'll try it the next time if I come across it again.

Back to Asok BTS but the stores all closed

When we took the cab to our hotel the previous day, I noticed many street stalls set up near Asok BTS station. We decided to take BTS from National Stadium (next to MBK) back to Asok and continue our mission. However, the stalls around Asok were even more limited and there were this area where several 'street bars' were set up, its like makeshift stalls but with all the common drink options we can find in a bar or pub. We walked further down and came across this street full of pubs and girls in skimpy clothes standing outside, attracting people in for their night shows. Its pretty interesting but I totally had no idea we were staying so near to one of such area. After a search online, I've found out that this is 'Soi Cowboy' and is considered a redlight district for the area. Personally, I enjoy a hot bowl of noodles by the street as they have a lot of vegetables and spices like vietnam pho, but P is never a noodles person so we walked around but did not find anything to his liking.

Chanced upon Soi Cowboy

We were at the area just next to Continent hotel where we had lunch, and we decided to try Indulge which is just next door to it. I had read pretty good reviews about the place on Tripadvisor and there were always people sitting inside and outside when we walked passed, so I guess the food and drinks there should be quite okay. I remember reading that the steaks there are quite good, so I recommended that to P as he is definitely a steak person. The prices are quite steep so he was hesitant initially, but eventually we decided to splurge on a tenderloin and we can share the food between us. It is not easy to cook the tenderloin as the meat is quite thick, but I must say the chef had done a good job and we really enjoyed the food there. The bill came up to 1400+THB and it is expensive for Thai standard but still quite okay when we compare it to the prices of steak at home. Our street food mission might have failed for tonight but I'm sure we will try some when we visit the Chatuchak over the weekend.

Bread for starters

The maincourse and sides

It was close to midnight when we return to the hotel, I was lying on bed to rest and fell asleep even though I had not showered. The next thing I know, it is 3am on Saturday morning. I felt something amiss and noticed P applying something on his leg, P told me he had a bad fall in the shower room just before I woke up. Luckily, the hotel staff on duty was able to give him something to put on his wound and some ice to ease the pain. I feel quite bad for sleeping through all these as I did not hear anything when it happened. :(

Bangkok Trip 2015 Day 1

6 weeks after Term 3 started, we're finally having a getaway. As Singapore celebrates 50 years of independence, we have an extra day of holiday this Jubilee National Day. After they announced the good news in March, I quickly scanned through the internet for possible places we can make the trip. My first choice was Cambodia as the Angkor Empire Half and Full Marathon is held this weekend and it is a perfect destination for my first overseas race. Unfortunately, the air tickets to Cambodia were limited and got snapped up so fast that it became too expensive for me. Many other nearby destinations also had very steep prices for this long weekend, till I came across the Airasia flights to Bangkok. The price is still considered expensive for a trip to Bangkok ($600++) but it is already cheaper compared to other destinations. 

One of the display at the airport: Singapore flyer and the F1 night race

This is my second trip with P to Bangkok, the first was already two years ago in 2013. I've traveled to Bangkok few other times, the first one was in 2002 when I did community service in Chiang Mai, then a family trip in 2005, and I even had a overseas trip here with students in 2009. Ironically, Singaporeans were actually encouraged to stay in the country for the Jubilee long weekend and I was really worried that they will make it mandatory for us to stay around. Luckily, nothing was mentioned and I got ready to set off for the trip after months of booking it. Other than having a 4 days extended long weekend (which is really rare), we got a half day in school and could go off after the celebration ended at 10.30am. I stayed around and got really busy with work till 3pm, came home and napped, had dinner and only started packing at 5.30pm when we were aiming to get out of the house by 6.30pm. As it is just a short trip, it was easy to pack and I was done in just half an hour. 6.30pm came we got out of the house punctually, I'm glad there's still plenty of time even though I only packed the very last minute.

The social tree: interactive game that people play at the departure area

We got to Changi Airport Terminal 1 and the whole place was reeking of SG50 atmosphere, there were many big and small displays of the landmarks of Singapore so we took some photos of that. I'd already checked in online so dropping off the baggage was fast and there was no queue at the AirAsia counters. Inside the departure hall, there was also a group of local youth singers singing familiar national day songs like 'Home' and so on, it triggered the patriotic and nostalgic person in me.

