Putrajaya Bachelor Night Run

This run is going to be the craziest run I’ve ever done. Every rule in distance running will be broken.

Training in preparation for this run?

Laughable. Just 3 runs, with an accumulated total of 16.6km.

Number of LSDs done?

Zero.

Tapering period?

Non-existent.

Falling sick before the race?

Check. Fever + sore throat + body ache + diarrhea.

Staying off the sun before the run?

No check. Will be at my school’s sports day until the noon-time heat.

Keeping well hydrated?

No check. Have you tried to keep hydrated while being baked like a lobster?

Getting well-rested before the race?

No check. Will be half dead by the time half the day is over.

Conserving energy before the race?

No check. Will be making a long drive to Putrajaya.

Getting-into-the-zone for a PB?

No check. Will be happy to finish running.

Taking it easy with a short run?

No check. Half marathon, 21km.

Hey, you know what. This run is actually my last race as a bachelor boy! My last ever! Wow… imagine… I wonder if road racing will ever be the same again.

Well, since the odds are so stacked up against me, I have two options. I can either:

• Summon the spirit of the miracle miler within (chewah, power!) Or…
  
• Turn it into a gag run.

I have lots of empty tin cans in my storeroom. What if I tie them up with a string, and attach it to the back of my fuelbelt? While running, I can wear an old bib on my back with the words “GETTING MARRIED”. Sounds like a crazy stunt, hor? Hahaha… gila…

But hey, you only get to do one swansong bachelor run. Only once, in your entire life! You won’t get another chance, ever again. May as well seize the opportunity and live to tell the tale. Take it as my “stag night celebration”.

What do you think?

Yasso’s 800s, prediction vs practicality

I did Yasso’s 800s today. In layman’s terms, Yasso’s 800s is a track workout named after Bart Yasso. It consists of 800m repetitions.

What’s interesting about Yasso’s 800s is the theory behind it. If you run a Yasso’s 800s, it is supposed to predict your full marathon time. Meaning, if you run each 800m in 4 minutes, then your predicted full marathon time should be 4 hours. If you run it in 3 minutes 45 seconds, then your predicted time should be 3 hours 45 minutes.

Hmmm… Let’s give it a try!

• Set 1 – 3:24
• Set 2 – 3:26
• Set 3 – 3:25
• Set 4 – 3:23
• Set 5 – 3:25
• Set 6 – 3:26

Average – 3:25

So, my predicted full marathon finishing time will be 3 hours 25 minutes?

That sounds a bit crazy.

Let me punch in some numbers, and weigh the prediction against practicality.

• Based on an average of 3:25 per 800m, it will come up to 4.27 minutes per km.
• Multiply that by 42km, it will give you a linear-rate finishing time of 2 hours 59 minutes.
• Deduct Yasso’s prediction time against linear-rate finishing time, Yasso gives you a 26-minute slack.
• Divide 26 minutes by 42 km, you get a 37-second slack per km.

Will it be possible to maintain a 37-second slack per km, if I use my Yasso’s 800s pace as a yardstick?

It’s still quite hard to picture it in my head. Let’s do a comparative analysis.

If Yasso’s 800s predict my full marathon finishing time to be 3 hours 25 minutes, translated into my language, it will mean… *beep beep boop beep*

Running each kilometer in 4 minutes 53 seconds. That a sub-49 10k, repeated 4 times!

In my opinion, I think that’s psycho.

However, Yasso’s 800s is a time-tested thing. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with the Yasso theory. Maybe it’s because I’m doing it wrong…

1. Maybe I’m resting too long between each repetition (2 minutes average), which gives rise to an inaccurately fast time.
2. Maybe I’m doing too few repetitions (only 6), which gives rise to an inaccurate average time.
3. Maybe Yasso’s 800s theory is more applicable to elites, who are able to hold race pace for very long periods.
4. Maybe Yasso’s predictions are more suitable to be measured against caucasians and europeans, but not against asian physiology.

