I completed the Sheares Bridge Run !!!

Praise God! I managed to finish the race and broke my own personal time of 66 min by clocking in 60min. However, the run was not without its challenges. So I will now take you through the journey. Buckle up and let's hit the road!

0500hrs: I got up and had trouble getting back to sleep. Could it be the amout of food I had for dinner the night before?

0615hrs: My CG friend YS who was to run with me called to say he cannot join me as his cough was still quite bad. That was a good choice and you will know why later.

0710hrs: Traffic flow at junctions where the 21km runners were was slow as the police had to stop traffic to let the runners pass. There were so many participants.

0740hrs: Gathered at the start point along Esplanade Bridge. Did my warming up exercises. Seemed as if half of Singapore was there! Do I see some dark clouds looming?

0800hrs: Defence Minister flags off the run. Never had I the chance to run along Shenton Way without any traffic. We had the whole road to ourselves.

0800hrs -0900hrs: I will now take you through the various intervals.

2km: My right shoelace was undone! Oh crap! I pulled to the side so that I will not disrupt any runners. Tied it and carried on running.

3km: The most difficult but also the best part of the race. Running up the Sheares Bridge and admiring the beautiful city skyline. Tough it was but certainly well-worth the effort.

5km: Mid-way there! Keep it up!

8km: The skies opened up and as the oldie sung by Engurlbert Humberdick (sp) goes," Raindrops keep falling on my head..." I was soaked! Where is the nearest shelter? Need to keep my handphone dry! Thankfully YS did not take part else his cough will be made worse.

9km: Took shelter along the Kallang Riverside Park which is part of the route. Just as I looked at the 9km signboard, I thought, " Just another 1k, just bite the bullet and press on! I am already drenched!"

10km: The feeling is great. Hearing the cheers and seeing the two huge words spread across St Andrew's Rd- "FINISH LINE", I felt as if I had all the energy in the world.

So the SBR has come and gone. I learnt that once you have done adequate conditioning and training, the psychological factor plays a part. What next? The StandChart Singapore Marathon on the 3rd Dec 06. That one is 21km. Will rest for a few days before I resume training again. Care to join in anyone?