Satisfying Weekend

My attention was focused on having enough energy for the crucial 30K on Sunday. So when it rain cats and dogs after the 7K mark of Saturday's 21K, I was delighted. The rain brings out the kid in me. It has been ages since it rained during my runs, so it was welcomed. However it wasn't ideal for Lee and DK who were both unwell and Geraldine. It meant that I could run at 6 minute pace without feeling it. My wet black tights looked like a seal's skin, glistening in the rain.

Woke up this morning with slightly sore legs - typically the pink lady drink aka Endurox wouldn't taken care of any aches but I think the cold and wet weather had something to do with it. Thanks to Geraldine, I didn't have any temptations to sleep in. After the usual prepping, we started our run at 5:30am. Early signs already pointed to a dry and hot day and we felt it from 8am onwards. To ensure we covered 30K or more, we did a total of 3 loops around Petronas and took the Matrade detour. Hydration was a can of Gatorade, a can of Red Bull and a can of Root Beer! Pre-race fueling included a small cup of black coffee (staying away from dairy produce) and 3/4 of a Clif Bar. No gels were taken to maximize their effect on race day. Aim was to run a conservative workout with the last 5-6K on marathon pace to simulate race days conditions.

There were so many runners out there today including many recently anointed Ironmen. Even the fast runners were out there. To cut a long story short, it was a good weekend - total logged for Sat and Sun are 52K. Next week beckons.

Testing Weekend

15 days to tapering. With that in mind, my workouts are skewed more towards quality than quantity. If I learned anything from this cycle of marathon training, it's that I'm no longer as young as before. That's not to say I'm that old! You know what I mean!



Muscle recovery is good. My neuro-muscular setup can still handle back to back tempos and long runs but a week later my body system will let me know that they need to shut down. And that's in the form of sluggish workouts and extreme sleepiness. When that feeling hits, like just this Wednesday when I shuffled to a torturous 6.6K death march, I decided to take yesterday off. I'm also not running today to save my body and legs for Saturday and Sunday. I believe coming through this weekend will more than make up for today's rest in that it's simulating prolonged stressing of the system. To me missing the odd days won't hit me so much. All the confidence at this stage will come from the key workouts such as the back to backs, and weekend long runs.

Here's to a great wrap up to months of hard work and sacrifice, starting this weekend. Tapering calls for specific workouts and I look forward to that. Have a great weekend!

20 Days To Tapering!

Only 20 days to tapering! Slightly more than a month separate training and race day! This morning's 30K was something I really needed to get in. I was glad that I decided against running the Circuit Run totally. Tackling the hilly route at my own pace in the later miles, I was able to stay focused and engaged myself in some mental exercises. Lawrence, Loke and I set off at 6am and it appeared even then that the weather was going to be cooperative. If the sun comes out at 7:30am, I was in for a bake.



Starting at 6am has more advantages this morning:- I was able to sleep a bit longer and there wasn't any rush down to Lake Gardens. I munched a Clif Bar and hydrated sufficiently before the run- The gas station will have open so I didn't have to carry water- Not running the Circuit Run meant that I need not run faster than I'd like to just to make it back in time to- I found out that the Circuit Run course included running the Carcosa route repeatedly. Not that I don't like that hilly stretch but I'd take an out and back course over loops.- I saved my knees from being pummelled by the concrete surface around the lake.



From the outset, the pace was going to be a little faster than what I wanted to do. My plan was to hit 6:30 until 25K and then see what I still have left. With Loke pushing the pace, I was contented to bring up the rear about 250m behind. I had RM10 tucked into my tights for drinks, so I didn't need to carry any fluids. Reached Hartamas in about 1:05 and I did the loop around the station. We continued on back towards the IRB building at a faster pace and while Lawrence and Loke went their way, I took a loop around the building and headed back to Hartamas. Running this route at the peak of marathon training is always a great experience for me. Seeing the runners traversing that route always seem to encourage and motivate me along. A surprise character that I met was Yaziz, who wagged his finger and admonished me to pick up my training. I have been training, old fella, just that I'm no longer a regular at Ronnie's shoutbox and am just occassionally updating my blog. Nevertheless, it was a timely reminder from him. It's always great to see him, Uncle Hooi, Kenny, Kit, Ang along the way.



I intended to make the full 30K distance this morning. That meant not sticking to just the traditional Bukit Aman-Hartamas route. To make up for the distance, I covered parts of Sri Hartamas after the park turn off, made sure I did the loops around the gas station and I also veered into the Matrade road. Having the 205 has kept my training honest. You just can't lie and second guess yourself when the GPS tells you that you've only done 22K when your body felt like 25K. Whatever it is you've got to make sure the distance is accurate else you could be kidding yourselves.



