OVERCAME 25KM NEWTON CHALLENGE MALAYSIA 2012 THE HARD WAY... T..T

I Saw, I Came, I Conquered 25KM - Half Ultra Distance!!! Not As Easy As 1-2-3-4 

Hello there dear fellow readers and followers, mostly my hardcore brother and sister runners... It is New Year's Eve already and I'm sooo getting nervous for what I might be facing throughout this coming 2013. It will be my Ultra year, Insha Allah, hopefully. Therefore in order to tackle the Ultra distance marker of 50KM head on, I've decided to take up this Newton Challenge Malaysia 2012, my Half Ultra challenge. It was my closing running event of 2012, the grand finale of this year (so-called). I'll share with you guys the chronology of my race review. =D

Pre-race preps

I went to collect my racekit and Rashid's on the very first day, 27th December 2012. It was a very hectic day where I had to make several rounds at the carpark area in Midvalley to search for a decent parking space. It took me 1 hour to be able to do so, since it was school holidays + Christmas holiday spirits (still) + lunch rush hour. However the racekit collection went smooth like a breeze. Awesome!

My Cute Lil' CIMB Kraken... Ada Ong Ka Ini? Hiks....

On  the same day, I've received my so-called "Christmas present" from CIMB Clicks via courier for being the winner of a football campaign that I never know I participated in, perhaps a random CIMB Click user, just like a lucky draw. Sooo lucky of me. It was really cute and it came in red and white, just like a Santa Claus with tentacles LOL... Thanks a lot CIMB... U made my day... =D

Racekit content... Not bad at all... =D

Fast forward to the day before the running event, as usual I had my 'Carbo aka cholestrol loading' lunch meals consisted of blazing hot and spicy Pecel Lele, several deep fried tempeh chips and taufoo at my favourite ever Pecel Lele Mandrem restaurant in Hentian Kajang. It was awesomely hot... i was sweating like a pig devouring those mouthwatering delicacies. @..@ For an early dinner I had a chapatti with Tandoori chicken nearby my house. Super yummeh!! =)

As usual, it's Makanthon time!!!! LOL.... ;P~

On the Eve of the event

I did risk myself to jeopardize my performance the night before the event, where I've agreed to go for a friendly volleyball games with my fellow FB Sharkz group friends. Why? Because I haven't seen them for a long long time due to personal, running and work commitments. It started around 9pm and was supposed to end around 12pm, but I decided to go home early around 11.15pm. Since I have never been playing volleyball for a long time, I suffered a very sore arm muscles after the games. Goshh! Plus, I felt hungry after the games too... Looks like my energy have been depleted but I kept ignoring it before I went to bed around 12.30am.

Not to forget, zillion THANKS to Babam n Memey for this belated BDay gifts... LUV them V much!!! =D

Around 3.45am, I woke up, wide awake, felt a bit thirsty, dehydrated perhaps. I still felt sooo tired, sleep deprived totally. I struggled to gather all my running equipment and apparels after I had my shower and done doing my number 2 business. By 4.30am, Rashid and I rushed to the running venue. We arrived around 5am.  I was feeling blur + superjittery that I forgot to bring my energy gel (Dammit). Luckily Fadhil, one of my WARs companion offered his extra gel. I even brought along 2 small bananas in my utility waist bag. I also forgot to fill up one of my bottle with isotonic drink (Gatorade my favourite). Instead, I only filled plain water in one bottle while ORS water in the other one, which I regretted it the most throughout the end of the race. T..T

WARrior members (from left) Dr. Fong, Fadhil, Your Truly, Rashid the Speedy Gondoles...

We were being flagged off on 5.30am sharp, I guessed so. It was a huge running crowd as it took me and Rashid 3minutes before we crossed the starting line. I tried to start running at my comfort pace for the first km, around 5.35 min per km. Then it dropped to 7'28'' around KM3. At KM5, I decided to go for a Subuh prayer at Pangsapuri Enggang Musolla since it was already around 6am by that time. After that it was time to meet the renowned Ammah Hills. It was still dark when we first tackled the rolling hills. Not that steep but doable. I struggled to catch up with the back pack after my Subuh prayer and maintained my pace around 6'43''. I managed to clocked in 1:17:15 for my 1st 10km. By that time I saw many 12km runners started to tackled the hills as I was running downhill.

