Kristian Stanfill - Lord of All

Check this music video! Awesome

A brand New Start

Today marks the day where i end my shift duties permanently. It has been a learning journey for last 2 years. I have learnt a lot about industrial fire fighting. I am thankful for the support from my fire chief, colleagues and men under me.

I am looking forward and ahead of my new role as Safety Advisor in same company.

Blackberry Bold

My latest "toy". It is a beauty. Armed with Wi Fi, bluetooth, GPS, 2M camera, push mail features etc.

I find it very convenient to answer all my emails, sms and even organise all my stuff. Only con is that you will receive mails at all sorts of timing.

A little Update

Hey, realised that i have not been updating this blog for long time. Even my gobi trip report has died of natural death...haha..

I have been real busy at my workplace. Its good to be busy and i seem to be enjoying it. Just a few update of me and my family.

We have been attending the Growing Kids' God's Way (GKGW) course at Covenant EFC. Both of us enjoyed the lessons and applying some of it with our children. We are looking forward to the day where God will shine upon and from them.

As for myself, i have attending the Men's In Covenant (MIC) workshop on my own too. Good stuff. This is a seminar whereby only guys gather together in worship and fellowship. Currently, i am attending the "Winning At Work" session. Really applicable at the moment in my new work.

As for self development, i have just started my guitar lessons in Advanced Worship Dynamics 1. I hope to use it when i volunteer to lead in the worship for the coming EC Retreat. I was also looking forward to the Primer Course in Voice Program, however, the classes are full.

My MSc classes also started. It has been difficult after laying off for 1 year. Failed my first quiz. :( . i have told myself i need to buck up and start revising!

Til then...

Gobi March - Start of Race Day 1

Race briefing started at 0730hrs in front of the stage. Team Tri-Seekers received its biggest blow this morning when Steven broke the news to Lam and myself that he would not be able to run at all as he had accidentally injured his right knee the day before. We could tell that he was really disappointed and worried that he might not be able to finish the race. He urged both of us to continue and race individually. After much consideration, we decided that Tri Seekers would run as individuals. However, we would keep a lookout for each other through the whole event.

By 0800hrs sharp,the sound of the gongs and drums pierced the tranquility of the desert area. The race has started. I opted to stay behind first as gain more running space coz of the narrow path. After 1km, we encountered our first river crossing. Earlier we were told that we would be facing more of such crossings throughout the day. Darn, what a way to start with our feets soaking wet! By then, Lam and myself were running at a comfortable pace, crossing the rivers and settling in the mid pack. I decided to push ahead after 10-12km as i could feel the heat was rising and i felt slightly "burnt" from the sun. I left Lam with Pauline and i went ahead, hoping to find another comfortable running pace. By the 2nd checkpoint (20km), i was feeling dehydrated and could feel cramps in my legs. In my mind, i was thinking it was no good to feel this way in such an early stage. I knew i never do well under hot weather conditions. I tried to drink the electrolyte drink as much as i could and ate the gels too. However, i still feel lousy and bloated. When i hit the 3rd checkpoint, cramps were everywhere. I had to restort to walking from 30km onwards. I could not even run as it would averggrate the cramps. I was praying and wanting that this stage to end quickly. To add matter worse, my pack was heavy (15kg)and my sleeping bag was slipping off constantly. It did not get better with the sun scorching on my exposed skin ( Big mistake, i was wearing short sleeved tee). It came upon a time where my mind went blank and every step i took, i was not bothered what was ahead. I was looking down on my feet all the time. This continued until i reached a village and gathered that we could be near the finishing. Not until we have to continue for another 2.5km, did i finally saw the stage 1 finishing line. I just picked up whatever strength i had in me and just ran across the line. Was just elated to end Day 1. Time taken was 6 hrs 21 minutes.

Now is the time to eat, rest, soak my feet in the cold water stream and email Sharmaine.

