Abort! Abort!

Joy here...Well after throwing my proverbial hat over the fence and signing up both for the 30km running race in Hamilton at the end of March AND the half marathon in Singapore at the end of May, I went out today for an easy run.  But before I even got out the door, I had a stitch in my side, and as I ran it got worse and worse.  It started to spread to my left side and then it started to radiate pain up into my collar bones.  

The icy waters with the birds that still haven't fled south yet.

Clearly, I was in trouble.  I thought I could just soldier on through.  The weather was only about -2 C, so I figured I could have a decent-ish run even with the discomfort.  But after about 3 kms, I figured that it wasn't getting any better, and I might as well admit defeat.

For today.

I may have lost this battle, but with those races in the spring all paid for, you can be damn sure that I'm going to win this war!!

Here are my sad run stats for today:
Ran for a total of 20:01:23 for a distance of 3.2km at a slow, slow average pace of 6:15min/km.

Over and out,
Joy

Winter has descended upon us...

Joy here...For people who have never experienced autumn's transition from balmy summer to freezing winter, I think that there can be a tendency to believe that autumn trundles forward with ever decreasing temperatures until summer is a distant memory and we are all acclimatized to the coming of winter.  I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's just not the case.

The snowy arboretum.

Autumn is a schizophrenic season, one that sometimes thinks its summer, sometimes thinks its winter, and sometimes acknowledges that it should be a temperate buffer season.  And so those of us who suffer through this season must also suffer through its wild mood swings.  Sometimes the day will be -10 C with a wind charging straight at you from the Arctic Circle, and sometimes the day will be +10 C with a clear blue sky and a warm sun overhead.  Autumn is like this - swinging from day to day between different extremes.  And so, for those of us living through it, we never really get used to the transition; we tend to think that we're still holding on to the tail ends of summer, or at least the tail ends of some kind of autumn season, when, in fact, we are plunked right into the middle of winter without barely any warning.

The semi-frozen lake nearby...

And so, with this last week of November as our "off season" before we begin full-on training for our next races (a 30km one in March, another half marathon in May, and a full marathon in the fall!), we have suffered the vagaries of this changeable season.

...a close-up of the ice chunks.

We've been trying to run in an unscheduled way that just gets our butts out the door, but let me tell you, as the wind howls, it's harder to be motivated than you might think.  While Nomi is still running in the hot, humid temperatures in Malaysia, worried about how to keep hydrated as she sweats, I'm now realizing that my concerns have to do with what kinds of winter-weight tights I can wear and what sorts of mittens will prevent the tips of my fingers from freezing as I run.  It's a whole new world out there...believe you me.

Nonetheless, Nomi and I have committed to running a half marathon together this year.  The Man and I will be heading to Malaysia in May, and he, Nomi, and I (and maybe Lulu too) will run a half marathon at the end of May.  I'm really excited about this prospect, as Nomi and I motivated each other to run our first 10km together, and now we'll get a chance to run 21kms together.  Neither of us ever thought any of that would be possible.

Our canal path...look at the snow!

So as we try to take it "easy" this week, we know that we've got some lofty running goals set up for us on the other side of winter.  We're all planning for spring, summer, and fall 2011 to open up all new terrain for us in terms of our running.  It's exciting, but it's also nerve-wracking, especially when I'm looking down the barrel of a long, cold Canadian winter.

But enough of my complaining, here are my run stats for this week:
Sunday - see previous post
Monday - rest day
Tuesday - Ran for 1:06:39 for a distance of 11.6km with an average pace of 5:45min/km
Wednesday - Ran for 1:01:23 for a distance of 11.15km with an average pace of 5:30min/km
Thursday - rest day (or rather, go-out-to-the-wine-bar-day)
Friday - rest day
Saturday - Ran for 1:21:21 for a distance of 13.87km with an average pace of 5:52min/km.

The view down the frozen canal to the Canadian
Parliament buildings.

Our "off-season" ends this week, and we'll have to figure out what our plan is so that we'll be ready to take on the world once the snow melts.  But somehow between now and then, I have a feeling that there's a whole lotta cold still to be suffered through!

