The 3 Golden Rules Of Ironman

By

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November 13, 2017

The Ironman Triathlon is tough – first you need to brave 2.4 mile swim, then hit the road on a 112 mile ride before finishing in style with a 26.1 mile marathon. It’s demands a lot from you – strength, grit and determination. But, on the other hand, the Ironman is also a very simple sport. Don’t make it too complicated – it really is a straightforward swim-bike-run to get you to the finishing line. Follow these 3 golden rules and they will get you to the finishing line!

#1 Eat Often

Photo Credits: Art Cyclery

The golden rule has always been to eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty. You should always fill up your tank at regular intervals rather than waiting for it to be almost empty. Once you feel the hunger pangs, it could be too little too late. This is when you risk bonking and hitting the wall. Although every individuals will differ in terms of how much calories they would need, but one thing for sure, you need a lot of them. So be sure, to eat on your bike. Try out your nutritional needs on your long training rides.

#2 Pace Yourself

GALWAY – SEPTEMBER 4- Start of Pro athletes at first Edition of Galway Iron Man Triathlon on September 4, 2011 in Galway, Ireland

It’s easy to get carried away on race day – with the music booming at the startline, the excited peeps surrounding you, and your adrenaline rushing through your veins. It’s easy to get caught up with the excitement of the day. You may end up going out too hard, to pay the price in the later stages of the race. Remember, it’s and Ironman race – things are going to suck! It’s really not question of it, it is a question of when. The struggle will come, but you can control when it happens. Don’t let it come too early by pacing yourself well.

#3 Be Prepared, Be Very Prepared

Anything can happen on Raceday! You must be prepared for all eventualities. I mean, we must all love suffering pretty damn much to be doing an Ironman, but the more you suffer during training, the more prepared you would be to suffer on race day. Seek out those suffering experiences! The more you seek those experiences out, the less like you are to make dumb rash decisions on Raceday. You would be come, because you’ve been there done that. You won’t break under pressure!

Train hard, race smart!

Race Review: City2Sea Melbourne 2017 [15km] (by Simply Bryan)

By

Simply Bryan

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November 12, 2017

It was an honour to run for Adidas Runners AU/NZ

The lead up to City2Sea Melbourne was an interesting one for me. I totally forgot to condition for this middle distance race. The last time I ran 15km or further was the Sydney Blackmore’s HM in September where I bumped into some members of the F1 Runner’s team. Also, I became a pacer for the newly formed Adidas Runners Melbourne crew last week which was delightful news in the lead up to this run. Although Adidas is a major sponsor of City2Sea, I have no intention to promote the brand and any of its products.

The City2Sea race is the last of the ‘City’ series nationwide, including City to Surf in Sydney and City to Bay in Adelaide among others.

Fortunately, Melbourne’s weather was forecasted to be pleasant. And so it was! Conditions pre-race were slightly humid but cool with close to no wind. Despite the 8.20am start, bag drop closed at 7.15am as the bags were transported to the finish line down at St Kilda Beach – hence the name City2Sea. The starting chutes were fantastically organised, with an intersection of 4 large footpaths segregating the start line, sub 75 minute (5:00/km) pre-qualifiers, general entry runners and general entry walkers/joggers. Preferred starters (sub 59 minute for male (<3:55/km) and seeded invitational athletes stand at the start line. When the gun went off, elite, preferred and pre-qualifying runners ran in order. The other two categories saw a 10 minute staggered start at 8.30am and 8.40am.

The race began with a short flat before a pleasant 300m or so descent and I was able to cruise down it into Melbourne CBD. From there the run was moderately flat albeit a looping descent and climb under St Kilda Road to join the opposite lane of traffic and a suffering crest around the 13km mark.

Running down St Kilda Road was a challenge as it was either mildly descending or ascending. Basically it was hard to gauge what was a sustainable effort with the false flats. A 5km loop around Albert Park lake followed after the first half of the run down St Kilda Road. Its usually very windy there most days of the week but I think we only experienced some mild crosswinds on the way back around the lake. Then came the killer crest that almost sucked the air out of my lungs! But a little determination from my fellow pacer from Adidas Runners Sydney pulling away from me hit me hard and I managed to raise my pace to finish the last km in 3:39. But he still finished a nice 7 seconds ahead.

I couldn’t be happier with my finishing time of 59:12 as I was doubtful I would even break 60 minutes given the last few weeks of not-so-frequent training. But oh so close! 12 seconds off a preferred start spot. I’ll be working hard all of next year to dip under the magical number 59.

The only negative thing I could say about the event was the Km markings. They were not evenly spread out or accurate, and were made even more confusing with the 5km race markers thrown in between. Imagine seeing 5km and thinking I’m one third there, only to see the 2km marker 500m down the road and go HUH? But its a mental trainer and I am appreciative of it. I was tracking at 40 seconds below target time (60 minutes) at 5km and 10km splits but at the 14km mark my watch read 56 minutes which was extremely alarming as I was running a steady pace expecting to see 55:20 or something similar. And no way I did that last km in 3:12… So that’s probably the prime example of a really misleading marker.

Post race was pretty good. The finishing line and event village were spacious and well organised. And what a surprise, meeting Cadel Evans (2011 Tour De France champion) at medal collection/drinks area.

Post race social is the best, especially when your mates are awesome and it’s by the beach.

What a splendid way to spend a Sunday morning. I’m looking forward to the next run already!

Stay tuned to some back dated race reviews I hope to find time to do soon.

Adios running amigos!

More than 13,000 runners at the Great Eastern Women’s Run

By

Team JustRunLah!

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November 12, 2017

The Great Eastern Women’s Run (GEWR), the region’s largest all-women’s running event, saw more than 13,000 women lace up their running shoes in celebration of health and happiness this Sunday morning.

Flagging off from the Singapore Flyer, the race took participants through some of Singapore’s most iconic landmarks and scenery. The crowd of eager runners were joined by Guest-of-Honour Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Members of Parliament Tin Peiling, Foo Mee Har, and Rahayu Mahzam.

