Tag Archives: LSD

My kind of New Year Celebration

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Other than an occasional 5-10km runs, I have been taking time off from long distance running. I just needed to give my feet some rest and explore other interests (and fell in love with Crossfit along the way, it will be a permanent part of my cross-trainings). So today, armed with a fresh and festive New Year spirit, I decided to take on a very ambitious route with a few friends to kick start my 2017 running schedule: Gombak – Genting Sempah – Gombak, which I affectionately call as the mini-Route68 Challenge. What better way to celebrate the New Year than to do some LSD, right?

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Route 68 Challenge is an ultra marathon that starts from Gombak to Genting Sempah, and then all the way up to Bentong, Janda Baik, Bukit Tinggi, etc. The mini-Route68 that I ran today (Gombak – Genting Sempah – Gombak) was only 34km. It is also a popular training route not just for runners, but for cyclist as well due to it’s elevation and winding roads. As early as 7am, the parking lot at the base of the route was already filled with people. There are not many vehicles along this route because there is a new highway to go to Genting Sempah, plus there are plenty of trees and wide open views. But running alone is not recommended as there are monkeys and dogs along the way. Plus, it is a self-support route – there are no petrol stations, toilets, or shops along the way. It is better to have at least a partner to run with you just in case you need additional food or water.

I did not take much photos along the way, but the route looks just the same as this Google photo

I did not take much photos along the way, but the route looks just the same as this Google photo. Lush greenery along the way, it was indeed a very beautiful route.

As a first timer on that route, I did not set very high expectations; I just wanted to complete 34km in under 5 hours. Unfortunately, we exceeded the target by about 30 minutes. It was raining all the way until we get to the Genting Sempah, and there was no shelter. Luckily, there was no thunderstorm so we were determined to complete the whole mini-Route68. We took about 2 hours 30 mins going up the 17km from Gombak, then stopped to refuel and dry up at Genting Sempah R&R. As I have not ran more than 10km for a really long time, I had to resort to run-walk-run-walk even when going downhill. I seriously need to build up my endurance and stamina again for some long distance events coming up!

Elevation profile, taken from the official Route 68 website. We did not run until 50km though

Elevation profile, taken from the official Route 68 website. We did not run until 50km though.

While running, I was imagining the actual Route 68 Challenge which will take place in April 2017. Will I have the guts to register for that event, given my not-so-stellar performance at today’s LSD training?

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner

“Jaguh kampung”*

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*for my non-Malaysian readers, “jaguh kampung” can be loosely translated as a homeground winner

When was the last time you get to know your own community? Some prefer to mingle through volunteering, such as through recycling programmes or “gotong royong”. Others like to invite their neighbours over during festivities. For me, I like to get to know my community doing what I love the most: running. Last Sunday I decided to join a 10K run around my neighbourhood in a small-scale event. What better way to know my neighbours than to run with them? There was no fancy sponsors and organizers – it was supported by the Residence Association and the local city council (MBSA), with prizes and goodies mostly contributed by neighbourhood shops and local businesses.

As it was a simple event, there were not many participants. From my rough estimation, there were less than 100 women for all categories: 10km, 7km, and 3km. There were also 3 Kenyans only (no point trying to outrun them, my short Asian feet will never be able to keep up!). The route was also my regular running route – I knew every turn, elevation, and landmark by heart. Based on these parameters, I concluded that my chances to finish in the top 5 for the Open Women category was pretty high.

Very early in the race (at about 1km) I was overtaken by the Kenyans. I let them take the lead, for I know I will not be able to match their 4:00 – 5:00min/km pace. As you might have read from my previous running posts, I am not a fast runner. I maintained my regular pace of 6:30 – 7:00min/km for the first half of the race, however I was leading among the women after the Kenyans and about 20 male participants. I can see a few other female runners just right behind me a few hundred meters away. They eventually dropped out and started to walk. After securing that no female runner could overtake me, I got comfortable and complacent, so my pace slowed to about 7:30-8:00min/km. I cruised away until the finishing line and finished in 2nd place for the 10km Open Women category.

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From right: The Champion, The Runner Up, and The Second Runner Up

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Despite the small-scale event, it was surprisingly well-organized. With the exception of a few hiccups during the bib and t-shirt collection, the event went smoothly. They did not compromise on safety; police, RELA, and the ambulance were patrolling along the route. The direction and distance markers were clear, and at every water station there were enough water and even bananas. I wished that there were timing chips and the medal design could be improved, but since the registration was pretty cheap at RM45, the price point matches the quality of the event.

I was happy that I managed to finish in 2nd place but I was more happy when I see participants having fun and enjoying themselves while getting to know each other in this event. In conclusion, we should always support our local community and contribute back in whatever way we can, no matter how small the event might sound or how insignificant our efforts might be.

Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.