Standard Chartered KL Marathon Race Report - Team Athlete Chan Jun Shen

Team2ndskin Athlete Chan Jun Shen and Deo AH broke their personal best in Standard Chartered KL Marathon! Checkout Chan Jun Shen's race report and his tips to get faster on race day!

2016 is a big year for me to chew ever since I set up my goals to be achieved. The main goal is to pass my Air Engineer’s board followed by all the sporting achievement goals include breaking all my personal best by end of the year. My main goal took up a lot of my time, I come back to my room really late at times. Hardly get an 8 hours working routine because I need to learn as much as I can in the Air Wing. Not complaining, I enjoy learning new things. 7^th of August became my big day to break my long overdue personal best for Marathon Distance. The last time I seriously ran a 42.195km was in 2010 when I finished 3 hours 38 minutes with lots of walking at the last 10km, poor pace management. I knew I have the potential to do much better than this but I had some other commitments, so I put this goal on a rain check. Standard Chartered KL Marathon is my best chance to break my PB. 

Preparation 

Based on my race records, I consistently clock average 4.19-4.25mins/km in all my Half Marathon distance. So I worked out my pace from there. I was a fat 58kg athlete 4 months before SCKLM, the goal was to shed 4kg before the race week, consistently carboload after training, stay injury free by stretching every day and gradually increase the training mileage. I bought a digital weighing scale, every day after training I will strip off naked for weighing before I key in my weight data in Garmin Connect. As I slowly increase my mileage, I notice my ankle couldn’t take the stress. I went back to Garmin Connect and check my Running Dynamics to confirm my running gait. True enough, I have very minor imbalance in Ground Contact Time. The left foot kick off faster than the right foot, taking up more stress compared to the right foot. I did some correction drills but not much improvement seen, the left foot is still kicking harder than the right. I came to the last resort, working on my cadence. If I can up my average cadence from 180 to 182, I can greatly reduce the ground impact and also improve my vertical oscillation. I set the metronome in Garmin Forerunner 920xt every time I do cadence drills. It helps to keep my tempo without overstriding. Roughly one week leading to race day, my resting heart rate went down to 49 beats per min. I was very well rested.

Utilizing Garmin Connect to correct my running gait.

Pre Race Day

I weighed 55kg before I drove back to KL from Lumut with my squad Lt Quek, he will be losing his marathon virginity in SCKLM. =p I got my race pack delivered to my house but he didn’t, so we still had to drop by the race expo to pick up. I didn’t check the race pack collection area so we both went to Dataran Underground instead of Kenanga Wholesale City Mall, rookie’s mistake! Then we walked to KWC Mall, brisk walk passed all the booth saying hi and wishing each other good luck for tomorrow then got back home by noon. Quek and I had super heavy Nasi Goreng Kambing, my way of getting a good sleep. I love to sleep after heavy meal. 7pm we were already on the bed. At 10pm, I was awaken 2 times by Azan, then I couldn’t get back to sleep anymore. I watched youtube, checked the race route, had a look at my race gears, then laid on my bed again. I just try to let the body lay flat and rest despite not able to sleep. The pre race jitters got really serious, I was listening to my own heart beat middle of the night. 

Race Day

 

Train ride to race start.   

Had my breakfasts, 4 breads and kaya, 2 bananas and a hard boiled egg made by my mum before she slept. The complementary train ride was a big thumbs up from me. This shows how much of attention to details given by the organizer to make everything easy for all runners. Baggage check in was a bit far from race start, but I believe it was a smart move to prevent congestion at the starting line. 30 minutes before gun goes off, I was inside Pen2 doing my warm up. I had a lot of thoughts lingering in my mind. GPS signal locked, metronome set, virtual partner good to go and all alerts are working in my Garmin Forerunner 920xt. I am very sure Skechers GoMeb Speed 3 is perfect for me, the only thing I modified was the traditional laces replaced with lock laces. Annie said she wanna run with me but I told her that I am willing to screw up this race holding at high pace, so if I fumble this time please proceed with her podium goal. I will try to hold 4.45mins/km as long as my body could take it. 10 seconds before the race kick off, I took a few deep breath and wet my body with the mineral water I carried too cool my body down. I wore my 2ndskin Vapor Lite running vest, so the evaporation mechanism helps to cool my body off.

