finally managed to participate in the most happening Tri in Malaysia... was lucky to find Adzim who is also travelling on the same morning....
we left early at about 4.50am... and reached the race site at about 6 plus after one pit stop... it was still dark and we were one of the few earliest racers around... thanks also to Jaja and Azmar who picked up the race kits for us... managed to set up the bikes and changed quickly before going for body marking...
and boy was i suprised with the crowd size... so many ppl around... felt like a 10k race in KL... was amazed that ppl are beginning to pick up this crazy and mad sport.. even noticed that relay teams numbered more than 90 teams....
the race started at 8am sharp for the 16-29 age groupers before it was our turn... there was really too many ppl for a mass start... managed to see Raymond just before to start.. that was when the Race MC (is that the correct word) announced that good swimmers can come in front... i began to push him as he was an ex national swimmer mah... sorry eh bro if i humiliated u... dont need to feel shy... u just need to train up again thats all....started of well and as usual there was so many bodies trying to swim .... luckily i managed to avoid a few breastrokers ... water was calm and finished in a comfortable 27:58 (around my training time la)
the transition was slow as we had to run quite a distance on the beach... all the blood was still on the shoulders.... started off well and followed a group of cyclist behind... was thinking to myself not to do so much work coz didnt really train on bike.... suprisingly felt strong and manage to catch Raymond after just a few km... seem to be struggling a bit... eh Kenyir also can do comfortably ... PD no problem wut... first 20km was ok and tried my best to follow Mon and was suprised that he still was so strong.... a few train passed us including the veterans, Don and Simon.... Iwata san was struggling and even managed to pass him during the early stages... finish in a nice time of 1:10 (considering the amount of training put in)..
i thought the running leg is where i can catch up on other racers... how wrong was i... the sun was really unforgiving... super damn hot... it was practically burning and the water station was really heaven sent... had to slow down a few times as my back thigh was cramping on both legs... luckily there was no major cramp and managed to complete the run leg in 56 mins... all in all the unofficial Timex time (mine la) is 2:39:47... not to bad la...
now thinking about Desaru... pictures will have to wait for bro Tey...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Siemes Run Photo
Only manage to squeeze 1 photo out from Bro Tey... he said that he dont prefer to upload V photos anymore... so i better do my pia face so that he will snap more... see you in PD ....
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Siemens Run 2008
slept early last night as was really tired from the pressures of work and the gym work the day before... woke up at 540am feeling fresh and waited for my buddy, Kenny to arrive... luckily also call him as he overslept... but all was well when we reach there about 7am...
didnt had much a target but it would be nice to do sub 50 for 10k race... furthermore didnt had much run training this few weeks and i knew i would suffer when i started to push... boy was i right... tried to up the pace but just couldnt take it and i was suffering right from the start...
finish in 44:++ in 106th placing... nothing to shout about as noticed from PM1 website that its only 8.8km... guess this proves that training is very important and it will really show in races when you are not fit enough... my finishing was terrible as i didnt have the oomph sprint ... saw a really rounded man sprinting pass me and there was nothing i could do... didnt stay long as got work to be done... life is tough and with the economic crisis looming ... better work harder...
all in all a good days work and was satisfied with 5min pace even though it could have been better... of course it can... till then PD Tri... ahahahah with limited bike training....
didnt had much a target but it would be nice to do sub 50 for 10k race... furthermore didnt had much run training this few weeks and i knew i would suffer when i started to push... boy was i right... tried to up the pace but just couldnt take it and i was suffering right from the start...
finish in 44:++ in 106th placing... nothing to shout about as noticed from PM1 website that its only 8.8km... guess this proves that training is very important and it will really show in races when you are not fit enough... my finishing was terrible as i didnt have the oomph sprint ... saw a really rounded man sprinting pass me and there was nothing i could do... didnt stay long as got work to be done... life is tough and with the economic crisis looming ... better work harder...
all in all a good days work and was satisfied with 5min pace even though it could have been better... of course it can... till then PD Tri... ahahahah with limited bike training....
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Training again
its been awhile since i have started posting again... haiya really no mood... exerbated by the recent fuel increase, current uncertainty, late payments by client is really taking a toll on me...
however life still goes on and the best way is to start training again... have been clocking an average of 5hrs exercise duration a week (try to lah)...... and so far have been on it for the past 3 weeks....
just bought a Timex HRM costing RM500 (shop owner says its the old stock price.. going up soon...so have to buy la).. its a good indicator as it shows all the basic indicators especially calories burnt.. so that u feel good and able to eat more later... ahahha... however still having trouble using HRM... whereby sometimes it shows a very high rate of 240... my average exercise rate is about 145 to 170... but well its still ok...
