Bugs! Bugs! Bugs!

The inaugural NILAI 3 HALF MARATHON was held on Sunday, 27 March 2005 (after being postponed for a month due to clashing with Sepang F1 Run) at Nilai 3, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus. This Half Marathon was a Rakan Muda Project jointly organized by Majlis Perbandaran Nilai, Majlis Tindakan Pelancongan Negeri Sembilan, the Negeri Sembilan Amateur Athletics Association (NSAAA), Nilai 3 Wholesale Centre and the Hash House Harriers Chapters of Negeri Sembilan and with the sanction and blessing of the Negeri Sembilan Sport Council. It offered many attractive prizes among others a Pasar Rakyat Nilai 3 Wholesale Lot valued at RM75,000 and a Perodua Kancil car. Probably the only run in the whole universe that the lucky draw prizes was more lucrative than the prizes for the winners of the run. We've Got Bugs! I have never seen so many bugs in a run before. The second half of the 21km route was infested with bugs. They look like ants with wings. Thank God they didn’t bite or sting. They came out in swarms after we entered the Arab-Malaysian Industrial Park. No kidding! They were present along the way, from there on, right up to the slope up back to the Start/ Finish point. There was no other choice to run though it and this was not easy since they were everywhere. This means getting out of one swarm into the next. I was short of running with my arms waving frantically like a mad man to keep the bugs away from my face, my ears, my eyes, my lips and my nose. At one point, one bug flew right into my left eye. Luckily, I was able to brush it out my eye. It was a nightmare! Imagine how hard it is trying not to breathe while running when you hit the swarm, afraid that they will be sucked into the nostrils and then crawl into the sinus cavity to lay eggs! (Insert Macaulay Culkin-ish scream here! Hahah!) Some bugs perished kamikaze style - stuck to my face, arms and legs ….due to sticky mixture of sweat and sun block on my skin. Not my fault! No, sir. Enough about bugs, let’s rant about the run proper. The day started early when KK picked me up at Projet station at 5:30am. Car was full. KK picked up John, Amy and Tan earlier. We reached Nilai toll about 6:05am. Noticed a bunch of cars parked by the highway after the toll. I could tell that they were runners, from their running gears and I saw a couple of familiar faces. I was navigating KK, using a map that I obtained yesterday from the Nilai 3 Center. We decided to drop the map to follow a convoy of six traffic cops on their bikes who we assumed were on their ways to event. Great! We were right and we got some police escort. A train of cars tailed from behind. This was surreal. We felt like VIPs. We reached Nilai 3 in about 15 minutes later. Distributed the stuff I collected yesterday to the rest of the gang. Applied some sun block to my face and limbs and I was ready to go. Go where? Go to toilet. Heheh! Went to the toilet for a pee and later found that there was not a single drop of water from the tap! What a shame! And they thought of promoting Nilai 3 as a tourist destination? (Insert tsk tsk tsk sound effect and head-shaking here). Guess I had to run with dirty hands and wash them at the drink station then. Thank goodness I didn’t have to do the big business this morning.

Let's Get It Started! The half marathon runners were set off on time at 6:45am. It was still dark. We went down a steep hill from the starting point, through the archway. I shuddered to think that I would be the same slope that I would have to climb on my way back to the finishing point. I plodded on with the rest of the runners, making a right turn at the junction towards the Nilai Inland Port. We ran a big circle around some light factories and attracted attention from many of the curious factory workers along the way. Then we headed back towards Nilai 3.

The Road is Looong.... As I passed by the entrance to Nilai 3, I saw many runners from the 11K - school children category running down the slope under the archway. I joined them towards the Arab-Malaysian Industrial Park. This was where the bug nightmare started. I plodded on. Seen some very fast runners from the opposite direction. My my my! They had already completed the Bandar Bukit Mahkota round and I still got a long way to go. Then I saw a very familiar face – Yuan Yufang, our national long distance athlete running on the opposite direction! She was too fast for my camera. It took awhile before I saw the next female runners. Yufang is still the fastest long distance runner in Malaysia! The Women Open Category race belonged to her. I went on to battling bugs, fatigues, sun and slopes. I was quite relieved when I still have plenty of time to go upon reaching the checkpoint (4 km from the Finish line) after conquering a tough stretch of long hilly gradient at he Seri Mahkota housing area. I thanked the person who handed me the green string as I quickened my pace to overtake a few runners in the same category that I am. Bugs problem persisted. I persisted too. Then I reached the slope. The same slope that I ran down during the beginning of the race. This time, I had to do the opposite. Shudders! When the going got tough, the tough must get going, right? So, with the little energy that I had left, I dragged my feet up the slope. Bugs were still having a great time buzzing around the runners here. Pesky, pesky things!

