上班驴的一片绿

Speed training again.

2010-06-30T20:36:00.002+08:00

Much dreaded intervals again after a long interval (grammatically correct sentence?).

4 x1000m.

Run + Rest = 1 set.

Every set is 9 mins, with the targeted run time to be less than 5mins.

Here are the running timings- 4:44, 4:38, 4:50 and 4:47.

I hate speed trainings.

What's new?

2010-06-24T21:59:00.002+08:00

Now that SD84km is over, i am aimless in terms of training purpose.

Running mileage was reduced to between 10-15km weekly, with a few weights sessions thrown in between.

While BFG is working hard on his IMs next year I cannot slack for too long :)

I had some spare time on hand before, between and after the FIFA world cup matches so I did some self evaluation.

I probably have achieved the Run-Further element in my Run-Fast-Run-Further (RFRF) objective i set about a year back. However to squeeze in enough mileage in my tight schedule I had to focus on Mid and LSDs. I have slowed down considerably.

Furthermore, I noticed that i was losing agility, flexibility and speed along the way. My calves were always tight no matter how much i stretched them. Recoveries were slower the days after hard runs. Part of it I could attribute to aging but i think there must be other reasons.

There got to be a more holistic way to approach RFRF.

This will be my long term training objective- RFRFRF or R3F3 or Run Fast, Run Further, Run Fitter.

I dont have the answers to R3F3 yet unfortunately. This will be a journey of exploration, trial and errors for me.

However I have planned to try out Yoga or Pilates, which hopefully can shed some lights.

Meanwhile, to stay motivated on trainings, I have set 2 mid-term race goals for myself-

1. Run TNF 100km duo below 7hrs.

2. Break 5 hours for Singapore Marathon.

The longer-term race goals are

1. Run SD84km below 10hrs (This will be a very tough one).

2. Qualify for TNF100km Solo next year (This is the toughest of all but i will leave the worries till later).

I was researching on Boston Marathon's qualifying time- 3hrs 20mins. Seems impossible to me right now but I hope I will reach the pinnacle of all marathons, one day. Then maybe I will call it quit.

Running

2010-06-01T22:05:00.002+08:00

I am glad i am running. No, seriously! I had the realisation during the Sundown Ultramarathon. Though i was suffering bad, i was glad i have the means to run in a race. Many less fortunate wanted , but couldnt. It wasnt a choice for them.

That kept my spirit high, even i was running the more gruesome race of my life, to date.

Many people commented TNF 100km duo was more challenging than SD84k, but i feel that it was totally different monster all together. I dont know whether BFG or PK feels the same.

i am not going to recap the race, cos i believe BFG does a better job than me.

But this race is different for me

1. I was running for people who couldnt run themselves, and raising fund for the process.

2. Haley and wifey were waiting for me at the finish line. Haley handed (sort of) a medal she made herself (sort of, again). I was glad to see the family. Told wifey "Bring me home baby! I am tired."

As usual, timing wasnt important for me, whether I am first or last.

I know I did my best, thats the most significant.

SCSM 2009 ( Will this be the last one?)

2009-12-10T21:44:00.003+08:00

For a while after TNF100, I thought I was a good runner.

The unfounded confidence was carried over in my trainings and race, which i recorded my personal best for various distances-

15km- 1:27 (Real run)

21km- 2:09

28km- 3:00

28km was the longest i ran before SCSM. Was really busy with my work and house moving so trainings were sporadic. Since I could do TNF100, what is SCSM? And so i thought.

As usual, we booked a room at Pan Pacific the night before the race. Dear was contemplating whether to go ahead with her 21km, but decided to pursue due to a strained rib muscle.

I anticipated the huge crowd at the start line and stayed in the hotel room to watch the flag-off on live telecast instead.

I made my way to the start line after 15mins, and crossed the start line at 6am, 30 mins after the official start time.

Stuck to my 8 min run/2 min walk strategy. The only difference from last year was i ran the 8min @ below 6:00/km, just like i did in my earlier trainings.

Here were my 10km split for the first 30km

1:03

1:06

1:12

I clocked 3:22 by the time i crossed 30th km. With 12km to go, i ignited the hope for a sub-5 PB (remember i did the TNF100, so I must be invincible:) ).

However, i slowed down considerably after 30km and looked for every excuse to prolong my walk breaks. And at 34th km, BOOMZ, I hit the wall. My both thighs and calves cramped so badly, i couldnt move a step. After a long 5mins (yes it felt long), the cramps eased off and i tried to stretch, the cramps came back! ha! Another few centuries have passed before I started to limp for the remaining journey.

I broke into slow jogs whenever the legs were better. That was the longest 12km, only second to the 10km (aka hill 256) during TNF.

I crossed the finish line in 5:08, 6 mins slower than last year, disappointed but i knew i tried my best.

The SCSM humbled me, and put me back in reality. Running 42km is a daunting task, as PK rightfully puts it "42km is still a mountain, not a molehill". You cannot go in without a sound strategy and preparation and still expect to do a PB.

So will i be back next year to claim my PB? I dont know, the route is getting too boring for me. Maybe I will seek my revenge elsewhere.

Trainings for the week (ending 15 Nov)

2009-11-15T21:01:00.002+08:00

11 Nov- 10km Temp run @ 57:12. avg pace 5:45/km.

15 Nov- 28km @ 3:00. avg pace 6:26/km. Had my longest and earliest run after TNF100. Almost forgot how much damage the concrete pavement can do to your joints. My knees felt really sored after the run. Back to my run/walk of 8:2. The only difference was I tried to do the run stretch at sub 6:00/min. Struggled to maintain the pace after 21km. I need more tempo run at sub 6:00/km pace.

Hope to clock another 2 LSD of 32km and 35km before the SCSM.

New Balance Real Run 2009

2009-11-08T20:17:00.002+08:00

This is my 2nd Real Run, but perhaps, this is my last one.

I dont know, but the race did not feel as obliging as TNF or SCSM.

I probably will be more selective with my races going forward, to have more time for my family over the weekends.

I arrived at the car park of Changi Exhibition Centre at 6am this morning, after I picked up my hotcakes meal from McDonald's. Since i was way too early, I sat in the car to have a slow slow breakfast. I got out of the car at 7am,and made my way to join the toilet queue.

The race started shortly after my toilet break. Bumped into PK and J at the start line. Was sorry to hear that J had a bad stomach from some spicy food the night before.

It took me about 8 mins to cross the start line since the usual me hate to join the start-line congestion. I didnt have any expectation for the run today, just took it as another tempo run with longer distance. Since it meant to be a tempo run, my targeted pace was 5:50-6:00/min.

The run felt easy today as I could hold my tempo pace throughout. The cross-terrain was chicken feet if you compare it with TNF. Another blessing was the weather- sun was only out in the last 5km.

Water stops were well placed and well stocked along the route, but I only stop twice for drinks.

Distance markers at 5th and 10th km were a bit off, but they managed to correct the distance at the 15th km.

Overall, I ran my PB for this race, shaved about 4mins off last year's timing-

Timing for each 5km as follow

5th km (4.79km on garmin) 28:09 avg pace 5:53/km

10th km (4.78km on gamin) 27:36 avg pace 5:46/km

15th km (5.50km on garmin) 31:39 avg pace 5:45/km

Total 15km 1:27:25 avg pace 5:48/km

Project RFRF

2009-11-04T23:31:00.002+08:00

RFRF = Run faster Run Farther.

I have been wondering whether I will be able to run faster and run farther if I still devote 3 runs a week?

If yes, how do I do it?

Here's my plan and doing it progressively

a. 1 x tempo.

current= 6:00/km for 10km.

intermediate target= 6:00/km for 20km

final target 5:30/km for 20km.

b. 1 x km repeats

current 4:50/km for 5 sets.

intermediate target= 4:30/km for 5 sets.

target 4:00/km for 8 sets.

c. 1 x LSD/MSD

current: distance varies. pace varies.

intermediate target= alternate LSD with MSD fortnightly. LSD up to 42km @ 7:30/km.

target : build distance up to 60km @ 7:00/km.

Lets see how much I can progress in 6 months.

I want to be healthy for my family

2009-11-03T22:32:00.003+08:00

Last weekend, both girl and dear were down with viral infection.

Girl was warded due to high fever (40C) for 2 consecutive days. Dear has better immunity, but still ran a soar throat and cough.

We stayed with girl at the hospital for 2 nights, hardly slept at night with the hourly temp checking and 4/6 hourly medication.

I kept up with the demand pretty well, beside a little backache from prolonged carrying of girl, otherwise I was still energetic and alert.

I guess all the exercises have kept me in the best of shape and I was glad to be the safety net for the family when they needed me.

As i said before, staying healthy is a choice and I am glad i have made that choice.

The week (or almost a week) after

2009-10-29T12:13:00.002+08:00

It has been wine (beer to be exact) and dine ever since the race. Feel so good to take a break from the usual trainings.

