This was a strange race. I almost didn't get to run this race bcoz I had to go for a working trip to Kuching. But in the end my boss decided that I could stay, so that settles it. A couple of weeks before the race the organizer announced that the venue needs to be changed bcoz of the annual Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fest. What the heck?! The balloon fest is an annual affair, which means it was planned months before..don't tell me the Perbadanan Putrajaya didn't warn the organizers about the possible clash of events. So the venue was changed to a Rumah PPTD start, the 1st time a race would start there, as far as I can remember.
Racepack collection
Due to the venue switch, the racepack collection was at Rumah PPTD. Nothing much in the pack, a neon yellow race T & a can of Gorilla vitaminized energy drink. This energy drink tastes like Livita, but carbonated. There wasn't that many people at the venue, despite my coming there at noon.
Pre-race
2 days before the race I had a very good track session. I did 3x2000m at target race pace, in preparation for the 10,000m event this week. I managed to hold my pace & recovered sufficiently (7 mins), but somehow my Polar screw up the readings & I couldn't analyze the session. I felt good after the training, however, the next day (Friday) I was beginning to feel drowsy. Even when I went to bed the night before the race I wasn't feeling okay. I told myself, I've felt this kinda situation before & decided to go ahead & run. I didn't have a good sleep, waking up almost every 2 hrs, heck, maybe every hour! & my waking heart rate wasn't good, it was in the low 60s, which was high for me. Still, I was determined to go ahead.
I got to the start pretty early & went through my normal warm up routine. I knew there was something not right, I didn't feel comfortable. I took a new gel before the start, Hammer's Espresso gel with 50mg of caffeine. I guess that helped somewhat. I decided to take my fuel belt with a single bottle, bcoz I dun trust the organizers. Also a spare gel, just in case.
The start line
When I got to the start line, I thought I was in the wrong venue. Bcoz there wasn't that many people there. I didn't feel like a race start..felt more like a family day of a small division. The race atmosphere just wasn't there & the mood of the announcer certainly didn't help at all. In Malay we'd call him "bidan terjun".
The race
We had to do 2 laps of 7km each. The 1st part was pretty easy bcoz it was all downhill. As expected, race routes in this area would be hilly, no matter which course the organizer takes. There WILL be some climbing involved. So it's the same case here. I've gone through Rumah PPTD area in most races before, but usually towards the end. This is the 1st time I've started the race here. Immediately I was in the front group of about 10-15 runners. & tht's where I'll finish the race. As soon as we hit the 5K mark I was really in trouble. I couldn't get any sort of rhythm going, I didn't have the energy to push. The downhill section after the U-turn for the 2nd lap was a welcomed relief, but still, no rhythm was established.
Nevertheless I hit the 5K mark at 26mins, faster than Natura Run. The 2nd 5K was 30mins. Still, with all my problems, my 10K was still at under an hour. This was the advantage of running this kinda course, U get to make up for lost time during the downhill sections. This was one of the reasons my 10K PB of 48:30 was clocked in Melawati, a course with similar uphill sections as this.
There was only 2 water stations in the course. & I didn't have to take my spare gel. I guess the Hammer Espresso gel is my new secret weapon.
Post race
I was one of the early finishers for 14K I guess, judging from the reception I received. At least the organizer got the distance right, it was 14.08km. They gave me the medal, another can of the Gorilla drink & a banana at the finish. I went straight to my ride, changed to dry clothing, gobbled down the banana & the Gorilla & went straight home. I was feeling really sick. As soon as I got home, I was shivering & breathing heavily. Despite all this, I still managed to clock 1:23:14, a personal best for a 14K race. I was really grateful that nothing bad happened to me during the race. Just to finish in that condition was a miracle I guess.
Ratings
Route (Challenging, unique) : 4/5
Organizer (Overall organization of race) : 2/5
Runners welfare (Water station, pre & post race facilities) : 2/5
Goodie bag (Content) : 3.5/5
Race tee (Quality, aesthetics) : 3/5
Medal (Quality, aesthetics) : 3/5
My performance (execution of race plan, finishing time) : 3.5/5
Livestrong, run stronger.
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