Rachel Runs

Rachel Runs...Std Chartered KL Marathon

by Rachel Joseph

We had no problem getting home on the LRT and after a long soak in the bath my running friends came over for a BBQ and rehydration session. I had, of course, made a cake (or three) and we wore our medals all day (you dont get many chances to wear a medal outside of military life without looking mentally ill). I have taken part in this event three times, I think the organisation was good the first time and has gone from strength to strength. There were water stations and portaloos every 2km, which is many more than in any other race Ive done. None of the water stations ran out of drinks as far as I know. There were volunteers directing runners all along the route. I think Salonpas must have been a sponsor as there were people spraying weary legs with this at each water stop. I thought the community support along the route was greatly improved on past years; there were people along many stretches of the route with the exception of the parts that were highway. I saw some great cheering signs. My favourite was on Jalan Ipoh near my vets that read RUN LIKE ANGRY KENYAN. Other popular ones near the finish were Tired legs are sexy, Run faster, my arms are getting tired and naked cheerleaders 1km ahead. It really adds to the spirit of it, non-runners getting involved. Im keen to volunteer at some events next year as, try as I might, you cant run them all. Upcoming Races September 16 - Oren Sport, Klang, 12k October 7 - LLG Run (Bukit Jalil) 10k October 7 - Pink Charity Run, Klang 10k October 20 - Putrajaya Night Marathon with half marathon and 10k options

Po w e r e d Running Running Running

Not my words but some of the notes I saw attached to running vests at the Standard Chartered KL Marathon. Im still feeling like a champ after scoring a personal best of 4.32 which is 12 minutes quicker than my fastest marathon and 27 whole minutes faster than my last marathon. I feel very thankful that I didnt sustain any injury (like the last time) and cock-a-hoop that the training programme I used has made a positive change in my race day performance. Obviously, a sub 4hr30min marathon continues to elude me and no doubt when I do achieve this, Id imagine that Ill just alter my goal. I feel that something changed in my last two weeks of training before the race. I wrote my last column about needing to lose weight to get faster and protect my joints. As I was tapering my mileage toward race day I realised that during high mileage weeks all I focus on is quantity and not quality. I remembered something Id read about lactate threshold or tempo running, that you are supposed to run at a comfortably uncomfortable pace i.e. out of breath but not coughing up a lung, unable to hold a conversation but able to keep going. I kept my mind on this and got a bit faster and lost a bit of weight. I hope that this will continue until Im superhuman: running faster makes you lose weight,

by Jesus w i t J a h for Bersih 2.0 for Orang Asli

losing weight makes you run faster, wheres it going to stop?? (Its probably already stopped round the corner and is having a fag). Im planning on 10km and half marathon races for the rest of the year to work on my speed and give my auld pins a rest... after the River Jungle Marathon in September. Anyway, back to the race. Starting gun for the marathon was 4.30am this year, which seems barbaric, but the benefit of finishing before it was too hot made it worth it. My friends husband took us to KL Sentral where we got a shuttle bus, which dropped us off near Merdeka Square with plenty of time to spare. It never ceases to amaze me the rubbish the emcees can talk as you are standing at the start of the marathon. I cant remember a single thing they said, just a general sense of confusion about their chosen subject matter. I also dont get why anyone other than elite athletes warm up. You are just about to run 26.2 miles; surely you could save some energy and incorporate your warm up into that. I started out slow intending my first 10km to be my warm up and this turned out to be a good strategy. Somewhere between 10 and 20 km I decided I was bored and wasnt doing this again and realised this probably was a sign I should maybe put my back into it a bit more. I

realised that the cushioning in my shoes was no more and after such high mileage training I probably should have replaced them prior to race day. I hoped it was the cushioning in my shoes and not the synovial fluid in my knee joints that was lacking. At 30kms I really started to need a cup of tea and wanted to see my kids so I picked my pace up again. When I got to 35km I looked at my watch and calculated that if I ran faster than I had ever run, I could still finish sub 4.5 and would never have to do this again. The end of the race takes you over Bukit Tunku which nearly eroded my soul last year but I was ready for it this year. I accepted a banana at the turn off from the highway and imbibed an energy gel in a steady stream as the hill got steeper. Being so far ahead of my previous times really gave me a boost for those last 2km when I come off the tranquil Bukit Tunku and joined all the other racers. This was also devastating last year as all the 10km participants were walking; half marathoners are falling apart and under 10s sprint past on their 2.5 and 5km dashes, making you feel like someones gran. Again I was prepared for this, the advantage of returning to a course I guess. I got in the wake of a runner with nice legs who I had trailed off the hill and followed him as he cut through the people traffic. Its elating when you hit the main drag into Merdeka Square; my family were on the edge of the marathon finish lane to cheer me over the line.