MY TAKE ON LONGEVITY IN ENDURANCE-SPORTS (Anecdotally-Scientific) Part 2

Ironman 70.3 Philippines 2017: Thankfully, did not walk except between aid-stations

This concludes a two-part series of my tacit experiences and wisdom gleaned from racing in endurance sports for 14 years.

11) Stretch whenever you can, systematically would be best. However, in its absence a sports massage, or self-massage (with a trigger ball or roller) helps in promoting recovery. Learn to knead, jostle, press and pummel sore muscles.
12) Water-based activities like swimming or water-jogging, reduces undue impact from land-based activities like running. Use aquatic activities to release the body from gravity-based sports-induced stress. Also, cross-train by including other activities (swim, ride and run are examples).
13) I never had a major spate of injuries, save for one case of a hairline fracture on my toe (2 months NO running), mild plantar fasciitis, and being hit by a taxi while riding (beyond my control) where I sustained a cheek fracture in 2010. Staying injury-free means being disease-free. Move from dis-ease to ease!
14) Increase your intake of antioxidants, and choose those that suit your body (natural and packaged). Include tonics made from herbal remedies and concoctions. Bone-broth or soups are very useful.
15) Seek the help of physiotherapists, chiropractors, bodycare specialist, nutritionists, massage therapists, and the like - they help remind us to stay mobile, nimble and functional.
16) Include High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions, occasionally. 1-2 such sessions awakes the body to new-found activation and, perhaps, speed. Use strength-based , gym sessions to supplement your development of musculature.
17) Seek a coach to help you with plateaus and form/gait correction. Seek a coach if you wish to be competitive and improve on your personal best (PB) timings.
18) If you are racing, then train to race. You cannot work beyond your trained threshold of intensity.
19) Seek your motivation: If you train with a team, it has its inherent 'push and pull' factors. If you prefer the occasional solitude, then do your long sessions alone. If you are uncomfortable with toxic members, steer away from them. Mix with those who help you achieve your Best Version of Yourself.
20) It is a life-long journey towards personal excellence, so there is still much to learn, educate and glean from personal experience.

MY TAKE ON LONGEVITY IN ENDURANCE-SPORTS (Anecdotally-Scientific)

After being in the endurance game since 2002, I wanted to share my mild wisdom sustaining my performance over 4 competitive age-groups.
1) Have more than 6 hours of sleep each night. Get a comfortable mattress, curtains drawn, and away from electronic devices (if possible).
2) Skip a day of exercise, if you feel like it. It is, after all, an extreme sport. You need not be extreme about life, in general.
3) Nutrition is one of the keys to recovery: Eat sensibly, guided by what is healthy for you.
4) Reduce your intake of refined sugar and refined grains. Whole-foods, relatively-unprocessed, home-cooked, allows control in this option. Pack your home-cooked food to work.
5) You need not live a monastic life: Exercise may be part of your lifestyle, and may not be your only life. Exercise is a form of self-expression.
6) Race occasionally to test yourself, however each race is an intense workout that requires full recovery. Our races validates our hard and consistent training.
7) Focus on good sources of fats: coconut oil, olive oil (EVOO and normal), butter, eggs, and animal fat. Figure this one out on your own as it is very subjective based on beliefs and practice. Reduce the GMO-versions (corn & soya), when possible.
8) Have 'easy' days intersperse 'hard' workout days. Off-Season, focus on Low Heart-Rate, Distance-Training.
9) 80:20 Rule when it comes to eating. Use your intuition and tastebuds as your guides.
10) Check for food allergies. Once identified, reduce or eliminate that food type.
*This was first posted on my Facebook page.*

Go Nuts With Your Nutrition

Stock Photo: Markus Mainka

I wouldn't say that I am a nut person, yet I do enjoy the occasional handful of these crunchy pieces of nutrient-dense foods. I also enjoy dried/desiccated fruits.

