Recap of Asics Half Marathon at 2015 Gold Coast Airport Marathon

I signed up for the Asics Half Marathon at the 2015 Gold Coast Airport Marathon for 2 reasons; a post-exam weekend getaway to celebrate the end of a full-time 6 month course, and to provide myself a goal to keep fit and keep myself in check lest I lose my fitness altogether. The trip itself was also to catch up with some friends. :)

Being too busy and exhausted with studying during the past 6 months certainly took a toll on my fitness. I gained weight, felt less of a runner, and my frustration ate into whatever I had left of my confidence. Every day after work and every month after an exam, my respect for working mothers increased by a notch – how did they juggle everything??

One of the long runs with Bin and Eugene at Altona Beach.

Studying and training

When I signed up for the half marathon in April, on the last day of the early bird registration, I only had 2 months of strict training (haha) to follow. This forced me manage my time properly, giving me a perspective of what I wanted to achieve in the evenings, besides cooking dinner, studying and completing assignments.

Getting involved in running again definitely made me happier, and parkruns on Saturdays reflected the progress of my training. I was gaining my speed once again, although not as speedy as I was 2 years ago.

While waiting for a table at Vapiano for dinner the night before the race.
Photo courtesy of Foo.

The gloomy winter evenings didn’t help things. It was always easier to say, “It’s too cold, let’s skip the running!” rather than change into running gear and get our butts out of the door. It was hard work.

I told myself that even if I did minimal training, I would manage to comfortably finish in 2:15 so I need not put too much pressure on myself to chase the sub-2 finish that has been eluding me for all these years.

At Vapiano, standing in line to order your food before a designated cook.

Was my training enough?

Like the last 2 (full) marathons, I adopted a training plan which I was comfortable with. I did a half marathon trial 3 weeks before the event and despite how difficult it was for me, I was surprised to finish in under 2 hours. Granted my posture was horrible and I was panting like hell, but I was happy to know where I stood - the sub-2 was within reach. 

No more doubts about it!

Managed a group photo despite being late. We got lost in the crowd!
Photo courtesy of Jamie Pang.

Race Day – Sunday, 5th July 2015

We stood at the end of Corral B and couldn’t see the start line at all. It took us several minutes to cross the timing mat but I wasn’t sure how long it took. I tried looking for the clock but I don’t think there was one at the start gantry. Or maybe it was facing the other direction.

Runner Profile: Yan Leng

I first met Yan Leng during the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM) running clinic sessions early 2013. We have never raced together at an event before, save for the rather disastrous Salomon Jamboree Trail Run in July 2013. Since then, she has been running and running, improving in leaps and bounds, and recently completed her first ultra event, the inaugural Starlight Ultra 84km held in Penang, Malaysia on 23rd - 24th August 2014. She has graciously agreed to spare me a few minutes (after I virtually twisted her arm) for this interview.

At the recent BHPetrol Orange Run.
Photo credit: http://2009tonton.blogspot.com

1) How long have you been running?

I started running about 2 years ago, since September 2012. My first official race/run was Nike KL Run 10KM. I joined it with my few colleagues and since then I fell in love with running.

2) What does your family think about you and running?

My family never expected that I will love running so much. However, they always support me. I also ensure that my running plans do not interfere with my family time. Normally, I will run in the early mornings during the weekends so that I still have time with my family after that.

Jamie, Piew, Yan Leng, Nick, Gan and Yee Hoo before Starlight Ultra.
Photo credit: Jamie.

GCAM13 -Team MY Group Runs Come To An End

Almost 6 months of running together at least twice a month and somehow (but not surprisingly) the bond just developed.

The regulars and non-regulars alike have been having so much fun together, both on the road and on the trails. Even bumping into each other at races was an exciting moment. :D

This morning was our final session together. An uncertainty hung in the air as Jamie announced to the group that it was the last session for the GCAM13 series.

What, must we part ways already??

Wasn't the fun just beginning, especially when it's 3 weeks to the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 and a month to the Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2013?

