5 lessons from Elite Pro Runners

1. Be consistent 

Grind day after day and have real purpose and intentionality.

2. Run fast regularly (not hard)! 

Touch speed in easy runs via strides for example.

3. Run a lot 

Push the envelope regarding volume... safely!

4. Prioritize strength training 

Develop a consistent ST habit for a performance multiplying effect.

5. Don't do it alone 

Get support from a coach, ST coach, physical therapist or sports psychologist.

Watch the 11min YouTube video here.

 

The 2017 Spartan Beast in Johor

Halfway through the Spartan Super five months ago, I was in quite a lot of pain and distinctly remember thinking, "who are these crazy people who do the Spartan Beast?!?"

So it stands to reason that I was on the start line (Elites no less) of the Spartan Beast in Johor, Malaysia - three days before my 40th birthday!

The Malaysian Spartan Beast 2017 Map

Initially the race was scheduled for 8th October and I was keen to join that but it turned out the delay was a blessing for me (although not for the hundreds who had pre-booked flights and hotels) because it meant I could prep a lot more with regards to training. I logged a lot more grip strength time at Orient Fitness Gold via pull ups sets and dead hangs as well as building up my stamina in my legs as the Spartan Beast involves more running than the other two categories (Sprint and Super). I logged under 2 hours at a half-marathon at the end of November which I was pleased about and thought that would be enough for this race. I also had a pair of spanking new OCR shoes after I punctured my Super ones during a National Park run and decided to go long sleeve as I presumed it would be a very hot day with a 8.30am start time.

My biggest decision was whether to carry a camelbak as suggested by the organizers. I've always run without one in my half and full marathons (which are run mainly in near darkness) but Spartan has different requirements for a body's aerobic and anaerobic system plus there was also the issue of the Malaysian midday 30 degree humidity. I elected not to wear one to save chafing, money, obstacle interference and after taking advice from my Dutch friend who said there were plenty of water stations excellently placed around the course. However Joost finished 13th in last year's race whereas I had finished... 145th earlier in the year! He suggested taking 3-4 cups of water at each stop together with gels and salt tablets so I had four of the former and 3 of the latter.

Race site (find photo credit)

After a long wait to register (why don't they allow race packs to be picked up a day earlier like marathons?) and pick up my race headband and race chip, I slipped my shoes on and dropped my bag off sharpish after someone said the Men's Elite Beast WASN'T going to start late as I presumed! However what was an even bigger shock than that was that my Hungarian friend, Kris, wasn't running. His wife said his ankle hadn't recovered from the half-marathon in November but he had only made a late (and sensible) decision to not run the day before. I didn't expect to beat him but would have liked the company for half the race (or however long I could keep up with him!).

Listening to race director, Douglas Lau, at the start line, my heart sunk a little when he said it was a hilly course with very few flats and the sandbag and bucket carries were even harder than the Super. However there wasn't really much anyone could do about them at this late stage so up the hill we went from the start line!

If you go shirtless, you are usually fast and at the front of the pack.

I had decided not to go flat out from the start to save energy and hopefully not indulge in cramps later on but my starting speed (and probably enthusiasm) is usually a bit quicker than the average racer so after the first two hills, I hit the first 5 'warm up' obstacles with very few people around me (which is the only reason I sign up in the Elite category!). Through the yellow plastic Tunnel, Over Under and Through the 3 walls, rolling Under Over Under Over Under Over (and nearly lost 2 gels from my pocket on my last roll!) and over the 3 hurdles were standard fare before trail running more slopes and the burpee maker - Spear Throw!

It's mainly difficult because spearing a straw bale that is 25ft away in one go is not something that anyone can practice easily. And, of course, each competitor only gets one attempt! I remembered my short three word pitch for the spear - hard and high - and after checking I wasn't standing on the rope, I delivered the spear. Unlike my Super attempt, I did actually hit the middle of the target this time but the spear had spun in mid-flight and stick it did not. The burpee maker had done its job and I was doing (together with many others!) my first of many 30s of the day.

After more running, it was the turn of the Barbed Wire Crawl. I rolled my way as is my want but I learned from my previous race mistake - and remembered to change my direction of roll after 10 spins as well as telling other Spartans in the area of my previous dizzying experience! Again a quick pat of my pockets to check my gels and salts were still there and I was off across more Johorian terrain and over a 7ft wall to reach the Olympus. We had doubled back to near the start point so as I was making sure my feet were up, my buttocks were down and fingers did not lose strength in the holes and on the climbing holds, it was nice to hear some atmosphere and music from the camp. However it was even nicer to hear the cowbell ring - I can see why some people get addicted to it!

