Energiser Night Race; 16April'11- 21km

Picture credit to saz

Race Objective
this is my second half marathon in my life.. nothing much is expected from the race.. not going to set a personnel best.. to complete the race and not get injured in the process..

Background
drove all the way from Kerteh in the morning.. arrived at bkt jalil around 1pm.. after lunch with my sis and some rest, drove to nilai around 430pm and reached nilai hotel 630pm.. by the time i was at sepang international circuit (SIC) it was 7pm.. parked my car some where near the main grand terrace entrance.. change clothes at the car park.. was at the booths around 730pm.. waited for bum at the booth and had to start without him.. was at the pit lane around 755pm.. trying to figure out were the starting line was.. by the time i know where it was, i was on the wrong side of the fence!! damn!! the 21k runners started running and i was running the opposite direction to get to the starting line.. after much effort pushing and ‘excuse me’ here and there, i got to the line 10mins later.. letih..

First 10k
the course was running on the outer road of SIC.. some runners were give headlamps by energizer.. i did not have mine as the organisers have given them all out and none left for most other runners.. running in the dark has its own set of challenges.. my focus was to make sure my proper footing on every stride.. don’t want to end up injured very early into the race.. some runners wore the headlamps backwards.. glaring and uncomfortable to me.. have to put up with the nuisance as i know its not intentional.. consumed one (1) gel at the water station.. completed my first 10k in 1hr18min.. paced was 7.8min/km..

Next 5k+
the course was a loop inside the SIC track.. conserved my energy by going slow and observe the cource elevation.. the track is really wide.. no incoming cars like some races.. (of course lah..) very2 dark.. only one water station was provided towards the end of the course.. drank a coupe cups of gatorade at the water station.. completed my 15k in 2hr11min.. paced was 8.45min/km..

Last 5k+
the last lap around SIC track was a very slow one.. walked from 16k until 21k.. why? b’coz i want to ensure i have sufficient energy for my drive back Kerteh that night.. luckily there was one chap (same hometown with me and currently resides in kinrara) who was with me throughout the final lap.. chat and chat until we crossed the finish line.. had another 1 (one) gel once i felt muscle pull on my right hamstring during on of the hill climbs.. completed my 21k in 3hr06min.. paced was 8.85min/km..

Final Feeling
something about running at nite intrigues me.. the moon that night was amazing.. full in shape and bright.. the stars were twinkling in the clear black sky.. want to do this again next year.. sepang ohhh sepang..

Note: most people say the organizer was at fault for the short falls during the event.. i wont want to add to that b’coz i loved it.. love the view of the sky that nite.. really amazing..

My Energiser Night Race 21k Result

• Mens Open Position : TBC
• 10km Split : TBC
  
• 15km Split : TBC
• Time : TBC
• Average Pace : TBC

muhaimin rahim (｀-´)>

Malakoff KL Run; 19Dec'10- 12km

Picture credit to bum (first from the left)

Picture credit to athlete's circle FB..

this is my fifth (5th) and final race for 2010.. after this race my next race will be in one (1) month time.. which is next year.. this race will be my warm-up for 2011 which i know will be better than 2010..

my preparations:

• up to the race, 1 have ran a total distance of 509.6k since Jan10..
• changed my shoe once (using adidas supernova glide2 now)..
• started taking electrolytes fluids during and after trainings..
• purchased new shoe lace (because i often have to re-tie my shoe lace during runs)..
• got myself a footpod (bought @ athlete's circle, Jaya1 PJ)..
• used fuel belt during trainings (also bought @ athlete's circle, Jaya1 PJ)..

my race summary:
drove to mount kiara from bukit jalil took about 30mins.. parked my car in front of a mamak stall in desa sri hartamas.. took the shuttle bus (provided by organisers) to the starting line.. arrived there around 20mins before race start.. warmed up 10mins before start race.. drank a few sips of gatorade.. slowly place myself in the mid pack just a few minutes before flag-off.. we were all flagged-off at 7:10am after the womens open category.. i was only able to run after 2mins.. the first 1k was a up hill run.. i realised i will be running hills after hills for 12k.. wished i had did some hill trainings prior to this race.. well, all guilt was not the way to approach this race, i told myself.. so, i started slow and plan to finish strong.. i sticked to the start slow up until 6k.. until which i stated to pace faster.. maintained until 10k before i started to push myself hardest.. managed to peak my pace @ 5.15min/km and finish the race in 1h19min..

lesson learn:

• do hill runs at least one a week to build strength..
• train to push myself harder during trainings..
• register early for any future race..

finally:

• i was quite happy after completing this race..
• got to see the beautiful houses @ mount kiara..
• condition my mental strength to stick with my race plan (pace, fuel ration, etc)..

