Reflection 2 - work

Two years ago I made a decision that I was going to invest time in pursuing my hobby and passion of running. I had just finished medical school, in what many deem to be potentially the five most stressful years of one's life, of intense studying, burning late night oil, attending lectures after lectures, memorising terms, jargons and conditions which we dont use everyday etc. I thought maybe it's time to take a break from studying and spend time doing other things which I love. After all, if there is any period I can take a break from studying, right after med school is probably the right time to do it, since in specialist training years, it is pretty back the same old days of mugging and burying under books again, where we are put through countless vigorous hours of medical training.

It's a decision I didn't regret.

Now that I am almost finishing my short running career, it's time to start planning my next move - one which most likely will demand more of me than running does, and carries far-reaching implications and influences than anything that I have ever done with my life. My next goal in life is to train to be a surgeon.

As with anything, I will begin with big picture. My dream is to be a highly competent and compassionate general and trauma surgeon working with the top surgeons in the field from all around the world, being actively involved in research and discovering new treatment and therapy, participating in humanitarian and missionary surgical work in the war-afflicted and poverty-stricken countries, and in training and educating the next generation of doctors.

Dream will only remain as dream if we dream with closed eyes. Those who dream with open eyes, however, are dangerous, as their eyes will have its unwavering focus on what's ahead, to see what steps to take to get nearer to the goals, and to help evaluate the present situation and circumstances one is in. Whether or not my dream will be realized, it depends on how I can allow God to guide my every step and to open my eyes to see the truly important things.

To get to where I want to be, i need to start with little steps. I need to see as many patients as possible as possible, to learn how to assess them, practice my clinical skills so I can arrive at the correct diagnosis. I need to learn how to manage their conditions, to learn how to recognize the seriously ill and distinguish those who need urgent intervention from those who just need ongoing observation. I need spend a lot of time studying - especially in the subject of anatomy, physiology and pathology - for they form the foundation of surgery. I have noticed that so many surgical residents and trainees tend to neglect the basic, and want to dive straight into operating and journal reading. I firmly believe in building a strong foundation and knowledge for which other things build on. Besides, I also need to get myself out there, to meet the different surgeons, to learn from them, from the way they take history, to the way they operate on patients. Operating skill is an art which takes a lot and a lot of practice to master and perfect, and good hand-eye coordination, three dimensional thinking and precision are needed.

Traditionally surgical training programme is one of the most competitive ones out there, and rightfully so, because patients' lives are entrusted to the hands of surgeons. Before surgeons can earn the right to cut open patients' bodies, one needs to prove he or she has superior knowledge of the human bodies, pursuing excellence in everything she does, being subject to the most vigorous and stressful training, and has outstanding track record in academic and research work. Moreover, knowing the right people and having good network and connection with other surgeons are paramount to successful entry to the programme. These older surgeons have to have the confidence in you to train you.

Running has taught me many things. Amongst them is the ability to persevere in adverse and trying environment. Surgery is one such environment, where good and bad surgeons exist together. Traditionally surgeons are notorious for having the God-like complex, being inflexible and bullying others into follow his or her way only, and sometimes being downright rude and condescending towards other staff who are not quick to learn something. I am not saying you don't have problems in other medical specialties, it's just that the kind of personality that exists in surgery (which is the reason why they choose surgery as a career in the first place) makes you have to be on your nerve at all times. A stupid mistake or a wrong first impression can be disastrous, as I have seen in the career of some of my older colleagues.

Galen (year AD 157) attends to a wounded gladiator as the crowds bay for more blood

Andreas Vesalius  (1514-1564) - the father of human anatomy

A 'muscleman' illustration from Vesalius' De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543) - alludes to his foray into body snatching

John Hunter (1728 - 1793) - challenged the traditional teaching of medicine started by Hippocrates and advocated careful observation and scientific method in medicine. A trip to London where his brother worked as an anatomy teacher and gynaecologist when he was 21 changed the course of his life as he took on an interest in human body

Walter Lillehei performs open heart surgery using cross-circulation in 1954. 