First 3 kilometer I was doing like 4.15mins/km without realizing. I slowed down a few times just to stick to my 4.45mins/km plan. Deo and I were running side by side but we didn’t talk, both wanna PB so we save the nonsense after the race. =p Many runners formed their pack but I never bother to follow, I have my virtual partner in my watch already. I took a caffeinated energy gel at Jalan Jelatek Fire Station kilometer 10, one capsule of Hammer Endurolytes and Hammer Anti Fatigue. Up till kilometer 21 as I entered Duke Highway, my rhythm was awesome as I felt fresh, super fresh. Average pace was holding at 4.30mins/km. There were a few rolling hills around kilometer 22, all of a sudden I felt a little sluggish. My watch’s alerts never stopped beeping to warn me that I am slower than 5.05mins/km! Weh panjat bukit la for sure la slower! I picked up my coke given by OP Azrul X Game, he paced me a bit with his new bike. Didn’t get a chance to have a glimpse at his new race machine. Maintaining a caffeine free diet gave me the advantage of kicking the pace higher once I get my caffeine boost. Soon, I was back to 4.30mins/km pace. My parents were on the highway cheering for me in the wee hour because Duke Highway is just next to my neighborhood.

I had to consume more gels from kilometer 24 onward. I started to starve a little, pace was dropping to 4.40mins/km also. My simplest rule, eat energy gels when hungry. Every 5km I took in one gel. The change was a dramatic one, from super fresh at kilometer 21 come to slight hunger at kilometer 24. This is not good. I am aware of the major climbs at kilometer 33 onward, so I needed to refuel at every single water stations. The drum beats along the highway kept my tempo going, and the volunteers were really helpful in assisting us. I snatched one cup of isotonic, and two cups of plain water. My Skechers GoMeb Speed 3 was not soaked with water despite some of the cups I missed, the ventilation was superb!

Kilometer 30, I was a struggling to keep my 4.45mins/km pace, my face tells everything. I still can finish this within my PB time because I am more than 20 minutes ahead of my PB time! Hydration and refueling went as per planned, till around kilometer 34 I snatched a Caffeinated Hammer Energy Gel given by my team mate Tri Stupe. I stuck the tempo set by my metronome, keep up with the 180 beat per minute. The slow pace alerts really discouraged me, I can’t dig anymore deeper in my reserves! Kilometer 35 onwards, I barely survive the hilly winding roads of Langgak Tungku at 5.00mins/km pace. Although I am lacked in LSD mileage, I have nothing to regret because every single day I am racing against time to finish up my work! The mental battle starts now. Legs feeling the tingling cramping sensation. 

Kilometer 35 took a long time to reach, I saw my 2ndskin team mate Jason. Took another coke, drank as much as I could to get the caffeine boost. Yuan Yu Fang local women champ overtook me at this time. Then I saw my UPNM batchmate Aiman, he escorted me with my 5.00mins/km pregnant tortoise pace. Still ahead of time, possibly hit a 3 hours 21 minutes finishing time! 

I was about to tell him that if I ever collapse please wake me up, I have 20 minutes nap to spare for my PB =p Hope he knows that I wear my LifelineID Companion. I cannot wait to settle this and go home to sleep! 

 

Smoked a Half marathoner=p

Kilometer 40, I up the pace to finish off whatever I left in my tank. Tried to take one more Hammer Anti Fatigue and end up dropping it. Huge disappointment! Till now, I had sucked in 11 gels in total! Surely my urine will be the same colour as the energy gel later. Haha. The legs start to cramp, my jaw and fingers cramped also. If any shorter distance runner bang me, definitely my weak body cannot take the hit already. I just need to survive 9 more minutes and I can collapse after that. 

 Sufferfest! =)

Just keep going!!! 500m before the finishing arch, my parents, Edan were cheering so excitedly. Aiman left me here to let me conclude my mission. Come on!!! I pumped my hands and kick as hard as I could to score the very final phase of my Marathon at pace 4.10mins/km. Once crossed the finishing arch at time 3 Hours 22 Minutes 40 Secs, beat my personal best by 16 minutes! That’s around 3 kilometers ahead! Hoorah!

 3 Hours 22 Minutes. New Personal Best by 16 minutes! =)

My body hurt so badly, once I received my medal and finisher tee, I laid down on the floor and nap. Aiman is a true friend sitting next to me ever ready to give me assistance, then my parents came. I had massage, didn’t have to queue because I finished the race early. Haha. One thing for sure, I was not in disbelief because I could have done this long time ago if I put an effort to break it. In the meantime, I use the apps made by organizer for us to checkout on our friends. Quek and Annie were still out there. Deo already finished a few minutes behind me, he scored his PB as well! I was so glad for the race went smoothly and uneventful. I will be taking one week of break from running, let my two toenail peel off first before I come back to training. I am done with my marathon dream this year, next will be Ironman!

