The Most Beautiful Thing - 25km

In short, TMBT.


Saturday, 15th September 2012.

We woke up that morning to the sound of howling winds. The hubby and I looked at each other nervously as we tried to consume our breakfast of bananas, peanut butter sandwiches and Milo, as calmly as possible.

Please, I silently prayed. Don’t rain now and during my 25km run!

After a brisk walk from our homestay to the start area (our car was blocked, so we couldn’t drive out!) across from the Kundasang War Memorial, we hung around with familiar faces from KL while waiting for directions from the race organisers, Aman and Dr Sidhu.

With the power couple, Ray and Mich.

Squeezed into a group photo. (Photo credit to KC Leong)

Just passed 7am, we were ushered down into a gully for our flag off.

Thankfully the winds had stopped howling and the day was getting warmer.

725am and we were off.

(Photo credit to KC Leong)

The first km was a great warm up for everyone. Up and out of the gully and onto the road, it was a gentle downhill slope with the runners facing the one and only Mount Kinabalu.

If you were one of the participants behind, you would have come across a little kitten trying to run along together with everyone.

KC poses for YB Wong. (photo credit to YB Wong)

The second km brought us up a cement road and soon most of the participants stopped running and walked briskly up the slope instead.

At this point, Lawrence Law passed by. I said hi and wished him good luck for his 100km.

I also made small talk to a KK boy who had a pair of hard boiled eggs and bananas in his bag. (If you must know, I was trying to practice speaking like a KK girl. I've lost that slang since I've been in KL for 10 years now!)

It was a natural thing to do, briskly walking up the slopes and running as much as you can on flat ground and downhill. As and when we could, we would run but should we come to a slope, we’d quickly walk up as fast as possible.

My jacket fell off the straps of my hydration bag, probably at KM3.5 and someone picked it up and returned it to me. (Thank you, whoever you are!)

That was annoying.

My Nathan hydration bag was clearly too small to fit my jacket. I took a while to decide what to do with it before tying it around my waist. It wasn’t ideal, but there was no place else for it.

I was looking forward to seeing some cows at the Desa Dairy Farm as the route would bring us along its boundary but alas, I was disappointed.

The black and white cows were probably some place else, lazily chewing their grass.

Uphill!

Uphill again.

As you will notice, I am too slow for the hubby to run alongside. Phhbbbt.

Ooh, note the little markers on the the side!

Are we there yet?

She must have been thinking, "What's with all these people running past my house??"

I kept checking my watch from time to time and noted that we were pretty much on target (my target to be exact). Not too shabby, I thought to myself.

We arrived at WS1 in 2 hours and signed in, noting that we were the 26th and 27th person on the 25km list. As we filled our hydration bags, we discussed our strategy.

No, not a strategy to be the top 3 finishers but as I had set a target of 5 hours for myself and with people telling me that it was too ambitious, I was wondering whether it was possible to meet my targeted time.

 “Let’s try to aim for top 20,” the hubby suggested.

“OK,” I reluctantly agreed.

 “But it may be difficult for me, because I don’t think I can go that fast.” 

“OK then, let’s try to be 24th and 25th first,” He readjusted the goal.

 “Okayyyy,” I finally relented, still unsure whether it was possible.

And off we went, with renewed vigour.

Thankfully, my cough wasn't acting up. I wasn't suffering any cramps of any kind so that was a good sign as well. Perhaps those runs in FRIM over the weekends had helped, I mused.

The next 5km took us downhill for a moment and then up towards the Mount Kinabalu Golf Club. Huffing and puffing while walking briskly uphill was no joke, but with the villagers outside their homes cheering you on, there was no way you'd want to disappoint them by just walking slowly.

Might as well give them a show of sportsmanship and jog a bit!

  How can you not smile back to such a friendly face??

Couple picture with Mt Kinabalu in the background. (photo credit to YB Wong)
(Many thanks to Chae Yin and Seng Chor for our Nike caps. We love them!)

We were running on the roads and wondering where the trails were. Just as soon as we reached the top of the slope, we were directed into an avenue of pine trees.

Pine trees. Just like Salem High Country.

The golf course is somewhere on your ... left, if I'm not mistaken.

