A good friend of mine who is relatively new to running and has just finished his first half marathon is determined to do an endurance race at the end of the year. He is a big guy and was (six months ago) carrying a little bit of extra weight. It has been amazing to watch his progress since the start of the year. He could just about manage about 800m before running out of puff and now he has completed a half and is training diligently for bigger and longer. We have started to train together because we both kind of need each other. I need him to set a pace that is steadier and more consistent than I normally run (and a little slower) so that I safely build my miles and properly complete my LSD runs. He needs me to keep him going and ensure he doesn’t quit at 10k on a Saturday morning when his head is not in the game. We are a perfect match.
Last weekend we set off for an 20km run that allowed us (on a hot day) to pass by his house in the middle and refill our water bottles. Stupidly, I had a bad week in terms of diet and hydration and I got a nasty cramp in my right calf after about 6km and thought about packing it in. Having Will there was great because I stretched it out, drank about a liter of fluid, (mostly Nuun) and when it started to relieve, we set off again and ran a nice steady 20 km’s. My calf started to niggle at the end, but it was a really nice morning, we chatted a lot and we both felt awesome afterwards.
The longer slower distances are really important for me and my prep for NY. The half a few weeks ago showed me that I am in good shape but I am just not fit enough yet to finish a full in a reasonable time. Will and I are going to run lots together over the next of months and I am really excited to have a training partner who is as keen as I am !!
Now, a few days later, my calf is tight from the after-effects of the cramp and i trying to rest it, but it is nothing serious or long term so i am not too concerned!
Will and I both have wives and busy jobs and other commitments but we are determined to get ready for other respective races and i am feeling pumped for the next few months. What a great feeling.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
KL (half) Marathon
Last Sunday was the KL marathon (full and half distances). It has been an important milestone fixture on my calendar events for the year and one in which I was hoping to notch up a PB.
Leading up to the race, preparation was going ok. I am definitely starting to get back to my fitness levels of 2009, but I have not yet started my speed training and have not yet notched up my weekly miles to where they need to be for a strong half or full marathon.
I spent a few days in Perth in Australia earlier that week and did some core strength training, but no running. I simply didn’t have the time. I know that tapering means slowing down, but I don’t think that means stopping altogether. The trip, whilst not that far, does involve a five and a half hour flight each way and resulted in me being pretty tired by the end of the week.
The night before the race, a group of friends got together for a pasta party and I drank lots of water and ate lots of carbs and went to bed feeling pretty good. Waking up on race day though, I felt sluggish. It is hard to put your finger on what that feels like or looks like, but I knew that I was not on my A Game.
Going through my normal early morning routine, I ate, showered, made it to the start area, warmed up and started to feel a little better.
The first 5km of the race was tough. I was running strong, but the heat, humidity and traffic fumes on a busy road meant that I hadn’t settled even at that point. I looked at my watch and I had been doing 5:10 minute km’s; so I decided to slow down and see if that helped.
I passed the 10km mark in just over 53 minutes which means I had slowed down my second 5km to 5:30minute km’s. But I still wasn’t settled. I was still feeling sluggish. I had taken a gel at about 40 minutes and that helped a little, but not enough.
Things started to go wrong from there. The next couple of km’s slowly started to take 5 to 10 seconds longer each km. I took lots of water, I had another gel, but by the 15km mark, I was hovering around the 6 minute per km mark and slowing. I felt so out of rhythym that I even stopped and sat on a curb for about 90 seconds to “have a word with myself”
I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 30-odd seconds. Not a PB. A real disappointment. With retrospect, I put it down to three things:
· Fitness – I started too fast for my level of fitness and simply ran out of juice
· Over-thinking, over-preparing and not having the right mental game for the day. All of my PB’s over the last couple of years have come on the days that I least expect them. I must remember to go out to enjoy myself, and celebrate a PB if it comes. Not the other way round!
· Just a bad day. I didn’t sleep great, I was tired from the travel in the week. Of all of the reasons that I didn’t do well, this is probably the smallest contributing factor.
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Next race is in a couple of weeks and I will put all of this behind me and simply go out and run. Looking forward to it!
The race itself was a credit to the organizers and to Standard Chartered Bank. It was very well run, loads of well-manned water stops. Lots of good signage and marshalling. Plenty of clean-ish port-a-potties. Perfectly organized water, fruit, refreshments and medal-station at the end. All round great demonstration of how a race should be organized!
