Epic weekend snow trip

16-19 August 2013

Few months ago, as the weather got colder, all I was thinking of was, I really wish I'm at the snow! Every morning when I walk to work, all I can imagine is me, in the cold, walking along the street near the mountains, on the way to the snow.

And so, I gathered a group of friends from dragonboat and started planning a weekend to snowy mountains. The plan was to drive 5-6 hours on Friday after work, hit the slopes on Saturday, drive back on Sunday. I knew it was going to be tiring and so I took a day off on Monday. We were so organized that we even bought vouchers so gear hire. $49 for $100 worth of gear hire. Haha!

Came the snow weekend, we left Sydney at 8.30 pm, arrived Jindabyne at 2am in the wee morning after getting lost halfway and had to drive through this eerie gravel road. But hey, what's a road trip without getting lost right?

Stayed at Discovery Holiday Park here we booked a 6 person villa. Pretty cosy, own kitchen, toilet and small dining area. After arriving, it was straight to bed after a long drive. I couldn't really sleep though as I felt like a small kid again, feeling really excited. The whole week leading up to the trip, I was constantly checking the weather forecast. Was a bit gutted because it forecasted snow showers over the weekend. And hence, I prepared myself for a cold, windy, snowy experience at Thredbo. 

Day 1

Woke up to a sunny morning the next day. Clear blue skies. Took awhile to get our gear and co-ordinating everyone. Some were just taking their own sweet time with breakfast and just getting out of the place. Managed to squeeze in all the gear in my awesome Prius and hence didn't require a roof rack.

By the time we got to Thredbo, it was already 10am. It's so different compared to Ruapehu. Even at the carpark, you can't even see any snow! Was thinking, where am I going to board? So many trees, I don't see no snow. 

After walking 100 metres or so, finally saw some snow! The last time I boarded was 3 years ago. Putting on my snowboots and getting on the snowboard again felt so different. I had difficulty getting around. Didn't want to waste anytime at the beginner's area and hence headed straight to the chairlift to get up. After a few falls and crawling around, finally recalled how to brake!! 

The ride in the morning was just simply awesome. It wasn't windy, it wasn't snowing, snow was soft, it was actually quite warm!! Haven't boarded in such condition before. Attempted to brake with my toes but kept falling forward many times. In the end, I just decided to just brake using my heels and just have fun.

In the afternoon after lunch, we decided to go even further up. There was a green trail called the Village Trail (green is easy trail, blue is medium, and black trail is the hardest) that's 5km long. I figured it will be a good one to practice braking with my heels and toes. We took a chairlift up and according to the map, to get to the very start of the Village Trail, we need to board down to the T bars, catch the T bars to the very top. And so, we decided to do that. Note: I never ever could ride the T bar. But I was so confident for some reason that I will be able to do so. So anyway, when we got to the T bar, surprise surprise, I couldn't make it. Kept falling  after 2-3m or so. I figured, screw this, I am just going to board down. The catch is.... The only trails down to the base were all Black trails!!! And to walk all the way up to where we started, it is a very steep climb. So, I had three choices: 

1. Keep trying the T bar and make a fool out of myself and probably won't ever succeed

2. Take the black trails and put my life in danger

3. Walk with my boots and board up the snowy slopes

I chose choice number 3. How bad can it be right? It will guarantee me getting to the top, just takes time only. And it sure as hell took  A LOT of time. As I started walking up, it started to snow, well, more like hail. There was a blizzard. I was walking against the wind, uphill, through snow, with my snowboard. I had to use my snowboard and anchor it to the ground so I can walk up and not slide down. Small baby steps, eventually I will get there. But, it came to a point where it was all icy, no snow. there was no way I could even push my board into the snow. It came sliding, it was so slippery, I can just picture myself sliding all the way downhill back to where I started. I didn't gave up though. I went on all fours, and slowly crawl up. It was such a torture but pretty hilarious at the same time. Everyone else on the T bars must be thinking, what an idiot! There were a few points where I had to use my board to shield myself against the blizzard. 

Eventually, slowly, but surely, I managed to get to the top. Took at least half an hour. I was exhausted, all I wanted to do was go back down. All of a sudden, walking on flat snowy ground felt like a piece of cake. The ride down wasn't too bad. Apart from the fact that visibility was pretty poor at one point that I almost ride off a cliff!! 

By the time I finished the run, it was already 4.30 and all the chairlifts were closed. So I pretty much did 4-5 runs for that whole day. It was good fun but just felt like it wasn't enough. Wasn't satisfied. But then, a lightbulb moment happened!

3 out of the 6 of us decided, let's to another day tomorrow. We'll just drive down in the evening and arrive Sydney late at night. Besides, I got Monday off, Su Yi doesn't work on Monday, Chern works Monday night. And so, it was set!! Perisher next day!

Dinner that night was hotpot. 2 additional people showed up. Bernie and Tuan drove all the way down to Jindabyne just to have hotpot and stay a night with us. Super awesome!! 

Day 2

The 3 of us got up at 7.30 and was out the door by 8.15. Super efficient!! We decided to try Perisher as we heard it was better. Took us longer than expected to get to the top. It started snowing, cars were crawling, it was windy, we had to stop and put snow chains on. Cut the long story short, weather was crap the whole day, all chairlifts were closed, only T bar and J bar operating. 

But since we already made it up there, might as well right. I tried the T bar several times but there was a very long queue each time so I decided to just go to the J bar. Initially had trouble with that but eventually mastered it. And so, I just stayed at the beginner's area, determined to be able to brake with my toes whilst Su Yi and Chern took the T bar up to the very top. 

The whole time I was wishing and praying the wind would calm down and the chairlifts will operate .... but... it didn't happen. But.... thanks to YouTube, I managed to finally brake with my toes at the end of the day!! I am one step closer to looking like a pro!!! Thighs were less sore and it just felt so natural. Super satisfied despite the disappointment of not being able to ride the T bar. Well, at least I tried.

We were one of the last to get off the snow field. It was 4.30 by then. Got changed, returned out gear and then it was back to Sydney. 

The journey didn't end here.

We decided to stop by Canberra for dinner. By the time we got to Canberra, it was 8pm. Met up with Grace, Su Yi's friend aka the girl who let me bunked at her place during my half marathon trip back in April. Chern called his sister who's staying in Canberra and then.... we all decided, might as well stay in Canberra for the night! It's late, we are all tired, she was so nice to let us crash at her place. My weekend holiday have been stretched even longer!!

Day 3
Free and easy around Canberra. Chilled, went to a cafe for brekky, walked around the town.... ended up buying myself rock climbing shoes :O (it was cheap!!!)

Went to some sort of lookout I don't even remember the name.... and then... headed home.

It didn't end there though. Seeing that I've bought my rock climbing shoes, and also bought myself a harness back in Sydney because it was on sale.... We decided.... rock climbing!!!!

Was pretty exhausted after but.... it was definitely an EPIC weekend!! 

