I ran my first full marathon in the Standard Chartered KL Marathon last Sunday, 7 August. Almost a week out of the race, I'm finally able to sit down and write about the experience.
Deciding To Run
After the cancellation of last year's SCKLM in which I had planned to run the 10km, I thought, "Wouldn't it be pretty awesome if I came back to next year's SCKLM and did the full distance?" Well, it certainly wasn't a whimsical thought as I have been thinking about running the full marathon for some time. After all, I have a total of five HM and several 10k titles and it was about time for me to push my limits in taking on endurance challenges. Furthermore, I have this notion that a runner can only be a "real runner" if they have run at least once in a full marathon.
So that was my reason for signing up for the full marathon distance on 29 March which gave me plenty of time to train as the event was in four months. Until I found out that most marathon training plans were around 16 weeks in order to build up one's mileage and aerobic foundation.
Training
At the end of May, I enrolled myself in a 10- week program designed for runners in preparation for a specific race. Most of the members in the program were also preparing for the SCKLM (some doing the FM and others the HM) so it was easy for me to keep my motivation level high with the support and encouragement from other members. I followed closely the program designed by my coach except for the one-and-a-half week of recovery after I sustained an ankle injury and a health scare (which led to a colonoscopy). Fortunately, I was back on track in my training just in time for tapering a week before SCKLM and even managed to squeeze in a race event, namely the Men's Health Women's Health Night Run in Putrajaya on 30 July. Read report here
For my training, a typical week involved strength training, speedwork/tempo run and a long, slow distance run (LSD) at the weekend. I managed to progress from 15 km till 25 km over the weeks for my LSD, but my progress was derailed due an ankle injury. Occasionally, my running mates and I would also have hill training which was helpful considering the route for SCKLM full marathon has a number of ramps, hills and inclines. In the week leading up to race day, I printed the route map and studied it. Initially I planned on wearing a hydration belt on race day but as I noted on the map there were many hydration stations, I decided not to do so.
 |
| After track training at MPSJ stadium |
Pre-race matters
The race entry pack collection was held at the StarXpo Centre in KWC Kenanga Wholesale City in Jalan Gelugor this year as the venue offers a bigger space compared to the site at Dataran Zero for the previous years. The collection process was well organized. As expected, the crowds swelled at the StarXpo Centre on the first day as soon as the doors opened; runners and their representatives came from near and far to collect those valuable race packs. Crowd control was efficient as there was a one-way direction for visitors to enter and leave the centre. I arrived at the centre just before 2 p.m. by which time, the counters were not too crowded. I was delighted to spot my name on the official SCKLM 2016 billboard placed just before the exit. The names of all the FM registrants were on the billboard - kind of an honour roll accorded by the organiser.
Pasta Party
For the first time this year, Dirigo Events organised a Friendship Run in the morning, which is a non-competitive 7km run on the day before race day. Participants of the Friendship Run were invited to the Pasta Party in the evening of the pre-race day. After checking in at a nearby hotel, I went with my mate Azwan to the Pasta Party at Dataran Merdeka. It's a buffet dinner with an emphasis on carb-loading and healthy eating - of spaghetti with Italian sausage meatball, butter rice with teriyaki chicken and baked salmon plus an array of fruit and vegetables. At the party we met the race director, media officials, pacers, a celebrity runner and runners from other countries. It was awesome! After dinner, we took a stroll in the race village to take in the sights, the sounds, the props and contemplated the amount of work involved to put on this show which was about to go on in a matter of hours.
 |
| With 5:30 pacer, Azhar |
 |
| Azwan and I with celebrity runner Reuben |
Race Day (7 August)
I woke up at 2:30 am, drank coffee and ate yogurt and banana and swiftly made my way to Dataran Merdeka. I felt a little bloated, but it wasn't bad enough to warrant any cause for concern. Besides, this was my big day. At the race village, I took a bite of the energy bar I had carried along but couldn't finish it so I proceeded to do some dynamic stretching exercises. I was still feeling confident that the adrenaline, the carb loading from last night and the fairly good quality sleep would cover the gap in my training and propel me to the finish line.
At ten to 4 a.m. I made my way to my designated start pen (pen 4). All around me I could see runners of different shapes, sizes and color. While waiting for flag off, I took the opportunity to check out the running gear all around me - from the simple to the outlandish and some pretty stylish and cool stuff which I made a note to check out the next time I shop for running gear.
 |
| Quick snap before entering the race pen |
Race was flagged off at 4 a.m. I started off at a comfortable pace of 6:40/km and kept at it for five kilometers, but after the second water station, I felt an ache in my upper back. This was unusual to me as I've never had back issues in my running. Trying not to think about it in the hope that it would go away, I ran at a pretty consistent pace of 6:40/km passing by the 5:30 pacers with the orange balloons. But soon after, I had to stop to address the back pain which was annoying to say the least. I did a shake off of my hands to relax the strained back muscles, and it occurred to me that I was wearing a reflective band on my right forearm which restricted my arm swing. I quickly removed the armband and was immediately able to run with a more comfortable arm swing.
