Adious 2005, Welcome 2006

We would like to wish all our friends, runners, walkers and bloggers an endless happiness and excellent health.

Happy New Year!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas

(Picture courtey of KC & The Sunshine Runners)

First of all, I would like to wish all runners and readers of this blog a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

It's a Sunday morning. So you can expect some runners gather at the Lake Garden to start their run even though it's a Christmas day.

However, I chose to do something different this year - by dressing up as a Santa Claus! This is the second time I dressed up fancifully for a run - the first being in an office attire for the Rat Race!

Thank goodness, everyone seemed to be in jovial mood when they were approached by this little Santa Claus. They were even more surprise when they received their little presents - some Himalaya sweets (sponsored by Wai Mun) and bottle of lotion (courtesy of Amelia). Looking at their smiles really made me feel good!

And yes, I completed my 20km run and came back in one piece - unlike the Santa Claus who is always madly being rush by children for goodies in the shopping malls.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Happy Dong Zhi

Today is a rest day for me. Yes, no running!

Instead, I have been eating the whole day. I had breakfast with my wife at Mid Valley, Christmas lunch in KLCC with buddies and soon, I will be having a family reunion dinner for the Dong Zhi festival in Bangsar. Isn't that wonderful?

Hey! Did I mention I had tang yuan (glutinous rice ball) too? Yes, I had it during my tea time, courtesy of my likeable neighbour.

Life is good.... enjoy it while you can.

By the way, if you don't know what Dong Zhi is, here's some explaination (which I will try to remember too):

"In the Chinese calendar, the festival falls six weeks before Chinese New Year. A popular expression among the older Chinese to refer to the end of a year and the coming of the next one is: “Chi tang yuan, da yi nian (Eat tang yuan and grow older by a year).”

One of the must-haves for the festival is the marble-shaped tang yuan, which carries the meaning of a family reunion.

Yuan, which means “round” or “a circle”, is also an auspicious word that suggests yuan man (perfection)."

Mizuno Wave Run

It was a different role for me in this Run. Instead of participating as a runner, I rendered my service as a volunteer and I was assigned the Route Marshal's job.

A day prior to the Run, we gathered at the venue - Padang Merbok in the morning. We have a great time determining the best spot for the Start/Finish point. Due to the heavy rain the night before, the field has turned to a little pond with water and mud everywhere. Eventually, we agreed on a dryer ground before the Race Director - Mr Wan piled the first wood as the marker in a simple "opening ceremony". From there-on the job was much easier as we just needed to work according to the layout set by the Race Director. We made sure there was sufficient space for distributing the Finisher's Position cards and medals, timekeepers, result recording, check-in and exit areas.

Next we recce the actual race route and put on the road signages so that the runners would not lose their way. We had a short briefing at 4pm with all the 18 road marshals and assigned each duties at the specific checkpoints. That was our Day One job.

The following day when the Run was to start at 7.30am, we arrived early at 6am. After our breakfast, we adjourned to our respective checkpoints. I was based at Checkpoint No.2 and the last checkpoint.



At checkpoint 2, I needed to make sure all the runners turned right to the KTM Station behind the Bank Negara. After just 10 minutes from the Start, all the runners had passed by my checkpoint. Thereafter, I walked back to the last checkpoint guiding them to the finishing line.

It's always interesting to see how the runners react to their run. Some of them can run very fast; some struggling; some for fun; some for personal glory.

For me, it's indeed a pleasure to give back to what I like doing - running!

Zhen Qi Practice

My wife and I have been attending Qi Gong or Zhen Qi classes lately.

The practice is easy as what you need to do is to focus on your exhaling and your "tan dien" or abdomen. We need not do all the exercises like you see in Tai Chee. We sit and concentrate on our breathing - sound easy?

Actually, it's not as easy as we think as our mind is always "in the go". If you are not thinking of something else, you may sometime fall into the trap of sleeping.

There are 5 steps in a routine of EXHALING:
1) Focus on your heart.
2) Imagine the Qi flows from the heart to your lower "tan dien" (abdomen).
3) Concentrate on your "tan dien".
4) The Qi will flow to your back and then to the top of your head once it gets stronger.
5) The circle will complete when the Qi flows from the top of the head to your forehead, chin and back to your "tan dien".

You will notice some reactions in your body, depending on your health condition. Some participants burst into cry due to their past bad experience or depression. If you have blockage in certain parts of the body, you will feel a sensation of poking or ants biting at that specific area. Once the Qi has heal the problematic areas, its flow will become smoother and you will feel great! I saw some participants' face has turned reddish! How envious!

Well, we have not reached that level yet but we will be there if we are persistent to do more practices. However, I notice some positive result in my achilles tendon injury as the pain is almost gone (if not fully gone, touch wood).

Hope we could incorporate this Zhen Qi practice in our run - before, during and after. Who knows, we could do more PBs in the coming future. Hehehehe....

Our new World Champion

Congratulations to Nicol David for becoming the new World Champion & World No. 1 ranked women squash player!

We are so proud of your achievements and your contributions to our country. Malaysia Boleh!!!

Mouth-Watering Sports Attire

Congratulations to Malaysian athletes who won gold medals in the SEA Games in the Philippines.


