Firstly, thank you to all of those who read our first blog post, and a special thanks to those who made comments on Facebook. We truly appreciate your support so far!

So, after the big packing day yesterday we are sitting here waiting for Tuesday to come around. Time is passing as slowly as it did waiting for Christmas to come around when we were kids. Thought we might give you an update on how we have spent the weekend so far.

Abbie got her camera out and started snapping away on all things that could possibly be packed to come along for the 10 day Lanka Challenge adventure.

Here is why it was so hard to pick the shoes. FYI - we managed to negotiate it down to four pairs each in the end, but it was hard.

When I told Abbie over 1,000 people had seen our blog post (and it has increased massively since) on AirAsia’s blog she could not believe it. She was all smiles when she logged on to check for herself.

Once finished we headed down to the newly opened restaurant Glass, at Marina Mirage, for a few glasses of sparkling wine in the sun. This is such a great spot, overlooking the beautiful yachts in the marina. The weekend farmers markets at Marina Mirage are not to be missed. We are lucky to have this available to us just on our doorstep. Get on the next plane to the Gold Coast and check it out for yourself.

The evening was spent googling ‘basic rickshaw mechanics’, organising our MP3s with the best upbeat rickshaw music around – we will let you know if our choice proved successful. Rumour has it you cannot hear much over the rickshaw engine.

Tuesday morning we set off and even if it is an early start we are really excited to experience the fully refurbished Gold Coast Airport first hand. We have heard some great things and cannot wait to check in and sit down in the terminal with a good cup of coffee. What better way to take in the exciting ambience airports exude prior to boarding our 1st AirAsia X flight headed for KL en route to Sri Lanka.

The real countdown has begun – 36 hours until take off! You will hear from us again once we touch down in KL, and we will give you an insight into the Premium Seats cabin – These Gypsy Queens travel in style thanks to AirAsia.

Over and out for now

AirAsia Gypsy Queens

PS - Happy Merdeka Holiday to all our friends in Malaysia

Can you spot me in this crazy bunch of lunatics The 3 AMIGOS Azran, Kabi and me
Something I can proudly show off my grandchildren when I'm old
Boy oh boy, what a fantastic day. 5th July 2009 will be etched in my life as momentous day as I’ve achieved a personal goal which is to run a full marathon. I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time and when AirAsiaX decided to sponsor the Gold Coast Run and bring a team there, without slightest hesitation I signed up for the full marathon.
The day was blessed with fine weather - cool temperature, and brilliant sunshine. In hindsight, I thought, marathon is sort of journey, a reflection of one’s life - you swing high and you swing low. It’s also a self discovery of sort - overcoming the pain, cramps, lethargy and still carrying on despite the odds. That’s what makes marathon a great event.
All my life I’ve loved sports and I have been playing football up till now, but marathon is something else. In football you have 11 teammates you rely on and should you stumble other players in the team will assist you throughout the match. In a marathon it is about your mental grit, perseverance and I guess survival. The biggest opponent is yourself!

To take part in 42km run, one should train hard for it. A lot of preparation such as driving your car that far (LCCT – Putrajaya?) and get a feel how much pain you have to endure. Jokes aside, you got to have several serious run (10K, half marathon) under your belt before stepping up to the big event.

Whilst running, in my IPOD I had Bruce Springsteen song ringing in my ear and one of his music that rhymes with occasion is “born to run”. Songs kept me going and some of them are U2s “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” (in search of that finish line). Coldplay’s lyric “fix you” – is such a motivating song that will keep you plugging away.

“But if you never try you’ll never know, just what you’re worth, lights will guide you home and ignite your bones and I will try to fix you”

As a first timer, it’s quite intimidating to be in a crowd of over 4000 runners from all over the world. After 35KM, it got a bit embarrassing; there was this pint size lady who must be over 60 years old ran pass by me with ease, and made me look like old jalopy. (Maybe I am..hehehehehe), I started hallucinating and the race did not make sense to me, I had multiple cramps all over my leg and I was wondering to myself “what the heck am I doing out here”. Fortunately I got back my wits back and with the spectators cheering you on, I managed to push myself the last few kilometers and cross the line.