As you can see how I was struggling with my pace... Muka xda emosi time nih... T..T

25KM Newton Challenge Malaysia Rolling Hills Route... Superb!!!!

Later on, I ran towards the Esso station and I passed by my old rental house in Taman Puncak Jalil 5, I guessed so. I tried to survive the next 10km as I was getting lethargic and really really hungry as I ran on plain water and ORS with no Isotonic drinks being served so far. Only at 13KM WS did I managed to had a gulp of 100 Plus. I was running out of my juice and mojo around 21KM marker. I felt like I started to hit the wall mentally.

OMG, I drank like a camel... LOL... Khusyuk sangat sampai xsedar ada camera snap2...
Just look at  Kak Lina's menyakat pose.. LOL!!! Totally EPIC

It was 2:40:24 with 9'23'' pace by that time, my worst timing for HM distance this year (T..T) but I kept on running even on a labi2 pace... LOL... Even Azim started to overtake me by then. I couldn't being able to catch up with Kak Lina, the Polca-Bat-Wing-Ears runner who was running steadily and strong at 500m in front of me during that time. The final 2KM felt like forever to reach upon. Thank goodness the tormenting experience was over as I reached the under-distanced 25KM (24.48km) finishing line at 3:07:14 Yayyy...

At the finishing line, must give a strong cheerful finishing pose OK!  Credits to Abang Zaini,... =D

Although I've targetted my finishing time around 2.45 but I have to settle with the 3.07 finishing time. I really paid a HUGE price of playing some volleyball matches back-to-back with the running event. My energy was depleted and I didn't do anything to top it up before the race. I learned my lesson the hard way eventually... That's it no more extreme sports before any endurance race. I'm not an Ultraman yet... LOL!

My precious final finisher medal of 2012.... Woot2... 

After the run, I got my sweet finishing medal, took down several 100 plus cups, missed all those succulent watermelon slices as I finished late (3hours++). My legs were killing me that time. It was like Brooks HM 2012 dejavu all over again for me.

Post Race Must Dos

Then it was time for post-race photoshoot session for all of us. I took some pictures with Kak Lina and Abang Zaini, Gus Ghani, Izwah, Kak Nannoor and her hubby Abang Ib, my fellow WARriors and last but not least, the legendary famous Ultramarathoner (160miler), Sifu Ultra Rayzeef. It was an  unexpected rendezvous  for being able to have a meet and greet session with the legend himself. Truly really inspiring just by reading his running blog all these while. It felt like a dream, just like meeting some Hollywood celebrities (James Franco,Mariah Carey,Madonna,Nicki Minaj,Brangelina just to name a few) LOL... Sempat lah ambil berkat dan aura ultra dari Ultra Ray semalam... huhuu... Owh by the way Congratz for your Newton Ultra Challenge with an super awesome timing of 5.15!! Full RESPECT Bro!! I was blown away amazed!

Met with the legendary Sifu Ultra Ray in person for the 1st time... Terkesima ambo!

Yours Truly, Kak Lina & Gus Ghani... Congratz fellas! (Credits to Abg Zaini)

We Are All Winners!!! No. 1 Always... =D

Izwah, Kak Nannoor, Abg Ib n Me (taken from Kak Nannoor's Instagram)

Overall, tt was an awesome running event, the weather was sooo nice and kind on us, it wasn't blazing hot at all on that morning. We were truly blessed as it was an overcast sky and we did start earlier compared to the previous edition. The rolling hills were entertaining me throughout the race. All I had to do was blaming myself for not being able to finish strong yesterday... Sob2... It's ok then, looks like I have to beat this personal record of mine next year then... Bring it on NEWTON 2013! =D

I've Survived Half Ultra Distance... Ultra Distance in 2013... Bring it on bebeh!!! Grrr...