Did a recovery jog with dear on Sunday and this is the one time she ran faster than me :)

I dont know about the rest but I keep feeling sleepy in the day, everyday. In fact, I fell asleep during my sport massage session yesterday which is unusual.

"What's next?" has been the question.

Maybe I can discuss with the few like-minded friends when we meet up for more wine and dine next week.

Now, back to work zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

TNF100 2009

2009-10-25T10:11:00.012+08:00

This was a tough race in 4 aspects-

1. Race day fell on my wife's birthday. I needed her "permission" to run.

2. I was driven by the constant worry that i would miss the cut-off time at 1st checkpoint (29.2km, cut-off 5hrs).

3. The weather = HOT!

4. The terrain, especially the Hill 256 (or 265?). Re-lived the memory of national service.

Started the race with BFG, PK and Ms. Kona (my race partner, who is a mini-celebrity in the triathlon circle).

A quick recount of what i can remember of the race (i have bad memory you see)

0-10km (Time 1:30)

Targeted pace was 10min/km. However, we flirted dangerously with the target pace.

Worried that I might miss the cut-off, I ran ahead anyway.

20km (Time 3:05)

What did I do? I couldnt remember.

30km (Time 4:35)

The toughest 10km I have ever run.

My strategy then was to run from shade to shade, which were far and few.

When I saw the Hill 256, my heart sank. I swore I wanted to give up at that point.

Light thigh felt crampy, and continued to threaten to act up for the next 20km.

And phew! I made the 1st cut-off time.

40km (Time 6:10)

At this point i knew that I was almost certain to make it to end point before the 9hrs cut-off, barring all unforeseen circumstances- eg. eaten by a tiger or abducted by an alien.

If I continued the pace I could shoot for a sub-8 hrs finish. Fortunately, I was left with the easier stretch of the race route- rifle range road to MR.

50km (Time 7:52++)

Yipee!! A sub-8 hrs finish :)))

The last 5km felt forever. All i could do was walk all the uphills, and slow jog on the down and level ground- our strategy from the start. For the last 500m, all I could manage was a slow jog to the finishing line. Quite an un-glam finish but hey, I was drained.

Things that are worthy of mention

1. Never wrap the electrolyte tablets in tissue, cos it melts. Idiot!

Oh, btw, thanks PK for the tablets.

2. Power walk up the hills instead of running. It saves energy without comprising much time.

3. Shiit happens during a race, no matter how good a runner you are. You can never prepare enough for unfortunate events that are thrown at you. There's always another race another day, it takes greater courage to call it quit.

4. Ice grapes (courtesy of kind souls at sgrunners' support) and Ice 100-plus (courtesy of eat2run support) have neven tasted so good.

5. My heartfelt appreciation to all the supporters and volunteers. You guys are godsend and made the journey more bearable.

6. Last but most importantly, congratulation to BFG and PK who completed the race. Timing is not of the essence but the spirit of perseverance. We will meet again in Sundown 84km?

PS. Did you guys get the autograph from Ms. Kona :))

This is indeed the toughest race I have ever run.

This is one race I can be proud of.

Counting Down and Gearing Up

2009-10-18T21:39:00.002+08:00

Counting Down- TNF100.

Gearing up- SCSM 2009

I guess its futile to train for TNF100 in the last 2 weeks. Thus I have shifted my focus to SCSM instead.

Sun (11Oct)-

A day after the 36km LSD trail run. Did a run at ECP with dear- a recovery run for me, and a SCSM half-marathon practise run for her.

9.3km. 1:11.

Wed- Was feeling moody from work. What is better at destressing than a run. A 18.5km run along the park connectors. 2:11, including warm-up, traffic stops and water breaks.

Sat- Squeezed in a late afternoon short run before a dinner appointment. Hate to run under the hot sun if you know me. Hard-pressed to keep up the tempo race, which in my definition is 6:00/km. Result was 4km averaging 5:45/km.

Sun (18Oct)- Dear did her SCSM practise run this evening. I did my tempo run. 9 km averaging 5:50-6:00/km. Pace was good and with the absence of heat, I felt I could go on forever. Good run.

More trainings needed

2009-09-28T22:11:00.003+08:00

after the 30km progressive run, I know that i am seriously lack of endurance to be able to complete 50km.

I have more trainings lined up before the tapering, mainly working on muscle endurance.

I have to tread very carefully on the intensity and mileage as I dont want old injuries to flare up.

Here's my plan for the next 3 weeks

hill trainings on treadmill - 1 x weekly

stairs trainings - 1 x weekly

Short or mid distance trail run (either 10 or 15km) - 1 x weekly

Mid or long distance trail run (either 15km or 21km) - 1 x weekly

Last Long run of 35km scheduled with BFG and PK on 10Oct, but yet to confirm.

Maybe weights training on non-running days.

TNF100 30km Progressive Run

2009-09-27T17:02:00.003+08:00

Partnered BFG and PK for the run this morning.
The turnout at this progressive run was fewer than the previous, according to BFG and PK.
Nonetheless, it still impressed me with the number of the participants and the preparation of the organiser.

Runners were flagged off in groups of 20s to minimise the congestion on the trails.
PK had a run/walk plan of 8:1, however, we ended up walking at every uphill there was.
Honestly, i didnt pay too much attention to the trails except to keep pace with BFG and PK.
Mentally 30km is pretty overwhelming for me so i didnt want to think too much about it. Instead, i just focused on completing each small segments (5km) of the 30km. Time is not of the essence but rather the completion of the distance.

We started our run at 8am and the run was out in full force when the time we were running rifle range road to MR. The details of it I am sure BFG will have a better narration than me.
I cant say enough how much i hate to run under the hot sun and therefore the tendency to run under any shades I can find.
Rifle range road (to and fro) and SICC were my least favourite stretch of the trails. I had to pick up pace along these roads to get under the shade as fast as possible.

I usually run alone but I must say that this does make a HUGE difference to run with someone.

It makes the whole distance more enjoyable and less torturous. Seriously, I dont think I would be able to complete the 30km without the companion or BFG and PK. My heartfelt gratitude go to these 2 great guys that had to bear with me for 5 hours. By the way, PK, I still owed your the drinks! The ice-cold drinks at MR visitor centre was a saver!

We made it back to the end point in 5hrs, probably one of the last few runners but personally it was an accomplishment. I was tired but not exhausted and couldnt help but wonder how I will be able to do another 20km, with 4 hrs to go, on race day. This is really the "toughest race in Singapore".

Revitalising Run

2009-09-24T21:22:00.002+08:00

Contemplated to do stairs or a trail run. Eventually decided on trail since I will need to spend more time on the actual ground as the race approaches.

Took the Lornie trail as it is long enough to provide some challenge yet short enough to complete before sunset.

Did the run on a perceived effort of 7/10 with controlled pace down and up hills (shorter strides, increase turnover etc).. Yes i ran all the hills.

Distance= 9.66km on Garmin

Time taken= 1:04

Felt so fresh and revitalised after the run.

Hope I can feel the same after the 30km progressive run this Sat (You dream on!!).

Birthday Trail Run

2009-09-20T21:43:00.002+08:00

Today is my lunar birthday and I celebrated it with an afternoon trail run at MR/BT with dear.

Dear did the lornie trail while i did the longer way- lornie trail-> rifle range link ->rifle range road -> belukar track -> Senapang Link -> BT visitor center -> Hindhede Way-> Asas Loop -> Diary Farm Pass -> rifle range road- > rifle range link -> lornie trail.

Total 22km. Time taken 3:17. I tanked at 20km and walked the last 2 km. Average pace is 9min/km which is my targetted race pace.

The more I train for TNF100, the more i find the task daunting.

Stairs Training (9 Sep 09)

2009-09-09T22:33:00.003+08:00

6 sets with rest time of 3 mins in between.

Timing for each set-

2:28 2:27 2:21 2:19 2:14 2:22

My goal is not speed but endurance.

Other planned trainings for this week include a short trail run on Friday and a LSD trail on Sunday.

Stairs Training

2009-09-01T19:17:00.002+08:00

Part of the trainings for TNF100.

1 set = 16 storeys.

Warm up- 1 set by walking up.

Follow by 4 sets- 2:30 target time with 3:00 rest in between.

Jelly legs and grasping for breath after the sets.

I am totally not ready for the race.

Races for the rest of the year

2009-08-18T18:42:00.003+08:00

1. Northface 100 duo
2. New Balance Realrun- 15km
3. Standchart Singapore marathon.

Missed the AHM cos of my commitment as a father : ) Did the half marathon at MR in the same evening. Run-walk the 21km in 2:41:30. Almost had to resort to crawling.
I am seriously evaluating the possibility of completing the 50km in 9hrs....

2 more months to go. More weekend long runs in MR.

By the way, am very tempted to buy an garmin 305XT.
BFG, tell me your review of the watch!

