Plan B : Bukit Cinta Sucks

Or to be more politically correct : I suck at Bukit Cinta.

As usual, when I'm in town, I like to kill two birds and try to scout for minuscule races around the city.
I had two choices last weekend. Larian Care For All UM and Larian Syapadu.

Memandangkan the latter tu sampai kat Shah Alam dan hari Ahad, dimana saya telah berjanji untuk ke rumah mertua pada hari itu, maka saya pun memilih untuk berlari anak di UM.
Furthermore, they accepted registration on the spot for UM, so I thought what the heck.

 Note artis undangan : Sesuai ngan cuaca pagi tu -grey sky morning.

 Chiam tekun mengkuti sessi regangan.

Bajet budak U bangkit lewat, registration didn't start until at least 7:30 am.Lepas register, lepak sambil layan anak-anak makan roti sweetie sambil mengkaji siput babi atas tanah.

Pukul 8, aku mula warm up. Tu pun sebab nampak geng mamat-mamat laju mula berlari-lari anak. Terkujat jugak sebab nampak geng yang slalu bajet menang masuk larian kecik ni . Adakah tarikan Bukit Cinta atau aweks -aweks UM nan bergetah?

So at 8:30 am race bermula. Sorang budak pompuan sekolah yang aku perati slalu dapat podium di mana saja anda berada dah memecut laju ke depan. Okla tu, sebab seperti biasa route marker haprak takde, so kami yang lain follow je la. Kalau budak tu masuk longkang, agaknya kami pun terjun sama.

 Untuk mile pertama, kami dihidangkan dengan route yang relatively flat la. Tapi traffic horror. Who knew dalam kampus, traffic cam kat Chow Kit . Takde sape nak halang traffic sangat so kena pandai-pandai sendiri angkat tangan tahan kereta yang lalu lalang dari godaan nak langgar kita.

Anyyyywayyy...sebelum larian aku dapat tau yang race route kali ni lalu kat Bukit Cinta.
Teng teng teng ( bunyik lagu cite P Ramlee bila ada adegan terkejut) .
Serius tak tau langsung Bukit Cinta tu tahap dia cemana sebab ramai bagi nickname Bukit PutusUrat la, Bukit Kayuhan Maut la apa la. Bila aku google image, dia tunjuk gambar Bukit concrete yang ada tangga tengah-tengah. Serius ingat dalam larian tu ada panjat tangga. So aku buat la letihan naik tangga sambil berlari sekali dua.
Poyo je.
Masuk mile kedua baru aku kenal itu Bukit Cinta. Incline dia mula-mula gradual so I thought, Okay, not so bad. Tapi hakikatnya tak naik tangga langsung. Ntah gambar bukit manantah google search bagi kat aku. Bukit Cinta yang kami panjat hari tu memang bukit ada jalan tar seperti biasa la.

Mana nak tau, makin lama makin tinggi, makin curam. Dari pace 8 minute plus per mile decline ke brapa minit mile pun aku taktau sebab dah malas nak tengok Garmin.
By this time , aku tau korang boring dah dengan aku b**ching about hills but going 1 mile up a steep hill is dead torture, man.
By the time turun pulak, memang la kita diajar to let go going downhill but kakiku hit the brakes automatically sebab curam sangat. Kang tersembam, glamer haram pulak.

Lepas Bukit durjana tu, ada lagi lebih kurang 1.4 miles to go. Aku dah kepancitan. Serius sabar je aku nak abiskan race ni.
Naik incline lagi. Turun. Traffic gile. Budak UM tunggu kat hentian bas tersengih. Makan asap karbon monoksida lalu kat bus stop. Naik lagi. Turun lagi. Tanya budak jaga jalan, lepas ni nak hala ke mana, dia pulak tengok kita balik buat muka blur. Naik lagi. Turun. Dengar Chiam ngan Adik dok sorak dari kejauhan. Dengar WW suruh aku bukak langkah.

Cross the finishing line. Ahh..legaa.
Sakit tau route ni.

Post race :

Kat US ada hotdog man, kat UM ada waffle boy.

Serius banyak. Makan sampai muntah. 

Sebenarnya eksyen je ni. Hakikatnya kami boring tunggu 2 jam untuk dapat medal.

Tapi tak seteruk orang-orang yang dapat podium 1-3 yang kena tunggu sampai lepas penyanyi Aiman perform.

Aiman tak kisah. 

Saya malas tunggu Aiman. Sebab tu la saya dapat no 5 je. 

Hahaha.

Sekianlah.

