Longest so far

This week which Week 10 in my marathon training program clocked the longest milage so far. Yep, a group of us ran 25km this morning...and so were a bunch of other runners making their full dressed rehersal for next week's Great Eastern 30k.

The morning unfold with a surprise sight when Jalan Parlimen was already crowded with large groups as early as 6.00am & the Bukit Aman carpark was almost full. We had to occupy the remaining carpark at Lake Garden's childrens playground & started our epic almost at 7.00am.

The pace was rather reserved & slow while approaching Jalan Duta before Zakuan & Akmal decided to cut short their milage due fatigue & injury. The remaining five carried on towards the 20km mark at Sri Hartamas. We came upon large runners coming back from Sri Hartamas which some of them even started as early as 5.00am.

We stopped for a few minutes at the only petrol & refuel station, which ran out of Gatorade due to popular demand today. Running back to Jalan Duta with half finished 100 plus was something unique. Some of us caught those gassy tummy feeling & had to stopped for the toilet at the famous Ranjini condo.

We reached Lake Garden & added another 2 laps of the lake route before exhausting our legs almost at 10.00am with the morning crowd & early sun. A quick breakfast at nasi lemak Tangling & the remaining day was spent with sore legs & feet.

Split:

10.8k - 1.10.27 (Lake Garden to Petronas)

21.6k - 1.04.53 (Petronas to Lake Garden)

2.30k - 13.44.50 (Lake 1st lap)

2.30k - 14.36.29 (Lake 2nd lap)

Aftermath of 24km (pre-GE30k 2009)

How's it going? Not so lah...

How is the year 2009 getting on? So far so good, but not to some of my friends. Just as we wished each other with hope of a greater future, peace, harmony, prosperous, etc., I was also noshed with mishap & depressing stories from fellow comrades.

On 25-December 2008, I visited an ex-collegue at Universiti Hospital. A retired army then served with my previous employee in the construction line as a safety officer. We were assigned to a same project team for almost five years. After hearing that he was diagnosed with a stage 4 pancreas cancer, I knew that he needs all the support from friends & families. As we surrounded En. Amin's bed, we were so much touched by the love & passion given from his wife & kids all eight of them.

On 1-January 2009, as I just emailed to fellow buddies about our future runs & rides, I received a sms from Azahari. He was caught in a bike crash. A group of them rode the legendary Broga Classic route. Four cyclist got entangled & the worst grievanced was Azahari. 20 stitches on the four head, 10 by the left ear & a busted collar bone. A tragedy that was.

Today, 9-January 2009, I received a sms from an ex-collegue conveying a very dispair news. En. Amin passed away this morning at Serdang Hospital. I was wordless. Made a call back to the sender to confirm the news. Al-Fatihah for his soul. While the same moment, upon checking on Azahari, he's recovering from the stitches & counting days for full recovery of the collar bone.

Adidas Running Shoes Seeding Program Q1 2009

Hello Guys,

Good news for runners who blog or having their own webpage.

Adidas had once again brought in more highly innovative running shoes to be given away FREE to runners to wear-test them & to post in their blog a very frank & unprejudiced opinion about the shoes after 30 days ofusage.

One of the shoe that is included in this program is adiZero Adois that Haile Gebrselassie used at the 2008 Berlin Marathon setting a world record in the Marathon at 2hr 03 mins 58 sec.

The sizes are limited and I have them in size UK 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 & 10.5. Those wishing to possess these shoes will have to comply with the following terms & condition :

1 ) Come to the adidas office to fit the shoes.
2 ) Undertake to post a comment in their bloga
a) about the Technical features of the Shoes upon receiving themb
b) about the performance of the shoes after 30 days of usage.
3 ) Must be a blogger or has his/her own website.

This offer expires on 15th January 2009 & the shoes will be given out on a first-come-first-serve basis. The program this year is only open to those who had NOT participated or missed out in this program previously.

If you are interested pls call to make an appointment as appended below.

Office address:

adidas Malaysia Sdn BhdBlock B ,
Level 4, Plaza Damansara
45 Media Setia 1
Bukit Damanasara
Kuala Lumpur

Tel Office : 03 - 20804843
Mobile No : 012 - 3503668
E-Mail : krishnan.karuppan @adidas.com

Best RegardsKrishnan Karuppan
Head of Running
adidas Malaysia

New what? New year or new shoes? Again...?!

Whoaaa...new year already eh? Runs has been steady ever since I tracked back to my program. Week 9 was as scheduled except for some adjustments to suit with other chores i.e. public holidays & upcoming school days. Week milage were shortened (Stepback week) to prepare for Week 10's longer & harder runs. I just hope that my body can coop with the increasing demand of the training program especially diet & rest wise.

