Trainings this week

28Aug

Tempo Run of 6.5km, excluding warm up of 1.5km.

Targeted pace (also marathon pace)was 6:24 but ended up running up faster than I should @ 6:07.

Avg HR: 162. 73% of the distance was conducted in HR Zone 4.

29Aug

One hr of weights. Has been raining lately so couldnt go for my lunch swims.

30Aug

Fu Ren was not feeling well so I had to attend the swimming lesson alone.

The coach gave me his undivided attention. "Eric, do this!", "Eric, dont do that!", man.. I was totally exhausted after the lesson.

31Aug

Went for a slow run this morning. Started from the Bedok Park connector and towards ECP. Took the underpass at Bayshore and back to Bedok for a total distance of 14.69km.

Time: 1:55:42 including 9 mins of stretching and multiple stops at traffic lights.

Avg pace was 7:53.

Avg HR: 141 of which 67% in HR Zone 3 and the rest below zone 3.

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Training- 27Aug08

Of course I have done more than just training today but I will reveal it at a later date.

Went for a short 30mins bike session to make up for the run i missed yesterday due to rain.

10 mins warm up.
Follow by 1.5mins of speed paddling then 3.5mins of slow riding.
Almost like an interval session on bike.
Man, it was hard!

Distance: 13km
Time: 30mins
Resistance level: 10/20

^..^ ^..^

Sports Injuries Consultation

A follow-up consultation with Dr. Low from 2 weeks ago.

He told me my condition has improved and I no longer need to see him, but I will need to continue with my PT till the hamstring improves.

Hooray!

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AHM and Bay Run Result

The result for yesterday race is out.

I am ranked no. 2267 out of 5099 completed participants.
OK lah...slightly better than mid-pack. Very close though.

Colleague, WK, ran a sub-2hr 21km and came in no. 1278. SOB.
Another colleague, the ironlady, came in no. 71 out of 313 completed participants in the Women veteran 21km category.

tsk tsk tsk...strong runners, except me.

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Trainings Ahead

With AHM behind me, I will be able to focus my training for Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM), which is 15 weeks away.
Target time for SCSM is 4.5hrs.

My plan this time round, is to run less frequently, but increase the intensity of each session.
This is the "run less, run more" concept I read from the internet, and I will try it out.

Outline of my weekly training sked-
1/ 3 runs- 1 Interval with 1km repeats (Tues or Thurs), 1 tempo run @ marathon pacec(Tues or Thurs), and 1 long run (Sun). Hopefully it will decrease my injury frequency as well.

2/ 2 weights sessions, to squeeze in stationary biking if possible. Always wanted to try the SPIN classes.

3/ 3 swims, which includes a lesson on Saturday.

Other non-training aids
1. Health supplements- multivits and glucosamine.
2. More frequent meals but less in portion. At least 1 meal must be vegetables or fruits.
3. Last of all, enjoy the process!

I hope the trainings will provide a good base for me to transition into triathlon.

^..^ ^..^

24Aug08- Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon

Unfortunately, the rain didnt continue from yesterday so I had to run this morning :(

Woke up at 4am to prepare my bowl of cereal. Shuts! shelf life of the milk has expired. I tried 2 spoonfuls of the cereal without the milk and it tested yucky! No choice had to eat the pineapple tarts I bought last night. Didnt eat much cos the body is not used to eating so early in the morning but I did make sure I have drunk enough water.

Reached suntec about 5.3oam in the morning so had ample to do stretching and pee break.
Started walking to the start point infront of Esplanade at 6am. Man, it was so crowded! More than half of the runners were army boys. They dont call it Army Half Marathon for nothing.

As i was too engrossed with my 93.3 I didnt event hear the flag-off. It took me about 7mins from where I stood to cross the start line.
My plan was to run the first 10km @ 7mins/km and then the rest of the distance @ 6:30/km for a total time of 2hrs22mins.
Was holding back my horses in the beginning so I wouldnt peak too early, so the congestion at the beginning...erh its was more like all the way....did help.

To be honest, I didnt have time to sightsee along the route cos was too busy to dodge slower runners infront.
Anyway, I didnt enjoy my run today for a couple of reasons-
1. Too congested for the whole route. This is my first participation of AHM so I didnt have a comparison of this year vs last year. Heard the DJ said the total participants were 75,000.

