2nd Week

The second week started with a rest day on Monday as recommended by Hal. After all those freaking fitness chores last week, a day of rest seems so heaven. Baru seminggu dah mula being particular...choit.

11-November 2008 Tuesday, back to the training board.
Venue : Lake Garden
Distance : Scheduled 3m (4.8km); Actual 5.1km
Time : 31m31s

16-November 2008 Sunday
Venue : Taman Tasik Permaisuri
Distance : Long run

Another week of training but weather was not on our side. Out of 3 mid week runs, 2 was cancelled due to the monsoon atmosphere. The guilt for having to stare through the window while listening to the tapping of rain was appalling. However, the long run was completed joyously especially when the running group was joined by some other runners met at the venue.

What a week...?

Whoaa...never done this before but it was great & awesome so far. A week full of freaky fitness activity. Run, run & run which ended up today with a long ride; which was supposed to be a cross training.

Since we've planned for a long ride a week earlier, Bentong was chosen for a revisit. Our last ride here was about a year ago. Six of us were later joined by half a dozen more towards Bentong upon regrouping at peak of Genting Sempah. Ride towards Bentong was fast & energetic, we managed to reach the mamak in 2 hours. The mee goreng was nothing compared to the original mamak next to the famous ABC shop in mid town.

The ride back (up) was the usual 30km non-stop pedalling & climbing, no discount offered. It was heaven & hell. Heaven, when one can enjoy the hilltop climate of Bukit Tinggi & Janda Baik cool breeze & greeneries. Hell, when the going gets tough & the tough gets going.

Group was separated into four. Saiful, Akmal & me were in the third group staying in our aerobic stage. We were wretched to the saddle. Regrouped at Genting Sempah R&R near the buah berangan stall. We managed our final climb of the day, the ultimate McDonald Big Mac climb & spinned away to HOA.

• Route : HOA - Bentong - HOA
• Milage : 96.49km
• Clock : 4hr 16min

1st Week

After all the hassle & mentally disturbed process of getting a satisfied & worth shoes, it is time to hit the pavement. Started yesterday, introduced by fellow friend to Lake Garden panoramic & cooling route. Owh...got myself the hyped Nike Zoom Victory+ at a good bargain that I can't resist...knowing Nike's hikey price tag.

4-November 2008
Route : Lake Garden
Distance : 5.1km (1 loop Carcosa + 1 loop lake) - 3.17 miles
Time : 29m14s

5-November 2008
Route Lake Garden
Distance : 5.6km (2 loops Carcosa) - 3.47 miles
Time : 36m22s

6-November 2008
Outstation

8-November 2008
Route : Double Hill, Bukit Tunku
Distance : 10km
Time : 1h17m16s

Total 1st week : 20.7km (12.8 miles)

Ok, so I've taken this thing seriously now. Perhaps I should, since the goal is something that cannot be taken lightly. My first approach into the world of serious running was facilitate by Bacin, being introduced to runner's hub, our famous Lake Garden. As scheduled by Hal Higdon, start easy. 2 days in a row enjoying the cool climate of greeny Lake Garden together with fellow running enthusiasts. They are quite the gila-gila type also, so easy to blend in but not to follow their pace should one decide to commit suicide.

The scheduled weekend long run today was decided to be the legendary Double Hill. My first attempt. No double nor triple but hill after hill through all those big mansions of Bukit Tunku residencies. Four of us (Bacin, Akmal, Saiful & me) paced it slow & steady. Pace setting & running buddies are truely a remarkable strategy be it physically & mentally.

Coolrunning

Whoaa...I didn't realise the new challenge really obsessed me too much. Well actually I favor browsing the net for knowledge & infos of stuffs that falls under my interest categories. Cycling, running, hiking, moutaineering, photography...but all are seasonal. This month's big task will be running.

Finding the best shoes was never easy for me ever since. School pairs excluded in the discussion though. Be it a pair of working leathers to the casual ones. Getting a pair of clipless for my mtb & roadrides gave me nightmares last year. Luckily I found Sidi, best ever. Won't change to other names but still curious to try out Shimanos.

