Running for Rare Disease

After my first experience raising small amount of funds for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2019 – Run for a Reason, I knew I would run again to raise funds for charity, be it for the same or other cause. I learned that raising funds for charity is not easy, at least for me. It’s like having thick skin to get people to understand the cause and charity. You get people judging, ignoring and block you, and of course, you get friends and strangers who support the cause, unexpected ones who donate and one or two who would go extra mile to be your voice. The last two of course, very little.

Despite those challenges, I do not feel I should stop running for a cause and fortunately, when I was looking at registering for the Malaysia Women Marathon 2020, I saw a new category – Fund Raising for Malaysia Rare Disease Society. I quickly contacted the organiser to register as the link to register for that category was not ready yet. I was sold for two reasons: Firstly, running for a cause adds more meaning to my runs and secondly, it was for Lily, an 18 year old angel who suffered a rare disease – AADC since birth till the day she died on the 4th July 2019. She was the eldest child of my schoolmate Melati Khalid and Shariman Kamarulzaman.

Although Lily has left us, I hope to spread awareness about rare diseases and hope to bring good impact to a child or two.

 

Malaysia Women Marathon 2021 Goes Virtual

This International Women’s Day is just the motivation
you need to stay active in the post Covid-19 era as the MCIS Life-Malaysia Women
Marathon 2021 (MLMWM 2021) debuts with a difference.


Aligned with the latest social distancing SOPs, the event is expected to draw over 2,000
runners, joggers, walkers and cyclists, who would be clocking in their distance covered
with the help of various digital health applications and devices.

“We’ve had a lot of request from the public and the fan base of MWM which is South
East Asia’s only women’s marathon, to keep the show running this year. After detailed
discussions with the organisers of MWM, we have decided to proceed by allowing all
participants to run, walk, jog or cycle indoors or outdoors, in their own venues and
submit their results to us electronically,” explained Prasheem Seebran, CEO and
Managing Director of MCIS Life.

Into its 9th year running, today’s race launch was done entirely via Facebook and
YouTube featuring prominent women from various industries joining in, namely Elivira
Arul, Malaysia’s favorite ballad queen.

“Our event has its history tied back to the cause of raising awareness around women
empowerment and other associated challenges faced by women. We didn’t want to
miss the opportunity of celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day which carries
the theme #ChooseToChallenge with a difference.

“Being the only women’s marathon in South East Asia, our first event this year goes
virtual, provides various distance options, categories and even welcomes cyclists to our
growing family. With this, we’re hoping women, men and children aged above 15 join us
in a fun filled month long event to stay fit and active in accordance with the prevailing
SOPs,” added Karen Loh, founder of MWM.

Into the second year as the title sponsor, MCIS Life has worked behind the scene with
MWM to offer the following options for those keen on registering for the event this time:
 One-month timeline to complete the distance chosen: 8 March – 8 April 2021
 4 distance options for runners, walkers & joggers to choose from: 50km, 100km,
150 km or 250km
 Cyclists are required to clock in 400km to complete the challenge An elite level is available for those attempting to run a full or half marathon in a
single attempt


As is the tradition every year, the event will feature various other attractions including
exciting contests, opportunity to raise funds for a community cause, live talks on issues
relevant to community well-being as well as efforts to bring to light achievements of
notable women entrepreneurs, professionals and health enthusiasts.
For more information on discounts for registration as well as details of the race, please
visit the social media pages of MCIS Life and MWM.

from Event Press Release

Running on the International Women’s Day 2020

The Malaysia Women Marathon (MWM) is a yearly running event that happens on International Women’s Day. It’s 8th version in 2020 and it was called off three days before the race day due to the coronavirus (COVID19). Many got upset about the last minute decision by the organiser and sponsor. The run was called off when the exhibitors and sponsors were already on race village to set up. The MWM was not the only race that got cancelled or postponed. However, other runs in Klang Valley went ahead on the same day -> Malaysia Youth Run 2020 & Kuala Lumpur City Day Half Marathon 2020.

