Loose limbs flying

Sometimes when I run, I imagine myself a lanky teenager, limbs loose and flying, totally free. It is a great feeling.

Tonight's run was interesting. I saw a taxi driver urinating into a drain by a fairly deserted pavement. He gave me a furtive embarrassed look as I ran by. I also saw a big double-deck SBS bus getting its tyres changed by the street. Huge wheels the bus had. They had to use a drill to get the nuts out.

I saw runners, shop keepers, teh drinkers, cyclists, pedestrians, taxi drivers, adults, teenagers, children; I saw you.

Distance: 11.6km
Time: 75mins
Speed: 9.3km/hr

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Running mantra #5

Sometimes it is just a matter of putting on your shoes and getting out the door.

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Kinda warms the cockles of your heart

This is about running, and so much more.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4003490&affil=wpvi

via Joan

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Running on Barker Road

To me, the barker road loop is the mother of all running routes. I loved it, and I hated it. The barker road loop was where I first learnt how to run. It was where I came face to face with physical fatigue and mental games, not to mention, spiritual analogies. It was where I found myself painfully aware of what I longed for. It was my benchmark run. It was my everyday run.

Gosh I've missed it. I used to run it at least once a week. I ran it so much that I came to dread it, preferring to run the botanic loop in later years just because it was more enjoyable. I ran the barker loop today again, not the full two rounds but a modified one loop plus extra, and I realised how well I knew every incline, every manhole, every turn. I knew exactly how long it took to reach the top of the steep hill, and exactly when the menacing dogs would starting barking their heads off.

In the tradition of the early posts, the numbers from today's evening run.

Distance: 5.8 km
Time: 36.2 mins
Speed: 9.6 km/hr

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Great Eastern Run 10km

This is a race of firsts. It is the first time I am participating in a women's run, and the first time I'm running a race alone.

Both rather mind-opening experiences I have to say! I'm used to being a rare damsel in a sea of hot sweaty men (remember the "Spot the Woman" contest in my blog post about the Sheares Bridge Run?) It is such a treat to stand in the holding area before flag-off and not worry about bumping into sweaty bodies. Very nice. I can even look about the holding area since I'm no longer shorter than average. ;)

SPOT THE MEN CONTEST!





It is a lot more tiring running a race on your own than with someone else, I have to say... I push myself so much harder. Although it is to a certain extent still a spectator or social type of sport — I love watching the fast ones whiz past me on their return leg: I always hoot and cheer for them — I think about the distance and the time so much more when alone. And I am so much more tired when I am done.

Got a chip time of 1hr 2mins 26sec. I wish I could have broken the hour, but I haven't been running very consistently these days, so it was really as fast as I could have gone... I'm happy with it though. Worth the pain. :) Seriously, when I crossed the finish line, I was seeing stars and had to squat for a bit — I am that unfit!! :)

ITB woes again. Boohoo.

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Terry Fox Run: Photos

At Siloso beach



Late!



Running on an island



Stretching my painful ITB



A very inspiring man



Post-run banana and activities

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Terry Fox Run: 6am

6am: "Why does it rain _every_single_year?"
7am: Eating a rather stale piece of coffee bread
8am: Stuck in jam in taxi
9am: Feeling a little faint and nauseous from the stale piece of bread
10am: Limping

It was quite an inspiring run. There was a guy on crutches who was doing the 8km. He had only one good leg. And a lot of cute little red and blond headed kids.

[I must have been tired when I wrote that. I don't mean that he had a lot of cute kids. I meant there were a lot of cute kids at the run.]

My ITB in my good leg acted up. Sigh. 8km only.

(Photos later..)

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ITB is my bane

Ran 4.5km at 10km/hr and when I stepped off the treadmill, there it was again, like an old friend, but this time, in my good leg. My good leg! What do I need to do? Realign my hips, or what??

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Sheares Bridge Run 2007

Actually, it really wasn't that bad at all. In fact, the 12km was quite enjoyable — no ITB pain, no fatigue, no problems breathing, no chafing, no blisters, no muscle ache... haha! What a ride. :)

I felt nauseous the first 3km because the piece of french loaf I had for breakfast 20 minutes before the run felt like it was expanding in my oesphagus and coming back out, but once I got over the nausea, I was okay.

