Counting Pace

Still on the topic of running speed, decided to do my own little unscientific experiment to find out my different running paces.

No cheemology type of run with HRM or GPS for me, just my own unscientific method based on gut feel and breathing.

For distance of more than 10km and during weekend long runs, I usually run around 6:00min/km to 6:30 min/km pace. Just nice and comfortable for me. So this will be the base pace from which I measure the other pace run. I call this my training pace run. And this will be the baseline to measure the other paces.

So to determine the other paces, I decided to do 4 laps of 2.8km around the estate starting with a slow run as a sort of warm up. Time taken: 19:01m which works out to around 6:48min/km. Not exactly very slow but good enough. This one I will call jogging pace run.

2nd round was the Chiong pace run. The type of run where with each step you grasp for breath. Completed it in 14:55m which was like 5:20min/km. Okay not exactly very fast but the best that this old man can muster although I think if I push harder a bit, I maybe can do a slightly faster 5min pace. I figure at this speed, I can probably go up to max 5km.

Slowed down a tad for the final round finishing in 15:22mins. That not very different from the previous round but this pace was more manageable and more like the pace I do for races. I will call this race pace run.

Final round? Yeah supposed to do 1 more Vomit pace run but I know if I do it, it will probably and literally be a vomit run. Anyway, I was running out of time and have to stop (excuses excuses). But what exactly is a vomit run? A vomit run is by my definition the type of run where go all out, the lungs feel like bursting, the heart pounds like nobody business and the breakfast, lunch and teas or what not threaten to do a merlion. This type of pace I think I can only do up to 1km.

So there 5 different paces. Very unscientific but that's how I normally run. And actually after going through some websites, discovered my unscientifc definition has a scientific equivalent as in:

Jogging = Easy
Training = LSD
Chiong = Tempo
Vomit = Interval and
Race = Race

Coffee and Me

Confirmed it’s the coffee! Last week, after a cup of coffee, did a 14km run at East Coast and struggled to finish it, even with 2 complimentary cups of water from the Fatbirds and the army boys. Took me 1hr 34m to run from F2 to Fort Rd and back.

Went back to my Milo on Saturday. This time ran from F2 to Changi Coast Rd and back covering 15km. Time taken 1hr:32m. And the weather was equally hot, some more along the dread Changi Coast.

So coffee doesn’t work for me. At least not for running anyway.

Jogging vs Running

What is the difference between jogging and running? Do you jog or run? One could think that these were simple and innocent questions but when it was posted on the sgrunners forum it caused so much controversy. It started simple enough with a new member to the forum asking this question. Soon somebody replied asking what was the point of this question, another jumped in to her defence and pretty soon there was a heated debate raging, ironically not on the jogging/running question but whether the question should have been asked in the first place. There were name calling, personal attacks and even experienced runners chipped in to add their 2 cents worth. So in the end, the mod shut down the thread.

What a pity that the question was not answered. Simple as it may be, indeed what is the difference between jogging and running? To experience runners, this may seem straight forward but to a newbie, it is probably a very serious question asked in genuine sincerity. So why should it generate so much heat?

I winched whenever somebody asked me whether I am going 'jogging'. I don't consider my countless pounding on the road as 'jogging' and I would like to think that what I did is 'running' The Webster online dictionary defined jogging as "to go at a slow, leisurely, or monotonous pace" and running as " to go faster than a walk ; specifically : to go steadily by springing steps so that both feet leave the ground for an instant in each step". Likewise, Dictionary.com defined running as "to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground" and jogging as " to run at a leisurely, slow pace" So it could seem that the only difference is actually the speed at which the running is carried out. Run slowly with an easy effort and it is jogging. Run fast with a lot of effort and it is running. So to some, what is their running pace will probably be another person's jogging pace. So I guess at the end of the day, does it really matter whether what we do is jogging or running?

To wrap up this whole debate, nobody spells it out better than Pearl Izumi. Runners are Wild. Joggers are runners who have been domesticated!

Me, Run and Coffee

So while waiting for a friend yesterday, decided to have a cup of coffee. Heck while at it might as well eat something so bought a piece of mian chiang kueh. Did the coffee help in the run after that?

Maybe it was the late starting time - we started at 8.30am, may be it was the weather, may be it's the mian chiang kueh coming to the surface. maybe ....

but let just said the run was one of the slowest I did over the same route and distance. Right from the word go, M was running in front, something that is quite rare nowadays and try as I could, I couldn't muster up the energy and strength to catch up with her.

Maybe I better stick to my Milo:)