2 years into Running

When I 1st decided to run in 2010, I missed the Putrajaya Night run and the next possible run was Energizer Night Run. I never have any target time for running, it was just like wanting to know after years of stopping active jogging and hiking since 2004 and a full of injury 2009, am I really fit to do a run. So I signed up for 10KM in ENR.

Before the race I felt very confident that I can complete the race without much problem. To my surprise, it was a real surfering race that I start counting distance of how far to go in the middle of the race, it was painful and after race I practically drag my foot to get shuttle bus to reach my car. At that time, I told myself that this is no good, I was not as fit as I thought, so, I signed up for the Std Chart KL Marathon, another 10KM race, and I did a few practice run around my housing area prior to run.

I started SCKLM with pretty good form, at least I thought so and at around 5KM I was itchy enough trying to pace a black runner who was real fast, I lost my breathing after following him for few hundred meters and the rest of the journey was just suffering again. I didn't have to drag my ass back home, but it was clearly a message to myself that, something needed to be taken seriously if I want to run.

From then I started to run more frequent, looking into the breathing, join forum, learn from youtube. Got myself 1st pair of Nike Plus sport band, change a new running tights, got a new pair of New Balance and a new cap from a friend. That ended my 2010 with sub60 for 10KM and lotsa pain in my feet due to over-trained and wrong running style.

I started to have running goals in 2011, target time, target distance of half marathon, target race, target ranking.... Things got more serious with Iphone Nike+ app and again, SCKLM 2011 sent me another lesson that I need to look at whether I am wearing the right type of shoes and consider another style of running. The journey of injury and pain came to an end with the new purchased Kinvara1 and I started to achieve PB in races.

Do I love running? I think may be not, I think I just have the passion to achieve things over and over again. I learnt alot about myself through running, I had moments of thoughts during run and I realise the longer the better I run, the more I gain from the run.

Will I continue to run? May be. May be I will move into Hiking again or Diving or Cycling. I haven't had any benchmark or target for them yet, but I think I will do them and start tracking.

2012 New Year New Target

  5KM - 5m/km (0:25) - 24:07 (8/9/2012)
10KM - 5m 12s /km (0:52) - 52:30 (Mizuno 2012) / 47:32 (8/9/2012)
12KM - 5m 15s /km (1:03) - 1:02 (Shape 2012)  58:26 (28/8/2012)
15KM - 5m 20s /km (1:20) - 1:17 (2XU 2012) / 1:14 (2/9/2012)
21KM - 5m 40s /km (1:59) - 1:53 (SCKLM 2012)
25KM - 5m 55s /km (2:28) - 2:33 (Newton 2012)
30KM - 6m 10s /km (3:05) - 2:59 (Borneo 2012)
42KM - 7m 30s /km (5:15) - 4:18 (Borneo 2012)

All achieved within 5 months except 5KM and 10KM Targets.

Borneo Marathon - My 1st FM

After 1 year running for half marathon and achieved the results that I want, I have decided to do full marathon this year. I have never planned to have my 1st FM in Borneo, but somehow the plan turns out to be it.

Every run starts with a goal, initially I am stucked in between "just to complete" or "complete within specific time", then later I have to decide whether to do sub 5:30 or sub 5:00, I pretty much sure I can do around 3:10 for 30KM, but I can't be sure if I can finish the final 12KM within 1:50 after seeing Kelvin Wan terrible virgin marathon timing, we are pretty close at 21KM timing, so I thought he would be a reasonable benchmark, anything beyond 30KM could be disasterous.

After trained twice with K1 for 30KM, it further confirmed that my 30KM timing could be slightly behind K1, so I will take his Energizer result as a benchmark, he did 4:39. I thought, may be I should challenge myself for 5:00...That would mean, an average 7min/km pace.

Come race day, I woke up with too much phlegm in my throat, was coughing the whole 15mins and clearing them until I can finally breath properly. I thought: what if I cough during the race ? I don't really have much time to think about that, so, WTF, just go for it!!!

The race started before we were even ready, so it was quite rushing to cross the starting line, my initial plan was to do 6min/km pace for 1st 10KM, followed by 6:15-6:30min/km for the next 11KM, then with the extra time I saved from the 1st 21KM, some 15mins, the 2nd half of the race I am much safer on timing.

Situation doesn't always go as planned, I managed to follow the 4:30 pacer and maintain 5:50min/km pace for the 1st 10KM and surprisingly I was able to keep that pace for the next 11KM though some knee pain kick in at 17th KM. I took a 2nd surge at 19th KM and the effect kicked in at around 21KM.

After 22KM, I started to walk through all water station to get sufficient time to rest, I was still able to keep a 6min/km pace with minor pain on left knee and right knee alternately, but my breathing was hold steady, so I thought probably I can try to maintain this pace for until 30KM, and I did. Cold water sponge helps alot on cooling down the body and the knees. I started to get 1st Aid spray at 26th KM. Another 2nd surge was taken at 28th KM.

At 31KM U-turn, sun started to come out and my timing was just at 3:05, an extra min for me to spare while maintaining an average 6min/km pace. I was quite surprised that I was still able to maintain the pace although I had more pain on my feet, but I felt OK and continue to push through. The Borneo route was mainly flat until 33th KM with minor elevation which killed my speed a little.

The suffering started at 35th KM which I started to feel my breathing went shallow and I had to conciously breathe, the pain started to affect my thigh, my calf and my knees. Every second become counting distance for the next station for rest and 1st aid spray. Managed to get another spray at 39th KM and I knew that was the last station before finishing line. At the time, I knew I am going to finish sub 4:30, I probably going to end up with 4:15 if I push through, but I decided to slow down with smaller steps just in case cramps attack. The final 3KM, I was just focusing on breathing and looking for the sign of the Likas Stadium entrance. The moment entering stadium, I knew I made it and I still manage to do a 100meters push and cross the finishing line. Result? 4:18.

This is really a very surprising result to me, I thought anything sub 4:30 would be my next year's target, it is probably because of Borneo's flat route, I don't think I can do the same at SCKLM.