The Half Marathon (21.1km) saw Singapore bests such as SEA Games representatives Jasmine Goh and Rachel See, as well as Mok Ying Rong, Anne Qihui and Jenny Huang among the field of runners. These local elites were joined by Olympians from the region, including Chen Yu-Hsuan from Chinese Taipei and Nary Ly from Cambodia, and SEA Games 2017 marathon champion Mary Joy Tabal from the Philippines.

In the face of fierce competition, Jin Ming Ming, 21, from China broke the finishing tape at the time of 1:20:34 and secured the title in the Elite Open Category.

“I came here with the goal of winning. There are many races in China but this is my first time in Singapore as well as my first international race. I feel pretty good and this is a very well-organised race. Running and winning races gives me great confidence and I also bring glory to my country,” said Jin.

Not to be outdone, Mok Ying Rong, 24 years old, emerged victorious in the Elite Closed Category, with a winning time of 1:30:46. Mok said: “The competition was really stiff, I went into the race feeling pretty nervous actually. So I’m really happy about today’s outcome. I didn’t feel very pressured, instead it gave me that added adrenaline to push myself one step further today. The Run is always very organised and it’s just good to be competing against so many of the region’s best. I carried out my race strategy right from the start, which was to follow the lead pack and to break away only at the last few km. I’m really happy that my strategy worked.”

This year, Great Eastern continued to enhance the race content, injecting new experiences for participants with a slew of refreshing elements to elevate the Run. Participants of the 5km Live Great! Fun Run were in for a treat, as they navigated between fun Instagrammable photo walls, mega-sized ball pits with 135,000 colourful balls to wade through, and a diamond sanctuary zone that presented the opportunity for lucky runners to win one 1-carat diamond solitaire necklace (worth $12,000) and two 0.3-carat diamond solitaire necklaces (worth $1,200 each) from IV Masterpiece.

The new 2km Mummy + Me Run category was another highlight of the morning, providing a unique platform for mothers to run with their daughters aged 7 to 12 and creating lasting memories. Jasmine Goh, national marathoner, also ran in this category with both her daughters, 10-year-old Cherish and Faith, 8-years-old.

Mr. Keith Chia, Great Eastern’s Head of Group Brand and Marketing, commented, “We are delighted with the great turnout today. As a LIFE company, we are constantly championing healthy living and innovating to offer new experiences to our participants.

We introduced the GEWR mobile app, which enabled us to further enhance our engagement with participants, such as providing race information and updates.The app also enabled participants to do their part for charity by clocking their klicks on the app. S$10,000 was garnered through this initiative, with Great Eastern donating S$50 for every 1,000km collectively clocked.

This year participants were able to accessorise their outfits and contribute to charity by customising their race bibs and/or t-shirts, in addition to the popular ‘Don a Tutu For A Cause’ initiative.

In all, a total of S$ 57,662 was raised to support two causes – Breast Cancer Foundation and Women’s Health Research and Education Fund.

Results of Great Eastern Women’s Run 2017

21.1km Half Marathon Elite Category (Open)
Jin Mingming	China	1:20:34
Gong Lihua	China	1:21:12
Eriko Otsuka	Japan	1:23:19

21.1km Half Marathon Elite Category (Closed)
Mok Ying Rong	Singapore	1:30:46
Rachel See	Singapore	1:32:20
Anne Qihui	Singapore	1:32:57

From Press Release

My Great Eastern Women’s Run 2017 [21.1km] (by Lingderella)

By

Lingderella

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November 12, 2017

Ok! This year medal sibeh nice! ? Similar to the one I gotten in Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon this year but my tiny runner wants a separation with the medal and for months I haven’t find a hook to hook them back together yet ? Hopefully it doesn’t happens the same for this GE medal ?

GEWR is experienced and reputable plus it’s the don’t know how many years that they are organising this run, cock ups dont happen like YOLO run, that’s why I’m back running my third GE after running my first ever half marathon running GEWR in 2015. Now I’m already looking forward to the next GEWR! Flag off is punctual, bag deposits and collections is swift, there are with more than enough space to run and hydration points are ready, race pack when I collect no queue, race tee nice, finisher tee nice, medal nice ?? After run race village activities and booths. Enjoyed the Magnolia milk and the Little Pony Photo booth especially ?

Though the queue to collect the breakfast pack after the run was not that long when I finish the run, but I went around take some photos and look again, queue sibeh long already so I don’t want queue, that’s how much I hate queues. See lah see lah, take pictures some more ? I don’t even know got breakfast pack in the first place so it’s like a bonus thing. Never read race guide ? I was also wondering 2hr10mins pacers should overtake me already only when around 15km, the 2hr15mins pacers overtake me then I know the pacers time are 15mins apart ?

I had no aim for the run actually as I thought I should treat this as a LSD for Osaka Marathon which is in 2 week’s time and my friend said we will run 7 mins pace wthen 1 day before race day she said she aim to run 2hours(I think my friends and I always says want to run together but once flag off will all disappear in a short while) ? They too competitive and fast liao, so I run my own, didn’t really do much of long distance running lately and lack of determination so I walk quite a lot at the last few kms ? I’ll run another 10km tonight and hopefully that’s enough for Osaka Marathon, just hope I can reach before cut off time and anything better than that is bonus!

And thanks to all the supporters, photographers and runners cheering for us and one another! ❤️ Ya, quite a few people saw me walking and give me a push by encouraging me to hang on and keep running! Really thankful and blessed ?

My YOLO Run 2017 [10km… but was just 7km] (by Lingderella)

By

Lingderella

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November 11, 2017

You Only Live Once, I think many runners can link it to a tagline that You Only Run Once ?

Confirm many people gonna boycott the organisers. If next year there is no huge discounts for runners that were in this mess, next year they can expect the runners to be very little. Not angry but disappointed because the run is only 6.9km according to my Garmin! ? Maybe I’m silently wishing I can run a personal best for this run but my Garmin was telling me I might just run about the same timing at most. Recently busy till some runs I did not blog but this one really must blog because of such madness. YOLO Run Facebook page are full of complaints from frustrated and angry runners.

