Penang Bridge International Marathon 2008

I have booked my accommodation for this event. Now waiting for the registration to be opened....My last year race report here.

More info here.

Over The Moon

Yes..I'm still over the moon over the fact that I get to try on a pair of Nike Lunar Trainers before they go on sale. Wowow...Thanks to the generous people at Nike, I got invited to a preview cum 5K run at the Curve this evening.

The preview event was attended by runners and the media, totalling to about 30 runners, with some familiar faces like national triathlete Kimberly Yap, national long distance runner Shaharuddin Hashim and Rudy from Hitz FM.

The prototype....:) We have to start somewhere right?

Lunar Trainer has the Nike’s revolutionary new cushioning system, Lunarlite foam. Nike’s lightest weight and most responsive cushioning material to date. Developed by the aerospace industry, Lunarlite foam was adapted by Nike for running. The process took more than four years, but you could easily say the LunarTrainer was more than 30 years in the making.

Lunarlite foam got its start when Nike designer Kevin Hoffer wanted to create a cushioning system as revolutionary as Bill Bowerman’s original Waffle sole. Geoff Hollister, one of Bowerman’s runners as well as one of Nike’s first employees, first tried a Waffle prototype in 1971 and likened it to “running on pillows.”

Wear-testers of even the earliest prototypes came back with rave reviews. They said in the LunarTrainer they felt less beat up after long runs. They reported they wanted to run longer and after long training runs their legs didn’t feel as beat up. Now in keeping with its original inspiration, the LunarTrainer has a rubber Waffle outsole for increased durability, and at just over 9 ounces, the shoe is nearly 4 ounces lighter than most training footwear.

Each of us was given an orange box. Guess what is inside?

Yay! No prizes for guessing correctly. A pair of spanking new Nike Luna Trainer! (Insert gasp here!)

They were immediately put on. They felt light and cushy...Like walking on marshmallow..... :)

Now wonder they serve marshmallow as snack....Yum!

After the intro and video presentation session, we were led to the area in front of Fitness First where the start of the run was. A short briefing was conducted before the run. One drinking station and road marshall were stationed along the route.

What's so funny?

Off they went....Can you spot Rudy? Hitz FM DJ? This is my second time seeing him run. I ran with him in the KL International Marathon last March. Read about it here.

Look at them go......

The soles beam like the moon as they go. Pretty awesome.

Runners in action.

Shaharuddin on an easy run.

Eric tailgating two ladies...:P

The happy guys from NIKE. :)

Coach....See ya at the finish line.

Two happy runners spotted with their brand new Lunar.

Rudy again...Hahah! I'm a Hitz FM fan. What can I say.

If you were the last one to arrive, make sure you arrive in style. :) You go, girl!

Ice lemon tea for everyone from TGIF after the run.

Happy Feet. :D

The only runner who wear The Lunar Racer for the run. Who else but Shahruddin?

In the lift back to Nike office. I could've sworn that these shoes glow in the dark.

Feedback sessions......Mostly raving reviews...I'm definitely going to wear these shoes for the Human Race in Singapore end of the month...and be the subject of envious eyes. LOL!

On top of the shoes, we were presented with Nike Sport Band each. Cool gadget. Will blog about it in the future after I test it, OK?

To the readers out there, you have to wait a few more months before these awesome Nike Lunar trainers are available in stores across Malaysia.

Check out some write out about Nike Lunar here and here.

My fellow bloggers on Nike Lunar.

Runnerz Circle

Carboman

Acknowledgment: A zillion thanks to NIKE Malaysia.

Nike Human Race

It's official. I finally registered for this. I will be heading to the Lion City and join thousands of runners in Singapore and over a million runners worldwide for this race. The run will start simultaneously in 25 cities on 31.08.08. I can't wait to run (and blog about it)! (Insert bated breath here)

More info about Nike Human Race here.

Sundown Marathon 2008

What? Sundown Marathon 2008

When? 11:59pm (31 May 2008)

Where? Singapore

Distance? 42 f*cking km! (Oops!....This must be from the influence of Sex and the City. LOL!)

