Trippin’ on health in Singapore
January 13, 2006 | 12:00am
Run a 10-kilometer marathon. Indulge in spa treatment. Feast on vegetarian meals – and also on agenda, a visit to the Night Safari and Sentosa. This trip to Singapore, in short, was great – and yes, there is more to the city state than shopping malls.
I was registered as one of the 21,000 people to participate in the Singapore Marathon, which has been running for seven years now. But this was the fourth Singapore Marathon that Standard Chartered Bank sponsored.
"This year we have seen several records broken. This year we have 21,000 participants, up from 14,000 last year. There are more female participants competing. We have over 5,800 women up from 3,960 last year," said the emcee at the presscon for the Singapore Marathon at Suntec City, Singapore. The presscon was held for the elite athletes – Helen Cherono of Kenya who won in the women’s category in the 2004 marathon and Philip Tanui, also from Kenya, who won in the men’s category last year. Joining them were the others who were most favored to win in 2005 – Gigi Asha Roba of Ethiopia, Wang Xiashu of China, Irina Timofeyeva of Russia for the women. The other men were John Ekiru Kelai of Kenya and Jote Ashebir Demissu of Ethiopia.
The marathon was broken down into three main divisions – the full marathon (42K), the half-marathon (21K) and the 10K run. We were informed that at the time for the presscon 6,000 had signed up for the 42.5K; 6,000 for the 21.5K and 9,000 for the 10K.
It was great to be in the same room with such great runners. These were serious runners, because after all, the top prize for this year was $25,000.
After the presscon, Wee Tee Wong of the Singapore Tourism Board told me that we had to make sure that I was registered for the race. After a little confusion, I was able to get my kit, which consisted of a chip, which I was to attach to the laces of my running shoes. The chip had a sensor, which would be able to let me know how long I had run, and whether I really did finish the race. I was also given a sleeveless tee and a number.
Runner I was.
It was Friday and race day was on Sunday. This meant that I had two whole days to get ready for D-day. OK, so I was only running 10K but it’s not how long you run, but that you make it to the finish line that counts.
Wee Tee made sure that I would be race ready by Sunday. " We are having great vegetarian meals to keep you feeling great for your run," said
Wee Tee. "But I am glad that I will just watch you from the sidelines."
It was a wonderful Saturday morning the next day. What better way to prepare for the run than with a visit to Sentosa? I needed to get a feel of the Singapore climate which, mind you, was quite humid. I opted to take a ride on the luge – the thrill of speed, the speed of gravity, that is.
The luge is go-cart ride downhill. You drive your own car and control how fast or slow you want the cart to go by pulling or pushing the handlebars. I love driving, so I tried to get all the speed this cart could give me. One ride down the mountain was good enough for me. To make it back up the mountain is even easier; just catch a ride on the chairs that take you back up. No sweat. Ahhh, but the taste of speed made me hungry.
It was off to the dining room were I opted for carbo-loading. The race was still for tomorrow, but I, hungry runner, needed all the nourishment I could get. Vegetarian spaghetti was on the menu. Lots of tomatoes and great sauce, too. I was stuffed and wanted to preserve all my strength for the 5 a.m. wake up call.
After lunch, I called it a day.
I went to the gym at Raffles The Plaza hotel, where we were booked, and did some brisk walking on the treadmill for conditioning.
I walked over the Esplanade, the starting line for the race. When I got there I found out that the race for the 10K runners would begin at 7 a.m. But it was great nonetheless to see all the 21,000 runners gathered at the starting line. Everyone was busy doing their warm-up exercises while others where jockeying to get to the starting tape.
But fiesta-like it was. There was music and two guys doing the hosting chores. They tried their best to cheer the runners on. Singapore Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who participated in the 10K run, attended the event.
The 42K race started at 6 a.m. The 21K runners started their run at 6:30 a.m. By the time we started for the 10K run we could see the 42K runners completing over 10K of their run.
I have joined several 5K fun runs, but this was my first time to join a 10K. So, I had a plan. I would finish – that was the plan. As we ran down to the Marina, there were signs and clocks set up so we could see what time we were keeping. I know that I had done the 5K in 40 minutes. Not bad, I thought to myself. But the next 5K was the challenge. It was humid (a good excuse) and I wanted to get in as much of Singapore on foot as I could. So I did the next 5K in run-walk fashion.
Littering was allowed (for once in this "fine" city) as water stations along the way were filled with water bottles which lay scattered all over the ground. Most people in the 10K were obviously there to take in the scenery, too because there were men, women, teenagers and moms with strollers joining the race.
I finished the race in one hour and 15 minutes. I was happy enough that
I finished before the 42K winner did. OK, so I only ran 10K – that’s what the clock said when I crossed the line. I was so tired I thought I would faint. But I did make it to the line where they gave the medals for all the finishers and then, I walked back to the hotel.
It was Kenyan Amos Matui, not one of the early favorites, who won the 42K race for the men with a time of 2:15:55 and Russian Irina Temofeyeva finished at 2:34:37 for the women.
Lunch was at the Imperial Herbal Restaurant. "Delicious gourmet cuisine is our philosophy; therapeutic herbal food is our recipe" is what the brochure said about the resto. I was excited about lunch after I read that the resto does not use any ingredient that comes from endangered species. The brochure also stated: "The finest cuisine is not defined just by how good it tastes, but also what it does for your health. Blending the secrets of traditional herbal medicine with culinary skills is what makes good food that is great for the body."
We had Boxthorn vegetables with wolfberries, which was really light and tasty. It combined an assortment of green leafy vegetables with wolfberries, which are supposed to help improve vision and serves as a tonic for the liver and kidney. Our soup was made of tofu, which was served on a nest of fried potatoes. We had eggplant with chili which was spicy, just the way I like it.Wee Tee insisted that I try the warm haw juice. She told me it was made from the haw fruit. The juice was a bit on the sour side but it was good for taking away the spicy feeling left on my tongue from the eggplant.
A 45-minute massage was waiting for me and Lucy would be my therapist for the afternoon. While we waited for the room we spent the time relaxing at the lounge – perfect. "We also can hold parties here or business meetings," said Han Wee Lin, marketing manager. "There are six private rooms which are available on a first-come-first-served basis."
Han Wee also told me that the spa’s lounge has also been used for product launches because of its cozy and relaxing atmosphere. Sometimes, people ask if they can have their seminars there, too.
There is an ala carte all-day dining menu which offers freshly squeezed fruit juices, hot beverages and tea; appetizers, snacks, main courses and desserts. "Would you like to try some of our food?" asked Han Wee.
Too stuffed was I that I opted to skip the offer.
We also took a walk around the spa and checked out the hot and cold therapy pools, which emulate the pattern of a waterfall – pleasing to the eyes, and the sound of water running soothing to the ears.
As I entered the treatment room, a feeling of "hurry up and get on the bed" came over me. The room has no clutter, just gray concrete walls which gave me a sense of nothingness – and the desire for a good massage. The soft glow of the tall paper lamp added to the relaxing atmosphere the massage room evoked.
I got a shiatsu massage because Lucy said it would be best for me after all the running I did that morning. She hit my tired muscles at all the right places. "Do you want be to crack your back?" Lucy asked. It was a daring day for me, so I said yes. I heard my back crack and then I felt my muscles relax.
Health, wellness and Singapore – the perfect combination.
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