I have a neat device at home. It' s a Tanita scale which not only measures weight but also body fat content. It's very easy to use, just step on the scale, select adult or child, then male or female, enter height in cm.
Before the break of fast this evening, I stepped on the scale and here are the results:-
Weight : 52 kg
Body fat : 13 per cent
Body fat : 6.8 kg
Two weeks ago I weighed:-
Weight : 54 kg
Body fat : 16 per cent
Body fat : 8.7 kg
Loss of body weight = 1.9 kg of amount of fat lost = 1.9 kg
That's a lot body fat lost just 2 weeks. It's just too bad I would gain back the weight after Hari Raya.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Titbits
Today is the the 10th fasting day. The days are just flying by. Perfect running weather outside. Must aim for 4 km today but feeling a bit tired. Have to try or die trying!
Last week's Beiijng marathon made news for the wrong reasons. Two participants died. I was surprised at the the deaths. It cannot be from heatstroke as the October temperature in Beijing is quite low. Another thing was the number of participants - 25,000. So many but how come I never saw a single runner while I was Beijing in 2001? Nor did I see any other runner in Shanghai, Suzhou or Xian. I could see people doing Tai-Chi , dancing, calisthenics but not a single runner was in sight. I guess everyone was too busy making money to spend any time exercising.
Today I went to the GNC shop and bought Emergen C-Lite 36 packs. I read about this product last year and decided to try it during the fasting month. If it's good I will order it from the USA where it costs USD 11
(Rm 42). Too expensive at GNC - RM 105 per 36 pack.
Last week's Beiijng marathon made news for the wrong reasons. Two participants died. I was surprised at the the deaths. It cannot be from heatstroke as the October temperature in Beijing is quite low. Another thing was the number of participants - 25,000. So many but how come I never saw a single runner while I was Beijing in 2001? Nor did I see any other runner in Shanghai, Suzhou or Xian. I could see people doing Tai-Chi , dancing, calisthenics but not a single runner was in sight. I guess everyone was too busy making money to spend any time exercising.
Today I went to the GNC shop and bought Emergen C-Lite 36 packs. I read about this product last year and decided to try it during the fasting month. If it's good I will order it from the USA where it costs USD 11
(Rm 42). Too expensive at GNC - RM 105 per 36 pack.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
I got Cloned
Two weeks ago I got cloned. No, not another me, the living breathing me, not a clone of one more running fanatic. Rather, it was my credit card which got cloned.
Last Tuesday, I received a call from Citibank asking me to call the Fraud Unit. Fraud unit !. Had I just defrauded one of the largest banks in the world out of billions of ringgit? No according to the sweet wowan on the line, my credit card had been cloned and used in a fraudulent manner. So Citibank will stop payment from the existing card until I get a replacement card. I received the new card today.
Meanhile I racked ny brains trying to recall where my credit card could have been cloned. I did not use the card in Indonesia. I don't use it at restaurants, clothing shops or petrol stations where cloning is quite rampant. I was careful to use the card at large established establishments. Even these precautions failed to prevent the identity fraud.
To those who cloned my credit card, may you burn in a retail hell.
Last Tuesday, I received a call from Citibank asking me to call the Fraud Unit. Fraud unit !. Had I just defrauded one of the largest banks in the world out of billions of ringgit? No according to the sweet wowan on the line, my credit card had been cloned and used in a fraudulent manner. So Citibank will stop payment from the existing card until I get a replacement card. I received the new card today.
Meanhile I racked ny brains trying to recall where my credit card could have been cloned. I did not use the card in Indonesia. I don't use it at restaurants, clothing shops or petrol stations where cloning is quite rampant. I was careful to use the card at large established establishments. Even these precautions failed to prevent the identity fraud.
To those who cloned my credit card, may you burn in a retail hell.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Almost 4 km today
Yesterday I was planning to run 4.0 km but the stupid bus driver decided to take a short cut to Klang town. The bus was stuck in a traffic jam for 1/2 hour to move a distance of 1 km. I reached home at 6.15 pm but it was too late to drive to Klang stadium. So I missed Monday's training.
Today to make sure I did not get caught in the traffic jam, I left the office at exactly 4.01 pm. Reached home at 5.30 pm. Waited until i was cooler and then drove to Klang town - to get caught in another traffic jam. Finally reached Klang stadium at 6.15 pm.
I started running slowly and hoped to become energised after a few 400 m laps. It did not happened. Experienced heavy and uneven breathing with slight pain in right knee. After 8 laps or so (3.4 km), I've had enough - stopped running. Just not in the mood to run today.
