So You Think You Can't Run

When I got back to running in March 2010 after joining the new gym, I was having a hard time getting back to running. I was really not a runner even before that. I could hardly run 10 mins at that time. Don't even think about 30 mins. I was running so slowly on the treadmill until one of the gym guy used to make fun of how slow I ran. He actually imitate me on my slow running form. I started to run for about 10 mins then have to walk again and then run again. It is really a run/walk routine. It took me a month or two before I could run 30 mins. And the pace then is extremely slow probably at about 5.5/6.0km an hour that is like walking speed.  I used to be able to watch TV at the same time as my pace was extremely slow.

After a few months, fortunately I was still into running and the pace has picked up slightly but I was doing more weight training than running. With no seriousness in training I finished my 10K and then a half marathon in 2011. I have written in my earliest post how the Half Marathon was a torture due to lack of training and fueling strategy. But it prove to me that I could run if I wanted to. I could never imagine I could run up to 4 hours now in training when I could not run 10 mins then.

Even you think you can't run then you couldn't be more wrong. You can always start with a run/walk routine and slowly move up to the 5K or 10K. Some people said, "I Run Because I Can". As long as you remove the word "Can't" from your vocabulary and substitute with the word "Can". The human body will follow the human mind if you think you can.


If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you like to win, but dont think you can
Its almost certain you wont.

If you think you'll lose, you've lost,
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellows will
Its all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise
You'be got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize

Life's battles don't go away
To the stronger or faster man
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Napoleon Hill - The author of the famous inspirational book "Think and Grow Rich".

Oscar Pistorius "The Blade Runner"

Oscar Pistorius also known as "The Blade Runner"and "the fastest man on no legs". Pistorius who is an South African sprint runner has double below-knee amputations. Pistorius was born with fibular hemimelia (congenital absence of the fibula) in both legs. When he was 11 months old, his legs were amputated halfway between his knees and ankles. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Pistorius became the first double leg amputee to participate in the Olympics when he entered the men's 400 metres race and was part of South Africa's 4 × 400 metres relay team.

Md Shariff Abdullah "Singapore Blade Runner"

Another blade runner is "Singapore Blade Runner", Md Shariff Abdullah. He was born without a left foot below knee, at age of 6 years he was fitted with an artificial leg. During school day in 1970s he had been participate in various kind of extreme sports such as trekking, kayaking and running. At that time school mate will called him nickname of “Six Million Dollar Man” due to his active in Sports. He was interested in long distance running and have been completed numerous races in Singapore and Malaysia. He has just completed the Craze Ultra 100 miles Ultramarathon in Singapore. His dream is to climb Mount Everest in 2015 and had been training continuously in Singapore and Malaysia. His quote is “Focus, Believe in Yourself to Achieve, Make it Happen and Never Give Up” Always Change Failure into Success.

Of course, the famous video on YouTube entitled "CAN" on the love of a father for his son. Dick and Rick Hoyt, Team Hoyt, participating in the Ironman Triathlon.  Rick has cerebral palsy and during competition Dick pulls Rick in a special boat as they swim, carries him in a special seat in the front of a bicycle, and pushes him in a special wheelchair as they run. The song "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe is just so fitting for this video.

And you can also watch the video on YouTube on their story where the video will tell a better story than my words. In the video, Dick says "Our message is Yes, you can. You can do anything you want to do as long as you make up your mind. You can do it."

Races, Races, Races

Have been reading quite a lot of running blogs lately especially from Malaysians. Most of the running blogs do a race recap of their races they have run. Oh boy! The number of races that they do in a year were so many. These three runners blogs I have been reading, the three guys all completed their first marathon in 2011.

One of them started serious running in 2010 which he has entered about 5 races. And he did his first marathon in 2011 and 13 races in total for that year. In 2012 up till 21 Sept, he has done 14 races and one full marathon.

There is another guy who did 7 races in 2011 including two marathons and one of them is his first marathon in 2011. He has done 16 races so far in 2012 out of which 3 of them are full marathons.

The 3rd guy is a real running fanatic. He completed his full marathon in 2011. He has done 15 races in 2010. 29 races in 2011 including 6 marathons (and his first marathon) and 23 races so far for 2012. In 2012 he has done 2 ultras including "The Most Beautiful Thing"(TMBT) a 100km ultra trail marathon in Sabah which has just been completed.

