Fairul.org

Date : 21 Dec 2008
Venue : Taman Rimba Kiara, TTDI

Muka penuh emosi (Courtesy of Mr Tey)

Bersama geng2 Slowmovers

Hari ni hari yg baik utk berlari. Mood quite ok. Training pon ok. Almost ready.
Pagi tu sampai di Tmn Rimba Kiara pukul 6am. Jalan2 sekeliling tu cari member opis aku, Jamil & Syarif yg masuk kategori 6km. Mana ler diorang ni, tak dtg ker hapa.

Hampa dgn pencarian, aku terus pegi warming-up. Stretching & lari 2-3 pusingan kat taman tu. Dah berpeluh & puas ati, terus pegi ke tempat larian bermula. Ramai juga yg masuk kali ni.

Sementara menunggu larian bermula, terjumpa Chan & Jaya. Tak lama lepas tu muncul kakak & abg ipar aku.

Dlm kul 7:20am. larian pon bermula.

Dari mula cuba maintain pace. Tp bila masuk jer area golf tu, naik bukit, aku slowkan pace…. nak conserve energy. Lepas tu turun bukit sejauh 1km++.. best gak.. gliding jer.

Terkejut aku tgk satu group Kenya patah balik. Aik… apsal diorang ni, salah jalan ker, disqualified ker? Kenapa tak terus ke tunnel?

Pastu mula laaa aku nampak pelari2 lain patah balik. Hmm.. baru ler aku paham. Maybe tunnel tak bleh lalu. So maybe kene lari 2 loop kat sini utk lengkapkan 12km. Papehal, aku kene ready for the next loop.

Masa patah balik ke rimba kiara, aku berselisih ngan Jamil. “Good bro! Keep your pace!” Dia berteriak kat aku.

1st loop takde masalah. Sedikit sebanyak, training swimming aku membantu jugak aku improvekan teknik pernafasan aku.

2nd loop pace makin slow. Tp aku cuba push jugak.

Depan aku ada 2 org brader. Peramah betul diorang ni. Hampir semua org diorang kenal diorang tegur. Tersengih jer aku kat belakang. Unofficially, diorang jadi pacesetter aku. Bagus jugak aku follow diorang ni. Mmg pace diorang aku bleh ikut. Tp push sket aaa… Jgn pengsan sudah.

Aku berjaya habis dlm masa 1:08. Kira bagus lah timing tu. Improve a lot!

Sampai2, beratur amik medal & goodies, serah championchip, cari air minum.

Aku jumpa ngan Mej Kalam & family. 1st time borak ngan dia. Nice & humble person. Aku cerita hasrat aku nak start triathlon tawun depan. Dia ajak aku join cycling kat Putrajaya every Friday nite. Insyaallah.

Borak2 ngan geng2 Slowmovers & balik.

Sekian report.

Date: 14 December 2008
Venue: Chin Woo Stadium, Kuala Lumpur

Running in Chin Woo Biathlon 2008

Pagi tu mendung & sejuk sbb hujan renyai2 malam tadi. Sampai di Stadium Chin Woo, jumpa Alang & Along. Diorang sampai dulu. Alang bagitau, Mr Lesther called last nite, bleh muat lagi sorang. So Alang decided to take part.

We went straight to the pool. Registered ourselves. Get them to write our number on our body. Rasa mcm masuk triathlon plak. Tak sabar nak start my 1st tri next year.

The race will be ran 4 waves. I’m in the 4th wave(the last wave) & Alang in 3rd wave. The race started with 1st wave, the junior categories. Lots of cute kids took part. I was surprise, they’re very good & confident in swimming. Some are doing freestyle, and some doing breast stroke.

Kene tunggu setiap wave habis, barulah bleh start the next wave. Tunggu punya tunggu, akhirnya wave Alang pun tiba. Alang start slowly, breast stroke. While waiting for Alang’s wave to finish, I’m preparing all my transition stuff. Towel, running shoes, race belt & running necklace.

Put all my stuff at my swimming lane, and started jump into the water. Terkejut sbb my lane was the deepest part of the pool. Ahhh.. lantak. Tak kisah nyer. Cuma satu masalah, the pool floor takde lane markings. So susah nak swim straight nnti. Takut berlanggar dgn org satu lane. Done 100m of warm-up swim.

