UPSR & FTAAA XC

UPSR

The awaited weekend was halted when Yasmin came back from school on Friday with a notice about UPSR briefing for parents. This is mandatory, considering she's the first family member to sit for a major exam. It will be the benchmark for the rest of us. It will prove how good parents perform in meeting current national academic demands. Wait till you read the rest of it. Scary! And cycling plan had to take a rain cheque...

The yearly Larian Integrasi was also held the same day. This time it was not opened for parents, hence I left my running shoes at home. Nak jugak tu! Hahaha. OK, no run for me until the archilles tendonitis is gone. Say, until February? 

Parents were placed in the assembly hall. The new school principal, a lady, with lots of experience I presumed, started giving speech about UPSR. It gave me the chill when she started tabling the statistics. It got scarier when the PIBG Chairman started sharing his views about the current school performance and what is expected for the coming years. The scariest of em' all was when the Head of UPSR Committee (can you believe that? They have a task force for that!) started tabling out the school programs for the kids. The exam will be in September, and you can expect the tempo will start rising as we approach February. That will be only seven months. And you can start feeling that there won't be the luxurious of time in the world to be wasted.

I remained cool (on the outside of course) and kept it to myself, for not wanting to trickle any premature panic in the family, especially mom. Though I sensed a mild hysteric sensation around her, I presumed she's also having some deep thoughts about the strategy.

For the moment, we'll just follow what is laid out for us. Yasmin will do her best attending primary school in the morning and KAFA class in the afternoon. Kumon will continue as usual, that should help with her free time and ditch Facebooking. Extra classes at school will be on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and on Saturday morning. One tuition only on Thursday. No more Quran classes on weekdays' nights but will have to be with yours truly on sempat-or tak sempat basis. That's about it I guess. Six out of seven days a week is about nice. Sunday is for chilling. InsyaAllah, the best will be upon us all.

FTAAA Cross Country

Though Amir ran the Larian Integrasi at school on Saturday, he was still determined to run the FTAAA Cross Country on Sunday. He was excited about it. I had to put aside any cycling plan (again...sigh...again...) after 'asking' him for 20 times about the run. Attempt melambung anak sendiri pun jadik. Hehe. The orang kampung convoy fled off for Padang Merbok at 6.30 a.m. that morning with Det, Naufal (his kid) and Nizam. Macam biasa, konvoi superbike berkapasiti kecik.

The usual crowd from Tibi Run it seemed. Just enough the size to be manageable. Most of are the regulars, I can call hardcores. You can tell from the exposed quads and calves from the 3 inch running short. These guys really meant business. Going for the limited medals. Then there were the school kids, who came in by buses! Five bucks per entry for them, you won't loose a cent. Makan roti sardin kat Pelita pun dah RM5.90.

On top of the syok-sendiri emcee who was mostly talking about country's running prospects (I don't quite understand his point actually), the categories were flagged off 10 minutes apart. Syah dropped in for a 'bidan terjun' bib. Det, Nizam and Ray ran their first Junior Veteran race. And for my Amir, his first 2012 official run. I was side lined by my injury, hence I stood there as supporter and shutterbug.

Joyfully everyone managed to secure cups of Milo while appreciating the piece of medal. Or should it be the other way round? Securing medal while appreciating Milo?

Amir missed the medal quota but got himself a finisher certificate. As usual, they won't bother about the piece of paper. But I'll make sure it will be on his wall of achievement. Kasi decorate bilik sikit selain gambor Transformers tu.

Young athletes...start to get bored after the run

Roti canai, roti telur, roti tisu...bab makan sama je macam ayah

Juniors, Junior Vets and Power Bidan Terjun

Lovely (Pic by Aini Kasim

Aku pakai skirt labuh eh? (Pic by Aini Kasim)

Return of Super Supir

But in real life things don't go so smoothly. At certain time in our lives, when we really need a clear-cut solution, the person who knocks at our door is, more likely than not, a messenger bearing bad news. It isn't always the case, but from experience I'd say the gloomy reports far outnumber the others. The messenger touches his hand to his cap and looks apologetic, but that does nothing to improve the contents of the message. It isn't the messenger's fault. No good to blame him, no god to grab him by the collar and shake him. The messenger is just conscientiously doing the job his boss assigned him. And this boss? That would none other than our old friend Reality

 __________________________________Haruki____________________________________

Welcome 2012. Welcome back school days. Welcome back Super Supir! Looks like I'm back with more tasks & superheroes' stuff. It didn't take long for me to be in action. Goodbye school holiday & late wake up calls. The third day into 2012, I was already spreading 7 pairs of school uniforms on the iron board, whilst recovering from the Newton scar. The lower legs were screaming in despair for an hour plus.

First week of school was not much action except dealing with un-improved fee paying methods. Parents had to squeeze in those narrow stuffy & humid corridors queueing for almost an hour, laughing away at un-planned school administrative for their planned stresses. Why can't they use maybank2u? And also running here and there for last minute's shopping for the kids. There's always missing items at the very last minute. Which reminds me, I had to postpone my Newton recovery. Which also, I had to endure the consequences come the Saturday LSD.

