Powerman Malaysia Duathlon - Deo's race report

We've heard it that the recently concluded Powerman Asia Duathlon Championship - Malaysia has closed with a bang, not only it was properly organized, it has also made its way into the Malaysia Book of Records for being the 'Largest Participation of Duathlon Championships' in Malaysia, with 2,645 participants of 39 nationalities. Out team athlete Deo was lucky to be part of the record by taking part in the Classic category (10km run, 60km bike, 10km run). It was his first ever Powerman race and third duathlon appearance. Deo, who is more known as a runner shared how he managed to capitalise his strength in running to overcome his cycling leg.

Read on how the race went for Deo...

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Powerman Malaysia made a return after 2-year hiatus. It was last held in 2013 and was not held on the year I got my bike and learn how to cycle and hoping to do a duathlon race. With Powerman not held in the last two years, I had my share of duathlon racing just from Port Dickson International Duathlon, which I can say I did quite awesomely, finishing under 4 hours in both years. So when it was announced back in August last year that Powerman Malaysia will make a come back to Putrajaya, every duathlete or the duathlete-wannabe got really excited, myself included. Registration was done early but training was hard to come by. I last cycled in August last year after PD Duathlon until I picked up my bike again two weeks before Powerman to get back into the rhythm. Only one brick session was done prior to the race day and even that, the bike leg was just over 30km as we called it a day after I had my tire punctured and spent a good 30 minutes on a very hot day replacing the tube. The only good thing I took home from the brick session was that the second leg run started at 12pm on a very hot day, which gave a good simulation to the hot Powerman Malaysia.

Unlike PD Duathlon, Powerman Malaysia's route is a bout loop. The two 10km run legs were done along a 5km route while the 60km bike loop was done over a 30km route. So for sprint category, they just do one loop each for run 1, bike then run 2. Came the race day, I thought I was quite ready for it. I am all confident with my running, except that I was worried I may go too fast in the first run leg leaving me with tired legs for the second run leg. For bike leg, I got my bike tires replaced to a new pair, this was long due. I was just hoping that I was spared from any mechanical problem. Even a puncture scared me so much. And as my weakness will be the bike leg, suffice if I could maintain a 30km/h average speed for the 60km ride. Gears wise, I was hoping to minimize the time spent in transition zone and it worked well for me during the race. I managed to carry/uncarry whatever things as planned although there were still some snacks and Coke in my transition basket that I didn't touch at all. The race pack and kit collection was on Saturday, which was also the day when we have to check-in our bike. But everyone was worried to leave their bikes exposed under the hot sun. So, it was allowed to check-in our bikes in the morning before the race.

Race day came. I was up early. Went to the race site early and was among the first ones to check-in the bike. Couldn't spot much people that I know, just a handful of them. Changed well wishes. Had the much needed toilet break before I got really sleepy. Dozed off for a while on a bench nearby and about 6.30am, I made my way to the start pen. As it was a record participation for Powerman Malaysia, I guessed it was better to get in early and get a spot as closer to the start line as possible. I managed to get a spot some 50 meters behind the start line. I looked behind and couldn't see the tail of the pack. There were so many people, and came from many countries too. Next to me was a group from Sri Lanka, and we have the elites from all over the world. That includes Emma Pooley, former Olympics silver medalist in time trial, who eventually won the women's category.

Race started at 7am and I had a great run. I ran like it was a standalone 10km race in the first few kilometers but later as the route went a little uphill along the back route after Petronas, I reminded to slow down a bit, afraid that I may lose out of steam for the bike and second run leg later. But by that time, I was quite at the front and I didn't encountered much human traffic jam. When I got back to the start line, the sprint category hasn't been flagged off yet. So there were loud cheers from them as I passed them by and I heard my name was being called many times, here and there. That lifted my spirit a bit as I moved past the start line and transition zone more swiftly for the second loop and the first running leg. Same story in the second loop but when I was around Petronas, I was already strategizing things to do in the transition zone. What's first to do, second, next, and so on before exiting the transition zone for the bike leg.

Got back to T-zone in an official time of 0:44:37, which I think was fast and no wonder there were not that many in front of me. I was recorded as 71st runner overall. The good things about being early into the T-zone is that it wasn't crowded and the aisle that takes you to the exit of the T-zone was clear for you to run with your bike. The T-zone itself was a little small and crowded where the space in between one bike to another is too close apart and there wasn't much room for you to lay your butt on the aisle. And of course, you get lots of photos too by being quite at the front pack. I got everything I need for the bike leg, took of the running t-shirt and leaving with just tri-suit, put on cleats, gloves, helmet, sunglass, chucked Hammer gels and electrolytes into the back pockets as well as the hand pump; and I was ready to go. I was timed at 0:03:40 in the T-zone and the bike leg adventure began.

Starting the bike leg, fuelled by Hammer Gel #howIHammer
[photo by Soon Chung Lim]

Not long from the start of bike leg and going into the highway stretch along Lebuh Wadi Ehsan, I was overtaken by many cyclists, thin, fat, young, old, like a thousand of them. Some were just on normal bike but mostly on TT bikes where they lay their arm lazily while cruising past me with the loud sound of their bicycle crank. At times I got quite annoyed that I couldn't match their speed but I couldn't do much. I could just ensure that my average speed will not go down to below 30km/h as planned. As much as I wanted to hook on any peloton, Powerman rules don't allow you to draft. I asked one of the marshals earlier what is considered drafting? and he answered, to ride in no less that two-bike space in between you and the rider in front. Officially, you have to ensure the gap is 10 meters apart. But with only one lane on the highway that is closed from public for the bike leg, there was no way that you could be draft-free, especially during the uphill sections. I can consider myself lucky as it was still not as crowded from the position I was riding so it was a smooth ride. After a while riding along the highway, I was back to start/line area for another loop of the bike leg. At that point of time, I really wished that I had signed up for the sprint category. Nevertheless I still have to continue for the second loop. This time there were less people overtaking me, maybe they are also losing steam. Same story as in the first loop, very lucky not to encounter any issue until I got back to the T-zone for the final run leg. My bike leg was timed at 1:53:46 and placed 455th place overall. So actually, there were only about 380 people overtook me, not a thousand lah *phewww...

