30K At 4am??

I'm contemplating the unthinkable. The situation's like this. With only 5 weeks to D-Day, I have realistically only 2 opportunities (to push it really hard, 3 opportunities) to do my 30s and above.

So for the next 3 weekends, I'll have to churn out the miles. This week's workouts have been great and I'm on course to hit the 65K mark. My program for the remaining part of the week is as follows:

Today (Thu): 10.4K
Fri: 6.5K
Sat: Off
Sun: 30K
----------------
TOTAL: 70.3K
==========

The problem lies with the 30K. Going with a 7min/K pace, I will take approximately 3.5hrs to complete the session. Thus, if I intend to finish my run at 7:30am, I'll need to start my run at 4am. Working backwards, I'll need to go to bed between 9:30 to 10pm on Saturday, if I were to get 5 hours' worth of sleep.

Then there's the issue of route. Should I hit the traditional hilly Hartamas route or around my residential area? Running around my area will be easier (undulating but not as hilly as Hartamas) and allow me to avoid travelling time to and from Bukit Aman.

Finally the issue of running the 30K alone. I'm considering carrying a small MP3 player to keep me company (1 earphone only for security reasons - surrounding awareness) but I'm looking at the positive side of things. Running alone will build mental toughness.

Another option will be to break out the 30K into 2 15K to be run in the morning and evening. But I'm not sure if it will accord me the same benefits. I posted my inquiry on the Runner's World Online Forum.

Let's see what the experts reply...

Blistering Toenail!

I didn't know that blisters can pop up underneath the nail until last night. I've had some discomfort on the toe (next to the little toe) for about 1 week. Apparently the old toenail has not completely dropped off and the new nail growing under it is pushing the old one up.

So it juts upwards scraping against the sock and shoe upper. There was some niggling pain. So last night after showering (to make sure the nail has softened), I took out the clipper to trim away the old nail and also the surrounding nail area. I must have burst something as suddenly yellowish fluid flowed out from the nail much like what happens when you squish a caterpillar.

Surprised, I quickly swabbed the area dry and squeezed the area to clear all the fluid. Then I applied gobs of Burnol (antiseptic) to the whole toe nail.

Tonight, I'll be icing the nail to reduce the swelling if any. The dull pain seems to have subsided a bit and I'll see how it goes. The last thing I want is to have the doctor cut the whole nail out.

Nice Birthday Present

MU beat Arsenal 2-0. Enough said.

Example Of "FAK" At Work

In what could be called an enthusiastic demonstration of how "FAK" could be used, check out Julian's Head.

Larian Sempena Harijadi PM5

This morning's run was so well attended that it got me by surprise. Francis Toh, CM, Uncle Hooi, Petalingrunner aka Sim, Jason aka Jason, Lonerunner aka Martin, PM8 aka Chen, Tey and his 3 friends (one of whom shared the same birth date with me). The 12 of us hit the roads at 5:05am. The morning was chilly and we started slowly.

We were caught by surprise when we reached the Duta Roundabout as nearly the entire area was barricaded and we had to run to the other roundabout further up before making our way across the road. This short detour was hairy as the area was entirely dark and there were plenty of speeding vehicles, even this early in the morning. The four of us had been separated by the other group led by Lonerunner who had found a gap in the barricade.

Nevertheless some surges allowed us to close in to the leading group. We were all running faster now and after passing the now-well-lit widened stretch in front of the new housing scheme (where I chucked my water bottle - I didn't wear the belt), we reached the Petronas station in about 1:09. I guessed we must've really been slow in the first 7K.

Before reaching the station, we passed 2 returning runners on the opposite side, one of whom was Yaziz - seriously training even in this fasting month. Looks like he'll be going for the Singapore Half. After a short break, we made our way back.

