Injury after-thoughts

Yesterday i did my long run of the week. Was planning to do 35km initially. Half way into the run, I could feel some naggy feelings in both my knees and my achilles tendon. They became worse the longer i ran. In the end I stopped at 29km mark and walked home. There were no warning signs prior to this run; the injuries suddenly came. Bang!

I think i have had my fair share of injuries this month.  This is yet the worse I have had. Both my knees and left achilles are injured.

Feeling downcast, I called my gf, who graciously encouraged me not to give up, and to remind me to pamper my legs sometimes by giving them a break.

Looks like the Lord deemed it fit to give me a break from training, which i shall thankfully and heartily accept, and devote this time to reading of His Word and prayer. He is my coach. He knows what's best for me. Even if this means i need to take a long time off and can't run the races which i intended to this year, I have to trust my heavenly Father's heart in letting me go through all of these. Perhaps, He has better plan in store.

When the Lord closes one door, He always opens another window.

After dinner last night, I watched the movie - the sound of music on TV. It's an awesome movie, which came at a right time when i was feeling down! It's about an Austrian nun (Maria) whose heart is devoted to following God's Will and who loves singing and dancing with the hills, mountains and flowers. She was asked to leave the Cathedral for a while to take care of seven children of a widowed father, who was a strict, uptight, chauvinistic navy officer. She introduced music, vibrancy, and love into a cold, gloomy and overly-disciplined family. Eventually God used her gifts and her willingness to rescue the entire family from the hands of the Nazis. The movie was 3.5 hours long, but man, i certainly did not feel it. Lots of beautiful songs, quotes and inspirational moments in the movie.

Maria teaching the children to sing in the gorgeous backdrop of Austrian mountains

Maria with the seven children

Maria singing in the mountains

Captain von Trapp singing Edelweiss to his family

Edelweiss - a flower that is found in the Austrian alps

Edelweiss

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss,Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever.

Week summary (23-29 April) - Injured

Monday

Rest

Tuesday

Am - 14.9km (210m elevation). 1:13

Pm - 7.7km (100m). 0:33

Wednesday

Am - 22km (400m). 1:59

Pm - Mt Tibrogargan (290m).
        Lap 1: 0:32
        Lap 2: 0:32

Thursday

Pm - 3km time trial (10m57s)

Friday

Am - 7.7km (100m). 0:33

Saturday

Pm - 14.9km (210m). 1:10

Sunday

Pm - 29.4km (350m). 2:36

Total distance: 99.6km (excluding Mt Tibrogargan)
 Total time: 8hr15m
Total elevation: 1370m
Average speed: 4.97 min/km

Week summary (16-22 April) - First place in Mt Mee Classic Relay Marathon

Monday

Rest

Tuesday

Am - 14.9km (210m elevation). 1:12

Pm - 7.7km (100m). 0:35

Wednesday

Am - 22.7km (300m) 1:54

Pm - 1.9km (flat) 0:08 & 4.5km (30m) 0:21

Thursday

Pm - 2 x (8x200m) with 45 sec break in between

Friday

Pm - 12.2km (110m) 1:00

Saturday

Rest

Sunday

Am - Mt Mee Classic Relay Marathon 21km (750m elevation). 1:41

Pm - Recovery run. 7.7km (100m). 0:39

Total distance: 92.6km (excluding speed work)
Total elevation: 1600m
Total time: 7hr30min
Average speed: 4.85 min/km

The highlight for this week is definitely the Mt Mee Classic Marathon.

I spent the week thinking how i was going to squeeze in enough mileage while tapering and recovering adequately for the Mt Mee Marathon at the end of the week. So the plan was to run hard early in the week and slowly reducing the distance toward the end of the week. Easier said than done, coz the temptation to run more than i should is always there. In my mind, I know that there is no point in logging these junk miles, because they only make the statistic look good while contributing nothing in me a better runner. But.. The legs just are too itchy to get on the road. :D

Anyway to cut to the chase, I was quite excited about Mt Mee Marathon. The terrain is hilly, much like The Most Beautiful Thing (TMBT) ultra-trail marathon in Borneo. I know this will be a lead-up to the ultimate race TMBT in September. Initially i signed up with Richard, my surgical registrar, who is a husband and a father of three, a surgeon-trainee, and an accomplished iron-man for the Marathon Relay Category (i.e. 21km each). But he was rostered to work on the race day, so I had to find another partner. During our Thursday training with Caboolture Road Runners, Ian happily volunteered to run with me. He is 47 year old, a father of four, a carpenter, and sub-40 10km runner. We are a go!

