A Saturday to remember

When I was in form 4, I went to a boarding school, considered one of the premier boarding school at the time, Maktab Rendah Sains MARA or MRSM in short. There were 11 MRSMs in Malaysia at that time, I went to the one in Jasin, Melaka. Going to a boarding school was some sort of a break from my family for me, as I was somewhat free to play whatever sport I wanted & even play football for my school, something that won't be possible if I'd stayed home. So I played football, ping-pong, sepaktakraw & tennis. I didn't play basketball at that time. 

The alumni of these MRSMs is called Ansara. Ansara is quite an active movement, with regular activities for it's members. This will culminate in an annual dinner. 

Last Saturday there was this sports carnival organized by Ansara. I was asked by one of my friends from Ansara Terendak (also in Melaka), to play basketball for them. As I didn't play basketball when I was in Jasin & it's been quite sometime since I last played tournament basketball, I happily obliged. It was held in German-Malaysian Institute Bangi campus. The only issue was that I had a race that morning, albeit a non-competitive race. My car was blocked by another car & it was a good 20 minutes before the owner came. But luckily I made it before our 1st game. 

 

It was a really, really hot day. & the game was on an outdoor court! We had 4 games to play. My teammates were a lot younger than I was. The atmosphere was festive, right next to the basketball court was the volleyball tournament & a little bit further was the rugby game. Football was played on a different location. For the basketball tourney, only Kuantan had players as old as I was, or maybe much older. I contributed quite a number of points & we won all 4 prelim games & made it to the semis. 

In the semis the team was much younger than us & we were all over the place. In the end we lost by quite a narrow margin. 

Overall it wasn't really that tiring for me, but the heat made it harder. & I was satisfied with the way I played, although there was always room for improvement. I get to taste one of the best burgers from one of the food truck. & I get to meet some old friends, who knew me from my days playing in Sri Hartamas & UKM. I had a great time.

Livestrong, run stronger.

Race review : Natura Run for Hope 2016 10K (?)

It's only February & we've already have the candidate for the worst event of the year!

Actually I wasn't supposed to run this event. I didn't even know there was an event in Putrajaya this week, I did register for the Shamrock 10K next week (27/2). But a friend of mine couldn't run it so she gave me her 10K bib. I agreed to take it as I've no event this week. 

The FB page was filled with negative comments right after the race pack collection started. Apparently there wasn't enuff tshirt & the ones that got theirs found that the size was too small. I went to pick up my friend's bib at the Pusat Akuatik Putrajaya on Friday. I was pretty shocked looking at the race pack. For RM65, there wasn't any electronic timing & the shirt was what runners would call tshirt "cap ayam". They did gave a 50g tube of Voltex cream, some sort of analgesic cream.

Pre-race

I really didn't know this event was a non-competitive event (that explains the lack of timing chip) until when I get to the line this morning. My start was supposed to be at 0645. As subuh is a bit late these days, I decided to go to the start earlier & perform my subuh prayers there. I got to the Pusat Akuatik at about 0620 & I immediately went & performed my subuh prayers. After I finished I was quite puzzled that nobody was at the 15K start which was supposed to be at 0630. Then I heard the announcer called for runners to get to the start for the warm up session. I put my shoes on (Mizuno Wave Hitogami 2nd pair) & proceeded with my warm up. The 15K didn't start until about 0650! I finished my warm up & stretching & changed into my race vest. After the 15K crowd went off I went to the start.

Start line
As this was a 10K event, I didn't take anything before the start. I did have some chocolate cake at home before I went off. I couldn't find anybody I know at the start, proly they did the 15K. 

The race

We were flagged off at about 0710. As there was no electronic timing, I went off running on the kerb, so I started off pretty close to the front. My race plan was to do tempo 5:15-5:45 for the first 5K. I managed to hold a pretty high tempo & with a high cadence of 88-90, I was cruising. Right at the 2nd junction came my 1st confusion of the day. I'd studied the course map & we were supposed to turn left at the PICC, but we were directed to the right side. Well I thought I'd read the map in reverse!

We hit the 2nd 5K at the bridge just before MOT. I was running with a couple of guys. One of them was wearing this "Anonymous Runner" tshirt & he kept on taking selfies very frequently. He was also wearing sandals. I was struggling a bit to up the speed in the 2nd 5K as I'd targeted for a negative split. So I just tried to maintain my rhythm.

