Breakfast will be later at the hotel. The time now is too early to eat my cliffbar for the race. Changed into my running attire and checked through my items again.
Gary looked like he's going for Ironman. Ha .. :)
By 0420 Hr, most of us were already at outside our rooms, all clad in our own fashion of running attire. Attire that we are already used to and conformable with. Attire that we feel good in.
When we feel good, we run better. :)
All of us assembled at the lobby at 0430 Hr on time. We will go to Harbour Grand Hotel using the MTR. Their MTR system starts so early in the morning.
Near our hotel.
Trying to act cute .. only SQ succeeded .. :s
again only the girls are good at it ..
We reached the hotel at around 0500 Hr.
At the hotel lobby.
They are giving out breakfast. Let's see what's inside ..
1 box of sandwich, 1 box of croissant, 1 box of cut fruits, 1 apple, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 yogurt, 1 bottle of plain water, 1 bottle of orange juice.
How to finish?!! I only ate the sandwich as I still have my 2 packets of cliffbar and kept the apple and plain water into my race bag.
Soon we boarded the bus for Kowloon. The Finish Line is in Causeway Bay, somewhere near the hotel. Along the road we saw the 10km runners making their way towards the Finish Line. They had started in different waves from as early as 0515 Hrs. Half marathon will start in 2 waves beginning at 0600 Hr. This is a very good arrangement. It ensures runners from 1 distance will not clash or merge into another distance and jam up the road. This is a very common problem in SCSM, especially starting from the F1 pit stop, where all FM, HM and 10km runners merge together making running very difficult.
We reached Kowloon at around 0615 Hr. The place was crowded! Runners gathering at different spots chatting away while waiting for their friends. Everybody's mood was a high high high!
Another thing to note is that they have a huge number of mobile toilets, located at different locations. Queue is not really that long.
We gathered and did our own warm up. Focused more on my leg muscles. Did some dynamic warm up as well as static stretches. I also ate by NUUN tablet. I used to put a NUUN tablet into a glass or bottle of water before a run and drink it. However, it always makes me wanna pee at the starting of the run. 1 thing I learnt is not to put it into water and drink it after it dissolves. I will break it down into 4 smaller pieces and put it into my mouth piece by piece. The tables will slowly sizzle itself away. This way, I will still be able to get the electrolytes without worrying that I will need to answer mother nature at the start of the run.
Start Line was at Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. The road was already packed by 0645 Hr. Weather was .. well .. not as cool as we expected it to be. It was around 20 - 22 degree C. Its still cooler than Singapore but to the HK-ers, its hot. I took my pre race GU gel at this moment.
Here's the pace plan. First 5km at 6min pace. 5.5 min pace from 5km to 15km. Following that will be 5 min pace from 15km to 30km to take advantage of the generally downslope feature of the route. After that will be back to 5.5 min pace for the rest of the way. This is after taking consideration that normally from that distance onwards I will be shagged and tired. Its also to conserve strength for that "last slope at the end" that several people had warned me about.
"It'll be demoralising," they told me. I must heed their advise.
With a 1 min walk added into every 30 mins interval of running, the targeted timing is this:
10km: 58 min
20km: 1 hr 53 min
30km: 2 hr 45 min
42km: 3 hr 54 min
Yes, I am aiming for sub 4. It always looks so easy on paper. Nevertheless, I will give it a go. Don't want to waste the cooler climate and downslopes of the route.
Sub 4!
I switched on my garmin for it to catch the GPS signal. However, due to the high buildings around us, the watch seems to have difficulty receiving the GPS. Its now 20 mins to start. Around us, some were doing their own warm up, some chatting with friends around them. Some adjusting their MP3 player earphones. Some HK runners asked us why are some of us wearing running tops with sleeves?
"Don't you feel hot?", they asked.
"Nope." Anyway, the weather was still cooler compared to Singapore.
We could sense each others "engine" heating up as the clock ticked towards 0715 Hr.
10 mins to start time. My dear garmin still has not "catch" the GPS. Shit ..
I tried to raise up my hand to further expose the garmin to the sky, if it is gonna be of any help. But is still useless as the tall buildings around us were blocking the signal.
As the time approaches 0715, the MC called for the runners to move closer towards the Start Line. We were now like around 100m behind it.
5 mins to start time. Still no signal. :(
Ok, if I am unable to get the signal, I will just use the stopwatch and wait for the watch to picked up the signal.
1 min to go .. the MC called for everybody to wave at the cameras as they run past the Start Line. Everybody was cheering out loud!
"Gah yaw ah!" or 加油 in Cantonese could be heard everywhere. Everybody was so supportive of each other.
5 .. 4 .. 3 .. 2 .. 1 .. *air horn!* ..
GO .. !! ..
Slowly, everybody broke into a slow jog towards the Start Line. I was constantly observing my garmin to see if it has caught the signal. Well, luck was sure on my side. Just 10m before the Start Line, the signal bar was full! GPS was on!
I ran past the Start Line inflatable arch waving at the any cameras pointing at us.