While Lulu's half marathon is still coming up, and both she and Nomi will continue to run in the heat and humidity, longing for a cool breeze, my butt will freeze as autumn really does turn into winter in earnest.  I will accept the fact that it's no longer teasing me with cold days and cold winds, still allowing me to hold onto the hope that winter isn't really, truly here, but that winter has arrived, plunked itself down on the doorstep and is settling in for a good, long time.  All I can do now is work to make my peace with it.

And I better learn to do that sooner rather than later, because I don't want to find myself where I was last year at this time - out of shape and bursting out of my pants after post-Christmas eating!

Joy in action!

The Man in action!

Over and out,

Joy

Throwing My Hat Over the Fence

Joy here...My husband has this saying - "throwing your hat over the fence" - which means that you're just gonna do something.  To take the metaphor to its fullest, if you throw your hat over the fence, it means that you're committed; you HAVE to go over and get it, whether you like it or not.  I'm less clever with my sayings, and I express the same sentiment by saying "grip it and rip it."

So I've thrown my hat over the fence, and I've gripped it and ripped it.  I've signed up for a 30km running race on March 27, 2011.  I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into.  But I figure I never thought I could ever run a half marathon, and with Nomi's courage, the two of us were able to pull that off, so now let's just see if I can pull off 30kms!

Over and out,
Joy

Well...that wasn't too bad...i think i'll do another....

 Nomi says,

So...the half marathon came and went...

It was held on a bridge connecting the mainland and one of the islands...so my run started at 3.15 in the morning. Which means i had about 1- 11/2 hours sleep in total prior to the run. I had coffee and an energy bar prior to it. And decided to lug my camelbak with 1.5L fluids in it, since i didn't quite know how hot and humid it would be. I knew that there would be water throughout the course of the race, but not many stops with energy drinks.

As most major runs are, the atmosphere was festive. It was dead in the morning, and i think that there were many runners who came the night before and just camped out there.  The area was littered with thousands of runners with color coded T shirts, the color depending on the distance they were running. Some were bouncing on their feet, some just plain wiggling, some stretching,  some sleeping on the grassy areas....it was a community of people with a single purpose..to finish the race in decent time, and hopefully in an upright position. I must say though that i was one of the very, very few with a camelbak strapped on my back. Most didn't carry any fluids and some had small water bottles....hmmmm......
And then the gun went off...and the runners in my category rushed into the streets to head for the bridge. The weather was hot and humid. The air was absolutely still, despite the race site being right next to the sea.I was sweating buckets...right from the beginning of the race. Heat was radiating in waves from the asphalt that had been baking in the sun, the whole day. So i trudged on, thankful for the bountiful fluids that i had. Then i saw lightning streaking across the sky.....not a very comforting sight, i might add. After about 5kms, some runners had started to slow down, and some were walking....Flashes of lightning raced across the sky quite regularly..and finally at 12kms into the race...it started pouring cats, dogs and frogs. But it was a blessed relief from the heat. Everything cooled down and despite water beating into my eyes, not being able to see beyond a few feet in front, and being drenched from head to foot..it was absolutely wonderful!!!!!! A lot of runners stopped to walk, and i guess there must have been accidents, cause i heard the ambulance passing quite a number of times. The downside, was the shoes got soaked in water, and became quite heavy. Also, never run without a waterproof plastic bag, to keep your phone in , in case of unexpected downpours.I guess i must have been runing at about a pace of 6 to 6.5mins/km. I also stopped to tie my laces twice, walked a bit cause my right knee hurt and to waterproof my phone....

