Peres...been a while

It's been a while...yes, everything's been a while. LSD, climbing Peres, etc. What better way to welcome the new year with something I've left and longing to redo for the past months. Nothing official but just some friends which I managed to gather via sms a day before. The menu was plain simple, roll off at 7.00am to Genting Peres and back. Perhaps or is it a must to stop for roti canai at Batu 18.

Alwin & me started off from my place & met up with Bahri at Batu 9. Eventually we met up with a group of cyclists from PCC at Batu 14 i.e. Clarence, PK & maybe seven others. They wanted to climb Peres & to Tekala. Our climb was casual though I suffered for the last 500 yards. Lucky Bahri was there for a non-stop huffing conversation, which he also thought the other way round. Hahaha. We didn't manage to catch the chilling Peres mist, maybe we started off a bit late from Batu 14 but the descent was relaxing.

Our starvation was cut short from an expected feeding frenzy when roti canai was only available one for each of us. Alamak! Stok tepung habis daaa... It never taste better that morning. Cukup rangup & lembut. Too bad we had to hold our desire to wallop more.

The spin back to my place was taxing for the three of us. I felt a slight hamstring pain on my left leg as I pushed on for the last 14km. Whether it's my lack of carbo load or my undisciplined diet that was draining me. I presumed that those fat-riched kambing for bbq I scoffed Friday night might be the 99% reason. Hahaha!

A week to go and it's going to be another year passed by and another year to venture. I've been busy with a few errands myself, like million others. Completing the current tasks in hand & perhaps undertaking new ones in 2010. Planning for events and races for next year almost through. I'm just targetting a few major ones and more social-driven experience. With the lack of a helping hand at home come March, I expect things would be a bit tougher for us but we'll manage. It's either now or never. All those experiences from trainings, marathon, races, events, motivations shall come in handy.

With the Hijrah & Masihi exchanging figures, and with all other resolutions at bay, I still need to be a better person. The calendar marks the spot for a paradigm. 2010 shall be another adventurous year. Insyallah.

First runners gathering for 2010 : Saucony Pacemaker Network Run Lake Garden 1st January 2010 7.30 a.m. See you there!

Smell of Bukit Tunku

Fresh feeling I can say, as I log this down, excited enough after logging my first official long-slow-distance run. It was 6 months ago, we ran here every Saturday, following Hal's program for our first marathon appearance. The Bukit Tunku route is an all time favourite for weekend LSDs.

After our Subuh prayer in Bukit Aman mosque, we assembled at the parking lot. Three failed to turn up, only six left. Supposed with nine buddies, we sure had the road sealed. Anyway, with some of us being season runners and a few decided to take running to the next level, we paced ourselves nicely towards Jalan Duta. Sight of other runners along the way felt like it was homecoming. Vista of Tijani's awesome architecture was stunning. Smell of green habitats from the Tunku neighbourhood was refreshing. Everthing was awesome.

The milage was kept at no more than 10k with option to add a few more at Lake Garden. After checking with buddies, we decided to turn back, split up & paced up to cover the Lake Garden loop. With less milage on the legs eversince Salomon, I gave it a chase, pounding the tarmac and my heart out. Pom! Pom! Pom! It almost sounded like kompang orang kawin la! Hahaha!

OK. It went well until we reached Lake Garden playground. It was always a dejavu when we attempted this loop in the later part of LSD. Always! The mental kacau syndrome. The lake loop was only about 3k but the clairvoyant synched really tore us apart. Hahaha! We decided to take a detour, a Christmas sale discount & climbed the stairs to the memorial & back to carpark. Aiyo!

Felt fresh from the run. Best part was, it's 8.30am. Generous enough for a chat over kuew teow Tangling & teh-O suam before we departed, looking forward for future mission to Sri Hartamas.

Ride & mess

First of all, just look at the mess I've done. Gatal nak mess up blog layout just because I don't like photos without frames & verdana is still my favourite font. Happened to be, I reverted back to my previous template. Kechooww! Takpe, a nice neat layout keeps up the inspiration. And sometimes we need to change to learn & perhaps start all over again. Just hope blogspot can put up some nice templates in the future that suits my preference.

OK, the post is actually to record my comeback on wheels after over a month now since Manjung erm...alahai. I barely touched nor peek at it. The courage to remove those t-bars just wouldn't turn up. Anyway, the recent public holiday gave me a starter. It was a hot day & after some dashed in the pool instead of pounding the tarmac, I was stripped free from other errands. It was just my Manjung gears & me.

