An athlete usually can remain competitive for around 6-8 months every year. They will have a build-up training for maybe 3-4 months, reach their peak for 2-3 months, then they will have an off-season where they scale down on competition or dun compete at all. For me, my off-season is usually during the fasting month. This month is usually a period where I take a break from serious training. I'll just run lightly, maybe 2-3 times a week, just to remain active. This is the period where I'll try to recover from any injury that I have & plan ahead for the next year.
After setting my personal best during the Setia Alam about 3 weeks ago, I was on such a high spirit & I felt so strong that I'd skipped my usual one-week post-race recovery period. I continued training at high intensity becoz I felt strong. Then I had to take a 5-day break from training to go back to Tganu for my sister-in-law's wedding. So during that period, I didn't train at all. When I came back, thinking that it was okay, I did an 11km run at mid-tempo intensity, using the Taman Wawasan lap, which is quite tough. The result was an injury to my right calf. Now it's very likely that I'm gonna miss both PSP & PSKK.
I thought it was just a cramp. At KM 9, after coming down the hill for my 3rd lap, I began to feel pain in my right calf. So I stopped & stretched, & I continued running. But then I felt that the pain didn't go away. So I stopped running at KM10.5 & finished the lap walking. When I got back to my room I stretched as usual. I applied ice pack immediately when I got home.
The next day I went to UPM to train on the track. That was when I realized the injury was serious. I could only run for about 50m, then the pain came back. This time even with my calf sleeves on. & even using that couldn't prevent the pain. So I stopped running & went home. I only did weights during the weekend & continued the RICE treatment. Last Monday I tried running on the treadmill. It was as if the pain never even been treated. It was still painful. Now THAT is serious. I fear the worse, maybe muscle tear. If that is so there is no way I can run the 10,000m. Dun even think of running 1,500m, which is much, much faster than the 10K. I can only do the javelin, even that require some running. That is a bummer indeed, becoz I heard the 10K winner last year won't be competing this year, & this could be my best chance of winning an event. Bummer...
This should be a lesson to me. A painful lesson indeed. The best I can do now is to prevent this from happening again. & not to overreact that might cause it to become even worse & takes longer to recover. I've got the Seremban Half on 11/7 on my schedule, I dunno if I can make that one. I haven't registered for that yet. On the 31/7 there's the Men's Health run, maybe I can still do that. That would be my last race before I take a break during fasting month.
Haih. From an all-time high to an all-time low, in a blink of an eye. & all due to my own stupidity.
Livestrong.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Setting a new PR at Setia Alam
I got up late, at about 5 am & about 5 mins after I got up, the rain started to pour in. I decided to wait it out & fortunately, it went away at about 10 mins to 6am. So I went on with my plan to ride to the start. Anticipating a cold & wet start, I decided to bring along one of my running tee. I'd earlier decided to use my red Nike top. I got to the start about 10 mins past 6am & was able to park right next to the starting line. There were signs of rain coming down but I decided to use the Nike vest anyway. & I took my Oakleys with me, with the black lens on. I won't be using it throughout the race. I met Azam at the Powerbar booth & decided not to wait for the other 2 runners becoz we dun recognize them & we didn't have their bib numbers.
The race
Azam earlier told me he forgot to bring his footpod along. Great. I'd set my target pace to 6:00 - 7:00min/km. We went off pretty fast. So fast that I was worried I couldn't maintain the pace. The rain came down at about KM9 or KM10, fortunately it wasn't that heavy. I lost contact with Azam at the turnaround. Although the course was slightly different from last year, it was mostly flat throughout. & we were really flying. My Polar couldn't stop beeping, I was going faster than 6:00/km for more than 40 mins. I decided to try to maintain that pace, I kept Azam within about 100-200m from me.
In my last half mara at Energizer, I made the mistake of not eating in the last 10K, with disastrous consequences. So I was determined not to make that mistake again. However, my Chocolate-flavored PowerGels proved pretty hard to swallow. I think I'ma have to try other flavors after this. Maybe Tangerine or Banana. & I kept myself hydrated to prevent cramps.It was raining, so the risk of getting cramps was significantly higher. At KM12 I began to notice my hamstring tightening.. so I had to pay attention to it. But I didn't slow down.