What attracted me the most is their sports attire - so trendy and stylish. The colour and the design is also outstanding unlike the previous series. What make it so special this year is that male athletes got the chance to match their female counterparts in this area. It's good to see that whenever there is a Malaysian athlete on the starting block, they have already won a "gold medal" - in terms of presentation. Way to go, Malaysia!

By the way, are they for sale to the public?

Hari Raya Open House

Attended Azwar's Open House last Sunday. Most of the PM members were there. There is one obvious strength in all runners - punctuality. In all the functions I attended to, runners would be the first to arrive - on time, on the dot! Even the host's wife commended it. Keep it up, fella.

We had a good time together, served with lots of good food and entertained by the latest hot-in-town news-turn-jokes.

Azwar has a very nice house. If I have a house like his, I will install some simulators - swim like Ian Thorpe, cycle like Lance Armstrong and run like Haile Gebrselassie! How nice.....!

Again, thank you for the invite, Azwar.

KRI 2005 Full Results

Click the URL below for the full results of the 2005 KRI 10km Run :

http://www.ipohroadrunners.org/200510k/10KRR2005.xls

No Medal For Me in the KRI 2005

My wife and I went to Ipoh International School to collect her BIB last Saturday. Incidentally, we attended a talk by Dr Ron Hill on his running experience.

This averaged-built and soft spoken 67-year-old Englishman is the first Briton to complete a marathon under 2:10 - a feat he accomplished by clocking 2:09:28 during the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Wow! What is he doing in such a small race like KRI then? Apparently, he aims to run in 100 different countries before he turns 70! Double Wow! Sound familiar? Yes, I hope The Running Couple can do that too!

I picked up a few tips from this legend during his sharing:
1) High weekly mileage - the longer the better. He did more than 250km per week! No wonder he has been running EVERYDAY since 1964.
2) He has got achilles tendon injury before. And what he did to his injury? He continued running...SLOWLY. Eventually, the pain went off! That really excited me and I'm looking forward to my running again.
3) No cross training is required. His method is a pure running.

----------------------
RACE DAY



I started very slowly at 6:02 for the first km. Gradually, I increased my pace. By the 3rd km, I was back on track - 15:38. But there was no panic button to press as I took this "race" as my normal Sunday training run. I cheered and motivated the fellow runners especially our friends in PACM.

At the u-turn in the mid-way point, I finally saw my wife in front. She was running very well this morning. In fact I was supposedly pacing her. But now I trailed her!

After the u-turn, I ran more seriously. At the 6th km, my time has dipped below 29 minutes. At this point, I overtook Dr Ron Hill - the winner of 1970 Boston Marathon. With due respect, he has run very well in his age and in this hot and high humidity country like ours! Furthermore, he didn't aim to win the race. Otherwise, a small fly like me has got no chance at all!

With about 2 more km to go, I caught up with Khee Meng and Mr Yee from Seremban. Both told me my wife was just in front. I nodded and tried to catch her.



With about 500 metres to go, I caught up and said hi to my wife. I increased my speed a little so that she could overtake a girl in front of her. I paced her until the entrant of the finishing point at the football field. I stopped and checked my watch. To my surprise, it showed 47:56!

No medal for the pacer, yet I was very satisfied with the work-out. By the way, my wife got second in her category in 48:30 unofficial time. Well done, dear!

Hot, Hot, Hot Taroko International Marathon

“Oh yes! I finally reached the turning point,” I whispered inside my heart with much relief. The heat was getting on me. It was so scorching hot. I reckoned it was equivalent to 10am Malaysia time (30 degree Celcius perhaps). I bade farewell to the full marathoners and sincerely wished them luck as I made my u-turn back.

We were only about 40 minutes into the running yet I have started to struggle. “Maybe I should be joining the 8am running group in Bukit Aman next time. It is too late now as I am in the midst of a race of the Taroko International Marathon.”



One month before the race on 5 November, we weren’t sure if this year’s competition would be on or not. The official website has not been updated and worse still, it was removed all together sometime in October. We were informed that this year’s event was a go through our counterpart in Taipei - Yung Ho Running Club (YHRC). We quickly gathered our PACM members who had expressed their interest to participate earlier. In the end, 8 of us made the trip. They were Hooi Siew Weng, Ong Boon Hin, Ng Soo Fin (for the full marathon) and Teresa Goh, Phua Qui Thin, Yap Wai Mun and I (for the half marathon) and Chan Wing Kai (the cameraman). Special thanks to the YHRC and the ever-helpful Tey Eng Tiong for helping us with the registration.

At 5.00am, 8 of us assembled at our hotel lobby for the official bus to shuttle us to the starting point which was located some 40 minutes away. There were many other runners as well in the bus comprising mainly locals from other cities in Taiwan.



Upon stepping down from the bus, we were welcomed by cool breeze and magnificent view of the mountains. The atmosphere was very carnival-liked with lots of banner, loud music and of course the toilets. There was also an aerobic warming up session.

We quickly did some stretching, took some photos and went to the toilet before checking in our luggage. We walked slowly to the starting line which was situated right at the famous entrance arch of the Taroko National Park.

The 5km fun run was flagged off at 7.00am. We were supposed to flag off 10 minutes later. However, due to the uncontrollable crowd, the run was further delayed by another 15 minutes. The MC had to repeatedly announce for the runners to move behind the starting line. That shows the enthusiasm of the full and half marathoners to start the race!