The journey back was fun as we ran into plenty of runners, at least 25, in various groups. Singapore Marathon training is indeed in full swing! A fast pack came at us and unsurprisingly, it was Ronnie, Vincent, Houn and Justin. Just 100 meters behind were Penguins 1 and 2. They were all hitting it pretty hard. I also saw Ken, Phoon, Kelvin, Law Lai Huat, Sonny, Jenny, Wan, Don, Goh Choon Aun in succession.

It was around the IRS building when my left knee started to give way. The pain was pretty bad and I slowed down tremendously. I had been hitting the uphills strongly - a sign of confidence from the hill repeats - but not running for the past week (due to a cold) has rested my knee for much too long and this sudden return to this distance must've stressed it a tad too much.

I had CM for company in this later stage as I walked/run. Despite the pain, I was determined to complete the run and it was a relieve to finally reach the car park. Justin was already there, having fell into a manhole, twisting his knee and scraping his knee badly. Penguin 6 came in on his bike. Plenty of chatting and mingling. Chen presented me with a PowerGel as a birthday gift (the most unusual gift, I've ever had!) - THANKS CHEN!

What a good way to start Oct 24th! Hope I'll be able to do this for many many years to come! Now to ice that knee.

Crappy Service of The Sepang Municipal Council

I never liked dealing with government departments. Many out there would share my sentiments. To submit one of the numerous property "cukai" forms, I had to make my way to the Sepang Municipal Council located in an obscure part of the land, lost my way and got myself re-acquainted with the ineptitude and apathy attitude common in most government agencies.

As if the RM12 toll (return journey), picture this. Not knowing my way around the council building, I went to the payment hall (where tax payers make their payments) and approached one of the counters (counter 4 I believe) to inquire where I can seek help to fill up my form. Save for me, there was no other customer in the hall, this being a Saturday.

The lady behind the glass panel told me to go to Counter 6. Not surprisingly, when I approached Counter 6, the man told me to go to the adjacent building (Penilaian).

Think for a moment:

1. Couldn't the Counter 4 lady simply tell me to proceed to the next building, instead of to the next counter?
2. Could I have witnessed an example of apathy in that lady or was she so unknowledgable (unlikely) that she didn't know her job?
3. Or horror of horrors, could she have done it on purpose?

Definition of "FAK"

In my continuing series of "Definition of...", let's explore the word "FAK".

Background
Uttering it adds colour to the day, brings redness to your cheeks and warms your heart. The word "FAK" originates from "FUCK" or as the Scottish say it, "FOOK". You can say that it's the Malaysianized version of the popular word. This proves that Malaysians can create new lingo even if it adds a wicked twist to the pandered-to-death "Malaysia Boleh" motto.

Definition
The word has no real meaning. However it adds colour, emotions and impact to the spoken words from apathy to blinding rage. It can stand on its own or with other words. The synonym of "FAK" is "TNS". In the context of phrasing, it's quite normal to see "FAK lah!", "FAK this!", "FAK it!" and "What the FAK?!" A longer sentence would look like this - as written by Penguin 2 in his Johor report - "Fak! We already got the bibs and bought the GO bus tickets. Lets Go and worry about the return part of the plan after the marathon. There is no perfect plan!"

First time in action
It is widely believed that the word was invented by Azwar out of frustration but out of decency he used the word "FAK" instead. There's no turning back since then.

Lembaga Penapisan Filem/FINAS/Dewan Bahasa approved?
Will this word see the light of day? So many lesser evils (ie. on-screen kissing) have been struck down. In this age of liberalisation, it's wiser to adopt the "Never Say Never" mentality. At least we hope.

Where can the phrase be found?
Again, in popular blogs such as:
- KL Penguins
- Runner's High
- Der_Pacemaker # 1
- and as you're reading this, The Adventures of Carbo Man

Don't miss out the earlier definition of "Commando Style"

Larian Menyambut Harijadi PM5

You're all cordially invited to participate in the above run next Sunday. Details are as follows:

Date: 24th October 2004
Distance: 20 - 25K
Time: 4:45am
Start Venue: Bukit Aman Car Park
Certificates, Medals and Prize Monies: None
Goodie Bag: Subject to generosity of PM8

Sunday Long Run - Of A Failed Promise And Its Consequences

Before I proceed further, let me apologize once again to Lonerunner aka Martin with whom I planned to run 25K at 4:45am. With many of our running mates in Ipoh for the KRI 10K, both of us were looking forward to this.

