Be prepared

This is the route all PBM07 runners will need to tackle on the morning of 24 June 2007. Be prepared mentally and physically on the terrain that you will be running on. Make sure you have a strategy on how you wanna tackle the BRIDGE.

Sun Tzu said "Know yourself, Know your enemy and in a hundred battles you will come out a WINNER".

So in this race, the bridge is your enemy. Therefore make sure you know how to tackle it and you will come out a stronger runner after the race. Good Luck.

LIMITATIONS

Do you know where is your LIMITATIONS? I believe everyone thinks there is always a limit to what we can do. But as we push ourselves harder, we realized that we can actually push the limit further away from us.

Just like running, we always think we can only run that fast or that far. But as we push ourselves harder we actually can attempt to perform better than what we thot. So do not under estimate yourselves by putting a LIMIT in front of you. Push harder and you will realize your true potential.

Can we all perform BEYOND THE LIMITS?

Two Down, One More To Go....

It was another LSD that I set myself up to run on Saturday morning. The usual gang (Jamie, Geraldine, Ben, Pelle and myself) start off as early as 5.15am. Jamie will do a 20k and come back in time for his RunnersMalaysia program and Geraldine will do the same since both of them had ran a 32k last week. Pelle will try to use this as a recovery run since he just came back from the Great Wall Marathon. Ben and myself will cover at least 25k and more, but for me I had oredi set my mind up to do a minimum of 30k or 3hrs+ on the road. Rashid was with us too and also planning to do a 20k+. Wong sifu did not turn up this morning, guess he had work late again.

We set off together but in no time Jamie, Geraldine, Ben and Pelle had set a faster pace leaving Rashid and myself trailing behind. Especially for Jamie and Geraldine, this two had become the speedy gonzales, while Ben is fast getting his form back after a short break from running.

I was running at a talking pace with Rashid and in no time, the fast pack of 4 are no way in sight. We talk to each other along the route and that actually take my mind off from worrying about my pace on whether I am running too fast or too slow. When we reached the Jalan Duta junction crossing over to the Govt complex, my watch shows 34mins. I told Rashid we have been running a faster pace than usual and I am suppose to do a 30k run today. Anyway my legs are feeling OK, no sign of tiredness or any pain showing that I have recover from my last week high mileage.

As we crossed the junction, Pelle was in sight and I guessed he was already slowing down. Could be due to the tireness and leg muscle soreness. We caught up with him at the KL Mosque and he said that both his legs are not responding well due to soreness. He will turn back to Bukit Aman carpark and will not push ahead with us for the 20k route.

Once passed the mosque Rashid had fallen behind a bit and I continued running alone until I reached the Petronas kiosk. Bumped into Ben and asked where to buy some water since the kiosk is not open for business until 6.30am. Told him to get it at the opposite where there are some stores opening early and getting ready for the breakfast.

I did another loop behind the Petronas kiosk and as I completed the lap, saw Jamie and Geraldine waving at me signalling that there are two bottles of water which is for both Rashid and myself. By now Ben had ran off alone, guess he is setting a very fast pace while Jamie and Geraldine were still running together. So nice of them, I guessed Ben must have bought it just now.

After the quick water stop, both Rashid and myself set our way back to Bukit Aman carpark. After about 1k, he had fallen behind and I was running alone again. Was taking it easy all the way to the carpark and had my water stop before going out for a 4 lap run around the lake via the Carcosa route.

As I was heading towards the carpark, Ben was out for his lap around the lake. I told him to go ahead and not wait for me. Had a chat with Geraldine at the carpark before heading out again.

Did 4 laps around the lake via the hilly route along Carcosa. It is really beating up my legs and body. I felt some poking pains at times on my left knee and heal. The pain comes and go, and it is more obvious if I push my pace faster when on downhill. I guessed the past weeks of high mileage especially on the Sat runs are taking a toll on my legs especially the left leg which is weaker. Ran at a slower pace just to ensure I dun aggravate it and causes too much pain and create an injury. I continue running that way till I complete the 4 laps.

After the 30k run and almost 3.5hrs on the road, my fitness and stamina level are still good. I dun feel very tire and I believe I can still easily sustain another 30mins of running without hitting the wall. Although my pace will get slower but that show signs that I am at a level where my body will not tire out after 30k or 3.5hrs running. The good thing is there are no signs of muscle stiffness and cramps (my biggest fear that will hit me)

Overall I was happy with my condition after the run. The legs and body are slowly peaking to the level where it can sustain the distance and the number of hours on the road. The Saucony Triumph 4 that I used continue to perform and responding well throughout the race. Guess it is all ready for me on race day.

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New Balance 15K

The gun-off and still having a funny conversation with DK while running.
Tey was in front of us and took this photo.


















On the way up a slope, let's see who is behind my buntut and going to sayur me!!!


















Zul, my running buddy and pacer for this race.
