The tingling sensation was felt late Friday evening, in which the stubborn me ignored. The excitement for LSD overcame the pain. It's been a while doing a group run, hence it was full of anxiety. The run went well though. In fact it was great. But surprise came right after the run. Right at the car park. Though I emphasized on doing extra stretching which I anticipate the pain will hover right away. It didn't take long for it to cherished my stubbornness. I was limping as I disembarked from the car, trying to maintain walking gait from the excruciating pain. It was not happily ever after. The whole day of Saturday, an actually the beginning of all the agony for the days to come.

I can barely walk with a normal posture. My Sunday was a slamdunk zero activities but I had to channel the remaining adrenaline to something profitable. Suddenly it was spring cleaning day! Lovely Sunday that was, well at least I made good use of it.

Monday and Tuesday were hectic. Yours truely Kumon, iqra' & tuition driver & assisting wifey running house cafe & laundry etc. I anticipated the week will pass by, fast. And that's the way it is. Weekdays will be like this and I don't have the slightest idea of having any run nor whatever other sporting activity. Well, at least I'll be looking forward for weekends.

Until yesterday I had the only chance to google about my lower leg pain. 98% certainty it's an Achilles Tendinitis. It's an old friend actually, way back during active cycling years. 5 years ago I guess, but the pain came and go like a long distance lover. Last Saturday was the acute kiss of pain. I've been icing it, sprayed and self massaged morning, evening and night. Alhamdullillah it seemed to fade but I'll be extra cautious avoiding any extra strain & weight. Looks like no FTAAA cross country for me this Sunday. But the reality also came with good news. Umar first Kumon started last week and yesterday he joyfully counted 1 to 120 with confidence. Alhamdullillah :]

Here are some simple explanation of Achilles Hercules Decimus Maximus Tendinities. I wonder if the name came from the movie Gladiator kan? 

Achilles Tendinitis

Description:

Pain in the lower calf along the Achilles tendon, the cord connecting the heel to the calf muscle. The injury is actually the swelling of the sheath within which the cord slides. When it becomes swollen, it creates too tight a fit for the tendon. Friction -- and pain -- are the results. To confirm that you have Achilles tendinitis, pinch the tendon starting close to the heel and working your way up toward the calf. If you feel some serious pain and maybe some swelling, you've got Achilles tendinitis.

Likely causes: Your tendon is being pulled, and because tendons don't much like to stretch, you feel a lot of pain. There are two reasons it might be getting stretched. First, your calf muscle might be too short. Second, your heel might be too far from the calf muscle.

Remedy: Reduce the pain and swelling by icing the area immediately after running. You can use either a store-bought cold pack or a frozen wet towel. Ice for 10 or 15 minutes. To reduce inflammation, take an aspirin or ibuprofen at mealtime. At other times (before bed, for example), soak the sore tendon in hot water.

Lifting your heel up toward your calf will relieve the pull on your tendon. Try a heel insert in your regular shoes as well as your running shoes. You can purchase heel lifts in the foot section of many drugstores, or try using a makeup sponge as a substitute. You'll probably notice an immediate difference.

Most important, though, you'll have to stop running for a few days. Give your tendon as much time as it needs for the pain to go away. If you continue to run through the injury, you risk tearing the tendon, and then you're looking at real pain. The time you should take off will range anywhere from a few days to two weeks. And don't stretch during this period, either. Your tendon has already been yanked around too much, and stretching, at least at first, will hurt more than help.

When you begin running again, pay special attention to stretching your calves with wall pushups and your hamstrings with the hamstring stretch (these stretches, incidentally, are the key modes of preventive maintenance for avoiding Achilles tendinitis in the future). Avoid running on soft surfaces which might let your heel sink in too much (e.g., sand). Ice your tendon after every run and put a heating pad (at a low setting) on the area in the evening and at bedtime.

Incidentally, hill work is particularly aggravating to your injury. Cut way back on hills until the injury has healed, and then return to hill work only gradually

Newton - Scar of Distance Running

The scars of your love remind me of us

They keep me thinking that we almost had it all

The scars of your love, they leave me breathless

I can't help feeling
___________________________________ < > __________________________________

My longest run from the off-seasoning was 10km (Nike Run). After that it was a few dashes of 7Ks and travelling and eat-ings. And the only preparation for me to undertake Ammah Hills' advocates was a...playlist. Could you believe that?

It was kinda a bit rush for me. From the travelling, I would rather took the few days left prior to the weekend as rest days than putting on my running sneakers and not have enough time to recover. So, there you got it. A formula for disaster.

There I was after the first half of the pitch black running, tackling the first & second hills of Ammah Series, as the dawn broke & myself included. Ammah was majestic for me at that point of time. One and only reason...I don't have the potion for more than an hour of running. Simply said.

My second half was run-walk-run. Even my playlist felt dumb. I kept on repeating Rolling In The Deep and as if I was carving deeper scar into my first run of the year as a re-start for distance running.

The distance view of Ammah while running back almost caught me in awe, which perhaps Tibetan would call it Chomolangma. I only caught site the peak of Petronas high-mass sign and that was a great climb indeed. I don't recall how many points I broke to revert to walking but it was wise of me...I guess. 

