Thursday, November 29, 2007
3 days to D Day
Did a final run last nite, feeling ok. Will start my carbon loading from today. Got a slight cough, keep fingers cross that nothing will happen till D Day.
Will I be able to complete the full marathon?
Will the plan work out?
Will I be smiling after the run?
How will I feel?????????????????
Will I be able to complete the full marathon?
Will the plan work out?
Will I be smiling after the run?
How will I feel?????????????????
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Pics
After feeding
Megan's happy face after feeding
Megan w Dr Peter Chew
Megan w Bee & Tao
Megan's Group pic w the TOO Family
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Diapers & Milk
Ever since the arrival of little Megan, our lives have evolved around Diapers & Milk. Sleep is a priceless thing. Well, guess this is what they called "PARENTHOOD".........pangz...
Manage to swop for the full marathon for 2 Dec, hope that the fatigue don't catch me before the start of the marathon.
Did my final tapering down of 14KM. Ran at a pace of 6.13 per min......Gosh was aiming for 6 min pace, too slack liao....
Keep fingering crosss.......XXXX
Manage to swop for the full marathon for 2 Dec, hope that the fatigue don't catch me before the start of the marathon.
Did my final tapering down of 14KM. Ran at a pace of 6.13 per min......Gosh was aiming for 6 min pace, too slack liao....
Keep fingering crosss.......XXXX
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Arrival of Megan Lim
Finally Megan Lim arrives into our life on this day 15th Nov 2007. Born @ the time of 1838hrs. Weighting 2.745kg......
Got problem uploading pics.......... so akan datang............................----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally manage to upload............
First photo of her life.
Close up of Megan.
1 Happy Family.
Megan w Mummy & Uncle.
Sleeping soundly.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Dehydration **Must Read**
SAFE AND EFFECTIVE SUMMER TRAINING
Preventing dehydration through the long hot summer is essential during both training and racing.
Becoming dehydrated negatively affects your running performance during today’s run, and also slows your ability to recover for the next workout. To enhance your running performance, reduce your recovery time, and ensure your health, you need a strategy to minimize fluid losses during running, and to replace lost fluids as quickly as possible after running.
What happens in your body as you become dehydrated? When you sweat, your blood volume decreases, so less blood returns to your heart. As a result, the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat decreases, consequently less oxygen-rich blood reaches your working muscles. Your rate of aerobic energy production decreases, therefore, and you must run at a slower pace.
These effects are magnified on a hot day because one of your body’s major responses is to send more blood to your skin to help remove heat from your body which results in even less blood returning to your heart to be pumped to your working muscles. The result is a higher heart rate for a given pace, and inability to maintain the same pace as on a cool day. Looked at in another way, dehydration also reduces your body’s ability to maintain your core temperature, because less blood is available to be sent to your skin and your sweat rate decreases. Struggling to maintain a fast pace on a hot day becomes more dangerous as you become progressively more dehydrated, and can lead to heat stroke.
Studies have found that dehydration of 2 percent of bodyweight leads to about a 6 percent reduction in running performance. For years, the general wisdom was that running performance was only affected when runners lost two percent of bodyweight or more due to dehydration. Ed Coyle, PhD, a former competitive runner and now Professor of Exercise Physiology at the University of Texas at Austin, has provided evidence, however, that even a small amount of dehydration causes a decrease in running performance by reducing blood volume and the amount of blood pumped to the working muscles.
How much should you drink? How much you need to drink to stay well-hydrated during hot summer running depends on the severity of the heat and humidity, whether you tend to sweat lightly or heavily, your body size, and how much and how intensely you are training. Your baseline fluid needs when you are not training are about three to four pints per day. On top of that, you need to add your fluid losses from training and other activities. Runners sometimes become chronically dehydrated without realizing it. If you replace a little less fluid than you lose each day, after a few days you will run poorly but the reason why may not be obvious to you. Weigh yourself before and after running and calculate how much weight you lost, then drink with the objective of bringing your weight back up to its pre-run level. Because you do not retain all of the fluid that you drink, becoming fully hydrated typically requires drinking an amount of fluid equivalent to about 1.5 times the amount of weight that you lost. For example, if you lost three pounds during a training run, you would need to drink about 4.5 pounds of fluid (4 _ pints) over the next several hours to be sure that you are fully rehydrated.
