I want to Shop!

PM19 is going to Bali tomorrow for the 4th time. I went to Bali in 2004 and liked the place a lot too. The things I enjoyed the most were the cultural stuff like watching the dances, shadow puppet shows (Wayang Kulit) and the wide variety of cuisine.

I ran yesterday with Gan. As customary when I am running with Gan, the pace will not be slow. We hit sub 7 min 30 seconds pace for three laps (1.3 km each) until both of us were tired. After that we power walked for another two laps at maybe 10-11 minutes per lap (7 to 8 km/hr). Total distance = 6.5 km.

Today I had a more leisurely run at KLCC park but first I ran two fast two alone. I met Newton and we continue to run together. A lap later we came across Jamie and I did 2 more laps. All three laps were run at 8 min. 45 seconds. Total distance = 6.5 km. My right is a bit sore tonight.

After reading up on some shoe reviews, I have decided to buy Saucony Progrid Triump 4. This shoe received an excellent review in Runners World U.K. Jamie mentioned this shoe when we were running today. I have actually worn a Saucony shoe way back in 2001. I loved that shoe but I left it on the bus when I returned to Kuala Lumpur from the Penang Bridge Run. Very soon afterwards, Saucony shoes were no longer available in Malaysia.

I have added a few more items to my shopping list in Singapore:-

• DVDs : In addition to the "Lelaki Komunis Terakhir" ,I will be looking for "The Big Durian"and a box set of "M.A.S.H, the TV series".
  
  
• Books at Borders or Kinokouniya.

Tired 3 Days

The last 3 days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) have not been great training days. On Friday I was around at KLCC park but I couldn't run because my right knee was sore. So I had to walk, walk and walk for one hour. Walking is so boring. Nothing beats running.

I also didn't run much over the the weekend. I tried to run on Saturday evening but my left foot hurt after just running 400m. So it was another one hour walking session. On Sunday, I only walked for 30 minutes. Two days walkijg was enough for me but today (Monday) my left foot is better. Right knee is still sore. Hopefully I can run today.

Two weeks ago I ordered some vitamins, phytochemicals and glucosamine-MSM tablets from the USA. I appointed Pos Malaysia as my agent to clear them past customs at the KL International airports. Last week I received a letter from the Pharmaceutical and Drugs Dept. of Malaysia. The stuff I have ordered has been marked as "Unregistered drugs and substances" and illegal importation is subject to a fine of Ringgit 50,000 and a jail sentence.
Well the tablets worth USD 150 is now stuck at the customs. Maybe they will be destroyed off or become "misplaced". The tablets I bought contained substances that have been generically approved in Malaysia. True, the brands have not been approved and registered in Malaysia but someone at the Pharmacy department can at least read the labels, could'nt they ? In fact, last year I ordered the similar products without going through the same problem. Why now?

Singapore Shopping List

I will be going to Singapore for a meeting on 2nd April. I have already prepared a shopping list for things I want to buy in Singapore.

1. ASICS GT-2110 (not the 2120) to replace my 2 year old ASICS GT-2100.
   
   
2. 2 pairs of impact absorbing orthortics.
   
   
3. 1 new split notch type running shorts. My old shorts which I used to wear in 2003 doesn't fit anymore :-(
   
   
4. DVDs in particular "Lelaki Komunis Terakhir" by Malaysian film maker, Amir Muhammad. His latest documentary "Apa Khabar Orang Kampung" has just been banned by the authorities in Boleh Land.

Indoor Running

I had to run on a treadmill for 3 days since Monday (rested on Tuesday). My left foot pain has eased a bit. I was able to run on Wednesday (5 km) and Thursday (5km).

Yesterday's workout was more interesting and quite strenous than the previous two. I ran for 500m at 8.0 km/hr followed by another 500 m at 9.0 kmh/hr, a total of 1.0 km. For the next 2 km, I ran at a constant pace 10.3 km/hr. For the last 2 km, I increased the treadmill speed to 10.8 km/hr. It was quite hard going to keep running. One guy who was also running for 20 minutes looked over checked me out a few times. I don't know what that was about though

My training plans for March and April is to gradually increase my training distance to 8 to 10 km. I also plan to improve my speed as measured on the treadmill to 11.0 km/hr and be able to maintain it for at least 10 km. I don't plan to do any long runs yet.