And even the remaining 3km back on the straight road was a combo meal of walk-run-chat with another fellow runner whom I made friend with, who studied at UPNM, a track athlete in background, who does not feel satisfy with the system where they don't have specific track training, and he had to join the bigger triathlon group only available. Long conversation kan? Yes, I guess it took us almost 2KM to cover those. Muahaha.

Along came Mohan Marathon with his wistle, which surprisingly helpful for me to get my rhythm back, which was a thousand times better than my playlist. Great sport he is and always be. We ran together for awhile before he bit his support to other runners in need. I asked him how he managed to run & whistle at the same time, which was obviously tricky especially when one was heavily saturated in need of O2. Mohan said that he was actually PANTING and not blowing. So, that was the trick la. Aisey. That was simple. And we joyously plodded along until the finish line which, eventually I realized the smile on my face recovers fully :]

By the way, the scar seeped away when we gathered for milo talk after the run and as usual, catching up with hilarious lambungan ombak melepas rindu sebab sekali sekala jumpa. Berair mata, cramp rahang layan korang tauuu...keh keh keh.

Just like the old dayz tapi dulu KA pakai seluar :]

Bukan senang nak bergambor dengan Celebrity Runners :]

Perangkaan 2011

Muahahaha! The year is coming to an end and fellow athlete friends are busy compiling stats of running miles logged. I reckon it was one great year for everyone which we should be thankful that we could live another day  and watch the sun, the birds and the bees and of course our love ones. Cherish them while we can. Jazakallah.

Cranking year :]

First quarter was the biggest achievement in my cycling. The miles were unbelievable but once  commitments were locked, it was now or never (sebenarnya sebab dah bayar fee PCC Interstate mahal. keh keh keh). If you're an enthusiast cyclist, doing ONE interstate ride is a must. The satisfaction was awesome. The camaraderie was a pleasurable one. If I have the chance, a repeat is possible.

Pounding moderately

Though I was a bit too ambitious to hit two birds with one stone, I was too weak to even pick up the stone and throw at the birds. Hahaha. Faktor usia. After the Interstate, the window was too narrow for me to recover AND train for KL Marathon. I struggled. And failed to get the ultimate strength. There is a saying by my orang kampung (dahsyat orang kampung aku ni) "Go out and give 100%, or don't go at all". So I didn't. Ultimate sufferfest by NOT respecting the distance is obviously unwise. Sapa nak gosok baju kalau dah kengkang seminggu?! Hang habaq mai! That's where June was zero running miles :|

Liquid :]

Well, these are sporadics. The main reason I was hooked to it was due to the lambungan ombak beracun by  friends for my first tri event. Alhamdullillah it went OK though it was only a runcit-runcit category BUT by making the big leap into the open water was major...well, at least for me.

I trained when there's race. I chilled when there's none. Making up time with the loved ones are more indulging. 2012? Projects? Plans? Hmmm...I'll start with Bukit Ammah first lah. Then we'll see how it goes.

Happy New Year :]

Monsoon Roadtrip

Prologue:

[Tangan tu dok gatei sangat pi godek tekan butang dynamic view sapa suruh? Tu dia habih template hilang. Padan muka aku]

______________________________ | _______________________________

"Hang hilang akai ka mau pi east coast musim tengkujuh ginni?!"

"Hopefully no road closure due to floods kan?"

Those were the phrases that I get and lingers in my mind as we prepare for the roadtrip. Actually it was meant for a wedding trip at Kuala Terengganu only, but our excitement to extend the miles to circle from north east to north west overcast the main wedding objective. Hahaha. Yang kahwin tetap kena kahwin, be it rain or shine. We crossed Gombak Toll Plaza that Thursday morning with our fingers tightly crossed.

Cherating

Our first night in. First time for the kids, second time for me. Last time I was here with company's trip to Club Med. Secluded place. I've been known about how the monsoon atmosphere will be like up here in the coastal - simply put as wet and windy. Our arrival at Jabor Toll Plaza was already welcomed with gloomy dark clouds and torrential rain. 

Legend Resort. Quite a few good hotels & resorts so I heard in Cherating such as Impiana & Holiday Villa among the few. And Legend was one of it. A descend place for family getaway just a 2 hour drive from KL to enjoy the sea breeze. I rushed to the beach greeted with strong wind and thundering waves. I was mesmerised. Kids were enjoying the moment.

The Tribe...part of it actually

Third objective after wedding and roadtrip will be no other than FOOD. Thanks to Tuan Tanah bro Shuk Lazim, we managed to secure a table to fit three families at Che Wan's otak-otak & sata outlet at Kuala Kemaman. The sata was nothing close to what I tasted years before from Greenwood, Gombak. These were excuisites food for gigantic appetites. Asal sampai je atas meja, terus hilang macam kena serang ikan piranha. Tasted Mee Chalong as well. Not too bad but nothing much different from a typical mee sup with added black pepper. Betul ke Shuk?