My 10km medal is not really something memorable and meaningful or something that I could keep with pride anymore because it’s just 7km, the organisers should mail us a 7km lanyard right? And sibeh jialat, a friend said he queued 4 hours to collect his bag! WTH! Luckily I returned in 40 minutes for the 7km and the first thing I did is to collect my bag and done within 5 minutes. While queueing, I heard that the runners front and back also says they ran just 7km, so it’s not just me. The first thing I thought after my baggage deposit when I see the baggage deposit has only a few counters for all the 21km, 10km and 5km runners is confirm jam one. And it really jam till jialat jialat. Lucky me if not queue 4 hours, really can siao ? Runners even end up go and find their own bags. Volunteers must be very poor thing, confirm kena scold a lot although it’s the organisers fault.

See this picture I took, it’s not the start pen hor, it’s the medal and finisher entitlements collection. Honestly, sorry to say that it’s the worst running event ever so far ?

When I woke up at 5am I thought jialat already, struggling to wake up, dilly dally then took Grab down. Reach race village at 6am and deposited my bag with a queue of about 10mins. Thought hoseh liao, start pen will have many people already but end up start pen not even open leh. Then I heard that 21km runners were flagged off at 6am when they should be flagging off at 5am. Erm, though we tick the we agree to the terms and conditions blah blah blah but is too much lah, is really poor organising. Everywhere is queue seriously, it’s a queue at every point. Nightmare. Queue for baggage deposit and toilet. But the queue for baggage collection and medal entitlement really really is horror ?

There was a delay in flag off for 10km and end up we were only flagged off at 6.50am, saying that the route near sports hub is in a jam. I squat down after standing too long as I get a little dizzy. I’m anaemic and I thought had gotten better already recently apparently I need more iron pills. Finally flagged off and the distance board is “cheating” the runners for the whole run, like 500m into the run and 1km distance board is there and haven’t even 7km there’s the 9km distance board. Though I’m not stucked in any human jams or had any bottlenecks for the run but the lane for running is really so small and some part we can only run in a single file. The organisers maths and agaration failed really badly. Ratio, how many runners to how many baggage deposit counters, how many runners running and your path to run on have to be how wide. Tsk tsk tsk.

Race pack collection is another chaos. A friend told me that during the race pack collection, she was told by the volunteers that the sports bra for the ladies ran out of sizes and they asked the participants who chooses M size to take either S or L. LOL! But if our boobs not that small cannot squeeze them into a smaller size ma or if our boobs not that big also need a loose sports bra for what right? ? Plus, we actually selected the size that we wanted during registration so why was there delay or shortage of sizes? ? At least the organisers let the runners change the size on race day.

I like the idea of sports bra as an entitlement for the women runners, it’s the only run that I know of in Singapore that gives sports bra as an entitlement with the race pack and my sports bra from last year’s YOLO run is still very fine and have it’s elasticity and support. Not bad quality actually. I dare not collect race pack on the first day of collection very long time already because I scared of queue. Heng I never collect on Friday during the first day of race pack collection, many participants complained in their Facebook page that they waited 3 hours to collect their race pack and some can’t even manage to collect their race pack when they make their way all the way there. Tsk tsk tsk ? I went on Saturday afternoon to collect queueing for about 45minutes. Also can faint sia ? Anything less than 15 minutes to queue for a racepack is reasonable for me. Next time always collect on last day or collection. I was told that the sports bra not ready for collection and asked me if I would return in the evening to collect or collect on race day. Tsk tsk tsk. So I collected chop chop for the sports bra luckily on actual day.

(Maybe our thumbs should point in the opposite direction! 🙂 )

Have to say, they really need to apologise for an event that is supposed to be fun and happy day to spend time at turns out so jialat. I’m sure next year they will not expect many runners to return at all unless they make deals sibeh nice nice for this year runners. Luckily it’s still not that bad for me as I’m not stuck in the queues and jams, if not I will definitely not run anymore YOLO run. But still, I ran only 7km, can I get a 30% refund? ?

4 Reasons Why You Struggle In The Ironman Marathon

By

Mel

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November 10, 2017

Many Ironman athletes have a great swim, a great bike ride but a horrible run. Many athletes end up walking the run. They don’t plan to, but they end up doing so. Here are 4 reasons why you may be struggling when you hit the run leg and how to overcome it.

#1 You Did Not Eat Enough

Nutrition slash your fuelling strategy is very important in long gruelling endurance races. Eating too much or eating too little on the bike can cost you your run. Eating too much can cause gastrointestinal problems. Blood is drawn away from your stomach to your working muscles. Eating too much will render your body unable to digest the food, hence causing gastrointestinal problems. Too little can cause you to become dehydrated and cause you to hit the wall. Your body just does not have enough energy!

Solution: Always practise your fuelling strategy! Remember to never try anything new. No new gels, no new isotonic drinks, no new breakfast. It is hence imperative to always test out your your food intake during your long runs and long rides. This is to better understand how you body will react to such food and fuel.

#2 You Went Out Too Hard On The Bike

This doesn’t mean you should take it easy on the bike. You just need to manage your swim and bike times such that you have some reserve in the tank for your run. Remember, the ironman is a 3-discipline sport, not a duo-discipline one.

Solution: Always make sure you aren’t going all out on the bike. It is easy to let your ego take over. Always remind yourself, saving 20 minutes on the bike could easily mean losing more than an hour on your run. Remember to keep your effort 5-10 per cent below your 70.3 distance effort. If you’re going faster or the same as your 70.3 speed, you know you’re going way too fast. Always always keep yourself in check so you don’t pay the price later on.

#3 Too Little Time In Transition 2

Often we are tying to save time in transition. We get off the bike, put on our shoes and off we go! The less time wasted on transition equals a better timing no? Unfortunately the answer is no! You should ensure your legs are ready for the run before going out. If not you may end up cramping and wasting more time instead.

