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Skechers GoBionicRide Unboxing

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

I had good experiences running in the GoBionic and has since retired this first pair about 1 month plus ago. Having clocked very decent mileage on the shoes and scored a few personal best timing on the superlight minimalist Skechers Performance Shoe, I am of course, on the look out for "the next best thing". As I am under the sponsorship of 2ndSkin Asia, which collaborate with Skechers Malaysia, I recieved a pair of just launched GoBionicRide.

GoBionicRide- - The Box

Going according to the Skechers' naming convention, the word "Ride" usually meant a "plushier" setting. Having the GoBionic (minimalist) going cushion-y is sort of a contradiction, no? I am about to find out as I go through the differences between the original GoBionic against the new GoBionicRide.

Came nicely wrapped back from the shop

Black is Back

Lets get the similarity out of the way first. Both the GoBionic and GoBionicRide share the same features such as the Resalyte sole, the M-strike technology, ~~The 4mm drop~~ (GoBionic is ZERO Drop) and independent pods at the sole. Other similarity is that I took the same size (US10). This was tested at the shop using socks that I will wear with the shoes.

The similarities

Another similarity is the tongue is sewn to the top. This help in fast wearing/transition as the tongue will never be in the way.It also help prevent small stones or sand from getting in should you run past anything (sandy) like that.

Sewn tongue to top

I know this post is supposed to the the "unboxing" post. Saved for the similarity, this entry will concentrate on the differences and if it will make a differences or influences your purchase.

Could very well passed off as an Original GoBionic

As a curious user, I would obviously be on the look out for the major differences between the two shoes. If you just take a glance, there is no significant differences other than the perforation of the sockliner as shown in the photo above.
That is, until you dig deeper.
Sockliners
One of the more essential part to this shoe and I have learnt how something this simple makes a lot of differences to the shoe's ride. The GoBionicRide sockliner is harder, thicker and perforated when compared to the original GoBionic.

GoBionic on top. GoBionicRide bottom.

The thickness of the GoBionicRide is about 50% more when compared to the GoBionic.

As seen and gauge from eye

This has perhaps has claimed to add to the "Ride" factor. Noticeably, the GoBionicRide sockliners are stiffer too.

Stiff vs flaccid. No pun intended.

The Sole

The heart of the shoe. How does the GoBionicRide measures against the GoBionic in terms of sole thickness?

Looked similar

If you ignore the color-scheme of the sole, you will see that the GoBionicRide is thicker than the GoBionic. If you pay careful attention to where the "V" notch starts, you will see the differences in thickness between the Ride and non-ride.

Look at the 3-dash on the GoBionicRide (bottom), the middle dash and the V-notch directly over it shows you the differences in thickness for the same section of the shoe.

This carry over the front portion of the shoe too, where it is significantly thicker there as well.

Look at the V-notch again.

I kept referring to the V-notch as that is the part where you can visibly see where the sole meet the bottom of the shoe. If you remember my review on GoBionic, i did note the "gap" there to be see through. That is the thickness of the sole at the part shown.
If that is not convincing enough, how about me squeezing/pressing the shoe last down to show the differences in thickness? Maybe this will show the differences better.

GoBionicRide with significantly thicker sole.

There you have it. Minor changes to the sole and make the differences to the whole plushness of the shoe.
Internal Construction
This is where your feet will meet the shoe and if done wrongly, will greatly cause discomfort and in worse case scenario, blisters.

Significantly different between the two shoes

If you look at the GoBionic, you will notice that the inner part are sewn on the mid-upper side of the shoe. This has offered much comfort for me as I can wear the shoe without socks and sockliner.

Closer look in GoBionic

If you take note of it, It is obvious that the GoBionicRide des not have the inner portion sewn like the GoBionic internally. I am very curious if this will cause any problems on the run without socks and socksliner.

Closer look at GoBionicRide

The Independent Pods
Similar to the GoBionic, the GoBionicRide has 18 independent pods on the sole. Differences this time is that the part from Heel to Midfoot is solid and not perforated. Photo below shows how lights get through the front portion of the sole when held against lights. This is how minimalist the shoe will be if worn without the sockliner.

Interesting eh?

There are a few improvement to the GoBionicRide compared to the GoBionic where the placement of harder wearing materials are concerned. Bear in mind that this is a plushier ride compared to the more minimalist GoBionic. Essentially, they are what we would say "same same, but different".

Where the lights come through

Comparing both the shoes, you will see the immediate differences where and how the pods changed.

Midfoot and forefoot. Wear pad (black) layout

The part of the heel too, went through changes in the Ride version. Most notable is that the heel section of the GoBionicRide is not perforated like the GoBionic, apart from the additional pad on the shoe.

Notice the differences?

All these changes/addition to the good old GoBionic is what added to the cushioning and ride profile of the shoe. And obviously, with additional thickness and changes, the weight too, will change. But are they significant?
Weighing In
Both shoes are US Size 10 the weigh differences is only 20 grams (+/- 5grams) per side. Impressive even with the additional cushioning for the GoBionicRide

180grams GoBionicRide

200grams GoBionicRide

In my opinion, the shoe is already light enough and the minute addition is hardly felt. Skechers, as they are, even the most "cushion" shoe in GoRunRide, is light. Some might even felt the shoe might not perform due to the construction and this has been proven untrue by (the skeptical) me.
Want to make the shoes lighter? Remove the sockliners (GoBionicRide weigh in at 10grams as opposed to 5grams for GoBionic - the sockliners)
Other Differences
Upon closer inspection, I found the back of the shoe aka the heel to be significantly different. The GoBionicRide has higher back and it is more structured/stiffer.

Nice Rear

What I meant is that the back portion on the GoBionicRide is more structured. You can't press the back portion down like GoBionic.

See the differences?

In my opinion, this has no implication to the comfort. Some people I spoke to previously were skeptical about the softer-than-usual back portion. For me, it worked fine. No issues at all. And looking at the side profile, I now know why the GoBionicRide is taller at the back - thicker heel section.

By a few millimeters

And again, the softness-structured differences between the two. I find it interesting that despite all these addition, the GoBionicRide still come in 20grams more only. Imagine if it does without all these addition other than addition to the sole!

No differences to comfort

Next : The Ride Review

Note: This pair of Skechers GoBionicRide is sponsored by Skechers Malaysia via collaboration with 2ndSkin Asia Athletes program. Thank you Skechers Malaysia and 2ndSkin! This pair of GoBionicRide retail for RM369 (Women) and RM399 (Men) and is available at all Skechers store.

The New Hugo Red : Review

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Some of you might remember a short write up i did for Hugo Red. I was given a sample of the fragrance to review. Honestly, I do not really use fragrance and thank goodness I have no BO issues (I think), but a little whiff of nice scent won't harm, right?
Being someone that like my fragrance "floral" (think Issey Miyaki and Dunhill Desire Blue), the Hugo Red striked the right tone.

Matt bottle with screw in cap

The top note is distinctively grapefruits and subtle rhubard giving it a light airy fresh tone and the base tone were of woody cedarwood giving it a warm, and yet inviting scent. It was not overpowering and easy on the wearer too. Think of it as "masculine floral".

I find the fragrance easy on the nose and not overwhelming. As I take the motorbike to work nowadays the heat under the riding jacket and the sweat soaked body did not pose a problem for the fragrance as it remain to smell the same.

The Fragrance Descriptions

In Hugo Red fragrance own word, it says that the fragrance is built around two contrasting accords: the ‘Solid Chill’ accord and the ‘Liquid Heat’ accord, which reflect the different facets of cold and hot metal.

The ‘Solid Chill’ accord combines grapefruit in the top note with rhubarb in the heart note to create a bitter fresh accord with a metallic accent that simulates the underlying strength of solid metal.

While the ‘Liquid Heat’ accord is characterized by cedarwood and hot amber that blend together in the dry-down to convey the heat and fluidity of red-hot metal.

The transition between the two states of metal illustrates the idea of adapting under intense pressure; of going beyond natural limits to create something new and unique.

Being a user the past two weeks has allowed to to very well blend it in to my daily routine and lasting the whole day without reeking of bad fragrance. One spritz (on the shirt) was all it takes.

HUGO Red – Line-up

Eau de Toilette 75 ml RM202

Eau de Toilette 150 ml RM291

Shower Gel 200 ml RM85

Deodorant Stick 75 ml RM85

Deodorant Spray 150 ml RM85

Coffee 5 Cups - More Than Just Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Ever since I eat clean, my standard meal has been reduced to what some of my friends would call "animal food". Grains, fruits and such were my main staple diet. Obviously, most of you also know that myself and wifey loves to cook. Healthy eating is not boring and only limited by our imagination and our exposure to good food. No doubt the best food there is out there for many consist of oily fried stuff laden with over processed food items. While most would say to YOLO (you only live once) and to "go forth and eat", I digress. It has been a long time planning and dream for me and wifey to perhaps retire and start our own cafe of some sort offering good healthy, hearty, affordable food.
So when a family friend (a couple actually) started a food business - and they serves coffee, it was too hard to resist not to pay them a visit.
Coffee 5 Cups

“Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and as sweet as love”

That is the caption used by the cosy cafe started by two family friend, Tan Jo Hann and his wife (A Japanese of Ainu indigenous), Kayo. Both of them can cook and they shared the same passion for social work touching and empowering the less fortunate to gain ground and betterment in their lives. The word "Fairtrade" would be an understatement here as they source their coffee beans from Bali - from the very planters that does it the old school way and the beans are all organically grown. I've seen the whole beans, there was no fancy packaging, just wholesome goodness.
If some of you wonder why the name Coffee 5 Cups, it was the notion that we can only take a maximum of 5 cups of coffee a day. The mascot of the cafe is the Hokkaido Bear - a scared animal to the Ainu.

Add caption

The cafe was officially opened on May 11, 2013. I was there with my family to lend support. I hope all of you will too. Here are some photos taken that night. Yes, there were open mic session ;-)

Mei Chern rendering a few songs

Incensed Band performing

Simple deco. Yes, the coffee pricing is super affordable and this is ORGANIC!

Not just Coffee

Meeting place - Kayo behind the counter.

A cuppa and perfect company with...

...The Family

Jo Hann and (my) wifey.

Open Mic Session

The Palace at night

I would like to highlight that Coffee 5 Cups is not just for coffee. They serves wonderful food. All individually prepared and created on daily basis. Freshest ingredients used and quality items. Milk are full cream goodness and cleanliness is utmost importance. Fans of Hokkaido food can find them here and expats from Japan, particularly from Hokkaido will find the food served here authentically like home. By the way, look out for the homemade Sesame Dressing. Much work put in there to roast, grind and make the dressing it's awesome.
Truly, Jo Hann and Kayo is inspirational for myself and wifey. We hope one day we will have a place like this of our own.

Watch out for Special at Coffee 5 Cups. Salmon Sashimi served with Potato-chicken cutlet, pumpkin-cheese cutlet, tofu seaweed salad served with homemade sesame dressing hokaido style. RM22 bento set.

Some samples of what you can find at Coffee 5 Cups

To know more and to read more about Coffee 5 Cups:
Like them on Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/Coffee5Cups
Their Blog : http://coffee5cups.wordpress.com/

Opening hours is Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm (Call if not sure: 03-6206 5451)
Location:

No B-0-17, Plaza Damas 3, Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Pisang Relay Run 2013 Fun Report

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Oh What Fun!
With a race named like this, it will be difficult not to enjoy yourself. But bear in mind, this is a serious race.

Going Banana

I found out about the race pretty late and the plan for the Team 2ndSkin was to go out and enjoy ourselves. One of our teammate, Roy Yeow was involved in the race organisation together with Frank Chong and Ben Swee. SO, a race organised by fellow runners is a race any runners must support. :)
The Format
3 runners. Relay. 6 laps. Approximately 2.7km each lap. Banana as baton for first 3 laps and two bananas on last 3 laps. The team can stragtegize to either have each runner run 2laps back to back each or alternate each lap with one runner. The organiser limit the participation to 120 teams but were nice enough to accommodate extras. I believe the total show up was close to 126 teams. There were no less than 378 runners and with the organisers/volunteers added, 400 people running about at Bukit Jalil Park!

Just a portion of the crowd

Bukit Jalil Park is the unofficial training ground for the Bukit Jalil Running Club. It is easy to see why the BJRC members are strong runners - this park has a good mix of flat and hills! One more thing worth mentioning about this run is the organiser has taken a bold step in asking the runners to bring their own bottles or cups. This not only reduce wastage but also create awareness to the runners on being sustainable. It was a nice move in my opinion.

Spot mine

The race attracted runners from all over. Most notably, a group of Japanese Expats that came really for the fun of it...and they are really fast runners. One team had a whole banana headgear and ran with them on. How is that for being awesome?

Strong Banana

The locals did not disappoint as I spotted these few that came in "uniforms".

Girls in Blue

Girls in White with Banana headband

Boys in Red and with matching earphones

Harimau Malaya!

The Rebel Campers

The Terry Fox Family (the mother was running)

The " Damn you I am cute" Family with bear headgear

The Boys in Red.

And of course, we the Team 2ndSkin. :D

Three Banana (like literally can't read/write chinese)

The Run
The initial participants were supposed to include Annie. As she signed up for Kuala Kangsar 21km and with opportunity of doing well there, she decided to go there leaving a space open for dear Eugene to join the race. We randomly chose and Jason was chosen to be the first runner. The run started with a small climb that i believe, is the complain of many people that ran that day. :D I say it is all good! The route were around the park and the participants also need to run around the other public park users.

Auntie wondering what with the bananas

And positioning myself at the transition was a good choice as I can see the determination of fellow runners during the change of ~~baton~~ bananas

The " Wait for me" Pose

The "Hey, You drop your banana" Pose

The "Reluctant" Pose

The "I Don't want to see you" Pose

The "Confused Monkey" Pose

The "Right Foot Forward" Pose

The "My Sandal Same Color As My 2ndSkin-Barefoot" Pose

The "My Sergeant Told Me To Jump Until My Partner Reach" Pose

The "Siberh Fast" Pose

The "I Shy hold your bananas" Pose

The "Speedy" Pose

The "Hey who drop his bananas" Pose

The "Determined" Pose

The "Let Me Hold Your Bananas" Pose

The "You Broke my nails" Pose

As you can see from the photos above, everyone had fun. As for me, it was a good day workout and i managed to do some sprint work. Both laps were done in sub 12minutes which in my opinion could be better if I did not take too many photos. Since it was a fun outing for me and the team, it was all good. We had to try not to be last ;-) Here is the data for the first lap. Second lap is similar and just a bit slower for me.

The organisers took effort to make sure that everyone that come go back with something. For a fun run, medals were given. Not bad.

Made your weekend worth it. :D

And there were food served! I skipped the food though ;-)

Yummeh!