Looking back at the photos, you will realise that everyone has come this far to see an improvement in their performance. And if you look carefully, you will also notice that some of us have lost some weight (looking fitter!) while I swear I must have gained some instead!

 

 Session #1 on 26th January 2013 - 7KM run.

Session #2 on 2nd February, 2013 - 7KM run and plyometric exercises. See blog post here.

Session #3 on 16th February, 2013 - a short run and some hill bounding exercises. I was absent for this session. Phew!

Session #4 on 23rd February, 2013. See blog post here - some of them contributed their thoughts to the benefits of group runs!

GCAM Group Run - Training Towards The Marathon

Today's run was 20KM and was supposed to start at 6.15am but I was late. My bad!

I couldn't find some of the things I needed (anti-chafe cream and band aid) which I eventually had to forgo.

The route was the usual route from Padang Merbok to the Petronas station in Desa Sri Hartamas for a quick breather before returning to Padang Merbok.

Our hero for the day was Nick, who abandoned us right after the break. At first, we could still see him in the horizon, but we soon lost sight of him. Not sure if it was the sun shining into our eyes and he disappeared witin a blink of an eye, or the spirit of Meb was with him! :D

He must have waited a loooooong time for the rest of us to return.

I bet he will be writing about how fast he went today any time soon. *cough cough*

A nice group picture after a run is always necessary. A big grin or a smile is compulsory.

What's even more necessary is a wacky photo to end the session. And here is one of all of us giving Nick a warm welcome for being the Runner of the Day.

Actually, I'm not sure if there is such a thing as 'GCAM Group's Runner of the Day', but he's a first and probably more to come. :D

Oh wait. I think CY was also Runner of the Day for running his longest distance ever of 18KM today!

Me?

I did a sub-2, woohoo! 

For 19KM. 

And that is quite shitty, you know. Booooooo.

p.s. This is a filler post because Facebook reduced the reso of my photos somehow and they look pretty crappy on the GCAM 2013 - Team MY Facebook page.

Related posts:

GCAM Run Clinic Sessions

Nestle Fitnesse Malaysia Women Marathon - Race Report

Three months of sticking to a training plan was a very tough assignment. I don't like routine and I don't like being bogged down, but I stuck to it as much as possible, which surprisingly (but not really) turned out to be 90% of it.

Three months to train for just ONE marathon.

One week before Race Day
Taper week (a week before Race Day) proved to be the hardest for me. Sleep was messed up - I kept waking up in the wee hours therefore didn't have quality sleep or sufficient hours of daily rest.

The period was due but I was hoping very very hard that it would arrive earlier so I could avoid a run as bad as PNM 2012. But no, I was bloated as a angry puffer fish and to carboload during the week just made me more pudgy than usual when in fact, I had lost some weight two weeks ago. Fek it.

My left knee would sometimes hurt like a bitch that I feared if I continued ignore it and completed the marathon regardless, there would be permanent repercussions to my gait and already bad posture. It had been hurting on and off for the past one month or more but I stubbornly refused to get it checked, just because I didn't want the doctor to tell me to quit running. After all the training I have been putting in, I could not not put it through the test. Stubborn, I know.

Two days before Race Day
Then, last Friday evening, my eyes felt heavy, a sign of  fluey symptoms. The period hadn't arrived yet but I'm already fat and bloated and I was feeling fluey?? Things could not get any worse. I was so upset (with the things I couldn't control) that ...

It started with a tear drop. Then two. Then a trickle. A sob. Then two. Then a full blown howl, one after another.

As I buried my face into the sheets, I bawled and wailed like a banshee going through painful childbirth. I howled my eyes out. I howled my lungs and heart out as I contemplated the unfairness of the situation. It felt like my chest was being ripped open and my heart was breaking into a million pieces. I howled some more that I thought my eyes were going to pop out and fizzled into nothingness. I howled and howled and thought how ridiculous I sounded - pity the poor neighbours.

