Yuki Kawauchi ~ An Inspiration

Kawauchi wins Beppu-Oita Marathon 2013 in the race record time and his personal best of 2:08:15

Yuki Kawauchi capture the limelight and the attention of the world when he became the third overall and the first Japanese finisher at the Tokyo Marathon in February 2011 with a time of 2:08:37. Kawauchi's running style is so intense in a marathon that he has collapsed a few times running marathons. His motto is more like it is ok if I die running a marathon.

Mr. Kawauchi stood out as he dubbed the "Citizen Runner" because unlike most elite-level runners in Japan, who are backed by a corporation, he is an amateur. He works a regular job a full five days a week and pays his own expenses. The key to his success? Working hard, being in excellent condition, but above all having fun. “Working hard for the sake of working hard won’t lead to results. You have to be careful of injury, train efficiently, and remember that you are training because you love to run.  I think that an athlete discovers the joy of track when he or she is able to stay injury-free and perform in ways that the athlete wants to.”


The organisers of the 2013 Egyptian Marathon agreed to pay his travel expenses for the January race, but Kawauchi missed his flight after arriving at the airport without his passport. He decided to pay 800,000 yen (US$9,000) for a replacement flight – an amount that equal to a quarter of his yearly salary. The decision paid off and he won with a time of 2:12:24 – the fastest ever for a race in Egypt. Less than three weeks later he ran at the Beppu-Ōita Marathon and he reached the top of the Japanese rankings by winning the race in a personal best of 2:08:15.

The above video shows some of Kawauchi's running journey and his recent win at Beppu-Oita Marathon 2013 with a winning time of 2:08:15 against Nakamoto, who was sixth at last summer’s Olympic marathon, finished 20 seconds slower in second place. A video to watch if you need motivation to run !

Jakarta - A Break from Running

"Patung Selamat Datang" Welcome Statute. The landmark of Jakarta.

Jakarta is just a city with no real tourist attractions except with plenty of shopping malls. I actually got bored after the second day as we run out of places to visit other than shopping malls. I always wanted to visit as many Asia Pacific cities as I can to see the development in the whole Asia Pacific area. But the development in Jakarta is quite rapid looking at the big shopping mall like Grand Indonesia which is really grand. And the upmarket shopping malls are just full of branded goods. The landmark of city is "Patung Selamat Datang" (Welcome Statute). And this landmark is surrounded by 5 star hotels like Grand Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia.

We manage to book MAS holidays which covers the flight plus accommodation. The hotel accommodation is good which is Le Meridien situated in the business district area and very near to the shopping area. The taxis by the Bluebird group is good. No bad experience with taxi drivers. They just run by the meters and no detour by taxi drivers. Our KL taxi drivers are a real shame as compared to them. I have been to so many Asia Pacific cities and taking taxi is unavoidable. KL taxi drivers are really the worst I have met. No wonder we are voted No. 1 for the worst service.

Grand Indonesia

Plaza Indonesia

The only thing that I feel uncomfortable at first is security checks at the hotel and the big shopping malls that are full of foreigners. It is like going through airport security. I actually saw a street demonstation against the USA during my trip. But generally the workers at the shopping malls offer better service than our shopping malls. The income disparity between the rich and poor must very great because once you travel away from the cities the living conditions are really bad. The places are actually very filthy.

Fitness Centre at Le Meridien, Jakarta. The treadmill is feeling like a dreadmill when you do your long run on it. 

Fortunately the hotel that I stay has a properly equipped fitness centre which I still manage to get my long runs on a treadmill. I have to cut my long run to just 10km just to maintain the endurance. Running too long a distance on a treadmill is starting to feel like a dread. I thought I was supposed to take a break from running? Looks like I can't break from the endorphins high ! But I did cut down the distance.

