SCKLM 2011 IN SHORT

i am not in the mood of reenacting the lacklustre race (the one ran by me of course, as a whole, the race was well organized)  but i need to do it while the will to blog is still around and for record sake. I will keep it short and simple.

training: almost non-existent
race entered prior to SCKLM 2011 : 2
carboloading : checked. 75000 calories
support system : boisterous and quirky kakilariks and fmvs.
initial target time to finish: 5.5 hours

KM when cramps first attacked : 20th KM
KM when reduced to walk: 25th km
KM when the idea of DNF occured : from 25th km onwards

running style from 25th KM : alternately run and walk
number of cramp attacks : countless
number of walk breaks : countless
number of swearings: countless

number of stops at water station: every waterstation from 5th km onwards
number of stops at paramedic : from 1st medic tent till the end

time taken for 21km : 2 hr 25mins
time taken to finish last 6km - 55 mins.



highlight of the race: kak june's kedai runcit, kakilariks bonding session prior and after the race, collective runners' highs, the race ambiance, girls in skirts, men in skirts..etc

Verdict:

SCKLM 2010 : 4 hrs 27 mins
PBIM 2010 : 5 hrs 46 mins
SCKLM 2011 : 6hrs 5 mins

Nuff said!

Lesson learned : 
1) Never rest on laurels
2) Never attempt to run 42.195 km without sufficient training
3) Respect the distance.

Special mention:
1) Kudos to kaki lariks for completing the race regardless of category and timing especially azlan aiman for clocking a wicked sub-4 timing
2) Bravo to FMVs for having the bravado to outdo yourself by covering a 42km and succeeded at that.
3) R.E.S.P.E.C.T to Ultramarathoners who ran down south, who were really crazy to cover such a punishing distance and succeeded at that..
4) Salut  to Kak June Malik for her selfless act, for being the glue that sticks the FMVs together, for being the inertia that keep the FMVs going forward and for the heaven-sent kedai runcit.

Will i be running that distance again? a resounding YES! but that will have to come with trainings, LSDs, core strength training etc.

NB 15KM 2011 - i hit rock bottom and cool about it.

*clearing cobwebs*

My desire for running (and participating in competitive race) has somehow waned. For some unfathomable reason, it went downhill after the completion of my virgin full marathon last year. I am no longer my usual runner self, who would be all perked up, discovering soon-to-be-held running events. I was in short, burned out. Running was scarcely done. Makan-tidur and up to no good activities thrives.

After almost a sedentary year of non running, eating-spree, reckless snacking and slothing, I had the cheek to attempt a somewhat used to be stroll in the park but now a gargantuan task to complete. Suddenly, my libido for participating running events was aroused, thanks to celebrity runner Irwan Anuar who could not make it due to work commitment and gave away his bibs to me. And also I was subtly peers-pressured by the quirky and now-hit-by-the-running-bug Kaki Lariks.(guys, u’ll be burned out, too.. trust me..it’s just a matter of time.. hehe)

I don’t know whether I ran the race well. With four lengthy walk breaks, by any runner standard, that’s a badly ran race.. my old runner self would have pulled my hair reacting to the manner the run was executed. Strangely, I felt great completing it, regardless the shabby timing. Knowing that I was up wee in the morning to pound the asphalts, sweating bullets rather than curling under the blanket already made me feel like a winner. And yes! the camaraderie with kaki lariks after the race was the cherry on top.

The timing was so abysmal that it way off my best NB 15km timing, by 20 minutes difference..

One cannot bask in his glory all the time, sometimes a runner has to own his/her shortfalls and eat the humble pie.

Location : homeground, Putrajaya.

Terrain : 90% Flat.

