Lanna hospitality at your service!

Muang Thai Chiang Mai Half Marathon 2016
18th December 2016

"Sir, you are representing Malaysia?" she (or ze), the volunteer at the registration counter asked with her heavily Thai-accented English. Till then it did not strike me. Wow, I am at an international participant attended by representatives from 53 countries, and three of us were there to hold our national flag!
She handed me a racing bib with my name proudly printed against my multi-hued country flag.

The Start

I would like to believe I am holding the good name of my country on my shoulders and it is my responsibility to make my motherland proud. It just gives a lame justification to motivate me to try harder. That is all. Nobody gives two hoots, actually. There is no 'the other' that I need to satisfy, to compete with or to set an example for. It is all in my mind. But then, it feels good, though.

In keeping with the sombre state of affairs in accordance to the recent demise of the much-beloved monarch, the festivities were held in a much low key setting. Even the running attire was printed in mellowed monochrome - black and white. Lacing the roads at intervals were long black and white long ribbons to set the tone. Hospitality, the smile and the humble Thai salutations of 'Sawadee' and 'Kho Khun Kha' were still abundant. Hey, life has to go on. One cannot live on fresh air and sympathy alone!

Right on the dot, at 5 am, the half marathon runners were flagged off without much unnecessary bantering and needless speeches by VIPs. Even though the temperature was recorded as a cooling 17 degrees C, it did feel so comfortable, though. As I cruised along the first kilometre, I noticed that I was sweating again like a pig (yeah, pigs do not sweat!). Even though the temperature was moderate, the humidity was surprisingly high at 85%, slighter better that the one day before, 100%! The air was almost still. The morning was young or rather the night was way late as it was still very dark. Sunrise in Chiangmai on that day was almost 7 am. In the still of Chiangmai streets, almost seamlessly in well-coordinated fashion, runners, mostly amateur fun-loving ones, moved along the streets.

Basically, the town is built around a canal with an almost rectangular lattice of road networks. We ran in the form of two quadrangular loops, extending to the airport and back. The Thais must be very hardworking people as they were already busy on the road at 5 o'clock on a Sunday morning. It could not be Saturday night revellers who partied through the evening as they seem quiet. The only boisterous crowd appear to be gweilos in taxis. Despite the inconveniences by the race, in the form of traffic congestion and long waiting times at junctions, the Thais took it in their usual docile fashion - quiet and patient. They know they have to play dance monkey to appear inviting to foreigners. That is their bread and butter or rather tom-yam and mango glutinous rice pudding! Like their Indo and Malayan counterparts who found pleasure in horns blasting, they stayed silent.

Paradoxically, as the race progressed, the ambience became more comfortable. With the rise in temperature, the humidity must have decreased, and it became more pleasant to just cruise along. One sees the culture and civilisation of a country by looking at the ordinary folks. What better way to observe this then to weave through the streets amongst the denizens of Chiang Mai. It was a common sight to see Buddhist holy men, with their bowls chanting sacred texts to kneeling people for some exchange of alms, I presume.

Without any untoward incidences, the race ended at where it started. What puzzled me afterwards was the seemingly seamless flow of events at the finishing line. After crossing the timing belt, runners are given the usual complimentary drinks and medals, together with a print out of their run timings! Nothing is going to stop them from issuing laminated finishers' certificates in the very near future! The post run galore continued with coconut drinks and signature foot massage for the sore feet and legs. A well-organised race to showcase the superb hospitality of the Lanna folks.

Lanna hospitality at your service!

Are we there yet?

From the outset, things were not going as planned. With a bout of diarrhea and loss of precious electrolytes, I experienced stiffness and soreness over the knees and feet. On the race day, the newly replaced Garmin GPS watch went kaput on me and the music pod went on strike. So it was me left to fend for myself. For pacing, it was left to me to run pacing to feel and for auditory stimulation I was made to listen to my body!
Even though the organisers boast of 60,000 participant in this inaugural race in the new Penang Bridge, the starting line had only a thin crowd waiting to be flagged off at 4am. The runners were released in batches all the way from 1.30am to 8am depending on the length of the races and their gender.
Whilst waiting at the starting line, an old friend from KL appeared from nowhere. After the initial cursory, he complained that there was not such of eye candy for him to lay his eyes on. I told him that he was in the wrong category, the veterans. That itself was his motivation to spring forward from the starting line to catch up with the younger category who was flagged off an hour earlier!

pre-run carbo loading.