Thank you to Roy, Frank and Ben for the wonderful event. Running need not be so serious, Yes? YES!

Karaoke Machine

You wan money?

You want food?

There will be a Pisang Relay in Penang. Hope you all in Penang will have this much fun like we did in Bukit Jalil!

SCKLM 2013 : SC Fun Run

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Calling all runners! Registration is now open for

Standard Chartered Fun Run 2013

Finishers could win a guaranteed slot at Standard Chartered KL Marathon for free

Kuala Lumpur, 14^th May 2013 – Coinciding with this year’s National Youth Day celebration, the country’s oldest bank will once again be organising the Standard Chartered Fun Run 2013. The run will be held on 26 May at Dataran Gemilang, Precint 4, Putrajaya as a precursor to the Standard Chartered KL Marathon to take place in June. Runners who finished the run will stand a chance to win a guaranteed slot to run at Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2014 for free!

Standard Chartered's Country Head of Corporate Affairs Liz Kamaruddin said, “Standard Chartered Fun Run is a new and exciting way to enjoy sports and to stay healthy. In support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, we hope this year’s event would be more exciting than ever as we continue to motivate the youths to live a healthy lifestyle”.

The race that offers 8km and 4km race categories is open to everyone between the ages of 15 to 40 .The closing date for registration is 17 May or upon registration of 3,000 runners, whichever is earlier. In 2012, the event drew more than 8,000 runners.

Runners dressed in colourful costumes of their favourite cartoon characters posing for the camera during last year’s Fun Run

Last year, participants dressed in themes to spice up the event. Down the years, the event has turned into a fun filled affair with a glimpse of glamour, quirkiness, and mystery as runners donned dazzling costumes.

Standard Chartered Fun Run 2012 - Families that run together stay together

The run creates a fun and healthy environment in which members of the public are given the opportunity to interact and strengthen their relationship through the run. It also offers a chance for family, friends and even organisations to join together to compete as one.

“Fun Run 2012” flag off –More than 8,000 participants participated in last year’s Fun Run

Interested runners may register online at http://www.kl-marathon.com/Contents/view/1079

For more information, please visit http://www.kl-marathon.com/

The Renault-Nissan Alliance Model Lineup

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, 9 May, 2013 – TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd showcased its Renault-Nissan Alliance model line-up in conjunction with the company's first roadshow for 2013 held in Bangsar Shopping Complex last Saturday.
The line-up included the new Renault Clio RS 200 EDC (first Asian debut), the new Renault Megane RS 265 Trophy Edition (See below for the addtional press release) and the updated Renault Koleos SUV.

Also on display was the complete range of Nissan's CBU models, which included the Murano 3.5 and the Elgrand 3.5.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance was also proud to present its zero emission models, the Nissan LEAF and the Renault Fluence EV, both running purely on electricity.

The LEAF and the Fluence ZE are part of the awareness campaign that Renault-Nissan Alliance is doing to educate Malaysians about electric mobility.

Visitors were given the chance to test-drive all the vehicles during the four-day roadshow.

Apart from test drive sessions, TC Euro Cars also had a special offer package for the Koleos SUV. The offer saw the Koleos sold at a special price of RM198,000 (on-the-road price excluding insurance).

This offer is still valid until 30 June 2013.

In conjunction with the roadshow, TC Euro Cars had organised the largest gathering of Renault RS cars at the location. More than 28 RS owners and their cars turned up to share the excitement with the public. Among the RS models that participated were the Megane RS, Clio RS and Megane R26

-----

Renault Mégane RS 265 Trophy Edition

World’s Fastest Front-Wheel Drive Car Around Nürburgring - 8 min 8 seconds

TC Euro Cars Sdn Bhd, (TCEC) a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tan Chong Motor Holdings and the sole
franchise holder for Renault cars in Malaysia is proud to introduce a new addition to the Renault line-up – the
Renault Mégane RS 265 Trophy Edition.

History was rewritten on the 17th of June 2011, on the legendary Nürburgring circuit, more specifically the
Nordschleife (northern loop). Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy set a new lap record in the front-wheel drive
category, where cars must conform strictly to production specifications. By setting a lap time of 8' 08",
Mégane R.S. Trophy beat the record held since 2008 by Mégane R26.R, which was 8' 17".

The Renault Mégane RS 265 Trophy Edition is a tribute to this achievement.

Powering the Mégane RS 265 Trophy Edition is the same 2.0 liter turbocharged engine found in its world
record holder sibling. 265 hp and 360 Nm of torque is efficiently channeled to the wheels through a 6 speed
manual transmission. Zero – 100kph is dispatched in 6.0 seconds, with a top speed of 250kph.

Unique to the Mégane RS 265 Trophy Edition is Sirius Yellow Metallic ID Paint. The Trophy Edition comes only
in this iconic hue, which was first introduced on the previous generation Mégane R26. Another Trophy Edition
exclusive are the gloss black 19” Speedline alloys with red outline, wrapped with Ultra-High Performance
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tyres. These tyres offer higher levels of grip compared to the standard tyres on
the regular Mégane RS 265 Cup. Its asymmetric design, derived from Formula 1, gives balanced dynamic
performance with great responsiveness, particularly on cornering, precise steering and a high level of safety
on wet surfaces. This winning combination was the same specification used to set the world record in 2011.
All this is topped off with a serial numbered plaque to mark this special edition.

The same proven equipment used for the world record car has also made its way into the Mégane RS 265
Trophy Edition. The sublime Cup Chassis, Mechanical Limited Slip Differential, Brembo Brakes, and Perfohub
(Independent Steering Axis Front Suspension set up to eliminate torque steer) are all standard.

Inside, supportive Recaro seats are complemented by yellow ascents throughout the cabin. The RS monitor
relays lap times and real time vehicle performance parameters to the driver via the centrally mounted display.

The Renault Mégane RS 265 Trophy Edition retails at RM 244,252 (on the road excl. insurance).

Regrets, I Have A Few

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 10 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Today is my last day working in the Renewable Energy sector. It has been a very fruitful 15months and 10 days. I came with nothing but left with a lot of good things that I've learnt over the period of time, including opportunity to work with one of the best group of people passionate about their work.
But today's post is not going to be about my job. Many has asked me before what I do for a living.
What engineer are you?
I am trained as one. Trained as an Electrical and Electronics Engineer. But never practised as one. Heck, not even registered with IEM as a Graduate Engineer.
For me, the degree that I earned was nothing more than a license for me to start my career. If you are interested, this is my LinkedIn profile.
Life-Work Balance
The past 18 months has seen tremendous change to my life balance. No longer leaving office at 9pm or (horror) 10pm and more time for the family and the things I love. Moving on, this balance will be challenged. The plus point is that I now know what to look for - to bravely limit my working hours to what is required. Work will never finish, but family, if I choose to be away, will drift further apart. End of the day, we need to ask what we want.
I have since grew wiser.
What's Next?
I have taken the choice to return to consulting only because I will be allowed to grow myself and the business according to my pace (and it can be intense at times, relax at times). I treat my training like work and my work like training. The same dedication I put into my training will be put into my work - and that is how i ensure the passion for both stays alive. For a change, I will strive to be in control (like my heart rate), dictate the speed (like my training pace) and varies my workout (as in diversification of the work I will be doing). I foresee obstacle, like rain (problems about work) and perhaps even thunderstorm (boardroom issues), but I do not believe it will stop me, for I will find ways to work around these.
I am sounding optimistic. We can look at the distance half done, or half more way to go - depending on what you want to look forward to. And just like a race, regrets, I will have a few...but then again, too few to mention.
Wish me luck.
See you all on the other (office) side.

Ultimate Direction Anton Krupicka Vest

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Who Is Anton Krupicka (AK for short)?

Those of you familiar with Scott Jurek might just heard of this minimalist ultra trail running athlete that has won the Leadville 100 twice before. He is a sponsored Ultimate Direction athlete and this pack is his version of "Ideal Hydration" pack. Most of you would know my obsession with hydration packs. I have many Camelbak products and one Nathan system. I have tried many bladders and bottles and my quest to classify each of them based on need and purposes continue. Today, I will introduce the minimalist Ultimate Direction Anton Krupicka Hydration System.

UD AK - Designed by Anton K.

Yes, it's this simple

Minimalist pack doesn't come simpler that the Ultimate Direction Anton Krupicka (UD AK) vest. Consist of a light weight pack and two 20oz UD bottles. Yeap! That's it!

Unlike the traditional hydration pack that has a water bladder to hold liquid, these pack are seen to be a choice for upper/elite racers. 40oz of liquid is enough to cover for 2-hours of activities and if the water stations/support are well spaced out, there is absolutely no need to remove the pack to refill the water (traditionally).

Our First

Having this AD UK marks the first that me and wifey has something like this. This will allow for use in shorter trail run where all we want to carry is a bottle of water and perhaps some gears. This UD AK minimalist suits the function. However, do not be fooled with my statement, this pack is meant for long races and as the review progresses, you will see why.

First off, lets start with the technical specs.

Taken from Ultimate Direction site here

As you can read it in the photo above (and no need for me to reproduce the marketing talk), you can see that this small minimalist pack quite a space. At 326grams with the two original bottles, that is lighter than just one 3L hydration bladder. I kid you not. Of course, if you want to be a gram grannies and go the little bit more extreme, you can actually shave off the UD bottle handle (plastic) to perhaps get the pack down to 300grams (before filling up with 1182ml of water or additional 1182grams). However, I am planning to do just about the opposite as some of you might know my love for Camelbak Podium bottles...

The UD Bottles on the left with leak control system and the Camelbak Chill (insulated) Podium

As this post is not about the Podium bottle, lets get back to the race vest itself.
I intend to make using this vest as close as possible to how I will and how wifey will use it. The first thing that is important is to see if the Podium bottle will fit into the vest. Some manufacturers try to customise their system to fit only their products, hence, limiting any sort of fine-tuning by the end users themselves. So, for the test, I took one UD bottle and one Podium bottle to see how they are both secured by the vest.

The bottles secured in their respective pouch

As you can see above, the pocket holds the bottles pretty well. With the Podium being higher (it is a 21oz bottle) by almost an inch compared to the UD bottle. The Podium too extend above the shoulder pocket entrance (marketing says it is for smart phone). Not an issue actually as the pocket on the AK vest can't actually fit my iPhone4. I tried.

Extending well above the pocket entrance

On the other pocket with the UD bottle, the pouch holds a tub of Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem Solids nicely. Having said that, it will hold a tub of Endurolytes to keep them dry.

Enough space. Notice the loop, it is for hydration pack tube

There are many pockets on the minimalist vest and two of them are placed at the bottom of the bottle holder. It was marketed as a pocket for electrolytes pills and honestly, unless the racing condition we are put through are dry and arid, your pills will not stand a chance in a wet weather; hence my suggestion to place it in a tub and put it on the shoulder pocket over the water bottle.

At best, a good place to store used gel packs or a compass or a whistle

At the back, the pack can fit a 3L hydration pack comfortably and has attachment to secure the pack. As seen in the photo below, you can run the tube out on either side and pass the loops placed on the vest to secure it. I must say it is very well thought off - though the idea of minimalism is to carry less.

Bungee cord to secure other things you might need, like a lightweight weather jacket

If you noticed, the above vest has two pockets. They are big enough to store 2 packet of gels each, allowing you to carry up to 4 packs.

Or you can put in a poncho if it rain heavily.

The bungee cord is strong and secured. From my experience, you can get replacement fairly easily if this cord snap, only thing is do not lose the attachment at the top where you use to secure the cord. Else, you might have to resort to good old style knot.

The top stopper works to secure the vest opening as well when packed.

Real Life Test
This is where the vest is put to test. However, I skipped putting anything into the front pocket short of the bottles (one UD and one Camelbak) as I want to see if the height of the bottle (rationally high like the Camelbak) would effect the stability of the vest when running (and aggressively running).

Ready!

As you can see from the photo above, the back compartment has items inside. I've secured my phone and wallet into a drypack (Sea To Summit 1L drypack) and another 1L pack to hold the given event T-shirt. I forgot to mention that I volunteered for the Ryan Blair's trail running clinic. Ryan is an accomplished (a friend told me "decent", but that's an understatement) athlete and he was in KL under NorthFace invitation to conduct a trail running clinic. So, a bunch of us were there to help out in Bukit Kiara trail. It poured heavily last Saturday if any of you remembered and there is no better time to test it all out.

Sifu Jamie Pang spotted using the Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek (UD SJ) vest.

I was surprised to see Jamie with a new UD vest and it was actually a good thing as I was testing the UD AK. So, you all can fest your eyes on two models - and they are both damn good looking (as in Me and Jamie).

The UD SJ looked bigger and with larger compartments

I will leave Jamie to introduce the UD SJ in his well known blog. Meanwhile, this is how we both look with the vest.

You will notice that the UD AK vest has even thinner material compared to the UD SJ. See how transparent the UD AK with bottles compared to UD SJ. Banana not included.

Minimalist UD AK vs baggier UD SJ. You can clearly see the pack stuffed with my two drypacks (Red and Green)

One thing that myself and Jamie has in common (other than being good looking) is that we both have the Nathan HPL #20 hydration pack (which we both reviewed) and we both agree that the UD vest were more snug on the body compared to the Nathan. This could be because the Nathan has more "body" instead of just "mesh".

How it looked from behind TOP

How it looked from In front TOP

How it looked from front BOTTOM

One of the worry about carrying bottle in front is that your hands movement might hit the bottle and be in the way. That was proven not to be true. I had full range of hand movement and in no instances it came near my arms.

How it looked like from the side. I was looking at my Garmin Fenix.

The vest performed as it should. Water bottle was easy to remove and placed back. It did not bounce or at any time threaten to pop out of the pocket. The back portion was snug and the items in the bag were very secured and a couple of times i reached out to see if the two drypack were still in it. Yes. Silly as it may sound and i sort of blame the vest for being so light that I did not felt anything there other than the two bottles in front.
Here are two video review while running and you can see how it perform on me.

Verdict

Light weight.

Snug and secured.

Adequate storage space for a race that has predictable support stations

The securing system for the back of the vest is a bit iffy, maybe I had done it wrongly. Will test again later and feedback.

The smartphone pocket can likely fit a smaller blackberry or a non-iPhone (or smaller than iPhone) mobile. I would suggest for sports, get a cheaper phone as the purpose is to be able to keep in communication in case anything happen (like 127hours)

The cord stopper for the bungee cord and the bottle cord were nothing I've seen. More close up photo later.

Pocket built (mesh) looked fragile or easily cut if not careful especially when storing gels that come in typically harder packaging

Light when fully wet (ran in the rain and in sweat :))

To do next:

Not tried to load the vest with a hydration bladder. Will see if a 3L fits in.
Not tried to load the pack with nutrition. To carry typical race nutrition suitable for 4hours race.