 

Let me sleep first =p 

 With my parents=)

 Lt Aiman the Great

 

My Thank You wish =)

Thanks to my parents for waking up so early made hard boiled egg for my breakfast and stood by the road cheering for me. Thanks to my friend OP Azrul X Game for offering me the bottle of coke that revived me from a sluggish 5.00mins/km pace to 4.30mins/km at those critical kilometer marks. Thanks to my team2ndskin fellas, it is always a fruitful discussion prior to race day. Thanks @jasoncolour and Tri Stupe for the coke and gel at the Langgak Tungku ever ending hills, I was brought alive from dead. Thanks to @alphot for escorting me starting from kilometer 35 when I was really struggling and bonked so badly, it meant a lot to me. Thanks to all family and friends for tracking me and all the midnight good luck wishes. Thanks to @becca_jori for being so understanding throughout my busy days working and training, you're the best girlfriend ever! ;-) Thanks to @2ndskinasia @hammernutrition @skechersmalaysia @garminmalaysia @lifelineID and most importantly Royal Malaysian Navy for all sorts of support including providing gears and fuels for this race. Thanks to Tadonamo and Old Putera gang for keeping track. Congratulations to my buddy virgin marathoner Lt Quek for the strong finish.

3 hours 22 minutes, my new Personal Best for marathon distance 42.195km specially dedicated to everyone who supported this mission of mine.
‪#‎team2ndskin‬ ‪#‎teamNavy‬ ‪#‎teamOP‬ ‪#‎garminmalaysia‬ ‪#‎hammernutrition‬‪#‎2ndskin‬ ‪#‎skechers‬

‪#‎GoMebSpeed3‬ ‪#‎NavyEngineer‬

 

  Finisher Certificate. Ranked 39 Overall. =)

4 Days after SCKLM, I sat for my Air Engineer’s board with my boss and I managed to pass it smoothly. Next target is to pass the Chief Engineer’s board for me to slash the biggest goal of this year! Nobody understood the pain I had in my body underneath my uniform, I never complain or give any excuse to skip my work for the sake of racing. All age groupers face the same challenge, just like me. Right now, my motivation is high and strong. Hopefully 2016 will be a fruitful year for me!

BSG Property 15km Race 2015 Race Report : Jun Shen

Team Athlete Jun Shen and Annie Yee ran a good race over the weekend at the BSG 15KM run. Annie won the women category (Congrats!) and Jun Shen posted a very good timing. Here is Jun Shen's report. Thank you for sharing sir! (by the way, you very the drama lah)
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BSG Property 15km Race 2015 Race Report

BSG Property 15km Race 2015 is another race which I signed up when I was at 

Pulau Mabul. I could hardly get connections at sea, so at that time I registered 

3 back to back races hoping that when I come back from operations I can race 

during the weekends. On Friday I was on duty as Officer of The Day, it is part of

my routine to conduct silent round when everyone is sleeping so the next day I 

was a little groggy while driving to Butterworth due to deprive of sleep. 

I met Michael, Jasmine and Ethan at Seaview Tower; one of my favourite pit stop 

in Penang. I am pretty close with them; it started way back in 2012 when I 

coached Ethan swimming during my internship in Prai Power Plant. 

I brought along Ethan’s long due birthday present that I bought from internet. 

Never had the chance to celebrate with him because of my packed schedule.

Bought him a 4WD TAMIYA, one of the toy that I adored very much when I was 
a boy. However, the price tag made it elusive for me to own one. I only played 

those China made ones. I’m glad that he likes it.

We had dinner at Xiao Fei Yang Steamboat, Penang Island. The food was really 

good, been craving for steamboat in ages. I always have sleeping problem caused 

by pre race anxiety, somehow on Saturday night I dozed off rather fast after 
stuffing my stomach with all sorts of sliced meat. I got up at 3am in the morning, 
pushed off to race site around 4am.

I found a parking lot right next to race site, just couldn’t believe how close it was 

to the starting line. When I was doing a little warm up, my team mate Annie Yee 
approached me and gave me a biggie Hi 5. She just scored her personal best in 

Hong Kong marathon last week, so this week is not likely she is going to score 

another PB. She doesn’t need PB to thrash the field anyway=). We chit chatted 

during the warm up before I introduced her to Hammer Anti Fatigue Capsules. 

I finished my Hammer Perpetuem drink as my pre race food and planned to 
carry one Hammer Gel Apple Cinnamon flavour with me (another gel given 
to Annie).

Flag off was super congested. Penang has plenty of super fast runners, my plan 

was to place myself in the chase pack with 4.00mins/km pace, then slowly drop 

the pace to around 4.30mins/km. Over the years I have learned to run in my 
own stable pace instead of chasing the front pack like a man possessed. 

