Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2018 Race Notes

The 10th Anniversary of the SCKLM was held on 8 April 2018 and takes runner through KL. It's a new course (I think), but still retain the rolling hills which to me is the hallmark of SCKLM. Around 38,000 runner participated in various category from FM down to kids dash. I registered for the FM hoping to (again) break 4 hour.

More info:

https://www.kl-marathon.com/

Pre-Race

1. Around 4 hour into last year's race, I was upset things didn't go the way I hope it would. While nursing my cramps and jogging to the finish, I was determined to sub 4 SCKLM 2018. I was less prepared then and "hoping" things would go my way was not really a convincing strategy. After the 2017 race, I examined what went wrong, found a training plan and stuck to it. SCKLM sub 4 mission officially started early December 2017.

2. SCKLM was personal because apart from the Ironman marathon, I never ran a marathon other than SCKLM. I set a goal to go sub 4 at my first and second SCKLM and failed miserably. My 3rd last year was close but not good enough. I knew I needed to properly train and I did that this year. That was why coming into this race, I was less nervous. In fact, on Saturday, I was more excited about taking my kids to play at the KLCC playground plus having a nice dinner at KLCC than the REPC.

3. My strategy was to run 5:30/km, get to halfway for subuh prayer plus some major maintenance and see out the rest of the way around the same pace. I planned to perform ablution (wudu) before starting so that I could pray with my socks on. I also planned to take it easy on the uphills and take advantage of the downhills. There's little margin for error like pooping or cramping etc. during the race. I told my wife the day before the race that it's gonna be 3:50 to close to 4:00 hour.

Race-Day

4. Slept around 10 PM and woke up at 3 AM. Had my usual breakfast and pooped. This was a mini victory for me as far as pre race ritual is concerned as I rate pooping higher than warming up haha. By 3:30, I had showered and started warming up in front of the hotel.  It was nothing fancy, just routines/drills to mobilize the hips. 15 mins before the start, jogged to Pen 2. It was already overflowed. However, as people started filling the gaps, I squeezed in. The runners around me were mostly happy, nervous etc. Being someone who is kind of an introvert, I relish being all alone among thousand of runners. I was focused on not getting beat by the course.

5. While waiting for flag off, I saw the 4 hr pacer and 3:45 pacer with their oversized balloons. I decided to stay in between them so I could worry less about pacing. I couldn't trust the GPS signal around tall buildings. At 4 am sharp, the gun went off and I focused on hitting my cadence at >170 spm. Lots of people were in front of me but the road was wide enough. I was faster than my goal pace and slowly catching up to the 3:45 pacer. This was when the competitive side of me started giving me funny ideas. I thought that I should capitalize the great feeling I was having and stick with the 3:45 pacer and try to go sub 2:50. But the rational side of me was obviously against the idea as I was about one hour into the race, and at that rate, I'm sure to blow up and could easily go from feeling great to not so great.

6. So, I decided that it's too much of a risk to follow the 3:45 pacers. Instead, I used the buffer I had to slow down at aid stations and just taking it easy on the uphills while ensuring the 4hr pacer were still behind me. I ran sub 2 at half way, my stomach was fine, legs were good, still didn't fart or anything so all were good. I had the urge to pee though, but I needed to perform the Subuh prayer first. I had to hold it in until I reached the 27km mark to pray and then peed. Feeling good afterwards, I decided to run a little bit on the uphill, especially the short ones. It was when I reached the 30km mark that I felt a familiar sensation on my left hamstring. Hello cramps, it's been a while.

7. Before I knew it, my quads started to feel the same. It dawned on me that I needed to sort it out. I walked the aid station, put on some ice, ate some bananas and gels being distributed. Few moments later, the cramps were gone and I started running at goal pace again. The cramps would pop up now and then so I decided to carry ice with me and use the magic spray as much as I can to prevent the cramps from getting worse. I slowed down on the climbs and even walked. The buffer I had was instantly reduced.

8. But after a while, I could somewhat run and ran the last 2-3km relatively faster as I wanted to finish the race ASAP before the wheel fell off completely. I felt it was a bit reckless but I was nearing the end with minutes to spare. Right after crossing the finish, my left leg cramped up. I stretched a bit before meeting up with my family. Took some pictures and went back to the hotel. I finished in 3:53 with an average pace of 5:26/km and to me it felt like a huge win. Take that SCKLM! :)

Post-Race

9. After the race, I was in no hurry to eat, but forced myself anyway. Rehydrated and went to take the car parked at KL Sentral via LRT . On the way home, I was already thinking about the next race. Once home, I slept.

Was running within my limits and occasionally beyond. Paid the price the last 10km. Trusted the training and managed the cramps and the last hilly sections quite ok. Plenty of kind souls out there encouraging and one runner even gave me salt pill. Happy to see the family at the same place near the finish as last year, only this time with the goal complete. Now recovery before trail season 😀. To all finishers congrats and those who fell short of your goal keep at it and trust the process. Its not a matter of if, but when. #teamhafdzuan #marathon #scklm2018

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Apr 8, 2018 at 2:50am PDT

Race Comments

10. I have nothing to add from my last year post on SCKLM. It's a great race and IAAF certified. Additionally, the course was hilly. So having the sub 4 felt legit and so pleasing.

