Mudslide at Sime Track

We have been finally blessed with a spot of sunshine today and yesterday, and as the newspapers report, the clothes lines are full and hanging out once more. But just a few days ago, in the midst of the fury of the afternoon monsoon that came in from the north, I was running at MacRitchie and enjoying the slow rushing streams that gush down Sime Track after the Ranger's Station about 4.2 km deep in the trails. Then, in yesterday's evening news, I caught a report about mudslides at Bukit Timah, near Tiap Tiap Hut trail. My own visit there a few months back did suggest that the man-made trails there were very unstable and would not hold up to a week of constant wash and run-off. In fact, what the TV news cameras showed was much less terrible than what I would have expected. Still, hikers and joggers appeared to ignore the National Parks cordon and skirt the site at their own risk. Yesterday, I decided to hit Bishan Swimming Pool at 2.20 pm and thankfully, it was almost deserted. By before long, the school children were escorted in for some event and by 3.30 pm, the regular swimming instructor there was holding his class of tiny youngsters in the main pool. Certainly, I am encouraged to see so many dedicated swimmers, and possibly among them, some future national record-breaker. But the Sports Council would have done better in anticipating the need for more olympic lap pools and do away with the wading pool, or re-design the pool layouts to accommodate the need for more lap swimming by enthusiasts such as myself. Anyway, for reasons I can't say, I counted as many as 60 laps in less than 90 mins of swimming, which is probably my best yet! Incredible. Yes, I did feel a bit sore on the bed last night... and I slept very, very soundly, too. But this afternoon, I heeded Nature's gently prompting and found myself heading back to MacRitchie with the sky slightly grey and brimming with faint light from sunshine all morning long. To my surprise, when I arrived at the Ranger's Station, the starting point into Sime Track was completely cordoned off with no way to skirt it. Backtracking, I could see the reason why: there was a HUGE mudslide which completely wiped off whole portions of the trail into naked red earth and completely demolished vegetation which washed down the slope at the side of the track. It would have been horrific if some jogger or hiker was caught in that mudslide. Just then it occurred to me that it could not have taken place yesterday but the day before... perhaps even just minutes after I myself had passed that track in the rain. Like my other entry earlier which spoke of fallen trees, I am beginning to re-evaluate the inherent dangers that lurk and may present itself to trailrunners like myself. But that is the same thrill and adventure that all outdoor enthusiasts intrepidly face. Nonetheless, it's only a worthwhile adventure when, just like Bilbo Baggins - hobbit of noteworthy renown - is erstwhile when you do get there and get back again. I definite admore George Mallory, but do not want to emulate him in death and passing.

