project growing fat
During yesterday’s evening run I saw a very beautiful sunset over Henderson Wave. Red skies glowing amidst soft and hard scapes… While in awe of nature’s beauty, it occurred to me perhaps I have been running too fast or rather too hard to notice many things around me. Like it’s possible to race through whole of Paris and miss Eiffel Tower?
I did not feel as good physically as my mental state of mind in the run. The legs felt heavy and were tight throughout the whole run. Guess I can only conclude it’s withdrawal symptoms from running a lot lesser in the past 2 to 3 weeks after Boston. I took every run easy since I came back; ran at different places with different people. The longest run was attempted last Saturday night in the crowded city area and so ran at a very easy pace. Somehow my legs still feel tired at every run, I guess it’s probably more of the mind playing a trick on me. Or maybe the additional weight I’m carrying makes it harder to run!
Anyway, it has been a good mental break these few weeks – project growing fat has to stop soon…I shall try to resume some track work next Wednesday. 
2012 Boston Marathon
I have a lot of difficulty starting on this race report because it is hard to describe how I feel about the marathon. The result was far from what I had hoped for but the weather conditions were beyond my control. However, since the blog was started for this reason, I have to complete the project don’t I? 
When I was checking on the weather forecast for 16 April a week before, I thought that there must be a mistake or there would be fluctuations in the prediction as the date drew closer. Boston was supposed to be cold at this point in time, how could the temperature hit 30 degree? I continued to assume so until when I was on the flight to NYC, I started receiving emails from BAA warning about the hot weather and runners were allowed to defer their qualification of Boston Marathon to the following year. Dawned on me that the hot weather was for real and it did not help that the race was going to start only at 10:20. Well I was still hoping that the temperature would be cooling at the start and climb only in the later part of the race…
It was cooling when we woke up and prepared to head to the start point at about 7am. After Joe dropped us off to proceed to the athlete’s village by their official shuttle bus, the excitement built up and we discussed a little about how we could probably raced given the terrain of Boston. WL’s race would start earlier at 10am as he was in wave 1 (according to his qualifying time) while we are all in wave 2. The weather worried me a lot but I tried to be positive about it, afterall we come from a tropical climate – surely that would make a difference?
WL bade us good luck and proceeded to the start line after a few shots with the official photographers (found everywhere in the athlete’s village). We tried to hide in the shade while waiting for our turn, by then sun was scorching. Anyways, we bought a cooling towel from the expo the day before which was really helpful in the race. Because the weather was so warm, we drank a lot of Gatorade and water to hydrate ourselves and of course visited the porta-john many times (lost count). After the third or forth one nearby the start line, we did some dynamic stretches before proceeding to each of our corral in wave 2. The sun was already biting even before the start…
Someone chatted briefly with me and soon the gun went off. In corral 5 I was probably too far to hear the gun clearly, we just followed the crowd and proceeded forward. Some minutes later I see the start line right in front of me and started jogging – definitely not fighting for any position so there was no need to be uptight about reaching start line promptly.
The first mile – too fast, I did sub 7:30 pace and quickly slowed myself down. It was also at this point in time I realized the weather was too hot for any attempt of a PB. The heat would quickly tire me out if I were to keep to a sub 3:25hr marathon pace. This early realization was something I was thankful for in the later part of the race but at that moment I was greatly demoralized – I felt mentally confused, it was a huge struggle. I had trained hard to prepare for this race, coming here with the hopes and thoughts of achieving a PB, yet I knew I had to make an important decision – I had to slow down to properly pace and finish this race. With much reluctance, I did.
I looked around me, everyone was still going on fine and I wondered how come I was feeling tired. Why I was squinting in the sun and why does my left calf seem to ache – many negative thoughts quickly took over. After some 40 hours of travelling to the other side of the globe, how could this be happening?? REALLY, I had to stay focused on the race. Whoever said the first part of the race is mainly downhills… the graphs were great liars. There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the whole course.
I kept myself motivated by looking forward from drink station to the next at each mile, downing more water over my head than into my mouth. Ran to every water shower on the way – thankfully even many of the supporters provided water hoses from their own houses to give the runners some delightful sprinkles. Some gave out water, oranges and ice. How would it be possible to finish the race without those enthusiastic crowds throughout the whole race!
