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

A Run in KLCC Park

Panorama view of KLCC.

Have been staying around KLCC countless times during my trip to Kuala Lumpur. But have never really walk or run around the park. The only walk is usually when I have seminars in KL Convention Centre and then walking to Suria KLCC to shop or dine. That's when the seminar get really boring and you wanted to skip one or two of the sessions. Previously, I will be spending time at the fitness centres at the hotel. However, after training for my marathon, I have learned to enjoy those outdoor runs. Since I am only staying at a hotel near the KLCC due to the convenient of shopping, so a run in the park will be the most appropriate choice.

The jogging and walking track around the KLCC park is 1.3km and with some elevation. Personally, I feel a 1.3km is too short for long distance runners. And the elevation of the park is tougher than I expected. The greenery, high rise buildings, the lakes, sound of birds singing and the cleanness are the main attraction of the park. I actually went for a run on Saturday and Sunday but Sunday is a bit too crowded and they are mostly walkers than runners. The jogging track is made of synthetic rubber so it gives you a soft feel when you land the foot on the track. It helps to prevent injury. There is marking on the track for every 100 m.

Runners hard at work at the KLCC Park

The other advantage of the park is water stations. You can carry your own water bottle and fill it with water from the water stations. The surprising part when I was running in the park I saw a few runners wear the Penang Bridge Marathon's vest. The Penang Bridge Marathon must be a really popular event and I didn't see any runners wearing the KL Marathon's vest which is strange.

But I would say it is a nice place to run in the morning and probably in the evening. Nice and clean environment with birds chirping. Took me 50:35 mins to run 7.5km and with the elevation of the park, not a bad pace on a Saturday. Did a shorter run of 4.73km for 32:45 mins on Sunday. Enough time to break into the sweat but not long enough to release the endorphins. Addicted to the runner's high ! But have to go back to the hotel so as not to miss my buffet breakfast at the hotel. Hope the run will be enough to burn all the calories that I will be gobbling into my stomach. Not an exciting run but nice enough for a short workout.  Will run in the KLCC park again when I am staying around that area in KL the next time. Running under the Petronas Twin Towers is still a refreshing change from my usual running route.

The Petronas Twin Towers and the Maxis Building. The Twin Towers used to be the tallest building in the world

Views from around the KLCC Park

Runner's group at the KLCC park where one of them is coaching the others

Moving forward 2013

North-South Expressway near Ipoh, Perak. A nice shot for "Moving forward in 2013". 

The start of a new year. Another strings of new year resolutions? Well, I finished my first marathon. So what's next?

After the confidence of running the first, I will be back for more agony and joy of running another marathon. I was planning to run the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon on 30 June 2013. The registration for this event has not been opened yet. However, there was a more interesting marathon that came out a few weeks back i.e.  The Marathon Series 2013. Two marathons at a combo price. The Island Ocean Marathon in Langkawi and The River  Jungle Marathon in Hulu Langat.


My final decision was to run in The Island Ocean Marathon on 21 April 2013 as I just could not resist the temptation of running the scenic route in Langkawi especially with Andrew keep tempting me to run and he will make all the transport and accommodation arrangements.  In addition, this will be the first marathon in Langkawi. The organiser for this  marathon get very good reviews for their River Jungle marathon.

Langkawi is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah and a duty-free island.  We used to make fun of it naming the island "Lamkaoyee" (which mean "Hugging a Chair" in Hokkien).

How about the River Jungle Marathon? Currently, not decided. But highly unlikely. As I have a overseas trip in September.

I have been to the island and the offshore islands of Langkawi several times and have never got tired of it.

My first visit to Langkawi was in 1987 where the island has just been promoted as a tourist destination by giving it a duty-free status. Three quarter of the island is still covered with rubber plantations and you have to drive to travel around the island. We did not even arrange for the hotel accommodation as we assumed a past colleague was arranging it for us. We end up staying in a hotel room with 7 persons as that was the only decent accommodation we could find for one night. The other nights we end up staying in a house in a rubber plantation. An unforgettable experience.

One of the offshore island of Langkawi is Pulau Payar which you can travel directly to Pulau Payar from Penang on boat. Pulau Payar is also a marine park. I remember my first visit to Pulau Payar many years back when it was organised by my friend's company. He just asked us to join the trip. Such an amazing experience then ! Have you try diving down catching lobster at night with your bare hands carrying a torchlight with only a snorkel?  I was swimming without swim fins and step on a sea rambutan in the dark. My right leg just got numb after that. So I have to basically swim with one leg after that. A really scary experience !

Most runners for this Langkawi marathon will be going for the scenic route and taking pictures along the way. Running fast does not seems to be on people's mind. It is not a complete flat course based on the elevation of the route.

Another run I have signed up at the end of last year is The Malakoff Run 2013. A 17km run on 17 March 2013. I could not particpate last year as I have just started my training for my first marathon and was trying to concentrate on the training. It will be pretty flat course. However, the running map has not  been provided yet which is strange. And it will be nice pre-run before the Langkawi marathon. Although I would very much preferred a half marathon.

Some of heritage buildings whch we will see for the Malakoff Run at Esplanade

2012 A Year in Review

At Akibahara Station in Tokyo. A trip to remember in 2012. 