“Bang!” I started slowly but steadily. I kept to the left which is the fastest lane in the Taiwanese traffic system. After just 2-3km, I started to sweat heavily and the sun was already on top of my head. I could actually see my own shadow running beside me. The course was straight and flat. At some point, we were sandwiched by seaside on the left and mountains on the right.



After the u-turn, there were not many runners in front of me anymore. It was kind of boring running alone! The heat had taken its toil on me and my armpit started to ache! A Caucasian runner was seen running without his shirt.

We were cheered on by some of the villagers and young children along the way. At one section, the workers from a nearby cement factory turned up to cheer us at the roadside. How sweet!

After crossing the starting arch, we were required to run another 5-6km inside the Taroko National Park. I rejoiced as the environment here was much cooler. There were many caves and tunnels. I could imagine we were like rats running from one hole to another! The view here was magnificent with waterfall flowing and the beautiful rocks just next to you. That’s the reward/incentive for traveling this far for a marathon. This is also the reason for running the Taroko Marathon, for I am so sure that we can never get to run into such a beautiful gorge with such magnificent scenes back home in Malaysia or anywhere else!



Some of the tunnels were quite dark. However, the ventilation was good. With about 1km to go, I could hear some cheering from the spectators outside the long tunnel. Suddenly I saw sunlight and I knew the finishing line was near. I pushed as hard as I could to complete this hottest half marathon that I had ever run!

The Results
21km

NameCategoryNet TimeOverallPosPos by GenderPos by Age Group

Tan John YamMen 36-451:44:471029626
Yap Wai MunWomen 36-451:54:04228182
Teresa GohWomen 56 above2:11:50602441
Phua Qui ThinMen 56-652:58:481867163468

1st runner 1:14:13 Last runner 3:12:57

42.195km

Ong Boon HinMen 46-554:37:48305287104
Ng Soo FinMen 46-555:09:17485456161
Hooi Siew WengMen 66 above5:38:236566145

1st runner 2:44:14 Last runner 6:11:53

For complete result, click on the link below:
Full marathon
http://www.sportsnet.org.tw/score_detail.php?Id=4

Half marathon
http://www.sportsnet.org.tw/score_detail.php?Id=5

What they said:
Phua, “The run was generally well organized. If the starting time can be earlier and the route remains inside the Taroko National Park, I think it will be wonderful.”

Ong, “I’m satisfied with my time today even though it got tougher at the end of the race. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the scenery here. After my run in Beijing and Taroko, I’m looking forward for a better result in the coming Singapore Full Marathon.”

Hooi, “This is the toughest and hottest in my 23 full marathons experience so far. Physically I’m still very tired and have not recovered from my tracking trip from Nepal the week before.”

Teresa, “I had a pleasant run here except for the heat. At my age, to be able to run, I’m already happy. Coming back 1st is a bonus!”

Wai Mun, “I came to view the beautiful Taroko Gorge and not only have I seen it, I’m glad I left my footprints there. It was another memorable experience for John & I.”

A Frightening Car Park Encounter

To all runners and readers of this blog,

Be alert at all times when you are in any car park as there may be someone who will try to take away your vehicle and other belongings or even cause harm to you physically!

My wife has a close encounter this morning.

At approximately 6.20am, she reached the Taman Tasik Permaisuri, Cheras. She parked the car in an open and well-lit car park near the children playground. There were some joggers around. She stepped out of the car and started to do her stretching near the car before her jog.

Suddenly, a lady jogger whom we know as Ah Yeng shouted to my wife to ask her to quickly come up to the playground. Luckily she did because right at the same time, one white van and one red car turned on their vehicle light and started to approach the two of them. Fortunately, they were saved by the knee-height pavement! According to my wife, there were many Indian guys inside the car and the van. Both vehicles were without their number plates. The drivers pedalled hard and the engines were screaming! They shouted some foul words. They even have the guts to show their face out of their winded window. Obviously they were very upset because their operation has failed. They were rallying around the car park in high speed before they left a few minutes later.

After recovering from the shock, Ah Yeng told my wife that it happened last Saturday morning too. Their strategy is to hit a car when the owner just parks his/her car in the parking lot. They will either demand for money, steal the car away or worst kidnap the owner as he/she comes out from their car to inspect the damage.

Again, please be extremely careful especially if you are alone in a car park, either you are preparing for a run, to work or to shop.

Happy DeepaRaya

Next week will be a long holiday for us Malaysian, thanks to our Hindu and Muslim friends. In anticipating that most of us will be traveling to our hometowns or some places for holiday starting this weekend, we - the Running Couple, would like to wish you a Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri for those who are celebrating it! To those who are driving, drive carefully and patiently!

This year the Running Couple will be joining another 6 strong runners from Pacesetters to explore and treasure the running atmosphere and experience in Taroko, Taiwan. Our run is scheduled on the 5th Nov.

Stay tuned for our report and photos when we come back.

Meanwhile, happy holiday to all of us!

Speed Workout

Arrived at Kpg Pandan track at 6pm and the weather was pretty hot. Only a handful of runners were training due to the fasting month by our muslim friends.

I jogged around the football field for about 2km followed by a light stretching. I felt good as the pain at my tendon has subsided.

Today we welcomed a new friend from Ghana joining our group. His name is Richard. This young gentleman can really run. His target is to dip below 33 minutes in 10km. I'm sure he will achieve it with ease!