My guilt was justified with a 10 minute run on the dreadmill at the resort's gym, but I was tempted to be at the beach where the excitement and serene climate are more calming. By the time dusk arrives, the tide moved in ferociously with bigger waves. Again I was astonished by the powerful creation by the great Creator.

Kampung Tok Jiring
I am always in love with this particular stretch from Cherating to Kuala Terengganu. Truely awesome views and at a relaxing driving pace. You would always prefer the windscreen to be down, especially at this point of the year but not when it rains of course. I avoided the convoy of three cars and followed our own cruising travelling. We stopped whenever we wanted at any desired spots along the way.

Friday prayer at Masjid Batu 7, Dungun and lunch at Restoran Tanjung Jara where reviews from Foursquare say the chicken rice was good. True. Nasi ayam terbaek di sini.

Pulau Kapas ke tu ayah?

Did a quick drop near Marang to get the view of Kapas-Marang ambitious-God-knows when. Lol.

Our next stop was Masjid Terapung Kuala Ibai or the official name is Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah. Such  an awesome architecture. As usual Amir & Umar were excited with the marine life under the wooden entrance bridge. Calmness engulfed the surrounding air as the muazin started azan for Asar.

We checked in at a homestay in Tok Jiring. Managed to meet up with an old campus friend. A local teacher. Asari treated us with Ikan Celup Tepung (ICT) at Batu Rakit beach. Such an ideal place for a tea time retreat.

Breakfast at Warung Aina, Batu Rakit was another food heaven. Local specialty nasi dagang with ikan tongkol was all I need to shutdown the food craving. We took a stroll at the beach next to the airport & again I just couldn't let go of the calm feeling. And probably it's a good stretch for a run as well!

Jalan Bayam, Kota Bharu
We headed on to Kota Bharu after lunch. Weather was still in the monsoon mood when rain hit us once in awhile. About 160km that would take us about 2 hours drive and sadly we had to leave beautiful beaches of Terengganu when the road lead us deeper away into Peninsular away from the coastal line.

In search of teh tarik for tea time and in fighting the sleepy head, we took a detour to Tok Bali. Enjoying a glass of teh tarik at a roadside stall with strong sea breeze gushing through was just another splendorous moment. Moments later we were entertained when a lorry drove in fully loaded with coconuts and 6 monkeys. Such beautiful creatures.

Monsoon Adventure Roadtrip :]

Entering Kota Bharu town was not easy as we had to wade through the heavy traffic and that didn't help with the search for our homestay at Jalan Bayam. Dinner was later secured after hunting around Jalan Abdul Kadir Adabi at Zakini Nasi Kukus.

Colourful veggies

We headed out to Rantau Panjang the next day in search of Queens Park Rangers jersey. Muahahaha. No lah. Amir was chasing me for his pair of Harimau Malaya's jersey and Liverpool (pengaruh rakan surau). While Umar was disillusioned with the crazy Angry Birds affair all over the place. Those were the bonus after having to stuck in a massive traffic jam for an hour to reach there. Phew! Pasar Siti Khadijah was later visited in fulfilling the venue's must visit list.

Kati Agro Farm, Kuala Kangsar

Almost like fairytales

I've been longing to drive the East-West Highway. This time it was reality. Driving up the winding stretch towards the look out point was awesome. Having to inhale the cold air there doubled the bonus. We drove all the way down to Pulau Banding for a burger treat before checking in at Lawin for dinner with my second cousin. Then crashed in for the night at Shamille Agro Farm with magnificent facilities and agricultural food feast.

Wrapped up the roadtrip all the way back down to KL via PLUS from Kuala Kangsar covering about 1200km in 6 days. After 6 days, eventually we get to feel the warmth of sunlight. And during those 6 days, we were treated with the true Malay custom of laid back life, away from the reality of chaotic metro. I'm considering another roadtrip for next year. InsyaAllah :]

PCPJ Tawan Bukit Beringin

KUALA LUMPUR : Wakil tunggal Persatuan Cikgu Pendidikan Jasmani (PCPJ) yang dikenali sebagai Cikgu Ahmad (bukan nama sebenar) telah buat julung-juling kali menyertai Malakoff Run KL 7km 2011. Walaupun dengan isu tegang di antara Kesatuan Olahraga Malaysia (KOM) dan Majis Sukan Negara (MSN) yang sedang melanda (walaupun takde mengena dengan PCPJ), Cikgu Ahmad telah memberi persembahan terbaik dalam kategorinya.

Saingan hebat juga telah diberi oleh pelari-pelari Persatuan Cikgu Kimia (PCK) dan beberapa orang Persatuan Cikgu Fizik (PCF), namun Cikgu Ahmad telah membuktikan kewibawaan PCPJ meneraju puncak kejayaan Kesatuan Cikgu-cikgu Amatur SeMalaysia. 

Dalam ulasan semasa ditemuabual, "Saya ni pun terpaksa ganti kawan saya disebabkan kecederaan yang dialaminya ketika sesi latihan baru-baru ini. Tapi saya berpuas hati dengan prestasi semasa walaupun elaun "track bottom" kami masih lagi diperbincangkan dengan hangat di peringkat CUEPAC."