It was Self-Pity at its best.

But I felt much better after that. Once I released the dam of frustration which had threatened to burst throughout the entire week (I told you it's hormones!) I felt more calm.

Everything laid out the night before.

Sunday, 7th April 2013 - Race Day

I arrived at I-city before 3:30am and the place was rather quiet. I supposed because it wasn't a full blown international event, there wasn't the usual fanfare and excited chatter to greet you that morning. I said hi to a few friends and walked around. Warmed up a bit (refused to join the young hunks who were leading the warm up session) and had a brief chat with an old school friend, Judy Liew (who completed the run in 4:10). She gave me a tip before the race started and that was what made me change my strategy then.

Had a bit of a panic when I thought my earphones weren't working. I stared at Seng Chor, mortified that I'd have to run 5 hours with no music.

But apparently my iPod was on pause. Heh.

~ KM0 to KM5.0 (32:21)

As we ran off into the sleepy streets of Shah Alam, I started off with Seng Chor, Pey Lee and later on, Gus. This was the first km or mile, I think. There was a lot of banter and laughing but I honestly don't recall what exactly transpired. I recall teasing some friends (Lawrence Law!) with a "Wah, why so fast one??" as they ran past me and that's about it.

I remember saying to Gus that it reminded me so much of The River Jungle Marathon where we were the only ones on the quiet streets. It was so serene and peaceful that I wished a band would pop up and give us a tune or two.

Then I got bored. Of the pace, not company. It was 6:36 min/km for the first km and thoughts started cramming into my head:  

"Hey hey, good stuff! We're definitely going to hit 4:45 at this rate!"

"Seriously? Just 4:45?"

"Aren't you going to try for 4:30? You've trained for it!"
"But I may not make it... it's a HILLY ROUTE!"

"Let's try and we'll slow down if we can't stick to the pace, ok?"

With that, I took a deep breath, dug in my heels and increased the pace a bit. I knew full well that once I hit the slopes, I would slow down anyway and suffer.

Cleared the slope at KM4.xx and reached KM5 in one piece.

Not bad.

The Benefits of Group Running

To be honest, I was never a big fan of run clinics.

I was terrified that the fast runners would laugh at me or be annoyed that they had to keep an eye on a slowpoke. I was afraid that they would think that I wasn't good enough to tag along.

But I was always curious and eventually curiosity got the best out of me.

Last year's MPIB run clinic sessions were a first for me and I pretty much enjoyed myself. There were 2 options of a 6km or a 4km run but somehow I always ended up doing the 6KM runs, doing my best to keep Kew and Khay Ann within sight. Fast fellas, they are!

GCAM run clinic group pic before run on 23rd February 2013.

Knowing that the same fellas were attending the Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2013 (GCAM) run clinic as well (it's good to see familiar faces!) I found my sleep-deprived self driving to Lake Gardens on Saturday mornings.

Why?

Most of the time I run on my own because of various reasons, but social group runs are fantastic for some motivation and serves as an encouragement booster.

1. Common goal or purpose. 

We share the same objectives like training for a specific race of any distance, improving our pace and form. Having an informal forum to discuss your concerns and ideas is great.

Even having breakfast together after the run or checking out eye candy count as a purpose, too!

2. Motivation boost. 

Running together keeps you at your desired pace, gives you a challenge to keep up with the fast runners as you may not want to be left behind and you know you'll put in the effort to stick as close as you can to the group.

Chatting to one another while running sometimes takes away the pain. Before you know it, your run will be done!

And when you're finally done with your run, you'll find yourself secretly patting yourself on the back for a job well done and going home with a huge smile on your face.

Group runs allow everyone to stay close to each other as much as possible. :D

3. Safety. 

Why run alone in the dark when it's safer to run in a group?

I have to be certain that the night isn't too dark yet for my evening runs. Even waking up early for morning runs can prove to be a tad bit dangerous as it is still dark. It's frustrating, really, and there's just so much I can do on the treadmill!

