This Is It!

I'll be travelling with 3 other friends to Penang on Saturday morning and should reach the island at about 11am. My bags are packed and I'll be on leave Friday, taking it easy and getting the car serviced.

I've trained the best I could given the various challenges and I'm happy personally to have reached a few milestones in my training.

The weight of expectation now rests heavily on my shoulders. I'm trying to keep a nonchalant outlook as I know how darn difficult the job will be. I will do my best, stay focused and keep strong and positive thoughts throughout the race. To all racing this weekend, here's wishing you the best!

It's time to cash in on all our months of hard work and claim our rewards. Let's get the job done!

Weather Forecast

Signs are pointing to either a very cool or a wet race this Sunday. In yet another trip to Penang the recent weekend, the weather was mostly wet. The only time the sun made it's presence felt (and even so, it wasn't that hot) was in the early evenings. The rest of the time, the outlook was either very grey and cloudy or raining. With this in mind, you might want to make some preps or adjustments for the race and also your activities the day before when arriving in Penang. With the anticipated crowd and weather, traffic can be a nightmare on the roads leading into the town center. Have dinner earlier (you can still munch carb/protein snacks if you're hungry later) and stay indoors before retiring early on the race eve as the last place you'd want to find yourself at 10pm on a rainy night is on the road stuck in heavy traffic.

Of course this forecast is just that, a forecast.

Kick In The Butt Run & Garmin Forerunner

Penang in June
Another weekend and another trip back to the island of Penang. The journey was very cool literally, thanks to the rain and showers that accompanied the clan nearly 3/4 of the way. Penang too has seen a great deal of rain lately - it comes down at any time of the day. When it's not raining, it's not too hot - almost ideal for racing. This morning, as I'm typing this, is overcast and very cool. It reminds me of the rainy season during my schooldays here. Somehow it's gives a slightly melancholy feeling. Is British weather the same?

Botanicals & The Forerunner 305
I had my one chance at testing out Chin's 305 and yesterday evening was it. I parked some distance away from the Botanical Gardens entrance as I didn't want to pay for the parking. I'd told my wife that I'd be picking her up in an hour's time at the Gurney Plaza, so this should be a quick run for me. After the satellites were acquired by the 305 (it took about 5 mins to acquire 6 satellites), I set out immediately on a steady pace. I'd programmed the 305 to autolog down my splits by KM instead of Location. I thought that that is one very neat feature. No more twiddling with the buttons! The first K's pace was 5:49 and it fluctuated between 5:29 to 5:43 in the middle. The Botanicals were just a tad crowded with the evening crowd but not too bad as to impede running. A few joggers were in their souvenir Penang Bridge Run T-Shirts, testament that these folks were putting in some final runs. There wasn't anyone running at my pace with the exception of one chap who was huffing quite loudly at certain stretches of the smaller loop. I used to run very regularly at this park and I loved the experience of being there hammering the laps again. The 305 looked a little bulky but to me it didn't restrict movement nor incur too much weight on the wrist. As I started my final lap, I saw 2 younger runners prepping for their runs and these 2 certainly look the faster group among the others. But this is not the time to race...yet. I concluded my lap and headed out of the park and back to my car. At this juncture I hit the afterburners to stretch out the legs a little - at nearly 10K race pace. A quick check on the watch showed that I was near to the 6K mark, so I thought it'd be nice to finish on the dot. Incidentally 6K was just about where I started. Completed the workout in slightly over 32 minutes for an average pace of 5:20.

Later at about 9:30pm I met Chin at a nearby Starbucks to pass him the 305 and I was a little sad to part with it. To me it's a very good training partner even though some route distances are established. My reasoning is like this. Even if you know the distance for your running route, the 205/305 allows you to get continuous feedback on your pace and effort. Not only that, the Virtual Partner is a boon to people who often had to train alone, and therefore is a great motivator. The ability to upload and track your workouts too are great incentives to head outdoors. It allows you to essentially run anywhere knowing for sure that you've got a certain number of miles in without the need to second guess. The trackback feature gets you back to the start if you venture offroad. This feature is so impressive that it flashed out the bend in the road and provides a distance countdown to the start point. At RM750 the 205 is a great training partner, and now I'm torn between this one or the soon to be launched Nike Speed+, the Nike watch that tracks distance and pace without the need of an iPod. While the Speed+ is cheaper at about RM400 (expected price), I'm very unimpressed with the build quality and usability. If I had it, I wouldn't hesitate to wear the 205/305 next Sunday as my race goals call for constant feedback on my pace. It'll be great to have the watch track my pace in case I start too fast and should I lag behind (there are 4 types of alerts that can beep if my pace drops or exceeds a certain customized threshold). It's like having a coach next to you!

