2 Dec 2007 - Singapore Marathon 2007

The big day was finally here. I clocked 4h 38 min 7s, which is 18 min improvement from last year.

This 3rd marathon is my first with no cramps. The many hours of training and carbo-loading have definitely helped. The constant consumption of the isotonic drinks provided along the way has also helped replace the lost salt and water. I also took the PowerGel provided at the 26 km mark and another GuGel at around the 4 hr mark.

The weather was hotter than last year and my shades helped. The "rehearsals" of running the actual route also helped, as I knew what to expect at which part of the route. The last 195m was much longer than stated though.

My iPod shuffle didn't work, so I was talking to myself most of the time. I took the first 30 km easy with heart rate of less than 160 bpm. During the remaining 12 km, I told myself that the race has just begun and to forget that I have already run 30 km.

I was happy to overtake people who overtook me earlier but stopped later to stretch and overcome their cramps. There are different strategies of running the marathon and experience definitely helps.

Overall, I am happy. :)

28 Nov 2007 - Carbo Loading

Am trying to take more low GI foods now.. This week's training will just be 3 runs of 5km or less each.

24 Nov 2007 - Final One Week

I received my race pack at my office on Thursday (Corporate Package arrangement). My bib number is 10040, which is quite a neat number.

This morning, we ran the Marina South Loop, the first 12 km of the actual route. We started and ended the run at the Kallang Water Sports Centre, which is the place where people do dragon-boat, so that adds 6 km to the run.

After the run, we visited the Marathon/Sports Expo at Suntec.

21 Nov 2007 - Recovery

My stomach felt a bit queasy when I started the run, so I took it slowly today. At the end of the 11 km, I felt quite alright, so I should have recovered from the food-poisoning.

18 Nov 2007 - Merlion Run

I started getting diarrhoea yesterday morning when I was still at Ho Chi Minh City. I was back home last night and felt quite alright this morning, hence I continued with the plan to do the weekend run..

We started our run at ECP B1 carpark (near Fort Rd) and ran towards Esplanade following the actual marathon route. The u-turn was at the Esplanade Park signage near to where the Merlion statue used to be (about 10 km from B1 carpark).

For the trip back, I decided to also take the actual route which was via Nicoll Highway. I wasn't feeling right thoughout the run and my heart was beating much faster than usual (thanks to my heart rate monitor). At about 12 km, my stomach was spinning like a washing machine and giving pains, hence I walked the remaining of the route back to ECP (about 4km).

Back at ECP, I rested and drank my usual cold Gatorade. I felt more unwell and ended up vomiting the 2 litres of water. I used to think that people are exaggerating when they say that someone vomited like a Merlion, but that's really how I looked like when I threw up 2 litres of water. :)

14 Nov 2007 - Toe blisters

The usual Pandan Reservior route but minus the PGP up-slope. I did not use my Injinji toe-socks or anti-chaffing cream (Vaseline petroleum jelly or Glide) for my toes, and I got sore toes after the run. Hence, I have been reminded that the toe-socks and the anti-chaffing cream really work in preventing blisters on toes.

11 Nov 2007 - Another 31 km

A very nice route (from Kim Seng Park all the way to East Coast Laguna Hawker Centre and then back again), but not a very good run. Was very dehydrated on the way back and had to keep drinking water at the toilets along the way. Not a good idea to do 30 km runs on consecutive weekends, felt the fatique. This should be the last long run before the taper.

Good thing is that we tried running from Esplanade to Fort Rd, and then back. This is part of the actual marathon route. Took a bit of time to find the actual route at/around Kallang though. Hope to try this part of the route again next week.

7 Nov 2007 - Water at the reservior

Nothing very special about this Wednesday Pandan Reservior route, except that I found another coffee-shop along the way which I can get drinking water from. :)

4 Nov 2007 - First 30km run this season

I confirmed my suspicion on why the foot pod was not giving accurate readings. When wearing my Mizuno shoes, the pod was not attached snugly to my laces. I adjusted it and the readings are good now. However, certain part of the shoe was pressing on my right foot and it was very sore during and after the run.

I took a pack of GU Gel at about 20 km and had to drink a lot of water with it, and the very hot weather made it worse. The gel has to be taken about 15 mins before it can be effective and it lasts for about 1 hr. So, it can potentially be an "addiction" during the run!

