I had lunch at Madam Kwan, KLCC today. A colleague had resigned and he will be leaving the company for a job overseas. He was one of the best in his field in the company. When will Human Resource (HR) realise that the company needs to raise the salaries or risk more good people leaving the company? Don't they know there is a world wide shortage of professionals in the oil and gas industry due to the high oil price?
Mdm Kwan restaurant has something of a reputation for serving good local food. Well I had Asam Laksa for lunch and all I can say they don't deserve the reputation. A good asam laksa is supposed to be a bit sour and spicy. It should have a reasonable amount of shredded mackerel fish (Tenggiri). But the one I had did not posess any of these qualities. It was like eating diluted soup.
For desert, I had cendol. A good chendol would have lots of red beans. What I had was about 6 measly beans. Even the coconut milk not did taste good (creamy). Maybe they did not use fresh coconut milk and instead use the "instant" type in a pack.
Overall the lunch I had was uninspiring.
Today I planned to do a recovery run at KLCC (5.2 km). The prolonged heavy rain had abated to a drizzle as I reached KLCC park. I ran 2 laps (2.6 km) with Ng. Then the rain started to became heavier and I had to abandon my run.
I returned to the gym but I was not satisfied with the 2.6 km run. I was just itching to do more. I hopped on the treadmill for a 5 km run.
An interesting thing that happened during the run was with a woman running on a treadmill next to mine. She took a peek at my treadmill speedometer . I could see an instant expression of astonishment when she saw the speed (110 km/hr). In fact, later she peeked a few more times. Her astonished expressions was priceless. I am far from being a fast runner but for some people, 11.0 km/hr is fast enough. I guess she hasn't seen the likes of Azwar, Justine, John and Ronnie running.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Monday, March 28, 2005
Nilai Half Marathon 2005 - Head for the Hills
For this race I stayed overnight on Saturday at the quiet Nilai town. I collected the bibs, cards and T-shirts for myself and Klang Pacers runners on a rainy and wet Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening, I went to Putrajaya for a sightseeing drive. I returned to the Alison Klana hotel and had Thai food for dinner. Unexpectedly Haris called me up and I found out he was staying in room 318, across my room. We had a chat before he left at 9.30 pm. I prepared the stuff for tomorrow's race and by 10.30 pm was in bed.
PRE-RACE MORNING
I woke up at 5.00 am the next morning. To make sure I will wake up on time, I set three alarms; wristwatch, mobile phone and hotel wake-up call. This is kind of unusual for me , usually I use two alarm devices but this time I had to deliver the race materials to the Klang Pacer runners at 6.00 am. At 5.45 am, I left the hotel. Siow called me up to tell where he was waiting. Over very bad connection, we were shouting to each other. I finally managed to figure out he was waiting at "ZC" store near the starting line. Traffic was a bit heavy, I was going to be delayed and became a bit anxious.
When I my car reached near the started line, I saw Siow. I signalled to him to follow me as it was only 30 minutes before the race start. We quickly removed the race materials and in the haste, I almost forgot to carry my own race reporting card. I quickly made my way to to tents to report. Several familiar faces were there as well. I also bumped in to Kong who was running the 11 km race. It was only 6.30 am but he arrived early. To my suprise, he told me he had woken up late, drove to Seremban by mistake and still managed to reach the starting at 6.30 am. He must have driven like a mad man.
At the reporting tents, a tall guy came up and said "Are you Rohaizad?" Uhh yes. Where have I met this guy before ? Turns out I have not but he does visit Ronnie's website and mine. Did not get his name.
While waiting for the start, a small crowd had gathered near the start banner. I did some stretching at the shop houses . There were 2 Thai runners there as well doing their stretching. This race worried me a bit because of the hilly route. My injured right knee had not fully recovered and I did not set target time. I expected a tough course which required running at a right pace and plenty of determination. Finishing within 2 and 0.5 hrs would be good enough for me.
RACE
I joined Jamie, Ajeep , Ryan Teoh, Jason and Haris as we waited for the start gun to fire. The race started on at 6.50 am and we ambled off at a slow pace. We turned right and encountered a steep downhill slope 500 m long. I had planned to walk down to minimise chance of injury but was feeling OK, so ran down with rest. A noisy bunch of Pace Setter runners were behind us entertaining us with jokes.
FIRST 10 km
The initial route was a right turn up a gradual inclining road. I ran with Jamie and I guess he was pacing carefully as well due to the hilly course. Another female runner was running along side us. Jamie introduce her as Jessica and she planned to pace with Jamie. Onwards we ran past the ugly looking factories. Curious factory employees came out to look at us runners. They did not cheer us but stood strangey silent, chatting among themselves, perhaps looking at us with pity. Why on earth would anyone run 21 km on a Sunday morning?
There were a few more incline sections and I had to be careful to avoid the pot holes. We ran past the Sumikei factory,made a U turn, runing back to the opposite road for another round of punishment. After some time running mostly uphill, we went pass the Nilai Whole sale intersection. The three of us climbed upwards towards the Arab Malaysia Park. I stopped at water station (6.5 km) for a drink. Jamie took a cup of water and used a "Drink and Run" technique. He shouted the same technique to Jessica. She did the same following wise words from the Pacer's.
I came across Sim who was walking. He must have become injured. Near the traffic light a orange colour school bus with "Sweeper Bus" passed by. I noticed there were three people on board.
After taking a drink, I ran slightly faster to catch up with them.
UGLY PARK SECTION
The next area was a loop around the AM Industrial Park. It was a pretty ugly area to run with numerous vacant factory buildings. Not a good area to run. In this section,I fell slightly behind Jamie and Jessica.
BIG HILL
After the industrial area, the route came to a more pleasant residential area. I caught up with Jamie and Jessica and felt quite comfortable. There were still small hills to conquer but they did not pose too much trouble until the BIGGIE came up. Just before a drink station, I saw a steep road. It got me scared and for a moment, I thought I saw runners taking a turn to the left before the hill base. As I reached the water station, it became clearer. Did the organisers expect us to go up this hill? I asked the lady manning the water station " "Betul ke kena naik atas bukit ni?" . She nodded affirming the route we had to follow -I had to really run uphill on this BIG hill.
Jamie remarked it was like the Sri Hartamas route. Well I've run there only once. Maybe I should walk up ? In the end I resolved to run slowly up while I saw Jamie and Jessica further up. I guess this hill did not trouble the Sri Hartamas route veterans.
After reaching the top, I was pretty much pooped. My breathing was a bit ragged but fortunately I could coast a long down downhill road to recover.
HELP FROM HEAVEN
The long downhill run helped me to recover and I eventually met up with Jamie and Jessica. We ran past two roundabouts which had tiled sections. I hated to run over these sections as they might aggravate my injury which was still OK to this point.
I came to another section around a hill with lots of trees and I struggled to keep on running. I slowed down and paced with another guy (blue vest) who was also struggling. We complained to each other about the hily route.
To distract myself, I took a look around and then to the skies. For a while, I ran with my head up, eyes toward the heavens, arms hung loosely by the sides. Have I gone nuts or what ? But help came from the heavens, I was inspired and regained my form/energy. I managed to increase my pace to a manic level and could even see Jamie some 400 m in front.
LAST 15 km - PAYBACK
At the 15 km mark, green coloured ribbons were handed out to the runners. The route double back to the Nilai Wholesale market. Sadly it was payback time for me after pushing the pace too hard before, I had to slow down and eventually had to walk for about 3 minutes.
I could see the Whole Centre on the hill , it was so near............ I started to run again.
I tried to continue running up the last 500 m slope was breathing hard. My mouth was open for additional air intake and flying insects started to fly in. I spat some out - huh? Where did they come from ?