The sad state of Malaysian distance running

by wan won.

I was just browsing through the race results of the recent Larian Bendang Teluk Intan. The timing recorded by the top three in the male open (21km) category were: first - 1:05:25; second - 1:07:00; third -1:07:31. All Africans, presumably Kenyans. No surprise there. By the way, the race is allegedly underdistanced, but not too much at 20.35km as measured by GPS. GPS can be inaccurate too, though.

I don’t know if anyone figured this out yet, but the current Malaysian record for half marathon is 1:07:59 set by Muniandy Arul Thevar back in July 2004 in Ipoh (source: Wikipedia). And all three Kenyans beat that during the Larian Bendang.

According to McMillan running calculator, which predicts reasonably accurate race times for different distances based on current race performance, the top Larian Bendang guy has the potential to run a sub-2:20:00 marathon. Other factors such as terrain and underdistance issues aside, that also means that he can easily beat the current national marathon record of 2:26:38 set on a downhill course or 2:28:36, both done overseas by Chan Yew Woo (same Wikipedia source as above).

So, what’s my point?

The point is, unless the nation take a very serious effort to take distance running, or even running in general seriously, bringing in Kenyans to compete in local races will just ruin the sport. All the top prizes will go to them, and there will be no motivation to go on for local runners. Bring the Kenyans back when we have runners that can do 4 minute mile on a regular basis.

One of the reasons I say that our distance running is not taken seriously is because the race courses here don’t seem like they were designed by runners for runners. If they are designed by runners, or someone with an athletics background, all I can say is this: get another job.

Let me explain.

Distance running is mainly about pace management. Start too fast and you’ll blow out. Start too slow and you’ll never catch up. To manage your pace you need two things. Number one: a watch. Number two: distance markers. Unless you can really dial in with your paces (which may take months or even years of steady practice to get it precisely right to the second just by feel), you can skip the watch. But without distance markers, how will the runners know where they are at a specific point of time? If they don’t know where they are, how can they calculate their pace? Not everybody is blessed with the money to buy a GPS enabled watch. Distance markers = basic requirement. So please race directors, mark every kilometer (or mile) properly. And I do mean every kilometer/mile. You will really help the runners with that simple gesture of putting correct distance markers at the correct places. Placing markers every 5 km does not count. Same goes to signs saying xx kilometers to go, that is just plain stupid.

One more thing, why do most races in Malaysia make it hard for the participants? The course designers seem to have a fetish to design the hilliest course possible. Why? It sucks the fun out of the casual runners. We want the people to enjoy running and participating in races, so they can do it again and again. Not to satisfy the race directors’ masochistic desires.

Many of the overseas races I browse on the internet and magazines proudly advertise their race as a ‘fast course’ meaning the course may be flat/cool/have a nice surface/well managed or even ‘downhill’. This makes the race particularly appealing to runners who are looking to set their personal bests. But here in Malaysia, it is as though the high temperatures and humidity are not challenging enough. The hillier the race, the better. Then after the races are done and the race results published, we wonder why Malaysians have poor timing? Why Malaysians are slow?

In a nation that just paints the track on the school fields once a year, you can count on us staying slow. We have the potential if we start early enough. It’s not just about genetics (even though the genetics play a major role). It is also about the opportunity, the desire and the direction.

Here, everybody focuses on football, because it’s a national sport. It is good that we have grassroots programme to deal with that. But what happens when our football players grow up? Yup, they become crap. Whose fault is that? Athletics is going the same way too, but not too obvious, because we don’t have a grassroots programme (we just pick whoever is inherently fast at school without giving everyone a chance to train, unlike football). And there’s not much money offered in the sport, again because I guess the sponsors think we are slow.

Shift some of  the focus to distance running. We can do it. Start them early with proper guidance. Good runners don’t always make good coaches. We need coaches with proper knowledge about the science of the sport. Coaches who know what is the specific purpose of each run. Coaches who can motivate. Certainly not politicians, not even polo players. And don’t get me started on the ridiculous turf wars. We’re not even fast to begin with. Shut the hell up and work together to get fast.

Until we can mass produce 4 minute mile runners, expect local races to be dominated by foreigners for years to come. A lot can be done to make Malaysians run faster.

Start by putting proper distance markers, please.

-wan won- 

Not Again

I was sleeping on the bed, next to my new born, exhausted and confused of the alien feeling of  motherhood, , when my husband gently woke me up,
" Did you feel the tremors?"
I didn't.
He who was sitting on the floor, quietly reading a book, felt them and saw us swaying in our sleep, mother and child.
We learnt later that day of the quake and of the thousands of people who perished in the 2004 tsunami.

