NOAA's National Weather Service Heat Index

I recently read the article "Beat the Heat" in RW magazine Aug 2008 issue. It provided really good advice on how to run in hot weather. However, I was quite amused with the heat/humidity conditions that are considered dangerous to exercise.

Here is the NOAA's National Weather Service Heat Index:


The temperature is in fahrenheit. So converting to celsius, 88F is equivalent to 28C, and 86F is equivalent to 27C. With Singapore's humidity of high 80s to low 90s (averege of 84%), the National Weather Service Heat Index is saying that we run in "extreme caution" to "danger" territory!

"I am slow"

I was perusing a discussion on the SGRunner Forum in Oct 2007 that examines whether it is appropriate to say "I am slow" when in fact that person is fast. Because I often say that I am slow - which for the record, is true ... see my last post - I was quite interested in the implications that statement sometimes evoke.

Sotong provides an interesting social context:

Imagine Scenario A:
A: "Wah saw you ran very fast for the XXX race hor? What's your pace?"
B: "Yeah!!! I'm fast... I ran at 5:30mins/km pace!!!"
C (who ran 5mins/km pace) will think: "Huh? like that also dare to say he's fast? gimme a break!!!"
And thereafter, C will have the impression that B is boastful.....

Imagine Scenario B:
A: "Wah saw you ran very fast for the XXX race hor? What's your pace?"
B: "Slow lah.... only managed 5:30mins/km pace!!!"
C (who ran 6mins/km pace) will think: "Wah.. run so fast still say slow.... suan me lah!!!"
And thereafter, C will have the impression that B is an inconsiderate and proud person

Imagine Scenario C:
A: "Wah saw you ran very fast for the XXX race hor? What's your pace?"
B: "Good run for me... enjoyed myself"
C (regardless what pace he ran) will think: "Wah liow... people ask you what pace, so dao... don't say"

Morale of the story... you can't please everybody.

Gentle notes the following example:

consider 3 friends A, B and C:

A: "i run 7 min/km, i am slow"
B: "i run 6 min/km, i am slow"
C: "i run 5 min/km, i am slow"

everyone above is technically correct, because there is always the next person who can do faster...(even C can compare with someone else faster)

if you are C, you are indirectly saying that B and A are slower runners
if you are B, you are indirectly saying that A is a slower runner
if you are A, it doesn't help by reinforcing that you are slow

so saying "i am slow" actually doesn't benefit anyone, no matter how fast or slow you are...

it is almost as bad as saying "i am fast"

same goes for these:
"i am poor"
"i am a lousy at school"

i hope we are now more convinced that "i am slow" should not be used loosely... it is likely to either hurt the feelings of others, or have a negative impact on your confidence...but go ahead to use it if you are refering to something specific..."i was the slowest guy running at last tuesday's run", "my 10km time was 5 mins slower last year", "my SBR run was 5 mins slower than brokie, i want to revenge and beat her by 5 mins for SCSM"

Halftimer notes:

It's an interesting social behavior that in the case of running, we generally tend to be humble and will say " I run slow lah" even though we are fast runners. But in the case of intelligence, will anyone say "I am stupid lah" no matter what low IQ score he/she has? Hardly you will hear such response. The former is false negative and the later is false positive.

We don't mean what we say.

How true!

Jogging versus Running

I was heading out the door for my morning run when my mother-in-law asked, "Go jog?"

Jog? For some reason, I was mildly irritated the first few times I heard this.

Er... pardon me, but I run, not jog. After all, I completed the Singapore Bay Run, the Mt Faber 10k Run, the Laguna Phuket Run Paradise and not too long ago, the Passion Run. Long ago, I also passed my 5 km run during my NS days. I also tell my boys not to run, and I run faster than them!

So one time, I mildly (perhaps a little testily) replied, "No, I am going for a run." I felt like a mean son-in-law for some weeks, until she asked me again, "Go jog?"

Well, it is not only my mother-in-law. In fact my father-in-law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, neighbors and other people also refer to my jogging. One exception is MBH, who knew how sensitive I can be (thanks, dear!)

Recently, there were a number of posts on SGRunners about running versus jogging. One interesting thread (July 23, 2008 by Ice Lady under Chicken Talk) was "Is Jogging a running bad word?" The premise was that when we do a marathon or LSD, we are in fact jogging, not running. As to be expected, there were many views and opinions raised.

To some extent, jogging gets a bad name from the likes of advertisements by a major shoe company. I am sure you have seen them.

"We are not joggers... Running is an endeavor and jogging is a synonym for half-assed... You have all those joggers out there calling themselves runners, and real running is beginning to suffer... Run easy is an oxymoron."

But to be more objective, I ask: what is the definition of jogging? I looked up the etymology of jog, which is to prod or move at a jolting pace. Some dictionaries define jog as being to run at a leisurely, slow pace, to run or ride at a steady trot.

Some sources are more specific. They define jogging as moving at slower than 6 min/km (some hope for me). Others are more stringent... anything slower than 5 min/km is still considered jogging (no hope for me!!).

The killing blow came from, surprisingly, my Garmin. Garmin Training Center declares the following lower limit for speed zones:

Slow jog: 8:42/km
Jog: 7:27/km
Fast jog: 6:12/km
Slow run: 5:36/km

I am not even looking at the upper limits! My speedwork is only a slow run! Devastating!

Interestingly, this is not the first, nor last time, we see debate on running versus jogging. Thanks to Gentle, there were some excellent discussion on the SGRunners Forum in Oct 2007. I reproduce some of those posts below:

Half timer:

Is slow runner a jogger?

What's the line drawn between joggers and runners? Is it about attitude?

A jogger symbolizes someone who just does not take running very seriously or never enter a race.

A jogger wouldn't run in the rain or in the blistering heat. A jogger may perspire, but not the full body sweat that you get after an all out 5km run. Some joggers just put in an appearance, more worried about fashion than about effort, more concerned with colour coordination etc. When it starts to hurt, a jogger is smart enough to stop.

A runner on the other hand welcomes the vagaries of weather, confronts the limitations of their abilities and acknowledges the discomforts of muscle. A runner willingly takes up the challenge and costs placed before them to stretch the limitations of their body and mind. Our social map is dotted with race dates and routes.

So the entire thinking about being a runner (it doesn't matter running slow or fast) boils down to the difference between a jogger and a runner.."Once a runner, always a runner"

Ripley, who has completed no fewer than 30 marathons including 50 km, 50 mile and 84 km ultramarathons, puts it aptly:

i used to feel demoralised when people who are fast, said that they are slow... sometimes, i wonder why i run so slow though i've been running since 1994... then i realised its the way i train + genes... when i train harder, i get faster... but i also got more injury + couldn't recover fast to run again...

so i ask myself... does it matter if i run slow? it doesn't matter, as long as i enjoy my running... in training or in events... and i shall never be affected by talented and fast runners who claimed they are slow... (at worst, i could remind myself these speedsters are indeed slower than my friend who can do a 2hr 18mins marathon

One of my favorite authors, John Bingham wrote an article for Runner's World entitled, "I am Not a Jogger: I may waddle when I run, but I'm running all the same" (November 2007 issue). He writes: "If you were motivated enough to train for and participate in an organized running event, then you were a runner."

The point is that definitions are meaningless. Instead, Bingham argues that the distinction is intrinsically personal -- "those of us who call ourselves runners already know why we call ourselves runners." Here are his reasons why he calls himself a runner:

I AM A RUNNER because my runs have names. I do tempo runs and threshold runs and fartlek runs. I do long, slow runs and track workouts. My runs are defined, even if my abs are not.