All That Buzz! I completed my race within the stipulated time and was given a card to collect my medal. Surprise! Surprise! My finishing number is the same as my bib number! Floating like a butterfly from flower to flower, I sampled every type of drinks from many booths – NutriMalt (Yucks!), 100plus and Diamond Water. I saw some bug zappers on sales at the fair. I couldn’t help but to chuckle at the irony. Suddenly, I heard some load buzzing sound nearby. More bugs? Bigger bugs? It couldn’t be! Saw some kids racing on their tiny motorbikes, complete in mini helmets and mini riding jackets. Mini riders from hell! First they were cute but turned annoying with their incessant revving. Future Mat Rempit (illegal racers) in the making! Stayed around till they announced all the lucky draws. No luck. The RM75,000 shop lot at Nilai 3 and the Kancil were won by an Indian bloke and a Malay dude respectively. Sigh! But at least I went home with my finisher medal – my third one this month! My personal record!

My Precious....Mine..Mine... Overall, I would have enjoyed the run better if not for the bugs. Kudos for the organizer for starting on time, well-managed water & sponging station (comment: use paper cup instead of Styrofoam cup – it is more environmental friendly), lucrative lucky draws and generousity in giving away finisher medals. Next year, if I were to run this Nilai ½ marathon again, I must equip myself with a bug zapper (the kind that looks like a tennis racket, operated by swing it around to zap the a**es off the pesky little bugs). (Insert Dr. Evil laughter here!)

Was Nilai too much to “handle”?

Road To Nilai I volunteered to collect the competition kits for Nilai run. Normally Amy handles everything but I wanted to help. Took the 9:30 Komuter train from Seri Jaya to Sentral and then switched to Seremban-bound train. Ticket – RM 5.60 one way. The ride was smooth. I always enjoy train rides. I like the idea of “going somewhere”. Read my April edition of Runner’s World while listening to Nirvana on my mp3 player. I reached the Nilai KTM Station approximately 1 hour 30 mins. Walked out from Nilai KTM station looking for a cab. Saw a taxi shack nearby. Was greeted by an old Indian cab driver. “Pergi mana?” (Where to?) “Nilai 3” “Lima belas” (15 Ringgit) “OK” I was led to an old beat up car with black PVC seats. My butt sizzled when I sat on it. I was very careful not to slam the door. It looked like it was going to drop off soon! Hahah! What a bone rattling experience! The weather was sizzling hot. The driver turned on the air-con and asked me to wind up my window. I looked around for the window handle but all I found was a hole where the handle used to be be. “Mana itu pusing-pusing punya?” (Where is the thing that turns?) With a deadpan expression, he reached to the compartment below the dashboard and handed me the handle. I tried not to laugh as I insert the handle into the hole, wound up the window and handed back the handle to the driver. The air-con was not working against the blistering heat outside. We made many wrong turns in Nilai 3 before we finally located the organizer office. The upside of this was that I had a good idea what Nilai 3 was all about from the shop that we passed. Definitely not a place for me to hangout. No CD/ DVD shops around! LOL! I asked the driver to wait for me while I collect the stuff from the office. Saw just a few runners there waiting for their numbers. I was out of the place in 10 minutes. Should have checked the competition kits thoroughly as I discovered later at home that I was given one lucky draw coupon short. Took some pictures of the grand prize for the lucky draw – a Kancil car, proudly displayed in front of the office. Prayed that I would win it. Back to Nilai KTM station in that old beat up cab. Stopped by Kajang for lunch before took the train back to Midvalley. Bought “Shark Tale” DVD at Power Station with 20% discount. Relaxed at home watching the DVD while waiting for the big day the next day.

The Anticipation of Mimi

Madame Butterfly? My favourite multi-octave warbler Mariah Carey will be back in action with her long awaited album, The Emancipation of Mimi, slated for release Tuesday, April 12, 2005. Check out da legs on the album cover….and that butterfly effect! These will send me RUNNING to the record store. (Insert excited squeal here!)