When I reached the top, there was an official standing about 100 m from the finishing line. He was urging everyone to sprint to the finish and that was what I did.
I finished in a time of 1 hr 53 min 52 seconds , position no. 106 in Men's Senior Category.
POST RACE
Met up with the rest of the runners. Everyone had run very well , most going under 1 hr 50 minutes. The results are available at Ronnie's website.
Later we had breakfast together at Nilai town.
I had serious doubt about a bunch of "pasar" (market) people being able to organise a half marathon event. But they did a job job. Plus points:
PRE-RACE MORNING
I woke up at 5.00 am the next morning. To make sure I will wake up on time, I set three alarms; wristwatch, mobile phone and hotel wake-up call. This is kind of unusual for me , usually I use two alarm devices but this time I had to deliver the race materials to the Klang Pacer runners at 6.00 am. At 5.45 am, I left the hotel. Siow called me up to tell where he was waiting. Over very bad connection, we were shouting to each other. I finally managed to figure out he was waiting at "ZC" store near the starting line. Traffic was a bit heavy, I was going to be delayed and became a bit anxious.
When I my car reached near the started line, I saw Siow. I signalled to him to follow me as it was only 30 minutes before the race start. We quickly removed the race materials and in the haste, I almost forgot to carry my own race reporting card. I quickly made my way to to tents to report. Several familiar faces were there as well. I also bumped in to Kong who was running the 11 km race. It was only 6.30 am but he arrived early. To my suprise, he told me he had woken up late, drove to Seremban by mistake and still managed to reach the starting at 6.30 am. He must have driven like a mad man.
At the reporting tents, a tall guy came up and said "Are you Rohaizad?" Uhh yes. Where have I met this guy before ? Turns out I have not but he does visit Ronnie's website and mine. Did not get his name.
While waiting for the start, a small crowd had gathered near the start banner. I did some stretching at the shop houses . There were 2 Thai runners there as well doing their stretching. This race worried me a bit because of the hilly route. My injured right knee had not fully recovered and I did not set target time. I expected a tough course which required running at a right pace and plenty of determination. Finishing within 2 and 0.5 hrs would be good enough for me.
RACE
I joined Jamie, Ajeep , Ryan Teoh, Jason and Haris as we waited for the start gun to fire. The race started on at 6.50 am and we ambled off at a slow pace. We turned right and encountered a steep downhill slope 500 m long. I had planned to walk down to minimise chance of injury but was feeling OK, so ran down with rest. A noisy bunch of Pace Setter runners were behind us entertaining us with jokes.
FIRST 10 km
The initial route was a right turn up a gradual inclining road. I ran with Jamie and I guess he was pacing carefully as well due to the hilly course. Another female runner was running along side us. Jamie introduce her as Jessica and she planned to pace with Jamie. Onwards we ran past the ugly looking factories. Curious factory employees came out to look at us runners. They did not cheer us but stood strangey silent, chatting among themselves, perhaps looking at us with pity. Why on earth would anyone run 21 km on a Sunday morning?
There were a few more incline sections and I had to be careful to avoid the pot holes. We ran past the Sumikei factory,made a U turn, runing back to the opposite road for another round of punishment. After some time running mostly uphill, we went pass the Nilai Whole sale intersection. The three of us climbed upwards towards the Arab Malaysia Park. I stopped at water station (6.5 km) for a drink. Jamie took a cup of water and used a "Drink and Run" technique. He shouted the same technique to Jessica. She did the same following wise words from the Pacer's.
I came across Sim who was walking. He must have become injured. Near the traffic light a orange colour school bus with "Sweeper Bus" passed by. I noticed there were three people on board.
After taking a drink, I ran slightly faster to catch up with them.
UGLY PARK SECTION
The next area was a loop around the AM Industrial Park. It was a pretty ugly area to run with numerous vacant factory buildings. Not a good area to run. In this section,I fell slightly behind Jamie and Jessica.
BIG HILL
After the industrial area, the route came to a more pleasant residential area. I caught up with Jamie and Jessica and felt quite comfortable. There were still small hills to conquer but they did not pose too much trouble until the BIGGIE came up. Just before a drink station, I saw a steep road. It got me scared and for a moment, I thought I saw runners taking a turn to the left before the hill base. As I reached the water station, it became clearer. Did the organisers expect us to go up this hill? I asked the lady manning the water station " "Betul ke kena naik atas bukit ni?" . She nodded affirming the route we had to follow -I had to really run uphill on this BIG hill.
Jamie remarked it was like the Sri Hartamas route. Well I've run there only once. Maybe I should walk up ? In the end I resolved to run slowly up while I saw Jamie and Jessica further up. I guess this hill did not trouble the Sri Hartamas route veterans.
After reaching the top, I was pretty much pooped. My breathing was a bit ragged but fortunately I could coast a long down downhill road to recover.
HELP FROM HEAVEN
The long downhill run helped me to recover and I eventually met up with Jamie and Jessica. We ran past two roundabouts which had tiled sections. I hated to run over these sections as they might aggravate my injury which was still OK to this point.
I came to another section around a hill with lots of trees and I struggled to keep on running. I slowed down and paced with another guy (blue vest) who was also struggling. We complained to each other about the hily route.
To distract myself, I took a look around and then to the skies. For a while, I ran with my head up, eyes toward the heavens, arms hung loosely by the sides. Have I gone nuts or what ? But help came from the heavens, I was inspired and regained my form/energy. I managed to increase my pace to a manic level and could even see Jamie some 400 m in front.
LAST 15 km - PAYBACK
At the 15 km mark, green coloured ribbons were handed out to the runners. The route double back to the Nilai Wholesale market. Sadly it was payback time for me after pushing the pace too hard before, I had to slow down and eventually had to walk for about 3 minutes.
I could see the Whole Centre on the hill , it was so near............ I started to run again.
I tried to continue running up the last 500 m slope was breathing hard. My mouth was open for additional air intake and flying insects started to fly in. I spat some out - huh? Where did they come from ?
When I reached the top, there was an official standing about 100 m from the finishing line. He was urging everyone to sprint to the finish and that was what I did.
I finished in a time of 1 hr 53 min 52 seconds , position no. 106 in Men's Senior Category.
POST RACE
Met up with the rest of the runners. Everyone had run very well , most going under 1 hr 50 minutes. The results are available at Ronnie's website.
Later we had breakfast together at Nilai town.
I had serious doubt about a bunch of "pasar" (market) people being able to organise a half marathon event. But they did a job job. Plus points:
- Nice looking medal - better than KLIM 2005.
- Enough water stations and sponges.
- Made an effort to organise the whole thing professionally.
- Good traffic control.
- Post race shows but I didn't see much
- Good lucky draw prizes but I didn't "win" any prizes.
- Race distance was short of a half marathon, possibly 19 km.
- No isotonic drinks at the water stations.
- Not enough rubbish bins.
- No distance markers.
- Difficult to find organisers office.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Tempura Like
Today was the 2nd day if the workshop. Early in the morning before the workshop , I took a walk around the traning centre. I guess the ring road distance around the centre is about 3 km. Even had uphill sections. In case, the workshop finished late, I came prepare with my running gear. I imagine myself running two loops and then finishing at the stadium for a 400 sprint. Yes, there is even a stadium with a 400 m track. I 'll doubt if there will be anyone joining me for a run, though.
In fact, although I've been there many times for courses, I''ve never seen anyone exercising. Must be the frequent food intake. There is breakfast and lunch. During the morning and afternoon breaks, there is kueh (snacks) and drinks. If the course is residential, dinner and supper. Up to 6 meals a day- no wonder no one is exercising around this place. Too busy eating.
