Keep Your Obsessions All To Yourself

Fans can be fanatics. We can shift our lifestyle from decent to decadent within seconds. Elimination and simplicity may be our excuses to fulfill a personal goal instead of being considerate. We have heard of golf-widows, however it no different from families of endurance athletes, who ‘suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous behaviors’.

Endurance athletes can be indulgent. We can be so single-minded in our physical pursuits that we deliberately miss many moments of the day, while chasing other tasks that revolve around routine (but disciplined). Triathletes are creatures of habit. We seem to engage by a clockwork-mechanism that lets a scheduled day dictate our activities. And, we are horrified and petrified when our routine is affected by other exigencies or, heaven forbid, acts of God. Inclement weather throws a celestial spanner in our un-shuffled mortal coil, and mucks up the delicate machinery of an online coaching program.

With our highly developed tunnel vision, we see the world in various shades of branded tri-gear. We shriek like school-kids when we are presented with the latest toys (for adults). Remember the sensation of holding your Garmin 910 watch for the very first time? What about that feather-light pair of Brooks runners? Or, those carbon-soled riding shoes that had a comfortable toe-box that did not strangle your near-arthritic toes? Not to mention, the personal best (PBs) times you earned this year.

And, our ‘partners-in-life’ and ‘in-crime’ – they bear with it through their well-acted smiles of apparent approval. We always wonder when that Chesire Cat grin will deteriorate into a mangled mess of facial contortions. Are we exceeding our boundaries of what’s appropriate?

Here is a very good piece by an empathetic sports-spouse.

Shall we band together – just for this week – and throttle down our unbridled enthusiasm, passion and lust for our lives and spare a thought for our supportive family and friends? This could mean more rest, and more chance of recovering from our badges of injury. After I finish my deep, static, calf stretches would you mind rolling me that golf-ball from your foot to mine? This plantar fasciitis is giving me grief, and I have hill repeats to do this evening. I mean, next week…

There’s always next week to catch up.

Macho Observations By Endurance Athletes

Disclaimer: Not to be taken too seriously, especially if you were surreptitiously mentioned. Take this piece as a parody or satire, without the Mad Magazine foldout picture surprise on the inside back cover page or compromising, posed, photographs in over-21 year only glad-rags.

Here were some ‘No-No’s’ that my conversations with triathletes yielded yesterday. These were more amusing than of major concern. What do you think?

1)    Long compression socks that remind us of the Harajuku schoolgirls on Glico Pocky TVCs of bygone days. Swimming with compressions socks? Soggy fabric, however space-aged it is, may not be fully effective. Trust my bespoke tailor's knowledge of cloth and cutting.

2)    Fully-decked out in compression-wear/suits that suggests to us that we have superheroes walking/running among us. We are not referring to our much-respected ultra-marathoners.

3)    Two-piece, mid-riff-bare, tri-suits. So wrong if you need a shave down South (to your Downtown Line).

4)    Crippled runners who have knee-braces/straps holding their knees together. If you’re injured, please rest. Do RICES. See a sports-medicine doctor. You are running on a house of cards!

5)    Pink, powder-pink or shocking pink – not a colour of choice for multi-disciplined endurance, male athletes. Ladies - you look great in almost any combination of colours.

6)    Aero-helmets worn the wrong way: Angry Birds in disguise?

7)    I am waiting for bike-mechanics to change my flat tyre! Self-reliance is the way to go.

8)    Luminous, green, Speedo swimming trunks: Rarely seen these days, but I predict it may make a strong comeback to pit against the speed-suits. This may be the next trendsetter complete with gaping holes and groin-rash and abrasions. Ouch!

Be A Skyscraper: Building Strong Foundations

Demi Lovato played a princess in Disney’s ‘Princess Protection Program’. She blossomed into a pop star, alongside her co-star Selena Gomez (JB’s squeeze). Lovato’s MTV video ‘Skyscraper’ has drawn in excess of 35 million hits. Many graduates (including Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears) of the Disney film or television series and franchises have attained royalty status with their worldwide fan-base of teenagers, youths, and even adults.

