i ran...

Early this morning, I ran my first competitive run of 2007 - the Saucony 100 Plus Passion Run 2007 at East Coast. This is also my first competitive run since participating in the 10k run during the Standard Chartered Marathon in December last year. And man, the heat was on...literally!

The sun was shining and the weather was beautiful at the beach this morning. However, yours truly seems to be vampire-like when it comes down to running. I am so used to running at dawn and be done before the temperature heats up. So, the sun and the heat was not something I am used to when running this morning, where the start time was at 8am (my usual running hour is 5.30am). I was a little unprepared in facing the run in the sun and was at some point, became dehydrated.

It was a minor setback. I gave my best and wanted to finish this run without stopping to walk (I stopped to walk quite a bit last December). I also gave myself a target to finish this race in an hour. So, I finished the run without stopping but based on my watch, I finished the run in 1 hour and 12 minutes. It was about 17 minutes faster than the 10k run in 2006, but we will have also to wait for the official result from my running chip for my actual finishing time. I am a little disappointed that I did not finish the run in an hour. Well, I guess I am an average runner, who just began running regularly 8 months ago. An improvement in time of 17 minutes from my previous competitive run is a good accomplishment for a novice runner. A seasoned runner can finish this 10k run in 40 minutes or less, which impresses me much! I still have a long way to go and also, taking my age into consideration.

All in all, it was a good run. Competitive runs like this give myself something to look forward to. It is also a good way to prevent me from giving up my regular running - my dose of cardiovascular exercise. I got myself a nice tan after the run and later, I rewarded myself with a healthy toasted Subway sandwich and two cookies - oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip - washed down with an extra cold barley drink. I am still determined to finish my next competitive run in an hour. Whether I achieved it or not, it will be another story. Lets see.

Happy Birthday, Liz!