Ultramarathons

Running a marathon was never on my bucket list. It only started about two years back when I started considering running a marathon. After running a half marathon, I decided to abandon it until I have seen guys doing ultramarathons that is longer than a traditional marathon. This ultramarathon seems to be a real impossible feat. And after reading "Born to Run", I was convinced to dive into the challenge.

One of the Penang guy who I know who has attempted these ultras which seems humanly impossible. He has attempted the 100K del Sahara, Great North Walk 100 miles - Toughest Ultratrail in Australia, 222k marathon in Amazon Jungle, Ultra Trail Mount Fuji, the famous Copper Canyon Ultra marathon and some others. He has a facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/seowkong.ng

Jungle Marathon 2010 - Start to Finish (222km)

If we are talking about ultras, Dean Karnazes should not be left out. He has ran the Badwater 135 miles Ultramarathon, known to be toughest foot-race on earth, a marathon to the South Pole at -40 deg F. In 2006, he ran 50 marathons in all 50 states in 50 consecutive days, finishing with the New York City Marathon. He is also an author on several books on running. 

His website is www.ultramarathonman.com

Malaysia has the Sabah Adventure Challenge (SAC) race. A 3 days 100 km ultramarathon. 

This is stated at the SAC website under "Physical fitness".

"Competitors registering for the adventure race or ultra 60km trail run understand that they must be physically fit and mentally prepared for a difficult race course over the two day's and understand the risk's and  associated with competing in an extreme endurance race. Some areas of the race course are not accessible to vehicles or medical teams and response times may vary according to weather, terrain and competitors." Sounds challenging? I think they have not amended it to 100km and 3 days.

Will I consider entering an ultra? Not on my To Do list or Will Do list.

But I am interested in the normal 42km River Jungle Marathon which is not an ultramarathon. Those that have participated enjoys the view of the marathon. Some say you must attempt it at least once.

Taken from the website  (Sounds attractive !!)

"The River Jungle Marathon is one of the most beautiful marathon destinations in Malaysia. Located just 20-minutes from the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the marathon is set amidst a landscape like no other. On this full marathon route, you will experience a mix of Malaysia’s beautiful landscape bringing you through valleys, rivers, dams and mountains. 

Experience all this without even having to leave the road, as The River Jungle Marathon is an On Road run. 

WHY THE RIVER JUNGLE MARATHON 2012?

We believe running should be fun; it shouldn’t be all about how fast we can run. 

The River Jungle Marathon is not a race. There is no big prize money at the finish line. It’s simply for runners who find joy of just being able to run! It’s a run that attracts runners from all walks of life. So we recommend for you to bring a notepad and exchange numbers!"

Unfortunately, it does not fit into my timetable this year. This marathon will be on my running list in 2013. Just irresistible !!

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 8

During my course of the training of my first marathon, there are more issues that arises than I thought initially. My simple thinking will be just buy a pair of running shoes and just go out and run. Who cares about the rest. After running my half marathon last year, the agony was just too much. This simple thinking will not probably work if you wanted to finish a marathon or finishing strong.

How do I survive those treadmill running at first? I watch television attached to the treadmills. I used to enjoy that when I was doing my half marathon. That was when I was running at a much slower speed of mostly less than 7.5 mins/km. But when your pace starts to pick up. I realise that it is difficult to run at a faster pace and watching television. Music was always my companion even before watching television. Music and podcasts become my only companion.

So I have to find running music that will be more suited for running which will be faster pace rather than ballads.  Finally, I settle for dance or rock music. And I have to start experimenting with headphones and MP3 players. Eventually I found my best companion. A 2GB IPod shuffle and an Adidas Sennheiser headphones.

The Adidas Sennheiser headphones has two sections but unfortunately I lost another section after my run. The other section has a volume control.  It is comfortable and hold in place most of the time. The wings like earbuds will prevent the earbud from falling off. The IPod shuffle is 2GB but it is small and convenient which I normally clip to my running shorts. It has voice-over which means it can talk to you. By pressing a button it can tell what is the name of the song, the playlists that I am playing and also the battery level. Pretty convenient !

