Sabah Ultra TMBT 2012: My fourth 100km attempt since Sundown Ultra 2011 and successful finish.

When I first came back from 2012's Hong Kong Vibram 100km Ultra, Allan Lee asked me this question and said these things to me:

"Actually why are you doing all this for? I know alot of other people encourage and support you.  But your base is not good. You are not strong. We are real sports people. We know the truth."

Thereafter I learned that this whole group who call themselves the FRIM triathlon team, joined this year's Sabah Ultra TMBT 100km due to Allan's encouragement,  regardless of what their background was.  Then he roped me in. I even did a "presentation" in Ong's house, showing the pictures I took and the journey of finishing 2011's TMBT.  He even said to them, "You look at Cynthia like that also can finish leh"  That is in addition to some *&^%$# named Aleximon Lee who wrote in his facebook, that thanks to ME, everyone else knows that they can finish TMBT.   It was very degrading. It's like saying the most retarded person on earth can finish it.  So of course you can.  This is largely due to me having finished 2011's TMBT in 34 hours 41 mins and being third last overall.

Anyhow, I made a promise to myself that I will fix this shit. I will do a much better timing this year.

I spent a shitload of money on my gear.  Brand new and fifth hydration bag - the Salomon S-Lab 12. It cost me RM601 after a 30% discount. Without discount it would have been RM859.  I also bought another brand new and my fourth minimalist shoe - the Salomon S-Lab Sense.  That cost me RM708 after shipping and tax. I also bought a new headlamp, the Black Diamond Storm which was about RM180 after sharing the cost of shipping with Jeff.   My cheapest gear would be the trekking pole at SGD8 from Mustafa's, in Singapore.  Let's just say that I REALLY aimed to go all out and fix my timing this year. And I needed much better gear to help me get there. 

Then comes the training part.  I did a mixture of training in both FRIM and Kiara, as well as once in Nuang.  Though nothing would prepare me for what the elevation profile was going to be like for TMBT 2012.

The first 50km elevation profile.

The second 50km elevation profile. And they were not shitting you. If the picture showed it being that steep.  IT WAS THAT FREAKING STEEP. 

It was quite a funny flag off. We didn't even hear the count down. I was still chatting with Osbert, Amy, Trish, Jacky and Kee Seng when suddenly everyone started running.   Some guys were even still peeing in the bushes behind. HAH!? Started d weih!!! Hahahahaha!  That was hilarious.

Dev's picture of the start.

 

All 25k, 50k and 100k runners started together.

From the starting point at flag off, we needed to get up this short hill slope.  So there was a bit of a bottleneck there.   

Thereafter it was downhill all the way for about 900 meters. I tried to overtake as many people as I could before we hit another bottleneck.  

Karsten and I at the first 900 meters going down.  He was so chillaxed about the whole thing.  He came for a holiday.

After going down, we turned off the road and climbed up our very first hill.

This was JUST THE FIRST HILL! Holy macaroni. I was in super deep trouble.

Once we got over that hill, then it was running over sand, gravel, some rocks, a small bridge and a smaller plantation before we reached check point 1.

MOUNT KINABALU!

When I reached the first water station,  I was already like....Oh.... Shit....

thanks to Pui San for this pic!

I had taken about 1.5 hours for just that first 10k. Pui San, Agnes and some of the FRIM team gang were also there.  Chill... Breathe.. Breathe...

After signing in and refilling my bladder,  we headed up another slope.

thanks Pui San again for this pic!

And this... ladies and gentlemen was actually the beginning of a loop, if you noticed from the map, the 50k and 100k had to complete a loop right from the beginning of the map.   This was an interesting loop.   We ran through some more gravel and sand and more plantation.  But the most beautiful part is the cabbage plantation.

thanks Steve for this pic.  Yes.  I like to stick my tongue out. It shows you I was dying. And this was only the first loop.

 When you complete that loop and reached the next water station, it is actually what was the first water station, but now it doubles up as water station three.  There was another trunk with water in the plantation which became water station two.

After WS3, to get to WS4 which was actually the finishing point for the 25k's,  I bumped into the others like Peter Liew, Tommy, Claire Andrew, Zack and Felice.   At first I was with Peter and Tommy,  then I started to chase after Zack.   When Zack and I teamed up,  we passed Cally Ng.   And then I got confused.  Why were the 25k's still on our path?  They should have been done by now.  It's already 1 something in the afternoon. We were flagged off at 7.30am.  Anyhow, eventually when we got to WS4, then we realised that that was the actual finishing point for them.

WS4 is also the surprise spot check station.  Pamela asked to see our handphones and headlamp.  I showed her and I passed the check.  Signed in. Took water. Went off.

