My second PBIM

The day before the race, we had our ritual team meet up aka carbo loading. Met a few new guys and familiar faces from Team Miracle Mile. Collected our race pack, etc. Later that night, Sam came over my place to stay for the night. We then load again and he bought his first ever PowerBar.

With so much of loading, I planned to release those crap and unnecessary burden before race morning. We went to bed about 9.00pm woke up at 2.10am. Tried to crap, push, push but nothing came out. No choice, I have to carry those 'burden'.

Got there by bike, I was only in my running vest and it was freezing cold. What a way to start before the race.

Did a little warm up and I was ready to go. The muted-gun went off and the race begins. Met a couple of floorballers along the way, wished them all the best and went on.

Just before getting on the bridge Sam asked why am I running so slow. He said my pace should be faster than my current speed. I knew what to expect because I've been through this road before. I told him, 'Relax, we have a long way still.' Didn't wanna tekan so fast.

First 10K was pretty good, managed to clocked a PB of 48:16. that's an average of 12.4km/h. That's a good speed. I was pacing this grey singlet guy from the 6th km mark, he's speed was consistent and fast. In my mind I know I can take him down. I tried to overtake him, but he seems to be further from me, I tried to close our gap but it widen again. It was frustrating, in my head I went, 'Walau, this guy aneh keat meh?.' Its only at the 11th km mark, that's when I overtook him. It felt great! (Pace and hunt technique to keep your head busy)

Into the 15K mark, the bridge seems to clear off, more space less people. It was a race against time. Target was a sub 2hours, problem is I did not wear a watch or carry my phone with me. So I didn't know how much time I have taken.

I saw bananas, should I take? A bit hungry la. haih...forget bout it. Eat later focus now. But it looks big and tempting. hehe.

I didn't feel too good, stomach giving me problem and I could feel those 'burden' at the end of the hose if you know what I mean. I was so afraid I would be too tired to hold those 'burden' together.

Hence, pace started to drop, I could feel tiredness creeping through my legs. Have to stay strong, looked my LIVESTRONG wrist band. Felt a rush of energy again. Aha...my mental workout works. =)

After my turn at the E.gate checkpoint, I saw a bunch of scouts sleeping like babies. I know this has nothing to do with me but I feel like waking them up with a loud roar. Just for fun. Tension d that time.

Saw the last 2K mark, time to tekan turbo. I thought I would overtake most of the runners there, but I was wrong. They were all strong as well, some even tekan NOS. Run run run, saw the finishing line, wohoo. No crowd to cheer me on, so no semangat la the ending. Net time was 1:46:10 and I came out 66th placing. I am happy with my time.

Went to get those free drinks and bananas along the way. A Digi promoter came up to be at about 4+ am to promote their broadband. I was like, Waaaaaaah, this people are crazy. Sipek hardworking. See you tired also boh pang kua.

Mizuno Wave Run

After state training in the morning, I managed to mandi kerbau and wacked a big plate of rice before heading towards the bus station. Got up the bus and the journey begins. 4.5hours later I find myself in the heart of KL, jam and slow moving vehicles are a confirmation. Met up with Alvin, Alice and geng, and got a ride from them to Damansara Utama (Uptown).

After dinner, I tried to locate the motel that I'll be staying in. Jensen (TMM) was already there since the afternoon. We walked around and still couldn't find one another. We planned to meet at starbucks but there were two starbucks in that area. After 15minutes ++ we finally managed to meet up.

Got up the room wash up, watch Gladiators, talk a little. ZzzZzzZzzZZzzz.

[motel room]

We got ready by 6am as Danny (TMM) will be picking us up. Felt so sleepy and tired. Haha. It took us about an hour to reach UPM, Serdang.

When I got there, my bladder was about to burst. First time in my life, there is a loooooooooOoOooooOOOong queue for the guy's loo. And the smell of the toilet was really really bad! Running to the toilet and back to the starting line was my warm up.