Despite the cancellation, the three day expo continued at Padang Timur of Petaling Jaya. Runners came to pick up their race kits and finisher items as promised by the organiser. I was not able to go and got someone to pick up mine. I opened the race pack the day after the race day just to find the shirt I ordered was the wrong type and the finisher buff missing. This was not the first time such thing happen. A friend who ran the half marathon last year was not given the finisher buff too. I checked the event facebook page and saw many angry comments about not receiving 5km medals, even on the last date.

Hibiscus Dog Tag & Farhati’s Finisher Buff by the Malaysia Women Marathon

I committed to run the half marathon and raise funds for the Malaysia Rare Disease Society. I had obligations to keep to my words, especially towards donors who collectively contributed RM1,140 to the cause. I just had to run. I knew many wanted to run too. After all, it is a good practice to earn the medal. So, I put up a post on my instagram, inviting others and Nashata Runners to join me.

The morning twilight by Putrajaya Lakeside

A few wanted to join but a couple of turned up to run on International Women’s Day. It was a 8 km loop around the Putrajaya Lake starting from Perdana Lake Jogging Track . It was a safe and scenic route, with a couple of public toilets along the way. I brought some water, coconut water, energy bars and mars chocolate and left them at the gazebo where we started (at the Perdana Lake Jogging Track). Below was the route.

8 km loop Perdana Lakeview

We started running at 6:40am and finished when the sun was scorching hot. The first loop with Farhani and Farhati was easy and breezy, while the second loop after the 15km mark was a bit hard for both of us due to the heat. We stopped after the first loop to replenish and ran slowly until we finished the second loop under 3 hours.

Throughout the run, we bumped into other MWM runners, some solo and some in a group of two. All of them ran in a great spirit of International Women’s Day!

Half marathon  route from Perdana Lake Jogging Track. It is a loop of about 10km each. We made 2 loops to achieve 21km

Now, I feel I do not need to run in races. Having a bigger cause, like raising funds for special need groups make running more meaningful. After all, with availability of public toilets, GPS/Running watches and running companions you can just train frequently and run with your friends. If I want to push the envelope, I would just join major and well-managed marathons for a good experience!

RM1,140 Raised for the Malaysia Rare Disease Society

Happy International Women’s Day! #EachforEqual. To me, every women is strong and beautiful. It is a day for us to celebrate. Here’s sending lotsa love ♥♥♥ to the ladies out there.

The runners made the best of the day, no matter where we were. Intan ran 15km in Nilai on International Women’s Day.

Take advantage of Nashata RM20/USD5/SGD3.5 voucher valid until 11 March when you purchase more than RM100/USD25/ worth of items at nashata.com. Use vouchercode EachforEqual.

Gift Voucher Women’s Day

FullBody Workout – 4 Sets – NO Equipment Needed

Salam Sisters,

Here is a new video in the NO Equipment Series.
Today it No Equipment FULLBODY Workout.
All you need is your energy and some space.

How to use this video?
I have 4 sets of full body workout out. Pick which ones you want to do and repeat each move 10-15 times. Then repeat them 3 times.

Workout Outfits Details: 

Sports Hijab:
– Hooda Ellipse in Black

Modest Sports Tops: 
– Ultra Top II in Pink
– Ultra Hoodie Gen in Gold and White
– Zipper Hoodie in Grey

Leggings: 
– Riada Training Pants II
– Riada Sweat Pants II

Use Code “NURA’ for 10% discount from Nashata.com 

Keep It Healthy,
Nura

20 Arms Workouts – No Equipment Needed (Indoors or Outdoors)

Dear Sisters,

In this video, I share 20 Arm workouts that will help your arms stay strong and toned. You can do those workouts ANYTIME and ANYWHERE.
– NO EQUIPMENT NEEDED 
– NO GYM NEEDED
All you need is your energy and some space.

How can you put those workouts into use?
Pick 5 of the workouts, repeat each move 10-15 time, then do 3 sets of all.

WORKOUT CLOTHES DETAILS:

Sports Hijab:
– Hooda Ellips Sports Hijab in Black
– Hooda Hijab for Dry and wet use with Zipper in Beige
– Raazglove in Grey
(I like to keep my sports hijabs under my clothes. This is just my preference)

Modest Sports Tops:
– Athleisure Top in Purple
– Ultra Top Galaxy Collection II in Pink
– Ultra Top Galaxy Collection in Beige
– Azza Topltic in Blue

Pants: 
– Jasmine Pants

Share with me if you do any of those workouts.
let me know if you have any questions or request specific workout videos.

