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 KL Marathon was done and dusted a couple of weeks ago. A poor timing but what was to be expected? I’ll admit it – the mojo is pretty much missing with much of my waking hours (and during sleep as well, if I may add) thinking about work.
These soul-crushing weeks have gone into months and there are many more months to navigate. I rarely have sleepless nights but at 52, it’s now not uncommon that I find myself awake at 3:30am/4:30am. 5.5-hour sleep during week-nights are not good for the mind and body, not to mention there are obvious long-term risks.
My fitness has certainly regressed after Kuching Marathon [race report] so when a complimentary slot was available for the Selangor Marathon, I grabbed at it. I really needed to run.
Sepang isn’t that far from home and I thought I should be able to get through a Half Marathon on a training-run mode. Parts of the route brought back memories of the inaugural Putrajaya Night Marathon. Runners will start from Parking Bay 12 of the Sepang International Circuit and enjoy a 2.2km downhill before hitting a mostly flat loop. “Mostly” because there a couple of climbs scattered through the course.
Since it was to be a training run, and the event organizers availed the GPX file, I thought it would be nice to use the PacePro feature on my Garmin. PacePro allows you to plan your pace strategy over a course. As you will see, I was obviously too optimistic for a sub-1:45 (4:56/km average) finish.
A 45-minute drive later, I found myself tailgating a long line of cars entering the race venue. Many cars were parked by the roadside but in hindsight it was wise of me to pay the RM5 parking fee for a much nearer spot – getting out proved to be easier as well. My warm-up was half-hearted at best and after draining my small bottle of sports drink, I ventured to the start, plonking myself about 10m from the arch.
The race flagged off 5 minutes late at 5:05am and after a congested and narrow exit onto the road, the runners were able to spread out. As advised by the organizers, many runners wore blinkers and headlamps, as was I except that mine was handheld. In these early stages, runners were at it as if they were in Pamplona. A few were already breathing, huffing and puffing so loudly as they were clearly running way harder than they’re fit for. What were they thinking??! Anyways, who was I to care. To each his/her own. I was more concerned about stepping into a pothole and keeping to a pace that’ll get me to the finish.
I wasn’t that familiar with the data screens and so only gazed at the readouts occasionally to get an idea of how far was I to the next climb. No issues at any of the drink stations and I grabbed 2 cups at each. I carried 2 gels (Koda) which I consumed at the 9 and 18km marks. They were enough since this wasn’t a race to me. Oh yeah, I went with the Alphafly as I find them comfortable at paces slower than MP (personal preference).
I was moving OK, given my utterly basement-level fitness. 5K – 25:15, 10K – 50:41. The quicker amongst us Half Marathoners were already passing some Marathoners who needed to loop the course twice (never an easy thing!). I slowed a little at 15K – 1:16 and the next couple of KMs were slowest between 5:13-5:16/km as I warned myself to save some energy and fight for the final 2.2km climb to the finish. I was glad to have heeded the caution because I recovered after the final u-turn to somehow run 5:02 > 5:04 > 5:04 > 5:04 > 5:04 to the finish. The 1:47 was a minute quicker than my finish at the KL Half Marathon (a reckless first half ensured a horrendous second). After finishing 12th in my category in Kuching, it was another 12th (45th overall) this time around.
The official splits showed that one can indeed run a good “race” or what you’d define a race. Run even pace or even effort and let attrition takes it’s course. My position shifted upwards through the race, mostly by keeping to this strategy. I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome. It was a good distance to have run that morning and personally at a good pace given the circumstances I find myself in these days.
Now that the work project calendar is out, the 2023 Gold Coast Marathon (entries open Feb 15th 2023) will be a no-go for me. Calling it a disappointment would be putting it mildly. I would’ve love for GCM23 to be my goal race, one that I secure that qualifier for Nick.
I’m in no state of mind to say when I’m able to get over this rut. Managing stress and getting enough sleep are my top priorities. 5.5 hours/night is unacceptable. That said, I still plan to run the Twincity Half (if and when it opens for entries – for a big event organiser, they’re hopeless on FB with DMs going unanswered). And then there’s the Big One in September. KLSCM will be in Oct, but with that just a week after the Big One, it could very well just be the 10K for me.
