Barefoot Pua's blog (aka lspua)

Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010

2010-12-06T17:45:00.005+08:00

In summary, this race was a bad race for me.

3 days before the race, I was down with a bad sore throat and the day before the race, I was having slight fever. I tried to rest as early as 21:00hrs on the eve of the race date (i.e. 4 Dec 2010) but I just could not get to sleep and I have to wake up at 02:30 (on 5 Dec 2010) to get myself prepared for the race. I finally fell asleep at about 23:30 and that mean I had 3 hours of rest before the race.

At about 02:20hrs, I woke up and went to the loo to do my "big" business. I had a cup of milo and a potato for my breakfast before I went out. Reached Raffles City at about 03:25hr, waited for Jason and Fred before we took a 2km walk to the start point in Orchard Road.

My target for this race was just a sub-4 timing but it turned out quite badly this year because of a few reasons. I was aiming for a 5min/km for the first 30km and let the rest of the distance be determined by my condition of my soles. Everything seemed to work accordingly to plan pretty well until I hit my 28km.

I was doing 46:47 for the first 10km which was slightly faster than 5min/km pace. 21km was 1:42:23 which was within the 3:30 finishing target. At 28km, I had a pulled on my left calf muscle and I was forced to stop to do some stretching. At this moment, I knew I was going to be off limit for my sub-4 finishing. I was having this feeling that something was wrong with my left calf muscle a few days before the race because I could feel some pulls on the muscle occasionally while walking or sitting down. When I reached the 32km mark, my timing was 2:46:43 and I knew if I could maintain running, a sub-4 was possible, but I couldn't because
1. The muscles were complaining (maybe started to fast and lack of serious training).
2. The road surface from 30km onward was very bad because it went through construction sites from Fort Road to Marina South.
3. The merging of 42km, 21km and 10km runners at the Benjamin Shears Bridge (plus up-slope) where most of the 10km runners were walking.

I started to walk from 38km to 40km because I was blocked by the "walkers" along Sheares Bridge and the bad road surfaces before I could start to run again to the finish line. Nevertheless I finished this marathon in 4:44:05 which was my personal worst of all my marathon races.

Anyway, though it was a bad race, but it was still a valid barefoot marathon for me. I met a veteran barefoot marathoner from Malaysia (Wah Sing) and he told me that my sole is still very tender, need more training on it. Wah Sing did a remarkably good 3:36 timing yesterday.

I think in running a marathon, determination is very important. Last year I did 3:40 for the marathon (SCSM 09) with full determination and effort barefooted. This year, there was no determination and no effort put into this preparation and hence this result.

Guess what will I do for the next marathon?

Check the result here

Marathon photos can be found here.

I accidentally found an article that mentioned about me.

Rewarding LSD ...

2010-11-12T15:40:00.001+08:00

It was my off day, I was trying to clear some outstanding day-off for the year. I had 9 days brought over from 2009 that need to be consumed by 30 Dec 2010 and another 21 days from 2010 that need to be consumed by 30 Dec 2011.

I had planned to do a 35km LSD, 5 loops of 7km around Serangoon-Punggol Park Connector. It was a mental torture but I had overcome it. I finished 35km with a time of 3 hr 1 min @ 5:11 min/km. After the run, I took a short rest and then went out to do some errands like visiting the dentist, buy a tap and then go to my mum house to repair a broken tap

After finishing the tasks, I went Yishun SAFRA to have a dip. Swam 500m and then do some leg and body message using the jucuzzi. It was "Shiok".

:-)

... Training for 5th December 2010 Marathon ...

2010-10-17T14:11:00.001+08:00

Have been sometime since I wrote something on this blog, well I shall write something for now.

Initially I have planned to write all my training schedules that will lead to the year end 5 Dec 2010 Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore but I changed my decision as I am not committed to do any runs these days.

I am into an adhoc training schedule, no training plan nor target. Of course I do not have any timing target for the marathon too. I will just run and run for a stipulated time like 1hour, 1.5hours, 2 hours etc. during my training runs. For the actual race, I will just run and hope to finish with 4 hours.

This morning was my long run since my last serious training. It was a 20.4km run without any aim nor fix route. I just ran and ran until I hit a 2hr duration.

Of course, I did it barefooted. :-)

POSBKids Run @ Anchorvale on 19 Sep 2010

2010-09-20T10:23:00.001+08:00

It was an enjoyable outing with my family for the run. See the pictures and you will understand.

Army Half Marathon @ 12 Sep 2010

2010-09-16T14:04:00.004+08:00

This run was a very leisure run for me as I was pacing a friend who has just started running for about 1 year. Wi Khiang was initially not very sure if he could finish the race because his longest mileage was 30 rounds a 400m running track. He is one of the kind that does all his runs in the stadium.

We started the race by me picking him up at Hougang at 3:50am and we proceeded to City Hall. Reached City Hall about 4:15am. Did some toilet business and we proceeded to the start point. I was very surprised that the start point is very empty at 4:30am. We walk toward the start line and took some pictures. In about 20 minutes, the place was filled with runners. There were all sort of runners like a lady in a fruit hat and wearing her pinkish red panty outside her running tights and I was joking to Wi Khiang that these people were "Pattern more than badminton". Haha.

The race started about 5 minutes earlier than stipulated 5:15am. We started the run easy and I was constantly reminding Wi Khiang not to go too fast as I have estimated and targeted his finishing time to be 2hr 30mins. Along the way Wi Khiang had 4 leg cramps at the calf muscles but he pulled through the journey and completed the race in 2:14:13.00. WiKhiang was very delighted that he completed his first 1/2 marathon. I was very happy that he completed way before my target for him.

I was glad that I paced Wi Khiang all the way and this was the first time I have experienced the 2 hours plus crowd. The feeling was very relaxed and enjoyable. In all my previous 1/2 marathon races, I normally finish between 1hr 35min to 1hr 45min and I do not really get to enjoy the race experience.

Reflection: I do not always need do a fast race, try to enjoy the race.

My Bare ~

2010-08-26T13:55:00.001+08:00

A nice picture taken while being barefoot.

more ...

1986 Singapore Marathon Champion (Leow Hock Sin)

2010-08-17T11:58:00.002+08:00

I went for a 30 rounds Hougang Stadium run yesterday evening. The weather was just fine for the first 15 rounds but started to rain heavily after that until I finished my 30th rounds.

After the run, I met Leow Hock Sin sitting at the stadium viewer platform waiting for the rain to stop after his run. We strike a conversation and I learnt that he was the champion in Singapore Marathon 1986 with a finishing time of 2h 40min (wow that is a 1hr ahead of my personal best and this is his personal best too). I did the same marathon (Running round Singapore passing Orchard Road) at the age of 15 with a finishing time of 4hr 7min.

He is 57 year old now and after calculating, he won the champion at the age of 33 years old 24 years ago. I have noticed him running at Hougang Stadium as a fast runner for a while but just that I did not have the opportunity to talk to him until yesterday. It was really nice to hear the experiences of a previous marathon champion. He was with the MR25 runners maybe he still is with them.

I did a search in the web and found some information on Hock Sin and his achievements.

Minimum and slow speed training.

2010-08-03T13:22:00.005+08:00

It the time that I am slow and easy on my training. I am doing about 20km per week with a speed of about 6min/km recently for the past 3 weeks.

Will be continuing this for the next 2 to 3 weeks before I start to pickup my speed and mileage.

By the way, I have collected a TIMEX watch given by TIMEX after doing the TIMEX Tri-Factor run. I heard that the retail price was about SGD$75. Not bad for a race when I spent $35 on the registration fee only.

My Running History

2010-07-20T16:24:00.005+08:00

My running history

I started running when I was 14 years old (year 1985). I was just a secondary two student (high school) when I started running. Why did I start? As I was a follower, I followed my older brother who is 2 years older to start running. He started running with his friends as a form of extra curricular activities in school. I had an enjoyable time running and training with my brother then. We were so crazy about running that we bought ankle weights for our training runs.

I shot to fame in my secondary school when I won the "C" division (junior) boys x-country race. Since then, I was invited to join the school cross-country team to represent the school for inter-school cross-country races at MacRitchie Reservoir. From then on, the cross country trails at MacRitchie have become a very similar place to me. I did not win any major race in the top 3 because competition was rather tough, but I did came between top 5 to 20 ranking.

When I was 15 years old (at secondary 3, year 1986), I did my first marathon unofficially (I did not sign up because I was too young) finishing with a time of 4hr 7min when I followed my brother and his gang of friends from NYJC to run the Singapore Marathon 1986. During those days, we ran round the whole of Singapore including our now infamous flooding Orchard Road. Those guys that I ran with from NYJC were wonderful and crazy friends (some of the names I remembered are Felix Lim, Patsy Goh etc, if you know who you are and reading this, please leave a comment). I suffered cramps during that marathon and sweared not to do anymore marathon. After that marathon, I did not train for any marathon probably I was too young and lack commitment to do another. I continued to train for cross country races even after when I entered junior college, army (nationals service obligation) and university. I represented my college, army formation and university in most of the runs.

I stopped running when I was around 25 years old as a working adult. I probably did not have time to run and busy building my career and family. I re-started running again when I was 35 (year 2006), a 10 years break from running. I reason why I picked up running again was because I wanted to achieve a $400 monetary award for my army last IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test) before I was posted to the reserve with no more national service obligation. The aim for the IPPT was simply, 2.4km in 10min 20sec and I achieved it with ease. After that I met my long lost contact friend (Jason, who is now my running buddy) and he told me he had taken up marathon and invited me for a run in MacRitchie. I was badly trashed by him for the 10km run but I least I finished the 10km in 1hr 4min. He encouraged me to sign up for Army Half Marathon 2006 and Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2006 and that was how I restarted all my running again.

