Trails! Trails! Trails!

Completing two trail runs in a row was demanding for my maiden adventure. Dengan berbekalkan semangat kasut baru & the urge to be back on the nature's trail, I traded my weekend mornings with two trail runs into Bukit Kiara & Pangsoon.

On Saturday morning, about 9 of us gathered at Kiara Park. I've decided to join some new friends whom apparently are avid bloggers which I discovered the run from. Names I can recall were Ian, Syah, Shaq, Doris, Shuk, Shukran & wife & of course Kash, Nik & Cheramiche. Semua kenal through blogs. Hebat dunia sekarang.

The menu was to attempt the Salomon xtrail route. Cheramiche guided us via Pat's only established Kiara map (mountainbike's map actually). Nik was all over the place taking photos of the run. We waded through steep technical climbs of Flintstone's Playground & found ourselves on top of Penchala Link's tunnel. It was everybody's dream to be there. That was the spot that I wondered years back whether mountaibike trails passed that route as I drove into the tunnel every now & then. Trails around the area were a bit vague since mountainbikers seldom used these technical routes unless those with 6 inches droppies. Some singletracks were gone replaced by horse trails.

We made our way back to Bar-a-kuda & Snakes & ladders. Twin Peaks remained as before with all those ferns but the view of Pusat Sains Negara were covered by rubber trees. We burst down Twin Peaks towards Simpang Empat. I was enjoying every bit of the descent as though I was on my bike only without tapping on the brake levers. It felt so free & most importantly my knees didn't give up on me. Alhamdullillah.

Above the Penchala Link's tunnel. Akhirnya our curiosity terjawab

Our last stretch were 2K and part of the race track. Stumbled upon some mountainbiker friends & chatted away. Macam biasa, kalau berjumpa mesti mau sembang. It felt like reunion pulak. Hahaha. Apa taknya, Kiara trails used to be our weekend warrior battleground. I think my last ride here was 2 years which was only kept near to 2K & race track. During prime time, we often whacked our way towards Sg. Penchala & Segambut.

The run clocked almost 2 hours. We were awarded with an awesome weather before we wrapped up our post run meals (cokodok, salad, watermelon, 100+ : thanks to fellow sponsors). It started to drizzle as we hopped into our cars & left with smiles.

Senyum selagi boleh sebelum cekak pinggang kejap lagi

Come Sunday, I attempted the gruelling Pangsoon trail with fellow Camdekians. Semua nak test kasut baru. 6 of us. Though with some pains from Kiara's run, a promise is still a promise. We started a bit late at 10.00 allowing oneselves to secure domestic errands. My previous attempts up Gunung Nuang way back 20 years ago was nothing close to this method. Those years were either with a 10kg backpack or a day trip up to the peak hiking. The peak was always the objective upon setting foot at Pangsoon. But this time, we only attempted up to Kem Lolo...running! Peak of Nuang not in the menu.

Yes, the trail condition & elevation didn't change much. The continuing torment from the beginning to the end of the road was horrifying. The elevation gained in less than 5km was taxing every bit of our muscles. Giler kentang! Pom! Pom! Pom! Pakai ekzos besi pun takde makna. Hahaha! We were making small tiny running steps climbing those giant killer climbs. Walking with hands on our waists was not a good option. It will only strain more muscle & fatigue.

Kasut aneka rasa

Masih mampu berlari uphill

We managed to reach Kem Lolo an hour later feeling challenged & satisfied. The sight of descending back all those elevations was worrying. Can our knees survive? We stopped for a breather & some nonsense talks at Kem Lolo for 15 minutes before dashing off back down to Pangsoon. Suprisingly the agony was quick as we managed to constantly ran downhills, still with tiny steps without stopping too much.

Our last vertical before Lolo

Now, after two straight days of body banging, every point aches but it felt good. With these momentums, pursuing more workouts is not an option anymore. Do it.

Top Twelve Trail Tips!

Well, what do you know? I know nothing. Nothing about trail running but it's time for me to find out. I need to add variations to my workouts especially working out those quads & calfs. Pounding oneself on the tarmac can be a bit monotonous at times. Perhaps it's about time to indulge myself back to nature as I used to be. I don't know whether my trekking & running downhills in Nuang ages ago can be defined as trail running.