Cooling it off during the second running leg...
[photo by Nik Fahusnaza]

Entered the t-zone, rest my bike, change shoes, and off I went for the run leg. It was almost 10am. It was not as hot as during the Sunday when I did my brick training. But it was still really humid. There was a water station right after the T-zone exit and I poured a cup of water on my head while sipping another cup. Then I moved for my run leg. My legs felt strong. Although I felt cramps were coming on the calves during the bike leg (which was quite strange), I felt good with the legs this time around. I was running at 5:00 pace in the first km until cramps came attacking both calves. I had no other options than to slow down and jog at pedestrian's pace. When I felt the cramps had eased, I picked up my pace again. Had to stop few more times before the cramps went away for good. I told to myself that the cramps may not be due to the heat or dehydration but more for the transition from cycling to running and the muscles were adjusting themselves, I thought so... They went away with 7km to go in the race and I could run again, all the way, only stopping at water stations for cups of drinks and iced sponge. By this time, I overtook a lot of runners, and entering into the second loop for my last 5km run, I also overtook many of those who were still in their first loop. By this time, many runners were seen walking on the side pavement, instead of on the road, to shed themselves from the sun. Somehow, I feel the loop route is better than one big loop as in PD Duathlon, as you get to bump into many others, encourage them or being encouraged by them.

Nearing the Ministry of Finance building, I knew the end is near. I got even stronger and swiftly run to the finish line. Completed my run leg in 0:52:01, for overall finishing time of 3:37:31, which I am really happy with. That puts me in 118th place overall (out of 1,316) and 16th out of 283 in Male's 35-39 age category. The timing also puts me as 49th Malaysian. Not that bad, as I managed to recover from my slow bike leg and overtook many of those overtaken me in the bike leg during the final run leg. I remember a friend mentioned to me before the race, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Duathlon is more about running than cycling..." and she's true!

My 1st Powerman Duathlon result.

For my race details on Garmin Connect, click here.

Garmin Team2ndskin Running Clinic Batch 5 - High Intensity Interval Training

Dear Participants of Garmin Team2ndskin Running Clinic,

We received huge turnout for today's High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) this morning at Stadium Kg Pandan with some of the runners from previous batches. Job well done for all who had completed the HIIT session and also survived Tri Stupe's mini strength training session before we called it a day.

I have a few points to highlight as a friendly reminder as all of you start your own HIIT session. By emphasizing this few key points, I hope runners can get stronger, faster and stay injury free. HIIT sessions are hard in nature, there is no two ways about it. The higher the intensity you can handle, the greater the improvement on your athletic capacity. Human body is amazing and brilliant in adapting to optimal amount of stress.

We did a variable distance and pace throughout the session. The whole objective of the fast and slow pace was to allow the body to recover during the slow pace. The fast pace is crucial! Every fast pace should be an attempt to SCORE max heart rate! An opportunity not seized is an opportunity missed! As I've always said, Go Hard or Go Home. Undeniably, it demands Max Motivation. 

What is the big deal of scoring Max Heart Rate? Max Heart Rate allows the heart rate zone to be more accurately divided into 5 different zones. The formula (220-age = max heart rate) is widely used among the athletes although the accuracy is not even close to what Garmin can offer. Utilize the Garmin Connect to revise your workout and correct the mistakes. Once a week, grab the opportunity to do the HIIT session, allow the watch to "recalibrate" the zones with your latest Max Heart Rate. 

Our team2ndskin is ever ready to answer if you have any doubts or questions. Get your well deserved rest and be ready for our next session. =)

Best Regards,

Chan Jun Shen

Team2ndskin Athlete

5 X Ironman Finisher

Cyberjaya Twincity Marathon - Deo's race report

With read how Chan did in his half marathon race at the recent Cyberjaya Twincity Marathon. Now, Team 2ndskin athlete Deo unveiled how he got more than what he wanted (or expected) from his full marathon race, where he finished in 10th place in the Men's Open category. It didn't come easy for him but the perseverance and dedication to training has paid off, at least from what we have witnessed. It was his 34th full marathon to date and more to come from him.

Read on how the marathon went for Deo...

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I didn't plan to sign up for this race but somehow trapped into signing for it by my buddy who didn't start the race after all as he was out of town on the race weekend. After a PB effort in Nong Khai Marathon in early December, I didn't plan to run in any marathon until April as I need to build up a good mileage and strengthen my core further. And after the quite disappointing and suffering experience during the first edition of this marathon in December 2014, where the route was trashed with undulating elevation, the boring route around Cyberjaya and Putrajaya with nothing much to see and no one cheering for you, and the high humidity weather; I was just not interested to join the race. But with registration done, and I am chasing to do 7 full marathon races this year in quest to do my 40th full marathon races by my birthday in December (#40on40 #birthdaymarathon), I told myself just go for it, treat it as another long run for the upcoming TransLantau 50km race in March. The one thing that really worries me was the lack of LSD runs after Nong Khai Marathon. I even tried to run a half marathn distance on Friday, a week before the marathon and I suffered, couldn't run all the way and had to stop and walk many times.

I was worried, even on the race day morning itself. Probably the things that could give some relieves were that the Race Director assured me that the marathon will be enough in distance, unlike last year, and up to the race day morning, I noticed that all the comments I blogged about the marathon in 2014 have been addressed. The promotion for this marathon has also been really visible with lots of 'attractions' offered to runners like the teh tarik and roti canai station, which I didn't get to enjoy obviously. And the number of participants have grown by many scales, I don't have the numbers but you can notice it by just looking at the crowd during the start or browsing the race photos. Anyway, for the marathon, I was aiming for a modest target, a sub 3:45 will make me really happy.

I arrived at the race venue quite early, and got a chance to walk around the still quiet start area. Did my 2km warm-up lap around the area. Bumped into my little brother who was fresh from his half marathon PB of 1:42 a week earlier and that was his only second HM. He was a volunteer for this race. After I was done with my warm up lap, I walked near the main stage and there were trophies for top runners and noticed the trophies will be given out to top 10 runners in each category. Deep inside, I harbor a hope of landing myself on one of the trophies. With 3:45 timing, based on 2014's race result, I would have a chance to be inside top 10, I told myself. So, from a modest target of just run a 3:45 marathon, the target has now shifted to getting into top 10. But it was still a tall order. Bumped into many more friends as I waited for the race to start. It was more happening this year. The organizer even had the fried noodle ready that morning should any runner would like to have some foods before the race.

Before the race with some of many friends I saw/met that morning. This one is with Ray, Fazli and Bukhari the RD.
[photo by ActionPix Malaysia]

At 4am, suddenly the horn sounded. But no one started running... until the man behind the horn asked us to run, then only we realized it was the start of the race. No countdown lol! So, the race began. It was humid. The route in the first 10km was the same as of in 2014, if I'm not mistaken. So, I sort of know the sections with uphill elevation, especially along Shaftsbury Square before we entered the motorcycle lane towards Putrajaya. I started quite well, with the strategy to run as fast as I can afford to, in order to have ample buffer for the anticipated slower second half of the race. First 10km completed in 46:30-minute, and that was even faster than my first 10km in Nong Khai Marathon. I was running at 3:30-hour marathon pace and surprisingly, many more runners in front and behind me were running at about the same pace. Some of them, I had never seen before. Along the way, especially in the uphill sections, I was overtaken by several runners while the front bunch of 7 or 8 runners were already out of sight. My hope for a top 10 finish got slimmer and I wasn't hoping for it anymore.