Almost made 4.0 km (85%) today but not quite there yet. Have to try again tomorrow.
Today to make sure I did not get caught in the traffic jam, I left the office at exactly 4.01 pm. Reached home at 5.30 pm. Waited until i was cooler and then drove to Klang town - to get caught in another traffic jam. Finally reached Klang stadium at 6.15 pm.
I started running slowly and hoped to become energised after a few 400 m laps. It did not happened. Experienced heavy and uneven breathing with slight pain in right knee. After 8 laps or so (3.4 km), I've had enough - stopped running. Just not in the mood to run today.
Almost made 4.0 km (85%) today but not quite there yet. Have to try again tomorrow.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Traning so Far
This is the 4th day of the fasting month. To recap my training over the last three days:
Friday = No training, too tired.
Sat. = 4 x 400 m, 5 x 400 m laps at Klang stadium
Sun. = 4 x 400 m, 4 x 400 m laps at Klang stadium
I have been taking it easy rationalising so far it would take time to adjust for fasting. But I know this is just crap (pardon for swearing during the holy month). The real reason is I don't want to suffer while running a longer distance than 2 km. I should be pushing it harder to meet my target of minimum 4 km a day. MINIMUM ! I should really be doing 5-6 km a day. Otherwise how will I be able to run 21 km on 5 Dec. 2004?
Focus, focus - work on achieving 4 km a day this week.
Friday = No training, too tired.
Sat. = 4 x 400 m, 5 x 400 m laps at Klang stadium
Sun. = 4 x 400 m, 4 x 400 m laps at Klang stadium
I have been taking it easy rationalising so far it would take time to adjust for fasting. But I know this is just crap (pardon for swearing during the holy month). The real reason is I don't want to suffer while running a longer distance than 2 km. I should be pushing it harder to meet my target of minimum 4 km a day. MINIMUM ! I should really be doing 5-6 km a day. Otherwise how will I be able to run 21 km on 5 Dec. 2004?
Focus, focus - work on achieving 4 km a day this week.
Saturday, October 16, 2004
First Training Run During Fasting Month
On Saturday it was the second day of the fasting month. I had my first training run.It was not as hard as it I thought it would be.
It had been a hot day and I waited until it was cool enough to start running. At 6.10 pm, I was at the Klang stadium. I started with a walk for two laps around the 400m track. Did some stretching and then fast pace run for 4 x 400m at 2'08' pace. Stopped after 1600 m to save energy. Was feeling OK and not unduly tired.
Walked two more laps and then Jimmy and another Klang Pacer started their run. I followed them for five laps. Pace was medium - 2'20" at the outermost lane. I ran OK and did not struggle much throughout the 2 km distance. Stopped at 2 km mark as it was almost 6.40 pm. Did some stretching and drove back. Reached home at 6.55 pm, five minutes before break fast time.
Distance run : 4 x 400m , 4 x 500 m, total = 3.6 km
Distance walked : 4 x 400m , total = 1.6 km.
Judging from the today's run which was not too hard, I may be able to meet my training objectives for the Puasa month. As a minmum my target is to run 4 km per every training session.
It had been a hot day and I waited until it was cool enough to start running. At 6.10 pm, I was at the Klang stadium. I started with a walk for two laps around the 400m track. Did some stretching and then fast pace run for 4 x 400m at 2'08' pace. Stopped after 1600 m to save energy. Was feeling OK and not unduly tired.
Walked two more laps and then Jimmy and another Klang Pacer started their run. I followed them for five laps. Pace was medium - 2'20" at the outermost lane. I ran OK and did not struggle much throughout the 2 km distance. Stopped at 2 km mark as it was almost 6.40 pm. Did some stretching and drove back. Reached home at 6.55 pm, five minutes before break fast time.
Distance run : 4 x 400m , 4 x 500 m, total = 3.6 km
Distance walked : 4 x 400m , total = 1.6 km.
Judging from the today's run which was not too hard, I may be able to meet my training objectives for the Puasa month. As a minmum my target is to run 4 km per every training session.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Happy Ramadhan Month Readers
Today is the first day of the fasting month. I feel a bit tired (and hungry too) so did not run today. Really I have done much training since Bidor Run on 3 Oct 2004.
During this weekday I have run only on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday was the highlight. Unexpectedly there was a rare sight at KLCC track - a handful of attractive girls were walking/running. Most of the time I see girls/women standing and sitting outside of the KLCC fountains. Many are smokers - a sight which turns me off immediately regardless of how pretty or sexy she is.
