DRAGONISTA RODE THE DRAGON BACK IN STYLE!

Sayup kelihatan "ekor" Sang Naga Sakti dari kejauhan..Credits to Mr Victor for this awesome pic!

Hello there my beloved fellow followers, Happy Wednesday to all of y'all...I used to ogle down the so-called impossible insane Dragon Back Run route ever since 2011 but I could never find any courage and brave enough to overcome this mind boggling route before. Maybe because I have to drive about 1 hour (40km) from Kajang to the starting venue in Meru, Klang. Not until by the end of 2012 when I finally decided to conquer this famous LSD route among Shah Alam, Bukit Subang and Klang runners. After reading the sincere review from Andrew`s blog "Moving On AC", I prepared myself physically, mentally and spiritually for my debut Dragon Back Run 2013 aka my 1st running event for this auspicious 2013. Along the way, I've successfully "poisoned" Rashid with gusto, my Dynamico Duo buddy to tag along with me, since both of us has never run this race before. Kihkihh....

A day before the event, Rashid and I joined our fellow colleagues hiking up Bukit Datuk. After that we went to a so-called training to develop our characters for this coming inaugural running event. It was more like a "Boot Camp 101" for us. Tormenting yet we barely survived in the end. And I never know I have to pay such an "AWESOME" price for the next 3 days. T..T

Fast forward to the running day, I woke up pretty late, around 5.15 am and struggled to prepare all the necessities for the running event in time. Since I've never been to Meru before, I decided to go there earlier in case I lost my way along the trip. However we could only managed to leave my house around 5.35 am and rushing like hell to Klang. Memang super kalut abess... Hehee.. @..@

Luckily we didn't get ourselves lost and reached the starting line barely less than 10minutes before the flag off time. After wishing Azlinah and her friend best of luck, we were ready to take off. I was surprised to find out they didn't use any hone @ gun for the flagging off. Instead they just shot off some fireworks as the signal, definitely a new experience, one of a kind. It was like Chinese New Year came early this year... Hehee... Awesome...

Kong Hey Fatt Choyy 2013.. Enter The Year Of The Snake...

I decided to run happily with my Chinese noble hat, the one I used to wear for my Mizuno Wave Run 2012. In the spirit of 1Malaysia, I guessed... The first 2KM was flat and doable. I tried not to push myself too fast too soon because I normally need 2 - 3KM to warm myself up, especially to loosen up my legs and ankles. I waited until the first climb to increase my pace. I struggled to maintain my 6 min-ish pace while feeling a lil bit thirsty. Thank goodness there was WS1 after the first incline.

From there onwards, there's 7 more rolling killer hills (mentally) to be tackled, 4 hills for the first 7.5KM and another 4 climbs along the way to the finishing line. Thank goodness I didn't face any trouble to tackle those deadly inclines, thanks to the brutal merciless hills of FST in UKM and MARDI. However I did felt uncomfortable as my old injury around my left knee reoccurred after the nasty "Boot Camp". I experienced 3  series of painful attack which prevented me from increasing my speed. Dang! T..T

Credits to Mr Lim.. Super nice shot here... Must smile although in die-die already mode  =D

Muka tengah mintak nyawa nih... Separuh nafasku telah pergi... OMG!

Around KM 8, I decided to consume my only energy gel since I was running on an empty tank that morning. I was still feeling thirsty and have to stop almost every WS. The isotonic and cold water are plenty and sufficient. Me likey...

The Furious Dragon Back Run 2013 Route... How awesome... =D

Eventually, I managed to reach KM10 in 1:05:40 with 6'05" pace. More like doing a LSD run at Sunday morning. The view along the route was definitely breathtaking, especially after the U-Turn loop on the way back to the finishing line. The morning sun was bright and being kind enough towards us runners on the splendid morning. After KM11 I was struggling with my pace again due to my injury. I tried to hold on and stay positive. I picked up my pace for the last 2KM and it was hard to overtake other runners in front because the lane was too narrow. Syukur Alhamdulillah I successfully finished the race in 1:37:04 (6'26") with 109th position. Not that bad after all, huh? =D

Hard earned finisher medal along with 109th placing... Almost Top 100.. One should not be greedy... Hehee

Congratz to Rashid, demam2 pon still managed to get 25th place with your 80% running turbo power. LOL! So much for your Drama Queen sangat.. What a way strong finishing time to kick start this 2013, right? We were served with generous amount of watermelon slices, isotonic water, nasi lemak, fried bihun and fried noodles and plenty of bananas too. Owh Vico has never tasted that divinely yummilicious before. Must be due to hunger strike and lethargy. But still cannot beat the sinful MILO drink... LOL...

