Craze Ultra 2012

Back in the blog once again after being inactive for so long.

Craze Ultra 2012, was a marathon I registered this year in May. It was a mad decision as no training was done due to injury and laziness. However, I was still crazy enough to run the race without much preparation as I have pacers to help me out along the way. At first, I planned to run with bro Fu Ad but he didn't came to due to his ankle injury. Luckily, Ariffin went with me in the end.

Me and Ariffin at the left side

We didnt start off running much as I was afraid of wasting energy so we went off the first 3km walking. Until the 3km point (estimate), we decided to start running as we spent like 45 minutes just walking! We ran slowly and stopped sometimes, till the 12km mark. I was literally struggling already and my timing was real bad. (10km: 1h 45m due to frequent walks) I became serious after CP-1 and started jogging slowly towards CP-2 (Woodlands Waterfront). It was a hard process, as my further distance was 15km (2XU Compression Run) and not much preparation was done as I've mentioned.

Ariffin started with a technique to get me to run faster. The technique was '5 min rest, 10 min run'. He wanted me to run at his pace when we started running, and rest when he told me to do so. We tried this and it works surprisingly, but it came off when we hit 21km mark. (CP-2) The moment I reached CP-2, I drank 5 cups of isotonic (Hammer Heed). I regretted doing it as I experienced bloated stomach soon after. I couldn't run/jog properly for the next 30 minutes, so the best thing I could do is to rest. I lied down flat on the ground and relaxed before heading for the next 21km. It was tough mentally and physically.

After resting, I headed for the next 21km by slowly walking and jogging. At 25km mark, I met Hazel Goh as she was running and decided to accompany us along the way. I loved the way she talked to us and we also chatted with her along the way while jogging or walking. She was a generous lady, treated me figs (type of fruit that actually gives you energy) and even ice-cream and drink! I was surprised by her generosity and thanked her along the way. If the running community is full of people like her, it would be perfect. She gave me and Ariffin advices and share with us her journey such as running marathons or climbatons.

With Ariffin and Hazel help, I managed to complete 43km in 9hours and 27 minutes. It was a great run, although the timing was below average, I enjoyed with the atmosphere of the race and my buddies.

I will definitely be training up for future marathons or if possible, ultra-marathons.

:)

It's the time of the year again, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all Muslims, may this season bring you excellent health, happiness and success in whatever you do. 

It's PB time!

Yes, it's PB time!

No I'm not talking about Peanut Butter Jelly time, this PB here refers to Personal Best.
Last afternoon, at about 3.15pm, Lenney Fuad, My Dad and I set off to do one clockwise loop around MacRitchie. As it has been some time since I last did the clockwise route, I kinda forgot about some uphills, espcially the one after the Ranger Station. I was running at a very easy fat burning pace of about 7 to 8 minutes/km, I was also trying out my new hydration bag that Abang Sam bought for me. It is pretty good and snug fitting, it does make a little noise when running, but that is perfectly fine with me. I ran bare-bodied as I wanted to try how it would feel like with a hydration bag on too, it was fine and I didn't get any abrasions. The run was very enjoyable as Fuad shared many interesting stories with me. Fuad used to weigh 140kg, and he has lost almost 70 kg through regular exercise and monitoring of his diet.  I will be running alongside Fuad for the TNF 25km run.

As he likes to put it, ''It is as tough some one stepped out of me!'"
Well that sure is true. He lives to his motto of enjoying what you do. He didn't take any pills or supplements during his weight loss period, he preferred the natural way. Well, although it did take about 2-3 years for him to shed off the 70kg, it was a fun journey that he enjoyed. He is a person who mantains a very low-key, but he is very knowledgeable, friendly and wise. It was a great pleasure to have join us again after almost 3 months, we last ran with him in the 2XU Compression Run. Fuad was contstantly monitoring Lenney's Pace and at the 9km mark, Fuad asked Lenney to push for his PB.

"Think of something that makes you angry, GO FOR IT LENNEY!"