The bridge was lighted up like a Christmas tree, like a beacon in the darkness. And it was not a flat bridge. There's this elevation right in the middle of it...it rises up to a peak, and there's a downhill...like a sharp triangle right in the middle of the bridge. It looked real scary from afar, but the elevation was so gradual, that it was quite manageable. It rained all the way till i finished my run. By 18kms, everything pretty much hurt. I was contemplating slurping a power gel...but it was too troublesome stopping, and groping for my camelbak, getting the gel out...you know the drill.So i just ran without, and hoped to have enough energy to carry me to the finish line.
I finished in 2 hours 16 minutes, came 119 out of 1139 runners in the women's half marathon and 79 out of i honestly don't know how many runners in my category. Most importantly it was fun This was the first time that I had run 21kms in my life. I enjoyed my self very much, and would do it again.......

Women rock!!!

Cold November Run

Joy here...Sunday came with a cold breeze getting ever cooler.  We knew that if we were going to run, we'd better do it sooner rather than later, because the weather wasn't going to warm up any time soon.  With temperatures hovering around 0 C and a windchill making it feel closer to -8 C we knew that we'd just have to bundle up, suck it up, and make the best of the run.  Add to that the fact that we've just bought our very first house and take possession of it in about a week, and I was away for the last week, and you can just imagine the mounting stress associated with all that needs doing that hasn't yet been done.  Once you've factored in the crappy Saturday run, the crummy weather, and the moving stress, you'll have a pretty clear idea of my emotional state on Sunday morning.  So while I stomped around like a little grouch with steam literally huffing and puffing out of my ears, I forced myself out the door for a run.

And you know what?

It didn't suck.

Really.  It didn't.  Even though I'm still feeling a bit stiff and not quite as lithe as I did a month ago around the half marathon, as we continued on with the run, things started to click into place.  I wore a toque to cover my ears so that I wouldn't have to contend with the headache and ear ache that accompanies a cold November wind, and it did the trick.  By the end of the run, I was smiling and laughing, and we even ran past our new place to reinvigorate ourselves about our impending move and force ourselves to see it as a good and exciting thing rather than a pain in the butt that we will have to suffer through!

Our new house!  (We're on the left-hand side.)

So with a run under our belts and a stack of empty boxes just waiting to be filled, we can look on the last few days of November with excitement and enthusiasm rather than trepidation and stress.  At least I'll try!

Here are my run stats:
Ran for a total of 1:05:01 for a distance of 11.4km with an average pace of 5:42min/km.

Over and out,
Joy

PS - Still waiting with bated breath to hear the details of Nomi's half marathon.  I know her time, but I don't know how it all felt.  There's only so much you can find out through international text messaging when the husbands are doing the texting.

A Weak Week

Joy here...For the last week I was out of town for work (Nov. 12-19).  I wrapped up a number of work-related duties into a 7 day period which had me driving a lot and fitting a lot of socializing and working into a short period of time.  What this means for my running is, well, that I didn't do a whole heck of a lot of it.  I've written about the trials and tribulations of travelling and running, but it's worth it to take a moment to relate my tale of running woes from this past week.  On my first day out of town I was lucky enough to be staying over at a friend's house, and this friend is a runner, so she and I went for a nice, easy 5km run on Saturday morning.  However, after that, for the rest of the week, I didn't do any running at all.  Nilch.  Nada.

Which gets me to an interesting point, one of the reasons that I took up running in the first place (in addition to the fitness, health, and social benefits) is that it is the kind of sport that is easily transportable.  I mean, instead of needing to take one's whole team along every time one goes on a trip, all one needs is a pair of running shoes.  Instead of planning one's vacations based on where there's a lap pool, all one needs is a pair of running shoes.  No heavy equipment, bikes, or other paraphernalia needs to be accounted for, all one needs is a pair of running shoes.  You get my point.  However, I've now discovered that even if one has one's running shoes on hand, one little, extra bit of effort is necessary.  It's too easy to think "oh, I'll run whenever there's a break in my schedule," or "oh, I'll have time to run."  When, in fact, it's probably a whole lot more likely that you'll run if you actually take the time to put it into your schedule.  I should have planned to wake up earlier than my hosts so that I could run before breakfast and coffee.  Or I should have made firm plans to run with friends/colleagues while away.  Or I should have made sure that I was eating regularly so that if I did have an hour to myself I'd have enough energy to run.  There are so many shoulds that I won't list them all here.  Suffice it to say, I should have been a little more thorough in my plans to include running on this trip beyond throwing a pair of shoes in my car.  So the moral of this tale is that planning to run while travelling is only going to happen if there is, in fact, a plan to run, not an idea to run.  The two are not the same.