11. As I look back at the result and what I did in training, few things stood out. Among them are:

 - Strides couple times per week for economy/cadence
 - Ample recovery between quality workouts
 - Took it easy on easy days
 - consistency is king: mileage
 - specificity is queen: practiced marathon pace on long runs
 - Adding threshold workout in long runs and on tired legs

12. On race day, the decision to sit back and taking it easy in the 1st half paid off. Though I did sometime went over my head and went a bit too fast. Holding back requires as much focus as going fast. Stopping to save time is a bit counter intuitive though I considered it as an investment as the time used to take care of things proved to be a good decision. I didn't specifically train on hills so I felt it was necessary to deliberately slow down, walk or even stop to save my legs. I know I was doing it right when people passed me on the uphills.

13. 3 weeks before the race, I did a long simulation run with a 2 x 10km at marathon pace. I fell apart after 26km. I was worried that this was a sign I couldn't sustain the pace. But, come race day, I trusted my training and stuck to the pace I had trained for despite that particular "failure". I realized in hindsight that it was actually a good run considering I didn't have gels and was running in the heat. As Sebastian Kienle 2014 IM World Champ said "Never judge your life because of one bad day. Judge it because of the best day"*. That quote rang true to me.

14. I know some people can sub 4 the marathon in their sleep. But to me, it was a challenge therefore I really felt a sense of achievement. The last time I felt like this was after 2016 IM Langkawi. For this race, I poured all my effort (about 4+ months) and was at the border of my limits (the cramps was a sure sign). Last year I did KOKK a week before SCKLM and it disrupted my prepration. This year, I took the preparation and execution for this race seriously.

15. I don't race a lot because training/preparing for a race deliver a much more profound sense of accomplishement. While doing triathlon, I felt like most times I needeed to race to identify myself as being a triathlete. But after the IM, I knew that being an athlete was more than just the IM race itself. It's a long term, resource consuming effort that goes beyond what I initially perceived. Having experienced that, I've ruled out a lot of things/noise and left with the things I knew I wanted out of sports that brings the greatest satisfaction.

16. Through obervation, runners wearing some sort of finisher T at REPC and peole doing funny things (cheat/course cutting) just to get their hands on the medals/finishers T, just goes to show that, marathon/ironman/endurance sports in general is more than just a sport, it's a way for people to express their identity. It's a bit of a generalization but that's the way I see it (big sample size in SCKLM). I'm no different.

17. As for the course cutters, I think it is down to ignorance + indifference as to what running a marathon really means. The aftermath and reaction to the viral posts showed that it is personal to many (including me). Also a reminder to myself, taking social media at face value is also something that we need to be wary about. There are more behind these posts with smiles, medals etc.

19. The mundane aspect of training, juggling life + work, the lows (and chafing haha) is almost never shown. But it's not specific to running only. It's social media culture to show ourselves in the best light possible. These posts are a subtle way to show we are the best or at least belong in a certain group. Likes and comments only reinforces this idea. It's a convenient way to feel good about ourselves. Newer runners are probably "pressured" to "fit in" and/or as a socmed content to fish for likes, especially if they've announced they're running a marathon. We're all gulity of this to a certain degree. My 2 cents.

20. Whatever it is, running doesn't mean it should always be about hard work etc. Running itself is fun racing or not. There are bucket list races that I just want to finish and enjoy (mostly ultras) and trails/mountains I want to explore. On the other hand, the competition aspect of running, pushing yourself etc. can only come in races. Improvement is fun too. Besides, I just don't physically possess the ability to recover fast enough to race a lot. It also saves me loads of money.

Race Notes

21. Race itenerary kind of went like this:

Saturday
03:00 PM: Race kit collection
04:00 PM: Playground KLCC with the kids
06:00 PM: Dinner at Ben's and stocking supplies from Cold Storage
07:00 PM: Park at KL Sentral
09:00 PM: Snacking on pizza and sushi
10:00 PM: Sleep

Sunday
03:00 AM: Woke up/shower/breakfast/poop/warm up
04:00 AM: Race
07:55 AM: Finish race/pictures/stretch/eat/rehydrate/back to hotel
10:00 AM: Check out and brunch at Nu Sentral
12:00 PM: Home and sleep

22. The race:

Registration: RM90(medal, event sleveless t and finisher t, post food, 2 gels on course, bananas)
Accomodation: RM160 (Adya hotel, family room)
Traveling cost: Parking (RM 72, DO NOT PARK OVERNIGHT AT KL SENTRAL, should've parked at Nu Sentral), LRT from KL Sentral to MAsjid Jamek: RM1.20 (Bring T&G or buy tickets in advance - long que after race)
Waiting for toilet: No issue
Sorting out drop bag: No issue

23. Race Detail:

3:53:47 (Nett)
43km
~820m D+ (strava)
293/8155 overall

Result check:
https://register.kl-marathon.com/2018/scklm18/reg_scklm18/result_check

Some cool stats:
http://www.runpix.co/arace11/57/kul18/rp.php

Final Note

24. In short, I love planning, training and executing a race and this year everything clicked. There were times I doubted my self but I had faith in my training. There's some element of honesty about racing. We can say whatever we want, but in the end there's nowhere to hide if the work was not put in. I've experienced both end of the racing spectrum and it made me love the sport even more.

