i miss the weekend already.
Tuesday 22 September 2015
Sunday 20 September 2015
CHAMPION
champion! my first first. unexpected considering the back-to-back. was on the east coast on saturday doing a 12km. and back on the west coast to do this on sunday morning. congratulations to all who completed the run.
oh, i missed my prize giving again. yes, again. i have the tendancy to do that. because i go off to eat. because i need food.
race report - may be very delayed. i'm back hustling. back to the grind. which means between working, i need to balance training and recovery. so. cheerio.
Saturday 19 September 2015
viper challenge: genting king of the mountain
so guess who's queen of the mountain now.
i've always been told i need to concentrate on one thing. do i want to be jack of all trades or master of one?
but i like these kind of stuff. i don't have a preference as to a 10km or a 42km. i like almost all things outdoors, just that i love running more. and i prefer road running over trail running. but i do enjoy them all, obstacle courses included. i had so much fun at my first viper challenge. i was really looking forward to this one. and the added exciting element was of course, roadtrip to genting. i love roadtrips.
so friday afternoon, i left for genting, and look at the stash i brought. mandatory supper items - they are the cupnoodles you have for supper when you are too lazy to get out of your hotel. they are your favourite crisp/chips you have when you have friends over in your hotel room, catching up and laughing about every small thing. they are the crisp you have while playing a poker game or blackjack. they are the chocolates you have in your hotel room, just because. this time, it included eggs to go with my cup noodles because eggs and cup noodles are a match made in heaven. and of course my family is weird like that because they made me bring nasi lemak up to genting.
i had my alarm set for 6 in the morning. i knew i was going to regret the late casino night out the next morning but it's human nature. we stay up late every night. regret it in the morning. then do it all over again. i did not wake up at 6. i was literally dragged out of bed at 640 i kid you not. i jumped up, took the quickest hot shower possible, pulled on my running gear, downed a hot milo, had my moolabar, and rushed out.
we parked at 745am and had to rush to get our registration done. then again, rushed to the baggage storage. mucho gracias to the people who let us through. i know it's our fault for not being early enough. i appreciate the gesture. much apologies and many thanks. i will return the favour, should the circumstance arise, and i were in reversed roles.
i have to say viper challenge was really well organized. i was in the 3rd wave that flagged off. there were a couple of walls to scale over before reaching the starting line. the que for the walls were pretty long. hence we ended up in the 3rd wave. the starting was a 3km run uphill. it was catch up time. well, running was our world, myself and my coach. so, of course we managed to catch up to the first wave. there was no que at the obstacles when i got there, which was great. coach and myself, we both ran at our own pace, his being much faster than mine of course. but he would wait at the obstacles to make sure i got over them safe. thing is i like these kinda things, yet i fear these kinda things at the same time. so i need much reassurance from people to give me the boost of confidence i need to overcome them.
the obstacles ranged from scaling walls, to jumping over fire, to scaling more walls, to crawling in mud, to the infamous monkey bars. my personal favourite was the bouldering wall, that reminded me so much of rock climbing. i liked the weight shifting skill involved. of course my other favourite part was the running.
i remember there being alot of walls to climb. i'm very proud i made them across all, on my own, without assistance. teehee.
after that, it was a 3km downhill run. we flew. seriously. the downhill run was amazing. i felt like supergirl haha. there were a couple of obstacles ending with the monkey bar before you cross the finishing line.
personally, i felt viper genting was much much easier than the normal standard viper challenge 21km in sepang. not only because of the distance, but also, the in terms of obstacles. nonetheless. i enjoyed it alot. i felt it was a fast course. a runners course. but i did hit my knee, earning myself a huge blueblack and my coach kinda sprained his ankle. and i did hear about a couple of incidents. so do becareful when doing the obstacles.
i'll be back viper challenge.
but i like these kind of stuff. i don't have a preference as to a 10km or a 42km. i like almost all things outdoors, just that i love running more. and i prefer road running over trail running. but i do enjoy them all, obstacle courses included. i had so much fun at my first viper challenge. i was really looking forward to this one. and the added exciting element was of course, roadtrip to genting. i love roadtrips.
so friday afternoon, i left for genting, and look at the stash i brought. mandatory supper items - they are the cupnoodles you have for supper when you are too lazy to get out of your hotel. they are your favourite crisp/chips you have when you have friends over in your hotel room, catching up and laughing about every small thing. they are the crisp you have while playing a poker game or blackjack. they are the chocolates you have in your hotel room, just because. this time, it included eggs to go with my cup noodles because eggs and cup noodles are a match made in heaven. and of course my family is weird like that because they made me bring nasi lemak up to genting.
i had my alarm set for 6 in the morning. i knew i was going to regret the late casino night out the next morning but it's human nature. we stay up late every night. regret it in the morning. then do it all over again. i did not wake up at 6. i was literally dragged out of bed at 640 i kid you not. i jumped up, took the quickest hot shower possible, pulled on my running gear, downed a hot milo, had my moolabar, and rushed out.
we parked at 745am and had to rush to get our registration done. then again, rushed to the baggage storage. mucho gracias to the people who let us through. i know it's our fault for not being early enough. i appreciate the gesture. much apologies and many thanks. i will return the favour, should the circumstance arise, and i were in reversed roles.