Conditions continue to be very murky, running-wise, other than those mentioned above.
This may come as a surprise for you but by the time this post is up, I’d have (hopefully!) checked Kuching Marathon off my list last Sunday. Kuching is the state capital of Sarawak, the country’s largest state. The marathon is one of Borneo’s two popular marathons, the other one being the Borneo Marathon which run in the state of Sabah.
Only a handful of friends, well 2 to be exact, knew about my plan to run Kuching – Chiam who deferred his 2020 entry and Cheong whom I figured might need a redemption race.
First, some quick trivia about the marathon:
1st one was held in 2014.
Over the years it grew in popularity and the total number of participants across all distances rose to 11,000 in 2019.
This year marks the return of the popular event since the COVID
Over 9,500 sign ups received (5,811 Sarawakians, over 3,000 non-Sarawakians, and close to 700 foreigners). I won’t be surprised if those numbers included the 2019 deferred entries. Race sign-ups have been very low as the industry (or for that matter, everyone) continues to struggle with rising costs.
“Why Kuching?”
I slapped together a Vlog entry to explain it. Forgive me for my boring narration. I will not fault you should you decide to quit the video midway. I just feel that narrating is quicker than typing out paragraphs and losing steam in the process (busy!) and a Vlog encapsulates the photos and videos captured better and gets the story out more efficiently.
On to the Vlog entries. Please view in sequence:
Part 1 – Planning, Preps and Packing. Including the answer to, “Why Kuching?”
Part 2 – Travel, Touristy Stuff and The Marathon
Race Day and Post-Race
I’d planned to run with the Insta360 Go but decided against it because I didn’t want to grapple with another logistical element. It was just too dark anyway. This is a short recap but definitely more than what was included in the video above.
With the forecast poor – rain and thunderstorm pretty much the order of the entire day – it was a surprise to wake up after a 1.5 hours of shuteye to a perfectly dry morning. Chiam, Cheong and I had retired to our respective lodgings at 4pm and I just couldn’t sleep, tired as I was. I got up of bed once at 6:30pm and again at 8pm just to get some food into the stomach lest it was due to hunger (I wasn’t hungry) that had been keeping me awake, ensuring that I drank each time I was up. My pre-race meal at 11pm consisted of oats with cream of mushroom soup and 2 corn buns. With 2 bottles of drinks (electrolytes and amino) in my hands and a fully stocked hip belt, I walked over to meet Cheong at 12:15am.
Our 2km warm up routine involved alternating MP-paced effort with recovery jogs before making our way to the starting line. A cosy crowd had gathered and after the formalities, the race was started on time. An interesting observation – the pre-race Muslim prayer by an Imam was conducted in English, which I appreciated as a non-Muslim and non-Arabic speaker. When you understand what’s been said, it lends greater meaning to the message conveyed.
The course rose gradually for a couple of hundred meters after the start. I was still sweating from the warm up so MP wasn’t that hard to get right into. Again, my planned MP was modest, between 4:57 to 5:05/km. A few familiar faces quickly passed me but I stuck to my pace. Cheong had stormed ahead and I lost him even before the first turn. The course meandered through the inner city before heading out.
The first bridge across the Sarawak River wasn’t a big deal – an even gentler climb than what we’ve done in training or even the ones I tackled in Macao. The roads became narrower and darker as we left the commercial districts headed to the older parts of the capital. The areas we ran through consisted of old kampong houses, with the smell of chicken and livestock (you know what I mean) permeating the early morning air. The area reminded me a lot of Ulu Langat. Amazingly, families (adults and kids) were out cheering us at that time of the morning. I made sure I returned their waves as I passed.
I wasn’t running in a large pack, only 4 runners within 10 meters of me, at most. That number will dwindle in the coming kilometres. An occasional cool breeze provided some comfort to the runners. I was moving well and was contented to keep the pace. There was no need to go faster nor slower then as I continued to monitor the race proceedings and my breathing.