Chinese Food sold at Chinatown

Chinese Temple at Chinatown. The structure of this temple looks very similar to the Kuan Yin Temple in Penang

We also visited the Chinatown area in Glodok which there are many Hakka descendants staying in the area. We went into one of the Chinese medical shop and they started to speak Mandarin and Hakka to us. The Chinese culture are very deeply rooted into most Chinese. So which ever country you visit, once you go to Chinatown and you will be able to feel the Chinese culture.

Bajaj, one of the mode of transportation in Jakarta

This "Ayam Bakar" (BBQ chicken) is really tasty which is across the street from Blok M. But I end up falling sick after eating it.

The last two shopping malls that I visited on the last day were Plaza Senayan and Senayan City which is actually full of branded good and full of Chinese. I thought I was in one of those upmarket shopping mall in KL. And there are plenty of Chinese restaurant. But they served beef instead of pork. And all the waiter and waitresses are Indonesians. They played Chinese New Year songs at the mall since it was still the last day of Chinese New Year.

Probably for a tourist destination, Yogjakarta or Bali would definitely be a better choice to visit than Jakarta. Anyway, another city ticked from my list.

Going for Bananas

A great refueling food for runners.

If you need one tip to save money on energy gels, try bananas during your training sessions. You will probably need energy gels only your half marathon or full marathon days. Or during those 32km long runs. That is to test your body against energy gels. Energy gels are much more expensive as compared to bananas. A pack of energy gel cost a minimum about RM5 as compared to a banana that cost 60 cents for the most expensive type. A banana is real food and it is full of vitamins and nutrients. For my current training of my second marathon, I have been surviving on bananas for my long runs. My last long run is 26km and that translate to 3 bananas. Starting with one banana just before running and a banana for every hour after that and I have steady energy throughout the run.

In between, I drank some sports drinks in addition to water after 10km. And it is definitely tastier than having energy gels all the time. A banana has about 108 calories which would nornally sustained your energy level for about an hour. Some people has advised that instead of taking sports drinks, the better option is to use coconut water. But it is inconvenient to purchase it and having to store it in the fridge and drink it the next day could be rather troublesome.

The health benefits of Bananas summarised from Lifescipt.com are as follows:-

• Bananas provide energy. Bananas are a great source of natural energy. Ideal for eating during midday when you feel sluggish. Provide a level of energy that lasts longer without the crash like caffeine.
• Full of vitamins and nutrients. Bananas have two times as many carbohydrates as an apple, five times as much Vitamin A and iron and three times as much phosphorus. In addition, bananas are also rich in potassium and natural sugars. 
• Rich in Potassium. Helpful in reducing strokes and regulating blood pressure as it promotes circulatory health.
• Bowel Health. Help stop constipation. Contains certain fibre that helps to restore and maintain regular bowel functions.
• Lift your spirits. Contain a chemical called trytophan that helps the mind relax so you feel happier. 
• Increase brain power.
• Reduce the effects of a hangover.
• Great for pregnant women to combat morning sickness.
• Rub the peel on mosquito bites.
• Help soothe ulcers.
• Rich in iron. Help promote hemoglobin production.
• Great Fertilisers using banana peels

So it is time to consider bananas instead of energy gels for your training sessions. The only problem is how to do you carry the bananas on a long run. Hang them around your waist? You will probably get your photos splashed all over Facebook the next day and become famous !

Happy Chinese New Year !

There will normally be lots of eating during this festive season. The Chinese was well known for food. Just have to burn all those calories through running after that.

Happy Holidays and Gong Xi Fa Cai (Have a Prosperous New Year) !

Life is like a Marathon

This is an excerpt from an article in a local Chinese newspaper which I felt it explained why "life is like a marathon". I have done the English translation to my best ability. A lot of marathoners felt exactly what has been written. 