Dr Ben Carson (neurosurgeon) - featured in the movie Gifted Hands (2009) - a must-watch! He is well known for performing controversial procedures on the brain which others would not dare to and he is one of the first neurosurgeons who successfully separated a pair of siamese twins (joined at the head) in an operation which took 22 hours. 

Modern day surgery

I will miss running. I will miss following the news of the latest ultra and seeing the development of the sport. I will miss the thrill of toeing the starting line knowing you have done your best to prepare for a race and will demand nothing short of an honest and out-all effort. I will definitely miss the post-race camaraderie with other runners, discussing our race and training strategies and future plans.

I believe running has prepared me very well mentally and psychologically for what's ahead. To do well in anything, be it running, studying, playing a musical instrument, or being a salesman, one needs an incredible amount of inner motivation, a strong and fierce dedication toward excellence, lots and lots of hard work, and a good dose of wisdom in maintaining healthy work-life balance.

Reflection

As the year comes to a close, I thought I should reflect upon the year which has passed, and then prayerfully seek for directions and guidance for the new year.

So many things happened this year: I married the girl of my life, we set up a family of our own, we went to Europe for the first time for our honeymoon, I participated in a lot more races and widened my experience in trail ultra-racing, there were setbacks at work, there were valuable lesions that I have learned at work, a dear friend passed away in a waterfall accident, my love for God and interest for spiritual matters fluctuated a lot this year, one of my best friends broke up after a stable relationship of four years, I took a break from running after northface singapore etc. As much as I have tried to plan my life a certain way to avoid disappointment and keep things under control, unexpected things happen which swung me out of balance and my comfort zone.

Bachelor's Party with the 2 Js. 

Marrying the girl of my life

Caleb (middle) - one of my best friends got married this year

Honeymoon in Sweden

Northcape - watching midnight sun

My brothers in Christ

Bringing my in-laws for a walk around our house

The two horses who live with us

Fraser Island

Kevin (right) - a man who has such a big heart for people, passed away in a tragic waterfall accident while trying to rescue someone 

Adelene Williams - a friend in my hometown, who is both beautiful and godly, passed away in a tender age of 28 from SLE

No matter what the events are, it seems like the objects of my reflection always revolve around these five themes: God/spirituality, marriage, running, work/medicine, and friendship. Each of the above subjects deserves a proper look into as they are things which i hold very special in my heart. My walk with God has been very shaky and sometimes almost non-existent, especially toward the later part of the year, mainly because i have wilfully chosen not to place Him first. As for marriage, it has its ups and downs. The joy of having a companion who shares the same bed and roof as you is so very real, which on the flip side, also drives each other mad sometimes. I will talk about these some other time.

For this post, i will share what I have learned from running this year. I have learned that if you put your heart and soul into something, be willing to work extremely hard and suffer, you will most certainly achieve what you set out to do. I have surprised myself in many ways in my running journey this year. I would say from the outset that I have never been a great runner. I only really picked up running when I was 16 and I have been inconsistent in my training, hence producing only very average results. Prior to 2012, I have never officially ran a sub-40 min 10km or sub-3hr marathon. I never thought there were possible for me. It's only in 2012 when I started training high mileage(~100-140km/week) and throwing in some high intensity work-up that I began to see that maybe I have been wrong all these while. What i had done subconsciously is setting limitation on myself such that I never even dared to dream of doing something faster.

