Back To Taman Saujana Hijau For Pink 50

It's been quite awhile since we last been to Taman Saujana Hijau located in Presint 11, Putrajaya.

It's a great park with great view, but it is kinda hilly to do serious mileage around it. Well, for me at least!

I had been trying to re-visit this park a few times, before I make my decision to enter a running event which will be held there in Aug.

It's a special running event, called Pink50; billed as the first all-women ultra-marathon event in Malaysia.

I have a confession.

Instead of jumping immediately to join this event, I hesitated. For a long time. Even receiving a kind invitation from the Pink 50 organising committee, with a lot of whatsapping and private messaging, it took me ages to want to do this.

• One - I know it won't be easy. The cut-off is 9-hours instead of the one that I'm used to which are 12-hours and 16-hours.
• Two - Taman Saujana Hijau isn't exactly the flattest route around if one compare it to Watergate 16-hour or Back 2 Endurance. It's errrmmm... undulating. 
• Three - I'm not sure I needed another 50K LSD for the month of August, after having set my mind to do a 50K at King of Sungai Lembing the week after Pink50.
• I needed reassurance that this all-women ultra-marathon isn't going to turn into a circus with men somehow taking the limelight away from the female runners.

After much deliberating, I signed-up for Pink 50 last week even before I made the visit back to Taman Saujana Hijau. I opined that I need to come out of my comfort zone and be brave enough to face a tougher challenge this time. 

And because of that, I wanted to try do a few loops there before the event date on Aug 2, 2015. 

Instead of entering and parking via the alternative entrance located near the water tank, we parked at the official entrance this time and pass through the Security Guard's post.

At first, we just took a stroll around the park.

Plenty of wedding and graduation photoshoots to dodge if one walk/stroll around the park.

But after a loop, I took off for a run while Son and Daddy continued with their more leisurely stroll.

Great thing about running in this park. Very visible and accurately marked distance markers, at 25m intervals. Yup, it's marked at every 25m. 

After the 400m decline from the starting point, I faced an incline of 300m, then a decline of 150m before facing a longish incline of 500m before going down on a decline and a couple of hundred metres of flat stretch.

Nothing too scary for those who trains around hilly areas like the double or triple hill or those who whizzed easily to finish Route 68 but I'm foreseeing a "gonna suffer a bit" come even day. But never say never! Hahaha

There are plenty of these gazebos dotted along the route should one's supporter want to put a support station away from the official water station. It's a nice place for a picnic too. Very picturesque to boot. 

This is at KM1.9 mark and the start of another incline.

This incline.

The same incline, from the other side of the jogging path.

Don't let it scare you though.

This final incline to complete the loop is only 150m and then it's all flat until we get back to the starting point.

I'm just happy that we don't need to run up all the way to the peak (and up this route) during Pink 50!

The path is lined with pine trees and pretty flowers.

With the path wide and clear to run in.

And those who might think Pink 50, with a minimum of 17 loops to do before one can get the Finisher title will be boring, think of this :

There will be plenty to look at.

• The lovely elevated view.
• Lovely, well-maintained park.
• Families out to enjoy the outdoors.
• Photoshoots to avoid or gawk at whether it's a wedding or graduation photoshoot. I've seen high-fashion photoshoot done here, at 2.00pm! Under the hot sun!

I only did 2 loops and I purposely didn't look at my watch for my pacing during my run but instead compare the distance marker with my Polar's distance.

I was at first worried at how I was feeling as I thought I had done a slow easy pace as I concentrated more in running and tackling all the inclines instead of being lazy and walk up and it felt hard.

Turned out I was running way faster than I wanted to and that's why I was panting so much.

Hubby told me to continue with another loop but I refused. I probably could've done it, adjusting the pace to a much slower effort but instead I chose to do a cool-down walk.

And take selfie. Hahaha

I know. I know. Some of you laugh at this elevation map.

111m max altitude. Pfft. Right?
Maybe it's easy for some.

For me, it's gonna be a challenge. A 9-hours worth of challenge so I need to train for this because while I can finish a 50K in less than 9-hours before; at an out and back run, looping poses a different set of challenge. 

But again, BRING IT ON!

See you ladies there soon!