As I rolled it out onto the car porch, I caught a glimpse of something peculiar on the front wheel. I didn't recall having to dirty the wheels with dirt nor mud. It was scorching & arid in Seri Manjung. A closer look & a smirk strike my face as it happened to be a tossed of Johnson & Johnson powder. I can confirmed those baby smells & bear out a vision of tiny little fingers experimenting the chemistry between beauty & bike. Hahaha! Should I left my bike a little bit longer, I can't imagine what it should turn out. A quick rinse, chafing & buff, my black beauty shined in the afternoon sun. T-bars removed, tyres rock solid pressurised. I started gathering spare tubes, tyre levers, shoes, Giro & Oakley. To boost up the motivation, I yanked myself to the LBS later in the evening with the intention to get my kids' bike brakes fixed. A nice pair of Cannondale socks caught my wallet as I left the LBS looking forward for a future spin.

Come Sunday & after a not so taxing run on Saturday, I hauled my lazy & sleepy feet to the front gate welcoming ride buddies whom decided to roll off from my place. Hanchik & Saiful shared the same calamity since Powerman. I was not alone...lega :) Just a handful of us, didn't plan for anything glamorous for a start. We met up with Bahri at Batu 9. He was already shouting for some discounts from the ride after his great 20km LSD the day before. Blessing in disguise, he found the coolest ride buddies today.

We rode all the way to Peres junction at a leisurely conversational pace. It was quite a splendid one except for the last draggy climb, which without fail will never pleased most cyclists. More cycling clans were on display along the way. Casual mountainbikers on slicks. Tandems. And for a shocker, some ladies or shall I say kakak, easily late 40's, in cycling tights handling Cervelo & Scotts! Giler kentang hebat! Those are awesome sights. I even get a chance to exchange smile with Malik, as I remember him from Baik Punya Cilok movie...orang kanan Touke Wong la. I didn't know that he's a cyclist. Saiful confirmed my puzzled mind & even affirmed that "Malik" even rode Kiara! Pergh! Mantap!

We jacked up our HRs on the way back to Batu 18, racing against time stalling at 36-37 kph. It was actually more like racing against the roti canai. Yes, we were starving even as we passed the stall on our way in earlier. Hanchik did the work while I desperately clinging to survive the 10km TT stretch. Melatop kaki! Hahaha!

Some talks over breakfast about next years takwim, especially the interstate. Heard news that the ride venues will be awesome. Looking forward to partake & might need to block my calendar. We headed home in what appeared to be a very blazing late morning climate. It felt like 1.00pm & yet we were still early to finish our ride at 10.30am. More talks over post ride at my place about future rides & events. Already I am looking forward to. Perhaps I should workout a schedule or program to get me committed & manage my weekend bustles.

Batu Dam revisited...on foot

Running up and down memory lane was something that I looked forward to when our trail running buddies planned for it as we crossed Salomon xtrail run finish line a week ago. It's been say 4 years ago when I last rode here with fellow mountainbikers. Most of them migrated into more specific activities after that. I can say that Batu Dam was a real heaven's trail for newbies on bike. It has all the leasurely undulating cross country trail along the massive lake. Should one wish to consider a bit more techy trails, entering deeper into the catchment shall be rewarded with steep technical climbs and fast winding descents through tricky bamboo trails. Exiting via the Ulu Yam trunk road can be a feast with a superb maggie soup at the rest area for the famished souls.

Group photo

Today, 18 trail runners, a by-product of Salomon xtrail event, attempted the non-public access of Batu Dam trail. We got into some lingering moments at Petronas Sg Tua, meeting up before proceeding to the rowing school entrance. What was supposed to be a 7.30am flag-off had to be altered for a half an hour delay. Anyway, everything was cool since weather was as bright as ever, so was the past 2 days.

Fong & rowing buddies were our host, so she lead the enthusiastic group into the trail. It was magnificent. Trail condition was marvelous, with a bit more sugar, it should be sweet enough for everyone. Single tracks winding around the lake shore, crossing cold stream & river, thick canopies of dipterocarps. A complete weekend getaway. Ammah! What else could I say?

