SAFRA Army Half Marathon 2009 running tips from SAFRA

Gotta this mail from SAFRA:

Top 4 Things to Avoid while Training for SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 2009 (SSBR & AHM 2009)

Now that your training for the big day has started, you would be disappointed if something comes along and spoils your momentum.

Hence, it is important to know things which you should avoid in order to be in your best form for SSBR & AHM 2009.


1. Avoid Being Impatient

Your body will take awhile to adapt to the training and reach the running fitness that you desire. The general idea is to slowly increase your mileage and incorporate some speedwork at the later stages of training. The mileage for each week should build off the previous’. Avoid increasing running distance by more than 10% from one week to the next or you might injure yourself. Many people make the mistake of running too much or too fast for a start and then burning out. You can build your endurance gradually once you have a proper training plan.

2. Avoid Overtraining

Your body would show symptoms when you are training too much – a common pitfall during high-mileage and high-intensity training periods. Do not ignore obvious signs like chronic fatigue, persistent muscle soreness; not to mention subtle signs like feeling unmotivated or irritable. The best thing to do is to take a break from training or simply lower your training volume or intensity by doing easy runs. Allow time for your body to recover. You would be able to gain more out of your runs when you resume training again.

3. Avoid Playing Catch-up

If something unexpected interrupts your training program, do not try to play catch up by increasing mileage drastically and cramming hard workouts back to back. If such training layoffs are caused by an illness or injury that leaves you in a weakened physical condition, the worst thing to do is to make up for lost time by training harder than usual the minute you resume training. Ease back into your training by doing easy runs of similar or slightly lesser distance where you have left off.

4. Avoid Ignoring Injuries

Always be aware of your body condition and listen to it. If you have soreness, aches or pains, manage or treat them. Do not ignore them and allow them to worsen into injuries. When you are training hard, some of these are unavoidable. Back off a little on your training if the symptoms are affecting your training. You can ice the afflicted area several times a day for at least 48 hours to reduce any inflammation and minimize pain. Visit a specialist if the condition does not improve. Regular massages can also help in recovery from workouts. The best time for a massage is the day after your long run or after a speed workout.

With these training tips, you are on your way to an injury-free and memorable training journey for your SSBR & AHM 2009!

The above information is in consultation with Army Fitness Centre.

OPS AHM PB 09 week 01

This week will be my last week of conditioning phase I. I will commence conditioning phase II from next week onwards till the race day. Here is my planned training program for this week:

Training Day:

1 - 5km at 4:40 per km pace

2 - 800m x 5 at 5K pace

3 - 16km at 5:00 per km pace

As for conditioning phase II, there will be a total of 4 training days rather than 3 days in phase II. Not to forget i will be including swimming and cycling training along the way as a preparation for my future Triathlon events.

Newton Running Shoe

Went for a test run in my new newton running shoes. Did a short 5 km run, felt very light in this shoe. But had a weird feeling on my right foot, i guessed i will need some time to adapt to a new running style. Overall, i started to enjoy running in this shoe as i did not feel any strain in my ITB. Maybe its still too early to tell....

These are the Newton's laws which i found in the shoe box,

Newton's 10 Laws of Running Better:

01 GET A PROPER FIT. Standing with your heels pulled to the back of your Newtons, you should have a thumb’s width in front of your longest toe. The ball of your foot should line up over the middle of the red actuator lugs.

02 INSERT ORTHOTICS IF NEEDED. Newtons are not a substitute for custom orthotics. Remove the sockliner to accommodate your custom footbeds for the ultimate ride.

03 PRACTICE GOOD FORM. Relax, lean slightly forward and shorten your stride. Your foot will naturally land on your midfoot at a point under your hips. Keep a high cadence and your stride length short. (Do not run on your toes.)

04 land-lever-lift. Good running technique is as simple as Land-Lever-Lift: Land quietly in an athletic position with each footstrike under your hips; Lever off the front of the lugs; Lift your knee (do not push off or pull back with the toes) to begin a new stride.