MARDI Runners United in Meru, Klang...

We Are Runners (WARS) Slain The Dragon Mission - SUCCESS!!! 

All in all, it was a very well organized running event, eventhough in a small scale but still managed to organize it effortlessly. Traffic control was okay along the Dragon Back route. Many cyclistas were tackling the killer hills too on that morning. So the route is not that dull at all. Definitely a sight to behold. WS were plenty and located strategically too. Unfortunately there's no porta-loo for runners to do no.1 and 2 businesses along the route. So bear in mind to empty your tank before the race or just go Au naturale... LOL!

Me and my first finisher medal for 2013... How cool is that? Woot2...

Well, hopefully to be able to do PB for my Dragon Back Run next year. Insya Allah... =D Untill then, will be looking forward to do my LSD here too in the near future... Pretty awesome and I felt so good!

My most liked Profile Pic in FB - 55+ likes... Credits to Mr Victor... Me Super  Likey too!!!

FUN HIKE ALL THE WAY TO BUKIT DATUK 2013... =D

Titisan embun segar di pagi hari menuju ke puncak Bukit Datuk  =D

Why, Hello there fellow followers and hardcore brothers and sisters fellow running bloggers.... First of all my utmost apologies for unable to update my latest running event review asap due to my ups and downs of health conditions due to the packed underground secret trainings (so-called LOL!) regime lately for this coming inaugural one of a kind running event in February... So stay tuned for more updates... Freaking excited totally... LOL!!! Oh before I almost forgot, Happy Thaipusam to all my Hindu friends and Salam Maulidur Rasul to all my Muslim brothers and sisters worldwide.

Okay then, let`s cut the chase and just straight to the point. Before this entry reached its 'due date' by next month (1st February 2013 - basi already!), I would like to share with all of you guys out there that what Bukit Datuk has to offer to all the tree huggers, trail runners and nature enthusiasts. On the very fine peaceful morning of 19 January 2013, I've joined my fellow KSSM members on our fun hiking activities to Bukit Datuk, Serdang.

Bukit Datuk route and its elevation. GARMIN Data from Rashid . Thanx Yosh!!! 

Bukit Datuk is situated in the heart of MARDI Headquarters in Serdang, Selangor and is the highest peak in MARDI (144m from the sea level). Formerly known as Bukit Botak, it has been renamed after our Director General of MARDI aka Datuk KP. Nonetheless it provided us with all the excitement and jungle tracking experiences.

Warm up stretching is a must folks! Yeahhh... 

Even before start hiking, must pose and look stunning too.. Hahaa...

Rashid, Yours Truly and Bro Bac, MARDI Runners United... Ho yeahhh.... 

Started our morning hiking around 8am with some stretching exercises as a warm-up to avoid any unpleasant cramps among the mini expedition members during the hike. After the prayer had been recited, off we went! There were 50 participants all together on that lovely journey, most of us were young and new officers and staffs (including me LOL!) It took us 2.62km and about 1 and a half hour journey to reach the summit with two break to catch a breather. We went through some magnificent jungle track ever in MARDI Jungle and noticed some precious timber trees such as Nyatoh and Petaling too. Totally awesome... =D

Precious timber for conservation....

Love Thy Forest... Be one with Mother Nature... Hehee ;D

My fellow compatriots includes Rashid, Bro Bac, Hazrul Amry and our gorgeous MARDI's sweat heart Miss Nadia Nuramina. We could not resist the temptation to camwhore and took as many photos as we could along the hike, especially in the wilderness. We faced many inclines along the way. Pretty challenging for some of us especially those who were hiking without wearing proper trail shoes.

MARDI Hikers tackling the inclines...

Rashid, Yours Truly and Hazrul goofing around... Hohoho... Credits to Bro Bac!

Stunning trail road, suitable for MTB track and trail running in MARDI 

Let's stretch some more here, Funtastic Four... Almost there... I could feel it already... =)

Even Rashid the Speedster Demon slipped several times too. LOL! See, you have to buy a decent trail running shoes asap buddy! It's a good investment and will be very handy for trail running too... Good for cross training ok!

Almost there... We can see the final peak from this point.... Awesome shot and editing by Bro Bac...