Maybe  I should cut down the rest time to 1 minutes, and do up to 8 repetitions. Then I shall assess it again.

The man, Bart Yasso.

Well, if Yasso says so…

Powerpoint does not necessarily give you power

After every attempt, always post mortem.

Today, I’ve come to realize something ironic. Using powerpoint can relinquish power from the speaker and hand it over to the audience.

It is unmistakeably true that every message spoken by a real messenger of God is empowered by the Holy Spirit. The  speaker is but an instrument; a faithful servant is a mouthpiece. But the message itself, and its power to edify, comes from God. The degree of effectiveness of the message depends on the working power of the Holy Spirit.

However, I believe it is necessary for every speaker to evaluate himself after every delivery. Not so much because the quality of the message is directly proportional solely to the amount of human effort put into it. Believing so will put the strength of man above reliance on God. We don’t want to be doing that.

But we still need to constantly check ourselves for areas that need improvement. It’s just a matter of personal responsibility.

I’ve come to realize that using powerpoint may not necessarily be advantageous. The advantage that every speaker has lies in the fact that the audience does not know what he is going to say, or what he plans to say. Whatever comes out from the speaker’s mouth is totally in the speaker’s control. Even if the speaker decides to say what he has not planned to say, or if he chooses not to say what he has prepared in his speech, it is totally in the speaker’s knowledge only.

The audience, on the receiving end, will never know.

That is power!

But when you use powerpoint slides, you’re letting power slip away from your hands. I can give you 7 reasons why.

1. You have to spend more time preparing powerpoint slides. More work, more trouble.
   
2. You better make your slides look professional, or better don’t do it at all. Additional burden.
   
3. If your powerpoint slides are not effective, they will draw attention away from you instead of towards you. That tempts a backfire.
4. Your powerpoint slides openly show what you have planned to say. It’s like playing poker, and you’re holding your cards facing out.
   
5. When time is running out and you don’t use all your slides, it will look like bad planning on your part. Not good.
   
6. If you press on to finish all your slides, you’ve overstayed your time. No audience will like that.
7. And of course, if technical glitches happen, it will make you look really bad.

Therefore, powerpoint slides can make you lose control of your own speech. It hangs you out in the open for your audience to see.

Anyway, if it was an acceptable excuse, I was overworked this week. Constantly battling exhaustion, fatigue and sleep deprivation, it was hard to cram in quality preparation time. I knew I didn’t do a good job right after delivering it. Only after a proper sleep, a good bath, and a square meal, did I realize so many angles that could’ve made significant improvements.

• If I had focused on one theme only, instead of cramming two themes into one message, I could’ve done  better.
• If I had chosen not to use powerpoint, I could’ve used the time I saved to build more on the first theme.
• If I had thought of tying the first theme with the church theme for the year, it would’ve been more relevant.
• If I had not wasted time on doing a powerpoint, I could’ve done a revision on the first draft.

In my experience, the first draft is usually the biggest mistake. But I did not have time, so I had to go with the first draft.

True enough, it turned out to be a mistake.

Sigh. Anyway, I hate to give excuses. It’s better to learn from mistakes, and not to repeat the pattern that leads to those mistakes.

A few trends that I find noteworthy…

a)  Don’t ever cram two themes into one message. It almost never turns out well.

b)  If you must use powerpoint, use just 10 slides. If you spend 5 minutes to deliberate on each slide, that will be a 50-minute message. Don’t con yourself into believing that you have the discipline to breeze through each slide in 2 minutes. It never happens.

c)  If you can’t do it in 10 slides, then don’t do it at all. It’s not worth the risk, nor the effort.

d)  Always, always revise your first draft. Failure to do so is tragedy.

e)  Any common audience may not share a similar appreciation for theological acrobatics. If you must need a sounding board for theological discussions, it’s always wiser to do it within small groups.