Regretfully I didn't get a chance to run around the training centre. The workshop finished at 12.30 pm. Lunch was at the dining hall. Again there was beef and chicken. No fish, not even tempura. ^%$#*&. I ended up eating a vegetable and Yong Tau Foo. Even the Yong Tau Foo was not good - it just had 5 types of ingredients. So I ate about five pieces.
That is why I am a bit hungry now. The rain has stopped , it's time for me to run at the Klang stadium.
In fact, although I've been there many times for courses, I''ve never seen anyone exercising. Must be the frequent food intake. There is breakfast and lunch. During the morning and afternoon breaks, there is kueh (snacks) and drinks. If the course is residential, dinner and supper. Up to 6 meals a day- no wonder no one is exercising around this place. Too busy eating.
Regretfully I didn't get a chance to run around the training centre. The workshop finished at 12.30 pm. Lunch was at the dining hall. Again there was beef and chicken. No fish, not even tempura. ^%$#*&. I ended up eating a vegetable and Yong Tau Foo. Even the Yong Tau Foo was not good - it just had 5 types of ingredients. So I ate about five pieces.
That is why I am a bit hungry now. The rain has stopped , it's time for me to run at the Klang stadium.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Tempura
Today I had to attend a project risk assessment workshop at Bangi. Tomorow is the 2nd and last day of the workshop. Lunch was provided and although there were a lot dishes , I couldn't eat most of them. I don' t eat chicken or beef. The only type of meat I can eat is seafood but the fish tempura was finished :-( I ended up eating rice with 2 vegetables dishes. They were not that good either.
I used to enjoy eating tempura food. Tempura in case anyone does not know, is a japanese dish. Basically it is something coated with a flavoured flour and fried. Usually it is seafood like prawn or fish tempura. The first time I ate tempura was at small cafe in Baguio, Philippines. Perhaps one day I will write about some of my travel experiences in the Philippines.
Nowadays I rarely eat tempura as it is fried and the batter mix absorbs a lot of oil. Just too many calories.
I managed to run today at KLCC. I had to return to KLCC for a 3.00 pm meeting. The skies looked dark but luckily it didn't run. In fact, it was a very nice to run in cool conditions for a change. I arrived at KLCC track and saw Yong. Paced with him for just 200 m before I dropped out. I joined Jamie and Newton for 2 rounds. After they stopped, I ran with Sam for 1 more round. Total distance run = 5.2 km at an easy pace.
Later I hung around at the usual spot , near the mosque chatting with Jamie and Newton. Saw Ronnie and John running too.
I used to enjoy eating tempura food. Tempura in case anyone does not know, is a japanese dish. Basically it is something coated with a flavoured flour and fried. Usually it is seafood like prawn or fish tempura. The first time I ate tempura was at small cafe in Baguio, Philippines. Perhaps one day I will write about some of my travel experiences in the Philippines.
Nowadays I rarely eat tempura as it is fried and the batter mix absorbs a lot of oil. Just too many calories.
I managed to run today at KLCC. I had to return to KLCC for a 3.00 pm meeting. The skies looked dark but luckily it didn't run. In fact, it was a very nice to run in cool conditions for a change. I arrived at KLCC track and saw Yong. Paced with him for just 200 m before I dropped out. I joined Jamie and Newton for 2 rounds. After they stopped, I ran with Sam for 1 more round. Total distance run = 5.2 km at an easy pace.
Later I hung around at the usual spot , near the mosque chatting with Jamie and Newton. Saw Ronnie and John running too.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Rohaizad's Runners Diet
There was a discussion on Azwar's site on how to lose weight. The guy who brought it up was Ajeep. Now this fellow is by no means fat. In fact he looks OK to me but since he brought the subject up, I will share my secret diet. Proof that this diet really works - me; I lost 7 kg in 6 months.
This new diet which I shall name after myself : Rohaizad's Runners Diet is like this:-
Eat 3 main meals a day:-
A) Breakfast - cereal or oatmeal (Quaker Oats) and orange juice.
NEVER skip breakfast.
B) Lunch - fruit or sandwich & fruit
C) Dinner - Rice (1 plate) with lots of vegetables (50%).
Snack 2 x a day with fruits; 10.30 am and 4.00 pm. Fruit ; 1 piece apple, orange etc. Eating snacks 2x a day will keep you from getting hungry and end up eating too much food during the main meals. The 4.00 pm snack willl give energy for the evening's exercise.
Reduce eating calorie laden food like chocolate, ice-cream, oily food like mee goreng (fried Noodles). Kway Teow, soft drink, fast food etc.
Uh, I should add , you have to exercise too , maybe run 8 km a day and about 50 km a week. That's why I called it a runners's diet.
This new diet which I shall name after myself : Rohaizad's Runners Diet is like this:-
Eat 3 main meals a day:-
A) Breakfast - cereal or oatmeal (Quaker Oats) and orange juice.
NEVER skip breakfast.
B) Lunch - fruit or sandwich & fruit
C) Dinner - Rice (1 plate) with lots of vegetables (50%).
Snack 2 x a day with fruits; 10.30 am and 4.00 pm. Fruit ; 1 piece apple, orange etc. Eating snacks 2x a day will keep you from getting hungry and end up eating too much food during the main meals. The 4.00 pm snack willl give energy for the evening's exercise.
Reduce eating calorie laden food like chocolate, ice-cream, oily food like mee goreng (fried Noodles). Kway Teow, soft drink, fast food etc.
Uh, I should add , you have to exercise too , maybe run 8 km a day and about 50 km a week. That's why I called it a runners's diet.
Not Much Running this Week
I won't be running much this week. On Monday, I managed 1 lap at KLCC before it rained. Yesterday, I attended a presentation which only finished at 6.30 pm :-(
Today it look's good - less haze and no sign of impending evening rain. Four to five laps at KLCC will do.
Tomorrow I have to attend a Project Risk assessment at Bangi. Again it will finish late - at 6.00 pm. No running again for 2 days. It's really a bad week for me to run. When I can't run for a few days, I feel different. I feel sick and edgy.
I wonder how the non-exercisers manage to live without regular exercise. I can't live without exercise.
Today it look's good - less haze and no sign of impending evening rain. Four to five laps at KLCC will do.
Tomorrow I have to attend a Project Risk assessment at Bangi. Again it will finish late - at 6.00 pm. No running again for 2 days. It's really a bad week for me to run. When I can't run for a few days, I feel different. I feel sick and edgy.
I wonder how the non-exercisers manage to live without regular exercise. I can't live without exercise.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Weekend Running Activities
Last weekend was filled with running related activities.
Saturday
On Saturday morning it was the usual LSD run at Tasik Shah Alam with Kenneth. The weather was fantastic as it was not too hot with a cool breeze. Unfortunately I was not peforming too fantastic. After the 3 rounds (12 km), we decided to run for another 4 km. The last round was going to be special - an all out lung bursting effort. But after 2 km, I had to stop ; too tired but Kenneth "De Man" continued.
I walked and even took a shortcut to the parking area (what could be worst than this). I saw Kenneth sprinting up hill and joined him for the last 400m. He had run 20 min 39 sec for last 4 km. It was quite an achievement.
Right knee was bit sore during during the run.
Saturday Night
Attended Klang Pacers A.C. (A.C. - Athletic Club) 2004 annual dinner. This year was a grander affair than last year. There was about 200 people compared to about 100 last year. The evening's highlights:-
Saturday
On Saturday morning it was the usual LSD run at Tasik Shah Alam with Kenneth. The weather was fantastic as it was not too hot with a cool breeze. Unfortunately I was not peforming too fantastic. After the 3 rounds (12 km), we decided to run for another 4 km. The last round was going to be special - an all out lung bursting effort. But after 2 km, I had to stop ; too tired but Kenneth "De Man" continued.
