Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Back To Backs

Strip away all the technical aspects, training is all about systematically stressing the body and mental systems over a period of time. Build up and sustain the stress-load on the body, breaking it down, recover and repeat.

I came up with the Back to Back (B2B) approach at this stage of my career as I can no longer maintain an end to end 4 month marathon training program. I will either lose focus halfway through the period, peak too early as a result of poor management or fall sick. Since I've been quite blessed at staying injury free over the years, I thought I can compress the period of serious training down to 2 months by incorporating 2 days of high quality (LTs and Tempos) workouts on weekdays and hitting the long runs on weekends. More recently I invested in a spinning bike to ensure that I not only prevent cardio and strength loss but to build them up.

The benefits of these adjustments are lower running mileage (and thus reducing overuse risk), increase in quality workouts, reduction of training period, while maintaining fitness. I'm also hoping that all that spinning will bring about quicker leg turnover. All good but this approach is not for everyone. You need to have about 40K weekly mileage and have tackled distances of up to 30K a few times. It's not recommended for beginning runners and non-marathoners, simply because it places too much stress on the unconditioned body and mind. In view of that I've been fortunate to have like minded running mates to tag along. Training in a group can and will pull you through tough patches.



We own the night. OK, morning! As you can see the camera just don't cut it.

For my NYCM training, I put together a series of B2Bs. B2Bs are essentially medium-long to long runs done on Saturday and Sunday. With 5 weeks to raceday, the workouts were 25K and 31K. With me were Luc, Frank and Lawrence. I decided to carry a loaned Olympus SW850 to get a feel of it and the unit felt quite good in my hands. It also fits snugly into the Nike slim running pouch. Barring any change of mind, the camera will be coming along with me on the 5-borough journey.


After the Saturday's 25K

The 31K started an easy pace. We decided to take the new Solaris route. I was running in and out of pace testing the camera at various spots. It was only near Desa Hartamas that Luc turned the power on and disappeared. Frank and I stopped over at the 7-Eleven for drinks and quickly resumed. By the time we neared the Petronas station after a loop, Luc came storming from behind. He'd gone around loop while waiting for us.

The run to the IRB office was with Luc as Frank had dropped back a bit. I raised my pace to MP and managed to stick close to Luc. Of course it was his easy pace. I was comfortable throughout and the Lunaracers were holding up very very well. We took another loop before stopping at the station to replenish. Frank arrived soon after but indicated he had to relieve himself. So Luc and I went our way, this time taking the reverse Solaris route. And boy was I in for a hard run. The reverse was even worse than coming. But with the construction workers streaming to their site at the killer hill, there was no way I could stop. I hung on as long as I could as we hammered the ascent.

After we cleared the Duta crossing, Luc jestfully suggested we detoured to Double Hill. I'm sure he could've but there was no way I'd make it back. Sure, NYCM isn't flat but it isn't even as hilly as the regular Hartamas route (just several well-placed bridges to knock your pace off). Hopefully Luc wasn't frustrated with my non-interest for he zoomed down Kenny Hills and wasn't seen again until back at the car park. I maintained pace and was clipping along fairly fast back to the car park to conclude a good week of running and spinning.

This week with the Aidil Fitri celebrations, I have opportunity to log the highest mileage - just about right timing too with just 3 weeks to tapering. It calls for 2 midweek runs of 21K and 30K followed by 15K and 25K on the weekends. In between will be some spinning and a couple of short runs. I've been eating and snacking more the last 3 days and I've found the extra calories to be extremely helpful. I've also found that I've energy on my long runs even while maintaining my policy of no gel intakes during training. My snacks have been a mixture of oats, fruit and cereal bars, and Powerbar Triple Threat. I also eat normal food, just more frequently. Mondays are treat days after the hard weekends, so it's usually McDonald's Milkshake for me.

The next 2 weeks leading up to the taper period, I will reduce the distance to be covered on Saturday but increase Sunday's long run to 35K. Overall mileage will still remain decent.

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Friday, September 26, 2008

Training Updates: Spinnin' and Runnin'

It was already 9pm when I reached home Wednesday night. Hungry and tired, I just wanted to quickly eat my dinner, get the chores done and put in a workout. So there was the bike in the kitchen just waiting for me. Carbokid 2 was the more curious between the 2 and he was fiddling with the pedals and any parts he could reach. I made sure that the flywheel is locked as that would be a fun (but dangerous) thing for him to play.