I signed up for the Singapore Marathon of 5 Dec. 2004 - 21 km race. Not too sure how my training will be progress during the fasting month. I have a training program but it is a struggle to follow the program rigorously. In fact, in the previous three years I failed to follow the program schedule successfully. But I was not too worried then - the earliest races was in Feb. the following year. So I had two to three months to regain my endurance after the fasting month.
But this year is different. Three weeks after the end of the fasting month, I have a half marathon to run and a 10 km race on 26 Dec. 2004. It's nose to the grindstone this year - I need to follow the training program.
The company has considerately shortened the working hrs by one hour to 4.00 pm for a month. But it's way too hot to run outside at KLCC park. So I will doing time on the gyms' s treadmill or going home and then run at Klang Stadium at around 6.15 pm. I will miss running with my friends at KLCC park. I will also miss the nice and pretty views at KLCC park.
During this weekday I have run only on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday was the highlight. Unexpectedly there was a rare sight at KLCC track - a handful of attractive girls were walking/running. Most of the time I see girls/women standing and sitting outside of the KLCC fountains. Many are smokers - a sight which turns me off immediately regardless of how pretty or sexy she is.
I signed up for the Singapore Marathon of 5 Dec. 2004 - 21 km race. Not too sure how my training will be progress during the fasting month. I have a training program but it is a struggle to follow the program rigorously. In fact, in the previous three years I failed to follow the program schedule successfully. But I was not too worried then - the earliest races was in Feb. the following year. So I had two to three months to regain my endurance after the fasting month.
But this year is different. Three weeks after the end of the fasting month, I have a half marathon to run and a 10 km race on 26 Dec. 2004. It's nose to the grindstone this year - I need to follow the training program.
The company has considerately shortened the working hrs by one hour to 4.00 pm for a month. But it's way too hot to run outside at KLCC park. So I will doing time on the gyms' s treadmill or going home and then run at Klang Stadium at around 6.15 pm. I will miss running with my friends at KLCC park. I will also miss the nice and pretty views at KLCC park.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Feeling like Crap Today
Yesterday I ran five laps (6.5 km) around KLCC with Jamie and Justin. After that finished another lap (1.3 km) with Yong. Ronnie showed up later. Total distance is 7.8 km. I had a sore throat on Saturday and Sunday but it disappeared on Monday. It came back yesterday afternoon - maybe I yakked too much at the consultant's office yesterday. But the engineers asked many questions I had to answer. After the meeting, the sore throat became worse.
This morning I woke up with a cold - crap!. To run or not to run this evening ?
Enough about being sick. I have decided to run in the Singapore Marathon in the half marathon run. This Sunday I am planning to do a long run 25 km with Jamie and others. It starts at 5.00 am , *#$#@ !. Hopefully by Saturday, I would have recovered from the cold and sore throat.
Read Azwar's story on his unplanned race in Bali. This happened to me a few years ago. I was in China for a holiday in 1999. One Sunday morning when I woke up , I found out the Beijing Marathon had started that very morning. I had missed my chance to run in my first overseas race.
Time to finish this blog - I have a meeting to attend.
This morning I woke up with a cold - crap!. To run or not to run this evening ?
Enough about being sick. I have decided to run in the Singapore Marathon in the half marathon run. This Sunday I am planning to do a long run 25 km with Jamie and others. It starts at 5.00 am , *#$#@ !. Hopefully by Saturday, I would have recovered from the cold and sore throat.
Read Azwar's story on his unplanned race in Bali. This happened to me a few years ago. I was in China for a holiday in 1999. One Sunday morning when I woke up , I found out the Beijing Marathon had started that very morning. I had missed my chance to run in my first overseas race.
Time to finish this blog - I have a meeting to attend.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Running and Losing Weight
In Malaysia, 16.6 percent of the adult population is overweight and 4.4 percent is obese based on a 1996 survey. I am certain by now these percentages have significantly increase. My own (unscientific) survey by observing passengers on the LRT - it could have increased to 25 per cent.
If you are a runner , you have a better chance losing weight and later maintaining a healthy weight than most people. In fact, only 5 per cent of individuals who attempt to lose weight are successful in losing and later maintaining their body weight
So how does one go about losing weight by taking up running or jogging?
First, let's do some maths. Each pound of body fat is equal to 3500 kcal. Waking 1 mile distance uses up 100 kcal. So to lose 1 pound of weight = 35 miles.