3 Nov 2007 - Corporate Triathlon

Took part in the OSIM Singapore Corporate Triathlon. My team came in 9th (out of 94) in the Sprint Relay - Open Category, and my company came in overall 8th out of 301 companies. I can confirm that too much running does lead to heavier legs and slower swimming speed, but swimming is still good to complement running. :)

31 Oct 2007 - Running up the slopes

I am beginning to enjoying running up the slope at PGP (Prince George Park), after running for more than 17 km. It is challenging but satisfying, and it also reminds me of lessons to learn in life..
1. Even when running up the hill, some parts of the slope are steeper than the others.
2. There are different strategies to run up the slope. One way is to maintain the pace and do it slowly and steadily. Another way is to sprint or "cheong" up so as to shorten the duration of the pain. A combination of the two is also possible.
3. It helps if we know the place well, i.e. familiarisation and practice helps.
4. Even after the steep slope, we have to be prepared for the worst, i.e. expect more steep slope(s) just before the finishing line.
5. And, to complete it, we have to believe that we can do it. :)

27 Oct 2007 - Another wet one

It rained throughout most part of the run. Did about 28 km though the foot pod registered only 25 km.

Took a Power Bar in the morning before the run and it helped.

24 Oct 2007 - Useful URLs

The total route taken today was 20.5 km. Managed to maintain heart rate at about 160 bpm for most part of the run, except when running up the steep slope at PGP towards the end. The steep slope after 17 km was painful but was good training. :)

My foot pod worked after getting the watch to remove the speed sensor recognised earlier and reteaching it to recognise the sensor again. According to my foot pod, 1 round of Pandan Reservoir is 6.5 km. BTW, the heart rate monitor with foot pod that I am using is the Polar RS800sd.

Had problem sleeping in the night because the run ended only at about 9:30 pm.

A colleague (ML) pointed me to a site which has a SMART COACH that recommends training programmes based on certain inputs. The site also contains some useful articles for marathon training.

20 Oct 2007 - A wet run

The foot pod did not work even after changing the battery. Hence, I ran without it, and only time and heart rate readings were taken, which was not too bad. I maintained my heart rate at a comfortable rate of about 160 bpm and managed to complete the 25 km comfortably. I picked up speed only at the last lap. I will continue to use this technique for longer runs to come.

It rained somewhere between where we ran from NSRCC to Mac's. The rain was refereshing and cooled the weather. The only bad thing is that it also wetted our shoes which will cause blisters if we ran more.

The NIE biathlon was also held near F2 carpark on the same day. It makes me wonder why so many of the endurance events are plagued with bad weather this year. The Terry Fox Run or Run for Hope is still holding the record I know for having bad weather for 3 consecutive years.

17 Oct 2007 - Around the reservior

Ran round the whole Pandan Reservior for the very first time. Part of the reservior was blocked up for construction last year and we could not run through it. I felt good running a complete round instead of U-turning at some point. Also stopped for water at the toilet at West Coast Park's Mac's.

My foot pod did not register any reading at all. It's either the battery is flat or it is spoilt. I will try changing the battery and see if it works.

I got a tip from a friend from Hong Kong.. "a hint from experienced marathon runners, to prepare running a marathon, the one has to accumulate 100km per week a month before the race. So that the body can adapt to striving in fatique. For me, it really works! Otherwise I will hit the wall at about 30km." Indeed, I hit the wall at about 30 km last year. But, where got time to do 100 km per week? That's like doing 5 half-marathons per week. I was targeting to clock 60 km per week.. Hmm..

16 Oct 2007 - Divide and Conquer

A colleague divided the marathon route into 3 sections and asked if I am keen to try them out with him..

1. Marina South
2. ECP (I have been doing this)
3. Kallang-Crawford Rd-Republic Ave

I am keen but he wants to start his run at 5 am, so I need to think and plan ahead..

I am also signed up for the OSIM Singapore Corporate Triathlon 2007 on 3rd Nov 2007. Am doing the 750m swim for the Sprint Relay with 2 other colleagues. Hence, I have resumed my lunch-time swim at NSRCC today.

13 Oct 2007 - Fantastic 4

This is supposed to be our usual 21 km route at ECP, however my foot pod recorded only 18.5 km.

