Run n Snap

6th Penang 12 hr walk

2011-10-10T13:29:00.000+08:00

This is my first time joing the Penang 12 hr walk. I went there on Sat and back to Singapore on Sunday. I don't even stay in a hotel.

The event has 200+ participant. The sky open up before midnight and the right did not stop throughout the night. Therefore, basically a wet race most of the time. At one time, the rain is so serious that if it is a Formula 1 race, I think they would have red flag it. I am in the Junior Veteran group which has 37 participant. Singapore Akira Swift has sent a team over there as well.

I started slow as part of my warm-up routine. A few laps later, I was lapped by a young guy, then, later by more people. But I was on a turtle strategy - slow and consistent. When it was 20+ laps, the sky opens up. I quickly grab my poncho and put it on. I continue to walk at a steady pace of 9:00 to 10:00 per km. Some participant initially seek shelter and some conintue when the rain get a little bit lighter. Some holding an umbrella while walking. Initially, the poncho was creating quite a wind resistance when walking pass the waterfront section. I later tie some knot to make it fit better and reduce some drag. If I don't have the poncho, I definitely cannot go on as I would have lost body heat and get into hypothemia (shivering is one of the sign). When I developed some signs of cramps, I approach the medical tent, but they advise not to put in counterpain, saying that when it mixed with rainwater, it becomes too hot. I ignore it and use my own, it works fine. Sometimes, the "expert" may not be right.

At the middle of the course on Lubet Light, there are street light and decoration blow up during the walk due to the rain. A little bit of spark flies! And street light keep switch on-and-off randomly.

For my slow and steady strategy to work, I seldom take breaks. Only a few to stretch my back which last for less than a minute. Or when I apply my deep heat rub. All my food and drink are grab-and-walk-while-eating style. Just slowly piling up mileage. Since the rain never stops, I never change shoe or t-shirt. I completed the marathon distance at 6 hr 22 minutes which is a good timing. When approaching the end-game, when there is 68 minutes left, I can either simply go for 6 more lap at 10 minutes pace or try to squeeze in another lap but will need to go faster for an hour. I decided to try it out. I got into 3 laps of 8:30 pace and then another 3 laps at 9:00 pace. At the end, I finished my 72 laps with 2 minutes to spare. The total distance is about 77.6km. This is a new record for me. My first 12 hr walk was 60km, last year, I got to 75km.

In my category, I was ranked 4th and got a trophy and a RM50 prize money. The winner has 84 laps (90.5 km). Even the third place person is 79 laps. 4th is really the best I can get.

Amazingly, there is no blister even though my feet as soaked in the water for 8 hr+. When I first took of the socks, both feet are completely white in colour (like those water soaked chicken feet). It takes an hour of drying to return back to yellow-ish colour.

Overall, the organiser is ok.
- have a room for luggage (you need to pay RM 1). When you need to leave your passport with them, it is important that you feel safe.
- food was alright. There are water melon, banana, sandwiches, curry puff, packaged break, egg, rice noodle.
- drink was NOT alright. They only have plain water. I think it is lucky that it rains, otherwise, I can see people drinking too much water and have hyponatremia. The coffee truck and the milo truck disappear after the race started. Why?
- there is a medical tent, that's good.
- there is music and some performance. But when the rain started, the music is gone
- there is only a small analog clock about 50cm in diameter. They should have those big digial clock instead!
- Finisher medal is alright. The cert is not customized (fill-by-yourself)
- no goodie bag (not a concern for me)
- t-shirt is not dri-fit
- bib is cloth, although old fashion, but works much better than paper in the rain!!
- there is no umpire around. Some people run in the back stretch and one of the "runner" won a prize.
- only one timing station. Not sure any one take shortcut. It is actually possible to take shortcuts.

Overall, it is a good walk in park.

Sundown Marathon Ultra 100km

2011-06-28T05:41:00.000+08:00

I have been away in the last couple of weeks. This means that my last run/exercise before the Sundown Ultra was the Sundown Marathon. The lack of training reflects immediately even before the start. When I climbed up the stair to the top of Marina barrage, I had slight pain on my left knee. Right after the start, I tried to run down the "grass patch", I had slight pain on my left leg as well. Not a good sign at all. I reset my expectation to complete in 16.5 hr to merely to finish within cutoff.

Due to the uncomfortable left leg, I decided to walk instead of run/walk. I started brisk walking right at the beginning, taking it easy in the first 3km at around 8:30 pace, accelerate a little bit to around 8:00 pace before the first pitstop. At the first pitstop, I just grab a bottle of water, a sandwich and a bag of chips. I did not stop at all. And settled my pace to a comfortable, non-aggressive pace of 8:30 to 9:00. I did the quick grab and go at the 2nd pitstop before the Changi Coastal road. I hit the half marathon distance at 3 hrs. At the long boring Changi Coastal Road, I focus on passing the next person in front of me. That keep me occupied and fully motivated. And I did passed a few.

The 30km stop is at Changi Beach Park, I did the same grab-n-go. But I started to feel a hot spot developed at the ball of foot in my left foot. I stop and air it and it goes ok. The 40km stop is at Pasir Ris Park. While my spirit is still good, I have slow down further. Seeing the pitstop but still need to go a big loop around it is demoralizing. I did a brief stop at 40km. Mainly, eat, wash my face. Staying between 3 to 5 minutes in all subsequent pitstops. I hit the full marathon distance at 6 hr 24 mins which is about 5 minutes faster than my previous Sundown Ultra. I continue to have reasonable pace but find that my left foot hot spot is getting worst. I need to avoid hitting hard on my left foot, choosing to step on some of the metal drain cover instead of the concrete road. I typically don't like the sand/gravel track at Bedok, but this time, I like it. I hit the 50km around 7 hr 50 minutes. Got my drop bag, change t-shirt, shoe, sock, drink-n-eat, and get out of it at 8:03. There is still 10 hours available should be sufficient of time for me to finish.

I was walking slower and slower, after 60km, my blister finally comes. I stopped. pinch and drain the liquid and move on. The return leg of Pasir Ris Park is bad, boring and difficult to focus. In the next stretch of Pasir Ris Drive 3 & Loyang Ave, I was very slow and passed by some walkers. At 70km, my pace slows down to 10-11 min/km.

The return leg of Changi Coastal Road was horrible. I was sleepy, tired and almost lost the spirit. I was so slow that I was passed by quite a few. I finally find my rhythm about 2 km before the end of Changi Coastal Road. I was doing 200-300m relaxed walk and 100m aggressive brisk walk. This has help me to regain my spirit.

By the time I got to 80km pitstop, the sun is shining bright. Luckily, there was wind in ECP during the morning and helps a lot. And the familiar ECP helps to get back the spirit. I made the final pitstop on ECP. In the last 10km, I try to skip any break and just continue. The last 4km was under the strong sun and tough. One runner that I passed has no water and I let him took some of mine. In the last 2km, I accelerate and passed a few runners. On the Marina Barrage, I dash for 500m and passed another half a dozen. I even run up the ramp to the top of the Barrage.

In total, I brisk walked 99.5km, dash the last 500m and finished 17 hr 8 min 48 s.

My timing at 84km was about 30 mins faster than my 2009 Sundown Ultra timing. I am happy with the result.

I want to thank the numerous supporter along the way. Many stay up throughout the night providing drinks, cheer and taking photos. The supporter really help us to maintain our spirit.

5km run in Sundown roadshow

2011-03-31T00:27:00.000+08:00

Participated in the Sundown Roadshow as part of the pacers to run with 100 registered runners. I was worried about the blister on my right foot as it was not healed completely. When I walk around in the office, I still have pain.

But after I put on the New Balance shoe and run the 5km, there is no pain! The blister just recovered fast enough to allow me to run the 5km. By the way, the new NB RC1300 is good. It is a racing flat with only 206g for a US 9.5 size. It is 25% lighter than the Asics Gelfeather!! Only disappointment is that it is in RED colour. My wife hates red colour. I need to make sure that it is well hidden away from her.

It has a very low heel profile (very good for walking) and have light weight design (e.g. light weight shoelace & insole).

"Souvernir" of Twilight Ultra

2011-03-29T01:25:00.000+08:00

After the 80km, got 6 blisters:
1. heel of left foot, liquid partly drained out. condition ok. Seems healing fast
2. heel of right foot (at the back end), blister bursted, condition ok.
3. heel of right foot (directly at the contact with ground). No significant liquid inside, just leave it alone. A little bit red inside. But walking ok.
4. Small toe of right foot, amazingly large blister even though I tape this small toe. Liquid drained out, seems recovering fast.
5. small patch of blister on right ball of foot. Very small, not much liquid in it. Didn't drain it, should recover in a few days
6. Blister between left foot ball of foot and 2nd toe. liquid partly drained. Still painful. Red colour underneath the skin. Still very painful when walking. May take a week or two to recover.

Other issues:
- calf are tight
- Numbness on left foot big toe + 2nd toe. Will take a month or two to recover. Does not hurt, just feel strange when wriggling the toes.
- some abrasion on both eye-bag. Put in cream overnight, feel much better today, should fully recover in two days.

Due to the left foot blister, walking with a little bit limb to reduce pressure on left foot. Hope to get back to normal in a few days.

Twilight Ultra Challenge

2011-03-27T18:55:00.000+08:00

The twilight ultra challenge is organised by sgrunners together with running guild. It is a 16 hours event that we go around a 5km stretch on the East Coast Park. You can do whatever distance you want.

My plan is walk from beginning to end. If able to maintain averaged 9:36 pace, I suppose can cover 100km for the 16 hours. It works great in the first 25km. The plan was to build up a buffer early on for the 2H of the race. I was able to maintain about 8:40 average pace and completed the first 25km at around 3 hr 40 mintues. Therefore, I have a 20 minute buffer created. Then, I have my usual struggle in the middle of it from 30km to 40km. There is hotspot on my left foot which force me to change my shoe which took out about 5 minutes. My back started to hurt and need to make frequent stretches. I tried my best to keep the average pace to be 9:36. At the 50km mark, the timing is 7 hr 50 minutes, meaning that it took 4 hr 10 mins for the 25km. The pace is slowly dropping back. While I can temporary boost my pace for 1-2km, I am not able to maintain a sub-9 min pace.

In comparison during Malacca 12 hr walk, other than the break & stretch, I was able to walk in sub-9 min pace.

The next 25km is even dragging. Blister form at around 60km on the left ball of the foot and I have to drain the liquid from my left foot blister at 65km which cost me 15 mins. Patch up with an extra cushion to avoid pressurizing the blister. I hang on for another 10km to complete 75km. But the timing is at 12 hr 55 mins, way off the time that I need for a 100km. I was sleepy and demoralized. I lay off for about 20mins before taking another 5km. I call it a day at around 7:15am in the morning. I could do another 5km or 7.5km. But don't want to put too much damage to the foot. A blister on ball of the foot can take a few weeks to heal completely.

After getting back home, I have a total of 5 blisters. Drain the liquid, patch it up. The one on the left ball of foot continue to hurt when I walk even at home.

I also have a strange situation. My salty sweat was causing real problem on both eyes. I have slight abrasion on both "eye-bag". I have to wash them every 2.5km from 50km onward. It does not happen before. Need to find out how to prevent it in the next round.

For the weight, I lost about 0.75kg. Think that my hydration plan is ok.

The drink & fruit are great. I appreciate that the volunteers are staying up late for us. A great practice to prepare for Sundown Ultra 100. Now, I need to think about mitigation action to come up with a feasible plan to complete Sundown Ultra within the 16 hr cut off time.

Preparation for Twilight Ultra Challenge

2011-03-25T19:27:00.000+08:00

Twilight Ultra Challenge is organised by sgrunners.com The rule is simple, for 16 hours, you can go as long as you want in a 10km loop. My personal target is 100km.

Below is what I have prepared:

Shoe : Asics Gelfeather (spare : Nike Katana)
singlet : SCSM 2005 singlet (spare : HK marathon t-shirt for wet weather)
pants : 2XU long compression tight
socks : Injinji toe sock
food : Natural valley Honey & Oats, F&N Alive Mixed nut bar, Gu chomps, salty cracker
Electrolyte : mainly depends on the heed supplied by organizer, plus Active Zero & Nuun
Blister prevention : Strappal tape, Leukoplast tape, vaseline
others:
Northface cap (for wet weather), Gamin 310xt + HRM, O2 racebelt + small pouch, 2 cups (for Bring-Your-Own-Bottle initiative), Tiger Balm muscle rub, small towel,

Hong Kong Marathon

2011-02-22T23:26:00.000+08:00

I collect my rack pack on 19-Feb. Content is very simple, just an event-tee, event brochure, a flyer, timing chip, baggage bag and the year of rabbit medal.

The weather in Hong Kong is cold, estimated to be 12 degree with rain. I did not bring any long sleeve clothes. I will use a HKU-100 t-shirt, 2XU long compression tight, running cap and ASICS gelfeather.

I prepared 4 packs of gel, a tiger palm rub and 4 capsules of electrolyte.

I am on the second group of full marathon which started at 6:45am. I was wearing a disposable raincoat at the starting line. The temperature feels ok. Just before it starts, there was some very very light drizzle. I am not sure what is the best "clothing" strategy. But anyway, just before the start, I took off the raincoat and dump it to the side.

