Super hot Sunday run!

We started ard 7.20am.. Soon we reached zouk, I chked my watch ard 7.50am.. but din get to see Divey there.. Ong ran with me at the back till esplanade.. where all of them headed to the 2nd toilet.. I skipped the esplanade water pt.. was looking forward to the 100plus @ Clifford Pier.. when i reached clifford pier, the shops were closed.. as the pier dun operates anymore.. ah jialuk.. no water!... saw quite a no of ppl gathering ard the area.. heard from Divey abt the NTUC mini Biathlon which Anton n DO are joining.. din managed to catch sight of them... no choice, i had to run on.. i was feeling quite dried up by now as the heat starts to drain me out.. Near the SCH, I saw Chin and Chua.. Chin is heading towards the opp route to Marina south as he was late n Chua is supporting the event :)

The stretch into Marina South was hot... The sunblock i applied seem to be ineffective in this heat.. I could feel sharp pain on my skin.. water water was the oni thing in my mind.. Saw alot of roller-bladers n cyclists as I ran in to Victor's bowl.. It really looks like an Oasis to me... I got a bottle of Sportsglade.. and the uncle asked me how's my run.. I told him I am shagged out lucky he open his stall haha.. he say tt's good.. hard training... *_*

I slowly ran towards the U-turn pt of the Marathon route.. after the U turn then i realise there was no shade aft the Uturn pt.. i quickly hopped across the grass towards the same way i came which is totally covered by shade.. I saw Freddy after carpark B.. much later I saw Derrick, Jimmy, Small Chua and Ricci at the food center.. Ong, Wong and Laichee just got their drink at the same Mama shop.. I stopped and rested.. Laichee and Wong continued their run.. We slowly enjoyed the drink as we walked out of Marina.. Freddy and Derrick ran on back to the club..

The rest caught up with us and we went on a 100plus search @ Keppel haha.. Luckily managed to find an indian shop near cantonment.. all was complaining of the heat.. The sun was glaring and hot along Keppel and Telok Blangah way, I picked up my pace and ran as fast as I could towards the shade @ Kampong Bahru... the guys also picked up pace and finally managed to reach the club at ard 11.. wow took >3 hrs for this run..

10K MF cum CM's Bdae Celebrations

Today's route is specially planned to be shorter as we have a club function today! tt's our CM Birthday celebration after the run :D A new pretty lady, Sabrina joined us for our run too :)

10km's Route: Club- Henderson Rd- Harbourfront- Kg Bahru- MF- Morse Rd- Harbourfront-Kg Bahru- TB Rise- Club

Without much delay, Ong briefed the route and off we ran.. I haven't done this 10km for a very long time.. can't recall when's the last time i did too.. think at least 2 yrs ago... Just as we ran out to Henderson, Ricci came in doing his last 50m.. haha think he start off earlier n did a longer route..

As usual, the front group were leading quite far ahead of us.. by the time we reached Seah IM FC, they were nowhere in sight.. CM, Adam, Divey, Yean, Yuen, Wong, Thomas, Sabrina n me were running together in e 2nd grp towards MF..

We turned up to MF from Kg Bahru.. Maintaining a comfortable pace, I followed behind Thomas with Wong n Adam was just ahead.. Going up the steepest part is not as difficult as the previous 2 times.. dun pant tt hard and wobble like the last time.. I maintained the pace and managed to close up the distance with Thomas... We ran past the Hilltop restaurant n I breathed hard to recover during e long MF downslope..

Having recovered from the long stretch of down slope, I increased my pace slightly n followed Wong's pace... soon we caught up with Adam.. Onseeing us, Adam increased his pace and we followed suit.. After the Muslim cemetery, Thomas took the lead for a while but gave up at Kg Bahru traffic light.. I was breathing quite heavily then but not wanting to give up.. I maintained a distance behind Wong and Adam.. At the last km, I gave it all out and sped all the way back to the club.. It was a good and fun run for me easy at the front and hard at the back.. I enjoyed the last stretch the most n took abt 18mins for tt.. Adam joked tt I was like a magnet following behind him.. haha.. when he see wong coming he relac abit, when it's me he quicken his pace.. hahaha i protested!

