Am I Ready For Berlin?

I think I am ready for the travel to Germany or other parts of Europe that is in the itinerary, but running Berlin Marathon....well, maybe not. How's my preparation so far? The longest run I had so far is 28km and only averaging around 55km mileage a week. Highest being around 65-70km. I have only have about 4 weeks to prepare and hopefully I could hit at least a 35km run and a couple of 30kms.

Just received the confirmation letter to my participation in Berlin Marathon via email. So, you may like to know "What's in the goodie bag?" Well, it's not as generous as the races in Singapore or Malaysia. If I'm not mistaken, we get a clothing bag and a sponge. What else? I'll find out soon enough. The rest of it, will need to be purchased. Since I'm heading to a land far away from home, I thought it'll be appropriate for me to purchase the event's t-shirt and also the finisher's t-shirt to keep as momento (yep, both need to be purchased). Kind of regret of not buying the Melbourne Marathon event's T last year.

Berlin Marathon being the top 5 Marathon Majors (London, Chicago, New York and Boston) attracted 40,000 runners this year and it was sold out by April 20. Some of the stats I got from the internet (source: worldmarathonmajors):

Recent particpation:

Year    Finishers      Male     Female

2007     32,638       26,136    6,502

2008     35,913       28,354    7,429

2009     35,035       27,965    7,070       

If some of you are interested in going next year (price may differ next year), these are the fees for this year's race:

Registration fee                        : €80.00 (didn't get to register at an early bird price)

Event T-Shirt (CLIMACOOL)       : €30.00

Finisher T-Shirt (100% cotton)   : € 20.00 (yeah....I know, only cotton Ts)

Medal engraving                        : € 8.00 (at least you know the medal is yours, right?)

Championship Chip (Rental)      : € 6.00

That is a total of €144.00! Well, thanks to Tiger Beer and Nuffnang for sponsoring!

There will be a 3-day Berlin Vital Fair which opens its door on 23 Sept till 25 Sept. Registered runners are also invited to run the Breakfast Run held one day before the real race. Everyone particpating will get a taste of atmosphere come race day. The start will be at Charlottenburg Palace

and ends at the blue track of the Berlin Olympic Stadium.

This is where Usain Bolt smashed the 100m and 200m WR last year.

There will be whole lot of other events happening on the eve of race day, with the Inline-Skating Marathon being the highlight of the day.

On race day itself, the itinerary of events will be as follow:

8.35am Start Wheelchair Competitors

8.45am Start Hand Cyclist

9.03am Start Runners/Power Walkers (not sure why the 9.03am starting time)

The Course Map

 

The start and finish line -

Boulevard “Straße des 17. Juni“

Time limit for marathon will be 6:15. I've registered myself as a 3:15 runner, so hopefully I will end breaking my own PB of 3:18. That will also be a Boston Marathon qualifying time for my age group. No...not really planning to run it, but it's good to know that you can qualify for it, right? Haha. I will be a little disappointed if I can't achieve the time, but at least I get to soak up the atmosphere on race day.

The Finishing

There are more information on Berlin Marathon at their official website or guide book for participants.

As for top names running the race, the bad news is that both Haile Gebrselassie (current WR holder) and Samuel Wanjiru (2008 Olympic Champion, 2009 London & Chicago Marathon winner) will not be competing in the event.Too bad....

MMh...now I'm thinking, should I go print myself a running vest with some for some form of promotion to our country or maybe Sarawak? I wonder if the Tourism Ministry would want to sponsor this...hehe.

Asics DS-Trainer 15 (Women) For SALE!

A friend of mine is selling off her Asics DS-Trainer 15. Only used one time on a treadmill for a few minutes, she didn't like it. However, it's one of Deena Kastor's, US Olympian, favourite shoe.

She's willing to let it go for only RM350. Anyone keen on the shoe, please email/message me. Thanks. (I forgot to put in the size earlier, sorry. It's US Size 8)

You an check out the photos of the shoe:

Still new leh....