For some inexplicable (initially) reason, when I woke up, my watch showed 4pm Saturday when it's already 7am Sunday! I sat on my living room floor gazing at the bright sky, feeling extremely guilty, confused and angry. I cracked my head at what could possibly had happened. 10 minutes later, I solved the puzzle. The watch's time display was in the 2nd Time mode. I must have accidentally triggered the time switch button when I turned in my sleep disabling the alarm set in the primary time mode.

I felt so guilty about the whole thing and imagined Lonerunner waiting in the car park since 4:45! I quickly called him. Thankfully he picked up my call and told me that he was already finishing his run. At least he managed to get his run in.

At the point I felt I had to seek a release, so I laced up and hit the hill downstairs. I did 5 hard repeats (5 up and 5 recovery jog down). More on the hill in another post.
The rest of my day was a little screwed and returned to normalcy only late at night.

1) Missed long run
This went without saying, and at this critical stage no less.

2) Power outage
The damned TNB decided that the best day to perform maintenance at a nearby sub-station is on a Sunday. Power returned only at 9pm.

From now on, I will definitely set 2 alarms as backup.

Carbo Kid @ KLCC Park

I had to baby-sit (OK, he's not a baby anymore), kid-sit the Carbo Kid yesterday due to a situation. Being an active toddler, he needs to be given space and activities to do what he wants. Else he will be difficult to handle. So my objective was to tire him out and only use the TV very sparingly. I've successfully disciplined him from not playing with the fridge door and was hoping to achieve a somewhat similar victory over the TV.

To tire him out, I brought him to the KLCC Park after dropping off the Missus. There was no one at the playground so we had the whole place to ourselves. The kiddo loved it, hopping from one fixture to another.

One downer was when I stepped on the first rung of the slide ladder, the park guard told me to get off - "Dua belas tahun ke bawah sahaja". I told her that I needed to make sure that my kid didn't suddenly make a break for the other side (which was open). To which she replied - "Dua belas tahun ke bawah sahaja". I was getting upset at this point and pointed to her that I was just standing on the FIRST rung of the ladder and it's highly impossible that the entire play house will collapse, to which she replied (you guess it!) - "Dua belas tahun ke bawah sahaja".

At 8:45am, a busload full of school kids arrived and the playground suddenly turned boisterous. It was also getting sunny and hot. Sweating from all pores, we hauled our asses back home where he knocked out on the living room floor, thoroughly worn out.

When he woke up, it was time for his bath and then lunch at McD. Then it was time to burn some time(?) at Carrefour before heading home for his afternoon nap. Prior to that he had only an hour's worth of Sesame Street. It's been really great. I even managed to catch up on my DVDs - Taking Lives (don't bother watching unless you want to catch Angeline Jolie flaunting her hard bod!). OK I admit I just gave you a reason to watch it.

It was a different matter in the evening when we went downtown to pick up the Missus. Perhaps it was the horrendous after office traffic that we were caught in, but he was quite cranky.

Nevertheless I was quite happy with how the day went and I wrapped it up by watching Fahrenheit 9/11, which was excellent. And since we're on the issue of DVDs, the 2-disc edition of Shawshank Redemption is out. Just go get it.

Definition of "Commando Style"

You may come across this phrase in a few running blogs, so being The Carbo Man, I take it upon myself to explain the origins and meaning of it.

Background
"Commando Style" was first coined by the KL Penguins on hot August afternoon out of whim and fancy of Penguins 2 and 6.

Definition
"Commando Style" literally means the tactics and strategies employed by the special armed forces. The tactics and strategies usually involve covert ops, rapid infiltration and exfiltration of the objective and finally ruthless execution of any resistance (if any). Used in the context of running, it requires the same level of character in the runner. One who is willing to forgo sleep, who thinks and acts on the move, able to adapt to harsh environments while racing an event.