Solution: Shake your legs out and ensure you are properly hydrated and fuelled before you hit the run leg. Remember to prepare yourself mentally, physically and nutritionally for what is to come. Eat, hydrate and prep yourself mentally! Even sitting for a couple of minutes could do you good. Don’t rush, take your time!

#4 Overtraining

Overtraining is a killer. If you’re still doing really long run and long bikes up till one week before the race, your muscles could be still tired from your last hard gruelling session. You will feel the effects especially in the later stages of your race – the run leg – the marathon. And it is here that you will pay the price!

Solution: Make sure you taper and rest well before your big race. Always listen to your body and monitor your heart rate. Your tapering should be 2-3 weeks at minimum to allow your body to rest, recover and rejuvenate for your big race! There should be no hard sessions during the final week of your race, but you should keep your body moving with light swims, short bikes and easy runs!

Why You Should Downhill Train?

By

Mel

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November 10, 2017

Downhill training may seem counter-intuitive. You may be inclined to think to run faster and become stronger, the most effective way to train is to run uphill. Running uphill takes your muscles more, making you stronger. But downhill running can be a more effective way to increase your running speed. The main benefit of downhill training are the strength gains you gain from it. Downhill running is actually harder on your body, particularly your quads, hips and knees.

Develops Coordination, Increases Speed

Sprinting downhill develops your coordination and speed. When you run downhill, gravity pulls you down faster. This forces your legs to learn to handle the high speed travel. Your body will respond by adapting to a higher stride rate. Over time, your coordination will also improve. Your body will learn to have a higher stride rate which will translate into an increased speed over a flat surface due to the newly accustomed higher stride rate.

Strengthen Your Legs

Downhill running puts a huge eccentric load on your quads and hamstrings. An eccentric muscle contraction is the muscle activation that increases tension on a muscle as it lengthens. This is the reason why people tend to get sore when they run downhills. Downhill running means more muscle damage. Training downhill allows your body to adapt to this stress load by repairing the micro tears in your muscles and tendons, enabling your body to withstand more pressure and load in the future. This is how you become stronger.

Types Of Downhill Training

You can do a downhill fartlek – run fast slash sprint on the downhill slopes and recover on the flat and uphill. Focus on the downhills instead of the uphills. This may seem counter-intuitive. Ideally, look for a course that has hills of varying steepness and lengths. This will be a continuous run that helps develop your endurance as well.

Downhill Intervals – Look for a downhill that is about a kilometre long and sprint down it. You would be going almost all out on this downhill sprint. Recover by walking or slowly jogging up the uphill before doing the repeats again.

Downhill Long Run – If you are able to find a 15-20km downhill course, this would make a good overall downhill course long run. For instance, you can run down Frasers Hill in Malaysia.

Downhill Running Technique

Due to the gravity pull, it is easy to overstride. When running downhill, you must be cautious with your form. Ensure that you aren’t overstriding. You must ensure what is allowing you to go faster is an increased cadence. Remember to concentrate on candence and avoid tensing up. Keep your hips and back relaxed. Make sure you are in control of your run, not gravity!

Race Review: The one-north Run 2017 (by healthobeing)

By

healthobeing

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November 10, 2017

rsz_img_6454 — Picture with the event banner

The one-north Run 2017 was held in the one-north area, Buona Vista on 5th Nov 2017 (Sunday). Categories are 5k, 10k, and kids dash with parents of 800m.

Its been sometime since I took part in Singapore races, the last one was POSB kids run in September. My results were not what I had expected, but it was a nice run with my Tortoise running club friends.

This time around for the one-north Run was because it is near my neighbourhood and it is about one of the cheapest runs I can find in Singapore after the early bird discount.

The Race Course

The 10 Km was not really fully subscribed. The route was rather winding and full of slopes. Going up and down within the concrete jungle of the new Mediapolis area. This place has changed a lot since my younger days where it used to be SAF camp, with a lot of greenery and fields. It is now full of character too, colonial houses dotted around the Wessex area.

Although it was supposed to be a 10km, my watch had clocked it to be 9.5km only. I guess the many buildings around the area had caused the mis-calculations. One north is now a media and hi-technology hub with many startups around. This race was organised and sponsored by all the businesses in this area.

Waking up early about 5 am, I reached the start point by bicycle, the now O bike which is an app driving company, so happened that its giving free rides on that weekend, quite a good way to save the environment.

In the wee hours, runners at the baggage drop off

People were strolling in to the start line. 6:30 am was the flag off, and many of the booths were still not up yet. As I have not collected my bib, I went forth to the information counter to collect them as I missed the initial collection. There was a shoe time chip provided too.

The weather had been good with a heavy downpour the night before, making it cooling for the runners. The best part was being able to take a shot with my favourite Media corp idol, Zheng Ge Ping! Kym Ng was also there too.

After Run Perks

After the run, get to enjoy the various interesting items that the booths have to offer, from hologram photograph souvenir, balloon sculpting, to face painting. There was also food trucks around and of course the Milo truck.

There are ample grounds in the vicinity for runners to rest and stretch, organizers have also thrown in the bouncy castles for the kids to enjoy.

Lucky Draw Bib (the top prize was iPhone X), Finisher medal and Tee.

On the whole, the race was well organised and not too crowded, the best part is that the proceeds collected from the race were all given to Charitable organisations such as AWAA, Community Chest and the Singapore Children’s Society.

Race Review: The Performance Series 2017 – Race 3 at Changi [21KM] (by maylindateo)

By

Maylindateo

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November 10, 2017

Date: 5 November 2017
Flag Off: 5:00 AM

The last race for the Performance Series this year was held in Changi Exhibition Centre at 5:00 AM. The Performance Series always find new and interesting places for participants to run and try not to hold their races at the common ground such as F1 Pit. 😛

Race 1 was held at Stadium Riverside Walk (I did not go because I was overseas), race 2 was at Punggol East, Corney Island and race 3 at Changi. The drawback for this was that public transport was a problem and so we had to purchase 2-way shuttle bus tickets cost $14.00.