Anthony n Divey recommended me their Ultraman socks which are really good.. gonna chk it out @ RL when the stocks are in! :D

After the good stretches, 100plus and shower, we went to the restaurant n occupied the whole of it..haha.. Those who din make it for the run today turned up too... Teen, Laichee, Jimmy Tan, Freddy, Elaine, Akira, Alan Chao, Alan Yeo & Xiaolin, Alvin & frens, Chin Whatt.. We had a great makan session and the whole event ends with birthday songs and group phototaking :)

Distance covered: 10km __ Timing: 59:30:85

Hill Repetitions @ TB Hill

Checking back my blog, I realised tt I haven't done hill repeats @ TB hill since last Oct! Wow tt's very long.. I missed the last session due to my recovery of Lasik..

We started around 650pm.. Ong led us for a 3km run from Henderson-Telok Blangah Way-Telok Blangah Rise-TB Hill.. while Alan, Teck Hou, Eileen and Laichee proceed to MF for their tough training :)

Adam, Yean and I were running at the back and joined in the rest at TB Hill carpark.. :) As instructed by Trainer Ong, we will do 5 sets of hill repeats.. Thoughout the 5 sets, I felt tt I lack of the power to run up the slope.. each set was tough for me as I tried hard to carry my legs up the slopy part of the loop.. by the time i ran my 3rd set, i could feel the pain at my ribs...

1st Set : 4:46:42

2nd Set : 4:53:54

3rd Set : 4:56:34

4th Set : 5:02:70

5th Set : 5:01:37

Canterbury-MF Hill

Today's route is Club-Depot Rd-Canterbury-Alexandra Rd-Telok Blangah Rd-Morse Rd-MF loop(2rds)-Morse Rd-Henderson Rd-Club

I was running with Yean and Cm along Depot Road.. They asked me if there is a discount in route for me.. haha yes yes.. I will oni go up to MF and down by the stairs.. hehe.. The front pack was fast ahead and went in to Canterbury a traffic timing b4 us.. Adam slowed down to join us in Berkshire Rd.. we skipped the Cornwall loop and joined in e 2nd part of the front pack..

I am doing recovery today.. dun wanna go to hard and just maintain on my pace.. I was running with Adam and Wong as we exit out of canterbury... By the time we reached St Andrews JC, my watch clocked 40mins.. Yean, CM and Thomas caught up with us and we headed towards MF.. Thomas gave up at the 1st busstop of Telok Blangah Rd...

I slowly ran up MF and saw Ong at the carpark.. CM guided us to do 1 round up.. Dennis was following very close behind me and I dun feel so comfortable.. tried to let him pass me... end up i was like running in a zig zag way trying to shake him off... haha... ultimately i just ran to the opposite side.. was panting hard and Ah Kau ran past me.. wow this uncle is superb! he ran MF every single day!! i was looking forward to the downslope.. felt slight pain at my heels and i went really slow and easy.. saw the rest gathered at the stairs to MF.. hahah they also doing shortcut! It was really pitch dark.. total darkness.. we had to depend on the dim moonlight to lead us to the club...

Distance covered: 11km __ Timing: 1:09:04

Intervals @ Queenstown

It was raining cats n dogs prior to our wkly run.. But tt din affect the turnout.. Ricci is back from Atlanta/Japan.. Claire from UK.. We got a new guest Segolene's hubby, Philip.. Alan, Eileen and Lai Chee also joined in today's program.. :)

Today's Program: Intervals at Queenstown.. 2 sets x 1.6km; 2 sets x 800m; 2 sets x 400m

As usual, we did a warm up run to the stadium.. my Timex clocked 25:49..

For me, I just have to go for 2 x 800m n 2 x 400m :D

1st Set (800m): 3:39:53

2nd Set (800m): 3:39:34

3rd Set (400m): 1:34:55
After this set, I could feel the ache/pain at my buttocks.. almost ran out of breathe..

4th Set (400m): 1:37:82
This set is very taxing for me.. For the 1st time, my vision blurred and my right ear hurts.. I slow jogged to the ladies n saw my lips turned purplish..

Was totally shagged out n slow jogged back to club with Anthony, Divey, Yean n Adam.. Took abt 28mins to reach the club.. n did my cool down stretches...

