Great Eastern Women's Half Marathon Run 2025

I have never been so punctual for this run before.😜

The time was about 5am, and already I was in the 1st wave of runners, behind the 21.2km Elites.

I walked to the back of the group as I prefer a more solo, and quieter run at my own pace.

It was a humid morning, though I wouldn't describe as hot. Already, we gals were perspiring while waiting for the horn to sound.

Finally at about 5.20am, we started our run. I took it very slowly - my 1st time carrying my phone, and towel (with some fuel) in a newly-bought pair of sports shorts with a banded waist pocket behind.

Anticipating the Flag Off.

I meant to take it easy today, after the previous week of unexpected family events that saw me travelling out of town unplanned, and hence missing 2 workouts the weekend before, and forcing my last warm-up run just 2 days before race day. The day before I was out and about in the sun walking the entire day with errands.  I barely had enough sleep for the entire last week. And this very morning on race day, I had woken before 3am to do a mini meditation, eat breakfast and got into the pre-booked Grab Car to take me here.

No Sunrise - Only caught the moon as I reached the Stadium at around 4.30am.

My plan was to just enjoy the route and experience, soak in the scenery and views, and very much looking forward to the sunrise - which was spectacular the year before and I regretfully did not capture I on my phone as I never used to carry cellphone with me on races.

Me  - The last behind the wave of runners.

3km into the run, I was feeling good. The pace was easy and nice. I decided to pick up the pace a bit. However, to my dismay, the side of my big toe started to hurt - the abrasion that I always felt in this newer pair of shoes that I had worn several times beforehand at around 9-10 km mark on training runs. Today, the pain started early. The seam of my socks rubbing against shoe and toe? Anyway, I was feeling uncomfortable already when I started running.

Amongst the back runners in the pack after Flag Off

By 6-7km, it was obvious I was gonna run with sore feet 😖

I didn't have time nor energy to check the race route beforehand. It was a different route from the previous year. I also didn't check out the hydration points. When I was in good form and picked up pace, it had to be slowed down to get a drink, as I didn't know when the next available one would be. I decided to prioritize health over results.

I finally reached my 10K mark - I glanced at my watch - it was over an hour. I decided to slow down to my recovery jog before picking up later. I had already eaten my walnut dates earlier. By now, my shorts were dripping with perspiration - something I had never experienced before.

We passed the Gardens by the Bay Kingfisher Pod. I was still in recovery pace...

It took be a while before I picked up the pace again. By now the feet, especially the right foot was sore with I believed blisters and more bruised toe (and nail). A looming uphill awaited..... I sprinted lightly up the inclined highway and let loose with quick leg turnover on the way down. Felt peckish again and reached for another walnut-dates pack while slowing down...

Good to see the hydration point just after I finished my dates.

After this point, all the categories of 21.1, 10 and 5 kilometres joined the route to finish. I had about 3-4 km left. After some normal section, another inclination loomed ahead. Haha! Wow... Such sections to finish!

I kept eyeing certain landmarks on these inclinations as targets to pick up my pace, at the same time bearing the painful brushes my toes and feet got to endure... Last 3 km or so... the route now was narrow and crammed with all runners from all categories. Some sped through little openings in between slower runners who were tired from the distance; some shouldered on in their tired forms, and some gleefully paused at certain spots to take photos and selfies. I tried to maintain the slightly-faster- than-easy pace, though not my usual tempo speed. I too, tried to weave through the cracks between the tight network of runners. 

Last Kilometre... 

Was I certain?

Experience has taught me that the last kilometre wasn't what it seemed.

I had run with all my might after seeing this distance marker, only to lose steam some more than 500 metres away from the finish line. I decided not to be fooled again, and picked up pace just a little slightly than before. 

When I knew the finishing line was about 200 metres away, that's when I started to sprint. I saw the 2:45 pacers with the pink balloons ahead of me.

Finally entered the stadium and sprinted all I could with the energy left to cross the finishing line.

I looked at my watch -- 2:43hrs. I knew I did not well. A drop in speed compared to last year's timing.

I tried my best and was completely dripping non-stop with perspiration.

Contacted Ping and she was already ready to queue at the photo booth! 😅

Told her I needed some time to cool down.

When I was ready, I joined her and queued for our celebratory photos.

No other queuing for freebies today as the snakey lines of jubilant runners were really too long.

After some delay in collecting my bag and some stretching, we went for a hearty lunch with full chit-chatty catch-up!

Our Shared Post Run Fuel!

I am truly grateful for the day, despite a less than desired timing :)