跑者說：“人生就像一場馬拉松，再累也沒有人能代替你跑，但會有許多人陪伴你一起跑。”跑者說：“跑到身心快要崩潰時，有人鼓勵和扶你一把，就可以咬牙撐過去。”“多累都不能半途放棄，就算用走的，也要慢慢走到終點。”“跑馬拉松不是為了與人競爭，而是超越自己，更重要的是以自己的節奏，跑好每一步，享受跑步的快樂。”

這些都是至理名言。咦，我們到底是在講馬拉松或人生呢？(From : 中國報）

Runner : "Life is like a marathon. Even when you are very tired, nobody can run for you but a lot of people will be running with you. When you are extremely exhausted with people's encouragement and help, you peservere to finish and never give up. You walk to the finish line slowly when you have to. Running a marathon is not to compete with others but to exceed yourself. Run with your own pace and made good with every step and experience the joy of running.

These words of wisdom. Are we talking about marathon or life?

"If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon."

~ Emil Zatopek, the triple-gold winner in the 1952 Olympics, winning the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the marathon. A Running Times article on Emil Zatopek.

"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought." 

~ Arthur Blank

"Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best."
~ Meb Keflezighi, U.S. Olympic marathoner


"Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived." 
~ Dean Karnazes


"That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is." 
~ Kara Goucher 


"Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself -- expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip." 
~ Dean Karnazes 

Penang Run 2013 and Thaipusam

Penang Run 2013 and Thaipusam.

Two unrelated events happening on the same day i.e. Penang Run 2013 and Thaipusam. Thaipusam has always been a big event in Penang. It causes massive traffic jam in many parts of Penang for three days ! I would have said that the organiser should have chosen a better date for the first run event in Penang for 2013. In addition, it is a run which stir up a lot of controversies with a political motive behind the run initially and even the "name" of the run. Making it headlines in one of the local newspaper that I know of. To most runners, we are here to run. Couldn't care less about anything else. Eventually, taking away the political motive it became a run event which draw favorable reviews from most runners.

Start and finishing point of the race at USM stadium

Participants of the race

Runners at the finishing and Andrew Loh, the technical organiser of the event with his great smile.

I was unable to register for the event as I was supposed to be in Jakarta on those few days. But due to the recent flood in Jakarta, I have decided to postpone the trip to a later date. And the registration was already closed when I decided to postpone the trip. With a nagging hip injury, it was also not advisable to run a 17km with a hilly route. However, I managed to be at the event and cheer some of my friends at the finishing line snd snap some photos. The start and closing of the event was at Unversity Sains Malaysia (USM). There is a also a fun run for the event. If it will held again the next year, hopefully they can choose a better date and not clash with another major event in Penang. A run event in the Penang at the beginning of the year is always welcome !

A devotee carrying a kavadi

Thaipusam commemorates the triumph of good over evil, the birthday of Lord Murugan and his triumph over the evil demon Soorapadman. Yearly, many visitors and devotees visit Penang to witness this spectacular event. In a show of faith and devotion, Hindus (including a number of Chinese), in a trance, carry colorful and elaborate decorated kavadis as offerings to Lord Murugan. This Hindu festival comes alive in a carnival-like atmosphere with chanting, music and dancing – a fun atmosphere and it has become a tourist attraction event.

Devotees at Thaipusam

A silver chariot procession when the golden statue of Lord Murugan makes its way from George Town  to the Chettiar temple in Waterfall Road. As the chariot procession progresses along the streets, devotees smash hundreds and thousands of coconuts as offering and to give thanks to the Lord Murugan. A lot of Chinese businessmen devotees in Penang also make this coconut offering. This procession usually causes massive traffic jams along the route.

Road leading to Waterfall Road

Thaipusam has also always special to me and quite a lot of Chinese in Penang. Although we are not Hindus, a lot of us also go to the Nattukottai Chettiar’s temple at Waterfall Road to pray during Thaipusam. This tradition of mine, started from my mum where she has gone to the Chettiar's temple every year without failed during Thaipusam. And she also died on Thaipusam day. So Thaipusam has always been my remembrance of her. And I can feel her presence when I go to pray at the temple every time. This is a part of the memory that never fades away. I went for Thaipusam after they have finished with the Zumba dance on stage at the Penang Run 2013.