In the first 3km, there is a light drizzle which was worrying cos I threw away my raincoat already! I was having my 80/20 run/walk in the first couple of km, keeping an average pace of 6:50. When arriving to the foot of the Stonecutter Bridge, I switch to brisk walk up the bridge. My 10km time is 1hr7mins which is typical. So, nothing unusual. But when I arrive the Tsing-Ma bridge, I feel different. Usually, I will start to get tire and can only have 50/50 run/walk. However, I feel very good, I continue my 80/20 run/walk without any issue. I realize that I will have my personal best. I continue to push and finish the half-way mark at 2hr21mins, a personal best for half marathon! There are several splits that I was running below 6:00 pace!

After passing the half-way point, I know I cannot keep the 80/20. I switch to more walking than running but still make stretches of 100-250m run. I was able to keep a good pace of averaged 8mins. Even after the cross-harbour tunnel, I still feel ok and able to run the downslopes at good pace.

After the last bridge, I try to switch to 100% run but the muscle cramp up. I mix brisk walk with short stretch of run and able to sprint on the last 100m. Overall chip time is 5:06:10 which is my personal best. It was 18 minutes faster than my previous best (2008 HK marathon 5:24:09).

Tempo Run with Diadora Fantasy

2011-01-06T00:06:00.000+08:00

Have a tempo run wearing Diadora Fantasy. I bought it 3 years ago for Pose running. But did not actually shift to pose running. Now, try to use it as a minimalist running shoe. 3.3km run @ 5:30/km pace. I was more cautious at the beginning making sure that I don't heel strike. But it turns out my natural running gait of mid-foot strike is ok with the shoe. The shoe is very very light (the lightest among all my shoes).

Tempo Run by jjchsg at Garmin Connect - Details

1st Run in 2011

2011-01-02T10:29:00.001+08:00

Originally intended to join the Weekender's Run in Yishun, but oversleep (I am not using iPhone). When woke up, already 6:45am. Therefore, just have a run around nearby area.

Run a total of 10km with total time 1 hr 15 minutes. The first 4km are purely running and the last 6 km are run/walk mixed.
Garmin Connect

2010 Malacca 12 hr walk

2010-12-15T20:24:00.006+08:00

Just one week after the Singapore Marathon, I have another event at Malacca - 12 hr walk. During the Singapore Marathon, I have 2 blisters developed - one on left foot and one on right foot and both are at the ball of foot. I was very very worry about it. I am not sure whether I can recover in time for a long walk. Even I just recover, the blister may come out again with just 10 or 20km walk. But anyway, I went over there and give it a try. I set a very low expectation of maybe just beating my last year's 60 laps. I also want to try out to see if it is possible to walk 100km in 16 hours (cutoff time of Sundown Ultra 2011)

I took a coach bus from Singapore to Malacca at 8:30am, arriving Malacca around 2:45pm.

Since there is plenty of time to go, I decided to go to have a pre-race massage.
After that, I went over to collect my race pack and pay for the registration fee
The Race Pack has a t-shirt with collar (strange for a competitive event), some samples, a visor, a notebook and several pack of drinks.

There is a big team from Hong Kong with about a dozen of participant and two support. In view of last year that I felt cold at the middle of the night, I decided to use t-shirt + long compression tight and wearing Asics Gelfeather. But I am not going to carry a belt pack as I had placed my supply just on the side of the road in the race course.
The race route is a ~1km loop around the St. Paul's Hill. And participant can go as many rounds they can within 24 hours. There is supply of drinks (isotonic, water, soya bean milk, teh terik) and food (11pm, 2am, 5am). Though I did not eat their food, instead, I have my own cereal bar and salty crackers.
Learn from last year, I started slow in the 1st lap (8:52), accelerate a bit in 2nd lap (8:26) before going full steam for three fast laps (7:4x) and then settle back on 8:20 to 9:00 pace. I was drinking alternatively isotonic drink & water. Suddenly, I had pain in the abdomen at about 12km. I try to contain it for a few lap and finally need to visit the toilet at lap 19. I hit the half marathon at 3 hours and continue at around 9:00 pace. From lap 27, I started to feel sleepy. I struggle and need to take breaks every 2 to 3 laps. Then, I started to have pain at the back of the foot at around lap 36. I tried to change the lacing but cannot get rid of the pain. I finished lap 42 at 6hr 22mins. I decided to change to my spare shoe - Nike Katana. The Nike shoe did not solve the problem. Finally, I cut a cushion material with a hole at middle to put it on the top of my foot. The pain was then reduced to a manageable level. But I think I wasted at least 10 minutes on this shoe issue. After I solved the shoe issue, I had my 2nd wind from lap 42 to lap 50 with a strong finish for the 50km. At the end, I was ranked 17 on the 50km male.

After that, my back started to hurt. I had to stop almost every lap to stretch my back. I started to put on deep heat rub on the legs and the back. My timing is not good. I was not sure how many laps I can go on. I just want to beat my last year's 60 laps, and then go for 65 or 70 laps.

Even though I had the back problem, I continue to pile on lap-after-lap, though slower lap time of 10:00 to 11:30. But at lap 66, the morning started to come. And I was suddenly not feeling sleepy anymore. I had my 3rd wind. I started to lap at 9:00 pace. At the end of lap 70, the clock showed 11:08:34. I had about 51.5 minutes left. I thought I can only do 5 laps. But then, another participant numbered A067 passed me and was going faster. I believed he wanted to squeeze in an extra lap. After lap 73, the clock shows around 11:35:00. With only 25 minutes to go, if I could go at 8:00 pace, I would be able to squeeze in another lap. That really motivated me and I started to pickup the speed. My last three laps are around 8:00 pace and help me achieved 76 laps, something that I never thought of before the start of the race.
With completing 76 laps (around 75km since each lap is about 985m), I was ranked 11 among the male participant. It is extremely satisfactory
And I also got a prize of RM100!
From the timing, I completed 75km in 11hr 59minutes. If I can keep the same average pace, I would be able to just complete 100km in 16 hours. Now, I need to seriously think about Sundown Ultra.

After the post-race, I found a total of 9 blisters on my right & left foot. Thanks to the switch to use the Strappal tape. My 2 pre-race blisters are okay. Instead, new blisters are grown on the edge of the Strappal tape. Maybe I should use it more extensively to prevent blister.

2010 Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore

2010-12-15T19:58:00.003+08:00

After returning from the Penang marathon, I collected the race pack for Marathon Singapore. The singlet looks quite nice and there are lots of brochure/coupon and some samples in the pack.

On the marathon day, before the race, there was heavy rain around my area. And the weather forecast is thunderstorm all over Singapore. Therefore, I have selected to wear a t-shirt instead of singlet. 5 pack of gel was prepared. And I also bring along a disposable raincoat with me in case it rains before it starts.

The race starts at 5am from Orchard Road, running down to China town and loop back to Nicoll Highway where the usual route going to East Coast Park. Since I was on a mission of 6 hour pacing, I tried my best to follow the timing to the dot.

I have my run in the first 3km and switch to run/walk at about 15%/85% ratio. This continue till the exit of ECP and switch to almost 100% walk. I was within 2 mins from the km target time for all the km mark. After the ECP exit, it was Marina Barrage. There is little shades and the sun is hot (who forecast thunderstorm?). I should have used a singlet instead. It does not really affect my plan at all. On the East Coast Parkway, I was walking up the slope and run down the slope without much issue. I try not to use any deep heat rub. Approaching Padang, I try to pick up speed but some minor muscle on my legs are a bit out of control. But I still run the last 200m and finish at 5:58:05 (chip time). A very successful 6 hr pacing.

The heartrate is all the time in moderate range except running down the slope after East Coast Parkway.

Penang Bridge International Marathon

2010-11-21T19:07:00.006+08:00

This is my first time participate in Penang Bridge International Marathon. Since I visit Penang a few times a year, I always want to try it out. I collected the race pack when I arrived Penang on Wednesday.

The day before the race, a group of us went to have Penang char kway teow & Chendul

The race starts at 2am. When I was preparing, I was wondering whether I should wear a singlet or a t-shirt. Due to it rained the night before, and I am highly sensitive to cold weather, I decided to use t-shirt instead of Singlet.

The race starts and end at the Queensbay Mall. It go through the bridge and U-turn at the toll plaza.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/ifra
It was normal at the beginning. It was a little bit hot and I was wondering whether I made the wrong choice to wear t-shirt. Then, after the u-turn on the bridge, the HEAVY rain came. The rain is really heavy, you feel the pain when the rain drop on the skin. In order to avoid hypothermia, I run a lot more than usual. The heavy rain last for about 45 minutes and then ease off to a drizzle. With the cooler temperature due to the rain, I was able to run more than usual. I was able to maintain run-walk all the way to 33km when I felt that I had a hotspot on my right foot. I switch to pure brisk walk from there. Overall time is 5 hr 36 minutes, 9 minutes faster than my expected time of 5 hr 45 minutes.

I was able to keep a fairly good pace throughout the marathon. The two fast pace are achieved during the downslope of the bridge. With the cooler temperature, the heartrate is relative low. The last 9km are pure brisk wall.

The finisher's medal is in a special shape and the finisher's t-shirt is in green colour. But the wording at the back is white which is difficult to read.

Sunbird #9

2010-11-14T19:41:00.003+08:00

Today has one of the fast changing weather. At the start, there is a very light drizzle, overcast sky. Just one hour into the run, the sun comes out and blast its power over everyone. More sun tan on my arm and face. About 2 more hours later, it turns back to overcast and about 30 minutes after finishing the run, rains cats & dogs.

For the pacing, it works well into the 1st hour (only 1 minute too fast), but the group slow down a bit in the 2nd hour (4 minutes too slow, about 3 minutes due to water point stop at NSRCC). The half marathon time is 7 minutes too slow. From that on the pace went downhill. All 9km are significantly above the 9min pace time.

Tempo Walk

2010-11-09T23:14:00.002+08:00

A quick 3.3km tempo walk. Good pace in the first 3km and a quick dash to finish. Shoe used is Nike Free 5.0 The fitting of the shoe has became bad. I got blister for just a 3.3km walk!!

I also upgraded the SportTracks software to 3.0 seems to be better, especially on the map.

Sunbird #8

2010-11-07T12:45:00.004+08:00

It was raining overnight and up to 7am. Just turn into drizzle when the run starts at 7:16am. Due to the dark sky and potential more rain, the run was changed to two loops in ECP.

Azhar and me are pacing the 6 hr group. Therefore, we keep the first 5km slow, then switch to run/walk at 80/20 ratio till half marathon distance.

The pacing is quite good up to 1st loop (15km). Timing is about 1 min faster than desired pace. But the 2nd loop is getting slower especially after the U-turn. There is also a break in buying drink and I have 3 stops (top up water, clear dirt in my right shoe and clear dirt in my left shoe). Overall timing is a little bit slower than anticipated pace. But in the actual day, there won't be any toilet stop, hope it will accelerate a little bit. At the end, I still have a little bit reserve and able to give a good run in the last 500m.

Sunbird #7

2010-10-31T13:47:00.002+08:00

Pacing the 6hr group in Sunbird. The timing up to 19km is on the pace but the group is not able to keep up the run/walk ratio. 21km timing is 2:55:44, six minutes off the pace. The 7:00 pace at the 7th km is possibly the killer for the group. Will need to control the running pace at the beginning to extend the group on the run/walk.

Tempo Walk

2010-10-28T23:37:00.002+08:00

Since my right ankle is not feeling well during the interval training, I decided to switch to lower impact exercise - brisk walk. I have a 3.3km brisk walk.

Even though I tried to moderate my initial pace, I still go a bit too fast in the 1st km. I pick up the speed after warm up and finish at a good pace in the last stretch. I have replaced my heartrate monitor sensor and it is working well.

Interval training (800m x 3, 5 min pace)

2010-10-27T22:57:00.003+08:00

My last interval training was back in Aug, just before my ankle injury. Yesterday, I had my interval training. Aim at 800m x 4, 2 min rest, 5 min pace.

The first two splits are good. Able to maintain the 5 mins pace. However, when I start my third split, something not right on my right ankle. I slowed down and cut short my training. Seems that the high intensity of the interval training triggered the right ankle. It is not 100% recovered. Need to re-look at the training...
There must be something wrong with my heartrate monitor (I hope so, otherwise, it is something wrong with my heart) as it shows my heartrate goes up to 230!!

Today, I have taken the HRM came with the 310XT to the Garmin service center. They have replaced the sensor. So, I can use it next time.

Sunbird #6

2010-10-24T17:20:00.004+08:00

Today is the week #6 of Sunbird training. The distance for full marathon is 30 or 28km. But due to the duty for the drink, I cut short on my pacing to only 17km. The run is the usual route in East Coast Park.

Sunbird Mount Faber hill training

2010-10-20T23:08:00.004+08:00

The Sunbird training has its second Mount Faber hill training. I did 4 loops with reasonable good timing.

The heartrate monitor gives strange heartrate at the middle of the run therefore, I slide it down to the waist instead. It is not capturing the heartrate in the 2nd half of the run. The two "slow" pace is due to the stop at the carpark entrance.

New Balance Real Run

2010-10-18T23:40:00.004+08:00

As part of the Team Fatbird operation Sunbird, I have joined the New Balance Real Run on 17-Oct-2010. Like previous years, the run consists of trail (4 km), road (10.4km) and sand (0.6km) for a total of 15km.

Starting point is at the Changi Exhibition Center and run in the trail at the back of CEC. Back to the Changi Coastal Road for the road and run on the Changi Beach for the Sand.

I drove there early in the morning arriving around 5:50am. Lots of carpark. You can rest in the air-conditioned exhibition center before the run. I tried to start slowly but still getting a little bit too fast in the first 3km. Need more discipline! After the first 3km, I started a run/walk of around 50:50 and able to keep it almost to the end. The sand portion is tougher this year due to the narrowest of the beach (someone say it was high tide) and the steep camber on the "wet" sand portion. Many people just walk.

