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!

Seoul International Marathon Race Report - Annie Yee

Team2ndskin athlete Annie Yee broke her personal best by well over 10 minutes in her recent Full Marathon! Nothing comes easy and she definitely reaps what she sow. All the hard training and support from the team made her 3.15 marathon dream come true! Read up her race report. 

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The moment of registered Seoul Marathon after trying recklessly few weeks of communication with the Seoul Marathon authority, I knew there was no plenty time left and I must at least do my proper trainings with wholeheartedly and my LSD as well.

So,2 months plus of training->moody sessions->one week of no training during Chinese New Year->tapering-> Seoul marathon trip.

Two months,it seems like few weeks for preparation of this marathon.

(Moody sessions for every month=pre menstrual syndrome. The syndrome wasn’t obvious in few years back but it became significant to me now. How to cure? Don’t run for one/two days and totally let the body to relax.)

 

Upon reaching Seoul after 7 hours flight, we took trains to Jamsil Stadium for race bib collection. I knew tomorrow would be a freaking cold morning for me to run. However, I tried deleted all negative thoughts. Sightseeing was not my priority though. Snapping some photos outside the stadium, we went back to apartment after the race collection.

Awaken by the scary nightmare. A gigantic snake was chasing after me behind grandpa’s yard and I was shouting out of my lung. Mama came and thought I was talking to the phone early in the morning. I was in relief that I woke up from the nightmare. Mama assumed that I was too pressure and burdened myself. She was true somehow. In retrospect, I have always had nightmares during examinations. This marathon must be a big test for me.

Having a cup of black coffee and Massimo bun, we jogged with tremendous shiver to the starting point which was 100metres from our staying place. Once opened the glass sliding door, the chill wind blew to our direction and I was trembling with cold. Many runners were warming up and deposited their bag into the indicated trunks. We warmed up almost for 45mins and I tailed Mr Ant to corral A despite of I was given in corral B.

We started 5mins after all of the elites took off. I held the hot pack throughout the route. I was stunned with 4:20 mins/km for first kilometre. I decided not to follow the watch and ran as my pace. But,I couldn’t control from glancing my watch once a while. I needed to aware of human saliva on floor and human traffic. Guys passed by me and pushed me. Feeling irritated, I quickened my steps frequency and kept my momentum. One hand with hot pack, another hand to rub my nose. It was uncomfortable to have mucous non-stop flowing.

I neither saw any lady nor there was no lady to pass by me. I was like, “takkan I am the only one? (hahaha) We came to the famous Qing-Xi stream and elites ahead me were opposite of me. I glanced over and noticed Mr Ant wasn’t running in pack.  It was almost 10km. The feeling was great and tireless. Bottom of my heart, anxiety filled me. “Am I going to walk? Like in Penang Bridge?” When you had bad experience, it haunted you and unstabilized you.

My pace was considered stable and it fluctuated between 4:10~4:20. I just kept rubbing my nose and one and after a water station, I sipped as many water as I could and to pour it over my head. It was freezing! Doubtfully, those runner were wearing singlet and sweating. Unlike me, I was wearing a thermal base from Universal Traveller and a compression, yet I was shivering. It gets worsen with the strong chilly breeze.

We ran into the city whereby the supporters provided drinks filled in plastic which I first thought was Chinese traditional oiiment. Only I found out when I poured it on my knee!! My right leg was!O!M!G! Sejuk giler!!! My pace dropped to 5:00 after this small incident at 25km~30km. I just grabbed Cola from the high spirited supporters after that. Of course I knew it was Cola as there were bottles of Coca-cola on desks, hahah!

It had never been easy after 25km. I meditated myself, I suffered from hard trainings, got harsh criticisms and I mustn't just let it just because of my weak mental. I MUST BE STRONG. After countless muttering, I felt slightly motivated and just kept on going. My pace dropped slightly but I maintained it in between 4:30~4:40 based on my Garmin 920xt. From 30 km onwards, I grabbed every Cola. If the supporters weren’t there, I must have stopped and walked. First time drinking Cola during the marathon. The body craved for the glucose. I personally think that it worked very well for my body.

 

Talking about the scenes. I couldn’t distinguish the road I was running even though I read the map precisely before coming to Seoul. So, run-sightseeing wasn’t my style. I back-kicked occasionally to feel my leg. Just in sudden, the feel of the blister of my left toe. “Don’t ever let the pain to slow you down, keep on moving Annie..”. Up to the highway bridge, around 35km, I got another twist on my right toe. Oh God! I gulped down the water, walked for 10seconds, feeling shameful, and continued again. If you have blister pain, then you definitely know what am I saying. Regardless of the pain, I kept on moving. We turned into right junction and came to main street again. People cheering and I mustered my smile. It has always been useful to forget the mental tiredness temporarily. At this moment, it was only the battle between devil and angel. The scenes of training in stadium, in Bukit Dumbar loops, the LSD I did, how they quietly jerk behind me all flashed through my mind. I increased my strides frequency and I knew it left a few kilometres to go. I was quite strong, I knew it! Coach’s saying, “You are strong just your mental is not strong” came into my mind. My watch showed 2:50 around 37km. I motivated a guy and he replied, “Japan? China? Taiwan?” Telling him I am from Malaysia with loud, it had no more time to waste.Go go go…

I saw the big shape of Jamsil stadium. It left less than 1km to go. I pushed harder and shouted.

Passed with 3:20(official time) and I glanced my watch to show 3:15:32! It was satisfying for me from a 5:12 hours runner to now a 3:15 hours!

 

It is actually considered a brand new marathon for me for being trained properly and did my preparation. All the while, I have always followed my strict eating routine and restricted myself from indulging in poultry, fats and rice.

 

Possibilities appeared in my mind. Will I be a sub3 runner? Will I be faster if only I were slimmer? It is a wild dream. I do not dare to think of it and only God knows the best. A good timing is a big bonus for me. Yet, this is not the proudest moment. To bring my parents here by my own saving is a big achievement. Due to unavoidable circumference, so I sponsored my parents here, just like how they brought me to overseas when I was young. It was like a dream-come-true. I am not bragging how filial piety am I as a daughter, it’s just simply overwhelmed! Thanks to the full support from sponsors, team mates, family and friends. I will keep striving for better result in my future marathon. 

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

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.