I've been hyped by the shoe shopping affair. Been amazed by those spectacular photos from mags & webs. Perhaps some fundamental could be useful for a start. Adopted from Buzz Burrell's tips at http://mountainrun.wordpress.com/.

1) The longer the race, the longer the taper, and the shorter the warmup. The shorter the race the shorter the taper, and the longer the warmup.

2) You can only train as hard as you can rest. Running doesn’t actually make you better; it’s during the resting phase afterward that your body adapts and improves.

3) In a race, whoever takes the most steps, wins. Clever thought, eh? It might not be true, but it’s a good thought to keep in mind.

4) Periodization is key. Because nature goes in cycles, so should we. Daily, weekly, monthly, and annual cycles of effort and rest are good.

5) The older you get: The more you need to rest, but the less time you should take off. Make sense? Masters runners can’t do hard days in a row w/o risking injury, but neither can they take a month off in the winter and come back readily.

6) Don’t be shy of roads, especially during the offseason. Running on cold, hard pavement will quicken your turnover and improve your form. And running on a treadmill during the offseason does wonders for your form.

7) Running uphill could be easy. There is no impact, thus minimal risk of injury, so many older runners specialize in uphill races. Don’t get psyched out – uphill is work for everyone; concentrate (as in all running) on quick turnover rather than strength; breathe more than you ever thought possible, and go for it.

8) Downhill running can be tricky. Really concentrate on quick turnover to maintain proper form and not over-stride. On technical descents: relax, pay close attention, and go for it.

9) Running is actually an injury prevention game. All the training plans you hear about are secondary; anyone can train, most people can race, and if you’re reading this you are motivated to learn. But can you keep from being injured?

10) American trail runners don’t aspire to run faster; they aspire to run longer. This is odd. Few people are capable of effectively running a Marathon let alone longer than that; first learn to run period, before trying to go ultra distances.

11) If you’re not happy, you’re blowing it. Better take a look at that, and make the appropriate choices. Happiness is your choice.

12) There is a great diet that is perfect for long-distance runners. Unfortunately, no one knows what it is.

Seri Manjung...hmmm alahai

Sedap sungguh nama tu. Seri Manjung. Nama yang aku langsung tak kenal until Powerman was introduced. Yang aku pernah dengar cuma Kampung Manjoi & Manjung powerplant. After my visit there in 2007, rupa-rupanya kerap pulak aku ke sana & hovering around nearby Lumut town.

Ok, this year I came back with a big mission. The Individual Distance. Something that I expected to be gruelling like running a 26 miler but without a bag of training. Only with the courage & confident from last SCKLM & some tiny trainings, I gave it a shot. Perhaps the shot wasn't much of a bang as I continue with this :)

8-November 2009. Powerman Malaysia.
Seven of us made the trip to Seri Manjung after quite a thorough planning. Saiful, Nizam, Hanchik, Azahari & me in the individual age category, Alwin in mix relay cat & Bahri in the sprint. Two cars fitted with 7 bikes & 7 souls. More like a can of sardines. Trust me, the journey was not a back-friendly one.

Weather was pretty warm & humid as we were flagged off at 7.30am. I can say about 500 athletes swarmed the Seri Manjung road attempting our first 11km run. My first run was kept at steady pace but noticeably sweat & HR was a bit on the threshold level. First gel was consumed at the water station about 1km before transition. I was careful while transitting, putting on my cycling shoes trying to avoid any movement that can invite cramps. In 2 minutes I was out of the transition & humping away into the bike course.

Speed & anxiety was awesome. I was maintaining a comfortable 30kph for the first 10km when suddenly disaster strike. Left calf cramped! Aiyo! So early eh? Trying not to panic, I slowly reduced my cadence & assessed the condition. Within the next 3 minutes, the right calf pulak! Ammmah! Well at least I was prepared for it. Memang dah jangka benda ni akan berlaku berpasangan. Hahaha! Just before the 15km U-turn, I stopped for a calf spray at the first aid station. Tapi macam tak rasa apa2 spray tu. Air sejuk agaknya.