25. Anyway, road racing season is over. I am 1/2 in terms of 2018 goals. Time to accumulate some vert and have fun in the trails. Next race, Penang Eco 100k. A new cycle begins.

*Originally from: http://ap.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2014/10/kona-week/kienle-kona.aspx#ixzz5CG7kkjLm, 
2018

The Case For Triathlon

1. The Ironman Langkawi 2018 will be held on 14 November 2018. I've done it in 2016 and it was one of the best times I've ever had. After the race, I tried to rationalize  my obsession with the race. In the end, I couldn't. The cost factor and the time it takes to train for the race was a strong case against doing an Ironman. But if I had the resources to do an Ironman, would I do it? What made me do it in the first place?

2. Since 2016, Ironman Langkawi has evolved. The 2017 edition saw the 70.3 + full distance held together. And in 2018, interested participants can pay the entrance fee in 3 months installments. And there was also a limited 24 hour flash sale where you get  further discounts prior to the normal early bird rates.

3. It's quite capitalistic (if not already) if you ask me. Nothing wrong with that. People can do whatever with their money and businesses can smell money making opportunities. In the Ironman case, the organizers truly capitalize the irrational choice theory here.

4.  They know triathletes are the obsessive/determined/irrational kind. You then market the Ironman to suit the narrative/image of a triathlete: disciplined, full of sacrifice and ultimately finishing the Ironman to encapsulate all of that. Put in some marketing gimmicks and motivational slogans and the seed is planted. Marketing 101.

5. The slogans I must say is quite powerful: "you will do this", "swim 2.4, bike 180, run 42.2 brag for the rest of your life", "anything is possible". I bought into it. That was the whole point. The need to do the ironman was to identify myself as a triathlete and as a person (to me at least). Damn, I know it's quite vain, but still.  I do somewhat feel complete and contend after doing one so it validates that I was just in it for the title.

6. I bought into the whole Ironman thing probably because I found Ironman before I found triathlon. I swim and bike because I wanted to do an Ironman. Running and all the marketing gimmicks fits the reflection I had of myself at the time. And that provided fertile ground for the Ironman seed to be planted.

7. Back to the question at hand. Am I going to do an Ironman if I had the resources?. The answer is yes. Even though the rational side of me strongly opposed to the idea, the sport of triathlon (including Ironman) has given me a lot. It's a sport with plenty of memorable highlights. Here are probably my top 10 highlights of a triathlon:

• Bike racking - you rolled in your bike like thousands other triathletes with butterflies in your stomach. Racked your bike and hope it'll be in the same condition as you left it.
• 1 minute before swim start - at the beach / or pontoon knowing that it's going to be a long day full of uncertainties. Love that pre-race feeling. And more butterflies.
• First 5 minute of swim start - things get real and you realize you're actually doing it. I sometime smile and feel grateful to have the chance to be doing what most children love. To play in the ocean.
• T1 - when you sighted land. Heart racing and you just can't wait to get out of the water.
• Drafting - the joy of maintaining a faster speed and riding with fellow competitors. Taking turns pulling and cracking jokes.
• Nutrition on the go - Felt like a true triathlete drinking and eating while on a bike. Not to mention the joy of grabbing a water bottle on the go.
• T2 - like in T1, the joy of finally to be in a straight up position and seeing some supporters/friends/family.
• Running in pain - some enjoy it I think. I do.
• Dousing water - On a hot day, it's heaven. Especially iced water.
• Music / MC at Finish - The finish is usually about taking care of business cause you enter normality again. I actually have that relieved feeling when I hear music or the MC like < 100 meters to the finish.

8. As I now turn my focus to running, the quote below hit me hard:

“The longer and farther I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind--a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.”

― Scott Jurek, Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness


9. In the end, running or triathlon, it's about how it makes you feel. Running couldn't make me feel the way triathlon makes me feel, vice versa. I probably had my best memories  more at Pd triathlon than Ironman, but Ironman opened the ultrarunning door and that to me is priceless. Only in triathlon racing can I reach that state of mind. Because It's rare that you practice/train all three discipline in one go. I would love to be in that state of mind again.

2017

2017 was all about running and the lady who enable all of it to happen. #2017bestnine #running #trailrunning #ultramarathon #marathon #runlifebalance #notbalanced

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Dec 29, 2017 at 6:24am PST

I usually have this post to start the (blogging) year. It's February, so I think it's still in that "early 2018" range. This review is skewed towards sports stuff since that's mainly why I kept this blog alive. But I think, I'll put some 2017 "reflection" and all those emotions/feeling/thoughts crap as well later to be consistent with previous years.

Anyway,

1) I love interpreting datas as a way to improve. Been doing it since Ironman 2016 training. There's a lot to learn by just observing trends or simply recognizing patterns. Through this, I hope to better understand my limits and visualize what consistency and progress looks like. This blog, in a way, is part of that effort: to also collect the intangible part of training/racing.

