Reflecting on 2009 !

2009 has been a memorable year for my running as I moved from 10K and started working on longer distances. It has definitely been a learning experience at each race as well during my training. I have definitely grown much strong over this year, feels like a fresh breath of life sipped in ! :) It's been great fun as well meeting and expanding a new circle of friends(i.e. Kim, June, Chiat, Apple, etc) from all parts of the world whom are passionate about running !

3 lessons learned in 2009

1) Persistance & Resilience

A core aspect in almost everything that you approach in life. In running it's a key factor to progress for there will be days where things go the opposite direction(i.e. your body, the weather, the "body over mind syndrome", etc) And this is where you need to summon that inner reservoir of will to push forward. Injuries, disappointments will always be part and parcel of any sports, its moving beyond that point that matters.

2) Training Plan and Logging

Having a training plan is one but making sure that you log data into in and keep monitoring mileage as well as progress is equally important. It really serves as crucial information to get back to really find out what works and what does not. Keeping refining it over time.

3) Keep the "Cup" always "Empty"

As I was recently reminded while watching AVATAR, "I cannot teach you if your cup is full - Moat", learning is a continuous process and its always advisable to keep your "Cup" empty so as to facilitate the learning and improvement.

Next the cool races that I have participated this year

2009 Hall of Fame Achievements

1) Teluk Kumbar 6K ( APRIL) - Done (00:32:00)
2) Earth Day Run 10K (APRIL) - Done (00:59:00)
3) Bidor Half Marathon (APRIL) - Done (2:38:00)
4) Labor Day Run (MAY) - Done (00:28:00)
5) Malakoff 26K (JUNE) - Done (03:30:00)
6) KL International Marathon (JUNE) - Done (02:43:41.91)
7) Penang Bridge International Marathon - Half (22nd NOV) - Done (2:58:48)

Running Statistics for 2009

It's been an amazing year for my running, a big thank you to all my friends whom have been supportive throughout 2009, I look forward to your continued support in 2010 ! Here's looking at 2010, another year of outstanding achievements ! Happy New Year 2010 wishes to all runners ! :)

The Adventure Continues ! :))

Season's Greetings !

Dear Running Buddies ! Season's Greeting to everyone :) It's been an amazing year for my running adventures, filled with lots memorable moments. I am grateful for all the support I've got from mentors(i.e. Sifu, Kim), family and friends. It's been a journey of getting stronger and learning's each passing day. Not forgetting meeting new friends both the marathon and triathlon world. Looking for another outstanding 2010 running year and here's wishes all runners best wishes for 2010 in your running endeavors, may there be more memories, more events, PRs not forgetting more fun too, have a blast running into 2010 !

PBIM 2009 : Here We Go !

My most anticipated race of the year and one that I actually diligently prepared the most for. I was in such a frenzy on Saturday in anticipation of the race that I got enough rest. I left in the wee hours of the morning to pick another few runners(i.e. Chiat & Apple) whom were running the race as well. These are seasoned two triathletes whom were participating in the race.

We reached about 1:00am and wandered around and deposited our bags. I was munching on my power bar and sipping on my GU dehydration mix. Somehow or rather I was feeling more dehydrated that I should eventhough I was sufficiently drink throughout Friday and Saturday. So it was weird to say the least.

Our Chief Minister Mr. Lim Guan Eng was gracious enough to be present to let the runners off for all categories, that was indeed a pleasant surprise. So after around 3:00 am, we were all lined up at the starting line. The Half Marathon category seemed to have quite the participation from all ages, it was large group to say the least.

At 3:30 am sharp, we were off, yippee !!! I was running with Chiat and another of his friends. Apple and her running partner were scheduled to start 15 minutes later. We started turning into the bridge when I started feeling a sharp pain on my Achilles on my left leg, this persisted all the way. At the 19mile, the pain was too overwhelming and I had to resort to walking/running for the last 3 miles :(.

My fueling strategy did not quite work up to my expectations as I did not stop at any water station and relied solely at my water bottles. Something not right somewhere, need to revisit this. When I reached the finish line, its was nice to see Chiat and Apple cheering me on to finish strong. I crossed the mat and heard the beep beep but at the same time my heart sank.