"Peserta kategori 7KM memang tak berapa ramai & saya kurang kenal kebanyakan daripada mereka. Nasib baik saya bawa MP3 (redeem Maybank Treatpoints), jadi ia sedikit sebanyak membantu memecah kebuntuan terutama ketika mengharungi laluan berbukit di sepanjang Jalan Beringin", ulasnya lagi.

"Setakat ini saya sedang menjalani latihan "pace" untuk acara yang lebih mencabar tahun depan. Jadi dengan penyertaan PCPJ di dalam beberapa acara perlumbaan larian baru-baru ini seperti Nike Run KL, Tibi Run dan Chin Woo Biathlon, sedikit sebanyak dapat membantu saya dalam mengenalpasti "pace" yang selesa untuk cabaran akan datang" ulas Cikgu Ahmad sambil menikmati sarapan percuma berupa Tau Fu Fa & mee goreng.

"Saya juga dapat menumpu perhatian kepada latihan ketika cuti persekolahan panjang ini walaupun terpaksa membahagi-bahagi masa untuk menghadiri jemputan perkahwinan dan cuti-cuti keluarga." jelas Cikgu Ahmad ketika ditanya bagaimana dia mampu memberi komitmen untuk sukan yang diceburinya.

"Acara yang seterusnya untuk PCPJ ialah Cabaran Tahun Baru Newton 2012 yang akan berlangsung pada 1-Januari 2012. Saya difahamkan acara tersebut menyediakan laluan yang agak sukar dengan beberapa bukit dan juga faktor cuaca yang mungkin akan mencabar kekentalan peserta. Saya akan bersedia secara fizikal dan mental untuk cabaran tersebut." kata wakil tunggal Zon Tengah PCPJ untuk acara akan datang pula.

Ni lah hasilnya kalau dok baca Harian Metro untuk dua hari berturut-turut sambil layan nescafe sebab tak berlari pepagi :]

Lassat ler Cikgu Ahmad! keh keh keh

Chin Woo Biathlon

First time untuk aku ni, yang baru nak berjinak dengan event berkuak. And from the look of it, aku masih lagi gabra tahap cipan gelabah kena kejor. Sampai 3-4 kali keluar masuk washroom & memanjang aje dahaga. Uish!

Pool terbaek setakat ni yang aku pernah kuak :]

The night before, kaki masih stiff hasil Tibi Run & jalan-jalan layan gajah. Kerisauan & keraguan melanda. Bangun pagi pun masih lagi ada samar-samar kejung. Ku iringkan doa semoga urusan di Chin Woo dipermudahkan. Amin.

Dalam golap sejuk 6.30 pagi Ahad, maka kedengaran lah enjin motor Azmar yang mirip motor Husin Kak Limah memasuki simpang kampung. Dah masuk dua pagi berturut-turut aku meredah sejuk Suboh ke race venue. Teringat zaman ber-LSD & season berlari dolu-dolu.

Kids' Cat dah bermula. Kelihatan mereka berlari keluar Stadium Chin Woo dengan riak muka yang penuh keyakinan & memikul seribu pengharapan ibu bapa. Kategori umur dilepaskan berperingkat & aku semakin gugup & gabra bila melihat acara renang berlangsung. Dua persoalan utama yang dok bermain di minda ni macam langau : (1) Mampu ke aku berenang 800 meter dengan 32 kali (laps) ulang alik?! 32 kali tu beb. Mau biru mata hitam ku kelak.  (2) Mampukah aku men-save kan kaki ku dengan mengurangkan kicking so that saki baki fuel ada sikit lagi untuk survive run 7km afterward?

Sambil mengelamun kerisauan, aku perhatikan Syah swim dengan tenang membelah air. Sekali sekala kelihatan dia bertembung dengan lane partner dia. Hehe. Suddenly aku teringat yang goggle aku kat motor! Alamak. Kalut tak tentu pasal. Naik atas semula amik goggle. Then turun semula diri tepi pool cuba nak bersembang dengan brader yang pada perkiraan aku, maybe same category dengan aku.

"You lane nombor berapa?" tanya brader kat aku.
"Oh?! Ada nombor ke? Eh?! Kat mana nak tengok?", kekalutan suara getar aku bersambung semula.
"Tu kat board area orang ramai-ramai berdiri tu", jawap brader.
"OK. OK. Saya pi check jap. Terima kasih bang", apa punya sengal ler aku, benda macam tu pun aku gagal berfikir. Choit!

Ada 24 lanes disumbat semua peserta Mens Junior & Senior Veteran satu kolam berlepas sekali satu wave. Hamik ko! Dah serupa ikan mackerel chap ayam! Kena pulak tengah sibuk usya lane list, maka berkenalan lah pulak aku dengan lane partner aku.

"Ooooo...kita sama lane lah uncle", sapaan aku sebagai tanda perkenalan.
"Bagus bagus. Eh? Ini ada 'plice' ka?", jawap uncle.
"Huh? Apa plice?"
"Itu plice la. Wang. Wang. Itu menang boleh dapat wang ke?"
"Ooooo. Hadiah? Saya tak tau la uncle. Boleh tanya sana orang pegang itu mic (emcee ler tu)".
"Kalau ada wang aaa...saya mau lari kuat sikit. Boleh dapat hadiah. Swim pun boleh laju sikit."