LSD to Ulu Pandan Canal

Looking forward to today's run.. can't wait to try out my new nike gear with matching cap :) Quite a no. turned up today.. Alan, Johhny and Karen also came :)

Ong briefed on today's route: Club- Depot Rd- Queensway- Portsdown-Dover Rd-Clementi Rd-Ulu Pandan Canal- Commonwealth Rd- Queenstown-Ikea-Alexandra Rd-Telok Blangah Rd-Harbourfront-Kg Bahru-Telok Blangah Rise-Club.

It's been ages since i last did this route.. I was in the 2nd grp with Ong, Wong, Divey, Alan Yeo, Johnny, Karen, TLH and Waifung. By the time we reached Queensway, the frontiers were already no where in sight! After the mosque, I looked out for the small white dog which scared me the previous time.. once bitten twice shy.. hahaha..

My breathing was slightly heavy along Portsdown and felt my legs still arching.. Ong asked me to slow down... Soon we were out of Portsdown.. Ong went for a toilet break at the petrol station and I ran on.. Wong and Divey abt 100m ahead of me.. At the clementi road junction, as i was crossing the pedestrain junction, a black sports car horned loud at me! I was quite surprised and annoyed.. haha felt like scolding tt impatient driver... complained to Wong and Divey who were at the junction too.. Ong, TLH and Waifung also caught up shortly and we proceeded on to Ulu Pandan Canal together where we saw Benson n his fren doing their training.. We met up with Derrick, Alan Yeo and Johnny at Buona Vista junction..

The weather was nice and cool.. Derrick joined us too and we had our 1st water break at Queenstown Shell station.. my watch clked 1.5hrs.. I was feeling abit tired by then.. recharged myself with some 100plus... shortly after we split up, Derrick n Wong sped up, TLH went back from Redhill, Divey and Alan from Depot road..

Ong, me, Johhny and Waifung ran together.. Was geting quite tire out by then and legs were very heavy.. i was looking forward to e 2nd water break at Telok Blangah Shell Station.. the H2O was really refreshing.. we saw Anthony completed his MF n running back strong towards henderson road.. Ong told us 4 km to go.. along the way, Waifung headed back home and we slowly ran back to club.. felt my lower body arching badly after the run... did some good stretches with a recharging can of 100plus :D

Distance covered: 21km __ Timing: 2:15:37

Labrador Hill - MF Hill

Quite a huge turnout today... Today's route is Club-Depot Rd-Alexandra Rd- Labrador Hill - Labrador Park- Telok Blangah Rd-Harborfront-Kg Bahru-Morse Rd-Henderson Rd-Club

Today I am planning to go easy for the run.. most impt is to complete the route that I have to do.. Eng hwa, Yean, Divey, Cm, Alan Chao, Dennis and me ran together along depot road.. @ Alexandra junction Alan left us for his MF speed training and we headed to Labrador hill.. I almost went in by the flat road until cm called me back.. up the hill.. haha.. puffing and huffing hard as i went up.. my legs were still arching.. took a quick sip from the cooler and cont'd the loop...

Out of Labrador, Cm told me tt him, Yean and Divey will be gg up from Morse road.. asked if i gg to join them.. I shaked my head n told cm tt i gg up from Kg Bahru.. I have to finish wat I am required.. Wong waited for us at the traffic junction.. After the Henderson junction, Cm and Yean went up by Morse Road whereas Wong, Divey and me proceeded on to Kg Bahru.. She felt better and decided to join us :) I followed close behind Divey.. I tried to regulate my breathing and go easy..

On the way up to MF, Divey asked me to go ahead.. Wong was ahead of us and ran up with ah kau who was doing his daily run @ MF... I continued my pace up MF.. the steep portion almost killed me.. was panting heavily and dragged my legs up in slow small steps.. really felt like giving up at the steepest part.. but convinced myself tt i am reaching soon.. dun give up! by the time i reached the peak where I saw CM, Yean and Wong.. my legs already wobbled.. and I lost control of them and was running in zig zag way.. haha cm tot i gg to collapse.. at tt moment i really tot i am gg to.. how i hoped that i have a can of 100plus then.. i just continued on and looking forward to the downslope for recovery.. We told Yean to wait for Divey and CM at the stairs b4 gg back to club as it was quite dark.. Dennis caught up and ran with us until the Shell station b4 he stopped and walk.. By the time i reached Henderson road, i was getting quite tired and just slowly run back to the club.. and did some stretching to loosen up my thighs...

