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.

foodie in sabah

from never tried before deepfried mashed mung beans, to my favourite claypot chicken rice . from trying out fried mee tuaran, to eating mcdonalds. from trying out spinach pie, to the typical chicken rice. from icecream, to more ice-cream. from seafood, to land game (i like to call it bambi, but to be politically correct, i will use the term venison). from kinder buenos, to overdosing on crisp. from drinking my favourite rekordelig beer, to cup noodles in bed. from traditional kaya butter toast, to of course home-made half boilt eggs for breakfast in bed. 

seriously been overdosing on food. and training has been pretty slack. it has been more of a recovery-ish by way of eating trip. not that i'm complaining. 

today was a good day. woke up, had breakfast in bed whilst watching the IAAF world championships live from beijing. i tell u, it was pretty damn inspiring. snuck in the opportunity to put on a facial mask whilst watching. of course i also ended my day with the evening session of the IAAF world championship, watching the gallin vs bolt throwdown. 

so true. lately, these few days i have been in the latter mood. not that is ain't good. it's been a good few days laying in bed and forgetting the world exists. but tomorrow, it's back to reality. much to get done. pau is arriving tomorrow and we need to go shopping. teehee. and its also racepack collection day. and its also, i need to get my morning run in day. 

so, eggcited. if you haven't guessed by now, my trip down to sabah, other than to support the x45 challenge is purely to run the tmbt 50km. so fingers crossed for me. 

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 =)

puma 24 hours trainathon

thanks to the people who came out to support. 24 hours is no small feet, especially for someone who greatly prioritizes sleep, like myself. so, thanks for the support and encouragement. of course, have to thank the team for having faith in me and believing in me, especially at times when i didn't even believe in myself. i was so frustrated at the pistol squat challenge, because of course i've never been able to do pistol squats. so my very first pistol squat on this day, definitely made my day. and of course, i am super grateful that the family came out as well. that really was the icing on the cake - the best part of the experience. 

unforgettable experience. great weekend. we managed to emerge 4th place. 

the aftermath - sore back. sore arms. sore shoulders. sore legs. i felt like i lost all sense of time and space. 

but still, something i would do all over again. 

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