Here are the specs of the shoe from Asics America:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The mainstay of ASICS performance line features tooling and upper specs that reprise the fit and comfort of the legendary GEL-DS Trainer® 6. Updated with new features like the vaunted Impact Guidance System (I.G.S.®), Space Trusstic System®, Propulsion Trusstic®, and asymmetrical lacing.

FEATURED TECHNOLOGIES

TECHNICAL:

Impact Guidance System (I.G.S.®) (RUNNING)

ASICS® Design Philosophy. Employs linked componentry that enhances the foot's natural gait from heel strike to toe-off.

Propulsion Trusstic®

Mimics connective tissue in the foot by creating tension as foot enters propulsion stage.

Gender Specific Space Trusstic System®

Recognizes the normal periodic changes in the shape of the woman's arch and provides for the controlled deformation of the arch into the space within the system.

Biomorphic Fit ® Upper

Stretch material strategically placed on the upper helps to reduce buckling and the potential for irritation.

Asymmetrical Lacing Design

An anatomically correct lacing environment that reduces potential for irritation and provides improved comfort and fit.

Forefoot - GEL® Cushioning System

Rearfoot - GEL® Cushioning System

AHAR® Heel Plug

APMA (Seal of Acceptance)

Biomorphic Fit Upper

ComforDry™ Sockliner

DuoMax® Midsole

DuraSponge®

Impact Guidance System (I.G.S.®)

3M Reflectivity

Solyte®

Space Trusstic System™

WET GRIP®

And here's something I found in one of the bloggers who had used the shoe (the mens version). An interesting and funny quote:

If you can't ever imagine running in a racing flat but you don't want to run the marathon in your Kayanos either, check her out. She might give you that distinct race day feel while always caring for you at the same time.

And you racing flat fanatics out there, who secretly crave a shoulder to lean on from time to time: the ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 15 brings enough lifetime experience to show you things you may have thought never existed.

An Exclusive Interview With Woo Chan Yew!

Who is he?

Woo Chan Yew, is a local marathoner who is based in the US. Our local running community may not have heard of him but he currently holds the national marathon record of 2:26:28, set in St. George Marathon, Utah in 2009. He has represented the country in SEA Games although without much success, but the experiences had inspired him to train harder to qualify for next Olympic Games in London. He was kind enough to share some of his background and experiences in this interview. Currently, he is running for an elite running club in the US, Runablaze Iowa.

So how fast is a 2:26 timing for a marathon (assuming you are running at a constant pace)?

- You will need to run a 3m27s per km pace.

Just in case you guys want to compare notes to your PB times for these distances:-

- At 10k point, you be running a time of 34m 36s.

- At halfway point your time would be 1h 12m 47s.

- At 30k mark, you be clocking a time of 1h 43m 48s.

So that is how fast you need to run. So...who is game for this?

The Interview

1. Tell us about yourself, where are you from and when did you move to the US?

I was raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, began running career at the age of 17. In 2002, I came to the United States and began competing for Northwood University, Michigan in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II cross country and track and field. I completed my BA in Management and Marketing in 2004 and received my MBA from the University of New Orleans in 2006 while competing for the school in NCAA Division I.

Now I am a Brooks athlete and belong to the Iowa Elite Running Club (Runablaze), and the Eugene Health and Performance Foundation. In addition to my running career, I am also a full-time staff member of Iowa State University Dining Services. I am currently on a mission to qualify for 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

2. How did you get involved in distance running?

It was back in 1997 at Sekolah Menangah Taman Bukit Maluri (Secondary School/High School). My first track event was 800m. Puan Lono, my high school teacher, had discovered my talent in running. She encouraged me to run in local road races. I ended up finishing top 15 most of the races.

3. Were you active in athletics when you were in school? How good were you then?

I was a badminton player back in high school. Our team was placed 2nd every year behind Sri Garden (national junior team at that time) but didn’t get any better than that. So, I paid full attention to running after graduating. In 2000, I was finally selected to run 800m and 1500m for Kuala Lumpur at SUKMA in Pulau Pinang. Mr. A. Trapadi and Mr. Gulam Ghani, my coaches, have done a great job of getting me ready for both races even though I torn my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)

4. You represented Malaysia in the 2007 Korat SEA Games but didn’t finish the race? Tell us about your experience then?

My race ended in a disaster but was a part of the learning process.

