Friday, November 07, 2014

Pacesetter 3030 Padang Merbuk 2/11/14

Any run routes organized mainly by pacesetters will be exciting. After the disappointing last minute thingy that made my 42km SCMKL tak jadi, I was looking forward for this run as in the past it has always given me the ultimate challenge especially hills. Though i did not clock good mileage in the run up to this run, i did emphasize on hill training and to a certain extent and it paid off. Looking at the initial map i knew i will be in for a suffering at the last 5 km haha double hill tu..
 I was at my usual parking spot along tugu negara by 5am. What made me uncomfortable was my tummy despite me having done my bit earlier. I did try to queue for the toilet in Padang Merbuk but it was too late. I thought hmm.. might as well settle it along the run!At 530am sharp we were flagged off. I saw the 3hr 3:30hr pacers lining up and i thought.. wow.. takkan orang tera pun tak bole buat sub-3 for the 30K? And of course the answer to that was unveiled during the run. 
What is important in these long runs is the mileage for the muscles. I did manage to fit in runs in between the days for the past few weeks but i knew it wasn/t enough. I was crossing my fingers hoping that i can last the distance and not DNF!! My cramps can be really bad :)
The first 6km was not too bad i thought. My pace was good and i was not puffing despite the elevation going to the famous 2 hills of kenny hills. I was positive about this run but at the same time holding myself not to overdo in the earlier distance. Of course, my tummy had to give in and i had to wait almost 10 minutes for the toilet break! hahaha but after the dumping, the body felt so light and i cruised through.. And then i saw the mosque.. Haiiyaa.. i should have waited a bit and could have done the 2 in 1, subuh and dumping in a more comfy place!!
 I was running my pace comfortably and indeed i was happy with myself. This was during the 2 rounds of hartamas route. The sun rose but the weather was perfect as it was not humid. I was happy but at the same time cautious. At the halfway point i was happy and i thought yup.. perhaps it can be a miracle. I was doing a good pace and i thought the 3:30 was very possible. The water stations were excellent and my kurma was doing me good in keeping my energy level. The elevation can be damming but it was not too bad.
 Coming to the second loop.. ooo..oo.. my legs were twitching so i reduced my speed and aggression. Haha.. now it is slowly showing itself. Surpassing the 22km mark, my thighs were pulling and i started walking. Ok.. confirm tak cukup mileage! I was flying if i were to do the 20k race but definitely my muscles were not ready for the 30k route. I held on and walked more than i run in the next 10km. The pain was bearable but i if i overdo it, it can be to the point of no return! I want to finish this race!
 And so i struggled even to walk at a comfy pace. the elevation wasn't helping as you knew what you were up to.. haha this is the beauty of pacesetter race! Siksa.. jgn tak siksa!! COming off publika and towards kenny hills was a relief but the hills there was even worse! i wish i had done enough mileage as it would have been fun to run up those hills after the 25km mark! I was limping and walking.. it was indeed a struggle. And of course 3:30 was off! I was wondering if it was possible to do a sub-4.. jadilah! haha
 Reaching the final stretch was a relief! Of course you want to end it in style so the running must be there.. at least for the picture hahaha And when i saw the clock was at 3:59.. yeehhaa.. jadila sub-4 hahaha

 Alhamdulillah finish the gruelsome run at 3:58;20 (official result) and gun time of 3:59! I thought not bad!! And now i am looking forward for PJ half.. which the 21km i should aim to get close to my PB.. Tapi kalau dapat sub 2 kira cool ah.. :)

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