Intro: I'm still alive, just not running...
I've not been blogging since last November - did anybody notice my absence? So I've been sitting on the sidelines in 2017, not having participated in any races. The main rain for my lack of motivation was due to burnout, more a mental burnout than a physical one. Looking back, I registered for and ran at least a race per month for the whole 2016. The pressure I gave myself was too much, attempting to fit running events around work/life and before I realised it I found myself fallen over to the other side, that is to say, a Burnout. I felt a lack of desire to get out the door to run long after the festivities had ended. Furthermore, staleness was creeping into my running routine. A creature of habit, I would normally run on a specific day of the week at the same place, more or less at the same time. But by the end of January this year, I had not been running for two weeks and did not miss it. And it made me wonder "how did I get from being passionate about running, of having completed FM (which is like arriving at a summit of racing mountain) in the SCKLM 2016 (
read report here) to feeling totally uninspired to run?
I did some soul-searching and realised that running made me happy in the past and I was still passionate about it. I can remember with remarkable clarity the times when I experienced the running highs, the exhilaration from the freedom with which I ran after a long, stressful day and the clarity of mind which comes after a run. Those were the rewards I got from my running journey. So I decided to change my running program in order to make running fun and enjoyable again. For example, I would spend more time to observe the people around me in the park where I go for my morning runs. I look at their faces and imagine how they're feeling while carrying out their activity. I count the number of trees I pass, I listen to my breathing and sometimes, I listen to a podcast episode or simple shake up my playlist on my phone.
Redemption runner?
I had a horrible run in my first Full Marathon in SCKLM last year. What I learned from the experience is that despite all the training that goes into preparation for it, things can still go pear shaped in a race. In my case, the unrelenting cramps in my calves and the broken toe nail due to ill-fitting shoes derailed my race midway in the course and I had to crawl my way to the finish, which wasn't pleasant. Blogging about my experience and connecting with other runners helped me through it greatly. However, there was a part of me that felt I had to right the wrongs and redeem myself after the poor performance in the race. So when the opportunity arose, I signed up for SCKLM 2017. The 9th edition of this popular running event was to be held on 21 May; the promise of redemption came early this year and I signed up for my second Full Marathon.
Running for a Cause
Losing my aunt in April this year due to her long battle with diabetes gave me another reason to run in this long distance race. My aunt was a fighter through and through. Her determination to fight the disease and to not give up inspired me deeply. Her son and my cousin, Mike is a seasoned marathoner; we both agreed to dedicate this upcoming run in my aunt's memory. Mike also agreed to pace me which was reassuring as he has around 30 FM titles under his belt.
Training
With a sound understanding of marathon training from last year, I knew what needed to be done to prepare for the race: build up long runs and weekly mileage, do interval runs and some tempo runs in between, strength training and tapering. But unfortunately, my training fell on the sidelines due to work and evening classes (I enrolled in a Mandarin course). At 8 weeks to race day, I finally got my act together and did my weekly long runs every Sunday. Even though I ran short of the distance planned due to the scorching heat (for the record I'm not an early riser); the fact was I did the LSD every week for 8 weeks. To get inspiration and motivation, I joined group activities organised by the KLCC Runners Group. The ones which I benefited a lot from were the "Sunday morning LSD" led by Sam Seow and "Hill Training with Suresh Kumar". For strength training, I joined the FGT classes run by the Fitness First Run Club.
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| Sam Leow leading the Sunday morning LSD at Desa Park City |
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| Hill training led by Suresh Kumar at Tamn Tasik Perdana |
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| FF Run Club's Freestyle Group Training at 1MK rooftop |
Race Pack Collection
The Standard Chartered KL Marathon Race Entry Pack Collection (REPC) this year was held at Hall 6 of the KLCC Convention Centre. In addition to the REPC, the Prudential Healthy Life
Expo made its debut and it did not disappoint with fun-filled and exciting activities throughout the three days of the expo from 18-20 May. There were more booths noted this year than there were in the previous years that I attended.
