Pre-race thoughts

Running long distance, otherwise known as endurance running or ultra running, has always been something that I really enjoy. I enjoy the quiet, still moment of just placing one foot ahead of the other, letting the mind slow down and be filled with the presence and knowledge of God, allowing Holy Spirit to take hold of my thoughts and steps, engaging in a conversation with Jesus that’s sometimes casual and sometimes deep, and interceding for people that God has placed in my heart at that point in time. Of course, this does not happen all the times. Sometimes I could run for a long time without sensing God, usually because I was too distracted with the things of the world. But when I do, I return home feeling recharged, refreshed and revived.

You may ask: If that’s the reason why I run, then why do i bother taking part in races? Why compete with other people when I can just run in my backyard in my own time? The most honest answer I can come up with is: Racing is a much-needed catalyst in an otherwise mundane routine of just running in my backyard. Remove the competitive aspect of racing, racing actually gives me a goal, pushes me to train hard, have more discipline, have better time management, set aside time apart from working and studying to spend more time with God through running, and simulates a crisis situation where I am put to the test and have to work hard to overcome. This is especially so in a 100km race. Everyone can do a 10km or 21km race or even a marathon. To do 100km (or 100 miles) takes you to another realm of running altogether.  It brings you to the spiritual realm, where you have to have to dig deep to find strength and courage you never knew was there. For me, this is where the battle really is.

I readily confess that I signed up for TMBT for competitive reason. A part of me wants to test my own limit, to see how far I can go, and how I stack up against the other ultra-runners, locally and from overseas. But I know that if I let this be the sole motivating factor for me to race, it would displease God. So I prayed that He would change my heart so I would run with the right reasons. Little did I know that this meant I would have one injury after another. Haha! (Lesson: Be careful with what you pray for, you never knew what God has in store for you!) God has definitely humbled me in this process, and I came to see how limited I am in terms of my running abilities, and how obsessively absorbed I was with racing. 3 weeks before TMBT, I was down with Runner’s knees for both my knees, and this effectively ended my hope of running the race. A part of me had to resign to the fact that this is the price I have to pay for foolishness, and racing for the wrong reasons. Still in the deep recesses of my heart, I was secretly praying for miracle and hoping God would heal me.

I remembered a story in the book Judges, where Gideon was leading 32000 soldiers in a battle against the Midianites and Amalekites. It was a crucial battle which would decide the destiny of the Israelites. Before the battle, God told Gideon to release those who are fearful. The number of soldiers was down to 10000. To think that this is a crazy move on God’s part, God asked Gideon to release more soldiers. The final number was 300. The reason God gave to Gideon? 'Lest Israel boast over me saying: My own hand has saved me'. (Judges 7:2) God wanted Israel to rely on His strength rather than their own.

I could have had a flawless preparation leading to TMBT and toed the starting line in the most ideal condition. But this would mean I would drift further away from God’s purpose for me in running, and rely fully on my own strength instead. God was ‘kind’ enough to ‘break my limp’ (like what he did to Jacob) in order that I would rely on Him.

I received a gentle prompting in my spirit before TMBT, and this sums up the reason why I decided to run despite not being in 100%. I renounced all spirit of pride and competitiveness in me prior the race, I was to run and pray for the villages that I would be running by. To pray that God’s glory would be made manifest in these villages, and people would come to know the saving grace of Jesus in their lives. I will run and pray till I can run no more.

I am immersely grateful for the love and support from my gf. I think all the wives (& husbands), or girlfriends (& boyfriends), or friends of runners know, and can identify that there is a fierce stubbornness in all the runners which make them seem like a crazy bunch of people caught up in a meaningless pursuit in this incredibly boring sport of running. From initially being resistant to my running because I spent too much time and thinking about running, my gf has become very understanding and supportive toward my passion for running. When all seemed bleak prior to TMBT, she was the one who reminded me God made me run for a reason and she firmly believed that I would be able to finish the race. When I asked her how she knows, she said Holy Spirit told her. And she told me she would be waiting for me at the finish line. :)

Sorry if this offends some of you readers. I don’t mean to put you off with this religious-sounding post. This is my honest sharing, and I think it’s the least I can do in my present circumstances.

Having dinner in Little Italy 3 days before the run. Pasta and pizza are my favourite pre-race meal! 