i have to say viper challenge was really well organized. i was in the 3rd wave that flagged off. there were a couple of walls to scale over before reaching the starting line. the que for the walls were pretty long. hence we ended up in the 3rd wave. the starting was a 3km run uphill. it was catch up time. well, running was our world, myself and my coach. so, of course we managed to catch up to the first wave. there was no que at the obstacles when i got there, which was great. coach and myself, we both ran at our own pace, his being much faster than mine of course. but he would wait at the obstacles to make sure i got over them safe. thing is i like these kinda things, yet i fear these kinda things at the same time. so i need much reassurance from people to give me the boost of confidence i need to overcome them.
the obstacles ranged from scaling walls, to jumping over fire, to scaling more walls, to crawling in mud, to the infamous monkey bars. my personal favourite was the bouldering wall, that reminded me so much of rock climbing. i liked the weight shifting skill involved. of course my other favourite part was the running.
i remember there being alot of walls to climb. i'm very proud i made them across all, on my own, without assistance. teehee.
after that, it was a 3km downhill run. we flew. seriously. the downhill run was amazing. i felt like supergirl haha. there were a couple of obstacles ending with the monkey bar before you cross the finishing line.
personally, i felt viper genting was much much easier than the normal standard viper challenge 21km in sepang. not only because of the distance, but also, the in terms of obstacles. nonetheless. i enjoyed it alot. i felt it was a fast course. a runners course. but i did hit my knee, earning myself a huge blueblack and my coach kinda sprained his ankle. and i did hear about a couple of incidents. so do becareful when doing the obstacles.
i'll be back viper challenge.
Sunday 13 September 2015
pj half marathon 10km
after way too much eating and way too little training in sabah, i didn't want to run this race. i could barely hold a 5 minute 30 second pace for a 10km when I did a 10km before my tmbt, i knew i was off form. plus, the race was merely a week after my tmbt 50km. i probably would not have recovered fully, possibly aching in muscles i never knew existed. and not to mention, i have an injury on my right leg which has been bugging me for 3 weeks. so, running this, was not an option. it was a categorical no. i offered my bib to sinyee to run. unfortunately she was not feeling well. so, as destiny probably had it, i ran the race.
sunday morning, i picked everyone up - coach, sinyee and limin. and i headed towards kelanajaya stadium. you know, when they said pj half marathon had a new route, i expected new route, not new starting location. driving there, we were met with complete silence. last year, the race start of pj half was in the kelanajaya stadium, so expecting the same start venue, i confidently drove there. but there were barely a few people (there were a few lost puppies like us, high five), there was no music, there was no start/finishing arch, there was no emcee, and there were no lights. we kinda figured something was off. so we turned to mister google, and sped off to the correct starting venue. it was 450am when we were still in kelanajaya stadium and flagoff for the 10km was at 530am. so yes, i sped off. the unlucky 21 km-ers flagoff was at 5, so they were definitely pretty damn late to the race start.
we parked. and my warmup was essentially running to the race start. i excuse me-d myself to the front of the starting point with barely a few minutes to spare. i saw khiiren at the start line and went over to him. i don't really know how to describe how i felt. i haven't done a speed race in over a month. my last one was on the 26th of july. so, for me, i kind of expected the worst in terms of performance.
for me, it was just to run at a comfortable pace and hopefully score a new pb. i saw many female runners zooming pass me, including a couple of kenyans but i decided that i should run my own race. in my mind, i was not on form. so in my mind, the race should not be against anyone else, but myself.
the good thing was that i was able to hold the pace i was going at and chase a couple of female runners on the leg. i surprised myself by catching up with 4 of the girls, placing 7th overall, with a new personal best. i was so happy at the finishing line. sinyee and limin were back from their walk, waiting for me at the finishing line flashing big smiles. coach as well. he thought i would be back at the 47th minute mark, so to see me come back almost 2 and a half minutes earlier, was surprising for him. he was mad proud. the joy of the race for me was not in placing, but getting a personal best. i accomplished what i went there to do.
prize giving took pretty long. so we went for breakfast whilst waiting. thanks for waiting with me guys. appreciate it much.
sunday morning, i picked everyone up - coach, sinyee and limin. and i headed towards kelanajaya stadium. you know, when they said pj half marathon had a new route, i expected new route, not new starting location. driving there, we were met with complete silence. last year, the race start of pj half was in the kelanajaya stadium, so expecting the same start venue, i confidently drove there. but there were barely a few people (there were a few lost puppies like us, high five), there was no music, there was no start/finishing arch, there was no emcee, and there were no lights. we kinda figured something was off. so we turned to mister google, and sped off to the correct starting venue. it was 450am when we were still in kelanajaya stadium and flagoff for the 10km was at 530am. so yes, i sped off. the unlucky 21 km-ers flagoff was at 5, so they were definitely pretty damn late to the race start.
we parked. and my warmup was essentially running to the race start. i excuse me-d myself to the front of the starting point with barely a few minutes to spare. i saw khiiren at the start line and went over to him. i don't really know how to describe how i felt. i haven't done a speed race in over a month. my last one was on the 26th of july. so, for me, i kind of expected the worst in terms of performance.
