NYC Marathon 2011

Congratulations to Singaporean Dr Ben Tan, Dr Benny Goh and David Tay for completing the tough New York City Marathon! They achieved it in splendid times, with Benny completing it in 2:52, Ben in 3:10 and David in 3:44, for a hilly course that covers all the five boroughs. Entry is by your previous fastest times, or by the luck of the draw in the NYCM Lottery.

The late-Norwegian track star and Olympian, Grete Waitz won the NYC Marathon in 1978 (with Bill Rodgers in the Men’s section). The, then unknown, runner  or  #1173 won the NYCM a total of  nine times, setting three world records in her first marathon. The legendary story told was that she threw her shoes down after completing her maiden 42.195K, which actually was directed at her husband Jack, because she hurt in that race. The track star, Grete ran the race ‘blind’ never exceeding 12 miles for her longest run. Nobody knew who she was for she was a late entry.

Today, the woman’s race begins first; the rules changed in 2002 when originally it was a co-ed, mass start. As reported earlier, the late-Fred Lebow masterminded this race and never ran it until just before his death. Grete came out of retirement to run with her dear friend Fred, side-by-side, for his completion. Grete attributed Lebow for getting her initiated to the marathon, where her potential shone. Ironically, both icons had cancer and we lost two influential leaders in the global running community.

Leadership Lessons: When were you ever a ‘late entry’? What was it like to fill in somebody’s shoes at the last moment? What was it like being ‘blind’ to the conditions of an event or challenge? Which personal values do you draw on when you plunge into a new challenge? How do you face a challenge of epic proportions?

Want to Attempt A Race With Stretch Goals?

Want to Attempt A Race With Stretch Goals?

A stretch goal is a goal that tests your abilities, and taps on your potential. Limits are meant to be exceeded. Otherwise, they serve as mindsets – prisons of our minds – which we stubbornly cling to, and create excuses for. If you cannot reason through your ‘mental brakes’, then you are making excuses to fulfil your sense of mediocrity.

Arguably, completing an Ironman triathlon is one of the toughest endurance races in the world, yet many of us shy away from races like St George (Utah) and Lanzarote. There are many reasons for avoiding such courses, mainly because the routes are gruelling, painful and hard to earn PBs. Yet, there are reasons for doing such races:

1) These are early-season races and if you miss a Kona slot, you can choose another with time to spare.
2) If you are one of the privileged to rightfully earn a slot, you will have time to prepare adequately for the extreme conditions (strong winds and heat).
3) Time to step up to the plate and challenge yourself beyond fast or flat courses. Finishers earn the right to brag about the tougher courses they completed. Monikers for races include ‘Toughest day on earth’, ‘Hottest day’ or ‘One of the toughest bike courses in the world’. The now-discontinued Ironman Korea that I completed in 2006 had a challenging, one-loop bike course; IM Lanzarote boasts a higher elevation; St George was a rolling course with cold conditions. What is your poison?
4) Be the first (few) to attempt and complete these unpopular courses. I have friends who completed Norseman, Ironman Lanzarote, Ironman Canada and Ironman St George. The harder the course conditions, the more slots tend to remain months after the race opens its doors.
5) Attempt a Double-, Triple-, or Quadruple-Ironman. The toughness and fear factor increases in multiples. A long-term training strategy is involved for those attempting longer races, such as crew assistance, resting and recovery time.
6) Attempt new races like the non-M-Dot brands including the Challenge series and Norseman (boutique race, by selection only).
7) The chances of reviving Asian races like IM Malaysia, IM Korea and IM China are remote.
8) New qualifying rules for the Kona Lottery will lead to those who have successfully completed at least 12 M-Dot races, to have a better chance of qualifying at Kona. Non-M-Dot long-distance triathlons do not count.

Apply early as most M-Dot sanctioned races are sold out early, some as soon as they are released (and within hours). The sold-out races in early-2012 include IM New Zealand and the inaugural IM Melbourne. IM China and IM Korea have been discontinued because they received poor evaluations from participants. Or, take the road less travelled and take on off-road or extended races. Dare yourself into an early-season race!

Letting Them Beat You Occasionally: A Coach's Journey (Part 2)

Another Coaching Milestone occurred whilst I was working with a fellow trainer, Enrico Varella in Singapore.  One of my hobbies is competing in triathlons – Olympic and Ironman distances.  Enrico was a very dedicated bodybuilder and athlete, however he could not imagine swimming, riding and running in a one event, let alone competing in an Ironman race. After much coercing and convincing him that any one can do it – as long as you are willing to put the work in – he started to train for a short distance race. Over the next six months, I would send words of encouragement and training programs but he seemed to have hit a plateau. So, the next trip I was in Singapore we linked up for a run after one of our workshops.

