Mizuno Wave 17.10.2010

 Many people told me that Mizuno Wave has one of the toughest running route. As the name suggested, the route is made up of ‘waves’ – lots of uphill and downhill running. With barely a week’s rest since Nike Run, I was extremely worried whether my shins would fail me half way through the run. I was not very keen on this run – first of all, the jersey is in orange colour (I hate this colour), the run was going to be held in Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, Serdang (I had no idea where it was) and thirdly there were only 1200 finishing medals to be given out on a first reach first get basis. Be it as it may, I went. Our troop – John my exercise bestie, Tai Ching my upline (in running), Tyng (Tai Ching’s semi-hard core running friend) and me set out at 5.30 a.m. With the aid of Google Map, we managed to locate the flag off point.

Well well well….it was not bad after all. The flag off point was in a stadium and there were some power bar stalls, drinks stalls around the area. As we were there pretty early, we did a bit of camwhoring, then stretching, then more camwhoring. The women category would flag off first. John told me he would catch up and when he passed me he would smirk at me.

So, we flagged off. I had no intention to exert too much pressure this time. So I ran comfortably and enjoying the sceneries. I love the fact that there was no traffic on the route ( the normal road traffic) and lots of trees. Oh, I forgot to mention that I had just purchased my 2XU Compression Pants and was doing my first test run in it. Believe it or not, it helped. I did not feel the muscle tiredness which I normally experienced in previous runs. I was a little worried that John would indeed catch up with me so I only walked for 10 seconds twice. The killer loop came at the last km before the finish line – a steepy uphill slope. I walked most of the slope and I saw KK. He was shouting something to me like ‘….few meters more’ but I did not get the precise words as my Power Run Playlist was blasting at a deafening volume. Then I saw the finish line at the bottom of the slope, I picked up my speed and before I knew it I crossed the finish line and got my medal!!!

I must say, contrary to the public sayings, this was my most enjoyable run. Maybe it was because of the new compression pants, maybe because it was because I was not in a competitive mood but most likely it was because I kept reminding myself what my friend kept on reminding me ‘The most important part is to enjoy the process”. So I did. I looked at the sceneries, I had my thoughts wandering and I enjoyed it, tremendously. Sometimes, the most memorable time is not the time you cross the finishing line, but the time you spent en route savouring the moment.

Lastly, did I also mention that I finished my 11km in 1:12:14 (PB again), ranked 144 amongst the women and 85 in my category? Loving running by the days….

Nike City Run 10.10.10 – We Run KL

So, it’s the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of the second millenium and there are so many things happening on this auspicious day. In order to commemorate the same, I have signed up for the KL vs SG, Nike City 10km Run. The running jersey is a bright neon yellow, with each participant’s bib number printed on it.

This run falls right smack two weeks after I started the 8WC programme. A group of us who are in the 8WC programme started carbo loading a few days before the run. I started carbo loading on Friday.

John and me reached Jalan Binjai (near KLCC) about 6.40 a.m. All we could see was a sea of neon yellow crowd. Of course, we saw our Sarge and Ody as well as Mike before the run started.

Compared to Newton Run, the weather was spectacular. There was no scorching hot sun and there were sufficient water stations along the route.