Look, no one taught me how to train before. I never had a coach, or a training manual which tells me the purpose of each type of training run: long run, tempo run, fartlek, speed intervals, uphill sprints, downhill sprints etc. After reading Born to Run in 2011 when I was in South Africa, I got infected with the running bug and started running long distance as I wanted to see how far and how long i can go. After finishing first in TMBT 50km 2011 (my first win in a major race), I started to believe that maybe I do have what it takes to run fast, especially in ultra-distances. 2012 was a year of alternating intensive high mileage weeks and injuries for me. Even though I did not have any outstanding performance leading up to TMBT, I managed to - with God's strength - win TMBT 100km. Thinking back, it was definitely a miracle because I completely buggered both my knees up three weeks from the race. That was the turning point for me. It was then that I started to believe that you can achieve anything you put your heart and soul into.

TMBT 50km 2011

TMBT 100km 2012

How I love the ice bath!

During the lay-off period between 2012 and 2013 racing season, I started to research more into running techniques, forms, training programmes etc. I bought a number of books to understand more about the sport. Some notable great books I have read are: The greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story, Hansons Marathon Method, Running with joy by Ryan Hall, and More Fire: How to train the Kenyan Way, Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. Then I extracted their training programmes and created something which suited my time and style. I started alternating my easy-moderate runs with intensive speed work-out. The easy-moderate run is to build a superior aerobic base, whereas the speed and tempo sessions are meant to add extra space into my lungs and build explosive strength in my legs. As a result, I finished second in Mt Mee Marathon in a time of 3:13, with ~1000m of elevation gain. Were it be flat, I think I could have gone 2:45-2:50. Three weeks later, I won my first solo race in Australia in the Cook's Tour 50km. After that, my confidence increased and I continued to plan my training strategically and specifically for the race that I was doing. The result? A podium finish in all the other races that I participated (except a DNF in Northface Singapore).

Finishing 2nd in Flinder's Tour 50km after taking two wrong turns and ended running 2km extra

TMBT 100km 2013

I was not saying the above in an arrogant or self-centred manner. The point I was making is: If you really believe you could do something, and are willing to pay the price and suffer for it, you will achieve what you set out to do. However, it's important to note that, hard work is one side of the coin. Success also requires a tremendous amount of drive and self-motivation, with a considerable dosage of smart and intelligence in understanding the science of running and your own body. If you are running the same distance, same time, same pace, and the same terrain every day, you are likely not to improve. It's by varying the terrain and the pace which help to broaden your running capability.

My biggest regret this year is not being able to run a road marathon. I scored ~76-78 for my VO2 max this year. The reason I don't have a precise reading is because the nose piece fell out in the last minute of the trial, causing my breath to escape. Hugo told me I could have even reached 80 if I had continued with the nose piece intact - the highest he has ever measured in an athlete (For comparison, Kilian Jornet scored 89 during the summit of my life project). Yes you can argue that VO2 max is just another reading which has no predictive value whatsoever in how fast a person can run. Running time also rests on another important factor: the running economy (which measures your running efficiency). I would add that a person's mental strength, pain tolerance, motivating factor also play an equally important role in determining the success of his/her career. With a reasonably high VO2 max and relatively good running economy, I am excited to see how fast i can go in a road marathon. I am predicting something in the range of 2:35-2:45. If i really train my butt off (and have all the essential checklist of a successful running reason ticked off), I think i may even be able to go under 2:35.

VO2 max test

My next biggest regrets are: not being able to join the Tour de Malaysia run and not being able to traverse Titiwangsa Range (in Malaysia) in the fastest time possible. My schedules this year have been stretched to the limit such that I could not fork out any extra time to join them in the quest. Allan Lee and Seow Kong (the core runners in Tour de Malaysia run) are good friends and folks whom i admire a lot. What they have done in Malaysia and in their own running career are simply phenomenal. I can only wish I could emulate half of what they have achieved.

