Larian Hari Jantung Sedunia KPJ 2014: Jagalah Jantung Anda
My next 'official' run will only be about two weeks time. It is the BSN Night Run in Putrajaya. It'll be a special occasion for me since it'll be my first half marathon event for me. For the first time since I started joining these running circuits from 2012, finally I'll be pounding the road for the 21km distance.
This weekend I'll make an exception for an event that suddenly pop up out of nowhere. Especially since it is happening in Johor Bahru. Even though it is only a fun run event.
It is the Larian Hari Jantung Sedunia KPJ Johor Specialist 2014 that happening on Saturday 27th September 2014.
It is a fun run activity that will only spans about 5km max on the distance. Personally, I'll only treat it as my weekend running training but the highlight is that Rahman and myself managed to convince two of our colleagues at work to join this event. Let's see how this pans out in the end.
The event supposed to be started at 7.30am, but as usual there was some aerobic warm-up workout that dragged the starting time to 7.50am. The school girls and ladies started off first and then it was the boys and men.
KPJ Johor Specialist is situated in the upscale neighborhood of Johor Bahru. The roads are narrow and immediately I found something was wrong from the start of the run. The organizer didn't manage to fully understand the extend of managing a running event - there was no adequate road marshals.
Entering the main narrow road the runners had to run with cars still using the both sides of the road. I noticed a plumply school boy that running wobbly toward the center of the road. Either he was kidding with his friends or he seriously need some workout since we're don't even got to 500m from the starting line. Someone could get hurt. I just hope no one will ever be.
"Healthy Hearts Environment". That is the tagline for the event. But it is OK to get hit by a car while you're doing it? It is a high level of irony in the message that the organizer want to get through to the community.
Modern lifestyle promotes unhealthy heart condition. It is not a secret that in Malaysian tops it the ranking for heart problems in the South East Asian region.
One of the common misconception is that heart problem only attacks the elders. That is not the case in the modern world in Malaysia. More and more young people have been diagnosed with hearts problems. One of my senior in high school had been in a heart attack recently. He had been hospitalized and diagnosed with a 90% blockage in his heart. He is only 34.
Fortunately he survives the operation to tell the story in a 6-part series in his blog:
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 1
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 2
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 3
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 4
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 5
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Final Part!
He even wrote the part on how he change his diet:
Terung Mahawangsa: Resepi Orang Nak Mampus
The second misconception is that heart condition only happens to the obese. This is far from the truth. It can happens to all regardless of the body shape. You can be thin but if the cholesterol level is high, you are still susceptible to blockage and heart attack. One of my colleague at work have been in heart condition for years but you'll never guess it if you look at his body. He is one of thinnest person that I have ever met.
So what triggers the heart condition?
Unfortunately the main contributor for the heart condition is out of our control. It is in our genetics - the DNA. In 2010, National Geographic had wrote an article about a particular type of strain of DNA that present in every heart condition patient. Be cautious if any of your parents have a heart condition. Most probably you will too in your lifetime.
So how to avoid a heart problem?
There are no short cuts. Eat healthily, don't smoke, and exercise regularly.
Even myself that I considered have a healthy body had a mildly high cholesterol level back in 2009. Since then I have been drinking oat drinks at breakfast. Any significant changes of the cholesterol level can only be checked once every 3 months. So it was a slow process for me. Last time I checked, my 'bad cholesterol' - LDL level already decreased but my total cholesterol level is still above the recommended level.
I never smoke so I don't really understand why we should. Apart from teenage peer pressure, I don't see any reason why people smoke. Once they are started, there is no turning back. The nicotine will keep calling back for more. I just don't like the idea of dependency to perform in everyday lives. (And that also involves coffee, listening to music, etc).
The misconception about exercise that you have to do it rigorously for it to show any impact. Not exactly. You just have to choose an activity that you comfortable but it is bordering to challenging you. The most important thing is to do it regularly 3 times a week.
Can't run a 5km distance? Run 3km instead.
Running hurts your knee? Go for a swim.