In welcoming the 15 miles for next long run, I have equipped my feet with a new gear. My current trusted supernova requires alternate trainers for more milage ahead. After my disturbed mind & emotions ever since I met Gel Kayano 14 at quite a 50-50 offer (RM420, reduced from RM599), I was longing to look for an equal but yet affordable trainers. After days & hours of search on the internet & shops, I came to my decision & verdic with Mizuno Wave Inspire 4 (March 2008). Through good relations & recommendations from fellow buddies with local outlets, I was offered with an unimaginable price...RM200 (reduced from RM379). Gladly enough, I will put my effort to the training with 200% commitments :P

Wave Inspire 4 gave a new inspiration during it's first 16km long run which was yesterday. Though the shoes were about half size bigger than my adidas, it's narrow cutting gloved my feet magnificently. The flat feeling of the shoe was a bit different compared to my supported supernova due to it's "wave" technology but the cushioning was surprisingly awesome. Stability & support worked well since I didn't encounter any knee or backpain during post-run. Responsiveness was incredible, maybe due to it's lightweight criteria which resulted to my last 5km dashed along Putrajaya Boulevard & spoilt the pace of my fellow buddies...hehehe.

Swim wise : We attempted swimming after the run as part of the recovery or cross training agenda. Though the pool was a bit murky, nothing can't stop us. My first 100m attempt experience needed to be more relaxed & confident. First 50m was ok but not the second. Halfway through my stroke was a bit out of rythm which brough to a bit of panicky situation & resulted to unrelaxed breathing. By reaching the wall, I was gasping for air & dizzy. Needs improvement.

Bye 2008/1429H

Bye bye 2008 and definitely 1429 Hijrah. The norms "kejap je rasa 2008 dah habis...hmmm". A statement defined as satisfaction achievement or zero achievement. The most important is to look forward for a better tomorrow, which means next year 2009.

There is nothing in my mind for 2009 except thinking of my current tasks or goals. To achieve it. Ada la sikit-sikit personal goals & family goals yang nak kena settle kan. Pelan-pelan kayuh, kasi settle one at a time. No need the new year to start a new.

Ok, may 2009 and 1430H have more rezeki & blessings from Allah. Amin.

Back in the pool

Ever since I came back from Teluk Rubiah & did a short dash across the not so crystal clear pool, I knew that running improved my stamina in a drastic manner. From there onwards, I was craving to do more.

Last Saturday evening's visit to Putrajaya pool came short of a dip since I had to do a close monitoring of my fellow kids & their cousins. Splashing of the cool clear water & some breathtaking strokes of fellow swimmers was definitely a vigorous invitation.

Two days later, after no any physical activites, which is today, I brought along my family back to Putrajaya. Whoaa...it was marvelous.Did 4 x 50 meters with a 1 minute rest. I can go more but save the best for later.

1.23.76
1.28.15
1.25.40
1.30.02

Right now I'm suffering from running nose & regular sneezings. Better get that repair before my next trip :P

Malakoff 12km run

After 2 months of hectic runs midweeks and long runs on weekends, the Malakoff 12km Run was my first race & the last race for 2008. My buddies & me were looking forward for it, making sure to try out our theoretical pace analysis from our trainings. Not just that, it was also the right time to test our running gears grabbed from warehouse sales & running shops after spending cash & time running in them during our trainings.

Come Saturday morning we rallied at Taman Rimba Kiara for our kit collection. We were provided with an overlarge New Balance vest & some other ignorable stuff. I took along Yasmin after her swimming class. All of us dropped by the Garden for a quick tour of Adidas & Mizuno boutiques for some close up views of those gorgeous footwears reviewed from websites & blogs, locals & abroads.

Race day, we left for Taman Tun at 5.20am, carpooled with Nizam. Performed Subuh at Taman Tun's mosque and left our cars there. A half an hour of nerve wrecking moment, qeueing behind the start line & off we hurdled towards the welcoming long & steep hill of the first 3km stretch.

The route was revised to a 2 laps of the same road instead of running on the sprint highway & Penchala Link tunnel. That was a bit dissappointing. So, we had to face the same hills twice. My first lap was an observation one, gauging the juices used & remaining in store. The final stretch back to finish line was more on assessing my strength. It was a great feeling. I clocked 1'03"45min pacing at 5.19min/km...macam laju aje. Bacin pesan, kalau marathon buat pace tu...mampuih ler :P

Training buddies

Illiotibialist

KRU (Kumpulan Rambut Uban)

Macha Rocco

Dealer tupperware

Jiwa kacau

Footwear evaluation phenomena a.k.a. jiwa kacau

Pergh! Hampir semua dah kena sawan kasut. Teringat aku nickname "kasut" untuk sorang member aku masa kat kolej...hehehe. Pitcher softball yang senang mental kacau, actually semua pitcher mental kacau. Ada yang sampai cakap sorang-sorang kat tengah pitch tu.

Ok la, since Hal ada mention in his 5th week schedule, it is time to evaluate our footwear. Evaluate je sebenarnya tapi budak-budak ni dah bantai assessment tahap ISO. Tambah lagi dengan adanya M'sia Sale Carnival. Aku pun terjebak sekali. Actually memang it's a good timing la sebab ni la masa nak dapat good offer or bargains. Kalau takde sale, jangan harap le nak belek any of those juicy trainers from the shelves.