Gobi March Part 3 - At Base Camp

Today will be the day where we will be heading out to the Day 1 Campsite. We were told to gather at the hotel lobby at 2pm. That will be our last time we will see any proper civilisation for next 7 days. The lobby was jam packed with bags, equipment and participants taking photo shots with each other. We managed to gather all the Singaporeans for a group shot. We never knew that the next 7 days, this race will bring all of us closer to each other. soon, we were asked to board the buses based on our bib nos. Mine is 91 and in my bus are Steven Lim and Kah Shin. We were told that the ride would take 2 hrs.

When we arrived, we were treated with a grand welcome by the local villagers. They were standing in one line, starting with their head of the clan and down the ranks. It was intersting to see that. The women and the kids formed the last of the line. We headed to our assigned tents which is Uzebeks. For the first time, we met everybody in the tent and introduced one another. After settling down our stuff, we were treated to their cultural shows and we had our catered dinner. In Kashi summer, the daylight is longer and so the night starts only after 1030pm onwards. by the time after dinner and getting ready our stuff for tomorrow, it was close to 930pm. Decided to turn in early and catch some rest. I need that for the next 7 days.

Gobi March - with KOTH Champions and Trailwalkers

I was stoked when i learnt that KOTH Champion, Stone Tsang will be racing in the Gobi March. He is my idol for three simple reasons. Firstly, he is fast ( i witnessed how fast he went in Gobi, OMG), secondly, he is from the Fire Service ( yeah...) and lastly he is really down-to-earth and humble. Stone, if u chance upon my site one day, this is for you!

Not forgetting Kah Wai. He is also from the Fire Service, serving as Ambulance Officer. He is another fast runner. Pity that he had bad blisters that affected his running. Nevertheless, Kah Wai, way to go!

BTW, both of them will be heading for the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail (168km) this year. I wish them both the best.

Gobi March Part 2 - Off to Urumqi and Kashi

We woke up at 530am to the sound of our phone alarms. Supposed to board the airport shuttle at 600am sharp. Shuttle came on time and off we went to the airport. We arrived at the airport and for the first time, we saw many of the participants. All of us are recognizable by the same Raidlight backpacks. Soon three familiar faces appeared. It was Team MR25 which consisted of Steven Lim, Jacob Johnson and Christian. We also got to know Nicholas whom now we know that he had the biggest lobangs when it comes to desert races. Flight time to Urumqi was approx 3hrs. We arrived smoothly at the airport because the airport itself is small. This is the beauty of being small. Can be efficient and not complicated.

We saw Dean Karnez "The Ultramarathon Man" and decided to take a picture. Nice bloke and we learnt from him that he had just finished an 700km race a week ago. It made people like us very normal. We learnt that our next flight was 9 hrs away! Being stuck 9 hrs in such a small airport is totally a test of our patience. Somehow, we survived that ordeal. We would be heading to Kashi airport for our final destination.
After 1.5hrs flight, we have finally landed. I believed ours is the last plane of the day. Once of the buggage area, we were greeted by the RTP staffs. We were whisked off to our buses and began our 20 minute drive to our hotel. We were told that our hotel is the newest in town. Once arrived, we were greeted by Mary Gadams, Zac and the rest of other RTP team. Checking-in to the hotel has been arranged. Within 5 minutes, Lam and myself got our room cards. We were pretty amazed by their technology. The doors are using tap card system and the facilities are new.

As tomorrow would be equipment-check and race briefing, Lam and myself got down quickly to prepare our backpacks. By 2am, we were ready to hit the bed. Has been a long day.

Gobi March Part 1- From Dusk to Dawn

Beep...Beep...Beep...the alarm rang at 5am on 5th June that morning. For some reason, sleeping was difficult the night before. In my mind, i was filled with excitement and apprehension. Questions such as "Have i bring everything i need", "Is the food enough", "Have i train enough for this" etc..Hurriedly, i woke up and went through my bag one last time. After which, i went and prepared myself to head off to the airport. In the car, there was some silence and i knew my wife was worried for my latest insane activity. Although for the past few months, she has been very encouraging and supportive, i knew that she had been praying hard for me, "God, bring him back one piece to me and our children". I couldn't bring myself to say anything to her at that moment as i was afraid i would hurt her.