I didn’t do well in race 2 due to calves pain and backache (the time of injury). Took me almost 3 hours to complete 21KM.

I am happy that I did well in race 3 with a PB (2:23 official nett time). It was the first time I ran a sub 2:30 for half marathon, though the course was about 500m short on Strava. The race route was a straightforward 2 loops and to some people, it was boring. I was OK with it because it was rather flat, simple and easy to run. Not to mention the good weather too. Run route need not be complicated.

I started the race following the 2:20 pacers for a while but I knew I couldn’t sustain the pace for the entire distance and true enough, slowed down at 7KM but still feeling great and carried on running at about 7 min pace. Hydration stations provide Lucozade and water. I don’t really like Lucozade because it is gassy and too sweet for my liking. So I mixed it with water. Placement for the hydration stations was rather odd because 2 stations were quite close and after these 2 stations, there was no more station for a very long stretch about 6 – 7KM? And I realised there were no toilets too along the route. Nevertheless, I had no major issues.

I collected 2 medals, one finisher and one running series. As for the finisher shirt, I feel that the 10KM shirt has a better colour, same thing for race 2.

I finished the race feeling very happy with a PB and glad that my PF has recovered about 90%. I hope to run injury free forever.

Next race? SCSM Full marathon. Feeling nervous.

Race Review & Experience: The Performance Series 2017 – Race 3 Changi Exhibition Centre [10KM] (by Rebekah Ong)

By

Rebekah Ong

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Race 3 Cover — Photo: My Running Family – The Superhero Runners

Over the weekend, many others and I completed the last race for the for 2017 Singapore – The Performance Series (TPS) at Changi Exhibition Centre. The 2017 Singapore Series has brought participants on a journey from Stadium Riverside (Race 1) to Punggol East (Race 2) and lastly to Changi Exhibition Centre (Race 3), all around Singapore and it’s iconic landmarks. The route for Race 3 would feature the newly-built Tanah Merah Coast Road, where undisturbed greeneries with sights of occasional commercial planes flying past above taking off or landing at Singapore Changi Airport was promised. After reading that on JustRunLah’s website, I was definitely looking forward to experiencing for myself.

RACE ENTRY PACK COLLECTION (REPC)

For Race 3, the REPC was held at the same place as Race 2 which was Raffles Place Shopping Mall Level 3. It was held on a Friday (27 Oct 2017) and Saturday (28 Oct 2017) and I collected my race pack during lunchtime on Friday with another colleague of mine. Though I collected my race pack during lunch which supposed to be like peak timing, there were no long queues or wait time! This is important as lunchtime is really precious and time spent on queuing means less time for eating. I love that the organiser held the REPC at Raffles Place Shopping Mall because it’s a very convenient place because it’s sooo near to my office. Like most races, the race pack contents were frills-free with a can of Lucozade, race tee, race bib and some vouchers. I think it’s simple and practical though sometimes I like to be surprised by race pack contents.

[Photo: REPC Site & Race Pack Contents]

PRE-RACE

The flag-off for Race 3 10KM category was super early, it was scheduled at 06:30hrs. Thankfully the organisers had arranged for shuttle bus services to and from the race site. These tickets were priced $7 one way and I had actually bought return trip tickets. My friend who had signed up for the race pretty late had offered to give a lift both to and from race site. It was really nice that he offered and I took him up on it. It was a 40 minutes’ drive from the North to the East side of Singapore even though there were not many cars on the road. Upon reaching the race site, we were guided by the well-placed signs and helpful security personnel to the parking area. There was ample parking space and we were impressed at how organised everything was.

[Photo: Ample Parking Space at Changi Exhibition Centre]

[Photo: Well-spaced sections of Changi Exhibition Centre]

Coincidentally, after parking, we met some the Superhero Runners and we all headed to the Main Hall of the Exhibition Centre to meet up with the rest of the team. There were altogether 19 “heroes” from the family of Superhero Runners attending this run event, 14 from the 10KM category and 5 from the 21KM category. I quickly made a stop the mobile toilets outside the hall and thankfully there were no queues. Upon stepping into the Main Hall of the Exhibition Centre, I was wowed by the spaciousness of the place. The organisers had done a good job in segregating the large hall into segments. After taking some pre-race photos, we headed out towards the START pen where you can hear the emcee and upbeat music playing!

[Photo: Pre-race photos]

Like TPS Race 2, the Superhero Runners were given the privilege to start at the front! Superhero Runners are the motivational run leaders at 2017 Singapore edition of The Performance Series. You can read my review of Race 2 here to find out what the motivational run leaders do. The group had decided to do a 5min/km and 6min/km pacing, I know I would not be able to keep up with that kind of timing so I told them I would drop off to my 7+min/km pace. While waiting for the flag-off, the emcee did a fantastic job of keeping the crowd entertained and excited for the start of the race!

RACE ROUTE

The race was flagged off promptly at 06:30hrs. The weather was race perfect! It was cooling and breezy as it had rained the night before. The floor was neither wet nor slippery so the conditions were just right. Running along the newly-built Tanah Merah Coast Road was quite an experience. I enjoyed the long, straight and flat roads which were peaceful in the early hours of the morning. It was a simple loop U-turning at the 5km mark and running along that route was invigorating, as it was flat and fast! NO SLOPES was definitely one of the best thing about this route!!! The views of the Changi coastal line was really beautiful, where you can see ships that were parked glowing in the rays of the rising sun and once a while you can spot planes flying off.

[Photo: 10KM Race Route – From The Performance Series Website]

These are my feedback for Race 3:

Hydration stations → Some of the participants including me felt that the hydration stations were spaced a little too close together. They were placed in the first few kilometres so on the return league, there weren’t any drinks till about the 7.5KM mark or so. The plus points were that they were still long enough and serve cold drinks to the participants. They were never congested and were always stocked with both plain water and isotonic drinks.