In the example above, adding 4 _ pints to make up for the fluid lost during training to the three or four pints required as a baseline equals a total fluid requirement of 7 _ to 8 _ pints for the day. This is a large amount of fluid, and consuming this much during the day requires a strategy, particularly for those with normal jobs. Keeping a water bottle at your work-station or work-site is a must. You will regain fluids most effectively if you discipline yourself to drink regularly throughout the day. Try to avoid waiting until shortly prior to training to replace your fluids as you cannot rush the process and will go into your workout either bloated from too much fluid ingested too quickly or dehydrated from not having enough fluid. From personal experience, I can verify that drinking too much too quickly prior to running can also give you an unpleasant case of "the runs."
What should you drink?During running, water and carbohydrate replacement drinks are both excellent for maintaining hydration. After running, many other options are available, but I favor watered-down fruit juice for the taste. The advantage of replacement drinks with 4 to 8 percent carbohydrate while you run is that they are absorbed as quickly as water, and also provide readily usable energy. The carbohydrate concentration that is most appropriate for you will depend on your stomach’s tolerance, and how warm it is during training or racing. Beverages that you drink during running should also contain between 250 mg and 700 mg sodium per liter to enhance glucose and water absorption, and improve fluid retention.
The following tips will help ensure that you train successfully and safely through the heat of the summer:
Preventing dehydration through the long hot summer is essential during both training and racing.
Becoming dehydrated negatively affects your running performance during today’s run, and also slows your ability to recover for the next workout. To enhance your running performance, reduce your recovery time, and ensure your health, you need a strategy to minimize fluid losses during running, and to replace lost fluids as quickly as possible after running.
What happens in your body as you become dehydrated? When you sweat, your blood volume decreases, so less blood returns to your heart. As a result, the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat decreases, consequently less oxygen-rich blood reaches your working muscles. Your rate of aerobic energy production decreases, therefore, and you must run at a slower pace.
These effects are magnified on a hot day because one of your body’s major responses is to send more blood to your skin to help remove heat from your body which results in even less blood returning to your heart to be pumped to your working muscles. The result is a higher heart rate for a given pace, and inability to maintain the same pace as on a cool day. Looked at in another way, dehydration also reduces your body’s ability to maintain your core temperature, because less blood is available to be sent to your skin and your sweat rate decreases. Struggling to maintain a fast pace on a hot day becomes more dangerous as you become progressively more dehydrated, and can lead to heat stroke.
Studies have found that dehydration of 2 percent of bodyweight leads to about a 6 percent reduction in running performance. For years, the general wisdom was that running performance was only affected when runners lost two percent of bodyweight or more due to dehydration. Ed Coyle, PhD, a former competitive runner and now Professor of Exercise Physiology at the University of Texas at Austin, has provided evidence, however, that even a small amount of dehydration causes a decrease in running performance by reducing blood volume and the amount of blood pumped to the working muscles.
How much should you drink? How much you need to drink to stay well-hydrated during hot summer running depends on the severity of the heat and humidity, whether you tend to sweat lightly or heavily, your body size, and how much and how intensely you are training. Your baseline fluid needs when you are not training are about three to four pints per day. On top of that, you need to add your fluid losses from training and other activities. Runners sometimes become chronically dehydrated without realizing it. If you replace a little less fluid than you lose each day, after a few days you will run poorly but the reason why may not be obvious to you. Weigh yourself before and after running and calculate how much weight you lost, then drink with the objective of bringing your weight back up to its pre-run level. Because you do not retain all of the fluid that you drink, becoming fully hydrated typically requires drinking an amount of fluid equivalent to about 1.5 times the amount of weight that you lost. For example, if you lost three pounds during a training run, you would need to drink about 4.5 pounds of fluid (4 _ pints) over the next several hours to be sure that you are fully rehydrated.