Use Code “NURA’ for 10% discount from nashata.com

Keep It Healthy
Nura 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running at the 6th Malaysia Women Marathon

Ladies ran in tutus, colorful attires and all sorts of gears. But it’s not just the ladies, the male pacers ran in tutus too at the Malaysia Women Marathon (MWM). That was how supportive the men are!  Indeed there were more men at the recent MWM. After all, 18% and 26% of the finishers at the Half Marathon and Full Marathon respectively were men.

Ran the Full Marathon in this new design – a swimwear

Runners in Tutu

The categories at the MWM were the 5 km, 10 km, 21 km and 42 km. Ladies came to the run for fun and sisterhood. Many took advantage of the event to catch up with girl friends the healthy way. That was why, the 5 km category is the most popular, with more than 2,300 registered runners, followed by 1,700 runners for 10 km. I participated in the least famous category – the full marathon with 250 registered runners (including male pacers). 166 ran that morning and only 61 runners finished, and 74% of the finishers were ladies. Many were not able to finish their run, not because they were not able to finish within the cut off time, but was stopped at many points due to safety reasons. I was one of the unfortunate ones.

Info from MWM Organiser

The route

The route for 10 km, 21 km and 42 km were the same, only that the later two required more rounds. It was a loop of 10 km. Sounds pretty simple, but many didn’t know the 10 km route consisted of many inclines, one after another. That’s quite a challenge to offer to lady runners, but they braved through the ‘obstacles’ anyways.

Since all runners except the 5 km category shared the same route, we bumped into each other a lot. I was tired after 7 am after 3 hours of running and just watched the 10 km runners speeding away. As I went through the hills for the 3rd round, my legs were already in pain and looking at hills ahead was not encouraging. What came through my mind was crazy. I never hated running till that day. I felt my wimpy legs were back and that running was not for me. It was my worst run. I always enjoyed the races I participated in. The pain and hardship were expected, but this time, it was different. Going through hills one after another in 4 loops just killed my motivation. I was determined to finish the run anyways and reserved my energy to go through the hill for the last loop. When I reached the 3rd checkpoint, they stopped me although it was just 4 hr 30 mins only. The volunteers claimed it was not safe to run and that I could run at my own risk as they were not able to control the traffic. True – I saw no traffic policemen at all! I ran back to the finish line feeling devastated.

Moreover, the motorists need to be considerate and thoughtful in having some tolerance in supporting public sports event. We witnessed roudy behaviour of motorists wanting traffic to move at roundabout junction and honked incessantly. When the runners tried to explained, the drivers lashed out with bad words. Some motorists stopped and moved the cones so they could move. This shouldn’t have happened in a civil society.

3/4 of the Elevation for Full Marathon

I arrived at the Race Village looking at happy faces taking loads of pictures at Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam. Everybody loved the medal! Congrats to all running sisters, looking pretty and sweaty always!

I had friends who finished the full marathon at previous MWM and said would run back again, but only for 5 km. Now, I understood why. The marathon was suited for elite runners. Three days after the run, only the 61 finisher names were listed on the race result page. I did not expect an e-cert from this race, but it was as if I didn’t even run.

Faces of Happy Finishers

The half marathon Finishers!

The half marathon finishers

We will finish our next Full Marathon, insyaAllah. More training required!

Supposed to be Nahsuhah's 13th Full Marathon, but unable to complete.

Supposed to be Nahsuhah’s 13th Full Marathon, but unable to complete.

Finishers get a bouquet of white orchids

Ever Supportive Running Ladies

What I like about this year’s run?