I AM A RUNNER because my shoes are training equipment, not a fashion statement. The best shoe for me is the one that makes me a better runner. I choose the shoe that goes with my running mechanics, not my running outfit.

I AM A RUNNER because I don't have running outfits. I have technical shirts and shorts and socks. I have apparel that enhances the experience of running by allowing me to run comfortably. I can say "Coolmax" and "Gore-Tex" in the same sentence and know which does what.

I AM A RUNNER because I know what effort feels like, and I embrace it. I know when I'm pushing the limits of my comfort and why I'm doing it. I know that heavy breathing and an accelerated heart rate--things I once avoided--are necessary if I want to be a better runner.

I AM A RUNNER because I value and respect my body. It will whisper to me when I've done too much. And if I choose to listen to that whisper, my body won't have to scream in pain later on.

I AM A RUNNER because I am willing to lay it all on the line. I know that every finish line has the potential to lift my spirits to new highs or devastate me, yet I line up anyway.

I AM A RUNNER because I know that despite my best efforts, I will always want more from myself. I will always want to know my limits so that I can exceed them.

I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far.

I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not.

Janette wrote this:

When I first starting the act of running, I would have only called myself a jogger. I only ran because I was carrying about 30 extra pounds. I didn't need to run, I didn't crave it. I could have just as easily gone to the gym and rode the bike to shed the weight. Now, I need to run. I crave running - almost as much as ice cream. When I'm not running, I'm reading about it or writing about it or talking to someone about it or thinking about it. I'm obsessed with it. My name is Janette and I'm addicted to running. Seriously. I am a runner.

To put it succinctly, I quote from a post in the Runner's World Forum:

One is a runner when running "becomes a way of life."

In the final analysis, I am because I believe.

So when my mother-in-law said to me this morning, "Go jog?" I merely smiled and said, "Yes, it is a nice morning to jog."

Walk breaks: 休息是为了走更长远的路

Of late, I noticed a number of posts about walk breaks in the SGRunners Forum. There were some folks who claim that walk breaks work, while others are skeptical.

Here's a balanced view by Ultra:

“To walk or not to walk”…….it is relatively subjective. Typically I would advice runners to always “listen to their body” in any event and don’t end up 1:30 PB for 21km yet a final chapter like the poor army officer who died in AHM 2007. For a season runner, usually we do not stop for a 21km and it depends on yourself whether your body can cope with it. 

Do not push your body beyond limit like many young army boys did and ended up exhausted after 12-15km or legs cramps etc. If you think you do not have the mileage to cope with a no stopper run (be it 21km or 42.195km), slow down your pace, walk a little or even rest for a few minutes. 

Like many other long distance running, never start off too fast in the initial 10km or ended up facing the wall or muscles cramps at the 2nd half. Always remember, we are not a professional runner making a living out of running, we are here to run safely and as enjoyable as possible to meet each of our self actualization. Even elite runners may malfunction and walk in a marathon or stop totally if their bodies are not functioning well on the actual day. 

Anything can happen on the actual day without warning including any sifus level here and we have experienced such a pain at one time or another. We can never be guaranteed a smooth run all the time. But a face value is nothing when your heart beat cease to operate. 

Never be a hero in any high impact exercise/events, as that would be too silly and not worthy at all. I have walked before in some of the bigger events when everyone else were expecting good timing out from me, but that was no shameful affair, safety and family responsibility comes 1st. A runner should learn to control the pride and prejudice to progress well. 

Remember…. Always listen to your body and those who laughed at you will make their last laugh. I have limited experience, so I am learning from all the other sifus as well. 

Ultra-sifu is right about the dilemma - to walk or not walk (runner's version of Shakespeare's "to be or not to be"). This is always somewhat controversial. Good runners do not have a problem running 42 km without stopping. Others point out how walk breaks help them. dkw's routine is to run 5 km, walk 1 minute (usually at a drink station), even in training runs.  saarhead is a good runner, but he also take walk breaks. For a novice, I find that walk breaks work, especially when taking on 42 km.

Most runners do not like walk breaks as they get passed by others. Runners who walk are perceived to be less serious runners, inferior even and whimpy at times. Well, just take a mental note of who they are, and the chances are that you will overtake them later on. Many runners do a great 21 km, but then suffer from cramps, etc later on. So if you ask them about their splits, you will often find that their second half is not so good. Many end up walking the last few km. 

That was what happened to me during my first marathon. Great sailing - no stopping - until 32 km, then cramps hit me. Ended up walking the last 5 km. I am sure many others who took walk breaks overtook me then! For the last two marathons, I tried walk breaks. I didn't cramp. In fact, I achieved a PB in my last outing. 

What made me try the walk break method? I was training for the Sundown marathon, and noticed that I struggled with the long runs, even after months of training (I started doing long runs for 2007 SCSM ... that was in Sept last year). Although the LSD runs became progressively easier with training, I wondered if there was a better method. I have heard about the walk break method some time ago, but the same reasoning stopped me from trying - "runners don't walk, they run!"

As chance would have it, I was in the Borders bookstore in Oxford, UK, browsing to kill time, when I came across a book "Marathon: You Can Do It!" by Jeff Galloway. Galloway describes his walk break method, and provides convincing reasons and evidence why it works. 

How can periodic walking lead to a better race timing? It is simply because walk breaks provide recovery for the leg muscles, however brief. One minute of walk break increases my time by 10 to 15 seconds. But the benefit is that I can run strong towards the end and make up for the time difference. 

In fact, Galloway advocates running non-stop for the last 10 km if you feel great or strong at 32 km. It is like conserving your energy and reserves for the last 10 km. Then finish strong. 

Walk breaks are also recommended for ultra marathons. Check out DO-sifu's blog on this.

Admittedly, this approach may not work for some runners, especially the elite and seasoned runners. If you can do 42k non-stop, by all means go for it! That's great! For an old guy like me, walk breaks work pretty well. At the end of the day (race), as Ultra-sifu says, it is no shame to run safe. In fact, it is a wise and logical thing. Also, no one will question your walk breaks when you get to complete a marathon for the first time or achieved a PB!

As another SGRunner dkw puts it: "People passing you? No bragging rights for being ahead halfway, clock stops at 42 completed." 

A PB is a PB, with or without walk breaks! 

For more information about walk breaks: 

Jeff Galloway training program 

Galloway - Everybody's mother by Michael Selman

The First of Many Miles

This is the title of the first chapter in Amby Burfoot's Complete Book of Running. It started off with this:

All running programs for beginners are the same. They move you from walking, which anyone can do, to running, which anyone can do if they have the determination. The difference between walking and running isn't speed or biomechanics. It's determination.

If you have the determination to stick with the following program, you'll soon be a runner. Trust me. It won't be long before you learn that I'm right.

This is a good list of "Do's and Don'ts for Beginners":

1. Don't begin a running program without a full medical exam.

2. Don't attempt to train through an athletic injury.

3. Do dress correctly.

4. Don't run in worn out shoes.

5. Do tell someone where you'll be running and when you expect to return. Carry some identification and money (and mobile phone).

6. Do some light stretching exercises prior to your run/walk to reduce muscle tightness and increase range of motion. Do even more stretching after the workout.

7. Do watch out for cars and don't expect drivers to watch out for you.

8. Do include a training partner in your program.

9. Don't wear headphones when running outside.

10. Don't run in remote areas, especially if you are a woman. Don't approach a car to give directions, and don't assume all runners are harmless.


I also find the section on "Watch out for the bug" interesting:

With the very exception of the very beginning of your running program, the next most dangerous time for a novice runner is just after that first race - especially if the initial racing experience is a successful and enjoyable debut.

The danger, of course, comes from being bitten by the racing bug. The temptation for some runners is suddenly to race every weekend, but this multiplies the possibility of injury or burnout.

