Long Run with IMD

This just past week, it has been raining on alternate mornings. So I figured it will rain on Friday and Sunday. So I decided to schedule my long run for the weekend on Sunday. Huh? Yeah. Since I predict it will rain on Friday, I will sleep in on Friday. Saturday - rest day for Sunday and if everything goes to plan, it will rain on Sunday and I can sleep in again. That's how lazy I gotten for running!

But no such luck. The sky held for the 3 days and on Sunday morning, I reluctantly dragged my butt out of bed at 6 am and made my way down to MacRitchie Reservoir. We were going to join a group of Insane Mad Deranged runners in their long run. The group is led by the  Immensely  Metrosexual Dude better know to all as Ironman Man Dreamer but who is actually a Ironman Man "Doner", in another word, no longer a dreamer but a finisher. Anyway, Mr Incredibly Macho Dream guy has been co-opted by the organsier of the Bali Marathon to conduct some training runs here in Singapore as part of the run up to the Bali Marathon which will be on 2 weeks later.

After the usual mandatory group photo, off we went for what would be my longest run since December last year. Unlike the many other group runs that I participated in previously, this group is quite interesting. Nobody seems to want to run fast and Uncle me was left to run at the front even though I was plodding along at about 6.30 pace. I ran alone for a good 1 km before 2 of them overtook me and then Mr IMD shot past and that was it until we hit the slopes of Upper Peirce Reservoir. There was this guy who has been trailing me (is that call drafting?) for the past 1 km or so. Cannot lose face cannot let me overtake so I ran and ran until cannot tahan and still run somemore. And then fiinally ran out of fuel and had to stop for a top up and he took off and that was the last I saw of him.

Anyway, I managed to huff and puff my way up the slopes without walking! At the end of the dam separating the 2 reservoirs, I stopped to take my last packet of expired in 2011 gel. It didn't taste funny but whether it has lost its effectiveness, I am not too sure. What I do know is I finally finished all my last year gel and now has to find some means to finish the rest of the gel which have expired or are expiring these few months. That shows the extent , or rather the lack of long runs. And for those who are curious, I did not suffer any side effects, no LS big time or anything like that.

The other IMD guys were doing 26km but since I was only going to do the half in Bali, I opted for the 19km distance so I turned back earlier which means I get to run alone all the way back. Heng ar, no runners breathing down my back. No stress. Somewhere just before Thomson Plaza, saw the sidekick in front. She must have turned back early. She has been complaining of not feeling well. I caught up with her and checked that she was okay before going off ahead. 

Managed to round up the distance to 20km by running till the old exit at MR before turning back to the Amenities Centre. So am I ready for the Bali Marathon? As ready as I hope to be.