Time flies fast when you're not looking...

Man.. it's been one heck of a month.. all the drama, the change in environment, the finals for my modules, and finally, the IMWA. I am severely undertrained, mentally drained, emotionally unstable... and yet.. I still find time and peace to watch "Project Runway".. haha.. I think I just need the mental shutdown for awhile...

So.. tt's all fer now.. I just need to mentally block myself from thinking and reading.. and just rest abit... might run later.. see how.. I just feel tired.. :) but that has never stopped me before...

Trudge on.. all... no matter what life throws at you, or what you throw into your lives...

PS. I feel like eating cake now. .hmm.. weird cravings...

A day in the "new" life of Lala...

0400: Wake up for no reason.. (really, I don't know why).. do a bit of reading
0500: Sleep for another 2 hrs
0700 Wake up for real now. Get ready for work
0730: Head to work
0830: Work

WORK
WORK
WORK

1730: Finish work for the day. Run Home
1830: Arrive home. Train either swim, bike or run
2130: Finish training. Shower
2200: Study, read, chat online
0000: Sleep
0400: Wake up for no apparent reason... again

hahaha... my life for the past 2 weeks... roughly...

Trudge on..

My 3rd near death accident in about one year's timespan

As above.. I almost got knocked down.. today.. while running...

My FB status... I can't type much for now...
"Some truck carrying Bangladeshi workers was speeding at about 30km/h. lucky only kena the right side of my hand, cheek and thigh.. then spun around and fell."

"now got big bruise over my right hand.. feels like no fracture.. and my glasses lens got chipped.. sobs.."

"managed to complete 18km run though :)"

Might go get an xray tml.. will see how.. and resume training tml morning if I can wake up in time.. still in aftershock mode, cos no time during the knock to have myself to get scared..

This is really not a good year for me.. 4th major accident, 3rd near death one.. think I got my life flashing thing memorised already..

ugh.. gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight..

trudge on!!

My past... and the future..

Hmm.. a lot of people have asked me numerous times.. why am I still single? And I used to get the perpetual nagging from my mum about finding "The One" everytime I called home.. till i threatened never to call or go home again if that is the only thing she will ever talked to me about, and it worked.. hehe.. but anyways....

My close friends who knows my past will know my whole story and how far I've come. It was a mistake from the start, somehow, I knew it, but yet... I played along, ignoring every single sign warning me. I also ignored my intuition, that I trusted all the while and that I "believed" that everthing was going to be fine.

I put everything I was into it, and lost myself. It took me a week to stop crying when I wake up, when I was alone in the my clinic room, at night before I sleep, two weeks before I was able to sleep without drinking myself till I was pissed, a month to start smiling again and a year to rediscover who I was.. but only a few months ago to say that it was finally over.

Yes.. it took me that long, but it was because I am who I am.. and that I am passionate in whatever I do, and I believe that to do anything in life, I must give all I have. And that is who I'll always be... I am serious when I am with others cos I dun like to hurt their feelings... I am like my mum, strong for others on the outside, but soft in the inside. Hurting others hurts me more...

For now, work and studies and training supercedes everything else.. and those are now my priorities, right below family and close friends. Which is the main reason actually that I wanna take a break from racing next year.. so I can focus on other things in life... :) .. I'm sure my mum will be happy to hear tt.. till I tell her that I wanna spend more time on diving (scuba and sky) next year too.... hehe

Hmm.. many wonders await me next year.. I can just feel it in my bones... and I am all looking forward to it :)

Trudge on...

Trailblazing... second time round..

Last Sunday, BK and I went again for this year's Genting Trailblazer, and it was yeah... FUNZ!! For those who don't know, GTB is a 14 km trail run around Awana Genting, and it is one of the tougher trail runs I've ever been to as the tracks are not as straightforward as it seems. This year, we were in the competition category, hoping to win some moolah.. hehe.. and so, with tt in mind.. off we went.

We had a lot of change in plans, so we air-asia-ed to KL LCCT, bus to KL Sentral, Cab to Awana. Chked in and registered.....
And off we were to our room.

After a short break, it was off to Rajawali for makan. The food was only so so this time, and the dessert platter not as nice as last year's. Lotsa ppl were there to eat their fill.. and I'm sure the restaurant was fully prepared for us.. hehe

BK happy and finally full

After that, up to Genting for a stroll. Walked around First World and tried to shop for shoes.. As usual, failed miserably... conclusion: I am so not a women's shoe/sandals shopper.. hehe

BK enjoying a Candy floss

Me and my gorilla

The next morning, it was super misty... had a Power Bar and prepped for the race. Walked to the starting point.. and there were sooo many ppl. Found Ah Tey taking photos of everyone.. hehe.. good ole Tey...

