Never say never!

I guess a felicitation note is due for my partner in crime. This post is dedicated to his tenacious path to glory, paved with shrapnels of thorns, aches, pains, strains, and even fractures.

I met SK at a dinner party of a mutual acquaintance. That was more than 10 years ago. After the usual pleasantries, our conversation went to recreational running. He was intrigued that I ran, which, at that time, felt, to him, like a marathon. In reality, it was a mere 10km.

Fast forward, we, and a few friends, became weekend warriors. From 10, the distance becomes longer and longer. Then someone came up with the idea of doing the full monty, not the British type but the Phillipedes type - the crowning glory of running - a full marathon, the whole 42.195km of them.

When SK puts his mind to something, he puts his whole soul into the shebang. He would want to know all the nitty-gritty of the basics. He would not want any stone unturned to the extent of obsessiveness. Just like that, all the research landed his name in the annals of 1% of the world population that completed a full marathon.

Then some gang members with restless leg syndrome started toying with the idea of cycling. Like the children of Hamelin, everyone just played to the tune of the Piped Piper. So cycling it was. What started as an easy, relaxing 30km weekend ride morphed into gruelling 1000m climbs and diabolical six-hour rides in the heat of the tropical high noon. Then came the out-of-state and international rides. During one of those practices, SK received his badge of honour. He was christened a true cyclist after sustaining a clavicular fracture. He went on fine-tuning into the subtleties of road cycling until he became restless again. Perhaps, he wanted to realise his deep inner desire to make it to the 0.1% category of the population.

I guess that was when the talk of swimming started floating (pun unintended). After having two near-death experiences in the domain of Neptune, yours truly gave a pass. I tried to venture into playing a musical instrument instead. That is another story for another day.

Many group members put one foot into the water, but only SK, with his compulsive desire to beat the waves and re-wire his survival instincts to connect with prehistoric ancestors; from a non-swimmer, he grew fins to fight the choppy waves of an open sea.

This has been the story of SK's journey thus far. I can bet my bottom dollar that it is, by no means, the end of it all. He completed his Iron Man Competition. The echoes of SK's whining, grumbling and cursing still reverberate in everyone's ears. Do not be fooled. Like a parturient mother who screams, yells and pledges never to do it again but sheepishly presents at her Obstetrician's office before the baby can walk, with yet another pregnancy, be forewarned. SK may turn up again with another crazy venture.

Congratulations, my friend! Keep the flame aglow and keep the fire burning. Cheers!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Do the thing you do!

Uncle Hooi at his best © The Star

I remember the barrages of concerned pep talks from my family members when they discovered that I, at the tender age of 43, slowly started indulging in competitive distance running. In not so many words, they were obviously trying to tell me that I would just drop dead by the roadside to be found by passersby as if I were just roadkill.

Another old friend, obviously overweight and looking much like Peter Griffin of the 'Family Guy' fame was even generous enough to offer free anaesthetic services as and when I need a knee replacement. 

As a last resort, my family went ahead and gave me a 'stress test - CT angio' combo as a birthday present on my 50th birthday. When the cardiologists gave a clean bill of health after silently cursing under his breath for wasting his precious time from his more deserving patients, they essentially gave up and let Nature take its course. 

This must have been what Fauja Singh must have gone through when he took up serious running at the age of 89. I can imagine how people would have mocked him. How people can be cruel with their words... 

"Living on borrowed times, and he is asking for trouble!"

"What is he doing? Should be playing with his grandchildren."

"He should be making peace with his Maker, not running around like a young bloke"

Uncle Hooi (pic above) is a regular feature at the place my friends and I frequently run on Sunday mornings. Starting his solo run as early as 5 in the morning, without fail, at a steady pace, he would cover a distance of 20km effortlessly at his springy age of 82. He must have been ridiculed behind his back for missing all those late Saturday banters and parties that last till the wee hours of Saturday night- Sunday morning. He must have been labelled as a party pooper for precisely the same reasons.

Fauja Singh, 107, Turbaned Tornado
Photo courtesy santabanta.com.

