SMART Tunnel Run

The much awaited SMART tunnel run happened this morning. I was so physically drained from the many late nights and hard work i've put into my installation that i was so sure i'd do a bad time. And so, droopy eyes with puffy eye bags, sore aching feet from the heels i wore last night, throbbing head from sleep deprivation and all, i went to KL this morn with Sam, Jonathan, Isaiah and my dad with the purpose of having pure fun.

Reached there, i dont know, 6.45 am? Called Ben and he just woke up. went to the starting area and the first person who called my name was Uncle Choi. then i saw mr wong, ah fook (who seemed to have forgotten who i am again), and many others. Ben arrives sometime later, to m relief. =)

The race had a staggered start, with Men Open starting at 7.30 am, Men veteran and JPS starting at 7.40 and the women starting at 7.50 am. I couldn't help but worry that the men will use up all our oxygen in the tunnel, leaving us women with an endless supply of CO2 to breathe. I saw Kit Mun, who is now someone to fear when it comes to racing. At only 14, she's amazingly fast. I saw Ashley Lim and gang. I met Geraldine for the first time. Saw Carboman in the midst of the crowd. And many others la.

I started the race running alone. about 10 minutes into the race, Kit Mun cruises past me, and so i decided to keep up. I knew it would probably be suicidal but what have i got to lose? So i ran alongside her, and started talking. We talked about training, and about her MSSD and things like that. I realised that half an hour have passed and i was still in sync with her. It was either she was going slow to accomodate me, or i was actually doing a pretty good time. I did feel unusually energised, surprisingly. We were steadily overtaking people till we were amongst the slower Men Open runners. I noticed i was taking slightly bigger strides than usual. I figured, hey if i could keep this up, Kit Mun's gonna be my target pacer from now on. haha...

The tunnel was endless tho. It was well lit but after seeing the walls for a really long time, i yearned for sunlight. There were big ventilation fans which blew strong drafts out, that caused me to shiver because i was perspiring like nobody's business. The first water station was out of water! darn. As we approached the tol plaza, I saw uncle Eugene and Uncle Choi and all these people on the opposite side of the U-Turn. After the U-turn we went back into the tunnel. The 2nd water station was somewhere midway and this was where Kit Mun left me. Because i wanted to eat my gel, i had to get water. But the water station had a queue because of the inefficiency of the marshalls. Can you believe, they gave us the cups, lined us up and slowly wait for water to be poured into our cups. anyway, i drank the water to wash the gel down and off i went. Kit Mun had already disappeared from my sight. I figured chasing her was gonna be a moronic thing to do, so i just kept up with the pace i was doing just now. It felt harder without a pacer, but i was determined to keep it up, still amazed at my new found speed.

Further up i saw Mr Cheng, who kept up with me after i passed him by. He stayed b my side for some time. Overtook Daddy dearest and kept on going, still taking long strides. I think the powerbar and gel really work. haha...anyway, Mr Cheng ran with me for about 15 minutes or so. And then he said "Ok you go ahead." And so i did. I actually picked up a notch and in no time, i saw the bright blasting rays of the 9 o'clock sun!

Not far off was the finishing. For the first time ever, runners need not make a big loop to go into the finishing. I clocked 1 hour 16 minutes for 13.3 km. Definitely not expected. I felt pretty good. :)

*photos courtesy of Uncle Choi and Uncle Tey. :)

For more photos, click:
1. Uncle Choi's album
2. Mr Tey's album