T-6 days?

I can finally heave a sigh of relief. My on call week is over! No more antsy-ness when my phone rings. No more hanging on to my phone like my life depends on it.

Luckily, on call week has been kind. I only got 4 calls all week and none of them were really that gory. The only case that came with an exclamation mark was a 20 year old girl who woke up Saturday morning ,yawned a bit too wide, dislocated her jaws and couldn't get her mouth shut. Sure, it may sound funny, but I heard it hurts like hell. The poor girl had tears in her eyes when I reduced  the dislocation by pushing the joint back into the socket.
But then on Saturday, I had to spend almost 3 hours in the hospital discharging patients from the ward. I swear, paperwork here takes more time than seeing the actual patients.
Wait a minute, some readers might think. I thought she's a dentist.

Yeah, tell me about it.

Anyway, I'm happily tapering. Dengan jayanya tak lari for 2 days due to my chesty cough. I was hoping I could run today, even on the thrill mill, but I guess I better take care if myself these few days. I hope I get better come Sunday.
Did I forget to mention that my brother is getting engaged too? And it's on Saturday, the day before PBIM? He's 25 and he's getting engaged. Sigh. My baby brother is tying the knot ( well, almost). And although I think he's still young the take the plunge ( nevermind the fact that I got married at the age of 23), I'm still happy for him.
And thank God, his to-be-fiancé's house is only 45 minutes away and the majlis will be held just before Zuhur. Sempat-sempat je lepas tu ke Penang. Fuh! Nevertheless, I predict it'll be a super busy day. Heck, this week will be a super busy week what's with hari raya and all.

And I hate to admit it but I'm less jittery now compared to my first marathon.
But it's just Monday. Too early to tell. Don't jinx yourself.
Just shut your gob, Julin.

Crappy Run

I can simply describe this morning's LSD in one word : Ugh.
But that wouldn't be much of an entry kan?
It's not even a proper word.

Anyway, this morning I planned to run a simple no stress 14 miler. After last week's 20 miles, this one seems like a breather for a change. Or so I thought.
After a pre-run snack of a bun each, we were out the door by 4.30am and the first 8 miles seemed to go okay. Usually, I would munch on a small box of raisins at the 6th mile but after considering the brief Subuh prayer stop at the 8th mile, I chose to eat the raisins then. And because I couldn't find any other powergel flavor except chocolate the day before, I decided to forgo on taking any gel at all. What difference would it make, I thought. Besides I just ate a box of raisins. I should be alright.
Big mistake.

Right on the 11th mile, I suddenly felt my energy level plummeting down. My pace deteriorated, my legs fatigued and I got frustrated. On the 12th mile, I was practically dragging my feet. " Pick them up! Pick them up!" I half shouted in the darkness, which startled my husband a bit.
And because I couldn't run like I wanted to, I began to get snappy.

"Maybe we should cut the mileage" husband suggested.
" No!" I snapped.
"Maybe we should change to course to cut the monotony?"
" No!" I snapped
"" It's okay if we go slower"
" No!" I snapped.
Cough, cough
" No !" I snapped.
Breathe, breathe.
" No!" I snapped.

Thankfully he was patient with me. And accompanied me home until my 14th mile ( in which he turned back to complete his 16 miler). My legs felt like logs at the end of the run. I couldn't even stand straight. It wasn't because I was winded, it was more like I was tired to the core. But when I got myself some cold sarsaparilla, I felt almost 70% better. And wouldn't you know it, not even by noon, all the fatigueness was gone. Hub even joked and called me Wolverine. Kuikui..

So lesson learnt. Jangan belagak. Fuel up. I need sugar in my runs.
And oh,
Train your race, but don't race your trains.

Borak-borak lunch time

Hai,
Bes gile semalam kena bambu ngan Big Boss Negeri. Bukan apa, ada kesalahan sikit la kat jadual junior officers ( macam housemanship la) kat sini so aku point it out la kat dia sebab kalau tak buat camtu. benda ni akan balik menyusahkan keje aku jugak.

