In 2020, thousands of races were forced to cancel worldwide, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, some cities have resumed races following the pandemic pause, albeit with a limited field of participants / spectators with strict SOP practices in place.
To keep the sport alive and more importantly to keep everyone safe, Malaysian race organisers opted for ‘Virtual Runs’ from the latter part of 2020.
Over the last 2 years, my running is best described as ‘start/stop, repeat’.
I had to constantly rebuild my fitness level, after each lockdown. Though running solo around the neighbourhood was allowed and doable, I sorely miss the social interactions with my run buddies.
Running after 5 months of lockdown
In August, I registered for the Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon 2021 Virtual Run (SCKLM 2021 Virtual run) as incentive to run more regularly.
The Motivation
- to restart running
- to regain fitness level
- to work towards a goal
A Simple Plan
- Commit to the challenge by signing-up
- enlist a run buddy
- train, train, more training
Race Rules
- any outdoor route of your choice
- full distance completed in one run
- anytime between November 20 (12am) – 28 (12pm)
Choosing a 10km route
This is not as easy as it sounds. I wanted a 10km loop that brings me back to my starting point, and ideally with minimal overlaps.
My first attempt with run buddy Feizal on September 27 was an out-there-and-back route, from the Perdana Botanical Gardens, to connect to the River of Life towards Mid Valley.
Verdict : Dismal time, route/distance needs fine-tuning
In October, we varied the route, and either came up short or fulfilled the distance before arriving back at our start point. Disheartened, we contemplated keeping it simple by running 5 times around the lake in Perdana Botanical Gardens. It was so so boring!
By November, I started to panic as we were still sorting out the route, when we should be focusing on improving our time and pace. At this point, we realised we had to take a step back and relax, to take the pressure off ourselves.
We revisited our ‘old’ playground for a change of scenery, running around Taman Tugu, Bukit Tunku and Chow Kit just for the fun of it.
Verdict : Highly enjoyable 👍🏼
SCKLM 2021 Virtual Run
The plan was to do three 10km runs (Nov 20, 24 & 28), and submit the best of the lot.
Done & Dusted
On Nov 20, it started to rain 10 minutes into our run, but we stayed committed. We outran the rain at Brickfields, reached our turnaround point and only encountered rain on the final 1km.
Verdict : Great run, Good time!
I clocked a 10km PB (personal best) of 1:10:02 in 2013, and am happy with my achievement this year.
Just before we started, Feizal said that we should give it our best shot and treat this as our only run. Throughout the run he was encouraging me, sharing positive affirmations, pushing me to run harder, and cheering me on.
I couldn’t have done it without Feizal, who trained with me the entire time from September, giving his 100% support to my endeavour. He shared valuable inputs not just on the route, but also on proper rest, exercise and diet to stay strong and healthy.
Our second run on Nov 24 did not happen as it rained. On Nov 26, I tripped and fell while running which effectively put an end to the final run scheduled for Nov 28.
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