I woke up at 3.45am doing the same pre-race routine. Chocolate banana protein shake, cereal with nuts, put all my gears on, and spent some time reading the bible. The passage was about finding refuge in God. How apt. This is my first race of the year, and there is considerable amount of anxiety in it. But I know that in all seasons, we can always seek refuge in our Father in heaven.

The race began with two other runners and i at the front. At about 5km mark, one of them pulled away from us and we soon lost sight of him. The other runner stick closely behind me as we continued at a constant pace. Ian had previously warned me of a vicious hill at 14km mark and 18km. I spent the whole time anticipating it, and conserving enough fuel in the tank to make those hills. At 10km, the watch read 42m17s. Good pace.

We soon reached the 14km mark. The watch read just under an hour. To me, this is where the race began. I ran the first part of the hill, shortening my stride and increasing my cadence. All the time, I was trying to stay below the red line (i.e. keeping my HR between 160-170), which is where my aerobic threshold is. Whenever my heart rate goes above 170, I would slow down to a hands-on-knee position to do power hike. Whenever it goes below 160, I would start running.

Soon at 16km mark, I saw the the first runner ahead. He was struggling with the hill. I soon undertook him and shaking the third runner off (i never saw him again after the first hill). During the downhill part between 17-18km, I made my charge, hoping to increase my lead in front to prevent any sort of a final attack by the runner in second position. It worked. At 18km, I came to another vicious hill, and i was trying hard to stay focused and thinking of the finish line. I knew i can finish in first position if i can put in a good meaningful amount of effort. At the same time, I wanted to increase the lead so that Ian would have an easier time for the second leg. Finally at the peak the hill in 20.5km mark, it was just flat road ahead and I sprinted all the way to the finish and tapped Ian's hand. 1hr40m52s for the first leg.

The runner in second and third position came in 3 mins and 5 mins respectively. I later found out the both of them are sub-3hr marathon runners. Phew.. I felt so relieved. After chatting with the runners a bit, I went to my car and drove the finish line to wait for Ian. I was confident that barring all accidents, he would make it in first place. Ian is well-known for pushing himself real hard in every training session or race. (he was always in front of me in the speed sessions! :D)

True enough, he came back in style, crossing the finish line in first place. The time was 3hr20m43s. Yo ho!

The rest of the morning was spent chatting with runners and enjoying the camaraderie. Two of the guys who participated in the Solo Marathon category broke the course record (3hr47m), finishing at 3hr41m and 3hr43m respective. The first and second female also finished in great style, with a time of 3hr54m and 3hr57m respectively. Wow. They are all really fast runners!

Now i can understand why some world-class athletes choose only to participate in certain events while missing out many others. Running a good race requires solid, uninterrupted preparation, adequate tapering, and then, an all-out mental, physical and emotional onslaught in the race. This is not it. After the race, it takes time to recover and recuperate physically and mentally too. The whole process takes months. If there are too many races, it only disrupts the training program (in that you can't run too much in the week where you have a race and you always have to taper before the race), it is mentally draining too. The reason why so many Malaysian and Singaporean elite runners cannot perform well is because many of them just race and race and race.

Enough for now. It's been a big day. I want to sleep soon. Good night everyone. :)

The start

Finishing the first leg (21km) in 1:41

Steve (third place) and I

Ian. By this time he had extended the lead to 7 mins.

Crossing the finish line

Kids 800m dash

Bradley (Ian's eldest son) finishing second

Ian and I

Simon (middle) second place finish for Solo Marathon in 3:43

My gear for the day

Scenery along the route

Week summary (9-15 April)

Monday

Rest

Tuesday

Am - 15km (210m elevation). 1:08

Pm - 10km (120m). 0:48. Injured. Again.