NF100

2009-07-23T18:19:00.002+08:00

Planning to do the 100km duo with Shawn or WK.
The organiser told me the race will start at 8am...i am targetting for 9hrs cut-off.
The race day falls on KL's birthday, I dont know whether i will be back in time to celebrate with her.

Clueless

2009-07-23T17:53:00.003+08:00

I have remained clueless for a long while....

Why do people judge you or themselves by the title you/they are holding in your/their company? Account Manager? Impressive!! Director? Awesome!!! Retrenched by company? erh.......something must be wrong with you.

Undeniably, our society is a meritocratic one.
Many a times, our personal worth are defined by what/where we stay in, the size of car we drive and the job title we hold.
Given the limited resources each of us have, we tend to go for the minimum-input-maximum-output methodology. Whats in it for me? You will always ask. No longer people will want to take the "long cut", forgetting that the road less travelled, is the more rewarding one.

We become more conditional in our human interaction. "I will do this for you only if you do this for me" or the "You didnt do this for me so why should i do this for you".
When will we start to trade "relationship" footprint on some commodity exchanges like we trade carbon footprint? Ok...so and so owes me a favour and i am trading this favour in return for something. Name your price!

I am learning to be more unconditional in my dealings with family and friends. I am not perfect and am not trying to be one perfect soul.
My wife and my baby make me want to be a better person, i have found love that i didnt know exist before.
Will you give your life in exchange for theirs? I will.
If you wont, you may need to think about it.

Hello

2009-05-31T20:09:00.002+08:00

Havent been running a lot lately, havent been watching movies for a while, havent been fishing....
In fact, I havent been able to do those activities I used to do.
This must be the New-Parents-Deficiency-Syndrome.

I have decided to walkover the Sundown Marathon, due to the lack of proper mileage.
The weekly gym session is the only "sports" activity that keep my tummy in its original size.
This cannot go on : ) Laziness is addictive. Laziness is scary.

I have signed up for AHM. Just needed some motivation and pressure to get myself back in motion.

Last year I clocked 2:20 at the AHM. I hope that this year I can at least do the same.
Time to start training!

My Precious

2009-03-22T21:48:00.003+08:00

My little angel, Haley, has arrived.....busy busy.

In the delivery ward....

After a satisfied meal....

25 Trivial Facts about Me

2009-03-09T22:42:00.002+08:00

I was tagged in Facebook by my cousin to reveal 25 things about myself.
Scratched hard (my head of course!) to come out with the following list-

1. I hated sports till I have graduated from University. I still dont play many sports.
2. I was a nerd, but not studious, up to JC. Maybe I still am.
3. I had my first relationship at the age of 17 but it lasted only 3 months.
4. I lose weight at twice the ease of gaining them.
5. My favourite instant noodle is Maggi Mee, curry flavour.
6. I like Chinese novels more than English.
7. I love comics. You wont know it unless you have been to my house.
8. I am a spender more than a saver.
9. My dream car is a Mercedes, not a Ferrari or Porshe, cos its more an achievable dream.
10. I dream a lot and I usually remember my dreams.
11. My dreams are repetitive- either falling from a tall building, or flying in the sky, or chase/get chased by vampires (yeah i know its weird!).
12. I like love stories, love novels and love movies. Yes, I believe in soul mate.
13. I hated beer before the age of 27. I love beer since then.
14. Last dish before I die? Can I choose two? No? Probably my mum's salted vegetable duck soup.
15. I will not never appear in jogging shorts, t-shirt and slippers in town.
16. Yes, I place great importance in wearing the right attire for the right occassion, and in coordinated colours.
17. I liked the colour red up to Primary 6. I liked the colour blue up to University. After that, I like every colours.
18. I have problems with authorities.
19. I am never good at board games.
20. I think I am an under-achiever.
21. I love fishing but I cant swim.
22. I have focus deficiency. My focus span is as long as the weather reports on news.
23. I dont like current affairs.
24. I will never marry anyone with skin tone darker than mine.
25. Last, but not least, my waist measures 30in, and not 28in as you imagine. I was a 32 more than a year ago.

Maybe I should put them in a biscuit tin.

2009-03-02T23:52:00.002+08:00

This is not some news that every bank will publicise, and i only stumbled upon it when i was doing my internet banking tonight- DBS has slashed all rates on savings and time deposits by up to 50%, wef today (2 Mar 2009).

Read it yourself- http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/deposit/notice/interest_rates/pages/default.aspx

who says Cash is King?? The banks are paying me peanuts so I feel more like a monkey.

More reason to withdraw all my money and put them in a biscuit tin.
I wont be charged service fee every month, nor have to queue at ATM to withdraw $$.....hmmm...the biscuit tin option is sounding more feasible as I think about it.

Just have to remind the maid not to throw my tin away though.....

Is staying fit a choice?

2009-02-26T23:21:00.002+08:00

友人说，当我女儿出世后，我再也没时间或精神keep fit.

对带孩子我没经验，所以我也不便争论。

其实有很多人大把时间，却花在无所谓的事情上。

运动是一种长期投资，短时间内看不到回报，老了之后就受益无穷。

Your life is just a summation of your choices, so the choice is yours : )

Runningahead

2009-02-26T23:20:00.001+08:00

ha ha...finally www.runningahead.com is accepting Garmin's import data.

Hooray, no more manual entry!!

Trying....

2009-02-20T23:02:00.003+08:00

to get back to routine of 3 runs a week.
so far no success yet but i think this week should be close.
Ran home from office on Tues (7k), rollerbladed from office to changi beach park on thurs and highly likely a 18k run on Sunday.

By the way, am reading BFG's journey to triathlon with interest. Way to go, BFG!

MIA (Missing in Action)

2009-02-10T22:28:00.002+08:00

Merry Xmas, Happy New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai!!
1.5 months, thats how long I have MIAed.

My runs, just like my blog entries, were almost non-existent.
Am I giving up? Not really....but i needed a mental and physical break.
Anyway, I live to run and not run to live : )

Took 2 weeks leave both during Xmas and CNY, a very satisfying break as I managed to prepare the house for the arrival of Haley.

After so many weeks after SCSM, last weekend I finally did a run that was more than 10km.
I missed the solo runs, the secret dialogues between the shoes and the pavements, a feeling that only a runner will know.
Marathons are addictive, despite my countless complaints during the preparation : )

I have registered for the sundown, but I think it will take a backseat when Haley arrives.
Till then, I will just run as much as I can, as much as I want.

2 weeks after SCSM

2008-12-21T18:01:00.002+08:00

Hi hi. How are you?
I have a confession to make- I have been slacked in training after SCSM : )
Before you cruxify me, let me explain.
1. I was trying to recover from a cough that I contracted before the SCSM.
2. I needed both a mental and physical break from training.
3. Above are excuses, I was lazy : ))

Ok. Here are some trainings I did this 2 weeks, countable with 1 hand.
i. a recover run of 3km on 9 Dec.
ii. 3km run on treadmill + 1 hr weights, on 16Dec.
iii. 8.6km of tempo run @ 6km/min on 18Dec.
iv. 1 hr weights on 19Dec.

Oh, by the way, I have extracted my wisdom tooth this noon.
Therefore I wont be doing vigourous sports, ie running, this coming week.
Another rest and relax week, except an easy golf game on Friday.
Hmm....havent touched my club for 2.5years so hope that i can still air lift the little white ball.

Lastly, Merry Xmas everyone, with special wishes go out to Sis and Marin.
Have a wonderful festive season.

How to train?

2008-12-10T23:43:00.002+08:00

I have signed up for the sundown 42km.
The next question- how do i train for it if my target time is 4:30.

I sort of favour the 3-runs-a-week training schedule, which leaves me time to do other things.
Not forgetting project Haley is to be kick-off in March 09.
However, I wonder whether the mileage is enough for me to accomplish a sub 4:30 marathon.
I guess I will put it to the test.

Here's likely what i will do
1. 2 cross-trainings a week, with weights targetting lower body and core strengthening.
2. 3 runs a week- 1 interval/hill alternate, 1 tempo run, 1 medium distance/long distance alternate, with marathon pace built-in.

Lets see how the training progress before i make any modifications.

All thoughts and advises are welcome.

Singapore Marathon- Before and After

2008-12-08T20:34:00.006+08:00

Before
Was already down with running nose before I made my week-long trip to Hong Kong and Shanghai. My condition aggravated when i was unexpectedly caught in a cold front in Shanghai. It was below zero degree when I left Shanghai on Friday.

Checked-in to Pan Pacific hotel on Saturday.
Booked 2 nights at the hotel so i didnt have to wake up early on race day : )
Fu Ren was also down with running nose and cough. Guess I passed it to her before I left for Singapore. Sorry dear....