The cramps came and left a few times especially when cadence varies & during any bridge humps. Maybe muscle twitched & vibration triggered it. Aku layan aje sampai la ke stadium semula untuk bike second lap. Another gel was scoffed. During this second lap that I stopped to lend Mohd. Zaki from CAR my tools. From the look of it, he was in a state of suffer. Saiful, Nizam & Hanchik rode pass. We played cat & mouse at the remaining distance as head wind & scortching sun added to the suffering pleasure. Hanchik banged his saddle while Nizam can't survive any further than 24kph. We came across Alwin at his prime speed a few times. Another gel. Saiful & me entered the transition together. He suffered cramps while dislodging from the bike & was "forced" to standstill while medic came.

Time was about 10.53am as I started to run leaving the stadium. Initial running condition was ok but not until the next 10 minutes. My slow & tiny pace can't survive longer. I walked & jogged for the remaining 10km. Luckily Saiful & another guy caught up & we chatted away over our run all the way to the finish line for which seemed so demanding. We walked under tree shades & ran when the sky opened. We burned like pisang salai.

We were awarded with medals & finisher t-shirt. Best of all was the freezing cold towel layed on our backs & non-stop orange & watermelon fiesta. I was sitting by the tent gulping loads of it. The lunch award menu was awesome. Pasta, cream soup, salad, fried chicken & rice. But I was already hungry within an hour. Hahaha. Body was burning calories like a boiler.

For my first time multi-sport event doing this distance, I was quite satisfied & thankful that I survived the milage & temperature. Crossing the finish line although barely 9 minutes before cut-off time was a bonus. The fundamental of it, kena train more la dude.

We arranged our award lunch ourselves. After checking out, we left straight to Ipoh for a feast at the legendary Nasi Vanggey! Ammmah! Thanks to Alwin for the sponsorship from his victory in mix relay. Lepas tu tapau Laksa Padang Polo pulak. Hahaha! Nothing more exciting besides the race than a road trip with friends.

Total time : 4:51:26
Run 1 : 00:58:54
Transition 1 : 00:02:04
Bike : 02:19:21
Transition 2 : 00:02:12
Run 2 : 01:28:54

Disquiet

With the remaining days to go, the pre-race anxiety started to bug me. The inclement weather condition added to the blues. As I sat safely in my car, avoiding all necessary risk from being a motorist approaching the race day, in the cold morning and evening traffic, the doubt, the dilemma, the curiosity & worriness engulfed at one time into once mind. Day came, day go. Two more days dude!

Comparing my recent SCKLM with this upcoming Seri Manjung trip, it is obvious that preparation was a huge different. Unscheduled trainings. Lack of discipline. Tonnes of laziness. Training buddies. Holidays. Duties. Or whatever lame excuses I can grip at. What have I done? I wish I don't deserve the consequences. I wish that every moment of my Seri Manjung trip will be a sweet & motivational adventure.

Be strong. Be confident. Run strong. Cycle smart. Enjoy the trip. Breath in the nice ambient. It should be an awesome outing. Anchor yourself dude!

Senaman batu bata

Due to work fatigue, drive fatigue & inconsistent weather pattern my week was jumbled up between languor, interval & taper (if I define it right...hehe). It's just a matter of getting more rest during taperring or is it I still have the hunch that I am undertrained. No need to worry la bro. It should be ok. Hopefully. Just enjoy the trip & the race. Despite the 50-50 feeling of undertrained, I am convinced that it would be a great race. Insyallah.

So, as the days passed by filled with lots of stuff, cold & wet, hot & dry, I approached the weekend with some high hopes for a final brick workout. Saturday morning came with a thunderstorm all over Klang Valley. I'm assuming that most workouts were abandoned that morning. I adapted to the climate although getting stuck in bed was preferable. Although I had some workout plans up my sleeve but it was nothing obligatory. All things outdoors were KIVed. I ended up tutoring my daughter for her exam with a cup of hot nescafe & the Star by the sliding door enjoying every second of the cold & wet morning. Yes, it rained throughout the day. Drizzled & sprinkled now and then.

By 11.30am it was guys time out. New word I got from Julie..."bromantic time". Hahaha. Almost sounded like Brokeback Mountain. Det & me went to Armada Hotel for our Powerman race kit collection. We met up with Hanchik & Alwin & some other friends i.e. Laif & Julie. Some jokes with Jashrul of Total Field Powerbar. We left for Mines for lunch & window shopped. Something for Salomon Xtrail Run prep. Saiful & me are eyeing a pair of Kanadia TR2.