It have been 4 years that I have been running again, I was running with shoes all these years until December 2008 that I ditched my running shoes and went barefooted. It is already 1.5 years of barefooting and I am still loving it.

Why and when did I choose to run barefooted?

When I was a runner during my teens, I did not have much injuries and the kind of footwear I had were those very thin sole and cheap track shoes (wonder if they are still available in the markets?). I remembered when I was in the school cross-country running team, I was sponsored with a Nike running shoe when the sole was about 1cm thick and there were small squarish rubber stub on the sole. I ran mostly on trail at MacRitchie with those shoes. During those days, my maximum running distances per run was probably 10km and my weekly mileage should be around 30km maximum. I had not been strike with any serious injury during those times and I practically did not have any knee injuries.

In the years between 2006 to 2008, I suffered knee injuries like ITBs every year and it took many months of rest to recover. Sometime it was so frustrating when the marathon race was just a few weeks and I had not recovered from the knee injuries.

I switched to barefoot running after December 2008 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon after seeing an old man (about 65 years old) completing the full 42km barefooted in about 6hrs. He inspired me to find out more about barefoot running.

I went to the computer and did a google search on "Barefoot Running". I found Barefoot Rick, Barefoot Ted, Barefoot Ken and many others blogs. Spent alot of time reading through many barefoot running articles and they had convinced me to embark on this journey because all or most of them said that the knee injury problem will be solved by running barefoot. It was a no turning back event and I started to ditch my running shoes. In my barefoot running journey, I came across many more articles and books. YES! Born To Run was definitely one of them.

Till now (1.5 years of running barefoot) , I have not suffer a single knee injury.

My achievement

1. After 8 months of barefoot training, I finished my first barefoot half marathon in 1hr 38min in the Singapore Army Half Marathon 2009.
2. After almost 1 year of barefoot training, I finished my first barefoot marathon in 3hr 40min in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2009.
3. After 1.5 years of barefoot training, I finished my second barefoot marathon in 4hr 13min in the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2010 (very hilly and bad road surface).
4. RazorTV Interview.
5. Straits Time Interview.

Injuries while Barefooting

Just to be very honest, barefooting does not mean no injury. Yes, my knee injuries are gone but there are definitely others that comes free of charge with barefoot running.

Other kind of injuries with Barefoot running
1. Glass - yes I have stepped on them twice. I just use a pincer to take it out when it went too deep into my sole.
2. Splinters - very common initially but after skin thicken, it never happen.
3. Cut, Scrapes, bruises - very common.
4. Plantar Fasciitis - I think yes, initially when I started barefooting.
5. Heel Bruise - It took me about 2 weeks to recover.
6. Calves strain - Lower legs muscles strain, a result of running too far and too fast while barefooted without building up the muscles. It took me 1 month to recover.

I have also discovered that the above mention injuries did not re-occur after the recovery. It was probably only in the initial phase of barefoot running.

Conclusion

I will still continue to do barefoot running as long as I can because
1. No more knee injuries.
2. No need to spend money to buy shoes.

However, it does not mean that I will never put on a shoe to run anymore. I will see about it if it is really necessary.

Additional

1. My self-made shoe.
2. My review on Vibram.
3. Here is my training log. Updated only when I am free.

NO RUN!

2010-07-19T10:08:00.000+08:00

Have not been running since 11 July 2010 after TIMEX Tri-Run.

When shall I start my training? No target, no aim at this moment.

My next race will be Army Half Marathon on the 12th Sep 2010. It will be an easy run because I am pacing my good friend (WiKhiang) for his first 1/2 marathon race. Estimated finishing time will be about 2hr 30mins.

Barefoot and Timing Chips

2010-07-13T15:22:00.003+08:00

There are basically 3 types of timing device used in races.
1. Champion Chips.
2. ChronoTrack D-TAG
3. ChronoTrack B-TAG (which stay attached to the bib).

I have found some articles for Barefoot runners and the timing chips.

I will reproduce some of the comments here so that in future I will not make the same mistake.
1. Always make sure the d-tag or timing chips covers as much space parallel to the ground as possible.
2. The RF waves are emitted from timing mats vertically. If the chip/D-tag happens to be perfectly vertical when it goes over the mat, it is possible for the chip/D-tag to not be recorded.
3. Use white medical tape to stick the Champion Chip to the top of the foot.
4. For timing chips, make sure to attach it to the front of the ankle, not the side. For D-tag, make sure it is looped on the outside of the ankle. Both methods should increase the area of the tag/chip that crosses the mat.

Hmm, or I should do the same as the runner shown in the picture below. :-)

Another way is shown below.

Using 2 rubber bands.

Another kind of timing chip used in a small scale event.

This was what I did for my race, look at my timing chip it was attached parallel to the floor and I have not problem with it and my timing was all taken. I used wired to secure the timing chips to my ankle strap so that it can stay parallel to the floor.

Timex TRI-Run (21km) on 11 July 2010

2010-07-12T09:24:00.022+08:00

Signed up this event many months ago because it was very near my place. I cycled to the race site on my "go market" bicycle.

This race was supposed to be my recovery run after KL marathon on the 27 June 2010. However I did not expect that I ran at a much faster speed because I was paced by a JC boy (Banjamin). I think he was from Victoria Junior College. In the first 10km to 14km, we were running side by side. Our pace was fine for a 1hr 30min to 1hr 35min finished if we can maintain it for 21km (i.e. below 4.5min/km). Actually if not for my sprain right foot injury and KL marathon recovery, I would have gave all out to do this race at that speed, but I was hit with a small blister on my toe and fear of making my injury worst, I decided to slow down and asked Ban to continue to aim at an Indian guy in front of us about 20m ahead (He looked near but it wasn't an easy task). I ran at a slower speed of 5min/km for the last 7km.

I was surprised to see Ban at the 17.5km mark waiting for me, he told me he could not continue that pace and had just recovered from a flu. We ran together again for the next 1 or 2km before I asked him to go ahead for a better finished. He did and I continued my 5min/km pace. I finished 1h 40min (4:45min/km) in the end and Ban probably finished in 1hr 36min.

I was so disappointed with the type of champion chip provided (same as last year SCSM 2009, AHM 2009), it did not capture my ending time. I have even made an effort to step on all the timing mats except the ending point, maybe I was busy poising for picture so I may have forgotten to ensure that I have step on the mat. I am not sure why Ban timing was not captured too . I guessed my position was somewhere between 10th to 15th position.

PS: SCSM09 did not capture my start timing, AHM 09 was okay everything captured.

Found some articles relating to my pacer -
1. Article 1
2. Article 2
3. Article 3
4. Article 4

The Final Result after communicating with TRI-FACTOR.

Initial result when I was classified as DNF.

My supposedly position.

Race Result.
Individual Race Result.

Picture of the Champion Chip used in this race.

Internal of the Champion Chip. Putting it on the ankle with a ankle strap will make the chip perpendicular to the timing mat and hence the exposed surface will be minimum. It may not record the timing.

Below are some photos during the race.

The Finish Gate.

The route.

My barefoot before the start of the run.

Me in action, courtesy of Jason Ong (J J Mak's friend).

My barefoot after 21km in 1hr 40min.

A happy and satisfied face.

Another happy face.

Me with JJ.

JJ pointing at my iron foot.

Pictures Found on the net

Molly Tan - Me by Molly

By the way, I have written to Tri-Run organizer and they have agreed to change my status to completed instead of DNF after an investigation. I have also mentioned to them that the same problem occurred to Banjamin and they have also verified it through their spotters.

Thanks Tri-factor for you efficient and prompt reponse to this matter.

The corresponding letter is as below.

What's next after KL Marathon?

2010-06-30T09:56:00.001+08:00

The confirmed runs are :-
1. Timex TRI-Run (21km) on 11 July 2010. - Decide to do a normal race, no time target.
2. Army Half Marathon (AHM) on 12 Sep 2010. - Will be running with WiKhiang for his 1st half marathon after 1 years of training with me. The timing should be around 2hr 30mins.
3. Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore on 5 Dec 2010. - Aim to do a sub-3:45 timing.

Those runs that are still pending
1. RunNUS on 15 Aug 2010 - Decided to give it a miss.
2. NorthFace 100 on 9 Oct 2010 - Decided to give it a miss.

Week 14 of 14 (KLM10) - Race Week

2010-06-22T10:08:00.047+08:00

14th Week, race week

This is the final week, I am going easy this week, 3 runs inclusive of the race.

Week Mileage

Plan : 60.595km

Actual: 61.395km

Mon(21 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Tue(22 Jun)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@5:00

Actual: 8.4km@5:04
5km-24:37.44, 3.4km-18:02.75 (42:40.19@5:04)

Wed(23 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Thu(24 Jun)

PM:

Plan : 10km@5:00

Actual: 10.8km@4:55
5.4km-26:16.66, 5.4km-26:52.94(53:09.60) @ 4:55
This is the last training run before KL Marathon.

Fri(25 Jun)

PM:

Plan : Rest (My darling baby girl 2nd birthday celebration)
Actual:

Sat(26 May)

AM:

Plan : Travel to KL from 07:15hrs onwards with SGRunners.com

Actual:

Sun(27 May)

AM:

Plan  : KL Marathon - 42.195km@5:30

Actual: 4:12:56.00@5:59
10km-48:46.83,
20km-1:40:15(51:28.31),
21.1km-1:46:26.00(6:11.56),
30km-2:41:26.00(54:59.35),
42.195km-4:12:56.00(1:31:30.00)@5:59.

