Running

Date: May 06, 2010
Day: Thursday
Time of Day: 2230hrs
Weather: Warm humid night with plenty of stars in the sky
Route: Bukit Panjang Loop
Avg Speed: 8.365km/h
Distance: 2.26km
Time: 16m 11s 69ms
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 194.21

I finally started running again. Had dinner before 7pm. Had a long warm-up running about aimlessly and discovered that I do not have the stamina to last a long run. Thus, I settled for 1 round of the 2.26km loop around Bukit Panjang.


Date: May 12, 2010
It had been 5 days since my last run and I was itching for a good run-about around the neighbourhood last night. The weather was however very unkind. A thunderstorm kicked in around 4pm and the drizzle continued till late night.

This afternoon, I was planning for my annual leave when I tried to reconcile 2 important events in December, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and my brother-in-law's wedding. Sure enough, the marathon date is on 05 December 2010 and my brother-in-law's wedding in Penang is the day before. Hence, my realisation that I will not be participating in any marathon-running event this year.

After missing out of the Sundown reqistration, I was so looking forward to running the Singapore Marathon but I guess I will have to settle for the following ones instead:

15 August 2010 - Waterfront Scramble 2010 @ Chinese/Japanese Gardens 13KM Competitive Run
12 September 2010 - Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon 21KM
10 October 2010 - Newton Run 30KM Challenge ($50 registration fee) at Playground @ Big Splash, East Coast Park
17 October 2010 - New Balance Real Run 15KM (4km trail, 0.6km sand, 10.4km runway)

I have decided to give the Mizuno Mount Faber and Wave run a miss after reading much about the bad organisation from previous years.

It was 11pm and I was all dressed up, warmed up and ready to go for a night run when the sky starting pouring. Frustrations aside, I returned to the house, removed my running gear and changed to my sleeping gear and went to bed.


Date: May 15, 2010
Day: Saturday
Time of Day: 0745hrs
Weather: Cool cloudy morning
Route: Pang Sua Park Connector
Avg Speed: 7.64km/h
Distance: 8.07km
Time: 1h 3m 25s
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 676.44
Splits:
S1 (Ten Mile Junction to Stagmont Ring): 15m 07s 59ms
S2 (Stagmont Ring to Chua Chu Kang Way): 15m 59s 21ms
S3 (Chua Chu Kang Way to Stagmont Ring): 13m 54s 81ms
S4 (Stagmont Ring to Ten Mile Junction): 18m 24s 24ms

Date: May 20, 2010
Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon registration starts today and I am so gutted that I cannot be a part of the run this year. So I had a look at my previous marathon times and statistics to reminisce the good old days.

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2007
Start to 7.7km: 8.8km/h

Defence Lake Attack 2008 (10km run in Melbourne Albert Park)
Start to Finish: 10.04184km/h

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008
Start to 10km: 8.2km/h

My best speed thus far
Start to 8.07km: 7.64 km/hr

I am way below my best pace of 5min 58.5secs per km or 10.04184km/h. Must keep pushing.


Date: May 29, 2010
Day: Saturday
Time of Day: 1835hrs
Weather: Somewhat cloudy with a great sunset view at the end of Pang Sua Park Connector
Route: Pang Sua Park Connector
Avg Speed: 7.643km/h
Distance: 8.07km
Time: 1h 3m 24s
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 676.35
Splits:
S1 (Ten Mile Junction to Stagmont Ring): 14m 09s 47ms
S2 (Stagmont Ring to Chua Chu Kang Way): 15m 03s 96ms
S3 (Chua Chu Kang Way to Stagmont Ring): 14m 54s 02ms
S4 (Stagmont Ring to Ten Mile Junction): 19m 16s 86ms

Ate an apple 2 hours before the run and the acid from the apple was acting up inside my stomach. During the first S1, I felt some pain on my right knees. Stitches also appeared on my left stomach in the middle of S1 and lasted all the way to S2. At the last S4, the pain in the knee was quite bad so I jogged lightly all the way to the finish point. Ending disappointingly 1 second faster than the previous run.

Date: June 05, 2010
Day: Saturday
Time of Day: 1855hrs
Weather: Cool
Route: Pang Sua Park Connector (U-turn at Stagmont)
Avg Speed: 7.606km/h
Distance: 4.42km
Time: 34m 50s 56ms
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 371.64
Splits:
S1 (Ten Mile Junction to Stagmont Ring): 16m 10s 44ms
S2 (Stagmont Ring to Ten-Mile Junction): 18m 40s 12ms

Today, I brought Chloe along on my evening run and decided to attempt the usual 8.07km route along Pang Sua Park Connector. It was almost her nap time and if the timing was spot-on, she would comfortably be sleeping on her stroller by then. However, it was not to be as she started crying during my warm up run and was wailing for someone to carry her minutes into my run. I had to stop running and held her in my arms. At that point, I decided to bring her back since she was inconsolable. As we walked back towards the house, the gantry started to lower and the train from Singapore to Malaysia was on its way. This was Chloe's first time waiting at the train crossing and also the first time she witnessed a passing train at high speed. When I was approximately 1 bus stop away from home, Chloe fell asleep on my shoulders. I placed her gently back onto her stroller and ran back to the starting point.


Date: June 10, 2010
Day: Thursday
Time of Day: 2033hrs
Weather: Cloudy, humid night with a little breeze
Route: Pang Sua Park Connector
Avg Speed: 7.618km/h
Distance: 8.07km
Time: 1h 3m 36s
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 678.39
Splits:
S1 (Ten Mile Junction to Stagmont Ring, 0 to 2.21km): 15m 36s 54ms
S2 (Stagmont Ring to Chua Chu Kang Way, 2.21km to 4.035km): 14m 25s 50ms
S3 (Chua Chu Kang Way to Stagmont Ring, 4.035km to 5.86km): 15m 08s 71ms
S4 (Stagmont Ring to Ten Mile Junction, 5.86km to 8.07km): 18m 25s 74ms

I felt stronger during my run tonight but ended up with a much inferior timing. I had thought I would end up with a better timing for S4. In the end, it was only slightly better.

