Pace Your Way To A Faster Run

With running-mate and pacer, Melvin How in Gold Coast Marathon 2013.

The difference to earning a new PB/PR in your running, may be more than just more training. Your choice of race, climate, and use of pacers can make a big difference in slicing minutes off your time, and finishing strong.

In my best races, I almost followed a pacer. The pacers are either the officially-appointed ones, or those I designated to follow - my friends.

In 2013, I was pacing with my friend Melvin How for the early part of the Gold Coast Marathon, until his injury side-lined him. He still held a decent pace and an honorable finish. I earned a PB and BQ, thanks to his early fast-pacing. We were holding a 4:30min/km pace, and both aiming a Boston Qualifier (BQ).

This year, I followed the official Gold Coast Marathon Pacers, until the 2km mark, where I had to pee. Costing me precious minutes, and losing sight of the 3:15min/km pacers, I had to catch up with familiar faces. I designated them (in my mind) as my pacers, and kept up with them until my pace led me to overtake them. A few of the F1 Runners from Singapore kept me company for parts of the first 21km. My occasional running and racing-buddy, Andrew Cheong was my other pacer, who I kept in my gun-sight for most of the 42.195km. I was concerned about holding my mild lead of less than one minute over him. This year, my focus on slopes and hills gave me more confidence over the mild rolls of the Gold Coast. 

Thanks, pacers for egging me on!

Leadership Lessons: Be broadminded to run with faster runners. Ask permission to stick closely with these pacers. They can give us a massive psychological boost. The Gold Coast Marathon Pacers are so accurate that they guide you through to your potential PB. They also actively cheer you on, with positive energy and explicit encouragements. It is perfectly fine to follow them. Followers can prosper!

How To Earn A BQ For Boston Marathon

With an upcoming running clinic, I would like to share some of my thoughts about how you may qualify for a Boston Qualifier (BQ). Be warned: My approach may not be aligned with yours. Although sound, it is non-conventional, perhaps because of my age and background in multi-discipline, endurance, sports.

The Boston Marathon, is the holy grail for serious marathoners, and it sits parallel with Ironman triathletes for a dream-ticket or podium-slot for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua, Kona. These events and many others in the endurance sports, including ultra-marathons and desert-runs, and Mount Everest represent the zenith in one's training/racing history.

I have earned three BQs, in 2011, 2013, and 2015

I completed my first Boston Marathon in 2014 in 'Boston Strong', and hope to earn another slot amongst the 30,000 on Patriot's Day 2016. My approach for all three BQs were similar and minimalist.

1) I ran, predominantly, on-road: My chosen races were all road-races, thus, I raced specifically, on tar/tarmac.
2) I raced both on-road and off-road/trail (ultra-marathon, 52.5km) to engage different muscles and responses. In my last BQ at Gold Coast Marathon, I integrated off-road sections and some slopes/bridges, which seemed to help me finish strong (although I ran much less).
3) I trained 3-4 days per week, mostly single sessions. Additional aerobic stimulus came from riding indoors or outdoors (2-3 hours per session). My total training mileage per week has been about 40-50km per week.
4) My run training was based, mainly, on one long/two short sessions - all at tempo/time-trial pace. I eliminated 'Junk Miles'. [I subscribe to 'Run Less, Run Faster' philosophy, although I intuitively applied that since 2010 after my biking accident.]
5) My workouts include 2 X 10km, plus one long 21-24km, all done at Tempo or Fartlek (. I did no track intervals, hill-work, and very few group-running. Consistency and discipline is key! A short run is better than no run. However, skip runs if you are feeling unwell, as illness sabotages your training plan.
6) I included one more run/race before my marathon preparation block (12-week). The race could be a 10km, 21km or 32km. A 32km race or run would be done 2-3 weeks before race-day.
7) I cross-trained (cycling and swimming) all-year-round, as required of a triathlete. I race two Ironman triathlons annually since 2006, so that included two in-race, marathons already. 
8) I did some strength and conditioning workout, using bodyweight (circuit), kettle-bells, or free-weights. I relearnt my gait, focused on mid-sole (as forefoot running may have led to my first hairline toe fracture in 2012, and a dismal Berlin Marathon timing of 4:00 hours).
9) As racing is a personal event based on tactics and strategy, I raced regularly to accustom myself to race-pace (or faster, over-10km and 21km) and earn my confidence to race uncomfortably (including Zone 4/panting zone).
10) I learnt to eat well, using the 80:20 Rule, focused on more essential fats (including coconut oil, butter, extra-virgin olive oil, and nuts).