It drizzled lightly on and off which also cooled things down but nothing of concern. I stuck to my plan of a gel every 6km. It was around the 20km point that I decided to ease up on the pace after realising that I was passing a lot of runners and there were clear signs that the race was turning out to be one of attrition. You’ve to be very well rested to race well this early, tough luck with the 1am start! Then there were a couple of surprisingly long climbs that came our way. They weren’t steep but they’ll get you eventually. It hasn’t been too shabby at all with a 1:46 Half.
The Marathon is a race that really needs to be run smart, tackled strategically and cannily or it will be one hell of a long slog. In Kuching, I just needed to let those ahead of me drop back. The caffeine in the gels did a great job at keeping me lucid, I can tell you that! I never felt too bored even when running solo for long stretches. I talked to myself constantly, reminding myself to do just enough (it’s never going to be a PR on this course), run comfortably as long as possible, get past the dreaded 32km mark, and hang on to the finish. “Strategic, strategic,” I kept muttering.
Other than the residents, the other bright spot was the fantastic crew – from water station teams to the cyclists patrolling and escorting solo runners along the long stretches of roads. They were a comforting presence and made me feel like I was leading the race!
Like I said, I’d been running mostly solo and the gap between me and the nearest runner in front was something like 300 meters away. But somewhere between 23 and 27km, I realised I was being stalked by another chap in the same category. I’d passed him a few kms back but he had obviously picked up the pace. I let him pass but didn’t allow him to venture too far ahead. Occasionally I’d draw nearer just to let him know I was still around. This play would go on for a couple of kms and when he dropped back for the last time, I made sure my move would be decisive.
The course took a turn for the wicked between the 29-35km with some quad-crushing climbs which reduced my pace down to a shuffle. I told myself that everyone would be suffering as well, and I just needed to keep going and not be concerned about anything else. I didn’t run through the next 2 drink stations, as I took a few seconds off getting the fluids in while squeezing the cold water off the sponges onto my head and legs. The light drizzle gradually developed into tropical rainstorm soon after. There was no longer a need for sponges! And I could pee on the run without a care in the world. Everything would wash right off.
There were more runners around with 5km to go. 2 women who were running ahead became my focus as I tried narrowing the gap. I caught one when she washed out in the puddles and rivers that had developed on the roads. The other scooted ahead like a streamlined sampan and I abruptly lost her as the road meanders with no traffic marshal in sight. For a moment, I was afraid of running the wrong way since I was once again alone having dropped another runner from the same category. I never did know the position I was in and I wasn’t about to let a runner from the same category grab the final 10th spot this late into the race.
Luckily it wasn’t too long before I hit the 40km mark and I was on familiar roads from our walkabouts. The rain continued to come down in torrents and the GCM crew’s training in such conditions the rain meant, we take to it like ducks to the water. Inclement weather and course difficulty
I took the corner and started my sprint to the finish. 1:41.41, 12th in my category, 38th overall. A volunteer placed a tag over my head and escorted me to the winner’s tent (felt like a Lord!) for further instructions. I found Cheong there and he ran a good race too. Prizes were only for the Top 10 of each category and I was in the standby list. No matter. All the winners were worthy. I was in awe of the veteran runners from Penang who took the top spots. The gaps were just too huge, between 7 to 35 minutes! We limped our way back our lodgings as the deluge continued.
My goal was to run within my means, finish strong and not repeat the personal horrors of GCM22. I think I did. For that, I’m one happy fella.
I stopped blogging about Week 11 because it was a case of pure survival for the entire family. The Mrs was the first to be down, testing positive and isolated in the bedroom. Soon after, the stress of rushing around, juggling work, cleaning, doing laundry runs, ferrying the kids to and from school and doing nearly everything else except cooking took a toll on my body and I came down with fever and throat infection. My fear immediately ratcheted up several notches fearing another case of COVID in the family, which fortunately wasn’t the case after repeated testing.