And I suspect that this is the same problem with running in general.  Until you've made running part of your weekly/daily routine, it will very easily fall by the wayside as things pile up and demand your attention.  At least that's how it was/is for me.

Now that I'm back home, I've decided that I have no more excuses, and I just have to get out there and run.  So even though I'd taken an unplanned week off running, and even though I was dead tired from driving for 5 hours to get back home, and even though I didn't feel like doing anything but curling up in bed, The Man and I bundled up to face the cold, November wind and go for a run.  Originally I thought we'd be out there for around 12kms, but HA!!!, that wasn't going to happen.  So we ran our regular, short loop around the canal, and everything hurt.  My shins, my collarbones, my knees, my quads, my arms, my shoulders, and even my ears!  But I just grit my teeth, resurrected my lamaze breathing to get through the discomfort, and kept on going.  All-in-all, we lasted just under 9kms, and I'll be getting my butt out the door again today.

Here are my run stats after a week of nothing:
Ran for a total of 52:33:60 for a distance of 8.81km with an average pace of 5:58min/km.

Over and out,
Joy

PS - Now I just have to sit tight and wait for Nomi's blog entry about her half marathon!  I won't spoil anything, but we text messaged her yesterday to find out how it went, and SHE'S AWESOME!  I'm so proud of her; she's such a talented runner.  But I (like all of you) will  have to wait for her entry to get the full details...

The Final Countdown........

Nomi says....

I think it's 4 days and a couple of hours left for my half marathon...

I haven't been training like crazy...just doing what I'm able to manage. Which is pretty much run if i feel like it, and not run if i don't. The weekend before last, I went running with Lulu's bootcamp buddies. It was a 11km hilly run. I think that some of her buddies are part human-part horse.They dashed off from the beginning of the run itself, in what must have been a pace of 4 or 4.5min/km...was lost from view in a matter of minutes and i only saw them again at the end of the run. But, it was a good run. The weather was cool, i got to see parts of the city i had never seen before....and the cool weather made such a difference to the stamina. I didn't have to drink a lot and didn't feel all that tired, despite having to run up a couple of hills.
Last Sunday, was my 1st ever 18km road run. I set off bright and early...didn't want to get baked in the hot, hot sun...and this was basically what happened:

Cool, drizzly day by the lake...

0kms: Started to drizzle...which was wonderful. The weather was cool and refreshing.
5kms: My right knee started to hurt a little....
10kms: My right knee hurt more and my right lower back started to ache, radiating down the right thigh to       the knee...
14kms: My left knee started to hurt...
16kms: Both my ankles hurt...
18kms: I think even my collarbones hurt at this point..Yay.....i was done. And i saw Lulu, doing her first 15km run...Helooooo Lulu!!!!!

It took me 1 hour and 58mins to run 18km at a pace of about 6 to 6.5min/km, with a few stops to take photos and buy drinks..I have no idea about my average pace, calories burnt or any other data..cause i still don't really know how to use my GPS watch.
But, at least i know that i have the stamina to complete 21km.Now, the pain is the factor which will determine whether i finish in 2 hours ++ or 3 hours++:) I remember Joy mailing me articles about  injuries and how to prevent them...and writing to me about her post run recovery methods. I remember another friend Peaches telling me to do strengthening exercises at the gym. Well, i sort of did do all that sporadically, but i guess it was not consistent enough.And Lulu doesn't hurt at all....wonder if i can borrow her knees for the upcoming race.....

Doin' a Double-Take

Joy here...In keeping with my new "off season" mentality towards running for the next little while, on Sunday after our 10km race, The Man went out for a bike ride, and I snuggled up under our down-filled comforter with a book in hand and read to my heart's content for a few hours.  I know that Nomi would have been very jealous.  I mean, she has a kid with enough energy to power the entire southern hemisphere if there were a way to wire her up to a reactor, and so Nomi's chances to curl up in bed with a book are pretty limited.  So, Nomi, I enjoyed myself both for me and for you!