Kathmandu Adventure Series - 25th May

Apologies for the dead blog. Time to dust off the cob webs. Here's a delayed race report for my very first adventure race back in May... Got $50 bucks from Kathmandu my writing this race report. Haha!!!

A few months prior to the race, I was just browsing Facebook and came across the link for Kathmandu Adventure Series. Out of curiosity, I clicked it to see what it's all about. It's an adventure race that involves orienteering, mountain biking, trail running, kayaking and rowing. As this was the sprint series, it's only a short course that will only take a few hours. There's the longer series that could take up to 12 hours and there's even a 24 hour race!!

I thought to myself, this will probably make it a step closer towards doing a triathlon if I do this race. And so, I sent out an email to a few people in my dragonboat team to see who's interested to be my race partner as the race is done in teams of two.

Got a reply back from Chern and so... Team Terrain Terror was formed!!

We were pretty enthusiastic about the race and the prep. In the end, it was more talk than do. We were discussing on how we should do a trial race - hire a kayak and do 3km, take our bikes and cycle 20 odd kms, and run 7km off road. We'll do them all in 3 separate days and then one full thing on another day and see how long it takes us to complete.

In the end, our prep consisted of a day of 3km+ kayak, a day where we ran the spit to manly route which was a decent 10km off road.... and came the day for our bike trial, we were planning to ride from city to bondi... but approximately 3km into our ride, Chern's bike broke and so we had to drag it back to the city and went for brekky. That was the amount of training we had for the bike portion. In the end, we did not even did a full mock race.

A week before the real race, he finally got a new mountain bike. We picked it up on Saturday and was meant to go for a ride the next day but it didn't happen. Which means, he will be riding his mountain bike for the very first time during the race itself!

It has been raining the past few days in the lead up to race day and I was just praying for good weather on race day.

And so... came race day...

Team Terrain Terror left Sydney for the Royal National Park at 6 in the morning. My Toyota Prius did an amazing job by being able to fit two bulky mountain bikes.

Stopped by Maccas halfway to grab some brekky. Took about an hour to get to the bike drop off area. After we dropped off our bikes, we went to the registration area to collect our maps and started planning our race. Or should I say "plan". As we walked back to the car with our maps, we saw other teams reading the maps so seriously and writing notes. Some even pulled out their picnic chairs, sipping cups of coffee whilst planning their race. As for us, we got back to the car, took out the map, grabbed some highlighters and pretty much just trace the lines on the map. We were done in less than 5 minutes. We spent the rest of our time fixing our bandannas and shoes. Chern had a "talking" shoe to start with. We ended up fixing the shoes with rigid sports tape. The race have not even started. Talk about being prepared, huh?

We got to the starting line with our maps feeling so excited for the race. Checked out the pop-up Kathmandu discount tent and had a quick chat with the man over there. We asked him if the tent will still be opened after the race and his answer was: "Depends what time you finish the race." We answered him :"Should be back by 12 of course!" He asked us if it was our first race and we said yes. He chuckled.


9am, the race starts. First part of the race we were given a rogaine map. We had to pretty much collect 5 out of 6 checkpoints in any order. The strategy was to go to the checkpoint with least people first even if it means it's the further away and then make our way back. That, was our strategy. We were pretty good with that. Following the rogaine, it was a steep climb up the Honeymoon trail to our bikes. When we got to our bikes, there were many bikes left. That meant we must be doing pretty well, being at the front half of the pack.

And so, team terrain terror set off on their very first mountain bike journey! It started off pretty cruisy, it was en enjoyable ride. But after checkpoint 3, there was this really steep hill. Having no experience in mountain biking, I was just all over the whole bike trail from right to left, lost control but did not want to brake too much as I knew I would fling myself off my bike. I pressed my brake bit by bit but the bike wasn't going any slower, instead it was going faster and faster because it was getting steeper and steeper. I was on the road to a broken collar bone or a leg, or maybe a head injury. I panicked, my foot came off the pedal, I lost control, but still refusing to brake. A "George of the Jungle" stunt lighted up and I figured, I should just hit a tree and stop. And so, I steered towards a tree on the way down, hit the tree and came out fine. My buddy along with other cyclists' jaws dropped. They were all really friendly and asked if I was fine. We decided to come down the bike and walk our bikes down and carried on in our races.

Throughout the ride, we saw so many people turning back as they missed their checkpoints. You get a 30 min penalty if you miss a checkpoint. And so, we made sure we did not miss any checkpoints. The mountain bike leg of the race involved a lot of pushing the bike down or up any steep hills. My thighs were killing me. Halfway throughout the mountain bike leg, we had to park our bike and do a 2 km run and then it was back on our bikes again.

By the time we got back to the bike drop off area, we hardly had a spot to park our bikes. Most of the bikes were back. This could only mean one thing - we are one of the last team in the race. Everyone caught up to us in the 20 km bike leg.

Next leg, a 5 km run. At this point, we were low on energy. Legs were cramping, we were running low on energy. We didn't pack any food apart from 5 packets of GU gels to share between the two of us for the whole race. It took us over an hour to complete the running leg as we ended up walking most of it. Chern was really running low on energy, no joke, no chant could psych him up. I was worried we won't even make it to the finish line. As we ran pass the bike drop off area and ran down the Honeymoon trail, a burst of energy came out of nowhere. We were speedy Gonzales as we ran downhill, towards the rowing boats.

Got to the rowing leg. It was the only leg where we managed to catch up to a few other teams. We were cruising through the water, nice and easy, gently down the stream. I guess the dragonboat training paid of a little. After parking our boats, we ran 500m or so to the kayaks. We started off rather gung ho and was going at a rather fast pace. For about 100m or so and then died. We got to all our checkpoints and then headed back to shore and it was a 100m sprint to the finish line!!

Crossed the finish line with a time of 5 hours 1 min. Overall placing 136, category placing 33/46 teams. Crossing the finish line was a huge relief. We actually did it and came out alive!! Best compliment of the day? I'd have to say the moment we handed in our checkpoint chip and the lady said to us : "Congratulations, you completed all checkpoints and did not miss any!"

And guess what? The Kathmandu pop up tent was still there! But it wasn't 12pm, it was 2pm. Haha!! Now we understood why the man at the tent chuckled before the race. Because we were simply a bunch of jokers who underestimated what an adventure race was. You are crazy to even think you can complete the race in 3 hours, especially being first timers. It's not your standard road running, road biking race. It is called an Adventure Race for a reason!!

Would I do it again? On first thought, NO WAY!! You're crazy to even ask. But as I woke up the next day in agony, looking back at the experience and the crazy stories coming out of it, of course!! I'd definitely do it again. But next time, much more training will need to be invested. Team Terrain Terror will be back stronger and better next time!