5. You had a second chance of competing for Malaysia in Laos SEA Games in 2009, but you decided to skip it? Why?

It was my honour to wear the yellow jersey again. Representing Malaysia is always my first priority of my running career. Due to my training and work schedules, my body won’t be able to recover 100% for another tough marathon race. After having a discussion with my coach, I decided to skip Laos SEA Games and focus on resting my body.

6. Did you know about the national record? Were you actually aiming for it when you set your PB of 2:26:28 (a new national record) in St. George Marathon in 2009?

Anything can happen when you are in top shape. I actually didn’t think about the time while racing. I just went out there to have fun.

7. What kind of preparation did you do leading up to that particular race?

I did a lot of long runs. My highest mileage was 128 miles (this is MILES! not KMs ya...that equates to a whopping 206km!!) in a week. My workouts are like:

Sunday: 140 min easy

Monday and Friday: AM-65 min easy

                               PM-45 min easy

Tuesday and Thursday: AM-80 min hills or 7km (800m-1600m track workout)

                                    PM-45 min easy

Wednesday: AM-80 min fartlek

                    PM-45 min easy

Saturday: 100 min tempo run

(My comment: Kids or rather runners, please do not try this at home without supervision!)

8. Do you have some kind ritual you follow strictly pre-race day?

I love to get plenty of sleep and also love carbo-loading. Some of my pre-racing favourite foods are chocolate chip and macadamia cookies, chocolate cake, pasta and anything with chocolate.

9. Was there someone who inspired you into running?

Dick Brown, my coach inspires me the most. He has given encouragement and advice to become a better runner. He has always been a fantastic mentor because his experiences have given him a lot of wisdom that he passed on to me.

10. Who is your favourite runner of all time and why? What about current batch of pro runners, any favourites?

Haile Gebrselassie - He is the greatest long distance runner of all time. (IAAF Bio)

Lisa Koll - she is 10,000m American Collegiate record holder and is also an Iowa State Cyclone. (IAAF bio)

11. What are the differences between the training system in Malaysia and in the US?

Malaysia - There is not much competition in Malaysia due to lack of participants in running. Many runners give up too soon and too easily because they are not encouraged in sport. In Malaysia, running is not as valued as it is in the US because it is not seen as something that might bring “success.”

US - The running atmosphere encourages the runner to get better. Over here, I find inspiration not only from my coach and also from other runners like my teammates such as Jason Flogel and Gabe Jennings. Moreover, NCAA did a great job of developing the sport. Many track stars like Ato Boldon, Bernard Lagat, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Tyson Gay, Lolo Jones and Alberto Salazar, used to run in NCAA. Experienced coaches like Alberto Salazar and Dick Brown, my coach, have developed more than a dozen champions.

12. What kind of advice do you have for those aspire to be like you, succeeding in marathon racing?

It takes time and commitment to be a good runner. I figure that many runners want to be champions over night. For sure, this didn’t happen to me. It took me years to run well. Obviously, I made mistakes here and there. But I refused to give up my dream. My first marathon performance was definitely not as good as my most recent marathon performance. I take the smallest steps and lots of pride in my performance. This process will help me to get to where I want to be eventually- The Olympics.

13. And what advice do you have for those who are keen to take up marathon for the first time?

They should set up appropriate training plans leading to the race and have an experienced coach to look at it. Please drink water every 5km and run slow in the first part of the race.

14. Will the locals be able to see you race in Malaysia soon?

Soon at least I hope.

(Edited by Christine Barilleaux)

There you have it, an “exclusive interview” with our national record holder for marathon. We hope one day Malaysian fans will be able to see him competing in Malaysian soil or the least to see him running in the Olympic Games 2012. Wishing him the best of luck!