Drenched, but hardly feel the weight

As it is after the run with my Skechers GoTrail

For an idea of how Anton (or who he is), this is the official video.

Triathlon Store To Get WetSuit In Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Malaysia lacks in a complete triathlon (online) store where you can surf right in and buy the items that will help you in the sports of Swim.Bike.Run. We do have, but the selections is not complete. Perhaps due to the infancy of the sports until the recent years.

Dream Big. Dream Fast.
That's the tag line that you will see when you surf right into www.all3sports.com. It is a fitness site that specializes in triathlon gear and apparel.
The recent concluded Xterra Offroad Triathlon in Malaysia has seen the opportunity for locals to take part in the World Championship in Maui. And to swim anywhere outside of Malaysia (when it comes to triathlon), a wetsuit is either compulsory or encouraged. Malaysia has no specific triathlon wetsuit store and the all3sports.com does carry the best brands in wetsuits.

Swim Bike Run, Repeat.

Malaysia triathlon scene has been evolving and in the recent years has seen superb growth with awareness in the sports. More newbies taking up the sports and more are being hooked to the adrenaline of the Swim - Bike - Run way of life. Truly, why get stuck to one sports when you can do all three?
Meanwhile, surf into www.all3sports.com and check the selections out!

SCKLM 2013 : Donate your ex for a good cause!

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Donate your ex for a good cause!

Standard Chartered KL Marathon brings together

EcoKnights and New Balance in support of a good cause

Kuala Lumpur, 23 April 2013 – Recently, many were spotted carrying along a pair of their used shoes in town. These were the throngs of people who came together to support EcoKnights for a good cause.

Crowds with extra pair of shoes

A charity partner of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon, EcoKnights worked together with New Balance at a charity drive last Sunday at The Square, Publika, rewarding those who donated their shoes with New Balance discount vouchers.

Rainer Biemans, Project Director of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon shared, “We provide our charity partners with more than just monetary support. This in particular was an opportunity for our sponsor New Balance to support the efforts of EkoKnights. This is another example of how the Standard Chartered KL Marathon is built on the efforts of bringing people together under a common banner for a good cause. This is why the Standard Chartered KL Marathon is recognised as more than just a marathon.”

Yasmin Rasyid, Founder of EcoKnights together with contributor Alex Foo

Yasmin Rasyid, Founder of EcoKnights said, “We are glad to have this collaborative effort with Standard Chartered KL Marathon to collect these used shoes. Thanks to the public’s support, we have collected more than a hundred pairs of shoes which will be donated to the indigenous communities of Temenggor.”

Contributor Elliza Abdul Rahim donating her used sport shoes

Elliza Abdul Rahim, one of the contributors shared, “I dumped my ex for a good cause! It was great that EcoKnights and New Balance gave me the opportunity to care for the wellbeing of indigenous communities. Not to forget the Standard Chartered KL Marathon who brought this together.”

Apart from the public charity drive that happened on Sunday, Standard Chartered Bank – the title sponsor of Standard Chartered KL Marathon also had an internal charity drive to collect used shoes last Friday. The event was held at Menara Standard Chartered. Staffs were also encouraged to donate their used shoes to EcoKnights.

Yasmin Rasyid, Founder of EcoKnights together with Standard Chartered's Country Head of Corporate Affairs, Liz Kamaruddin

Standard Chartered's Country Head of Corporate Affairs, Liz Kamaruddin said, "We are glad to see that the benefit of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon going beyond sports. Through this campaign, many have come together to donate their used shoes for a good cause.”

About the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013

Back for the fifth year, the Standard Chartered KL Marathon is scheduled to take place on 30 June 2013 at Dataran Merdeka. This year, the Marathon exceeded its target with a total of 33,000 runners registered, ranging from elite professionals to first-time amateurs. The Standard Chartered KL Marathon boasts participants from all over Malaysia and over 48 countries worldwide. The Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 continues as

Malaysia

’s flagship running event with top runners competing for a total of USD110,000 prize money in 2013.

For more information on the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon, please refer to:

http://www.kl-marathon.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/SCKLmarathon.

About Standard Chartered Bank

Standard Chartered – leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Standard Chartered is a leading international banking group. It has operated for over 150 years in some of the world's most dynamic markets and earns more than 90 per cent of its profits in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This geographic focus and commitment to developing deep relationships with clients and customers has driven the Bank’s growth in recent years. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India.

With 1,700 offices in 70 markets, the Group offers exciting and challenging international career opportunities for nearly 87,000 staff. It is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. Standard Chartered’s heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, ‘Here for good’.

For further information please visit www.standardchartered.com. Follow Standard Chartered at www.facebook.com/standardchartered and on Twitter @StanChart.

Standard Chartered in Malaysia

Standard Chartered Bank, a member of the Standard Chartered Group was established in Malaysia in 1875 and incorporated as Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad on 29 February 1984. As Malaysia’s first bank, Standard Chartered leads the way through product innovation, consistent and strong growth performance and sustainability initiatives. The Bank’s two businesses - Wholesale and Consumer Banking – provides a comprehensive range of financial products and services to corporates, institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals through its network of 40 branches across Malaysia.

In 2001, Standard Chartered UK established its third global technology & operations centre, Scope International, in Malaysia – the first international bank to do so in the country. Scope International provides software development, banking operations, IT support services and customer service capabilities to the Bank in up to 70 countries. It now houses the biggest software development company in the country, International Software Centre Malaysia (ISCM) and has a total workforce of more than 3,200 people.

Price Solutions Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Chartered Bank UK is also located in Malaysia. The company promotes and markets Standard Chartered’s financial products in Malaysia through a network of direct sales agents.

Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Berhad’s Islamic Banking subsidiary was established in November 2008. It offers a full suite of Shariah-compliant products and services to individuals and corporates through its financial centres.

Standard Chartered employs more than 7,000 employees in all its Malaysian operations.

About the Event Organiser

Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd is a Kuala Lumpur-based company that provides strategic event management expertise for high scale sporting events. Dirigo is headed by Rainer Biemans and Gloria Ng that collectively have over 30 years in planning international sports events, and includes managing previous Standard Chartered KL Marathons. For more information on Dirigo Events Sdn Bhd, please call +603 7725 0881.

About EcoKnights

EcoKnights was formed in 2006 as part of a collective effort to provide environmental outreach programmes for communities and industry players.

EcoKnights' members and volunteers are made up of professional individuals with a great passion for the environment. Its goals are to advance the cause of environmental issues through better and wider dissemination of environmental news and views, assisting in CSR/SR initiatives, or developing programmes for advocacy and lobbying of urgent environmental matters.

EcoKnights mission is to support all national and international environmental programmes with the emphasis of promoting sustainable development amongst industry players and communities.

Funds raised through Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013 will be channeled to a project called Mantanani Island Conservation Area (MICA). The MICA programme aims to build sustainable communities in Sabah by providing freshwater to villagers.

2ndSkin : Offroad Triathlon in New Vaporlite Material

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

In conjunction with Xterra Malaysia 2013, My sponsor 2ndSkin Asia came out with a t-shirt design to commemorate the event. It was launched just four days before the race. 2ndSkin has a write up on the new Vaporlite material.
Read about them here. New Vaporlite
I wore this T to the Xterra pre-race conference with the Pro and to pick my race kit up. I know a few were asking which race I entered to get the his "Race T". They were utterly surprised when i told them it is actually on sale at 2ndSkin.Asia website for RM69!
After 1 cycle of wash, I wore this on Saturday to run in the park. Purpose is to see how sweat wicking and cooling this new Vaporlite could handle. Bearing in mind that the Faster Than A Jamaican, Legend and Ultra 42 t-shirt worked awesomely too. If you can't recall, here is the review.

Working on the same method of review, i ran and make sure I sweat enough to drench the t-shirt, then I immediately remove it and try to squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible. Good to report that the new Vaporlite worked well to wick sweat away, keep the body cool and at the same time, offer an eye catching design while working out.

In Action

Here is the video.

This t-shirt can be bought at 2ndSkin Asia online store here at RM69. Else, it can be viewed and bought at these participating shops. For a complete list of shops, click here.

Gucci Guilty Black : Daring Turns Darker

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 03 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Strong and Bold. This is the two words I can use to describe the new Gucci Guilty Black (Homme, or men). I received a bottle of this fragrance and was eager to try it. Now, into it's second week, I must say it complement me rather well.

Sexy Bottle

The top note, as noted (read below) did smell of strong lavender, often associated with "calming" property. It can be overwhelming if you are used to more subtle fragrances. Lucky for me, I am used to stronger more woody smell and it worked perfectly fine.

I could not tell the "middle note" as I have not smelt orange flower before. However, a quick check for the characteristic points to a very useful flower where it is used for wedding. Neroli too, is citrus based and that was where the middle note were heading - refreshingly masculine.

Being a fougère fragrance, it is expected to have a woody base note. And it did not disappoint with the known patchouli base synonym with the Gucci fragrance mixed with cedar wood for that lasting base note. The fragrance was still lingering on after a full day of work.

As it is on my bathroom counter top

This fragrance is very strong, I would suggest to start with 1-spritz to gauge the strength needed. For my existing fragrance, I would spritz myself twice (Dunhill Desire Blue).

Below is the official write up of the fragrance, for both women and men version.
-----
The heritage
Gucci Guilty and Gucci Guilty Intense have been heralded as the scents of 21st Century seduction. In these audacious, globally award-winning perfumes, today’s guiltless young men and women have discovered the scent of provocation that has proved utterly addictive. Thrill seekers the world over have been seduced into indulging in guilty pleasures.
Now, in the dark and mysterious Gucci Guilty Black, the story becomes still more compelling, giving it a new, more passionate and more daring edge. A sequel and a new chapter.

The innovation
Creative Director Frida Giannini remarks: “These characters fascinate us as they are taken on a life of their own. We are eager to know about the next chapter in their story as it unfolds through Guilty Black”.
The Guilty Black lovers bring out the most thrilling sides of each other: alone they are magnificent, together irrepressible. Fearless in their passion, they are brazen, shameless, unpredictable – ready for each and every explosive encounter. Their attraction is instinctive: they go where they sense danger and each other.
Too much is never enough for our young hedonists, who drive each other to live life to the fullest. Again and again, they give in to pleasure and the excitement of breaking the rules.

The fragrances
Gucci Guilty and Gucci Guilty Intense are scents of indulgence and guilty pleasures. Now, in Gucci Guilty Black, the House chooses provocative, glossy black to encase the glowing red and green of its iconic webbing.

GUCCI GUILTY BLACK POUR FEMME
An intense oriental floral in which RED-hot sensuality is all

TOP NOTES
The scent demands attention with a sparkling prelude of succulent red fruits and an impertinent fist of pink pepper. The mood is youthful audacity.

MIDDLE NOTES
The heart combines the lusciousness of raspberry and peach with a heady femininity of lilac and violet. Here is tenderness amid the bravura.

BASE NOTES
The patchouli that is the hallmark of Gucci fragrances here generates a sense of addictive craving, while the voluptuousness of amber suggests deep femininity.

GUCCI GUILTY BLACK POUR HOMME
Come bottled in vital GREEN fougère in which dynamism spells seduction

TOP NOTES
The scent captures the senses with an explosion of bracing green coriander and invigorating lavender that evokes youthful confidence.

MIDDLE NOTES
Its middle motifs celebrate ardent, yet assured masculinity. Aphrodisiac orange flower - stimulating and entrancing – fuses with neroli and richly verdant aromatic notes.

BASE NOTES
The patchouli that is the hallmark of Gucci fragrances reaches a new potency blended with a lavishly textured cedarwood – intensity at its most alluringly energetic.

THE DESIGN
Gucci Guilty took the House’s golden entwined Gs and used this emblem as an incitement to subvert. Gucci Guilty Black carries this association still further – never has the coupling within this logo appeared more provocative.

The brand is equally famed for its iconic green and red web stripe – signalling both “Made in Italy” and “luxury heritage”. Here this webbing is transformed into gendered colour schemes: danger-signal red for the Guilty Black heroine, unfettered green for its hero. The flacons are uncompromising bold, black perfection.

As one would expect from Gucci, there is great tactile appeal in the bottles’ marriage of high-tech and high style. Giannini notes: “I wanted to create a provocative design for Guilty Black, yet building on the now iconic packaging of Guilty. We added an evocative red glass for the female fragrance, green for the male, as a tribute to the timeless Gucci web stripe.”

The line up
Gucci Guilty Black pour Femme Eau de Toilette 30ml RM 225
Gucci Guilty Black pour Femme Eau de Toilette 50ml RM 275
Gucci Guilty Black pour Femme Eau de Toilette 75ml RM 368
Gucci Guilty Black pour Femme Body Lotion 200ml RM 167
Gucci Guilty Black pour Femme Shower Gel 200ml RM 143
Gucci Guilty Black pour Homme Eau de Toilette 50ml RM 240
Gucci Guilty Black pour Homme Eau de Toilette 90ml RM 314
Gucci Guilty Black pour Homme After Shave Lotion 90ml RM 233
Gucci Guilty Black pour Homme Shower gell 150ml RM 112

Skechers GoRun2 Review

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 02 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

It has been a week plus since I've tested the Skechers GoRun2. Most of you would remember the posting i made on the unboxing here. I have clocked 50km over 4 runs since April 15 till April 22. This is my third Skechers Performance Shoe to date and I've retired my GoBionic after close to 490km.

Retired two shoes in one week. Current list.

The GoRun2 (GR2) was extensively reviewed by my teammate Eugene Teoh in our Team 2ndSkin blog. Bearing in mind that he has all three generation of GoRun, i seek his advice on what to look out for. I did not come back dissapointed as he shared things that has seen better changes. My other team mate, Jun Shen too, has a review done on GR2. Read it here.
GoRun2 - Why?
I've been running on minimalist shoes over the past 6 months and has started to love it. More apparently so, I've managed to unlearn and relearn running to land correctly and take off correctly. Having used the GoBionic for that purpose and carried over to the GoTrail, I was curious if the "thicker and meatier" Skechers will provide some "insurance" for longer run - like say use it for a 42km and beyond.
And SCKLM is just around the corner. This shoe come right on time - and i predict that the Marathon will be this shoe's "retirement" run for me. Plus this shoe just shout "Come get me" with it's less than subtle color

Damn fluorescent Almost glow in the dark

Without Socks
My experience with GoBionic and GoTrail tells me I can wear the Skechers without any socks. Running without eliminate the need to worry about socks that will get wet. My experience with socks is unless it is of superb quality (that also, usually good for 4 or 5 times usage) , you will get blisters due to loose material. Choosing to go sockless allow me to feel how the shoes will feel. At 4mm drop, this is close to minimalist and with the sockliner removed, it gets more interesting with ground feel.

