Swimming Duku

Today I went for a swim with my anonymous friend. It's been quite some time since I swam. The last time I did, it was during the NTU Sundown Swimathon which lasted through the night. Today's session is sort of like a break from all the running. Not that I have been running a lot in the first place but a change is always nice.

But my day didn't turn out so well at the start. Last night, I slept at close to 2. This morning, I woke up at 630. Dammit. Too early for me cos I'm a guy who really treasures my sleep. Oh well. My day began with a lot of driving. Then, the sky grew dark and it started pouring. It's pretty scary when you drive in such bad weather. But then again, the silver lining was swimming may have to be cancelled and I can get back to sleep. :) What a pleasant thought. Unfortunately, the sky started to clear by about 10am and it seemed inevitable that I have to put my tired body into the swimming pool. Crap. Oh well. I should go swimming, shouldn't I? Considering the fact that I have not run since my very long run last Friday night, I kind of feel guilty for not running. In addition, I planned to run like on Monday and last night as well. The key word is planned. I didn't run in the end. The Procastinator in me was simply overpowering. Hence, I have to psycho myself to swim today. I must. Crap.

So off at my school's pool in the town. Nice little pool on the 6th floor. Small though. Only 25m. So what this means is that I have to swim two laps to cover one lap in the big pool. Sighs. Luckily for me, I've had training in swimming previously. Thus swimming, to me, is kind of a breeze. My strokes, I would say, may not be the best but is definitely more efficient than most people. :) So I can take it easier when I swim. :) So today I did 120 laps in the pool. That's like 60 laps in the big pool or 3km. Good distance but I'm having a headache. Smaller pools means more turns. I do twice the number of turns than I would have to do in a big pool. My head's a bit light now. Still is. Also, usually after swims, my body feels exceptionally tired. So now I'm just lazing my tired body away in a cafe. Procastinating again by blogging. Crap. Okay back to work. I am so sleepy. Sigh.

Saturday's Newspaper

Did you read Saturday's Sports Section of the Straits Times? There's this article on fitness, well more on marathon running which is pretty good. It's an article from the New York Times but reproduced by the lovely people from Singapore Press Holdings. Here's a little summary of what it's about.

Constant Pace
It is important to maintain your pace in your runs. You don't really want to start off at a blistering pace but end up without ending the race yet suffer plenty of blisters. Haha. Though it gets really exciting at the start of races, always keep in mind the distance that you are trying to complete. If you are aiming to do like a 5km race, then maybe a good start off the block is essential. But for a marathon, you probably have to think twice. I have seen friends who are very very good at running long distance but coming back slower than me because they start off really quickly. There's this quote from a board I keep seeing at the StanChart Marathon. "Run Your Own Race". I think of all its quotes, this is amongst its best.

Cut down on running before the race
The second point raised was not to train so intensively just before the race. Obviously you would not want to run a 21km training the day before the Marathon would you? You will not recover for the Marathon. But then again I know of people who have done 7 Marathons in 7 Days. But that's another story. Well the point is, you do not want to exhaust yourself before your race day. So what's the guideline? I'm not too sure myself. I know of a friend who is stopping his training 10 days before his race day itself. For myself, I stop training a week before the event. Maybe within that one week I will do like a 3km really really really slow run but that's about it. My rationale is that it helps to circulate blood in my legs. Haha. But what the hell, to each his own eh. I'm weird. Haha. But in all seriousness, I stop all training at least 5 days before the event.

Personal Mantra
Having a personal mantra, or slogan if you will, is very helpful in races. This is to remind you to keep fighting hard. Remind yourself what you are training so hard for. It helped me a lot during my previous events as well as my 2.4km run. It may sound weird but self-talk and such slogans have been proven scientifically to improve athletes' performances. I read it somewhere in an Organizational Behaviour Textbook. So how do you come up with a personal mantra/slogan? Think of your own past or someone you really admire. Have you ever been in a school team that was known to win numerous trophies? Or maybe you admire some athlete? Some inspirational ones include Mr Lance Armstrong or Michael Jordan.

Drinking
Another tip given in the article is to drink water. Drink early before the race so that you do not feel bloated when you are at the starting line. And drink along the way. I like this tip a lot and I feel it is something that many runners ignore nowadays. I know of some runners who don't drink water at the earlier water points and only look for water only when they are really thirsty and dehydrated. I think that's not such a good plan. I feel that one should drink water right from the first water point. The trick is not to drink so much at a go. There's no point in running on a bloated stomach right? The tip given in this article is to fold one end of the cup into a funnel and just let it into your mouth. It doesn't matter if much of the water is not drunk. What matters is you get a little water into you. By the time you start feeling thirsty, that is already a little late to start looking for water.