The goal was to complete a 10km run. We aimed to run along the East Coast of Singapore for 5km then turn around at the halfway point and run back. After about 2km, I noticed he was taking it very, very easy and lagging behind. I asked,  "What are you waiting for, a taxi?" You have the ability and fitness to make the 10km easy. He informed me that he had only run 10km, two other times but very slow.

So, I set him a challenge: he was to turn at the 5km mark and run back to the start point, I would run 5.5km and chase him to the finish. Enrico would run 10km, and I would run 11km all up.  Last one back had to buy dinner.   We got to the 5 km mark and he turned for home, I bid him farewell and headed for the 5.5km mark.  As I ran off I noticed his pace had increased considerably. So I gave it all and ran as hard as I could. With 1km to go I had closed the gap to within 100 metres and started to yell out, "I'm closing up behind you!" Enrico lifted the pace like a man possessed. I reduced the gap to 20 metres and backed off to allow him to cross the line first very exhausted. He had run a PB, the fastest 10km ever for him.

Since then he has gone on to complete 11 Ironman races and is highly recognised throughout Singapore for his rapid progression and dedication towards training. Sometimes we have to set ourselves challenging goals to stretch and achieve our real potential. Sometimes we need to take a loss to have a win also. Well done Enrico, it was a pleasure buying the dinner. You are an IRONMAN!

EV: Thanks a million - mate [shakes his head in disbelief]! What was it like to qualify, and complete Kona?

CH: Fantastic, the whole journey was very fulfilling. It was a sense of achievement and closure. After all the years of hard training and sacrifices made by my loved ones and myself, it was nice to achieve the goals I had set.

EV: Do you think triathletes need coaching?

CH: Yes, definitely. There is so much to learn about the sport. I have a different coach for Swimming, Riding and Running. Other aspects that need attention include nutrition, equipment selection, mental aspects, (mind control), race tactics, tapering before a race, post training and race recovery, physiology, maintaining work/life harmony and most important of all, your loved ones.

EV: How can triathletes get on a coaching program?

CH: There are many different means available for triathletes these days, ranging from triathlon magazines, the Internet, online coaching, tri clinics to personal coaches. I think it is important to seek out a coach who you respect and is able to tailor the coaching program to suit your individual needs. You need to be considerate of your work, family, mental and physical situations, and adaptable enough to adjust the program accordingly.

EV: Thanks, Fox for the interview!

Ironman World Championships 2005, Kona, Hawaii – 10 hours 38 min

2002 Forster Australian Ironman – 10 hours 32 minutes

2005 Forster Australian Ironman: 10 hours 2 minutes

2010 Ironman New Zealand: Sub-11:00

2010 Ironman Western Australia: Sub-11:00

Australian Defence Olympic Triathlon Championships - 2 hours 2 min 35 seconds

1st place: Fuji-Xerox Singapore Open Water Swim 2006 (1.5km)

1st place: Fuji-Xerox Singapore Open Water Swim 2007 (1km)

2nd place: OSIM International Triathlon (Singapore) 2007, 45-49 years

And many more!

Craig Holland provides Leadership Training and Motivational Coaching to develop your peak performance mentally and physically. He can be contacted at foxholland@aapt.net.au [Editor: I have since progressed into a Boston Qualifier, sub-3:30 marathoner, ultra-marathoner, and aiming for my 12^th Ironman finish in March.]

© 2009-2011 Enrico Varella & Tri2Lead.com

Reproduction of material from any Lead2Tri.blogspot.com pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Letting Them Beat You Occasionally: A Coach's Journey (Part 1)

Editor: We first conducted this interview with my Australian triathlon coach, Craig ‘Fox’ Holland in 2009. He was one of three people who inspired me to take up the sport of triathlons in 2004. As he has coached me over the last seven years, I felt that it would be useful now, to publish this again (updated), for those making their first attempt at Ironman Western Australia 2011 or Ironman New Zealand 2012. Fox has been coaching several Singaporean triathletes over the last few years; his popularity being that he is highly accessible, and he is passionate about developing his coachee’s athletic potential. In subsequent days, I will post some of the Fox’s pre-race, motivational pieces he submitted over the years. Enjoy!