I was able to push in the last 1km with sprinting at the last 200m. Overall timing is 1:52:39. Ranked 381 out of 526 finisher in the Men's Veteran category. Overall is satisfactory.

The goodie bag is only given after the race containing the finisher's tee, finisher's medal, a can of 100+, a bar of Natural Valley, some samples of L'Oreal, a sample of rubbing cream and some coupons.

North Face 100

2010-10-10T16:03:00.005+08:00

Completed my first North Face 100km duo. Like participation in other event, I was not able to sleep well the night before. I believe I had only 3-4 hours of sleep. Arrived at MacRitchie at around 6am. Meet up with my running partner Chew-Choon. Our team is named "Runners@45" cos we are both at 45.

Before the race, I have target 8 hr 45 minutes. I print out a cue card with the expected timing of each km and have it laminated. It helps to keep track of my progress vs plan.

Not sure whether my right ankle will hold up for the 50km, I use a conservative strategy - brisk walk all the way!

The original intend is to have a slower first 3km to warm up and then speed up. But again, it is easier to say than to do it. My first 3km are still too fast (about 1min/km faster than planned). Before reaching Bukit Timah, I can keep my pace below 9 min/km. But the section in Bukit Timah is new to me as I never train in this section. The trail go around the Bukit Timah Hill is much tougher than I thought. I slowed down a little bit but still keeping overall time in check. Thanks to the mango provided by one of the supporter under the BKE. And another supporting providing Coke at Mandai Road. Everything is fine up to arriving at Lor Asrama. Next is the grueling section of Lor Asrama. The first portion is really easy until we hit an "endless" uphill section. But think about it, it cannot be worse than the McLehose route of a 2km uphill section with about 200m vertical climb cos at most, you climb up only 160m. I guess it is the "unexpected factor" since I never train in Lor Asrama. Then, it was around 11am and it was HOT! There is little shade in Lor Asrama. And about mid-way in Lor Asrama (25km), my right shoe give up. Some part of the out sole is separate from the mid sole and is "flapping" in each step. I took out my plaster tape and tape it up. Hope that it will last to the end.

At 27km, here come the biggest challenge. A 45 degree hill on the the path. I basically need to use both hand and foot to climb up the hill. The tire muscle almost got cramp up. And after the hill is the mid-way checkpoint. And later in Lor Asrama, my left shoe also lost some rubber in the out sole. The uneven surface of Lor Asrama plus the hot temperature, even my shoes were giving up. Both legs also showing early sign of cramp. I had to be very careful in going uphill. In some section, I slowed down to 13 min/km due to the long uphill slope.

On the way back from Lor Asrama to Zheng Hua Park, I was very sleepy. I have to try to wake myself up. I used up two packets of GU gel (Chocolate favour with Caffeine). But still feel sleepy. When I pass by the 35km mark, I cannot believe it as my Garmin watch is showing 38.5km. Did I make a wrong turn? If it is only 35km, then, I am not likely to finish within the cut-off time. Should I give up at the next water point? I arrived at the Zheng Hua Park water station and ask the volunteer over there, but no-one can tell me how far away from the starting point. I just treat it as 12km and go on. At that time, I still have 2 hours and 15 minutes left before the 9 hour cut off time. I topped up my water bag with 2 liters of 100plus + water.

taking a rest at 38km at Zheng Hua Park

On the next 12 km, it is a familiar territory for me as I have trained in this section a few times last year. I keep on a steady pace of 10-11 min/km. The hot weather push for higher consumption of water. About 2km before the finish line, I ran out of water. Finally, I finish the run at 8 hr 45 minutes, exactly as what I have planned at the beginning.

Each finisher is given a medal. This medal is much more difficult to get than the others.

A photo with my teammate Chew-Choon after we finished. He finished about 8 hr 25 minutes.

Registered for HK marathon

2010-10-04T20:38:00.001+08:00

Right on the first day that it opens for registration, I went to the HK marathon website to register. I filled up everything include credit card number and submit. But the system has an error and not able to process my application. I try to retry again but the system does not allow me to retry as my HKID number is already in the system. On Monday, I left a voice mail to the HK marathon number. Today, I go to the website and check the status, now, it is reflected as registered. Looking forward for the race. Registration Status
Name	CHEUNG KAM MAN
Race Category	Full-Marathon Run 1 Men
Race No.
Reference No.	2010093000003922M

North Face 100 Race Pack collection

2010-10-03T21:12:00.002+08:00

I went to collect the North Face 100 race pack in Marina Square. When I first arrived, I could not find the collection counter. Went to the North Face shop, the people said "on the right hand side of the Atrium". Walked around almost the whole Marina Square, still could not find it. Finally, I asked the customer service counter which point me to the right place. There was only two people in front of me when I arrived. There were sufficient people at the counter in providing the services.

The lady served me asked me for the IC, just within a minute, got my bib & t-shirt.

The race pack has the bib, t-shirt (dri-fit type), a pack of Gu Chomps, a sample of instant energy cream, a sample of Borsch Med Plaster, map, handbook, some stickers, and a coupon for the towel. All put inside a paper carrier.

Here is the map. The route is basically similar but will not go up Bukit Timah Hill. It also does not completely circle MacRitchie. Seems to spend more time inside Lorong Asrama.

Due to my injury 2 months ago, I do not have enough preparation. I only have a total of 30km training in MacRitchie, none in Bukit Timah/ZhengHua Park. And my last run longer than 25 km was back in Feb in Hong Kong Marathon. Well, will try my best on the race day.

1st Tempo walk after injury

2010-09-01T23:26:00.003+08:00

My right ankle is getting better. I felt that it is loose enough that I should do some higher energy exercise. I took the normal 3.3km route. I felt good in the first 500m, then I accelerate and have an average pace of 7:52. In some section, I reach sub-7 min pace. Overall, it is only about 1.5 min slower than my "really" fast walking.

I also try out brisking walking using Diadora Fantasy. It feels GOOD.

1st long walk after the injury

2010-08-29T17:29:00.002+08:00

Due to the sprain ankle, I have been out of run/walk for 2 weeks. Today, I joined the team fatbird Kingfisher run along East Coast Park. Instead of running, I was walking slowly at 10mins/km pace for about 6.7km. This is better than what I have planned. The right leg did get some pain in between but it is manageable. The three small muscles on the right side of the calf get some serious work out and have signs of cramping up during the walk. Though I was at slow pace, I did try to speed up and able to have a stretch of 200m at 7mins pace.

Seems that the mobility of the ankle joint has improved after the walk. I am almost walking normally. Though at a certain angle, the ankle joint still have pain. And it is slightly swelling. I will need to continue the rehab exercise to try to get it back in shape.

Sprain ankle at MacRitchie

2010-08-17T23:25:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday, I prepared to have a longer run at MacRitchie to train up for North Face 100 duo. My previous two training both encountered problem of blister. This round, I had my "blister kit" with me to ensure that I can continue.

However, 3.3km into the run, my right foot landed on an un-even surface. A twist and a "click" sound. I took a slow walk to see if it gets better. Unfortunately, it started to swell which is not a good sign. I walked back to the main road, took the bus back to the carpark and drove home. After some icing, I decided to visit doctor. Dr. Loh runs marathon as well. As soon as I show him the swollen ankle, he spray something on it, put a large plaster named "Ketotop" on it. Told me to RICE it. I read from the website, it is possible grade I (can walk without assistant, some pain). After resting and taking anti-inflammatory pills for a few days, it is getting better. But I still walk in a limp. I will start using "Chinese" way of rubbing some ointment on it. See if it will speed up the recovery. I need time to train. Just look at the long list of events that I have signed up on the side bar!!

iWalk 2010

2010-05-15T13:48:00.004+08:00

I took part in the iWalk 2010 this morning. It is a charity event with Racewalking. There are judge along the course having the "creeping" and "lifting" sign at their hand. So, it is a strictly racewalking rule. There are about 50+ Veteran plus another 70+ for the open category. The veteran starts first at 8:05am.

The course is just along the East Coast Park. Starting from the Angsana Green towards the east direction and U-turn back to Angsana Green.

At the start, I was going way too fast at around 6:00 pace for the first 200m. I then slow down back to the 7 mins pace. However, I already burn my shin during the first rush. The final timing is 35 mins 59s. Ranked 7 within the Men's Veteran.

The timing is actually slower than my practice which has some up slope. I possibly can do 30s to 1 mins faster if I did it proper and have enough rest and warmup. But it is still good fun. I did not get any prize since they only have prize up to 5th place. However, I won the lucky draw and got one of the top prize containing a Mizuno backpack, a Tefal frying pan and a $50 Mizuno voucher!

Race Walking practice

2010-04-06T00:16:00.003+08:00

From the sgrunners website, I notice that there is an event call iwalk

The iwalk has a competitive race walking for 5km. Singapore seldom has competitive race walking, therefore, I sign up immediately. The event is on 15-May. Well, since I have signed up, better started my training. Therefore, I pickup the weekday training again (have stopped for almost 2 months!!).

First with a 3km loop, target at 7 mins pace using Asics Kanji (racing flat).

I am right on 7 mins pace on the first 2km but cannot sustain in the 3rd km. I did a very sprint (on race walking) at the end. You may notice that my heart rate is a bit strange. Yes, it is VERY strange. I think my heart rate monitor is running out of battery. I am possibly at 170 average heart rate towards the end. Overall average pace is 7:02, not bad considering I was "inactive" for 2 months.

NightHawk #5

2010-04-03T22:03:00.002+08:00

A 25km brisk walk/run on Saturday morning. The route is the usual ECP. Starting from Splash towards Fort Road, then U-turn to go to Changi Coastal Road. I set a timelimit for U-turn as 2 hours.

The weather is HOT! I prepared 3 liter of isotonic drink mixed with ice. And I used up all of it.

During my return leg, some of the runners are going very slow. I went with SC and Rose and encourage them to go faster. Due to the hot weather, my heart rate is a bit on the high side.

HK Marathon

2010-04-03T21:50:00.003+08:00

Realized that I did not update my blog for over a month. Here is the Hong Kong Marathon.

It is a tough and difficult race, possibly the most difficult marathon that I have taken. The weather feels almost Singapore like - hot and humid. The terrain is tough, especially the initial long climb at the stonecutter's bridge.

I completed 5:32:xx gun time, roughly 5:30:00 chip time. I just managed to squeeze through the last check point (basically, I was about 10s late at the checkpoint and they are in the process of pull the net across the road). I have to push it all the way in order to meet the cutoff time. Last year, I was only less than a minute from the cutoff time which is 15 degree C and no stonecutter's bridge. But this time, even with a lot of push, I still just missed the cutoff time. For a long stretch, my heart rate is between 165 to 175 (which is my max age-calculated heartrate). I am happy that I did not need to take the bus. I have issues with my both legs. At the last 100m, I can neither walk properly nor run properly but I managed to sprint the last 50m. Hope some photographer took my picture.

According to the news, 31 participant hospitalized (15 dismissed today). I saw a folk in really terrible shapes, like lying on the road side motionless while attended by the medic.

The organiser did not do a good job in water. At two stations, there is no cup, they ask people to just scoop water from the plastic container and drink. Think about many people put their hands into the container... They also run out of banana and chocolate (only managed to get one chocolate). But the resource at the finish point is good, plenty of water, pears, banana. Goodie bag is distributed with isotonic drink, banana, pear, energy bar, coupons.

But at the end, there is a surprise - a finisher's medal!!! They don't have it in the last two year. This is gonna to be one of the treasured medal.

Collecting HK Marathon Race Pack

2010-02-27T15:06:00.003+08:00

I arrived Hong Kong on 26-Feb. And on 27-Feb, I went down to the Victoria Park to collect the race pack. I arrive around 1pm. There is a BIG sign at the entrance saying that ALL race categories are full.

For the collection booth, there is no queue at all

When I was at the booth, because I did not receive my collection letter, I need to go to another booth to obtain a "letter". They basically verify my registration and write it on a piece of paper saying that verification is done.

The race pack is neatly enclosed in a plastic sling bag.

The rack pack includes a brochure, a runner's guide, a flyer, the event tee, a blue colour bag for baggage deposit, a medal, a pin, my bib, timing chip and baggage tag.

The medal is not a finisher's medal. Every participant gets it. It also does not mark which event your participated.

My bib number is 27865.

On the other side, in the cement soccer field, workers are busy packing up the finisher's goodie bag. It should include water, banana, pear or something like that.

And so as the finishing touch on the finish line

Weather forecast is going to be warm and very humid (possibly 95-100% relative humidity). It is going to be a tough race, especially the early 5km uphill climb towards the stonecutter's bridge reaching the highest point at 80m+ above sea level.

34km brisk walk to prepare for HK marathon

2010-02-16T22:46:00.003+08:00

It is less than 2 weeks from HK marathon. I had my last practice to prepare for it. Knowing that my right ankle is still not 100% alright, I decided to do brisk walk only - a 34km brisk walk. My last run/walk is 27.5km about 1 week+ ago. So, this is a significant stretch within such a short time.

The route is just along East Coast Park from carpark B1 to end of area G and back for two time. Just nice for a 34km distance. I did it at night to avoid the sun.

The first half of it is alright, keeping an average of sub-8:30 pace. But started to slow down in the 2nd half to 9:00 plus-minus.

At the end, I am able to run the last 500m with reasonable speed. Total time taken is 4 hr 59 minutes.