Running shoes was not so difficult to grab in the early days in campus, maybe because the design was simpler. I had asic gel, adidas & nike cross trainer before & they served me undoubted till the end. Ever since I lost my last running pair, the Adidas due to it's age, I was caught in the shoe finding nightmare again. Never found anything that pleases me until now though I bought a pair of New Balance last year for temporary usage. It served me in the 10k and half KLIM in two consequitive years. Maybe it's about time to be serious in my search.

It started earlier this week. I shall start with my several comebacks to Jusco admiring my almost a year Adidas Supernova Control 10 sitting helplessly on the shelf. Had it KIV due to it's ridicilous RM399 tag. Only now it's been reduced by 10% which is still at RM359 ridiculous tag. It's a stability shoe for underpronators or supinate runners but it fits me so good.

Then a visit to Adidas (M) store in Pavillion based from a friend's suggestion. A 10 minutes chat with the sales assistant broaden my knowledge about Adidas technology. He advised the Supernova Control 10 is not meant for natural feet like me...pulak! I was eyeing those slicky Adizero though those are racing shoes (not at that stage yet).

Stopped by two Nike store today. First visit in Suria KLCC and tried out my long admiring Air Pegasus. The price was reduced (from RM349 to RM249) due to it's odd sizes stock but was unfortunate Pegasus was only available for wide feet...argh!

The second Nike store rendevoued me with the stylish Zoom Victory+. First perception, looks nothing more than a stylish weekend walking shoes though the sales guy insisted that it's for running. Tried it on, felt the outsole was flat & hard. The fitting was cool since it looks narrow & wrapped around my feet nicely.

Last but least, I met Mizuno Wave Rider 10, earlier model than the 11 (current). Jusco had it slashed by up to 50% from RM429 to RM215!!! Whoaaa...this is really making me crazy.

Back to the www & I crazily read reviews of each pair of shoes. Now I had to narrow down & compare it at every angle i.e. availability in size, price, looks, comfort, etc.

Generally all the above shoes have it's pros & cons as summarised below:

Adidas Supernova Control - only availabe in Jusco since old model, size also limited, price tag a bit crazy for my wallet but the snug fit was cool. Might need to find out more from interview with sales guy.

Nike Zoom Victory+ - price about the same as Supernova. Read two reviews by fellow local entusiast runners & received good reviews be it for training or for short races. Attractive looks. Lightweight.

Mizuno Wave Rider 10 - have the lowest price tag among the three which also fit my wallet. Good reviews from websites since it's predessors 8 & 9. Lighweight enough for training & races.

New challenge

Out of nowhere bila balik dari Melaka ride, aku suddenly felt healthy, strong and confident. Maybe sebab after Sahara, the impact to fitness aku bertambah & also maybe sebab aku dah fully recover from my month long sinus. Harap aku stay this way.

Loads of activities came across my mind. I just need to lay in piece by piece & manage the calendar. However, the thought of going back to running was considered. Apa kata next year's KL International Marathon aku try buat full marathon 42km? Seems like doable. Thanks to Alwin bagi aku link to Hal Higdon's (http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm) training for marathon website. Need 18 weeks (four an a half months) of commitments & discipline.

Cuba aje...will try to plan & work out the training logs.

Post Sahara

A week after the gruelling Sahara ride, some of us looked forward to go back to the normal routine of hitting the tarmac. Eventually the same corum rolled in at my place & we took the Semenyih loop. A breakfast stop at Tekala & we continued up Bukit Sg Tekali. A second breakfast of mee jawa at Batu 14 before rolling back in covering 62km in 2 hours 36 minutes.