Along the same line, beware of "marathon fever." Some novice racers run a couple of local 5-k events and flush with excitement jump right into training for a mega-marathon. Resist the temptation. The marathon has been around since the ancient Greeks. It will be around when your running has progressed to the point that your first marathon experience can be an enjoyable run. It doesn't do you any good to enter a marathon that reduces you to a survival crawl punctuated by self doubt and tagged with the postscript "I'm never running one of these things again!"

The chapter ends with this:

The key to success with a running program for beginners is to start slow and stay slow. Speed kills. Don't even think about it. Patience rewards, so stick with it, stick with it, stick with it.

Top 25 Training Advances

Joe Henderson, the first editor of Runner's World, wrote "Time-Tested Advice: A Review of the Top 25 Training Advances" in Amby Burfoot's Complete Book of Running. It surveys the evolutionary process of training changes over time.

1. Training without straining. Know the difference between hard enough and too hard.

2. Aerobic training. The term aerobic came from physiology and made an international phenomenon. Prolonged low intensity exercise improves physical endurance better than brief, explosive workouts.

3. Specificity of training. You will reap in races what you sow in training. Long slow runs prepares you to race slowly, a rule adapted by Jeff Galloway. Similarly, short, fast runs train you to race short distances, Advocated by Jack Daniels in tempo runs to lift runners out of their training ruts. Long runs increase strength; short fast workouts to build speed.

4. Long runs. LR builds endurance. Cornerstone of distance running programs.

5. Surviving the marathon. Runners who regard the marathon event not as a race for time or place, but as a survival test to be passed just by finishing.

6. Hill training. Long runs on extremely hilly courses and hill repeats prior to the sharpening phase of training. Hills are speedwork in disguise.

7. Speed training. Other than intervals around the track, include tempo runs and cruise intervals (run at tempo pace but broken into 3 to 6 repeats with brief rest periods between them).

8. Race as training. Use short races as speedwork training.

9. Recovering from races. Jack Foster devised this method: one day recovery (still run, but not race or train hard) for every mile of racing.

10. Hard and easy days. Alternate hard with easy days.

11. Recovering from hard days. Long slow distance (LSD) runs or gentle running meant running slower miles between more difficult workouts.

12. Days off. No more a dirty word.

13. Tapering before races. Cut back on mileage 2 to 3 weeks before a race.

14. Running cycles.

15. Training by time instead of distance.

16. Preventing overuse injuries. Training too long, too fast and too often can lead to breaking points.

17. Listen to your body. HRM helps.

18. Stretching. Slow pace running all the time results in loss of flexibility.

19. Strengthening. Muscles at the back of the legs (hamstrings) tend to overpower those in front (quads). Upper body muscles lag those of lower body. Supplement with weight training.

20. Carbo loading before and carbo reloading after races and hard exercises.

21. Hydration.

22. Cross training. Swimming and bicycling improves aerobic fitness just as well as running.

23. Water training. Aerobic workout without impact.

24. Walking. Tom Osler, ultramarathoner, inserts brief walks to increase the length of the longest runs. Galloway found that better times are possible by taking 1-minute walking break every mile.

25. Fitness training. Running for fitness does not require racing. Simply run 2 to 3 miles (5 km) three to five times a week.

10 Laws of Healthy Running

Came across this chapter in Amby Burfoot's Complete Book of Running, written by Bob Wischnia. Bob seemed to get injured easily, yet nothing would detract him from running. He developed a 10-step program that worked for him:

1. Work stretching into your day. Bob spends 20 minutes every morning - at least 5 minutes for each leg (20 seconds stretch on a post isn't enough).

2. Stay with shoes that work for you.

3. Use orthotics for all your shoes, not just your running shoes.

4. Start and end with walking. Walk warm up is a brief transition from being sedentary to running, allows system check (aches, pains and stiffness?) and shoulder rotations and leg shakes. Walk cool downs is a little longer - simply to bask in the endorphin rush.

5. Think about where you run. Stay off roads, sidewalks and tracks if possible. [This is not so easy to do in Singapore]

6. Be wary of hills. Cruise the ups and ease the downs at little more than brisk trot. Or even walk the downhills.

7. Bring on the ice. Host down with icy water (not so easy to do in Singapore) or use cold compress such as frozen gels, frozen vegetable packages on knees or joints to reduce muscular inflammation. I picked up two other ways - freeze a paper cup with water and tear off the cup as the ice melts when icing; or put ice cubes in a plastic bag.

8. Pitch the training log. Do not be too concerned with logging those miles. "A 20-mile week is as good as a 50-mile week -- if you are healthy... My mileage isn't important anymore. The only thing that's important is running healthy." How true.

9. Skip running for at least one day a week. No running whatsoever on that day. Do something else instead - cycling, swimming, tennis, golf, etc.

10. Enjoy yourself. Nuff said.

Bob wanted to run the 100th Boston marathon. Amby thought Bob wouldn't make it without injuring himself again. In Amby's words,

"I had known him too long, and he always broke down. This time he didn't. He maintained the training and didn't get injured. Not only that, but he ran a strong 3:15 in the Philadelphia marathon to qualify for Boston. How did he manage? Simple. Even after increasing his training mileage, he stuck to his 10 laws, and they pulled him through."

Tempo Runs and Strides

What are tempo runs?

Tempo runs are workouts at a fairly steady, moderately fast pace. They are controlled steady efforts, not burn-ups races. The guide to tempo pace is around 80% to 90% of our max heart rate (HR).

Tempo runs are also known as lactate threshold runs. This is because tempo runs are run at a pace that builds up waste product in our legs at a rapid rate, which is called the lactate-threshold velocity. 

The lactate threshold (LT) is when lactic acid begins to accumulate in the blood and you have to slow down. Tempo runs allow us to train close to the lactate threshold without exceeding it. LT is the best predictor of distance-running performance.

Typically, tempo pace is 10 to 15 seconds slower than our 10-k race pace. Tempo runs are "comfortably hard" runs. Easy runs, in contrast, mean that we can comfortably hold a conversation. Not so for tempo runs. The pace is fast enough that you know you're working hard, but if you had to, you could keep up the pace for up to an hour. It is usual to start with 3 km or 20 minutes of tempo running before building it up gradually to longer distances. Take a short recovery break (jog) in between for tempo runs longer than 6 km.

Runner's World (RW) advocates the Tempo Run 1000s workout for new runners who might have a hard time running evenly for longer tempo runs. Tempo Run 1000s are simply 1000 m repeats done at tempo-run pace with 60 seconds of recovery in between. Or run tempo 1000s every 2 to 3 weeks in place of a more standard tempo run to add variety to your tempo training.

Why is tempo run useful?

• Tempo runs teach your body to run faster before fatiguing
  
• It increases lactate threshold running speed
  
• It gets your body used to moving at a sustained hard pace for a period of time
  

Tempo and interval runs help improve speed. But both are considered hard runs. I alternate between tempo and interval runs each week and intersperse hard runs with easy runs or rest days.

Another useful technique to incorporate is strides. Strides are runs over about 60m to 100m at an accelerated pace, about 2/3 of your sprint pace.

RW recommends finishing off easy runs with two to three strides. The idea is to ingrain the feeling of running well in a controlled manner with good form, not letting yourself get tight in the arms or shoulders. Flow with the effort and don't try to fight your way through it. Take plenty of rest between strides with recovery jogs or walks.

Much like a car that is driven at the same speed in traffic all the time, you can benefit by "blowing the carbon out" and revving up the RPMs a bit!