Well, I will have almost 2 weeks for my right ankle to recover for the HK marathon.

Another Progress in speed

2010-01-08T22:39:00.003+08:00

This time, I change to the lighter weight Nike Katana. Achieve the average pace of 6:54 in the 3.3km loop. I also work harder and have two 400m split meeting the 6:30 pace.

Racewalking at 7 min/km

2010-01-05T23:29:00.003+08:00

I am doing more racewalking training instead of running. Today, I have another one. In my last couple of training, I did not swing my arm active enough. This time, I swing it more active than ever before. Result is the fastest ever 3.3km that I had. Managed at 23:20. Pace is just a bit slower than 7 min/km. And that is with a regular running shoe, not a light weight racing flat.

The three splits that I was slower than 7 min/km are all containing uphill segments. The average pace in my last couple of racewalking trainings:

2010-01-05 7:02
2010-01-03 7:24
2009-12-22 7:23 (using Katana)
2009-12-20 7:29 (using Katana)
2009-12-07 7:54

MR25 Ultra Marathon

2009-12-28T00:35:00.004+08:00

The MR25 is not on my original schedule. I was not sure whether I recover sufficient to participate. Even though I packed my bags the night before, when I woke up at 5am, I was still struggling whether I should join the event.

I already had two Ultra events recently (HK trailwalker on 20/21-Nov and Putrajaya 12 hr walk on 13-Dec). My right leg ITB was not fully recovered when I participate the Putrajaya walk. And I got another injury on my right ankle during the Putrajaya. I did have two short distance race walking practice that go through ok. At the end, I went over the MacRitchie.

I did not register before hand and just put my name down on the spot with $35 registration fee. The race started at 7am and last for 12 hours, going around the MacRitchie Reservoir for as many laps as you want. I decided to just walk all the way. Either complete 5 laps or 6 laps.

I completed my first lap of 10.5km in around 1:31:00, pretty reasonable timing. Part of the loop was quite muddy. Almost every participate has lots of dirty on the shoes, socks and legs. I was keeping my pace slow at the beginning and use some of racewalking half way after I have fully warm up. In the golf link, I was able to do a 8:11 for a km. But from about 3km in my 2nd loop, my right ankle injury comes back. I had to adjust the way that I walk in order to reduce stress on my right ankle. My second lap slowed down to about 1:40:00. I took a short break and started my 3rd loop. This time, it took my 1:45:00, still a reasonable timing. But then, may be due to my adjustment to compensate for the right ankle, I developed a problem with my left leg ITB. Most of the time, it is not a problem except when I walk downhill. There is almost no steps during the loop. The first 3 loop took a little bit more than 5 hours. It is very sure that I will have enough time to do 6 loops if my body permits.

After a short break, my 4th loop goes on. But just after I started, the sky started to get dark and there is a light rain. The tree/leaves are dense enough in the first part of the loop that I did not get wet at all. But I was worrying that if the rain get stronger, I may not generate enough heat in my walk. However, just another 30 minutes, the rain passed and the sun comes out again. Timing of the loop is 1:45:00 as well, pretty consistent. The last lap was slower at around 1:55:00, partially take extra precaution going into the last 4.5km. But overall timing is 9:12:35 for the 5 laps. I have enough time left to make it a 6 laps. However, considering my injury on my right ankle and left leg ITB, I don't want to make it worse and call it a day for MR25 Ultra 2009. The timing, in comparing with my 5 laps in 2007, was 56 minutes faster. Mainly due to reduction in break time and more consistent timing across the 5 laps.

I collected my certificate and the finisher's t-shirt but did not wait for the ceremony. I was simply too tired. During the MR25, I was not wearing my SKINS. Instead, I just wear a simple New Balance tight. I think that the SKINS does contribute to less fatigue in a long run/walk. I will definitely use it in the future.

Racewalking practice

2009-12-22T21:08:00.004+08:00

Another loop in Stirling. 24 mins 9s for the 3.3km distance. Average pace at 7:23. about 6s faster than the last practice of 7:29.

I started at a slower pace and accelerate at the middle of it. Getting up to 6:40 at the last split. But notice that the heartrate also goes up to very high. Shin muscle is tired after the walk.

Racewalking practice

2009-12-20T22:48:00.003+08:00

I have a practice of race walking along my usual Stirling loop. I try to practice the swing of arm and train my shin muscle. Took me 24 mins 36 s for the 3.31km. Average pace is 7:26. I started a bit too fast and within the 1st km, my right leg shin muscle was already tight. Next time, need more warm up before pushing.

My goal is to be able to complete the loop in around 20 mins by end of 2010. This will require a significant improvement over my current state - a continuous 6:20 pace. Currently, while I can attain 6:20 pace during interval training, I cannot maintain it for a 3.2km distance, not even maintaining it during a 400m x 6 interval training. Therefore, need a lot of training to improve it.

2nd Putrajaya 12 hr walk

2009-12-14T10:44:00.003+08:00

This is my first time participate in a rack walking event. I was not sure whether I should participate even just a week before. The trailwalker in Hong Kong takes a long time to recover. And my right leg is still not 100% normal before I book my bus ticket to KL. The 12 walk is from 8pm to 8am and count by how many laps that you can finish in a 1km loop. I was hoping to finish 72 laps (averaged 6km/h) judging from the timing in Sundown.

The journey to Putrajaya is LOOOONG. I woke up 6:30am in the morning. I got out of the door at around 7:15am. First, I took MRT to Lavendar. Then, took a bus to KL at 8:45am. There is some jam at both Singapore and Malaysia custom. At the end I only arrive at KL at 4:30pm. Then, I took the Rapid KL train to KL Sentral. From KL Sentral, I took the KLIA transit to Putrajaya. At Putrajaya Sentral, I walk about 3km to the venue - the stretch in front of Palace of Justice. I arrived there at around 6pm+. Took me around 11 hours from my home to the venue.

I register, pay the fee and get my bib and champion chip. The goody bag included a t-shirt, mouthwash, some nutrition pill, heat rub etc.

I found the Hong Kong team and introduce myself to them. I prepared myself for the race. But I found that I run out of tape to tape my foot. Didn't check that properly.

At the start, the pace of front walkers are really fast. My original plan is to keep a 9 min pace. But was driven by the atmosphere and walking at 8:15 to 8:30 pace for the first hour. That sow the seed for failure. After 3 hours, I finished 21km. I started to slow down to 9min+ pace. By 4.5 hours, I started to feel tire. That is possibly caused by the combination of long travelling to Putrajaya and the fast pace in the first 3 hours.

The food supplied almost always has a long queue. I was just using my own energy bars and no issue on food.

I finish the first 42km in 6 hr 48 minutes, slower than what I did in Sundown. I was so tire at one stage that I can only do 4km/h. I was very very sleepy around 3am time as well. My right leg ITB started to act on me. Everything turned bad. When I almost want to call it a day, I took a last effort to put on a pattstrap on my right leg to control the ITB and started another lap of slow walk. The pattstrap helps but I was still at about 10 mins pace.

It just happened that the fast Malaysia guy (the ultimate winner at the end) passed me. Driven by ego, I try to follow him. I actively swing my arms to pick up speed. His pace is around 7:30, amazingly, I was able to follow him a full lap at 7:30 pace and even have strength to pass him. It is my 2nd win. After that, I was on and off, I was able to do quick laps between rest. I followed the French lady (the ultimate winner in female category) for a lap as well at sub 7:30 pace. It was fun.

At the end, I called it a day after finishing 60 laps with 48 minutes left on the clock. It is a fun event and I will definitely join the event next year. The walking on a uniform loop is actually tougher than Sundown since you repeatly using the same muscle group vs in Sundown, the up and down allows recovery.

In the final result, I believe I was ranked 50 among the male walkers and got a prize of a Genting Holiday card worth RM50. This is the first time I got a prize in a competitive sport event!

The Hong Kong team got good results as well - Billie, Issac and Cheung Wai Tak all got into the top3 in the 50km race, Issac got silver in 70km race and bronze in overall female category.

A few reflection on improvement:
- need to make better preparation next time (e.g. the tape)
- need better training (I haven't train for race walking for a few months)
- need a better plan on support
- need to learn more skill about racewalking. My brisk walk is too slow and not efficient.

A page of the GPS log can be found below:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/20471574

Oxfam Hong Kong Trailwalker

2009-11-29T22:55:00.002+08:00

After 4 months of preparation, I was facing the coldest ever Hong Kong trailwalker event. Just a week before the event, before I was flying out of Singapore, the weather forecast was 17-22 degree which is perfect temperature for trekking. I pack lightly with a SKINS long pant, one dry-fit t-shirt, one wind-breaker, that's all. In my support pack, I add, a spare t-shirt, a long-sleeve polo shirt, a long track-pant, towel, spare shoe etc.

But just 2 days later, the weather changed a lot and the temperature in Hong Kong dropped to 12 degree. Since my wife fly out later than me, she helped to pack an extra fleece long-sleeve polo shirt.

On the day of the event, it was cold, around 12-17 degree in the city and down to 7 degree in the mountain in the new territory. My team was team 0157 consists of 4 members all from HKUST MBA (Johny, me, Roger and our team captain YC). Our team is at the 9:00am start. We trek the first three stage under the daylight. Clothing was not a problem at all as it was a sunny day. I just wear a dri-fit t-shirt with a wind breaker. In stage one, it is very easy, paved road, beautiful scene around the High Island Reservoir. We top up some water and head for stage 2.

The first mountain to tackle is the Sai-Wan Shan (300m). When we finish the Sai Wan Shan, we reached checkpoint 1. We stopped to eat. I just had a banana plus an energy bar. Then we head for Ham Tin and Chek Keng and arrive checkpoint 2 at Pak Tam Au. One of the team member Roger has a problem with the ITB. I helped him to put on a pattstrap to see if it can help to control the problem. So far, the first 2 stages are relatively easy. From checkpoint 2, we need to climb up the Kai Kung Shan which is 400m tall. This started the most difficult two stages - 3 & 4. Not only we needed to climb up from sealevel to 400m but also dropped down to 150m and climb up to 400m again. In between, the sun started to set at around 5:30pm. The wind started to blow strong and is getting cold. I put on the extra fleece polo shirt and turn on the head-mounted light. The team arrived at Shui Long Wu at around 7pm. Roger was doing ok during the stage 3. The support team was waiting for us and serve us congee with seafood, sweet potato dessert. We stayed there for more than an hour. And the weather is getting colder and colder. One of my team mate has an extra long sleeve t-shirt and loan it to me. It proved to be essential.

Then, we started again to tackle the most difficult stage 4 during the night. I was really cold and the wind blows really hard. We head for the Ma On Shan (550m+). When we are passing the Ma On Shan pass, we were walking on the ridge with Kowloon on one side and New Territory on the other side. The wind was blowing so strong that I had to lower my center of gravity and fight the wind. The gust wind can blow and move my body left and right for up to 0.5m There is a fear that someone may blow off the ridge into the valley (though nobody suffer from that). Right after passing the ridge, we grouped in an area just below the ridge where the wind is calmer. However, with the cold weather and not enough clothing, I quickly feel that my body was cooling down too much. I told my team captain that I cannot stay and have to get started. Even without his reply, I have started my way. I was at the edge of hypothermia. If I had stayed station for another 30 seconds, my body will go into un-controlled shivering. The team captain quickly catch up with me. But after a while, he had to stop to rub Bengay. But it was so cold that even after drinking a cup of ginger tea, I was still feeling very cold. I had to jog in a small loop nearby just to keep myself warm enough. We went on to finish the stage 4. But then, one of the team member who has a knee pain had to give up due to excessive swelling of the knee.

We continue with just three of us into stage 5 and need to go through Tate's Cairn. But half way into stage 5, our team captain's knee also get into trouble (ITB problem). He had to quit as well. That left Johny and me to continue. Johny's knee did not feel right as well (ITB problem again). My right knee also started to have pain at ITB and I started to be careful in going down steps. We went through the Lion's Rock and to the Beacon Hill to complete the stage 5. But at the checkpoint, it is so cold and with such as strong wind that we decided not to stop but move on to stage 6.

Through the Golden Hill, we arrive at the Jubilee Reservoir when the sun finally take over the sky. We endure through the night in the tough stage 4, 5 & 6. Now, we need to face the famous three mountains - Needle Hill, Grass Hill and Tai Mo Shan which is the highest mountain in Hong Kong. After recharge in Jubilee Reservoir with the support team.

The Needle Hill is tall (600m+) and have many steps. The top is very windy as well. We quickly decent the Needle Hill after reaching the top. The next is Grass Hill. This one is much easier as we are walking on paved road. After decenting the Grass Hill, we reached checkpoint 7. After 15 rest and eating, we setoff to the last major climb - Tai Mo Shan with the peak at 952m. The initial climb is tough but after the 1st stage, it becomes more gentle and easier to climb. The last stage is paved road to the top. After reaching the top, now is a long descent via a paved road to Tsuen Kam Au which is checkpoint 8.

When we arrive checkpoint 8, the sun is about to set. The support team has provided dumpling with sticky rice and sweet potato dessert. After a 30 mins rest and recharge, we turn on the headmount light and head for the stage 9. Stage 9 is a long paved road for about 9km+, mostly descent. So, it is not a difficult stage at all. However, with the knee problem, my teammate has some problem in going down the gentle slope. I loan him my walking pole and it works for him. With two poles, he can move at 5km+/hr!! After about 2 hour+, we arrive at checkpoint 9.