The 4 of us weren't feeling fantastic for the run.. I had a sore-throat and was feeling feverish. GW overslept and was recovering from his ICT. EW felt nauseous during the run. LK started the run with 2 big blisters on his feet and sprained his ankle during his run. However, amazingly all of us completed the run!

10 Oct 2007 - Run slower to run longer

The usual Pandan Reservior route.. Ran at an easy pace so that I can complete it comfortably and prepare to increase the distance at subsequent runs. We only have about 6 weeks of training left and are feeling a bit behind schedule now. With a slower pace, I thought I would have taken a longer time but my timing was surprisingly close to the previous one.

The foot pod is a bit problematic. The last time I ran it recorded 18.3 km, but it recorded 16.3 km for this one which is exactly the same route. I should go and check out if the GPS unit has arrived in SG..

7 Oct 2007 - CK = "chow keng"

Took part in the FINA Open Water Swim today. Was in the corporate race with 3 other colleagues. We swam 1 km each. The ULC folks said I was "CK" and I didn't know what it meant. The answer is in the title. :)

The organisers actually gave me a race pack with a wrong category. Am supposed to be in Men's Masters but they gave me Men's Open. So, I got it changed. Unfortunately, this has led to more mistakes and my timing is now missing from the results. Have called the organisers but they said they are waiting for TAS to respond regarding the missing timings (I wasn't the only one).

The 5 km race was flagged off after I completed my 1 km. A storm came when I was showering and the race was called off. Hence, the ULC folks only swam about 2 km.

3 Oct 2007 - Enough of the fuel belt

Ran the usual Wed route to Pandan Reservoir. Finally remembered to wear the Adidas fuel belt with 2 filled water bottles. The bottles were initially positioned at my lower back but found that they were bouncing too much. Moved them to the front but they were kind of pressing on my stomach. Just continued running. Got a stitch when running back, not sure if it's due to me drinking the water or the bottles pressing on my stomach. Also got a slight backache when getting into my car after everything.

Conclusion: The belt is not good for long distance running, and I don't need hydration for short distance. Hence, I don't think I will run with it anymore.

2 Oct 2007 - First run with Alchemy

Inaugural run with new shoes (Mizuno Wave Alchemy 7). Took a while to get used to the cushioning, but was okay from around 2 km onwards. It's not too bad. There was a slight improvement in my timing but it might or might not be due to the new shoes.

30 Sep 2007 - Run at 7 am?

Wanted to start the run at 7 am today, but we ended up arriving at about 7:15 am and starting the run at 7:30 am. It's indeed cooler to run earlier.

29 Sep 2007 - Row 'n' Swim

Went down for dragon-boat training at Kallang with my company's team. Was inspired by SL who ran from Kim Yan Rd to Kallang River via the 3 Quays and Esplanade (about 7+ km, she said). This means that I can also ran from my place to Fort Rd for about 10 km. With 11 km from Fort Rd to NSRCC, I could do up to the full marathon distance from my place to NSRCC and back! Hmm...

The rowing was followed by swim training at Changi Beach with the ULC team. They are training for the either 3 km or 5 km race next week, whereas I am doing only 1 km. However, I did what they did since I was with them. Swam a total of about 3 km. Forgot to bring my goggles, so had to swim with my eyes closed most of the time. The current was quite strong and even changed directions as we were swimming. Was also stung by the usual sea bugs there.

27 Sep 2007 - One Litre of Sweat

The day started with a heavy downpour in the morning, but was quite alright by around lunch time, so I did my lunch time swim again. Covered about the same distance in about the same time as Monday.

I have kind of decided that I will use the "one litre of sweat" rule before blogging my sweat activities in order not to crowd this blog and bore the readers. I will bend this rule from time to time as required though. Anyone wants to guess how I would measure if I did produce "one litre of sweat"? :)

Joke of yesterday
Question: 一位老夫妻有6个儿子，分别是一郎二郎三郎四郎五郎和六郎。请问哪个儿子最有人缘？
Answer: 答案是五郎。因为每次有人敲门都会问"五郎底BO?"

26 Sep 2007 - Less is more

My first run after last Sat's.. Felt good during the run probably due to the 3 days' rest. Had my Shuffle on but still forgot my water bottle belt, hence was feeling dehydrated on the way back. Same route to Pandan Reservoir as last Wed's.