[pink glittering band]

Race begins with a not so loud horn. And again, I'm stucked behind with the big crowd. Grrrrrrr. Slowly picked up momentum and started getting to the front pack of the race. Half way into my run I met Carmen Leong. She qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii this year. I ran up to her, 'Hie are you the one that did Ironman?' She replied with a smile, 'Yea'. I showed her a thumbs up as an appreciation for raising the Jalur Gemilang when crossing the finishing line in Kona. Proud to be Malaysian. =)

[Carmen the ironmaiden]

I felt strong in my legs through the climb. When I saw the sign of the last 2km, I started pushing harder and faster. (It was flat then) The funny thing about this was, a counterpain booth was set up there, with two guys offering counter pain. It was really weird/amusing. But I guess, it would be useful for some.

[the climb]

I continue to tekan minyak until...I saw the killer slope. Walaueh!! Damn steep and long. No choice but have to persevere through, in my mind I kept thinking, if I can cycle up BP, I can finish this strong. It works! Slowly made up my way to the top and to the finish line with a sprint. Check my time it was 53minutes, no PB as my previous 10K was 52minutes. But then as I checked the cert, it was a 11K run with hills. Its a PB. wohoo!!

[medal]

It was a good run! To appreciate my legs and heart, I rewarded them with Burger King before heading back to Penang.

[yummy]

Special thanks to Joshua, Danny and Jensen unbutton for arranging the accommodation and transport ion for me. It was smooth.

[my roomie for the nite which was suppose to be SOONG'S!!haha]

Something that I learned from this run was the hill separates the extraordinary from the ordinary. Challenges and mountains in life will be there to slow you down and eventually make you stop. But if you continue to livestrong, you will be able to overcome it! Never give up. Only livestrong.

[11K medium intensity]

How To Swim Faster

Thanks to Team Miracle Miler for settling the registration for the Penang Bridge Marathon me. Very fast and efficient. Good service and good people in there. I'm confirmed! So what are you waiting for? Go register yourself because this is the only time you can run around the bridge and take photos of you lying down in the middle of the road, etc.



If I would to train like that, I think I would get out from the pool without legs and limps. Gory!!

X3M Weekend

Non stop action since Thursday till Sunday. Suppose to go for easy walk/jog on Friday with my 'client' but her car's tire 'puncit', but since I'm there already, ala...just go run a few rounds le. That time my muscles already starting to feel it.

Then Sat morning, went for easy swim and I still think my swim suck to the maximum. At night, cannot sleep. Don't know why, maybe because too hungry. Set my alarm at 6am. Woke up a few times to check the time.

Cooo-cu-ko-koooooo. The time has come for the awaited Charity Run for Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital. Woke up, brush teeth, do/feel the usual morning stuff and all set to go.

Reached there about 7.15am and took our yellow hand bands. Waited with the rest at the starting line for the gun to go off. It wasn't as crowded as compared to other runs that I've been but the starting point is really cramp and narrow, causing a mass bottleneck jam. That itself cost me almost 1minute or so.

[Sam - the hand model]

[Starting point]

As usual my objective for the run is to keep my pace and not get 'cut' by others. Started off by trying to get out from the crowd, so have to run the 'rempit' style. Left, right, in, out, sudden break, no signal, sudden acceleration, etc.

After running through botanical gardens, the traffic was much better. More space = More fresh air = Less body odour = more energy. All I did was mark a target with good pace, follow him until I overtake him. Works for me. There were small slopes other than that all flat ground.

Results from my w580i after finishing the race.

Distance
5.8km
Time
30.26
Average speed
11.4km/h
Maximum speed
15.5km/h

Average of 5.1+ minutes per km. Again if I compare my results with the treadmill's result. There's a moderate significant difference. Further detailed analysis is needed.

There were some programes after the run and of course free Vico beverages. Who doesn't want free stuff? And yes of course, the awaited lucky draw which includes a motor bike, I-phone and many more. It started with...

[Body combat]

[Belly dancing/fitness]

and

[a very happy man]

This guy is really sporting and I mean a happy man in a good way. He's supportive and he's the only one who at least tried to follow their moves. All of us were invited to try out the belly fitness. But pai seh la.

[chinese drummer boys]

[my not-so-lucky number]

After some talks from the VIPs, it was drawing time. I really hope I would get something. Numbers after numbers were called. My 3958 wasn't mentioned throughout the draw. Haih.

