Chamey is a Chameleon (I know some of you thought he was a snake but he does have four legs!)

....so sometimes his looks change.

When we got into Missouri, he grew a beard for the Forrest Gump Challenge. Now for the Garden Spot Village marathon, being in Amish territory, he has kept the beard and put on an Amish bonnet. 


Guess he's hoping everyone will think he is an Amish chameleon!

Ecuder and TG were also kept very busy throughout the expo showing people techniques to become aware of their posture

Ecuder's Coaching Programme
1. Obtain a regular car tyre that weighs about 22 lbs and give it a name
(I'll call it "Coach" for now)
2. Connect Coach to a rope
3. Connect the rope to a harness belt of a back pack.
4. Make sure the harness belt sits on your hips
5. If you want you can put an animal on the back pack to keep you company

6. Drag Coach flat on the ground
7. If Coach bounces a lot, he/her is telling ya you are either:
a) Bouncing up and down instead of using your energy in a forward direction
b) You are digging your heels into the ground
c) You are not in alignment somewhere!

Warning: Coach does not like bad posture and will make dragging a him/her uncomfortable.

Notes: The ninja tyre pullers will be able to drag Coach smoothly on the ground as some of you demonstrated. The super ninja tyre pullers will be able to shorten the length of rope and still be able to pull Coach smoothly on the ground!

Expo Overview
This is an expo that would put larger marathons to shame. It had everything a large marathon expo (marathon clothes, shoes & nutrition, other marathon promoters) would have plus more/free advice (KT taping, weight analysis; posters created especially for the marathon as a momento of the marathon; a number of companies giving away free stuff; the Surgical Artistry with advice on body matters). There was so much happening that one could spend a day out there!
(Click here for more images of the expo)

The Dinner Overview
Definitely go for this. Best I have experienced so far!

Food provided by Fuzio Universal Bistro was excellent. The last time I had a pasta dinner was at the New York marathon and the pasta was sloppy and luke warm and portions were variable. Here at Modesto, there was plenty and the food was hot! The pasta was cooked al dente and tasted great, the chicken was tender and it was so fantastic to have bread, salad and cookies.

The main speaker, Bart Yasso, truly entertained the crowd whether runner or non-runner.

(Click here for more images of the dinner)

Thank you Chad for your photos

Ecuder (new tyre) and TG had an opportunity to visit Modesto Gregori High School's Global Club. The global club's main goal is to help preserve their environment and educate people on how they can do this. 

Given 2 days to come up with a topic, Elvira, a senior who will be running her first marathon this Sunday, told TG she just had to talk about herself and what she is doing. Easy! Except Ecuder whispered something else to TG! 

We met a proactive group of teens and a few teachers with a mission "to change the habits of adults stuck in their ways of apathy and excess". 

By the end of the talk, this group came up with 5 items they will be including in their movement. 

1. Turn Off Stuff: Their current movement is to "Be Energy Efficient" and encouraging teachers and colleagues to switch off the lights and their white goods before they leave the class.
2. BYO Bag: When going to the shops, they will commit to a policy of "Bring Your Own" bag.
3. More Sidewalks (walk/cycle): Currently there are no sideway access to the school which discourages students from either walking or using a bicycle to school. Perhaps more students would walk/cycle to school if sidewalks existed to the school. Currently there is a health and safety risk.
4. Reuse:
a) Water Bottles: To purchase less water bottles and instead use more robust water bottles
b) Clothes - e.g. Prom dress:  Apparently an awesome young lass came to the prom last year in a dress made from snickers wrappers. Will the young ladies in the class continue this tradition? Could part of the credentials to crowning a prom queen be her "frugal" qualities.
c) Art: To transform rubbish into art

This sounds like a case for integrating the Art, Home Economics and Industrial Technology departments together!

5. Reuse Food: There was an end of class discussion about how the school canteen's food waste could have been turned into fuel gas and compost. Unfortunately the proposal was over turned. However, TG was told there will be a movement towards worm compost bins. This sounds like the Agricultural department need to get involved. Additionally perhaps the Industrial Technology and Science departments can look at a project whereby students can create an anaerobic digester, after all there are so many resources on the web to discover how to do many things!