I just continued running, still hoping for a sub 3:45-hour finish. The elevation got worse in Putrajaya and those who know me, know how I really hate running a marathon in Putrajaya. There were slight changes to the route, one that I noticed was the one going into Precinct 20 (the graveyard route) and this year, we didn't run in front of the PICC. My second 10km was done in a slower 50:24-minute and total time was three minutes slower than Nong Khai. So, sub 3:30-hour is no longer in the equation. The full marathon runners have spread out from each other at this point, but I was joined by the half marathoners, overtaken by the leading runners. As we headed back to Cyberjaya, we had to go quite a steep elevated road (before the Fire Station) and as it was almost 30km done, I don't have anymore strength with my legs to run up, and don't want to trash my legs further as there will be another 12km of quite flat section to deal with in Cyberjaya. So, I walked up the elevated road and in the middle of my walk, 2ndskin team mate Chan came from behind and urged me to run with him. He was on pace for a top 10 finish in the half marathon category. I didn't follow, just enjoyed my short 'honeymoon' walk before starting to run again as I entered Cyberjaya. Third 10km was done in a slow 55:20-minute.

Drinking and showering is allowed during a marathon. Keep hydrating while keeping the body temperature low...
[photo by RFF]

The last 12km in Cyberjaya was all familiar route for me, eventhough most part of this section was ran in dark as the street lamps shut off earlier than expected/sunrise. There was even a junction around KM31 where half marathoners turn right while full marathoners go straight, where a lot of people got confused (and most probably were not directed properly). Some full marathoners (including the 4:00 pacers who most probably didn't do enough homework of the route) turned right into the HM route and ended with a shorter 3km marathon distance. And I saw a handful of half marathoners (most probably the front runners) had to backtrack as they missed the right turn and went straight into the FM route. They ended up running 3km longer than the actual HM distance.

My pace became slower, legs were tired, even the Hammer Gel could not do wonder to help me pick up my pace again. At that point, I was just hoping that water stations came as soon as possible so that I could take a short break and have a short walk while having my drinks. There was a moment when I was approaching a water station, feeling relieved that I could walk again and have my drinks. But when I arrived at the water station, when I asked for water, the volunteer there told me that there was no water, only teh tarik is available. He even told me that water is available at the next station, some 500m away. Right away I said, "Shit!" as I had to run for another 500m to the next water station. Then I realized it was the teh tarik and roti canai station but I didn't see that because it was still dark when I arrived at that point.

I was struggling to keep to 5:15-minute pace in the final 5km of the race...
[photo by Amin Jaafar]

So, it was run with occasional walks in between, up to KM37. As I realized I could do very well below 3:40-hour timing, I decided to run all the way in the last 5km, albeit at a slower pace. And in the last 3km, I think I overtook two or three FM runners but I wasn't sure which category they were in. Still, the hope for top ten finish had gone long ago as there were too many runners in front of me, from my count at one of the u-turn sections earlier. My fourth 10km was done in a slightly better time of 53:47-minute. I just continued to run and finish strong, with the slightest hope to better my Kuching Marathon timing as the fastest local marathon race for me. But it was not meant to be. I arrived at the finish line with a nett time of 3:36:21, about 40 seconds slower than Kuching Marathon, but well ahead of my initial target of 3:45:00. And to my surprise, I was handed a position card for 10th place in Men's Open! It made my day, definitely! and it was a pleasure to wear it around my neck while friends came to me congratulating me for the effort. Great day, it was for me to finish in top 10, given the strong field of runners.

Icing on the cake! 10th place in the Men's Open category.

Overall, I was satisfied with the run, not expecting to run a sub 3:40-hour race. And that was achieved with lots of walking *sigh* which I know I could save about 5 minutes had I not walked. In terms of the organization of the race, I can say it was really well-organized with all concerns for the runners were taken care of, with nice finisher t-shirt, finisher medal, proper set-up of finishing area, the foods, the RPC venue, plenty of water stations with cold water and icy-cold sponges at certain section. All I can say is that, keep up the good work. The only comments I could give are on the 'missed turns' of the route, which definitely the race organizer needs to look at and the main stage that was located quite far away from the finish area where only podium finishers care to be around the stage after the race.

And that wrapped my 34th full marathon, six marathons away from my #40on40 #birthdaymarathon quest.



For the results of Men's Open full marathon category, click here.
For my race details on Garmin Connect, click here.

Twincity Marathon 2016 - Team Athlete Chan Jun Shen Race Report

Team2ndskin Athlete Chan Jun Shen completed the Twincity Marathon category Men Open 21km with a top 10 finishing despite the extra mileage 3km he went off course. Checkout his race report and learn some running tips in it. 

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Early this year I've signed up for a few important races varying from 10km, 21km and adventure races. Every registration is a gamble, not knowing if I will be able to make it or not. First month of 2016, I had to skip one of the 10km race due to call of duty. Words to describe my Navy life - It's complicated. So Twincity Marathon dropped on a long weekend, I was on duty Friday and Saturday I drove back to pick up race kit, then get some good sleep. I did not bother so much about my race pace, I try to keep my expectations low to avoid pre race jitters. I slept really well. 

Race starts at 0400H for the full and 0530H for the half. By the time I got there, the Full Marathoners were running already. Since all participants park by the roadside, I joined the Parking Offender's Bandwagon. Took 3 bananas, Energy Gels and set up my Garmin Forerunner 225. It's really awesome to have heart rate data without the chest strap, thanks to the built in optical heart rate. I set the slowest pace to be 5.00mins/km. Skechers GoSpeed3 and 2ndskin vaporskin race vest was my choice of gear. I notice that I wear the same gear very single race=p

After some Zumba dance and Fire performance, 0530H sharp we started. I kicked off the first quarter of the race in sub 4.00mins/km, a tad too fast for my level. 21km is one of my favourite distance, it needs some mental toughness and tactics with speed to win unlike the purely sprinting 10km. 