[a runner winning tonnes of black source]

They gave out about 5 packs of black/soy source. And when this guy walked pass me, I heard someone from behind saying, 'Wahh...eh sai char bee hoon liao.' hahaha.

At the end of the day, we won a medal, a certificate of participation, a hard bread and a bottle of mineral water. I had fun with my buddy Sam, first run together with him and btw he is only minutes behind me. Good job!

[happy Sam with his medal+cert]

[a miracle miler product]


[the harvest are plentiful but the workers are few]

It was 2, then 1

I'm getting excited!! Two runs coming up back to back. Can I handle it? Only time will tell. Since I'll be carpooling with Joshua Hooi of Miracle Mile, I should send him a text to confirm the time and place to meet rite?. Check him out below. Handsome rite? Sumore fit. But I think he's not available d. But I am. *COUGHS*

[Joshua Hooi and Andrew]

[Our SMS conversation]

Me: yo...tomorrow still on?
Josh Miracle Mile: Ah?2moro got what?
Me: i thought we going for the jamboree thingy.
Josh Miracle Mile: Oh!Sori sori!4got2tell u.Only3ppl wanna go.But d organizing's very bad,so we called it off.Not worth it.Sori ar,paiseh..R u primed up4d Lembah Bujang thingy?
Me: kinda looking forward for it.but nevermind le.sunday i got another run.no problem.

Uh wa wa wa!!! Actually ar...he not that handsome nia. =p But I'm still proud to be a Miracle Miler. Interested to know what the logo means? Click 'i'. Miracle Mile.

[Our logo.Me running]

I ran on the treadmill last night and Sam was there as well. It's good/easier when you're running with somebody you know. Kinda push you to go faster and further. Results for last night's run;

Total time – 1hour
Total distance – 12.6km
Average pace – 4.7619 minutes/km

Managed to cut down almost a minute of my average time per km. So.... does that mean my phone's odometer is not accurate? or I run slower outdoor? Need more experiments.

[12.6K run]

Vertical Run

I got the opportunity to climb up the stairs in Komtar tower. I see that tower almost everyday from the back of my grandma's house. Every time I look at it, I have this imagination/feeling that it will fall on us one day!

Anyways. Woke up really early this morning. Warm up my body by staying under the blanket a little bit longer. Felt great and ready to go.

It was my first outing with the Miracle Miler and I wasn't in my 'uniform'. I felt so out of place as you can see below.... Moral of the story is 'Don't gau gau assume what to wear' haha.

When we were about to start, there was a warm-up session for us. I think the warm-up session wasn't practical. It doesn't even make me feel warm. It was more like an entertainment. I prefer Jo-Wyee's warm-up.

At around 7am, we were given hand bands according to our category. People were rushing and pushing rudely to get to the man with the bands.

Andrew, Justin & Chris

About 7.30a.m (I think) we were release with a gun shot in the air. *BOOM* Started jogging > running > climbing

We had to run about 2K before hitting the stairs. The run was a bit dangerous as the road was not totally blocked, you might just get knock by those inconsiderate bus drivers. I got my mind focus on the race and didn't bother bout the emission from the vehicle and etc.

Got to the flight of stairs, thought I was going to die. Every step I take is a mental and physical battle inside of me. But manage to climb up consistently, so it was good.

Condition of the stairs

• No air/ventilation
• Very hot
• Very cramp (only two people can stand side-by-side)
• Not that smelly as I thought it would be
• I heard from Jason the floor is flooded with vomits from 30-storeys onwards (later in the race)
  
• No water to drink

Talking about water. Make me very very 'juak'! I was dehydrated when I got into the 40th floor, so I politely ask for water from one of the boy scout there and this is what he replied, "I got no water *then he paused and look up (41st floor)*, that girl (red crescent member), yes that girl, she can give you milk." I was in need and he tell me this thing. Stupid!

Continue pushing and climbing. Got there. Got the cert. Didn't wear watch so I ask a stranger, "Excuse sir, what is the time now?" He answered, "7.45" Phewww..not bad. Then we gotta cramp into the lift to get down from the tower. Imagine, 15 sweatty, smelly, stinking men cramping into a small box for about a minute so. That was so-so unacceptable to my nose.