05 ADAPT SLOWLY. To adapt to Newton’s Action/Reaction Technology, start with short, slow runs (about a mile or so) a couple times a week for the first two weeks. Focus on good form and gradually increase your time and distance as your body feels ready. As with any sport, too much too fast can cause injury.

06 REDUCE FRICTION. Landing heavy, breaking on your heels, bounding on your forefoot and pushing off too hard with the toes all create friction. Excessive pounding creates more shock to your muscles, tendons, and bones. Land lightly and run smoothly and efficiently.

07 LEARN FROM YOUR SHOES. Newtons wear like tires. The shoes act like a coach. By studying the friction wear patterns, you can learn how to adjust and improve your running form.

08 KEEP THEM CLEAN. Hand wash with mild soap and air dry. Do not place in direct sunlight.

09 VISIT US ONLINE. Go to www.newtonrunning.com for more information, videos, tips and customer service. Share your stories and experiences.

10 HAVE FUN!

More update on the shoe as the running mileage increases!

Finally, i'm back

Finally, i'm back to my blog. Had been too lazy to update my blog.

I decided to hunt for my Personal Best in the coming AHM 09 which will be held on 16 Aug 09. Will be following a 1Hr 45 Min running program, taken from the army website. Hopefully, i can finish the race within 1Hr 50 Min. My previous best for 21km is around 1Hr 53 Min. In order to achieve this target, i will begin "Operation AHM PB 09".

S'pore Bay Run & AHM 09

Gotta myself a pair of Newton gravity trainer shoes. My aim is to adapt to a forefoot striking running style and to reduce the recurring of my iliotibial band syndrome (ITBs). This pair of shoes will be my first "weapon" in my Operation AHM PB 09.

My new red running shoe

Base of the shoes

Check out Who's inside the shoes

Tribob Triathlon

This event was held in Changi beach, Changi coastal road and Changi park. Arrived at the venue at 0715 and the place was already full of enthusiastic participants . Had to park my car 2km around from the starting point. Luckily i had my trusty bike with me. Dark clouds were looming around changi area and the road was quite wet on my way to the venue. But fortunately, the Changi coastal road was quite dry.

Dark clouds looming

Swim start

I think there were about 500+ participants as the area was crowded with people. I decided to joined the Men fit category which will start at 0905. By the time the race began, the sun was out in full force. Expect a very very hot race....

As usual, i started the swim at the outermost lane. What happened next came as a surprise for me, i got "whipped" by a jelly fish across my chest and right hand. The stinging effect was almost too much for me as i had to make a decision on whether to continue the race. Luckily, my mind was very strong as i overcome the thought of DNF. I continued to swim while enduring the pain. Nevertheless, i completed the swim in around 17 mins.

Next, i had to make my way to the transition area, which was quite a distance away. I took my time in the transition area, wiping away all the sand on my feets, putting my helmet, cycling shoes and sunglasses.

My Transition point

20 km biking was next as i struggled to maintain 30km/h while biking southernly towards the first u-turn point. I guess i had lost out to the southernly wind which was slowly my speed to 25km/h. The wind condition became favourable to the participants once we made the first u-turn as we were now facing a tailwind. I was surprised that i could maintain 35km/h wihle biking along the tailwind.

Next stop, 5km run. By the time i finished T2, the thought of DNQ came to my mind again as the jellyfish's sting was too painful to handle. I had to slow down in order to ease the pain. With 1 km to go, i upped my pace and crossed the finishing line in around 1:29 hr. Finally, i had completed the Tribob triathlon! Its time for me to challenge the longer distance triathlon, i can soon realise my Ironman dream in the coming future.....

Finishing point

Winners' trophies

Milo car

Fancy a Milo???

Red bull, lot of drinks!

Transition area

The Argon Family

TriFamily Sprint Triathlon

Completed my maiden Sprint Triathlon at MOE Changi Coast Adventure Centre this morning. This event was organized by trifamily members and they did a very good job in making sure that everyone is enjoying his/her race. Kudos to the organizers!

