Five Weeks Out & Sticking To The Plan

It is less than five weeks to Ironman Zurich – my next A-race in my endurance assessment. I have decided to aim for better times, and the results of this 226K triathlon will be a useful assessment of my overall multi-disciplinary fitness.

This evening, while running on my minimalist Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) with my friend Kenneth Tan, we chatted about the Masters-category athletes (since we fall within this bandwidth). I was glad that despite our deliberate, slower pace (Ken was apologetic about his relative lack of speed of 6 min/K), we did achieve 11.5K (in an easy 75 minutes). It was my longest ‘barefoot’ road-run, although I have done barefoot pool-running for up to 75 minutes. I am pleased to announce that after running a total of 2X21K runs (at 1:54 & 1:48 respectively on Tuesday and Thursday) within 48 hours, this completes my 53 hours of consecutive runs within a week. For my body, this mileage is adequate as I can focus on a weekend of consecutive rides and swims.

Tomorrow, I will do a moderate-distance ride (lactate-threshold, aerobic session) and on I will do a 60K cycling race on Sunday morning (an anaerobic/strength session). What I am mindful is I have to complete my longest sessions for ride and run, as the main deal-breaker for an overall PB time are the last two disciplines. I have a 10K hilly run next Sunday, and a 21K run race a week before Zurich, so these will useful tuners for my racing mindset. So far, all is well and intend to maintain my slow but sure progress. I am getting enough quality sleep, and amplified my protein intake (including high-quality whey protein), essential fatty acids (krill oil), and antioxidants (plant-based, and the algae asthaxantin). My body fat is dropping, muscle tone is enhanced, and core strength is still reliable.

Fighting Fit For Your Forties (Part 2)

There are measurements, and there are numbers. As clichéd as it sounds, age is merely a number; we can measure our physical fitness and health in other ways. The thrill of earning a personal best (PB) time is priceless. It suggests – even for a short while – that, perhaps, we can slow down the allegorical hands of time. We cannot buy time, however we can spend it in ways that matter more to us, and that it creates meaning. One thing is certain: despite the insanity of what endurance athletes subject themselves to, there is no denying that the Masters’ level athletes put in their very best. They can inspire us to look forward to our futures with a sense of certainty, optimism, purpose and adventure. I believe that these four individuals of distinction illustrate for you their spirit of camaraderie, competition and commitment.

EV: How do you deal with injuries? Which kinds did you experience?

FY: Depending on what type of injuries. I had shin splints and plantar fasciitis before. I saw many doctors, physiotherapy, and TCM. Didn't really help, not because they were no good but just that I was too impatient. I started to run when there was a slight improvement on the injury. So, the important point learnt was – Be Patient. Stop all running activities and let the injuries completely heal before attempting to get back to running. And when running after recovering, start from scratch and gradually build up the base, and not pick up from where you left off.

MH: Injury is something that all sportspeople need to deal with it as we will never know our limit until we cross it. I have been trying to manage my current injury, but due to my field-based job, even surgery (based on my specialist’s assessment) is not an option. Thus, I cut back on high intensity or any load-bearing regime to minimize the downtime by cross-training (with low impact activities).

MK: Injury is so annoying, isn't it? And, the older you get the more it happens. I never got rid of my Achilles Tendon problem since 2006. I do calf-stretching, icing, massage, or stop running completely if it gets worse. I also do cycling and swimming to keep fit.

VC: I will always ensure that I give sufficient and appropriate attention to my injuries and try to get sufficient rest to recuperate. Unfortunately, the Singaporean in me gets the better of me, very often. I tend to get back to my training before I am 100% healed. But I will work my way back to my former rigour, rather than dive straight into it. So far my main injury is the iliotibial band syndrome (ITB).

EV: How can we sustain a fitness lifestyle through our 50’s and 60’s (and even race in competitions)?

VC: A healthy diet and a fairly active lifestyle would be a good starting point. With good health, it is easier to proceed to keeping fit, and then pushing your body further.

Freddy: Just try to enjoy every run without the pressure and stress. Cheers.

MH: Listen to your body, as it is your best option to stay in the game longer. I hope my five-cents worth of feedback can assist you in your story.

MK: Forget about competitiveness! Just enjoy the exercise. Appreciate how you are. Appreciate you can still do races. Do not be afraid to pull out from races, if you do not feel like doing it. Races are for fun, not for suffering. Being healthy is most important.

EV: Thank you, Lady & Gentlemen for all your sharing. It helps us appreciate that aging can be a graceful and natural process. It can also promote the best out of our physical fitness through mutual training and competition. Train smart and safely.

