Conquer The Bridge

Thanks to my over-indulgence during Chinese New Year, I am so terribly out of shape right now.

He’s in shape. Round is a shape.

Yes I know its the Year of the Pig, I just didn’t expect I’d turn into one myself. The truth is, I’m at a porky 83kg now. That’s 5kg more than last year.
I am so fat that when I wear my boxers, my flabby tummy pushes the underwear waistband all the way out until it folds by itself.

That’s embarrassing.
I really gotta do something about my flabby tummy. Starting by cutting down on late night fatty food.
That’s tough, because in Kuching, whenever people ask me out or something, we eat. There really isn’t much to do in Kuching apart from eating. And when we eat, we eat fatty food.
No one’s gonna go out with me anymore if everyone else is drinking beer, eating fried chicken wings and I’m the only one munching on salad. I might as well kiss my social life goodbye.

But hey, I reckon I can get back in shape because I did it before and I’m determined to repeat my success.
Last year’s marathon helped a lot. And this year, I’m gonna do it again.
This time round, it’ll be at the Penang Bridge Marathon!

Actually I have already started training for this marathon since last year.
But then 1st January came.
And then Chinese New Year came.
And then the temptation of fat oily bak gua proved too difficult to resist.
And then before I knew it, I piled on 5kg and all that training effort went to waste. ARGH!

Anyway, I’m hoping that this time round I’ll be running together with some readers who are inspired to do a marathon for the first time.
I’m not an expert in running, but I’ve read enough to be able to give out some tips for first timers. Websites like runnersmalaysia.com.my, runnersworld.com and runningfit.net should be able to tell you more.
First, do up a training schedule and stick to it. That’s half the battle won.

My minimum is to do 5km three times on weekdays, and finish off with 10km of continuous running on Sundays. I’ll gradually increase that to 26km two weeks before race day.
I run at Stutong Forest Park every Sunday. It’s the only good running location I know in Kuching. On weekdays I do Reservoir Park, which is too small for my liking but good enough.

Running can get pretty costly. Still, its worthwhile to invest in the right stuff sooner rather than later.
A pair of good lightweight running shoes and chafe-free socks would set you back around RM400.

On top of that you’d wanna wear cool and dry apparels specially made for running.
The worst thing you could wear to a race is the 100% cotton Made-In-China official marathon T-shirt that you get free with registration. If you wear that, you’re gonna sweat so much you’ll finish the race wearing a sponge.

I personally like the ClimaLite stuff. I wear them to the gym all the time. They cost about RM80 each, but you can’t skimp on price for comfort, especially when the journey is 42km.
Apart from these essentials there are two more things most people think are optional, but I’d classify them as “life-savers”.
The first is a tube of analgesic cream. RM10.

Analgesic cream is NOT the kind of cream you apply on your anal. It’s medication to relieve muscular pain after a hard workout. Trust me, if you’ve never ran long distance before, you’re gonna be needing this ASAP.
The second is an MP3 player.

iPod nano RM939 + Marware sports armband RM120

If I didn’t have my iPod with me last year, I don’t know how I’m even gonna cross the finishing line. Once you get the music pumping in your ears, you’d forget about all the pain you’re suffering… until you take the earphones off.
Azman, who recently completed the KL Half Marathon, said that if his MP3 player had boobs and vagina, he’d marry his MP3 player.

Who’s coming with me for the Penang Marathon? Let me know.
Then after the race, we continue marathon all the way to Ipoh to eat chicken rice.


So I was swimming in Satang Island this past Sunday, and I paid the price for stupidly leaving my wet swimming trunks on the whole day because I was too lazy to change into dry clothes.
Today, I developed rashes. On my arse, of all places.

145 Replies to “Conquer The Bridge”

  1. Yay….9th……………
    Kenny’s gonna marathon this year?? hahaha really?? well you had better get in shape quick as time is running out…..actually the most important part is to build up more stamina to withstand the long distance…………good luck Kenny………
    Btw, the attire and stuff that you suggested?? oh man you would make the poor fellow broke b4 he could even start running…..well…..maybe that would keep him at tip top condition as he will be running away from teh loan sharks hahahahaha =p

  2. Marathon is such a daunting task and I dont think you will lose alot weight because your weight will balloon back after the event when you stop practicing. Maybe you should consider going to Marie France bodyline instead, Kenny. It will be a good long term investment. HAHAHA. Make sure you dont wear those tight shirt during the marathon. It wont be a very pretty sight to see you know.