As we went down Jambatan Seri Gemilang, we were directed to go into Taman Empangan. I thought we will turn right after the bridge. & with this, I hit 10K just under the bridge. & the distance marker indicated there was still 2km to go! By that time I'd known that the race will be OD (over distance). The sandal guy's GPS went off right after mine & I told him we're gonna be OD. He nodded in agreement & began talking to a Kenyan woman right next to us. Well, I think she's Kenyan... She said she only prepared to run 10K & her body had shut down after that. I couldn't agree more. My legs were really hurting by this time & I was really struggling. Mentally I came for 10K, prepped for a 10K. I was about to bonk. But I managed to hang on & hit the finish in 1:05:17, a new 12K PB. 

Post race
The sandal guy earlier told me that the organier sent emails telling runners about the changes in distance & course. Well, as I was running someone else's bib obviously I didn't get the email. There was nothing on the FB either. I was pretty much spent by the time I finished. They gave the medals, which was quite nice. The Lucozade wasn't a cold one & they only gave out 1 cup, so much for sponsorship. I made a few Milo rounds though. The course was good, really, but I really wished I'd prepped better for the new distance. The 12K PB was just a high point among a lots of lows. 

Ratings

Route (Challenging, unique) : 5/5

Organizer (Overall organization of race) : 2/5

Runners welfare (Water station, pre & post race facilities) : 3/5

Goodie bag (Content) : None

Race tee (Quality, aesthetics) : 2/5

Medal (Quality, aesthetics) : 5/5

My performance (execution of race plan, finishing time) : 3.5/5 (10K) 4.5/5 (12K)

Race review : Melawati 10K

A bit late this race review is, but not too late (sounds like Yoda isn't it?). 

I first did the Melawati 10K back in 2014. At that time the race was only RM45 I think & it was the challenging route that attracted me to it. The race route was hilly, there was a long section of uphill, followed by a long, gradual downhill. & there's a couple of sharp rises, one of them was near the house of Malaysia's most renowned film maker, Dato' Yusof Haslam. Nevertheless, with this kinda route, surprisingly I clocked my 10K PB (road) of 48:32.85 (9.27km on GPS). I chose not to go in 2015 bcoz the fees had suddenly shot up to RM70. 

Well this year I've decided to make a comeback. The route was just too good to miss & the fact that I did my PB there made it a natural choice. 

Pre race

I chose to go to the start from Serendah. It was closer anyway. I got to the start pretty early, performed my Subuh prayers at the Taman Melawati mosque, along with some other runners. Then I went to the start & found a parking space pretty close to the start. I had my breakfast, a 2-finger Kit Kat. Normally for 10K races I dun really have any bfast, just some chocolate will do. For 12-15K races I'd take one energy gel right before the start. I went through my pre-race warm up, a short jog, drills & lower body stretches. For HM I'd include upper body stretches as well. Then I put on my race vest, have a sip of water & off to the starting line. 

Start line

The announcer decided to delay the start a bit to allow some of the late comers to get to the start. While I dun really like this, but it wasn't my call. The race was supposed to start at 7.00 am but we went off at 7:10. Serious runners would be at the start before the designated flag off time, but it's the casual runners who usually fail to respect this. But I guess they're the majority, so... I saw one of my friends, Rudy at the start. He'd run a 21km just a few hours before at Shah Alam. This guy is a crazy mileage-gobbler.

The race

The start was into a downhill, so naturally it was very fast. I tried to stay with the front runners & take advantage of the downhill. After less than 1km I passed Rudy who told me he was still very tired from the 21km. Understandably. After about 2km the road gradually went up & the 1st selection was made there. My target had been to go tempo for the 1st 5km & up the pace in the 2nd 5km. After about 3.5km we reached the gradual uphill I was talking about earlier. I've been doing hill tempos at PICC to prepare for my 1st two races of 2016, the MPI which was in Lake Gardens & this. So I didn't really have much problem going uphill.

I was okay until the last sharp ascent about 2km from the finish. The organizers decided to put the last water station in the middle of the ascent, bad idea. The ideal position would be just before the uphill section or at the top of the hill, not in the middle of it. Stopping for water would disrupt my rhythm, so I decided to skip the last water station. After all I was okay. 