Go Modesto Gregori High School's Global Club! We will be watching you pioneer an innovative "sustainable living" program and hope you become an example for other schools to follow. You are a great example of "Being The Change".

The Global Club will be helping the marathoners on Sunday to recycle their waste. Let's hope marathoners show some responsibility!

So here I am about to embark on a tour around the US because of Orhan from the Santa Rosa marathon. Way back in Sept, 2011, Orhan allowed me to enter the Santa Rosa marathon and set me up at the expo to talk about what I was doing, however Rec (my tyre, who now lives with Orhan!) had other ideas and taught runners about their posture and technique! Incidentally the Santa Rosa marathon is on the 25th August this year.  So if you are looking for a fast track as well as a friendly organisation with a decent swag, sign up for it now. I hear there is a very nice track suit top plus a bottle of wine as part of that swag!!!

Anyway, that fateful day I met up with the organisers of the Modesto Marathon and Rec did more PR on my behalf. Subsequently an invitation came about and 2 years later I am now about to return to the area of San Francisco to participate in both the Modesto expo and their marathon. Ecuder is excited to come on board to teach runners about technique. However as a new tyre, am going to have to take him on a run.....opps blew the "no new" marathon rule again. Oh well. Might also need a new pair of sandals.....oh darn again.... BTW the Modesto Marathon registration closes on the 17th March (this Sunday). Their event is also a nice fast track with some pretty nice swag + free photos :-)  Click here to sign up.

So what about Modesto? It was the city scene setting for Monsters and Aliens (I watched the film to educate myself about Modesto) - and a running friend tells me that people in Modesto are really warm and friendly. I should expect to receive fresh homemade bread/pie from the neighbours. Other things you want to know about Modesto - read it here.

As for the marathon, their real focus is to motivate and encourage the Modesto youths to find a direction using running as their challenge.

It really is a fantastic program that helps bring confidence to Modesto students, helping them to find direction and to kick start a habit that the rest of the nation should get into. It's one that the 50 + could use for health and fitness!

If you would like to donate to their program, click here.
As it is also my 30th tyre dragging marathon, when you donate to their program I will wear a costume of some sort. Well at present I have:
a) police woman's outfit
b) a devil's outfit
c) my own normal running gear

When you donate say what you would like me to wear. The outfit that receives the most monetary donations will be worn on the day!

Type of Race: Road + a little trail
Course: Some hills
Route Description: Map + course stickers across London.
Organisation and volunteers: Fantastic
Food: Sweeties, chocolate, sausage rolls
Drink: Water initially then coke and energy drink
Weather: Dry, cold but sunny (@ 2 degs C - 9 degs C)
Start Time: 08:00
Start Location: City of London Sports Ground, Eltham, SE12 9PP
URL: http://www.ultrarace.co.uk/events/results/
Monies raised for EarthWatch: £6.50 (thank you kind runner)

WARNING: Some faint-hearted individuals might find some of this blog offensive.

TG had promised this would be a very urban affair. No stiles to toss me over, no muddy tracks, no cow dung to plough through.....just pavements, a couple of urban park trails and a number of roads to cross. I might for once be mud free.

Jen (organiser) kicked us off at 08:00 an hour ahead of everyone. In theory if all went smoothly TG estimated we would reach our first check point (6 miles) before seeing any other runners. Jen's final words were "Don't worry you won't got lost, the beginning is very well marked."

TG is susceptible to NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) suggestions early in the morning as her Left brain only comes alive in the late morning. Even though she looks quite competent reading a map, her Right brain will guide her along an imaginary route and her mind will play on the words "You will get lost".

LOST
20 minutes into the event and TG had already taken the wrong road. You might wonder how TG could get lost when the route was so well marked. It is part due to her right brain reading the map and her right brain wanting to take photographs of urban features (see below)

Zero focus and soon she was heading East instead of West. A man standing at the bus stop had no clue where she was going and continued to guide her in the wrong direction. 30 minutes later, another passerby was able to put her right. TG was 1.5 miles off track. By the time she got back on track, the first runners were passing her at about 3-4 miles from the start. I could feel TG's frustration and as she headed up the hill of the first park, the lead runner overtook her remarking she looked knackered (tired)! This was enough to get TG going again continuously for the next 6 miles until she met Quin, whose alter ego is Donkey Boy.