Garmin Forerunner 920xt will be making its first appearance in racing today. I’ve tested it during training to get familiarized with the functions. I got dropped by a 

lot of runners in the early few kilometres despite my watch says 4.00mins/km. Recently I feel some discomfort in my knees, Patellar Tendonitis maybe? 

Hopefully not. I opt to use Kinesio Tape given by Major Kumar when I did my 

physio with him in Lumut Armed Forces Hospital.

The course was pancake flat, we ran around Gurney Drive then turn back to 

Tanjung Tokong. At kilometre 9, I sucked in my Hammer Gel as I felt I was at 

my 80% effort already. The Kinesio Tape supported my knees till this point 
before it starts peeling off. My pace was gradually dropping to 4.30mins/km 
already. 

I really gritted my teeth and close my eyes every now and then to close up the 

gap with the bunch of runners in front of me. I would say today’s field is really 

strong. I suffered 3km to bridge that 50m gap! That means they are increasing 

their pace at every distance marker! Distance marking along the course is 
very accurate and easily sighted; marshals were way better than the FTKLAA 
Sports Toto Run. The final 3km was a hell for me, my abs was cramping and
my back was getting spasms. My breathing rhythm went one inhale and 
one exhale synchronized with my steps to support my effort, I guess my 
body is not ready for this intensity but the mind just says “shut up legs” 
and keep digging deep! 

Like Kevin Siah said to me during Ironman, “Dig Deep! Dig Deep!”. I don’t know 

how deep could I dig somemore or I’m digging my own grave=p I showered 

myself at all water stations to keep my overheating engine cool, it’s not gonna 

make my race kit heavier as my 2ndskin team tee is made of Vapor Skin 
material, ultralight and breathable; as I always tell my team, “feels naked but 
it got you covered”. After making the final turn, Annie from the opposite site 
yelled my name but I was dead tired to respond. She was first placing in her 
category yet still has time to greet me; she made it look so easy. 
The finishing line was in festive atmosphere with drum beats welcoming the 
finishers to cross the arch.

GPS is always ready, only me not all the time ready. Haha. 

By the time I crossed and stopped my watch, I was about to pass out. I don’t remember when was the last time I pushed myself this hard. With my work commitment yet I’m able to do average pace 4.19mins/km, I’m contented. I 

pressed the start button a bit late so that’s why the distance is short about 
300m.

Team 2ndskin in action. 

Annie told me the Anti Fatigue worked for her, so I gave him my whole bottle. 

Gonna order another bottle for myself soon. She chose to run in the stiffer 

Skechers GoSpeed while I ran with my Skechers GoSpeed2. Annie sounds very 

mature and wiser now, life has toughen her up perhaps. 

Meet Calvin Boon, man behind the Alpha Project. He ran a 55mins 15km, 

did extra distance somemore due to wrong turning at the final U-turn yet doesn't change his champion position. Super fast runner. 

It feels like Chinese New Year already. 

I rushed back to Lumut immediately after race to rest my body before I close up 

duty as Officer of The Day again on Monday. I had a good massage by Annie 

(not Annie Yee), the thai lady that fixes my aching muscles. She is about my 

mum’s age, has abundance of strength pressing those trigger points. As I’m

typing this race report, I feel so much fresher and great. Next race, next 

week's KL City Day Run, see you there. Hopefully I won't get lost again at 

the same course=)

Skechers GoSpeed2 : Quick Review by Irene Chong

A week before the Tasik Kenyir international triathlon race, our principle- Eugene brought me some good news where he told me that I could collect my new racing shoes and the best thing was I still had time to run in it and break it in before the race. :)

With Speedlaces

I have had good experience with the previous version of GoSpeed, which was my choice of racing shoes. Eugene, EV, Chan and Roy run in the GoSpeed2 and they have told me very good things about it, so I was very eager to try it out.

Well, this time I still chose the male fit as the toe box is slightly wider and it fit me well and also I chose my fav colour- Blue. Since I do triathlons, I need to ensure that I can slip on my racing shoes fast in transition and that my shoes are easily spotted. Customizing my new shoes, I put on a set of quick laces in 2 color tones, red and yellow and I think they look really striking!

New material

The new GoSpeed2 is definitely softer at the sole, not as stiff as the original GoSpeed. The internal layering of the shoe at the side is smooth and that allows me to snug in my shoes faster, quicker and easier. The air circulation and breathability  is improved which my feet didn't feel super hot when I'm racing under hot sun and hot road. Good breathability shoes allow me to focus 100% on my running because every time when I feel the heat from my shoes, I will keep pouring water onto my shoes to cool it down and that causes the shoes to retain water and get heavier.