I walked and even took a shortcut to the parking area (what could be worst than this). I saw Kenneth sprinting up hill and joined him for the last 400m. He had run 20 min 39 sec for last 4 km. It was quite an achievement.
Right knee was bit sore during during the run.
Saturday Night
Attended Klang Pacers A.C. (A.C. - Athletic Club) 2004 annual dinner. This year was a grander affair than last year. There was about 200 people compared to about 100 last year. The evening's highlights:-
- Youngest marathon runner, Jaya (19 years old). First timer - he ran the KLIM marathon with a time of 3 hrs 21 minutes.
- Oldest runner/triathlete - Gordon ??? (62 years old). The M.C. could hardly believe Gordon is 62 years old. He looked 20 years younger. Must be the benefits of running and being a tri-athlete.
Tip : to all women, take up running and you will stay younger longer. - Amusing antics of the several Klang Pacers "samseng" members. A few club members drank a lot, got a bit drunk and started to dance. They were also smoking. They cannot be serious runners.
- "Elvis Presley" sang.
- Paper Dolls show (45 minutes). Very tall "girls" who danced in various costumes and poses. One girl stood from the rest - she had incredible perfectly shaped breasts.
- Videos of the 2005 KLIM and Langkawi Triathalon.
The dinner finished at 11.50 pm.
Sunday
Sunday afternoon found me driving around Section 16 and 18 Shah Alam looking for new routes to run. There were many undulating roads suitable for hill training. Some roads were well shaded by trees. I have to visit the area again to map out the exact route for 10, 12, 16 and 20 km distance. However some roads were not very good for running as they were lined with ugly looking factories with.
I had a good run on Sunday evening with Kong and Lim. Distance was about 6 km in 36 minutes at a comfortable pace. When we returned to the stadium, we ran another 2 km.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Why French Women Don't get Fat
This afternoon I went to Kinokouniya book store at KLCC. I came across a book titled " Why French Women Don't get Fat". I just saw the title but did not browse through it nor did I want to buy it. Really I already knew the reason for French women are not fat, say compared to American women (65% are overweight).
I believe the main reason is the Metro. The metro is the subway/LRT which runs all over Paris. I lived in Paris for three months at a small suburb called Anatole France. Every morning I had to walk 100 m to the metro station. Refer to the Paris metro map here (click at Metro map). I took the metro, stop at Levallois station,then walked about 400 m to the connecting line to Porte Dauphine. I board another subway coach to Charles De Gaulle Etoil station. I walked perhaps another 600 m to catch the train to La Defense station. From the La Defense station, it was another 600 km walk to the Technip's office. Total distance = 100 + 100 + 600 + 800 = 1.6 km. Twice a day, I had to walk 3.2 km (2 miles) to and from office. Total calories used = 200 kcal.
Now let's do the math. How many calories do I use per month to go to the office?
20 days x 200 kcal = 4000 kcal (equal to 1.1 lb of fat)
In one year (11 mths working duration/year), 12 lbs of fat that I don't put on.
Every morning millions of Parisians used the Metro. Compare that with most Americans who drive to work, it's no wonder French women are not fat especially compared to American.
So what about the French women who are not living in Paris. Are they fatter than the fashionable Parisian women? My guess is they are not. The reason ?
The French don't eat much fast food because of tradition and culture of eating two square "real" meals per day. Is BigMac a real meal? Even McDonald restaurants in France had to customise their menu to fit into the French food traditions.
In fact, when I was in Paris, throughout the 3 months I only stepped into McDonalds twice.
I believe the main reason is the Metro. The metro is the subway/LRT which runs all over Paris. I lived in Paris for three months at a small suburb called Anatole France. Every morning I had to walk 100 m to the metro station. Refer to the Paris metro map here (click at Metro map). I took the metro, stop at Levallois station,then walked about 400 m to the connecting line to Porte Dauphine. I board another subway coach to Charles De Gaulle Etoil station. I walked perhaps another 600 m to catch the train to La Defense station. From the La Defense station, it was another 600 km walk to the Technip's office. Total distance = 100 + 100 + 600 + 800 = 1.6 km. Twice a day, I had to walk 3.2 km (2 miles) to and from office. Total calories used = 200 kcal.
Now let's do the math. How many calories do I use per month to go to the office?
20 days x 200 kcal = 4000 kcal (equal to 1.1 lb of fat)
In one year (11 mths working duration/year), 12 lbs of fat that I don't put on.
Every morning millions of Parisians used the Metro. Compare that with most Americans who drive to work, it's no wonder French women are not fat especially compared to American.
So what about the French women who are not living in Paris. Are they fatter than the fashionable Parisian women? My guess is they are not. The reason ?
The French don't eat much fast food because of tradition and culture of eating two square "real" meals per day. Is BigMac a real meal? Even McDonald restaurants in France had to customise their menu to fit into the French food traditions.
In fact, when I was in Paris, throughout the 3 months I only stepped into McDonalds twice.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The Running Community - New Web sites
The running community in Malaysia websites continue to expand with two new sites:-
Justine . Maybe 2 years ago, a new guy starts to appear at KLCC. He stood out from the rest of us. Usually he wears a black T-shirt with a bandana or cap. Unusually, he is a forefoot runner. It looks as if he was tip toeing around KLCC. But he was fast and runs at a consistent pace. Now he is faster. It was only later I knew who he was when Jamie introduced him to me and others.
Vincent Wong. I don't know this guy personally and have never run with him. He is too fast for me to keep up. Vincent is living proof that the adage "Life starts at 40" is true but only for runners and triathletes. For others who are couch potatoes, "Life is down hill after 40".
Justine . Maybe 2 years ago, a new guy starts to appear at KLCC. He stood out from the rest of us. Usually he wears a black T-shirt with a bandana or cap. Unusually, he is a forefoot runner. It looks as if he was tip toeing around KLCC. But he was fast and runs at a consistent pace. Now he is faster. It was only later I knew who he was when Jamie introduced him to me and others.
Vincent Wong. I don't know this guy personally and have never run with him. He is too fast for me to keep up. Vincent is living proof that the adage "Life starts at 40" is true but only for runners and triathletes. For others who are couch potatoes, "Life is down hill after 40".
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Health vs Fitness - What is the Difference?
Health versus fitness - what is the difference? Serious subject today
In today's issue of the Star newpaper (page 16) had a story stating the average Malaysian takes 41 days sick each leave each years. 41 days is 6 weeks. Seems to be a lot to me but since it came from "research" from god knows where and the DPM Najib said so , it must be right, I guess.
Back to the topic. I think I must be healthy person as the last time I took medical leave was in 1996 (9 years ago). In fact, I guess I have only taken less than 2 weeks medical leave over the past 17 years. Way below the average of a sickly Malaysian (41 days in one year). Absence of health problems and infrequent illness is a sign of health.
But good health only goes so far. It allows someone to go through the normal daily activity without too much trouble. Things like going to work, working and returning back to home and speninding time with family. Good health is the minimum requirement to get through life.
Fitness means something else . It means being able to do extra activities besides the minimum requirement. Things like the occasional games with your kids. If I can liken it to a car, being fit is like having a 2400 cc engine fitted in a standard 1600 cc Proton car. The 1600 engine works fine but when need comes to overtake other vehicles or going uphill, the car with the larger engine will do the job better than the 1600 cc car.