I managed to run 3 30 min 5Ks. I hit the last 5K at 1:42, which was good. & I was able to sprint to the line summore.
The verdict.
I clocked a new personal best of 2:04.38, which was 21 mins faster than Energizer. & I went faster than I did at NB 15K last month. Truthfully, I didn't know I could run like that. It really opened my eyes & mind that I could really run a sub-2hour half marathon. & it really boosted my confidence ahead of PSP & PSKK. I knew I could run faster than 55 mins for 10K, so I'ma train for that.
I also felt really fresh after the run. So fresh that I could afford to have lunch at Wendy's after that with my wife. I rewarded myself with Wendy's 1/2 pound double burger with fries, to cover for the 2600 calories I've burned earlier. I just didn't have ice-cream. Maybe later.
After this my next stop would proly be Seremban Half.. although it clashes with Klang Centro run, I think I wanna do another half marathon, since I'm gonna miss SCKLM. I'm proly gonna do that with Azam as well. Proly try to set another PR.
Livestrong.
The race
Azam earlier told me he forgot to bring his footpod along. Great. I'd set my target pace to 6:00 - 7:00min/km. We went off pretty fast. So fast that I was worried I couldn't maintain the pace. The rain came down at about KM9 or KM10, fortunately it wasn't that heavy. I lost contact with Azam at the turnaround. Although the course was slightly different from last year, it was mostly flat throughout. & we were really flying. My Polar couldn't stop beeping, I was going faster than 6:00/km for more than 40 mins. I decided to try to maintain that pace, I kept Azam within about 100-200m from me.
In my last half mara at Energizer, I made the mistake of not eating in the last 10K, with disastrous consequences. So I was determined not to make that mistake again. However, my Chocolate-flavored PowerGels proved pretty hard to swallow. I think I'ma have to try other flavors after this. Maybe Tangerine or Banana. & I kept myself hydrated to prevent cramps.It was raining, so the risk of getting cramps was significantly higher. At KM12 I began to notice my hamstring tightening.. so I had to pay attention to it. But I didn't slow down.
I managed to run 3 30 min 5Ks. I hit the last 5K at 1:42, which was good. & I was able to sprint to the line summore.
The verdict.
I clocked a new personal best of 2:04.38, which was 21 mins faster than Energizer. & I went faster than I did at NB 15K last month. Truthfully, I didn't know I could run like that. It really opened my eyes & mind that I could really run a sub-2hour half marathon. & it really boosted my confidence ahead of PSP & PSKK. I knew I could run faster than 55 mins for 10K, so I'ma train for that.
I also felt really fresh after the run. So fresh that I could afford to have lunch at Wendy's after that with my wife. I rewarded myself with Wendy's 1/2 pound double burger with fries, to cover for the 2600 calories I've burned earlier. I just didn't have ice-cream. Maybe later.
After this my next stop would proly be Seremban Half.. although it clashes with Klang Centro run, I think I wanna do another half marathon, since I'm gonna miss SCKLM. I'm proly gonna do that with Azam as well. Proly try to set another PR.
Livestrong.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Preparing for Setia Alam Half Marathon..
Tomorrow I'ma race in the Setia Alam Half Marathon, on a Saturday, & it's gonna be my first daytime half marathon this year, after Putrajaya Nite Marathon & Energizer Nite Run. Having a race on a Saturday will also give time for me to recover on Monday, which is good actually. Had the race been held on a Sunday, I would only have the rest of Sunday to recover.. but I guess, after having run in 3 half marathons this year, things would improve for me, in terms of my recovery.
I ran in Setia Alam last year, in the 11K category, where I finished in the top 100. The course was generally flat, except for some overhead bridges that we have to go through to cross the road. & we'll have to do around 3 laps I think, judging from last year.
A flat course & a target time of 2:10, 15 mins off my previous best. That means I'ma have to run 6:10 average for 21km... doable ? I dunno la. With the amount of training I've been doing, I hope I can beat my PR. Before Putrajaya Nite Mara, I've never ever ran more than 13K. Before the Energizer Nite Run, my farthest training run was 16K. Now I've done at least 3 long runs during the past 3 weekends, each run was at least 18K. So I guess I'm better prepared for this race. My runningmates, Azam & Shahwan was targeting sub-2hr times, I dunno if I can do that.. heck.. before Putrajaya I didn't know I can run 21K either.. so I'll take this challenge head on.
