recce in the dark

Ah...5 days break away from work.

In what was part of a preparation for Sunday's Swift Northern Challenge Run, my dear ct took me and Luq on a leisurely walk around the route we'll be running so we won't make a wrong turn on the day.

After collecting our dri-fit Tees with a big 'SWIFT' printed on it, we started walking the whole 12km or so of it. It was already 6:30pm when we started.

ct showed us the tricky roots, trunks, and rocky trails she ran over and over for the ultra, and I must say, I wouldn't have made it through if I had ran. Come Sunday, it's ONE round only, in the opposite direction.

We were having a good laugh and our spirits were high upon reaching the midpoint, the Golf Link. We were saying how it was like entering paradise after seeing hell. I was doing cartwheels and demonstrating how to fall in style in the event of a failed attempt at executing a somersault, a la Agu Cashmir. The sun was setting at that time, and the place was so tranquil and picturesque.

Then comes the supposedly endless boardwalk, according to ct according to Sukaimi, but it was over pretty quickly, where got endless? Must check with my bro next time I see him.

Then darkness descends upon us. We were in the thick of it, without the sunlight, and with the moon waxing crescent (11% illuminated on 12 Jan according to this), and with the trees blocking out that little bit of what's left, it was pretty damn dark. So, the 3 of us took out our mobile phones to help us see what we were walking on, with me walking in front of them both so they don't see the silly grin on my face.

Those 2 behind me were saying things like, "What's that noise?", "Did you hear that?", and "Is that someone singing?". I just said, "whatever's out there and the noises you hear, are because they are running away, afraid, cuz we are the intruders!". Of course, I'm talking about the monkeys, squirrels, lizards, and crocs, silly.

Took us almost an hour to get out of it. And we were saying, "Cars!", "HDB flats!", and "Lights!". Heh, it was fun.

Now all that's left ahead of me is the little task of repeating what we did at double the pace, half the time, on an early Sunday morning...hear that now, legs?