Lotsa ppl at the starting point

The before pic

The race started with about a 3km run through the roads along the golf course. Mind you, not a flat road, but one long one filled with slopes, and with the surrounding mist, it was hard to gauge when the next upslope was (plus, it kinda felt like some Silent Hill scenery too). After about 20mins or so.. we hit the trails.. and whoa.. it was damn muddy and slippery. My shoe had no traction most of the time, and I fell a few times even on the flat trail ground (ok, ego bruised here) leaving with me 2 deep cuts on my right palm.The first part was similar to the previous TB route and was up and down and up and down over and over again. Some parts required us to slide, some parts had ropes to pull ourselves up.

After about the 3 river crossings (where I consistently cleaned my hands) we reached the hardest part of the race... the almost never ending UP UP UP hill. This itself took about 20 to 30 mins to complete and I had to stop and take a breather about 3-4x before completing the hill climb...

Small river crossing

ok.. starting to see steps.. gg to reach liao... about 10 more mins..
and yes!!! I am on the road... yay!!! the last water point and toilet break before head on to the finish point.


The last part last year was a road run to the obstacle course.. and it was mainly downhill.. and I thought it was the same this year.. I WAS DEAD WRONG.!!!... we turned off into another sandy trail area and it was upslope... AGAIN... before heading down to the obstacle area.
Now, HERE is where the fun begins. There were a few water pits and a tall mound on the site. We had to go through the water pits.. and I didn't know of it was deep or shallow. There were a few photogs on the mound to the side.. and well.. we asked.. they said just go ahead... I took one step.. and.. whoopps.... I went into the water. I stood up and the water was at my shoulder level.. haha.. oh well.. ok.. cursed at the photog for abit.. hahha.. next were walls limbs, more water pits, bamboo bridge walk, well.. let the pics tell the story.

Wading under the bamboo poles

Big wall to climb, then jump into the muddy water

Bamboo pole bridge

Climb up and jump in to the water

Anyway, we ended the race at 1:55 hrs and it was fun!! We were mixed number 7.. damn ... missed the podium by 2 positions again.. oh well..

Some new frens at the event : Tweet & Ribbit

Ah Tey at his job!!

Back to the room, showered, ate food, took more pics, before heading back to the room to clean up and pack. Had a nice HOT bath .. mm.. I love hot baths.. and chked out. BK bought some Brooks shoes and off we were to the First World again to get bus tickets to head back to SG.

The medal and shoe bag

As usual, had lotsa fun times this race, although it was tough. To me, this year's race was better than last year's, maybe cos a little but fitter and that the route changed a bit. The obstacle course was different as well, with new varieties of obstacles to go through. This was much more interesting and was soooo much better than just climbing last yr's walls. Hope they make it better and better as tiem goes by.. so...

Might join again next year, so watcha waiting fer !!

Trudge on...

My Skydiving Vid

I owe some ppl this video....

TQ Unker!!

Stories from the past... 2007 Kinabalu Climbathon

My old personal blog entry of Kinabalu Climbathon 2007. The 2009 edition just passed us by, and somehow, reading entries from it reminded me of this unforgettable race. I remembered it as the second race I in my life.. as well as the most important event that has ever happened to me.... (those who know me better knows why)... Haven't had the chance to join it again since.. but hmm.. who knows.. hehe..

Here goes..

"KINABALU CLIMBATHON 2007

It’s over, really really over…..I actually summitted. Yep, all the way up the mountain. The race was amazing, I really enjoyed it. It was fun, torturous, refreshing from all the other runs I’ve done before. In short, I plan to do it again next year.

Training…(lest I forget) was 3 and a ½ months of pure torture.. 1-2hrs of strength and cardio training (stairmasters and Personal Training) and 10-20km runs in the evening. Will need to do more trails next year and maybe do a preview run up before the real race itself in August. May join up with the NTUC team next year for their training, but they usually start 6mths before hand. Lazy….

24th August 2007
Flew in from JB Senai airport to KKIA. Flight took 2hrs 30mins and was uneventful. Was sleeping all the way and arrived refreshed. At KKIA, Bobby from Exotic-adventures picked me up in a shuttle van. Nice local guy. We picked Francis ( an event organizer) from his hotel and proceeded on to Kinabalu Park itself. It seems that most of the other contestants were already there at the Park. On the way, we stopped at Tamparuli for their famous Tamparuli noodles which was amazing. Francis kindly paid for the meal…hehe

Arrived at Liwagu resort at Kinabalu Park and proceeded on to register for the race – RM60. Yay!!! Got the race pack which contained:
1. Official Buff SkyRunner headgear
2. Race booklet
3. T-shirt (which I’m wearing now)
4. Other Sabah tourism booklets
5. BIB no. 219 and hairpins
Ok..off to the hotel to chk-in