On the way to look for WS5 and WS6,  now THAT seemed like a long ass winding road.  By now it was hot in the afternoon. It was starting to take its toll on us.  I exclaimed out loud that if we think this first 50km is shitty,  the second 50km is what will kill us.  One of two random guys asked me, "So do you think you can finish?"  I felt challenged.  So I retorted, "YES! this is my FOURTH 100km race.  And my second TMBT.  I completed last year too. I will finish."    They didn't respond.  They just looked at each other and went off faster.

By the time we went into another trail, Zack had started running again. Steve told me to go off.   Claire Andrew and Hana Harun caught up to me and overtook Zack and I.    Leong Kwan Weng and ah Leong also snuck up from behind.   Now to reach checkpoint 50km seemed like a longggggg time.   It was. It was uphill all the way.  And that's 12km of uphill.   But I wanted to reach it before dark.   In the end I reached 50km by 5.45pm.  Which was a good headstart for me.  Considering last year, I only reached 50km about 8.30pm.

At CP50km,  is where we had the drop bag option, so I asked for my bag and changed my socks.  There, KC Leong came to me and advised me to do the next 50km with someone.  I showed him that I'm going with Zack.  Then Tony Quay came over to tell me that I must eat something.  I'm notorious for not eating during a race. I would eat the whole KL on non race days. But during a race I don't want to eat.  Stupid right? It's got alot to do with the fact that I don't want to have to puput in the middle of a race.  And there are no portaloos  in TMBT.   Anyhow, at this time, Zack told me we'll leave at 6.30pm together. I said okay. Although I really wanted to leave there and then.   But I had promised Zack.  So okay.  I changed my socks. Changed my singlet to a shirt.  Ate some rice, long beans and eggs. Put on my headlamps.  Then we set off.

By this time, Osbert was also ready to go.  So the three of us set off from check point 50km together to conquer the second half.    The pic below is of the three of us.  In happier times.  *hiak*hiak*   before we knew how bad it was going to be in the second half.

I first met Osbert in the HK Vibram 100k this year.  Zack and I did our first 100k together in Sundown Ultra last year.  The ultra world is really not that big in this region.  When you get out there, then YES it's HUGEEEEEEE.

We set off going downhill.  It was a large road of gravel. Felice and ah Leong came up from behind and overtook us.   Osbert looked at me and said thanks for walking with him.  I said thanks for accompanying me too.   All this time, Zack was ahead of both of us.  Then out of nowhere, we hit a slope.  It was 45 degrees.  I started to overtake Osbert and Zack.  I just kept going. Up up up.  I expected them both to catch up with me later. After all, Zack is someone who normally bombs downhill once we hit a downhill.  But that never happened.  I kept going on. Until WS6. By this time, I had also overtaken ah Leong and Felice.

Signed in again. Took water. Left.

From this moment on.  CYNTHIA GAN WEN CHIN was completely on her own. In the dark. And this was a much longer darkness alone than last year for the simple fact that I left Zack and Osbert at that first uphill slope after CP50k.   Felice had ah Leong.  Further in front was Esther but she had four guys with her. Claire had Hana.  Judy had Kevin. I was completely alone.  Which was actually fine by me as I was in a really competitive mood.  I didn't want to talk.  I was gunning for time. I had set a target of 24 hours for myself.   To me, if I can do this route in 24 hours, then I have shot at that damn trophy in next year's HK Vibram Ultra.

So I trudged off alone. It was abit of a cat and mouse game between me and the rest. We'd catch each other. We'd leave each other. We'd catch each other again.  But nobody was saying Hi and talking each other.  It was a mind game.  I'm trying to beat you. You're trying to beat me. Even when we couldn't see who the hell is who in the pitch black darkness!  That Sept 15 night was the new moon phase.  Which meant that the moon wasn't out that night. If you didn't have your headlamp on, you're skrewed.  If your headlamp died in the middle of it, you're also skrewed.  Yours truly didn't bring extra batteries in her pack.  I had left them in the drop bag. I had expected the fresh batteries I put in that morning to last me for 12 hours.  After all, the damn box said it can last 70 hours!!! Bloody liars.  By 4am, my headlamp was getting dim.

I had to switch to the lower beam mode and whenever it was a road, I had to walk in the middle just to be able to follow the white line.

There is light in this pic only because of the flash in my camera, you have absolutely NO IDEA how dark it was and I was risking alot by being alone.  But I'm a risk taker. I'd do it alone again no matter what.

Every time I could hear the dogs barking, I knew it meant someone is hot on my ass.  At one point, I even frantically wanted to switch off my blinkers and my headlamp.  So that I can be in stealth mode.  If they can't see that there is someone in front, they can't try to catch me and beat me, right? I could hide by the hill slope. Be at one with the hills.  They won't even know I was ever there.

But then the other thought came into my mind,  if one of them accidentally shone his or her light at me,  I could be accidentally scaring the shit out of them,  they trip, they roll down, and then I have to spend the next 20 mins calling for rescue and/or I have to accompany them until the finish line.