Wednesday

Rest

Thursday

Speed interval. 5 x 800m with 75 sec break between each set.
Timing: 2m51s, 2m46s, 2m46s, 2m41s, 2m38s
Total: 4km
 

Friday

Am - 13km (144m). 1:03

Pm - 7.8km (110m). 0:36

Saturday

Am - Mt Mee Gate Run. 13km (250m). 1:02

Pm - 13km (144m). 1:02

Sunday

Pm - 30km (656m) covering Mt Beerburrum (280m). 2:48

Total distance: 101.8km (excluding speed work)
Total time: 8hr27m
Total elevation: 1634m
Average speed: 4.98 min/km

I am just so frustrated with myself. Each time when i take on the approach of 'whatever feels right' when it comes to running, i end up injuring myself. Apparently i have over-estimated the strength and resilience of my legs to carry myself during the runs. On Tuesday, I thought i was going well, until half way in my evening run that i felt a familiar nagging ache in my left outer knee. The ache slowly became worse as i continued. Ahhh! It was my ITB flaring up again. Darn! :( :( :(

I have always felt that running should be as spontaneous as possible. You slip on your shoes, grab your bottles, and you hit the road. I don't think so much about the programmes, what pace to run at, what time I am aiming to finish. I just run, and let my legs decide how they feel that day, as to whether i would run long or short, push hard or hold back. However, whenever I allow 'feelings' to dictate the way i run, invariably i end up injuring myself.

I spent the next one and the half day nursing my ITB, applying both trigger point therapy and using the foam roller to self massage. The pain got better. During my speed training with Caboolture Road Runners club on Thursday evening, I did not feel any ache at all. On Friday I was back in full training.

So now i really need to apply common sense when it comes to running. To slow down sometimes even though i felt i could go on longer, and to spread out my mileage across the week more evenly rather than running a lot early in the week, get injured, can't run for a day or two, and then play catching up later in the week.

Having said all these, I had a great run on Saturday morning with some old men in Mt Mee. Mind you, these old men are fast. One of them (Mark) can do a sub-3 marathon, and the other (Ian) can do sub-40mins for 10km easily. The route was very hilly, but it's one of the most scenic run i have done so far. Am definitely looking forward to going to Mt Mee more often to run.

Ian's house in Mt Mee (he's a carpenter)

His organic farm

Flowers. My gf would be excited. :D

Mark and Ian ahead of me

Scenic. :)

The cows were watching us. :D

Ian's family. His wife and his two beautiful children.

Week summary (2-8 April) - Learning a valuable lesson in running

Monday 

Rest

Tuesday

Am - 7.8km tempo run. (110m) 0:32

Pm - Mt Tibrogargan trail run 8.5km. (440m). 1:15

Wednesday

Am - 7.8km tempo run. (110m). 0:31

Pm - 12.8 km easy run. (144m). 1:06

Thursday

Pm - Speed work. 2 x (5x400m). Each 400m is ~1min20sec. Total is 4km.

Friday

Pm - Stationary exercises & 1050x skips

Saturday

Am - 14.5km easy run (210m). 1:18

Pm - 7.8km easy run in vibram five-fingers (110m). 0:38

Sunday

Pm - 30km long slow distance (656m). 2:56

Total distance: 89.2km (excluding speed work distance)
Total elevation: 1780m
Total time spent: 8hrs16mins
Average speed: 5.56 min/km

It's been a week with up and down for me. I started the week strongly, perhaps too strongly, with two attempts at running a sub-4 min/km pace. The first time I ran with a backpack and finished at a time of 0:32 for 7.8km, the second without my backpack with a time of 0:31. Good timing. Just when i thought i had it, i started to feel the familiar demon in my shin. It's shin splint! Ahhh... How frustrating! Why does it come at this stage of my training when i am supposed to increase my mileage?! Maybe i am just not meant to be able to run fast. Run long yes, but not fast.

Discouraged and frustrated, I asked God what i should do. Rest, He said, and trust Him. Well, not that i have any choice, do i? That night i came across some articles by sock-doc (I have included his webpage link in my blog list) about training safely and injury-free. Dr Gangemi (aka Sock-doc, because he only wears a pair of socks when working), is the author of the site and he is one of most unconventional, all-rounded persons/coaches/therapists (all-in-one) I know in the world of running. His understanding of injuries, training principles, nutrition, general lifestyle habits, are some of the best i have ever seen.