Ahhhhh, this is the life...

But an "off season" doesn't mean a "nothing season."  I wouldn't want to waste my fitness by doing a whole lotta nothing and end up this Christmas exactly where I was last Christmas (which is, bursting out of my pants and huffing and puffing for 30 minutes of running!).  So I made plans with a friend to go running on Tuesday afternoon.  We went out for a nice, easy 5.5km run around this farm that lies right in the middle of the city.  It's associated with one of the city's universities, and it's strange to have a farm right in an urban centre, but there are paths for running, cycling, and walking that meander through this farm, and we were only too happy to take advantage of it.

It actually also turned out to be a lovely autumn day.  I had a running vest and gloves on for warmth, but as we ran under a clear sky and bright sun, I ended up unzipping my vest and taking off my gloves.  I think we might have even broken a sweat!

*See below for copyright info for this picture.

After I got home from our run, I was scarfing down a late lunch when The Man called from work and told me that he had made plans for us to run with another friend of ours.  So I figured "okay, two runs in one day, that's not too bad."  I went and picked him up from work (still in my running gear from before, I mean, why double up on laundry???), and we met our other friend to head out for a longer run.  The three of us then ran for 11.5kms into the setting sun.

Since we set our clocks back ("fall back") for Daylight's Savings Time this past weekend, the sun sets around 4:30pm these days.  So as we started our run, I was wearing my sunglasses, and by the end, I was holding them in my hand and hoping that I wouldn't mis-step in the dark.

But all-in-all, it meant that I ran around 17kms in total on a Tuesday, during my "off season," and I felt great on both runs.  They were both relaxing, social runs with friends that reiterated to me that no matter how hard it is sometimes to get my butt out the door for a run, I never regret doing it!

Over and out,
Joy

*This aerial photograph of Ottawa's Experimental farm was taken by Rob Huntley.  There are other photos from this over-head session available on his website and I'm hoping that this just our little training blog for fun that he won't come hunting after me for using his copyrighted photo!!!

Second Ever 10km Race!

Joy here...well my second ever 10km race couldn't have been more different than my first ever one.  Putting aside the obvious differences - that one was in Singapore, this one in Canada; that one was at night; this one in the morning etc. - when we stood amidst the 5,000 women at the start line in Singapore, the sun was setting behind us, and we could feel the sweat trickling down our backs.  As we began to run in the ever darkening sky along a lit piece of road, we could feel the heat of the tropical day radiating upwards from the asphalt.  Not so much on November 6 in Ottawa, Canada.  Instead, at this race (called the "cookie run"), as we stood at the start line, we were moving around and jiggling ourselves, not just to keep our muscles ready for the run, but, quite literally to keep warm.  With sub-zero temperatures, the tip of my nose and the edge of my ears were frozen.  And then, before the start, a slight dusting of flurries blew about us, like white sand on the air.  Luckily, it was only for a moment, but as I gazed around at the snow floating on the breeze, I knew that my days of running and worrying about the heat are over for quite a few months now.

My little visitors at the start line...

The race itself was comprised of two 5km loops with two hills thrown in.  Since the race was actually both a 5km and a 10km, the 5km finishers just ran through the finishing chute at the 5km mark, while those of us carrying on to complete 10kms stuck to the left lane and just kept on running.

The race began with about a 700m hill.  I felt good at the start and tried to keep my pace even and comfortable, but quick.  Even with that, people were just blowing past me as if I were standing still.  And then I looked at my Garmin, and realized that I was running at around 4:30min/km (UPHILL!), and with my target of about 5:00min/km, I knew that I wouldn't be able to sustain the pace, despite it feeling good, and slowed myself down.  More people blew past me.  I had to swallow a big piece of ego pie.