Leading up to the race, preparation was going ok. I am definitely starting to get back to my fitness levels of 2009, but I have not yet started my speed training and have not yet notched up my weekly miles to where they need to be for a strong half or full marathon.
I spent a few days in Perth in Australia earlier that week and did some core strength training, but no running. I simply didn’t have the time. I know that tapering means slowing down, but I don’t think that means stopping altogether. The trip, whilst not that far, does involve a five and a half hour flight each way and resulted in me being pretty tired by the end of the week.
The night before the race, a group of friends got together for a pasta party and I drank lots of water and ate lots of carbs and went to bed feeling pretty good. Waking up on race day though, I felt sluggish. It is hard to put your finger on what that feels like or looks like, but I knew that I was not on my A Game.
Going through my normal early morning routine, I ate, showered, made it to the start area, warmed up and started to feel a little better.
The first 5km of the race was tough. I was running strong, but the heat, humidity and traffic fumes on a busy road meant that I hadn’t settled even at that point. I looked at my watch and I had been doing 5:10 minute km’s; so I decided to slow down and see if that helped.
I passed the 10km mark in just over 53 minutes which means I had slowed down my second 5km to 5:30minute km’s. But I still wasn’t settled. I was still feeling sluggish. I had taken a gel at about 40 minutes and that helped a little, but not enough.
Things started to go wrong from there. The next couple of km’s slowly started to take 5 to 10 seconds longer each km. I took lots of water, I had another gel, but by the 15km mark, I was hovering around the 6 minute per km mark and slowing. I felt so out of rhythym that I even stopped and sat on a curb for about 90 seconds to “have a word with myself”
I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 30-odd seconds. Not a PB. A real disappointment. With retrospect, I put it down to three things:
· Fitness – I started too fast for my level of fitness and simply ran out of juice
· Over-thinking, over-preparing and not having the right mental game for the day. All of my PB’s over the last couple of years have come on the days that I least expect them. I must remember to go out to enjoy myself, and celebrate a PB if it comes. Not the other way round!
· Just a bad day. I didn’t sleep great, I was tired from the travel in the week. Of all of the reasons that I didn’t do well, this is probably the smallest contributing factor.
Next race is in a couple of weeks and I will put all of this behind me and simply go out and run. Looking forward to it!
The race itself was a credit to the organizers and to Standard Chartered Bank. It was very well run, loads of well-manned water stops. Lots of good signage and marshalling. Plenty of clean-ish port-a-potties. Perfectly organized water, fruit, refreshments and medal-station at the end. All round great demonstration of how a race should be organized!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Two (other) continents
Lauren and I just got back from a great, but short trip to the UK, where we went to attend a wedding. We took the opportunity whilst there to have a run together along the canal near Walton On Thames in Surrey. We ran down the tow path to Hampton Court and back which is little over 15km in total. Three great things about this were
A) Lauren and I never really run together - neither of us really has the patience... But we made it, we didn't want to kill each other and we actually enjoyed it!
B) running in the UK climate is really amazing after the humidity of Asia and it made me feel a little more confident about New York in November. Interestingly enough, it tooK my legs almost 4km to really warm up.
C) the route was amazing and Hampton Court is one of the most spectacular buildings you will ever see. It is great to get out and run new routes, especially on holiday... You get to see so many fabulous things.
This posting is called 2 Continents for a reason. A little while back I was in Australia for a week for work and got a chance to run a couple of times. Once in Perth and a couple of times in Brisbane. Again the climate helped, but I was consistently running sub 50 minute 10km's along some pretty great routes. I guess my job (and all the travel) does have some perks. I am off to Perth again Monday so I shall see what the even cooler weather brings!
A) Lauren and I never really run together - neither of us really has the patience... But we made it, we didn't want to kill each other and we actually enjoyed it!
B) running in the UK climate is really amazing after the humidity of Asia and it made me feel a little more confident about New York in November. Interestingly enough, it tooK my legs almost 4km to really warm up.
C) the route was amazing and Hampton Court is one of the most spectacular buildings you will ever see. It is great to get out and run new routes, especially on holiday... You get to see so many fabulous things.
