Week 4 - Summary log

Week 4 is probably the hardest and longest training I have done in a long time. My legs felt really good and I could just go a good distance without feeling pain.

Monday - 11km (52 mins30 sec)
Tuesday - 13.8km (73 mins)
Wednesday - 11.2km (56 mins)
Thursday - 17.1km (84 mins)
Friday - 6.2 km (29 mins) - on Vibram Five Fingers
Saturday - 21.4 km (130 mins) - Trail running
Total - 80.9km (424 mins 30sec)
Average speed - 5.25 min/km or 8.40 min/mile

Highlight of the week - TRAIL RUNNING at Kondalilla National Park.

Entrance of Kondalilla Park

I was going to make a return journey. 21.4km in total.

Map of my run. I went from M2 to M1.

Elevation. I ran from M2 to M1 and back again.

Kondalilla Fall. Not very beautiful actually.

Bumping into a forest friend on my way

Not sure if it's poisonous

Baroon Pocket Dam from far

Catching a view

The trail. This is the straightest part. Most parts are undulating and extremely uneven.

Look forward to a better week of running ahead!

The shoes that I wear.

Brooks Green Silence. 

Weight: 7.2 oz (size 9)
Stack Height: Heel (22mm), Forefoot (14mm)
How It Fits (based on width D) Width D=Medium

Green means go. Green means environmentally friendly. The Green Silence is both. Using water-based adhesives and recycled materials, Brooks has produced a racing shoe that reduces waste. It should also help reduce your race time. Has a minimal upper, full-contact sole, and great flexibility. The faster you are, the longer you can run in this shoe. Suitable for any race distance.

These shoes are actually inspired by Scott Jurek - one of the greatest ultra-marathoners of all times. He wore this pair of shoes to break the American 24-hr distance record. He ran 165.7 miles (previous record is 162 miles) in 24 hours in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France. Scott is a great runner and a great person as well. I have the utmost respect for him. I love these shoes because it's the most environmentally friend shoes I have ever worn and it's light too.

Vibram five fingers KSO.

Weight: 5.7 oz
Heel-Toe Drop: 0 mm (my measurement)

"In just over a year, the KSO has become our most popular model for men.  Featuring a thin, abrasion-resistant stretch nylon and breathable mesh upper that wraps your entire forefoot to "Keep Stuff Out." A single hook-and-loop closure helps secure the fit. A non-marking 3.5mm Vibram TC1 performance rubber sole is razor-siped for a sure grip, and a 2mm EVA insole enhances plating protection and comfort."

I incorporate some barefoot running in my training every now and then. This is to strengthen my legs (esp calves and quads) in general and also to prevent overuse injuries (since i do most of my running in green silence). Vibram five fingers is great in allowing me to run barefoot-like. You can sorta feel the ground underneath you including the rocks and pebbles and sands but they don't hurt you. 

Asics Gel Nimbus 13.

Weight: 11.5 oz (size 9)
Stack Height: Heel (34mm), Forefoot (22mm)
How it fits (based on width D) Width D=Medium

For class leading comfort, turn to the Asics Nimbus 13. Plenty of Gel cushioning provides a plush and forgiving feel, while the shoe design delivers a reliably smooth ride for the neutral runner. The tailored fit of the upper wraps the foot oh so well and speaks to the high level of detail executed in this premium ride.

To be honest, I regret buying this pair of shoes. I bought it out of desperation when I was in South Africa. The story is, after I got injured in Hillcrest Marathon, I went to see a kineticist. After looking at my worn-out mizuno shoes (which I wore since 2008), she recommended that I change my shoes, and the guy in the shop recommended Nimbus 13. His reasoning is: Since I got injured, I would need more cushioning to protect my ankles and knees. What a recipe for further injuries. Anyway, I don't wear Nimbus to run anymore. I only wear it as casual shoes when I go out. 

Salomon XT Hawk.

Weight: 11 Oz(Size 9)
Stack height: Unsure. Likely to be similar to Nimbus 13.

I wear this pair of shoes for mountain climbing. It's actually great because it has good support and excellent grip as well. Because of its high heel-drop and weight, I won't wear them for trail-running. I would wear New Balance MT101 for this purpose instead (see below). But for prolonged hiking and climbing, I would actually recommend this pair because they are good at protecting the legs in general.

