FROM 11 GOING 100... My Story...

 Why do I run? For fun? What makes me addicted to running so much? Why should you run?

I still remembered my running journey started 5 years ago. I was super obese, 108kg, always get easily fatigue and restless. Migraine & chest pain were my best friends back then. Dizziness and feltso unfit because I seldom exercise. Used to jogging casually and played volleyball during my degree years in UKM but I did not stay active once I started working.

This is me back then in 2009-2010... Gosh!

However it all changed when Rashid poisoned me with all his finisher medals & running tee. He asked me to sign up for me first running event. It was Energizer Night-mare Run 2011. April 2011. Back then, I had no idea at all on what kinds of running shoes to wear and running apparel. So I just wear my football jersey and cheap brown Adidas shoes which I bought during a sales in Suria Sabah, KK. Hahaa... Such a cheapo! LOL

My first run in ENR 2011 with We Are Runners group =D

We had to run Sepang International Circuit twice to complete the 11km distance (1 lap = 5.5km). It was tough. I huffed and puffed along the way. I still remembered that I ran with one big 100Plus from the WS during the 2nd loop. Hahahaa! Xpernah dibuat dek orang. =D

After the run, we had to queue such a long bee line just to get our finisher medal & goodie bag. All the sudden the crowd started to create a riot & swarming the medal/goodie bag station. Hungry impatient tired runners were angry runners. I could see some goodie bags were thrown mid air, just like we were in a refugee camp waiting for the aid. Even the policeman or security came to control the situation. It turned to be a disastrous nightmare for first timer like me. Definitely unforgettable. I went home empty handed, quite dissapointed. Later on the organizer did refund the fees & couriered to us all the entitlements but the damage has already done.

However that did not dampen my spirits to stop joining running events. I has been bitten by running bugs already. I ran almost everyday especially when I studied in USM Minden Penang. The track was my bestfriend & I even ran around the campus during the weekends. Running is my therapy after a long day in the lab. Stress free totally.

With lots of running & strict less carbs diet, I managed to lose 22-24kg from 108kg to 84kg in 2014. Tried Herbalife before, did not suit me well. I felt a lot more confident, more energized and no more heavy migraine & chest pain. Super Yeayyy!

My Transformation Due To Running & Dieting....

Rashid introduced me to his ex-colleagues from UMBI UKM & Inno Bio during every running events and the rest was history. Team We Are Runners (WARs) was my first running group. Although we seldom training together but we always make time for Breakfast Day Run @ Picnic. Rashid, Aafong, Fadhil, Haniff, Raja Del, Ariff & Abu Bac, Kamal, Meg, Maz and Fard Jill. We've came a long way...

We Are Runners Team Along With Other Friends during Newton 2013

My first Half Marathon event was during BSN Putrajaya Night Marathon 2011. I was tempted to try this distance for the first time because of its alluring red Brooks finisher tee. I managed to complete it within 3h25m if I was not mistaken. It was tough. I had several cramps & chafings along the way. Unprepared with any energy gels too. I could still remembered that I could not walk at all after I've finished the run. I took off the shoes immediately. My feet were killing me at that time. Hahaha! Truly unforgettable moments. Rashid & Kamal were there waiting for me & became my witness. After that the rest was history.

Victorious! Half Marathon Virgin no more hohohi!

 After I hooked up with several HMs events, such as Taiping "International" Marathon, Seremban HM, PBIM 2011, PJ Dawn & SCKLM just to name a few, it's time for me to take up the next distance just to challenge myself. The terrifying daunting Full Marathon! Jeng... Jeng... Jeng...

The Funtastic Four during 2XU Compression HM Run In Singapore 2013 - My first run in SG!

At first I did not have the guts to register for FM but after I was confident enough to finish my first FM within 7hours cutoff time during Asics Penang Bridge Internatonal Marathon 2012. Despite improper structured training, I finished my first FM in 6h23min++. Had several cramps & nearly hit the wall moment but I persevered haha! You can read all about it here. That was definitely my life changing moment. From there, I became so addicted to run as many FM as I could year after year. I even travelled solo to run in Ayutthaya Marathon in 2013. I had my PB there. It was an amazing run! I love running in Thailand so much although the street dogs were a bit intimidating & loud, hahahaa!

