KL Marathon 2010: My first 10k experience.

It’s Thursday and the buzz from Sunday’s run has finally worn off. Along with it also leaves all forms of fatigue, aches and joint pains.

Early this year I have decided to challenge myself and resolved to participate in my first run this year, so that I am able to join a marathon a couple of years from now. While the thought of joining the 10k run may seem like peanuts to the initiated, the idea of ME running was quite a novel one. People who have known me personally would probably associate me with activities like eating, sleeping, shopping, drinking, even just sitting around acting all sedentary, but running? Friends, family and even my own self would not expect couch-potato me to run 10 kilometres, and to change this perception was a challenge just as the run itself.

Of course, after signing up for the run about 3 months ago, I wasn’t exactly starting at ground zero. Contrary to popular belief, I DO exercise regularly, and in fact have been making use of my gym membership since late 2008. So in preparation for my run, I started tapering down my weight training and spent more time on the treadmills. I tried to run 2-3 times a week if possible, although sometimes work, personal errands and general laziness did get in the way. My goals were to ensure that my heart was fit enough to carry my through 10 kms, and secondly that my feet were able to take me fast enough to run 10 kms within 1.5 hours (a sort of qualifying time after which you may not be entitled to a cert). Being at my age, keeping in a healthy heart rate zone was not hard to achieve, so my later weeks of training were more about the endurance to run for an hour plus.

In the run-up to the race, I started my preparations for the run. Many tips I followed were from Mark who guided us at the organizer’s running clinic held few weeks back. I forced myself to drink adequate amounts of water on Saturday. Typically I am not a fan of drinking water, but a recent experience of unbearable thirst during a morning run taught me the importance of hydrating myself especially in an event like this. Carbo-loading, the practice of loading the body with a carbohydrate energy storage, was not necessary for a shorter distance run like 10km. Nevertheless to make sure I didn’t make a pitstop at a mamak stall in Brickfields in the middle of my run, I had a bowl of soup noodles 2 hours before the run.

My friends and I remarking on how it would be best if it rained BEFORE the run so that the day would not be so hot. God must have heard us, because sure enough, it started pouring like crazy at 5am. A pity for the full marathon runners who were scheduled to start at that time. Arriving at Dataran Merdeka at 5.45 am, we had ample time to use the portable toilets (twice, in my case) and to hydrate myself with some 100 Plus. At around 6.40 am , my colleagues and I got into position at the start line, right at the back. Leaving my position five minutes later to throw away my 100 Plus bottle proved to be a wrong move as the crowd swelled and I could not get back to my colleague. Apparently the 10km run was the most popular category of all with about 7000 runners, no wonder it felt like being in Jusco on members’ preview sale. I was stuck at the sides of the starting block until the gunshot at 7am, and took a few minutes to finally inch my way across the starting line.

Just before walking across the start line.

The first km out of the starting line didn’t feel like a run at all. The crowd of runners was just humongous, and even though the adrenaline rush would push anyone to run, chances are that I’d bump into the hoardes of people in front of me. In the end the first few kms were more of a brisk walk-run than a run.

The experience of running in a road race was just priceless. I loved the feeling of running in the middle of roads that are typically occupied by cars and motorbikes zooming past each other. The view of the city while running in the middle of a city street beats the view I get through the car window, hands-down. Especially here at the six lane Jalan Syed Putra, a road I used to drive on all the time. Especially on a cloudy, cool day with the air slightly damp from the rain. Especially with all the cars stopping at the beginning of the road for us, waiting impatiently for their turn to regain possession of the road.

As you can see from the picture above, many people appear to be brisk walking. I don’t know if it’s just me, but a lot of people seem to be doing this instead of running. My guess is that it’s probably just different people resting at different times, or probably these people are not aiming to finish within the 1.5 hours target. I was somewhat influenced by them too, taking it easy and brisk walking more than expected. (My initial strategy was to run at a 8min/km pace, taking mini breaks between each km) After all, I needed to last for 10kms, my knees had been hurting for some time and my right ankle got some major pains at the first couple of kms.

1 hour has elapsed and I have reached Padang Merbok near the Dataran again, assuming that the race was ending soon. With no distance markers along the route, little did I know that I had only finished 60% of the race in about 70% of the time! Time to pick up my pace, I tell myself. We pass the DBKL building, and an uneasy scene mars my enthusiasm a little. By the road is a small crowd where several people are trying to perform CPR on one of the participants. A disturbing scene when the rescuer shouted at one of the traffic men something along the lines of ,

“This man has no pulse! Get on your fricking motorbike and GO and get help, what part of the sentence do you not understand?”

It was a sobering reminder that I make sure I am all fine before pushing myself too hard. That stretch along Jalan Raja Laut was particularly quiet. Read the first hand account here. (RIP, Lim)

As mentioned, I picked up my pace along this second half, thankfully with my ankle and knee pain miraculously disappearing. As I run along Jalan Raja Laut away from Dataran Merdeka, and I wait impatiently for the juncture where we can finally enter the parallel Jalan TAR in the final stretch towards the finish line. The turning into Jalan TAR came soon after, but by now my heart was beginning to feel the burden. But the arch with the finish line soon became visible, and the motivation to run towards it provided the fuel to make the last sprint. As I move closer, the timer is visible and 1:30:00 was soon approaching. I made it near the finish line at 1:28, after which I walked breathlessly across the finish line at 1:29! Nothing impressive, but I pat myself on the back considering the pace I ran, the toilet and photo breaks I took, and the pain I was experiencing. My net run time was 1 hour and 25 minutes thereabouts.

Joy, for the cert and medal is within my reach… but not before jostling with the herds of sweaty, panting, thirsty people for a cup of 100 Plus.

We proceeded to go for breakfast next, which was not completely necessary considering my sufficient caloric intake of soup noodles, lots of 100 Plus and half a Power Bar after the run (~120kCal). A 7 hour nap upon reaching the house ensued after that (not before a shower first, obviously).

I had never expected to enjoy my 10k run this much. I am raring to go for the next run, although there are still things to be sorted out. One thing I need to find out is how to prevent from knee and ankle pains in future. Probably analyze the way I run, and also find a  shoe best for my running style, body size and foot arch. I suspect the inadequate support from my footwear to be the cause of my aches, in addition to the possibility of it being an overuse injury.

I really appreciate the tips I got from the running clinic. Through it I had an idea on how to train, and learned about hydrating and carbo loading among many other things. And Vaseline/glide to prevent chaffing! I definite will NOT ignore this tip at the next run, considering I felt a little ouch myself. Nothing severe like the gruesome major ouch below, though:

taken from MissJewelz’s blog

On to the next!!!

Do check out MissJewelz’s blog, a Malaysian triathlete, who shares some very useful tips for first time 10km runners here.