As usual, i arrived at the race site early so as to secure a parking lot. The weather was cooling and expecting rain in the late morning as reflected in the NEA website. Managed to meet some of the Sgrunners (Atomic, Frootloops, Jordan, Eliza, Weiming) participating in this event. Not to forget volunteers Hohorunner and Tigger.

The swim course was around 750m within the vinicity of the Centre, but was told by the organizers that the distance may be shorter as race start time was within the low tide timing. Nevertheless, the race began with David Tay, sounding the horn. I managed to remove my fear of swimming in the sea and began to swim smoothly. Completed my swim at around 16 mins ++.

Beginning of the biking phase

Subsequently made my way to the transition area and got ready for the 18km biking. I could only maintained at around 30 km/h throughout the biking phase. And almost collide with another participant as he made a illegal u-turn few hundreds meters before the u-turn point. I think i completed the bike course in around 35 mins.

Hydration first before my run

Next, a tiring 5 km run. I almost exhausted all my energy in the bike phase, but had to push myself in order to complete the race. Managed to maintain my cadence constant throughout the run and completed my maided sprint Triathlon in 1 hr 16 mins.Thereafter, the rain started to fall from the nimbus clouds, what a way to cool down.

To the Ending point of the Triathlon!

Next race, Tribob Triathlon which will be held on next sunday.

TriBob Duathlon

Did my maiden Tribob duathlon, the event was very well organized and i had a pleasant time racing. There was another running event being held elsewhere, the Suburban run.

Arrived at the venue at around 0610 and managed to get a parking lot in the Mandai Crematorium as i was one of the few early birds. Gotta my bike ready and rode to the starting point. But then, there were a lot of participants at the transition area. The distances for this sprint Duathlon consisted of 3km run, followed by 15 km bike and then another 3 km run. The Men under 40 started at around 0730 and the Seletar reservoir was filled with "Fast and Furious" runners. The weather was very cooling and the bike route was spacious. I managed to finished the race in a hour time.

However, the well-organized event was marred by the loss of a participant's Cervelo P2C bike. Hopefully the stolen bike can be found and be returned to the poor chap.

The thief simply 'destroyed' the spirit of the Duathlon......

The Finishing Point

The podium

Managed to capture some bikes in the transition area:

Specialized Transition TriBike (Is Macca racing???)

Argon

Next stop, the Tribob Triathlon.

Session with the Ironman Champ Craig Alexander!

Gotta this mail from keypowerint:



Won't miss this golden opportunity!

Singapore Biathlon 09

Completed my first ever biathlon in a disappointing performance. Once again, gotta the phobia of sea water which almost made me quit the race. Didn't have the courage to dip my head into the cold water as my inner self made me felt like drowning. Nevertheless, i decided to swim in breast stroke style with my head above the water as i didn't dare to dip my head into the sea water.

Entry point to the swim leg

Just before the start of the race, the skies started to rain. My wave was the last which began at 0830. Once the air horn sounded, i slowly made my way into the sea water. After a few strokes of front crawl and "kung-Fu" kick by other swimmers, i almost decided to gave up the race as the water phobia once again caught up with me.

Squall line at the start of the swim

It was a tiring swim as i slowly built up the courage to swim front crawl, but only for the last 400 meters. Exited the water with tired legs, and subsequently took my time in the transition area. Picked up my pace as i overtook quite a few participants in the run leg.

After all the disappointment, i managed to complete my first ever Singapore Biathlon.
Next stop : Tribob Duathlon. In the meantime, i will need to perform more open water swim training.

My colleague and me near the finishing point

Finisher medal

Tribob Aquathlon

Completed my first ever Aquathlon in Sentosa. Did a total of 750 m swim and 5 km run in a sunny and hot morning. Learn a few important lessons in the swimming area and was swimming mostly in breast stroke after a nervous start. Was swimming in front crawl initially but decided to change swim style after being kicked and dragged in the sea. Started to panic as i could not see anything when my head was dipped into the sea water. A disaster start to my first aquathlon.