An invisible menace that also threatens your heart is stress. It can be family issues, financial issues or even job related. Most of the time we didn't realize that the stress level is too high until we can't managed it. Stress that have not being managed can led to depression.
The median age for depression is 32.5 years. It can happen to anyone. Share your problem with someone that you comfortable with. In this fast moving modern technology world that we're living with, keeping ourselves sane becoming a more challenging feat.
So at last I had a great weekend run. The last hilly route going back to the finishing line was demanding. Even though it was only a 5km distance fun run, I felt like it was a 8km run due to the hills.
I was not the best between the four of us at the end. Not even the second fastest or even the third. I was the last. Because it is not my aim to be the fastest. It is actually to infect the 'running virus' to the other two new comers. They seem warm up to the idea to join the JB 10K Run which should be happening in November or December.
Let see how long the 'virus' will last.....
RUN RATINGS - LARIAN HARI JANTUNG SEDUNIA KPJ 2014
Organizer - 2/5
Let just say that the organizer didn't really understand how to marshal a road running event on the safety side. Fortunately there was no accidents happens. There was also no trash bin beside the drink stop for the runners to throw the cups. There was a trail of drinking cups along the road.
Kit & Goodies - 1/5
I can't really call it a running kit since this is only a fun run event with a fee only RM15. It is adequate with the T-shirts (which not actually suitable for running) and also the certificate.
Route - 3/5
The route that had been chosen is green and beautiful as expected. The last final stretch of hills were unexpectedly challenging but refreshing.
Overall Experience - 2/5
I'm not really think that this is a bad running event but I'm really concerned with the lack of road safety awareness from the organizer. This particular bad habit had been popped up more than once to inexperienced running event organizer.
This weekend I'll make an exception for an event that suddenly pop up out of nowhere. Especially since it is happening in Johor Bahru. Even though it is only a fun run event.
It is the Larian Hari Jantung Sedunia KPJ Johor Specialist 2014 that happening on Saturday 27th September 2014.
 |
| Another 2 newcomers at the left |
It is a fun run activity that will only spans about 5km max on the distance. Personally, I'll only treat it as my weekend running training but the highlight is that Rahman and myself managed to convince two of our colleagues at work to join this event. Let's see how this pans out in the end.
The event supposed to be started at 7.30am, but as usual there was some aerobic warm-up workout that dragged the starting time to 7.50am. The school girls and ladies started off first and then it was the boys and men.
KPJ Johor Specialist is situated in the upscale neighborhood of Johor Bahru. The roads are narrow and immediately I found something was wrong from the start of the run. The organizer didn't manage to fully understand the extend of managing a running event - there was no adequate road marshals.
 |
| Running with the cars? |
Entering the main narrow road the runners had to run with cars still using the both sides of the road. I noticed a plumply school boy that running wobbly toward the center of the road. Either he was kidding with his friends or he seriously need some workout since we're don't even got to 500m from the starting line. Someone could get hurt. I just hope no one will ever be.
"Healthy Hearts Environment". That is the tagline for the event. But it is OK to get hit by a car while you're doing it? It is a high level of irony in the message that the organizer want to get through to the community.
World Heart Day, which used to take place every year on the last
Sunday in September, is organized by the World Heart Federation, and has
been celebrated annually since 2000. As of 2011, World Heart Day is celebrated every 29 September and no
longer on the last Sunday of September. Together with its members, the
World Heart Federation spreads the news that at least 80% of premature
deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided if the main risk
factors, tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, are
controlled. National activities such as public talks and screenings,
walks and runs, concerts or sporting events are organized worldwide by
members and partners of the World Heart Federation. (wiki)
Modern lifestyle promotes unhealthy heart condition. It is not a secret that in Malaysian tops it the ranking for heart problems in the South East Asian region.
One of the common misconception is that heart problem only attacks the elders. That is not the case in the modern world in Malaysia. More and more young people have been diagnosed with hearts problems. One of my senior in high school had been in a heart attack recently. He had been hospitalized and diagnosed with a 90% blockage in his heart. He is only 34.