Slowly the group turned bigger and the weather turned out colder as the result of the shading of some dark cloud.

As usual Coach Chan asked us to run one easy round of 400m and another round of 50m slow and 50m fast for warm up.

We were required to run 3km for 2 sets. Coach gave me a target time of 13 minutes. I did 12:42 and 12:44 respectively, well below the target. The second set was tough! Before the start, I thought I wouldn't be able to sustain the time I set in the first set as I was running out of energy. I somehow managed to stay focus and maintain it throughout. What a good mental training!

After a short break, we ran 400m for 4 sets at 2:10 interval. My timing was 1:40, 1:36, 1:33 and 1:20 respectively. I always like to run 400m as I can use and train my muscle strength.

We finished the day with an easy 1,200m warm down.

La Hermandad de los Centuriones

De izquierda a derecha, Annie VanderMeer (British Centurion, Continental Centurion y Malaysian Centurion), Adri Leermakers (BC, CC y MC), Irina Zaigrajskaia (MC), Alex Vandenhoeck (MC), Zdenek Simon (MC) y Bernardo José Mora (CC y MC).

It's a pleasant surprise to know that I have a visitor as far as Spain to my blog recently. The feeling was warm even it was a short and simple "Hello. Best wishes from Spain". It came from our 24-hour Walk 1st Runner-Up, Bernardo Jose Mora.

Bernardo and Alex (the 2nd Runner-Up in Genting) were superb walkers. They extended their stay after the gruelling 24-hour walk and took part in the MMBW a week later. Bernardo and Alex again won some prizes in the 20km and 10km category respectively.

Even though I don't speak a single word of Spanish, I understand Bernardo is a serious and active ultra marathon walkers. You will understand what I mean if you visit his blog.

Selamat datang ke Malaysia and of course my blog!

3rd Malaysia International 24 Hours Walk on NTV7

If you've missed the "live action" of us in the 3rd Malaysia International 24 Hours Walk, miss no more.

Stay tuned in front of your TV set this Saturday, 1 October 2005, at 6.00pm as NTV7 will be viewing how we suffered during the walk. Don't wink your eyes for it's just a short 30 minutes programme.

Happy watching!

MMBW2005

Walking past the pain and agony

Reported by The Star, 26 September 2005
By NG WEI LOON

It was a different roller-coaster ride for 300 walkers, including 60 foreigners from 20 countries, who took part in the Malaysia International 24-Hour Walk at the Genting Highlands Outdoor Theme Park.

Instead of enjoying a short burst of adrenalin rush on a roller-coaster at the theme park, they had to endure the pain and agony of having to walk around the 876m circuit for 24 hours at an altitude of more than 1,800m (6,000 feet).

Several participants were seen staggering during the final stages of the race. After the race, several of them could hardly sit down due to exhaustion and fatigue.

Zagryazhskaya Irina from Russia, who won the women's Open in 2001, set a record winning distance of 176.88km on this occasion.

Irina finished four laps ahead of runner-up M.S. Vander Meer from Holland who did 173.38km. Tarasevich Marina from Belarus was third (163.74km).

“I like walking in Genting as it has a scenic landscape,” said the 33-year-old Russian, who competes in three to four 24-hour walks a year.

The foreign walkers who turned up came from as far as Mauritius, Germany, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Belarus, Riussia, Belgium, Ghana, Oman, Singapore, France, Hong Kong, Australia, Holland, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Japan, United States, United Kingdom and Nigeria.

In the men's Open, Czechoslovakian Simon Zdenek emerged champion when he walked 218 laps, two laps ahead of defending champion Jose Mora Bernardo from Spain.

Zdenek covered a distance of 190.9km to improve on his third place finish in 2001. Runner-up Bernando did 189.15km. Belgium's Alexander Vandenhoeck (185.64km) was third.

“My strategy was to stay with the leading pack. After I was penalised, I stepped up the pace as I had to work harder to compensate for the penalty. It was a pleasant experience racing on a flat course here,” said Zdenek.

The event offered RM45,000 in prize money to the top 20 winners in the individual categories and the top three teams.

In the individual categories, the champions walked away with RM6,000 while the runner-up and third placed winners received RM4,000 and RM2,500 respectively.

Armed Forces' Mohd Hanizam Harun and Yap Wai Mun were Malaysia's best performers in the men's and women's sections respectively. Hanizam finished in eighth place (167.25km) while Yap finished sixth (133.96km).

“I took part in a 12-hour walk in Penang earlier this year. I wanted to break into the top 10. I am glad that I managed to achieve my target in Genting,” said Hanizam, 28.

A total of 11 teams took part in the team event. Debutants Singapore Amateur Athletic Association (SAAA), comprising S. Thiagaraja, R. Subramaniam, Chong Fui Fong and Low May Ling, led from start to finish in their 204.92km effort.

Race Walkers Association of Malaysia (RWAM) completed 198.78km and finished second. Sahn Hahng Tai Bo A from Hong Kong were third (189.15km).

The event was organised by the RWAM and supported by the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Federal Territory Amateur Athletic Association.

Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman, who gave away the prizes to the winners, praised the participants for their months of dedicated preparation for this gruelling race.

Olympic Council of Malaysia secretary- general Datuk Sieh Kok Chi and organising chairman Datuk Peter Chin were also present at the prize presentation ceremony.



