Monday, November 22, 2010

PENANG BRIDGE MARATHON 2010 - BREAKING THE 'MAGICIAN'S CODE'

IT'S EASY....WHEN YOU KNOW THE SECRET.....

I've posted in my recent blog entry that i'm gonna nail this Penang Bridge Marathon for a Sub 5 mission. And I'm proud to announce that 'I DID IT!'
Yes!! in 4 HR : 44 Min : 04 Sec to be exact!! (time for 'berlagak').

The Training

I just can't imagine the training. It was like total torture!! The speed work, long distance, the 'anjing', 'werewolf' and even a pondan tried to distract disturb me during the runs. In addition, the time I had wasted just for training instead being there for my family....(ala...sedih la pulak).
The Travelling to Penang

The journey took us about 5 hours. Normally 4 hours but stuck at lembah beringin searching for Petrol Station, and detour to Tanjung Malim for a nice Yik Mun Pau...but sadly, the premis opens at 10am. The Pau replaced by Tosei instead.

Yik Mun Pau -  Di sinilah kejadian tu berlaku


Baggage deposit aka Bib Number Collection

'Ni macam mana boleh terkelepet ni?'



Kami di taja oleh kasut Newton dan Filem Superman


Carbo Load gila-gila - Kak June's friend (orange tshirt), azza, kak june, karen, yim and Zaki
Ray pegi toilet, Deo datang lambat

The Race Day

Put my 'rock tape' on hamstrings area, a very weird looking stripe i say. I have my 2 litres hydration pack with 3 tablets of camelbak salt (melegakan dengan 3 tablets sahaja). Have a 'Teh Tarik' session with Zaki, Rayzeef and Deo before the start.

4 blur - Ijam, Zaki, Rayzeef & Deo


'Attempting 42km in 4 hr : 59 min : 42 sec' - tshirt


Rock Tape - dapat free pakai je, itupun tak cukup

At 1.20am, stretching and gentle jog. 1.40am : enter the race arena and met with couple of friends, doc Julin, her husband (power!), pui san, mohan, zulhassan, irwan, shanaz (mmmm..), mohan maniac, bdr permaisuri gang, khairul cap ayam...and lim guan eng - he's not running.

It's Racing Time!!

Initially, I suppose to take it easy, but i changed my mind by following a 4.30 hour pacer. At 6.00 to 6.15 minutes per KM was a super torture. I dont train for this, but I tried to maintain. For a while the 4.30 pacer seem too slow (ah..slow la korang..!!), I ran faster a little bit, then i met Yim 'the misai powerman'. He's aiming for 5.30 minutes per KM....(lagi gila!). But somehow i knew he managed to do it...

Kak June's Kedai Runcit before the Rain complete with signboard untuk melariskan jualan


During Rain - Kak June Signboard dah takde. Me from afar making my way to Kak June's

I reached 10km at 1 hr : 04 min (target time : 1 hr : 10 min). It will give me enough time for a longer break at water station.

To Pace or Not to Pace

My 4.30 hour pacer ditched me when i stopped for a refill at the toll plaza i.e 16km-ish (is it?). No more yellow ballon, no more nice looking hot mama super fast amoi at my side. From there, it's just me running alone with my own pace.

It's Hujan Time!!

Reached the 20th km mark at 2 hr : 14 min, I still have 6 minutes in advance for sub 5..he, he...

At 25th-ish KM (is it?) the monsoon rain started pouring down. Yahoo!!!...just like Nik the Ultra said, taking a bath during race is recommended, to me the rain was a blessing. But my leg felt too heavy due to the wet shoes.  All i can say that i'm running in the rain almost the entire marathon.

More photos on Kak June's pit stop

Then, there was Julie, the 4.50 pacer. Followed her till 32th KM. Stopped at kedai Runcit Kak June for a nice refill. No time to loose, dumped my hydration pack, continued to pace Julie, will take the hydration pack later. Thanks Kak June, I owe you one.