Happy New Year 2013 guys... And enjoy your holidays too... May this coming 2013 will bring us more challenges and hopes in our journey to pursue more PBs whether for our HMs, Maiden FM, FMs or even Maiden Ultra to come. As for me, I'll expecting more Marathons and Debut Ultra for 2013. Insha Allah... Cheers y'alls!!!

Mesmerizing Malakoff KL 2012 - Damansara Hills Slain!




Eh, samalah macam logo MALAKOFF KL Baru perasan... LOL!!! Credits to Victor & Elaine.. =)
Owh I was caught red handed doing a heel strike... Oopsie!!!

Hello there, Assalamualaikum and a very lovely Thursday to all of us, fellow followers and hardcore runners, brothers and sisters... I hereby present to you guys my recent race report on Malakoff KL 2012. Fyi, I ran Malakoff Penang 2012 earlier on 25th March. It was a total flat route starting from Esplanade aka Padang Kota Lama in Georgetown and moving towards Gurney Drive and ends at the starting venue. It was an awesome experience. Since I've ran this Malakoff KL route for the first time last year, it really gave me the impression that it was the toughest hilly route ever in KL. Nothing can beat that. Period. So now I'm back with a mission to improve my timing thus slain all the killer hills...

The majestic 272 steps of Batu Caves Hindu Temples

A day before the event, me and best friend took a dear friend of us who came all the way from Phillipines to visit the reknowned majestic Batu Caves temples. It was my first time too to go to this tourist attraction spot. It was cloudy with drizzles followed by heavy downpour before we started taking the flight of stair up. I spotted this Chinese uncle wearing the Pacesetters black running vest doing his stair training going up and down non-stop. Totally full of respect! (o.O) So, I managed to climb all the 272 steps to reach the spectacular Hindu temple in Batu Caves. There was also Dark Cave located at the left side halfway up. 



Awesome Sight For A Sore Eyes... LOL... Sedapnya limau tuh... Nomm Nomm... XD

What fascinated me during our visit was the adorable behaviours of the sacred temple monkeys. Some of the visitors offered some fruits like oranges, apple and even coconut to those cheerful monkeys. I could see some of the alpha male monkeys were being agressive towards the tourists too. Creepy much.. 
Anyhow, both of my calf muscles were a bit sore from the climb up and down the Batu Caves steps (272 x 2). Go figure. Tulah gedik sangat naik tangga like a pro... kan dah amik hobat.. Hahaha... T..T Thank goodness I was wearing my running shoes. Fuhh...

So on the D day, I woke up around 5.15am, quite late due to forgot to set my alarm at 5am... My bad... Wuaaa.... Rushed to take shower, put on all the running gear and equipments. I haven't pin up my running bib. Then I rushed my way to pick up Rashid, out backbone contender for We Are Runners (WARs) clan. We reached Sri Hartamas around 6.20am, managed get on the shuttle bus on time despite having some kalut moments with me finding my stuffs last minute... Clumsy me, *Sighed

As we reached the starting point, it was already 6.40am, all the runners were seeing doing their stretchings and warming up exercises along with the instructors. While I desperately pinned up my bib and managed to do some 10 minutes warming up jog around the venue. And by 7am sharp all the male runners were being flagged off first. 



The Sperm Head 11.4km Route... Super killer hills!!!! 

It was like a dejavu to me to run this "Sperm Head" route all over again. I could still remember how I gave up and decided to walk at the second rolling hills near Shell station before and the ultimate killer hill. But this time around I was all prepared to face the same nemesis. Hehee... The first few kilos I experienced some excruciating muscles pull around my ankle. Then I realized I didn't do my hamstring stretching after the warming up jog. So I stopped at the nearest tree to do some stretchings before I continued running.
 