20 km Narrowneck Night Run 16th November

Last trail run for the year in terms of racing. Another race I thoroughly enjoyed despite the crappy weather. Was looking forward to catch some AMAZING views with the sunset and starry night with this night run but... it was bucketing rain during my drive up to the Blue Mountains. At the start, it was drizzling and all foggy. You can hardly see anything. Everyone was all in their wet weather race gear - rain jackets, beanies... and not forgetting, the mandatory head torch.

Didn't really require to turn on my head torch only towards the halfway point. You had an option to turn around the 7 km mark or 10 km mark. I signed up for the 20 km run. That was before knowing about this crappy weather. But when I started the race, 3-4 km in, I was so tempted to just turn around at the 7 km mark and make it a 14 km run instead of 20. The rain was on and off, it was hot and cold. I had to take on and take off my rain jacket several times. Was contemplating the whole time whether to turn around.

But by the time I knew it, I have actually missed the 7 km turn around point and I was actually at the 10 km point. Well, guess I am doing the full 20!! It was dark by then and I had to turn on my headtorch. Being a cheap 20 bucks headtorch from Kathmandu, it wasn't bright enough. All I could see clearly is 5-10m ahead of me. I tried to stick to several runners as they had brighter lights but some sped up, some slowed down. I was alone by myself for the last few kilometers.

At one point, I actually ran into a bush because the path was curving to the right and I didn't see it. For a moment, I panicked, I did a quick spin, which I shouldn't have... and lost my orientation. It was pitch black and that headtorch of mine was rather useless in all the fog. When I finally found the path, I didn't know whether to go left or right. I might be heading away or towards the finish line. I waited for a minute or so and then saw some lights coming my way. It was then where I knew which direction to head towards to.

Crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours 17 mins and a lucky draw prize waiting for me.

Came 6th out of 19 females. Pretty stoked! In a way, I really enjoyed this night trail running experience in the rain and fog. Pretty surreal. It's so dark you can't really see what's ahead of you, whether or not there's a steep slope coming or flat ground. I tend to slow down when I see a steep slope ahead but because it was dark, I just kept running until I actually hit the slope and feel it. It's good in a way and it just makes me keep running.

Will I do it again? For sure!!! And am keeping my fingers cross the weather god will be kinder the next time :p

Woodford to Glenbrook 25km trail run - 8th September

PB attained!!!

Time in 2012 was 2:23:45, this year, it was 2:15:48. Came 6th in my category :) This year, the race was shifted to September as it was cancelled in June due to the rain. It was good racing weather condition and am glad they actually postponed it. Loved this course.

No blisters this time, no sprained ankle. Just very sore legs after the race. Glad I took the Monday off. Could hardly walk even right after the race. Looking forward to another PB in 2014!

Holes

When you think it's all getting better... when you keep telling yourself and others that you are fine.... And then reality kicks in.... you find yourself still struggling and trying to adapt... 


"Well sometimes you can't change and you can't choose
And sometimes it seems you gain less than you lose
Now we've got holes in our hearts, yeah we've got holes in our lives
Where we've got holes, we've got holes but we carry on" - Passenger

Just gotta carry on, eh? 

The truth is...

Sometimes the truth hurts, but knowing about it makes it easier to letting go. There are many If only's, but we just have to leave it at that. Learn from our mistakes and move on with life.

Progress

Still unable to take down the photos stuck on my wall. Part of me is unwilling to let go just yet.

But progress is when you managed a week without having watery eyes when you think about it; when you are able to talk about it without choking; when you are able to finally change the wallpaper on your phone.

Baby steps...

Suffocating

Each time i think about it, or try to talk about it, my eyes just fills up with tears, and I just choked. It's so hard to get over this. Still in its early stages. Still waiting for some good to come out of this. 

Maybe I should run more and get my mind away from this all. 

Australia Running Festival in Canberra - 14th April 2013

It's already mid year and I have been pretty slack, I'm worst than last year. I have not even made any race reports entry despite having pretty good stories with my races. So here I am... attempting to post up my race report for the first race of the year.

Australia Running Festival in Canberra - 14th April 2013
Did the half marathon for this. It was a rather full on weekend. Woke up on Saturday morning rather early and couldn't sleep so I went to Eveleigh Markets. Walked around and bought some snack for my trip to Canberra. And then, headed off to dragonboat training followed by lunch with the crew before I set off on my lonesome drive down to Canberra. Left Sydney probably around 3pm.

Despite driving alone, it was rather fun. I was just singing to the radio at the top of my lungs as if I'm in my own world. And when the radio went fuzzy, it was back to songs back in the 90s - Avril lavigne, M2M, Britney Spears and so forth.... I really enjoyed it. Haha! Got to Canberra around 7pm, popped over to Coles to grab my dinner- ready made pasta salad from the salad bar (it tasted rather awful... but hey... need to carbo load!). Stayed a night at Grace's (a friend's friend) place. She was so nice to host me despite not knowing me at all nor met me before. Saved heaps on accommodation and am really thankful for that.

Got up rather early on race day. Couldn't really sleep because it was quite cold that night (should have brought my sleeping bag). Changed, got into my car and drove to the starting line.

As I got there early, I decided to take in a quick power nap. Got to the starting line and it was 7 degrees. Freezing cold wearing just singlet and shorts. It's only Autumn! How can it be so cold? Gulped down a packet of energy gel with some water before getting to the starting line. Ran the first 2 km under 5 min/km. Got worried decided to go a bit slower as I do not want to burnout. After the 4km mark, I rolled my ankle. Hobbled a wee bit but was back to my normal running after. Slowed down quite a bit and couldn't maintain by 5min/km pace. Was sitting on just under the 5:30 pace which I'm pretty happy with. My goal was to go under the 1 hr 55 min mark. It was a good sign that I will be able to make it.

The route was pretty flat and running in a foreign place just makes it way much better. There's so many things to see, you get distracted on how far more you have to go. It's like having a tour of Canberra whilst running in a race. Really my definition of getting the best of both worlds :p

Crossed the finishing line with a time of 1 hr 52 min 57 sec, with a pace of 5:21/km. Very happy with the time. Am so glad I didn't walk for the very first time in a half marathon and went all the way. Finally hit under the 1 hr 55 min mark!! Rushed to the port-a-loo after and did a really big dump. Had a rather sore tummy during the run. I think the pasta salad the night before was the big culprit. Next time, only home cooked pasta!! If I have to cook it in Sydney and bring it down to Canberra, I will!!

The amount of training I put into this wasn't as much as the full marathon training. If only I did, imagine how much faster I would have been. Nevertheless, am really happy with the race.

Went back to Grace's house after the run for a quick shower before heading back to Sydney. Was dozing off during the drive back and had to pullover twice by the road to take a nap, and once for a stop at KFC to reward myself after a KFC ban for a month. Hehehehe....

All in all, a really fun road trip for myself and I. Definitely a good, fun experience. A race that I'm very proud of. Would definitely do this drive and do the race again next time!!! The sense of personal achievement, beating your ownself and becoming better ... one of the many reasons why I can't give running up.

