IF

Most of us have heard or read the poem by Rudyard Kipling called “If”. Runners very often identify with the lines

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run

…especially during the last lap of the last set of interval runs. I as a runner today however, could very much relate to the lines:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

A year ago, I have never ran further than a 6k fun run. Overweight and lacking stamina, it was due to the grace of my friends that encouraged me to take little steps towards being a distance runner. Finally I joined a marathon training program called Portland Fit in April this year to begin training properly for my first marathon. Months passed by, distances were covered, benchmarks came and went. I was becoming a stronger and faster runner every day. My pace went from 11minute+ to sub 10 as training progressed. I was satisified with what I achieved.

And then one day I went for an easy run which made me suffer more than a tempo run. I thought it was just a the heat. The next run, I felt worse. By the time I went for a 30k long run, I could only run 1/3 of it. Something was wrong. Days passed and my heart rate never went below 80 beats per minute while resting. After waiting to get a doctor’s appointment, I finally got to see one. My blood test result shows that I have a hyperactive thyroid gland. My body is driven into overdrive even without physical exertion. Running became impossible as my heart would race to beyond 190 bpm at a conservative pace. Devastated I was. A broken body + no endorphins from running = a really gloomy person. Even worse was the fact that the Portland Marathon which is supposed to be my first marathon was just weeks away.

I spent 4 weeks off running and started medication which doesn’t seem to make a dent in my condition. Finally I decided not rot away any longer. Put on those running shoes and went out to… walk. And then a little jog here and there. Really slow but at least I’m not reaching 170 bpm. Running… really running is no longer an option for my maiden 26.2. God willing, I will be able to jog/ walk/ crawl to the finish line this weekend. Somehow, just making myself jog/ walk has allowed me to make peace with my condition.

It’s 3 days to the marathon for me and my heart rate is not making much positive progress. If there is any salvation here, it is that I have learned to, like how John “The Penguin” Bingham said, waddle and maintain a stable and aerobic heart rate. The upside to all this is that I am feeling minimal pre-race jitters. To me, I only need to get to the starting line and complete the marathon. This Sunday, I will face my first 26.2. But it has been way more miles getting to the starting line and it was a wonderful journey. A journey made so life-changing not only by the road beneath my feet, but my wife, friends and all the Portland Fit folks.

Post Run Stretch

Watch Dr. Greg's stretching video posted by Portland Fit running group. He's a chiropractic doctor at Clearwater Clinic Portland and helped me a lot with my ITB issue. Stretching is definitely one way to keep injury at bay and improve recovery after runs. I recommend doing the full suite that Greg dishes out in the three-part video especially after your long runs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP77LvO1BG4&feature=channel_page

Portland Fit 25k Benchmark

Location: Portland, Oregon
Date: 7/18/2009
Time: 6.00 a.m.
Distance: 15.1 mi planned. Garmin Forerunner 305 reported 15.41 mi.
Garmin data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9095673

Following the first benchmark in this year's Portland Fit program which was the Helvetia Half Marathon, this second benchmark ups the ante by making us go 25k or 15.1 miles. With the half being the longest distance I've covered until now (PBIM 2008's tragedy does not count for its 25k), this would be my longest distance to run yet. The run was planned like an event; coaches and ACs marshalling the route, 2 fueling stations stocked with water, Gleukos, licorice sticks and chips. Members from Vancouver joined us and the group was bigger than usual.

The benchmark started off with something unexpected when a person who lived nearby screamed at us to turn down the volume of the speakers while Coach Celia briefed us about the run. I didn't think the volume was turned too high. Besides, if he could hear us then he wasn't sound asleep either. So he woke up partially by himself and probably stayed awake after that since he would have bumped up his heart rate through all the angry shouting. Never got to coming down to confront us as he looked at Coach Dave's 6"6' back. ;)

Some light warm up and off we went towards the Steel Bridge. Slow and steady with 11 minute plus pace for the first mile. Picked up the pace a little and held it there until we reached the Vera Katz waterfront on east Portland. Started doing some sub-10s after that and alternated with some 10:30s to keep the HRM reading from going beyond 170 bpm. The Springwater stretch went by quickly as I ran in the company of some fellow Reds. The group started to spread out due to varying pace before the first station.

By the time I crossed Sellwood Bridge, I felt like I was pretty much running alone. Adding to that was the 1 mile loop we had to do around Willamette Park that adds on to the mental anguish. Dave told us that the benchmark is "more psychological challenging than it is physically". As I ran that mile loop, I couldn't help but think if the course was specifically made to test us mentally! Inside, I knew that this was where the real show starts. The course is putting forth its challenge and it is time for me to respond.