Also on the subject of timepiece, a small piece of bad news. My Timex Sleek 50's strap broke yet again after I superglued it. Luckily I had the presence of mind to try it out the last few days to see if it wil cause me any strap problems. Looks like I now have to revert to the heavier Nike. I just hope it holds up. In case you don't know Cheong's Nike has totally spoilt.

What's Your Mantra?

"The sport’s best sometimes make their accomplishments look easy, and we know they are anything but. What is not always apparent is that when the stakes are highest, tiny errors — something as simple as a momentary lapse of concentration or confidence — can make all the difference."
Gordon Bakoulis, senior writer Running Times magazine.

What do you think about when running race? What goes through your head? "Go after that guy!", "Dang it, here comes the hill" or "Oh not now!". When I start off a race, I usually have "Here we go again" going through my mind. Then comes "Am I going too fast?", then "Maintain, maintain". The middle miles will then be spent on random thoughts, covering a variety of subjects or simply spent observing other runners. The difficult portions are very ugly - all the expletives would run through my mind! But I tried changing that during the '06 KLIM, and to some degree of success. I switched to positive thoughts and kept repeating my mantra to keep at it. I kept thinking and repeating "This was what I've trained for", "Suck it up!" and "Baby steps, baby steps". While this is just a random posting, I hope I've left you with an idea on

Meanwhile check this Running Times article out. Titled "Rising To The Occasion", it gives you some points to think about entering into a race. Especially when the mind is rarely the focus of a marathon training program. If you like, let me know what will be your mantra or battle-cry in the Comments section!

PBM Packing List: My War Chest

It's 10 more days to the Race! Besides the usual garments, racing gear and toiletries, the following are some stuff which will be going into and on top of my Deuter pack.

1. Sleeping bag, as there will be additional persons bunking in with us

2. BodyGlide stick

3. Cytomax, Powerbars, Powergels and GU for before, during, after fueling

4. Endurox and Recovery mix

5. Safety pins

6. Medikit with paracetamols, antihistamines, plasters, diarrhea medicines, so that any discomfort can be dealt with on the spot

7. Sunglasses

8. Sandals

9. Pace band because I don't want to waste resources figuring out/remembering my target pace

10. Water bottle
11. Spare socks

Race gear

1. Nike Pegasus 2005

2. asics Kayano socks

3. Nike Sphere Dry vest

4. Brooks shorts

5. Timex Sleek 50 watch

I've been replaying the race over and over in my head and each time, the shiver of excitement runs down my spine. The excitement has nothing to do with my race expectations. Far from it because I'm quite oblivious to that part of the race. Also because you can only prepare so much.

You see, every marathon is different. Notwithstanding all the long runs you've hammered out, you're still going to be covering a lot of distance. It's a darn long run and with that kind of distance, the window for baaaad things to happen are wide open. Even if you felt good the first 10K, your stomach can still execute a cement mixer move at the 11th K. Your legs can also decide to quit moving at the 23rd K. Or something as simple as a tight shoulder, or a rogue pebble in your shoe, can make you lose focus.

So what am I excited about? I'm excited at the uncertainty of the race! I'm excited at packing for it! I'm excited about meeting my friends and travelling up where I'm going to be meeting more friends! I'm excited to hear the starting gun! I'm excited because I'm about to earn my reward following months of hard work! I'm excited that in our midst, there are new marathoners-to-be embarking on their journey of self-discovery! I'm excited to be running this race for the late Terence! I'm excited that after so many years, I'll be running my first home state marathon, and at a time when I'm at my fittest!

There are lots to be excited about...