I was really disappointed with the outcome as I put a lot of time into my training. One part of part of me was sad but another part was searching to look at what went wrong and see how the next time could be a different experience altogether. Nevertheless it was a fun experience being able to run along side other friends and enjoying the true spirit of the marathon !

My Results : 2:58:48 (Champion Chip Net Time)

Half Marathon Video by http://runwitme.blogspot.com

Well its back to the drawing board to carve the next the big plan for 2010 , till then the adventure continues ! :)

Nike+ Enhancements, Love it !

The new Nike+ Enhancement looks great ! :) , caught me by surprised when I uploaded my training data to Nike+, smooth interface, more granular look into your runs. Still some quirks though (i.e. Twitter integration issues) but it time is should be fixed. A much welcomed change and improvement to the Nike+ site. Looking forward to more enhancements

USM-Bukit 5 Miler Route

Rest Days by Bart Yasso

Run Fast, Run Strong by Bart Yasso

Newton Gravity : First Impressions !

My new trainers have arrived as I am retiring my NIKE's from the running scene. It's my NEWTON Gravity ! I loved the packaging(i.e. recycleable box that it came with, very nice indeed ! :) It's was supposed to arrive tomorrow but I thrilled when I received today. Definately a double bottomline company ! Kudos to the NEWTON Team !

The color is quite striking though, would have preferred some lighter tones, maybe its a good thing who knows ! ;) I took it out for a run and could immediately feel the difference, feels a bit weird though but I believe I need some time to get adjusted to the LAND-LEVER-LIFT fore-foot running.

Took for a 4 mile run as per my TrainingPeaks.com schedule as I am preparing for a Half Marathon in November, perfect timing ! New training schedule + new shoes, looking forward to good times ;) I enjoyed the run as well as noted the change in feel on my foot striking the ground. I was still somewhat using my heels a fair bit but in I believe it will change as my running gait needs to be re-adjusted to accomodate the fore-foot running mechanism.

As for the shoe itself, it was not as comfortable as my NIKEs but the cushion was alright I guess. Another concern that I had that it was a bit tight on the fore foot side because I have a pretty wide feet. I have more than enough space in toe box though. I think this one is a feedback back to makers and hope in the future they will make some provision for "wide foots".

It's a good start I must say but its still early to give a concrete review, looking forward to my longer runs :) Should you be interested in getting a pair browse on over to > Quick Sports under the Footware Section but visit Newton Running website first ;)

Hydration and its Importance !

The Tech Behind a Pair of NEWTON's ... Wow !

Vibram's Five Fingers ... Cool !

Barefoot Running > Throw my NIKE's away ??

Interesting read on barefoot running, take a stab at it here :)

Bart Yasso : Long Runs !

Bart Yasso : Hill Training

The Owww Factor : Common Injuries - Extract from RunnersWorld.com

Hurt Feelings
Four common injuries—and how to treat them
By Michelle Hamilton

Every runner hates to get sidelined. Unfortunately, any time you ratchet up your training, your chance of getting hurt rises, says Clint Verran, a 2:14 marathoner and physical therapist in Lake Orion, Michigan. Your best bet is to follow tried-and-true training advice: Build mileage slowly, add intervals gradually—and address aches and pains immediately. Here's how.


Shinsplints

The Hurt
Any pain on the front of the lower leg

The Cause
Running in worn-out shoes or dialing up your mileage or speed too quickly can lead to inflammation, a muscle tear, or a stress fracture. "Shin pain is usually caused by overpronation or a high arch, both of which can be corrected by wearing a more stable or more cushioned shoe," says Verran.

The Fix
Ice twice a day for 15 minutes, and stretch your calves. Go to a specialty running store to determine your foot type and find the right shoe (and don't go beyond 400 miles in any pair). You can also experiment with over-the-counter inserts for greater arch support, says Verran.


Plantar Fasciitis

The Hurt
Pain in the bottom of the foot, sometimes between the arch and the heel. "If the first few steps out of bed in the morning hurt, you have plantar fasciitis," says Verran.

The Cause
The inflammation of the plantar fascia is usually due to a high arch or a tight Achilles tendon, which connects the calf muscles to the heel. Also, Verran sees more cases in the summer and fall in people who spend their time barefoot or in flip-flops.