I would in the later part of the day tell my wife that when a runner runs, the first hour goes by without much pain. After that, the "weakest link" or past/ rehab-ed injuries will start to be a bother. However, beyond 2 hours that hurt is forgotten because everywhere else hurts too. Multiple pains all over that the mind can either overload by servicing them, or the mind can choose to ignore them. As I ran towards Tom McCall Waterfront Park, I started to have walk intervals to bring my heart rate down to the 150s before running again.

Actually, the rest of the run became easier as I met more familiar faces and wasn't running alone anymore. Running up Raleigh towards home base, the legs have some kick in them left as I pushed myself towards the end. 2:48:14. My first 25k and I came back in one piece. :) And I couldn't be luckier to run this distance as a benchmark organized by the amazing folks at Portland Fit. Kudos to them for putting up the fueling stations and ushers along the course. They have definitely done a great job and better than some formally organized races. Now that the 25k is done, I can sit back and relax a little until the 30k benchmark... :S

Running Movie Review: Without Limits

Title: Without Limits
Release date: 11 September 1998
Director: Robert Towne
Additional information on IMDB for this movie.

A biography drama featuring Steve Prefontaine, more famously known as "Pre" from Oregon, USA. The character of Pre is played by Billy Crudup. Pre is the famous medium distance runner from University of Oregon in Eugene who represented the United States in the 5k distance run in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. Famed for his "pure guts running" style, Pre always went all out to win a race as he was never contented in winning "the chicken-shit" way.

In Without Limits, his all-out-till-the-skies-come-crashing-down style forms an interesting tension between Pre and his coach, a man by the name William J. Bowerman (Donald Sutherland). Now, if William or more often known as Bill, named his company "Bowerman Shoe Company", all of us would have a mouthful everytime we refer to running gear today. Instead, Bill Bowerman called the company he founded, Nike.

The story briefly shows a young Pre being chased by his peers who picked on him due to his German roots and how he always outran them no matter what. Pre's excellent running in high school soon led him to Hayward Field where he trained under Bill Bowerman. The movie not only focuses on Pre only but also how Pre came to affect those around him with his beliefs on running and life.

Without Limits is a story about a great runner and a great coach, the dynamics in their relationship and ultimately how they propel one another towards greater heights. It brings to the viewer how running can be so powerful even off the track, into real life. The movie reminds us that in life, it is not only about winning the race, it is also about how we win the race.

Portland Fit Week 13 Long Run

Date: 27 June 2009
Time: 6:55 a.m.
Location: Portland, Oregon
Distance: 10 miles
Run Details: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/7629275

I joined the slower Red Group at Portland Fit today for the 10 mile long run as I did not do a long run last weekend and my mileage has dropped significantly over the last 2 weeks. We started off at 6:55 a.m. from Conway and headed towards the east waterfront via the steel bridge. It's my first long run using my Forerunner 305 so I was keen on finding out how well it tracks my run data. It is also my first long run since Helvetia Half and technically completing the corrective treatment of my leg length discrepancy at Clearwater Clinic Portland Oregon.

Crossing over the Willamette and running down the Vera Katz waterfront, I started to feel the all familiar tightness on the outside of my right knee. Stretching my leg helped relax the IT Band there but the tightness came back again after I passed OMSI. I felt strange because I did not have my ITB acting up so early in a run before this. Right before entering Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, I realized that I have been trying to reduce the pronation on my right foot since the beginning of this training program. Looking at my right foot, I felt that it has the tendency to point outwards more than the left foot in order to pronate. It could have been because the right leg was shorter hence the pointing out of the foot.

I decided then to run by letting my right foot point out the way it wants to and the aching in my ITB was reduced. Recalling what I saw in the human anatomy chart at the clinic, it all makes sense. By forcing my right foot to point in while running, it stretches the ITB and increases its tension across the knee giving rise to the ache. But recall that my left foot can point forward without my left ITB aching. Why is that so? It brings me back to what I learnt in a sports science class when I took Taekwondo as a co-curiculum course during my university days...

The bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons mainly work together to allow us to move. Connecting muscles to bones are tendons which by nature is less flexible than muscles. On top of that, tendons are less likely to become more pliable through condition. In fact, when we stretch, it is the muscles that mainly elongate and we are conditioning the muscle to become more pliable and rarely the tendon.