In the example above, adding 4 _ pints to make up for the fluid lost during training to the three or four pints required as a baseline equals a total fluid requirement of 7 _ to 8 _ pints for the day. This is a large amount of fluid, and consuming this much during the day requires a strategy, particularly for those with normal jobs. Keeping a water bottle at your work-station or work-site is a must. You will regain fluids most effectively if you discipline yourself to drink regularly throughout the day. Try to avoid waiting until shortly prior to training to replace your fluids as you cannot rush the process and will go into your workout either bloated from too much fluid ingested too quickly or dehydrated from not having enough fluid. From personal experience, I can verify that drinking too much too quickly prior to running can also give you an unpleasant case of "the runs."
What should you drink?During running, water and carbohydrate replacement drinks are both excellent for maintaining hydration. After running, many other options are available, but I favor watered-down fruit juice for the taste. The advantage of replacement drinks with 4 to 8 percent carbohydrate while you run is that they are absorbed as quickly as water, and also provide readily usable energy. The carbohydrate concentration that is most appropriate for you will depend on your stomach’s tolerance, and how warm it is during training or racing. Beverages that you drink during running should also contain between 250 mg and 700 mg sodium per liter to enhance glucose and water absorption, and improve fluid retention.
The following tips will help ensure that you train successfully and safely through the heat of the summer:
- Start each workout fully hydrated by making rehydration a priority after the previous day’s run.
- Drink small amounts all day to maximize absorption.
- Place water or carbohydrate drinks strategically around your course (or identify places to stop to drink) before long runs.
- On a hot, humid day, slow down your pace from the outset.
- Have no more than one beer or glass of wine and no more than one cup of tea or coffee per day to prevent further dehydration.
- Run in the morning when heat and pollution levels are at their lowest.
- Work out indoors or take a day off when the heat or pollution level is dangerously high.
LSD @ ECP 11 Nov 2007
Sat 10 Nov:
Rain started to pour when I was in the cab and taxi driver drop me off @ the wrong stop, thanks to trainer, who pick me up @ the bus stop & brought me to the right spot. We DNS cos the rain didn't stop so after TCSS for 2 long hours. We proceeded to our makan session w Burnz & wife @ whampoa market. Dunno the reason why, body felt very tired & slept through the day, STRANGE, no run still feel slack. If got run, dun feel slack.
Sun 11 Nov:
Thanks to joanna for picking me up to ECP. Quite surprise trainer dun running w us???? Hear dat its was a long & sad case.......
Meet up w the gang, burnz, ronnie, bee, yankee. We started slow & easy, weather wasn't looking good after running for 45mins the rain started to pour and i mean POUR. Thank God, it only rain for like about 20mins. After the run was much more cooling, wanted to do a slow run today so din put in much effort initially. Manage to reach the half way mark @ changi village & saw trainer , thanks for the much needed H20.... shiok. took a 10 mins break . Then proceed for the second half, decided to push myself a bit, so took a faster pace. Was pacing all the way w yankee all the way to ECP. Saw tekko, cfred & sassyrunner along the way back.
Manage to reach F2 but legs were feeling a bit sore, so I slow down my pace so that I can push to 36km.
Manage to complete the whole LSD, thanks yankee for pacing all the way to the end.
Can see many runners preparing for the upcoming SCSM..especially those who are running more than 30km, face super BLACK........kekeke
Rain started to pour when I was in the cab and taxi driver drop me off @ the wrong stop, thanks to trainer, who pick me up @ the bus stop & brought me to the right spot. We DNS cos the rain didn't stop so after TCSS for 2 long hours. We proceeded to our makan session w Burnz & wife @ whampoa market. Dunno the reason why, body felt very tired & slept through the day, STRANGE, no run still feel slack. If got run, dun feel slack.
Sun 11 Nov:
Thanks to joanna for picking me up to ECP. Quite surprise trainer dun running w us???? Hear dat its was a long & sad case.......
Meet up w the gang, burnz, ronnie, bee, yankee. We started slow & easy, weather wasn't looking good after running for 45mins the rain started to pour and i mean POUR. Thank God, it only rain for like about 20mins. After the run was much more cooling, wanted to do a slow run today so din put in much effort initially. Manage to reach the half way mark @ changi village & saw trainer , thanks for the much needed H20.... shiok. took a 10 mins break . Then proceed for the second half, decided to push myself a bit, so took a faster pace. Was pacing all the way w yankee all the way to ECP. Saw tekko, cfred & sassyrunner along the way back.