As he commented, "you can't be champions over night" (you can also put it as you can't improve over night). It takes time and commitment. You should get good advice and train properly if you want to improve. Hope this will inspire more people into running or setting new PBs.

Official Siemens Run 2010 Results

Please click on Hooha! Asia for the official Siemens Run 2010 results.

Shape & Men's Health Night Run 2010

OOOpsss...I missed it again! Yeah, this year missed out on the Top 10 prize again. Came in 14th last year and this year coming in at 12th place. However, the Top 10 runners were too far ahead of me that I can't even smell their butt. Not even Cecil who came in 11th (He must be feeling AMKAN. Lucky it wasn't me!). I was just telling a friend of mine at the start that I won't mind finishing at any position as long as I don't finish 11th. I came very close to that....well technically I wasn't even close. Haha.

I arrived a little later than I've planned. I had no time for warm up whatsoever, and had to move into the barriccade after passing a bib to one of the FMV's runner and putting my stuff at my sis's booth. I wanted to move to the front as much as possible this time so that I can get a good start. I did get a fairly good one, but the problem of not warming up is that you'll have a hard time to get up to speed. I was already out of breath way before the first kilometer mark. I was trying to run behind Ong Chin but only can hold on to his pace for.....less than 10 secs! Soon they (Jiun Jye, Cecil, Ong Chin) started pulling away from me, and their shapes became smaller....smaller...and smaller before disappearing out of sight! Don was my next target as I can see him slowing down, but I never got close to him. At the end of the race, he told me 4km near the finish, he thought I was right behind him when he saw a figure nearing and he waited. Instead, he was shocked to see it was actually his rival, M. Ramakrishnan. Lucky he brought an extra battery with him and managed to hold on the 1st place.

At the first few kms, Naresh & Guna were the guys I tried to hang on to. Those two were trading paces and kept pushing hard. I managed to hang on to them and soon I took the lead among the group. Then suddenly another guy came right up to me, Say Heong, a veteran runner. Before long, Guna joined in the pace as well. Luckily for me, managed to steady my pace (maybe cos I've warmed up a little more and tried to relax a little bit in my run. Being too tense in run doesn't help!). Got passed by 2 senior veteran runners, firstly was Rizdwan Sulaiman and later, Ramakrishnan, who came from behind to almost pipping Don for 1st placing. At 3km to go mark, I was able to push a little harder and almost caught Ridzwan in the end but again I lost to him by a few secs as in Siemens Run.

I was happy that I managed to beat whoever I am supposed to beat but found the Top 10.....eer.... Top 11 and a few junior and senior veteran guys' pace too HOT to handle. I was not even close to Cecil. And also to handful of veteran guys, Top 3 from junior veteran and top 3 from senior veteran. Guess I have a lot more RUNS to do before I catch up with some of them.

Me & Ferhad (MixFM Breakfast Show)

Tai (my ex-colleague from UOB)

Permaisuri Gang - Gary, Pat and Houn

Pat & Mien Yee

Men Open Results :

42.12 - Shaharuddin Hashim (1st)

43.09 - M. Arul Thevar (2nd)
43.59 - M. Murali (3rd)
45.20 - R. Jayakumar (4th)

46.28 - Casey Lim (5th)
46.57 - M. Prabakharan (6th)
47.08 - Jasni Kharil (7th)
47.21 - Zakariaz Karasz (8th)

47.54 - Shahrom Abdullah (9th)

48.49 - Wong Jiunn Jye (10th)

49.13 - Cecil Cheong (11th) - Amkan!