News on the race:

• mylaunchpad
• bernama
• mstar
• Berita harian
  

Blogspot review:

• joe liew y. l.
• Armin Baniaz Pahamin
• cap ayam runners
• chao's chaos
• miss JeweLz

Malakoff KL Run 2011 Results here..

My Malakoff 12k Result

• Mens Open Position : 647/989
• 4.3km Split : 31:54.9
• 8.8km Split : 1:03:42.0
• Time : 1:21:14.5
• Average Pace : 6.75min/km
  

muhaimin rahim (｀-´)>

p/s: i will upload more pics once i have them..

My FIRST Half Marathon; Penang Bridge International Marathon 2010

waiting for my movie to start..

few hours before my run..

guessing where we stayed?

try eating here.. the food was nice..

a day before PBIM somewhere near Queensbay mall

my second day training @ my hometown Ipoh

my fist day training after 5days rest..

It has been 11 months after i first set my sight on my first half marathon and doing it last weekend!! I am ecstatic over my achievement.. Yup, some may say 'its no big deal'.. To me 'it is a big deal!!' Hehe.. Now, lets me recall what i did the week before..

The week leading to PBIM..
It has been five (5) days after i injured my knee and ankle.. i really felt that i need to do some training to see if i have heal myself in time for my maiden 21km run.. So i ran 5km a day after Raya Haji.. Luckily there was no aching either during nor after my training.. Fuh, it was a real relief.. i would not want to 'Not Run' after preparing for such 11 months.. Since, i felt good after my first training, i ran the next day again 5km.. that time, i felt a slight sharp pain on my left ankle.. maybe it was the back to back training that caused the pain..

My Maiden 21km Run..
Drove to Penang a day earlier before the run to make sure i have all preparations ready. eg:
1. know where to park my car
2. know where is the starting line
3. know where is the toilet
4. get excited early!!!

I tried to get some sleep during the day but was unable to do any.. i was too excited i guess!! hehe.. the following was what i did before my run:
1. Parked beside the road (got fined RM100 for it!!)
2. Watched Harry Potter @ TGV which ended at 1215am..
3. Relocated my car into a designated carpark (should have done this earlier and save the RM100 parking ticket!!)
4. Tried to get some rest inside the car
5. Drank some liquids 1hr before my run
6. Warm up 1hr before (which was too early)

Around 230am, i started queuing somewhere in the middle of thousands HM (Half Marathoners).. so we waited about 30mins before running.. it took me 2mins to cross the starting line and another 2mins before i could start running..i was really surprised with the number of HM.. there was around 5k of HM!! Slowly i paced myself to my usual pace for 7km.. somehow i slowed my pace from 7km onwards.. even the gradual slope of the bridge was not helping my pace.. imagine if the slope was greater?!!!

Well, at 11km everything looks good until the heavy rain took us all for a surprise.. it was cold and painful to the face as we were running against the rain.. my pace slowed fro 7mins/km to 10mins/km.. with cold feet and heavy shoes, i struggled to maintain my running stride for the next 4km..

The remaining last 6km was all too hard for me.. with no more fluids that brought along, my run got worst.. from running slow to walking.. (should have bought more of those energy gels).. Finished my run in 2hrs 56mins!! luckily my toes didnt have any blisters..

My Average Pace
0km to 5km: 7.51min/km
0km to 10 km: 7.27min/km
0km to 15km: 7.88min/km
0km to 21km: 8.40min/km

What i should have done differently..
1. Confirm hotel reservation date early (eastin hotel)
2. Eat noodle soup or something usual (few hours before the run)
3. Drink some endurance fluid 1hr before the run
4. Park my car at a designated area
5. Bring dry clothes for post run (bring a sweater too)
6. Prepare to run in the rain (this i dont know how..)
7. Buy good socks that can disperse water (rain)
8. Train for longer runs (21km or longer!)
9. Pace 6.42min/km to finish in 2hrs 15min (have to train harder to achieve this..)

Competitive Race; 4km Run Revisit

me after the run.. all thumbs up!!

