I asked AI to generate me a picture of an old man running around his neighbourhood.
After what appears to be another year of missed adventures on the Gold Coast due to many uncertainties, I’m glad to finally confirm that I will be part of the record-breaking event the first weekend of July.
My last GCM was in 2022 (my 10th running) and in hindsight, returning this year will be a little emotional for me. Much has changed since ’22 amidst the ever demanding job – my outlook on life, running and by its extension marathoning. GCM22 was Nick’s final race and visit to his adopted home. It will be a different and strange experience without him and the regulars this year, especially since I’m going to be following in his footsteps by tackling the Double Challenge (Half Marathon and Marathon on race weekend). I figured that if I ever was going to do it I might as well get it done while the body can still (barely) take the beating.
I hope to be able to finish it as expeditiously as my body allows me to. I’m in no shape to run quick races now – in fact possibly ever again – but that doesn’t mean I would like to spend more time than required to complete the 21.1 and 42.2. I will have to find a balance in doing my best in the current state I’m in while limiting the strain on my body to take on the classic distance the next day. Execute the Half too exuberantly on Saturday and I’ll pay the price sooner than expected the next day. Run the Half too easily, and I’ll be spending too much time on my feet. That’s an extremely fine line to tread but nothing training (which incorporates strength, progressive mileage, stacking high weeks and back-to-backs can’t prepare me for. Except that my appetite and energy levels for such endeavours are on the wane.
I have been enjoying Half Marathons though, completing Putrajaya (December ’23), Cyber City (January), and last weekend’s Twincity. I quite look forward to Generali’s event on May 19th as well. That’s a pretty high count for me. I find Halves the perfect mix of effort + distance without the need for months’ training commitments. Sure, if your cup of coffee is the Half Marathon, you could be running as much and intensely as one would be training for the Marathon but for one whose energy and drive are no longer for 42KM, the Half is perfect.
The timings for those halves have been pretty consistent as well – averaging 5:00-5:07/km paces. Considering the near absence of intervals and MP runs, I’m pretty encouraged by that. If I were to focus just on Saturday’s Half Marathon, a sub-1:45 is there for the taking, the question being just how much under 1:45 I’d be able to dip under. A 1:37 (which I ran in 2022) is beyond me at this moment and would be too much of a fantasy to entertain much less when I’ve a Marathon the next day. What then, will be my strategy for Gold Coast?
Run a comfortable sub-2 Half and a sub-3:50 (5:26/km pace) Marathon the next day?
Run a sub-1:45 Half and most likely struggle(!) to finish the Marathon?
A sub-1:45 AND a sub-3:50 respectively would be extremely nice. It would be achievable a few years ago but I’m not sure now. So much have changed. Priorities have changed. I’ve even unfollowed many running influencers who are always trying to sell us “dreams”. That’s a post for another day, if I ever come down to it!
While I let the race strategy simmer for the time being, I’ve boiled down my choices of shoes, in no order of preference, to the Hoka Cielo X1, ASICS Sky Paris and NB FuelCell Elite v3. It’s “just” a matter of which combo.
I suppose I still have a few weeks to work it out.
I’ve gone through many cycles of false dawns in restarting my training or putting even the slightest consistency to my running, seemingly jinxing it whenever I share my progress with 2 of my travel mates, who with me, will be making the long flight to Europe this September. The last few months have always been “1 step forward 2 steps back”, and I’ve been numbed by disappointments. Fitness has taken a drastic hit with the VO2Max dipping under the 50 mark. Even the Garmin Race Predictor isn’t showing any sub-4 marathons at this point. This jinx has to be broken, therefore I’m keeping this series of posts private for my personal training record at least until August.
I’m close to wrapping up Week 3/5 of Base training as I’m typing this and while the mileage remains low (45.8 and 49.8), there’s far greater consistency in me heading out, the primary change being getting out of bed at 4:20am. The other change has been the incorporation of functional strength training, usually incorporating a kettlebell. In fact, I’d rather opt for functional strength training over a second run these days.
For Berlin, I spent a few weeks flip-flopping between McMillan plans and writing my own, and was also undecided on the duration of the plans. After a few weeks of percolation, I’ve decided on sticking to Luke Humphrey Running’s 18-Week Advance Plan which have brought me down from 3:50+ to sub-3:30 in 2 years. With work volume and intensity yet to peak, I feel that having a familiar plan will take the pain of figuring out the workings of a new one. There will definitely be some tweaking of the plans due to the working weekends right up to July.
I’ll cover my shoe rotation, and go in a little bit more on the training adjustments I’ll be making in my next post.
“The Marathon doesn’t owe you any more than you’re prepared enough and patient enough to extract.”
Peter Bromka
After a 2-year mandated “hibernation”, Australia’s Premier Marathon returned this July to much anticipation from the locals and overseas fans alike. A fixture on the first weekend of the month, the 2019 edition saw 25,000 participants pushing their limits over the race weekend and this year, a slightly smaller yet no-less spirited 20,000 toed the line on Saturday (Kids Dash, Fun Run and the Half Marathon) and Sunday (10K and Marathon). Team GCM Malaysia was represented by returnees, Philip, Sham, Francis, Cheong, Unc Siah and wife, Nick and I, a small posse no doubt but everyone had one or two points to prove after collectively putting in thousands of kilometres in training.
At KLIA2 prior to our 1st leg flight to Changi.