2. Hated the marina barrage stretch. Felt like trail run cos it was undulating and muddy. I am perfectly ok with trail run if I am mentally prepared for it. Came for AHM and ended up doing trail run?

3. Wasnt physically prepared for the run. My weekly mileage for the past 3-4weeks averaged about 4-8km. I guess the cross-training couldnt make up for the lost mileage. I was really struggling to keep the feet going for the last 5-6km, even though HR was a low 120-130. I peaked too early in the race.

My ITB is boycotting now...sianz.

Here are the numbers.

0-5km 6:44/km HR156
5-10km 6:31/km HR164
10-15km 6:36/km HR134
15-20km 6:31/km HR129
20km-end 6:13/km HR111 (The total distance recorded on my garmin was 21.44km)

Total distance: 21.44km
Total time: 2:20:58
Avg pace: 6:34
Avg HR: 143

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23Aug08

The swimming lesson was cancelled due to the rain.
Actually I was secretly hoping that the rain would continue till tomorrow morning, so I dont have to run the AHM....hee hee hee.
Think I am really getting lazy....

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21-22Aug, forecast for 23-24Aug

21Aug
1 hr of weights and core exercises. Was very fickle minded and couldnt decide on the types of core exercise I should do....

22Aug
Was drizzling in the morning but the sky cleared up just before my lunch-time swim.
This time, a collegue, WK, tagged along since he wanted to try it out.
WK had the same swim handicap as me- water confidence. I encouraged him to take up swimming lessons than to solicit advices from me. Anyway I am not much better than him.
One thing that surprised me though, I could still swim breaststroke. Swam 1 lap, or almost 1 lap, in breaststroke. Hmm....seems that i have not given the breaststroke back to the PTI in BMT.
Could only manage 3/4 lap in freestyle. The strokes were still not very coordinated so couldnt last the distance.
Target by end of August: 1 LAP.

Anyway, WK loved the swim and suggested that we should do this next week again.
At last, someone to motivate me to swim during lunch.

Went down to Safra Tampines with fu ren this evening, to witness how coach Alex conducts his intermediate tri-swim. My god! the trainees were swimming laps after laps....and this is only intermediate swimming???!!! Shuts! I dont think I am good enough to join them after i complete my beginner's swimming.

Maybe....i should push back my target to take part in a triathlon next year....I am just not good enough yet....

23Aug
Likely to cho bo for the day, except the swimming lesson in the evening.
Hope the weather holds up.

24Aug
Army Half Marathon. Can focus my SCSM training after the AHM.
Will conserve my legs and just take this as a LSD practise.
No time expectation but probably should finish by 2.5hrs.
Fu ren insists to drive me there even though she is not running. Thanks baby!! Muack!
Now, what should i wear on Sunday?

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我没有买!!!!!!!

After my PT session, my car rental agent buzzed me.
"Eric! Ho sei liao bo?"
"Ho sei si mi? You gonna upgrade my car to Mercedes izit?"
"Bo lah!!! Your car plate number came out first prize!!!!"
"huh???!!!! I didnt buy!!!"
"Aiya! See your face I know you are not the buy 4D sort."
"NB! Then you call me for what??!!"
SIAN x 100!!!!

This morning, I drove along Joo Chiat Road and stopped before a traffic light.
An old man was sweeping the floor infront of his shophouse.
He paused briefly, stared at my car and then looked at me.
With a sheepish smile, he gestured a thumbs-up to me.
I gestured a thumbs-down. Arghhhhh.....
SIAN x 200!!!!

When I drove pass , my office's car park ERP sensor, had this phobia the display screen would flash "Welcome! First prize car owner!"

When I drove up the car park, the 2 resident car polishers were pointing at my car plate and murmured "tao peow" (first prize in hokkien! And yes, somehow I heard it!). I wound down my car window and shouted in disgust "我没有买!!!!!!!"
SIANZZZZZZZZ.....

