A little sightseeing

Work has been going pretty well since Tuesday. The first few days I was like a zombie and it seemed like my body's battery charge just skydived from around 3pm onwards. Just as I'm getting in synch, I will have to get on that plane back home.

I've not been in the mood to run since getting here. I have access to a health club about 1km away from the hotel I'm staying in but the thought of walking in this heat did not appeal to me, on top of feeling lazy.

I have seen some of the sights in Dallas, one of the more popular ones is the place where President JFK was assassinated. I drove down the same route he took up to the point where he was shot, and it was interesting to imagine how he was cruising in the back seat of his convertible with people cheering him along the way, not expecting what was going to happen next.




The above picture shows the book depository where the shooter was. If you look up to the 6th floor (take the ground floor as the first floor), you will see that the right most window pane is slightly different. That is where he took the shot from.

The food here has been pretty ok, but nothing to shout about. There are plenty of nice restaurants where one can go for a nice evening, and the costs are pretty reasonable at least when I look at it from a dollar to dollar (ringgit) perspective.

I was taken to the Antares Rotating Restaurant which is part of the Hyatt Regency. Here one can get a lovely view of the entire city of Dallas. If you had seen the famous series 'Dallas' in the 80's, perhaps what you thought Dallas to look like might not be too accurate. That part of Dallas still exists but is located towards the south.



A picture of the rotating restaurant taken at dusk




An amazing view of Dallas captured from inside the restaurant. The skyline is always as beautiful as you see in this picture.

I have also been shopping for some stuff. They have huge stores here where we get plenty of choice, nothing like what we have in KL. One of the stores I went to was called Sports Academy. The choice of running shoes here is just amazing. I am considering picking up a pair, perhaps an Asics or Mizuno as the price is lower than what I could get in KL. I will definitely pick up a pair of Thorlos Coolmax and also a few pairs of Nike Dri Fit socks.

I shall leave Dallas on Wednesday night and should get back into KL on Friday afternoon. Yup, another long trip. Will be glad to get home and get back into routine again. Missing my wife and kid quite a bit already.

Was I wrong?

I've just arrived in Dallas 10 hours ago after 28 hours of traveling. It wasn't a comfortable trip with the flight being full and for those who travel regularly, you would know being stuck in economy class for over 18 hours and having to sit in the centre row as both window and aisle seats were not available, can't be a good thing... not to mention than I have extremely long legs.

I was arriving into LA before having to catch a connecting flight to Dallas. Here I needed to go through the immigration and clear customs, then collect my luggage and re-check them in for my next flight. After spending over 20 hours on the go, all I wanted to do was to clear this process as quickly as possible and stretch my legs a little before catching the next flight, but this was not to be.

The situation at the LA immigration was worse than a market. At least in the Malaysian markets, everyone knows what they are doing and are clear on what they want. Here you would find immigration officers guiding passengers to the various counters by screaming at the top of their lungs. The queuing system and the efficiency of clearing the queue as quickly as possible was also screwed up.

After having to stand in what I would have called a relatively short queue for 45 minutes I realised that it had stopped moving. This is when I realised that the 3 counters which served my queue had closed and the officers were packing up to go home. It took another 10 minutes before one officer came to replace just one of the 3 counters, and even then he did not open the counter straight away. Instead he started taking out his soft drink and did things in really slow motion, like you at times see in the Malaysian government offices.

A quick look to the other queues and I realised that they were being processed a lot more efficiently than the one I was in. What luck!! After a bit I just could not stand it anymore and gestured towards one of the immigration ushers to complain. Her reaction of "What do you want me to do? There's nothing I can do, this is normal" stunned me. Not to mention the arrogant tone of voice. After explaining that I was going to miss my connecting flight, since we had already landed an hour late, she hesitantly said she would see what she could do.

Anyway to cut the story short, I was ushered out towards another queue which cleared much faster. I am totally appalled by the kind of service I seemed to have received. My impression of the US has been further tainted and I am not really keen on spending much time exploring much of this country. For the rest of my journey to the hotel, I had also encountered similar rudeness when asking for any kind of information or help.