Craig ‘Fox’ Holland resides in beautiful Nelson Bay, Coastal Beach Village in New South Wales, Australia. He represented Australia in both the Olympic Distance as well as Ironman distance in the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in 2005. He is the holder of many age-group triathlon awards. Since 2004, Fox has coached dozens of executives on how to start their training for biathlons, triathlons and endurance races. He has helped his students and neophytes realise their personal dreams of completing their first triathlon, open water swim, marathon, and Ironman triathlon. He was an aircraft technician in his previous life, and is now an International Management Consultant/Trainer.

Craig Holland and Enrico Varella were in Nusa Dua, Bali for this interview. We were seated on deckchairs by the swimming pool, watching the waves plough the shores mercilessly. Fox’s skin showed a crispy, sun-kissed tan, of having spent three weeks surfing 6-foot waves. As planning and coincidence had it, we met up with him and his family (wife, Sue; sons, 16-year-old Cameron and11-year-old Mitch). We chatted about his 10 years of working on projects in Singapore, his admiration for Bruce Lee (whom he finds most inspiring as an athlete), and his yearning to qualify for Kona in his new age-group of 50-54. By the way, years of competing in endurance sports has taken its toll on his joints, and he has undergone reconstructive shoulder and knee surgery. In spite of his condition, he enjoys racing and the camaraderie his sports bring to him. 

Seizing the day, this interview was developed further with mobile technology (Skype and electronic mail) since we were nomadic executives.

Enrico (EV): What are your professional views of coaching?

Craig Holland (CH): I believe coaching should be personalised to the individual needs, with goals set higher than the coachee's expectations. 

Quite often, we set goals that under-estimate our true potential. I'm don't mean un-realistic/un-achievable goals, but challenging enough to make the coachee exceed their limitations, physically and mentally.  You want to put/see that sparkle in their eyes where the coachee actually thinks…

Yes, maybe I could do it. Wouldn't it be great if I did? I think it is possible with more dedication and refinement. If they can do it, so can I. Why not? I'll show them.

EV: What are your personal views of coaching?

CH: Coaching should be a two-way relationship of trust between the coach and the coachee. The coach has to be willing to loose to the coachee at times to achieve a win in the long term. The biggest compliment to the coach is when the coachee becomes more skilled at the practice than the coach. This reminds me of your favourite Zen saying: "When the Student is ready, the Master will appear." Correct?

EV: That is correct, Grasshopper! What is your experience with coaching executives, internationally?

CH: I have been involved with coaching executives internationally for the past eight years in Australia, Asia, The Middle East, and Africa. Whilst there is a large diversity of cultures between the countries, we humans "yearn to learn" and are willing to listen and change behaviors if they can see the benefits. It is important to identify the improved skills and how they will change the coachee' s work/life harmony.

EV: When does it work best?

CH: When the coachee has not had the chance to learn bad habits. When the coachee has the time/infrastructure and support systems in place to allow them to practice, refine the skills with continuous guidance/feedback and reassurance. It also helps if the Coachee has constant exposure to experts/masters in the field to model excellence. Seek out what the best do and learn from them.

EV: When does coaching get challenging?

CH: When the coachee does not see improvement in their performance immediately and they become de motivated. Loose focus. When the coachee wants to change but does not have the support of their supervisors.

EV: How do you measure the impact of coaching?

CH: It is important to initially identify the coachee' s skills/abilities and then set sub-goals/milestone/challenges for them to achieve along the way.

EV: How do coaching triathletes tie in with your coaching of adult-learners and executives?

CH: You need to believe in yourself, and have the right mindset. When coaching executives try to get them to believe they do have the capabilities/talents to achieve. I often use stories of athletes I have known/coached that could only dream of taking on a triathlon or Ironman. But with perseverance, dedication and guidance they have climbed their mountains.

EV: Which are two of your best coaching stories?

CH: I have many great success stories involving both business and sports.

One recent success story involved working with Nokia; I have been responsible for training Nokia Manager's in the Middle East, South African and Asia. It is a Leadership program with an emphasis on Psychological Profiling, Coaching and Change Management with three post-course virtual coaching sessions. One particular manager was very stressed out about their failing relationship between his Boss and work colleagues. They stated that they had no work/life harmony and that their relationship with their partner and young child was also suffering and that they never had time to exercise or play sport. The Doctor had also commented about their raising blood pressure.

