Running Sucks

I have been running at MacRitchie Reservoir for a number of years now and I like to think that I know the place pretty well. But last Vesak Day, we followed the runners of Trail Running Singapore for an exploratory run unto "unknown" territory. We started off up to the usual Northern Trail. Somewhere inside the trail, we turned right onto a small trail and volia: There was this long slanting grassy slope. It was slanting at about 30degree and kinda difficult to run on.  There was even a small stream to add to the excitement. Actually we were running behind the private estate along Thomson Road. The houses along the slopes are mainly bungalows and we were disturbing the dogs and causing them to bark non-stop. Luckily, they were inside the compound and we were outside.  Eventually we came to this open patch with a gorgeous view of I presume, the Sin Ming housing estate. It was also here that we have to turn back into the trails And this trail...

My long runs have been going down hills. Maybe it is a sign of old age or maybe I have really been super lazy. All along I thought my fitness level was still fairly decent and can run at a decent speed. Then I did a long run in March from the office back home. Distance was about 23 km. It took me and the sidekick nearly 3 hours to complete. I was surprised that we took so long. I thought we ran at quite  a hard effort and the pace felt more like 6.30 than the 7.25 that it turned out to be. I  attributed it to running at night As the sidekick has signed up for the full marathon for the Sundown, she had to train and I tagged along. The next long run above 20 km was a 25km run at the East Coast Park. We started at 11.30 pm and crossed into midnight. We were supposed to join the Punggol/Newton Runners but were late and ran at a furious pace to catch up. Or rather we thought it was a furious pace. It turned out to be 7.05 pace and I was struggling towards the last quarter....

There are races for everybody, races for women and obstacles races and there is the Cold Storage Kids Run. The Cold Storage Kids Run is the first race specially for kids and to date it is still the biggest and only dedicated race for children up to 12 years old. I have been involved in this event since its inception and over the years have seen it innovate to keep ahead of all the other races which have a children component. It added a stroller category a few years ago and this year it added a 3 generation category.  But in my opinion, the most unique part about the Cold Storage Kids Run is that it is also open to handicapped children. Each year, children from the  Spastic Children Association of Singapore suffering from Cerebral Palsy participates as guest of Singapura Finance. This year, the invitation was extended to children from Katong School and Rainbow Centre as well. The grit and determination on the faces of these children as they struggled to complete the 80...

Not only are there isotonic drinks and energy drinks for runners but now there is something else...tada... Tea! Freshly brewed for long run.

Sometime ago, I got an email the content of which surprised me. It was an invitation to review a shoe. I haven't got many such invites for a long time, probably no thanks to my rather negative review of the Nike Sportsband. So it was really a big surprise. And it was for a shoe that I know absolutely nothing about. An Erke running shoe! So far the only thing I know about Erke was that it is a Chinese sports manufacturer and produces apparel which I had seen selling in Sportslink here. In fact, I think I might even have one or 2 of their shorts. So I decided to enlist the help of the world most famus guru, Mr Google to find out what the shoes was and not entirely to my surprise - came back with absolutely zilch, zero and nothing! That put me in a spot. I would certainly love to do a review but having nothing to start off with was like... what am I going to write about? So I wrote back to the nice lady and told her accordingly and also to warn her that I may end up writing a ver...

A friend from Malaysia is running the Comrades Marathon for the 2nd time. Like his last attempt last year, Frank is using the run to raise funds for Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (Carif) and create awareness of cancer. More information about the Be Frank campaign can be found  here . Frank himself is a cancer survivor who was diagnosed of Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects muscle and connective tissues at the tender age of 12. Today, he has accomplished what was seemingly impossible, he has trained as long distance runner and is now an ultra-marathon runner. To help in this meaningful initiatives, make a direct donation at Carif or buy a t-shirt at RM60.00 each. The 2nd Skin t-shirt (super comfy microfiber material) can be bought from - CARIF Main Laboratory, 2nd Floor Outpatient Centre, Sime Darby Medical Centre, Subang Jaya. Tel: +603-56391874 or Running Lab, Tropicana City Mall. Malaysia Tel: +603-7727 8555. Singapore runn...

Was at an sports retail outlet and came across this new, or at least new to me, bladder bag. My attention was drawn to the very outstanding caption on the pack "Never suck again". I was rather intrigued by the slogan. And since my current bladder bag's hose was almost like totally coated with slimy yucky stuff and algae, I decided to give this a try. I rather like the idea of not having to suck on the tube especially when I remember how sticky the mouth piece can be. And moreover, the promotion video that the store was playing was talking about dirt and dust gathering on the mouth piece and how unhygienic it can be.  Out of the pack, these are the various parts: 1) The main bladder itself. It is rather small for its 2 litres capacity and the material is very thin and light. It can even be turned inside out for washing and the instruction there said it is very tough and will not tear.