for me, it was just to run at a comfortable pace and hopefully score a new pb. i saw many female runners zooming pass me, including a couple of kenyans but i decided that i should run my own race. in my mind, i was not on form. so in my mind, the race should not be against anyone else, but myself.
the good thing was that i was able to hold the pace i was going at and chase a couple of female runners on the leg. i surprised myself by catching up with 4 of the girls, placing 7th overall, with a new personal best. i was so happy at the finishing line. sinyee and limin were back from their walk, waiting for me at the finishing line flashing big smiles. coach as well. he thought i would be back at the 47th minute mark, so to see me come back almost 2 and a half minutes earlier, was surprising for him. he was mad proud. the joy of the race for me was not in placing, but getting a personal best. i accomplished what i went there to do.
prize giving took pretty long. so we went for breakfast whilst waiting. thanks for waiting with me guys. appreciate it much.
Tuesday 8 September 2015
tmbt race gear
let's talk race gear for my tmbt.
SALOMON AGILE 12
talk about such a massive event for me. i could be stranded out in the wilderness for minimum 10 hours, but potentially 15 hours, or more. so what i packed, i had to pack for contingencies. i had to pack for survival. not to mention, there was a long list of mandatory items which of course, like the name suggests, is mandatory to bring. so i needed something suited for that.
so when i was picking out my bag, i wanted to get something, that could fit everything i wanted to bring (bear in mind that included 4 mandarin oranges), yet not too big/bulky such that it would restrict my movement when running. it had to be compact, yet be able to perform its function to bring everything i needed for survival. so i picked out the salomon agile 12. set. it was compact enough, yet it allowed me to carry all i needed (remember, that included my rainjacket, my windbreaker, 1.5 litres of liquid, my nutrition, my medical kit, oh yes my mandarin oranges). this model definitely suited a longer trail run like the tmbt.
the pack comes with a 1.5 litre hydration bag, but i chose not to use it for my race. i wanted to have different liquids. so i chose to bring 3 500ml bottles, one gatorade, one of mineral water, and one filled with electrolyte. the 3 bottles fit snugly in my pack. with the right adjustments, the bag and me, felt like one. we moved as one. it felt like i was not carrying a pack. indeed designed for freedom.
one of the major problems i had with my previous hydration pack was that the shoulder straps kept rubbing against my neck, causing what is commonly known as chaffing, but around my neck area. with this salomon pack of mine, i did not have this problem. the fabric used, increases ventilation, reduces friction, and also saves my neck.
also, what i liked about it was the multiple compartments, which makes what you need easily accessible whilst running. doing the tmbt, i could hardly stop (though i would say more of because i was not allowed to stop). because if you stopped to rest for a minute, stopping 10 times, would already cost you 10 minutes of your time. time was scarce. so it is of utmost importance that you can readily get access to what you require. it saves you time.
minor plus point is that it comes with a whistle which is on the mandatory list. so buying this, i struck off two items on the mandatory list.
MOOLABAR
my pre-race essential breakfast. my pre-training food. i have grown pretty reliant on moolabar. it's pretty standard for me. 1 bar to fuel me for a 10km race. 2 bars and i'm good to go for a half marathon. i'm not going to talk about my experience with moolabar, but a friends. my friend, he was doing the 50km as well. he only brought snickers with him. right before the race, i gave him a moolabar and he had this to say. 'moolabar is damn good eh. i had snickers, it didn't work. i was so energy-less. but the moolabar, it was so good. it gave me the energy i needed. you should have gave me more.' so i guess it's pretty good race food.
i packed 8 bars with me for this race. other than my mandarin oranges and some pineapples and water station 3, i only ate moolabar throughout my 10 hour 24 minutes journey. i don't do power gels or anything like that. just moolabar. i prefer real food. it tastes good (surely better than overly sweet gels), at the same time provides you with the requisite energy.
SALOMON ELEVATE 2 PACK SOCKS
'99 bucks for just socks? seriously?' - my reaction on the price of salomon socks. okay, fine, it was 99 bucks for 2 pairs of socks, but still, i never expected socks to cost so much. my cousin, well she said the same thing. even worse was she picked up the salomon shorts, saw that it cost 89 bucks and went 'dude, the socks are more expensive than the shorts.' people don't spend much on socks. but honestly i would say, it's something people should spend a little more on. personally i felt the salomon elevate 2 pack socks was very breathable. the material was very comfortable for me. bearing in mind, i used these socks for the whole 50km, a total of 10 hours 24 minutes, and i had zero blister issues which i normally do, so spending a little more money on this, to avoid blister issues, is to me, worth it. you can avoid a world of pain.
SALOMON SLAB SENSE 3 ULTRA
these are my favourite shoes. lightweight and super comfortable, hence my favourite racing shoe. so for a journey of 50km, of course it was a no brainer for me to pick this pair.
this shoe is designed for rocky and technical, yet not too muddy conditions. they work flawlessly in these conditions. 75 percent of the trail was on road, gravel and dry/rocky ground. so for these section of the trail, the shoe performed. and having to thread through river and mud and great likelihood of rain, more likely than not your shoes will be drenched. i liked the ventilation the shoe provided. i didn't feel that the wet shoes nor socks affected my running. so kudos to the ventilation and drainage characteristics of this shoe.
if you are thinking twice whether to get this pair of shoes for trail running, this shoe also doubles up as my road running race shoe. one shoe, two functions. people always say jack of all trades, master of none. but this here, is a master of both functions.
no brainer as to what i'm going to be using, should i decide to do this race next year.