A selfie with all the roosters in Ayutthaya Marathon 2013 hoho...

My Full Marathon Virgin in PBIM 2012... Berjaya gak "racun" Rashid untuk masuk FM supaya pecah "dara" FMV together2 hohohi....
 
Tokyo International Marathon 2015 was my first Abbott World Major Marathon (WMM). Applied it through ballot system and mine was selected to participate along with other 35,000 runners from all over the world. I was super thrilled and excited as I've never run in Japan before. Especially in Tokyo. I trained so hard and really really hope to finish within the 7 hours cutoff time. The atmosphere during the event was unforgettable. It was super happening with so many cultural shows, choirs, dances, cheerleading and musical shows along the route. Even the spectators were amazing. I could not stop from giving high fives and said thank you to all the public who kept on cheering at us along the route. It was nonstop. I felt my smiling muscles was cramp from smiling and wishing back at them along the way. So many things to see and saviour along the way. They were very generous in providing us with so many sweet tit-bits & drinks throughout the route. I was so relieved that I crossed the finishing line in 5h53m42s. It's a Sub6 y'all! The weather was cold just nice for a run.



After all the full marathons that I've paricipated, now it's time for to come out from my comfort zone. I want to feel what it was like to go beyond 42.195km. Will I crumble and falter? Will I triumph and succeed? How does my body will react to those ultra mileage? How far can I go?
Therefore I was determined to sign up for Back 2 Endurance 2013 (B2E). More details HERE.... =)



Received my first Silver trophy in B2E 2013... It was tough mentally & physically huhu...

It was my first Ultra race. Basically you have to run as many loops as you can within 12 hours cutoff time. One loops was around 2.3km in Lake Garden. Luckily the weather was not that hot during the race day. There were so many photog during the day that I really enjoy pushing the limit. Had a quick KFC for lunch break. U can read all bout it here. My feet felt like burning from pounding the hot tarmac/concrete path. Hahaa... Bad choice of running shoes, perhaps? Ah well, I managed to get that Silver trophy for nailing 50.5km after been running 23 loops! Yayyy for me... Got my first finisher trophy... I think I should make a comeback soon for this B2E race. Next year je lah...

I missed running in Pak Chong so much hohoo!

 TNF100 Thailand 2014 was my first 100km duo category. Teamed up with Dr Razinah, both of us endured the crazy hot + madness 50km trail route. The view along the way was definitely breathtaking & spectacular. The hills were alive. The heat was unbearable. Felt like running in Gobi dessert. Hahaa! Thank goodness we finished the run injury free in 19h40min++. Although we exceeded the accumulated cutoff time of 18hours, we were glad to finish our run in one piece. Heard there was a runner who had a heat stroke & hospitalized on that very day. Such a priceless trail ultra experience for me. You can read all about it HERE...

 TITI50 Ultra 2014 holds such fond memories for me. That was my first 53km ultra road event. After I went through the route map & elevation, I signed up for the early bird rate. This event was one week after TNF100 Thailand, I was so thankful that I could still run after the huge mileage last week. I love being flagged off in the midnight. It was cooling thanks to the heavy downpour in the late evening. Felt like a dream running towards the famous Genting Perez, Jelebu. Oh I still remembered I was running like a headless chicken coz I want to chase the cutoff time 9hours. The last downhill run was epic! So grateful to reach the FL under 8h45min. Hurrahh!

However my running ultra journey was not all filled with sunshine, rainbow and unicorn, all dandy... my first DNF was during Penang Ultra 2014 84km. Yes I was insane enough to run around the island 84km challenge. Blame it on my under training, mileage and not so well prepared hahaa! DNFed at KM48 2km before the next CP @ KM50... Lesson learned the hard way... I was so freaking tired that I slept in the sweeper bus all the way to FL & continued my beauty sleep in our hotel.  I slept like a log! That shows how tired I was... Hoho!

DNF? It's not the end of the world... Can always bounce back stronger next edition... Keep on trying!

 Since then, I had experienced several more DNF episodes. GNU 2015 (reached the FL 15min after cutoff time), R68 Challenge 2015, Pink Ultra 100km Duo 2016, Kyoto Marathon 2016 & recently Putra 24 H Challenge Run 2016 hoho! I had to admit that DNF was sucks... It felt bitter but I have to accept the fact. Suck it up. Reality hurts. There were so many factors. All I have to do is identify the main causes & overcome it in the next edition. There's no short cut to success yaa... U have to earn it yourself. After all, it was not the end of the world. We grew wiser and better from them.