Generally, most of them increase the races by almost 100% or more after their first marathon. It is like if I can run a full marathon I will be able to run all races. Or could it be most runners are just chasing their PB(personal best). It is just the human nature to take on a personal challenge to keep improving themselves. However,  it is still an inspiration to read about their first marathon experience and their subsequent running experiences. For myself, I just think it will be too many races for me to handle.

After my Green Run/Larian Hijau, there are actually quite a number of races line up till the Penang Bridge International Marathon in November. There are the SP Half Marathon and Taiping International Marathon which is closer to Penang. So you can just drive there, finished the race and drive back. I was just trying to concentrate on training for my first marathon and not interested to squeeze in so many races in between.  Fortunately, I didn't participate in both events as the feedback on both events are pretty bad. The Taiping International Marathon was named the most horrible experience and one runner actually "Pui Chau Nuai"(spit on it) in Hokkien. The race director also withdraw from organising it the next year.

Another runner blog that I have come across is an American guy who started running at the age of 58 and his weight drop from 193 pounds in June 2008 to 143 pounds in September 2009. In his blog for this 4th Anniversary as a runner, he wrote, "Since then I decided to keep running, and in those four years I've run a total of 190 races (including 41 half marathons and a couple of full marathons). If everything holds up my goal for the next year is to run 60 races (kind of like "60 at 60" since I'm 60 years old) and reach my 5th anniversary having run 250 races for an average of 50 per year. I'm not sure if I can do that but I'll give it a shot and see." And his PB for half marathon is 1:31. That's very impressive !

Big Buddha in Hong Kong

For me, my first overseas marathon I would like it to be the Hong Kong Marathon. Not Singapore Marathon although Singapore is much nearer.  The Hong Kong Marathon is organised usually after the Chinese New Year and in winter. The cooler weather will be more ideal for running. Hong Kong is the easiest for me to access to a country with four seasons since they are cheaper flights directly from Penang to Hong Kong. And you could get good food for carbo-loading. In addition, Hong Kong has one of the best night skylines in the world. I don't mind visiting it again although my last trip to Hong Kong is in 2011. The food and shopping is just great ! But it is too early to dream about it.

Night Skyline of Hong Kong

Night Skyline of Hong Kong from the top

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 13

Recently, I have changed my energy gels from GU to Hammer nutrition. At long last, there is a shop on the 1st floor of Penang Plaza, "My Triathlon Shop" that sells the whole range of Hammer products. And it is cheaper than GNC even after discount. They sell from gels, recoverite, and a wide range of Hammer products. As usual, the energy gels come with caffeine and non caffeine. I have been trying out for a few long runs and it works fine for me. The shop also sells compression garments and fuel belts and other stuffs for endurance athlete.

Link to Hammer Nutrition. If you need to know more about Hammer products.

My Triathlon Shop and Hammer Products

After a number of weeks of shorter long runs, it is back to those really long runs. My last longest run is 26.5km on 5 August after that I have been tapering down for my Green Run/Larian Hijau and Bali trip. Gettting to those runs above 21km is really getting to be difficult. My 26.5km run is pretty torturing. My body has still not adapt to the longer distance. After the run I just went home. Shower, eat and just lie down the couch with my legs up for a period of time and in between taking naps.

My last Sunday, I did 28.2km and 55km for the week. My longest run and the most mileage for a week. But it was fun. And my body could hold up better this time. I wanted to start at 5.30am but after wasting a bit of time only started about 5.54am which is pretty late since I know I will be running close to 4 hours. My body felt fairly strong for the first 22km but the pain in the legs starts after that. It is like when I was trying to run 16km the first time. However, the energy level is fine and fatigue did not kick in. Most important of all, the mental toughness is still intact. It started to rain heavily after 20km for about 3km and it reduce to a drizzle. The rain was most welcome. If not I would have been roasted. As it was already past 9.30am and it will be really hot. The timing of the rain was just perfect for me to continue the training. The last 4km I summoned my kick butt songs from my IPod to finished my 28.2km run.

Early in the morning when I  started my run in the dark, I was listening to Marathon Training Academy(MTA) lastest podcast on the interview with ultramarathon man, Dean Karnazes. He is such an amazing person. The last question that Trevor from MTA asked him was "No matter the distance  we know that the mind is important to the success of a runner. When someone's body is telling them to stop and the mind is telling them to stop. What practical advice do you have to keep going and where do you dig for the last bit of motivation?" The answer is quite surprising to me at first.  Dean Karnazes answered "You know what I tell people. Be in the moment. Be present. Don't get ahead of yourself. Don't look for the mile markers and exacerbate the suffering. Put on the blinders. Don't think about the mile markers. Don't think about the finish. Just thinking about putting one foot in front of the next to your best of your ability. Think about the hurt. Think about the pain. Be present. Sense everything. It's amazing how this will get you through the low points." His answer really helps. Then I realised that I have been doing it all the time especially when I go hiking. I just concentrate on the few steps in front of me and try not looking up. Before you knew it, you have reached your destination. The same strategy applies here.