First time in action
It was first used in the KL Penguins' Blog when Penguin 6, in his excitement to run the Johor Marathon, wrote a two parter prelude (read the Parts 1 and 2 and 3 here) about how they intend to travel to Johor. Their plan called for last minute race registrations, travelling the night before by bus and reaching Johor just hours before the start of the race. Their mission was to run and complete the Johor Marathon which they successfully did (although with contrasting fortunes). Their exploits deserve an entry into the running folklore. Read about the race report by Penguin 2 here and Penguin 6 here.

Oxford and Webster approved?
Who knows how far this phrase will go? Perhaps it may see the light of day or recognition it deserves in the pages of the Oxford and Webster dictionaries. Whatever the case may be, "Commando Style" is here to stay.

Where can the phrase be found?
In popular blogs such as:
- KL Penguins (naturally!)
- Runner's High
- Der_Pacemaker # 1
- and as you're reading this, The Adventures of Carbo Man

Next: Definition of "FAK"

What's Pronation?

In response to a question posed in Der_Pacemaker's Running Forum on pronation, I posted the following reply, republished here so that others can also be informed.

The reply:
Anyway, pronation actually is normal. The usual footplant happens with your eg. right foot landing in the slightly outer region (lateral side) and then rolling slightly inward before toeing off.

The inward roll is so that your body can cushion your landing and it's perfectly natural. It's when your foot lands and rolls excessively inward that you're OVERpronating. This tends to happen to larger guys lacking supportive footwear. Weakness in the leg/foot area is the other cause. Remedies include wearing orthotics (supportive shoe inserts) or getting shoes with some medial (inner side) support or called medial posts. Overpronators typically have flat feet (collapsed arches).

Shoe companies market their support devices using many names:
Asics - Duomax which works with their Trusstic and IGS Systems
Adidas - 3D Torsion
Nike - Footbridge
Mizuno - Wave Technology
New Balance - Rollbar with Stability Web and ENCAP

Typically shoes with support can be worn by everyone, though efficient and neutral runners can do away with the additional weight and bulk. A clear indication that the shoe is a support shoe would be the midsole in the medial area is slightly harder (higher density) or of different colour/shade. Yes, they're not for cosmetic reasons solely (pun intended)!

Conversely if you're an UNDERpronator, your feet don't recovers from the initial footplant and instead roles on the outside. An underpronator aka supinator's feet has high arch and is not flexible (hence not rolling in). These guys need shoes with cushioning.

Hope my little take on the subject helps. Need more info? Post it up on the forum!

Quandary

My nanny's bratty 4 year old son fell down yesterday afternoon dislocating his wrist. While this is an insignificant point (to me), it has resulted in some inconveniences for my wife and I. Specifically my wife had had to take 2 days' leave to look after Carbo Kid so that the nanny can be with the brat at the hospital. And then there's the issue of a missed run yesterday when we had to rush home. I would also need to travel home by public transportation as the car would be better off at home in case of emergencies.

My wife and I have been thinking a bit on the issue of kid-minding, on whether this nanny is still a viable option. while Carbo Kid's surrogate family love him to bits and they've been very accomodating to our long hours, we're concerned that the brat and his sister's behaviour would rub off him in a bad way. Already Carbo Kid is displaying some traits that are unlike his character. His temperament (such as patience and obedience) has not been that good - it's just not him - and he seems to be addicted to the TV (the nanny must've left hers on all the time). Bottomline is we feel that the brat will not make a good role model.

What options have we got? For now, not much. We will need to keep our options open especially when Carbo Kid starts pre-school next year. Other options:

1) Wife quits working - can we afford it?
2) Carbo Man quits working - can we afford it?
3) We look for another minder when Carbo Kid starts schooling - various logistics issues
4) We hire a maid - pros and cons

Considerations, considerations...

