The Malaysia Women Marathon 2013 (MWM 2013). What a great event it was!
You couldn't imagine how excited I was to this event even though I didn't run for it. Though I did volunteer to be one of the bike marshals for the half marathon route. Yes, if you were doing the HM; I was the guy with the blue Obi-Wan Kenobi lightsaber stucked on my bag. Hope I passed on some "Jedi Force" to you all.
I'm not gonna say very much in this blog post but leave you with some pictures and videos taken during the 2 days I was there. I think it speaks for itself.
The lovely Karen Loh, the brains behind MWM.
We the MEN!
Yvonne, who finished her fastest Full Marathon to date at MWM and ranked 14th!
Here she is with running legend, Kathrine Switzer.
The rain came poring during the dialgoue but the show still goes on!
The lovely fashions from runningskirts.
Running Legend Kathrine Switzer giving her presentation.
The Xtramiler & AC Team.
The ever funny Joanne Kam Poh Poh.
Pasta Carbo loading!
And here are the videos in case you missed out the presentations and dialogue on Saturday.
ps: Please do excuse the choppy, shaky videos and the random wind blows recorded. I wished I had a high end camera to record with. Nonetheless, do enjoy.
Karen Loh, giving her passionate yet cheerful opening.
Kathrine Switzer giving her presentation on "The History of Women in Running"
Jolene giving her presentation on "Women Running in their 40's"
And last but not least, the Dialogue on "Women in Running".
The panel consist of Barbara Oravetz, Dr. Sharifah Osman, Karen Loh, Kathrine Switzer, Jolene Hong, Thida Sonjaroen and The O'Briens (Couple on the Run).
Last and not least, here is a very brief, very amateur video edit of what is recorded during the Half Marathon event.
Looking forward to next year and hoping more women will join in next time! :)
Well, this isn't gonna be a very thorough race report or maybe it doesn't qualify as one. But I'm just gonna briefly mention as my observation as a spectator and casual photographer. Well, I'm gonna kick in a bit of our "road trip" adventure too. ;)
The DR gang at Kenyir Tri 2013. When all is done.
It all started a few months back when the DR gang were on the subject of triathlons. Kenny was aiming to do his soon and the others were still quite apprehensive of the idea. The idea came about when someone suggested of doing relays for the Kenyir International Tri 2013. Meaning a group of 3 participants doing each discipline of swim, bike and run respectively. This was just to get into the idea of what triathlons was all about and not to "kill" ourselves as we know we aren't ready to do individuals yet.
Team 1 was formed earlier on with Mark on swim, Kenny on bike and Yvonne on the run. There was supposedly a Team 2 with me in it. Unfortunately that didn't happen as I wasn't able to commit due to personal reasons that period of time and we couldn't get anyone else to commit.
With that, Team 1 went ahead for registration.
Closer to the date, Kenny invited me to tag along to Kenyir. I immediately said YES! Although I was disappointed that I wasn't able to take part but at least I get to support my buddies and to absorb the whole Tri atmosphere.
Our morning started early on a Saturday morning. Kenny, Von and myself headed to Ipoh to fetch Mark and we headed straight to Kenyir from there. Our road trip was a long one (combined of almost 8 hours driving) but we never felt short of topics to yak about throughout. From highways to challenging bumpy trunk roads, we finally reach our destination at the Kenyir Lake Resort.
Getting the race pack.
Arrived at Kenyir Lake Resort!
After registration and getting the race packs, we headed to our accommodation for the night. We stayed at a boat house called Bahtera. Unique, I would say. However it was a "cooking oven" at noon and freezing cold at night. But at least the beds were firm and nice to sleep on.
The Bahtera. Boat house we stayed on.
The short nap...
I took a short nap while the guys did a short recee around the race route cum "warm up". By 7pm, we headed back to the resort for dinner and briefing by the organizers. We were surely entertained by Uncle Chan during the briefing with his hilarious one liners. He surely brought the house down.
Taken during carbo laoding dinner.
Once briefing was over, we headed straight back to our accommodation and had a good night rest. I quickly knocked off in an instant.
