Had an appointment at Changi General Hospital Sports Centre this morning as a follow up for my VO2max test last year. I wasn't keen to do another VO2max --- since I don't think it went up. But used the chance to run my hypothesis by the doc.
This is my Right Knee Pain hypothesis - that the pain I experience in my right knee (and only my right knee) is due to a leg length differential. My right leg is slightly longer and the long pounding (only if I run over 20k or run hard) caused the knee pain. The evidence? (1) I don't get pain on my left knee, (2) the wear on my right shoe is always more severe that that on the left, and (3) so says Alex (my friendly mechanic from Passione Bike).
The doctor made me walk up and down the consultation room, and thought that it was my left leg that is longer. Then he had me lie down and measured my legs. Turned out the right is longer. But only slightly (0.5 cm).
Is this proof that my hypothesis is true? Not quite. For I now have three more appointments scheduled for the next two months to fully determine and "correct" the fault.
I wonder if this is all worth the bother.
Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
When tendinitis is good news...
Relief is the word to describe how I feel after consulting my GP this afternoon.
I was worried that the pain in my right knee was due to osteoarthritis. However, my GP examination detected some inflammation and no pain on lateral pressure.
He diagnosed it as a case of tendinitis probably caused back in October during the intensive training runs. He explained how injury to the tendons could cause shortening of the tendons, and only when the muscles and legs were relaxed (when asleep) did the pain surface. So he prescribed painkillers and cream, and no intense running. Should continue glucosamine and proper footwear to avoid onset of osteoarthritis. Also keeping weight in check will help. He reckoned the knee should be well by March.
Thanks to my dear friends for your concern. The BFG chronicles will continue...
I was worried that the pain in my right knee was due to osteoarthritis. However, my GP examination detected some inflammation and no pain on lateral pressure.
He diagnosed it as a case of tendinitis probably caused back in October during the intensive training runs. He explained how injury to the tendons could cause shortening of the tendons, and only when the muscles and legs were relaxed (when asleep) did the pain surface. So he prescribed painkillers and cream, and no intense running. Should continue glucosamine and proper footwear to avoid onset of osteoarthritis. Also keeping weight in check will help. He reckoned the knee should be well by March.
Thanks to my dear friends for your concern. The BFG chronicles will continue...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
TLog: Indoor bike, gym and swimming
Jan 5, 2009
As usual, it is a relief to get to the gym after long conference sessions and heavy dinners. The Marriott gym is well equipped, and I did a 75 min bike yesterday (instead of 90 min due to a dinner appointment). Today, I hit the gym for weight training, followed by a swim in the heated indoor pool.
The pool is short (about 12 m?) and small. Lucky for me, there was a separator lane that was vacated by another swimmer just as I was about to start. After a few min warmup, I did 15 min (almost non-stop) swim - not sure how many laps. Short rest, followed by another 15 min. Then a short warmdown. Took about 10 to 12 strokes per lap. That should translate to 22 to 24 strokes for 25 m. Hope to cut that down to 20 strokes as advocated by TM.
Felt pretty good about the progress so far. Focus on the arm pull motion - the catch only after the other hand has "chased up" and to bend the arm on the stroke. Typically, I was able to do a good "kick" as the hands reach the hips. Also had to make sure that my arm does not cross the center line so as to avoid unnecessary side motion.
For my friends who expressed concern over the possible osteoarthritis, I am happy to report that my right knee is much improved after three days of glucosamine pills. Much less stiffness and no pain at night. :) Still, to be safe, I will be seeing my GP after I get home.
My take is that we often take our well being for granted. The farmer may occasionally twist his ankle, but hopes not to break his leg. Likewise for the soldier and athlete. So every time we are able to go out to run, bike or swim, let's give thanks. As a friend said to me once, it is the joy of training rather than the competing that spurs him on. Amen.
As usual, it is a relief to get to the gym after long conference sessions and heavy dinners. The Marriott gym is well equipped, and I did a 75 min bike yesterday (instead of 90 min due to a dinner appointment). Today, I hit the gym for weight training, followed by a swim in the heated indoor pool.