The race started on the dot at 5am. It was raining heavily and I was quite worried about the wet road surface which might cause a lot of blisters in my soles. For the first 5km, all the runners were basically running in the heavy rain. I was running at the speed of 5min/km within the first 10km, the next 10km was slightly slower at about 5.10min/km.

The road surface in KL was very bad for barefoot running. I was running side by side with another barefoot runner from Malaysia up to 21km, he was Tan Wah Sing who has been doing barefoot running for more than 10 years. He was as fast as me and he was more experienced in barefoot running especially in KL. After 21km, I had basically gave up on my aim of doing a sub-4 timing because my soles were very sore and hot due to the rough road surface. I changed my aim to a marathon completion so as to add on to my barefoot marathon experience.

I ran slower but I was brought to a halt or walking through bad patches on the road. I told myself not to walk unless it was impossible to run. I had made use of the lines on the road, I ran on them whenever possible. Physically and mentally I was very well prepared for the run except the road surface, I could handle the hilly slopes in KL without much problem. I predicted that if I were to wear a something on my soles, I could possibly do a 3:30 or below marathon.

In the end, I finished the race in 4:13 comfortably except for the soreness and hotness on the soles. The top of my left foot was injured 2 weeks ago due to interval training but this did not give me any problem during and after the run. Incidentally, I discovered that I had sprained my right foot while holidaying in Hong Kong about 1 week back. After the marathon, the right ankle started to get painful twigs.

After resting for a night, my soles had recovered and I am back to normal. The sprained right ankle took another day to recovered and now it is painless.

This KL marathon was a great experience for me, be it the run and the company from SGrunners. I enjoyed the company from these newly made friends and hope to have more of such experience in future.

Finishing ....

My result - 4hr 13min

Very bad road surface for barefoot running.

The best road surface for barefoot running.

Check Race Time

BFr Vs M'sia Roads赤脚跑步者(BFr) Vs 大马公路

KL Marathon Photo Links.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jth315/StandardCharteredKLMarathon27062010#5487352962031310258
http://run2chuah.multiply.com/photos
http://picasaweb.goo...KLMarathon2010#
http://picasaweb.goo...rathon27062010#
http://mindyysc.foto...865756_169.html
http://pmtey3.multiply.com/
http://khokl74.multiply.com/journal/item/104/SCKLM_2010_Finishing_Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/102693167390179842923/SCKLIM2010#

Week 13 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-06-17T15:42:00.003+08:00

Training schedule for 13th Week.

Back from HongKong holiday and left with less than 2 weeks of training time for KL Marathon. Will plan a slow long run this weekend before heading up North on the 26th Jun 2010.

Week Mileage

Plan : 51.3km

Actual: 53.8km

Mon(14 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Rest and Relax in HongKong
Actual:

Tue(15 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Rest and Relax in HongKong

Actual:

Wed(16 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Back from HongKong
Actual: 12.8km@4:59
5km-23:54.42, 7.2km-35:16.19(11:21.77), 9.4km-46:24.26(11:08.07), 11.6km-57:52.79(11:28.53), 12.8km-1:03:55.00(6:03.19) - 1:03:55.00 @ 4:59

Thu(17 Jun)

PM:

Plan : 10km@5:00

Actual: 16.5km@4:59
Ran 40 rounds Hougang Stadium. Must be crazy to endure this mental torture. What I did was I ran twice on each line along the track from outer round to inner round and then back from inner round to outer round followed by another 8 outer rounds in the opposite direction.

Fri(18 Jun)

PM:

Plan : Rest for Saturday long run.
Actual:

Sat(19 May)

AM:

Plan : 28.5km@5:15

Actual: 24.5km@6:01 (2:27:33.00)
Run from Lower Pierce Reservoir to Zoo and back.

Sun(20 May)

AM:

Plan  :Rest

Actual:

Week 12 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-06-09T09:26:00.003+08:00

Training schedule for 12th Week. It is also a vacation week in HongKong... How to train? Run with Mickey Mouse?

Week Mileage

Plan : xx.xkm

Actual: 31.6km

Mon(7 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual: Rest

Tue(8 Jun)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@5:00

Actual: 16.5km@5:17
5km-24:48.45, 3.4km-17:29.32(42:17.17@5:02) - 8.1km-44:55.82(1:27:13.00@5:17)

Wed(9 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Thu(10 Jun)

PM:

Plan : 21km@5:15

Actual: 15.1km@5:09
5km-24:59.14, 7.55km-38:53.70(13:54.56), 11.75km-59:18.80(20:25.10), 14.25km-1:13:24.00(14:06.13), 15.1km-1:17:59.00(4:34.76)-1:17:59.00@5:09

Fri(11 Jun)

PM:

Plan : Rest and Relax in HongKong
Actual:

Sat(12 May)

AM:

Plan : Rest and Relax in HongKong

Actual:

Sun(13 May)

AM:

Plan  : Rest and Relax in HongKong

Actual:

Week 11 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-06-02T14:38:00.005+08:00

Training schedule for 11th Week.

Week Mileage

Plan : 57.2km

Actual: 22.8km

Mon(31 May)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual: Rest

Tue(1 Jun)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

Wed(2 Jun)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:40
Actual: 8.4km@4:36
5km-22:52.78, 3.4km-15:49.53 (38:42.31@4:36)

Thu(3 Jun)

PM:

Plan : 8x1600m-12.8km@HougangStadium-18:30hrs

Actual: 8x1600m-
8x1600m 1.6km warm up, 12.8km interval, 0km cool down (1:04::15.00)
1. 6:21.34 (1:15.54)
2. 6:35.93 (1:28.37)
3. 6:36.58 (1:25.72)
4. 6:33.50 (1:31.84)
5. 6:45.06 (1:35.88)
6. 6:44.02 (1:41.37)
7. 6:45.60 (2:01.85)
8. 6:52.40

Fri(4 Jun)

PM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:
I am having some pain on the top of my left foot. I can feel that there is a small swollen lump on the top of that foot. I have been rubbing it with ointment and I hope I can recover on Sunday. I shall postphone tomorrow run to Sunday.

Sat(5 May)

AM:

Plan : 36km@5:30 (LP-Zoo-UP-AirconRoute@04:30hrs)

Actual: Did no run due to foot injury.

Sun(6 May)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual: Did not run due to foot injury.

I am suffering from a foot injury on the top of my left foot. I have come to a conclusion that this injury was caused by interval training 2 weeks ago (i.e. 7x1.6km). It was worsen after Thursday interval training (i.e. 8x1.6km).

I visited a chinese physican (TCM) at Serangoon North Ave 1 and he can even predict that my injury has lasted for 1 week already and he told me it is the vein on the foot that is causing the pain even before I tell him what happened. This injury is probably a very minor case compared to previously what I suffered about 3 years ago. It was the same chinese doctor that help cured me.

Anyway, I should still be able to do my KL Marathon at the end of the month but I may not hit a sub 4 timing this time. Never mind, I can always do it another time.

Week 10 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-05-25T10:10:00.005+08:00

Training schedule for 10th Week. One more month left to the actual race in KL Malaysia. I am feeling a little excited about it since it will be my first oversea race.

Aim for this race is probably just to finish within 4hours barefooted. If I can achieve a barefoot PB (below 3hr40min) will be an added bonus. The race date is on the 27th June 2010 and I will be leaving Singapore on the 26th June 2010 morning at 8am with the SGrunners group by coach. Hotel stay will be with Jason at a budget hotel in Winsin Hotel in KL Chinatown which is within walking distance to the start point.

We will be returning back to Singapore on the 27th June 2010 at 3pm by coach.

Week Mileage

Plan : 65.6km

Actual: 67.5km

Mon(24 May)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual: Rest

Tue(25 May)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:30

Actual: 8.4km@4:29
5km-22:16.62, 3.4km-15:24.94 (37:41.56@4:29)

Wed(26 May)

AM:

Plan : 11km@4:30
Actual: 8.6@4:40
(2 rounds Bedok Reservoir)
20:22.64,19:48.79(40:11.43) @ 4:40min/km

Thu(27 May)

PM:

Plan : 7x1600m Interval@HougangStadium.

Actual: 7x1600m
7x1600m 1.6km warm up, 11.2km interval, 0.8km cool down (53:30.14)
1. 6:18.77 (1:18.48),
2. 6:28.65 (1:17.77),
3. 6:25.41 (1:27.42),
4. 6:28.00 (1:28.59),
5. 6:33.11 (1:35.38),
6. 6:28.30 (1:30.80)
7. 6:40.37

Fri(28 May)

PM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Sat(29 May)

AM:

Plan : 35km@5:15

Actual: 15.1km@5:11

My legs just feel tired and my body was too lazy to run 35km. Maybe it was the round and round distances that made me gave up on doing 35km. For this route, I had to do 5 rounds of about 7km each. It was really a mental torture. Will try to do something else next week before I go on a holiday to Hong Kong from 11 to 16 June 2010.

5km-25:04.71, 7.55km-38:49.88(13:45.17), 11.75km-58:43.48(19:53.60), 14.25km-1:13:05.00(14:22.47), 15.1km-1:18:19.00(5:13.74) - 1:18:19.00

Sun(30 May)

AM:

Plan  : 35km@5:15

Actual: 21.8@5:11

Decided to attempt the 35km again the next day but legs are too tired to run and there is some pain on the top of the feet just 1cm above the middle toe. This pain has been around there for almost a week already. I am not sure what is the problem.