The 'Pisang' U-Turn

I've managed to break away from Julie quite a distance (kind of), just i was about to u-turn, i saw Yim at the opposite site looking strong. At the U-turn, grab a power gel, a pisang, just about a munch half of that pisang, then Julie the pacer came....alamak...Pisang belum habis...macam mana ni?...Then I decided to let go,  I had to abandoned being Julie's pacer.


Punyalah cantik


7km to go!!

With Kak June...(Thanks KAk June)
The climbing was so hard even for a 3km back and forth from Kedai Runcit Kak June seems forever. At this juncture, I saw Shanaz from the opposite side, she's smiling at me!! ececeh...I saw Zaki making his relaxing ultra pace from the opposite side. Then, I met with Ah Hoi, Bdr Sri Permaisuri gang. I followed him. He was suffering from calf cramp. I grab my hydration pack from Kak June, having some 'salonpas' spraying moment together with Ah Hoi, then off we go. Mr Ah Hoi was my new pacer now. Running at 5.45 to 6.00 minutes per KM sounds crazy, but we managed from 35th KM to 39th KM, then Mr Ah Hoi just can't continue. Back to running alone again, push it!!

The Final Countdown

At 39th KM (kot?) met with Yim (sini baru jumpa aaa...?)...He's damn fast!!...later found out that he had a toilet break moment before. If not, he should be finished by now. The road seems endless with only a few marathoners left. I had to keep on pushing myself, then, there was a huge some sort of 'great migration of National Geographic' by the 10km runners. These 'apa barang 10km' runners had cross the line by entering the marathoner's sacred lane. As a result, we had to slow down and ran to extreme right, if it's more extreme, we have to run in the 'longkang'.

Where's the 'God Damn' Distance Marker la wei!!

The final kilometre was the hardest part because I'm not sure weather my garmin watch was indicating the correct distance, I would love to have a manual piece of cardboard showing that 'you're nearer, about to finish' kind of thing. Just where I'm about to give up, I saw the finishing arch....yes...finally..
Grab my medal, finisher tshirt and find a suitable place to lie down.

There was a bit of confusion regarding the distance marker especially at the end of the bridge. Maybe Zaki will explain it further.

We also don't know how many KM we have ran, I just rely on my garmin watch. So, I totally forget my split time at 30th KM...boring-boring...

All the trainings paid off as I broke the Sub 5 record! Yeah...
42km is not an easy distance, my advice, train hard!!


My timing - yes, i deserve it.



Official Result

At Restoran Nasi Kandar Kapitan - Can you spot the Full Marathon and 'Non-Marathon'


'Here we are'...buat dono je...(Rayzeef attempting his first marathon in Sundown 2011...good luck!)


Ni le restorannya...


Ni pun restorannya jugak...
Thank You Note

This is a token of appreciation to all friends whom I had experienced with, throughout the entire journey :

Zaki the Ultramaniac - for accompanying me to the Penang Land
Ray 'Marathon to be' and Deo 'apa barang 21km'- for Motivational support
Kak June kedai Runcit- for nice chilly drinks at her Kedai Runcit not for me but for other runners
Yim misai powerman - for being my motivator, pacer and competitor
Julie the ironman- for being my pacer, yes, were're running in the rain! - nice leg
Amoi 4.30 pacer - thank you!
To all friends i know, zahrin manggis (tak jumpa la), karen, pui san, KD, khairul cap ayam, fariz elias, ruby (wohoo...), ida izumi, sharafi, azza (half marathon), Shanaz, Deo, irwan, doc julin and husband, zulhassan, bdr permaisuri gang, and those who I forgot to mentioned here - thank you for being there!! You guys rock!!