The Streets of London are Lined with Poo
Before I talk about the wonderful Donkey Boy, I noticed that London's pavements are lined with...dog poo. Yes from City of London sports centre through to Crystal Palace to Streatham Common.....yucky mushy dog poo. We watched as dog owners took they little doggies (Londoners seem to like little dogs like terriers) out for a walk and allow the dogs to simply poo/wee anywhere.

Come on Londoners clean up your dog mess!

Meeting Donkey Boy (DB) at around mile 9 was a godsend as TG was not always that careful about making sure I didn't knock into the stuff. We're talking about getting a little too close for comfort. From Amani (Kilimanjaro), I learned if there is someone who likes to carry, we tyres can call upon them.

And so I used the power of the tyre. First call I got it wrong. He asked TG if he could try dragging me. He did and tired himself out after 1/2 a mile (thank goodness). TG took back over and I was pulled over swan poo. I don't like poo just as humans do not like stepping on poo. I had to practice the call again.  From miles 11 to 18 I had got DB under my control.

I just needed to let him know - "Poo ahead!" I was instantly picked up and carried. For some reason after CP2, DB began to trust TG's map navigation skills. Big mistake as he soon discovered that TG likes circles. Worst still she hadn't recognised we were back were we started. As we faced Streatham Common, TG still reading her map wrong, a runner came to meet us. This added further confusion to TG who thought the runner was going in the wrong direction! Thankfully DB was on the ball otherwise the additional mile would have probably turned into 3!

Perhaps it was the extra distance, or perhaps it was TG's singing, but DB began to tire. A mile before CP3, we lost DB. I couldn't see him and TG was merrily in her own world pulling away. I was not going to carry on without him. He had the empathy I needed to carry me over big poo, diarrhea poo, spluggy poo, hard poo, splattered poo....gross poo.  I tugged on her harness to u-turn to find DB. 100 metres back he had sat down on a ledge looking slightly pale. He was dehydrated and "hitting a wall". TG convinced him CP3 was just round the corner and made him follow her water bottle.

Struggle to CP3
Splattered dog poo......DB instinctively went to pick me up, but TG made him put me down. Sorry I had panicked but we needed to get him to CP3 to revive his weary body. DB's normal lanky bouncy stride was replaced with a tortuous struggle. But with self determination we got him to CP3 were he could binge on sweeties, chocolate and sausage rolls. DB's "camel back" was replenished with an energy drink and he slammed dunked 2 cans of coca cola.

10 minutes later, TG was keen to get moving as CP3 was in a freezing wind tunnel in the shade of the park. (CP3 thank you for braving those winds for us).

To The End
A mile later DB was back with us. His colour had returned, however TG would not allow him to pick me up :-( Wimbledon Common was a sticky mud bath. Just imagine your treads being dragged through thick viscous mud. TG ignored my tugs and battled on. There was only one person who could help me. It was time to use the full power of the tyre. DB heard me loud and clear and despite my dirty treads picked me up over the last muddy patch before we exited the park to Richmond Park.

In Richmond Park we had caught up with IPad boy (he had helped earlier on to ensure TG had not diverted in the wrong direction) and his buddy. DB was stronger now and before we hit another muddy patch, my hero carried me to safety.

CP4: We met the awesome Uncle and the delightful May still hanging out waiting for us. They had a lovely spot by the river in the now waning sun.

Syon Park to Brentford, TG and DB began to sense the end as we followed the canal path. But TG had to have a small "relief" stop. She unhitched me and I knew this was the moment I could squeek to my DB to take me away. As TG's numb cold fingers struggled to pull down her trousers, DB picked me up and we headed further down the river. There was nothing she could as she had to concentrate to hold her bladder whilst struggling to simply pull down her trousers. TG was having cold finger problems, but I was happy with my DB as we danced over glutinous muddy tracks. As we did a final pirouette round a corner, I could see TG had finally managed to sort herself out and knew she would be after us.