Come Sunday, I left home as early as 6.15am to meet up with the rest of kaum Camdek at Putrajaya pool for our planned brickwork. Weather was perfect. 6 of us & we saw some others were doing the same. Perhaps the rest of Klang Valley athletes were running the Terry Fox run in KL. Menu was 1 loop of IM bike route & 1 loop of PICC great climb for run. Workout went well & we had some great laughs while cooling down by the lake. Biasa la kaum Camdek, kalau tak merapu tak sah. One week to go or is it 6 days la! Perhaps I could squeeze in some mini workouts to straigten my tight nerves.

It's 28th & I'm 38!

Apa lagi yang paling menarik ganjaran untuk hari lahir kalau bukan dengan pampering oneself with things we love doing. I didn't had the chance to take leave from duty since kena attend pre-arranged meetings but I was rewarded with an early arrival at home with a great weather.

I was hyped by the loud beat of Linkin Park & Goo Goo Dolls on my back from Sepang. I kept the beat up & decided to attempt a short tempo run in the cold evening post thunderstorm climate. I already felt great with all those almost 30 over birthday wishes I got from friends at FB. It was perfect.

3 weeks to Seri Manjung...hmm alahai

Foto ceduk dari album CAR

Suddenly as the festive mood vanished from us, the race season dropped in with a boom! Big time! All race organisers gone wild & unwittingly scheduled their events sampaikan oneself dah mula rasa loya, mual & ngeri. Dengan terpaksa survive gaji sebulan untuk 40 hari, transferring those race fees through maybank2u hanya dengan menutup sebelah mata.

With my trip to Seri Manjung just around the corner, the pre-race anxiety & panic dah mula terasa. Weekdays workout dah ler rongak bila kena outstation & cuaca yang mula mengganas. Tinggal 2 minggu aje lagi beb! Argh! Ngeri 8000 kali. After this weekend's menu, I felt a bit of 70-30 to visit Seri Manjung with a bang.

Semalam, Sabtu, walau dengan sambutan yang kurang meriah, a few of us proceed with our shceduled workout plan. Only Saifu, Dicky & me cycled up to Peres junction & back to my place. Clocking 64km in 2:29:03 averaging a 25 kph. We were quite satisfied with the achievement, but not the run after. We were struggling alright. Though we only managed to run one loop of my neighbourhood's route (1.21km!!), we were complaining those stiff knee, stiff quad, bright sun & whatever reasons for not to continue. These originate myself to reconsider my training schedule & make the remaining time useful.

Today, the much awaited Mizuno Wave Run 2009 held at UPM berlangsung dengan jayanya. I had anticipated those hills which were there like before, 20 years ago during the school days. I had a good run. It was awesome. Pace was great. Found out later it was a good 5.38. My record for 11km was 1:01:59 (from Start banner to finish line). Race climate was great. Friendly venue, nice booths. I took the chance to get to know a few of Chap Ayam Runners & the best part was taking photos with them. This group is growing day by day. Thumbs up to cikens.

Berbalik ke post raya menu

Udah le tu...cukup-cukup lah. Puas sangat beraya. Sakan betul aku tengok orang kita ni beraya sampaikan jalan-jalan kat KL ni luarbiasa sesak bila weekend, even lebih teruk dari hari kerja. Untuk weekend ni, aku decided to stay domestic. Tak sanggup aku nak memenatkan diri, family & enjin kereta aku dalam kesesakan open house raya. With wifey a bit tight up with work, aku cuma lepak rumah lepas my morning workouts for both days.

Sabtu pagi, cuma Nizam & me rolled off from our houses to meet Bachin at bus stop Batu 9. Our menu today was to be up Peres & Tekala, covering about 90km perhaps. Met up with Saiful & Abu at Batu 14. Rolling towards Batu 18. Sempat la jugak aku test power aerobars kat jalan kampung Batu 18 tu. Tapi disebabkan ada member cangkuk kat belakang, heart rate aku melambung-lambung macam ombak pantai timur. By the time sampai simpang Peres, Azmar cought up to join the climb. Pace cantek je, seiring & sejalan dengan kaum Ironman ni. Ok la, 30 minit later sampai puncak dengan rasa yang kurang meletup compared to last 2 weeks punya visit.