A short while later with everyone upstairs, I promptly started with a 10-min warmup. Star Wars Episode 3 was in the DVD player and that certainly helped to pass time, even if I was irritated with the corny script and plank-like expressions of Hayden Christiansen.

I ended the session an hour later, soaked and thirsty but satisfied. A quick shower and cool down before hitting the sack at 12:30am.

5 hours later, it was another 50-min spin. I'd left the bike where it was so there was no time lost in setting up. Movie of the hour was Luc Besson's The Fifth Element. Leeloo was certainly more appealing than Anakin. It must have been the babe factor, coz I was pedaling harder and more furiously than last night, well earlier that morning. Sweat beaded up on my upper arms and momentarily I thought of the sprayed faux sweat on the cover models on fitness magazines. There was sweat all over the placement mat. Evening was an easy run of approximately 8K with Loke. Weather was just perfect and even with a sub-6 pace, it felt comfortable. The legs were relatively OK but I was awakened in the middle of the night with a horrible calf cramp. I’ve been fortunate to be cramped-free all these while in my running and racing so it came as a shock to me. It lasted about 15 seconds but was it painful – ok, aren’t all cramps painful?

I woke up this morning with tight adductors and hamstrings and decided to skip the 1 hour ride to save my legs for the B2B weekend runs. Just to be on the safe side, I’ll run easy to prevent any aggravation to my left calf.

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Thursday, September 25, 2008

Sneak Peek Of The '08 NYCM Finishers Medal

Want to take a look at the medal that will be adorning your necks when you cross the finish line on Nov 2? A short in RW Online featured the honoring of perhaps the greatest woman runner (and cancer survivor) ever, Grete Waitz.

Grete Waitz is Feted in Oslo for Her NYC Marathon Accomplishments
It's been 30 years since a Norwegian schoolteacher best-known for running cross country and 3000-meter track races first tried a marathon in New York City, and set a world record while earning the first of her phenomenal nine victories in that event. Waitz and her husband Jack had a meeting with Oslo Mayor Fabian Stang before being greeted by a full room of friends, family, and journalists at Bislett Stadium - in front of which stands a full-sized statue of Waitz herself. The marathoning pioneer seemed deeply moved when New York Road Runners President and CEO Mary Wittenberg showed her the finisher's medal for this November 2's ING New York City Marathon; it features a likeness of Waitz on the front and the inscription, "Grete Waitz, the Greatest New York City Marathon Champion" on the back. "There are a few in sports who have been game changers and Grete changed the sport," observed Wittenberg. "There have been 52 winners of the New York City Marathon, all of them great and deserving winners, but Grete is a champion of champions. Years after she has put away her racing shoes, Grete is the gift that keeps on giving to all of us now." Waitz commented "on celebrating 30 years since my first victory, I am very happy that you have done this in my hometown with all of my friends and family. Looking back at that first win, it seems like it was just last week."

To see the medal (only the front though), hit this link.

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Monday, September 22, 2008

Upcoming B2B Long Runs

As the year-end marathon season approaches, the frequency of long runs are on the rise. This will be the 2nd, 3rd and 4th back-to-backs (B2B) that we're looking at in the space of 2 weeks. Here's a look at the upcoming program. You're most welcome to join us.

This week:
Sat 27th – 25K (5am so that we can do easy pace, and we can join the RM folks for the balance 4.3K. PM1, pls join us coz we want to show you a new race route)
Sun 28th – 25K (same, so that we can go home and be with the family)

Next week aka Hell Week (goal: to complete the mileage, NOT SPEED)
Raya Day 1 Oct 1st – 21K (new route, 5am, so that can go jalan2 with family)
Raya Day 2 Oct 2nd - 30K (new route, 5am, so that can go chill out with family)
Sat 4th – 15K (5:50am, nor liap sua aka Double Hill)
Sun 5th – 21K (regular route, 5am)

Meeting Place: Lake Gardens Car Park (fronting the police HQ). These sessions are ideal to test out your marathon pace, tempos, new gear and shoes while building up your physical and mental toughness. Doing the workouts in a group will make it easier.

