Penang Bridge Marathon 2009

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Trekking Up Penang Hill

Would you like to join me (and a few other runners) to go trekking up Penang Hill on Monday (23 Nov) morning after the run? Up and down Penang Hill is about 4 hours. Require to stay extra Sunday night in Penang.

Here is the plan:

Saturday 21 Nov -- start journey from Kuala Lumpur at 7 am. In the good name of carbo loading, we shall have heavy refreshment at Ipoh Old Town, then lunch at Penang, afternoon tea and dinner.

Sunday 22 Nov -- Participating in the run; relax, visiting places and indulge in Penang's gastronomical delights

Monday 23 Nov -- Trekking up Penang Hill. Round trip is about 4 hours; check-out of hotel; have lunch; travel back to Kuala Lumpur.

Do contact me if you are interested: kcle3@streamyx.com or 012-266 8166

Please click here or here for the privious's year Penang Bridge Marathon reports.
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Filepix -- Penang Bride marathon 2008 at Queenbay Mall

Training Run

The time is right to do a 20km training in preparing for the Penang Bridge Marathon scheduled to be held on Sunday 22 November

So on Sunday morning on 8 November, I started my run at 6:00 a.m. at the MPSJ (Subang Jaya) track when the sky is still dark. My target is to run two hours: first hour in darkness and the second hour in daylight. After all, this marathon would be run in the early morning.

I begin to like this MPSJ training ground as I just wake up half an hour ealier, refresh, walk a distance of 700 meters and I could start my run. The best thing is that I could place my drinks and bananas or chocolate bars just next to the track. At every half hour interval, I shall detour and have light refreshment. The next best thing is that the newly completed toilet (which is meant for VIPs during other functions) is just next to the track. So one does not need to worry much about answering nature's call.

A day ago, the EBC (Everest Base Camp 5,500m) trekkers went for the extreme challenge in the SkyTrek adventure in Shah Alam. One of the trekkers asked where to pee when one is busy in the game hanging high up of 30 meters in the trees nested in the rain forest. Another trekker quipped that since the EBC certified trekkers have lots of experience already adapting to high altitude, that should not be a problem. Note: the EBC trekkers just completed the trekking trip from 4 to 20 October 2009 (where yours truly is the team lead for the 13-member team).

So I ran and ran and ran, dividing the 2-hour training into four segments of half hour each. The concept is much like running a marathon dividing the challenge into four 10km distance. It was a pleasant and cool morning as the rain just stopped in the early morning.

The problem with running in circuit is that there is strong urge to stop short of the target time. So I started to identify other runners for some 'hidden' challenge by keeping the distance constant by running in relation to the targeted runner.

Finally, it was a relief that I could run in circuit for two hours... mission accomplished. Next week, I shall run for 10km to 15km and I am ready for the Penang Bridge Marathon by taking part in the Half category.

Note: EBC Part 5 will be resumed soon.

Written by KC

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