Being a night run really prolongs the suspense! Decided to sleep in late and laze around trying to conserve energy. I was not in good shape. My knees ache & Achilles heels burned a bit. My body was stiff and general mood was lethargic - but I put it down as
! But I was determined to go, not giving in to negative feelings. I made a commitment and I will see it thru'.
It's my first ever 5km run and I wasn't sure how long that is. All I know is that people usually take around 30
to finish it. So, that was my benchmark!
I had packed my bags the night before - one pouch bag to carry my ID, phone & cash and a few necessities; another carrier bag for a jacket, tee & shorts; & my MP3 player (music to soothe my nerves). I wore a baby tee and a skirt with my running shoes. The plan is that I would change once I reached
. The run flag off time was 8.30pm
Run receipt, Goodies Bag & 1901 sausage vouchers
Around 3.30pm, I said goodbye to my mom & started out. Took a cab to the LRT station & headed for MasjidJamek. It was still early. Had my dinner at 4.30pm - Burger King's grilled chicken in a bun (RM8.35 - woh!).. Yes, I reverted back to carnivore diet (when I had the cold) as it was too stressful to have to find less oily vegetarian food each time. From MasjidJamek, I took the AmpangLRT to Chan Sow Lin and waited for the SriPetalingLRT. Silly me, I could have taken the SriPetalingLRT straight from MasjidJamek!
Anyway, the next destination was BandarTasikSelatan, where I got off & changed to the ERL Transit (RM5.60 to Putrajaya ). The noticeboard flashed "2 mins" to the arrival of the ERL. Imagine the running I had to do up the stairs and across to the other side of the track. (Silly me again, there's the escalator & lift nearby). Reached in the nick of time. The next train would be another 20 mins wait. Well, great warm-up session!
The ERL Transit is a high-speed train (& quiet too) that runs between KL
Sentral &
KLIA (airport), stopping at only 4 stations. Do not confuse this with ERL Ekspress that runs-non stop from KL Sentral to KLIA.
One thing I find strange - you have to press the door button before it can open, and many seats are one-seaters. Expecting many lone travellers?
WELCOME TO PUTRAJAYA
At PutrajayaSentral (clean, because its practically deserted) I changed into my shorts & tee (complete with numbers front & back) & went downstairs to the bus & taxi terminal. Taxi or bus? Hmmm...
PutrajayaSentral
Bus and Taxi Terminal
So many buses & bus routes & 'presints' but none said Presint 3 on the bus schedule poster. Why? Maybe, because most buses go through it (weird logic often used in map making & bus schedules). Anyway, I asked the bemused guys at the counter - "Going for a race?" (they had to ask). Anyway, they gave their support & directed me to the right bus. Nadiputra bus - environmentally friendly, using NGV (natural gas) - the way to go!
Buses that pass through Presint 3
Sightseeing around Putrajaya by bus (RM0.50)
At Presint 3 - this is where you can get all the major government departments together - a mix of ultra-modern building and Moorish-style Palace of Justice (listed as IstanaPerhakiman on the maps). These buildings flank a very wide, paved road extending from Putrajaya Convention Centre to Presint 2.
The 5 km run is from the Palace of Justice straight to Putrajaya Convention Centre, through the Gemilang Bridge and back. I arrived at Presint 3 around 7pm and walked around until flag off at 8.30pm.
Gemilang Bridge
FUN RUN Tip #1
Find out where are these main areas :
- Toilet location & how many stalls - toilet line can be very long, so go early!
- Baggage check-in
- Goodies bag station
- Start/Finish gate
FUN RUN Tip #2
After the initial look around, find a convenient place & rest your feet. Don't be like me - I was so nervous, I kept walking around until the bottom of my feet was so tired & the run has yet to start. Don't waste precious energy, unless for warm-up.
FUN RUN Tip #3
Warm-up is a little tricky. We are suppose to warm-up minutes before the run but there's lots of waiting around especially in the 'holding pen', just before flag-off. The run's warm-up session was more than 1/2 hr before the flag-off. People would have cooled down by then. Alternatively, you could do like me - use the 1st few minutes of the run as warm-up (but it will slow your time). I started by running baby steps - 3 min run, 1 min walk loops.. to warm-up & keep a steady pace. A few loops later I found that I could run faster & longer.