Needless to say, my shin hurt awfully for the first 2 km. However, when I hit the 3rd km, the pain became numb and I couldn’t feel it anymore. Perhaps I was too concentrating on running. I was running with a comfortable pace and I certainly had no desire to beat my personal best records as I was low in energy due to the 8WC Gladiator Diet. Moreover, somehow my RunKeeper application on my iPhone could not be loaded due to some unknown reason and I was unable to track my pace etc. I was doing quite well and as usual, when I hit the 8th km, I began to question myself the million dollar question : Why am I doing this again? When I was going through the tunnel on Jalan Tun Razak, which was only partially closed, I was breathing in all the carbon dioxide from the fumes and gas and debris. I tried to sprint some part of it to get out of the tunnel as soon as possible for some fresh air but of no avail. I vowed to myself that I would not do the Mizuno Wave 11km Run which was scheduled on the following week and certainly not the Penang Bridge International Marathon 21 km Half Marathon in November. No, no, no, I would not want to put myself to breathing difficulty and physical exhaustion again. I half ran half jogged half walked and before I knew it, the finish line banner was waving at me 50 meter ahead. I looked at the timer and it said 1:06:36 when I crossed the finish line. I outdid my personal best of 1:12 at Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur 10km about 3 months ago! I was exhilirated! And suddenly I was not that tired, not that exhausted, not that out of breath. I met up with fellow runners – Sarge (who clocked his PB at an amazing time of 46 min despite 8WC), Ody (who always clocked in few minutes ahead of me), John (his second 10km run since high school with an equally amazing time of 1:00:36, or so he said), Joe Liew (1:00) and Amir (who I kept on calling Arif??). We started camwhoring, posing and more camwhoring while waiting for others. Mike, John Chuah Superleg, etc etc arrived one by one. This was the best moment of all races - camwhoring and comparing running time, interesting things that you saw on the route (like hot tight ass, uncle with outrageous outfits, guy carrying a balloon with his girlfriend’s/wife’s name, guy running with a float…). I was tired and I was happy. And by the time I reached home, I was once again ready for the next race.

We ran so hard and this was what we got?

Jun King (my A Level mate who I lured into OBC and who is now an OBC fanatic himself) did his first virgin run of 5km in 31 years and with a half-broken leg and he vowed to do 10km next. Another friend, Mike, who I quasi-forced to accompany me to Standard Chartered KL Marathon, had injured his knee (again and at futsal) 4 days before the run and he insisted on running. His message to me was “Don’t care, die die also must run”. And of course I am so proud that my little brother John did so well in the run. Suddenly I had this notion, running is like multi-level marketing, Tai Ching sucked me into this whole running affair and I sucked John, Mike and Jun King into it as well (directly or indirectly). So Tai Ching is the Master Sucker and I am the Sub Sucker with 3 downlines. Hahaha….Running is fun!!

Newton Run 26.9.2010

I had this to say – Newton Run sucks! It was my worst run thus far (and maybe ever). First of all it was held in Bandar Kinrara Puchong, a place that I never ventured into before. Thanks and courtesy of Tai Ching, I managed to secure a seat in her car to the starting point and saved me the hassels to drive all the way there to a distant town.

Everything started badly. We reached there about an hour before the run started. I needed to pee so I walked to the starting point first from the place where Frank parked the car just to realise there was no mobile toilets available and I had to walk back to a mamak restaurant and queued up for a toilet break.

I started out with Lizza, the Superwoman/Mother/Wife from OBC BU. I made a mistake by sprinting from the start and soon I became exhausted and out of breath. The route was full with uphill slopes and seemed never ending. John Chuah the Superleg Uncle/Dude did a survey on the route prior to the event and said there was only one uphill slope but there were three!!! Then the worst thing happened – scorching hot sun rising above our heads about 20 minutes after the run started. When I said scorching hot sun, I meant it! I was sweating, panting, struggling and swearing all at the same time. There were only 3 water stations and at the second water station, we had to take our own paper cup to be filled in as there was lack of volunteers. I was dying of thirst and patiently held out my paper cup, waiter for it to be filled…..and to be snatched away by this unknown male runner. Excuse me???? Manners? What a rude son of a bitch!!! I was too shocked to react at the spur of the moment and by the time I managed to compose myself and ready to curse the hell of my lungs the guy had already ran off. Sigh…what happened to “chivalry”? This was the first run I wanted to quit the run half way and not even my kiasuness could sustain me. Willpower was at all time low if it still existed at all. My shins were hurting terribly and I just wanted to give up. I was cursing myself all the way like “Fuck you, Lilian!”, “What the hell you were thinking when you signed up for this?”, “You are such a fucking stupid bitch!” and “Screw you, Lilian, seriously, screw you!” I didn’t even care whether I would make it in time for the medals or not (limited medals for finishers on first reach first get basis). I walked most of the time. The only consolation I had was when I did the U turn I saw John Chuah was panting behind me. Oop, sorry uncle! I finally made it to the end in 1:28 or so. My worst timing ever! I did get my medal but the only thing that came to my mind was “I need 100 Plus and lots of it!!!”

