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."