The last kilometer is gradual downhill, but we had to make a U-turn to get to the finish line. I really hammered the last kilometer & when I get to the end there was only a few ppl there. I clocked a time of 52:28, good enuff for 30th place in the open category. Bcoz I'd got to the finish early, I had the Milo van for myself. Hanged around with Rudy & his friends, before going home. Job well done. 

Ratings

Route (Challenging, unique) : 5/5

Organizer (Overall organization of race) : 4/5

Runners welfare (Water station, pre & post race facilities) : 4/5

Goodie bag (Content) : None

Race tee (Quality, aesthetics) : 5/5

Medal (Quality, aesthetics) : 5/5

My performance (execution of race plan, finishing time) : 4/5

Livestrong, run stronger. 

Training while on the road

I just came back from a south-north tour that took me to 4 states in 4 days. I went to Johor on Saturday, Melaka on Sunday, back to KL on Monday & off to Penang on Tuesday. Bcoz I was on a working trip & bcoz I had to pay for the hotels myself, I had no choice but to stay in budget hotels. & in that 4 days, I only managed to workout once, an easy run in Melaka. 

Back in 2013-2014 when I was constantly on the road, I made sure the hotels I'm staying have either a swimming pool or a gym. If the hotels have none of those facilities, using Google Maps I'd search for running routes close to the hotel. If I was just there for an overnighter, I'd proly just do simple bodyweight exercises in my hotel room, with my TRX Suspension Trainer. 

In short, I've never really give any excuse for skipping training. People often say they can't find the time to workout. Me, I make time. Sometimes I make adjustments to my usual routine to accomodate the amount of time I have. I can squeeze in a treadmill run in as little as 30 mins. I can do weight training circuits in 45 mins. I've come to a stage where I can adjust my workouts accordingly & still get the most out of it. 

Throughout my service in the government I've had the opportunity to stay in great hotels that provides great exercise facilities. Here are some of my favorites.

The Westin Langkawi

I was here when I served as Liaison Officer during the 2015 Asean Summit. The hotel provides running gear at a reasonable price. For RM50 you can get a New Balance technical tee & shorts, NB shoes & socks. Or you can get just the shoes & socks for RM15. Turned out to be they provide the same shoe model I was using at the time, NB890, albeit the older version, V2. 

Fresh shoes & socks!

The gym was new & complete with the latest equipment from Technogym. The house headset was Beats! Although I didn't really like Beats bcoz it's heavy, but what the heck!

Horizon Spa Kota Kinabalu

The hotel's gym was one of the most complete I've seen & the infinity pool was just right next to the gym. They have a high/low pulley station, something very rare to find in a hotel gym.

Honorable mentions:

Mandarin Oriental KL

The gym was at a temporary location the last time I stayed there. But with KLCC park just nearby, running inside was out of the question. Unfortunately part of the park was closed due to some construction work, so you'd have to do more laps than usual. 

Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu

The gym was well-equipped, they have a fitness floor with the spa, gym & swimming pool facilities. 

With facilities like these, it's hard to find any excuse not to workout, even on a road trip.

Livestrong, run stronger. 

2016 Race Preview

It's February & I've only ran a couple of races : The MPI Generali 12k & Melawati 10k. Of course there are more races to come. The unique thing about 2016 is that all the major races like KL Marathon, Penang Bridge & Putrajaya will be after raya (July). Even Seremban is after raya I think. So tht will make it interesting, in planning & preparing for those races. Normally there will be at least 1 major race before the fasting month, KL Marathon is usually in June. Looks like I'ma be running all the majors as a veteran. Here are some of the races I hope to do well this year:

Larian Bomba (May)

This race has a sentimental value to me. This was the 1st race I ran when I decided to get competitive back in 2009. Although it's only 10km, it was made more competitive becoz it doesn't give finishers medal to all finishers. Instead, only the top 100, or more recently, top 150 racers will get a medal. I only get my 1st medal back in 2014, when they started giving out 150 medals. I've ran 54 mins in the past & still failed to get a medal. & I missed this race last year. This year I'ma get top 100. U read it here first.