Nostalgia.. Old school design of the playground at a booth

We were already at the boarding gate 15min before the boarding time, there were not many people waiting at the gate yet so I was surprised that the flight was not really full. I even managed to get a seat next to the charging station to charge my phone and play games while waiting to board. The plane came just shortly before the boarding time at 8pm but there was not much delay in boarding, there were many people who boarded after us so it turned out that the flight was quite full but many people were kind of late. We always choose seats as near to the front of the plane as possible so that disembarkation will be fast, for this flight I was happy that there were nobody sitting next to me so I have more space for myself and easy access to the washroom (I didnt go to the washroom though). 

Bangkok, here we come!

Somehow we thought that the flight to Bangkok is fast and we will reach in an hour, but in actual fact it was took us almost 2.5 hour. I bought snacks and Thailand SIM card from the airline, the SIM card cost 299 THB and I was reading from some blog that it cost the same if I get one from the airport terminal. Like in 2013, the AirAsia flight took us to the older Don Mueang airport, the only inconvenience was taking the shuttle service to the airport terminal after the flight, but other than that, clearing of customs and picking up our luggage was a breeze. In March 2013, the counters for public taxi was outside the terminal but this it was inside one end of the terminal, there were very long queues but it did not take us long to get a cab as there were 10 counters in total. The queue for taxi is quite similar to Singapore, except that the drivers had to physically come in to get some receipts and papers and to pick up the passengers. Along the way, I passed the driver 120THB for toll fees and he checked with us if we want to use the highway (not sure if there are other alternatives). 

Tourist SIM card that we can purchase on flight

We took a ride in the hot pink cab

I only booked the hotel a week or so before the trip, there are a lot of choices in Bangkok and I finally decided on Maduzi Hotel near Asok BTS and Terminal 21 after a lot of research. There were reviews that it might be a bit difficult for taxis to find the hotel as the address is on Soi 16 but it is in fact at the junction of the streets. The taxi driver was quite smart to stop at Citadines apartments next door to try to give the hotel a call as he did not see the hotel after a short distance down, but the security guard came and gave him the right directions. The cab ride cost us 275 THB excluding toll charges and took about 20min from the airport, which was better than expected. The rest of our trip to the front desk was similar to the reviews I've read on Agoda/Tripadvisor.

Our room A06

Greeted by the complimentary mini bar and expresso machine

Cute comic book with instructions of in room facilities

FOC minibar

Mini office area at one side of the room

Lounging corner on the other side of the bed

Welcome to the huge dressing area

Walk in wardrobe just next to the shower, very convenient

Unlike our previous hotel Citin (which we also had good impression of), the area around Maduzi was much quieter even though it is just a 5min walk to the BTS and the nearby 'night market' area. There was a lot of privacy when walking around the hotel compound as there was a big sliding gate which our taxi entered before it dropped us, then we walked up this small path to the front door of the hotel, past the restaurant area before we came to the reception. The staff briefed us about the checking in/out regulations, the special thing about this hotel is that we can check out really really late, as late as 8.15pm since we arrived late on the first night. Unfortunately, we have an early flight on Monday morning so we cant make use of it. The staff who helped us to check in then brought us up to our room, although I read all about in on reviews, it was still a fascinating experience. There's only 6 floors in the hotel with about 7 rooms in each floor, and each level is named with letters MADUZI instead of numbers. We are staying on the second highest floor in Room A06. After entering the room, all we could see is the mini bar and the espresso machine, therefore there is really a lot of privacy as others cant even see much from the doorway. The hotel staff opened a japanese style sliding door and what greeted us what the small office area, the huge bed and a leather lounging chair. We actually had to turn another corner to get to the washroom, which is separated into a toilet area, a huge dressing area, the walk in wardrobe, then a big jacuzzi bathtub and shower area. The whole room is about 42sqm and the room is luxurious like our stay at Movenpick Sentosa Heritage hotel. Although I'm paying 3x the amount I've paid for Citin years ago, there's no regrets once I saw the room. Really loved it!