SALOMON AGILE 12
so when i was picking out my bag, i wanted to get something, that could fit everything i wanted to bring (bear in mind that included 4 mandarin oranges), yet not too big/bulky such that it would restrict my movement when running. it had to be compact, yet be able to perform its function to bring everything i needed for survival. so i picked out the salomon agile 12. set. it was compact enough, yet it allowed me to carry all i needed (remember, that included my rainjacket, my windbreaker, 1.5 litres of liquid, my nutrition, my medical kit, oh yes my mandarin oranges). this model definitely suited a longer trail run like the tmbt.
the pack comes with a 1.5 litre hydration bag, but i chose not to use it for my race. i wanted to have different liquids. so i chose to bring 3 500ml bottles, one gatorade, one of mineral water, and one filled with electrolyte. the 3 bottles fit snugly in my pack. with the right adjustments, the bag and me, felt like one. we moved as one. it felt like i was not carrying a pack. indeed designed for freedom.
one of the major problems i had with my previous hydration pack was that the shoulder straps kept rubbing against my neck, causing what is commonly known as chaffing, but around my neck area. with this salomon pack of mine, i did not have this problem. the fabric used, increases ventilation, reduces friction, and also saves my neck.
also, what i liked about it was the multiple compartments, which makes what you need easily accessible whilst running. doing the tmbt, i could hardly stop (though i would say more of because i was not allowed to stop). because if you stopped to rest for a minute, stopping 10 times, would already cost you 10 minutes of your time. time was scarce. so it is of utmost importance that you can readily get access to what you require. it saves you time.
minor plus point is that it comes with a whistle which is on the mandatory list. so buying this, i struck off two items on the mandatory list.
MOOLABAR
my pre-race essential breakfast. my pre-training food. i have grown pretty reliant on moolabar. it's pretty standard for me. 1 bar to fuel me for a 10km race. 2 bars and i'm good to go for a half marathon. i'm not going to talk about my experience with moolabar, but a friends. my friend, he was doing the 50km as well. he only brought snickers with him. right before the race, i gave him a moolabar and he had this to say. 'moolabar is damn good eh. i had snickers, it didn't work. i was so energy-less. but the moolabar, it was so good. it gave me the energy i needed. you should have gave me more.' so i guess it's pretty good race food.
i packed 8 bars with me for this race. other than my mandarin oranges and some pineapples and water station 3, i only ate moolabar throughout my 10 hour 24 minutes journey. i don't do power gels or anything like that. just moolabar. i prefer real food. it tastes good (surely better than overly sweet gels), at the same time provides you with the requisite energy.
SALOMON ELEVATE 2 PACK SOCKS
'99 bucks for just socks? seriously?' - my reaction on the price of salomon socks. okay, fine, it was 99 bucks for 2 pairs of socks, but still, i never expected socks to cost so much. my cousin, well she said the same thing. even worse was she picked up the salomon shorts, saw that it cost 89 bucks and went 'dude, the socks are more expensive than the shorts.' people don't spend much on socks. but honestly i would say, it's something people should spend a little more on. personally i felt the salomon elevate 2 pack socks was very breathable. the material was very comfortable for me. bearing in mind, i used these socks for the whole 50km, a total of 10 hours 24 minutes, and i had zero blister issues which i normally do, so spending a little more money on this, to avoid blister issues, is to me, worth it. you can avoid a world of pain.
SALOMON SLAB SENSE 3 ULTRA
these are my favourite shoes. lightweight and super comfortable, hence my favourite racing shoe. so for a journey of 50km, of course it was a no brainer for me to pick this pair.
this shoe is designed for rocky and technical, yet not too muddy conditions. they work flawlessly in these conditions. 75 percent of the trail was on road, gravel and dry/rocky ground. so for these section of the trail, the shoe performed. and having to thread through river and mud and great likelihood of rain, more likely than not your shoes will be drenched. i liked the ventilation the shoe provided. i didn't feel that the wet shoes nor socks affected my running. so kudos to the ventilation and drainage characteristics of this shoe.
if you are thinking twice whether to get this pair of shoes for trail running, this shoe also doubles up as my road running race shoe. one shoe, two functions. people always say jack of all trades, master of none. but this here, is a master of both functions.
no brainer as to what i'm going to be using, should i decide to do this race next year.