By around kilometre 3 I felt as though I had hit my stride and was keeping steady at a 5:00min/km pace, with my breathing feeling just fine, and my mind free to wander.  I remembered how good it felt during my half marathon to think happy thoughts, and so I tried to do the same.  The flurries had blown clear and above me was a crisp, blue sky and the sun peeping out gamely from the clouds.  I thought about my friends and family, and I thought about what running has given me.  There are the obvious benefits of routine and fitness, but for me the benefit of signing up for races and finishing those races is really key for me.  I'm one of those "ahhh...it's good enough..." kind of people.  And what I mean by that is that I do most things to a standard of "good enough."  Which sort of means that in life's 10km races, I usually pull the chute around 9kms, because, well, that's "good enough."  But in actual races, I don't give myself the out of walking to the finish-line.  I don't let myself go to that place where I would allow myself to say "well, you've run around 8kms, why not just walk to the end?  This is good enough."  Instead, in a race, I just keep on running right to the end, despite the heavy breathing and cramps that inevitably show up in the final kilometre or so.

I've run and finished four races this year.  I've never run a race before in my life (excluding high school track meets), and I have to say that I'm happy to have discovered this sport, even so late in the game.

And once I finished those thoughts, I was at about the 8km mark, and by then, I knew that I was on track to making the 10km finish in 50 minutes (which was my aim), and I just kept my pace steady, and lo and behold...I was the one blowing by other people.  All those racers who began the course with gusto, leaving me in their dust, got a good view of my backside as I ran past them while they ran out of gas.  In the final 200m or so, I gave whatever I had left and just ran ran ran to that finish line.  In the end, I beat my 50 minute goal!

Here are my race stats:
Ran for a total of 49:30 for 10km with an average pace of 4:57min/km.

I'm pleased with that, as that's a good 5 minutes faster than my Sundown 10km race results!  Now I can officially start my "off season" and enjoy some easy peasy runs with my friends and with The Man with no training goal in sight.  Then we'll sign ourselves up for some other races in the spring as our motivation to begin training again full-on in mid-winter.  Who knows?  There might even be a full marathon in my future!

Over and out,
Joy

PS - I just looked at the official results as posted on the website, and I came in 7th out of 26 women in my age category, and 17th out of just under 100 women in total.  Not too bad...

Runnin' in the Rain...

I'm running in the rain

Just running in the rain

What a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for sport

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I run down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just runnin',

Runnin' in the rain...

Joy here...I wish that's how I felt on my Friday run outside, but I think Axl Rose was a little more on point than Gene Kelly.  I was definitely feeling the Cold November Rain, and try as I might, my heart wasn't lifted and there was no sun in sight...either inside or outside!

Lately I've been doing 5km or 6km easy runs with two of my friends who have decided to take up running, and are going to run their first 5km race in January and work up to a half marathon (probably in the spring).  It's nice to run and chat with them in the cool autumn mornings.  However, The Man and I have signed up for a 10km race as the end to our summer running season, and it's TOMORROW.  So I knew that I'd have to do more than just a few casual runs if I wanted to complete the 10km without having a heart attack.  

Originally I thought that between the half marathon (Oct. 17) and this 10km race (Nov. 6) I would have time to do some speed work, and thus aim for a good time at the 10km race that I could use to help me plan my next racing strategy (say for a full marathon sometime next year).  But with life happening in there - including Hallowe'en and all the candy that lies around one's place afterwards and buying a house of our own (!!!) - we just haven't had time for any specific training.

So it was with a bit of trepidation that I bundled up and got ready to run in the 3 C rainy weather.  The skies were ominous and the wind was cold, and at no point in my run did I hit a groove.  

The Storm Out to Get Me!

I was cold, I was tired, and I was sick of getting splashed with water by oncoming cars.  In short, it was a crap run.  But I guess I've got to take the crappy ones alongside the nice ones with my friends and hope hope hope that on Saturday morning the storm clouds are nowhere to be seen!

My run stats for today are:

Ran for a total of 50:12:25 for a distance of 8.87km with an average pace of 5:39min/km.

Over and out,

Joy-the-Soggy

Woo hoo!!!! Way to go......