Two legendary runners in Malaysia - Seow Kong and Allan Lee

Actually, saying the above means nothing now. Because there is no way I would be able to do them, at least not in the next four years. I am announcing this because I have completely different priorities in life now. One of them is - without a question - my work. I have been spending most of my time in the past two years running that I have spared little time to improve my medical knowledge and skill. It is a deliberate decision that I had made in the beginning of my internship that I wanted to invest more time in running, because hey, If i really wanted to pursue my passion, this is the time to do it right? Especially in the first two years of work when people don't demand so much from you. After this, people started to expect more from you. So I am making plans now to seriously discipline myself to study and read widely. Sometimes I have to remind myself of the following: Running is my passion; but medicine is my calling. I have an even stronger responsibility toward the sick, and my number one aim is to help relieve them of their suffering. So after messing around for two years, now is time to work hard.

I will share the other priority some time in the future, when the time is right. :D

I have two more races to do in 2014, and after that, no more. First race is Burden run on 26 Jan in University Malaysia. I have been intrigued to run this race because the idea of running with a 10kg sand bag sounds fun to me. The next race is Titi 50km/100km on 14 Feb, a race organised by a great friend Allan Lee and friends. I am only doing the shorter distance which is 50km, because i don't have the time and energy to train for another 100km. I am looking forward to racing in home soil.

So i will be saying goodbye to competitive running pretty soon. While I do so with a heavy heart, I can only say that this would only lead to a greater good. Human can only do that much. I believe that God has His plan and I have to be obedient in following His ways.

I went for a run with Bruce Cook this evening and I was listening to his stories. This man is a running legend, who has PRed in every distance from 3km - 100km back in the 80s and 90s. He ran 8:24 for 3km, 30:14 for 10km, 1:08 for 21km, 2:28 for 42km, 3:10 for 50km, 5:56 for 80km and 7:31 for 100km. While listening to his secrets for success, I can't help but to be in awe of what he has achieved. At the end of the run i asked him: 'Bruce, do you think i would still be able to run my personal best when i make a come-back in my 30s?' Without any hesitation, he said: Hell ya! 

Why do bad things happen to good people?

I sit alone in my darkened bedroom staring into blank space for what must have felt like eternity. My heart and mind are a messy wreck, and i keep having flashback to events in the waterfall where Kevin drowned. I have so many questions in my heart surrounding the event, the most important of all  is why has God allowed this to happen?

Kevin's death came as a shock to many of us. He is a faithful and loving husband, a great father, a loyal friend, and a wise mentor to a lot of young people. Many of us simply could not believe God would 'take' someone so young and strong and vibrant with such a bright ministry future ahead of him. I think about Adele, who now has to shoulder the sole responsibility of caring for the two kids. Who will be sharing her joy and holding her hands during her daughter's graduation or son's wedding? I think about Zoe (Kevin's elder daughter), how she must have missed all the bedside stories daddy has been telling her and all the early morning cuddling. I think about of Lukas who has not even turned one, who is still laying peacefully in his cradle, ignorant of all that is going on around him. He must have so many questions about his father when he grows up, and how difficult it would be to grow up without a father, coach and mentor.

I have often heard Christians making things worse by offering contradictory and confusing counsel in the face of life's bedeviling events. God is punishing you. No it's Satan! Neither: God has afflicted you out of love, not punishment, for you've been specially chosen to demonstrate faith. No God wants you healed... So many different answers, yet offering so little comfort to the broken hearted.

I have no idea how to respond to these remarks. In truth, I need answers myself more than anything else. I believe in a heavenly Father who loves his children and wishes good for us all. While I do not believe that God caused this to happen to Kevin, my struggle is why He could have helped Kevin but did not intervene? If God did not protect His people and innocent children who were tortured (while some even cried out to God to save them), how do I have faith that God will protect people close to me?

I don't think i will ever find answers to these unsettling questions, at least not in this life time. This is part of the mystery of living in this broken, fallen world. To think that we would be shielded from life's catastrophic events by the virtue of the fact that we are God's children is, at its best idealistic, and at its worse plain naive. Maybe the only way to protect ourselves is stay out of trouble's way, to micro-manage our lives to eliminate all risks and danger. Even then, we can't run away from diseases and illnesses and cancers, from anxiety and depression - which are things from within us rather than without.