My worn treads were tired of being dragged around on the ground and so I urged DB to move quicker. I wanted this all to end, to be back on top of Landy (he's my big hunky tyre) but TG soon caught up the 1/2 a mile distance we had made from her. I was soon back on the ground being dragged. I was sliced by a rock and wriggled with more resistance to being dragged, DB noticed but TG ignored my pleas.

Within the Perivale park, close to the end DB took final pity on me and scooped me up into his big arms. TG insisted he put me back down but I would not let him. My Landy wouldn't want a treadless tyre with him. However with the Perivale sports building in sight DB gently put me down to allow TG to run to the finish.

I am a battered, abused tyre and Landy won't rub rubber with me. He has been flirting with some of the younger tyres but I know the 5K runs are taking their toll and he will lose the groove with the younger tyres. We'll be back together again soon.

I am now taking a break with my mother (Tam).

Red

TG's point of view and note: To all tyre activist....My tyres are well looked after. Red has been a difficult tyre and I think a little spoilt. She is the first tyre who has complained about muddy grounds, pools of water, etc. Landy has never had a problem with them, having bathed frequently in mud but has rubbed his mucky underside on Red! This may have upset Red.

Having read Red's diary I have decided to send Landy & Red to see a tyre-rator to hopefully reconcile any differences.

I wrote this post because someone told me about their 5 pairs of shoes that they bought in 2012. Also during the January Sales I had people asking me advice on shoes! I am certainly not an expert but I have learned that if:
A) You are clueless about what shoes you should be getting.
B) You are purchasing a pair of shoes because someone else said they were good.
C) You are believing the marketing spiel and that's why you are purchasing the shoes

......that money would be better spent on learning a running technique. My feelings are, that shoes will not make you run better, nor will they reduce injury - a running technique will!

As previously stated before in an earlier post, I learned about Pose technique because this taught me biomechanically what my body and legs should be doing and why. I used to be in the ABC categories and used to injure regularly. From those courses with Dr Mark Hainsworth and Dr Nicholas Romanov, I no longer injure easily! I have been fully empowered to choose my own shoes and pretty much run in what I feel comfortable in.  For Fetchie JHuff - here are my shoes.

I ran my first marathon in a pair of Nikes. I had shin splints by the end of it and during training runs my knee used to hurt. I have since thrown them away because I began to "hate" them and their chunky heeled cushioned bits!

Dec 2006: Purchased a pair of Mizunos (£50) as they were recommended to me. These were comfortable but I still got injured in them until I learned about running techniques at the end of 2009.

As I have bunions, I have a habit of putting side holes in my shoes! As you can see the underside of the shoes are both worn at the back (used to heel strike) and at the front. This pair of shoes still works in the garden and on building sites.

2008: my mother gave me a pair of Reeboks (£15) that she picked up from the sales. My first reaction was you got it cheap, it can't be any good and plus they did not have any recommendations so they were relegated to walking shoes. Since learning pose running, these have been a great pair of shoes for me. Currently they alert me (squeek) when I push off and have too large a stride when I walk.

I still use them to run in despite the holes at the side. After all compared to my Mizunos, the soles are pretty good.

Mid 2009: Bought a pair of Karrimor sandals (£7) to walk about in. After learning Pose running, I took them for their first marathon run in June 2010. My feet loved the air around them. They felt they were on a motorbike instead of a stuffy car!

The A circle shows the amount of wear they have received from post-pose running. The B circle shoes the amount of wear from walking pre-pose running. I think I will need to resole this pair of sandals because they are sooo comfortable and the soles are lifting off them from running in the rain and puddles.

Feb 2012: decided to embark on a pair of "natural running shoes" so purchased this pair of Merrells Barefoot with a Vibram sole for a bargain $30 USD. They are really light; one shoe weighing @ 133.3 gm.

Max distance I have run in them has been 20 miles BUT no tyre pulling marathons in them yet as most of the events I have entered have been muddy. I want to keep this pair looking clean at the moment.

I have respectfully not walked too much in them!

