Sunday, January 8, 2012

Starting the year right...12 km for 2012



Three weeks of running and weeks and weeks of not updating this little nook in this humongous cyberworld, I once again conquered the unknown but usual territory. 

I signed up for the Multi-Purpose Insurans Race last year before going home to the Philippines for Christmas. The numbers game were on it again. 12km for 2012 and happening on the 8th of January. How lucky can one get?

I wanna keep this brief as wordy is so 2002. Let me give you what I thought of the race.

freebies

Pluses

1. Route - as unusual as it sounds, the challenging route was enough to keep me at the edge of my toes and to look forward to the next turn. I didn't expect it to be hilly and boy, was I shaken when I realized how arduous this route was. Good thing, the latter part of the route was mostly downhill so it compensated the pains at the onset of the race.

2. Generous amount of hydration - Aptly spaced 3 kms apart, the organizers made sure runners were well hydrated.

3. Price - At $48RM, I can say I got more than my money's worth. New balance shirt. Timing chip. Finishers' medal. A box of cereals. Fruits. 

4. Accessibility - For non-car owners like me, the event area in Kuala Lumpur beside the bird park is not hard to find and any taxi driver would be able to find it without the hassle of being lost.

Minuses

1. Lack of race clocks - PRs are important even for newbies. Not everyone brings a watch while running. And those digits on the finish banner are enough gratification for toiling it in the race route.

2. The crowd - I admire how they had women go first. But I do not think it has something to do with gender. A lot of us, men, were chicked by agile women runners. How about classifying runners based on their pace? That would spread the crowd along the route evenly. 

short shorts
Overall, I did enjoy the race. I felt slower as my behind got bigger. Lol. But the important thing is I had fun and I guess, I am starting the year right. 

More running in 2012!

Thanks to Raymond Estrella for hosting and for being my buddy for the day.