Photo-credits: Boon Yeong (Mika & Victor), Marathon Mohan (Freddy Yeoh), Franxis Yong (Melvin)

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.

Power Outages & Out-Aged Power

‘Age before beauty!’ Rocky Balboa to Apollo Creed

Don’t you just hate it when you experience a power trip? I am referring to ones that hit you when you are busy writing on your keyboard, and then the lights go out. If the electrical surge was extreme, good luck to all unsaved data and a fried motherboard or disk-drive. When energy sources are unreliable, performance of your best digital hardware becomes reduced and unreliable.

Yesterday, thanks to fellow-blogger John Cooke I provided a link to Chucky V.’s blog, about the latter’s piece on being out-chicked by a female athlete. What could be more humbling than that? Being out-aged by a gracefully aging athlete.

These photographs of Masters’ class (over-60 years) athlete, Chan Chan Seng describes it all; I took them on Sunday at the OSIM Singapore International Triathlon. Sport defies age, and age defies sporting abilities. This triathlete showed all the enthusiasm and energy of any other triathlete completing an Olympic Distance triathlon.

A few months ago, I featured Mr Kor Hong Fatt who is Singapore’s oldest marathoner. He successfully completed his first Boston Marathon after qualifying for it last year. Having suffered a medical condition about eight years ago, he now runs regularly and competes in marathons annually. His pace/speed in a marathon can embarrass poorly prepared runners, yet he is an inspiration to many for his persistence, patience and perseverance.

Leadership Lessons: When has age been a problem for you at your workplace? How do you value tacit wisdom and experience? How have you added value to yourself and others with each passing financial year? How have you matured in the way you manage and lead others around you?

Photo-credits: Kor Hong Fatt at the Boston Marathon 2011(#21561)

Is Your Company A Learning Organisation?

Really? Is it for real, or all PR talking? Spinning is a skill, and it’s okay to admit that your company puts in a healthy budget toward developing its people, or not. Training and people development investments may be a luxury during hard, economic periods and these amounts get diverted to more important areas that are bleeding.

Peter Senge coined this term in his landmark 1990 book, ‘The Fifth Discipline’ now embraced as a textbook for human resources practitioners, trainers and OD practitioners. Senge clearly explains that in the long run the only sustainable competitive advantage is your organization’s ability to learn faster than the competition. Better, stronger and faster. Move from survive to strive to thrive.

Here is a report on how accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP applies the learning organization through its successful leadership development program.

Today’s paying audience is discerning, knowing their consumer rights from their individual rights. The paying audience has learnt quickly from experiencing disappointments and buyer’s remorse to become more demanding. Today, the concept of rights has extended beyond consumers to humans to animals. We have learnt how to apply what we have learnt, ensuring that we continue to get quality and value for money.

Consumers can express their concerns yet there are sensible and reasonable ways to exact their demands, as requests. When we shift from face-to-face communication to the hidden-panels of Facebook, we can rear our ugly side. Freedom of speech becomes mired with emotional impulsiveness that reflect us as lowly members of the lynch mob. The mob gathers membership, steam, and momentum and allows others to ‘suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes’. Fools suffer gladly. Let us learn from other people’s mistakes and not repeat them in creative ways. Learn, live and let live.

*****

I was surprised with the results of Sunday’s half-marathon. I expected to place in the top-five, a mild improvement from last year’s sixth in the Masters’ category. I learnt that I was first, with the faster runners disqualified because of technical issues; even Poon, who I paced with for the first half of the race, was disqualified due to missing a timing-mat. After Sunday’s race organization falling short of expectations, I was glad there was no mention of an awards ceremony. I would have found it awkward to collect a prize. I earned two personal best times: one for the course, and another for my best 21K finish. I considered it a great training day, where I did not exceed the prescribed distance due to poor marshaling and ignorance of the course. The organizers did apologise immediately after the race, and subsequently provided a solution that was an attempt to right their wrong. We cannot change the past, but ensure the future does not include reckless repetition.

My plantar fasciitis condition is stable after two days of rest, and I hope to recover soon with rehabilitation and strength-training to prepare for my next local long-distance triathlon. I have withdrawn from Ironman Canada, and am focused on marathons for the rest of the year until next year’s IM New Zealand. [Update: I learnt from the emcee, Ros that there was a prize presentation and I was absent during the callout. My mistake for glossing over my performance. Anyway, nice to know that my dry spell may be over.]


Photo-credit: Franxis Yong