Change Halfway
The last tip given in the article is to 'plant' a new set of running top along the way. It is said that it feels much better to have dry clothes that do not stick to your body during the run. Haha. I don't know what to think of this one as I have not done it. I personally feel it's too troublesome to be implemented. But hey, to each his own eh?

Hope you find these tips helpful because I did as well.


Cheers!

Long Long Run

Yesterday I went to East Coast Park for a run with two of my friends. A really really long run. It was part of my training for the Sundown Marathon. Hoping to complete and try to do a good time. A friend of mine keeps goading me to beat his timing of 4.34. I would love to do that, but that is not my main priority I guess. Completing safe and sound always is.

We started at Car Park B1, the first car park at East Coast at about 9pm. And we just ran. and ran. and ran. Past Big Splash. Past Macdonald's. Past the Chalet. Past the Seafood eating place alongside the Cable Boarding Place. Up to then, pretty fresh. Still talking to my friends. Bantering. All's good. Past Bedok Jetty and slowly but surely the fatigue begins to set in. But still talking. Then we ran past I think it's Outward Bound Singapore and then some sailing place. That's the last car park along East Coast we ran past. But on we went, continuously pounding on the road. The next landmark would be the chalets of SAFRA Recreation Club I think. This is confirmed when we ran past the entrance of the club itself. Next, we ran past this ulu restaurant called Shore Restaurant. And finally, we reached our turning point. Our turning point is where the runway actually begins. If we ran a little longer, we will hit the spetacularly boring Coastal Road. Sighs. Considering from where we started, our turning point looks very far. Damn far. Too far! haha. Time now, 10.05pm. 1 hour and 5 min of suffering, and that's only halfway. Crap..

So turn back we did and this time round, my two lovely friends were still chatting happily away. Gosh they're fit. Me? Well I'm just hanging at the back, trying my damnest to look fresh and keep up with the pace. Gosh how tired I am. But Car Park B1 is still literally miles away. Sighs. So again, step by step we went. Past SAFRA Recreational Club and to the start of East Coast. We saw a couple of other runners running pretty quickly. Being the pretentiously nice person I am, I clapped and cheer them on. They reciprocated. How nice. I sort of got a little habit of cheering people on when I see fellow runners, especially during marathons when I am suffering as much as them. I believe the appropriate word is empathy. I believe it helps them and it helps myself as well. I feel motivated myself by motivating others. But that's probably just me. Oh well, soon we reached the last car park of East Coast and we stopped for our one and only water break. Time 10:20pm. Why am I doing this?

Alas, our short water break ended and on we went. This time round, my two supremely fit friends are beginning to widen their lead. Every once in a while, they'll turn back and check if I'm still alive. How nice. What great friends I have. Past Bedok Jetty and I tell myself that's like at least 5km left. How'd I know? Well the holding area of the triathlon is always near Bedok Jetty and you have to run towards Car Park B1 for about 5km before you made your turn back to Bedok Jetty. 5km more so I tell myself. Then we had the pleasant distraction of seeing the food centre, the cable boarding place and the Seafood place. Next up, the chalets. By this time, one of my friends decided to take off and off he went, slowly but surely widening the gap between my other friend and myself. Now we are all running alone by ourselves. But he should have done that. No point running so slow to accompany slow pokes like myself. Macdonald's soon came. Again, nice distraction. It takes my mind off the mental torture of why I put myself through this. Now, we are at Area C. Sighs. Area C seemed never never never ending. It never did seem to end. I saw a signpost that said Area C and I so wished that was the last one. But alas, I saw another and another and another. I don't really like Area C.

But soon, not soon enough though, I saw from afar the beautiful lights of our starting point - the toilet at Car Park B1. Trodding painfully to the end point I told myself to push on. Finally, I past the end point. Time now 11.15pm. 2 hours 15 minutes of pain. Gosh. My legs are so soft. But I couldn't stop walking just yet. The cramps are setting in. Crap. Oh this is so painful. Why do I keep putting myself in such pain.

