Category: Running

First thing is first……What a beautiful day for a half marathon! Congratulations to everyone out there who gave it their all today! I hope everyone had a great experience!

Last year 2016, has been filled with many runs and my 1st half marathon, of course….Maybe it’s because I just can’t say no or maybe because I am slightly crazy, but last sunday- marked my second half marathon The Twincity Marathon in Cyberjaya-Putrajaya. This is a great race for beginners and experienced runners alike. It really is a nice course to run. I know I’ll be back to this run again! It is definitely a race you should experience at least once. I would do this race every year if I could.

The organisers did a good job with registration and race pack collection. It was held at D’ pulze for 3 days. On the first day, a slight technical error happened however, it was rectified ASAP, then it was smooth onawards. The volunteers always know what they are doing at this race which is nice. KUDOS to all of them!

Sunday morning, after a sleepless night..as always my alarm rang at 3.03am….ehem…lucky number- wanted to do a PB for sub-3 (LOL) anyway, we arrived at 4.50am because we were afraid the traffic is usually pretty heavy. There were already lots of cars coming in but we ended up getting a great parking spot, quite near to the start/finish area. The RELA and volunteers did an awesome job with the car parks and traffic control. There were lots of runners socializing as we walked around to see the start area. The race start area was very organized, and you really need to be, with a race of this size. Hubby and I did our race ritual- porta porties. The facilities was plenty. No issues on queues or long lines. Very sufficient. After that, we were led by a cool team of Zumba dancers for the warm up zumba session. Fuh Yoh! I really enjoyed it….I was wide awake and I think my muscles were jumping for joy too! The zumba session lasted for 15 minutes after that we got into our corral. It was a pretty packed corral as I believe many runners are always shooting for a sub 2 hour half marathon.

The flagged off was on time, though we could barely hear the emcee due to the speakers however, with all the hype and excitement-the runners just wanted to start the run…..The weather was nice for running. Then at 5.30am sharp we were flagged off! The corral typically goes out pretty fast and then people start to somewhat seperate. A much thinner crowd, by the time I hit the 2 km marker.

The course also had tons of volunteers handing out water and energy drinks. I did enjoy the course. You are never alone during the race as there are always people of the same pace no matter what your pace is…

On to my race…..well the half marathon continues to be my nemesis and I do not know why….The plan was…hmmmm……I actually had NO PLAN! Just to complete and finish the race..LOL..with this being a nice flat course…turns out a positive attitude goes a long way! I just kept reminding myself to relax my shoulders, I smiled and had fun with the ups and downs…the hills not the emotions..LOL

A nice little surprise awaited the runners at the 16 km, Nasi Lemak! Glorious…yummylious…..”Nasi Lemak Anak Dara” was served at the stop. Many runners made a pit stop to reload. Seriously, it was a cool and awesome sight to see during a marathon race.

Credit Photography: ActionPix Malaysia

The last 3 km was a struggle! The route was tougher in the second half of the race, but I was able to negotiate those pretty okie. The morning was cool but a little humid so the plentiful sponges were really helpful.

The organisers did a tremendous awesome job with the traffic control and marshaling! The runners safety were their top priority and that was really great! Thank you dear organisers! The start and finish were efficiently handled!

On a more positive note, I was so touched by all the cheers from passing runners..it made me feel awesome even though I was struggling! I appreciate each and every one of them and I am truly sorry I did not cheer back, I did in spirit..! But I was very focused on keeping one foot in front of the other. I hope you enjoyed my pain-“sakit” face! Ha ha ha!

I was hoping for a better time today and possibly even a PB. We are runners and we expect more of ourselves after all that is why we do it and that is what fuels the fire to keep training. So needless to say this has only fueled my fire more and I will be back to training to hit my running goals as I am not content with my current  PBs and not ready to throw in the towel!

So whether you had an AWESOME day ( I heard of a lot of amazing PBs today at the Twincity Marathon today!!) or not so awesome day, I hope you can learn from it! That is the amazing thing about running, there is always something to learn and grow from!

Running season is here…..BRING IT ON! until next time onwards and upwards!

Thank you Twincity Marathon! YOU ROCK!! Woot woot!

It’s a brand new year! Happy New Year 2017!