TiTi...my phone beeped twice. It was Tian Yew who asked me if i have left. I replied no and arriving soon. Lam texted me and said counter 8 to check in. I thanked my father-in-law for driving us to the airport and he wished me good luck. Check-in was smooth and no excess baggages. Surprising, my check-in bag weighed only 16kg. We looked around and was surprised that we did not see other fellow Singaporeans on same flight. We headed to one of the cafes in T1 and had wanton noodles. We took some pictures with Tian Yew. Soon, it was time to board the gates. I hugged my wife tightly and we prayed together for our safety(She was also leaving for Taiwan in next few days). I waved at her as i walked and the image of her grew smaller as i walked further. Before baording the plane, i called her last time and thanked her.




It was an 3:45hrs flight to HK. Managed to catch the movie, Vantage Point. Was surprised that Steven was enjoying all the free Heineken Beers in the plane and i snapped a picture of him. Very soon, we touched down in HK airport. We have 1.5hrs transit and we hanged around in the departure area till our next boarding time to Beijing.



Again, another 3.5hrs to Beijing. Entertainment sucked! I missed SIA! Oh well, i "forced" myself to catch some sleep. I was so happy that we landed at Beijing aiport. I was surprised that airport was almost empty. Isn't the date near Olympics? Where are the people? Immigration officers were friendly and efficient. Soon, we were out of the transit and in the arrival hall. Quick check with the Info counter, she scribbled our hotel in Chinese. We took a cab, boy, the driver was totally lost and had to stop passing vehicles and people to ask directions. By God's grace, we found our hotel (Sino Swiss) in 15 minutes, amist of our aimless wandering!

Our airport hotel was in the middle of a self contained town. Many interesting shops, supermarkets and restaurants nearby. We came across a huge SPA centre and went in for a full body massage. Dirt cheap! RMB88 for 1.5hrs. The back massage was good and the rest was crap. Went for a real authentic chinese dinner that had pork, fish and veggies. Went back airport to retire early and have a flight to catch to Urumqi in the morning.



To be continued!

This is it - Gobi March

Finally the day has arrived. In about 12hours time, we will be onboard the plane to my greatest adventure to date. The 1 year of planning(literally) and preparing for this race will be realised. Before the race starts, a few people i would like to thank for

(1) My wife - She has been my greatest supporter. Taking care of the family while i am away for training and overseas races, on top of her work. The only reason i ever want to complete the Gobi Race is because of you! I will carry our family pictures when i cross the finishing line.

(2) My mom and mom-in-law - Thanks for sacrificing your time to take care of the kids while we are away.

(3) Friends and well wishers - You know who you are. We will be victorious and come back in one piece!

(4) GOD - My spiritual and inner strength. He has worked many miracles for me and i believe HE will do it again in Gobi.

It has been a fantastic journey. I am sure that it will be one of my most memorable events that i will remember for long time.

37 days to Gobi March

37 days to Gobi March. I only realize it after i start to write this blog.

This morning, i received the RTP patches which are to be sewn on our shirts and bag. Deep inside me, i am hoping that this event will come soon and end soon. In other word, GET OVER IT AND DONE WITH. In this way, i can look forward for another event in 2009.

We have gotten almost 70% of our equipment. What is left is the freeze fried food, dry foods and other miscellaneous items. We also need to sort our lodgings before and after the race. I hope to sort all of this out by end of the coming week.

In terms of training, the three of us are doing most training individually. It is difficult when three of us have different work schedules. This is not the most ideal for the team and hopefully we will survive together. The team's aim now is just to complete and not any podium finish. Well, we will deal with that when the time comes.