If the organisers thought that by staggering the release of runners, the congestion would be averted, they were totally wrong. The slower inexperienced runners were all over the place after we had crossed about the 7km mark. They hogging the road, walking in fours across the road practically blocking the road. Some made sudden unannounced 'pit-stops' at their whims and fancies in the middle of path. Many wasted calories were spent on everting clashes with haphazard movements of fellow runners. Perhaps, the instruction manual of the run should also include a little education on running etiquette. Just like how, by default, escalator uses in developed countries stand on the right side to keep the left side free for users who are in a hurry.
Sometimes nonsensical remarks can annoy you. Even as early as 3km into the overzealous cheerleaders would scream "You are almost there' when you have hardly started!
Along the way, I put on my philosophy cap...
That was a time in man's history not very far in our past when the Orientals left technological and engineering feats to the Western civilisation. They had an innate opinion that they were not up to the mark of Western giants when it came to technological wizardry. Over time, with available opportunities, the Orientals have come up to stand shoulder to shoulder at the same playing industrial fields. Just like that, some time ago, many (at least I did) thought that participation in an endurance running race like the Half or Full Marathon was no child's play. Obviously, the taboo seem to have been broken. Many participants, who do not fit my bill of a well prepared runner or with the correct predisposition, were taking the plunge. But, of course, they have to start somewhere. I shudder to think (hopefully I am wrong) that that was the reason for 4 speeding ambulances that interrupted the flow of our run on that humid and still morning!
The three musketeers in our running group completed with decent times. SK came out top of the trio, as usual with a sub-2hr feat. RS did his PB at 2'13" and yours truly at 2'17".
The lay out after the finishing line was much to be desired. The dimly lit grounds with soggy slippery mud devoid of markings to exit the grounds was not type of reception we were expecting after our adrenaline rush.
Slowly we wriggled back to our ordinary lives to do what ordinary do come Monday morning with the memories of an unwinding weekend.

P.S. Another member of the running gang attained the status shared by 1% of the world population - to complete a Full Marathon. RvS completed his inaugural first FM in 5'15".

Weekend retreat!

They say they had a record of sorts, 44,000 registered to partake in this nostalgic run. Unfortunately, on the ground level, the number of participants at the half marathon did not seem to mirror that fact. Parking was a breeze relatively unlike last year and start off did not require knocking each other blind to pass the starting line.
The numbers were made up by the 10km'ers and fun runners mainly. Even the marathoners did not stand out.
After deciding to make it as a big boys' weekend out, the 4 members of the running gang drove up in the luxury of a 8-seater SUV to Penang in spirit of clean healthy fun. After reaching the destination and fulfilling filial obligations, we settled in for the night. The excitement for the day was too much for most of us to catch a single glimpse into slumberland!
Being deprived of proper sleep for more than 24 hours, we stepped into our sporting gears at 0130h to conquer the bridge once again. We could not have asked for a more conducive weather- a cool 25 degrees C and a light breeze. The only annoying thing on that morning was stench that emanated  from the stench of the decaying gooey substance sea bed of  the low tide.
The run started with a good head start with a cool zephyr and a slight drizzle to shower good blessing on the morning foot warriors. All 4 runners in the group ran at their own comfortable pace. Even though on the outward everyone appear not to be aiming high in their achievements, deep inside secretly everybody wanted to outdo their own selves. Each in their own way and strategy tried to outdo themselves and fought their inner demons.
Having their own story of agony to tell, each and everyone of the group actually outdid their previous outing. SK, I think, did his personal best of 2h5m with fainting spell and cramps afterwards; Ravin even though hampered by calf muscle cramps equaled his previous PB of 2h8m; yours truly at 2h14m, better than the past few recent HM timings though short of his PB; struggling through his abdominal cramps Raj achieved his PB of 2h16m!
Jubilant at their weekend conquest, the gang returned to their daytime jobs - sore with muscle overuse, tired but eyes wide awake with the euphoria of the achievements and adrenaline rush as well as post  run endorphins chatting boisterously and laughing all the way back to the capital city to meet another challenge - living in the real world....

http://penangmarathon.gov.my/portal/live-results/#b=RECDSTBL,R4NYFA8Z,RK6YGAW5,RHE5TKMY&v=ptrack

Goodbye 49, Hello 50!