Flash forward almost 8 years later, today, as I was lying on the sofa with my 4 year old daughter deep in her afternoon slumber beside me, I felt them. The tremors my husband felt years ago.
Confused at first, thinking that it was just a rumbling of a trailer truck on a highway nearby or my princess having a fitful dream, I ignored it.
But when it continued, the earth moving, the strange feeling of vertigo, the stale tea in the teapot on the coffee table swinging to the motion rhythmically, I grew alarmed.

And it's human nature, in the state of panic, we call on our loved ones.
I called out to my parents and son in the house ( my daughter still sleeping soundly). I called my other half who was 300km away living in a 10 storey apartment to stay safe. To be safe.
My brother called his wife who was away at her kampung a few kilometers away from the sea, worried and then rushing off to get her.

Images of the tragedy 8 years ago from the newspapers and tv flashed in our heads.
But it has been better. Since then, the world has been better prepared. We are better informed.

 I hope all is well.
I hope all will be well.
And if it's fated that some will perish, I pray that Allah will have mercy on their souls.
Moga mereka ditempatkan di kalangan orang yang beriman.
Amin.

Plan B?

Ok.
Larian Keputeraan kat Kuala Kangsar dah kena batal. Walaupun aku sedikit kaciwa memandangkan aku rasa event ni merupakan event paling best bagi aku last year dengan routenya masuk kawasan istana dan naik Bukit Chandan, dan makan-makannya yang ibarat kenduri, namun nak kata apa kan. Ajal maut di tangan Tuhan.
Berilah ruang untuk the royal family berkabung.

So,
Kita kena beralih ke Plan B.
Apakah Plan B itu?
Ntah la, aku pun tak plan lagi.
Mungkin rembat memana larian runcit cap sadin.


I super 'like' this.
The ultimate underdog,
Never fail to put a smile on my face. Although, watch behind your back in case your kids are watching.

Tu la, yang terer tu, jangan dok belagak.
Looks can be deceiving.

Ta.

Malakoff Penang 2012 - The 4th Year

You know what I realized today? Other than the fact that I need to add speed sessions and tempo runs in my routine, is that I lack the mental toughness needed in short distance races.

It's true. Halfway into the run, when my tummy starts to twist, when my throat feels parched, when my breathing get heavier, my mind will automatically switch on to wimp mode.

Today, after running Malakoff Penang's 7K, it came to me that I have to do something about this.

This year is my fourth year joining Malakoff Penang. I say join and not run because I missed Malakoff Penang 2011 in which I registered but DNSed because last minute WW had some thing to attend to and I was malas to go through Penang traffic alone.
And since my first ever road race started with Penang Malakoff 6K back in 2009, this race has a special place in my heart. Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang, kan?

Cool shirt ! 

Cool bibs!

I think the last 3 races was held in Taman Perbandaran Penang but I have no idea why they decided to change the venue this year. Furthermore, they shortened the long run distance from 26K to 17K this time around.  And they started a bit late too, because the 17K people were flagged off at 7 am and I remember doing the 26K back in 2010, back then we were flagged off at 5.30 am kalau tak silap.

Suddenly they decided to turn on the lights - everyone oohed and aahed 

  Anyway, this year's venue is kinda a nice change. Looking at the race route map, we anticipated that the 7K run will go through exactly the same route as Larian Merdeka Penang which is held religiously every year in Padang Kota. With a nice coastal scene to begin with, runners will run through town in a loop and then come back to the starting point. No hills, only tiny tiny inclines ( satu je kot?) and mostly flat tarmac, if you don't count the potholes la.

Bunyik cam senang kan? Tapi bila hidung suda mula bau itu asap bandar, diselang-seli dengan the strong sea breeze, no scratch that, sea wind blowing against you causing major wind resistance, and then the fact that Penang runners are really fast to compete with, maka bermulalah mind games.

There were about 400 of us so called fun runners. Right after we were flagged off 10 minutes after the 17K runners, I told myself to try keep a 8:45 minute/mile pace. Ye la, sebelum ni main hentam pecut je bila start pastu bila nak habis, mula la nak lemau. Konon, we were gonna treat this race as a tempo run although I've never done any before.
Planning memang best. Execution hampeh.
First 2 miles macam baik punya boleh setel. Coming into the 3rd mile,when the crowd started thinning and the runners were stronger, my mind started contemplating.and whining.

