Race Report: The Green Corridor Run (Swim)

It's pretty difficult to explain just how much it rained today during The Green Corridor Run. I've tried to think of an appropriate description but nothing comes. I think the only way to explain it is to tell you that apart from the first corral - which thankfully we were in - the others were cancelled because the course was considered too dangerous. 

There was an all out tropical storm with unbelievable thunder and a fair amount of lightening. The mud was so sloshy that by about 1km in my trainers were completely soaked through and squelching with every step. There were people slipping and sliding over the make shift pathways that the organisers had put down over the worst parts of the course. The final 500m was so wet it felt like doing pre-hab work in the pool rather than running. 

In short, it was brilliant. I love trails. Mentally I was whisked back 15 years to school Cross Country. It was amazing to see so many expat Brits clearly in their element. I have no justification for this statement, but I'm convinced that my compatriots will have placed considerably higher than usual in today's race. All those English summers toughen you up for this sort of thing. 

This picture was taken about an hour before the start, half an hour before the rain began... The sky was so clear at this point. Little did we know that the heaven's were about to open. We look very clean and shiny. That did not last long. 

Looking online there have been a few disgruntled customers from today's race, but we thought it was really well organised. Lots of clean toilets, water available, a place to pick up bibs in case you didn't get the chance the weekend before, an easy to access start line and so on. The only thing was that we started 10 minutes late because they were trying to weather proof the course but, given how it turned out, I think it was well worth the wait. 

I had a few concerns going into the race that getting 6,000 people through what looked like a pretty narrow course that passing people would be pretty tricky.  I think that in good weather it wouldn't have been such a problem as you can probably run 4 across even at the most narrow points, but with the centre muddied out so much and everyone scrambling for dry ground at the edges it was pretty tough. I think, as usual though, it would have been a lot easier if people had chosen to run in the right waves. The first wave was for people that were capable of running 10k in under 55 minutes and I'm pretty sure a large number of runners were being overly optimistic saying they could do that on muddy trail. The first two kilometres were a bun fight for that reason. 

So, how did it go? Well, we made it through the monsoon. Today wasn't about a PR or anything for me (although given that I've never run a 10.5k race before I guess technically I can claim one), it was part of my prep for the half-marathon in 2 weeks time. I planned to run at my half-marathon pace and then finish strong with enough left in my legs to feel confident about the coming race. Objective achieved. Indeed, I finished so strongly that I almost feel a bit guilty for not trying harder. That's my personality all over though: do what you set out to do and then feel bad for not setting the bar higher. 

I'll be back next year Green Corridor and then it'll be all out war... 

The best part of the day though was just how well Simon ran. Official times aren't in yet but we think he came in about four and a half minutes faster than expected. Amazing. Especially so when you consider that two weeks ago he was saying that he'd rather not run since he was under trained! I am very proud. 

Post run we squelched our way back home pretty swiftly. The rain was bucketing it down far too hard even for stretching let alone taking pictures and chatting. I must admit, I was very surprised that the bus drivers were willing to take so many mud ridden passengers. We were expecting to have to jog home another 5km. 

After a quick change we then headed up to the Suntec Convention Centre to pick up my race bib for the Sundown half-marathon and so the next challenge begins..

On a side note, I think we may have over done the amount of washing detergent needed to get the mud out of our trainers. 

Somewhere, under all of those suds there are two pairs. Let's hope that they come out okay, else I'm about to get my first taste of a barefoot half-marathon... 

A big well done to everyone who ran today, and managed to get through the tricky conditions. 

A bit of history & running grassroots

From http://www.greencorridorrun.com.sg

Tomorrow morning Simon and I are running the Green Corridor 10.5k. I'm excited about this race not for the run (it's been raining a lot recently so I think the Green Corridor is going to be the Green Swamp) but for what it represents. 

Singapore has a few lovely open spaces - the government do a really good job of keeping Singapore feeling pretty green - but ultimately, this is a city state and open space is at a premium. Sky scrapers and condos rule and the newer the better in many cases. 

The Green Corridor run brings together greenery and history in a unique race that started just last year. The course follows the old railway line that used to connect Singapore and Malaysia. This line was the beginning of the Oriental Express that took travellers into the heart of Asia.  As the line has been out of use for many years now, the area surrounding it has become an incredible green space that's both historically and ecologically significant. 

From http://www.greencorridorrun.com.sg/

What's amazing though, is that although the Green Corridor cuts right through the centre of the island, very few people know much about the corridor or have been to see it. 

In a country with the 3rd highest population density in the world, the fact that this place exists and is so untamed is just brilliant. 

One reason may be, that although the railway line is in Singapore it was owned by the Malaysian government until recently, so redevelopment was unlikely. 

Since it came back into Singaporean ownership, the Nature Society has campaigned successfully to save the corridor from redevelopment. For how long though, I'm not sure. I think it's really important that runners take part in these sorts of local races as they play an important role in keeping green spaces alive and protected. They also play a vital role in keeping the heart in the running community. Yes, I know it can be fun to be part of a major sponsored race with the amazing free gifts and live music, but it's the grassroots events that get me excited. 

I've tried to run the trail a few times on my own but, entering from the Tanjong Pagar end, seems quite difficult as a lot of it's fenced off - last time I tried I spent 45 minutes running in circles trying to find the entrance. Apparently getting in via Bukit Timah is easier but I've not had a chance to do that yet.

I'm looking forward to finding my way in tomorrow as I think this could well become a favourite trail for the future. The race route may only be 10.5k but from what I understand, the total trail is quite a bit longer. 50k training, here I come.

Ecological significance aside, tomorrow is my first race in absolutely ages, and it'll be brilliant to get that out of the way. It's also the Sydney Running Festival tomorrow and my friend Alex will be doing the half-marathon, so good luck Alex! 

Today's Training
Yin Yoga + 4k easy to loosen up for tomorrow.