Conquest of a concrete jungle

SCKLM 2014
It all started like a dream within dream scene from 'Inception'. At one moment, I got up thinking that it was time to go, only to realise that it was only 1am. I had planned to arise at 0310hrs to get ready with my regalia to face the 2014 Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Full Marathon 42.195km challenge. I went back to sleep. In the next moment, I was shocked to realise that it was daytime and the sun was high. "What happened? Oh, even my buddy, who is to face his first FM must have slept through it all - he did not even call.", I asked myself. "Am I dreaming or is it for real?".
I pinched myself to realise that it was real. I told myself, "Well, it is okay. There will always be another day, another run."
Then at a different level of consciousness, I checked my watch again. It was 1.30am! I had not missed my alarm after all. With that type of interrupted slumber, Raj and I got ready for over Sunday morning challenge. Raj was soon to be inducted to the exclusive club which comprise 1% of the world population, one who had completed a full marathon.
The run started dot by the stroke of 4.30am at the iconic Dataran Merdeka clock tower which had witnessed many an important event in Malaysia and also graced many P. Ramlee movies. This time around, the trail took a different route altogether, covering mostly the eastern part of the city and its symbol of modernisation - the giant elevated highways of AKLEH and DUKE.
Almost 5,000 hardcore runners started at a time when the city was enveloped by thick haze. The powers that be made us believe that the API levels were low but our simple visual inspection proved otherwise.
It seems to be the curse of SCKLM. Last year they had to postpone the run in June for haze. This time around, they thought they were smart to schedule it in October but the haze caught up with them!
From Dataran Merdeka, the convoy of runners went along towards KLCC. The perception that I had was that perhaps KL should also be labelled as the city that never sleeps, like New York, as even at time, the roads were swarming with vehicles and people.
Along Jalan Ampang, in front of Zouk, a whiff of beer filled the air. Pretty lasses were lining the road. I thought to myself, "Wow, the organisers have even organised cheer leaders to cheer us up!" I hit myself on my head when I realised that they were jaywalking moths with their potential one night stands. Were they just finishing their duties for the day, or were they starting?
Through Jalan Ampang, we finally reached AKLEH. At the 10km mark, suddenly I saw many people walking around without shoes. I thought some woe had befell them. What a pity, so many of them. Then it struck me. They were only fulfilling their divinely duties as I heard the call for suboh prayers. Duty calls!
The rest of the run was just visions of concrete structures of erection of modernity in the concrete jungle of KL. Perhaps they should renamed the run 'Run in the Concrete Jungle' like Ali-Foreman's 'Rumble in the Jungle'!
Even though the sun was kind as it decided not to show its face all throughout the morning, the temperature and humidity was still high, bogging down the mood and zest to run.
Anyway, we weathered through.
Raj finally finished his run after fighting his inner demons with his undying zest to complete the challenge and join the privileged club!
A good outing though which ended with a spread of the coveted banana leaf rice in an over glorified Indian restaurant in Bangsar. Maybe, I have been pampered with loved laced food by so many people elsewhere or the post run euphoria numbed the taste bud or perhaps I was expecting too much after hearing too many going gaga about their spread, I thought it was just so so!

Oh, those cramps!

SCKLM 2013

A few days before the event, the haze began to rear its ugly head again. It looked like the run was going to be jinxed, yet again. The question on everybody's mind was that was when the rain was going to come and was the run going to be called off yet again. It rained, alright, but everywhere else but the Klang Valley.

This time around, the enthusiasm for the run seem muffled. After being in tip top form for the previous cancelled outing, lethargy set in during the training part of the haze postponed third outing at the 42km marathon.
The eventful day finally came. The haze seem to have cleared but in its place was a scorching humid morning with not a single of a breeze. The only breeze seen in the atmosphere seem to the 'Breeze' application of Standard Chartered's mobile application! The outside temperature could easily be 30degrees Celsius. In most marathon races, the run would have been cancelled for health safety reasons. In fact, the last Boston Marathon was postponed by a day for this same reason!
A crowd of 3,000 participants partook in the 42km category (of 33,000 overall). The start at 4.30am was slow with crowding of runners in the first 2kms. My run progressed smoothly. I managed to clear 10km mark by about 1'8". The heat continued radiating. 21km was covered by about 2'22". As I was cruising along the 25km mark, the first twitch manifested at the left little toe. I thought that it would just disappear, just like all those little twitches that come and go. Then a funny sensation showed  up at the adductor group muscles of the left thigh. Then I knew it. The jeva vu of Putrajaya come flooding through. Cramps!
I had to scale down my pace. Later, I had resort to walking as the cramps became more apparent. From 29km and on, it became run-walk strategy.

BFM Night School (Live)

Slowly I could see the pacer balloons passed me by...the 4:30 the 5:00 and finally 5:30!
Some how, with a little  bit of determination, I managed to pull myself through the finishing line after 5h27m14s.
It was not a rewarding run. I did not finish strong. But at least, I could go back with the comfort that I completed the task in one piece and continue life with my day time job the following day.
Anyway, there was the BFM Night School live show and the Running gang's Chinese dinner to compensate for the poor run. That would always be another race, another day, another time. To be still standing....priceless!