Race
Woke up at 4.15am and had a quick breakfast of cereal, muesli bar and raisin bun.
I was not in prime running condition as I was still sniffing and coughing, but i thought i would just try my best with the remaining 80% : ) Well, at least i had my running companion- my (running)nose, that is......cold wind.
Did some light stretching in the hotel room before I left for the race at 5.30am.
Didnt want get caught in the human jam so i thought i would be spare if i cross the start line at 5.40am.
Unfortunately i was wrong. There was still heavy human traffic so I finally crossed the start line at 5.46am.
I abandoned my 8-2 run/walk stategy and adopted the run-between-drink-stations-and-walk-in/out-drink stations strategy. There were 22 drink stations so the distance between stations should be 1.7-1.9km, and the plan was to spend 3 mins at each drink station. I should be able to make it to 5 hours.
I felt surprisingly strong up to the point of 30k but was famished by the time i reached Kallang Macdonald's (31k). I would have run into Mac if I had the money on me : ) Fortunately the banana station came up shortly which provided short relief.
My legs turned to lead after 35km and I was coughing most of the way. My focus had withered and I was taking more walk breaks than planned. My timing suffered the most between 33-38km.
After 38km, I ceased to walk as I didnt want Fu Ren and Haley to wait for too long : )
At 40km, I knew that I have no chance for a sub-5 timing unless I was able to do a sub-6/km pace and risk a calf cramp. I maintained my 7:00/km pace.
During the last 200m or so, I recalled all those trainings I have put in, suddenly it became all worth it. I have successfully RUN and complete my first Marathon : ))
Mission accomplished. I am proud of myself!

Distance: 42.195km
Time: 5hr 2 mins (chip)
Placement: 3237 out of 11,003 runners (gun) = Top 30%.

Breakdown
10km = 1:12 (7:12/km)
21km = 2:28 (6:54/km)
30km = 3:31 (7:00/km)
42.195km = 5:02 (7:30/km)
Average pace = 7:10/km

After
Booking a hotel nearby the race venue was the right choice. Reasons-
1. I could wake up later and Fu Ren would only need to proceed to finish line when I was near.
2. Didnt have to worry about finding a car park lot;
3. Could ice down the knees shortly after the race;
4. Shower and get changed!!
5. Most important of all, a short retreat of Fu Ren and myself : ))

Beside slightly achy quads, the legs felt ok today.
Went for a window shopping cum recovery walk with Fu Ren in Suntec before we checked-out of the hotel.
The result and photos were already out this evening when I logged-on, thumbs-up to the organiser.
Unfortunately, I couldnt find any of my photos online : ((( Heck it! I am not photogenic anyway.

Before SCSM, I was thinking of doing the Ultra-marathon for the 2009 Sundown.
After, I have new found respect for the distance so I will stick to marathon for 2009 Sundown.

Next target- 4:30 for full marathon and my pet project, Haley!!

Training 24-30 Nov

2008-12-01T21:59:00.002+08:00

Last week was peppered with short tempo runs.
Couldnt do longer runs as I was down with cough and running nose.
Damn! The flu has become a routine during my tapering.
This week I am in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and thus can force myself to do nothing.

Did 3 tempo runs at Bedok Reservoir as follow-
24Nov- 5.8km
27Nov- 4.8km
30Nov- 4.3km
Total distance for the week was 14.9km and at 6:00/km pace.

I still feel unprepared for SCSM.....

Training 17-23 Nov

2008-11-22T10:51:00.005+08:00

Although today is only Saturday, the training week ends early for me.
This week was filled with tempo runs as I am staying away from LSD till race day.

17Nov
1-hr weights session. Nothing to scream about.

18Nov
10km Tempo run along ECP.
Target pace 6:00/km but i ended up running too fast (was sort of racing someone for 5km).
Need to learn to control my pace/emotion...ke ke ke
Total time: 56:33 or 5:40/km

20Nov
Tempo run of 2 rounds Bedok Reservoir.
Distance= 8.6km
Time= 50:26
Pace= 5:52/km
Too fast again! *knock my head*

21Nov
Too lazy so skipped the weights session.

22Nov
Wanted to do 5 rounds of Bedok Reservoir @ tempo pace.
However I woked up too late and only started the run at 8:30am
The sun was out in full force and by the end of 2nd round I was totally bonked!
Had a can of pocari and forced myself to do the 3rd round.

Today just didnt feel right- breathing, focus, all out of whack!
Took many water breaks than usual too.

Distance= 12.9km
Time= 1:18:51 including water breaks.
Pace= 6:07/km including water breaks.
If you are interested, here is the breakdown per km. The 0.3km stretch was where i took water breaks.

Training 9-15 Nov

2008-11-15T17:22:00.003+08:00

Another week with only handful of trainings.
I am really slackening. Started to feel the tightness at the old injured spot on right calf.

10Nov
Weights- 1hour

12Nov
Raining so did the run on the treadmill (I hated it as usual).
1km warm up and 1 km warm down. 7km tempo run @ 6min/km and last km @ 5min/km.

14Nov
Skipped training cos too lazy but had a session with the physio therapist during lunch hour.

15Nov
Arrived Fort road car park at 5:30am for my LLSD (Last LSD) before SCSM.
The sky didnt look too promising. Decided to do 3 loops of 10km (Fort Rd to UDMC Seafood Centre) so that I wouldnt be too far away from my car if it rains.
Today I did a run-walk LSD to confirm my suspicion that run-walk is faster than running the whole distance, at least for a beginner like me.
I noticed my run-walk practise runs before the sundown recorded better timings than my recent run-all-the-way LSDs.
Here are the timings for my 3 loops of 10km with 8mins run/2mins walk
1:10
1:08
1:11
Total 3:29 for 30km

After 30km, ran an additional distance of 2.195km to round off the distance to 32.195 with a total timing of 3:44. Average pace was 6:58/km as compared to my 7:14/km for my last LSD.
Confirmed that run-walk is faster for me :)

Anyway I will leave the balance 10km (42.195 minus 32.195) to the race day.
Hopefully inspiration will carry me through : )

Reluctance

2008-11-12T22:26:00.002+08:00

With the freaky weather lately, I was finding excuses to skip training.

Self-doubt surfaces again when SCSM draws closer.
At one stage, I was seriously contemplating to give up the marathon.
However, I still wish to "RUN" a marathon after unsuccessful attempt at Sundown, this is the only factor that keeps me going.

I need some varieties in my training. I am growing bored of running.
Maybe its time to return to trail and hill running.

Ok. After my SCSM, i will embark on my project HALEY.

By the way, its time to let the cat out of the bag- I am going to be father in less than 5 month's time : )

Training 3-9 Nov

2008-11-09T21:36:00.003+08:00

Since I did two 30k last week, wanted to take it easy this week.
My aunt passed away on Monday night, so it was a challenge to squeeze in some runs and attend her wake everynight. Anyway, the wake took priority of course.

4 Nov
A short tempo run on the treadmill before the wake.
Distance 8km @ 10km/h which translated into 6:00/km pace.
Total time 48mins.

5 Nov
Weights during lunch- 1 hour.

6 Nov
Aunt was cremated in the afternoon, so I resumed my normal training.
Intervals session at Bedok Reservoir- 5x 1km repeats @ target pace of 5:00/km, but the rest time was reduced from 4 mins to 3 mins.
Here are the timings-
4:48
4:46
4:43
4:52
4:50

Tough session but manageable.

7 Nov
Weights during lunch- 1 hour.

9Nov
Supposed to run a 21k this morning @ Marathon pace (6:24/km).
Unfortunately it rained in the early morning (actually I was happy to sleep in :)) so I had to push back the run to evening.

5 rounds of Bedok Reservoir should total 21.5km.
I changed my mind during the run and I ended up doing a tempo run of 17.2km instead.
Here are the timings per loop of Bedok Reservoir (4.3km each)
25:26
26:14
26:10
25:46
Total time 1:43:26 for 17.2km. Average pace 6:02/km.

My body felt quite good after the run, no sore no pain.

Training 27Oct-2Nov

2008-11-03T19:22:00.003+08:00

ok...i have set my own record in running 2 LSD per week, all as a result of my laziness.
Was supposed to do my LSD on the Sunday during the deepavali weekend. Couldnt wake up in the morning and had to delay the LSD to Monday, 27Oct. Did another on 1Nov in order to keep to my schedule of 1 LSD/week.

27Oct
30km LSD along the sundown route, and then cut short by taking the bedok PCN.
I was darn hungry during the run and took an ice milo break at the greenwood ave's hawker centre.
Man, I forgot how torturous it is to do a LSD. My knees were all sore after the run.
Total time: 3:54.
Pace= 7:49/km

29Oct
Tempo run with target pace of 6min/km 2 rounds of the Bedok Reservoir.
Total distance= 8.6km
Total time= 50:24
Actual pace= 5:52/km

2Nov
Another 30km LSD, but same sundown route but stopped at Big Splash to have breakfast with mum, fu ren and sis. Yeah, they were taking a walk at ECP while waiting for me : )
This run felt less torturous than previous, maybe I was more mentally prepared.
Maybe its the help of powergel.
Total time: 3:38.
Pace= 7:14/km

Bumped into the Pearl Izumi runners. Boy, they were fast!!