Running is boring! It’s hard. It hurts. It’s lonely. And it doesn’t give you immediate results…That’s my inner voice speaking….LOL

While we don’t think any of these are necessarily good excuses (or altogether true!), we don’t understand it’s not always love at first run for anyone who ever decides to lace up and hit the pavement.

Whether you’re a total beginner intimidated to take those first steps or you’ve recently taken a wrong turn straight into a running rut, I am here to help you get moving in the right direction. Let me share some tips for finding fun on the run.

1.Forget the past

Whatever feelings or fears you associate with running-leave them in your dust! Being a runner isn’t about speed or skill; it is a mindset.Whether you run a 4-minute mile or a 15-minute mile, all it takes is a pair of shoes and the desire to get out the door!

2.Set a goal

Establishing a goal for each run ( even if it’s just to not walk!) creates benchmarks of your progress and a sense of accomplisment. I used the lamp post when I was getting started, each time I ran, I told myself to make it to “one more pole”. Eventually, you might find yourself setting even crazier goals.

3. Buddy up

Yes, it can be isolating to run alone, but there’s plenty of road to share. Find a friend, catch up while running and the miles will fly by as you chat! Studies have shown ‘ couples who run together, stay together’…..LOL

4. Discover the road not taken

If you ate the same food for lunch everyday, you’d inevitably get bored, and it’s the same with running. Running is the best way to see new spots and explore somewhere new on foot!

5. Race. Race. Race.

Pick out an upcoming race and actually pay the registration fee. Paying cold hard cash for something makes it harder to slack off on your training. With so many events to choose- from colorful fun runs to muddy races to marathons- most runners, just like me, getting into the race environment can be incredibly motivating and inspiring!

Maybe running isn’t for everyone, but you won’t know until you try- and these are some ways to at least have fun while doing so. When you’re getting started, the fight is as much mental as it is physical. You want running to be fun, right? I assure you, it’s not going to be. But once you can find the mental strenght to push through the initial tough ones, the runs that follow will truly be a blast!

And for my first run for 2017- see you there at the Twincity marathon on the 15th January at Cyberjaya. I will be attempting my 2nd 21 KM half marathon. Woot woot!

Race day is like every day in school. You need to do the best you can to make sure everything is prepared, including your outfit.The race day and a school day are the culmination of your preparation. Sometimes it’s slow and steady, but you are always moving forward. Sometimes the finish lines feels great and sometimes you don’t think you’ll ever get to the finish line. Either way, there will always be another finish line on the horizon.

To me, race day is a funny thing. It can be the source of your greatest triumph or the cause of your deepest sorrows. It can make you love yourself and hate yourself at the same time. Run the race because you love to run, not because you want to achieve something!

The buzz around Lombok Marathon event in the weeks leading up to it was awesome and rightly so, as the Lombok’s first ever marathon there was a lot to be excited about.

It was raining ,when we arrived at the Lombok International Airport on Saturday, 3rd December 2016, a day before race day……you could almost feel the nerves in the air. My hubby and I managed to arranged transportation by ourselves at the airport-using the official Lombok Marathon car to collect our race packs and to take us straight to our hotel- Kila Hotel at Sengigi. The transportation cost IDR250,000 (Rm55.00) Many International runners that came and took the same flight with us from countries like Kenya, Australia etc also had to find and pay for their own transportation. Just a suggestion to the organisers, maybe next year the organisers could consider a free pick up shuttle bus/van or car to the race pack venue or hotel.

The race pack collection was very well organised and getting the timing chip/bib and t-shirt was a piece of cake. Hubby and I even managed to grab a “KFC” take away. After collecting the race packs, we headed to our hotel – Kila Hotel,which was the official hotel and got into race day preparation mode! Only to discover at the reception, that the 10 km starting point is about 10 km from the hotel. To make matters worst, Kila Hotel is the official hotel for Lombok Marathon and the road closures will start at 2am until 10am. A rush of panic went through my body…My nightmare!I flew all the way from Malaysia to run 10 km race- Lombok Marathon only to miss the race because there were no transportation provided by the official hotel or the organisers! Well, the plus side of this was the 21 km starting point was just a block away…..Hmmmmm…..