Checking into Strawberry Garden Hotel in Kundasang

Nice and comfy :D

Unloading our gears. (My brother and I)

What a mess! 

Did a test run a day before the race. My left knee was not happy with this test. 

Writing my pre-race thoughts (& icing my knee at the same time :D)

Bumped into Jiri (last year's 100km winner) on the way to the registration hall

My love

The journey to TMBT

*I wrote this post before TMBT but could not post it up because there was no internet. :D

My journey to TMBT has undoubtedly been an extremely bumpy one, one filled with numerous injuries and setbacks.  My main focus in the beginning of the year was KL marathon (where I hope to run sub-3), TMBT and Northface 100 Singapore, with TMBT being the most important race as it's home race for me. My initial plan was to gradually increase my mileage and training intensity till I could run a sub-3 marathon in KL marathon, and then use whatever base I have built to further improve for TMBT and TNF Singapore.

However, things always don't turn out as planned. One week after Mt Mee Mountain Marathon in April, I came down with Achilles tendonitis, due to immediate return to running without proper recovery. I was out for 10 days. When I got back to running, I was determined not to be injured again, as I only had 6 weeks left to KL marathon. Maybe it’s compensation for time missed in training prior to this, (plus someone told me that hill sprint is the way to go if I want to improve my pace), I had one hill session and two days after I was down with Runner’s knee (patello-femoral syndrome) for my right knee. Bummer! With it I knew that I would not be able to run KL marathon anymore, as this injury is known to take a long time to recover. Turned out I was out for four and a half weeks (about a month). During this month, my fitness dropped drastically and each run I tried to run, my right knee would hurt really badly about 5 minutes into the run. It was a very trying period for me, emotionally and spiritually. Finally I was able to run pain free 1.5 week before KL marathon, so I thought I would just train conservatively and try for the half marathon (i finished 1hr31min).

After KL half marathon, I knew I had slightly less than 3 months to prepare for TMBT. I know that if I want to a decent chance of finishing the race well, I cannot afford to get injured again. Everything was progressing well till Flinder’s tour 50km (a race I participated to gauge my progress prior to TMBT) on 29 July, where I finished 6^th. A week after the race, again due to inaccurate technique for recovery, I was down with plantar fasciitis on my left foot. Thankfully it was a mild one, and it resolved after 2 days of massage. I hit the trail right away. And then I had cuboid syndrome of the same foot (a pain at the lateral side of the foot, due to tight peroneus muscle). After some intensive massage on the peroneus muscle (which runs on the lateral side of the leg from knee to the foot), I was able to run without too much pain again. I did not want to push hard this hard, so I decided to switch to mountain climbing with some minimal running in between. Soon after this, I participated in ultra-running research in Sunshine Coast University on 15 Aug (I wrote a detail account of it in one of my previous posts), where I ran 70km in 6 hours (6hrs45mins in total including all the brain testing at every hourly interval). I was quite confident at this point in time. I thought finally things have taken a turn for the better. However, a week after the ultra-running research, something didn’t feel right in both my knees. Once again over-zealousness got the better of me. I ran another 80km in about 8hrs30mins on 25 Aug during Relay for Life, was down with Runner’s knees for both my knees. My worst fear was realized.

Numerous injuries have marred my journey to TMBT. I have learned a lot about ultra-running this year – especially the physical and physiological part of it. Because of my experience in dealing with Runner’s knee, I was able to apply the right treatment for it, with 3 weeks left to TMBT. At the end of the first week, I was able to run 12km with 60% pain in both knees. At the end of second week, the pain was down to 30%. Though still not as fast as I had hoped, I was grateful for any sign of improvement in my run. 4 days before TMBT, I ran 28km along Putrajaya Highway, and the pain was around 5-10% on my right knee and 0% on my left knee. The pain was especially marked during uphill. Was I ready to run a 100km? Even a fool can say that the answer is no. But I decided to run it. I would share the reasons for it in the next post.

Here is a big cheer to all the runners participating in TMBT, whether you have had the best training in your life so far, or you too, are toeing the starting line with some injuries. Whoever you are, you have my deepest respect. The miracle is not that you complete the race; the miracle is you attempted it in the first place. Don’t give up your dream!