I'ma try & go to bed early tonite, I've to leave home before 6 am tomorrow, to avoid getting stuck in traffic. I reckon since I'ma ride my bike to the start, I shud be able to park pretty close to the start & not having to take the shuttle bus. My wife won't be coming along as well, so I better have enuff strength to ride back home after I finished.
Looks like I'ma use my new Newtons for this race. I dun have any problems with my Adizero, I tested it on Wednesday & didn't have any problems with it. Maybe it's easier to switch from Newtons to normal shoes than having to do vice versa. I reckon the Newtons are light enuff for tomorrow. Cushioning won't be an issue, Newtons are well-cushioned enuff. I've just bought a new Nike racing tops last week, bright fire engine red color. But most likely I'll be using my other Nike tops, the blue-green/yellow ones, becoz it goes well with the shoes. I'll keep the red ones for Pesta Sukan Perbendaharaan (PSP).
I thought Setia Alam were to be my last half marathon before puasa month, but last nite I came across an ad for the Seremban Half Marathon. I might be doing that one, on July 11th, a week before Pesta Sukan MOF (PSKK). I'ma miss the KL Marathon becoz of my participation in PSP. & I'ma miss the Siemens Run as well becoz of PSKK. So I guess I'ma do the Seremban Half & Men's Health Shape run on 31/7, my last race before puasa.
After Setia Alam, I'ma focus on my 10,000m in PSP & PSKK. I wanna go below 57 mins. So I'ma focus on building up speed for the event. I dun think endurance is gonna be a problem. The problem now is I'm lacking speed. I'ma spend more time at the gym, perhaps going back to twice a week. Of course do a lot more speedwork & intervals. It's just for 3 weeks.
Goodluck. Livestrong.
I ran in Setia Alam last year, in the 11K category, where I finished in the top 100. The course was generally flat, except for some overhead bridges that we have to go through to cross the road. & we'll have to do around 3 laps I think, judging from last year.
A flat course & a target time of 2:10, 15 mins off my previous best. That means I'ma have to run 6:10 average for 21km... doable ? I dunno la. With the amount of training I've been doing, I hope I can beat my PR. Before Putrajaya Nite Mara, I've never ever ran more than 13K. Before the Energizer Nite Run, my farthest training run was 16K. Now I've done at least 3 long runs during the past 3 weekends, each run was at least 18K. So I guess I'm better prepared for this race. My runningmates, Azam & Shahwan was targeting sub-2hr times, I dunno if I can do that.. heck.. before Putrajaya I didn't know I can run 21K either.. so I'll take this challenge head on.
I'ma try & go to bed early tonite, I've to leave home before 6 am tomorrow, to avoid getting stuck in traffic. I reckon since I'ma ride my bike to the start, I shud be able to park pretty close to the start & not having to take the shuttle bus. My wife won't be coming along as well, so I better have enuff strength to ride back home after I finished.
Looks like I'ma use my new Newtons for this race. I dun have any problems with my Adizero, I tested it on Wednesday & didn't have any problems with it. Maybe it's easier to switch from Newtons to normal shoes than having to do vice versa. I reckon the Newtons are light enuff for tomorrow. Cushioning won't be an issue, Newtons are well-cushioned enuff. I've just bought a new Nike racing tops last week, bright fire engine red color. But most likely I'll be using my other Nike tops, the blue-green/yellow ones, becoz it goes well with the shoes. I'll keep the red ones for Pesta Sukan Perbendaharaan (PSP).
I thought Setia Alam were to be my last half marathon before puasa month, but last nite I came across an ad for the Seremban Half Marathon. I might be doing that one, on July 11th, a week before Pesta Sukan MOF (PSKK). I'ma miss the KL Marathon becoz of my participation in PSP. & I'ma miss the Siemens Run as well becoz of PSKK. So I guess I'ma do the Seremban Half & Men's Health Shape run on 31/7, my last race before puasa.
After Setia Alam, I'ma focus on my 10,000m in PSP & PSKK. I wanna go below 57 mins. So I'ma focus on building up speed for the event. I dun think endurance is gonna be a problem. The problem now is I'm lacking speed. I'ma spend more time at the gym, perhaps going back to twice a week. Of course do a lot more speedwork & intervals. It's just for 3 weeks.