So how much weight can be lost safely in 1 month? Typically 2-4 pounds per month.
Suppose I want to lose 2 lbs a month - I need to create an energy deficit i.e. use up more energy than what I take through food and water. For 2 lbs/month, I need to walk or run 70 miles a month.
Suppose I set aside a specific time to exercise, say 6 day in a week , how much walking do I have to do ? Assume I walk briskly at 4 miles/hour. 70 miles will take 18 hrs of walking. So I have to walk 45 minutes a day for 24 days a month. Now, how many people can consistently do that ? AND walk at 4 mph pace every time.
Now try running at 6 mph. The time it takes to lose 2 lb /mth is 12 hrs. It takes just 30 minutes of running at 6 mph for 24 days/mth to lose 2 lbs/mth. So the benefit of running is: it takes less time to use the same amount of calorie. Running is very effective activity for weight loss because the high amount of energy use per body weight.
But exercise alone is not enough - to lose weight, you need to go on diet and exercise at the same time. In my case, it took 4 months to lose 12 lbs and I had to run 4-5 miles every day. So it's hard work and takes lots of discipline and determination.
My diet? Well there was none. I merely controlled the amount of food and stop eating some types of food. Basically I ate less food for 4 months. This is what I ate for 4 months:-
Breakfast - cereal and soy milk or oatmeal.
Snacks - fruit and occasional sandwich.
Lunch - fruit or baked potato and occasional sandwich (low fat filling).
Dinner - Rice (1 plate only) and vegetables, occasional fish.
I avoided eating calorie rich foods like ice-cream, chocolates, cookies, cakes, oil food etc. for 4 months. I minimise drinking pure fruit juices and instead ate whole fruits. Most the time I drank plain water - zero calorie.
So if you are overweight and trying to lose the extra pounds, don't give up yet. It can be done.
If you are a runner , you have a better chance losing weight and later maintaining a healthy weight than most people. In fact, only 5 per cent of individuals who attempt to lose weight are successful in losing and later maintaining their body weight
So how does one go about losing weight by taking up running or jogging?
First, let's do some maths. Each pound of body fat is equal to 3500 kcal. Waking 1 mile distance uses up 100 kcal. So to lose 1 pound of weight = 35 miles.
So how much weight can be lost safely in 1 month? Typically 2-4 pounds per month.
Suppose I want to lose 2 lbs a month - I need to create an energy deficit i.e. use up more energy than what I take through food and water. For 2 lbs/month, I need to walk or run 70 miles a month.
Suppose I set aside a specific time to exercise, say 6 day in a week , how much walking do I have to do ? Assume I walk briskly at 4 miles/hour. 70 miles will take 18 hrs of walking. So I have to walk 45 minutes a day for 24 days a month. Now, how many people can consistently do that ? AND walk at 4 mph pace every time.
Now try running at 6 mph. The time it takes to lose 2 lb /mth is 12 hrs. It takes just 30 minutes of running at 6 mph for 24 days/mth to lose 2 lbs/mth. So the benefit of running is: it takes less time to use the same amount of calorie. Running is very effective activity for weight loss because the high amount of energy use per body weight.
But exercise alone is not enough - to lose weight, you need to go on diet and exercise at the same time. In my case, it took 4 months to lose 12 lbs and I had to run 4-5 miles every day. So it's hard work and takes lots of discipline and determination.
My diet? Well there was none. I merely controlled the amount of food and stop eating some types of food. Basically I ate less food for 4 months. This is what I ate for 4 months:-
Breakfast - cereal and soy milk or oatmeal.
Snacks - fruit and occasional sandwich.
Lunch - fruit or baked potato and occasional sandwich (low fat filling).
Dinner - Rice (1 plate only) and vegetables, occasional fish.
I avoided eating calorie rich foods like ice-cream, chocolates, cookies, cakes, oil food etc. for 4 months. I minimise drinking pure fruit juices and instead ate whole fruits. Most the time I drank plain water - zero calorie.
So if you are overweight and trying to lose the extra pounds, don't give up yet. It can be done.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Training during Ramadhan (Fasting) Month
A question was raised in Pacemaker #1 shout box about training for runners who fast during the fasting month. So I will answer the question with my training program during Ramadhan. I used this program for year 2oo1 and 2002.
( In 2003, I did not train during Ramadhan).
