Salomon Action Asia Trail Run in assoc with Otterbox @ Janda Baik

salomon action asia trail run in association with otterbox - it was pretty last minute for me to join this race. in fact, i was already registered for another race. but duty calls. so i found myself at the startline in janda baik on a sunday rainy morning.

i think i had a couple of concerns tucked at the back of my head. 

1. it was raining. i heard from colleen that the route was muddy. the rain would mean that it would be even muddier. and i don't do well with wet trails, greatly exemplified by my avid cursing doing the technical wet trails during tmbt. i'm very upfront about my weakness. and i knew mud was one of them. so i was quite worried how this would affect my performance.

2. like i said last minute. my s-lab sense 3 is pretty worn out. i love that pair of shoes. so much so i use it for everything, from training, to speed work, to racing, to lsd, to ultra races, you name it. so of course it is pretty worn out. so i was in a complete dilemma as to whether i should wear my pink salomon x-scream 3d or my slab. the former is abit heavier (meaning soaking in the rainwater would make it even heavier), however, i know it would perfect running on concrete should i need to run on concrete after having my shoes dragged through mud. my s labs are perfectly comfortable, would remain lightweight even if soaked in mud, would offer me better grip (it it weren't worn out), but would lack working on concrete as well as my x-scream. after much hesitation, i decided to go with my x-scream. i decided to go with safety. i would just have to work with heavier shoes.

3. because this was super last minute, i did not train on any trails. all i could do was to rely on my road running, and hopefully i would pull through. the last time i was on a trail was in august. pretty much self explanatory i would think.

so i thought through how i should run the race as the organizer kind of mapped out the route. the beginning was a 1.8km ish road run downhill, then you turn into a single trail which would be muddy. after that you would come to a wider path. and it's all easy from there (yeah right was what colleen said, and yeah seriously, easy my foot!). i know my strength would be on the road. and my weakness on any muddy technical sections, and wet downhills. my uphill isn't that much great either. so i knew i had to take advantage of the 1,8km road and put in as large a gap as i can.

upon flagoff, is also when i sped off. i saw colleen zoom pass me, i knew i had to push on harder. because, this road here, supposed to be my strength. anything after would not play to my favour. i had to play to my strengths. so i pushed on harder. i went really fast on the road. but that speed stopped abruptly upon entering the trails.

we were greeted with a mud fest. the mud was knee deep. i had trouble getting through the mud. i kept getting stuck. so i threaded carefully. i didn't want to injure myself. but after coming out into the open trails. that's where i fely more comfortable. the gravel downhills. and here was where my shoes worked perfectly for me. i ran the downhills like the wind. there was a part where i remember was significantly slippery, so i slowed down alot. i brisk walked most of the uphill sections, making sure to push on the downhill portions to make up for my slow uphill.

there was one point where i heard colleen shout out to me. it was super nice of her to give me the motivation to push on. i was walking uphill at that point. that scream, made me start running again.

i think the most memorable section of the trail was this super muddy steep uphill. i could barely move up. i tried to climb a step up, but i slid 2 steps down. i literally had to go down on all fours to pull myself up. i grabbed on to the grass and literally had to pull myself up.

i was super glad to see the finishing line after. i knew i looked like i had gone through alot, with mud every where. but nonetheless, it was a great experience, despite the cuts i now have all over my legs. to come in champion was just a bonus. the experience was priceless.

many thanks to salomon malaysia and action asia for the opportunity to run this race. final trail race for the year 2015, and what a way to end it.

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.

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.

tahura trail run 2016

tahura run dates are announced for year 2016. 

this race was my first podium finish. 

this race was my first international run. 

i remember i did the 21km on saturday and the 10km on sunday. 

i enjoyed the trail, i enjoyed the weather, and i absolutely loved the experience. so i will definitely be back in 2016. also, i did not manage to see much of bandung the last time i was there. it was a short trip. the only thing i remember now is they have magnum coffee nyehehe. 

i will be back next year. to stand on the podium. and also to relive the experience. 

kemensah krazy 30km trail run

saturday evening, i wasn't too sure whether i'd be showing up to race. 

first of all, i felt i was under-prepared. i wasn't too sure whether my body was recovered from the half ironman the previous week. also, i didn't run the entire week after ironman 70.3 save some short recovery runs. and yeah i had many reasons not to go. after much contemplation, i thought, i paid 160 bucks for this, i better damn well go. and i ain't no quitter. how can i give up without even trying. so off i went to the pharmacy to get some basic first aid stuffs. 

i'm not a fan of plain white rice. i'm the fried rice, chicken rice kinda person. normally before a race, if i eat dinner at home, i would pack a packet of rice to eat with the dishes that grandmother cooks. this time, i didn't. so dinner for me was only egg wine soup and vegetables. and this was one of my thoughts during the race. i should have eaten more. 

got up around 4, and went to zoo negara together with coach. he was joining the 45km category whereas harjinder, kak hani, kak syaz, guzzy, dave and myself were joining the 30km category. i watched him prep and watched his flagoff. then it was my turn to prep. met harjinder and dave and we had breakfast whilst prepping. the whole race is about the both of them, harjinder and dave. they are epic. so i passed them some ORS to take. but they didn't have water, nor could they find water. so they decided to drink the ORS with teh-o. epic i tell u. 