That is what one aspect of fitness is - having reserve capacity to do more than the minimum requirement. But there are other benefits to being fit (aerobic) such as a having healthy body weight, lower risk of heart diseases, diabetes etc.
But what motivates us runners to run is maybe not just to become fit. We enjoy running and that is what keeps us going. Plus I get a kick of seeing the astonished expressions on the less fit/coach potatoes as I whizzed by them on a routine 8 km run.
In today's issue of the Star newpaper (page 16) had a story stating the average Malaysian takes 41 days sick each leave each years. 41 days is 6 weeks. Seems to be a lot to me but since it came from "research" from god knows where and the DPM Najib said so , it must be right, I guess.
Back to the topic. I think I must be healthy person as the last time I took medical leave was in 1996 (9 years ago). In fact, I guess I have only taken less than 2 weeks medical leave over the past 17 years. Way below the average of a sickly Malaysian (41 days in one year). Absence of health problems and infrequent illness is a sign of health.
But good health only goes so far. It allows someone to go through the normal daily activity without too much trouble. Things like going to work, working and returning back to home and speninding time with family. Good health is the minimum requirement to get through life.
Fitness means something else . It means being able to do extra activities besides the minimum requirement. Things like the occasional games with your kids. If I can liken it to a car, being fit is like having a 2400 cc engine fitted in a standard 1600 cc Proton car. The 1600 engine works fine but when need comes to overtake other vehicles or going uphill, the car with the larger engine will do the job better than the 1600 cc car.
That is what one aspect of fitness is - having reserve capacity to do more than the minimum requirement. But there are other benefits to being fit (aerobic) such as a having healthy body weight, lower risk of heart diseases, diabetes etc.
But what motivates us runners to run is maybe not just to become fit. We enjoy running and that is what keeps us going. Plus I get a kick of seeing the astonished expressions on the less fit/coach potatoes as I whizzed by them on a routine 8 km run.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
2nd part of KLIM 2005 Analysis and Sweat
The KLIM 2005 analysis report on the finishers time is posted on Jamie's website. Thanks to Jamie who posted it on his website.
I finished the 21 km race with Kenneth with a time of 2 hrs 17 minutes. The finishers analysis indicated I had run in the "top" 53 percent of all runners. It was a slow time but OK as I was not planning to run a fast time.
The last 2 days had been hard training days. On Sunday, I did a rare speed training session at Klang stadium.
I finished the 21 km race with Kenneth with a time of 2 hrs 17 minutes. The finishers analysis indicated I had run in the "top" 53 percent of all runners. It was a slow time but OK as I was not planning to run a fast time.
The last 2 days had been hard training days. On Sunday, I did a rare speed training session at Klang stadium.
- I started with 6 x 400 m continous run at 2 min pace per lap.
- Then 3 x 400 m at 2 min lap with 200 m walk break in between.
- Not satisfied and with left over energy, I ran another 2 x 400 m with Azli at slow pace.
- Then another 3 x 400 m with Kong at 2 min 10 seconds per lap .
- Total distance = 14 x 400 m = 5.6 km.
After completing the runs, I did some stretching and sweat was dripping down my legs. Nevertheless it felt great to do an ocassional fast training runs.
On Monday, I managed to leave the office at 5.30 pm. After yesterday's speed training and the good feeling , I decided to run at a fast pace. I ran 5 x 1.3 km at 7 min 12 seconds per lap (total 36 minutes for 6.5 km). Whenever I felt my pace was slackening off, I mentally pushed myself to maintain pace. Uphill I speeded up a bit and going downhill, I relaxed the pace. After 6.5 km, I was dripping with sweat but it felt good.
Sometime later, I came across Jamie and Justine and I joined them for an easy 2 km run.
I sweated more than usual over the past 2 days with 2 consecutive fast pace runs. This evening I am going to take it easy and do an easy run.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
KLIM 2005 Analysis - Part 1/2 : Finishers
This analysis is divided into two parts : participants (finishers) and race results. The analysis is based on KLIM website results downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet.
The second part will analyse various statistics related to the finishing times. Did you finish with an average time ? Did you finish in the top 10 %, 25% or bottom 10% :-(? All will be revealed in the second part - stay tuned.
A) Marathon Finishers (Men and Women)
The overall men's marathon from all categories comprises of 78% and 22 % Malaysian and foreign participants (px) respectively . Of the Malaysian px, 14.6 % were Malays, 74.2% Chinese, 9.6 % Indian and 1.7 % of unknown race. The total number of Men's marathon finishers was 775.
The distribution of finishers per the three race categories (open, junior veteran and senior veteran) according to race is similiar to the overall distribution.
The number of women marathon finishers was 86. Foreign runners made up 43 % of the women marathoners. The most interesting result was the breakdown of Malaysian women marathon finishers by race. Overwhelmingly, 90% (50) of the finishers were Chinese women with the remaining 10% (5) Malay. There were no Malaysian Indian women finishers in the Women's marathon.
B) Half Marathon (Men)
The overall men's half marathon from all categories comprises of 88% and 12 % Malaysian and foreign px respectively . Of the Malaysian px, 22 % were Malays, 64 % Chinese, 12 % Indian and 2 % of unknown race. The total number of Men's half marathon finishers was 725.
For the men's half marathon. the racial distribution by race category is substantially different from the overall distribution. The tables below provides the breakdown.
B) Half Marathon (Women)
The overall women's half marathon from all categories comprises of 77 % and 23 % Malaysian and foreign px respectively . Of the Malaysian px, 12 % were Malays, 79 % Chinese, 5 % Indian and 4 % of unknown race. The total number of women half marathon finishers was 141.
The racial distribution by race category is tabled below:-
Conclusions:-
The second part will analyse various statistics related to the finishing times. Did you finish with an average time ? Did you finish in the top 10 %, 25% or bottom 10% :-(? All will be revealed in the second part - stay tuned.
A) Marathon Finishers (Men and Women)
The overall men's marathon from all categories comprises of 78% and 22 % Malaysian and foreign participants (px) respectively . Of the Malaysian px, 14.6 % were Malays, 74.2% Chinese, 9.6 % Indian and 1.7 % of unknown race. The total number of Men's marathon finishers was 775.
The distribution of finishers per the three race categories (open, junior veteran and senior veteran) according to race is similiar to the overall distribution.
The number of women marathon finishers was 86. Foreign runners made up 43 % of the women marathoners. The most interesting result was the breakdown of Malaysian women marathon finishers by race. Overwhelmingly, 90% (50) of the finishers were Chinese women with the remaining 10% (5) Malay. There were no Malaysian Indian women finishers in the Women's marathon.
B) Half Marathon (Men)
The overall men's half marathon from all categories comprises of 88% and 12 % Malaysian and foreign px respectively . Of the Malaysian px, 22 % were Malays, 64 % Chinese, 12 % Indian and 2 % of unknown race. The total number of Men's half marathon finishers was 725.
For the men's half marathon. the racial distribution by race category is substantially different from the overall distribution. The tables below provides the breakdown.
| Half Marathon Men's - Open | |||
| Total Px | 402 | ||
| Malaysian | 352 | ||
| Race | Nos | % | |
| Malay | 85 | 24.1 | |
| Chinese | 206 | 58.5 | |
| Indian | 53 | 15.1 | |
| Unknown | 8 | 2.3 | |
| Total | 352 | 100 | |
| Half Marathon Men's - Veteran | |||
| Total Px | 323 | ||
| Malaysian | 285 | ||
| Race | Nos | % | |
| Malay | 55 | 19.3 | |
| Chinese | 199 | 69.8 | |
| Indian | 26 | 9.1 | |
| Unknown | 5 | 1.8 | |
| Total | 285 | 100 | |
B) Half Marathon (Women)
The overall women's half marathon from all categories comprises of 77 % and 23 % Malaysian and foreign px respectively . Of the Malaysian px, 12 % were Malays, 79 % Chinese, 5 % Indian and 4 % of unknown race. The total number of women half marathon finishers was 141.