" Dr, sorry nak tegur tapi jadual ni salah"

Tup-tup dia tetiba defensive. Aku naik heran jugak la. La, tolong bagitau benda alah tu salah pun nak marah ke? Aku pun bagitau la kat District boss aku. Dia kata , " Laa..yang hang kata dia salah tu buat apa. Hang tau dak jadual tu dia yang buat"
Mana la aku nak tau. Setau aku, benda-benda mangatur jadual ni PA dia ke, kerani dia ke or orang kanan dia buat. Ni mesti kes pulun nak buat micromanagement.
Satu lagi, kalau salah tak boleh nak point out ke? Orang besar immune kepada kesalahan ke? Ego? Perangai orang tua?
Ntahlah.
Saya yang menurut perintah.

Anyway, ahad lepas aku buat la LSD peak aku. Semua orait walaupun slow. Tapi okla mandangkan aku survive on air, 1 peket powergel dan satu kotak kismis. Lepas ni, it's all downhill, bebeh. ( dalam mileage la). Minggu depan  taim taper ( ke tapir) pun aku oncall kat hospital, so ok la tu. Kalau kenal mana-mana orang di Taiping ni, tolong pesan ye sila pandu kereta elok2, naik moto pakai helmet, kurung anak-anak yang ala-ala rempit tu dalam rumah minggu depan. Kata aku yang suruh.

Oh ye, masa aku buat LSD hari tu, pacer baru aku, Si Lillac tu buat hal pulak dah. Lillac ni korang kenal dah kot sbb aku dah perkenalkan kat korang taim race report Tanjung 10K lepas. Anyway, aku perasan Lillac ni dok bunyik 'beep' kat tempat yang aku comfirm tak sampai lagi 1 mile. Pastu bila banding ngan Garmin laki aku, macam lebih laju lak pace dia. Mula-mula aku konfiden Garmin laki aku yang salah. Sungguh-sungguh cakap, benda alah tu abis bateri la, season la. Check balik, rupa-rupanya memang salah Lillac ku. Memang nak kena calibrate la ni. Hadui.
Duhai Lillac, hang memang la macam tuan hang. Nak lari laju pada masa lebih singkat pada mileage yang lebih pendek. Pendek kata, sama-sama perasan.

Padan muka aku.

Takde keje

For the first time in months..MONTHS, I'm not busy today.
I gape around my table, trying to find things to do ( other than my appointments) but I can't find any.
My to do list items are all scratched. And I'm writing this from the office. Gasp!

My LSD last Sunday went okay. ( tu dia, cerita basi lagi). Went running with hub as I can't fathom running alone at 4 in the morning. Yep, we ran at 4 am to beat the heat. It's so freaking humid nowadays that running at 8 am would be unheard of ( to me la). And it's funny when I found out it rained everywhere else in Malaysia that morning except Taiping. Imagine that! Boleh masuk X-Files ni.

And after our LSD, I was craving for a waffle at some fast food joint. So we ordered one with a root beer float. So the cashier person punched the order immediately without asking much.


Hub: Make that a one scoop ice cream float.
Cashier person: But I already punched the two scoop one.
Hub: We didn't say we wanted the two scoop order.
Cashier person: Well, I already punched it in. I can't undo it.
Hub: Why?
Cashier person: Because it's been punched in. I can't unpunch it out ( talks as if that's the most ridiculous suggestion in the world)

Huh?
I guess a normal sucker would shrug and be okay with that, you know to avoid confrontation. But we called for the manager instead.
And he changed the order in 2 seconds.
Ha, boleh pun.

Argh. Weird kan? Benda senang nak disusahkan.

Ok. Abis cerita. Let's enjoy the takde keje mode for today. Because this won't last forever ie tommorow busy mode is more likely to be back on.
Tata.

Rave Run

I've posted about my old running route, last year I think. We still run there, when we balik kampung some weekends. But now we prefer our new route near our residence.
Yes, of course we have to run in loops to complete the mileage but we like the familiarity of it. Besides, people there are getting used to two crazies running round and round the neighborhood And we noticed that there are more and more people (as in two or three)around the taman are taking up running occasionally. Ke kami yang perasan? Hehe,
Oh well. Some running is better than no running at all.