In the distance, that's Faizal from Terengganu (in red) and Wilson from Limbang, Sarawak (in black).

Soon we (or was it just me) met a man resting by the side of the trail. We asked him if he was OK. He slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his pants and said yes. He was OK but he felt that the air was too thin, so he was having difficulty in running at a comfortable pace.

He must have been running quite fast to be so far ahead of me to reach at that spot so early in the race!

The hubby suddenly disappeared, running ahead with my walking stick in hand. Not wanting to be left behind, I continue running.

I soon caught up with Faizal and Wilson, who were doing the 100km and 50km respectively. I'm not sure what did we talk about but I told Wilson that he sounded like a Sabahan

We ran past some people who were waving frantically at us. I waved back and teasingly asked one girl how far was it to the finish line.

She cheerfully replied that it was a long way more.

"Bulih kamu hantar saya balik ka?" I teased. (In my Sabahan slang, mind you!)
(Can you send me back?)

"Ehhhh, tidak bulih bahh!" She laughed.

(Ehhh, noooo!)

I eventually caught up with the hubby and we continued trudging along.

Just before we reached WS1 / WS3, we bumped into Cally who was about to start the 5km loop.

We checked in at WS3 (which is also WS1) and drank some water. We were now placed at 24th and 25th.

Oohh.
I couldn't recall overtaking anyone along the way but never mind, it was time to take this seriously and keep moving!

Puppy on guard at the water station. (photo credit to YB Wong)

Don't you just want to stop and play with it?

We were very eager not to waste any more time and to keep moving, but we just had to snap a picture of this adorable puppy. What a distraction!

With 10km left to go, I was nervous. At this time, I was secretly targeting to complete the race in 4 hours.

The hubby assured me that it was downhill all the way and we had a good chance of being top 20. I told him that HE had a good chance and not me, because ... I'm just not as strong as he is.

He agreed that he'll abandon run off on his own at KM20.

We hurried on, with more determination in our heads and running steps.

Huffed and puffed in the sun.

(photo credit to YB Wong)

Twenty minutes later we soon reached KM19.5 and we bade each other goodbye and good luck. The hubby scampered off, eager to catch up with the runners ahead while I continued on at my own pace.

I was determined not to be left too far behind so I kept talking to myself and made sure my legs were moving. 

I kept running and running, and would check on my watch at every km accomplished. 

Oh, another km completed! I congratulated myself. Keep moving!

I began to feel a discomfort at my right bunion and knew without a doubt that a blister was forming.

Nooooo, I silently muttered. No wayyyyy.

I did my best to ignore it.

I don't remember much about the last 5-7km of the race besides waving and smiling at a lot of villagers by the roadside.

I remember asking a group of young girls weren't they hot, standing in the sun the whole morning and they grinned happily and said no.

I remember running past a group of people and some of them were sitting at a verandah. I returned the ladies' waves and smiles who were standing beside the road, and as I was about to run past the verandah,  the folks burst into an applause.

I looked around, and behind me.

For me?

Abashed and not knowing what to do, I acknowledged their applause by waving and smiled in returned.

With the sun out in all its glory, I was parched. I sipped onto my hose but no water came out.

Puzzled, I thought maybe the hose had twisted inside my bag.

I sipped as hard as I could but still no water came out.

I continued moving on, not wanting to stop. I was using my stick more now, as it was a downhill slope. Balancing with my stick while running downhill made it easier to run faster.

I began to feel my left calf tightening.
 "Nooooo... no no no NO!" I was annoyed.

I checked my watch and saw that it was KM23.

No cramps, please, I begged. No effing cramps, please! 
Now is not the timeeeeee ... I wailed in my head.

I shook my leg several times to loosen it, as I continued pounding downhill. The tightness gradually went away after a few minutes.

I was relieved.

Eventually I decided to stop and rearrange my hydration pouch. I was sure I still had some water left.

So I checked.

No water.

Dismayed, I took out a soft sachet of Ribena I had in my bag and took a few tentative sips. With a few km to go, I knew I had to ration it out.

Bless Ribena!

Some goats were blocking my way as I came along.

I checked my time and was satisfied that I was doing fine. Not 4 hours, maybe but well, who knew?