New flex-strip. More forgiving material = softer landing

One of the improvements (for me at least) of this shoes is the sole. The resalyte sole is softer than the previous version. Previously I will experience pain and muscle soreness after more than 10km run with my GoSpeed during a race or a hard training session. It felt a little too stiff for my liking. Now the sole is softer and this allows me to go longer on a run with more mileage. The slightly wider toebox also fits me better and I finished the Kenyir International Triathlon without any blisters!

Thank you Jack Ah Beh Photographer www.123rf.com

As I said previously, the Skechers GoSpeed makes me want to run faster and run more because of the lightweight structure and pure racing shoe feel, and this new GoSpeed2, with its improvements, gives me even more reason to slip them on and race hard. I love these shoes!

Kenyir Triathlon Race Report 2014 : Jun Shen

Moving into adult life and a more challenging career as a serving Navy Officer, Jun Shen has brought "Fighting Fit" to another level. Challenges of not having regular hours and duty bound to protect the soverignity of the country, his training works around his limitations. This multiple Ironman Triathlon finishers do not let these stand in his way; not when he has set his eyes on this year's Ironman Malaysia to take place in less than 6-months time.

We salute you. Congrats on a good race in Kenyir.
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Kenyir Triathlon Race Report 2014

Maintaining fitness as a student cadet when I was pursuing my degree in Defence University was much easier than now. My schedule is cramped with lots of workload, basically I work from 8am to 5pm, and continue with my work after dinner till lights off. Too bad the Navy don’t pay me overtime. Ship has become my home. I eat, sleep, work and live on board. To keep myself on track for my Ironman dreams, I have to sign up for races to keep me reminded. Like it or not, it is the race pressure that pushes me to pump in more mileage in my training despite my hectic routine. So, I signed up for Kenyir Triathlon.

Me.Myself. And Boat House.

I travelled together with my Navy team to Kenyir, it was a long journey from Lumut to Kenyir, I was lucky to have a bus driver to drive me there. We were welcomed with cooling weather and awesome scenery as we checked in our boat house. The boat house was a cheap deal for us, after bargaining with the boat man, I got a room for 3 at RM100. Phone coverage was excellent in the boat, toilets are clean and the best part was we had astro to watch.

Once a Navy, always a Navy.

After we settled down and set up our bikes, I found out that my rear derailleur misaligned. My cheapskate fixie tyre was also in a very horrible condition. Shit happens every day, but in a different shape. =p  No big deal, I’m gonna get it settled. Basic bike servicing knowledge is important for triathletes, if you don’t wanna save others also you have to at least be able to save yourself. At Lake Kenyir, no bike shop nearby to rescue you. I got my rear derailleur tuned by twisting the H and L screws then some minor adjustment on my brake caliper, changed my racing tyre and lubed my chain before parking my bike at the veranda. After race briefing, I dozed off very quickly.

Among the many uses of a cloth hanger

Race morning I had a piece of bread and a Hammer Perpetuem solid. Race start was delayed for quite some time due to heavy rain, race organizer was concern on safety issue. The rain cloud was thick and dark, we’ve been getting rain every single hour since we arrived Kenyir, no thunder storm though. So I went to transition area to release my tyre pressure. I pumped in 110psi, I dropped it to 90psi, hoping to get a better traction in a wet race. Suprisingly, none of the pre race jitters bothers me this time. Partly because I’m not gonna win anyway, I just come here to do my best and test my limits. I started my swim with kicking people before people kick me, got kicked like no less than 10 times on my face till once side of my goggles sucked into my eye socket. Karma is a bitch. =p 3 months of no swimming, my strokes were flimsy and powerless like a pregnant turtle carrying hundred eggs. I was never a good swimmer anyway. Normally I’d score 29 mins for the swim, but this time around I came out of the water 42 mins, dare not even look back if anybody was behind me.

Mentally ready for the bike course, ever ready for a massive sufferfest. Behind me there was no body, I rode hard for 15km pulling an uncle who kept yelling “come on young man!”, he was like a cow boy yelling “yeeha!” and I was his horse. In this situation, either I ride hard to catch group in front or wait for the peloton from behind to catch me. Tucking myself in and riding on my new aero position, I felt really really smooth. My new bike position is actually inspired by Levi Leipheimer, both extensions are tilted 15 degrees upwards with an aero bottle in between to channel the airflow down instead of smacking my chest. I kept hammering the pedal at an average effort, saving some power for the killer climb at the final 4km. Without realising, I had a train of riders behind me. We worked together in a team time trial formation, managed to catch 3 big groups. Drafting in rainy weather is super dangerous. Firstly I don’t trust the rider in front of me because they were swaying left and right, secondly I don’t wanna damage my bike when crashing in a big bunch, thirdly I’m not good in drafting. Riding at the outer lane gives me lesser slipstream, but more safety and more training for Ironman. I felt that Hammer Anti-Fatigue Caps worked really well for me, my quads were never sore as if I could delay the lactic acid building up. Strongly recommended for athletes aiming for PB without increasing training mileage. Hahaha. I took a last sip of Hammer Endurolytes Fizz before dismounting, light tasting electrolytes that fuelled me all the way. No fly dismount like what I’d normally do due to the steep final climb before entering transition. Safety comes first, style comes second.