It turned out that the race director had lied on the start line - the Sand Bag was not as tough as the Super several months ago which was a killer! Although the route took us up and down through some rough terrain (where you had to slide down on your butt on one stage), it wasn't as long and nobody looked absolutely exhausted by the end. A fellow male Spartan recognized me from the last race at the end of the challenge and said I was good encouragement! 😊

Being light is not an advantage in The Hercules Hoist!

However the lovely bell noise didn't ring on the next obstacle, the Hercules Hoist. Again it was another obstacle I found I couldn't practice for but later on, I regretted not trying harder than lifting the sandbag a mere foot off the ground. My reasoning was that I wanted to save my grip strength for other hanging obstacles but as I ran round the next quarter of the course, I realised that those obstacles were widely spaced apart and that I would have had time to recover. It was also at this stage that I noticed that some people weren't getting their chest to the ground during burpees which was quite annoying. Couldn't the volunteers tell just by looking at their clean shirts or chests?

So anyway it turned out the race director had lied more than once on the start line - it wasn't all hills at all. Hidden behind the large mounds at the race site were several flattened areas (for houses to be built on later on I presume) and this proved a relief for us as it gave our legs a bit of a rest from climbs. By the time we had to get over the 8ft and 6ft walls, we were 6km in and I was trotting along nice. I came across various Ultra-Beast participants at this stage who had to do 2 laps of what I was doing 😯 and did my best to verbally encourage although I think a few might have been regretting their choice at that early stage judging by their faces!

It was also at this stage that I met a fellow Penangite on the Tractor Pull. It wasn't a particularly tough obstacle but it was fun to chat to course instructor Conor McManus of Warrior Boot Camp, Penang for a kilometre or two before he pulled away from me. It speaks to the willpower and strength of the man that despite being 8 years older and recovering from illness, he was 47 minutes faster than me! After the race, he said he thought I was just behind him! Well two of those last three words were true! 😅

More flat ground covered and I found myself an early Christmas present on the second barbed wire crawl. After an uncountable number of rolls I found a caffeine Gu energy gel right at the end. I looked around as I wanted to return it to its rightful owner but there was no-one immediately ahead so I accept this gift. It was especially helpful because I had already used up three of my four gels and I was a little worried about how I was going to power through the second half of the race. At the next water station, I also met Jeremy Williams for only the second time in my life (I had gotten to know about him through his GoPro coverage of the 2017 races during my pre-race research) - the first time was about halfway through the Spartan Super - at another water station! And again, he sped away ahead of me after the briefest of chats!

There was a lot of dusty level ground to cover before the next obstacle, the Z Wall, which was only alleviated by high-fiving two gentlemen dressed as Father Christmas resting under a tent (whom I assumed were course marshals). The Z Wall is one of those obstacles that is easy to do when you aren't tired but I failed it during the Super due to groin cramp (as fun as it sounds!). However this was not repeated and the sound of the cow bell dinged again for me as long as I channelled the spirit of Project Rock through me! At this stage I also came across Team Algeria with whom my paths would interconnect several times before the race. They were a great bunch of young lads, ready to encourage, but also stopped to stretch and spray any Ultra competitors who were on the ground with cramp.

Ahhhhh cramp. My arch nemesis. It's something I've never encountered on a half marathon but yet again, it struck my calves as I slid down a short steep slope after the success of Z Walling. The 3 salt tablets taken earlier had not worked its magic and although I got through 14 kilometres, there was still another 10 kay or so to go. 😓

So it was around a lake, and a slow crossing via water rope (thankfully not via a swim because it was pretty large) where I saw lots of people fall in due to the uneven surface, before it was back onto the hill slopes and forests.

Then BOOM injury number two. I thought I'd trained well enough to monkey around on the Monkey Bars but on bar number 6 to 7, there was sudden sharp pain as I swung forwards a millisecond before I heard a tear. As I lay on the floor wondering if my race was over, the very enthusiastic punisher err obstacle marshal was shouting at me , "DO YOUR BURPEES!" Fortunately there was a medic nearby but his raise your arms above the head test showed no dislocation - at which point I got down to doing my 30 burpees... while wondering if I could complete the race.

So after a few more kilometres of slopes in a forest, we came up on a rocky slope and as we climbed atop of it, Stairway to Heaven was upon us. This obstacle also intimidated me in the Spartan Sprint and I remember staring it at it after 10km thinking, "do I really have enough acceleration to power up, jump, grab and pull myself up on the 9ft high bar?" Ordinarily it wouldn't have been a problem but when you have calf cramp and a suspected shoulder injury, there was unsurprisingly some doubt.