Nearly The Time For Execution

"Strategy without execution leads to wishful thinking, while execution without strategy results in a directionless expenditure of valuable resources."
John Miller, Country Manager, Nestle Singapore

May I also add that execution without strategy will most likely result in burn-outs and injuries. Wanting to improve within the fastest possible time is an example of this fallacy. However in the event that you've managed to negotiate past the various challenges thrown in your way in the form of illness, work and family commitments, and yet managed to complete the key workouts, well done for you! If you've come this far in your marathon training relatively unscathed, you deserve a good pat in the back. Once you've done that, it's time to go grab that nice large-sized cold milkshake. You have been breaking your body down, recovered and become stronger.

At this tapering stage, you should now treat your body with care. Eat right and rest well. But don't neglect your workouts because tapering should be active, not passive. You should be sharpening and priming all your weapons of war with shorter but faster workouts. Go no further than 20K this weekend. Weekdays can be spent for runs between 8 to 13K alternating between moderate to tempo paced. Stay hydrated and constantly topped up in the glycogen department. Stay away from crowded places as there's a minor flu bug going about. Be sure to wash your hands frequently too. Beefing up on your antioxidants at this stage is always a good idea.

Start developing race plans and pace targets. If you've a time goal, think about the splits you want to hit when reaching the various markers. As mentioned in my previous posting, think about whether you intend to carry fluids and gels during the race, what you intend to eat the week before the race. Once again don't try anything new. Think about your race gear - I've decided at this point to wear the same gear as my KLIM '06 PR. The shoes shall be the Pegasus 2005.

On the mental side, know that you've train the best you can. Let's be realistic, even if you haven't what can you possibly do at this point? So fret not but you will need to lower your race expectations. If you've trained relatively well, then it's time to stay positive. Listen to uplifting music, watch inspiring movies, you know what I mean.

You will be excited whether this is your first or 20th marathon. Enjoy the moment. Check out this site to have a look at the bridge and roads you'll be running on come June 24th. And for more mental matters, please check out this previous post of mine.

How Carboman Got His Groove Back

What a week it has been. Generally filled with rotten work, unpredictable weather and the sad passing of a fellow runner.

Somehow through all that, I remained sane enough to still plan my training out. One of which is to execute a make-or-break week following last week's dismal performance. I also needed to identify the trends in my program (planned versus actual) taking into account on how I felt during the training sessions. For these, I relied on my Buckeye records and manual log going back to February. To my surprise, it's been 22 weeks since stuttering to the marathon program - no wonder I was getting tired! I also tried not to be too hard on myself when reviewing my training as it's really not easy to put together a program, juggling a growing family with limited resources. And then there's something called Work.

I noticed that I encounter a dip in either form or opportunity to have a good mileage once every 2 to 3 weeks. That can be seen in the chart above. Whether coincidental or not,I will perhaps never know but that's the way it has been. Then I looked at how many weeks left to race day and the answer came down to this final week. Everything's down to this week and therefore I need to make it count. To do that I plotted a punishing set of workouts - tackling distance, time on foot, tempo and back to back workouts. It's easy to plan but actually executing it takes some good fortune especially when things are so tightly dependent on each other. I made sure my wife who had been holding the fort knew that this is final hard week before the taper.

Tuesday

Heat training. Told my boss that I was coming in later and started my run at 7:50am and ended the 16.9K past 9:30am. This was a good workout. Felt in control of my pace.

Wednesday & Thursday

A sort of a bridging workout before Thursday but little did I know what the traffic (caused me to miss the morning run) and weather (I was so upset I shook my fists at the dark clouds!) had in store for me. In fact, I was already in my running attire underneath my workclothes but as I walked to the car, the rain came down complete with thunder and lightning.

Friday

You never know that missing a run would be a blessing. Such was the case for me. As a result of no running the day before, my legs were fresh for a 10.4K tempo. Excellent run that was, done while a few of Der_Pacemakers were waiting for the Star reporter to arrive for an interview session.

Saturday

A very difficult run. Definitely a result of insufficnt recovery from Friday's tempo. I was so glad to get it over with. I've Geraldine to thank for instigating this run as doing a 20 wasn't in my plans. But since it's time to make a final push, I just did it.

Sunday

The final long run with Geraldine. We saw more than the usual number of runners plying the Hartamas route - Adam, Richard with Cecil among others. Looks like the marathon racing season is back! Many of those were just doing 20K as their final long run for next week's Phuket Marathon. Geraldine h ad a nasty stumble near the Central Bank junction resulting is scrapes to the elbows and knee. Thankfully no twisting of the ankle. My finish was strong and I felt that I could've completed the marathon distance today.