2) It also helps with goal settings and also serve as motivation + help be more accountable. By the end of it, I get to see the whole picture and use the insights gained for improvement. Solutions are already loaded on the internet and I'm not overly concerned with them. To apply a solution the problem must be acknowledged and current situation need to be objectively gauged. Sounds good, but in reality, difficult to do.

3) In 2017 the focus was to a) break 4 hours at SCKLM and b) finish 1st 100k - TMBT 100k. For the first half (sub4 attempt), I made up my own plan based on previous Ironman training. So there was no specific workouts and I would just try complete a long run each week and hit my goal marathon pace which was minimum 5:40/km for a sub 4. Not very wise.

4) For TMBT, I just did a lot of up and down on mountains and doing ultra races building up from 50k to 70k and eventually TMBT 100k. I was reading Jack Daniels (JD) Running Formula at that time and didn't have a training plan for TMBT so I did one of the marathon plans in JDs. So there were a lot of threshold stuff but no real speed work or specific hill training since it was for road marathon. Not very sensible.

5) In between, the fasting month was a great way to recover and set up for 2H2017. After TMBT, slowly pick up the miles and just had fun running.

Goals

6) Sub 4 marathon at SCKLM: In short, failed. My race day preparation + execution let me down (nutrition). But there were lots of positives. Mainly, I didn't dread the long runs anymore and can maintain a somewhat faster pace without major breakdowns. Main take away, no shortcut and training has to be systematic.

7) TMBT 100km: Finished. That was the minimum. Positives: I know where I'm at in terms of distance and elevation gained (definitely not at that 100km and 5000+m level yet). Learned a lot about prepping for a 100km and to be honest, the training was fun. Main take away, be specific to the demand of the race.

Training

Table 1

8) Table 1: Basically I did too much vert for the marathon training (sub4). It was too long (26 weeks) but mostly it was base building. Training was not specific enough tho. I realized in hindsight that, I can’t be doing just one workout and hope that it’ll be good race day. Hope is not a good strategy.

9) What's interesting is that I averaged 10hrs/week compared to 6:39 hrs/week for marathon during TMBT training. Big difference, but most of it were because I was on trail and that took a lot of time. Time on feet is a pretty general ultramarathon training rule and going up/down mountains guarantees that. Good vert number (1,507 per week), to me at least. It was a bit short (12 weeks) but I think the marathon training did help with building fitness. It is strength that I failed to incorporate for the TMBT training. 

Chart 1: 2017 Weekly and Average Mileage

 10) Chart 1: I like how I slowly build to 80km/week (week 1 to 15) with one down week every 4th week. Decided to maintain around 60km/week for marathon training. With rest/low week. No injuries but intensity/training load was not that big. Fluctuations is not good. Anyway, 60km/week is a good benchmark for future training.

11) Lots of spikes because I went to the mountains at least twice a week (2H2017). This is something I can/should fix. There should be a phase of progressive miles/time and plateu at a considerably high level for few weeks followed by a regressive taper. I went from 100km/week to 10km/week in a month and that’s just not right, I think.

Chart 2: Cumulative Mileage and Time

12) Chart 2: Main takeaway, training for a marathon: mileage is a good indicator/goal and ultras: time.

Chart 3: Cumulative, Weekly and Average Elevation Gain

13) Chart 3: Too much vert in the 1st half. Should’ve been working on running economy doing speed workouts with easy runs. Oh, well.

14) Doing vert in 2H2017 was a great idea. But wasn’t specific enough. Especially running downhill. I thought I could get by just training going uphill. Learned the hard way at TMBT.

Chart 4: Weekly and Average Time

15) Chart 4: Again spikes. No regressive taper. No weekly consistency.

Worthy positivies

16) Can't be all bad. I mean I did put in some effort into it. Here's what's good:

• Got no. 3 at KOKK 50k. Felt like crap especially towards the end. But nice to grind it out;
• 5th at TMMT 70k. Pacing went perfectly well. After finishing like crap at CULTRA decided to start at the back and take things one aid station at a time. Consciously decided to run the last 20km and ended up placing 5th;
• Prepping for a 100k. Developed a pace chart which I think can only be applied up to around 60-70k, 2000+m race. For the 100k, 5000+m races, need  more data/experience; and
• Long runs. Man, do I enjoy going out doing time on feet in the mountains, despite hikers giving me the look when I try to pass them. Meanwhile, on the road, I can just insert some fast workouts during the long run so it ends a bit earlier. This way I can get to tesco or whatever domestic responsibility I have to attend to. 

Summary

17) What's my barometer for success? placing? finishing? time? having fun? participating? getting some contents on social media? (i can't be posting my children's pics all the time ..haha). There's more to that and others which I want to extract from 2017 before I forget them (incl. 2018 plans, and ultra culture) but this post is too long already.

Till then,

2017 races. Medals and finishing ts are nice but bibs are special. Maybe because its personalized. Maybe because of the constant battle to get it thru the finish line, along with the owner. Kind of like frodo taking the ring to that fiery mountain/volcano in lotr. Dunno if that makes sense.