100KM worth of  sweats, almost tears & bloody blisters hohoho!

Putrajaya 100 Miles 2014 was my first virgin 100KM Category. I did not know why I signed up for it in the place. Still remembered that Arman, Sis Suzie & late Abg Zack had faith in me and encouraged me to take the challenge. The experience along the route was truly priceless. Nearly hypothermia, blisters galore, chafings, bloody heat challenge, sleepiness. It's all mind over matters. I'm so glad I had Ben as my pacer for the 2nd half 50km. He pushed me to keep going no matter what. The final 20km felt like forever. I could not walk straight because of my blisters & sleepiness. I just want to lie down anywhere & doze off! Finally managed to complete my Epic 100km journey in 25hours++! Syukur Alhamdulillah...

I'm very thankful to have so many positive person along my running journey. Those who are never stop cheering up for me, those who are truly believed in me. Runners are very special person. They were very optimistic, never give up so easily, stubborn bunch I must say. Thanks to all your critics & comment hoho!

Geng2 Kaki Charoots Dibanaz hohoho... Hadap jelah...

Happy runners always support each others & took lots of picture among us... My first FM in BSN PNM 2013.. Insaf!

 So what's next? All in all, after 29 HM, 28 FM & 13 UM, including all the DNFs in 5 years of running, I think I will keep on running no matter what... Just want to have lots of fun while running regardless of the distance. I was thinking of doing 100km again soon when I'm ready for it. Still have no guts to try 100km trails knowing that u have to train lots of time running and hiking in trails & mountains. That's a HUGE commitment. Yikes!

Running is fun... Running never ends... Never let anyone take the fun out of running... Regardless of the distance... Till then, toodles!

Putrajaya 100 Miles - My Maiden 100km, It's Beyond Words!

100km Ultra Marathon. Yup, I know, it's totally insane, right? To make it more insane, imagine running a 100km road race 6 days after a Full Marathon... I realized it is suicidal but I was too late to chicken out or downgrade the distance. Like they always said before, layankan aje the route! It's #runordie bak kata Ultra Ben... =P

Normally I would always had to think more than twice whenever I decided to register for any ultra running event, especially when the distance is more than 50 km and the cut-off time is super strict. Usually the cut-off time for 100km road and trail race is around 18 hours. TITI 100 and TNF 100 Asia Pacific Series just to name a few. Meanwhile there is an event like Craze Ultra 100 in Singapore had a very generous cut-off time too, which is 32 hours for 100 Miles and 101 km runners. Even The Most Beauty (Brutal) Thing's cut-off time is 30 hours for 100km category.

So it all started when I came across the announcement from PACAT Adventure Team that they will organize Putrajaya 100 Miles (P100) 2014. I immediately signed it up without a doubt after knowing that the cut-off time was generous too, 30 hours. Thus, it's my way to support local ultra running event too after they have successfully organized Putrajaya 50, Putrajaya Watergate 16 Hours (W16H) and King Of Bukit Larut (KOBL). I'm so getting fond of all these low key events, where the camaraderie among the fellow runners was amazingly wonderful and truly unforgettable.

Pre-Race

I went to collect my running bib and my pacer's bib on Friday, just after office hour. At first, I did not have a pacer to accompany me during P100 even though all 100 Miles and 100km participants were entitled to have their own pacers. But once Ben knew that I'll be running my maiden 100km run in P100, he offered himself to be my pacer. As a matter of fact, I was really really grateful that I had a Pacer running along with me, especially during the last 50km. I'll explain to you why later on yeah...

The usual suspects - Razinah, Shin Wong and Me... =D

Go AizaTotis Go! Slow And Steady Wehh... =P

Bumped into Razinah, Fadhlur, and Azmi @ Gmie at the venue. Took some photos together and getting ready to had a carboloading dinner and some last minute preparation. Both of us, Gme and I went to Alamanda to buy some essential things, some food and had a scrumptious dinner. After that we went home and called it a day. I was so tired to pack my stuffs that I fell asleep immediately.