My first attempt was poor, as I sprinted and attempted to jump, I literally hit the wall and then floor before staying down on the rock hard surface for quite a while and asking for a medic (again) for some spray, cream or any other magic solution he had for calf cramp. He wasn't very good as he did a bit of a half arsed job on calves but then as I lay down in pain, who's silhouette should loom over me?

Colleen on the far left is Spartan royalty

Colleen Augustine. For anyone who doesn't know who she is, this young lady is basically the number one Malaysian female Spartan racer winning multiple races around Asia and represented Malaysia in the World Championships in the U.S. of A..

As she stood over me, she was kind enough to ask, "are you ok?"

I would have liked to tell you all that I stood up at that point, ran up and cleared the obstacle in one fell swoop but everything was still pretty painful so I stayed on the floor with my legs propped up against the wall and said, "no, not really... but show us how it's done," and with that, she hurdled the obstacle with grace and energy. Even with the help of a kind Ultra runner giving me a boost, I couldn't pull myself up onto the bar and with that shoulder pain, I went on over to do 30 burpees. At this point, I lost quite a lot of confidence here to do any hanging obstacles but on the bright side, I was beginning to embrace the burpee!

Not me!

Not too far from that site was the next obstacle - The Tyrolean Traverse. This was a first for me as it didn't feature in the Super and I was doing quite well until about 10 pulls from the end, my forearms didn't have enough to strength to hold on and bang, it was back on the floor time again! That was frustrating as I was so close to the end and just as annoyingly I got rope burns around my calf as I didn't roll up my Spartan specific socks - designed to stop these very rope burns! However as I stood next to the defeated obstacle, I saw a fellow Penangite and helped Claire Lacey by letting her know how many pulls she was from the bell. It was satisfying to know that I helped her to a tiny degree to her 9th place finish - knowing mentally how far you are from the end and having someone encouraging you should never ever be underestimated.

A steep but manageable downhill via a scramble on your backside or a rope led to a flat road and a vertical cargo net. As I ascended and most importantly descended, I suffered from another bout of cramp and had to do stretches that I did when I was 10 years old. It was at this stage, Orient Fitness Gold gym trainer G (Jee) caught up to me and in our little chat, he told me there wasn't long to go. It turned out he wasn't quite telling the truth but it was good to hear at the time!

A short upward rope slope climb led to the Atlas Carry. Finally an obstacle I could complete! It's about squatting deep, wrapping your arms around it and letting a Hulk style roar out in my book! Just around the corner from that success was The Bender and again, I wasn't really convinced that I could do it due to a bad Spartan Super experience and the fact that my shoulder wasn't 100%. However there was a lady Beast runner who saw my apprehension and she just gave me a stare as I stood and gazed up at it, that really convinced me that I could do it - and I did!

However I couldn't do the Twister which had far too many handles for my injury. However I didn't come here not to give things a go but about 3-4 handles, feet were on the group and I was joining a large group of people doing burpees which for some reason I decided to do in French. A member of team Algeria was also at this stage cheering his friends and the rest of us on but his enthusiasm was not matched by my fellow burpeeteers as we sweated and got our chests to the ground!

It was a short run to the next obstacle and one that filled many people with dread - The Bucket Carry! It was ridiculously tough in the Super but thankfully, a lot shorter in the Beast - probably due to one thing... the big hill that you had to climb. Interestingly before I even reached that far, the obstacle marshal told me that I had filled my bucket with too many stones but while I was relieved to some extent, it's supposed to be heavy! The rules say fill to cover the holes at the top!! I saw a lot of people who were carrying lighter loads - and on their head or shoulders which is against the rules! This p*ssed me off in the last race and did again here but hey ho, what's done is done!

So the emphasis when carrying a heavy bucket full of stones is the fact that your lower limbs are going to be tested to the limit. I was very concerned about a very tight right hamstring which hadn't caused me any problems but was raising some objection to the fact that it had to carry a 35kg weight up steep hill. After a pause and stretch for the hamstrings and glutes, I decided there was only one way to get up that slope - by singing songs! I am an appalling bad singer which is possibly why no-one joined me in my renditions of 'We wish you a Merry Christmas,' 'another Christmas carol that I can't remember' and 'Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work we go.' On the bright side, it was a nice view from the top as can be seen here:

This was the train of people inching down a steep slope while trying not to tip over their bucket of stones!

So the tricky bit was getting down without tipping your bucket (although there was quite a few bits of spilled stones dotted around the route!) but I managed by scooting down on my buttocks and balancing the black bucket on my lap.

Reaching the bottom of the hill

My turn in front of the official photographer!