After 15 minutes break/rest, we continue to stage 10 toward Tai Lam Chung Reservoir. The path was twisty and in go down some stairs, my team mate had made problem on his knee worst. We slow down and move slowly (2~3km/hr) towards our finish point - Tai Tong.

After about 5km along the reservoir, we turn north into the new route towards Tai Tong. Johny took a 3 minutes stretch and then we head up the slope towards Tai Tong. We went up the slope surprisingly quick. And after the "new route confirmation point", the route turned into up-and-down steps which is very painful for people with ITB problem. Both Johny and me had to go down the steps slowly. After all these steps, another long uphill slope. Then, we saw Tai Tong campsite. But there is still 2km to go. We go around the campsite, finally reached the finish line at 9 mins passed mid-night. Total time spent is 39 hours, 9 minutes.

I did not have any blister on my foot but I had a very painful ITB. After about a week, my ITB just started to feel better (at least can walk downstair like normal). The trailwalker is a very good experience and I am glad that I finished the event.

Longest hike in preparing for HK Trailwalker

2009-11-01T18:04:00.004+08:00

Since I had cut short my training last week, I decided to go for 50km today. Like last week, I try to follow the North Face 100 route.

I followed the route all the way to the Gangsa mountain bike track. Then, there is a gate closed. I cannot go through to the Mandai road and have to make the U-turn. When I was on the Keluar mountain bike track, I suppose to follow it back to Bukit Timah visitor's center. However, I lost the way when it meets the Kampong trail. Also at the same time, I feel that I had a hot spot at the ball of foot at the right foot. I did not want to have a blister over there as it takes over a month to recover. I decided to take a detour to go back to MacRitchie directly. I slowed down when the hot spot is not feeling good. Air it a few times but taking off the shoe and gently massage it. I was able to go back to my car without having the blister formed. When I reached my car, it was 37km. I thought that if I can nuture it for 7-8 km, I may be able to continue to make a loop around MacRitchie and boost the distance to 50km. That's what I did.

Total distance covered is exactly 50km (I have some detour around the MacRitchie carpark to make it up to 50km). Timing is 9 hrs 19 minutes. While the timing should have missed the cut-off time for NF100 duo, it includes a few breaks. Overall, I was happy with the pace. Feeling a bit tired. However, from the elevation, the route is not that challenging (cos I did not go into the hill 265 area which I was told very tough).

Overall, good training before the HK trailwalker which is just 3 weeks away. This should be my longest training and from now on, will be on tapering.

Hiking on North Face 100 route

2009-10-26T20:35:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday is the North Face 100 event. Therefore, I move my training to Sunday instead. But I would like to go in using the North Face route.

The North Face signs were intact when I did my hike. I was able to follow it all the way to the Gangsa track. However, I did not see any sign after 1.5 km and I was not sure whether I was on the right path (indeed, I was on the right path), plus, there was a thunderstorm brewing. Therefore, I u-turned back to Bukit Timah. While I was still on the Belkur mountain bike track, it started to rain, heavily. Luckily, I bought my raincoat with me. I was not afraid of the rain but rather the thunder. I had to cross an empty field about 20-30m wide with thunders brewing nearby. It was not fun at all. I followed the catchman path and arrived at the catchman hut to take a break. When the rain ease off a bit, I started again.

The North Face route is interesting. Even though I have been hiking in MacRitchie/Bukit Timah many times, the North Face route took me through some path that I have never been to.

The overall timing is good 6 hr 44 mins for around 36km (SportTracks tends to record a distance that is too long). About 5.5km/h. On the slope at Bukit Timah, my heart rate did go up a lot.

But from a difficulty perspective, the route is not very difficult (maybe I did not cover the hill 265 section).
save

MacRitchie / Bukit Timah / Zhenghua Park

2009-10-26T20:26:00.003+08:00

Another long hike on 17-Oct. Total distance is 46km. From MacRitchie to Bukit Timah, Singapore Quarry, Zhenghua Park and a part of Bukit Panjang park connector.

This is the longest hike that I had, taken a total of 8 hrs 14 minutes. I was able to keep my average heart rate checked while having an average 5.5 km/h, pretty good speed for the terrain and distance.

But I was only in the summit twice, not a lot of vertical climb.

save

MacRitchie / Bukit Timah Hike

2009-10-11T16:11:00.003+08:00

Not much time left till Hong Kong Trailwalker. This weekend is a 35km hike. From MacRitchie to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and then to end of ZhengHua Park. This is my first time in ZhengHua Park. Pretty nice park lining along BKE.

I loaded up 3 liters of water from the start. But after the U-turn at ZhengHua Park, at Valley Fall Path, I run out of water. Luckily, it is only about 1/2 km from the Ranger station at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. I topped up 2 liters and go on. At the finish, I only have about 250ml left.

Pace is around 5km+, nice pace for Trailwalker. Try to keep the heart rate below 160 but still have some stair climb goes up to 171.

save

25km hike

2009-10-05T21:45:00.002+08:00

Finally, I am getting back on LOOONG training. This time is a 25km. From MacRitchie to Bukit Timah, loop the summit twice. Though I made a wrong turn in the North View Path and did not go all the way to the bottom via the Dairy Farm Loop. So, I only capture the Summit 1.5 times.

Speed wise, it is still slow. Not sure why I lost my speed.

save

Stair Climbing Training (40 x 5)

2009-10-05T21:42:00.003+08:00

This is the longest Stair Climbing that I have. A total of 40 storeys x 5. I carried a 500ml water with me. Total time spent is 1 hr 12 minutes including the time to go and back. I was able to keep the heartrate in the reasonable range. Timing wise, the last climb was a bit slow but the others are all standard.

save

10km hike

2009-10-05T21:36:00.004+08:00

I was a bit lazy in updating my training. Two weekend ago, I did a 10km hike in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Walk into the Dairy Farm Path. The area near the Quarry is beautiful.

It is a relatively slow training session. Feeling that I was not in form.

I climb over the Summit twice and also try out the new Hydration bag. The bag works fine. Can hold 3 liter liquid with multiple small pockets to put small things. I bought it in Hong Kong fo HK$599 (around S$110). It is a good deal.

save

Stair Climbing

2009-09-22T23:28:00.003+08:00

After a pause of stair climbing for 2 weeks, I am back on it again. This time, I don't have enough time to do 40 x 4. Therefore, I go for a higher intensity training with 40 x 3. I took 6-7 floors of 2-step-a-time and then 3-4 floors of 1-step-a-time.

It was only 8 minutes for the 1st set, faster than the typical 8.5 minutes. The peak heartrate is about the same as usual. The legs get more tired. It is a good 50 minutes workout.

MacLehose Trail training

2009-09-22T23:18:00.003+08:00

I returned to Hong Kong to join the trailwalker team for a training. It was originally planned as a LOOONG training starting from stage 2 and ended after stage 4. It was intended for a very long hike of 14 hours.

We have a team of 6, gathered at Sai Kung at 9am. Took a cab a the start of stage 2. Warm up and start hiking at around 10am.

The weather was hot, humid and without any wind. Very quick, during the uphill section to a 300m hill, my heartrate goes through the roof, hitting 170+. I have to slow down and take many break in the shade.

I sweat a lot and drink more than I was planned. After the first half of stage 2, we took a break at a store. One of the team member is not going well with the hot weather and is losing pace. He decided to pull off. Top up with water/isotonic drink and started again at around 12:30pm. In the mid-day and hot weather, I was consuming about 1 liter fluid per hour. With the slow pace, it took 5 hours to finish stage 2 (including various breaks). And we have some tough decision to make at the start of stage 3. There is no convenient exit point. You have to commit to go for the whole stage 3 which I estimated to take 5 hours. It was 3:30pm and we suppose to meet other team member at 7pm at end of stage 3. It is no way that we can finish in time.

And the end, we stop at end of stage 2, defeated by the hot weather.
save

Lets Take a walk 30km training

2009-09-22T23:14:00.004+08:00

This year, I am not intended to join the Lets take a walk. But I still join the training. This training starts from the Tampines sports hall and ended in Ang Mo Kio MRT station.

We stop at the Central for lunch. The walking pace is generally leisure. Ranging from 10 to 15 minutes/km. I was wearing the Kayano Walker but feel that the size is a bit too small for this long distance.

Stair Climbing Training

2009-08-26T00:44:00.003+08:00

In this week of stair climbing, I increase to 136 floors. I go to the same 40 storey block as last week. But I change to 5 floor of 2-step-at-a-time and 5 floor of 1-step-at-a-time. Then, switch to the other stairwell. I try to keep my heart rate below 160 as well. The chart below include the warm up and warm down portion.

Overall works well. Take me about 40 minutes to finish the 136 floors, about 400m vertical. More important, I still feel great after the climb.

Trail Hiking in MacRitchie & Bukit Timah

2009-08-22T17:26:00.003+08:00

This week hiking route is similar to last week. Starting from MacRitchie going clockwise. I went up to the HSBC tree top walk but they are not opened yet. I went to Bukit Timah via the Rifle Range Link. Go through the summit three times. I think I almost cover every single marked trail in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve - South View Path, Toban Loop, Rock Path, Catchment Path, Keruing Path, Rengas Path, Serays Loop, Dairy Farm Loop. Only missing the North View Path. By the way, the Rock Path is really tough one.

Total distance covered is 32km. Time taken is 6hr 22mins. I have taken a much slower approach in going up the Bukit Timah Summit, keeping the heart rate in reasonable range and it works!!

From the elevation chart, you can clearly see that I went up the summit three times.

Interval run

2009-08-22T17:24:00.002+08:00

I am restarting my interval training. 400m x 5 with 2 mins in between walking.

Stair Climbing

2009-08-19T20:14:00.005+08:00

My weekly stair climbing. This time, same 40 storey building but extend to going up 3 times. Total is 117 storeys.

I alternating going up 2-step a time vs 1-step a time for every 4 storeys. Therefore, you can see the saw-tooth effect on the heart rate. When I reached the top, I took the lift back to level 1 and start again.

Condition is still good after climbing up the 117 storeys. I can still run the 400m back home.

Trail Training

2009-08-16T20:23:00.003+08:00

Another trail training at MacRitchie & Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. I have added a side trip to the HSBC tree top walk. Also an additional North View trail at Bukit Timah.

Total distance is 28.5km and time taken is 5 hr 25 minutes. During the uphill climb on the Bukit Timah Summit path and North View trail. I was going too fast and heartrate goes up to 172. I need to learn to slowdown on these steep uphill climb.

From the Elevation chart, there are three steep uphill climb - the one before HSBC treetop walk, the Bukit Timah Summit path and the North View Trail. Though the distance for these three are relatively short, but the steepness is very similar to MacLehose trail.

Stair Climb Training

2009-08-12T22:35:00.000+08:00

I have found a taller HDB block at the junction of Alexandra Road and Commonwealth Ave. It is 40 storeys tall. I went up, take the lift down, walk up again, take the lift down and walk up to the 24 floor for a third time. Totally, I covered 101 storeys. I believe each storey is about 3 meter +, therefore, I totally covered more than 303 meters.

MacRitchie / Bukit Timah Hike

2009-08-09T15:33:00.004+08:00

I need to find some good trail to practice. When I search around in MapMyRun, I found a North Face 100 training which is around 23 km. I feel that it is suitable and therefore decided to follow the route.

The route goes halfway round MacRitchie, then take the Rifle Range Road to Bukit Timah. Go through the catchment trail, summit and then down. Then, I took the Kampong Trail to go back to MacRitchie and finish the loop.

Overall is 25.5km and took me 4 hours 25 minutes. A little bit on the slow side. The stair climb to the Bukit Timah summit is good but a bit short. Next time, I should go around it 2-3 times.

Stair Climbing

2009-08-05T23:10:00.000+08:00

I have another Stairclimbing training on a nearby HDB block at Dawson Place. The HDB is 30 storeys tall. I went up, walk down, walk up again, take the lift down and walk up for a third time. Totally, I covered 87 storeys. I believe each storey is about 3 meter +, therefore, I totally covered more than 261 meters.

Recovery Run

2009-08-04T00:25:00.003+08:00

After Saturday/Sunday's trailwalker training, I have a recovery run today. A short 3.5km started at moderate run/walk to faster pace at the end.

I need to resume my 3-trainings-a-week schedule to prepare for the trailwalker.

Trailwalker training

2009-08-04T00:05:00.004+08:00

During my visit in Hong Kong, I join the team of 10 to have a training night walk on the MacLehose Trail stage 3 & 4. I have not hiked in Hong Kong for more than 15 years (possibly 20 years). And I never had any night walk on trails in Hong Kong. Thanks for YC (veteran in trailwalker) in organising the training.

I bought a head-mounted LED light with a hand-held torch light. Also bought a walking stick. All these items are from Ap-Liu Street. The head-mounted LED for HK$24, the torch light for HK$25 and another $25 for the walking stick.

The original plan was to cover stage 3, 4 & 5. But at the end of stage 4, the team voted for exiting via 飛鵝山道.

The total distance counted by the Garmin 305 is 24.22 km, excluding the part from exiting Camp Gilwell (基維爾營) to Choi Hung.

There are a couple of long climb. For example, the 1st 1 km was a uphill climb with 220m elevation gain. These climbs are tough. Even my 70 storeys stair-climb training is not enough. During the stage 4, my quad muscle has started to get tired and I have to slow down and taking 10 second breaks for every 15-20 steps during the uphill climb. Overall, the team spent 9 hours on stage 3 & 4 (we do have two extended breaks with each last for 15 mins). I can go faster on the flat and downhill portion. The walking stick proved to be very useful (the first time I use walking stick). The head-mount light was a bit weak. I think I will buy another one that is brighter. But the weather is really hot and humid. Even at the top of the 雞公山, there is very little wind. I used up about 4 liters of water/isotonic drinks. Luckily, we have a supply at the end of stage 3 and don't need to carry all the water. I also not using the proper shoes. I brought along the Mizuno Elixir which is too soft and not providing enough support.