On Friday the 30 May 2008, Jamie, Frank, Choi, Cheang, Shine, Guna and I boarded the First Coach to SIngapore. In the same bus , we met Uncle Sonny and Ultraman Tey.

It was my first travel expereince with them. It was a pleasant journey. RM115 return, it is much cheaper Aeroline. No meal was provided. Only a bottle of water and a bun. Was listening to the 80's ans 90's songs from the indibvidual entertainment unit. I was quite impressed with the movie selection but too lazy to watch it on the teenie weenie screen. I would definitely travel with them again.

The Arrival. That's Frank with his big suitcase. :)

The Race Kit Bag....

My 3 Ms target for this trip to Singapore is Music, Movie and Marathon.

Got my music. Raided HMV and Gramophone. Never left those shop empty handed. LOL!

Got the Movie. Watched Sex and the City! It is a f*cking fantastic movie. Opps...There I went again. Heheh! Pun well intended.

And now the MARATHON....(Insert violins and harps here)

After dinner, all of us (except Shine who left earlier for his Ultra Multra) took the MRT to Pasir Ris. From there we boarded the chartered shuttle bus to the start point. The bus ride cost SGD2.50. Nothing is free in Singapore. :)

Wah!....The bus was packed like sardines. Thank God no smell like sardines. LOL!

The start point was carnival like. Load music. Tents. People everywhere. There, we "reunited" with Jamie who left us earlier after arriving in Singapore. Justin der Hopper also there to give us moral support! Thanks, dude!

After the obligatory group photo, I went around looking for Amelia. She had registered for the Ultra Marathon but had to gave it up due to some health reason.

I inched my way to the start point about 10 minutes to blast off. I stood near this signboard. Heheh! I know my standard. Confession: I have not been training hard for this. My longest run before this marathon was the RMAF held a week ago. Suicidal? Maybe. LOL!

My aim was to finish before the cut off timing and to document my first night marathon as detail as possible in photos and video. So, timing was not my first concern.

Blast off! As the clock stroke 12:00am, we were set off with a bang. Like any other race in Singapore, we had to shuffle before we could run - too many runners!

The night was humid and balmy. For the first few km, we ran on nice even tarmac road. The road was well lit as you can see here.

The start point was in Changi. So, we got planes flying over our heads. Didn't manage to catch one on video. :)

I think this was the first drinking station. Skipped it because there were too many people! Anyway, I was not feeling thirsty yet.

We were given glow-in-the-dark sticks for the run. Some wore them around the neck. Some on the ankles (like this sweet young thing). I wore mine round my wrist like a bangle.

Wonderful supporters along the route. Thank you! I guess they must be runners themselves judging from the sport gear they had on.

Step by step. Bit by Bit...I'm gonna make it.

You gotta have faith!

Finish???? No way. Still a long way to go. It was for a bike event.

Beautiful night view. I really enjoyed the first half of the run. It was brightly lit and scenic. And many supporters along the way.

My nose and saliva gland worked overtime here - great wonderful BBQ smell from the family picnics along the coast. Heheh! It was a great night to be out there, you know.

I particularly like this video snippet. It captured the spirit of the Sundown Marathon. It was dark but the glow sticks led the way, beautifully. :)

Bad bad water station! Huge crowd. Drink was not ready for the dehydrated runners. We even had to mix our own 100plus Isotonic drink as evident from this video! Bad! Bad!

Note to organiser - please pour the water or mix the drink way way before the runners arrive. When they arrive, you wouldn't have time to serve them.

It was the weirdest marathon route I have ever ran - it included FIVE pedestrian bridges!!!! What's with that? They were narrow. Some even badly lit like this one shown.

And then the grand tour around Singapore flats....:P

My least favourite part of the run. A long stretch along the Bedok Resevoir. It was dark. I got wet sand into my shoes. Dang! What is this? A friggin cross country? LOL!

I was very thirty and sleepy. Gotta have my caffeine fix. I did the unimaginable on a marathon course! Ran into a convenient store at a Shell station and get myself a can of COKE. LOL!