Next Stop : Singapore Marathon - nice and easy

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

PENANG BRIDGE MARATHON - LET'S CRANK UP THAT MILEAGE!!! - even if it's too late

This will be my 5th Marathon. I maybe a moderate runner clocking sub 1 hour in 10km (ala..ramai dah boleh buat dah)...SUB 2 hour in Half Marathon (ceh...lagi ramai dah buat..apa barang...)...but never, repeat...NEVER SUB 5 hour or NOT EVEN close to SUB 4 hour!!!

I envy admired those who completed sub 5 hour marathon especially friends around me like ehem...(in no particular orders and no bad intention)...Diket, Nik, Ian, Syed, Shanaz (kot), Syuk, Syahsully, Nizam dan lain2...(just to name a few..nak mention semua mampus la aku...). They have been one hell of a powerful runners in town!! (Tabik Spring!!!)

I've been running since Dr Mahathir as a Prime Minister, better yet, Anwar Ibrahim also there...
I should develop some sort of mighty prowess to sustain the torture during the marathon...but NO..because previously I dont do marathon. The longest was Half Marathon. Then, the Marathon thingy just pop out of my 'serabut' mind. My first Marathon was SCKLM in 2009, 2nd in Putrajaya Marathon, 3rd in Energizer Night Marathon and 4th in Gold Coast 'Sepang' 2010. All the marathons I would suffer after 30th km (except in Gold Coast Sepang), the cramp at leg muscles caused me to walked...(hey, at least i'm moving...).

What went wrong? lack of training?..Nutrition? Lack of mileage per week? Lack of amoi motivation? 

The answer is...all of the above...
Yes,  "preparing for a marathon, after all, is no easy thing. It is a big, big time commitment, and for most it demands vast amounts of energy - physical, mental and emotional. The pay-off, of course, is equally enormous. Enhanced strength and confidence are the treasures reaped by all marathon athletes, whatever their ability. Running a marathon is not something to be done lightly or without adequate preparation. It requires seriousness and dedication." (copyright ni)

Until this day I shall never underestimate 42km!! Respect the distance...

So, here are my plans :

1) Run Smart  - berpakaian kemas, rambut sikat tepi, seluar atas pusat?..NO....You should start slow, at least for the first 10km to 20km. Which previously I ignored (sort of..bukannya laju pun aku...then i suffered at 30th Km onwards...)

2) Train Smart - juga bukan berpakaian kemas semasa training...NO...instead of only long distance run (which i only did that in my trainings...alamak malu la mengaku..), the training shall include Fartlek (for speed and pace), Hills (for strength), Tempo Run (for speed and pace), Interval (for speed), The Long Run (for endurance) and Easy Run (recovery). I knew this already, but where got time to train (alasan..)

3) Eat Smart - bukan makan ikan hensem atau ayam hensem..NO..instead of just carbo load (which i did previously...melantak nasik dengan Ikan je..a week before race)...take supplement like glucosamine...take ORS few days before the race (Ultra Nik's advice) ..yang lain2 rahsia but halal food....

4) Hydrate Smart - beli camelbak yang baru...NO...during run i should drink bit by bit the electrolyte...and not to drink when you feel thirsty (a sign of dehydration). That is why i will bring my hydration pack this time around and see how it goes...(buang air atas jambatan la aku..). It will also get rid of muscle cramp or at least delay it a little bit...

5) Mental Smart - bersihkan otak selalu, kotor sangat tu...NO...(YES?)...Pray......the almighty will give you strength!!...They say the last 10 km you will run with your mind...(my mind shuts down last time)...so, tune up the volume of your MP3!!

There you go....simple plan. Remember : "Long Runs and Mileage will get you to the finish line,
Intensity in your training will get you to the finish line faster".

The secret plan :
Pace Yourself!!


2) A Little Encouragement



3) The Motivation I Need

Tshirt designed by Ijam & Gabbana (I & G)

And finally, I wish good luck to all runners for the upcoming Penang Bridge Marathon especially Full Marathoner i.e Me (ehem..), Zaki otoromen, Yim back to back mania, Zahrin Manggis, Shanaz the gorgeous, Doc Julin Nasi Ayam, Pui San the TNF, KD the Newton Jelir and Nadia tolldoll (maybe)....Half Marathoner i.e Deo (oi..dah boleh buat full la), Ray (superman) with a message "apa barang half marathon"..