Shoes that I am interested to try out

Asics Piranha SP 3

Weight: 4.7 oz (size 9)
Stack Height: Heel (21mm), Forefoot (16mm); non-removable insole

The lightest racing flat ASICS has ever presented to the U.S. market, the Piranha series offers a platform that is designed to maintain the perfect balance of a super fast road feel and exceptional platform comfort. The same tooling as the Piranha SP 2 and a minimal upper greets the user of this ultimate race day shoe.

Mizuno Universe 3

Weight: 3.6 oz (size 9)
Stack Height: Heel (18mm), Forefoot (16mm); non-removable insole

Since lighter weight equals faster running times, then the Wave Universe 3 might be considered an unfair advantage. If your are a serious road racer then you must ask yourself if you are serious enough to don the high performance Wave Universe 3. (Mizuno Wave Universe 4 is out already by the way).

New Balance MT101 Trail shoes

Weight: 7.2 oz (size 9)
Stack Height: Heel (26mm), Forefoot (16mm); non-removable insole

Building on the success of the cult following for the MT100, New Balance offers the refined MT101. The shoe retains the excellent low-profile, minimalistic design, which delivers low weight and a great feel for the trail. With a thin rock plate, the MT101 provides stone bruising protection yet remains nimble and flexible. The upper is thin, breathable and provides a secure midfoot fit. All told, the MT101 is a great minimalist trail shoe that meets the needs of serious trail runners.

New Balance MT10 Minimus Trail shoes

 Weight: 7.1 oz (size 9)
Stack Height: Heel (14mm), Forefoot (10mm); non-removable insole

For the minimalist trail runner, the New Balance MT 10 Minimus Trail offers a close-to-barefoot like ride that offers a tremedous feel for the ground. A glove-like fit gets the shoe to act like an extension of the foot and great flexibility enhances natural movement over varied terrain. Not much rock protection here, but as long as you avoid the pointy stuff, the MT 10 Minimus Trail will excel as a daily minimal trainer or part-time training tool.

Week 3 summary

Week 3 did not go very well for me. I went for an early morning run on Wednesday. After the run, I felt an intense pain in my right vastus lateralis muscle, which then pulled on my ITB, resulting in outer knee pain (ITB frictional syndrome). Ah.. I should have known that I have not fully recovered from the climb in Mt Barney yet. Besides, on Tuesday I did a 10km run, which further strained my right vastus lateralis. The run on Wednesday must have been the last straw for the poor muscles.

Anyway, after resting for two days, it gradually got better. I was able to do a light run on Saturday and Sunday with minimal pain. Here is the summary of the week.

Tuesday - 10 km (49 mins)
Wednesday - 6.2m (30 mins)
Saturday - 6.2km (31 mins)
Sunday - 6.2km (30 mins)

Total - 28.6km (140 mins)
Average speed - 4.90 min/km or 7.78 min/mile

Week 2 summary

Monday - 7.5 km (36 mins)
Tuesday - 9.4 km (47 mins)
Wednesday - 10 km (52 mins)
Thursday - 13 km (65 mins)
Saturday - Mount Barney (9hr30min of climbing)
Total - 39.9 km (200 mins)
Average speed - 5.01 min/km or 7.89 min/mile.

week 2 - Day 3

I did 10km today. Discovered new route again. I think one of the joys of running is allowing your feet to take you to new places you won't have otherwise gone, and sometimes to places where vehicles have no access to.

Saw some cattle during the run.

This is where I did a U-turn. The next time, I would run down this road to see what's in there.

I remembered when I was in South Africa, one day I decided to run from my doctors' quarters to the hospital that I was working in. The distance is about 12km, so I had to wake up early in the morning to start running. Later that day, one of the anaesthetists (who is, to be honest, quite a sissy) asked whether I was the crazy one who ran to the hospital early in the morning. He must have spotted me on his way to work. He remarked: 'You need to get your head checked. People invent cars so that you can drive them to work.'