Oh well, the run, although torturous, was pretty good. It turned out to be a little more painful than expected but enjoyable due to the company. I think all in all, we should have complete at least 21 km, at least that's why I let myself believe. I checked my route on this webbie, mapmyrun.com, it says only 10 miles. Unbelievable. I tell myself it's a US webbie and hence not accurate. Anything to lie to myself to make myself feel better. haha. So anyway, I would like to thank my friends for the run. Good run and thanks guys. Next week, after the exams, maybe we can do another. Gosh I can't wait.. not!

Events Events Events

Currently, I am training for one event - the Sundown Marathon. It's a marathon that will last through the night. From my understanding, I believe the marathon will begin at 12am! Well there's another major event for that day. That is the Ultra-Marathon! 2 Marathons in a row! 84km! Madness! Who exactly in the right mind will put themselves through such torturous pain?

Hey but then again, when my dad was doing all his half-marathons and I haven't entered into National Service, I also thought those people who ran marathons are mad! Why pay money to suffer? Haha.. Well maybe one day you will see me participating in this distance. :P Well to my one and only er.. friend participating in this distance, all the best! :)

Well apart from Sundown Marathon, there are other events coming up. Lion City Marathon and Passion Run are two which are coming up quite soon. Right now, I'm not sure if I'll take part in that. Would make a lot of sense to be training for these events as well. But time will tell. And also if the better half of me gives me her blessings. :P

My anonymous friend has been "persuading" me to join him in an overseas marathon. He's looking at going to Australia for the Gold Coast Marathon. The marathon's on the 6th of July and it's really really tempting. But for now, it's still under consideration. Till then, will keep you updated on the events coming up.

Terrible Terrible Weather

Its 5.10pm. I was scheduled to meet my anonymous friend for our run today. Alas, someone up there doesn't really like the idea of me running today. Sigh. Have you noticed the terrible terrible weather lately? Now correct me if I am wrong but isn't December supposed to be the wetter season? Why is it that now in April is it raining as much as it was in December? This is so screwing up my already desperate running schedule. This is depressing.

Are there any suggestions for substitutes for running on such terrible terrible weather? Oh great. Lightning now as well. I guess I'm not heading back to school any time soon. So sorry anonymous friend

Men's Health Running Guide 2008

Hey

If you have not gotten your copy of Men's Health Singapore yet, do so! It has good stuff relating to running like how to run a 10km, 21km and even a 42km. Also inside is a list of the races that are coming up. Sounds like an advertising campaign eh.. Haha. Alas I'm not paid. But hey, sharing is caring. So do have a peek at the running guide. Got some good stuff there

Ciao

Pronate??

I just bought a new pair of shoes! Asics Gel Cumulus VII I think. For only $30! Super cheap! Quite happy with it. In my last article, I covered some tips on how to select shoes. Today, I will be looking at the arch of the foot and pronating.

Arch
There are three times of foot arches:

• Low Arch
  
• High Arch
• Normal Arch
  

How do you know what kind of arch do you have? It's a pretty simple test. You simply wet your feet and you stamp it onto a cement floor. There you will see the shape of your foot! Your arch would be the between the ball of your foot (which is the big round piece of meet just after your toes) and the heel (the other big ball at the end of your foot). Also, the arch is on the inside of your foot.

So if you have a big empty space, you have a high arch. If you don't see much emptiness, it means you have low arch. Simple!

Low Arch
This is also often referred as flat-footed. Basically, you do not have an arch, or you have minimal arch on your feet.

High Arch
People with high arch will realise their footprint test will show only a narrow area of their outside foot with contact with the ground.

Normal Arch
I guess most people have normal arches. If not, it would not be called normal arch in the first place! Well, it just falls in between a flat-foot and a high arch.

So is it a big deal in knowing all these? Not really except it helps you in deciding which shoes would be better for yourself. Some shoes are meant for flat feet while others cater to those with high arch. I've a normal arch. But I do not think it makes a big difference at all. But that's just me.

Pronation
This refers more to the manner in which you run. In particular, pronation relates more to how your feet contacts with the ground with every footstep.

Again, there are three types:

• Overpronate
• Underpronate
• Neutral pronate

How do you know which of the three you are? The test is to take your nicely, worn-out pair of running shoes and look at the sole. Different parts of the sole will wear out faster than the other.

Overpronate
People who overpronate will realise their shoes wear out faster on the insides of the shoes. For example, the left side of your right shoe will wear out faster than the right side of the sole. This means that as you run, you tend to land on the inside of your foot first then the rest of your foot.