I read a lot of his articles. Basically the take-home message from his wisdom is that - the most important rule for long distance training is building your aerobic base/threshold. This means running at a comfortable pace, at about 60-70% of your max heart rate most of the times. It's only from this aerobic base which is built over a long period of time that you can start to incorporate anaerobic training, i.e. tempo run, speed work etc. In his many years of working with sportsmen, he has seen way more injuries which a result of starting anaerobic training too early or too much without a good aerobic base than the other way round. Aerobic training, if done in a proper way, hardly ever results in injuries. Anaerobic training, should only be limited to one or max two in a week, and no back-to-back anaerobic training, which was the mistake that i made.

So in midweek i scaled down my training a lot. Was basically spending time massaging my anterior and posterior tibialis (shin muscles), looking for tight and sore spots and applying circular pressure on them. (Shin splint - as opposed to conventional theory of a stress fracture in the shin bone, is actually due to imbalances between anterior and posterior tibialis which result in pull of muscles at their attachment site to the shin bone. This pulling of muscles results in excruciating pain on the bone, where the muscles attach, which is commonly mistaken at micro-fracture in the bone). I also spent some time building up leg strength by doing some plyometric exercises and skipping.

As time progresses, my shin pain slowly abates. On Saturday when i did my easy long run, i could feel the pain there but to a much smaller extent. On Sunday when i did my long slow distance, the pain had disappeared. Thank God. Thank God for teaching me a valuable lesson here without me suffering from long-term injuries.

Training requires a lot of patience. A lot of trail and error to know what works for you and what does not. You need to start off slowly, gradually build the distance over time, and just being comfortable at the run. I remembered all my training in university day as hard-core intensive kind and I hardly enjoyed the process at all and i was always down with injuries (notably shin splint!). Now i don't run hard as often anymore (only occasionally), instead i learn to run at a comfortable, conversational pace, as if i am running with a buddy. This buddy, of course, is none other than Jesus Himself. I run and talk to him at the same time, all the times.  It's also about understanding our body, understanding how it responds to speed, impact, and pain. When you have run long enough, you learn to distinguish the kind of pain that only lingers for a while and the kind of pain that is a red-flag to a more serious injury.

Today in my long-slow distance run, i thought about people who had made a significant difference in my life in the past, and how God placed them at a crucial time to guide me and love me. These people, I really thank God for you, for your sacrificial love and guidance. I wouldn't be here if not for you guys. You all are my heroes. :)

Running past Macadamia farm.

A house next to a mountain. How cool is that!

Towards the end of my long-slow distance today. The sun was setting.

Hydrating myself at the end of the run so i won't die of thirst. :D

Grey Easter

The sad fact about living overseas is, you are alone most of the times.

This is third year in a row where I am spending Easter by myself. In the past, there were always events, evangelistic meetings, gathering, prayer sessions, where there were meaning and joy to everything that we did. During my days in Singapore, the youths and i would be coming up with ideas to share the meaning of Easter with the BB boys and the church. When i was in Malaysia, the CF committee and I would be busy planning activities and evangelistic program for the non-Christians in school. There were late night discussions, brain-storming sessions, laughter, anxiety over how things would turn out, occasional argument, but always we would stick together through thick and thin to allow God to work through us to bring His message to the people He willed.

But now, in Australia, I am sitting alone in my room after having completed a night shift in the hospital, feeling both tired and hollowed. I am starting to think, what does Easter mean to me? Is Easter any less meaningful now that i am no longer involved in Christian activities?

I hope to be able to think through this question seriously in these few days. Lord, please grant me clarity of mind and spirit to grapple with some difficult issues in my life.  Because, if anything, i don't want to just live for another day, void of Your presence and finger-print in my life.

Batam mission trip with EEC youths in 2005

Singing with the children in Batam

Batam kids

Group singing session with Batam kids

S

Cambodia mission trip 2007

Cambodian kids

Easter preparation 2008

IMU Easter 2008

Easter 2012


I will run to You

Your eye is on the sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the Earth to the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For Your glory, may You draw all men
As Your love and grace demand

And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God
Yes I will run the race
'Till I see Your face
Oh let me live in the glory of Your grace 

God's presence

Philip Yancey

I have seen evidence of God's presence in the most unexpected places. During our trip to Nepal, a physical therapist gave my wife and me a tour of the Green Pastures Hospital, which specializes in leprosy rehabilitation. As we walked along an outdoor corridor, i noticed in a courtyard one of the ugliest human beings i have ever seen. Her hands were bandaged in gauze, she had deformed stumps where most people have feet, and her face showed the worst ravages of that cruel disease. Her nose had shrunken away so that, looking at her, I could see into her sinus cavity. Her eyes, mottled and covered with callus, let in no light; she was totally blind. Scars covered patches of skin on her arms.