Hmmmmm...very nice. Still can remember the fresh tingly feeling down my throat as I gulped down that bubbly can of Coke. BTW, This post is not sponsored by Coca~cola.

My nightmare! And I was not even sleeping!!!!

It started raining in a sudden. Complete with loud thunder and lightning as I about 6 km to the finish line. Why? Why now?

I marched on despite the rain. Miserable. Cold. And hungry. (Insert sniffle and whimper here)

I was quite happy when I see that I have two more KMs to go. Then I saw the road was all the way up hill. Yikes! The marathon route must be designed by some sado-machocist dude who loves torturing people! (Insert whipping sound effects here)

Finally, swaggering to the FINISH line!

Yay! I made it through the rain! My timing sucks but hey I made it!

I collected two bottles of drink, a banana, finisher T and medal. Then I saw the beautiful sunrise and glad that it was all over. I ran all night.

All my other marathoner friends had completed their run and changed to dry clothes. I was still drenched from head to toes. Then Frank pointed out something in the sky....

Wow! It was a beautiful rainbow stretching across the blue sky. All the pain and aches just disappeared temporarily.

What a wonderful gift. Then I remember a quote from country singer Dolly Parton - If you want the rainbow, sometimes you have to put up with the rain. How true!!!

My precious.....First and the last night marathon for me. :)

Bragging rights.....The logo at the back of the finisher T.

Overall, I enjoyed myslef tremendously in this trip to Singapore. I got to do my 3 Ms. Music. Movie. and Marathon.

What kept the motor running:

1) Genrally well organised run. On-line registration was a breeze.

2) Race kit collection for oversea runners was easy.

3) Those glow stick thingy. It add the fun factor into the run. Not to mention safety.

4) Batallion of helpful volunteers along the way.

5) Beautiful medal and finisher T.

What got on our tits.

1) Distance Marker. Should be available every km. The distance also need to calibrated. My friend's satelite Garmin thingy recorded a total distance of 43km for the marathon. An extra km for the marathoners and two for the ultra! That's really crazy.

2) Drinking Stations - need to improved. Water should be poured and ready before the runners arrival. We can't be expected to mix our own drink.

3) No overhead bridges - they are narrow, dark and not runners friendly.

4) No running along smelly moonsoon drains please.

Bye Bye Singapore. :)

Acknowledgment:

Amelia Ang - Thank you for coming all the way from KL to support us. Hope you can run with us soon.

My travel entourage - Jamie, Choi, Cheang, Frank, Guna and Shine. Thanks for the arrangement. Thank you for waiting for me, the last of the lot. LOL!

Familiar faces from Malaysia - Haza, Tey, Ms. Leong, Uncle Sonny, Corrine, Jeffrey, Justin etc. Thank you for being there. It's nice to see a familiar face on a "foreign" land.

The organiser, traffic police officers and the volunteers. Thanks for giving up your sleep to organise such a wonderful event.

The strangers cum supporters along the the route. Though I don't know you, every cheers and every encouragement from you kept me going. Thank you!

I'd love to dedicate this songs to all of you guys....

Birds flying high you know how I feel

Sun in the sky you know how I feel

Reeds driftin’ on by you know how I feel

It’s a new dawn

It’s a new day

It’s a new life

For me

And I’m feeling good

Fish in the sea you know how I feel

River running free you know how I feel

Blossoms in the tree you know how I feel

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don’t you know

Butterflies all havin’ fun you know what I mean

Sleep in peace when day is done

That’s what I mean

And this old world is a new world

And a bold world

For me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel

Scent of the pine you know how I feel

Oh freedom is mine

And I know how I feel

Note: This song has a story behind it. Shine was telling himself to give it up when approaching the pit stop after 42km as the knee was giving way already. Somehow he just garnered the strength to keep going despite the pain. He sang this song to keep him going during his second half of his gruelling 84km run. Very inspiring this. Congrats, Shine! You got taste in music-lah! :P

Diva on Treadmill

CLICK PLAY. Mariah Carey filmed a couple of commercials for MTV for her new album. Here she’s on the treadmill with her dog JJ (his voice by Snoop Dogg). His dog has its own treadmill, mind you.