We were primarily there to race and score some personal goals from sub-3, sub-3:20, achieving Boston Qualifying Standards to exorcising a few ghosts. Scoot was the airline of choice for us, with the exception of the Siahs who flew into Brisbane. After a decidedly harried transit at Changi, we were grateful to finally stretch our legs on the tarmac of the Coolangatta Airport. It was a great feeling to be back and we were simply excited at the prospect of racing after such a long time. The GCM has always been a “safe” destination race for us as runners and visitors. Easy to plan, July is typically a quiet month in the region, marathon racing-wise, one of the reasons why GCM appeals to so many of us. As the guys sought out their rental car, Nick and I were all excited catching up with our friends from Singapore and Indonesia while making new ones from Run Singapore and Just Run Lah as we were shuttled to Novotel, our home for the next 5 days.
We didn’t want to stress ourselves, so after a relaxing lunch at the hotel, it was time for some grocery shopping at Woolies next door before unpacking back at the hotel. Our early arrival meant we were able to rendezvous with the other guys the same evening to collect our race numbers and check out the wares at the Gold Coast Convention Centre without the crowd. The new ASICS Metaspeed+ range was certainly the feature of the Expo, as was the free T-Shirt printing service, although the complimentary custom pace band printing was missed.
Minus Unc Siah who was enjoying the company of his fam in Brisbane
All of us have run GCM more than once and we all have our favourite good-eats but this time around, our meals were very much dictated by our objectives (to race) and the weather (rainy and cold) which meant a lean towards comfort food such as Vietnamese Pho and Japanese Ramen. The rain pretty much started on Friday and didn’t let up until Sunday. For the second year running, my shakedown run on Friday was in the rain.
I was still feeling the effects of fatigue and stress from illness and the family’s bout of COVID 2 weeks ago and deep extended sleep had eluded me. With near zero mileage over the said period, things were always going to be hard as I discovered during the shakedown. Breathing was shallow and somewhat heavier at the start despite a buff protecting against the cold air, and working my way down to Marathon Pace (MP) seemed harder than during the training weeks.
Despite the general physical unease, my mind was devoid of anxiety, nervousness and doubt. There were no other considerations about the race approach other than to stick to the plan as how I’ve trained. Even with the threat of a cold snap and rain, I didn’t change my race gear and they were all laid out by Friday evening.
I was given a sampler of how the weather conditions could be when I turned up to support Nick on his 63.3 quest on Saturday morning. The Half Marathoners were “treated” to a wet and cold race, even if the Gold Coasters came out in force to cheer the runners the runners home. We collectively heaved a sigh of relief when we found out that Nick completed Part 1 of his challenge.
The crew continued to monitor the weather service throughout the day and miraculously, Sunday would be a clear one. I thought the fortunes had finally turned for everyone, from the organisers and runners to the supporters. Our mood was decidedly buoyant that evening over pasta and confidence was high. We’ve trained for this and the weather Gods have acceded to our request for kindly conditions – things were simply falling into place.
All fired up for the next morning post-pasta dinner.
On the way back to the hotel, I bought 2 freshly-made kappamaki (cucumber sushi rolls), for pre-race breakfast. I followed a hot shower with some stretching and Netflix before setting the alarm for 3am.
Mandatory pre-race flat lay. Like the socks?
Race morning breakfast was kappamaki, banana and black coffee. I brought along a 250ml bottle of Amino Energy and another 250ml bottle of sports drink. I was layered up – 2 disposable race tees (with heat patches) over my race vest, Inov8 windproof bottom over my shorts, and a jacket. The appointed shuttle kindly arranged by Stella to Southport was on-time and we got to the race precinct just before 5am. The baggage check was already open but I wanted to get the warm up jog, stretching and toilet visit done before checking in. I decided to go with the general baggage handling rather than the Legends Tent as that was located at the far end of the precinct, a long walk.
I felt really calm and just like 2019, my mind was clear and by that I really meant devoid of thoughts. It’s hard to explain but I think it’s the best mental state to be in before the start – no chest-thumping, no rah-rahs, no doubts, no what-ifs. The weather Gods were keeping to their end of the bargain and it was time to cover the distance as I’ve trained. I shook the hand of the 3:20 pacer and asked if he was going to run even pace (he was, and that was my plan as well). I was positioned just a few steps ahead of him and since there was very little wind the 14 Celcius temp was just perfect for me to toss my layers aside.
After a short wait, we were off.
Screen grab from the GCM22 Livestream, right after the start.
Right after the start, just in front of the 3:20 Pacers (pink balloon)
Somewhere heading towards Surfers Paradise. My haggard countenance and eye bags were proof I was so unrested.
As we’re going down the Sundale Bridge, a cheeky supporter shouted, “You’re nearly there!” . I thought it was an incredibly brilliant one, breaking the race tension. Everyone within earshot broke out in laughter.
I checked the watch only a couple of times right off the bat but I was pretty on-point. I wish there was much more to write about in theses early stages but it was all about getting into and staying within the zone, getting as comfortable as one can reasonably get and work with fellow runners. 6:15am along Surfers Paradise (5K in 23:39) didn’t see many supporters but that’s OK since it’s all dark anyway.
By the 6th KM, I found myself lodged within a small posse of Taiwanese (or Hong Kongers?) who held a similar pace but boy, was one of them loud and chatty 😅 in contrast to all of his friends who were quietly focused. To all runners’ surprise and shock at around the 9K mark near Pratten Park, we came up to everyone’s favourite runner Yuki Kawauchi, walking and obviously dealing with some issues. There was nothing we could do except to shout “Gambatte!” and kept going.
