race review : Run 350 2012

Wrote this review for the Freedom Freaks (my running gang here in SG) blog. 

It's about the 2012 edition of Run 350, where I ran my Half Marathon #7 on April 22nd, exactly 2 weeks before my next 42K at Vancouver Marathon.

Because of this very reason, I thought long and hard from a week before the race and decided against going for a PB. This, for a simple but important reason: my research findings on the net told me to take it fairly easy so (1) my muscles will have enough time to recover, and (2) I won't bonk out during the Full Marathon. And I'm happy to have met my target of around 2.5 hours  ;)

~*~

"Run 350 is Singapore's premier eco-run in support of the global 350 movement, which aims to lower atmospheric CO2 levels to 350 parts per million, which scientists believe is the safe level for Earth’s sustainability."

In its third year running, the 2012 race took place on April 22nd, coinciding with Earth Day. Perfect!

And we're off! Can you spot me in the sea of 10,000 Half Marathon runners?  =P
(pic courtesy of Eye-See-Eye-Shoot)

Being a second-time participant (10K last year, and decided to try the spanking-new 21K category this time around), I totally enjoyed the race route despite most of it being reminiscent of the nightmarish 2XU Compression Run on April Fool's Day. The difference is that the race organizers this time around made sure the paths were wider so there was decent breathing space around. 

Each water point was well-stocked, the volunteers were terrific (some even crossed the running path repeatedly just to hand out water to runners on the opposite side), medal-collecting post-race was not painful, and the finisher shirt design for Half-Marathoners was awesome.

Good to know!
(pic courtesy of Run 350)

I especially appreciated the environmentally friendly tips on standees scattered all over the route. It truly gave me a "feel good" factor to be reminded all along the way that I'm running towards saving our beloved planet.

Can't really complain about anything except maybe for the shaky platforms placed over some grassy areas at around KM 7 or so. These caused quite a number of sprains and tumbles amongst the runners, including yours truly! Soon after I regained my balance, this poor chap took a big, nasty fall right in front of me. Where I tripped, two other ladies were already seated on the grass getting their ankles iced by the medic. Very, very dangerous! 

The dodgy platform! I'm still nursing a slight sprain to my right ankle as I'm writing this  :s
(pic courtesy of Tan Kim Lai)

Despite that one negative point, I am thoroughly glad that I ran this year's Run 350 race. Well done, Young NTUC! And not to forget, I gotta say thank you to Mr Sun for being very kind to us runners that day  :)

happy tears alert !

"Nira, youre the most beautiful and kind woman I've ever met, thank you for the 7 years of friendship, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

These sweet words were uttered by one of my running kaki here in Singapore right after completing the hot hot hot 42K race at the BII Maybank Bali Marathon on Sunday.

Nyoman even got down on one knee--on his home soil, no less--before taking out the ring. Too sweet!

Congrats again, you lovebirds! And a big shout-out to Nyo for being such a romantic  ;)

My fellow SG DMers A-Team members, Nyoman and Agus, approaching the finishing line
(pic courtesy of Nyoman)

Aww  :)
(pic courtesy of Arianne Teresa Peligrino, a friend of Nyo's)

Nyo says that's "cloud number 7" (he meant cloud 9, hehe) behind them  ;)
(pic courtesy of Nira, the soon-to-be Mrs Nyoman)

the best goal celebrations ever

Gotta love The Birth and Fishing!  ;)  Dang, I miss playing futsal...

somebody's gonna get hurt real bad...

... unless my good friends at The Comedy Club KL manages to coax Russell Peters to do another night in Malaysia!

Since selling out earlier this month, Singapore has added May 6th to RP's "Notorious World Tour 2012." And fans up north of the city state who missed out on tickets to his show at Stadium Malawati Shah Alam on May 12th (all tickets were snapped up in just 3 hours this morning!) have been begging for a second show in neighboring Malaysia as well.

A little hot-mama birdie has told me that The Comedy Club KL is "trying hard to add another [show]." Stay tuned!

In the meantime, you can try your luck at winning some tickets by attending The Comedy Club KL's April shows which start tonight. Two tickets to Russell Peter's show in Malaysia will be given away each night, totaling to six lucky winners all in all. Click here for show and ticketing info. Good luck!

~*~

UPDATE (25th April)...

Russell Peters has finally nodded to a second Malaysian show on May 11th! 

Tickets will go on sale this Saturday April 28th @ 10am. Same prices as the original show: RM128, RM188, RM248, RM338 & RM438.

Organizers The Comedy Club KL have also announced the following:

"Tickets will be sold online and TicketPro and Redtix ticketing outlets. If you'd like to purchase online and doesn't have an account, please pre-register to either TicketPro or Redtix to ease the process. To reduce scalping, we only allow a maximum of 8 tickets per transaction. Thank you and we hope for a better experience in ticket purchase this time!"

Unfortunately, I can't get any tickets for anyone so consider yourselves warned!  ;)

partners in pain

Just wanna share my running BFF's column in Malaysia's New Straits Times today. Ah, sweet memories! I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat  ;)

For those who'd ilke to try their luck in the NYC Marathon 2012 lottery, you can do so by April 23rd by clicking here

To find out how I got into the 2011 edition of the biggest marathon in the world, click here  ;)

~*~

RUNNING CITY GIRL: Partners in pain by Shanaz Shamsuddin

ONE chilly afternoon in November, three Malaysian women sat side by side on a pavement just outside Central Park in New York City.

They had medals around their necks, engraved with the words “The New York City Marathon 2011”.

Although too tired to show any emotion, each was delighted to have accomplished their goals and grateful to have each other’s company. I know this for certain, because I was one of them.

For several months prior to that day, I trained and organised my trip with the other two women, Nana and Selly.