It’s a wonder why I can see those patterns, but I still find myself repeating them. Indeed, the human brain can sometimes be slow to lean and quick to forget.

ALWAYS give your best

When do you give your best?

ALWAYS give your best.

The question to ask ourselves each day is, “have I given my best today?” I asked myself this question, and tried to answer it.

Today, I have delivered new-found knowledge to a group of runners.

In a 4 x 100m relay, a group of sub-13 runners can beat a team of sub-12 sprinters. Do you believe?

• 13 secs x 4 will give you a time of 52 seconds. Take away 3 seconds from 3 good transitions, you will clock 49 seconds.
• 12 secs x 4 will give you a time of 48 seconds. Bad transitions will make you even slower.

Given a good day, a team of mediocre sub-13 runners can upset a team of respectable sub-12 sprinters. The secret lies in good transition. To achieve that, you got to practice. Do you believe?

It always pays to give your best. You’ll discover your hidden hunger for great things. You will internalize many great character-building values. You will no longer be ruled by failure, but be fueled by victory. You will actualize the empowerment of change in your own life. The race is not always to the fastest, nor the battle to the strongest. Do you believe?

Today, a group of runners believed. The very next day, they came to me at my staffroom to ask for more.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

Running to win is often the wisest way to run. Because even if you don’t win, you’ve already won the greatest life lessons that one can ever learn. Those types that will stay with you forever.

All this, you can never gain if you’re merely running the race to participate.

“No one who wakes up before the sun rises will fail to see success.”

Having preached it, I have to live it. The next morning, I woke up at 5 am.

I really hope the boys win. They are no-namers in school, failures in many ways. One can only imagine what a taste of victory can do to turn their lives around.

Chasing a dream

“Today, I will be excellent. Only for today.”

I conducted my first “success seminar” yesterday. It was my first attempt. Preparation was exhausting, delivering it was exhilarating. I hope the message got through.

Next up: 31st January, this coming Sunday. I will be speaking a Sunday morning sermon. Preparation time, 5 days left.

Will I do my best? Yes, I will.

Next up: 6th February, Saturday. Kejohanan Olahraga Tahunan, or better known as, my school’s Sports Day. I’m hoping Rumah Mat Kilau does well this year. I’m reliving my days as House Captain, but this time as the teacher advisor. Go, yellow house!

Will I give my best? Yes, I will. I shall go the extra mile.

On the same day, 6th February is Putrajaya Night Marathon. After Sports Day, I’ll be heading to Putrajaya to do a half marathon. My energy will already be half sapped by then. Race objective: To finish the race, running. No PB this time. Survival is the name of the game.

Will I run my best? Yes, I will. I will run it as though it’s my last.

Next up: 7th February, Sunday. The day right after a Sports Day + half marathon combo. I will be teaching the youth class in church. That means, in between preparing for Sports Day and training for a half marathon, I have to prepare for a youth class.

Will I do my best? Yes I will. I shall deliver a quality lesson that they can remember.

Next up: 13th February, Chinese New Year. The driving marathon begins. KL to Ipoh to Penang, then Penang to Ipoh to KL. Last chance to collect ang pow, and to finalize all arrangements. Wedding invitations for those up north should be RSVP-ed by then. Wedding preparations is a continuous thread that runs throughout the whole span of time, while trying to do everything else.

Will I give my best? Yes, I will. If not, how? You gila…

“Today, I will be excellent. Only for today.”

Today, I did not forget to do my miracle mile. I went to the MPS stadium to churn out my intervals. 10 x 400m, in 4:30/km pace. That adds up to 1:48 per 400m.

• 1st set – 1:32.

That’s way faster than my target! I made a split second decision to change my plan. Forget mediocrity. Let’s pursue excellence! 1:35, for the rest of the way.