Running Gear update:
It's time to refresh my running shoes. My current pair is a New Balance 1061 which have served me for 2 marathons and many other races and trainings from Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. There were not many choices up for consideration. I had tried the likes of Nike and Adidas in my younger years and found them to be overated. Asics and Mizuno are reputed for narrower shoes in terms of height and do not suit my big fat legs. The 1061 was the most comfortable shoes I had worn and ran with and I was interested to find a replacement model from its successor. I brought my worn out shoes to the New Balance store at Velocity@Novena and the assessment given was that I run with a midfoot strike. Intrigued, I brought the 1061 to the Newton dealers for a look and they told me I was like most others, a heel striker, and recommended me the training shoes if I want to convert to a midfoot striker.

I have always been quite aware of my running style, if I was sprinting, I was definitely a midfoot striker. If it was a casual jog, I would be heel striking. If I walked, I would be considered a midfoot walker if there ever was such a term.

In a marathon, I would be running with a combination of both mid foot and heel strike movements so it will be difficult to determine the shoes that I should wear.

In the end, I returned to the New Balance store and went with their recommendation, the 1064. A shoe that had mixed reviews online. Some of the comments posted were from owners of the 10xx series from 1061 to 1063. Most of them felt "betrayed" that the 1064 has become tighter and harder in this revision. At the store, I noticed that the biggest difference was its lack of additional holes at the top of the shoes for looping the laces. I was used to the runner's tie after it was introduced to me by another New Balance salesperson when I bought the 1061. Although I do not have a high-arch, I do have really high bones for my feet. and would do well with a bigger shoe. However, in doing so, I would have to buy bigger sizes and use the runner's tie to help me tighten the shoes without causing tightness around the top of my feet.



In the end, I bought the 1064 and proceeded to the 2XU shop to get the 2XU long tights.

Date: June 28, 2010
Day: Monday
Time of Day: 1855hrs
Weather: Warm Humid Weather
Route: Pang Sua Park Connector (U-turn at Stagmont)
Avg Speed: 6.393km/h
Distance: 4.42km
Time: 41m 27s 12ms
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 442.16
Splits:
S1 (Ten Mile Junction to Stagmont Ring): 21m 33s 99ms
S2 (Stagmont Ring to Ten-Mile Junction): 19m 53s 13ms

It's time to test-drive the new running gears. To complement the look, I digged out my racing top, the Addidas Techfit top which I had nick-named the "X-men suit". Most of the time however, I looked like the Fatman rather than X-men. 5 minutes into the run, I realised that I had made a rookie mistake all over again. Before the run, I had laced the shoes snugly over my feet. Big mistake! Our feet usually expands as we start to exercise and I am now depriving my feet from blood and oxygen. I stoppped to loosen the shoelaces but the damage has been done. It was a bad run and I had ended with a really bad timing.

Date: July 10, 2010
Day: Saturday
Time of Day: 0715hrs
Weather: Cool morning breeze with a strong morning sunshine
Route: Pang Sua Park Connector
Avg Speed: 7.953km/h
Distance: 8.07km
Time: 1h 0m 55s
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 649.82
Splits:
S1 (Ten Mile Junction to Stagmont Ring, 0 to 2.21km): 15m 04s 08ms
S2 (Stagmont Ring to Chua Chu Kang Way, 2.21km to 4.035km): 14m 08s 86ms
S3 (Chua Chu Kang Way to Stagmont Ring, 4.035km to 5.86km): 14m 41s 05ms
S4 (Stagmont Ring to Ten Mile Junction, 5.86km to 8.07km): 17m 01s 67ms

This time, I ditched the Addidas "X-men" suit and ran with my usual addidas black top. With the new shoes and 2XU running tights, I psyched myself to believe in my running style and not be affected by the new gears or the pain on my right foot. I had to loosen up my shoelaces on the left shoe at the end of S2 which took about 36 seconds. But still broke my 2010 record for this course. Now if only I can pick up the pace and run the 8.07km in under 60mins, then 50mins, and below 45mins.


Date: August 07, 2010
Day: Saturday
Time of Day: 0800hrs
Weather: Warm humid morning leading to cool heavy showers
Route: 3 Park Connector
Avg Speed: - km/h
Distance: - km
Time: 2hr 23m 19s
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned:
Splits:
NA


Date: August 14, 2010
Day: Saturday
Time of Day: 0800hrs
Weather: Cool morning
Route: Free & Easy
Avg Speed: - km/h
Distance: - km
Time: 40m 01s 70ms and 55m 29s 55ms
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned:
Splits:
NA

Date: August 21, 2010
Day: Saturday
Time of Day: 1200hrs
Weather: Aircon temperature @ 25 degrees celsius
Route: Condo Gym
Avg Speed: -- km/h (ranged from 8.1 to 9.3)
Distance: 5.6km
Time: 42m 15s --ms
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned: 582.1


Date: August 25, 2010
Day: Wednesday
Time of Day: 2305hrs
Weather: Cloudy full moon
Route: Bukik Panjang Circuit
Avg Speed: km/h
Distance: km
Time: 30m 55s 12ms
Weight: 80kg (approximate)
Estimated Calories Burned:
Splits:
S1 Lap 1: 15m 30s 61ms
S2 Lap 2: 15m 24s 51ms