Running and Walking SG's Twilight Ultra Challenge 2012

...and no, no fanboy or fangirl ran as Edward or Bella, respectively.

1st loop (Photo by Running Kaki)

Purple haze began to spread across the languid sky. In a while, the sun will come up and illuminate the vast wilderness cloaked in darkness. Err; we were not in the wild. But we were wild about one thing--running or walking as many loops that we can. Never mind that some of us didn't have enough sleep. Never mind if some of us--especially me--didn't have enough training. Never mind if after this race, we will all be embodiment of pain. 

Hooray to 2 years of Fun!

Video courtesy of Ben Swee

As mentioned in some previous posts, I started running in Feb of 2010. I started running along the hard pavements of Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, PH. My first race was a 3k fun run and from then on, after numerous 5ks and 10ks, a handful pikermis, 3 marathons and 4 ultramarathons, I am still chasing pavements. Well, there were months of being sidelined like when I was in Angola for two months and days when I just felt so lazy to get up and go for a run. But since this year started, there hasn't been any week when I haven't done any run. I bet my groove has come back now. For good. 

To keep up with the momentum, I have some races lined up in some of the best places on earth. Lol. 

As there was no event that interested me here in Malaysia, I joined a group of runners in Singapore called I.M.D. Running headed by Ben Swee for their training for Bali Marathon. We ran in MacRitchie Reservoir Park. I can say running by the dam is a wonderful experience. We did 22kms and I finished it in around 2:30. Can't really tell exactly since I forgot to charge my Garmin. I had a great time running with some of Singapore's best and looking forward to running SG"s roads again. 

Cheers to two years of running!

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.

Sunday morning musings...

ah those sunday mornings when you go for a run in the park wading through the sea of people who like me are celebrating life...you wonder about the members of the wiser generation who break a sweat moving along Michael and Madonna's ditties during this time while the younger ones would probably still be recovering from last night's drunken stupor...and you think about the year that is about the close and gingerly plotting your plans for the next...and you run to your heart's content, braving the uphills at first and happily walking them at the latter part...and at the 10th km mark, you sigh and give thanks to the Lord Almighty because for what it's worth, it is a good life after all...#sundaymorningmusings

I came, I saw and I conquered PENANG!

Out of laziness, I am able to finish this post only now. Forgive me if there were details that I have forgotten already. 2-24-12

At the finish wall

Penang is marvelous.

I know that is a bit of an understatement. But I am lost for words. The well preserved shophouses. The long stretches of cobble-stoned streets. The vibrantly designed rickshaws. The east-meets-west vibe. The very budget-friendly hostels. And the food! Go to Penang for the best food Malaysia has to offer.

My 3-day detour to this place is a bit short and I know I am coming back. I have to. I didn't do much sightseeing as I spent a couple of days preparing for the race or resting after it. 

And no, this is not a travel blog. 

I heard about this race last year through a blog of a friend. Apparently, Asia was the 6th continent where he ran a marathon. I didn't realize I'll be doing it too. 

I was hungry for a race. Any race just to prove I am still a runner. I googled, found some and I signed for three races at one time: PJ Half-marathon, CICM Run and the latest, Penang Bridge International Marathon. And finishing the last one proved to be the sweetest.

Taking on Malaysian suburbs...

...and the height of naivete.

Yey for the bling!

It was a sleepless night. No, I was not excited. I went to bed early to get enough sleep and I was off to dreamland the moment I lay down on the hotel bed and shut off the lights. Then in the middle of midnight, prank calling disturbed my peace and I was not able to sleep again.

Sweet Carbo-loading :)

Oh well, fast forward 9 hours later. I was able to finish my second pikermi in Malaysia, CICM Responsible Care Run 2011. Maybe I was ready for the race toting my water bottle as the hydration stations would be far from each other. The race went through smoothly. I didn't get a new PR and I realized I was getting slower as I put on some weight. But that's okay. I guess finishing strong is more than enough. But the events surrounding it almost drowned out the good things about the race.

the stage

Hang-overs

One of the best views of the route

I like the route. The scenic trees dotting the roads cooled the air and provided shade when the sun was up. The next-to-nothing traffic with only a few cars interrupted by our sporty gallivanting. And most of all, the mainly flat surface with few unsteep slopes that is PR friendly.