The Fix
Ice where it hurts, and stretch your calves. Another trick: Roll out the bottom of your foot with a golf ball to elongate the fascia. And consider added arch support with an over-the-counter insert or custom orthotics.


Runner's Knee

The Hurt
Soreness or pain around the front and inside of your kneecap

The Cause
The inflammation of the connective tendon in and around the knee or damage to the cartilage under you kneecap often leads to patella pain. It's often associated with overpronation, too much mileage, running in worn-out shoes, and weak thighs and glutes.

The Fix
Take two days off and ice for 15 minutes twice a day. Get a more stable shoe. Strengthen your hips, quads, and hamstrings. "You could also try a Cho-Pat, a knee strap," says Verran. "Half the people who use them find relief."


IT-Band Syndrome (ITBS)

The Hurt
Sharp stab, ache, or burning sensation on the outside of the knee due to an inflamed iliotibial band (ITB), a long band of connective tissue that runs over the outer bone of the knee and along your upper leg.

The Cause
A sharp increase in mileage, hill work, or speedwork can stress your ITB.

The Fix
"Get on a foam roller," says Verran. "Rolling out the sides of your legs helps treat and prevent IT-band pain." Roll out your IT band after every run, then ice the outside of the knee for 15 minutes twice a day.

Looking Forward to Adding this My Running Playlist :))

Standard Charted KL International Marathon 2009

Yesterday was a big day with all the preparation's put towards this event and happy with results that I obtained which is 02:40:00 for my 21K, yippeee !!! The event itself was quite the experience from the race pack pick up till the begining of the event itself. I got my stuff's on Friday morning as I did not want be crushed in between the 12,500 participants of the event ;)

It was Sunday morning, got up early early 2:30 am and started through my pre-race ritual as always. I really getting good at this ... *Self Pat Pat :)) Had my driver drop (aka my brother) as close as possible to the venue. I was there quite early as I wanted to watch the release of the Full Marathon runners. As the Full Marathon Runners lined up at Starting it started to pour but the runners were ready to go, the gun went off they were off !! Cheered them on !

Soon after I took a walk around to deposit my bag and munched on my Power Bar. It was around 5:30am and started my warmup routine. There was quite a crowd for the Half Marathon, soon it was time and I walked into the starting lane. Had a chat with senior whom was 70 plus and had run many many marathon and he was so excited. Wished him best of luck and soon its was TIME !! 6:15am and the gun went, whooopeeee, we were off !!!!!!!!!

I started steadily following the dense pack as there were so many runners side by side. It was only after the 2nd KM it started to break slowly and continued to pace on steadily. There was a confusion with the distance markers as I felt they were wrong double checking with Nike+, that would have given many runners the wrong impression of the distance left to cover.

Traffic control by the police at certain junction is bad ! Some runners almost got run over, the police at some location were slack causing considerable danger to runners. The so called individual to cheer on the runners were an absolute waste money, they were just standing there expressionless !!! After 02:40:00 I finally reached the finish line in all its glory, just to have to stopped by some with a wand to detect my BID id, almost rammed into the person !

Then I had to stand for another 45minutes to collect my baggage, was lane super long sheeshhh ..... finally got it and got my drink and was sipping away! :)) Was looking at my new shinny shinny > Finishers Medal for SCKLM and met some of the fellow runners for chit chat. Went home tired but accomplished, it was my best time ever for my 21K ! Well it going to get even better that I promise myself !! Next PBIM 2009 ! The adventure continues .....

Updated Stats From SCKLM Website :))

Name:	KUMAR A/L RAMASAMY (MAS)
Net Start:	06:14:17	Category:	Half Marathon 21km
Net Time:	02:42:25	Position:	1231
Finish Timing:	02:43:41.91

Forefoot Running by Newton Running .. Tks to Charles Low (SCKLM Runner)

Dynamic Stretching vs. Static Stretching for Runners

Static Stretching is any stretch pose that you hold for more that 30sec or a long duration. This most commonly what runners end up doing before a run. But the opposite is required which is Dynamic Stretching that engages a few muscle groups at one go. This is ideal the better approach, meaning do dynamic stretches before you run and static stretches after you finish a run. The video bellow outlines some examples of dynamic stretching ... remember always STREEETCCHHHH :)

Insightful Training Videos by Ryan Hill for Full/Half Marathons ;)

An outstanding set of video cataloguing Ryan Hall's training for preparation for Full/Half Marathon. Excellent set of video about training for a full/half marathon (i.e. tempo runs, interval runs, sprints, recovery, etc). Its also includes a pdf of 12 week training plan for those preparing to full/half marathon. Quick move that arrow over here and click !