I also downloaded another podcasts of fast music which is great for running. Some of the listeners have run marathons listening to his podcast.

Armin van Buuren - A State of Trance Podcasts

When you start to run longer and longer distances, my next problem will be the running route. I would not want to keep running the same route. Boredom will sets in......

To be continued......

Spirit of the Marathon

To those that are going to run their first marathon or who has ran a few marathons, this documentary is the most inspiring documentary to watch.

The documentary is about 6 runners, two first timers, two elite runners and two has done a number of marathons. It also has the history of the marathon and the woman participation in marathon. Woman was initially banned from marathon. They are afraid that their uterus may fell out. Eventually they faces the ultimate challenge of the 2005 Chicago Marathon. It is a good documentary to watch especially just before a marathon.

Those non-runners watching this documentary may just grab a pair of running shoes and start running after that.

Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike. - Quote from www.marathonmovie.com.

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 7

When I was running my Half Marathon I didn't consider about any fueling. I just ran on an empty stomach for 3 hrs and 10 mins. I should have fainted in the first place. But I may have too much body fat or muscles that complement the lack of glycogen after it has depleted. I have never really run more than one and a half hour during training. You can imagine running a 3 hours race without fueling just plain water and sports drinks.

Running a marathon requires a lot of mental toughness. Some claimed it is as much as 50%. The physical and mental challenge is what draw people to run a marathon. Most of the time during my training runs, the first 4 km is tough. Your body is still not warm up and you find it a  strain to run. After the warm up and you really start to sweat, the endorphin is released. And you experience a runner's high.

Having listen to a number of podcasts from Marathon Training Academy, I have decided to follow some of the advice give in the podcasts. Those 10km or less run which I can normally finished in less 80 mins run, I will just run on an empty stomach. If I run in the morning I will probably just drink some water and go for a run. But if I run in the evening on a treadmill, it is usually a banana will do. I can mostly run the first 60 mins to 70 mins without water. (I still have a camel in me).

But during the Sunday long runs (or LSD) which goes to 16km or more, you will not be able to have a good run without any fueling. I have started to look for energy gels and they are mostly sold in GNC. There are quite a few varieties of energy gels with different pricing. I have tried most of them during my long runs to test which of them are suited to my taste. Currently, I have find out that I can either take one or two bananas before the run in the morning or one energy gel before the run. And I am also a coffee lover so I have normally need the caffeine booster from the early morning coffee before my run. The energy gels also come with caffeine or without caffeine.

I have chosen GU energy gels after trying a few others.

The morning coffee on Sunday is mainly because you have to wake awfully early to run. It gets earlier and earlier as your runs get longer and longer. Those non-runners will consider runners as "siao-lang"(crazy people in Hokkien). People don't wake up before 12noon on Sunday and for me is normally from 5.30am to 6.30am depending on the length of the run. To runners, if you tell them you wake up at 5.30am that is late to them. They usually wake up at 4am in the morning.

My fueling strategy during the run is that I will normally take an energy gel after every hour of run. So far, I have only taken one during the run even for run as long as almost 3 hours. The energy gels are pretty expensive so I have been taking less than required. You have to try out your fueling strategy during your long runs especially what you want to eat before the run. It has been recommended you have to take your food, 3 hours before the run. This is a bit illogical if you are going for a morning run. Meaning you don't have to sleep then.

But how do you get through the boredom of the long runs especially treadmill running ?

To be continued....

Born to Run. Are we?

This is an amazing book on running written by Christopher McDougall published in 2009. It is a book in search of an answer, "Why does my foot hurt?". This leads the writer sets off to find a tribe, i.e.  The Tarahumara, the world greatest ultra-distance runners and learn their secrets. The Tarahumara reside in the Copper Canyon region of Mexico.  They have been called "The Running People" and for centuries practiced skills that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest. They run in huaraches, thin leather sandals that encourage mid foot striking and good running form.

Assisted by "Caballo Blanco" whose real name is Micah True, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, he was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country which is the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon. I have posted a YouTube video on my earlier post. 