Others mean well and say things that they think would make change for the better. They feel that it is their God-sent duty to do so. At the end of the day, everybody has to use their God-given faculties to decide what is best for them. When we falter or make a wrong decision (immaterial whether it is in accordance to their advice), they have nothing to offer but sympathy, maybe crocodile tear and perhaps, words of comfort that God works in mysterious ways.

Some enjoy the attention of being sick and like to immerse in the sympathetic display by the loved ones. Others use their disability, perceived disability or faked ailments to garner a soft spot. And a few convince others that they are indeed sick to give their two cents' worth advice, to sell their products, to gaslight them down or just to have a conversation going. For them life is so mundane, they need to irritate someone.


https://asok22.wixsite.com/real-lesson 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/riflerangeboy/!

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".

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!

What drives you?

Of late, I have across people who have indulged in some activities which would frowned upon. Nobody in the sane mind would ever, even in their wildest dream, consider some of things that these people would do. The more you interact with these people, the more you will realise that they have a tale to tell, and a sad one too!
One guy was happily married to university sweetheart till she was diagnosed with the big C. Her health deteriorated as quickly as the news sinked in into the family. Even before the family could come in terms with her impending demise, she left Mother Earth. The guy, devastated with the whole turn of events, was a flicker away from being engulfed by the black dog. He did what most sane people do in situations like this. He ran. Like Forrest Gump he ran and he ran like he had never ran before. At the age of 50, he completed his first marathon and there was no stopping him. The euphoria  of the post run high appears to be the only thing that conserved his sanity. The addictive endorphin just kept him pushing his distance. Recently, I heard that he completed the gruelling 100km Hong Kong Ultra Marathon in 29h30m! He kept his feet on the ground and did not leave his future to the stars!
Yet another person went through another earth shattering moment in her live. A full grown adult son took his own life! If the trauma of losing a love one alone is not enough, the worse was narrating the whole event again and again to well meaning friends and relatives. The worse was the self appointed creative rumour mongers who spun spiced up stories on the turn of events. Not only these people were doing a disservice, they do not realise that news gets around and reaches the unintended recipients, like herself! The pain was simply too much! Like something God-sent, she was introduced to a Guru.
All the various brain waves that she was exposed to through various sessions of meditation and self realisation helped to rewire her dendrites. She is now standing tall and calm in the sea of uncertainty. The Guru was her anchor when her going was rough.
Naysayers will always ridicule and highlight negativities of people's various indulgences. They are quick with their so called 'credible information from the horse's mouth' but they should walk a mile in the sufferer's shoe to feel the pain.

It is in genes - running!

Born To Run 

Christopher McDougall (2009)
(A hidden tribe, super athletes and the greatest race the world has never seen)
Just finished reading a book (a non-fiction) about an elusive Indian tribe, a great foot race and a bunch of mad runners who do ultra marathons.

I think that this is a book that any serious runner should read it to get a better perspective on running and also on life itself!
The book starts with the author trying to track down a fabled and elusive gringo, Caballo Blanco, who had left his normal life in the US to live amongst a equally timidly elusive Tarahumara Indians in an isolated dry wasteland of canyons and desert-like terrain in Mexico in their simple way of life. The Tarahumaras are said to have been running all their life, first from the Spanish invaders and now from the drug dealers.
These Indians have tremendous ability to run extremely long distances with minimal preparations and donning simple footwear - a piece of rubber sole draped by leather strings. They do not need scientific modern training or complicated training schedules or expensive state of the art shoes. They shy away from races and treat running with respect.
The author goes on to narrate about some whacky American runners who are themselves champion athletes but who party like crazy and run equally crazy.
The running community seem to have a bone to pick with the mammoth shoes companies. Is it coincidental that the rate of running injuries seem to rise with the advent new modern cushioned shoes? The rate of injury, like plantar fasciatis, appears to increase in direct proportion to the price of the shoe. What is this with frequent need to change the footwear? Is there devious plan to boost sale? Interesting, look at the rampant upgrading of shoes annually. Only when you think you found your perfect pair of shoes, you realise that they are already out of production by the following year!