Sleepless nights

it's my own doing anyway... it has to be the right thing... it has to be... it's only in its early stages.... i'm sure some good will come out of it one day... soon... hopefully... Afterall, everything happens for a reason.

It's so hard to erase it all.. it's hard to even erase anything. Where do I begin?

I know the answer. But still unwilling to do so. Still unwilling to move on to the next step.

Unknown world

All of a sudden it just feels so empty, so quiet.. It all feels so foreign, so unfamiliar... Clueless on what's next...

Time... Is all we need.. To get used to the unfamiliarity.

16km Great NOSH Footrace June 2, 2013

This was the first trail run race for the year. Went with my cousin in law - Phil. Mum, dad and cousin were waiting for us in the car/cafe whilst we two crazy people ran in the rain.

Throughout the whole run, it was bucketing rain. Can't believe the race was actually still on. Despite the rain, it felt really good at the start. Was going at a rather good pace. Running under the rain somehow felt rejuvenating. Wasn't tired. The course was was rather technical but not too technical. At some point, we had to jump over waterfalls, and ran through puddles that were up to knee height. Good fun!!

Towards the end, when I started to fatigue, I sprained my ankle 3 times. It was pretty bad and that was what slowed me down. Keen to do this again in 2014 to get a better time. Need to get this ankle sorted out!!

Time taken to complete: 1:58:42

You can check out the waterfall we had to cross in this video (it's the waterfall featured at 0:41s):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCmTfspo4W8

What hurts the most...

What hurts the most is seeing the person you loved getting hurt...  And then you decide to give it all another chance.... That's when you know, you still love that person and not ready to let go just yet....

2012... what a year you have been

Ok, I actually typed most of this in January.. it's already end of March now.... just took me awhile to make it all nice and pretty....

2012... what a year you have been to me

You went by too quickly. I don't know whether to be sad or excited now that you are gone. Very hesitant to you let you go, but at the same time, I am looking forward to the many things in 2013.

Career
I didn't do too well here. Still in the same job. So many people at work have left. Mainly because the management isn't treating us well. Taking us for granted and not paying us well.

Did not attend as many courses as I wanted to. Only did a plastering course which at the end, I found wasn't too useful in my area since we hardly do plastering. Only on the odd occasions. Not frequent enough to practice.

Attended a few webinars online but did not consolidate much. Just did it for the sake of logging in those hours. Somehow I just wasn't interested. Left things aside to consolidate later but it did not happen.

Did not read any journals at all like I have planned. And only made ONE presentation at work. Reading through my 2012 New Year post, looks like I really didn't progress much in terms of my career.

Hoping 2013 will be different. Did some reflecting at the start of 2013 before writing this post up. Have signed up for a dry needling course. Hoping to be able to use it at work. Cost me a bomb so I really need to make it worth my money.

Will really need to make my professional development one of my priorities this year if I want to get a different job. It's one of the main things why I struggle to re-write my CV. I have nothing much to write about. Didn't have any achievements whatsoever. So yea... gonna try to make a change this year!

If I can stick to a training regime for a marathon, I am positive I can be disciplined enough to make a change in my career.

Fitness
Did well in this. Reading through the minor posts I had for this year, the majority are about my runs. Might have actually neglected other aspects of my life because of this.

1. Did a PB in my half marathon, however not very convincing
2. Ran 10km with a sub 50 (48 min 32 s). Couldn't believe I actually did it!!
3. Completed a full marathon - sacrificed quite a bit for this. Didn't want to go out much on the weekends simply because I need to run the next day. Stayed away from alcohol for 10 months and KFC for 6 months in the attempt of trying to stay healthy. Everything I do was based on my training regime. I am so happy to have completed this. The preparation journey itself have taught me quite a bit. I have came to realize that if I really want something, I can achieve it as long as I put my head and time into it. On top of that, I have raised NZ 1726 for the Heart Foundation. Thanks all!

4. Did my very first trail run in Australia. And it wasn't a short run either- 25km. Suffered from massive blisters but got hooked into it and did another trail run in the later part of the year up in the Blue Mountain at Wentworth Falls.
5. Continued dragonboat and even bought a AUD200 Trivium paddle!!! Raced in Darling Harbour during the CNY festival.
6. Tried wakeboarding for the first time, went surfing another time, and participated in another mud run/obstacle race called Raw Challenge.

What's there to look forward to in 2013? Will be taking a break from full marathon. May consider another one next year. For now I want to work on my speed and I need to spend more time in other aspects of my life. But who knows? I might not be able to resist the temptation and start training again just because I can't help myself.

Family
Went back to Malaysia and Singapore to celebrate grandma's 85th birthday. Grandma's birthday was massive, it was so good to have everyone gathering together. Better than chinese new year! Cousins from all over the world flew back just for that one night for grandma.

Main reason why I decided to fly back was actually for mum's birthday. Have not celebrated mum's birthday with her for quite a few years. It was so great to be able to celebrate it with her this time :)

Also, had our annual family trip. This time, it's to Thailand again but to a more untouched island - Koh Lipe aka Maldives of Thailand. Very nice place but getting there was a hassle. I reckon' it's worth the trip for a quite relaxing holiday. Great time with the parents, brother and aunt. As we are now all over the world, I'm really glad we all make it a point to spend time together at least once a year. It's moments like these that are so rare these days.

And to add to the list, my beloved cousin sister got engaged and then got married this year!!! Super happy for her... and I got to be the maid of honour... another first for me!!

And to more good news... the bro proposed this year!!! 2013 is gonna be so awesome as I'm gonna get myself a sister-in-law!!!

Social life
Despite me being anti-social in terms of being alcohol free... I'd say my social aspect of life isn't too bad this year. Got to know the dragonboat team better and made new friends.

I could say my weekends were less boring than before but I still enjoy the ME-time weekends where I just lie on the couch and do nothing. It was very rare as I'm usually out and about running. Had friends who went running with me and inspired me. When I am in my 30s and 40s, I want to still be able to run like them. Still so fit despite their age... I have no excuse to say I'm getting old and can't run anymore. haha!!

Met up with the wise ones when I went to Singapore in March. Was a great catchup. It's so long ago so I can't remember what we talked about but it's always good to meet up with the wise. Makes me feel wiser :p

Went back to Auckland twice this year too. One in March for a birthday surprise for the significant other, and one in October, for the full marathon. Auckland to me, is somehow still HOME to me despite being away from it for 4 years. Yes, it's been 4 years already, can you believe it? There's always this warm, welcoming feeling when I head back to Auckland. Used to have that when I went back to Malaysia last time but not anymore.

On a side note, I have never driven so long in my life before. Not sure where should I put this section but perhaps under social. Did the longest drive this year to Young which took about 4 hours. Plucked cherries and strawberries and drove back to Sydney which is another 8 hours on the SAME day. I'd say it's a rather big accomplishment, don't you think? 8 hours driving in a day... travelling over 800km....Woop woop!