On the Middle Ring Road II (kilometer 19), I started having cramps in my right leg. The cramps were unrelenting. I had to slow down. At this point I saw Azwan so I went up to him to tell him about the cramps and that I was going to go slow. He gave me a pat on by back before leaving me behind. By kilometer 21, I had to stop and stretch out my stiff legs on the side of the road. Unfortunately, there was little improvement. Only halfway into the run and I was feeling like the legs would not carry me through the course. I knew I was in trouble. So the positive self-talk was summoned. You can do it! Trust your training. You have come this far, keep calm and on target.
On the long and treacherous DUKE highway (kilometer 21-29), I tried again to push myself to a trot but my legs did not like it. All of of a sudden my right leg stiffened causing me to fall over to the side. I must say that this was a very low point in the race for me. I sat down on the side, out of sorts and on the verge of bursting into tears. Physically, my legs were in pain, my stomach felt tight and mentally it was frustrating for me to have to consider giving up. I kept rubbing my thighs and calves hoping for some magic to work its way on those tight muscles. The spray and lotion which were kindly applied by the volunteers provided little relief. Most of the stations along the DUKE highway had run out of supply of the coolant spray.
By this time the 6:00 pacers passed me by and I had serious doubts that I could finish the race before cut-off time of 7 hours. When I saw an emergency vehicle coming, the thought of calling it quits and getting into the vehicle seemed very attractive to me. I had to dig deep to know the reason for running the marathon and resisted the temptation There was no way I would give up now. This was my journey and I will run my own race, no matter if I cross the finish line after cut off time of if I had to crawl my way there.
Along the uphill Jalan Langgak Tunku, I sat on the kerb. I saw a another guy who was rubbing counter pain on this legs. Without a second thought I went over to him and said, "Are you having cramps in your legs too?" He nodded and when I asked if he could spare me some of his Counterpain cream he said "Take as much as you want!" because he understood what I was going through. It was a warm gesture. I found out his name was Sean and it was also is first time running the full marathon. It's in moments like this that make you think about how we runners share a spirit of kinship through their love of the sport. The heat from the cream provided some relief and I was off to cover the last 8km of the course.
Crosssing the Finish Line
I continued to struggle my way in the final few kilometers with a walk/run approach though mostly walk not run. Nonetheless, I managed to pick up the pace a little and when the iconic old KTM station at kilometer 41 came into sight, I knew I stood a very good chance of crossing the finish line. After the Bukit Aman tunnel, I pushed myself to run in the final 100m. To my surprise, I saw my coach and running club mates cheering me to the finish line. I waved at them and made my final steps to cross the finish line.
 |
| Forcing a smile for the photographer |
Official results:
Status: Finished
Gun time: 6:45:55
Net time: 6:40:04
Post-race
For a few days after the race, I found it hard to be happy. I suffered a broken toenail which was excruciating and my legs were sore. Mentally I was exhausted and emotionally shattered. I did not feel like writing about the experience for days after the run nor post my finishing time online.
Thoughts
For days after the race, I continued to dwell on my finishing time and how/why things went wrong with the run. It made me almost forget that running a marathon is a tough challenge. Thanks to my sister and sister-in-law (both of whom are runners) for pointing that out to me. They were at the finish line to greet me and both said they were very proud of me for my accomplishment!
I guess I felt demoralised for not getting the time that was more presentable but again, it was a self-defeating approach to measure success by finishing time alone.
So as I sit here to finish the last bits of my post before publishing it, I want reflect again on this experience. All things considered, it was an incredible experience for my full marathon debut in the SCKLM. Why was it incredible despite the bad feeling, the pain and the poor performance (by my standards?).
Here's my list of great things I experienced in run:
- the amazing sights (Twin Towers, Parliament, National Museum, the old KTM station, Dataran Merdeka and many more)
- the scenery (from the DUKE highway) in the morning was spectacular
- meeting other runners
- the chats among fellow runners which I overheard
- when I ran and felt good in the first 5km
- the support from other runners (Sean who let me use his Counterpain cream and Azwan for the pat on the back)
- the atmosphere (drumming band sound got me psyched up)
-the great sense of relief and joy on seeing my family at the finish line
And last but not least, the distance. Yeah. You gotta respect the distance.
 |
| The special bond between running buddies |
 |
| One thing I did get right was posing for the official photographer |
 |
| It is an achievement. Let's not forget that. |