5km - 25:21.49, 7.55 km - 39:11.30 (13:49.81), 11.75km - 59:31.92 (20:20.62), 14.25km - 1:13:24.00 (13:52.42), 18.45 km - 1:34:04.00 (20:40.37), 20.95 - 1:48:17.00 (14:12.97), 21.8 - 1:53:07.00 (4:50.20) - 5:11min/km

Week 9 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-05-19T11:49:00.002+08:00

Training schedule for 9th Week.

Week Mileage

Plan : XX.Xkm

Actual: 56.2km

Mon(17 May)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual: Rest

Tue(18 May)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:30

Actual: Did not run due to unforseen events caused by my little naughty daughter.

Wed(19 May)

PM:

Plan : 11km@4:30
Actual: 11km@4:02
5.5km-23:04.25, 5.5km-21:23.85, 11km-44:28.10 (4:02min/km)

Thu(20 May)

PM:

Plan :

Actual: 16.7km@5:15
3.325km-16:28.22, 5km-24:56.25 (8:28.03), 9km-50:20.36 (25:24.11), 13km-1:09.58 (19:37.81), 15.7km-1:23:28.00 (13:30.25), 16.7km-1:27:48.00 (4:19.74) @ 5:15

Signed up for Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore for $38. It very cheap for a marathon.

Fri(21 May)

PM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Sat(22 May)

AM:

Plan : 30km@5:15

Actual: 28.5km@5:06
About the author of "Born To Run"
5km-24:36.68, 7.55km-38:02.40(13:25.72), 11.75km-58:00.04(19:57.64), 14.25km-1:11:32.00(13:32.60), 18.45km-1:31:46.00(20:13.65), 20.95km-1:45:40.00(13:54.59), 25.15km-2:06:34.00(20:53.30), 27.65 km-2:20:30.00(13:56.15), 28.50km-2:25:28.00(4:57.87) @ 5:06

Will attempt 35km next week.

Sun(23 May)

AM:

Plan  : 

Actual:

Week 8 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-05-11T09:07:00.009+08:00

Training schedule for 8th Week.

I have been feeling very lethargic recently, there are no motivations to wake up early to do my training, probably I am getting old. Sigh...so sad.

Week Mileage

Plan : 51.3km

Actual: 52.4km

Mon(10 May)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual: Rest

Tue(11 May)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:45

Actual: 8.4km@4:35
5km-22:46.92, 3.4km-15:50.32 (38:37.24-4:35)

Saw this article "Singapore schools to introduce barefoot running in PE classes", it will be interesting if my son who is currently in primary one start to do barefoot running like his dad. Hahaha

Wed(12 May)

PM:

Plan : 12.9km@5:00
Actual: 11km@4:18
5.5km-24:22.74, 5.5km-22:58.12,11km-47:20.86(4:18min/km)

Thu(13 May)

PM:

Plan : 8x800m

Actual: 5x1600m@Hougang Stadium 1830hrs.
5x1600m 1.6km warm up, 8km interval, 1.6km cool down
1. 6:06.16 (1:29.28),
2. 6:27.54 (1:31.42),
3. 6:31.14 (1:29.82),
4. 6:28.56 (1:59.82),
5. 6:34.76

Fri(14 May)

PM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Sat(15 May)

AM:

Plan : 30km@5:15

Actual: Rain & Lazy ...

Sun(16 May)

AM:

Plan  : 

Actual: 21.8km@4:59
5km - 24:38.27, 7.55 km - 37:56.82 (13:17.82), 11.75km - 57:31.82 (19:35.73), 14.25km - 1:10:42.00 (13:10.83), 18.45 km - 1:30:52.00 (20:10.19), 20.95 - 1:44:27.00 (13:35.00), 21.8 - 1:48:56.00 (4:28.87) - 4:59min/km

Week 7 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-05-04T13:26:00.008+08:00

Training schedule for 7th Week.

Week Mileage

Plan : 66.9km

Actual: 40.0km (so off my target!)

Mon(3 May)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:55
Actual: 8.4km@4:56
5km-24:16.32, 3.4km-17:15.89 (41:32.21-4:56)

Tue(4 May)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

Wed(5 May)

PM:

Plan : 12.9km@5:00
Actual: 11km@4:34
5.5km-24:59.32, 5.5km-25:17.12,11km-50:16.44(4:34min/km)

Thu(6 May)

PM:

Plan : 5.6km (JP Morgan)

Actual: 5.6km@4:19
Finished the race in 24:15 in the #110 position barefooted despite 2 cuts on my sole 5 days ago. I have to remove a stone stuck to my sole the next day after discovering it the next morning after the race.

A picture of me in action taken by my ex-coworker, thanks Pauline.

See the bandages, the wear and tear after the fast race.

The small little stone stuck to my sole and I have to use a pincer to take it out.

The hole on the sole left behind after taking out the small stone.

Fri(7 May)

PM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Sat(8 May)

AM:

Plan : 30km@5:15

Actual: 15.1km@5:19
Actually I had planned to do 30km but was so tired after doing 15km so I decided to give myself a break and will resume training on Tuesday. Time taken for the run is 1hr20mins.
5km - 25:42.63, 7.55 km - 39:43.92(14:01.29), 11.75km - 1:00:38.00(20:54.20), 14.25km - 1:15:08.00(14:30.16), 15.1 km - 1:20:10.00(5:02.70) - 1:20:10.00 @5:19

Sun(9 May)

AM:

Plan  : 10km@4:40

Actual: Rest
An interview on me by Sunday Times Life Section.

Week 6 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-04-27T10:05:00.009+08:00

Training schedule for 6th Week.

Week Mileage

Plan : 69.9km

Actual: 62.3km

Mon(26 Apr)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Tue(27 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 11km@4:30

Actual: 11km@4:21
5.5km-24:39.34, 5.5km-23:19.19, 11km-47:58.53(4:21min/km)

Wed(28 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 12.9km@5:00
Actual: 12.9km@4:47
Bedok Reservoir 3 rounds inner loop with my Vibram.
20:30.73,20:23.76(40:54.49),20:53.22(1:01:47.00) (4:47min/km).
I did this run at 12:20pm in the hot afternoon sun during my lunch break with an extended 1.5hrs off from work. This workout was supposed to test my endurance to the heat. The time and pace was very consistent but I did not managed to tell myself to go for another 4.3km to make it 17.2km due to the heat and weak mind. Anyway, it was a good rewarding run.

Thu(29 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 10x800m

Actual: 8.4km@4:55
5km-23:33.42, 3.4km-17:46.59 (41:20.01-4:55)
Stomachache for the last 3.4km, so cannot run too fast else I need to find a dark spot to do my business again in the early morning. Endured until I reach home to do my business.

Fri(30 Apr)

PM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Sat(1 May)

AM:

Plan : 28km@5:15

Actual: 30km@5:33
Did 30km from LPR to Zoo (2x Zoo loops) with Jason. On the way met a pair of brother who ran from MacRitchie to the zoo. One of the brother paced me from the seletar junction after I overtook them to the zoo. Was a great pace. The return journey was hell for me because one of my toe skin was torn by the huarache string but overall was still a good run
Total Time taken 2:46:01.00@5:33min/km

Sun(2 May)

AM:

Plan  : 10km@4:40

Actual: Did not run, went shopping again with family.

Week 5 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-04-19T11:22:00.008+08:00

Training schedule for 5th Week.

Week Mileage

Plan : 65.4km

Actual: 54.6km

Mon(19 Apr)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Tue(20 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:30

Actual: 8.4km@4:53
8.4km-41:45.10@4:53, 5km-24:23.87, 3.4km-17:21.23

Wed(21 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 11km@4:45
Actual: 17.2km@4:49
Bedok Reservoir 4 rounds inner loop with my Huarache.
21:27.93,20:54.58(42:22.51),20:21.44(1:02.43),20:14.31(1:22:58.00) (4:49min/km)

Thu(22 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 10x800m

Actual: 8km@6:41
I did not do my interval due to rain, I did threadmill in office instead. I am not sure if the threadmill in my office is calibrated? I knew that I was running quite fast as per normal speed on the road or track but the time taken for the distance was too slow. Why ???

Fri(23 Apr)

PM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Sat(24 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 28km@5:15

Actual: 21km@5:01
No determination to do 28km yet, maybe next week.

Sun(25 Apr)

AM:

Plan  : 10km@4:40

Actual: To lazy to run. Went shopping instead.

Week 4 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-04-12T16:44:00.004+08:00

Training schedule for 4th Week.

This is the fourth week and it seems my schedule is rather the same weeks after weeks. I shall make some changes this week onward.

Week Mileage

Plan : 63.8km

Actual: 58.6km

Mon(12 Apr)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Tue(13 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:30

Actual: Lazy to run

Wed(14 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 11km@4:45
Actual: 11km@4:29
5.5km-25:06.20,5.5km-24:18.92,11km-49:25.12(4:29min/km)

PM:

Plan : 13.2km@5:05

Actual: 12.9km@4:52
Bedok Reservior 3 rounds inner look with my Huarache.
4.3km-21:32.28,20:44.15,20:42.81-1:02:59.00 (4:52min/km)

Thu(15 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 8x800m

Actual: It was raining heavily.