Tuesday 1 September 2015
TMBT 50km
it was truly a humbling experience.
this is really long, so i hope i don't bore you guys. but i really wanted to remember this experience, because it was an experience of a lifetime for me.
the night before i wasn't mad nervous per se, i was actually pretty okay. i had chicken rice for dinner, then i packed for the race. then i had my alarm set for 2 in the morning, and of course as usual, when my alarm rang, i questioned my sanity.
we got there and put on our race gear and prepped out finishing bag.
i went through a couple of stages of thoughts and moodswings. yet it was definitely a personal growth and learning experience for me.
i was really lucky to have my coach pace me. but i think it was really unlucky for him to have to pace me. i'm going to be completely honest. i was being a real bitch. i was so whiney, i don't know how he put up with me for the first 20km. i cursed. i complained. then i cursed again. and then complained again. the moodswings. but thankfully he never left me behind. he really pushed me and encouraged me. he gave me words of encouragement in spite of my negativity. i really profusely thank him. without him, it would have been a completely different race.
stage 1:
the first stage was largely road and gravel. i knew my own strengths and weaknesses. road and gravel was my only chance of putting in a good lead and actually have a chance of placing. i am not good at trail. in fact, i'm horrendously terrible at trail. so i tried to push on the road and gravel. i was doing okay. but certain elevations did get the better of me and i had to stop and walk up certain portions. as it was largely road and gravel, i was doing pretty okay at this stage. what was not okay was when we entered a narrow not so clean nor clear cut trail.
i like clear trails. its easy for me to run. wet, muddy, slippery, technical trails - not so my thing. it's not my thing not because it's difficult but more because it's not my strength. i mean of course it does make sense for me to have slight favoritism towards my strengths. well i kind of slipped alot, and fell alot, and of course with that comes cursed alot. the amount of cursing, seriously. i wasn't very creative though. it was along the lines of fuck, fuck this shit, fuck my life, and of course when my coach tried to push me to go harder to chase number 2, it was fuck you.
i was not in the greatest of moods. first of all, the scenery throughout stage 1 was far from beautiful. i was even conjuring up a speech to let the organizer know how deceitful he was and how misleading the title the most beautiful trail was. it really was far from beautiful. secondly, my back was aching. i'm a road runner. i normally run empty. even when i do trail runs, i run empty. in bandung i did the 21km, i ran empty. in hongkong i did the 25km, i also ran empty. nuang ultra 50, i also ran empty. so carrying a pack, with all my essentials really took a toll on my back. and lastly, of course, the constant slipping, tripping and falling, got me into a real foul mood. so when we came out onto a road leading to ws1, i was ecstatic.
stage 2:
i think we only spent less than 2 minutes in ws1. my coach did the refilling of water. and then, we pushed on. we almost immediately entered into a trail. and again, it was a wet trail. with more slipping, more falling, and more cursing.
but coming out from the trail was a part where i quite liked - where we ran down concrete stairs through what i would like to think of as a mini kampung. the locals were really nice. they prepared drinks for us. the ice cold orange-flavoured ice-cold drink was so refreshing, especially in the super dehydrating weather. the weather during stage 1 and 2 was really killing.
after, there was a pretty steep climb, then back down to a river crossing. the current was pretty strong. you have the option to take off your shoes. i didn't. so i was running in wet shoes from that point onwards.
stage 3:
this stage had some flats in the beginning that allowed me to run. here my coach saw that number 2 was about 4 minutes ahead of us, so he pushed me to chase her. but honestly, i was not in the best of racing mental states. i was really being a whiney bitch. but, the best thing about this stage was my coach getting some rambutans from the locals. i think fruits are amazing fuel for a race like this. the sweetness and the juiciness, feels like heaven. i brought mandarin oranges as well (to the absolute shock of my coach) , and had one at this stage. i tell, you, heaven. i would definitely recommend bringing some juicy sweet fruits to fuel your race, should you decide to do this race.
there is a pretty scenic part on this stage of the race. my coach took some photos here, unfortunately, his phone is currently not functioning. it was really pretty. and it was at this point i thought, okay, the race is worthy of the title TMBT. it was truly beautiful - the mountains, the clouds, the greeery, was really wow.
after this, there is a steep section on cemented road. which was about a 1km climb all the way to ws3. that was a horrible climb. there was a point whereby i saw a group of 8 people just sitting by the side of the cemented road. i thought to myself, salvation, the water station is in sight. but, nope, they were just resting. my coach was trying to motivate them, saying things like its only a 300m climb to the water station, its really near. that got them moving. some 5 minutes later, they disappeared behind us, resuming their previous positions of sitting in the shade. coach went, come on, a little bit more. but they did not budge. i told my coach, don't bother, they are probably thinking in their heads, 'fuck you, you fucking liar!' i'm sorry but tough times brings out tough words from me hehe.
for those who want to attempt this next year, do remember this section is pretty tough. pau told me this is where he cried.
ws3:
this was the first proper rest i managed to get. prior to this, the 5 hours and 16 minutes, i was not allowed to stop at all. coach's orders. they served pineapples here, and you could buy food from the locals. i stuffed my face with the pineapples. and coach bought me a coke. i really wanted a can of soya bean though. here i managed to chat with a few of the participants. one local who stood out in particular was this guy who all of a sudden came to the chair next to me, and put his stuff down. then he turned to me and said, 'it's so hot. i'm going to die. i bought an umbrella.' i thought that was so so cute. this was one of the major water stations where people took a longer break. there was an aussie who also told me the final 20km was mad crazy. he had done in 3 times, and the 20km is far worse than the 30km you have just done. plus my coach did mention that it would not be run-able. oh and, the course description said it was 7km from ws3 to ws4, yet the estimated time it would take you was 2.5 hours. so that pretty much sums up how difficult the next stage was going to be.
