The thunder race...

Mirror mirror on the wall... who's the fastest of them all!!!


WORLD champion Fernando Alonso ended a 20-race victory drought for McLaren with an easy win in the Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix at the Sepang F1 Circuit on Sunday 8 April.


Briton Lewis Hamilton provided more cheers for the Mercedes-powered outfit when he took second place ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, making him the first rookie in 43 years to clinch two consecutive podium finishes.

Alonso overtook Ferrari pole-sitter Felipe Massa as both cars headed into the first corner and had already built up a healthy lead of more than six seconds after the first 10 laps.


By the time the Spaniard steered his car to the pit wall as he approached the finish line to greet the cheering McLaren crew members, he had wrapped up the race by a margin of 17.557 seconds.

Alonso is the first McLaren winner in the Malaysian GP after Raikkonen in 2003. He is also the first McLaren race-winner since October 2005 when Raikkonen won the Japanese GP.


Hamilton also made things easier for Alonso when he passed both Ferrari cars after coming out of the first corner to move up from fourth on the starting grid to second.


However, Lewis Hamilton took the fastest race lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix on his way to second position behind McLaren-Mercedes team-mate Fernando Alonso. The first ten laps of the Grand Prix saw the rookie driver dropping roughly a second to his team-mate each lap, but with the Ferrari team tripping up, Hamilton was able to use his second set of medium Bridgestone tyres to make full use of the MP4-22 package and recorded his fastest lap of the race immediately after his first stop. That would later ensure that he had the gap to retain the second position.

Out front, lap times were not so important to Alonso who built up a solid cushion early on. The defending champion was able to control the race from the front, but was still the second fastest man in race conditions.

Felipe Massa had a race to forget after a number of errors, as he set the third fastest lap on his way to a disappointing fifth position while Kimi Raikkonen was fourth fastest on his way to third. While Hamilton proved fast after a short fuel at the first stop, Alonso, Massa and Raikkonen all set their fastest laps following the second stop – effectively after the race positions had been fundamentally decided.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but has Raikkonen opted to take the softer ‘medium’ compound mid-race when he was held up by Fisichella, perhaps his late race charge would have been enough to overhaul Hamilton.

Nick Heidfeld was fifth fastest on his way to fourth position while the notables include Giancarlo Fisichella who was just ninth fastest on his way to sixth in the race. Mark Webber struggled for race pace and it is therefore not too surprising he made no progress in the Grand Prix. Against the grain, Red Bull Renault opted for hard tyres at the start and medium tyres at the end allowing the Australian to close, but not pass rival Alex Wurz.

Top 10 fastest lap done...
1 . L. Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 - 1:36.701(+0.000) Lap 22
2 . F. Alonso - McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 - 1:36.861(+0.160) Lap 42
3 . F. Massa - Ferrari F2007 - 1:37.199(+0.498) Lap 42
4 . K. Raikkonen - Ferrari F2007 - 1:37.228(+0.527) Lap 40
5 . N. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber F1.07 - 1:37.417(+0.716) Lap 55
6 . N. Rosberg - Williams Toyota FW29 - 1:37.704(+1.003) Lap 18
7 . H. Kovalainen - Renault R27 - 1:37.810(+1.109 ) Lap 41
8 . A. Wurz - Williams Toyota FW29 - 1:37.864(+1.163) Lap 19
9 . G. Fisichella - Renault R27 - 1:37.879(+1.178) Lap 44
10 . J. Trulli - Toyota TF107 - 1:38.016(+1.315) Lap 40


Actually, I'm not really a Formula One fan, but this race was really AWESOME!!!

Sepang International Circuit.... you're standing in the eyez of the world!!

3-in-1... happenings in KL

Check them out....

MMU E-Charity Run @ Multimedia University, Cyberjaya on Saturday, 7th April 2007.

Larian Mesra PDRM...

Prepare for thunder @ Sepang Formula One Circuit which was designed to thrill!!

Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix...