This book has stirred up a lot of interest on barefoot running and minimalist shoes. 

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 6

The Beginner's Marathon Training Plan by Marathon Training Academy actually recommend that you have built a solid running base of running 3-5 miles for 3 times a week for 6 - 12 months.  The training plan is a 20 weeks' plan. So it is about 4 - 5 months commitment at least. A long run for every Sunday.

The training plan has 3 running days and 2 cross-training days. The cross-training days are mostly activities other than running. My cross-training days are my weight training days. I used to do weight training for 4 days a week. My weight training has to be reduced to two days a week. I used to weigh 63kgs before I started weight training. After about two years it has gone to about 70kgs. Subsequently the weight keep going up and up and up. My heaviest I have reached was about 81kgs. Could have competed for Mr Penang then...(ho-ho-ho).  However, the heavy body is a real disadvantage in long distance running.  Will write about my weight loss later in the blog.

The long run goes from Week 1 of 6 miles to Week 17 of 20 miles then tapering to 12 miles and 8 miles and finally the marathon. I have try to do modifications to the plan as my half marathon and marathon dates do not coincide with the schedule weeks.

Back to drinking water issue, after digging information from the Internet and asking Andrew about this, there are a few alternatives you can approach it. The easiest method is to carry a disposable bottle. Those soft drinks or 100plus bottles. I actually saw one guy doing it on my first long run. And I find out the Coca Cola bottle has the best grip. But holding a bottle too long a time is also tiring.

The second alternative is to plant the water which actually means you placed water bottles or water bags along your running course. So you may have to go the night before or before your run to do that.

The third alternative is to wear a fuel belt which comes with small little bottles which you can fill it up with water or sport drinks. It is almost impossible to find fuel belt on sale in Penang. So you would have to look up the Internet to buy one.

The last alternative that Andrew suggested is to run where there are petrol stations. You can go to buy drinks or he says some runners drink tap water.

My solution is that I find a route that I can hide my disposable bottle under a tree and run for an hour before retrieving it. After that I have to carry the disposable bottle for the rest of the run. But as my runs get longer and longer, this solution will not be workable.

The next problem arose when my runs getting longer and longer when it gets above 1 and a half hour...what about fueling? You cannot run for a long time without fuel. It is just like a car running out of gas. You would not want to hang bananas around your waist for those long runs just for fueling.

Next ~ The Fueling Strategy

To be continued.............

I Just Felt Like Running

Forrest Gump, a movie released in 1994 has one of the best running scene I have ever seen. It also has one of the famous quotes in movie. "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."   It reflect upon the uncertainties in life. It also won Tom Hanks a second Best Actor in the Oscars consecutively after Philadelphia. 

Forrest Gump is a simple man with a low IQ but good intentions. He is running through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His 'mama' teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny.  However, when Jenny leaves him he has deal with the loss of his true love. His solution was to "run".

The scene was funny and yet a lot of life lessons into one scene. The funny quotes are "Shit Happens" and "Have a Nice Day". When he was asked why did he run, he just answered "I just felt like running".  At end of the scene, he finally realised why he ran, he says "Mama says you have to put your past behind you before you can move on". And then he stop running. In the movie he was supposed to have ran continuously for more than 3 years.

There are a few great songs in this scene also.
Running on Empty by Jackson Browne
Go your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac
Against The Wind by Bob Seger. This is one of my favorite song after so many years. Probably because of the lyrics of the song.

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 5

Coming to the next problem..how to track my running distance on the road? I know there are those Garmin watches. The GPS watch which can track your distance and your pace which I have seen in magazines before. But I do not intend to get one at the moment because they are kind of pricey. What happen if I gave up running after two months. Another white elephant !

Since I got an IPhone, the logical thing is look for an app on that. There is an app for everything even to track your constipation or diarrhea. (Wonder if there is one?) ITunes store again...and there are actually a few and some are free. One commonly used and it is free is MapMyRun. I read through a few reviews and decided on Runmeter which cost USD2.99. It is really a comprehensive app which can track your route, time and distances. You can create multiple route and key them in manually if you want to. For treadmill runs I have to key them manually so I can track my run time and distance. The website for Runmeter is http://www.abvio.com/runmeter.