My Boston Marathon Journey: Qualifier (BQ) For 2014

I qualified for the Boston Marathon 2014 at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM) 2013. My first Boston Qualifying (BQ) time was at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2011. I came in at 3:29:59, one minute the qualifying time for my age group (45-49 years). My second BQ was 3:16:49, earned while preparing for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

I was running then on a meagre diet of 3-4 sessions per week, with my short runs averaging 10km and my longest from 15-21km. On a long week, I hit about 51km (or 3X10km plus 21km), supplemented with the pool swimming and long indoor-cycling sessions.

I chose GCAM as I attempted a BQ there but missed my BQ narrowly there. It is, generally, a flat course and the weather in July is cool but not too chilly. Plus, many Singaporeans preferred this course and I had familiar faces I could pace.

My nutrition was adequate although I exceeded my caloric need when I went harder than I should. Thus, I struggled on my return leg, passing the start-line and the last 8km became a complete haul. I began slowing down and I knew I was losing precious minutes, earned from a potential sub-3:10 performance. I was fortunate to go under-3:17:00 by sprinting my guts out (as can be seen in the accompanying video).

Lessons Learnt from my BQ: 
1) I should have arrived earlier to tail the 3:15 pacer. By the time, I caught up I was winded.
2) I should have given my body more time to warm up, instead of meeting the anaerobic zone earlier.
3) I could have spent more time building my base at a lower heart-rate, sticking to less than 135bpm instead of 150bpm.
4) I could have done some interval work (zero) and included some hill-work (zero).
5) My training was all tempo, and moderate to high-intensity. I was not training my aerobic engine enough.
6) My 'no guts no glory' approach served me well, as I improved my time by more than 13 minutes. Having said that, I could have made a 3:09 if I had been patient and not fatigued at the last 8km.
7) I could have a stronger core, more confident arm-swings, and not overtake the 3:15 pacer too early. The pacer (and, thus, pacing) is key to one's BQ success.
8) I lost my 'pacer' friend early as he dropped out due to injury. I should have stuck to the official pacers as they were reliable, and verbally encouraging.
9) I could have integrated some trail or off-road sessions, to strengthen my legs more.

The finishing 'kick'.

My Boston Marathon Journey

I am not a big fan of running. I love watching runners. I enjoy watching competitive runners on television. I enjoy the big sprints to the finish-line by Olympic-Distance triathletes.

I began long-distance running in 2003, having never gone beyond one 10km race in my life. I had assumed a middle-distance running career in my youth; mostly self-trained and driven by personal motivations. I studied all I could about running and runners. I lived and breathed Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovette, Jim Fixx (The Complete Book of Running), Dr. George Sheehan, Abebe Bikila, Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, fartlek, interval training, cross-country, Adidas, et al. I was obsessed about running, doing it almost daily while pursuing an education.

I excelled in running although it was more a means to an end: To finish the session as soon as I could. My mantra was ‘Get it over’.

In 2004, I began doing triathlons and my first marathon. I was hooked on both. No, I did not enjoy running but I loved running faster and earning Personal Bests (PB) and Personal Records (PR).

The cool weather (end-winter) in July on the Gold Coast is conducive for a BQ/PB.

My first marathon yielded a 4:11; my second was 4:24 (with my first and only attack of ITB syndrome). That was when I discovered the need for deep-tissue massage before races. A spate of sub-4 hour marathons followed when I completed the Bangkok Marathon under the elusive 4-hour mark. When I earned a 3:36 in Singapore and 3:37 in Berlin (2010), I knew I had the capacity and capability to earn a BQ on my flip-side of 40 years.

I qualified for Boston Marathon in 2011 at the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon (SCHKM). I clocked 3 hours 29 minutes and 59 minutes, which put me within one minute of the qualifying time of my age-group (45-49 years). With my first BQ, I applied for the lottery and was declined.

My second attempt to earn a BQ at the fast course in Berlin Marathon 2012 was marred by a hairline toe fracture two months before. I was diagnosed with that painful symptom during Ironman Switzerland, and I hobbled to an uncomfortable 4:00 finish. And, that was that.

Minutes after clocking my second BQ of 3:16 at GCAM2013.

