Merry Binge-mas - Tuesday the 28th of December, 2010

After a very lazy four days of eating, drinking and lounging around, I decided to head out on a longish lunchtime run on Tuesday and decided to head back out to the High Junk Peak trail, this time running the longer road-side first and coming back along the trail.

The weather was completely opposite to my last trip on the High Junk Peak trail, with bright sun and relatively hot temps revealing the views I mentioned last time.


Looking towards my goal. The Plateau / Ridgeline in the centre of the picture is close to where the trail joins the road


An awesome retaining wall just about at the point where I left the road and ascended onto the ridgeline


Stunning views if I wasn't too busy watching my feet and making sure I don't trip over on a rock!


Single track: narrow, twisty, dirt trails... Awesome! The (large!) hill just to the left of the track is Razor Hill which I ran here.


Just another view of this glorious trail. Again the large hill to the left is Razor Hill


I think this should be the same view as in the third photo from my last trip to the High Junk Peak trail.


Looking back towards High Junk Peak itself (the sharp one)


Heading down onto the plateau seen in the first photo!


Taking the mountain bike route down the hill (the "hiking" one is just a series of stairs!), I was treated to a fast, adrenaline pumping, roller-coaster filled with tight corners like this one.

What a fantastic run. I also found that if I run the road section first, the uphill to reach the trail is a little longer, but not quite as steep as the other side, meaning I didn't have to slow to a walk up the stairs!

I'm looking forward to doing this one again soon!

See you in the jungle!
~ Joe

Listening to the wind - Wednesday the 22nd of December, 2010

A fairly non-eventful run with the only thing being the battery on my shuffle dying after the first 5 minutes!


A little lean-to built alongside the trail


Strange debris considering a complete lack of overhead powerlines in the area!


The view out towards the High Junk Peak Trail. The range just right of the centre is what that awesome trail follows


A sign forbidding excavation of construction. Doesn't seem to have stopped anyone up here!


Baking on the exposed uphill sections!

The downhill was super enjoyable and at quite a good pace, while the flat was smooth, comfortable and I fell into a good rhythm. The uphill is always the hardest section, but it felt fast and rewarding.

Even though this is a course I've ran many many times, this was a smooth, fast and very enjoyable run.

See you out in the sun!

~ Joe

Rock hard calves - Monday the 20th of December, 2010

Rock hard calves... and unfortunately, not in the able-to-withstand-anything kind of way... more in the solid-mass-of-immovable-muscle kind of way!

Most people would expect that after 4 days off (quite a lot for me), I'd be at about optimal condition, rested and ready to go, but often I find that I run best on the second or third day in a row. I think this is because 1. my muscles know what to expect (both the speed and the effort required) if I ran in the few days before and 2. my legs aren't as stiff and my overall motion is a lot smoother.

So, after 4 days rest, stiff legs today that took about 20mins to thaw out, and as I was heading for home, I felt a small knot developing at the base of my skull... not more neck pain! Fingers crossed.


A dead leaf with colours like fire


A little village just off the main road




A truck carrying reo


A panorama of Tseng Lan Shue


The newly constructed village headquarters building in Pik Shui Sun Tseun celebrates Christmas (sort of)

The actual run wasn't too bad, just so hoping that my mild neck discomfort won't develop into something more serious again!

Really hoping to see you out on the trails,
~ Joe

Pain in the Neck - Wednesday the 15th of December, 2010

Yes, yes... very late.

As quick tour around the normal Hang Hau 10km route, this wasn't really a run of any note... Except of course for the mild pain in my neck and shoulders (easily ignored) that, the next morning, became severe pain, putting me out of action for 4 days!


More photos of sprawling roots


High density living in Hang Hau


Hang Hau Village. These three storey houses are very Hong Kong, and you can see them all over


A splash of colour



The actual run itself wasn't so bad, posting an okay time. The pain in the neck was very annoying tho, not so much for the pain itself, but because it stopped me from running and climbing for the rest of the week!