Kuantan TC Run 2005

The Trip The Kuantan TC Run 2005 (10K and 5K) was organized by Pacesetters Kuantan Area Group. It started and ended at Teluk Chempedak (aka TC), a popular beach in Kuantan. The runners were flagged off by Dato’ YB Ti and Dato’ Muhammad Sofian for 10km and 5km respectively. Boarded the 9:00am Transnasional bus on Saturday (19 March 2005) to Kuantan at Puduraya with BW, Tan and CL. Met some KLAVA runners in the same bus, sitting right in front of us. The journey took approximately 4 hours. Thought of reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown but I fell asleep throughout the journey. Hahah! It was not the book. It was me. I sleep rather easily in traveling vehicle. Car. Train. Bus. Plane. Bullock cart. It is a wonderful gift of snore…ZZZZ. Upon arrival, we were picked up by my cousin. Collected our T-shirts (a white Brooks Tee), bibs, reporting cards and souvenir key chains at Vistana Hotel. No hassle here. Checked in a hotel Teluk Chempedak. Room was not ready, so off we went to Berjaya Megamall. Did some window shopping and watch Robots at GSC. I love Robots. Robbie Williams scored again with his well…. animated voice for Fender, a bumbling but funny bots in the movie. I am a kid at heart.

I Love TC The room was ready when we got back from the movie. Cosy. Spacious. Saw a warning on the sliding door - not feed the monkeys. Monkeys? Later we found out that there were a lots of papa, mama and baby monkeys picnicking outside the hotel. Cute to look at but vicious if disturbed. The hotel was situated a stone throw away from the starting point at Teluk Chempedak – a trip to Kuantan is not complete if you have not visited this wonderful beach. Had dinner by the seaside - cheap and delicious nasi goreng ayam (chicken fried rice) and young coconut drink at the stalls. The beach was breezy. Had a stroll along the border walk. Plenty of artists offering their skills to draw portraits or caricatures for a small amount of fee. Encountered a very unique car parked outside one of the bistro by the beach. It was black and decorated with the word MERDEKA (means Independence) and picture of our first Prime Minister! Wonder what was that car doing there. Went to bed early, hoping to watch the sunrise.

Sunrise..sunrise.. Woke up about 6:00am. It was still dark outside. Called the reception to find out what was the usual time for sunrise. 6:30 am. Perfect. Had some time to make a nice cup of coffee. Walked to the beach with my caffeine fix. Wonderful! Nothing is nicer than watching the sunrise while sipping a cup of freshly prepared instant coffee! Hahah! The horizon was covered with clouds. Nonetheless, the view was spectacular. See pictures.

TC Run I applied banana boat sunblock. Ate a pack of power gel before I walk out from the hotel at 7:15am. Saw plenty of runners already at the starting point. Registering was a breeze. Just drop my reporting card in a box at the starting point and had my chest marked with a marker pen….Err..Not really my chest but the running bib. The run started a bit late. Not sure what was the reason. I didn’t really care. The sun was shining and I was feeling great. Did some warm up exercise – the usual hands in the air waving, hip swinging and butt swaying. See picture. Hahah! The run started from Teluk Chempedak (affectionately known as TC to the locals). We hit the first hill right after the stating point. The 10km route took us to Jalan Teluk Sisek, passing by the Royal Pahang Golf Course, the resident of Pahang Chief Minister and Taman Gelora. Then we took a turn into Jalan Kubang Buaya (literally translated as Crocodile Pit….but no crocodiles were seen here, perhaps some Buaya Darat – land crocodiles like me. Heheh!). We made another turn at Jalan Beserah. The route was not scenic, just running through some housing areas and shops. The shady areas along Jalan Tengku Muhammad provided much relieve from the hot sun. We passed by landmarks like Jabatan Ukur, JPJ and Bukit Pelindung (a challenging steep uphill running trail up the RTM broadcast station). 1 km from the finishing line, we had to face the hill that we encounter during the start point again. The sun was shining in our eyes. Great feeling when I can see the beach from the top of the hill. The pace quickened. It was an OK route but I still prefer the Kuantan Nature Run route, two years ago, where we had a beach run along miles and limes of pristine white sandy beach and then along fishermen’s villages and Malay kampungs. The beach run was more difficult but the route was beautiful. Sea breeze. Sunshine. Heaven! I hope next year they change the route to beach run. It will be a change of sceneries for the eyes and texture for the feet.