Weekdays : 3 times a week, alternate days
1 x 3.9 km - easy run
1 x 3.9 km - tempo run (5 km race pace)
1 x 5.2 km - normal pace (faster than easy run but slower than 10 km race pace)
Weekends : 2 times a week,
Sat. - 1 x 4.0 km - easy run
Sun. - 1 x 6.0 km - easy run
The strange distances during the weekdays is because I run at KLCC park; each lap is 1.3 km long.
Principles behind the Program
The main source of energy for the body during aerobic activity is glucose. Glucose is present in the blood , muscles and glycogen. Glucose in the blood and muscles are limited in quantity and is used up quickly. So for sustained and long duration activity, glycogen (mainly stored in the liver and smaller quantities in muscles ) will be broken into glucose for fuel. The average person has about 1800 kcal of glycogen stored = 18 miles work).
During fasting month, the stored glycogen quantity will be lower than normal. Hence it would not be advisable to train for long distances and too intensely e.g doing intervals or repeats. The main point of the program maintain some fitness during the Ramadhan. You do not really want to stop for 1 month as the loss in fitness is significant (in my case it's 50%). On the other hand, you don't really want to start training for marathon or a PB during Ramadhan. Just do enough training to keep fit.
Tip: Have an Isotonic drink (100 Plus) and some snack if you cannot make it home to break fast. I carry a can of 100 Plus (or Soy milk), dates and a bun. I usually end up eating on the bus.
( In 2003, I did not train during Ramadhan).
Weekdays : 3 times a week, alternate days
1 x 3.9 km - easy run
1 x 3.9 km - tempo run (5 km race pace)
1 x 5.2 km - normal pace (faster than easy run but slower than 10 km race pace)
Weekends : 2 times a week,
Sat. - 1 x 4.0 km - easy run
Sun. - 1 x 6.0 km - easy run
The strange distances during the weekdays is because I run at KLCC park; each lap is 1.3 km long.
Principles behind the Program
The main source of energy for the body during aerobic activity is glucose. Glucose is present in the blood , muscles and glycogen. Glucose in the blood and muscles are limited in quantity and is used up quickly. So for sustained and long duration activity, glycogen (mainly stored in the liver and smaller quantities in muscles ) will be broken into glucose for fuel. The average person has about 1800 kcal of glycogen stored = 18 miles work).
During fasting month, the stored glycogen quantity will be lower than normal. Hence it would not be advisable to train for long distances and too intensely e.g doing intervals or repeats. The main point of the program maintain some fitness during the Ramadhan. You do not really want to stop for 1 month as the loss in fitness is significant (in my case it's 50%). On the other hand, you don't really want to start training for marathon or a PB during Ramadhan. Just do enough training to keep fit.
Tip: Have an Isotonic drink (100 Plus) and some snack if you cannot make it home to break fast. I carry a can of 100 Plus (or Soy milk), dates and a bun. I usually end up eating on the bus.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
The Pace Changes in Bidor for One Day
INTRODUCTION
Before the North-South was built in the 1980's, Bidor was a familiar stop for KL-lites travelling from KL to Ipoh via the old trunkline road. Nowadays, it's just one of many small towns in Perak. It's current claim to fame is the Chicken biscuit and wantan noddles. Other than that, most people speed by Bidor on the way to Tapah which is starting point to Cameron Highlands.
The Bidor run is organised by the Bidor Kaki Runners for charity. This year's run is to contribute funds towards the Choong Hua High School in Bidor. The run distance is 7 and 14 km. I registered for the 14 km distance.
THE TRIP
My trip to Bidor started at 2.00 pm on a hot Saturday afternoon. From Klang I entered the NKVE at the Bukit Raja toll plaza. Traffic was fairly heavy on the NKVE due to people driving from work. The drive to Bidor was uneventful with me driving at the illegal speed of 130-150 km/hr. (The speed limit is 110 km/hr). Fortunately I sighted no police around - perhaps the hot temperature have induced them to stay indoors.
BIDOR
One a half hours later, at the Highway exit I turned towards Bidor. I was looking for a tailor shop. "Tukang Jahit Mexico" to collect the bibs, T-shirt and reporting card. At the Esso petrol station, I asked the attendant the direction to the shop. He gave me directions and I drove around to look for the shop. But I failed to find the shop and decided to park and walk. A second query from a guy in camera shop proved fruitful. He said "tepi" (corner). The tailor shop was just 20 m away around the corner.
In the small shop, there were about 5-6 people inside waiting to hand out the race goods. Here I meet Thomas and Pacesetters KL runners. They were staying in Tapah at N.H. Hotel. I walked to the main road to buy a bunch of Petai for my father. I made a second stop to buy two packets of chicken biscuits for Rm 4 - for my friend in KL.