signed up for Siemens Run last friday but still cannot collect bibs on that day... since they are conducting the clinic i just registered... actually i didnt participate as i went for my hill run before it started... then manage to come back in time for the stretching session... then got myself a free T Shirt... i am a sucker for freebies... good to have another one for sleeping...
this are my stats uphill at Kiara :-
Start to uphill : 13:56
1st Loop : 11:17
2nd Loop : 11:27
Downhill until Bakti building : 7:36
Bakti to car park : 3:16
Park Loop : 6:08
Finishing time : 53:56
Calories burnt : 1080
Ave HR : 156
Distance : approx 10km
had a good swim this morning and here are the stats:-
500m (with paddle): 8:40
500m : 9:04
500m : 9:10
500m : 8:56
with an interval of 1 minute each....
wanted to go for another jog but i accidentally scratch my car... luckily with some polish and wax most of the scars are gone... cost me only RM30...
target to cycle again tommorow.... nothing fancy just wanna do 2 loops Bkt Jalil - Summit - Bkt Jalil with a distance of about 45km... have to start already so that i can participate in PD Tri ... this will be the first time i have cycle since last year... wow thats long...
however life still goes on and the best way is to start training again... have been clocking an average of 5hrs exercise duration a week (try to lah)...... and so far have been on it for the past 3 weeks....
just bought a Timex HRM costing RM500 (shop owner says its the old stock price.. going up soon...so have to buy la).. its a good indicator as it shows all the basic indicators especially calories burnt.. so that u feel good and able to eat more later... ahahha... however still having trouble using HRM... whereby sometimes it shows a very high rate of 240... my average exercise rate is about 145 to 170... but well its still ok...
signed up for Siemens Run last friday but still cannot collect bibs on that day... since they are conducting the clinic i just registered... actually i didnt participate as i went for my hill run before it started... then manage to come back in time for the stretching session... then got myself a free T Shirt... i am a sucker for freebies... good to have another one for sleeping...
this are my stats uphill at Kiara :-
Start to uphill : 13:56
1st Loop : 11:17
2nd Loop : 11:27
Downhill until Bakti building : 7:36
Bakti to car park : 3:16
Park Loop : 6:08
Finishing time : 53:56
Calories burnt : 1080
Ave HR : 156
Distance : approx 10km
had a good swim this morning and here are the stats:-
500m (with paddle): 8:40
500m : 9:04
500m : 9:10
500m : 8:56
with an interval of 1 minute each....
wanted to go for another jog but i accidentally scratch my car... luckily with some polish and wax most of the scars are gone... cost me only RM30...
target to cycle again tommorow.... nothing fancy just wanna do 2 loops Bkt Jalil - Summit - Bkt Jalil with a distance of about 45km... have to start already so that i can participate in PD Tri ... this will be the first time i have cycle since last year... wow thats long...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
NB 15k
finally another race after KL marathon... have not been doing much except lying around and fetching my daughter around.... haiyaa... where got time to train mah...
anyway was suprise i did quite well in the race clocking 1:18 achieving my initial target of 1:25.... was so busy arranging for the full moon party the night before that only had about 3hrs sleep and all the beers taken in...
suprisingly didnt had much problem getting up sharp at 5:15 am ... but the problem was just before the start as i was already starting to yawn... only managed to catch Karen early of the race.... i was feeling fatigue even before race start.... OMG..
furthermore the route has changed and we have to immediately go uphill after the starting line... didnt push myself and i think i reached the 10km mark (2nd water station) in 52 mins..... it was after this portion that i slow down considerably allowing few runners to overtake me...
however was really suprise that Jamie was also overtaking me... wow he has really improve a lot... till towards the finishing i shouted to him to sprint forward and manage to overtake him to take the overall 172 placing...
manage to catch up with Adrian (who is leaving to Dubai soon), Saiful Kodi, AbuPower and few other runners which i dont remember the name... was too tired to chat so had few quick drinks before heading back home...
i was totally floored (due to unfit also)... sleeping more than 4hrs straight during the evening... it was a good race ... an uneventful one considering the amount of training i put in... getting old already... haiiii..
anyway was suprise i did quite well in the race clocking 1:18 achieving my initial target of 1:25.... was so busy arranging for the full moon party the night before that only had about 3hrs sleep and all the beers taken in...
suprisingly didnt had much problem getting up sharp at 5:15 am ... but the problem was just before the start as i was already starting to yawn... only managed to catch Karen early of the race.... i was feeling fatigue even before race start.... OMG..
furthermore the route has changed and we have to immediately go uphill after the starting line... didnt push myself and i think i reached the 10km mark (2nd water station) in 52 mins..... it was after this portion that i slow down considerably allowing few runners to overtake me...
however was really suprise that Jamie was also overtaking me... wow he has really improve a lot... till towards the finishing i shouted to him to sprint forward and manage to overtake him to take the overall 172 placing...
manage to catch up with Adrian (who is leaving to Dubai soon), Saiful Kodi, AbuPower and few other runners which i dont remember the name... was too tired to chat so had few quick drinks before heading back home...
i was totally floored (due to unfit also)... sleeping more than 4hrs straight during the evening... it was a good race ... an uneventful one considering the amount of training i put in... getting old already... haiiii..