Just when you thought you know everything, something happens and your whole post disappears into thin air and you start thinking, perhaps you need one of those help books aptly named 'Computers for dummies'. Now I have to redo the whole post, sigh!

So I thought to myself...
 What better way to end my half century of existence and to usher in the remaining whatever with a getaway away from it all and indulge in an passion of mine all the same time. Then it popped out from nowhere. Marathon at the sunny beaches of Ile Maurice, Mauritius. 

I can get my fix and my other half can immerse herself in the thoughts on the umpteen Hindi movies that she seen that were shot there in the Indian Ocean paradise. She can make believe that she is dancing amidst the sun, sea, sky and scenery. 

Upon arriving at SSR airport, I thought that everyone would be hyped by the event. Actually, there was hardly any publicity.

14th July 2013. Tamassa Hotel. The shuttle bus took contestants who were staying there to the starting point. Me, a tiny minnow in the company of Germans, Swedish and Frenchmen were greeted by fellow Half Marathoners, numbering less than hundred. There was nothing to note that it was the starting point if not for the 3 buntings placed by the road. Coming from a country which makes a fuss about organizing anything - must have pomp, must have publicity,must have politician to officiate, I was quite surprised! The organizers were giving out last minute bib collectors like me, no fuss. Hey, where is the timing chip, where is my running vest? None of the above. Just a piece of plastic with number and chip imprinted paper, that's fine by me. 

As usual in most international meets, there would always be people with many grouses, and it got to be Indians. We got on by, anyway. I never saw those whiners after that, probably they were busy complaining about the distance!

It was 7am on fine Sunday morning temperatures around 22C and cool breeze, just the perfect climate for a run. The start off was again without any loud drum beats or gun shot - just a count down of 3 in French and a whistle blow. The starting point was Baiu de Cap beach. 

Cruising along the breezy picturesque beaches with the company of serious runners was an enjoyable experience. 

One peculiar observation I made in Mauritius is that the people like to build their houses (whether big, medium or gargantuan) along the major roads. The land around the road is actually pricey. So along certain stretch of the run, I managed to see many indigenous people of the land. They were mainly sea faring people who bear a striking resemblance to the Australian Aboriginal people. Before this, in the airport and the hotel. The workers were Indian looking with Indian sounding names. Even the cab driver was listening to his Mauritian Hindi and Tamil channels without knowing a word of either language!

Saw a few Chinamen (businessmen in towns) who flip flop between French, Creole and English with much ease!

Just when I thought that everything was going my way for my PB, my old cringe at the left ankle just surfaced from Km3! It was more of a nuisance initially but later at point 17km it a major annoyance but I laboured on. 

At about 3.5km mark, we made a u-turn. Again, no chip mat or ribbon. Just a couple of officials manually jotting out the bib numbers. 

As I was running, I was surprised to find myself not to be drenched in sweat as I always do. It is the low humidity. They only had 4 water stations along the way. The interesting difference that I saw here was that they served water, Pepsi, raisins, brown sugar and salt for your taking!

We cruised along the predominantly flat terrain flanked by beaches sometimes, sugar cane plantations on various stage of harvest and resorts. The track became hilly towards the end and ended in a another low key point in St Felix beach. At about the 19km mark, we witnessed a heavy downpour which ended as quickly as it started by the time we reached the checkered flag.  We were ushered in at the finishing point with our finishing medals and well wishes. Suddenly everyone is your friend! That is the benefit of this small runs- more interactions and more personal touch. As reward for our accomplishment, we were given a finishers T-shirt and a French loaf sandwich- bon apetit!

Hey, hey, hey! In spite of the minor setback, I still managed to clock in a decent 2h14m39s for the 21.16km distance. Not a personal best but definitely better on recent times! 

To be in the league of serious runners who indulge in many other trail runs and extreme sports, it is an honour. There were no over sized runners or jaywalking occasional runner or wannabes on this one!