Geraldine and I just before embarking on the final 3K

At 94K, this was the highest mileage ever recorded in any of my training. I'm so glad this week turned out well, at least where running is concerned.

My next posting should be on mental preparation - though I don't have the materials yet. Will pop off to bed now.

I Think It's Been The Worst Ever Week

At 32.8K I think it has to be my worst ever week for running. A mixture of bad fortune saw my youngest brother admitted for slipped discs and so my Mom had to return back to Penang to look after him. So my wife had to take leave from work for 3 days to join her in Penang with C1 and C2. That move was to relieve my Mom of the load.

You'd think that being here alone would leave me with aeons of time to train. Well, it did - for a few days. Then work took over, and audit preps and my fortune had to be really low, coz my boss asked me to run point to troubleshoot a production issue. I don't know what hit me but I wasn't even part of the project!

Then Friday was my medical examination which thankfully I passed with flying colours and I'd wanted to leave early from work the same day for a short run to take me to Saturday's 24K. As things turned out my brother was scheduled for surgery on Saturday and I had to drive back from KL very early Saturday morning. I'd planned to leave right after work on Friday but decided against it since I suck at night driving and I'm more of a morning person. So I woke up at 4:30am on Saturday and made my way back to Penang. On my way out of KL, I passed near the Saturday Group's training route and I was a little upset at not being able to join them.

My brother's surgery went well and some tissue and disc stuff were removed. The clan sans my Mom drove back to KL this morning and my Mom stayed back for another week. As a result we have to modify our week's plans somewhat by sending both C1 and C2 (whose 2 lower teeth had sprouted!!) to C1's previous Nanny during office hours.

I'm into contingencies now - from resources to training plans. But I've got some plans - yeah, I've always got plans. In fact, through all the challenges that I've encountered for this marathon training, I've had backup plans. The problem is staying with it. Backup plans are cut so thin that any minute change to it will scupper it and you might as well don't have any in the first place.

There's just another week left for actual mileage work. After that it's active taper and some sharpening sessions. So I've resorted to some desperate final push towards completing this week. I won't so far as to say that this week will make or break my race confidence but it comes pretty close.

I took a few shots of the Penang Bridge as we drive back this morning. You can see from the first photo, that the banners are all up along the coastal highway. If you've been driving along the country's expressways, you'd also have seen the event being publicized on the electronic boards. I think the organizers have thus far been doing a great job in promoting the event.

The banners are strung on the lamp-posts along the divider. 2.5K to the finish!

The base of the 1K climb to the midspan. If you don't have GPS-enabled watches, you can rely on the distance markers on the bridge dividers

Nearly at the top! Should be between 10-11K here. Notice there are concrete dividers on the left. These are part of the on-going lane expansion project. This is also a rare spot where you can see the other side of the traffic.

Coasting down the other side of the climb, you can see all the engineering barges already working on the piling for the lane expansion project. You can also see how far it is to reach the Butterworth side.

Believe You Can And You Will

There are just 2 more weeks left before tapering kicks in. Besides getting to June 11th injury free, my thoughts are constantly on staying healthy and meeting the weekly targets. I'm also monitoring my level of "freshness". With the exception of 1 week (Week of May 7th when I was down with a cold) where my mileage dropped drastically, I'm satisfied with my output thus far. Though I'd have preferred those 50K weeks to be slightly higher and touching 60K. But yes, on the whole it's been quite all right.

Those preparing for their debut marathons would probably wonder what sort of mental state you should find yourself in with just a few weeks to go. You should be feeling confident (though not without a tinge of uncertainty) following your completion of a few long runs. Your confidence will grow as you tackle 2 more before tapering. If you've not done your 30K, be sure to do at least 1 over the next 2 weeks. If you've, doing another one or a 3.5-hour run is also recommended. you will bring your body closer to the "Wall" threshold or even break through it. And the value it brings is priceless because you'd have taught your body the most efficient way to process your fuel resource. I will touch again on the mental state nearer the race. I'd want to be slightly on the edge and raring to go even though for some, that eagerness may cause one to run too fast at the start of the race. But to me, having that feeling means that I'm good to go, fully rested and prepared for the battle. If I don't, please remind me to.