Relationship
This has definitely been another roller coaster ride this year. There were so many points where I doubt our relationship. There were moments where it was at the tip of an iceberg. This long distance thing is not getting any easier. I really appreciate what he have done and how much he have sacrificed for me. But realistically, how long more? I fear that even if we do get together finally, can we even handle it? We are so used to living apart... maybe we won't even get used to living together. It's always all these doubts that comes to my mind, especially when we are apart.

But... when we meet again, even just for a few days, that feeling we call "love" just puts the doubts away. All the frustration, anger, doubts... it all just disappears and that warm, fuzzy feeling just comes back. It's weird. Maybe it's normal for it to be weird? Life, huh?

What will 2013 bring? I'm sorry to my readers (if i do still have any) but I really cannot tell you. Will leave it as it is right now and really just go with the flow and see where it leads us. Eventually, we need to really TALK about this and really find out which page we are on and if we are on the same page.

At the start of 2012, I made a list... a list of things to do. I never made them. I made it for the very first time... so now let's see how I have faired...

The must-do's:
Get a car - Checked. Got a Toyota Prius in May for $15,800 but mum and dad helped me forked out $4800 :) Pretty stoked with this. I have named in Pickles! Thanks papa and mummy for spending the time to hunt for this car and get a pretty good deal. Loving it and everyone thinks it's brand new! hahahahaha! 
Complete a full marathon - Checked!!! :)
Attend courses for professional development - Half checked. Attended a plastering course. 
Present at least 1 in-service at work - Checked. Would have liked to do more. 
Pay rent - Checked!!! Can't say I'm liking it. Managed to convince my cousin once to let me pay the Strata fees. And ever since she moved out in October, I've been paying the Strata fees and all the bills. Savings have definitely gone down. Need to do more Saturday work!

The Maybe's:
Do a snowboarding trip - either to Melbourne or go back to NZ - Not accomplished.
Meet the monkey in Gold Coast and do the full marathon together - Not accomplished. Did the full marathon in Auckland instead. 
Get a weekend job - Not accomplished. 
Do a PB in a half marathon or a 10km run - Ohh yeaa!! Checked :)
Make a trip to Adelaide to visit Shaleeni - Not accomplished. 
Dive - Not accomplished. 

Looks like I've done not too bad. Though I wished I done more. I'm so satisfied with my sporting accomplishments this year. But other than that, I'd say I'm a wee bit disappointed on the others. 

Somehow, I really do not know what 2013 is going to be like. I really want to do well as a physiotherapist, I really want to improve my skills but that laziness is still lingering. Other than that, I don't really know what I want to accomplish. Well, actually, I just have to make sure I bungy jump and skydive either this year in 2013 or early 2014 whilst I'm still 25 :p

As for doing new things, making it count, reaching new heights... I don't really have anything in mind for 2013. So let's just play it by ear and see how things fair, eh?

I can't promise to blog more this year but will definitely take more photos so I can have a better recap of the year.

Famous last words for this post? Don't really have one this time. I think it's because it's March now and I'm trying to get this posted as I do not wish to delay it anymore. And hence, I'm going to just re-post my famous last words from last year...

Don't be afraid to make plans, don't be afraid to dream, don't be afraid to aim high. Sometimes, you gotta live on the edge. Make plans and do, do your best in everything you pursue in. If you fail, smile. Because you did the best you could. 

Love, unconditionally, like there's no tomorrow. 

Happy New Year to all! I hope you guys a have wonderful 2013!!! 

The greatest gift of all

To my dear other half,

I'm sorry this post is sooooo delayed. I cannot believe I didn't post one on your birthday. So here I am, wishing you a very very belated happy birthday!!!!! Because of Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp and emails.... I completely forgotten about a birthday post. Was reflecting on my year and realized, I didn't blog much this year. I blogged a total of 11 post!! This being the 12th!! Omg!! The least ever!!!!

And so, here I am dedicating this post to you, on Christmas Eve. Thank you for all the unconditional support you have given me throughout the past 7 years. SEVEN!!!! Wow!! Time really flies. Well, almost 7. Haha! Those days where we rolled down the hills of Auckland Domain is still very fresh in my head. I really wouldn't know what I would do without you. I wouldn't need any Christmas wishes because I've got the greatest gift of all, your presence.

I am so happy you have turned 24, because now it means less than a year till we embark on our epic 25 year old road trip!!! More memories and crazy moments to come. I miss experiencing those Swannie moments with you. Classic as always. I can't name any this year. Proves I need you moreeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Congratulations with your new job this year. So proud of you and am always so happy to hear that you are loving the challenge. Also congrats with being able to sit for your exams next year, all the best babe! Road trip after!!! I am so happy that you hung in there and persevered. Well done babe!!!!

Have a really awesome year ahead!!! Good luck with the upcoming year ahead, in terms of everything - career, family, friends, travel plans, and love... of all sorts :p

Happy Belated Birthday once again!!!!! Missing you heaps!!!!!!!!!

Realized we didn't take much photos with each other this year... Most of them had other people in it. This is the best I can get...

We don't change much, do we?

Hehehehehe....

Love you long time,

YOH

The week that was... 42km long...

I've got to say, the weekend two weeks ago was by far the most intense weekend for year 2012. Was a bridesmaid for the very first time, stayed up till 3am the day before the wedding writing my bridesmaid speech, walked in heels for the whole day, and... ticked another item off my bucket list - running a marathon before I turn 25.

All in one weekend. 

Adidas Auckland Marathon 2012

The day before the marathon, I arrived Auckland at 4.30pm. Ivan picked me up and I made him drive me to Devonport and check out the running route. I am so afraid I wouldn't be able to run it because Auckland is so much more hilly than Sydney. Saw the slopes and got pretty nervous. But at least I've seen it so I am a little bit more mentally prepared.

Headed to Yin and Shaun's place after that for an early dinner to carbo load - Pasta party!! Swan and Ying Xuan were there too. Had Swan's famous baked pasta, love it!!! It was good hearing Shaun's experience of the marathon route, knowing that the Harbour bridge slope is not actually the last slope, got to prepare myself for another mini one right after the bridge, and another one near the rose garden. 

Got home and started counting down the hours. Had to catch the ferry by 5.10. Takes about 35-40 mins to get to city, plus have to pick Ivan's friend, Tim, up before heading to Victoria Park to get a car park and then another 15 min or so to walk to the ferry. That means I need to leave the house by 3.45 a.m, so I need to get up around 3.15! Did my pre-race prep, put my bib onto my shirt, tied the timing tag to my shoes... Looked at the clock and it was already 10pm. Great, 5 hours of sleep. Not how I would have liked it. Didn't really help that I have been sleeping 5-6 hours for the whole of last week as well, being busy with all the lead up to my cousin's wedding. 