Goodluck. Livestrong.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Let's eat...
I try to eat healthily all the time. But of course, from time to time I'd give myself a time out to pig out or indulge in anything. & of course, like most ppl, even health-conscious ppl, I have a vice.
My biggest vice to date is Vanilla Coke. How can a drink be harmful ? Well, considering the amount of calorie contained in a 500ml bottle of Vanilla Coke.. it can be harmful in the long run. But I just can't stay away from it. I'll make sure there's at least a 1.5L bottle in my fridge at all times. & usually it'll take 3-5 days for me & my wife to finish it.
A typical day of eating for me will start with a breakfast. As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Usually I'll have some fried rice, or meehon or noodles, with my current favorite quail eggs.. if I had rice for breakfast, usually it'll be the only time I'ma eat rice the whole day. Then for lunch normally I'll have a can of corn, either a big one or a small one. Sometimes if I go out then I'll have something else, heavier. It also depends on my training program for the afternoon. & sometimes if I have things to do in the afternoon, then I'll be at the gym during lunch time.
Dinner time. This would be my lightest meal of the day. Usually I'll have some roti pratha with sardines, or maybe chapati, or again some fried meehon or noodles. The key here is to have dinner as early as possible.
Friday lunchtime is normally my pig out time... Normally I'll have a hearty meal of rice & chicken curry, some veges.. not too much actually. Considering that normally I'll do my long runs on Saturday, I consider this as my fueling up moment..
Whatever it is, too much of even the healthiest food is normally not good at all. So eat in moderation, watch what U eat & U shud be okay...
Livestrong.
My biggest vice to date is Vanilla Coke. How can a drink be harmful ? Well, considering the amount of calorie contained in a 500ml bottle of Vanilla Coke.. it can be harmful in the long run. But I just can't stay away from it. I'll make sure there's at least a 1.5L bottle in my fridge at all times. & usually it'll take 3-5 days for me & my wife to finish it.
A typical day of eating for me will start with a breakfast. As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Usually I'll have some fried rice, or meehon or noodles, with my current favorite quail eggs.. if I had rice for breakfast, usually it'll be the only time I'ma eat rice the whole day. Then for lunch normally I'll have a can of corn, either a big one or a small one. Sometimes if I go out then I'll have something else, heavier. It also depends on my training program for the afternoon. & sometimes if I have things to do in the afternoon, then I'll be at the gym during lunch time.
Dinner time. This would be my lightest meal of the day. Usually I'll have some roti pratha with sardines, or maybe chapati, or again some fried meehon or noodles. The key here is to have dinner as early as possible.
Friday lunchtime is normally my pig out time... Normally I'll have a hearty meal of rice & chicken curry, some veges.. not too much actually. Considering that normally I'll do my long runs on Saturday, I consider this as my fueling up moment..
Whatever it is, too much of even the healthiest food is normally not good at all. So eat in moderation, watch what U eat & U shud be okay...
Livestrong.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tricky race
It's been more than a couple of months since my last entry. I've been really, really busy.. even with my KPSU around. More ppl means more work can be dumped on us, so that's what happening now.
New Balance Pacesetters 15K
I've just completed the race for the 1st time yesterday. I registered for the race last year, but didn't run becoz I had a fever just after Larian Bomba 2009. So I had no idea what the route was like. & yesterday was a brutal introduction to the route... it was.. a killer. I thought the Jln Beringin lap down in Mont Kiara was tough.. this was even tougher.. doable.. but tough. What makes it so tough ?
It was the climbs. The route wasn't a rolling course like Jln Beringin. This course was like.. uphill for half a mile or so.. slight downhill.. then up again.. man... The toughest climb was at Jln Dato' Onn, I was almost reduced to a walking pace.
I had earlier set a target of 6:00/km or faster pace, becoz I thought the course was somewhat like Larian Bomba, where I was able to maintain a 5:40 pace. So my Polar wouldn't stop beeping was I was only able to do a 6:24 pace. I had set it to beep if I go beyond 5:40.. overestimate.. lucky it wasn't one long tone... beeeeeeeeeeep..