First 5km

3.48 / 4.18 / 4.13 / 4.14 / 4.26 

Ronnie and a green vest Malay guy formed a pack with me. We ran around 4.00 - 4.30 mins/km pace. I try not to sync my cadence with them because I am the shortest among them, so if my rhythm is same as theirs, it is likely that I will be heel striking due to over extension of my leading foot. Breathing wise, I has to skip one inhale to make an odd rhythm so 1 inhale and 2 exhales. Everything felt great. We did not slow down at all the hills, hitting slowest pace 4.30mins/km, nothing less. 

6km - 10km

4,13 / 4.28 / 4.20 / 4.22 / 4.31

The hills came one after another, I am still under control with good posture and cadence. Ronnie's arm swing was really wide that he needed a lot of space.=p We pace each other so I try to stay one step ahead of him so that both of us maintain a comfortable space. Having someone around my speed to pace with is really lucky. Undeniably, he made me push myself harder. I saw Ironman Amran within sighting distance, but I am not gonna reel him back. Long way to go, I don't wanna bonk chasing him.

Maintained a very steady pace all the way. (Blue Graph)

   

11km - 15km

4.23 / 4.26 / 4.30 / 4.29 / 4.28

The hills starting to eat me up a bit, I felt a little tired already. Grab whatever I could at the aid station. Most of the time are plain water mixed with isotonics. Being a triathlete, I was trained to snatch cups and sponges at aid stations without slowing down. I could even squeeze in a gel while running, I feel that this is a strong advantage in this race. Getting a few meters gap at every aid station, the gap slowly grew larger leaving me and Ronnie only. The route were so dark at the 2nd half section of the race, the markers could hardly be seen! At some marker with volunteers standing, I was approaching 100m, no signal given. 50m closer, no signal given. By the time I got closer, I had to shout to them to ask for direction. Too many junctions in the dark, Ronnie and I just ran based on instinct. We were in no man's land. Behind us nobody, in front also nobody. 

16km - 21km

4.21 / 4.33 / 4.40 / 4.32 / 4.48 / 4.14  

This race is extremely humid. Well, what humidity does to our body? It slows down the evaporation of sweat which is a vital cooling effect in running. What to do about it? I always cool my body at every aid station. If the body can't cool down, the heart rate shoots up. Cooling the body with cold sponge or ice water is something that Ironman does in racing, nothing new. And of course choice of race gear material assists in the cooling effect. For running races, I wear 2ndskin. There are many choices in the market, pick what works for u. My watch beeped an alert to mark 21km, I did not hear any noise from the race site. I doubt that I am near the finishing arch. Anyway, just keep running and dig as deep as I could.

The extra penis looking loop that I went after kilometer 14. Check my Garmin Connect data on the left, and the actual race course on the right.

22km - 24km

 4.44 / 4.53 / 4.33 

I still didn't see any signs nor hear any loud noise. Ronnie was right behind. I was exhausted, palm felt cold and my hamstring is pulling. Both of us just ran along the road following the other runners, didn't bother to ask if it is the correct way also. It's surely over distance already. Kilometer 24, I saw the finishing arch, took my last corner and sprint my lungs out! I was given a "No8 Potential Winner" tag. After checking with other runners, some ran 21km. That means I did extra 3km. From Ranking No3 dropped to No8 because of the extra 3km we ran. I wasn't that disappointed actually because I knew that I did well. That's the most important thing. My stride length for this race is 1.29m! I couldn't be happier, this shows how important a correct stretching is!

Ronnie called me up to join his protest. Why not? So I tailed him with a few misled runners, complained to the organizers. We got smiles and short chat from them, I knew nothing can be corrected. The race is over. I'd expect a "sorry" from them at least. Not long later, saw Deo came back. Another sub4 full marathon for him, and also top 10. The official pacer Yim and Yew Khuay came back with total distance 39km, under distance. Must be missing one junction. Many others faced the same problem. I see the potential of this race, the venue is good and the course is challenging. Hopefully the organizer improve and illuminate all markers to prevent recurrence of the same issue. RM70 I paid for Half Marathon, Full Marathon RM80. Next year I am gonna do the full. 

Fire show before prize giving.

Men Open No8 after the extra 3km. Not too bad lah.

Photo courtesy Deo. 

Plenty of food trucks and food at the finishing line. 

1st Nongkhai Marathon - Deo's Race Report

Team 2ndskin athlete Deo was not sure if he could run another sub 3:30-hour marathon, after breaking the 3:30-hour barrier in Tokyo Marathon earlier this year. So, he had carefully chosen his next marathon to have another attempt at it and to close the 2015 season with a peace of mind knowing that the Tokyo Marathon feat was not a fluke but it was just the beginning of many, many more fast marathon timing for him. He went to the inaugural Nongkhai Marathon, at the north of Thailand, where the temperature and humidity level on the race day as well as the fast course gave the perfect ingredients for a near-perfect marathon condition, and came back not just with another sub 3:30-hour marathon, but also a personal best timing, bettering his previous mark by 14 seconds. And to make it sweeter, it was a priceless birthday gift for him which fell on Friday before the race.

Read on how the marathon went for Deo...

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Mission accomplished!
Although barely... and I was about to miss it by a whisker but escaped by fate and a little bit of luck.

From the very first time I heard about this marathon, I had put a very serious consideration to run the marathon for few reasons. One, it is held on my birthday weekend and apart from the boring and crowded Singapore Marathon, there were only a few other marathons held during the weekend, one of it is Macao. So, with little options, maybe I should give this inaugural marathon a try. Then, after google-ing the location, it reminded me of Vientiane, Laos. It is the home of the 1st (and the last, so far) AEC Vientiane Marathon, which I ran in 2013 (you can read it here). It was a good race for me, where I clocked my first 3:4x-hour and had a PB, helped by flat route and the cold weather.

Nong Khai is a city in northeast Thailand, lies on the Mekong River, where the city is about 4km from the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge. Just on the opposite of the Mekong River (although not directly opposite) is Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The city is is 626km north of Bangkok and 60km north of Udon Thani. So, from Kuala Lumpur, you may fly direct to Udon Thani (with a transfer in Bangkok) by AirAsia. From Udon Thani, you may take a public van outside the airport at THB200 per person. The journey to Nong Khai takes less than an hour and the van can send you direct to your hotel. In my case, as I wanted to arrive in Udon Thani via the first flight in, I flew out from Kuala Lumpur on AirAsia's last flight to Bangkok, arriving in Don Mueng Airport around midnight and spent overnight at the departure hall before taking the first Thai Lion Air flight out from Bangkok to Udon Thani. For accommodation in Nong Khai, I stayed in Asawann Hotel, just about 1.3km from the race venue. And for Muslim folks, there is one Muslim (Halal) restaurant located along the shop houses a few blocks away from VViang Lifestyle Mall (the race venue). It is owned by a Paskitani (if I'm not mistaken) guy whose wife is a Thai. They can cook any Thai food and for breakfast, you can have roti naan or whatever you want to have (just like how he answered us when we asked what he can cook for us).