Jason.Me.Deriss

p/s That girl (deriss) lost to her mum!!!hahahahahahahhahaha!!

My First 10K

I reached KL at about 1pm. Walked to Berjaya Times Square to meet up with them for lunch. Finally, I get to meet them in person and especially Joshua Hooi (the founder of Team Miracle Miler). Talk with him over lunch and he gave me some pointers/tips for a beginner like me. Nice guy. After lunch he gave me a Power Bar for free and ask me to try it out. He sounded very excited about the power bar. I'm more of a natural guy(don't take all those kinda stuff) but since its free, I ma take and try lo.

My free (worth RM8) breakfast and energy booster

After lunch, I took the monorail and LRT to Ampang Park to meet Soong's, my ex-roomie. He made me wait for him for an hour! Fortunately I am a patient guy. So you're forgiven. I sacrifice myself to stay at his place that night, or else I would be with the team in a low budget hotel. haha!

Soong's after the run. So happy.

Before we hit the bed, he set his alarm at 5a.m and mine at 5.30a.m. Zzz.

(Half way through the night)
Soongs: ARGGHGG!!WEII!!!!wake up wake up!!We're late..!!!We're late!!
Me: Huh?!huh.huh. What is the time now??
Soongs searching for his phone in the dark. Check the time. It was only3.00a.m. This is what we call pre-race anxiety. After all the laugh, we continued our zzz.

Woke up.Ran to the LRT station.Took the train.Reach there.Did some light warm up. Push our way through the crowd to get in the middle because I didn't wanna start at the back again.

But still pretty far from the 'Start'

At 7:00a.m, finally the race begins! In every run, my aim is always to 'cut' others and not let others 'cut' me. Kinda achieve it le. I guess less than 5 person 'cut' me during the run. The last time I ran such a distance was the Penang Bridge Run, other than that, I did not train on my endurance level.

About 15minutes in the run, someone came up to me and ask whether I'm Deswyn or not? And he added, 'Same jersey huh?' then he sped away. Wahh...didn't know that I'm that famous. Actually he is one of the Miracle Miler. Nice to meet you Jensen.

When I reached the 5KM mark, my body was slowing down but I said to myself, 'I've to achive my goal and I won't slow down because of the jersey I'm wearing.' Have to jaga reputation a bit. With my motivational songs, it kept my legs going and I feel less tired. The only setback was, I didn't arrange my songs properly, so when I reach my last 1KM, Kate Perry's Thinking of You was playing. Walaueh!! Almost made me stop running. So I quickly change the song randomly. And it kinda affect my momentum le. Not good not good. Something to keep in mind for the next run.

Finish the race strong and I clocked 51.11 [Bib no.0699] which was pretty good.

speaker blasting from behind.i did it


cool

sexy

the best

At the end of the day, it was worth my time to travel down to KL and back to Penang the next day. Soong's finished the race at 1.13.32 [Bib no.2682] and I'm really proud of him. Mr.Lazy conquering 10K! =) I'm sure you will conquer the mountains you will be facing in life because I believe in you. Thank you for your kind hospitality. Much appreciated! Will miss you.

soong's and I.KL marathon 2009

Finishing a marathon will boost your confidence in life.
Joshua H, founder of Team Miracle Miler

Unfitness Kills

As I'm writing this, I'm still stuck in my office. My bus to KL is at 7.30am and I have not pack yet. I'll be joining the Standard Chartered KL Marathon this coming sunday. I'm not doing a full marathon or a half marathon either. I'm just doing a quarter. I'm so not ready as I've been so tied up with work, sleeping late, eating a lot of nonsense (and yes it includes my all time favourite Mamee Monster) and the Penang Floorball League.

I'll be running with the Miracle Miler. This is my second run with them and I'm pretty excited to meet them (the professional runners). I hope to learn something from them in this trip. Will keep you updated on my trip there.

I joined them on 7th January 2009, that means I'm still an infant in the running world. So much to learn!!!I'm excited.

That's my mail to them, it's super convenient to join races around Malaysia with them. Do check them out @ www.themiraclemiler.wordpress.com for more details. I would love to share on the benefits in affliating with them. But my brains are shutting down. 4 more hours to catch my bus!

My goal for 10KM ... 60minutes++