"Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your
life." - Confucius
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Gadget Review - Hydration Belt
For short distances (e.g. up to 10km or 15km) most of us regular runners can do without drinking. But it is a healthier to hydrate yourself even for those shorter distances.
As for longer distance beyond 15km or 20km, most of us definitely will start to think of how and where to drink to stay hydrated. When I decided to join a full 42km marathon, I started to think about how and where to stay hydrate along my long distance training routes.
I started my long distance training runs with a 750ml Adidas bottle (about S$10) , carrying it with my hand while running. It worked ok for distance of up to about 20km. Beyond that distance I find that I will need more than 750ml of fluid in-take. And I wanted to concentrate on the run and the surroundings, not having to carry water bottle on my hand.
At the end I bought the NATHAN Speed-4 hydration belt (about S$69) that can carry 4 bottles of 10oz (295ml) each. It has a small pouch in front which is good enough to carry your car/home keys or a packet of energy gel. It also has a larger pouch at the back which can carry your handphone and up to 4 to 5 packs of energy gel.
During my first trial with it for 20km training run, I felt slight pain on both my left and right waist area near the front. It was due to the 2 bottles at the front bouncing up and down and hitting those areas. But no pain at the back of my waist. Was a little regret after that first trial and thought I should have bought one that carry just 2 bottles at the back instead. On my 2nd use and beyond, I do not feel any pain around the waist area. My guess is probably my body has adjusted and get used to it. And having 4 bottles are definitely better than 2 during long distance runs of more than 20km. You will need that.
During my first 42km marathon race I carried the belt with me but with just 2 bottles as there are hydration points along the racing route. I used the belt mainly to carry my car key, handphone and 4 packs of energy gel.
The bottle has tilted neck to make the drinking easier while running. The belt that I bought uses velco attachment which I preferred as it is still adjustable for changing waist size.
For those who are interested in getting a hydration belt, the popular ones are Nathan and FuelBelt.
As for longer distance beyond 15km or 20km, most of us definitely will start to think of how and where to drink to stay hydrated. When I decided to join a full 42km marathon, I started to think about how and where to stay hydrate along my long distance training routes.
I started my long distance training runs with a 750ml Adidas bottle (about S$10) , carrying it with my hand while running. It worked ok for distance of up to about 20km. Beyond that distance I find that I will need more than 750ml of fluid in-take. And I wanted to concentrate on the run and the surroundings, not having to carry water bottle on my hand.
At the end I bought the NATHAN Speed-4 hydration belt (about S$69) that can carry 4 bottles of 10oz (295ml) each. It has a small pouch in front which is good enough to carry your car/home keys or a packet of energy gel. It also has a larger pouch at the back which can carry your handphone and up to 4 to 5 packs of energy gel.
During my first trial with it for 20km training run, I felt slight pain on both my left and right waist area near the front. It was due to the 2 bottles at the front bouncing up and down and hitting those areas. But no pain at the back of my waist. Was a little regret after that first trial and thought I should have bought one that carry just 2 bottles at the back instead. On my 2nd use and beyond, I do not feel any pain around the waist area. My guess is probably my body has adjusted and get used to it. And having 4 bottles are definitely better than 2 during long distance runs of more than 20km. You will need that.
During my first 42km marathon race I carried the belt with me but with just 2 bottles as there are hydration points along the racing route. I used the belt mainly to carry my car key, handphone and 4 packs of energy gel.
The bottle has tilted neck to make the drinking easier while running. The belt that I bought uses velco attachment which I preferred as it is still adjustable for changing waist size.
For those who are interested in getting a hydration belt, the popular ones are Nathan and FuelBelt.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Last 2 weeks
After coming back from travel, I was jet 
lagged and felt weighty (put on some weight while travelling without exercise). Last week, my son ran 3.4km of Christmas lighted road with me from Orchard road to Marina Bay. Took some beautiful shots along the way. You may be able to identify some of the locations of the place in the photos. Looks scintillatingly beautiful.
This week, ran 6km on Tuesday around the circuit behind. 