Standard Chartered KL Marathon (7 August)

This year the race is gonna be on 7th of August. Tht's just a month after raya. I did my PB of 1:58 in HM in this race back in 2012. & last year the race was cancelled due to the haze. Lucky for me as I was injured at the time. This race is only 1 of 2 races in Malaysia with an AIMS-certified course. The other is Penang Bridge Marathon. Considering that my usual prep for any HM is gonna take 10 weeks, I'ma hv to continue serious training in the fasting months, something I've never done before. Well, there's always a first for everything. 

Tht's me in red...

Seremban Half Marathon

No date yet for this race. I've been doing Seremban since 2011. The race has been run on the same exact course every year (& it's always under-distance). Heck, they even gave out the same exact medal for 3 straight years!

I've never really performed well in this race. I was always injured, coming back from an injury or it was just after raya. I think in 2013 this race was just a week after raya! Well, I hope this year I'ma do a sub-2hr here. 

Penang Bridge Marathon (20 November)

I've been doing Penang since 2011. HMs of course. I clocked my 2nd best time in HM here in 2013, 2:00 flat. This year however, I'ma do my 1st full marathon here in Penang, insha Allah. The reason I choose Penang for my virgin FM is that the race starts early, at 3am, so in my target time of 4:30, it shud be still pretty early when I finish. Other races starts pretty late & I've to run proly under the hot sun. Not that it troubles me though, I just thought my virgin FM shud be a wonderful experience. I dun think I'ma switch to FM, it's just sumthing tht I wanna do. 

Putrajaya Night Marathon

I've never really liked night races. But I ran my 1st ever HM during Putrajaya Night Marathon 2010, finishing in 2:35. Come to think of it, I run my LSD in 2:35 these days, hahah. I had a good race here in 2013, clocking 2:02. The course is not certified, but the distance is pretty accurate. I hope they can get certified this year. The race was cancelled last year due to the haze & I didn't run it in 2014. If the conditions are right, proly sumthing interesting will happen here too. 

10K races

I really hope to better my PB in 10K, which stands at 48:30 right now. Depending on the course, I'll be looking for some 10K races early in the season to build up speed. & I'll proly go for the Makswip track & field selection in early April. My PB on the track was 51:20, back in 2012 where I finished 2nd in Pesta Sukan Treasury. I think I can do better this year. 

Livestrong. Run stronger. 

Training at 40...

Yesss...I'ma be 40 this year..or more accurately, in about 4 months' time. In some races they put 40 in Junior Veteran category, in some races they simply group it all with Veteran. For the ladies the cut off age is 35. However I'm not too comfortable with the term "veteran". Overseas they call it Masters. Well, Masters certainly sounds better, right?

So, wht's changed in my training? Nothing much. In fact, I started 2016 with a run mileage of 123km, which is pretty high. The 2nd half of last year was pretty bad for me, with race cancellations, misses & injuries. So I began this year pretty hungry. & injury-free, alhamdulillah. So for a guy my age, I guess my training is pretty intense.

Running

Basically I run 3 times a week, covering anywhere between 30-40km a week. If I have a race on the weekend then it's gonna be 4 sessions a week. I do what all endurance atheletes do, or should do: I begin the week with intervals. My intervals range from 800m to 1200m, with between 5 to 7 repetitions (reps). Of course I start with 800m, then gradually work my way up to 1200m. On some days I'll do long intervals, 1x 3.2km, 2x 1.6km, 2x 800m, at different paces, to allow my body to adjust to changes in pace. I'm trying to run at a faster pace this year, around 4:30 for the kilo repeats. Intervals will train your anaerobic system, to train your body to operate in oxygen-debt. 

Next come the tempo. Tempo workouts are basically done at just below anaerobic threshold (AT), just before your body starts to produce lactic acid to combat the lack of oxygen in your body. The pace shud be hard but not race pace. For my pet event, the half marathon, I do tempos between 30 minutes to 10km. For tempos longer than 30 mins, I try to vary the pace, with the goal of getting a negative split. 

Then of course, the long, slow, distance (LSD). These are done on weekends, preferably on Saturday. for HM, I'd do LSD for about 2:30 hrs, or around 20km. This year I'ma try for full marathon in Penang, so I might do a longer LSD later in the year, around 30km. 