I’m now primed to go the next level now, new challenges. A couple more of the marathons maybe who knows triathlon is beckoning. Nothing ventured nothing gained!

1. The biggest challenge is believing in your own self that you can DO IT

Many congratulated me after recently completing the full 42.2 km marathon in Gold Coast and regard it as a major feat. My friends would say that they can barely run 5km. I was like that too a year ago. I would feel burnt out after the occasional 3km run on the treadmill in the gym. But I plunged into this marathon, committing myself to the race and dreading it as the date approached. One month before the run, I completed a 21km run which left my legs in a complete jello state. The thought of having to run twice that distance was horrifying.

The race day itself was very eye-opening. I saw MANY senior citizens, from Aussie grandmothers to Japanese grandfathers, overtaking me to complete the full marathon. I saw overweight runners who still completed the race, while several seemingly lean and muscular runners quit the run midway. Running a full marathon is not limited to those of a certain age or physical size and strength. Anyone can do it with adequate preparation and training. A 74 year old man and a 60 year old woman completed the race in 3.5 hours!

Similarly in business, many believe they do not have sufficient experience or education to run their own business or to take on a senior leadership position. Yet, there are countless examples of college drop-outs who became successful entrepreneurs and CEOs. The biggest hurdle to overcome is building up the willpower and self-confidence to “just do it”. As they say: ‘If you think you can, then you can. If you think you can’t, then you definitely cannot’.

2. Begin with a clear end in sight

Another common factor is the importance of setting clear goals and targets. With a marathon – commit yourself by registering for a race and booking your flight tickets and hotels to the venue. This makes it more difficult to back out. Then, plan and commit to some intermediate targets. For example, start by signing up for a 10km race, followed by a 21km half-marathon. There are many ‘marathon training’ guides available on the web. Once you’ve plotted your milestones and have a definite target in mind, it becomes easier to sustain your momentum and interest. Achieving intermediate milestones also help to boost your self-confidence.

In business, there are many ups-and-downs, challenges and distractions that can side-track you from achieving your goals. A clear vision is imperative to ensure that you ‘stay the course’ and dedicate your time and resources on the initiatives that will best help you take your business towards your destination. When we launched AirAsia X, we set very specific goals and celebrated each milestone that marked progress towards the big goals. We set ourselves to achieve US$1 billion in revenue within 5 years because economies of scale is very important in the airline business. We celebrated intermediate milestones when we hit our first $1 million of revenue, our first $10 million, and our first $100 million.

3. Teamwork works!

Trying to prepare for, and run a marathon by yourself would be an incredibly lonely and pointless exercise. Its the same running a business. Doing it as a team adds incredible richness to the experience, makes it more fun, and you feed off one another. There were about 20 of us in the AirAsia Running Club that went down to the Gold Coast. We trained together and motivated each other. Even during the race, Qabie, Kate and Juswil helped to push me along, especially in the final, painful 10km stretch when your body wants to rebel!

I’ve had the opportunity to work in businesses across many different industries. The single biggest determinant of success and job satisfaction was always from having a solid, reliable team to work with – to share a common vision, solve problems together, and create and develop new ideas together. Its very lonely at the top otherwise and its easy to develop narrow perspective when you’re the only decision-maker and you don’t benefit from rich, diverse inputs from good teammates who are reliable, trustworthy and share the same passion. We would not have made it this far at AirAsia X had I not had incredible support from an amazing group in my management team. Very diverse in industry experience, age and backgrounds, but united in our common vision and commitment to each other.