Fuiyo! Uncle ni giler confident! Caya la uncle. Aku jugak yang tercungap-cungap usap dada masih suspen. Maka berkumandang lah suara emcee memanggil-manggil kami golongan tua untuk masuk kolam. Burrrr! Aku lane 18. Azmar lane 24 (dia terpaksa masuk set-set tua sebab dia pakai bib Women's Cat). Hehe.

Uncle tadi sambung sembang masa dalam pool...

"You swim macam mana?"
"Saya macam ni je uncle, freestyle", sambil aku menggayakan tangan. "Uncle swim sama style ke?"
"Oooo...saya kolok-kolok la. Mahaya sama awak"
"Apa tu kolok-kolok?"
"Itu katak la. Serupa katak kaki bukak maaa...awak kasi saya swim dulu la".

Chewah Uncle ni. Nak bagi dia depan pulak. Macam mana gaya aku nak memotong kalau macam tu? Silap haribulan kena taichi kuda. Dari lane 17 sampai ke 24 takde string. Satu lane dua orang. Dah serupa macam tempat berkubang. Kena tanpa string, acara bumper car akan sure terjadi. Kompom benjol kepala sorang-sorang berlaga.

Aku dok usya gak lanes yang ada string kot ada yang kosong. Tu dia aih. Don Khor dok panggil sesaper nak sumbat sebab memang ada lane yang sorang je. Cantek. Aku pun pi. Salam dengan partner baru, uncle jugak tapi sempoi sikit. Aku request tukar, bagi aku sebelah kanan sebab senang aku nak guna string sebagai guide di jalan yang lurus.

Last climb to finish line (Photo : Tey)

Priiiiiit! Old skool style kami bermula berkuak. One thing obvious about Chin Woo's pool, memang air bersih & not so chlorinated. Walaupun old skool pool design. Macam mana aku nak kira laps ni? 32 tuh! Of course ada marshall dok kira kan each swimmers tapi aku kena gak calculate myself. Senang citer kira 10 dulu lepas tu lagi 6 setiap kali aku jumpa balik muka amoi marshal tu. Hehe.

Zus zas. Zus zas. Aku rasa aku overlap uncle ni 3 kali. Dia breaststroke je, sebab tu la aku laju sikit. Sikit je.   Syiok jugak beb layan. Ada gak cuba jeling-jeling swimmers lain, kot la depa dah kawtim & tinggal aku dengan uncle je. Hahaha. Ramai lagi. Bagus.

4 more laps. 3 more. 2. Last lap! Yeahoo! Aku ucapkan terima kasih kat amoi tu dan di balas dengan senyuman manis membuatkan saat kegembiraan aku makin ter-kamjat. Hehe. Azmar dah ready berkasut, dok tunggu aku. Syah dah lama la selesai race dia, dah bedal nasi lemak sebungkuih & dok amik gambar kami.

Menggeliat bagai aku nak sarung running vest sebab badan basah & vest ketat. Cheh! Nasib baik tak terkehel tangan. Huf! Huf! Huf! Naik tangga & keluar dari kawasan stadium & terus ke jalan besau. Kaki Alhamdullillah respon baguih cuma aku takmo test lebih-lebih sebab masih awal. Total 7km. 3 laps pusing Stadium Negara, I meant ikut laluan jalan luar - Jalan Maharajalela - Jalan Hang Tuah - Jalan Hang Jebat.

Selisih dengan Hsing Ling on our way out, when she was on her final climb to finish. She looked so focus. Only to find out later that she got 5th place. Patut ler. Good job for her.

First lap, aku & Azmar sembang sikit-sikit sambil ikut pace mantan Ketua Reban CAR, bro Ramlan. Not bad. Habis first loop, seteguk air kosong kat water station, amik getah & continued with second lap. Sedap sikit rasa kaki. Azmar mula mengorak pace baru...lebih laju ler of course. Aku mencangkuk selagi boleh sebab memikirkan hanya tinggal last lap aje.

Hari ni takleh dressing PCPJ sebab nak berkuak (Photo : Jason Thai)

Complete second lap, kaki aku dah boleh pikiaq sendiri. Injap turbo throttle dah terbuka luas. Entah mana datang fuel disel (seludup dari Siam kot), stride semakin gagah sebaik kami lalu depan Masjid al-Bukhari, Jalan Hang Tuah. Lazat. Approaching water station for the final ribbon (getah ikat rambut, memang Kaklong suka sangat aku masuk race lepas ni) & ramai pulak photogs, makin bergaya pulak aku berlari. Poyo.

Bukit kaw-kaw naik ke stadium Chin Woo memang aku kena tawan tanpa sedetik keraguan. Makin panjang stride aku waktu last climb tu. Puas hati & bersyukur segalanya dipermudahkan. Ada sorang aunty VIP kalungkan medal & se-tin Gatorade diberi untuk replenishment. Ter-kamjat kali ke-2 bila aku disergah oleh uncle 'kolok-kolok'. Dia sampai lagi awal!!! Mak aiiih! Betul punya champion la uncle ni. Tabik aku. Sempat aku ber-posing dengan dia sebab bib number kami in sequence. Hopefully dia ada Facebook boleh aku tag gambor aku. Keh keh keh.