The pool is short (about 12 m?) and small. Lucky for me, there was a separator lane that was vacated by another swimmer just as I was about to start. After a few min warmup, I did 15 min (almost non-stop) swim - not sure how many laps. Short rest, followed by another 15 min. Then a short warmdown. Took about 10 to 12 strokes per lap. That should translate to 22 to 24 strokes for 25 m. Hope to cut that down to 20 strokes as advocated by TM.
Felt pretty good about the progress so far. Focus on the arm pull motion - the catch only after the other hand has "chased up" and to bend the arm on the stroke. Typically, I was able to do a good "kick" as the hands reach the hips. Also had to make sure that my arm does not cross the center line so as to avoid unnecessary side motion.
For my friends who expressed concern over the possible osteoarthritis, I am happy to report that my right knee is much improved after three days of glucosamine pills. Much less stiffness and no pain at night. :) Still, to be safe, I will be seeing my GP after I get home.
My take is that we often take our well being for granted. The farmer may occasionally twist his ankle, but hopes not to break his leg. Likewise for the soldier and athlete. So every time we are able to go out to run, bike or swim, let's give thanks. As a friend said to me once, it is the joy of training rather than the competing that spurs him on. Amen.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
First post of 2009
Jan 1, 2009.
New year. Found myself celebrating new year in Singapore and San Francisco (21 hours later). Actually celebrating is the wrong word, since there were no parties or gathering ... since passengers in the airplane do not constitute a gathering. Had to travel to SF for my annual pilgrimage. Good thing, the weather in SF is not too bad, at least warmer than Maastricht.
For some weeks now, my right knee has been troubling me. It does not hurt when I run, swim or bike, but when I stay still for too long, my right leg stiffens up and the inner part of the knee hurts when I move. The pain was so bad that I woke up many times during the night. I experienced this kind of pain only after a hard / fast run. But since I have only done slow leisurely runs (once a week) since SCSM, it is a bit of a puzzle. For some moments, I actually wondered if this is the end of running for me! After all, many ex-runners stop because of knee problems.
I figured that it was because I stopped taking glucosamine for a while (since November). So I resumed my daily dosage, and will see if that is indeed the cause.
If things don't get better, that would be the end of this blog (not that many will notice). I guess MBH would be quite happy with that outcome. :(
New year. Found myself celebrating new year in Singapore and San Francisco (21 hours later). Actually celebrating is the wrong word, since there were no parties or gathering ... since passengers in the airplane do not constitute a gathering. Had to travel to SF for my annual pilgrimage. Good thing, the weather in SF is not too bad, at least warmer than Maastricht.
For some weeks now, my right knee has been troubling me. It does not hurt when I run, swim or bike, but when I stay still for too long, my right leg stiffens up and the inner part of the knee hurts when I move. The pain was so bad that I woke up many times during the night. I experienced this kind of pain only after a hard / fast run. But since I have only done slow leisurely runs (once a week) since SCSM, it is a bit of a puzzle. For some moments, I actually wondered if this is the end of running for me! After all, many ex-runners stop because of knee problems.
I figured that it was because I stopped taking glucosamine for a while (since November). So I resumed my daily dosage, and will see if that is indeed the cause.
If things don't get better, that would be the end of this blog (not that many will notice). I guess MBH would be quite happy with that outcome. :(
Monday, November 17, 2008
TLog: Battle stations
With just 10 days to D-Day, and the uncooperative weather, we had to reschedule the final field exercise a couple of times. It was all systems go on that the evening (to simulate D-Day conditions), after the men had two full days of rest. The exercise comprises three manoeuvres, each with increasing level of difficulty.
The first manoeuvre had seven checkpoints and the men did well, surpassing the anticipated times: 5:45 (6:00), 6:10, 5:57, 5:53, 6:07, 6:07 (6:10). Form appeared very good, probably the two days of rest helped. The second manoeuvre went pretty smoothly as well - 6:01, 5:58, 6:01, 6:11 (6:06) - until the fourth checkpoint. One of the men started experiencing pain in the knee. Started with tightness, but developed into pain by the fourth checkpoint. I decided that it was more prudent to fail the exercise than to lose the battle. So called a change in exercise objective - called off the third manoeuvre and did a slow march instead. At completion (20 k), it was emergency first aid for the knee.