Fri(16 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 12.9km@5:00
Actual: 12.9km@4:45
20:28.16,20:33.01,20:27.38-1:01:28.00 (4:45min/km)

Sat(17 Apr)

AM:

Plan :

Actual:

Sun(18 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 28km@5:15

Actual: 21.8km@5:02
5km-25:10.91, 7.55km-38:54.06(13:43.15), 11.75km-58:50.02(19:55.96), 14.25km-1:12:21.00(13:31.20), 18.45km-1:32:18.00(19:57.08), 20.95km-1:45:37.00(13:19.26), 21.8km-1:49:59.00(4:21.69)-5:02min/km

Week 3 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-04-05T09:34:00.008+08:00

Training schedule for 3rd Week.

Week Mileage

Plan : 56.4km

Actual: 56.6km

Mon(5 Apr)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Tue(6 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:45

Actual: 8.4km@4:34
5km-22:42.48,3.4km-15:46.33,11km-38:28.81

Wed(7 Apr)

PM:

Plan : 11km@5:00
Actual: 13.2km@4:47
Bedok Reservior 3 rounds inner and outer loop. 21:36.80, 20:47.33,20:45.92 (1:03:10.00-4:47min/km)

Thu(8 Apr)

PM:

Plan : Interval Training@Hougang Stadium

Actual: Have to postphone to take care of my sick baby girl.

Fri(9 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 10km@4:45
Actual: 11km@4:37
5.5km-25:33.02,5.5km-25:16.44,11km-50:49.46(4:37min/km)

Sat(10 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 25km@5:15

Actual: Back of the sole pain due to torn skin. Will rest to run on sunday.

Sun(11 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 25km@5:15

Actual: 24km@5:23
26:37.82,36:31.30(1:03:09.00),14:52.79(1:18:01.00),
21:45.23(1:39:47.00),13:47.12(1:53:34.00),
10:23.18(2:03:57.00),5:15.78(2:09:13.00)

Week 2 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-03-29T11:37:00.008+08:00

Training schedule for 2nd Week.

Week Mileage

Plan : 54.4km

Actual: 55.25km

Mon(29 Mar)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Tue(30 Mar)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:45

Actual: 8.4km@4:32

Wed(31 Mar)

AM:

Plan : 11km@5:00
Actual: To lazy to wake up to run.

PM:

Plan : Impromptu Run.
Actual: 13.2@4:55
3 rounds Bedok Reservior Barefooted in at time of 1:05:27.00 in the rain. Run part outer loop and part inner loop. One loop is about 4.4km.

Thu(1 Apr)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

Registered for Singapore Bay Run on the 12 Sep 2010 this morning after receiving a SMS from organizer about loyalty discount. It cost me only $25 for this race. :-)

Fri(2 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 25km@5:20
(Planning to do MacRitchie 2 rounds starting at Lower Pierce Reservoir with a friend. Meet at 5:30am Lower Pierce Carpark)

Actual: 16km@7:09
(Ran from LPR to MR25 route, intended to do 2 round MR25 but Jason was not in the condition to do the second round. The start of the run was in pitch darkness condition, we ran with touch light the the feeling of this run was rather exciting. I probably do another such run again. Though it was only 16km trail running, but I felt that it had the same effect of a 30km effort road run. Total time taken 1:54:25.00)

Sat(3 Apr)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

Sun(4 Apr)

AM:

Plan : 10km@4:30

Actual: 11km@4:19 (24:21.02, 23:09.40 - 47:30.46)

PM:

Plan : Impromptu Run.

Actual: 6.65km@4:45 (15:51.34, 15:25.06 - 31:17.40)

My running progress since July 2006. I am very happy to see my speed (min/km) trend is moving slowly downwards.

Week 1 of 14 (KLM10)

2010-03-22T11:41:00.008+08:00

This is the first week of my Standard Chartered KL Marathon training schedule. I will try to update my weekly schedule every monday so that you can understand what to do if you are following my training schedule as a reference.

Week Mileage

Plan : 50km

Actual: 50.4km

Mon(22 Mar)

AM:

Plan : Rest
Actual:

Tue(23 Mar)

AM:

Plan : 8.4km@4:45

Actual: 8.4km@4:34

Wed(24 Mar)

AM:

Plan : 11km@5:00
Actual: Overslept!

Thu(25 Mar)

AM:

Plan : 10km@4:50

Actual: 11km@4:09

PM:

Plan : 10km@5:00

Actual: 10km@5:16

Fri(26 Mar)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

Sat(27 Mar)

AM:

Plan : 21.8km@5:15

Actual: 21.8km@5:11

Sun(28 Mar)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

KL Marathon, here I come

2010-03-20T08:21:00.000+08:00

Just signed up for KL Marathon yesterday on my birthday after obtaining permission from wifey. It will be my first oversea race and it is going to be whole new experience for me.

Marathon training shall starts next week with 14 weeks left for training. I think that is sufficient for another sub 4 barefoot marathon.

SAFRA Tampines Run

2010-03-10T09:13:00.000+08:00

I had decided to join the SAFRA Tampines Running Club run yesterday to meet up with the guys there since I had not been running with them for a while.

Sam was the trainer for the night and his plan was to do stairs climbing circuit followed by a run roughly around 800m. The circuit training took place at the new privately design and build flats at Tampines New Town near the centre.

The workout plan were (4 repeats)
1. Run 800m round the estate.
2. Climb 17 levels.
3. Do some static circuit.

It was not that tough for me for stairs climbing because I have been doing stairs climbing everyday at my office for nearly 3 years. My office is at 6th level but is equivalent to 8 levels because it is the factory type and hence higher per level.

It was a nice introduction workout for me and I think I can implement it in my personal daily workout around my home.

Barefoot Beach Run @ (Punggol)

2010-03-08T10:18:00.002+08:00

I did a beach run from home to Punggol beach on 6 March 10 after my wife birthday celebration lunch. The run started at 5pm and end around 6:20pm with a distance of about 13.5km.

The journey from home to the beach was fine, the beach run felt good and I explored into the new park connector towards Punggol Marina. The connector was under construction and hence there were many pebbles and stones on the surface. I could not run any faster than a slow jog. The journey back home was slightly tough as I had stepped on too many pebbles and the soles were beginning to get painful. Total time taken was 1:12:33.00 with a speed of 5:22min/km.

The pain disappeared after a night rest.

Here is the route

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/singapore/-singapore/791126801399176595"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;SK_Punggol_Beach_13.5km&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/singapore/-singapore"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

No commitment to train.

2010-03-03T13:43:00.000+08:00

I have not been training religiously like before due to the hot weather and lack of commitment.

Hot weather - Singapore is experiencing the hottest weather. (A new record has been set: February was the driest month ever for Singapore in 140 years.) Whenever I woke up in the early morning, I was perspiring and thus I gave myself excuses not to go for a run.

Lack of commitment - I have not sign up for any race up to now due to the increasing registration fees so I have no aim and thus no commitment to train.

What should I do to bring back my determination and commitment to train?

Neighbouring Barefoot Runner (In Malaysia)

2010-03-01T13:06:00.000+08:00

Stumbled across an article on Barefoot Runners in Malaysia (Loping Barefoot), it seems that there is a growing interest in barefoot running.

I like this statement - “It may work for one person but not another.”

Mini Biathlon (1.5km swim - 7km run)

2010-02-26T08:40:00.000+08:00

I did a mini-biathon yesterday with a 1.5km swim and 7km run starting a 15:30hrs under the hot sun at Safra Tampines. I have not been swimming for at least the past 6 months and this was the first time I swim 1.5km after a long break. The swim was easy with a time of 33:52.74 (1st km 21.53.27km, next 0.5km - 11:59.49). My swim timing had drop quite a bit as my peak for 1.5km swim was around 29min.

After the swim, it was about 16:00hrs and the sun was hot and road surface was even hotter. I had planned to run 10km at Temasek Poly with a short warm-up run from SAFRA Tampines to Temasek Poky track. The track surface was "hot hot hot", I managed to run 5km on the track with a 5min/km timing (25:03.96) and back to SAFRA as a cool-down run all barefooted.

Total run distance was about 7km and total time taken was 1hr 6 min.

New Material For My Huarache

2010-02-23T17:39:00.001+08:00

I picked up a dis-used carpet sheet in the middle of the road yesterday while waiting for the traffic light to turn green as I figured out that I can use it to make the sole of my huarache. (ps: was riding a bike and I can pick up with ease, in case you are wondering how I can pick it up)

I will be making a new pair of huarche using carpet this time. Stay tune for the pictures.

Edited on 2010-02-26: Did not have the time to make this yet, will try to do so when I am free.

This is my foot print.

Yeah, I have recovered.

2010-02-23T14:30:00.002+08:00

Recovered! (Self-healed) Will be starting my normal training tomorrow.

If I can spare 2 to 3 hours off tomorrow afternoon, I am thinking of doing my round Singapore Nature Reserve run starting from Lower Pierce Reservoir tomorrow. Anyone interested to join me?

Edited on 2010-02-26: Did not have time to do such a run, will plan it next month.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/singapore/-singapore/622126541982345344"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;LowerPierce_BukiTimah_Zoo_24.5km&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/singapore/-singapore"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

What is a bruised heel?

2010-02-12T09:23:00.001+08:00

What is a bruised heel?

A bruised heel can be caused by either a sudden impact (such as landing heavily) or repetitive pounding. The heel bone (calcaneus) is protected by a pad of fat. Repeated pounding of the heel can cause the fat pad to be pushed up the side of the heel leaving less of a protective layer causing heel pain. This injury is also sometimes known as Policeman's heel. It is common in sports requiring a lot of impact onto the heel and in particular soldiers marching up and down on the parade square.

From Barefoot

In a bruised heel, the fat pad is compressed and pushed up the side of the foot leaving far less protection for the heel bone.