I hope it doesn't run this evening again and I will be able to run outdoors.

Wednesday : Foot Pain

I ran 6km on the treadmill yesterday. Average speed ; first 5 km : 10.3 km/hr and last 1 km 10.5 km/hr.

When I woke up this morning and stood up, my left foot hurt. More precisely, the bottom of my left foot was tight and sore. It felt as though there was a rubber band stretched a bit too tight across the arch. After I walked around for a few minutes, the tight and sore sensations disappeared and didn't appear for the whole day. But now as I am typing this in my room, I could feel a sore sensation when I rub my fingers across the arch. It's probably the beginnings of plantar fasciitis. I am glad I didn't run today.

I think I've experience this before a long time ago and made a full recovery. I certainly don't want it to become worse, so I may not run tomorrow if the area is still a bit tender.

Monday : Easy Run

Today was an easy run day for me. I didn't run at KLCC park but hit the treadmill at the fitness centre. I kept boredom at bay by listening to Hiroshima on my iPod and watching other exercisers running on the treadmill. In particular I "observed" one well endowed Chinese girl running furiously on a treadmill two treadmills away from me. It was too bad she was wearing a loose fitting white T-shirt:-)

She is quite a good runner, possibly running at 8 or 9 km/hr and she was already running when I started and she kept going for a few minutes more after I stopped my run.

Distance run : 6.0 km
Time : about 35 minutes
Pace : 10.3 km/hr

KL International Marathon (KLIM) 2007 Photos

My plan was to be present at Dataran Merdeka before 6.00 am in time for the flag off for the half marathon run. But I woke up late this morning and only reached Dataran Merdeka at 6.30pm.I didn't participate in any event during this years KLIM. Here are some of the photos I took during the event:-

The rest of the photos are in this album.

Note I've made the album Public. You can see the photos now. (Thanks, Jamie)

Malaysia Boleh ! (Malaysian Can !)

I managed to get air tickets in Sudan that enabled me to leave Khartoum on Thursday night instead of Saturday night. It was a long journey home as I had to fly from Khartoum to Dubai (3.5 hrs) and transit in Dubai airport for 4 hrs from midnight t0 11.30 pm to 3.30 am. If you transiting in Dubai airport, be prepared for the crowds and lack of space and seats. You may end up sitting on the floors because all the chairs are occupied.

I boarded an Emirates flight from Dubai to Singapore at 3.20am. There were many Indonesian women (20 or so) boarding the flight as well. They were probbaly working as maids in the middle east. Unknown to me, after 3.5 hrs of flying the airplane stopped in Colombo, Sri Lanka for 1.5 hrs to pick up some passengers. After another 3.5 hrs, I finally arrive in Singapore at 4.00 pm. At 6.20pm. I caught another flight (1 hour) to Kuala Lumpur.

Altogether, the return trip took 18 hours through 3 countries (United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Singapore). A long and tiring trip but it was better than spending the weekend in Khartoum.

Malaysian Airlines has been named as the 3rd best Cabin staff in 2006. 1st place was Thai Airways, 2nd ranked was Qatar Airways and at 5th place, Singapore Airlines. Malaysian Airlines (MAS) also won "The Best Economy Class". Well the economy class in MAS is not cheap compared to other airlines but at least you know it is the "best".

My blog site has a new look. After 3 years, I was getting bored at how it looked.

KLIM Runners !

SMART Tunnel Run Photo taken by Runwitme (Thanks, dude!) when I was on way to the finishing line. I GIVE UP!.
My best wishes to all of the KLIM runners especially the Pacemaker guys/girls. Give it all your best and if you are not satisfied with your result, there is always next year's race. It's too bad I could not be there to run or even cheer you on. By the time you have started the race, I will be in an airplane flying in the skiers over the Middle East. I hope you won't give-up like I did during the SMART tunnel run.