While there are still some weeks to go, you should also start thinking about your travel plans. How do you plan to collect your bib, your travel and hotel arrangements, your hydration/snacking plan (how you plan to ensure you're constantly fueled). Give a thought to your race strategy as well and decide whether you'll be carrying gels, bars (you can buy them closer to race day) while racing. Think about your packing - what you'll be packing to Penang (if you're like me, heading to the balmy island) and so on. I will also publish my packing list nearer the race. Again, if I don't, please remind me to.

You should have had the chance to try out the possible race gear over your long runs. Your vest, shorts, underwear, socks and shoes of choice should have been narrowed down. You must had tried them during your runs as you wouldn't want to try something new on race day. If you're getting a new pair of shoes, make sure they're broken in (now's a good time) in time for the race. I've decided on the vest, shorts, underwear but not on the socks and shoes combo. I'm deciding between the 2120-Kayano socks combo and the Supernova-Thorlo combo. I've worn the 2120 for all of my long runs except last week and the softer Supernova is yet to be fully broken in. So I'll have to see. I've no problems with either combination but the only thing I'd like to ensure is that I will have the cushioned feeling after 32K.

This Week's Plan
T = 10 (done) W = 7/7.8 T = 15 F = 10/10 S = 24
I've back to back meetings which will take up my entire Thursday. Then I've got a medical check up on Friday morning which will incorporate the treadmill stress test.

On another note, my youngest brother was admitted to the Penang GH yesterday. The specialist recommended 3 days of medication to reduce the inflammation before deciding on the next course of action, which most likely involve some traction. I'm hoping that the traction will resolve the issues without surgery.

Saturday Roundup

Ben turned up for a scheduled 25k and he was early! So the group set off on time. My plan called for a brisk 20k so Geraldine and I set the early pace hitting Duta in 31mins. Ben overtook us after the mosque and stopped at the halfway point. G and I arrived in a fast 54mins. I took the loop alone and after a water break made the return trip. We got back to the car park with a total time of 1:55.06. I had a new participant to the Beginners group today. What an inspiration she is. Despite her physique, she was so positive in her attitude that in accompanying her around the lake I was affected by her joy for live. The others too were so happy for her. Hope to write more about this person in the near future. That's it for now from Penang!

Ps. I posted this using my mobile phone.

Mixed Bag Of Feelings

Today's been rather a roller coaster ride. To put things simply I'm gonna blog in point form.

