Salomon Xtrail Run

Officially retiring my Nike Lunarglide 2. Served me well since Dec 2010

This is my first time running in a trail running event. It's a 10k run in the vast field of Ladang Ternakan, UPM, Serdang. I wore my Nike Lunarglide 2 because I do not have any specific trail running shoes. Also this would be Lunarglide's last run meet as I'm going to retire it after all the hard pounding since 2010. I know that's a long time in a runner's world, but for me, I beat the crap out of mine until it's last stretch. My only concern running in trails is when your foot does not land properly and you end up rolling your ankle. Thankfully I didn't get one. Alongside me for this little adventure this time around was Zawawi. Let's go!

The men's category was flagged off first then the women's category, 15 minutes later. Reason being was to avoid congestion, I guess. Well, here's my problem with different flag off time. Why can't men and women be flag off at the same time. Unless there's a different distance category, I don't see any other points and it takes out the fun for me as I only ran passed men and faster women ran passed me '-.-

The starting line was at stadium UPM, then runners made their way into the Ladang Ternakan which was only a quick jog away. Before entering the field, runners were greeted with a small pool of water where majority of runners chose to climb over fences to go around it, including me. Nobody wants to get their shoes wet that early. This particular obstacle caused a small traffic. Once in, everything went smoothly. The sky was clear and the sun was up. Certain areas were a bit slippery where there were mud and wet grass. Definitely got to watch your steps. Few climbs but nothing lung busting. Considerably flat and non technical. Basically, it can be easily adapted by any road runner. 

Ran the whole 9k alongside Zawawi but decided to push harder in the last km. I should've known better that my shoes will eventually get dirty, and did cross the pool of water as I was making my way back towards the stadium. Crossed the finish line at 1:21'49". Hit the refreshment booth and grabbed few photos before heading back home. Next Nike We Run KL!   

At the entrance (the gap in the middle was where the pool of water was)

Cows cheering runners on

Close up of the finisher medal

With Zawawi at the finish line

Volunteer act: Adidas KOTR

I'm in =D

When I missed out on the registration for the Adidas King of the Road, I'd jumped straight away into the opportunity to become a volunteer. Actually I didn't expect to volunteer after they replied in an email that the registration for volunteers is fulled, but then the day before the run I received a text message telling to me to join. I wasn't that excited in the beginning because the volunteers had to report in at 2 a.m. Plus, I've just got back from playing futsal and had one thing in mind and it was my comfy springy bed.

The organizer gave us t-shirts but the size was not to my liking. Didn't tripped since it was free. We all gathered at the Sunway Pyramid concourse. The organizer divided us into groups. There I befriend Akmal a student from UPM. The time was 3 a.m and you would think everybody would settle down and catch a nap. Hell no! The energy level of the volunteers at this point was the highest as if the shopping mall was opened. Me? I was already lying on the floor try to get some shut eyes. 

At 4 a.m, our group leader took us to tour the race venue so we could familiarized our self with where the medicals, toilets, baggage center, vip booth, presentational stage, finish line, starting line etc. are, so we could assist runners later on. My group was in charged of the Athlete's Welfare Area (AWA). This is where the runners, after completing their run would go to and collect water, banana and finisher medal.

After the AWA station has been prepared, Akmal and I went for subuh prayer at the mosque opposite Sunway Pyramid. On the way back, we checked out the 10k runners flag off. The 16.8k  runners flag off was 15 minutes earlier. We didn't have to wait for long before the first runner reached the finish line. After 30 minutes the elite athletes started to show up. They were welcomed with loud cheers and applauses from the crowd and the volunteers.

10k flag off

Bananas? check

Medals? check

Chilled mineral drinks? check

As runners started to flood into the finish line, I had the task of navigating traffic so the runners would keep moving forward and won't crowd the finish line. Bumped into Puteri who ran the 10k run with her boyfriend. Caught up with Hafriz who also ran the 10k run. Chatted about his run and just soaking in the atmosphere around. 

At 10 a.m, we cleared the AWA station before we were dismissed by our group leader. Overall, it was a cool experience as I got to check out the event in another perspective. Volunteering is a great way to give back to the running community because now I know the work that have been put in. It gives me better appreciation for the volunteers out there doing their part. Job well done guys!!!

With Hafriz after his run

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Another Ramadan has passed by. Hopefully we've all benefited from it. 

Most of the outdoor activities were put on hold during Ramadan. Only managed the occasional night runs and futsals just to get some sweats out. I did not ride with GTL at Elmina this Ramadan. Pretty bummed out with that. Neither did I join any runs or bash rides too.

I will be back on the scene soon after done attending all the raya open houses. There are few runs that I've already registered. There's the Salomon X-trail Run (Sept), BSN Putrajaya Night Marathon (Oct), and International Penang Bridge Marathon (Nov) coming up. There are few other runs that I've looked at but have not given serious thought about it yet. I'm gonna try my best to get back on the bike again. Looking forward for the next bash at Broga this month. 

Lastly, I want to wish everyone, friend and non friend alike, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Wishing all of you have a great time with family and friends. Drive safely for those who are making the long and short journey back to kampung.