Think, Chrisy! Think, Chrisy!What to do?? Am I the only 10 km runner staying at Kila Hotel? There must be a way!  A solution! I hadn’t anticipated the cluster that transportation to the race would be…

Hubby told me to calm down, take a deep breath… check in the hotel….take a shower and have an awesome dinner in Lombok..What else can we do…….? Leave it in the hands of the Lord..

After dinner, the reception contacted and informed us that there were two other 10 km runners from Kila Hotel that will be leaving by 4am tomorrow from here and I could share the transportation cost with them. ( each of us had to pay IDR200,000) seriously, kindly provide a free shuttle bus/van or car to the race venue in the near future, as promised in your marathon promotions.

I had a sleepless night,thinking I was gonna miss the 10 km race…..LOL! Race day morning, my alarm rang at 3am, I jumped out of bed and I fell flat on the floor…OMG! I felt like humpty dumpy…Thank Goodness, I did not break anything…..phewww..My Hubby jumped out of bed because he thought we were hit by an earthquake…..hahahahahah….LOL

Our morning routine was swift and quick, we managed to buy 3 in 1 milo packets and gulp it down our throats and made each a peanut butter sandwich and dashed out the room and went straight to the hotel lobby. Said our goodbyes and wished my hubby all the best for his 21 km and at the lobby, I met two awesome iron ladies…Devi and Mute. We shared the ride to the 10km starting point. We clicked instantly and got along well……They were a ray of sunshine….

My race didn’t start until 6.45am and we arrived at 5am and I hate waiting around (no choice, though) but actually the time went by super fast and before I knew it I was lined up and ready to go.

The hype, the people, the crowds and the emotions! This trip was truly a once in a lifetime destination race and eventhough I wasn’t able to “race” it. just running it was such a gift.

This race offered many picturesque views of the surrounding hills and small towns, with bustling energy from locals throughout the course, all the while never having to go off-road. The route was just right as well, with roughly three thousand marathoners and the 10 km as well as the 5 km runners.

The course support was incredible. It was perfectly flat. There were a trillion signs/markers and volunteers all along the streets. There were school students who were singing and marching with their bands, cheerleaders- cheering and singing! Absolutely fantastic! At every 2.5 km were water stations and Pocari Sweat and the scenery was truly amazing! It also boost my motivation by clapping for musicians along the course, high-fiving kids on the sidelines and thanking volunteers at the water stations. Kudos to them for waking so early to cheer us on!  “Semangat! Semangat!” They kept cheering- means…GO GO GO! Don’t give up!

Then at 800 meters to the finish line, I saw my fellow runner from Malaysia who was holding the Jalur Gemilang- he was walking…So I ran by his side and said….”Let’s go….Let’s ran…..we are almost there”! We held the Jalur Gemilang, filled with honour and pride…we ran towards the finish line…and wooooooot wooooot……We finish the race strong, honored and proud! What do you know, we even made headlines…!

Collection medal was systematic, Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 km and 5 km runners were seperated after the finishing line and we were led to seperate pens to collect our medal, drink, bananas and goodies.

POST RACE THOUGHTS

A large scale event with over three thousand runners nicely done up. I thought that there were many hydration zones given that it was only a 10 km race! Kudos for that! Distance markers were well placed. The volunteers/ students/ bands were truly amazing! This made Lombok Marathon fantastic and memorable. The medal itself is heavy and what makes it unique- it is a double medal- awesome pawsome!

People say that there are many reasons that we run, I run because I can….and so can you!

Will I do this race again? Definately! Maybe a half marathon next year!

Last weekend, we packed up the kids and headed off for a family adventure! The Great Eastern Bubble Dash Run 2016. I didn’t think that it was impossible to have fun at a race because I’ve had fun at lots of races. I just didn’t think it was possible to run a race with the sole purpose of having fun without worrying about time and pace…..and so I challenged myself and I decided to run (Hmmm….walk) the Great Eastern Bubble Dash 5 KM Run…..for fun!

In order to prepare for the fun, I registered my three children to run with me! If I am really determined to have fun, trust me, that’s the way to do it! Run with your kids (oooohhhh…and it’s healthy fun too, bonus!)