It was a quiet run for me, with not many participants passing me by. For a moment I thought I was lost, but I wasn't.

I took the opportunity to run down as fast as I could, ignoring the blister near my right bunion.

After running down the gravel for almost 5km the road soon became flat and gradually began to incline again.

I stared at the long road in the distance ahead, in disbelief. It looked like 2km of uphill and I couldn't even see the finish line.

I asked two photographers on the left side of the road whether that it was THE road to take. They nodded and said yes.

Holy cow.

I started walking briskly instead.

Soon, a few men passed me by. It was annoying but I just couldn't push myself to jog uphill. I wanted some water.

I walked as fast as I could with the help of my stick, ignoring the blister and my parched throat.

I just kept walking and walking. Someone from the 100km category ran past me.

Just keep moving, don't stop, I said to myself.

I checked my watch and saw that it was 3:52 already.

Why was the finish line so far, I grumbled to myself.

Someone in a Toyota Hilux or something rumbled down the road and the driver told me that it was just 400m to go. I smiled and nodded thanks, not entirely believing him.

I'm sure it's another km to go, I snorted.

I told myself that I'd had better move quickly or I was not going to achieve a sub-4.

Since when was I looking at a sub-4? I asked myself.

Erm, since probably a few minutes ago.

I walked as fast as my chunky legs could carry me and finished the last of my Ribena.

Soon I saw a crowd standing in the middle of the road, marking the finish line for the 25km category.

They cheered as soon as they saw the runner ahead of me and myself. I was tempted to be a brat and rebelled by walking as slowly as possible (like a sulky teenager), but I shook myself out of it (as if anyone was going to care about my sulking!) and made a dash uphill towards the finish line.

Breathless, I signed in at 4:01:03 (according to my watch) to claim the 19th spot.

Top 20.

I made it!

I grinned and thanked them as they hung the medal and finisher necklace around my neck.

I walked into the shelter, my eyes searched for the hubby and I soon found him resting at the back of the shelter.

The look of surprise on his face when he spotted me almost made me chuckle. 

I don't think he was expecting me back so soon.

Heh.

Completed the 25km, yay!

He finished 10 minutes before me!

Bugger.
So lucky!

Nevertheless, we made it!

Yet all we could think about was:
1. Oh my legs... oh my poor tired legs!
2. How do the 50km / 100km people do it? Man, they're crazy!

See how far we had to run? (photo credit to YB Wong)

Two days after TMBT, we said to each other, "I think we could have done the 50km."

"Of COURSE we could! It's just a matter of how LONG it'll take us!"

Check out the elevation:

TMBT was definitely our race for the year. It was an awesome experience.

It was great to run with the other half again and talked, laughed and noticed things together. What started out as a slow and easy run with photography opportunity for us ended up as a competitive one. Oops.

~

Many thanks to the organisers, photographers along the way and the smiley friendly people I wave and met along the way!

It was good to be home!!

And thanks as well to the friendly participants who entertained my chatter. ;D

~
Other stories:
Running For The Wong Reason (hubby's!)
JIRI in Middle East
KC and the Sunshine Runners
Run Wild, Run Free

My pre-race thoughts can be found here.

* Apparently I was 5th female (1st Malaysian female) for my category. YAY! See pic here. :D :D :D

Am I Ready For TMBT?

Pre-race thoughts - 14th September 2012

As we packed our things for our trip to Kundasang that evening, I was worried.

I was still recovering from a cold and a cough and I know my mum wasn't too pleased that I was going off into the wild (kinda) without a clean bill of health. I still had some phlegm in my lungs, which was taking a while to clear.

I was also worried about the weather. It hadn't rained the past 2 days I was back in KK and who know if it decided to rain on Race Day itself. And if it did, would I have to pull out, for fear of aggravating my cough into a full-fledged bronchitis?

I was also worried about the difficulty of the terrain, and whether I was sufficiently equipped.

Reading its long-winded rules and regulartions weren't of much help as each paragraph was very detailed.

We giggled at some of the rules and penalties.

Apparently you should help your competitor in distress or you'll be penalised. ;D

And don't litter! You'll be penalised 30minutes (added to your finish time).