Right now, it is time to get our stuff ready.

Sundown Ultra Marathon

Yup, it is confirmed that Team Tri Seekers will be doing Sundown Ultra Marathon as our final countdown. Though it is exactly a week before our Gobi Race, we feel that we will still take on the challenge. Experienced or seasonal ultra runners will tell us that we are nuts to get ourselves injured. Well, we know the possibility of that risk. Therefore, we are going to pace properly and definitely slower. Our aim is to complete before the cut off time (if possible). Secondly, we want to support our kind sponsor, Powerbar (aka Athlete Circle) for meeting our nutrition needs.

See you all at Sundown.

From Team Tri Seekers (Bernard, Lam & Steven)

More changes

Sad to say, or should i mention Happy to say in another bigger way....

Again, there are going to be quite few changes to my race calendar this year.

I cant comment anything at this moment as things are not finalised yet.

Well, all i can say it is related to my new job scope in which i am still finalizing with my company.

Watch this space, folks!

Gunung Belumut

I did this Mountain Race one week after the KL marathon. Initially, was skeptical about my recovery although my legs seem fine by Sat ( And i still went to do 10.5km with 5kg load at Mac in the morning).

Met Chin in the morning and shard a cab to Woodlands Chkpoint. 30minutes later, we were on our way, walking across the Causeway to the Malaysia Chkpoint. Boarded our bus in JB and ate the porridge bought by Steven ( i actually asked for teh...). Had a short nap and 1.5hours later, we were almost near our destination.

This was my first visit to Malaysia Nature Reserve Park and it was refreshing, not realising what was expected to come. Kelvin, Camper's Corner gave us a short brief and it was time to go. William, Kim Hong and Alvin set the pace super fast and within few minutes, they were literally out of sight. I stayed at 4th place, not wanting to push too hard and early. The trail was wet, muddy, lots of exposed roots, hanging branches etc. In my opinion, it was rather harsh environment compared to our friendly Macritchie and BT. Caught William halfway point and we were together for the vertical climbs. By then, could feel my legs are telling me that they were tired. Had to slower the pace and by then Danzel had catched up. I tried to pace him behind and used him as my motivating factor to keep going.

Reached the summit in 1:27 hours. Was told after the race that the one way route was only 5km. This is the longest timing i have done for 5km run, or rather uphill run.

I knew my descent are usually better in terms of reading the trails. By then, i could feel my legs are getting tight and i hope that it would not give way during the descend. I maintained my pace and I used that as my advantage to move down the mountain. By midway, i have caught up with Danzel who was having some problems with his quads. I told him to follow closely behind me but he couldn't and asked me to go ahead. I pushed the pace slighter faster since it was downhill. I was surprised that all the while, my legs were still holding in place. After running downhill for almost an hour, i could hear the sound of the waterfall and i knew that the finish line was close.

Was so relieved to see the flight of stairs and concrete pavement. i cruised in and finished 4th with a time of 2:27 hours. Never mind the time or even the placing, i was glad to finish in one piece, although i had few minor cuts on my leg. The cooling water at the waterfall was a good treat to the tired legs.

We waited for the rest of non-competitors and had our dinner at Kluang town. Traffic at both Causeways were ok and we reached Singapore before 11pm. Thank God i had 2 days of rest.

KL Marathon 2008

Boy, i was glad that it was over! This year, the marathon seems slighter tougher than the previous year. It was humid to begin with. I was perspiring badly before the 3km mark. Also, seemed lots more car and had to contend with the fumes from the cars.

Overall, i still did better than last year. Overall pos, Cat pos and the official time had improved. More significantly, i did not stop at all and my legs did not suffered any cramps. Most probably, thanks to the recent trgs i had with the KK team. It has strengthened my lower limbs but i know i still have lots of trg and strength workout to do.