Halfway I decided it was time to tear the pace band off my hand – since I was already way off tangent and I needed a proper sun tan.. how silly I was to forget that it double side taped on one end, I failed to tear it off and only managed to remove it in one second immediately after the finish line. Running makes me dumb!!
I carried on trudging along the race, taking my time at water stations and took walk breaks. When I hit heartbreak hill, I felt very motivated to run up the entire stretch. Rumors has it that the position of this hill in the entire course makes it the toughest although it is not very steep. At 32km in a marathon is probably where your glycogen levels depletes and you hit the wall (this happens when you don’t pace yourself properly in the race). I must live up to be a MFRC runner so I ran up and overtook a lot of runners on this hill. There were indeed more downhills to look forward to after that. In the last quarter section of the race I felt encouraged and I believe I ran much more in this section. Motivation ignites greater motivation – I continued to overtake runners and finally reached the last mile (after counting down from the last fourth miles). Great, I need to savor this moment – afterall it’s The Boston Marathon. I took my time and made sure I was not too close to anyone near the end point. Haha I had to make a graceful exit no matter what the timing was.
The lessons of this race were probably the most unique ones I had for a marathon. Having signed up for a cold race, it turned out to be the hottest and toughest one I ever encountered – for your understanding, it was like running at noon time in Singapore throughout the entire race without any shade to hide. It was a race to teach me to listen very hard to my body, to learn to stay motivated even if I was very much off the desired pace. I’m thankful for this race has shown me that I have completely recovered from my injury as there was no pain besides the DOMS that ensued the next few days.
Thank you all my friends who cheered me on for the race. I was very touched to receive so many messages when I reached back in hotel after the race. Lucky me to have great company for this race trip and many thanks to Joe for transporting and supporting us in the race. I was delighted to see you twice in the course (although my tired face did not show). Thank you for dear friends who walked with me on this journey from my recovery to training up for the marathon – you have been blessed with listening to much of my whining I’m sure. 
If you find me absent from trainings lately, I’m probably winding up in a hole being lazy and growing fat!
barefoot running
Before you choose vibrams over shoes, think again…
http://weloverunning.blogspot.com/2012/03/vibram-five-fingers-shoes-named-in.html
rain dance
Writing is not my forte but writing about something you feel for makes it easier. Much of my thoughts were formed before I actually get to the computer – so these are just a manifestation of my preoccupations. I keep a training log which is why you will not see me listing the pacing and distances of every run here. The log book is helpful for me to plan and monitor my mileage, it also helps me remember how I felt in some trainings which I can refer to when I do a similar workout. Numbers are good for monitoring your performance but they are not going to be the only determining factor for your races – I shall leave the discussion of this huge topic for another time!
For this blog, I like penning down some of my thoughts to keep my mind from running wild and also to share my happiness and experiences with fellow runners. Anyway, I am rather pensive today because I’m in the tapering phase – running lesser gives me more time to think about running (and more time to eat)! Haha.
The last of the last long long run was done last Saturday. I awoke at 5am and saw a message from Chris to just proceed to club and wait for the rain to stop. How reluctant I was when I saw the rain pouring with occasional lightning and thunder! Despite the unforgiving weather, my disciplined friends decided we could still proceed to the club, which I’m glad I went in the end. We started the run later than planned (at about 6:45am) in the rain (not very light). It was chilly – Perhaps it was a great opportunity to appreciate running in the cold weather. Haha. Of course, once you commenced the run, the rain does not matter anymore and I was praying very hard it will not stop too. Because if it were to stop, the rising heat from the ground may cause terrible humidity. My wish was granted – it rained pretty hard throughout the entire 31km.
The route was planned by WL, a good sprinkle of slopes and scenic view along Sentosa beaches and Labrador Park – it is ideal for Boston’s kind of terrain. Still a little intimidated by the unsuccessful runs last weekend, I tried to start the run comfortably. Because if I were to feel weak on this run, my confidence would be dashed. Yes I do give myself too much pressure at times.
