Penang Bridge International Marathon 2011

As I'm writing this, I'm comfortably resting in my room and recovering from the run just a few hours ago. How did it go? Well, I would say this was the best run of the year for me so far. So OK, the build-up to the event was pretty sad with limited mileage and all, but somehow that didn't really matter when push came to shove.

After a full day of carbo-loading and then some (which I will write about, for sure), went to bed pretty early last night after laying out what's needed in the morning.

Had a decent sleep and woke up at 4.30am. Straight away I looked out the window and saw some runners and officials by the roadside. FYI, the full marathon was flagged off at 2am!

Then it was time for me to shower and I also made myself some peanut butter sandwiches. Had a couple of bananas as well before putting on my running gear.

The 10km run was to be flagged off at 6am and by 5 something, the Start area, which is right in front of my hotel, was already buzzing.

When I finally got down after stretching for a good few minutes in the room, I immediately bumped into a few of my Media Prima colleagues. Everyone was all geared-up for a good run.

It was also a very cool morning, with the rain having just stopped a few hours before. But a complaint I have is on the lack of atmosphere. The runners were all very excited, but there was no loud music to build up everyone's semangat. Bummer.

The run was then flagged off at 6am as planned, but having started at the back (as usual), it took us six full minutes just to get to the starting line!

And then it was off! The first km was good, but then I felt a little tightness in my calves... Which disappeared after the 2nd km. Woohoo! And I must say that running with my compression pants was a really good decision. It was comfortable, and for the first time, my legs held up right till the end without much problems. Hurrah for compression technology! : )

And after 3kms, we finally got on the flyover that took us to the bridge. And soon, the spectacular structure became visible. Even though it was still dark at that point, the sight was pretty breathtaking. And oh yeah, the breeze accompanying our run then was calming and cool...

Then came the water station test. And unfortunately, the organizers flunked the first one. Although they had loads of bottles left, they were still in boxes and it took the volunteers some time to rip them open. And instead of pouring into cups, runners took the bottles and threw them away after a few gulps. Very membazir, I must say.

After a couple of kms on the bridge, we made a u-turn. It was also getting brighter then and many took the opportunity to snap away. Including yours truly, of course : )

By this time, my pace had slowed down, although after every short walking break, I felt instantly revitalized. The iPod was telling me that I was on track to finish the run within my targetted 90mins, so that was a good piece of motivation for me.

Oh, we also bumped into a sea of yellow, courtesy of Digi : )

I must say though that the final km was truly the hardest bit. Again, there was no music to get us into the groove, and there were no volunteer motivators to spur us on as well. So we just plodded along. Telling ourselves that the Finish line was just around the corner, and the feeling would be sweet.

I crossed the line at 86mins; 4mins inside my targetted time, and the feeling was awesome.

I then picked up my Finisher's medal, drank some water and headed back to the hotel, fully satisfied. A good run indeed, and one I'll always remember...

Gold Coast 2011: Point Danger

Without a doubt, Point Danger at Coolangatta is one of the 1,000 places you must visit before you die. Been there twice before and each time I was just blown away by the sights it offer.

Here's a description from Australiangetaway: 
Located at the border between Queensland and New South Wales is the Point Danger headland which separates the famous surf break of Snapper Rocks to the north and the mouth of the Tweed River down south.
Standing with large pillars enclosing a large bronze globe is the Captain Cook Memorial and lighthouse which chronicles the voyages of the legendary explorer around the southern hemisphere.

And so, we paid the place another visit this time around, and as usual, it brought about gasps of wonderment, especially from our other travel companions who were first time visitors. I'll just let the pictures do the talking now...

Look closely and you can see surfers in the water

Makes you wanna jump in, eh?

You can actually see the Gold Coast in the distance

You can see the bird, but can you spot the lizard? : )

There's even a spot for barbeque, but no drinking dudes!

Gold Coast 2011: Running In Paradise

Well, Surfers Paradise, to be exact. Yup, I did a bit of running during the short break along the beachfront area and apart from it being part of my training for the Penang Bridge Marathon (which has been pathetic, admittedly), I also ran as a tribute to my friends back in KL.