1. Woke up to the news that Man Utd lost in extra-time (Lousy)
2. Finished a banana and a cereal bar en route to arriving Bukit Aman (Good)
3. Stomach churning. No problems at home and cleared bowels 3 times the whole of yesterday. Could it be the overconsumption of bananas? Desperately cracking my head on where to find open toilets at this insane hour (Lousy)
4. Walked over to the Police HQ cop on duty (who was busy SMSing) to ask him on where is the nearest shit-hole. Was directed to the nearby Tanglin Foodcourt (Good)
5. Hopped onto Geraldine's ride to the Foodcourt and quickly got the act over with (Good). Flush didn't work, water from tap trickling (Lousy).
6. Back to the car park and already wasted 15 minutes. Quickly changed and started off (Good).
7. Felt out of sorts the first 7K (Lousy). Thing came together only after that point (Good)
8. Despite this we reached the station in 56:18 (even faster than the previous 2 long runs. What the heck?!). Took the loop in 5:08 (Good)
9. Beginning to feel real good. On the way to the IRB office, a medium size pebble somehow got into my right shoe. Continued to cast aside the irritating distraction (Lousy)
10. Reached Petronas in 47:01 which I think was fast. Had a great time chatting with Geraldine over a wide variety of topics (Good). Right arm tingling (Lousy) perhaps from carrying the 21kg Carbokid 1 up the stairs last night. Carbokid 2 has also been putting on his fair share of weight too. Shook out the tightness periodically.
11. Took the loop for the second time in 5:12 (Good)
12. Felt we had been running a bit too fast and slowed down a tad on the return to Bukit Aman (Good). Met up with some of the 15K runners who were undertaking their 2nd loop. Saw Haza among others. Quite a few were walking but they were all amazing with their never-give-up attitude (Good). The course is not an easy one.
13. Time was running out for me as I've an appointment at 9:15am with the tenant and contractor back at my leased out apartment regarding the broken bathroom tiles. I won't have enough time to complete the extra 5K (Lousy). Decided to wait for Geraldine a bit to tell her that I won't be running the Carcosa loop. It was to be a play-by-the watch thing.
14. At this point the feet felt a bit sore (Lousy), though the calves and upper legs were fine (Good). Somehow the lower back felt tight with a little dull pain (Lousy). I don't know if this was because of carrying C1 but it had never happened before. I think it ought to be a one-off discomfort but I will monitor it tomorrow.
15. Both feet weren't feeling that good (Lousy). Back still hurt and losing my running form but I needed to stay on my feet past 3 hours (Lousy). The longest I'd been on my feet was 2:40+ done the week before (Good). Decided to cut it short and run/walk up the slope leading back up to the car park (Lousy).
16. Met Krishnan adidas and chatted for awhile - the King Of The Road 21K is on! Forms out end of this month. Tried on the new Supernova with Formotion - fabulous feeling. It's a fight between the Triumph (lighter) and the Supernova (more solid) (Good).
17. Surprised to see Lonerunner Martin (Good). Chatted for awhile and then realised that I was going to be seriously late for the appointment!
18. Noticed that my back and feet were totally fine. What gives?! (Lousy)
19. Drained my water bottle and downed another banana en route. Completed the meeting and headed home. After doing some laundry and showering, replenished with Endurox and a bowl of beef noodles (Good).
20. Played with kids and C2 enjoyed his ride on my tummy. He's so cute nowadays. He's teething now and is pretty playful. I was surprised to find myself totally fresh unlike just a few hours ago. I didn't feel wipe out post long runs as previous weeks (Good). It's all very strange and I put it down to body conditioning. On one hand the body has grown accustomed to the long runs but it's just started to get acquainted with 3 hour runs. As it was I've exceeded the longest time spent by about 13 minutes, though I didn't meet my targeted distance.
21. Snacked throughout the day, re-watched T3 for some mindless action (and Kristina Loken!) and napped for 10 minutes in the afternoon (Good).

So where do I go from here? I've to keep my optimism up. There are just a few more weeks to go and all of them are critical. Achieving my medium goal of a sub-4 is going to be very tough but I have to believe that I can do it, perhaps just a little teensy weensy chance. Else what's the point of continuing all the hard work right? The next 2 Sunday long runs may be lost to travelling which means that I will need to do a 23K for the next 2 Saturdays to complement the 2 shorter Sunday runs. Then the final Sunday will be a 3.5-hour run regardless of distance. Of course, this is also the time to make sure the week's mileage are consistently high.

The Doggie Moves!

I'm Having Pasta For Lunch

Humongous serving of leftover pasta actually. But then I will need all my reserves this week. I must remember to do some stretching before I sleep tonight. Tomorrow's plan calls for another 8K but I may do just 6 and then do a bit of strength work. Keeping my schedule loose.

OK, now to wash all those carbs down with tea and honey. Back to work.

Slightly Over 4 Weeks To Tapering

I had a fantastic run this morning. It wasn't that long but I'm very happy to be able to retain the "run effort" for the 8.5K, gradually dropping the pace until running at 10K race pace for the final 1.5K. The gunk which had stuck to my throat wasn't there anymore and the discharge was able to drain itself directly down my throat. I was able to enter into "The Zone" 5 minutes of starting my run, which was amazing. All in all, a confidence boosting workout in preparation of Sunday's cruncher.

 

Oh yes, I've come up with a workaround solution to counter missing the 2 35Ks next week and the final week before tapering. I think the unplanned avoidance of doing the draining sessions will keep me fresh and strong.

A Patience-Testing Week

"The marathon's about being in contention over the last 10K. That's when it's about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what's left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon."
Rob de Castella, 1981 world record holder of the Marathon from Australia who was also a 3--time Olympian

It's been a week since I was hit with a cold. I thought I'd recovered only to discover that there are still remnants of it - if you can call a cold that. I found that out while attempting a 20K with the Saturday Gang and I started out well. After reaching the 5K point, the mucus in my nose were becoming quite irritating to the point it's distracting my breathing. At the pace I was going, that was a major thing - I was unable to inhale and exhale comfortably and trying to do all that was tiring me out. I cut short the long run and turned back to the surprise of the others who were trailing behind (I had started ahead of them). As expected my week's mileage was shitty but a good thing was that I could still run at sub-6 minute pace. I rested today and resumed my cold medication and had a good afternoon nap.