Skyscrapers are extremely tall concrete structures that are built on strong and sturdy foundations. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world – standing at 830m, in Dubai. Tom Cruise filmed his own aerial stunts on ‘Mission Impossible: The Ghost Protocol’ on this iconic landmark. Being the athlete he is, he rappelled and climbed on the side of this glass-and-steel modern monolithic wonder.

Like the 49-year-old box-office star, foundational training is vital to pulling off physical challenges. Cruise spent months training on a four-storey structure before taking on the actual skyscraper, complete with feisty crosswinds and heart-stopping moments.

Poets write their poems with words, built on a structure of head, heart and hands. As the film ‘Music & Lyrics’ described, it takes both melody and words to make beautiful music. Yin and yang: the harmony of nature. How you write your training program will depend on your goals. Co-writing your preparation plan can be a powerful, collaborative experience. You weave a fabric based on the threads of possibility and experience, which is then cut to size. Sure, your work is cut out for you and you need to put in the foundational time, be it for aerobic base building, or speed and strength training.

Endurance athletes are also poets at heart. They may do extreme tasks (like long runs and rides), with apparently, no rhyme or reason. Yet, there is a method to their madness. You do not plunge into the open arms of a triathlon with scant preparation, as you will ‘suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes’ (with reference to ‘Hamlet’). Every step is calculated and intentional. Every punctuation or word is written to engage different parts of our intellect and emotion. Build on the skyscraper of your being, and beyond.

Fighting Fit For Your Forties (Part 1)

In my long-term observation of aging athletes, I stay steadfastly fascinated by athletes in their forties, and beyond. The top age-groupers in triathlons and running, occasionally, return with terrifying times that match even those in their 20’s and 30’s. Sister Madonna Buder inspired me when she was racing in the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona in her early 70’s. When I raced for the second time in Clearwater, Florida for the Ironman 70.3 World’s, Sister Buder was there, too packing enough heat in her strides to be taken seriously. My new friend, a 46-year-old senior officer, from the U.S. Armed Forces showed me how he can still run a sub-1:15 time, in the recent Singapore Bay Run (half-marathon). The ‘40-49’ and ’50-59’ age groups combined were, probably, as large as the ’30-39’ in the inaugural Mega-Tri race. Pronounced running groups like Team Fatbird has a majority of Masters-class runners who, regularly, run and race both locally and internationally.

I decided to interview three local, Masters category, amateur endurance athletes to find out what makes them tick and stick with their sporting lifestyle.

Photo (Passion Run 25K 2010): From left to right - Melvin How, KK Chin, Enrico, Freddy Yeoh

Freddy Yeoh is a humble endurance athlete, so it was hard to extract this interview from him. I consider him a positive force in the endurance community and he is encouraging. He runs to keep himself sane and healthy amidst a hectic life, balancing family, career, and passion. He explains, ‘Running just happens to be the easiest form of lifestyle that keeps me focused and maintain my self-discipline.’ He is an IT network-manager in a local multimedia firm.

Mika receives her podium award from Deca-Ironman Kua Harn Wei

Mika Kume is a 40-something, elite age-grouper from Japan who regularly stands on the podium. She is a multiple Ironman triathlete, ultra-marathoner and serial marathoner. By day, she works in a major accounting firm. She won a podium placing at last weekend’s Mega-Tri long-course event. She caught up with me on the last loop of the 27K run, and she crossed the finishing-point seconds before I did. I respect and admire her greatly.

Melvin How is a Resident Technical Officer, having worked in the construction industry for nearly 24 years. He longs for a desk-bound job so that he can totally rest his nagging, chronic heel condition (since 2009) and bounce back stronger to race. Nowadays, his approach to races is cautious with various backup plans. Alternative plans kick in to limit further damage, or else risk further injury or retire permanently from sport. This Ironman triathlon finisher has won the challenging vertical marathons on several occasions, and earned podium finishes in the Masters’ category in running.