John came riding up Kenny Hills and gave me a very simple yet timely boost - "You did it! You've got your 30K!". Yup, I did it alone hammering the miles after 14K yet not alone in spirit! The last 5K was at marathon pace or thereabouts. Got back to the car park, quickly mixed some Endurox and refueled. Felt really great.



When showering at the public toilet, I noticed a large patch of blood on my briefs. I won't share the graphic details with you but the blood wasn't from my vital appendages! Obviously some chafing had occurred, but I didn't feel it.



2 more weeks of hard training!



7:01 > 6:41 > 6:38 > 6:21 > 6:15 > 6:41 > 6:14 > 6:13 > 5:50 > 6:06 > 6:07 > 6:09 > 5:46 > 6:01 > 5:59 > 5:58 > 6:00 > 5:52 > 6:03 > 5:52 > 6:03 > 5:51 > 6:01 > 6:27 > 6:01 > 6:16 > 5:55 > 5:49 > 5:30 > 5:31 > 5:45

Under The Cover Of Darkness

With only the sound of my breathing and the scrunching of pebbles with my every stride, I covered 8.6K this morning. At 5am, my choice of weekday running partners are very much confined to, well, myself. Forced by an increasing workload, I've watched in frustration as 2 weeks of training gone down the drain. Despite what my weekend running partners may think, I'm not a morning person, even though I regularly start my weekend long runs at 5am in the final buildup towards the marathon. The earliest starting time I've achieved was an insane 4:30am. Recently I've also got into running at night, setting off into the darkness at 8:30pm once I've taken care of some of the kid minding. My Mom has mildly protested but it's difficult to put off a marathoner-in-training.

Bosses have the propensity of calling meetings at 6pm. If I want to sustain a training program, I've to get my runs in early in the morning - very early. No problems for the weekend long runs as I've a couple early birds for running partners but weekdays are another challenge. Running when the skies are still dark poses a completely new experience, and a little vague. Due to the darkness, it's harder to gauge distance as we typically use landmarks as markers. Coupled with a little early morning grogginess, I run according to effort and after checking my splits against the Forerunner, I found the amount of effort expended to be surprisingly consistent with my pace. Having said that, I seldom let the watch dictate my pace. With practice, you'll know your pace. Sidetrack: my Forerunner ran out of memory last night and I had to clear the entire history to make way for new recording.

For safety and personal reasons, I don't wear earphones when running on the roads. So once you're warmed up, you'll notice how acute your senses are. Deprived of other distractions - there's no one else on the roads nor many other sights and sounds - your senses are focused on your breathing and pace, your eyes on the lookout for rogue stray dogs (most will run away from you), rogue characters and rogue drivers. A tip when approaching a pack of dogs - clap your hands to warn them of your presence - these mutts don't react nicely to being surprised by the sudden appearance of a runner!

You smell things too. Like the presence of cows. A bat once slapped into my face, causing a near cardiac arrest and an outburst of expletives. You'll also find that your shadow will be doing some form of fartlek workout with you, falling back behind you as you approach a lamp post, then gaining on you once you passed that same lamp post. By observing
your shadow, you'll also know whether your form is OK or your arms are a little high and swinging too much.

The guards patrolling my housing area have grown accustomed to my presence and a couple even asked how far I ran. All would wave when they see me. I'd like to think that I'm a one-man Rukun Tetangga as my path would cross with the guard on the motorbike. We always take the opposite direction you see, so we sort of complement each other, though the only "weapon" I have is my voice should I come across any suspicious characters! Just last night I stumbled on 2 of them - get this - jogging at 8:45pm! My routine must have triggered something in them. As I passed them I urged them to keep it up. Those guys were hardly of the shape of a runner but this is certainly a good start. Hopefully they will also watch what they eat.

Runners are quite resourceful and seldom do we accept being deprived of our runs. If the course of life puts a dampen on your time to run, roll with the punches. Explore ways to get your runs in. Whether it's early in the morning or at night, you can still get your runs in. You need to exercise caution and be savvy - wear light coloured clothing for example
- but don't we ALWAYS need to be concerned about our safety regardless of the time we head out on the road?

Rojak Ramblings

Running Celeb


Lance Armstrong will seek to add a Boston Marathon medal to his 2 NYC Marathon's this April 21st. Being a strong on the hills, Boston should suit him as well. Whether he can beat his PR of 2:46:43 is another question. The pounding over the rolling hills will certainly test your quads and hams. Of course my favourite podcaster Steve Runner will also be racing that historical route.