Some theories or presumptions were made during this post Sahara ride. I have no idea whether it's true or vise versa but just for the sake of recording it for future analysis:

1. Us cyclist involve in mountainbiking & roadcycling need to balance the time spent between these two types.
2. Roadcycling rewards oneself with extra endurance or fortitude.
3. Mountainbiking in the other hand could tutor a cyclist with the sudden boost climb or sustaining a long granny.
4. Roadcycling provide muscle strength through thousands of cadence especially the lower body.
5. Mountainbiking though helps to build the extra upper body muscles through handlebar controlling on technical climbs & definitely the bike hiking commotion. Best example was this morning's Bukit Sg Tekali 2km climb in a less suffering moment.

Malacca Sahara Ride

Eventually I have this chance of calming oneself & mood to post my late entry for the recent event took place last weekend. Yep, the ECC Malacca Environment Ride or we called it the Great Sahara Ride was the one we looked forward to join.

Seven of us from KL convoyed in two cars rendevoued with another two whom we called "orang tempatan" in a'famosa resort Saturday evening after hurdling the deepavali traffic on the highway & very warm weather. All went smooth with the kits collection & our check in into the 2 rooms condo. We had early dinner in Tampin, a walked in tom yam stall which seemed descend enough. Maybe it was due to the large tv screen showing Manu vs Everton in live which attracted us more.

We ended our day with the dissappointing display by fellow Malaysia football team whom was defeated by Vietnam in the Pesta Bola Merdeka. The 2 hour long game ended with a sudden death penalty kick of 1-0. Everybody went to sleep without further argument.

The big day started as early as 5.30 a.m. as not to cramp up the toilet schedule for all nine of us. Grazing at the starting line an hour early than supposed to be & off we rode the 7km rolling road to Simpang Ampat & into the village & estate roads.

There were 9 checkpoints to be completed & definitely dozens of mind blowing climbs. Most are plantation roads connected by tarmac kampung road between the stretch. Some route came as ridiculous as it could be when one had to haul one's bike up steep & slippery jungle loose slope. The queue was unforgettable. Lucky for some us whom was rewarded with a long, hot & loose downhill. Definite loose when the rear wheel going ahead of the front. With some body balance, it was definite fun.

Upon reaching CP5, some of us started to doubt the capacity & challenge awaiting for the rest of the ride. We had 15 minutes pit stop at a makcik's shop munching karipap, cool 100 plus & mee hun goreng. "Alang alang menyeluk pekesam, bior sampai ke pangkal lengan". That was the similar phrase to explain it from Azahari's point. Instantly he was named the "penganjur" from it.

The task & torment started immediately as we turned off from the civilised kampung road, into the bright shiny, hot & glimmering open trail which was climbing and climbing endlessly. The sight of fore riders pushing motionless was disturbing. This was the ultimate Sahara. The climb was divided into three sections. The first climb was enough to drain oneself huffing & puffing trying horribly to reach the first peak under the ice cream umbrella.

Seeing the second climb with tiny riders crawling made everybody crazy. Any miracle or magic or any surviving technic would come in handy but it was helpless. It's only mind & strength. Push upon push, jerks upon jerks with secured foot, we drag ourselves & bikes up. Upon reaching the second peak, a 3 minutes stop was enough to decide that we had to close the agony fast. The third climb made us to the "bukit botak" with no shade at 1.15 p.m. with a sticker for CP6.

Mtb rules of thumb was, one climb must be rewarded with an awesome downhill. In this case, the rules were bent & broken with shattered hearts for every mountainbikers. The downhill was only walkable with very steep & slippery loose sands. Crap! That was the biggest bang for most of us.

The rest of the ride was more of completing the ride rather than enjoying it with task. The weather was definitely killing most of us. I was lucky to survive with enough prep milage & hydration but not enough to satisfy myself. The smacking of unsuitable terrain & challenges into the ride was not so cool. Not looking forward for another mtb long ride to soon.

Facts :

• Team name : kudokukayuhgagahberani
• Team menbers : Nizam, Mutalib, Bachin, Saifullizan, Alwin, Dicky, Zamri, Azahari & me
• Distance for 9 stikers : 55km
• Ride time : 4 hours+
• Outdoor time : 6 hours+

Klawang turned Tekala

I was very much looking forward for the Sunday ride ever since I missed last weekend's due to family obligation. It was supposed to be a Kuala Klawang trip which was later discounted to Titi but later was slashed to Tekala ride only...hahaha.