See you guys in the starting line on Saturday! :)

General Surgeons Australia (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting

General Surgeons Australia

4th Annual Scientific Meeting

From 08:30 Friday 21 through to 15:45 Sunday 23 September 2012

Wrest Point
410 Sandy Bay
SANDY BAY  TAS 7005

Wrest point, Sandy Bay

Hobart, Tasmania

Hobart, Tasmania

Yo hOO hoo! A paper that my surgical registrar and I have been working on has been accepted by the scientific committee to be presented in the Annual Scientific Meeting. WE ARE GOING TO TASMANIA!!! 

Tasmania is definitely one of my dream places to go! It's where mountains and sea are next to each other. I am very excited! Can't wait! :D 

I am one step closer to becoming a surgeon too! :D

Injuries and grace

The past week has been a roller-coaster ride for me. My knees were giving me a lot of problems throughout the week. Initially it was my left knee. Just when it got better, my right knee decided that it too, wants to create problem.

I feel like there is a constant enmity between me and injuries. They just won't let me go. I have tried a lot of methods and preventive measures, still i am haunted by injuries! Sadly i am not blessed with good bio-mechanics, and my muscles and all their attachments and interactions with surrounding structures are just a complex meshwork of mess. Poor flexibility, muscles imbalances, and slowness of my muscles to relax/recover are amongst some of the main reasons why i am always injured. I felt like i have already done a lot to modify my lifestyle, diet, training volume, but the intrinsic factors eg body bio-mechanic and muscle physiology, are frustratingly beyond my control.

Still there are positive sides to injuries. Each time i get injured, i am forced to look deep in my body and learn more about it. The whole leg is linked by a kinetic chain - from glutes in the butt, to the quads and hamstrings in the thigh, to the knee, to calves muscles and anterior tibialis in the lower leg, to the ankle, to the plantar fascia in the foot. Injury to one point, or tightness or spasms, will result in other parts working hard to compensate for it. I have learned that the site of pain is often not where the real problem is. It's only the reflection of compensation and imbalances that are at work leading to the final outcome, which is injury.

More importantly, injuries allow me to turn to my heavenly Father for comfort.

I have learned that you either trust Him whole-heartedly that He knows your pain and wants the best for you, or you don't trust Him at all. Half-heartedly trust is really no trust because you are in a place of conflict where your so-called 'faith' is constantly bombarded with doubts. To me, resting in my Father's presence and His love is the most comforting thing. David prayed: 'He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord,  'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' Psalms 91:1-2.

I had yet another massive encounter with the grace of God this week. During the weekend, i joined the Relay for Life walk to raise fund for cancer. The walk started at 3pm, and was going to end at 9am the following day. I arrived at 11.15pm, and my initial plan was to run all night and see how far i could go. Within the first hour of my run, my right knee was decidedly unhappy with my endeavour and it started hurting really badly. I had to stop. I was almost at the verge of tears and I desperately asked God to intervene. I asked my pastor (who was there since 3pm) to pray for me too. I did some stretching and massaging of my hamstring, knowing that that's the culprit for my knee ailment. It's too tight, causing mal-alignment of my knee-cap resulting in mal-tracking in its groove when i run (known as Runner's knee, or patello-femoral syndrome). After a while, I started testing it out again. I managed half an hour of running before the pain became glaringly apparent. I stopped again for further stretching. In my heart, I was crying out to God to help me. 'Does lightning ever strike twice?', was the question i had in my mind. I was already very grateful that God healed me the week before, was i too greedy or naive to believe God for another miracle?

As i continued running, I could feel my hamstring becoming more relaxed, thereby allowing the knee-cap to return to its normal groove. The pain slowly subsided. I was speechless after a while. I know, with all my heart, that it's the hand of God. Of all injuries, Runner's knee is my most feared one as it takes an awfully long time to heal. That day, God touched my legs and allowed the pain to ease off so that i could continue running.

So i kept running and running. I stopped every hour for drinks, gel, food and to do some stretching.

The sun came out at about 5.30am. I was still running.

Finally I stopped at 8am. Completing 80km in around 8hours30mins (total running time is around 7hrs45mins). I was done. Finished. Overwhelmed. Grateful. And joyful. Throughout the whole time, a lot of people in the showground gave me a lot of encouragement. Some ran with me for a while. Some cheered me on. I was very grateful for their support.