NB 15KM RUN 2009 VERDICT (masa ni baru berjinak-jinak)

Time : 1:46:41 Men Open Placing : 423 Overall placing : 926

NB 15KM RUN 2010 VERDICT (mind you, the terrain comprised of killer hills of bukit tunku)

Time : 1:15:34 Men Open Placing : 37 Overall placing : 77

NB 15KM RUN 2011 VERDICT (Teruk gile, but I can live with that :) )

Time : 1:35:34 Men Open Placing : 443 Overall placing : 488

I am not sure whether I will return to be the running junkie who would drop everything to run at every opportunity. For now, I would just take it slowly, one at a time, moderately rekindling my love for running.

Next is larian koperasi, this coming Saturday,

i said i wouldn't run on the bridge but i lied

Yup. I lied. Being the bad brother that i am, i ditched my initial plan to attend my brother engagement do and went to penang to revisit the bridge. My justification, the engagement will still take place with or without me around. After all, it's only an engagement, not his wedding.. Hehe.. (saja sedapkan hati)

I went to penang not placing any hope to clock a good time, what more a personal best. I dont even hope for a sub-5 timing. I've been slacking with training with the last LSD being the newton race more than 2 months ago. The target was to only to complete the race injury free and to have have an enjoyable time running on the bridge.

I swear i was salt overdosed prior to and during the race. And i think i was also overhydrated. Not wanting to experience potential cramps, i bloated myself with 3 litres of water diluted with 10 sachets of ors. Feeling that alone was not enough i brought along with myself nuun salt tablet to be consumed while running. And not to forget the customary bananas walloping for instant energy.

I started off steadily with my normal pace. Not too slow and not too fast for sure. I was still good entering the bridge phase and scaling the incline at the middle of the bridge. It was airry and breezy which was divine to me, just like when i ran on the bridge for the first time last year. I was still okay after the u-turn at the far end of the bridge with my pace still intact.

As i strode to scale the incline at the middle of the bridge, it was drizzling which was nice as it gave cooling effect sensation. I hope the drizzle would last till the end of race. Boy, was i wrong. As the full marathoners converged with half marathoners at the middle of the bridge, the drizzle transformed into torrent and i had a whale of a time running cum showering..

It was still raining hard when mr.cramps started saying hi to me. It was when i passed the 26th km marker that i felt minor jolts at my shins muscles. It was still ignorable when i slowed my pace. A few 100 metres away, the real muscle cramps started rearing its ugly heads. Both shins and thigh muscles felt stiff and i was statutorily unable to move. I was literally standing in the middle of thousands of thronging runners waiting to be trampled by them. I managed to make my way to the side of the road. Lucky that i brought a long deep heat lotion tube and applied the lotion on my shins and thighs.

From then on it was a 80% walking – 20% running affair. I was reduced to walking most of the time. To top that, after the bridge phase ended, the full marathoners needed to run a mentally torturing, neverending, stretch. It was so frustrating that while i still had my energy fueling me, my running effort was hampered by mr.cramps. Everytime i lifted my thighs and legs to run, the muscles compacted drastically that it was unbearably painful . I lost track of how many cramps-attack i had as it kept revisiting even when i was walking. That was how bad the cramps attacks were to me. I swear by that time, i have already popped into my mouth 5 nuun tablets but they were frustratingly futile.

I have lost the sense of time, but i knew i would clock more than 5.30 hours as the 5.30 hours pacers passed snail-pacing me. I was still walking when i converged with eager 10km runners. Couldn’t care less, i decided to walk among them as it was still painful to resume running. It was approximately at the last 3 kilometers that pui san called my name to join her with the rest of the runners pacing the 6 hours pacer, choi cc. Strangely, the cramps disappeared and i could run a modest pace. I was pacing alongside zaki yui the last kilometers. We crossed the finishing line together and clocked almost the same timing.

I am glad that i finished the race despite the timing was way off my personal best time (1 hour and 19 minutes). I clocked my personal worst at pbim but learned a very valuable lesson from it. To run a full marathon, one must be fit physically and mentally. Even when one is mentally strong, it wont just jive if one’s physical is unfit. I don’t blame anything else for my unflattering timing, i don’t blame the futile NUUN tablets or the ORS or even the torrential rain (which is believed to be the major cause for the cramps). I put the total blame on myself for slacking off with training which resulted to my unfitness.