You won't be seeing me @ MMU E-Run or Larian Mesra PDRM but I might be @ Sepang F1 Grand Prix if the weather permits.

Have fun over the weekends everyone!!

A'Famosa Triathlon

Wishing all of you the best of luck in your A'Famosa Triathlon & have fun at A'Famosa Resort.


I'll have to bypass this time, might be doing it at Bukit Merah or Port Dickson.

So, do your triathlon wholeheartedly ok!!

Cheers... :)

PD International Half Marathon 2007

"Concentration is the secret of strength." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

That's what I did during the Port Dickson International Half Marathon last Sunday, 1st April. I really struggled to finish up the 21.2km run as it was raining heavily from the start till the end.


I almost gave up & felt like stopping before the first 5km because it was so windy and I was wet from top to toe. I was running against the wind for almost 15km and with no proper running attire that suits the cold weather running and at the same time I've got to be alert of the dangerous possibility that a car may skid or slide. Till now, I still can't believe that I completed the run. It was amazing!! Just can't describe the feelings. It's totally different when I ran under the real hot & humid sun at Putrajaya Marathon last September. Yet for both, replenishing fluids was just as important. During the half-marathon, I stopped twice to get a gulp at the water station & collected the cold sponge to refresh. The traffic police also did a great job for taking control of the morning traffic. The roads were almost flooded. I carried extra weight, water in my shoes & a pair of wet socks. Lucky thing, I wore my running cap, or else my vision surely went blurr. Anyway, I enjoyed that Sunday run and throughout the difficulties, I managed to complete my 21.2km run @ 2:15:37hrs. I forgot to check my position but I saw on the notice board, it was written the no. 10th position was timed @ 1:52:45. Maybe I was the no. 11th or 12th. But that's OK. No big deal. The beautiful medal was a proof for the sweet struggle towards victory!!


MORAL OF THE STORY : Running in the rain is OK once in a while, however, running in the rain and dark every day is not pleasing to the spirit. Runners know no obstacles, especially when it comes down to the weather factor and runners too should get used to run in the sun, in the rain, lucky enough there's no snow here in Malaysia. To me, runners should also get used with extreme heat, extreme humidity or extreme cold, like it or not. Defeating the adversity of the elements makes the runners feel unstoppable, invincible. It adds to the challenge.

YES, ooooppppssss I DID IT again!!!
:)

Larian F1

I was in the "Formula One"... :)




There were no official form, not even any advertisement or big publicities, but the "Larian F1" run-race was still on. If you are a frequent viewer of Scoreboard TV3 program on Monday & Tuesday @ 12.30am, then you'll get the chance to know about the announcement.

Therefore, I was there on last Saturday, 31st March @ 7.30am, to participate in the "Larian F1" organized by MOFAZ Group & Masjid Sg. Penchala which was also part of the "Maulidur Rasul" celebration program. It was a simple yet happening event, with the MOFAZ millionaire, Mr Fauzy & his Team Spyker-F1 driver son, Fairuz Fauzy.

The 4km running route was just around the housing area at Kg Sg Penchala. I ran on my lite & easy pace, considered it as my KLIM recovery run. Completed the run by sub-20 minutes, no ankle pain and grabbed the Top 3 position. No cash prizes, but the big gift hamper and the amplifier + speaker prize were good enough for me.

Overall, Larian F1 was great!!! Me likes... :)

Q & A...

Tibialis Posterior Syndrome

The tibialis posterior muscle comes from behind the shin bone (tibia) and runs into a tendon that passes behind the bony bit on the inside of the ankle (medial malleolus). Inflammation can occur around the medial malleolus and further down under the foot where the tendon attaches. If you over pronate you are more likely to suffer from this injury.


Athletes that are involved in sports where the foot rolls in a lot such as speed skating or running on tight bends are also more prone to this injury.