anyways, upon flagoff, i did pretty well for the first 10km. until, a dude fell on me. it was a steep area and he slid and fell. i grab hold of his bag and pulled him. i thought i was going to roll down the hill with him. luckily the girl behind me also grabbed hold of him and he really was there hanging with the 2 of us pulling him. that almost gave me a heart attack. after the incident, i felt my heartbeat shot through the roof. i went slower and was extremely cautious and sections. 

the entire run, i was thinking, i should never join a trail run more than 20km, ever. and also thought of how i should have eaten more the dinner before. and thought to myself i was insane when i signed up for this. 

also, after the 10km point i had a stitch which made it difficult for me to run. i had to run, walk, run walk. the frustrating part was running towards cp7. checkpoint 7 seemed like a world away. it was like a never-ending trail to cp7. whenever i passed oncoming marshalls, they would tell me, really near. but, the really near turns out to be, i still don't see anything 30 minutes later. my joy when i saw cp7. the trail after cp7, is what the organizers would term technical and what i would term walking through a jungle not a trail. 

another drama was when i saw my watch hit 30km. but, i was still in the middle of nowhere. i asked oncoming runners whether there was a junction that turned off nearby but they said no and they said the checkpoint was pretty far away. i majorly panic-ed. i thought i was lost. my energy levels stooped major low. i had zero energy levels. i was frustrated by the over distance. and i just wanted to sit there and not move. i turned back, and i saw coach. if not for him, i don't know how i would complete the over distance. he motioned for me to keep walking and keep moving. there were no distance markers so we didn't know how far along we were and how much more we had to cover. 

the finishing line was a whole over 3km away. the joy when we crossed it. i managed with a time of 5h 50 minutes. 

but the highlight of this race was not my experience. the highlight of the race was watching harjinder complete a 30km trail run. and hear his epic stories after his run. his experience was definitely gold i'm sure. he was very semangat throughout the entire run and that spirit is super admirable. congratulations harjinder on your accomplishment. you did amazing. congratulations to dave as well who was harjinder's partner in crime in this entire thing. you both just have that extra something special in you that is worth admiring. 

congratulations everybody on finishing the race. and congratulations coach on his 2nd place finish. 

tahura trail run, 21km. 10km.

my first race of the year. also my first international run of the year. i was going to bandung for a business trip. and i was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to run the 21km tahura trail run in bandung. i was undecided on the 10km before arriving in bandung as i thought i might be a tad bit too tired. 

im going to skip the work part and focus on the race part.

touchdown on friday and i was surprised by the cooling weather in bandung. lucky me i brought all longs and no shorts. i heard about a friend who wore shorts in banda aceh and had stones thrown at her, asked to leave indonesia. not wanting to stir up any controversy, i packed all longs, and it was a great decision. bandung's weather is somewhat similar to cameron highlands. and the race was high up in the dijuanda park, and it was way way chillier than cameron highlands up there. 

the 21km was alot of steep clims. we climbed from roughly 700m above sea level all the way up 1700m above sea level, and back down. it was a tough route, but an enjoyable one. the scenery was amazing. i was in awe. way up high, overlooking the entire city of bandung, it was beautiful. the trails took us through villages, cabbage patches, it was really an amazing experience. the trails were punishing but the view was rewarding. i loved every single bit of it. 

my shoes were however the nightmare part of my run. on thursday i did training in the rain. so my asics were drenched. i had to bring my nikes, which my run buddies know i hate. i really hate my nikes. so the entire time i was running, i could feel my arch hurting, to be more precise, burning.the hike up was slow for me. the running downhill was slow for me too. my shoes aren't trail running shoes, so there were parts i had to go super slow. there were parts where i slipped one too many times. but when we came out at a pavement which went for about 4km, that was where i could pick up speed. 

i didn't place, but then again, i did not expect to place. i didn't push myself. i definitely did not deserve to place. i managed a 6th place though. although yes i do have that thought of kicking myself for not pushing harder. 

after my 21km, i decided to run the 10km. i loved the trail so much, this time, i wanted to take some photographs. so, on sunday, i got dressed, and before i knew it, i was at the start line. i ran, but the trails were not the same. 

we didn't get the overlooking-bandung view. the view was different. there was one in particular that i liked which was where we ran through a path with yellow flowers forming a wall on both sides of the pathways. it was beautiful. 

but there were people behind me, so photographs were difficult. so i just ran. my trail parts were slow. i had to let people pass me. i really should get trail running shoes. the whole time i was thinking just that. people buy trail running shoes for a reason. i had to let 2 girls pass me. when we came out at the same pavement, which was a 4km pavement before the finishing line, that was when i started chasing. i caught up to the 2 girls in front of me but didn't manage to catch one more girl who was way ahead. managed to place 2nd. my very first podium finish. i was delighted. i was more than delighted. 

so in one weekend, i managed to strike 2 things off my new year goals - run an international run and place top 3 in one of the runs. 

i enjoyed bandung alot. i didn't manage to see bandung because of work. nex year, i will be back, to do better in the tahura trail run and to see bandung.