Sleeping in the spare room didn’t help and I didn’t get the rest I desperately needed. Thankfully I had sought treatment early and was already on antibiotics.
The Mrs made a surprisingly a quick recovery by Day 3, with the fever gone and testing negative consecutive days. By Day 5, she was able to leave room isolation and the additional hands were indeed helpful since both sons and my Mother were the next COVID casualties! It was a calamitous but unsurprising situation to be in with everyone stuck in the house.
With everyone except yours truly infected, the question then was what’s my risk mitigation plan. I was the one odd one out. Do they isolate in separate rooms or like my wife suggested, that I move to a nearby hotel room for the next 3 days before I fly off. That move would be akin to abandoning the post in the heat of the battle. Logical but not the appropriate thing to do. Leaving the family for a trip (Visa approval finally received 6 days pre-flight) was already a selfish thing to do in normal times, what more with 4/5 of the household down. The most pragmatic move would be that I isolate. My Mother’s symptoms proved the mildest of the lot and she was able to cook simple meals – porridge/rice, veg, eggs/meat – while the Mrs undertook the cleaner role. I broke the cyclical fever on my 2nd day of antibiotics and was able to help somewhat. I kept myself in the room mostly, going out only to get groceries and meds and disinfectants – hundreds of Ringgit spent on those essentials.
My last short run before coming down sick was June 20th, 6.4km. 4 days later, I was well enough to go for a 30-minute evening walk around the neighbourhood. A resident who saw me walking, familiar with my daily pursuits, asked if it was my rest day. The walk did me good. With movement, I was able to centre my thoughts, take in deep breaths and absorb the sunshine and oxygen.
I covered a little shy of 3km yesterday, the start of Week 12 (Race Week!). First few steps were heavenly even if everything felt off. After the jog, I savoured the sun at the park and marvelled at the rainbow. I followed that up with another one this morning, a 5km with 30-second cutdowns, from 6:15 down to 4:55, with a cooldown km at the end, a miniscule outing to work the legs. “Tomorrow is another day’“, as Vivien Leigh said in Gone with the Wind, and one can’t worry too much.
Weather forecast predicts the wettest weekend on the Gold Coast in recent times but a race is still a race. It’ll be my 10th GCM. I can’t imagine my first was back in 2011. Over the years, Good Times have evolved into Fast Times as I learned to train better and the Gold Coast have always been good to me. It would be sacrilegious if I don’t turn up and perform the best I can come July 3rd. My sense of belief might’ve been shaken the past week with the illness but I’ve not given up on the objective I’ve set myself since Dec 2021. The crew have trained well and from what we can see, we were at our fittest and strongest when we entered the taper phase last week.
The heavy lifting’s done. It’s time to summon the Warrior Spirit.
Kicked off the week with the usual easy Monday before the Commute Madness. The Tuesday Strength session was moved to Wed as I was just too wasted to tackle it. I knew I’d utterly fail any attempts to bulldoze through the 4 x 2.5KM with 800m recoveries. I was fresher (which is simply another way of saying “less wasted”) on Wednesday. The workout was OK, not spectacular. I wasn’t quite able to hit the set paces (tired legs) and I simply ran out of time before the rush into the office. Count me a voter for 100% remote work! Anyways, the average pace for each of the 3 sets were 4:40 > 4:40 > 4:39, essentially the quicker end of my MP and most definitely not the 10-seconds under as the menu required. I kept locking into MP which is a good thing I guess but we all know there’s a time and place for higher intensity workouts (yes yes, those Tuesday sessions) but it’s getting harder and harder to run these outside the track.
Having incorporated the 16KM MP into Saturday’s long run, Thursday was a comfortable 20KM, with the first 14KM completed in the old crimson VF 4% Flyknit (which I wore in 2019) and the remaining 6KM in the Alpha, simply because the 4%’s midsole came apart just after 8KM.