The racial distribution by race category is tabled below:-
| Half Marathon - Women's Open | ||
| Total Px | 81 | |
| Malaysian | 64 | |
| Race | Nos | % |
| Malay | 9 | 14.1 |
| Chinese | 51 | 79.7 |
| Indian | 3 | 4.7 |
| Unknown | 1 | 1.6 |
| Total | 64 | 100 |
| Half Marathon - Women's Veteran | ||
| Total Px | 60 | |
| Malaysian | 45 | |
| Race | Nos | % |
| Malay | 4 | 8.9 |
| Chinese | 35 | 77.8 |
| Indian | 3 | 6.7 |
| Unknown | 3 | 6.7 |
| Total | 45 | 100 |
Conclusions:-
- Malaysian women comprises 15% of the Malaysian finishers in the half marathon while for the marathon it is 7.5 %.
- The majority of Malaysian marathon finishers are of Chinese descent with % ranging from 74% for men and 90% for women.
- Malays made up 15% and 9 % of men and women marathon finishers respectively.
- Malaysian Indian men made up 10 % of the men marathon finishers. There were no Indian women finishers in the women's marathon.
- Malay men made up 22 % of the half marathon finishers while for Malay women it is 12 %.
Late Night - KLIM 2005 Analysis
Slept at 1.30 am last night. I was working through an Excel spreadsheet to analyse the half and full marathon races from KLIM 2005. Report coming out soon. Today, feeling zzzz..........
Friday, March 11, 2005
Post KLIM 2005 Training (Mond-Friday)
My right knee was very sore after KLIM. It is a problem I've had since 2002 when I tore my meniscus in two areas. The knee meniscus is a two piece cartilage shaped like a C. It sits between the cartilages covering the thigh bone and lower leg bone. It's main function is to spread the forces evenly to the cartilage surfaces to absorb impact.
Mine is torn; one is a minor tear and the 2nd is a major tear. That was its condition in March 2002. Current condition is unknown. Most of the time, it is OK but sometimes it is not. I know the damage is still there and it will only heal slowly if I stop running for maybe one year. I am not about to do that. Back to post KLIM training:-
Monday : Walked around KLCC track with Devi for 5.2 km. Legs still sore , r. knee improving but still sore.
Tuesday : Day off from running , decided to take a rest.
Wednesday : Ran 4 km. One lap with Mr Speedy Azwar, maybe 6 min 15 second. There was this Mat Salleh guy who ran ahead of us. Every time we ran closer, he deliberately ran faster to stay ahead; %$#&*!. After one lap, he is pancit (tired) already. Serves him right! Alas I became pancit as well as the pace was too fast for me. After the run, I was talking with Gan when Justine showed up in office attire. Spent a long time talking about running and coach potatoes who don't exercise.
Saw a slim and atractive girl wearing a white T-shirt and bright red track bottom. I think her track bottom is way too tight but I am not complaining.
Thursday : Legs almost OK and r knee slightly sore. Ran with Yong for 3.9 km and continued alone for another 1.3 km. First day of training for Yong after his marathon on Sunday.
Thursday night watched VCD "Without Limits" about Steve Prefontaine, the top US runner in the 1970s. The movie has a piece of running history as Prefontaine's coach is Bill Bowerman, the inventor of the waffle pattern outersole (from rubber) and founder of Nike. Thanks to Jamie for the VCD.
Friday : Legs OK and r. knee improving too - Yipee!. It was raining and quite cool when I started running at 6.15 pm. Ran 3 x 1.3 km with Newton at slow pace. After Newton left - (he ran 11.7 km - no short distances for this guy even 4 days after his 1/2 marathon) , I decided to push the pace. It felt great to run at a faster pace. The temperature was cool with no hot sun - very conducive for fast running.
Ronnie and Azwar was running as well at their normal blazing speed.
No attractive girls sighted but that is OK as I enjoyed today's run very much.
Mine is torn; one is a minor tear and the 2nd is a major tear. That was its condition in March 2002. Current condition is unknown. Most of the time, it is OK but sometimes it is not. I know the damage is still there and it will only heal slowly if I stop running for maybe one year. I am not about to do that. Back to post KLIM training:-
Monday : Walked around KLCC track with Devi for 5.2 km. Legs still sore , r. knee improving but still sore.
Tuesday : Day off from running , decided to take a rest.
Wednesday : Ran 4 km. One lap with Mr Speedy Azwar, maybe 6 min 15 second. There was this Mat Salleh guy who ran ahead of us. Every time we ran closer, he deliberately ran faster to stay ahead; %$#&*!. After one lap, he is pancit (tired) already. Serves him right! Alas I became pancit as well as the pace was too fast for me. After the run, I was talking with Gan when Justine showed up in office attire. Spent a long time talking about running and coach potatoes who don't exercise.
Saw a slim and atractive girl wearing a white T-shirt and bright red track bottom. I think her track bottom is way too tight but I am not complaining.
Thursday : Legs almost OK and r knee slightly sore. Ran with Yong for 3.9 km and continued alone for another 1.3 km. First day of training for Yong after his marathon on Sunday.
Thursday night watched VCD "Without Limits" about Steve Prefontaine, the top US runner in the 1970s. The movie has a piece of running history as Prefontaine's coach is Bill Bowerman, the inventor of the waffle pattern outersole (from rubber) and founder of Nike. Thanks to Jamie for the VCD.
Friday : Legs OK and r. knee improving too - Yipee!. It was raining and quite cool when I started running at 6.15 pm. Ran 3 x 1.3 km with Newton at slow pace. After Newton left - (he ran 11.7 km - no short distances for this guy even 4 days after his 1/2 marathon) , I decided to push the pace. It felt great to run at a faster pace. The temperature was cool with no hot sun - very conducive for fast running.
Ronnie and Azwar was running as well at their normal blazing speed.
No attractive girls sighted but that is OK as I enjoyed today's run very much.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
KLIM 2005 - 21 km Race Report (very long)
On Saturday, some of the runners met at Dave's Deli in Mid Valley. As Jamie's report said, everybody was relaxed despite the next day's challenge.
The 21 km course started from Dataran Merdeka and the route followed several major highways in Kuala Lumpur. The route map is available at the official KLIM site.
Saturday night
I planned to sleep early and by 10.00 pm was already in bed. As it turns out. sleep did not come easily and at I managed to fall asleep at 1.00 am.
Sunday.
At 4.00 am (3 hrs sleep) my trusty alarm clock started to beep furiously. A second alarm from my Timex Ironman Triathlon watch also started to buzz. No more sleep for me but surprisingly I was not feeling sleepy- the adrenaline must have to started to kick in early.
I drove along the Federal highway and at 5.00 am was already at bus stop on the flyover in front of Armada hotel. I put on my shoes and settled down to wait for Kenneth. At 5.06 am, a car behind me started to flash it's headlights. It must be Kenneth. He too was early although rendevous time was 5.15 am.
Dataran Merdeka
We reached the planned parking area and started to prepare stuff for the race. Reporting card, gels (2x), camera, wallet and RM 10 in my wrist wallet. We walked to Dataran Merdeka from Dayabumi complex. As we walked, a cool breeze blew in the opposite direction. We reached Dataran just after 5.30 am. It was quite deserted as the marathoners had left at 5.00 am. Met Ketam Batu, Bernice and Ajeep. Ajeep looked to be quite nervous (his first half marathon). We spent the time looking for places to pee (I peed 3x) , walking around and warming up. Other familiar faces turned up; Karim, Azwar, Karim, Chin TM, Newton, Cheong, Justine, MJ, Kenny and Ronnie. Kwok Foo was also there with an iPod.