As an active endurance athlete, I use nuts as a supplementary source of nutrients. Here are how I eat them:

1) I sprinkle them over my raw salads. I enjoy pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, cashews, chia seeds, dried fruit and raisins. They provide a protein boost to the pigmented leaves. I, sometimes, spruce up my nut count if I eat my salad at home.
2) Drink water when eating nut by itself. It can dry your throat.
3) The easiest way to consume nuts is from a bag. Ensure that unused nuts are kept in a resealable Ziploc bag.
4) Although nuts and dried fruits can be refrigerated to ensure shelf-life, consume them as soon as possible. The refrigerator is a dehumidifier, and may cause precious essential oils from the nuts to escape. The same goes for coffee powder.
5) I enjoy nuts as a snack, especially when I feel peckish on a long indoor-ride. I get a mild feeling of satiety or fullness, whilst enjoying the energy from the oils. I have also raced with nuts in Ironman races.
6) Certain nut oils complement the essential and stable cooking fats (extra-virgin olive oil, butter and coconut oil).
7) I developed an appreciation for nut butters (mainly peanut and almond) after I ate some during my time in the Boston Marathon 2014. A trip to Trader Joes convinced me of the relevance of buying a prepared version, or a home-made, bespoke recipe.
8) Invest in a powerful blender/grinder and make your own nut butter flavoured with Himalayan salt, raw honey, bee pollen, berries, and other oils.

Nuts and the nut oils are a relevant complement to our dietary needs as serious athletes. There are many nut-based products you can create in your kitchen like health-bars, smoothies, and spreads.

Nuts can vary in pricing, source, agricultural treatment and preparation. The website 'NUTS.COM' incorporates the expertise of a dietitian to recommend simple treats and solutions for your nutritional needs. Check it out to learn more about healthier solutions about nuts, dried fruit, and other tasty treats for your energy, recovery, and racing needs.

Run Clinic 2015

I gave a running clinic two Saturdays ago. It was, essentially, about my lessons learnt from racing in marathons and triathlons. Dubbed 'Run Less, Run Faster to a BQ', about 50 participants turned up on a hazy, afternoon to hear me talk about my 11 years of Ironman training as well as racing in marathons.

One of my inspirations to do the Boston Marathon, 83-year-old Mr Kr Hong Fatt (on my left). Pris Chew is the author of the blog, PrisChew.com.

A summary of my clinic (minus the 5km run, as the air quality was deemed 'Unhealthy' at a PSI of about 150), was featured in Pris Chew's award-winning blog. Enjoy!

Additional data that was missed out were:

1) I eat clean, generally, following the 80:20 Rule. I have as much vegetables as I can eat in my meals.
2) Tart cherry juice is great for reducing muscle soreness. I learnt about this while watching an episode of 'The Doctors'.

Running Into Your Fifties

I will hit the half-century mark at year's end, with about 11 years of endurance racing and training in the bank. What have I learnt in my years of sustained efforts and performances?

LESS IS MORE: As I enter a new age-group (AG), I have found that more rest and recovery enhances my performance. By performance, I mean either increased speediness, or retarding the degradation process of performance. Between my Boston Qualifiers (BQ) of 2013 and 2015, my time was slower by 54 seconds. In effect, it was negligible as I lost about two minutes for a forced bathroom break. Plus, I prepared for this third BQ in less than six weeks. My usual BQ preparation is 12 weeks, or 3 months, with 3-4 workouts per week. All my runs are done at tempo-paced, fartlek, or time-trial. Intensity supercedes 'junk miles'. In the off-season, low-heartrate, aerobic activity is crucial to building up the 'fat-burning, aerobic-base'. I subscribed to Phil Maffetone's approach to building sustained endurance fitness.

EATING WELL IS KEY: With an orientation to eating 'clean', and applying the 80:20 Rule, my recovery is much better. I have included more essential fats into my diet, increasing it to about 20-30 percent of my overall diet. What has changed is including extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, butter, eggs, and fish oils. An increased use of antioxidant-laden nutrients such as krill oil, deep-sea fish oils (Omega-3 fatty acids), pomegranate juice, tart cherry juice (for reducing muscle soreness), colourful vegetables, probiotics (gut bacteria), and ginger. Eliminate or reduce allergy-causing foods, as it sabotages your overall health.