Me running with a curvaceous pose... Tooo sexy to handle it... LOL... Credits to Vivien Tay =D

Suddenly I could feel my tummy started to get upset after KM3. It was starting to bloat. Oh dear! The feeling of running with a bloated tummy wasn't that pleasant. Most definitely. Adeiii.... Although I managed to pass the gas a couple of times, but my tummy was still felt like a BIG balloon. So uncomfy. Urghhh... I was like dying to run uphill the 1st loop. Rasa nak pengsan, seriously I could felt my body started to having some cold sweat...Cuak gilaa! @..@ After having my energy gel around KM5 entering the second loop. It manage to subside a bit but still the urges to do no 1 & 2 came after that. I tried to stay strong and kept on running knowing that I finishe this race with a better timing compared to previous year. My 10KM was successfully done in 1:10:05 with 6'24'' pace. I reached the finishing line with the timing of 1:18:30, shaving off 10 minutes from my last year's timing. Nonetheless it's stilll a PB for me... Yayyy...


Muka baru abes lari... Still managed to smile ok... Penat yaamats but still bearable... =D

After finishing the race, I queued up for the mineral water bottle and for my goodies bag. Too bad there was no more hot yummilicous taufufah or tantalizing icy cold cendol like last year's event but we were served with fried kuewtiow and God sent ice-cream ala Magnum.... LOL... Awesome still... Later on it was post-race photoshoots time... Hehee... Oh I forgot to tell you guys that I met with several distinguished running bloggers, such as Khairul, Kak Nannoor and Azim. Good job guys.. Keep it up doing PBs ok! =D

Met Kak Nannoor for the first time... Well done Sis!!! Taken from her Instagram..  



Azim, Rashed and Yours truly... Depa nih laju2 belaka woo... T..T



Yours Truly and Taufik... Sapa protege, sapa mentor nih... Hohoho...



Congratulations to all of us the WARs finishers... =D

Oppa Kiara Style!!! Yeahhh =D



My precious 12KM medal... The same design like Malakoff Penang ... Credits to Azim

Soon after the race, I had to rush back to my Auntie's house in Ampangan, Seremban for her grandchilren's cukur jambul kenduri and my late grandma's tahlil. The food spread afterwards was superbly awesome, totally mouth watering and simply scrumptious. I ate gulai kambing, ayam masak merah, daging masak kurma, sembilang masak lomak cili api... Siap tambah nasik dan lauk kambing lagi... There goes my 12km  (11.4km, slightly under-distanced) run on that morning... (T..T)

Baby Thaqif Zafran slept soundly on that day... So cuteeee...

Ikan sembilang masak lomak cili padi... Memang trangkek... Hehee

Just look at those succulent dishes in my plate... My oh my... Totally sinful indulgence!!!

Overall, it was good to have a PB for this Malakoff Killer Hills, the vicious Bukit Damansara has been tamed by me at last... hahaha... statement perasan sgt nih! Looking forward to improve my timing next year provided that I have to prep up myself with sufficient trainings and lose more weight as my current weight is 87km with 3kg increase... Oh dear, padanla rasa berat jer badan nih nak daki bukit2 tuh... LOL!!! Have to inforce strict diet from now on to perform well for this coming Newton Challenge 2012, the Ultimatum closing event of 2012 for me. Need to do the Simulation LSD this coming weekend, any takers? Hehehe....


Funtastic Five WARs... Ho yeahhh!!!

Last but not least, here are the results of my WARs clan for this race. Congratz Rashid for your Sub 1 PB and Top 80!!! Insanely fast with his new Wave Elixir shoes... Yoshhhh!!!!

1. Rashid Mat Rani     (0:59:21:66) 79th
2. Raja Arief Deli        (1:14:45:71) 446th
3. Hafiz Aizat             (1:18:30:92) 606th
4. Dr. Chin Siok Fong  (1:18:39:66) 71st
5. Kamal Ghazali        (1:31:40:45) 1019th

  

LSD Run Around UKM 11/12/12 - Mission Accomplished!! and Makanthon too... LOL!

Helo there to all my fellow followers, especially my running brothers and sisters in this unique community. Happy Friday and happy weekend ahead for all of us. Before this report reaches its due date, i.e. this weekend, let me share with you guys out there on my recent mission. I have always longing to do a LSD Run all over UKM Bangi campus and to conquer all those 4 "Awesome" Lung busting hills too... Syukur, Alhamdulillah, I've made it at last. Fot your information, this is my recent LSD Run after my maiden marathon in APBIM. Tudiah lama sungguh berehat akibat kemalasan terlampau ditambah pula dengan serangan flu, sore throat and demam panas back-to-back. T..T Therefore I decided to do a LSD Run just to prep myself up for this coming Malakoff KL Run 2012 and Newton Challenge 25KM Run 2012. Creepy much!