As we ran together, we shared our New York dreams and worries with each other. If I were to list one thing that I was most thankful for from the experience, it would probably be the continuous support I received from both of them.

Our journey, right from Day One, was a great testament to friendship and the spirit of running.

The writer (centre) with her friends Ilyanna Aylin Ayob (left) and Selina A. Aziz (that's me!) 

after completing the New York City Marathon last year

Before my New York chapter, I used to train on my own. With the exception of the occasional weekend group run, I did most of my weekday runs in solitude. I thought running solo suited me best as I did not have to adjust my schedule to accommodate others.

However, when Nana asked me if I wanted to train together for the marathon, I told myself to give it a go. Looking back, I’m glad I made the decision.

TRAINING TOGETHER

As our four-month training began in the month of Ramadan, we had no choice but to run in the evenings. Right from the start, I saw the advantage in training with others.

Having friends to run with increased my personal safety. I couldn’t have gone out to run unaccompanied after dusk. If it were not for them, I probably would have opted for the treadmill for the entire fasting month. That would not have been enjoyable.

Training together also became an excellent means of motivation for me, particularly during our long runs. Having friends to chat with removed the negative voices in my head, the ones that suggested that I shouldn’t go any further or push myself harder. With great company, time seemed to pass by so quickly. Before we knew it, we had covered 16km to 32km together.

There were days when it was tough for me to put my running shoes on and get out there. If I was alone, I would have made 101 justifications to skip my runs when I wasn’t really in the mood. However, knowing that my running partners were depending on me, eliminated these excuses. Thanks to them, the accountability and persistency of training together kept me on track, every day.

Also, I had a tendency to kick my speed up a notch when running with others. My friends seemed to share the same sentiment. I suppose it’s in our nature to instinctively compete with the person next to us. By running together, we kept our pace up and pushed ourselves further than we would if we were running alone. To me, that was a good thing.

Having said all this, I still made a point to run solo every once in a while. There were days when I wanted to have my personal space and to entertain my own thoughts.

When I had issues that I wanted to deal with, I would sweat it out alone. Besides, running long distances all by myself, with no conversation to distract me from pain or from the distance, would build my mental toughness.

I would say that the most valuable lesson I learnt from my New York experience was that training with partners was more than just about security, accountability or a way to prompt myself to run. It was about camaraderie. I considered myself fortunate to have partners who not only shared the same fitness level, goals and training ethics, but also knew how to get the best out of me, and vice versa.

CHICAGO DREAMS

In October, Nana and I will be fulfilling our dream to complete yet another marathon major, the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

In a few months, it will be time to start training seriously for the event. Without doubt, I won’t be having second thoughts about training with Nana once again, for there is nothing sweeter than chasing and realising a dream with someone close to you.

Click here for more stuff from the Running City Girl

inspiration personified

I'd just like to say a big, fat CONGRATULATIONS to the Singapore Blade Runner for completing the 2012 Boston Marathon! Keep on inspiring, bro  :)

more on that dude...

The show and ticketing info for the Malaysian leg of Russell Peter's Notorious World Tour 2012 are finally out!

Show Info:

When -  Saturday, 12th May 2012 (8.30pm)
Where - Stadium Malawati Shah Alam

Ticket Info:

Platinum - RM438
Gold 1 - RM338
Gold 2 - RM248
Silver - RM188
Bronze - RM128

Ticketpro – www.ticketpro.com.my, 03.7880.7999
RedTix – www.airasiaredtix.com, 03.8775.4666

Tickets will go on sale this Wednesday, 18th April 2012 at 9am. According to event organizers The Comedy Club KL, "In March of this year, Peters became the fastest selling concert in Dubai history. His two shows in Dubai sold-out in eight minutes - faster than Madonna." So, I'd advise you to set your alarm clocks really early that day to avoid being frust menonggeng!


Click here for more info on the show.  

some dude called Russell Peters

After much drama, my good friends at The Comedy Club KL have finally gotten the go-ahead for Russell Peters to perform in front of a live Malaysan audience.

The man himself tweeted last night,
"Malaysia!!! May 12 it's ON!!! I WILL BE COMING!!!!!”

While the event organizers are still tight-lipped about any other details, a not-so-little birdie told me that tickets will go on sale sometime next week. I'd keep my eyes and ears open if I were you, since the Singapore edition on May 5th was sold out in just 48 hours!

Russell Peters at Carolines on Broadway NYC (Nov'11).
Tickets to all his shows at the NY Comedy Festival had been sold out
for 2 months, but as fate had it a group of South Americans had a
last-minute cancellation and invited me to join their party. Sweet!

Anyways, I unfortunately will not be catching any of his shows next month since I will be vacationing in Canada. I was, however, lucky enough to witness RP in live action at the NY Comedy Festival in November. He was mind-blastingly funny to say the least! Definitely one of the best stand-up comedians I've ever seen (and trust you me, I've seen a LOT of comics by being involved with The Comedy Club Singapore since January 2009).

Watch this space for more info.

Not a bad way to spend the eve of my dream 11/11/11 birthday, huh?  :)

junior masterchef

I am such a big fan of these little chefs from Australia. Their talent is mind-blowing! Looking at their creations and how they work on those scrumptious dishes seriously puts me to shame, hehe.

Junior Masterchef Australia Season 1 Semi Finals. 

My favorite has got to be little Siena. A tiny person with big skills!

Junior Masterchef Australia Season 2 Promo. 

Right now they're down to the final 8 kids on Star World,
although I accidentally found out who won it just now, urgh

Forget medicine and IT. Heck, forget golf and tennis! I'm gonna make my kids COOK! I don't mind doing the dishes for good food  ;)