L-R: Cheong, Myself, Adam, Kevin and Justin
















The Pacemakers Family photo


It was a good run for me especially after running 2 laps of DH in my Saturday LSD. So this will be the 3rd DH route for me in 2 consecutive mornings. Started of slowly and conservatively together with DK and Zul. And there are seas of runner in front of us. So no matter how fast we run, we will have this human obstacle to tackle.

Running comfortably throughout with DK and Zul, and as we passed the 1st water stop I was slightly ahead since I did not drink any. Up the slopes we go and this is where lotz of runners slow down or even walk. They have underestimate the toughness of these hills and now paying the price. Overtook quite a number of them and as both Zul and myself is out of the Kenny Hills area and onto the highway, we saw the 1st runner overtaking us.

Both Zul and myself are running together now with DK fallen behind, since he had decided to take it easy. As we took the turn into the next slope along Wisma Tani, one very well build guy called me. And by looking at him, I think he is Raymond Hee. Greeted him and yes it was him. First time meeting him and he was running strong up the slope overtaking me.

Once up the slope, its downhill now and we both increase the pace a little bit just to take advantage of the downforce gravity. And now we are into the 2nd loop that gives us the next 5k before finishing. At this juncture, I was asking Zul how is he feeling, and is there any sign of pain from his shin. His response was "I am ok", so we continue to pace each other. We have now increase our pace a little faster to catchup and potong sayur quite a big group of numbers who are always in front of us until the 13k mark.

I was feeling good and I pushed a little hard along the stretch at Wisma Tani and before turning into the junction heading towards the finishing line. By now Zul had fallen back a bit. He waved for me to go ahead and I respond to his gesture. I increase my pace after running right into the junction that will lead us to the National Monument and finishing at Padang Merbok. I continue to overtake quite a number of runners who have overtaken me earlier.

Soon I was turning into Padang Merbok and cross the line in 1.25.30. Was a satisfying run for me because it was 3 minutes faster than my last year timing. Glad I make it and in no time Zul also came in with an impressive timing of 1.26.xx even when carrying a shin injury. Take care and rest well, so that you will recover fast.

Till the next race......

A 27k that never intend to be

Picture - courtesy of Terence

Got a SMS from Wong sifu on Friday evening saying that he had to goto Melaka to work over the weekend and cant join me for the Saturday LSD. One down and because Geraldine and Jamie will be running on Sunday, that only left Bro Ben to be the running buddy. Anyway email had been sent out so will just see if he turn up for the run. Else I will run alone. At 11pm got a SMS from Bro Ben saying that he will join me for the run. Well thats good news, at least I dun have to run alone.

Woke up at about 4.30am in the morning to get ready. Have oats and soya milk for breakfast and after that left for Lake Gardens. When I reached the location noticed that there was a SMS from Bro Ben that read like this "Gum still pain....Have to ffk....You have fun la" Well there goes my running buddy.

Then Rashid turned up and asking where is everyone. Told him about the situation and he said he is doing the Hartamas 20k route and reserve for Sunday's NB15k. He wanted to run slow and asked me to go ahead with my run.

S0 with no one around, I started out alone and have in mind to run the Hartamas 20k route and reserve for tomorrow NB15k run. The morning was cooling so is pretty ideal to do a LSD. As I was approaching the Selangor Properties site, I told myself why not give the DoubleHill a shot today. And maybe follow by 2 laps at the lake if I still feel good.

Immediately I took a left turn after passing the Selangor Properties apartment into the DH route instead of heading straight towards Jalan Duta. The route was cooling, coupled with fresh air and well lighted, so it is not a problem to run this route even during the dawn.

Completed Lap 1 and 2 and water stop back at the Bukit Aman carpark. This route is definitely more refreshing, less traffic and less polluted as compare to the Hartamas route. Running the DH is very stressful for the legs because of the hills that one need to overcome, but it is definitely a good buildup of leg muscle and make it stronger. No regret making the decision today for switching the route.

After completing 2 laps of DH, I refueled at Bukit Aman carpark. My body and legs are feeling good and responding well today and therefore decided to run 2 more laps at the lake. This time I choose the Carcosa route and back down to the lake. The extra laps will help me condition my body and legs to stay longer on the road. In the meantime the Triumph4 is also supporting and responding well too for today's run.

Ended my run with satisfaction over my condition and again able to sustain another run which is almost 3hrs on the road. Today's LSD will roughly give me a mileage of 27k. My legs are now pretty sore and I wont know whether I can respond well in tomorrow NB15k. Else I will just take it as a recovery run and enjoy it.

The Inspiration Of Finishing A Marathon

Come what may, the finishing line of the 42k race is always there for you. Completing a marathon is no small feat, and something not all human in this world can do. So consider yourself as a big achiever if you have done it before and continue to strive to do even better. For all newbies running their maiden full marathon this coming June in Penang.....you are 42.195k closer to doing something very significant in life.

