Penang Bridge International Marathon 2012

Hello loyal reader well this was supposed to be the last race of the year, but if you know the Floridian runner, you know that any opportunity to compete will not be passed up (I should really take the rest of the year off though). Penang Bridge was the very first race I signed up for in Penang. I signed up for it before we had moved to Penang back in 2010. That was for the 2011 race (duh), Then the day that will live in infamy happened, (accident) and I missed it. So this would be my first Penang bridge run, and the 1/2 marathon was on tap. I was terribly sore, and worried about the distance really wreaking my hip flexors and quads worse than they were. The race began at 3:00AM, and although that sounds like torture, it was not that bad, i had friends who had a hotel room close to the venue, so I had a place to crash. Now, generally the smaller races in Penang take place with little or no traffic control. This race was on a closed course which is wonderful. However, I did not run well and the sub two hour 1/2 marathon, here in Penang, continues to elude me...that sucks. The startting corral was tough, very crowded and the fact that in began on the feeder road in front of the Queensbay mall...so getting out of the pack was not easy...That always drives me crazy and messes with my pacing every time. The reason is that once i get free i find myself wanting to "make up the time"...

So as it has gone in other 1/2's here. I did the first 10k really well...the second 10k...not so much...It was hot, now its always hot here, so that should come as no surprise, however even some of my local friends said it was hot. I expected some sea breeze on the bridge to help a bit, there was NONE...The route back was brutal for me and although I tried the walk a 1/2 mile run a mile...i was not able to...I crossed the finish line in the 2:20's....which is not very good, but seems to be my target pace based on my last 3 half marathons here (3 in Penang, counting this one, and one in Singapore). This was special because last year for this race I was still on crutches, and THIS was the LAST Penang Bridge run on this span of the bridge, in the coming years it will be on the new span they are building. Proud of the friends i have and their accomplishments...I did miss out on the post race pictures which stinks, but i needed to get home and get some sleep, I'm old....

There was a more significant negative that happened with the close of this race, and that was my Garmin FR305 finally died...I LOVED this watch and it will be missed! So the year will close with two more races in Penang, the Takasima (spelling?) run 10k, and the Round Island Relay...The two races at home, while we are back... So a few more posts before I wrap up the year. Thanks loyal reader for hanging in there! Run Happy!

Running In Hong Kong

This is just a short post...Rox or I will post a longer blog on our other site about Hong Kong...I did run there which is AWESOME!! I have now run or raced in 5 different countries (6 if you count the US). Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and now Hong Kong...It was cooler there, not by much but the difference between 80 degrees and 85 degrees is huge when you are running...anyway, we stayed in the Kowloon area, right near the esplanade and the Avenue of the stars, so that is where I ran...It was beautiful...Really blessed to not only still be able to run after my accident, but to run is such cool places!

Ok, its a cheesy picture but no one ever wants to get up to take pictures of me running...so cheese is it...enjoy!! Loyal reader...Run Happy!!

Tanjung 10km Run, November 10, 2012

Ok so this was supposed to be a good prep for the Penang Bridge 1/2 Marathon, and it would have been if i had spent any time training consistently over the last 2 months...I have actually been slacking pretty bad, now in my defense we have been traveling over the last 2 months quite a bit, but no excuses...So this is a smaller race but seeped in tradition i think as I did see some folks with T-shirts that were a few years old...The Fellowship of the Run, was out in full force for this one and that makes for a very competitive outing, so i had no visions of grandure, this was going to be fun!

Race course was good, nice and flat and through some areas of town that I don't get see much.For me the local, smaller races are very fascinating here in Penang. First of all, the medals are often really nice, second, the support is really good considering its a smaller event, Third, the public, going about their normal morning business, often has the strangest look about them as this big group goes running by...Which brings me to another huge difference between running a race at home and running one here, no difference does not imply better or worse, just different. At home the route is usually closed to traffic in some capacity, here you generally run with traffic. There is cross street support from local law enforcement usually, but open road is you, me and the traffic, and during this race, i lost it on some poor guy, went totally New York on him...i mean I am as far over to the shoulder as a can be and he got REALLY close...he turned ahead of me and I caught up there and after a few not so kind words I told him that he really did not need to be that close...i mean if i moved left because of debris on the shoulder, he would have hit me...Anyway, it was a fun race and I did ok. It was to have been a 10k but it was more like a 5.4 mile run...i did it in 44:35. I felt ok, but still dealing with a hamstring/quad problem, so more sore than i should be...

Anyway Good times, and now we head off to Hong Kong for 5 days, i should be able to get in a few runs there before Penang Bridge...i just hope I can run off this soreness....Thanks for being there loyal reader..Run Happy!!