My pre race prep wasn't an ideal one either. I didn't run for 4 straight days before Sunday. & the nite before I couldn't sleep. It wasn't the heat, but proly the fact that I had taken a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.. so at nite I couldn't sleep well. When I woke up at 5:30 I felt tired still. Hmm...
15K distance is indeed a tricky one. U couldn't go as fast U would in a 10K race, that would be too fast. & U couldn't go at half marathon pace either, that would be too slow. I ended up with something in between, at 6:24 pace. That gave me a time of 1:32.49 unofficially, official time would be somewhere around 1:33.. was it bad ? My 10K time was around 1:03. Considering the brutality of the course & my conditions.. I guess that was okay. But the bright side of it was that if I can maintain this pace for my next half marathon in Setia Alam, I can run at slightly faster than 2 hrs, which is good news.
I didn't bring any feeding for the race. It turned out to be that I didn't need any. But what I needed was water. & there wasn't enuff of them. There was 3 water stations. & the last one was just 3K from the end. & that was like 4-5K after we tackled the killer hill. I was really desperate for some water by then. & at the end as well. I was really ill-prepared for this race. I didn't even bring any Gatorade with me to the race. Gatorade was my primary thirst quencher & by not having any meant that I had to settle with plain water given in the goodie bag. I was shaking at the end. I didn't even talk to Azam@Elgato, my running partner. He was getting better. He passed me just before Jln Dato' Onn & I didn't see him after that until I finished the race.
Well, there are lessons to be learned from this race. Learn from our mistakes & we can certainly be a better runner.
Larian Bomba 2010
This race was where I started racing last year & I made a promise to do it every year. & this year I wanted to break my previous time. The race course remains the same every year & Choi told me it's a good way to gauge Ur performance. I couldn't agree more.
It wasn't a bad race, but maybe I've overestimated myself. No.. not really. Actually I wanted to break the hour so bad that when I realized I won't, I got so demoralized I slowed down... not a good sign. I had maintained a constant 5:40 throughout & was happy enuff, but I when my auto lap beep for the 2nd time, signalling 10K completed, I was still a good 1K from the end. I had done the 10K in 57 mins, & I realized I won't break the hour this time. So I just rolled along & finished in 1:03. Even worse than last year. Bummer.
But again, looking at the bright side, my 10K time was 57 mins, 2 mins off my previous best. So I have improved to a certain extent. Phewww..
Livestrong.
New Balance Pacesetters 15K
I've just completed the race for the 1st time yesterday. I registered for the race last year, but didn't run becoz I had a fever just after Larian Bomba 2009. So I had no idea what the route was like. & yesterday was a brutal introduction to the route... it was.. a killer. I thought the Jln Beringin lap down in Mont Kiara was tough.. this was even tougher.. doable.. but tough. What makes it so tough ?
It was the climbs. The route wasn't a rolling course like Jln Beringin. This course was like.. uphill for half a mile or so.. slight downhill.. then up again.. man... The toughest climb was at Jln Dato' Onn, I was almost reduced to a walking pace.
I had earlier set a target of 6:00/km or faster pace, becoz I thought the course was somewhat like Larian Bomba, where I was able to maintain a 5:40 pace. So my Polar wouldn't stop beeping was I was only able to do a 6:24 pace. I had set it to beep if I go beyond 5:40.. overestimate.. lucky it wasn't one long tone... beeeeeeeeeeep..
My pre race prep wasn't an ideal one either. I didn't run for 4 straight days before Sunday. & the nite before I couldn't sleep. It wasn't the heat, but proly the fact that I had taken a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.. so at nite I couldn't sleep well. When I woke up at 5:30 I felt tired still. Hmm...
15K distance is indeed a tricky one. U couldn't go as fast U would in a 10K race, that would be too fast. & U couldn't go at half marathon pace either, that would be too slow. I ended up with something in between, at 6:24 pace. That gave me a time of 1:32.49 unofficially, official time would be somewhere around 1:33.. was it bad ? My 10K time was around 1:03. Considering the brutality of the course & my conditions.. I guess that was okay. But the bright side of it was that if I can maintain this pace for my next half marathon in Setia Alam, I can run at slightly faster than 2 hrs, which is good news.