That's a great way to fire yourself up for the final stretch of runs, and yes, Lenney did achieve his 10km PB with 1:10, a great achievement for him. And I'm sure he will achieve an even better timing at flat road races. It is an added bonus in addition to the 13kg he has lost since he has started running last year. It is really inspiring to see people around me defying the odds, and making jaws drop to the floor.

After the run..

I'm proud to call these brothers my fellow Maverickz. Maverickz is a new community that Lenney, Fuad and I are honored to be part of. We'll fill you guys in about Maverickz in the posts to come, in the meantime, like their Facebook Page to keep updated.

Well, it's Monday again, hang in there till you can say TGIF.

Cheers,
Ariffin Sha

Dreams Take Flight

For most of us, it might seem like it was just another ordinary Saturday to kick back and let loose, but for the 60 people who had gathered at Pasir Ris Beach Park, it was truly an extraordinary day. They witnessed the happiest day of a young princess' life.

Princess' Party

Putri Nittra Tazqiah who is more affectionately known as Putri is a liver cancer patient who is currently receiving treatment at KKH Women's and Children's Hospital. The progress of her cancer is in Stage IV, which means that her cancer has meta-sized, and has spread to other parts of her body. In other words, her cancer is very aggressive, and she has little or almost no chance of survival.

Everyone in this world is born different, each with a specific purpose that they will figure out as time unfolds. As for Putri, she has been diagnosed with cancer since she was 1 year and 3 months old. So whatever purpose the higher world has entrusted Putri with, was certainly a special one.

For most parents, hearing doctors setting a cruel 'deadline' would be enough to make them lose hope and start counting down the days. But as for Yati Mohd, Putri's Mother, this only futher strengthened her resilient spirit. She remained strong, and wasn't willing to ever give up the fight. In fact, she set out on a mission. To use the power of love to grant Putri happiness, and to spread the lesson that she believes all parents can learn from Putri.

Well, one of Putri's dreams is to be a princess. So yesterday, sponsors and volunteers from all walks of life came together to join Yati Mohd's mission to turn Putri's dreams into a reality. There was a Princess-Themed Tea Party organized by the HeartGivers held yesterday, and we at The Great Escape were honored to attend and cover the event.

'Look here Putri!'

Ariffin and I arrived there about an hour before the start of the event and helped out with the setting up of the place. The event space was transformed into a mini princess palace, with a beautiful pink and white theme. There was a candy corner, a buffet spread, a long table for the princesses to dine at and even an entertainment corner with Magicians, Balloon Twisters and Face painters. This event is a fully-sponsored event, it is not a fund-raising event but an event to make Putri's dreams come true.

About 45 minutes before the start of the event,  I believe Hasria Hashim and Nadia Baharuddin was in-charge of the volunteers yesterday, gave a very inspiring speech as she delegated the roles to the volunteers. She reminded the volunteers to set differences aside to make Putri's dreams a reality. And the volunteers did just that, ensuring a very smooth flow of the proceedings and making everyone smile from ear to ear.

Putri made her grand princess-like entrance with a beautiful champagne gold dress, skipping happily to the event site. The shutter sound and flashes of many cameras filled the air as the beautiful Putri got crowned by her mother. She was also given a wand and a ring too. She innocently put the ring near her ear thinking it was a earring, which immediately brought tears of joy to all of us around. How cute of her!

             (note: please view from youtube as the background song is playing)

            

Putri soon joined the many other Beautiful Princesses at the long dining table, there was even a Ballerina and a Prince in attendance too. After the scrumptious feast, Putri's sister, Nasha, celebrated her 10th Birthday! Putri also cut a cake to celebrate! Then it was free and easy after that as the children were kept in awe by the enterainment and the parents and other invited guests mingled around with each other and of course all eyes were on the princess, as she took great pleasure in simple things like blowing bubbles and playing with her wand. Ariffin and I managed to snap a picture with the princess as she was blowing bubbles!