I should known that it would do that, but what to do, I wasn't well-prepared and NTUC doesn't sell Jacob's breakfast biscuits any longer. Poooey. I really like my Jacob's breakfast biscuits, the chocolate ones especially. They are awesome for a pre-run breakfast 'cos it's fuss-free and you gives a lot of energy without being voluminous (the way bread is).

Anyway, it was fun. I'm developing a higher tolerance to being squished in a big crowd of smelly people. As usual, since this run is organized by the Army, the guys outnumbered the ladies possibly 10 to 1. They made announcements like these: "Brothers, please slow down. We are letting the vehicles pass through." What, brothers?? I looked at him; he looked at me, but he repeated the announcement word-for-word. I suppose this is my one chance to experience the camaraderie of the Army. (Thank God.)

SPOT THE WOMEN CONTEST







The best part of this run is running on the Sheares Bridge. It makes you feel so important, like a car. The uphill wasn't that bad at all, but we were running slowly.

We went to MacDonald's at Marina Square for some breakfast after the run. It was packed with smelly people, myself included. I felt quite sorry for the normal people trying to have a quiet Sunday morning breakfast. Went home, had a nap, then had some chilli I made yesterday. Yum!

Now I'm walking around with a post-run glow. Heh.

(This post is about running, even though it sounds like it is about food and women, it is about running.)

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I'm going to suffer tomorrow

• Sheares Bridge Run, 12km, bright and early.
• Haven't run in two, three, maybe even four weeks.
• It's 1:15am and I just got home.
• All I had for dinner was snack food.
• Like I said in the title of this post.....
  

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Google Pedometer

I am always on a quest to calculate the distance of my runs. When I was still on a PC, I found the perfect solution to measuring distance in MapEdit. It was offline, fast and fairly easy to use once you figure out the GPS-centric instructions.

But since I've moved to the Mac, I've lost my trusty distance calculator of choice. MapEdit does not load on a Mac. I've been much too lazy to use the PC in the living room or map-and-string, so I've been estimating the distance of my runs based on the time.

But no more! I'm so happy with my discovery I'm surprised I could start this post with such a level and factual tone. I want to dance on the tabletop because GOOGLE PEDOMETER NOW HAS A SINGAPORE MAP! I blogged about Google Pedometer in August 2005 (Gosh, was it that long ago?) and back then, only the US maps were loaded up.


Google Pedometer is very easy to use. Just click "Start Recording" on the left of the page. (See purple arrow on pic on left.) The button will change to say "Recording..." Then double-click to add the first point of your route, adding subsequent check points in the same way. Easy-peasy eh? :)

Google Pedometer even gives a running tally of the distance logged so you can say, "Ah! So I did hit the wall at 5km!"

This is a lovely 6.6km run I did recently to the fabled Lower Pierce that I've been neglecting to add to my running log because I did not know how far I ran. Like I said earlier, NOT ANY MORE! Whoohooo! Dance with me now! :)

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PAssion Run 2007

I like the bright orange Saucony PAssion run tshirt. It seems like it is made of an even lighter material than the Standard Chartered Run tshirt. Smole and I hung out the end of the lucky draw, but we didn't win the threadmill. I already had plans where I was going to put it in my house. Ppth.

I also bumped into a colleague. I'm pleased with myself — I actually recognised her from her back! But she wasn't that hard to spot because she was in a red top while I melded into the sea of orange.

Smole and I did better this run than at the Milk Run. The Milk Run was embarrassing. We "hit the wall" at 5km. 5km! How embarrassing! But we did much better today — thanks to two training runs during the week — and I'm proud of us.

Running in the morning makes me mellow. I bumped into an old friend this evening and I could hear the warmth and familiarity in my voice when I said hello to him. I wasn't scared about the awkwardness of not having met in a long time, nor worried about what to say; instead, I just was. It's a nice feeling.

I really need to run more.

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Milk Run 2007

These two boys were adorable..