Was again happy to see my wife and son at the finishing line. Learning from last year's race, this year we opted to stay nearer the start line. So both of them could leave the hotel much later and still able to catch me. We stayed in Ancasa Hotel and it turned out our hotel room was a mega suite (two rooms into one). KL shopping was a treat for my wife and as usual, ended our trip with the Bah Kut Teh.

Here are my result

RkCat RkTot Bib EngName Country OfficialTime ChipTime 10Km HalfWay 30Km
41 94 278 LEW BUANG KENG Singapore 3:43:14 3:42:43 0:54:00 1:47:23 2:36:59

KL Marathon 2009? Only time can tell. As of now, i will give it a pass for the third time.

Marriage Breakthrough Weekend

Received the good news that we are confirmed for the MaBtW. Both of us have heard of this retreat through our longtime friend, Andre. It will be exciting that we are going together with Grace and himself.

Halleluiah!

Events Updated

I am including some new and exciting events that i plan to do this year.

Looking forward to it.

Latest - NTU Vertical Marathon

Received the latest news from Chin and Steven. I came in 6th position! In the process, i won myself a prize. 

Planning for 2009

I have started planning the race(s) for 2009. As usual, mainly to block the dates in advance. Also, my workplace will be having its TA next year too. Hence, it will be wise to plan ahead and eventually narrow down my choices. I am still working out to do either one super major race or two "smaller scale" races. Whatever it is, it still depends a lot of my financial committments.

After much initial researching, here is the list of potential races:

1. Coast to Coast Longest Day Championship - Feb
2. Keen Adventure Race (with CK) - April
3. Gore Tex Transalphine Run (with Lam) - Aug to Sept
4. Ultraman World Championship - Nov
5. Silverman Triathlon - Nov

NTU Vertical Marathon

Completed the Vertical Marathon at Republic Plaza this morning. A very good lung pumping workout. I was happy to go under 10mins. Rest of my team mates did well too. Especially to Kim Hong and Chantel who were in top 10 positions.

To think that 280m above sea level is only 1/15 of what we are going to experience in KK.

Youth Olympics Belongs to Uniquely Singapore

Yes yes yes....We have done it and won it. To beat other 9 candidates and finally Moscow, it is such a sweet sensation. I am proud that We, the little red dot, has proven that we have the right stuff to beat all odds. I should be receiving the phone call soon. 

Some pictures that i took at Padang with my family.

Standard Chartered HK Marathon - i did it!

Here is an extract that i wrote to NTUC  Sport & Wellness and Mt KK team 

HK was cold on the first day i stepped there on last fri. Weather was looming 11-15 deg whole day. The temp itself was bearable but not the chilling and gusty wind that blew upon you. Realised that i was not going to "survive" the 42km wearing only my T-shirt, i had to scurry and find a hiking shop and bought myself a base layer. Gloves was next on the list and luckily for "Lady Street" (Pasar Malam), i got myself a cheap pair of wool gloves. 
 
Expo
It was held at the Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. They converted the football hardcourts into a big expo and finishing area. As like other race expo, there were diffrerent sports brands marketing their products. What was interesting was the flexibility and gait test conducted by the HK Polytechnic University. Since it was free, i did a trial with them and was pleased with the results.

Race Day
Race started at 7:45. Lucky for me, my hotel is almost right in front of the start line. When i went there, there were already many runners doing their warm up. Boy, it was cold and i thought i do a short warm-up to get the body going. After a short speech, race started. At the beginning, the street roads were slightly narrow and so most of the average runners (like me) had to go through a slow pace for about 10 mins. Once we hit the highways, the field is spread evenly and there were more space to move around. That was where i started to increase my tempo and was doing a 4:30-4:40min pace. At 12km mark, saw the race leader and also our Singaporean elite, Ramseon heading back. Sceneries were only confined to highways and tunnels. To make it slightly worse, the air was quite foggy and couldnt see anything nice landscape.
 