Running in straight lines,
~ Joe

Head in the clouds - Monday the 13th cof December, 2010

Feeling a bit low after Sunday's run I packed my Brooks Cascadia 5's, the trail monsters, planning on a trip up Razor Hill to bolster my motivation.

Upon arriving at work it became obvious that I wouldn't be heading up Razor Hill as the mist and light rain would have turned the route's normally treacherous descent into a long, muddy, slippery-dip death dive... Even in the Brooks.

So instead I hatched a plan to head south and run the first half of the High Junk Peak Trail. A rough mark-up on Google Earth told me the distance would be around 14-15km... really stretching the boundaries for a lunchtime run, but my mind was already made up.

Heading out along the roads, I'd forgotten how much uphill you face on the roads before the trail starts, but altitude is altitude and I wasn't complaining about gaining it on the roads instead of stairs on the trail.


After the initial steep climb, the trail flattens out and normally shows you the next major hill. Not today (there should be a large hill in the middle of this panorama!), as the low clouds that encased the entire region made the trail feel isolated, remote and fantastical.


Only on cresting each hill was the next gradually revealed


Beautiful sweeping panoramas of Clearwater Bay dotted with lush islands to the left here... Normally


The white-out allowed me to focus on the delightful, winding, and at times, rocky trail.


Despite this amount of fog, the ground was mostly dry, a good thing on rocky sections!

Unfortunately my head wasn't only physically in the clouds and I almost almost rolled my ankle through a rocky section and 5 minutes later dropped my camera! Good thing the Pentax is built tough. It suffered a small scratch on the back LCD but still functions perfectly!



Heading down the hill and over a small stream


Bamboo forests


Hitting the road, I began making my way back to UST. A village style house along Clearwater Bay Rd.




All in all, about 55mins of running along the roads to earn 25mins on the trail, but that's not such a bad equation. If I could get a third of all my running done on trails, I'd be very very happy. Unfortunately, it appears that the more time I spend running along beautiful dirt tracks, the less I'm content with pounding pavement. I'll just have to enjoy it while I have the privilege.

Dreaming of those winding trails
~ Joe

P.S. I'm still looking for other contributors to this blog. Articles about runs, gear, training or anything related are all welcome, even if it's just a once off contribution!

Listen to your heart - Sunday the 12th of December, 2010

And I should have.

I was feeling quite lazy and inactive on Sunday afternoon and I didn't really feel particularly motivated while looking out my window to go for the long run I had been planning around the city, but I told myself that I didn't run on Saturday, and the weather was ideal today... so I should go out anyway.


Starting out, I never really found a comfortable rhythm...


... despite the ideal weather and not bad vista (considering I'm running in the middle of the city!)

I was originally planning to run all the way down to the clock-tower but seeing the hordes of people on the boardwalk, turned me back northwards. I run the full length of the waterfront to the north, moving at not a bad pace, but not really enjoying the run.


A nice curve amongst straight lines


The end of the waterfront: a dodgey old wharf building

Although finishing in not a bad time, I finished in a low mood. Normally a run will leave me on a high, but it seems if I didn't really want to go, and carry that negative attitude into a run, that's all I'll get out of it... But everyday is new day... I just have to find runs that will motivate me. Sadly, the idea of running along crowded city streets holds almost no appeal these days.

See you on the trails with a big grin on my dial!
~ Joe

The Unfamiliar Familiar - Friday the 10th of December, 2010

Alternate title: Doing things the hard way!

Getting ready for my run today at lunchtime I was feeling a little bored with all the normal routes around HKUST. Since I didn't have my trail shoes, that ruled out the wilder runs either down to the coastline or over Razor Hill. Instead I decided to do my normal half trail, half road run, but in reverse.

With the exception of (and perhaps because of) one very hot & humid day when I attempted to run the route "backwards", I've always ran this route the same way. Down the trail and up the roads. Today I was doing things the hard way.


Broken furniture on the roadside


A bamboo fence


Overcast and fairly good conditions for a run, heading down the hill along the roads


Past Po Lam and heading back up the hill, the trail changing from dirt to paved (and later back again)


Tung Fong Path. It's amazing how much weathered it is, considering it was constructed only 8 years


The final bit of uphill before a cruise through the trees and back to UST

Running the route backwards is almost like running a new route, with different views to look at as I meander along, but this particular route is significantly harder going uphill along the trails! Not a bad run, but I'm still struggling to find motivation for my lunchtime runs. Gotta try to find something new!