Friday was a short easy one, followed with the usual house chores. A rainy night ensured Saturday morning was cool. When I got to Peremba at 4:40am, Uncle Siah was already running! I quickly got in the 7.5KM warm up – not quite Chiam’s standard of a 10KM warm up just yet! – drank a few mouthfuls of On Amino before kicking off the main workout. The first KM (4:53) was a bummer. The old engine just needed to slowly come alive. Pace was see-sawing the first few KMs as my mind wandered to the still unapproved Visa situation as we precariously approach the final week and half before the flight. My attention snapped back to the task at hand only after a bit and only then there was some semblance of consistency. As it turned out, I lowered my 15KM PR by a minute to 1:09.27 after checking off the HM, 10-mile, and 15KM ones early June during the Simulator.
Sunday was when the drama kicked up a notch with the wife waking up to very bad sore throat and worse for the wear. I feared the worst and quickly went out for a very short run in anticipation of the prospect. True enough, her test came back positive and before she isolated herself in the bedroom, I handled the wholesale stripping of the sheets, pillow cases and what-have-yous to the laundry, sanitized the common contact surfaces, and while waiting for the wash cycle to complete, had breakfast, brought breakfast, moved the washed items to the dryer, delivered the packed breakfast home before returning to collect the laundry, stopping at the pharmacy for Panadol and several essentials. Back home, I showered, moved whatever things I need the next 5 days out of the room. By the time I was done, it was nearly 1pm. I’m unsure which of these I fear the most right now – the possibility of me contracting this so close to the race, if I ever get to race in the first place or if anyone else in the family is going to get it (we’ve so far all tested negative). It’s like somebody is taking pleasure in throwing me curveballs this go-around but like I told the guys, the greater the challenges, the sweeter the victory.
The next week is all about surviving and coming through unscathed for everyone, so blogging will be the last thing on my mind. Still keeping my chin up.
After rewarding myself with a Sunday rest day, it was back to the grind on Monday. Another extended weekend meant that I was able to avoid looping around the housing area and got in a nice 14KM at Cyberjaya. The morning was cooling but humid and the route chosen was somewhat rolling but it was OK. I thought about how ideal Cyberjaya is for Boston training (Kinrara being the other one), what with the wide roads, and undulating landscape. I like the apartments and condos in the area and fantasized about renting a unit there the next marathon training block. Won’t happen, though!
I failed Tuesday’s Strength workout badly, the body still unable to clear the recovery from last Saturday’s Simulator despite yesterday’s very comfortable 14. Completed just 1 of the 3 sets of 3x3K and told myself that it was OK to have bad days. The key is not to wallow in it and just move on. After all, marathon success hinges on the weeks and months of putting in the work and not on a single workout.
Wednesday was the obligatory easy run which I kept very much so to except for the topping up of a couple of KMs.
It uncharacteristically rained heavily on Thursday which resulted in a late start, which then resulted in not having enough time to cover the entire menu which was 2x8K at MP. Unlike Tuesday, however, everything felt ok and it was only due to time crunch that I had to bail. Splits were 4:48 > 4:54 > 4:44 > 4:45 > 4:44 > 4:43 > 4:43 > 4:39 (Average 4:45).
Friday was the same as Wednesday except for the addition of weekly house chores.
Saturday’s 32KM would be the final 32 in this training block. To make it a little challenging, I didn’t listen to podcasts nor music to kill time. I opted to cover the full 8KM loop 4 times which included some killer climbs just to add more steel to the mental setup. The discomfort has to be simulated in training so that one is able to deal with it when it inevitably comes during the race. Running the final loop with Sue and CY freshened things up a little and I closed the final 3KMs in 5:10, 4:40 and 4:24.
It rained much of Saturday night which made for a very nice Sunday morning run. The body and legs felt reasonably good considering yesterday’s 32 and I got the run I needed. There’ll be a miniscule reduction in mileage next week heading into a mini-taper but I’m trying to see if I can incorporate the 16KM MP into next weekend’s long run. I think that’ll space out the SOS workouts a bit more, providing an extra easy day in between.
On a related note, Philip, Sham, Cheong, and Uncle Siah are really really looking good. I’m expecting some breakthrough performances from these guys on July 3 and I’m praying that I’ll be able to join them!