The prognosis wasn't too good, as the knee was stiff and painful for 24 hours. But fortunately, the pain went away by Sunday. So going to put the men through an easy pace this week (in the middle east!) for final systems check.
The first manoeuvre had seven checkpoints and the men did well, surpassing the anticipated times: 5:45 (6:00), 6:10, 5:57, 5:53, 6:07, 6:07 (6:10). Form appeared very good, probably the two days of rest helped. The second manoeuvre went pretty smoothly as well - 6:01, 5:58, 6:01, 6:11 (6:06) - until the fourth checkpoint. One of the men started experiencing pain in the knee. Started with tightness, but developed into pain by the fourth checkpoint. I decided that it was more prudent to fail the exercise than to lose the battle. So called a change in exercise objective - called off the third manoeuvre and did a slow march instead. At completion (20 k), it was emergency first aid for the knee.
The prognosis wasn't too good, as the knee was stiff and painful for 24 hours. But fortunately, the pain went away by Sunday. So going to put the men through an easy pace this week (in the middle east!) for final systems check.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
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,
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."
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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! :)
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! :)
Monday, May 26, 2008
My first distance event: SCSM 2006
Some time in mid 2006, a good friend - M - asked me to join him for the half marathon at the annual Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. It was getting boring running 5k 5 times a week on the treadmill anyway. So I thought "why not?"
On hindsight, it was a reckless decision. At that time, my longest run was no more than 10k (only once, and had to take a nap that afternoon). Additionally, I hardly ventured outside of the gym and treadmill. As one of my colleagues so politely puts it, "All you have to do on the treadmill is to lift your legs!" The last time I participated in a race was almost 20 years ago, in a 10k run through Queenstown. All I thought then was that I needed to try something different as the body is conditioned to the 5k routine. [A related motivation was to lose more weight, a flawed notion as I soon discovered!]
Anyway, I started running longer distances, and outside of the gym. The term "Endurance Running" is not yet part of my vocabulary. My first run was at the east coast with my good friend M. It was a 9k run from car park B to the seafood center and back. It was an experience... feeling the sea breeze, watching the sun set, and needless to say, the eye candy and everything else ...
I followed a program that I found on the web... can't even remember what it was, but it was when I started to learn about tempo runs, long runs, speed drills, etc. To be honest, I had no inkling of pace and no idea of what I was trying to achieve, except to be able to run progressively longer distances. 21k was my target. All I did was to run as fast as I could (which isn't very fast). With the wisdom of hindsight, I was training at my 5k pace. But then, I had only one speed for all distances.
You can guess what happened next. Yes, a running injury.
A month before the event, another good friend, PK, challenged me to run the event within 2 hours. (I didn't know then, but do now, that PK used to race for his JC!) Silly me, without any idea of what that entailed, merely went out to try to achieve that timing one week before the race. Yes. That got me into my first (and hopefully only) injury ... a bad case of plantar facisitis (PF) on my right foot.
I limped through that week, and participating in the race was very much in doubt. My foot hurt when I put my weight on it. It hurt even when I slept. That's when I learned about tapering and self awareness. It taught me a painful lesson, and from that, my goal nowadays is to run injury free!
Miraculously, one day before the race, I was able to walk without too much pain. And I showed up at the Esplanade on the morning of Dec 3 with my bib duly pinned on my singlet.
The first thing that amazed me was the sheer number of people who showed up. I couldn't believe that there were so many people as crazy as I was. Lining up at the starting point with M was electrifying. What did I get myself into?
The horn went off, and the half marathon crowd started off, slowly at first, and when we passed the gentry, the beeping sounds as championship chips record their digital signals - beep, beep, beep - appeared to accelerate in tandem with my heartbeat. The race was on.
Amidst the bustle and jostling and pounding of feet, M and I got off to a good start. Or so we thought. About 1.5k down Shenton Way, I couldn't help but wonder why a number of runners had to peel off in search of toilets. Didn't they go to the john before the flag off?