Overall, it was a nice event. Nice in a sense that we get to enjoy because it was an enjoyable organised one. Rasa macam family day je, maybe sebab ada kids participation. And also maybe sebab it's a Biathlon where  the absence of high-tech bikes like triathlons make event nampak lebih pro-like atmosphere. Ye la kan? Biathlon cuma ada goggle & kasut lari. Next year? Of course, if dipanjangkan umur & sihat tubuh badan. Plus, with more kaums to join. Sriaaap lambung! :]

Beza 2-3 minit dengan brader No.5. Tahun depan kasi sriaap :]
(Photo : Tey)

TIBI Run & Kuala Gandah

Antara weekend aku yang paling pack macam nasi goreng ayam mamak yang aku tengah kerabat sambil mencoret entry ni - carboload tak boleh tinggal beb & while idea blogging masih segar & juga sebab aku ada masa.

OK Sabtu, dengan perasaan casual & juga dressing casual aku dok berlonggok dengan ratusan yang lain di Padang Merbuk untuk Tibi Run. Support kawan-kawan beb, Aki of CAR selaku penganjur untuk Persatuan Tibi. Yuran tak berapa mahal, t-shirt pun boleh tahan cun...memang itu yang kita mahu kan :]

Maka berjumpalah aku dengan pelari-pelari tegar tanahair lagi legend untuk sama-sama catch up latest story & pengalaman diorang berlari di setiap pelusuk tanahair & luar negara. Memang kagum & tabik tak berenti-renti lah aku masa dengor depa dok story. Bergambor dengan depa sudah mesti. Dressing toksah citer la, depa yang mai Tibi Run ni memperagakan wardrobe koleksi pakaian lari depa yang canggih. Aku nyaris gak lah kompius sama ada ni locally organised Tibi Run or international run & costume affair. Segan jugak lah aku ni yang hanya berpakaian serba skema, saling tak tumpah macam Cikgu Hoki sekolah aku dulu.

Photo with the Champions

Namun, lamunan ku terhenti admiring these people bila aku disergah ketua kampung, Det supaya pi warm up. Sedetik kemudian, maka berlepaslah kami mengorak langkah bukit yang pertama.

Rezeki tu ada di mana-mana. Maka di celah-celah ramai tu dikurniakan aku pacer tak official, Deo untuk aku cuba cangkuk. Sori Deo, aku tak mintak izin. Memang laju beb. Dari bukit Sekolah Arab sampailah ke simpang Double Hill aku hanya mampu cangkuk dengan mata kail ikan sepat je (cangkuk jarak jauh hampir 30 meter tuh). Sekali check pace, ropanya 5 min/km bro! Patut ler rasa peluh jantan pun dah segan nak keluar. 

Namun Deo telah membuat keputusan untuk chill sebelum attack Double Hill (maybe simpan kaki untuk Melaka 12 Hour Walk). Aku meneruskan santapan Happy Meal Double Hill Burger dengan nafas yang diselang seli dengan bunyi kerbau. Lama betui tak kerabat bukit ni, memang ada tangkap sikit sayu je hati especially bukit nombor 2.

Mujurlah depa tak suruh kami kerabat bukit Wisma Tani. Lega. Kami terus ke Jalan Parlimen. Alhamdullillah settle & betis aku dah mula ketat. Nampak gaya prestasi kaki ku agak memuaskan setakat hari ni sebagai pembuka lembaran Hijrah. Terbaek. Oh! Tak lupa jugak nikmat milo yang dah lama dirindui...Pergh!

Namun level endurance aku bukan aje diuji sebelah pagi aje. Tengahari kami sefamili pi layan gajah kat Elephant Conservation Sanctuary, Kuala Gandah, Lanchang. Pendedahan ilmu pengetahuan untuk kaum keluarga.

Lama betul aku tak menghirup atmosfera hutan malar hijau sebegini. Kedinginan arus sungai mengimbau kenangan masa lalu di Lubok Simpon, Taman Negara Pahang. Syiok oooo layan mandi sungai kat hutan, dulu aku juara terjun tirup Kampung Dusun.

Let the pics tell the story bleh?

Bergaya dengan t-shirt baru keluar plastik :]

Baru lepas mandikan anak gajah

Syok betul tengok sungai. Gerammmm je... :]

Geng panjat gunung 90's. Now penunggang motor c.c. besau

Layan aje

Geng rambut pacak Deerland, Lanchang

Anak rusa nani

Bambi

CELIK

Creative.Efficient.Loving.Innovative.Knowledgeable

Another trendy school holiday weekend. Yep, trend for kids to attend camp. Macam-macam camp. Anak-anak pi sign masuk Program CELIK. Saja bagi depa occupied sikit dari dok berlonggok depan PS2 dengan anak-anak jiran or depan Muka Buku. 