Nizam had to cut short & reprogram the menu. So we decided to repeat Bukit Hantu. Aku attempted kali ni dengan lebih berhati-hati supaya tak terpedaya dengan geografi topo yang sedikit deceiving. Cuaca agak menyebelahi pihak riders kali ni since dari early morning some slight overcast hovering over southern of Klang Valley. Regroup at peak & descended towards Batu 14 for a coke kat kedai runcit tepi traffic light. Nikmat tak terhingga. The rest tambah nasik dengan climb Bukit Ampang while Nizam & aku kayuh balik. Selit sikit lagi LT workout maintaining 30kph average sampai highway.

Ahad, aku lari sorang-sorang sebab kebanyakan kaum tewas or gagal dengan urusan masing-masing. Layan je route McDonald 8km at 7.00a.m. Dengan bertemankan HRM yang setia, aku cuba untuk maintain at aerobic zone. Nak mula lari kaki ada rasa sikit lenguh, maybe sebab semalam balun kayuh tak ingat. No wonder aku fatigue sikit lepas ride semalam. Tapi once dah mula atur langkah, stomping menjadi semakin rancak. Nothing felt better than to breath the fresh morning air kat kampung sendiri, zero traffic & erti kebebasan...hehehe.

As I passed Lake Valley, parking space was still ample, tak macam weekends sebelum puasa. Masyarakat yang masih sakan beraya & attending open house hari Sabtu sampaikan terlalu penat & careless about apa diorang makan & workouts. Maybe dah habis Syawal baru penuh semula kot tempat parking dengan joggers. Dapat gak complete 8km in about 41 minutes. Lepas key in kat logyourrun.com sekai pace 5.06! Laju tuh. Kena adjust sikit next time.

Aidilfitri ups & downs

Mujurlah ada jugak beberapa runs & cycles yang aku dapat buat sepanjang Ramadhan walaupun virus malas ada jugak sikit-sikit menggigit especially part hujung nak ke raya. All in all, dengan jaga makan, minum & tidur, insyallah aku dapat retain stamina. Maybe muscle aku kurang berkembang sebab diet aku pun kurang, maklum lah berpuasa.

Since KPI Ramadhan aku ditahap average (at least better than last year sebab kena sinus), sambutan aidilfitri aku pun agak sederhana jugak, on the expenditure point of view la. Takde la shopping sakan. Ada lah jugak rezeki dari sumber-sumber lain yang tak memerlukan aku & famili untuk berbelanja banyak. Alhamdullillah. Akan tetapi, aktiviti kekeluargaan di antara sanak saudara menjelang Syawal sangat meriah. Ziarah menziarahi di kampung tersangat meriah di antara pakcik, makcik, sepupu sepapat, dua pupu, anak buah & definitely all those ketupat, kari ayam, lemang pakcik bawak dari Tampin, roti jala, laksa dll. Mantap 8000 kali.

Workout telah bermula dengan grand seminggu selepas raya. Rupa-rupanya ramai yang tertunggu-tunggu. Hampir 10 orang kaum berkumpul kat rumah aku. Aku pun tak sure sama ada diorang ni nak mula situ sebab nak bedal mee bandung lepas ride or memang nak milage. Kah kah kah! Tapi takpe, all good. Turning up for the ride was at least a big leap from Ramadhan's hibernation for some. There were Alwin, Azahari, Hanchik, Saiful, Nizam, Deti. Bachin & Dicky kita orang jumpa kat bus-stop Batu 9. The menu was to get up Peres & Bukit Hantu & back to BTHO.

Hanchik, Nizam & Deti menambah milage kat basikal baru diorang yg depa purchased bulan posa hari tu. Memang looking forward sangat lah dengan kayuhan ni, especially untuk panjat Peres. Azahari dengan wheelset Reynolds baru beli dari ebay. Aku pulak mau try out C24 ler panjat Peres.