Coming back to the question earlier... the answer lies in conditioning. Dr. Greg has done a marvellous job in fixing my leg length difference. However, the muscle in my right thigh is not as conditioned as the one in my left. Therefore it is not as efficient in elongating to accommodate the gait change in my right foot. Whatever the muscle does not do is passed to the tendon and part of it, the ITB which then wraps tightly around my knee causing it to hurt.

The ache never went away throughout the whole run but it was mild and manageable. Hopefully in the long term, with proper conditioning I can correct my gait and run pain-free.

After My Running Hiatus

Today a package I have been anticipating since last week arrived at the door. This is what was in the package:

I now officially join the growing population of data driven runners who turn their bodies into virtual personal laboratories. High tech has set its foot in the running world and nowadays it is normal to measure and analyze training data to improve subsequent trainings. I told myself that if I ran the Helvetia Half in less than 2:30 I would get myself a GPS heart rate monitor and I did! Hence this is my reward to myself for achieving that goal. A brand new Garmin Forerunner 305 from Best Buy @ $150 after using my $10 gift voucher. Pretty sweet deal although I see some weaknees in the price floor of the 405 which has started to give way through $50 rebates. I believe Garmin is on the verge of launching the successor(s) to the 405/405CX models.

I did not have the patience to charge the unit for a full 3 hours and soon took it out for a short run after 1.5 hours of charging. Typical feedback as the other users have: GPS quick to lock on. HRM detected and working in seconds. No time display. Annoying beeping sound. My short run today was from my apartment to KFC to buy some drumsticks for my wife. :D Came back and tried my hand at the software. Everything worked smoothly and I got the run uploaded to Garmin Connect.

I have been slacking off my training plan but it helped me recover my ITB quite a bit. I'll be back to doing my long runs starting this Saturday. Many of you my runner friends will be reading this after SCKLIM so I wish you well in recovery. If you do happen to read this before the marathon/half, remember to run wisely and have fun!

More camwhoring pics of my Gahmin:

Jogger

I remember reading this news article about a Chinese runner who died in a hit-and-run accident in Sabah, Malaysia. Having said a silent prayer for Mr. Tong, I took some time to think about how this news relates to me as a runner. It saddens me a lot for a couple of reasons:

1) A driven person like him died while pursuing his passion for running around the globe due to some irresponsible people.
2) More reason to believe that it is not safe to run outside in Malaysia.
3) And finally... the title of the news article: "Find killer, say Chinese jogger’s brothers".

JOGGER?! This man spent a good part of his life hammering concrete, roads and trails with his legs and he is remembered as a JOGGER??? Shouldn't he be called inspiring runner or mega-ultra-long-distance runner? But then again, why am I so angry about the label "jogger"? I never gave that much thought until I started running. Yeah, running. Ask me if I am going for my run and I'll give a big smile and affirm that. But ask me if I am going jogging and you should be running away from this "jogger".

What makes a person a runner or a jogger? Is there a clear distinction between the two? Runner's World has a wiki page that describes jogging but offers no clear conclusion to what the difference is with running. I run most of my runs slower than a 10 minute mile pace so am I technically a jogger? But I don't take my runs to be monotonous or leisurely. I view my runs as valuable time spent improving my speed, distance and most importantly, tuning in to what my body says.

Maybe it's about image. You know, how people who jog tend to be affiliated with sweatpants and headbands. But that's the dorky old man runner's look as discussed in RW Daily. It's running and not jogging!

So here is a question to you runners and non-runners out there: Do you feel offended if someone says that you are a jogger? I'll try to add a poll for this question. Meanwhile, feel free to comment below. Run strong!

Starting Line

This is the first entry for my running blog hence the title. I will be posting anything I would like to talk about running such as race reports, running logs and other running information. Hope you'll like it. Cheers!

Helvetia Half Marathon 2009

Location: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
Date: 13 June 2009
Time: 8.00 A.M.
Distance: 13 miles 192.5 yards

This year I am lucky enough to be in Oregon to run the Helvetia Half Marathon. This being my second half marathon, I spent more time preparing and training for it. The training part is mainly enrolling myself in Portland Fit 27-week marathon training program where this race is part of the program for participants to benchmark themselves in preparation for running a full marathon this fall. So far I have been able to follow most of the training runs albeit my IT Band acting up in my long runs due to my bio mechanical inefficiencies. More of that in another blog entry.