Almost 4 weeks from SCSM and I am still feeling so unprepared.

Training 20-26Oct

2008-10-28T23:29:00.003+08:00

Talking about slack, this week was worse.
1 x gym + 1 x run all combined into 1 session- 3km run before the gym session.
Ha ha...i should be shot!

Cant blame me cos i had fu ren's birthday this week + my sister was back in Singapore...more reasons not to run : ) You shouldnt revolve your life around running you know.....

*the truth is I couldnt find the motivation to run*

Training 13-19Oct

2008-10-28T23:05:00.004+08:00

ok...i have been lazy to update my blog lately.
I have been even lazier when it comes to training.
Therefore, fewer training, fewer blog entries :)

Was in Shanghai from 13-15, therefore nil runs.
Felt bad so went for a run round Bedok Reservoir on 16th, to wake up my muscles for the new balance real run on 19th.

16Oct
1 round Bedok Reservoir chasing apunei (no offense :))
4km = 21mins

19Oct New Balance Realrun
One of those runs that I wanted to get it over as soon as I just started.
It was HOTx3.
Was supposed to meetup with Hope79 at the start point and we didnt make it till the finish point.

Made it to the finish point in 1 piece in 1:31:33 (chip time), barely off my target pace of 6min/km.
By gun time, i am no. 680th out of 2244 participants.
By chip time, i am 642nd.

That placed me in the top 30% of the 15km participants : ))
My best result in a race so far.
I want to thank my mother, my ever-supportive wife, my five kids etc etc...sob sob.

Trainings 6-12Oct

2008-10-14T22:35:00.002+08:00

Am still sticking to the training routine of 3 runs/week (interval, tempo and long) and 2 gym sessions.
I am not sure whether the mileage is adequate to complete a marathon but I am starting each run feeling fresher thus able to better focus my effort.
Glad to see Hope79 is having a good preparation for the new balance real run this week : )
For me, as long as i complete before 1hr45mins and injury free, I am happy.

6 Oct Mon- Since i didnt run the previous weekend, slotted in a short run round Bedok Reservoir.
4.3km @ 23:45.

7 Oct Tues- Tempo run along ECP.
9km @ 51:37

9 Oct Thurs- Intervals at Tampines stadium.
Planned 6 x 800m @ 4mins with 3:30 rest.
Actual 5 x 800m : p
3:30
3:26
3:37
3:40
3:40

11 Oct Sat- DNF (Did not Finish) Long Run
Fu Ren dropped me at Changi Coast Run to start my run. Sun was already out at 8+am.
Ran from Coast Road to National Sailing Centre- 1st water break.
National Sailing Centre to Big Splash- 2nd water break.
U-turn at Big Splash and ran towards Siglap Park Connector then Kembagan MRT- 3rd water break. At this time, it was already 2.5hrs into the run and sun was at full force.
Decided to call it quit as it was really too hot. Took a cab back home : )
Planned 25km with 15km at MP (marathon pace 6:24)
Actual 22km with 10km at MP. Total time 2:44 including all stretching, water and traffic stops.

^..^ ^..^

Trainings 29Sep-5Oct

2008-10-06T13:50:00.002+08:00

Didnt run much last weekend cos was down with fever.

Anyway still managed to squeeze in 2 runs + 2 gym sessions during the weekdays

29 Sep- 1 hr gym

30 Sep- run a 3.8km hill run on the treadmill :p with alternate 1km@10% incline and 500m@5% incline. Man, it was tough...or maybe I was weak.

2 Sep- Intervals. 5 x 1km with 4mins rest. Here are the timings
4:52
4:54
4:47
4:54
4:55
This time round, it felt much easier than last week. Lets see how's the timing for this week before i make any adjustment for next week.

3 Sep- 1 hr gym.

Trainings (22-28Sep08)

2008-09-28T19:47:00.003+08:00

This week I wasnt in the pink of health. Had a swollen gum which made me feel feverish.
Therefore I cut my 3 x running and 2 x gym per week to 2 x running and 1 x gym this week.

22 Sep
1 hr gym.

23 Sep
5 x 1km intervals with rest of 4 mins in between.
Target time for each set was 5:00.
Timings for the 5 sets.
4:53
4:39
5:05
4:57
5:04
It was a tough session but I was glad that i was able to finish it.

27 Sep
Fu Ren dropped me at Changi coast road. I retraced the Sundown's route back to Bedok Reservoir. Since I started pretty late in the morning at 8+, so by the time I reached Bedok Reservoir, it was already HOT HOT HOT.
Total distance: 20km
Total time: 2 hr 26 mins includes 20 mins of stretching, water and traffic breaks.
Avg Pace: 7:17
Avg HR: 156 (45% in zone 3 and 45% in zone 4)

Another LSD down.
Next week's target: 25km with 15km @ marathon pace.

Trainings this week

2008-09-21T21:28:00.002+08:00

Hard to get myself started after the holiday, but still, I have managed to squeeze in some trainings.

Tues
Intervals training of 5 x 1km with rest of 4 mins in between.
Target pace was 5:00/km.
It was tough, by my standard right now. Actually felt pukish in the last interval but still completed.
Here are the figures-
Int. 1 = 4:50
Int. 2 = 4:49
Int. 3 = 4:50
Int. 4 = 4:58
Int. 5 = 5:03

Wed
An hour of weights. Body was sluggish due to the intervals on the previous day.
Did 1 legged step-up. The step was 40-50cm above the floor so was a tough excercise. Did 2 x 20 reps on each leg, followed by 3 x 20reps of squats and other exercises.
I was totally washed out at the end of the session.

Thurs
10km of marathon pace running at targeted pace of 6:24/km.
End up ran a pace of 6:12/km at an avg HR of 160.

Fri
Was really tired so took it easy during the 1hr weights session.
And i did a body fats composition test. Result- 12% : )))

Sun
Due to other commitments, could only do the LSD in the evening.
17.2km, which 4 rounds of Bedok Reservoir.
Targeted pace
Round 1 and 4 = 7:00/km
Round 2 and 3 = 6:24/km (Marathon Pace)

Actual pace
Round 1 = 6:50/km (Acceptable)
Round 2 = 6:22/km (Passed!)
Round 3 = 6:22/km (Amazing!)
Round 4 = 7:10/km (ok lah)

Avg pace was 6:41/km at an avg HR of 164 (too high).
Total time ran was 1:54:57.

^..^ ^..^

Bali Photos? Akan Datang.

2008-09-20T00:43:00.004+08:00

I am just too lazy to load the photos...ok ok I will do it this weekend.

^..^ ^..^

I am SLIM again!

2008-09-20T00:43:00.002+08:00

Did a body fats composition check this morning.
My fats composition has dropped from 20%, three months ago, to the current level of 12.4%, which puts me in the excellent range.
Yeah! I am officially SLIM again : ))

^..^ ^..^

Trainings this week

2008-09-11T22:56:00.002+08:00

Monday (8Sep)
1 hour weights session- focus mainly on one-legged exercises, especially the weaker right leg.

Tues (9Sep)
Evening run with iron woman.
Total distance= 10km
Total time: 1:13:52 including 5mins of stretching.
Avg pace= 7:24/km (slow :))

Wed (10Sep)
Spent 30mins on stationary bike- 10mins warm up follow by 2min/3min fast/slow spinning.
Total distance= 13.5km
15mins of weights focused on one-legged exercises.

Thurs (11Sep)
Solo evening run.
Total distance= 14km
Total time= 1:38:39 including 5mins of stretching
Average pace= 7:04/km

Horray!! I will be off to Bali tomorrow and back on next Monday!!

^..^ ^..^

Stranded!!!

2008-09-10T15:31:00.003+08:00

Guess where am I??

I am sitting on the floor in one of my office's lift, waiting for help.
I am trapped in a lift!!!!
How suay can it be?
First time in my life so I better enjoy the experience : ))

my indian knight in shining armour to my rescue

Training this week

2008-09-07T18:59:00.002+08:00

Mon-Fri. Nil.

Sat 6 Sep
As usual, swimming lesson. After spending a good half hour in the shallower training pool, coach wanted us to move to the deeper competition pool. Big mouth me for asking coach how to tread water.

Coach demonstrated the correct way of treading water. Fu Ren had no problem cos she have already done it before. I was struggling to stay afloat initially but slowly found back what I have learnt during BMT. The ultimate test came when we were asked to tread water for 3 mins (erh...felt more like 5mins to me). Ok, both of us passed.

Sun 7 Sep
Another slow run this morning to make up for the lost trainings the earlier part of the week.
Since the fort run was closed for the aviva 70.3, I started the run from car park f2.
Sight-seeing pace of 7mins/km throughout the 13.07km. Stopped twice to stretch and to watch the aviva 70.3 transition 1. Look at those fancy tri-bike, hope that I can own one : )

Today's run.
Total distance= 13.07km
Total time = 1:37:30 (including 7mins stretching and 5 mins aviva)
Avg pace= 7:27/km
Avg HR= 140 of which 98% was zone 3 and below.