RESULTS
Men's Open: 1. Simon Zdenek (Cze) 218 laps (190.9km), 2. Jose Mora Bernardo (Esp) 216 laps (189.15km), 3. Alexander Vandenhoeck (Bel) 212 laps (185.64km)

Women's Open: 1. Zagryazhskaya Irina (Rus) 202 laps (176.88km), 2. M.S. Vander Meer (Ned) 198 laps (173.38km), 3. Tarasevich Marina (Blr) 187 laps (163.74km)

Team: 1. Singapore Amateur Athletic Association (Spore) 234 laps (204.92km), 2. Race Walkers Association of Malaysia (Mas) 227 laps (198.78km), 3. Sahn Hahng Tai Bo A (HK) 216 laps (189.15km)

My 3rd Experience in the Genting 24-Hour Walk

What a relief! The Walk has finally over and we are back to our normal life. Some were happy and some were disappointed with their results. To me, the fact that we were at the starting line of the 24-hour walk was indeed commendable! We are brave to do what normal people think is impossible. At this point, we are already the WINNERS!

Let me share with you, participants and non-participants, my experience during the race.

Preparation
Having participated twice before, I knew it would be tough and needed a lot of preparation. I managed to clock a total of 700 minutes (11H 40M) of walking since I started in 13th July. Low mileage but better than nothing!

Arrival

Upon arrival, we were welcome by the thick mist, strong wind and a light drizzle at the peak of Genting Highland. Not a very good sign!

We saw some participants setting up their camping tents near their cars. What a brilliant idea! However, later at night, I noticed that nobody actually slept in it. Who would sleep anyway in the cold and wet outdoor?

We quickly reported ourselves, prepared the BIB and tied the timing chip to our shoes.

The Start
While waiting for the start, as usual, we chit-chatted and took photos with fellow friends, competitors and the mascots. Everyone seemed to be very relaxed. After a short technical briefing, we were gunned off at 12.00noon on the 18th Sep. Unlike the running events, we were in no hurry to push ourselves to our limits. Slow and steady is the key!

The Journey
Needless to say, I was overtaken by the international-standard walkers and the relay teams. So envy and wonder if they were made of steel? Are they Ultraman, Superman or robots?


As time went by, everything seemed to become our challenges. First was the boredom. There were some walkers who sang along with their walkman or MP3. Suddenly, you could find “Anita Mui” or “Sammy Cheng” taking part in the Walk. There was one lady who has probably “lost” her way to her church. She sang hymns from the Bible. As for me, I would accompany my wife whenever I could to chat, sing and even dance with her! Ha! Ha! Ha!

We had plenty of food and drink to replenish ourselves. Kudos to the organizer! No wonder I didn’t lose any weight even after so many hours of walking.

Official results were efficiently announced and displayed every 3 hours except the last 3 hours where it became every hourly. What a major improvement from the previous years! So every 3 hours, we participants would be excitedly gathering at the big white board to see the latest update of our ranking and the number of laps we had covered. It reminded me to those people who looking up at the numbers in a 1+3D outlet!

After some time, the chilly weather and the strong wind made me felt like crying. Oh dear! I missed the hot temperature in Kuala Lumpur already!

To make the matter worse, the terrain was undulating and uneven. There was one steep down slope which I think had “killed” many walkers.



Gradually, I felt my left shoulder and both legs were not co-operative anymore. My inner thighs, heels, toes, knees and the back of the knees one-by-one failed me. Pain! Pain! Pain! To add to my misery, I had a big blister on my left heel.

Thanks but no thanks to our St John Ambulance. When I pleaded for a massage and a pin to poke the water out of the blister, what they could offer was only a bag of ice cube and some plasters. And I had to DIY myself!

At 4.21am, the mist was so heavy that I bumped into a rubbish bin which I think was intentionally put in the middle of our path so that we stayed awake all the time! The wake-up call obviously told me that I was too tired and painful to continue my journey. I sadly called for a long break and ended prematurely.

The Finishing
I woke up at 5.30am inside my car. I realized then the rain became heavier. My heartfelt salute those who were still walking under such challenging condition. And, I thought I had made a wise decision to stop early.

After freshening up, I stayed on to cheer the walkers. At 12.00noon, 19th Sep, the gun went off again signaling the end of the 3rd edition of the 24-hour Walk.

I was glad that I managed to cover 89 laps or 77.9km in position 52 and my wife 153 laps or 133.96km in 6th position.

We would like to congratulate the following persons for their outstanding result and good spirit:
Men:- Keshab – 144 laps/ Alan Tiang – 133/ PK Chan – 130/ Tey Eng Tiong – 127/ Law Lai Huat – 120/ Tan Khee Meng – 94/ Siah Leong Hooi – 79/ Bruce Wun – 64

Women:- Wong Ha Mooi – 127 laps/ Lim Peck Yah – 123

Team:- Pace Walker (Francis, Melvin, Sook Ying, Huat’s sister) – 4th placing
Pace Setter Gasing (SK Goh, Ken Kan, Teresa & Carol) – 7th placing

and all the other walkers and friends.

Sayonara! See you in 2007.

Click here for Tey's report on the event.

3rd Malaysia International 24 Hour Walk - Photos & Results

1) Photos courtesy of Tey. Click here.

2) Photos from us. Click here.

3) Full Results
- Men Open
- Women Open
- Overall (Men & Women)
- Team Relay

More write-up coming soon! Stay tuned.