After working with the manager we discussed issues about their individual personality preferences, their staff's/Boss’s personality and management style and what work/life harmony would they like to have? Over the next three months the manager implemented many changes, such as instigating regular focus groups between themselves and work colleagues, prioritized their work commitments, did not micro-manage staff anymore (which gave them more time for other duties). They had also joined a local gym with their partner and were dedicating time to watch their children play sport one night a week and on the weekend. Their boss had noted the changes and the manager had recently been offered a promotion.

(continued on next post)…

Perceptions, Plantar Fasciitis, and Prancing Around In Birthday Suits

Just watched ‘The Adventures of Tin Tin’ in 3D. It was quite good, considering the fact that it was fully in digital animation. The characters looked life-like, with more definition and realism than ‘The Polar Express’. Actors Daniel Craig (James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’), Simon Pegg (‘Shawn of The Dead’) and Andy Serkis (of ‘Lord of The Rings’ fame) lent their voices to the key characters.

My friend Vijay described it as ‘stoic’, and he was accurate in his interpretation; it is a 110-minute film that is styled like ‘National Treasure’ with its analytical moments. Director and co-producer Steven Spielberg directed with a similar pace of his earlier ‘Indiana Jones’ trillogy of films. If you were to flesh comic-book characters into actual humans, then there is a certain reality that has to be created. The characters have to be believable, even if the stunts they subject themselves to are sometimes over-the-top. By the way, no stunt-people were injured during the course of this film. 

Is barefoot running unsafe? Does it contribute to specific running-related injuries? Here is a piece by a podiatrist about managing a common type of foot injury. Do you have plantar fasciitis? How are you managing it?

During the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii there is a precursor race called the Underpants Run. Would you go one step further and run naked? Here’s a 5K race done in the buff. By the way, all the best to our Singaporean marathoners Dr Ben Tan, Dr Benny Goh, David Tay, and the Team running at the New York City Marathon today. We wish them all the best!

Primed for Results

3X3 equals a formula for Ironman triathlon training. Three is a prime number, an odd number divisible only with itself. Do each of the three disciplines up to three times per week, and you should reap the maximum results from it.

The times per week, spent training all adds up depending on how long your sessions are. Again, quality prevails over quantity.

So far my thrice-weekly sessions for running has yielded very good results. I just need to amplify the longest runs, going beyond my preferred 21K at tempo or race pace. Andrew Ngo has suggested a tweak to my interval training workouts so I can establish a reliable competitive pace for the marathon on 4 December. This will be my first A-race for the season before my assault for my 12^th Ironman finisher title.

All I need to do over the next 16 weeks is to ensure I swim and ride three times per week. Any more sessions will only deplete my reserves and reduce my chances for a full recovery. 9 sessions of 1-2 hours spell 9-18 hours of total training time. If you want to excel in your sport, you will have to do the time. Now, you can also adjust the equation by replacing one workout for a strong discipline with a weaker one. Let us say that your swim is weak, replace one run workout for it. You can still run, however you may do that as part of swim-run brick, or ride-run brick. Each discipline complements the others, working the entire body for a synergistic approach to fitness. One-sport exclusive, can train the body to become overly strong in specific muscle groups; it can in turn lead to muscular imbalances and potential injuries.

Lest we be too rigid, you can replace one or two training sessions with rest and recovery, an easier day, or some other activities. Keep your schedule flexible and work on your flexibility.

Leadership Lessons: What is your take on trios? How often do you apply the Power of 3 into your profession? How do you apply ‘threes’ into creating a balanced lifestyle? What are your Triple Threats: your top three competencies?

Photo-Credit: Wilson Ang captures a certain blog while reading the day's posting. That is soya-bean milk in the foreground.

I Am A Road Runner

I am what I am, and that’s a roadrunner!

Not the cartoon birds that goes ‘beep beep’ and then vroom off into the highway, evading the vile and wily tactics of Wile E. Coyote. I am a runner who seeks the road well travelled. I will find my way, and I have GPS to guide me.

I rarely run trails, off-road, or cross-country. Well, the closest I have is a bi-monthly time trial for the MR25 club I belong to. That’s because I want to enhance my animal ranking. Every minute less than 25 minutes designates an animal of running prowess. I think that there’s a beast (or varying hirsuteness) that lurks within the hairy-legged me, and I think the roads contain its enthusiasm – occasionally, it rears its ugly head when runners deliberately hog the road during a race, and I cannot overtake. Other than this personal peeve, I am happy as a clean tuxedo on prom-night, to immerse myself with the ever-growing running populace with branded team-names such as F1 Runners and Team Fatbird.