The Sorcerer and Bug slayer!

Finisher trophy

So, my inner demon was at work again. This time he got some help from his minute friend of the electron microscopy type. Bogged by an intestinal bug, I was losing precious electrolytes. I had two minds of making it a DNS (did not start) for health reasons. That is when my haloed friend turned up. I thought I was not running for my life or living to run, so run as much as I could and then I can always take the shortest way home! With that defeatist outlook towards completing the race, I armoured myself ready to slay the demon in me.
The race, this time around was chaotic. My suspicion of the demonous businessmen making headway in the arena of recreational appears to be true with every race. The registrants keep growing bigger but the goodies gets smaller! Somebody must be laughing all the way to the bank!

The Sorcerer

Starting off was a non-event, minus all the pomp and usual excitement. I had to wait a good 4 minutes of crawling to clear my chip on the mat. As I started running in the back of the pack, I kept bumping into others and getting away from the pack proved futile. I thought it was either I was getting slow or the runners were getting younger and faster but of course the real reason was the sheer number! Nobody actually had any space to run. It was beelining and beehiving all the way and I thought it would clear after the treacherous hills, it never did materialize. The 10km fun runners were at it again - jaywalking, wiping their profuse sweat again and again and chit-chating, holding hands. Even at 20km mark, runners had to manouvre themselves away from others' sweaty bodies and posteriors!
As for my running, as if manouvering my sub-optimal lethargic body through the crowd was not difficult enough, I had to combat the humidly hot climate of 28 degrees C and still air. After 9km, the going was getting tough. Power gel popped in then proved its mantle by 12km and slowly its effect waned by 15km. With all the shuffling and shoving, I almost wanted to saunter off to my car to drive back home....
Being the lazy runner that I am, I just continued with the pack albeit at a slower pace. Negativity to stop came in many forms. Seeing the St John Ambulance's paramedic at km 15 performing CPR on a collapsed runner did not boost anyone's confidence.
Dragging my weary body, against all odds, managed to complete the race but a much slower than usual timing. Oh, what the heck! The first outing as a senior Veteran did not have to gone well. But it will definitely be the last outing in Brooks! The much sort after run in the grandiosity of the National Stadium also never materialized. Like what someone commented, "The nearest we got to the stadium, beside the car park is the toilet!"

The sad tale of the over the top first wife!

This year's Penang Bridge International Marathon was a quieter affair than its usual pomp and lustre. Missing most conspicuously was the loud music and unnecessary announcement on the PA system which kept occupants of nearby hotels fuming mad. Maybe because this Bridge run is the last one on the soon to be the old bridge.

This bridge which I had the honour of seeing its conception, development and expansion (to 6 lanes) has slowly attained its limit of capacity. In a way, this bridge, which was the brainchild of the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, has reached senescence gracefully and is now like in the case of a first wife who is soon going to lose her glamour and attraction to the soon to appear wife No. 2. The new wife, in this case, being the Batu Maung to Batu Kawan New Penang Bridge.
Even though the Malay term for being left to marry another is 'madu'. Honey is also referred to as 'madu.' But believe you me, any first wife will vouch that it is no sweet feeling playing second fiddle in spite of what the societal and religious pressures may dictate.
Today, even nature was moaning the loss of prominence of this second link to the mainland. The night (early morning) was gloomy with not a single whiff of breeze. Temperature was at uncomfortable level of 28-30 degrees Celsius and humidity stickily high for the early part of the morning.

With that background, the whole running gang (of five) drove up to Penang for a weekend bonding time. Not being at the top of their physical condition, everyone was whining about their physical disability, ranging from swollen ankle to sore feet!

Only when the race was flagged off, did we realize about the adverse running conditions that we had put our sorry self into. Gone are are cold early morning sea breeze and the drizzle that the rest of the country had. The route was long and straight surrounded by pitch blackness of the night, at 3am, with not much view to see. The slow incline which took almost 2 kms to peak was no child's play and the humidity made it twice as hard. 

Gruelling the adversities just like the calamities that they had jostled in their lives, the gang laboured through J-2'02''; S-2'10''; FG-2'19''; Rv-2'35''; Rj-2'37''.