also, at this point, dark clouds were looming in. coach told me it was a difficult climb to the next water station, and we should get going as soon as possible. the rain would make it really slippery and tough to hike up the trail. so we had to get as much as possible covered before the rain moved in. so after some pineapples, some coke, some chatting with other peeps, off we went.
stage 4:
the hike up was pretty steep. my coach had to keep reminding me not to look up because every time i did, my immediate reaction was, 'what the fuckingshit.' after the hike up, it was a rolling hike. if you've hiked tabur before, this part kind of reminded me of the dragon back trail. there were many peaks to conquer. it started raining at this point too. i imagine if it weren't raining, it would have been a very pretty sight. we also stopped for bananas.
this section was where i told myself, i should have bought the walking stick my coach didn't allow me to get the day before. it would have been so helpful.
but it was at this point, another girl from china caught up with me. and this was also my turning point.
i went from being a comfortable and whiney bitch, to a super motivated fighter. i started running my part. i ran the trail down. coach was being very encouraging at this point too., constantly pushing me, and constantly reminding me that i'm doing good. when we came out to a 500m stretch of road towards ws4, i broke into a sprint. it was a downhill sprint. i was so happy to see road. i kept telling my coach, this is my world. i own the road. you have no idea how happy i was. pretty damn indescribable. too bad it was only a 500m stretch to ws4. we spent little time at ws4 because i needed to put a gap between myself and number 4.
stage 5:
this was a very run-able part of the trail. or rather i had my fighter spirit on, so i ran all the way, from ws4 back to ws3-2 (you will have to go back to ws3 the second time. it's kind of a loop) . there were sections that were muddy and slippery. i had to use the ropes to guide myself down. but 75 percent of the trail was very run-able. there isn't much scenery on this part of the trail though. it was a quick stage for me. i didn't even stop again at ws3-2. i just grabbed a pineapples, and off i went onto stage 6.
stage 6:
here, we passed many people just making it to ws3-1. in my mind i was thinking, damn , these people are going to make it back really late. i gave them some words of encouragement whilst running back down. after a kilometre of cemented road down, the final 8km was an uphill nightmare. it was completely not run-able. and this is where i would say, put on your reflective vests. it is an uphilll climb on road. but the climb was seriously, nort run-able. the best you can do is walk it as fast as you can, without stopping. this section was torturing, yet it is where you are so close to the finish, you just have to push on. my coach got some cramps here. he asked me to push on, but after all he had done for me, i was not going to leave him behind. we were going to finish it together, as a team.
after some 3km, and after getting off the highway, i thought that we would be nearing the finishing line. boy, was i wrong. there was still another few kilometres of steep uphill climb on gravel. that, was, torture. after what seemed like forever, when i had the finishing line in sight, i was overjoyed.
i just sat there. whilst they congratulated me for getting third position.
and guess what, pau also made it. he is so happy, he even wants to go back next year. prior to this, he kept saying he was going to die. i'm so proud and happy for him.
there are a few people i really want to thank.
firstly, of course is my coach. thanks for not giving up on me. thanks for taking great care of me. without which, i would probably have gotten lost in the jungle. it was my honour to complete the race. but my podium finish, was his - it was his doing. thank you. i thank you profusely.
secondly i want to thank the cousins, mister ang, my best friend in aussie, my uncle, and all my friends who have texted me giving me their best wishes - for they have always believed in me. they have always supported this passion of mine. sometimes, when even i don't believe in myself, they do. thank you. your words of encouragement and support mean the world to me.
and thirdly is of course, paupau. my mind was dead set on never ever running this ever again in my life. but hearing pau's post-race stories, got me thinking. and i did enjoy it. his story, to me, was inspiring. i loved listening to it, because it lit up a fire in me.
fourthly i would like to thank this girl for spending time with me in sabah. thanks for sending me to the race start, and being at the finishing line. it really meant alot to see a familiar face at the finishing line. thanks much. and i'm glad that you have decided to do this next year. i will be there at the finishing line for you.
and of course, my sponsors, salomon. my shoes were light weight, and have me zero blisters. moolabar - has never failed me. it gives me the energy i need. i handed pau a moolabar before racestart. and even he said, moolabar was amazing. snickers didn't work for me. but moolabar did it's job. so thank you.
and if you are doing this race, my advice would be to:
1. always pace yourself. quote pau, 'in the beginning, i see all these losers running pass me, and then puking at the side after that.' so remember, it is a 50km run, not a 5km race. always pace yourself.
2. bring juicy fruits. they do wonders.
3. bring a walking stick. i kid you not. this is so important. if there is one thing you must bring, seriously, bring this and it will do wonders for you. serious advice.
4. actually do some sort of training for this. and i do not mean training by way of eating. that was me, and that was my mistake. if and when i do come back next year. this is something i will make sure i get right.
