The Beauty of Cutoffs

I am not referring to the fashion styles of the hippies and grunge-inspired. Cut-off times are strict deadlines to be adhered to. Miss them by a second, and you face dire consequences. In Ironman, there are specific times to return by or one ‘earns’ a DQ that is devastating if it is the world championships in Kona. In the corporate world, lack of punctuality or failure to submit a tender application on time may spell lost business opportunities.

When traveling overseas on the railway, I am mindful to be especially earlier to board. Once the gates are opened, I make a mad dash (with dozens others) to an open carriage. If you experience debilitating, post-race, muscle soreness, then be vigilant to these openings. Or else, it may be a 30-60-minute (or longer) wait for the next train.

Apply for your NYC Marathon slot!

I am tempted to attempt the lottery drawing for the NYC Marathon. Last year, I did not succeed. If I had a better marathon (currently 3:29) or 21K timing (currently, 1:33), I would be ensured such a confirmed spot. I am off by 3 minutes on my 21K and 19 minutes off the 42.195K. I will have one shot each for a PB come August and September, or else I am into the random electronic drawings (with a not-so-random USD11 entry fee).

Disappointing day: Deep field of very fast runners, and an unusually cold and rainy day.

I hope to earn another sub-3:25:00 for a Boston Qualifier in Berlin on 30 September. Two years ago, I missed my BQ by 7 minutes. The revised timing of 3:24:59 or faster will make it a real challenge to qualify, yet I am optimistic that this time round I will earn it. It is one of the flattest and fastest courses in the marathon circuit with attractive entertainment and strategic historical monuments lining the route.

Cutoff times are designed to encourage the best out of us. By meeting these datelines/deadlines, we can commit to our goals of being suitably prepared. Anything less, would be compromising performance and expectations.

NYC Marathon 2011

Congratulations to Singaporean Dr Ben Tan, Dr Benny Goh and David Tay for completing the tough New York City Marathon! They achieved it in splendid times, with Benny completing it in 2:52, Ben in 3:10 and David in 3:44, for a hilly course that covers all the five boroughs. Entry is by your previous fastest times, or by the luck of the draw in the NYCM Lottery.

The late-Norwegian track star and Olympian, Grete Waitz won the NYC Marathon in 1978 (with Bill Rodgers in the Men’s section). The, then unknown, runner  or  #1173 won the NYCM a total of  nine times, setting three world records in her first marathon. The legendary story told was that she threw her shoes down after completing her maiden 42.195K, which actually was directed at her husband Jack, because she hurt in that race. The track star, Grete ran the race ‘blind’ never exceeding 12 miles for her longest run. Nobody knew who she was for she was a late entry.

Today, the woman’s race begins first; the rules changed in 2002 when originally it was a co-ed, mass start. As reported earlier, the late-Fred Lebow masterminded this race and never ran it until just before his death. Grete came out of retirement to run with her dear friend Fred, side-by-side, for his completion. Grete attributed Lebow for getting her initiated to the marathon, where her potential shone. Ironically, both icons had cancer and we lost two influential leaders in the global running community.

Leadership Lessons: When were you ever a ‘late entry’? What was it like to fill in somebody’s shoes at the last moment? What was it like being ‘blind’ to the conditions of an event or challenge? Which personal values do you draw on when you plunge into a new challenge? How do you face a challenge of epic proportions?

Perceptions, Plantar Fasciitis, and Prancing Around In Birthday Suits

Just watched ‘The Adventures of Tin Tin’ in 3D. It was quite good, considering the fact that it was fully in digital animation. The characters looked life-like, with more definition and realism than ‘The Polar Express’. Actors Daniel Craig (James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’), Simon Pegg (‘Shawn of The Dead’) and Andy Serkis (of ‘Lord of The Rings’ fame) lent their voices to the key characters.

My friend Vijay described it as ‘stoic’, and he was accurate in his interpretation; it is a 110-minute film that is styled like ‘National Treasure’ with its analytical moments. Director and co-producer Steven Spielberg directed with a similar pace of his earlier ‘Indiana Jones’ trillogy of films. If you were to flesh comic-book characters into actual humans, then there is a certain reality that has to be created. The characters have to be believable, even if the stunts they subject themselves to are sometimes over-the-top. By the way, no stunt-people were injured during the course of this film. 

Is barefoot running unsafe? Does it contribute to specific running-related injuries? Here is a piece by a podiatrist about managing a common type of foot injury. Do you have plantar fasciitis? How are you managing it?

During the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii there is a precursor race called the Underpants Run. Would you go one step further and run naked? Here’s a 5K race done in the buff. By the way, all the best to our Singaporean marathoners Dr Ben Tan, Dr Benny Goh, David Tay, and the Team running at the New York City Marathon today. We wish them all the best!