Monday, May 12, 2008
New born kid
darn its been ages since i last updated my blog.... training has been really off track and been trying to do as much as i can...
work and the birth of my princess put paid to my hopes of training well... anyway u lose and win some..... my girl Michelle Loong Yi is 6 weeks old already and has been growing like crazy .... even though i am not the one taking care of her... thanks to my mother in law in Penang she has been well taken care and she just came back last weekend...
sad to say i gotta miss the first OD Tri of the year but gotta to set my priorities right...... hopefully can still go for NB 15k this weekend... but dont talk about PB... finishing strong would be a bonus... till then....
work and the birth of my princess put paid to my hopes of training well... anyway u lose and win some..... my girl Michelle Loong Yi is 6 weeks old already and has been growing like crazy .... even though i am not the one taking care of her... thanks to my mother in law in Penang she has been well taken care and she just came back last weekend...
sad to say i gotta miss the first OD Tri of the year but gotta to set my priorities right...... hopefully can still go for NB 15k this weekend... but dont talk about PB... finishing strong would be a bonus... till then....
Monday, March 31, 2008
KLIM - Full Report
Pre Race
Suprisingly didnt have much pre race jitters as others... must be too confident even though didnt have enough training... my max mileage a week is a measly 50km during KLIM Circuit No.2 week.... tried to study and keep to a 3 month plan as recommended for marathon beginners but get i was not disciplined enough to follow.. but i managed to complete GE30k in a respectable time of 2:53... so guess that i have to really braved another 12km... furthermore i finish strongly during 30km so maybe will only suffer after 35km... walk run 7km is not that bad.. so just gave myself a target of 4:15 but wouldnt count so much on it...
slept early at 930am but only dozed off at 11am... no jitters but guess was not used to going to bed so early..... woke up sharp 230am and had a nice hot Cintan soup with egg... didnt have the stomach to gulp down the Powerbar.. no offense eh Azwar but it is really very sweet... especially so early in the morning (can i suggest a kurang manis version)
Race Proper
did the usual business and chit chat with Adrian, Abu, Saiful, Ngae, Stupe and a few guys before the start line... think it started sharp at 430am... starting was uneventful and the pace was very comfortable... met Azwar with his Lipatz and was suprise that he was not running as well.... manage to reach 10km in 56mins... not too bad
10km to 20km
ran past my parents house and manage to spot my uncle Philip from a far... manage to call him and he was suprised i was actually running.... felt my thighs start to tighten up at about 15km... Oh No... this cant be good.... i still have so long to go.... but didnt worry much about it... it may go away... step on the board at 1:58 which was remarkable... started to ask the official whether it was 21km and high five him...
20km to 30km
felt my second wind coming after that... i was strong and manage to sayur many runners before starting to feel the twitch as my calfs... OH NO ... this is really bad.... it was only about 25km max .... try to slow down but didnt do much good.. then disaster struck... i had cramps on both calfs... this reduces me to a slow walk and trying to stretch on the way.... after doing that for about 2km... my left calf seized up.... boy it was really painful.... Yee Hua passed me and asked whether i was ok.... it was too painful to even answer her.... i felt my marathon journey / dream came crashing down on me.... how i am suppose to complete another 17km in this pain.... was crying already inside... somemore i caught sight of an ambulance nearby... ok this is it ... it will be my first DNF - Did Not Finish ... so arrogant of me in underestimating the full distance of marathon... i am just going to walkover to the ambulance and take me back.... but then i dont think they will do that until the race is over... now its only about 2:30 race time... means i gotta wait at least another 3 hours...
after much thinking during my slow painful walk... decided to carry on as i can see many runners also suffering cramps.... better to walk all the way and get a finisher medal then to just sit and wait in the ambulance... after a while manage to reach 30km in 3:10... i was devastated...
30 to 42km
after that i felt much better.... so i started to shuffle run again... as i didnt want to stress my calf so much i started to exert a lot of pressure on the thighs.... only then the torture started...... up and down.... walk and run.. seeing other runners suffer as well... old man panting... young man grimacing in pain... full of emotions.. i was like cursing Adrian as he said earlier that it was flat after 30km... this cant be flat... the route was also confusing that we have to make U turn at some road.... guess fatigue already starting to get me... but the last few distance markers starting from 8km was really helpful in motivating me to just finish the race... one km at a time.... after much pain finally reach the finishing line in 4:47..... (thought that will finish in 6hrs after the cramp)
I think that why i suffered so much is becoz:-
1) didnt had enough mileage - 50km at the peak weekly is too little
2) stop gym work for about 2 months... really bad move as calfs was weak
3) didnt pay attention to salt content - hence cramps at both calf
4) as a summary didnt plan for it and in the fail miserably in achieving the preset target
(any more advice friends out there)
But as a whole was really proud of myself as it was really mind over matter. Physically i was drained out already... i am having shivers really thinking about the cramps at 27km... imagine have to bear the pain for another 15km... not easy man... it was really a mental exercise where nothing is impossible... step by step and in the end finishing the race... my mother kept advising me that once is enough... no need to go through the pain again... but as runners we know better... once is never enough...