I ran ahead. The road was narrow. So you can imagine how crowded it was with 8458 runners trying to go through.I tried to zig zag my way pass the runners around me while maintaining my 6 min pace.
The ambient temperature was still ok. Not as cool but its not that hot either. However, the humidity was high at around 90%. By the time I passed 3km my shirt was wet as my perspiration could not evaporate effectively.
Run was ok. Pace was good. Along the way, I keep hearing people encouraging each other. My mood seem to be elevated by running among such constant encouragement.
5km passed. Switched my gear and moved into 5.5 min pace. Things seems good.
Slowly, we moved towards the first bridge of the race. Stonecutters Bridge. The road up was a roughly 2km upslope. I slowed down my pace a little to conserve my energy. This was the first time the route included the Stonecutters Bridge so you can see runners stopped to take photos or as they were running.
After we crossed the Stonecutters Bridge, I came to something that I had not expected. A tunnel. I had saw on the map that there will be 2 tunnels. I know that the GPS signal on on garmin would most probably be lost once I entered any of the tunnels, rendering my distance reading inaccurate after I emerge from the tunnels. I had even went to find out the length of the tunnels to try and do some plus minus to get a distance reading which is more accurate after I come out from the tunnels.
However, I only came across 2 tunnels on the map. Mainly due to the fact that they had posted photos of the tunnels on the map so its easily noticeable. The first tunnel I was expecting was only come after the halfway mark. So I was expecting an accurate distance reading all the way to at least 21km. Yet, now there is the Nam Wan Tunnel coming in my way. And I did not know how long was it going to be.
Inside the tunnel, ventilation was good. True enough, I lost the GPS some distance inside the tunnel. Terrain has somehow beaten technology. What I could do now was do run based on my feeling. Have to learn to go by feeling. 跟着感觉走. I managed to maintain my pace (going by feeling).
Emerging from the tunnel, my watch was very quick in recovering the GPS signal. However, I know the distance reading is now out. I have to depend on the distance markers along the road which, very luckily, was prominently placed and was also quite accurate. The distance was somewhere around 10+ km. In addition, I saw the much dreaded buses of SCHKM.
The race lets runners run on the roads of HK. However, the organiser has to return the road back to the police on time. In view of this, there will be sweeper buses to "sweep" up any runners who are not able to make it on time. There is a cut of time of 5 hr 30 min for the FM with several intermittent cut off timings at different parts of the road. One thing to note is the organisers are merciless when it comes to picking up the stragglers. They don't give you chance. If you don't make it on time, you are surely going up the bus.
I noticed there were already some people up on the buses.
Water point has been wonderful along the way up till now. Each water station is widely spread out so runners need not all crammed into the first few tables to get water. The isotonic water they provided was nice too. Watsons. It leaves a cooling mint taste at the throat after you drank it.
With the GPS on again, I am back to constant monitoring of my pace. Cannot let it slip down or go up uncontrolled. I began to noticed my pace will go up every now and then. I was starting to go at 5 min instead of 5.5 min. Slow down, Jacky! Slow down! You are going too fast too early!
As we turned left into Tsing Ma Bridge, the scenery was beautiful. Cooling and windy. On our right hand side, the front pack runners were already going pass us. They are fast. I was looking out for familiar faces but could not find any.
I checked my pace and found out I am going too fast again. SLOW DOWN!! Arrgghh ..
The turning point at Tsing Ma Bridge was at 15.4km. Now is time to up the gear again. 5 min pace. But damn, head wind all the way on the bridge. I saw Gary followed by Vincent during my walk interval. Later, I met SQ and Jacq and shortly followed by Fabian. I still managed to stay at 5min.
Once we were done with Tsing Ma Bridge, we turned left and headed towards Ting Kau Bridge. I was looking forward to seeing this bridge as I know once I pass the U-turn point on this bridge it will be generally downslope all the way till around 36km. The body was still feeling good. Pace was good. The turning point, which was also the halfway mark, finally came. The slope started gently turning downwards. Its now easier to maintain a 5 min pace. Slowly, I tried to pick up the pace. At some instant I was going at 4.30 min. It feels great. Especially when the wind gushes pass your ears, giving you the feeling of speed. But I did not maintain the speed for long as it was still too early now to chiong. I still have around 20km to go.
Next came another tunnel, Chueng Tsing Tunnel with a length of 1.6 km. Once inside, I lost the GPS again but I was not tat bothered about it now. "Rely on your feeling," I told myself. This tunnel did not pose much problems.
Out of the tunnel, we were back on the highways. I ran past a lady and saw that she was slightly struggling. I asked her to "Gah Yaw!". She turned to me and replied: "Mou tak gah ler."
The distance was now around 25km.
At a water station along the road, I ran beside an ang moh as I took the water.
"Comon! Keep it up!", I said to him.
"Yeah!", he replied, "What is your targeted completion time?"
I looked at him in the eyes and said: "Sub 4."
"Same here. When I crossed the Finish Line, the clock will show 3:59!"
Hahaha .. I lost him a short while later. I did not know if he managed to hit his 3:59 .. or an even better timing. I hoped he do.