Wish me luck guys... Go for the PB!!! Oh NO, my 1st ever pinky running tee... Shockingly excited!!! @..@

It was done on this auspicious day where it was the Birthday of Sultan Selangor, DYMM Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj. Daulat Tuanku. It was such a lovely Tuesday morning. The weather was cold and the sky was overcast most of the time, perfect time to do a very long run. It was already around 8.10am when I was started running. At first, I was trying to do a 20KM LSD Run. I started my LSD Run from UKM Stadium all the the way towards the first hilly route by running through Keris Mas Residential College, Rashid's college before. After that i reached CGAT Hill, where we could see INBIOSIS and PERMATApintar Negara building along the way. The place was packed with cars and there was an event too, I guessed.  I've covered 5KM so far.

Later on, I went towards the 2nd hill, Makmal Bioteknologi Tumbuhan (MBT) hill. I just ran downhill towards this rolling hills and managed to reach the enormous water tank uphill near Kolej Aminuddin Baki. I used to go to MBT by motorcycle before during my undergrad and postgrad studies. Some old memories started flashing back in my mind while I was running along this route. I saw some fallen trees along the way down the hill. Some of them were already being chopped to pieces. 

Beware of the fallen tree by the road.... 

Next destination was the most famous and awesomest lung busting hill, the reknowned FST Hill. This hill was pretty challenging and really2 suitable for us to do a hill training due to its long winding inclines. If you still have guts you can try to run uphill towards Kolej Ibrahim Yaakub (KIY), oh my old residential college during my undergrads studies. Super cool I tell you... Hehee...

Me camwhoring in front of the Law Faculty of UKM (FUU) ... Hehehe... 

After that I ran downhill, passing through Pendeta Za'ba Residential College. I ran towards the fourth hill, The FUU Hill. By that time it was already around 9.30am. The weather was still being gentle on me on that wonderful morning. No microwave heat yet so far. I took a risk for not bringing any water bottle or Gatorade during my LSD which I really regretted it the most. Kamikaze sgt time nih... Gilo ko hapo... I was soooo thirsty upon reaching the summit of FUU Hill that I was willing to drink any tap water from any washroom also. Thank goodness I found this box of mineral water 'Bleu' to quench my thirst, located just beside the vending machine for the Law students to purchase. I still haven't paid the bottle at this moment because I didn't bring any money on that LSD day. *yikes*  

This was my saviour of that time! Water... Syukur Alhamdulillah sgt2... =D

I ran down through the concrete stairs towards Engineering Lake (Tasik Kejut). I managed to clock in 12KM within 1:44:31 with pace 12'14'' (Labi2 pace ke sloth pace dah nih... LOL!!!). As I ran towards Fakulti Pendidikan and Burhanuddin Helmi Residential College, I've decided to accumulate more mileage by running towards FST along the route towards ATMA and FPI. I passed the famous DECTAR on my right side and ran further towards Tun Hussein Onn Residential College to tackle the small yet steep hill to reach the Stadium. It was around 16KM as I could see Stadium UKM from far. So I diverted my route by moving towards the last but not least IPS Hill for my last hill training just to collect more mileage. 

My LSD Route Around UKM... Serata pelusuk telah ku terokai... =D

As I ran downhill towards Dewan Gemilang and Keris Mas, it was started to get really hot. I ran back through the first route in front of UKM Danau Golf Club in order to reach the Stadium. Ngam2 je 18KM and it was time to call it off because the sun shining bright and it was getting hotter and hotter. My LSD Run was done under 2:39:08. My longest time and furthest distance for LSD so far. @..@ The time was almost 11am. OMG... Very late already, my car was the only car left at the stadium's parking lots. After stretching a bit and cooling down for a while, I have to rush back home because I was so hungry, thirsty and sooo tired loh. Lack of sugar I think.  