Whatever that was and is, 

~~~ Flow ~~~

A Day Full of Wrongs

Another "Wrong" day when the run didn't go as expected.

Another very warm and humid day that got me a little phobic running out ... 😂

And so I decided to run where there could be covers. I planned to run to Sembawang area again, and to make a turn along the river, try my luck to visit the otters, which I did in a magnificent encounter. Then I would head down to the Lower Seletar Reservoir. My aim was 18-20km.

Thought it is really going solo...

Nope... its mates were below...

Eat, Play, ..... Sleep, repeat?

Big Catch!

However, it was a day full of wrongs...

It is advised not to break into a new pair of shoes on a long run, and I did just that.

Plus, paired it off with a new running bra top and, made a wrong turn at the traffic junction that made me breathe in dust along the construction site of a highway, when I was nearing the end of the journey.

However, it was usually the wrongs that made us learn and do more rights the next time.

While I had to run longer to reach my end destination, I passed through where I never had, or perhaps would, if I'd done all the rights. 

I experienced more patches of greens, saw the magnitude of the highway being constructed, and experienced a different angle of the Sungei Seletar. 

View from the Top which I had never seen nor taken a picture of

My new shoes gave me blisters and further shaded my problematic toenail. I'd known beforehand I shouldn't wear them over long distance running, but I didn't have time to test them othewise - the soles on my old pair were really rather flattened to hold me well for distance. But now I know the difference in toe box space between the Clifton and the Challenger ATR, and found my preference.

I didn't give much thought to my running bra top - I just wanted to feel cooler and less stuck-on from my tee. But I now realised, cooler could also mean less cover - especially when the sunlight is harsh. I could get bra tops that offer more protection on the back, rather than the criss-cross design that the new one came in.

The wrongs are still wrongs. But they don't have to remain forever so.

I gained new perspectives, angles and insights.

I could move on, or run on, with more wisdom and better choices the next time.

Letting Go(al)...

Last week I had another "Bad Run".

I had just recovered from cold and starting the 1st long run after that.

My last long run was 20km. And my target next was to reach 25km.

But I knew I couldn't possibly achieve this goal in that current body condition. More so, after having missed one long run the week before due to being sick.

So I humbly projected at least 15km but really hoping to reach 18km.

Against my favour, it was a very scorchingly hot day with the sun rays beating down relentlessly on the runner, running in the open.

I decided to run a somewhat familiar route with some twists, and plotting an exploratory spot on this route.

Met a solo otter, and a large heron with monitor lizards for company. Next I ran along the train tracks to finally reach the spot of discovery - Yishun Neighbourhood Park - on the top of a hill. I'd probably went up the slope more than a decade back but I didn't explore its top then. I had merely went up the steps and down the other side, as back then I'd run in the evenings and I was afraid of too much darkness on the run back.

Otter swimming solo

Supposedly Grey Heron, with Monitor Lizard swimming by.

So on that day, I was determined to explore more despite the harsh weather.

As I ran up the hill I was pleasantly surprised by an old school pavillion surrounded by two round tables with chinese chessboard templates on them. A nice little garden was found midway.  A few park-goers were there to Tai Chi and do some stretching exercises.

The Pavillion

A winding road led up to the little "peak" with a toilet and water cooler, and a community garden further up.  Glancing down, one could see the surrounding neighbourhood. Though it wasn't that high and the view that fantastic, it was still a nice respite from the brick and mortar below.

I was grateful for the water cooler that I much needed to drink from. I jogged round the top before slowly going down. Took some photos before eventually heading down the steps back again to pound the pavement along the road.

I reckoned it was too late to run to my targeted destination - Lower Seletar Reservoir - neither did I think I have enough power to do so... 😛

I decided to run to wherever I could for a better place to cool down and rest before having lunch.

Construction obstructed a lot of pathways and made me change directions. I turned to where I would not usually run to - an old bus interchange near the malls. As much as possible, I tried to dodge the glaring sun to get into shade wherever and whenever I could. I finally realised I was heading towards an entrance of a park --- The Yishun Pond!

Yishun Pond

I was glad. Though I ever came here once, I did not fully explore it. I ran about 2 more rounds totalling about 15km on my watch tracker, and 14km on the GPS on Runkeeper.

Cooled down and headed to the adjacent hospital's foodcourt for an earlier lunch to refuel. I needed to get back home to teach an online class that day.

Though the original target of 18km wass missed, I was happy I found another target --- another spot I that could run to and explore more in-depth, amongst the other check-in points on my next running journey.

Bad Runs

Saw this the day before:

Source: The Running Week on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheRunningWeek

Man, how powerful this quote is.

I remember there was a time many years back, having a similar sentiment as I huffed and puffed through a difficult bad run  - how bad could it be? - at the Stadium tracks.

"Not everyone is as fortunate as me to have these limbs to run."

"Not everyone has the ability like me here, to be able to even experience this suffering if they do not have such an intact healthy body."

And that was how I got myself through. 

It was nearing a trip to Japan with my family, and after that humbling running insight, I reminded myself how so, so lucky to have so many things in my life that I have not appreciated. To be able to suffer in a choice that I have made myself is in itself, a blessing. What's more I was soon to be enjoying an overseas trip! How many people could do the things I have planned to do?

Fast forward more than a decade later, I was met with this quote as a distant reminder.

Bad Runs, they still appear.

In between those years, I probably had forgotten to remind myself of such a blessing this suffering is.

In fact over these years, I have been lamenting the lack-ofs, unaccomplishments, not-yet-haves, why-me-nots, etc. 

Had I been more mindful of appreciating such little sufferings as blessings, my life would perhaps be totally different. It might be teemed with much more true abundance, more satisfaction, more wholesomeness and happiness, if not, a more grateful, loving and compassionate being in motion.

After all, bad runs are here to inform us what are the good ones!

Every run, good or nay is part of the collection that propels us forward in reaching our goal in steps.

And a bad run is a blessing.

It is never too little.

Never too late.

Gratitude.

NOW.