Manage to reach F2 but legs were feeling a bit sore, so I slow down my pace so that I can push to 36km.
Manage to complete the whole LSD, thanks yankee for pacing all the way to the end.
Can see many runners preparing for the upcoming SCSM..especially those who are running more than 30km, face super BLACK........kekeke
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Western Chow
Since its was a PH, saw a good review on a Western Food store @ Lorong Ah Soo. Brought wifey to try it. As expected, after a good review from any magazine or newspapers would have drew crowd to it.
Manage to find our way there, was told that we would have to wait up to 1 hr before food would be serve..... pangz....... no choice lor since here already just order to wait....
After ordering & paying, we assign number .....
As the review says, garlic bread din make the mark, bread was just too hard.
Fries also fail, cold & hard...........
The mushroom soup was good, thick & creamy, dip it with the garlic bread was a good combination.
Wifey had the Hainanese Beef stew. GOOD...... the beef was tender & juicy...
I actually order the curry chicken, but its was sold out, too bad.... had to settle w the chicken chop. Comes in three sauce, brown, black pepper & mushroom. Had it with the brown sauce... chicken was tender & they serve the long beans as a side dish. Brown sauce good for dipping with the fries.Overall, a nice lunch, apart from the long waiting time, apparently they were short of staff today which explains the long wait. A decent meal that cost you only $18.50.......... worth the try but be prepare to wait.........
Monday, November 5, 2007
A fresh perspective on recovery runs
By Matt FitzgeraldFor Active.com
January 18, 2007
It is widely assumed that the purpose of recovery runs -- which we may define as relatively short, slow runs undertaken within 24 hours after a harder run -- is to facilitate recovery from preceding hard training. You hear coaches talk about how recovery runs increase blood flow to the legs, clearing away lactic acid and so forth.
The truth is that lactic acid levels return to normal within an hour after even the most brutal workouts. Nor does lactic acid cause muscle fatigue in the first place. Nor is there any evidence that the sort of light activity that a recovery run entails promotes muscle tissue repair, glycogen replenishment or any other physiological response that is actually relevant to muscle recovery.
What is the real benefit of recovery runs?
In short, recovery runs do not enhance recovery. Nevertheless, recovery runs are almost universally practiced by top runners. That wouldn't be the case if this type of workout weren't beneficial.
So what is the real benefit of recovery runs?
The real benefit of recovery runs is that they increase your fitness -- perhaps almost as much as longer, faster runs do -- by challenging you to run in a pre-fatigued state (i.e. a state of lingering fatigue from previous training.)
There is evidence that fitness adaptations occur not so much in proportion to how much time you spend exercising but rather in proportion to how much time you spend exercising beyond the point of initial fatigue in workouts. So-called key workouts (runs that are challenging in their pace or duration) boost fitness by taking your body well beyond the point of initial fatigue.
Recovery workouts, on the other hand, are performed entirely in a fatigued state, and therefore also boost fitness despite being shorter and/or slower than key workouts.
Evidence of the special benefit of pre-fatigued exercise comes from an interesting study out of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In this study, subjects exercised one leg once daily and the other leg twice every other day. The total amount of training was equal for both legs, but the leg that was trained twice every other day was forced to train in a pre-fatigued state in the afternoon (recovery) workouts, which occurred just hours after the morning workouts.
After several weeks of training in this split manner, the subjects engaged in an endurance test with both legs. The researchers found that the leg trained twice every other day increased its endurance 90 percent more than the other leg.
Creating a setback to get ahead
Additional research has shown that when athletes begin a workout with energy-depleted muscle fibers and lingering muscle damage from previous training, the brain alters the muscle recruitment patterns used to produce movement. Essentially, the brain tries to avoid using the worn-out muscle fibers and instead involves fresher muscle fibers that are less worn out precisely because they are less preferred under normal conditions.
When your brain is forced out of its normal muscle recruitment patterns in this manner, it finds neuromuscular "shortcuts" that enable you to run more efficiently (using less energy at any given speed) in the future. Pre-fatigued running is sort of like a flash flood that forces you to alter your normal morning commute route. The detour seems a setback at first, but in searching for an alternative way to reach the office, you might find a faster way -- or at least a way that's faster under conditions that negatively affect your normal route.