Running Politicians


Besides Armstrong, US Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will also be toeing the line for his 5th marathon. His 2006 4:26.05 PR is a tad faster than mine achieved in the same year. Read a fellow runner's take on the US Presidential candidates here. By the way Bush's PR is 3:44.52 ('93 Houston Marathon) and Jonathan Edwards' (just dropped out of the Presidential race) PR is a 3:30.18 in the '83 Marine Corps Marathon! Our own politicians here? Ask them about Senamrobics and Golf la! Other than that, they're busy making fools of themselves in the eyes of the world - check the video out below:

No Headphones


More and more races in the US are beginning to enforce the No Headphones ruling. That's the official logo below. This controversial move, in compliance with the USATF ruling, didn't go down well with a few runners there. Although I understand that running with headphones on on training runs are certainly dangerous, totally banning from races are quite unnecessary. Afterall, the course is closed. The only "dangers" I see are from fellow runners especially when approaching aid/water stations or the listener couldn't hear instructions or orders to move aside either for passing runners or ambulances. According to the NYC Marathon 's website, the NYRR are also discouraging the use of headphones as well. Let me tell you this. If I'm running a race, especially in a place like NYC or any other overseas races, you won't find me with an MP3 player. I'd rather enjoy all the experiences I can soak in - the sight, smell and sound. Give me all of it! You can read about public opinions about this by just Googling "usatf no headphones ruling".

Running Fella's Update


Ummm... that would be me. There are just 6 weeks, 4 if you exclude the 2-week taper, to go to race day. Time really flies. With 3 wasted weeks, my confidence level isn't too high. I'm disappointed with the spikes and dips in the mileage. But there's now a sense of urgency to get the weekly mileage up and really long runs in. The series of long runs began last Sunday with a 25K and will be extended this weekend, so it'll be timely to try out gear and fueling strategies. Since 90% of these long runs will be at an easy pace, I'll be out there for close to 3.5 hours. Have a good week of running!

I've Been Slacking :(

The last 3 weeks have been quite stressful for me. It all started a few days after the GE 30K race when I was hospitalized due to an abdominal distress. Following my discharge I was embroiled in a week of intense work and of course there was the usual rush to clear as much things off my to-do list before the Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays. Finally there's the CNY travelling and holiday in the cauldron that's Penang Island. If you think it's hot in KL, you need to experience Penang weather. Having run in temps of 33C in KL, I won't be surprised if the mercury hit 37C during the week I was back on the island. The only tolerable time to run was in the early mornings. Add C2's present whiny and irritable temperament of late, which in part is due to his teething, it had been an exhausting period for me and the family. Even my usually cool Mom is distressed. And I'm considering maid assistance. For one who is really uncomfortable having an outsider living in, and on top of the horror stories revolving around the foreign maids, that thought itself is testament that the family need some domestic help. Signs are pointing to an increased responsibility at work rendering my evening runs an occasional luxury. On days that I mustered enough (most often due to an overriding need to relieve stress) energy/motivation to head out the door - once I just needed to go and I put in 11K at 9pm - my runs have been decent.

No problems speed wise (no real problems hitting 4:30 pace the last 2Ks on a couple of runs) but my stamina and endurance fitness level have seen a decline. I'm on the verge of self flagellation like what that albino character in The Da Vinci Code did to himself. My smattering of runs didn't even warrant an urgent update to my Buckeye log. With a 2-week taper plan, I'm left with only a full month's worth of training. And it needs to be a period of solid work. Hmmm... think think...

That picture of Clif Bar below? I'll write something about it after this Sunday's long run.

A Snake, A Cow and Masala Tea

Started my run at 6:30am this morning. Everyone was already up but since it was early, I'll have some time to crank out the workout. The target was 12K which should be easy but doing it on a 2K loop with nary a flat stretch is tough. Tough on the pacing strategy, tough on the legs and tough on the lungs. So the decision was to do 2.5 laps of "The Dreaded Loop" and then head towards the flat village road. True enough the erratic pace gave way to a consistent one the moment I hit the alternative route. Suddenly I heard a plaintif moo but I thought I was hearing things. I looked around but can't find any cows. Then the moo again distracted my concentration. I'd already passed the spot so I kept going. Only on my return trip when I deviated from my run to find out the source of the sound did I discover a skinny calf at the bottom of a monsoon drain. It must've slipped past the drain railing before falling into the deep drain. There was no one around but the road has its fair share of motorcyclists, so it's a matter of time before it's discovered.

Beside the bovine episode, I also had to skip over a dead snake and ran into a bunch of cyclists on their long ride. A quick shower back home and the clan were out for breakfast. Later part of the evening, I finally had the chance to try out my hands at concocting the masala tea. The ingredients - cardamon, ginger, aniseed, cinnamon, clove, black tea - are easily available at the nearest hypermart and I went with gut feel in mixing the portions of the spices. The results came out fantastic I must say!