End of Nov 2012: purchased this pair to run in. Thought they were comfortable but after the Singapore marathon, realised that partly due to my bunion and partly due to the sandal design, these are not appropriate for my feet. Found that the top of the sandal design actually caused my forefoot to strike the ground differently compared to when I ran barefoot. This is due to a pull on the bunion side and so a slight forefoot pronation was occurring and thus a niggle became apparent as I ran the Singapore marathon and had to conciously remember to keep an even forefoot strike.

I am considering taking the soles off this pair and merging them with my Karrimors.

.....AND that ends the tales of my current running shoes. :-)

2012 has been a poor year for marathons and sport, with only 3 marathons competed.
However, it has been a great year for TG who learnt a lot about building and playing with power tools.

The year was kicked off with the introduction of Bisaniiwewin who was hidden in a cow shed and is currently being kept warm at a friend's place. She was entered into Arrowhead Ultra and is the first marathon that TG was unable to complete (DNF), having to quit due to PPP*, lugging a sled that could have been much lighter and straining her achilles. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it was a lesson to learn.

*Piss Poor Planning = Piss Poor Performance

TG says she'll be back for this one in 2014. Hope she prepares better!

After some months of rehabillitation, TG was back on the scene with Red and completed 2 marathons in the month of merry May.

The first marathon to be completed in the year was a 40 mile ultra called the Oxon 40/20 that saw one part of the Chiltern Hills during the bluebell season. Chamy was bewildered by the belittering charms of another walker who thought we were losers. With thoughts of perhaps another DNF, Red and TG would later meet a fantastic man called Michael and be able to cajole each other onwards to the end.

Red and TG's second marathon of the year was a 27 miler called the LFB Chiltern Challenge. We nearly lost Red to a fire truck tyre.

This marathon was in Ruislip, London. It was surprisingly quite countrified and TG's confidence seemed to have returned.

After that, TG managed to pick up a number of "building" injuries from poor carrying technique of building materials. TG would only learn after the third time of putting her back out that she must bend her knees and use her legs to pick up weighty objects.

Having sufficiently improved, TG and Red entered Smugglers Trod. This is a brilliant event and is one of our favourites with stunning scenery, pirates abounding, food galore and loot to be had at the end. This event is a mile short of a full marathon but is most certainly worth doing.

TG contracted a bad cough and a lung infection and was out for another 2.5 months......because she refused to see the doctor. Well she has proven she is stubborn. It's how she completes her marathons with her tyres.

Off the back of 2 weeks training, TG completed her final marathon for the year, the Singapore Marathon. Her mission was to help Acres raise awareness of the fight to preserve the animal wildlife and biodiversity on our planet.

The bottlenosed dolphins are a depleted species and Resort World, Sentosa (RWS) tried to import 27 dolphins. We know 3 have already died in transit and in quarantine and are currently being housed in a less than satisfactory series of swimming pools. For the freedom of life for an intelligent species, I hope that RWS will see sense and free the dolphins.

2013 has begun, and TG has booked us into 6 marathons/ultra marathons between February and May! We are not sure about her "common sense" but we will have fun :-)

This year is about changing the way we live. We will call for more reduction of our consumption of all goods to reduce our demand on resources; and to reuse as much as possible from Freecycle, Freegle and only if you have to recycle!

Bring it on 2013!

Now is the time for many in the western world to give to someone else.......most of the time we buy stuff for the sake of giving stuff....

So how many toys do the kids have? Will you be adding to their unused toy collection?

I have asked people not to give me anything because it is just more stuff that I really do not want and therefore am left to find someone I can move my stuff to. My preference is that rather than give stuff, how about giving to a charity/to a cause you believe in? It does not have to be just money, but can also be time. (Note I check out charities that I want to help from the charity commission as I like to know that the money I give is actually going towards the cause and not lining the pockets of a trustee)

Now I am not a "bah humbug" person, just that the joy of giving can be guided towards helping others who really do need help and that it's time we weren't buying stuff by guessing what someone might like....or being asked to buy something for someone who could purchase the items themselves!

The question we need to ask is, what is the value of giving stuff for the sake of giving stuff at Christmas and for Birthdays?
This leads us onto:
1. Can we find those items on freecycle/freegle (click here)? Frankly I have found people giving away stuff here, most of the time in pretty good condition, sometimes almost new.
2. Can we repair items? Or can we learn to repair items? The web has so many resources at our finger tips. I learned how to fix a fridge and install a carpet from youtube!