Awesome view from the top. We could see MEX Highway not that far from here... 

From the other side of the peak, we could see UPM Mosque and UPM campus too. 

I just wanna fly...  Fly far far away... LOL

Superb view from here, I was amazed!!! Subhanallah... =D Credits to Bro Bac

Well, as we were about to reach the end of our journey, the view was getting more and more awesome and breathtaking indeed. Once again, we could not resist to keep on snapping some pictures and posed like Top Super Models  (berangan xhengat punya LOL, al-maklumlah first timers!) The weather was slightly overcast and as me and my fellow colleagues ran towards the summit, it was pretty chilly and cooling too. It was totally unbelievable and unexpected too. I would never ever thought there is such place like this at the backyard of my office.

My Asics Enduro 7 still holding on tough... Need more trails to test your limit.... Kihkihh...

 Hence I shall come here again for my secret trail training ground... Ngeh2, anybody wanna join me running here too? *Raise your hands please... =) I`m sure Kak Lina Bunny aka Mak Rempinator and her Boss Sifu Ultra Ray and Team PACat Adventures (Abg Arman and Co.) would not mind getting all dirty and muddy here too... Kihkih..

Sinfully indulgence Nasik Lemak Sambal Sotong and Ayam Goreng... Rezeki jangan ditolak bro!  

Chempedak Goreng yang sinfully manis dan sangat sedapppp... Rasa macam nak tapau jer... @.@

MARDI rare fruits for desserts... Anyone? Hehee

After the hard workout, what else, makanthon time lah!!! It`s time for our late breakfast (10am++). At the peak, we were served with a scrumptious food galore, consisted of nasik lemak, crispy fried chicken, sambal sotong, sardine sandwhiches, chempedak and banana fritters. We were very fortunate to taste the underutilised rare fruits such as Kuning Telur, Mentega and Rambai fruits from our Gene bank farm in MARDI (although I`m not a big fan of these fruits, so I just took their pictures only... Too tired to eat fruits for dessert huhu...Plus I really need to catch some sleep and decent rest before dashing off to PJ for my character training at 2pm. @..@

Group photo of all the participants, happy faces after having our breakfast overlooking the Serdang Valley... 

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves along this fun hiking in group, making this hike so much fun and effortless too. Let's do it all over again in the near future, shall we guys? Hehee...

CATCHING MY BREATH AT BROGA HILL 2013 - REVISITED

The Beauty of Bunga Lalang at Broga Hill... Fuhhh...

Hello there fellow readers and followers, my brothers and sisters of Runninghood... Since the Chap Ayam Relay Fun Run has been posponed due to the hassle from the infamous HKR112 event being held a day before, it was very disappointing news to me for not being able to kick start my 2013 with a prestigious running event. So I'll have to wait for this coming event, the notorious Dragon Back Run 2013 with my ultimate mission to slay the Dragon... Grrrrr... =D

Broga Hill, 1.7km only with 400m height from sea level.  Cukup berpeluh gak! 

In the meantime, I would like to share with all of you on my not so recent active outdoor activity. I've joined my Institute's sports and social club for a Broga Hill Sunrise Hike 2013 last Saturday, 5th January 2013. It was my second time hiking up the Broga Hill, which is located in Semenyih, Selangor. However, during my first time, I could only managed to reach the 3rd peak only because it was almost 11.30am and it was getting blazing hot yet windy up there.

My KSSM Hiking Red T-Shirt...  Too big for me to wear... Buat baju tido jela nampak gayanya...

A huge number of 65 participants took part on this expedition during that lovely Saturday dawn. Me and my hiking friends, including Rashid the Speedster not a Spinster LOL, Abu Bac, Hazrul and Izwan took a ride on our Institute's bus around 3.30am.  The convoy was also consisted of 7 other cars. I was sooo sleepy due to some sleep deprived but somehow I could not rest my eyes during the journey. Excited much I guessed. 

Still dark at the 3rd Peak, camwhoring la dulu...  Sila abaikan bulu dadaku yer... LOL!!! 

We reached the hiking site around 4.15am. It was my first time to hike Broga Hill in these wee hours and in darkness. Luckily Rashid was generous enough to lend his Energizer headlight to me as it was still pitch black. We were expecting a wet, slippery and muddy hiking route as it was downpour raining the previous evening. However the route was dry and just nice for us the MARDI Sunrise Hikers. I was wearing my Asics Enduro trail shoes during that hike. Finally my Enduro were put to a test again after the horrendous muddy Salomon X-Trail 2012... Hohoho... 