Really glad to finish the run.. this is the 1st time I ever completed this route.. :D

Distance covered: 13km __ Timing: 1:30:47
MHR: 198 __ Avg: 183

Hill Workout @ MF

My legs were feeling kinda tired today after yesdae training... planned to go for an easy run tho today's program is 4 sets of hill workouts @ MF loop..

Quite a large turnout today.. Our long time babe, Teen is back and she bought along 2 babes, Jaslyn and Hwee Thian to join us... Alvin also bought his fren Andy... old time regulars like Yean, Yuen, Jimmy and Mr Foo also turned up.. haven seen them after my lasik... n Adam back from his Blangadesh working trip too.. =)

We started at ard 6.50pm after a warm welcoming speech from CM for the new runners... :) I ran with Yean n the guys to MF thru TB rise-Harbourfront.. hard start for me as i felt weak n Yean coughed badly as we went up from Morse road.. she is still recovering from her bad cough... hope u get well soon sweetie :) We decided to go easy and walk up to the carpark..

After a short rest, Ong gathered all for the start of the workouts.. knowing my legs condition.. I decided to give the 1st 2 sets a miss... n go for the 3rd set.. I was still talking to the 2 babes when Ong started the 3rd set.. taken in surprise, i said "Oops, i doing this set.. sorry tok later" n sped up to catch up with the rest.. After the 1st turning, I was in the front pack.. Derrick, Ronnie, Andy were in front.. Small Chua n Wong in line.. n off they went after the 2nd turning.. sok hwa past me at the 3rd turning as we approach the peak.. Mr Foo after the 4th turning.. i tried to maintain my speed n really gave all out for this 1.6km loop.. it was fun and i enjoyed it very much! :D halfway thru the downslopes, cm n teen cheered loud for us... thanks pal! i finished it in 8:23.. tt's the fastest tt I ever did... (^o^) did a 3min jog to catch back my breathe.. haha.. I told Ong tt's all for me for the day.. could feel the strain at my thighs already..

After the 4th set, Ong gave everyone a big surprise when he said let's walk back by the stairs.. haha.. everyone was so happy and yak along the way back to club.. :D

Something drama happen after shower, I lost my right earring.. panick, i rushed back to find in the gym shower/changing room.. eh, eileen and small chua helped me to ransack the whole lot of dirty towels.. sok hwa later found it in the shower room.. Guys n gals, thanks u so much for the help! :D

Shag out run @ Sentosa

It was raining when I woke up.. wat a nice weather to hide under my cosy blanket on a Sunday.. but my legs still automatically head towards the club.. haha.. we saw some TP runners.. they were doing their long runs from MF Safra too but different route.. :)

Today's Route: Club-Henderson Rd-Harbourfront-Gateway-Sentosa Cove-Tanjiong Beach-Siloso Beach-Trail-Gateway-MF-Morse Rd-Club

We started off ard 730am.. as usual, we were split into 2 groups very quickly... I was running with Divey, Wong, Derrick, TLH and a new runner, Waifung.. We managed to catch up with the front group at the traffic junction towards Sentosa.. When we reached the gateway of Sentosa, there was no ticketing officer.. haha think we ran earlier than their working hrs.. I ran with Wong and Ah Y.. Derrick overtook us halfway along the bridge.. I managed to follow the pace set by Wong.. not knowing how long i could last in that pace..

After the 1st slope in Sentosa, Wong asked me "Hui bu hui tai kuai"... haha think I pant too heavily.. My legs felt better after the recovery run on thurs.. I tried to recover on the downslope b4 heading into sentosa cove.. there were multiple ups and downs towards sentosa cove... By the time I reached the Satellite station, my breathing was even more heavier.. Derrick slowed down and joined us.. 3 of them were chatting along the way out of Sentosa cove.. I can't talk at all.. can oni reply in hand signs... Derrick teased tt I no breath to talk liao... haha..