There was still about six hundred metres to go after this photo but despite a few proposal moments (rest your bucket on your knee not on the floor was the advice I read!) on a firm (and fortunately non-muddy) trail, Bucket Brigade was over!

However it was not the end of slopes... there was a similarly tough uphill after Bucket Brigade which led many people to have cramp again - there was just no fear about dropping all your stones this time! As I slowly ambled down the other side of the hill with my cramp recovery, there were two ladies patiently waiting for their partners at the top. However as I got nearer the Rope Climb, I found that I had my own supporter waiting for me - Kris!

I only look happy here because this is after the rope climb!

It was uplifting to see Kris because of what he shouted at me (and the fact that he must have been somewhere near the finish line!) but I had no rope confidence because I was thinking shoulder, shoulder, shoulder - but thanks to the excellent encouragement of the marshal stationed here, I did it with surprising ease and probably excellent technique (clamp the rope with your feet before reaching upwards)! Sadly I told Kris not to take any photos because failures are never fun to watch but he did catch some shots when I was shuffling down - and probably because I shouted his name! Thanks Kris!!

On the way down

Paracord was very close by and was basically a simple bear crawl (tough if you've got a backpack on though!) and I had the opportunity to talk to another Penang member, Alame, who seemingly knew every runner around us as he encouraged them all on!

The finish line was visible from the hill at this point but I still couldn't run and then it was the Inverted Wall. A blue shirted China guy and I got to it about the same time but we were playing a game of 'please, after you,' 'no, you first,' 'no really, I insist' which was amusing! I think the competitive spirit had really drained out of us at this point and we were both looking for survival and a finish!

The Dunk Wall into Swim meant we were only one large body of water away from the Fire Jump but  like the last one I couldn't swim which meant I had to pull myself across the small river along the rope. My sandwich bag for glasses (to keep them dry) didn't really help at this stage as there was a hole in it (perhaps unsurprisingly after many kilometres of running, rolling, climbing) so when I opened my glasses case, it was full of water!

I think I was responding to something Kris said

I was overtaken by Kris's photogenic wife, Zsofia, around this stage but not before I had the above photograph taken by one of the various official Spartan photographers. However it was another swinging obstacle in front of me - The Multi-Rig (where you had to move along 2 rings, a bar, 7 rings, 2 balls before ringing the cow bell) and I had a little go at it but the conclusion was going to be obvious - Embracement of the Burpee (as seen below!).

There were far too many likes on Facebook of this photo for my liking!

Then it was an A frame cargo net climb up, a slide on my butt down before the Slip Wall. A poor Beast contestant was stuck at the slip wall where you have to run up a metal sloping slippery wall and grab the 1 foot ropes at the top - tricky with cramp, tiredness and wet shoes! I was trying to show him how to do it but then I got stuck myself! I was at the top holding two ropes but my body was lying down on the metal slop as my feet err slipped. I did shout to passers by for advice at this stage but I don't think any verbal instructions would have helped. However a kind volunteer at the top got my hand to feel a bar on the other side and I managed to pull myself over with my right arm... before calf cramping again climbing down!

Nearly there and...

I barely mustered enough energy for the iconic Fire Jump but it was all over after a final spurt!

My final statistics were:

4:17:47
Men's 102 / 152
Overall 127 / 200


Post Spartan, the left shoulder was in a lot of pain and my plan was to lay off it for at least a month before getting back to improve my strength base. I did wonder if my ligaments just weren't used to the angle of swings while supporting my body weight. I had practiced on children's monkey bars but obviously the distance between the Spartan ones were further with thicker bars.

My other issue (as it was in the Super) was obviously calf cramp again. My half marathon training was pretty decent together with the Penang Bridge race but it didn't make much of a difference. I think there is a need to do more hills, hills and hills (as suggested by my friend Joost) if (when?!) I retry a Spartan again. Probably with some disapproving looks from my wife!

Two / thirds of these are mine but can I make the...

Penang Bridge Half-Marathon 2011

Disappointment.

That was my main feeling after I crossed the finish line. Only a minute better than last year. It was probably the lack of sleep prevailing through my consciousness due to the untimely 3am start time.

The race itself went well. Despite not finding either of my running friends before the race, I managed to negate one of my first issues with getting a fast time - getting near the front of the start line! Getting my bag all zip-locked early was a helpful first step as was entering the race via the sidelines and hopping over a board.

Last year was immensely frustrating in the 1km stretch in front of Queensbay due to runners who were walking in the first 2 minutes of the race. The amount of weaving, jumping, stepping up and down pavements made me feel like Simba running the wildebeest stampede. I was determined not to repeat this part of the Lion King and with a jump over an advertising hoarding, I was only past the start line in 33 seconds after the gun went off (an improvement from 2010).