STRENGTH TRAINING IS A MUST: Muscle mass loss is significant once we pass the 40-year mark. I learnt the hard way that maintaining and even increasing muscle mass (lean tissue) is critical to running better. Long-distance runners, marathoners and ultra-marathoners are too 'skinny'. The emaciated look can be perceived as unhealthy. A weak upper-body supported by stronger lower-limbs, may jeopardise potential speed required for attending to hills, and the last burst of sprint speed for the finish or PR/PB. Commit to a gamut of regular, functional-strength-focused activities like yoga, core-strength, cross-training (e.g. riding and swimming), circuit-training, plyometrics, CrossFit, and the like. Gaining lean muscle weight (and thus, strength) is fine, and would not affect your performance.

STAYING MOTIVATED: Performing well physically, gives one a heightened sense of confidence. The occasional PB/PR can be empowering, whilst poor performance can riddle my race-plans with doubt. The key is to review each performance and learn what can be prevented, reduced or eliminated in future races. Sometimes, it can be physiological and beyond my control. Focus only on what you can control. The nice thing about 'aging up' and entering a new AG, would be the implicit or explicit allowances on qualification times, or potential podium placings in the Masters' category. My static time for my BQ, has recently earned me another 5 minutes for my BQ lottery. I look forward to a slot in the 120th edition of Boston Marathon with a margin of over-12 minutes for my new AG.

10 Tips For Preparing For Your First Ironman (Western Australia)

1)    Be clear about what you are signing up for. It is 226K of triathlon with a 17-hour dateline, and at least three months of dedicated, and family-approved, training.

2)    Be committed to your training and the discipline behind it. If you must, train in small groups (of aspirants for the same race) for motivation and safety reasons.

3)    Train for the full distance (at least) except for the marathon (32-34K will do as your longest run). Accustom your body to the lengthy duration of each discipline. Do race in the same attire and equipment that your trained in. NO NEW STUFF ON RACE DAY!

4)    Do a ride-run brick each session. Run off the bike (within a short transition of 3 minutes) for 2-3 kilometres. On shorter rides, follow up with a longer run of 10K.

5)    Over-distance for swimming (more than 3.8K) and riding (do at least two 180K, minimum as your longest rides). A 200K ride or eight-hour ride (indoors/outdoors) would be a bonus.

6)    Eat as you would in racing as in training (bring your own food supplements, if you won’t risk what is given out). Accept only water from the friendly volunteers at the aid-stations, progressively and generously positioned in Busselton.

7)    Pack your additional race nutrients in the Special Needs bag. Pack only powders, not liquefied forms as they may spoil in the heat.

8)    Study the race-course, on the map as well as on the ground. Do a recce for part of the courses a few days before the race.

9)    Get your bike fully serviced (and parts replaced; brake-cables, tyres, brake-pads) close to the race, but not too close as bike-shops get jammed with anxious first-time entrants. Get new tyres. You risk it all with used ones. Keep your existing training tyres as spares on your bike/Special Needs bag. Learn how to change your tyres, at least once, from your bike- mechanic.

10) Talk to recent graduates of the race (2010, 2011) and tap on their experiences of completing the race. Learn more about exigencies and crises that emerge, and how they managed them.

A Week’s Rundown To Ironman

The tapering week leading to the Ironman triathlon is often mistaken as the time to either do more training, or to rest completely. Neither option is the best. In fact, a blended approach would make more scientific, bodily and intuitive sense.

A proper tapering process, when adhered to closely, is not a cessation of activity but rather a reduction of overall physical workload. You will still swim, ride and run however you will do a fraction of the usual workload. Your overall mileage is reduced gradually, so that your body does not go ‘cold turkey and be shocked into inactivity. You want to rehearse your three disciplines so that your body is primed for the race. The delicate balance is to not do too much as to exhaust and deplete the body before race-day, and not too little as to lead to a loss of fitness. Up to three weeks before the race, get a weekly sports massage to work out the kinks in your muscles. Muscle spasms (knots or cramps) reduce the muscles ability to exert the most power and strength when you need it most. Over-stretch tight muscles during racing and, you may incur the wrath of a painful cramp as retribution.