We toured a unit of the hospital and returned along the same corridor. In the meantime, this creature had crawled across the courtyard to the very edge of the walkway, pulling herself along the ground by planting her elbows and dragging her body like a wounded animal. I'm ashamed to say my first thought was, She's a beggar and she wants money. My wife, who has worked among the down-and-out, had a much more holy reaction. Without hesitation she bent down to the woman and put her arm around her. The old woman rested her head against Janet's shoulder and began singing a song in Nepali, a tune that we all instantly recognized: "Jesus loves me, this i know, for the Bible tells me so."

"Dahnmaya is one of our most devoted church members," the physical therapist later told us. "Most of our patients are Hindus, but we have a little Christian chapel here, and Dahnmaya comes every time the door opens. She is a prayer warrior. She loves to greet and welcome every visitor who comes to Green Pastures, and no doubt she heard us talking as we walked along the corridor."

A few months later we heard that Dahnmaya had died. Close to my desk I keep a photo that I snapped just as she was singing to Janet. Whenever I feel polluted by the beauty-obsessed celebrity culture I live in - a culture in which people pay exorbitant sums to shorten their noses or plump up their breasts to achieve some impossible ideal of beauty while nine thousand people die each day from AIDS for lack of treatment and hospitals like Green Pastures scrape by on charity crumbs - I pull out that photo. I see two beautiful women: my wife, smiling sweetly, wearing a brightly coloured Nepali outfit she had bought the day before, holding in her arms an old crone who would flunk any beauty test ever devised except the one that matters most. Out of the deformed, hollow shell of a body, the light of God's presence shines out. The Holy Spirit found a home.

Leprosy

Mother Teresa (1928-1997) - one of the people in the world I really wish i could meet

Week summary (26 March - 1 April) - recovery week

Monday

Rest

Tuesday 

Am - 7.8km (~104m). Recovery run.  0:42

Pm - Rope-jumping (1000 skips)

Wednesday

Am - 11.8km (~129m). 0:58

Pm - Rope-jumping (1100 skips)

Thursday

Am - 7.8km (~104m). 0:36

Pm - 3km time trial. 11min13sec

Friday

Rest

Saturday

Am - 26km (~585m), covering Mt Beerburrum (280m). 2:27

Sunday

Am - Mt Tibrogargan. 8.5km (421m). 1:18

Total distance: 64.9km
Total elevation: 1343m
Total time spent: 6hrs13mins

It's been a relatively easy week for me, and i just focused on recovering whilst not losing too much time on the road. Recovery is essential in any training programme. If you don't slow down, you injure yourself.

Next two weeks i will be starting night shift, this means I have time in the day to run. I am planning to increase my running mileage and time on the trail again, and i will be exploring the glasshouse mountain region which i still know so little about. Am excited to see how far i can go this time. 

Finally my lovely scooter - Sasha has found a buyer. I have been having this girl for about 2 years as a student, riding it whenever i went, groceries, clinic, hospital, church, friend's place etc. She has definitely been the most trusted companion for me. I just hope the new buyer will treat her with care and respect that she deserves.

Easter is just around the corner. Whilst we should live each day as if it's Easter, this period does bring with it a certain kind of soberness and quietness, with renewed attitude and intimacy with Jesus. I am once again reminded by Jesus's word: 'If anyone would come after me,  he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.' (Matt 16:24). New living translation said it this way: 'you must turn from your selfish ways and take up your cross and follow me.'

'Dear Lord, you know this disease of selfishness and self-centredness that are so ingrained in me. Open my eyes to see what i cannot see on my own, and turn my heart toward your truth and your eternal Kingdom. Grant me the strength to overcome that which can be overcome, and surrender that which can only be surrendered. In Jesus' name. Amen.'

Mt Beerburrum Peak (280m)

The gears that i run with everyday

Power hiking up Mt Beerburrum

Goodbye Sasha. :(