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20Aug08- Another day has past

Physio Session
Worked on the IT band today = OUCH x 10!!!!!
If not for my pride, I probably would have teared infront of the PT.
At the end of the session, she pasted some bandage on my right thigh above the knee which she claimed would hold my tendon in place.
It looks funny on my leg. Is she playing a prank on me??

CTE
Headed home after the PT session.
Heard that there was slow traffic on PIE so took a detour TPE via CTE.
I was driving on lane 1 along CTE. A motorcyclist with his pillion rider on lane 2.
To my horror, the helmet of the pillion rider flew off in the midst of the ride.
My god!! What are these people thinking of? Tsk tsk tsk.

Olympics Women Swimming Marathon (10km)
Was telecast live on TV this morning.
10km for 2hrs. When will i be able to do that??
Ok. My goal is to complete 1 lap by the end of this month.

By the way, I observed that the women swimmers hardly kicked the water, they relied solely on the pull of the arms to glide forward. Is this the way to swim long distance?

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Training- 19Aug08

Short run of 7.8km this evening.
Completed in 51mins including 4mins of stretching.
Did I run that fast?
Legs have not recovered fully, still could feel some pain here and there.
Think I will take it easy during the AHM.
Target time= 2.5hrs taking into consideration of my injuries.

^..^ ^..^

Training- 17Aug08

Conserving my legs for the AHM, so no running.

Stationary Bike at the gym.

Duration: 60mins
Distance: 25.88km
Effort Level: 8/2o

^..^

We Are Proud of You, Regardless!

We lost the tennis table match, but not without putting up a good fight.

There was a clear disparity in skills and experience.

As long as you have tried your best, we are proud of you!

Good job, Singapore Women Table tennis Team!!

^..^ ^..^

Table Tennis Match vs National Day Rally

PM has decided to postpone the English speech of the National Day Rally so that Singaporean can watch the Table Tennis Olympics match against China.

Isnt that great!

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Training- 15-16Aug

15Aug- One hour of weights and core exercises.

16Aug- Swimming lesson. This week, coach wanted us to do the catch-up drill, holding our breath and swim across the pool. Fu ren was doing it with ease but on the contrary, i was struggling to make it half-way across the pool. The more i wanted to speed up, the more out of breath I was. Later I realised that the trick was to ease up on the muscles and the strokes would flow naturally.

Isnt that the truth for many sports, the more tense you are you slower you go?

I cannot declare myself a swimmer yet but i am glad with the progress I have made over these few weeks. It was a wise choice to engage a swimming coach instead of learning on our own. It is definitely a good investment to speed up learning, the right way!

If you are currently struggling with your swimming and want to make progress, take a lesson!

^..^ ^..^

FINAL! Finally....

Hee hee.....3 CHEERS for the Singapore Table Tennis Team!!!!

Go for the gold ok!! 加油！！！

^..^ ^..^

My week so far

Tues- 12 Aug
Did an hour of weights and core exercises in the morning before work.
Felt so sleepy after that.....maybe still not used to workout in the morning yet.

Wed- 13Aug
I promised i would tell you my experience with the Physiotherapist.
Here I am. I survived!!

It was 30mins of rubbing (OUCH!!!), stretching, ultrasound and icing.
And that was just for 1 (hamstring) of my 3 problems. No time for my ITB and Piriformis yet.

Supposed to have 2 sessions per week unfortunately the PT is going on leave, so have scheduled another session next week.

Dont know why, but I was already feeling better after the PT session : )

Thurs- 14Aug
45mins of swimming during lunch.
I am looking more burnt than ever.

Had an evening run with colleagues and ex-colleagues. Started to feel the strain on ITB 2km into the run. I did a run-walk-stretch to finish the 8km run. Was actually feeling much better in the last 2 km- mind over body : ))

Still assessing my chance to run the AHM.

oh, by the way, my finnish colleague offered me a slice of "ham" this afternoon. To my horror it turned out to be smoked REINDEER!! Although I must admit that it was quite tasty :p

the smoked reindeer meat


oh dear! Santa Claus will need to drive Volvo to deliver christmas presents this coming Xmas.






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Sports Injuries Consultation- 11 Aug 08

After postponing the appointment twice, I finally made my way down to clinic@cuppage for a consultation with Dr. Low.

