Thanks, running kakis. You all are excellent pals.

Today, I tried to go running with the Mt Faber SAFRA Running Club. We started from the Clubhouse, but barely 3-4 km into journey, I began to feel the pain coming back to my left foot. This was accompanied by a feeling of tightness across my chest. The pain and discomfort were still tolerable, but by the time we had reached Marina South, my pace had slowed down dramatically. I began to get overtaken by everyone else. I checked my HRM. It was reporting 185-190 beats/minute. Although I was used to registering such high heartbeat rates, I previously only got them when I was running much harder, much faster. That was not the case now. Alarm bells rang in my head.

While the rest of the runners maintained their strong momentum and went on towards the designated turning point at the Superbowl, I decided to make an early U-turn and head back to the Clubhouse. I was half hobbling, half walking. The pain ran along the bone of the big toe in my left foot. I had to remove my Polar chest-strap to ease my breathing.

Along Keppel Road, I was overtaken by the SAFRA runners who had touched base at Superbowl, turned around, and were now going back to the Clubhouse. I knew I would probably need another hour and a half to hobble/walk back, and I didn't want to keep them waiting for me at the Clubhouse, so I took the Bus #131 back.

Back at the Clubhouse, a number of the SAFRA runners came up to me to give me advice for my foot. One said I should take painkillers, and go ahead with my running. Another said that I should get a second opinion for my foot (i.e. the orthotics which I had been prescribed by my first doctor was apparently not enough). Another said I should go to visit Dr Ben Tan (former sailor and now renowned sports doctor) at Changi General Hospital. And yet another said that I should go see a Chinese sinseh for acupuncture, moxibustion or massage. And still another said that I should let my foot rest, skip this December's marathon, and try again another time. Someone also pointed out that I may have developed gout, and that I should go for a blood test to check it out.

Sigh. What should I do?

I later SMSed Dr Leong to tell him that my foot problem was acting up again, despite the orthotics. He said that I go see him again for another appointment. I guess I could do that next week. I won't have time to go during the weekdays.

On a happier note, it was SAFRA runner Wong's birthday today. We gathered in the Clubhouse after our run for a cosy celebration. We had cakes, isotonic drinks, fruits and jelly. Later, after we had all showered, we headed for Miramir Hotel for a buffet lunch to further mark the occasion. It was the first time that I've seen so many Mt Faber SAFRA runners in one place. There were Chairman, Eng Hwa, Jimmy (Tuck Seng), Freddy, Alan Chao, Ong, Wong, Kumaran, Patrick, Derrick, and more.

After lunch, I went to TLR's house for a belated Hari Raya party cum SgRunners Meeting. There was a good spread of food, and lots of people to mingle with. There, I saw TLR, Fd, Alvo, Balasing, Kay, Sotong, Littlefoot, Commando, Bee, Tiwazz, Taz, Cosmic_Wind, Meteor, Superboy, DO, Cookie, BrokenRunner (and her two boys), DreamRunner, Phil, Bselby, 136, and many more. TLR and his family were great hosts :)

Again, at the party, people became aware of my foot injury. And again, I was flooded with advice. Maybe I could auction off my number tag and let someone else run my 42-km. Maybe I could order something off the web, which could help my foot recover. Maybe I should see Dr Ben Tan at CGH. Maybe I should change the way I tie my shoelaces.

I'm still at a loss of what to do next. It'd be such a waste to give up on the marathon, after all these months of training. But an injury is an injury, and I don't want to make it worse. And rather than dropping out of the marathon half-way, I'd rather give up my place to another person who would be able to finish it.

At around 5 pm, I developed a really bad headache, and felt extremely tired and thirsty. I sat myself down onto a couch in TLR's home, and found myself drifting in and out of an uneasy sleep. Maybe I shouldn't have run today. I haven't had enough rest all week, having worked past midnight for a few nights in a row. Or maybe I'm feeling depressed about my injury. Or maybe it's just that sick and oppressive feeling that I get when I remember that I have to work tomorrow and probably won't be able to leave the office until past 10 pm. I was completely concussed by about 6 pm. People started asking me if I needed panadol.

At 7 pm, the SgRunners gathering drew to a close. Balasing, Tiwazz and I decided to share a cab back to the West. On my way out of TLR's house, TLR passed me a hydra-stick. Thanks, bro, I really appreciated that! :)

When I got home, I was still feeling drowsy, and the throbbing continued its relentless pounding in my head. It didn't help that my left foot was still aching. I checked the web on what I could be suffering from. It could be a fracture, or gout, or hallux rigidus (athritis of the big toe). I SMSed a friend, Claire, to ask her if I should get an appointment with the sports clinic at Alexandra Hospital, or if I should just walk in for consultations. She advised me that it would be cheaper for me to go to the polyclinic and get a referral letter from there first.

I think I'll do just that. And I think I may have to just give up the 42-km marathon for 2005. It's a lousy feeling, but I think it'll be a smart move. And thanks, running kakis. You all are excellent pals, and I want to tell you that I really appreciate your care, concern and friendship.

I'm feeling very unwell, a bit tense, and very tired right now, but I feel that I must pen down today's events in my blog before I sleep. I don't think it'll be a peaceful or restful sleep, and I dread waking up tomorrow.