Good choice for me as I wasn't sure about my condition after a long layoff from exercise. Today, I decided to run 9km one way towards my wife's office in Yishun. Ran smoothly at 9km/hr for an hour (best personal time for that route). The key motivation for me to pick up running quickly again )among many other reasons.... I have signed up for
Biathlon on 13 Mar. It is about 8 weeks away. 
Have to be in good form to to enjoy the race and also not risk life or limb. I will be keeping record of my runs and hope to cover 70km before the event along with some weekend swim practices. Looking forward to have jogging buddies back in numbers to enjoy together.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Running Gadget Review
Have you been irritated by sweats getting into your eyes while running and wish that this problem is not there and you can just concentrate on your run?
This may be the answer to your problem. I have tried using an Adidas "Tennis" headband (about S$11). It's quite tight but does not prevent the sweat from getting into my eyes while runnings.
Then I found this "Running" headband at The Running Labs. The brand is Halo. It sort of "sucks" out the sweats from your skin and let the sweats flow on the out-side of the band and towards the rear of your head behind the ears. In the front of the headband near the forehead, there a a yellow color band (felt like rubber kind of material) that prevent the sweat from dripping into your eyes.
I have used this during my training runs and have ran a full marathon with it. It works great. So I can concentrate on my run instead of having to keep sweeping my forehead and eyes with my hands to clear up the sweats like I did in the past.
Highly recommended. But it is quite expensive though. Sorry, forgotten the price... it's either S$19 or S$26. Very expensive for just a piece of "cloth" but it works great to prevent sweats from getting into your eyes.
This may be the answer to your problem. I have tried using an Adidas "Tennis" headband (about S$11). It's quite tight but does not prevent the sweat from getting into my eyes while runnings.
Then I found this "Running" headband at The Running Labs. The brand is Halo. It sort of "sucks" out the sweats from your skin and let the sweats flow on the out-side of the band and towards the rear of your head behind the ears. In the front of the headband near the forehead, there a a yellow color band (felt like rubber kind of material) that prevent the sweat from dripping into your eyes.
I have used this during my training runs and have ran a full marathon with it. It works great. So I can concentrate on my run instead of having to keep sweeping my forehead and eyes with my hands to clear up the sweats like I did in the past.Highly recommended. But it is quite expensive though. Sorry, forgotten the price... it's either S$19 or S$26. Very expensive for just a piece of "cloth" but it works great to prevent sweats from getting into your eyes.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Standard Chartered Half Marathon: Ladies
From : Catherine
Hi Edmund,
This is an achievement already ... many people have not even done more than 10 km .... the last 3 weeks before the run was bad for you because of your hectic work and business travel .... so ... 1 pat on your back for completing it !
As for me .... i was also very very nervous ... went to the toilet twice after leaving the carpark with Edwin. Left 1 packet of my Gu Energy Gel in the MRT toilet ... only realised it after we were quite a distance away from it ... and I didn't want to turn back to get it as was worried we would be late (but actually we were still quite early ....). I was thinking to myself ... hmmm bad sign .... planned to take 2 packs during the run but only left with 1 in my shorts' pocket.
Had butterflies in my stomach .... i was so worried that i wouldn't be able to complete.
Told Edwin to go ahead first when he seemed to be done with his stretching ... i wanted to stretch some more .... just didn't feel that i was ready to go .... then Edmund left to go to the toilet ... i decided to join the crowd ... weaved my way through .... continued to stretch when i had some space ... the mc announced ... 3 mins .. i continued stretching .... 1 min ... i continued to stretch ..... and the horn went off .... CS Chan's advice came to my mind .. start slow ... so i jogged very very slowly ... my left shoe's lace was tied too tight ... had to stop to loosen the lace .... then i carried on running ... less than 500m, still too tight ... stopped again to loosen it ... then i told myself .. since i only have 1 pack of the Gu Gel left, I have to stretch it. So I decided that I will eat half at the 10 km mark, and the rest after 15/16 km.
I stopped at every drinks station to grab a cup/2 cups ... 8 km had passed ... i was tempted to eat the gel ... (had originally planned to eat at the 7 km and 14 km mark - 1 pack each) .. i pressed on ... and took the first half pack after i passed the 10 km mark.