Last Saturday morning, I went for my LSD and got a few pictures. Please be reminded that I suck at photography.

It's 6.45 am and it's not even dark. I love the hills.

This, I call the Orang Kaya Road because most houses here are huge. See? Hardly any cars on a Saturday.

This road gives me 1.5 miles. It got inclines, downhills and a mini bridge. But it's kinda creepy sometimes because there's a couple of abandoned houses and there's this tree with bras hanging from one of its branches and that really freaked me out but now the bras are gone ( I guess the Majlis Bandaran people took care of it)

I love this road. It goes downhill and I always feel like I'm flying here for a couple of seconds. It leads to a mosque and the abandoned airport - my turning point. Okay, I deliberately took pics without passing cars because people tend to honk naughtily and pose if I aim my camera to their cars. Bengong.

On the 1.5 mile road again. It's now 8.30 am but scorching hot like it's noon. And naturally, for the 11,000th time, I forgot to wear my sunscreen. Sigh. 

Hub took this pic. He surprised me waiting by the side of the road with the kids handing me a cold 100 plus on my last 4 miles. 100 plus never tasted better. Here's the mosque/turning point.

I experimented running on this abandoned air field. It's really huge.A few years ago, some mat salleh made a crash landing here and died with his legs torn apart ( gory!). But the ATM and Fire Dept people uses this air field 2-3 times a year to practice parachuting. It's really cool to see raining men. And at that time of the year, it's like a freaking air show here.

The trail route on the abandoned air field. On most days, people use this field to play kite, exercise, play remote control planes or just go walk and lay down in the middle of the field for nothing. See, somebody is sending me a smoke signal beyond the hills.

That's it. My LSD done before our carbo loading session at a family gathering for the rest of the weekend afterwards. Precious.

So there you have it, part of my running route. Not exactly scenic scenic but not an eyesore either. To me it's an A. But doesn't receive an A plus because people here don't refrain themselves from open burning and it sucks inhaling black smoke while you run

On another note, I read in the latest issue of RW that Deena Castor's definition of hitting the wall is 7 minute/ mile. That's the wall for you??
All I can say is : Otak hang aih. Aku kena kejaq anjing pun belum tentu dapat 7 minute/mile. Puiii..

terms and conditions apply

I have come to terms that at times like these , when we have to take turns taking care of the kids, I have to run alone. Even if it's 12 miles or 14 miles or 16 miles.

I have come to terms that, although I know there are some people cheering for me, more people are making fun of what I do, plodding almost everyday in the scorching sun.

I have come to terms that, some mothers are looking down upon me, saying that I don't spend enough time with my kids, even if my weekday runs seldom exceed 1 hour. I think it is better that I do this, rather than let my brood off out in the neighborhood, being mini mat rempits and only come home when " they feel hungry' while I'm watching La Usurpadora or whatever crap soap opera that's the in thing right now.

I have come to terms that the sun, the heat and the rain aren't barriers but rather the natural elements of my runs. If people tease, " How the heck are you going to run in a weather like this?", I'll reply, " Just put one foot in front of the other. Rinse and repeat."

I have come to terms that, teenagers will laugh as I run by but then, teenagers will laugh at anything. They will probably laugh at a blade of grass. For nothing.

I have come to terms that sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances, I have to tweak my running routine. Like today, the office meeting ended late and my parents announced that they are coming over so automatically I have to cancel tomorrow as my rest day, fasting or not.

I have come to terms that, there will always be somebody faster than me, even though they seem like they're slacking off. I'm okay with that. I'm running for me.

I have come to terms that, in races, people will always want to take over me because apparently , it's too embarrassing to lose to a tudung lady. It's okay, I'll take that as a compliment somehow.

I have come to terms that, even though my heart wants to race so bad, and postings of races here and there are tempting, I have to back off to concentrate on my mileage buildup. Ye, saya memang nerd.

I have come to terms that, on most days, I'll be so busy with work, family and my runs that I'll take 2-3 days to get this thing written and finally post it.