See you on the trails!
~ Joe

Wild Tour - Wednesday the 8th of December, 2010

After a couple of days rest (I was a bit sore on Monday after the race!) I was ready to head out again and organised to run with fellow HKUST runner, Willie. It'd been a while since we were last able to run together so I was quite keen to show him my new-est, best-est route - the Little Hawaii Trail! I did warn him that it was going to be a rather hard (but very scenic!) run, but I think he was surprised just how tortuous the route really is!


Just getting onto the trail. Bright overhead sun, but cool air temps and a lot of shade made for wonderful conditions.


Looking back across my little courage tester


Almost at the waterfall, preparing for the final battle


Major difficulties over, this trail winds towards the road before a couple of tame hills and a long descent to HKUST

Although my legs were burning on the steep uphill sections (I don't think that'll ever change), I was feeling great throughout the run and recovered fast after each hill. The route has never felt easier!

I'm looking forward to stepping things up and trying to pick up a bit of pace before my January half-marathon.

See you in the hills!
~ Joe

AVOHK Tai Lam Chung Reservoir Race - Sunday the 5th of December, 2010

Well, after only finding out about it on Tuesday, the race was quickly upon me. In the lead-up, I kept telling myself that I should just take it easy and try to enjoy myself. I didn't taper, I didn't eat right, get enough sleep or put a lot of effort into prep... but I did have a fantastic race.

The night before, I had pizza and beer for dinner, getting to bed around midnight, telling myself not to worry, that I would just go out and enjoy the run.


The sun rises behind hills as I walk to the starting line


Racers getting ready

I couldn't help myself. There was no going easy. Pre-race I was a tiny bit anxious and when the gun sounded I started at a pace I thought would be unsustainable.




The race follows the circumference of Tai Lam Chung Reservoir, first taking an access road along one edge before coming back along a sandy and rocky trail. The road section had the longest hills (but not the hardest). In this section I was just moving along with a group of fast-ish runners, chatting to fellow runners, everyone able to stick a good pace early on.


Looking down the starting straight towards the only real hill the race climbs (photo taken after the race!)

After the road section we hit the first water point and headed onto the trail. Back where I belong... and it showed. The trail was very twisty, fairly sandy, with occasional rocky sections that required swift feet to navigate. I quickly lost the pack I was running with except for one runner determined to stick on my tail. As we'd enter the rockier and hillier sections, I'd pull away from him and when things flattened out, he'd be right back on my tail. He was using me to set a good pace for himself, but honestly, it was also very good for to have someone constantly there to keep me moving at a good pace.

The trail moved onto a road briefly before another water-point and a final quite tough section of trail. The weather was starting to heat up and this section featured steep hills with lots of stairs. I was running low on energy, each staired section taking another chunk out of me. I lost contact two guys I was running with but just had to wrestle with myself. Just gotta keep pushing, almost there!

Coming back out on the dam wall, an adrenaline burst allowed be to push fast towards the finish line. Time running down on my hopeful 1hr10min goal.


On the dam wall, with the reservoir on the left. Again, looking towards the one real hill

I crossed the line in 22nd place overall, somehow snagging 3rd in the Men's Open (18-35 year olds) category. I think I just missed out on the 1hr10min goal, probably coming in around 1hr10min30sec if my calculations are correct (official results haven't been released yet).


Surprised to have snagged 3rd place. (I think this little guy is in charge of the athletics association - an absolute machine, recording a time close to 1hr!)


Spoils

Overall a fantastic race. Certainly, there were many things in my favour. The course exactly suited my style; the distance is fairly ideal for me and It's only 2 weeks since the Oxfam 100km, so it's possible many faster runners are still recovering from that. Still, very happy with the effort overall and it's got me excited for the half marathon I'm running in January!

See you in the hills!
~ Joe