I crossed the 10K mat, which was along Hedges Avenue, commonly known as Millionaires Row, by the Mermaid Beach in 46:55 (+/- a 3:17 finish) without much drama. The shoes, Next% v2 seemed to be handling the traction pretty well, even through some turns. I’d chucked my bottle and consumed 2 Koda gels, which was my 3rd (I’d taken 1 High5 at the start) overall and have been sipping down fluids consistently. It was somewhere between 11 and 13K that the elites passed us in the opposite direction.
I kept as close to the middle of road as possible along the very lengthy Hedges Avenue due to its highly-cambered surface which can mess up the mechanics but that’s a narrow stretch to begin with. In any event, I dealt with it the best I could.
The course thankfully detoured to the Gold Coast Highway briefly before hooking a sharp left and short climb left to The Esplanade at Burleigh. The crowd had built up as we progressed southwards and Burleigh, as always, had the largest and vocal crowds south of Surfers Paradise. My pacing had been consistent and I got to 15K in 1:10 (still par for 3:17). Once I cleared the turnaround and cleared the 16K marker, I finally spotted the 3:20 pacers. They weren’t far behind and I believe they’d kept pace discipline as well, running pretty even ones.
I’ve somehow always found reaching the halfway point of this course mentally challenging. I’m not sure if it’s the claustrophobically narrow and (leg-trashing) cambered Hedges Avenue or the seemingly endless stretch heading back into Surfers Paradise. Because it’s perceived as a challenging milestone, the halfway point serves as the 1st Checkpoint for me, to stay on this pace or slow down. Since I remained on-track (1:38, a PR), I kept it up. The other tough sections would be:
between Surfers Paradise to the Sundale Bridge (26-30K)
Broadwater Parklands/Southport to Biggera Waters (31-36K)
Lands End Bridge to Runaway Bay u-turn and to Biggera Waters (36-38K)
GCM may be a fast course but there are unique challenges (just like cobblestones on the Berlin Marathon course or even the multiple switchbacks of Tokyo) that the runner simply has to work with.
I began to feel the hip tightening up after 24K and the left hams were sending out some signals. The impact to my stride length was negligible but my cadence had increased. It wasn’t concerning at that time and the only thought running through my mind was to get to the all-important 30K mark.
Between 26 and 27K, starting to work
The other noticeable discomfort was the lace pressure on both feet, which I believe was attributed to the tight double-knot and feet swelling. Stopping mid-race to redo the laces never crossed my mind – you just keep going.
Approaching 28K/Main Beach
It drizzled lightly just before my approach to Main Beach but there was no threat of it developing into a downpour. It was actually a nice respite, refreshing and cooling, before the inevitable battle to come. The protestations from the hip and hams were getting louder with each step and while I crossed 30K in 2:21 (a minute’s PR), I knew I had my work cut out for me at that point. I slurped down a sachet of Crampfix Shot handed out by the Fixx Nutrition crew which really jolted my taste buds.
The climb up the 31K ramp reduced me to a shuffle but I clawed back a little pace going down the other side. I reminded myself, rather foolishly in retrospect, that I needed to just close out the remaining 12K in under 58 minutes (4:50/km pace) to salvage a PR. Of course, 4:50 wasn’t that hard but I didn’t know that a few minutes later things would be crystal clear for me.
I wished there was a monumental fightback to write about. Or that a sudden movement loosened all the tightness that had developed through my lower body. There was unfortunately, none of those. The slog lasted only so long before the hip locked up and I soon found myself battling demons with Cheong whom I caught up shortly after. We walked a bit before trying to muster up a jog but it became clear very quickly that I needed to let the race go and try to repeat this walk-jog routine until the finish. The morning was warming up and the crowds were out in full force this year along Bayview Street heading to the 37K northern-most u-turn point at Runaway Bay. There were many more “Motivators” this time around too, trying their best to keep us going, not a simple job when I was passed by so many pace groups.
I’d lost but reacquired Cheong again after the 41K mark and I told him we’d walk over the last little ramp over Loders Creek before jogging slowly all the way to the finish. That we finally did in 3:45, 27 minutes slower than my “A Goal”, 21 minutes slower than my “B Goal”. Just as I was crossing the finish line, I heard my name being shouted from the Corporate hospitality area by the Singapore media team, Pak Tono who ran superbly, and omnipresent Stella. These guys rock and I’m grateful for their presence and support! Physically wasted, I could only return a wistful smile, gave a weak wave and a shrug (my mind had blanked out) as Cheong and I trudged to the refreshments area where we were reunited with the rest – Sham, Philip and Uncle Siah. The trio ran superbly, slamming home big and small PRs, punching their Boston tickets in the process. I’m tremendously happy for and proud of them!
Approaching the finish, going slower than my long run training pace.
That gesture was meant to be a salute!
The consolation was, of course, a memorable 10th GCM. In this post below I wrote about my special relationship with the race and destination, but in the context of racing, by “memorable” I meant I learned something as well.
The failure to achieve the time goals I’ve set myself stung badly. The fact that it took me this long to get this report over the line (including the deletion of 4 drafts) was due to the time spent trying to process it all. It’s been years since a set-back and I felt the need for a post-mortem. Believe me when I said I had so many of such questions . So many “whys”, “what-ifs”, and I kept questioning if I was too harsh on myself. And in all honesty, that all got rather unproductive. While it was important to understand what went wrong, identify the root cause and to learn from that, I also hate digging too deep into missteps because that would appear as if I was looking for excuses. I’d looked too much into the whole thing when the answer had been staring at me in the face and that was me being actually down with COVID alongside my family nearly 2 weeks before race day.