By 6am, many were awake and I could hear loads of moving noises. Kenny was already up and prepping and so was Mark. However, Yvonne was still asleep! I tried to wake her up and her only reply was "My run is gonna be around 11am onwards. No need to wake up so early la...." I laughed my head off at her comment. She slowly made her way up as I slowly prepped my camera gears.
Kenny gazes to the horizon. Added 10 secs to it?
The DR relay team. Kenny , Yvonne & Mark.
We headed to the race site and it was really a sight to be behold. Many were already starting to warm up near the lake and getting their arms stamped. I started shooting away as I observed the whole event.
All I can say is this : I've seen many triathlon events on video and I'm always been inspired by them. But seeing this event right before my eyes is really an eye opening experience for me. I'm truly humbled by all of the preparation that is needed to do a triathlon and I salute every triathlete's hardwork and dedication. As a spectator, it was very daunting just to see one swim 1.6km, bike 45km & run 11km. Back to back; right under the hot sun and with a throw in of hills, hills and hills. I've found a new found respect to this sport.
And here are the full sets of photos taken during the event.
All and all, I have to say it was an exciting event and I've learned much from it. I'm sure my buddies did too. So the next question is, when will it be my turn? I'm not lying when I say that I'm eager to do a tri. Many have shown their support and said I could do it. Well, one step at a time. It takes planning and it's definitely in one of my "to do list" in the future. In the mean time, I've still much to improve in my running techniques. Of course I still have to master my biking skills and my swimming techniques as well.
I'll skip the part when we were returning home. It was a long tiring journey home but we had loads of happy and positive memories of Kenyir Tri. Till the next round. ;)
Brooks HM is just around the corner. Have you done your proper carbo load yet?
More often than not, I'm often hit with what I'm gonna carbo load with. Most of the time, I'll just make pasta to eat. Lately I've been trying this recipe from Nigella Lawson about the use of Marmite. Nigella once got a fan mail asking her to whip out something using marmite as the main ingredient. She just quickly made a rich marmite sauce with butter and chopped garlics and poured it over a beautiful bowl of pasta. It looks delicious just viewing it on TV.
So I've decided to make a spin on Nigella's recipe with a few additional tweaks.
First of all, I used Vegemite as opposed to Marmite. I also used olive oil instead of butter (health reasons of course). As for the pasta, I used a wholewheat spinach fettuccine; which I love!
The main ingredients.
I made this version vegetarian, so I mainly used chopped onions and roughly chopped garlic only. Tossed them onto the pan with olive oil. I've used some dry basil herbs, pepper, salt and a dash of cinnamon thrown into it. Fry them to almost brown.
Onions, garlic and herb mix.
Next tossed in the cooked pasta. Mixed it up with some vegemite and some water and slowly cook the sauce down till it almost thickens.
Slowly simmer till sauce thickens.
Once done, serve it immediately while still hot. For additional flavour and texture profiling, top with grated cheese to serve or use a raw egg and mix up the pasta to give it a more thicker consistency.
Ready to serve and eat.
That was good for my carb load last night and Bon Appetite! :)
Li - Ning. The brand name that kept blasting during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. For some fun facts, Li - Ning is actually the name of the founder of Li-Ning Company Limited who is also a former Olympian gymnast Gold medalist. He is actually more well known as the last torch bearer before the lighting of the cauldron. Yes, the one he "flew" around the stadium.
Li - Ning and the infamous "flying" of the torch bearer.
Besides coming to know the brand more during the Olympics, I've only related the brand more towards badminton. Especially the brand spokesperson is Lin Dan.
Lin Dan, mostly associated with the brand.
So I was actually quite surprise when I found out that Li - Ning produces more than just badminton attires and equipments.
Just late last year, I've won a Men's Health Li-Ning Contest and redeemed a pair of their latest Superlite 9 running shoes. Yes, you read it right. RUNNING SHOES. I've never would had thought.
At first I was pretty skeptical about trying them on but I gave them a try nonetheless. Of course I had to pick the wildest colour they have; the vibrant red with leopard side prints. I just couldn't resist.