Wajah-wajah Ceria Terkesima Bercampur Debar Menanti Esok Hari eh! - Pic courtesy of Gme Idola

Race Day

Woke up around 5.30 am and I frantically packed my everything that I need to bring in my hydration bag as I knew that it was already too late to drop my bag at CP5. I arrived at Taman Sri Empangan by 7.15 am and missed the large crowd flagoff moments. My bad. So I just took off with Ben. Oh before that took some photos with Eina, Zulfazli and Ben fore we start running.

My Pacer and I... Ikkezoo! #letdudis

Sempat lagik pose2 bersama Eina, Ultra Jol Tersohor sebelum lari nih.. Thanks guys for coming! - Pic by Azfar

One thing about a late start, we tend to get lost since there were not so many of us, crazy nuts running on that fateful Saturday morning. Luckily I still remembered some of the route and we were on the right track afterwards. Tried to catch up with the other runners. I just let Ben ran on his own pace and he'll wait for me at every CP/WS. The first loop was amazing. Said hi to several familiar faces along the way. I just kept on running slow and easy until I reached CP1 Nusa Perdana at KM10 in 1:30:43. The first CP was quite hidden, I almost missed it at first. Had a juicy slices of watermelon and had an icy Coke too. Then off I go to do the first loop along the lake and reached back at the CP1 (now CP2) in 3:38:46. It was a very freaking hot morning! My bad coz I forgot to bring my shades along with me... Felt like forever to reach the CP2 actually... I felt so relieved upon seeing Ben offered a cup of icy cold Coke to me... Such a heaven sent.. Thanks Pacer!

Pics courtesy of Azfar, Isaac and Ms Hong Thanks =)

Once we were done with the mental + hot loop, we were running towards the CP3. I had to run up the stairs and went down again and ran along the lakes towards Marina Putrajaya and Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside before making my way towards PICC and straight towards CP3 which was located at Putrajaya Challenge Park (PCP). I was baffled at first upon witnessing the traffic congestion around PICC. I thought there was a MAHSA Convocation on that day but soon I found out it was Upin Ipin Carnival that was being held there. No wonder I saw so many parents bringing along their kids making their way up. I reached CP3 (KM26) in 4:37:15. Took my sweet time there refilling all my bottles and hydration bag. Had a honey stick too.

You can see how hot it is back then.... Felt like roasted so crispy!!! Nangess at CP3...  - Pic courtesy of Gme Idola

Razinah and Abg Zg were kind enough waiting for me to continue the race together as I had to run alone since my pacer was really eager to deal with the most hottest stretch asap and he took off way earlier. I was ok with it as I was so used to run alone all the time. Plus it was not the most crucial part of the race yet. So I followed both of them and embarked on our journey to the hottest stretch of the route as it was already 1-2pm. We shuffled our way through Taman Selatan towards Persiaran Selatan and Persiaran Timur. It was a mental challenging stretch. We took several breaks whenever we managed to find some shades. It felt like forever to reach CP4 too. Once we reached Presint 15, we need to deal with some inclines in Taman Rimba Alam. The view was spectacular. I've never been to this part of Taman Rimba Alam before. After 2km++ of undulating horse trail, we reached CP4 (KM39) within 7:54:29.

Take A Break In The Middle of Nowhere... Blistering sun  and rolling hills!

 Met so many familiar faces there. I saw Gme, Fadhlur, Ken Lee, Kam and Ijam taking their sweet time at CP4. My tummy was already grumbling and felt so hungry that I ate some Nutella sandwiches and chips. I was surprised to see Azlan at the CP. Thanks for your support yaa... Thank you to Kak Lina, Abg Zaini and Raimie for manning the CP4. You guys were awesome bunch. After went through the same routine and took some pictures with Azlan and the other runners, I continued my run. From there onwards, I really loved the route. It was shady all the way and I could see the dark clouds and heard some thunder from a distance. I need to hustle up to catch up with Razinah and Abg Zg. 