For a systematic training program, check out the RW customized "Smart Coach" training program. Simply input a recent race time and distance, distance you are training for, current mileage and intensity of training. Smart Coach provides a 16-week training plan that incorporates tempo/speedwork runs on alternate weeks, one long run each week, easy runs and X-training or rest days.

What I like about the program is that it gradually builds up your mileage and pace (remember the 10% rule). I have completed two half and three full marathons following the RW training programs.

You can run a Marathon!

With the start of registration for the 2008 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, there was a flurry of interest in the online running community. I read with great interest a number of posts by a seasoned SGrunner Ultraman.

With his permission, I am reproducing them here (posts were put up on SGRunners Forum on July 22/23) so that we may all learn and be inspired:

To complete a marathon is not that difficult. You just need to overcome your own mental fear. Some SG runners lacked confidence years ago before they did their 1st marathon; nevertheless, once they have completed the 1st one (slow jog and walk approach etc), thereafter they became addicted and in fact even ended up doing Ultra marathons (including the recent Sundown 84km).

My student who was an "auntie level" (nearly 50) did her 1st marathon within 6 hours in 2007 after 4 months of training and tips given. The art in completing a marathon is just “go for it” and never look back but always listen to your body during the training and also in the actual event. If you slow jog a little and walk a few minutes and repeating the same flow….almost anyone with some jogging background can complete a marathon. We are lucky that there is no real cut off timing like 5 hours in some countries, therefore to complete SCM within 6 hours for the 1st timer is definitely quite a high probability as long as they have a minimum 30-40km/weekly mileage. You need not wait for 2 years later to run your marathon.

Once you have the "heart" set for it, marathon is just 10.5km run split into 4 sections, and you just need to cope with 10.5km separately instead of 42.195km in a go. To run this marathon, some tactics and strategy is a must and not just pure physical. Slow jog and walking will deliver the result. And you must sip at all the water stations without fail. If you really need to stop to recover for a few minutes, by all means do so. In fact female has a better endurance and will power over many males when come to such an event.

Everyone said “train hard”...I would use the word "train smart". Nothing is short cut for sure, but if you want to feel how a marathon is like this year, you need to pay a price too even if you can complete it with a mere 3-4 months of training. The 1st requirement is always the mental fear of unknown. Once you set in the “I can do it”, the unknown X-element in you will make the possibility. If you can clock your weekly mileage of about 40km, it is a starter. You don’t need speed as speed kills unless you have the foundation, do all the slow yet longer distances during the weekend would help.

My friend (that auntie) was no super lady; she was just a neighborhood “tai tai” who was willing to spend extra few hours a week to train for it. She did not mind the timing and just want a completion for herself, so she knew what she wants. If that is what you hope for, I can assure you that you will be able to complete SCM 42.195km on 7th December 2008.

I am no gifted runner but I am who I am today through years of regular training and listening to my body all the time. I started with walking and eventually picking up the pace and obtaining tips from all the seniors (sifus) I could find from either MR25 to Safra running club/Animiles etc and even from a common layman. One must understand what he/she wants in this arena. We are no professional but rather “passion runner” longing for self actualization during the process, seizing the day whenever we can and while we can.

A gifted runner is heavenly blessed if he/she is granted with such a talent. Nevertheless I would always believe in more humble approach to build up the foundation through regular exercise + desire to learn new techniques to improve running posture and change in the lifestyle as a runner.

Nothing is impossible as long as you have the free time to do so. If someone is faster than you, chase after their smoke and believing in yourself. We may not be the elites, we can still enjoy the realistic process.

Quality training + Quality resting + Quality attires + Quality diet => Quality Runner

Ultra

Running Injuries: The 10% Rule

I couldn't help but notice the relatively high incidence of knee pains and other running injuries among friends and on the SGRunners forum.

Not unlike many others, my enthusiasm led to my first injury - a very painful case of plantar fasciitis (PF). I could not even walk. I woke up at night with excruciating pain in my right foot. That episode taught me an important lesson: If I want to run for life, then I have to make it my goal to run injury free (after all I am "old bones").

After some research and through personal experience, I came to marvel at the adaptability of the human body. Put the body to stress, and it responds. Run longer distances, and the body adapts and becomes stronger. The next time round, it will be easier to cover the same distance. What a wonderful body God has given us.

While the cardiovascular system is amazingly adept at adapting, the musculoskeletal system takes more time. Which is why most running injuries affect the musculoskeletal system such as muscles, joints and bones. We need to give time for our muscles and bones to adjust to impact exercises. Then there is the question of age - wear and tear.

With further reading, I discovered the 10% rule. The rule is simply to increase mileage or intensity no more than 10% per week. So if my base mileage is 20km a week, increase mileage no more than 2km next week. This is slow progress especially in our day and age of instant gratification. But the 10% rule begets patience and most importantly, it helps avoid injury.

In addition, I schedule a recovery week every fourth week, where I cut mileage by 20 to 30%, simply to allow the body to be stronger. Interestingly, our bodies become stronger during recovery or rest, not during the run. Recovery is more important than we think. KHW, our deca-ironman tells me that he builds in recovery into all his cycles. There are cycles in his training by day, week, throughout the year and over years as well!

So I constantly remind myself to respect the 10% rule, run slowly downhill and (I don't really need to remind myself) to enjoy the rest days and recovery weeks! :)

Nova Marathon Challenge 2007

Thanks to JJ, I learnt about the Nova Marathon Challenge: 13 sedentary novices who trained to run the Boston Marathon over 40 weeks.

Among the runners were a man who survived a heart attack, a HIV positive guy, a breast cancer survivor, a "situationally overweight" (70 pounds overweight) lady with irregular heartbeat, a CEO father of 5 undergoing a messy divorce, a doctor with stress fracture and a Type 1 Diabetic working mother of two. All but one completed the full Boston Marathon in April 2007.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/marathon/

Watch the videos. The scientific segments are really informative. Be inspired.

In addition, the Youtube preview is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHuYNb5Rnxg

Speedwork and Hill Repeats

A number of friends who are relatively new to running voiced their desire to improve their race times. I promptly referred them to more experienced and faster runners, after all, I am a slow-coach.

But for what it is worth, and from my limited understanding, the key is to incorporate speedwork, hill repeats and tempo runs into the training program.

I alternate between speedwork and tempo runs each week, and add some hill repeats into one of the easy or tempo runs. This post focuses on speedwork and hill repeats.

Speedwork has various forms. The most common is interval training: run at a fast pace, but not all out sprint pace for a certain distance, then slow to a jog for recovery. Then repeat the interval again. I start with two intervals, and increase by one more in two weeks' time, up to a max of four or five intervals.

This is a typical example of speedwork interval (which I did today): 2.4k warmup, 3 times 1,600m @ 5:32 min/k with 800m recovery jogs.

[note: 5:32 is speedwork for me, but it may be a jog for others!]

Runners new to speedwork should start with 400m intervals, with 200 to 400m recovery jogs. The pace of the interval runs should increase gradually (remember the 10% rule?). I happen to work with 1,600 m (1 mile) repeats as I am training for the half.

With time and perseverance, speedwork trains good turnover or cadence. You'll also find easy runs significantly easier after a speedwork run.


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Other forms of speedwork would be fartlek (a Swedish term for speed play) and the Yasso 800.

The basic idea behind Fartlek is to have you run at a given time, 2 minutes for example over undulating terrain or flat wherever your run may take you. The effort prescribed can be at 10k race pace to whatever speed you wish to make your effort. The rest in-between is normally at an easy pace to allow recovery before the next effort. The intensity, duration and terrain is determined by the runner. A good way is to simply pick out a lamp post, or a traffic light, or a tree any distance out and speed up to it. Fartlek can be used on all terrains, even on a track surface. In contrast, the interval training structure prescribes a given distance run in a given time with a given rest.

