SCKLM 2009 Prelude 4

I was running in Taman Bukit Jalil 5:30am this morning. This is my first run since last Saturday. I thought I was tapering a bit more that I should. So 6km of solid running in the morning drizzle made me feel charged up again.

The weather these few days was really crazy. Firstly is the haze, secondly is the heat, thirdly is the rain. All these factors can affect the runners. It is up to the runners to deal with it as it comes. So I will focus on what can I do to deal with these weather conditions.

Haze - I cannot avoid breathing in the polluted air while running. Running with a mask is not practical. So I think I will run normally until I feel breathing is difficult then I will slow down or even walk. Maybe I will take a small sip of water. Also important to breathe through the nose, not the mouth.

Heat - Must be mindful to keep myself hydrated. Just need to drink 2 small cups of water at every 5 km. To avoid getting no water at water stations at later part of the race, I will bring a bottle of Gatorade. Perhaps I will also apply some sun block as well. As my "ETA" at finish line is around 10:00am, it will quite hot by then if it is a sunny day. I have never tried running with sports hat or cap before, so I will not try on race day.

Rain - Although I have trained in the rain before, but the intensity of rain could be different. I guess the difficulty if it rains heavily, is that I will feel uncomfortable with the wet clothing and shoes. There is also an issue of slippery road. So to counter the rain effect, I guess I have to run at a slower pace, just like I would drive slowly in rain.

I guess the main point here is, don't get too worry about the factors that are out of our hands. Just need to deal with it as it comes and focus on what we can do.

I know I will enjoy the race no matter what. It will be an experience of its own running in a marathon.