Screen Capture of the Runmeter

A great piece of app and I am ready for my run on Sunday. But I have to carry my IPhone for my run. The good part is the IPhone is like a Swiss army knife who has everything. The problem is that it is not small and light. It is not comfortable running with a normal waist pouch because it will bounce up and down. This will drive me crazy. The good thing about the IPhone is all my running songs are also there. Then I started to look at my running shorts and at last I found one who has a pocket right at the centre near the spine area and big enough for an IPhone. So I am ready to run !

Got my first long distance run logged in at 1:20mins for a 9.3km run with an average pace of 8.36mins/km. Pretty happy with the first long run and tracking the distance. The next long run has to be 11km and will be more than 1:20 mins. Drinking water become an issue !! It is difficult to run long distance without drinking water. You run the risk of dehydration.

Next...Have to consult my friend on this...Or Just dig through the Internet again...

To be continued....

A 120 pound journey

This 120 pound (54.5kg) journey is not mine but Ben Davis. But it is inspirational video on YouTube. This video shows Ben Davis who has lost 120 pounds from running. He has now done 7 marathons and 2 Ironman. His amazing transformation can be seen in this video, "My 120 pound journey" who has been viewed more than 1.6 million times. He has gone from depressed recluse to a motivational speaker.

"If you want to do something with your life, if you really want to do it, just do it. I promise that you can. You just have to do it. And when you do, you’ll be happier for it." ~ Ben Davis

Under Ben's FAQs

How long did it take you to go from 365 pounds to running a marathon and Ironman?

• I started walk/jogging on January 5th, 2009 and crossed the finish line of the Denver Marathon on October 18th, 2009. So 10 months. August of 2010 was our first Ironman. So that took ~19 months. In my opinion marathon and Ironman are much easier (obviously they are still difficult) than people think. If you get involved with a training plan and stick to it, you will get there. You just have to commit 100%. 

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 4

How do I start preparing for a marathon? The obvious answer is from the internet of course. At the beginning of March 2012, I started to look for information on marathon training. I have been an iTunes user since the IPod nano days and I have always got a lot of information from podcasts at the iTunes store. The good part of it, it is FREE !!! So I started typing in the word "Marathon" at the iTunes store looking under Podcasts. The first one I noticed was "Marathon Training Academy". And it was rated four and half stars then. (I think now it is rated five stars).

I downloaded a few episodes of the podcasts which was hosted by Angie and Trevor, basically a husband and wife team. They provide information mainly to newbie marathoners like me. Very informative, motivational and entertaining too. Angie is more an experienced runner and Trevor is new to running. It has been my best buddy and information for marathon training for the past few months.  They have a website at www.marathontrainingacademy.com with training programs for half and full marathons. They also have a couch to 5K programs. Their podcasts is very structured and the first part is the shout out from listeners which has improved their lives or running through the Marathon Training Academy. These shout outs are the most inspiring part of the podcasts with people telling about their personal experiences. One of the most inspiring podcast is "Marathon Success Stories". Their tag line is "Empowering you to run a marathon and change your life". A very fitting one.

iTunes link for the podcasts of The Marathon Training Academy

I also downloaded their beginners and intermediate training plans for marathon. It was free then. Unfortunately they are charging a fee now to keep the podcasts going. Their training plans has a 3 running days and two cross-training days with a long run on the weekend. The cross-training days are avoid to injuries. The middle of the week training will be for tempo run or hill run alternating. Their training plans are all in miles so I have to convert them into kilometers. So I started following the first week of the training plan on 6 March 2012. I have decided to follow the first two days of the easy and tempo run/hill run on a treadmill so that I can monitor the distance. I started with a 6.5km of easy run on Tuesday and a hill run of 8km on Thursday. The hill run was definitely torturing. You have start to run on a incline of a treadmill for about 6km. After the run, your body will be completely covered with sweat!! Just like you have just taken a shower. But my running speed then was still very slow at a pace about 8.4min/km.