What can the athlete do about heel pain?

Rest until there is no more heel pain
Pad the heel of shoes with a shock absorbing insole or heel pad
Replace running shoes if they are old (more than 400 miles of running) or the soles are weakened through use

Treatment

A sports injury professional will confirm the diagnosis
Advise on insoles (orthotics) or heel pads to protect the fat pad in the heel
Tape the heel to provide pain relief and compress the soft tissue under the heel giving more protection to the bone

How long will it take to recover?

If you catch heel pain early and rest then it should recover quite quickly - within a few days. If you ignore the first onset of pain and the fat pad gets damaged beyond easy repair then this is a very difficult injury to treat. Rest means rest. There is no point you stopping running for a week if you put up scaffolding for a living and are on your feet every day. If you have to be on your feet then ensure you put a shock absorbing and cushioning heel insert into your shoes.

source of information.

I am currently having this problem on my right foot. I guessed what I needed most now is to rest and enjoy my Chinese New Year. I will probably start to swim again.

Lower Pierce Resevoir to Bukit Timah Hill Nature Reserve

2010-02-06T09:08:00.002+08:00

Did another huarache run yesterday from Lower Pierce Reservoir to Bukit Timah Hill Reserve. The distance was about 18km. I spent about 1:59:15.00 doing this run.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/singapore/-singapore/431126541769236565"&amp;gt;LowerPierce_BukitTimh_18km&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/singapore/-singapore"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

I am looking forward to do this run in the near future, anyone interested to join me?

LowerPierce_BukiTimah_Zoo_24.5km
Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore

RAZORTV's Interview

2010-02-05T04:51:00.004+08:00

I was interviewed by RAZORTV on 30th Jan 2010 and it was telecast on 4 Feb 2010. Here's the content.

RAZORTV's site

Part 1.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Pain at the sole around the base of the heel

2010-02-02T10:56:00.001+08:00

I did 11km this morning at 4:15am with a time of 46:51.00 (4:15min/km), it was considered a reasonable good timing despite having minor pain at the sole around the base of the right heel.

This pain has been around since last Tuesday when I did my runs at Bedok and MacRitchie reservoirs testing out my self-made huarache. I believed it was caused by stepping on huge stones during the Sunday morning MacRitchie run on the 24th Jan 2010 as I could not see the route due to morning darkness at 6:30am in the forest.

I have no remedy for this pain and probably will run less and slower this week for it to self recover.

SK_TampRd_HG_SK_11km
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Ran a new route with WiKhiang (28 Jan 2010)

2010-02-01T09:45:00.000+08:00

Ran a new route with WiKhiang on 28th Jan 2010 followed by 2 rounds around the track. Total distance is 7km + 0.8km = 7.8km

No timing take as it was suppose to be an easy run and to introduce WiKhiang to run outside the stadium.

Hougang_PCN_PonggolPark_7km
Find more Runs in Hougang, Singapore

MacRitchie Huarache Run

2010-01-27T21:49:00.004+08:00

Went MacRitchie this afternoon for another Huarache Run after doing some household chores for my mum. In fact, I just did 13km (3x) Bedok Reservoir yesterday evening at 4:15pm It took me 1hr 4 mins for approximately 12.9km.

Today MacRitchie run was planned to test out my endurance with the huarache for continuous 2 days run with it. It seem that the strings on my huarache are going to give way soon, will have to make new strings.

As today was another easy run, I brought my mobile camera along and make it a picture taking running session on my huarache starting at 2:30pm in the hot afternoon and ended at 4:15pm. It was really fun because I get to see and walk the HSBC Tree Top walk all by myself. I think I covered approximately 11km today.

Below are the pictures I took this afternoon.

From LipSeng_27012010_Huarache_Run

View all

Get your own

My Old Webshots Photos

2010-01-26T15:27:00.004+08:00

Found my old webshots link, Isaac is so small and cute.

lspua

	US-West Coast1
	US-West Coast2
	US-West Coast3
	Isaac 1
	Isaac 2
	Isaac 3
	Isaac 4
	Isaac 5

Huarache Run at MacRitchie Reservoir

2010-01-25T09:31:00.003+08:00

I brought my self made Huarache to MacRitchie reservoir for a test run on 24th Jan 2010. I started the run at 6:30am which was still quite pitch dark in the MacRitchie forest. It was quite scary running alone, I will probably try to get a head light for future runs.

The Huarache did not give me any problem for the whole 12.4km, it was a comfortable easy run. I even did the hills from the Singapore Island Country Club toward the Upper Pierce reservoir dam. The hills was tough in the jungle, felt like giving up half way through. I heard quite a few comments along the way, people were saying "Hey, he has no shoes!", "What kind of shoe is that?", etc.

I was rather happy and glad I did this run to prove to myself that with the Huarache, I can do a better timing. About 6 months ago, I did a similar route at MacRitchie reservoir barefooted (raw), it took me 2 hrs to do 10km then. Now it took me 1hr 18min to cover 12.4km with a rather easy pace.

Here is the route I took on Sunday (24 Jan 10) morning and I will be doing this more often to prepare for MR25 Cross Country Marathon and North Face 2010.

MacRitchie 12.4km Route



From Huarache

Interval Training at Hougang Stadium 21 Jan 10

2010-01-22T09:43:00.000+08:00

Interval training at Hougang Stadium yesterday again

My workout for yesterday are
1.2km warm-up, 4x1.6km, 2.4km warm-down.

Timing for 4x1.6km
1. 6:11.02 (2:12.74)
2. 6:28.36 (2:05.49)
3. 6:24.51 (2:11.48)
4. 6:27.86

2.4km - Ran with WiKhiang to encourage him to do 25 rounds. Yes! Wi Khiang can do 10km after 9 months of running.

My New Shoe (A Taruhumara Huarache)

2010-01-17T22:27:00.007+08:00

My new shoe which is
1. Almost zero weight.
2. cost me SGD$ 0
3. and made from recycled items (Go Green).


This is the back of the soles of a spoilt shoe from my coworker.	Top of the sole. I have even it flat.

After the string are attached to the sole. I made the string myself using 3 strands of thinner string.	Look like a lady open top shoe.

Back of the sole. I tied a knot using a method I learnt from the web. Will post the picture when I am free.

~~Will do a short test run tomorrow morning. --- Did not have the chance to go for the run, will update as soon as I can do a run with it.~~

Did a 8.4km easy run with my new huarache this morning (19 Jan 2010) at 4:30am with a time of 43:43.77 (5:12min/km). The feeling while running with it was the same as when I was barefooted just that I was more protected on my soles. Initially after about 1.5km, my feet feel tight so I stopped to loosen the thightness and continued easily for the rest of the run.

There was no blister or redness on my feet as I wore toe socks to prevent them. I will contniue to get use to my new huarache until I can do my MR25 cross country marathon on 13 Jun 2010.

:-)

Interval Training at Hougang Stadium 14 Jan 10

2010-01-15T09:07:00.001+08:00

Yes! I have started my interval training at Hougang Stadium yesterday. I will be making this a regular workout at Hougang Stadium on every thursday evening from 6:20pm to 8:00pm. You are welcome to join me.

My workout for yesterday are
1.6km warm-up, 3x1.6km, 3.2km warm-down.

Timing for 3x1.6km
1. 6:03.83 (2:30.74)
2. 6:34.69 (2:12.34)
3. 6:30.72

3.2km (22:08.34) - Ran with WiKhiang to encourage him to do 22 rounds.

Total time: 46:00.66

What's next for next week interval? Still thinking. Maybe 3x3.2km, 1x1.6km (6mins)

My Target Training Plan (15 weeks before a marathon)

2010-01-14T11:00:00.000+08:00

Strengthening phase	Maintain mileage base with further long runs, building on the fartlek sessions and adding in some hill work.
Sharpening phase	Faster speed work, final push with long runs.
Tapering phase	Lower mileage, rest and mental preparation

WEEK	MON	TUES	WEDS	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOTAL
1	8km easy	8km steady	10km slow	6.4km slow	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km steady	16km slow	62km
2	8km easy	1.6km easy, 5km fast, 1.6km easy	11km slow	3x3.2km fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	10km steady	20km slow	73.2km
3	8km easy	10km steady	11km slow	3x3.2km fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	15km steady hilly run	22km slow	82km
4	8km easy	1.6km easy, 5km fast, 1.6km easy	15km slow	8x800m fast	6.4km easy	6.4km easy (or rest)	10km race (sub 38mins)	60.4km
5	8km easy	1.6km easy, 6.4km fast, 1.6km easy	15km slow	15km fartlek	6.4km easy (or rest)	10km steady	25km slow	71.4km
6	8km easy	12km steady	15km slow	12x400m fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km steady x-country or race	30km slow	84.2km
7	8km easy	15km steady	16km slow	12x200m hills	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km easy	32km steady	87.8km
8	Rest	1.6km easy, 5km fast, 1.6km easy	18km slow	12x60s fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km easy	24km steady (or half marathon race)	77.4km
9	Rest	16km steady	15km slow	16x200m fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km easy	35km slow	83.6km
10	8km easy	1.6km easy, 6.4km fast, 1.6km easy	16km slow	3x3.2km fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	5km easy	Half marathon (sub 1:23)	75.7km
11	8km easy	20km steady	11km slow	15km fartlek	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km easy	32km slow	100km
12	8km easy	1.6km easy, 8km fast, 1.6km easy	15km slow	6x1.6km fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km easy	36km slow	94.2km
13	8km easy	1.6km easy, 5km fast, 1.6km easy	11km slow	8x800m fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km easy	20km slow	68km
14	8km easy	1.6km easy, 5km fast, 1.6km easy	10km slow	8x400m fast	6.4km easy (or rest)	8km easy	21km slow	64.8km
15	8km easy	Rest	6.4km slow	8x400m fast	Rest	3.2km easy	RACE DAY!	64.8km

Sub 3 Principle

2010-01-13T15:52:00.000+08:00

THE sub3 Principle

6 Minute Mile Speed
3:45 min/km Speed

Distance work is critical for successful marathoning at any level, but leg turnover is required if you are to improve your marathon time.