The mysterious aspects of tapering is that you may experience soreness, potential niggles (injuries), and a sense of frustration that you may be doing too little. This is a risky proposition: to want to do a little more, when you should be repairing your body, nourishing it, and allowing it to fully recuperate from weeks of intense training. My electrolyte intake will be at its highest as I want to infuse water within my muscles (intramuscular fluid).

For my tapering week, my swims are limited to a total of 1.5-2.0K (mostly practising drafting, sighting and some speed work), rides to 2 hours of intervals (short fast bursts with longer recovery sets), and running to 5-10K at race-pace. The day before the race, I will rehearse a short ‘triathlon’ just to keep my muscles attuned, and then I will check my bike in. I will do nothing at all two days before, and get most of my restful sleep. It is hard to get quality sleep the night before, if you spend the night going to the bathroom as you rehydrate on your return. Pre-race nerves also upset your restfulness.

Go over your race gear, and ensure that you carry enough nutrition for your ride and run. If inclement weather prevails, prepare extra attire and warm clothing. Check and test for quality of race-gear. Whenever you can, raise your feet and rest. Keep shopping to after your race, especially when you need to up early to purchase the finisher’s merchandise.

Short Bursts, Hard Hits

I was reading Macca’s book 'I'm Here to Win', where he relates his experience of a quick burst of energy after drinking a soft drink, during a low period of his marathon (a geographical location known as ‘Bonksville’). He learnt from a fellow competitor how he could defuse the ‘bonk’ (race-stopping fatigue) with a quick hit of plain sugar. Mind you, simple sugar in a soda is not the best choice of nutrition for your body, but it does just fine in delivering the punch when experiencing malaise and lethargy. When you subsist on the same nutritional product, like energy gels and the like, it can wreak gastric havoc because of tainted taste-buds and an exhausted body. The last thing during an intense session is for your body to shunt blood to your guts, to digest complex carbohydrates.

In my penultimate week to Ironman New Zealand, I am experiencing the symptoms of ‘exercise withdrawal. Not in the addictive sense, mind you, however it is a mixed bag of emotions and physical frustration from reduced mileage, high intensity, and anxiety born of the mindset ‘it may not be enough’. This sensations and feelings are natural, during the rest and recuperation stages prior to a race. A missed workout or two, due to work and a scattered schedule can further tease one’s temperament and temperature to its tether's end. This is a valid time to take stock and strategise one’s plans with a heightened sense of clarity and renewed commitment.

I am eating smaller but frequent, nutrient-dense meals. I am resting more to allow my body to recuperate from the weeks of demanding physical work, injury and illness. I am not fussed if my bodyweight and body-fat climbs as I would need all resources to fuel me through the 226K of challenges at lake Taupo. Hopefully, I can draw upon moments of short burst and harder hits to climb over mental and physical fatigue.

Leadership Lessons: How do you increase your effectiveness in the shortest time? What are the down sides when you accelerate your process of learning? How do you cope with changes, both physically and mentally?

Going Long

Long-distance athletes appreciate the term ‘going long’. It describes the extended mileage of runners and triathletes who need to train at/near the duration of their intended races. Going long requires a string aerobic base so completing double-digits (on the run) and triple-digits (on the ride) in kilometres is not unusual.

Firstly, a big shout out to the Singaporean team doing the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon tomorrow. Special mention goes out to Uncle Kor (who turned 80 this week), ultra-marathoner Winston Koh, run coach Ben Swee, and running couple Rachel and Zhi Li. I still reminisce over my Boston Qualifying time I earned there last year, on a rolling course with bridges, tunnels, fly-overs and cool weather.

This morning, as per Coach’s prescription I completed six hours worth of controlled riding on the first road-bike I earned, followed with 45 minutes of race-pace running on a new route (including an open-air track). It began as a cool morning then morphed into a scorcher. Fortunately, my naked skin did not get roasted. Nicholas Khaw was kind enough to ride with me for four loops of Selarang (which routes past the old Changi prison). Tomorrow, I have another 2 hours of tempo runs to do. I hope to do this soon after I complete my volunteer work at the TriFam (Triathlon Family) Sprint. One more week of enduring workouts and I can taper systematically, and nail this triathlon that ended in disappointment twice.