Just the stage 3 & 4 is so tough that it is almost equivalent to finish a full marathon. Luckily, the stage 3 & 4 are the only two 3-star stages in MacLehose trail. The rest are 1-star and 2-star only. But still need more training, especially for the quad and the minor muscles to control the ankle.

Hong Kong Trailwalker

2009-07-15T00:06:00.002+08:00

One of the events that I want to participate at least once in my life is the Oxfam Trailwalker in Hong Kong on 20/22-Nov-09. I am trying to join the HKUST MBA Alumni team. I think my last time walking on the MacLehose Trail is at least 15 years ago. All my running/brisk walk in the last couple of years are in more less flat terrain.

I will need some serious training to finish the 100km MacLehose trail. I was told the total uphill is 3900m!!

I just started my stair training during the last weekend. Walking up 29 storeys, then walk down 29 storeys and walk up 29 storeys again. I think I need to stretch it to a total of 120 storeys at one go (equivalent to 360m, roughly the average uphill climb on the MacLehose trail).

I don't know what is the predicted time. I can do 100km in less than 20 hours on flat terrain. But with the climb, I am putting it as 30-33 hours. Need more training!!!

Sundown Ultra Marathon

2009-05-31T20:28:00.002+08:00

Finally put the 84km to rest. Yesterday morning, I still not sure whether I should participate. During the critical 3 months training before the event, I had several injuries - a bad Achilles tendon stopped me from any high intensity training (people may notice that I brisk walk all my training), then 4 weeks before Sundown, I had a bad left lower back muscle, have to miss the planned longest training of 55km (my longest LSD was 42km before Sundown). While after 3 weeks, finally, my left back is completely recovered, guess what, I pull my right back a week before Sundown! Even on 30-May morning, I have a stiff back and have to stretch it about 5 times during the day. I wasn't sure how my back will held up plus the shortage of mileage. Anyway, at the end, I still go for it (Thank god that I make that decision).

Before the race started, I cannot sit down for long time since it will stiffen my back. I got to the wrong starting point and "consume" 200m of my energy. I followed my plan to target 1st loop to be 6.5 hours. I was right on the dot, completed 1st loop 6:31. Then, a bad mistake in my shoe for 2nd loop. I bought a new insole and have trained with it in my Asics Culumus. I bought another one for my Asics Landreth. However, due to my back problem, I cancelled all my training plan and never use it for a long walk. The Landreth is slight narrower and shorter than the Culumus though both are size 10. Just after 3km, the insole was generating too much heat and have signs in forming a blister on my right foot. Several attempt trying to fix it but only be able to get it slightly better. I tried to ask for a pair of scissors to cut out part of the insole but almost all volunteer does not have a pair of scissors. Finally one of the girl has a small nail scissors. I cut out part of the insole. But still, at around 18km in 2nd loop, a big blister formed on my heel. pain now comes in every step. And I was 23km away from the finishing line. In the next 4.5 hours, I walked in pain but slowly getting to the destination. In the 2nd loop, I took a 15 second stretch on my back in every 2km and keep it alright.

I was very conservative in the last 20km and go at a pace of 11-12 min per km. I could have got faster, but I want to play safe. In the last 500m, I started my normal brisk walking pace of sub-9 minutes and run to the finishing line in the last 100m. Finally, finish the 84km at 14:42. From a state of almost want to withdrawn just 24 hours ago to finishing the 84km and put it behind, it is difficult to describe my emotion.

As a quick survey of damages, chaffing under arm and butt, inflamed Achilles tendon, one blister on right foot small toe, huge blister at right foot heel (about the size of two 50 cents coin), blister at left foot ball of foot (about 20 cents coin size). One amazing thing is that I have suppressed the pain from the blisters from more than 4 hours. After I collect the medal/t-shirt, then, all the pain comes. I have a really hard time in walking to my car.

By the way, thanks for the support table at Bedok Town Park. The ice-cold water helps to refresh myself. And the ice-cold 100+ gives my extra energy.save

Sundown Familiarization

2009-04-26T11:09:00.003+08:00

I am still too low on my mileage. My right foot Achilles tendon seems to recover. Therefore, I joined the team fatbird for their familiarization run.

The run starts from the carpark C4 and follow the Sundown route. I choose the 35km distance which U-turn in Loyang Ave. I set up my goal as a total of 7 hours. Target to arrive back to carpark C4 after 5.5 hours and go for more in the East Coast Park. As a practice for Sundown, I will do pure brisk walk as well.

I start at a moderate pace but slowdown to pace the couple that are also walking. The couple u-turn just before Bedok reservior park and I get back to my normal pace.

When I arrive back to carpark C4, It was 34km and I am at 5:26, slightly slower than my goal. Then, I add another 8km along the East Coast Park to completed 42.5km in 6:58. The route is tough since it is a U-turn and I had to cross 8 bridges. The up-down terrain in the Bedok HDB is also tough on the body.

When I arrived back at around 4:30am, a group of 55km runners are still chatting at carpark C4. But I was too tired to join them for "breakfast". Muscle ache for about a day. And on today, I feel ok. To avoid another DNF, I need more mileage and it is only 2 more weeks to accumulate mileage. Not sure whehter I will get to my planned 60km mark. I suppose to reach 50km mark for my training this week.

Dusty Run 2009

2009-04-11T23:42:00.004+08:00

I have been troubled by my Achilles Tendon problem for a few weeks. I cut down on my training to once a week (or less). Mileage has been low and no high intensity exercise. But I still need to get my long run to prepared for the Sundown. I joined the Dusty Run with about 100 other runners. I decided to go for at least 30km and possibly longer (if I am still in good shape after 30km). I followed the 30km route. And when I was back at the starting point, I feel that I can do a few more. I have a total of 35km - longest training since Hong Kong Marathon.

The route goes from East Coast Park F2 carpark. We go eastward to and cross the East Coast Parkway to Bedok park connector. Make a loop in the Expo and heading to Bedok Reservoir Park. After that, follow the Siglap Park Connector, Siglap Place, Bedok and back to East Coast Park. I do some extra after arriving in F2 carpark to the hawker center and the Bedok Jitty.

The the first 8km, I was walking with Le Giang at a slow pace of 10:30. She catch up on the MRT at Expo and then I speed up to 8:30 pace for the next 7-8km. But the uphill portion at the Siglap Place is taxing on me and I have to slow down to 9:30 pace. Plus, I was running low on water along Bedok South Road and have to slow down to avoid de-hydration. I stop by in a coffee shop for a coke and head back. Overall pace is a bit slow. and the 35km took me 5hr 43 mins. I need a slightly faster pace in the Sundown, perhaps a 6hr 30mins for the 1st loop.

My Achilles tendon holds up ok. Though a bit tired but everything is fine. There is only about 4 more weeks to up the mileage before tappering down.

Tempo Walk

2009-03-05T00:02:00.002+08:00

Since I will concentrate my training on brisk walking this year, I switched my interval training from running to walking. Now, I also switch my tempo run to "tempo walk".

I target a 7:00 pace and I was able to keep the pace. However, the original intention is to go for 6.6km but after just 3.3km at the sub 7:00 pace, I was sweating a lot and my shin muscle start to get tired. I think I am not fit enough for a 6.6km at sub 7:00 pace yet. During the big walk, I was only able to keep the 7:00 pace up to 2km and then fall back to 7:30 pace. More practices needed...

Fat Bird NightHawk run #1

2009-03-01T10:05:00.003+08:00

I was a bit lazy in blogging after the HK marathon. I have resumed training and have two LSD in the last two weeks. This week, I have joined the Fat Bird team NightHawk run in the East Coast Park. Around 50 people participated in the run. Some goes for 10km, some 19km, some 21km and some 24km.

I decided to take a 21km as a progressive buildup of my mileage again. Route is very simple, go from the Splash all the way to end of East Coast Park and then into the Park Connector 1st traffic light. Although the intended distance is 21km, the Garmin GPS shows only 20.4km.

Since in 2009, I will be focusing on walking event, I will conduct most of my training in brisk walk. It just happended that a group of runners also want to go slowly at 7:30 pace for "fat burning". I was able to keep up with them in the 1st half.

My previously longest walk at 7:30 pace is 1 hour. Similarly this time, I am able to keep up the pace for the 1st hour, and then, my pace dropped to 8:00 to 8:30 range. And finally finish at 2 hr 39 minutes. It is slightly slower than my AHM pace but I am happy with it. I should have let my early pace goes a little slower. Still working on "what should be the pace for my Sundown?".

Recovery Run

2009-02-11T23:49:00.004+08:00

I have my recovery run a little bit late, only 3 days after the marathon. I still have aching quad, a black toe, an ankle with a blister and a bit pain in my right Achilles tendon.

I started with 7:00 pace. After about 500m, I feel better and started to run at a faster pace of 6:00. I continue to go faster in the later part at about 5:30. Overall, feel great after the run!! The pain in the quad and the Achilles tendon are both reduced.

Hong Kong Marathon

2009-02-11T23:07:00.004+08:00

I am back to Hong Kong to participate in my hometown's marathon. I arrived on 5-Feb and collect the HKU team t-shirt.

I collect my race pack on 6-Feb and it is very very quiet in the collection booth.

Items in the race pack are t-shirt, bib, champion chip, booklet, medal and the deposit bag itself.

On the Marathon day, I woke up at around 5am, had a energy bar as breakfast, tape both feet, then take off to TST. I arrive there just before the 2nd wave of the half marathon starts. The weather is nice, 17-22 degree C with some cloud covering the sky. It is a little bit hotter than last year. I don't need to wear glove or disposable raincoat.

I warm up, deposit my bag, meet up with some sgrunners, then get ready for the start. The route is exactly the same as last year. From TST to Tsing-Ma bridge, U-turn and back across western cross-harbour tunnel and ended in Causeway Bay.

I start my first 10km in good shape. Seems that the not yet recovered flu did not have much impact. Heartrate runs between 160+ to 170+. I am able to keep up the pace with average 6:30 in the first 15km.

At the half way point, I am just 1 minute off my scheduled time. Looks promising. But around the same time, my right leg's quad suddenly cramp up. This is not my usual location of having cramp. I first hope that I can delay the start of cramp to 25km+, but...

I have to switch to brisk walk and I have to keep my pace at 8:15 for the rest of the course in order to beat the cut-off time. This started the tough part of the race. A few km more, my left leg also have cramp, then the inner thigh, and the hamstring taking turns to cramp up. I have to stop a few times to get some oil from the medical team to rub on the cramped muscle. Whenever, there is a downhill slope, I took the chance to run down it to cut a few second off, risking trigger more serious cramp. In each the checkpoint, here is the spare time that I had before the cut-off time:

15.4km 10 minutes before cutoff
20.3km 14 minutes before cutoff
25.0km 15 minutes before cutoff
33.6km 12 minutes before cutoff
37.3km 9 minutes before cutoff
39.2km 4 minutes before cutoff
42.195km 1 minutes before cutoff

You can see that I has slowed down a lot in the last 5 km. Luckily, I build up enough in the 1st 25km that allow me to slow down and still meet the cutoff time. At the end, I finished with gun time at 5:29:03 and chip time at 5:27:32.

It is slower than my 2008 Hong Kong Marathon. But judging from my health condition and the higher temperature, it is a satisfactory result.

Brisk Walk

2009-01-25T11:01:00.003+08:00

Want to switch back to a brisk walk since I haven't done any brisk walk for a month. Target pace to be 8:00.

The slowest split was due to traffic light and the next 2 slowest one has some stairs. But it is still getting too slow! Especially for just 11km. Hmmm, need more brisk walk practices.

Tempo Run

2009-01-25T10:58:00.002+08:00

Want to target a sub 6:00 pace for the tempo run.

sgrunners banana relay

2009-01-17T17:40:00.005+08:00

Sgrunners has organised the 2009 banana relay. The participants are organised into team of 3 runners each. Each runner need to run a 3.5km in Pasir Ris Park twice. With a total running of 21km. The runners need to hold a banana in the hand and pass it to the next runner.

The route is a pretty straight forward - 1.75km into the park and then u-turn.

I target to run at 5:00 pace. At the end, my pace in the first run is 5:13 and the second run is 5:20.

There is also a quiz for the runner when they are waiting for their turn to run. Our team is just one point behind the winning team in the quiz. Too bad, we miss the prize.

After the run, there are fruits (banana, apple, grape), drink (100+, water) and ice-cream bar. There is also goodie bag and lucky draw but I did not get any prize in the lucky draw.

The finisher medal is very nice.

HIIT (high intensity interval training)

2009-01-15T19:34:00.003+08:00

Here is my weekly interval training. But this time, I use another methodology called HIIT (Hight Intensity Interval Training). It is new to me as well so I may not have it done correctly.

A couple of place to read about HIIT

Wikipedia
HIIT Source
AskMen

In my first attempt, I try a 2 mins walk@10:00 pace, 30s jog@7:00 pace and then 30s sprint in whatever speed I can go. Here is the result:

I have the sprint varying from 3:30 to 4:30 in pace. And I did 6 sets. Right at the sixth set, I sprang my ankle and therefore the HIIT is completed early. I don't know whether it is more or less effective than my usual interval training. I guess I need to try it for a couple of weeks before I can tell.