Memanjat Peres was something unbelievable sebab aku dapat cangkuk kat Alwin, knowing for his climbing strength. Dia cranking up big gears, aku spin till my hearts out. Maybe to the omission of a few grams from my bike. Too bad, a handful of us yang opted to get discounts by not joining up Peres & Bukit Hantu. We clocked total of 80km & bedal mee bandung at my place. Hari tu we all dapat panggilan Jockeys. Aku kena sediakan jockey's lounge nanti dalam plan house renovation. Hehe.

My runs thru the mid weeks was a bit substandard due to some adjusted evening plans which I decided to be prioritised. Aku dapat run Isnin & Selasa je. Khamis pi ziarah neighbour warded for diabeter & Friday came back late from meeting. Takde hal. I don't need to worry myself for the Ekiden Run on Sunday as long as I have my running muscles twitched.

Saturday, Alwin & me planned for a test ride with our aerobars. We picked the Ironman 70.3 loop in Putrajaya. It was a 30km route with rolling hills & flat-out flats. The aerobars assisted outstandingly at flat stretches. Memang berbaloi. Easily aku achieved 39-40kph at easy cadence...teruja 800 kali. Hopefully during Powerman, this gadget dapat bantu aku.

Ahad, Ekiden Run kat Putrajaya dengan kaum 10 orang 2 team. Camdek A & B. Tahun ni nampak participation sungguh cemerlang. Kaum Pacemaker vs kaum Chap Ayam Runners. Depa hantar a few teams. Team lain pun banyak jugak. Meriah la kira, compare dengan last year. Crowd dah macam event larian anjuran Pacesetter. Kalau tak silap, team aku placing 18th in our category & 48th in overall. Ok la. Alhamdullillah all went well.

We were served with another sport event took place same time & same venue. Ironman 70.3. Dapat lah aku tengok all those triatletes & super-triathletes beraksi, yang selama ni aku nampak kat dalam blog je. Ramai muka-muka yang aku kenal yang memang berkecimpung dengan sukan ni. A bit teruja tapi aku masih belum taksub dengan challenge yang dihidangkan. Bukan setakat tu, komitmen, masa & sacrifices among those yang lebih penting. Anyway, there is a plan to try the sprint tri next year up my sleeves & also to take up swimming lessons. See how it goes as we approach 2010 lah.

The remaining of my weekend was spent domestically. Neighbours datang beraya & aku sefamili pi beraya ke rumah depa. Tersangat meriah, especially for the kids where they had the chance to walk & laugh & play throughout the moments.

My downside of the week happened Thursday night. Handphone kesayangan telah disambar mat rempit masa kat Shell Cheras Perdana while I was walking towards my car from the cashier. 8 juta kali tahap kemarahan aku bila setiap kali aku ingatkan tragedi tu. Ada lah agaknya hikmah Allah disebalik ni semua. Aku perlu redha. Amin.

3rd week

Dah masuk 3rd week into Ramadhan. Tarawih aku balun, lari tak seberapa tapi weekend night ride aku looked forward to. With the last 2 rides covering the mains of Putrajaya road, the workout turned out to be awesomes.

Last weekend quite a handful of us covered 47km which ended us hit by windstorm. We were drenched and cold but a tasty garlic cheese nan weaved with mee goreng mamak at 2.00 in the morning was promising. We closed the day at 3.30am sleepy.

I only managed to squeeze in a tiny short run on Tuesday, just enough to twitch the running muscles and back for buka puasa. Compared to the tiny workout, a bigger chunk of grilled lamb dumped in at two different buka puasa occassions. Those are loads of cholesterol dude!

Last night's ride was a different agenda. All 17 of us which was successfully organised by Julie vied FB rolled of from palace of justice at almost 12.00. The menu was 25 kph over 60 km. We struggled to suit the menu but failed. Adrenaline rushed in and the ride turned out to be an interval ride, bashing at every flat, attack at every climb and crouching oneself tucked in at every descent. The flats, the short and long climbs and the descents were superbly spreaded throughout the route. With more grilled lamb chucked in during buka puasa, I felt that it almost gave me a belly cramp.

We were rewarded with magnificent carbo reloads and snacks at post ride. Thanks again to Julie again. I swigged in loads of those sweet seedless black grapes & a cute bottle of vitagen. The best ever post ride meal.

Looks like it was our last night ride for this years Ramadhan. The menu during Syawal shall be well table out for the next task in hand.