Lessons learnt:

1)Need more open water swim training as this was my first swim in the open water.

2)Need to compose myself after being kicked and dragged by other swimmers.

3)Need to remove my phobia in open sea swimming, as i failed to overcome the small wave.

Ultimately, i need to gain more experience in open water swim by doing more training in the sea.
Hopefully, i can remove all these barriers before Singapore Biathlon (Keeping my fingers crossed).

First Joyrider's Bike ride

Joined the Joyrider's Newbie ride on sat morning. Had difficulty in waking up so early in the morning (around 0430). Nevertheless, i forced myself out of my bed to get ready for the ride. Meet up one of the Sgrunners member jodan and his frens on the way to longhouse, the Joyrider's meeting point. The newbie ride route is as such:

Longhouse > Upper Thomson Rd > Sembawang Rd > Mandai Ave > Mandai Rd > Mandai Shell station (Pitstop) > Woodlands Rd > Upper Bt Timah Rd > Dunern Rd > Adam Rd > Lornie Rd > MacRitchie > Longhouse.

A total of 34 km.

It was the first time i rode in the early morning, never expect to be soon cooling and fast. Clocked a total of only 60 km bike ride, looked like i'm running out of training time for Aviva Singapore Ironman 70.3 .....

Next week: Tribob Aquathlon.

My SCSM 2008 Cert

Received my SCSM 2008 cert, did a slower marathon time as compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, was delighted to have completed the marathon as i was suffering from ITBs in the midst of my marathon training. Had to stop running LSD for a few weeks prior to the main event. Will be going for PB in this coming year (Hoping) ......

Back to Blogging? Safari Zoo Run 09

Finally, back to my blog again. Had been too tired to blog for the past few weeks. About 6 weeks more to the Singapore Ironman 70.3. Still wondering whether can i complete the event within the stipulated time. Biking for 90 km is still a questionable task for me as i had only cycled up to 55 km. Could feel the strains on my legs and backside after cycled for 30 km. Nevertheless, will increase my training intensity in the coming weeks.

Photos from the Safari Zoo Run:

Start Point to the Night Safari

Congested Human Traffic

Back to the Start Point again and begun journey to the Zoo.

The WHITE Tiger

The Fastest Animal

The Rhino Family

Cute Carnivores

Fancy a meal at the Ah Meng's Restaurant?

And finally the Finishing point of the Safari Zoo Run 2009......

My Training Program

My training program 2009 week 01 : 0501 - 1101

0501: 6 km Run

0601: 20 km Biking

0701: 7 km Run, 1.5 km Swim

0801: Rest

0901 : Singapore Biathlon Swim Time Trial 1.5 km in 32 mins 30 secs

1001: 45 km Biking, 7 km Run

1101: 3 km Swim

Cleared my First ever S'pore Biathlon Swim Trial!

Took my first ever Singapore Biathlon swim trial in the evening and managed to complete in around 32 mins 30 sec. Was delighted to have added another new chapter to my sporting history. The pool at the Yishun SAFRA was quite warm and there were 7 pax including me in my wave. The swimming areas were quite cramp as there were 7 swimming trialists trying to swim 1.5 km within the 3 allocated lanes. Nevertheless, i completed the swimming trial within 40 mins and qualified for my first ever Singapore Biathlon. Will be beginning to swim in the open sea soon....

First multisports training for 2009!

01 Jan 09 : Did my maiden biking around my area. Distance around 15 km , didn't felt good in my inner thighs after the bike. Need to get a bike short soon. The heavy rain in the afternoon destroy my swimming plan so went for a 10 km run in the cooling evening. Have not been running for the past few weeks, the run training certainly a good remainder for me to start running again....

02 Jan 09 : Managed to complete a 3 km swim in the cold pool, look like i should not have any problem in clearing the Singapore biathlon swim trial. Gotta to fix the Shimano Ultegra SL pedals onto my bike. Will start practicing biking with clipless pedal.