Post Mortem on the events I participated for 2010.
1. 30K run, January, Pdg Merbok-Bkt Tunku-Hartamas.
Time: 3:15
Good: Manage to complete with minimal training and while carrying an injury.
Bad: 18 mins slower than 2009. Cramped and walked the last 5K.
Lessons Learned : Train and prepare. Dont join a race unprepared and injured. Result will be bad and injury worsen.
2. PD Tri, July.
Time: 2:55
Good: Improved 35mins overall from 2009. Excellent(by my standard) bike time (1:15). Running was OK. (55)
Bad: Swim was slower than expected (39). Was panicky 3/4 of the course.
Lessons Learned : Good prep on bike. Apparently not enough sessions in the pool by looking at the result. Dont try to 'pulun' at the start of the swim. Hard to get back composure.
Run was ok considering minimal time spent training bcos of injury that got me sidelined for a good 4 months. Enjoyed the race overall.
3. Desaru LD Tri, Oct.
Time: 6:40
Good: Improved 1:10 from IM 70.3 PutraJaya. Bike was excellent ( again by my standard 3:07). Hot weather did not hinder my race bcos of acclimatisation sessions. Nutrition timing was good too.
Bad: Run (2:34). 20 mins off target. Struggled in the mid part of the course. Swim was ok-ok je la.
Lessons Learned : Good prep overall. Need to preapare cold coke on the run course to boost spirit. Enjoyed the race.
4. Penang Marathon, Nov.
Time: 4:56
Good: 6 mins faster than my last and only Marathon in 2009. No cramping and pain factor was kept at minimum.
Bad: Too Slow. Not enough speed work. Hard to sustain 6-6:30 pace for the first half of the run.
Lessons Learned: Need to loose some more weight. Need to be sub 70KG to truly perform for Marathon.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Of IM and long road to recovery
Since I started doing the multisports, I have come to a conclusion that being an Ironman would be the pinnacle for one's personal goal. I made friends with many IM, some before they become IM, and some after, so much so that I want to be like them. Not because of the glamour or the the title "IM" that u can proudly place in front of your name, it is simply because of the question that I would like to answer it by myself. "Can I do it?" I JUST NEED to know this...and so the long journey begins.
End of Feb, went to Langkawi to witness the 2010 IM for 2 reasons;
1. To recce the venue
2. To soak up the whole experience
Suffice to say the event was nothing short of inspiring, and now, I also have a better sense and idea on the full distance IM. With that, my goal is getting much clearer, which shd translate into a better training plan. Needless to say, the plan looks very long and intensive. It better be.
However...(mesti nak kena ada however punya, drama...) I need to overcome the first obstacle right from the word go. To begin with, I'm injured (since Jan). Dr diagnosed me of having minor meniscus tear and MCL sprain on my left knee. Need to undergo Physio and few assesments. The next one is gonna be early May, which if it doesnt turn out right, the knee will be put under the knife.
So, my training is limited to swim and cycle, which is actually a blessing cos cycling is my worst decipline and cant say otherwise for swimming too. So this "time out" from doing 'weight bearing' activity has forced me to focus more time on swim/cycle which I think is bearing some fruits now. Now my ass on bike saddle have a higher pain threshold and my swim stroke is looking better than before.
I also started slow runs, but not without problems. The pain is still there but not as bad as before. The bigger issue now is the confidence level. For every step with my left foot, I'm always cautious, which resulted in putting more strain on my right. Not good, need to improve this.
Diet is also another area that I'm focussing. There is a certain weight range that I need to achieve to race effectively. Its always hard for endurance athlete to loose weight bcos u always need to have high level of input(food) to sustain the high level of work without affecting performance. So I'm targeting on 3 areas, the 1-Quality of food, 2-The compositon of food and 3-The Timing of intake. It is showing some result as I've lost abt 2 kg for the last 1.5 months without ever getting starved. Hope to shed few more kilos of fat.
In terms of knowledge, now I have a better understanding of the bike, with the help of Bandit, Stupe, Kam and others. I spent some time browsing the net reading bike articles as I'm also planning to upgrade my current bike to something that can do the job in Langkawi.
In summary, to do an IM is a big commitment. I'm hoping that I'd have the tenacity and strive to achieve my dream.
P.S: Eventhough the post date is Mar 7, I only post this on April 27.I drafted this post in early Mar but only now get to post it. Lazy...