  • Plenty safety cones
  • Amazingly supportive and cheerful volunteers. They cheered for runners along the way, non-stop.
  • Many and supportive pacers. Amazing!
  • RELA volunteers worked hard managing the traffic at roundabouts and junctions
  • Many water stations
  • Route was shady
  • Lovely finisher items
  • Glamorous and colorful

Some key learning :

  • Physically go through the route prior to the race
  • Run long distance races at major running events
  • More hill training, more training
  • It is about the experience. Choose the one that pushes you forward

I ran in Nashata new swimwear design. Yes, a swimwear – i just felt like running in it that day! Till we run again! Woman Up! #pressforprogress

Note : Pictures are from MWM organiser, running sisters and Super Sergio

Meet Nashata Plus-Size Model – Nurul Noorzain

Our search for Plus Size Model ended when we found Nurul, a 28 year old graphic designer who is based in Johor.  She is confident in her size, commit to her body positively and making commitment to loose weight by changing her lifestyle – by working out and eating healthy.

Late last year in 2017, Nurul made a personal commitment to loose weight. She managed to shed 14 kg the past 3 months by walking or running every day before she goes to work. She improves her diet by having oat, bread  and salad in the morning and reduces rice intake. For snack, she indulges herself with fruits.

Nurul Noor Zain parading at Nashata Fashion Show at the Malaysia Women Marathon 2018. She was in Nashata Amina Sports Hijab and Riada Nahl Sports Top

Nurul was an active lady until she got injured in 2014. She enjoyed hiking and trailing and had to stop when she had a bad fall while hiking at Gunung Datuk Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Now, after a couple of years of recovery, with plates in her leg, she started to be active back again. Determined to loose weight, she joined a couple of weight programs that focus on fundamentals. Her friends, like Intan Aina help her during weight lost journey.

Sisterhood – Nurul & Intan. Intan is an avid runner who got Nurul to register into Nashata Model Search Program

As Nashata Plus Size Model, Nurul gets:

  • to be Nashata Model
  • to be one of models at Malaysia Women Marathon(MWM) Fashion Show in March 2018
  • supplies of Nashata Plus-Size Products for 3 months
  • to be featured in Nashata Blog
  • AND run at the Malaysia Women Marathon! (this is a bonus)

Nurul’s 1st 5km Run was at the Malaysia Women Marathon, and tells us she wants to participate more! She wore Nashata Amina Sports Hijab, Ultra Galaxy Top and Riada Active Pants.

What did she say about wearing and running in Nashata?

"Sangat Selesa, Tak Panas, Tak Pelekat"
Very comfortable, cooling and does not stick to her body.

AND she looked good in them!

Celebrating Diversity @ Nashata Fashion Show, Malaysia Women Marathon

Wefie Moment During Photoshoot!

Nurul currently weighs 106 kg, BMI-30  and targets to achieve a healthy BMI. We will cover and feature her progress. She traveled from Johor to be join the girly fun with us.

So do come back for more and check out her instagram account to find out more about confident Nurul! Support her!

BE FIT BE YOU!

‘For a Better 2017’ to ‘Woman Up 2018’!

The year is coming to its end and we hope you are achieving your goals, especially your fitness goals. Nevertheless, here’s a thumbs up ? for all of us – for trying, for training, for getting up early, for reminding each other to eat healthy and keeping fit, for sharing, for motivating each other in our own ways, for pushing the boundaries, for breaking stereotypes, for friendship, for not quitting, for taking care of ourselves and the list goes on. Fitness is a lifestyle, a journey, so let’s continue improving our routines.

The theme for 2017 is #ForABetter2017 and alhamdulillah, 2017 is a healthy year for our dear customers, partners and us. We get more and more sharing from our beautiful sisters – about their victories and fitness journeys, we get to build more innovative products and foster friendships and partnerships with amazing people across the globe. Best of all – to know that we are all growing in our own ways, every moment.

Thumbs Up for a Great 2017

Thumbs Up for a Great 2017

Some highlights in 2017 :

  • Being with the Girls in Fitness
    We organised, supported and were part of several fitness events and below are the women-related-ones:

  • Zest of Choices and Innovation in Sports
    1. Purposeful Sports Hijab Designs
      We produced sports hijab designs which are sport-focused. This is to suit the nature of certain sports and dress guidelines. For example, the Hooda Racerback Sports Hijab is for cyclist and runners, while the Hooda Ellipse Sports Hijab is suitable for yoga and inversion. Raazglove with improved fabric is suitable for archery and shooting.
      We also added useful features into our designs. Tunes Series Sports Hijab – are earpiece-friendly as they have small holes for you to insert and remove ear pieces from the outside. We added pockets with zip for the Hooda Sports Hijab and the Hooda Racerback.
    2. Affordable Athleisure Collection
      If you want to stay active and comfortable, you need good athleisure-wear. We produced more leisure-type designs, with affordability and comfort in mind. The fabric is soft and lightweight and designs are simple and pleasant for leisure and vacation! Some of the athleisure designs are the Hooded Cardigan, Athleisure Top, Athleijab (RM39 only), Kebaya Sports and the Hattha Pants. 
    3. More Bottoms
      We have got more bottoms covered for you in 2017 with the top-selling EZ Skirts, more fun and functional leggings, and more pants for modest ladies like the Jasmine and the training pants
  • Conveniences for Customers
    Improved shopping experience at nashata.com. The webstore is more mobile friendly, you can find products easier and now, you can add reviews.
    Also, in our continuous efforts to make Nashata products more affordable (shipping cost is expensive) and accessible(shorter shipping period) for our customers, and to provide better services, together with our partners, we have launched

id.nashata.com

These local-sites carry selected Nashata products, and insyaAllah, more items will be made available and more local-sites will be launched in 2018. If you are keen to be a part of this movement in your region or country, just drop us an email at contactus@nashata.com

From ‘For a Better 2017’ we will ‘Woman Up 2018‘. It simply means we will focus on :

  1. Producing Better Products and Services
    We will continue to produce new and improved products and more inspiring stories of our active sisters on social media. 2018 is about giving more choices for larger and tall ladies. Our search for plus size model is still ongoing till the end of Dec 2017. The link to register : http://bit.ly/NashataPlusSize
  2. Making an impact for women in universities through Nashata University program. We understand the growing challenges as  students to watch weight and eat healthy food and we care about them. Hence, it is our goal to foster active and healthy lifestyle among our sisters in universities. More to be shared soon, insyaAllah.
  3. Woman Up – Beyond Running, Without Boundaries
    We would like to foster more confidence and empowerment within ourselves and our sisters. Let’s push the boundaries and explore excitement in fitness at different levels. It can be about  learning new sports, participating in new races, overcoming our fears and limitations. Remove boundaries, and let’s progress together.

Thank you for a Great 2017. Don’t forget to unwind before the year ends and set your goals for #WomanUp2018 ! ☺

with ✌ & ❤,
eliza & team

Let’s Woman-Up girls!

DNF? Know your limits!

Base on official result of recent Malaysia Women Marathon 2017, 8% of the Full Marathon participants and 1.5% of the Half Marathon participants did not finish (DNF) the race.

DNF or do not finish is something that every runner would try to avoid during races. Even those who are injured or suffering from cramps would try to walk towards the finish line. Some may say they are heroes, some would say that they are hurting themselves. But, as for me,..I wouldn’t want to arrive the finish line by an ambulance.

14606519_1156481307781560_8228988401852841483_n

Reach finishing line within cut off time is every runner’s aim 😉

займы с 18 лет на карту срочно онлайнI have participated in 9 Half Marathons (21km), 12 Full Marathons (42km) and 4 Ultra and alhamdulillah, I finished them all strong.

DNF may occur for a few reasons, and I would like to share with you the common four  and how to avoid them.

1. Lack of training and experience

If you have never trained for a long run; 15km, 20km, don’t even register for a Half Marathon, or even a Full Marathon. Know your limits. As for me, before I join a 10km run, I would run 10km 3-4 times a week. Once satisfied with the timing, I would join a competitive running event. Same goes with the Half Marathon. After I have trained for 21km distances, only then I’d join an event. As for 42km (Full Marathon), I started to join after running 8 Half Marathons. I joined Ultra after I have completed 9 Full Marathons. The point here is you need to have a lot of training and experiences from every single run that you join before you upgrade yourself to another longer distance.

nahsuhah

I try to run 10km at least , 3-4 times a week to maintain my stamina. 🙂

2. You don’t fuel yourself enough 

Some may DNF due to electrolyte imbalance; they may experience cramps or vomiting after half way, and this leads to dehydration. Some may have stomachache, due to spicy food they eat the night or day before. To avoid these problems, do take a lot of fluid ; drink a lot of water, isotonic drink a week before the event to ensure you hydrate well. Eat extra amount of carbohydrate and protein too. On the day of the event or a day before, avoid spicy food. As for me, if the event starts at 4am, my last meal the night before would be at 8pm and if after 8pm, I would take bananas and water. If you eat enough prior to the race, you don’t even need any energy bar/energy gel during the race. Your body is already prepared to use up all the glycogen to transform into glucose once you are in state of starving.