So there you have it. Amidst all the race reports, here's my breather entry. heh heh.

One Long Entry

The finishing line was just 100 metres ahead. I could see Hubs waiting for me at our car parked by the roadside. I thought I caught a glimpse of his brother Din, sitting on a metal bar behind the car, wearing his gray post run shirt grinning. Hubs  joined me in my last attempt of a sprint, encouraging me to push a little more.
I crossed the line happy.
Then I said, " Where's Din?"

Where was Din?
I told Hubs that I thought I saw him towards the end. Nope, Hubs was doubtful. How could he change in his post run attire when the car keys was with me all along.
So we waited.
Maybe he was so fast, he got a bad case of runner's high and forgot that he was supposed to meet us at the car.
But he's a sensible guy, he won't do that.
And we waited.
maybe he got cramps and decided to walk the whole way.
And we waited.
But even after the oldest uncles, veteran of veterans came shuffling by, even after they took down the Start/ Finish banner, even after they stopped giving away medals, we couldn't find Din.

We went to the officials.
Excuse me, I can't seem to find my brother.
I suddenly realized my voice was one octave too high.
My mind suddenly flashed to that poor boy missing during last year's run in Shah Alam.
Our brother is missing.

Oh, yes. Him. He was sent to the hospital.
What? Why? When?
He was running. They sent him on an ambulance. He's not warded or anything. Just an outpatient, I think. He's there at the hospital.
And then they talked to each other about something else.

We ran to the hospital. It was that close. Not even a kilometer away. The race was over but there we were still running. We went to the A&E.
Is our brother here?
Yup. He ran a marathon, and then there was an accident. He was jogging.
What? Who ran over him ? Is he hurt?
Ah, wait ah. I'll go check.He's in the Yellow Zone.
We looked around the ER. Every room was yellow.

Dr Geetha attended us. After I identified myself as a Dr. She produced all the medical jargon mumbo jumbo about syncope, ST levels, ECG, arrhythmias,dopamine,MIs while I was trying to remember all this from my 3rd year Medical class in Dental School.
Anyway, his BP level was really low but now it's getting better. I'm doing some tests to rule out MI since he's a young, fit fellow. I suggest a full cardiac assessment after he's a bit better. 
We took up everything in exclamation marks.

A hour later, we were called in again. Din hollered out to us, grinning as always.
What happened?
I blacked out. Then, I'm on the ambulance, then I'm in the ER. It's like in TV. The whole fuss is real. I got wires all around me. And they won't let me take pictures.
I ran hard, they didn't have markers. I thought every bend was the last bend. Then I saw a minah salleh with a stroller running past me. Then a few minutes after that, all I saw was black.

But he was okay after that. We even got him discharged. It was a case of dehydration and overexertion. He ran a 10K PR of 45 minutes back in UK a few months back and planned to repeat the feat here. Without proper training. Especially in this weather.

The things that baffled us were :

1. The organizers didn't provide medical assistance along the way. No St John or PBSM. Thank God, Din fainted near a hospital. In the middle of a race. In front of policemen. What if he was unlucky like the boy in Shah Alam. Who was dehydrated post race , and in his disorientated state, wandered to a secluded spot and fainted and nobody found him and he died.
2. They didn't accompany him to the hospital. They left him with the hospital staff. They didn't make any announcement. 
3. No water station along the way. Yes, it was an RM10 race but not all runners are capable of going the whole 10K without water. 

And the take home note from this would probably be :

1. Organizers need more organizing. Please, please be more careful in future races.
2. You can't cheat  running. You need proper training. Don't ever jump head first. Even if we feel we can. Latihan is letihan but the letihan makes it work.

Din, I know you're reading this. Like I said, it's not the end. Do more cardio. Do more on road training runs. Get that cardiac assessment done once you're back home. Just in case.

You'll do fine.
One day, we'll race again. And you'll be so fast, you'll get your runner's high and forget about meeting us by the car. But just for a moment.
Because after that I'll see you, waiting for us, grinning as always.