End of Feb, went to Langkawi to witness the 2010 IM for 2 reasons;
1. To recce the venue
2. To soak up the whole experience
Suffice to say the event was nothing short of inspiring, and now, I also have a better sense and idea on the full distance IM. With that, my goal is getting much clearer, which shd translate into a better training plan. Needless to say, the plan looks very long and intensive. It better be.
However...(mesti nak kena ada however punya, drama...) I need to overcome the first obstacle right from the word go. To begin with, I'm injured (since Jan). Dr diagnosed me of having minor meniscus tear and MCL sprain on my left knee. Need to undergo Physio and few assesments. The next one is gonna be early May, which if it doesnt turn out right, the knee will be put under the knife.
So, my training is limited to swim and cycle, which is actually a blessing cos cycling is my worst decipline and cant say otherwise for swimming too. So this "time out" from doing 'weight bearing' activity has forced me to focus more time on swim/cycle which I think is bearing some fruits now. Now my ass on bike saddle have a higher pain threshold and my swim stroke is looking better than before.
I also started slow runs, but not without problems. The pain is still there but not as bad as before. The bigger issue now is the confidence level. For every step with my left foot, I'm always cautious, which resulted in putting more strain on my right. Not good, need to improve this.
Diet is also another area that I'm focussing. There is a certain weight range that I need to achieve to race effectively. Its always hard for endurance athlete to loose weight bcos u always need to have high level of input(food) to sustain the high level of work without affecting performance. So I'm targeting on 3 areas, the 1-Quality of food, 2-The compositon of food and 3-The Timing of intake. It is showing some result as I've lost abt 2 kg for the last 1.5 months without ever getting starved. Hope to shed few more kilos of fat.
In terms of knowledge, now I have a better understanding of the bike, with the help of Bandit, Stupe, Kam and others. I spent some time browsing the net reading bike articles as I'm also planning to upgrade my current bike to something that can do the job in Langkawi.
In summary, to do an IM is a big commitment. I'm hoping that I'd have the tenacity and strive to achieve my dream.
P.S: Eventhough the post date is Mar 7, I only post this on April 27.I drafted this post in early Mar but only now get to post it. Lazy...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Fat boy
Survived NB 30K, in a disappointing 3:20.
Target 3:15.
Time last year was 2:57.
Pls read report from last year http://jabbeer.blogspot.com/2009/01/polar-bear-on-run.html .
Verdict - 2 reasons
1. I'm fat
2. My legs are not strong enough
Woke up at 4, took the shower and had my ritual 'kubab'. Stomach still feels full from Nasi Lemak dinner binge , instead just had half a cup of coffee. Pushed off with Azmil arnd 4:40 and arrived at 5. Sampai2 je perut buat hal.
Walked from Tugu Negara to Pdg Merbuk. My heart was racing the moment I saw the long queues for the 4 portable toilets. Survival mode kicked in. No choice but to looked for the most isolated longkang to release my bombs there. Was unfortunate as Ikang caught me on the act. Not during the actual bombing, but just before....
At least my stomach felt good for the run. Was flagged off at 5:30. Maintained avg 6min/k for the first 10K. Enjoyed the hill at sekolah Arab cos they were no ligths at all and it was pitch black. Felt like running to Eternity and did not feel like u r climbing a hill as u cant see anything except for ppl few ft in front of u.
Slowed down the pace at the turning of Hartamas as suddenly the left knee felt so painful after running up the hill at Plaza Damas. Tried to put more weight on my right leg, and after 1-2 K, the left knee was OK. Was running at 6:30 avg until the start of Double Hill, probably KM 19. Started to walk for the first part of the hill as fatigue kicked in.
Met Mantat at 21K as he handed me the power gel. Managed to push myself to run 7K/min throughout the hills and came out around Tijani. Was excited to bump into my wife, D, Ezan, Yvone and Nizz at Tijani water station. They were in such a cheerfull mood, wonder why? Walked again for abt 100m just before the climb to go back into double hill. Ezan was there and encouraged me to run up the hill. I sure hell needed that and ran in 6:45 avg untill the start of Jln Sultan Salehudin.
Walked for abt 200m. As I wanted to start to run again up the hill, I start to feel tingling on my right quad. I know well enough that the cramps are coming. Couldnt do much and just walked from there on untill few hundred mtrs before Tugu. Told my self that I need to fight the cramps and slowly started running. As I started to pick-up my pace the cramp tangkap my right calf and left quads, almost stumbled to the ground. No choice but to walk again.