So here are some quick review of features of the shoe (as per brochure) :
- A mesh material to improve air circulation.
- Front Sole Stretches for better support and Stability
- Mid Sole Ventilation for extra comfort and stability
- FoamEVA Lite & NON-GAP to improve performance.
The heel side of the shoe.
The Foam EVA on the sole of the shoe. Makes up pretty much the construction of the shoe.
So now here is my personal review. Upon trying on the first time, it's surprisingly light and could rival the lightness of most lightweight shoes in the market. There are midsole ventilation on the side of both shoes so you wouldn't feel the heat on long runs. Personally I felt the same.
The treadmill test.
My first few tries were on the treadmill; as I usually do with lightweight shoes before I pound them on the road. It fared pretty well but I did feel a tiny pinch on my left toe but it's not something that it's majorly bothering. The cushioning is fare; something expected from a shoe this light and it does lack the "solidness".
The bottom of the sole features a pretty standard design and markings. The first impression it looks very much like a non-marking design mostly featured on cross training shoes. Upon closer inspection, the grooves of the shoes are very minimal and almost too bare looking. I assume this is probably the brand's approach to "barefoot feel" but there is no statement to support this. Honestly, I didn't feel it has any barefoot feeling characteristics.
The sides that features the mid sole ventilation.
The bottom sole that features very minimal grooves and grip.
Nonetheless, the shoes passed the treadmill test and are comfortable enough to get through a decent run.
My next trial on the road proved otherwise. Of all days, I had to try them on a rainy day and I didn't had my camera with me to take some pics. The testing ground was at Desa Park City and I actually slipped a few times. After taking them out for 2 rounds (total of 16km run) the soft bottom part of the sole started to tear a little. That was the last time I tried them out on the road. But in all fairness, I was pretty rough with them and I think my weight was a factor.
In conclusion, the Li-Ning Superlite 9 are pretty good treadmill shoes but pound them on the road cautiously. In terms of design, the vibrant red I have is brilliant. It's always a conversational starter every time I wear them out on a casual day. In terms of functionality, it's good pair of trainers for beginners who is on a budget. It also fares very well as a pair of cross trainers as it flexes quite well.
Pretty good pair of trainers especially being this "red", they are a real major standouts. ;)
My version of Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cakes in Sweet & Spicy Sauce)
Of late, I've really been bitten by the Korean/Hallyu bug. First it started with a few innocent and curious views of Korean movies. Then it slowly moved into interesting Korean Variety shows; mainly Running Man. Then Korean K-Pop music. And finally this odd crave of Korean food. And the one thing that I was craving the most was Tteokbokki.
I've heard of this rice cake dish before but have not seen it until it's repeated introduction/promotion on the Running Man TV show. A popular Korean snack food that is just mainly rice cakes cooked in gochuchang sauce along with fish cakes. So far I've tried twice locally from 2 different Korean chefs and I loved it!
Kim Chi, Pre-made Gochuchang sauce and Rice Cakes. Korean Grocery shopping damages.
So when I discovered the Korean supermarkets at Sri Hartamas, I told myself I gotta try making them myself. Honestly, I went ballistic with the groceries and giving my best asking for advise in my broken Korean language. Fortunately, the Korean store owners were very helpful and we basically understood each other with limited Korean and English combined.
Basically the most important thing you need is the rice cakes itself. A good moderate size of 20 pieces is good enough to serve for 2. Though they are many shapes and sizes for rice cakes, a moderate size one is usually the one to go for; as it's easier and faster to cook.
Throw the rice cakes into the pan of boiling water and bring it to boil. Not much water is needed as it will later be used to reduced into the sauce. No salt is required. I added sliced mushroom for the little extra and a little olive oil. While boiling, constantly stir the rice cakes so it wouldn't stick onto the pan.
Then add on chopped onions and garlic into the mix. The next most important ingredient is the gochuchang sauce itself. I've bought the ready-made sweet & spicy mix and added a bit of my own flavour by adding in Thai Chili sauce and dried herbs.
Just heat up the stove a bit more, constantly stir it and cooked until the sauce is reduced to own liking.