OK, my writing style is deserting me. Signs of tiredness. A few more days of running then will rest before doing the GE30K on Sunday. A tough race awaits.

Be A Student Of Our Sport

Had a good 25K yesterday morning with GL. We started off with quite a few runners but with the exception of Cheang whom I met for the first time who did 30K, and the 2 of us, the others were probably hitting the 20K distance. I arrived a tad late due to the last minute toilet visit at home. My aim was to run at least 25K to get near to next week's 30, and to blood the new rubbers. I also wore the Brooks tights with intention to wear them for race day. In other words, except for the Nike Sphere Dry top, everything else were race oriented. The target pace was 6:20 for me and from the start it was already a challenge with the fast group. I was prepared to be left behind and so I was grateful to be able to have Adam for company at about 6:10 pace. Watching TPC fartleking was such a hoot. Went alone on the Petronas loop and made the last part of the journey with Adam and GL. Reached the car park in 2 hours flat for a hydration stop and continued another 5K using the Carcosa-Deer Park-Mosque route. I'm beginning to like this route and my future 30s could be built around this rather than looping around Hartamas.

My holidaying Aunt dropped by the house with her family yesterday around noon, joined by a couple more Uncles and their own families. The plan was to go to the Yong Tau Foo eatery in Serdang, apparently a famous one. If you're without a maid and living with 2 kids below 5, the result is an organized mess of a house. After a while you give up trying to clear up after the 2 tornadoes. But I digress. When they were given the tour of the house, they noticed the medals hanging from the wall and asked me about them - whether they were mine, for what events, how far is a marathon distance, whether the medals were winner medals and if any of them were made of precious metals! OK, some questions were in jest but in general most were made intelligently. And with that statement I hope I don't make it look as if my very successful relatives sounded naive. What I'm saying is that these are typical questions that we runners get and should make it a point to answer. No matter how trivial it is, it's our responsibility to explain as simply and concisely to non-runners as patiently as we can (not a great virtue of mine considering I'm one who handles sarcasm with more sarcasm) about our sport. Don't go into VO2Max or training concepts or any technical aspect of running - many runners don't even understand that, what more non-runners.

Simulated questions and answers I would use. Note: There are no correct/wrong answers, just remember to keep it simple.
Q: Why do you run?
A: It's fun, healthy, no monthly subscriptions, good stress relief

Q: So what do you do? Just go out and run?
A: Yup, as simple as that. Go real slow when starting out. Benefits are aplenty. Insert weight management benefits as it's easy to grasp.

Actual question asked yesterday:
Q: What's your longest distance covered
A: 50K though that's for a walking event. 42K in running.

Q: How long is a marathon?
A: 42K (which resulted in a wide eyed response)

Q: So which distance do you like the most?
A: 42K (which got me an admiring nod!)

Q: Are those winners' medals?
A: Some are positional (eg top 100) medals while most are finishers'.

I was lucky I didn't get the question many would've felt insulted: "If you didn't win, why continue to run/train so hard?". If I'd gotten that question, I'd have replied "Because it's an accomplishment just to finish" or "My competition is myself". If it gets stickier, I'd just flash a smile!

On the food side of things, the Yong Tau Foo was reasonably good. We were lucky the weather wasn't too hot, else we would've been fried under the zinc roofed shack. After lunch, it was back at home and while the whole household had their siesta, I managed to finish off James Mangold's excellent "3:10 to Yuma" headed by Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. I'm lousy at movie reviews so I'll just ask you to seriously consider watching this movie not about running a 3:10 marathon to Yuma but about Bale's character to deliver Crowe's gangster onto the 3:10 train for a $200 reward. Underlining the adventure drama is the need for Bale's character to live up to his son's expectations, while trying to save his ranch. Very poignant, very exciting. The day wasn't over yet. We left for a colleague's new home at 6pm and dinner thereafter and only got home at 10pm. After putting the kids to bed, my wife and I watched the Farrelly Brothers' crazy comedy "The Heartbreak Kid". I knew the moment I hit the sack that I won't be able to wake up early today for the morning run. Whatever it is, I need to cover at least 6K of easy running this evening.

Thus Far

Yesterday concluded the first 2 months of getting my feet wet for the KL Marathon, which is yet to be announced. More of that later. Compared to what I went thru in preparing for the PG Marathon (yes I set up a tracking sheet complete with charts), this couple of months have seen me better that preparations by far. Training's been more consistent, done correctly (thanks in large part to John Ellis' wisdom) and more enjoyable, which is always an important aspect. The new Kayano has crossed over the 100K threshold and have been broken in.