Having experimented with my new nutrition aid by Hammer Nutrition, I have opted to use Perpeteum – which are long-chain carbohydrates with soya protein. Why not whey protein? Whey protein has glutamine that converts into more ammonia in the bloodstream of an already catabolic (breakdown) state, and it is more useful after a workout to use whey protein as the glutamine will scavenge the ammonia and detoxify it. I found the mixture thick (choice of making into a paste or gel or drink), but it saved me space and I needed to chase it down with water only. Based on my bodyweight, I need two measured scoops per hour of activity. By the way, Perpeteum works best with an empty stomach, and after three hours into the activity. I stored the powder into a bidon, then mixed it up with water and shook it into frenzy. My energy was sustained throughout both my ride and run. Three more weeks of calculated use should yield me my best results.

Thanks to Coach 'Fox', Conrad Yeo, and the other Ironman triathletes for sharing their experience with sports nutrition that enhances sustained energy while reducing the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) distress.

Updates and Up-enders

It has been a physically challenging second week of Ironman preparation in my second meso-cycle. A meso-cycle, in my case, is a month’s load of triathlon-specific training. Each week, I have three sessions each for swimming, cycling and running. I have a heavier workload over my weekends, as this reserved for long rides and runs. It has been three weeks since my flu-troubled Singapore Marathon; I only registered a dismal 3:41, nowhere near the revised Boston Qualifier time of 3:24:59.

It is supposed to be an off-season, and in my personal design I am thick in my racing season. 3 March, in Taupo, New Zealand will be my 12^th assault for an Ironman finish. This will be my third time in Auckland to attempt a personal record for an Ironman course. After my PB plan was up-ended with last year’s pre-Ironman road accident, I had to refocus. I have the numbers to improve on. Numbers do not lie, and plans can be tweaked. Because my weaknesses lie in climbing (and rolling courses) and headwinds, I have dedicated my training towards strength development: time-trials, intervals, and sprints. I am aiming for fresher legs at T2, holding steady for 180K, before the marathon in nine weeks’ time.

Disease and acute fatigue can up-end a well-designed, comprehensive race program. Rest is something I factored in deliberately in recent weeks. I aim for 6-8 hours each night of quality sleep. I am also flexible (with my coach, Fox) with how I attend to my training sessions. For a time-crunched triathlete, you need to be able to shift sessions around without bogging yourself down. You have to be decisive in changing plans and altering your goals. The monsoon season is predictable for its abundant and ubiquitous rainfall. Sometimes, you may miss a session or two, and you move on. It may be useless to recover it like lost sleep. Instead, you could focus your efforts on the next workout/s, or do something else like focus on building your core stability and strength, run on a treadmill, or ride a stationary-bike. Never allow your body to be too clever in adapting to routine. After all, triathletes love routine and structure to their madness.

My nutritional changes include: higher antioxidant-laden foods (mainly unprocessed nuts, tart cherry juice and pomegranate juice); more vegetables, water, vitamin C (with zinc) and protein (including two Muscle Milk whey protein drinks daily).

I am reading ‘Ironstruck’ (2006) by Ray Fauteux, which I bought online as an e-book. He describes his fascination with marathons, ultra-marathons and his 14 Ironman triathlon finishes. John Cooke wrote about his reflection and perspective on preparing for Ironman races. How do you restore balance when this sport is skewed towards a 10-15 hour training week? How can we reduce its impact as an indulgent sport? How do we position it as a sane sport when many perceive it as extreme from the insanely long hours we spend training? When this bolt of lightning strikes you from out of the blue, you can bet your last cup of Kona coffee that life will never be the same again.

Have a very good Christmas weekend!

Why Batter Yourself When You Can Better Yourself?

I have been asked why I elected to do triathlons and marathons? Wouldn’t I harm my knees? Isn’t it time consuming?

Yes, triathlon training during on-season can take up a lot of time. With a specific training and racing plan, your body can withstand progressive physical challenges. With adequate rest, you can become stronger. In your off-season, you can taper off your training yet retain most of your fitness. You deserve to rest after a lengthy season of racing and personal best timings.

