Shoeless @ Tanjung Beach!

This was the first time that I went for beach training with the F1 Runners club. It was held at Tanjung Beach at Sentosa... and yes, it was in the wee-early morning on a Saturday! But the weather was good, and the company of runners was good... so what was there to gripe about. It was going to be a fun!

I took a taxi because there was no way that taking the MRT that starts only at 5.45am would get me there by 6.30am. Plus, I had to take the Sentosa Express to the beach itself. But oh well, its once every quarter, so let's go for it! That's the photo of the signage when I got there... and as you can see, it was STILL dark. I have never gone to Sentosa this early in the morning! It was deserted...

 

Guess what? I went there with my running shoes... only to realise that beach training does not require us to wear our running shoes! So embarassing, I had to ask Lexxus (the trainer) to allow me to store my running shoes inside his van. Going shoeless was a new experience as I have never run without shoes before...okay, maybe when I was a child, perhaps I did play barefoot on the beach. =)

Feeling the coarse grains of sand on the beach got me thinking - would I get abrasion from running on this sort of ground? But it was my first time, so how would I know... Let's get on with the training first, then see how. It turned out alright after awhile...

Beach training was exhausting, though a new experience for me. The initial warm-up jog was like 1km on mixed gradient of sandy slopes, which really began to tone up my outer calf muscles. Now that I am typing this Blog three months after, I can really feel how this sort of training is able to train different parts of our leg muscles, which would not be trained just by thumping on the flat ground in the nearby park. After joining F1 Runners, I have noticed that the inner and outer segments of my shin and calf muscles getting stronger and firmer. This is serious training! Hahaha!

After the warm-up and stretching exercises, we commenced with relay exercises - one legged hopping, two legged hopping, crab crawl, bear crawl, hopping with ball, without ball, etc. Check out those photos below! It was fun but exhausting! =)

Next up - agility training using cones to guide us in sprinting in S-curves to strengthen our calf and ankle muscles. This was done in relay format where each group competed in friendly competition. It was a thrilling experience with the last leg of the agility circuit requiring us to perform high knee lifts while running through the beach current! That got all our running shorts wet... but frankly, our legs were too tired to care... and we still had to sprint back up the beach... and that concludes ONE set of the agility training. Following this, we continued in our groups with the sprints up the beach, doing three running loops around a large cone, before sprinting back down the beach to our group... and into the water! Wow... We were all wet... but happy! And it was great to be in the cooling waters!

Too bad that I did not manage to get photos of the tug-of-war that was the last 'exercise' of the day! The side that wins twice wins, and my side won! But it was friendly fun... though it really toughened our arms, back, legs and definitely ankles! Cool... Wish we could do it again... though it was tiring!

By the time we ended the training, it was like 10am. The sun was fully out, and it was time for our bath! The shower was great... such a good way to cool off before heading home... just before I left, I took photos of the beach, where all our footprints lie... See... =)

Oh please do not scold me... but I was so exhausted, so I ended up rewarding myself with an expensive and hearty Nasi Lemak for breakfast! Somehow the food at the Food Republic food court is costly! I wonder why... Isn't it a food court... Hmm... but it was delicious!

Having the determination to finish well

Finishing well. It is really the mindset or spirit behind it. Some people have it, some people don't. Some people persist at it, while others do not see a need to live by it. A code of honour is not something that is common among all. This is why it is only when people come together with a common belief, that even much more can be achieved.



I recently tripped over an uprooted tree branch or root while running. Fair enough that it was relatively dark at 8pm, but at times like this, the air seemed fresh when running at night. You have got to try it to know how it feels. The gush of the wind pass my face, as I take each stride, propelling my running form through the night at the park. Splendid! I really felt so free...

That is until I tripped and fell, with the top of my right knee hitting the ground first, absorbing about 85% of the impact, plus the abrasion from the sandy surface. My left knee was pretty much unaffected, as I had cushioned my fall with both hands. To much of the surprise of those who were jogging or walking around when they saw me fall, I simply got up and continued my run. It didn't make sense to stop to examine my knee because my mind had a singular focus - which is to complete my 5km run that evening; and a scratch and bump at my knee seemed like the lamest reason to give up when I was already 4km into my intended distance for that evening.

As I continued running, I began to feel a damp feeling at my right knee. Looking down, I saw that my entire right knee was soaked in blood, which took me by surprise as I thought that it was just a simple abrasion. Surely there would be scratch marks and some bleeding... but not this bad. Nonetheless, my right knee worked just fine, so I persisted in completing my final 1km before I finished this short distance for the night.