The large crowd at every PBIM (image from Geneoga.com)

Hanging mostly to the left of the crowd, I decided to accelerate in the first 1km to get away from the crowd worked a treat. It was less like a cycling proficiency test and more like F1/dragster racing. I hadn't thought too much about tactics until the previous night when HM mentioned it in his book and my only one was to run fairly hard in the first 10km as I could always come up with something special in the final stages. So along the dark side of the expressway into the light of the first slope of the bridge and towards the orange streetlights. The drums were beating ominously in the distance without the accompanying lightning in the distance of 2010. my mind was thinking of the tribe and MH article - concentrate on form, forefoot striking, breathing regularly.

There were also slower runners in the same vests as I. It was a strange decision not to give FM a different colour, difficult to cheer them on but you could see their pacing was different even if their vests were the same. I felt for them having once completed and at this stage, they were still in the first twenty kilometres. I also tried to look for the big bulky structure of my friend Deano as I knew he would want to know the Everton result and that a positive Goodison victory would do his morale good but my limited vision saw nothing.

A man in Vibrams. A man in a cape. A man with a whistle. the blue sirens of a police car heading down as I was on my way up followed by Keynan runners coming out of the dark making impossible running speeds possible. First one, two, three, four and five. Crowds merging to the far right lane like ants attracted to honey. Cups strewn across the floor with the odd bottle. Crunch Crunch Crunch. Volunteers standing away from the table offering. To run and spill or slow and drink efficiently? I did both at different stops!


I had downed most of a 1.5l bottle of 100Plus throughout my working Saturday and was mindful to take drinks in the early stages of the race but realised I could tackle the latter parts without liquid. Had I come to drink or run? And there was still 1/3 of a bottle in my bag waiting for me. Precious seconds. It was a tactic that had worked to perfection for me on the Malakoff in March and I employed it again breezing past two drinks stations out of the six (?).

Getting onto the bridge (map from adiharriman.com)

By the time I had stared into the spires of Penang Bridge at the top and you should - whizzing past those gray diagonal beams and concrete horizons in the car is nothing but a blur - as an icon of the island and the country, it was time to try another tactic on the spur of the moment - gravity! A good running friend DJ Muiz employed it on his 42km and it involves taking off the handbrake and upping the leg turnover rotation. Restraint in the first slope (which involved thinking "where is the turnaround? where is the turnaround? where is the turnaround? closely followed by where is the 10km board - which I never saw) The turnaround is vital for morale as you are no longer moving away from the start like a ship drifting out to sea but returning to the line, drinks, a car, a bed!  meant that I went all out in the second slope.

And I had come upon the good runners by this stage. I know they were good. They weren't running blue vests like me. They were wearing white, orange, green, different patterns for different running clubs. One of them was Japanese - I had heard him shout out to his friend on the other side. One was Caucasian. All of them were fast. They ran like I know they had trained - in a pack and hard and they passed me on the second slope upwards. I wasn't a match for them - was I?

The drums boomed in the distance again, how I love their rhythm on a soundless night with only panting and non-runners speaking and shouting encouragement, it was quiet. I continued my pace, a guess at 5.00min/km I hoped but probably not at the 13km mark. My hamstrings were tightening as I went over the crest of the bridge for the second and thank God last time, I had pushed my body hard for the first half and there was still half to go.

Ignore the drinks. Accelerate downhill. Catch those who overtook you. Eat up the ground, keep your posture straight. Look at that man with the orange shirt and iPod. Try and catch him. It would do your morale good. Never let a girl breeze past you without trying to catch them. But two, three, four seconds after the Keynan lady passed me, I could do nothing but admire her speed. Hardly moving her body, an easy motion but putting me and my fellow men to shame. Breathe in the burp of a man who had 100Plus whilst slip-streaming. See a man pee on the side of the road as the exit ramp curved left.  Finally a sign! 7.5km left. My brain unable to calculate distance completed but 'left' sign remaining is a strong energiser. An incentive. The end is near.

Overtaken by an elderly man, I wondered if I could go any faster. The division of full and half came upon us. The marathoners would still go on but it was a relief time for us. We could turn and head on the expressway to Queensbay. A road I had driven many times before and would only take 3 minutes in my wife's car. I knew it well for those trips to TGIF (kids eat free!). But I was a machine without petrol and wheels and an engine that could whirl at 1000rpm. My watch showed 1.30. Secretly it would have been nice but improving 15mins in a 21km is a big ask. Let's try 1.40. Let's go. So I charged like a bull.