Not good. Don't want.  Skrew it.  Let them catch me now. I'll catch them back later if I can.

So one by one they caught up to me and left me.

I managed to trudge on in the dark ALONE for all that journey with that dimming headlamp, passing WS7, WS8, WS9, WS10 until WP11.  All the while praying that the headlamp lights will last.  With no MP3 player for music. With no one else to talk to. With no more other shadows to chase. Only after WP11 that the daylight broke.  YAY! I can see better now! And I just need to find CP12 and then I'm off to the finishing! Yahoo!  By that time, I also knew I won't hit my target of coming back by 7.30am.  I was in a lot of pain.  And from WP11 to the finishing, I had another 12.5k to go.     When I left WP11,  Claire and Hana also got up and left and chased after me.     All this while it was a cat and mouse game between me, Claire and Hana.     They would stop and rest at each WP/CP but I would come, sign, take water and go.

Just before we hit the gravel and trails again, I caught Bobby Tcc.  He asked me about my new shoes.  I snapped, "Don't Ask".   Later he would find out why.

Once we hit the trails and it is going down again, I knew I would lose to these people.  I can power up hills, but I just cannot run down.  And these guys can.  I can't run anymore. My blisters were hurting like hell.  That last portion to finishing was simply excruciating to say the least.  Yes.  Insisting on running in minimalist shoes when your feet is not ready to run in them for the whole 100k is suicide. Especially when the shoes were created for Killian Jornet.  And I'm no Killian Jornet.  I had originally wanted to pack a second shoe but it couldn't fit in my bag so I took the risk of doing the whole 100k in the Salomon Sense.  Suicide Suicide Suicide.

So the last 12.5k was gravel up, gravel down, gravel everywhere.  And soon Trish caught up to me, with two other guys.  She told me not to give up.  I was like, I won't be giving up lah. But I don't know how to withstand this pain until finishing.   I told them to go off ahead.  And when they left, I squatted down to pee.  In broad day light. I'm sorry. But if you see a pic of my fat ass online taken by some villager, please help me delete it.  I really couldn't care less anymore when I was in so much pain.  My malaysian forest was facing the other side anyway, so you'd be spared from that.  Anyhow we all know what each other has right. I lost count how many times I had to pee in the open by the road side like that. And every time I had to put my hands together and ask for permission from surrounding spirits to forgive me for soiling their territory.

When I finally reached the very last check point, CP12, we had to cross this thing and start going down some vegetation/plantation.

 

And all the while I kept looking out for an orange building, which denotes the school.  WHERE THE HELL IS THE SCHOOL!!!!!!!!?????

Finally after some time,  when I finally reached the foothill, then I saw the orange building.

DOESN'T THAT LOOK FREAKING FAR TO YOU?!  

Anyhow, I'm almost finishing already. Shut up. Suck it up. Trudge on.

It took what felt like forever to get out of more gravel, uphill into a slope and finally I was on the road side going into the Zen Garden village again.

this was the last mountain view we had from this race,  if you arrived here on this road at night, I'm not sure if you could see it though.

From the roadside to the finishing in the school, it's about another 1km.   But I've never been so glad to see a school in my life!!!

FINISHED!  YAY!

In the end my garmin showed that we were over-distanced by 1.39km.  With the amount of elevation we went through,  I guess it came to a point that I didn't care anymore.   And when you've done as much races as I have, you learn to take it all in stride.  Not enough water? Tahan loh.  Over distance? Tahan loh. Sakit? Tahan loh.    Cannot tahan?  Then don't race loh.

I finished this year's TMBT in an official timing of 26 hours 32 mins and 43 seconds. Alot better than last year's TMBT timing of 34 hours and 41 mins.  Last year I was ranked 10th overall in the women's 100k.  This year I only managed to go up to 9th spot despite an 8 hour improvement.  But it's okay. I'll take it.

I think what's on everybody's mind is this.  How different is this year's route compared to last year?  The only people who finished both this year and last year's 100k were Jiri, Cornelius, Mia, Felice, Jonas and I.   That I can remember off, anyway.

In my opinion,  last year's TMBT was more technical.  It definitely had less elevation but it contained the elements of an adventure race.   River crossings.  Dangerous hanging bridges.  Slippery bridges.  Narrow hill ridges cut into pineapple plantation.  Psychotic Miki camp inside Miki loop.   

This year's TMBT wasn't technical at all to me.  Sure our elevation profile was killer enough.  But the roads were wide. It was mostly sand, gravel and tar all the way.  Except for after CP12 when we went into someone's plantation backyard.

