Brooks KRI annual run 2013, Ipoh Malaysia

As our time here in malaysia winds down I am finding myself doing "lasts", not "firsts". The KRI annual run was a first for me in 2012. It was a fun race and there were a lot of the I-run group there from Penang. This years race was a bit different, there was less of the I-run group but because of that I got a chance to talk to some of the group I have not gotten to know that well. This event was held at "The Haven" an really nice eco resort in Ipoh, Malaysia, the surrounding area is also very picturesque and one of the lesser developed areas of Malaysia, so there are still traditional buildings and architecture, spectacular scenery. The route seemed well planned, a fairly direct "out and back" with some challenging elevation (placed at the end of the route, NICE!) however there were turn offs from the route and that is where some problems occurred. I personally saw a few runners "cut" at least two of the turn offs, BOOO! Now look, Im not a top finisher, never have been, never will be and lately I have been been really suffering with soreness and pain, so I don't care if your "deviation" gained you time, maybe it got you to the podium...Personally, I would rather start at the appropriate spot, run the given course and finish at the appropriate spot, and come in last, than "place" in a race knowing I cheated...thats just me though. I think, if you cheat, even if you don't realize you did (yeah...right) have the honor and decency to bow out. Like my Hockey coach always said, "winners never cheat and cheaters never win"....unless you give out trophies to the top 10 finishers. So that brings me to another issue, I mean no offense, for this race as in others there were trophies given to the top 10 finishers in each age group, and there were at least 4 age groups for both men and women. Personally, I think if you get a finisher medal, and a T-shirt you should be happy to allow the top three finishers to be recognized with a larger prize, otherwise it really discounts winning, doesn't it? Part of competition is to work to be the best, If I were to get a trophy for coming in 10th, what would my goal be for my next race...5th?? I think when you recognize 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, you increase the competitive element of the race. Here is why I have that opinion, lets say I train well, run a good race and come in the top 15 overall, the race recognizes the top 3 finishers in each age group, but because of the competition i miss a top prize overall and in my age group, but barely....the next race I may work harder to hit that top spot. If the race does the top 10 spots in each division, I now come in 5th in my division, what is my incentive for the next race?? I got a trophy, so why train any harder?? I recall coming in 2nd place in a competitive event, and calling it "kissing your sister".... I have never found peace with the philosophy of "everyone wins", the all inclusive nature of competition...I think it makes us soft and takes away from the true spirit of the event. I always knew entering a race what the time would be to podium, 10K mid 30 min...1/2 marathon sub 1:20....I ran a 43:00 10k before leaving florida, was thrilled, and for that race, no medal, no trophy, just the joy of the run, I cam in 59th overall and 8th in my division (40-45). That was a sub 7 min mile pace and still not in the top 50....something to work for...oh yeah! Ok, despite all of that I have pride for those that did get trophies and ran well. I don't want it to seem like I am "sour grapes", I was no where need the top 20 in my division, much less the top 10. Now, at this stage, while I continue to deal with getting my right leg back to normal after my accident...I am happy that I can run, enjoy time with friends, and the scenery of some of the most beautiful places on the planet. Overall for me, this was a great race, i loved it and will sadly miss it when we return to the US. I would suggest to some of the organizers though, having been a part of the planning committee for some races back in the states, the most important element of your event, after the participants...no, i take that back, even before the participants are your volunteers, so maybe, forget giving out 80+ trophies, and bring in more marshals and race staff. I had a race director tell me once, "Volunteers are the most important cog in your event wheel, and you would always rather have too many than too few." Loyal reader, thanks for the support, RUN HAPPY!

Blackmores Sydney Running Festival, Sydney NSW.