I will be staying again at the Grand Hotel Villa hotel in Khartoum. It is a hotel owned by a Malaysian company. The good thing about the hotel is there is Malaysian food available in the restaurant. The not so good things are the hotel standards is not up to the mark, dealing with the unhelpful/haughty staff at the reception desk and the almost useless/ ancient treadmill in the so called "fitness centre".

SMART Tunnel Run Race 11 March 2007 - Report

Two weeks ago I quietly and secretly registered for the SMART Tunnel Run. I didn't tell anyone expect one person (he is not a Pacemaker runner) as I really wasn't too sure if I would go ahead to run on the day of the race (today). The distance was quite daunting (16 km) and in my current state of fitness, I doubted my ability to be able to run the entire distance. I was quite sure I would be able to run at least 5 km but beyond that either my stamina or my knee would fail.

After collecting my race bibs on Friday when I had to walk 4 km to and from the Central Market to the Wisma OCM, I thought I would decide on Saturday night if I would go or not to the run. The decision was made for the moment I held the bibs in my hands, I knew I would be there on Sunday morning. I have not run any race in a year and I missed running races a lot. I decided not to wear the Pacemaker vest as I didn't think it would look good for the Pacemaker group if I end up walking most of the course. So I wore last year's Great Eastern 30k vest.

I arrived a bit too early at the car park (6.15am) and walked to the white coloured tents. There was not much to do so I made myself comfortable in one of the plastic chairs. I met Ronnie and Rachel near the start line a few minutes before 7.30 am. It was announced that the race distance is 13.3 km instead of 16km. A bonus for me.

The men's open category was "shot" off a bit later than 7.30 am. It was announced the race start would be broadcasted live on TV. I guess only when there are VIPs present, in this case, the Prime Minister can we expect some TV coverage. Running is a low profile sports in the media here although the local town/city councils are the organiser for many races in Malaysia. I am not one to gripe about these matters but the only politician that has ever run a marathon is the honourable Datuk Shahrir Samad and he is not exactly a typical Malaysian politician. I guess the rest of the herd, plays golf.

But back to the start for my category. The start was delayed again for about 10 minutes. I am not sure what time it started but I sure ran quite slowly when it did. From the start, it was about 400m to the main road. I was trying very hard to keep a slow pace until I reached the tunnel section (6 km long). This is where the men will be separated from the boys ha-ha!.

I was running quite well in the tunnel until 26 min. 30 seconds when the stifling heat and humidity caught up with me. BTW, the tunnel is surprisingly small although there are two vehicle lanes in it. I guess you don't notice the small size unless you are foolish enough to run in one. My first walk break came just after 26 min. 30 seconds.

I restarted my run after walking for about 100m with an Indian man who had stopped running for one year due to an accident. Later he told me he had been hospitalised for 3 weeks from dengue fever He had just checked out 2 weeks ago and now he is running in a fairly challenging conditions.

After running through the tunnel for about 35 minutes, I came to the open road. I saw Tai, a regular Pacesetter runners and fellow enthusiast running towards an ambulance. What was he up to ? He managed to get a bottle of water from the ambulance guys. He drank some and kindly passed the bottle to me. I took some water and passed the half full bottle to the Indian guy. He drank some and poured some over his head. Then he passed the quarter full bottle to the other side of the road barrier to another runner. If you are wondering why this is happening, the first drink station ran out of water. They never learn do they ?

It was pretty much downhill for me from there on - I mostly walked my way through the tunnel on the way back. I tried to run at short bursts a few times but just I just did not have the endurance to keep going at a sustained pace.

Near the tunnel exit, I met Run wit Me. After I went out of the tunnel, there was only about one km to the finish line. This is where I made a last ditch effort to grab the 100 medals on offer. I sped through the tired runners/walkers and overtook a few of the Category C participants. But alas, the 100 medals were gone by the time I crossed the finishing line in 1 hour 33 min. 15 seconds. Out of this, I probably spent about 15 to 20 minutes of walking.