Somewhere near the Kallang Stadium MacDonalds, I saw Edwin on the other side ... i thought to myself .. hmm .. i hope the U-Turn is not that far from here ... but it turned out to be another 2+ km before I hit the U-Turn ! Finished the other half of the gel after i passed the 16 km mark.
As I didn't wear my watch, I had no idea how long I had run. At the 18 km mark, I was so tired .. decided to walk ( i stopped a few times before that too ... at most of the drinks station) ... was wondering if I should walk 1 km or just a few hundred metres ... after walking less than 50m, I started running again .. i told myself that since I've come so far already, I should push on .. so I started running again. And then I saw the 2 km to go sign ... the same distance that I usually run back home, 1 way (from the round about at Hillview back home). So I envisioned the route that I usually take and picked up speed. I probably clocked in around 10 mins for the last 2 km as I ran all the way to the finishing line ! The time was 2:28 ..... or was it 2:29 or 2:39? Can't see clearly .... never mind .. will check the results when it's out ....
I want to thank all of you for the encouragement, advice and the "count down" from HT ... 30 days to go .... XX days to go .... Edwin for running with me to clock my first 14 km 2 weeks ago (or was it 3 weeks ago?) .... Bok Hui for telling me about the gel and where to buy them. i only managed to buy the chocolate flavoured ones as the tangerine ones were out of stock island wide .... HC for always so encouraging and the last east coast run was great ! .... and Edmund for sharing your Real Run experience with me to get me mentally prepared ....
For now, my butt really hurts, and my thighs too ... walking down the stairs is such a pain ... but I'm so happy for myself .. for my first 21 km !
I wouldn't have been able to do this without all of you .... THANK YOU !
Warm regards,
Cat ....
Hi Edmund,
This is an achievement already ... many people have not even done more than 10 km .... the last 3 weeks before the run was bad for you because of your hectic work and business travel .... so ... 1 pat on your back for completing it !
As for me .... i was also very very nervous ... went to the toilet twice after leaving the carpark with Edwin. Left 1 packet of my Gu Energy Gel in the MRT toilet ... only realised it after we were quite a distance away from it ... and I didn't want to turn back to get it as was worried we would be late (but actually we were still quite early ....). I was thinking to myself ... hmmm bad sign .... planned to take 2 packs during the run but only left with 1 in my shorts' pocket.
Had butterflies in my stomach .... i was so worried that i wouldn't be able to complete.
Told Edwin to go ahead first when he seemed to be done with his stretching ... i wanted to stretch some more .... just didn't feel that i was ready to go .... then Edmund left to go to the toilet ... i decided to join the crowd ... weaved my way through .... continued to stretch when i had some space ... the mc announced ... 3 mins .. i continued stretching .... 1 min ... i continued to stretch ..... and the horn went off .... CS Chan's advice came to my mind .. start slow ... so i jogged very very slowly ... my left shoe's lace was tied too tight ... had to stop to loosen the lace .... then i carried on running ... less than 500m, still too tight ... stopped again to loosen it ... then i told myself .. since i only have 1 pack of the Gu Gel left, I have to stretch it. So I decided that I will eat half at the 10 km mark, and the rest after 15/16 km.
I stopped at every drinks station to grab a cup/2 cups ... 8 km had passed ... i was tempted to eat the gel ... (had originally planned to eat at the 7 km and 14 km mark - 1 pack each) .. i pressed on ... and took the first half pack after i passed the 10 km mark.
Somewhere near the Kallang Stadium MacDonalds, I saw Edwin on the other side ... i thought to myself .. hmm .. i hope the U-Turn is not that far from here ... but it turned out to be another 2+ km before I hit the U-Turn ! Finished the other half of the gel after i passed the 16 km mark.
As I didn't wear my watch, I had no idea how long I had run. At the 18 km mark, I was so tired .. decided to walk ( i stopped a few times before that too ... at most of the drinks station) ... was wondering if I should walk 1 km or just a few hundred metres ... after walking less than 50m, I started running again .. i told myself that since I've come so far already, I should push on .. so I started running again. And then I saw the 2 km to go sign ... the same distance that I usually run back home, 1 way (from the round about at Hillview back home). So I envisioned the route that I usually take and picked up speed. I probably clocked in around 10 mins for the last 2 km as I ran all the way to the finishing line ! The time was 2:28 ..... or was it 2:29 or 2:39? Can't see clearly .... never mind .. will check the results when it's out ....
