MPIB 12K Run 2012

4.:30am : *alarm rings* Shut up! It's Sunday, I want to sleep!

4:35am : I must be insane to wake up so bloody early on a Sunday.

4:40am : Maybe a shower will wake me up.

5:15am : *while driving to race location* I should really get my head checked.

6.:45am : Tell me why I'm doing this again?

7:10am : Here we go, let's get it over and done with so I can go home and sleep.

Kilometer 2 : Ahhh, this is the life ...

Kilometer 5 : I love these hills. When's the next race already?

Kilometer 8 : What? We're almost finishing? But I'm enjoying this.

The finish line : Phew, that was fun! I can't wait for the next race!

And that pretty much sums up how every of my race mornings start ... hahaha! The worse part is the waking up, but once you start running, everything else is forgotten.

It was pretty much the same scenario as the above for this morning's MPIB run. Wasn't really intending to run this race initially but ran it as a show of support for Jamie who was one of the organizers and it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable race.

Got to the race a little bit early cos of the parking limitations in that location. The wife, who was sitting out this race accompanied me to be my pom-pom girl ... hahaha! We took a slow walk to the start line and was immediately greeted by an interesting Chinese number from the speakers. The crowd was already building up by then which made the atmosphere all the more exciting.

The race start was staggered with the women running first, partly due to the limited and narrow space at the start I would presume. But it did give the men legitimate reasons to be chasing women ... LOL!

Met up with Kah Yen before the start and we headed to the start line chatting all the way. I wouldn't have known it was race start if he didn't tell me cos I didn't hear a single gun, horn, whatever. My whole initial plan was to do a safe race and take care of the legs which wasn't fully healed.

Took off with a really slow pace, not that you could go any faster cos of the number of runners all clogged together during the start stretch. Besides, it was an uphill start and better to take things slow. It took a while before I could get into a steadier pace somewhere around the 2nd kilometer when there was more space to overtake.

Caught up with the tail end of the women runners just before hitting the first incline which I was all prepared for even though I didn't recce the route this time. Thanks to Kah Yen for the warning about the challenging inclines littered through the route.

My mantra for the day was 'if there is an up, there is a down' and it worked fine with me charging up the hills and resting on the downward stretches. Besides I didn't want to risk running downhill so fast cos they were kinda steep, one misstep and you'll end up badly bruised. That strategy worked pretty good so much so that I could do much faster on the flats.

By KM4, the legs were feeling great, no tugs of pain were apparent and I decided that I'd take on a bit more speed after the 6k mark. The hydration stations were spot on. That helped cos I could speed up a kilometer before the stations and know for certain I could quench my thirst. Unfortunately the hydration stations were a little undermanned as I had to wait for water to be poured in the cups at two of the stations. Not a big deal but could be better.

I was thoroughly enjoying the race with no pressure whatsoever since I had no targets to be met today. By KM5 I was beginning to recognize the route from previous races I ran here and that made the run so much easier as I knew what to expect at every corner. Picked up the pace in the second half of the race and was enjoying the race so much that I was waving at all those rich people's barking dogs at the Bukit Tunku section ... hahaha!

Saw Yim at the 10K mark and called out to him this time. The last race I was too shy to call out to him :P I was still pretty fresh by this time and decided to charge back to the finish line and came in with a decent time of 1:05:57, not my best 12K time (actually the route was more like 11.5K) but am pleased with the run for the simple reason my injuries didn't recur :D

I wonder if I should ask for payment for these modelling jobs ...
The race was overall a well organized one, except for the undermanned hydration stations. Kudos to the organizers for a job well done. That's what you get when you get runners to organize a race. The route was challenging but scenic and well shaded. The mix of difficult terrain with easy downhills balanced out the race nicely.

The cops were having a field day issuing summonses to people parked by the road shoulders which I thought was a tad bit unfair but then, some of these cars were really parked too haphazardly to the point of disrupting traffic. Remember to come early and get proper parking next time people. You don't want to run a beautiful race to only come back and find a summons waiting for you, right?

With the race over and done with, I'll be taking a week's break from running to completely rest and heal these overused legs. As much as I hate the idea of no runs for a week, I'd rather be running pain-free. For all of you who ran the MPIB this morning, good job and congrats to you guys.

Comments

  1. I thought it was unfair for the traffic police issuing summons to those cars not blocking the road and yet, the ones out on the main road weren't issued summons (well, not yet by the time we left). With parking spaces limited and some are yet to open, it is hard to find parking.

    Wah! You make the run sound so easy!

    I was keeping an eye for you, all prepared to shout your name when you passed me by, which you definitely would but I guessed I missed you. Yim passed me by on the first incline after we crossed the expressway and heard runners remarking about him being barefoot. ^^

    Great job Nick. And you deserve a good rest.

    Now be a good boy and make sure you take the whole week off! xD

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  2. Well done Nick. Glad to meet up with you. Next race please! Haha....
    KY

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  3. Congrats! 1:05 is good stuff on this route. Agree, the water stations were slightly undermanned due to volunteer no-shows (very frustrating this no-shows). I think the tiering avoided a much worse situation. If fully manned, I believe the water station system we used would be best in class in this country! The 3K one despite being the heaviest load performed well as we felt it needed special attention due to the common 6/12K route. Thanks for your support and rest up as shall I!

    @Lina - I heard about the summons and it was really a bummer and bloody unfair given many more blatant show of traffic offenses. Sorry couldn't chat more but hope you had a great outing.

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  4. I enjoyed the run too! And for me, the 3-tier WS worked very well, particularly the 1st and 2nd stations before the route merged with the 6k runners. Volunteers were readily handing out cups of hydration without runners having to stop or bump into each other. Then again, this could be before the "peak time " hits. Overall, a well-organized run.

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  5. Sound like you guys had lots of fun in this event, I missed big time :(
    Have a good rest and see you in Brooks HM.

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  6. Lina, The cops were having a field day out there. Thank god I parked in a proper bay :D

    It wasn't an easy race but a really challenging one which I enjoyed, thanks to the no show of my injury.

    This time I'm really going to stick to taking the week off, at least I'll try to ... LOL!

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  7. Kah Yen, LOL! Can't wait for the next race though. Yes, it was great to catch up with you too.

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  8. Jamie, Thanks :D I must say, barring the under-manned stations, you guys did a superb job with the race. I just hope future race organizers sit up and take note! Sucks with the volunteer no shows, though.

    Looking forward to next year's race already? A 21K perhaps :P

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  9. My Coffee, The first hydration station was okay for me. The second two was where I had to wait for water but overall, it was by far one of the better organized races around.

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  10. Neoh, We missed you at the race too. You not doing the Mizuno next week? I'm skipping that, too expensive for a 10K run, see you at the Brooks Half marathon :D

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  11. Oh crap. You guys are all talking about the Brooks HM. I am tempted to join, but I'm scared of asking hubby to wake up just after midnight! LOL

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  12. Lina, The Brooks start at 5.30am if I'm not mistaken. Your hubby can still sleep till at least 4am ... LOL!

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