Perhaps the only comfort i take is - Kevin has fought the good fight of faith, and he now stands together with the rest of the saints in the heavenly realm. I believe that he is with Jesus now, standing next to Jesus, holding Jesus's hands, talking with Jesus.. He is the safest and the most beautiful place he could be at, finding eternal rest for his soul, smiling at his family from heaven and interceding for the rest of us.

We will meet again in heaven, my dear brother.

Devastated...

Am utterly devastated to hear of the loss of a dear brother and friend. Though we have not officially met, I have heard a lot of things about you. Your love for God, people, mission and adventure - they all are a huge inspiration to me. How I wish we were good friends, that we could exchange great conversation and ideas, that i could listen to your life experiences and learn from them. How I wish I was there at the waterfall, who knows, maybe I would be able to find you underneath the water... You will always be in our hearts. Your legacy will live forever. When life on earth ends, we will see you again in heaven, my dear brother.

Pre-TNF Singapore

Two weeks ago I completed what to me is the hardest race of my life - TMBT 2013. It took me more than 14 hours to endure the heat, the storm, the mud, the narrow cliff, the river, the darkness and the fatigue. In a sense, I feel happy that I finished such a tough course in a decent time. Aman - the race director had told me that he expected me to finish between 15-16 hours. At the same time, I can't hide my disappointment in not being able to defend the title and make my fellow countrymen proud. But I know this is the best I could do with the amount of training I have. 

Mentally and physically I feel that I am done for the year. Now even the thought of getting out for a 'training run' makes me tired. I am very reluctant to write this post, coz it feels like my weakness is being exposed here. But i cant deny the fact of the matter, which is - I am burning out. My worst fear seems to be coming true - that in midst of racing and competing, I might actually lose motivation and the joy to run. My mind is so focused on performing that I have failed to listen to my body. 

Today I went out for a 15km run, from a  initially planned 30km run. I just could not do it. My body was begging for me to stop most of the way. I tried to stretch it a little further, but I had to stop eventually at 15km mark. It then occurred to me that I am not ready to race another 100km next week. I think if I really force it, I could finish the race, but the after-damage would be hard to deal with. I may lose the joy of running altogether. 

This is a pretty hard pill for me to swallow. I must admit that ego stands in the way of me giving up the opportunity to race 100km. It feels like a cowardice behavior to quit, and I worry about what other people might say.  Rachel, in her usual caring and understanding tone, comforted me in saying that of everyone in the world, only I myself know how my body feels.  I should make wise decision based on truth (which is my body is tired and battered), rather than on untruth (what my ego or other people may say). She would support me in whatever decision I make, even if it's a unpopular one. 

I am thankful for my soul companion. Because she knows me the best, she knows my every weakness, she has my best intention in her heart, she is one person that I am going to have to listen to. 

So I decided to call Outdoor Venture to ask if I could downgrade my 100km to 50km. Since i have bought my flights, I might as well not waste it. In my heart, I was begging God. If it's Your will Lord, please let them allow me to downgrade to 50km. The lady (who will remain unnamed to protect her identity) that I spoke is very kind. She told me she would help me ask. And two hours later, I received a green light from her for me to switch to 50km. Phew.. What a relief it is for me. 

Now I just have to muster all I have to finish the last race of the year. This is the third time I am doing northface Singapore, but i still don't deal with the heat and humidity very well. The outcome doesn't matter. Am just looking forward to meet up with some runners there to share our stories. And also to go for food hunting after the race with one of my best friends - Caleb! 

Per-race thoughts

It's hard to describe how i feel now. The highly anticipated event of the year -TMBT is around the corner again. This year, I am in the company of my wife and some of my best friends (all of whom are running the race too) - friends whom I have deep affection and respect for. It's really such a joy to be able to share the journey with them. 