The only stuff I am interested in right now, is knowledge to change my home into one that reduces its demands on resources (energy/water).

To reduce consumption and demands on our resources we need to change our attitudes in every way. 

Don't wait until it is too late, be the change!

At 5am, the Singapore Marathon can start off at 25 degs C; by mid day temperatures can rise up to 35 degs C. Whilst this is not as extreme as desert conditions, the temperature combined with humidity can sap one's body of energy and crawling can become a serious consideration to simply complete the event especially if you are a slow runner (6+ hours).....and I am a slow runner. Expect to suffer from swollen hands; burning limbs; dehydration; sun burn...in fact I want to just feel a little more comfortable throughout the majority of this event. Note dragging a tyre is always going to be a drag BUT they ain't leaving me yet. Besides the Singapore Marathon has a generous time limit (8 hours) which therefore allows diverse abilities to participate and to challenge their mental endurance. From the back of the pack where I normally emerge from, it is fascinating to watch the raw determination of wunners (walking runners) and be part of some of that camaraderie to encourage and help each other get to the end. Thank you to the two wunners who despite us not reaching half way, insisted I take a sachet of their gels. Gels are precious to wunners and is often the only source of fuel that will get them to the end point.

As the big guy upstairs cranks up the heat, those last 20kms have always sucked....sucks your mind (some will hit a blank wall as I did in 2006) and sucks your energy and your spirit. As the heat plays with your spirit, this is the time when injury can strike due to either poor walking techniques or the body giving up its posture. This is the time when mental attitude will see the determined through to the end. I have certainly grown up as a wunner in these events, and know it is important to have a strategy to prepare one's mind.

YET it is difficult to hate this marathon when I find myself humbly thanking the kindness of the organisation, participants, volunteers and supporters.

The following is what worked for me to remind myself what to do to be more comfortable.

Preparation
Strategy: To make as  much grounds as possible before 09:00. The rest of the run will be a 1km walk, 500m run unless water drops from the sky (more run and less walk). Due to only 3 weeks training prior (a chest infection prevented better training) I would aim for about 5-6km/hr for the first 20 km and then drop to 4-5km/hr.
Shoes: In 2006/2008 there was a raging fire in my feet as I wore covered shoes. Since learning about postural alignment and movement (Pose method), I have been able to run in sandals. I bought a new pair for the run and tested on a 5K run. Knew I would have to tape up the feet and toes to prevent blisters.
Salt: Bought some salt packets from Watson - stuff they use to rehydrate you when you are suffering the effects of diarrhea. This has stopped me from falling over in 2006. I will be drinking this at 23kms and 32kms as well as drinking a mix of water and isotonic drinks thorough out.
On the day food: Breakfast bars have normally been sufficient in cooler marathons. Thought I'd try them here (this was a mistake). I need to bring gels for a hot marathon.
Other stuff to consider: Sun block to apply when the sun is out and a water bottle to be able to sip between stations.

Being hot, I never feel like eating much the night before, but forced down a bowl of cheesy pasta and brought some bread to eat for breakfast.

The Event
The rain poured out of the heavens during the night and stopped in time for runners to make their way to the baggage drop and start line. In fact this year we were lucky as the temperatures started at @ 20 degs C. So good to see more people in costumes to bring a smile.

05:20: This is when my race started as slow wunners need to start from the back of the pack to reduce the chance of being in the way of faster runners. The MCs have a great spirit, trying to energise runners at the start. Thank you MCs for your energy and the awesome send off despite the early morning start.

Kept to the side as much as possible, again so that I would not trip up faster participants.

Skipped the first drinks station as there is enough water in the bottle to last until the next water station. From there on I will be topping up my bottle with isotonic drinks and water.

07:00 (11km): As dawn breaks, a sense of dread begins to rise. Time is ticking, the sun is coming and there are still 32kms to complete.