Tteokbokki is served best immediately and hot. Sprinkle it with toasted sesame seeds for the finishing touch. I also added in the kim chi for the extra Korean finishing. Save to say, I made a pretty close Tteokbokki resemblances from the ones I tried from real Korean chefs. Perhaps next round I should try experimenting with my own version of sauces or further study the use of pure gochuchang sauce.
Yup, I know it's kinda late but I kinda purposely left it last minute just right before the official launch of the new Brooks PureDrift this early January 2013. Yup, a birdie told me it's gonna be real soon within this 1-2 weeks or even earlier. Keep your fingers crossed!
But of course, a few of us reviewers had the chance to earlier review the shoes. I've previously mentioned this in my previous blog entry on the unboxing of the PureDrifts. Link here.
The first time I laid eyes on it.
In this blog entry, I'm gonna review basically the feel and expectation of the shoe. For more technical parts of it, please do review them in this link of my previous entry of this shoe.
The Brooks PureDrift from the Pure Project 2 series.
First and foremost, I have to give a huge thumbs up for it's awesome striking "Yerrow" (Yellow, I prefer to use the more street word) colour of the shoe. Of course there are other choices of colour but this is by far the most striking and coolest. I always have this notion if I ever get lost or disappeared in some forest or something; at least I have something striking to stick out (like a sore thumb...ahem). But that of course is the aesthetics points of it.
I've previously mentioned before that I would test the shoes in various conditions. So far I've tested it on a few training runs (on road and treadmill) , a couple of running events and a wet test. Yes, that is running in the rain with the Drifts.
Bare in mind that in all my test, I've worn socks with it and left the sock liner in it as I felt the 4mm drop was just the good amount of "barefoot" feel I like and the socks were just more for sanitary reasons and comfort. The only time I can go without socks are with the Vibram Five Fingers.
First time trying the Brooks PureDrift during the DR Handicap Run. Running along side Seng Chor, the Vibram Five Finger Kaki. Photo courtesy of Mien Yee.
The first time I tried them on was during our DR Handicap Run back in October. I've worn them for a few times but I've yet to run in them yet. The first initial feeling that it's really lightweight and it has a very similar feeling like my previous Adizero F50 but also has a snug and low profile feel of KSO Vibram Five Fingers (but not as much).
So at ease, so lightweight that you float when you run. Photo courtesy of Mien Yee.
The PureDrifts were surprisingly comfy during my 8km run and there is a definite feel of a great lift off from heel /mid foot to toe. This also lead to a tendency of wanting to go faster which was much easier than a heavier shoe.
Testing on treadmill.
Note the clumsy pounding as I was adjusting to as the heat started 30 minutes into it.
Other trials after that was on random road training. Running on tar road is pretty good and I had no issues with it except the occasional midfoot pain whenever I run on something flat. This is very evident especially running on a treadmill. In my personal opinion, the Drifts are not so great on really flat surfaces and I actually had so much pain on my midfoot that I had to stop several times. Other reviewers had commented it does have a "burning sensation". Besides that, I had no issues as long as I'm on the road.
I've used the PureDrifts on 2 running events; namely Malakoff 2012 and Chandrikala Run 2012.
Longest distance ran with the Drifts. Malakoff KL12KM. Grinning smile (pain) Photo courtesy of Victor & Elaine.
During Malakoff, the Drifts were initially fantastic during the first 7-8km but the burning pain and sensation started right after that. So I can only theorize is that because I'm a heavier runner, I pound a little more than usual hence the reaction. No problems with the shoes; just a matter of getting used to it.
Chandrikala Run 2012. Soaking wet but still feeling awesome. Photo courtesy of KF Chong.
Chandrikala Run was a fantastic time to test out the PureDrifts. It was a short 5K Run and it was pouring cats and dogs. Already soaked wet but surprisingly still comfy with the shoes. Because the way the shoe is wrapped around the feet tightly, the shoes are unable to soak in much water and it's still quite well ventilated. Albeit wet, there was almost no sensation of sogginess and I was still able to feel the lightness of the shoe when running. Pretty impressive.
All wet but still feeling smashing alright.