Got to bed but somehow I couldn't fall asleep right away, was thinking about the run too much. Just thinking about how good it would feel after crossing that finishing line. And then I started worrying that I am not falling asleep. I.NEED.SLEEP. 

I set my alarm at 3am and snoozed till 3.15am. Had my oats since the pantry is pretty much empty with no milk, no eggs, no milo as mum and dad cleared the kitchen before they left for Sydney. 

Got a good car park spot near Victoria Park which is where the finishing line will be. Caught the 5.10am ferry to Devonport with Ivan and Tim, had a banana whilst on the ferry. Got there and it was rather chilly. Did a small tiny jog to test out the calves. It felt good. No sharp pain whatsoever. I have been putting my runs off for the past two weeks leading up to the marathon as I have been suffering from a calf injury ever since I ran 32km 4 weeks ago. 

6.10 am - Off we go!! I was running with Ivan for the first 100-200m or so and then he asked me not to wait for him and to go ahead. You see, this fella, played basketball two weeks ago despite knowing he is so prone to ankle sprains. And surprise surprise, he sprained his ankle. And we all know, 2 weeks isn't enough time for the ankle to recover. I am surprised he still decided to do the marathon. Brave monkey. So... I went off. Tim was quite far and not to be seen after the gun went off. So here's a little bit about Tim. He is Ivan's running buddy, they have been doing a few long runs together. From what Ivan told me, he completed the Cathay Pacific Half Marathon in 1 hour 30 mins or so. Crazy right? So, I did not bother to even keep up with him. I just decided to run at my own pace. 

But around the 2km mark, I saw him and so I decided to follow him. It didn't last for long, he went ahead after the 3km mark. Haha!! Fail.  Despite it being a little chilly at the start, with the temperature sitting at 14 degrees with lots of clouds, I thought it was perfect once I started running. Didn't stop for any drinks for the first 10km. All I had in my mind was "Shermayne, once you get pass the Harbour Bridge and you'll be fine. Just focus, you can do this. Conquer the slopes!!"  I got through the slopes one at a time, stride after stride, trying to keep my cadence constant. At the 10km mark, this girl asked me what the time was... I looked at my watch - 50 min 42 sec. She smiled. I think she was impressed with her pace. I was shocked. How am I going that fast? I felt great, not tired, I felt comfortable ... And so, I just continued with what I was doing. At some point, I saw the 3:45 pace setter. I can't remember if he had creeped up from behind or was he initially ahead of me. But anyway, I ran passed him after I saw him, being highly ambitious and hopeful that MAYBE I could do it under 3:45. That would be so awesome!! Took a gulp of water at the 11.5km mark. I knew the bridge is coming up so I'd better hydrate before I climb the bridge. 

When I got to the Harbour Bridge, I told myself. "Right, this is it. This is The Climb!!" Kinda wished I had took music with me.You see, ever since I have been waking up in the wee hours of the morning to run, I have stopped running with music. Simply because I didn't have time then to fix my mp3 before heading out for a run. I rather have that extra 5 minutes of sleep rather than fumbling with my earphones. And eventually, I sort of got used to running without music. Just enjoying the sound of my footsteps and the surroundings. But that run up the Harbour bridge... I could so imagine Miley Cyrus's The Climb playing in my head right at that time. 

I told myself not to think too much of the slopes and how far more I need to run before it goes downhill. I distracted myself by savouring that special moment... of running across Auckland's Harbour Bridge. It is something so very special that I had always wanted to do. And the view from the bridge was indeed stunning. I found myself running pass several other runners. I saw a few of them walking. I felt great and did not even think of walking.

After the bridge, I knew there was gonna be a slope coming up at Point Erin Park at Sarsfield street. It was going to be a loop and before I hit Sarsfield street, I already saw Tim coming from the opposite direction. That fella is fast. I did the slope with little difficulty. It's all in the mind, I kept telling myself that.

Took a sip at the 16km mark. Was tempted to open my first GU Gel but as I only had 2 with me, I thought I'd save it for the half way mark and another at the 30km mark. Between the 16km and 21km mark, it was rather flat, all along Westhaven Drive and along the bay and towards viaduct. I tried to tell myself  "imagine you're running along Pyrmont. Running along the wharf, beside the water. Just imagine that." But I felt hot, my feet started to ache and there was that occasional sharp stabbing pain on the soles of my feet. I kept looking out for the next drink station as I needed a reason to stop. There was a point in the run where there were two arrows.. one pointing left saying "Full Marathon", one pointing right saying "Half Marathon". It got my spirit up a little bit... it was like "Yeaa!! For once I'm heading towards the Full Marathon sign. I'm going to be a full marathon runner by the end of this!!" 

When I passed the 21 km mark, I looked at my watch and I was at 1 hr 50 min. I was so shocked. This is 8 mins faster than my PB. I could smell 3 hour 45 min. I thought it's about time for my first GU Gel. I'm sure the water station wouldn't be too far now. I kept looking out for it but no. I don't see it. Saw the 10km runners and 5km walkers as I was looking out for the drink station. I'm sure it should be somewhere here.

Soon enough, I saw the sign that says  "Powerade station, 500m ahead". Great. Not too far now. But being so desperate for water, 500m suddenly felt like a long way. I thought to myself "Ohh no... is this how it feels when they say you've hit the wall?". "No, you must keep going, Shermayne. People only hit the wall at the 30km mark. Hitting the wall means you just can't move anymore. Just keep moving those legs and you'll be fine. You are much stronger than this, you are the most prepared one for this race compared to other races". I kept telling myself not to get beaten down mentally again. It always happens to me during races. Always.. always at the half way mark.

I hung in there and kept jogging (no more running, now is jogging. Running and jogging is so different. Running is where you feel really light on your legs, you feel like you're flying. Jogging on the other hand... feels heavy.). One leg after another, I picked them up. The water station isn't too far now. But before I reached the water station. I saw a familiar back...walking.. hunching... moving slowly. Aha!! It's Tim. I caught up to Tim. "He's walking? Hmmnn.. should I run pass him? It would be awesome to finish ahead of someone who did a half in 1 hour 30!" That's my ego talking. But, the other half of me was saying "Walk, Shermayne, Walk." I gave in to that other half. And so, I tapped Tim on his back and said "Hey, come on, keep going! Keep going!". He looked exhausted. I came to find out he was about to turn back and head towards Victoria Park. I am so glad he continued. At least I have someone to jog with now. We both stopped by the water station, opened my first GU gel, thought it would give me a sudden burst of energy but not really. I was still going slow. I decided, forget that 3 hour 45 min. Just finish this!

As I head towards Tamaki Drive, just after KFC, there was another small climb. But there were drummers.  And so, I set my footsteps according to the beat of the drums. It was a struggle. I thought I could run down instead of jog... but I couldn't. After we jogged down the bridge, Tim said to go ahead. He started to walk. And so, I jogged. Looked at my watch and I was doing 6 min plus per km pace. Not long after, the 3:45 pace setter ran pass me. I thought to myself  "OK, set my target to 4 hours. I can do 4 hours."