There will be further disruptions to my training come May 26th when we're sending my Mom and 2 kids back to Penang to spend the school holidays there. We should be leaving KL at 10am after I return from the usual Saturday ritual and coming back on Sunday after lunch. Then we will be returning once again to Penang to pick them up on the same weekend that I am scheduled to do my longest and final run. Now how the heck am I going to work around those 2 Sundays?!

Keep Going!

"In the process of completely exhausting myself, I connect with an inner part of me ordinarily veiled by the everyday distractions of life. During that short time spent on a trail in the mountains, my life is reduced to its simplest terms. Most ultrarunners are people who find goodness and joy in difficult times, who see beyond the misery to the beauty of nature, and who truly realize the elemental and important aspects of life. Going for a run always clears my head, but running 100 miles distills my soul."
Keith Knipling

 

I think the above applies to distance runners too.

This Week's Mileage Will Be Shitty

After taking Monday off, I was hit with a cold. Undoubtably caused by last Sunday's windchill. It's been a long time coming as I've felt the gradual weakening of the body over the weeks of training. I'm putting it down to the training intensity that I've been subjecting myself to with insufficient sleep. Even with good nutrition and nourishment, sleep is still a vital factor in recovery - something which I've always not been getting enough of.

Fortunately the malaise isn't so severe (the sore throat went away after a day) and I'm already on the mend and should be back logging a low mileage this week tomorrow. If anything, I hope that this enforced rest will help me become even stronger.

It's Official! It's Milkshake Mondays From Now On!

It's just a way of treating myself after a week's worth of training. Afterall, Monday is a scheduled rest day and Sam Adams isn't sold here. Yesterday's run was tough but very satisfying. It comes after knowing that a few cut short their training runs because of the bad weather and yet you stuck it out. It comes with the "toight" leg muscles and general tiredness. It comes with logging down the activities in your training log. However I'm getting a little tired of the training - all necessary, mind you - and are looking forward to the Active Tapering Phase in 2 weeks time. Until then there are still 4 long weeks to go. I should be doing my second longest run of 33K (20.6 miles) this Sunday (Mother's Day) before easing off to a 25K and taking it back up to a 35K and back down again to 25K (back to Penang for the weekend) before a final 35K on June 10th and taper off.

Some of my friends were suggesting certain expected finishing times for me but while they're all very encouraging, I don't think I'm able to achieve their lofty targets. The timings that they're suggesting calls for higher mileage, something which I'm unable to commit to presently. With an additional 20K a week, I believe it's possible (with all pieces falling into place and race day conditions ideal) but I'm already nearing the maximum threshold of available training resources (time mostly) and can't do much more than what I'm doing today. As it is, I'm already fusing my speedwork into my runs - there's simply no time on my part to embark on a speed session each week. So guys, thanks for your optimism and encouragement. A PR is already an excellent achievement for me come June 24th. 4 hours would be a bonus. 3:59 is out of this world. 3:45 and below calls for much much more work to be done over a longer period of base training.

Geraldine and I were chatting away all the way and one of the topics we spoke about was about how to get through the difficult stretches in a race. At which point I thought back to my previous marathons. I remembered cussing my way through the tough miles, disassociating (or trying to) myself from the discomfort and pain by enjoying the scenery - which mostly didn't work since I'm too familiar with the local settings. It would've worked better if I was running in an overseas race or where the event is better supported with thousands of supporters. Then there's the gung-ho approach where I tackle the negativity head-on usually by employing some mental mantra like "This is what I've trained for, so suck it up!" and "Keep moving, don't let your family down". I think all three methods work for me. And all come into play in a single race when I use any help I can get from these mental plays to get me through. Anything goes - improvise!

And yes! Manchester United are CHAMPIONS AGAIN! Even though we went out lamely in the 2nd leg of the Champions League semis, I'll still savour this one.