4. Its a marathon, not a sprint!

A race strategy or plan is vital for a successful marathon run – unless you’re physically gifted that you can just run fast for the full 42km! For most normal folks, it is a real test of endurance, and mistakes can easily lead to failure to complete the race. The first part of the plan is to be aware of what one’s physical capability. Can you comfortably run long distances at a 6 min/km pace, a 7 min/km pace or an 8 min/km pace? How do you prepare yourself at the start of the race (how much to eat and drink, how much to stretch and warm up)?

Many people fail to complete a marathon, or fail to achieve their target times because they’re not prepared. A common mistake is to run fast at the start, especially because one gets caught up in the excitement of the race and wants to ‘keep up’ with the race leaders.

During the race, two important elements are “pace” and “mental tenacity”. Its very important to be aware of your running pace and think about whether you’re running too fast or too slow. A good timing watch and kilometre markings are key. Mental tenacity makes or breaks your run. After 30km, most runners start to “hit a wall”. That’s when the body wants to rebel after a lot of lactic acid build-up. It comes down to ‘mind over matter’.

These are critical in running in business too. The biggest problems in business arise when a company is operating at a sub-optimal pace – either too fast (without sufficient resources deployed) or too slow (allowing competitors to move ahead). One of the biggest roles for a CEO is to determine the right strategic pace, mobilize resources accordingly, and then drive the organisational tenacity to overcome the inevitable difficult periods of implementation.

Remember Rule #1: Believe that you can, and ‘just do it’!

Sign up for some of these marathon races throughout the year:

Virgin London Marathon – April
Kuala Lumpur Marathon – June
Phuket Marathon – June
Gold Coast Airport Marathon – July
Borneo International Marathon – October
Melbourne Marathon – October
Hangzhou Marathon – November
Taipei Marathon – December
Singapore Marathon - December

With Rob "Dec" Decastella, Australian Marathon Champion and Ben Southall, Best Job In The World.

We Made it!

For many of the staff it was their first time in Australia, and for me it was my first time on the Gold Coast. Even though it was winter we were welcomed by bright blue skies, fresh air and sunshine – my favorite type of weather!
Our time in Gold Coast was short, but long enough to pack in a lot...

Day 1 – Saturday 4th July

After arriving early in the morning we made our way to the Radisson Resort Gold Coast which was nicely situated away from surfers in the middle of a golf course. Some people went for a surf lesson with ‘Surf Australia’. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it as I had to go and collect the race kits for our team of runners (believe me I was so jealous!). From all accounts they had a great time though.

Group shot outside Radisson Resort Gold Coast

In the evening it was free and easy so some of us headed to Surfers Paradise to stroll around and have some dinner. Surfers is such a buzzing place – people on the beach, surfing, chilling out…if this is winter then I would love to see what it’s like in the summer time!

Just before sunset at Surfers Paradise

Of course it was then early to bed before our big run in the morning!

Day 2 – Sunday 5th July – Gold Coast Airport Marathon

We had 23 people running in the AirAsia running team; including staff from Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok and Jakarta. 6 people competed in the 10km category, 12 in the half marathon and 5 in the full marathon, including Azran Osman-Rani, CEO AirAsia X.

I was supposed to be doing the half marathon but somehow, and for some crazy reason I changed my mind or should I say, had my arm twisted on the Saturday afternoon to switch to do the full marathon instead…it was an interesting decision and probably one of the most stupid things I’ve done! But I figured what ever happens, as long as I complete the race I’ll be happy. I have always said I want to do at least one marathon in my life…and what better place to do it than running along endless stunning beaches of the Gold Coast!?

Bright and early (well actually it was still dark), the half marathon and then the 10km runners took off and soon it was time for the full marathon. I don’t think I had realized exactly what I was getting myself in for so I tentatively set off from the starting line, unsure of what to expect, how to pace myself, and how long this was actually going to take me to complete.

Some of the 10km and half marathon runners - yes, it was pretty chilly!