Actually, my knees are in reasonably healthy condition; my plantar fasciitis has almost cleared. I never had a history of weak knees or injury, and I have met many younger athletes hobble home after a training session. I am most concerned with those who have their knees wrapped up in braces and struggling in pain. Why would you train through an injury? Isn’t rest the best way to heal your battered body. Their technique suffers most definitely, and their pronounced poor posture purposely places undue stress on other parts of their joints such as ankles and lower back. Walking would have been preferred and safer; running in the pool is another option.

My thighs are still aching after last Saturday’s 50K however that’s part of the deal I signed up for. Do the deed, got to have sore feet! Instead of bludgeoning yourself prematurely, rest and recuperation matter most in salvaging the body from additional and prolonged stress. I learnt to stretch more deeply, continue to feed my body good nutrition, and maintain normal activity.

After hearing that at Olympics-level, swimmers train up to 65,000 metres per week, what we train for triathlon sounds relatively minor. That is a whopping 10-12K per day of stroking up and down the chlorinated pool. You have to do a heap of mind games to stay sobre and centred. It can be almost insane chasing the unwavering line in the 50K choppy waters of the pool. However, that is the price of pursuing athletic achievement and accomplishment. Train with the best, rise like the rest!

Eating Correctly For Your Blood Type

I read the book, Eat Right 4 Your Type a few years ago and found it interesting after comparing notes with the characteristics of each haemotype: O+, A+, B+, and AB+. Being a universal donor, O+ my blood can be used for transfusion for all four blood types. However, O+ donors can only receive from O+ donors.

What arrested my attention were a few features of the O+ population:

1)    Indulge in intense exercise such as aerobics, running and martial arts.

2)    Focus on more animal protein in our diet.

3)    Food allergies.

4)    A robust digestive system and immune system.

5)    Inflammation of joints, including a propensity for arthritis.

6)    We have to avoid wheat.

Whether this alternative approach to nutrition is valid or not, is best left to our experimentation. The authors have been slapped on their wrists by skeptics for not being scientifically validated, since some of their theories are weak or under-tested (for instance, being vegetarian as an A+ type). Since it is about food, it is time that we explore healthier options that do not sap our energy, immune system and health. Being endurance athletes, we should be discovering which foods help us recover faster, so that we can train without over-reaching and being depleted.

On Dr Mercola’s website, I tested my Metabolic Type and found that I am partial to a mixed diet. In effect, I can eat an omnivorous diet comprising both protein and carbohydrate. I can eat vegetables with my meat without arousing food allergies. So far so good (most of the time), or according to O+ type, I have a strong stomach for diversity. By a simple process of addition or elimination of certain food types, and monitoring my responses to them (allergies, sleep patterns, energy levels for sports, etc.), I have been able to direct my lifestyle through nutritional aids. By reducing my intake of soda/carbonated drinks and sugar, I have become more energized for longer. The addition of one or two whey protein drinks daily, I have felt stronger and my recovery has been enhanced after each intense training session.

Food is a personal thing. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Food is a matter of preference. We acquire (learn) a taste for certain foods. Cultures support the preparation and consumption of certain food. I acquired a taste for beer, sashimi (raw meat), cured foods, Power Gels and Power Bars.

Tomorrow: The Sheila Taormina Interview.

Preparing for Your First/Next Ironman

For those doing your first Ironman triathlon in China in May, congratulations for taking the next big challenge! Here are considerations for your race preparation:

1)    Continue training despite it being a month away. Start tapering in three week’s time. Less is more - you will feel stronger and pumped up. You don't want to be as flat as Dave Scott's Coke on his marathon.

2)    Your immune system is highly compromised when doing long mileage. Ensure at last 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Nap if you feel you need it. Sleep is the best ‘anabolic’ (rebuilding) activity.

3)    Increase your protein intake. Recent research indicates that we may need more than expected. Focus on whey protein without artificial sweeteners; avoid isolated protein supplements. Soy protein is not useful.

4)    Your need for immune-boosting nutrients will be significant when you do long rides and runs. Ensure adequate water, vitamin C, zinc, glutathione, glutamine and herbs (such as Echinacea) to boost your immune system. 