At this moment, I am already facing difficulty maintaining a pace of 5 min. I was going at around 5.30 - 6.00 min. Too slow. Its starting to get tired. I just tried to maintain at at least 5.30 min and not let it drop to 6.00 min. My legs are starting to get heavier. This was the first time I am pushing myself to run to meet a sub 4 timing. Every 1 min walking interval was a great relief. There was a huge urge to walk more than 1 min but I know I cannot stop. I need to push. I must push.
Finally, we reached the last tunnel, Western Harbour Tunnel. 2km. It was a long 2km run, especially when there was a steep slope at the end leading out of the tunnel. I tried to make use of the downslope in the first half of the tunnel to my advantage. Short stride high cadence. Short stride high cadence. Short stride high cadence. This was my formula for picking up speed. Something which I learnt from my friends. It had served me well. Then came the upslope. My pace slowed down to a drag. I just tried to keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
The slope was too steep. It had done its toll on me. Once I was out of the tunnel, I had to walk for around 100m to let my body rest. Following that, the next thing to look out for will be the Finish Line. It was around 5km more to go.
My pace turned chaotic now. I could not keep it at 6 min. In I had slowed down to around 6.30 min. Some instant it even hit 7.00 min. The time was now 3 hr 30 min. I was supposed to have my 1 min walk break but I decided to forgo it. Its now too crucial to walk. My nutrition schedule was supposed to be 1 gel for every 1 hr but I still ate 1 pack of GU gel now. I need the energy for the final stretch.
An old uncle was picking up his speed and ran past me. I cheered for him. "Lai, gah yaw!"
"Lai ah! Sei goh zhong ah!", he ran off as he shouted.
Hahaha .. 3 cheers for him .. :)
I still remembered the "last slope at the end" that Brian had warned me about. Every upslope I met, I was asking: "Is this the slope?" Nope, it was not. "How about this?" Nope, no again. We turn out of the main road and cut into the smaller roads. Ran past a water station but did not take any water as I did not want to slow down. We ran past the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. All along it was flat surface now. I was thinking maybe I had already ran past the "last" slope.
Then, it came.
We were running along Convection Avenue and turning right as we passed the Wanchai Sports Ground. The slope was just right in front of us. It was just around 100m upslope followed by downslope. A short vehicle flyover. But it was steep.
I was running together with an ang moh on my left and I just turned to him and said: "Fark!"
He turned to me and said: "Yes, I was just about to say that too. Comon, lets to this together. Its only 1 more km to go after this. At the top is the 41km mark."
"Yah! We can do this! This is nothing!"
We took on the slope together. However, I managed to muster more strength and speed up as I go. It was this hidden bit of strength that we find we actually still have in our body as we approached the Finish Line.
Now, its home run! We were running along the narrow HK streets fully lined up with supporters on both sides and they were cheering for us. When they see that you are speeding up, the cheers would get louder too! Its so shiok running inside there!
Oooo .. *exhale* ..
WIth my default (or rather trademark) double thumbs up.
Go! Go! Go! Keep going!
I saw the Finish Line as I turned into Victoria Park. I raised up both my arms as I ran towards it. Enjoying every single moment and step moving nearer and nearer and let out a loud and cheerful "Woooohhh" as I crossed it.
10km Time: 00:58:48
Halfway Time: 01:53:28
30km Time: 02:45:39
Gun Time: 04:04:47
Net Time: 04:03:14
Gender Position: 943
Category Position: 202
This photo made all the pain during the run worth it. Hahaha .. :)
Well, I had missed sub 4 by 3 mins. But strictly speaking I had missed my targeted time by 9 mins. But is ok. I am 1 happy man. Its a new PB. I will try again next time. :)
I tried to go back to support the rest of the guys. The police was controlling the pedestrian flow tightly. Each point of crossing was only one way. I had to cut through here and there to move a distance back the route. I could not afford to move too far back because I had used up a lot of my strength during the run. I had to swallow another packet of gel now to supplement myself.
The first to arrive was Aileen.
Next was Gary and Vincent.
Followed by Jacq.
By this time the runners were getting more and more. Pedestrians had to queue to cross the road. As I was queuing to move closer to the pedestrian crossing, Joanne came along. Ryan came up shortly later. I could only call out to them to keep going.
The inflatable New Balance shoe.
After everybody returned, we walked back to Harbour Grand Hotel to have our buffet lunch. Yah, we walked. Active recovery. :)
Good food. Well, any food is good food after you have completed a marathon.
We took a cab back to our hotel to rest. All of us were tired. I slept like a log on my bed.
At 1830 Hr, we met up to go to Mongkok for dinner and shopping. Its celebration time!
In a restaurant at Mongkok. Hungry!
Walking around after dinner. Did not find any stuff I fancy. I already had my kill this morning at the sports shop. Ha .. :)
This was a coconut desert with bird nest in it.
We went to a pub in Lan Gui Fang.
We sure had fun over there. All of us enjoyed the Lady Gaga performance by Vincent. Ha .. :)