During all this period with the shoes, I've come to realise that I'm working a lot of running muscles. This experience is very similar to when I was training with my Vibram KSO.
So here are some highlights from my test :
1. Excellent lightweight shoes. For those who prefer minimalistic shoes.
2. A unique barefoot feel. For those who also are experimenting or transitioning from minimalistic to barefoot.
3. 2 for the price of 1! Sock liner can be removed and customized. So you can have either a minimalistic shoe or a near barefoot shoe.
4. A very good wrap feel around feet; so it feels like you are one with the shoe. Almost nude-like.
5. Great for short distance races; especially for people like me who don't like to lug a heavy pair of trainers for such distances.
6. Great shoes to train your running muscles (especially the calves) and helps you naturally land mid foot instead of heel.
7. Excellent colour! Of course, I love the Yellow one so much but there are other colour variants available.
All in all, it's a pair of excellent running shoes and it would be another great collection to the current Pure Project Series users AND also to new users experimenting/ transitioning to minimalistic shoes.
First run of the year. To those who participated MPIB 2013, how did everyone do and how did you feel?
I've heard many had done PBs for this route or distance. Congratulations and good for you. A great way to start the year. For those who hasn't, fret not as there are many more runs to come and always remember that running is a sport of passion. The most important thing is that you ENJOY the run rather than just care about how fast you could finish. No puns to the former either. Fast is good; given the right reasons.
Jamie claims this is his "stoned" face cause no sleep the day before.
I didn't participate in this year's edition and I know many of you were very surprised. Well, give me time and I will get back on track. I've a few races coming up in mind but I'll be very selective of which ones I would do. This is just to keep my training fresh and I hope I don't get burned out like I previously did.
Anyways, I did go to MPIB 2013 as "the kepoh photographer on the bike". Glad to have met so many friends, the usual suspects and new. Of course I was also there to show support to my Dutamas Runners gang.
The usual suspects (photogs). There is more they weren't around this area.
Since I didn't run in this race, I couldn't comment much about it but it seems that everything went well that morning. A strong turnout of runners already gathered at Padang Merbok as early as 5 AM and the anticipation built till the first gun off.
Ronnie See whizzed through with purpose.
I mainly went to 3 different spots during the race to shoot. First was at the Mahameru Highway (just before entering Bukit Tunku) which wasn't an ideal spot to shoot as I would had thought initially. Just as the female leading runner was passing by, the street lights decided to turn off! My first few shots were all blur and dark; missing out mostly all the lead pack runners. I've no choice but to gostan balik to a brighter spot; which was at the traffic light bridge. It was still early light and lighting is extremely challenging. But I managed to stay on till the last few runners passed.
Yim Heng Fatt aka the return of Sarong Party Boy with balloons tied to his back. Flying somewhere? ;)
Next I cycled towards Persiaran Sultan Sallahuddin. The 5KM runners passed by here earlier and there were still some passing through. It didn't take long until the lead packs of the 12KM and 8KM came whizzing through the quiet road. It was a great spot for shots with lovely green background but I couldn't stay too long as I was viciously attacked by mosquitoes! How I wished I had my repellent with me.
Michelle Looi in her custom made running tee.
With that I headed straight downhill towards Tugu Negara and shot whatever I could from a junction. Less mosquitoes this time.
Yvonne showing off her proudly earned 4th placing for the Women Open 5KM category.
Midway through, Von texted me "4th place!" and later "Raymond 6th!". Wow! Two DR gang podium winners. Ain't that bad. Congratulations to you both.
Met Yvonne back at the main venue and she had her K4 tag hung around her neck happily greeting me. (ps: She ran with a running dress/ skirt while at it too)
While she went to change, met with the others as well.
All in all it was a great day. I kinda regretted that I didn't join this run but I wasn't really ready for a round of Bukit Tunku considering I hadn't been there since SCKLM. But I indeed had a great day and enjoyed myself. As Jamie put it; the "Bandit Volunteer".
Bandit Volunteer? Me? Photo courtesy of Kahwai Low.
So here are the links to my sets of shots from MPIB 2013. And again congrats to all the podium winners!