The race started. I swim slow & steady but maintain my pace till the end. Peserta beside me laju. He lead me about 100m camtu. Sebelum final lap, the time keeper knocked my head with the kickboard & shouted “Final lap!!!”. I swim faster. Wanna finish the swim fast, cos getting bored already.

Finished the swim, climbed up the pool, lap muka sket, wore my shoes, my necklace, drank some 100plus(thanks Along) & wore the race belt. Started the run slowly cos still have the dizzy feeling. “Mabuk air”.

Selepas 200m, the dizzy dah hilang. I have to do 3 loops of running, to make it 7km. Lotsa hill climb. But the feeling that morning was good. Maybe the weather was not hot & my tri-suit was still wet, made me comfortable during my run.

The 1st lap was good. Took my 1st band, & continue my 2nd lap. 2nd lap went very good. Manage to overtook some runners. Met Alang while doing his last lap. Took my 2nd band and continue to my last lap. Managed to maintain my pace from the start of the run. Managed to do a non-stop running also. Grabbed my 3rd band and headed back to Chin Woo. Try to sprint during the steep hill-climb at the Chin Woo, but can’t do it. Just maintain my pace. Finished the race in 1:02. 18 mins behind my target time (1:20).

That’s all for now.

Ptg tu lepas keje, pegi main bowling ngan member2 opis kat U-bowl 1 Utama. Pastu aku terus rush pegi Kelana Jaya swimming pool.

Ni 1st time aku pegi situ. Sampai sana pukul 8pm sebab jalan jem giler org nak balik kg Raya Haji agak nyer. Bayaran masuk RM3. Lepas tukar pakaian, aku terus ke pool. Tengok tak ramai org. Bagus nih. Tak ler berlaga2 berebut lane. Memang betul kata bro Zulhassan, lampu floodlight kat situ malap je. Tak terang sgt. Tp takpe laa. Still bleh swim.

Ari tu pon aku try goggle yg baru aku beli. Brand View, kaler kuning. Terang benderang view aku. Best sehhh.. Selesa.

Warm up about 200m of swimming. Lepas tu swim about 600m lagi. Nak swim lama lagi tak sempat sbb aku pon sampai lambat. Dah nak close. So dpt ler aku swim dlm 25min jer. Tp puas ati gak aa dpt swim mlm tu. Next time bleh pegi lagi swim situ.

Sekian. Laporan training kali ni.

Kali ni aku nak tulis dlm bahasa kebangsaan aku. Aku tak kira. Buat masa ni takde mood nak cakap omputih.

Training details,
Date : 29 November 2008 (Saturday)
Time : 9am
Venue : Kemensah Villa swimming pool & Taman Melawati.

Memandangkan aku still dlm recovery period after the agonizing Penang Bridge International Marathon, today’s tri training aku tak buat running. Play safe. Kang tak pasal2 sakit balik lutut & ankle aku ni. So aku start lambat sket sbb pihak maintenance cuci kolam awal pagi tu.

Swim course : 25min (1.05km)
Bike course : 1:11 hr (24km)

Cuaca agak baik. Tak panas terik. Hopefully next time aku bleh improve lagi.

Sekian laporan cuaca.

Event details:

Penang Bridge International Marathon 2008
Venue : Queensbay Mall
Date : 16 Nov. 2008

FYI, this is my 1st ever attempt to do a full 42.2km marathon run. So I took it seriously, very serious until i had the worst nervous i have ever feel. Want to eat, cannot eat much. Want to drink, cannot drink much also. Feel like wanna vomit when eat so much. I need to eat much for carbo loading & hydration.

Me & my wife arrived early, 2 days before the race day, just to relax & jalan2 as that was my 1st time in Penang also. hahaha… Went “jalan2″ to Batu Feringhi and Tanjung Bungah. Makan2 & buy some clothing at the famous stalls, similar to Petaling Street in KL.

The night before the marathon, we went eating near our hotel with Chan & the rest, for final carbo-loading dinner. Went back early to hotel for final preparation of my running stuff. Sleep early that night(2100hrs).

Wake up at 0030hrs, wowww.. so early. After having a hot shower, apply the petroleum jelly to the chafe prone areas, wear running clothes & watch tv before going out.

0130hrs. Called Alang(my brother-in-law) room, out we go. Took the 2km walk to Queensbay Mall. Saw some participants camping overnight just for the race. Great effort there guys! Did some stretching & warm-up until sweat. Just enough for me to loosen-up my muscles.