So if I were forced to compare for the common layman to understand and you're based in the Klang Valley,   I would say last year's TMBT route is abit like Kiara trails and Nuang with all the technical and narrow terrain. (see http://www.cyng-chasingdreams.blogspot.com/2011/11/sabah-ultra-2011-100km-trail-most.html)   This year's TMBT is abit like FRIM and the accompanying steroid hill in there.  WITH ALOT MORE steep elevation of course.   I would say alot of people did well in this year's TMBT as it was pure brute force of pounding up and down that steepness and those hills.    But don't get me wrong. Those WERE killer hills something like HK Vibram Ultra.

So did I really improve given that they are two different terrain and routes?  I don't know. I will never know.  Unless I go back and do last year's route on my own.  Nah...... no freaking way.

I have now achieved the 7 points needed to register for UTMB next year.  Will I actually register for it? I have until Dec to think about it.  If I haven't drowned in Ironman Western Australia on Dec 9th, then maybe..... just maybe... I will.    I don't know.  One step at a time, please.

Huge thanks to the SAC team for a well organised event.  I am looking forward to what is in store next year.  Thank you Aman, Claus, Rudy and Dev.  The four of you are sincerely the most SADISTIC race directors to say the least!!!

I will kill you guys later.... adios pistachios... till my next adventure...

The hunt for the perfect shoe... Salomon Sense

It's been aeons since I last blogged. 6 months to be exact. Mainly cos I didn't feel like talking about my "performance" in Singapore Aviva IM70.3 since I didn't exactly make it in the official swim cut off of 1 hour 10mins. Although I am satisfied that I did finish it below 8 hours.  7 hours 48 mins to be exact.  The run was the only card I had left since my swim sucks and my biking is dismal.

Anyhow this post is about the new Salomon Sense that I just bought and received yesterday.

I ordered them from www.racingtheplanet.com at USD195, got a discount as I'm a participant of Sabah Ultra: TMBT 2012 but in the end that discount amount was replaced by the cost of speedy shipping at USD30 as I wanted them delivered FAST.  Otherwise you only pay USD10 for standard shipping. Ordered on saturday. Delivered to malaysia on tuesday. But our customs held it back and as soon as I received the official letter from customs on saturday to go to Sepang and collect, I went. Had to pay another RM61.85 for the release. So yeah, in total it cost me about RM709.85 for this shoe alone.

In my previous three ultras, I had worn the Asics Kayano 16 for my first ultra, Sundown Ultra 2011 which gave me bad ass blisters this big.

Since then I have stopped wearing cushioned shoes and switched to the VFF and the NB Minimus MT10 (vibram soles). I wore the Minimus for the Sabah Ultra: TMBT 2011 and it really really really hurt alot on gravel.   I then bought a North Face Cyprus (also vibram soles) for the Vibram Hong Kong Ultra.  Those shoes helped me run better than the Minimus but it feels really hard when the terrain switches to tar road since it's primarily a hiking shoe.

Therefore, in anticipation of more gravel in Sabah Ultra: TMBT 2012's edition, I decided to hunt for yet another shoe.  I read about the Salomon Sense in Jeri's blog,  http://fatbirdgoesultra.blogspot.com/2012/07/salomon-sense-review.html and http://ultra168.com/tag/salomon-sense/  Watched the review on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF1pv1Bgtpo.  There and then I decided to give it a try.    I CANNOT wear cushioned shoes anymore, cos even when I tried to wear the Newtons for my runs lately,  the blisters came back.

Took the Salomon Sense's out for a run in FRIM this morning and goshhh. I was completely bowled over. Firstly, it's really soft and it didn't feel like I even needed to break in the shoe. It's also super duper blooper LIGHT, (210grams) I kid you not. Secondly, it fits like a glove even without socks.  And most importantly,  I didn't feel the edges of rocks, pebbles and gravel.  The protection is just right albeit being a minimalist trail shoe.   These have got to be the best Salomons they have produced thus far.

From left to right:  the NorthFace Cyprus, the NB Minimus MT10 and the new Salomon Sense.

Now. Salomons have been around for some time, but I never bought them as the other models have cushioning (which I am avoiding) and the heels are high.   I prefer the heels of my shoes to be as low as possible particularly when running trails as they make me feel more stable.   Have a look at the pic above.  The heel of the NorthFace Cyprus is still quite thick and high.  The heel of the Minimus is low.  Now the Salomon Sense's heels are abit higher than the Minimus but still less thick than the NorthFace Cyprus.

Okie don't get me wrong.  If you're running on terrain that is mostly earth, then the Minimus feels great.  I LOVE wearing them when I run in Kiara particularly running down that spiralling trail which leads to the Mont Kiara lookout point.  (I think you call it Magic Carpet?).   On tuesday this raya week, I wore the NorthFace Cyprus to Gunung Nuang and FRIM on the same day, (yeah trying my best to shove in as much training as possible),  they can handle the gravel but it rained so heavily that day, the shoes became heavy to run in. Plus the clay-like terrain made me skate in them in the rain.