I started walking a little as my calves were burning. The 4 hour pace setter must be 15 minutes behind. I've got 15 mins to spare. I walked, jog, walked, jog. "500m, Powerade station ahead". I jogged that 500m to the water station. 26km. Took some Powerade. Ooo!! Porta-loos! "Maybe if I empty whatever I have in me, I would be lighter and I can go faster!". I got in there and SAT down. I just sat there. I was extremely exhausted. Nothing came out. I just sat. For a few mins or so. "Tim would have ran passed me by now. Screw it, I will just walk for the next 16km, maybe Ivan will catch up with me, and then I can walk with him. Hmnn.. I wonder if the 4:00 pace setter ran pass me. Probably." 

I then got out. And started to jog again. "Arghh.. I should have stretched back there. My calves, they are still so tight. Oh look.. there's a tree. Let's stop there and stretch." At this point, I think I have really hit the wall. Actually, I think I might have hit the wall at the 21-22km mark. But I was in denial. As I was stretching, I saw someone familiar walking towards me. Is it Ivan? Ohhh... it's Tim! So he didn't catch up with me afterall during my "toilet pit stop". It was his turn to say "Come on, let's walk and run. We can do this." And I replied "Yeaa.. we will finish this. Still got hope for under 4:15. By the end of this, we would be marathoners!!" Trying to psych ourselves up.

We walked a little bit and just before Kelly Tarlton's, I decided, ok... time to jog. We'll aim for Mission Bay. Jogged towards Mission Bay, saw the water station, stopped again and hydrate. 32km. I can so see myself stopping at every single water station now. 10 km to go! I can do this... the 4:15 pace setter have not ran pass us. Walked more after Mission Bay. Just before Kohimarama, we decided to jog. Not too far now and we will reach St. Helier's Bay.

Once I did the turn, I knew, I am going to finish this!!! You see, throughout the whole jog along the bay, I really felt like just U-turning as I see other runners running from the opposite direction. Saw the 3:45 pace setter running towards me when I was at Mission Bay I think. Saw the 4:00 pace setter not long after. So de-motivating. But it was good having Tim running beside me. He kept saying things like "One foot after another, we can do this. Relax your mind, don't think too much about it. Less than 9 km to go, 8km to go...." Stopped a couple of times after the turn. Walked, stretch.

I was finding every single excuse to stop. If it's not the calves, it's the knee. It's the quads, It's the hamstrings. It's the hip. Or if it's not muscular, it's the stomach. Oh, stitch! Need to stop, need to stop. Ohhh!! I think it was just before Mission Bay where the 4:15 pace setter ran pass us. "ARghhh!!!! Ok, screw it. 4:30!!! And since I can't do 4:15, I will Gangnam my way towards the finishing line!!" I said to Tim. Got to Mission Bay and stopped again at the water station. Ahh.. powerade.. *gulp*... Ahhhh... Coke... *gulp*And then.. ohhh no! Stitch... walk. "Ohhh.. maybe I should practice my victory Gangnam style". I tried... Tim tried too. But being so un-co... I decided, ok, Gangnam is out of the picture. Ohhh well... I will think of something to do my victory run.

When we started to jog, from the distance, we saw a familiar tall figure... running rather awkardly... limping and running.... Ahhh!! It's Ivan. Omg!! He actually is running this. He did not turn back halfway afterall. He is also going to complete the full marathon. What a champ!! We both gave him hi-5s as we jogged pass. He was probably 3-4km behind us.

Got to Okahu Bay and it was 35km. 7km to go! Drank more powerade/water/coke before going again. I wanted to jog all the way back since it's only 7km more but that other half of me said "No" and kept finding the same excuses to stop.

After walking a little bit after the 37km mark... I decided.. "Ok, less than 5km to go. Reset your mind and go! 4km, it's only like a warm-up. You can do this. Easy." So we jogged. I could still feel the burn in my legs, coming back again. I thought, Ok, maybe walk up that bridge again just before KFC. But then, those drummers were still there. You know, these drummers are really awesome. I thank them for being there. It made me ran up that slope. Soon, I saw KFC :) Can't wait to have KFC after my run. And so many spectators all along Quay Street.. all the way towards the finishing line. They were awesome. I don't remember Sydney having this much spectators and being so encouraging. They cheered, not only for their family/friends... but for strangers like us. It was an awesome feeling. I even remembered one person shouting out "Go yellow shorts!" Haha!! Super LIKE!! Some were even handing out lollies. I remembered taking one from a lady along Kohimarama Bay. "Don't take lollies from strangers" Yeaa.. right! It was great.

So we pretty much jogged./ran the last 3km or so. I say RUN now because I had that sudden burst of energy out of no where. Tim was however struggling. I tried my best to encourage him. But it seemed like he couldn't go anymore. The last km, I wanted to go fast. I had so much energy. But I didn't want to leave Tim behind. He was so supportive throughout the last half of the marathon, I can't just leave him behind.

Towards the last 200-300m, I said to Tim "Come on! Let's sprint!" He shook his head and hands and told me to go ahead. He wasn't picking up his pace. I knew his reserved fuel tank is also pretty much empty. The last 100-200m stretch, I heard people screaming "Go Sher Mayne!! WOOOOooooOOOO!!" Ahah!!! It's the cheer group for me!  Shaun, Yin, Swan, Ying Xuan, Boon, Kai-Ann, Chin Ann... They had their cameras out. I ran towards them and attempted my Can Can dance. I knew it was better than my attempted Gangnam style. I was hoping they took a video but this is good enough :)

I was told there's gonna be video cameras to capture our finishing... So I ran probably the last 50m waving my arms frantically... and after crossing the finishing line, I did my victory leap! Too bad it wasn't caught on camera... but you can see it in the video here.

And so... I clocked in with a time of 4 hour 28 min 26 sec. So I did managed it under 4:30, which was my initial goal when people asked me what my target time was. I set a low target time hoping I would do way faster than that so I can sound super awesome... secretly hoping for 4:15 and would be awesome if it was 4:00. It almost came true until... the halfway mark. A little bit gutted.

On a brighter note, I did a PB for a 21km, 1 hour 50 min 20 sec, with a pace of 5:13/km. Along with those slopes at the start.. I am stoked! But too bad it isn't official. Who knows if I would have done that well if I were to just run a 21km... I probably crash again at the halfway mark. Will have to find out in my next half!! Looking forward to run another half soon!!

Tim finished just a few seconds behind me. I need to really thank him. If it weren't for him, I probably finish this in 5 hours or so. After the finishing line, he told me he was really dizzy and felt really unwell. Brought him to the St. John's tent.. turns out, he was really dehydrated.

Special mention to my monkey, who completed his first full marathon also, 50 mins behind me... but with a recently sprained ankle... so proud of him!! I really admire his determination.

