Quote

"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." - Steve Prefontaine

We made it! 100th run

100th Run

Time flies, it is nearly one and half year since the inaugural hosted run. Twenty runners were at carpark E by 6pm. Amongst them are ex-Motorolans and VFI Runners. Alice Lam also made her first run with the group despite a sprained ankle.

William Yeoh was ready with his tripod to take the group picture. This special day was not to be devoid of a “jump shot” to express the fun loving nature of the runners. There were many distances ranging from 3km to 15km covered for the day by the runners. Some take it easy while the others use this as a practice session for their Sundown Marathon event.

HC Gan introduced the VFI runners who are his colleagues. The VFI runners are building up a good running culture in their company especially with Gan joining into the fray. 4 VFI runners were just as ready to do 8km with the majority. I later learned Gan’s running colleagues made up more than 10% of the company staff. It was indeed heartening to know that the VFI Runners are progressing to take part in events like JP Morgan Run as a team.

By the time we are done, H20 were served all round. Nobody could resist the offer from water man CS Chan to drink the lightly chilled isotonic.

The group made its way to the Jumbo Seafood restaurant to have dinner together. This is the first round table group meal for hotrunners. We enjoyed the dinner thoroughly and also thanked the spontaneous sponsor HC for his generosity when he footed the bill.

IT was nice to meet Yanto who is keen in making running a commitment. He has plans to do the half marathon and also set his sight to run a full marathon. He invested in a pair of Newton Shoes. Yanto rekindled his running interest through hotrunner one year ago and have never looked back when it came to running. Similarly, there are a few hotrunners who, after running with the group do feel that they can do what was thought to be impossible for them…. Run a Marathon.

Cecilia shared that she is still running regularly. It was marvelous to learn that her knee caps are not bordering her much throughout the last one and half year of running with mid foot. Her husband also came to the run to meet her at East Coast Park. One positive point from running together was the constant exchange of ideas and information. There is common passion and through it, information is shared constantly to help each other improve. We motivate each other to run. For example, I have learned the basics from William to keep to a weekly run schedule as a commitment plan; the running company helps to make us not waiver to skip the runs.

At the end of the dinner, all were unanimous to look forward to the 150th run celebration. The happy, healthy faces and engaged runners do live up to the hotrunner’s motto: “ Run for Health, Run for Fun, Run for Life”

In this 100th run, I have penned a poem adapted from DH Lawrence, a famous poet. This poem will relate well with runners who have pushed themselves and find gratification despite physical setback.

Runner's pain
“I never saw a runner sorry for oneself.
A runner will drop legs cramped with pain
Without ever having felt sorry for oneself.”

Hot-Runners in UPR: Our 99th run together

el nino has been making no-sense of the weather lately

the heat was unbearable...air heavy, hot...even scorching!!

the sudden deluge over last 2 days finally gets rid of some of the heat

lots of sun...a little breeze...and 8 of us were off to UPR

a picture says a thousand words...so here it is:

all pictures here were taken using motorola milestone.... (Chia and CN not in picture)

HT: told you guys milestone is good...believe???

solarize shot

From Gan: " Time flies. Before we know it, today is the 99th time that the Hot-Runners have been running together. Today 8 of us turned up for the run. During the peak period we used to have around 25 people running together at one time. And we still have more than 60 people in our mailing list. Tremendous amount of knowledge sharing and motivating each others to continue running and to improve ourselves along the way. Thoroughly enjoyed running with this bunch of fun loving and very capable individuals. Looking forward to our 100th run celebration at East Coast this coming Tuesday 23-Mar-2010 !!!See you folks there and we will welcome any new comers as always. Oh ya.... do come in bright lime yellow color T-shirt if you have one."

Singapore Biathlon 13-Mar-2010

This was my one and only chance to take the shot, ed was running damn fast on the home stretch !!!

BokHui, Edwin and Tim at today's Biathlon event in East Coast.

Running and News

NEWS:

1. http://www.runforwatersingapore.com/... event on 18 Apr Marina Barage 6km @$43 early bird.