The Most Popular Marathon In The World

‘Few things in life match the thrill of a marathon.’ ~ Fred Lebow

Run For Your Life – The Fred Lebow Story is a documentary of the fascinating founder and maverick promoter of the New York City (NYC) Marathon. The Romanian immigrant started the race with 55 runners and it phenomenally grew into 43,660 participants in 2009.

Boston may have been the oldest marathon in the USA, but the way Run For Your Life tells it, it was the New York City Marathon (NYCM) that put the idea of the big-city, road race on the map, which accelerated the popularity of running in general. In 1970, the first New York event consisted of four circuits around Central Park. It then progressed in 1976 into its much-hailed ambitious route, when the race expanded to include all five of the city’s boroughs. The NYC Marathon attracted some 2,000 athletes, including Olympians Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers (who went on to win it four years in a row). It has attracted media celebrities like Lance Armstrong to race in it seriously.

The success of the NYCM was due to the vision and persistence of the marathon’s founder: Fred Lebow. He was a influential businessperson (and celebrity in the fashion circle) in the garment industry (where he was skilled at copying expensive designs and selling them as 'knock-offs') when he became a long-distance running aficionado.

In this documentary, Lebow’s coterie of friends, foes, family, politicians and athletes reminisce about him in producer-director, Judd Ehrlich’s film. They described Lebow as everything from a brilliant promoter and entrepreneur to a ‘chaos creator’ and a ‘master manipulator’. One thing is unarguably clear - they all agreed that without him, the NYCM would never have hit its stride. It was Lebow who wooed the sponsors (then an unheard of proposition for a running event), attracted the best runners (also including Grete Waitz, who won the women’s division an amazing nine times, and Alberto Salazar, another multiple winner), and convincingly earned permission from the city officials into closing bridges and streets along the route. He also dealt with major controversy, including disqualifying the notorious Rosie Ruiz, who allegedly cheated (and won) in the New York race before achieving lasting infamy by ‘winning’ the Boston Marathon in 1980.

It is interesting to note that Lebow did not compete in his own race until 1992, when he took part a few years after being diagnosed with brain cancer (still single, he died, in 1994). Waitz ran it with Lebow, who completed it in about 5:35; Waitz never ran another marathon after that. Run For Your Life includes the director’s commentary, deleted scenes, and more. (Available in Singapore at video shops, under the Imported section).

Every year, the lottery for entry (which costs US$11) to the NYCM (which costs US$30 million to organize) attracts about 110,000 runners. I missed the chance for slot this year, and will attempt again next year by results and/or lottery. Keep running, and hopefully, we meet in the five boroughs in November next year.

Do The Write Thing

I have been asked often: How do you write so regularly? My answer is terse: I maintain a daily blog on leadership. Therefore, I need to post as expected, be consistent, and lead with my messages.

Writing takes discipline, and this personal set of rules is no different from the decision to swim at lunch or run before sunrise. Write on your blog. Post on Facebook. Tweet. Writing means you think, then write. Learn four new words everyday. Appreciate the origins and historical reference of the vocabulary that we use. Here is the source I use when I need to reference a word or phrase.

Writing has built new connections for me. I used to have a handful of loyal readers (whom I am grateful to/for) and today, daily readership has grown. This is due to many connections we have established through collaborations in the social media circle.

Certainly, this blog can improve. I am sure I could migrate to a more permanent and flexible platform. However, I am a creature of habit and I am focused on content. Content is king! Sure, embellishments can make for a visually attractive site, however I prefer and believe in the relevance of the stories we post, interviews we conduct, depth of reviews, and recognition of others. In particular, we enjoy bringing to your attention the coterie of guests and discoveries we have made of people of excellence.

Triathlon is just an analogy; it is not the centerpiece of this blog. Anyone with endurance, persistence, tenacity, patience and determination meets our criteria for an endurance athlete. Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike used to say: ‘Anybody with a body is an athlete!’ Everyone has leadership qualities; we just access it differently and at different occasions.

Practice makes permanent – perfect practice makes perfect – so, practice through writing. Write on.

*****

Today, at about 12.00pm (local time) or 27 April in New York, would be the result for the lottery drawing for the New York City Marathon 2011. Hopefully, I’ll bag my slot for this cold run over the five famous boroughs of The Big Apple. My friend Andrea wrote a report on her 2009 maiden marathon experience. Enjoy the read!

This morning, I swam for an hour comprising drills and body position. I chased this session with an evening 2-hour ride (intervals on a closed circuit). I then did a run-brick of 30 minutes at Ironman tempo pace (5:30 minutes/km). My body feels stronger after two weeks of laboured breathing (due to a head-cold). My training heart rates are back to normal, and I can resume my tough Gold Coast Marathon program prescribed by Coach. Not easy, I assure you as The Fox has a way of cranking up the intensity without breaking me down – for that, I am grateful. Have a good day!