Yasso 800: Simply run 10x800 sprints on a track in a certain time, with a 4:00 jog between each one. The Yasso 800 principle claims to be able to predict marathon race time. The average time for the 800 sprints in minutes is the marathon time in hours. So a 4 min time for 800m translates to 4 hours for the marathon. Personally, I am a little skeptical, so I have yet to try this. [In any case, I don't like running round the track... I find it very boring.]

Hill Repeats is simply running up hills or slopes. The idea is to strengthen the hamstrings (upper back leg muscles), the primary muscle for forward propulsion. Take small but quick steps. Maintain an upright posture, and use work your arms to help maintain momentum.

The down slope run is usually tough on the knees, but good for the quadriceps muscles (upper front leg muscles). I used to speed run downhill, but to avoid injury, I jog down nowadays. It is even recommended that we walk downhill.

Recover for a few minutes and then repeat the hill run. I typically do 3 to 4 hill repeats. Start with gentle slopes and work your way (10% rule again) to steeper slopes. Hill work helps build strong legs. You'll find running on flat roads easy after a hill workout.

The scenic Bedok Reservoir route (above) provides good training for hill repeats. There is a modestly challenging hill to the west side of the reservoir. Running to the reservoir takes me through a overhead bridge, and the ram counts as well.

Other slopes in the area include those north of Tanah Merah MRT station, and the neighborhood south of Simei MRT station. Loyang Avenue between Pasir Ris and Changi Village is gentle, though long.

As many runners realize, our bodies are very adaptable. Speedwork helps the body adapt to faster paced runs.

imaRunner: Kor Hong Fatt and Linda Lin

The Sunday Times on July 20, 2008 featured Kor Hong Fatt (76) and Linda Lin (52) in the article "Legs, don't fail me now". Hong Fatt started running when he was 55 (same as the other two runners featured a few days ago... there's something magical about 55, the common retirement age until a few years ago). But it took a heart attack when he was 70 to push him to take on the marathon. Linda took up running 6 years ago, in part to lose weight.

Both are hailed as examples of people who took up running in their 40s or older (sounds familiar?). Why so? According to the report, one reason is that people in their 40s are at an age when they have more free time on their hands and want to take up a hobby.

I don't completely agree. Folks in their 40s could well be in their prime in terms of career development. They could have young children who need their parents. Yet they take up a demanding sport that requires commitment in time and energy. I think the reasons are more complicated and multi-dimensional, but shall leave that for a subsequent post.

The point I do agree with is that veteran runners are more prone to injury as our bodies have gone through more wear and tear than those in their 20s. I read of runners who train for long runs no longer than 10k, and breezed through their first marathons. I read also of young and not-so-young runners who injure or re-injure themselves in the process of training or completing their races.

Hong Fatt puts it ever so aptly: "It's all about knowing your body well and listening to it."

Indeed, the epitome of running is to run injury-free and to run for life. As M puts it, ""My goal is to keep doing at least one half marathon a year till heaven."

That, and the sense of satisfaction that comes from delaying the inevitable deterioration of our physical bodies is reward enough to keep running.

imaRunner is a series about ordinary people and their not-so-ordinary running achievements.

LG Ladies and Shape Run 2008

July 20, 2008

An all-women affair with 10 and 5 km categories, Shape Run is one of three unique events that have drawn a large following in recent years. 8,000 participants signed up within 9 days for this year's race. Perhaps word of mouth has gotten around about the fabulous goodie bag and/or more women are taking up running. What is significant is that 8 ladies in our life group (LG) have signed up this year. With LJ, our veteran lady runner leading the way, our ladies have gamely joined in, trained and showed up on this pleasant morning.

Compared to the Passion Run, the crowd is smaller, but the atmosphere at the Esplanade/Padang on race day is always electric and somewhat intoxicating. Especially when the entire place is filled with a sea of light green (courtesy of Nike), music and the excited chatter of runners and their supporters. We met up outside SRC for the mandatory picture taking. This is the BEFORE picture:




Notice our beautiful ladies (and the beautiful backdrop). Pink bib is for 10k participants, while blue bib is for 5k runners. But one of our ladies was not wearing the correct color bib... well that is another story for another time.

Fast forward to 9 am. Our ladies have safely returned (much to my relief). This is picture AFTER the race:




We (the husbands) all agree that the ladies look (present tense) fabulous. Glowing indeed! Such is the power of exercise (and love)!

Now for the grouses.

Organization could be better. Well, it started from collection day when MBH rushed down from work at 7:30 pm only to find that the collection team had gone off-duty even when other staff were there and the email/sms stated otherwise. [note to interested readers: this grouse went on and on for about 2 hours at our last LG meeting]

Next case in point: long queues for the goodie bag. Can't they bring the goodie bags out to hand them out to the participants who were agonizing under the hot sun? Then there were queue cutters (F, however, is to be pardoned for he did a good deed)!

Next, lack of supporters along the route. Actually, I have to agree with this. I was surprised that there were so few of us husbands/boyfriends at the Padang. I could even get a premium position in front of the finish line!

Next, crowded drink stations. Also no isotonic drinks for the 10 k runners!

I shall stop here in case our ladies get backlisted next year. :) And we don't want that to happen coz we are really really proud of our ladies and how well they ran!

Great job!

PS: Extracted from post by spidergal69:

"There was this very sweet man who's there to support his
wife/girlfriend...he held up a card with the bib number and shouted" if u have
this number, wave at me...or if your number is closed to thuis number, u can
also wave at me"....hahhaha very very sweet man!"

Progressive Marathon

Came across the concept of Progressive Marathon on the San Francisco Marathon (Aug 3, 2008). This is how it works (extracted from runSF website):

Progressive Marathon participants run or walk 26.2 miles over a period of weeks or months, finishing their final 3.1 miles on Race Day in either the 5K Run or the 5K Walk. Participants keep track of their miles on an Interval Sheet that will be available soon. Finishers receive a Marathon finisher's medal. In order to receive your Progressive Marathon medal, you must be registered for the Progressive Marathon and bring your Interval Sheet with you to the Expo Registration or the Information Booth.

The 23.1 miles you run prior to race day can be run anywhere. They do not need to be official races or associated with RunSFM. They also do not need to be a part of the RunSFM course.

Progressive Marathoners will receive an Official RunSFM T-Shirt and a medal (provided that you turn in your interval sheet and complete the 5K).

Progressive Marathon participants must complete this Interval Sheet and complete the 5K in order to receive their medal. Bring this sheet with you to pick up your 5K Run/Walk bib either at the Expo on Friday August 1st, Saturday August 2nd, or Sunday August 3rd at the Information Booth near the Awards Stage. Please refer to the 5K packet pick-up above for times and directions. You will pick up your medal after you have turned in your Progressive Sheet and finished the 5K.

BFG note: While not the same as running 26.2 miles over 6 hours (time limit for SFM), the progressive marathon encourages ordinary folks to complete the full distance. Don't think it will work for Singapore. Honesty is the issue.

Prelude to the Shape Run 2008

MBH says that I am more excited about the Shape Run than the ladies. This is true. For a variety of reasons.

First, 7 ladies from our LG are taking part, some in the 10 km race and some the 5 km. For a few, this would be the first attempt at a 10 km. Second, the ladies have been training hard for the past months. The Passion Run was the appetizer; the Shape Run will be the first course. Third, I am the unofficial coach! An honour undeserved whatsoever.

On Wed, I emailed to our lady runners some tips from a Runner's World article titled "RACE MISTAKES TO AVOID". I was asked to give some tips on nutritional and hydration for our champion ladies. So I did.