Caballo Blanco (died 2012, aged 57)

 There is a very interesting explanation to why humans should be running, especially long distances. Simians' feet are adapted to walking with its architecture. We, on the other hand, have nuchal ligament to support our head, Archilles tendon with loads of hard springy fibres, an efficient breathing mechanism and an excellent temperature regulating system via sweating. So, it is actually humanly possible to outrun a deer. Most animals (deer, cheetah, etcetera) can only run short distances with bursts of energy, crippled with risk of exhaustion and poor thermoregulation.
Anthropologically, we outlived the Neanderthals not because of bigger brain capacity. As living conditions on Earth deteriorated with global warming, the good life for the muscular and big-built Neanderthals became challenging. They had to start hunting as the the forests became scarce. Hunting of animals where you have to tire down beasts was the only way to do it. Homo sapiens succeeded where Neanderthals failed and outlived their rivals.

Copper Canyon Trail Run

The author finally catches up with the legendary ultra marathoner, Caballo Blanco. He partakes in a gruelling 50km trail run with the locals and survives to tell his story and the soul searching journey of 'The White Horse' @ Micah True@ Michael Randall Hickman.

When I get too old to work, I’ll do what Geronimo would have done if they left him alone,” he told McDougall in “Born to Run.” “I’ll walk off into the deep canyons and find a quiet place to lie down.” Caballo Blanco.
[Geronimo was a brave Apache Indian who ran in the badlands of Arizona from US Calvary only to die as a fugitive, a nobody as a drunk.]

No pain no gain?

The jury is still out on why runners from certain part of Eastern African, especially of a certain tribe in Kenya do extremely well in middle and long distance races. People of the Kalenjin tribe who comprise 0.6% of the world population have the honour of holding more than 40% of the world honours in distances of 800m and above, all the way to marathon. Many theories have been suggested for their lion's share on these records.
The familiar reasons that have been told to us are their physique, training in high altitude, their low socio-economic status and running as their trump card to freedom, bla, bla...
Now, I heard of a new quasi-genetic explanation for their superiority - their tolerance to pain!
In 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the unforgettable heroic saga to victory of a certain athlete, Kipchoge Keino, started the flood gates of subsequent champions emerging from that side of the world. After the preliminary rounds, Kip was to partake in 3 events, namely 10,000m, 5,000m and 1500m. He collapsed during the 10,000m finals. His doctor diagnosed him to have cholecystitis (gall bladder infection) and advised him to call it quits. Kip defied doctor's orders and ran the 5,000m to win the silver medal. Again the doctor discouraged him to run another race. The gallbladder was apparently at risk of rupture, so the story goes! In spite of the stinging pain at every breath of fresh air, Kip persevered.

The 1500m finals of Mexico City Olympics turned out to be a tale of human endeavour. Jack Ryun of USA, the then world record holder for the event with his 'kick' was favoured to win. Starting as last in the first lap, Kip zoomed past everybody to, not only to beat Ryun but to break the Olympic record with his gall bladder infection. There was a 20m gap between him and Ryun.
A theory suggested for their tenacity is the ritual of the Kalenjin tribe adolescents had to go through as they came of age. This ritual is an elaborate ritual of circumcision with skewers and tying the prepuce in a bow tie fashion. The boys' face are applied with mud which dries up. During the circumcision, the boys are not allowed to grimace as evidenced by flaking of mud on their faces. Failure of this test would result in severe beating and loss of licence to find a partner, hence reproductive opportunities. They are required to run everywhere with the pain. Women are required to undergo their own circumcision rituals.
In the long run, only those with high pain threshold had been selected to continue the progeny!
The newer generation of Kalenjins, of course, do not wish to be tortured this way. Even their parents are quite happy with their offspring having the cut into adulthood with modern analgesic techniques. Does that mean that the Kenyan runners would one day eventually loose their prowess?

So, no pain no gain. Of course they would be aches and they would be pains, only the ones who persevere will live to see the finishing line....
Ref: WYNC's Radiolab, Shorts: Cut and Run

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!