The KL Marathon has yet to be announced officially. From some of the information gathered, the date is confirmed for March 30th but I feel that it's getting a little late on. I suspect this to be due to the uncertainty of the anticipated General Elections, which some parties say will be held during the March School Holidays (2 weeks before the supposed Marathon date). Though both events have no bearings to each other to you and I, the simple marathoner, the machinery supporting both events may be common ie. the sponsors, the government and City Council, police and so on. So this act of non-committal is not good for those training for the marathon. It will be tricky peaking for the race if there are no certain dates. What we can do is to continue with the base phase training, done at low intensity, conditioning the body and mind and building a solid base. If the KL Marathon isn't happening in March, then I know many of us will be looking to use all that preparations on races elsewhere.



On a final note, here's the Carbo Clan wishing you and your families a very Happy New Year. May next year see more of the good stuff (better health and happiness, more converts to running, more PRs, more miles covered, greater peace and understanding), less of the bad (less corruption, less war). Simple wishes right? Have a good one! Cheers!

Pain Is Weakness Leaving Your Body

I've finally been able to nail down some consistency to my running by covering 11.5 (LT), 10.5 (Easy), 13.1 (LT) and 10.4K (Easy) since last Saturday. Although there's been no long runs so far (something which I need to remedy), I'm happy with the streak. Not all the workouts are fun and I had to disassociate from the discomfort in the early miles just to get through. The workouts were achieved under 6-minute pace but I'm not really concerned about it. I don't want to hit my stride just yet as there are many months to go. My primary goal for now is to get the miles and consistency in and the speed can come in later. Over the next couple of weeks however, I'll need to get my long runs to 15, 20 and 30K before the GE30K race on January 20th. The legs feel good and with the kids away till next week, conditions are there to ensure I stick to my workouts. One thing is for sure - I'll need to slow down (just) a tad, probably to a 6:20 to 6:25 pace (see section on Base Training below).

Read and Reading
I was reading Kristin Armstrong's (she has such a knack for writing that instantly connects the reader to her) blog posting about pain. She recommends this book Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long Distance Swimmer, by Lynne Cox as an inspiring read. Check out Kristin's blog. The book can be purchased online for about RM55 from Acmabooks.

I recently laid my hands on a few copies of Gary Larson's Far Side books. What a hoot these books are. I've always been a fan of these comics but I've never found it in me to part with close to RM50 for a comic book, no matter how thick it is. Thanks to the 2nd hand book market and a colleague who is intent on building a library of 2nd hand books (I think he's obsessed, like I am on running except that I don't talk so much about it as he does about the books), I now have a decent collection of Larson's gems, at a mere fraction of the cost. The Far Side comics have such a cult fan base that there's even a run in its theme, appropriately named "A Run To The Far Side"!

Listening/Base Training
Steverunner's podcast on Base Training, hosted this time by John Ellis. In a nutshell Base Training serves to build up the runner's endurance base utilizing consistent, easy paced workouts. Doing so will strengthen the connective tissues, build more mitochondrias, and improve fat-burning capabilities. You're actually training slow to speed up. John Ellis clearly draws from the teachings of Arthur Lydiard but at the same time realizes that even though normal people nowadays won't be able to hit 100K weeks, there must still be consistency (ie you must head out there at least 5 days a week), patience (to stay on easy pace and not lured into a speed workout) and focus in their training to achieve their goals. Base Training can take between 3 months to a year depending on which key race is identified. A gauge for easy pace would be the talk test ie you can take part in a conversation comfortably while you run, or running with a HRM at 70% max HR. You'll rightfully think, as I've found out, that Base Training is best done with a friend of similar capability - so that chatting isn't a problem while covering the miles. It's easy to look down on Base Training with one running slow, sometimes seemingly plodding along and being lapped by others. But in truth runners are a disciplined lot who know what they want, know the benefits of Base Training - you're building up your tissue, cellular and musculature strength, and improving your fuel utilization. The more Base Training you do, the more new cells are created in your leg muscles which will in turn make it easier to run long and faster. Contrast that to running too fast too often where you're tearing down more than you can recover and rebuild. John Ellis asks us to think of these cells as mini batteries - the more you have them the longer you can last, the faster you can run. The Trifuel article here concurs with this line of thought. So the next time when someone overtakes you on the roads, just let them be. You're the training for your race, not them. Read also RunningOnline's take on Base Training. Not forgetting Mark Allen's (yes, the Tri legend) advice - hey, you want to argue with Mark Allen? Check out what he says:

"And to keep from going over your aerobic limit you will have to slow your pace down, often significantly. This is where most athletes do not have the patience to stick with the aerobic training. You may have to slow down several minutes per mile from your normal everyday training pace just to keep your heart rate from going above the aerobic maximum. Your perceived effort can be very, very low while you are developing your aerobic engine. And this is when one's patience is tested. Workouts will feel the opposite of the mentality that says training should be painful and muscles need to burn to get benefit. This may be true later during the speed phase of the season. But right now, this is absolutely not correct. You will be getting huge benefit that will show up months down the road."

