It was back to back races for consecutively 2 weeks, last week’s PAssion run was more of a race to gauge my half marathon pace as I was running without any strategy, perhaps the only strategy was to go all out at below 5:00min/km and to run as fast as I could. I was glad that my average pace was 4:56min/km for 25km and it was achieved despite that I never train under the hot afternoon sun at 4:30pm. As for Sundown marathon (1/2 marathon) which will start at 8pm, I had high hopes of a better timing as the distance will be shorter then Passion run. Hopefully a 1h 40min finish is realistic as I aimed to run at an even pace of 4:45min/km.
This will be my fourth year doing Sundown Marathon and only started taking half marathon since last year, still remember I did not train for that race and so did not do well with a 1:52hr finish. It will again be another boring race on almost the same boring route as last week’s race where part of the route was also on Changi Coast Road, the only different been the location of the starting and ending point. However it will still be a good race for a PB on a straight flat route with 14km to and fro along Changi Coast Road.
The race started sharply at 8pm, as it was crowded at the start I had to wave in and out to overtake slower runners before I finally get to settle down to my intended race pace. My first 1km was 4:42min/km, feeling good and I was doing fine and unknowingly it was the end of Aviation Park Road at around 3km before I did a left turn into Changi Coast Road. At 5km mark my average pace over the first 5km was at about 4:44min/km, I was surprised and disappointed that I was feeling tired so early in the race, no sure if it helps if I rehydrate myself enough just before the start of the race where I had my 3km warm up run.
After 5km I had to change my initial race strategy, I decide to slow down to just below 5:00min/km pace and was hoping that I can recover fast. But instead I got more tired, it was just not possible to up my pace and from 6km to 10km I could only managed an average pace of 4:53min/km. At around 11km u-turn point I decide to stop at NSRCC water point for a short 15secs walk so that I can rehydrate myself properly, and there goes my 1:40 aim too!
After the NSRCC u-turn point glad that at least I am now on my way back and again at Changi Coast Road it was almost 12km, I knew after this stretch of 7km it will be around 18km to 19km and with only 2km to go! The short break helps as I managed to keep my pace at 4:50min/km till 14km before I started to feel really tired again, with my pace also slightly off 5:00min/km. I tried to up my pace again as I tried to catch some runners passing me running at 4:50min/km pace, initially it was tough but somehow from 16km to 18km I was feeling less tired, perhaps I finally get over my “pain barrer”? Soon after Changi Coast Road I felt motivated as it was 4km to go, I decide reserve some energy and my pace then was around 4:51min/km. It was very tough after 18km as my pace started to drop again, just could not up my pace and at 20km I was slowing down to a slow 5:12min/km, guess my earlier efforts were really hard and I had max out all energy with no reserve left. It was only with 1km left before I finally managed to pick up my pace again to 4:47min/km, dig deep for any remaining energy reserves and gradually up my pace to cross the finishing line.
It is another hard earned PB with over 90% effort, (now needed to recover from strain muscles) during the race I was tempted to slow down and stop more than once, glad that I did not and was determined not to. The race after 5km was tougher after failing to stick to my initiate race plan. I was disappointed that I could not keep up with 4:45min/km and was forced to slow down after only 5km, perhaps really still no ready for sub 1:40 finish. But glad that it did not kill my race, and through sheer mental strength I never gave up going for sub 5:00min/km pace from 6km onwards.
Date: Saturday 28th May 2011
Event: Sundown Marathon 2011
Gun Time: 01:43:18
Chip Time: 01:42:45
Avg Pace: 4:52min/km
5k Split
| Lap (5km) | Time (min) | Avg Pace (min/km) |
| 0-5 | 23:40 | 4:44 |
| 6-10 | 24:26 | 4:53 |
| 11-15 | 24:52 | 4:58 |
| 16-20 | 24:46 | 4:57 |
| 21-21.05 | 04:56 | 4:42 |
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