And here's a huge congrats to the ex-UMSA-ians who completed their half marathon on that day!! Well done guys!! And thanks for the cheering towards the end. Definitely gave me that V-Power boost!!

Photos by Shaun and Ying Xuan

The post-marathon feeling?

Super pain, super exhausted. Could hardly walk. No more. No more marathons. My first and last one EVER!!! 

That was the feeling for the next 5 days. But now, as I'm blogging this, looking back.... I think I want to do another one. I want to finish one without walking. I want to be well rested before running it. Not running around crazy two days before and in heels. Not having so little sleep two weeks before the marathon. And definitely not anytime soon.

On top of that, I have raised $1726 for the Heart Foundation!!! Never knew I could have raised so much. Thanks to all those kind-hearted people out there who have donated. It made me train harder. It was one of the factors as to why I really have to finish this and there's no turning back!

Thanks to everyone who's given me supportive and encouraging words during the journey towards completing my marathon. Thanks to those who advised me, to rest when I really needed it. I am glad I took that week off two weeks before my marathon when I was suffering from a calf injury.

Running my first full marathon was indeed an experience. Training for it is also a whole new different experience. Banned myself from alcohol and KFC for almost a year. Suffered many injuries. Waking up at 5.30am on some winter mornings to run, wearing a hoodie and beanie. Looking back now, it sounds crazy. But definitely an experience. I surprise myself for being that disciplined.

Complete a full marathon before turning 25: Checked :)

Yes... I love this picture A LOT!! 

Suncorp Bank Sydney Harbour 10km

8th July 2012

Massive delay in this post. But I had to post this up. A day to be remembered. Where I finally achieved my goal of running a 10km with a sub 50. It was a very flat and fast course. Starting from the Rocks going through Barangaroo wharf, darling harbour, The Star Casino, Pyrmont, back through darling harbour again and back to the Rocks. Many achieved their personal best too. I am stoked with mine. Didn't plan to run this race as I refuse to pay $50 to run 10km. It was only the friday before the race I decided to run it. Because they were offering 50% off entry fees :D Hehehehe... And  I am so glad I did it. 

Completed this in 48 min 32 sec, giving me an average pace of 4 min 51 sec/km. Better than sub 50 yo! I don't think I can ever run at this speed again. Mission accomplished!!! Nothing else to say as nothing much was going through my head during the run. All I wanted was a sub 50. Every 5 min, Runkeeper talked to me, I smiled. Because I was maintaining my pace pretty well. I'm amazed actually at how fast I ran. Because now when I try running at that pace, I struggle. Runkeeper said I ran 10.23km though, giving me a pace of 4 min 46 sec/km, I'd like to take that but I am satisfied with it the official time. Hehehe... 

Looking forward to conquer another big goal of mine by the end of October!!! 

Careflight Woodford to Glenbrook 25km Trail Run

24th June 2012

My first ever trail run in Australia, and also my longest run ever. Cousin's fiance - Phil, told me about this run and said it was a good run to get into trail running. I do not know why I continue to believe him despite him telling me that The Coast Track was an easy walk which didn't turn out easy. And hence, the night before the trail run, I was panicking. Who in the right mind would partake in a trail run, let it be not having ran 25km on normal road before? I was already dying towards the end of my half marathon in May, would I even survive 25km on normal road? At least on normal road, I can just run off route and pull out of the race whenever I want to. It won't be possible to do the same if you are running right in the middle of the blue mountains. On top of that, I have been sick for the past week and hence haven't been training for my marathon. Fitness level is not even close to top form. I remembered my first and ever trail run was the Kauri Run back in November 2008. That was only 13km and I was dying. How how how? All I can do was to hope Phil's words this time is true.


Left home at 7.30am. Took slightly over an hour to get to Glenbrook. We then have to catch a train to Woodford to get to the starting line. Got to the starting line and it was 5 degrees. Not pleasant at all. Race was scheduled to start at 10am but one of the mountain bikers (they start at 9.30) crashed their bike and the ambulance had to go in and get the biker. We did not start till 10.20. So that was 20 minutes of freezing and not doing anything. 


Was running well for the first 3km. Simply because that was on road. Haha! 4-5 km in and I could feel a slight burn in the middle arches of my feet. I strapped up my left ankle to prevent it from another sprain but I could feel the tape rubbing against my foot. The right foot didn't feel too good either. I then realized... I was wearing thin socks! Why in the world did I do that? I only wear thin socks if I go for a short training run... I never ever wore thin socks for any races. And this is trail running... not only should one wear proper trail running shoes, they should wear thicker socks because of the uneven rocky surface that will cause you blisters with that ongoing pounding of your feet against these rocks. Silly me. I had to just suck it up and complete another 20km.

First 11km of the race had a good mixture of uphills and downhills. Some were quite steep and I walked most of the uphills. Ran up the tiny ones but when I saw those larger slopes where you can't even see the end of the top, I just walked. A lot of people in front of me walked too. That was how I justify myself. After the 11km mark, it was all flat or downhill. Wasn't tired in the legs or cardio wise... but the pain in both feet was just excruciating. The faster I ran, the more painful it was. Stopped a few times to contemplate whether I should open my shoes and have a look at the blisters but decided against it because once I open it, I probably will not want to run because I can feel that the blisters are massive. I kept telling myself it's mind over matter. Had temptations to stop and pull out and get the ambulance to bring me back but I reminded myself, this is a good race to train my mental strength. Don't give in.


I tried to take my mind off the pain by enjoying the surroundings. Yes, it was just trees, trees and more trees. Nothing much really but somehow I found it more interesting than road running. I think it's because you actually have to pay attention to the uneven surfaces with regards to your foot placement so you do not trip or fall so you get distracted with how long more you have to go. And because it's so quiet in the trail, you can actually hear the breath of the person running behind you and you can also hear if they slipped and fall. There were quite a number of runners who slipped, fell and skidded.... and still continued running. I am glad I am not one of them. 


Last 100m was downhill all the way and I had so much fun running to the finishing line. It was down a grassy slope so if you fall, you won't graze yourself. And so for that last 100m, I sprinted and felt like speedy gonzales for that last tiny bit. Did not hold back at all. In the end, I finished at 2 hours 23 min 45 sec. 6 minutes ahead of my target time. Pretty stoked about it. Took of my shoes and the blisters were indeed massive! I am so glad I completed the race myself and only had the voice in my head to push me. Mental strength : +1 definitely!!

Running down to the finish line... so fun!!! 

The next three days post race was a torture. Shoes and stairs were my worst enemy because of the blisters and also of the sore thighs. Wished I could just lie in bed and go for massage instead of walking around rushing to see my patients. Work productivity dropped significantly. Torture I tell you. But after my recovery run on Wednesday morning, I actually felt so much better.


Will I ever do this again? Hell yeah! Hooked on trail running after this run. But it's too early to say actually as it's my first. But anyway, I already bought myself of trail runners!! Can't wait to use it!!!!