Two of Dean Karnazes Books

The body is a wonderful piece of machine. If you train it properly it can really do amazing things. One of the most important lesson I have learned in these 6 months is never underestimate the ability of what your body is capable of. I started with a long run of 1hour 20mins for 9.3km on March 11 and six months later, I did 28.2km with a run time 3hours 54mins on Sept 16.  Such a huge increase in run time. However, you would not want to rush it causing injuries and not enjoy the journey.

To complete my marathon training plan,I still have to endure the 30km, 32km and the last 33km which I know I can after the 28.2km last weeekend as my body is holding up well after that. However, for the marathon, we must respect the distance. 42km is still a long way to run ...

The Marathon Journey continues....

A Half Marathon in Angkor Wat, Cambodia?

The sunrise at Angkor Wat is just breathtaking

Two days after my Penang Bridge Half Marathon last year, I went for a trip to Cambodia. Starting with Siem Reap ending with a 6 hours bus ride to Phnom Penh.We arrived at LCCT KL on the early morning of 23 November 2011 and departing to Siem Reap the same morning at 6.45am. To save on the cost of the hotel accommodation we decided to spent the night at the airport. The lack of sleep was  really killing on arrival at Siem Reap.

However, the excitement of travel chased the sleepiness away. But I end up having "red eyes" on the second day due to the lack of sleep and the dustiness from the trip. And these vampire eyes lasted until I am back to Penang. One interesting part of the trip I have to travel in "tuk tuk. Other than the main roads which are tarred the rest of the roads have quite a lot of potholes. And this is the only trip that I actually lose weight because when you are in a "tuk tuk" and going on the road with potholes, you will be like riding a horse. If you do not hold firmly to the handle, you will be thrown out of the "tuk tuk".

The airport at Siem Reap and the mode of transport "Tuk Tuk" and the conditions of the smaller roads.

The magnificent of Angkor Wat and temples around Siem Reap is a sight to behold. It makes you wonder how could they build such huge stones structures so many years ago. And the Angkor Wat with sunrise as a backdrop and casting a shadow on the lotus pond is just breathtaking.  There are so many photographers waiting to capture the perfect picture for the sunrise. And one unfortunate photographer forgot to bring her camera's battery. It is like a sight you must see before you die. Just like the sunset at Tanah Lot, Bali. (http://thorrunning.blogspot.com/2012/08/running-in-bali.html)

The stone structures in Angkor Wat

The tree entrance for Angelina Jolie's "Tomb Raider"

And how about running a half marathon in Angkor Wat, Cambodia? Yes, you can. It will be a great to run in such a historical place. There is a actually a half marathon organised for Angkor Wat each year with the theme "Building a better future. Aid for children and disabled in Cambodia.". I was pretty surprised when I saw the signboard and I just ran a half marathon in Penang  a few days ago. The coming event will be on 2 December 2012. Link to Angkor Wat Half Marathon. So you can run the Penang Bridge International Marathon on 18 November 2012. Then fly off to Siem Reap for a half marathon.

Half Marathon at Angkor Wat 

Cambodia has a very interesting history but lots of killings during Khmer Rouge regime which has been shown in the movie "The Killing Fields" where millions have been killed. There are a lot of poor children running around Angkor Wat areas and people have been advised to bring them candies or stationery. There are so poor that they cannot afford stationery for their studies. And here our children has an overabundance of it. Probably it will be good to bring our children to see unfortunate the Cambodian children are. This would make them appreciate what they have better.

The adorable children of Cambodia

The girl with a smiling face is "Nech"

There is an incident where I am deeply touched. It happens around the Angkor Wat area where we have given a box of stationery to this 11 year old girl named "Nech". She actually wrote us a thank you note in English wishing us good luck. It makes me realised that our children has only been taught to get good grades but not been taught the two important words, ie "Please" and "Thank you". I remember my school headmaster said "Academic excellence is no substitute for poverty of character". So true !