Registered at the race marshal, they gave me 1 band & 1 glowing band (to make us runners visible). From what i can see, the full marathon participants are not more than 500.

At 0300hrs the full marathon started. I started with slow pace. Alang paced behind me. Just maintained my pace. Reached the first water station at km 5. Sipped a cup of 100plus. Then, continued my run with the same pace.

At km 7.5, there was a sponging station. Took a couple of ice cold sponge and pour them onto my head, body & both legs. After a while, saw the front runners passing by at the opposite of the road. There was about 5 Kenyan runners. Wow.. so fast laa them. Saw other trailing runners passed by. My gap with other runners about 100m front & back. Sometime i feel very quiet & creepy running on that road. The wind blows slowly. Sometimes heard noise like someone wanna come out of the bush at the side of the road, but no one there. Just ignore it & continue my run.

Reached the 10km mark at the Air Cargo Terminal. Sipped my 1st Power Gel. YUCK!!! There’s a water station there, given the second band & we have to make a u-turn heading back to Queensbay Mall. 1km after the u-turn, i passed Alang which was on the other side of the road. Shout to each other & continue our run.

Reach the next water station, drank 2 cup of water, pour some water to head & body, & go. Right after the water station, there’s an Indian guy sitting beside the road rubbing his leg. “Bro, are you ok?” He showed me a thumb-up. I smile & said “Just go easy, ok!” Then i continue. The nice thing about this run, each runners care about each other. This will make us not feel down & discourage about the pain we feel.

Ran pass the Queensbay Mall on my right. Sipped another PowerGel before reaching the next water station. Saw 2 Kenyan runners on the other side of the road, escourted by a car with timing LCD on top of it. “2:20:xx”. So fast. But far from the world record. They’re about 2km to finishing line. Saw another 2 Kenyans. Met a fellow runner, did a  quick chit chat. He ran faster than me. Asked me to join, i said nevermind, i’m running my own race.

Not far after that, i saw him again sitting beside the road. “Are you ok bro?”. “Nevermind, you go first”, he replied. Arghh… another men down. I must keep my mental strong. Maintain my pace. Concentrate on my main mission.

Reached the PowerBar station. They handed me a Green Apple flavoured PowerGel and said there was a water station 1km ahead. I saw lotsa empty PowerGel packs on the road. Seemed that people very sure there are water station nearby. I’m not gonna sip my PowerGel yet, until i saw myself the water station with water available. Lesson learned from previous experience(ADIDAS KOTR 2008).

Started to run on the bridge. My knees & ankle started to feel the pain. I slowed my pace. Saw so many school students walking, not running. I think they all “kena paksa” run this 25km half marathon. Pity them.

Ran & ran, as i thought, no water station insight. Hahaha.. i know already. These people can’t be trust. The next water station was at the middle of the bridge, which i think about 4km after the PowerBar station.

Sipped the given PowerGel, and drink 2 cup of plain water. Saw Chan at the other side & waved him. “Keep up man!!”, he shouted. My leg feel so pain. Nearly cramped. Reach a medic tent, asked them to spray my leg with the cold & numbing spray. They asked me to take a rest first. I said nevermind, the long journey must continue. I don’t have much time.

Saw so many amateur radio station on the roadside. Looked around for their callsign. There you go. 9W2CMT, 9W2LAW, 9W2ONG… they are all from MARTS group. “Hi, I’m 9W2FER. Base at Kilo Lima”, i talked to myself. Hahaha… no time to greet them. It will be a long chit chat if we radio people meet each other.

Continue my journey. Sometimes run, sometimes walk. Every step was a pain now. Have to spare my energy left to endure this pain. Arghhhhh….!!! Several times, my leg feel like wanna cramp. So i went to the roadside and stretch my legs to avoid cramp.

Finally reached the toll plaza u-turn. Sipped another PowerGel & drank some water. Grabbed the third band & stop a while at at the medic to pour some ice on my pain knees & ankle. Continued my run. From the toll plaza, I can see Pulau Jerejak so far away. Queensbay Mall is behind Pulau Jerejak, so can’t see it from there. Arghhh.. my destination still so far away. Nevermind, keep my mental strong. I must do it. No matter how hard & pain it was. Looked around for any remaining full marathoners, but found nobody. Still could see Alang also. Thinking whether he’s still running or gave up already. Keep on going Alang. May the force be with you.