Come to think of it, I am glad that I did not give up and quit. I guess to a certain extent, life is like running. Sometimes the route ain’t easy like you think it is. And some people run faster and some run slower. Everyone has their own pace. It doesn’t matter what time you finished the run. The important point is that you crossed the finish line, and you never give up, and that’s what matters most.

Perth City to Surf 29.8.2010

There was only one reason why I went to Perth (though I found many reasons for returning subsequently) – because my ever-sexy-Penang-Hokkienian-drinking-bestie Jeannie was there! August 19th is her birthday, so my birthday gift to her this year was myself – couriered over par air.

I have known Jeannie for a long 10 years! Our acquaitance was somehow complicated – she is my ex husband’s ex girl friend’s cousin. Yep, I know how weird it sound. The thing is, we have this ‘connection’ between us and we hit it like no one else. Needless to say, despite the failed marriage and the failed friendship with Jeannie’s cousin, our friendship-sisterhood is growing stronger by the days!

So, this was supposed to be a crazy-wine pilgrimage-just-the-two-of-us-escapade. I was too caught up with works that Jeannie had all my itineraries planned out – where to go, where to eat, where to drink, what it is about….it was a little compact tour guide in 3 pages!! Kudos to you Jeannie!

It was already very obvious then that I could not live without OBC. So, I got in touch with Duncan Arkley at OBC Perth Kings Park to get myself and Jeannie ex gratia session. And I thought, why not check whether there were any run going on. So I did a little googling and Bang - the Perth City to Surf Event would be held on 29th August 2010, one day before my flight back to Malaysia. So I thought, why not? I signed up for the Channel Nine 12km Run.

As usual, I had my pre-run anxiety the night before and I could not doze off until about 4 a.m. in the morning and I woke up at about 7 a.m. I only ate one nuts bar and a glass of milk. Dearest Jeannie and Chee Bing sent me to – well, the city centre. There was sea of runners at the starting point at the Esplanade Park. It was supposed to be a winter morning but somehow the sun decided to make an appearance and shone on us since 9 a.m. The breezes were slightly freezing but the sun was slightly scorching hot. I was in a dilemma – to wear my gloves or not to wear my gloves. Anyway, I decided to go without. The flag off time was delayed until 10 a.m. I was already feeling sleepy and hungry at that time. Finally, flag off!!

The route was….err…….wavy? There were so many uphill running!!! The number of participants were so great that there was literally a ‘traffic jam’. You needed to squeeze and swerve in and out the crowd to get ahead. However, it was excellently organised. Water stations (cold water, baby!) were available every 2 km. Mobile toilets were seen all along the route. The route was scenic too – passing through King’s Park, Hay Street, Subiaco all the way to City Beach. I finished it in 1:20:53. Went to pick up my bag, got my medal, dranks two bottles of Powerade and dashed to the toilet. I had been holding on to my going-to-burst-bladder since 9.30 a.m. Then, I was supposed to take a shuttle bus back to the city. I could not find the pick up point and this guy misdirected me to the beach and I had to walk another extra 1 km thanks to his misdirection. By the time I got to the city, I was so hungry and exhausted. Oh, actually there were a lot of food stalls at the finish point but I realised I had no money with me at all!!! Another lesson learnt – always carry some spare change with you….just in case!

My first so-called international run gave me something which would definitely stuck with me for sometime – SHIN SPLINTS!

OBC My Cult

Original Boot Camp – (noun) Also known as OBC (abbreviation).