30K Series: No.2

It was very humid this morning with nearly no breeze, so you can imagine how lethargic Geraldine and I felt when we headed off at 5:15am this morning. I was glad to have Geraldine's company if only for 20K (she'd done 20K) the day before. Things changed rather drastically just after the 16K mark when strong win whipped up pebbles and dust from the construction site just after the mosque we passed. We had to shield our eyes but continued to run into the head wind. Then the rain came down. Coupled with the wind it was rather cold and since our refueling point was not yet opened, we headed back the way we came without a downing water. "Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink".

My running partner was feeling great so she decided to go with me the entire 30K, which was a bonus. Arrived back at the refueling point and promptly rehydrated. The rain which had stopped, restarted again and when last week we had to dodge walkers, this week we had to avoid the 10K runners doing the Bomba Run. Spotted and waved to some familiar faces, which included Alden (fresh from his excellent London Marathon race).

Keeping my eyes peeled for potholes and slippery edges, I didn't notice Tey who was busy snapping away. He was shooting holding an umbrella! As you can see my head form wasn't ideal. I should've been looking straight up but I guess I was too busy looking out for obstacles given the very wet conditions.

10K: 57:22

20K: 1:44

30K: 2:39.51

For more photos, head on to the album.

All photos courtesy of Tey.

4-2; 30K Sunday

Carbowoman reminded me when my alarm went off this morning that it was raining outside. I replied "Yup" and headed to freshen myself up and get into my running gear. A few minutes later, I was downstairs packing 2 slices of peanut butter bread for post-run replenishment. I also brought along 2 empty bottles from the Nike hydration belt to be filled up with Gatorade at the 10K mark. I then grabbed my ClimaFIT jacket and cap and also the Illuminite cap in case I change my mind about wearing the 'warmish" ClimaFIT cap.

While exchanging SMSes with Geraldine, Wong and Tey about the status of the downpour in KL, I checked the Internet on the MU vs Everton results and was pleasantly surprised that the Devils came back from the brink of defeat to snatch victory yet again! Talking about determination to win and triumphing against adversity. The 3 of us had our own battle with the rain as well - even before we start.

To cut to the chase, Geraldine replied that the rain has indeed eased up and that was all the reason I needed. Reached the car park and promptly changed into the 2120 and decided to wear the Illuminite cap instead. It was still drizzling heavily but the time is already 5:35am and we shouldn't wait any longer. Just before we started Tey arrive on his bike carrying an umbrella! He took a couple of shots and we set off into the cold dark morning. Another event, the Malay Mail Big Walk, was scheduled to start at 7am. A quick calculation told me that we will be running into them on our return to the car park. Tey took a few more near The Tijani luxury condos before making his way to shoot the walkers.

The pace which the 3 of us were decent and steady. We took turns leading the pack. I had no problems going up the hills and reached Hartamas (10K) in 58:03. Filled up the bottles with Gatorade and started the journey back to the IRB office before the body gets a chance to cool down. Then we made the U-turn back to Hartamas and the pace was about a minute plus quicker - reached the station (20K) in 1:44.32. I thought a can of Red Bull would be a good idea so that was what I filled up into one of the empty bottle.

The final 10K was with Geraldine as Wong had to make a stop to plaster up his foot blister. We ran into the top walkers near the 23K mark and merged into the main group of leisure walkers after the IRB office. The problems of human congestion didn't surface until just after Tijani when I had to zig-zag between the strollers and a police patrolcar.


Geraldine had slowed down, so I was pretty much on my own - even though I was surrounded by walkers young and old. Since I was already on course for a sub 3-hour finish, I took the foot of the gas and just coasted back to the car park. While chatting with Lawrence, Geraldine came back, looking pretty satisfied too - we had a great run today.

Back home I downed Endurox and washed down the sandwiches with a cup of coffee. My legs are feeling fine but the tightness will probably come tomorrow (which is a rest day for me, but I may just do a bit of weights). I now have a rough gauge of my present condition and will know where to work on.

33:32 (Duta) > 24:30 (Hartamas) > 22:46 (Inland Revenue) > 23:43 (Hartamas) > 24:45 (Inland Revenue) > 29:46 (Bkt Aman). Total: 2:39.05, pace 5:18 per Buckeyeoutdoors.com computation. The actual distance is actually slightly less than 30K. That's why I want the Forerunner 205! No longer running a vague distance or doubting your timing.

Note: Thanks to Tey for all the great photos!