" Alah, it's just a fun run. No placing, what"
" Wahh, sedapnya tengok mamat ni jalan"
" Nyesalnya lari hari ni. Tido lagi bagus"
" That girl in the black shorts is too fast, I'll never catch up."
" Stiff muscles, stomach cramp, stiff muscles, stomach cramp" 

And it went on and on right until my eyes met a colonial building in the distance. Now, the significance of this colonial building is that our starting point is  the town hall which is one of the many white colonial buildings in Penang. When I see a white majestic building with roman pillars, I automatically think that the end of the race is near.
Tapi alangkah psaikonya bila I got the wrong building. But at this time, knowing I'm just a kilometer away from finish, I tell myself to buck up and suck it up. But  either it was too late or the synapses of my nervous system was a bit lagged, I didn't get to finish the race with my planned pace. Berangan nak pasang turbo kat finishing line pun cam tak jadi.
Hamendela.

Finished in 38'38" with 8:56 min/mile atau 5:33 min/K average pace .

Takpe, dah cuba. Next time Gadget, next time. 

I have no idea of my placing since it's an open category for men and women. Maybe a few days after this, kalau timbul results kat website Malakoff boleh la tengok kot.

 WW's 31'11". Mok aih 7:13 min/mile.

Yang best, WW who sped off early in the race sampai tak nampak bayang pun, finished 2nd for 7K fun run. Nombor satu dapat kat mamat expat orangputeh manantah.  Didn't get any prizes though since it's just a fun run and they only gave out prizes to the 17K runners and 7K school children category. But he did get a 1.5l bottle of mineral water as opposed to the rest of us yang dapat botol 500 ml je, if it's any consolation.
Heh heh.
He's saying things like all the other fast runners have joined the 17k category or other races in KL but to me getting 2nd out of 400 people, fun run ke apa ke still counts. No need to cut himself short because I'm still proud of him, nevertheless.

Anyway, overall, mental toughness lacking aside, it was a great race. Mencapai standard Malakoff Penang seperti biasa la. Traffic okay je tapi traffic kat Penang selalu well-manned if not mungkin these motorist dah biasa ngan race-race kat sini so you don't hear any impatient honking. At least , I didn't hear any.

Goodie bag ada banyak faedah. 

Siap bagi sabun ajaib lagi tau. 

There was either no post run breakfast sebab goodie bag was filled with all breakfasty things or we didn't wait long enough for the usual pakcik-makcik breakfast to come. Tapi okla, bukan penah makan pun post breakfast meal dia.

Cadang baik punya lepas race nak pekena nasik kandaq kat Kampung Melayu. Yes, nasik kandaq here is served as early as 7 am. Tapi pikir cam malas la sebab
a) mak dah masak nasi lemak kat kampung
b) calorie burnt post race takat 350 cal je, ada hati nak nyumbat over-over.

Tapi, balik makan nasik lemak tu cam sama je.
Hantam saja la.

Minggu ni on call week. Running will be temporarily replaced with stationary bike.
Oh bontotku.

Kami sampai dulu

Don't Let Go.

My mom is still undecided about the idea of me racing.
She has no problem with me jogging. Running is okay, most of the time. ( Yes, there is a difference)
But to her, girls shouldn't race.

I don't blame her, really. She came from a family that emphasized if you're a girl, you should either be good in your studies or be a good housewife. Nothing in between.
She excelled in both. She was first in her family to get a degree and she's one mean cook.
She was brought up a girly girl and I guess expected her girls to be the same.

Don't get me wrong. She puffs up with pride every time I bring home a winning medal or trophy or one of them hampers. She dutifully asks my position every time after a race - as if it matters. When people come over, sometimes she and my dad proudly tell them of my hobby,  how far I run ( to my embarrassment) and this and that.

But at times, when I tell her of my next race, she'll say things, awkward things like,

" Oh, you're still at that again?" or

" Aren't you too old for that?" (sigh) or

" Seriously, women aren't supposed to race. It's okay for Wan because he's a man " (serious eye-roll moment) or

" You're married, you have 2 kids, why are you still racing?" or the most ridiculous - drum roll please:

" Jangan asyik lari je, nanti tua nanti, penat"

In which, I reply every time, with a loving peck on her cheek,
" Lari memang la dapat penat, mak. Takkan dapat kenyang kot."

The hardest thing to change, as I know some readers can relate, is the perspective of the people you love.
Don't get me going on the countless times I've advised people on the benefits of running and racing only to be shot back with disappointing remarks like,
" Why would I fork out thirty bucks to run 7 kilometers when I can do it for free?"  or
" You run and then you don't even win. What's the point?"