As for us at The Great Escape, we had a fruitful chat with Rima McDonald. She was the one that initiated the charity drive for Little Nur and now Hasria Hashim and her is leading the HeartGivers. She says that her main aim is to promote the spirit of volunteering among youths, for youths. She says that our previous post 'God Loved Her More' actually was one of the key driving forces in the formation of the HeartGivers, it was really an honour for us to hear that, and we were very happy to see HeartGivers formed up and now readily offering their services to put a smile on children's faces. They do conduct weekly visits to hospitals and are working with other organizations for collaborations in future events too.

Putri blowing bubbles!!

It was nice to see things shaping up in the HeartGivers, it is heartening to see that despite the busy Singaporean lifestyle that most of us are programmed to lead, there are still people out there who are willing to sacrifice their time for a selfless purpose. These people spend their time to make sure others have a good time. And HeartGivers unites these people and provides them with an ideal independent platform to reach out to those in need.

Singaporeans are too concerned about their selfish wants. One of the main excuses is the lack of time, but if you really want something, you won't have to find the time to do it.. You will MAKE the time to do it. A small action does a long way, even turning up at events like this is enough for a start.

To be able to put others satisfaction and happiness above yours is not something easy. No one ever said it was easy, but we got to remember that we are very fortunate, and we should reach out our hands to the less fortunate, and the intention to do this must be pure and must come from within.

The joy of being volunteer for me.. is to be able to see the smile on her face. Putri had never celebrated any party in her life before, and I felt honoured to be able to attend and help.

Although I only made a small contribution to the event, I know I did my best. I tell myself every time no matter in studies or sports how bad I score, the only thing that mattered was giving my absolute best.

I volunteered because I want to contribute to a cause I care about. It all started with Little Nur, To be able to help her by asking others to join the cause and promoting it through running is also something great for me. Let us start contributing to the society.

If you are interested to become a volunteer, you can fill up this form here.

I hope that HeartGiver's mission will spread the message of volunteering and many will come on-board to join them.

Thanks for using your precious time to read my post.

(Edited by Ariffin/Original Draft by Me)

How bad do I want it?

As I am posting this, I am still wide awake at 1am in the morning as I had a late nap from 6pm to 11pm just now. Hope I don't screw up my body clock.

Lately, after school has reopened, I find myself procrastinating a lot, I have been exercising a lot lesser too. The tummy is reappearing. My laziness always gets the better of me, and I am losing the very essence of running. I don't know what's the reason for my lack of motivation. I keep saying that I want to change my lifestyle, but it never happens. And that doesn't mean I'm fairing well for my academics or any other aspect of my life either, it's still bad. I really wanna change this so badly. It makes me very sad what I have become now. I know action speaks louder than words, but I just had to write this out somewhere.. I have let down many important people who are close to me recently too, and I do not want to disappoint them any further. 

Running and Life aren't two different things, they are the same. If I have discipline to train, I'll have discipline to work hard for my studies too. I want to succeed as bad as I want to breathe..

I need discipline, I need to be compassionate, I need to prioritize, I need to separate my needs from my wants. I need to focus on what I have, keep working at it, and produce some results. A lot of stuff is happening around me, but instead of pointing fingers, I understand that the reason of these stuff happening lies within me. 

These is what Arafat told me after I briefly shared with him my problems.. "

"Believe in yourself, do your best in anything that you do and submit yourself to the higher world, miracles will happen."

I am very grateful for his advice, and I'll heed it. 

I really hope this isn't a one off thing, and that I will slowly make changes and turn my life around, and to make the people around me happy.

Tomorrow, I'll be attending a Tea Party organized by the HeartGivers and I'll be doing a blog post of the event too. You can find out more about the event from their press release.

Have a fruitful weekend ahead!

Macritchie Fun Run

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I have posted.
Just woke up and had dinner after my long sleep.. about 3 hours?

Started my Sunday with an awesome run with my fellow brothers.       
   Ariffin                                                      Arafat                                                   Me

Me and Ariffin ran a total of 10km while Arafat, Ezan and Ariffin's father went for 8.2km. We are all winners, and I am really glad that Arafat completed his first long run in trails!