It is difficult to write a blog post when your mind is still on holiday mood. Although my legs are already back to normal running for the past two weeks. Managed to run 13.5km at Mengkuang Dam last Sunday with a pace of 7:05/km for 1:35. Much faster than I did my 13.09km run on 25 March 2012 with a pace of 7:54/km for 1:43.  Hope to be able to run below 7.0/km for my long distance run in the coming weeks.

2012 is an eventful year for me. I really felt like a runner after going through this first marathon journey.   I started back into running in 2010 but I was doing my runs on a treadmill where I did my 10K in that year and then a half marathon in 2011. But I have never felt so much into running until 2012 when I started my first marathon journey in March 2012. Eight months of training and I managed to run my first marathon at the Penang Bridge International Marathon on 18 November is an amazing and unforgettable experience. I felt enlighten during my marathon journey where I start to see myself in a different perspective, physically and mentally.

I have actually managed to do two half marathons in August before my first marathon as a preparation.  One is the trial run for the Green Run MPSP and two weeks later is the actual run. Not many races to boast about. But I enjoyed all of it. I guess I will not be the runner that will be participating in all the races that have been scheduled. I will mostly select the marathons that I want to participate and fixed those dates first. The other races will just be fitted in for the preparation of these bigger races.

Of course after your first marathon, the next objective is how do I run faster? Have been trying to do faster run on my shorter runs and slowly surprising myself that I could actually run faster than I think I can.

2012 is also a year that I have been to my dream vacation country, i.e. Japan, visiting Tokyo and Kyoto. The timing and injury of the trip almost ruined my first marathon. Although I end up with a slower time because of the non-training of 15 days but I managed to pick myself up and finished my first marathon. And I just saw a video of two Taiwanese guys running the Osaka Marathon on 25 November 2012. It was so much fun ! My next trip to Japan will definitely be going to Osaka and run this marathon.

A video link to the two Taiwanese guys enjoying their run at the Osaka Marathon

A company trip to Bali in August 2012 was also a much relaxing trip after the work deadlines till 31 July 2012. The weather in Bali during August is just fantastic with a cooling breeze! A run on the beach in Bali in the early morning was such a welcome change in sight while tapering for the Green Run MPSP.

A company trip in Bali on August 2012.

So what is my running mileage for 2012? 1,400.24 km. But I only started my running log from 11 March 2012. But most of the running was done after this date. The distance from Penang to Johor Bahru is about 692km. Technically, I have ran to and fro from Penang to Johor Bahru which is only 1,384km. Wow....quite a distance if it was measured in this manner. Pretty unbelievable !

My Yearly Running log recorded in my Runmeter

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year 2013 !

May the running journey bring peace to our mind, health to our body and joy to our life. 

Unbroken

A book on Louis Zamperini by Laura Hillenbrand.

This book that I got on audio book which I find it was such an amazing and inspiring story about Louis Zamperini. I would not be surprised his story will become a movie. I have been listening to the audio book during my cross-training session at the gym.  Laura Hillenbrand who is also an author of "Seabiscuit" is such a marvelous writer. She did not meet Louis Zamperini in person throughout the writing of this book. Hillenbrand suffers from debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome, and remains largely confined to her home.

Louis Zamperini trains for the Olympics in 1940.

Louie Zamperini, is a young Italian-American from Torrance, Calif., was expected to be the first to run a four-minute mile. After an astonishing but losing race at the 1936 Olympics, Louie was hoping for gold in the 1940 games. But war ended those dreams forever. Zamperini enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in September 1941, and earned a commission as a second lieutenant. He was deployed to the Pacific island of Funafuti as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator bomber. In April 1942, the plane was badly damaged in combat, and the crew were assigned to conduct a search for a lost aircraft and crew. In May 1943 his B-24, The Green Hornet, crashed into the Pacific.

After a record-breaking 47 days adrift on a shark-encircled life raft with his pal and pilot, Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips, they were captured by the Japanese. Louie landed in the cruelest theaters of all: under the control of Corp. Mutsuhiro Watanabe (also known as The Bird), a brutal sadist who never killed his victims outright--his pleasure came from their slow, unending torment. By war's end, Louie was near death. When the war ended in mid-August 1945, a depleted Louie's only thought was "I'm free! I'm free! I'm free!" However, Louie was not yet free. Even as, returning tried to build a life, Louie remained in the Bird's clutches, haunted in his dreams, drinking to forget, and obsessed with vengeance.The book's final section is the story of how, Louie found his path.

The story of Louis Zamperini on CBS Sunday morning on YouTube.

"Life is about experiencing all the things you find interesting and fascinating. Just get out there and experience as much as you can. Participate in life." ~ Louie Zamperini

For his 81st birthday in January 1998, Zamperini ran a leg in the Olympic Torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. While there, he attempted to meet with his chief and most brutal tormentor during the war, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, who had evaded prosecution as a war criminal, but the latter refused to see him. In March 2005 he returned to Germany to visit the Berlin Olympic Stadium for the first time since he competed there.

Louis Zamperini's Interview on the Runner's World.