Our haul from 7-11 (bottom right is replica of Tokyo banana and it tasted good)

We rested for awhile after that, I actually fell asleep as I had a long day and it was already 11.30pm local time. Even though the minibar is complimentary, we decided that the snacks were not enough for our indulgence, so we took a 3min walk to the 7-11 next door to get our snacks craving fulfilled. 

Race Review: Shape Run 2015 (26th July 2015) 15km

This is my third consecutive Shape Run done, and I must say the organisation of the whole event improved after a very bad experience last year. Route and run experience wise, I always enjoy Shape Run as I somehow perform well in Shape Run for the past two years as well as this year.

The race pack

The race pack collection was done 3 weeks prior to the race and the contents of the race pack was pretty good compared to the one from Pocari Sweat Run collected on the same day. I've got to say that I didnt like the colour of the race singlet initially but the material was good and the cutting turned out flattering.

Both Shape Run and Pocari Sweat Run started from Kallang Practice Track, I took a shuttle bus from Sembawang for Pocari Sweat Run two weeks ago, it only cost $6 to get a ticket but we spent 45min on the road. For Shape Run, there was shuttle bus provided but they do not pick up from Sembawang, so I decided to take a cab there. Eventually, I arrived quite early, I was surprised to be at the race site by 5.10am even though I only got on a cab at 4.50am. The cab ride cost me $25, so its $$ vs time.

The water station with nice volunteers who were so polite

When I reached the race site, the whole Kallang Practice Track was dotted by the race tentages and there were some runners milling around. It was really early so I was not rushing to get to anywhere and I even had time to take some pictures. The lighting was not too good so I decided to get some water from the water station to take my gel, deposit my bag and head to the portable toilets.

Runners sitting around waiting to move to Start Point

At least we know which direction to head to

5.30am but the gate still didnt open

Baggage deposit was fast and there was no queue, the usage of toilet was also smooth as there were more toilets than people waiting to use, I counted that there 25 toilets and I'm really glad where there's races like this when there no long queues in front of the toilets.

Ample toilets, good good thing

After I'm done, I just stood at the area where many runners were gathering to walk to the Start Line, actually it was stated that it will open at 5.30am but we eventually only moved at 5.35am-5.40am. It was still very early though, and I managed to get right to the front of the Start Line (somehow, I always managed to get right to the front for ladies' runs only). I was snapping a picture of the Start Line and this leading cyclist saw me and offered to take a picture for me. I was surprised as I always go for races alone and I dont usually take pictures of myself, the lady standing next to me was nice enough to pose with me, I took a good look at her but I didnt recognise her. Eventually, I realised that she must be a well known runner here as Neo Jieshi (one of the top female local runners) was talking to her and they stood together to wait for the run to start. I supposed I was standing among potential podium finishers, they really zoomed off at top speed when it started and I could only eat their dust while moving to the left. I only spotted them again on the opposite lane after they became the first few to do a U-turn at 1km+, the nice lady in white eventually came in 4th and Neo was 1st.

First few at the Start Line

Took a pic with one of the podium finisher (later found out that she's Ezann Eng)

The stage just next to us

Prior to the race, my plan was to follow Ting as she was one of the pacers for the event, and her group was doing a 7.30min pace. A good thing about the pacers for this race was that they started among the runners instead of starting right from the Start Line all at once. I decided to start off first as I always get left behind by pacers when I tried to follow them during my previous races. Eventually, the group of pacers before them caught up with me and they were running at 6+min pace. I was telling myself not to push too hard at the beginning of the race but I decided to try my best to follow them, I only managed to do so for about 3km before it got too tiring to keep up with the 6.30min pacing.

If there's a wall for every race, mine came right after that as I felt kind of demoralised when I couldnt catch up with the group, I started my first walk break (other than the water breaks) at about 8km and it was only halfway through the race. The end point seemed so far for me then and I felt like it was going to be another race with bad timing. Suddenly, I remember the walk run strategy I had adopted for Sundown and decided to give myself short walking breaks of 100m for every 400m of run. It helped a lot as it keep me going when I knew I can take a break after a shorter stretch, with that target in mind I could even go faster when its time to run.