I didn't bring any feeding for the race. It turned out to be that I didn't need any. But what I needed was water. & there wasn't enuff of them. There was 3 water stations. & the last one was just 3K from the end. & that was like 4-5K after we tackled the killer hill. I was really desperate for some water by then. & at the end as well. I was really ill-prepared for this race. I didn't even bring any Gatorade with me to the race. Gatorade was my primary thirst quencher & by not having any meant that I had to settle with plain water given in the goodie bag. I was shaking at the end. I didn't even talk to Azam@Elgato, my running partner. He was getting better. He passed me just before Jln Dato' Onn & I didn't see him after that until I finished the race.
Well, there are lessons to be learned from this race. Learn from our mistakes & we can certainly be a better runner.
Larian Bomba 2010
This race was where I started racing last year & I made a promise to do it every year. & this year I wanted to break my previous time. The race course remains the same every year & Choi told me it's a good way to gauge Ur performance. I couldn't agree more.
It wasn't a bad race, but maybe I've overestimated myself. No.. not really. Actually I wanted to break the hour so bad that when I realized I won't, I got so demoralized I slowed down... not a good sign. I had maintained a constant 5:40 throughout & was happy enuff, but I when my auto lap beep for the 2nd time, signalling 10K completed, I was still a good 1K from the end. I had done the 10K in 57 mins, & I realized I won't break the hour this time. So I just rolled along & finished in 1:03. Even worse than last year. Bummer.
But again, looking at the bright side, my 10K time was 57 mins, 2 mins off my previous best. So I have improved to a certain extent. Phewww..
Livestrong.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Too much weight is bad...
I've been preparing for my next half marathon, the Energizer Nite Run, for the past 3-4 weeks or so. I wanted to do more running before the event, my target is to have at least 150km in my legs before the actual race. While I've significantly improved on this compared to my preparations for Putrajaya, I might have made some mistakes in other aspects of my training. Last week, about 3 weeks before Energizer, I realized that I've done too much weight training. Or maybe the routine I've used for the past month have caused me too bulk up too much.
I now weigh between 84-86kg. Not that I've become fat or anything, but I've bulked up. & that has caused me to slow a little bit in training. & that's not what I want, at least not yet. I know it's almost impossible to lift weights & not bulking up, I'm still not THAT big. I've to change my routine. Instead of lifting heavy weights with less rep & having protein shakes before & after my weight workouts, I'll shift to lifting light weights with lotsa reps & having the protein shake post-workout only. I'll do this until I get back to around 82kg, hopefully before the 27th. & I'll go to the gym only once a week, even then it's for total-body workouts, like the Spartan.
Over the weekend I also thought about my upcoming races after the Energizer. Word has it that the Sukan Treasury will be in March. But with Dato' Bob gone for a month & it's already 8th, I highly doubt that. Nevertheless, I think my next 2 half marathons will be the Setia Alam & Standard Chartered. Last year the Setia Alam was in June. I like it a lot becoz of the virtually flat course. I did the 11K last year. & naturally I'd want to do the biggest half marathon in the country, the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. In between there's the Pacesetters 15K & also the race that started it all for me, the Larian Bomba. & for the Sukan Treasury this year, I'd like to try the mile (1,500m). I'd reckon I can have that as my warm-up for the 10,000m.
So, up until June, there are 2 half marathons & at least 3 other middle distance race for me. I'd like to do between 10-15 races this year, maybe half of those are half marathons. Also, I'd like to run in Singapore, maybe Sundown Marathon. I dun think I'm prepared to do full marathon yet, not in another 2 years maybe. Once I feel that half marathon is easy (somewhat), I'll move up to the full marathon.
Until then, Livestrong.
I now weigh between 84-86kg. Not that I've become fat or anything, but I've bulked up. & that has caused me to slow a little bit in training. & that's not what I want, at least not yet. I know it's almost impossible to lift weights & not bulking up, I'm still not THAT big. I've to change my routine. Instead of lifting heavy weights with less rep & having protein shakes before & after my weight workouts, I'll shift to lifting light weights with lotsa reps & having the protein shake post-workout only. I'll do this until I get back to around 82kg, hopefully before the 27th. & I'll go to the gym only once a week, even then it's for total-body workouts, like the Spartan.