  3. hmmmm… sounds interesting.. should I or should I not? I am so out of shape I am pretty sure I’ll finish last. Prolly a few hours after everyone finishes.. LOL….

  4. Oooh, marathon to Ipoh yea? OK, you run la, I’ll be waiting here, hahahaha! Good luck with the training!

  5. I recommend two must have songs in your ipod for the marathon, Eyes of the tiger and Gonna fly now, both from Rocky movie.

  6. I’ll be joining! See you there! Can i have your sweaty shirt after the race? I wanna sell it at lelong.com.my

  7. I will prolly start jogging after I quit smoking. Well, I know I will start jogging after I quit smoking. 😛
    Maybe next time la I join you k Kenny. Plus so far ah to run in Penang?

  8. sadly Nike didn’t sponsor you otherwise you could benefit from their new range of Nike+ (Plus) products so that your shoes and iPod can “talk” to each other…..literally…!

  9. Kenny, will you still run with me if I only do the Fun Run?
    I disagree that you need top-of-the-range equipment though, an rm200 jogging shoe that fits snugly should be sufficient if you’re on a tight budget. Don’t have to go for the biggest names – Asics and NB have really comfy shoes too. Personally I would never jog in tights but hey whatever rocks your boat =)
    I agree that an mp3 player is indispensable – altho it does not have to be an iPod; most players run for at least 2 consecutive hours (except my bloody iPod mini). In the place of an analgesic balm, I carry an Ethylchloride cold spray with me everytime I hike/jog. You can apply it on the go without stopping, and it numbs the pain right away. Available at most Malaysian pharmacies for abt rm25, although it requires a prescription in US/Canada/UK.

  10. congrats on your decision and thanks for referencing the runnersmalaysia site. anytime you wanna join us, just come by our saturday sessions! good luck in your training.

  11. erm… has anyone notice the price money difference for Category A and B? talk about sexist!!!! a huge 2000 difference for the same leg. sigh..

  12. hey i’ll be going to the pg bridge marathon too!! i’ll b doin the fun run only tho.. hope to see u there =) have been reading ur blog for the past 2/3 years and i like it a lot even tho i never leave comment before.

  13. ur ipod can play continuosly for 6 hours and more? my friend took part in a marathon without a mp3…and he said when he was running he has thought of everything that he can think of, meaning when it was almost at the finishing line he has nothing more to think of!! that’s super crazy rite…imagine ur mind is blank and there’s nothing to THINK!! NOTHING!!
    all the best in penang marathon…how i wish i could be there…

  14. You reminded me of the 1992 Penang Bridge Run which I taken part… as volunteer, distrubiting drinks to the participants. Good luck to you, I hope you can complete the run on time!

  15. Hey Kenny, I know what you meant about the fatty food in Kuching. On one trip back to Kuching I gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks. The food is soooo tasty…mmmmmmhh :)… Anyways, good luck on the marathon. Just think of a big plate of Penang Cha Kueh Tiaw waiting for you at the finish line….mmmmmhh.

  16. well I don’t know about the marathon thing, but the things ur recommended sure gonna get someone broke before he started running lol…
    and ur before and after pic abit da fake lor XD even though i’m not much better, i’m just 60kg with 31″ waist. tummy sucks.
    good luck on ur marathon! dun suck on penang cendol or asam laksa or char kuey teow after the finish line… or your efforts to burn that few thousand calories will all be wasted hehe

  17. Heheh it’s called ‘muffin’ top Kenny, and it usually happens when girls buy jeans too tight and the excess stuff spills over the top! Bit of modern Australian slang for yah 8-p

  18. Good luck kenny..All the best..
    Are u sure u not going to faint when u run from penang to ipoh…If u can make it :P, u can enter iron man contest already….

  19. Don’t bother with the people who are discouraging… You can do it, Kenny! 🙂 Though it may be hard, it will be worth it.

  20. hey kenny
    jia you, thot u wanted to make a comeback at KL. but did see you there…
    Hope u get a good timing at Penang 🙂

  21. Your not fat. Just a little heavier. And I’m sure you can achieve the shape you had AT Dec 06′. Way to go, kenny!

  22. hey Kenny, I’ll be running the full marathon for first time. Call me if you need a place to crash. Save the hotel money. Then we can drive to Ipoh after the run. Don’t FFK me, dammit.

  23. Hey, glad to hear that you are doing marathon again after KLIM 2006. I’ll be running half marathon in Penang Bridge Run this year. All the best and most importantly, injury free!