A left into Marina South, and under the AYE-Sheares Bridge we went. M told me to go ahead, as he didn't train that well. So off I continued, at a pretty brisk pace. My foot was holding up and I was good. A good number of full marathon runners were still on the first 10k at that point, so were the fast 10k runners. (The flag off time was about 15 minutes apart.)
At first it was just the sound. The sound of tin cans rattling and cranking away. Soon enough, I discovered that the sound was from a lady runner pulling a car tyre with cans tied to it. I found out later that she finished the marathon (full 42k!) and more importantly, she did it to promote environmentalism.
The 10k turn off midway through Marina South. Lucky guys, I thought to myself. But the rest valiantly went on. At the turnaround, the usual beeping as we ran through the mat. What if my chip malfunction? Won't that be just awful?
On the return leg, I looked out for M, but there were just too many runners. Started to understand how different categories were differentiated. White for full, yellow for half, etc. Hey, I am running. I am racing. I am doing it!
That sense of elation carried me through (with some help from a powerbar gel) until we were past the Esplanade and into Marina Central/Suntec area. The second turn around was where the full marathoners bid farewell to us. They were off to the East Coast, and barely one third of the way through. How daunting, I thought to myself. Kenny was on that run, and I wished him well.
It was then that I realized that the group of runners I was pacing were not turning around. They were running the full marathon. No wonder they were going at a more comfortable pace. I had to pick up my pace. Unfortunately, by then, my engine was running on close to empty. This feeling was quite familiar by that point ... I felt that way on any run longer than 15k. I slowed but kept going.
Later on, I complained to M that the organizers did not post km markers on the last 5 k of the route. He assured me that the markers were there. I just didn't notice them. What I noticed was the back signs of a number of participants who passed me. There were many interesting back bibs.. but that will have to wait for some other time.
As we came back into the last stretch along the Padang, I managed to pick up the pace. Not for long, though. I felt sharp pains on my right thigh on the last 100m. Uh uh... not good. But my foot was still holding. A few more meters, and with one last beep as I crossed the ending line.
My polar watch told me that i completed in about 2:18. Terribly far off from the 2-hour goal I had. But I did it!
M sms me later to congratulate ourselves that we did it! And at our age, that was an accomplishment. Strangely enough, on my drive home, I felt a sense of dissatisfaction that many runners, as I found out subsequently, felt. I wasn't really happy with my timing. I slowed down toward the end. The weather was relatively cool as it was overcast throughout the 2 to 3 hours. Many commentators noted that the weather was "ideal" that day. I could have come in with a better time. I could have done better. I could have, I should have.
M emailed this: "Well we did it.... and at our age and despite the fact that we were never school runners makes it even more satisfying..don't you think?"
Two days later, after the initial weariness and aches subsided, I knew that I have to sign up for another half marathon.
Honor Roll: ASICS Kayano (retired after this race... wrong foot type)
On hindsight, it was a reckless decision. At that time, my longest run was no more than 10k (only once, and had to take a nap that afternoon). Additionally, I hardly ventured outside of the gym and treadmill. As one of my colleagues so politely puts it, "All you have to do on the treadmill is to lift your legs!" The last time I participated in a race was almost 20 years ago, in a 10k run through Queenstown. All I thought then was that I needed to try something different as the body is conditioned to the 5k routine. [A related motivation was to lose more weight, a flawed notion as I soon discovered!]
Anyway, I started running longer distances, and outside of the gym. The term "Endurance Running" is not yet part of my vocabulary. My first run was at the east coast with my good friend M. It was a 9k run from car park B to the seafood center and back. It was an experience... feeling the sea breeze, watching the sun set, and needless to say, the eye candy and everything else ...
I followed a program that I found on the web... can't even remember what it was, but it was when I started to learn about tempo runs, long runs, speed drills, etc. To be honest, I had no inkling of pace and no idea of what I was trying to achieve, except to be able to run progressively longer distances. 21k was my target. All I did was to run as fast as I could (which isn't very fast). With the wisdom of hindsight, I was training at my 5k pace. But then, I had only one speed for all distances.
You can guess what happened next. Yes, a running injury.
