Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) 2015

This post took a little longer than usual as I had to wait until the official results of my run in the 2015 PBIM Half Marathon Men Open category were published. It was a long time coming (believe me, if you were an enthusiastic runner like me, anything more than two days is a long wait for the results) but finally, the results were available on the website http://www.penangmarathon.gov.my/portal/ today. 

The 31st edition of the PBIM was held on 22 Nov 2015

As I waited for the results to come out, it gave me time to think about what to report on this race, which I participated for the first time last year. Since this will be my final race for 2015, I reflected on my running journey for the year. So instead of the usual report, I thought it would be timely to contemplate how wonderful it is that I am able to run in race events. Or just being able to run. It may be a simple activity and most of us take it for granted. Having the ability to run is indeed a blessing and I am humbled when I see people living with disabilities run in races. 

Running has brought immeasurable joy into my life. For some, perhaps running is just running. But I beg to differ. Running is not merely putting one foot in front of the other; it's not just about clocking those miles - it's much more than that. The training, the goals, the commitment involved in achieving those goals, the challenges and rewards from the effort put in, the bond of friendship in the running community, the support of family and friends (both runners and non-runners alike) whether online or offline, and the sense of accomplishment when I achieve new milestones (in life and in running), the strength to not give up when the going gets tough - all of these have made me become a better version of myself since I took up running in past two years or more.

You can imagine my excitement for PBIM this year as I had my family join me in the race. My folks came along too! Although they didn't register to run, they were enthusiastic and happily offered to tag along to enjoy a short holiday in George Town, Penang. There were six of us in our team of runners. For those who have been following my blog, you would already know that my sister and bro-in-law have joined me in past events; this time there were additional three members in the family who joined me for the first time. How incredible is that! I registered for the HM, everyone else in the 10k. We registered back in June to enjoy the early bird rates, set up a group chat to motivate one another and planned our activities for the weekend in Penang in conjunction with the race. Duties were distributed fairly and they included registration of runners, collection of race packs, securing accommodation and coming up with an itinerary in Penang (which basically centered around tasty local food) and printing of the e-certs.

As for the race, the event overall was well organized this year and credit must be given to the organizer. This year the organizer engaged the services of Rapid Penang and it's a wise move on their part (last year the main complaints were on transportation to the starting point). My event was scheduled to start at 3 a.m. I arrived at the Komtar bus terminal just after 2 a.m. only to see the Rapid Penang shuttle bus departing from the station. Fortunately, the next bus arrived shortly after and once filled up, it was ready to go to the race village in the outdoor parking area of Queensbay Mall. I didn't mind paying the RM1 fare for the quality shuttle service. 

Participants in bright pink and green vests gathered at the corral

However, the distance from the drop-off point to the starting line was longer than I expected. I think it easily took a 20-minute walk on average pace - I did hear some runners whinge about the additional distance they were made to cover even before the race started. After bag check-in and a quick stretch, I quickly joined the crowd gathered behind the starting line and before I could drink my Gu, the gun went off sharp at 3 a.m. for the Half Marathon Men's flag-off. And off the strong crowd in excess of 5000 runners went.

I would just give a brief review on the race. This year the race was held on the old bridge, as it has always been since 1985, with the exception of last year when it was held on the newly opened second Penang bridge, namely the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge. It was my first time running on the old bridge - it needs to be pointed out that I only ran about five kilometers on the bridge as the rest of the course was off the bridge. I can only guess the organizers planned it this way so that the runners of the HM do not run into the other runners in the FM category. The course at times was challenging with slopes, and inclined planes and slanted surfaces. It was definitely different from the second bridge which was flat throughout.

The were a total of six hydration stations which was quite generous of the organizer; however, the first one came only at 6.5 km. I wished there was one earlier, say at 5 km as most people would need a sip of water after that distance. Fortunately, the weather was mostly cloudy in the wee hours of the morning on 22 November, with a temperature of 23.9 degree Celsius so I hadn't felt overly thirsty or experienced any overheating of my body when I stopped at the first water station.

It was dark throughout the race and there were stretches where it was pitch dark. I nearly ran into people in some stretches. I regretted not bringing along my headlamp (perhaps this item should be listed as an essential in the race guide). It's handy to have a torch/headlamp when you're running as early as 1 a.m. (full marathon) and 3 a.m. (half-marathon). 

Kelvin and I posing for the camera 

At kilometer 16, my primary school friend Kelvin crossed path with me. He recognised me from behind which was indeed remarkable and shouted my name. What a pleasant surprise it was when I turned around to see Kelvin my friend whom I have to seen in ages! After a quick exchange of greetings, we ran side by side for the next few kilometers. I lost time at one of the hydration stations, but we got back together before the finish line and crossed the finish line in near synchronicity. It was an extraordinary experience! On reflection -  I have not seen Kelvin for over 20 years - we have recently been communicating on Facebook talking about race events and the like but never got the chance to meet until this day. I may never have met Kelvin if it wasn't for running. And more remarkable was the fact that we both traveled to Penang to run in this race but did not make concrete plans to meet..  But here we were in Penang on an early Sunday morning, after crossing the finish line together, catching up with each other.