5. remember to have anti-cramp pills and oral rehydration salts with you. there were way too many people cramping. but remember, it is not just about having them with you but also ensuring that you take them as well. ors was on the mandatory list, but many didn't take them. remember, prevention is better than cure.
it was one of the best experiences in my life. i thank the many people that made this experience what it was. and congratulations to all the finishers of tmbt 2015. everyone should do this, at least once in their life. it's too great an experience to be left unchallenged.
i went through a couple of stages of thoughts and moodswings. yet it was definitely a personal growth and learning experience for me.
i was really lucky to have my coach pace me. but i think it was really unlucky for him to have to pace me. i'm going to be completely honest. i was being a real bitch. i was so whiney, i don't know how he put up with me for the first 20km. i cursed. i complained. then i cursed again. and then complained again. the moodswings. but thankfully he never left me behind. he really pushed me and encouraged me. he gave me words of encouragement in spite of my negativity. i really profusely thank him. without him, it would have been a completely different race.
stage 1:
the first stage was largely road and gravel. i knew my own strengths and weaknesses. road and gravel was my only chance of putting in a good lead and actually have a chance of placing. i am not good at trail. in fact, i'm horrendously terrible at trail. so i tried to push on the road and gravel. i was doing okay. but certain elevations did get the better of me and i had to stop and walk up certain portions. as it was largely road and gravel, i was doing pretty okay at this stage. what was not okay was when we entered a narrow not so clean nor clear cut trail.
i like clear trails. its easy for me to run. wet, muddy, slippery, technical trails - not so my thing. it's not my thing not because it's difficult but more because it's not my strength. i mean of course it does make sense for me to have slight favoritism towards my strengths. well i kind of slipped alot, and fell alot, and of course with that comes cursed alot. the amount of cursing, seriously. i wasn't very creative though. it was along the lines of fuck, fuck this shit, fuck my life, and of course when my coach tried to push me to go harder to chase number 2, it was fuck you.
i was not in the greatest of moods. first of all, the scenery throughout stage 1 was far from beautiful. i was even conjuring up a speech to let the organizer know how deceitful he was and how misleading the title the most beautiful trail was. it really was far from beautiful. secondly, my back was aching. i'm a road runner. i normally run empty. even when i do trail runs, i run empty. in bandung i did the 21km, i ran empty. in hongkong i did the 25km, i also ran empty. nuang ultra 50, i also ran empty. so carrying a pack, with all my essentials really took a toll on my back. and lastly, of course, the constant slipping, tripping and falling, got me into a real foul mood. so when we came out onto a road leading to ws1, i was ecstatic.
stage 2:
i think we only spent less than 2 minutes in ws1. my coach did the refilling of water. and then, we pushed on. we almost immediately entered into a trail. and again, it was a wet trail. with more slipping, more falling, and more cursing.
but coming out from the trail was a part where i quite liked - where we ran down concrete stairs through what i would like to think of as a mini kampung. the locals were really nice. they prepared drinks for us. the ice cold orange-flavoured ice-cold drink was so refreshing, especially in the super dehydrating weather. the weather during stage 1 and 2 was really killing.
after, there was a pretty steep climb, then back down to a river crossing. the current was pretty strong. you have the option to take off your shoes. i didn't. so i was running in wet shoes from that point onwards.
stage 3:
this stage had some flats in the beginning that allowed me to run. here my coach saw that number 2 was about 4 minutes ahead of us, so he pushed me to chase her. but honestly, i was not in the best of racing mental states. i was really being a whiney bitch. but, the best thing about this stage was my coach getting some rambutans from the locals. i think fruits are amazing fuel for a race like this. the sweetness and the juiciness, feels like heaven. i brought mandarin oranges as well (to the absolute shock of my coach) , and had one at this stage. i tell, you, heaven. i would definitely recommend bringing some juicy sweet fruits to fuel your race, should you decide to do this race.
there is a pretty scenic part on this stage of the race. my coach took some photos here, unfortunately, his phone is currently not functioning. it was really pretty. and it was at this point i thought, okay, the race is worthy of the title TMBT. it was truly beautiful - the mountains, the clouds, the greeery, was really wow.
after this, there is a steep section on cemented road. which was about a 1km climb all the way to ws3. that was a horrible climb. there was a point whereby i saw a group of 8 people just sitting by the side of the cemented road. i thought to myself, salvation, the water station is in sight. but, nope, they were just resting. my coach was trying to motivate them, saying things like its only a 300m climb to the water station, its really near. that got them moving. some 5 minutes later, they disappeared behind us, resuming their previous positions of sitting in the shade. coach went, come on, a little bit more. but they did not budge. i told my coach, don't bother, they are probably thinking in their heads, 'fuck you, you fucking liar!' i'm sorry but tough times brings out tough words from me hehe.
for those who want to attempt this next year, do remember this section is pretty tough. pau told me this is where he cried.
ws3:
this was the first proper rest i managed to get. prior to this, the 5 hours and 16 minutes, i was not allowed to stop at all. coach's orders. they served pineapples here, and you could buy food from the locals. i stuffed my face with the pineapples. and coach bought me a coke. i really wanted a can of soya bean though. here i managed to chat with a few of the participants. one local who stood out in particular was this guy who all of a sudden came to the chair next to me, and put his stuff down. then he turned to me and said, 'it's so hot. i'm going to die. i bought an umbrella.' i thought that was so so cute. this was one of the major water stations where people took a longer break. there was an aussie who also told me the final 20km was mad crazy. he had done in 3 times, and the 20km is far worse than the 30km you have just done. plus my coach did mention that it would not be run-able. oh and, the course description said it was 7km from ws3 to ws4, yet the estimated time it would take you was 2.5 hours. so that pretty much sums up how difficult the next stage was going to be.