At flag off, I was the first few in front. Then many runners passed me by. My runner friend, W enisa used to tell me "Ignore them, - just run at your own pace & follow your plan". So as the 'tortoise' progressed, soon I could now run pass those in front. What a morale booster.. actually they were all 'resting'-slowing down. And so it goes - first you are in front, then they over-take you and soon you over take them... etc. etc. When I passed the mid-way point, I was ecstatic. There's no stopping me now!
First half of the run, a little up-hill struggle
FUN RUN Tip #4
Bring water while you run, if you can handle the extra 'resistance'. I was carrying a small Nike tumbler 1/2 full with plain water. If not, there's a water station slightly after mid-way point. But horrors of horrors, not only paper cups were strewn all over the road, the workers filling the cups were getting water from the small 500ml bottles. Imagine how many plastic bottles were thrown away that one night??
Litter bugs
FUN RUN Tip #5
Bring water for after the run! You'd be really thirsty! This is what happened at the Shape run, which is also the Men's Health run. Revive Isotonic drink, one of the sponsors was giving away free cans. Many guys & gals were patiently lining up to get their cans. Some smart alec guys I saw jumped queue and made off with 2 cans. Another kiasu, got 4 cans and then mayhem broke loose and it was free for all with the guys pushing their sweaty bodies, grabbing whatever they could, leaving everyone else thirsty & fuming!! If you are so thirsty & need to drink many cans, I give that to you (poor thing) but as usual these guys are hoarding. When I was leaving the place, I saw a man carrying at least 8 cans in his carrier bag to his car! Greedy!!!
FUN RUN Tip #6
Bring an extra plastic (or otherwise) bag or two for soiled & sweaty clothes.
THE FINALE
Started at 8:30:00
Crossed the finishing line at 9:13:40.
Run time 0:43:40
I've got a certificate for this run (no name) and memories for a lifetime. I claimed my bag from the baggage counter, redeemed my goodie bags (one for my absent friend), had a bite of my 1901 hotdog, changed my soaking wet Tee & shorts and headed for the Bus-stop, just in time to catch the Nadiputra bus back to Putrajaya Sentral heading for Bandar Tasik Selatan.
This time, not so lucky. Had to wait 20 mins for the train, together with a few other runners, each in his own world. Almost 11pm - take the LRT or taxi straight to my home? Queue for taxi a bit long. 5 taxis later, I got in and its 'Home, James!". Well, not quite.. a stopover at my favourite stall for late supper & well-deserved drink!
I DID IT! This 48-year old, non-runner with osteoarthritis in both knees and reformed couch potato -- DID IT!
But its like the philosophical question they ask,
"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
-- if one beats the odds and achieves a goal, but no one knows or acknowledges it, what good is the victory?
- Do I want to run the 5km again?
- Can I run again?
- Will I run again?
Let you know next year!
Being a night run really prolongs the suspense! Decided to sleep in late and laze around trying to conserve energy. I was not in good shape. My knees ache & Achilles heels burned a bit. My body was stiff and general mood was lethargic - but I put it down as pre-run nerves! But I was determined to go, not giving in to negative feelings. I made a commitment and I will see it thru'.
It's my first ever 5km run and I wasn't sure how long that is. All I know is that people usually take around 30 mins to finish it. So, that was my benchmark!
I had packed my bags the night before - one pouch bag to carry my ID, phone & cash and a few necessities; another carrier bag for a jacket, tee & shorts; & my MP3 player (music to soothe my nerves). I wore a baby tee and a skirt with my running shoes. The plan is that I would change once I reached Putrajaya. The run flag off time was 8.30pm
Around 3.30pm, I said goodbye to my mom & started out. Took a cab to the LRT station & headed for MasjidJamek. It was still early. Had my dinner at 4.30pm - Burger King's grilled chicken in a bun (RM8.35 - woh!).. Yes, I reverted back to carnivore diet (when I had the cold) as it was too stressful to have to find less oily vegetarian food each time. From MasjidJamek, I took the AmpangLRT to Chan Sow Lin and waited for the SriPetalingLRT. Silly me, I could have taken the SriPetalingLRT straight from MasjidJamek!