Saturday

Take it relatively easy. Forget about cramping in a 10 k run. If you really have to, jog or walk 3 k. Usually I just laze around.

Hydrate well over the whole day. Water is fine, but isotonic drinks are preferred for those running the 10k.

The night before a race is the time for loading up on carbs, not for attempting to make complicated dishes. Keep it simple and avoid adding fatty elements to your meal like cream or butter. Do not overeat, however, or it may affect your run on Sunday.

Get ready all your baju. Pin your bib on. Get ready all your running clothes, socks and shoes. Don't forget your cap/visor as it may get hot.

Pack your towel and other barang into a bag that your husband won't mind being seen with. :)

Sunday

Wake up early to clear your system.

Eat a light breakfast, but if you are used to no food before a run, then that's ok. Usually I need to eat about one hour before the race for the food to settle. Eat a carbo-rich breakfast such as bread or cereal. Avoid whole meal or wheat based cereal/bread as that would not be readily available for fuel during the race. Drink lots of water.

Usually it is a good idea to head to the ladies once you get to Raffles City. There should be portable toilets at the Esplanade/Padang, but the toilets in RC are cleaner and nicer.

Remember to drink at every water station. Half a cup at least. Slow down and walk if you have to. But do drink.

The other half cup can be discarded into the bin, or over your head if you feel hot. Note: This applies for water only!

Gel is not required for 5k, and usually not for 10k. Isotonic drinks contain carbo and nutrients such as sodium, so they'll suffice.

When crossing the finish line, don't fiddle with your watch or look downcast or exhausted. That'll be when the cameras will be clicking away. Simply smile and raise your arms to celebrate your successful completion!

After crossing the finish line, head to the water station and hydrate. Usually isotonic drinks and water are available. Continue walking for about 10 minutes to cool down. Stretch well after that and continue to drink.

Within the next 60 minutes, eat a good carbo and protein brunch to refuel. You richly deserve the treat. Then you will be as good as new and ready for the next race!

Last but not least, relax and enjoy the experience!

The Old Man Died

I chanced upon this article by Michael Selman:

The old man poked his head out the front door to be sure that the coast was clear. He was about to do something drastic, and he preferred to have no witnesses. Perhaps, he was a little embarrassed about it. But he was frail and weak, with seemingly nothing to look forward to in his future, and he knew it. So the old man decided it was time to end his sorry old life. And he was going to do it by running.

[Read more...]

For more about Michael Selman aka The Roads Scholar, click here.

Dilutional Hyponatraemia: Over Drinking

Mind Your Body (July 16, 2008) carried an interview with Dr Benedict Tan of Changi General Hospital. One myth he debunked is about drinking during exercise. The danger is over drinking - which can lead to low sodium levels and hyponatraemia, and is potentially more dangerous than dehydration as it could lead to coma.

Reflecting back to my past marathon experiences, this reinforces my suspicion that I over drank as I felt bloated and somewhat uncomfortable toward the end. So it will be half a cup at each drink station instead of a full cup after 15 km. I will keep to one full cup during the first 15 km as that would be when I lose the most to perspiration.

imaRunner: Richard Khoo and Chan Meng Hui

Mind Your Body (July 16, 2008) featured Richard Khoo (aged 84) and Chan Meng Hui (aged 78) in the lead article "No Age Limit."

Richard started running only at the age of 55 after he retired and has clocked 44 marathons around the world, including Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. He is planning to complete the 2008 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon with an average time of 13 to 14 minutes per km.

Meng Hui also started running when he was 55 when his drinking friends starting dying. A former smoker and heavy drinker, he turned his life around and completed his first marathon when he was 56, and has 76 marathons (3.5 marathons per year for 22 years!) under his belt. These include races in Norway, Japan, China and Switzerland. His target is 100 marathons.

Meng Hui runs regularly with the MR25 runners - 25 km every Sunday morning. I wouldn't be surprised if Meng Hui were among the senior runners we met at MacRitchie a couple of weekends ago. Boy, are these guys good! You will have to run with them to see for yourself.

Our senior runners are wonderfully amazing and inspiring! Keep running!

Lesson: Never Too Late

imaRunner is a series about ordinary people and their not-so-ordinary running achievements.

imaRunnner: Fast2Slow

Do Not Resuscitate:
My Sports Odyssey

I think I was born with a competitive gene but it was not awakened until one fateful day in 1978. It was the school sports day and I was primary six. Up to that point in time, I had never won a medal for any event in the previous years. It was the final and most important race of the sports day – the 100 metre race. I could never erase that memory of the last few seconds when two of my girl classmates turned their heads just before they crossed the finish line and shouted, “ You cannot catch us, tortoise!” I was never the same after that.

I have been active in sports nearly all my life but for very different reasons. When I entered secondary school, the most compelling image was that of the school sportsmen wearing their sports blazers and invited for the schools annual sports awards dinner. I recall asking to see what one of the senior boys received during the dinner. It was a package with a commendation medallion, a pair of school emblem patches that could be sewn onto a specially printed running T-shirt and shorts. I promised myself I would do whatever I could to receive those treasures.

Most schools are populated by a mix of jocks and nerds. I knew I was a nerd badly wanting to be in the company of the jocks. Those who represented our school in various sports were treated with respect like heroes. They strutted around the school oozing self-confidence. They were hugely popular and everyone laughed at their jokes. Sadly, that included me. I searched hard and settled on cross-country running as my ticket to that teenage stratosphere. Although we trained our guts out (eg. three times a week with weekday work-outs like one-mile times six and long runs of 20 -25 kilometers during weekends), I never made it to the first team. I had to console myself that even though I did not get to run in the actual inter-school races, at least I got to wear the much envied official school running gear.

I became a triple-jumper by default. When I was a first-year student at a junior college, I had learned that there were only two participants in the triple jump event. That meant that if I signed up for the event, I was guaranteed a medal. To my own surprise, I won and was thus selected to represent our college for the national schools championship together with the other real athletes. That led to my first encounter with defeat and understanding of how it felt. Personally, I was new to the event of triple jump and was entirely overawed by the electrifying atmosphere of participating in the National Stadium. Each triple jumper was granted three qualifying jumps and from those jumps, the best six competitors were then chosen to go into the final round with another three attempts each. I disqualified on two of the three jumps by over-stepping the take-off board and the only qualified jump was way below even my training mark. That year, our college track and field team was trounced and we finished that national championship with dismay and shame.

The year-end school vacation was used to rebuild our athletic team. Our coach organized a week-long camp during which we were given fiery pep talks every night. All the athletes sat in focus groups to analyze where we had gone wrong and brainstormed how we could win the national championships. Every training session was accompanied by the blasting of the song “Eye of the Tiger” by the rock group Survivor [ the theme song for Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky 3 that topped the billboard 100 for six weeks ]. Although it feels so tacky now, it was hair-raisingly inspiring for that bunch of 17 year-olds. Each night of the camp, we sat in the lecture hall munching pop corns and watching video clips of Olympic athletes training. We went to sleep dreaming of the glory of winning.

The first six months of 1984 were hell for us. We trained a minimum of four hours everyday except Sunday. I had even returned to my college grounds on Sundays secretly to put in one more workout because I had so badly wanted to win a medal at the national championship in July that year. There were countless days when I had waddled like a duck because of the excessive squats the coach made us do in the gym [ each of us was supposed to do three sets of twelve squats with a bar-bell loaded with 80 kg ]. I had also lost count of the number of lectures that I had slept through due to sheer fatigue of over-training. The only consolation was that I was among fiercely committed athletes who were all suffering the same exhaustion from our collective commitment to win as a team.