Distance Markers → I loved the encouraging quotes and pretty pictures of these signs. Everything was well-placed for the first 5KM of the route but after the U-turn point, the distance markers were not accurate anymore. Though not a big issue, it was a bit distracting when you saw the signs and compared it against your watch, it displays a different distance.

[Photo credits: Sotong from Running Shots]

POST RACE

[Photo: All smiles after the race with fellow “heroine” Kerstin Sautter]

The loopback was not an easy one as I was a bit tired and I saw most of my friends had U-turned when I was at the 4KM mark. I continued pushing on and I crossed the FINISH line with an official timing of 1hr 11mins and it was a fantastic feeling. High-5s and cheers on a job well done were received from the team of Superhero Runners who had finished earlier! We waited for one more team member before heading back to the event hall for the Finisher medal and Finisher Tee collection. As this was the last race for this series, I received an extra connecting medal because I had signed up for all the 3 races. I always love TPS medals as they have a nice theme if you collect all! The collection was fast and organised. Signs were there to guide participants to the correct queues and volunteers were well briefed on what they needed to do.

[Photo: Yay I completed TPS Race 3]

After collecting our Finisher entitlements, we headed for the main stage as one of our “heroines” finished on the podium. Congratulations Theresa Schweigel for finishing 3^rdin the 10KM Women Category with a fantastic finishing time of 47:55:5. We are soooo happy for you! Awesome effort!

[Photo: Theresa Schweigel on podium]

Overall I enjoyed the final race of the 2017 Singapore – The Performance Series. It was a well-organised run event which kept to its promise of bringing participants to unique running routes and giving them a wonderful race experience. Big thanks to the organisers for their hard work and dedication in making every race experience a good one. This year series was also something I’ll keep in my memory bank for a long time because of the experience of running with my Superhero Runners family. They have made me felt part of them and motivated me in my own running journey this year which also encouraged me to motivate others on their running journeys. Thanks, guys! You all are definitely special and I look forward to our weekly Tuesday sessions and outings. Lastly, I would like to thank you to my friend, Terence for those awesome post race shots of the Superhero Runners family! These will be memories to be treasured.

Until my next write-up, let’s all continue to keep fit and motivate everyone! Hope you enjoyed reading this review on 2017 TPS Race 3.

[Photo: My Running Family – The Superhero Runners]

The Worst Triathlon Advice – Ever

By

Mel

-

November 9, 2017

Only listen to advised that have been trial, tested, and proven. Sometimes we aren’t very confident in our own abilities, we are ready to listen to just about anyone. But not everyone gives sound advice. Here are a couple of worst triathlon advice we’ve come across!

#1 Change This Or That – It Will Make You Faster

We’d do anything to become faster. But compromising what you’re used to, your bike position, your fuelling strategy, using new race gear will come back to haunt you during your race. You are going into the unknown territory. You don’t know how it will cost you, it may even cost you your entire race.

#2 You Don’t Need Swim Training

Photo Credits: Annie Emmerson

Swimming is the shortest portion of the triathlon. Don’t waste time on swim training. This is probably one of the most terrible advice. Yes, although it is the shortest portion, a lot of people underestimate how significant it is. Not over stressing your muscles during the first leg allows you to save your muscles for the bike and run leg and cycle a better bike leg, and run a better run leg.

#3 Buy A Scuba Suit Instead Of A Wetsuit – It’s Cheaper

Cheaper does not necessarily mean better. A wetsuit plays the function of thermal insulation. A scuba suit doesn’t. A wetsuit also has lower density providing buoyancy in the water. Don’t let saving a few bucks cost you your race.

#4 Run Without Socks

Save time during transition by just slipping on your shoes and run without socks. Running without socks have the great potential of giving you blisters. Just utilise 20 seconds to put on your socks and you will have a much greater pain-free run. If you have blisters, you may end up wasting more than 20 seconds of your time.

#5 Don’t Carry Flat Supplies

Some people would advise to avoid carrying flat supplies as it adds more weight. The amount of weight is nothing compared to when you get a flat and being unable to fix it. Your whole race would be wasted. You would end up DNF-ing your race! It is not worth it!

There you go, the worst triathlon advice we’ve heard. Do not heed to these advice!

The 4 Pillars Of The Freestyle Stroke

By

Mel

-

November 9, 2017

To have a good freestyle swim, you must master the 4 components – breathing, kick, arm stroke and body position. Each of these components must be strong in order to give you a good and efficient stroke. If one of these pillars are weak, your stroke will be compromised. To have a good freestyle stroke, all 4 must come together.

Breathing

If you are breathing correctly, you can go on and on without the need to stop. However, if you constantly find the need to stop to catch your breath, even over the shorter distances, it’s time to take a look at your breathing techniques. The golden rule here is to never ever hold your breath. Always maintain a gentle exhalation when your face is in the water. Remember that exhalation should be about 2-3 seconds and you should never completely empty your lungs. When you tilt your head up, inhale quickly. This should be the correct breathing technique.

Body Position

Remember, swimming is about active floating. Your body needs to learn to float – naturally. Your energy should be spend moving forward, not moving your body upwards to float. This is similar to running – where energy should be spend propelling your body forward instead of vertically upwards. Thus, learning how to float is one of the pillars of swimming. Remember to not push your butt up but push your hips down with a slight arch on your back. This will prevent your body from sinking. And remember to always look down not up and forward. This is to maintain a straight body position.

Kick

The kick should be a gentle fluid flow, like a dolphin rather than a rough scissors motion. Your foot should only move up and down approximately 12 inches. Anything more will cause unwanted drag and make your underwater pull less efficient. Your kick should be like a flutter kick – one of a quick tempo.

Arms

Photo Credits: Annie Emmerson

Maximize each arm stroke by pulling it all the way to your thighs! This is to get a maximum pull. When your hands are going back into the water, your palms should not hit the water surface hard, but more of cutting into the water. Also, ensure your hands and arms do not cross over the centre of your body. These are all little techniques to give you a good stroke.

These are the 4 pillars that you would need to master for a good swim technique!