My second BQ (and third attempt at a BQ) was at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM), where I clocked 3:16. I was eight minutes within the revised BQ of less than 3:25:00. I also improved my PB/BQ by 13 minutes on my ‘Run Less, Run Faster’ approach: 3-4 running sessions of 10-21km each, supplemented by a triathlon diet (cycling and swimming). I applied for Boston marathon 2014 and was accepted into the 118^th edition. Despite strong objections from naysayers that it would not be possible on such a meagre running diet, I achieved it. It is important to strongly believe in your ability, training plan, performance, and be focused to accomplish the seemingly impossible. What is deemed ‘impossible’ might be ‘unrealistic goals’ at one time.

My next goal is to earn a stronger BQ for the 120^th edition of Boston Marathon. A performance near-3 hours would be deeply satisfying. I will begin serious training for it after completing one marathon (within Ironman Lanzarote) on 23 May. A narrow recovery and fitness training of seven weeks, will make it highly challenging after my 19^th Ironman attempt to hold less than 4:30/km throughout the July 2015 race.

I will share more of my Boston Marathon journey shortly.

Race-Kit Collection Day

After my brief morning meeting, I walked from the CBD area for lunch at the restored Lau Pa Sat (which means ‘old market’) for lunch. Breakfast was coffee and a protein shake, deliberately for shaking the sleepiness and boosting my immune system. Since I am convalescing from a mild bout of flu, the protein would help in building antibodies for fighting the germs that caused my cough and running nose the past few days.

Thereafter, I collected my race-kit at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. Thankfully, my decision to arrive earlier and take advantage of the rain led to a speedy collection. The race-pack was similar to previous years, with a drawstring-bag filled with race-bib, race-tee, and sponsors’ items. The numerous collection-lanes accelerated the collection and gave the participants the opportunity to browse longer at the race-fair.

The race-fair was filled with sponsor’s booth. Shopping at a marathon-fair can be a dicey affair. Neophytes and first-timers may end up over-buying stuff they need, nor tested before in training. While purchasing my box of High-5 race gels, and my highly recommended ‘Marathon Race Pack’ (value-for-money, $25 only) I spoke to a seasoned half-marathoner doing his first 42K.  I suggested that he focus on his pacing, nutrition (one gel pack per 30 minutes) and consume water/electrolyte drink at every aid-station. I bumped into running-coach Lexxus and we had a chat about his running adventures (TNF China); he scored a 3:06 at his virgin marathon in 2008. He evolved into a full marathoner from a 1:14 half-marathoner. Thereafter, I met multiple-Ironman triathlon finishers Reeves Lim, Ken Lim and Philip Koh – an informal reunion at the Perth City-to-Surf Marathon booth manned by a friendly Australian representative. I recommend this race as well as the famous Gold Coast Airport Marathon as the Aussies know how to run a great endurance event.

At lunch, Reeves Lim of INGENS (a marketing consulting company) and I chatted about the concept of progress and improvements. He asked if it was discipline and consistency that leads to athletic enhancement. I agreed to both factors, and also added adaptation. If we subject our bodies to routine and ‘same old, same all’ then our progress can be hindered. Due to the specificity of sports, we can also hit a hiatus or hindrance to our performance by making it too predictable for the body. By mixing things up, our body has less chance of coping with the training stress too easily, and thus learns by becoming fitter. For runners, this means training on the flat roads, hills, trail/off-road conditions, and with various paces.

Two days more before the big dance! Rest well, stretch and hydrate fellow runners!

Scenes from Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2011 (Part 4)

Pre-race PR shots (check out the abs...olutely real race-bib)

That WAS the plan…plan went awry after a fast and furious first-half…

Pacing or prancing (like a reindeer on caffeine)…

Santa’s early this year…

Hungry pros and elite athletes, including Singapore’s Great Distance Hope, Mok Ying Ren (spot him in the crowd?)

130 marathons completed and counting…Ever-smiling, ever-chirpy, Singapore’s Marathon Mohan!

My brave effort to finish gracefully: no retreat, no surrender!

Richard Gere with medal and finisher-tee…NOT!

Photo-Credits: @2011 Melina Chan

Scenes from Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2011 (Part 3)

Checking in...

Talk about the latest Garmin running watch

Professor Winston mistaken as a race-booth exhibitor - fresh after Sundown Ultra-marathon!