Preparation was key in this race as I was badly prepared for my first half marathon which was the Penang Bridge Half Marathon in 2008. In preparation, I mean all the things other than training. My ill-prepared run on Penang Bridge ended up being one of the most embarrassing and ahem... dirty experience in my life. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to share it on a post on this blog but for now, lets just say that it is related to a runners syndrome called "GI irritation" or "Gastro Intestinal-tract irritation". Determined on not letting myself falter again, I trained using the same energy gel which is GU gel for all my long runs. I also figured out (due to another GI incident on a 9 mile run) that I cannot consume any dairy for breakfast before running. Upon switching to just plain dry Corn Flakes for breakfast and consuming on GU gel, the GI problems have vanished. Well, at least for now.

Following the mantra of nothing new for the race, I laid out the items I will be bringing for the run. Tech-T with bib number pinned, checked. Compression tights that will make me look silly, checked. Hey, nothing new so I gotta stick to them compression tights. Running socks, checked. BodyGlide, checked. 3 GU gels, checked. 4 bottles from hydration belt, checked. Set my alarm clock for 5.30 A.M. and went to sleep at 11.00 P.M. I kept telling my wife that I cannot sleep because I was excited but I guess I fell asleep 15 minutes after that.

Bib and timing chip

I woke up on time and proceeded to stuff a bowl of dry Corn Flakes into my mouth. Having done everything, I was out of the door by 6.30 A.M. The Helvetia Half starts at Hillsboro Stadium so I walked there as a warm up. It took me 30 minutes to reach the stadium and not a minute too early for Portland Fit group photo. We were a big group filling up a portion of the stadium field and it was funny seeing Coach Eric giving us hand and body signs for the photos. Right after that, a light drizzle happened and most of us scrambled for shelter at the seats. It's Oregon alright. That soon cleared before the start time and we moved towards the starting point. Knowing how eager most runners are and how some will dash out at the beginning only to walk the remaining 12 miles, I stood quite far away from the start line. This race is definitely the best organized race I have ran in but the only strange thing is I never heard the starting horn/ gun. In fact most of us didn't and just followed the crowd to move along towards the timing mat. Given the fact that there are 3000+ participants this year, the sound of the gun or horn probably got drowned out.

Started out the race with Carmi who is also from Portland Fit. The first mile was pretty easygoing and I took the time to get into a steady pace and let the muscles warm up. By the time we reached the first mile marker, it was 12 minutes 30 seconds. Feeling good and ready to pick up speed, I started to move into my usual 10:30 pace. Soon I was moving along away from Hillsboro Stadium and up the bridge to cross Highway 26 towards Helvetia Road. In to mile 3 of the course, we were greeted by a hill. I have always been nervous about hills not because of going up but rather using up everything I have going up that I have nothing else to run with after that. So I started to shorten my stride and slowly chug up the hill. As I pulled myself over the top of the hill I felt great and kept a steady stride going downhill to take the chance to recover. Miles 3 to 10 of the course were mostly rolling hills. One important thing I realized when it comes to tackling rolling hills over a long course is to never tell yourself that this is the last hill. In fact, I found that by telling myself that this is just another hill and balancing it with recovery on the way down, I was able to handle them hills fairly well.

50 minutes into the race, I stopped to refuel and stretch. Helvetia is a rural area with farms and it's really beautiful. Taking in the view and my yummy chocolate GU gel, I felt refreshed and continued strong. The rest of the run until Mile 10 was consistent and lots of nice random conversations with other runners and cheers from the wonderful volunteers. Starting Mile 10, I start to feel my ITB acting up. Over every 1/2 mile or so, it would deliver a jolt of sharp pain to my right leg that makes it temporarily limp for a second. I had to slow down and alter my gait a little to counter the discomfort. Another refuel and stretch break at 1 hour 50 minutes really helped with the right leg. Slow and steady across Highway 26 again until I see the 12 Mile mark. The band which played when we passed them at Mile 1 is still there playing tunes of encouragement for us.

I always felt the last mile of the race to be the toughest and this one is no different. Everything felt so heavy and it really came down to the mind forcing the protesting body to keep running into the stadium. Once in there, it was smooth sailing all the way past the finish line. I was only focused on 2 things: press the button on my watch for my time and find my wife who is waiting for me. She managed to snap photos of my finish and how I was "racing" with the dude next to me. Did all the post-race stuff: collect finished medal and t-shirt, drink some Jamba Juice, popped some Clif Shots, stretch, got the Helvetia Burger. After that we headed back home by foot. This time it took 45 minutes. :P

Time on course: 2 hours 24 minutes 35 seconds

Dude in blue beat me in the last couple of yards!

Finisher's T-shirt & Medal

Finisher's Medal