Sunday, 26 June 2011
Same race, different day, different approach & different set of problems.
Missed my 4-hour target by 12 minutes 26 seconds. I started out much slower compared than last with a 30km split of 2:52:07 (2:44:16 in 2010). Unlike last year, I didn't get any cramps in the last 12km of the run. I believed I fed & rehydrated well and felt much fresher at that stage of the run than last year. Without the cramps, I thot I was on target to dip 4 hours.
Then, things turned south after turning into the Bukit Tunku area (think about 5km to go). My heels started to ache. Each step was a struggle - felt like a stick hitting my heels. Coupled with those damn hills at Bkt Tunku, I was reduced to a jog. Not looking for an excuse but I think the cushioning of my shoes were a little too hard for me.
Anyway, I enjoyed the run very much. The sub-4 hour would have been a bonus. My finishing time of 4:12:26 was good enough to rank 123rd out of 904 runners in the Men Veteran cetegory (age 40 & above).
According to my Polar watch, my average & highest heart rate were 160 bpm & 168 bpm respectively (or 87% & 92% of my maximum heart rate) and I burned 3,012 calories that morning.