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

42 Days To Go

A poor week mileage wise with no signs of changing. A consolation is that the quality runs were still there but that's not good enough - not by my standards. The level of excitement has been going steadily up to be sure, as the day draws near. So to address my lack of workout today and in the future (I've had for weeks observed the trend of work eating into my running routine), I made a decision to invest in a spinning bike. There were some resistance to be sure but I told my wife that either she agrees with my purchase or put up with a grouchy and totally unfit husband. With the money, I could've part financed the purchase of a plasma TV or a DSLR but health and fitness go above those 2 nice-to-haves. I just have to arrest the slide in my workout frequency. And the bike is a proven machine to ensure that my aerobic fitness and strength don't evaporate. It's much cheaper than a treadmill, requiring less space, generates less noise while providing low impact workouts. That's my machine below. I expect it to be delivered on Wednesday, allowing me to get back into the mileage groove very quickly at this critical stage.


I ran 8K on Thursday and 5K on Friday before this morning's 21K. The Thursday run was good but I encountered the annoying runner who literally brushed everyone as he passed. At first I thought that he intentionally run close to me just to brushed me but I observed that he did the same to everyone. He could've easily just run wide. So I decided to harassed him and give him back some of the medicine he dished out. I was already 5K into my run, so I took it as a tempo part of my workout. I picked up my pace and stuck to his butt. I made sure he knew of my presence by periodically scraping my shoes. I'd draw very near to him - to his side, then to his heels. I felt strong and in control and I had energy and speed on tap. Just when I could've passed him, I pulled back just to annoy him. When he picked up pace, I'd draw level with him. At that pace, he lasted only 1 lap while I went on for 2 more Ks. I may sound like a mean fellow but this runner is worst. He'd been spotted relieving himself at the park indiscretely. He also parks his 4x4 illegally and treated the other park users with disdain. In short this man is a brute.

I had a nice surprise on Friday as I finally got hold of a test pair of Nike's Lunaracer. Before that day, I'd never ran in a shoe that's this light. The Lunaracer weighs in at a measly 5.5 oz. The lightest shoe that I've ever worn was the Nike Pegasus Racer of the early '90s and the 9 oz cousin of the Lunaracer, the Lunar Trainer. 5.5 oz isn't the typical territory of daily trainers and even racers for middle of the packers, only for the elites. But the Lunaracer is not your typical shoe. To get a feel of it, I immediately took it for a 5K. I will leave the specifics to the review. Suffice to say that I kept checking myself not to go too fast as I logged the most consistent splits in months. To say that I was totally floored by the wear experience is an understatement. More was to come as I took it for a 21K this morning. The mere fact that I was able to wear a shoe this light over the distance is already an amazement. I'm already looking forward to take them for a series of hard back to backs over the next 2 weeks, and only then will I sit down to write the report.



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Friday, September 19, 2008

Supersize Me!

We’ve had the Mother of Official Handbooks. Now we have the Mother of Course Maps. It’s true that everything is mega when it comes to the US. From the skyscrapers of downtown Manhattan, cabs, people, currency, food servings, I’m going to feel like a pygmy (no offense to the Papua New Guinea natives). Just check out the Official Handbook and the Course Guide. To download a copy, hit the images below.


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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Name Tag


Here's the name tag that I'll be sticking to my race tee. This way I don't have to worry about pinning or printing my name on the tech fabric and potentially spoiling it.

Having their names printed or written on their race shirt is a popular practice among runners in mega marathons where there are large crowds to cheer you on, by name. A friend who will be running NYCM the 2nd time commented that she was called out (and hi-fived) in support so many times that she got tired of acknowledging the cheers of supporters! Since she will be on her 2nd "tour", she has decided to forgo the sticker routine this time around.

But then it's an experience not to be missed for first timers, so I'll be wearing that sticker on top of my race bib and welcome all the cheers my "fans" will accord me! Makes me feel like a star on a red carpet. Woo hooo!

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Sunday, September 14, 2008

1st 30K Run

With just 2 days of running this week, I headed into the 30K with trepidation. Having had 5 hours of sleep the last 2 nights didn't do my confidence level any good either. GL texted me that she needed to rest just as I was driving down. I thought I'd have only SP and her friend for company but to my surprise KK Oon was also part of the posse and he too brought a friend, a cool German dude, Rudy (if I remembered correctly) with a PR of 3:30. My thoughts immediately switched to a suffering mode. I was steeling myself for a tough tough run. There I was, way out of my league, even if this was a training run.