Putrajaya Half Marathon 2005

"Take on the challenge! Capture the splendour!". This is the tagline for the competition and it couldn't be more true having experienced it myself!

The moment my wife and I arrived at the exit to Putrajaya from Seri Kembangan direction, our nightmare started. There were signboards to other Precincts but not one to the Precinct One where the starting point was! Poor my wife for having to listen to my grumbling for a good 20 minutes.




First 5km
It was flat for the first 3km. So it was quite easy for most runners. I felt my pacing was too fast. "Control, control, control", I kept reminding myself. After our first U-turn, I struggled a little. My time was 21:56".

Second 5km
Saw Kenny Tan coming out from his "pit lane" and continued chasing Adam Loh. After conquering the second bridge (hill), I turned on my "auto-cruise". I did 25:22" in this half. My 10km time was 47:18"



Third 5km
So surprised to see power gels being given out to the runners. Good gesture but no thanks, I ain't hungry. My stomach was full of isotonic drink! At this moment, I wished that we had some cheering teams by the roadside cheering us on to beat our boredom and tireness. My time was 24:54".

Last 5km
I will never forget this hilly section of last 4km and last 3km to go. Felt so terrible. It's like "people hit the wall, I hit the hill" kind of feeling! The hot and humid weather added to my agony! I clocked a poor 25:48".

Final 1km
My longest 1km ever in 5:34"! By now I was a total spent force... even a snail will beat me! And the many turnings didn't help at all. With 100 metres to go, I could hear some cheering from Cecil, Richard Ng and some friends. The motivation has certainly helped and I pushed all the way to the finishing line in 1:43:35!

Conclusion
I achieved my target of below 1:45. I will do more hill training to prepare for next year's race. The hill-after-hill course has overwhelmed me even being warned of it earlier.

My rating of the race (of max 6*): ****

P/S Pictures courtesy of Penguin 1

Happy Independence Day!

Wow! My pulse rate was 44 this afternoon. The reading really surprised me as I'm still building up my fitness level. It came much earlier than expected. I think my rate would be around 50+ when I was preparing for the KLIM in Feb. Hope I'm able to maintain it, if not better it, for the two major races in Sep.

Today's track work-out was good. I didn't push too much as I'm still concern with my injury and also I do not want to peak too soon.

We did 7x800m and 4x400m.

My timing was as the following:
800m - 3:38 / 3:33 / 3:31 / 3:28 / 3:31 / 3:27 / 3:27
400m - 1:36 / 1:33 / 1:31 / 1:24

Looking forward to tomorrow's long run.

Positive Gi

Oh, yes! My weekly mileage has increased to 53km last week. It included both the running and walking distance. I could feel my endurance level improving each day. Now, I look forward to the Putrajaya Half Marathon (11 Sep) and Genting 24-hour Walk (18 Sep) with more confident.

Gone were the good August. Welcome a better September. Selamat Hari Merdeka, folk! See you on 31 Aug morning at the Lake Garden.

The World's First Intelligent Shoe!

You are looking at a pair of state of the art running shoes. The first of it's kind! It took 4 years to develop these amazing shoes.

The shoe automatically adjusts to the weight of your body and the type of surface you are on. It adjusts the comfort level 1000 times a second, digitally, according to your personal settings. This is an amazing new revolution in footwear, it has a micro computer in the sole and heel of the shoe that adjusts the support and comfort level to your exact specification. It is the most comfortable shoe, it's like nothing you'll ever find.

It costs USD299.95. Not sure if it is being sold now in Malaysia and how much?

P/S this article is served as an informational purpose only.

Next Race - Putrajaya Half Marathon

I've just signed up for the Putrajaya Half Marathon which will be held on 11 Sep. It's going to be my first competition after the 15k NB/PACM in May due to my injury. My target is to complete the whole race within 2 hours. The race will serve as a warm-up prior to the Genting 24-hour Walk which will be held a week later.

I did a Body Composition Analysis today. I'm shocked to know that I have excessive fat as my body fat mass reading is 14.2 while the normal range is 6.3 - 12.7! My upper and lower body strength are found to be weak. That can't be right?! Whatever it is, I think it's time to exercise and more exercise again!

A Fruitful Week

This whole week was great - no thick haze with API reading below 50. Thank you, God!

So, what are we waiting for? Make full use of the opportunity to exercise outdoor-lah! As a result, my mileage has increased to around 45km this week. Not too bad considering that I'm still recovering from my injury.

Well, talking about my achilles tendon injury. I think it's not that serious now - it hurts in the first 15 minutes of running and of course the rest of the day after the run until the next morning. Not bad huh? I'm still able to exercise. Again, thank YOU the almighty!

This morning, a group of us - 6 gentlemen ran alongside with our pacesetter - princess Lisa to Hartamas and back. Our princess's pace was consistent and just nice throughout. What a good leader! To beat the boredom, we swapped leaders occasionally. We came back together in 1:42.

Thank you, Wah, Adam, Onn, Onn's friend, Botak Tan and of course princess Lisa!

Feeling Good

My main goal for today's speed work-out is to gradually improve my fitness level as well as my confidence level.

My achilles tendon still hurt after each run/walk. That's why I've been holding back my speed and mileage in all my trainings. I've doubts if I could ever run at a faster pace in a longer run.