08:00 (17km) Fuel depletion is occurring and will not be realised until later. It is good to think about a small morsel of food. Normally I eat some sort of breakfast bar, but in this heat it is hard to want to chew on anything. Thanks to the 2 runners who gave me a gel from their supplies even though we were not even half way yet. I normally dislike gels full of chemical gunk but I was so thankful for their precious gift. I hope this did not hinder their own completion. Don't know what madness went into my head, thought I'd try a bit of barefoot running as the road looked so nice. A mistake as my feet were taped up and picked up all the dirt from the road.

09:00 (22km): The morning is still somewhat cool as well as somewhat warm. Chemical gunk was swallowed and more chemical gunk was picked up at 23km.

10:00 (27km): It is hot and every drink stop is now used to cool down the head and limbs from over heating. Thank you to the supporter who set up an adhoc refreshment for the lagging wunners. The ice cold coke was wonderful.

11:00 (32km): Sgrunners had setup an adhoc refreshment table along marina bay gardens, a godsend after the dreary golf course/building site. The congestion on Marine Barrage bridge was non-existent. In 2010, we had to queue to get onto the bridge and shuffled along as the full marathon and half marathon wunners merged together.

12:00 (36km): This is part of the route that is probably the most demanding. The sun is drilling down and you can see wunners heading up the Bridge of Doom but you are teased for 1.5km to get to the start of that bridge. As we step onto the Bridge of Doom, a single line is formed of the walking dead, each zombie taking a step at a time. I do not know why a single line is formed despite the route being wide enough for many more across, but we do! Perhaps it is by watching someone's feet ahead can draw one up the slope. It's at these times when ones head hears a song of inspiration to help drive one up the bridge. (errr sorry to everyone for my outburst of power ballads).

13:00 (40km): As we head back towards the Espanade, there is an awesome fountain to divert into and run thru to cool down. This year, this final stretch had an awesome cool breeze to rejuvenate the run.

At the end, needed (sung in the style of 12 days of Christmas, starting from 5 gold rings)
- 5 chemical gels
- Loads of isotonic
- Liberal sun tan lotion
- 2 salt packets
- And a cool down at each drink station.

(And if you managed to sing that - give yourself a chocolate brownie).

The only thing I suffered this year was an out break of rashes, I believe from the body trying to expel the chemical gunk. Note the weather appeared better than in other years of participating in this event. Maybe be back in 2014 to celebrate my 50th event if the organisers are still open to me :-)

Thank you to all the volunteers who despite being out for so long during the day, could still call out encouragement and despite the morning heat still summed up energy to serve runners. I wish I could give each a hug because without them, this event certainly could not happen.

For pictures of scenery of the event see my 2010 report.

Protecting Our Animals:
Resort World - Let the dolphins Go
The Singapore Marathon fills me with dread. The energy sapping humidity and the almost unbearable heat will cause many to suffer from dehydration and heat exhaustion, including myself. Unless the marathon is completed under 4 hours, a number will fall by the wayside, having underestimated the heat intensity as time ticks on towards 10:00 

But I had promised to run with a message for Acres to Resort World to please let the dolphins go. I support their call as Singapore is a progressive nation, and keeping intelligent species enclosed in a pool is like putting a sane human being in a padded cell and bringing them out for one's own amusement. If you let the dolphins go, it will be a day that will be remembered, sending a message to the rest of the world that we need to change our attitude to other species on this world. Come on Resort World - the world needs you to lead by example. Let the dolphins go.

Acres actively rescue and protect our local indigenous species. If you care about preserving the local biodiversity of Singapore please volunteer or to support the cause click here..

Discovering a Son:
Running for Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP)

As the marathon time was approaching, I dicovered I had a long lost son who tracked me down through the inter-web. Like any mother who discovers she has a child - it was a surprise.  After all - would I like him? Would he like me? ....and all those other concerns that goes through a mother's head. His tyre draging proved that he was coming from the same family. I could not reject him.

He still has much to learn to train his tyre. Of course,  I disapprove of him tying a chain around his ahlianchanel69 and bumping her up and down. She is looking a little worn out. However he has done his mum proud, completing the marathon in a great time of 7:20 and at the same time raising awareness for the BMDP.

He carried a burden for the event, entertaining all around and striving to give hope to the leukemia, lymphoma patients and others who need stem cell technologies to get them back into health. To be a donor click here or to support the cause click here