September 22, 2013, I was met with bright sunshine, clear blue skies and cool temps. This is why I love to travel outside of Malaysia from time to time, to escape the heat and humidity, run in better atmospheric conditions, (Malaysia at times during the year does have difficulty with acrid smoke haze from the "slash and burn" palm oil farming that takes place across southeast asia) and have a chance to run in places I will never have the chance to run in again. This is my second trip to Australia for a run, this time I was solo, the last time Rox and Brenna came with. I had not trained well prior to this race, I have been dealing with some hip pain (not the joint/bone), and Rox had been spending every other week in Singapore, so getting up early to run was not possible during the weeks that she was away. training here in full sun and 80 degree temps is not fun, and after getting Brenna on the bus its 7:30ish, so the sun is up full and its HOT! I am however Brenna's dad first, and I like that just fine!
So I booked a Singapore airlines flight (love flying with them!) and found a hotel within walking distance of the race finish, and also within walking distance of Circular Quay, which is a really nice waterfront dinning and shopping area in Sydney.
I got in very early on Saturday the 21st, got to the hotel, and was able to check in right away, so I have to highly recommend the Sofitel Wentworth, a fantastic hotel, close to everything. So I settled in, connected to the wifi and found the best route to the Town Hall, where the packet collection was. I registered for both the 1/2 Marathon and the 10KM runs, thinking that if I really did not feel up to snuff, I would take on the 10KM instead of the 1/2. After much thought and convincing by my beautiful bride and finding out the finish for the 1/2 was at the opera house, it was a no brainer.

So packet collection was quick and easy, I even bought some ASICS gear at the expo, they were the title sponsor so all the commemorative clothing was done by them. It was an easy walk down to the Ton hall, and i found some 7-11 type shops to grab some water, yogurt and a bananna for breakfast. While at the expo, the next mission was to find out the best way to get to the start line, which was at Milson's Point, just over the bridge from where I was staying. The general opinion was to "take the train"! the next mission was to find out how to do that, the woman I spoke to who was very helpful told me the station to leave from and the time to catch it. The volunteers for this event were AWESOME! I will get to that more later. I headed back to the hotel, on the way back, I ran into the statue of Islay, Queen Victoria's Dog, who talks...oh yeah...talking dog!

Getting back to the hotel, I asked the concierge about the train and the location of the stations the woman from the expo suggested, I found the St James station is a quick walk, ticketing was easy and inexpensive. I had my plan set for the morning. the next step was finding some FOOD!
on the way back I saw a few places, my best lunch option though was the little "pieman" (not sure if its called that) place across the street from the hotel. dinner was a different story, I had gotten some info on a little italian place not far from the hotel, so after a short walk, discovered that it was packed...other options...on the way back toward the hotel, I found .....

This place was great, fresh ingredients, just a good pre race meal. 

Race day 4:30am Sunday 22nd September. 

I had to catch the train at 5:15, figured it might be crowded (I was right) so I wanted to get there a bit early, and with a 15 min or so walk, I did not want to run into trouble.   I tend to be anxious normally, on a race day it actually increases by a factor of 100. The train was packed, I mean Manhattan rush hour packed. To the venue, turned in my bag to bag collection, then tried to keep warm, it was chilly.

The race began right on time with three different corrals, eventually we all just mixed in to one mass of humanity for the start. I started well and found that due to the cooler weather I was able to maintain a good pace...the view across the harbor bridge was really nice, I just have a tough time during a race stopping to take pictures. I ran really well up until about 9-10 miles and then the pain and cramping began, so the last 3-4 miles were a walk a bit, run a bit. 

This is a great course, lots of down hill sections, mostly flat, Tons of supporters and volunteers, everyone cheering or playing music. I really gotta say, If you want a great race, make sure you have great volunteers, This race had Awesome volunteers, from packet collection to pre race, to in race, to post race. They were all smiling and helpful, standing ovation for all involved in this race! As great a course as it was, i was disappointed because i had not trained properly for this, i really feel like I could have PR'd this race, as it was, I ran a 1:59:12, the race timing had me at 2:01:01...

Now I have to say, for someone who did not run longer than 8 miles over the last 4-5 months, 2:01:01 is not too bad...