  24. Kenny, good luck with the keep fit plan and also the marathon. Btw, I like your full set of jogging attire, along with that ipod(damn, I couldn’t afford one!). Just one advice, if wearing boxer for jogging isn’t really a good idea to me! (I assume you’re a full time boxer guy LOL!)

  25. ill be joining again this year for the half marathon. the route is very nice to run. very windy compare to KL or Singapore marathon. but the Penang bridge half marathon is always so crowded.

  26. I have just completed full KL marathon. The first one and if you really want to feel pain. I suggest that all of you, go run a full marathon. You’ll love it.
    Oh ya, kenny, don’t worry on the flab. It’ll dissappear once you start running.

  27. kenny seems like a person who is just trying to fit in and be happy. so stay away people who are trying to put him down.shoo!

  28. Good luck!! i hope to run the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon this year. yikes! btw, mebbe its a stupid question but can i ask why do people care what number their comments are?!

  29. Kenny,
    Thanks for giving a mention of my blog on yours. So am I expecting an advertorial bill in my mail? Heh.
    Good luck on your upcoming 2nd marathon finish. And above all, remember enjoy the run and the training. Don’t overtrain yourself. It’s better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained.
    I was indecisive whether to join Penang Bridge Run. Your participation may’ve just tipped me over to one side. Hope to meet you there.

  30. About that short talk, the rash in the arse, the scariest of all things is, it’ll come back much more easier the next time, so easy that even after a crosscountry race with sweaty wet pants.

  31. Running with the MP3 player helps ALOT!!! without it, even 1 minute feels like an hour. Its especially best when you have a selection of motivating music to listen to through out the whole running session. btw kenny, no water bottle? oh, and you should check out the new nike tune and run with iPod Nano. You might find it interesting since you’re into tech gizmos.

  32. HI Kenny
    I just found out that a few of my running forum kaki are your fan, we hope you would join the Singapore Marathon this year. We would be more than happy to show you all the running route in Singapore, too bad we dunno any brothels and i guess you know all the best makan places in Singapore…

  33. I took part in 12 years ago, that’s really killing but I manage to finish it in time. Now I better sleep at home and listen to my rock songs… LOL
    Good luck Kenny!

  34. Awww.. too bad I can’t join. Have a bigger event to attend – My own wedding!
    Nevertheless, I know you’ll push yourself to finish the marathon. All the best!

  35. 3-seconder, all the best in your wedding…kenny, all the best in ur running too!! it’s gona be great….btw, i didnt know there are so many funning freak out there until i saw those comments in ur blog…good job yea…

  36. Hey Kenny… its a waste you’re sponsored by Adidas… cos the new Nike Plus would do wonders for your journey towards the Penang run! Good luck and i know you can do it! 🙂

  37. Yes, such a waste to be sponsored by Adidas!! Nike has the coolest products and the new Nike Plus will definitely help you lose your flab faster than your ClimaLite!! Throw out your Adidas and get a Nike man!

  38. make sure you’re behind the nice shapely butts in the race, improves your concentration while taking away the running pains…just keep up.

  39. Hey kenny, i know how it feels like trying to continue running when your feet hurts like hell and dont hv enuff energy to complete the race. You should really try out Nike+, especially the Powersong feature. When you feel like giving up, just press a button on your nano and your powersong will give you the ‘extra’ boost!

  40. hey kenny. you should read ‘french women dont get fat’ by mireille guiliano. (yes, i am aware it says women) its all about a new culture of eating. it helped me a lot with my weight. care to give it a try?

  41. you’re going down dude, kenji’s in the race. lol.
    u’ll see some freaky kenyans running as fast as a cheetah there. their really scary. they can maintaine their wicked spped throughout the whole race. even the officials who were on the bike was at the same speed with them. damn.

  42. I’ll pass your picture around and ask the ambulance driver to honk when they see you.. to give you support, as well as to tell you that if you need, we can help you jump into the sea for a cold shower.
    Hope to see you amidst a whole sea of runners.

  43. Hey man,ure concentrating a whole lot much on the goods involved in running. thats what i always saw wrong in ppl who wanted to finish their runs. always equipping themselves physically with fancy apparels and gadgets but then always loosing focus.i was one of them, i hope u dont fall in that category too.all the best in penang.hope to see you there.

  44. Boss…if u need a training partner just give my email a tinker. I am looking forwad to some Marathon here in Kuching like the previous Saberkas Marathon recently, so I probably would train for that rather than Penang as I can ill afford the trip. Stutong Park seems ideal for training – but we’ll see 🙂

  45. Deejay, I was looking forward to the Saberkas Marathon too. But they’re supposed to have it by March this year and they haven’t yet announced anything until now.