Sprained Sinews & Fell Trees

On Wednesday evening, after the rain, the weather was simply too cool not to head out and make for a night run. So I got into my GCS Comp once more and dressed for the wet and cold, ran the short 6KM route from home, through the Westlake Braddell Secondary School campus, past Mount Alvernia Hospital to MacRitchie Reservoir. Once there, I was not sure which way my instinct would lead me and my heart laid towards the long trail, entering at Little Sisters of the Poor. But it was falling into twilight, which at the equator was to last minutes before darkness set in. So, I let my instinct rule by safety and found myself running towards the fitness park entrance, which ordinarily I would consider my exit. I followed some runners in, and that was by itself comforting. The fitness area was flooded as usual, and unusable. Just past the 1.5KM mark, there was a fallen tree which had blocked the trail, but not so severely we could not skirt it. I ran past it and though suddenly to myself that just a few days ago, in the rain, that heavy felled tree could have easily fallen on me, or any other runner. It struck me just how much we take nature's own dangers for granted, simply because statistically, there were fewer of us out there to make the numbers. For all our urban tree planning, kerbs and commercial activities, we hustle and bustle mostly away from these falling branches and landslides... so much so that the more likely dangers are falling tiles and slipping on walkways. But in other parts of the world, these mudslides, burst river banks and falling branches are just as real. And I was immediately grateful to be able now to live and share in the forgotten experience and dangers. Yesterday afternoon, at 3 pm, I found myself vacillating between running or swimming, and the rain seemed just as vexed. Then I decided that I could make the run. But the pain in my right knee joint did not subside despite my treatment of it with moderate rest, diet and some massage. I knew that it would be a hairline fracture within the marrow and only worry about any small clot travelling upwards to the brain. I won't need any aneurysm or mild stroke from a sports injury right now. At the same time, I did not want to consume any anti-coagulant such as aspirin or ginko extract. But to keep my blood pressure down, I allow myself some starfruit and starfruit juice. The run was more a jog and I felt fully at ease. At the Golf Trail I took a breather, not that I needed it, but I felt cautious, as well as particularly aware of the calm and vivid colours that besiege nature after the rains. When I reached the fitness park at 7KM mark, I decided to run up my upper body with some chin-ups (done with ease) and rest. I wanted to soak in the whole scene and fresh air. I then started on the job back. I felt rather hypoglycemic by now, for I had skipped lunch to run, then faced with the uncertainty of whether it would happen or not. By the time I reached the last leg of the trail, and faced the felled tree, I was overtaken by this slender and athletic caucasian runner, wearing a www.triathlonfamily.com adidas tee shirt, asics running shoes, arm-strapped Sony-Ericsson player and Polar heart-rate monitor. He seems to have all speed with him, but I could follow his pace for a while and towards the last 600M decided to sprint - just as Dexter Jr used to do to me! - and make for the exit. It was great to be in the open again, with the flat calm of the lake mirroring the pearly sky above. Couples and families are all heading out and this late afternoon seemed more like a weekend. Then a voice calls out, "Hey Beiron, well done that last part, heh!" I look surprised to my right, smile spontaneously and greet my fellow runner. We adjourn to the cafe at the hilltop of the reservoir and chat: he's begun the triathlon experience just nine months ago, and runs splendidly to my mind. And he's also started on perfecting his front crawl strokes (probably with coaching through TriBob, I think at the Farrer Pool at Kampong Java Road), eager to make for his Langkawi race soon to come. Then he's off running back to his Novena apartment for a 4 pm appointment. I wonder if we'll get to meet and exchange notes again. It was great to run into another enthusiast and someone who empathises the whole experience of getting started in a sport such as this. At Westlake Secondary School where I am working on my chin-ups, a blue cab drives up and the driver waves at me. He's looking for the school office. I could not help much, but a young bloke in a black polo tee with the word "Security" stamped on its back appears and he tells the driver that the school is now defunct. Sadly, I also learnt that the LTA planned to build a new link road through the campus and that would ruin the current beauty of the place. We share our thoughts about the sheer natural beauty of the place in the mornings... and I also mourn the probable loss of my fitness workout area in the school campus. We chat for a long while before it begins to rain again. He's name is Sebastian and he works three jobs, with this security assignment being the one before he hits Clarke Quay to bartend. A former Army regular with the Special Ops, we talk about all sorts of things. I guess we will both meet up another day and say more. But it is time to head back and stay warm and dry... and get some dinner.