Aku straight terus ke kesimpulan, part nak lambung-lambung buang karen je. The famous motivator yang selalu kat Radio IKIM tu, Prof. Muhaya wrapped up the program with loads of inspiring words of wisdom for the kids and especially for us parents. Point form teruih la ye :]

Tapi, segala apa jua ilmu ni maybe cacar merba sikit sebab RAM aku tak sehebat Prof. Memang apa yang sempat aku cangkuk dalam BB, aku sumbat.

There are three stages of growth for our kids. 0-6 years old diibaratkan seperti brand new RAM or motherboard yang mana bermacam-macam software boleh download kasi simpan. Semua masuuuk je. Kalau nak melentur buluh masa kat Sungai Buloh ni la. Input benda-benda suci bersih beb masa ni.

7-14 years old, stage modelling. Kids akan follow model. Kalau parents model baguih, Alhamdullillah. Kalau member sekolah geng kaki sakat, dapatlah model Majalah Gusti. So masa ni, it's better if parents to communicate dengan kids like an adult not like a parent sebab kita akan menjurus ke arah dictatorial emotion (ayat motivator tapi boleh agak la maksud dia...hehe).

14-21 years old, stage socializing. Supervising & monitoring is the key word at this stage.

Surau An-Nur, Country Height

Prof juga menyentuh pasal mind and body as one. Body ni is our sub-concsious mind. Kita memang tak boleh tipu. Prof buat demo lah kat volunteer and it seems convincing enough untuk minda aku yang logik ni menerima. Actually the emphasis is more towards positive thinking.

"Kualiti emosi mempengaruhi kualiti kehidupan kita"

Kalau kita kira nak baran, nak komplen, nak emo je sokmo maka life kita pun akan sokmo la berserabut. Kalau agak-agak demam batuk selsema lambat sangat nak baik tu, cepat-cepat lah bersedekah sebanyak mungkin. Imfak lah.

"Life is by designed, not by default"

Baik untuk anak-anak kita mahupun untuk diri kita sendiri, we are the designer for our life. Kalau anak aku nak jadi arkitek, dah boleh la panggil dia Ar. Amir Yusof dari sekarang. And Prof memang encourage our kids to start write an essay about their future carrier. Let them visualise sebab the power of visualisation is superb. Aku came across an article baru-baru ni, athletes yang visualise about their performance in their future race performs better than yang tak buat apa. 

'The power of visualisation"

Prof pesan kat kids, every night before tidoq try to list in the mind 6 things yang kita nak buat esok. Settle the task one by one, because we are not perfect and multitasking is not the answer to all problems. Every morning bangun tidoq duduk tepi katil ucap Alhamdulliah & talk to diri sendiri, "Hari ini saya akan jadi budak yang baik. Hari ini saya akan bersama dengan orang yang baik-baik."

"Life is continuous knowledge"

Parents memang play a major role about updating kids with up to date knowledge. Honestly speaking I'm still struggling with this part. Kalau masa dalam kereta or masa dok tengok TV memang kena jawap lah 1001 soalan dari kids. Alhamdullillah wifey plays her part as well.

Overall, pesanan untuk diri aku sendiri, phrase yang paling sweet Prof bekalkan untuk kami so called parents of the 21st century :

"An average teacher tells. A good teacher explains. But the best teacher inspirates."

Berair mato den bilo dongar kan cakap Prof tu haaa...! :]

This two weeks Kaklong and Amir aku sign kan masuk Kem Solat kat surau kampung kami. Mudah-mudahan benda paling asas dalam agama diperkuatkan untuk anak-anak aku. Amin.

We Ran KL

*pssst...citer lapok lagi

Henry David Thoreau:

'I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours'.

In the oddly hour of Sunday pitch black morning, I commuted to Bukit Aman on my trusty steed Honda, in a hurriedly manner of course. I was late. The phone alarm gave up on me, saved by my biological alarm clock that woke me at 5.23am.

With most major road closures into Jalan Parlimen, there were some chaos about getting to Bukit Aman's carpark. But that soon over when we were displayed with almost ten thousands sea of orange runners filling what's left of Jalan Parlimen.

Ziff, Akmal, Alwin, Zarif (new friend) & me had the initial plan to stay together as far and as along as we can into the run.

With lots of orange sightings all around, we had to doublecheck on each other once in a while. It was fun though, running lamelessly with some soft jokes thrown around. It was even better when we didn't bother to check our timing. We just ran!

Route : Parlimen - Mahameru - Muzium - KL Central - Brickfield - KTM - Syed Putra - Kinabalu - Bank Negara - Sultan Salahuddin - JKR - Wisma Tani - Mahameru - Parlimen.

Pretty much a combination of inclines and flat. Even some short steep inclines causes sudden halt to a walk due to the large crowd.

We managed some camwhoring at a manageable level before the start and after the run.

It's been a while since my participation in a mass race of thousands like this. It was fun especially when one had the chance admiring loads of runners' behaviour and appearances.

Good orange tee (can use for training), generous feed zones and awesome management. Thumbs up!

Gambor konang-konangan kena la ado

Ni lah nama dia lari demi sesuap nasik ...keh keh keh