The runners for the 21 km were starting from a caged enclonsure. We had to line-up in two rows and two officials took our reporting cards and wrote down our bib numbers. Kenneth and I got in just 10 minutes before 6.30 am.
Race start and first 5 km
I was expecting a gun start but instead there was a 5 number countdown. The crowd started to move forward but had the race started or was everyone getting into a start position? I shuffled my feet faster as it became apparent the race had started. As I passed by the starting line there were several photographers taking shots - I gave a thumbs up sign and my best grin as well.
The initial route was along Jln Sultan Hishamuddin. It was still dark and several guys took advantage of the darkness, to water the plants in front of Dayabumi. Kenneth and I mantained a slow initial pace. Then we went up even steeper roads. I had to run very close to the road edge as the crowd was still thick. We powered up the hill and down to Jalan Istana. On the Federal highway, we caught up with Kwok-Fok here and we chatted as we ran along at comfortable pace. The first water station was at the 4.5 km mark and was well stocked with water and isotonic drinks.
Saw a short haired girl with two knots tied to the back of her hair. Managed to peek at her face before overtaking; chinese, cute round face with big eyes. Wore black shorts. Looks friendly and perky. Sometime later, she ran ahead and dissapeared.
5 km to 10 km.
It was very pleasant running along the Jln Syed Putra. Ihad a sense of freedom as the road was closed to traffic. For a while I ran in the middle of the road. Out of nowhere, a taxi sped by and I retreated back to the left most lane.
Soon we turned left to the KL-Seremban highway and had to run uphill for about 1 km. Damm! Here Kenneth reminded me to run at a pace suited for an uphill run. We shortened our strides, pumped our arms and slowed down slightly. Came across Chin Tuck Meng here - he was also pumping away too. There was another station (at 10 km) just before the top and I shouted to Kenneth "Do we stop or not?" We stopped and drank some water. At the 10 km mark, our pace was 63 minutes. Below and behind us, a steady stream of runners moved up this "hill" - some had been reduced to walking.
Throughout the 5 to 10 km route, another guy (yellow vest , wearing tinted glasses) had attached himself behind me and Kenneth. He was using us as pacers, running just 1-2 m behind. It was quite irritating as he was running too close and I feared he would trip me. Sometimes I moved to the right, glanced behind and was expecting him to overtake us. But he never did....... GRRR!
10 km to 15 km
This part is where we reached Jln Lapangan Terbang. We slowed down a bit in this stretch. Our unwelcomed "Pacer" had overtaken us and moved ahead. But I could still see his yellow vest, head hunched down grinding away at the tarmac. We came to an uphill stretch and we decided to "power run" up this stretch.
I saw the "pig tail" girl again - by now her black shorts was wet,sticky and creased with sweat. Could see her bottom move up and down in sync with her feet as she ran PM19 style. Random thoughts went into my mind as I stared on but must focus on the race.
I ran a bit harder to catch up with girl and made my move to the left. I fired off a "Hi" greeting and she replied "Hi" with a slight smile. Hmm, a prospect - what is my next line ? But she was quite breathless and I could see she was giving everything she had. I ran for a while beside her until Kenneth showed up. Had to leave her behind to continue with the race.
Jln Imbi - this was the worst part as this road was not closed to traffic. Why not - dear organiser ? We had to run squeezed between the cars parked at the right and cars moving on the right lane. To make things worse, the 5 km/hr traffic (students) was also running on the same road.
15 to 22 km
The final 7 km was in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. At Jln Sultan Ismail, there was a booth with a water spray. Raised my arms and ran through the water spray. Never mind my sweaty armpits - the spray will wash it off and suspend them momentarily in the mist for the next runner to inhale, ha-ha.
Legs were becoming stiff and knee started to hurt. Both of us slowed down a lot. The "yellow vest" guy was just 50 m in front. I said to Kenneth "Let's overtake this guy near the finishing line". But he seemed to be tiring so we ran past him. I had a good look at him and park his mug in my memory bank. GRRRR....next time..........brader.
From Jln Sultan Ismail, we turned left to Jln Tungku Abdul Rahman. On the left beside Pertama complex (PC) runners were pouring into Jln TAR. Were they marathoners ? Nope, they were 10 km runner. At this point I wanted to dash to the finishing line. But then I remembered we had to make a complete loop around PC to Jln Raja Laut and back to Jln TAR.
So another loop we went around PC, Kenneth reminding me to pace properly so as we give a strong finishing kick. When we went passed the last traffic light on Jln TAR, both of us sprinted off. This fellow Kenneth is a strong runner and shot off like a 100 m sprinter.
Time : 2 hrs 17 min 02 secons
Position:238
Post race
After the race, I hung around to meet other runners. Met Bernice and Andrew and we sat down to rest our tired bodies. Bernice had run 1 hr 57 minute , a remarkable performance and she stilll looked fresh. Julian and his female friend had finished their 10 km race. Met Sukaimi who ran his first marathon in 3 hrs 46 minutes. The guy looked to be strong enough to immediately run another marathon.
Later Kenneth and I proceeded to join the oher runners near the bridge. We sat down and cheered as our marathoner friends made the last 100 m distance. Saw Haris (first marathon), Jamie and Steven, all running PRs in about 4 hrs 40 minutes.
Good :
The 21 km course started from Dataran Merdeka and the route followed several major highways in Kuala Lumpur. The route map is available at the official KLIM site.
Saturday night
I planned to sleep early and by 10.00 pm was already in bed. As it turns out. sleep did not come easily and at I managed to fall asleep at 1.00 am.
Sunday.
At 4.00 am (3 hrs sleep) my trusty alarm clock started to beep furiously. A second alarm from my Timex Ironman Triathlon watch also started to buzz. No more sleep for me but surprisingly I was not feeling sleepy- the adrenaline must have to started to kick in early.
I drove along the Federal highway and at 5.00 am was already at bus stop on the flyover in front of Armada hotel. I put on my shoes and settled down to wait for Kenneth. At 5.06 am, a car behind me started to flash it's headlights. It must be Kenneth. He too was early although rendevous time was 5.15 am.
Dataran Merdeka
We reached the planned parking area and started to prepare stuff for the race. Reporting card, gels (2x), camera, wallet and RM 10 in my wrist wallet. We walked to Dataran Merdeka from Dayabumi complex. As we walked, a cool breeze blew in the opposite direction. We reached Dataran just after 5.30 am. It was quite deserted as the marathoners had left at 5.00 am. Met Ketam Batu, Bernice and Ajeep. Ajeep looked to be quite nervous (his first half marathon). We spent the time looking for places to pee (I peed 3x) , walking around and warming up. Other familiar faces turned up; Karim, Azwar, Karim, Chin TM, Newton, Cheong, Justine, MJ, Kenny and Ronnie. Kwok Foo was also there with an iPod.
The runners for the 21 km were starting from a caged enclonsure. We had to line-up in two rows and two officials took our reporting cards and wrote down our bib numbers. Kenneth and I got in just 10 minutes before 6.30 am.
Race start and first 5 km
I was expecting a gun start but instead there was a 5 number countdown. The crowd started to move forward but had the race started or was everyone getting into a start position? I shuffled my feet faster as it became apparent the race had started. As I passed by the starting line there were several photographers taking shots - I gave a thumbs up sign and my best grin as well.