Some may think I am a coward, for avoiding the nastier and nascent trails filled with unruly undulations (of rollercoaster standards), offensive mud baths, wantonly loose gravel, and orphaned twigs. You also play Russian Roulette with the inherent risk of deadfall (crashing dead trees). Others may consider me a hypochondriac, shielding myself from the abundance of dirt. I opt for the road as it is just outside my door. In marsupial style, I hop on a tar road, activate my Garmin 310XT, and start jogging. There is no fuss as to which shoes I need, as I can also run barefoot.

There is a plethora of road races – almost every weekend, for commercial or charitable purposes. Roads, park connectors, pavements and pedestrian walkways mark the designated routes. Follow the yellow brick road…for it leads to the finishing point. We rarely get lost for the visibility is often good, the direction etched by the person in front, or a direction sign with the largest font-size a paintbrush can express. The aid-stations are stacked with a smorgasbord of nutrition, fetched by an efficient courier service on a main vein of a city’s circulation.

We are not alone. We are a global tribe who seek local routes. The Road Runners Club of America is one of the largest running clubs in the USA, with more 1000 running clubs and events nation-wide. The Singapore Marathon expects to lure up to 70,000 runners in all denominations: 10K, 21K and 42.195K.

We may resort to the gym, Pilates and core-stability work to build our leg strength and joint stability. However, we still get the job done. We may look over-dressed at times, and debate the ubiquitous shoe models that mushroom monthly, and argue the case for barefoot or minimalist, forefoot landing or midsole strike. Sure, there are a few faux superheroes bedecked in clinical-quality, compression-wear that may give us pause – to sleep, perchance to dream…but I digress.

Spectators prefer to throng the roadside to encourage us on; as long as there is a Starbucks retail outlet, there will be people eager to watch or satisfy their visual curiosity as they sip on their lukewarm brew. It is this crowd of onlookers and fans that make the run (3-7 hours) and the finish most enticing and enriching.

I may prefer it flat and hard, yet it is the concrete jungle that I hold my place. I am a roadrunner, and I’m sticking to my story, the plotline, and the happy ending.

While you are here, read Amit’s piece on inspiration. If you are inclined up-size everything including your challenge distance, then head to ultra-marathoner Heather Howell’s blog.


Photo-credit: Chiang Mun Wai

Upgrades and Uplifting Moments

Software is ubiquitously upgraded almost everyday; we receive regular updates and patches to be installed to our operating systems. We take great pride when we upgrade our houses, hoping to deliberately bump its perceived value skywards. We relish in the next android phone launched by Apple, opting for an iPhone with an additional alphabet attached to it. Applications-developing companies hope that owners of their shareware games upgrade – by buying at their Appstore – to a paid version, embellished with more bells and whistles than a music store.

Corporations provide recognition and rewards of its performers by way of bonuses, incentives and promotions. High-potentials earn an accelerated career pathway, allowing their ambitions and aspirations to be fulfilled sooner. Beyond pure performance appraisals, peer appraisals can also matter in a 360 Degree Feedback System (360DFS).

It feels nice to be acknowledged. The knowledge that we are positioned higher than our counterparts and colleagues may enhance our confidence. We feel empowered by our sense of achievement and its raises our self-esteem and self-worth. Once a professional athlete earns world championship status, his/her status is upgraded; same goes for amateur athletes who secure a podium spot in the Olympic Games. Your value, credibility and influence rise in tandem to your accomplishments.

I found out today that I was promoted 23 positions above the previously posted results of the Newton 30K run held on Sunday. This now, assuredly, places me in the top-5 percent that I suspected I earned; confusion in the timing and results' layout created significant displeasure with the competitors. My timing stayed the same, validated by my own recording on my Garmin 310XT watch; this data matters more to me than relative ranking. I have observed that as easy as it is to host a sporting event, that irate participants easily disengage from future support. Tribes can downgrade your efforts and good intentions as their results and experiences are emotional issues. It can cost us a bit for an upgrade, yet a downgrade (by others) can cost us so much more.

Leadership Lessons: When was the last time you upgraded some of your beliefs? What have you done to upgrade yourself? How much do you assist in the development and growth of your staff? What have you done to enhance the capability of your staff, so that they might choose to stay relevant and employable?

Are You Confident About Corporate Leadership?