also, at this point, dark clouds were looming in. coach told me it was a difficult climb to the next water station, and we should get going as soon as possible. the rain would make it really slippery and tough to hike up the trail. so we had to get as much as possible covered before the rain moved in. so after some pineapples, some coke, some chatting with other peeps, off we went.
stage 4:
the hike up was pretty steep. my coach had to keep reminding me not to look up because every time i did, my immediate reaction was, 'what the fuckingshit.' after the hike up, it was a rolling hike. if you've hiked tabur before, this part kind of reminded me of the dragon back trail. there were many peaks to conquer. it started raining at this point too. i imagine if it weren't raining, it would have been a very pretty sight. we also stopped for bananas.
this section was where i told myself, i should have bought the walking stick my coach didn't allow me to get the day before. it would have been so helpful.
but it was at this point, another girl from china caught up with me. and this was also my turning point.
i went from being a comfortable and whiney bitch, to a super motivated fighter. i started running my part. i ran the trail down. coach was being very encouraging at this point too., constantly pushing me, and constantly reminding me that i'm doing good. when we came out to a 500m stretch of road towards ws4, i broke into a sprint. it was a downhill sprint. i was so happy to see road. i kept telling my coach, this is my world. i own the road. you have no idea how happy i was. pretty damn indescribable. too bad it was only a 500m stretch to ws4. we spent little time at ws4 because i needed to put a gap between myself and number 4.
stage 5:
this was a very run-able part of the trail. or rather i had my fighter spirit on, so i ran all the way, from ws4 back to ws3-2 (you will have to go back to ws3 the second time. it's kind of a loop) . there were sections that were muddy and slippery. i had to use the ropes to guide myself down. but 75 percent of the trail was very run-able. there isn't much scenery on this part of the trail though. it was a quick stage for me. i didn't even stop again at ws3-2. i just grabbed a pineapples, and off i went onto stage 6.
stage 6:
here, we passed many people just making it to ws3-1. in my mind i was thinking, damn , these people are going to make it back really late. i gave them some words of encouragement whilst running back down. after a kilometre of cemented road down, the final 8km was an uphill nightmare. it was completely not run-able. and this is where i would say, put on your reflective vests. it is an uphilll climb on road. but the climb was seriously, nort run-able. the best you can do is walk it as fast as you can, without stopping. this section was torturing, yet it is where you are so close to the finish, you just have to push on. my coach got some cramps here. he asked me to push on, but after all he had done for me, i was not going to leave him behind. we were going to finish it together, as a team.
after some 3km, and after getting off the highway, i thought that we would be nearing the finishing line. boy, was i wrong. there was still another few kilometres of steep uphill climb on gravel. that, was, torture. after what seemed like forever, when i had the finishing line in sight, i was overjoyed.
i just sat there. whilst they congratulated me for getting third position.
and guess what, pau also made it. he is so happy, he even wants to go back next year. prior to this, he kept saying he was going to die. i'm so proud and happy for him.
there are a few people i really want to thank.
firstly, of course is my coach. thanks for not giving up on me. thanks for taking great care of me. without which, i would probably have gotten lost in the jungle. it was my honour to complete the race. but my podium finish, was his - it was his doing. thank you. i thank you profusely.
secondly i want to thank the cousins, mister ang, my best friend in aussie, my uncle, and all my friends who have texted me giving me their best wishes - for they have always believed in me. they have always supported this passion of mine. sometimes, when even i don't believe in myself, they do. thank you. your words of encouragement and support mean the world to me.
and thirdly is of course, paupau. my mind was dead set on never ever running this ever again in my life. but hearing pau's post-race stories, got me thinking. and i did enjoy it. his story, to me, was inspiring. i loved listening to it, because it lit up a fire in me.
fourthly i would like to thank this girl for spending time with me in sabah. thanks for sending me to the race start, and being at the finishing line. it really meant alot to see a familiar face at the finishing line. thanks much. and i'm glad that you have decided to do this next year. i will be there at the finishing line for you.
and of course, my sponsors, salomon. my shoes were light weight, and have me zero blisters. moolabar - has never failed me. it gives me the energy i need. i handed pau a moolabar before racestart. and even he said, moolabar was amazing. snickers didn't work for me. but moolabar did it's job. so thank you.
and if you are doing this race, my advice would be to:
1. always pace yourself. quote pau, 'in the beginning, i see all these losers running pass me, and then puking at the side after that.' so remember, it is a 50km run, not a 5km race. always pace yourself.
2. bring juicy fruits. they do wonders.
3. bring a walking stick. i kid you not. this is so important. if there is one thing you must bring, seriously, bring this and it will do wonders for you. serious advice.
4. actually do some sort of training for this. and i do not mean training by way of eating. that was me, and that was my mistake. if and when i do come back next year. this is something i will make sure i get right.
5. remember to have anti-cramp pills and oral rehydration salts with you. there were way too many people cramping. but remember, it is not just about having them with you but also ensuring that you take them as well. ors was on the mandatory list, but many didn't take them. remember, prevention is better than cure.
it was one of the best experiences in my life. i thank the many people that made this experience what it was. and congratulations to all the finishers of tmbt 2015. everyone should do this, at least once in their life. it's too great an experience to be left unchallenged.
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