This posting is called 2 Continents for a reason. A little while back I was in Australia for a week for work and got a chance to run a couple of times. Once in Perth and a couple of times in Brisbane. Again the climate helped, but I was consistently running sub 50 minute 10km's along some pretty great routes. I guess my job (and all the travel) does have some perks. I am off to Perth again Monday so I shall see what the even cooler weather brings!
Monday, June 13, 2011
My Favourite place to run
I was reading in a running magazine the other day an article that featured a readers' favourite place to run and i thought about it for all of about 2 seconds and knew what my answer would be. Or certainly know what my answer is for Malaysia where i live.
Situated about 15 miles from the centre of KL is the Forestry Research Institute of Malaysia or FRIM. It is awesome. Most of the trails are shared by walkers, the occasional runners and quite a lot of mountain bikers.
It is very quiet, has some challenging climbs and descents, has wide, well maintained trails and provides over 40km of decent trails if you really want to stretch yourself. I really discovered all of the trails on my mountain bike with my "crew" but it is running that i love it for now. I am still not really sure how many people read my blog, but if there is anyone who would like to know which trails i reccomend or would even like to meet for a run, i would happy to assist.
FRIM has a soft space in our hearts because it is also where, before officially moving to Malaysia, Lauren and I got engaged. As two people who love the outdoors and hiking over a mountain on a Sunday morning, we drove our hire car up there in our walking boots and day packs and when we found a suitable, secluded spot just off the trails, i pulled a sparkling ring from my bag and asked Lauren to make me the happiest man on the mountain! At the time we didnt really know where we were in park, and thought it was very secluded. It turns out now that it is quite a busy part and i pass it every time i go up there.
Situated about 15 miles from the centre of KL is the Forestry Research Institute of Malaysia or FRIM. It is awesome. Most of the trails are shared by walkers, the occasional runners and quite a lot of mountain bikers.
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| courstesy of "my first blog" on blogspot |
It is very quiet, has some challenging climbs and descents, has wide, well maintained trails and provides over 40km of decent trails if you really want to stretch yourself. I really discovered all of the trails on my mountain bike with my "crew" but it is running that i love it for now. I am still not really sure how many people read my blog, but if there is anyone who would like to know which trails i reccomend or would even like to meet for a run, i would happy to assist.
FRIM has a soft space in our hearts because it is also where, before officially moving to Malaysia, Lauren and I got engaged. As two people who love the outdoors and hiking over a mountain on a Sunday morning, we drove our hire car up there in our walking boots and day packs and when we found a suitable, secluded spot just off the trails, i pulled a sparkling ring from my bag and asked Lauren to make me the happiest man on the mountain! At the time we didnt really know where we were in park, and thought it was very secluded. It turns out now that it is quite a busy part and i pass it every time i go up there.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
New Balance 15km Race Report
This 15km race was hosted by KL Pacesetters and was held around the town centre of Putrajaya just outside KL. It is a new town, with excellent roads, lots of parking and a nice gentle breeze blowing in from the sea.
It was a really well organised race.
Having had lots of water, and a carb-packed dinner the night before, i got up on Sunday morning feeling pretty good. My legs are a little stiff at the moment, because i am really picking up the miles every week, but all in I felt pretty good. Had a nice hot shower and breakfast and we headed out bright and early. Lauren was running this one too, so it was good to head out together.
We easily found a space near the start line and i set of for a short warm up jog around a couple of blocks and was surprised to see such few people (these are normally bigger). For some reason I got the time a little wrong and realised i only had a couple of minutes to make it to the start so i jogged down to the line, jumped in the crowd about 10 metres back, checked my trusty Garmin and we were off.
The route was great although climbing a pretty steep hill in the middle was a bit of a surprise as I thought i had read that the race was flat. The roads were really wide and i was sitting relatively close to the front so I had so much space. After about a km, my legs finally started to warm up. It seemed that everyone around me was keeping a 5:15min per km pace so i just sat tight and ran on the shoulders of a small group. I was feeling pretty strong and comfortable and was able to maintain the pace without any real difficulty - something i put down to the cooler temperature that morning.
I hit the 10km mark in 51:30 and was pretty pleased with that as i felt i had quite a lot left in the tank. I struggled a little at the 11-12km mark as we had to cross a long bridge, the ascent of which seem to go on forever. I think i tucked in behind someone who was a strong climber and probably went up a little fast. It kind of knocked the wind out of me, so I didn't descend as quick as I probably could have.