The point is, when you have pledged yourself to a race, consciously and sometimes subconsciously, you WILL want to prepare yourself. Most of the people I know, will never sign in for a race and then run it without at least some sort of training. They have two choices, either train ( walaupun sikit) or ultimately chicken out.

Even if it's just a few loops around your local park or a few minutes on the treadmill, it's still some form of exercise, which, when combined with a diet based on moderation, will eventually make you healthier and fitter.
And then, when finally you achieve that post race buzz, endorphine, euphoria or whatever they call it, you will want to get back on the same bus and do everything all over again with (hopefully) the aim to get better at it.
See, it's a healthy cycle.

But you guys get it. Most people around me, not so much. Especially relatives on my mother's side.

I remember once, during hari raya, an aunt came up to me and said bluntly, " No use taking care of yourself so much, dear. It's in our genes. We'll all grow fat eventually."
And it got me so sad that she would think like this. As if we couldn't do anything to change this. As if this was destined and  we were doomed and I should accept it as it was.
I wanted to tell her otherwise. I wanted to tell her, we can break the vicious cycle. I wanted to tell her that what she said didn't make sense.
Everyone is destined to die, right? But that doesn't mean we're all going to lie down in the middle of the road and wait for death to come.
I wanted to change their perspectives, I wanted them to fight back. I wanted them so much not to let themselves go.
But as soon as I open my mouth about fitness or anything healthy, there would be an awkward silence until somebody babbles on about the next durian season.

It's hard. Especially if you have to reach so far.
But I'm not giving up. Especially with my own family. I'm not the kind to nag, so I will tread softly.
Since starting my racing/running escapades, I've watched my brother purchase a bike. My elder sister has shown interest in asking about my races ( it's a start la) and I heard that my younger sister has secretly bought herself a pair of running shoes worth almost four hundred bucks ( rumour has it)
" Four hundred bucks?" my mom almost choked. Then she looked at me.
" Next time you go running, you better make sure your sister goes with you."

See what I mean about being undecided?

Things you do when you're not running

I am always inspired by fellow runners' attempts and accomplishments.
Confession? I'm a silent follower of a some people's dailymile although I myself don't update my own.
Peh.

And last week, I was semi-inspired to do my birthday run as Enaikay did last year ( yang entry berkurun lepas tuuuu - jangan marah nanti cepat tua)
I say 'semi' because unlike him, who did 34k LSD sekaligus, my 32k was done as an accumulation of mileage over the week.
Tha ha ha.
Actually there's nothing much to get excited about. That's pretty much my weekly mileage these days. Kalau nak lebih pun ada la aku selit a 10k run sekali seminggu.
Jadilah.

As I stated in my earlier entries, initially I wanted to run Brooks as my birthday race. But then, I got some info that the race will be jam packed with people and to tell you the truth, I prefer races on a small to medium magnitude. I've got this problem, you see, in which I can't stand being in crowded places.
No, bukan agoraphobia la. More to kalau tengok banyak orang merenyut, I'll get dizzy. I think it's more of an eyesight problem in which I can't focus well when it comes to large crowds.
This explains why you will hardly see me in a shopping mall on any given Sunday.

Eh, lama plak explanation.
So instead of running Brooks, we took a short holiday up north.  Now, WW and I are great fans of bihun sup. So this holiday was solely dedicated on going back to find our favourite bihun sup spots in the 3 states up north. Lama dah tak layan, so birthday punya pasal, calories tolak tepi. Lagipun nama pun short holiday kan..

This one comes from ol' state of Perak. My home town la of course.

Clear broth, minimal to the minimalist oil, lotsa chicken and a great sambal  kicap.

Lagipun ni favourite breakfast place kami sampai makcik kaunter pun dah cam muka sengih aku masa bayar.

 Going further north to Pekan Rabu. Fave spot every time we visit Kedah. Goes back to high school days. Sambal merah takleh lawan woo. Lepas makan ni pastu pekena baulu panas..pergh.

Then, we headed further north to Perlis. Yang ni orang panggil Bihun Sup Bomba. The helping is large. It's got a more cloudy broth comparatively. Sambal dia terangkat. Overall my own actual favorite. Bila pekena ngan cendol - wowsers. Worth the long trip.

Actually, there are still a few other great bihun sup spots that we know up north, but we chose these three due to time constraints. Bear in mind, this was done in one whole day. So pagi, tengah hari, malam asyik ngadap bihun sup je. Saje nak bagi insaf sket.

Insaf ke? 

Err...tengok la minggu depan.