I started to feel shag as we head towards the beach.. energy tank running low... haha.. I told Wong I would skip Tanjiong beach.. Wong and Derrick went ahead.. Ong was at the junction guiding the direction to Tanjiong beach.. I took a quick break @ the 1st toilet.. was quite surprise when I went in.. seem like a big thunderstorm happened as the whole area was covered with sands, mud and branches...

I told Ong I needed a drink badly... we grabbed a H2O from 7-eleven and jogged to Visitor Center where we waited for the rest to come.. soon the runners turn up and cont'd on to MF except Wee San, TLH and a new runner Waifung.. we were quite worried tt 3 of them might lost their way.. we decided to move on after waiting for 20 mins.. (got a drinks treat from Divey after the run.. haha thanks gal!) Ong and I went up MF from kampong bahru.. while Wong and Chin head back to club.. it had been sometime since I ran up the steep slope.. Ong told me to concentrate on my breathing.. I did a slow pace up with Ong encouraging me along the way.. :)

We saw DO at the peak and he told us Divey had just headed back to club.. later then we knew TLH has leaded her out of Sentosa from another exit.. We told DO to go ahead as we walked down the stairs to club.. Overall it's a good shag out run for me.. :D

Recovery Run - Kent Ridge Park

There's oni 11 of us today.. oni 2 ladies... me and sh... Anton, DO and Divey went for the nike shoe trial at RL... Today's route is to Kent Ridge park.. 2.5 rds ard the loop and back via Pasir Panjiang..

I started real slow today... My legs were still arching badly after the tuesday Intervals.. I should have done the recovery run yesdae despite the heavy rain to clear off the lactic acid..

By the time we reached queensway, the front grp were far far ahead.. CM companied me and as we ran in to Portsdown, suddenly a white dog from the 1st hse after the mosque charged and bark loudly at me.. I gave a loud scream! ran off as fast as i could.. got a very bad fright!! Cm say i must eat jin feng san.. i really xia po dan... at tt pt of time i felt the dog was so close to bite my legs..

We did the opp direction and saw the fellow runners doing their 1st loop.. we skipped the rds and went back str to club...

Distance covered: 11km __ Timing: 1:11:29

Exercising beyond MHR -- Is it safe?

It's very possible that the maximum heart rate theory that's widely used may not be as accurate as we've come to believe. For those who need a refresher, maximum heart rate is calculated as:

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = 220 - age in years
MHR reflects the maximum number of heartbeats per minute one could achieve during high intensity exercise.

By your account, your heart rate goes higher than this value. How could your heart beat more than the maximum? One explanation for this could be that the estimation of maximum heart rate is not correct.

In an article that appeared in the New York Times on April 24, 2001, this very subject was addressed. Back in 1970, two doctors preparing for a meeting wanted to determine how strenuously patients with heart disease could exercise. They gathered information from ten studies using people of all different ages who had been tested for maximum heart rate. They plotted the subjects' maximum heart rates on a graph, drew a line through the points, and determined that the heart rate maximum seemed to be, on average, 200 beats per minute (bpm) for a twenty-year-old, 180 bpm for a forty-year-old, 160 bpm for a sixty-year-old, and so on. Based on these findings, they came up with the equation that MHR = 220 - age (in years). However, many subjects in these studies had heart rates that varied widely from the formula. Many variables also weren't accounted for. The tests used in determining this formula were far from perfect as well. Somehow, though, this equation, 220 - age, became entrenched in cardiology departments, fitness centers, and textbooks. According to Dr. William Haskell, one of the doctors who observed this relationship: "The formula was never supposed to be a guide to rule people's training."

So, what does this mean for you and others whose heart rates don't seem to fit into this equation? First, you need to discuss your observations about your heart rate with your primary health care provider. Let him or her assess any other conditions that could affect your heart. Barring any problems, you could focus your training in two other ways. One is by using a scale termed, "Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)," in which you rate how hard you feel you are exercising. It's recommended you assign a number from 0 to 10 to rate your exercise intensity, 0 being no exertion and 10 being most difficult. A major benefit of this system is that it gets you in touch with how you feel while you're exercising. Also, you don't need any special equipment or devices. If you already have a heart rate monitor or enjoy counting your beats, you can use RPE along with your heart rate. Try comparing your perception of exercise intensity to how hard you actually are working. This method will help you establish a new frame of reference for your exercise intensity.