In front of the Thasadet Market - one of the main attractions of Nongkhai. The marathon route also passed this place on its way back to the finish line.

At the Wat Mi Chai Thing, one of the many temples in Nongkhai, during my Saturday morning run. The temple is also located along the marathon route.

With the registration done and logistic arrangement made, the challenge for me back then was to look for a traveling buddy. Convincing friends to go to a race at this remote place and non-popular race like this was quite challenging but I knew one friend who would buy into this idea. And true enough, I had Shahidan with me in Nong Khai just like how it was in Vientiane, although I wasn't sure if he would make this trip only until a few days before the trip started. Then, it was to train for the marathon. Post BUTM100, my training went down south and I gained weight. Deep inside, I was quite relieved with the cancellation of SCKLM because I wasn't sure if I could run a good race with my condition that time.

But for Nong Khai Marathon, I had planned it to be a special marathon, probably as a gift for my birthday and was eyeing quite a high target from it. Based from my experience in Vientiane Marathon - the flat routem the high altitude, and the cold weather, I had specifically picked Nong Khai Marathon to try to go for no less than a 3:39:59 marathon, if not a PB (better than 3:29:15, Tokyo 2015). I was in dire need to try to run a sub 3:30-hour marathon again, to see if I'm worthy to be in the league and that the one in Tokyo was not a fluke. In between the cancelled SCKLM and Nong Khai, I focused my training on mid-distance speed (those of 20-25kms) by trying to hold to sub 5:00-minute pace as long as I could, and on the hillworks for cross-training. On weekends, hillworks were done in Gunung Broga and Tokwan but when back then when it was hazy, treadmill was my best friend, set it up with 15-degree elevation and tried to run it. For LSD, I only had one run of more than 25km which was during the Ricky Lightfoot Borneo Challenge where it was a very slow race with combination or lots of hills. I had two other races in between to test out my speed - the 22km 2XU Compression Run and the 15km LHKSNS.

At the race pack collection with the traveling buddy, Shahidan

Done with the bib collection. Hopefully 31 will be the lucky number for my 33rd full marathon.

As expected, it was a chill morning with temperature around 18-degree Celcius (slightly higher than in Berlin 2012) and remained cold and cloudy until race ended (even until noon). Nong Khai, just like Vientiane, is located some 150m asl, and that explains the cold weather, I think. As our hotel is just some 1.3km away, we decided to walk/run to the race site, instead of taking a tuk-tuk ride. We arrived at the race site with some 20 minutes before the flag off at 3am and the place was not crowded at all. Even there was no queue for the drop bag, and even the public restroom inside VViang Lifestyle Mall. After we're done with all that (bag drop and toilet break), we headed to the start line just outside the mall and on the main street. The set-up reminds me of Hatyai Marathon. Again, it was not crowded at all at the start line. From my judgement, I think there were less than 200 runners at the start line (from the race results, there were 125 total full marathon finishers). From there, I knew it would be a lonely run where runners will be spread apart from each other, especially when you're doing sub 3:30- or 4:00-hour pace.

At the start line with few minutes before flag off. Not pack at all! You can walk to the most back of the pack and still walk to the front again to start your marathon :p

The race was flagged off at 3am Thailand time. It was just a short run in the city as we headed out from the city towards Tha Bo, a neighboring town. At about KM3.5, we were on a 2-lane, intercity road that connects Nong Khai and Tha Bo. I've studied the route map and I knew it was a long straight route up to KM18 before you make a u-turn for another long stretch before entering the town with some 8km before the finish line. The long stretch reminded me again about Hatyai Marathon where a major part of the route was ran on a long highway. But for Nong Khai, it was not a highway but a rural intercity road, just like the old road from Tanjong Malim to Bidor, for example, where you can find houses, villages and shops on both sides of the road. The only thing is that, you could barely see much because it was still dark. On map, you could see yourself running along Mekong River but the truth fact is that the the river is behind those houses and villages and you can't see it from the road until you get back into Nong Khai city.

And I decided to start from the front...
[photo by Amazing Field]

As expected, the route was pancake flat and you wouldn't feel the slightest incline. True enough, upon checking my race details in Garmin Connect, total elevation gain was just 29m while elevation loss was 28m. A great recipe for a PB run! But eventhough it was pancake flat, one has to be mentally prepared for the long 30km out-and-back route as I mentioned earlier, and you have to constantly put all your efforts to move your foot in front of another, and repeat throughout, as there was no downhill to give you momentum, and in most time you'll be running alone along the whole course. I entertained myself by calculating my pace with several target finish time, expected finishing time, how much time I have to rest or allowed to have walk breaks, all those things. There was nothing interesting to tell in the first half of the race except that I noticed that water stations were placed every 2km with the local energy drinks served every 6km, if I'm not mistaken. Some stations served fruits but I didn't bother. I was good with Hammer gel which I consumed a pack for every 45 minutes.

My run was great at the beginning. My first 10km was done in 46:35-minutes and the second 10km was done in 46:37-minutes. At that moment, I thought of achieving a lot better than my PB in Tokyo, only if I could maintain the same pace. I even achieved PB for my half marathon, 1:38:38-hour, four minutes better than my HM PB in Sundown JB 2015. The goal at that time was to maintain sub 5:00-minute pace for as long as I could. I was still doing great up to the u-turn at KM18. Approaching the u-turn, I could already saw the front runners making their ways on opposite direction towards the finish line. There were not that many though and I was in 13th position at the u-turn which is not bad, I told myself. Not long after the u-turn, I saw Shahidan on the other side and I reckoned that he was doing a 5:30-minute pace at least, not bad either. But it was not so surprising as he has been training on the high altitude environment in Africa.

I continued running towards the city, still trying hard to maintain the 5:00-minute pace. It was same story about the route and the water stations. At one point, the HM and FM runners merged but it didn't give much problems as the number of participants were small. Only problem was that, I lost count on my position as some runners overtook me whilst I overtook some but I couldn't distinguish which categories they were running in. As much as I wanted to smash my PB by few minutes, my legs wasn't thinking the same. By KM28, my pace started to drop to more than 5:00-minute. Next goal kicked in - which was to maintain my average pace to sub 5:00-minute for as long as I could. I think the legs started to tire early due to the lack of 30km+ LSD training. I slowed down, but I tried as much to minimize the manage by keeping the pace to under 5:10-minute now and it worked. It kept my average pace to be under 4:50-minute all the way up to KM36. My third 10km was done in a slow 49:40-minute, that gave me 2:23-hour for 30km. That means, I have about 1:07-hour for the next 12km+ to finish under 3:30-hour. On paper, it sounds so doable but with the weary legs, I wasn't sure.

