Sunday, August 28, 2005

RealRun2005

Finally! all the running practices have culminated in this - The Real Run 2005.

Had a bad week fighting a flu virus, so was really glad I recovered in time.

The morning started early for me at 6.30am as all participants are expected to report at the starting point 1 hour before the flag-off time at 8.45am

The were hoards of people at the venue and this is the first time I've participated in a mass run like this. There was this only other time I went for a school-related 10km walk, but that was different. Half the time was spent chatting with classmates.

The event organisers had pitched this run as " The Ultimate X-Terrain Challenge".
Held at Sentosa, the route comprises of 3 different terrains - route, trail and sand

more details at realrun official site

The road and track parts were fairly manageable and it was definitely exhilirating to be one of the few thousand runners pounding towards the finishing line.

Compared to running in circles around the track, the run felt like a breeze. The distractions and the scenery meant that before I knew it, I've covered 6km with another 4km to go.

Before the run, I had set an aim for myself to complete the 10km run within 2 hours. Because I just recovered from flu, I didn't want to to kill myself running, so 2 hours is a good leisurely timing. But the atmosphere and sense of comaraderie was so overwhelming that I threw caution to the wind and ran with all my heart :)
Nice suprise at the end to know that I was 30 mins faster that the target set. YAY!

Spyder asked me what does through my mind when I'm running. I guess mostly motivational soliloquay :P Telling yourself you can make it, just a little more. It's essentially a challenge against yourself more than against someone else. Maybe that's why I've always enjoyed jogging. That and the fact that you can do it any time, any where.

I really enjoyed this run tremendously. Will join next year if they're organising it again.