Ignoring running form and style, I ran with passion. Head down, surveying only 15ft in front of me, legs at a 4.45sec pace, and only one thing in mind. To pass the person in front of me. Four whizzed by quickly. I shouted at one but he returned with the word Cramp. To think about how bridges there were left to cross under. Under two. An elderly red shirted man passed me in semi darkness 3km later and I willed him on. Had I burst too early? Would my legs give out on me in the final turns and straights? I wanted him past me quickly, out of my sight because if you wanted to overtake me, beat me out of sight. But I ended up tracking him, slip-streaming a little although we were both overtaken a spritely young female definitely not doing the full marathon!

This is all out effort!

By now I was shouting. Not at anyone. Just a low roar to keep myself energised. To will yourself on to go faster than before. The previous distance is nothing but history now. The end is in sight. The turn before the overhead bridge was where I made my sprint run last year but my legs were strained now, my brain said hold. I was shouting, encouraging the older man as I went for speed at the roundabout. I'm always amazed at this stage by my body, the legs that I was granted. They can always run at the end and they propelled me past sleeping scouts, past shop fronts, past more runners, past walkers in that final stretch. I yelled at them as I went past "Come on! It's near the end!" and hoped the shouts were taken encouragingly not as the madman I was at this stage. Legs still sprinting, rolling in a road runner blur my mind envisioned, didn't pose for any of the photographers, overtook a man 3 yards from the line and beep on my son's stopwatch.

1:47:35.

Disappointment. No improvement. Rather negligible improvement. Joy and elation was Rahma's emotion. Happiness at a new PB was how DJ Rex felt. Frustration was Jimmy's. Pain was Grace's. My friend Deano was closest to myself but he could still use the word 'happy' as a man who runs a 42km distance should! Halfway through the run and straight after, I had the same thought "21km PBIM never again!" or maybe until the 2nd bridge opens! My questions / room for improvement list would revolve: How much do I love running? How much will I train? Can I train hard enough to beat a time? Will I sacrifice runs for football? Will my job give me the rest I need to prepare? Not enough, not enough, no, no and no.

I had pushed so hard, never let up for a moment and when you put your heart and soul into the run and cut back on all those seconds but end up where you started, you question your sanity and reason for running. At this stage in life/this point in time, I'm not a run for pleasure person. I'm still that crazy results driven person, competitiveness in spirit formed by having two younger brothers. Compete.

Exhaustion dropped me like a stone whilst I lay on the massage table. The person who came up with this idea should be awarded a gold medal. Such welcome relief and just what was needed. I was lucky to finish fast enough as not to wait but my hand couldn't write details neatly.

Official results

Walking back in my Manchester United training top wondering what the score at the Liberty Stadium was, my medal around my neck, passing runners in the opposite direction, seeing Samson finish, runners hobbling, walking, sprinting,, women looking fantastic, one man's head shaking all over the place as he moved towards my right, past sleeping scouts using each other's midriffs as pillows, up the bridge with groups, tens of 10km walkers going the other way (is it really enjoyable to do a crowded 10km run?!), past the policemen diverting traffic with drivers confused where to go and desperate to park to start their run when I had finished, and the car was there. And soon my bed was there. And my mind could drift where it was unable to 5 hours previously.

The Big Day

There's nothing like waking up at one o clock in the morning to run forty two kilometres after a full day of teaching. Fortunately I had finished a 1.5 litre of 100 Plus during the course of my three lessons to hydrate my body before the run and eaten enough food to satisfy a very hungry man. Therefore it was a very light breakfast of a small (free) McDonald's cornflakes at Natalie's apartment and then a walk over to the marathon start line.

I also tried a blister prevention spray after deciding not to tape or plaster my toes/feet and would totally recommend it! I had blisters in my half marathon a few years ago and a few small ones in my training runs but after spraying on 3 separate layers, I managed to finished with no blisters! It's like using spider's cobwebs to coat your toes/sole and the shoe will grind against that instead of your skin.

Here is the start of the men's marathon. Can you spot me?

No?

That's because I completely missed the start of it! That was despite getting to the start line early. I did some stretches and was sitting around in a nearby tent waiting for the announcement for marathon runners to get the start line but all I heard was 'please make your ChampionChip is securely fastened' and 'the Chief Minister will arrive soon.' I wasn't panicking as I saw lots of other orange vests around but decided to wander to the start line at 2.25am because I wanted to get a good position.