We were cut short with the excitement upon reaching the trail end at Riverstone. We opted for an easy & fast back to carpark via the Ulu Yam trunk road. I bet we were the only souls who run that road in a million years. Hahaha! Eventually the chain of runners broke once we hit the tarmac when everyone ran their own pace. So, the ever embracing motto of "Jangan kasi pecah" was abandoned :P. I decided to be back with our fellow sweepers Daud & Shaq escorting Nizam, whom have only started to take running into the next level. We ran & walked back, gasping the cold morning enriching air.

Our mud accumulated shoes were then rinsed while we rest on a pontoon by the rowing school, enjoying a lovely view of the calm water body of the lake. A dip is a must for the eager ones. Splash! We went into the water for a quick sponge down, washing away those dirt & sweat.

It was quite a short run, that I was caught in a dilemma to reward myself with carbo replenishing fiesta. We stopped at a mamak for a quick breakfast of roti telur, tose rawa (new to me) and of course teh tarik.

Eventually, later in the evening, with the chance to bring my kids for a second trip to the pool, I wallop a few more laps calling it a day with clear mind & feeling bouncy.

The tarmac back with fellow sweepers

The newly crowned marathoner leading the pack

Happy to reach the carpark

Still more turns away

The pontoon lepaking

Jungle flaws - Salomon xtrail run

One of those unfortunate events when one is caught in a dead beat situation...lost! I was so determined for the race, aiming high to do a nice pacing, placing perhaps & fun. Well, the forest really took it's toll on me.

Cut short of the pre-race morning errands, we were thrilled & pumped & ready to blast-off once the air horn blew off at Kiara Park. With the strategy of hitting the trail in the front pack to avoid traffic backlog, I squeezed myself through other runners during the "screening" league around Taman Tun school. HR was idling in Zone 5 as I hopped on slippery green rocks & squeeze between runners overtaking them.

The trail pounding was kept at moderate upon reaching a more open trail which I presumed Janie's Addiction and Bar-a-cuda. As I looked front and back, I was actually in the same pack with Stephanie Chok & Wong Ah Thiam. Fuh! Laju sangat ke aku ni?! About 10 other seems like strong runners were also constantly pacing together, howling down steep long descents & huffing up steep climbs.

As we reached DS2, which was after Lower Short for drinks, I noticed the pack didn't stay long. I was already left behind. Did I only realised right while typing this post, that my attempt catching up to the group, unaware of the dedicated race route, I followed them to a detour. For what supposed to be a familiar juncture to Snake and Ladder, I made the wrong turn and ended up hammering half of Janie's and Bar-a-cuda again! Aiyo 800 kali! I was biting my lips off thinking of the blunder. It costed me half an hour repeating about 2-3km and another 3km running on the tarmac to get to the Four Cross. I was running with a Mat Salleh & a chinese senior guy complaining of the incident.

As I swerved down 2K and thumping 4K, I knew that I was already in the rear pack. Deep inside my mind, I almost wanted to abandon the race optioning for the tarmac way down. On second thought, nope. I still need the Salomon pouch after paying 60 hardly earned bucks & getting a piece of cheap & wrongly sized non-Salomon t-shirt. I'm not giving up! Ammah! Let the world go round. I'm finishing this race...strong!

I managed to catch up with my newly met senior race buddies halfway into 4K (didn't had the chance to know their names). Jumping, sliding, tree hugging, honking, shouting while overtaking more and more runners on the trail. I crossed the finish line clocking 1:45 hours...satisfied.

Mosin

Got my pouch, photo session with friends & getting "lost" again on the mamak's table with my running buddies before calling it a day contemplating for another running adventure.

Oops! Forget to line up all the trail buddies that shook the forest together, only that they didn't get lost. And better still, one of us won a podium placing! That should be Ling the Great. Won herself in the 4k Women's Cat. The rest that was sharing some sympathy & also laughed with me was Nik, Che, Bacin, Fong, Saiful, Hanchik, Akmal, Alwin & Ajeep.

Back to constant pounding

I'm back, and it feels good. My days without runs must end or my attempt for upcoming events will end up crying (deep down inside la not out loud by the roadside...giler kentang!). I've managed to get a very strong reason to start pounding back on the tarmac. Trikidz. Yep, after my daughter decided to do a comeback, I've decided that she would be a great training buddy. Long school break and she has all the rest time & carbo time she wants. Splendid!

