I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Last night, as I was about to plunge into my solo strength-training sessions on my bike, I met Marco, my TriFam friend. I asked to join him, and we did one large 30K-plus loop of Selarang Hill. I felt that it was the safer thing to do, than to ride alone on a busy road and to break way from a monotonous circuit I normally ride on.

I combined two strength sessions in one: one on the heaviest gear, and the other a lighter one. I was to test my fitness on two separate time-trial sessions. I perform this test every mid-week, and for simulating hills and headwinds (of which there is plenty where I train at). Coach believes that it will help me develop better riding power, and he has been spot-on in his recommendation.

Marco had a tough midday spinning class in his gym, so his legs were quite thrashed. This tough German, Ironman 70.3 specialist is an elite-level swimmer and he rides very well. I managed to keep up with him until the last few kilometres, where he bolted off with me struggling to keep in tandem on my road-bike. I achieved my goals (an average of 30kph in headwinds), returned safely, with no glaring symptoms of my suspected fractured ribs or strained inter-coastal muscles. Marco and I have raced in Clearwater, Florida in the 2009 edition of Ironman 70.3 World Championships, and I trust his judgement when it comes to riding. Yesterday, he led and I followed. Hopefully soon enough, I will lead him on my route. He will be attending to his torn tendon injury with surgery soon, and he is hoping to retain as much of his fitness during his recovery period.

Have you thought about doing one of the toughest (and hottest) ultra-marathons in the world? You will require a tenacious team of serial supporters who will carry you through the end of 135 miles of shearing heat, persistent pain and agony. The same goes for the notoriously demanding cross-terrain Norseman triathlon, which is a full-Ironman distance. You will need a dedicated and alert support crew on wheels to fuel and motivate you. Craig Slattery and Tee Boon Teong from my club earn exclusive slots for this year's edition. I wish them well and a good shot at the black finisher t-shirt!

We get by with a few of our friends!

Running Away in Macintoshes

The weekend beckons. My students announced it with their dress-down gear today, signaling to me early this morning that it was TGIF. Aware of this acronym, I converted it into the anagram ‘GIFT’. Some well-intentioned posters remind us, incessantly, on Facebook about the innocuous cliché that the ‘present’ moment is a ‘gift’. After the landslide of tributes in the last 24 hours for Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs I am mindful of ‘being in the moment’ and appreciating my presence, as well that of others.

I am writing this post on my 2-year-old iMac – a clever investment from a computer fair. I am a heavy user since I have written dozens of training manual, two novels, countless business proposals, thousands of e-mails, and 2.5 years worth of blogging on it. I have fond memories of my adventures - loaded as photographs and videos - in this workstation, and I continue to receive them when friends enthusiastically ‘tag’ me; this was a recent one of me sprinting to the finish-line (and taken by volunteers of the Yellow Ribbon Project Run, held a fortnight ago).

The weather has been quirky, opting to rain heavily in the evening. It has been five days since I rode my bike, and almost a week since I ran. My mild, but annoying, condition of plantar fasciitis has just about cleared. Having collected my race-pack with running partner for The North Face (TNF) 100 Duo, I am strongly reminded of my date-with-fate the following Saturday morning at 7.00am. I will be running 50K worth of rugged terrain, over relatively unfamiliar and mostly uncomfortable terrain. I am not versatile on trail, and the closest I have been to a dusty or muddy trail was my 5K Time Trial with MR25 in August. I have not used my Camel-Pak water-pouch for almost a year, and I am concerned about potential abrasions. My right rotator cuff is playing up, and I hope that it would be stable enough for the pounding I will subject my body and feet to. I have my work cut out for me.

My strategy for the 50K trail run is simple, however not easy. I intend to do daily runs from now till Thursday, over varying terrain for about 10-12K per session. I will be using my Camel-Pak, studying which are the potential pressure-points and abrasion-prone areas on my body. I am likely to race in my tri-gear as they are my workhorse clothes when I race, and I like to treat each race as a race-day simulation. I hope to hold 8-9K per hour on the hills and trails, and about 10K on the flats. Conservative will be my approach, and conversational would be my pace. I will fuel up at 30-minute intervals, with a variety of sweeteners (mainly maltodextrin-based gels and bars). More importantly, as a team-partner I will stick with Hui Koon for as long as I can. My motivation would be a Subway foot-long sandwich with the ‘works’.

I will be swimming this Sunday at a charity, and hope to complete a steady 50 laps (2.5K). Time to rest up and do a 21K tomorrow morning, rain or shine. Have a very good weekend, all!