Nomi says...
A few months ago, my running buddy Lulu said," I think I'm crazy, but there's this 14km off road run that i want to do. Shall we do it? " I said..."I'm crazy anyhow...lets do it!" So, we signed up for this 14km trail run on impulse. We didn't really know the grisly details...just thought that it would be this nice, nature run in the woods...Ignorance really is bliss.
Honestly speaking, we hardly trained for this. I have a half marathon in November and Lulu has one in early December and we were more concerned about that. I suppose i thought that if i trained to run 21km, i should be able to do 14 km off road. In the past couple of months, i ran in the trails, maybe 5-6 times, at a maximum distance of 12kms and they were easy trails.2 weeks prior to the race, i ran only twice...a 12km run in the trails with Lulu and a 10km run on the road. What can i say? I'm laaaaaazy........
So, pre race, me and Lulu set of to the Highlands, where the race was going to be held...we had the opportunity to talk to other participants..and that's where the details began to unfold. There was going to be a nasty obstacle course at the end, we would have climb fences, then jump into, and tread through, trenches and pits of muddy, bacteria laden water. We would have to cross 2 rivers and a stream in the trails The beginning would be easy as it was mainly downhill and we would descend to a level of 800m above sea level, but what goes down , must come up and up and up...And the trail was a single track...can you imagine more than a thousand people bashing through a muddy single track? God of the Jungle...forgive me , please? Well, we were definitely in for an adventure...

View from our room.

So on the race day, me and Lulu got up really early and loaded up on fluids and tried to chew on some power bars.( The banana flavored one tastes awful, by the way). We got ready and were set to go..double layered pants, gloves, trail shoes, socks, loads of repellent, sunblock, camelbak with 1.5L fluids...and Lulu had actually gotten T-shirts specially made for us for the race..Thank you Lulu!!!!

Anyway, the weather was wonderful..it was cool and the air so clean and fresh. The air was full of enthusiasm and laughter. Most of us were doing this for fun, as a break from the normal routines that we have. A step away from our regular, monotonous jobs or non-jobs, for the matter.
Then we were off...the beginning was relatively easy.. 3kms of asphalt and then it was into the jungle. The first 2 kms was easy as it was downhill....and then the climb started. It was difficult...it was muddy and so slippery. Hundreds of runners had passed ahead of us and the track was this one long, slippery, slimy, accident beckoning path....Fortunately there were ropes at the sides of the most difficult stretches and we just had to rely on that to pull ourselves up. Oh, and the traffic jams in the trails....a lot of time was lost there..lining up and waiting for your turn. I guess a lot of runners were newbies and were not really prepared for this race. And shame on some of the faster ones...there was quite a bit of pushing and shoving and elbowing going on....I mean it's not like the 1st prize was a Ferrari or something...

Mud Monster

The race was supposed to be done in pairs...where the partners were supposed to support, help and take care of one another. But during the course, we saw quite a few abandoned participants. Some were shaking with exhaustion, some were cramping, some had ran out of fluids, one twisted an ankle...and we did whatever we could do to help on the way.After the first 5 kms into the trails...it seemed like an endless climb after that. It just went on and on and on....and it was tiring. But i must say, most people were in good spirits and determined to finish what they started....even if it took 4-5 hours. Things finally brightened up at about 12kms into the race. The muddy, slippery bits ended and the climb got easier. Then hallelujah!!!! There was actually a water station at the 12km checkpoint. Things got better, then we came to the fun part -the obstacle course. By that time, me and Lulu were really tired. We did whatever we had to...climb up these wicked wooden fences, jump and tread into dirty , muddy water, climb under some nets...hold hands and cross the finishing line.It took us about 3 hours to complete the course.
It was tiring, it was challenging and most importantly it was fun and thank you, thank you Lulu for doing this with me:) Lulu, i think, had never done anything of this nature before and despite all the doubts and trepidation, sailed through everything smilingly ( as testified by the photos) with the true spirit of sportswoman-ship. So, Lulu.....same date, next year????

Nomi and Lulu at the end....