^..^ ^..^

A Tiring Week

2008-09-05T15:12:00.002+08:00

In HKG airport lounge now.
Can have temporary peace of mind with all the meetings and entertainments finally over.
THis is a tiring week with the commuting between Singapore, HKG and Fuzhou.
Cant wait to get home to see my babies.
And to continue with training too : )

^..^ ^..^

Trainings this week

2008-08-31T15:43:00.004+08:00

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.

^..^ ^..^

Training- 27Aug08

2008-08-27T23:36:00.004+08:00

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

2008-08-26T18:37:00.004+08:00

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!

^..^ ^..^

AHM and Bay Run Result

2008-08-25T23:14:00.002+08:00

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.

^..^ ^..^

Trainings Ahead

2008-08-24T19:48:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-24T17:45:00.003+08:00

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

^..^ ^..^

23Aug08

2008-08-23T23:30:00.003+08:00

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....

^..^ ^..^

21-22Aug, forecast for 23-24Aug

2008-08-22T23:38:00.003+08:00

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?

^..^ ^..^

我没有买!!!!!!!

2008-08-21T21:51:00.004+08:00

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.....

^..^ ^..^

20Aug08- Another day has past

2008-08-20T23:26:00.002+08:00

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?

^..^ ^..^

Training- 19Aug08

2008-08-19T21:54:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-18T23:26:00.000+08:00

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!

2008-08-18T23:20:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-17T10:39:00.003+08:00

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!

^..^ ^..^

Training- 15-16Aug

2008-08-17T10:24:00.003+08:00

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....

2008-08-15T18:27:00.002+08:00

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

Go for the gold ok!! 加油！！！

^..^ ^..^

My week so far

2008-08-14T22:33:00.004+08:00

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.

^..^ ^..^

Sports Injuries Consultation- 11 Aug 08

2008-08-11T18:18:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-11T18:08:00.002+08:00

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)

2008-08-08T20:55:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-05T22:29:00.003+08:00

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

^..^ ^..^

Training- 3 Aug (Half Interval Half Tempo)

2008-08-03T21:28:00.003+08:00

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

2008-08-02T23:02:00.002+08:00

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.....

^..^ ^..^

Last Training Day of the month

2008-07-31T22:17:00.003+08:00

Evening run at ECP with a female colleague, who was a former Ironman (or ironlady in this case).

She claimed she is not a fast runner but can go the distance. Since i wanted to take it easy so I was happy to just follow her pace. And thanks to her for regulating my pace, i was able to finish the run feeling fresh. I really forgot how to do it slow and steady...recently have been running too fast for the longer runs.

Overall, a good run to end the month.
Distance: 14km
Time: 1:38:48
Avg Pace: 7:04/km

2 other colleagues were talking about signing up for the 21km SCSM.
I think I will organise an office run every Tuesday and Thursday for those who wanna run.

^..^ ^..^

29-30Jul

2008-07-30T23:38:00.003+08:00

29Jul
A welcome addition to my otherwise boring office environment....go green in the office.

Will be buying more smaller potted plants soon.

30Jul
I have slacked again....planned to be at the gym @ 7am before attending a full-day workshop @830am in the office.
I was still on the bed at 7am...enough said.

I find that workshops/seminar/long meetings are bad for my health cos
1. I cant stop stuffing those candies in my mouth
2. I cant stop drinking tea to keep myself awake.
So basically, I suffer from caffeine and sugar high....so ERIC! WIPE THAT STUPID SMILE OFF YOUR FACE!!

^..^ ^..^

Training 26-28 Jul

2008-07-28T22:50:00.002+08:00

26Jul
Went for one round of Bedok Reservoir before meeting up the gang for dinner.
Tried to run and hold at sub-6 pace.
Total distance: 4.3km
Total time: 23:18
Avg pace: 5:26/km
Avg HR: 174

27Jul
Drove down to ECP in the evening to run a weekly MSD (Medium Slow Distance).
To my frustration, I couldnt find a parking lot in ECP, even the paid ones!!!!
Grrrr..........I am saying this again "OUR RECREATION FACILITIES DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SUPPORT OUR GROWING POPULATION!!!! PAP PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!!" and "PLEASE STOP MAKING IT CHEAP FOR PEOPLE TO BUY A CAR!!!!".
You cant deter car ownership by upping your ERP. USE YOUR BRAIN!!!! YOU ARE ALL SCHOLARS!!!!

LL, had to head to the GYM for treadmill instead.

Did 1 km warm up then stretched, followed by more km on the treadmill. 1km @ 6/km pace and increased to 5:42/km. I bonked at 3.6km. Just felt tired so decided to call it a day. Think I still hate running on treadmill.

A lousy run!

28Jul
Finally, I could do my MSD at ECP. Weather was excellent and it was breezy all the way, but I was running slower than last week. Nevermind, better than never run : )

By the way, I was running without my garmin today so have to gauge my pace from my effort.
Total Distance: 14km
Total Time: 1:33:14
Avg pace: 6:40/km

^..^ ^..^

My loot from Hong Kong

2008-07-27T11:54:00.004+08:00

1. 5 boxes of Pocari powder mix. 5 sachets per box.
Each sachet can mix into 1 litre of pocari isotonic drink.
If anyone knows where I can buy this mix in Singapore please let me know.

2. 5 tees and 1 running shorts from Adidas, all with 30% staff discount : )
3 of the tees went to fu ren, which includes a Beijing olympics tee.
For myself, a formotion running top (same as Sundown Race tee but with sleeves), a gym tee and the formotion running shorts.

3. Lastly, of course plenty of tidbits for the family- dried mango, dried scallops, chicken and duck wings etc etc

^..^ ^..^

I am coming home

2008-07-25T17:13:00.002+08:00

Here I am, in Hong Kong airport lounge.
Finally....end of my hectic trip...I want to be home so much.....

^..^ ^..^

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon- 2008

2008-07-22T15:28:00.005+08:00

By the way, I have enrolled for the full marathon yesterday (1st day of registration).

Fu Ren's uncle has done the same thing, and he is 60 yr old?
Way to go, Tua Koo!!

ok ok cannot be slack, must start to train.

^..^ ^..^

Free Eats- Bangkok 22Jul

2008-07-22T15:04:00.004+08:00

After a meeting with a customer, my colleagues brought me to a local chicken rice shop (yes its occupies the whole shop, just like our boon tong kee).

The location of the shop is very near to the Pratunum market and we had to wait for seats even we arrived before the lunch hour.

The chicken rice is the same as what you would see locally, except that the chicken are huge, probably twice the size of the chicken you see in Singapore's stalls.

Also, they do not serve our red garlic chilli. Instead, what was on offer was a mixture of garlic and gree chilli in a sweet and sour sauce. The sauce goes quite well with the chicken though.

Another specialty is the duck herbal soup (yeah, chicken rice and duck soup), although i personally find the duck soup so-so.

I devoured 2 bowls of the rice and thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

Chicken Rice and Duck Soup (do you think it rymths with hidden dragon and crouching tiger?)

My colleague pointed to me a thai noodle stall that was in a back alley near the chicken rice shop.

I will try that next time I am in BKK!

Trivia- Bangkok

This simple decor in the hotel room caught my eyes before i check-out this morning.

It is an elephant made out of rolled towels- simple but yet creative.

ok. on my way to Hong Kong now.

^..^ ^..^

Free Eats- Bangkok 21Jul

2008-07-21T23:36:00.007+08:00

Had lunch with customer and my BKK collegue at the MK Suki Restaurant.
For the benefit of those that havent heard of MK, MK is similar to Coca in Singapore.

Half-way through our meal, the restaurant started blasting the music.
As we were wondering what happened, the restaurant staff started dancing.
The dance steps were simple but it provided some entertainment for the patrons.
Later I learned that the restaurant does it everyday at the same time.

Amazing.

I am a Dancing Queen..YEAH!

Ok. Since I had a good run this evening, I have decided to reward myself with a good meal. Took the MRT to Hua Lamphong station and then a cab to Chinatown.
Finally finally, I reached my favourite Kuay Chup store in Chinatown.
The kuay chop is different from the braise sauce kuay chup we have in Singapore. The soup base here is similar to our peppery pig stomach soup, with a mixture of kuay and pig's spare parts.

My long-missed Kuay Chup

Oooooo....i missed it so much.....After my bowl of kuay chup, I crossed the road to another chinese restaurant.This time, the victims are the sharks (Sorry Karmen! I know I am sinned :))Ordered a bowl (claypot, to be exact) of abalone sharkfins soup + a bottle of singha beer.

The white piece on the left is abalone. Those pieces on the right once belong to some sharks

Ooooooo.......HEAVEN!!!