I read somewhere that Mariah walks around her house mostly barefoot, but interestingly she walks on her toes all the time. She actually does not seem to be able to put her heels flat on the floor. Mariah never wear flat shoes, her feet repel them. Based on the commercial, she hates sneakers too. LOL! I love her anyway! :)

The Day Before KLIM 2008

Saturday, a day before KL International Marathon. Jennie, Kevin and I met up for a movie followed by a pasta "carbo-loading" dinner at Pavillion.

Kevin won some movie passes and other goodies from 8TV. He proudly show off his prize t-shirt too. It's orange and it has a elephant on it. That's Horton for the uninitiated.

And Horton is sitting on top a Who. Who? A Who-lah. From Who-ville. LOL! Anyway go and watch the movie, Dr. Seuss' Horton hears A Who. It's hilarious and at the same time makes you think too. Kinda philosophical in my very own opinion.

We settled for dinner at Pastamania - a very popular chain in Singapore which had recently made its appearence in Pavillion, KL. So, we ordered what else? Pasta....lots of pasta...Yum!

On the way out from Pavillion, we decided to use the entrance of The Loaf, which is famous for the cheese cupcakes. Guess who we met there? Our previous Prime Minister Dr. M himself! He was seen checking our some cupcakes. The signature cakes, "uhu-hu" look fantastic, but I wouldn't want to pay RM5 for a cupcake. LOL! Anyway, Jennie had already bake me one super special homemade chocolate thingy for breakfast on the next day.

The KLIM race report coming soon. Sorry for the delays. Been through lots lately. I have uploaded the pictures and videos. Still working on the text.

Preview: You hear their voices on the radio every morning....but have you seen them run? LOL! Come back for updates ya!

Kuala Lumpur International Marathon 2008

What? Kuala Lumpur International Marathon 2008

When? 30 March 2008 (Sunday)

Where? Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur

How far? 21 km (Half Marathon)

My pre-run breakfast. A can of Milo drink and a chocolate "thingy" that Jennie baked the night before. Thanks Jennie! :)

I walked to Padang Merbok around 4:30am to collect my Nike vest. You see, I have registered myself for the Hitz FM JJ & Rudy Runs For Charity event. Kevin, Ronnie and Lai had also signed up. By signing up, we get a free Nike vest each. Nike had also pledge to donate RM10 each km completed by all the Nike registered runners. So, I think I contributed RM210 to charity by just participating. Cool, eh?

JJ and Rudy gave a short speech before the run. Off we went to the Dataran Merdeka where the start point was. I heard they have been training for months for this event. They would be doing the half marathon as well.

Ronnie is bringing sexy back. Heheh!

My friend from Klang, John Ng, flanked by JJ (Left) and Rudy before the run.

At the start point. It was buzzing with runners of all shape and sizes. The marathoners were already in the battle field. They were set off earlier at 4:30am.

While waiting for the blast off time for half marathon at 6:00am, I spotted Yuan Yu Fang, our national athlete in the holding pen.

And Spiderman too....But this Spidey is kinda short and lean, unlike the screen version. LOL!

KLIM is the best way to see KL on foot. I would like to share with you many beautiful and interesting landmarks captured along the KLIM Half Marathon route in this write up. Runwitme is playing tour guide to beautiful garden city, Kuala Lumpur. (insert welcome gesture here!)

Let's start with Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

Sultan Abdul Samad Building is located right opposite Dataran Merdeka. We runners, are very familiar with this building, most race held in KL start here.

Topped by a shiny copper dome and a 40m high clock tower, it is a major landmark in the city. It serves as the backdrop for important events such as the National Day Parade on August 31 and the ushering in of the New Year. This heritage building used to be occupied by the then Apex Court of Malaysia, the Supreme Court which was subsequently renamed the Federal Court. The Court of Appeal was also housed in this historic building. The Federal Court and the Court of Appeals have since moved to the Palace of Justice located in Putrajaya, the new Federal administrative capital. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building now houses the Commercial Division of the High Court of Malaya.

