Mountain Biking & The New Balance Real Run 2009

On Saturday morning, I was blown away by the XCR Expert’s on-trail performance. The grippy 2.1” Kenda Nevegal tyres were almost a liability on the road but on the wet, slippery trails, they proved to be a valuable asset. Cornering was a breeze and when we hit Bukit Timah, the bike really showed its race potential as it took obstacles well and climbed with ease. Jamis did well in the design of this particular frame and the bike was well-balanced even on the steepest climbs.

On the downhills, the suspension systems worked well enough to snuff out potentially tricky bumps and I had better control over the bike than previously. The trails were muddy following a few days of rain but it was really enjoyable to put the bike through its paces. As expected, I had a hell of a time washing off the immense amount of dried mud which had clogged the linkage and my parents just shook their heads at how a brand new bike had been thrashed into a disgusting filthy slob of metal. The bike also incurred its first battle scars – scratches at the end of the right crank arm – when it hit jutting rocks on a climb. Somehow, the linkage also got scratched, probably by a flying piece of debris.

I am definitely looking forward to the next ride.

Total Distance: 24.6km (on-road), 14km (off-road)
Participants: LSH, Ben

In the evening, we met up with Mum’s family at Bukit Batok to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday. We left before the cake-cutting as Bro was leaving for Brunei that very night (or rather 2.55am in the morning). After seeing him off at the airport, we left for home and I finally retired to my bed at 2.30am.

In just 1.5hrs, my alarm rang and I had some breakfast before cycling a short 3.2km to Yishun MRT where I caught the 5am shuttle bus to Changi Exhibition Centre where the New Balance Real Run 2009 was held. We reached more than an hour early and I was really drowsy as I did my warm-up, then settled somewhere to just close my eyes.

Before the commencement of the 10km race at 7am, several trainers came on stage to lead a warm-up session. I was in the front pack, roughly 15 seconds away from the gun start lead. Soon, we were off and I broke away to join the last of the leading pack. I just managed to cling on, overtaking a few stragglers on the way but my last kilometre was pretty bad. The pack accelerated away but I really couldn’t find the strength to increase my pace.

Nonetheless, I am quite happy with my time of 42:16min (10km) but I have some work to do if I am going to attempt running under 3.5hrs for the Standard Chartered Marathon.

After the race, it was a long walk out to the SAF Ferry Terminal and I took nearly an  hour to cover that distance. I totally lost my consciousness on the bus and was just glad to reach home.

Total Distance for the week of 2 November 2009: 195km