I wasn't sure whether the above was enough to see me through 25km. I forgot to bring our stash of energy gels from KL and we had to drive around town looking for some. 

What's not in the picture: arm warmers, walking stick and cap.

My hydration bag is too small to fit everything inside! I'd have to find a way to tie my jacket around my waist.

There'll be 2 water stations for the 25km runners, so we will be able to refill our hydration bags before we continue on. Too bad there won't be isotonic drinks, though.a

Most of all, I worry whether my training during the past 5 weeks are sufficient to prepare me for this event. I've only ran FRIM as much as I could, without the opportunity of climbing Nuang like some runners.

My target time to complete the event: 5 hours.

Due to healthy reasons, I extended my target to 6 hours to complete.

~*~*~

If you don't know what TMBT is, do check out their website. They claim to being the only ultra trail marathon available in Malaysia.

And it's right in my hometown. How can I not do it??

What To Bring

... for TMBT?

I hate packing as much as I hate unpacking.

I can never travel light.

I blame the cosmetics and toiletries that I need to lug around with me wherever I go and no, I can never find my travel size containers to use.

I blame the fact that I tend to bring too much clothes which I may end up not wearing. But when I do in fact bring just a few articles, I would regret and fume at my lack of choices.

Gah.

One can never win.

This weekend is TMBT (we're doing 25km!!!!!) and I wish I was jumping with excitement at the mere thought of it.

Instead, I am battling a leaky nose and a cough. Bugger, indeed!

Back to my subject: what do I bring for TMBT?

hydration bag - check.

rain/wind jacket with hood - check.

disposable raincoat/poncho - check.

whistle - check.

head lamp - check.

chocolate - check!

power gel - check.

plaster - check.

arm sleeves - ... check?

walking stick - not sure. Should I???

camera - ... not yet.

favourite headband - ... gone missing! must find.

sun block - ... oooh gotta find them.

trail shoes, Salomon tights, sports bra, tshirt, Garmin watch, etc ...

 

I think I'd better start packing now ... no point doing up this checklist when I'm clearly unprepared!

ARGH.

Longest Trail Running Training

You would think that I would have managed to catch up on my sleep debt during the 3-day weekend last week.

Instead, I found myself waking up early every morning, just to ensure I clock sufficient mileage.

I would love to moan and groan about how hard it is to force myself out of bed to do the right thing (I'm talking about going out for a run) but there's not need for it.

I end up telling myself, "Don't think, just run!" ALL THE TIME.

Last Friday, 31st August, was Malaysia's Independence Day. My friends and I, together with most of the runners we met on the road, took the opportunity to go for a long run.

We tackled the slope up from Hentian Duta along Persiaran Duta and into Bukit Tunku. It's one hell of a slope, I tell you. I remember the first time I attempted it last year, and oh how I struggled.

Surprisingly, I managed to reach the top with less of a struggle this time. Hmm. Interesting.

Whilst the gang opted to rest on Saturday, I stuck to my guns and managed to lug myself out of bed and drove to FRIM.

With The Most Beautiful Thing ("TMBT") just around the corner, I was getting rather nervous with the lack of trail mileage.

Ooh boy, even though you'd think that I have been pushing myself to run the trails every weekend weekend without fail, honestly, I'm unsure whether those runs do suffice.

I was feeling pretty crummy after 5km into the trails.

I was torn between sticking to my training and going home to rest.

I considered maybe just postponing my LSD to the next day instead.

I was feeling a wee bit fluey and I didn't sleep well the night before.

Ah, battling with my inner demons is an ongoing one, so don't mind me.

Hitz.fm kept me company while I trudged up Steroid hill and Pinus Peak Trail. I would run whenever I felt like it, but would mostly walk the uphills. I can't run up as steady as Kenny Kwan!

(Oh yeah, I saw him running, too.)

Saturday morning was a quiet one, and the forest really felt like my own secret sanctuary. It was a cool and cloudy day, and there weren't many visitors during the first 2 hours of my run/walk.

As I climbed up the trail to the top of Salem High Country, a man in his 50's was coming down. He asked me in Mandarin, "Young lady, how many rounds have you gone?"

Taken by surprise, I told him, "2."

