I woke up at 0300Hr. Real early. I wanted to go to the 7-11 to get those instant ready to eat rice for breakfast. Suki and Tso had told me to have rice for breakfast before a race. They had been stressing on having a lot of rice before races. Well, a lot of the HK runners I know could run very well. There must be a reason. So I decided to try it out. I have to give the rice enough time to digest in my system too.
In HK, they call this kind of rice "丁丁饭". Because after the oven has heated it up, the oven will give a "丁" sound.
A lot of variety to choose from.
My first time trying such rice. It did not look that bad.
I finished everything. I had to get a bottle of Gatorade to help me with the swallowing though as my mouth was still dry after waking up.
The streets were still empty. The bright shop was the 7-11. My hotel was just behind me.
I had to reach City Hall by 0600Hr for the shuttle bus. I had thought of taking the MTR but I checked last night and the first train was exactly at 0600Hr. In the end I had to take a cab down.
The pick up point.
I reached at around 0545Hr. When I boarded the bus, it was almost full. The bus left in about 5 mins time. Those who could not go up the bus have other buses behind waiting for them.
Most of the passengers in the bus slept along the journey. I tried to sleep too but I could not fall asleep. I just stared out of the window and looked at the scenery. The journey took around 45 min and we reached the starting point. Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung.
It was freezing outside. I had on my running attire, with a track pants and jacket but I still felt cold. The moment I got down from the bus I had to put on my cloves.
The weather was so cold a lot of the people went to order a hot drink from this stall.
The place were we alighted.
Walking towards the bag deposit. More buses are arriving.
The bag deposit at the Po Leung Kuk camp.
Runners checking their BIB numbers.
The bags are for us to put our belongings before depositing them.
A very cold and windy morning. I pity those who were running in shorts.
This is Jennifer. A HK friend I made during TNF 2010. She would later emerge as 3rd overall and 1st in her category.
S -> A -> C -> A -> B -> S
This was the race .. that all my HK running friends commented "Its very tough!" when I told them I am participating in it. After last night short chit chat session with some of the HK runners, I am more and more convinced. So I am already mentally prepared that it would be a tough race. I was even thinking maybe I would go beyond 5 hrs .. :p
Weather was cold. Windy and cold. I gathered from what people around me said that it was around 5 - 8 degree C. With the strong wind blowing, it was really cold.
I stayed at the back of the pack behind the starting line. Since I was not going to run at a more relaxed pace, might as well start from the back of the pack.
There was some opening speech before the race began. I was hoping that the person would cut short his speech and start the race because it was very cold. This was the first time I actually had to run before a race to warm up my body. After the air horn went off, people at the front started speeding off. It took a short while till the people at the back started to slowly inch forward.
It was hilly indeed. At just the 500m mark, we came to the first upslope. It was a 1.5km long upslope. A lot of people around me had even started walking up. What?!! Its only 500m into the race and people had started walking. Wait .. maybe they had taken part in the race before so they actually knew what's in store for us in front. I also slowed down even more and adopted a "granny" running style which helped me to save energy to go up the slope. I would use this "granny" style for all upslopes in the race later.
I was clad in my running attire which I had planned to use for Tokyo in end February. It would also be a cold run so I was using this run to test out the gear and also experience how to run in cold weather. I had the small warm packs Suki given me stuffed into the gloves on my both palms. The big warm pack was stick onto my stomach (it has a slightly adhesive side). I also had a disposable poncho covering my body.
The race route was along the service road of the Sai Kung highland reservoir. We had to run towards the dam on the eastern side of the reservoir (Point A). The HK runners called it 东坝. At the first water point at around the 5km mark, I felt that my body was warm enough to take off the disposable poncho. I also tried to remove my gloves as it felt very troublesome to take my gel and the electrolyte tables with them on. I ran for a short distance before putting them on again. It was just too cold.
The route snakes up and down the slopes within the mountains. But the scenery was very beautiful. Blue sea, blue sky, green mountains. You cannot find this kind of scenery in Singapore.