50.16 - Khoo Yit Kiat (12th)
50.31 - Hamidon Mat Aris (13th) - Chip timing 49.51!
50.56 - Gunaselan Rajagopal, Pm39 (14th)
53.06 - Naresh Kumar, Pm37 (18th)
54.35 - Kenny Tan, Pm27 (21st)
55.30 - Mohd Azali, Pm34 (25th)
56.xx - Zukhairi Ahmad
57.26 - Abdul Azri (34th)
58.41 - Stanley Cheong, Pm53 (51st)
58.50 - Suresh, Pm47 (52nd)
64.53 - Khairol Faisal (112th)
65.16 - Dannie Choong, Pm62 (117th)
66.45 - Gary Chan (145th)
69.49 - Dinesh Kumaran, Pm4 (243rd)
Mens Open - 1394 finishers

Junior Veteran Results :
40.57 - Jean Pierre Lautredoux (1st)
47.22 - Ong Chin (2nd)
48.10 - A. Malayalam (3rd)
48.29 - Goh Choon Aun (4th)
50.44 - Ng Say Heong (5th)
54.44 - Daniel Tan (6th)
58.44 - Tay Poh Chye (15th)
59.18 - Tai Lee Fei (18th)
59.30 - Paul Lee (19th)
60.57 - Adam Loh (24th)
61.33 - Low Kim Houn (28th) - 59.34 (Chip Timing)
61.44 - Ang Chee Kiang (33rd)
62.00 - Lai Fong Sang (36th)
81.39 - Ng Wei Hann (133rd) - 79.10 (Chip Timing)
Mens Junior Veteran - 222 finishers

Mens Senior Veteran Results :
49.01 - Don Khor (1st)
49.16 - M. Ramakrishnan (2nd) - Chip Timing 47.42!!
50.11 - Ridzwan Sulaiman (3rd)
52.40 - Vincent Wong (4th)
53.19 - Richard Ranner (5th)
53.33 - Tan Wah Sing (6th)
59.27 - Lok Chan Chuen (13th)
68.25 - Kent Khoo (31st)
Mens Senior Veteran - 117 finishers

Womens Open Results :
56.09 - Cheah Meei Meei (1st)
56.51 - Amutha Arumugam (2nd)
57.46 - Tan Lee Chin (3rd)
58.28 - S. Thalagavathy (4th)
59.02 - Ong Yann Kai (5th)
59.38 - Elain Wong (6th)
60.14 - Jessica Tang (7th)
61.27 - Julia Lim (8th)
73.33 - Nik Raiha (43rd)
1:59:23 - Lei Mien Yee (565th) - 1:58:04 (Chip Timing)
Womens Open - 679 finishers

Womens Veteran Results:
56.39 - Susah Khoo (1st)
59.21 - Lian Bee Hoon (2nd)
61.13 - Agnes Tee (3rd)
69.34 - Eng Seok Lin (10th)
70.26 - Karen Loh (11th) - Amkan!
75.18 - Veronica Schokman (19th)
75.23 - Pat Yap (20th)
Womens Veteran - 108 finishers

(Results courtesy from PM1 & Hooha Asia)


For more results, please click on Hooha Asia

COMING SOON! An Exclusive Invterview With A Top Athlete!

Coming in this week, there will be an exclusive interview with our top national athlete. You be in a for a big surprise. Keep on the lookout!

Here's a little teaser/clue:

Azri Is Middle-Distance King in Inter-Investment Bank Meet 2010

My friend and ex-colleague has managed to collect 2 gold medals in the just concluded Malaysian Investment Banking Association (MIBA) Athletics Meet. From a casual jogger to becoming a champion in just a matter of less than 3 years. He also had an operation to his knee in early 2009, and clocked a 3:57:47 (SCKLM 09) later in the year, in his first attempt in the  marathon distance. He went on to clock a better time at this year's SCKLM with a time of 3:47:50. I think this is his 4th attempt in marathon.  His determination is hard to match and that's how he got to where he is today. Congrats Azri!

1st day - 5000m
1. Abdul Azri (CMB) - 22:17
2. Vijay (CIMB)
3. Lee Kok Khee (Kenanga)

2nd day - 1500m
1. Abdul Azri (CIMB) - 05:20
2. Some dude (MIMB)
3. Khairol Faisal (CIMB)

BHPetrol Orange Run 2010

Reached The Curve early at around 5.45am, looking to do at least an hour run before joining the Orange Run, which starts at 7.15am. Thought I would looked stupid running with the bib before the race, I wore another vest to run. Ended running for about 56mins, which I think I've covered 11km. Wanted to do a longer about 15km but since the start time was at 7.15am, went to get change and head out to the starting line. However, this year, the women's race started first. Ended up having a 30mins break in between my first run and the race. Only had chance to jog near the starting line.