Now.. Two days after the long run, both my knees are still very sore and i haven't been able to run a step without feeling pain. Haha.. The price i paid for foolishness. Yet the grace of God came to me freely without any price! Actually this is not true. The price was the life of Jesus - which He gave up in dying in the cross for the sins of the world.

I know my dream of running TMBT is almost officially over, given that I have Patellofemoral syndrome (Runner's knee) of both my knees. Somehow, I am not as sad as i thought i would be. I believe in my Father in heaven. I trust His heart. :)

An artist's impression of the Relay for Life

Another of his painting. Can you spot where i am? (clue: close to the olympics sign :D)

Hope, without which we are nothing. 

Guess where i am in this painting? (Clue: The only person who is running! :D :D :D)

Photo with Aunty Thana and her mixed Caucasian-Indian kids

Trust His Heart

All things work for our good,
though sometimes we don't see how they could.
Struggles that break our hearts in two,
sometimes blind us to the truth.
Our Father knows what's best for us,
His ways are not our own.
So when your pathway grows dim,
and you just don't see him, 
Remember your never alone.

Chorus:

God is too wise to be mistaken.
God is too good to be unkind.
So when you don't understand,
When don't see his plan,
When you can't trace his hand,
Trust His Heart.

He sees the master plan,
He holds the future in his hand. 
So don't live as those who have no hope, 
ALL our hope is found in him.
We see the present clearly,
He sees the first and last.
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me, 
To someday be just like him.

*Listen to the song above by clicking to title of the song. Enjoy. :)

Ultra-Running Research - Completing 70km in 6 hours

Earlier in week i was a little concerned if i was ever going to make this run. After promising Colin - one of the sport science/human physiology professors from Sunshine Coast University (who is also an ultra-runner himself) that i would be healthy enough to participate, I was caught between doing what i thought would be best for my body (i.e. rest), or take another step of folly to see what the body is capable of. I was certainly not confident in the shape of my legs. They were still sore from all the running/hiking i have done the week before. Besides, the injuries that i picked up after the Flinder's tour have not been fully resolved yet. My left plantar was still a touch painful when i applied pressure on it.

The day before and the morning of the run, i made sure that i fully loaded myself with large amount of complex carbohydrates, protein and anti-oxidants, in order to deal with the repetitive stress of muscle contraction, tearing and shearing, and of joint-loading. I spent the night before the run with God too, reading His Word, being in His presence, and asking for His protection. Nothing is more comforting than to be in the presence of my heavenly Father. :)

Come the morning of the run, I arrived in Sunshine Coast University with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. Colin brought me to his exercise lab and introduced me to his two other German scientist friends and told me how it was going to work. I was to run around the track (1.3km per loop), and every hour i would stop for an EEG for the analysis of the brain activity, answer some questions on how i felt at that time, and complete a mathematics quiz. This would go on for 6 hours.

I started the first hour without any sizable problem. Since this is a run against time, i know there is no point in going fast. I would just run at a very steady pace, to allow the body to burn as much fat (rather than glucose) as possible. The first hour went by quickly. I clocked 12.5km. Time for all the testing to be done. I was out in the door running in less than 10 minutes.

The second hour went fairly quickly too. I clocked another 12.5km.

Half way in the third hour, I started to feel some slight discomfort in my left plantar. My plantar was starting to spasm (instead of contracting properly). And each time i landed, the fascia was stretching against tension due to the spasm, producing great amount of pain. Within 15 minutes, my plantar fascia was as tight as a fully stretched rubber; there was no room for it to stretch any further. The pain just skyrocketed in a matter of minutes. I was visibly limping at that stage. The mileage read 36.5km.

At the end of the third hour, I was very fearful. On one hand, I was just too shy to tell them i was not able to continue. On the other hand, I was worried if i continued, I would incur irrepairable damage that would end my dream of running the TMBT 100km in Borneo.

The 4th hour was the hardest. The pain had obviously decided to stay. I had to stop every lap to stretch and apply pressure on the plantar. It was definitely the most painful run i have had. At the end of the 4th hour, I was seriously contemplating quitting. The mileage stood at 46km.

