I was in Penang during the weekend, my second ever trip to the famous island of Malaysia. I was there for 2 reasons:
1) A dear friend and former IMU classmate Quah Boon Leong's wedding ( he's a muslim now..donning the name Johan!!)
2) Penang Bridge International Marathon.. i ran the 21k
As usual the active gang of Mafiz, Azad and Kamal were my compatriots! We were off from KL by Saturday noon and being on board the 5 series was a riding pleasure! I wish I am able to have one of it in the future..hahahaha
Leong's reception was held in E&O hotel, a prestigious and exclusive hotel and I was glad i brought my suit with me as it was definitely strictly black tie! Everybody was well dressed and i did not feel out of place at all! It was a really enjoyable wedding as I met a number of my old buddies from Univ and we had great fun sitting on the same table!
Unfortunately, I could not stay long as I had to have a bit of rest before the Penang 21K. Iwish I had because I know with the gang in the house, it would have been reallyfun!
Honestly, i felt it was ridiculous to start running at 3am in the morning from Queensbay area.but looking at Kamal's 42K starting time..2am, ok la..not too bad i guess! PBIM was a definite success as it attracted more than ten thousand runners.Initially I was a bit sceptical about the number thinking it was a publicit stunt but when I was on the bridge..Oh my god..you can see a swarm of runners in front and behind you..and it was a moment of its own!
I thought with no training at all( wih the busy IJN posting as well as the rainy season) I would have just died on the first 100m! hahahaha However to my surprise, the pace was good and I felt really good that i just ran..and ran..and ran... and ehh.. ok la pulak !!
Of course, my mental block at 19km came into reality causing me to limp and walk for a bit. I took my power gel before the mark but the pain confidently appeared as I reach the taboo mark! I knew I was on a good time.. and I just pushed myself really hard..
"Sakit itu hanya perasaannn..."
"Kesakitan hanya sementara..kejayaan buat selama-lamanya!!"
with these 2 phrases i really pushed myself to the finish line which was not as near as one would reckon even at the 20km mark.. hahahaha
Alhamdulillah, I clocked my personal best ever( who would have thought with absolutely no run after the Genting trailblazer!!) and i am really proud of it..seriously!! Checked the official time and its 2hr 31 min 39 secs... cool.. oklah tu!
It was a definite hectic weekend, tiring.. mind torturing.. but PRICELESS!!
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