Sunday Long Run

I reached the usual meeting place at 5am. The morning was chilly unlike the previous Sunday. There was no sign of Bruce nor Ngae, the traditional early birds. Instead I had Penguin-2 for company as agreed over the phone on Saturday. I'm sure both of us had some apprehension with regards to the 5am start time but yet quietly know that this was driven by the need for long runs. Just 7 weeks separate us from our trip to Singapore and there's no better time than now to work harder.

Boey, training for the Auckland Marathon next month, was already nearing the Selangor Properties building when we pulled up to him. P2 and I had been doing about 6:45 pace and we decided to run with Boey at least until we cleared the contruction area at Duta roundabout.

Further up the route was some road patching work but after that part, where the new luxury homes were being built it was completely dark. P2 and I decided to wait up for Boey - safety in numbers. We could barely make out the white painted road lines and I even ran into a mound of sand. We spotted 2 runners returning on the other side of the road, the second of whom was Yaziz (he must have started at 4:45am). We shouted greetings across the road and went on our ways.

On our return trip we saw Ngae with Barefoot Tan, Bruce and a whole lot more people. I was occasionally sipping on Performance which was a change from the usual Excel and tore open a PowerGel somewhere the 14K mark (near the mosque).

All these while, P2 was maintaining a slightly faster pace than I but as with his training runs, he always double-backed. He'd charge up the hills or simply engage himself in fartleks. In the Bukit Tunku area, we saw Ronnie pacing with Khoo Yit Kiat, Justin with Adam and Chen. There was to be no PowerGel Tongkat Ali Power Root from Chen!

The return journey took us 57 mins which was pretty fast for a long training run. Not contented we decided to push it a bit by running a lap around the lake which I only managed to complete 3/4 of it.

At the end of the workout P2 went his way while I linked up with the other club members. There were plenty of stories and photos shared by Tey (who participated in the recent Kinabalu Climbathon). One could see how hard the event is just by looking at the photos. In fact this year's edition claimed a life.

Then it was Adam's turn to show us his finishing medal for last month's Sydney Marathon. Naturally I drooled over the Sydney medal. One day...

Forefoot Pain

They felt fine after Wed's 10-lapper but yesterday it grew progressively painful when toeing off. The pain stemmed from using the pair of racing shoes - adidas Sympathy. Not only is the pair poor fitting (I bought 1/2 size too small), the forefoot cushioning is quite deficient.

A check online suggested that it may be Sesamoiditis which will sideline me for a week. If the pain doesn't go off by Monday, I'll have to pay the podiatrist a visit.

Good reference: Podiatry Channel

Larian Menyambut Harijadi Pacemaker#1

All of you are invited to participate in the above Run commemorating the official launch of http://pm1.blogpost.com and birthday of Der_Pacemaker#1 .

Date: Sunday 10th 2004
Categories: Men & Womens Open (No age group, no age limit)
Distance: 25K and 15K
Starting Time: 5am (25K) / 6:30am (15K)
Starting Place: Bukit Aman Car Park
Entry Fees: Free
Goodie Bag: None confirmed but hopefully PowerGel Tongkat Ali Power Root (Triple Caffeine) by Chen
Water Station: Carry your own
Medals and Certs: None. Too bad, no sponsor

Confirmed dignitaries:
25K: Jamie Pang (PM5), Rohaizad and The Penguins
15K: VVIP Ronnie See aka Bird Day Boy, Justin Lee, Honorary PowerGel Tongkat Ali Power Root Sponsor Chen, Martin Lonerunner, and many more.

Unconfirmed dignitary: GYPSUM
Post run activities: Photo Session at 7:45am.

Finally Beat PM1!

Before you send in your congratulatory messages, let me clarify. PM1 aka Ronnie was firstly down with the flu and fever. And sore throat. Despite the malaise, he did track intervals the day before. And I only beat him for pace in my last 2 laps. Now that I've cleared the issue further, somehow I don't feel so accomplished anymore!