Her Thank You Note

My 10 Kick Butt Songs

To those that are into running and music, having kick butt songs are really essential when you are running out of motivation, energy or hitting the wall. These songs are my saviour during those times. Of course, I have more than 10 songs on my running playlist. I have chosen my 10 favorites which have either the right beat/tempo or lyrics when my mind is calling for help.

These songs are chosen in no particular order and most of them are current.


I Will Make It - Ryan Ceriouz
I Will Make It (Soundcloud link)   <--- Click here to listen to the song and download

The composer of this song, Ryan Ceriouz (his stage name), a local composer from Penang, Malaysia. He is only 17 years old  and has been composing songs for the past 2 years. He has composed and produced songs by himself. This is his most recent track with infectious melody and nice beat. The song is aptly titled "I Will Make It" which is suited on long runs and race. A great positive mantra going in the head "I Will Make It" when you are struggling to complete the long runs or race.



What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly Clarkson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I 

The title of the song say it all, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". This is just so true in running. The lyrics will just help to push you through.


Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H4l9RpkwM

This is an older song by Linkin Park from their "Meteora" album. The beat just makes you run. And talking about the breaking the habit, so appropriate. I will always run faster when this song starts to play.


Chasing the Sun - The Wanted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFS5N_yAGTo

It makes you run when you think that you are chasing the sun. Especially the part on "Hypnotised by drums, Until forever comes, You'll find us chasing the sun" and the "Oh..Oh..Oh..Oh". Just makes me want to run.


River Flows In You (Remix) - Jasper Forks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1RVC63IywM

I was originally introduced to this version then I find out that the original song is actually a piano version by Yiruma. But this version, even without vocals the melody and the remix version is just right for running.


Here's To Us (Explicit) - Halestorm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gVUCdjIQ8c

There is actually another version by Glee which has toned down the lyrics for the language. This original version although the beat is not so fast but the lyrics is just good. A real kick ass lyrics !


Glasgow - David Guetta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v_FAT3l9ro (Audio Only)

A lot of songs from David Guetta's album "Nothing but the Beat" would make it to this list. The songs are just great for dancing and running. But I have always find this song my personal favourite for running. Another song without vocals.


Scream - Usher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpsUsP2lIzU (Audio Only)

Don't you want to scream when you hit the wall ? Just scream and climb over it !


The Figher (Feat Ryan Tedder) - Gym Class Heroes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxV-OOIamyk

To be a fighter and finished the run. You really need this. The lyrics will pull you through. "Give them Hell"  and "There goes the fighter" and "Here comes the fighter".


Save the World (Tonight) - Swedish House Mafia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXpdmKELE1k

This song really moves me when I was running and it came on my IPod on one of those tough runs. It motivates me to "Save the World" and keep running.

Coffee, Caffeine and Running

Coffee at Melbourne.

Are you a coffee person ? Do you need caffeine booster for your run? The answer for me is yes. I don't need coffee everyday but I sure like coffee. I have gone from latte to Americano (Expresso with added water) with no sugar and milk. I have learned to enjoy coffee with nothing added. This is where instant coffee failed as they usually are more bitter without sugar and creamer.

For my morning runs, I only learn to run on an empty stomach. I heard it is good if you want to shed some weight running on an empty stomach. But at times, in the evening after visiting my favorite coffee chain, I realise I could run faster on a treadmill. For Sunday long runs, I always drank a bit of coffee before the run. I think I need to be caffeinated before the run. There have been various studies on the effect on caffeine and sports performance. I realise I run better with caffeine. Even the sports gel comes with caffeine or non caffeine. This is an articled on active.com called "Caffeinated Runner", http://www.active.com/running/Articles/The_Caffeinated_Runner.htm which tells you about caffeine and running. Just remember that caffeine is diuretic which means it increase your urine production which you may have to visit the toilet.

For the countries that I have travelled to, Australia and Vietnam served one of the best coffee. Even Starbucks have problem setting a strong foothold in these countries. The last time I was in Vietnam, there are no Starbucks and there are not many Starbucks outlets in Melbourne. The local coffee joints are just too good.

My recent trip to Bali, we were introduced to Luwak coffee which is obtained from the droppings of the mountain cat and it is very costly. I have tried this "shit coffee" at Bali. Personally, I don't really feel the aroma of the Luwak coffee is that good.