2. National Runway Cycling and Skating 2010 ... http://www.safra.sg/page.aspx?pageid=332
Endurance Challenge - Cycling .. Sunday 20 Jun 2010 Venure: Paya Lebar Airbase, 8am • 45km $26 (SAFRA Members); $30 (Public) Register by: 7 Jun 2010

3. Try this out, should see the benefits of your healthy lifestyle in the projected longevity datahttp://longevitycalculator.aarp.org/


Commentary on UPR run on 2 Mar
=========================

Today, Booby, Bokz, Chiam, HT and ZJ were at UPR. Yes, ZJ was on leave from work and jogged from his AMK home to UPR to meet the hotrunners. It was wonderful to meet up with him. For me this run comes after a long break of almost 3 months with occassional runs in between. Chia headed back to his favorite route to the pump house with Bokz following soon after. Bobby and I headed out to the 6.2km route. I was running a "cold" and instead of rest, chose to run. I wanted a even comfortable pace to run in.

Bobby and I ran at a steady paced. The run was refreshing for me and help give some quick relief to the cold symptoms. Bobby, ss you can see in the picture, ran with his Burmuda and collared Tee. He was committed to run despite forgetting to grab his running attire.

By the time I was done. I did 6.35km in 42 minutes. Hey, wasn't too bad. In fact, it is better than some of my "ON" days. Strangely, this is probably the 3rd time whereby I want to relax and ended up with a good time. If I chiong, on many occassions, I will be flat by the time I take on the 3 knolls on the way back.

I have a question which I hope someone out there can help. I was in Heart rate zone 5 for about 20 minutes. Pls see chart.Is this healthy? Do I risk heart attack?, Is this substanable for longer distances like for an hour?

Met ZiJing at the rest point by the water. Was happy to see him and chatted abit about his run in Petra Jaya night run.

Chia is consistent in keeping fit. Not only he show up regularly for runs, he also swim too. His last swim was 20 laps in the pool. Always looking alert and not tired.

After the drinks, we set off a bid earlier a monkey was eyeing the 100 plus in close proximity.

Bokz, thanks for preparing the drinks and being such a motivator by hosting the Tuesday run tirelessly.

Farewell Run for Reis 22 Feb 2010

apologise that this is taking longer than usual...i know you guys are looking forward to it :)
so here it is......

this will be the last time reis will be running in capacity as motorolan...
we had a farewell lunch for her at sushi tei and had a great time
since its still chinese new year period...


the evening run saw CS, Chia, CN, Edmund, Bobby, Poh, MY and of course reis
we started slow, due to the chinese new year goodies loading...
but Poh, MJ and Bobby had other plans..
they took off almost instantly and were out of sight in no time

edmund, reis, CS & myself were having a great time talking and running :)
in case you think we were slacking...nope...
being able to run and talk at the same time requires a certain level of cadio-vascular efficiency
we were training on that that day...

Chia & CN were long gone...home in fact...they had started earlier and need to get home for a 8pm conference call...commitments (love for running & work) at the highest level man!!


reis, dun think you can "siam" future runs ok...
since you aty so close to moto, we will go get you enroute to upper pierce :)

all the best to your future endeavours!!

Barefoot Running

BAREFOOT RUNNING

Two sides of a very hot topic.

By Amby Burfoot

Image by Edel Rodriguez

From the February 2010 issue of Runner's World

In 1960, Ethiopian Abebe Bikila won the Olympic Marathon in bare feet. In 1966, Robert Parker recorded his hit song "Barefootin'." And in 1969, Paul McCartney walked barefoot across Abbey Road. No one noticed a trend; people in the '60s had other concerns. Three decades later, Ken Bob Saxton completed his first barefoot marathon in 4:12. Still, it wasn't until 2009 that barefoot running became a hot topic. The biggest impetus was Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run. While ostensibly the story of Mexico's Tarahumara Indians—who run barefoot or in tire-tread huaraches—controversial chapters in the book conclude that running shoes have done little to prevent injuries. The popularity of minimal shoes, such as the Nike Free and Vibram FiveFingers, has fueled the fire. "Barefoot Ken Bob" Saxton, founder of runningbarefoot.org, and sports podiatrist-biomechanist Kevin Kirby, D.P.M., a runner for nearly 40 years, agreed to discuss the merits—and drawbacks—of running barefoot. (McDougall declined.)


RUNNER'S WORLD What are the best and worst things that can be said about barefoot running?

KEN BOB SAXTON The best thing for me and a lot of others who run barefoot is actually the stimulation and exhilaration. It's the process of being more interactively involved in the running—we feel it on our feet. We don't just robotically pound out the steps. And we enjoy the freeing effect of air blowing across our feet. In short, it's fun.

KEVIN KIRBY I have no problem with people who occasionally run barefoot on a safe surface as a supplement to their normal training. But in today's society, we don't have a lot of grassy fields. We have a lot more asphalt, concrete, glass, and nails. So I worry that barefoot running is going to produce injuries, such as puncture wounds, infections, and even lacerations of vital structures at the bottom of the foot. I would hate to see someone who wouldn't get injured in shoes go out barefoot running and get a serious injury.