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| REPC was hassle-free |
The race pack collection on Friday was smooth, thanks to the good planning on the part of the organiser. Runners were asked to email their planned collection day and time so that the organiser could advise participants on the peak and non-peak time for collection. I couldn't be more excited when I found my name on the honours list or what runners call the 'wall of fame'. The names of all registered participants of the FM of SCKLM2017 formed its logo and it's strategically located outside the convention hall for all visitors and non-visitors to the expo to see.
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| It's written on the wall that I will be running in the FM this year |
Race Day
I took a Grabtaxi to KL Sentral and got on the 2:20 a.m. train to Masjid Jamek on the Kelana Jaya line. Understandably, I struggled to get out of bed at 1:40 a.m on race day and a demon voice in my head asked why I was doing this. The thought of going back to bed was tempting but give in to temptation I did not! The spectacle of enthusiastic runners in gear of various colour combination, patterns and design got me to come out of my doldrums.
On arrival at the Race Village in Dataran Merdeka, I proceeded to Dataran Zero to check in my bag.This year, all runners were required to empty the contents of their bag into a clear plastic bag. The plastic bag together with all of my belongings were sealed before me by a friendly man in uniform. This new procedure was highlighted in the race guide as part of the organiser's efforts to tighten security measures.
The starting pens were well posted and I was able to locate my designated pen - Pen 3 - with ease. I also noted that runners were on time getting into their respective pens, thanks to the volunteers who ushered runners into their pens and not forgetting the good service in the LRT and MRT. Mike arrived shortly after me. He met me outside Pen 3 as we had agreed and we swiftly made our way to the front of Pen 3. After a quick warm up... the race was flagged off sharp at 4:00 a.m! Ladies and gentlemen, let the 9th SCKLM begin!
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| Mike and I in Pen 3 |
Mike and I started out strong and steady with a pace of around 6:50/km. We both felt the unusually warm weather from the start on Jalan Raja Laut. We sweated by the buckets just minutes into our slow run. At around 2k, the GPS on my Garmin went haywire as it recorded a pace of 2:09/km. I also noticed that the GPS went out of sync with the kilometer markers by kilometer One. When my Garmin beeped at 3km, I had in fact logged 2km according to the marker. This unsettled me slightly but as soon as I readjusted my focus on the kilometer markers instead of my GPS watch, I was back on track.
Basically the route this year is similar to last year's so I had the benefit of knowledge of the route this time. It makes a big difference to know the route of a race even if you're running in that for the first time. Mike and I ran steadily all the way till 20 km where we entered the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE). I looked and felt good and was glad that I had 20 km in the bank already. I remember feeling the niggles on the DUKE last year so whatever I was doing now, was working. I was careful not to change my pace or posture. Mike and I talked about his late mother - my aunt - and how because of the hospital visits, he was unable to put in as much training as he would have liked. In a strange way, in periods when we were both quiet, we felt her presence and it was an extraordinary feeling.
I took two cups of water or Lucozade Sport at every hydration station as I was aware of the amount of fluids I was losing from my body through profuse sweating. The stations were consistent - appearing every 2 km as shown on the map, and managed by friendly volunteers, some of whom not only handed the runners their drink but also cheered the them on. Also worth mentioning are the live performances of stripped-back acoustic music by artists who generously volunteered their time to liven up the atmosphere.
After collecting my wristband at the 30km checkpoint, I started to feel a niggle in my right ankle. I tried not to focus on it and soldiered on, dropping my pace slightly. But on entering Jalan Langgak Tunku in Bukit Tunku where hills would thrill or kill runners, things went downhill for me. I felt fatigue in both my legs especially the quads, followed by cramps - in the quads and calves. Memories of last year's nightmare started to haunt me. I quickly took out the bottle of CrampFix I was carrying with me and took two caps of the liquid in an attempt to relieve the cramps.