Run, Mummy Run! At about the last 2 km. I saw a woman runner piggy-backing her daughter. A marathoner. She was wearing Adidas Impossible is Nothing vest from KILM 2005. I supposed she was in the 5km category and could not find a babysitter for that morning. She should be awarded - Mother Runner of the Year! Haha! I just had to take her picture. See above.

Watermelon, Vico & Winners Finally, I made it to the finishing line. Collected my certificate, medal and breakfast voucher. First stop – the fruit station. All you can eat honey dew and watermelon. Sweet! Light breakfast was provided – a sardine sandwich, a curry puff and a kuih bakar. The Milo van had some competition from the Vico van. Somehow, Vico tasted better. Not as sickly sweet at Milo. Yummy! Had a few cuppa. Winners were presented with a trophy. What a cute little thing! No cash prizes this time. Lingered awhile at TC for lucky draw. There were lots of hampers to be won. Overall, I enjoyed the TC run. The weather was superb. The route was not too tough. The organizer had put lots of effort to ensure the enjoyment and comfort of the participant. I would like to thanks Pacesetters Kuantan Area Group for a run well run. Bravo! (Insert thunderous applause here!)

All That Glitter The TC Kuantan Run 2005 Finisher Medal According to reliable source, the finisher medals were imported from Thailand. Bronze in colour with light blue ribbon. Heavy. Oval shaped. Handsomely designed. One of my favourite medals in my humble collection. Initially, there was an alarm about not enough medals for runner due to overwhelming response but I think all finishers got their medal. No complains. I supposed not all the people who registered turn up for the run. I think they signed up to get the nice Brooks T-shirt. A golden key-chain was given to each Pacesetters member who signed up for the run. A pleasant surprise as I didn’t expect this. Each non-member will be given one upon signing up as member. A brilliant membership drive!

The Push to the Peak

Up, Up and Away Pushing To The Peak is a charity event organized by NAMLIFA and sponsored by ING to raise fund for Kiwanis Down Syndrome, Pusat Haemodialysis Mawar and MAKNA. Wheelchair Ultra Marathoner, Dr. William Tan wheeled himself up battling the force of gravity to raise RM 500,000, starting from Awana Resort to Genting Highland Outdoor Theme Park on 17 March 2005. Dr. Tan is attempting to be the first disabled person in the world to complete 7 marathons in 7 continents within 36 days. It was a last minute decision to go for this event after I managed to secure one room to stay for a night despite the peak season in Genting Highland. I heard there were about 10,000 insurance agents up in Genting Highland for some sort of conference. I was lucky to get a room. Woke up early in the morning at about 5am. Had a cup of instant mushroom soup and a meat floss bun. Met Amy and Tan at the lobby about 5:30am and off we went to skyway cable car station. We arrived too early at Awana. We found out that the event supposed to start at 8am not at 7am as told by Amy who got this info from a friend. So, we waited at the chair at the entrance of Awana like some homeless people. I could have eaten the hotel breakfast and had an hour of extra sleep if not for this wrong info. Should have checked with the organizer. But anyway, no need to lose my cool, it was not about me - I was there to support the event. We are given an Orange ING t-shirt at the starting point, a bus stop, opposite the main gate of Awana. Met Mr. Chow I supposed he was the organizer. He used to run sub-4 hr marathon. He shared some of his training techniques. Dr. Tan arrived at the starting point at about 8am in an ambulance. He was radiant, cheerful and ready to go. He joked about the sambal that he had for breakfast. I never meet someone this enthusiastic and perky in the morning before. The weather was sunny. Not windy. The race started at about 8:15am. Dr. Tan was flagged off by some dude from the insurance company, I didn’t catch his name. That was after a series of warming exercises by Mr. Chow. Dr. Tan’s entourage consisted of 2 cops on bikes, 1 patrol car, 2 ambulances and about 17 of us - orange shirt wearing supporters. The supporters were mainly from the insurance company. We walked slowly behind Dr. Tan’s wheels. The push was not that simple. There was no momentum to help him at all. It was just him against the force of gravity. He must have had steel for hands, as he would need lots of arm strength to wheel himself up. Slowly but steadily we moved up the slope. At some steep slope he had to zigzag his way up. Left to right. Right to left. On an uneven slope. I gotta take my hat off for this man! He is a victim to polio at age 2. Now he is a brain scientist based in New Castle, NSW, Australia.

The Attack of Watermelons!