Throughout the time, I was praying to God that He would somehow provide a way for me. I know it sounds silly, that here i am inflicting pain and injuries on myself and then asking God to take it away. I knew no other way. Like how He often showed up in the most desperate of times in the history of mankind, I was praying that He would come through for me. At the same time, i could hear the familiar devilish voice in me: 'Why would He care about you, you insignificant punk? He does not listen, He does not care or maybe, He does not even exist!' The inner battle was on.

I started the 5th hour with the intention of alternating between walking and running. Somehow, as i continued, I started to feel the pain easing away. It seemed like the dark curtain of my mind was finally starting to lift. As i continued, I began to pick up my pace again. My heart was filled with joy and relief. 'This is impossible', I thought. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude. I looked to the heaven and all i could say was: 'Thank You, Father!'

At the end of the 5th hour, the mileage read 58.5km. I knew I just have to run another 11.5km to finish 70km in 6 hours. The rest of the run went exactly as planned. No dramas. I was like a little child whose daddy had just bought him a new X-box! Just so relieved and happy. I finished 70km with a few more minutes to spare. I was not going to go further. That was it. :)

For the entire run, I consumed 6 GU gels and 3 yoghurt bars, adding to approximately 2000kcal. I was not tired at the end of the run, even though this is the longest run i have ever done in my life. I think i am starting to understand the secret of ultra-running. There is definitely a built-in, God-given natural bodily mechanism that allows us humans to keep going and going. All it takes is for us to develop this natural ability.

I did not know whether to laugh or to cry at the end the run. I witnessed two things today. First - the miracle of God. Honestly i was not expecting Him to show up. I have had so many injuries so far this year that i know well enough to sit back and deal with it on my own. The nice healing stories described in the bible are, hmm.. nice. I never thought it could ever happen to me. I was so filled with indescribable joy and gratitude.

The second thing was - running is a gift from God, much in the same way as dancing, music, preaching are to other individuals etc. Whilst i was running, I saw a lady who was semi-crippled and she was walking around in a very unsteady gait. She kept walking back and forth like she was lost. My heart was touched by the sight of her. It made the pain in my left plantar seem like a child's play.  It then occurred to me that there are many people in the world who are not able to run because of their physical limitations. I thought about people like Singapore Blade Runner, whom i had the privilege to run with during TMBT 50km last year, despite having one of his legs amputated, he was still determined to pursue his passion in running and mountain climbing. It not only teaches me to treasure little things that we have, but also to be willing to use our gift and passion well for a higher purpose.

Everyone has a gift in something. It may be singing, playing a musical instrument, speaking/debating, writing, having administrative skills, possessing natural leadership quality, dancing, cooking, encouraging etc. They are God's gift to us to nourish, heal and build up the broken world we live in. I pray that we will all use our gift well for His Glory. :)

'I run in the path of Your command, for You have set my heart free.' Psalm 119:32

EEG (analysis of the brain) every hour during the run

Running around a 1.3km loop for 6 hours

The research team

Set back

Endurance running, i have come to realise, is never a smooth journey. It's not meant to be. The very essence of the sport is that you will be exposed to challenges, danger, injuries, unexpected circumstances, and lots of ups and downs. You have to learn to deal with them as they come, with whatever wits and resources and courage you can muster.

Nothing is more than frustrating than dealing with injuries. For me, after the Flinder's tour 50.9km, I thought i have given my body enough rest by taking 2 days off and then gradually start running again. At the end of the week, I suffered plantar fasciitis, an injury i have never had before. Thankfully it's a mild one. After some self-administered treatment, I got back into running again. Too fast too soon. At the end of the run, I sustained another injury again. This time - Cuboid syndrome and peroneal muscle tendonitis.  Ahh.. God help me!

TMBT is only 5 weeks away. The thought of not being able to run it because of injuries is certainly a hard pill to swallow, especially after all the effort and preparation i have put into it. I am at my wit's end. I cried this week. God is teaching me a very difficult lesson here. He is teaching me to trust His heart even when circumstances seem bleak. Guess i am in the arms of God's mercy now.

I have to switch to hiking to keep my fitness up. I am not writing things off yet. Will persevere and trust God. Maybe, just maybe, i might witness a miracle. :)

6th place in Flinder's Tour 50.9km - a disappointing finish

When i signed up for this race, my intention was to do well in it, given that I have home ground advantage (the race starts 8km from where i live), and more than that, it will allow me to see how well prepared I am leading up to TMBT 100 and Northface 100 Singapore. I told people that my target is go under 5 hours, but really, I was hoping for a top 3 finish and a sub 4.30 finish.