Started runing slowly pass Pdg Merbuk and stopped everytime the tinglings came. Met up my wife and D again at the junction of Bank Rakyat, they tried to give me encouragement and urged me to run. Wanted to run as I'm not really feeling tired but couldnt do much as still having the cramp problem. Sticked to 100 run 50 walk untill the finishing line.
I'm relieved that I can complete the run albeit 5 min off target and 22 mins slower than last year.
Really proud of Ikang from my running group as he clocked in 3:40, 20 mins earlier than target.
But for now;
Immediate target : Recovery and fix the knee
Intermediate target : Strength training + proper diet = Weight loss
Target 3:15.
Time last year was 2:57.
Pls read report from last year http://jabbeer.blogspot.com/2009/01/polar-bear-on-run.html .
Verdict - 2 reasons
1. I'm fat
2. My legs are not strong enough
Woke up at 4, took the shower and had my ritual 'kubab'. Stomach still feels full from Nasi Lemak dinner binge , instead just had half a cup of coffee. Pushed off with Azmil arnd 4:40 and arrived at 5. Sampai2 je perut buat hal.
Walked from Tugu Negara to Pdg Merbuk. My heart was racing the moment I saw the long queues for the 4 portable toilets. Survival mode kicked in. No choice but to looked for the most isolated longkang to release my bombs there. Was unfortunate as Ikang caught me on the act. Not during the actual bombing, but just before....
At least my stomach felt good for the run. Was flagged off at 5:30. Maintained avg 6min/k for the first 10K. Enjoyed the hill at sekolah Arab cos they were no ligths at all and it was pitch black. Felt like running to Eternity and did not feel like u r climbing a hill as u cant see anything except for ppl few ft in front of u.
Slowed down the pace at the turning of Hartamas as suddenly the left knee felt so painful after running up the hill at Plaza Damas. Tried to put more weight on my right leg, and after 1-2 K, the left knee was OK. Was running at 6:30 avg until the start of Double Hill, probably KM 19. Started to walk for the first part of the hill as fatigue kicked in.
Met Mantat at 21K as he handed me the power gel. Managed to push myself to run 7K/min throughout the hills and came out around Tijani. Was excited to bump into my wife, D, Ezan, Yvone and Nizz at Tijani water station. They were in such a cheerfull mood, wonder why? Walked again for abt 100m just before the climb to go back into double hill. Ezan was there and encouraged me to run up the hill. I sure hell needed that and ran in 6:45 avg untill the start of Jln Sultan Salehudin.
Walked for abt 200m. As I wanted to start to run again up the hill, I start to feel tingling on my right quad. I know well enough that the cramps are coming. Couldnt do much and just walked from there on untill few hundred mtrs before Tugu. Told my self that I need to fight the cramps and slowly started running. As I started to pick-up my pace the cramp tangkap my right calf and left quads, almost stumbled to the ground. No choice but to walk again.
Started runing slowly pass Pdg Merbuk and stopped everytime the tinglings came. Met up my wife and D again at the junction of Bank Rakyat, they tried to give me encouragement and urged me to run. Wanted to run as I'm not really feeling tired but couldnt do much as still having the cramp problem. Sticked to 100 run 50 walk untill the finishing line.
I'm relieved that I can complete the run albeit 5 min off target and 22 mins slower than last year.
Really proud of Ikang from my running group as he clocked in 3:40, 20 mins earlier than target.
But for now;
Immediate target : Recovery and fix the knee
Intermediate target : Strength training + proper diet = Weight loss
Thursday, January 14, 2010
To 'tekan' or not to 'tekan'
I woke up late again this morning. 6:20, wont have enough time to do 5K and to be ready behind the desk before 8. This has been a constance battle for me lately. I can wake up to the rings of my alarm clock but I just dont have enough will power to stay awake.
Earlier, I woke up at 5:30, and turn off the alarm. Sedar2 je dah pukul 6:20. Crap...
My plan was to do at least 5K around KLCC park, in the early morning. Looks like now I have to go to the gym instead during luch to make ammend. So to the gym I went.
I never really enjoyed running on treadmill, so I set a modest target of 6-6:30min/K for 30min. Changed attire and dah pakai kasut semua cukup, terlupa pulak nak pakai knee brace. I've been wearing a knee brace on my left knee to give me extra support when running. I suspect I'm suffering from a minor meniscus tear, but Stupe told me not to self diagnose myself.