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Dec 3, 2017 at 9:04pm PST

MPKJ Half Marathon 2017 Race Notes

The 3rd MPKj Half Marathon was held on 22 October 2017 and takes runner through Bandar Baru Bangi area. Pretty rolling hills and different route compared to previous years. Around 600+ runner participated in the men open HM category.

More info:

https://www.facebook.com/Mpkj-Half-Marathon-2017-1627464634162470/
and
https://event.howei.com/event/mpkj-half-marathon-2017

Pre-Race

1. Didn't really thought about the race after TMBT. Only got my act together a week before the race. I had been running a bit and focusing on the peripheral stuff. I did kind of ran a bit HM pace and a bit tempo in training to see what pace I could muster and kind of used that as a guide for race day.

2. Divided the race into 3 parts. 7 x 3 = 21km. Easy 1/3. Kind of hard but maintainable 2/3. Continue  with whatever left till finish (final 3rd).

3. Woke up, did routine, perform subuh prayer near parking lot. Managed to perform 10-15 warm up. Quite a warm morning. Started near the back and at 6:15 the gun went off.

Race.

4. The first 1/3 of the race was going through some pretty rolling hills. I slowed down going up but went fast going down.

5. On the 2/3 there were still hills but I was again conservative on the ups and bombed the downs. Downed a gel at 9km.

6. On the last 3rd I was cramping at exactly 15km. But wasn't fully blown. Couldn't really push it. Around 17-18km, downed another gel, grind it out and finished it.

Post-race.

7. Got the medal and finisher's tee and did some stretches. Grab the post race food but didn't feel like eating so went home and had breakfast. Went bowling afterwards with fam.

Race Notes

8. Race itenerary kind of went like this:

Sunday
05:00 AM: Wake up and breakfast
05:40 AM: Arrived and warmed up
06:15 AM: Race start
08:00 AM: Finish
09:00 AM: Went home

9. The race:

Registration: RM79.50(medal, event t and finisher t)
Accomodation: -
Travel to race kit Collection: 15 min.
Traveling cost: Negligable
Waiting for toilet: No issue
Sorting out drop bag: No issue

10. Race Detail:

1:47:33 (chip) / 1:49:07 (gun)
21km
~193m D+
26/598

Full results:
http://my1.raceresult.com/84854/results?lang=en#1_55F98C

MPKJ Half Marathon 21km. Long story short, chaffing 😫, hills (great combo btw) and faded towards the end. Overall, good honest effort. Congrats to the top guys (who looks like they're LSDing the race), finishers and of course the organizers for the aid station/services provided and local authority for manning the traffic. They're out there in the heat and the real winners today in my book. The medal was shiny and heavy too. Good stuff. #mpkjhalfmarathon2017 #run #roadrunner #halfmarathon #tangent #excuses #mpkjhm2017 Pic: @jakelikesonions hillarious...

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Oct 21, 2017 at 6:13pm PDT

Race Comments

11. For the price I think it's so value for money especially since I live near the area. Organizers delivered a very simple yet efficient event. Race kit collection was smooth, mini expo selling gels and stuff, ample space for parking, prayer facilites, post race food and bonus milo trucks, plenty of space to stretch, course was manned by police very well.

12. I participated last year and this year it's exactly the same arrangement. I love the consistency and to me everything was spot on. Not overly fancy. (Organizers of CIND could really take tips from this race).

13. The route was different from last year.  I think we had a bit donwhill on the way back to finish last year. This year it was just rolling till the end. I also don't know whether the route was under distanced or whether I tangent the hell out of those corners since Garmin showed I did 20+km only.

14. Anyway, this was just another race to measure current fitness and determine viable training paces. Still got the fitness from previous training/races so happy with that. Not much decline. My race was ok, close to home and fun.

15. For this race we got 2 ts. I know it's a good thing to some but I really wish organizers could make event/finishing t's and medals optional. This could cut cost and help runners reduce un-used race t-shirt.

Final Note

16. The race was great and arrangements was good. Also good to see my fitness still there. I can use this race as a platform to build on. That's it for 2017. Next race would be GNU 2018. Til then.

The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) 2017 - 100km Race Notes

TMBT 2017 was held on 16 September 2017. For the 100km category around 334 runner participated. It was a point to point course where runners had to go from the start line (Lingkubang, Kota Belud), W1 to W11 before finishing at Mount Kinabalu Heritage and Spa, Perkasa, Ranau. The route takes runner through remote and rural local villages, vegetable/pineaple field, steep never ending gravel/tar road, jungles, river crossing and ridges etc. The overall ascent for the 100km category was estimated at 5255m. Cut off time (COT) was set 30 hours after flag off (6:20 AM).

More info on the race at:

https://www.facebook.com/Borneo-TMBT-Ultra-Trail-Marathon-197986800284621/

plus:

http://www.borneoultra.com/tmbt1/

Pre-Race

1. My A race was finally upon me. I took the morning flight to reach race pack collection (RPC) site on Friday around noon. After some issues, finally got my race bib and went to check in the hotel. Got something to eat, buy some stuff and got the gears ready. Dinner, followed by just chilling/relaxing and went to bed around 9 PM.