IMG_3523

Fuel yourself enough before and after race.

3. You don’t plan your run

Strategy is very important in every race. As for me, for a 21 km race, I would try to finish the first 10km within my usual time – 1 hour. And then, the next 11 km dragged to 1 hour 10 minutes. If it rains or if the route is tough or if I experience a cramp, I would still finish within 2 hours 30 minutes, InsyaAllah. If you continue slow jog or power walk for the last 5-8 km, you could finish under 3 hours, as long as you run your best the first 10-15 km. As for Full Marathon, my personal best is 4 hours and 57 minutes. My strategy is, I would aim my first 10km within 1 hour  to 1 hour 10 minutes and next 10km within 1 hour 20-30 minutes. So, my first 21km would be at least 2 hours 30 minutes, the slowest. If you maintain 1 hour 30 minutes (pace- 9min/km) for another 2 sets of 10km, InsyaAllah you can finish under 5 hours and 30 minutes. If you can push yourself enough, you would make it within 5 hours and 15 minutes. Last year, I finished my full marathon SCKLM in 5 hours 16 minutes, read my experience → https://blog.nashata.com/?p=6391

Full Marathon at Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2017

Full Marathon at Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2016

4. Not enough rest

Lack of rest and sleep will affect your performance at the race. This issue is not strange if you go for runcation (run + vacation). The tips here is go to the place earlier (1-2 days earlier) so that you can rest well before the race. You will not be in a rush and have more time to calm down and focus during the race.

2016-10-26-photo-00000802-1

Having enough rest is the key for you to recover well after the race.

DNF is better than DNS (Do Not Start). So, whatever challenges there may be, let’s plan ahead and pray for injury-free and pleasant races. After all, what’s is the most important is TRAINING. Train hard, believe in yourself and with that, InsyaAllah, you will finish strong and happy.

Till then, keep running and be inspired!

The 19.8km “half marathon”

IMG_8107Malaysia Women Marathon (MWM), it feels good to be back! Since this is one of the few women-only running events in Malaysia, I would like to give my full support and hopefully, make a difference in the female community. This year I decided to run in the half marathon category instead (last year I did the full marathon).

Here are 3 highlights of the running event:

1.Race kit collection venue

I loved the venue of the race kit collection (Acapella Hotel) because parking and location was convenient, not to mention it was fully air-conditioned too! Plus there were forums, talks, and discussions on-going at the main stage, which were very informative and educational. Here are some of the pictures out and about the REPC:

Dropped by Nashata's booth to check out the new EZ skirt

REPC will not be complete if I did not drop by Nashata’s booth to check out the new EZ skirt!

A familiar face that requires no introduction

Bumped into familiar face that requires no introduction

Unfortunately, the organizers forgot to print my official pacer’s bib number despite him already registering a few weeks prior to this event.This resulted in a very unprofessional-looking bib number with his details hastily scribbled using a marker pen:IMG_8117

2.Route

IMG_8137Just like last year, the route was ‘hilly’ as ever, but I was prepared for it. With the help of my official pacer, we were on track to break my PB. He helped me keep my focus, and pushed me when necessary.

Unfortunately, the half marathon distance did not even reach 20km. I don’t feel like I deserve this medal. Perhaps the organizers should replace the “21KM” engraving on the back with “19.8KM” instead:IMG_8119

3. Overall vibe and atmosphere of the event

Today, the ladies ran the show while the men took the supporting role as pacers.There was certainly so much love for the ladies. Go get ’em PBs and podiums, girl!

I would like to send some love to the cheer squad for spreading some positive vibes through the posters at KM17 the last few kilometers was certainly the hardest. (All cheer squad photos are courtesy of Kyserun Krew):

IMG_8145BJ6A1282IMG_8146