Pose2 Ceria Bersama Mohd Azlan, Fadhlur and Gme Idola - Pic by Gme

Uncle Oliver was not not far from me and he's such a speed walker. We had some pep talk and he encouraged me to go ahead. I bumped into Frank, Ezam and Botaks along the way. I had been warned that it was still a long way to go. Managed to keep up with Razinah and Abg Zg near the INSPEN at Precint 14. Since they were doing just fine, I've decided to run there alone and it was not that hot anymore. It was already 4.30-5pm by the way. Kept going straight and saw some other runners along the route. They told me that the next CP5 (u-turn point) is not at KM50. I said thanks to them and luckily I still had plenty of drinks. I really depended on my Coke. That happy juice gave me the boost when the going got tough. I saw Aizat Razak cheered me at the main junction heading towards Presint 14 and 15. Thanks bro for that impromptu cheer..  After the main junction, I took right and went straight ahead towards Putrajaya Wetlands Park...

Just keep going... #aizatotis

Boy, I tell you, running solo along the straight motorcycle lane stretch felt like forever... Neverending.. Not that boring though coz you could see all those vehicles whizzing by fast... Bumped into Shin Wong and other fast runners approximately 2.4km before CP5. Thanks bro for the info... Reached the entrance and made my way towards CP5... I had to go through some tunnels and had to tiptoed my way carefully along the rocky pavement. I realized I had several blisters on my toes, arch so walking on the small rocks was super painful! It was tormenting... really! Cursing myself as I had to suffer through this lane of hell along the lake. Finally the torture was over once I reached the tarmac again. Kept on going and going until I reached the most anticipated CP5 around 6.45pm, I think. I was in heaven, at last! Phewwww....

Second Half of 50KM - Mind Over Matter...

The volunteers were super friendly and helpful at this CP. I was served a delichicken rice by Andrew and he even poured me a cold icy Coke too. Too bad I didn't have fresh clothes to change into at this CP5, thanks to my silliness for arriving late. It was getting dark and I could already hear the thunder rumble and flashes of lightning in the night sky. Had some of the blisters on my toes were being attended to and plastered by the medic team. After that they even offered me a light physio massage to loosen up those tight fatigue muscles. Oh, it felt so good... I could stay here all night long... Felt like in a paradise... My pacer, Ben was already waiting for me for the second half of the race. After refuelling my hydration bag and grabbed some sandwiches we made our way back towards the same route. 

The much soothing foot massage by the volunteers in CP5... Totally a winner! 

A pic with the fellow PACat V-Army in CP5... Thank you so much for your hospitality.. The best ever!

We ran whenever we could. Walked when I was tired and when the blisters were really bugging me off. It was already drizzling by that time. Light bearable one. Thank goodness... We kept on shuffling and jogging along the dull route until we bumped into Razinah and Uncle Oliver resting at the bus stop during the drizzle in Presint 14. It was cold and we kept on going and finally reached Taman Rimba Alam (Presint 15) once again. I was so grateful that I was running with my pacer along the spooky eerie jungle route. Furthermore, I put on my mp3 players too. Prayed so hard that we didn't bump into any inevitable paranormal activities there. Pheww... thank goodness... Alhamdulillah...

Reached CP4 (now CP6) around 11pm... I felt a bit hungry so I munched the sandwiches a bit and my honeystick. Had a toilet break here too. After a brief rest, off we go to finish the remaining undulating hilly route (2km) before we could reach the main highway stretch again. The long neverending road towards CP3 (now CP7) felt less mental during the night. It was windy and felt like it was going to rain again at that time. We kept on going, sticked to the run-walk-run approach. Stopped for a while in the middle of the neverending road. Saw some mat rempit were keeping the road alive with all those noises. They looked puzzled once we ran past them along the motorcycle lane. Yeah, we were crazy peeps y`all... =P

Finally it started to rain again when we almost reached Taman Selatan bound towards CP3/CP7. My shoes and socks were getting soaked wet. Whether I like it or not, I had to move on. Ben ran across the Muslim cemeteries effortlessly while I tried my best to increase my pace along the 2nd creepy point. I sweared I heard a sound even with my earphones on. It's like an "explosion" somewhere in Taman Selatan... I was shocked and kept shuffling my way. As I was not that far from CP7, I could not walk any further. Every step I took felt so painful. Excruciating pain from my feet. Felt like crying and almost gave up but I had to soldier on. Checked in CP7 by 2.30am.  

Sleeping Beauty? =P

Sleeping Beast #lareksss...

