Almost every Saturday or Sunday, I have been trying to consistently clock in about 15km to prepare myself for my first full marathon (and I know that that I am still under-training). So the routine before a long run will usually involve packing my waist pouch with power gel, water bottle, plus other required items, and hunting down my headphones, non-chaffing socks, etc. However, last Saturday, I participated in the 10km event for IMU Chariofare Run and none of those was required.

I forgot how simple it is to run 10km – no carbo-loding required, a comfortable distance, no power gel to be carried, no fancy gear required like water belt, bladder pack, etc. It was purely getting up, get dressed, go for a run. And Nashata’s Mumtaz hijab makes everything simpler – all I had to do was just slip it on and go!

Essentials for a 10km run: The grey Mumtaz hijab and Ultra top in Turquoise.

The race was held at International Medical University (IMU), Bukit Jalil, Malaysia, flagging off at 6.30 am. The haze condition has somewhat cleared up around Kuala Lumpur. The air quality has improved over the past few days, but today’s running condition is not really optimum because I can still feel the heat from the residual haze. However, I manage to complete the run in 75 minutes. Not my personal best, but I’ll run another 10km tomorrow to catch up on my mileage so I don’t want to over-exert myself for today.

 Obligatory finishing picture with medal. The Mumtaz hijab goes pretty well with the Turquoise Ultra – My blue top for the not-so-blue skies. Keep your chin up everyone, we’ll brave through this haze together.

After the run there was a carnival. I still had some energy so I’d thought it would be fun to hang around and contribute to the good cause. There were booths set up by the students, selling items like food, pre-loved clothings, and fun-fair games. IMU is lucky to have students from all over the world, so I tried food from Iraq, India, and Korea. I guess everything smells and tastes good after working out!

 A friend of mine was part of the organizing committee so it would be great to support her by joining this event. Plus, the event was for a good cause: to raise funds for the university’s welfare partners such as Penang Hospice Society, Ti-Ratana Welfare House, and many more.

The crowd was very encouraging, everyone was in high spirits! Keep up the good cause, folks!

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.