Just passed one of the water stations on my way back to the city. At this point, the FM runners were already merged with the HM runners.
[photo by Amazing Field]

We got back into the city with 8km to go. It was a 4km run by the river to the end of the city, make a u-turn and another 4km along the main road and shop houses on left and right to the finish line. My legs got really tired by KM36 and it got worse after the u-turn. The last 4km was like forever and it was so dreadful. I was moving like my legs were strapped with heavy chain that they could barely move. My thighs were tight, my glutes were sore. Thankfully cramps stayed at bay throughout the race. I regretted for missing my LSD runs. It was a mentally long stretch, like never ending. Just like in Hatyai. There were a few times that I stopped to walk for some 15-30 second before picking up my run again. My mind was calculating the pace required in the last two to three kilometers and sending the message to the legs but the legs just couldn't process it and make it happen. The mind got frustrated a bit and just let the body goes with the flow. During those walk breaks, I was even content to finish outside 3:30-hour as it was still a good effort, I think, to finish with the timing. I was ready to accept the defeat, to accept the fact that I was still not a sub 3:30-hour marathon material, that I'm still not ready for this.

It was a very slow 53:11-minute for my fourth 10km split. Something that I need to work on.

I was cursing the never ending stretch, when all shops on left and right looks exactly the same to me, and with my body started to feel cold (which I never felt that way before) like I want to faint, I saw the finishing arch from afar. But I just couldn't gauge how far it was but I was sure that the race will not be over distance or over distance by much (like in Tokyo). Looking at my Garmin FR920XT watch, I thought there could be a possibility for me to PB by the slightest margin. All I had to do was just run until the finish line. In the end, the earlier pace I had made up for the slow final 4km of the race. I was also thankful that the race didn't go to over distance, just ngam ngam 42.22km, again similar to Vientiane, as I didn't have enough buffer time for sub 3:30-hour if it does. I was glad that it was a PB! although by just 23 seconds from Tokyo. 3 hours, 28 minutes and 15 seconds - this is a new time to beat for me. Pace wise, I actually did better in Tokyo as it went 1km longer.

That PB moment! Crossing the finish line feeling all satisfied. But still there is a slight painful expression on my face...
[photo by Amazing Field]

It was all jolly after the race. I could not hide my satisfaction and my happiness that I messaged my team breaking the news to them first. I was grinning from ear to ear although the legs were quite in pain. The results came out not long after that, I finished in 13th position overall and 5th in Men's 30-39 age category. No trophy or prize for me as it was just for top three runners in each category but I was more than happy to bring back this PB with me. If in Tokyo, I wasn't sure when I could do sub 3:30-hour marathon again or even coming close to the mark, but after Nong Khai Marathon (and Kuching Marathon), I was sure that it will come more often from now.

Until the next race!



For overall results of 1st Nongkhai Marathon, click here.
For my race details on Garmin Connect, click here.

Kuching Marathon - Deo's Experience

The registration for Kuching Marathon 2016 has just opened on Sunday. The 3rd edition will be held on 14th August 2016 and based on the reviews from its first two editions, we are sure that all the slots will be taken up in no time. It is one of the youngest marathon in the country but has proven to be well-managed, and it is not surprising that Kuching Marathon has came to par (or maybe even better) with the 'big brothers' of local marathons. And the host city, Kuching, is also a lovely city to visit with various interesting activities for either a short weekend, marathon trip or an extended stay.

Our team athlete, Deo, was lucky to be able to experience Kuching Marathon this year and the way he put it, we are sure that he will make a return next year (and come back with a big box of ikan terubuk masin and kek lapis for us, too!). Read Deo's experience below and hopefully it will help you to decide to sign up for the marathon.

.....

Kuching Marathon, or the one I dubbed as KUMAR (for its shortform), has never been in my planned marathons for this year. In fact, I don't have much marathons outlined for this year. So far, I've only done two full marathons, Tokyo and 3R Putrajaya, this year and only one more to go, which is the SCKLM. However, it changed when a friend invited me to have a short trip to Kuching to run KUMAR. After reading good reviews from last year's inaugural KUMAR, I thought it would be great to give it a shot and KUMAR should be a good LSD training as preparation for the TMBT100, two weekends after that. All arrangements done sometimes in June and it was just waiting game for the KUMAR weekend to arrive.

Thursday and Friday approaching KUMAR, my facebook timeline was filled with updates by running friends who were already flying off to Kuching. It was quite a shock to me as if all familiar runners in peninsular flocked Kuching during the weekend. And it was not surprising when it was easy to spot running faces at every corner of the area surrounding the Padang Merdeka, Kuching after I arrived in the city. So, Saturday morning was my turn to be at the airport en route to Kuching for the marathon. ManBaik was my travel buddy this time around so both of us like cats whose whiskers have been cut, making our ways around the City like lost cats. Actually I had been in Kuching some ten years ago accompanying PROTON FC team playing Sarawak FA in the FA Cup football match but none seems familiar to me except for the waterfront walkpath and the Padang Merdeka. Luckily we were accompanied by Marlin, who ran KUMAR last year, who turned out to be our guide even for a while.

First stop after we arrived at the airport was Plaza Merdeka, that is located next to Padang Merdeka where the race venue is, for the race pack collection. Eventhough I saw some complaining about the long queues at the RPC earlier, it was all smooth by the time I picked up mine and it was all done in a jiffy. But I have to agree that the venue is rather small for a big marathon like KUMAR. RPC done, followed by late lunch at the nearby Brooke's Bistro at the waterfront for the sumptuous laksa sarawak. Then, we walkde to the nearby Borneo Hotel, our home for the night, for a short rest before making our ways for a seafood dinner at the famous Topspot Food Court, which is also within walking distance from where we were staying.

At the race pack collection venue in Plaza Merdeka.


It was early lights off for both of us as we had to wake up around 1.30am to get ready for the 3am flagoff. I have mixed feeling about this odd hours flagoff time as on one hand, you want to finish off your race before the sun comes off and saves you from being roasted but on the other hand, it is quite hard to go to bed really early, around 9pm and normally I would wake up still feeling sleepy. In the end, I only managed to get some 3 hours of sleep that night but luckily I didn't feel too sleepy (just a little groggy) that morning. But having a room mate to talk to in that wee hours before the race helped a bit.