I kept to my fueling regime and was surprised that i was able to stay a consistent pace. At 30km mark in the last tunnel, my watch read 2:28hrs and my body was still managing the pace well. I was thinking that i might have a chance of doing a PB in this course. However, i knew that the true test would appeared only at the 34km mark. True enough, i saw the incline slope at the end of the tunnel but what i did not know that the incline slope would also lead to a steeper one. I reduced my pace and slowly ran up the "hills". Felt a tight hamstrings at 38km and had to ask the Med Officer to apply some deep heat. Took a look at my watch and it read 3:11hrs. I was gambling whether should i go under 3:30hrs for the last 4km. In doing so, there is a chance that i might pull my tight hamstrings and risked the remaining distance walking. Or should i reduce my pace and finish the race conmfortably? Since i knew this course will be PB, i opted for the latter. Hence i went on at 5:30min pace for the next 2km. The crowds got larger and were cheering for all the runners, i felt a "renewal" in my legs at the point in time. . I increased the tempo again and cruised into the finishing line, overjoyed and elated coz it is all over. 
  
Post Race
Went to Korean BBQ buffet and "whacked" all the meat (protein carbo load). 
 
In summary, i think that for some of us, this race could be a PB due to its cooling weather. Others may find it slightly tough due to terrain. For me, i am glad that i have done it and in the process i have also ran a PB.

Over-all Pos-ition

Gen-der Pos-ition

Cate-gory Pos-ition

Cate-gory*

Race no.

English Name

Chinese Name

Country

Official Time

Net Time

10km Time

Half Way Time

30km Time

434

384

73

MMS

20516

LEW BUANG

Singapore

3:33:21

3:32:37

0:52:02

1:42:13

2:28:18

Our hotel

My "dream" finishing time

Me doing the free running test

Post Race Dinner - SK and Candy

Lam - Enjoying the Dim Sum Lunch

Another Event Smoked Out

Just two weeks ago, i was hoping that i can try my hands on the new multi-sport : Adventure Racing. I am hit by another bad news. I am now officially unable to do any AR event in Nov as i have to work. There goes the anticipation and hopes. 

See how it goes in 2009.

The Adventure Itch is Back

My wife is right. She said that i would never give up racing. She made that statement after i almost freaked her out by wanting to participate in Ironman China and Silverman. Lucky for her (and me), Ironman is definitely out this year. What's left is now Gobi March and KK Climbathon.

So why and where is the itch coming from??

Adventure is the word. Gobi and KK are purely running events. To me, adventure should encompasses different elements just like the Ironman( you swim, bike n run). To fill my "adventure" morphine, i look around and was surprised to receive an sms from Enrico :" Yo, wana to do the Anaconda Adventure Race"? So happened that our Trifam friend, Wilson (a student based in Australia) did the race last Dec and he put up his entire race report. http://www.triathlonfamily.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4333

After reading, i was like...Hmm, worth considering and to top it off, they had a race in Geographe Bay (same place i did my first Ironman). Also, our friend (Mythos) who migrated to Perth, offers to bring us there and back over the weekend. Somehow, logistic is almost settled in a sense.

I am definitely considering but now i have to work out the budget first.

Darling Maygane, You're 1!

I love January. Two of my darlings are born in the month of January. We celebrated my wife's birthday earlier and now it is Maygane's turn. We had the birthday bash at our condo's function room (which is awfully big and good). Our close friends, relatives and CG members were there to celebrate with us.

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Sharmaine's birthday in Prego on 16 jan. Though it was a simple dinner, we were happy that God has blessed Sharmaine for the last 1 year. It was no easy to go back work after 1 year of no pay leave. We pray that He will continue to watch over her for this new year. 

Excellent fries we have ever tasted

Jayden with his mischievous grin

Surprise! 

Happy Birthday, Darling.

BTW, we have never felt such a excellent service provided by the Prego's staff. Very attentive, detailed and most of all entertaining to us and esp Jayden! Keep it guys.