Anyway, the next destination was BandarTasikSelatan, where I got off & changed to the ERL Transit (RM5.60 to Putrajaya ). The noticeboard flashed "2 mins" to the arrival of the ERL. Imagine the running I had to do up the stairs and across to the other side of the track. (Silly me again, there's the escalator & lift nearby). Reached in the nick of time. The next train would be another 20 mins wait. Well, great warm-up session!
The ERL Transit is a high-speed train (& quiet too) that runs between KL Sentral & KLIA (airport), stopping at only 4 stations. Do not confuse this with ERL Ekspress that runs-non stop from KL Sentral to KLIA.
At PutrajayaSentral (clean, because its practically deserted) I changed into my shorts & tee (complete with numbers front & back) & went downstairs to the bus & taxi terminal. Taxi or bus? Hmmm...
So many buses & bus routes & 'presints' but none said Presint 3 on the bus schedule poster. Why? Maybe, because most buses go through it (weird logic often used in map making & bus schedules). Anyway, I asked the bemused guys at the counter - "Going for a race?" (they had to ask). Anyway, they gave their support & directed me to the right bus. Nadiputra bus - environmentally friendly, using NGV (natural gas) - the way to go!
Sightseeing around Putrajaya by bus (RM0.50)
FUN RUN Tip #1
Find out where are these main areas :
FUN RUN Tip #2
After the initial look around, find a convenient place & rest your feet. Don't be like me - I was so nervous, I kept walking around until the bottom of my feet was so tired & the run has yet to start. Don't waste precious energy, unless for warm-up.
Warm-up is a little tricky. We are suppose to warm-up minutes before the run but there's lots of waiting around especially in the 'holding pen', just before flag-off. The run's warm-up session was more than 1/2 hr before the flag-off. People would have cooled down by then. Alternatively, you could do like me - use the 1st few minutes of the run as warm-up (but it will slow your time). I started by running baby steps - 3 min run, 1 min walk loops.. to warm-up & keep a steady pace. A few loops later I found that I could run faster & longer.
At flag off, I was the first few in front. Then many runners passed me by. My runner friend, W enisa used to tell me "Ignore them, - just run at your own pace & follow your plan". So as the 'tortoise' progressed, soon I could now run pass those in front. What a morale booster.. actually they were all 'resting'-slowing down. And so it goes - first you are in front, then they over-take you and soon you over take them... etc. etc. When I passed the mid-way point, I was ecstatic. There's no stopping me now!
FUN RUN Tip #4
Bring water while you run, if you can handle the extra 'resistance'. I was carrying a small Nike tumbler 1/2 full with plain water. If not, there's a water station slightly after mid-way point. But horrors of horrors, not only paper cups were strewn all over the road, the workers filling the cups were getting water from the small 500ml bottles. Imagine how many plastic bottles were thrown away that one night??
FUN RUN Tip #6
THE FINALE
I've got a certificate for this run (no name) and memories for a lifetime. I claimed my bag from the baggage counter, redeemed my goodie bags (one for my absent friend), had a bite of my 1901 hotdog, changed my soaking wet Tee & shorts and headed for the Bus-stop, just in time to catch the Nadiputra bus back to Putrajaya Sentral heading for Bandar Tasik Selatan.
This time, not so lucky. Had to wait 20 mins for the train, together with a few other runners, each in his own world. Almost 11pm - take the LRT or taxi straight to my home? Queue for taxi a bit long. 5 taxis later, I got in and its 'Home, James!". Well, not quite.. a stopover at my favourite stall for late supper & well-deserved drink!
I DID IT! This 48-year old, non-runner with osteoarthritis in both knees and reformed couch potato -- DID IT!