I ran with Chris into Sentosa and kept Andy in sight ahead. RWS was a little confusing but that was the second time running through so I kind of recognized the place. When we hit Siloso Beach, I checked the watch at the point where I stopped the previous week to catch my breath. Great, I was in the same minute of the run as previously but I felt strong. Andy slowed down a little and ran beside me along the beaches – following his cadence and rhythm made it easier. Once we hit Allanbrooke Rd, Chris and Andy ran ahead up the slope, I kept to my own comfortable pace. It was still early in the run, I did not want to push too hard. We ran 2 loops in the satellite area, the slopes proved to be challenging but still manageable. Although my thighs complained a little, I guess the cooling weather made the slopes felt easier. WL passed by a few times in the reverse direction in the loops and cheered me on. Good to know people are suffering together? Oh, and I really did see the speed meter flash 11km/hr when Andy and Chris passed by!
After another round of the beaches as we returned to RWS, I allowed Andy and Chris to drift away from me. I was feeling a little tired so I tried to continue comfortably – watching my posture and strides. By the time I exit from Sentosa, they were both a few hundred meters ahead. The next time I saw them ahead was along the park connector beside Reflections. At the junction into Labrador Park, they stopped and waited because they have no idea about the route. I pointed and only briefed them about the rest of the run (approx 5km left) when I got close enough to run beside them. Once they understood, they were gone the next second! Haha. I made my way back to club alone. The slopes up Labrador hill and Telok Blangah were the last highlights of this route, other than that not much a surprise.
It was a great run! The pace and rhythm was good, the general feel was strong. At least I had a run to make up for the disappointing ones last weekend. I stepped into the club to receive a towel and warm soya milk to reward my run. How absolutely blessed!
So what lies in between now and the race – PATIENCE!
tapering
With less than 18 days to race, guess you will not be expecting any topic other than the above. It is not as exciting as a heart tumbling track workout but this word is music to my ears for now. After many rounds of breaking down and building up the body, I am glad to reach the final stage. 20 weeks have come and gone since I started this blog. The past two months saw a great increase in intensity and mileage, so stepping it down is imperative for my body to recover from whatever aches and strains. And with sufficient rest, it shall propel me to be very hungry mentally by race day.
I should be really frustrated to have fallen sick last Thursday and did not achieve the weekend back to back long run as planned but I’m not. While the back to back long run (at slightly off race pace) is meant to strengthen mentally and physically, by not doing it does not hurt my fitness by a lot. Okay yes, honestly, it took a while for myself (and a lot of friends’ consoling) to be convinced so and not be too upset over it.
I felt breathless on Saturday’s run shortly after starting and could not recover after taking a short break. Hence I cut the distance short (probably ran 16km instead of 21km) and took a very easy run back. After some considerations, I slept in on Sunday morning and ran in the evening so I can have more rest. In the cooling night after a heavy rain, I ran 14km starting from NTU track down Lim Chu Kang Rd and back. After being down and out for those past 3 days, I felt alive on the run. The route was great because there is a long stretch you can go on and on forever without having to stop.
After the unfortunate episode over the weekend, on Monday my appetite returned to normal and on Tuesday I resumed running. The tempo run was a little slower than usual; perhaps I was running alone that was why. Wednesday’s track session was my third one joining the rest of them since I recovered from my injury, even as I pushed very hard I simply could not catch up – so I just kept within the necessary training pace for my race goal.
I guess I had done what I can in the last 20 weeks to train up for this race and there shall be no regrets. Distances for my long runs and weekday runs can start tapering off from now on!
the juggler
Lost my balance yesterday as I fell sick since the longest time. Had to skip a workout but glad that I’m feeling okay after sleeping the entire evening and night. I have been feeling stressed at work due to a very unreasonable client and it was made worse yesterday morning I was told I had to see through a tender for a new project before I leave for Boston. I have been taking good care of my diet so I was surprised at the onslaught of a gastritis (I did not see a doctor but was confirmed about the symptoms by a doctor friend). Anyway, I think it could likely to be stressed induced since I have no history of gastritis. And maybe… it comes with age. Haha.
This is supposed to be the biggest week with a few challenges lay out so it is really a terrible time to fall sick. However, I have done my homework – ran the longest tempo run (16km) and the hardest speed workout (10x800m) on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. Yesterday was supposed to be an easy run to recover for the weekend. Now I have to move on to look forward to weekend’s back to back long runs.
I shall rest in faith that the quality and consistency of my training thus far will take care of what numbers cannot calculate.
Kathrine Switzer. The first woman who ran Boston Marathon in 1967 with a bib. Tribute to her who made women running marathons possible officially.
The story: http://www.kathrineswitzer.com/life.html
how much pain?