I don't recall exactly what transpired during the brief conversation we had, but I found out that he had driven all the way from Subang Jaya to FRIM!

Very passionate, I said. But apparently he had an appointment in Kepong that morning and so he thought he might as well come to FRIM first for a walk.

He advised me that I shouldn't push myself after 2 rounds, and perhaps I should go back and rest.

Er, okay.

But why??

Maybe I was looking all pale and weak? 

I dunno.

Is that a dead dog?

I kept checking on my watch to keep track of my mileage, hoping that by the time I hit 15km, I was good and ready to call it a morning.

Despite my initial reluctance of working out that morning, I managed to complete 4 loops/rounds of Steroid Hill - Tongkat Ali Trail - Pinus Peak Trail and I guess I was pretty pleased that I had finally completed my LSD trail run. 

A FRIM officer was making his rounds on his motorbike and he chugged alongside me, "Awak lari untuk Malaysia ke?" ("Are you running for Malaysia?")

"Heh?" I responded, puzzled.

"Awak ni lari untuk Malaysia ke? Dah lari 4 round ..." He asked.
("Are you running for Malaysia? You've ran 4 rounds...")

"Oh, bukan! Takde..." I shook my head.
("Oh, no! No...")

"Ohh, saya fikir you ni training untuk Jogathon Malaysia ke..." He chuckled, before he sped off.
("Ohh, I thought you are training for Malaysia's Jogathon ...")


That's hilarious!
I'm sure he was just teasing me!

Butterfly leaves!

It was past 11am when I finally made my way back onto the Mountain Trail Track and back to the carpark.

The trails had become busy during the hour I was there; mountain bikers, casual walkers, runners. I was glad to be done with my run so I could get out of there pronto!

Coke Zero and my New Balance shoes.

I should have brought a can of 100plus instead of Coke Zero. It didn't satisfy my thirst for something cold.

While I was trying to snap the picture, a lady approached me and asked if that was my car, she pointed to it. I answered her in the positive and she informed me that one of my tyres was punctured.

I thanked her with a nonchalant expression on my face (gosh, that was rude!) and stared hard at the offending article for a second before I continued with my stretches.

Bugger! A screw in my tyre.

And I think it definitely happened as I drove into the FRIM compound or I wouldn't have been able to drive myself over from home.

I approached an Indian man for help and I was lucky that he agreed to assist me in changing my tyres because I realised then that I had changed into a white Tshirt - no way did I want to stain my beautiful white Tshirt with grease!

But you know what, I would have attempted to change the tyres on my own, if the hubby wasn't so anxious for me to obtain help!

By Saturday evening, I was really exhausted. 

Come Sunday morning, I was tempted to sleep in and opt out of the run at FRIM. KYK, OKT, AC, Paul, Yloon and Melvin joined us that morning and so, I told myself that it was a while since I ran with the Dutamas Runners' gang.

We started off on the Dream Trail before exiting from Rover Trail. AC, Melvin, Yloon and OKT were first timers on the Dream Trail and I think they were awed by the beauty of it. ;)

We waved goodbye to KYK, OKT and Yloon before Melvin, AC, Paul and I headed off onto the Mountain Trail Track to let Melvin and Paul catch a glimpse of Salem High Country.

Andrew, Melvin, Paul and I.

But it's not easy to point out Salem High Country to them without running further into the forest.

The trails were also busy and buzzing with mountain bikers, and we had to slow down many times to make way for them.

For Sunday's run, I ran in my old pair of New Balance WT625GO which I had long forgotten.

See, I've been getting a sore ... (what's that spot just below the bunion?) *that part* on my right foot when I wore my NB909 (the blue one) for the past 3 runs in FRIM. I stuck a thick plaster on that spot on Saturday and the soreness was bearable.

But it still resulted in a blister.

So I tried with my old pair of NBs on Sunday instead and I found them to be a comforting change. 

TMBT is next week and I'm indecisive with which pair to go with!

Today, I wore the orange ones with thin synthetic socks and boy, I think I know my answer now.

I wasn't confident in running down the trails in them, but perhaps it was due to the socks resulting in a loose fit of the shoes.

Looks like I'll have to plaster up my bunion really good or I won't be able to endure the 25km of trails in pain. Ack.