I haven't run in heavy rain with the Sense yet. Let's see if it rains this weekend, then I can test them out. I did find them abit soggy from this morning's run and they're still wet right now since I sweat a tad too much. But for now, they feel really really adequate to tackle this kind of gravel and keep me going.

It's quite surprising since the sole isn't as fierce as the Speedcross's soles are. In fact, they look pretty normal to me.  

I felt quite stable and agile when I was running down the other side of the mountain bike terrain. My toes weren't hitting the front of the shoe. And just to be sure, I ran up and down that mountain bike terrain loop 3 times just to be sure that the grip feels just right and it does. So I know I won't be getting more black toe nails from this one. 

A forewarning first though.  Before you immediately click and purchase the Salomon Sense, note that

1. The front of the shoes are narrow.  If you're the type who needs a 2E or 4E or mak-kwai E, then it's going to cramp your toes.
2. As with all other minimalist shoes, you need to be fore front landing. If you are still heel striking, this shoe is not for you.
3. As with all racer shoes, there's a paragraph in this review http://ultra168.com/2012/06/18/gear-review-salomon-sense/  which says:

"Well, unless you are Kilian and can run a 100 mile trail race in around 15 hours, then this shoe would be ideal up to 100kms or around 12 hours of wear time. Why do I say that  ? Well I think as you run through the day and into the night during a 100 miler, comfort starts to take over from performance in my view, and with such a low heel drop and a super light weight construction, this must take its toll over the hours ?"

Essentially it means, they're not going to last long. But I'll take my chances.

When the fat girl tries to go Ultra...

That's me. On 6th February 2010. Just two years ago. On a fateful saturday night. The FIRST time I ever participated in a run.  It was 7.7km in the Putrajaya Night Marathon.  At that time, even 1km felt very far. Just a month prior, I joined the Original Bootcamp Malaysia.  I couldn't even finish WALKING the 1 mile (1.6km) run within 15mins.  I walked it.  And I didn't make the cut.

I was very unhealthy before I tried to turn my life around. I had been smoking 3 packs a day. Drank every week. I developed hypertension. I peaked at 91kg.

Fast forward 2 years later, I had attempted many, many runs, including 8 full marathons within the first half of 2011.  It was part of my "preparation" for Sundown Ultra, Singapore, my very first Ultra Marathon.  The cut off was 18 hours. I made it in 17hours 34mins.

Because I had done too much too soon, I developed some pain in my medial collateral ligament.  So I stopped running marathons,  plus I wanted the chance to do the HSBC UK Triathlon.  For the second half of 2011, I concentrated so much on trying to swim and doing triathlons. I did the Hoohathlon, PD Triathlon, HSBC UK Triathlon, Desaru Long Distance, Desaru Sprint, Miri Olympic, Miri Sprint and finally TRIED to do the Laguna Phuket Triathlon as well as Phuket 70.3 but I suffered a bike crash in the LPT so... Phuket 70.3 was down the drain.

I couldn't exercise for about 2 months after the crash due to the blood clot in my head.  Which makes the last race I did for 2011 the Powerman Malaysia and the Sabah Ultra: TMBT, the week prior in early Nov.

Sabah Ultra TMBT's cut off was 36 hours.  I made it in 34hours 41mins. http://www.cyng-chasingdreams.blogspot.com/2011/11/sabah-ultra-2011-100km-trail-most.html  and http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150341660336765.343507.732086764&type=3&l=ee2e96acc9 Then for some weird reason, I became bolder and registered for the Vibram Hong Kong 100km.  It became my first race for 2012.   I didn't really talk about it to anyone. I know the terrain was tough. I know it was a mixture of sand, earth, steps, tar, abit of gravel and big, big rocks.  Worse, I had no idea how was I going to tackle the cumulative elevation gain of more than 4500m.   Plus the issue that I have lost 2 months of training since the bike crash.  I didn't get clearance from the doctor to do this HK100.  As long as I still had dizziness, I knew he would say no. I tend to get the dizziness when I lie down.  Not when I'm upright.  So I figured, since I can withstand going through the whole night without napping,  I'm going to try it anyway.  The cut off was 32 hours.  If you can do it within 24 hours, you get a special trophy.  I made it in 28hours 47mins.  I didn't get a trophy, I got the hoodie and certificate of participation.  But it doesn't bother me. I'm more than satisfied that I even managed to complete it at all.

By now, I'm sure you've seen many pictures of what HK100 was like.

(http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150543559311765.368857.732086764&type=3&l=585e98e026)   It was indeed hilly and steep.  But the scenery more than makes up for it.  My favourite has got to be this feller.

 Yes. That is one of the participants climbing up. And I followed soon after. I literally jammed for a good few minutes. I was like... how the heck am I supposed to tackle this thing???  We already had to climb many hills before this one.  And this wasn't even the peak yet. This is Needle Hill.  The third highest peak in Hong Kong. I still had to tackle the second highest peak which is Grassy Hill below. But Grassy Hill was tar all the way.