After Kiara trip last Sunday, I was spending my Monday as usual...honeymooning. Not actually, it was more like scheduling for runs. With some buddies keyed up for a great 2010 running year, we had the ball rolling with some running topics. Macam biasa, shopping was the most talk about. Hahaha!

Tuesday, my anxiety to be back home on time for my initial attempt fell short due to slow traffic flow from a late evening shower down in Klang Valley. Aku redha. At least it provided an awesome ambient for an early slumber party. Mantap.

Wednesday, I had to take a rain cheque from a futsal game & rushed back home for a second attempt. Yasmin & Amir on their bikes & I am slowly making way aerobicly. They ditched the bikes after covering about 2.5km. Yasmin ran pulak this time with me attempting her first 1km route. It's the usual loop around our neighbourhood. Of course for her first time would be tough. Run & walk. We were chatting & she didn't give up. Great! With some hype & some enthusiasms left in me, I battered the remaining minutes before azan clocking 5km. Original menu was supposed to be 8km. Janji ada. I heartened Yasmin for a repeat the following day & she agreed.

Thursday, dark clouds hovering over Cheras sky promising for a wild & wet evening. Fortunately it was a pass by, enough to lower the temperature for another shot. We were running the same route but skipped the cycle part. Perhaps Yasmin have to get some milage on those legs & some cardio workout before any brick. Amir tagged along & their laughter & joking around tire them off prematurely. So I decided to squeeze some mini fartlek to give a different tempo to it. At least they managed to run all the way completing 1 loop. Second time for Yasmin. Thumbs up! I rushed away with a bit more fartlek for myself. The post run feeling was satisfying. It was a great moment for a proper stretching, core & of course a bit of muhasabah diri.

I really missed those days, a year ago, ending my weekday runs at Lake Garden with kaum. Stretching & chat away under the blink of neon lights as joggers dispersed to conclude another day of work & workout.

Off the beaten track

Didn't find the tunnel, only the toll plaza

It was rather an uncertain morning climate as we rendevouzed at Kiara Park that morning. The previous night was full of doubtness from the weather forecast, especially after the torrential thunderstorm that hit Klang Valley on hari raya evening. I had to abandon my ride on Saturday morning due to qorban's commitment. My whole week without any run will pretty much sure pay my body some upshots.

Turn up was quite encouraging. From what supposed to be only a party of 3, there was an additional of 6 more! Wowzy! Words of mouth & some networking managed to gather a powerful group this morning. The trail was ready to be thomped for the next hours.

Of course our main plan was to run the whole Salomon race route but as usual & as before, we were kind of deviated from the map. Kiara trails were no longer a holy grail after it was ripped apart by metal clunkers few years back, making way for horse trails...konon! Horses won't need a trail 3 meters apart! Mountainbike trails were cut-off, making our journey tracing it from the map a bit thorny. Making our way from Lower Carnival up to Flintstone's Playground was kinda straight forward with some awkward moments here and there. Swerving onto Janie's Addiction (dulu ni la the mother of fast holy grail up to kampung road) which is perhaps now Janie "the horse trail", we were halted by some major deviation from finding Bar-a-kuda. Of course I had to go for Plan B which was enrouting the party towards the mansion on the hill & climbing the cut hill towards the peak.

Acap attempting a trail runner model post

We didn't head off towards Twin Peaks this time but continued into Snake and Ladders (the mountainbike trail). Gosh! It was total fun! I kept saying to Alwin & Saiful how awesome it was & remembering all those moments riding it. It was definite snaking & laddering around those rubber trees while balancing oneself from sliding down the steep terraces. We missed those great days. Hmmm...2004 or 2005 that was? Now running on it gave the same feeling but with a slightly different vision.

Dark skies on our right creeping in

As we came to the 4 cross junction where the normal hang-outs for fellow mountainbikers, we were almost completing the agenda. There lays 2K & 4K for us to connect the puzzle. Down 2K, Apollo & up dragging ourselves onto The Mission. Constant trail pounding & undulating courses started to zapp our oomph! We were already looking forward for a discount. As soon as we reached the tarmac by the water tank, we were frenzy enough to whack through the carnival course back to carpark. Perhaps everyone had to call it a day & had enough of the beating. However we still managed to strike a post with smiles & chats before feasting with carbos.

L-R: Azmar, Ling, Fong, Ajeep, Saiful, Bacin, Acap, Alwin & me

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