The plan was to try out a new route to Hartamas, so just after the Wilayah mosque, we headed straight at the traffic lights instead of veering to the left. The route took us past high-end condos and gated residences. The terrain was undulating and gave the legs a good workout. We'd been chugging at a steady pace and enjoying a conversation about Munich, beer and Oktoberfest with Rudy when we were joined by a Belgian gentleman whose PR is 2:50. Gosh, I swore I gulped hard when I heard that. I said a silent prayer that my legs and lungs will last.

The route turned out to be great and we ran past Solaris and SoHo KL (an upcoming hip area) but there was a quiet and dark spot just heading into Desa Hartamas, which are best undertaken in a group. We got over that quickly and took a loop around Petronas. The 2nd loop was also run as a variation where we took the short but steep climb left just after Plaza Damas past the school before linking with the usual Petronas loop. It's been all undulating and hilly thus far.

After refueling (I opted out of KK's Powergel offer), I decided to try for a fast 10K to finish the run off. Just to simulate late race conditions. Boy it was really tough, and I've some work to do the next few weeks. I nearly wanted to walk up the Tijani hill but somehow got over that. I astounded myself with a 5:20 split down Kenny Hills but both the elites and SP's friend were already nowhere in sight. They were so fast, possibly 5 to 8 minutes ahead of me.

When I stopped the watch back at the car park, I learnt that I'd just PR'd my 30K timing recorded early this year, even if this wasn't a race. Very satisfied, I spent some time chitchatting with John, who looked quite well (the scars were all there still, though) while I downed a bottle of Powerbar Recovery. Interesting trivia: Of the 5, Rudy will be running the Munich Marathon, KK the Florence Marathon, SP and I will be headed to NYC. Quite an international flavor huh?

My next 30K should be in 2 weeks' time. Who's coming?


SP's friend, Carboman, Belgian gentleman, SP, Rudy

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Saturday, September 13, 2008

Crunch Time

Things are certainly heating up over here even as the season is heading for Fall in New York. Only 52 days to race day (49 days to my flight). I quiver with excitement at the prospect of visiting a faraway land, a melting pot of culture and ethnicity. At the same time, I'm apprehensive about the long flight. I'm livid about the training that needs to be done. When you put all of these emotions into the mix, you get high anxiety. Thankfully, Nike and Powerbar have alleviated part of my anxiety by taking care of my gear and nutrition. I've been rotating between the Vomero 2+, Structure Triax 11+ and Lunar Trainer+ for my runs and I've never had to worry about apparels either. After the successful stress test of the Lunars last weekend, I'm eager to take them for a couple of hard long runs. The first 2 weeks of October seem to be the perfect time for those workouts. My intention is to wear the Lunars for the race failing which I'll revert to the ever reliable Zoom Elite.

On the nutritional front, Powerbar has me covered. Tackling any distances longer than 20K would typically require some pre-run fueling for me or I’ll be risking some awkward stomach growling moments. And the common practice for me is to munch on an energy bar while driving down to the meeting spot at Lake Gardens. The bar of choice presently is the Powerbar Triple Threat. I find the Crisp version to be refreshingly light and tasty while still giving me the necessary carbs. It's got 10-11g of protein, 220-230 calories, 4g of fiber and 16 vitamins and minerals. For a more filling snack, it's the ProteinPlus Bar for me - yes I take the Protein Bar as a pre-run snack. Tomorrow will see my first 30K of the training and I'd certainly be needing a nice cool bottle of Powerbar Recovery drink. The drink contains 40g carbs, 6g protein and 500mg of electrolyte sodium per 16 fl. oz serving. If you're as soaked in sweat as I am after a run, you'll appreciate the orangy beverage. I keep my fluids cool in a Coleman tumbler, so that ramps up the taste factor even more. I don't take Powergels except during a race so that my body can get the extra boost at the appropriate time.


To download an informative Powerbar booklet, just hit the image below.



Since we're on the subject of nutrition, anyone would like to try out several pasta recipes as recommended by Barilla? Check them out here. Don't forget to invite me should you be making the yummy dishes.

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Monday, September 8, 2008

Holy 55 Days, Carboman!

Gosh! That's only just slightly more than 1.5 months to race day, and even lesser to my travelling date. There's so much to do in all areas, and I'm having a hard time juggling the tasks. I'm going to itemize them here as a form of reminder to myself. So let's see.