Underpronate
Underpronators are the opposite. The outside of their shoes wears out faster than the inside of their shoes. So taking the right shoe again, the right side of the shoe will wear out faster than the left side of the shoe. This implies that you run more with the outside of your foot.

Neutral pronate
Neutral pronators run very nicely with even footsteps. They do not lean too much on the inside of their shoes nor do they lean too much outside of the shoes.

So what's the big deal if you are a overpronator or underpronator? I'm not sure of the significance. But hey, modern running shoes cater to different runners. Knowing how you pronate will assist you in buying a pair of shoes that better fits you.

Hope all these help in your next shoe-buying experience.

Cheers!

Buying Shoes

I'm heading down to the Asics Sale later with my friends. Hopefully, I would see a pair of shoes I like and get one at a good price. Currently, I have two pairs of running shoes and both are from New Balance. If you are new to running, here are some brands you should consider when buying running shoes.

• Asics
• New Balance
• Mizuno

Notice that the brands with a certain tick or three stripes are not in the list? Well, in my humble opinion, the shoes they sell may not be the best for running enthusiasts. Even though they're shoes look better and so much cooler, I feel that in terms of quality, they lose out to these brands. On top of which, I have heard of friends complaining their 'branded' shoes wear our really fast and the handiwork isn't the best. Hence, it is my recommendation that you consider other brands such as the ones listed above.

So what should you look out for when you get your pair of running shoes? Here are some tips which I picked up from somewhere. Don't remember where though.

Kind of running shoes

Firstly, it is important to know why you buy your shoes for. Is it for running short races? ie your 2.4km run? or is it for longer races like for marathons? or you just want to get a pair for your jogs?

By knowing what you want, you should get a better idea of what type of shoes to look at. If you are looking for one to get you that elusive Gold for your 2.4km run, you should consider getting racers. Racers are shoes that are really really really light. However, because of its need for lightness, the shoes do not provide good support. It's akin to running barefoot I feel.

The other kind of shoes, in general, I would just called them trainers. In Asics, they have a line called DS Trainers, amongst others. The other brands, I'm not really sure what they call it. Well, these 'other shoes' provide much more support in many areas of your feet. It is advisable to get these kind of shoes if you subject your feet to very long distance runnings.

But of course, in this group of 'other shoes', they can be further broken down into many various aspects. It can be divided by the width of your feet, the level of arch in your feet, etc. But this article today will not cover this in detail.

Fit

The second thing is about fit. Do the shoes fit? What is the appropriate fit? I read somewhere before that there is even an appropriate time to go buy shoes. It was mentioned in the forgotten article that your shoes will expand throughout the day and it is recommended that you buy your shoes during the afternoon when it is the biggest. To date, I have no idea if this guy is kidding or not. But it matters not to me nor should it to you. Because most shoes are sold only after 11! Royal Sporting House opens after 11. Queensway too. So, this sort of negates this issue of big feet in the afternoon.

Next, how big should your shoes be? The guideline is that when you squeeze your feet all the way to the back of the shoe, you shoe have about a thumb space in the front of your shoes. Why? A best fit shoe will result in your toes jamming to the front of the shoes very often. This will lead to very painful feet. So get one that is slightly bigger.

Well, that's it from me now. I will keep you updated on buying shoes, and other stuff soon.

Ciao

Sundown Marathon

Currently, I am training really hard for Singapore's first night marathon, Sundown Marathon! At least, I am trying to train hard for it. It is 58 days away but I'm beginning to panic! For my previous marathons, I have never clocked anything more than 21km and in terms of the number of km covered in a week is usually less than 21km as well. Haha. That explains the 5 hour plus timings. :P

Anyway, I am trying to up my trainings these few weeks as I have looked into my distant future and realise I do not have many weeks left to train. In fact, it's only 8 weeks away. So less the week before the marathon, which I do not plan to train already, that's 7 weeks. Of the 7 available weeks, 3 of them, at least, I would not be in Singapore. Hence, I would not be able to train. If I cannot train, then I will not be able to beat the time of a certain friend! So to beat my certain friend, I have to train my a** off now!!! And right now, my school term is coming to its end with exams 2 weeks away! 2 reports due, one composition and an oral exam and 2 exams to top it all. Life is great!

So later, I am off for a long run hopefully. That is, pending it doesn't rain before my run, and definitely not during my run. I have never run in pouring conditions and I do not plan to start. Fingers crossed! :)

Asics Sale

Hi Friends..

Got hold of news of a sale on asics stuff. So if you need new running apparels or new shoes, you should check this out!


Cheers!