For those who remembers, I pulled my calf muscle before the Sundown Marathon.
It has never recovered since then and I can always feel a nagging pain at the spot.
After the diagnosis, Dr. Low found that I have 3 strains along with thickening of muscles on my right leg, starting from the hamstring down to the calf.
He recommended that I go through a couple of sessions with the Physiotherapist to breakdown the scar tissue and loosen the muscles, along with some anti-inflammatory medications that he prescribed.
Running is not recommended at the moment but cross-trainings are ok.
I have already booked a PT session on this Wednesday and anticipate it will be a painful session : (

Overall, it was a good experience with Dr. Low and I definitely have a better impression of him as compared to some young sport doctors at the restructed hospitals. Highly recommended if you are currently plagued with some sports injuries.

Will share with you my PT experience on Wednesday.

^..^ ^..^

Training- 10Aug08

Spent most of my weekend watching the olympics races.
Finally dragged myself down to the gym to get the blood flowing.
Since I was afraid to worsen my ITB strain, had to do other exercises to substitute the running.

30 mins of biking with alternate 1km fast spin at above 100rpm (level 8-10 out of 20)
Really got my HR up on that. Distance covered- 13km.

Another 20mins of single-legged bridge and plank to build core and followed by 10mins of stretching.

^..^ ^..^

Training- 8 Aug (200m run)

yeah! you hear me right! 200m! That was all i did this evening.

The culprit? ITB!!!! I think I will need to take the week off and subsitute running with other cross trainings.

Why this kind of mishap always happen to me before a major race???!!

Sianz....

Training- 5 Aug

Swim
Went for a 45mins practise swim during lunch.
Spent most of my time doing kicking in the pool, especially the side kick drill.
Now my neck and shoulders are so sore.....but I enjoyed the swim tremendously.
Will do it again tomorrow...its good to see some progress.

Run
2 colleagues joined me this evening- one is the Ironlady and the other is preparing for his IPPT.
Shared with them my idea of intervals for the evening- 5x1km own pace.
Ironlady preferred to run on her own as she claimed that she is too old for speedwork.
The male colleague was game enough to join me for the intervals.
Target pace was 5:00/km. We will take turn to run so my run time will be his recovery time and vice versa.
I was doing well until......half-way through my last lap, the sudden pain outside my right knee. I couldnt even do a slow jog so had to break into a walk.
I think I have gotten the infamous ITB. Sianz x 100. Always kena this kind of funny injuries before race, even when I didnt up my mileage too much. WTF!
I will need to hang up my shoes and rest till Sunday. Hope I will feel better by then.

Anyway, here are the numbers:
Lap 1 4:32 Avg HR 176
Lap 2 4:46 Avg HR 177
Lap 3 4:47 Avg HR 178
Lap 4 4:41 Avg HR 180

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Training- 3 Aug (Half Interval Half Tempo)

Thought of doing some speedwork at Bedok Reservoir this evening.
Planned to do 5 x 1km interval, but unfortunately the battery on my garmin went flat after 1st lap i couldnt record my timing and HR.

Did my lap at 4:22 but already half-dead at the end, is the out-of-breath kind of half-dead.
Tsk tsk tsk....am I getting weaker physically or mentally.

For the next 3 x 1km, I was just trying to speed up a bit but I didnt know my pace. My guess is about 5:30-5:45, so it was more tempo run than speed run.

Total distance: 8.6km
Total time: unknown
Avg pace: Unknown
Avg HR: Unknown

^..^ ^..^

Swimming- 2 Aug

Swimming lesson this evening.
Earlier in the session, still did not convert from "struggling" to "swimming".

I was having difficulty breathing and the instructor cracked his head to give me the right instruction...he told me to "row" then my head would naturally rotate to the surface to breath.
I tried but was still struggling to catch a breath.

He tried even harder to enlighten me...then I realised that he meant "roll" the torso and not "row" with my arms. Ha ha....I think he's hokkien peng.
After, everything just clicked. I was swimming with more ease and certainly could breath easier.
So happy to finally see a ray of hope after a few sessions.

Now, I have to overcome the problem of lower body sinking when i swim. Has to remember to arch my back.....

^..^ ^..^