At the start line: all the students had lollipops


Man on unicycle. His vampire partner hidden behind him.


Vampire partner dancing. He's scary.


Run!


At a particularly narrow and congested part of the route: space only for two abreast.


Run!


Run!


Picturesque eh? :)


Running by the old dame.


Students on the other side of the river.


More students.

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Peace for the soul

I love running with Smole. We went for a run to Lower Pierce this last weekend and it was wonderful. The rhythm of placing one foot after another, the comradeship of running beside a friend, the sunset and the still water at the end of the road (see pic on left)... altogether rejuvenating.

I have been really stressed this last week. When I am stressed, simple decisions paralyse me and I get grumpy. Smole got the brunt of my irritable self, the poor thing. But as I ran into Lower Pierce Reservoir and came face to face with the sun setting into the still reservoir water, I felt the stress melt away. Suddenly I felt as if I could cope with all the various expectations held of me, and that the big hairy stressball that was clogging up my heart could easily be plucked out and disentangled.

I'm falling in love all over again.

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Fight Hunger: Walk the World 2007

Walk the World is organised by the United Nations World Food Progamme. It takes place in all 24 times zones (cool or what?) and there is one in Singapore! It will be held at Bedok Reservoir TOMORROW (12 May) between 3:30 and 5:30pm. Check out the Singapore website here.



Place: Bedok Reservoir
Date: 12 May 2007
Time: 3:30 - 5:30pm
Cost: Free (I think)

See you there!

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Labouring on Labour Day

Work, work, work...

But I'll get to go out in the afternoon to play squash, yay! Smole got a "new" squash racquet from the Cash Converter Shop which isn't as heavy as the $6 one. We may trade back the heavy one to the shop. Hee hee.

As an aside, I met a really nice Fitness Trainer who gave me a complimentary body composition scan. Apparently, to reach my optimum body composition, I need to PUT ON 1kg muscle and 1.8kg fat. 1.8kg FAT!!! I mean, what the??? (The Fitness Trainer also complimented me on my push-up form. "Better than my guy clients," she says. Woot.)

I suppose the results do make sense though, since I did lose about 3kg after I stopped running as much. BUT I'M NEITHER UNDERWEIGHT NOR BONEY — FAR FROM IT! — AND ALL THE FAT I PUT ON WILL GO TO MY CHEEKS ANYWAY!

So I'm goin' to the squash court to build back some of 'em mus-cle.

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Getting soft

I'm getting soft, pale and fat. All the better for lovin' and cuddlin', but not so good for running and getting that high that being aware of your body gives. Just one month ago, I knew exactly where and why I ache. That pain in my ITB or thighs or sun-burnt skin can usually be traced to a precise point on a (crazy) run. Now, I ache in strange places for inexplicable reasons. I have a fuzzy ache in my left butt (from doing what??); there is intermittent dull throbbing in my knees; and I have a backache.

Sheesh. A backache!

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ITB Anonymous: Session V

Hi, my name is mis_nomer and I have a problem.

I went to see the sports doctor at National Stadium this week. I was nervous about seeing the doc 'cos I felt like an impostor. After all, I'm not exactly an athlete. But I felt a little better when the person after me was an auntie whose sport was "aerobics". Sports is for everyone; it is just hard to imagine it so.

Anyway, it turns out that my ITB problem may have a biomechanical origin. My left leg is 1 cm longer than my right, and my left knee naturally tilts inwards. This means that every time my foot hits the ground, it rolls inwards and the ITB strains to keep the knee straight. After a while the ITB rubs against the bone and becomes inflamed.

I was a bit appalled to hear about the discrepancy in my leg length, but the nice doctor assured me that a 1-3 cm discrepancy is normal and the only reason I feel pain is because small discrepancies become magnified when you multiply it over in long distances. She thinks that thrice daily stretching will help, followed by short runs (starting 3km, increase 10% per run) in the new year. Hopefully, my body will know how to compensate for the quirks in my leg structure. If the pain comes back, I'll have to consider making an insole.

These are the four ITB stretches she recommended:

For the ITB, this is her preferred stretch. This stretch reaches the hip as well, so if you suffer from hip ITB, this is a good one to do.