In other words, the adage "No Pain No Gain" does not apply at this stage. Leave the pain (usually brought about by anaerobic training) at the sharpening phase of your program. The body can't develop both the aerobic and anaerobic systems well at the same time, hence both phases need to be separated. Hence the need for specificity in a training program.

Watching
The Season 2 of The Unit. I've reached episode 20 and there are only 2 left till the end. Season 3 is currently showing in the US.

Plans
Today calls for an easy run and I should be starting at 5:30pm. Tomorrow will be a rest day but I may just do a 4-6K to loosen the legs and keep the momentum going before sending the wife to her massage session. Then we'll drop by 1U to check out a Transformers toy C1 has been hankering for. Friday will see us return to work and it will incidentally be my last day at work for this year, so there will be plenty of running happening!

2 Persistent B@st@rds

Ran in wet weather yesterday and after rounding a bend at the park, I saw a fella trying very hard to light his cancer stick, in the rain. A thought immediately ran thru my mind - that the 2 of us were simply persistent b@st@rds! And I don't mean that in derogatory terms. Afterall, how can I call myself one?! But look, there were no one else except the nicotine addict and adrenaline junkie out there doing what we were doing. While that fella was probably cursing the rain, I was enjoying it. Only the appearance of Ronnie added to the "crowd".

The photos above were taken on last Friday's department dinner at Shangri-La Hotel's Lemon Garden Cafe. It was an expensive affair at RM110++ per head. Food was average and in my opinion inferior to the spread offered by Jogoya Restaurant. It was a fun outing though.

I Leave KL With A Sense Of Trepidation

That's because this week had been hell. Multiple deadlines at work hit me at the same time lousy traffic back home hit every evening. I'm holding up in the well-being department, if just barely. All around, my colleagues are dropping like flies with flu - from the hot afternoons and wet/cold evenings.

It didn't help my state of rest that the company had a Global Community Day last Saturday. Following a morning of hard "labour" at Puchong's Taman Wawasan Park - where we cleaned up, planted trees, repainted structures - the large part of the day was spent at the Sunway Lagoon Water Park with the family as part of the company's family day. I'd rather have our community activity centred around the old folks or kids. Let the town council (who are paid assessments) take care of the public amenities! The old folks and kids will benefit more from our visit. I say this not to shy away from physical work, mind you. I'm saying that time and attention lavished are more precious to these oft-neglected part of our society.

Didn't run at all on Sunday, physically worn out by all the "cangkuling". Monday till today, well, I've said it in the first para above. It's the first blemish in my base phase training. And tomorrow, the clan will be travelling to Penang for the 12Hr Walk! I will be doing the walking, naturally. It'll be my 2nd attempt following last year's 32K total that I recorded. I've got a plan and a very modest target, so I'll be setting out on a leisurely pace.

Hopefully next week will see me back on the roads. I have to.

Crazy Mind Games

It was again on wet grounds that I did my run just now. Decided to do a couple more Ks on top my my planned 10, just to cover the previous days' deficiency, not that it really matters at this juncture.



I've been playing lots of mind games during my solo runs lately, just to keep myself amused and keep my mind off the tedium. Today I imagined myself running and chatting with my hero, the great Haile Gebrselassie. If I really was running alongside him, the following conversation would probably unfold.



C-Man: Hey Haile, nice to see you here! What're you doing running at the KLCC Park?!



Geb: Oh, you know, just part of my habit of making it a point of running in parks of the countries I visit. Nice weather today.



C-M: Yeah man! I can't tell you what a rush to see you here, and keeping up with you. Are you here on holiday? Or working trip for your sponsors sibo?



G: Both actually. I'm being asked to help to promote running in this country nia. By the way enough of me. What are you running for?



C-M: Training for a marathon. Have you had the chance to try out the local food here? Char Koay Teow, Laksa, Prawn Noodles, Satay - if you let me tag along, I'd gladly show you the famous eating spots!



G: Ummm.. I'd have to check with my sponsors. Food here must be good coz I see that you're salivating. Don't want to be sounding rude, but could you pick the pace up a bit?



C-M: I'll try. How's this pace - we're doing 5:45 pace now according to my 205. Can you share some training tips bo?



G: I don't wear a watch when I run. Even when racing I run according to my feelings - like the time when I won the Nike Half Marathon in NYC. Can you pick up the pace a bit?



C-M: Right. Just so you know, we're dipping around 4:55 pace now. OK with you?