Miley Cirus - The Climb (Thks To SCKLM Twitter !)

My 2 Cents On Running (Part 1)

After running quite a fair bit of runs this year and injuring myself on countless occasion I think its time to put some of learning's to my running blog.

Some of the myths about running a marathon, this is not a sprint event, this is an endurance event. If you can actually sprint then your in a class of your own ! Training is a progressive effort and too much too such can be seriously detrimental to your progress and may lead injuries.(which I learned the hard way, ouch ouch)

There is a several aspects that you need to be aware of when it comes to running
1) Training Regime
2) Nutrition (Water, Sport Drink, Pre-Run Meal, Post Run Meal)
3) Running Shoes
4) Apparel (Shirt, Pants, Tights, Socks)
5) Injury Prevention (Physiotherapy, Stretching, Vaseline, Antacids)

Training Regime

Training is pivotal to your progress, whether your aim to better your PR(i.e. Personal Record) or compete. As far as training is concern the MOST important thing is to gauge and know where you are in (i.e. state of enery, strength, endurance). Start from this point and build incrementally.

A very important point is to LISTEN to your body, know when you need to REST, REST is a very IMPORTANT element of training regime. You allow your body to REST and RECUPERATE so that you move the next stage of training.

Have a TRAINING plan and prepare towards it, keep to you PLAN, DO NOT GIVE EXCUSES, you must have the DISCPLINE. So when you create the PLAN, create allowances that will work for you.

Your training program must match your ability, you will grow stronger if your train progressively. DO NOT do TO MUCH to SOON ! Make sure that you have variety in your training which is a mix of interval, hill, tempo and endurance. There are a lot of website that could help you with this. (i.e. http://www.runnersworld.com)

It's IMPORTANT that you set a day in the week to do LONG RUNS especially during the weekend. Target running on different surfaces (i.e. treadmills, fields, track, roads). Different surfaces will give you a different feel and also provide a different resistance. It's important that you run on roads at least once a week at the very minimum as its totally different compared to running on treadmills.

Outdoor running is more IMPORTANT than running in the gym as it prepares you for the various scenario's like wind chill, surface variations, heat, etc. It's important also you vary your runs at different time of day (i.e. Early Morning, Afternoon, Evening) to get your used to different temperature fluctuations. I have varied my running times and found indeed the experience is totally different.

Key Takeways on Training
1) Have a PLAN thats works for you
2) Diligently Execute on IT !
3) Monitor and Improve
4) Create a Variation (i.e. tempo, interval, endurance)
5) Training Surface and Time of Day

Well I think this should be enough as serious there is so many dynamics to the topic of training and I've just begun to scratch the surface plus I am still learning ... thus the adventure continues till the next Part ! Till then HAPPY RUNNING !

Malakoff 26K 2009

The Malakoff 26K was a blast ! It was an early morning race starting of at 5:30am, a good timing indeed. Reached there about 4:00 am so that I could get a good parking spot :) It was cool .. was freezing my butt off , did a bit of warm up to get the body powered up. Soon after went over to get the starting at was at the start line.

There was an assortment of runners ranging from old to to young and also visitors from globally. It was nice sight, met a few of my running buddies, so familiar faces :) Sharp 5:30am the gun went off and we were off ! It was a grueling start as it started hilly, man was there a lot of hills and they were steep, thank God for my hill training, phew.

Navigated through the hilly terrain and finally came to flat part of run. My right nipple was hurting and initially brushed it off and pressed on but I later found out that it was actually bleeding and my vest was bloody, damn I need nipple stickers !! I ran out of gas after the 15K mark and my hamstrings were killing.

I pushed on running/walking for the rest of the race till the finish line. I reached the finish line approximately 3:30:00, not bad for a first attempt ! It was a great experience in terms of preparing for the event, lots of learning and things to fine before the next big adventure ... Standard Chartered's KL International ..... and the adventure continues !!!!!! :)

Bukit Jambul Hill Training

21K Run Route (IVORY)

Training Routes : 12K Route from USM

CW-X Field Test

The weather today was rather dull due to a hazy fog coming in and the overall warm ambiance did not do much justice. Head off to the running track at a local university(USM) for my first track run in long long long time. It was an interesting experience , slipped on the CWX and went for a run. The CW-X is a very comfortable and nice fit, initially was a bit weird though but after a lap around the track it was a super snuggle fit.