To me the people make up a country, and if there cannot be basic courtesy and politeness, then it's really sad. All that people say about the greatness and superiority of the US is total bullshit from my point of view. I am proud to be a Malaysian, and I would suggest that we are very much ahead in many ways when compared to the US. If anyone wants to talk to me about corruption, transparency and a real democracy, then don't because it's pretty much the same in every government and both you and I know that! So as we close in towards yet another Merdeka celebration let us cheer and say "MALAYSIA BOLEH!"

Good holiday

The first day when we arrived in Camerons, the weather was quite cold and it was raining most of the time. However the next two days brought some great weather that allowed us to spend a lot of time outdoors.

The TNB bungalow that we stayed in was nice. One of the perks my mum enjoys from being a TNB retiree is the use of all their holiday facilities. I ran on Tuesday from Brinchang to Tanah Rata and back. Total distance was about 8km.



Photo taken when we stopped at the famous waterfall on the way up from Tapah.



The bungalow where we stayed in. It has 3 large bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a large hall, dining and kitchen.



The compound surrounding the banglo is very scenic and it even has its own playground. My wife and my mum reliving their childhood.



Nick enjoyed just as much as everyone else.



We had some good wind for kite flying. I was a total flop since I have never flown a kite before, but Chiew Chin showed what an expert she was.



Father and son chilling out at the Tea Valley.



Picture taken in the Tanah Rata public park. The lack of maintenance in the park is quite disappointing. It used to be a lovely place for relaxing.



Finally a picture with everyone in it. Just passing by the Old Smokehouse. The prices on the menu were too crazy for even some coffee.

Finally a proper break

I'm finally taking 3 days leave from work after 7 months. This 3 day holiday was planned since my elder sister is back from Sydney for a one month break. We shall be leaving for Cameron Highlands once I publish this post.

The weekend saw me doing some running as well. My son wanted to go to the park on Saturday evening, and I managed to run a comfortable 5k. Since I hadn't been able to run with Choi and his gang on Saturday morning as I only finished work in the office at 4am, I decided to join Peter, Lee and Albert for a 21k on Sunday.

I knew that I was in for a tough run with the company I was running with. Sure enough we were averaging a sub 6 minute pace throughout. I had forgotten how difficult the hills in this Klang - Shah Alam route were. It is a measured and accurate 21k route.

The second half saw me slowing down but Peter wouldn't have any of that and kept on pushing me forward. I completed the run with a personal best time of 2h4m37s. Total mileage for last week was 52km. I shall be building my base for the next 2 months since my next marathon will only be in January.

Another 10 laps

Yesterday I managed to run another 13k or 10 laps at the KLCC park. I just love the weather in the last few days which has been quite cooling since it has been raining regularly. Jamie was at the park testing his new camera and took this picture for me. You can see from the lift of my legs what kind of pace I was doing.

I was reading 'The competitive runner's handbook' today while killing time before going to the US embassy and spend some time analyzing the chapter on training pace. Bob Glover divides training pace into three categories which are Brisk pace, Base pace and Easy pace.

In another section of the book, he classifies runners into their categories based on their race times i.e. novice, basic, intermediate and advanced competitors. I fall under the category of a basic competitor since my 10k race time is about 50 minutes. However my estimated half marathon and full marathon timings are still far from what I should be clocking, and it's due to lack of mileage and training.

Anyway coming back to the subject of pacing, from my 10k race timing, my Brisk pace should be around 5:30, my Base pace should be 6:00 and my easy pace around 6:30. Most of our training runs should be run at Base pace for maximum aerobic benefits and conditioning. Therefore my Base pace per lap at KLCC should be appx 7:45.