Whatever the race outcome may be, it’s always a blessing to be able to finish a Marathon injury-free.
Good or bad the results may be, we always come back for more. Whilst repeatedly testing negative via various RTK kits when the other 4 were afflicted, I wouldn’t have stood a chance despite isolating myself in the room. I’m never that lucky. They say hindsight is 20-20 but I ought to have taken a PCR test to be sure then. The only meds I took were antibiotics for the throat infection and paracetamol for the accompanying fever. I recovered quickly enough by Day 4. I’ve laid off running the entire duration. Typically a well-trained runner will not have his fitness wiped out from 1.5 weeks of inactivity but as I’ve found out recently, it’s not so simple with COVID. The after-effects and risks are real and I urge you to read up (links at the bottom of this post). The combination of the stress, illness, absence of real rest and sleep (one of the residual side effects) did me in. I was in denial and somehow managed to keep my goals alive for so long – 31K long – that morning. Of course I paid for it, the last 12K and the days after. The 3 days post-race were the hardest and most sore I’ve felt in ages. I certainly didn’t experience such levels of fatigue and tiredness when I ran my PR. It’s 2.5 weeks post-marathon and I’m still bearing the cross for pushing the body so soon post-COVID, something I’ll cover in a future post.
But what of the the 42nd edition of the Gold Coast Marathon?
The many teams behind the Gold Coast Marathon and the people of the Gold Coast have done it again. From the early 6am start, separating the Half and Marathon to 2 days to the amazing crowd support. It was evident from the buzzing energy on Saturday and Sunday that everyone was simply itching to put up an outstanding show after a 2-year absence. The packed supporters at Southport could finally have dethroned Burleigh’s as this year’s best section of the race course. It took a poor finish from me to fully appreciate their mad cheering!
For days, the weather had threatened to make things difficult but somehow rewarded everyone with brilliant conditions during the Main Event. See how blue the skies were in the #nofilter photo below? The residents and businesses were glad to see the crowds back to their city again and as runners, we were on the receiving end of their hospitality. As I limped back to the hotel much later (I spent some time at the Corporate area and the tram ride took awhile), folks gave me nods of approval and a random guy even congratulated me.
I would be seriously remiss if I didn’t thank the care and support of all the good people from Tourism Queensland and Events Management Queensland for graciously giving me the opportunity to be a part of this very special event the last 10 years. Your passion shines through! Thank you!
I may have been inducted into the 10-Year Club but my best Gold Coast Marathon is yet to be. The work will begin once I’ve fully recovered from this. Meanwhile I need to be patient and take it extremely slow.
My relationship with the Gold Coast Marathon began in 2011 (I apologise for the missing images in that page which was hosted out of a discontinued service provider) when the world was very different from today. The Gold Coast Airport Marathon, as it was known then, wasn’t my first overseas marathon having ran the 2003 Singapore Marathon as my debut marathon. I was also familiar with several Japanese races and have run New York. But that 2011 trip to the Gold Coast was my very first visit to Australia and the stunning photos and promotional videos did the actual experience no justice. For starters, never had I seen bluer skies the moment I stepped off the plane. Then there’s this thing about a winter that’s friendlier to us folks accustomed to the boiling tropics. Having experienced biting ones in Japan and New York, you could get by in shorts on the Gold Coast.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the Gold Coast is so much more than that strip of beach along Surfers Paradise. Coolangatta, Kurrawa, Main Beach, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Greenmount, Mermaid, Miami, Currumbin, Kirra and more contribute over 70km of sandy playground to surfers, sun-worshippers, kids (who have more interest in the outdoors than their devices) and outdoor lovers. Parks dot every residential enclave. Goldie invites the visitor to savour the chill and/or embrace the thrill. As a runner, it’s easy to assimilate into the fitness and live well culture.
The Marathon have always prided itself as a community-driven event. The over 1000-strong volunteers, ranging from early teens to seniors, are sourced from groups within the Gold Coast communities. All of the memorable races I’ve run from New York to the ones in Japan, and even the KL Marathon have this culture of inclusiveness embedded into the organisation of the event. Walk or limp around post-race and you’d be greeted with congratulatory nods or wishes from restaurant servers, pharmacists and sales staff and of course fellow runners. The people of the Gold Coast know how important the marathon is to their economy and we as participants benefit from that.
Truth be told, my very first Gold Coast Marathon was really all about the #GoodTimes but like the race itself, have evolved to include #FastTimes as well. I secured my first sub-4 here and in recent years, have progressed from 3:57 to 3:28 in 2019. 2022 was long time coming after 2 years of Virtual Races and while I didn’t achieve my admittedly aggressive goal time, it’ll always be a special one being my Number 10. Never in my dreams I’d have a little spot in this page with other passionate runners, runners who enjoy the event to run it this many times. To have completed this milestone on a challenging year makes it sweeter. There’s never a certainty in Life but the continuous level of hospitality and support I’ve been accorded by Events Management Queensland and Tourism Queensland have been tremendous. I’ve made so many friends over these years. No words can express my gratitude, and I’m forever grateful. It literally takes a village and some, to have made this Gold Coast Marathon experience come true.
1st and 2nd July 2023 will see the 43rd edition of the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon when once again the first weekend of July on the Gold Coast will all be about running your best and smashing personal barriers like the 63.3 Double.
I can, of course, sell you advertising tropes such as, “Come for the run, stay for the fun” or “Where Australia Shines” but why don’t I just tell you, “You’ve just got to experience it yourself!“. I know, I know. It doesn’t have the ring to it but after 10 years, I hope you’ll trust me 😊.