Got my new Mizuno running shoes (Wave Alchemy 7) from LK. He got it for me at a very good price at the eMart in his camp during his ICT. Am waiting to lace it up properly and do an inaugural short run to test it out. :)

24 Sep 2007 (Mon) Swim

Did another lunch-time swim at NSRCC today.

Swim covered:
200m warm-up
1000m front-crawl with paddles - 17min 37s
300m warm-down

Still a bit sore from the stiff neck but am feeling much better today. Am beginning to enjoy this lunch-time swim, which is very focused - just swim and go.

22 Sep 2007 (Sat) Run

Ran slowly for the first hour partly because I was trying to "warm up" my stiff neck. Total distance covered today was 16.2 km.

The weather was really hot. Am thinking of starting at 7 am next weekend instead.

20 Sep 2007 (Thu) Swim + Run

Woke up with a stiff neck this morning..

Started doing lunch-time swim at NSRCC today. Have to train for the FINA Open Water Swim on 7 Oct 2007. Signed up for that with 4 other colleagues to form a corporate team, have to swim 1 km each for the race. Am also glad that I get to swim because it will complement my long distance running which gives me stiff and heavy legs.

My swim today:
100m warm-up
1000m front-crawl with paddles - 18min 14s
100m warm-down

My stiff neck was hurting during the workout. The 50m pool was good but there is no "T" on the lane marking which makes tumble-turning difficult, I was always turning too late.
Hope to do better next time. Planning to do this every Mon/Tue and Thu, at least until 7 Oct.

Did a short run (6 km) in the evening from my place to NUS Bukit Timah Campus via Botanic Gardens.

19 Sep 2007 (Wed) Run

I could not find my iPod Shuffle before my run, so had to run without it (but found it in my bag after the run). I am glad that JG ran with me for most part of my run.

Did not drink after throughout the whole run because there was not water-point or toilet along the way at all. Was very dehydrated on the way back. Will have to remember bring my belt with mini water-bottles for my next run at the same route.

Lap Distances:
NUS - Pandan Reservior: 9.4 km
Pandan Reservior - NUS: 9.5 km

Total Time: 1 hr 49 min 22.8s

18 Sep 2007 (Tue) Run

Did a Short run in the evening from my place to NUS Bukit Timah Campus via Botanic Gardens.

Distance: 5.9 km
Time: 31min 30s

16 Sep 2007 (Sun) Run

This is my longest run (24.9 km) so far this year.
Also my first time running with an iPod Shuffle.
Did not take breakfast before run, hence was burnt-out and had to do 4min-run/1min-walk cycles during the last 28 min.

Lap Distances:
F2 - NSRCC: 3.9 km
NSRCC - F2 (with slight detour): 5.3 km
F2 - Fort Rd: 7.8 km
Fort Rd- F2: 7.9 km

Total Time: 2 hr 18 min 32.8s

13 Sep 2007 (Thu) Run

Ran around Botanic Gardens, with short a workout at the fitness corner.

Distance: 4.3 km

12 Sep 2007 (Wed) Run

I was trying to tune my FM radio for most part of my run:

11 Sep 2007 (Tue) Run

Did a Short run in the evening from my place to NUS Bukit Timah Campus via Botanic Gardens.

Distance: 5.6 km
Time: 31min 32s

9 Sep 2007 (Sun) Run

The following is from 9 Sep 2007 (Sun) run:

Red line is HR (bpm), green line is cadence (rpm) and blue line is pace (min/km).

According to the foot pod, the small loop (F2 - seafood centre - round cable ski - F2) is 4.3 km and the bigger loop (F2 - Fort Rd - F2) is 14.9 km.

I calibrated my foot pod again last night (Tue) and realised that the original setting without calibration is already quite accurate.

6 Sep 2007 (Thu) Run

Did a Short run in the evening from my place to NUS Bukit Timah Campus via Botanic Gardens.

Distance: 5.8 km
Time: 32min 45s

5 Sep 2007 (Wed) Run

The distance may not be accurate, I probably need to calibrate my foot pod again.

4 Sep 2007 (Tue) Run

Did a Short run in the evening from my place to NUS Bukit Timah Campus via Botanic Gardens.

Distance: 5.4 km
Time: 32min 34s

1 Sep 2007 (Sat) Run

29 Aug 2007 (Wed) Run

The following is the info extracted from my heart rate monitor for Wed’s run.. Red line is HR (bpm), green line is cadence (rpm) and blue line is pace (min/km).