RW In recent years, there has been a lot of talk in running circles about Pose running, Chi running, and now barefoot running, which all seem to advocate for a midfoot or forefoot landing pattern. Have you encountered a lot of runners interested in these approaches?

KIRBY Yes, and I think Pose running and Chi running can be okay for some people. They both seem to advocate landing more on the forefoot because proponents think rearfoot strikers will somehow be less efficient and/or get more injuries. But forefoot running can cause injuries, too. I've seen a lot of Achilles tendon injuries among runners who were naturally rearfoot strikers but then forced themselves to run more on the forefoot.

SAXTON I've met runners who got injured from the so-called minimalist shoes more than from barefoot running. I think the shoes take away too much of the feedback. When I ran my first marathon, I wore shoes, and I got such bad blisters that I had to walk the last six or seven miles. My toenails all turned black and fell off. Since then, I've run a total of 74 marathons barefoot, and hundreds of shorter races. I've run on trails and roads, and covered tens of thousands of miles in training. And I can assure you that the total barefoot damage that my feet have endured is significantly less than what they suffered in that one marathon in shoes. I don't think my feet are particularly special.

RW Theoretically, barefoot running should be faster because you don't carry any weight on your feet. Have you found this to be the case?

SAXTON If it helps you run all the way instead of walking, which was my situation, then it will definitely make you faster. When I first started racing 10-Ks barefoot, I was breaking 40 minutes. Before that, in shoes, I couldn't break 40. So for me, it has been faster, though I'm getting older and slower now. In our barefoot running community, we have found mixed results. A lot of our people are older runners who have had injuries, so they're not so concerned about speed. They're enjoying the fact that they can run more without injuries. In some cases, that gets them in better shape, and then they can run faster in races.

KIRBY In my personal experience, back in my cross-country days at UC Davis, we would sometimes run mile repeats around a grassy baseball field. I found I could run about five seconds per mile faster without shoes. A couple of research studies have shown that you can run about three percent faster barefoot than in 12-ounce shoes because of the weight reduction. So barefoot running is certainly more economical. The question is: What can the runner tolerate? Are you willing to take the risk of going barefoot? How about racing flats that weigh six ounces each? That might be a reasonable middle ground for some.

RW In Born to Run, Chris McDougall argues that modern-day running shoes have done nothing to prevent injuries and that barefoot running might be the answer. Your thoughts?

KIRBY I've been running for 40 years, and I lecture on biomechanics internationally, and I just don't think we have any studies to support that. It's ridiculous to claim that running shoes are the cause of injuries. It's the act of running that causes injuries—the hard surfaces, hitting the ground with two to three times your body weight. Those forces are going to cause injuries whether shoes are involved or not.

SAXTON I've met or been in contact with hundreds of runners who would not be running today if they had to run in the available shoes. Shoes might not be causing the injuries, but they're not preventing them the way the companies represent themselves through their marketing. The Born to Run book has encouraged a lot of runners to try to defy injuries with barefoot running or minimalist shoes. That's a plus, but it can also be a bad thing if people get too excited. They might go out and do more than they're ready for. Then, either from lack of foot strength or from not having learned good running technique yet, they get hurt.

RW Many readers of this will want to try barefoot running, and they'll wonder how they should begin.

SAXTON Like an infant. Take advantage of the fact that your soles are tender and sensitive. That's going to teach you the most. Start by going out and standing on a gravel road or trail, and getting used to it. Stand straight, bend your knees, and notice how your heel lifts up. It's an experience of discovery. You definitely can't just say, "Okay, I'm a runner. I'm going to do 10 miles barefoot." You need to be aware of what's going on with your own body. Luckily, your feet are sensitive, which is a good thing. Listen to them and they'll keep you from doing something stupid. And keep in mind how long it takes a baby to learn to walk and run before they do their first mile.

RW Is the current interest in barefoot running a media-driven fad or something that will continue and grow?

KIRBY I think it's an overhyped fad. That doesn't mean it's bad, but the media likes it because it's something different. I'd guess that less than one-tenth of one percent of runners are doing it. I do think it will have a few converts, and some will benefit from it. I recommend to some runners that they try it out: Go out and do a little barefoot running on nice grass. I agree with Ken that it's good for runners to have a better sense of their feet on the ground. But I don't think we're going to see any big changes down the road, or see that everyone's out running barefoot.