The thing is, I was supposed to join them for the Terry Fox Run on Nov 13th at Padang Merbok, but I had to take a raincheck when this trip was confirmed. But I had also bought the Terry Fox T-Shirt (which was the entry condition), and so that very morning, I put the T-Shirt on and did a short run.

Just a couple of minutes from the hotel, we actually got there around 7.25am; it was cloudy at first, but then the sun came out in full force. Which explained my pancit-ness lah.

But it was enjoyable while it lasted. I mean, after running at your choice locations for quite sometime, boredom is bound to set in, so to move away from the usual Puchong "panorama" to the magnificence of Surfers Paradise was really oh-so-cool.

And yes, one of my running goals is actually to run in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in these next couple of years. So, do watch this space!

Gold Coast 2011: Paradise Country Farm

Upon arrival at the Coolangatta Airport, we were whisked away for a short breakfast, stopped by Harbour Town for about half an hour, then it was off to Paradise Country Farm. I was rather excited as I had never been there before, although it's part of the chain of four different parks including Movie World.

So if you've been there before, you'd know that it's no more than 20mins from Surfers Paradise.  And although it was rather cloudy at first, it became sunnier later in the day, and rather humid. Although not Malaysia-type humid.

Can't recall how much the admission ticket cost but I do remember that for a picture with one of those cuddly koalas, you have to fork out AUD18. Which is really not bad. I mean, these are rare cute fellas that will make you go AWWWW... even when they're pooping on your shirt (which actually happened, to a number of people). Haha.

Elsewhere on the farm, you could also roam about freely with the friendly (and always hungry) kangaroos and there were also a couple of weird-looking species as well.

You shouldn't miss out on the shows though. The first one we saw was sheep-shearing, which wasn't at all gory, especially when the sheep maintained a "muka selamba" throughout the entire process.

BUT the highlight was surprisingly the barbeque lunch! For starters, it was all halal, which meant we weren't relegated to just munching on the salads; but really, the choice of fish, meat and chicken were grilled to perfection. And the sides were excellent. Have a look.

Then it was time for a Billy Tea demo. Which, yours truly (was forced to) step up and volunteered. Basically it's how people in the outback make tea which include some swirling action, like so...

We also saw some horsemanship, a cool whip-cracking demo and boomerang-chucking.

Overall, a pretty fun day spent there, and a good experience for the kids who got a good taste of what farm life is all about. Highly-recommended.

Gold Coast 2011: A Cool (Not Literally, Though) Respite

It was an unplanned break for me, really. Quite long to go into the details, but it wasn't until the week before we left that I finally confirmed my place for this particular trip. And I'm glad I did. Sure it's fast approaching summer and the 20-something temperature with the scorching sun meant I'm now more tanned than usual, but the nights were cool, and well, it's the Gold Coast, always a fun place to be at, no? :)

We stayed at the Grand Chancellor Hotel (previously the Marriott), and it was simply perfect in terms of the location; right smack in the middle of the commercial centre, just a couple of minutes to the beach and with a spectacular view to savour. Allow me to share some after-dark photos...

The Surfers Paradise beach area had undergone a facelift recently, actually. I still remember that works were still going on during my last two visits there. Now the walkways are much wider with better facilities. Yup, there's more space for running, cycling and walking the dog!

And were we lucky to be there on Friday, which meant the pasar malam, or "beachfront markets" were there for us to explore.

FYI: " The Surfers Paradise Beachfront Markets are a local treasure. Explore around 100 market stalls on the doorstep of Surfers Paradise beach. Each stall features a variety of local, hand-made or grown products, including fashion, jewellery, accessories, crafts, artworks, photographs, beauty products and home wares. The markets ethos of make, bake or grow it, ensures that the stalls exhibit the best in local craftsmanship. Stallholders are proud to show their wares giving shoppers the opportunity to find unique, one-off pieces and providing a perfect way to spend a summers evening."

We were also lucky one night when the moon decided to make a truly memorable appearance.

And right at our doorstep too was Cavill Avenue, a lively piece of street lined with cafes, bars, restaurants and THE place for all types of street performances. Seriously, you can just sit there for hours munching on a kebab and simply enjoying the various sight and sounds.

And of course, the area's the best place to shop for souveniers and all things Aussie.

Up next: Paradise Country Farm & Movie World...