The good thing of doing a very loooooong run was that U don't have to feel guilty for having a scrumptious lunch spread afterwards. Hahahaa.... I just ate several Gardenia buns for my late breakfast and small box of  dutch Lady's full cream milk. What do you expect? So an early lunch was a must! Me and Rashid went to Miyagi Japanese Restaurant in Bandar Baru Bangi for our lunch. It was my 1st time being there and I was impressed with the speedy and friendly waitress. I intended to belanja Rashid as I've promised to him previously. Hehee...

Hot green tea to quench my thirst 

Ebi Tempura as our starter... Yummeh to the MAX!!!

Salmon Maki Lunch Set, Got Cawan Mushi and Miso Soup. Grilled Salmon nya sangat heaven wehhh!!!!

Eat Till You Drop... LOL... Ittadakimasu!!!! Bab nih paling syiok... =D

We both had Salmon Maki Lunch set with Ebi Tempura and Unagi Sushi. Very very very filling and sooo delicious too. Value for your money I tell you. Next time i must try the lamb meal... Hahaaa....We were soooo kenyang after that and went home to rest and dozed off... Macam ular sawa sangat tidoq time tuh.. hahaa...

I also had this Ayam Goreng Masala Mamak Style for dinner along with my chapati... Super yummeh!!!

So, wish me best of luck to improve my previous timing for this coming Malakoff Run on Sunday. Let's flatten the rolling hills with my plumpy buttock, shall we? LOL! Mental strength is a must... That's why I love rolling killer hills so much... Hahahaa.... Oh, btw, ,many thanks to Tristupe for the tips to conquer the uphill inclines and downhill too... Yoshhh!!! Cuak mode activated already...  Gambatte kudasai!!!! 

From Taiping With LOVE... My PB HM 2012... =D

Helo there fellow followers and Happy Flyday to all of us... I would like to reminisce my previous 7th HM so far, the so called Taiping "International" Marathon 2012. This is because although it was poorly organized running event I've entered by far, I still managed to get my PB of this year for HM... Woot2... So bear with me along this memory lane, shall we...

Sunset and sunrise view... i love it both equally so much!!!

Me and my best friend went to Taiping a day before the event, Saturday 15th September... since I've heard the accomodation around Taiping was full house, at first I planned to stay in Kuala Kangsar. Luckily we found a decent motel, comfy enough and within our budget too. Plus, it was not that far from the starting line. *double yayy. After we've checked in, it's time to chillax and get ready to take my racekit near the Majlis Perbandaran Taiping in the evenining. Then the drama began unexpectedly. It took a very long time to collect mine despite the queue was not that long. Imagine queuing up under the hot evening sun, around 4pm for quite a long time. So snail pace the organizers... I even heard the they were running out of M size running vest  for the male runners. Instead they only had the female size and L, XL male vest... So pathetic.. So much for their international level... Sigh...

Strategizing for tomorrow's HM perhaps? Hehehe.. 

Once collected my racekit, we went to Maxwell Hill and the famous Taiping Lake Garden for a spin and photography shootings... Hehehe.. As usual, I was the model most of the time... Feeling2 Malaysia Next Top Model sat... LOL... Cannot tahan watching some avid runners and joggers running around the Lake Garden at that time. The weather was perfectly awesome for outdoor activities. Later on we went to the gerai nearby for a late lunch and cendol time hehee...

Welcome to Taiping Lake Garden.. =D

On that night we went to a Mamak Restaurant to watch ManU football match. We were supposed to watch Arsenal's instead but the majority rules right? A lot of hardcore Red Devils in Malaysia... Any way, I just had my mee goreng mamak. Not that spicy though. I must sleep early coz I was supposed to wake up around 5am the next morning. @..@ Insanely wee hours... 

Here we go!

As expected I woke up around 4.45am, felt sooo freakingly sleepy. Managed to find some inner strength to wake up, had a shower, doing number 2 asap and wore my warhead equipments consisted of my compression tight, utility belt, one water bottle, energy gels, sport armband and earphone. As I was about to depart towards the starting line, I saw a Chinese uncle, runner of course was having problem in starting his 4WD vehicle. He asked me to give him a ride coz he'll be doing a FM and he was already late. 