The higher mid-section promotes Midfoot strikes and the curved heel

First feel on the shoe was that the mid-portion was still there, but less pronounced that say GoBionic and GoTrail. This could be because the front portion is thicker compared to the other two shoe and thus, making it "feel" less of a bump. But it's there.

Let's run

The interesting thing about testing and reviewing this shoe is that I believe I've managed to get my midfoot/forefoot striking correct by 80% after unlearning to run and relearning again. It wasn't easy, but i am glad I have teammates that were willing to teach and show.
So, how does the shoe feel? It is supposed to be "more cushioned" than GoBionic, isn't it?
Yes. That is indeed true. If you are someone looking for minimalist shoe, I would say you will not look at this by the sheer "look of the sole". But as they say, Look, is deceiving.
My first short run on this (6km) returned good feedback. I consistently landed midfoot and forefoot depending on the speed of the run and how much i lift and kick back. Look at the two images below consist of 15 frames that I fast forward and combined into a moving GIF file.
First photo showed high kickback (heel to butt) with shorter leg lift (to the front).

Take note of my right foot striking squarely on the midfoot section

I was running at 4:15 pace above I believe. Not entirely sure but I left the camera to record myself as I run past. Yes. I have no life (but to take video of myself running to correct my stride) It's sad. Click here to see the whole video
Then, the second GIF, I laid it on the road and did a few run (camera hidden under a car so no one takes it). This time, with more left lift and less kickback. I noticed I still land on the midfoot. It was about 4:00 pace if i recalled, of faster.

My first right strike landed more forefoot. Perhaps due to me reacting to stepping on the grass.

One thing you will noticed in both video is the bounce I had in the strides. Without looking back at the video, I would not actually know how i ran. Now at least, i can safely say I am "almost" there. For video of the run above, click here.

Verdict Without Socks

Fit - I took a size US11 instead of a US10. I now appreciate the need to even bring my own socks (that i usually wear) to test for shoe size. I then try it without socks and see if I would be happy with the chosen size. Toe is roomy and the heel cup secured the shoe snugly. Quick draw laces were easy to tighten and loosen and the 4-way mesh works as it claims. You can wiggle your toes in all direction. By the way, my wife wears a GoRun2 (read below) and it helps with her bunion because the mesh is flexible (this applied to her GoTrail as well).

Flying

Cushioning - Adequate without being overwhelming. Some cushion shoes "slosh" as you land that you feel yourself sinking into the shoe upon impact. Then, it doesn't "push" you up back, resulting in loss energy. That happened with one shoe I used to wear and i never went there again. Like i mentioned before, GoRun2 is insanely comfy. It gives the right feel of cushion without overdoing it while maintaining the lightweight profile.

Build - No complains as my previous two pairs came built really well. I did not expect anything less for this pair. However, about 3km into my run, i felt something on my upper left foot. Something as if rubbing against my feet. I wasn't wearing any socks...and I was thinking the upper part is the culprit. But the right side was alright. I removed the shoe and found a small strand of thread - this is how a small thread can throw your run.

A small thread - the cause of discomfort

This was no biggie. It was my fault for not checking. So, i suggest that you too, check before you wear. A quick snip and the shoe has not given me any issues since.
Wifey's GoRun2 Review
I bought a GoRun2 for wifey when i went to collect my GoBionicRide (GBR). Her Brooks Glycerin 9 is already due for replacement and what better way to let her try GoRun2 to see if it fits her running style (I say this because I know of people that can't wear Skechers due to the way they run, but that is on the extreme case). I did not dare to let her try GoBionic as it might not be a good transition from a cushioned motion controlled shoe (Brooks Glycerin 9).

From my Instagram Album

Wifey has a bunion problem. This was because of the years she wore heels and did not know better. Those of you with this bunion issues will know how painful it can be when you wear a shoe that is too tight up front. You simply need a bigger toe-box shoe. And for a women runner, sometimes, you have to look at Men's sizing and end up with something less than desired when it comes to fitting. To be honest, I was not sure if she will like the shoe (apart from the bright color) as she has been only on control and cushioning shoes. But Skechers has been working well with me (and not just because I am receiving sponsored shoes from them), i thought "why not?".
What made the transitioning easier was that wifey wore GoTrail for our Sabah Adventure Challenge and came out impressed with it, despite not clocking a single KM of mileage prior to the race. It was make or break for the brand for her.

GoTrail in Fushia Pink

So, the next day we headed to the park (as usual) and wifey started breaking in the shoe.

Midfoot strike!

Needless to say, she came out happy with the shoe. You see, we had bad experiences with shoes that were more expensive before - the same old tale of promising performances and also yada-yada. We tend to take marketing talk with a lot of salt. I have the privilege to try and review these shoe for free, but I can only take the sizes suitable for me. So, if something is good in my opinion, i should, technically, accord the same for her. After all, she is one person I will run with for a long time - and it sort of nice to be wearing the same gears too ;-). Having said that, this was her own words when asked about the shoe.
I LOVE the shoe.. It's light and the bounce is amazing compared to my last pair (Gylcerin 9) which I thought was already good enough..
That was the best RM369 spent on a pair of running shoe.
Her Verdict
Fit - Bunion friendly. She kept showing me how her bunion has a "second chance" as it was not restricted by the 4-way mesh. In fact, the material conform around the bunion. Wifey took US8. Based on experience that US7 (just nice) is tight on the front.
Cushioning - "The bounce is amazing". Enough said.
Build - The shoe is still new and her pair has no loose thread hanging like mine. Made a wiser decision to check this time. I've also shared this with the store manager in 1 Utama so they can be alert when selling the shoe and to take proactive action if found any pair with loose thread.
Bottomline
I've ran the shoe with and without socks, with and without sockliner and in combination of either two of it. The verdict for it is consistent with the shoes without socks. Which is good, as it meant I can have the luxury of "customizing" my fit according to the feel of the feet that day. You be surprised how your feet can swell, contract and even misbehave (ache) with changes in temperature and also time-on-feet. The inner is smooth and allow for a sockless operation. I would had, by the time of this review being published, clocked no less than 100km on this shoe, and I dare say it will be as comfy as the day 1 i wore it, and as consistent as the first 50km I've clocked in it. Biggest challenge now is to see how long the sole can last. With GoBionic touching 490km, GoRun2 has a benchmark to break. Stay tuned.

Own the road

Note: This pair of Skechers GoRun2 is sponsored by Skechers Malaysia via collaboration with 2ndSkin Asia Athletes program. Thank you Skechers Malaysia and 2ndSkin! This pair of GoBionic retail for RM369 and is available at all Skechers store.

Xterra Malaysia 2013 : Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

An A-race is a race where an athlete mark it as the race that they will push 100% and perform, a race where all training and preparation will be put to test with a good result expected from the end of it.

Xterra Malaysia is my A-race.

Well until the race start, that is.

Race prep the day before. All Ready To Rock And Roll-er!

T-3hours to Race

Woke up at 4am. Grab hold of my Perpetuem powder, mixed it with water and brought along for my convoy with Hin Toong. We were to meet at 4.15am at Edwin's place (Joo Ngan Son) for safety reason as there is a 24-hours restaurant next to it. I was late and Hin Toong pushed off first, calling to tell me he will wait for me at the Petron Puchong.

Perpetuem Powder.

My fault really for taking a bit longer than planned to leave. I was just being paranoid about leaving anything behind. We got to Putrajaya at about 4.45am and we were the first car parked at the open car space behind the Watersports complex. We got the bike out and took everything needed for transition and headed to the race area. It was still pitch dark and I found myself placed at the far end of the transition area.

Yeah, I was that early

The Organiser of Xterra Malaysia (Radius International) has made a very good approach to the transition setting up - they mixed the age group and sex together. There is absolutely no way for you to know who you will be up against.

Luckily, my spot has a spot light to make photo taking possible

You see, usually when you are out of the water, you scan around to see who in your age-group is still not out yet. With this setup...you never know and you are forced to get out and get it all done as fast as possible.

My Transition basket. KISS.

The transition basket was arranged in the simplest manner. Everything I need is here. A "Take-And-Go" concept. I am aiming for a good transition time and I have my focus ON. With the transition set up, next would be the compulsory body marking. It is a ritual by itself. For first timer, body marking initiates you as a triathlete.

2ndSkin and #224

Doc Yap

Jacui Slack, Pro, GBR

Adila

Unka Leong

Hin Toong

Bring it on.

I must apologise in advance that this posting will be devoid of first-person-view photo as i made a very hard decision not to race with one. Photos you below are courtesy of friends that has came and support the race.

Swimming 1.5km

The sky started to brighten by 6.45am and the MC has announced that all participants to be at the water start area. For some of you that wonders, the water in Putrajaya is clean (where we swam) with the organiser engaging an environmental monitoring company to run some water quality test (particularly for patogens). I jumped in for a moment to get myself warmed up a little. Got out from the water and the horn went off! Race is ON!

The swim for Xterra was in a "box" configuration. 2-loops of 750m each. Big blue bouy were placed at the intervals and everything look perfectly fine. Well, they always will be when you are above water level.

Blue line : Swim course

I got into the swimming groove very well. Strokes for strokes and I knew I was at my usual leisure pace. An estimated 40mins to cover the 1.5km would be expected. The plan was to take the first loop easy and away from the main pack and go all out in the second. The first loop was completed without any issues and as I turned into the second loop, the morning sun was somewhere above the horizon and the reflection sort of blinded me - I lost sight of my sightings and started to swim in a zig-zag manner. I started to do the 6-stroke-1-sight exercise to get my bearing right again and that did cost me some time. But it was a drama-less swim. I know my swim is not my strongest point but I was very happy i finished the whole 1.5km with only front crawl/freestyle. An achievement by itself.

Is it tea time yet?

I was actually quite behind in the race!

When i exit the water, i realised that I forgot to start the Garmin 910XT Multisports mode. So, my swimming time on Multisports was not recorded. Bummer. I then spent the run back to my bike to T1 basically getting the watch to start the Multisports mode.

"Wei! Why keep looking at your watch?" I heard Rupert shouted.

I estimated that I should had spent close to 45minutes in the swim. Looking around as I ran to my bike, i knew I was pretty "behind time". Bummer.

Tippy toes...

The bike rack, as you can see in the photo below...were pretty...empty.

Keep moving

Transition is where many people can make mistake and spend more time than they should Chee Hon, which captures these photos below, showed my "usual routine" when going from swim to bike. I have this playing in my mind every time when I exit the water. It is crucial to practice this and have switch on the mental note to get this done as fast as you possibly can.

First, the ever important sunglasses. Looking cool (and staying cool) is absolute. Plus, you don't wear sunnies after helmet, you waste time trying to slot the earpiece in. Take note.

Then you wear your shoes. I went sockless for this race and peppered talcum powder into the shoes. It's magic lubricant to get a wet feet into the shoe in an instant. Shoe lace already tied to the tension i wanted. Slip and Go.

Then get the helmet over the head. Buckle up.

Then put on the race belt (LAVA wording) and because I am riding a mountain bike...I get to color coordinate my gloves

Gloves ON.

Run!

As expected, no one should bitch about having to carry the bike over a stairs out of transition. I felt it sort of level the playing field a little bit.

My bike is 12.5kg heavy.

But it felt light with the cheering that was done!

Always carry your bike over your shoulder, you run faster that way

See how much easier to run up the stairs with the bike higher?

Once allowed to cycle, jump over the seat and pedal away!

In that short instance, I caught up with two participants

My total Swim+T1 time took 41:55. I am pretty impressed with my self having to only use 2:05 in T1. That's out of water, to bike, to kit up, take the bike up the stairs and start cycling out of T1. I was ranked 129 out of 163 participants.

Mountain Bike 30km

I crank up the bike and hammered down to chase as many people as I could. I know I have the skillset of being able to handle the bike a bit better than before. This is after attending the Zero2Hero class. Never had i felt that much better and putting the skills to practical saw me catching up and overtaking many that has exited the water before me. Everything was super fine with me gaining speed and gaining ground then due to my own mistake, i followed a bunch of the participants and missed the correct turning. That was despite the Race marshall installed no less than 5 (it was 6 actually, i counted it on my second lap) signages.

Yeap, that added an extra 1.5km or about 7 minutes of the total time

Having tried the race course before, I had the advantage to know what will come my way. I was prepared for it and with the recently installed Schwalbe tyre combo, the grip and speed was just perfect. I knew the I have to concentrate and push my way around PCP and that will make or break the cycling league. I started to overtake more participants and the downhill sections were obviously my advantage as I roll down the declines with ease. Everytime I see someone upfront, I will let them know verbally and thank them as I overtake them. Remember, they do not owe you any favour and likewise, if someone faster is coming behind me, i would have to yield for them.

Exiting PCP the first time, We had to get over to the other end of Putrajaya. By then, i bumped into the front pack judging by their descending skills and speed on the bike. I knew my chance was there.

Pushing through the first lap around PCP

The race continue as we cycled through and towards the STP in Putrajaya. That is at the fringe of Precint 20. There was where the first section on "unrideable" happens and you have no choice but to carry your bike over your shoulder and up the steep slope. As a bonus, a recent tree that has fallen due to bad weather blocking your way.

The guy in black looked like he is ready to throw his bike over

Spend your energy wisely, sometimes it is good to carry and run, at times, pushing makes sense too

From there, we need to cycle down and up and over another steep hill and cross over to this side of the road were a smooth but longer steep drop awaits adrenaline junkies.

This is where it gets really exciting and mentally stressful if you can't descend decently

Keep your butt off the saddle and to the back. Traction and modulate your brakes! Do not lock them out.

If you are not careful at the bottom, you will endo as you get excited about clearing the drop

Time to pick up speed again

The next section is a field where you might not think twice about cycling through. It looked like any field kids would play football in during weekend. Well, this section has gain the notorious Rump-Shaker award among the participants. It is impossible to sit down and cycle through smoothly, even if you are on full-sus. The ground is bumpy as if someone tilled perpendicular to your movement direction.

All 1km of it

The bike league continue with us re-entering PCP via the route we exit. This time, it is to cycle all the way up to the pondok at PCP. Technical easy trail and you would need to keep in mind to crank at the right gear. I've seen too many participants cranking up on grannies here when they should had dropped to a heavier gear to gain speed and balance.

Climbing up, keep your body to the front. The tires need traction there!

Cranking it up!

A little bit more!

Immediately after this small climb is downhill all the way to exit PCP. Done correctly, it is one smooth flowing ride. Miss the line, you will tumble all the way down with bruises.

Finding the line

Keeping the line

Clearing the line

Upon exiting PCP, we had to clear a road crossing and hop over the road kerb. I was really excited as I managed to get 15km done in 50minutes. Above my own expectation and the legs felt super good. I cleared the first kerb and disaster happened as I tried clearing the second one as the rear tyre landed squarely on the edge of the kerb - exploding the inner tube immediately. I had my first puncture.