The initial route was along Jln Sultan Hishamuddin. It was still dark and several guys took advantage of the darkness, to water the plants in front of Dayabumi. Kenneth and I mantained a slow initial pace. Then we went up even steeper roads. I had to run very close to the road edge as the crowd was still thick. We powered up the hill and down to Jalan Istana. On the Federal highway, we caught up with Kwok-Fok here and we chatted as we ran along at comfortable pace. The first water station was at the 4.5 km mark and was well stocked with water and isotonic drinks.
Saw a short haired girl with two knots tied to the back of her hair. Managed to peek at her face before overtaking; chinese, cute round face with big eyes. Wore black shorts. Looks friendly and perky. Sometime later, she ran ahead and dissapeared.
5 km to 10 km.
It was very pleasant running along the Jln Syed Putra. Ihad a sense of freedom as the road was closed to traffic. For a while I ran in the middle of the road. Out of nowhere, a taxi sped by and I retreated back to the left most lane.
Soon we turned left to the KL-Seremban highway and had to run uphill for about 1 km. Damm! Here Kenneth reminded me to run at a pace suited for an uphill run. We shortened our strides, pumped our arms and slowed down slightly. Came across Chin Tuck Meng here - he was also pumping away too. There was another station (at 10 km) just before the top and I shouted to Kenneth "Do we stop or not?" We stopped and drank some water. At the 10 km mark, our pace was 63 minutes. Below and behind us, a steady stream of runners moved up this "hill" - some had been reduced to walking.
Throughout the 5 to 10 km route, another guy (yellow vest , wearing tinted glasses) had attached himself behind me and Kenneth. He was using us as pacers, running just 1-2 m behind. It was quite irritating as he was running too close and I feared he would trip me. Sometimes I moved to the right, glanced behind and was expecting him to overtake us. But he never did....... GRRR!
10 km to 15 km
This part is where we reached Jln Lapangan Terbang. We slowed down a bit in this stretch. Our unwelcomed "Pacer" had overtaken us and moved ahead. But I could still see his yellow vest, head hunched down grinding away at the tarmac. We came to an uphill stretch and we decided to "power run" up this stretch.
I saw the "pig tail" girl again - by now her black shorts was wet,sticky and creased with sweat. Could see her bottom move up and down in sync with her feet as she ran PM19 style. Random thoughts went into my mind as I stared on but must focus on the race.
I ran a bit harder to catch up with girl and made my move to the left. I fired off a "Hi" greeting and she replied "Hi" with a slight smile. Hmm, a prospect - what is my next line ? But she was quite breathless and I could see she was giving everything she had. I ran for a while beside her until Kenneth showed up. Had to leave her behind to continue with the race.
Jln Imbi - this was the worst part as this road was not closed to traffic. Why not - dear organiser ? We had to run squeezed between the cars parked at the right and cars moving on the right lane. To make things worse, the 5 km/hr traffic (students) was also running on the same road.
15 to 22 km
The final 7 km was in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. At Jln Sultan Ismail, there was a booth with a water spray. Raised my arms and ran through the water spray. Never mind my sweaty armpits - the spray will wash it off and suspend them momentarily in the mist for the next runner to inhale, ha-ha.
Legs were becoming stiff and knee started to hurt. Both of us slowed down a lot. The "yellow vest" guy was just 50 m in front. I said to Kenneth "Let's overtake this guy near the finishing line". But he seemed to be tiring so we ran past him. I had a good look at him and park his mug in my memory bank. GRRRR....next time..........brader.
From Jln Sultan Ismail, we turned left to Jln Tungku Abdul Rahman. On the left beside Pertama complex (PC) runners were pouring into Jln TAR. Were they marathoners ? Nope, they were 10 km runner. At this point I wanted to dash to the finishing line. But then I remembered we had to make a complete loop around PC to Jln Raja Laut and back to Jln TAR.
So another loop we went around PC, Kenneth reminding me to pace properly so as we give a strong finishing kick. When we went passed the last traffic light on Jln TAR, both of us sprinted off. This fellow Kenneth is a strong runner and shot off like a 100 m sprinter.
Time : 2 hrs 17 min 02 secons
Position:238
Post race
After the race, I hung around to meet other runners. Met Bernice and Andrew and we sat down to rest our tired bodies. Bernice had run 1 hr 57 minute , a remarkable performance and she stilll looked fresh. Julian and his female friend had finished their 10 km race. Met Sukaimi who ran his first marathon in 3 hrs 46 minutes. The guy looked to be strong enough to immediately run another marathon.
Later Kenneth and I proceeded to join the oher runners near the bridge. We sat down and cheered as our marathoner friends made the last 100 m distance. Saw Haris (first marathon), Jamie and Steven, all running PRs in about 4 hrs 40 minutes.
Good :
- Plenty of water and isotonic drinks
- Good traffic control except at the Jln Imbi stretch
- Breakfast
- Sufficient medical personnel along route.
- The ugly looking 21 km medal.
- Lack of facilities for supporters especially children - Singapore had a mobile playground.
- Registration screw ups.
- Lack of atmosphere - where was the music ?
- Insufficient mobile toilets.
- Distance markers were written on the ground and easily missed. Signboards would be more practical and useful.
Monday, March 07, 2005
So Sad - Malay girls/women and Exercise
My KLIM race report will be coming up soon.
This morning I took a look at the KLIM race results. Besides looking at the results of my runner friends, what I found interesting was the partipation according to race. I had a chance to analyse the statistics for Malay women/girls. Here are the results, percentage of Malay women/girls :-
This morning I took a look at the KLIM race results. Besides looking at the results of my runner friends, what I found interesting was the partipation according to race. I had a chance to analyse the statistics for Malay women/girls. Here are the results, percentage of Malay women/girls :-
- Women's Marathon, open: 19 runners of which 36 are Malaysian. Only 2 malay women (10%).
- Women's Marathon, veteran (age 35+): 50 runners of which 44 are Malaysian. Only 2 malay women(5 %).
- Women's Half marathon, open : 81 runners of which 73 are Malaysian. Only 8 malay women (11%).
- Women's half marathon, veteran (age 35+): 60 runners of which 47 are Malaysian. Only 3 malay women (6 %).
The pattern is for women runners below 35 years old, only 10% are Malay women, while for those above 35 years old, the percentage is halved to 5%.
Considering, Malays are 65% of the population in Malaysia, , Malay female "serious" runners are grossly under represented. Why? This subject will be featured in a future blog.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Excited
KLIM is just 3 days away. At 6.30 am this Sunday me, my runner friends and thousands will start the 21 km race. Others who are running the marathon would have started an hour earlier. I will probably see some runners on the Federal highway as I drive to KL. Many of my friends (David, Jason, Sim and Haris) will be running the marathon for the first time.
I have been thinking about this race since Sunday. I become excited whenever it comes to my mind, for one, it is earliest month in a year I have run a 21 km race. In previous years, I run half marathon races strarting from June. Before June I run in 10 km races. Secondly it is the first time I've run a 21 km race in KL. Thirdly, I will get to meet many running aquitances outside of the Klang valley.
Regardless of the time I run this Sunday, it will be blast! I wish all those running this Sunday, the best especially the marathoners. "Make Pain Your Best Friend during the Run."
I have been thinking about this race since Sunday. I become excited whenever it comes to my mind, for one, it is earliest month in a year I have run a 21 km race. In previous years, I run half marathon races strarting from June. Before June I run in 10 km races. Secondly it is the first time I've run a 21 km race in KL. Thirdly, I will get to meet many running aquitances outside of the Klang valley.
Regardless of the time I run this Sunday, it will be blast! I wish all those running this Sunday, the best especially the marathoners. "Make Pain Your Best Friend during the Run."
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