Running Sucks

6 more days to go before my third and perhaps last (??) attempt at the full marathon. Why last? Cos I promised myself if I can do a ‘perfect’ marathon, I will retire on a high and henceforth, no waking up at 5 am to do silly shagged tiring hot want to die long runs What is a “perfect” marathon? To me, it is not the time finish but more how I will feel after finishing (if I finish that is). Flashback 2 Dec 2004 – my first marathon. Then with only 9 months of running behind me, I went for it without any expectation and also not realizing what was in store for me. I mentally targeted to finish 4:30 and was on target up to the 30km distance and than wham, the cramps set in and I had to walk the rest of the way back. Eventually, finished in 5:16 and even had the humiliation of having to get Sebas to come down and drive me home – so bad was the cramp and ache that I couldn’t even walk after crossing the finishing line! 4 Dec 2005 – 1 year later with 1 more year of running experience and tip...

Rushed down to the New Balance Warehouse Sale and managed to grab a pair of NB M1222 for the grand price of $90.00. Couldn't believe my good fortune cos it was one of my shortlist to replace the PI. According to the New Balance website, this is a 2007 model and the retail price is just over $200.00 so paying $90.00 for it is really a steal. According to the NB website, the M1222 is a high mileage trainer designed to provide maximum stability and cushioning for the moderate to severe overpronator. Took it out for a short run this evening at the RL Thu Night run. First impression, it was quite comfortable and support well. Cushioning was pretty good. One annoying thing was it gave out loud squelching sound when landing - much like air being pressed out. I had to keep checking to make sure I was wearing a leaking Nike Air:) The other thing was they only had it in wide size 4E so it was a tad too loose at the front and I had to stop thrice to tighten the shoe lace real tight. Overall, ...

Date of Purchase: 22 November 2007 Cost: $90.00 Purchased from: New Balance Warehouse Sale Worn in Races: Nil Retired: 3 July 2008 (trade in at RL Funan) Total mileage on retirement: 340.4km

I thought my MBT shoes are ugly. This is worse. According to its website , Z-CoiL® footwear is engineered specifically to relieve foot, leg, and back pain. Its patented, shock-absorbing design greatly reduces impact to the body and distributes pressure more evenly across the foot than conventional shoes do. And less impact means less pain. Much as it tout fantastic benefits, I don't think I will be caught dead wearing a pair of such weird looking shoes. Machiam like those Manchurian shoes but with the innards exposed! Hmm... wondering are there even uglier shoes out there?

My PI Pace is dead - after a miserly 447.4km and just 6 months old. The black rubber sole has practically wear down until the next layer white plastic or rubber whatever is visible. So sad:( What a short life span. Compare this to the oldest shoes in my current collection, the Asics GT 2110 (Feb 2006) with a mileage of 695km and still looking good and most importantly, feel good after more than a year of wear and tear. Hmmm, now this leave me with a nice task - to get a brand new shoes - what should I consider - Adidas, NB, Asics or the North Face?

At the risk of opening another can of worms from my mysterious friend who claimed he has provided scientific data on why running is bad and I have not; here goes: ..... Dr Bonnie Bruce, the study author, followed more than 500 runners from a local club (called “ever runners” in the study) and 300 inactive people (“never runners”, but not necessarily sedentary) in their 50s and 60s for 14 years. When results from an annual health questionnaire were analysed, Bruce and her colleagues found that the “ever runners”, who ran at least six hours a week on average, experienced less joint pain by their 60s and 70s and only 35% of the joggers got arthritis (compared with 43% of non-runners)...... Myth: Running is bad for your knees ....The belief that running is bad for your knees is a myth. In fact, the only runners who ever have bad knees are those who already had knee problems before they started running, have a knee condition they didn’t previously know about, or are using incorrect form wh...

Finally, after 2 unsuccessful attempts to do my 35km long run (both got canned by the rain), managed to complete it today. Left the house at 5.30 am this morning but barely 20 minutes, lighting and thunders started flashing all over. Then the rain came but fortunately, it didn't poured and managed to carry on. Ran till the lagoon at East Coast Park and uturn to Changi Beach until the toilet with the kiosk. Stopped to get a drink before turning back to carpark F2 at East Coast. Miscalculated the route distance and ran 38km instead of just 35km, the original target! EP/ECP/Changi/ECP F2 38km Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore Along the way, bump into Gary; Ronnie and Bee and also chatted with 2 strangers running the same way. Also met Cosmic and finally at the end of the run, saw Tigger with his whole gang of disciples.

Running in the evening always carries some risk - bad weather, last minute appointment, etc etc but wanted to sleep late so switch the morning run to evening. Crossed fingers and in the end everything turned out fine and managed to went for my run. Decided to try a new route. From home ran the usual way via the Bedok Park Connector to East Coast Park and ran toward NSRCC. From there moved on to Changi Coastal Road running along the park connector. This is like the 6th times I ran there for the past 2 months? Changi Coastal Road is approximately 7km long from the start of the park connector next to the SAF Yacht Club till the Changi Ferry Terminal. Realised that the red brick shelters are spaced 1km apart. Useful as a distance indicator. EP/ECP/Changi Coastal/Tampines/Simei 26km Find more Runs in Singapore, Singapore The stretch from the Changi Ferry Terminal starting from the park till Changi Beach is 3.3km (at least it said so on the distance indicators on the ground). Didn't run ...

Someone posed a interesting comment on my previous entry. Essentially, this person who chose to remain anonymous said that runners run due to addiction. I quote: "I am sure most people only keep running due to addiction. I hear so many that literally hate it yet keep on going. That's textbook addiction." unquote. He or she went on to say in a later comment: quote "I can't see that being anything besides addiction, especially when they acknowledge that they hate the way running makes them feel once the dndorphins(sic) wear off." In a way I do agree with the comments. It is safe to say that once the runners' high kick in, nothing beats the joy and feeling of running - not swimming, not scoring a goal in a football game, not climbing the highest mountain in the world. Certainly, many runners seem to be addicted to running - they can't seem to talk about running, is always on the lookout for new routes and races to run, cannot pass by any sport shops wit...