Godamit. I was making really good time, that was despite getting lost the at the beginning of the bike!

I spend the next 15minutes fixing the flats. I inspected and saw my rim was dented as well. Shucks, one item to change after the race. I never did expect a puncture. It's rare when you ride mountain bike. It happens and usually it is just bad judgement. This rear wheel puncture was proof not to rush through the kerbs. Continued cycling and had to make up lost time. Everyone that I overtook earlier has overtaken me back again. I know I am losing position and had to step it up.

Must remain calm.

I cycled and begin to gain ground back again. Toward the trail right before it enters the vicinity of Precinct 6, we have to go through a small plantation...I spotted a fresh fronds (palm oil branch) along the trail and told myself not to roll over it.

And i rolled over it.

Front tires rolled right at the thorn and I knew what's going to happen, after less than 15minutes since the last puncture, I had another puncture.

What luck.

Remain clam?

WTF.

I carried two tubes for the race. Unlike me as I usually only carry one. I had one in my tritop back pocket and one strapped around my handlebar stem, secured using Velcro. A trick i learnt from Kenny Kwan just two days before the race.

Rewind - Rupert captured me stuffing a tube into my back pocket.

I could had spent another 15minutes trying to fix the puncture and getting the tires up to pressure. More importantly, checking if my rear is holding on well due to the slight dented rim. By then, it was already past the 1:45 timing and I lost estimated 30-35mins of moving time.

I knew by then It will be too late to catch the front pack and I had to fight harder to get back upfront.

I pushed through the second loop and this time, knowing where to go and not ending up taking the extra turn, i blasted through the kampung, entered and cleared PCP, got over the fallen trees, down the rump-shaking field, back up in PCP, sped through the same route, taking extra care over the two area i had punctures, pushed through the last trail before entering T2.

And i knew my inner thigh has taken a huge beating and the instance I dismounted...yeah. The muscle seized.

Harden The Fxxx Up Stupe. HTFU.

2:26:34. Position 83/163. Blasting through transition and managing the muscles pulling on both inner thigh. 1:31. Unhappy. Could had been a sub-2 bike.

Trail Run 11km

As I climbed the stairs up out of T2, I know i had to keep running and not walk. My strong point is the run. How do I run with the muscles seizing up? I risk not finishing. I can't not finish. This is my A-race.

It was really a mental game. One that you bite your tongue and shut you mind to just keep moving. I stopped at every water station to shower and to cool down. Stuffing ice up my tri-shorts. Letting the ice numb the pain. It worked. I picked up speed on the run. But it was below my usual racing speed. It was all i can afford to push. 6:00 pace. 6:30 pace. Too slow.

Running turn into jogging.

I saw many people in front of me on the run. Those that i managed overtake on the bike. Those that already on their way to finish their race.
Then, there were the staircase that the organiser built.
A 3-steps structure with each steps at least 2-feet high. Talking about gaining elevation in shortest time and distance possible.
Then there were the rubber plantation terrace.
Then the fallen trees that was oh-so-painful on seized muscle to climb over.
Damn I love this sports.
The run was two loops and that would meant climbing the stairs structure 4-times and over most of the obstacle twice. Everyone has to do it. The playing field was level. If it is tough for me, it is tough for everyone else too (maybe not the Pros).

Keep It Going!

I showered at every opportunity I can get

I finished the first lap in about 40minutes. A leisure "jog" on any other day - only differences was the effort was the best I could give.
I see many started walking. I have to continue. Can't stop.
I went for the second loop, and never felt happier that I will soon finish the race.

Last 800m

I had Pui San and Rupert cheering me on towards the last 200m. I was still running and keeping the pace. It was too late to give up. Too early to take it easy.

Should I sprint? Nah

Must maintain the pace

It was a slow slow run...

As I turn into the lane to the finishing line, the cheering from the crowd drove me on. You can be forgiven for thinking I "won".

And...the story begins...

Soon KT capture the finishing video. 4:32:23. Two punctures that threw my A-race away.

And it was a freaking good race.
I was greeted by Sean and Eunice. No better way to have the organiser welcoming me back. I was handed the timing slip. Yes, the race timing minus timing chip!

I finished the race in 74/163 overall, 17/41 for my age group and 66 out of 145 male participants. It was a very "average" results for me, despite the A-race billing. I guess there are lessons to be learnt here and I know I can only do better.

The official timing was later shown on the website below and I gained a spot ;-) So, officially, I am 73/163, 16/41 and 65/145. Someone inside there perhaps DQ.

Official Results

My run was 47/163. Could it has been better overall for me result wise? Definitely. But I'll take this and work to improve it 16 folds.

Pros
- Superb race course. The biking and running course has everything you want in a world class trail. Those that has doubt (including myself) that Putrajaya can hold an Xterra race has got to race one themselves to see why. Oh, that would be next year ;-)
- Great support stations - including the extra water station on the bike as the weather got hotter than expected.
- Regarding the water station, thank you for the ice cold water and the ice!
- impressive "timing system" that has no timing -chip. One less thing to worry about aka lost timing chip and trouble of returning the chip to get back deposit ;-)
- World Xterra officials out on the race course to cheer participants? I don't even recall the Ironman WTC doing that! Reinforced my believe that Xterra Triathletes are the "more fun" people!

Cons
- A more secured transition area. Outsiders were seen within the transition and they should be kept out. Danger is spectators crossing the transition and the participants run into them, injuring both.
- Not enough dirt. Then again...not the organiser's fault. It did not rain the day before!;-)
- More technical course. I need to put my new found skills to good use ;-)

I got nothing bad to say about the race on Sunday and you can see the above last two were just my own thoughts. While I did suffer two punctures, I believe many went through the same too. It is what added to the race excitement and also unpredictability. Even the Pros has their ups and downs. Jaqui Slack were leading the women's field when she had two punctures. So, things like these happen. I just have to HTFU and keep moving.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the organisers, Radius International, together with the MyCEB for making this happen. Special shout out to the wonderful people such as Sean Chee, Eunice Lee, Dave Spence, Darcy Steinhardt, Kenny Kwan, Aslan and everyone that has helped to make the race course amazing. I know how much work it takes to set the course having involved in Xterra 2009 Kuantan. Thank you Sponsors and also the awesome volunteers that made the race possible. See you all at the next Xterra Race.

Stay Dirty.

-----
My race on Garmin 910XT
Swim: Not recorded :( Did not switch on the Multisports mode.
Bike:

Run:

Thank you to my Sponsors 2ndSkin Asia, Skechers Performance Malaysia and Hammer Nutrition. For this race, I was geared with the Garmin 910XT, Skechers GoTrail (superb grip in all condition) and fuelled fully (and strongly) by Hammer Nutrition Malaysia.

ps - see this awesome t-shirt?

That's me running testing the t-shirts up

It's for sale at www.2ndskin.asia at RM69.00. It is made from the Vaporlite material that are Ultralight, Ultracool and Ultracomfortable. And no, you don't need to complete an offroad triathlon just to wear this.

Front

Back

Wait up for my review on this Vaporlite T-shirt soon.

Bake With Abang Brian To Support Kids With Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

My recent engagement with Dignity For Children Foundation has opened me up to another charitable organisation worth mentioning. Some of you might remember Brian Chen of the Masterchef Malaysia. He is conducting classes for kids and giving it back to the kids.

Bake With Abang Brian To Support Kids With Cancer

PeopleGiving and Abang Brian is bringing a meaningful day to your children, where they can learn to bake local Malaysian cookies and at the same time help to support kids with cancer.

Malaysia is known to be a food heaven and we are blessed with many variety of culinary from local, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, American, French, Japanese etc. But how many of us really know our local delicacy well enough? Just name 10 different local cookies…

In this month of April/May, make a special Saturday morning for your child to have fun learning and baking local cookies with Abang Brian.

Abang Brian, also known as “Chef in a Hat” is the top finalist of Masterchef Malaysia. Brian has always been a passionate foodie and his culinary skills was further put to test when he took care of his father’s diet during a difficult period of battling against cancer. Today, Brian is the Big Brother of “Young Chefs Academy” and also the ambassador of National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM).

The entire fund raised will be channelled to NCSM, for the cause of “Cancer for Kids”. This is inline with Brian’s initiative of “Kids helping kids with cancer”, getting the kids to raise fund to help kids with cancer.

Thanks to PeopleGiving's corporate sponsor, CSF Group, their support and generous contribution has made this campaign a reality!

PeopleGiving is launching our second series of program after the successful Happy Library program namely My Malaysia. This program is to promote local Malaysian talents who have a big heart in the world of Giving. There will be six talented ambassadors we are working with in the area of Stage Play, Chef, Artist, Photography, Fashion Designer & Architecture. The second in the series after Stage Play is Chef for Charity. Follow us closely to find out more.

So come and experience fun-filled interactive learning and baking session with Abang Brian.

For every donation of RM100, you could get your kid to attend a 1-hour session of cookies baking in Young Chefs Academy with Brian. Alternatively, you can sponsor an orphan to attend the class. Please state in the message box if your donation is to sponsor an orphan. You may donate less than RM100, and your donation will also support their aim of raising RM12,000 for NCSM

Classes detail

Date: Every Saturday, (20^th, 27^th April) & (4^th, 11^th May 2013)

Time: 10am to 11am

Venue: Young Chefs Academy (5-3, Jalan 26/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 K.L)

Chef: Brian Chen

Pax: Limited to 30 per session

Age: Children between age 7 to 15

Donation Amount: RM100 will be entitled to 1 kid for 1-hour session to any of the Saturday’s class (first come first serve basis) Click here to donate and enrol

Classes arrangement: Please state the date of class your kid would like to attend. (we will call you for confirmation)

Some of the cookies baked from all classes will be collected for Charity Fair. All participating children are welcome to join the fun.

To check out Abang Brian:

http://www.abangbrian.com/v1/

Young Chefs Academy:

http://www.youngchefsacademy.com/stores/index.php?id=280

CSF Group:

http://www.csf-group.com/index.php?sc=home

Triathlon : 10 Transition Tips

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Transition is the stickiest point in any triathlon race. Newbies usually congregate at this area to get some "mojo" and to mingle around before and after race. Some use Transition during race as a place to rest. However, many forgot that the time in Transition is accounted for in the total race time. Over the years, I've taken transition a tad too easy, choosing to "take my time" instead of a "quick in-quick out" approach.

Many of us practices the swim, the bike and the run for hours and for many thousand kilometers - but i would say not many actually thought about the transition process. Myself personally, I've spent anything between 4-minutes to 40minutes (perhaps more during one of my Ironman race) and it severely added to the overall time. Not that the time matters as I am not a podium finisher anyway...however, as a "benchmark" of self improvement, I've taken it upon myself to at least try to be "fast" in transition.

Here is How
1. Have a plan. Yes. As basic as that. Take all your gears out and lay it on the ground. See what you need after the swim (for biking) and what you need later (for running). Organise. Know what you need and arrange them.

2. KISS. Keep It Simple, Silly. Many triathletes are so bogged down with high-tech gears and race items that they tend to overload the whole transition basket with everything short of their home kitchen sink. For bike, you need your helmet, sunglasses, shoes, race number and gloves. You do not need your camera (roll eyes, guilty as charged) or your MP3 player (dangerous for biking league as you will not hear oncoming bikers or traffic). KISS.

3. Shoe On Pedal. Takes a lot of practice and precisely why many did not practice and fumble...and have a (dis)graceful fall trying to mount and fall off the bike. Shoe on pedal requires a lot of practice and knowledge of positioning the shoe, mounting and dismounting. I will write a full article on this. Do remind me. However, for Xterra, I will not be wearing any clipless and hence, will not require this step. I will run in the same shoe as my biking - time saving.

4. Attached Items On Your Bike. All lose items such as spare tubes, pumps, skewers, nutrition etc should be attached to the bike. In transition, you will NOT have the time or you WILL miss something out and may jeopardise your whole race. I am leaving my fuel in a bag on the top tube. My pumps is attached next to my bottle cage and my spare tubes and skewer (to remove tire) is in the pouch under my seat.

5. Run With Your Bike. If you are unlucky, the distance between you and the area out of transition will be far. Save time by running with your bike. Always run on the left hand side of the bike, away where the chain is. Hold the saddle with your right hand or hold the handlebar stem to control the bike. Practice. Practice. Practice. It is not a nice sight if you trip over your own bike and break your jaw.

6. One Outfit For Race. Unless you are racing in cold condition and wet suit is needed, wear the same outfit for your swim, bike and run. If the race is long like Ironman distance, you have the luxury of changing if you want to (as there will be a tent for transition, saving everyone sights of you going naked, if wanted). By wearing one outfit, you sort out all issues of taking out and wearing things back - and by the way, once your body is damp or wet, the tight spandex is a pain to put on.

7. Remember Your Bike Location. Race morning, it is important to know where your bike is. Count isle and have a visual picture in your head where you should be heading after your swim and after your bike. Don't put your bike on another person's rack and never ever remove anything that is not yours. I am yet to see anyone coming with a balloon to mark their transition for better visual guidance.

8. Speed Lacing and Baby Powder. Can't afford a speed lace? Make one. Also, baby powder is the most underrated items. If you place them in your shoe, it will be easy-in even without socks...and the powder will absorb sweat! For Xterra, not an issue for me.

9. Grab and Go. When transitioning from T2, learn to just grab whatever your need after you placed your bike and go. Wear the cap and race number as you run out of transition. Learn to refuel while on the run. You save time that way. For Xterra, I will be wearing the same shoe for bike and run...so, I've eliminated the need to sit down and change my shoe.

That is all the tips I can share for transition in triathlon. Yes, I promised you 10. But 9 would be awesome anyway - and 10 always sound better than "9 Transition Tips".

Good Luck!

GE13 : Election Process and Things To Look Out For

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:00:00 +0000

I attended a Polling Agent, Counting Agent and Barong Agent (PACABA) class yesterday night to understand the polling process better. I am sharing it now as an awareness for everyone that will go and exercise your right to vote.

*Material you see below came from the PACABA class i attended. Copyright belongs to them and credit is to them. I am posting the images sans watermark and if you were to use it, please credit Pakatan Rakyat Taman Tun Dr. Ismail office.
First Time Voter? Not First Time? Read on.
The SPR has done a tremendous job putting up the new website which provides full information of your voting details. Go to Daftarj.spr.gov.my and key in your IC number minus the "-". You will get all your details shown. Print it out and keep it for May 5.

I removed the sensitive information above

Please take note of your SALURAN and NO. SIRI. This two is important, apart from knowing where to vote, in this case, the above person is voting in Dewan Serbaguna MBPJ SS21/12 (Pooling Centre)
With this Saluran and No. Siri, you are a verified voter and you can go straight to the pooling line (Saluran).
For your info, GE13 will see the SPR allowing Malaysian IC, Passport, Driving License and even Kad Haji (as it is a legitimate identification with photo by a government agency)to be used as identification for voting.

