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| Before I commit to a long and arduous
journey in recalling race day, I would like to recap several key
events that led to the Kuala Lumpur International Marathon 2004. |
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We started the New Year with the first 30km practice run on 11th
January. This was the time I decided to make a “guinea pig” out of
myself. I wanted to experiment new things that may go against the
norm of running or I’d prefer call it “back to basics”. I had this
idea when I was driving to work one day. I asked myself how did
Kenyans, sherpas and people living in the mountains train up to be
so tough based on the very basic stuff in life. They do not depend
on muesli or oatmeal and I strongly believe they do not have
Vaseline, PowerBar, PowerGel and a good pair of running shoes! My
inquisitive self did not have to wait long. I said, “Hey, why don’t
I go back to basics just for once”. Besides I did not have a New
Year resolution, so I might as well make something out of it.
However, instead of discarding altogether the things which I
depended on most of the time, I planned to abandon them slowly.
Prior to the 30km practice run, I started on hill training at TTDI’s
Bukit Kiara. My stamina improved significantly over a period of 2
weeks. In the 30km practice run, I decided not to use Vaseline and
PowerBar. It was the most appropriate thing to start with because
Vaseline has not helped me much in reducing chafing and I hate
PowerBar! On many occasions my body would switch to the “puke”
defense mode whenever a Bar is consumed. Instead, I took cornflakes
with soy milk in the morning. When I finished the run, I realized
there weren’t any chafing on my thigh and I felt great, not too
exhausted. My timing was 2 hours 50minutes as compared to 3hours 20
minutes last year. I decided to keep this “breakthrough” for my next
run.
On the second 30km practice run, things went unexpectedly wrong. I
had a stomach pain at the 15th kilometer mark and there was a severe
blister on my toes. Bad news came one after another. I did not
finish my 30km run. I had to pull off at the 20th kilometer. I was
quite disappointed because I was thinking of clocking a better time
just as a confirmation to my new found “breakthrough” before I
confidently use it on KLIM. I had no plans of dropping PowerGel and
running on barefoot because that would be the silly thing to do,
what more with so much energy Pacesetters spent on telling members
about knee injuries and energy supplement during run.
KLIM came two weeks later. It was a tug-of-war decision whether to
stick with the “breakthrough” plan or the one before. Finally, it
was half of each other. I applied Vaseline but I did not consume any
PowerBar. I had a bowl of cornflakes with soy milk.
The race took off with a bang! All the trainings and theories have
been put to test on race day. I would liken this to taking the STPM.
Some people will perform better than expected, some will be worse
and some will be as expected. |
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| The race took off with a BANG!! |
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We took off quite well without any
problems. The microchip timekeeping system was featured in this
year’s race. This is an improvement and augurs well with its
international status. Organizing was also much better than the
previous. First aid and refreshment stations improved in numbers. I
had an enjoyable run and when I reached the turnoff at Seputeh
towards the Salak Expressway (approximately 4km into the race), I
met the first supporter from Pacesetters. It was Mr Siew Chee Meng.
I’d like to thank him for taking the liberty to wake up wee hours of
the morning just to render his support for us.
I found myself progressing well. My pace was consistent. I did not
know my pace was relatively faster than what I was trained for. I
only realized this when I ran past the 10km mark. It was 53 minutes.
Neither was I feeling tired. I managed to overtake many who were
ahead of me. It was a breeze but the morning is still.
At the 16thkm, somewhere at the roundabout towards Jalan Loke Yew,
Mr Siew Chee Meng re-appeared! I gave him a high-5! That was really
nice of him to be trailing us. |
I kept to this pace. Halfway through
the marathon, I clocked 1 hour 52 minutes. At this juncture, I was
motivated to do a sub-four which has always been beyond me. In the
last two marathons, my timings were more than 4 hours. This time, I
was thinking that if I could go a little faster, I may even realize
a personal best time at 3hrs 40minutes. It was achievable and not
too ambitious. However, I had to control my pace lest I would be too
exhausted and perhaps get a cramp. The story of the rabbit and
tortoise suddenly flashed through my mind and suddenly there was
this question of “what am I doing here”. Maybe it was hypoglycaemia,
a condition with low glucose level that subsequently impaired my
conscience. Or maybe I was just bored of running and running.
Anyway, I continued with a quickened pace.
I began to feel a chafing sensation on my thigh when I reached the
26th kilometer. I knew I had it this time. I took some ice from the
sponging and refreshment stations. Once there, I put ice on both my
thighs though it was quite embarrassing to be putting hands on
places which may draw some attention. It was swollen badly and it
was very painful. Vaseline did not help! I had to persevere. I
continued my run. It was also at this mark that I spotted some
Pacesetter members cheering for the runners. I am very grateful to
them. It gave me even more reasons to continue and not waste their
effort in seeing us through. I saw Tomoko with her daughters. Then
there were a larger group waiting for us at the turnoff at Jalan
Tunku Abdul Rahman. I think I saw Adam and Phylis. They came
equipped with placards. Those I missed, it was unintentional.
Around the Sogo area, a lady in front of me suddenly fell down. I
was startled and the natural thing to do was to hold her up and
asked if she was okay. I am glad she was smiling and continued her
run. I was thinking of a blackout case. Anyway, I continued my run
and enjoyed the sights of the city. One uncle from an adjacent shop
around the Cosmopolitan College area waved at me and asked if I’d
like some Bak Kut Teh. I said no thanks and told I’ve prepared
breakfast, as I showed my two PowerGels. That was kind of funny as I
looked back after the run.