I did finish the distance, in fact at a much faster pace; and it really helps to push forward when both my palms were covered in blood, when I attempted to stop the bleeding. As usual, the pain was there when I washed the wound at the toilet. By then, my knee has started to numb, but I could walk home. Till now, I still wonder whether the numbness was more difficult to cope with, or the stares of people who looked shocked at my knee (and the top of my socks soaked with a small patch of blood), as I walked and jogged my way home from the nearby park.



My knee definitely took a few weeks to recover, as it was probably my most serious knee abrasion and impact that I have ever sustained throughout my years of running. Nonetheless, it is not the recovery process that holds in my mind, but the spirit behind my determination to finish the run that evening. After all, my injured knee was fine and I could finish the run with absolutely no problem at all.

I knew that if I had chosen to give up right where I fell, forever I will remember that I had given up, whenever I returned to run at this park. No... I do not wish to live with this memory. Rather, I chose determination as my decision to finish what I had started. The courage to finish well. The spirit of sportsmanship behind it all.

Go ahead and experience new races and terrain this year!

You would probably think that I am crazy, but I have been dreaming of running for the past few nights! I am absolutely NOT kidding - I have been dreaming consistently every night for the past few nights!

Running has never felt like a chore because of one unique aspiration that I set for myself to do. And that is to participate in at least one different race each year! It is always a fresh experience to explore a new race, a different terrain, and at times, even to run at a different time of the day! That way, I will always have something to look forward to. Running cannot become boring as long as I vary the different races that I participate in each year!

The highlight for my first half of this year would be:



(It was my first 10km trail run on 7 Jan, and nearly got lost! Hahaha!)

Next up...

On 29 April...





(Woo! I am like SO looking forward to this new race!)

And another one...

On 26 May...



(Participated in 21km last year, but its a pity that I am not ready for 42km yet. The full marathon finisher t-shirt looks GREAT!)

And finally...

On 15 July...


(This is a new race launched in Singapore. Interesting concept of competing by age group. Let's see how many mid 30s runners will run with me!)

WOO! I AM BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT!

Do those cushioned and stability running shoes really work their magic?

I have been running for 18 years and I must have bought like over 6 to 8 different pairs of running shoes over this course of time. Like many concerned runners out there, I have always chosen a pair of running shoes with a thick and dense rubber heel (such as the running shoes as shown below), so that this cushioning effect would reduce the impact on my knees.



While this made sense to me from a logical point of view, it did not stop me from sustaining knee injury during my national service years when I was training very regularly and intensely for competitions at unit level and eventually at formation level where I competed with the best of the best in the Singapore Armed Forces. (My team did not win, but it was still an experience!)



In addition to that, the medical doctor at the SAF medical clinic suspected that my knees may have also sustained a possible ligament tear from over-training. This fact became reality to me when I started to feel pain at the corner of my knees at the 13km and 17km distance when I was running in the Army Half Marathon in 2000 and 2001. To make matters worse, I have been experiencing middle and lower back pain throughout my younger years, despite being fit (my IPPT score averages 23 out of 25 points) and playing a variety of different types of sports.



It was only in these recent months that I discovered that the weight of my running shoes actually played a BIG part in creating a higher possibility of back, knee and ankle injury, especially when it comes to running, where the lifting and landing of the foot is very repetitive and at a much faster pace, as compared to other sports.

This was when I was introduced to racing shoes which are distinctly lighter in weight and distinguishes itself with its thinner heel support. In other words, the amount of rubber cushioning is lesser than a regular pair of stability running shoes. In the past, when I wore running shoes which provided a thick heel cushioning and firm foot arch, these running shoes actually felt heavier and attributed to the greater impact that I sustained in my quadriceps and knees. After I made the switch to a lighter pair of racing shoes, my knees do not experience the kind of pounding that I felt in the past! Surprisingly, with this new type of running shoes, and different training and terrain introduced by our coach, my back ache did not return!



Based on my personal experience and discovery, while thick heel support does provide a greater amount of cushioning, it actually causes our foot to relax and start to ACCEPT the pounding at our heels! If you do not believe me, try jumping up and down while landing on your heels. This would feel terribly uncomfortable, hurting and our body does not adjust to that! Now imagine doing that over a longer distance when running. Its crazy! Don't do that!

With the switch to racing shoes, our foot gradually begins to adjust itself to proper foot landing. For some, the landing begins at the outer corner of our feet which has muscles that form an arch, and this motion cushions our foot landing in our body's natural form. If you do not believe me, try walking bare-footed and you will notice that this is naturally how our feet lands by itself. Not directly at the heel bone!