We walked to the start line like many others did. With just 30 minutes to go before the flagoff, I quickly dumped my luggage at the dropbag center with a fee of RM5. I trust with the fee, my belongings will be in safe hands. More familiar faces spotted so, it was all pre-marathon routines with exchange of well wishes, photo takings, not much stretching and the countdown to the flagoff. I had not put any expectation for this marathon especially realizing that the last time I ran a marathon was in April and I had a tough time finishing it (and with a mediocre timing, too!). And I am in the middle of an ultramarathon training so I wasn't sure if I still have the marathon speed. So, not putting too much of hope, the plan was just about finishing it under 4 hours and injury-free.

Since this is an international marathon and the prize money was quite lucrative, it wasn't surprising to see host of African runners toeing the front of the start line. It was quite cold that morning as it rained on the night before. I stayed within maybe some 30 meters from the front line and as the race was flagged off at 3am, it was a walking start to cross the start line. Once start line was crossed, I have to zigzag around those runners who started at the front and not long after that, I found my comfortable pace. But a glance at my watch after the KM1 showed that my pace was 4:39-minute which wasn't as what I expected. It was too fast than the 5:00-minute pace I had in mind, to sail me though this marathon safely under four hours.

But, I told myself that since it was a comfortable pace, I would continue with the pace as long as I could in order to have ample time buffer for a much slower pace later. So, I continued with sub 5:00-minute pace until at KM10.5 when I had an urge to pee. Normally I would just pee by the roadside but this time around, I detoured to a petrol station and did what I had to do there. It was a quick stop though but I felt lighter after that. I ran my first 5km in 24:05-minute and the first 10km in 48:46-minute. The generally flat route and generally cold weather were actually helping me with the run and maintaining the pace I was doing for quite a long time. Actually to be frank, the route wasn't all flat, like many runners told me earlier. There were some climbing for elevated roads or bridges (crossing those rivers) and the nastiest one was in the city with 5km to go but those four or five climbing were not too bad to run up.

After 10km, I still feel like I could maintain the sub 5:00-minute pace forever and there were no signs of cramps coming or any muscles tightness. At times, I feel like I would be able to run a sub 3:30-hour marathon, or even bettering my PB of 3:29:15 done in Tokyo this year. That thought was playing in my mind and although I wasn't pressured to do such timing, it still motivated me to continue running at that pace. The pace was good, my body condition was good, I didn't stop to walk except for brisk stops at each water station (they were abundance of water stations, maybe some 15 altogether along the full marathon route). And eventhough I was running at quite a fast pace to the local average standard, I could still see runners in front of me and those behind me trying to catch up with me and that had kept me 'alive' during the run.

Soon enough and it was still dark, KM15 arrived in 1:13-hour and KM20 covered in 1:39-hour. By that time, I knew that another sub 4:00-hour marathon is well within reach. Only that PB is slightly hard to achieve. So, I was left with the battle to run a sub 3:40-hour to mark a new best timing for a local marathon (marathons done in Malaysia). I started to feel a little tired after KM25, not sure if I hit the wall or what? The body legs were just refusing to run swiftly like before but there were no cramping signs and muscles tightness, which I thought was great. 25km was completed in 2:05-hour which was ok but earlier on I had hoped that I could cover the distance under 2:00-hour. So, it was all mind over body from there onwards.

My mind was talking about under 3:40-hour finish but the body told the mind that I can walk for a long time and still finish off the race under 4:00-hour. So, it was a tussle between the mind and the body which they had to come to a compromised position where I would take longer walk breaks at water stations and halfway up any elevated road or bridge and when it was time to run, I need to run at least at 5:15-minute pace. And it worked for me although at times, from my mental calculations, I could miss the 3:40-hour mark by a whisker using that strategy. 30km was completed in 2:31-hours and I had to run the last 13km (in my calculation, I would always anticipate the route would go up to 43km in distance) under 68 minutes, which means that I would miss my target even if I run at an average pace of 5:30-minute from KM30 onwards. Even to be able to run the last 13km at 5:30-minute pace was not guaranteed (that I would be able to do it) as my muscles have started to feel some soreness. It was quite frustrated thinking about it.

But I trudged on. The only hope I had was for the route to be accurately measured to 42.195km in distance (I got 42.28km on my Garmin) and I would still be able to finish under 3:40-hour. This motivated me a bit and I didn't drop my pace much, still able to run between 5:15- to 5:25-minute pace except for one stretch when I walked for quite some time. 35km was done in 2:58-hour and I was glad to finally get back to the city, knowing the finish line was getting nearer. The distance marker along the roadside showed that the race will not be overdistance but I still had doubt in me so, I continued to run. And with some four kilometers from the finish line, a marshal on a bicycle cycled alongside me. I thought it was going to be for a short while but he cycled alongside me until the finish line.

At the last water station. On my left is the marshal on the bicycle who paced me in the last four kilometers of the race.


It was hard to keep up with the marshal. I was in my last 3km and I had to run at 5:00-minute pace. I thought it was good to have a pacer and it was just few more kilometers to go to give everything that I still had left in me but at the same time, my heart was screaming! I slowed down for a while thinking that he might speed off and leave me behind but he didn't. When I slowed down, he slowed down too while encouraging me to keep up with only few kilometers to go. I obliged, and pacing with the marshal on the bicycle, I did the fastest pace in the entire race during my last 1km, how is that?! So, I crossed the finish line in 3:35:44, making it a personal best timing of all 20 marathons I've done locally. Previous best was 3:49:16. It was also my 32nd full marathon race and continuing a streak of 14 sub 4-00-hour marathon finish dating back to August 2013. The timing got me in the 26th position in the Men's Open category and 40th overall which entitled me for the 'Top 200 finishers' special edition finisher t-shirt.

With some familiar faces after the marathon.

Personally, everything was great with KUMAR, my race was less-problematic and I didn't suffer from DOMS for too long post-marathon. I only had a few hours of sweating, dizzyness and feeling like throwing up after the race but recovered well after an hour of sleep. On the organisation of the marathon, I think the reviews I read from last year spoke the truth and the organizer had maintained (or maybe improved) the standard of the marathon. Water stations were abundance and some were accompanied with medic stations, route was super nice especially for a first timer like me, weather was awesome and I will not be surprised if KUMAR would now become a favorite local marathon, overtaking the disastrous and never-improved Penang Bridge Marathon as well as the boring and overhyped KL Marathon.

Marathon Running : Hydration and Nutrition

At the time of reading this, you would have been a couple of months into your marathon run training plan, running better and more informed in your choices of running shoes, gear and tracking your program and progress. However, running a marathon is not all about tying your shoelaces and running again and again; there are other inconspicuous elements that contribute to the marathoning experience, and whether you make or break your race day.