As it turned out, I achieved my goal of the day. Very satisfied indeed as I dipped below my target time of 4:30 for 1km and 1:36 for 400m!

1km x 4 -- 4:22/4:19/4:18/4:06
400m x 4 -- 1:25/1:27/1:24/1:15

Look like the haze on top of my head has gone away!

By the way, I think Kenneth is the most-improved runner among the PM gang as today he has been consistently clocking below 4:20. I recalled a month or two ago he was still struggling behind Jessica at 5:00 pace. Good for him!

MM Big Walk?

No MM Big Walk this Sunday. See picture also "syiok"!

Frogman Surfaces

Today, an article in The Sun caught my attention - "Frogman Surfaces".

It was reported that Mr Erik Fearn who was jogging in the haze with a scuba tank strapped to his back, to fulfill his need to exercise daily!

Bravo to this gwailo for coming up with such a brilliant idea! I think I need one tank badly because I have not been exercising for the last one week! No gym, no treadmill, NONE!

The next time you see a living frog on the street, it could be ME!

I will swim in Kpg Pandan track next time.

What A Reward!

I ran at Taman Tasik Permaisuri today for one hour - the longest run in 2 weeks! No wonder after just 15 minutes, my heart beat so hard and I felt like "pancit" already! Luckily, my mental strength is still there to assist me to finish the whole journey. OMG! My fitness level has obviously dropped quite drastically. It's time to catch up with my homework...

My brand new Nike Pegasus was excellent! Despite the second trial, it has passed with flying colour! I felt like we're combining well now.



After the run, I received our long-over-due Certificate of Participation for the NB Pacesetters 15km Run from Phoon. However, the wait was worthwhile because it is VERY nice! So nice that Wai Mun & I kept admiring our certificates and the well-taken photos for the whole night. We planned to frame them up. I'm very sure these are the best certificates we've ever received. Usually, I don't bother to keep the "fill-in-the-blank by yourself" certificates issued by our local races!

Thank you to Pacesetters for making their best efforts to present us such a memorable and high quality token for our participation. Well done, keep it up!

Click here for full result.

New Shoes

Today, I put on my brand new running shoes, a blue Nike Pegasus. It is my second pair of the year. I bought it after recommended by Dr Jamie It has good cushioning and arch support. Its price is also reasonable unlike other models.

My fear on buying a new pair of shoe is the unknown if it is too heavy (over times) for my heel due to my achilles tendon injury. At first, I had this sharp pain at my tendon after just 1-2 minutes into running. However, after half an hour, the pain gradually gone.

Need to assess and get use to it. Hopefully, I need not buy another pair too soon!

Risk Taker?

Glad to meet Ajeep a.k.a. PM26 at the Kpg Pandan Track yesterday evening. He has his bandage off and should be able to start training again. He said he is going to start with an easy walk. Welcome back, my friend. You can do it!

And, what was I doing in the Track? Hmmm... tell you a secret, I was joining Coach Chan's training. As a result, I got a tongue lashing from Ajeep for being stubborn. He said I should be resting my achilles tendon properly. I acknowledged what he said was correct but how I can let slip of any chance to run? hehehe!

So, the menu was 1km x6 and 400m x5. Here's how I did:

1km:- 1) 4'33" 2) 4'29" 3) 4'28" 4) 4'27" 5) 4'27" 6) 4'23"

400m:- 1) 1'54" 2) 1'51" 3) 1'46" 4) 1'42" 5) 1'35"

No bad, I could still maintain at 4'30" per km pace considering my lack of running lately. In fact, after the training, I felt good as I still had so much reserve. Of course, my tendon stressed a little (hope Ajeep and my wife does not read this!) but I believe it should be alright after a day or two.

An Eventful Sunday Morning

Part 1

A very small crowd gathered at Bukit Aman car park this morning. It was a very rare sight as usually the car park will be fully occupied by the PACM members. The main reason was that most of the members had gone for their annual Track Meet in Cheras Football Stadium.

As most of them were walkers, I then decided to join in and walked with them. They are training either for the MM Big Walk or the 24-hour Walk. We walked on the usual Double Hill route. I think training on this hilly route is good to strengthen our muscles and improve our skills to tackle the up and downside of the hill. To me, walking requires a certain degree of technical know-how. It's quite interesting when you master the skill and your walking becomes more speedily and effectively.

We finished in 1:25.

********************************

Part 2

After breakfast and shower, we went to the Cheras Football Stadium to catch our dear friends in action in the Track Meet.


Tey overtaking one runner in the 4x400m.

Pia kau kau lat...

Face like want to shit liao?

Replenishing my "goo len" & "goo lat"...

All set for the 24-hour Walk

2-hour Walk

Yes, I have increased my mileage to 2 hours of non-stop walking at Kpg Pandan track yesterday.

While walking, I worked out my strategy for the 24-hour walk. If I do 40 laps (approx. 32km) for every 6 hours, then I will have walked 160 laps or 128km when the bell rings. Which means I need to cover 7 laps or 5.6km for every hour or 10.5 min per km. I can do 7 min/km in a 20km walking race, so this certainly sounds easy and achievable!

Well, the truth is after walking for just 2 hours, I had a blister near the toe, a burn under my armpit and an uneasy sensation at my asshole!!!

Yet, I still choose to believe I can do it. We shall see!