Skechers Go Speed awaiting me in my transition basket. I just love the responsiveness of GoSpeed. Once the running form is good, I believe stiffness of outer sole is the key to faster running. Cushion dampens the back kicking, slowing down by miliseconds for every stride. The upper mesh of GoSpeed is very breathable, I don’t have to worry running with my feet soaked every time I shower to cool off my over heating engine. I love GoSpeed very very much! I was never overtaken by anybody on the run course. I kept reminding myself to maintain my running form and lean a little for better running economy. Chloe from GetActive gave me some strength and conditioning program for me to do, helping me to strengthen my weak core muscles. Those workouts really helped me to hold my running form in a longer period.  Average pace 4.58 mins/km, not too bad for the hilliest triathlon course in Malaysia. I finished the race of 1.6km swim, 45km bike and 11km run in 3 hours 4 mins, recorded by Garmin 910xt. Irene my 2ndskin team mate is much faster this time, I couldn’t catch her on the run at all. She was way too fast compared to Morib Triathlon when we raced together, earning herself age group champion on the podium=)

Team 2ndSkin represented

2XU Run Race Report by Tri Stupe

With Annie

We all love race reports. Team 2ndSkin has raced in many races and the team's schedule can be viewed in this part of the website here. Some of our team mate has their own blogs and it is only natural that some cross-postings happen between here and theirs. Today, it is Ee-Van aka Tri Stupe's entry on the recently concluded 2XU run at Bukit Tunku area. Himself and Annie Yee raced and Annie came up 5th in the Women Category. Congrats Annie! Well done Stupe on the good timing for the 15km run (1:11:45)

Here is his race report

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2XU 15km 2013 Race Report

...Many would had thought it was the ONLY hill, as after all, Bukit Tunku can't be that brutal, right? All i can say is that the 2XU run provided me what I usually do on Sunday...Hillwork. I was really happy as beyond KM8 was hills after hills after hills...[click here to read the full entry]

Thank you Kenny Foo Photography

Racing In Skechers GoMeb

Irene is the Team's latest addition and represent Malaysia in triathlon. Here is her quick (she is fast on the swim, bike and run) review of the Skechers GoMeb.

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Racing In Skechers GoMeb aka GoSpeed

By Irene Chong.
My current (well, now ex) pair of racing shoes has been racing together with me for almost 2 years and we have gone through together more than 10 races in various countries during that period of time.  I have been using them in all my 10km-11km run leg of my triathlon races and even in training runs sometimes. With that kind of mileage and hard racing done, it was time to get it retired and pull on something new. I have been racing in a pair of Asics and now that I’m with Team 2ndskin, I was very enthusiastic to try out Skechers Performance range of shoes. J

I sent a picture of my old racing shoes to my Team Principal, Eugene (to show him how bad the condition my racing shoes already are… LOL), and thanks a lot to Eugene who managed to get me a pair of new shoes sponsored by Skechers (Thanks Skechers!!!) 3 days before I was due to go to Hong Kong for my race. I only had one chance to try on the shoes during my last session of training at the MSN track before I went off. However, even in that one session, I could feel that the shoes were meant to go fast and I immediately liked the feel of it.

When I dropped by Skechers Store at Pavillion, I tried on a few models to see which ones suited me best. My team mates in Team 2ndskin had recommended me to try out the GoBionic Ride and GoSpeed/GoMeb. I tested them both and also the GoRun 2 as well as the GoRun Ride. I felt that the GoRun 2 and GoRun Ride would make very good training shoes for me (more on that next time!), but upon slipping on the GoSpeed, I knew they were the shoes for me. The GoSpeed (sounds cool and fast) fit me perfectly. It was very lightweight compared to my old racing shoes and also very flexible. I chose the red and yellow colour combo pair because i wanted my shoes to be easily spotted and seen in the transition area at triathlon races.