Weights

Late last year I bulked up so much that I got scared. The thing was that I was looking for a new routine to follow & I decided to follow Arnold Schwarzenegger's program, insipred by his talk during the GTP forum last year. But instead of making my body cut, it bulked up. I don't really know what went wrong. So in December I reverted to my usual routine & managed to cut my body back to where it was, proly even better than before. 

This year I'ma include some power workouts in my routine, Why? Bcoz I wanted to do the javelin again. I hope my shoulders won't give me any problems. For MAKSWIP track & field meet in April, I want to do both javelin & 10,000m, both requires very, very different training. 

I do switch between heavy & light weights every 5 weeks, with 1 or 2 weeks of rest in between. I don't really rest during the rest week, I do full body circuits with light weights, to allow my body to adjust to the previous session.

Weekly routine

My typical week will look like this:

Monday : Weights 

Tuesday : Intervals (after work), followed by basketball at 9pm

Wednesday : Weights

Thursday : Tempo

Friday : Weights

Saturday : LSD/easy run (if there's a race on Sunday)

Sunday :  Rest/Race

On heavy weight training weeks, I might find myself too tired after the Friday session, so I'll do LSD on Sundays. The key here is to have at least one day's rest every week & to listen to my body. If I'm too tired then there's no point to continue training. I also do proper warm ups & stretching before every session, as we get older our body will lose it's resilience & become more prone to injury. 

One thing I'm seriously considering now at the age of 40 is coaching. I want to share my experience & knowledge & help those who want to get serious in sports. I've began by coaching some of my friends on the road & track & I really hope to pick up from there. 

Life really begins at 40...

Livestrong, run stronger.

WHY I RUN?

Some ppl run 4 fun. Some ppl run 2 socialize. There r ppl who run bcoz their friends run. Some ppl wants 2 challenge themselves, 2 see how far they can go.

I run bcoz of the undying competitive spirit in myself. Since I was 10, I've always been involved in competition of sorts :
10 y.o - Athletics 
11 y.o - cross country, handball
12 y.o - athletics, handball
13 y.o - football, cycling
17 y.o - represented Selangor cycling
18 y.o - Sukom 98 core squad trainee, Sukma Ipoh 94
20 y.o - Sukma Kuantan 96
21 y.o - basketball
22 y.o - UKM football team
23 y.o - Sea Games 2001 project team
30 y.o - KL league football
31 y.o - took up running
33 y.o - entered 1st road racing

Quite a resume. I've experienced competitive sport at a very high level, a level most of us could only dream of. & bcoz of tht, I really can't find a reason 2 stop. Since the age of 10, I proly had maybe 2-3 yrs of inactivity in my life.

I wanna get on the podium. The feeling of winning, getting medals, being cheered on, thts wht drives me. & I train seriously. I dun smile when I run. I dun stop & take selfies. I always try to find the extra edge 2 take me closer to the podium. Always willing 2 try new training methods, programs, equipment. & perhaps with my new race category, I'll be closer to realizing tht dream.

This msg is perhaps 4 mths premature. But who knows wht'll happen in 4 mths. Insha Allah. Livestrong.

RISING COST OF RUNNING

This photo was frm my 1st race in 2009, Larian Bomba, which was my 1st race when I decided 2 take up running as a sport. The entry fee was RM20, the race number was printed on a piece of white cloth, there was no timing chip & the medal was 4 the 1st 100 finishers only. It'd be another 5 yrs be4 I managed 2 get the finisher's medal. It remained one of the most competitive events in Msia & the fee remained at RM20 to this day.

During the early yrs of my running, there wasn't tht many events, U can find running events 4 as low as RM40 for 21km (HM) category. Most participants were there 4 the racing & most importantly, U won't find tht many ppl stopping 4 selfies in the middle of the race!

Fast fwd 2 2015. Most races will hv electronic timing. There's a lot of events 2 choose frm, sometimes there were 2-3 events on the same date. & to attract participants, organizers started 2 hv events with themes (superhero run, Hello Kitty run, etc). Running hv become social events, so much so tht those who came 2 race sometimes were frustrated by runners stopping to take selfies, groupies, etc. & events started 2 become expensive. Some charge RM70 for 10k events. Goodie bags hv become thinner & smaller, some dun even give goodie bags. Some even charge up 2 RM90 for FM.