More wining and dining

Yesterday was yet another happy day as Captain Lim celebrated his 50th birthday (Chinese calendar). It's these moments that really reaffirm my thoughts that running is so much more than just exercise or just achieving PRs and collecting medals. The most wonderful and important part about running is the true friends that we find in so many of our fellow runners.

Well our captain has been running for over 18 years now and is not planning on retiring anytime soon. This is the kind of spirit that I admire and hope to be able to follow in the years to come. His dedication in helping the team in anyway he can despite his busy schedule is always and eye opener for me and a reminder that I need to start giving back to the sport. So here's to many more wonderful years of running and friendship!



Lim with a few of his friends who would be climbing Mt. KK in a week from now



From the right... Chak, his wife, Ms. Chi and Peter



From the right... CB Leow (Our marathon hero who was placed 15th in the recent Penang run), Ajeep, Albert, Lim and me



This is the same trio which participated together in last year's Genting 24 hour walk



The yummy blueberry butter cake absolutely hit the spot after all the other scrumptious dishes



Sing song time for the birthday boy



"Wait a minute, before you eat any of this cake, do we have a deal that you will run the 42km in PJ International?"



The captain with his lovely family



A very happy Peter many glasses of wine later



Wait a minute, I thought we opened 6 bottles, what happened to the last one?

KLCC 10 laps

Yesterday I was feeling unbelievably fresh and strong. I had initially planned to try and run an easy 8 laps at KLCC park. The weather was very cool and excellent for putting in some mileage. Ronnie was there and later on I even saw Azwar.

I just maintained an average pace of 7m40s for most of my laps. After my 8th lap, I still had a lot of energy left so I decided to go for another 2 before calling it a day. Total distance covered was 13k in 1h15m47s.

My elder sister arrived last night from Sydney and stopped by my house on the way back from the airport. It was really good to see her again after one year. We shall be taking a 3 day break and going to Camerons this Monday.

I just downloaded the few photos taken in Penang. The dinner picture below was taken at the restaurant in which Jana treated us to a wonderful pre race meal. She was indeed very hospitable and kind to us, especially to Lim and me who stayed at her place. Btw, she got number 9 in the woman's veteran category for the half marathon with a sub 2hour timing.



One of the best meals I've had in a very long time. The restaurant only has 10 tables and has been operating for over 10 years. With the limited tables they are able to maintain quality of their food. They even have a few awards on display. It's somewhere near the Bukit Gambir area.



Oon sitting at the far end was our reliable driver back to Klang. Here we sit at one of the better mamak stalls in Bekerly garden in Klang for a parting meal together after all the feasting in Penang.



Captain Lim on the right is the PACM Klang area group leader. Next to him is Peter Goh who is the ex Klang area group leader. Both are dedicated in helping the team in anyway they can. Peter clocked 4:30 in the 42.195km this time round.

22.3k Conquerors

Penang Marathon 2006 - An enjoyable run

What preparation?

I have not been updating this blog for sometime now. The two weeks leading up to the Penang marathon saw me working, eating and sleeping... but no running except for the last few days where I had a few short runs. There was nowhere for me to run in India and I was totally tired from the trip, not to mention having put on 5 pounds.

I was supposed to drive to Penang, but since Leow wanted to drive as he would be coming back only on Monday, I was happy not to. However the return journey would later be quite a sight with 7 grown men who are sore all over squeezing into Oon's Toyota Unser.

Anyway we arrived in Penang around 3pm. The eight of us were scattered all over. Oon and his friend were staying in Seri Malaysia. Leow, Peter, Lee and Naidu were staying in the Anggerik Inn which is in Gelugor just 1km from the staring point. Lim and myself were to stay in Jana's apartment in Bkt Gambir. This is the result of doing things at the very last minute!

Since we were split three ways, it was difficult to hang around much after dinner, so we all headed back to try and sleep early. Throughout the night I could not get much sleep as Lim was quite restless and visited the toilet at least 6 times, not to mention the snoooooorrrrrringggg. Sorry ya captain Lim, just couldn't help myself writing it here.