Luwak coffee from the droppings of mountain cats in Bali

Cafe at Melbourne and the nice cupcakes

The Royal Botanic Gardens which is great place to run in Melbourne. For the loop around the garden, they actually provide water statios and  lightings completely around the route. The lightings will be switched on  from 6am to 12 midnight. So they really encouraged people to engage in a healthy lifestyle.

A Journey to My First Marathon Part 12

This is the latest set of earbuds that I have purchased when I was in Singapore. It is called "Yurbuds". I was trying to find it in Malaysia including KL after it was highly recommended by Angie in the Marathon Training Academy (MTA) podcasts. Unfortunately could not find it in Malaysia. However, manage to find it in the Apple stores in Singapore which cost SGD99. There is another cheaper version that is about SGD55. The great thing about these earbuds are it never fell out when you exercise. These are actually better than the Adidas Sennheiser earbuds which I have earlier which still fall off at times.

I have taken it for runs quite a number of times and it always stay in my ear. To runners it is irritating if your earbuds keep falling off. So highly recommended if you are looking for earbuds that are suited for exercise.

However, does everyone needs to run with music? Of course not. Lately, I have not been listening to music when I am doing my outdoor runs. Suddenly, I feel the need to listen to my body and the surrounding when I run. Especially the place that I am running you just want to listen to the birds chirping away and sound of the insects. In short, you want to be in sync with mother nature and my physical self. But at times, I wonder if I could get through those really long runs and very early mornings run when it is all dark and you are like a crazy guy pounding on the road. So I end up listening to Angie and Trevor from MTA podcasts which provides me the company and motivation during those runs.

Currently, I have been cutting down on my treadmill running only for tempo runs and hill runs which it is still easier to train on a treadmill and this is when music plays an important role in chasing away the boredom of treadmill running.  I have really taken to outdoor running. The crisp morning air especially after the rain and silent moment with yourself and mother nature is very meditative. It is like you have gone into meditative state of mind. The runner's high that you experience is very addictive. In addition, when you are going into the relaxed state of mind, you will always find solutions to the problems that you may be having.


"I believe in the runner's high, and I believe that those who are passionate about running are the ones who experience it to the fullest degree possible. To me, the runner's high is a sensational reaction to a great run! It's an exhilarating feeling of satisfaction and achievement. It's like being on top of the world, and truthfully... there's nothing else quite like it! " ~ Sasha Azevedo

The Essence of Running  (from Unknown)
Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance ...

you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations or ...

coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet.

But when you are through, exhilarated and exhausted, 

at least for a moment everything seems right with the world…

The Marathon Journey continues...

Penang National Park. Hiking or Trail Running ?

How do you celebrate Malaysia Merdeka Day? For most Malaysians, the best time to go for bargain hunting is the Merdeka Day. Instead of shouting "Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka", they will be shouting "Offer, Sale, Discounts". So a lot of Malaysians will be thronging the shopping malls.  Who would want a visit or a hike at the Penang National Park ? But I am a person who crave for physical activity. So a hike at the Penang National Park will be a better option. Penang National Park (formerly known as Pantai Aceh Forest Reserve) also the world's smallest national park has seen much changes since my last visit a long time ago. (Must have been ages since I last visited the place). In addition, it is a good time to test my new Merrell Trail Glove which has been used for running the Green Run MPSP.

Scenic view of the Penang National Park

I have chosen Pantai Keracut and not Muka Head as it is a shorter hike. The hike to Muka Head will take about 1 hour and 45 mins.  However, my last adventure at Muka Head was an overnight BBQ at the beach and a hike up to the light house in the middle of the night which was such a memorable experience. I would love to recapture the experience again in another time.

You have to turn left to go to Pantai Keracut and right to Muka Head.

The elevation based on my Garmin watch

You can actually do trail running at the Penang National Park as the steepness of the hike is not as steep as the Penang Hill. The distance to Pantai Keracut is about 3.36km and we covered the distance in about 1 hour and 25 mins. But if you are not taking a boat ride back just remember you have to hike the same distance back. The attraction of Pantai Keracut is of course the meromictic lake. Pantai Keracut is also an isolated beach and pretty clean. Of course, the best part of the hike is the orchestral sounds of the forest, the greenery and the fresh air. A nice and relaxing short trip if you could just spare half a day !!

Meromictic Lake and Suspension Bridge

Pantai Keracut

My Merrell Trail Glove has performed remarkably well on the road, the beach and now on trails. The grip of the shoe is good for hikes and trail running. I would say a multi-purpose shoe. But you have to get used to barefoot  running because it is a minimalist shoe.