This is my preferred stretch. I find it hard to feel the stretch in the one above because I'm fairly flexible and have to lean really low to feel anything at all.



This is another one.



This stretch is good because I can do it while I am sitting at work.



You mustn't forget to stretch your calves and quads too.

I had a lot of questions to ask the doctor and she gamely answered them all.

1. Can I swim the breaststroke? What about cycling?
"Everyone is built differently. Of course the frontcrawl is the best for swimming because the breaststroke shortens the ITB, but if it doesn't bother you, go ahead and do it. In your case, it may be that only running/ walking is the precipitating factor." Whoohoo!

2. What do you think about the Walt Reynolds' ITB Special?
"I can't comment on that because we haven't tested it out."

3. How long must I stretch for?
"Three times daily: morning, afternoon, night; and don't forget to stretch before and after your runs." What! I was thinking along the lines of five minutes before and after my runs!

4. How can I stretch for hip ITB? (on behalf of Smole)
"All of the regular ITB stretches work for hip ITBS. The leaning on the wall stretch is the best. Some athletes use a rubber ball with rubber spikes to rub against the hip ITB. That helps too."

5. Can I buy an insole from the store?
"No. If you have a specific problem like you do, it is very unlikely that a store-bought insole will help. You need one to be custom made. Our podiatrist is a runner and comes in every Friday if stretching does not solve your problem."

6. Is this something that will heal and resolve itself? I want to run for a long time.
"Stretch a lot and if that doesn't work, make a prosthetic." Hmm. Not quite what I was looking for. The doctor said she has the exact same problem as me and hers kicks in at 7km. I wonder if this is going to be a long-term issue if even the sports doc struggles with this...

and these are the questions I didn't get around to asking.
7. Is it possible to stretch too much?
8. Can I do speed training, run on hills, run laps, play squash?
9. What do our athletes at the Asian Games struggle with?
10. Hey doc, nice Treo!

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Three years running, two weeks lazing

Dang it, I am getting fat! It took me three years to look somewhat like a runner, but it takes only two weeks to accumulate a happy soft layer over the chin and belly. How horrendous.

I must, I must, I must cut down the sugar in my beverages. Until I can run again, it is kopi kosong (black coffee) and water for me. How to tide through the Christmas season?

Isn't it strange that it only took three years to go from fretting about running the first 10k to fretting about the first marathon? In June 2004 I said: "the thought of being able to complete 10k gives me a high." Wow. And then I said something deep about how training for a physical race is like training for the spiritual. Three years, but I haven't progressed much in the latter.

This is a photo entitled "Three years running": from left, 10km Gold Coast, Australia; 21.1km Standard Chartered; Mt Kinabalu; 21.1km Sheares Bridge; 42.195km Standard Chartered. There was a 12km Sheares Bridge Run between the 10km and the 21.1km too. Step by step towards the prize, if you know what I mean.



I can't help but wonder if the elation I felt when I saw the finishing line will be akin to my feelings at the end of the world.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Tim 4:7

I hope.

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Swift and fat as tuna

So I ran 42.195km on Sunday, and four days later, what does my mother say to me? She says that I've put on weight and that I look fatter in my face! Gracious me! There is no winning this race.

I'm inclined to agree with her though. All that carbo-loading before the marathon has increased my stomach capacity. The day before the marathon, I ate enough for a small army. I'm still eating enough for a small army.

Anyway, I've stopped running for now 'cos I want my Illiotibial Band to heal up properly. I've set up an appointment to see the sports doctor because I want to run for life, not just one brilliant, exploding spark the year before I turn 30.

Meanwhile, I'm working on my freestyle in public pools all over Singapore. I'm going to write a review on public pools soon: toilets, cleanliness, price, the works. Swimming the freestyle still tires me out completely, but Smole tells me that I'm actually getting better! My new mantra is: "Swift as tuna!" (as opposed to my mantra the weeks leading up to the race: "Ma-ra-thon. Ma-ra-thon" as I gasp for air and sink...)

There are so many new things to learn and master.

[I can't open the comments on this post for some reason, very strange.]

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