70km in 7 days

To be exact, I ran 69.61km in last 7 days.

I was surprised when I compiled the mileage figure at end of the training today. I didn't expect to rack up this mileage number this week.

This morning, I did a long run of 30 km in Taman Bukit Jalil. I was alone today as BP opted to run near his housing area. He said he was not feeling well.

I started the run at about 5:45am. The big loop around the park was about 4km. When I started running, there were only a few people and about 3 runners in the park. There were street lights in the park, so it was not so dark. The weather this morning was quite ideal. It was cloudy and cool, perfect for running.

But running alone needs a lot of self-discipline, especially when running around the park. It is very easy to stop and go home. But in the end I managed to completed 7.5 laps to reach 30 km. This is the second time I managed to reach 30 km. The first time I did this, my legs and feet were basically so heavy that I have to slow to walking pace for the last 2 km.

I met some familiar faces during my training today. Uncle Yong, a veteran runner in his 60s. He practically runs everyday in the park, doing a few laps. He is a very talkative person and shared a lot of his experience of running (including marathon) with us before. He volunteered in the recent NB15K to be one of the road marshals. I did managed to notice and greet him in NB15K and he even cheered me on.

I also saw Mr. Tang when I was running my sixth lap. He was an experienced veteran runner as well. One of the members of the Taman Bukit Jalil running club, he ran in the recent NB15k and was placed 8th in senior veteran category with the time of 1:09:41. Very well done, Mr. Tang.

Anyway, back to my training. This time my 30 km run was not as painful as the first one. I managed to control the pace and my heart rate to stay below 80% for most of the time. I also rehydrate and refuel with Powergel in the middle of the run. I finished the 30 km run in 3:31:48, average pace about 7:04 per km.

It is getting closer to my first marathon. I need to step up my training for the next 2 weeks, before tapering 2 weeks before the race. Wish me luck.