Page 11 of Buku Panduan Pemerhati Barong

This, in my opinion is open for abuse and fraud. We all know that the driving license is just a laminated document that can be fabricated and the photo replaced. Your identity could be stolen. If you find yourself unable to vote as someone has "voted for you", make a Polis report immediately.

Election Process Flow
This is your typical process for election.

Each Saluran holds about 700 voters, except the Saluran 1, which is usually reserved for old folks. So, by knowing your SALURAN, you actually already know the age group of the people coming to vote at that Saluran.
*hint - if you see anyone way younger or way older than you in the same saluran...something is fishy
In most places without any hall or dewan, you will have a class room setup.

In places with dewan, the same flow applies, but the entrance and exit is the same door (for crowd control)

This is the flow during pooling. It is good to know about this again. Please take note of the SPR clerk's role. This is the biggest change compared to GE12/2008 where only two clerks were present. One to verify and read your name and one to hand you the ballot paper. The 2nd Clerk is entrusted to PAINT YOUR LEFT INDEX FINGER with the ink.

Your finger will be marked from the first knuckle past your fingernail and under to the first fold. So those emails about you not allowed to wear nail polish (women, and ok, some men), is unfounded. You can of course, but no harm not using any nail-polish anyway.

With that sorted, you will get your ballot paper. It will look something like this.

When you recieved your ballot paper, make sure that it has these few things done. THe 3rd SPR clerk will be handing this to you, FOLDED.

Take note that there is many first in this. We used to have ballot paper perforated with patterns to denote the Saluran. Each Saluran has unique pattern. This time around, SPR is introducing RUBBER Stamps and the rubber stamps will have unique patterns to each Saluran. This is one control to ensure that during vote counting, only votes related to the same Saluran is counted. Anything not STAMPED or share the correct stamping mark is deemed a spoilt vote. This is how your "undi hantu" or "phantom votes" come about.

Another thing to note, there is NOT supposed to be any mark on the ballot paper or the ballot paper chit attached to the ballot book. Any marking especially marked with your voting No. Siri is a traceable act on SPR side to see who you had voted. Your vote thus, is not considered as a "secret".

Remember, NO other marking on the Ballot Paper or the Ballot Chit other than those already printed and stamped by the SPR Clerk no.3. If you see Clerk No.2 (inking) and/or Clerk No.3(Ballot paper) holding any writing instrument, you have every right to engage the Ketua Pusat Mengundi (KTM) and ask for an explanation. It is your right as a voter.

If you are bullied as a voter aka the clerks refused your right, you can read them the S(0)3 of the Election Offence Act (EOA) that states any offences can be fined RM5,000, Jailed 2 years or both, if found guilty. Say it out loud (but in a well behaved manner) so that everyone in the room knows. It is your right!

If you found any ballot paper NOT to meet your expectation, you can demand from the KTM to provide you a new ballot paper. This include if you tore the paper while folding and/or smudge the paper with the ink.

Please take note of this photo. Remember, this is what the SPR Clerks CAN'T DO.

Next, I will share with you what is accepted as a "valid" vote according to the new ruling by SPR. This is unbelievable. But I believe the intention is to allow people to vote for as long as their intention for the individual is made known. Please take note that you will be voting with a BALLPEN and no longer a pencil.

Basically, it is counted as a VOTE if your intention is placed in ONE line only. With this allowance, this is why i mentioned earlier that the ballot paper you received MUST NOT HAVE ANY MARK. Because lets say, you wanted to vote for Person A, but the Ballot paper you recieved has a marking (even a dot) on Person B, your vote is considered as SPOILT!
These are the votes that will be considered as spoilt.

Now you have (i hope) better understanding of the whole election and the processes that will happen. Educate yourself with these knowledge so you will be better protected as a voter. Do take note that things can go smoothly or turn confrontational especially when emotions are involved. If you are not happy with how you are given the ballot paper, always ask for a replacement. You have every right - but the final say lies on the KTM. Be civil, talk nicely, no one will say no to someone that will talk nicely.

Having shared the above, i have a few questions that lingers in my mind:
1. Usage of any other documentation other than Malaysian IC - WHY?
2. Rubber stamp instead of perforation. This potentially allow someone with the same rubber stamp (outside) with access to the ballot paper (outside) to fabricate and pass extra ballot papers inside via "paid voters". Perforations is physically done before the balloting, and is safer. It takes away one step of Clerk No.3 to do any mistakes. So, WHY?
3. Marking of your serial number on ballot paper, if it happens, WHY?
4. Multiply different VALID way to cast instead of the TRIED and TESTED "X". WHY?

I have many more questions actually and this got to do with suspicious voters that looked more like immigrants coming to vote. If you do see them on pooling day, it is your right to bring this up to the KTM. Impersonation MUST be stopped.

For full Buku Panduan PRU 13, please download them at http://www.pru13.gov.my/default.downloads.00.php

This blog entry is accurate at time of writing. I have cross-referenced all items based on the Buku Panduan per PRU13 website.

Hammer Nutrition : Xterra Fuelling Plan

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Fuelling for a race has now become some sort of "test" for me. From the good planning and execution during Sabah Adventure Race 2013, I am more determined to see how correct fuelling and nutrition will give me an edge over myself - having raced many triathlon before, i believe it is time to bring it to the next level. All the trainings has to account for something and there is no better time or way to do it. I need to beat myself badly!
Swim 1.5 - Bike 30 - Run 11 - Let's Get Dirty.
I will keep the fuelling schedule simple - stick to once an hour to fuel. It is fool-proof and fail-proof, unless I forget to take the items along with me coming out from T1. For Xterra, I will rely on:

Perpetuem Solids as my main fuel
HEED Sports drink for hydration and constant energy
Gel for topping up (and caffeine, 50mg yo!)
Endurolyte for electrolytes balance
Anti-Fatigue for delayed muscle fatigue

I have checked and experimented with the hydration portion during the dry run. I carried 3L of liquid and took only about 1liter for the whole biking and running at easy pace. Back calculating, I would be safe to stick to 1 bottle (650ml) of liquid every hour if the race starts to get hot and when at my race pace.

Best Bottle...Evah!

I have decided to just carry ONE bottle of liquid in the Camelbak Podium bottle. In order to facilitate quick refilling at transition, two-bottles will be prepared with the other one for the run (pick and go)

Fingers Crossed!

I will give myself 150mins or 2hours 30mins to cover the whole 30km. I am just hoping no major roadblock and no mechanical problem to bog me down. The faster I get out of the bike loop, the better. Staying too long on the bike and being exposed to the sun too long will sap more energy than needed. Nutrition will be placed in a pack placed on the top tube.

Read below what's inside ;-)

Secured!

I just have to remember to take it and to make sure I do not drop any - so, I would need to carry extra as precaution (labelled as SPARE).

Spare. Emergency. Just In Case.

Also, identifying areas where fuelling would be good would be when I am off the saddle pushing or encountering a roadblock at the part where we all have to push/carry the bike. Fuel smart!

The last league which is the trail run would involve me fuelling at Transition or on the go. I will carry a bottle of HEED and bring along the run. With the amount of running I've been doing, I am hoping that the run will be my strongest point.

Fuelling Logic

The estimated calorie need for the whole race will be circa 3200kcal or about 800kcal/hour. Hydration and fuelling dictates that the optimum absorption would be 1/3 calorie spent and at most 20oz or 600ml of liquid per hour. Anything more could potentially cause GI issues and throw your race away. The electrolytes need calculated above works out to be about 500mg/hour and that will correspond with the weather. As most of the trail is covered, we just have to quickly race and get out. The faster we we finish the race, the better.

With all the above in mind - i just need to device a way to carry/segregate the items in a way easy for me to take/reach out. Engineer's mind working overtime for a couple of hours while writing this and I came out with the solution. I am sharing it now with you. Feel free to improvise. ~~Will update once I get the solution.~~
How I am carrying the nutrition
I've always been a hoarder when growing up. Only different is I am organised hoarder. I kept all the used small bottles from Sabah Adventure Challenge. The bottles that hold the Perpetuem Solids. It finally came in handy.

The bottles are filled with nutrition for my T-5min to race start and T2 (run). The bottle behind is my Gels in the flak, two servings. One for T-5 and one for T2.

With 2x Perpetuem Solids and 5 tablets (3 Endurolytes and 2 Anti Fatigue) in each bottle for T-5min and T2(run), It was sorted. Both these items can be taken at Transition. No worries of it spilling anywhere.

Genius.

The challenge here is to think how I will hold the items during the bike, the longest portion of the race. I can't use the bottle as it would meant I will be carrying at least 3, and to eat them require me to pop it open. So, i resorted to the most basic simple way on how to separate items - plastic bag.

Simple solution

I need to carry 3 sets of this, and would be silly to carry 3-plastic, not forgetting it's not environmentally friendly. So, i decided to use the "sausage" approach.

Separate the servings with rubber band!

Genius eh? Oh, I heard you asking how to deploy it fast? Well, remove the rubber band with your teeth silly ;-)

Bite, pull, swallow, chew. Repeat

Then, i had issues to carry adequate serving of HEED. I need a scoop/bottle and guess what...the Solids bottle came in handy.

Wadayaknow...ONE SERVING!

Consolidating, this is how it will look like specific just for the bike, which i estimate to take up to 150mins.

Hehe...now you know what those bottles are in the bike pack ;-)

The flask is 5 servings of Gel. I will carry this behind my tri-top.

2xHeed Serving, 3xSolids/Tabs Serving and 1xSpare bottle

I hope this help you to plan your nutrition and fuelling strategy!

Good Luck and Race Safe!

Xterra Malaysia : Post Event Ride With The Pro

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Xterra Malaysia is scheduled to take place this weekend and I've just gotten the confirmation and invitation to a post-event ride with the Pros on Monday, April 29, 2013 at Kiara.
The Race Director and organiser has see it fit to raise awareness to the current development of Bukit Kiara by inviting the Pro-racers to ride Kiara - with you Malaysian Mountainbikers!
Here is the official press release (and invite)
POST-EVENT RIDE: XTERRA MALAYSIA 2013

Who: UP2U, the Partner of XTERRA MALAYSIA 2013 is inviting YOU to attend the post-event ride with the pro-athletes of XTERRA MALAYSIA 2013.

Special guests: Pro-athletes of XTERRA MALAYSIA 2013

What: XTERRA MALAYSIA 2013 POST-EVENT RIDE: SAVE KIARA

This post event ride not just as a recovery and social ride with the Pro’s, but also to show support to the trail maintenance community of Bukit Kiara. This area has been developed by the local biking community over recent years into and is now an oasis of wonderful bike trails.

When: Monday, 29th April 2013
Time: 9.00 am to 11.00am
Where: Meet up at Carpark of Bukit Kiara Trail.

How Do You Join?

We are pleased to announce that in collaboration with UP2U Bike Tours, Malaysia’s first fully-supported and guided bike tour service, Xterra participants (Yes, that’s You!) will be entitled for a special price of RM150 instead of the usual half-day tour rate of RM300.

Despite the specially discounted price UP2U will be donating 50% of the price to the TRAKS “Save Kiara" Fund as sadly this area is under threat from developers.

Sadly though housing and business developers are moving in to the area and we would like you to help us raise public awareness of the importance of protecting this green paradise of trails.

The tour will be supported by a qualified mountain bike guide/coach with a ratio of 1:8 riders. Transportation to/from a pick-up point at KL Sentral is also provided if you need it.

Slots are limited to only 30 riders though so to register your spot, please follow the steps below:

1. Go to http://www.up2ubiketours.com
2. Select RIDES > MOUNTAINBIKE
3. Select DISCOVERY TOUR > BOOK NO
4. Select 29th April 2013 from the calendar > BOOK NOW
5. Key in Coupon Code: XTERRA29
6. Payment can be made via Paypal or Bank Transfer

Many thanks in anticipation of this and we look forward to welcoming you next week and to riding with you on the 29th of April 2013.

*Please note that the organizer has the right to cancel the Discovery Tour due to weather conditions or in the event that there are not enough total participants (minimum 15 pax total) and your total registered payment will be refunded to you.

Schwalbe MTB Tires Review : Rocket Ron and Nobby Nic

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

I made a huge upgrade recently to my mountain bike. No, I did not change my bike. It is still the Taiwan frame Orbea.

My first "proper" MTB. Before this, i was riding "hand me down".

The bike served me really well. Superb almost. Because it was sized to my frame and the parts were hand-picked to my pocket-affordability, it served the purpose. Sufficient for some hard riding and "cheap" enough to trash it around (and not worried if I scratch it).
OK. Cheap is subjective. I did pay substantial for this - but compared to what I am (and still doing) to it, I won't be too alarmed if i break anything as they are built to take the abuse. This bike was a many first for me. To start it off, my first hollow crank. First hydraulic brake (which i broke after two rides falling from top of the descent to the bottom over rocky surface). First color coordinated bike (yes, we want to look good while getting dirty).

Hollow-crank, just because it's sexy.

However, the sticky point was the tires. I've wanted Kenda Nevegal (otherwise known locally as Kenda Never-Gagal) as this rubber is superb in Kiara. Those that ride Kiara will know that Nevegal is the best to handle the condition thrown at them in Kiara. Because of lack of choices, I sort of settled for a 1.9 Hutchinson Scorpion.

The Rubber.

There is nothing wrong with the tires. It served it purpose well during Sabah Adventure Challenge 2010. The only complains i have was that this tire is ol-skool. It has wire bead in it making mounting and dis-mounting during puncture repair a painful process for the fingers even with tools.

Good grip in dry condition, not when wet

With Xterra just (then) three weeks away, I need to get my bike serviced and a few things sorted. The seat need to be changed as the old one is falling apart. The handlebar need some re-config. The gears need tuning. And the tires really need some major overhaul. I went to Bike Elementz, in Kepong for some TLC.

Bikes. Bikes. Bikes. and More Bikes.

Reason why i went all the way there was because I tested their Boardman EM1.7 that was loaned to me for a while. But since I am more comfortable to ride my own bike, i decided to bring it there and "test" their services. Once I was there, the store manager Gavin and his partner Justin helped me with the two bikes and proceed to ask me what I need to do.
"Service?". I don't usually send my bike for servicing, but with Xterra nearby and the need to make sure everything was superbly tune came to mind.
Then the shopping begin.
The Schwalbe
I have never had any experience with this brand before. Preferring the tried and tested Ritchey tires for mountain bike (Z Max was my favourite) and never gone beyond 1.9 width. I told Justin my riding style (mostly Cross-Country or XC) with a little technical portion (because i PUSH most technical trails - shy!). I told him this will be specific for Xterra with mix of technical and plantation route and he suggested a combination of two tires from Schwalbe.
"But I want NeverGagal (Nevegal)", I said.
He explained that Nevegal is good, but what he is about to introduce, is better....
And much more expensive.
Ouch.