TAPAH
From Bidor, it was a 12 km drive to Tapah. It took some time to locate Hotel Utara. Checking in at the 2nd floor reception desk,I was given a room on the 3rd floor. The room had a big double bed, TV and amenities desk. The bathroom was simple and functional. I can't complain much about the simple facilities as it was very cheap - RM 38 per night. However it was spotlessly clean.
By now, it was 5.00 pm, I decided to see anything if there was anything interesting to see in Tapah. I walked around and concluded there isn't much on interest except for the pasar malam. So retuned to my room to rest for 1 hr. After the rest, I went out again, driving to the Tapah rest house. The rest house located on a hill consisted of a series of buildings with rooms. The rest house has a fairly large restaurant. A large Chinese family was about to move into some of rooms as I drove down towards Tapah pasar malam.
The pasar malam consisted of about 40 stall sellings various goods such as vegetables, watches, food, shoes, etc. I bought a cob of corn for RM 0.60. Next stop was dinner at a stall near a river. For dinner I had nasi goreng kampung, sayur campur and 100 Plus. Cost was RM 6.50 - very cheap.
After dinner, I spent some more time driving around Tapah. The town was starting to become deserted, so I returned to my hotel. I prepared the stuff for next morning's race and spent the night watching TV. Turned in to sleep at 11.00 pm.
RACE DAY
The race day was on Sunday morning. I woke up at 5.30 am, had the usual breakfast of a mixture of oatmeal Nestum and raisins. At 6.05 am, I started my drive to Bidor. The road was fairly deserted with less than a half dozen vehicles heading towards Bidor. In the opposite lane, there were more vehicles heading towards Tapah.
I reached Bidor 10 minutes and promptly got lost trying trying to find Dewan Muhibbah (starting place). I had not idea where it was located. At one point I drove a few km along a road only to realise there was no Dewan Muhibbah to be found. I turned back and headed to the tailor shop hoping to ask someone. Bad news - it was closed. Fortunately there was a woman there and I asked her where Dewan Muhibbah was - it was only 50 m away.
RACE START
Walking towards the Dewan, I saw some tents setup for various functions; registration. food, prizes, VIP area etc. While looking for the registration counter, I spotted three Klang Pacer runners; Ah Keong, David and one other guy whom I had not met before. I joined them for a drink of hot Milo. They had driven from Klang that morning.
During the chat, an announcement was made for the runners to enter the Dewan compound. Near the Dewan gates, I handed over my reporting card before moving into the compound. Did some warm-up, stretching and chatted with severals indian Klang pacer runners. They were staying at See Foh hotel in Bidor - just 100 feet from the Dewan. The See Foh hotel rate was RM 50.
At 7.10 am, we went out from another gate towards the starting line. The 14 km runners line-up in front with the 7 km runners lined-up 10 m behind.
THE RUN
The run started a bit late - at 7.20 am a guy shoot conffeti into the air through a tube. We were off !. I started at slow pace and began to pick-up pace as I reached the main road. Some folks who standing near the shophouses gave us a cheer as we ran along the main road in town.
A short distance later, I turned left on side road and so began the run along a series of inclined roads . The road initially pass along some vilages - they seemed to orang asli villages. The first 3 km was along a combination and of flat and gently upward sloping roads. The area seemed to have a large population of cows. I had to keep watch so as not to step on patches of dried cow dung.
THE HILLS
The steeper sections came at about the 4 km distance. The steepest section (estimated 20 degree gradient) was about 400m long - I had the urge to walk here but did not succumb; continued the slog ever upwards. I counted about six upward incline sections. By 30 minutes. some of the 14 km runners were already on their way back on the opposite lane.
The route came to small side road where I ran downwards for about 500 m. At the end , there were some chairs connected with plastic strips to form a "circle" . This was the turning point for the route back to Bidor. I had two cups of water and walked for a while - my legs were a bit sore. As I passed by one of the volunteers. he said something in Chinese. It must have beeen some encouraging words - did I looked exhausted?
SECOND WIND
Anyway, it was back to the task at hand - ran slowly up the 500 m slope to the main road. On the main road I continued running but was beginning to feel a bit tired. At one point (50 minutes_ , I stopped to walk for about 100 m. The short walk did the trick - I felt better and ran at a faster pace and managed to overtake some runners. Along the section lined with the palm oil estates, one poor guy was limping badly and in pain- he had a heavily bandaged left knee. Later I saw him on the back of one of the volunteers motorcycle.