Started slowly and only started pushing a little when I reached Riana Green Condo near Tropicana. Not too sure of my position as there were no cards given since no medals are awarded in this race. Ran a time of 49m 34s. Slower than girl's winner! : ( Distance was measured at 10.77km by someone's GPS kok (clock).

Photo courtesy of Chan WK

Don't ask me why am I making that face!

With Siew Chee Meng, the creator of Malaysia Runners Network facebook page

Here I have the results from pm1 & penonton website:

Men Open 11km :
37.11 - Shaharuddin Hashim (1st)
37.xx - Arul Thevar (2nd)
38.04 - Murali Muniandy (3rd)
38.52 - Jayakumar (4th)
39.11 - M. Prabakharan (5th)
39.26 - M. Balu (6th)
39.54 - Casey Lim (7th)
40.18 - Lim Suhairi Md Ghazali (8th)
40.31 - C. Eswaran (9th)
40.38 - Ong Wei Xiang (10th)
41.27 - Wong Jiunn Jye (11th) - Amkan!
42.10 - J. Vigneswaran (12th)
42.16 - Lim Kar Sing (13th)
42.45 - Gavin Bong (14th)
43.04 - S. Mathialagan (15th)
45.00 - Lionel Lee, Pm52 (00th)
45.50 - Hamidon Mat Aris (00th)
47.11 - Naresh Kumar, Pm37 (00th)
47.11 - Ronnie See, Pm1 (00th)
47.58 - Kenny Tan, Pm27 (00th)
48.09 - Tang Wern Tien, Pm49 (00th)
48.50 - Chen Keat Hoong, Pm8 (00th)
49.34 - Khoo Yit Kiat, Pm28 (00th)
60.15 - Kevin Chow, Pm32 (00th)
60.16 - Ryan Teoh, Pm17 (00th)
64.54 - Jeff Ooi (00th)
68.08 - Malcalm Chew, Pm46 (00th)
70.56 - Mohd Halimi (00th)

Men Jr. Veteran 11km :
40.06 - S. Ganesan (1st)
40.53 - Ong Chin (2nd)
41.31 - Goh Chun Aun (3rd)
41.54 - Malayalam (4th)
42.22 - M. Karmukilan (5th)
43.13 - M. Thanasekaran (6th)
43.58 - Ridzwan Sulaiman (7th)
44.08 - Ng Say Heong (8th)
45.06 - Wong Weng Seng (9th)
45.06 - Vincent Wong, Pm10 (9th)
45.19 - Silahuddin Salim (10th)
45.26 - Moey Wooi San (11th) - Amkan!
46.29 - Tan Wah Sing (12th)
47.36 - Daniel Tan, Pm3 (13th)
47.44 - Loong Weng Onn (14th)
48.05 - Md. Yasan Rahim (15th)
58.44 - Calvin Chan, Pm63 (00th)
58.46 - Loke Shu Sun (00th)
59.28 - Kelvin Ng, Pm2 (00th)
60.17 - Fong Sai Siong (00th)

Women Open (11km) :
43.49 - Noor Amelia Bt Musa (1st) - Awesome time!
49.27 - Yuan Yufang (2nd) Why official result put Julie Wong, but photo is Yuan Yufang?
51.33 - Amutha Arumugam (3rd)

Women Veteran (11km) :
50.47 - Tan Lee Chin (1st)
52.02 - Julia Lim (2nd)
52.15 - Agnes Tee (3rd)

Boys (11km) :
40.27 - Radzam Bin Pittli (1st)
41.04 - C. Bairavan (2nd)
41.27 - S. Novinkumar (3rd)

Girls (11km) :
48.33 - Nor Walienya (1st)
50.04 - Nor Kamieylla (2nd)
53.23 - N. Nantini (3rd)