Date/ Time: 21 Oct'10/ 0830am
Distant: 4km

Summary:
this is my second competitive run before my first ever penang bridge international marathon in 28days!! i know that this could not be a benchmark how i would fair in PBIM.. nevertheless, it was a good experience for me and hope this will inspire myself to train better and smarter..

first, i lined up front and was on the far right of the line.. this position me in a good birds eye view of the run build-up.. as the horn was blown, i started running.. from the far right, i could clearly see how the fronts runners were doing.. i paced myself as to not be too far from them.. slowly but surely, i over took participants.. it was a lot easier since i was from the right and moving towards the left..

next, i started pacing myself with the nearest runner in front.. if i felt good or i could outpace them, i would burst out overtake them and do the same repeatedly.. this helped me to stay focus on my run.. unfortunately this is a 4km race and i spent some valuable time following others when i should have overtake when i could.. the lesson learn here is never doubt yourself..

i did not have drinks halfway at the water station.. this was because i still felt good and dehydration on a 4km run? maybe if its a 10km run, i would take a sip of water..

towards the final 400meters, i was pacing myself to overtake a participant.. unfortunately i doubt myself.. this cost me valuable minutes.. in the end, i was placed 12th.. hmm.. if only.. if only.. nevertheless, i am happy as i was a lot faster than 6months ago.. seriously.. this was my best ever feeling.. i ran faster than those i admire..

lastly there are a few lesson learn for my future runs; start far on the right, pace yourself with the person in front, outpace when you can, never doubt your strength, it's yourself against yourself.. see yaa guys in PBIM'10..

Mesra Mall Nature Run 2010; Race Report

This is 'thee' day for my Mesra Mall Nature Run 2010.. my first true competitive run for 2010 before my first Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) 2010.. it is a good platform for me to gauge myself compared to other average runners..

BIB NUMBER
Took my number around 9pm at the concierge.. the miss from World of Sports was around.. after a few minutes looking, we managed to find my bib.. A092 was MY ever first bib.. (see me emphasizing the word ‘my’) hehe..

FOOD
Food intake on the last day was really strict.. nothing strange was allowed into my mouth.. it was bread for breakfast and chicken rise for noon and night.. spicy or other non-familiar food inside my stomach could be disastrous on race day.. cannot imagine going into a race with a gassy gut!!

WATER
Throughout the day, I drank plain water whenever I feel like so.. this is to keep my muscle sufficiently dehydrated.. even before sleeping, I drank a few gulp.. had one small 600ml bottle bedside just in case I woke up feeling thirsty..

REST
This was the only thing I did not do.. nevertheless, I tried to sleep early and stay comfy on the bed.. the air conditioned room really did help me doze once I close my eyes..

PHOTOG
Managed to persuade a pro photog friend to shoot some pics of the race.. he tried to look for a motorcycle and was not successful.. later that night, he crashed in my place for the night (crashed= spend the nite)..

ONE HOUR BEFORE START
Arrived around 650am and parked my car somewhere far from the crowd.. I was quite amazed seeing people warming up.. since I was informed that it was usual for SHORT distance runs to have runners really warmed up before the race.. (any distance less than 15km is considered SHORT to some runners as they could sprint from start to end!!) gathered some friends before the race..bum, dzal and me pack to run this together.. zul was around to give moral support beside learning some photog tips from ‘my dear photog pro’!..

Some politician was supposed to launch us at the starting line.. hence, all of us had to wait until 750am before HIS replacement flagged us off.. (HIS here refer to the mentioned politician earlier) 50minutes later that what it was supposed.. by then, the sun is up.. now I could feel the eye shades is a wonderful invention!!

START
“toooot” goes the horn and we started running.. adrenalin pumping through my veins and could literally feel the energy flow.. yup, I was fast and others were even faster.. looking at my hr watch 170bpm!! Omg! It is aerobic zone from minute one!! So, I decided to maintain my hr at 170bpm.. never lesser than that.. if I feel fine, I would speed out and never go above 180bpm.. knowing 7km is quite far for me, I tried conserving some energy..

EMOTIONS
For the first straight run, I was constantly maintaining my stride and passing slow runners.. controlling my breathing as well.. then I over took a kid.. omg! this kid aged around 10years is running!! then I over took a skinny expatriate.. everytime I passed him, he would race back at me.. It was really annoying, so I step up my pace and distant myself from him.. gapping between him and me really stopped him getting near me.. on this straight run, 3 girl runners went past me.. oh well, they deserve all the credit for their training.. that is what I lack this few months..(lets not dwell on the past and talk more of the race yaa)

as I was running with some locals, I got annoyed yet again.. they were running zig- zag, jumping once in while, shouting to each other and other stuff I need not remember.. I got pass them when I speed off to cross the traffic light that was guarded by a traffic policeman.. this was when I saw my photog friend and zul.. yeay! Smiled for the camera! Hope that smile look good coz I am not going to look better throughout the race!!

