~contributed by Michelle~
Event Date: Mar 14
Event Date: Mar 14
Venue: Bukit Jalil
Distance: 15km for Coach, 10km for the mere mortals
Before the recce of the race route:
Chantelle: Coach, i aim to do sub 50! I'll push this time!Before the recce of the race route:
Coach: I'll try to break 50mins for 15km. Not easy but it's a challenge
Coach to Gabor: What's your PB for 10km? 42mins? Try to go for PB.
Gabor to Coach: Let's see, i'll try.
Me to Coach: What should i aim for? I guess i'll aim for 46:59
Coach to Me: 45:59.
Me: 46:59.
Coach: 45:59.
AFTER the recce of the race route:
Chantelle: Think i'll be happy with sub 60. I'll aim for PB another time.
Gabor: I'll not run for the timing this time, there's no point. I'll try to go for good position
Me to Coach: I think i'll be happy with a 48:59.
Coach to Me: *Silence* (means consent)Gabor: I'll not run for the timing this time, there's no point. I'll try to go for good position
Me to Coach: I think i'll be happy with a 48:59.
I guess that gives you an inkling of how challenging the route was. I kid you not but the only flat portions were the start and the finish which were hardly more than 100m each. This has got to be most consistent race route i've attempted- consistently going up and down. My quads and hamstrings were given a very thorough workout.
We reached the race site 55mins prior to race start (35mins for coach's start). My warm up routine this time was the simplest so far- 2 x 200m jog to the ladies and back + one tiny round of the stadium carpark + stretching. No striding whatsoever. I didn't have the usual pre-race jitters and in fact, i felt unusually calm. Maybe because the distance was something that i was comfortable with (it's less than 1 loop round MacRitchie!) and i did not have any expectations for this race- not with the roller coaster terrain.
Fast forward to 5 mins from race start. There were about 500 participants for the 10km category so it wasn't that crowded as the start area was pretty spacious . Coach repeatedly warned Gabor and I to squeeze right to the front. Given the naughty-boy attitude of Gabor and the too-paisay-to-stand-right-in-front mentality of mine, we happily settled for the 6th row.
10secs to race start. Legs ok- check. Feel good and fresh enough- check. Tough and mentally strong enough to take on the slopes- check.
The moment one turns out from the start pen, there was already a gentle and long slope eagerly welcoming you. This was followed by a sharp left turn-more slope-right turn-another slope (!!) and this pattern continues....
I had this athletic Indian girl in sight for the 1st 3km. She was keeping a good pace and we were taking turns to lead. But she fell back after 3km and i could not spot any ladies in front. On and off, i'll try to draft behind male runners. I digress- Somehow, from experience, drafting beside a male runner is tough because whenever they spot a lady beside them, they will accelerate and drop me behind. Then when i come up to beside them again, they accelerate again..Men's ego @ work?
The most memorable slope of the race was this particularly steep and winding one in a park at about 5ish km. If the earlier slopes were daunting, this was a slap in your face. I slowed down to a trot. I couldn't and didn't want to push because i had no idea how freaking long the slope was. (We didn't recce this part of the route). What kept my legs moving was my mantra of "whatever that goes up has to come down".
After we exited the park, it was a gradual downslope which allowed runners much cardio respite, alas not for too long. After a left turn, one is greeted by the KING of the slopes. If the earlier steep slope in the park was a slap in the face, then this was a punch in the nose. Mentally, i was prepared for this slope and given that this would be the last slope before approaching the finish, I pushed myself as much as my legs and lungs could take. There were cones to segregate the running lane from the traffic and they were spaced about 5m apart. As i willed myself up the slope, i did a countdown from 15 for every cone i passed. This allowed a self delusional distraction from the latic burn in the quads. 15....10....huffin'....8...heavin'.......5....puffin'...3...2....1. I looked up. Darn. 15 wasn't enough. But i was almost there. I could see the summit.
After i hit the crest, i saw the comforting sight of coach. Comforting because it meant the finish was near by. Usually i could manage a smile when i see him but this time, i only had enough left to raise my eyebrow in acknowledgement. Nonetheless, his thunderous "GO MICHELLE" spurred me for the last 1km (actually it was because i thought there was another lady closing in that's why he shouted exceptionally loud and that prompted me to pick up my pace).
After a mountainous journey, finally i could see the finish in sight. I squeezed out whatever that was left and sprinted for the finish. As i clicked the "stop" button on my polar, i glanced at my watch and took a double take at the screen. The screen read "46:55". An unexpected result indeed. It was a PB of 6 secs. The official handed me a tag that says "Women Open 1st". Oh wow, that was another huge surprise.
