Sweat is fats crying !

My fats crying route on weekdays.

Although I have been exercising for so many years I was more into swimming or weight training. I have not been into running for many years. When I first started running back 3 years ago, I always thought that I don't sweat so easily. Because most of the exercise I do, I don't really sweat a lot. Even when I go hiking, I don't sweat that much. Until I started running especially when I ran at a faster speed or running on a incline or on a slope. My whole body is completely wet. I realise this when I started to run on an incline or at a faster speed on a treadmill. After running for about an hour, my body is complete wet including my underwear as if I have just come out of a shower. I usually take of my shirt quickly if I am at a gym because it is air-conditioned and I wouldn't want to fall sick if my wet clothes on.

Crying my fats on weekday mornings

Human can do endurance running where we can run many miles for extended period of time is because we sweat. We sweat to reduce body heat. In persistence hunting which started more than 2 million years ago in which hunters use a combination of running and chasing after a prey to the point of exhaustion. While we humans sweat to reduce body heat, the prey would need to slow from a gallop in order to pant. Endurance running is only seen in humans, and this method of hunting is one of the earliest forms of human hunting. This is also highlighted in the book "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall.

Sweating also helps to remove toxins from our body leaving and up to 30% of body waste is removed through sweat. Of course, a lot of people has successful burn their fats and reducing their body weight through running and watching their diet at the same time.  This documentary "From Fat to Finish Line", document the journey of 12 people who share the common bond of losing 100 pounds on average and will now embark on one of the biggest challenges of their lives: The 200 mile mega distance Ragnar Relay Race. One of the person in this documentary is Ada Wong, runner-up on Season 10 of The Biggest Loser. Ada shared her life-long struggle with her all-time high weight of 259 lbs in The Biggest Loser. She still continues to run marathons and is the fastest woman finisher in The Biggest Loser's marathon challenge. She has also been doing triathlons.

Malakoff Run 2013

Malakoff Run 2013.

My first race of 2013. Using it as my training run for Island Ocean Marathon in Langkawi. Time to test whether I can hold my marathon pace for 17km. Not to run overly fast but just to pace myself throughout the race. Eventually some runners will realise that you can't run hard in every race. You don't have to run full marathons in races. Some races are used to gauge your pace so instead of running full marathons, you can actually run half marathons so you can have a better time for the coming marathon. This is one race where I wanted to hold my pace 7 min/km for the whole race. So can I manage to achieve it?

Waking up 5am on a Sunday morning. I have been doing my long runs on Saturday lately. So having to get up early is really not too much of problem. But once I know that I have wake up early the next morning, my body system goes into alert. This means that my sleep for the night will not be very good as I am afraid that I will overslept. A quick snack and then driving to Padang Kota Lama (Esplanade). First thing to do when I reach the venue is going to "pee" first. As I notice that there are limited numbers of toilets and the queue is already starting. Brought a banana along as my food before the start of the race instead of energy gels. But carrying a banana around is an ugly sight !

Start of the Race

End of the Race

There are actually quite a lot of runners for the race. According to the press release of Malakoff Penang Run 2013 there are actually 2,500 runners for all categories. The race started in 2008 with only 450 runners and grown to 1,500 runners in 2012. Running is surely getting more popular for the past few years ! And it is a simple sport. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. The only "must" cost that you will incurred is a pair of good running shoes. With the current trend of barefoot running, this can also be done away with.  Effectively, it can be a "zero" cost sport. Simple to do and keep you in shape. 

The race starts at 7am for the all categories for Men and I got a "C XXXX" which means I am qualified for the Senior Veteran Category. Time to run with the younger generation again, making me feel young. I was standing far behind at the back as I could not find any of my running friends at the start of the race. Since I took a long time to warm up for the race and it is time by timing chip, it is ok to be at the back where you get more fresh air. At 7am, the sky is starting to brighten up and with so many runners in front, all you have to do is follow the crowd. 

Runners waiting before the start of the race. That is how far back I am standing.

Starting with a pace of 6:52 min/km on the first km and eventually reaching 6:37 min/km at the 5km. The pace is actually faster than I anticipated and I trying to control myself  not to run too fast in case I ran out of energy for the second half of the race. At the 5km, I noticed some runners started to slow down and my pace started to pick up after the 4th km. The advantage of starting at the back of race, you get the kicked of passing people all along the race especially after the 5km. That is when those guys who started too fast and cannot hold the pace. However, the problem with this race is the route. There are actually quite a lot of traffic along the course. If you have to keep overtaking runners, you have to run at the far edge of the road which means you are very near to oncoming traffic. Especially on Kelawai Road there are some cars actually behind your back. 

Stage of Malakoff Run

On reaching the 8km, I notice I have taken 54 mins which means I can finished the race in less than 2 hours if I can hold the pace. Reaching Straits Quay at 9km, time to take an energy gel and I have to lose about a minute just because of it. I just do not want to run out of energy at the last 5km. Reaching the 10km mark, time to cranked up the music for the last 7km since I usually run faster when the music is on. 