The last 2km was a long open out and back. I was about 500m from the turn when I saw my friend Robin on the other side of me (1km in front) and that gave me a little boost to try to finish strong. As it turns out, Robin is an animal and had a great finish almost 6 minutes ahead of me, but i did the last km in 5:10 which i was happy with. I crossed the line in 1:19.21 which I was really pleased with in the end.
There was plenty of food and other goodies available at the finish line, including a huge supply of Gatorade (which was great!) but sadly, no water. Hopefully this is something that they will think about for next time as there were a lot of people complaining.
All in all a great morning out. My friends Will, Sarah and Robin all had great races and of course my gorgeous wife finished strong in a great time. Will is training for his first half and is relatively new to running and it was awesome to be able to support him for his strong finish.
Just a couple of weeks really until the KL half.
It was a really well organised race.
Having had lots of water, and a carb-packed dinner the night before, i got up on Sunday morning feeling pretty good. My legs are a little stiff at the moment, because i am really picking up the miles every week, but all in I felt pretty good. Had a nice hot shower and breakfast and we headed out bright and early. Lauren was running this one too, so it was good to head out together.
 |
| thanks to blogger, lifeisxtragreat for the photo |
The route was great although climbing a pretty steep hill in the middle was a bit of a surprise as I thought i had read that the race was flat. The roads were really wide and i was sitting relatively close to the front so I had so much space. After about a km, my legs finally started to warm up. It seemed that everyone around me was keeping a 5:15min per km pace so i just sat tight and ran on the shoulders of a small group. I was feeling pretty strong and comfortable and was able to maintain the pace without any real difficulty - something i put down to the cooler temperature that morning.
I hit the 10km mark in 51:30 and was pretty pleased with that as i felt i had quite a lot left in the tank. I struggled a little at the 11-12km mark as we had to cross a long bridge, the ascent of which seem to go on forever. I think i tucked in behind someone who was a strong climber and probably went up a little fast. It kind of knocked the wind out of me, so I didn't descend as quick as I probably could have.
The last 2km was a long open out and back. I was about 500m from the turn when I saw my friend Robin on the other side of me (1km in front) and that gave me a little boost to try to finish strong. As it turns out, Robin is an animal and had a great finish almost 6 minutes ahead of me, but i did the last km in 5:10 which i was happy with. I crossed the line in 1:19.21 which I was really pleased with in the end.
There was plenty of food and other goodies available at the finish line, including a huge supply of Gatorade (which was great!) but sadly, no water. Hopefully this is something that they will think about for next time as there were a lot of people complaining.
All in all a great morning out. My friends Will, Sarah and Robin all had great races and of course my gorgeous wife finished strong in a great time. Will is training for his first half and is relatively new to running and it was awesome to be able to support him for his strong finish.
Just a couple of weeks really until the KL half.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Equipment that changed my life
First it was the new Garmin. Now it is my new water belt.
Let me start by saying i have never liked running with a hydro pack. Particularly in this climate. It really drives up my body temperature and as often as not, i am needing water just a time when i am not want to suck down on a hose coming from over my shoulder.
Then I bought myself a North Face Enduro Belt 2. It is Awesome.
This piece of equipment has really changed my life. I am able to plan longer routes without needing a refill and the belt is comfortable and really easy to slip bottles into on the move. I actually took out the two TNF bottles that it came with as they were a little small and upsized them to two regular bike bottles that it just fine. Really reccomend this!
Let me start by saying i have never liked running with a hydro pack. Particularly in this climate. It really drives up my body temperature and as often as not, i am needing water just a time when i am not want to suck down on a hose coming from over my shoulder.
Then I bought myself a North Face Enduro Belt 2. It is Awesome.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
New York New York.
I got a space in the New York Marathon. Third time lucky.
I came to know about it when i was looking at my credit card statement and saw this USD charge (for quite a lot) and it was to NYCM. What is that i thought. A space in one of the greatest races on Earth! Absolutely.
Cant wait until November. It will be awesome. Better get training!
I came to know about it when i was looking at my credit card statement and saw this USD charge (for quite a lot) and it was to NYCM. What is that i thought. A space in one of the greatest races on Earth! Absolutely.
Cant wait until November. It will be awesome. Better get training!
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