No matter what happen to you, crossing the finishing line of a 42k race will make you a totally different person from that day onwards. You would have put up a challenge for yourself that you thot you cannot do it, you would have push your body to the limit to cross the line, you would have increase your mental strength and have your mind taken over your body after the 30k marker, you would have put a test to your personal determination and human spirit, and many many more. Tell me how you feel after you complete the race on June 24, 2007. GOOD LUCK!!!!

And my sincere thanks to the person in the picture who had given me permission to use him as a motivator. I seeya in Penang too!!!!

One down, 2 more to go

Did my first 30k LSD on Saturday in preparation for PBM 2007. The so call LG-Hartamas-LG 30k route to me is probably only about 28k. Unless u do 3 loops of 0.8k around the neighborhood at the back of Petronas kiosk, I believe that will give you a total of 30k at the end of the run.

Anyway I am not too concern of the distance but more towards having myself on the road for 3 hours. This is to ensure that my body and legs can still take the toll of running past 3 hours. There is still 42 days remaining to race day, and minus 2 weeks of tapering that means it only leave me 28 days to train and hopefully peak on race day itself. My aim is to go out, have some fun and a comfortable run, and back in 4 1/2 hours.

Overall I am happy with this Saturday LSD except that my legs and upper body (especially the back muscle) were pretty tired. 2 more 30K+ LSD and that will complete the final run-in to my training for PBM 2007. And for those who have yet to register for the event, you can still do so online at the following site. Dateline is 27 May 2007.

Penang Bridge Marathon 2007 Registration

The faces of Shanxi Province, China

Are we WINNERS?

In life, we are all WINNERS in one way or the other. Each and everyone of us will have something that we had done that we are really proud of ourselves. And to keep this going, I think the following statement is very important to achive something significant in life. And you can adopt this in your work life, training strategy or even in your next competitive race.

"Winners Don't Do Different Things, They Do Things Differently"

Tough comeback....a 25k run that didnt happened

Its was a tough comeback for me after almost 10 days being dormant (out for my China trip). The Sat morning run started at Lake Gardens (Bkt Aman carpark) with the usual buddies like Jamie, Tey, Wong, Geraldine and the MIA guy Bro Ben. My aim was to do a 25k this morning together with Wong to catchup with some mileage.

Jamie and Tey opted for a 10k run (making their turn back at Selangor Properties) and the rest of us continue to do the LG-Hartamas-LG route of 20k. I was running sluggishly after the 10 days break but trying hard to keep up with the pack. Reached Hartamas in 58mins and did a loop of abt 800m around the block at the back of the Petronas petrol kiosk. Stopped for water and continue our return leg back to LG. My body and legs were giving signals that I am tiring out so I just maintain a slow pace behind Wong while Geraldine and Ben were about 200m in front. That continued till we reached Bkt Aman carpark. Stopped for water and I am totally exhausted but told Wong that I want to do one lap around the lake (via Carcosa route) instead of 2 laps.

We set off slowly with the aim to finish the one lapper and at least that will give me 22.5k mileage for the LSD. As we run we spent most of the time talking about my China trip and that helps keep me away from thinking of the tireness. Soon we are back to the carpark and as we walk towards our car, I told Wong that I can probably push for another lap very slowly (which he agree too) but bcos of my tireness I believed I had made the right choice to call it a day and not get myself injure. There will always be another run that I will feel stronger and come out better as my training progresses towards the next 7 weeks in preparation for the Penang Marathon. I hope to peak at the right time cos this will be my last 42k race for 2007. The second half of the year will be for shorter races (10k and 21k) and probably focus on my speed.

Its always hard to make a comeback, but never giveup!!! More importantly take each run as a phase-in rather than rushing into it. Its better to gain back the momentum slowly than getting injured.

Hukou Waterfall

I needed to travel on a 4 hours bus journey to reach this waterfall situated in a small town and took a video clip of this amazing site.

Located 165 kilometers west of Fenxi City, Shaanxi Province, and 50 kilometers east of Yichuan in Shanxi Province, the Hukou Waterfall is the second-largest waterfall in China after the Huangguoshu Waterfall in Guizhou Province; it is, however, the largest waterfall on the Yellow River. The river narrows dramatically falling some 30 meters into a big stone pond, just like the neck of a bottle. It is therefore called Hukou, which means "mouth of a kettle."

As the world's only yellow waterfall, the Hukou Waterfall takes shape as the Yellow River flows through the Hukou Mountains on the Shanxi-Shaanxi border, its 250-meter-wide bed sandwiched between the canyons, and then abruptly narrows into a 30x50-meter basin.

Snowing in WuTaiShan

This video clip was taken as I was about to start the day for some sightseeing in WuTaiShan, China. Its Spring time there and yet its snowing, quite a amazing condition bearing in mind that during winter, the temperature can be -40 degree Celcius.