7 Fartlek Workouts Eliud Kipchoge Does

By

Mel

-

November 8, 2017

Eliud Kipchoge is arguably the greatest marathoner of all time. He has won 8 of the 9 marathons he has ran. The only he lost was in one whereby a World Record was ran. He ran a 2:00:25 in Monza, Italy in Nike’s breaking 2 project (although not eligible for the World Record). He has an amazing record at the marathon distance and has been proclaimed the greatest marathoner of the modern era.

We all know that Fartlek forms the basis of most Kenyan training. The Kenyan groups do their weekly Thursday Fartleks. Fartlek is the Swedish term for speed play. It blends continuous training with interval trainings. It is simply defined as bouts of fast running intermixed with periods of slow running.

Here are 7 types of Fartlek that Kipchoge does:

10 minutes x 4 with a 2 minute rest interval
8 minutes x 6 with a 2 minute rest interval
6 minutes x 8 with a 2 minute rest interval
4 minutes x 10 with a 2 minute rest interval
3 minutes x 13 with a 1 minute rest interval
2 minutes x 17 with a 1 minute rest interval
1 minutes x 25 with a 1 minute rest interval

Credit: Sweat Elite

In these workouts, the 10 minutes is run hard, with the rest intervals being a recovery jog.

Why Fartlek?

Fartlek improves our running in 4 different ways – speed, endurance, stamina and running economy. First of all, fartlek involves continuous running which is crucial to distance runners looking to improve their stamina and endurance. Also, the speed play will help improve your speed. These surges will give your legs a taste of speed and running fast also will help your body discover a more economical running form that suits you. The surges will also help you deal better on Raceday should your competitor run various paces and surge.

Fartlek is considered a speed workout. If you’re new to speed workouts, it is good to tryout fartlek as a conditioning method before hitting full on speed workouts. Speed workouts, hill repeats, and fartlek all targets speed and strength. So to keep your workout interesting, mix it up and have fun!

Are You Injured? – These Tools Are Your Best Friend

By

Mel

-

November 8, 2017

Injured runner — Unrecognizable injured runner sitting on a wooden floor background

Injury is the bane of all runners. But, just because we are injured this does not mean we should completely stop training, throw in the towel and keep our shoes in the store. We runners are stubborn. We will look for ways to keep and maintain our fitness. Here are 3 tools that should be your best friend if you are injured.

#1 The Elliptical

Photo Credits: Dick’s Sporting Goods

The elliptical machine does in some ways mimic the running movement. However this machine does not place excessive pressure on your joints and knees, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries. The elliptical machine offers you a low-impact method of keeping your cardiovascular fitness. It can be a tough workout by increasing the resistance of the trainer.

#2 The Bike

Photo Credits: AW Exercise Bike

The fitness bike is a great way to cross train and also a great way to maintain cardiovascular fitness should you be injured. It is low impact yet able to give you a quality workout. You can even join indoor cycling classes that is getting increasingly popular these days. Match your running cadence with your cycling cadence. You can also mimic the types of running workout by adjusting the resistance. You can work the same muscles as you would doing a hill workout, or a tempo by varying the resistance.

#3 Deep Water Running Belt

Photo Credits: Moment Magazine

The term aqua-running has become increasingly popular. Aqua running has long been recognise as a rehabilitation exercise for injured athletes. It gives you a great workout, with no impact. A deep-water running belt helps you stay afloat whilst you work your legs without using energy to keep yourself upright and afloat. You can move your legs against the water resistance, giving your leg muscles a great strength workout.

Check out there 3 tools should you be injured. Make them your best friend to maintain your fitness level.

Binge Eating And 3 Reasons Of Overeating

By

Stella Lim

-

November 8, 2017

Overeating-768x616 — Photo Credit: Photo Credit: https://www.whatsuplife.in

Two of most common concerns of overeating are 1) Weight gain and Obesity (which can lead to self-esteem issues), and 2) Health issues. In this article, we will explore 1) Binge Eating, and 3 reasons of overeating.

Binge Eating

Binge eating is a common form of overeating. It can be defined as a large amount of food consumed in a short space of time. Binge eating can happen on a single occasion (e.g during a celebratory event like Christmas and New Years when a variety of festival foods is being served) or, it can become a regular way of eating. Binge eating on a single occasion is pretty common and understandable (so don’t beat yourself too much about it), but however when it becomes a regular way of eating, it can pose several health issues like weight gain, obesity, heart disease, etc. Binge eating can also be a symptom of Binge Eating Disorder, and Bulimia Nervosa (binge eating followed by purging).

3 Reasons Of Overeating

1) Biological
If you are restricting your diet, skipping meals due to a busy schedule, pushing back your meal times, or anything that restrain your diet, you will risk overeating to ‘compensate‘. When you’re famished, you will have a tendency to scout down food as this period of hunger is recognised by the body as going through a ‘famine’.

‘The body wants to survive first and foremost – so anytime you under eat – for whatever reason – the body takes that very seriously, releasing hundreds of hormones and enzymes into the blood system to have you feast: not just eat, but eat a lot.’ -inner nutritionist

2) Psychological
The relationship you have with food. This occurs when you put yourself through a mental restriction. Do you have food list as ‘good food’ and ‘bad food’. The tendency is that the more you mentally fight the food, the more the brain wants that food.

‘To have a healthy body, it is necessary for us to take action of a physical level with diet and exercise, but to have a healthy relationship with food, it is necessary for us to understand ourselves on a deeper emotional level or to uncover why we eat the way we eat.’ -psychology today

3) Emotional
All of us are emotionally connected to food as we are physically dependent on food for our survival and well-being. Emotional eating becomes an issue when one is emotionally dependent on the food and eat when we aren’t physically hungry. Food can be a default and coping mechanism to life’s challenges for e.g stress, sadness, boredom. Food then becomes comfort, and temporary relieve to life’s challenges.