Running up a slope at the last km

With the End Point in sight, shades on for the photo moment ;)

Flashing a smile at the final 10m, this is my favourite pic for the race

Weather remained good this morning as I conquered the remaining distance, the sun did not appear at all. Soon from 5km left to go, it became 4...3...2..and I found myself heading to the End Point. I was really satisfied as I did not get that far from the pacers that left me behind, and the second group (which was my intended pace) did not catch up with me as well. A look at my Garmin told me that my pace was quite good for a run of that distance, and a pb for HM seems possible if I can adopt this strategy for the 2XU run next week.

Still early when I was back, not many runners yet

Efficient baggage deposit

Quite satisfied that I'm achieved the 25th percentile

Unlike last year, medal collection and finisher tee collection was smooth this year, no queue at all. They only gave out a cup of isotonic drink with a energy bar at the end, so I went to the water station to get a bottle of water. The 15km runners were the earliest to be back at the race site so the queues at the various sponsored tent was short. Ironically, I chose to join the longest queue at Orbis as I thought the freebies must be the best there. There were less than 10 people in line and I remember the Orbis tent was the only one I went to last year, and I liked the products. With good fortune, I did a lucky spin and got $80+ worth of freebies from Orbis. Yeah! I went to the Brands tent next but only got myself a small tube of collagen. I was not too keen to join the other queues so I found a small shady area to sit down and wait for W and XT who took part in other categories.

Very good freebies from collagen 

Another Shape Run done :D

Race Review: Sundown Marathon (Half Marathon 4th July 2015)

This is my fifth half marathon attempt and my second Sundown half marathon experience. The first time I took part in a half marathon and Sundown was years ago (cant remember the exact year was 2008 or 2009), I wasnt really into running then and I remember walking most of the distance with San just to check off the achievement from my bucket list.

Sundown is a major event here in SG and I had signed up several times but missed all my past attempts to do the Sundown FM after signing up due to school trips (and laziness to start training). I'm glad this year it was postponed to July instead of having it the last weekend of May when we tend to have school TIE trips. I had the intention of training and signing up for this event but somehow I got lazy with running from March onwards (especially after postponement of 2XU and missing NE Compressport run) and I even missed the registration date. I went into Carousell to look for a bib end of May and found several people selling off their slots, I quickly secure one for $60 and it was cheaper than the amount I would have paid just before registration closed.

However, I was slacking and away for holidays most of June and by the end of the month I was doubtful I can complete a full marathon with totally no training. Actually, I know I can grit my teeth and force my way to the finishing line, but that will be a total torture. When I saw a friend posted in a forum trading a half marathon bib for a full marathon bib, I quickly contacted him.

I went to the race expo at Suntec to collect my bib from the seller, I'm glad the REPC is held at Suntec instead of Expo like previous years, the whole layout is very similar to SCMS and there was no queue when I went. In fact, it was real splurging as I bought many things I didnt plan to buy. The real steal was Injinji socks (3 for $30), a packet of Tackonz after the bad experience with Bibfix, I also bought a new XL spi belt that can hold my iPhone 6, some GU gels and some GU energy chews. I also wanted to get a hydration belt to try out trail running, but decide against it as it will be a costly buy since I dont utilise it much.

The reporting time for this year's Sundown HM was at midnight, unlike many years ago when we started at 9pm. I went out to collect racepack for two other races, came back and managed to nap for 5 hours. As the race is starting so late, I had

the feeling that there's lots of time to prepare. But I really regretted it as I woke up at 8+, have dinner with P at 9+, and was rushing to pack after that. I did not even have time to put the Tackonz on my bib as it was taking up too much time. I had to really rush out of the house, I intended to leave my place by 10.30pm but ended up I was only at the MRT station at 11pm.