Can you believe it? A giant floating shoe…it had a huge following…

Race tees (my favourite is the shortcut one)

Meeting Author, Sue O’Brien of ParneRunning/Couple On The Run (Andrew was on his way to the fair to speak)

Photo-Credits: @2011 Melina Chan

Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2011 Report (Part 2)

Congratulations to Singapore’s top-2 runners and triathletes, Mok Yin Ren and Ashley Liew for their splendid finish. Mok placed 13^th overall in a fast and fierce field, hungry for breaking the course and world record. A bonus prize money of A$20,000 was available for the taking should either records be broken. The top Australian runner won a bonus for breaking the course record on his birthday - imagine that!

I was pleasantly surprised to see sport-medicine specialist and author, Dr Ben Tan at the start-line. I heard that he narrowly missed the sub-3 hour ceiling – Congratulations to him for his attempt!

A massive shout out to the many Singaporean and Malaysian runners who braved the cold weather in Brisbane to run their 21K and marathons! In particular, we like to acknowledge Team FatBird, including Marathon Mohan, Danny, Charlotte (fifth in the Sundown Ultramarathon) and Winston – some of them completed the Sundown Ultra-Marathon 100K held a week ago. Also, a special mention is made to Wen Long of Safra Running Club who earned a sub-3 hour PB and a Boston Qualifier.

The race-fair was well represented by retailers, distributors, body care and coaching services. You could get assessments of your spinal alignment, or muscle weakness. Marathon Couple (Sue and Andrew O’Brien) were there to speak and autograph their book; the husband-and-wife team completed eight marathons over eight weeks over eight continents. Perhaps the organizers of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon can bring them in for our race fair? Otherwise, you have representatives from Skins, 2XU, Endura, Garmin (with the new watch model), and more speaking on-stage or attending to your needs at their booths. The final booth was raising funds for Japan earthquake victims, and many runners did their fair share of charitable assistance.

The Gold Coast Marathon was well run (no pun), as I expected from the two Ironman triathlons I completed in Western Australia. There was huge coverage of the race, with great spectator support along the route. There was no mad rush for the start-line, as each runner had an electronic card (champion chip) the size of a mini-credit card.

The 21K and full marathon routes did not cross, thus there was no confusion or annoying clashes of a dichotomy of runners. Runners were respectful, and both official and non-official pacers shared their commitment to assist new and seasoned runners along. I like to thank a runner with shocking-pink hair who led a small group of us along, until he bonked on the 32K mark. Up till them he was holding a 13kph-plus pace and encouraging runners along. I will find out and let you know his name soon.

The volunteers were ever eager to help us runners continue; I was one of the few who stood beside them when I drank. They were not in the least bit concerned when I encroached upon their personal space. We are fortunate to have volunteers to ensure we complete our selfish, personal tasks!

The course is, generally, flat with a few small flyovers – demanding on tired legs, if you hit the wall earlier. The cold weather (for us equatorial inhabitants) may lead us to over-dressing in layers; I may have over-done it this time, and felt hot towards the third-quarter of my marathon. Once you are warmed up, t-shirt and shorts/tights would be adequate. We were fortunate to have a relative absence of wind-chill, or else layering up would have been relevant.

The opening, motivational speech before flag-off was memorable. It went something like this: ‘So, you want to be like Pheidippides…run from Marathon to Athens…and died!’ That drew laughter all round, and set a positive and light-hearted approach to our golden quest for metal. I came home at 903th place (out of 5086 participants; and 93th out of 390 in my age group) in 3:32:36 - not a second BQ, but it will do for now.  

Your Highness!

Last weekend, I watched ‘Your Highness’ and I enjoyed it for the wrong reason: unbridled, crass, scathing, humour. It is always a treat to watch serious actors not take themselves too seriously in films with simple plotlines. Academy-Award winner, Natalie Portman and Academy-Award nominee James Franco ham it up to the hilt in this farcical play. It is sure to be a classic, as it is a hit with nerds and geeks. Not everyone's cup of tea, especially if you are Java kind of kind. Leave your inhibitions at the door and just immerse in the comedy!

Good news: we will interview multi-disciplined athlete extant, Sheila Taormina soon. She has participated over three disciplines (modern pentathlon, swimming and triathlon) over three Olympic Games. She won a gold medal in the 4X200m swim relay in 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and placed high in the triathlon. She is now a motivational speaker, author and swim coach: three solid disciplines in life after competitive international sports.

