Getting Prepared for your Race

I am writing this because of my major pitfall at the Cyberjaya Marathon on the 24th January 2016.  In general, I will say it was really more of a local race ( a lot of Malaysian runners) and I could see a strong participation from the local running clubs.  I must say Malaysia do have quite a fair bit of serious and strong runners, and it was good to see them all coming together.  In any case, one thing I like about Malaysian races is that FOOD is always readily available and they are “unhealthy” ( think of roti channai, Goreng Bee Hoon) super tasty and in abundance! BEST is that they are all FREE!! So it really motivates you to run.

The down side is that most of the the time, esp for road races, there are a lot of roundabouts on the roads and you will not be sure when to turn or go straight especially if you are going for the longer distances.  The routes for the short and long distances are usually the same only for the longer distances, it tend to go into some inlets to clock the mileage.

SO WHAT HAPPENED IN CYBERJAYA

Lesson learnt the hard way, always check the distance clocked and always familiarise your race route the day before.  If possible, do try to go one round and if not, some of the races now do provide a virtual overlook of the race route on video.  This makes it easier without having to go through the whole thing yourself.

The Cyberjaya Marathon takes place in the Twin City of Cyberjaya and Putrajaya near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.  As it is a relatively new town, many of the roads are newly build and it is actually quite conducive to run in this race.  However, having a lot of small inlet just to cover the distance can cause you to miss a turn and like me not clocking the right distance.  I was at 36km when I realise that my GPS clocked only 33km.  As I thought, many of the races also do not clock the full 42.195km distance, I did not really think much and since I might be getting my PB, I decided to just keep running.  At the same time, I did check with the marshaller whether I was running the correct route, they told me that I am on the right track 🙁  I also did not see any other road signs so I assumed that I was on the right track .

Little did I realise that upon returning to the Finishing line, I was told that I was disqualified as I missed one inlet of 3 km of the race.  It is really quite disheartening especially when you have put in so much training and hard work for the race, just go down the drain.  It can be disheartening but it was a good lesson learnt. So how can we prevent such “mishaps” from happening?  I came up with a couple of guidelines to remind myself what to look out for in the future.

1. Look for the route map in the race website:  Some of the routes are downloadable on the Google maps.  You can pre load it into the handphone and make sure you review it time and time again.
2. Check out the route video or Google Earth: Ensure that you remember some of the notable landmarks around the area like a special tree or building.  It might not be 100% correct but at least you will know when you are supposed to turn or go straight.
3. Take a marker in front: This might not work if you are going for your PB and if you are really fast and all alone.  Usually for the lesser subscribed races and also trails, this can be difficult.  But for road races, this can be an effective way to keep tab.
4. Make timely checks on your GPS watch:  Although time is of an important factor, it is better to forfeit a few seconds of your time than getting a DQ.  Do Ensure that your check your watch timely to ensure that you are not straying too far in distance.
5. Pre race recce:  If you are able to go for a quick recce before the actual race, that will be good at least you get to see the real exact route.  But if this is not available, try to look for the organisers video clips like the following to get a better idea:Sample of Link Video

Important thing is to get enough sleep and hydration, do not over push yourself off the limits.  Do get to the race venue early to get prepared and mentally ready.  I guess the rest will be to keep alert and careful.