After the race, I did not come across the rest of the Pacemaker Group except for PM3 and Adam.

Now know the current state of my fitness to run distances longer than 5 km. There is a lot of training ahead of me to run farther and I have to do it within the constraints of my injury.

See you guys in a future race!.

Bad News

I just got my flight tickets for my trip to Sudan next week.

I was dismayed to discover that I had to stay in Khartoum on their weekend (Friday and Saturday). I will fly from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai on Malaysian Airlines on Tuesday. From Dubai on the same day I will fly to Khartoum and arrive at 6.25 pm.

I have to attend meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. I had hoped to catch a flight on Friday and be back in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, just in time for me to see the KL International Marathon on Sunday. But instead due to unavailability of air tickets on Friday, I have to stay in Khartoum on a weekend there : Friday and Saturday. I will only be leaving Khartoum at 8.00 pm and have to transits at two airports; Dubai and Singapore. My return flights duration including transit time will take about 18 hours.

Two days in Khartoum - what shall or can I do to occupy my time? Honestly, there is mot much to do or see in Khartoum. The US embassy website lists the places to visit in Khartoum here. I think I will visit two museums to pass the time away. There are really no places to go for entertainment as cinemas, karaokes, bars, discos are banned by the government. I have no plans to run while I am in Khartoum.

On Thursday, I ran at KLCC park with Newton and Cheong. I haven't meet the two guys for at least six months so we spend the time catching up on our respective running and exercise activities. I ran two laps with them and after they stopped, I continued another two laps with a fast pace last lap. Total = 5.2 km.

Trip to Sudan

After two trips to Sudan last year of 3 weeks duration in total, I thought I wouldn't have to go to Sudan for at least a few years. Guess I was wrong as next week I am going to Sudan again!. Mercifully and thanks to the Almighty God, this trip will be very short. I will spend about only 3 nights or possibly 4 nights in Khartoum.

Now my international passport will have visas stamped by countries (Sudan and Pakistan) that for a lack of better words has and still have links to "Islamic Terrorists". I am sure if I apply visa for entry into the U.S.A., I will have go through a rigorous interview. Many Malaysians are not aware that the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur interviews most people who apply for visa. The US authorities has a profiling software to screen high risk individuals. My profile I think would easily fit in the high risk group, I am :-

• Single
• Male
  
• Middle age
• Muslim
• No immediate dependents e.g. wife and children
  
• Has spent time in high risk countries where Al-Qaeda use to or still operates. (Note: Osama bin Laden have lived in both Pakistan and Sudan)

For all I know the CIA, FBI or the National Security Agency (NSA) computers will detect this story with keywords like "Muslim", "Osama" and "bin Laden" appearing here and there.

I had a good run today at KLCC park. For the first 2 laps (1.3km x 2) I ran with Gan who was race walking. His race walking pace is about 9 min per lap (1.3 km). Yong made a rare appearance at KLCC park and I ran with him for 2 more laps. I was not sure of the pace we ran - maybe 8 min per lap. PM1 and Lai F.S was there too. Jamie turned up at 6.50 pm but I had finished my run by then. I think I had satisfying run today and I might run again tomorrow if my knee is OK.

Running Update

Since last week I have been cutting back on my mileage. My plans to increase my runs from 5 to 6.5 km has not materialised.

My worst days were last Friday and Saturday when I wasn't in the mood to run at all. On Friday, I ran 3 km on the treadmill before getting bored. I walked one km and ran the last one km. Total = 5km (287 kcal). On Saturday, I managed to run 1.6 km at the Klang stadium and walked about 2.4 km.

The Sunday run was a lot better for me. I ran with Albert, Jimmy and another Klang Pacer guy. We did the usual 6km route. I managed to keep up with the guys until 5km when I became tired with a sore left quadriceps muscle. I stopped running and walked 100m where I had to run on a badly pot-holed road. I resumed running and finished 6km in 38 minutes.

On Monday, I had a sore left hamstring - a forced rest day.

Today : It is sunny and it looks quite hot but I will be running today.