A month before the event, another good friend, PK, challenged me to run the event within 2 hours. (I didn't know then, but do now, that PK used to race for his JC!) Silly me, without any idea of what that entailed, merely went out to try to achieve that timing one week before the race. Yes. That got me into my first (and hopefully only) injury ... a bad case of plantar facisitis (PF) on my right foot.
I limped through that week, and participating in the race was very much in doubt. My foot hurt when I put my weight on it. It hurt even when I slept. That's when I learned about tapering and self awareness. It taught me a painful lesson, and from that, my goal nowadays is to run injury free!
Miraculously, one day before the race, I was able to walk without too much pain. And I showed up at the Esplanade on the morning of Dec 3 with my bib duly pinned on my singlet.
The first thing that amazed me was the sheer number of people who showed up. I couldn't believe that there were so many people as crazy as I was. Lining up at the starting point with M was electrifying. What did I get myself into?
The horn went off, and the half marathon crowd started off, slowly at first, and when we passed the gentry, the beeping sounds as championship chips record their digital signals - beep, beep, beep - appeared to accelerate in tandem with my heartbeat. The race was on.
Amidst the bustle and jostling and pounding of feet, M and I got off to a good start. Or so we thought. About 1.5k down Shenton Way, I couldn't help but wonder why a number of runners had to peel off in search of toilets. Didn't they go to the john before the flag off?
A left into Marina South, and under the AYE-Sheares Bridge we went. M told me to go ahead, as he didn't train that well. So off I continued, at a pretty brisk pace. My foot was holding up and I was good. A good number of full marathon runners were still on the first 10k at that point, so were the fast 10k runners. (The flag off time was about 15 minutes apart.)
At first it was just the sound. The sound of tin cans rattling and cranking away. Soon enough, I discovered that the sound was from a lady runner pulling a car tyre with cans tied to it. I found out later that she finished the marathon (full 42k!) and more importantly, she did it to promote environmentalism.
The 10k turn off midway through Marina South. Lucky guys, I thought to myself. But the rest valiantly went on. At the turnaround, the usual beeping as we ran through the mat. What if my chip malfunction? Won't that be just awful?
On the return leg, I looked out for M, but there were just too many runners. Started to understand how different categories were differentiated. White for full, yellow for half, etc. Hey, I am running. I am racing. I am doing it!
That sense of elation carried me through (with some help from a powerbar gel) until we were past the Esplanade and into Marina Central/Suntec area. The second turn around was where the full marathoners bid farewell to us. They were off to the East Coast, and barely one third of the way through. How daunting, I thought to myself. Kenny was on that run, and I wished him well.
It was then that I realized that the group of runners I was pacing were not turning around. They were running the full marathon. No wonder they were going at a more comfortable pace. I had to pick up my pace. Unfortunately, by then, my engine was running on close to empty. This feeling was quite familiar by that point ... I felt that way on any run longer than 15k. I slowed but kept going.
Later on, I complained to M that the organizers did not post km markers on the last 5 k of the route. He assured me that the markers were there. I just didn't notice them. What I noticed was the back signs of a number of participants who passed me. There were many interesting back bibs.. but that will have to wait for some other time.
As we came back into the last stretch along the Padang, I managed to pick up the pace. Not for long, though. I felt sharp pains on my right thigh on the last 100m. Uh uh... not good. But my foot was still holding. A few more meters, and with one last beep as I crossed the ending line.
My polar watch told me that i completed in about 2:18. Terribly far off from the 2-hour goal I had. But I did it!
M sms me later to congratulate ourselves that we did it! And at our age, that was an accomplishment. Strangely enough, on my drive home, I felt a sense of dissatisfaction that many runners, as I found out subsequently, felt. I wasn't really happy with my timing. I slowed down toward the end. The weather was relatively cool as it was overcast throughout the 2 to 3 hours. Many commentators noted that the weather was "ideal" that day. I could have come in with a better time. I could have done better. I could have, I should have.
M emailed this: "Well we did it.... and at our age and despite the fact that we were never school runners makes it even more satisfying..don't you think?"
Two days later, after the initial weariness and aches subsided, I knew that I have to sign up for another half marathon.
Honor Roll: ASICS Kayano (retired after this race... wrong foot type)
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