Nevertheless, the entire session at KLCC went very well. Rohaizad, Kenneth (spotted him in the later laps only), Steven, Justin (who was on the mend himself following bouts of diarrhoea and fever), Newton and The Man himself (both also in the later laps).

I wanted to try out a modified 6/1 routine so instead of walking the 1 minute, we jogged the 1 minute. I had willing partners in Steven (also Singapore bound), Rohaizad and Justin. We maintained a steady but comfortable pace (slightly below 6 minute pace) and chatted throughout. Steven turned out to the THE Steven - Penguin 1's brother!

To spice it up a bit, I proposed a tempo lap in lap 8 where we hit it harder than the earlier pace. This was fun and it broke up the monotony. Then The Man joined in for the last 2 laps. Running past Kenneth, Justin and Rohaizad, I told them to mark this date as I was leading The Man!

I finished the workout fast but not wiped out. I felt I could have gone another 2 laps at a slower pace but I guess another weekday quality workout has been completed. Running sub 1-hour for 8 laps now seem very achievable since my early laps were all comfortable. Now, if only I can achieve the same on the weekend long runs!

Breaking it down:
8:00 > 7:59 > 8:13 > 8:18 > 7:52 > 7:52 > 7:49 > 6:48 (Tempo lap) > 7:57 (Ronnie lap) > 6:24 (Bell lap)

8th Lap Split: 1:02.54 (8-lap PR)
Total Time: 1:17.17
Average Lap: 7:43.72
Average Pace: 5:56.7

Carbo Kid Down With Fever

It was a rough night for every one., especially Carbo Kid. When I brought him home from the nanny, he was having a mild runny nose. At home he surprised us with more new words: "Lizard", "Rectangle", "Bird, "Bug", "Square", "Circle". After knocking off at 10ish, he woke up cranky at about 2:15am. I felt his forehead and my fears were proved true - fever. The digital thermometre's battery was dead so we couldn't tell how hot he was. In any case we turned off the air-cond and gave him some medication. I've got to thank Elmo for calming him down and returning him to sleep.

This morning was no different. The fever was there. Looks like I won't be able to do my intervals today.

Singapore: No Go For Mrs Carbo and Carbo Kid

My wife has opted out of the Singapore holiday. While I'm a little disappointed about it, deep down I've to admit that it's for the better for a number of reasons:

1) Need for save time
Whether or not I travel with the family, I don't plan to do any serious sightseeing the day before the race. However the walkabouts will be more extensive and sapping if the Mrs and kid come along. At my kid's age we're talking about some pretty serious expenditure of energy - a precious prerace commodity. We'd be chasing him everywhere and somehow the thought of him around the marathon expo is not appealing.

2) Need for speed
If I go alone, I'll be able to eat on the go. Bottomline: Saves time. I'll also be able to remain focused on where and what I want to do and get it done quickly. Bottomline: Saves time and energy

3) Need to check on the expenses
With most of our funds used up for the house, it'll be prudent for us to manage what's left of our monies by tightening the purse-strings. Traveling down with them would incur a total cost of close to RM1,000 (based on 3 days 2 nights' stay). Just the return travel tickets would deprive us RM280, while lodging expenses will set us back another RM350 to RM400 at the minimum. Then there's the visit to Sentosa Island and zoo, the shopping and so on. Contrast that to just RM300 or so (RM60 - transportation, RM200) if I travel alone. I figure that if I travel down with the club on Saturday morning and return on Sunday after the race, I'd have sufficient time to: 1) Check out the expo at my leisure, 2) Have a nice get-together dinner with my running friends, 3) Have time to grab the GNC banana carbo drink at Tangs, 4) Grab some souvenirs for the wife and kid and 5) Some chance to check out some sports DVDs.

So it'll just be me making the trip down. For more the 2003 Singapore Marathon experience, check this site out.