5)    Reconfigure your bike if it is causing you discomfort. If it is a hilly route, opt for a compact crank (with the right gear ratio). Get your bike fitted if you ache in the wrong places, or feel injured. Use a road-bike for a hilly course; use a tri-bike for a flat course. Service your bike early (the last-minute, queue at your favourite bike store may be paranoid-long). Replace old tyres with new ones before the race; replace soiled and flared bar-tape. Review your drink-cages; tightened loose screws if you are using rear-seat cages (example: X-Lab). ELIMINATE TECHNICAL DISTRACTIONS!

6)    Train as if you are racing: start using your race nutritional support. Time to invest and evaluate how you feel when you ride and run with electrolytes, energy gels and drinks. Can you consume one packet of gel every 20-30 minutes? Do you require more calories on your ride, so as to be fresh on your run? How much fluid will you need? Stick to the same brand of energy and electrolytes that you trained with.

7)    Check that all your instruments are working correctly. Get fresh batteries for your odometer/speedometer, heart-rate monitor and digital watch. Ensure that your cadence, speed and heart rate can be detected. Keep your mathematics to minimum, so you can focus on other important matters like your safety, nutrition and race tactics.

8)    Ensure that your swim equipment is more than useable. Ensure that your wetsuit fits well (not too loose to be waterlogged, or too tight to be a pain to wear) and is free of fingernail tears. Patch any tears (seek a professional if you don’ know how). Bring body lubricant or plastic bags to facilitate suiting up. Have two goggles that have been tested; swim in them in both pool and the sea/lake to detect potential leaks (it can happen when you scrunch your face in stress during a swim).

9)    Get ready: have your bike-shoes/cleats locked into your pedal. Practise mounting on/off your bike. Use quick-laces (or elastic) for your running shoes. Practise your T1 and T2 transitions during training. Think change parade in the military!

10) Have a list of things to bring and do. Review this list. Follow the list. Request your traveling partner remind you about contents of this list.

Enjoy and appreciate your preparation stage. You have done the miles. Now time to enjoy the fruits of your training. It will save you heaps of time, and present better overall performance for you!

10 Ways to Generate An Optimal Working State

Leaders need energy to lead well. Energy is the source of life. Our body produces and harnesses it. When we are fresh and energized, we can do much more than when we are fatigued and drained. Here are some ways to stay energetic and alert for the stresses and challenges of this new, year. For more tips on prolonged energy generation and sustaining it, stay tuned for the tacit wisdom of our endurance athletes featured on this blog (marathoners, ultra-marathoners, triathletes, Ironman, ultra-Ironman, and long-distance swimmers, podium-finishers). Lead energetically, enthusiastically and with purpose!

1)    Spend less time at the keyboard. Sit on a Medi-Ball (or Swiss ball) instead of a chair. Your heightened posture expands your ribcage.

2)    Stand up and stretch whenever you can.

3)    Take a brisk walk. Do MBWA (Management By Walking Around) at the office! Have short, mobile meetings – meetings on the run!

4)    Drink water at regular intervals. Exercise stimulates thirst, although thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration.

5)    Sleep adequately (6-7.5 hours at least). It diminishes your stress and lowers your heart rate.

6)    Take deep breathes, when you feel sleepy or tired.

7)    Exercise regularly. Cross-train. Do activities that you enjoy.

8)    Stay positive with self-encouragement. Enhance your Positive Mental Attitude (PMA). Enjoy your race finishes, race-medals and finisher-tees.

9)    Surround yourself with enthusiastic and energetic people.

10) Eat regular well-balanced meals. Avoid foods that cause you allergies. Raw foods are a great complement to our nutrition.

So You Want To Attempt A 100K Run?

It is almost the end of the year. I usually finish the year with an ultra-marathon, which in recent years has been the MR25 Ultra-marathon. To earn your t-shirt (thus, bragging rights when you go shopping at the mall), you would have to run five loops of 10.5K each over fairly rugged, cross country terrain. The slopes are not that menacing, but after your third loop it would be wise to walk it up. I learnt a few years back from veteran ultra-runners that it would be more useful (in saving your running legs) to walk up slopes, and then go faster downhill.

