Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn

A few weeks ago, we were fortunate to have Jason Robinson during our regular Tuesday night runs with Kyserun Krew. Jason Robinson from Mont Kiara Running Club (MKRC) is a well-known ultra running figure in the local community who won 1st place in TMMT 2016 100km and 4th place in TMBT 2016 100km. He shared his experience and a few training tips, stating that his regular training grounds are Kiara Park Trail and occasionally Gunung Nuang.

Last Sunday, just like most running Sundays, I was excited to participate in an event called Conquer the Trails @ Kiara Trail Run 2017. With Jason Robinson’s tips still fresh in my mind, I was excited to run through the same training grounds as an ultramarathoner! I was unable to verify if this was the same route taken by MKRC, but while running they looked pretty confident and they know where they are going so I guess they are familiar with this route. The total elevation gained with the 13km course was around 530 – 550m (depending on your GPS watch), so if you are training for an ultramarathon, repeat the loop several times so get enough mileage and total elevation gained.

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Never too bright or pink for the trails

Never too bright or pink for the trails. A little bit too optimistic for what lies ahead I guess?

And as for me, I have only ran on the road portion of this park during my Tuesday night runs or on weekends. The trails, on the other hand, is a total uncharted territory for me. Elevation is no stranger in any trail run, however, this time I allowed it to get the best of me. I had to stop in the middle of my climb to catch my breath – a sign that I need to work on my endurance and stamina again. I admit that since this is the first trail run of the year, I have not set foot in any trails for quite some time. I forgot how it felt to be agile yet nimble while running in the trail – my feet were clumsy and my movements were too calculative. All of these cost precious time, so it took me 3 hours 31 minutes to complete the route, with a sinking feeling that I knew I could do better.

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Not my best race but I'll be back!

Not my best race but I’ll be back!

This trail run serves as a hard reminder that I need to train more off-road to build again the skills, stamina, and endurance that was lost during my off-season for the past few months. It looks like I have some serious catching-up to do, so expect more trail runs for the next few months!

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner

I love this BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) concept at any trail run. Look at how clean this water station is!

I love this BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) concept at any trail run. Look at how clean this water station is!