run for it 9

i know my competitive running for the year 2015 was supposed to end with the salomon x-trail run, oh no, it was supposed to end with pbim - salomon was last minute as well. but well - after viper challenge, i knew i would need something to kickstart my running engine. if not i would probably lay in bed and sleep, and eat, and neglect running, and put running at the very back of my mind.

so, i very last minute signed up for run for it 9. i signed up only for the 6km because my body could still feel the repercussions of viper challenge. i am still bruised. i have a terrible skin allergy. my cuts aren't healed yet. i'm still on medication. so at least i would try to run at least to prep for the race. quite the logic right no?
 
but now i really know the meaning of fatigue. believe me when they say it takes more than, just a couple of days for your body to recover from an ultra run. but then again, i have so bad an allergy, i've been on anti-histamines, that are drowsy. so right now i cant differentiate between fatigue and drowsy haha.

anyways, back to this run. so after practically not running for a week, i was just going to take it as it is. my running plan was - to see how my leg condition is, and just go with the flow.

so upon flagoff, i just bounced away. i saw the other girls speeding off. but i didn't want to push my legs where my legs or lungs couldn't take me. so i just ran comfortably. my first km was a tad bit too fast though, clocking in a slightly under 4 minute pace. then i slowed down to a more conservative pace. normally i dont go so fast, but i wanted to keep the girls in front of me, at least in my line of sight. after that, slowly but surely, i overtook them one by one. before the u-turn back, i was running in first place. and that is also where, i think i totally gassed out.

i could definitely feel my pace dropping. sign number one i was not recovered yet. anyways, when my watch showed i was 5km in, i picked up speed again. it was just 1 more km to go. u should have seen my face when my watch said 6.2km, and the signage said 1 more km to go. completely drained, i had no choice but to try salvage whatever little energy i had left, and push myself to the finishing line.

i managed to come in 1st place, but more importantly, i kickstarted my running engine. although, my timing for this run, is far from ideal, but well, what did i expect right, right after a 24 hour event, i can't be performing at my peak. so it was satisfactory for me.

someone say off-season?

congratulations to all the winners. don came in 4th place in the men veteran category sinyee came in 7th whereas hannah secured the 10th position.

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.

puma nightMARE run 2015

i think, never has a race gone so wrong for me.

1. so, apparently the race cancelled. 

cancelling the race would have definitely been the right decision. i felt like i was risking my life haha. but cancelling the race without informing the runners, is pretty unacceptable?

well, we weren't informed of this at all. we ran the entire route, not knowing the race was cancelled. what is the point of cancelling a race, when no-one knows it is cancelled? apparently the race was cancelled 15-20 minutes after flag-off. which would mean, upon passing the first water station, we could have been notified that the race was off. of course, i made a conscious decision to continue running despite the lightning. but this was a decision made without considering all facts, since i was not provided with all facts.

2. so, when the race was cancelled, apparently the marshals job was cancelled too? - because we could all find our own way back right? a couple of us ran more than 12km. we ran an entire loop around the mall, not knowing where the finishing point was.

3. and even worse, because there were no marshals, we had to dodge cars as well. there was no-one controlling traffic.

4. i heard there were issues with baggage collection. thankfully i did not drop by bag there. my friends had to wait over an hour for their bags. apparently it was distributed, auction style - with number tags being called out one at a time.

but i have to say, pre-disaster, everything else was pretty good. it would have been a good race, but for the disaster.

but of course, in all things bad, there will be something good - the yin and yang of life right. i managed to pb my 10km and 12km surprisingly despite the rain. maybe i do run better in rain. i did manage a good run in.

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.

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.

kinabalu park hike sneak peak

wanted to say a few words about my kinabalu hike today. but. way too tired. and going into a food coma, major food coma. will just have do that tomorrow instead. but a sneak peak, and also leaving a few quotes i find so apt, considering what i see happening around me lately. goodnight people.

'everything we hear is an opinion. everything we see is a perspective. not the truth'

'maturity does not mean age. it means sensitivity, manners and how you react.'

'everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. be kind always.'

'maturity is the ability to think, speak, and act your feelings within the bound of dignity.'

'maturity starts, when drama ends.'

'just because i don't fight back, does not mean i am weak. it means i am mature enough to know that anger does not solve anything.' 

'may you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong. enough sorrow to keep you human. and enough hope to make you happy.'

eat training from the land below the wind

nyehehe. my favourite swedish beer, rekordelig. found right here in malaysia, the pearl of borneo, labuan. so of course, i grabbed as much as i could. back in london, i would always have the strawberry-lime flavour. i got the passionfruit, pear and apple when i was in hongkong. my best friend got me mango and wildberry rekordelig beer from the land down under. this gooseberry flavour, i've never seen around. so of course i whacked the shelves. downing a can as i'm typing this, reminiscing my good old uk days.

so, training what? aiyoh. race-cation what? more like, eat-cation/drink-cation.

and, yes, hello, from the land below the wind =)

asean unity run

last year, i instilled  and planted this idea in their minds. they attempted, but due to unfortunate circumstances, they failed. and so, this year, more determined than ever, their road to 42 continues. 

additionally, i managed to convince alot more of us to do either the 42km or 21km together. training for it together, attempting it together, experiencing it together, achieving it together, and having great stories to tell together, will make the entire experience sweeter and more worthwhile. and so, now there are 10 of us and still counting. this is going to be big, so so big.  

i'm really proud of their commitment this time round. they don't miss their weekly runs. they succumb to my non-stop bugging. i make sure i see them weekly and watch them run. because, this time, they are going to make it. this time, even better, at their own initiative, they signed up for their maiden 21km run on sunday. i really wanted to watch them complete their very first proper 21km run. so i thought of ghost running the event.  i had minimal sleep the night before, and woke up with a terrible sore throat. i played with the idea of not going, but how could i not go right. i told myself í hope i don't regret this. and now sitting here, with a terrible non-stop cough, i have no regrets. 

there was super no burden, no pressure going there. we arrived only 15 minutes before flagoff. which under my racing circumstances would be super insufficient. well, they were already counting down and already flagged off when i was about 30metres from the starting point. the plan was to do my 15km long run on my own, then stop and wait for them, and pace them for the last 6km. 

i had a great 15km run. i thougth the route was pretty nice to run. signages were great as well. and the two managed to complete their 21km run. congratulations to the both of them. not sure if my non-stop talking during the last 6km annoyed or encouraged the both of them, but they definitely had a taste of what's to come in their last few km of their marathon hehe. 

it's nice to be at the other side this time. often i get supported, but this time i went as a supporter instead. 

and of course, how can we not miss the post-run breakfast. we headed over to yellow brick road to meet the rest of the people. and also to celebrate special k's birthday. okay, now i know why the mad cough - the cake, the hashbrown, the fries, the ice-cream, the chocolate, no wonder. i told you, the struggle is very real. 

here's to a great august ahead. like i said, raceless august, but have big things coming. 

passionfruit sorbet & hojicha icecream

truffle fries @yellowbrickroad

greentea latte float w vanilla bean i-scream @yellowbrickcafe

rootbeer float topped with salted caramel and popcorn @ÿellowbrickroad

eggs norwegian, served on potato rosti @yellowbrickroad. suffice to say this attracted the attention of most of us, think 5 of us ordered this. 

classic mac and cheese @yellowbrickroad

blackforest cake @swich cafe