NTUC 350

It never rains but it pours! Just like February was destined to be the hottest month, looks like March will be the wettest month. It started pouring in the middle of the night and the rain did not look like stopping.

I was like shit!@$ I had paid nearly a hundred bucks for the 4 of us to take part in this run and I be dammned freaking mad if the rain wash it out. I was so looking forward to this. The last time I was in Pulau Ubin was like a decade ago and I have always wanted to run there for the longest time. Also, this was the first time the whole family was going to run together in an event and I wanted very much for this family outing to be a success and enjoyable one. Not one where we will end up like miserable wet dogs!

Fortunately the rain eased off a bit by mid afternoon when we boarded the ferry for the island. My first impression of the place was that nothing much had changed there except that there were more seafood restaurants now. The wayang stage was still there as was the thousand of bicycles although due to the rain, there wasn't that many cyclists around.

We were early and walked around in the light drizzle before the Kid and I started off at 3.50pm in the 10 km run. The run was sounded (no flag) off by 'Brother'(?) Lim Swee Sway. Sounded like a church event. Wondered why the MC called him that? Shouldn't it be comrades?

Anyway, because it was a run and not a race, there were very few participants - probably about 1000. No elites too and best of all, no human jam! Anyway, like the MC said, it was a run not a race so we took our time. I stopped every now and then to take photographs (see the complete set on facebook) but reckoned I was still running in the first quarter of the field. Met an old schoolmate. Good to see friends from the past. Also, one of the volunteers at a water point called out my name and I was like who? but waved hi, cracked a joke and left still clueless who he was! Completed the run in slightly under 1 hour. Thought the distance was a tad long based on my pace but maybe it was the small slopes here and there that made it seemed so. Anyway who's counting?

The rain was by then just a very light drizzle, humidity was almost non-existent and there was no sun and heat. It was the perfect condition for a run and I totally enjoyed it! The Kid came in almost on the hour mark. Complained of stitch at around 8km. Still need some work on the mileage. The Princess and MOHA did the 5km. The Princess is using this run as a final tune up for the national school cross country next week. Hopefully, this run will help her get the feel of the pace.

All in all, a wonderful run nevermind that there was no goodie bag. It was for a good cause and it didn't get rained out and I had fun. That's all that matters.