Penang Run 2013-2014 promoting at Malakoff Run 2013

Running along Tanjung Tokong to Gurney Drive, I realised that the weather starts to really get warm as the sun is already out. At the water stop at the beginning Gurney Drive, I start to take shower with water from the water station. And I know this will be toughest stretch of the race with the blistering sun.  My pace is still holding steady at a 6:40 km/pace. This stretch a lot of runners actually started to slow down tremendously. My long runs on Saturday under the hot sun really help. 

Blistering sun at Esplanade

Mei Ping and Me at the race. A lady that run with blazing speed as compared to me.

After Gurney Drive, you are already having only about 3km to complete the race but my pace has slightly slowed down to a 6:47 km/min pace. Probably some tiredness has set in. The last km is the fastest I ran for the race at 6:21 km/min pace and I was wondering why do people walk at the last 2 km of the ace. This is last 2 km is where you are on your finishing kick. I actually have a Malay guy who is running with me at the last km where we are trying to compete with each other who reaches the finishing point first. I could not stop even when I reached the finishing line and I have to get my body to slow down after that. Finishing at 1:54:26 based on my Garmin at a 6:47 min/km pace. Objective achieved. I ran faster than my target pace of 7 min/km pace. And I was trying to control myself from running too fast in the beginning of the race since I am using this race to train for my marathon in Langkawi.

Yen Teng and Me at the Run with Penang Run 2013 - 2014 at the background and he find out that he can run 17km. His next challenge will be a half marathon (21km). He is getting addicted to running?

I would say it is a well organised race by Pacesetters Athletic Club.  Enough of water stations and with nasi lemak, ice cream and a bottle of Gatorade after the finishing the race. And the medal really looks nice. There is actually no cutoff time for the race. So as long as you finished the race you get your medal. The only thing I don't like about the race is the traffic along some stretch of the route. They could also do with a earlier starting time to cater for slower runner like me. So I don't have to bear with the blistering heat at  Gurney Drive. Time to continue training for my second marathon, the inaugural marathon in Langkawi, The Island Ocean Marathon, on April 21. 

Nice Medal of Malakoff Run 2013

Penang Run 2013 - 2014

Another Penang Run? Yup, you heard it right. But this Penang Run is different from the Penang Run that I wrote earlier. This is the run that is approved by the Penang State Government and using the name "Penang" in the run. This run also go into 4 series which means there are actually 4 races in this Penang Run 2013 - 2014. It covers from the Year 2013 to the beginning of 2014. One of the biggest attraction of the run is "Round the Penang Island Run". You get to run round the Penang Island on foot.

The four races starting at 5.30am will be as follows:-

12-05-13, Esplanade ~ Teluk Kumbar   21km
07-07-13, Teluk Kumbar ~ Sg Pinang, Balik Pulau 21km
13-10-13, Sg. Pinang, Balik Pulau ~ Teluk Bahang   21km
12-01-14 ,Teluk Bahang - Esplanade 21km

Video of the Events Overview by the Organising Chairman, Mr Andrew Loh, at Press Conference

Facebook page of Penang Run 2013 - 2014

Online Registration of Penang Run 2013 - 2014

www.penangrun.com

Penang Run 2013 - 2014 website

There are also press releases by Kwong Wah and The Star.

I guess there will be a stretch of killer hills in one of the series. The fun is you get to discover the whole island on foot. After that you can brag to your friends that you have run around the whole island. You will get to observe the beauty of the island in the early morning since most of the races will start at 5.30am before the sunrise.

I remember during my childhood days, my only outing trip then was at Standard 6. A round island trip on a bus. It was one of my most memorable experience seeing the whole of Penang Island in a bus. So I would not want to miss the chance to see all its beauty on foot. It pays to have good endurance. It will be running 4 half marathons. Enough of runs filling my running calendar of 2013 and the finale of the run will be at the beginning of 2014. A good way to start a new year. With the Penang Bridge Run on 17 November 2013, my calendar of runs are probably all filled up by now. The KL Marathon has just to wait for another year. I wouldn't want to run a full marathon in KL then a week later another half marathon in Penang. My legs will just surrender ! The KL Marathon is held every year but not this Penang Run. They will always be another chance to run the KL Marathon next year.

The starting and finishing point of the Penang Run 2013 - 2014 at Esplanade

Will the organiser go for a puzzle medal ? Where you have to have all 4 medals joined into one. That will be attractive. I also heard there will be a finisher t-shirt if you complete all 4 races but you have signed up for combo.  So for those looking for a different type of race, this should be the one. I just know that I can't miss all 4 of the series. Do you ?

Finisher Medal's concept for completing all the 4 series

The Medal posted on Facebook

Penang Run 2013 - 2014 - Race Recap

Penang Run 2013 - 2014 1st Series - Race Recap

Penang Run 2013 - 2014 2nd Series - Race Recap

Penang Run 2013 - 2014 3rd Series - Race Recap

Penang Run 2013-2014 4th Series - Race Recap

This post has been updated after the organiser has made certain amendments to the race and with new information obtained.

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) !