It's a big contrast in terms of my condition, preparation and attitude between last year and this year. Last year I carried injuries into the race; this year I have been healthy so far (thank God!). Last year my training was frequently interrupted by niggles and injuries; this year I have had a fairly smooth, well-planned and consistent training. I guess the most important difference is my attitude toward the race. Last year because of my condition and the fact that it was my first 100km race,  I carried a lot of anxiety with me and i was totally reliant on God to do a miracle in me to complete the race. This year though, I feel quietly confident that if I do most things right on race day, I should be able to have a good race. Or will I? 

It's such self-confidence that worries me now. Would i be running with my own strength and will-power or will i be running in His strength and grace? Will i depend on my training, nutrition strategy, human wisdom to carry me through, or will i run with simplicity of joy and freedom, knowing that He has my back no matter what the outcome is? It's often said we are closest to God when we are most desperate. I remembered how i clung on to God every step of the way in the 100km race last year, praising Him and worshipping Him. Now my greatest fear is that I rely on myself to run the race.

Last weekend, I was down in Glasshouse 100 supporting my emergency medicine supervisor and mentor - Dr Simon Bugden. Whilst waiting for him to arrive at checkpoint, his wife shared a verse with me from the Psalms written by David which I have never come across in all my years of reading the bible.

'He (God) made my feet like the feet of a mountain goat..'. Psalm 18:33.

A few verses prior, David wrote, 'For by you i can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.' Psalm 18:29

It was written by David, when he was hunted by King Saul in the wilderness. I have spending the past few days reading Psalm 18 (it's such a beautiful psalm) and 1 Samuel 19-26, which described the events of his escape from King Saul and the surrounding circumstances when he penned Psalm 18. What struck me most about the whole passage is how God-occupied David had been throughout. His life was in constant danger, but he held on to hope and gave himself to God in holy abandonment. He allowed God to be his moral compass, choosing not to harm God's anointed (King Saul) when he had the chance to even though King Saul sought to kill him multiple times. He had entrusted his life and the lives of his soldiers fully to God. Because of his obedience, God has availed Himself to David and delivered him from all the troubles and danger. 

What WALL will we be leaping over this Saturday? Will we have feet of a mountain goat? When we go through low points, when we are struggling with the pace, when the race does not go according to plan, when we suffer stomach upset or some accidental injury, how will we respond? 

In my heart, I am certain that if I trust in my own strength, i won't be able to go far. For obvious reason of increased difficulty of race course and tougher competition, God has enabled me to train with better consistency and efficiency this time, because I will have a much higher wall to leap over, and I will have my own Goliath to face. I want to do my Heavenly Father proud, I want to run with my heart totally set on glorifying Him and in gratitude to Him for bestowing me this gift of running. Yes I will have fear and anxiety; sometimes I will be too pre-occupied with myself and race plan rather than God; Yes I won't deny that at times I could let the competitive demon get the better of me. But I know, and I know, and I know that these momentary struggles and weaknesses will not hinder Him from doing His work in me. He has set my feet upon the rock, and even if I stumble, He will not let me fall. This does not mean i will win the race. But it does mean that God has my back and will carry on His purpose for me to completion. Such is the blessed assurance that I have. 

Dear reader, if you have not yet known the extravagant love of God, of how He died for you and me on the cross, how He wants to love you and give you a hope and a purpose, how He wants to spend eternity with you, I pray that you will one day receive His love into your heart. Your life will never be the same again. 

2 weeks before TMBT

Finally the race of the year is just around the corner. TMBT is without a doubt the most challenging race in my calendar and one that I have been most looking forward to this year.