LSD

2009-01-12T22:59:00.003+08:00

I have skipped my LSD in the last weekend. Therefore, I make it up on Monday. Want to try out a 50% run/50% brisk walk method. I choose to do it after work in the East Coast Park.

I run with my fuel belt, mobile phone + 1 energy bar.

I pretty much able to keep the alternate run/brisk walk. The running portion is not bad. I am able to keep at below 6 mins pace. For the brisk walk, around 7:30 to 7:45 pace. At around 15km, the shin on my right leg has some slight pain. I decided to let it go and switch to brisk walk. I did add some running in between for 100 to 200m each time. I completed the 21km in 2:28:30. Pretty good timing for a practice!! I did stop twice at the toilet to refill my water bottles. Heartrate is kept in reasonable level. A successful practice.

CAN Run

2009-01-10T20:24:00.006+08:00

I have signed up the CAN run. It is a run in conjunction with the revealing of Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics emblem. A total of 2010 runners runs 2010m. At the starting line, there are a lot of activities. Games are setup for kids and students to play (fencing, wrestling, handball, horseback riding, basketball). And there is a ceremony to reveal the 2010 YOG emblem.

The run is just a short loop around SMU. Starting point and ending point are the same place (I forgot to press the start button and only did it after 70m).

Balloons are given to the runners so that they can run with the balloon.

After the race finished, there is a goodie bag containing a t-shirt (cotton based), a button for the 2010 YOG, a memo pad and a booklet about YOG.

Tempo Run

2009-01-08T13:31:00.004+08:00

During the weekend, I have got a bad lower back pain. Did some stretches and rest for a few days. Now, it gets much better. Still a little bit tight. I resume training and did a short Tempo Run.

I stopped by the MRT station to top up my daughter's ez-link card. That's the reason for the long split.

This is also my first run with the Nike Free 5.0. It feels ok. No specific pain. I need to use it more often to see if it helps to train the small muscles.

Interval Training 800m x 8

2009-01-02T22:04:00.003+08:00

After finishing the Singapore Marathon and the 100km walk, it is time to get back on training for Hong Kong Marathon.

The 1st split is a warm up from my home to Queenstown Stadium while the last one is a warm down from Queenstown back to my home. The pace of the 6 intervals are 5:07, 5:04, 5:01, 5:12, 5:11, 5:30.

New Year Countdown Run

2009-01-02T21:59:00.003+08:00

A group of sgrunners organize the New Year Countdown Run. Some run from the west from Clementi while some run from Kembangan MRT. We plan to meet at Lau Pa Sat.

I live around Queenstown therefore decided to join those starting from Clementi at Queenstown MRT. It is a 6km run to the Lau Pa Sat.

We planned to arrive at Lau Pa Sat at 11:30pm. But time is tight, therefore, the last 2km is running slightly faster.

Let's Take a Walk 100km

2008-12-23T17:55:00.003+08:00

On 20-Dec-2008, it comes the day for the long walk. 298 participants for the 100km walk gathered at MINDS in Margaret Drive. My team is named ZLers with 3 male (me, Gopi and Chun Sing) and 2 female (Teresa and Corrine) team members. The flagoff is at 8:10am. The route is all over Singapore and pass at least 10 national parks.

Letstakeawalk (100km)
Find more Walks in Minds, Singapore

Our initial speed is slower than planned, only at 4.5km/h. We had our lunch in the Longhouse eating place along Upper Thomson Road. Chun Sing's wife has landed support and bring us apple, banana, Milo, Pocari. No dramatic issues in the first 50km. We arrived CheckPoint 5 right at 8pm. The same time as the 50km walker starts their walk. Corrine has planned right at the beginning to stop at 50km mark. Therefore, no surprise for us that she dropped out at 50km. I had a foot massage at CP5. We have the drop bag in Chun Sing's wife's car. I got my shoe & t-shirt changed and move on at around 8:50pm. We arrived Pasir Ris Park at around 10:35pm and re-start at 10:52pm towards Changi Village. We arrived Changi Village at 1:20am. My wife went their to support us. We had coffee, Coke, sandwich and rock melon.

The next 13km is tough. The walk along the endless Changi Coastal Road can be demoralizing. We saw many teams dragging their feet. Chun Sing suffer from blister in the toes. Even after some padding, the situation does not improve enough. He finally decided to quit at the SAFRA resort. I had a blister developed on my left heel. But with a heel gel and slight change to the walking pose, I am able to move without pain problem.

Teresa, Gopi and me continue and arrive CP8 at around 5:12am. After a break, we move on and decided to skip breakfast. We arrive CP9, the last checkpoint at around 7:28. For the last 10km, I pace Teresa. We move slowly at 4km/h and stop a few times to air the feet. We finally finish at 10:09am at the SMU. Even though Corrine and Chun Sing did not complete, they came to the SMU to cheer us as well. Thanks for both of you!

For the 298 participants signed up for the 100km walk, only 99 completed the distance.

Singapore Marathon 2008

2008-12-07T20:18:00.004+08:00

I did not sleep well last night. Woke up and 2am. Surf the net, eat an energy bar, get dress and drive down to the Padang area. The race started at 5:30am. I started from the over 5hr pen. I had 4 pack of gel with me.

I had some pretty quick runs at the beginning, overtook the 5 hrs pacers. I had two splits that are at 5 mins pace. But paying the price later down the race. I adopt the run/walk strategy. The field is a bit packed at the beginning and make it difficult to run smoothly. It takes a few km before the field started to spread out a bit. The waterpoints are a little bit crowded at the beginning but it is still well organized. I consumed my first pack of gel at 10km. My 10km split is 1:09:01 which is right on the mark. My run/walk strategy stopped at around 17km when I had my first cramp on my right foot. It is around the lower part of the right hand side of the shin. I knew that it is vulnerable point. I have a similar cramp in the Realrun and recently had some involuntary muscle contraction on it even in resting time. The initial fast pace possibly make it worse. I had to switch to pure walking. My initial plan is to use the run/walk till 25-30km in order to catch the 5 hr 30 minutes finish time. But now, have to settle on 5:45 finish time. I pop the second pack of gel at 18km.

My half marathon split is at 2 hr 36 minutes. Only 6 minutes off the schedule pace. I collected another pack of gel distributed by the race organised which I consume it at 24km. I like the taste of the Gu Gel, both the strawberry banana and tri-berry are nice. The chocolate is only so-so. At the 30km mark, I stopped at the sgrunners group for about 3 minutes. Have a biscuit, a drink and another pack of gel. When I hit the stadium link at around 33km, fatigue started to hit me. I can no longer keep the 7km/h target pace and slowed down to 9 min to 10 mins. My back also started to have fatigue and painful. The body is telling me to stop and lying down but I just continue, counting the step, targeting runners to pass. I was still possible to finish at 5:45. I consumed my 5th pack of gel at 34km. When I was on the Crawford Lane and the underpass of Nicoll highway, I saw Esther. She has a real problem in going up the slope. I slowed down the joined her. She supposed on a 5hr 30mins target but her back pain started to slow her down. It was only 4km from finish line. I walked with her and chat with her at a slower 11mins pace. She stopped for some deep heat rub for her back and right foot. After that, she feel better and started running again. I try to re-start running, but just 200m, the cramp on my right foot came back. I just brisk walk to the last 250m and run to the finish line.

Overall time is 5:51:19 according to my watch. Gun time is about 5:53. It is an improvement from teh 6:01 time that I had last year. But I really need to sort out my right foot problem. Otherwise, I may not finish within the cutoff time in HK marathon.

Singapore Marathon Race Pack

2008-12-06T01:13:00.003+08:00

After reading about queue time of 45 mins to 3 hours to collect the Race Pack, I was not sure how much time that I need to reserve. I went to collect on Friday afternoon. But with doctor's appointment at 4:30pm, I had only 45 minutes for collection it. When I arrived, I expected a long queue but I cannot find one. I go all the way to the Hall 5 and still no queue. Going into the Hall 5, there is only a very short queue of less than 10 people for the full marathon.

The lady quickly process my confirmation slip and pass me the rack pack.

At the exit, there is a counter that I can check the timing chip. I did and it works! The rack pack has a bag, bib, timing chip, safety pins, singlet, Natural Valley energy bar, sample of deep heat rub, waist band with Audi logo, sample of Becorra, a booklet on race information and varies flyers.

Interval training 400m x 6

2008-12-03T23:25:00.002+08:00

The last run before Singapore Marathon. Interval training 400m x 6, 2 mins rest, 4:30 target pace.

The pace of the six splits are 4:31, 4:41, 4:10, 4:11, 4:42, 4:44. Not too bad.

Let's Dance!

2008-12-03T19:42:00.001+08:00

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

SCSM familiarization run

2008-11-30T20:25:00.003+08:00

I joined the Team Fatbird's familarization run.

The route planned is a 18km route. But on the Kallang Road, Kayano has slowed down and I decided to walk with him. And when we almost reach the ECP, the leading group caught up with us and we started to run with them again. Total distance covered is 14.5km at 2 hr 1 minutes.

The walking portion is pretty slow at 10:00 pace. But when we pick up again to run with the leading group in the last 2km, I was running at good speed of 6:00 pace. Well, it is tapering period. 14.5km is fine with me.

Interval training 800m x 6

2008-11-27T00:28:00.002+08:00

I missed a weekend LSD and back on my weekly interval. 800m x 6, 3 mins rest, 5:15 target pace.

However, other than the first three splits, I drift to 5:30 then 5:45 pace. With just 1.5 weeks away, I am drifting off my form... My peak possibly has occurred a few weeks ago already...

Interval Training 400m x 6

2008-11-18T23:48:00.002+08:00

After the long 60km during the weekend, I just want to do something short. Decided to have 400mx6, 1.5 mins rest, 4:30 target time.

However, the body is not fully recovered. Other than the first split, I am not able to hold on the 4:30 pace. Drifting to 4:45 to 5:00.

Let's Take a Walk Training 60km

2008-11-16T22:28:00.001+08:00

This is the last training for LTAW08. Distance is 60km. I was late to the Kembangan and the group has just started the warmup. 3 out of 4 in my team participated in this training. There is no rain at all during the training. The route goes a big loop in the eastern part of Singapore from Kembangan to Pasir Ris, then Changi Coastal Road, ECP and finally arrive at SMU.

The first couple of km was fast, a bit too fast. The whole group was following. Then, there is a "wrong" turn at Bedok Reservior which results in going a full loop around the reservior. Later, the route is modified to cut out the Tampines Ave 8 as well as the U-turn loop in Pasir Ris Park. At the end, the total distance is 61.5km on my Garmin.

There are breaks at around 10km, 20km (~10-15mins). And there are long breaks in Changi Village (30km), ECP carpark G (44km), ECP MacDonolds (50km).

One of my team member has problem along the Loyang Ave with some hot spot at the bottom of the foot. It is likely due to not enough ventilation in her shoes. We went slow at 4km/h. We finally arrived Changi Village at 2:40am. Two blisters form (side of heel and side of toe) for her. And I did some cushion and taping for her at the Changi Village. She continuee with my other team member to Changi Coastal Road and eventually drop off at about 42km at SAFRA resort. From Changi Village, I switched to join the leading group. One of the guy was going along Changi Beach Park at 7km/h and I followed. The leading group was quickly pull-off a significant gap from the rest. Five of us are going along the Changi Coastal Road at a consistent 6km/h. We arrive at the ECP 1st toilet at about 5:55am. The next group is about 10 minutes behind. We left when the main group just about to arrive. We stop at MacDonalds for breakfast at about 7:10am. I ordered the new Mega McMuffin breakfast. I am still in very good condition.

I passed by the Nike Lunar Trial station and chat with Raven a bit. I still have quite a bit reserve and able to go at 7km/h to catch up with the three in the leading group at the end of ECP. We continued along at consistent pace of 6km/h and arrived SMU about 9:50am.

My heartrate is only 100-110 before I switch to join the leading group. When I was at 6km/h in the leading group, HR is about 120.

I only have two very minor problem, an almost-form blister on the third toe on my left. I did not tape that toe. I just need to remind myself to tape it next room. I have some abrasion on the outter side of the left ankle rubbing again the shoe. I will need to tape it. I also have some chaffing in one place in my butt rubbing with the SKINS. I will need to put Action cream on it. Other than the minor problem, I have no issue at all for the 60km. Here is a snap of the leading group of 4. SK (the girl) is really consistent at her pace. She will sign up with another team for the 100km.

It is overall a good training walk. Finishing the 61.5km in 13hr20mins. Also, get valuable information about how to prevent the blisters. I got a bit sleepy. But I did not make any adjustment on it (I woke up 8am). This simulate the actual day that I suppose to get up at 6am. So, I think I should be fine for the actual 100km walk.

Medical Check

2008-11-12T14:59:00.002+08:00

I had my annual medical check today. Collected urine, stool, blood sample, check weight, BMI, blood pressure, chest x-ray etc. And then, it is the breathing test. Ok, I pass. Then, it is the treadmill ECG. This is my fourth time of taking treadmill ECG. Remember that in the first time back in 2000?, I was in such a bad shape and I hit my max HR while still at walking speed on the treadmill and almost faint! That was one of the underlying reason I take up running/brisk walk.

As usual, electrode all over the chest. My resting heartrate while resting on the chair is 46! Two year ago, the test stop at 1 minute22s into stage 4 when I hit my 179 on heartrate. Today, I completed stage 4 at round 165 heartrate though the nurse is not giving me stage 5. But looking at the heartrate, I was in better shape last year with 145 heartrate at stage 4.