WATER STATION
It was at the third straight run, when I reunited with bum and dzal.. paced myself with them and somehow I realize my hr was lowering.. I gave them a thumbs-up and increased my pace.. up to now my hr was hovering in the low 170s and high 175s.. this was before I drank from the first water station.. even though, I need not take any fluids during the race, I was stubborn enough to try a sip of 100plus isotonic drink.. yeah.. the first sip was really a bad choice.. it was cold.. too cold for me.. then it was gassy.. too gassy for me.. my hr rose to 179bpm from 170bpm.. I started panting.. felt like stopping.. which I rather not.. so I decided to slow my pace and recapture my breathing rhythm.. it took me one minute to gather my tempo.. fuh.. it could have been a DNF!! (did not finish) hence, I didn’t stop for any water station then onwards..

ADMIRABLE
Somehow, a makcik clad in tudung n cool black shades, graciously went passed me towards the final two straight runs..it seems she was following me all this while and over took me when I was slow.. from then on, i followed her for 8minutes until the race finish line.. hmm.. really admire her strength..

Alhamdulillah.. i finished the race.. (I wish the distance was further?!)

RACE DAY (END)
Nothing special for my post race.. did not feel really tired after the race as i could drive for 3hrs after lunch.. ate roti canai telur for recovery meal!! very typical malaysian eh! hehe..

MY TWO CENTS
Training prepares you for the real thing! knowledge keeps ur mental strong! never underestimate a makcik in tudung and cool black shades!!

STATS
Distance: 7km
Time: 51m50s (my PB 49m40s)
Average HR: 172bpm
Max HR: 182bpm

PHOTOS

(PIC1: free mizunho running t-shirt n my bib)
(PIC2: practicing my final hurrah!)
(PIC3: a cornerstone of all races to come)
(PIC4: dzal n me looking cheerful)
(PIC5: all of us at the starting line.. what about mr photog?!)
(PIC6: discussing doing the Standard Charted Run, KL next)
(PIC7: as usual, I was almost the last person to start- second from left)
(PIC8: eh, dah jalan ke bum?)
(PIC9: still energetic.. see how high I lift-up my leg)
(PIC10: is this walkaton? hehe)
(PIC11: i overtook this uncle earlier.. come on dzal.. faster faster..)
(PIC12: a truly big mistake.. almost DNF coz of you 100plus)
(PIC13: yeah, drink it.. drink it..)
(PIC14: this is what water stations are meant for.. STOPS!)
(PIC15: where did that makcik go?!!)
(PIC16: us celebrating)
(PIC17: more celebration)
(PIC18: still celebrating)
(PIC19: with the World of Sport miss.. can I have more of those 25% discount voucher? hehe..)

Note: thanks to a great friend for these wonderful pics.. you can see more of his artistic works here..

Competitive Race; My First 4km Run

this is an overdue race report.. i hope this report would inspire others and myself..

Race Report
Date/ Time: 9 Feb' 10/ 0900hrs
Distant: 4km

Summary:
i enrolled in this 4km run organised by my officemates in conjunction with some events within the organisation.. i hope this run would give some exposure to myself in my future PBIM 2010 run..

i had just started running a few weeks before the race without any specific training program/ routine..

the starting was very bad.. first, i did not do any warm up before the run (to confident laa.. padan muka..) to make things worst, i was in a conversation when others started their run.. (now, i know why paying attention to your surrounding is important.. hehe) so, i started way at the back.. i really mean way back.. i was the last person to cross the starting line.. (padan muka.. hehe)

(notice i was at the last one running.. far left of the picture)

the run was fun, as i started to overtake one person at a time.. drinks were also provided at the half way mark.. the second mistake here was i stopped for a sip.. lost my tempo afterwards.. having a sip or two was fine for longer distant runs and not in a short 4km run..

next, i slowed my run as i realised i was drifting further than those in front of me.. this was my third mistake.. i was not paying enough attention yet again.. since it was too late to do any correction, i could do only damage control.. which was to refocus in finishing the race and not let anyone overtake me.. my average pace was between 8 to 7 minutes/km.. (very slow for a short distant run.. hehe..)

finally, it was really fun to run even though i realised that i was not fit enough to run long distance yet!.. therefore, i need more training and better plan to ensure i finish PBIM 2010 half marathon event..

wish me luck yaa.. :-)