Nobby Nic. 2.10 for front

Rocket Ron 1.85 for back

Each tires cost me almost RM190...but it took me 3minutes to decide. Yeap, that was 27 minutes faster than when bargaining for car tires (when obviously the car would require better features, safety wise). My reason for this was because I wanted something reliable and a quick googling on my phone did confirmed that the tires were "control" and "speed" freaks. So, what better way to...AYE.
Two days later, I collected the bike from Bike Elementz. I had both the tires changed, my handlebar(too long) sawed off, had my seat replaced (Selle Italia Q-bic). The bike has been tuned and the front fork has been matched to my current 69kg weight. Before that was pressurized for 85kg. If i ride using that pressure, I will not have any shock absorption. I did not manage to try my bike as it was pouring that evening (of the bike collection). But come Sunday Morning at the trail familiarisation, I was super excited.
Nobby Nic 2.10
This tire was placed up-front for better control in the technical trail. A check on the official website mentioned that this tire is "versatile on all ground" and "light and fastest". Tires is light, fold-able and tubeless-ready

Meet Nic.

Rocket Ron 1.85
Lower rolling resistance and good control placed this tire on the back for me. I decided on the 1.85 instead of the 2.0 or 2.1 simply for the speed. Doubted with superb grip and yet low rolling resistance, Rocket Ron promises to bring you from slow to fast effortlessly. Likewise like the Nobby Nic, the tire is light, fold-able and tubeless ready.

Hello Ron.

The Ride
First experience on the tires were awesome. Both were filled with pressure at 40psi for a compromise between grip and speed. Yes, i also thought it was too high. I usually run it at 32psi. On sealed tarmac the ride was very neutral, almost road tire like. I hardly feel the bumps. Once it went into the loose gravel of the plantation road, the Rocket Ron started to show why it is favoured for speed - It was fast.

Leading the pack

The front Nobby Nic gripped the loose gravel pretty well too. One thing i noticed was that the bumps on the tires were not felt as much compared to my older Hutchinson. Schwalbe tires fitted on my bike felt "soft" as it mold itself into the surface. We went through a patch of silty road and the silts sort of caught onto the tires to the extend that it wrapped the tire.

Rocket Ron all covered

Nobby Nic too

One of the reason for the tire's tread to be spaced out is for "self cleaning" to take place. This is achieved when the tire spin again and "throw" the dirt off. I a interested to see how long that will take.

Everyone's tire were covered in muck

As expected, it did not take too long for the pair of tires on my bike. These were about 5minutes after the silty section

Dirty!

The route then brought us into PCP. By then, or about 3km from the silty area, the mucks has left both the tires.

Rocket Ron self-cleaned

another angle - take note of how other tires still has mucks on them - compromising tractions

Nobby Nic looked cleaner than the tire it was touching

The ability of the tires to self-clean is very important expect of a good technical tire. Having the tires tread all covered up heavily with muck or mud will compromise the gripping quality of the tires and in critical section, you will lose traction and could be disastrous.
I am happy to report that the grip rendered by both the model of tires were superb. The control of Nobby Nic were good too as I go around the technical trail in PCP. Tight switch backs, technical descent were all taken in the World Championship loop. The low rolling resistance of Rocket Ron -lets just say I wondered what will happen if i used the same setting up-front in an out-and-out XC race.

Fast downhill before entering into the technical trail

Verdict
You truly get what you paid for. While the tires were not exactly cheap, they both performance as claimed. The control with a wider tires upfront and the speed with a narrower back setup. The Nobby Nic helped me manoeuvre through the roots and ruts while the Rocket Ron provided traction and low rolling resistance when it needed to.
While the combination of the tire might be weird for some, i for one learnt never to be afraid to mix two different tread tires and two different sizes (width). If ever in doubt, listen to opinions of your local bike shop (LBS) as they would have gotten feedback if the items they sell actually work.

No. I did not wash this.

Both the tires can be obtained from your LBS, in this case for me, Bike Elementz in Kepong. By the way, the service and tuning to the bike was good. I had my wheels alignment done as it was wobbly previously. A full list of services for the bikes can be queried from the shop. Now to wait for Xterra Malaysia this weekend to put these good tires and to clock in some good timing on the bike loop. See you this weekend!

Raleigh Round Island Swim 2013 Update

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Remember my post on this earlier this month? I got a news update from the organiser and they are looking for 3-more swimmer. Attached is the release. If you are interested, read on.

Approximately 2 weeks away from now, Raleigh Round Island Challenge will be held in Perhentian Island on May 3rd, 2013 and will encompass a 56 km swim around the island! 56 participants are about to the challenge in the name for fundraising. And, it is, moreover, Malaysia’s 56th year of independence.

You can be part of this mega swim! But we only have LAST 3 SLOTS LEFT!

Registration is open to Malaysian swimmers who have experience in open water swimming. So don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of something truly special!

Follow the link to access the registration form: https://docs.google.com/a/raleighinternational.org.my/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGxLY0ZBOERmWFFQclRfX25WMFpfS1E6MQ#gid=0

To know more, feel free to contact us by sending us an email to the following address: ric@raleighinternational.org.my

Visit us at: https://www.facebook.com/RaleighRIC

Sabah Adventure Challenge 2013 : Scenic Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Part 1 : Longest Day
Part 2 : Hottest Day
This is Part 3. Scenic Day ;)
I can't believe i wrote a 3-parts race report like what I did for Bali Marathon 2012. I hope you readers enjoyed the sharing. It has been tough and tight for me, time wise to produce more write ups as I am in the midst of a career move. It was a mixed feeling on Day3. One small part of us were glad the race will finally be over and the larger part were upset that we have no more race tomorrow when we wake up! Yes. Race withdrawal syndrome even before the race actually ends. The past two days has been great and the last day looked promising with 15km more to go. While the other two days has been pretty "off the mark" in terms of mileage, no one actually complained. A testament that those that was participating were there for the pain!

Skechers GoTrail clocked it's 90th Mile before today (Day 3).

It was a mixed feeling Sunday for us. Easter Sunday. It was strange for wifey not to be home with her family (she and the kids are Catholic) for this festivities. I told her if we see a church (very likely), we will drop by for the mass. Promise.

Check the burnt face from Day 2

The lethargy was shown on wifey when she did struggle a bit moving down the incline. But it is OK. The past two days has been rewarding for her. A bit achievement in fact. Day 3 is just about finishing it.

Taking forever to walk down...sakit bang!

As we move towards the reception, the sight of Kinabalu greet us again. We both know it will be the last morning we will see her. For the next day, we will be in KK.

In awe, everyday.

As expected, the race finish for Day 3 will be no other place than the Reception area of the Resort. That would meant a kick-ass climb back up to the resort at 25Deg gradient. Going down to the starting point for Day 3, 1km away, is already a chore for many due to the steepness and the muscles not agreeing to the movement. It would be fun to see what and how everyone will hike up this last climb.

Awaiting all finishers

See how #30 holding her thigh to walk down? Noticed all the small steps taken?

I believe many forgot to look behind when they were walking down, for behind all of us, were the Grand Mountain. My two friends here certainly remember to look behind and had this captured.

Thumbs up*

Perhaps, everyone was moving down really slowly to have their photos taken? I don't know. But, i believe so too.

The eventual all-women (team) winners

Some, due to muscle fatigue after 2-days of racing, resorted to walk backwards, as that isolate the quads muscles.

Team 12. Singapore. Teachers. Awesome.

Upon reaching the starting point, all of us were briefed by Aman. Race map were only given on race morning and that sort of add to the mystery to it. As this is the shortest day (4hours and 15km), everyone was in super jovial mood, despite the lack of rest and DOMS.

Suckers for pain.

The maps

Aman telling us to watch for these flags. These are route marker. I swore i heard...landmines. Haha

The race on the last day was very straight forward. The ultra runners just need to check into 3-checkpoints. They are situated along a 15km route with elevation enough to make you tired. We were looking forward to it. Where will the race organiser bring us today?

Bandit, Rosli, Wifey and Doc-that-i-forgot-her-name-even though-i-saw-her-in-two-races

The race started soon after and while everyone rushed downhill to where the race organisers want them to go, myself and wifey took it slow to take more photos. Sorry, i really can't get enough of the view (of the mountain)

Agree? This is further down the road

And more

Some sakura and this will be like...Japan?

And, yet, one more...

Wallpaper sight

From then on, i knew this will be a longer than usual 15km. With sights like what you see above, it is really hard to comprehend why anyone wants to run any faster...But, well, the race organisers say that if we missed any checkpoint, we will get 1.5hours penalty. Come in late after cut off(11am), we get penalty for every minute we come in late. Pressure sial!

Sun coming out! See my shadow1

The ultra runners has it easier to just get to CP7,8 and 9, then return back to Resort to finish. We can go to any of the 3 first and it is totally up to us how to manage it. Knowing how to read contour lines on a topography map will help you understand the route lying ahead. But first...more photos.

Zhariff. No arms. Not a disability. We are limited by our mind.

As we reached the junction close to CP9 (nearest CP to go), the Adventure racers whizzed past us at breakneck speed. Kind of made me want to do the Adventure category. But lugging a bike from KL to KK and back again would be too troublesome.

Woohoo!

You see, everywhere we went, the mountain looked down on us and made us look up. It was magnificent view at every turn. I know the sight won't last long as clouds and mist will sets in within 30mins. Kinabalu only "let you see her" for a couple of hours/day.

From near the Kinabalu Golf Club

You know this entry is gonna be filled with photos with the same background isn't it? And if you ever wondered why it took us that long (others took 2:30 average, we took 4+) to finish the 15km, you now know why. Myself, Wifey and Kam stayed back and stayed around to enjoy the view of the mountain and to take in the sight of the farm that we were waltzing through. There is no other way to enjoy this other than taking it slowly.

Even the bikers were taking it easy yo!

Enjoy more photos that I am sharing here. I believe we only covered like 5km in 1hour. Spent the next 1hour walking slowly and looking around.

Can you imagine a One Direction song being played here?

Kam was with us all the way. Him loving to take photos and doing really well the past two days has gotten him to relax a bit. More so with good company like me and wifey. :)

Macho.

We were small compared to the mountain

Dearest Marshall. :) Thanks RUDY and friend!

Lucky we had kam there

Beautiful!

Imposing

Running down with Kinabalu as background

Ini nak buat thumbs up or peace?

Running through the farm

Love this wild flower photo. No touch up!

We ran past a few family farms. The local were really friendly and it is with their permission that we can and allowed to run through. We have to take good care to only leave footprints.

Kam, he left more than just footprints.

Or @$$ print

It was slippery and his shoe did not grip the wet much, causing him to fall flat on his behind. Him being him, it was completely ok. We learn to take light of things that happen to us when racing, if it is not life-threatening.

Valley. Can you see the Biker?

Yes sir! You have to come up here!

The simple life

The cabbages

Happiness with her chocolate

Remember your first bike?

Washing up

The route was really scenic. There was nothing to complain about as the temperature was low though the sun was shining down strongly. We had our cap and sunblocks on. That was essential.

What goes down, will go up again.

Nutrition was maintained as it is important not to underestimate the effort though we were mostly walking at an easier pace during the 3rd day. The Hammer Bar was pretty good if you ask me. This one, 100% organic.

Oatmeal Apple

Makes you wonder that these men harvesting the cabbages too, they live a full life, they eat what they harvest. Sustainable!

Nak beli?

Remind us of princess at home

Might be 15km, but by no meant a walk in the part with these elevation. Guess where we going!

Sean and Irwin. :)

Above cloud, figuratively speaking

We finally managed to clear out of the farm and headed towards the road. I must had taken too long behind the road that wifey decided to take a small nap on the road. No, this was not posed. She was that tired. Car? Nope. It's Easter. No one around!

Whoops!

haha!

The last 3km was by mean not easy. We had to go up 200m elevation over that distance. Usually, it would not had been any issues unless you are dead tired, and wifey was.

It was a long climb and with every step we take, we know we are reaching the end.

1 more KM. Steady only i see you walk!

The last 1km was scary as it was 25deg gradient. :) Even a vehicle need to downshift to 1st Gear if they did not gather enough momentum.

Shall we sprint?

As we approach the finishing line. The last 100m was especially sweet. I had to get it captured on video. I was pushing wifey from behind, y body almost 45deg, that was how steep the ground was.

Thank you Nasier!

See the camera? This was how it looked like as we march to the finish line.

3Days. 85km. We finally finished it. We are still married. Yes, adventure race test relationship. You see the best and the worse in each other. Luckily, with both of us married for 7 years, it has been great partnership. And best of all, is having two brothers in Azly and Kam to be with us in this journey. It was awesome.

Rightly so. Thumbs up!

Nasier Lee, Abang Rabani's nephew, made everyone that finished the race jump (yes, in all the half-deadness) under the Finish banner. I believe many's tiredness disappear with the thought that a good photo will make this even really memorable.

Looked like a car advert ;-)

This is the easy 15KM stroll we took

Soon after that, we walked back to the room knowing we are finisher. Packed and headed to lunch. The award ceremony happened after that and we were surprised by a few nice gesture by the race organisers. One of the one, which I believe will be collector's item will be a second race bib made fresh with our name on it. What made it more special is that the Proboscis monkey on the cover was one of the endearing images captured by the late Abang Rabani Ayub.

Tired? No way!

Lucky Draw!

Love the logo...and the size!

Big enough?

The crews. :) Love you guys.

Will i return? YES!

Us. In another representation

It was truly a good trip and a superb race. I am very glad I get to do this with my wife. This is the official results from Race Director.

Click to enlarge. This is Team Adventure Racing

Click to Enlarge This is Women Ultra. Wifey complete the race in 24:26:52

Male Ultra - I finished the rce in 24:26;50. Kam 21:41:35 and Bandit 33:52:33

Click to enlarge.

Congrats to all winners and finishers. This was a 40+28+15=83km foot race over 3 days. Organisers has promised a distance of 75km, but we all did more than we came for - which has added to the value.
Me and my wife would like to thank the organiser, Claus, Aman, Doc Dev, Rudy, Pam, Aileen, Nasier and his group, all the marshals, medical and Sabah Amateur Radio for their on-the-dot planning. Also a big hand to Sutera Harbour group where the hospitality has been great.
I am looking forward to the new format 2014 15th Anniversary Sabah Adventure Challenge.
Bring it on.

SCKLM 2013 : Donate Your Running Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Donate your used running shoes this coming Sunday!

