Finisher of Shiok! 200km Virtual Challenge Race 2020

INTRODUCTION

The Shiok! 200km Run/Walk/Hike Virtual Challenge starts from 21 Dec 2020 and ends on 31 Jan 2021. I have participated and completed this challenge. While the elites had  completed this event using 1 run, I had done so by accumulating my mileages over 11 days. 

In the post, I will shared on my additional secret ingredients, as most of my strategies were rather similar to the one I had shared previously :

INGREDIENT #1 - SETTING STRETCHED BUT REALISABLE TARGET 

In my last 100 mile virtual challenge, I managed to complete it within 2 weeks with 14 runs.

As such, I told myself that I should try something more challenging - i.e. to complete the entire event within 14 days (~14.2km daily). But in the end, I stretched my target even further and completed the challenge in 11 days with 12 runs from 21 to 31 Dec 2020. 

INGREDIENT #2 - DO LONGER MILEAGE SLOW-SLOWLY 

I considered myself as one of those runners who lack speed, endurance and the gift to recover fast. And in order to complete this challenge, my strategy was to run every run within my aerobic heart rate zone and hope that I will not experience any "burnt-out" from the runs.

While this strategies worked most of the time, I had to say that I am rather ill-discipline as I had gave chase at "rabbits" on several occasions. 

INGREDIENT #3 - MAINTAINING MY BODY WEIGHT FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE

While running slow-slowly may be a good idea, it inevitable increased the duration needed to complete the runs. Thus potentially result in more muscle/fibre tear, loss of more body fluids and other physically damage. I was very cautious and was very attentive in maintaining my body weight and consumed more food/water intake during this challenge. The outcome was that my body weight remained the same from the start till the end of the my challenge.

INGREDIENT #4 - CHOOSE A GOOD ROUTE NEAR YOUR HOUSE 

For this challenge, I had chosen Woodland Ave 12 as it is much flatter and it is approx 3 km per loop. Also, the amenities (such as toiler and water points) at Sembawang Hotspring Park aided me as I do not need need to carry excess water, and provided me with comfort whenever I need to offload some body weight in times of emergency  (errr...you know what i mean).

Toilet & Water Point @ SBW Hotspring Park  

INGREDIENT #4 - MOTIVATIONS FROM FELLOW CRAZY PEOPLE

It is true that you can run longer when you run together. Most of time, I will run past the regular 5am runners/cyclists and exchange greetings with them. And sometimes, you will meet your friends from your neighbourhood and they will run alongside with you. :)

P/S - It is quite scary when a lady runner (with make up) ran past you in the early morning... I had difficulty differentiating human and hantu...  Seriously, is there a need to make up for such an early run?

Bumped into Alex and he paced me.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I am contended to complete this event within the stipulated time. As COVID-19 SMM would probably continue in 2021 (and beyond), I hope that Running Guide would continue to organise such challenges virtually. But, I hope that they will organise a 100 km challenge after May/Jun. I hope to be re-certify myself as a Craze-Ultra Nut Runner.  

In any case, that's all folks.  It's time for me to be a couch potato until the next season starts.

See you and may you have a wonderful running year ahead!

 

Preparing for Virtual Challenge for Shiok! 200km (21 Dec 20 - 31 Jan 21)

 Reference: Shiok! 200km Virtual Challenge

After completing the inaugural 100 miles virtual challenges in Oct/Nov 20, I wilk be back for more punishments in the "Shiok! 200km Virtual Challenge" from 21 Dec 20 to 31 Jan 21. The challenge's format will remain similar as the last event (i.e. run X km in one go or accumulate X km in multiple go). 

This time round, I will use the long festive weekends to run as "long" as possible. My "stretched" plan will be as such:

Week 1

21 Dec [Mon] - 2.5 hr

22 Dec [Tue] - Rest

23 Dec [Wed] - 2.5 hr

24 Dec [Thu] - 2.5 hr

25 Dec [Fri]  - 2.5 hr

26 Dec [Sat] - Rest

27 Dec [Sun] -2.5 hr

Week 2

28 Dec [Mon] - Rest

29 Dec [Tue] - 3 hr

30 Dec [Wed] - Rest

31 Dec [Thu]  -3 hr

1 Jan [Fri] - 3 hr

2 Jan [Sat] - 3 hr

3 Jan[Sun] - 3 hr

 

In the event I am unable to clock the required mileages in the first 2 weeks, then I will be making up the distances in Week 3 and 4.