For me, perhaps I am fortunate because running with racing shoes has helped me to naturally switch to becoming a mid-foot strike runner. In other words, my feet starts to land at the outer corner of my foot (as described above) which reduces the impact of landing on my heels. This change in running form has helped me in the techniques which my coach has taught us for the clearing of upslopes and downslopes which any runner would encounter during any running terrain.



Do not be deceived - even in a seemingly flat terrain in the city of Singapore, the terrain gradient is seldom consistent. Trust me, my GPS have proven it! Every day we are walking or running on SLOPES. With light-weight racing shoes and running techniques when encountering upslope and downslope terrain, injuries would be further minimised. Trust me, running downslope with heavier running shoes, poor running form and direct landing at your heels will be a disaster!

One last word - thick running soles equals a higher probability of tripping and spraining our ankles. I am pretty certain that all the ladies who wear high heels would know what I am talking about. The higher the heel, the higher the chance of twisting your ankle. Its a simple and straight-forward fact! Ladies wear them for fashion and beauty, but when it comes to running, especially on trail terrain - we will be asking for trouble.



Of course, the importance of training on different types of surfaces and terrains play an important part in preventing running injuries and improving our running form... but that I would leave it for another time to share in another blog post. Till then, to all the runners (and even recreational runners) out there, take care and enjoy your running experience! I am absolutely loving it now!

Just because we learnt how to walk, does that really mean that we know how to run?

Ever wondered why we take time to learn how to play a sport like tennis or golf, but naturally assume that we know how to run? Even babies need to be taught how to walk, but somehow we simply presume that after we have learnt how to walk, we think that our bodies would automatically know how to run. That's a strange impression to take towards the sport of running, which is nonetheless just like another form of sport, isn't it?



Ever since I joined the F1 Runners Team, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world into the sport of running. Despite running for over 17 years, there is still more than meets the eye, when training under the coaching of Lexxus Tan. Nope, I am not typing this blog post to sing his praises, but out of recognition and sincere appreciation for all that he has shared with us over the past weeks of training.

The primary movement of running involves the releasing of the foot from the ground. A seemingly simple action, but without proper conditioning of the body, a runner will not be able to effectively maintain this repeated primary movement and go the distance without sustaining injury, losing the flow of his/her running form, or constantly improve on his/her personal best.



In order not to neglect the finer points of running efficiently and safely, I always keep in mind the mental image of the cheetah that I learnt from one of the running tips posted on the F1 Runners blog. Visualising the cheetah in action reminds me of the importance of muscular elasticity and strength conditioning, so as to maintain a quick rhythm of any repetitive motion; which in this case implies to running. During a chase, the cheetah moves with amazing speed and focus, which makes us marvel at its athletic prowess and muscular suppleness! Unlike many of us who struggle with our taut hamstrings, calf cramps and poor muscular flexibility, the cheetah's muscles remain loose and flexible so that it can sustain quick-footedness during its run. Now that is how we should run!

Choosing to scale to greater heights!

Some say that mid-life crisis starts earlier for the post baby boom generation, and I happened to fall right in the middle of it. In this age of media and technology, it is not difficult to look back at our past. The easiest way for me is to look back to past photographs or read my first blog that I started like 8 years ago, and I would realise how much I have changed since then. Yup, I guess that I am just about to step onto the starting edge of my mid-life crisis, where this next phase of life offers lots of new challenges, opportunities and renewed aspirations.

One of my renewed aspirations is to renew my vigour and scale a greater height in my passion for running. I have been running since I was 14 years old, and I have never regretted making this sport a part of my life. Running has given me a renewed vigour for life, expecting the best from myself, and accomplishing each new challenge with determination and faith. I love running; and to feel the breeze against my face as I take each step forward - as a vision of moving onward in the journey of life.





I met Lexxus Tan for the first time when I collected my race pack for the Standard Chartered Marathon last November 2011. When I first met him, I was wondering who this guy is, until I saw the newspaper article that he was a four-time winner of The North Face 100km duo category from 2008 till 2011. He was promoting the Cross Border Running Package for 2012 at the Marina Bay Sands convention hall where I collected my race pack. I vividly recalled that I wanted to scale a greater height in my passion for running, and I wondered if this man could help me to make this happen.



I decided to join the F1 Runners Team in December 2011. And this blog will be the start of my adventurous journey as a new-found trail runner. Indeed, the next step of my journey has just begun!