Then finally I needed to tackle Tai Mo Shan.  The highest peak in Hong Kong.  The picture below, is where I needed to get to.

From where I was standing, that looked like a million miles away. It felt really, really far and damn hard to finish.  But I was adamant on TRYING to finish.

You see, I am not a runner. I cannot call myself a runner. I don't run daily. And I definitely cannot sustain running the WHOLE 100km. I spend alot more time swimming since swimming doesn't hurt me so much. (I'm supposed to be more hardworking in cycling, but now that's another planet altogether)

I couldn't train as much as the others in preparing for this HK100.  I sure as hell didn't do a 50km that I'm supposed to, a couple of weeks before this race at least.  I tried to train in FRIM in the first few weeks of February. (This race was Feb 18.) I ran Rover track at the most 5 times in one go, trying to simulate withstanding the pressure of running uphill.  But even 5 times of Rover track and round the loop only gives me 18km.

Yeap. THAT was my mileage in training for this HK100. For like 3 weeks only! I was severely undertrained.

I think the only thing I had was the "experience" of having tackled Sundown Ultra on the road before. And Sabah Ultra on the trails before.  In terms of "nutrition", for Sundown Ultra, I survived on two gels and half a bun. For Sabah Ultra, I ate about 4 gels, 3 perpetuem solids, abit of rice, chicken and vege at checkpoint 5 and 3 buns.  For HK Ultra, I ate 3 gels, 3 buns, 1 cup noodle and 2 perpetuem solids.

In terms of gear, I used three different hydration bags for all three ultras.

From right, it was used in Sundown ultra, it was very slim and I liked it alot. The middle Camelbak is what I used for Sabah ultra, since you need to carry EVERYTHING you want to eat and need (headlamps, batteries, emergency blanket, sauna pants and jacket, gels) It is NOT slim. And it is damn heavy to run in, once you add 2 liters of water and all the stuff you need.  The grey Nathan bag in the leftmost, that seems to be the best hydration bag for me now.  I could fit the necessities for HK ultra in it. And it was alright to run in. Well for the most part, we were lucky they offered alot of food in each support check point.

In terms of shoes, well...

Those are my very first running shoes. The Asics Kayano 16.  It served me in almost all my runs up till Sundown ultra when they killed me after my feet expanded, as well as give me bad ass blisters.  See how narrow the front are.  I threw them away after completing Sundown ultra.

The left pair are the NB Minimus MT10.  Which I have also abandoned after using them in Sabah ultra, as they hurt alot on the gravel.  The right pair are my new North Face Cyprus which I used for HK100.  Which are better on gravel, but they're actually hiking shoes.  So it's not light when running on tar road plus it feels very "keras" (hard).  There is no cushioning as they are vibram soles. Both the NB Minimus MT10 and the North Face Cyprus are vibram soles. I still haven't given up yet on vibrams.

In terms of clothing, I'm sure that is a matter of personal taste, so I don't need to talk about mine here.  

Now. This page is like a double edged sword here. I know I will be attacked for my slow timing (again) and there will be remarks like "Aiyah.... Cynthia so slow and undertrained also can make it,  sure can do wan lah"

Yes. I agree with you that you should train for such a distance. Especially if you want awesome pawsome timing. For this HK ultra, it was ALOT like Climbathon (running up Mount Kinabalu) as there were MANY stairs. And it was hilly.  Sundown ultra was on the road. It isn't hilly as Sabah or Hong Kong is. But when you're using the same muscle group all the time, you tend to get cramps.   Sabah ultra is a whole different terrain altogether, it's definitely NOT like Climbathon (at least to me, it isn't).  That's why I feel it's not a fair comparison to ask me which is harder, Sabah ultra or HK ultra.

In my opinion, Sabah ultra's terrain is alot of gravel and trail.  (which doesn't make pure running easy), it is rough and and it is raw. Especially check point 6 to checkpoint 7. Holy crap. That Miki Loop still scares the shit out of me.  There ARE steep parts of Banjaran Crocker so don't look down on Sabah's terrain, please. 

I feel that if you are the type of runner who loves to tackle the stairmaster,  then you would love HK100.  If you don't like a lot of stairs, then you would enjoy Sabah ultra TMBT.  But really, most importantly, is to keep an open mind and try out as many terrains as you can.

One main thing I have learnt after these three ultras, particularly in Sabah Ultra TMBT and Vibram HK100, is that I need to accept the conditions of the race as they are.  Whether it is hot or cold, steep or flat, tough or easy, it is what it is. And as a wanna-be runner, I need to be able to withstand all these conditions.  Whether there are enough support stations or not,  when it comes to an ultra, you HAVE to be self sufficient.  Stop expecting to get your money's worth. This isn't a McDonald's value meal. And like Raymond Ng told me when I complained why was the ending to TMBT still so hard at the end!!! He said, it is like that, if you don't like it, then don't join. He was so right. Cos the terrain is what it is. It's what the villagers use everyday!