So thank you, Gold Coast for having me! I still have goals to meet and who knows what 2023 will bring. Join me then?
The plan was to kick-start my base training in hopes of getting in a race or two in the first half of 2022. After browsing through several plans, I settled on this one from Luke Humphrey Running.
I wanted a short plan hence the 4 weeks, but one that has enough volume such that I can get in some miles. I don’t want my routine to be locked in for too long, this early. Jumping right into a 2-month base plan is too much for me. Marathon training takes a lot of commitment and I’d rather dip into that “commitment bank” when the time comes. For now, repeatable short blocks which can be ramped up in volume or intensity work fine for me.
As far as current fitness goes, I’ve not dropped to the basement level I thought I’d be, surprisingly so. I’m managing my shoulder injury well enough to get in 4 weeks of very gradually increasing my mileage. Within those 4 weeks, I ran a positive split (🤣 but not proud, really) 5K for an Ekiden leg and a 1:46 half (about 4 minutes slower than my PR) in training mode. I’m perfectly happy to close the year off on that note with the very little I’ve put in.
The planned start date for the 4-week plan was supposed to be Nov 29th but that’s still within a week post-booster vaccination for me. The post-Pfizer booster (per the heterogenous vaccination plan) effects only wore off on D+3 and I can’t say I wasn’t tempted to head out for a couple of rounds around the neighbourhood. But the advise posted by medical experts back when the initial vaccination drive took off, was for people to lay off strenuous activities at least for the first week. One thing I’ve learned from this shoulder injury is never downplay even the most conservative advise. This shoulder issue of mine popped out of nowhere and wasn’t even caused by trauma to the area nor any clear causes. One can be fit but you’ll never know what hidden risks one could be harbouring.
With the reported diminishing effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine, I just felt that I should be more prudent after this booster, let the body adapt, recover before getting back into things. To stave off the urge to run, it’s been all about walks for me the past 2 days and I’ve headed out with my wife for a couple of 5-6K walks. With me along, she’s been able to hit close to an hour of walking and I think I should be able to move the dial to the hour mark in a couple of weeks’ time.
With that said, the decision then is to move the start of the base plan by a couple of days and since I was doing that I thought it would be beneficial to some to put up a quick video showing how that’s done on the Final Surge website. At the same time, I manage to get some practice minutes on the video editing software too 😊.
If you’re interested in getting a plan from Final Surge, you’d be happy to know that they’re giving 10% off on every training plan, from now through Monday, Nov. 29th 2021. They’ve plenty of plans from many coaches and cover not only running but multi-sports. No, I’m not paid nor sponsored by them. Just a happy customer since 2017.
Running in times of the pandemic have been a continuous act of adapting, pivoting and managing personal expectations. It’s almost never going to turn out the way you expect it. With lockdown reinstituted in most parts of Australia just 3 days to the Gold Coast Marathon (GCM) weekend, and our very own last-minute (typical of Malaysian PN government) orders of stricter movement controls (EMCO), there were much shared anguish all around. The organizers of the GCM wisely extended the window of the Virtual Race to 1st August. While outdoor exercise is allowed Folks Down Under, things are much harder here with outdoor activities banned. With the Klang Valley EMCO running until 16th July, I have just 3 weekends to complete the marathon, contingent on the relaxation of the MCO.
I had a decision to make. Incur the risk of running out of time to execute, or try covering the distance the very last day before the lockdown. The lockdown starts Saturday and that meant running the marathon very early Friday morning before starting work. In all honesty, I wasn’t too optimistic about accomplishing it due to a few reasons:
Even if I’d planned to run it the same weekend, moving it up a couple of days is too sudden, Fridays being typically filled with meetings and management updates. And doing it in the next few hours after learning of the lockdown was just too rushed.
My excellent sleep patterns have deteriorated the recent week. Just didn’t feel rested.
While my MPs have been on point, covering the entire 42km at that goal pace is a different proposition. More below.
Despite my doubts, I kept my options open and decided that if I felt good, I would keep going and cover the entire Marathon distance. With the water bottles filled and chilled in the fridge, the watch and Jaybird charged, and all the gels chucked into the ice box, I set my alarm for 3:45am. Alas, with all the thoughts running through my mind, I ended up with only 4.5 hours worth of shuteye. But I woke up feeling reasonably fresh and my legs loose enough for what’s to come.
With my racing shoes gathering dust in the boxes, I decided on the Alphafly just to make sure I get some semblance of ROI from them. I washed down a cookie with a cup of black coffee and got my warm up going. As usual, it took me some kms before I got going. Unlike the MP sessions, I didn’t try to force the pace but let it come naturally. As if it wasn’t hard enough already with the super early start, things got more challenging when head wind and rain were added into the mix. The rain wasn’t an issue and in fact it provided some nice respite – I had my cap on from the get-go and the shoes did well not to retain much water but my legs started to tire after 16km and the head wind was just unpleasant.
My fuelling was a gel every 25 minutes or every 5km whichever came sooner. Drinks were a mix of Aptonia (sports drink mix from Decathlon which worked well for me) and water every 2 loops (around 4.1km)
It soon became a grind and I found myself having to work more than usual this soon, constantly weighing if I should press on or still retain something to get through a work day. I kept on for another loop before calling time on the attempt. Having to rush proceedings just didn’t work out. I closed out at 2:07 for 25km.