Race Day

2. Woke up at 2 AM, oats, hard boiled eggs and coffee equals to toilet. This menu never dissapoint haha. Put on gear, shower and everything and got on the bus at 3:30 AM. It was less than 2 hours bus ride to start line. Performed the subuh prayer, toilet break near the bushes and had to que to cross the bridge to the start line. It was already daylight and the view of Mt. Kinabalu was breathtaking and set the scene for the race. Scanned the timing device and went to the open field with the rest of the runners waiting for the start. 

One day to go to the big dance #tmbt100.

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Sep 14, 2017 at 11:18pm PDT

3. At 6:20 AM I started the longest race of my life. The first part going to W1 was on tarmac and it was a gentle climb. After few minutes, it started to become steeper so got the pole out. I felt good climbing at a pretty decent pace. I was looking forward to the downhill which will come later after W1. I ran all the parts where I can because I anticipate congestion in the trail. I decided that I would drop back once I got in the trail.

4. I wanted to also ensure I got on the trail with similar ability runner. I ran the downhill or go fast whenever possible. There were still people in front and I was somewhat pressured to go fast from guys behind so I was sure I wasn't running my race.

5. We were running with Mt. Kinabalu as a back drop, across villages, paddy fields and crossed beautiful rivers with these hanging bridges. It felt surreal running in such conditions. I was doing ok but felt sore on the quads and hamstring. Nutrition was good, I ate and stopped to rest a bit.

6. The trail were pretty steep and it was getting steeper. W4 or W5 I think was the infamous pineapple ridge. The climb was never ending but the view was nice. It took a lot to get through that section. By the time I got to W5, my quads were pre-blown and had to walk a bit. We also had this 5 minute van ride which was kind of awkward but welcomed. I planned to run downhill after that and I know there were some downhill. So I ran the downhill going to W6 (halfway) and told my self that I would take care of everything then. I pushed through and the quads were getting worse before I finally arrived at W6. I had to stop and sit by the road side at times because my quads were pulsating. It's been a while since I experienced this. And I had another 50k to go.

What a way to find out whether u can do a 100km hike/run. This is one has to go down as one of the most challenging thing I've done. Happy to be out there with other people suffering while traversing through the most beautiful thing. Let your heart hold fast For this soon shall pass There's another hill ahead 📸 FB Nasier Lee & Sharifah Khalidah #tmbt2017 #tmbt #trailrunning #vert #kotakinabalu #tmbt100

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Sep 19, 2017 at 6:32pm PDT

7. At halfway, I changed my shoes, socks, buff, shirt. It felt so good and I'm glad I brought some spare clothing/shoes. I felt like it was unnecessary at first but turned out to be a good decision. They were serving some solid food. I went with some macaroni soup, fruits, coke. Filled up my tailwind, 100 plus and coke. Also brought red bull with me. Put on the lights for the night and also my rain jacket since it was raining and I was cold. It was the only cold resistance article/clothing I had with me.

8. I planned to get out W6 at 5PM and I managed to go out at 5:21PM. Not bad I thought. I was still within the 20 hrs target I set. So out I went. I was hoping the quads were ok. The first few steps was painful. My quads were stiff as hell. I walked and it went away. But it was sore. I went down the trail with the intent to run the downhill as planned. I mean, this was it right? I waited for this downhill. However, my quads were cramping. I had to stop and stretch at first and later I had to accept that my quads had properly blown. Every step going downhill hurts. Kinda sucks but I didn't want it to bother me too much. I can still hike this rest of the race.

9. I met a lady and she was also having problem going downhill. She said she was in pain and I gave her panadol to ease the pain. We kept changing positions eventhough she was walking (fast) while I on the other hand was running (slow). During the first half, she would always pass me at the climb with ease. My gut feeling says that if I pace her I would probably be faster going up and who knows, my quads might recover. She didn't use poles so I packed mine away and didn't use my pole for the remainder of the race.

10. It was dark and cold and we're doing some pretty intense power hike (to me at least). We were not strolling. We passed a few people going uphill. I had to really keep up the effort not to get dropped. Considering the final climb was the toughest one and my quads were blown, my only chance of finishing with a good time was to not slow down going uphill. So I continued pacing and later there were also another guy with us. So all 3 of us basically spent the majority of the 2nd half hiking together.

11. The loop up to veggie farm and back to W8/W9 was really tough. It was night time and we were going up to the highest point in the race. It was cold and drizzling. I saw many ran down back to W9 but I know I just didn't have it. My quads didn't recover. It didn't get any worse but it just stayed like that til the end.

12. Based on my plan, I was suppose to run going to W10. But it was impossible with the quads and the surface. We were in the trail, it was slippery and muddy. I had to take it easy and be extra careful. It felt like forever. I looked up and the sky were starry. It was beautiful. I looked up several time and it was just unbelievable. We only had less than 20km to go. I just need to keep doing what I've been doing for the past hours.

13. At W11, I was really struggling. I didn't eat anything substantial. Only gels, water and some bananas. I was sleepy but determined to toughen it out on the last climb. We decided for a short rest so we would't get stiff. The last segment of the race took me the longest. We were climbing for around 2 hours and was wondering when it'll stop. It was steep and didn't seem to end. It's mind boggling to think that this kind of terrain exists and we had to go through it to finish. It was hard. I was getting anoyyed. I just wanted it to end.