• 2nd set – 1:30
• 3rd set – 1:31
• 4th set – 1:33
• 5th set – 1:33
• 6th set – 1:36 (bah!)
• 7th set – 1:34
• 8th set – 1:35
• 9th set – 1:32
• 10th set – 1:33

Ended the day with a core workout. I didn’t complete the whole workout, my abs have got nothing left. I called it a day, 1 set short.

Checked my pace chart as soon as I got home. How fast was I actually running? Let’s see… 1:35 was actually… ummm… a bone-breaking, sub-40 10k pace! I maxed out my own chart.

Have I given my best today? Yes I did. Today, I have been excellent. Just for today. For today only!

25th January 2010

Tomorrow, I will do it all over again.

New Balance 20k – a mathematical progress

The last time I ran the Pacesetters 20k was last year. I clocked 1:42:19.

This year, I ran it again. I clocked 1:42:00.

An improvement of 19 seconds in a year! That’s just a mathematical improvement. Improving at a rate of 1.5 seconds a month? You gotta be kidding me…

My fastest 20k average so far is only 1:39. Clocked in Shah Alam last year, during Adidas King Of The Road.

Looks like my 20k times are hitting a plateau. I don’t fluctuate far from a 5 min/km pace for a half marathon. How am I gonna ever hit 1:30.

Mathematically, if my 10k pace is 4.5 min/km, and my 20k pace averages at 5.0 min/km… That means my pace slows down by half a minute every time the distance doubles.

Therefore, mathematically, if I run a  full marathon, my pace should slow down by another half a minute. That will give me a 5.5 min/km full marathon pace.

Also, mathematically again, if I do a full marathon, my estimated result should be…

*beep beep beep*

3 hours 51 minutes. According to my calculator, that is.

Should I concede that I’ve reached my maximum human potential?

I know that I’m not made for speed. I’m more of an endurance kind.

But still, should I concede that I cannot hit 1:30? Should I give it up already?

I’m like, 30 seconds/km away from a 1:30 target. It was like that last year. It still is now!

Maybe I should give it another full year before I decide?

The longer I hold on to the 1:30 target, the longer I’m forfeiting myself of a full marathon experience.

What if I sprout a grey beard, and  I’m still at 1:40? Or 1:35… or 1:31?

At the end of the day, I’d hate to say that I’ve failed to reach my target. But I still really like to do a full marathon.

Or should I concede defeat, and do the full marathon on the Penang Bridge this year?

That is so temptingly great! But that will also mean I’ve given up on my target.

How how how?

I dunno…

Anyway, it was a good run today. I held back for the first half, and finished well in the second half.

But then maybe, just maybe… I could’ve clocked a better time, only if …

Haiyah. I don’t like giving excuses.

Here’s to hopes of a better halfer in Bidor!

The possibility within impossibilities

My training is messed up, my diet is messed up…

Now even my taper is messed up.

I guess I have nothing left in my arsenal for this Sunday.

Bah.

But then again, the bigger the odds, the more thrilling it will be. You get to find out what’s really possible in the midst of impossibilities.

Things will change when I don my Miracle Miler’s vest. Raw semangat!

This Sunday, my body and mind will take a serious beating. But we are not afraid.

Shoe shopping strategy

Due to my severely overpronating flat feet, I have very choices for running shoes. Which is, in a way, a good thing. It narrows down options very quickly.

I’ve already tried New Balance, Brooks and Adidas. Reebok is already bought over by Adidas, Nike is off my list, and Newtons are way overpriced.

Which leaves me with:

Asics

• Gel Fortitude 3.
• Gel Foundation 8.

The Gel Evolution 5 does not fit well with my feet.

Mizuno

• Wave Renegade 4.
• Wave Alchemy 9.

Saucony

• Progrid Stabil CS.
• Progrid Hurricane 11.
• Progrid Omni 8.

I take almost forever to decide on the perfect shoe model and perfect size. If I had neutral feet, my list of possibilities will triple. Whoever goes shoe shopping with me will die of boredom while sprouting a moustache.