  46. Wow! Penang bridge marathon!
    Will go for it man.
    Wonder if can cheat n wear those shoes with wheels.
    i reckon it’f reak the shit out of everyone if everyons like running jogging and SUDDENLY from the side on guy is like gliding and is smoothly overtaking everyone..
    i would bring to life the legends of the penang bridge ghost.
    must remember to wear white n put on white face mask.

  47. It’s kinda tempting – I am based in Penang and did the half marathon last year (without training in bad trainers) – but it’s bl00dy 42km and I don’t have an MP3 player/Ipod. Tempting… I don’t know though…still long way…
    You know, if there’s no traffic, it takes 3 minutes to drive across (one way)!

  48. hahaa.. din visit quite long dy..
    n the “Yay! I am number XXX!!!” is so funny..
    now only i realize it..
    muz b sick of ppl competing to get the no.1 post rite??
    hahaaa..
    funny..

  49. What for you put Yay! i am number XXX..it is kinda weird la….
    Well, you have to be really rich to own that kind of clothes. Yeah, i would spent that kind of money too if i will run for 42km. That is a long long journey. I am from Miri…i think i could run to Batu Niah. That’s a 1 hour car ride. Well, tiring one.
    Hope your flabby tummy vanish soon!!!
    And remember to cross the finish line for the marathon!!!

  50. Adidas ClimaLite apparels is one of the top technology in the Adidas Performance range..
    And they certainly dont come cheap like what u claimed, RM 80!? wtf..
    unless youre some el cheapo who gets them at pasar malams, even then they wouldnt cost so much sucker!
    get your facts straight before you open that pork trap of yours man..

  51. I managed to finish the penang marathon last year. is an experience but not second time for me.. 🙂
    Good luck kenny

  52. Hello there…i sort of understand what you are going through..i have been struggling through weight issues…from 65kg,i swell to 85 early this year and down to current 77kg through jogging and diet…. keep up the good work..and oh yeah, saw you at secret receipe…nice place

  53. hi kenny,
    I do admire your sporting spirit,keep it up,don’t let someone with negative comments put you down,see you at the starting line and more importantly the finishing line.

  54. Hey Kenny,
    One of your regular readers from Perth dropping a line. Sadly won’t be able to join you for the run as i’ll need more than 3 weeks to train. Will be back in Penang for a short holiday (after a working visit in KL) during that time though! Drop me a line if you want to eat ice cream to regain the weight that you lost during the run and training. Haha.

  55. Kenny I just wanna share something with u…..
    actually u don’t have to train for the marathon to loose weight….
    U can try working out at the gym.. it’s better and a lot faster….
    anyway if running is ur passion(as for me) then go for it… I know u can do it…. Ignore all the nonsensical comments….
    And by the way instead of going to ipoh for a makan, u can come to ipoh(near my hometown) a week later(the next Sunday) to join the Ipoh International Run…
    Actually we don’t really need expensive gadgets… well, I am a very new runner and I only have a Rm50 jogging which really worked well… And new runners should avoid using too much of running aid like the analgesic or the power gel…. train hard first and get yourself used to running naturally first… and later when u plan to increase your level, then maybe u can make use of them….
    And by the way Kenny…. I will be joining U in the Penang Half Marathon category….. well mark me… Im “Kana”… After the run if we happen to meet, then remember me ok???
    Good Luck…

  56. where can get the sports armband?????
    when u come to penang, suggest u go to (snake temple there) got a shop lot sell roti bakar n stim egg kua (i dont know wat does it call)are quite delicious.
    not too far from penang bridge nia….

  57. Kuching lang, me oso kuching nang.
    but settled in penang now.. i saw ur marathon training list.. u stopped in april.. r u coming for this coming penang bridge marathon??

  58. hi Kenny, do u have any idea how many meter we been running if we complete one full circle of reservoir park( around the artificial lake)? Thanks for answering, just out of curiosity. besides, I will join for the Pen Marathon too. I will pump put all my ipod shuffle with upbeat song like Maroon 5, Timbaland, scissor sister, mika….so good luck to u too.

  59. hi Kenny, all the best! hope u do a better job this time, don’t end up be the last one like u did in KL Marathon 2006 😛 i’ll be running half-marathon this time. if i happen to see u, i’ll definitely cheer for u 🙂
    btw, how r u getting to the starting point at 2am in the morning har?

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