My name is Muhaizar Mohamad. I’m a commando in the Malaysian Armed Forces and an amateur marathon runner.
I am the current and four-time consecutive winner of the Malaysian category in the premier distance running event in the country, the Standard Chartered KL Marathon, and after a 44-year wait for Malaysia, earned a bronze medal in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games last year.
My personal best time was recorded in my first overseas event earlier this year in the Tokyo Marathon, where I posted a time of 2’27:21s in close to freezing temperatures. My next goal is to break the national record of 2’25:28s.
(Muhaizar’s effort in Tokyo was not acknowledged by the Malaysian Athletics Federation because he did not undergo an anti-doping test.)
Join me as I give you a weekly round-up of my acclimatisation training in Cameron Highlands leading to my departure to the BMW Berlin Marathon for my record-breaking attempt.
I leave for Berlin on Sept 8 and the event takes place on Sept 16. Wish me luck!
Consistency is key
Entering the second week of my training phase at Cameron Highlands, my body is slowly adapting to the climate and weather.
Training for a marathon is all about consistency and routine, so doing this here has been out of the norm for me and very challenging.
That said, I am glad I am getting my rhythm back. All the sessions over the past week were completed even though the workouts are increasing in intensity, and I am excited to start a new training week.
Setting the pace
The whole week was filled with double sessions, running in the mornings and afternoons.
I managed to clock 125km in a week, with enough rest to recover. As part of my training, I ran a tune-up race on Saturday at the SSM Bizrun, a 10km route at Padang Merbok.
To race at Padang Merbok again after so many years felt nice. It’s a good reflection as I prepare for another major milestone in my career as a marathoner.
I managed to come second in the 10km category, and I tacked on a few kilometres after finishing to treat the whole session as a long run for the day.
Mission possible
I believe I am ready to tackle the national record. I gained a lot of confidence from my performance in the tune-up race and in assessing my overall fitness at the end of the day.
Being placed second at the hilly course of Padang Merbok with minimal effort tells me my fitness is at an optimum level.
I just need to do a few more speed sessions, and a few more easy runs to fine-tune my preparation for race day.