Behind the building flows the Klang river and across from it stands Jamek Mosque, a mosque of similar design by the same architect.

In front of the building is the Dataran Merdeka (or Merdeka Square). It was here, the Union Jack flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31, 1957.

A 95-meter flagpole, one of the tallest in the world, marks that spot with a flat, round black marble plaque. It is located at the southern end of the square.

3...2...1....Blast OFF! OK. Next time no more video-ing at the blast off like this. Almost being run over by the herd. LOL!

I ran slowly out of the holding pen, tailing Spiderman. Spidey was warned not to web-sling but run, otherwise would be disqualified by the public announcer. LOL!

Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad is still one of the most beautiful buidling in Malaysia, especially when lit at night. I had to stop a few minutes to get a steady shot.

National Mosque (Masjid Negara) - Not too far after passing the Daya Bumi Building and the Main Post Office, we passed the National Mosque on our right. Sorry, the picture doesn't do justice to this beautiful mosque.

The Masjid Negara is the national mosque of Malaysia, located in Kuala Lumpur. It has a capacity of 15,000 people and is situated among 13 acres of beautiful gardens. Originally built in 1965, it is a bold and modern approach in reinforced concrete, symbolic of the aspirations of a then newly-independent Malaysia.

Its key features are a 73-metre-high minaret and an 18-pointed star concrete main roof. The umbrella, synonymous with the tropics, is featured conspicuously - the main roof is reminiscent of an open umbrella, the minaret's cap a folded one. The folded plates of the concrete main roof is a creative solution to achieving the larger spans required in the main gathering hall. Reflecting pools and fountains spread throughout the compound.

Another Moorish influenced building - The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.

Kuala Lumpur Railway Station (Malay: Stesen Keretapi Kuala Lumpur) is a train station located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Completed in 1910 to replace an older station on the same site, the station was Kuala Lumpur's railway hub in the city for the Federated Malay States Railway and Malayan Railway (Malay: Keretapi Tanah Melayu), before Kuala Lumpur Sentral assumed much of the its role in 2001.

The station is notable for it architecture, adopting a mixture of Eastern and Western designs.

At this point, I was still running very slowly, enjoying every step that I made.

We passed by Istana Negara on the way to Jalan Syed Putra. It was still dark. I just managed to get the emblem on the palace wall that surrounds the palace. The entrance is at another place.

Istana Negara or National Palace is the official residence of His Majesty, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia. It stands on a 28 acre (110,000 m²) site, located at a commanding position on the slope of a hill of Bukit Petaling overlooking the Klang River, along Jalan Syed Putra.

This majestic building is nestled within a serene and beautiful 11.34-hectare compound with a variety of plants and flowers, swimming pool and indoor badminton hall.

As the palace grounds are not opened to members of the public or tourists, the Main Palace Entrance is a favourite picture spot for tourists.

At 5km point. I was quite disappointed with the organiser for not putting up distance marker every 1km for half marathoners.

Drinking Station. Plenty of water and isotonic drink were served. No complaint here. Two cups for me.

SMART Toll Plaza. Supposedly a genius project for the city but still plagued with problems and critisms.

The "Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel" or "SMART Tunnel", E 38 is a storm drainage and road structure in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a major national project in the country. It is the longest stormwater tunnel in South East Asia and second longest in Asia.

The main objective of this tunnel is to solve the problem of flash floods in Kuala Lumpur and also to reduce traffic jams along Jalan Sungai Besi and Lok Yew flyover at Pudu during rush hour. There are two components of this tunnel, the stormwater tunnel and motorway tunnel.

No we didn't get to run in the tunnel this time. For SMART Tunnel Run 2007, click here.

Twin Towers (KLCC) at the skyline.

Beautiful morning....I feel so alive.

Road Closure for KL Marathon....