I want to thank all of you for the encouragement, advice and the "count down" from HT ... 30 days to go .... XX days to go .... Edwin for running with me to clock my first 14 km 2 weeks ago (or was it 3 weeks ago?) .... Bok Hui for telling me about the gel and where to buy them. i only managed to buy the chocolate flavoured ones as the tangerine ones were out of stock island wide .... HC for always so encouraging and the last east coast run was great ! .... and Edmund for sharing your Real Run experience with me to get me mentally prepared ....
For now, my butt really hurts, and my thighs too ... walking down the stairs is such a pain ... but I'm so happy for myself .. for my first 21 km !
I wouldn't have been able to do this without all of you .... THANK YOU !
Warm regards,
Cat ....
Standard Chartered half Marathon: Edmund's 21km story
From : Edmund
I was nervous at the start. Has not run for 3 weeks and 21km seems a long distance to go. I met Edwin and Cat New earlier but they have gone ahead as I went to relieve myself before the run (don't want to stop halfway again, like the last 10km run). When I came back to the 'runway', the run already started and I am so far behind. Tell myself to take it slow. Well, far behind is not so good an idea, everybody seem to be walking even when crossing the start point, have to weave in and out of all the bodies. After 3 km, I realised that I was very tense in my run, not my normal jog....must be my fear....told myself to relax, if not I will be burnt out in no time. Slowly, I relax and begin to enjoy my jog.....5km....42mins....hmmm.....a pretty slow jog....never mind lah, still a long way to go.......reach the 10km mark......1h 20mins.....ok, never mind the slow time.......15km.....2h 02mins..(haha...inspite of the slow time, still faster than my new balance run timing)....but body and legs are tiring fast...seems to be dragging myself....can feel the cramps coming...feeling tired and dehydrated....need water......oh, drink too much.....pace slowing down...legs are heavy......where am I now?...how far more to go?......oh no, muscle pulling......approach the guy at the roadside for cream...and prod on.......18km or is that 19km? no it's only 18km....ouch....somebody help me, cramps cramps.......one nice guy gave me some more cream.......rub and rub and try to jog.....no no no...too painful.....no choice....walk/jog (more like fast walk...hahaha)....last km to go...tell myself..jog jog....ouch, muscle pull again....stretch and jog again...cannot walk the home stretch.....must jog......finally......pass the finish point (stop my stop-watch at 3:08:49).....so so so tired........can't walk......2 nice medics, 1 guy and a girl after asking me whether I am ok, put me on a wheel chair and race to the first aid tent....huh? do I look like I am in real emergency? hahaha...never mind lah...free ride and a free massage.
Lesson learned....If you are not prepared, don't run the long distance. Yesterday afternoon, when i was watching the run on TV, there was pacers who run with the front runners. One commentator was asking why they become pacer when they could run the marathon and may win it. The other guy then said sometimes these so-called pacers feel that they have not train enough and do not want to overstrain themselves, so they become pacer whereby they can fall out anytime. True enough, one of the pacers drop out at the 35km mark and wave the pack on. So there you have it, be prepared or don't run and struggle...jogging should be fun. For me, I have accomplish my mission of running the 21km but a terrible terrible run. Cat New told me I can try for better time next year but I must admit age is catching up with me, my body can't take this strain anymore. I can already collect part of my CPF next year and I must take it slow and relax...maybe short distance is still ok. Anyway, I will still join you guys for the weekly jog when work permits. cheerio...
I was nervous at the start. Has not run for 3 weeks and 21km seems a long distance to go. I met Edwin and Cat New earlier but they have gone ahead as I went to relieve myself before the run (don't want to stop halfway again, like the last 10km run). When I came back to the 'runway', the run already started and I am so far behind. Tell myself to take it slow. Well, far behind is not so good an idea, everybody seem to be walking even when crossing the start point, have to weave in and out of all the bodies. After 3 km, I realised that I was very tense in my run, not my normal jog....must be my fear....told myself to relax, if not I will be burnt out in no time. Slowly, I relax and begin to enjoy my jog.....5km....42mins....hmmm.