As you might expect, I did well enough for a silver medal for the triple jump. But the sweetest victory was the fact that our college track and field team emerged champion, beating the last year’s champion by a mere two points. I remembered crying shamelessly on the final day of the championship as I had experienced for the first time in my life, the ecstasy of victory following the agony of defeat. By then, my competitive gene was in full throttle.

I enlisted for national service fully prepared for the physical demand of basic military training (BMT) at Pulau Tekong. I out-ran every recruit in that batch save one – Ivan Seet. He was the rugyby captain from my same college and was equally competitive, if not worse. We ran neck-to-neck during every training run and every standard obstacle course (SOC). Sometime, he would finish ahead but I would compensate the next run by beating him. The three month course ended with an award for the recruit who would be labeled “Best PT”, meaning best in physical training. It was a prestigious award and it could only go to one of us. To make the rivalry worse, Ivan was the favourite pick of one of the corporals (Corporal Lim) and I was the choice recruit of another corporal (Corporal Ong) who hated the one who favoured Ivan.

Corporal Ong was a typical “Ah Beng”, one who was proud of his distinctive brand of Singlish and his low educational status. He took me aside the night before the final IPPT (Individual Physical Performance Test) and gave me his version of a pep talk.

“Ey, Recruit Tan, you can win this Best PT, leh. Recruit Seet can run fast but he is fatter than you. So that mean hah, you got better chance than him. That’s why I bet 50 bucks on you to win. You better donch make me lose face, ok?” (apologies to those who adhere to grammatical English)

It turned out that Ivan and I ran in two different groups because of the large numbers of recruits involved in the IPPT. Although we had both finished first in our runs, his timing for the 2.4 km was a few seconds better than mine. I was devastated. I was not looking forward to face my section commander, Corporal Ong. To my astonishment, he was not at all angry.

“Ey, Recruit Tan, you damn suay leh. If you and Recruit Seet ran together, then you got chance to beat him. Now like this, you lose is not very fair. But never mind lah, I know you try your best. This kind of lose, is very ok one.”

I learned from one who was less educated the wisdom of competition – as long as one puts in his best effort, it is no shame not to have won. Sportsmanship 101!

The next milestone came when I was posted to the 9th Division of the Singapore Army as a officer-in-command (OC). During my first in-camp training (ICT), the brigade commander, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Wong M.T. stood at the start-line as we gathered for our IPPT 2.4 km run and told me in his booming voice, “Poh Kiang, officers must lead by example and so I expect you to come in first for the 2.4 km run.” Just like that – a matter-of-fact statement but boy, did it work on my psyche. Whatever I did, I was not going to let him down. The running route in the old Portsdown Camp required us to complete three laps within the perimeter of the camp. And there he was, LTC Wong standing at the finish line screaming at me as I ran past him each lap. I nearly collapsed when I crossed the finish line but it was worth it. I completed the run under nine minutes and it felt good coming in first before the entire pack of reservists.

That “prove to your men” mentality defined me for the next decade as I served the Army first as an OC and later as a battalion CO (commanding officer). I trained hard the whole calendar year so that when the ICT came around, I was able to put up this performance as the one who “leads by example”.

I think I was 38 years old when it happened. It was the last 600 metres of the IPPT 2.4 km run and I was trailing another guy by about 30 metres. I was not about to let him finish ahead of me and so I stepped up the pace and closed in on him. Sensing that I was narrowing the gap, he did likewise and extended his lead to about 50 metres. At that point, I was thinking that if I pushed myself any further, I might end up as a casualty. I figured it would not look good on my orbituary that I died so as to beat someone on a IPPT run. When we completed the run, I walked over to congratulate him. He was ten years younger, I discovered to my delight. I felt better losing to a younger man). However, that marked a new chapter in my journey whereby I had to accept that finishing first in the IPPT 2.4 km was history - a significant lesson in humility.

In that same year, I started to experience sharp knee pain. What began as intermittent pain after a training run quickly progressed to constant pain. It deteriorated to a point where I had difficulty climbing up the multi-storey HDB carpark.When I mentioned this symptom to a couple of close friends, they were actually gleeful and welcomed me to the “middle age glucosamine club”! All the preceding years of interval and speed workouts were taking a toll on my knee joints. It was with much reluctance and bereavement that I came to a decision that I had to change my expectation and my running style. It was easier said than done since I was still chasing the annual goal of getting the $400 incentive for the gold award for the Army IPPT. Essentially, I had little or no idea how to run slowly.

Help came in the form of a good friend who picked up running in his mid-40s. BFG, as he is known on his blog, had wanted to shed some weight for for a better BMI. He was never a serious runner in the past and when he had started running in 2005, he was merely doing 5 km runs on the treadmill. However, since he was challenged to attempt the half marathon (Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon – SCSM 2006) by a friend, he has hitherto completed three half-marathons and three full marathons! Taking on the mettle of a renowned Runner’s World columnist, John “The Penguin” Bingham, BFG has taught me another philosophy that is new to me. It is about running for its own pleasure – not for prizes, not for speed, not for recognition. Bingham defines a penguine as a runner who is consumed by the pleasure of movement. My good friend, BFG says it well when he articulates this philosophy as “not fast, not sleek; merely dedicated”.

And so the paradox of life begins – even though I have been running for three decades, I am now leaving my comfort zone and learning anew how to run slow and far. It coincides with the changing needs of a person in his 40s when the need for achievement and public recognition is slowly being replaced by the need for lasting legacy. Running slowly turns out to be harder than I had thought. Even though I have managed to adopt a new running style that comfortably allows me to increase my mileage from 20 km per week to about 40 km per week, I still fight the constant urge to improve on my timing whatever distance I choose to run.

I have adopted a few new measures towards developing patience for distance running and the parallel challenge of finishing well in life. The most important of which is a new mindset. This is where Confucius has a useful maxim: It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. To help myself abandon old paradigms, I have set new goals to as to shift my focus. Instead of competing with others on how fast I run, I am now challenging myself to run longer than I have ever been able to. I am going to learn to achieve it patiently and slowly – I shall enter a 15 km race in 2008, run the half marathon in 2009 and finally go the whole way by running the SCSM 2010.

My eight-year daughter asked me innocently, “Why do you run so much?” I did not give her an immediate answer as the question had led me to wrestle with my motives for a long while. Other than standard reasons of maintaining health and fitness, I can attest to the benefit of being able to use the time on long runs to pray, reflect on deeper issues, think creatively. After ruminating on her question for nearly three months, I am almost certain that I would say to my daughter that I run because I have to. I am at a stage of my character formation where the values of patience and endurance need to be honed. And it is my belief that learning to slow down and run long contributes toward that personal development.

My wife and I had coffee with my sister recently and she shared that there are three sure signs of a man in mid-life stage: quitting his job to start a business, buying a sports car and training to run a marathon. While I am not contemplating on a business start-up or a fast and flashy car, I have met enough men in their 40s trying out marathons and triathlons to agree heartily that I am in that mid-life phase as well!

My journey continues and the road ahead looks exciting. My knees hardly hurt and my NIKE+SPORTBAND forces me to slow down according to the objectively recorded pace. I am sporting a nice tan from all my lunch time runs and my extra adipose deposits around the waste are less obvious. My wife has taken running seriously in the last three years and she is looking to go sub-60 minutes in the 10 km races she has signed up. My two daughters spend as much time outdoor cycling, roller-blading, swimming as indoor electronic occupations.

According to 2006 data from the World Health Organisation, a Singaporean man has a life expectancy of 78 years. It would be my dream that I will be running my final marathon in my 78th year and drop dead after I cross the finish line. I shall have it printed on my running bib next to my assigned number – DNR (Do Not Resuscitate), he has finished his race.