Over the weekend I also thought about my upcoming races after the Energizer. Word has it that the Sukan Treasury will be in March. But with Dato' Bob gone for a month & it's already 8th, I highly doubt that. Nevertheless, I think my next 2 half marathons will be the Setia Alam & Standard Chartered. Last year the Setia Alam was in June. I like it a lot becoz of the virtually flat course. I did the 11K last year. & naturally I'd want to do the biggest half marathon in the country, the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. In between there's the Pacesetters 15K & also the race that started it all for me, the Larian Bomba. & for the Sukan Treasury this year, I'd like to try the mile (1,500m). I'd reckon I can have that as my warm-up for the 10,000m.
So, up until June, there are 2 half marathons & at least 3 other middle distance race for me. I'd like to do between 10-15 races this year, maybe half of those are half marathons. Also, I'd like to run in Singapore, maybe Sundown Marathon. I dun think I'm prepared to do full marathon yet, not in another 2 years maybe. Once I feel that half marathon is easy (somewhat), I'll move up to the full marathon.
Until then, Livestrong.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Success !!!
I've successfully completed my 1st ever half marathon during the Putrajaya Nite Marathon on Saturday. Here is the story....
Pre-race...
Despite my injuries early on, I decided to just give it a try & run the half. I woke up early on Saturday, put on my running shoes & ran for 15 mins around my housing area & I felt okay. The pain on my calf has gone, but now there's some new problems. But then, I thought those were my normal problems.. so I told my wife, I'ma run tonite.
Just as a precaution, I kept on putting ice pack on both my legs, just to make sure. I took a nap just after lunch. I'd also agreed to run together with one of my LYNet pals, Elgato. He's also running his 1st half.
Then off to the start. The half marathon started at 8.30pm. The marathoners started 1/2 hour earlier than us. We planned to run easy for the 1st 10K, then see if we could up the pace a bit after that. Easier said than done.
The course...
The course was generally soft rolling. The hardest climb was proly at the PICC (very early on, around KM3), & just as we were about to re-enter Presint 1, near the traffic light at KM15. I was able to maintain a comfortable pace of around 6:50-7:10. My target pace was 6:40. At that pace I thought, we could hit the finish line in less than 2:30.
Feeding...
I brought my own water, using my Ultimate Directions Blaze pack. I also had with me 2 packs of PowerGel, chocolate flavor of course, the ones I've been using for training. so I could afford to pass on the 1st 2 water stations. I'd planned to take my feeding every hour. So that was exactly what I did. & it turned out to be okay, when I finish I didn't really feel that drained. I took some 100Plus at every water station after the 10K mark, plus a couple of stops at 2 sponging stations. Those gels really was helpful.
Gear...
My last 3 races last year I ran with tights, short tights. But for this half marathon, I decided to go with my normal training outfit, a Nike running tee with normal shorts. My underpants was great, it didn't give me any problems whatsoever, so I was grateful for that. I've heard stories about runners getting blisters "down there", which certainly can't be good. But I was okay throughout. Maybe for morning events, I'd use vests instead of tshirts.
My Adizero Ace was just superb. Pretty much thruout the run, I was just cruising & my shoes really helped a lot.
Injuries...
I was really grateful that I was able to run virtually pain-free. But I was really careful with my stride, tried not to open up too big a stride. After KM10, I felt like I was just hanging by a thread, just a slight overstriding would cause my calf to tighten up & I certainly dun wan that. That was why I took some 100Plus from the water station, to prevent cramps.
I was pretty much cruising thruout. Now I know what they meant by cruising along. After KM10 onwards, I pretty much just let my legs carry me thru. My stride didn't really have any knee lift at all. Mostly becoz I wanted to avoid getting cramps. It was especially true during the uphills.
The ending..
I was pretty confident that I managed to up the pace in the last 6K. I didn't really push that hard, but it was enuff. With the ending in sight, I was smiling. But then, it was pretty demoralizing to discover that we had to make a big circle around KPDNKK & POJ. Coming from MOF, I thought it was straight on to the finish in front of POJ. But we had to make a left turn at the traffic light at KPDNKK, before emerging on the other side to approach the end from KBS side. I was really in pain by then, mentally. I crossed the finish line at 3:01, minus 30 mins.
The way the organizers arranged the endzone was commendable, it made it less painful for us. Immediately after the finish was somebody handing over mineral water bottles, then the medals, then the snackpack, then the Milo tent. I took 2 cups, then somebody bumped into me & I was drenched in Milo. I took another 2, then only I realized there was 100Plus available. I walked in my Milo-soaked shoes & found my wife waving to me at the MeCD junction. Then she told me the good news, we had to walk another km becoz she couldn't park the car close enuff... grrr...