Slow training

2008-11-09T23:51:00.004+08:00

My legs/feet are not feeling 100% in the last couple of days. Both ITB are a bit tight, left big toe is still numb, occasionally, there is some pain on the knee. Judgment tells me that it is not good. Potentially due to over-train. Therefore, I was taking the week easy. Today, I only did an easy walk of 6.7km at 8:10 pace.

I try out the walk on the new pair of Kayano Walker. It feels ok.

Training run

2008-11-05T20:15:00.002+08:00

After the long 50km walk + the very quick 6km in a single weekend, I can count some of the "damage". My left foot toe is a bit numb. I believe it is the same situation as after Sundown. Secondly, some ache around the body in the last few days though it is not the same as the muscle ache.

Today, I try to do a 1km x 5 interval training. And after 800m, the left ITB start to get tight. I have to slow down to walk. And just jog on the next interval. At the end, decided to cut it short and run a quick three split. The Garmin recorded a 205 max HR. I hope it is just a glitch of the watch, not a glitch on my heart. Anyway, I am due for my yearly medical check. Need to book the time slot.

Big Walk on water

2008-11-03T03:35:00.003+08:00

I possibly a bit crazy. After yesterday's 50km let's take a walk training which ended at 10pm. I return home and watch the F1 qualifying live and had only 4 hours of sleep. I dragged myself up this morning at 6am to attend the big walk. The starting point is the L1 fountain area. It is packed with people. I don't want to start behind all the slow walkers. I squeeze myself up to the front, end up at about 4th row. Some MP, CEO bah bah bah flagged off the walk. The walk goes towards Nicholl Highway and turn into the Stadium, Tanjong Rhu and a trail to the barrage on the eastern side. The finish point is at the other side of the barrage. First, the route is NOT 5km, it is about 6.1km from my Garmin!

Please noted that I forgot to press start button at the start, therefore, the 1st 200m is missing and only start recording at Nicholl Highway.

After the flag off, I quickly squeeze passed a few groups of slow walkers. As expected, there are several brisk walkers in front. I passed a few brisk walks before hitting the Nicholl Highway. On the long straight of Nicholl Highway, there are a few brisk walker and a few runners. I don't care about the runners. I was really charging up. My first 400m is at 6:15 pace, then settle to around 7:00 pace. Within a km, I caught up a few brisk walkers/jogger. And there are only three brisk walkers in front. They are all very fast. The lady in front of me in white is in very good competitive walking form - hip twisting, 90 degree arm swinging nices, fluid motion. I was just 20m behind her and keeping about same pace.

Then, a tall old guy came very fast from behind. When he passed me, I accelerate and keep up with him at about 2m behind him. We went along, caught up and passed the lady brisk walker. But I could not keep up with him. His cadence is fast! I drop off and let him go. And soon by Tanjong Rhu, he disappeared in front. I then try to catch up with the next brisk walker in pink shorts about 50m in front. But after 2km of 7:00-7:15 pace, I started to slow down to 7:30. Then, the lady brisk walker that I past passed me! The pink-short walker also slow down and passed by both the white-tee lady and me. At Tanjong rhu, I charge up and at a traffic junction, the police did not slow the car in time. She paused, and I passed her again. After Tanjong rhu is a trail made of mud. Luckily, the weather is fine and the mud is compacted by a steam-roller. Therefore, it is hard and easy to walk on. About 500m into the trail, the white-tee lady passed me again, but this time, she was running, and then disappear in front. There are some other runners caught up and passed me. But in the final stretch, another fast lady brisk walker came from behind and passed me. I think I end up finishing 4 or 5 among the "pure" brisk walker.
I was able to keep my pace at 7:00 in the first 2km and 7:30 in the subsequent 4km. This is the fastest that I ever have in a similar distance. The 50km walk yesterday did not affect me.

The goodie bag is indeed very good. There is a nice aluminum water bottle with Marina Barrage printed on it. Very very nice. And also a bottle of water, an orange, two biscuits, a bottle of kim-chi (yes, kim-chi), a pack of tissue, a sample of bath lotion, a pack of fisherman's friends, a Pure maagazine and a copy of New Paper.

I took the shuttle bus back to Suntec and collect another goodie bag with a towel and a coupon book. After collecting the goodie bag, I stay around in Suntec City waiting for the Asics sales to open at 11am. Bought two shoes, a tee and some socks. By then, I start to feel very very tired.

Let's take a walk training 50km

2008-11-03T03:29:00.003+08:00

Today is along training day for 50km. Start at Tampines MRT at 9:50am with a light drizzle. The rain stop after a while but the journey only begins.

The route goes to Paris Ris Park and we stopped near carpark D toilet right at 10km mark. After a 15 mins+ stop, we continue to Changi Village (@21km) where we have lunch and stopped for about an hour (lunch + looking after the feet + stretch). Then is the long Changi Coastal Road and stopped at first toilet in ECP area G @35km. A few people has blister. Then is the dinner stop at ECP Burger King before heading the final stretch to SMU.

My Garmin watch run of battery at around 46.5km mark. The total course is around 51.5km and finish at 10pm. Total time taken including lunch/dinner/breaks is around 12 hours. Speed among different group are vastly different. The leading team can still move along at 10 mins pace in the last 5km.

I completed the 3.2km in 16 minutes!

2008-10-30T00:00:00.004+08:00

One of my New Year running resolution is to finish the 3.2km loop around Stirling in 16 minutes (12 km/h speed). My best time in 2007 was 17:09. The resolution need a 1 minute+ improvement. On 3-Aug-08, I improved it by 1 sec to 17:08. On 5-Sep-08, I made a big improvement to 16:12.

Today, I finally make it. I completed the 3.2km in 15:57.38, just under 16 minutes.

Splits	17-Dec-07	3-Aug-08	5-Sep-08	29-Oct-08
400m	2:02	2:03	1:55	1:56
800m	1:59	2:08	2:06	2:04
1200m	2:13	2:13	2:04	2:01
1600m	2:07	2:07	2:02	2:03
2000m	2:06	2:07	1:54	2:00
2400m	2:12	2:11	2:02	1:59
2800m	2:22	2:19	2:12	2:05
3200m	2:04	1:56	1:53	1:50
Total	17:09	17:08	16:12	15:57
Avg HR	167	162	170	171

One of the biggest improvement is consistence of the pace. I am able to keep the pace right at 5:00 target pace. Even on the slight uphill slope during the 2.4-2.8km, I made a significant improvement comparing to my previous attempt. Traffic condition also help. I did not need to slowdown at all road junctions. And my final push is also strongest in comparing to previous runs. Heartrate also pushed higher but still manageable. I believe the fitness level is better than a year ago and able to make the 1 minute 12 second improvement. I am happy to meet one of my New Year Resolution :)

Interval training 1km x 5

2008-10-28T00:13:00.003+08:00

I haven't done any interval training in the last 2 weeks. This week, I stretch my limit to 1km x 5, 2 mins rest, 5:00 target pace.

My splits are 5:06, 5:03, 5:16, 5:35, 5:43. Not able to keep up with the target pace. Need to train more!!

Fat Bird Marathon Pacer Training

2008-10-25T22:35:00.002+08:00

I have a week of slack in training. My wife has finally taken her Lasik treatment and I need to spend more time with her. This morning, I joined the Fat Bird Marathon Pacer training. I am not a pacer but join the group for the exercise. The group have folks going for 18km, 32km and 35km. I choose to have do a 28km at 8:30 pace. I should finish mine similar to the 5 hr pacer. The route goes from carpark B2 all the way to end of area H and continue to Changi Coastal Road. I U-turn when my Garmin indicate a 14km.

The pace in the 1st half is pretty good at around 8:00, the second half is slower at around 8:30. Overall good pace. The half marathon timing is about 2 hr 55 mins which is pretty good, considering I was carrying a 2kg backpack to simulate the weight that I will carry during the Let's Take a Walk.

Real Run 2008

2008-10-19T16:42:00.006+08:00

I woke up really early at around 5am for the Real Run. I had an energy bar for breakfast and then pack up and drive to the Changi Exhibition Center. Need to be there early to beat the road closure time and secure a carpark space. I arrive there at around 6:20am. Never see so many cars on the Changi Coastal Road.

After gear up, put on sun screen and ready to take the 15km. The Sun already started its job. It is right at the starting line. It is so bright that I can hardly try to look at the starting line.

The first 4km is trail at the back of the exhibition center. From the Satellite picture, it is a newly reclaimed area totally empty.

In the website, it says 4km trail. However, it was originally covered with vegetation and I believe the organizer dig up the vegetation to form a trail and dump some sand on it so that it won't be too muddy. However, since the nice weather, half of the trail are sand! In stead of running 4km of trail and 0.6km of sand, now I am running 2km of trail and 2.6km of sand. Some part of it is about as soft as sand on the beach. There are two water stations in the trail. But they are a bit small and not designed properly. For example, the first water station is right at a corner. Very difficult for people to avoid clashing into each other.

Then, the route back to the main road and along the Changi Coastal Road for about 7km. Finally, we come to the Changi beach for the 0.6km of sand. Running on the sand has no issue at all. I choose to run along the water edge, just avoiding contact with water. Only need to step into the soft sand when passing people. It works fine.

The last 3 km is on the road the under the hot sun. Even with sun screen, I still get "two-tone colour" on my legs. I have a little bit cramp on my right leg and finished 1 hr 52 mins.

At the finish point, water and 100plus are available. Plus the Natural Valley girl is handling out extra energy bars! The de-chip is quick and collection of goodie is fast!

Content of the Goodie Bag includes the shoe bag, event tee, 100+, Eagle muscle balm, Highland Storm lozenges, Natural Valley energy bar and various coupons.

The "shoe" bag can be used for other purpose. Much better than those dedicated one.

Overall, event is nicely organised. If they are start a bit earlier to reduce the effect of Sun, that will be much better.

RealRun Rack Pack + New Paper Big Walk Registration

2008-10-12T14:53:00.002+08:00

I am down with flue for a few days already. Have to put aside training. Take rest, drink more water.

Went down to collect the rack pack for Realrun. Rack Pack consist of Timing Chip, safety pins, a cable tie (for fasting the timing chip), Bib and a Race Handbook.

Noted that the Bib is tailored to have the runner's name on it! Great! All other race should do the same thing on the Bib!

I also went to register for the New Paper Big Walk. I have participated in the last two rounds and don't want to miss a walking event. It is almost fully signed up already and therefore have to hurry up. I went to the registration counter at Suntec City. There is a queue at the booth even though it was before the start time for the registration.

Some people queue there with friends going to buy New Paper to get the Masthead. One even buy a few copies of the New Paper and only use the Masthead and dump the new and unread newspaper.

The booth is very small and can process registration only one at a time. Why don't they use online registration? And forgo the New Paper Masthead.

Here is what I have collected at registration : a paper based visor (I will not use it), a paper "fan" shaped in a circle with a hole (for putting the thumb through?), a "sticker" Bib so that you can paste it on any t-shirt, a coupon for goodie bag (this is the one that all uncle/auntie are going after)

Even though there is no competitive category, what I will do on that day is to stand in the front of the line and go for it at racing speed...

Mid-week LSD 24km

2008-10-07T21:28:00.002+08:00

The mid-week LSD for this week is on Tuesday. I took an alternate route from Yishun to Queenstown, using Thompson Road instead of Upper Thompson Road. I made a wrong turn at Novena Square results in a longer route of 24.1km

The average pace is 8:36 with typical heartrate below 130bpm.

Interval training 400m x 6 with trail shoe

2008-10-06T21:55:00.002+08:00

I had my interval training today for 400m x 6, 1.5 min rest, 4:45 target pace. A small difference is that I was wearing a pair of trail shoe. I bought the Nike Air Trail Pegasus+ III Clima (what a long name) about 2 months ago. Intended to use it for the Real Run + MR25 Ultra. It is a bit heavier that the regular shoe. Also, more waterproof but less ventilation on the top.

This is my first time running with it. It runs a bit strange on the concrete due to the studs. And the part under the ball of foot is not as flexible. But the cushioning is good. I deliberately run more often on the grass besides the pedestrian walkway. It works beautifully on the grass. In my normal running shoes, I would have a hard time getting good traction on the grass.

Back to the timing. Since I deliberately run more on the grass, it obviously will be slower. Therefore, I set a slower target of 4:45 pace.

The pace of the 6 splits are 4:45, 5:11, 4:36, 4:33, 5:00, 4:51. Averaged around 4:45. Slower than my last 400m x 6 on 9-Sept (4:11, 4:16, 4:15, 4:27, 4:55, 4:53) but more consistent in the pace.

Let's take a walk training session #3

2008-10-05T12:40:00.005+08:00

This morning, I went to take photo of the North Face 100 event. Went to MacRitchie as well as Bukit Timah Hill Summit. Already clocked some mileage on the legs. I have to cut short on the photo taking and started return home at around 10:30am. Change clothes and then head out for the training.

Meet up with Teresa at Simei for lunch. Then, gathering at the Simei station for the group. I taped both feet. Some warm up at the start

The route is from Simei to Dhoby Ghaut through the Bedok Park Connector, ECP. Since the distance is a bit short of 30km, a loop was made around the Simei area. But still, the final total is 27km only.

The walk along the Bedok Park Connector:

A break at car park B1 at East Coast Park. Some stretching.

The overall pace is 13:16 including all the breaks and waiting for the slower group. Faster than the first practices.

North Face 100

2008-10-05T10:44:00.004+08:00