Juicy Tale At about 3 km or so (just a guestimate), there was a minor mishap. A crate of watermelon fell out of the back of a lorry about 200 meters from Dr. Tan. Some splattered on the road like a busted brain. Some rolled downhill toward Dr. Tan like bowling balls. It was so unreal like a comic book. But where is the superhero with red underwear to save the day? Left to our own devices, we dashed out in time to grab the rolling watermelons and throw them into the drain by the road. Yeah! We saved the day and Dr. Tan can savely continue his journey up Genting. The toughest part was at the steep slope near the Chin Swee Caves Temple. Dr. Tan persisted. We encouraged him. Many cars honked to give moral support to him. We also played some inspirational songs from small boom box that we carried along – The Eyes of the Tiger (from Rocky OST), Reach (Gloria Estefan 1988 Olympic Anthem), I Believe I Can Fly (from Space Jam OST), Power of the Dream (Celine Dion) etc. Dr. Tan believes that winning medals, trophies or prize money should not be an end to itself. It should be a means to further goodness and to help people. Wah..very inspirational! Medal chasers out there should take note. I should now on support all charity runs!! Will start with Hong Leong Charity Run this April! The road up Genting was scenic. Misty. Genting Hotel was seen perched on top of the peak at the distance. The long winding road was nice to the eyes but it became an obstacle for someone on a wheelchair like Dr. Tan. He lamented that he did not get the chance to enjoy the view and said with mock regret that he should have taken the cable car up! I guess humour would make everything seemed well. Dr. Tan spirit maintained very high all the way.

Excitement at its Peak

The only way is up! At about 11:45am, Dr. Tan reached the Outdoor Theme Park main gate. Hordes of people were clapping and cheering for him. He gave a short speech and thanked everyone to make that event successful. I congratulated Dr. Tan and sheepishly asked for his autograph. He obliged.

Priceless

Dr. William Tan Autograph Return Bus Ticket to Genting Highlands - RM9.20 One night at First World Hotel - RM 80.00 Skyway Cable Car to Awana - RM 4.00 A chance to support Dr. William Tan in Charity Wheelchair Push to the Peak – Priceless

Runwitme's Top 10 Running Scenes in A Motion Picture

My Favourite Running Scene in a Motion Picture Running is my passion. So is watching movie. These are my favourite running scenes from movies. By the way, these are not running themed movies. If you have any favourite running scenes from movie, which are not mentioned below, please share them with me by leaving them in my comment link. Thank you. 1) Kung Fu Hustle - Ah Sing chased by the landlady ala Wild E. Coyote and Roadrunner (Beep! Beep!). Sing uses the knives stabbed on his shoulder as rear view mirrors. ROTFLOL. I can never stop laughing every time I see this part on my DVD. 2) Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss) running away from the Agents after her signature leap-in-the-air-kick in opening scene of Matrix. Gravity defying, she runs and leaps from building to building effortlessly in her slick PVC bodysuit with heels. Run, Trinity, run! 3) Dash in Mr. Incredible zip-zaps around the jungle to escape from the baddies. Oh wow! He can run on water too. Isn’t he incredible? 4) My Best Friend's Wedding – Michael (Dermot Mulroney) running after Kimmy (Cameron Diaz) after she sees him kissing Jules (Julia Roberts) and then Jules starts chasing after them in the lawn...a threesome act...What can you expect? 5) Forrest Gump - Run Forrest Run! Remember Forrest suddenly runs non-stop Interstates? This inspirational movie stars Tom Hanks as light-brained and also light-footed Forrest Gump. 6) Dawn of The Dead - The zombies are speed demons. Unlike the sluggish living deads in previous zombie movies, the white-eyed, rabid zombies here are vicious, fast and could sprint out of nowhere to gnaw on your flesh. Scary shit this. 7) The Bachelor - Jimmie (Chris O'Donnell) in tuxedo, running away from hundreds of brides in the street. Now, this is scarier than the zombies..LOL. 8) Men In Black – J (Will Smith) gives an out-of-this-world speedy guy a chase in the street of New York. The guy turns out to be an alien with eyes that blink vertically. 9) Casey (Drew Barrymore) is pursuit by Ghost-faced killer in opening sequence of Scream. She ends up bloodily stabbed on her boobs and hung on a tree. This is later charismatically parodied by silicon enhanced Carmen Electra in Scary Movie which involves a slow-mo ala Baywatch run in the garden with the sprinkler on in her two-piece itsy bitsy bikini. Scary turns hilarious! 10) Ong Bak - Ting (Tony Jaa) chased by a bunch of bad-asses in the street of Bangkok. He skillfully navigates around, under, above and through obstacles like kids, stalls, bicycles, tables, drums, barbwires, boiling oil, glass panels, tires, fences, moving cars etc. Jackie Chan would be proud of this agile Thai boy.

