Joining this was because I got bored about roads. Singapore roads are quite boring and monotonous, maybe because I always run same places or maybe it is due to the Covid 19 and I have not went out of the country for 2 years.
Event Background
Lost count on the number of times I went up here
Another virtual run, but like the wild boar race, this one is also mainly on trails. I personally felt that the wild boar one is more hardcore on the trails while this one has around 16KM of luxurious time on the roads. PowerLa! has a few categories, 100K is the highest mileage, while the lowest is 30K.
Official Website for PowerLa : https://runningguildsg.blogspot.com/p/power-la.html
I took the 51K because it is like the middle and something that I can cope with. Going up Bukit Timah Hill 3 times is the major highlight and I never knew that we can go up using so many methods. This shows how lazy I have been. This race makes use of Mandai, Chestnut, Dairy Farm and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. The 3 routes up the hill are through the pipeline, Taban loop and also the main route which can be quite crowded during this covid and holiday season in the year end.
1st Attempt
The Rocket shot
Taban Loop
My first attempt was 19 Nov and I even took leave for it. Starting at around 5:30am. I felt the timing was just nice. Did not do much recce on the small parts but mainly the Bukit Timah Nature reserve portion. Early morning got small support from my friend riding a bike. Sometimes running in middle of the night gives me chills. But I guess you just have to brave it. Made a couple of mistakes in this first attempt. I did not turn from Chestnut to Dairy Farm, despite going up and down Taban loop many times, I still got lost inside and waste some time just to get back on the right track.
Packed
The best part was when I finished and sent the Strava to organiser, Ben Swee. He can say I did not run the right path for beginning and ending. Which was true! I guess sometimes we are too obsessed with the difficult parts and neglected on the minute portions which can be different. The start and ending was actually through West Lake Ave and not through the usual route to Mushroom cafe in Macritchie Reservoir.
Second Attempt
Act cute
I wanted to just stop at the first attempt. Then I ended up thinking that I should give it a shot for the Hall Of Fame. The hall of fame is for those who are able to finish the distances at the stipulated timing. I was short of 21 min for the first attempt. For my case, the 51K, you must be able to complete the race below 7 hours. So I decided to redo it again learning from the mistakes. 1st day of December 2022 was my choice. This time I started even earlier at 4:30am because I was afraid of the crowd during holidays. The weather was cool and breezy and I was able to run faster. When I reach the Mandai Trail it was just merely 7 am. I have a good feeling about this. This time round I did not make the same mistakes. I also did not stop much thinking that time is not enough. But the Bukit Timah Hill did killed me a bit. As I was clearing the last loop up Bukit Timah Hill, I was feeling the strain already. I just keep telling myself that I could make it this time and I have to go on.
As I came out of the pipeline trail and make my way to macritchie, I knew I will be able to meet the cut off time for the Hall of Fame. So I push faster and try not to walk. The Windsor portion was less hilly and easier to cope. Weather was cooling so I just keep pushing forward.
The Finale
Met Jasmine Goh as she was training for her UTMB Inthanon
I guess when you know you gonna make it, you gonna make it. I ended back in MR with the correct ending route this time. With all the mistakes corrected, I felt I should have no wrong. I informed Ben about it and rested in the changing room. He messaged me back to say all cleared. I was elated, guess the hard work paid off.
At the MR Toilet
The next race that I will take part for the Running Guild is the unfinished 200 K business. Well till then, which is not far. I will need to rest a lot more.