Don't expect so much from the organiser.  HK100 planned alot of food for each station. But it didn't matter to me cos I KNEW,  by the time I arrived, most of the food would be gone. I was lucky there were still some buns left.   In my opinion, HK100 was abit like Sundown Ultra, in terms of "pampering" the participants.  They set up their support stations around toilets.  Promised alot of food, coffee and tea. But really all those kind of things don't matter to me.  I don't utilise them anyway. Learn to be independent. As a runner that's how it should be.  For non-races, you have to be independent during your runs anyway.  Test out your gear. Test what nutrition plan works for you.   

Most importantly, keep an open mind. What I've learnt from more experienced runners like Michelle Looi,  you shouldn't just look at the distance. You need to look at the terrain, the weather, the elevation, muddiness, etc. I may be doing a 100k and you're doing a 50k.  But your 50k may be more "chee kek" (tougher) than my 100k if you need to climb more.  And especially, if you can SUSTAIN running the WHOLE trail distance, I fully respect you. 

And that's why, this year.  Things will be different. You won't see me in alot of races. I will pick and choose. I no longer need to try out everything like I did for 2011.  I will train properly. I will get ready for Ironman Western Australia properly.  I will run 2012's Sabah Ultra TMBT properly.  

Time to get ready, baybeh~!

31... Alive and Kicking...

I turn 31 on Jan 14th. How did that small little girl grow up to be so demented, disturbed, troubled and psychotic?  I can't explain.  What's the point.  I'm usually very excited during this time of the year cos I like birthdays.  But this year.... it's just not the same.  Probably because I'm still injured and feeling very low.  And taking too long to recover. Yuck.

I don't know how old was I in that picture.  Here's another one.

 

 

I don't have many childhood pictures that are still there physically.  Cos one day I went berserk and burnt all my photos.  So much for trying to erase myself.  I'm still here.  Demmit.

 

This picture was from Form 3. I was 15.

I can't remember about this one. I think I should have been 17 by then. I think.

Ahhh... one of the peak stages of my fatness. I don't remember how heavy I was in this picture.  But my heaviest was 91kg.  Just about 3 years ago.

I do miss Jia and Rizal.  Probably cos they were one of the few friends who accepted me when I was so fat.

This was the lowest weight I have ever been since peaking at 91kg.   This was 63.8kg on 25th Nov 2011.  Just a day before I crashed the bike and put on 3 kilos since then cos I can't exercise due to the head injury sustained.

I've always been a slow learner.  It takes me some time to understanding something. Last year was probably the craziest year ever for me. Last year I had the best job in the world.  My boss and teammates were not based here with me. So I took the opportunity and chased 9 full marathons, two 100k's and 9 triathlons,  not including Powerman and other smaller distance running events in between.  I even tried to go up Mount Kinabalu in 3.5 hours for that Climbathon thing.  I've never even been up that mountain on a leisure basis.  I did so much last year, it's really psychotic.  But overall I think I did okay for a fat girl.

But as I turn 31 tomorrow and 2012 just started with me being jobless, hmm... what's in store for this year? I'm aiming for an Ironman Western Australia finish in Dec.  I don't know if I will make it. But I always start out races like this. Now knowing if I will. I just know I will be more satisfied knowing I tried.  Instead of being on the sidelines and wondering if I can.  But then most, if not all,  female metal monkeys are like this. Let's try everything at least once.  Can't find a party? Make your own.

To each one of you who've been so patient as my friend, congrats to you for surviving another crazy year with me!  :D    Hahaha.... Here's to 2012.  I look forward to finding out what else is in store!

What do I do?

A month has passed.  Why do I not feel any better? Why is my head still spinning? Why do I tumble when I'd just woken up? Why does my back, nape of my neck and shoulder ache like hell? Why does my left ankle hurt like hell? Why does my right knee not bend or raise as high as I used to be able to? Why do I always feel tired?  It's already a whole month.

I had to deactivate my facebook.  I don't want to find myself writing how I really feel on facebook.  I don't need anyone to read and comment that I'm making drama.  I would not wish for the same thing to happen to you just so you know how it feels.  But there's already enough fakeness in the cyber world. I'm not going to pretend everything is okay when it's not.  I don't feel like my body is healing at all.

Maybe progress is slow cos I still ran on Patong a few days after crashing just to find out if I can withstand the pain for Ironman70.3.   That's the thing.  I could.  But maybe the drugs that the Thai doctors gave were alot more helpful. I can't seem to get those drugs here. I only got them for 10 days when I first crashed in Phuket and that's it.  Here I was only prescribed meds for my brain recovery.  What about my body???  I calculated again and realised I was actually unconcious for more than 3 hours, not 1 hour. No wonder looters stole from me. He/She thought I had died.