InsyaAllah, I will put much effort on training on my next full marathon at Putrajaya Night Marathon which is slated to be on January 2011.

Verdict Full Marathon PBIM10

Timing : 05:46:53 hours

Position: 743

p/s: btw, I am pulling out from Stanchart Singapore. Therefore,  interested, yet to be registered runner may have my bib.

p/p/s: congrats to those who finished PBIM irregardless of categories. Good job! Kudos to those who emerged as finishers with PB.

p/p/p/s: thanks kakjune for the kedai runcit. The sight of you and ijam’s friend alone gave morale boost to RBUs especially the budding FMVs.

family first

If running is a job, I am going to shirk one particular job. The PBIM ’10 job. Apparently, the date coincides with that of engagement of my younger brother. Too bad for me that my family only decided the engagement date last week. It did occur to me to forgo this engagement thingy and put my runner self above all plans. Come to think of it, my brother only gets engaged once, and I surely want all my family around me on that special day should my turn comes only-god-knows-when. Yeah, I have to place my priorities right. And it is without doubt a right thing to put family first above all things. It’s the most natural thing to do.

With that my FM Bib has changed hands. I am gonna miss running on the wee hours of the morning on Penang Bridge. I am gonna miss running while enjoying the gust of sea breeze blowing my face. And I am gonna miss the food hunt right after the run just like what my friends and I did last year. And ultimately I am gonna miss fellow quirky runner friends' good company.. :(

In another light, this comes as a blessing as I am really undertrained to run a full marathon. The longest run I did was during the Newton 25km Race. And that is all about it.

Alas, memory lane could not be revisited this year. And I am cool about it knowing I am doing the right thing. :)

failure to launch

I attempted a recovery run, post GTB yesterday evening. It was at the usual playground, picc-masjidputra-picc. Did the customary warming up of muscles and loosening the joints prior to the run. I knew I must run this 11km route, as I would do on any normal day.

Sadly, it was an attempt that failed unceremoniously at its premature phase. It was after a 100 meters that my shin muscles felt stiff, as if they were compacted by some mysterious force. I tried to ignore the uneasiness and proceeded on. The uneasiness recurred as I strode a few more meters and that was when I decided to call it a day.

I knew I have to love my body first rather than forcing it to work beyond its capacity, though deep down i felt tinge of jealousy as other runners have started recovery runs as early as Monday morning, the day after GTB ..

a repenting slacker

Guilty as charged!

*clearing cobwebs* I know I am such a slacker. I slack in updating my running escapades and I also slack BIG TIME in training. Slacking in documenting my running activities does not hurt much, but slacking in training really took its toll on me. After completing my first FM at SCKLM, I began to play truant from training, citing commitments to works as culprits. There was one time I haven’t run for almost a month resulting my stamina plunging to its lowest. Due to almost non-existent training, I performed terribly in few races clocking undesirable time i.e Men’s Health Run 12 km (1hr 05 mins) Newton 25km (2hr43mins).

It is only of late that my training begin to pick up its mileage but it is really nothing to shout about if compared to powermen-to-be’s (you know who you are) mileages. And I haven’t been running LSDs since god knows when. OMG! I am so screwed up! It is scaring the shit out of me knowing that I have 2 weeks more to prepare for my 2nd FM at PBIM2010. I am gonna go all out with mileages before the big day arrives come 21 November 2010.

On another development, I participated in Genting Trailblazers last weekend partnering Shanaz in the mixed category. I prefer our team to be called The Peejays (peejays as in Putrajaya) but shanaz don’t like the idea and she preferred Fit and Fabulous instead which sounded corny to me. Hehe. This is my 2nd year scaling the hills and jungle of Genting. And hell yes, we had whale of a fun doing it with company of close friends and quirky RBUs’s antics as cherry on top. Overall, it was a great and challenging race (always love the scaling and sliding down the muddy hills part and not to forget the mineral rich mudbath at the end) and we ended up securing 22nd placing (original target was to be in the top 10! Fat chance!)Okay dah tu..