Out of the respect for seniority, I didn't argue with him, though I really wanted to. I don't think he understood the joy of running. When I was running through the empty streets filled with litters and papers on the ground, I witnessed for myself the state of the African lives. Occasionally I passed some early birds who have already started their daily routine; saw some school children dressed in uniform and jumper walking to school; greeted some joggers like myself who were running in the opposite direction, and have the infamous mini bus packed with people (it's the main form of transport in South Africa) speeding past me. Sometimes you wonder what happened there the night before, had someone been stabbed, or robbed, or raped. In your car, you tend to just drive through them or distract yourself with the morning news or music.

This is one of the reasons why running is so fun. You see things. :)

Week 2 - Day 2

I finished work in Gympie Hospital early today.

On our way to Gympie early in the morning, my paediatric consultant showed me Mt Panoma. It is where King of the Mountain race is held every year in the third week of July. The mountain sure looks very steep to me. I missed the race this year, and I sure hope I can run it one day.

I went for a long run today. Did 9.4km in total. Again the route is very hilly with lots of up and down. I realised that my middle part was slow. I tend to slow down a lot when I am running up-hill in the middle part of the run. It's a weakness that I must learn to overcome. Overall, I am pretty happy with the run. And the best thing was, I didn't stretch today! :D

More than the half way mark.

I sort of felt something in my right knee (where the ITB inserts) intermittently during the run. And was I thinking too much?

Lord, help me fix my eyes on Jesus. :)

Week 2 - Day 1

I was going to start the week off easy.

After some thinking, I decided to tackle a route that I used to be afraid of because of the up slope. The distance was not too long, it's just that the up-hill running is endless and it is very steep as well.

I ran about 7.5km today. Great run. The up-hill was indeed vicious. I was almost going to stop and start walking a couple of times. Glad I didn't. :D

At the end of the up-slope. Truly vicious.

T-junction. 1.5km more to go!

I read an article by sockdoc today that muscle stretching is bad for you. Whilst it lengthens the muscles that it stretches, it also weakens it. The important thing during running, is just to make sure the body is relaxed enough (yes you are not supposed to be all tensed up when you run - it's a great way to get injured), and the make sure your running form/gait is balanced, ie not tilting to one side or asymmetrical. The author seemed to have a very convincing argument for it. Wow. Another drastic modern-day error that is ingrained in most athletes. :(

Well if it's true that muscle stretching is bad for you, then great! I can skip stretching now, which to be completely honest, it's not something I enjoy doing. Yo ho! :D

We are a go!

Yesterday I just chanced upon the Northface 100 Singapore website and saw that the participants' list is out. Eager to see if J Boy's and my name are in, I strolled down the mouse till I saw this..

That same night, before I had the chance to tell J boy, I saw a skype message that he left with me to tell me that our names are up, and that he's very excited too. Telepathy! :D

So that means, we are a go then!

I (or we) chose to use the name - Infinity Milers as our team name because I still identify myself very strongly with the running and mountain-climbing club. It's where both J boy and I truly became brothers and had the opportunity to run and climb together. We raced the Ulu-Langat Eco-Race under the same name (where we got 4th), and some relay triathlon events as well - A Farmosa and Port Dickson (where we got 1st and no-knows-what-position respectively). Our desires then, had always been to make our school proud, and it shall be no different this time. It really does give the extra emotional and psychological push when we know we are running with and for Infinity Milers.

Meanwhile, I just hope our training will continue to pick up. I had a great start last week, considering that I had not been able to run properly for months. This week shall be a new challenge again. J boy is sitting for his final exams as a medical student so he will start training after that. I hope he does well in his exams. So be it studying or running, we have to give our best.

To infinity and beyond. :)

Long run at the end of the week

Today is the final day of the run for the first week, and it marks the first week of proper, almost pain-free training. 