Bridge, here I come

We woke up at 3.30am to get ready. Registration for the half marathon was between 4am to 5am, but we also wanted to catch some of the 42k runners in action as they pass the starting point again (it would be their 6km mark). I was looking out for Peter and Lee but didn't manage to see them. Saw quite a few PMs including Tey, Jason, Shine. Some others even 'boooed' me for not running the 42k... how I wish I could guys but I am not in shape.

As we walked towards the gate leading into the USM campus where we were supposed to register, I was stunned to see the crowd. It was only then I realised there could possibly be a couple of thousand people running the 22.3k. I'm not sure if this is the normal response this event gets, or is it because the event has not been held for over 3 years or did the organisers do a really good job in promoting the event?

Once we were in, we had to walk quite a distance over a large field towards another gate where everyone waited to be let out. It was something similar to the Ipoh International run, but of course the grounds here was much better. Chatted a bit with Adam and Yong before we were allowed out of the gate to the starting point.

A first time for everything

The last event where I stood amidst thousands of people was in last year's Singapore marathon. There were 9000 participants then in the 10k event which I took part in. However at that time I managed to stand almost just behind the elite runners so I wasn't trampeled by the crowd. On the other hand, here we had to walk quite a distance to the starting point using a really narrow street.

For the record, I am hardly ever late for my appointments and have definitely never been late to any running event or race. However there are times when this isn't entirely left up to us and I found that out yesterday. As I didn't wish to battle with the large crowd so early in the morning and since I didn't have any time targets for the race, I was taking my own time with many others walking to the starting line.

All of a sudden, there was a 'BANG' and off they went... with me staring open mouthed still from a distance. But to be honest it really didn't make any difference actually since our timing was not going to be recorded on our certificates like the 42k runners would have. So I took my time in getting to the starting point before starting my stopwatch and giving the Works Minister a glare for not waiting for someone as important as me... haha!

A breezy event

I started really slowly at first, allowing all those speedy gonzales runners to push their way ahead of me. Even though I was going to take this run really easy, I knew that I would be overtaking at least 70% of them later. Many looked like they were students who were in it for the fun of it. Later I found out that they actually got extra credits from their schools for taking part in this event and that would be useful for university applications and scholarships.

As we made our way on the access road towards the bridge, it was quite a tight squeeze. Now I knew why they seperated the woman runners from the men for the half marathon by 30 minutes. Jamie passed me at this point and I tried to keep up with him and check out his pace, but it felt a little faster than what I was up to for the day. Later even CM passed me... so it looked like I was not the only PM caught off guard at the starting line.

By now I was cruising comfortably and enjoying the feel of running with a larger than normal crowd. For the first 6 to 7km most runners were able to maintain a steady pace. The bridge had distance markers (for vehicles) at every 100meters in the center, and this proved very useful for me and I'm sure many other runners as well. Using my Triax, I found that I was initially averaging a 6m40s pace and slowly increased to a 6m30s pace.

In most places along the bridge, there was a barrier preventing runners from either side being able to see whats happening on the opposite side. I suppose this could be a safety barrier to reduce the wind resistance on the vehicles using the bridge. To me that was quite frustrating actually as it would have been nice to see our friends, especially the 42km runners and be able to greet each other.

The part I enjoyed the most was when we approached the center of the bridge and for quite a long stretch there wasn't any barrier. We were able to see the 42k runners and enjoy the view of the opposite coastline at the same time. There was quite a strong cold breeze blowing from the other side. While it felt really good, it did form a strong resistence as I ran up the gradual slope.

I had skipped the first water station as it was really too crowded. I reached the 2nd station as my watch showed 68min. The water being served was really chilled and it felt great. The first station was located just before we made the U-turn using the underpass before the toll gate. At this juncture, I was still feeling really relaxed and there wasn't a hint of tiredness at all. Going slow really makes a huge difference!