Anyway, malas nak bukak kasut utk pakai the knee brace so just decided that I will take it easy on the treadmill. But after 4-5 mins, the knee felt right, so i set the speed to 10.5, which will give me the pace of 5:45-6min/K. For some reasons, felt really good. Decided to 'tekan sikit' and increased the speed untill 12 and ran for 42 mins, tertambah sikit time utk genapkan 7K. So average was 6m/K pasal the earlier part lari2 anak.
Was very satisfied with the run as I think now my knee is getting better. Hopefully it will be in a good conditon for this Sunay 30K run. Insya'Allah.
Lesson learnt: When everything feels right, do extra than what u've planned. It will make up for the time when u feel shitty.
Earlier, I woke up at 5:30, and turn off the alarm. Sedar2 je dah pukul 6:20. Crap...
My plan was to do at least 5K around KLCC park, in the early morning. Looks like now I have to go to the gym instead during luch to make ammend. So to the gym I went.
I never really enjoyed running on treadmill, so I set a modest target of 6-6:30min/K for 30min. Changed attire and dah pakai kasut semua cukup, terlupa pulak nak pakai knee brace. I've been wearing a knee brace on my left knee to give me extra support when running. I suspect I'm suffering from a minor meniscus tear, but Stupe told me not to self diagnose myself.
Anyway, malas nak bukak kasut utk pakai the knee brace so just decided that I will take it easy on the treadmill. But after 4-5 mins, the knee felt right, so i set the speed to 10.5, which will give me the pace of 5:45-6min/K. For some reasons, felt really good. Decided to 'tekan sikit' and increased the speed untill 12 and ran for 42 mins, tertambah sikit time utk genapkan 7K. So average was 6m/K pasal the earlier part lari2 anak.
Was very satisfied with the run as I think now my knee is getting better. Hopefully it will be in a good conditon for this Sunay 30K run. Insya'Allah.
Lesson learnt: When everything feels right, do extra than what u've planned. It will make up for the time when u feel shitty.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Catching up
I have not been writing in this blog for about 6 months. I dont need to give any excuses, this is my blog, I can write whenever I feel like writing, and nobody can say anything about it. That's the beauty.
Many eventful things happened in the last 6 months, Noah turned 1, I completed Half Ironman, Tesa completed half marathon to name a few. But one of the thing that stands out and that I take pride on is making my family and friends to lead a more healthy living. I shared and guided them with what little knowledge that I have to help them kickstart their healthy and fitness journey. It just made feel good that at least I'm making impacts on their lives.
But now, I'm gonna write on something that is more current. There are many things that I wanna do this year, but let me scope it down to sporting goal, as it is mainly within my control. I have 2 attainable goals;
1. Complete KL Marathon in 4:30
2. Complete Half IM in 7 hrs
Basically, its all abt improving the timing for these 2 events that I struggled the most last year.
This month, I'm still charting up the plan to attack this. There are so many factors that will come into place. As planning is very crucial, I'm using as much time as possible to design the most effective plan to me.
In general, There are few things that I need to improve to achieve the goals above.
1. Get into my optimal weight of 68KG.
2. Improve in my cycling ability
So my plan will revolve around the 2 areas of improvement above to achieve my goals.
From time to time, I will update the blogs to share my experience in terms of training, races, nutirition etc as I think ppl can learn as much as what I have learnt from this journey.
Wish me luck guys.
Many eventful things happened in the last 6 months, Noah turned 1, I completed Half Ironman, Tesa completed half marathon to name a few. But one of the thing that stands out and that I take pride on is making my family and friends to lead a more healthy living. I shared and guided them with what little knowledge that I have to help them kickstart their healthy and fitness journey. It just made feel good that at least I'm making impacts on their lives.
But now, I'm gonna write on something that is more current. There are many things that I wanna do this year, but let me scope it down to sporting goal, as it is mainly within my control. I have 2 attainable goals;
1. Complete KL Marathon in 4:30
2. Complete Half IM in 7 hrs
Basically, its all abt improving the timing for these 2 events that I struggled the most last year.
This month, I'm still charting up the plan to attack this. There are so many factors that will come into place. As planning is very crucial, I'm using as much time as possible to design the most effective plan to me.
In general, There are few things that I need to improve to achieve the goals above.
1. Get into my optimal weight of 68KG.
2. Improve in my cycling ability
So my plan will revolve around the 2 areas of improvement above to achieve my goals.
From time to time, I will update the blogs to share my experience in terms of training, races, nutirition etc as I think ppl can learn as much as what I have learnt from this journey.
Wish me luck guys.
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