The first thing, besides the very light weight, that caught my attention in this shoe is the black plate (carbon-like) under the shoes at the sole area. I found out the carbon plate gave the shoes some stiffness and stability during my run. The inner of the shoes was very smooth and seamless and it helped me get in the shoes faster during transition in a race where every second counts. This pair of very breathable shoes also helped avoid my feet from sweating a lot especially when racing under hot sun with the heat coming up from the road! The best thing about the shoes is the perfect snug fit for my feet where there is no extra space within the shoe that allow my feet to move around, that can cause formation of 3-4 blisters during my race (which is a norm for me). 

Customized GoSpeed with quick laces for faster transition

One of the most important things that allow a triathlete to have a fast transition is the SHOE LACES. In all my years of racing, I have experienced many occasions fiddling with my shoe laces; therefore I am purely using quick laces for my racing shoes from now on. So, I customized my shoe laces (I know is a bit expensive for the shoe laces which cost me about RM80 for a set but it does make my shoes look cool n perfect!).

My shoes’ first battlefield was in Hong Kong at the Lantau ITU Triathlon Asian Cup. I experienced some blisters from the shoes but its not at the same location which I always experience with my old shoes. It was expected, as I only had 1 session of training to adapt to the shoes, so I didn’t realize where the possible hotspot could be. The forming of the blisters is just because of the rubbing from the shoes with the side of my feet in the last 3km of the race (and it wasn't that bad compared with my previous shoes, which I will start getting the blisters after 2km into the race).

Knowing then where the slight friction would occur, I applied some Vaseline at the inside of the shoe where it was rubbing my feet in HK before my race at Nusajaya International Triathlon  and I was free from any blisters for the first time in a race in 2 years! I was so very happy that I continued wearing my shoes and walking around while waiting for my prize presentation. All I can say is, I am very thankful to Skechers for providing me with an excellent pair of racing shoes that fit me exceptionally well and I am very comfortable racing in.

Now, I cannot wait to try on other pairs of Skechers Performance series shoes, especially for training runs, in hope that I will be able to perform better and improving my run timing. J

Malakoff Powerman Duathlon Asian Championship Roundup

Good Morning people! Last weekend (Sunday) saw two of our athlete racing the Malakoff Powerman Duathlon Asian Championship. Both Roy Yeow and Ee-Van represented Team 2ndSkin in the race. It was Roy's first multi-sports race and Ee-Van's 7th participation in the Powerman. For those of you not familiar with the multi-sports concept especially Duathlon, it is a Run-Bike-Run event where you do the sports back to back in succession. For Powerman, the distance call for a 11km run, then a 64km bike and a 11km run. Time limit is 5hours 30mins.

Roy in Boardman Bike. Photo from Vivien Tay.

For this race, both Roy and Ee-Van finished the race in good timing. Much respect to all participants for just showing up at the starting line. It was a super hot day and many of you that raced went home with a tan darker. 

Official Results:
Ee-Van : 4:08:30 (Gun), 4:07:42 (Nett)
Roy : 4:46:13 (Gun), 4:45:34 (Nett)

For some of you that wants to read about the race, Ee-Van has written a good report in his blog, detailing the preparation before the race and the race itself. Head over to read and see if you can pick up some tips, or two!

Tri Stupe Malakoff Powerman Duathlon Asian Championship Race Report

Snippet from the write up:

Post Race

As I finish writing this, the official results is not out yet. I reckon, after adding up all the elapsed time of my own race, it was a slower 4:07:59 compared to 2012 4:04:15. A good 3 minutes out but it was a good 35% less effort compared to 2012. The effort and proper training I put in the past 1-year is showing results. It took a lot of hard work and sweat. Most of all, it took a lot of learning and understanding my own body and limits. 

Click here to read more

Lets wait for Roy's maiden experience as a multi-sports athlete!

Annie Yee : Medibank Melbourne Marathon 2013 Race Report

Today is Our Team Athlete Annie Yee's Graduation Day. What better way than to commemorate her graduation with her recent Personal Best Marathon timing set in Melbourne Marathon?

We wish Annie all the best in her future races (and career). This is one inspirational woman. This is her road to a 3:34:51 Marathon. Awesome.

Annie and her friend on their Graduation. Photo from Annie's Facebook

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Annie Yee : My Marvelous Melbourne Marathon 

Medibank Melbourne Marathon 2013 with a slogan of Anything is Possible.

For a 23 years old girl who has just stepped into working world less than 2 months, running a marathon in Australia is definitely “Something is Impossible”. Running a marathon in MELBOURNE is like my dream comes true!!!

By the time I arrived at Melbourne, it was 1145am. My friends and I headed to the Expo to retrieve our bib numbers. It was a big expo where there a lot of popular partners were taking part. I was proud to see the Malaysia Women Marathon booth was there as well.