Thank goodness we arrived just in time for him to take off with other fellow FM runners while I was informed that HM will be flagged off on 6.30am, I guessed. So plenty of time for me to do warm ups and stretching =D Suddenly I need to do my number 2 business. So i went to the nearest McD asap. Can't afford to have an upset tummy while running. Totally disastrous! 

Kak Lina Bunny with yours truly... Tengah neves lg time nih... Hohoo...

Around 6am, I met with my respected Running Sista, Hot hot Honey Bunny Kak Lina with her hubby, Abg Zaini and their son, Raimie. She's so easily recognised for her Bunny Ears and I forgot to bring along  my Purr-ple Cat Ears.. hohoo... And I must tell you, This Mak Arnab manyak laju jugak woo... Respect... Hehee... Around 6.30am we were being flagged off. 

The first inclining hilly road was Bukit Doraemon, known among the local Taipingites... It was still dark so we barely felt the inclinations. How awesome. Then we ran along Kamunting Industrial Park, where it was raining drizzle around KM8-9. It was pretty cool to run in a rain, except it should not be a heavy downpour one lah with all the thunderstorms .. Hehehe... As I read last year's review, the FM runners were running in a rain during this same event too. I managed to clock in 1:08:10 and 7'02" pace for my 1st 10km. 

The awesome HM route... It was raining that morning.. Super cool!!!

After that we ran along the normal route towards Penjara Taiping and King Edwards VII school. The route was pretty scenic. The weather on that morning was helping us, still shady with crispy fresh air, banyak pokok-pokok la katakan along the way. Unfortunately i didn't have a camera to capture the breathtaking view along the route. Then we ran along the iconic Lake Garden. I was inspired by this one Pakcik running barefoot. Really determined to finish the race. I started to increase my pace to overtake him. Youngsters like me must be faster than this otai-otai you know... Hahahaa... I met with him again around 500m before the finishing line. His left toe was bleeding due to some sharp objects left on the road, I bet. Poor him...

My running picture... Almost there... Must looked chirpy and cheerful! Credits to  Mr Photographer

Nevertheless I managed to finish my 7th HM on Malaysia Day some more with a PB of 2:23. Yayyy....  Coincidentally I finished along side with a renowned avid G-Marathonner Ilyanna. She ran Chicago Marathon with Captain G. Woot2... One of my dreams to run the Big  6 Major Marathons in the world too... Goshhh!!! Still far far away ahead indeed... hehee (^v^)  

A must do pose... Smiling like crazy with my finisher medal... =) Credits to Zaid

After getting my limited finisher medal as I was informed by Kak Lina Bunny, I went to redeem my goodies bag.  It was a hell of a post running event, lack of  goodies bags for us runners, We have to push each others to get that lousy goodies bag by the way. It was chaotic! the guy asked for the runners to show our receipt first before redeem our bag. What the F.... By that time all the receipts lunyai already, esp after FM n HM... I dun have mine coz I paid online... What a mess... Anyhow I lined up to get our mini nasi lemak and skipped the Milo truck because the queue was insanely loooooooong.... Better I go to the McD and ordered for a nice cool MILO instead and I did afterwards... hehee...

Front view

Rear view... My first pewter medal!!!!

The only highlights of the event was the volunteers were giving out Spritzer's POP carbonated mineral water... X pernah dibuat dek orang ok... Mentang-mentanglah Spritzer tuh memang kilang besarnya di Taiping, must be the main sponsor for so called "isotonic" drink nih. Baik diorang provide spritzer mineral bottle instead... Haiyohhh... @..@ 

So that's my sincere review for Taiping Local Marathon 2012... My 1st time ever running in Perak Darul Ridzuan.  Standard kampung2 sangat penganjuran event ini. Even worst than the previous year, I was mentioned from other runners. the late FM finishers were not being provided with drinks, sponges and even no more finisher tees... How cruel is that? Terus trauma xmahu buat FM di Taiping ni... Hahhaa... Better join any other running event in Perak. Ciao bella!

Yayyyy Got my PB in Taiping this year... Surpisingly... LOL!!!