G: My, my. I'm finding it hard to sweat in this cool weather and this pace. Oh yeah, you wanted me to share some tips? Well, the best advice I can give is to enjoy your running. That's the most important thing. I love running. I finish every race I did whether in a good time or bad time, with a smile. Don't mean to stare but are you foaming at your mouth? Can you pick up the pace a bit?



C-M: I..think..we're..at..4:15..now..and..have..covered...10K..and..if..I'm..not..
mistaken..I..just..burst..a..heart..valve


G: I see. I don't suppose you can go any faster? Cinya amkan running with you.



Then at this point someone shouted "Carboman!" and it turned out to be Ben. We ran a fast 2K before I quit. So you see, I had a good time imagining things. Will share more crazy on the road mind games as I log in the miles!

Sloshing Run

If I had a spade or shovel next to me, I could then possibly...possibly...pry myself out of bed this morning. Not getting up meant only an additional hour of snooze but an hour of much needed rest. So I stayed in bed, underneath the covers yet couldn't get back to sleep. That's my problem - if I wake up early I won't be able to fall back to sleep. By the time I procrastinated, it's too late to change and put in my scheduled miles.



That meant that I've to run after work in pouring rain. The skies opened up at about 4pm and by the time I suited up at 6:20pm, it had slowed to a heavy drizzle. Having my jacket on made a difference - with the cap they kept me comfortably warm. As a result of not running this morning I felt very fresh and took off in tempo pace right from the start. All my laps were sub 6min pace and the splits close to each other. I stopped only as I ran out of time. When I ran my final lap, it was already 7:10pm and I didn't want to keep my wife waiting even if we were going to be stuck in the jam.



Some smart alec decided to close the SMART Tunnel for 2 days which exacerbated the massive jam which we were caught in for 2 hours. A big detour took us to Duta, Kerinchi Link, Old Klang Road before linking with KESAS and LDP. That 2 hours could've been more productive, like another 15K and change?? Heh heh.



Since we're on the subject of wet weather running, consider some tips offered by Shelly Glover, the co-writer of the popular Competitive Runners Handbook. For the brainiacs out there, check Nick Allen's article "Do you get less wet if you run in the rain?" out.







Post run in the car park

Week 1 Base Phase

Thus ended the first of many many weeks of my marathon training. I came up 3K short of my week's target mileage but what I went through provided much needed encouragement that I can handle the workouts. Provision: I must maintain pace and workout discipline. Do only as stated in the program and let me not be tempted to run too fast. Leave that for the speed workouts and race day.



This morning's run started at 6:20am and besides 2 roadkills (including a chicken which tried to cross the road), I saw an elderly lady jogging along the road but just before reaching her with intention to wish her a good morning, she turned into a slip road into a village. It's unusual to see runners where I stay, and especially along this remote road and to come across one in the form of a old folk was a pleasant surprise.



I also ran past a group of foreign workers with every fast-twitch muscle in my body at the ready to kick into action should they try anything intimidating.



I need to be at work from 12pm to 6pm today but will munch and snack whenever I can. More calories are needed to sustain my workouts and having enough carbs storage also will go towards preventing illness. Yup, I'm still eating the multis, fish oil and C.



Week Summary


Runs: 6

Avg. Time: 00:56:51

Total Time: 05:41:10

Avg. Speed: 10.0 KMPH

Avg. KM Pace: 5:59

Avg. Dist.: 9.5 KM

Total Dist.: 57.0 KM

Weight: 56kg

Uh oh! Here we go again!

You know it's coming when you find yourself out on the roads in the dark cold rainy morning. "It" being marathon training. After exchanging SMSes my partner-in-crime and I decided that the rain had subsided enough to run. I had downed a cup of oats with Milo (alternative to the more expensive Carman cereal bars) and was fidgeting with the phone on my sofa. All my race gear are packed and as it was chilly, I had the newly purchased Mizuno long-sleeved top, well, on top of my Nike t-shirt. The intensity of the rain was consistent

 

When I got to the carpark, I saw KP Tan and CB Leow in their cars, both as if thinking that it was a bad idea to have gotten out of bed. Soon after CB came out with an umbrella. Told them it's only water, and there's no reason not to run since we were all there. Prepped up and slowly jogged into the cold morning. I had my ClimaFIT cap on and it helped a lot. Not as much heat was lost through my head in the cold temps that way. The trudge up the double hill was typically challenging but the body warmed up by the time we reached the top. Then it became the case of enjoying the 2nd half of the run better than the first. The Carcosa and Deer Park uphills didn't really bother much, though it was during these stretches that the splits slower as you can see from the timing below. We had to negotiate past anglers prepping for a fishing competition around the lake. The folks had camped overnight to get choicest spots. I bet they were cursing the weather. They were in their raincoats, so they shouldn't really complain - I was soaked through to my microfibre briefs. But then I've got the runner's high.