From today onwards, I promise myself to incorporate running as part of my life’s routines emulating what some people has diligently been doing (read: syah, yim, shanaz, zack yui, rayzeef, our powermen friends, etc) and not to forget to reenact my running activities in the form of write ups in this godforsaken blog.. InsyaAllah, preferably microblogging would just do it.. 

My mi adidas Baby

My good friend Wira insisted to get me a present for my 29 forever birthday (denial! I am 30 btw) and demanded me to name anything I want for a birthday gift. And his idea of birthday present has always been something that is practical and functional. Something that wont be tossed inside the store room for lack of functionality. For me, it is way too much for one to ask/request/demand a birthday gift from people. It’s sheer indulgence. Simple birthday wish or a lunch treat would just bowl me over. :)

But he was persistenc and asked whether I would want running gears as a gift. Then I had eureka moment (insert bulb here)! I have been meaning to get myself a new pair of running shoes (or adding a new pair to existing collection for that matter, which is my one and only pair of Saucony Triumph 6, LOL!). I know that unlike others, i am such a miser for not indulging much into my hobby/passion. Others indulge themselves with expensive running gears like garmins, 2XU tights, HRM, visors, supplements etc. But yours truly is sheer cheapskate. Hands down! LOL!

My old trusty Saucony Triumph 6. Kasut ni best gile. Tak caya tanye Shuk.

I told him that I am an Adination runner passport holder which entitles me to enjoy for 50% discount of any purchase of miadidas shoes. And I further told him that mi adidas is a marketing stunt by adidas that allows buyer to customize the shoes according to the nature of his/her feet and running gaits. One can also personalize the design and color according to the runner’s preference. The cherry on top is that, one can even put his/her name on the shoes!. Wira agreed to the idea and off we went to Adidas outlet in Pavillion on one fine weekend.

 

Normally, one would need to screen their feet on a feet scanner to determine what kind of feet one is running on, be it natural arch, low arch or high arch or whether one is a pronator or whether one is a forefeet runner or midfeet runner etc. These findings would help one to choose the correct type of liner and sole for the shoes to maximise comfort and its functions. Since I already know what my shoes size is and what type my feet are, I skipped the process and straight away went to the best part of miadidas shoes creation that is customization and personalization.

I opted to customize my shoes after the Supernova Sequence II model as it is cushioni-er than other option for running shoes that is Adizero Tempo. I tried putting my feet in Adizero Tempo and found it a lot less cushiony. I could even feel the flatness and the chillness of the floor. I think Adizero Tempo would suit best if one only wears it on raceday due to its lightweight. I was looking for a trainer and I need something that is durable and could last wear and tear longer.

An adidas representative helped me in customizing the shoes through a software in the miadidas website. As the software is accessible online, it would be easier if one has beforehand customized their preferred shoe model before going to the outlet. That would prevent rushing of customizing which can cause faulty in designing and personalizing. Though on-the-shelf Supernova Sequence II are meant for pronators, I could personalize it to be a normal-feet running shoes by selecting preferable width, type of sockliner and sole! Aint that great?!

After wrapping up with the customization process, the adidas reps informed that the details of the customization has been stored in the database and the shoes wil be manufactured in China and will be ready in 1 and half month to 2 months time.

I received a call from an adidas rep last week informing that my baby is ready for collection. I went to the outlet in pavilion yesterday, all excited and giddy to see my baby.

Presenting you my current love affair, Adidas Crushio.

Macam colour transformers bumble bee tu kan?

I havent had the chance to run in it yet. And i am sure it will take quite sometimes to break them in. Tried walking in them. The cushiony feeling is divine! Will blog about its performance one day!

p/s: The best thing is, an Adination of Runners's passport holder can enjoy this 50% discount of mi adidas shoes once a year! Thats very generous! Marilah beramai-ramai jadi ahli adination of Runners and customize your own mi adidas baby!

Thank You, Adination. And Wira of course!