2009 Borneo International Marathon (BIM)

A good two years ago!

That was my last major run , when I was working in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sabah, and haven't been doing any serious running since. Had trained for the marathon 3 short months mainly in the lovely Taman Tun (near Hosp Mesra KK) , which to me is the ideal training ground. Fresh crisp air, its like running through a well maintained jungle, with its slopes for speed drills and the winding-never-the-same-view coming at you. To complete its hilly 3 km (the course has distance markers) is like doing a 5 km run, drenched in sweat by the end of it. Do 10 rounds and a marathon will be child's play!
Ah yes, kinda miss the spot now that I'm in KL. Still hunting around for another place like it.

Parents waiting before the run.. Excitement!

Anyway, the 2009 BIM was a success by any measure I would say, though it started a little bit later than was initially planned. We arrived way earlier and had time to do some chatting up in the well lit stadium. Myself and my ever active parents (who flew down specially for the event) found it to be well organised, water stations were abundant, and the banana station was a welcome sight (lovely bananas from Sabah).

As I had to work the day before, and wake up really early, my eyes begin to swell shut with all the water for hydration and the lack of sleep, compounded by the fact of my eye bags. Speak about not being fodder for the camera. Ah well, the glory of the run right?

My parents went for the 10 km run, and later told me it was a relaxing care free run by the sea. Yes, the course went from the Likas stadium along the scenic waterfront of the Likas bay, to the Longest Mall in Borneo, the One Borneo (or 1B as the locals like to call it), and then back again to the quaint old town of Kota Kinabalu, detouring into the lush surroundings of the Sutera Harbour Hotel, to the 'beachy' Tanjung Aru and then back again to Stadium Likas. What a route!

Parents completed 10K. No sweat!

I need sleep!

Since Sabah gets its sun to rise much sooner than west Malaysia, it was already bright and rosy when we started the early morning run. Everyone seem to start out strong, or at least the crowd that I was in, even the little boys and girls, and I got caught up with the crowd and was also running way faster than my usual pace until I finally and thankfully not too far off, got my senses in check, and slowed my pace. Almost made that classical mistake marathon 101 there! And before you knew it, the heat came up, thanks in part to the ocean just beside you. No wall was hit here thankfully. Managed to finish under 5 hours.

The milo van at the post run was a delight! Memories from Hari Sukan during primary and secondary schools came back! Thanks Milo! Met a few friends too, never knew you guys are fellow runners! After much stretching and the completion medal it was off to home for the much needed rest. The night was sheer torture to the legs, and throughout the next 1 month, had a creak to the right knee. Wrong technique of running? Thank God it is all ok now, had this fear that I had to give up running for good.
That would have been bad.

Good run!