Tomorrow, we fly off to Brisbane then head straight by train to the Gold Coast. It will be a short vacation, with it epicenter at the Gold Coast Marathon. I had a deep tissue massage at Core Concepts by Danny yesterday, and am still slightly sore. It could have been due to my last 21K run on Monday evening.

I enjoyed this evening’s ‘live’ concert: Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite Tour. The sets were amazing, with high-resolution graphics and videos. Dancers and trapeze dancers accompanied her; it felt like a Cirque Du Soleil performance, albeit with live singing from Minogue and her two back-up singers. We were on our feet most of the time as the audience felt compelled to stand up and dance, so a bit dodging of the traffic, so to speak. What a prelude before my Big Dance in Australia, from this petite Aussie Diva with the ability to hit the high notes. Dance on!

Rolling With Your Runaway Brain

Have you met people who are described as scatterbrain? Some are all over the shop when it comes to completing tasks, or even in a conversation. They can shift from topic to topic with ease and fluidity, however may leave their conversationalists in a lurch. These intriguing, seemingly defocused people have comprehensive brains, and can engage and disengage because things make sense for them.

Let your brain run free! Like running barefoot, liberate your thinking as we have too much clutter exacerbated by problems, anxiety and mounting concerns. Bruce Lee used to utter a Zen saying: ‘Empty your mind!’ which is about creating ‘Beginner’s Mind’. Before we can learn, and truly learn, we will need to denounce what we think we know. If we believe that we know everything, we have hindered ourselves mentally from receiving more.

Too many adults concern themselves of appearing childish; programmed by tradition and notions of appropriateness. In effect, what we may want to seek is ‘child-like innocence’ when we get creative, and engage innovative practices. Focus on the useful, not on the use-less. Embrace great ideas, even if they are dated. The ‘classics’ are considered as such, because they have endured the test of time; just like endurance athletes who test their mettle and mental tenacity with long and oftentimes, lonely runs. Last weekend, I challenged myself to write a dozen articles and succeeded. At times the going was tough, but I ran with it. Run in the jet-stream of consciousness and creativity.

Run away with your thinking. Do different things. Add variety. Stop plunging your brain into boredom, or doing boring things. Be disciplined, but make discipline relevant to you. Smile when you run – it is a good sign of things going well. Lead a meeting according to your group vision: finish early, and accomplish your decision-making. Implement and monitor ideas! Recognise your staff for their contributions by engaging their suggestions and recommendations. Acknowledge that each staff may be an expert in something.

Have faith in people and ourselves – have a nice thought and run with it! 

*****

All the best to those doing Ironman Korea this weekend! Coach will be doing it, and I hope that he gets a good shot a Kona slot this year in his new Age Group. He completed the World Championships in Kona in 2005 after this third attempt at the Ironman distance.

It will be a few more days before I depart for the Gold Coast Marathon. I look forward to this experience – my 11^th stand-alone marathon, I think – and I will be connecting with some of my Twitter running friends. Sydney-based Soon, will be attempting a sub-3 hour marathon – this late-40-something did his first Ironman in Perth last year in a splendid time. Many Team Fatbird members will be making a brief exodus to the Gold Coast to enhance this big show. I am looking forward to it – another BQ would be nice, and a PB would be a bonus!

Nocturnal Weekend Warriors

Congratulations go out to the following friends!

Mok Ying Ren for breaking Singapore’s national record for the 5K: 14 minutes 51:09 seconds. [Thank you Dr Kua Harn Wei for the notification] Watch his dazzling video race!

Sumiko Tan, for winning the Women’s category in this morning’s Sundown Marathon in 3:22. This is her personal best time.

Vijch for a 3:55 finish in Sundown Marathon; Desmond Chow for a strong 5-hour, pre-IMWA 2011 training finish.

On a rare note (for me, at least), Barcelona confirmed their place in the pantheon of soccer on Saturday, out-gunning Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley Stadium to claim their second Champions League crown in three years. Olay, olay, olay. Olay, olay…!

*****

John Cooke returned safely to Perth. He is, officially, the fastest Singaporean to complete the Ironman Lanzarote (unofficially, the one who planks in the most locations!). So, far only two Singaporeans have attempted the course within the last four years. I was glad to race alongside him for my 11^th Ironman finish. We John all the best for his eighth Ironman triathlon at IMWA in December!

I booked my airfare for the Gold Coast Marathon; accommodation follows next. My race strategy is to stay near the start-point so that there is less stress preparing on race morning.