Overall I was really satisfied that I was able to compete the run with just 12 mins off my target time. To be honest my preparation wasn't the best, so I that makes it more worthwhile. I'll try to run a better race in the Energizer Nite run, I have approx. 6 weeks to prepare.
Livestrong.
Pre-race...
Despite my injuries early on, I decided to just give it a try & run the half. I woke up early on Saturday, put on my running shoes & ran for 15 mins around my housing area & I felt okay. The pain on my calf has gone, but now there's some new problems. But then, I thought those were my normal problems.. so I told my wife, I'ma run tonite.
Just as a precaution, I kept on putting ice pack on both my legs, just to make sure. I took a nap just after lunch. I'd also agreed to run together with one of my LYNet pals, Elgato. He's also running his 1st half.
Then off to the start. The half marathon started at 8.30pm. The marathoners started 1/2 hour earlier than us. We planned to run easy for the 1st 10K, then see if we could up the pace a bit after that. Easier said than done.
The course...
The course was generally soft rolling. The hardest climb was proly at the PICC (very early on, around KM3), & just as we were about to re-enter Presint 1, near the traffic light at KM15. I was able to maintain a comfortable pace of around 6:50-7:10. My target pace was 6:40. At that pace I thought, we could hit the finish line in less than 2:30.
Feeding...
I brought my own water, using my Ultimate Directions Blaze pack. I also had with me 2 packs of PowerGel, chocolate flavor of course, the ones I've been using for training. so I could afford to pass on the 1st 2 water stations. I'd planned to take my feeding every hour. So that was exactly what I did. & it turned out to be okay, when I finish I didn't really feel that drained. I took some 100Plus at every water station after the 10K mark, plus a couple of stops at 2 sponging stations. Those gels really was helpful.
Gear...
My last 3 races last year I ran with tights, short tights. But for this half marathon, I decided to go with my normal training outfit, a Nike running tee with normal shorts. My underpants was great, it didn't give me any problems whatsoever, so I was grateful for that. I've heard stories about runners getting blisters "down there", which certainly can't be good. But I was okay throughout. Maybe for morning events, I'd use vests instead of tshirts.
My Adizero Ace was just superb. Pretty much thruout the run, I was just cruising & my shoes really helped a lot.
Injuries...
I was really grateful that I was able to run virtually pain-free. But I was really careful with my stride, tried not to open up too big a stride. After KM10, I felt like I was just hanging by a thread, just a slight overstriding would cause my calf to tighten up & I certainly dun wan that. That was why I took some 100Plus from the water station, to prevent cramps.
I was pretty much cruising thruout. Now I know what they meant by cruising along. After KM10 onwards, I pretty much just let my legs carry me thru. My stride didn't really have any knee lift at all. Mostly becoz I wanted to avoid getting cramps. It was especially true during the uphills.
The ending..
I was pretty confident that I managed to up the pace in the last 6K. I didn't really push that hard, but it was enuff. With the ending in sight, I was smiling. But then, it was pretty demoralizing to discover that we had to make a big circle around KPDNKK & POJ. Coming from MOF, I thought it was straight on to the finish in front of POJ. But we had to make a left turn at the traffic light at KPDNKK, before emerging on the other side to approach the end from KBS side. I was really in pain by then, mentally. I crossed the finish line at 3:01, minus 30 mins.
The way the organizers arranged the endzone was commendable, it made it less painful for us. Immediately after the finish was somebody handing over mineral water bottles, then the medals, then the snackpack, then the Milo tent. I took 2 cups, then somebody bumped into me & I was drenched in Milo. I took another 2, then only I realized there was 100Plus available. I walked in my Milo-soaked shoes & found my wife waving to me at the MeCD junction. Then she told me the good news, we had to walk another km becoz she couldn't park the car close enuff... grrr...
Overall I was really satisfied that I was able to compete the run with just 12 mins off my target time. To be honest my preparation wasn't the best, so I that makes it more worthwhile. I'll try to run a better race in the Energizer Nite run, I have approx. 6 weeks to prepare.
Livestrong.
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