Following are some tips for effective use of recovery runs:
Whenever you run again within 24 hours of completing a key workout (or any run that has left you severely fatigued or exhausted), the follow-up run should usually be a recovery run.
Recovery runs are only necessary if you run four times a week or more.
If you run just three times per week, each run should be a "key workout" followed by a day off.
If you run four times a week, your first three runs should be key workouts and your fourth run only needs to be a recovery run if it is done the day after a key workout instead of the day after a rest day.
If you run five times a week, at least one run should be a recovery run.
If you run six or more times a week, at least two runs should be recovery runs.
There's seldom a need to insert two easy runs between hard runs, and it's seldom advisable to do two consecutive hard runs within 24 hours.
Recovery runs are largely unnecessary during base training, when most of your workouts are moderate in both intensity and duration. When you begin doing formal high-intensity workouts and exhaustive long runs, it's time to begin doing recovery runs in roughly a 1:1 ratio with these key workouts.
There are no absolute rules governing the appropriate duration and pace of recovery runs.
A recovery run can be as long and fast as you want, provided it does not affect your performance in your next scheduled key workout.
In most cases, however, recovery runs cannot be particularly long or fast without sabotaging recovery from the previous key workout or sabotaging performance in your next one.
A little experimentation is needed to find the recovery run formula that works best for each individual runner.
Don't be too proud to run very slowly in your recovery runs, as Kenya's runners are famous for doing. Even very slow running counts as pre-fatigued running practice that will yield improvements in your running economy, and running very slowly allows you to run longer without sabotaging your next key workout.
Matt Fitzgerald is the author of several books on triathlon and running, including Runner's World Performance Nutrition for Runners (Rodale, 2005).
January 18, 2007
It is widely assumed that the purpose of recovery runs -- which we may define as relatively short, slow runs undertaken within 24 hours after a harder run -- is to facilitate recovery from preceding hard training. You hear coaches talk about how recovery runs increase blood flow to the legs, clearing away lactic acid and so forth.
The truth is that lactic acid levels return to normal within an hour after even the most brutal workouts. Nor does lactic acid cause muscle fatigue in the first place. Nor is there any evidence that the sort of light activity that a recovery run entails promotes muscle tissue repair, glycogen replenishment or any other physiological response that is actually relevant to muscle recovery.
What is the real benefit of recovery runs?
In short, recovery runs do not enhance recovery. Nevertheless, recovery runs are almost universally practiced by top runners. That wouldn't be the case if this type of workout weren't beneficial.
So what is the real benefit of recovery runs?
The real benefit of recovery runs is that they increase your fitness -- perhaps almost as much as longer, faster runs do -- by challenging you to run in a pre-fatigued state (i.e. a state of lingering fatigue from previous training.)
There is evidence that fitness adaptations occur not so much in proportion to how much time you spend exercising but rather in proportion to how much time you spend exercising beyond the point of initial fatigue in workouts. So-called key workouts (runs that are challenging in their pace or duration) boost fitness by taking your body well beyond the point of initial fatigue.
Recovery workouts, on the other hand, are performed entirely in a fatigued state, and therefore also boost fitness despite being shorter and/or slower than key workouts.
Evidence of the special benefit of pre-fatigued exercise comes from an interesting study out of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In this study, subjects exercised one leg once daily and the other leg twice every other day. The total amount of training was equal for both legs, but the leg that was trained twice every other day was forced to train in a pre-fatigued state in the afternoon (recovery) workouts, which occurred just hours after the morning workouts.
After several weeks of training in this split manner, the subjects engaged in an endurance test with both legs. The researchers found that the leg trained twice every other day increased its endurance 90 percent more than the other leg.
Creating a setback to get ahead
Additional research has shown that when athletes begin a workout with energy-depleted muscle fibers and lingering muscle damage from previous training, the brain alters the muscle recruitment patterns used to produce movement. Essentially, the brain tries to avoid using the worn-out muscle fibers and instead involves fresher muscle fibers that are less worn out precisely because they are less preferred under normal conditions.