However, it was a good one. Climbing Peres while chatting along with Saiful was a surprising when we didn't notice the 9km peak was only a talk away. Upon deciding and some negotiating, Klawang ride detoured to Tekala for fresh santan nasi lemak & kuih sambal. There were about nine of us.

We hit Bukit Sg Tekali on our back to Batu 14. My second attempt riding from home was never been good clocking 90km in 4 hours 18 minutes. I spinned on my way back from Batu 9 to home to avoid tired legs. Looking forward for another tar & grime.

Syawal 1429 Hijrah Super Sunday

Pergh! Mantap! Tu aje yang mampu aku lafazkan hasil dari kayuhan semalam. Dah lama sangat aku tak rasa penyeksaan macam tu. The last Saturday night of Ramadhan, aku determined to gauge my level of lengit by joining some friends riding the Putrajaya 32km Ramadhan route. Ternyata & terbukti aku LENGIT tahap 3 ever since I was diagnosed with a severe sinus about a month ago. Nasib baik tak pongeh sangat sampai meracau-racau since aku constantly paced myself although I was left a kilometer behind by the peloton.

Came Syawal & lots of saturated fat & carbo, I was eager to wait for the first Sunday ride. All holiday travelling & time were well planned so as to tune myself for the much awaited Super Sunday. Not forgetting for record, the Syawal one week holiday was celebrated awesomely with fellow families & close relatives. Kids were enjoying every second of it.

Datangnya Ahad, aku mulakan kayuhan dari rumah. Ada tersilap perkiraan sikit in terms of ride distance & time dari rumah aku, so aku terlewat sikit sampai ke meeting place Batu 14. To my surprise, boleh tahan ramai jugak yang kayuh hari ni rupanya. Most are familiar faces from Ramadhan night ride, ada lebih kurang 10 orang. Geng PCC dah 5 minit gerak. Slow pace from there to Batu 18, providing me chance to recover from the 11km dash from my place.

Sampai Batu 18, another bunch joined in the group forming quite a large 20 people crowding the Kg Sg Lui road. Dah terasa macam open house raya pulak ramai-ramai macam ni. Maybe most of us dah simpan gian lama tak kayuh sebulan puasa. Up to Genting Peres & back to Batu 14 for roti canai before I headed home completing 81km in 3 hours 21 minutes under the scorching Sunday sun. Although the last kilometer was started to feel the pain in my legs, it felt great. Looking forward to build stamina again.

Selamat Hari Raya to all. May we meet again with a meaningful Ramadhan & Syawal next year.

Month of remembrance

Ever since I started actively swimming a month ago, my sinus became worse. It turned uglier with the extreme weather nowadays. Extreme hot & cold in a day is enough to make one's life miserable for the remaining days. I was glad, come Ramadhan, travellings and meetings were kept to a minimum. Or else I will not survive the airconditioned meeting rooms & inside my car with the scorching sun outside.

Upon giving up with the self recovery running nose, I've decided to give a try with the common Clarinese (ubat selsema). The wet nose went away, no more stuffed nose during nightimes. Too much of a hope, the dry nose followed with extreme headache. I survived with days of wet nose, but a day of headache is too much. Two days of paracetamol or panadol would only chase it for a few hours. Eventually, I went back to my family doctor. Ada duit semua boleh jadi eh?

With consistent supplements (no drugs attached) everytime I have during the 8 hours window (non-puasa time), I took it for almost two weeks. Alhamdullillah by today (complete 1 month suffering), I gained my strength & confidence back.

My cycling was abandoned for the whole period of my mourning month. A few attempts were arranged but with no enthusiasm. However, a few events are up the sleeve right after hari raya. We've arranged for the upcoming Malacca mtb jamboree in 26-Oct & Powerman in 9-Nov. Might try out the Pesta Penang Roadrace for a plate or two of nasi kandar & laksa. Muahahaha!