 

It got better when we got back to the car park. After a quick change into a dry top, and a mug of hot coffee in hand, I was dreaming of a runner's lifestyle. Only the divebombing mozzies threatened to ruin the fantasy. I've got 15K in on a morning when most were still in bed. What a way to start the day.

 

Distance: 15K | Timing: 1:29:33 | Average Pace: 5:58
KM Splits: 6:33 > 6:28 > 6:13 > 5:48 > 6:19 > 6:06 > 5:57 > 5:57 > 5:49 > 5:53 > 6:21 > 6:15 > 5:56 > 6:07 > 5:46.

 

Today is an enforced rest day.

Base Training Starts This Week

I've had good workouts this month even though the frequencies have been sporadic. That being the case I hadn't considered Oct to be the start of my base phase. But my runs had been very enjoyable recently that I've decided that this week be the start of my marathon training for the KL Marathon next Mar 30th.



Now comes the interesting part which is crafting the training program. There's not too much hurry in coming out with the program (even though I have an idea of what I want to do) this as base phase involves mostly aerobic enhancing Easy to Steady paced runs with a smattering of tempos and hillwork. No particular need for Tempo Intervals for now. I also want to establish a more consistent weekly mileage with lesser dips and rises but I'm also aware of life's uncertainties. With the 205, I think I will get a more accurate picture of my progress this time around.



The workout just now consisted of Steady to LT paced laps. Drizzly at the start but went off suddenly. The sun came out and it turned warmish. Since I'd lost 30 minutes to work, it was nearly 6pm when I started - not enough time for a long one. KM Splits: 6:02 > 6:01 > 5:58 > 5:47 > 5:53 > 5:53 > 5:39 > 5:28. Was a little tired, no doubt due to the pace.



During our run yesterday, Ben and I got down to talking about what kind of race strategies to run a good marathon race. Ben is always adamant about going out as fast as you can to compensate for the later stages. His thought was that you can afford to lose some of the time gained in the fast early stage even if you walk a bit.



I'm of the stand that the race should be run at even pace or if stronger, at negative splits. And that's not because I've read enough race reports to know that it's the way to go. Every marathon training coaches out there from Higdon to Daniels and from Galloway to Pfitzinger advocates a conservative start. Even if I haven't read the philosophies of present high-profile coaches such as Steve Jones, Terrence Mahon, Bob Larsen and Alberto Salazar (being the exception that I've read), all of whom have marathoners vying for the top 3 spots to the Beijing Olympics this Saturday I believe they're of the same thoughts as well [The Trials will be streamed LIVE on the Internet via the NBC website]. Consider also the statement below.


"Every recent world best in the marathon was set by athletes who ran at an even pace or ran negative splits", so said Kevin Hanson, one half of the Hanson siblings, coaches to the 13 Hansons-Brooks runners toeing the line at Central Park this Saturday. [Article in the NYT]

SC6 Vs Axiom2 Vs 2120

I raked up a totally unexpected double workout today. Thanks to my wife would you believe it? There I was at the park at 6:27pm just feeling lucky just to get 30 minutes of workout - I needed to work the caffeine I ingested at 2pm out. Sidetrack: I'm unable to tolerate any caffeine after 12pm, must be an age thing. So I really need to run if I wanted to sleep at all tonight!



The weather was fine and not as warm as Monday. The park was quite crowded with kids from some school or orphanage, indication of the impending school holidays. I set off on a relaxed pace, not wanting to check the 205 and just running based on comfort level. Saw Ben on my 2nd lap and he joined in a short while later. This person can't run slow but I controlled the pace allowing only for a little faster split gradually. All the time keeping it quite comfortable. I felt really relaxed. When Loke joined in, it got even more fun with 3 of us.



Round about 7:05pm my wife still hadn't call but I figured it'll come at any time. SO I wrapped things up and headed to the car park to call her instead after doing some stretches. But she told me that she was stuck at work and would need a bit more time. What more incentive does a runner need than to continue the workout.



I reset the 205 and jogged back to the park. Ben and Loke were just up ahead but I didn't want to call out to them as I thought I'd just do some slow jogging. But they suddenly stopped and headed back towards my direction and were surprised to see me. The 3 of us then continued the other direction and the pace decidedly got faster but I was still very much on aerobic terms. Managed another 4 odd Ks before the wife finally called.



As I'm typing this I'd just munch down 2 slices of peanut butter sandwich - that's after my dinner. I can now tell you that all the caffeine are out of my system - I'm ready to hit the sack. A peep at the Buckeye shoe mileage tracker shows that the Axiom, adidas and 2120 are going neck to neck in mileage logged! I'll be wearing the 2120 for tomorrow's run. G'nite!