Started from last week, semua dah tak sabor nak tunggu weekend 29-Nov mulanya shopping carnival. Come weekend during our long run, the morning air was filled with shoe & gear talks. Come Sunday, sms & phone calls exchanged throughout the day. Busy, busy, busy with footwear tests & talks.

I was not left out. My month long target for the Adizero Tempo can't be compromised. With only 10% less, aku sambau aje...malas nak fikir lama2 & menanggung seksa jiwa yang kacau. Sekali dengan selai vest Formotion yang nampak lazat bila dah try.

Ropa2nya Bacin lagi jiwa lara kronik dari aku. Sabtu petang dah tunggang terbalik kat rumah. Petang tu jugak dia pi sambau Supernova Sequence kat Pavillion dengan offer untuk trade in his old Asics. On the way balik, call aku dengan nada poyo & puas.

Isnin, aku temankan Saiful to Garden. Yang ni pun lagi rakus. Habis semua kasut kat shelf dalam adidas boutique dia capai & try. Adistar Control 5 or Cushion 7? Tapi eventually malam tu jugak pi sambau Mizuno Wave Rider 12 kat Bangsar with unresisted offer. Dapat staff price, cut off 40% for this newly arrived model Runner's World Editor's Choice...cilakak! Run Selasa petang masing2 memperagakan footwear baru kecuali aku & Nizam. Aku cool saja nak bior depa poyo dulu. Huru hara kejap jugak la Lake Garden petang tu. Nizam dah mula dijangkit jiwa kacau. Siap la nanti aku akan terima phone calls...hehehe.

We just hope with these right chosen gears, we could excel, motivate & survive the 18 weeks training & eventually achieved our goals. Insyallah.

Run jangan tak run beb...

Lama jugak tak update blog, ada 2 minggu kot. Maybe sebab dah sampai tahap stim nak berlari, so takde feel nak mengarang. Except for tonight. Only this weekend aje yang sought of reda sikit from activities. Dah 2 minggu miss EPL on tv & 2 minggu tak kayuh & 2 minggu tak update blog.

Perkembangan training marathon aku agak positif. Despite some rainy evenings & outstations, aku still survive to squeeze in the mid week runs & have not cheated on the weekend long runs. Ada jugak yang we had to run in rain sebab we have done a lap of the Lake garden route...belasah aje. Tapi tak sehebat those regulars la yang bedal sampai 4 laps until gelap gelita pun lari lagi. Sat lagi maghrib pulak entah ke mana.

Like before during this year half marathon, aku masih cuba survive with a healthy diet especially carbos prior to runs. Watched by cafine intake & those saturated fats. Ngeri ooo...

Running pals were great. We managed to maintain the pack, be it the mid week runs & even the weekend's. At certain session, the comers were encouraging 10 runners. To keep me up with the running anxiety, I would do like what I always do, keep on feeding myself with running infos & facts, and the better deal is going shopping for running stuffs. Hahaha...with the Malaysia sale carnival on, things will be a bit chaotic in the next few weeks.

Eventually aku managed to squeeze in a cycling session as part of the cross training. Come Sunday, though with all the laziness in the world & tiredness from yesterday's long run, aku layan je. Rolled off from my place with Saiful towards Langat & back. Felt good. Just a santai ride spinning all the way. We missed 2 weeks & our milage dah reset balik. Rugi ooo...

New stuff

Whoaaa...ever since I earned the Nike Zoom Victory+, my instinct tells me that I am still not satisfied. Something is not right or a certain percentage of satisfaction was not achieved. Why eh? Hmmm...beats me. Though I ran miles after miles, something felt missing.

Ok lah, eventually I admitted it. I really need a pair of trainers. The Victory+ is not one. Trainer is a pair that I can bedal & belasah throughout the week & the weeks after. A nice comfortable & reliable one.

So, back to the shoe hunting board. One of my favorites. Complex upon complex, shop upon shop. Shoe upon shoe. Lifted it from the shelves, belek-belek & put it back. Nothing struck me. Eventually met Adizero Tempo. Price was too steep but shoe was awesome. Pretty stuff. Cool colours, nice tech, enough weight & just the support that I need. Gonna need some strategies to beat the steep price.

Back at home, I went back to some old materials about shoe finding, shoe buying guide (which I've read thousands of time) & finalising the wet feet test to confirm the info received from the mamat New Balance earlier. Slight pronate! Argh! Do I really need those supported trainers with very high soles? Ok lah, probably the Tempo might help me.

The search goes on & my sleep was compromised thinking of these crazy gears. Took a detour today for a few more shops. "Kalau dah jodoh tak ke mana". A friend & some old sayings used to tell me. Hahahah! I came across my forgotten Supernova (earlier post with details). The price tag was so alarming! Almost took my breath away. Sriap! An hour of deep thoughts & reviews from buddies, I ran effortlessly today. Alhamdullillah.