Run Singapore 06092009

The first time in my life I completed in 2 running events on the same day. This 2nd one was to raise funds for the President's Challenge but not too sure why but they were offering free registration to eery tom dick and harry although the website said there was a registration fee of $25.

Anyway, since it was free, managed to get a few colleagues and their spouses to join in. My intention for this was to do a run/walk/take photos. We arrived around 4.45pm but the queue at the start line was already so long that we had no choice but to wait at the side and join in the run after the President had flagged off the run and most of the runners had passed.

The good weather had continued from the morning and it was a cool nice evening. We, meaning me, the Mrs and our boy (yes his first time joining us for a run), we walked for a while until we cleared the traffic junction between Suntec City and Raffles City. We even had to stopped while the traffic police let the vehicles crossed the road to Esplanade Drive. So it wasn't a very good start but after that it was much more smooth.

I ran up and down looking for known faces while M ran with Alvin. Saw a brood of very noisy big fat red birds. These 'birds' had so much energy singing, shouting, blowing whistle all the way!

I think we took about 40 mins to finish the 4km? but I think we walked like 15 mins + wait for the traffic so it was a pretty decent for Alvin considering that this was the first time in his life he ran for more than 2.4km.

Yellow Ribbon Prison Run 2009

My first race after 3 months and I was totally unprepared for it. Though I started the race cautiously and slowly running behind M, I was still struggling for breath in the first 2 km. My past 3 months run had been mainly short runs of not more than 6km and even those were at very slow pace of around 7min and it was a struggle for me to try and keep to a sub 6 pace. Nevertheless, I pushed on and managed to catch up with M before eventually moving in front. Still it was a torture but thank God for the drizzle and cloud, that somewhat made it manageable a bit.

Around the middle of the route, my Sportsband showed a 4.7km but I had missed the 5km and the watch showed was 31mins + so I figured I had slowed down to a 6mins pace. But the objective for this race was not to get a PB but to ease myself into a proper running mood so I continued to run at the same pace. Around 6km, the energy came back or maybe the body had warmed up sufficiently but I started to feel much better and even the many slopes no longer seemed so intidimating.

And then rounding a bend I came to this beautiful sight of a giant field with the finish line and most important of all, a long downhill slope leading to it. Whoowee, what a sight for sore eyes. I eventually came in around 53mins + which was a big surprise as I had mentally prepared myself to finish in about 60mins.

This must be the best organised run I have ever taken part in. The buses to and from Expo was plentiful. The route was well marked out with clear big distance marker. Water point was adequate with both plain and isotonic drink. At one point, they were even giving whole can of it away. At the finishing line, there was a carnival with free food, Andersen ice cream, milo, and free games and we walked away with many many souvenirs. Including the race kit which came with a nice vest, there was a further goodie bag at the end. This was the final haul:

Gait Analysis

Went for a gait analysis this morning to find out whether there was anything wrong with my running that is causing so much problems.

Well according to the nice doctor, there is basically nothing wrong. The only minor things she could see were

1) my right leg tend to swing out slightly before swinging back to the front. This cause an imbalance to the hip and may possibly cause the left foot to absorb more of the impact

2) I tend to land a bit too far out on my left foot whereas the right foot is landing almost correctly underneath the body.

Other than these 2, she couldn't see anything else and she therefore ruled out that my problems were caused by my running. So may be the shoes?

Anyway, here are the videos (for those who really bored until got nothing to do)

Without orthotics insole

With orthotics insole

Did the insole made any difference? I been staring at them for the last hour and other than I don't look good (machiam like a sissy) I can't tell anything from it.

Swimming Sucks

I self taught myself to swim breaststroke more than 32 years ago when my school built a swimming pool. For the longest time ever, I wanted to swim front crawl. I see swimmers doing it so effortlessly and gracefully and I wanted to learn but tried as I could, I could not managed. But after I left school, swimming or for that matter anything to do with sports was put on the back burner.

Then when my kids started to learn swimming, I tried again to master front crawl but learning to swim in a public pool on a weekend was near impossible and I soon gave up and contend myself with just swimming leisurely breaststroke.

Then 3 years ago, my oesto recommended that I incorporate swimming as part of my recovery regime and since I wasn't supposed to bend my knees too much, he recommended that I swim front crawl. So I had a big problem. How? And then I discover this miracle product called a pull buoy. With it tuck between the legs, I suddenly discovered that I could swim lap after lap of effortless front crawl. I could even overtake the uncle and aunties swimming along side:) And so since then I have been using the pull buoy during my swim session swimming up to 30 laps in the 40metres pool.

But of course as with all things, I got bored and wanted more challenge. It was then that I discovered that take away the pull buoy, I still struggle to swim 1 lap and will swim like a bloody 'char tow' Hell after 4 years and to think I had not made any improvement. So I changed routine. 10 laps with pull buoy, 10 laps breaststroke and 10 laps alternate without the pull buoy ie struggled and splashed my way to the middle of the pool using front crawl and switch to breaststroke for the rest of the lap and revert again on the return leg.

By now I have come to the conclusion that the pull buoy has become a crutch and my security blanket and if I seriously want to improve on my front crawl, I need to cast it aside. So recently, I have started trying this new routine. 20 laps of 40 metres alternating 1 lap front and 1 lap crawl. Still struggling but at least can reach the end unless someone bump into me and I will sink faster than you can shout watchout.

I think my pull is okay. Breathing not so good but manageable. Anybody got any advice how to keep the lower body from sinking? Of course I can always take the easy way out and get a swim instructor but that is not my style aside from the fact that I am a 'kiam-ka-nah'. Some people said head look down, eyes look up (how?), my bro-in-law (he is a swimming instructor) said keep the body slimline, imagine you are trying to squeeze through a small hole (easier said than done), my daughter said kick as hard as possible (cannot will get cramp). So how?