The Hotel Perkasa was about 10 mins from the Park by van. Bobby shuttled me there. It was on a hill on the mountain. The room was nice, simple, with a good view of the mountains and the peaks. Unfortunately, it was misty when I arrived. Can’t get a good shot today. Rested a while before heading down to the shuttle that brought me to the Kinabalu Park Hall for briefing. Ate some of the chocolate bars and half a can of Pringles during the rest….yummy…. CARBO LOADING TIME!!! The part of the race I really enjoyed…

Hotel Perkasa’s room…nice double bed..haven’t slept in one in ages

Mist surrounding the mountain top…

The briefing started at 6pm. Given by Mr Bhalwant Singh – Race Director – started with a video made for the Climbathon. It showed the women’s winner – Anna Pitchorva – amazing how she runs – gg up and down the mountain. The top 3 runners (heed the word runners, not walkers) were really competitive. To them, timing is everything. This was followed by race rules and Q&A. That’s it, on to the hotels for a good night’s rest.

25th August 2007
Race day
Had a wake up call at 4am in the morning but already had a bad night’s rest. The kids in the room next to mine were shouting till 12am. Put my running clothes on – orange tee with the sleeveless blue dri-fit on top. I looked ridiculous.. Wore an extra T to keep me warm before the race. Haha..better. Had the black shorts and the buff head scarf on.

Bib number in place, shoes tightened and locked. Time to head out.

Breakfast was light and simple at the hotel’s cafeteria, usual bfast, toast, eggs, fried noodles. Skipped the cereal this time round. Saw some other runners there as well before the race. All eating up. The shuttle picked us up at 5am.

Arrived at Liwagu resort around 5.30am as we picked some other runners on the way. Some of them I met the night before on the way back to the hotels. A group of elderly ppl were there too. Seems that they are regulars for the race. They were surprised to hear that I had come alone and fished out as much advise as they can to me about the race. Most important advice: TRY TO REACH THE SUMMIT. It seems that the organizers will turn racers away if they can’t reach certain chkpoints in time, thereby hampering the already tortured spirits from summititng. The cut off for the summit today will be 3hrs30mins, so to reach the summit, must try to arrive at Laban Rata at least in 2 to 2 and a half hrs.

Arriving at Liwagu resort, I decided to at least reach Laban Rata, which is at KM 6. Sayat-sayat hut was at KM6.5 and the summit (Low’s Peak) at KM8.72. Cold, dark but the whole place was filled with eager runners, ready to start the race.The wind was howling as though to give us an early warning of how bad the race will be. Starting point was about 4km in from Liwagu resort. So another shuttle brought us there.

The sun was not out yet at 6.00am when we reached the starting point. Again, strong winds, but otherwise the sky was clear- good, hopefully no rain in the morning. Only had my running clothes on and was shivering cold. Darn, forgot a jacket. Checked in my extra tshirt and bag at the luggage counter. 30 minutes before starting, bib numbers started to be called out to register in the racers. There were a few DNS’s, it seems.

The starting point buzzing with anxious people..

Soon the sun came out and the sky brightened up. The trail became more obvious. Still cold, I went for a short jog into the starting area to warm myself up . Worked up a bit of a sweat that evaporated almost immediately. Man, the wind blows again….. Feeling cold again. My heart races faster as the clock ticks down.
Bhalwat Singh gave a short speech…who cares!!…boring…. 3…..2……1......
The starting flag came down…. OFF WE GO!!!

Initial part of the trek started with a tarped road towards the timpohon gate. Only managed to run slowly up to 2/3 of the way to the first checkpoint at 0.5km. The top runners just sped on, running without looking back. Racers around me also started to walk, evidence of how being at a high altitude really kills the energy to run. Started to walk then and there itself.

The trek was, luckily not too wet. Started out mainly steps cut into the trail with some stairs interlaced in between. The steps are high, and the stairs narrow… phew, can really fall down on this treacherous trek if not careful… HOW IN THE WORLD DO THE TOP RUNNERS RUN????

Anyways… working my way up the trek one step at a time were easy until… I started to run out of breath. The scenery was amazing when you could look out into the mountains, otherwise, the fresh cool mountain air invigorates me with life. I miss all this, being in an urban jungle for far too long already. Right then and there, I decided that I’ll do the race over and over again, if only to feel alive again in the wild outdoors. I stopped at times, but with all the there runners moving, I knew I could not stop long. On the way up, we helped each other with words of encouragement to continue, not to give up till we reach the top. Wen Siong’s words kept playing in my head, come on Jonie, just another one more. Gotta thank him for this when I see him next. Soon, after 2 hrs of torture, Laban Rata was in sight…YES!!!.... Approaching Laban Rata itself was fun, the people who were staying there all came out to cheer the runners… some were even standing on the roofs of the other small huts in the vicinity. Man, I need to climb this mountain again soon…

OK, The summit next!!. The next part of the trek will be highly dangerous, if my memory does not fail. This is where all the rope works begin. My hands were starting to feel really cold as the ropes were cold and wet. Note for next year’s race… bring gloves. Some areas were too steep to just walk upright, and some were like walking sideways while splaying your body on the mountain wall. The top runners were now in sight, running DOWN… RUNNNING DOWN!!!... Amazing, seeing them fly over the rocks, racing against time and one another to reach the end of the race. Nevermind them…. Just continue on. Will make it….