BHP Orange Run

It's the last weekend before Ramadhan and what better way to go in the fasting month with a short 11k run at BHP Orange Run. The run was held at Piazza, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara. Quick shout out to the usual suspect who again bailout in the last minute. I guess 5 bucks was not a big deal to burn. In the other hand, Hafriz was down with Bieber fever the night before so find it hard to hear the morning alarm and the tons of missed calls! However, we got a newcomer in the running scene. Welcome Zawawi. Damn, this dude is mad fast! Got to be those long legs. I lost sight of him by KM3. Eventually caught up with him in the last KM. I think he slowed down for me. 

I was quite surprised with the numbers of runners turned out for this run. Perhaps they missed out the registration for MH night run like I did. Well, it was worth it if you considered the cost benefits. The route was great. Love the downhill part. Gatorade was provided at water stations. For post refreshments, they provided variety of drinks from coffee, teh tarik to ribena and chocolate milk along with nasi lemak. Happy tummy happy runner =D

SELAMAT BERPUASA

Those rare quiet traffic days

With Zawawi a.k.a Dirt Nowitzki

With Mr. Choi and his son

Night bash.. zzzz

With Ariff, Pak Mat, Uncle Jo and Amir

First major climb where there's no shame in pushing

Bash#213 at Sepang was a night ride. First night ride since I started riding with KLMBH in 2010. My last bash was back at Kemensah in March. That was also the last time I got on a bike. Been really into running lately. I thought running would complement cycling, vice versa, but that's not the case. Every time I ride one of these bashes, it always got me cursing when those cramps starting to creep in. And bash#213 was no exception. On on!

We got a full crew this time around with Arif, Amir, Pak Mat and Uncle Jo. On this ride we would say hello to Pak Mat's new Merida and goodbye to old Schwimmer. I'll be putting the new girl up for a test. First thing I noticed was the short stem. It gives a closer angle between the handle and the seat post. Sweet!

Pak Mat and Arif ride short. I managed to persuade Amir to ride long. Kept on telling him it'll be fast and flat. Practically no climbs or if there's any he won't even notice it. All of this information I got from the bash trail preamble. Well, again I underestimated the trail and the hares. The first hour, all riders were riding in a group, where everyone just started to get their legs warmed up. By that time, Amir was behind and Uncle Jo was upfront. The second hour, was where I started to ride in small groups of two or three. At times I was riding alone. The atmosphere suddenly changed when you're riding alone in the dark. You looked back and see no incoming lights from other riders. All I do was concentrating on the paper trails. 

Night bash is different. I didn't see anybody took a breather on the side unless they suffer a puncture. Everyone quickly kept going. I'd rode the area once before during the SIC jamboree last year, and was quite familiar with some of the trails. The recent dry weather makes the trails very dusty especially if you got bundled up behind other riders.

Reached back at the rv point after 2.5 hour of hard riding. The battery pack for the light was really killing my back. My back was crying for a lithium-ion batts. Amir arrived almost an hour later along with the sweepers. Arif who was super hyper in beginning fell asleep as we had our dinner at the nearest Mcd. Great bash and many thanks to the hares and organizer! 

SCKLM Honda Half Marathon

Let's go straight to the good news! I set a new PB! I didn't realize until I'd reached home and check my PJ Dawn finished time. I'd finished in 2:22'32" a whopping 5 minutes off my previous PB. Initially my goal was to finish within 2.5 hour, but setting a PB in the process was an awesome added bonus =) 

This would be my 3rd half marathon for the year. Super pumped up as I ran the 10k category last year. Lots of good memories here. It was at SCKLM where I got my first taste of a major running event. I was glad that I could step up a notch this year and run in the half marathon. Full marathon for next year?! Well that's the plan. We'll see =)

It was really hard to get to Dataran Merdeka with many main roads closed. The detour cost me some time. Twist and turned my way into KL and luckily I arrived near Masjid Jamek. Stopped by for Subuh prayer then head straight to Dataran Merdeka where the half marathon category had already started. Thankfully being the category with the most participation with 5500+ runners, there were still a good 2000+ runners slowly making their way to cross the starting line. 

Here's the bad news. I thought I could avoid cramps and muscle stiffness during the run by rubbing on a hot cream/analgesic on my legs and thighs before I left the house. It turned out to be the biggest mistake ever! At first, I felt fine. Then all of a sudden, after the 10km mark, my legs started to feel the heat. Such unbearable discomfort was really distracting me. I tried spraying cool muscle reliever offered by volunteers at the water stations to put down the heat. Well, it didn't work and now my legs felt hot and cold at the same time. To make matter worst, the knee pains and heavy legs starting to kick in. It was surely by far the worst ever feeling to have while running that I've experienced. That was my lowest point in the run =(

The sun was about to make its mark on the run, but I was already heading back towards the city center. So the KL skyscrapers provided much shade from the sun. I kept myself cool with soaked sponges handed out by the volunteers. I was relieved to see the 20km sign and never thought I could bear through the pain all this way. The last km was the most fun as the crowd grow larger cheering runners on heading towards Dataran Merdeka. Funny thing was, at this point I'd enjoyed the atmosphere so much that I wanted the run to go for another km. Hence, the next photo.

A clear reflection of how my run went 
(photos by Tey Eng Tiong)

I can still feel the heat on my legs after I collected my medal. Waited agonizingly for Faiz to finish his 10k run. NEVER EVER try something different or new on race day if you never try it before. Lesson learned -_-"

pause pain, SMILE, pain resume