At the 3rd Peak, while waiting for the rest of the hiking team, we managed to take some breather and strike some poses even in the dark. Thanks to the wonder of flash camera... LOL... Hydration was a must during hiking. There were many other hikers who were already relaxing here too, mostly teenages. 

Gelap pon gelap la labuuu, janji dapat bergambar... Muahahaaa... XD

So after a while, we continued our hike. The route was getting more challenging, especially the rocky surface towards the fourth peak aka final summit. I was having a little bit problem with the rope as my arms were not strong enough to pull myself up. (Note to myself: must do more upper body workout once a while ;D) . Mujoqla xketaq lutut time tuh... Must maintain my coolness... steady2... Badan pun berat lagik nih... T..T 

Yayyy.. We made it at last... Still waiting for the sunrise.... Sighed

Thank goodness we reached the summit safely around 6am, I guessed so. Had our "lost" moments in the woods in the search for an open space for some of us to perform our Subuh prayer. We were already heading towards Gunung Tok Wan when they suddenly realized and decided to head back to the summit. Jungle trekking in a group was so much fun and exciting. Guessed I really love hiking in nature very much... =D

Breaking dawn moment.... Too bad the weather was cloudy and windy too... Kempunan cheq! =(

Around 7am, there was no sign of sunrise moment being witnessed as the weather was very cloudy due to the rainy evening the previous day. Most of us, especially the photographers felt disappointed the most. However, it was very windy and we really enjoyed the breathtaking view from the top. 

Saya berjuyaa... Yayyy.... ;D

It was time for all us to camwhore and took as many group pictures as we would like. The organizer also took this opportunity to celebrate some of the participants' birthday (December and January Babies) on the top of Broga Hill. It was a moment to cherish, most definitely. 

Happy Birthday To Uolls!!! (Me and Rashid luv to enterframe their pics... LOL!!!)

Yayyy.. Victory At Last.... MARDI Boleh! Yeahhh.... 

Bro Bac, Yours Truly, Izwan and Rashid... Awesome background view...

Kaki sakit pun tetap wajib pose lompat kegirangan di puncak yer... LOL!

Berjaya juga akhirnya... =D

Although my legs were tired but still must give a strong pose... LOL!

After savouring our sweet moments at the Broga summit, we walked our way down through another less rocky route. Thank God! I swore to myself that this would me last Broga Hill trip ever... Hehee... The weather was really soothing and view started getting more vivid. I could see the whole Semenyih valley from afar. More photoshoots at the 3rd Peak. Super excited to be able to go for a hike with my friends, tidur xcukup rasa penat pon hilang bila lepak huha2 atas sana berjemaah LOL... =D

The organizer posed at the 2nd Peak 

Meditating myself at the 3rd summit... Felt at ease... =D

Once everything settled, we continued our hiking downwards, Rashid and I decided to run ourselves down after the steep 2nd peak route, just wanna kill 2 birds with one stone. More like a descending trail running training for us on our way home. It was full with an adrenaline rush workouts nonetheless. Jantung pon rasa nak tercabot dah by the time we reached the starting venue. Rashid bought a refreshing coconut drink for a recovery drink for us. Totally a heaven sent... =D Yayyy....

Cheeky moments captured at Broga Hill.... LUV it!!!

After cooling down a bit, it's time for the participation cert giving ceremony by our otai, Mr Aizat (not me!, another Aizat). It was almost 10am by that time. My hunger pang strike fiercely. So the organizer decided to have a group breakfast at the Mamak restaurant nearby. I had this Puri (not bad la... crunchy and yummy curry... buat alas perut... hehee). 

Had puri (more looked like Puru) for late breakfast

So that's pretty much my hiking report. We did had lots of fun and sweaty experiences along the way up and down Broga Hill. Would looking forward to hike Gunung Nuang, Gunung Datuk and Bukit Tabur perhaps someday for my preparation for TMBT 50KM 2013... Super cuak nih... Plus, I do need a new trail running shoes too. Skechers GO Trail perhaps? But must wait for my budget la kan... hehee....

That's all folks. Stay tuned for more of my race review for this coming Dragon Back Run 2013... Wish me luck and survive this ordeals too yaaa! Cheers... 

Nice number... Hopefully I'll survived this and got PB as well? Huhuu...