Towards the end, I can feel the air getting thinner and thinner…breathing becomes more and more deeper, and my steps becoming slower. One peak looms ahead, nope..not Low’s Peak. Nevermind, continue to walk

Come on Jonie, another one…. Wen Siong in my head again.

Finally, there it is…Low’s Peak. Ropes were outlining the trek, showing the best way to go up the mountain. There was a huge yellow umbrella marking the last chkpoint of the race… Another 10 mins?...5mins….I look at my watch.. 4098m above sea level. OK.. last push now to the top!!

Low’s Peak.. way at the end there…

I’m THERE!!!!!!
I’M AT THE END…
I look at my watch….10:48
SUMMITTED IN 3:48 !!!!
I DID IT!!!

Whoa.. the feeling of achievement was amazing…
The Summit officials held out their hands to congratulate me… Nina ( Phillipino runner) and Lee (from Tawau) did the same… heheh I could only congratulate them back and hand them a huge smile…

At the summit!!!!

Nina, Lee (race official- not racer Lee) and Me on the summit…

I took a breather up there….

Amazing… the air up there was cold but fresh. Can I just stay up here?... Brr… getting colder tho….

After 5 mins at the top.. time to go down… darn.. the hard part begins. Up climb was easy as you only depended on sheer endurance to propel you. Downclimb, is, well downright scary. Especially when it started to rain!!!..No….even the slightest drizzle can make the trek 10x harder…slippery…

Slowly now, one step at a time. Luckily my shoes were able to grip quite well to the rocks so far, if not I would be falling with each step I take. I remembered the last time I went up with tennis shoes… since then, I learned to wear proper footwear to sport events.

Phew, tiring. Going down requires more vigilance, can’t shut the mind off just like that. The slightest miscalculations, and down,…..all the way down you go … once again…
HOW IN THE WORLD DO THE TOP RUNNERS RUN???? DOWN!!!!

The initial downclimb, was hmm… slow… not used to rocks already since my last climb in 2004 at Nepal. Can’t make it for Finisher already, so might as well make it down ALIVE. After about an hour, I made it back to Laban Rata, but with my knees already killing me. Old sport injuries really picks the best time to present itself again. Aargh. will need to be more careful when I restart training next when I get down. Don’t wanna lose my knees so soon.

After Laban Rata, the trek returned to the normal soft muddy mountain trails. At first rocky, gradually, changed to the soft mud tracks I’m more used to. Navigating through the rocks, I think I fell twice on my buttocks.. luckily got fat pad to cushion the fall..hahah. On the way down, many whom I passed on the way up started to cut in front of me… evidently they were better than me at down climb..hehe ☺. Yup need more practice for next yr’s event. Ok…..slowly now…

Hmm… around KM 5 on the way down, I met Lee (from Tawau).. amazingly, he was jes recce-ing the race for today as his event is actually tomorrow. Hahah… no wonder he was wearing a runner’s tag and not a numbered bib. Tall and lanky, he was a policeman from Penang who was posted in Tawau. We started talking and thankfully for him, he became my partner during the downclimb, and that helped me a lot. That said, I still fell down again…twice …on my bum. Haha…

The drizzle continued, but as there were trees around, I couldn’t really feel the full effect of the rain. The trek was still wet though and at some areas, small streams of water were gushing down the steps. The narrow stairs at this point became even narrower, and soggy from the rain. Slowly, KM 4.5…..3.0….2.0….1.0….Timpohon Gate!!!

Lee bought me a 100 plus then, as he was equally parched. The officials there congratulated up for reaching the summit and waved us through the gate. We continued on. My knees then were already on the verge of giving way, but my spirit was growing with each second that the torture was going to end soon. Hahah

Hmm… we reached the starting point in less then 10mins, and we saw 2 guys walking back in the rain as well. They were drenched. Only then did I realized that the rain was actually heavier than I initially thought. Fairus and Diony, they were out taking photos of Carson’s fall and got caught in the rain. With nothing better to do, all four of us started to head back.

The Finishing Line

We had a lively chat on the way back and managed to hitch a ride with one of the transport (which luckily had 4 empty seats left) bringing the racers back to the ending point. The rain started to lighten up.. and as we reached the end point, a sense of relief and achievement filled me again. I made it to the top… and that felt just great….

Me and Diony at the guy's event the next day

TILL NEXT YEAR!!!!

Hey, I still go the Finisher's Medal after all"

Try onz again next yearr!!