Nutrition and hydration is an often overlooked aspect of marathon running, and something that even advanced runners sometimes do not get right. Hydration is not just about swigging a bottle of isotonic drink and neither is nutrition all about munching on breakfast bars before the race.

Now, if we crunch the numbers a little, the human body comprises between 50% and 70% water. The amount varies according to gender and age and statistically the average is ~60%. We typically feel thirsty when we lose between 2% to 3% of water and our mental judgement and physical performance starts to see a downward turn when we lose 1% of water. If you are 65kg in weight (assuming your body is average 60% water), that translates to approximately 390ml or about 1.5 cups of water.

Race Day Boost - Hammer Nutrition

When you are exercising at medium to high intensity, or at the rate you can't hold a normal conversation when exercising, you may lose up to a liter of water an hour through sweating and breathing, depending on the climate and humidity levels. In real world conditions, there are two extremes to hydration issues, dehydration and overhydration (hyponatremia), and we often see even the most experienced racer succumb to hydration problems. Both conditions exhibit quite similar symptoms, and therefore professional medical assistance is imperative in such situations.

Based on research by Hammer Nutrition, a premier provider of sports nutrition, fuel and supplement; the optimum hydration level for most athletes is between 590-740ml of water per hour. For lighter athlete or cooler temperature, approx 473-532ml per hour will suffice. For heavier athlete or hotter conditions, ~830ml will be a good guidance. However, this is a guideline and should be adjusted as per required by the athlete based on the progression of the race, the conditions and personal well-being.

Your electrolyte and fuelling secret

Even though we are ingesting liquid as we work out, the electrolyte levels in our body will start to decrease as well. It is important to make sure that its replenished. It is important to ensure that your electrolyte drink has minimal composition of simple sugar (fructose, glucose) as it will impede hydration and nutritional absorption. Keep your fuel to mainly complex carbohydrates and a bit of protein. Hydration includes the fuelling solution (sports drink) and other food you may take along the race (banana, watermelon etc). Do keep in mind that they will contribute to your total hydration for the day.

The nutritional and fuel aspects are just as important as hydration requirements. How well you fuel (and keep yourself fueled) will determine your energy levels and ultimately determine your race outcome. For a marathon distance race, look at consistent and continuous energy supply, not short bursts of adrenaline rush.

Annie Yee; Team 2ndskin Athlete and inaugural Malaysia Women Marathon Champion shares her training and race day pre/post meals -

(Morning training long run)

Pre-training fuel: A cup of sugarless black coffee and two slices of wholemeal bread + peanut spread.

Post-training fuel: A glass of soymilk and 2 half boiled eggs + carbohydrates (noodles).

(Evening training short run)

Pre-training fuel: One apple/orange/banana an hour before training.

Post-training fuel: Oats+Milk + Light dinner (minimal carbs)

(Race Day)

Pre-race breakfast/fuel: A cup of sugarless black coffee with Hammer Perpetuem + 2 slices of wholemeal bread + peanut spread.

Perpetuem in Powder form - for more than 2hours of activities

Post race recovery: A cup of sugarless black coffee + Hammer Recoverite + 2 half boiled eggs and carbohydrates(noodles/rice noodles).

What about during the marathon, you ask? How important is it, to keep your energy levels steady and maintain consistent fuel supply to your body? Very very important. All it takes is lack of a refuelling plan on marathon race day to derail all those months of training and preparation. When your energy levels dip, especially after a few hours into the race, it is difficult to rejuvenate and get the momentum going again. Many have heard of the dreaded running term, “hitting the wall”; which is a condition where the runner feels as if he/she has no more energy (physically and mentally) to continue. Physical preparation (training) as well as proper fueling and hydration are paramount to over come “the wall”.

Solid. Awesome

Azrulhisyam; Team 2ndskin Athlete and finisher of 29 Full Marathons shares his fuel strategy after fine tuning his needs based on his experience:

“Two things that are of utmost importance that I consume during a marathon: energy gels and electrolytes (in soluble form mixed with water, e.g. fizz, or capsulated form which I carry with me). Rule of thumb for gel consumption is to consume it before I get tired and before my energy depletes to the 'danger' zone, in my case of running a sub 4-hour marathon, it has to be every 45 minutes (more sparingly for longer finishing time). It involves discipline in consuming energy gels during a marathon, as sometimes your body doesn’t feel like taking anything down, but you know you need to. To help with that, try different types of energy gels and find one that suits your palate and is not too thick in consistency, making it easier to swallow on the run. My favourite is Hammer Gel in Montana Huckleberry flavour. In a typical marathon distance, I would consume between 4-5 packets of energy gels. For electrolytes, two tablets in soluble-form like Hammer Fizz will be enough for 500ml of water that I carry along in a marathon, which I would sip it along with plain water provided at the water stations during a marathon. Normally, I would consume around 1-liter of electrolyte drink in a marathon (excluding plain water), equivalent to 4 tablets of Fizz. Rule of thumb is, don't wait until you're thirsty or your throat dried up to consume electrolyte drink or just plain water, drink often (say every 2-3km) but in smaller volume (say 2-3 sips per 2-3km). Do take note that I do adjust my hydration needs depending on the weather and climate of the race I am running in. For races that I don’t carry my hydration bottle, I would consume electrolytes in the form of capsules that I take 2 caps every hour to balance out my body electrolyte losses during the marathon.”

HammerOn!

It is imperative that during your training sessions, you should try out different types of fueling and hydration strategies. For hydration; that includes the different type of electrolyte drinks to see whether they have any adverse effects on your digestion, how much liquids to consume on a long run and under different weather conditions, learning to drink on the run and getting used to running with a water bottle or bottle pouch if you intend to use them on race day. It is also good to do some research and find out how far apart the water stations will be setup during race day and make sure that your hydration strategy works around the availability of water / liquids at the race.

Pre-race food and fuel during the race is also crucial. Many runners find themselves having stomach discomfort during the race because they have digested something new prior to the race that their stomachs does not agree with, or during the race. Many marathons offer bananas as a form of fuel at periodic water stations, so do try having bananas during your training sessions to see if they work for you. The human body is sensitive, and there are many types of food that would not give you trouble during normal times, but when you digest them on the run, the opposite happens. When you are on the run, a higher volume of bloodflow goes to your limbs, in order to bring oxygen rich blood cells to your working muscles. Your digestive system slows down, and it is more difficult to break down the solid food you ingest, therefore causing stomach issues with some runners.

The old adage of “never try something new on race day” holds true especially for fuel and hydration. Avoid food and drinks that may potentially cause stomach issues the night before the race, like spicy or raw food and stick to tried and tested formulas.