THIRD WIND
At around 60 minutes, the scenery changed - I was running along some shophouses; it must be near to town. The last stretch was along a housing area - here I walked for about 100 m. A malay runner whom I had ran besides for some time went ahead of me. He must have be a local guy - he wore a vest with Bidor Kaki Runner a the back of the vest. Not wanting to be left behind too far, I started runing again. Surprisingly I felt energised and was able to catch up with the Malay runner who was 100 m ahead. I maintained my brisk pace and just before a right turn, I suddenly realised it was near the finishing line. I shift to another gear and sprinted about 100 m to finish the run.
Position no: 92 (cat B) . time : 1 hr 15 minutes 19 sec.
POST RACE
I met the Klang Pacer runners sitting on a kerb eating nasi lemak and eggs. They had run very well; their finishing times were ; David (1 hr 08 min. - 51st), Ah Keong (55 min - 3rd) and ??? (58 min.). The tent with the F & B had a lot a food - bananas, watemelon, papaya, kuih, nasi lemak etc. A welcomed change from the usual situation where food was reserved for the VIPs. The organiser really knows how to take care of runners.
Highlights :
Well organised, good post race food and relaxed race atmosphere and attractive medal
Lowlights :
Staying in Tapah - kind of boring. Signing up for the 10 km Ipoh race on 17 Oct . RM 25 -expensive!
Before the North-South was built in the 1980's, Bidor was a familiar stop for KL-lites travelling from KL to Ipoh via the old trunkline road. Nowadays, it's just one of many small towns in Perak. It's current claim to fame is the Chicken biscuit and wantan noddles. Other than that, most people speed by Bidor on the way to Tapah which is starting point to Cameron Highlands.
The Bidor run is organised by the Bidor Kaki Runners for charity. This year's run is to contribute funds towards the Choong Hua High School in Bidor. The run distance is 7 and 14 km. I registered for the 14 km distance.
THE TRIP
My trip to Bidor started at 2.00 pm on a hot Saturday afternoon. From Klang I entered the NKVE at the Bukit Raja toll plaza. Traffic was fairly heavy on the NKVE due to people driving from work. The drive to Bidor was uneventful with me driving at the illegal speed of 130-150 km/hr. (The speed limit is 110 km/hr). Fortunately I sighted no police around - perhaps the hot temperature have induced them to stay indoors.
BIDOR
One a half hours later, at the Highway exit I turned towards Bidor. I was looking for a tailor shop. "Tukang Jahit Mexico" to collect the bibs, T-shirt and reporting card. At the Esso petrol station, I asked the attendant the direction to the shop. He gave me directions and I drove around to look for the shop. But I failed to find the shop and decided to park and walk. A second query from a guy in camera shop proved fruitful. He said "tepi" (corner). The tailor shop was just 20 m away around the corner.
In the small shop, there were about 5-6 people inside waiting to hand out the race goods. Here I meet Thomas and Pacesetters KL runners. They were staying in Tapah at N.H. Hotel. I walked to the main road to buy a bunch of Petai for my father. I made a second stop to buy two packets of chicken biscuits for Rm 4 - for my friend in KL.
TAPAH
From Bidor, it was a 12 km drive to Tapah. It took some time to locate Hotel Utara. Checking in at the 2nd floor reception desk,I was given a room on the 3rd floor. The room had a big double bed, TV and amenities desk. The bathroom was simple and functional. I can't complain much about the simple facilities as it was very cheap - RM 38 per night. However it was spotlessly clean.
By now, it was 5.00 pm, I decided to see anything if there was anything interesting to see in Tapah. I walked around and concluded there isn't much on interest except for the pasar malam. So retuned to my room to rest for 1 hr. After the rest, I went out again, driving to the Tapah rest house. The rest house located on a hill consisted of a series of buildings with rooms. The rest house has a fairly large restaurant. A large Chinese family was about to move into some of rooms as I drove down towards Tapah pasar malam.
The pasar malam consisted of about 40 stall sellings various goods such as vegetables, watches, food, shoes, etc. I bought a cob of corn for RM 0.60. Next stop was dinner at a stall near a river. For dinner I had nasi goreng kampung, sayur campur and 100 Plus. Cost was RM 6.50 - very cheap.
After dinner, I spent some more time driving around Tapah. The town was starting to become deserted, so I returned to my hotel. I prepared the stuff for next morning's race and spent the night watching TV. Turned in to sleep at 11.00 pm.