The damage was
Kuay Chup- THB 55
Abalone Sharkfins- THB 700
Singha Beer- THB 50
To relive the experience- PRICELESS!

Fu Ren and Moo Moo, wish you were here!!!

^..^ ^..^

Free Runs- Bangkok 21Jul

2008-07-21T23:13:00.004+08:00

Had the choice to do the evening run in the hotel gym or the park next to the hotel.
In the end, nature always truimph over artificial- I chose the park.

There is a running/walking track and a cycling track that circles the pond.
1 lap round the pond is about 1.84km according to my Garmin.
Since I just did my MSD yesterday, I was planning to take it easy today.

The park next to Queen Sirikit Convention Centre. Plenty of Joggers and Cyclists!

However.......
Did my first lap as a warm up, avg pace is about 6:30/km.
Second lap I went crazy and ran at an avg of sub-5/km pace.
Third lap was a warm down at an avg pace @ 6:00/km.

Felt very good during and after the run, havent had this shiok feeling for a long time.
Think today I was on-form.

Here are the numbers
Total distance: 5.52km
Toal time: 30:58
Avg pace: 5:36/km
Avg HR: 170

^..^ ^..^

Training and Travelling 20Jul

2008-07-21T11:25:00.003+08:00

Training
Had to drag myself out of bed in the morning...but it was already 8+ and the sun was out in full force.

Parked my car at Big Splash @ ECP so that fu ren could wait for me at starbucks.
Started my run at 9+am and man it was HOT HOT HOT. When I ran towards Mac, the sun was shining on my face and on the return, the sun was shining on my back.
Basically, I was chao da both front and back : )
Didnt want to exert cos it was a hot day (anyway I couldnt too ;p).

Saw a few guys running in their tri suit so I guess they were doing their brick.

Anyway, here are the numbers including warm up and a few water breaks

Total km: 14km
Total time: 1hr32mins
Avg Pace: 6:35/km
Avg HR: 169

Travelling
Yes travelling again : ((
This time to Bangkok and Hong Kong, for a duration of 1 week. Will be back on Friday.

Took the 8pm SQ flight to BKK.
I have requested a hotel limo to pick me up from airport.
To my surprise, they sent a BMW 5 series. Hm...I can get use to this : ))
And to my further surprise, the driver sent me to the wrong hotel :((
I finally arrived at the right hotel, late and hungry.
At the hotel's front desk, I requested for a bowl of tum yum kuey teow and Singha Beer rightaway.
I must be the most "yao kui" (饿鬼) hotel guest they have ever seen : )))

My first time staying at this boutique hotel, Park Plaza. Nice little hotel with trendy interior. And best of all my office is just across the road. The only let-down is that there are no eateries or supermarket or spa near the hotel. Think I will visit Chinatown for my favourite kuay chup on Mon night.

The hotel room

Another angle of the room, before I mess it up

Tiny but tastefully decorated Bathroom

Fu ren and moo moo, miss you already....

^..^ ^..^

Swim 18Jul

2008-07-18T15:59:00.001+08:00

Back from a struggle in the water despite the good weather and an empty pool.

I get tensed up every time I enter the water, and thus making the grasp for air more difficult.
The whole swimming thingy is really getting more demoralizing and thus explains the reluctance to practice.

Vicious cycle.

^..^ ^..^

Training 18Jul

2008-07-18T12:22:00.004+08:00

Slacked this morning again when I didnt go for my morning run. Find it hard to get out of bed in the morning recently. No choice have to postpone the run to this evening.

Going off for a quick dip in the pool during lunch. Been having great reluctance in practising my swimming for the past 2 weeks. Always find excuses not to go down to the pool....tsk tsk tsk.

Will be away to Bangkok and Hong Kong next week so my training sked will be disrupted again. Will bring my running shoes along to do at least some runs in or outside the hotels.

^..^ ^..^

Nike Human Race

2008-07-16T22:17:00.002+08:00

Still undecided to join the Nike Human Race on 31.08.08.
Registration is $45 which I think is expensive.
Furthermore, Nike will be printing the bib # on the race tee and I doubt I will be wearing the race tee after the race.

think think think.

^..^ ^..^

改变

2008-07-16T22:12:00.002+08:00

认识我的人都知道我是一个Teh-O人。
最近，我开始喝咖啡，不知道为什么。
可能是我众多改变之一。

^..^ ^..^

Training Tuesday

2008-07-15T23:05:00.002+08:00

Intended to do some weights after work, but the gym was too crowded (another excuse : )), so decided to run instead.

Running on treadmill can be really really boring, therefore all my treadmill runs are limited to 5km.
Did a 1km slow run to warm up, then stopped to do some stretching, followed by a 5km quick run,
Started the run at 9.5km/h and gradually increased the pace with last 2km at 11km/h (pace 5:27/km).
Found it tough to hold the pace for the 2km.

Total distance: 5km
Total time: 29:45
Avg pace: 5:57/km

^..^ ^..^

L.S.D (Lousy Slow Distance)

2008-07-13T22:15:00.002+08:00

Planned to do a 15km run this morning however part of ECP was closed for Osim Triathlon, so have to postpone the run to this evening.

Sun was still blazing at 6pm when I started my run.
Man, ECP was really really crowded and I think Singapore's migrant policy is stretching our existing recreation infrastructure.

Anyway, I was totally drenched 5km into the run but I didnt stop to replenish the loss of fluid.
Felt breathless at the 8km mark and the last 3km was pure agony (I cut short the run at 13km).
This run has confirmed that my endurance has gone down the drain : ((

Total distance: 13km
Time: 1hr 20mins
Avg Pace: 6:11/km
Avg HR: 176

The cup of fresh squeezed orange juice at Lagoon Hawker Centre was godsend.

^..^ ^..^

Milk Run- Part 2

2008-07-13T22:10:00.004+08:00

Ok. Official result is out.

Gun time was 53mins (52mins on my garmin).

Ranked 204th out of 438 runners. Another mid-pack run...sigh.

Yours truely....

^..^ ^..^

Days in Shanghai

2008-07-10T15:37:00.004+08:00

It is H.O.T in Shanghai and it is different breed of hot from Singapore.
In Singapore, the nights tend to cool down faster but in Shanghai, somehow the heat gets trapped between the buildings, by the roads etc.

Business meetings went well and the outcome was I will have more travellings to do in the month of August : ((( I want to stay in Singapore to accompany fu ren.
Hope the travelling dates wont coincide with my AHM (keeping my fingers cross).

This time round, I finally made a trip to the tailor that my colleagues were bragging about (cheap and good, they claimed). The choices of fabric were not as many as my regular tailor in Singapore, but hey, for RMB250 a shirt, I cant ask for more.

Also, managed to squeeze in a 5km run and some sets of weights in the hotel's gym, although it felt more like a sauna session than a workout session.
Finally, its time to come home, and thank god, the new star alliance airport lounge is finally ready. Unfortunately, the check-in staff forgot to issue my lounge pass and I have to scramble for my KF card. I remember its somewhere in my notebook bag....ah..found it at the bottom...*curse the check-in staff*.

Oh, before I board the plane, share with you one blunder i have made.
I forgot the combination on my new Samsonite luggage and I spent about 30mins trying 1000 (almost) combinations when I arrived at the SHanghai hotel.
And as stated by the Murphy's law, the correct number is always the last few you try. And true enough, the combination was 9-3-9. *middle finger*.
By the way, this is not the first time I have done the same thing. Last time round, the combination was 8-X-X. *middle finger again*. Next time I should set the combination as 0-0-1 : )

^..^ ^..^

Trainings

2008-07-08T11:37:00.002+08:00

Recently, I find that I am short of time and energy to carry out any decent trainings.

I split my training into cycles of 2 weeks each, trying to squeeze in 6 runs, 4 gym and 4 swims.
So far, I have little success in adhering to my schedule. Been travelling a bit lately so also find it tough to train on the go too. I wonder how those triatheletes manage clock 14hrs of training per week.

Pearl Izumi Run series 2 has extended another 100 slots due to overwhelming response. Very tempted to join so I can do it as my last LSD before the AHM. Since AHM is not my targetted race, my only hope is to better my half marathon timing at SCSM (2hr27mins. PB is 2hr10mins). Anyway i am not too hopeful of running fast as I am still plagued with the nagging injuiry of my hamstring.

Swimming lessons- those are the most demoralising days of the week. Complete disaster. I am starting to wonder maybe I am not born to swim. Have you seen a rooster swim before? I rest my case.

Ok ok..its time to catch my flight to Shanghai. See all of you in a few days.

^..^

Citi Milkrun 2008

2008-07-06T22:57:00.004+08:00

Undecided to do the race but went ahead.
Weather looked threatening at first but turned out to be a blessing.

