SCKLM 09 Race Report

Slept well the nite before and woke up at 230am to get ready for the race. Do my morning business as usual but it took longer as this is not my normal time for such activity. Anyway got it done in 2 tries, lucky I would said. Bowels cleared and my body feels lighter. Usual cup of oats, soy milk, black sesame seed and brown rice powder for breakfast. Everything checked and I am out of the house at 330am sharp.

Besides for some small hold up along the way to Lake Gardens (party-goers finishing their clubbing session and going home), I reached Bukit Aman carpark at around 400am. There are already quite a number of runners at the location when I arrived and the runners are in a carnival and jovial mood. As for me, no kancheongness creaping into me, very calm indeed!!!!

Soon the rest of the Platinum gang arrived.....Loke, Frank, Lau, Marvin and Lawrence was there earlier than me. We chatted while putting on our running attire before we start to make our commencement which is a 1km walk to race site at Dataran Merdeka. Once we reached race site we bumped into many frenz of ours (too many to name them) and do our last pit stop. And suddenly the sky crumbbled down and decided to rain. Its more of a heavy drizzle than a heavy downpour. Its now abt 430am and still 30mins before the 42k race starts. Most of the runners took shelter at the tents that was setup.

10 mins to race start and we are all inside the kandang ready to be gun-off. Its still drizzling and I reckon it will be a wet race at least for the next 10k to 15k. All the runners were gun-off at 500am sharp and out we go.

The race route take us from Dataran Merdeka, passing the old Railway Station and into Brickfields passing the KL Sentral landmark. It was too dark for anymore to admire it. I was running at my race pace target of 6.30 minutes together with Lawrence. As we were approaching towards the Federal Highway, Lawrence stop for his very early pit stop and I was all on my own. Onto the Federal Highway and the route take us to Jalan Loke Yew pass Stadium Merdeka towards Cheras direction.

At this momet I bumped into Seok Ling (SL) running at a steady pace (slow for her standard, as i was informed she was carrying an injury). I up my pace tempo and just pace her, and its a 6min pace. By now I have increase my pace a bit as I am feeling ok. We ran together along Jalan Loke Yew and all the way along Jalan Cheras. Then out of no way Khee Meng came charging. This senior veteran is always full of energy. As we are about to cut into Jalan Tun Razak, SL drop off and I am not sure wat happened.

From Jalan Tun Razak onwards I followed Khee Meng closely, and again out of a sudden Keat Seong came charging along. This Ironman is full of energy and we paced together for a short while before he take off. As I crossed the intersection of Jalan Ampang, I caught up with Lai Fong Sang which is running very steady and give him a pat before moving on.

Approaching the Jalan Pahang round-about and I from a far saw a runner that looks like Frank. As i got neared it was indeed Frank and he looks likeehe is struggling with his injury. Told him to go slow and off I go. As the route took me into Jalan Ipoh, Khee Meng was not pacing me anymore and probably had slowed down. My pace is still maintaining at a 6min pace and I am feeling good. From Jalan Ipoh, it took us into Kampung Baru and then towards the KLCC area along Jalan Ampang.

It was pleasant running along Jalan Ampang where the road is very wide. From here it take us into Jalan Kia Peng and there are some foreign supports cheering the runners up. I was surprised to see Tay Poh Chye here and just pass him. He was too encrossed focusing on his run. From Jalan Kia Peng, the route took the runners to Pavilion shopping mall along Jalan Bukit Bintang before crossing over to Jalan Sultan Ismail and then a left turn into Jalan Raja Chulan. Traffic along this few cross sections are filled with traffic where the policeman had totally stop vehicle flow to allow runners to pass by.

At the Jalan Raja Chulan water stop is where I bumped into Marvia and we then ran together. Time check and I am still pretty much maintaining a 6min pace, cinya holiao. Body is still fresh and not having any fatigue at all. Ran past Chinatown area and then onto Jalan Hang Tuah before taking a climb over a ramp towards Jalan Syed Putra where Istana Negara is located. After the climb, Marvin drop behind and I was all along again.

I know this is where the challenge will be as there will be gradual incline along this stretch. The distance now is around 34k to 35k with 7k more to finish. I slowly cruise along Jalan Syed Putra and I reckon this is where most runner will suffer because it was a long stretch of incline before a downhill near Parlimen house and make a left exit towards Jalan Sallahuddin where there is another steep climb. As my pace is still strong (maintaining a 6min pace) I kinda of cruise control along this stretch potong sayur quite a number of runners which were in the same 42k category.

From a far I start to have a vision of Keat Seong who had waved past me in the very early stage of the race. Slowly and surely I was closing down on him, and as I reach Jalan Sallahuddin, caught up with him and gave a pat. I told him lets pace each other out and finish the race together. Keat Seong is drying up and looking for water. The sponging station at the 37k mark had ran out of water, cinya TNS. We took on the steep climb and slowly increased our pace towards Bank Negara.

Its probably 39k at the Bank Negara junction and we still need to turn towards Jalan Raja Laut and make a U turn at Wisma C&C and back onto Jalan TAR before heading towards Dataran Merdeka for the finale. Along Jalan Raja laut near UOB Bank, Keat Seong beh tahan anymore and asked me to go ahead. He was really drying up and in need of water. That left me on a solo mision again to finish the race.

This is a long stretch road ahead and I slowly inched towards the U turn. Once on Jalan TAR, I switched on the usual finishing turbo and open up my stride. All the way down Jalan TAR toward the Dataran. I was very focus in running under 4.20 and pushing real hard to give it a shot. Stride after stride I ran, passing a number of 42k runners and just give a pat on CC Hoo as I passed him. Crossed the junction and into the finishing path of Dataran Merdeka. I heard cheers from the crowd but I am not sure who they are, as my focus is to reach the FINSIH point.