Fortunately he survives the operation to tell the story in a 6-part series in his blog:
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 1
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 2
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 3
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 4
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Part 5
Quit Playing Games With My Heart Final Part!
He even wrote the part on how he change his diet:
Terung Mahawangsa: Resepi Orang Nak Mampus
The second misconception is that heart condition only happens to the obese. This is far from the truth. It can happens to all regardless of the body shape. You can be thin but if the cholesterol level is high, you are still susceptible to blockage and heart attack. One of my colleague at work have been in heart condition for years but you'll never guess it if you look at his body. He is one of thinnest person that I have ever met.
 |
| A mineral water on a hot morning is better than no water at all.... |
So what triggers the heart condition?
Unfortunately the main contributor for the heart condition is out of our control. It is in our genetics - the DNA. In 2010, National Geographic had wrote an article about a particular type of strain of DNA that present in every heart condition patient. Be cautious if any of your parents have a heart condition. Most probably you will too in your lifetime.
 |
| The ladies got a shortcut. All the men please suffer more to the front junction. |
So how to avoid a heart problem?
There are no short cuts. Eat healthily, don't smoke, and exercise regularly.
Even myself that I considered have a healthy body had a mildly high cholesterol level back in 2009. Since then I have been drinking oat drinks at breakfast. Any significant changes of the cholesterol level can only be checked once every 3 months. So it was a slow process for me. Last time I checked, my 'bad cholesterol' - LDL level already decreased but my total cholesterol level is still above the recommended level.
 |
| Run Slowly |
 |
| Curvy hills ahead |
I never smoke so I don't really understand why we should. Apart from teenage peer pressure, I don't see any reason why people smoke. Once they are started, there is no turning back. The nicotine will keep calling back for more. I just don't like the idea of dependency to perform in everyday lives. (And that also involves coffee, listening to music, etc).
 |
| Hello bro, hang boleh ambik aku dengan kereta tak kat sini? |
 |
| Me walking, no hating.... |
The misconception about exercise that you have to do it rigorously for it to show any impact. Not exactly. You just have to choose an activity that you comfortable but it is bordering to challenging you. The most important thing is to do it regularly 3 times a week.
Can't run a 5km distance? Run 3km instead.
Running hurts your knee? Go for a swim.
 |
| Yay, the final stretch to the finish line! |
An invisible menace that also threatens your heart is stress. It can be family issues, financial issues or even job related. Most of the time we didn't realize that the stress level is too high until we can't managed it. Stress that have not being managed can led to depression.
The median age for depression is 32.5 years. It can happen to anyone. Share your problem with someone that you comfortable with. In this fast moving modern technology world that we're living with, keeping ourselves sane becoming a more challenging feat.
 |
| The gate of one of the house in the neighborhood |
 |
| Bukit Kesenangan - Where people is always 'hidup senang'.... |
So at last I had a great weekend run. The last hilly route going back to the finishing line was demanding. Even though it was only a 5km distance fun run, I felt like it was a 8km run due to the hills.
I was not the best between the four of us at the end. Not even the second fastest or even the third. I was the last. Because it is not my aim to be the fastest. It is actually to infect the 'running virus' to the other two new comers. They seem warm up to the idea to join the JB 10K Run which should be happening in November or December.
Let see how long the 'virus' will last.....
RUN RATINGS - LARIAN HARI JANTUNG SEDUNIA KPJ 2014
Organizer - 2/5
Let just say that the organizer didn't really understand how to marshal a road running event on the safety side. Fortunately there was no accidents happens. There was also no trash bin beside the drink stop for the runners to throw the cups. There was a trail of drinking cups along the road.
Kit & Goodies - 1/5
I can't really call it a running kit since this is only a fun run event with a fee only RM15. It is adequate with the T-shirts (which not actually suitable for running) and also the certificate.
Route - 3/5
The route that had been chosen is green and beautiful as expected. The last final stretch of hills were unexpectedly challenging but refreshing.
Overall Experience - 2/5
I'm not really think that this is a bad running event but I'm really concerned with the lack of road safety awareness from the organizer. This particular bad habit had been popped up more than once to inexperienced running event organizer.
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