SAXTON Barefoot running is actually something that's been tried and tested over millions of years of evolution. Feet have become the engineering marvel that they are because they work. But right now, sure, it's a media-driven fad, and I'm partly responsible for that. Which is okay with me. The running-shoe industry has had many years of hyping shoes, backed by millions of dollars of advertising. If barefoot running catches on, it will only catch on because it works for people. And it is working for lots of runners who have gotten injured so much they had stopped running or stopped enjoying it. This isn't a movement that's trying to create ultramarathoners or Olympic marathoners. We're just trying to help average runners become more mindful of how they're running and to enjoy it more.

hot in the park

reis, poh, MJ, bobby, francis & myself were present for the run
HT & HC were not able to join us but HT was there to see us off despite his busy work schedule

was a terrific day at UPR
weather was extremely good and we also noticed the monkey population seems to have increased :)

poh & MJ decided to do a 9km route covering the entire distance from carpark till seletar range and then traverse to prata place, finally head back to carpark

rest of us chose the gradual route within the reservoir

we decided to do a individual photo shoot after the run since there were only 6 of us
(pardon us for our vainity)
we had a great time posing...

runners look good..
hot-runners are just... simply....hot

Run with a Passion... at UPR

Today, Bobby was ready with his new Motorola T-shirt when I met him at the carpark. It was a good fit for him and goes well with his black running shorts.
At UPR, 6 hotrunners assembled and decide to make it fun by doing classy pose for the picture given that there were less persons to squeeze into the photo. Looks like the ladies are more game for this, guys will have to do better next time. We did our first jump short for the year and off we go at 6:40pm.

Poh was running steady and comfortably alongside. We talked a bit on the way out to the gate. This is a good way to start a relaxing run... must be able to talk comfortably while jogging. Since the pace was comfortable, I decided to proceed beyond the gate at the same pace (8.8km/hr) and did the 6.7km instead of the earlier planned 3.2km.

Bobby did 6.7km as well and enjoyed the run. He will be running his first 10km event via Sundown. "It may seemed difficult at first but after a while, you do a few more 6.5km, doing 10km seems doable," Bobby said.

"I used to jog with my father when younger. My father did a Marathon. I wished to do one too just like my father. That motivated me to pick up running longer distances," Poh said. She did her first Marathon 2 years ago and did a few more thereafter.

Margerat, Tay and Bokz did a quick relaxing run together prefering to spend more time to catch up with each other. Friends indeed. When are met eventually, MacRitchie was brought up again. Earlier, Poh caution about the tough track while CS thought being early is important not to end up running in the dark. Hence back to the drawing board with CS Chan to study a worthy route. He may come up with something as he runs there at 6am on Sundays. The plan is to do 100th run there sometime in Feb or Mar.

We left at 7:08pm. Sure to meet again.

Last week, met CS Chan and was happy to take the shot of him together with his Chicago Marathon certificate. The run photo and certificate embodied a precious memory for CS. He was modest and will only want to share his joy with his running close friends. Well done. CS is also giving very good tips to runner is very simple form... "listen to your heart".

Listen to This to Lose Weight

article taken from RealAge

You could lose those holiday pounds -- and then some -- in just 12 weeks with help from your ears.

In a study, listening to podcasts that emphasized why achieving a healthful weight is important, how proper nutrition and exercise help shed pounds, and what obstacles to expect on the weight loss journey helped people drop half a pound each week of the 12-week study.

Let Your Ears Lead the Way
Weight loss books, online aides, and face-to-face weight loss education and support can help you on your way to weight loss. And add podcasts to that list, because when a group of overweight or obese people listened to enhanced weight loss podcasts twice a week for 12 weeks, each participant lost an average of 6.4 pounds. The podcasts inspired them to eat more fruit and veggies and exercise more. So listen up and your body will follow your ears! (Stay motivated to shed pounds with help from this free online Weight Loss Tracker.)

Losing weight is sort of like quitting smoking -- the more you try the greater your chances of success. Here are more tips on making your diet stick:

• Look for great information. Nothing beats practical "how-to" diet and exercise tips that you can easily apply. Also, find out what weight loss pitfalls to expect and how to overcome them. Let the YOU Docs, Drs. Roizen and Oz, show you what to eat and how to move off the weight.
  
  
• Be in charge. You're likely to absorb and retain more weight loss info when you absorb it at your own pace. Let the messages sink in, and revisit the important points often.