The splits were:
5:05 > 5:03 > 5:07 > 4:57 > 4:54 > 4:49 > 5:04 > 4:55 > 4:59 > 4:54 > 4:54 > 5:06 > 4:59 > 4:57 > 5:08 > 5:05 > 5:06 > 5:05 > 5:07 > 5:05 > 5:10 > 5:07 > 5:04 > 5:07 > 5:35. I made the Half Marathon mark at 1:45 on the dot, which was a 3:30 finish not that it mattered.
It was only in the evening that I had some time to break down the morning’s effort. Firstly it was good that I kept my options open. The disappointment would’ve been greater had I pushed through and not considered a more level-headed approach. Secondly, it was obvious that running at MP effort for the entire distance around my home was always going to be a little mad. It’s not so much as the 21 loops of 2km each but the 10 sharp turns I’ll have to make for each loop. Over the course of the morning’s 25km, I made 12.5 loops totalling 125 turns! That didn’t strike me until my analysis. That wouldn’t be a problem at long run pace but at MP, the demands and stress on the ankle and lower legs from the very frequent twists and turns were far greater. The longest distance I covered at MP around here was 16km, so perhaps I was expecting too much of my joints!
Finally, the choice of footwear. The Alphafly’s stack height (40mm in the heel), probably exacerbated the demands on my legs. When I trialled them during an MP workout at Cyberjaya before the lockdown, it didn’t cause me any problems at all. I was sure that had I gone with the Endorphin Speed, I could’ve gotten to the 30km mark but the turns would’ve done me in as well eventually.
With the lockdown in effect until the 16th, I’ll have the weekends of 17th-18th, 24th-25th and the 31st to complete the distance before the window closes on 1st August. I’ve to figure out a way to prevent the fitness from slipping too much. Downgrade of fitness is inevitable with 2 weeks stuck indoors so it’s going to be all about minimizing that.
Coincidentally, I finally secured my first appointment for vaccination this Wednesday. It’s been a long wait since February and there’s no better time to get it done while outdoor activities are still banned. Let’s see how this works out and hopefully there won’t be too much side effects from the jab.
Finisher Swag for Marathoners. Photo from GCM21 email newsletter.
It’s 10 days to the race weekend and barring changes to the Movement Control Order (MCO), we will be running our “race” solo within the confines of our neighbourhood. Instead of getting more worked up than we already are, I’m going to view this situation from a more positive perspective. I signed up for GCM21 not to run a PR here but to find out if I can adapt to a higher training volume and intensity and having survived 10 weeks of that, I’d say that it’s mission accomplished! To be able to complete the Marathon come race weekend, earning the finisher swag and another check mark to the participation streak would be bonuses.
In order to make the 42km more bearable, here are some tips which may be useful to you.
If you haven’t already, plot out a longest route you can find within your housing area that’ll allow you easy access to drinks and gels, and not forgetting the emergency potty rush. Each internal loop around my area is 2km, so I’m able to put all my drinks and gels in a large cooler box and have a fuelling stop every 2 loops.
Provided your area is safe enough (a very important consideration and can’t be stressed enough), you can always load up your watch, phone or media devices with podcasts and music. I’ve got my playlist onto my Garmin. Make sure the devices and earbuds are all fully charged. However, if plugging your ears isn’t your cup of tea or option, try to get into a meditative mode and focus on counting down the loops 🤷♂️?
Have a family member who is staying with you accompany you on parts of the run or to simply be your support crew in handing out your drinks/gels. Just be sure to share your post-run celebratory tub of ice-cream with them! Now, I need to get that pint from the supermarket this weekend.
Don’t stress if you can’t time your run on the race weekend along with the masses toeing the start line along the Gold Coast Highway at Southport. We’re given up till July 18th to submit our completion, so if you’ve just had your vaccination a couple of days before or will be having it on the same weekend (or just simply indisposed) and need to rest up, please do so, don’t fret about it and run it the weekend after.
You could if you want to, but there’s really no point obsessing about timing. Where we stand today, it’s more about celebrating movement than race timing. We know that conditions are bad enough with the pandemic and what-have-you (#ifyouknowyouknow). I’m grateful to be able to continue train and run and I’m just going to celebrate “Movement” and the positive benefits running brings. We’re runners, we’re resilient and we will be back at it.
Hope you’re well wherever you are. It’s 2021 and for the 2nd year running, racing the Gold Coast Marathon will not be possible for us over here due to travel restrictions. It’ll be awhile yet before we’re able to do that in-person racing overseas. There have been whispers that limited-participation local physical races may be allowed to return soon, but I think that’s at least a few more months away. As you can see from the video below, virtual races are just not the same as being there, in every sense of the experience. Still, I’d love to support the event which has given me so much good memories since 2011.
I ran last year’s Gold Coast Marathon short of fitness and somehow managed to finish in 3:47-ish and for a few weeks I’ve been undecided on which distance to tackle this year. The Marathon or the Half? Or the 10K?
Since the organizers allow this year’s virtual race to be counted towards the 10-year club – there are 20 and 30-year clubs as well, mind you – I finally committed to the Marathon. No point wasting another year, right? Dragging the body and mind through an actual training is quite unappealing at the moment to be honest, because I’ve gone through the last 1.5 months battling with motivation. The working-from-home arrangement doesn’t see much distinctions between night and day. Expectations and stress levels have been way up and weekends are over too quickly. Back in February 2020, I relished not having to commute to the office but more than a year on, I hated the fact that my home has become an office. “Live to Work” has become quite a bad joke in its accuracy. I even deleted the Facebook app from my phone and tablet because I needed to stay away from that sort of escapism and distractions just so that I can keep myself centred.