More reflection:

Thanks to running and racing, I have been on an amazing journey that took me on wonderful trips in Malaysia and overseas. I have met people, every day runners who have done extraordinary things in their running journey and become friends with people who inspire be to continue running. Personally, 2015 turned out to be a fantastic year in my running, with new memories, moments and experiences to cherish. Along the way, I achieved new PR's which is deeply satisfying.

As for the results, I couldn't be happier with my performance this year in the PBIM.

My 2nd appearance in the PBIM half marathon Men Open

My sister and her hubby getting better and stronger in the 10k

My brother with his wife and father-in-law finished the race happy

Strength and beauty in number

PBIM 2014 first HM and PBIM 2015 HM

Official Result for PBIM 2015:                                 Official results PBIM 2014:
Gun time: 2:06:40                                                      Gun time: 2:08:42
Nett time: 2:05:11                                                      Nett time: 2:05:59
Rank: 189/5289                                                          Rank: 613/10654

2XU Compression Run Putrajaya

So I took the bull by the horns last Sunday and went ahead with running 21.1km despite the fact that my training hadn't added up in the weeks leading to the 2XU Compression Run Malaysia on 1 November. The 2XU Compression Run Malaysia would be the second half-marathon in 2015 for me after Nike We Run KL (Read report here) back in February.

The prolonged and dreadful haze had severely impacted the training schedule of most runners living in the Klang Valley. As the air quality improved in the week leading up to the race, I wanted more than ever to go for an event that didn't end up getting cancelled because of the haze. The thought of being out there for a run with other runners and enjoying the camaraderie of the running community were an impetus to get down to business and train for the race. Time was of the essence so I tried to cram in the miles every day of the week beginning 26 October. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not on my side on Monday - heavy rain in the evening forced me to make alternative plans so I hit the gym and went for Body Combat Class. Determined to put in training on Tuesday,  I went on a long run but that session was curtailed due to heavy showers in Lembah Kiara in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail.

On Wednesday, I joined the Puma Night Running Club in Desa Park City for their weekly training. It was great to see a big turnout of runners on that day, many of whom were training for the Puma Night Run on 31 October. The program for that evening was negative split training and I had a rewarding session on my speed/tempo work (incidentally, I achieved a new record for the fastest 5km time at 25:52). A big thank you goes out to the fun and energetic pacers of the group!

On to the review of the 2XU Compression Run on 1 November.

Around 3700 runners congregated in Precinct 6 of Putrajaya at 6:30 a.m. for the flag off. I could feel it in the air the excitement of the runners in anticipation of a race on this fine day which was about to get underway. I started with a pace of 5:53 min/km and gradually picked up speed to 5:23 min/km and 5:10 min/km. I settled into a decent tempo and felt good for about 10km. At kilometer 11, I was surprised to see that the marker showed 10km. It appeared that there was a discrepancy in the distance showed on my Garmin and the distance marker placed by the organizer. The realisation that I was not at halfway point rattled me slightly. I reached into my pouch and tore open a pack of gel to power up.

Spectator area in the indoor stadium in Precinct 5, Putrajaya

I tried to hold on to my pace after the unpleasant discovery but I could see that the 2:00 hour pacers - who were running just ahead of me up to kilometer 11 - started to move further ahead of me. It was impossible to catch up with them and soon after they disappeared from sight. I could accept that I was not going to achieve a 2 hour half-marathon. Certainly not in this race as there was insufficient training put in to begin with.

Those ramps in Persiaran Timur were all familiar with me. I thought I could conquer them as I did in the past but as the distance progressed and my legs increasingly weighed down on me, I resorted to walk/run method on those inclines/ramps. Later, it became clear I was doing more walking than running on the inclines as more and more runners past me by. Not only did I not conquer the inclines, the inclines got me. Actually, I think the inclines ate me! I had no answer for them and my pace dropped from 6:45 min/km to 7:38 min/km.

After what felt like an eternity, I caught a glimpse of the marker for the final kilometer. It was a perfect time to push myself to pick up the pace again. I managed maintain to a steady jog but not without a struggle. My legs by this time were aching, my feet soaked in sweat. With every step I could feel the balls of my feet pounding the paved surface of the park in Precinct 5. Numb to the pain in my feet, I recited my mantra, "stay strong.. you are stronger than you think".

Forcing a smile to pose with my sister.. bare foot

The usual suspects with podium finishing

A new look with the Buff head wear

At the finish line, I immediately removed my shoes to relieve the pins and needles in my feet. My legs could hardly carry me as I walked to the refreshment station. My calves were tight as wound springs and I allowed myself to take a fall. Sitting on my haunches, I looked at my watch and it showed 2:12:40. With a grimace on my face and excruciating pain in my legs, I was indeed a happy if not tearful survivor of yet another half marathon.

This was a tough one to acquire and it's beautiful

Results:
Clock time: 2:14:15
Net time: 2:12:40
Rank: 148 out of 1202

Post script:The writer has all but recovered from the ache in my calves and I'm ready to take on the next challenge. His Garmin recorded 22.25km on that day, the furthest distance he had ever done.