The route was stunning; taking us along the coast line and past crowds of people cheering us on the whole way. In my head I figured once I make it to the half way mark, as long as I can then make it to 30km the rest I will just have to wait and see.

The starting line - it took 15 minutes just to get all the half marathon runners to cross the start line.

Aches and pains set at about 28km (7km further than I’d ever run before) but I just kept pushing. At 35km I finally had to walk for a while and conserve some energy for the final push. I picked up my pace a bit but it seemed to take forever go from the 36km and 38km markers – like time was actually slowing down.

My next goal was make it to 40km and then push out till the end. I definitely found my second wind and the last 1.5km. I don’t know where it came from but I ran the fastest I possibly could and made a final dash for the finish line…and that was it, I had completed a full marathon! Looking back the end of the race was such a blur but I was so happy to have done it. The running conditions could not have been better and it was such a fantastic event to take part in – 24, 000 participants!!

I completed my first ever marathon in 4hours, 52mins and 58secs. I don’t know if I will do another marathon…it would certainly be very different running it in the humid climate of Malaysia/Asia but we’ll see. AirAsia will be participating in the Borneo International Marathon in October so I have a while to make up my mind…it might be advisable to actually train for the next one I do?!

Full Marathon - Done!

All the runners did a fantastic job in completing in the other categories. For some it was their first time entering such a race and as their ‘coach’ I’m so proud of them for their achievements. It sounds like a few of them have been converted to running enthusiasts already which is great!

Day 3 – Monday 6th July - Day Trip

On the Monday we all gritted our teeth trough the aches and pains and went for a day trip with a company called Tall Ships. It was a great day; in the morning we went whale watching and saw numerous humpback whales and then in the afternoon we were taken to Mclaren’s Landing for a big Aussie BBQ and an afternoon playing beach volleyball/fishing/bush walking.

It was a lovely way for us to enjoy the Gold Coast and the staff were all very friendly, especially as a few of our group were sea sick in the morning!

Fun in the sun at Mclarens Landing

Day 4 – Tuesday 7th July

It was time to return to KL. Everyone was a bit exhausted (to say the least!) but it was a fantastic few days on the Gold Coast. Sitting in the office now it seems like a bit of a dream but we all have some fantastic memories and of course hundreds of photos!

Until the next race…

Ok, I'm not really officially coach Kate but I am helping our running club members get ready for the Gold Coast Marathon...and it's just less than 1 month away!

AirAsia will be sending a team of 22 runners to take part in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon on 5th July.
We have been training for quite some time now. This has been in the form of our weekly runs by the airport, taking part in some of the locally organised 10/15km runs and of course this has been suplimented by people's own personal training.

Me, Kabie and Sheikh at the New Balance 15km Run organised by Pacesetters - it was a tough run but we all did it!

AirAsia Fun Run

We have 3 brave staff taking on the full marathon - Azran included. Here he is happily training...I wonder if he will look the same after 42km!?

And guess who else will be running with us?!......

Most people are doing the 21km (myself included) with the remaining doing 10km. For some it will be their first official run but for many, especially after our participation in the Borneo International Marathon last year, it is our 2nd...I'm hoping to better my first time attempt last year of 2hrs22. I think the cooler temperatures will probably do me a favor there!
Afterwards, what ever the time, it will be a great achievement for everyone I'm sure.

Of course everyone is looking forward to the trip to Gold Coast. Most of the running team have never been there so it's great that they will also have some time to look around and get to know the place.
We will all be staying at Radisson Resort Gold Coast which looks fantastic. After the marathon we will be having a team dinner somewhere near by there and on Monday we have a day trip organised through Tall Ships; we will be going whale watching and island hopping which should be a lovely way for us all to recover after the run!

Wow, time is going quickly! Can't wait for the trip and I'll be sure to blog about it when I get back.
If anyone has any extra tips on Gold Coast or Marathon running let me know...always good for insider tips!

Bye for now,

'Coach' Kate :)