The next problem arose...how I am going to track the long run when I have to run 9km on the road. The long run is crucial as it puts the tiger in the cat.

To be continued.....

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 3

After 20 November 2011 Half Marathon Run, my interest for running was at a low. But I still carry on with my treadmill running about twice a week but no longer than 40 mins. The Half Marathon has scared the hell out of me. After a rest of two months or so, amnesia sets in. The scary part of half marathon has slowly fade away. The truth is time heals. And then I discovered a pair of new running shoes, the Vibram Fivefingers. A running shoe that is closed to barefoot running.

Vibram FiveFingers Treksport

I visited one of my client/friend shop at Straits Quay just before Chinese New Year and was just fascinated with the design of the shoe. I do not really know about barefoot running until later. But they do not have the size that I wanted.

I call up another friend of mine in Kuala Lumpur who runs a specialist shop in Kuala Lumpur selling outdoor equipment and also Vibram Fivefingers. He was kind enough to bring the size that I wanted from Kuala Lumpur to Penang during Chinese New Year. So I got it on 1 February 2012.

It was really difficult to put on the shoes initially. (I still find it difficult at times after wearing it for more than 4 months). But it was cool to wear if you go shopping with people keep staring at your feet. My friend advised me not to take the complete black pairs as it may look like gorilla feet! 

So I started reading about the shoes and slowly understanding about barefoot running and minimalist shoe.  I have tried running on a treadmill with them as your running form is completely different from previous running shoes. You will be running with a forefoot strike as opposed to heel strike. As the running progresses, my interest in running rekindle. The runner's high is back !!!  The feel of running in Vibram Fivefingers is so different. The feel of your feet on the ground as opposed to traditional running shoes. You can really feel the pebbles on the road. It took sometime before I took it on the road. I have taken some hikes in it also. But i don't like the feel especially if you are hiking down a terrain. It takes too much effort and accidentally stepping on a rock or a root of the tree can be pretty painful.

When I was finding out about barefoot running, I also discovered the Tarahumara barefoot running which is just eye-opening.

The Tarahumara can run very long distances just barefooted or very little footwear. And I also discovered an ultra marathoner from Penang and he is older or about my age who is a friend of Andrew on Facebook. This ultra marathoner commented about Tarahumara and the book "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall. I immediately look for the book and read the book. Such a good book on running and the Tarahumaras. The thought comes to mind "If people like them can run ultra marathons or such long distances barefooted. Are humans really born to run?" The seed of running a marathon starts to germinate. The idea start to get exciting and challenging ...A goal to run a marathon...

The next step..is preparing for it ....

To be continued....

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 2

Running up the middle span for the second time is one of the toughest run I have ever done. It is really more like a "crawl". The thought of "The Hare and Tortoise" story crosses my mind. Will I make it in 3 and a half hour for the medal? Or should I just start walking for the rest of the race? But my positive mantra of "I must never stop running" kept me going. Slow and slowly I ran...up and down the middle span. It is still a very long way to the finishing line. The water stops only served water and 100 plus and no food in sight. I was damn hungry !! Tired and hungry at the same time.

I have never ran so slow in my life until I notice that people were walking faster than my running. This is tortoise speed. The finishing of 3 and a half hour crossed my mind. A bridge too far I supposed. At that moment, I was passing some flats and I heard the morning prayers from a nearby mosque and I knew it was about 5.45am. The finishing line was not far from there. I have to dig deep into any reserve energy that I have left in a hungry stomach. Yes, at last I saw the turning into Queensbay Mall the final stretch to the finishing mark. A guy who has finished and holding a medal was walking along the final stretch shouted at us "Run, you are about to finish". That kind of add petrol to an empty fuel tank and I just ran as fast as I could to the finishing line. Finishing in 3 hrs and 10mins. 20 mins to spare to get my medal !! The "Thortoise" finished the race, YEAH !! It is nice when the volunteer hang the medal over your neck.