On the way back towards Point C, I saw Ivan at the side of the road before the T junction. He had set up a make shift support station for Jennifer and me. He had with him bananas, chocolate bars, Dextro Energy sweets. I ate a bit of whatever he had. He handed me a cup of isotonic drink. It was the most heavenly isotonic drink I had ever drunk. It was WARM!
The journey to Point C was tough. Point B was the turning point for those doing the HM and they would be running back to the Finish Line. After crossing Point B, we knew that all the people we see would be those morons who had signed up for the FM. From Point B to Point C was upslope all the way. Plain torture. At Point C, there was a lady manning the time mat. She shouted "Comon! Keep it up!. You need not come up during the 2nd loop!"
Yeah right .. In my heart, I was thinking I would not come up even if you were to pay me. Ha .. :)
Just after the Point C turning point there was a support station where they had bananas and raisin bread.
After coming down from Point C, I thought to myself: "What! I need to run back to the dam again!"
Pity me.
We could see the Eastern Dam across the water. It would be so much better if we were able to run straight across the water.
It was very windy along most of the route. I was feeling that even the wind was purposely going against me such that which ever direction I turned, it turned out to be head wind. When I reached Point A again, I was already exhausted. I just wanted to completed the run now.
As I ran back, I met a lot of other participants who were actually walking towards Point A. I wondered if they would be able to make it back to the Finish Line in time. I felt so happy going past the T junction and saw the volunteers there again. I just need to see them again 1 more time. :s
Turning right, I slowly struggled my way to Point B. The upslope seems to be laughing at me. I was almost walking up the slopes now. When I reached the U turn point, I was so happy. Its time to head back to the Finish Line!
The initial upslope that greeted us at the start of the race now became a downslope. I used it to my advantage and picked up my speed and overtook a few runners on the way down. I saw Suki, Tso and Tam at the side of the slope just about 500m from the Finish Line. They were cheering me on!
I managed to pick up my speed some more and ran and ran ..
Gun Time: 04:31:37
Net Time: 04:29:39
Overall Placing: 318 / 520
Gender Placing: 286 / 464
Category Placing: 42 / 64
Ivan was there when I crossed the Finish Line. He passed me a cup of warm water. Suki joined us in a short while. She passed me a cup of warm ginger tea. Both tasted so good!
I went back to collect my stuff from the bag deposit. By this time, Jennifer had already changed up and was waiting for the prize presentation ceremony.
It was a very tough race indeed. But really very beautiful like what they said. Not much elites from Africa (in fact I saw none) joined the race. There were a lot of ang moh running though.
We went to Sai Kung for lunch. Its a place for seafood as its situated just beside the waters.
This is Tam and her husband. Both are triathletes.
It reads Seafood Street.
After lunch, they sent me back to the hotel. I quickly bathed and changed into new clothes. Jennifer and her husband, Ivan, would bring me to Victoria Peak at night.
Before setting off, Ivan asked me how would I like to go up the Peak, by taxi, bus or cable car. I replied him as long as I do not need to run up. Ha .. and he told me we would not run up but only run down. Hahaha .. :)
In the tram going to the cable car station. The tram was HK's most economical way of transportation.
The cable car arrived. There was only 1 cable car going up and down the hill.
The nights scape of HK was very beautiful. It was very cold up at at the Peak. Jennifer told me a lot of HK runners like to run up the Peak or do loops on top of it. There was a figure 8 loop on the Peak.
In the cable car of the olden days.
Along 港经道 .. a 50km pathway that starts on the hill top and ends at the bottom of the hill.
The weather was so cold until my lips got numb and had problem speaking. I must really thank Jennifer and Ivan for bringing me up in such a cold weather, especially when Jennifer had ran the race in the morning too.
We went down to Central for wanton noodle and then to Admiralty for porridge. Both was so delicious.
As it was getting late, we bade farewell to each other and I went back to the hotel. i thought of walking around Times Square but the shops were closed when I reached there. Might as well, since I could go back to rest. It was a tiring day. But very fun too. :)