Standard Chartered KL Marathon brought together Ecoknights and New Balance for a good cause.
As a charity partner of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon, EcoKnights is working together with New Balance for a charity drive this coming Sunday, rewarding those who donated their shoes with New Balance discount vouchers.

A New Balance voucher for each pair donated!

Date: Sunday, 21 April 2013
Time: 12:00noon – 8:00pm
Venue: The Square, Publika, Jalan Dutamas 1, KL

See you there!

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/SCKLmarathon

About EcoKnights

EcoKnights is one of the charity partners of Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2013.

EcoKnights was formed in 2006 as part of a collective effort to provide environmental outreach programmes for communities and industry players.

EcoKnights mission is to support all national and international environmental programmes with the emphasis of promoting sustainable development amongst industry players and communities.

Doppelganger FX13 Folding Bike Review

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Folding bike. What do I know about them except that they have gotten a big following much like the fixies culture. Unlike the fixies, however, folding bike is here to stay. Highly popular in Japan where the whole idea is space saving and for commuting, it is no surprise that some of the more popular brand came from Japan (though made in Taiwan, mostly). My encounter with a folding bike came from a friend that has gotten the dealership to sell them. Here is my chance to try one, without committing to it and write about it.

The Doppelganger FX13

In it's full glory - The Doppelganger FX13

When I was presented what looked like a pseudo-roadbike, my reaction was blank. I meant. A folding roadie? Like seriously?

"FX13 bro", my friend told me.

"Foldie Roadie", he added.

I've seen folding bikes racing in triathlon before and I have nothing but admiration for the rider to able to push the bike at speed that looked fast. Call me shallow, but a bike that make me look fast gets my attention.

But a folding roadbike?

I can't recall what my reaction was until he showed me his Doppelganger FX13 fitted with SRAM Chorus parts. OK. Now we are talking. No wonder why his FX13 looked 10-times more interesting than the one he lend to me. For the uninitiated, SRAM is a brand otherwise most of you would relate to as "Shimano". It is like asking for "Coke" when you were at KFC, as you will get Pepsi. Or asking to "Xerox" when you wanted to photocopy. Before I start to blab more nonsensical items (you see, I am still perplexed, a folding roadbike), my friend showed me how to unfold the bike. He has to convince me.

Unlocking The Foldie

Add caption

I have never had any experience with any folding bike. I've seen videos of how certain make can fold and unfold in seconds. But how am I going to do this?

Latch-lock mechanism

Lets start with the latch as the photo above. The mechanism is really simple it seems. You pull the quick release latch down. Then you full it out from the recessed portion.

The QR is easy to release.

Pull it out of the catch

And then you lift the QR upwards and the bike will come loose, held only by a hinge.

The bolt drops into the bottom hole, like a latch

And the bike come loose into two parts, held only by the hinge.

The locking mechanism is very simple. It basically is a spring loaded QR that functions like a door latch. The short metal piece will sits in the hole above and prevent the bike from separating. I've tried pulling the bike apart with the QR opened - unless I am able to bend metal, there is no way the bike will fold even with the QR loose.

This is how the bolt looked like when not pulled up

Once you remove the bolt, you can then "fold" the bike into half. As the FX13 does not collapse the handlebar when folding (likely because it is a roadie drop bar), you guide it go position the seat between handlebar.

Some practice needed

OK, almost there

And folded.

Tadaa!

One thing you will notice is that the FX13 doesn't fold to be very compact. Likely due to the setup being a "roadbike-like" with curve dropbar. I later found out a way to make it stand by itself. All you need to do is to back pedal the pedal on the crank side and let it it against the tire. At that position, the other pedal (on opposite site), falls nicely at the 6.30 position. The footprint of the bike folded and the pedal position lends a legit position to keep the bike upright for storage.

Getting use to this

How it looked like on the crank side with the pedal against the tire

I practiced a few more times and soon enough, folding and unfolding become easier and I can perform that with one hand.
Riding It
I brought along my cycling helmet when I went to pick the bike up. Intention was to cycle back even if the bike can fit the small space in my car boot. It was a good choice, as the bike, even after folded, was not as compact as I thought. Perhaps it applies to other make and models too. I am not sure and I will be lying if i say this fits into my car's boot. I drive a Hyundai Matrix by the way and those familiar with this car will know the pain and limited space in the boot due to plastic housing on both the left and right of the tire well reducing actual usable space in the boot. OK. Now you see why i wanted a truck. All these problem will be solved - And I don't even need a folding bike. Haha. The cycle back was short and surprising. I was half expecting a ride that reminds me why I need a "proper" bike; and I was surprised. Bugger, this foldie rides like a full roadbike!

View from the top

The power transmission was good and there were very little flex which I was expecting due to it being a foldie. The balance was good despite it appearing to have higher than normal centre of gravity. Sitting position is a bit backward with me having to overreach if I were to place my hand over the brake's hood. That was the only thing I noticed uncomfortable with the standard setup.
I took the bike for a proper commuting from home to Tropicana City Mall to get some supplies for a friend looking for Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes.
My logic is such that if this bike is indeed purpose built, There should not be any issue to ride it as part of daily commuting.

Hot day and i forgot my shades

I took the opportunity to test out the gearing as much as I can. I went over to a quieter part of Damansara Utama and did a few loops there. It was Sunday and traffic was minimal.

The bike was well tuned. Comes in 7-spd standard, it was more than sufficient for both speed and climb. Now imagine what that 10-spd SRAM Chorus could do...

The total distance covered that day was less than 8km. But it gave me a rough idea how the handling would be like. Despite the small size and wannabe-roadbike-ness, I managed to push the bike to go past 25km/h on flat. It was not an effort and I believe if i did push it a bit more, maintaining a 30km/h average can be achieved.

Again, handling wise, no issues - but I do foresee shoulder ache due to the further reach. Can be solved by changing the stem to a shorter one. Standard was a 120mm. Can be changed to a 50mm for more comfy reach.

Parked at Tropicana, folded to make it appear more difficult to steal, and locked to the metal railing. I removed the seat and brought it along with me.

Specs

Priced at RM1550 standard, the bike is cheaper than the most basic "road bike" and outperform those "re-badged" roadbike. It is good for triathlete on the move and need to bring along a bike smaller than a full sized bike with him/her, for training purposes. Serves it's function for commuting and some spirited sprint.

Full Length : 1500mm

Folded : 900 (l) × 970(h) × 440(w) mm

Weight : 12.1kg/26.7lbs

Tire Size : 20inches/1.2inches wide

Material : Aluminium body - steel fork

Transmission : Shimano 7-speed indexed thumb shifter, right side

Cog : 11T-28T

Crank : 52T

Brakes : Caliper

Where to Find : Doppelganger Malaysia or in Facebook here

Pros

Handle like a road bike, or close to one

Stiff and minimal flexing when powering through

Standard and sufficient gearing

Upgradable - limited by your imagination

Price cheaper than most better known brand

Cons

Not compact when folded Can't fit into my car boot (which is actually my car's con :P)

Suitable only for someone between 160cm to 180cm.

Basic components

Hammer Nutrition : Feedback From Sabah Adventure Challenge 2013

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 02:00:00 +0000

This is a specific write up on nutrition that has sustained me during Sabah Adventure Challenge 2013. I have declared before the race that I will go on 100% Hammer Nutrition items and will provide a feedback, good or bad so that most of you relying on these fuel during races, can make a more informed choices. Let me start off by stating that I am a believer of real food. To put it even more specific - real clean food. My lifestyle for the past 2years has been shaped around these principles and I have managed successfully to remove fast-food, soft drinks and processed food items. I do binge once a while on say, peanut butter and Nutella (who can resist that) and my chocolate are all dark chocolate of at least 60% cocoa content. I take my coffee black and no sugar. I indulge in a drink or two once a while and that is about it. My calorific intake per day is regulated and I rarely eat more than I should - capping it at 2000kcal max if I workout (which is about everyday) or at 1800kcal (rarely) if i don't. I can estimate kcal in food by looking at the portion and how it is prepared and rarely I am far from the number. In short, I am "transformed". I know my body very well and I know what it can do and what are the limits.
Hammer Nutrition
My drawn plan for the 3-days race were straight forward and can be summarised as shown in the two table below.

Day 1

The first 3 hours on Day 1 were followed to the T. The energy delivery was good and there was no sign of fatigue or any gastrointestinal (GI) issues such as tummy ache or bloating. As the race was progressively slower due to the terrain, My energy expenditure was not as high as I initially expected. I started by reducing the Perpetuem Solid from two tabs to one tab (-35kcal) and with the weather not as hot as I thought it will be on Day 1, I reduced the dosing of Endurolytes from three to two. I maintained the HEED and Gel and the Bar at Hour 3.

My calorie intake from Hour 4 onwards is now 220kcal with 400mg of electrolytes. Keeping a close monitor on both energy, fatigue and satiety level to further adjust. Day 1 was completed in 13hours. My planned nutrition was for 10hours only. The amount I reduced were put back into the additional 3-hours and I believe that has saved me towards the ending hours of the race. Nevertheless, I have emergency in case I needed it. Day 1 ended with a serving of Recoverite and the dinner before retiring for Day 2.

Lesson Learnt From Day 1:

Adjust the caloric need according to the level of activities, weather and intensity.
Taking less allow easier adjustment (for additional calories) when needed.
Caffeinated Gel works better than non-caffeinated gel for long haul. It stimulate the mind.
Anti-fatigue tablets could had helped by reducing tiredness despite walking for a full 13hours. In fact, I know I can still run 5km on a flat after the race.

Day 2

Day 2 see a new challenge of the race with a major part of it under hot burning sun. Using the portion taken from Day 1, I made little adjustment and maintained to one Perpetuem Solids, one gel and one HEED an hour and taking one bar at Hour-3. Some of you might be wondering how it is like taking only these for breakfast and lunch. To be honest, I had no issues. I have conditioned my body to run on empty (aka utilising the fat reserves) and these are additional calories that will potentially help to boost me when needed.

I like the fact that Hammer Nutrition items are not sweet. Flavour were subtle and I actually would appreciate if they have "neutral" flavoring instead. As the day grew progressively hotter, I changed strategy and started to up the Endurolytes tabs from two to three. It started at Hour-2 actually as I do not want to risk running into a situation where cramps will happen and it will be too late by then. So, it was 3-tabs/hour Endurolytes and 2-tabs/2hours Anti-Fatigue. Caloric demand did not increased and stayed at 1Gel-1Heed-1Perpetuem Solid. No GI issues. No bloating. No hunger too. Recoverite wrapped up the day.

Lesson Learnt From Day 2:

When the heat is up, take one more Endurolytes to compensate for electrolytes lost due to heavy sweating.

Day 3

The shortest day but not to be taken for granted. 15km is easy compared to the bigger mileage the past two days. However, elevation gain over the shorter distance were more significant and being higher up in the mountain and exposed to the sun and wind could give you a false sense of adequate hydration. Everything stayed the same per Day 1 and Day 2. 1-Solids, 1-Gel, 1-Heed every hour and one bar at Hour 3. Endurolytes started with 2-tabs and there was no need for additional tab. Liquid, however, in the form of mixed HEED in bladder was sipped every 10-minutes like the other two days. The danger of racing in colder condition is that we do not think we needed the hydration. A big mistake that can cause you to DNF if not careful. Recoverite wrapped up the race!

Lesson Learnt From Day 3:

Keep fuelling and hydrating. It is not just for the race. It is for recovery too!

How about Wifey?

It was wifey's first ultra race. Nutrition was planned by myself and based on what we have at home. There were Gels from various brands and obviously the Endurolytes that I've stocked up before being sponsored by Hammer Nutrition. I have limited Endurolytes FIZZ (water soluble Endurolytes to mix with water) bought before the sponsorship and it will be adequate to last wifey 1.5days worth of race. As I have additional servings of HEED, it is one way to see how she will like it as well. She went almost exclusively on race fuel. Only differences is the homemade muesli that she made to bring along before the race. That was used as a replacement to the Hammer Bar equivalent. Gel were a mix from different brands such as Shotz, Hammer and Gu. Day 1 for wifey saw her taking 1-Gel, 1-Fizz, 2-Endurolytes and 1 muesli every two hours. This is to compensate the calories. 4-hours into the race she find it hard to chew and stomach the Muesli and I started giving her the Perpetuem Solids to chew.

She loves it.

Knowing how little simple things like these could do to the state of mind, I started sharing my Perpetuem Solids with her every hour.

Sharing is caring

By the 10th hour, she had enough of the gels. And the mistake we could had made was to mix the gel up (from various brands). She did commented that Hammer was the least sweet and neutral tasting - that it did not taste like "condensed milk with flavour". She cycled through the day's supply of Hammer earlier and left with the other two brands. Sensing a tummy shut down, I put her on Perpertuem Solids for the rest of the three hours.

Day 2 started off similarly and she brought along more Hammer Gels instead of the other two brands. She takes the other brand first while it was still palatable for her. Muesli bars were reduced to one at hour-3 and Perpetuem Solids now become her main fuel. Similar fuelling strategy happened on Day 3. On both Day 2 and 3, the tummy behaved better compared to Day 1 with little mixture of the gel. Now i can understand why some people has reactions to liquid food - and why I stopped believing in them anymore, until now.

Lesson Learnt For Wifey:

Do not mix the gel brand. Flavor mixing of the same brand is OK.
Solid food, in this case the Muesli, is good only if you have trained to take it during training.
Finding the sweet spot with Perpetuem Solids. This will be her main choice of fuel for races to come. Gel can wait.
Endurolytes worked wonder. No cramps.
Late dosing of Anti-Fatigue tabs (as late as last 2hours of each day) help with muscle performance.

Moving Forward

I have never thought that specific race nutrition will work. It was tough for me to switch over from real food, like the Gels and bars i make myself for races. Scrutinizing the ingredients of Hammer Nutrition against those I use to make my own fuel, there were many similarities. Going 100% Hammer for pre, during and post race has opened up my eyes to proper nutrition and hydration.

The experiment during Sabah Adventure Challenge was an eye opener for me. Not only did i race longer, there were minimal fatigue and recovery was super. Likewise with wifey that has see the benefit of proper fuelling (1/3 kcal burnt) and hydration(20oz liquid/hour). Indeed, the body performed and agrees better when all it do not need to worry about working to digest and process too much food.

For longer races and possibly multi-day races in the future, I will draw up a similar plan again. I've raced on empty often, and looked like things will change in the near future. I've marked a few A-list race for myself to experiment with fuelling - and wait up for the feedback.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions about this entry, do ask. I would love to hear from you.

The nutrition supplied for my Sabah Adventure Challenge is sponsored by Hammer Nutrition Malaysia under the collaboration with 2ndSkin. This blog entry serves as a write up/reporting on how the nutrition has work for me specifically during the race. Thank You Hammer Nutrition Malaysia!