I'm sick of the word REST. I'm not getting any better.  People look at me and think I'm fine. Yes. I look fine. But I'm khayal all the time. When the hell can I swim again? I can't even dance without feeling like I'm going to topple.


I know it's Christmas. I'm supposed to be grateful to be alive. But every time I think about Jodie, I can't help but feel she should be the one in my shoes, and I should be dead.  She has a son.  She deserves to be able to walk and move around.

I don't even know what the hell am I supposed to do now.

No one can understand

You never really heal.  Not for 10 years. Not for 13 more. Not for the physical pain. Not for anything.

Time to move on...

It's Friday, Dec 16th 2011. Wow. Another 2 months and it would have been 8 years to be exact.

I found this picture by accident. I was looking for something in the LPT rules & regulations and found out that hey! I have 6 pictures in their collection even though I DNF-ed the whole thing for crashing in the bike leg.  I am very, very, very, very proud of this picture. This is when I came out of the lake after the sea.

Firstly, I am proud that I survived swimming in the sea albeit it took me like 46 mins to stop zig zagging and get out of the sea route. There were only 6 buoys in the whole sea route and when you turn back, the sun is in your eye. Thereafter I'm proud to have survived the lake, as the total cut off was 1 hour 10mins to finish swimming BOTH the sea and the lake.  I finished both in 1 hour 5mins. Yes. The sun was still in my eye and there were only 3 buoys in the lake. Yes. I am always scraping through. For the record, I wasn't the last swimmer. There were still 10 more bikes left at transition when I counted. Of course my timing for swimming is nothing to others and to you. But it is everything to me. For me, I am damn happy to finish it within the cut off time at all.   And that I swam entirely alone.  From when we transferred from the mainland to the front of the sea, I didn't know anyone in the crowd anymore.  I was entirely alone.  And I made it.  Especially when I never had a chance to swim in the sea and lake to get a 'feel' of the water.  I just jumped in on race day. (Which is a contributing factor to my entire failure in LPT.... but oh well)

Remember,  I only started to learn how to swim when? And start to swim laps when?  I REALLY REALLY REALLY only started to swim laps in June this year. (Hoohathlon Tri attempt in June, PD Tri attempt in July, HSBC UK Tri attempt in Sept, Desaru Tri - LD and Sprint attempts in Sept,  Miri Tri attempts -both Sprint and OD in Oct and Laguna Phuket Tri attempt in Nov.  There was supposed to be an IM70.3 attempt in Dec as well... but .... oh well...)

The first wave to go were the elites and professionals, then the second wave were the err.. other age groupers then I was in the third and last wave. Phew.   I was abit shocked that there were only 6 buoys in the sea.  Makes me feel that the triathlons we do in Malaysia..... WE ARE SO DAMN SPOILT!!!  We have more buoys in the tri's we do here. Therefore anytime I panic, I can catch one.  But in Phuket?  You better know how to sight,  or you'd end up like me,  zig zagging ALL OVER THE PLACE and losing time since I didn't know where the heck was I swimming to.

When I exited the sea, I remember panicking since my sea time was already 46 mins.  I know they said the lake is only 620meters,  but that's if you're swimming straight and on course.  Yours truly was zig zagging in the lake too! There were only 3 buoys for the whole lake! And there were weird plants down there,  the algae and stuff were "catching" my face, my hands, my legs!  I know I didn't swim straight to the arch.  I know I was away from the exit arch.  But when I finally finished swimming,  the feeling was just incredible.  I finally am independent. I made it on my own without anyone. YES!  Sifu Richard Tang's idea of me swimming alone in Miri for both OD and Sprint worked. I no longer fear swimming open water. :D

I am also familiar with Laguna Phuket by now. Having finished the full marathon in June and then attempted the triathlons at the end of the same year. It is really a nice, self contained resort.  Do the Laguna Phuket marathon if you're contemplating.  It is hilly and hot.  But it is worth it.


But what's up with today's date? It's my last physical day with HSBC. I have to leave. I'm not going into details. But damn.  That fateful day was really the last time I got to wear their Tri-suit.  It tore when I crashed in the bike leg.  And since I have resigned, I cannot wear it anymore in competitions.  :(  I really believed in the branding. I was really proud of it. I think we're like the only bank to hold our own triathlons in the UK for the past 4 years.  I knew when I was in UK that I had to go all out, but I still didn't make it in the second lap of the swim. I cycled and ran.  But the feeling is just not the same. If I can save some money, maybe I'd go back to UK next year and finish it this time.  I had the best boss.  The most supportive team mates.  :(  Good things just don't last forever, huh.

Sokaylah.  I did most of the things I wanted to do this year already.... Well.... Most.  Next year is a whole new ball game. 2012!!! Bring it on!!!  nuninuninuninu......