Victor Chan is one of my inspiring friends, and among some of the friendly competitors I had the pleasure to race with. You may recall that, a few years ago, he was the poster-boy of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. He has completed numerous long-course events including several Ironman triathlons finishes. At 59-years-young, he is still a formidable tour de force in his attitude towards training and racing. Both Mika and he earned podium finishes last weekend at the inaugural Mega-Tri long-course.

EV: Which changes did you make as you matured into a Masters’ category athlete?

Freddy Yeoh: Well, I started out in the Master category. Nevertheless, a critical change that I noticed is that as one ages, the ability to recover decreases, be it after a hard workout, or due to injury. Hence, it is important to honestly assess one’s body system, every now and then, and ensure that one does not pile on too much, too quickly, for the body to adapt.

Melvin How: You must listen to your body more attentively, as injury tends to linger longer, or maybe never heal at all until I hang up my running shoes. Recovery between training sessions seems longer and my ability to put up with the strain seems lower, too. Thus, I review my training log from time to time to tweak, whenever necessary, and to switch to more lower-impact exercises like swimming, cycling and stretching.

Mika Kume: I became more rational after I realised I was in the Masters category. Do not go crazy such as to participate in two races in a day; or attempt Ironman Langkawi one week after completing in the Tokyo Marathon. Don't be so greedy. Relax, listen to your body, and rest, eat, and sleep.


Victor Chan: I am more cautious about potential injuries that may come because of age. Other than that, the rigour of my training, my focus and the effort I put in, is still very much the same.

How often do you train – minimum and maximum number of days?

MH: My current volume is about 12-15 hours in preparation for the Desaru Half-Ironman distance and Mount Kota Kinabalu Climbathon. I rest, at least, once a week; sometimes, twice, if the fatigue does not go away. I run less nowadays, with one Long Slow Distance (LSD) session, and one interval or tempo session. I will reduce it by one day in the lead-up to a key race, and will just stick to a routine. If I had a non-important race – like the recent Singapore Bay Run – I rested a full day.

MK: A minimum of zero days a week - but still do your stretching. And, a maximum of seven days a week, and that includes yoga & stretching.

VC: I always train 6 days a week. But I vary the levels of intensity of my training, depending on different factors like upcoming race or work commitments or family commitments.

FY: My motto is very simple: just run whenever I can. Depending on my schedule, I usually do 2-3 short runs on weekday nights and one longer run on Sunday. I noticed I used the word run instead of train as I don't really specifically train – that is, doing interval training and speedwork. Most of my runs are done at a conversational pace. That is also known as low heart rate run. The formula I used was ‘Maximum Heart-Rate Minus Age Minus 50 beats. I came across this formula from some articles a few years back. Basically, it teaches the body to adapt to running at a lower heart rate. Progressively increase your cadence and pace while maintaining a low heart rate. I used to wear a HRM-belt but ditched it, and just tell myself to relax on my runs.

Which aspects of training become important as we age: core strength and stability, flexibility, nutrition, sleep, or developing muscle strength?

MH: To err on the side of caution, plenty of rest and sleep is more important then training. Strength training & core stability work are important than aerobic exercise, as we lose 1% muscle mass every year from the age of 25 for men. If we lead a sedentary lifestyle, we may want to reduce the muscle loss by continually overloading them. Nutrition is about 65% carbohydrate, 15%-20% protein, and the remainder comes from fat. The main emphasis is on moderation, as there is no such thing as sinful food as too much of a good thing is also bad. Balance or moderation on food portion is more important. I eat 5-6 small meals a day, and try to maintain my body-fat composition within the 12-15% range year-round, to stay race fit.

MK: Oh - all are important! If I can choose two – especially for aging athletes – I think flexibility and muscle strength are more important as they protect you from injury.

FY: No specific training program or nutrition plans for me. I like to have some beer and snacks during the weekends. I seldom do strength or stability training.


VC: Everything gets more important as we age, especially our core muscles. Our core muscles affect our performance and make us more prone to injury.

Photo-credit: Richard Leong & Boon Yeong. Part 2 continues tomorrow.