PK aka Fast2Slow

BFG note: May we all run to our 78th year! I would be happy to be able to still run in my 60s. Yes, DNR!

imaRunner is a series about ordinary people and their not-so-ordinary running achievements.

Ultimate Ultramarathon training plan

Ultimate Ultramarathon training plan (extracted from Runner's World)

A few things you should know

You're not going to spend most of your waking hours running. That's because prepping for a 50-miler is much like marathon training, but with fewer and slower intervals, and somewhat longer (and slower) long runs spiced with walking breaks. Our plan offers enough miles in the proper dosages to prepare you for your first 50, while leaving you with enough time and energy to have, like, an actual life.

Ultra training is not about speed, or even distance, but rather time on your feet. Hence, the core element in getting you ready is the long run "sandwich": back-to-back long, slowish runs on successive days (likely Saturday and Sunday) bookended by two days of total rest.

When you start the 16-week schedule below, you must be at the point where you're running 15 to 18 miles for your weekly or every-other-week long run.

You'll be doing a bit of long, but not-so-fast interval work to boost muscle strength, stamina, and aerobic capacity. This will also keep you from settling into a semipermanent slow slog that makes a 12-minute pace feel like a 100-meter dash.

When it comes to running the long stuff, friends make for more fun. "Find training partners who have the same goal, so you can all encourage each other and learn from each other's experiences as your training progresses," says Luis Alvarez, who finished his first 50-miler last year to celebrate his 50th birthday. "And if you have someone who has experienced the distance and is willing to train with you, so much the better."

8 Rules of the road

1) Stay flat
Find as flat a 50 as you can, and as close to home as possible. Running this far for the first time is tough enough without the added stress of steep hills and travel.

2) Get familiar
Train on the terrain you're going to race on: trails, asphalt, or--as is common in many 50-mile events--a mix of the two.

3) Take breaks
"Stopping briefly for walk breaks in both training and racing is the key to being able to move forward at all times," says Buffalo Chips ultrarunner Becky Johnson, who finished her first 50-miler in 2003.

4) Pack a bag
Most 50-mile events will drop your race bag near the 35-mile point (some also will make a drop around 20 miles). Your drop bag(s) should include solid fuel (your favorite energy bars, candy bars, or gels), sunscreen, long-sleeve T-shirt and/or nylon windbreaker, clean socks and an alternate pair of shoes, and Vaseline or skin lube.

5) Start slowly, then back off
Because when it comes to 50-milers, pacing errors no longer penalize just your finishing time, but the possibility of finishing at all. "Start off a full 30 seconds-per-mile slower than your marathon pace," says Parrott.

6) Eat, drink, and (try to) be merry
During the race, eat whatever worked for you during your training runs: cookies, raisins, figs, crackers, pretzels, energy bars. Whatever. And drink continuously: eight ounces or so every 15 to 20 minutes, including electrolyte-loaded sports drinks. Consider high-caffeine drinks such as Mountain Dew over the last 15 miles.

7) Find a rhythm
One popular run/walk pattern is to run 20 minutes, walk five minutes. Do this from the outset, or after you've run the first 15 or 20 miles, or whatever pattern has worked best for you in your training. Some prefer a shorter mix of running five minutes, then walking one, believing that this is less stressful than the 20:5 pattern. Note: Walk all uphills, even the small ones, and even if it means short-circuiting a run segment.

8) Be prepared
Just how much time is this thing going to take you? To get a ballpark expectation, double your best marathon time and add two hours to get a realistic 50-mile time. So for example, a 3:30 marathoner could expect to run his or her first 50 in about nine hours.

BFG Rave Runs: Beijing Olympics prelude

July 9, 2008: Tsinghua campus orientation

Less than one month away from the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, there were lots of reports on how bad the air quality is and how that could affect athletic performance. My first impression stepping out of the spanking new Beijing airport terminal 3 (impressive structure and immaculate staff!) was the smog. Looked like the haze with PSI over 100!

View of Olympic "bird nest" stadium from highway:


Was it as bad as it looked? Only one way to tell, and that was to go out for a run.

My sample was taken at Tsinghua University (清华大学).

Most Chinese university rankings place Tsinghua first in China (although my colleagues from other universities in China may dispute that!), and the university attracts the most talented students of the nation and enjoys the best engineering and applied sciences programs in China.

The campus of Tsinghua University is located in northwest Beijing, in the Haidian district which was designated for universities and other academic institutes. The site for Tsinghua University was established in 1911 on a former royal garden belonging to a prince in the Qing Dynasty. It retains some Chinese-style landscaping as well as some traditional buildings, but many of its buildings are Western-style reflecting the American influence in its history. It is known throughout China for having one of the most beautiful campuses.

The route took me through parks and streams, pools and stadium/sports complex as well as open spaces and multi-story buildings. Vehicular traffic was mainly restricted to bicycles and there were not many cars. Starting out from Jia Suo, the university guest house/lodge (甲所賓館), I took a northerly route to the north gate, did a U-turn back into the main administrative building and the main gate. Then back to the lodge via a series of parks and ponds.


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View of main building:


Weather was cool, about 25 deg, humidity was moderate. A slow 7 km easy run.

Verdict: Wasn't bothered by the air quality. But then, that was only a short 7 km in a low vehicle area. Maybe I'd have time for a more rigorous test over the next two days.

July 11, 2008 Tsinghua campus short run
The symposium proceeded well, but with a packed program, I could only squeeze out a short run - 5k.

Just yesterday, I found out that the Olympic marathon route will go through Tsinghua campus (just 2 km). That meant that I could do a preview. :)

Small variation in route, but ended the run at the beautiful gardens.


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View of the old gate, a favorite for tourists and photos:


Poster at stadium:


A pretty sight, even with the smog:




Would I run 42k in this smog? Most likely not.

BFG Rave Runs: Istanbul part 2

July 6, 2008 (Sunday): Galata Bridge crossing


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Easy 8k. Went south today, through Taksim Square and the statues commemorating war heros and into Istiklai Cad, the pedestrian street where the old tram still runs.

Taksim means “division” or “distribution” in Ottoman Turkish. This is the original point where Istanbul’s main water lines are collected and branched off to other parts of the city. Today, Taksim Square is a main transportation hub.

Istiklal (Independence) Avenue is a long pedestrian shopping street. A nostalgic tram still runs along this street. At the end of this street is the Tunel (1875), the world’s second oldest subway line after London’s Underground (1863).

At the end of this street lies Beyoglu and the Galata Tower, built in 1455. There’s a very good kebab/doner restaurant here that we had dinner on Friday (for just 30 lira for 3).

Galata Tower
In the 17th century, an Ottoman citizen Hazerfen Ahmet Celebi attempted to fly from Galata Tower to the Asian shore of Uskudar and he worked on this project for 4 years. With the wings he invented, he succeeded in flying to his target and this was a great success at the time.

Down a steep descent towards Galata Bridge that separates the Bosphurus from the Golden Horn. Many locals trying their luck fishing along the bridge. The bridge leads into the Sultanahmet peninsula, home to the Old City. Further on are the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market, but these are closed on Sundays.

Grand Bazaar: The oldest covered bazaar in the world, with more than 4,000 shops.

The Golden Horn is a freshwater estuary that divides the European bank and gets its name from the color of the waters as the setting sun melts into it. An excellent natural harbor, it was home to the Byzantine and Ottoman navies.

Headed along the shore and Halic Quay where many boats were berthed and crossed back via the Ataturk Bridge. Ran back towards Galata Bridge and Karokoy before walking back up the incline to Galata Tower. Then it was retracing my steps back to the hotel.






Ave pace: 7:15
Cloudy then cleared.