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| Pain is only temporary |
I also saw a group of friendly supporters at a bus stop in Bukit Tunku. They had set up a stall there and invited runners to come and visit it. As I was battling with cramps, I limped over to the stall and was warmly greeted by a lady with shoulder length hair and a warm smile. She asked for my order. They had a variety of beverages on offer. Without hesitation, I asked for coconut water. She poured the coconut water into a cup for me to consume. I was heartened by the group's generosity and support of the huge number of runners. It definitely gave me a much needed boost at that moment. After thanking the team, I began my long trudge uphill along the very challenging Jalan Langgak Tunku. You may have heard from runner in KL that Bukit Tunku is only for the brave. As this point a good number of runners had passed me by.
Try as I might to push myself a little more, my legs would not allow it. Thereupon, I was worried that I might have hit the wall. The cramps were getting more severe. I decided to take another break and sat on a curb. My answer to my aching legs was in the form of Counterpain (yes, I learned from last year's experience and brought along a small tube of the ointment). I rubbed the balm assiduously onto my quads in the hope that it would not only soothe my legs but also my emotional wound as the old wounds were starting to open up. Just then, a runner approached me and asked if I was experiencing cramps. He offered me some pills to take to relieve the cramps. He was friendly and appeared to know what he was talking about. So I grabbed the pills from him, swallowed two on the spot and took sips of water from his bottle. It was a nice gesture on his part (his name is Alex) and I felt recharged by kindness and possibly by the synergistic effects of Counterpain, CrampFix and the pills.
At Jalan Sultan Ismail around kilometer 36, the 5:30 pacers passed me by. They were carrying orange balloons and had music blaring off of them. I had earlier greeted Azhar (one of the pacers) and remarked that it would be great to finish the race with his team. So I kept alternating between trudging and walking... but not stopping. Later, the cramps were too much to bear and I took time out after passing Parliament of Malaysia. I had no answers for the cramps so I approached a member of St John's and asked if she would help me with my cramps. As she was still attending to another troubled runner, I sat down and tried to remove my shoes. That movement trigger excruciating pain in my quads and calves and I let out a cry. The young lady along with her male colleague rushed to my rescue, removed my shoes and gave my calves a good stretch. At this point (around 9:15 am), it started to drizzle and no sooner was I able to get up than my body was awash with rain.
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| Wefie with Azhar before the race |
Walking along Jalan Parlimen, a fellow young runner beside me asked if I was worried about the weather turning for the worse and the possibility of race being cancelled due to severe weather conditions. I answered that I would be disappointed beyond words if I wasn't allowed to finish the race as we were already in kilometer 39. The youngster soon took off saying that he was aiming for a 5:30 finish. I couldn't help but be inspired by his determination and then something in me clicked. I no longer felt the cramps in my legs and I was ready to run again. I picked up the pace gradually and found myself running at a comfortable pace, as fast as my legs would carry me, literally... I was careful not to ruin the last 3km of the run..
I engaged in self-talk in the final leg and my mantra was "Finish strong" and "I can do this". Soon, I reached the Honda gantry indicating that there was only 500m to go. At 200m to go, I could see in the distance the cheering crowds at the finish line and my spirit soared. But I was also in pain both physically and mentally, but refusing to give up and recalling a quote earlier in the course "pain is only temporary, pride is for a lifetime" I dug deep, pushed hard and crossed the finish line.. with tears of pain, of joy, and relief that I managed to finish my second full marathon strong.
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| Pacers and their colourful balloons |
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| Selfie before flag off |
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| At my designated race pen |
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| Running again at kilometer 39 |
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| Thank you for the coconut water |
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| Porta Porties were in adequate supply |
Facts and figures of SCKLM 2017
36,000 number of participants at the SCKLM 2017
9th edition of the race
2:18:43 time posted by Cosmas Matolo Muteti from Kenya who won the FM Men’s Open
2:36:14 time posted by Elizabeth Chepkanan from Kenya who won the FM Women's Open
USD17,500 Prize money for the winner of FM Men's and Women's Open categories
7 hours cut-off time for the FM category
8,000 number of runners signed up for FM category this year
1,700 number of running tourists
75 nationalities participated in the run
My stats:
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| Elevation gain: 524m Max elevation: 111m |
Result:
Gun time: 5:40:30
Net time: 5:39:08
Ranking: 974 out of 2108
Overall: 2909 out of 6663