And it caused major traffic jam at certain stretch of the road. Hello? I thought the road was closed for traffic? Who let the traffic in?

Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka Building.

Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (Malay for The Institute of Language and Literature) (abbreviated DBP) is the government body responsible for coordinating the use of the Malay language in Malaysia and Brunei. I kinda like this building because it features a very colourful mural. The smiling runner is Andy of Eating Dim Sum.

KLCC again. You can hardly miss this twin peaks if you run in KL roadraces.

The Petronas Twin Towers (also known as the Petronas Towers or Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are the world's tallest twin buildings. Tower 1 was built by the South Korean multinational Samsung Engineering & Construction and Tower 2 by Hazama Corporation of Japan.

They were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004 if measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural top.

Trivia: The Petronas Towers were a setting for some scenes in the 1999 film Entrapment staring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It ends in a dramatic pursuit of the two stars by SWAT teams, eventually leading to Connery's capture and Catherine's escape.

The Pudu Prison was built in 1895 as a prison in Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur area. As such, it was used to house criminals including drug offenders and was a location for administering corporal punishment through rattan caning.

The cells were horrific, each equipped with a window only the size of a shoebox. Ironically, the prison also features murals painted on the walls circling the compound, depicting scenes of nature.

It is no longer used as a prison and while it was once open as a museum, it is currently a police station and can be viewed only from the outside.

Berjaya Times Square KL is a building containing a huge shopping centre and two five star hotels located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was opened in October 2003 by the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad.

It is tagged as the "world’s largest building ever built in a single phase", with 7.5 million square feet (700,000 m²) of built up floor area. It is set to become an international landmark offering shopping, luxury accommodation, business, food and abundant entertainment.

A Chinese temple on Jalan Imbi.

No traffic at the busiest road in Kuala Lumpur - Jalan Bukit Bintang/ Jalan Sultan Ismail. This area is also known as the Bukit Bintang Golden Triangle. Happening place with shopping malls, banks, 5 stars hotels and more shopping malls.

Running with GUCCI at Pavillion.

LV anyone?

Lot 10 - the unmistakable green shopping building at the Bukit Bintang Golden Triangle.

The Kuala Lumpur Tower (officially known as Menara Kuala Lumpur) is a tall tower located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was built in 1995.

It is used for communication purposes and features an antenna that reaches 421 m (1,381 ft), which currently makes it the fifth tallest tower in the world. The roof of the pod is at 335 m (1,099 ft). The rest of the tower below has a stairwell and an elevator to reach the upper area, which also contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners a beautiful view of the city

KL Towerthon is organised every year where we get to run up the tower using the 2,000 over steps up. Read more about it here.

Hard Rock Cafe. Big bikes and sarong party girls.

Adidas - Impossible is Nothing. I feel rather tired of this slogan already. I think they should change their tag line.

CLICK PLAY! Entering the Adidas Climacool zone. I would have run far far away from this thingy last year. This year, I just can walk, I mean run right through it with my water proof camera! Hurray for Olumpus. Heheh!

I was soaked wet after I got out of this. I think the water pressure was too strong but nice way too keep cool.

CLICK PLAY! While I was stopping to snap pictures, Rudy was gaining behind me.

Rudy overtook me at Jalan Sultan Ismail, right before we turned to Jalan TAR, leading back to Dataran Merdeka. He was going very strong with the constant motivation from his pacer, Siva.

Nowhere to be seen was JJ. Where were you, man?

Swaggering towards the finish line. Back to Dataran Merdeka/ Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad.

Phew...We completed the grand city tour of Kuala Lumpur in below three hours. Heheh! I hope you enjoyed the tour and looking forward to tour with you again in the future. LOL! Welcome to Kuala Lumpur! LOL!

CLICK PLAY! JJ approaching the finish line....He reached the finishing line a few minutes after Rudy.

Later, I congratulated them and took the "after" picture. The guys were very friendly even though they were still panting for breath. Good job, guys. We hope to see you again next year! :)

Finisher Medal. See ya next year!