I am always been careful about dealing with aches and pain by taking sufficient recoveries in between workouts so as to prevent injuries. Also, quality triumphs over quantity. Hence, even before I had any injury, I have always erred on the safe side – to an extent sometimes I find myself giving excuses to do lesser. It can really hard to differentiate between discomfort and pain in extreme tiredness. So, just how much pain should you endure?
Anyway, I was prompted to think about this because there are quite a few friends around me currently injured (& not seeking treatment), I had just recovered from my injury which I negotiated with for a few months and also currently feeling a little strained from all the training.
Training buddy LC suffered a hamstring strain/pull from a hilly race the weekend before last and pushed through the speed workout on Wednesday. She even managed to finish a 38km long run on Saturday, followed by another run on Sunday. I have no idea how intense the pull was (I believe that it is quite bad because she took a short cut on Thursday’s run) but it is very amazing how she can deal with the pain and be mentally strong enough to push through it. I’m always in awed of her mental strength.
For the past few months, when I tried to push harder I end up with a pain in the side knee after a long and cold bus ride home and mostly felt when walking down the overhead bridge (how pathetic!). Same goes for the next day when I went to work. Most times the pain went away quite soon, a couple of times it stayed a little longer. I tried very hard to find a delicate balance between training hard and preventing the injury from coming back. Thankfully this phase is over.
I’m trying to work a little harder as the last attempt to build up whatever mileage and speed I can for Boston. Of course, all these I’m doing now are built up over months or even years I would say. I used to have problem lasting 3 to 4 continuous weekdays runs 2 years ago. The fatigue (at times major tightness) was hard to bare but slowly my body adapted. Running on both days in the weekends was something I avoided because it is simply too tiring (or too lazy) to wake up early on Sunday after Saturday’s long run. Glad to say now I can manage a little of that every now and then. Learning to listen to the body and slowly building up is part of what most runners are fighting for. Probably this is the process by which a runner ‘matures’.
Even though freed from the injury, I’m coping with some strains from long runs and pain from being silly enough to try a new pair of trainers (Adizero Tempo) 3 times. The harder pace from speed workouts also resulted in aching days after – which I will have to deal with during the long runs if I do not recover in time. Very challenged.. I pushed through the strain I felt in my right hamstring and external soleus during last Saturday’s long run. I was very lucky to have Ed and LC to finish the long run together. Really appreciate the support rendered by friends (includes those who trains with me, listens and gives me advice). Without this community of support, I can imagine it would many many times harder than this!
Randomly, I recall how my coach previously said I was just ‘scratching’ the track back then in secondary school and the true appreciation of this statement comes to me only now – how little I did as compared to how much that can possibly be done in running. The greatest blessing is that I have chosen to continue on the pursuance. The pains and discomfort I choose to brave through are usually those I believe will be able to recover quickly. Or I would allow time for it to recover after those tough sessions. In pushing beyond your comfort zone is where the body breaks down and rebuilds itself to become stronger isn’t it?
Monday is not blue when I have slept, ate and most importantly ran well over the weekend. 
the shoes
Lack of ways of training up to run faster, I have had my hair chopped off by 12cm 2 weeks ago, lose weight? no I doubt I can afford any, in fact I have gained back some weight I lost last December. And last but not least, I went in search of a lighter pair of shoes which is compatible for a marathon. Haha okay jokes aside, I got Asics DS Racer 9 in replacement of Adizero Mana for the race. It is a very beautiful pair of racer.
I have always been very loyal to the shoes I use because of a fear for injuries and so long as the model continues (in similar fashion) I do not see a reason to change. Besides, my arch collapsed since I was in JC (10 yrs ago?) hence I have always been using shoes that gives me some form of support. When I first started on half marathons in 2005, I was overly cautious and misguided. As a loyal supporter of Asics, I chose Asics Gel Kayano which is recommended for heavy weight and serious over-pronaters – sounds remotely like me! In 2009 when I started training for full marathons, I learnt that such heavy shoes was redundant and moved on to Asics DS Trainer. I took every step with caution when I first used DS Trainer because Kayano cushions have previously wrapped me too comfortably and DS Trainer felt way too minimal in comparison. But as all of you would have known, DS Trainer was by no means a pair of racer too.