Run & walk, slowly. Reach the mid of the bridge. Another water station there. Surprisingly, they still have much water. Grab some cups & go. Dont wanna eat anymore PowerGel. “Muak” already. Not far away, met a full marathon runner sitting on the roadside. “Are you ok, bro? Let’s keep on going”. I grabbed his hand and he tried to run with me, but he can’t forced himself anymore. “You go first bro, i can’t take it anymore”, he said. Waved to him and I continued my run. Another man down.

The time was 9:xx am. Sweeper buses keep passing by, full with back markers inside. I hope i will not be swept by them. So i have to keep running & ingoring the pain. Right after the bridge end, met Along. Her legs cramped. I continued my run. Walk. Run. Walk. Run. Until the 1km to go mark, i ran non-stop. Suddenly my energy went up. The determination to finish the run has overcome the pain. With all the remaining energy, I ran to the finishing line. 500m to go, 300m to go, 100m to go… FINISH!!!

Greeted & hugged my wife. Izzat took my finishing photo. My time was 6:43. The medal & cert counter was not there anymore. A huge frustration there. Walk straight to the medic. They put ice to my legs & did some massage. Sooo pain. Legs pain, heart also pain.

A view on both side of the bridge.

I’m finally arrived clocking 6:43

Can’t walk, legs so pain

Treated by the medic

Saw Alang & Along. They were forced to board the sweeper bus by police. What? Just let them make it to the finish line. It’s 2km more to go. They has gone this far, just let them go. Their effort just gone like that. The police just don’t have any idea about how important it is to finish the run on foot.

That’s my story. My 1st attempt in doing full marathon. It’s great to experience it. The run was enjoyable. The pain was just a part of the experience. Love the environment, the ambience, the windy road, the people around me, love the quiet & calm road.

But i have bad things to say about the event. I was told that the organiser has packed up all the remaining medals & cert. They wont give it to the remaining race finisher. What do you think they gonna do with all the medals & cert. Maybe they will distribute them to their family and friends. Hahaha… As a result, I’m a marathon finisher with no reward. Even they dont have any record of me as a full marathon finisher. They dont even care to whoever finish the race more than 6hrs time. Where’s the sport spirit of the organiser? This is not the first time Penang Bridge Marathon was held. I was told, it was organised by the state government itself. Ohhh.. No wonder. That’s why laa it sucks!!! I’ll never run anymore full marathon in Penang, untill the organiser changed. But, i’m looking forward for another full marathon. Yehaaa!!! ADIEU…

Source : http://www.ironman703singapore.com/

Here’s a check list that may be very handy heading into the 2008 Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore. Use this list prior to leaving home and your trip and day may be all the smoother for it.

Triathlon Race Checklist

Swim

1. Swim suit or tri suit or tri shorts
2. Goggles
3. Swim Cap (it will be in your registration pack)
4. Lubricant or anti-chafe (Body Glide)
5. Towel (optional)
6. Ear Plugs
7. Sun screen

Bike

1. Bike
2. Helmet
3. Bike shorts or tri shorts (dependent on what you want to ride in, change tents will be available)
4. Bike Shoes
5. Sunglasses
6. Water bottles w/energy replacement fluids (fill ‘em before the start)
7. Energy gel or snacks
8. Biking gloves
9. Spare Tube, CO2, Tire Levers
10. Tool Kit

Run

1. Race shoes with quick laces
2. Cap or Visor
3. Lubricant for feet
4. Race number on race belt
5. Energy gel or snack
6. Sunscreen

Other

1. Rain cover
2. Sunscreen
3. Bag (remember to store in the appropriate place)
4. Extra Energy gels, snacks and pre race drinks
5. Sandals for post race use
6. Change of clothes for post race

Source : http://www.ironman703singapore.com/

I’m planning to participate in my 1st ever triathlon next year. So I have to start my training now to make myself ready for it.

Past 3 month, my wife bought me a road bike for me to train. Just a basic racing bike, enough for me to start my training. Thanks to my dear wife for the support.

Every Saturday morning, i will train my triathlon full cycle:

• swim – 800m
• bike – 20km
• run – 5km

Will keep on updating my training progress from time to time.