3rd Malaysia International 24 hour walk

I received the following interesting article from the event organiser which I like to share with you, especially if you will be one of those at the starting line of the event:

The third Malaysia International 24 Hours Walk is no ordinary event as it is not something that not everyone can sign up for. Due to the demands the event places on the physical as well as mental aspects of the participants, the Malaysian Race Walking Association (PLJKM) scrutinizes the entries before giving the nod to the participant. And come September 18, some 350 participants from 15 countries will try to overcome both mental and physical barriers as they try to achieve the feat of becoming a centurion, which is to break the 100-mile barrier within 24 hours.

The event that will be held at Genting Highlands will see the return of defending champions Jose Mora Bernardo of Spain and Irina Putinseva who won the men's and women's events respectively in 2003 at the same venue.

"It is a race against the clock and both the participants as well as spectators are in for a treat as the endurance factor will be pivotal in a race of this kind," said PLJKM president Datuk Peter Chin during a press launch of the event at Wisma OCM on Tuesday. "A special 800 metre track will be laid out and walking around the clock will no doubt put a tremendous physical strain.

"The participants are allowed to rest, eat food and even take a nap during the walk. But they will lose valuable time if the stops are too frequent.".

No Malaysian has broken into the centurion club and the closest participant that came to it was Effendy Suhaili from the Armed Forces who clocked a distance of 155.70km in the event in 2003. Most of the participants who want to achieve the century mark often do it with a minimum of breaks. The breaks generally last only for a couple of minutes to change shoes or have a quick rubdown or just sit down for a drink for a little bit. And as the participants move towards the later stages of the event, some are just physically wrecked.

Thus it is best to keep the stops short and keep on the move as the participants endure the pain to achieve a milestone. "But this is more of a mind over matter event as the participants need to overcome the pain barrier at times," said Datuk Peter. "The climate at Genting Highlands suits the foreign and local participants well and we are fortunate that sponsor's have been supporting this event well ever since it was first held in 2001."

What Is Race Walking

Race Walking began as an ultra-long distance sport in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and still maintains a great following in Europe. Easily the most famous event in the world was the Paris to Strasbourg walk (320 mile 3 day event) which has now become the Paris to Colmar (close to Strasbourg). This event is over a distance of 520km and is generally won in around the 60-hour mark. Other events are the Roubiax (France) 28-hour walk in which many European countries enter teams, the Lugano (Italy) 100 km and the London-to-Brighton (53 mile) event. On top of this, most countries have an active Centurion Club, which offers life-long membership for all sub-24 hour 100-mile finishers.

First Training Session For 24-hour Walk

My next major race will be the 24-hour walk in Genting Highland on 18 September 2005. It's just 2 months away and I'd better start training for it.

On Wednesday, I walked for one hour at Taman Tasik Permaisuri. It was a bit awful in the beginning as I felt like I had been "watched". I think those people were amazed how a man like me could possibly "twist their butt" like that! Ha! Ha!

Nevertheless, I felt so great at the end of the training session, especially when I walked pass many slow joggers!

I am now looking for more walkers to join me. Any takers?

An Easy Start

It was drizzling and the weather was superbly cool on this lovely Sunday morning. Who on earth would want to get up or leave their cosy bed to go out and run? But, we did.

This morning only a small group of us gathered at the Bukit Aman car park. Most PACM members had gone to Seremban for their half marathon.

We started at 6.48am. I took it very easily and carefully as it was going to be my longest run in 5 weeks - a 11km Double Hill route. My objective was to test if my achilles tendon injury has improved.

During the run, I could feel a slight pain on my tendon occasionally. Surprisingly, my fitness level has not dropped that drastically. We finished in 1:12.

I concluded that I could start running again but it has to be slow and easy.

Boring Water Play

I have a 30-minute running session today - in the pool. Good exercise but nothing beats the real action on the road. It is more enjoyable and you can really sweat out! I have no choice but to keep doing it in the water in order to maintain my fitness level. Sigh! So boring...

Ipoh Half Marathon - 3/7/05

My wife on her way to the finishing line. She clocked 1:50:47 and was placed 12th in her category.

I turned cameraman on that morning.

Phew!

Yesterday I had my longest run since the last 2 weeks - a 30-minute jog on the football pitch at Kampung Pandan track. I was so glad to jog with the usual gang like Ronnie, Adam, Danny and Justin while they were warming up for their speed work-out.

My tendon didn't hurt much after the run. What a relief! I started to have this crazy idea to participate in this Sunday's Ipoh Half Marathon.

After that I just stayed back to watch those guys suffering from suffocating in their work-out!

Start All Over Again

After staying out from running completely for 10 days, I felt so restless, heavier and at times, down. Life without running is so bored for me!

Needless to say, I excitedly woke up this morning for a short run. When I mean short, it is really short - 500 metres! I started out with some stretching then walked slowly on the concrete track. I started to run - very slowly upon reaching the synthetic track.

Even though it was only 500 metres, I think it's a good start as I didn't feel any pain at the tendon area. I will increase it to 1km tomorrow, hopefully.

Meanwhile, I would like to thank once again to all the well wishers for their moral support. Without them, I might not have recovered so soon. Thanks, pals!

My Story On 4x3km Relay Run As A Spectator

The registration 

The Team 

The surpise supporter 

And more supporters... 

Mr Cool about to start the race...