Another useful measurement of fitness is how quickly one's heart rate falls when exercise is stopped. (Don't just stop completely ・that can be dangerous.) This measurement is probably best done with a heart rate monitor. Check your heart rate while at the very end of a vigorous routine. Begin cooling down, and then check your heart rate one minute later. As a person becomes more fit, her or his heart rate returns to resting faster than an unfit person. This is called heart rate variability. Recent studies have shown that people whose heart rates fell less than 12 beats per minute after vigorous exercise had four times the risk of dying in the next six years compared to those whose heart rates dropped by 13 beats or more! Most healthy people's heart rates will drop about 20 beats in a minute. You can measure progress in a fitness program by improving the number of beats your heart rate goes down in one minute. Tracking this can help you chart the effectiveness of your aerobic training.

The moral of the story here is that we all don't fit into a neat package (or equation, as the case may be). We are all unique and different individuals.

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Extracted from an article in health services at Columbia

Intervals @ Queenstown

It has been raining heavily in the afternoon for the past few days.. but that din affect the turnout today.. the sky was cleared by the time we reach the club..

Planning to check out the accuracy of my footpod, I put on my wearlink n footpod.. just to play safe, i bought along my teardrops with me this time.. As usual, I started with my easy pace.. I felt good as I ran and went abit faster during the 4km warmup to the stadium.. I checked my watch at Alexandra junction.. 17min plus.. Anton told me I seem to run faster after my lasik.. no specs so less burden haha... 26 mins to reach the stadium..

We rested for a while as Ong briefed us on e intervals.. It will be 5 sets: 42211.. My timing are as follows:

1st Set: 1 mile ; 4 x 400m
Timing: 8:01
Max HR: 201 __ Avg HR: 195

2nd set: 800m ; 2 x 400m
Timing: 3:55
Max HR: 203 __ Avg HR:196
1st rd 1:57.. 2nd rd 2min... felt tired at the 2nd rd... heartrate 185.. decided to skip the next set...

3rd set: 800m ; 2 x 400m
Skipped - dripped teardrops to both eyes..

4th set: 400m ; 1 x 400m
Timing: 1:37
Max HR: 199 __ Avg HR:194
heartrate after the run: 199!! :O tt's exceeds my max already!! felt a sharp pain at my right ribs... slow jog, coughed and breathe hard to recover...

5th set: 400m ; 1 x 400m
Timing: 1:37
Managed to recover fast enuff from the previous set.. heartrate b4 start of run: 162... felt the heaviness of my thighs after the 1st 100m.. like 2 heavy logs.. sensed my speed dropped at the last 100m...

By the end of the last set, i felt the tightess on both of my thighs.. and my calfs jellied.. as we jogged back to the club, i could feel my lungs pumping hard at my ribs.. wow haven been running like tt for sometime already... altho breatheless but the feeling was good! I took abt 27mins back to the club..

Ong was very surprised with my timing today.. me too! :O Anton and DO said i looked fresh even after the run.. maybe i rested alot after the lasik... i also dunno.. must go and find the reason.. hope to maintain this type of form.. hehe :D

1st Scenic Run after my Lasik!

It's my 1st run after Lasik! As advised by the doc, I am oni allowed to exercise after this wkend... but I decided to go and give my 1st run without specs in a beautiful sunday morning.. hehe

Ong and I recce the new route yesdae... Henderson-Grange Rd-2 full loops around Fort Canning then exit to Clark Quay towards Esplanade-Keppel-Club..

We started around 730am.. Taking extra precautions on my eyes, I planned to go easy today.. It has been relaxing until the short steep stretch up Fort Canning.. I walked up the last 50m and joined the rest as they assembled at the 1st pavilion.. halfway towards the peak, i felt abit discomfort in my eyes.. I told Ong tt I will skip the loops and chk out my eyes.. i should have bought along the eye drops... very quickly they finished their loops and we headed towards Esplanade.. feeling worried abt my eyes, i told Ong and Divey tt I will stop the run @ Clifford and headed back to the club for the eyedrops..