I began the day with the same race day routine. Made my protein shake, ate some cereal and then spent some time reading my bible to prepare my heart for what's ahead. The verse that stood out to me is from Isaiah 40.31 - 'But those who put their hope in God will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. I know this is the longest distance i have done this year, but following a 5:15 finish in Northface 50km and 5:36 finish in TMBT 50km last year, I am no stranger to the distance now. My aim is just to run strong from start to finish.

The race started with a climb to Mt Beerburrum. I ran in front with Julian Spence (he would eventually finish second). He was leading all the way till the peak, and i followed closely behind with a hands-on-knee power hiking posture. We ascended and descended the mountain in 20-21 mins, and from then on, it's mostly trail running. He set off with a cracking pace, and from the way his legs kick off with each stride, I know this guy is a hell of a runner.  His stride is so efficient and effortless, and there is absolutely no way i could stick with him. My heart rate soared to a 177 high, and my breathing became extremely laboured. A few runners started passing me at this stage, and despite my desire to keep up with them, I know I had to slow down to allow my heart to assume its usual work-load. The quick and intense start in the beginning was not without its ill effect; my stomach came to a stall, nausea started creeping into my brain, and my stride became shorter and heavier.

From then on, I slipped into a low gear and just carried on at a more sustainable pace. I was probably in 6th position then. I caught up with the 5th runner in another section of climb, and would never see him again. At that time, given my over-worked state, and some surprisingly fast speeds for the front runners, I had to adjust my goal. My aim then, was to maintain my current position (5th) and finish in top 5, and maybe, just maybe, catch one more person in front of me. 

The guy in 4th position was in sight initially, but as we ran on, he slowly pulled away from me. 'Relax, this is only the first lap, i.e first 27km. Maybe he would slow down in the second half', is what i was telling myself. Little did i know that when i reached the U-turn for the second half of the race (the 4th guy was probably about 1 min ahead), it was me that hit the wall. The second half turned out to be a complete struggle on my part. My quads became to burn, and my whole body started to cramp up. For some strange reason, I could not swallow much calorie in this race. I knew that if i tried, i would surely regurgitate. For the entire 50.9km, I only took 3 gels (which are 300 calorie in total).

When we reached the second last aid station (with 8km to go), I thought i saw someone took off from behind me. There were a few 25km runners with me at that time so i thought it was one of them. I did not crank up my speed then. Had i known that it was another 51.9km runner, i would have done so. Anyway I continued running all the way, albeit in a much slower pace than the first half, and finished the race in 4hr33min. At the finish line, i was greeted by the 5th runner, who told that he finished 2 mins before me, and thought i was going to chase him down. Haha.. I didn't think i would have any strength to do so, and i was just glad to finish this race.

After the race, it was the usual catching up with the rest of the runners. I met Julian and started chatting with him. He is from Victoria and he is here for a weekend to do the race. He told that he didn't save enough for the last part, and was overtaken by someone else in the last 4km (he did 4hr12min). As we chatted on, I soon realised I was in the presence of a great runner. He won the Great Ocean Road 100km last year in a record time of 9hr58m, and his PB for marathon is 2:27. In his list of accolade is a PB of 14m30s for 5000m and 31m for 10km. Geez.. I knew I was right about him when I first saw him took off in the beginning of the race. We also talked about other topics like injuries, nutrition, training etc. A great and humble guy indeed.

All in all, although it was a disappointing finish for me, I did learn a lot. I learned about pacing, and how to avoid stomach woes in a race, and more importantly, how to improve myself for the future. I know i still have a lot of work to do leading up to TMBT and northface 100km, so the next 5 weeks will be an exciting time for me.

I am thankful for a yet another wonderful (and painful at the same time :D) day out in the trail, for meeting some great guys, and for a time of 4hr33m for 50.9km, given that i only had 3 weeks of solid preparation before that.

God, thank you for everything. :D

Before the start - Committing the run to God in prayer

Start

Julian - look at his powerful stride (forefoot strike and a high knee drive)

The guys in 3rd-5th position in the first lap

Panting .. 

Ben - the runner who overtook me in the second lap

At the U turn to the second lap

About 10km to go