One of my frens who runs casually said tht nobody forces anybody 2 enter these races. Very true. It's up to the runner. But back in 2010-2013, I can afford 2 enter races just 2 prepare 4 my target races. But now I really hv 2 pick & choose which event 2 enter. I've nvr really entered all events under the sun. But now I've become a bit picky. 10k races below RM60 & I really pick races tht I know or hv run be4. I use 10k races early in the season 2 build up speed. Same with some HMs.

The quality of the organizers hv also become suspect. They seem 2 be more interested in riding on the popularity of running events than taking care of runner's welfare. Some dun provide enuff water at water stations. My advice is to study the route well & know how many water stations r provided. Better still, bring Ur own water.

The surge of running events shud be a blessing 4 runners in the country. I just hope tht organizers are not just interested in raking in profits & neglecting the core aspect of running events: to provide great platform for runners. Let's hope we won't see a repeat of Energizer Night Run 2010.

Livestrong. Run stronger.

TALENT

http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/02/training-tips/what-is-vo2-max-and-how-can-it-help-your-training_53805

This article reminds me of proly one of the biggest moment in my sporting career. The year was 1999, I was in my 2nd year in UKM when I received a letter from NSC stating that I was selected to be in their Gemilang 2001 project. Gemilang 2001 was a project that was supposed to prepare athletes for 2001 SEA Games, which KL was gonna be hosting. After Sukom 98, this was my 2nd stint in a national sports project team & of course I was honored. I had tried to get a place in the 1999 Jakarta SEA Games team but failed. After my illness in 1998, just before the World "B" Championships in Ipoh, I couldn't seem to get back to where I was.

The 1st requirement was for me to stay in Bkt Jalil. The NSC was even prepared to ask me to switch from UKM to UPM, where all the NSC athletes was furthering their studies. After much thought, I declined the move. So I was allowed to stay in UKM, but was given a monthly allowance of only RM100, compared to the RM700 I can get if I stay in Bkt Jalil. Definitely a setback, but I soldiered on. But after almost 10 years in cycling, it was beginning to take its toll on my finances. After all, I was only a student.

Then came the qualifications test. I was in the track cycling team. My pet events was the sprints & the kilometer. So they had to test me on two aspects: my power output & lung capacity (VO2 Max). So I went to the NSI for the tests. My coach was there. The doctors was there. I felt like a lab rat. I some ways, I was. I had to do the power test 1st. My power output was as expected from a sprinter, in high 800W-900W range, although my coach told me Rosman Alwi produced 1000W+. So all was good. Then the VO2 Max test. They put all those apparatus on me, I had to wear a mask, they clipped my nose so that I breathe thru the mouth only. I found it really difficult to breathe. After what felt like an eternity, I stopped. The 1st thing I heard from one of the docs was,"Aik? Abis dah?". That was an indication that my test was shorter than expected. I told him I felt like throwing up. My coach told me to take the test some other time.

After a few days, the coach came to me with the results. The conclusion was I was not talented enuff to be a sprinter. NOT TALENTED ENUFF. After 9 years, rising from a complete nobody in sprinting to a 4th place finish in the Sportexcel Nationals in just 6 months, beating some of the biggest names in sprinting (Edwin Ng, Haris Fadzillah), finishing 2nd in the National series to Rosman Alwi, 2 bronze medals in sprints & the kilo in the 1997 National Championships..in turned out to be I wasn't talented enuff... Wow! A few weeks after that, I quit the Sea Games project & in 2000, I decided to quit cycling for good.

A few years back, the NSI embarked on a talent scouting program. Similar to what was done in the US & Australia, coaches went to schools conducting tests on schoolchildren to identify talented athletes at a very early age. They conducted the vertical jump test, which was a basis to discover schoolchildren with fast twitch muscles. Some of the athletes from other sports was also given the opportunity to try other sports. This was how one of the athletes in track & field ended up being a cyclist instead. If this was done during my time, I wonder in which sport I could've ended.

Talent is just an indicator. Hard work is another. Those without talent would proly have to work harder than those talented athletes. But those talented athletes who chose not to work hard just becoz they're talented, would've ended nowhere too. The best way is to have both, talent & hard work. Becoz there's definitely no shortcut to success in sports.

Livestrong. Run stronger.