Crossed the FINISH point in 4.17.26..........I immediately bowed to the ground and say a prayer. It was answered throughoout the race. Some race officials thot I blacked out, but as I rose up I told them I am OK, just saying a prayer that I finish the race safely.

So, another marathon under my belt and I did not expect to clock such a timing. I guess the 2 months of training paid off, plus the durian load helps too. Till then and seeya around in future races.

SCKLM 09 - Der Final Push

The final push for a sub 4.20 finishing.......

Note: A fren pointed me to the album but not sure who the photographer is. Anyway TQ for taking the pix.

SCKLM 2009 - I Feel Good

One statement sums it all "I Feel Good"

Finished the race with reserve to go further, thats how I felt at the finishing line. After I crossed the line, I bowed to the ground and say a prayer. It was answered throughout the race.

No cramps hit me this time, and I was still cruising up the torturous hill after Istana Negara.

I think the durian carbo loading session for 6 days in a row helps.

And my Saucony Fastwitch 3 aka Yellow Dragon had another achievement today.

Race report coming up.

SCKLM 2009 Countdown - 1 day to race day

Today is for you to relax and not walk around too much. Doing long hours of shopping is definitely a BIG no no. Dont think you are Autobots and can transform yourself for tomorrow race. You are just a normal human being. So rest is extremely important today.

Dont try and consume any food that can trigger a stomach upset, especially spicy food. Save it for another day. Eat things that are easily digestable and make clearing your bowel a simple job the next morning. Fruits will be a good source as well. If you are use to taking durians on a pre-race day, go ahead. But dont overeat cos durian will make you feel heavy and lazy.

Continue to hydrate yourself with water, juices and energy drink. Laze around and do some stretching. Stretch your upper and lower body, your thigh and calf muscle need some stretching too.

Tips for the day......

Start slow in the race, a little bit slower than your goal pace. You can start adjusting and increase the pace if you feel good along the race. But if you are feeling some strain and struggling, you better pull back and not to charge faster. Else you will be struggling in the very early stage of the race. Try to sustain and run comfortably till the 28k to 30k mark.

Walk around after you finish the marathon. This will help loosen all the tense muscles. You probably dont feel like doing it but that will help you relax and warm down faster. Try not to sit for too long. You will find that you will recover faster the next day.

And now me signing off and see you at the line. Good Luck.

Remember....No Pain No Gain, But All Respect The Distance.

SCKLM 2009 Countdown - 2 days to race day

Race day is getting nearer by the day. I know you are starting to have butterfly in the stomach, whether u r a newbie or a seasoned runner. Just stay as relax as you can. No point thinking about all the training runs that you have put in especially when one under trained. Now its not the time to ponder on those little things at creep into your mind. Stay calm and be ready on race day.

Just stay focus to relax your mind and body. Read a book, play some games on a PSP or WII to relax yourself. Take your mind off running for the next 2 days. The more you think about it, the more kancheong you will be. If you still feel the kancheongness, a hot bath with Epsom salts (or replace with Sea Salt) can be really relaxing and beneficial.


Tips for the day.....

Keep yourself hydrated not just only on race day. For the next two days ensure your body is properly hydrated. This will keep your body very refreshing and you will feel good about it too. Try not to introduce drinks that you are not used to. Its not the time to test out the latest drink in town. You can do it after the race.

42.195km is a long long way. Do respect the distance. Divide your race into different sections. The first 10k, then the halfway, 30k mark - which is the most significant one, as this is normally where most runners will feel the strain and Hit The Wall. And then finally prepare for a mental battle to take you to the finishing line. (Note: Do the same if you are running a 21k)

SCKLM 2009 Countdown - 3 days to race day

I hope by now you have charted out your checklist for race day. Dont be surprised the checklist will start with only a short list of items but as days passes by, trust me that list will become longer. And that is why my advise is to get it done asap so that you wont miss anything out.

If you will to read all those articles pertaining to before and after running a marathon, today (3 days from race day) will be the day you start your carbo-loading regime. Trust it or not, its a very individual preference. I personally do not strictly follow the carbo loading regime but I will normally eat my meals with slightly heavier carbohydrates content.

To cut the science story short, the carbohydrates in your meals are broken down and converted into glucose. The glucose are stored in the body and used as a fuel or energy to power up your body in your day-day and sport activities.

Tips for the day......Run your own pace. In a race most runners will generally try to run faster in the beginning 3k to 5k purely because of peer pressure. They see everyone is running faster and make the biggest mistakes in following. You may not have even run at that kind of pace in your training, let alone able to sustain it for the next 35k. Never get into such a situation and by the time you realised that you are already running too fast, its already too late as you might have Hit The Wall by then. So dont get intimitated by the faster runners. Know your pace and respect the distance.

SCKLM 2009 Countdown - 4 days to race day

Whether you are a seasoned marathoner or doing your maiden run, by now you would have come out with a small checklist for race day. Even if you dont have one, you probably will haave choosen which shoe to wear, which vest and shorts/tights to wear, how many gels to carry along, etc, etc.......

You may also have read some books pertaining to running your first marathon or tips to run an effective marathon. All these are good pre-race information so that you will know wat to expect and be ready on race day.

Most of you will start to have butterfly in your stomach, the kancheongness feeling is starting to build up. From bib collection to anticipating wats gonna happen on the day itself when you line up with fellow runners at the line to start the race.

I will be running the xx marathons, i mean double digit which i have lost count at this moment. But I will still come out with a small checklist for race day just to ensure things are in place and nothing are left out. Its a good practise to get it done now so that you wont forget anything.

As the countdown continue, I will try to provide watever tips and things to do / not to do for race day. So for this posting, start with getting your race day checklist done.