14. About less than 2km to go, I went for a toilet break and got dropped. I knew I was going to finish so I spent the last bit looking around the beautiful sunrise beaming the mountain ranges with the clouds and all. I didn't have the energy to get the phone out but it was beautiful and I was alone on the trail. So I would walk and gaze at this beautiful thing laid in front of me. The intense hiking, climbing, finally got to me. My goal was reduced to just finishing. Luckily I was nearing the end. I tought it would be nice to finish under 24 hours and I did. Got to the finish line and felt the cold of the morning. I did it.

Alhamdullilah finished my first 100k. The scenery around mt. Kinabalu was majestic. Races like this is kind of about self discovery and perseverence. All of this makes it The Most Beautiful Thing. 🏃‍♂️100km 📈5255m ⏲23 h57m 41s #tmbt2017

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Sep 17, 2017 at 3:48am PDT

Post Race

15. I kind of sit there for a while staring at my bag. I didn't eat or drink anything at first. I wanted to sleep but had to get out of the clothes because I was getting really cold. I decided to shower and then breakfast. I had a nice chat with the runner I met on the trail. Got on the bus at 8 AM and finally reach the hotel around 10+ AM. I ate some more and slept. Later went to KK for dinner and just walk around.

Race Notes

16. Race itenerary kind of went like this:

Friday
05:30 AM: Move to KLIA2
08:00 AM: Depart to KK
10:30 PM: Arrived at Airport and took a taxi to Metro town (RPC)
11:30 PM: Race Pack Collection and got a grab car to hotel
12:15 PM: Check in and lunch at nearby restaurant and buy some stuff
06:00 PM: KFC and Prepare gear
09:00 PM: Sleep

Saturday
02:00 AM: Eat & prepare/put on race gears
03:30 AM: Bus to start
05:30 AM: Arrive
06:20 AM: Race start

Sunday
06:20 AM: Finish and shower
07:30 AM: Breakfast
08:30 AM: Bus back to Hotel
10:30 AM: Eat and sleep
05:00 PM: Move to KK for dinner and walk around
09:00 PM: Back to hotel and sleep

Monday
08:00 AM: Breakfast and walked to tjg aru beach
10:30 AM: Check-out and grab car to KK Airport
02:00 PM: Arrive KLIA, wait for ride, eat
07:00 PM: Home

17. The race:

Registration: RM630 (including bus transfer from and to race site)
Accomodation: RM378
Travel to race kit Collection: From airport approx 30 min.
Traveling cost: Flight: RM457, Taxi to Metrotown RM40, Grab to Hotel MegahDaru RM20, Misc Uber/grab: RM30
Travel distance from hotel to start line: 73km or 1h 45 min
Waiting for toilet: No issue / bushes
Sorting out drop bag: No issue

18. Race Detail:

23:46:33
100km
5,255m D+
69/334 overall
62/275 gender

Finishers = 252/334 ~ 25% DNF rate

Full results:
https://www.racematix.com/site/?locale=ms#results:rac/TMBT-100km-2017

Race Comments

19. For RM1,555, (not including personal food/meal) I think it was worth it because the course lived up to its most beautiful/brutal thing name. Again, running in places like this is always worth it. Pre-race information I think was pretty good with the dropbox folder containing all the information needed. The FB was lively with videos and pictures of the course prior to the race. Registration was easy. I think it is possible to get a return night flight on Sunday but I didn't want to risk it and also wanted some rest Monday before going to work again Tuesday.

20. In terms of organization specifically RPC, there's a lot to be desired. I don't want to gripe but considering I've invested a lot of time and money to race this, plus all the advertisement in the web page etc., my expectation were high. The RPC took place in Metro town where the organizers office was located. It was in the 2nd floor. The place was already crowded with people from all the categories when I arrived. It was congested with people and their bags and stuff. There was no expo but I was only looking for gels anyway. It didn't take long to get my bib but I had to get out quickly as people started to fill up the place. I ended up buying my gels at the nearby bike shop. Basically, it was just a sport store converted to RPC site.

21. The compressport bag was pretty cool I think. But there was nothing in them except a discount voucher for rudy product. The event T-shirt + finishing T was ok. We also had to bring a photocopy of our IC and me plus few participants had to scour the place to make one. It seems all photocopy machine broke down that day so I ended up taking a picture of my IC and emailed them to the print shop for them to print. I was told it was stated that we had to bring our photocopy IC. I felt it's a bit awkward since in other races, it's not needed unless we were picking up someone else's bib. But they must have their reason and it was stated prior. So maybe it was my fault for not reading or taking it seriously but I still think the whole thing was weird. Maybe it's the norm for a 100k race and above race? To me, it kind of felt like the organizers wanted to make the RPC convenient for them though it should be the other way around. Just saying.

22. Race Hydration/nutrition were ok but coke was to me in short supply unless you buy them from the locals. Maybe I was too tired to notice but I remember having coke only at halfway. In terms of food, Meggi cup, some mushroom soup, Some crackers, bananas. I think it's alright. Solid food at halfway was ok. Macaroni and rice. I think it'll be a waste anyway to have a full choice buffet because no one will eat much during the race. But i think there should be coke especially near the end despite the locals selling them.