I pushed all the way to the 32nd km mark. We were given a PowerGel.
I did some stretching and iced my thigh. A cramp was imminent so I
iced and stretched my leg. I continued my run. The heat was getting
on us and I could still remember it was 11 minutes to 8am. I crossed
34km mark at 8 am sharp. I was even more hopeful that a sub-four was
within my reach if I could take it easy from now. Another 8km to go
in an hour was more than enough for me.
I didn’t think I was over-confident. The unexpected turned on me. A
severe cramp took place at the 35th km mark. When the muscle
contracted, I tripped and nearly fell. I started praying for divine
intervention. I thought I had to make my way through slowly for
another one kilometer before I could be aided at the next station.
Suddenly, I spotted a DBKL truck about 100 meters from where I was
hit with the cramp, and it was loaded with first aid, mineral water
and isotonic drinks. It was unusual. My prayers were answered. I
stopped by the truck and got some ice and isotonic drinks. I did
some stretching and left the place.
I began with a slow jog before stepping on my pace. The cramp set in
again. It was really frustrating and at that point of time, all I’d
wish was to get a pair of legs transplanted. I guess it was
hypoglycaemia again. The last 6 kilometers were torturous. My hope
of a sub-four suddenly vanished. My focus shifted from achieving
sub-four to making back to the finishing line. I remembered Dr
William once told us that it is better to stop and rest the muscle
than force yourself to run because a severe cramp, if not treated,
would lead to a more serious injury, like muscle tear. The thought
of a muscle tear that could later end my running “career” has put me
on a very tough spot. I had a strong reason to sit on an ambulance
and head back to the finishing line, as compared to risk a muscle
tear and never run a marathon for a year or more. Continue or not to
continue?
It wasn’t long before I made my decision to continue “no matter
what” when I met another group of Pacesetter members at the bridge
deck flashing placards with words of encouragement like “You can
make it!”, “Don’t Give Up!”, “Boleh!”, “2km more to go!”, along with
flags being waved. That was really uplifting.
My pace was reduced to walk-jog-walk throughout the last few
kilometers. At the 37th kilometer, somewhere at the u-turn at Jalan
Duta, I was glad to meet several good runners and some of them were
also down with cramps. Behind me were a few more runners having the
same predicament. I was thinking, “What is wrong with all of us
today!” This can’t be happening after we how far we’ve gone in
training.
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| I met up with the Pacesetters at the
bridge deck who cheered on us. I was delighted to see John and Wai
Mun, both of whom I got to know when we did last year’s Songkhla
Marathon. Of course there were two more members whom I did not know
their names (my apologies). I told them, “Cramp! Cramp! Cramp!” Then
Wai Mun replied, “Keep to your pace! Keep to your pace!” It was
difficult for me to keep to my pace because the muscles just do not
respond anymore. All the saying of “it’s all in your mind” did not
work anymore. When I reached the last water station, I took it
slowly. I knew the finishing line was not far away. Two kilometers,
the most. It was then that I met another Sarawakian runner whom I
met in acquaintance that very moment and we chatted quite naturally.
He was also down like me. He did his 30km at 2 hours 40minutes and
ended up like me. We both agreed that the weather was quite
unforgiving that day but I’d also added that we may have pushed too
much at the start and resulted in this state.
Anyway, both of us inched our way to the finishing line. I told him
to go first. I guess I wasn’t that keen on the position. After all,
it was over 4 hours. So, what the heck! But prior to crossing the
finishing line, I met one Famemas member who was there to support
us. Shafari ran the 10km and as promised, he did wait for me to
cross the finishing line. He cheered me on.
Upon reaching the finishing line, I had to put on a tough front so
as to make a clean and stable finishing “look”. Must have some
“style” I thought. I saw many Pacesetter members including those who
finished the 10km run earlier. They cheered on us. Though I was
elated by the support rendered, my leg did not correspond to the
cheers. Instead, I had to cramp my way through in three occasions
before I crossed the finishing line. I had great sigh when I finally
did!
My timing; 4 hours 15minutes. An improvement from KLIM 2003. |
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| I had to cramp my way through in three
occasions before I crossed the finishing line. |
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How do I rate this
year’s race? Well, the organizing was a lot better and I like the
microchip timing system. In terms of finishing the race, I must
attest that this has been the most torturous race ever! Cramp for
6kilometers, no joke! Can you dig that? |
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| I saw many Pacesetter members including
those who finished the 10km run earlier. |
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I regretted not to take Monday off to
rest and heal both my legs from exhaustion. I thought I could sit in
the office but had an appointment with the authorities to wrap
things up on the newly opened Penchala Link. So, you must have
guessed how difficult it was for me to inspect the Penchala Link
with a “partially-handicapped” person whom the authorities later did
not believe I did a marathon. Oh yes, there are still people who
think a marathon race is 10km. Sigh…how tragic!
After my first marathon in last year’s KLIM, I told myself never to
attempt another marathon. This year was my third marathon. I guess
many of us go through this phase and humans being humans, we have
short term memory of what we said before. This time, I chose not to
say the same thing. Instead, I asked myself, “Penang or Ipoh?”
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| Happy Running
Pacesetters and Thank You for all your support! |
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