Running With Lonerunner

Had a chance to run with Lonerunner aka Martin this morning. It was a first time of sorts for him: 1st time to Lake Gardens/Bukit Aman and 1st time doing the 20K distance. After some redirection to the starting point, we started off at about 6:30am. Maintained 6:45 pace to the 10K mark and on the return, the pace was slightly faster.

Many of the regulars were either doing Bidor, Perhentian Island Challenge or the KL Powerman and thus we didn't run into many club members. On the way back we saw and chatted with Yaziz. He's feeling better these days - managing his stitches.

The sun was already up and being already late, I decided to cut short the run by traversing the Padang Merbok. We walked a bit as my legs were feeling a little sore. I also noticed that I was feeling particularly thirsty and I've already drained my bottle dry. My NB running tee didn't cause any problems but Lonerunner's T-Shirt rubbed his both his nipples the wrong way causing them to bleed. He then made a comment about the link between sexiness and bloody nipples.

It was a tough run for me, but I was glad I came through it as a check on my training log showed that I've logged over 42K this week. Hopefully I'll be able to hit the 50K mark next week.

Email From Switzerland

I received a mail from my friend Kwok Foo, who is based in Switzerland. He's an experienced runner who has done a number of cold and wet races. This is particularly interesting to me as I'm looking forward to the Genting 24-hours Endurance Walk next year.

"Hi Jamie - Yeah...most of my 2001 race before Grandma's was in April and May and so I had alot of bad weather races but the cold weather gives me better performaces compare to a hot one which wears me out fast. I onced ran in a half marathon weekend of 9th/10th June 2001 in rain. Finished all wet and was pissed off plus...we ran on a soccer field full of mud before the finish line. My white clean running shoes? Ha...got a brown color.

There are a few hot weather races in Switzerland like Greifenseelauf in September and 20K de Lausanne in April (South of Switzerland). Though the 20K de Lausanne was in April, the weather could get a little bit hot compare to the North.

Greifenseelauf 2003 was up to 30 degree and I was in shocked that I almost passed out and created a threat to my NYCM training, later I came to realize it was the weather. Reported news that 7 people were hospitalized due to dehydration. Lucky was not the only one and was not admited to Hospotal else it will had a great impact of the training.

As I used to run in Minnesota. The cold weather always worked for me. Ran once in January in Minnesota where temperature was way below zero. The Valentine Run in Twin Cities is also fun where we all ran on snow but well plowed street. Friend and I used to train in Winter time on snow every Sunday morning and go for a great cup of hot chocolate and bagel for breakfast. Those are the good old time. Yet...is always a pleasure to visit Minnesota again and run with the gang. The best run in Switzerland is still the Christmas run. Runners run through the busy shopping street in Zurich and surrounded by Christmas shoppers and wonderfull christmas lights.

Enough for the running in cold and wet weather. Question. If you are interested, I could possible write a little bit about running in cold and winter training season for your site.

Have a nice woopie doopie running weekend. !!!!

Cheers KwokFoo"

Hellish Week

My alter ego, Jamie, told me that his day in office has been hellish. He's going through 3 major projects which will be going live the same time. All the projects are also about in the same stage of development.

He told me he's lucky to be still running during the busy week. He said, "I'm lucky to be still running". As for me, I'll be doing a 20K run with Martin aka Lonerunner this Sunday. This run is a significant one as it would mean moving the tempo and bar up another notch going into the Singapore Marathon.

Singapore Marathon - 30K Practice Runs

In preparation for the Dec 5th Singapore Marathon, the KL Penguins have initiated 2 30K practice runs.

Below are the dates:
1st run: 24 October
2nd run: 14 November

The tentative time and route for these 2 runs will be published at a nearer date. So do check back on this site!

If you notice, the second long run is 3 weeks after the first long run. And the Marathon is also 3 weeks after the second long run. These runs are essential to the survival of the marathon distance. Participants to these practice runs are adviced to simulate race conditions as closely as possible such as pre-race diet, food and fluid intakes during the run. Shoes and attire should ideally be those you intend to wear on race day.

You'll be able to spot the elusive Carbo Man on both of these runs!