Everyone was excited yet looking forward for the marathon. After having my favourite dinner, Lasagne and a plateful of salad, we walked back to our hotel nearby and prepared to rest. A set Kraftfit compression wear, 2ndskin team tee, a pair of Skechers GoSpeed, two Hammer gels and a pair of gloves lay on my bed. Having looking at them, I felt excited and nervous.

Alarm rang at 4.00 in the morning. A muffin and a cup white coffee as usual my breakfast, seven of us set off to the destination. I drank a bottle of Perpetuem in the mini van while on the way to the Melbourne Cricket Ground( MCG ) where the marathon starting line. Upon reaching the MCG, it was crowded with Caucasians and only few Asian looks. It was very different from Tokyo marathon which I joined last night. Runners here wore very simple, a vest and a short. Most of them were wearing long sleeve vest. My friends and I asked for direction to the starting line and we past through a pedestrian bridge. There were quite a number of vans. Only I realized that the vans were actually the mobile toilets!! Amazing that it was very clean!

We chit-chatted and warmed up to make ourselves to be warm. I was freezing cold. I was jumping up and down to make myself warm. Gradually, runners flood the starting area. I bumped into one Penang runner and another KL runner at opposite side. Runners greeted each other and sent good luck to each other. Supporters were as many as the runners. My heart was pumping and praying that I could make my personal best without any injury. I tried not to think of my pain on my right leg.

3...2....1......Here we were, I ran along with other runners. I was very excited once heard the pistol bang as we were running in a gang. Unlike Malaysia marathons, here, there were crowd of runners. I tried not to look at my watch and followed the 3:20 pacers. As usual, I loved seeing people back, leg, how their movements so that to distract myself. Without knowing that, my Garmin 910 buzzed to show 5km.

By the time I ran past Lakeside Drive, the sun was raising but the breeze made me goose bumps. There were footsteps as the horses coming from behind. Just in few second, a pacer with a flag stated 3:20 with a herd of “horses” past by me. They were chit-chatting while running. It was just too fast and too furious. I was curious why runners in front of you pointed to a direction. Before knowing what the reason is, I realized there was a bump. Runners ahead were trying to hint the runners behind them to be cautious.

I was looking for Malaysian runners who ran opposite direction of me to distract myself from thinking of coldness but I couldn’t spot any of them. We ran along the Bay street where the river was just besides us. I checked my Garmin and surprised to see my pace at this 13-20km was around 4:50mins/km. It was faster than I expected. At 25km, we ran into a bush and made a U-turn to housing areas. Residents and spectators were very supportive and some of them were standing there just to pass us the sugars and sweets.

Upon reaching 30.0km, I knew my laziness attacked me again. I ate my first Hammer Chocolate gel before a water station. My pace gradually became slower to 5:02mins/km. Struggling to finish line, I kept on telling myself, must be strong despite of the calf pain. We ran along the walking path of St Kilda Road where the road had been closed exclusive for participants. Yet, the spectators were very supportive. I felt motivated by their yells and shouting.

I jogged a while and started to run starting from 34km. I lost to the devil again. My pace dropped to 5:35mins/km when ran along the Domain Road. Left 8km, gambateh Annie!!!I was talking to myself at that moment. It was too hard for me, for someone who did not have LSD. I tried to focus and kept on telling myself the goal I needed to achieve in this marathon. There was one Asian guy walked in front of me. He was the second runner I saw in this marathon who walked.  Rain drizzled around 38km with chill breeze freshened my mind. Though my pace had dropped to 5:35 mins/km, I gained my last energy to finish my 42.2km. Finally, I reached the stadium. We had to pass by a 400m lane to the finishing line. The digital time showed 3:33:XX. I sprinted……….and 3:34:51!!

I was over excited to know that I can run a sub335! A unique medal, Gatorade drinks and an apple were provided for every runner. Pouring rain made the weather even chiller. I was shivering and trembling. After 20mins of waiting, I met my friends eventually. We talked in the mini van while waiting others to finish. I enjoyed my Hammer Recoverite while sharing the experiences.

I was grateful that my calf was ‘obedient’. It was a minor pain in this 42.2km journey yet I survived. My aim to be sub330 has to be on hold.  I will be to run harder, smarter and be determined! 

Sweet

Lessons to be learnt.

1. It is essential to train ourselves LSD before running a marathon. It was suffering physically and mentally as lack of preparation.

2. Equip ourselves to adapt different weather in order to obtain the best timing.

3. Sleep well, rest adequately.

4. Don’t think too much. Be confident of yourself!

In my point of view, for a beginner who want to try 42.2km, the points I did mention is what I am still doing it.

 

3:34:51. Legit.