Nattukottai Chettiar’s temple

Usually, you have to park your vehicle far from the Chettiar's temple and it is a long walk to the temple.  Earlier years, I usually went during the night avoiding the sun and the heat but because having to go to witness the Penang Run I have changed my schedule and went in the morning.

The New Waterfall Hilltop Temple. 513 steps to the temple.

Young children with shaved head carried by their parents

However, for this year, I have also made it to the newly completed Waterfall Hilltop Temple (Arulmigu Balathandayuthapani Temple) with 513 steps climbing to the temple beating the Batu Caves' steps of 272 steps. The challenge is hiking up 513 steps at 12 noon with a blazing sun. Ending up with a sunburn on the exposed area near my neck ! But Thaipusam with its carnival atmosphere is an event in Penang not to be missed !

Views of Mengkuang Dam and My trip to Injury Land

I have been having this nagging pain in my hip after my PBIM 2012. But it has not been serious and I have been ignoring it for the past 2 months. The problem with running and especially long distance running, the injury always seem to be not far away. As you increase your speed and mileage, a perfect pair of legs start to have pain here and there. At times, it is just sore muscles or a little ache and pains.

Mengkuang Dam. My usual running route for my long runs. A great place to run.

This time the nagging pain in the hip eventually flare up to a few painful runs. Most people nowadays google when there is an injury or illness. A doctor has told me that the patients came to visit them with tons of information that they have printed from the internet. Obviously, the patients will not print the information now, they just showed it to you on their IPad. The advancement of technology ! The googling of the pain in the hip brings me to a conclusion that it is mostly like a hip bursitis.

One of the flat route of Mengkuang Dam

View of the Dam

Another View of Mengkuang Dam

I have been increasing my speed after the PBIM and running in mostly my Brooks Pure Connect. Then I started to increase my mileage at the same time and maintaining the speed. This means I have to run longer and faster. I have signed up for Island Ocean Marathon. The training cycle of 16 weeks is starting. The mileage will pile up after every week. This small nagging pain which comes on and off eventually starts to flare up. So I was trying to diagnose my own body to see if the pain comes from the shoes or increase in mileage.

Eventually I discovered that the Brooks Pure Connect causes the pain even after a 3km run. And the Merrell Trail Glove which is basically a barefoot running shoe does not cause the pain even after a 5km run. The Brooks Pure Connect is supposed to be a minimalist shoes but still too much cushioning for me and causes my hips to move too much. I have run in my Merrell Trail Glove in two half marathons and a full marathon.  It looks I can only run in barefoot shoes and no longer in minimalist shoes. May have to go for complete barefoot running and save money on the shoes too !

 View of Bukit Mertajam Hill in the background at Mengkuang Dam

Then the last weekend I was supposed to go for a 16km run at Mengkuang Dam. This time I ran in my Merrell. I ran the first 7km with not much problem and Mengkuang has a patch of hilly slopes and after the hilly slopes the pain in the hip is back ! And it is pretty painful and I just have to stop. So I took a  long walked back to the entrance after a 7.5km run. And it is still painful when I walked. But when I reach the entrance, the pain has eased quite a bit. So I did what other crazy runners will do. I ran again for another 2km on the flat surface. The pain however is more bearable. Which probably means I can't run on hills at the moment and should actually take a short break and let the injury heals. Keep running through pain is not a smart move. Then I asked Andrew "How do you restrain yourself from running through injury?" (which runners has problem controlling themselves). Andrew answered, " Hang up your running shoes and cry at home". Very funny !

Another view of Mengkuang Dam

Fortunately the hip pain does not occurred when I walked. The wise thing to do is rest for a few days and fill my time with other exercises. Have to go cycling, swimming and weight training at the gym. NO running for the next few days. I guess I may swing into depression after the third day. That's a runner's life. But the most important thing is "I have to believe I will run again !!!".

A Three legged dog running at Mengkuang Dam