Attention to fellow Regular Bloggers United (RBU) !- Kak June will open a 'Kedai Runcit' at 30th or 35th km in the middle of nowhere at the Jambatan Pulau Pinang. Start ordering your 'roti telur kuah banjir' now...Thanks Kak June!!

Bocor Rahsia : 'The Kiasu award' goes to Yim - Powerman 14/11/2010, Full Marathon 21/11/2010 (Penang), Full Marathon 5/12/2010 (singapore)...- nasib baik takde back to back punya race...

'The Half Kiasu award' goes to Zaki & Me - Full Marathon Penang and Singapore...ngeh, ngeh, ngeh..

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!

Received my race kit today.

Get ready!!


Monday, November 1, 2010

GENTING TRAILBLAZER 2010 - MEDAL OF HONOUR & SUPERMAN RETURNS

Too lazy to type:

Enjoy the photos

SUPERMAN RETURNS!
TEAM CLOWN RULES!!!
with my team mate  : Ray



SURROUNDING AREA


SUBUH BREAKFAST
Syah, Yim, Che, Ray and Zaki


Port a loo at the background

another boring photo of surrounding area


'The Gang' before start



'The Gang' - same photo but with additional member


Apart from proper stretching, a proper 'sedut' demonstrated by Ian


Nothing interesting

Look Carefully - I can see you...


Approaching the Mud Zone

Slow and steady

Wooden slide that can rip your running short apart....huhu

almost at the bottom..


Ray having his most difficult time in his life!

Ray 'Bernafas Dalam Lumpur' session


No too difficult...(apa barang benda ni, satu kaki pun boleh...)

Little bit more...balancing act


Tadaaa!!!...there you go!! Team Clown kena lumpur!!!


Looking for my shoes underwater...

'Eh, amoi tu pandang aku la..."

Mak Ai, mulut menganga...tu menjerit ke mengantuk tu...?

Ray with his 'Superman' leap of glory

Muka penat


merangkak to finishing

chamber of torture

Ray's water bottle got stuck at the net...
Ray : 'aku tersekat, lemas tak boleh nafas..ijam tolongg!!'
Ijam : 'heeii...mcm budak2...kita enjoy lumpur ni dulu...yahoo!!'

for those who just tune in....its not what you think...
Operasi menggigit sedang di jalankan


just after finishing ....ah lega!! what a beautiful lady beside daud..mmm..

Diket giving a few tips how the mud taste like...
'Korang semua jangan takutlah...telan air tu takde apa punya'


Kak June kelihatan gembira sebab tak kena lumpur...

Kenduri makan roti john...

Syed, Shanaz (mix team) and Irwan....they are great runners...



Zaki & Ziff je ready for the camera...yang lain tengah cari placing masing2

'Mr Pisang' - Nik berjaya menghabiskan pisang terbanyak


Mak ai, tak ready lagi?

Syah : 'aku boleh buat lagi 5 round je...'

Memang betullah, gambar kalau ada perempuan memang menjadi punya...

Finishing gantry...before we start..

Yim with his not so 'mystery parter'

Team Clown berjaya....!!!


after the race - say goodbye to my adidas shoes...



MEDAL OF HONOUR - Its not the actual medal but it look like this.
(photo curi from Nik)


Dr Pui San (right) and her friend

some of us dont bring the glove...then you saw a man with no arms..
No arms man to the finishing line

Jaja and Mas...congratulations for completing...yahoo!!!


'Rub me' first then 'recharge'
(photo courtesy of yim)


To all runners....congratulations, you all are true heroes...!!
See you at Penang Bridge Marathon - 21/11/2010...