NUS Hill Run on 22 Nov`06 (Wed)

Erratic weather for the past few days! Baking HOT in AM and followed by rain pouring buckets in PM! My running plan was disrupted -- was gonna do a mid distance run on Monday. Was washed out by the rain and went for spinning on the bike @ the gym instead :( When it was still raining @ 5pm on Wednesday, checked with fennel on the weather @ CBD -- may switch camp to join AdiRun @ Suntec if weather was favourable. Then the sky cleared up @ 6pm -- yeah, finally get to run @ NUS n Ulu Pandan Canal! Reached KRGH early as my colleague gave me a lift from office. Oops, tktan was held up by traffic and arrived at 6.40pm. LM and Andy gave the run a miss -- hopefully not intimidated by the distance of 18km *cool_grin* We started the run closed to 7pm -- weather was nice and cool but the ground was wet. Gotta be extra careful with foot landing. Hmm, after 3 days rest, thot I should be feeling fresh -- but felt my left calves tightened even on flat road. Somehow felt better after climbing the killer slope. Time check @ end of Vigilante Dr was 18min -- cool 5:30min/km pace. But the tightness came back when we hit Sci Park I -- was running with a limp as I try to shift my weight to the right leg. After the underpass to Alexandra Ind Estate, I slowed down considerably as we continued on to Bouna Vista MRT. Did a light stretch on the calves @ a traffic light stop -- that helped to relieve the pain somewhat. Time check @ Bouna Vista MRT was 41min for 7km -- oops, slower 5:50min/km pace. tktan was happy to follow my slow pace as he was nursing hip pain and weak left knee. When we hit Ulu Pandan Canal, I felt better running on the flat surface and up the pace. We made a dash to the end of Sunset Way Canal -- like the feeling of the wind on the face! Haiz, on the return leg, due to the slight slanting surface, the pain was back and I signalled to tktan to go ahead as I slowed down. Felt that I was putting additional stress on my left leg if I continue running and decided to stop at Clementi Rd. Time check was 1h 22min -- still a good 5:30min/km pace (Ulu Pandan & Sunset Way Canal was 5min/km pace!). Thanks to tktan for the mobile water station!

After the cool down walk of 3km back to KRGH, we took a quick shower and had dinner @ Taiwanese makan place next to Fong Seng Nasi Lemak. We ordered beef stew noodle and steamed seafood dumplings -- the noodle was a tad hard and the dumplings were so-so. On the way to the bus-stop, we passed by a new crepe place and the boss beckoned us to take a look at what he has to offer. Interesting concepts of healthy food. The water-chestnut dessert caught my attention and we bought one to try -- yum yum, was a happy gal with a nice dessert to complete a meal :)

P.S. The onset of pain @ my calves triggered FEAR in me! Was it because I rested too many days? Or didn't warm up enough? Over-stretched? Over-trained? So frustrating at the thought that I would not be able to run on D-day -- all my training gone to waste! Ok ok, keep calm. The pain will go away before D-day and I would run and complete the race in style :)

Route : Start @ KRGH -> Pasir Panjang Rd -> South Bouna Vista Rd -> Kent Ridge Park -> Sci Park I -> Underpass to Alexandra Ind Estate -> North Bouna Vista Rd -> Bouna Vista MRT -> Ulu Pandan & Sunset Way Canal -> End @ Clementi Rd

Distance : 15km
Time : 1h22min
Avg pace : 5:30min/km