1. A military inspired, outdoor group personal training programme that utilises discipline based motivational techniques. Originated from Australia and founded by Chief Brabon. Special training programme by combining the ATP, anaerobic and aerobic level of conditioning all in 1 hour of workout, 3 times a week (the official definition).

2. A cult-like clique of fitness freaks and/or psycathletics and/or sport maniacs who congregate on a field of grass and soil (sometimes mud and water) 3 times a week and carry out trance-like exercise for 1 whole hour chanting ‘Hooyah’ at intervals. Usually ended with arms wide open looking up to the sky saying Grace (the unofficial version).

Yes, my running chronicles would not be complete without an exuberant account on OBC. I joined OBC, Bandar Utama (yep, just like any other cult, there are branches for the ease of convenience of various congregation from different locations) in June 2010. My friend, TJ posted some information on his facebook status on OBC and with the curiosity killing the cat inside my heart, I sent him an e-mail asking him what’s OBC about. An instant mail came giving me a brief ‘official definition’ of OBC and an invitation to join a free trial session (also known as BAFD – Bring Along A Friend Day) on the following Friday. I agreed. And I dragged my exercise bestie along. On that faithfull Friday morning, we woke up at 5 a.m and dragged our heavy and lazy butts all the way to Subang, lost our way before we finally made it to the semi-muddy field in a mist of darkness. Of course, I discovered to my horror upon arrival that TJ did not turn up at all (with prior knowledge and full intention to deceive me). Before I had the opportunity to retreat, the session had begun. After 20 minutes into the work out, I caught a glimpse of John’s facial expression staring at me with a look that said “What the hell you have gotten me into?” and I replied with my facial expression that said “Trust me, the feeling is mutual”. We survived, after all. It felt good to embrace the break of daylight with smelly armpits soaked in sweat and a clear conscience that some calories had been burnt. Of course, our muscles…err….I mean our fat body mass, were sore and stiff for the next two or three days. We found out that OBC BU was starting in June and we decided to join the 7am-8am session (known as the Bravo Platoon). To be more accurate, John signed up for both of us when I was on a holiday in Japan. This is how I started my faith in OBC…about the same time when I began my running chronicles…

I skipped a couple of sessions in the first month. I was never a morning person and with the effect of sleeping pills and relaxant, it was not easy at all to wake up at 6 a.m three times a week. The only motivation that kept me going was my kiasuness and my fear that John would outbeat me at OBC. However, slowly but surely, I began to attend regularly. After two months, I was virtually addicted to OBC! I would go for OBC on Monday morning and by the time the evening came, I would miss OBC already and couldn’t wait for Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, I would suffer from bouts of depression. Of course there were times I dreaded OBC…especially when I was having a hang over and made to do push ups non stop. In short, it is a love-hate relationship. Yes, OBC and me, it’s a serious long term relationship and my facebook status should just state ‘In a relationship with OBC’.

I learnt a lot of things at OBC. For example, I discovered that there are various types of push ups – Military Push Up, Diamond Push Up, Dirty Dog Push Up (it is obvious that this is not an enticing pose at all), Scorpion Push Up, King Kong Push Up and even Indian Push Up. There are few poses which always remind me of Karma Sutra positions (not that I read before) – the Indian Push Up, the Table Top, etc. But, trust me, sex is the last thing on your mind when you are sweating and panting and trying to perform the pose, in correct if not perfect form.

I also came to know a lot of good friends through OBC. Everybody is so close to everybody and we are indeed just like a family. These people whom I see 3 times a week, 12 times a month, are caring and loving and fun to be with. As a whole, they demonstrated to me the enthusiasm towards life, passion towards work out, the spirit of never give up and so on. There are people with various injuries but would still go on running, climbing, working out. There are people who survived cancer. There are people who have kids at home and juggling between the family and work. I am not writing this out of courtesy or politeness, as I lacked both, but yes, from the bottom of my heart, I am grateful I am party of OBC BU and I am perfectly happy with my OBC family members. Rain, hail or shine, till old age do us part….