RACE DAY
The race day was on Sunday morning. I woke up at 5.30 am, had the usual breakfast of a mixture of oatmeal Nestum and raisins. At 6.05 am, I started my drive to Bidor. The road was fairly deserted with less than a half dozen vehicles heading towards Bidor. In the opposite lane, there were more vehicles heading towards Tapah.
I reached Bidor 10 minutes and promptly got lost trying trying to find Dewan Muhibbah (starting place). I had not idea where it was located. At one point I drove a few km along a road only to realise there was no Dewan Muhibbah to be found. I turned back and headed to the tailor shop hoping to ask someone. Bad news - it was closed. Fortunately there was a woman there and I asked her where Dewan Muhibbah was - it was only 50 m away.
RACE START
Walking towards the Dewan, I saw some tents setup for various functions; registration. food, prizes, VIP area etc. While looking for the registration counter, I spotted three Klang Pacer runners; Ah Keong, David and one other guy whom I had not met before. I joined them for a drink of hot Milo. They had driven from Klang that morning.
During the chat, an announcement was made for the runners to enter the Dewan compound. Near the Dewan gates, I handed over my reporting card before moving into the compound. Did some warm-up, stretching and chatted with severals indian Klang pacer runners. They were staying at See Foh hotel in Bidor - just 100 feet from the Dewan. The See Foh hotel rate was RM 50.
At 7.10 am, we went out from another gate towards the starting line. The 14 km runners line-up in front with the 7 km runners lined-up 10 m behind.
THE RUN
The run started a bit late - at 7.20 am a guy shoot conffeti into the air through a tube. We were off !. I started at slow pace and began to pick-up pace as I reached the main road. Some folks who standing near the shophouses gave us a cheer as we ran along the main road in town.
A short distance later, I turned left on side road and so began the run along a series of inclined roads . The road initially pass along some vilages - they seemed to orang asli villages. The first 3 km was along a combination and of flat and gently upward sloping roads. The area seemed to have a large population of cows. I had to keep watch so as not to step on patches of dried cow dung.
THE HILLS
The steeper sections came at about the 4 km distance. The steepest section (estimated 20 degree gradient) was about 400m long - I had the urge to walk here but did not succumb; continued the slog ever upwards. I counted about six upward incline sections. By 30 minutes. some of the 14 km runners were already on their way back on the opposite lane.
The route came to small side road where I ran downwards for about 500 m. At the end , there were some chairs connected with plastic strips to form a "circle" . This was the turning point for the route back to Bidor. I had two cups of water and walked for a while - my legs were a bit sore. As I passed by one of the volunteers. he said something in Chinese. It must have beeen some encouraging words - did I looked exhausted?
SECOND WIND
Anyway, it was back to the task at hand - ran slowly up the 500 m slope to the main road. On the main road I continued running but was beginning to feel a bit tired. At one point (50 minutes_ , I stopped to walk for about 100 m. The short walk did the trick - I felt better and ran at a faster pace and managed to overtake some runners. Along the section lined with the palm oil estates, one poor guy was limping badly and in pain- he had a heavily bandaged left knee. Later I saw him on the back of one of the volunteers motorcycle.
THIRD WIND
At around 60 minutes, the scenery changed - I was running along some shophouses; it must be near to town. The last stretch was along a housing area - here I walked for about 100 m. A malay runner whom I had ran besides for some time went ahead of me. He must have be a local guy - he wore a vest with Bidor Kaki Runner a the back of the vest. Not wanting to be left behind too far, I started runing again. Surprisingly I felt energised and was able to catch up with the Malay runner who was 100 m ahead. I maintained my brisk pace and just before a right turn, I suddenly realised it was near the finishing line. I shift to another gear and sprinted about 100 m to finish the run.
Position no: 92 (cat B) . time : 1 hr 15 minutes 19 sec.
POST RACE
I met the Klang Pacer runners sitting on a kerb eating nasi lemak and eggs. They had run very well; their finishing times were ; David (1 hr 08 min. - 51st), Ah Keong (55 min - 3rd) and ??? (58 min.). The tent with the F & B had a lot a food - bananas, watemelon, papaya, kuih, nasi lemak etc. A welcomed change from the usual situation where food was reserved for the VIPs. The organiser really knows how to take care of runners.
Highlights :
Well organised, good post race food and relaxed race atmosphere and attractive medal
Lowlights :
Staying in Tapah - kind of boring. Signing up for the 10 km Ipoh race on 17 Oct . RM 25 -expensive!
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