After 4 to 5 pairs of DS Trainer, I decided I was ready for a lighter pair of shoes and that was when I embarked on racers. In 2010, I used Adizero Mana for a marathon race for the first time. I used them sparingly during trainings as the close feel to the ground was foreign. However, it does provide some form of light support for my feet and seem to work well for me. I slowly phased out DS Trainer and am using Mana generally for trainings. In conjunction, I have also tried Adizero Adios (racer with completely no support, for neutral feet) up to half marathon races.
I have used at least 5 pairs of Mana to date – I feel that they do not last the mileages (okay because they are racers – I recall could use DS Trainer up to 800km before there was need to decommission them) and recently Mana’s soles felt rather ‘flat’ and unresponsive to me. I tried breaking in into a new pair of Mana to confirm my perception. Because of the familiarity with Asics and DS Trainer, after some research, I decided on DS Racer last month. DS Racer came up with a women’s specific model for the first time; it used to be a men’s model only. Having rather narrow feet, Men’s models usually feels too empty at first try for me to even consider them. Asics has also worked on the reduction of weight for DS Racer in this updated model. It provides the same kind of support that DS Trainer has and at women’s size 8 it weighs in at 6.2oz only (Mana weighs 7.0oz). For a supported racer DS weighs like a feather. I tried to make sense of the out-sole descriptions as I like how Adios (weighs 6.2oz) is curved and the friction it provides for pushing off, DS Racer seem to fit the bill. Hence I took the plunge and bought the shoes!
The shoes finally arrive last Thursday after a long wait and so far, I have tried them last Sunday on a short long run (19km) and a track workout last night. I’m thankful the support felt more than Mana despite the lighter weight and it does satisfy this aspect of a responsive sole as well. I’m ready to announce this pair of shoes as THE ONE for Boston!
paralysis by over-analysis
As I run more often, I tend to think more about my running. They call this phenomena paralysis by over-analysis! My life consisted mainly of sleeping, eating and running for the past month. Haha. Except for some muscle tightness, there was no more pain nor discomfort at the point of inflammation. I felt more in control of what I have planned to do, training has been great.
Somewhere in November last year, I had planned ahead for 23 weeks how I could possibly slowly increase my mileage and long runs towards Boston. If you do not plan, you plan to fail, yes? However, from my (limited) experience in training up for a full marathon, I have also learnt that there is no way you can follow the entirety of the program (pace or distance wise), so I do not get too hung up when I deviate. Sometimes when I grow tired or unmotivated, I’ll try to inject some excitement by creating some challenges. They could be races or just simply workouts that would differ from the ‘norm’. I had two small races on two weekends one day after long runs – Surf n Sweat and Safra Running Club Road Relay. Somehow I did not feel much fatigue and they were very fun. These fast ‘recovery’ runs actually felt better than slow ones – not always advisable!
Coupled with some improvement in my weekdays’ tempos and speed work, I had a few of 30k & beyond long runs. Not so enjoyable… especially I had to endure a 30km & 33km alone. The 35km done together with Stella, Laichee & Edwin felt a lot better. Completing the distance with someone helps – even if we do not end up running together throughout the whole run. At least you know someone is suffering together with you!
Last Saturday’s long run was a disappointing moment – I gave up halfway through; ran about 22km. I finished my gels & jelly beans in my last attempt to convince myself on continuing the run but when I saw Stella & Ed pull away, the fatigue in my legs convinced me otherwise. Hence, I was (half) determined to wake up early on Sunday to join MF Safra for another 20km run in a desperate attempt to make up for it. Glad that I won my bed and did a reasonably good run on Sunday, at least I felt strong. On the return route, I was running at 10s off race pace for most parts of the run. It proved to be a great challenge up the last slope at Henderson Road – crossed my mind I really really hated the slope after a slopey Saturday run! Haha. Completed 19km in my new shoes (DS Racer 9)!
Although very much lacking in speed, I could push harder and run longer without having to worry about the injury. Such freedom I do not take for granted! The main challenge I face is the lack of consistency in pacing as I have not been running at a faster pace for a long long time; I have lesser appreciation of how my body feels at certain paces. Hence, whenever I attempt a tempo run the tendency is always starting too fast. On track, my laps are rather inconsistent too when I try to run at a pace out of my comfort zone. I need to work on this.
A few more weeks (32 days to be exact) to Boston!