The Great Eastern Bubble Dash Run had all sorts of deals on Facebook and it was one of those races that was the right price and looked like fun! We arrived about 45 minutes early and found ourselves a spot in line, at the front. As soon as we got near the stage, we could hear the music and feel the excitement. We instantly joined the crowd. The race started in waves and it took awhile for all the 11K participants to be flagged off.

If you are a serious runner, this probably isn’t the race for you. If you are up for fun and just want to take your time, this one is for you. We took our time, we walked, we ran, we jumped, we skipped, we danced almost all of it, it was to congested and crowded to run. I just let the kids enjoy every moment! We stopped at all the bubble stops to make sure that we got blasted with as much bubbles as possible! There were only 4 bubble stops in total. ( The emcee mentioned 7 bubble stops- many were out of order) the starting line, pink, green, blue & yellow. The amount of bubbles you encountered was up to you: walk on the outside and you’d get less of the bubbles or stay towards the middle and you could walk right under the bubble machines. However, for a crowd of 11K participants- the bubble stops were to small.

When we arrived at the finish line, we were dissapointed! The last bubble machine was not functioning- out of order! What a bummer! The children and I were hoping for a grand finale blast of bubbles…..only to be let down..(Burst our bubbles….)

After crossing the finish line..there were no volunteers to guide our directions – to get our goodies, Food and beverages and medals?? We ended up walking endlessly until we noticed a long, long, long, long queue. We were the first 2000K batch that arrived, therefore we were early. After standing in the queue for quite a while, we were given a banana, energy drink and our medals. (For the price that we paid-totally not worth it) The volunteers used scissors to cut our bibs (safety should be considered for the children)

OVERALL:-

1. RPC venue was not a very good location/ not a strategic location. Traffic jam and no parking facilities.
2. Medals- So flimsy/ medal with plain lanyard (Quality of medal) A medal means a lot to a participant, a runner, as an accomplishment and satisfaction to be a finisher)
3. No finisher T- Shirt for 21 KM runners, it was hard to even differentiate the 12 KM and 21 KM runners.
4. Medal collection – It was a horrendous experience for lots of participants. The 5 KM Bubble Dash Run participants were pushing, shoving, arguing etc- congestion at the medal collection tent.

It is all about mistakes and learning from them. I happen to believe that there is no such thing as a bad run or race, as long as we learn from it. Yes, we all will experience runs and races we’d define as terrible. Chin up, they happen! But if you learn something- be it the management, the organising, logistics, pacing, mental focus, what to wear, eat, whatever- those lessons prepare you for better runs and races in the future!

I think, we accomplished our goal for the day…….FUN RUN!

Make your probabilities become possibilities!

Are you ready to lace up and put on your running shoes and run for a good cause?

I run because I can…and for as long as I can, I will…..Why? Well, I know it sounds a little crazy, but here’s my story and here’s my reason:-

Finding out my mum had breast cancer is a conversation I will never forget. I’m the sort of person who likes problem solving, but the feeling of helplessness I had knowing there was nothing I could do to fix this situation was very difficult. Mum was so strong during the whole process. There was not a day that went by that she wasn’t smiling. She is a complete inspiration and so incredibly brave.

Everyone knows that running is a great way to get in top shape..Running is incredibly effective at making you healtier in a number of ways. For women, running can actually help lower your risk of breast cancer. It also helps reduce the risk of having a stroke.

Precious Ladies N Men Run 2016 will be held on the 12 December (Monday- Public holiday) @ Padang Merbok Car Park, Jalan Parlimen. This run is a special run to me and it is very close to my heart. Why? It is organised by CentriSoh Sales & Marketing and technical support by Pacemakers Malaysia. A charity Run for hope, inspiration and motivation to women. The objective of this run is to increase and raise public awareness about the importance of cancer through healthy lifesytle. Parts of the proceeds from this event will be channeled to the National Cancer Society Malaysia.

When I was given the opportunity to write,run and be part of this event “Precious Ladies N Men Run 2016”, I was truly honored. Together with my mum and many other cancer survivors out there…..You are not alone! Let’s share this fight together….

Sign up now for Precious Ladies N Men Run 2016 at http://www.checkpointspot.asia