My finishing medal 

After the race, the first thing I look for is FOOD!! Never been so hungry in my life. So many runners were queueing up for food at the kiosk. Luckily there was one kiosk without queueing because they only give bananas. Beggars can't be choosers. I took 3 bananas and finished them immediately. I am just hungry beyond words. 3 hours 10 mins is such a long run. Took me 3 months to get over the fear of running after the run. Running for a marathon, no way....it will take me more than 6 hours !! Although technically you are given 7 hours to finish the race. Can't imagine myself wanting to run more than 6 hours on the road. Running a half marathon is already such a torture. Why would anybody want to "Embrace the Suck" again...

But what makes me run again? Not only run but running a marathon...

To be continued....

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 1

Having completed my 10K run (in 2010) two years ago and a Half Marathon (2011) a year ago, I have mentally psyched myself to run The Penang Bridge International Marathon(PBIM) this year. 42km is really a long distance.

Night View of Penang Bridge

I was training for my half marathon for PBIM with no training program or information but just a passion to run. I spend most of my training on the treadmill running from 40 mins to 60 mins. And at times a 60 mins to 90 mins run around my "taman"(housing area) on a Sunday morning. Never knew anything  about nutrition or what to eat before or after a run. A real newbie in long distance running. Probably it is because I attempted a half marathon 25 years ago doing the same thing. But I have forgotten that I am 25 years older now with a heavier body and a much deteriorated stamina. I have stopped running after that half marathon due to the amount of training I have put into that. I just become scared of running.

What get me back to running after 25 years? I would not say that I have not run during these 25 years. I have still been running on the treadmill over these years but the passion is not there and running is just an exercise. I spend most of my time doing weight training. Ending up with a much much heavier body. I have moved to a new gym about two years back where the treadmill is mostly not fully utilised all the time. So I started running on treadmill most of the time. I started with a walk/run routine. I could not run 20 mins continuously not even at a 7.5km/hour speed. That is actually very slow!! So I later drop the speed to 6.0km/hour speed which is almost like walking speed. It took me a few weeks before I could run for 20 - 30 mins without walking. And the maximum speed was probably at 6.8km/hour. The interesting part is I was hooked!!

I have read that if you do endurance exercise for a longer period the endorphins will kick in mostly referred to as the runner's high. I started to run 3 times a week on a regular basis on a treadmill and slowly increasing it to 40mins and then 60mins on weekends. After about 4 or 5 months of running I thought I would entered a half marathon of PBIM at the end of the year. But later I decided to do a 10km which was in 2010. The 10km run that year was  not that difficult as I was already running about 6 -7 km at that time for 60mins.

My 10km Medal

As I like to take on challenges as it comes, the next race will be a half marathon next year. Continuing my training on a treadmill most of the time and occasionally doing longer runs around my "taman"(housing area) on Sunday. My runs was only about 45 mins to a maximum of 90 mins. I did not even bothered what is the distance that I have covered. I did not really find a training program or information on long distance running. That was really a big mistake !!!


On the race day, the run starts at 2am for full marathon and 3am for half marathon. I did not sleep for the night and never ate anything before the race except for the dinner the night before. And I have to finish before 3 and a half hour for a medal. I was calculating my speed earlier that I ran on a treadmill and I was doubtful I could even finished in 3 and a half hour.

When I was at the race venue, I was wondering why some of the runners was carrying bananas and energy gels for the race. Probably I would not need that. The atmosphere of the marathon is great. Very fanfare type. Gets you into a happy mood. And we saw the full marathoners running off from the start. We will be the next at 3am. You really see that runners come in all shapes and sizes and age too. There are really so many older runners in the race. The good thing is it makes you feel young !! Although I have been used to people calling me "uncle".

The race starts...and I was running with a group of runners and going at my leisurely pace. The stamina was good although I really did not know about my pacing. The running up of the mid span was the first toughest challenge of the race and you have to run so far before you can do a U-turn back on the bridge. After that you have another run up the middle span of the bridge. Gosh! This is really tough! This is like hitting the wall !! You just run out of energy at that point of time. The insufficient training and nutrition really come to bite me at this moment. The mental strength was the only thing that keeps me going. My only mantra was "I must never stop running".

To be continued....