Venue: Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur
Time: 7.30am
Distance: 10KM (8.65KM by Nike+ SportBand)
Shoe: Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 3
By Frank
I have set no target for the Siemens Run as I'm currently taking a break from running for a month before restarting my training in August. I'm currently doing resistance training for my upper body and although I still do run, I'm keeping it to a minimal mileage just to maintain my fitness level.
With no sleep at all due to the fact I was coughing badly throughout the night with fever, I was thinking twice on whether to join this run. But as I had a good experience last year, I guess I"ll just give it a shot. Just take it as a fun and easy run. And therefore at 2am, I pop in a Panadol pill hoping that it will help with my fever as I run.
I arrived at the race venue with Andrew Chiam whom I picked up earlier at 6am to secure a safe parking spot as there has been a lot of car break ins lately at races. With 90 minutes still to go to the start of the race, we chatted while waiting for the others to arrive. And it was around 6.40am that Andrew Chang, David, Chee Kong and Ija showed up. Ronnie and the rest of the Pacemakers showed up too. Started warming up at 7am before reporting in at the starting line. Met up with Lai FS and Kenny and we wished each other for a good race ahead.
The run started at 7.30am sharp. Again, I failed to get a clean start as I was squeezed between somewhere around the middle pack. But this time, I didn't mind as I had no intention to race. I just want to enjoy and finish the run comfortably. Anyway, I only managed to get a clean running space at the Bank Negara section. Bumped into Zulazlan here and I thanked him for cheering me on. The first water station appeared shortly and I was really suprised that it was stationed so early into the run. Next was the Kenny Hill climb. Although I'm still pretty allright, I can feel my throat drying up quickly. I regretted not drinking earlier. Sigh... Towards the end of the climb, Ben overtook me. I wanted to call him but I couldn't due to my throat drying up. And so, he disappeared. Thankfully, the second water station was near ahead before the next climb. Took a cup of isotonic drink and continued my run. It didn't really help and this is where I started coughing a little.
The picture tells it all, I'm struggling...
As I began to struggle, I told myself "mind over body"! Although still unwell and struggling, it did help me mentally. As I climb the last hill and enter Jalan Parlimen I was greeted by another water station. Took a cup of water but I swallowed it bit by bit to help wet my throat. As I arrive back at the junction at Dataran Merdeka, I could see the finish line although I know it's not over yet. I need to run to Pertama Complex and make a u-turn there before running back to the finish line. It was pretty nice to run at this section as the cheerleaders (pom-pom girls, clowns, bands) were there to support. I ran and ran till I hit the traffic light area where I started my sprint but I just couldn't take it. And so, I had to run at an easy pace as I crossed the finish line at position 62, clocking 00:41:24, too good to be true for a 10KM distance as I later found out from my Nike+ SportBand that it is only 8.65KM.
With the Pacemakers...
Runnerz Circle and friends...
Honestly speaking, I was really shocked with my results despite my condition. Although I wasn't pushing myself, I was really tired and struggling all the way and the coughing didn't help at all. I coughed like there is no tomorrow upon crossing the finish line. I needed water badly and went back straight to the car to get it before returning to the finish line with my camera to snap some photos. As for now, I'm really glad that this is over as I really need a good quality rest now to recover.
Front view of the finisher's medal...
Rear view of the finisher's medal...
The certificate of achievement...
On a separate note, I'm really proud of Chee Kong who came all the way from Miri. It was my first time meeting him and he clocked around 45 minutes. He is one big guy (no offense), but he clocked an incredible time! This proves, running can be done in all sizes! But I was saddened when he told me that he finish the run at position 152, missing the medal by just 2 positions. Sigh... But that's nothing to worry about as it's a good start to his running career and I foresee there will be much more to come from him!
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