Fu ren didnt participate in this race but she accompanied me there.
We parked near Gallery and took a slow walk. I wanted to take it easy so arrived at the venue at 3pm when the race scheduled to start at 3.15pm.
First thing to do was to answer the nature's call but proceeding to do a short warm up and stretching.

When the Guest-of-Honour, Mr Teo Ser Luck, waved off the 9.4km race, I then started running towards the starting line from the warm up area.

As usual, the first km or so was congested. It didnt help when the running path only allowed 2 to pass at max.
The sun was out 2km into the race and I felt so "chuang"(out of breath). Maybe its the sun but I think my fitness is deteriotating.
Weaved through the crowd for the first 4-5km. Was pacing behind the group of SMU runners when I finally overtook the 2 gals + 1 guy around the 6km mark.
There was no distance marker and I was glad that I had my garmin with me. Also, I skipped the water points to save some time as I brought along my hand bottle.

The first half of the race was a drag as I couldnt find my rhythm, but I was going stronger late in the race. Unfortunately, I was holding back the "cheong-ing" as I expected the distance was 9.4km. I opened up my pace a bit from the 7th km onwards, but surprise surprise, the finish line was at the 8.8km mark instead of 9.4km, so I was deprived of the chance to cheong!

Again, let the numbers do the talking.

Total distance: 8.8km
Total time: 52:03
Avg HR: 184

0-1km 6:29/km HR 171
1-2km 5:53 179
2-3km 5:48 183
3-4km 5:45 186
4-5km 6:09 185
5-6km 5:58 186
6-7km 6:10 188
7-8km 5:38 190
8-8.8km 5:24 195

Didnt take any photo this time cos I didnt bring any camera.

Overall, the race was well organised and the officials and supporters were great!

^..^

福气

2008-07-05T13:15:00.002+08:00

今早，在勿洛的一间咖啡店，看到两位七，八十岁的老太太津津有味的吃着山瑞汤。

不知为何，觉得很感动。

人老了，只要能吃得下，放得出，走得动，已经是莫大的福气了。

^..^

Weights Session

2008-07-02T21:02:00.003+08:00

Spent an hour of familiarisation/orientation session with the personal trainer.

Did sets of squats (4x20), chest press (3x15), fly(2x15), reverse fly(2x15), shoulder press(3x15), plank (2x45secs), bridge (2x20), single-legged bridge (3x20 each leg) and bicep curls (2x15 each arm).

And I am supposed to do the same 3 times per week! Wtf??!!

I cant feel my arms and my shoulders are aching now, but it feels good : )

^..^

无聊

2008-07-02T20:53:00.004+08:00

This is a stale joke among our group of friends.

"Ginseng Chicken" = “人参公鸡”= “人身攻击”。

ok, not funny.

^..^

Our 1st Wedding Anniversary

2008-07-02T20:37:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary. Time really flies!

We both took half-a-day leave and went shopping!
Bought a pair of Asics Cumulus for fu ren (yeah, lately our shopping venues tend to be sport shops). She bought me dinner at our favourite Rakuichi restaurant.

Although we didnt have any fanciful celebration but to us, it is the simple moments spent together that count.

^..^

Evening ECP Run

2008-06-30T22:06:00.004+08:00

Yes. I am back to Singapore.

Feeling the jet lag even though its only 6hrs apart.
Went for an evening run at ECP to wake myself up.
Today was the longest distance I ran after Sundown and I have target to keep my pace sub-6mins/km in order to test my cardio, but.....

hoo, hoo, hoo, I was panting so hard during the run.
Felt like I have just run 2.4km in army.
Think my fitness has gone down the toilet (yes! toilet is faster than drain).

Let the numbers do the talking.

Total Distance: 10.1km
Total Time: 1:01:32
Avg pace: 6:06/km (including warm up and stretching)
Avg HR: 178

0-2km 7:29/km HR122 (Warm-up run and stopped for 3mins to do stretching)
2-3km 5:49/km HR177
3-4km 5:42/km HR181
4-5km 5:40/km HR184
5-6km 5:48/km HR186
6-7km 5:42/km HR186
7-8km 5:42/km HR189
8-9km 5:48/km HR189
9-10km 5:43/km HR190

Wonder whether I have enough time to condition for AHM.

Frankfurt- Day 3

2008-06-29T23:09:00.006+08:00

Pickup was earlier at 8am as we have a long drive of 2.5hrs to Nurnberg.
Thought it was my chance to experience the German autobahn but unfortunately, a lot of locals and EU tourists were are on the roads traveling for their summer holiday. Max speed we managed on the company car (VW golf) was only 180km/h on the way to Nurmberg.

Nurmberg is a nice little charming city as compared to the more cosmopolitan Frankfurt. It is known as the “toy capital of Germany” as some of the german toy companies are headquartered here. However, I think Nurnberg should be more appropriately known as “stationery capital of Germany” cos companies in the like of Stadler, Stabilo are also headquartered here. My Nurnberg colleague was sharing with me Stadler is also producing eye pencils for the cosmetics companies. Surprise! Surprise!

We spent an hour or so preparing for our up-coming meeting in the afternoon.
Had a quick bite at the Nurnberg airport before heading for our ultimate destination of the day- ADIDAS HQ in Herzogenaurach, 15mins away from Nurnberg.

After the meeting, we snapped a few pictures around the Adidas building before heading out to the Adidas factory outlet nearby.

It was my first time there and the experience was awesome (same feeling when I visited Oakley HQ 4 years back).

The original Adidas Building

The new buildings around the old Adidas building

Bought a few running attires and 2 Germany soccer jersey : )) for fu ren and myself. At 44% staff discount, it didnt really work out to be cheaper after including the 19% VAT.

Adidas factory Outlet

Since it was getting late, we sped all the way back to Frankfurt.

The speedometer at 210km/h

^..^

Frankfurt- Day 2

2008-06-29T14:09:00.008+08:00

Woke up with a running nose, must have caught the bug on the plane.

My German colleague picked me up at 9am and we headed to the Frankfurt office.
An uneventful morning spent at the office downloading emails and casual conversations with the colleagues in the office.
After lunch, some free ice creams were passed around the office, I guess it was in celebration of the Germany team who made it to the Euro 2008 final. I shared the same sentiment : ))))

In the afternoon, my running nose turned into a full-blown irritation.
I requested my colleague to drop me off at the hotel early, which he obliged.
I picked up a pack of aspirin from the pharmacy on the way back to hotel.

Took some aspirin and had an hour sleep.

At 6pm, the summer sun was still bright and sunny.
I changed into my running attire for a slow jog along the Main (the name of the river) River near the hotel.

The Main River

The sun was in full force and although the temperature was 25C, it felt like 28C.
Part of the running track (cum cycling track) was muddy from the rain the day before.
Fortunately I brought along my NB trail shoes instead of my Asics running shoes.
I am a man with such great foresight ;p

Most of the running track was covered with gravel chips, much like the one in Bedok Reservoir.

The track

Some wild rabbits were running in and out of the bushes next to the track, adding some distraction to my run. Stopped quite a few times trying to capture them on my camera, but they are usually too fast for me. Ha ha!

Masterpieces of local art talents

Taking a breather under the flyover

Had a good run of 42mins covering 6.7km, at an average pace of 6:20/km.

Back to hotel for shower and a change of clothes.
Couldn’t watch the match between Spain and Russia since the pub was booked by Luthansa Cargo. Instead I had a quiet dinner and drinks (and magazine) at the beer garden outside the hotel.

The beer, the Magazine and myself

Surprise visitor- a ladybird! When was the last time you saw one?

Turned in early since tomorrow I will have a long day ahead.

^..^

Frankfurt- Day 1

2008-06-26T16:08:00.008+08:00

After 5 (or 6?) in-flight movies and 2 episodes of "Supernatural" after, I finally touchdown at FRA airport. It was a cool 22deg evening and damn, I was late for my Germany vs Turkey match!!

Navigating through FRA airport was not a simple task and there wasnt any clear (and big) signage. Ok, just follow the crowd, when the I finally saw the "Exit" and "Baggage Claim" signages. What? No immigration form to fill? Man, I just love Europe!

My colleague was waiting and waving the little company logo at the arrival gate. Fortunately I wasnt too stoned (time equivalent of 3am in Singapore) to notice him. And more fortunately, the hotel is 10mins away from the airport, and in his fast Seat TDI (same as Golf GTi), we were there in less than 10mins. He was in a rush to watch the match too : ) , but with his girlfriend.

Hotel Mecure

Check-in was a breeze and I was down at the hotel pub in about 10mins. The score was still 0-0 then.

Imagine this- sipping a german beer and eating the frankfurter sausages, and at the same time supporting my fav Germany football team with the locals in a german pub. Life cant get better than this!

My dinner- EUR7

My appertiser- EUR3.50/pint

The experience- Priceless!

And the bonus was- GERMANY WON!!!!! : )))))) Ah...this was a memorable experience for me.

After the match, the honking of the cars and the fireworks went on for an hour before it died down.

^..^