HAPPENINGS AFTER MY PREVIOUS RUNS

31 Oct - Finally found some time after go for my #52 blood donation at the Westgate Blood bank. Basically, I have to time my blood donation properly as I tend to take longer time for recovery (i.e. after 100miles virtual challenge). My next blood donation will be in mid Jan before I continue to train for my fitness test in Apr 2021.

 

22 Nov - Finally decided to replace my old tires after accumulating ~1,500km on my running shoes. Hoping that the nike infinity run flyknit can last me until the next Craze Ultra 2021.

1 to 7 Dec (14 to 21 Days) before Virtual Challenge, I participated in the OurArmyFamilyRun 5.5km, but instead of the said distance, i ran 55km within 6 runs. This will help me to better prepare for the 200km challenge.

8 to 21 Dec

Core Strengthening, "NUA", recover and waiting for the Shiok! Virtual Challenge.

Finisher of 100 Miles Challenge Race (Virtual Edition) 2020

I may not be the Fastest, Talented, or Fittest, but I think I may be one of the more determined sane nuts to participate in this 100 Miles Challenge 2020 (Virtual Edition)

The journey began on 12 Oct 2020 and the participants were given 35 days to complete this challenge. Some powerhouses completed their distances within a go, but the majority completed or will be completing it by installments. I belonged to the second category.

My principal consideration for this challenge is that my participation must not impact my working hour, family time or event the time that I need to perform any other essential tasks. And it would seem that only time that I could afford to sacrifice is ......... my non-sleeping hours.

And here I go, carried out with my plan as if it is a military operation order, waking up at the wee hour every morning (about 4 am+) and attempted to clock back-to-back 10 km+ runs for 2 weeks or more.

Doing Back-to-Backs runs are very psychically exhausting, on Day 11, I noticed that I could no longer carry on with this regime and had to take that morning off for a quick active recovery session. Thankfully, I was about to recover quick enough to clock more mileages on the same evening and the remaining days. 

Everyday, I ran by feel, adapted myself to the runs and ran further. For a good 13 days since 12 Oct, I have accumulated enough mileages to be qualified as a finisher. On 24 Oct, the 100 miles challenge Race Director emailed to inform that he had verified my running logs and Congratulated me for a job well done. I am so proud that I was able to complete this event. 

SOME REFLECTIONS

Succeed to Plan, and Plan to Succeed, Adjustment to the Plan is a Continuous Process 

My original plan was to complete this challenge within 16 days (i.e. running ~10 km daily). Subsequently, I decided to stretch it and try to complete the event within 2 weeks (i.e. 11.5km or more mileages on the weekends. This would means that I would need to cock an additional 10 kms on the weekends to accumulate 80 km weekly mileages.

Establishing Self-Awareness and Self-Discipline

Running back-to-back daily is no simple affair for the average Joe as it is rather demanding physically and mentally. This was made worst as I did not train as much as previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Slowly down is also and important step in order to preserve energy to the new few runs too. On days that I think i can run faster, I kept reminded myself to slow down as any foolish now will jeopardise my mission. 

Also, I took really good care of myself for the weeks leading to the event. This was in hope that I will not fall sick before or during the event. Some of the care include (1) sleeping earlier than usual in order to wake up on time for runs, (2) slow down to a comfortable pace in order to sustain for my subsequent runs, (2) took multi-vitamins and anti-inflammatory supplements (such as Omega-3) as a form of precautionary measures.

Remember to Draw Inspiration from Social Media during this COVID-19 Pandemic

Without seeing and communicating with real participants, this event became a fairly boring and quiet challenge. I missed the cheering from the volunteers at the aid stations and the passions from the fellow ultra-runners. Now, the only place that kept me going is the Strava "100 Miles Challenge Group" that was created to track the participants' progress. And seeing these crazy elites completing 100 miles in a go (or 2) truly amazed me, it also inspired me to continue to persist on no doubt that I am just the average "Simon".

CONCLUSION

Participating in this challenge was demanding physiologically, but I thought that I had enjoyed it as it has been a fun and challenging journey. Let's hope COVID-19 pandemic will be over soon and we can take part in real runs in the near future.