Finally at the start line

I felt weird taking the crowded MRT in my running gear, there were several other people in the Sundown vest as well as I kept looking around to see if any of them were going for HM like me, as I was quite sure I was going to be late. The start point is at the F1 pit for Sundown, and I usually take a cab or shuttle bus to the start point for morning races, so it did not occur to me that I should plan my route before I started on my journey. This was the second mistake I made pre-race as I got so lost that I almost DNS for the race. At the back of my mind, I was thinking I could just follow those people on the train, and I roughly know that I usually alight at City Hall and walk to Esplanade if I want to get to the F1 pit. One female runner on the train alighted at Bishan (guess she was transferring to Circle Line), I felt confused for a moment as the guy sitting opposite me remained on the train. I thought he was going to alight at City Hall but he didnt, I forgot that he probably going to Marina Bay to transfer to Bayfront and I actually panicked and alighted at the next stop which was Raffles Place. Raffles Place was the worst place to alight from the train as I could not transfer to any other trains or walk to the race site, so I boarded the next train and made my way to Marina Bay again. I seriously do not know why I made such a big boo boo and got myself lost on such familiar grounds, anyone observing me would be wondering what I was doing. I was glad to see a few other runners at Bayfront MRT and I made the same mistake of just following two girls who were walking to the F1 pit from MBS. I followed them for awhile and there were others following us too, and I looked at Google map on my phone and realised we were walking further away. I turned back and walked into MBS to look for the bridge we always cross to get to MBS and I finally found it, I was the only one in my running gear at MBS and I felt so awkward. It was almost midnight by then and I reckoned the race must be starting at that moment, I finally saw other runners on the bridge leading to the pit but most of them were FM runners. I walked across the bridge and actually saw crowds of runners coming down from the bridge so I followed them for awhile, but I soon realised most of them were without their bags and they looked quite tired, I was actually in the running path of the 10km runners heading to the finishing line! At least I was finally getting near to the race site!

I was shocked with the human jam at the race site. The 10km just finished the run and the FM runners were already at the race site, it was not easy to navigate around even with sufficient lighting around the place. I quickly deposited my bag at the shortest queue and squeezed through the crowd, it was really crowded at the entrance to the race pen as all the FM congested up the whole place even though the HM were still flagging off. Some FM runners even sneaked into the race pen and were escorted out by the organisers.

I was glad that I managed to get into the last wave, we waited quite long for flag off and only took off at 12.40am. By that time, the previous waves of runners were nowhere in sight. I kept reminding myself not to go too first at the start, so I kept my pace really slow during the race. We encountered the very steep slope up Sheares bridge right after the first km and I started walking with many of the other runners to keep my legs fresh.

Finally flagging off

According to feedback from other runners, the previous few Sundown races were very humid, but the weather that night was good and quite cooling. I keep the momentum going until we reached ECP. After we came to the first public toilet, I felt like making a stop there since I didnt have a chance to go to the washroom amidst all the rush before the race. It took me quite a while as the queue was long, I heard whistles blowing while queueing and guessed that the faster FM runners had caught up with us. I picked up momentum again after the toilet break, all was good till we made a U-turn and head back towards fort road.

I remembered the part after ECP was always my worst nightmare during the SCMS FM the past two years. However, it felt very different running that stretch at night. I stopped and walk quite a few times after that and was walking for longer and longer stretches. Fortunately, there were still bananas for us before we reached Tanjong Rhu already, there were no gels in sight even though I spotted the box on the table. It was not an issue as I had my own gels and energy chews from the race expo.

Since I was just walking, just stopped to snap this

After walking for quite awhile, I decided to motivate myself to run, and I started running for 100m after every 100m of walking. I realised that I could still run even right till the end but I was just not motivated to move my legs without using this strategy. I kept going on and on until I reached the finishing point.

As I approached the finishing line, the emcee was calling out for us to keep to one side as the first FM runner was arriving. He came in within 10 seconds after me and I was lucky to get a good look and good shot of him since I was just standing a short distance away.

First FM finisher right behind me

Finally, my first HM of the year done! I took 3 hours to complete the race, its not my best timing but I take it as a good warm up run to start off a series of other races later this month and the next few months. I was glad that I did not book the 3am shuttle bus as it was already 4am after I picked up my stuff and changed into my slippers to leave the place. There were many other runners just lying down and resting around, maybe waiting for the next shuttle bus or the first public transport in the morning. There were many cabs waiting outside, but they were all booked by others so I also booked a cab to get home in the end.

Not my best results but I was real glad I completed the race

On overall, I felt that the race was well organised, and I'm motivated to make it for the FM next year.