RIFLE RANGE BOY

Born to run! That is the slogan of this year's Malakoff 12km run over the bourgeois hilly neighbourhood of Bukit Damansara. After becoming a running junkie, this is my third year in running this race. This time around Raj was there to keep company. Born to run? People are born everyday for a heap of reasons. Some are born after years of tireless effort, a fruit after cascades of failures and disappointments. Others are born after a short unprepared unplanned unplanned (under the influence of) liaisons of forgotten meetings or partners. Once, about 2008 years ago, there was even one with no other intervention except one immaculate divine one. People were born with various spoons - silver, wooden or plastic- for specific reasons; MK Gandhi to boost the morale of Indians for self-rule, Mother Theresa to embrace the downtrodden, Father Damian for lepers, etc. I would say that I was definitely not born to run. We can leave that phrase to the Kenyans and Fauja Singh. I may f...

Another run.... This time at Bukit Kiara around the bourgeois neighbourhood of Bukit Bandaraya in Damansara through the Malakoff 12 km run. Three other running 'kakis' joined the early morning rush (Raj, Jagjit and Ravi). Malaysians seem to be improving on their punctuality, Right smack at 7am (as scheduled), the women runners (12km) were flagged off and the man at 7.10am. This run is known for its gruelling hilly terrain as the undulating course cut through 3 hills and troughs. The organization was good with proper flagging off and ample water stations. The event was an easy Sunday morning outing for those who do not indulge in too many Saturday night late activities. In fact, that is why the 4 jokers (me and fellow runners) joined the bandwagon. All dressed and nowhere to go on Saturday nights, so run instead. A week before the event, I was already nursing a calf muscle sprain. After resting for a week, I thought it would just miraculously fly away. Unfortunately, it showed...