As you know, I have been injured since I was in South Africa (on 13 Feb 2011 after the Hillcrest Marathon). I did 3 hrs 45 mins for the marathon, but ended up injuring my right knee (ITB syndrome) and left ankle (anterior tibialis tendonitis). Since then, I had not been able to run properly for a long time. I managed a few runs here and there, the distance usually short, and I had always been running in pain. Due to my eagerness to run the two oceans ultra-marathon in April (56km), I disregarded the pain and tried to push for more mileage. Needless to say, I had to rely on NSAIDs for most of the runs. I even had cortisone injection in my right knee one week before Two Oceans (some of you may think that cortisone injection is a really bad thing because of all the negative connotation attached to steroids but I can assure you that it is a safe and good thing to do, especially for chronic injuries un-amenable to other therapies). Anyhow, the end result is i buggered up my left knee as well (patellofemoral pain syndrome) after the Two Oceans.

This injury kept me out for a long time. Then I promised Raymun that I would run the Gold Coast Marathon in July with him. This means I had to start training in June latest. Meanwhile, I had been doing a lot knee strengthening exercises and rehabilitative stretching to prepare my legs for action. However, in early June, I still had difficulty doing even 5km. I could not do it without having moderate to severe pain and marked effusion in my left knee. I knew in my head that there is no way I could run a marathon in early July. Worse still, I ran the risk of worsening all my injuries and might even incur new ones in the process of over-running. My worst fear is that one day I just might not be able to run anymore from all these accumulative injuries. Logic convinced me in the end that I should not go for a marathon. I signed up for half instead. Raymun was happy that I made a correct decision this time.

En-route to Gold Coast Marathon, I tried to spread out my training between strengthening exercises, light running, and swimming. There was varying degree of pain during my training, which was mild on a good day, and severe on a bad day that I had to stop in less 3km. All in all, I knew I was making good progress. Slow, but good all the same.  Finally, come Gold Coast Marathon, I finished 21km in 1 hr 42 mins. I am satisfied with timing, considering that I had little training and injuries.

Now, three weeks after Gold Coast Marathon, I felt that I am ready to train again. The pain in my left knee had almost disappeared. I managed a long run today at the beach. BEACH! Haha.. I was basically running along the shore which is very flat and enjoying the sound of the waves and the sunlight as well. Again I had to pay a lot of attention to my running form, and making my strides as light and fast as possible. I finished 12km in just under an hour. The calves were screaming out, but surprisingly I felt I still had a lot of reserve (stamina) in me. Good effort. I

My goal now is the Northface 100 in Singapore on 15 Oct. Jeremy boy and I signed up for 100km duo category, which means each of us is running 50km. It's a big race for us, and we are really excited about it. I hope that we would be able to train well for it (he is currently recovering from an injury too), and that our friendship would be strengthened in the process as we go through trial and challenges together. Nothing means more that going through the dirt and rough surfaces with a buddy whom you deeply respect and love.

That's all for now. Time to go shower and read my bible and do some work. :)

Week 1
Monday - 7km (40 mins)
Tuesday - 10km (55 mins)
Wednesday - 5.3km (27 mins)
Thursday - 7km (37 mins)
Friday - Stationary exercises and stretching
Saturday - 12km (58 mins) - Flat
Total - 41.3km  (217mins)
Average speed - 5.25min/km or 8.28 min/mile. 

Coolum Beach. Beginning of the run.

Peregian Beach. U-turn.

On the way back.

Someone just completed sky-diving!

Enjoying the run. :)


Dogs 1, 2, 3 and 4. 

 

 

 

Day 4 of running

This morning, Julia told me that she ran 8.5km in 36 minutes yesterday. Wow. That was fast. I remembered in South Africa I could only manage a 35m13s for 8km. She then told me that her aim is to dip under 40 minutes for 10km, which is my aim too. So ya. Time will tell if we can achieve our goals.

I went running again today. Decided to run the same route as Monday. It was a 7km course which involves a lot of uphill and downhill. Can't remember running on flat for more than 30 seconds in the entire course. The scenery was breath-taking. There were wide open plains everywhere with lots of cattles and horses. In the background were the hills, with its beautiful contours seen clearly under the setting sun. I had another day of pain-free run! Yo ho!

Down-slope. (when there is a down, there is an up too on the way back)

Part of the route.

The cow was running away from me!

Beautiful scenery. One of the reasons why i love running.