Kuala Lumpur International Marathon (KLIM) 05 Part 1 - A Tourist in KL

Food, Glorious Food I checked-in to a tiny hotel in Petaling Street the day before the marathon. I was trying something different this year to escape the hassle of commuting from PJ and to add an extra hour of dreamtime before the run. It was about 3pm when I played tourist in KL. Explored the Petaling Street and its vicinity. My senses were overwhelmed. The smell of roasted chestnuts and barbequed pork invaded my nose. My sight was bombarded with shiny glares from cheap “genuine fake” Rolexes and the colourful “authentic copy designer” bags. My ears were assaulted by the aggressive peddlers’ sales pitches and blaring music from the textile shops. Great touristy moment for me. Escaped the heat temporarily when having an espresso Frappacino at Kota Raya Starbuck. Wonderful! Bought 6 pirated CDs for RM20 from the street peddler. Mostly rare remixes and songs not released here yet. Went to UDA Ocean to buy some bananas – the official marathoner fruit. Got back to the hotel and napped around 5pm. Discovered a King’s Café next to Swiss In Hotel while looking for a place for dinner. They serve local and western fares. Great ambiance. Clean. Affordable. Attentive waiters. Check this place out. What is a marathon without the pasta party? I ordered white sauce roasted chicken and mushroom fettuccini. The soft drink came free with the meal. Wonderful! Spent the night watching TV and did some reading in air-conditioned comfort.

KLIM 05 Part 2 - Me Against The Tarmac

Beginning Point Woke up about 3:30am. Downed a black forest donut with generous serving of chunky peanut butter, washed with a cup of coffee. Marinated myself in Piz Buin sun block and did the usual lubricating ritual. Smeared a generous amount of Petroleum Jelly between my toes, feet, underarms, between my thighs and not forgetting my nipples. Bleeding nipples are not a pretty sight. Yeow….they hurt too! After the lubricating ritual came the warming ritual. Rubbed Sloan Analgesic on my feet and calves. Warm and wonderful! Walked out of the hotel about 4am. Saw two booty-licious girl marathoners in the lift. Greeted them. Bumped into two Sarawakian runners at the entrance of the hotel and took a stroll to Dataran Merdeka. Chatted with them along the way. No stress. No hassle. Wonderful! Saw lots of people at Dataran Merdeka when I arrived. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building was brightly lit up and looked magnificent. We were set off at 5am sharp (I didn’t hear the ding dong sound of the clock tower...perhaps the clock need repairing). Last year we got fireworks to start the event. This year we got tribal drum beats from Rebana Ubi….The runners charged like warriors into the war zone. I felt high. The running crowd dispersed quite quickly, unlike in Singapore Marathon where we had to jostle for a distance before we could actually start running. My MP3 player was playing Britney Spears’ Me Against The Music (G&B Club Mix). I was not against the music, I was against the tarmac. Slow and steady I stepped to the beat…First 20 km was a breeze. Enjoyed the scenic run. I could see KL Twin Towers “winking” at me from the distance at the earlier part of the run. I must say that I loved the Nike mist station. One is not enough. They should have like thousand of these mist-generating fans along the marathon route. Hahaha! Very der Kiasu! Muscle cramp and fatigue began to set in at 30km. Knees began to feel like tau foo fah and the leg muscles were screaming for oxygen. I took each step with pain, short of crying at the pavement like Paula. I had no choice but to walk the last 12km. DNFing is not an option. To add insult to my injuries, I was harassed by the sweeper van around Jalan Parlimen. I felt like a helpless man on a dessert, with vultures hovering above; waiting for him to devour his meat. The van was trailing so close behind me that I almost tripped and fell. Come on guys! Let me finish my marathon! I would crawl to the finish line if I had to. But let me complete my marathon with dignity. I almost gave them the finger but being the polite and gentle person that I am (Ehem!), I gave them the “I-will-scratch-your-eyes-out-if-you-don’t-leave-me-alone-stare” instead. They got the message and drove pass me to harass someone else. Sheesh! Some people!