Training is one of the two major keys to completing an ultra-distance race. There is no escaping the fact that ‘you have to do the time, if you want to do the crime’. The rough guide to completion nirvana is to do regular runs, with varying intensities and distances, totaling about 70-100K per week. Certainly, if your rest and recuperative powers are good, you can indulge in longer or more frequent runs.

Note to over-40 runners: The research and practice indicates that it would be better to split a long run into two shorter ones – one in the morning, the other in the evening. Focus on intensity: intervals, tempo, hills and cross-country/trail running.

Your fitness training should include race-day simulations, and a Long Slow Distance (LSD) run should be factored in, about three-quarters of the actual distance run. For example, for my quest for the Adidas Sundown 84K medal and t-shirt, I did a 60K run on the actual race-route during training. Unfortunately, boredom overwhelmed me and I did 54K instead (and took a cab for the remaining distance back). That is a marathon-plus in training! That was a PB for me in training!

Nutrition is the other key if you want to complete an ultra-distance run. My friends laughed at me when I wore a race/fuel belt filled with Power-Gels. Little did they realize that my need for energy is higher than most; I calculated my energy expenditure during training. My coach also worked out that I need about a packet of gel every 20 minutes, and two water-bottles of water/sports drink an hour. What I loaded up early in the first marathon helped me finish my second one. The same approach goes for an Ironman-distance race: eat and drink well on your riding leg. Otherwise, you’ll hit Bonksville on the marathon. That’s when many of us walk the marathon. Although I missed the podium by a slim margin, I was happy I completed in 9:30 and learnt invaluable lessons on running long.

Now here’s the bad news: Over-distance running, or running more than you are racing may be hard on your joints. Of the dozens of ultra-runners I interviewed, about 70 percent of them claimed to experience joint-related injuries one month AFTER the race! Many of them continue to use glucosamine supplements. Although research on this nutrient is inconclusive, there is no harm in using it as a food supplement. I, too, fell prey to knee and ankle injuries. These have healed with a systematic approach of rehabilitative intervention, deep tissue massage and core-muscles training. Talk to seasoned and sustained runners on how they keep healthy when running far.

Hope this helps you. See you on the last Sunday of December at MacRitchie Reservoir! It will be a useful confidence booster for the Sundown 100K Challenge in June 2011. I hope to do six loops this year, with my trail running shoes.

Pre-Race Premonition & Preparation

Four weeks more till Ironman Western Australia. Hopefully, the reports of shark sightings and shark attacks will not deter the participants from procuring thicker neoprene wetsuits. Some writers joke that it may motivate swimmers to swim faster and emerge from the waves and wake of Geographe Bay sooner. I hope to be one of them registering a PB, out of necessity and need.

For neophytes to the Ironman distance, here are additional suggestions (on essentials to bring along) from seasoned finishers of the 226K races:

1)    Have your bike serviced at least two weeks before as your bike-shop might be plagued by other desperate, last-minute requests (test-drive your bike after servicing, then degrease it before you pack before your trip)

2)    Bring as much tested-in-training nutrition as you will need for the race and before (Gatorade is the official drink, sports gels, energy bars, electrolyte tablets, instant noodles – comfort food after the race)

3)    Your racing clothes (2 X goggles, seasoned wetsuit, 2 X tri-suit, head-gear, eye-shades, helmet, running shoes, bike-shoes/cleats, socks, contact lenses or race-spectacles)

4)    Ward off wind-chill with warm clothing on race day (it gets cold at the T1 area when you set up; and you need dry clothes immediately after the race as it gets windy)

5)    Avoid buying from race-fair, except for gas canisters (bring your own inflator/adaptor, spare tubes/tyres, speedometer, duct-tape, Ziploc bags, Bento-Box, elastic bands, safety-light)

6)    Exchange currency into Australian Dollars; credit card (for post-race, Finisher merchandise purchase)

7)    Clean rags for cleaning your bike before and after the race (used socks are very useful)

8)    A mid-sized hand-pump (a Joe-Blow pump can be shared with close buddies if they carry some other stuff for you)

9)    Above all, zip up your tri-suit and remove all Spartan-shoulder pads (okay, stale sponges) before you leap, roll or dash through the Finish Line!