Gabor achieved a commendable 11th placing, chantelle 5th and the runner-from-another-planet aka Coach did an impressive 52mins for 15km and had all other runners eat his dust. He was just 2 mins away from walking off with a jacuzzi from Bareno. (The jacuzzi was a special prize for any Malaysian who could break 50mins for 15km).
The Malaysian hospitality was impressive with free chendol, tau huay, milo and fruits at the race carnival. A pity i did not have the appetite for them as my stomach was still churning from the roller coaster ride.
Enroute to Singapore in the long car journey, i reflected on the race. What we face everyday in this Living is analogous to the uphills and downhills in the race. When the path gets steeper and you find yourself at the brink of giving up, just remember- Whatever that goes up, has to come down.
We reached the race site 55mins prior to race start (35mins for coach's start). My warm up routine this time was the simplest so far- 2 x 200m jog to the ladies and back + one tiny round of the stadium carpark + stretching. No striding whatsoever. I didn't have the usual pre-race jitters and in fact, i felt unusually calm. Maybe because the distance was something that i was comfortable with (it's less than 1 loop round MacRitchie!) and i did not have any expectations for this race- not with the roller coaster terrain.
Fast forward to 5 mins from race start. There were about 500 participants for the 10km category so it wasn't that crowded as the start area was pretty spacious . Coach repeatedly warned Gabor and I to squeeze right to the front. Given the naughty-boy attitude of Gabor and the too-paisay-to-stand-right-in-front mentality of mine, we happily settled for the 6th row.
10secs to race start. Legs ok- check. Feel good and fresh enough- check. Tough and mentally strong enough to take on the slopes- check.
The moment one turns out from the start pen, there was already a gentle and long slope eagerly welcoming you. This was followed by a sharp left turn-more slope-right turn-another slope (!!) and this pattern continues....
I had this athletic Indian girl in sight for the 1st 3km. She was keeping a good pace and we were taking turns to lead. But she fell back after 3km and i could not spot any ladies in front. On and off, i'll try to draft behind male runners. I digress- Somehow, from experience, drafting beside a male runner is tough because whenever they spot a lady beside them, they will accelerate and drop me behind. Then when i come up to beside them again, they accelerate again..Men's ego @ work?
The most memorable slope of the race was this particularly steep and winding one in a park at about 5ish km. If the earlier slopes were daunting, this was a slap in your face. I slowed down to a trot. I couldn't and didn't want to push because i had no idea how freaking long the slope was. (We didn't recce this part of the route). What kept my legs moving was my mantra of "whatever that goes up has to come down".
After we exited the park, it was a gradual downslope which allowed runners much cardio respite, alas not for too long. After a left turn, one is greeted by the KING of the slopes. If the earlier steep slope in the park was a slap in the face, then this was a punch in the nose. Mentally, i was prepared for this slope and given that this would be the last slope before approaching the finish, I pushed myself as much as my legs and lungs could take. There were cones to segregate the running lane from the traffic and they were spaced about 5m apart. As i willed myself up the slope, i did a countdown from 15 for every cone i passed. This allowed a self delusional distraction from the latic burn in the quads. 15....10....huffin'....8...heavin'.......5....puffin'...3...2....1. I looked up. Darn. 15 wasn't enough. But i was almost there. I could see the summit.
After i hit the crest, i saw the comforting sight of coach. Comforting because it meant the finish was near by. Usually i could manage a smile when i see him but this time, i only had enough left to raise my eyebrow in acknowledgement. Nonetheless, his thunderous "GO MICHELLE" spurred me for the last 1km (actually it was because i thought there was another lady closing in that's why he shouted exceptionally loud and that prompted me to pick up my pace).
After a mountainous journey, finally i could see the finish in sight. I squeezed out whatever that was left and sprinted for the finish. As i clicked the "stop" button on my polar, i glanced at my watch and took a double take at the screen. The screen read "46:55". An unexpected result indeed. It was a PB of 6 secs. The official handed me a tag that says "Women Open 1st". Oh wow, that was another huge surprise.
Gabor achieved a commendable 11th placing, chantelle 5th and the runner-from-another-planet aka Coach did an impressive 52mins for 15km and had all other runners eat his dust. He was just 2 mins away from walking off with a jacuzzi from Bareno. (The jacuzzi was a special prize for any Malaysian who could break 50mins for 15km).
The Malaysian hospitality was impressive with free chendol, tau huay, milo and fruits at the race carnival. A pity i did not have the appetite for them as my stomach was still churning from the roller coaster ride.
Enroute to Singapore in the long car journey, i reflected on the race. What we face everyday in this Living is analogous to the uphills and downhills in the race. When the path gets steeper and you find yourself at the brink of giving up, just remember- Whatever that goes up, has to come down.