Rain Reigns; Can't Rein In The Rain

Saturday, 31 December 2005 Why should calendar dates matter, that we define life by weeks, days and months, years and life cycles? I was just glad to wake to another day of life, and vaguely guess what the rest of the day holds, let alone know what I might do in the evening of this day or the rest of the afternoon. Does knowing the future matter? By late afternoon, this last day of 2005, in what may be described as the most peaceful year (era?) of my life (or in another mind's eye, the most tumultous yet?), the weather seemed to wane but the last dripping of bright afternoon sun pre-supposes that there is a chance of yet another great day to run in the open. By 4.30 pm, I am out of my usually lethargic body and my happier self is afoot in a trot by Westlake Secondary School. I make good pace, and find myself very much in the best of moods. I pass the canoe lodge at MacRitchie Reservoir I think I recognise a friend sleepily lazing on a bench unawares I pass behind him. By this time, I decide to wish every jogging passer-by "Happy New Year". My first greeting meets a couple, and I get a hearty greeting a few surprised footsteps behind me, and I know that I have already done the unexpected. I mean, it is New Year's eve and we are sharing an activity outdoors. This must indicate a kindred spirit of sorts. You think. But I also get to meet a few others to trudge the same route coming from the opposite direction who seem too lost at words to return the same greeting. Perhaps, they did not understand me. Somewhere along the first two kilometres, the forest gets very silent, and then around the 2KM bend, the frogs all come alive and I am humoured by this. The overcast sky and drop in atmospheric pressure must have fooled them that it is already night, this smart mind of mine thinks. I jauntily laugh as I increase my pace. The cool air and overcast sky keeps the air fresh and keen, my body does not tire, and I feel the light breeze that comes from my quickened pace cool my skin and refreshen my kinetic spirit. Just past the 2.4KM mark, the drizzle begins with an onslaught that immediately made me certain this would be a great run, probably the best in my whole life... a simple man's backyard penny adventure, almost. The light over head is now just a grey blur, and my brand new Tag Heur sport sunglasses have nothing to polarise any more. The rain is now pouring, and transforming puddles into pools by footsteps I take. The leaves which were rustling just now are flapping in the petering rain, and the sound of the forest - once quiet before the storm - is drowned by the liquid madness. But I get entranced and now I am less worried but more excited... as just the thought of trail hikers being waylaid and hiding out in the cramped shelters seep into my mind. When I do run past the shelters in this mad rain, I feel some kinetic energy pulse through me, perhaps from knowing that these people must all think I am mad and just too absorbed to know better. That latter is true... and to be honest, it was my best pace in the post-triathlon race "era" for 2005. I run past the ranger station, smiling and energized, my body not feeling dehydrated or even dampened by the pouring rain. It seems like the weather is just fuelling my spirit and that is just energising my effort to keep the race and run, run, run, splashes and skids, and miss even spraining my right ankle when I slip. The rocky trail has turned into a gushing stream and disappeared beneath it. The trail is just splurting downstream after the ranger station towards Jelutong Tower, and if you know that route and the direction I am taking, it is sheer fun to run that stretch with wild rain turning trail to raging stream... My Salomon GCS Comp in now really proving how great the shoe really is... the grip, the aeration, the feel, the support and lift, the plough and the stride. The shoe was built for extreme conditons and it surely underperforms when it's used in any less wild situation than this...! I am like - wow, now I really dig the shoe - even when previously I have test-used it in other conditions and already believed it's potential... but now, you just know that for the outdoor and wet conditions, this works wildly great, man! So, I past a few more stranded trekkers, and they all seemed so surprised and shocked to see me run at the pace I am at... I am quietly surprised at what my body is doing as well, and I can bet that my heart rate never exceeded 159 bpm... In any case, the experience still had some real "hair-raising" surprises like when the lightning cracked overhead relentlessly and disturbingly near, too. When you are out in the open, as I quickly came to realise, the sky and anything which thunders overhead all seem strangely near. The high humidity in the dense wet air transport sound so effectively it makes every thunder sound closer... but when I tried to call out the seconds after the lightning and did not get pass "one", I found myself ducking and thinking, "Hey, if my hair starts to stand on end, I am going to dive to kiss the ground and don't care any more what I look like..." But I am drenched to the skin, and luckily, the Salomon XA Tech Tee and race tights are all doing a fine job of insulating me despite being soaked clean. Also, as I hit the Golf Trail, and pass the golfers in their shacks, I note their expressions of bewilderment and concern for my safety. I thought to myself if they would call me to safety and lend me a jacket to keep warm (?), but instead I hear myself calling out: "Happy new year, gentlemen!" and they all gaily reply back. That kept me warm for the next kilometre, you bet! Back into the MacRitchie trails in the last few KMs, and it was a breeze. No stitches or anxiety. At the 9KM mark, the rain breaks... like the eye of storm, and I look to the left to see the lake, the forest trees and sky in ethereal light and crystal clearness. The scenery is more like it apperaed out of a New Zealand postcard, temperature and all, then anything you might feel about Singapore if you have been stucked too long in an aircond office or stuffy flat. By the time I run to the end of the trail, the weather seems to have come to the end of its tantrums, and I feel powerful enough to continue back to Westlake and Toa Payoh North. But when I get into the Westlake school campus grounds, the rain starts to pound again. My thoughts go out to the small group of Malaysian student hikers speaking Cantonese who just got started on their trekking towards the Treetop Bridge inside the MacRitchie trails. Hahah! Well, it is all the adventure that outdoors in Singapore can offer - out fickle weather - to make up for the scarcity of geography and space! I get back home, soaked, and just wished my best pals were all awaiting me with absolut apeach vodka and the TV spluttering noise from the new year eve programming. But instead, it is not a fantasy, and no one has broken into my flat to surprise me. I get home, bathe, change, and within a few hours am downtown, lounging and wet again in a spa, to welcome the new year with fullness to get more physical in 2006. No prizes to guess my new year resolution, but I know better now, it will be sporting alone and for my own sake, too. With rain, who needs company!