Had to abruptly stop after 5K as the track was being setup for a football match, bummer indeed. :( no worries gonna hit the track tomorrow morning. Will need to try it over a longer distance do test on the feel and functionality. But first impression on CW-X is two thumbs up ! ;) Check out the gear at here !

Hydration ! Gulp, gulp, gulp .... aaaaaahhhhh !

Hydration is such an important factor for runners yet its very individual. I always has intermittent water needs, my thirst sensor must be out of whack ! Sometimes I only feel thirsty after run more than 5Ks sometimes its much less .... I still experimenting on whats right for me.

Whilst searching for some guidelines for hydration, I came across this recommendation from AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Race), check it out and may you never go thirsty again ... me hopes !!

Calf Stretchhhhh !!!!!

My physio always tells me, your calf's are still tight and I keep wondering what stretches I could do to loosen the up because the can cause serious injuries. Also the fact the they get much tight as we age ... tsk tsk tsk. Happen to bump into this article on stretching for your calf muscle, happy stretchingggg .....

Core Development

A strong core is crucial for any runner. As much care and effort is required in developing strength and speed, core strength is a big contributer. This article from Runner's World outlines workouts suited for core development. Improvement of your core provides a great boost to your running.

Mile Repeats by Bart Yasso

Antacids and Doing the Salt > Field Test

Great morning today, prayed to the GODs last night so that there will be no rain this morning (it actually came through) so that I could get some quality run done and also test race day practices (antacids and doing the salt thingy).

The antacids tablets worked great today, popped 2 in just before the run. My tummy felt great all the way during the run except for the grumble during the last few kilometers,hehehe. Overall the great results, will definitely recommend to runners.

As for doing the salt, its was a salty experience to say the list and quite uncomfortable to do and needs a bit of practice. Especially the amount of salt your going to put under your tougue ! Plus licking it off you back of your ... hmmm ... interesting experience. This still needs some practice and tweaking .....

Good morning run, need to tweak on the morning pre-run meal to improve energy mgmt, was totally drained out towards the end.

Till the next Adventure ......

YASOO's 800s

Standard Charted KL 2009 Marathon Route

Yoga for Runners !

Yoga stretching is a good activity to be included on your cross training day when your not running and strengthening the other parts of the body. Here are the 10 poses for men, stretchhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!

Antacids and its Benefits

Another interesting note about antacids for runners.

Doing the Salt ! Interesting Concept

Came across this article on hyponatermia and how it impacts runners, some thing to note, more details here.

Foot Types : Important Consideration before Buying Running Shoes

Under Repair !

Had to make a trip to then physio again today, mighty right foot was aching like there is no tomorrow, sheeeesssshhhhhh ! Lucky my physio was able to squeeze me in during her busy Saturday schedule. Lucky it was raining this morning, so most patients had cancelled their appointment, probably to sleep in ;)

As you can see my feet got rapped up and electrocuted, bzzz ! bzzz ! Tingly kinda feeling , followed by ultrasound and some stretches to loosen the feet. Still a bit of pain though, got the foot tapped up before I left ... recovery mode now :(

Sports Drink Unravelled !

Labor Day Run !

Its Labor's Day where everyone should be chilling out on their day off, I was off for a 6K run or more of Fun Run. Surprisingly it was a good turnout with a mix of usual faces plus the young and the old as well. Event started of at 7:30am and we were off !

We ran across the Jelutong Expressway than circled back to the starting point. Decided to amp it up a little as it is a short distance. My right leg was still giving some issues, kinda worrying me in preparation for Malakoff 26K this coming June. Well, I guess I need to be back to physio again next week for another round of maintained ... sheeeshhh :(

It was great to catch up with running friends again, all the usual faces :)

Till the next run which is going to be Malakoff I believe, the adventure continues .... :)

Happy Labor's Day All !!!

To Barefoot or Not to Barefoot !