The more I realize how much progress were lost last year, the restrictive ways of how we live our lives today, and the continued selfishness of politicians in the country, the angrier I got. The more I want to push back. Do I continue to sit down day in day out, wallowing in frustration, ruing the lost days, spending my days consumed in work stress, OR flipping the bird at the whole thing and just make a go for it. You know, having a purpose to drive at for the next 12 weeks, waking up with a clear PERSONAL (because we need to do something for ourselves and not for others all the time) goal for the day that you own and are in control of, operating in a better mood that only a satisfying 16km morning run can provide and hitting the pillows dead tired at the end of a day well executed?
It will be exponentially harder for sure, but I’m pissed enough feeling dragged down every workday that channelling that aggression to marathon training seem like a better idea. We’ve been bottling that frustration up for more than a year! There are two oft-used quotes (and I’m paraphrasing here) about seeking to be the best version of oneself every day and the difference between happiness and pleasure is that happiness is attained at the end of an arduous struggle. Without a goal, I’m rudderless and just going through the motions. And if I allow the notion that my best days are over to take root, then what’s there to strive for, hence where’s the happiness? Running provides that for me.
I’ve got my basic fitness (and yes, I’ve got plenty of great shoes as well) and that’s a start. Since running a good marathon calls for a lot more mental tenacity than sitting through 4 straight hours of the Snyder Cut, I’m returning to Luke Humphrey Running‘s plan. I’ve executed the “easier” plans for my last 3 marathons leading up to my PR in 2019 but this time around, I’m going to be attempting the “12 Weeks: 80-110KM/Week Marathon (Metric)” Plan. It’s the toughest one yet for me, involving more miles, but over a shorter period – 12 versus the usual 18. There’s yet another quote about doing the very thing that scares you, right? And with that, Final Surge and Coach Luke have owned me yet again, at least for the next 12 weeks.
Day 1 starts April 12 and it gets pretty hectic from the get go. May will see longer Marathon Pace workouts and the start of strength sessions, and June will, of course, see the highest weekly mileage of over 110km before a short taper down to the first weekend of July. I’m not even sure if I’ll make it past the 2nd week but this year is a good time to find out my limitations before actual racing returns. One thing’s for sure – with this much running, there’s a critical need to keep the easy days really easy. My build-up earlier this year was cut short due to a mini burn-out simply because I got carried away with the great progress from December last year. It was obvious that I was running those easy miles at least 25 seconds per km too quick.
You didn’t think I’d be closing this post without any mention of the shoes I’ll be rotating in, do you? With the Novablast retired and the Peg 37 starting to give me some left foot discomfort, I’m breaking out the 8.25oz Rincon 2. They will rotate with the Endorphin Speed (8.55oz), Carbon X2 (8.9oz) whereas the Invincible will function as the Recovery Monday shoe.
I’ve got a few mates who have registered for the Half but hopefully a couple more will lock in the marathon so that we can leverage off each other’s progress. If you’re interested in finding out about the Gold Coast Marathon and how to register for it, head on www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au.
I initially titled this post, “Running Plans for 2021” but realised that in doing so, I’m setting myself up for disappointment what with the still uncertain situation the world is still in. It still feels like a continuation of 2020 a week into a new calendar actually: Dysfunctional governments are struggling with vaccine deployments, resurgence in the number of cases worldwide, a new more infectious strain found in 32 countries (as reported by NYTimes), and cities and countries locking down once more.
Instead of remaining exasperated and continue to immerse myself in the depressing news, I’ve decided to channel my energies into what I can control.
Here’s what I will do!
Be training. My worst mistake when we were allowed to run outdoors last March was my slow return in getting back into the groove. I suppose I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. With no races, motivation took a massive hit. I didn’t care to recheck my Garmin or Strava activities but I believe I lost 2-3 months of any maintenance mileage then. The good news is, I’ve been working on consistency and gradually rebuilding my fitness since late October and have now progressed to Week 2 of the HMM 8-week base program. When I started out, I focus in only 1 thing – running as often as can. I even went on a couple of 7-10 day streaks during which I headed out even if it was just to jog 2km. 2 months later, I’ve clawed back perhaps 40% of my fitness. I still don’t have the strength to hold a sub-5min/km pace for 12K but I believe that will return with some weeks of faster running. The current cycle will end the week before Chinese New Year (CNY) and I will take a break then before repeating the same base program, but with a slightly increased overall mileage. The 2nd cycle will keep me engaged up to Week 3 of March by which time, hopefully, the situation will be clearer. I will evaluate then if I want to get into a newly purchased high mileage 12-week training plan or a more drawn out 16-week traditional one. If nothing else, all these running will count towards putting miles in the bank. These will not be wasted and will be called upon when the next push finally happens. Running more keeps the mood swings (that just brings everyone you down) in check, and keeps me honest on my goals. On top of the associated mental and physical health benefits of being highly active, being in a training mode also provides me with a sense of purpose in the running that I do. A recent Strength Running podcast hosted by seasoned Coach Jason Fitzgerald covered this subject on being in a state of training > have a listen here..