 Once I opened my wet socks, I could see why it was so painful just now. My feet were shriveling up due to the wet socks and shoes. Ben and I decided to take a nap here. There were many runners chatting and sleeping there already... I dozed off like there's no tomorrow there. Hohoho... Ben woke me up circa 4am. I was shivering like hell coz I slept with my wet clothes on. It was a very cold morning! I had to keep myself warm at the hand dryer in the Men's Washroom. Tried to dry my running tees too. After that off we go towards PICC and walked along the dreaded Pullman - Marina lakeside stretch. Could not run much so I just kept on walking and jogging a bit.

Had to make a potty stop under the bridge. It's nature call no.2 bebeh... At this moment, I just want to keep on moving, no matter what. Bumped into Omar Khaliff and his partner when I came out from the toilet. We were in this together afterwards. Climbed the stairs back and went down towards the CP2/CP8... Took a short rest here. Ben and I had our piping hot Maggi Curry Cup here. Thanks to the forever supporting and helpful PACat V-Army. After having our "breakfast", we had to head out and did our loop before heading back to CP2 (now CP9). It was already 7am. I felt so sleepy and every step I took felt so painful too. I laid down a couple of times along the lakeside. Fatigue finally sets in. Even my Coke couldn't keep up wide awake. After that snoozy loop, we finally reached back at CP9. Ben still could run like an Energizer Bunny along the lake... God, you were definitely an Ultra mutant, bro! Respect! 

Ditched my hydration bag for the insane last loop... Ran  like there's no tomorrow eh!

They served nasi lemak there along with some hot coffee, Nescafe too... I didn't had the appetite to eat so I chucked some into my backpack and went towards the finishing line. It's the final 10km to bro! That was the longest 10km I've ever run-walk-run. Bumped into Pojie about 2km to the FL. He was manning Kayuhan Ceria Putrajaya that Sunday morning. I even bumped into Sis Millie at the bridge. She was doing her morning long run. Glad to see some familiar faces along my way. As I could see Taman Sri Empangan from afar, my heart jumped in joy and ecstasy. I cannot run any faster, just did some fast walk. About 300 metres from the FL, I tried to run a bit and we crossed the FL together under 25 hours 40 minutes 55 seconds. Yayyy, I finished my first 100km within the cutoff time! It's unbelievable!  

Almost There, Almost Done! - Pic courtesy of Poji Santai

Ciked lagik, ciked lagik.... Fuhhh2... - Pic credits to Sis Marlina Ibrahim =)

First time I received a finisher canned chicken curry... LOL! Thanks Shine n Kak Lina for the pics... 

From my Garmin watch, my moving time was 20:44:41. Need to shorten my rest time next time around and keep on moving, that's the key hehee... Total elevation gained was 2,470 feet (753m). I would to thank my forever helpful pacer, Ben for his strong run and really motivated me with his harsh words hahaa... Hampeh punya pacer... This time not much drama.. Took my hard earned finisher medal and tee and I just sat down drinking an icy 100 Plus. Thanks to Abg. Zack. Later on I dunk both of my badly blistered feet into the ice bath for a while. Could not take it the freezing cold! Brrrr...  

Catch of the day... Rambut serabai giler dah hohoho!

I Am A Proud Finisher Of.... 

Took some photos with my finisher medal and tee on. Cannot wait any longer so I decided to go home feeling so sleepy and dehydrated hehee... My body really deserved a nice good sleep and my mental needs to gain back sanity after all I've went through! Sorry folks for not waiting you guys at the FL... I could not thank enough all PACat V-Army, the event organizer, Kak Suzie, Arman, Zinov, Abg Zul, Kak Lina, Zaini, Mohd Azlan etc for all your full support. You guys really made my days. Congrats to all the finishers (100 Miles, 100km, 78km and 52km). For those who did not finished, there's always P100 next year due to a great demand and good feedback, I bet... Don't be so discouraged, please come back stronger and finish the unfinished business yeah! =D

Overall, it was a very nice event for Ultra beginners because of the generous cut off time for all the distances. You have to really study the map and elevation before joining this self support event. Plus you have to be really alert with all the arrows signs, especially at night. Make sure you have a hydration bag or pouch to store enough drinks along the way. If you asked me whether I would like to repeat this race again next year, I would answer that I might not be running this distance any soon. Not until I've trained well, clocked enough mileage to finish this race faster and lose more weight too for that purpose hehee... Till then, toddles!     

Thank You P100 2014... XOXO