Fellow runner and mentor dropped me an email on the following link, interesting reflection on the need of running shoes vs. running barefoot. Take a look you maybe pleasantly surprised ! :)

Bidor 21K Run Adventure !

The Bidor 21K Marathon was quite the event, I left my hotel at Ipoh town around 5:00 am and reached Bidor around 5:30am, suprising there were other runners already there. I took the time to geared up with the necessaties and massaged of some of my joints with analgesic cream as for some bizzare reason is was hurting when I woke this morning. Soon after other participants started to poor in.

Registration was underway soon after and everyone for 21K was ushered to start line. The gun went off and we were off, my first 21K, whoopeee ! The run was kinda scenic and I saw parts of Bidor that I never knew exists :) Its was nice, just felt that they should have started it earlier as by the time I finish, then sun was seriously unforgiving sheesh, I was burning and especially my legs as I applied the analgesic cream. Its felt like my feet were on fire !!!! Literally !!!

This race kinda reminded me of the Bukit Dumbar 6K race its was literally a cross country race going through estates, jungles, hills but nevertheless it was fun. The run was quite demanding and noticed after analyzing the data that I collected that I dropped on my pace quite a fair bit, but nevertheless I am happy with the results and acknowledge that lots more to do before Malakoff 26K !

I reached the finish line glimming as when I glanced at my watch I still had a a few minutes before the qualifying time was over. I clock 2:38:00 which I believe would have been much better, so the adventure continues per say ... till next time :)

Ryan Hall Training for Boston 2009

Earth Day Run 2009 Penang !

A run for Mother Earth ! It was an interesting run nevertheless its was a bit hap hazardly organized though from getting runners registration to allocation of starting band, its was the state parties(i.e. Pakatan) first attempt so hats off to them for the effort. The race started on time at 7:30am which most felt was too late for a 10K race and indeed it was during the final stretch to the finish line.

Funny that in the starting point as there were no marshal, everyone decided to take short cut detour, was kinda funny ;) It was interesting that I had this young lady whom was pacing me throughout the race till the finish line, that was kinda cool ! She was a tough cookie with quite a steady pace and kept up with me till the finish line ;)

All in all is was a good 10K(8 plus something to be exact) , muaahahaahha can't wait for next week .... the 21K in Bidor .... that is going to be something.... time to recover though I was plagued by flu for the past two days ;) Got keep myself super fit till next weekend ....

And till next time the Adventure Continues .....

Teluk Kumbar 6K

Woohoo ! The first run for 2009, its was an interesting run indeed. First of all it was in a location which was so foreign that is was like searching a needle in a haystack literally. Since it was in pitch dark early morning and there are no signs watsoever, go figure ! But anyways finally reached there in one piece, got register. The interesting part was that we had an aerobics session before the run, this one is a first, hehehehe. There was quite a fair bit of crowd young and old ;)

The the gun went off around 7:45am ! And we were off ! The course was an interesting one cutting through housing estates on the left and right plus cows, chicken and a market that was interesting, suddenly the run turns into a market wallau, kinda shocked everyone doing marketing !

Its was an amazing run for me, clock 39 min at pace of 7:09 min/km, expected a slower pace but was pleasantly surprised with the time and had a great time with friend, next will the the Earth Day Run (10K in two weeks time) looking forward to it :)

Till then the adventure continues !! :)

Post Run Fuel ... Recover ! Recover ! Recover !

Pre Run Fuel ... Power Up Time !

Impacting Poverty Elevation ! :)

Hey folks, a slight devertion from my normal running stuffs, this is touch upon poverty, being one whom has personal experience growing out of poverty. It's was parent's whom migrated from India to start a new life in Malaysia in the late 60s. They literally lived from hand to mouth per say bringing up two kids.

But I think poverty far exceeds what I had to endure when I was younger. Many barely have enough to go by or go around and in today everyone has to pitch in to help the less fortunate. I came this young entreprenuer, Devan who's run an website called Elevyn.com. Its an awesome sight doing's its bid and a bridge to people in the developing countries (i.e. Cambodia). There hand made products from folks in rural areas whom market their products via this portal. I think this is a very good effort to cut of the "middle man" and the revenue is attributed to the makers, which is absolute awesome.

So do the RIGHT thing, support this cause :)

Marathon Season is Coming !!!!!