The singlet and the medal

There are medals for every 21km runner who crosses the finish line in 3 hrs. In PJ Marathon, only the first 200 finishers for each category gets one. So, this is officially my first bling in MY.

And the singlet. The New Balance singlet is comfy to wear and has better fabric than the one in PJ Marathon. These makes the 50 RM registration so worth it. 

Hang-ups

Second race with hydration stations spread at app 4 kms from each other. Is this a standard set-up here? It's a good thing it was not that hot today.

I like the route BUT I didn't realize it was just too far. I almost cried as the meter rolled on almost forever. Call me naive as I am new in town. And it's not the organizers' responsibility to get me there but I wish the organizers provided some shuttle service to lure more runners to join. And I was lost twice. Once during race packet pick-up and on raceday itself. Good thing, we reached Setia Alam Welcome Center just in the nick of time. And after the race, I couldn't find a taxi that was leaving. I called the cab company but they said there was none nearby. A taxi was parked by the events area and I had to wait for the program to wrap up (I didn't get to bring an iPad. sic.) for the driver to return and ask him to take me to the hotel. He didn't but instead dropped me off at KLang station where I took a train to KL Central then another train to Kelana Jaya where I was gonna take a bus or taxi to the hotel. I only took the train to KL Central and got off from that station and joined a new group of friends to watch Manny Pacquiao battle it out with Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time.

And that my friends is the biggest hangup of the day--though totally unrelated to this race. What the heck happened?! Tell me.

Next week: Penang Bridge International Marathon 2011. I'm stoked!

Taking on Malaysian highways...

...and PJ half-marathon, my first race in Malaysia.

Running Bitoy :)

Ready to Rock It

I was in a racing drought for almost three months now before this race. During those times, all I could do was be engulf with the untolerable amount of envy I was feeling whenever my running friends from home post their new conquests. The Manila running scene is surely one thing that I miss a lot.

It was one boring day in Luanda (and no, Luanda is far from boring), when I signed up for three races--Petaling Jaya Half-marathon which happened today, CICM Run and Penang Bridge International Marathon, both of which are happening next month. So what does this mean? This just means I'm really, really back! And there's no way I'm backing down.

Stadium Petaling Jaya

Enough of the rhetorics. I was both excited and anxious of this race as this is my first in Malaysia and the first in 3 months. I didn't have enough training and I gained weight a bit. I made sure that I don't miss this race by waking up early and getting to the race area an hour before gunstart. After a warmup session led by two trainers from Fitness First, 21k runners positioned ourselves by the starting line. I was there for only a few minutes and without further ado, the gun was fired and off we scrambled like mice in a maze. 

Highway signs

Runing inside a dark tunnel

We started before the sun was fully up and it didn't take long before we could fill its unforgiving might. And mighty it really was. I remember having to content myself with walking on the bridge when it was really hot and there were no trees around to provide us some shade. The route was mainly flat with just the right combination of uphills and downhills. The uphills weren't that steep and were doable. And there's the nagging fear of being run over as the highways were not really closed for the event. So, the route was just fine. It was just the heat.

Highway Runners

And the hydration stations. I thought there were not enough and are spread out too far, I think every 4 kms. So there are only 4 stations for refreshments. Good thing though, they also have sponge stations for us to feel a bit relieved from the heat.

Almost there...

And the lack of training. At 17kms, I was already tired and tempted to just walk to the finish line.  But I still tried to run and running I did. I was gunning for a sub2 finish but that didn't happen. I settled for a 2:15 finish and ironically, I'm happy about it. I didn't have to beat myself for missing my target. There's another race. There are two actually. And just to be back and finished the race in good form is more than enough.

***

Special thanks to Annitah for the nice chat and the lift after the race. It was a pleasure meeting you.

And yes, I can still hear Stevie Nicks singing in my head. So far, I'm sailing through the changing ocean tides just fine.