Nothing Beats Your First Time!

100K of nocturnal pounding on the pavement: That was what my friends did with hundreds of other ultra-marathoners at this morning’s Sundown Ultra-marathon. Last year's third-place finisher, Robson Phan (who I shared a photo-finish with, at last year’s Beer Run), braving gastrointestinal issues at the 53K (after holding a 10K/h pace, completed it in under-11 hours (and a 7^th placing). Apparently, his pre-race meal of sweet potatoes did not agree with him on the second-half of the race.

Congratulations to sleep-deprived, Lap Huan, Charlotte (for placing second), Winston and Wilson (93K is two marathons-plus) for their personal attempts! Congratulations to Mika Kume for her podium placing in the Masters’s category, and to Sumiko Tan for her win in the Women’s Open section. Mika out-ran me at last year’s 84K night challenge, much to my honour.

As I read the real-time reports on Facebook (courtesy of iPhone users), I was thinking about these brave athletes. Running in the evening is very harsh on the body, considering the fact that there was high humidity (almost 100 percent) and scarcity of breeze. It rained in the morning, so the air was thick with excitement and water vapour. The race flagged off at the Marina Barrage at 6.00pm, and the route covered the entire eastern part of Singapore. I was also a little disappointed at not racing this year’s marathon, although I swore I would never do it again (soon).  With next week’s Gold Coast Marathon looming, I had to rest up my legs to stay fresh for a potential PB. An ultra-marathon takes too long to recover, and a week does not cut if I was seeking a second Boston Qualifier (BQ). At my current fitness, I believe that I could have completed the 100K in about 11 hours. No loss for fantasizing!

The results came in fast and furious through social media, mainly iPhone reports, Facebook posts and the occasional tweets. For those of us who decided to support our running mates (not political, mind you), we cheered them on – much to their appreciation. My friends (like Charles of AniMiles) drove to specific locations along the official route, and either offered cold drinks and coffee, and even leg massages (Reese of Crazy2Tri supporting Lawrence). Running a night ultra-marathon is a very lonely proposition made more memorable with cheerful friends, excited over your own challenge and celebration.

I wish you the very best on your next challenge. Read about John Cooke's new racing experience.

Leadership Lesson: What was it like completing your first challenge? How does it feel to accomplish something seemingly impossible? How grateful are you of your supporters?

Alternatives For Alternate Outcomes

Sadly, I did not meet the online dateline for the MR25 Ultramarathon, to be held on Boxing Day. It used to be an on-the-spot morning-itself, registration. This year, participants enjoy a race-kit prior to the event itself. The minimum requirement for earning a Finisher’s t-shirt was five loops for a total of 52.5K.

As such, I have made alternate plans. I intend to ride 140K with Hui Koon and company, on Christmas morning. This will help me draw upon my festive reserves for the eve dinner, and proceeding dinner. For Boxing Day, I may go for a solo long run, or with others. Or, I could go along for the run, in my own time with my own nutritional support. Free country, isn’t it?

Do you make alternate plans? How many options do you offer yourself for a strategic plan? What do you do when plans do not go your way? How creative do you get when you deviate from your intended plan?

*****

Off to Shanghai later today, and I will plough through my options in the light snowy conditions. I will be spending three days with about 30 corporate leaders.

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.

Alan Geraldi In The News Again

A new interview of ultra-marathoner, Alan Geraldi appears here. Previously, Alan was interviewed on Leadership Lessons from Triathlons. This forty-something lawyer, certainly commits actively to going green. Perhaps we can pluck a leave from the same tree?

Alan has completed the Badwater Ultramarathon, and he qualified for the grueling Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run this year. Good luck and all the best, mate!

Photo-credits: Alan Geraldi

Bravery in the Face of Charity

Major Kelly Lim braved inclement weather and a temperamental terrain, to achieve 150km after 30 hours of running. Having done a meagre 52.5km myself last Sunday's ultramarathon, I salute Major Lim for her concrete courage. Her posture of determination yielded about $24,000 worth of donations to a worthy cause. I encourage you to consider making a small donation, to give her enduring attempt additional momentum, as she nurses her injuries as a result of a punitive regime yesterday. She is still short of her goal of raising $50,000.00 to charity. This poster appeared on her blog today, and give it some thought and pass the message on. If we phrase the message right, it is about the values of generosity, consideration and care that endear ourselves to, in a national-level collaboration.