Symptoms of tibialis posterior syndrome

Pain over the attachment of the tendon to the navicular bone in the foot.
Pain when the tendon slides in the sheath during exercise.
Swelling around the medial malleolus (bony bit on the inside of the ankle). (in my case)

Treatment of tibialis posterior syndrome

Rest the foot for a couple of weeks.
Apply ice for the first 3 days.
After this apply heat and use a heat retainer or support.
See a sports injury specialist for advice on rehabilitation and orthotic devices if necessary.

What can a sports injury specialist or doctor do?

Prescribe anti-inflammatory medication e.g. ibuprofen.
Apply a plaster cast for 3 weeks if it is bad enough.
Give a steroid injection into the tendon sheath but never into the tendon. Then rest.
Operate - especially if the tendon is completely ruptured as it is a very important tendon for supporting the arch of the foot.

So, the main question is, "SHOULD I RUN THE 21KM @ PD HALF MARATHON THIS SUNDAY???"

Answer : My spirit says "YES" but my shin bone & ankle say "NO". But I have to consider the above too!!

Mind over matter again???
:)

Real runners....

Reading this article...
35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships @ Mombasa, Kenya.
and looking at these pictures...









all I could say is just.....
"They're really born to be runners (& winners too!!)".
wow...

It's Time, Race & Tendernezz...

The greatest moments in life are not measured by milestones, but by moments where you can find yourself again...

And I found myself again, running a marathon race, at KLIM'07, last Sunday, 18th March. I still haven't achieved my goal to do sub-3:30hrs in a marathon yet, still I'm glad that I finished the 42.195km run by 5:48:38hrs (according to the ChampionChip time) without any major injury or terrible cramps. Last year, I completed by 5:18:30hrs but with major cramps, yet I still managed to drag my legs all way thru.

This time, I'm happy too that I only walked a little, that's during every stop at the water & sponging stations. I just regretted that I don't take care very seriously on the old injury of ankle pain I had since the Putrajaya Marathon last September, which came back gradually after the 25km. I just had to bear with it by running slowly till the end & not putting too much pressure.

Anyway, throughout the run, I really wanna thanked all the guys who were kind enough to pace with me for a few distance i.e. Padzli, Hasnee & Fook.


Every marathon has a different story, so does this KLIM'07. My wish is just to run another marathon, my 5th marathon, if possible, in 3 months' time, maybe Penang Bridge Marathon in June 2007. And this time, I promised myself, I'll heal my ankle pain at the best I could & to race with zero-injury. That's my wish.

Where once in a lifetime moments don't just happen, once in a lifetime...


Cheers!!

Highly spirited me...

Sunday, 18th March 2007...

I am ready for a race that challenges human extremes, a race that asks for endurance and perseverance.. my mind is 90% ready by now... seems that, this Sunday, everything depends on my feet ...


K L I M... here I come!!!
:)

Tunnel Challenge

Way back in 2005, I did the AXN Challenge 2005 where participants need to complete more than 8 disciplines i.e. trail running, mountain bike cycling, rope work i.e. flying-fox, abseiling and theever-mystery tests. At all times, we were provided with enough water & food & medical assistance. I am comparing that to the recent SMART Tunnel 14.3km run. I don't have to tell more about it but if that SMART Tunnel company wants to organize the event again next year, they better stock-up & provide more refreshment to all runners or else I think all runners will stock-up their piles of shit & pee all over the tunnel... hehehehe..

OK, don't want to complaint too much, my running task was completed... I considered whatever the difficulties I had last Sunday as part of the challenges in racing... feeling thirsty is just a small thing... it's mind over matter... finishing the race is more important.. if there's anymore dissatisfaction, they're just emotional factors.. come on, runners shouldn't get emotional!!

Oh yes, after sometime on the blog, met Haza for the 1st time, face-to-face, eye-to-eye. Dear Haza, you're so cute!!


At the end of the tunnel, the traffic police stopped all runners to give way to the cars to pass by, therefore, I paused my stopwatch for a while. In the end, I completed the race, according to my stopwatch @ 1:28:20hrs, finishing with 45th medal.


It was a good experience, running at a new place called SMART Tunnel.

Thank you. Yours truly, me.
:)