Safety in numbers: Some runners were mugged along the way before, or even raped! So it's best to be cautious.

Good Coffee and Food

Note: Long overdue post and photos!

The Thaipusam weekend (24th - 27th January) was pretty hectic, if you asked me.

My intention (as always!) was to bake as many cookies as I could but alas, you know and I know that not everything will go according to plan.

I went over to my colleague's house for 2 bake dates, but it turned out that the cookies we baked were not good enough to be presented as CNY goodies. Aaargh!

Nestum cookies with a touch of sprinkles. A new recipe this year.

Sugar butter cookies which first made an appearance at Dutamas Runners'
handicap run. Just made a few more on Friday morning!

I gave up.

I was hoping to make some puffed rice crackers before it was officially Chinese New Year. Something like this. Well, more like this but without peanut butter.

After the 1st GCAM run clinic hosted by Jamie that Saturday, I found myself deliriously hungry that I drove myself to the nearest bakery I could think of. 

So to Wheat Field Bakery I went, with the intention to buy some coffee home.

The RM7 Breakfast Set.

Only to find myself ordering the breakfast set I could sit down to.

They had me at croissant.
It turned out to be buttery and flaky and I wished I had two!

Coffee was an Italian stallion, strong. :D
The slice of toast wasn't too dry, which caught me by surprise as I was expecting it to be so.

Sunday was allocated for my 1st long slow distance run (LSD) as part of my marathon training programme. *grimace*

The task was to complete 19km in 2 hours and 5 minutes by running and walking. I did my best to jog slowly and walk at times but come 13km, I was a bit impatient and wanted to hurry along.

But 2km later, I'd stop myself and slow down.

With 3km left to go, I was eager to get home!

I was trying out the compression calf tights for the first time since I purchased it in Melbourne. I found them comfortable, initially, but soon after 10km, my legs would occasionally feel numb.

I'm not sure whether it's meant to be that way?

GCAM Run Clinic Sessions

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2013 is happening on 6 - 7th July 2013 and if you're signing up or have signed up for it, live in the Klang Valley, in need of a group of runners to run with and have a good laugh, why not join the GCAM Run Clinic at 7am at the Lake Gardens, KL (Taman Tasik Perdana) happening on most Saturdays? 

The first session was held on 28th January 2013 where about 15 of us showed up. Jamie took us through the introduction and explained the objective of the run clinic, asking us what distance and when was our next run prior to GCAM. Some will be attempting their first half or full marathon whilst most were hoping to improve their 10K or half marathon times. 

 We were given a bright red vest each, so that we could stop traffic!

Photo credit: Jamie Pang

It was a breezy 8km run that morning, with Jamie sharing his GCAM experience with us, encouraging us to enjoy it.

The second session was held on 2nd February 2013 where Jamie led the group through Bukit Tunku via the MPIB run 8km route. The rolling hills took everyone's breath away (literally!) and how else to end the session with a kick if not some plyometric exercises? 

Plyometrics or plyos for short, is a method of training the muscle elastic strength and explosiveness to ehance athletic performance. Jamie assured everyone that if we completed this exercise at least once a week, we would be bound to see tremendous improvement in our performance. (I'm sure he guaranteed it... no? :D) 

Rocket jumps!

Frog jumps!

Awesome dedication from the participants! :) 

Even if you're not taking part in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, feel free to join the run clinic sessions. Our next session will be held on 16th February, right after Chinese New Year. No time like the present!

Photo credit: Ashe Ek

For more information on the GCAM Run Clinic Sessions, head on to the Facebook Group "GCAM 2013 - Team MY in Training" to keep yourself informed of the sessions, running tips, training ideas/schedules and everything else. 

The sessions will be held on the following dates:

Jauary - 28th

February - 2nd, 16th, 23rd

March - 2nd, 16th, 30th

April - 6th, 13th

May - 11th, 25th

June - 8th, 22nd

See you there!