That evening, I rode my scooter to Kai's place for dinner. He had a minor operation on his cheek to remove a benign growth this morning. The operation was done in private hospital and it went really smoothly. And the best thing was, the anaesthetist told Kai's mum (Chris) and he was not going to charge her for it! What a relief for them! What more, Kai was allowed to keep all the equipments/tools that were used in the operation eg the bagging mask, hudson mask, LMA etc. He was quite excited and he said he has a presentation in class next week where he is supposed to bring any object (except toy) to show to his classmates. So these medical equipments would do the job just nice!

I spent some time playing and reading with him. He is such a special boy. The sad thing is, he never met his father before. I remembered one day i brought him to church, and during Sunday School we were going to play the game - Simon says. He interrupted me and told me his mum said he is not allowed to play the game. Why, i asked. He said because his real father's name is Simon, so he is not allowed to even mention his name. My heart just broke.

Anyway i just pray and hope that Kai would grow up to be a good man. No doubt he is going to carry some wounds, specifically father-wound. But I pray that he will come to know his heavenly Father, who loves him deeply and would never forsake him.

I am special poem.

His sticker book.

Reading some poems together.

His birthday is coming soon. 13 August. Can't wait. Thank God for Chris and Kai. :)

Day 3 of running

Yesterday my right achilles tendon started to hurt quite badly toward the end of the run (probably in the last 2km or so). I told myself I was going to rest today but the urge to run got the better of me.

I started by doing the same warm-up that I normally do to prepare the body for the run. I did some stretching, with particular focus on calf, hamstrings, quads, glutes and trunk (these are extremely important muscles in running), as well as some dynamic exercises eg toy soldier, walking lunges, eccentric heel dip, ankle mobilisation, VMO dip etc. These dynamic exercises activate the muscles and fire them up for action.

VMO dip. Great for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS)

Eccentric heel dip. Great for achilles tendonosis as it exercises both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.

I would write more about the different types of warm ups and exercises you can do before each run in the future. Keep in mind that these exercises are paramount to running healthily and injury-free. I never used to pay so much attention to them until I got injured this year in South Africa. Since my injuries, my knees and ankles have lost their reserve that the slightest error in my running form or lack of warming up would precipitate an old injury. Hence, I don't want to take things for granted now. I want to make sure the essential body parts for running are ready for action before I hit the road.

I did 5.24km today. Again it's a hilly course. I ran pain-free again! :D

Thank God for today. :)

Starting to run again.

After three weeks off running, I'm back to training again. Three weeks ago, I rode my scooter to Coolum Beach early in the morning to run. After running about 8km, my right knee and right achilles tendon started to hurt really badly. Fearing that my right knee injury had returned, I took some time off running so that my legs can recover.

Yesterday, I ran 7km along Image Flat. The terrain is undulating, and the scenery is really nice. I focused a lot on my running form because this time I really want to be cautious about running correctly. I know there is no such thing as a 'perfect' stride as everyone's feet are made different, but I want to explore techniques that allow me to run with great efficiency and minimal impact on my knees and ankles, thereby preventing or reducing the risk of injury.

Today, I ran about 10km around my old house. It's a route that I ran on almost every time last year. It brought back some good memories and reminded me of those times when I could run injury-free. In those days, I looked forward to running everyday no matter how tired I was. After the run, I would always go to a field next to my house and just lie there for a long time and be lost in time. Listening to the sound of the birds and rustling wind, and staring at the clouds on the sky above, my soul felt calm and still.

Up-slope

Part of the route.

My old house. Second from left.

I am still deciding whether landing on my midfoot or forefoot is the best. Landing on midfoot, I realised, allows me to run with greater ease and it makes me feel lighter. I was able to lift my feet just high enough to brush my feet along the surface of the road, thereby promoting higher cadence (stride rate) and shorter stride length. Landing on forefoot, on the other hand, forces me to activate my calf muscles to absorb the impact of landing, thereby reducing the impact on the knees. However, the down side is the achilles tendons have to work extra hard to absorb the impact. At present, my right achilles tendon has not fully recovered yet so I have to go easy on it.

Right now, I am icing both my knees for a good hour as I normally do after any run. It is to reduce inflammation and promote blood flow to the area. Hopefully I can continue to run for about 30-45 minutes pain-free tomorrow and Thursday.

Thank God for yesterday and today. :)