Cruising home

As I continued running on the other side of the bridge, I could see the sun starting to rise. Looks like the sun wakes up earlier in Penang than it does back here. By now I had decided that I would not increase my pace and instead just enjoy the rest of the run with the same comfortable pace. I was still clocking an average of 6m40s per km. As I closed on the 15km mark, that's when the first woman runner overtook me.

After the 15km water station, the only visible problem was my soles which seem to be heating up. This could have been caused by the thin socks I was wearing. It was the same pair which I wore for my KLIM. It was somewhere around there a loud commanding voice greeted me. It was Tony (Penguin Runners) with some of his buddies. I was quite surprised to see them coming from the back at such a late stage. Apparently they had started almost 20 minutes late.

A little later, we had to merge with the plentiful 10k runners who were making a U-Turn somewhere in the middle of the bridge. This slowed me down a little as many of them were just walking in groups taking up almost two lanes of the bridge. It did bring back memories of me in my school days where I probably ran the first 1km and walked the balance 6km in my cross country runs.

At the end of the bridge, there was a sign which said 'FULL MARATHON - 1km to go'. I was not sure if it applied to the 22.3k as well since I hadn't bothered to look at the map before the run. I was actually quite skeptical that it was the same distance left for me as my watch showed appx 2h13m and I thought that my pace was too slow and easy for me to complete 22k in less than 2h30m. The last thing I wanted was to pick up pace to find out we still had to run a few additional loops before completing.

Well my skepticism was to my loss, because soon after that I saw that all runners were turning into the USM gates and running towards their respective finishing lanes. I managed a little dash over the last few hundred metres to finish in 2h19m37s. I was really very happy with my run because initially I didn't for a moment think I could run continuosly for over 2 hours in the condition I was in, and it turned out I hadn't walked a step besides slowing down to grab some fluids at the water stations.

Post mortem

There is nothing much to evaluate in this race. What I learned is that starting slow works well for me. In Ipoh when I started at a sub 6 min pace for the first 5k, it actually worked against me later. I think it works best for me to start slower until my body is sufficiently warmed up before picking up the pace.

Even in the book 'The Competitive Runner's Handbook' the author says that running faster before the body is sufficiently warmed up uses more of ones glycogen stores as compared to running the same speed when your body is properly warmed up. Since I normally use the first few kilometers as a warmup, this would be important to remember.

The only question remains to be answered is when to pick up speed in a race and how much speed to pick up. I suppose that depends a lot on my form on a particular race day as well as the race distance and race course. And this can only be realised by taking part in more races.

Overall I must say this was one of my most enjoyable runs. Of course mainly because I hadn't set any expectation to meet and was taking it more like a Long training run rather than a race. The early starting time was something that must have helped as well. I just don't perform well under intense heat and my form deteriorates very fast the moment the sun comes out.

What's next?

I will be in Langkawi on Sept 10th and in Melbourne on Dec 3rd, so this rules out my participation for the Putrajaya and Singapore marathons. Since I don't see any other marathons on the calendar, the only events I would possible take part in for the rest of this year would be the Shah Alam 10k and perhaps a couple of other 10k runs. I shall however continue my LSDs on Saturdays whenever I can.

Speaking about travelling, I shall be leaving for Dallas, Texas on August 12th for 2 weeks. It will be my first trip to the US and the only continent that I have yet to visit. The temperatures there are in their mid 40s now as the heat wave in that region continues. I should be able to get in some time of running there unlike when I was in India.

Mumbai blast kills 147

What is it with these people who plan and carry out such vicious attacks on the innocent? I guess most of us will never understand what goes through the minds of these terrorists. The world is no longer a safe place to be in. Riding the LRT or Commuter train in KL doesn't feel safe after you see these kinds of headlines.

Well as for me, I still have to fly into this 'war zone' just as it's at the height of all possible chaos. My wife is really upset and so are my parents. For all I know, I could be held up longer than expected as there could be delays and hiccups in the project due to the aftermath of this incident. I might even think twice about doing any running there as I had initially planned on. Read about it here.