In the past 2-3 months, I have trained quite consistently, gradually building my weekly mileage to around 120-150km/week, focusing on a lot of elevation, which includes uphill and downhill running, medium long run, back-to-back long run. I also took a lot of time to test my gear and nutrition, and modifying my gear to make it ultra-friendly. Something amazing which i have to say is I have been largely injury-free this year. I am not sure whether it's wiser training, or better muscular and skeletal adaptation from last year's training, or new pair of shoes, I have been able to train without any interruption due to injury. This year, I have decided to try on new pair of Hoka One One, Stinson Evo Tarmac and Trail. Mostly out of desperation, I approached Hoka initially with some kind of skepticism,  but since everything I have read it from the internet is great, I thought i would give it a try. It turned out to be a great decision! Not my favourite type of shoes (the extra cushioning just dulls my feet proprioception of the ground), but surely one which works very well and reduces muscular strain after a long run, thereby preventing overuse injuries. Having said that, I still make sure I run in my minimalist Asics Piranha 4 in my shorter run every now and then to maintain my running form and strengthen my lower leg muscles.

I have participated in a few shorter races to test my endurance and speed. On 28 July, I ran the Flinders Tour 50km, a race which i finished 6th in 4:32 last year. I went into the race with an aim to finish top 3 and improve on my time. At the start line, I bumped into Greg and his very pregnant wife - Sarah. (Greg overtook me in the last 1 km of Mt Mee Marathon and has a marathon best of 2:40) This is going to be a fast race i thought.  When the gun went off, we both jumped into the lead. Shortly after the start, we were joined by Patrick (last year's defending champion with a time of 4:06). This made the lead pack a group of 3, and we set the pace together. It was fun running with them, and the first half of the race was filled with frequent chatter and laughter as we trod along the bush. Just before the half way point, I broke away from the group and made my way up to Mt Beerburrum. In the second half, I took two wrong turns, first one on my own (which resulted in both Patrick and Greg running ahead of me), and the second one with Patrick when we both pulled away from Greg. I probably lost in total around 8-10 mins, and i ran an additional 2km as compared to the eventual winner Greg. With that, no matter how hard i tried, i could not catch up with Greg who had surged ahead when Patrick and I lost our way. Finally I finished in 2nd place in 3:58, Greg in 1st place in 3:51 and Patrick in 3rd place in 4:04. I was satisfied with the result - a sub-4 50km (The actual distance in my watch is 51km), a big improvement from last year's time.

Greg (left), Patrick (middle) and I

On 22 August, I participated in another ultra-running research in University of Sunshine Coast conducted by Hugo - a French exercise physiologist who is currently in his final project for his PhD in Australia. It consists of two components. First - a VO2 max measurement. I have never done a VO2 max before, so i was excited to try out to find out my number. There was some last minute mess-up when my nose piece dropped out. My final measurement is 75, and Hugo said i could go a bit higher like ~78. The second was a 6hr treadmill run, which includes 4 x 6 mins of 10% of incline at 10km/hr. This added some nice variety to the otherwise monotonous flat running on a treadmill. I ran a total distance of 72.84km, which is an improvement from my previous 6hr Caboolture Historical Village run (69.56km). I think the main difference this time (other than the fact that my legs are stronger) is I have started out in a more conservative pace, which allowed me to maintain throughout the 6hr.

Hugo attaching the electrodes in my quads and calf

VO2 max

Hugo explaining to the students what the 6hr treadmill is all about

Collecting data from the quads, calf and brain

A very modern exercise lab

Juggling between family time, working, spending time with God and training are indeed no easy task. I think i have been stretched so much in the last few months, and it feels like I have always been skirting around the edge of the cliff. I am glad God has pulled me through this period, giving me the motivation and strength to wake up each day for the seemingly mundane task of training and working, granting me the wisdom to decide when to push and when to rest, and allowing the body and the mind to hold up in this intense period of training. This has further confirmed the decision that I have made in my heart that I don't want to run competitively for long term. The toll and sacrifice it has on the mind and body is simply too great. It's always been clear to me that running is a stepping stone to something greater in the mission field in the future. There is a season in life for everything. As for now, I have a few more goals in running i would like to achieve before I focus my time and energy on something else.