therefore make sure train harder and consistently and never ever underestimate the full impact of 42km race ... (especially when u think that ur fit enough)
Suprisingly didnt have much pre race jitters as others... must be too confident even though didnt have enough training... my max mileage a week is a measly 50km during KLIM Circuit No.2 week.... tried to study and keep to a 3 month plan as recommended for marathon beginners but get i was not disciplined enough to follow.. but i managed to complete GE30k in a respectable time of 2:53... so guess that i have to really braved another 12km... furthermore i finish strongly during 30km so maybe will only suffer after 35km... walk run 7km is not that bad.. so just gave myself a target of 4:15 but wouldnt count so much on it...
slept early at 930am but only dozed off at 11am... no jitters but guess was not used to going to bed so early..... woke up sharp 230am and had a nice hot Cintan soup with egg... didnt have the stomach to gulp down the Powerbar.. no offense eh Azwar but it is really very sweet... especially so early in the morning (can i suggest a kurang manis version)
Race Proper
did the usual business and chit chat with Adrian, Abu, Saiful, Ngae, Stupe and a few guys before the start line... think it started sharp at 430am... starting was uneventful and the pace was very comfortable... met Azwar with his Lipatz and was suprise that he was not running as well.... manage to reach 10km in 56mins... not too bad
10km to 20km
ran past my parents house and manage to spot my uncle Philip from a far... manage to call him and he was suprised i was actually running.... felt my thighs start to tighten up at about 15km... Oh No... this cant be good.... i still have so long to go.... but didnt worry much about it... it may go away... step on the board at 1:58 which was remarkable... started to ask the official whether it was 21km and high five him...
20km to 30km
felt my second wind coming after that... i was strong and manage to sayur many runners before starting to feel the twitch as my calfs... OH NO ... this is really bad.... it was only about 25km max .... try to slow down but didnt do much good.. then disaster struck... i had cramps on both calfs... this reduces me to a slow walk and trying to stretch on the way.... after doing that for about 2km... my left calf seized up.... boy it was really painful.... Yee Hua passed me and asked whether i was ok.... it was too painful to even answer her.... i felt my marathon journey / dream came crashing down on me.... how i am suppose to complete another 17km in this pain.... was crying already inside... somemore i caught sight of an ambulance nearby... ok this is it ... it will be my first DNF - Did Not Finish ... so arrogant of me in underestimating the full distance of marathon... i am just going to walkover to the ambulance and take me back.... but then i dont think they will do that until the race is over... now its only about 2:30 race time... means i gotta wait at least another 3 hours...
after much thinking during my slow painful walk... decided to carry on as i can see many runners also suffering cramps.... better to walk all the way and get a finisher medal then to just sit and wait in the ambulance... after a while manage to reach 30km in 3:10... i was devastated...
30 to 42km
after that i felt much better.... so i started to shuffle run again... as i didnt want to stress my calf so much i started to exert a lot of pressure on the thighs.... only then the torture started...... up and down.... walk and run.. seeing other runners suffer as well... old man panting... young man grimacing in pain... full of emotions.. i was like cursing Adrian as he said earlier that it was flat after 30km... this cant be flat... the route was also confusing that we have to make U turn at some road.... guess fatigue already starting to get me... but the last few distance markers starting from 8km was really helpful in motivating me to just finish the race... one km at a time.... after much pain finally reach the finishing line in 4:47..... (thought that will finish in 6hrs after the cramp)
I think that why i suffered so much is becoz:-
1) didnt had enough mileage - 50km at the peak weekly is too little
2) stop gym work for about 2 months... really bad move as calfs was weak
3) didnt pay attention to salt content - hence cramps at both calf
4) as a summary didnt plan for it and in the fail miserably in achieving the preset target
(any more advice friends out there)
But as a whole was really proud of myself as it was really mind over matter. Physically i was drained out already... i am having shivers really thinking about the cramps at 27km... imagine have to bear the pain for another 15km... not easy man... it was really a mental exercise where nothing is impossible... step by step and in the end finishing the race... my mother kept advising me that once is enough... no need to go through the pain again... but as runners we know better... once is never enough...
therefore make sure train harder and consistently and never ever underestimate the full impact of 42km race ... (especially when u think that ur fit enough)
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