Recommendation

Eat slowly, mindfully, have small portions of food spread evenly spread out over the day, consider adding low Glycemic Index (GI) foods to keep you filled, and drink more water. If you’ve identified that you have a tendency to overeat, I highly recommend you to speak up and talk to a friend, nutritionist, or fitness mentor. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. They can help to keep you in check and accountable if you already have a plan to tackle overeating. Also, consider keeping a diary of your daily food intake and write down every item you’ve consumed during the day so that the next time when you consider eating something excessive, think if you’d want the food to be ‘recorded’ down in your diary.

The holidays are coming. Remember to eat moderately! Photo Credit: http://imgarcade.com

Conclusion

I wrote this with the people I love in mind who are combating overeating issues. And also you, JustRunLah readers, who may be facing similar issues. I’d like to raise awareness of this not so uncommon issue of overeating. You are definitely not alone. Please arrest this issue timely, help yourself, seek help and I wish you the very best in successfully combating this issue to journey on a happy and fulfilled life.

Introducing the Garmin® vívoactive® 3

By

Mel

-

November 7, 2017

Singapore, 7 November 2017 — Garmin Singapore today announced the vívoactive 3, a GPS smartwatch with ElevateTM wrist-based heart rate1 and over 15 built-in indoor and outdoor sports apps, the vívoactive 3 is packed with features to keep up with a varied active lifestyle. Multiple passions? Not a problem. Cardio class on Tuesday and yoga on Wednesday? This smartwatch can handle it. And with thousands of watch faces, widgets and apps available to download for free from the Garmin Connect IQTM store, users can customise the vívoactive 3, making it the perfect accessory for playing and paying.

“Anyone who is out and about being active can relate to the struggle of where to stash a credit card or cash, and has had to forgo a post-workout snack or coffee as a result. We’re looking to solve that dilemma with Garmin Pay, an exciting feature on the new vívoactive 3 to make it truly an everyday smartwatch for people with active lifestyles.”

–Mr. Engelhard (Al) Sundoro, Managing Director, Garmin South Asia-

Built to fit all types of users, in all conditions

Smart, sturdy and stylish, the vívoactive 3 features polished stainless steel metal details and an always-on high-resolution Garmin ChromaTM display for great readability in all lighting conditions. The vívoactive 3 also introduces Side SwipeTM, a control which makes for quick scrolling and swift navigation of menus, widgets and stats. And because some users will prefer to scroll with their thumb and others with their index fingers, the vívoactive 3 features an ambidextrous design, allowing it to be worn in whichever orientation is most comfortable. Like all of Garmin’s wearables, the vívoactive 3 is safe for swimming and showering2 and has a battery life of up to seven days in smartwatch mode and 13 hours in GPS mode3.

Monitoring features for better understanding of your fitness levels

Garmin’s Elevate wrist-based heart rate, monitored 24/7, gives users access to fitness monitoring features including VO2 max and fitness age which provide users with valuable data to monitor changes in their fitness level. Increased activity will improve these numbers over time.

All-day stress tracking is also available on the vívoactive 3 by monitoring HRV (heart rate variability) data. The ability to view both current stress levels at the wrist and a longer timetable of stress on Garmin Connect allows customers to identify patterns and consider making lifestyle changes to avoid or better cope with stress-inducing situations. A Four-Fold Breath relaxation timer further helps users balance stress and rest.

Make your vívoactive 3 yours

With thousands of watch faces, widgets and apps available to download for free from the Garmin Connect IQ store, users can customize their device, making it go from being a smartwatch to something way more personalized. Keep tabs on when Uber is arriving, turn on the lights at home with the SmartThings app, and even use the AccuWeather MinuteCast app to find out when the rain is going to start.

Engineered for a user who’s always on the move yet wants to stay connected

The vívoactive 3 is designed with an on-the-go lifestyle in mind. With more than 15 built-in sports apps including new profiles for snowboarding, cardio, yoga, elliptical and stair stepper, the vívoactive 3 takes customers from the gym to the slopes and everywhere in between. With the new strength training activity, users can stay focused on their form and let the vívoactive 3 do the rep counting. Strength training keeps track of reps, sets and even rest times during free weight and bodyweight exercises. Bored of the same old workout routines? With vívoactive 3, users can mix it up by creating customized running, cycling, cardio and strength workouts on Garmin Connect and downloading them straight to their device.

Stay connected on the move with smart notification vibration alerts delivered right to the wrist. When paired with a compatible smartphone5, users can receive and even respond6 to text messages and see social media updates, app alerts, calls, emails and more. The vívoactive 3 can also be used to control music on a smartphone, send an alert to locate a misplaced smartphone and control a Garmin VIRB camera (sold separately). The vívoactive 3 includes LiveTrack4, a feature that provides loved ones with peace of mind during outdoor workouts by tracking activity and location in real time. Those individuals receive invitations via email, Facebook or Twitter with a link to a webpage that includes the position of the connected vívoactive 3 device.

Throughout the day, the vívoactive 3 automatically syncs with the Garmin Connect mobile app to save stats for easy access later. In Garmin Connect, a free online community, users can see their workouts, strength training activities, stress levels and sleep patterns displayed on detailed graphs. View outdoor workouts on detailed maps, compete in weekly challenges and connect with other fitness enthusiasts, right from a compatible smartphone5 or desktop computer.

Pricing and availability

The vívoactive 3 comes in three colors – black/stainless and white/stainless (with a suggested retail price of SGD 449) and black/slate (SGD 499) and is available for purchase at can be purchased from Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, Harvey Norman stores, Takashimaya and Tangs Orchard Advance Lap and all authorised resellers from 11 November 2017.

Users also have the option to switch up their style with compatible accessory bands (sold separately). To learn more, visit Garmin.com.sg/vivo.

The ever-expanding Garmin fitness segment develops technologies to enhance and promote healthy and active lifestyles. Whether users are runners, cyclists, swimmers, multi-sport athletes, or simply looking to stay active throughout the day, there is a Garmin product that can help them reach their health and fitness goals.

For decades, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation.

For more information, visit Garmin’s virtual pressroom, or follow us at Facebook, Instagram or Youtube.