It’s Week 8 and the wait continues. I told the crew that since I’m now closer to the completion of the 12-Week plan than I ever was, there’s nothing to lose but to just keep going. By the time this post goes up, it’ll be less than 2 weeks to taper. With that in mind, Week 8 was the most ideal one to be doing The Simulator, a long workout at MP that serves to 1. Test out the race gear and fuelling, 2. Fine-tuning race-day pacing and 3. Getting the mind in, hopefully, a good place. I’ll put out a separate post on The Simulator so suffice to say that other than an abbreviated Strength workout on Tuesday which was a 2x5K, all the other days were about keeping it easy.
I kept Tuesday to a single set since I wasn’t going to be as gung-ho as I was a few years ago and put my legs and body in any more stress than necessary. No sooner had I covered 2KM that I realised how comfortable it was – too slow! I was going by feel again, you see. That explained why the pace was significantly quicker the rest of the way – 4:49 > 4:59 > 4:39 > 4:32 > 4:33 (Average: 4:43).
I had several opportunities of throwing in a couple of evening runs but they were just too scorching hot and those were never good for recovery. In short, I played it safe most of the week.
Yup, it was a pretty boring week other than The Simulator, which I got myself PRs in the 10 Mile, 20KM and Half Marathon (1:39) distances. It provided some validation and much needed positivity yet I’m fully aware that that all count for naught when it comes to the Marathon. Remember, the Marathon only starts at the 30KM mark. That said, I’ll still savour the achievement today and set it aside to be recalled as motivation when the inevitable rough miles set in during the race. There are a few weeks left for training and it’s seriously not done just yet with 2 big weeks coming up before the taper.
As mentioned in last week’s recap (link below), the plan for this week was not to hammer but to take it easier, shorter and to pay attention to how I’m feeling. Accordingly, Monday’s 14 was slashed down to 12. Tuesday’s 5x1K @ 10K Race Pace was also eased back from sub 4:30s to 4:30-4:40 range.
I was very happy how Tuesday turned out. I’d sync’d the updated pace range to the watch and turned off the pace alerts as the decision was made to run by feel, which ended up with 4:34 > 4:33 > 4:31 > 4:26 > 4:23. Felt way better than last week and in fact, strong I might add.
Fuelling and nutrition-wise, I’m taking in protein drink after every run (even the Easy effort ones) and supplemented with iron tablets. The HR readings are all where they’re expected to be, nothing out of the ordinary observed. Stretching and strengthening are on-going as well and I’m self-massaging more than ever.
Wednesday’s easy 10 was dispatched uneventfully, which was great. HR readings looked good too.
Then it was time for the MP SOS. 2x8KM with 1 mile recovery, sandwiched between 3KM warm up and 1.5KM cool down. Other than a straight-through long MP workout, this 2×8 is one of the hardest sessions in the training block. Run it too fast, and you’d be too wasted the second rep. If you’re unprepared or simply too inconsistent in your base/training block to run the goal pace, you’d be found out. The 1.6KM recovery phase may seem to be a blessing but be mindful of getting too comfortable with the break because there’s another rep to execute. The effort-pace had to be just right and I went in with some doubts having had a poor Week 6. As a result of that, I’d allowed myself a wider pace window, from 4:40-4:47 to 4:40-4:52. That’ll stave off the endless pace alerts should I drop too far off the goal pace. Doubts were still coursing through my mind as I made my way to the “start line” and before it took further control of me, I quickly started the watch and got going.
First KM felt easy and pretty soon, I was moving through the splits rather comfortably. I did a lot of self-talk, running through positive mental affirmations and going through the specific parts of the GCM course as I move through the workout. The temps may be cool with a gentle breeze but I was dripping sweat. I had the foresight to have put an electrolyte tablet into the water bottle, and so was able to properly hydrate during the recovery phase. All in all, a very good workout, one which I didn’t struggle, nor lost my running form.
Friday was supposed to be a 14KM but I took the day off, having learned the lessons of Week 6. Even if I feel strong this week, I still need to be cautious, jumping to 117KM from 82 the week before.