Be kinder to my body. In self-care and in food intake. Over the years, I’ve cut down on my consumption of sweets. I wasn’t much of a fan of cakes to begin with actually, but I’ve found it hard to resist ice-cream. The good thing is that I’ve also cut off milk-based coffee brewing at home, treating flat whites and cappuccinos as treats only when I’m out, which isn’t a frequent thing at all with these days of limited movement. I’m entertaining the practice of a no-meat day per week, even if I’m the only one in the family to do so. At the same time, I’ve re-considered my footwear options. I shall be more critical in my choices and therefore make less mistakes in purchases. As this body ages, I need to accept that the legs need more pampering (but not at the expense of performance). I need those muscles, tendons and cartilages to continue supporting me as I work harder to improve. Shoes must be versatile, for value considerations, and comfortable enough to operate in a wide range of paces. Instead of having multiple pairs to pull on for different workouts, there are now options out there – shoes that offer great value, performance and comfort. I realized quickly enough that the Evoride, excellent as they were in uptempo paces, were just too harsh on tired legs. And that I wasn’t able to sustain long miles and daily training in the Turbo 2 anymore. This doesn’t mean that my go-to’s henceforth will be plush shoes because I’ve sold my ultra-plush but non-responsive Nimbus Lite. Instead, there are gems out there in the 8-9.1 ounce range that fit my “Value, Performance and Comfort” requirements, Floatride Energy 2, Rincon 2 and Clifton 7 just to name 3 of those.
Be mindful. While that’s not about sitting down in meditation, it’s about devoting more attention to my thoughts. Being conscious about my emotions, being more aware of my thoughts. After all optimum performance is also about what goes on between the ears.
Continue to cut my own hair! This isn’t running related but… No one’s the wiser if I make any mistake in shearing too much off!
That’s it! Not that hard right? Plans should not be convoluted pieces of ideas slapped together anyway. Easily laid out for easy execution. Hope you’ve got your plans in place.
It’s been ages since I strung together 5 weeks of consistent running. Fitness really haven’t been the same since my post-Twincity Half injury – I was so disappointed I didn’t bother with a race report – the pandemic hard lockdown, and a couple of knee issues brought about by some over-exuberance in tackling climbs on the bike. But with daily massages and strengthening, the level of aches and pain are down to the point of being very manageable, at least to run. I’m staying off the bike for now, and I’m not going to allow my clumsiness derail any progress I’ve made.
I even went on an 8-day streak last week to establish some routine. The focus was on consistency and not miles at the moment and I’m happy to be running this often.
With mass races still off what with infection cases resurging, planning/training for anything is hard. There are just too many variables and question marks. Many major marathons have already been postponed their events to late 2021. With Tokyo (Oct 17, announcement), Boston (announcement), Berlin (lottery closed, also taking deferred entries), Chicago (Oct 10, tentative), NYC (Week 1 Nov, tentative), London (Oct 3, lottery closed), Osaka (no word yet), and I’m sure many more, October to December 2021 are going to be one heck of a busy period. It all depends on the vaccines and the re-opening of air travel, of course.
The thing is this. On one hand, I don’t want to start out on a new training calendar and burn myself out, not when I’m still working on my base fitness. Conversely, running too little makes returning to a training cycle harder in that the body and mind will require a lengthier bedding in period. Then there are other questions like how will the B.A.A. handle the issue of qualifying times and the validity period? What’s the kind of buffer we need? You could say, “Train to run as fast as you can then” but marathon training doesn’t work that way unfortunately. Sure the objective is to run as fast as one can but marathon training is about consistency and specificity – the right pace done with the right volume. And I don’t want to be stepping on the pedal too hard too soon.
When races do return, I for one do not want to embark on a lengthy training and racing period. 16 weeks is already too long and I don’t run many races a year, am not getting younger, and don’t have a bottomless bank account, I would like to make every effort and investment (in terms of time and money) count. I want to be in a situation where I’m good to go, fresh and reasonably fit to take on the volume and intensity, and appropriately motivated to go on yet another training cycle. Mentally, I need to be able to get into that winning mindset.
I do recognise that to make a decisive BQ attempt, there has to be some focus on volume. I need to be running more, executed as safely as possible. As mentioned earlier, being successful in the marathon is a matter of being event-specific and with 42K to race, it’s unavoidable that training mileage counts. The more the body is able to handle the miles, the better and greater volume the runner can undertake when it’s time to kick off W1D1. Since I’m a sucker for numbers, I’ve dusted off and refreshed my miserable-looking 2020 mileage tracker (which hasn’t seen any action since Seoul Marathon was called off) with up-to-date data and there can be no better motivation than seeing the line graphs steadily climbing. For now I’m not looking beyond January 2021. I’ve set weekly goals to hit between December and the last week of January.
Let’s do this.
Footnote:
Virtual Events 2020 (not in sequence)
Gold Coast Marathon Big Four (5K, 10K, Half and Full Marathon)
NN Running Global Virtual Relay (10K)
NYC Virtual Marathon – injured
B.A.A. Finish Strong (5K, 10K both in injured state, Half Marathon post-injury)
Asics Virtual Ekiden 5K – post-injury
Standard Chartered KL Virtual Marathon (Half Marathon)
Running in times of the pandemic have been a continuous act of adapting, pivoting and managing personal expectations. It’s almost never going to turn out the way you expect it. With lockdown reinstituted in most parts of Australia just 3 days to the Gold Coast Marathon (GCM) weekend, and our very own last-minute (typical of Malaysian PN government) orders of stricter movement controls (EMCO), there were much shared anguish all around. The organizers of the GCM wisely extended the window of the Virtual Race to 1st August. While outdoor exercise is allowed Folks Down Under, things are much harder here with outdoor activities banned. With the Klang Valley EMCO running until 16th July, I have just 3 weekends to complete the marathon, contingent on the relaxation of the MCO.
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