One for the Ladies !

Me and Mei Ping at Malakoff Run in March 2013. She weighs about 51kg then.

A lady runner, Mei Ping, which I met during my morning runs next to Safira in Seberang Jaya. She is such an enthusiastic runner and a much faster runner than I am. Occasionally, when I am doing my easy runs we used to discuss about running events. She has been participating more running events recently but her strength is in shorter distances mostly 10K and below. Recently, during one of the conversation, I finally found out she is an accidental runner !

Mei Ping and her family when she was 65kg

She was dragged into running by husband after giving birth to their child. She told me her weight ballooned to 65kg. Her husband wanted her to lose weight and she was never into running. She said that she started running for 6 days a week and mostly about 10K. Her word of advice is you must hang on and initially it will be tough. If you persevere the results will show. And after six months, she dropped a whopping 12kg to 53kg. She has been running for 5 years now and her weight has dropped to about 50kg. The other amazing thing she has been winning some races that she has entered. She has ran 10K races in under 50 minutes which I can't even finished 10K in 60 minutes. I am such a slow runner compared to her.

Mei Ping running at our morning running route

For ladies, that wanted to lose weight and maintain their weight. All you have to is run ! Just persevere and the pounds will melt off.  And remember don't eat like a horse after your run as you will feel hungrier.  She can be an inspiration to many obese or overweight people especially the ladies. A mother who become an accidental runner. Just because you have a child does not mean you have to put on weight. Get your butt off the couch and run !

The First Malaysian to conquer The Badwater 135 Ultramarathon

Ng Seow Kong before the start of The Badwater 135 Ultramarathon. Photo obtained from his FB page. 

This is the guy who inspired me to run my first marathon. He is such a low profile guy who has achieved a number of amazing feats on foot. I have written about him on my blog twice. The first time I mentioned about him was on A Journey to My First Marathon Part 3. I didn't mentioned his name. The second time was on Ultramarathons also did not mentioned his name but I provided his Facebook page. He is the one who keep me thinking if he can run more than 100 km why can't I run 42km.  He is also the one who introduce me to the book "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall. 

I was very excited knowing that he will be doing the Badwater 135 from his FB page. I have heard about the Badwater 135 from the Marathon Training Academy's podcasts especially on the interview with Dean Karnazes. I was aware that The Badwater 135 has described itself as "the world's toughest foot race" due to the distance ie 135 miles (217 km)  and the heat which was held in California's Death Valley in July. The temperature can soar to more than 49 deg Celsius. 

I keep checking the Badwater website to monitor his progress. I actually wake up in the middle night to see if he has reached the 90 miles mark. When I found out finally that he has completed the whole race in 42:51:40. I was really excited. I was almost glued to the results most of the time.  I immediately congratulated him on Facebook. Although he has been away from Malaysia for more than 30 years, he has entered every race as a Malaysian. And he make proud us to be one. He makes us feel "Malaysia Boleh!. And he has completed more than 100 marathons/ultramarathons in 55 cities and in 31 countries/states. 

Seow Kong's finishing time

He is such an inspiration to runners !  

Seow Kong's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/seowkong.ng. I am unable to write about him in just a blog. You should visit his FB page if you want to know more about him. Get inspired !

Penang Run 2013 -2014 2nd Series - Race Recap

Penang Run 2013-2014 2nd Series. New Image. Wearing a Buff.

This is a race that I really find enjoyable although my Garmin lost its satelite signal at 14km and I have to run the rest of the race not knowing the pace and distance.

Race Pack Collection at Town Hall

Oh...who visited them at the Race Pack Collection

Two weeks after a trial run, the actual race day on 7 October. I did not take the shuttle bus from Balik Pulau to Teluk Kumbar, the starting point. So I get to sleep for an extra hour. I reach 45 mins before the starting time of 5:30am. And this is one race that I really did a warm up before the race. Some slow run with strides thrown in.

Finishing point of the 2nd Series, SK Sg Pinang

The distance markers and quotes. Volunteers hard at work.

The race started punctually at 5:30am and it was a bit crowded at the first km of the race. But the weather is just perfect. No haze and no rain. It was raining a few days before the race and the weather was cooler which really makes the run more enjoyable. After the first km, the runners started to space out and I could get to my normal pace. After about 2.5km, it was run up to the Bukit Genting. It was nice to watch fellow runners running up the steep slope in a group with some runners using the blinking red light. I used the blinking light from my headlamp which I put in in my Spiebelt for safety reasons. Quite a number of runners started to walk due to lack of  training on hills. But the breeze running up the hill was welcoming.

Then we have to run down the hill, certain stretches are dark and narrow. But the organiser has placed Peugeot cars with their headlamp on to brighten up those dark stretches. It was actually a great idea. At the end of the hill, it was sharp left turn into the kampung of Balik Pulau. That's when we have the sounds plus smell of nature. The cowdang smell that comes with it. But the cooling weather and nice kampung area, a flat course and very little traffic at this point really makes this run truly enjoyable for me. At that point, my Garmin lost its satelite signal. Only the time is still working. So I just have to run by feel. There was an elderly couple who cheer us along this route.  A big thanks to them, a little encouragement help us go a long way. The organiser has done a great job by having distance markers at every 2km with some interesting quotes. I could know the distance covered without a satelite signal.

The organising chairnan, Mr Andrew Loh and the MC of the event. 

The longest stretch of the run is Jalan Bahru, a 6 -7 km straight road. I realised it takes mental strength to conquer this never-ending stretch of road. So I just focus on the run, step by step. Putting on blinders to everything else. And just do it one foot at the time. It makes this route more manageable and kills the boredom of running this section of the route.

The ladies at the Secretariat at the finishing line

After the 18km mark, fatigue starts to set in. I feel my running pace has start to slow down. It is only 3.8km to the finish line. It's time to dig deep. Finally, finished the race of 21.8km in 2:33 which is 33 seconds faster than my 1st series. But still unable to dip below 2:30. But it is longer distance of 0.5km as compared to the 1st series and a much tougher route. So I did a better race this time. Most of my friends did a slower race for this series due to the elevation. The 2nd series is a much well organised race as compared to the 1st Series with distance markers and quotes. And we have plenty of food and drinks at the end of race like Milo, 100plus, nasi lemak, bread, water melon and nutmeg drink. And I just like the colour of the running vest for this series, apple green !

Not easy to be a politician nowadays. You even have to run half marathon. A great effort by YB Bukit Mertajam, Mr Steven Sim finishing the 2nd series.

The 3rd series will be the hilly roads of Balik Pulau. A 6km uphill run ! Followed by the winding roads to Teluk Bahang. Getting excited just thinking of the next challenge. Time to get into some long LSDs for the Borneo International Marathon (BIM) on 25 August.

The hills at the background

The medal for 2nd Series and two puzzle medals combined

So after the race, the next thing to look for is laksa. We decided to look for the laksa that is "in the middle of nowhere" in the hills of Balik Pulau. Very nice environment. A serene atmosphere and an experience to have laksa at this place. The taste of laksa doesn't feel great but the atmosphere makes up for it. So it is worth a try !

The Assam Laksa in the hills of Balik Pulau