For sub3 marathoning, your ability to run 6 minute miles is a MUST. Whether it's repeats on the track or accelerations during a workout, running a 6 minute mile everyday is your goal.

Not literally (but that would be OK too); just get in 42 minutes of weekly running at 6:00 pace.

A new route and a new run time

2010-01-13T09:01:00.002+08:00

Did a new route and a new starting run time today.

What do I mean by a new route? Isn't it obvious?

What do I mean by new starting run time? I normally wake up at 4am and start my run at about 4:15am, I did a change today to wake up at 6am and do my run at 6:15am instead.

My new route is mapped here and the distance is 6.45km. It was an easy run with a time of 32:11 (i.e 4:59min/km). The differences in today run was I saw alot of people running in Ponggol Park compared to my usual run at 4:15am where I did not get to see any living sole.

Will try to do more of such relax run so as not to stress myself mentally and legs physically.

SK_PonggolParkx2
Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore

A good 8.4km run (my usual route)

2010-01-12T08:54:00.000+08:00

Did a good 8.4km run this morning with a time of 37:04. This is not my PB (PB is 35:08 clocked in 21 July 09) but I am very happy because it was an easy run. I guessed my performance has improved tremendously over the months that I have been running barefooted.

I remembered when I last clocked my PB, my sole will be hot and painful, but today my sole was perfectly fine after the run.

Here is the route My favourite route (8.4km)

I am planning to train for 84km even though I have not or cannot register for Sundown marathon. I hope if anyone wants to give up his slot will pass it over to me if possible. If not I will just train and do my own barefoot ultra marathon on the same night as Sundown. (maybe I can organise a 84km ultra for those who missed the registration date)

I am so happy for a PB for my 11km run today

2010-01-08T10:27:00.000+08:00

I am so happy today that I have achieved a Personal Best (PB) for my usual 11km route with a timing of 45:01.26, that was 4:05min/km, early in the morning at 4:15am.

After the run, I asked myself why I achieved such timing with so lack of training from last month to month. I ran about 2 or 3 times a week and each run will be eithe 8.4km or 11km. The only answer I have for this achievement is I am well rested.

Sundown Marathon ???

2010-01-05T17:45:00.003+08:00

I had decided to sign up for 84km Sundown marathon today but when I was trying to register for the event, I discovered that 84km and 42km Men's Open slots were closed. Are there really that many Ultra-marathoners and 42km marathoners in Singapore?

Are these people really serious running a marathon? If running or said walking 84km ultra-marathon in a time of 15 hours and above and 42km marathon in a time of 6 hours and above really an achievement?

:-(

PS: I was seriously thinking about this race as I needed time to train (barefoot) therefore it took me so long to decide.

Relax Period

2009-12-21T20:59:00.000+08:00

I am now in the relax mode and have not been training seriously. I run about twice a week after the SCSM09 as I figured out that this is the only period that I can take a break. I am not doing this year end MR25 ultra because my work load have increased tremenously after the SCSM09. I have been working overtime everyday since the 8 Dec 09 including Saturday and Sunday. I can forseen this is going to continue until early January 2010.

I will be planning what races to take part for 2010 in January. The ones that I will not miss are
1. Army Half Marathon
2. SCSM 2010
3. NUS Biathlon (if it is organised)
4. POSBkid run (if it is still held in SengKang like last year because it is just beside my house)

The ones that I have confirmed giving it a miss
1. Singapore Biathlon (too expensive and I voicing out my displeasure by boycotting this event. BTW, the organiser called me twice to sign up but I rejected them by telling them it is too expensive.)
2. Aviva 70.3 (too expensive)

If you are reading my post and have some good races to recommend, please do let me know.

And "Yes", I will continue to do all my run in my barefoot.

:-)

Race review for SCSM09

2009-12-08T13:27:00.004+08:00

I have earned the title : "I am a barefoot marathoner!"

I woke up at 3am on the 6th Dec 09 morning in preparation for the race that I have been preparing for 14 weeks, yes 14 weeks of hard work!

Drove and parked at city hall at around 4am (parking cost me $8 from 4am to 11am). Met up with Jason Leong (I seem to have alot of friends whose name is Jason) and we proceeded to the usual meeting place with the Animiles. This year, the Animiles numbers had drop significantly probably due to Ankor Wat marathon happening on the same day and WAIM on saturday. After a short chit-chat with Steven and the gang, Jason and me went over to the start point.

The race started at about 5:30am and my game plan was to maintain 5:00 min/km pace for 30km and the rest of the journey will depend on my sole condition. Everything went smoothly as per planned and on the way I was met with many stares, questions and encouragement. The road surface condition was fine except the part alone East Coast service road. This part of the road seriously needs some resurfacing as the tarmac are gone leaving behind sharp granite on the road. I ran on the white painted lines for this part of the route.

After the U-turn and sailing club, everything was fine and I was going strong. When I reached Fort Road (about 30km mark), again the surface of the road was terrible. It slowed me down and from then on I could not maintain a 5:00 min/km pace. The merging of the 21km and 10km slower runners did not really matter to me since I cannot run any faster due to hot and soreness on my sole, but I was still very happy that I could overtake alot of these runners.

My leg muscles did not cramp after coming to 36 - 38km mark (which normally do), I continued to run on at about near between 6 min/km to 7min/km pace from 40km onward till the end with a finishing time of 3hr 40min.

Did I forget to mention that I breathe using nose method only for the first 40km, I used my mouth to breathe only for the last 2 km because of the lack of oxygen and tireness. I used nose breathing method for this race was because I can maintain a more consistent pace using this method. I wondered how it will be like if I breathe through my mouth for running now since I have changed this habit for about 4 months.

It was so disappointing that my timing was not captured in Runpix, I believed it must be the disposable timing chip problem because I used a ankle chip strap (used for triathlon) to put my timing chip instead of shoe because I don't have any shoe. The disposable timing chip seems more unreliable compared to the original champion chip. I used the same method for Army Half Marathon in August 09 and it worked fine.

I don't have any official timing, but the unofficial timing should be 3:40 as there were 2 other runners who crossed the finished line with me.

Belows are some of my pictures.

Week 14 of 14 (SCSM09)

2009-11-30T09:13:00.007+08:00

The last week out of 14 week SCSM09 training.
It's show time!

Weekly Mileage

Plan : 69.595 km
Actual: 69.495 km

Mon(30 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual: Rest 

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Tue(1 Dec)

AM:

Plan  : 11.0km @ 5:00

Actual: 11.0km @ 4:16 (47:04.91)

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual: Rest

Wed(2 Dec)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual: 

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual: 

Thu(3 Dec)

AM:

Plan  : 8.4km @ 4:45

Actual: 8.3km or 8.4km @ 4:51 (40:18) 

I used my Nokia N82 with the Nokia Sports Tracker for the time first today since I subscribed to Singtel Broadband on mobile on the 1st Dec 2009 with a 24 months contract at a price of $9.95/mth.  The data was capture by GPS and the information can be uploaded to internet immediately after the run. It was so cool and I will use this for my new routes.  

The distance captured using GPS and using MapMyRun differed by 100m.  I wondered which is more accurate?

PM:

Plan  :

Actual:

Fri(4 Dec)

AM:

Plan : 8km @ 5:00

Actual:

PM:

Plan : Rest

Actual: 8km @ 4:50 (38:47.98)
4km-19:51.61,4km-18:56.37
I did this run at NUS track after collecting my teamNUS singlet and I will probably be wearing it for this Sunday SCSM09 run.

Sat(5 Dec)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Sun(6 Dec)

AM: 

Plan  : 5:30am (SCSM09) 42.195km. Sub 4 hours

Actual: 42.195km @ 5:13 (3:40:47.00 - Unofficial Timing)

I am very happy that I have achieved a sub 4 timing for my first barefoot marathon.  I shall write my race report another day as I am sleepy now but I shall put my split time before I forget about it.

10km - 50:09.14

20km - 1:38:03.00 (47:54.27)

21km - 1:43:03.00 ( 5:00.33)

30km - 2:27:12.00 (44:08.41)

37km - 3:07:21.00 (40:09.51)

38km - 3:13:13.00 ( 5:51.68)

40km - 3:27:00.00 (13:47.60)

41km - 3:33:51.00 ( 6:50.12)

42km - 3:40:47.00 ( 6:56.55)

As you can see that my timing got slower and slower after the 30km mark, it was because the surface of the road for the route was quite bad.  Most of the surface tarmac had been washed away leaving behind sharp granite on the road.  I think LTA should resurface the road for the marathon route.

Anyway, below are some pictures for today race.

Before the start of my race.

Blister form on the right sole after 42km.

Left sole is alright without any scratches.

Met an uncle who ran barefoot for the half marathon.

A closer look at my right sole blister. Actually it is not painful.

A closer look at my right sole blister.

A closer look at my left sole blister.

Look at the veins on my feet.