Lesson learned....If you are not prepared, don't run the long distance. Yesterday afternoon, when i was watching the run on TV, there was pacers who run with the front runners. One commentator was asking why they become pacer when they could run the marathon and may win it. The other guy then said sometimes these so-called pacers feel that they have not train enough and do not want to overstrain themselves, so they become pacer whereby they can fall out anytime. True enough, one of the pacers drop out at the 35km mark and wave the pack on. So there you have it, be prepared or don't run and struggle...jogging should be fun. For me, I have accomplish my mission of running the 21km but a terrible terrible run. Cat New told me I can try for better time next year but I must admit age is catching up with me, my body can't take this strain anymore. I can already collect part of my CPF next year and I must take it slow and relax...maybe short distance is still ok. Anyway, I will still join you guys for the weekly jog when work permits. cheerio...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
More Standchart Marathon 2009
hi all, read all the emails and thot its appropriate to leave a note here instead...
its a great run for all...considering all the "should have" & "should not" that's happening around us....that pretty much sums up what life has to offer isn't it...
our own less-than-perfect personal episodes, the laid-off that's been happening every quarter, old friends that dwindled with every staff reduction...yet the one thing that was not robbed from us was running!!!
we still meet for our runs, albeit less than perfect attendance,
the commaradie that we shared was enough to see familiar faces joining us even after they left the company...more often than not,
travelling long distances just to be in the company of "HOT RUNNERS" for just 90mins...
you people will always be a welcome sight...
running also connects us to new colleagues, and forge new relationships...
the one thing that struck me was the easy persona that each runner exudes...
when we run, we are all runners, transcend beyond ranks and files within office walls..
"leave your work behind"..we often heard pple saying...myself included...
but how many of us really did..even when we go for vacation...
but during our runs, it happened...we drink (runners beer: isotonic), and talkshop everything outside work..and after all is said and done...
we marvelled at the beautiful sunsets at upper pierce that always bid us farewell before we headed home..
OFFICIAL TIME (more will be added after updates from hot runners):
FULL MARATHON 42.195KM
FULL MARATHON 42.195KM
NAME: GAN HOCK CHAI (1st time full marathon)
TIME: 5h:22m:32s (gun) / 5h:19m:51s (net)
NAME: TAY KHENG HUA
TIME: 6h:41m:57s (gun) / 6h:36m:33s (net)
NAME: ONG BOK HUI
TIME: 5h:14m:43s (gun) / 5h:06m:29s (net)
NAME: MARGARET LIM (our wonder-girl ! she is good !)
TIME: 5h:56m:13s (gun) / 5h:44m:39s (net)
NAME: CHAN CHENG SOON
TIME: 4h:59m:0s (gun) / 4h:56m:55s (net)
NAME: Tim Teo Lu Ling (our Hero !)
TIME: 3h:37m:00s (net)
NAME:Yuan Zi Jing
TIME: 5h:32m:38s (gun) / 5h:21m:02s (net)
NAME: YK Loke (very good timing)
TIME: 4h:31m:0s (net)
NAME: Kuan Sui Toh (1st time marathon)
TIME: 7h:09m:11s (net)
NAME: Tay Beng Hwee
TIME: 5h:39m:0s (net)
NAME: EDWIN GOH (wow, personal new record)
TIME: 2h:0m:8s (gun) / 1h:59m:43s (net)
NAME: NEW CATHERINE
TIME: 2h:28m:39s (gun) / 2h:26m:41s (net)
NAME: EDMUND LOW
TIME: 3h:15m:0s (gun) / 3h:8m:37s (net)
NAME: Eric Tee
TIME: 2h:27m:0s (net)
QUARTER MARATHON 10KM
NAME: ONG BOCK POH
TIME: 1h:26m:1s (gun) / 1h:21m:40s (net)
NAME: Janto Tjandra (personal new record)
TIME: 0h:58m:18s (net)
NAME: Jasmine Goh
TIME: 1h:07m:27s (net)
NAME: Betty Qiu
TIME: 1h:08m:00s (net)
NAME: Denise Low
TIME: 1h:13m:41s (net)
NAME: Per Soke Han
TIME: 1h:19m:00s (net)
NAME: Phang Kok Wai (personal new record)
TIME: 0h:59m:03s (net)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Standard Chartered Marathon 6-Dec-2009
A record of 50,000 people turned up for this year Standard Chartered Marathon event in Singapore!