Training
Not good at all. I haven't been consistent in my workouts and haven't hit the 50s and yet I'm already jumping straight into the back-to-backs. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on

Travel & Itinerary
I've a rough plan but some research and thought needs to go into finalizing it. Visa document, passport and air ticket are all settled but I need to register with the Frequent Flyer Miles so that I can at least get something back from the airline. I'll also need to check with the travel agency on seat confirmation sometime early October.

To buys
All ready. But I need to run it by my packing list to ensure nothing's left out. And at the same time nothing extraneous is packed.

Money changing
I've progressively been changing some USD and the rates have been getting worse. At the time of writing this, it's at RM1 to USD3.45. Thankfully I've changed all that I needed to which isn't much - just enough to last the first couple of days. With a good ATM network in Manhattan, I can still withdraw cash over there - the interchange should be that exhorbitant considering I'm not taking out large sums. Credit card will be my main mode of payment.

NYRR
NYRR has yet to send out this year's Runners Handbook where all the details will be spelt out. Nearly all the information is already posted on their website but I believe plenty more will be passed on in the handout. NYRR will also be confirming which wave I'll be starting from sometime end of this month. Come the 2nd week of October I expect to receive my bib collection card.

Travelling mates
Once the itinerary and event handbook is out, the 5 of us travellers will probably meetup to discuss meeting points, arrangements, plans and so on.

It's all getting more and more exciting but quite worrying at the same time especially on the training part!

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Friday, September 5, 2008

Prince Liam The Brave

I admire my friend Marci Glotzer’s running of all her NYCM with Fred’s Team (named after the late NYCM founder Fred Lebow, who passed away of cancer) in support of The Aubrey (about Aubrey Barr) Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). It’ll be Marci’s 3rd NYCM this November and this time around she’s running it in support of a little boy. His name is Liam Witt and he was diagnosed with a type of cancer called Neuroblastoma. He has been bravely fighting this deadly cancer with the help of friends all over the world since February of 2007. Liam has gone through nearly a year of aggressive treatment that included chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumor in his abdomen, radiation, and is currently receiving 3f8 antibody therapy at MSKCC in New York City.

Liam’s parents, Larry and Gretchen, maintain a blog to provide the latest status on Liam's health and progress. will be posting good news and any concerns related to Liam's battle with this disease. It’s difficult not to be moved by the bravery of the Witts in facing this very difficult challenge to a boy who is not even 5. It gave me an insight to how busy parents cope while maintaining a brave and positive front for their children (Liam has a younger sister Ella, who adores him). I can’t pretend to understand fully the complications, heartache that this disease brings but when it happens to kids, it digs even deeper into me. Liam may be 4 but in my books he towers in bravery. Here’s an excerpt of one of the postings by his Mom.

“Liam just finished throwing up for the third time in an hour. Chemo throw up for Liam is a total body experience…it sounds like his toes are throwing up and every vertebrae in his back. It comes out his nose. He makes an awful wretching sound. He spits frantically to clear the throw up from his mouth while whimpering “there’s more – don’t move the bucket!” And over and over he says, “I don’t like throwing up. I don’t like it at all.” But tonight, after his third throw up session and before I had even wiped away the combo of spit, he raised his head from the throw up bucket and said in a cautiously excited voice, “Mommy – One plus one is two! And two plus two is four!” And as soon as I had him cleaned up, he curled into me and started picking out the letters he recognized on the front page of the newspaper. “Mommy – There’s my letter – and L. And that letter is for dog it’s a, a, a, D! And that’s my other letter…a W. Over there is a snake letter. What’s it’s name again?” The effects of the anti-nausea pill are finally setting in and he’s asleep covered in a Batman blanket that arrived yesterday and surrounded by little puppy, big puppy, monkey puppy, duck puppy, super soft yellow blankie and pilly the pillow which has the ever-present magic rock attached to it and a new addition, a lucky stone passed along from Aunt Franny’s son Ben.”

Liam may be a world away but there are no boundaries for cancer. The disease can strike anywhere and anyone. Cancer is the global war. The doctors and researchers are doing a heroic job in the fight, but they also need our help. If you’re moved, you can contribute to Marci’s cause via MSKCC’s secure website here. You can donate any amount via credit card.

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