It was rather surreal at the start line as I saw one of my college football players, Viet, and his girlfriend there together with two of his friends who were running. One of them looked at me and said, "you've got a full marathon number on," to which I replied "yes." He then said, "they've already started," at which point I felt like a complete idiot and got going! It turned out all the other orange shirts sitting around in the tents were half marathon runners waiting for their turn to start at 3.30am!!

I was very glad that I had familiarized myself with the route otherwise I would have felt like an even bigger ass starting late and asking for directions. I caught up to some other runners after a minute but got a small twinge in my left quadricep that I had never had before! However I had committed myself to my race strategy of a 6 minute run and a 1 minute walk for the first half of the race and abided by this which meant that the twinge didn't get any worse.

The first ten kilometres of the marathon was very interesting as there were people of all ages, sizes, races and shirt colours running behind, alongside and in front of me. Some people had backpacks with bottles, some people wore belts containing gels and others had loud tickers which they were obviously supposed to keep in time with. I had hoped to spot some of the runners that I met on Facebook but a combination of night darkness, lack of spectacle wear and several hundred put paid to that idea. However I did spot the pale skin tone of one of my college footballers, Norman, ahead of me which gave me a target to achieve in the race.

I felt very comfortable up to 10km and according to my friend's watch reached that distance in 50 minutes which was a lot faster than I anticipated. However it turned out that some of the distance signage were not accurate but I was quite happy at the time! However I did feel a little heavy as I started up the bridge - probably no thanks to my 10pm dinner of TGIF Jack Daniel ribs and small mountains of spaghetti!

However whilst the running was going well and the distraction of looking at my watch every 7 minutes kept my eyes and mind ticking over, I felt it was very quiet. So after running up the slope of Penang Bridge for a while I decided to engage in my first marathon conversation with a random runner about why his vest was maroon whilst everyone else got orange. It turned out that he couldn't fit into a regular one and thus opted for the fat/muscular version. I also remember telling him that he was on course for a 4hr 30min time when he said he was just aiming to finish under 6 hours. It turns out that he was right and I totally underestimated the cumulative effects of running!

I broke ahead of him but not before both of us saw the leading Kenyans pass us on the other side of the bridge going down! Several minutes later another pack of Kenyans burst past us from behind - they were the mere half marathon competitors! I had spent a lot of time thinking about running form and decided to imitate their arm pumping, low stride style for a while to get a bit of speed going before I came across Norman, the KDU student (and fellow footballer) I saw right at the beginning of the race.

We decided to run together and had a good long chat about football, college, his previous year's run, his girlfriend's attempt at a half marathon and P.I.S.S. (a football team...!). He also pointed out various other runners he knew that we overtook/miles ahead of us. Whilst I found it was really good to talk and run with a friend, he found the walk breaks even more encouraging! Sadly I had to break from on the crest of the return leg of the bridge as I was desperately seeking a toilet to pee and had to climb over a concrete barrier to get to it. After waiting for a minute and peeing in the dark, it was back to running where things took a turn for the worse...

Cramp.

It started to come on as I surged down the bridge and randomly commenting on this problem with a half marathon lady runner, I really hoped the walk breaks would deal with this. In a fit of desperation, I also used up my last two remaining gels at this point (roughly 25km) hoping that the glucose would get in my system and 'fix the pain.' It was also the point of unknown for me as I had never run constantly for so long before and I had no idea how my body was going to react to such an ordeal. It decided not to react well.

I was desperately waiting to overtake the 30km signboard but it either never came or I was being truly blind but the cramp along every muscle of my legs did come. Both quadriceps went first, then the hamstrings before the calves which meant my 6min run 1min walk strategy became a walk walk only strategy! I was incredibly grateful to an uncle for loaning me his spray from his pouch to partially relieve my cramp but despite the pain, I found I could keep walking at a fairly fast pace. I passing Tesco at this point too and I was tempted to just turn left and go home as it was fairly nearby!

However I decided to continue along the Coastal Highway and having driven along it many times to work knew that there were 3 bridges to come. It was all about gritting your teeth at this stage and after the initial pain, I found I could do a little bit of jogging. However another runner and myself did come across an old runner who was literally lying down in the middle of the road - who told us he was fine after we inquired about his health. I did stop at the next medical stop to ask for help for the first time - and they gave me something that felt like Deep Heat which I rubbed vigorously under my lycra pants!

Sadly that wasn't the miracle cure for the constant cramp so I had to continue with the walk/jog strategy until I reached Maccullum Street where we were given a Powergel and got our 32km time recorded. I asked for another Powergel but the volunteer was being really strict and refused to give me another one! We had done over 30km by this stage - did the man have no sympathy? I managed to hold onto a water bottle, which I passed to Norman as we had to double back onto the same road.