The full marathon event started at 5:30am.
STANDARD CHARTERED MARATHON 6-DEC-09
The full marathon event started at 5:30am.
STANDARD CHARTERED MARATHON 6-DEC-09
Preliminary Results
42.195km Full Marathon
CS Chan x:xxhr
BokHui 5:10hr
HC Gan 5:22hr
Joe Tan 5:40hr
ST Kuan 6:59hr
Yuan ZhiJing 5:21hr (improved by 38min vs last year !)
Margaret x:xxhr
Tay BengHwee
KhengHua Tay 6:42hr
Jeff Zhu 6:38hr
Jeff Zhu 6:38hr
21km Half Marathon
Edwin Wong 1:59hr (wow!)
EJ Yap 2:30hr
KwongYong ?:??hr
Edmund
Catherine
10km Quarter Marathon
KokWai Phang 0:59hr (wow!)
SokeHan 1:19hr
Betty Qiu 1:08hr (wow !)
Gabriel Wu x:xxhr
Randy 1:15hr
Francis
Vincent
Jasmine
Bobby x:xxhr
HC was very glad that his family members came to cheer him at the finishing line.
HC was very glad that his family members came to cheer him at the finishing line.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
1st Anniversary Run at ECP
20 hot-bods turned up for our Hot Runners 1st anniversary run at ECP on 17 Nov..including Cecilia and Yanto..we also had a new member, Bobby Ma from finance..
Cecilia even brought along her 2 boys to run with us...
HT was not able to join us but he was at the moto carpark to see us set off for ECP.
We headed to carpark F1 (cos parking is freeeee!!) and reached there at about 6pm.
Sadly the carpark was full, only Jimmy and Edmund managed to get a place to park.
I was waiting for a Proton Gen2 to buzz-off (cos he was sitting inside the car talking on the phonel!!)..i BOLDLY went up and asked if he's leaving...he coldly said SOON...must be damn pissed-off that I even got the guts to approach him...I too coldly repled..."then you TAKE YOUR TIME...NO RUSH!!!"
I parked along the road...without any "mishap", Yanto followed suit :)...
luckily no summons on our windscreens :)
After the customary photoshoot, we headed off towards Ford Rd, return journey will be abt 10km. After progressing for about 5 mins, we saw thunderstorm in the far off marina area and decided to head towards SunsetBay Bar instead. Yanto, HC, Margaret, Cat, Bobby, Cecilia's elder boy(i dunno his name...sori..) & myself broke off from the But you can never outrun the rain...it caught up with us at about 3km mark...and drenched us thoroughly...
wanting to make this run as "memorable" as possible, we pressed on hoping the rain will have mercy on the wanting...but it continued...but it was fun running in the rain :)
After turning back to the start point and gathered the remaining runners, we head for the food centre for a well-deserved meal. Rojak, fish balls noodles, wanton noodles, prawn mee...it was a feast....we even had desserts...we probably load in more calories than we burnt..by WTH...seize the moment...enjoy!!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Edwin-HT Thursday Run report
It was a fantastic day for me to be running with Edwin again. I wasn't sure about running as I was feeling tired and the flood was wet. Edwin was already eagerly waiting for me when I met him. His infectious smile perked me up to run with him. It was going to be a "chiong" day for me all over again. Edwin was noticeably running fast at about 11km constantly. The weird thing is that he is really looking at ease. His cadence is much higher than mine but he seemed so relaxed while running. By the time we got back together for a 100plus drink, he was smiling with look of satisfaction from the run. Indeed, he told me it was a fantastic day for him too. He was improving on his pose method. He has made it looked so easy to adopt the technique. He was feeling comfortable and his Garmin chart which he shared testified it. For me, I ran 5km at 10.2km/hr (a record for me). I used higher cadence after watching Edwin for his first 1km before he went out of sight.
It was a fruitful and enjoyable run.
It was a fruitful and enjoyable run.
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