Scorn of first wife

Madu Tiga

I thought I've seen it all...

Brooks Half Marathon 2012
Modern technology does not always come to the rescue of man all the time. This I discovered when I had overslept because the 'pm' dial was pressed instead of 4.15am alarm which was supposed to be set. When my fellow running buddies turned up at my doorstep, I arose from my beauty sleep. Missing my routine early morning routines like a hot shower and answering nature's call, I had to get ready in a jiffy after a brief freshening up.
The aura of the National Stadium cleared up all the sleep in our faces. Packed like sardines, the half marathoners started. I had to wait at least 3 minutes before crossing the starting timing mat and to wrestle another 4 km before breaking loose from the hoggers.
Raj was nervous with his debut half after finally being bitten by the running bug and foolishly signing up for the half challenge after managing to dodge it a couple of times before with excuse of work and lucrative remunerations!
The challenge took us from Stadium Bukit Jalil to ASTRO, North-South Highway, KESAS, IMU, Seri Petaling and the killer stretch of undulating slow inclining hills and troughs around Taman Gembira and the stretch parallel to the MEX highway. The route back past IMU and Bukit Jalil park was irritatingly slowed down the jaywalkers of the 10km'ers and charity runners but we prevailed. The final stretch of run was in the tracks of the National Stadium. A chance we, in our mortal lives, will never get to run on. The mere ambience of the brightly lit stadium complete with the the colorful tarmac track just juiced up whatever little ATP and glycogen that is stashed up hidden in our muscle spindles! With this renewed rejuvenation the trio of us completed our early morning challenge, not with our best of times due to the grueling nature of the course but still having energy to perhaps run another 10 km more!
We see interesting antics of people and view of places (and pretty young thing too) during these runs. I thought I had seen it all when I saw runners running barefoot or with Skeletor-like minimalist shoes until I saw a guy overtaking me in his Japanese slippers!

Down the Seremban memory lane...

24th July 2011 was a day of nostalgia of sorts. It was a day down the lane of nostalgia. After working in Kuala Pilah (1989-1991) and Seremban (1991-1992), I never really went back. 1989 to 1991 was a time of life with lesser complications and responsibilities - before marriage (KP) and the time of euphoria just after (S'ban). 20 years later, Seremban looks less green, more 'exposed' and 'brighter'.

Starting ill-prepared after dealing with post-Standard Chartered Marathon malaise and inertia of restarting training (having reached the big one!), nursing a low backache and being pulled into a turmoil of the supra-tentorial type, I started the early morning low budget 21km, run.

This time around, only Suresh and I partook in this regatta. Raj, who was gung ho in doing his maiden half, had to pull out due to irresistible work commitments (or did he really chicken out?) In spite of being of low budget, the run was well run. It started promptly at 6.45am. The same familiar faces were seen again amongst the crowd (die-hard running fanatics). 

Starting at the council grounds in the heart of town, bordered by a temple and gurudwara, it took us along the roads of Seremban...So did my mind, just as I do in most runs, jogging down memory lane...

Life in the late 80s and early 90s was blissful. Having graduated from varsity and starting work, given a lot of responsibility and respect, finally settling down in matrimony after a rough patch, I thought that was it. Of course, there was the desire to pursue to further my career via post-graduate studies; that was okay!

From the starting line, we strolled down Rahang Road via various newly constructed highways and made ourselves to the Paroi area. This Paroi area was familiar as through these roads, I used to speed to make it to punch in after a long locum session in KL through the weekend, feeling tired but happy with money jingling in my pants!

In my mind, I was chuckling at the names of buildings. I was wondering whether Klinik Rahang was a dental clinic or medical clinic as Rahang in Malay meant 'mandible' or 'jaw', and Rahang was also an area in Seremban! That lame joke, my son would say.