And then it wasn't too bad. It appeared that my legs had got their second wind and they were able to do some running again - one of my friends explained that my body had decided to switch fuel resources and were now burning off something else hence the extra energy. After smearing some more deep heat on myself at the same first aid station, I managed to get a comfortable pace and was thinking about a 4hr 40min time. However it appeared that the organisers had got the signage wrong and it wasn't 7km to the end... but 10km!

But then came the most interesting part of the run - talking to people! I had been searching for a bit of company for the last 2 hours (after Norman on the bridge) and it appeared that people were willing to open up after fours of pain! I chatted to a bloke who came over from Canada and had run over 5 marathons in his life and then we were joined by a Singaporean, Boon - who was running his fifth marathon of the year! The chatting and sharing of marathon experiences (or just listening in my case!) did help us to dissipate the pain before Boon and I decided to kick on for a quicker time. I completely missed the newly revealed 'runners' statues' during that section of the run too!

Green shirts soon became my bugbear over the last stretch of the course. We were swamped by the school quarter marathon runners and wasted a lot of energy weaving between and around them - which you would rather channel into a straight line run. By this stage I had also left Boon behind and was running quite quickly (after a minute walk break!). I was clapping to myself in attempt to keep my energy level high (which incidentally got people to move out of my way too!) and was urging myself on by muttering to myself. When I got to the final left turn, I ended up talking to a random schoolboy who was going quickly and challenged him to a sprint finish over the last 800m or so! I just about managed to do it although I think he disappeared from my sight and into the crowd, 100m after the roundabout!!

If you look closely in the photo, my face is blowing out a lot of air because of that sprint finish! I neglected to look at the time so I had no idea what my finish time was and I had reset my stopwatch after I crossed the line too!! But it was a great feeling to finish!!!

Look at that finishing face!

Gold for 42km runners - or in my son's case because I beat everybody!

My official finish time was 4 hours 52 mins.

Gym + Carbo Loading

Last bit of exercise before the marathon as I'll working tomorrow and will thus have no time to do anything. So I thought I'd do a bit of upper body strength work so I did three sets of 10, 5 and 10 reps on my chest, back, biceps, triceps and shoulders with heavy weights in the middle. With the big day around a mere two corners, I did a mere one set of reps on my legs but a lot of back and leg stretches at the end of it all.

It was also the day where I was supposed to start 'carbo loading' so I've been eating a lot throughout the day. Half chicken meal with rice and potato salad at Nandos for lunch with home made spaghetti for dinner and cinnamon bread/croissants as snacks in the middle or at the end. Tempted to go for the ice cream that's been lying in our freezer but with this terrible cough I've been having all week (& what a time to have it!), I've been drinking a lot of honey water too.

Runs around The Botanical Garden

Time: 9.30am
To: 4 sets x 1 small and 1 big circular lap around Botanical Gardens
Terrain: Tarmac but one big slope!

Length: Each lap ?km
Time Taken: 1 hour 10 mins

It was a trial run today. I only had 6 hours sleep, I only had a cup of water and a sip of coffee before I went and there was a big slope to run up. I wore my new vest and pants for the first time and stopped after every set to sip some water. However I did forget to bring Jeremy's loaned digital watch and didn't pin my number on my vest.

At the last two stops, I tried both gels and they do indeed taste like banana and berries. It's like a very concentrated syrup but they were ok. I bought three more powerbar gels in Queensbay later - they were cheaper, look a bit bigger and the gold wrapping is nicer!

It became more like the big day when I went for work after my run (yes, my boss expects me to teach at 10am after finishing a marathon at 8am) and then I went to train the 6 KDU players who turned up (and technically two of them have already left KDU!). So it was a very full day and I was quite tired at the end of it all but I feel it was a good taste of what is to come...

Pants! + Indoor Football

I picked up my marathon pack from Queensbay today and after listening to my colleague David tell me horror stories of chafing, I decided to go and buy a pair of 'tight running shorts' so I would join the 'bloody' group. After an hour's worth of painful reflexology, it was either run with all the gear on or take the kids to the park. So I decided to delay the inevitable and took my kids to the park where we saw a BMXer at the skate park.

Part of the reason that I didn't go for a run was because I was going to play at Dalat International School at 8pm. And what a star studded evening it was with Roy, Jason, Vijay, Muneer, Fajar, Viet and Samson joining myself and other young players. It was competitive and very enjoyable with a new young kid in the mix. He's got fast feet for a fourteen year old! An hour and a half was good to give the legs a bit of a run out, a little blister on my toe and a chance to try out my lycra pants - which passed the mobility and sweat test!