KLIM 05 Part 3 - A Medal Within A Medal

More Pictures At last, after 12 km of agonizing pain, I crossed the finish line and received my shiny golden medal. Yeah! I must say it is the most beautiful medal in my collection. A medal within a medal. The medal has a swiveling round piece within it. See picture. Painfully, I dragged my feet back to the hotel. I felt queasy, bloated and felt like vomiting. Drank too much water, I thought. My head was throbbing and my whole body felt like a burning up from inside. Checked my nipples in the shower…Still there. No pain; thanks to the well-lubed tips. Haha! Managed to catch a few winks before it was time to check out. Had to struggle a bit to get of the bed. Yoko Yoko helped. It was 2pm – time to say bye bye to hotel room. Returned to King’s café for lunch. The waiter recognized me. Had Tom Yam seafood noodle. Delicious. Spicy. My queasiness was gone, effectively diluted by the strongly sour and spicy Tom Yam soup. Felt wonderful again! Hurray! No more running for a week. Plan to take a rest this coming weekend before hitting the road again. Perhaps will hunt for cheap plane tickets at Matta Fair 2005. My next couple of runs will not be in KL. Will be playing tourist in Kuantan and Nilai (on 20 and 27 March respectively). If God is willing, I will add two more finisher medals to my humble collection. Yes! One down, two more to go this month. (Insert applause here).

Medal Within A Medal 

Vest, Bib & Chip

Top (L to R): Enter the ballroom; Bib collection in progress; Dismembered Nike models? Middle (L to R): Run, Run, Run; KLIM 2005 Cotton Vest; Leggy bunting. Bottom (L to R): My running pack; My Champion-chip; Dinner @ Hard Rock Café

I dashed out of office at 5:15pm sharp. Thank God that the rain had stopped. Asked Tan, my colleague to drop Amy and I at Taman Jaya LRT station. We managed to catch the train as soon as we arrived at the platform. Stopped at Dang Wangi Station and big walked to Concorde Hotel. Made it 10 minutes before 6:00pm. There was no grandeur expo like Singapore Marathon Expo. Just some booths from the usual corporate sponsors - Ambank, Nike, Power Bar, Celcom, Coleman etc. Most of the people manning the booth are either packing their stuff to call it a day or chit-chatting away. Glad that we made it before they totally close shop.

Collected everything that need to be collected – white Cougar brand cotton vest (which will end up as my sleepwear), Champion-chip and for the first time – a plastic bib…(unlike the typical turpentine smelling screen-printed cloth bib). Not much hassle. Not many people anyway.

Had dinner at Hard Rock Café with Amy, BW and Selvi (FTAAA part-timer). Scrapped the idea of having salad when I saw a Caribbean Grill Chicken Sandwich is more less at the same price. Yummy! I will run the calories off this Sunday, I whispered to myself.

Took the monorail to Bkt Bintang. Bought an USB charger for my MP3 player and some 3 for RM10 DVDs – Dawn of the Dead (zombies, zombies and more zombies), The Resident Evil 2 (zombies, zombies and zombie ass-kicking Milla Jovovich) and The Shutter (a very good Thai spook fest). Nothing beats resting at home after a marathon later with some good scares. (Insert blood-curdling pontianak-esque scream here).

Can't Get Running Out Of My Head

Music To My Ears

I am drowsing my bitterness about the whole vest thingy with the sweetness of music.

Currently, I am busy selecting songs and planning their sequence to jive with my marathon this weekend. I read in the March edition of Runner's World that music can improve the running performance. There is no better time to try it as I just got myself a ultra cool, ultra slim mp3 player!

What's on the play list? Crazy in Love - Beyonce; Don't Give Up (Club Mix) - Chicane feat. Bryan Adams; All Night (Don't Stop) - Janet Jackson; I Believe In You - Kylie Minogue; I'm A Slave 4U (Thunderpuss Club Mix) - Britney; Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz, When Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean; Breathe - The Prodigy; Enter Sandman - Metallica; What It Feels like For a Girl (Paul Oakenfold Remix) - Madonna; Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi; Don't Call Me Baby (Madison from Out of Space Remix) - Madison Avenue; A Little Less Conversation (JXL Remix) - Elvis Presley; Rockerfellar Skank - Fat Boy Slim, Rolling - Limp Bizkit, Jump - House of Pain...etc So many songs, so little time....My choices are eclectic, upbeat and fun.

I think I am going to enjoy my marathon more this year. Lalalalalalalala....I just can't get running out of my head : )