And here's a video of us in middle of Macritchie.. the Ranger's station resting..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjA-bL8Ar_c&feature=youtu.be

A great sunday.. Hope to get to run with Team Maverickz again!

Belly of the Beast

My 3 days stay at KL, was a short but memorable one. A good race, with great company! :-)
Many who went there achieved their PBs, despite the many steep climbs in the race.

"Don't try anything new on race day that you haven't tried in training before." I defied that saying on race day.  As I had just lost by Bikilas the week before, Ezan lent me his Nike Air Shoes before the race. It was quite flexible too, I just feared that I will not experience cramping again, like what happened when I wore my Asics during the 15km Progressive Series Run. His shoe was quite flexible and had minimal cushioning too.
The full marathon was flagged off at 4.30am, my 21km started at 6.00am sharp. I figured that if I stuck to a 5.30 pace, I will be able to get a timing of 1:50 or lower.

At the start line, I met a couple of familiar faces like Qi Hui and Ivan, along with many other F1 Runners. Even at the start line, my tummy was already making lots of noise which only I could here despite the loud head-banging dub-step music being played. The stomach pains, was most probably due to the 100PLUS I drank earlier, they both don't exactly get along well.

At the start line in Dataran Merdeka

I ran the first 5km of the race in about 23:40, way too fast, guess the pre-race excitement got the better of me once again, I slowed down to avoid a poor finish, and to go back on pace. Reached the 10k mark at about 51 minutes. The pace seemed relatively comfortable, and a sub 1:50 finish looked achievable. That was when the belly of the beast awakened.

For the next 10km, I slowed down my pace a lot, but I did not stop. I didn't consume any gels or bananas as I was afraid it will worsen my stomachache. I even thought of sitting on the portable thrones, but I told myself that I could hold it off till the end.I didn't drink any isotonic drinks along the route either. Where are non-carbonated drinks when you needed them? It was a truly tough mental battle, but nothing was going to stop me. 


Arafat was tracking me using a mobile app, and according to the app, I passed the 15.5km mark at 1:20:18 with a pace of 05:11min/km. 


I did experience some signs of cramping, so at around the 16km, I alllowed the volunteers to spray some Salonpas at my legs. I didn't experience any cramps for the run, and my post-race recovery was much quicker compared to the Sundown Marathon. 




So, after a hard fought battle with the belly of the beast, I manage to cross the finishing line with a PB of 01:52:25, knowing that my next target would be a sub 1:50. Despite the hills and the boring views, it was a good run and a great learning experience for me. Many fellow Singaporeans were present at the race too, most of them nailing their PBs due to the good weather conditions.There were many familiar faces from IMD and of course the Freaks too. 

My Dad ran the 10.6km run in 01:14, despite a injury. 

At the end of the race, while we were waiting for Shariff to finish, one of the runners slipped near the finish line and suffered a injury above his right eye, it swelled up immediately and most of us runners rushed to his aid. He was an elderly Japanese Man, thankfully there was a lady who could speak Japanese nearby. We elevated his legs, and formed a human wall to shade him. Once again, we see the unity that sports brings about. Although there was an ambulance nearby, it took more than 10 minutes for it to arrive. The Policeman there was very unprofessional and asked runners to carry the man to the side of the road, when clearly the man was shaking violently, carrying him would only further aggravate his possible injuries. We took instructions from a lady who had some medical knowledge. She advised us to elevate his legs and another man was constantly keeping track of his pulse. While the Japanese Lady constantly encouraged him and was speaking to him. A couple of runners started to fan him too. The ambulance arrived soon after, I hope he had a speedy recovery. 

Shariff arrived at about 06:08, his fastest in 2012 thus far. We all finished together.

















Well, my next overseas run will be the PBIM in November where I will be running the 10km Junior Category. This time, all of Team Maverickz will be participating, so we will surely have great fun.