23. The transport to race was good. I don't mind squeezing a little bit on the way back as long as I got back to my hotel. Waiting time was ok since finishers were spread through out. Shower facilities were good too. They had a room at the hotel near finish to clean ourselves. The post race meal was ok with choices between rice and pasta. I had no apetite and forced myself to eat the pasta so can't comment much there. Don't know how it is for the runners later.

24. The course. Awesome. I chose TMBT for my first 100km because it's in the end of 3Q 2017 so I had some time to train after SCKLM. I also wanted to use this race to set a race related benchmark and also logistics, like flights/packing and stuff. In local races you can just chuck everything in the car if you're driving and don't have to worry about flight weight limit etc. I also did it for the elevation. I wanted it to be tough but at the same time scenic so if I struggle to finish I can at least enjoy the view (which I did). I also think if I do a really tough race I'll benefit from the experience and learn a lot regardless of how I finish (which I also did).

25. The first half of the race was especially great. The view of Mt. Kinabalu, crossing streams through hanging bridges, going through paddy/pineapple, veggie fields and such. I especially enjoyed the time when we can literally see the inside of the villagers house and the people close up. The things we only usually see in RTM channel. But when it got tough, it's really tough. The steep climb seems never ending. Some part of the trail were really technical, rooty, rocky, slippery and some were quite dangerous haha. But that what makes it fun. It was all natural, raw/genuine. It's different from the single track hiking trails like in nuang/angsi etc though those type are there as well. And if you add in the weather, the cold condition, being wet for hours and the fear of dogs chasing you at 2 AM in the morning hahaha .. it's insane. It makes you wonder how the top runners can go through all of this so fast.The water station was spaced quite ok but some were really far. But I think it's mostly down to how fast you can get there.

26. My race. Well, my plan was working only for the first half. After that I was hiking all the way to the finish. I had never run/hike sleep deprived at night or in the rain or both. Well, apart from the time I got lost at irau and had to spend the night with no supllies. Anyway, maybe some slowdown was expected in the 2nd half. Regardless of the conditions, I'm kind of dissapointed the way it went down towards the end of the race. I was feeling crappy and had "I just want this to be over" attitude kind of like I did at Cultra. The difference was, at cultra I bounced back. In this race, my legs didn't allow it. Oh well. It's kind of embarassing to compare my time with the leaders and I was also 4 hrs off of my target time. For what it's worth, I had gave it my best. But still I went through the data and compared expectation vs reality.

27. It's pretty obvious I was waaaaay to fast going to W1. I was about 26mins faster than my predicted split. I kind of hit all the splits except at the highway with a difference of about 13 mins. This was when my legs were pre blown. But, I sticked to my plan, pushed through at the downhills and going in perkasa I was 31 mins faster than predicted split. I thought it'll get better after the rest half way.

28. After halfway, I failed to run downhill and struggled up hill. But I was doing ok climbing up to W8. I was climbing faster than predicted at W8 and didn't use pole at all which was a suprise. This was when I was pacing the lady. But the downhill section W9, W10 was when the gap opened. Heading to finish was the final climb and it was hard. I struggled there too.

29. I think going too hard in the first part was the main reason for my quads demise in the 2nd half. A difference of almost half an hour from predicted split (twice!) in the first half was just too much. I also never trained running downhill and when you combined all of these, well, RIP quads. Something had to be done about it if I wanted to execute this walking up and running/descending quickly down strategy in a 100km.

30. Secondly, there were less downhill going to W8 and data showed I climbed quite good there with a -3 mins difference from predicted split. Climbing or hiking with our without poles is essential. I also didn't specifically train walking fast and I think it's an essential skill to have.

Final Note

31. I had a plan but failed to excecute properly. The hardest thing to me was to hold back. You kind of think that it doesn't have an impact later in the race but it does. That's just the natural law of the game. In training, consistency is king and specificity is queen and I wasn't specific in my training. If I wanted to run downhill I should've practice running downhill. The use of pole is also something I might have to reconsider. I have a feeling poles slowed me down especially in the trail where I have to think about planting not just my foot but the poles as well. Without them, I felt a more natural rhythm climbing. It does have its benefit though maybe in a more open trail or road and it help with balance keeping upright.

32. The race was beautiful. I truly enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the time spent not racing in KK just chilling. The organization can probably do better. If I'm investing considerable time and money, I expect the services to kind of match the value, like I would in a restaurant etc. I can't help but compare the organization to other races I've participated in which was why I found some things perplexing. With a little bit more effort on organization/coordination, which I think can easily be rectified, this race would be one of the best race in Malaysia. It is to me up there among other iconic races in Malaysia. I'm gonna do it again someday maybe with the family there. That'd be nice.

Post race. Moving around KK enjoying some food and chiling out near the sea with @pijielepat. Time to bid adieu. Hope to walk normally soon 😥 #tmbt2017 #tmbt100 #kotakinabalu #sabah

A post shared by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on Sep 17, 2017 at 8:43pm PDT

33. That is it. After this rest period going to kick off 2018 with MPKJ half in october as a fitness test and will take it from there. Can't wait to not run.