The best way to get a good bargain for running shoes is to use discount coupons. You usually get them from the sponsors of major races.

None available with me right now. Unless I wait until October for the Mizuno Wave Run.

The next best way is to hit shopping malls and charge into running brand stores.

The problem is, although you are likely to get the latest models there, they don’t give discounts. You won’t be buying directly from the shop owner. The salesman does not get to decide on discounts. You’ll make a hole in your wallet.

Which leads to the third option: Go to a sporting goods store that is run by its owner.

You’ll get to negotiate prices directly with the boss. Your haggling skills will count for something here. Also, if they recognize you as a frequent customer, you’ll be more likely to get a good bargain. That’s the advantage of buying straight from the vendor, and not from an employed hand.

But the problem is, they’ll probably give better discounts for older shoe models that they’re trying to clear off their shelves.

Sigh.

Shopping for running shoes is harder than buying high heels. Really!

The new year cometh!

The new year has come! And school reopens tomorrow.

I’ve been given the trust to be 5 Einstein’s form teacher. That’s the top Form 5 class. It’’s a huge leap, after being form teacher for the last class for 2 years in a row! Whew, those were the years…

I’m also given the trust to teach Additional Mathematics for Form 5. Which also means, by the end of this year, I would’ve officially covered the whole cycle for upper secondary Math and Add Math.

It’s my turn to become housemaster of Yellow House. Rumah Mat Kilau, as they call it. And because of the new honours, I have to miss the Putrajaya Night Run on 6th February. Got school sports day. Or Temasya Olahraga Tahunan, as they call it.

A noteworthy change is the closing down of the Swimming Club. Or Kelab Renang, as they call it.

Equally as noteworthy is the opening of a distance running division. Or Kelab Merentas Desa, as they call it. And my name is in it.

It’s nice to know that my passions are slowly being recognized. It takes a few years to be fitted into your correct niche. I’m glad I’m slowly, but surely, finding my piece of the puzzle in the overall jigsaw.

A new year in Kepong Gospel Chapel also means renewed responsibilities.

• This year, I’ll be serving in three committees.

A new year also means a new status.

• This year, I will get a MRS instead of a MBA.

A new year also means a new place to stay.

• This year, I’ll be shifting to a new place. Renovations, repainting work, new furniture purchases, etc.

So many things are new! But one old thing remains.

• The 1:30 target.

Have to pull all that off, while taking a serious crack at the target. Calling out the spirit of the miracle miler!

The new year has started 3 days ago. But for me, the reality will only sink in tomorrow. I don’t know how I’m going to do all that while wearing 3 different hats. I hope there won’t be a case of too many birds to kill and too few stones. Or too many strings to pull with not enough fingers.

Tomorrow onwards, I turn into a mutant!

Facing the giants

Finally back from Sabah. A disappointing performance calls for a moment of reflection.

How can I challenge runners of a higher echelon?

Those kind of runners have superior genetics. They weigh lighter. Their strides are longer, smoother and quicker. Their gait is more efficient. They don’t have to carry their hydration plan with them. They may train less, but they are still far better than most people any time of day.

Considering the many things they are and the many things I am not, there is only one way:

Train harder.

• For every mile they run, I must run two.
• To beat them, I must run three.

Most people are taking a break from running until the new year. For me, training began today at 5am. From my place in Selayang, to Kepong’s McDonalds, to Kepong’s Police Station, and back.

Finished in 1 hour 56 minutes. Approximate distance: 20km.

I just checked my running log, dated since 19th May 2009. I’ve logged in a total of 609.11km in 7 months. According to Tommy and Peter from Brooks, your shoes warrant a change when they hit a mileage of 1000 miles. Or 1600km.

Sigh. It’s a long way to go. But I am not deterred. I shall earn my new shoes. And I shall earn my right to line up with the real runners.

I am not a runner. I am a miracle miler.