PR's:

5k 19:27 (21/7/09), 10k 42:32 (1/3/09), Half 1:38:35 (16/8/09 Barefooted),

Full 3:34:40 (2/12/07), Aviva Ironman 5:59:00 (22/3/09) .

Flat Foot (pes planus) or High arched foot (pes cavus)

2009-11-30T08:58:00.007+08:00

Are aches and pain in your lower back, knees and feet preventing you from pursuing the active life style that you had always dreamed of?These could be due to structural problems such as flat feet or high arched feet.

Flat Foot (pes planus) is a condition where the arch of the foot is flat or very close to the ground. Having flat feet does not necessarily mean you are disabled or have a serious condition, it just means your body may not cope so well with activities that put extra stress and strain on your body and feet. People with flat feet tend to experience pain in the heels and arches of the feet and the inner part of the ankle, shin and knee.

High arched foot ( pes cavus) is a condition where the arch of the foot is very pronounced. Feet with this structure is very rigid and not efficient in absorbing the shock produced by our every step. People with high arched feet are more prone to pain in the heel and balls of the feet, the outer part of the ankle as well as the knee. They are also more susceptible to hair line stress fractures in the shin bone.

These mal-alignments may also manifest as painful corns and calluses under your feet.

Visit a Podiatrist as soon as possible if you experience pain in your feet. A good podiatrist will be able to diagnose your foot problem and prescribe the appropriate insoles or foot orthotic device for you. He will be able to remove your corns and calluses as well as prescribe stretches and exercises to get you back on your feet in no time!

Week 13 of 14 (SCSM09)

2009-11-23T09:52:00.014+08:00

The thirteen week out of 14 week SCSM09 training.

It's tapering time !! This week schedule is tapering and my mileage will be dropping. My longest distance will be 21km or maybe 16km.

Here are some pictures of my barefoot taken by my son.

Weekly Mileage

Plan : 60.4 km
Actual: 72.6 km

Mon(23 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : 11km @ 4:30

Actual: 11km @ 4:21 (47:51.80)

PM:

Plan  : 10km @ 5:10

Actual: 8.4km @ 4:44 (39:49.76)

5km - 23:22.18, 3.5km - 16:18.58

Tue(24 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Wed(25 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : 8.4km @ 4:45

Actual: 8.4km @ 4:44 (39:52.66)

3.5km - 17:30.71, 5km - 22:21.95 (Reverse direction)

PM:

Plan  : Gym workout

Actual: 15.0km @ 5:08 (1:17:10.00)

1x4.3km Bedok Reservoir and 25 rounds (10km) Temasek Poly Track.

3.5km - 20:41.10, 10km (25 rounds) - 48:48.01, 1.5 - 7:41.32

Thu(26 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

PM:

Plan  : 10km @ 5:00

Actual: 8km @ 5:00 (40:00.00)

20 rounds Hougang Stadium Track.

Fri(27 Nov)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

PM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

Sat(28 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : 21km @ 5:10
Actual: 21.8km Steady @ 4:58
5     km -   25:20.18, 
7.55  km -   38:45.34 (13:25.16), 
11.75 km -   57:59.40 (19:14.06), 
14.25 km - 1:11:11.00 (13:11.98), 
18.45 km - 1:31:15.00 (20:04.37), 
20.95 km - 1:44:26.00 (13:10.56), 
21.80 km - 1:48:25.00 ( 3:58.81)

Did today run without the vibram. It was an easy paced run using nose breathing method and my soles were not sore and pain at all.


This is how my right sole looks like immediately after this 21.8km run.

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Sun(29 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

PR's:

5k 19:27 (21/7/09), 10k 42:32 (1/3/09), Half 1:38:35 (16/8/09 Barefooted),

Full 3:34:40 (2/12/07), Aviva Ironman 5:59:00 (22/3/09) .

Week 12 of 14 (SCSM09)

2009-11-16T08:57:00.034+08:00

Running shoes do not absorb impact, they mask pain. Changing the way we were meant to stride, while removing our ability to feel the surface we are running on, modern running shoes cause injury, they don’t prevent it.

The twelfth week out of 14 week SCSM09 training.

This week training should not be very much different from last week. After this week, I will be tapering down in preparation for the real race on 6 Dec 2009.

I might add in an additional 10km run in the middle of the week for fun. :-)

Week Mileage

Plan : 78.2 km
Actual: 65.2 km

Mon(16 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

PM:

Plan  : 10km @ 5:00

Actual: 14.8 @ 5:16 (1:17:59.00)

2x4.3km + 5.5km (TP outer loop) - Bedok Reservior

4.3km - 23:33.48,

2.8km - 15:27.14,

6.0km - 31:07.28,

1.6km -  7:51.80

Tue(17 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : 8.4km @ 4:45

Actual: Rest

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Wed(18 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : 11km @ 5:00

Actual: 11km @ 4:20 (47:40.98)

5.5km - 24:23.08, 5.5km - 23:17.90

PM:

Plan  : Gym and Weight strengthening exercise

Actual: 1.2km wu, 18x400m (7.2km) @ 5:10 (37:14.36)

Went TP do add more mileage as it was raining lightly.  Initially, I intended to do 25 rounds but at the 18th round, I had stomachache and I was running out of time as I must get back home as soon as possible else wifey will start to complain about me spending too much time on running and not helping out taking care of the children.  Anyway, this was an additional mileage run, so I don't really feel any regrets.

Thu(19 Nov)

AM:

Plan  :

Actual: 

PM:

Plan  : 1.2km wu, 7x1600m@6:20~6:45(11.2km), 1.2km wd

Change of plan, will be doing the last long run tonight at midnight with Jason Leong using this route 35.6km.

Actual: 31km @ 6:07min/km (3:09:59.00)

At F2 - 1:41:50.00, F2 - Espanade - 1:28:09.00

Jason and me started our SCSM09 familiarization run at about 11:15pm.  We ran this route instead of the pre-planned.  It was because we felt tired and hungry when doing the return trip.  It was a slow and easy run and I was quite satisfied with this run.  Our run ended at about 2:45am and I reached home at about 3:15am.  Fall alseep at about 3:45am.

Fri(20 Nov)

AM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

PM:

Plan : Rest

Actual:

Sat(21 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : 10km @ 5:00

Actual: Rest

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Sun(22 Nov)

AM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Had been feeling lazy after Thursday mid-night run.  I decided to give myself some rest and will start running again on Monday.

PM:

Plan  : Rest

Actual:

Side track abit, I got this email from a co-worker and I find it very true. If you know how to read chinese, please read.

這位先生是香港一位名電臺節目主持人. 也是一位兒童心理學導師.這是爸爸寫給兒子的信, 但看後, 我覺得不只給兒子, 其實可以適合所有人看!

我兒:

寫這備忘錄給你，基於三個原則：

(一）人生福禍無常，誰也不知可以活多久，有些事情還是早一點說好。

(二）我是你的父親，我不跟你說，沒有人會跟你說。

(三）這備忘錄裏記載的，都是我經過慘痛失敗得回來的體驗，可以為你的成長省回不少冤枉路。

以下，便是你在人生中要好好記住的事：

（一）對你不好的人，你不要太介懷，在你一生中，沒有人有義務要對你好，除了我和你媽媽。至於那些對你好的人，你除了要珍惜、感恩外，也請多防備一點，因為，每個人做每件事，總有一個原因，他對你好，未必真的是因為喜歡你，請你必須搞清楚，而不必太快將對方看作真朋友。

（二）沒有人是不可代替，沒有東西是必須擁有。看透了這一點，將來你身邊的人不再要你，或許失去了世間上最愛的一切時，也應該明白，這並不是甚麼大不了的事。

（三）生命是短暫的，今日你還在浪費著生命，明日會發覺生命已遠離你了。因此，愈早珍惜生命，你享受生命的日子也愈多，與其盼望長壽，倒不如早點享受。

（四）世界上並沒有最愛這回事，愛情只是一種霎時的感覺，而這感覺絕對會隨時日、心境而改變。如果你的所謂最愛離開你，請耐心地等候一下，讓時日慢慢沖洗，讓心靈慢慢沉澱，你的苦就會慢慢淡化。不要過分憧憬愛情的美，不要過分誇大失戀的悲。

（五）雖然，很多有成就的人士都有受過很多教育，但並不等如不用功讀書，就一定可以成功。你學到的知識，就是你擁有的武器。人，可以白手興家，但不可以手無寸鐵，緊記！

（六）我不會要求你供養我下半輩子，同樣地我也不會供養你的下半輩子，當你長大到可以獨立的時候，我的責任已經完結。以後，你要坐巴士還是Benz，吃魚翅還是粉絲，都要自己負責。

（七）你可以要求自己守信，但不能要求別人守信，你可以要求自己對人好，但不能期待人家對你好。你怎樣對人，並不代表人家就會怎樣對你，如果看不透這一點，你只會徒添不必要的煩惱。

（八）我買了十多二十年六合彩，還是一窮二白，連三獎也沒有中，這證明人要發達，還是要努力工作才可以，世界上並沒有免費午餐。

（九）親人只有一次的緣份，無論這輩子我和你會相處多久，也請好好珍惜共聚的時光，下輩子，無論愛與不愛，都不會再見。

你的爸爸

I am thinking of bringing this shoe to SCSM09 in case I need it after 30km.

My favourite bird which is almost 18 years old now.

PR's:

5k 19:27 (21/7/09), 10k 42:32 (1/3/09), Half 1:38:35 (16/8/09 Barefooted),

Full 3:34:40 (2/12/07), Aviva Ironman 5:59:00 (22/3/09) .