I ran most of the first of 2 32KMs on Saturday solo – Cheong had to make a pit stop midway into my 1st loop and his menu called for 34KM anyways – averaging 5:18. The last loop was tough partly because I decided to go all the way up Bukit Chiam but I can take heart that I averaged 5:06 the last 5KM. I take fuelling more seriously these days and as do Cheong. 2 gels (taken at 13KM and 24km), 2 bottles of electrolytes and a post-run protein shake were in my cooler box, all consumed. A good start to the day on my 23rd wedding anniversary.
I re-read my log from last year’s same training week and noticed that I did pretty well then, with all targets met. I was resigned to the fact that Week 7 was the final week I was able to train considering the country was on the verge of re-entering another lockdown. It would be the final week when I was able to meet the planned weekly mileage as I would come out short by 10K for Weeks 8 and 9. In short, I need to be careful from here on.
Thus far, Weeks 1-4 have been manageable. Even though I’ve not taken a single day off – it’s not about maintaining a running streak but about movement as I’ve clarified in my earlier posts. I’ve been really minding my physical recovery and how I’m feeling whenever the Garmin alarm vibrates very early every morning. I can report that it’s been, “So far, so good”. Week 5 is an entirely different kettle of fish.
Unlike earlier weeks, there are no allocated rest days and for the next 6 weeks, the weekly mileage will hover above the 100km line. This is obviously not the first time this plan is put to use but it will be the first time I’m going to be tackling such volume at this pace when the firm has demanded us back to the office – useless hours spent on commutes and climbing escalators (no way I was going to stand and waste more time riding the old chugging escalators we have here in Malaysia!) and stairs on already tired legs.
Tuesday’s 6x800m @ 10K race pace with 400m recovery came after the previous morning’s 14K so it was not going to be a walk in the park. One of my goals was to break 45 minutes for the 10K, so the splits (4:24 > 4:21 > 4:32 > 4:30 > 430 > 4:28) I managed were actually quicker than my actual race pace. Since my focus is not on the 10, I’d say it was a good workout despite the actual paces prescribed by the plan were actually way faster i.e. in the low 4s to 4:15 – something I won’t be able to pull off running around my neighbourhood.
Thursday’s SOS was 10K at MP before rushing off to work which added some urgency to the proceedings. Splits were: 4:51 > 5:40 > 4:45 > 4:43 > 4:43 > 4:42 > 4:45 > 4:41 > 4:47 > 4:42 > 4:44 (Average 4:44).
With so much walking and rushing around, you can bet that I was pretty pooped by Friday evening. Added to the weight of uncertainty of the still-unapproved travel visa, my enthusiasm waned somewhat on the week’s 30K. I was tempted to cut back on the distance but I was glad that I didn’t. I’d suggested to Cheong (who is also waiting for the visa outcome) that we should take it easy with the pace, which we did – the first 18K were conversational, the next 6 slightly quicker before progressing to a 5:10 > 5:12 > 5:05 > 4:59 > 4:57 > 4:52 finish as the morning warmed up a fair bit. It was still a 5:37 average when I would’ve been happy with a 5:45, the average logged for the same distance, same training week, and same program last year. Yup, I checked (see last year’s post below). One of the reasons I blog my training weeks is so that I can review them.
Sunday’s easy/recovery run wasn’t fun at all despite getting a good night’s sleep. My HR readouts piped from the Garmin to my Bluetooth earbuds alerted me of the unusually high readings. When that persisted for the next couple of KMs, I decided to be safe than sorry and walked the uphills and jogged the downs. However, when that still didn’t bring the readings down, I halted the whole thing. I’d only covered half the planned distance but I was very concerned about being overcooked, and this early too even if the legs were just a little tired. I was curious to see if conditions improved in the evening and they did. HR was back in the 111s. I guess I overestimated my recovery from the long run. Yes, warning is now duly noted.
Tomorrow’s Week 6, roughly the same mileage before the next ramp up. I hope I will be informed of the outcome by Sunday, whatever that may be.
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