It appears that corporate leadership has suffered poor public relations in recent years. Large corporations are blind-sighting us with enormous amounts of data and information we may not know what to do with. The demonstrations by like-minded, good-intentioned, people outside Wall Street paints the current perceptual picture. The defiant posture of multinationals tend to be: If you cannot convince them, confuse them. Seems to have worked over the last few years with banking and financial institutions selling products that many cannot pay off during hardship. There is suggestion that ‘Servant Leadership’ exists yet how often does staff experience this? If staff prefer to avoid facing the ‘Chief’ how is this leadership felt and experienced?

I foresee corporate leadership books to take a plunge in sales, as it defies our expectations and defiles our belief about the C-level team. We are better off reading biographies of entrepreneurs and works of fiction. Few bestselling books on the non-fiction list command our selective attention. New media propagates what the tribes decide and determine to be fashionable or popular. Populist choices are not necessarily the best for us, or objective enough for us to part with our dollars and sense.

Key questions to ask of our leadership are: What are their personal values? Which are the most valuable roles a CEO can play in bolstering leadership capabilities and growing a company? What are the strategies to managing business changes and stages, based on what works, what does not work, and developing the ability to spot potential for change and growth going forward? Which are the solutions to challenges such as motivating and managing human capital? How do they find financing on the fluctuating and facetious market? What about raw materials pricing, and what is to be expected in the coming months? What is the overall success of entrepreneurs emerging from the recession? How do you spur innovation and entrepreneurship?

I have decided to stick to fictional works, reading short stories and novels. I also enjoy books on history for it reminds us of lessons of the foibles and feebleness of the human conditions, as well as the seven deadly sins. Authors have a way of engaging our hearts and minds in print. The keyboard may be mightier than a weapon. In the early-1980’s, The One-Minute Manager books were a hit for their brevity and storybook style of teaching.

Even self-help books can be useful and, at the least, an entertaining read. I foresee books on wellness and well-being to dominate our shelves. Feeling better is more relevant than feeling depressed and hopeless. We can tend to our sense of sanguineness by taking care of our mind, body and spirit. Exercise your body, and exercise your other options. We do have choices. Sift through what we may not have discovered or considered.

Leadership Lessons: Be well. Do some good for others. Stay focused.

Is Your Cup Half-Filled or Half-Empty?

‘Before we can fill our cup, we must first empty our cup.’ ~ Zen saying

Sunday’s long-distance road-race saw adequate aid-stations and public bathrooms along the 18K loop. Some runners cheekily remarked that although the cups were large, yet they were half-filled; many chose to drink enough before we departed from our hydration-points. We used these precious cups of fluid to cool us externally and internally. One middle-aged runner – who deserves a prize for being protective of our environment – collected his spent plastic cups into the thrash bag he was carrying. I opted to carry my pre-poured, energy gels in a hand-held container and sipped from it at regular intervals - I left my garbage at home.

In the branch known as positive psychology, optimists perceive a cup as half-empty. Pessimists view the cup as half-empty. According to Martin Seligman, PhD., optimism can be learned. However, pessimists tend to be more accurate in evaluating their conditions during a crisis.

Do you have your cup over-filled? How often do you empty your cup? The cup can be an abstraction, referring to allegories or symbolic references. Marathoners pursue personal bests to attain a spot at their holy grail – Boston Marathon. There is no actual cup, or cup-like trophy for finishers but it is a collective cup that we quench our thirst for achievement from.

The elite and experienced runners learn how to drink on the run; they squeeze the mouth of the cup into a sickle shape so as to control the exalted release of cooling content. This also ensures lesser likelihood of spillage. On a hot and humid day, every drop counts for you do not want your core temperature rising to critical levels. Heat disorders can be dangerous; I experienced my first and last one at my first aquathlon and it was not pleasant!

Casual, unofficial tea-breaks are known to sustain workplace productivity. Research has indicated that by restricting or eliminating these brief social sessions, working morale and health suffers.

Have a break – take a cuppa’!

*****

Within 24 hours of the release of the results of Newton 18K/30K Run, participants have been expressing their concerns about accuracy of data capture, and validity of results; rankings have been haywire and haphazardly arranged. Whenever there is a new bib design, with a transponder/RFID device integrated onto it, potential implications may arise. Some received a DNF (did not finish) or no reading after their 18K/30K personal challenge; I can empathise as I did not get an official reading last year. That is why I still rely on my own timing on my Garmin 310XT which provides me additional GPS-assisted data. I am pleased I ran my own race yesterday, and hope to recover fully from the flu I am experiencing soon. The marathon on 4 December will be my last longest run, before my assault on my 12^th Ironman triathlon attempt in March.

Photo-credit: Ng Chee Beng