When your brain is forced out of its normal muscle recruitment patterns in this manner, it finds neuromuscular "shortcuts" that enable you to run more efficiently (using less energy at any given speed) in the future. Pre-fatigued running is sort of like a flash flood that forces you to alter your normal morning commute route. The detour seems a setback at first, but in searching for an alternative way to reach the office, you might find a faster way -- or at least a way that's faster under conditions that negatively affect your normal route.
Following are some tips for effective use of recovery runs:
Whenever you run again within 24 hours of completing a key workout (or any run that has left you severely fatigued or exhausted), the follow-up run should usually be a recovery run.
Recovery runs are only necessary if you run four times a week or more.
If you run just three times per week, each run should be a "key workout" followed by a day off.
If you run four times a week, your first three runs should be key workouts and your fourth run only needs to be a recovery run if it is done the day after a key workout instead of the day after a rest day.
If you run five times a week, at least one run should be a recovery run.
If you run six or more times a week, at least two runs should be recovery runs.
There's seldom a need to insert two easy runs between hard runs, and it's seldom advisable to do two consecutive hard runs within 24 hours.
Recovery runs are largely unnecessary during base training, when most of your workouts are moderate in both intensity and duration. When you begin doing formal high-intensity workouts and exhaustive long runs, it's time to begin doing recovery runs in roughly a 1:1 ratio with these key workouts.
There are no absolute rules governing the appropriate duration and pace of recovery runs.
A recovery run can be as long and fast as you want, provided it does not affect your performance in your next scheduled key workout.
In most cases, however, recovery runs cannot be particularly long or fast without sabotaging recovery from the previous key workout or sabotaging performance in your next one.
A little experimentation is needed to find the recovery run formula that works best for each individual runner.
Don't be too proud to run very slowly in your recovery runs, as Kenya's runners are famous for doing. Even very slow running counts as pre-fatigued running practice that will yield improvements in your running economy, and running very slowly allows you to run longer without sabotaging your next key workout.
Matt Fitzgerald is the author of several books on triathlon and running, including Runner's World Performance Nutrition for Runners (Rodale, 2005).
Sunday, November 4, 2007
LSD 3rd Nov 2007
Manage only to catch 3 hours of sleep before the LSD. Woke up @ 3.30m, ate some breakfast & power bar before heading out.
Took a cab down to the meet up point. Started the run @ 5am sharp. Started off quite poorly, feel like struggling to get the body started. Halfway through body started to pick up & manage to maintain the pace throughout. Ran from Kallang > Esplanade > Marina pier > Marina South > Esplanade > Zouk > did 2 loops > Esplanade> Kallang.
Manage to clock 35km for this LSD. Quite happy to be able to finish the run without hitting the wall. Took a short bath & heading to killiney cafe for lunch w the gang.
r
Was surprise to find out that Joanne & Sharon were actually trekking friends. Will jio jio Sharon to join CBD run..............kekeke
Took a cab down to the meet up point. Started the run @ 5am sharp. Started off quite poorly, feel like struggling to get the body started. Halfway through body started to pick up & manage to maintain the pace throughout. Ran from Kallang > Esplanade > Marina pier > Marina South > Esplanade > Zouk > did 2 loops > Esplanade> Kallang.
Manage to clock 35km for this LSD. Quite happy to be able to finish the run without hitting the wall. Took a short bath & heading to killiney cafe for lunch w the gang.
r
Was surprise to find out that Joanne & Sharon were actually trekking friends. Will jio jio Sharon to join CBD run..............kekeke
Showcase of my Running Shoes
Mizuno Inspire 3
Saucony Progrid Trigon 5
Saucony Tangent 3
Latest additions: Saucony Progrid Trumiph 4 (blue colour) coolz.......
Friday, November 2, 2007
Nite Run
Feeling a bit slack, so put on my running shoe & headed out for a run on my usual 8.12KM route. This time trying to push my limits, kept my pace on 5.09/km. Was quite surprise that i manage to complete the route by 41:49:09, 3mins off my previous run. Very happy with timing.
Will be looking forward for this Sat LSD.
Will be looking forward for this Sat LSD.
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