I hope that  Running Guide will resume that 101 km Craze Ultra in 2021. 

For now, I hope you guys will stay safe and take care of yourself. See you again when we can start running together!

 

Participating in the 100 Miles Challenge 2020 (Organised by Running Guild)

References
100 Miles Challenge Website: https://www.crazeultra.com/p/virtual-edition.html

Craze Ultra on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrazeUltra/

Craze Ultra 2020 took a virtual twist this year. 

Instead of organising an ultra-marathon event during COVID-19 pandemic, a 100mile challenge (Virtual Edition) will be organised from 12 Oct to 15 Nov 2020. There are 2 ways to compete this event - Participants could either complete 100 Miles within 32hr or we could accumulate 100 Miles over multiple activities during the 35 days. 

Completion Strategy 

With my limited training due to COVID-19 and other personnel/work commitment, it would be too physical demanding for me to run anything longer than 10km at a go nor could I run 10km on consecutive days without feeling burnt-out.

As such, my strategy is simply jog for lesser than 10km on most of the days in order to achieve the required mileage. I will also need to put my Pride and Ego aside and ensure that I can run consistently for the entire durations.

Attending Webinars

As part of this virtual event, I have attended 2 webinars on 1 Oct (Q&A with Race Director) and 8 Oct (Nutrition and Race Tips). There will be one more webinar (Past Runner Legacy Session) in End Oct 2020. In my opinion,  the Q&A session with RD Ben Swee and Steffan was rather fun and interesting . You may consider watching this  ~30min re-run too.

Webinar 1 - Questions and Answers with Ben Swee

Free trial  products were sent to participants

I received these products 2 weeks ago, but I have not tried these jelly yet. I have also enquired on the consumption methods for these strange products as there would not english instructions on the packaging. After attending the webinar 2 (not available online), I understand that the "multi-energy" jelly should be consumed 30 min before any activity and the "refresh charge" jelly should be consumed during every 90 min intervals.  

I will try these ~$3 per packet jelly during the 100 mile challenge.

 

Please stay tune for more updates :)

----

Extracts of Email Sent by Race Director

Briefing Notes for 100 Miles Challenge 2020

Dear 100 Miles Challenge 2020 Participants,

We hope you're getting excited for the 100 Miles Challenge 2020 :)

Just before the 100 Miles Challenge starts, here are some points to keep in mind, some based on the questions i've received:

Event Period

• Your activities can be done any day/time within the period from 12 Oct 2020 0000hrs (12am) till 15 Nov 2020 2359hrs(11.59pm) based on your country's time zone.  
• It is not necessary to start on the 1st day.  
• The final activity must be completed by 15 Nov 2020 2359hrs (11.59pm).  Any activity that starts and/or ends after this date/time will not be counted.

Types of Qualifying Activities

• Only outdoor runs/walks/hikes with route maps shown in your Strava activities will be counted.
• Activities done indoor/sheltered areas such as gym, home, office multi-storey car park, basement car park, mall, buildings, etc, WILL NOT be counted.
• Random checks will be done on your activities to verify if they are valid.  Activities without route maps/unbelievable pace/done indoor/manually entered/aided by vehicles or mobility devices such as bicycle, tricycle, trishaw, skateboard, scooter, e-scooter, motorcycle, bus, car, lorry, truck, etc, will not be counted.  If I have any doubts, I may or may not seek clarification from you.

Required Distance

• The minimum total distance required is 100 Miles, which is 160.934km.  To be safe, go for at least 161km :)
• You can do 100 Miles in 1 go or accumulate 100 Miles over multiple activities within the event period.

Strava Club/Group

• Invitations to join a Strava Club/Group have been sent out to those who 'follow' me in Strava. Please open your Strava notifications (located on the top right corner of your Strava app/website) and check if you have received an invite.
• If you have not received an invite, please 'follow' me in Strava at https://www.strava.com/athletes/15096947 so that I can send an invite to you.  After the event, you can 'unfollow' me.
• Currently, there are 5 different Strava Clubs/Groups.  You'll be invited to join 1 of the groups.  The groups are not set up based on your running prowess.
• For the period of the event, please set your privacy control for your activities in Strava to allow 'Everyone' to see your activities.  You can set it back to your preference after the event period is over.  Thank you for your understanding.
• For those who selected their activities as Hike/Walk, your activities will not appear on the Strava Club's Leaderboard as the Club's primary activity has been set as running.  You do not have to worry about this as you can let me know once you have completed 100 miles and I can go to your Strava account to view your activities.
• At the end of the event, the Strava Club/Group will be deleted.
• NOTE: For those who have not tried out their Strava app, please test it & ensure it works (example, it syncs with your GPS watch or you can use the Strava app to record your activity) before you start the Challenge.

