Post-dated: Mount Faber Run 09

Woke up at 5.45 am this morning. Ate a ceramic mug of MILO and cracker biscuits at about 6 am before heading for the bus stop. Deep in anticipation, especially when a woman boarded the bus wearing the same luminous green singlet. More people, some in their own running shirts, boarded the bus as it moved nearer to our destination.

Policemen lined the side road leading to Bukit Merah View, the start and finish point. Cars were also making a beeline. A short walk revealed the field and car park where clusters of runners did their warm-up or waiting. Walked under the towering "Start/Finishing" signage, just for the feel of it, hoping soon I'd be crossing this point.

I thought we were flagged off slightly early, before the official race time. As in all races, one can't really burst off with the other runners in front, so I started rather slowly. I thought I did alright, maintaining a reasonable pace after which. That was until we turned into the tortuous, steep upsweeps of Mount Faber, unending curve after curve. I may as well have walked, as did some of the other runners. But I kept going no matter how hard I was catching my breath; one step at a time, I told myself; just ignore the elevation, it's all in the mind.

Thanks god, though everything was in a blur, somehow I got to the downslope, which if one was not careful, could cause some serious injury letting go at full throttle. At the half-way point, I knew that I had enough in my tank to finish the race, which left one question unanswered. At 7.5 KM, I was left only with pride, as no way was I going to break the one-hour barrier, now really an obsession.

I eventually finished in about 1 hr and 10 mins, plus or minus, which was kind of disappointing. Still, I enjoyed the run, the challenge, the adrenalin rush.