Its here !!! Well almost here .... the season kicks of with my first in April which is the Bidor Half Marathon, then it should be the Malakoff Run in Penang and KL International in June. Phoowwweeee .... thats quite the order ... hehehe but nevertheless have signed already so no execuse.

Amped up the training though still not up the distance and speed that I am targeting for which is 2:30:00 but I am confident that as the dates get nearer I will be prepared. Am increasing my training frequency to twice per day in the morning and in the afternoon on alternate days. Also making sure that I am eating properly to ensure that my system is fine tuned before the run :)

I know I haven't posted for a while know, even such I have still been running diligently and listening to my body and happy to report that my current weight is 80kg, I was pleasantly surprise when I look down at the weighing scale and whoopeee ... I hit 80 !!!!! Muaaahhaaaaaa ! *Pat *Pat on back :)

Till next time the adventure continues

Heart Running

I'm to note on something interesting, I have been "heart-running" per say for the past few runs to evaluate its efficiency and performance. All I can say is that it an amazing experience in contrast to what I usually feel during my regular runs. It was how shall put it .... hmmm .... not to hard and not to easy either, something right smack in the middle.

My long run this weekend past weekend on Sunday was just awesome as I decided to forgo pace, speed, time and just "follow the heart". Maintaining my heart rate around 145bpm seem to be the optimal aerobic heart rate. NOTE SELF : ( MEP > 145bpm ) I was cruising at this heart rate, literally it felt good. And I actually ran for 2 hours and 20 minutes eventhough the distance was not really monumental aka 13.4km but it felt. Just kinda should have "loaded up" a bit more as around mid run even with GU Gel in between my stomach was growling at the 11th km, sheeeshhhh .... NOTE to SELF : GU Gel consumption should be based on time not on distance aka 30-45 minutes, got to test this out on the next long run.

Will continue to monitor my heart runs ... I believe its the way to go ... till the next running adventure ....

Spirit of the Marathon

Visit to the Sports Injury Rehabilitation Centre

Part of my New Year's Resolution is reduce injuries that I encountered in 2009 and as part of that is preventive maintenance. I was recommended by Sifu to this physiotherapist he visited so I decided to to check it, first and foremost the map on the brochure is totaly misleading that got me going in rounds ... sheeeshhhh. Its actually beside MAXIS at Bayan Point, I put the address later down in the blog.

I went there not knowing what was going to happen and was warmly greeting by the staff. After chilling out for a while the doc (Ms. Oh) came to see me and I told her the story of my knee. She was good at taking the time in listen to me and giving clarification before commencing on the treatment which was kinda interesting first experience. She took a look at my foot arch and gave a comment on running shoe which I was about to retire anyways. She gave a recommended list of shoes as well and told for an updated list browse over to this website.

The treatment was as follows
1) Electrode Treatment (or something like that)
2) Ultrasound
3) Icing of the Knee

Once I was done with that the doc came back to advise on some stretches to do to loosen up so of stiff stiff muscles ... man did I have lot of those ... sheeeshhhh also scheduled another session next week to help me on the knee issues.

The address of the clinic as follows

Pan-medic Physiotheraphy & Sports Injury Rehabilitation Centre
15-G-8, Medan Kampung Relau,
Bayan Point, Relau,
11900 Penang
Tel/Fax : 604-6463158
Physiotherapist : Ms. Oh Swee Ling

Plus I got a new pair of shoes Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 3 based on the list provided by the physiotherapist :) Review will be posted soon :)

Happy New Year 2009 ! New Year RUN !

A great start to the new year with a refreshing run this morning after last night New Year Eve racket and noise at my place, damn it was bad !!!! It was quite the run though running at my heart rate through out the run but I think I need to readjust the upper and lower limit on the heart rate. NOTE TO SELF: Adjust to LL:140-UL:150.

Suprising the usual running crowd was there, I expected most of them to be fast asleep after ushering 2009 last night but these ppl are hardcore, wat to say la. These people LIVESTRONG !! Looking forward to the running events in 2009 especially participating in the following ones

1) KL International Marathon (Half)
2) NIKE 10K Human Race
3) Penang Bridge International Marathon (Half)
4) Singapore International (Half)

Its a great start, it should get only better, train diligently and consistently ....

Till the next run ... the adventure continues :)