Sub-32 Hours 100 Miles Finisher/Hall of Fame

For those who are aiming to qualify for the Sub-32 Hours 100 Miles Finisher Hall of Fame, please note the following:

• The 32 hours qualifying period is a single continuous period.  For example, if you start at 7am on Saturday 24 Oct 2020, you must finish by 2.59pm on Sunday 25 Oct 2020.  
• You will not qualify as a Sub-32 Hours Finisher if all your activities are spread over several days or beyond the 32 hours single continuous period, even if the accumulated distance of those activities is 100 Miles and the total time taken is less than 32 hours.
• The cut off time to qualify as a Sub-32 Hour 100 Miles Finisher is 31 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds.  Any finishing time from 32 hours 00 min 00 sec & longer will not qualify you as a Sub-32 Hours Finisher.
• The 32 hour period is the total elapsed time of your activity, inclusive of your moving time (run/walk/hike) & all pauses/stops (such as rest, meal, drink, restroom, charging of your watch/phone/device, shower, sleep, bad weather, etc).
• Please inform Ben (via WhatsApp +6596332436 or Facebook messenger (https://www.facebook.com/ben.swee.5/) or email runningguild@gmail.com) when you're just about to start your Sub-32 Hours attempt.  And when you finish 100 miles (regardless of time) OR decide to stop midway, please inform Ben immediately too.  You may send a photo of yourself to Ben :) 
• You can do multiple activities accumulating to 100 miles, as long as it is still within the 32 hours continuous period. 
• There is no limit on the number of attempts to finish 100 Miles below 32 hours as long as the attempts are still within the qualifying period.  For example, you can keep trying every weekend if you are up to it :)
• If you are unable to finish 100 Miles below 32 hours, the distance that you've covered in that attempt can still be added to subsequent activities and accumulated to reach 100 Miles, as long as it's within the qualifying period.

Upon Finishing 100 Miles

• Please inform me as soon as you have completed 100 Miles (whether you did it all in 1 go or accumulated over multiple activities) so i can verify your activities and email the e-certificate to you.

Finisher T-Shirt & Medal  

• The Finisher T-Shirt & Medal will be posted out to the address you provided, hopefully by the end of Nov 2020, depending on whether there's any delay in printing/shipment of the items from the vendors due to the COVID-19 situation.

Safety/Health

• Please ensure you are in good health before you start the activity.  Do not do the activity if you're feeling unwell that day.  Save it for another day.
• Have a good rest before you start your activity.
• Do the activity together with someone if it is permitted & possible.  If you're heading out alone, ensure you have informed someone about your route, how long you expect to take & what time you expect to finish.
• Bring along your mobile phone during the activity which will come in handy for any emergency.
• Hydrate & Fuel well before, during and after the activity.  Plan your fueling and hydration strategy.
• Stay alert & beware of danger along the route, e.g. pedestrians, vehicles, potholes, dangerous animals/insects/plants, etc.
• Bring along lighting if necessary e.g. headlamp/rear blinker light especially for dark areas/to alert others of your presence.
• Bring along any first aid/medication for any emergency.  Go to the nearest hospital/clinic if necessary.
• Be prepared for severe/bad weather/lightning.  You may wish to bring along a rain jacket/poncho.
• Have a good recovery after the activity, e.g. recovery drink/meal, massage, foam rolling, stretching, etc.  

If you have any other questions, do let me know.

May I wish all of you the best & may you have a crazy & nutty time challenging yourself over 100 Miles of Running/Walking/Hiking 😁

Visit to Sembawang Hotspring on 6 Sep 2020

Re-visiting One of the only Two Hotsrping in Singapore during CB Phase 2.

Covid-19 is not deterring people from visiting this place. :)