Amy Winehouse - Rest her soul!
Back to the Maker (not Rehab)

Taman Rashidah and Taman Guru... What used to be an army camp is now an open-air exhibition ground. Here we turned towards Ampangan. What used to be a sleepy Malay neighbourhood had transformed beyond recognition with residential and commercial buildings. A short while later, we turned off to the Kuala Klawang exit, entering the tarred but old dual-country carriageway. Enjoying the loud, energetic music of FlyFM (no reception for BFM) and enjoying the early morning scenery of the countryside, I almost tripped over when I heard the bad news. Amy Winehouse was found dead! Holy cow! Didn't I just hear a couple of months earlier that the curse of the 27 was to strike soon (over the internet)? Many a great musician has succumbed to the curse of age 27. This includes Jim Morrison (The Doors), Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain (Nirvana). The article had actually predicted Amy Winehouse to join the 27 Club!

All this while, I was just running at my own relaxed pace, oblivious and not ambitious of improving my time. At 1h 1m, I had covered the 10km mark, regularly sipping my self-made concoction of cordial drink with tonic water (with quinine -cramp buster).

Somewhere at Taman Kayu Manis (what a name but sounds 'high class' as 'Cinnamon Garden', though), we turned towards Sikamat. The route was undulating but manageable. The last 3km were, as usual, the 'longest'. And were painfully obstructed by casual and love-struck 10km jaywalkers! From Sikamat, we made it back through Lake Gardens back to our starting point in one piece at 2h 22m. Suresh was in cloud nine after breaking the sub-2h barrier at 1h 57m! Congrats. The last time I heard, he was still flying high!

We celebrated our success by indulging in banana leaf thosai but too early for mutton as the cook had not started cooking yet. Probably still running after the goat to slaughter!

energizer night run Putrajaya 27.3.2010

29.3.2010
Energizer Night Half Marathon @ March 27, 2010

Intellectual discourse between FG and JS.. FG: I just ran 21km. JS: What did you run from? FG: !@#?..err...from my shadows… JS: Who won? FG: My shadow, of course! Don’t you know that you cannot run away from your shadow? It will always catch up with you!

After the last crampy pathetic Putrajaya Night Half Marathon run, the Energizer run was to be the saving salvage run, to ascertain my ability to run, to correct the wrong that happened in Putrajaya! Equipped with self thought schemes and strategies like how Rocky Balboa trained in the cold weather of Philadelphia against the mighty giant from Russia in Rocky, I trained on the treadmill and the tarry tracks of Bukit Hatamas. This time around the plan was to run at a slower pace. After reaching a peak run of just over 10km, I had to taper down due to insufficient time 2 weeks before the race. The week before the inaugural run, it was essentially real light and easy runs with hardly any significant mileage covered. Luckily I managed to catch a good night sleep on Friday. Saturday afternoon involved replenishment with lots of isotonic drink of 100-plus.
The race started in Cyberjaya at 8pm, with all runners donning headlights. I started the run at a slow pace, without pushing to be at the head of the pack. The fact that there were no markings did not create undue stress and running was made somewhat devoid of stress. The first marker that I saw at 9km and my timing was 52m, ok so far so good, I said to myself. The second part of the race was also relatively smooth sailing. I hit the 16km mark at 1h32m.

 All these was on whilst it was so-called Earth hour, but much to our dismay, all the street lights in Cyberjaya as well as the light from the high rise buildings there were still on throughout the hour. There was not a shred of indication to signify the momentous hour! And I was thinking before the event that when people around Malaysia would switch off their light, I would be depending on ATP, cAMP and the Kreb cycle for energy. Obviously, I was so wrong. It was business as usual at Cyberjaya with some construction work still progressing at full throttle at 9pm on a Saturday night! These are some of the thoughts that were playing in my mind while I continued my journey of running from my shadow. Boy! The last 5km of the run seemed never ending. Just when I thought that I was reaching the finishing line, there was yet another bend and another turn and another kilometre. The end just appeared so elusive. I was just running and running like an Energizer bunny.
One commendable effort by the organizers is that they prepared abundant drink stations at almost every 3 to 4 kilometre equipped with both plain water and Gatorade. At every drink station, I gulped down about 100ml of fluids.
At around 2h20m mark, the finishing line finally manifested and it was it was all over. I was tired but this time around (unlike Putrajaya), I was not panting or having cramps. What a good night sleep can do!
Next stop is NB 15km run on 16th May 2010…

Official result:
ASOKAN SHAMUGANATHAN J9036 (Veteran) No.89/221
2:22:14.95 (Chip time)
2:22:36.13 (Gun time)