Struggled to Pass Annual Fitness Test 2022

Passing fitness test this year was indeed not an easy feat. This is especially so when I was infected with the COVID virus on 23 May 2022, It took me 10 days to recover, but the recovery after that was not as smooth as many have claimed to be. 

On 2 Jun 2022, I ran a 2.4km run to assess the damage done to my physical condition. Horror to say, I immediately felt breathless and was coughing right at the start of the run. I clocked an embarrassing timing 15:12min.  

I knew that am not definitely not in the right condition to participate in a test in the near future. This left me with no choice but to postpone my fitness test from mid Jun to end Jun. 

Meanwhile, I trained almost daily in hope to regain my endurance and speed. The effort put in did not commensurate with the gain. 

End June came with a blink of an eye and the day to take my fitness test arrived. I remembered vividly that it was a sunny morning and I knew that I was still not ready for the test. I told myself that I should pass the test first and then tried for a better result in the future. But I was rather stubborn and overzealous and went all out. The run was painful as I was literally breathless at the mid distance and had to walk for a lap or two to catch my breath, I ended up clocking 12:32min but I obtained a marginal gold award . I was contended with the results but I was totally exhausted from the test. A day after the test, I remembered that I was so exhausted that I was unable to wake up on time to  go for work. This was something rare was I have a habit to wake up very early in the morning. 

3 days after my fitness test on 1 July 2022, I fell ill for Fever, Headache and Sore throat one more time. It is as if some virus is still residing in my body and took the opportunity to attack me when overly exerted my body. Thankfully that I was AG- this time round.

Thinking back, trying for the fitness test was totally not worth it as the recovery process from COVID for every individual are different. I guess I probably belong to the minority group who have difficulty getting back to their active life. Even till date, I can still feel that I have difficulty inhaling fully and my left chest seems to be tighter than usual. If I would give myself a score from 1 to 10 on my stamina before and after COVID, it should be a 3 or 4.

Enough excuses and I probably should do my rehab to regain my endurance back soon. 

To those active runners out there, do cater sufficient time to regain your health before trying out something strenuous. Take care and stay safe. 

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.

Preparing for Craze Ultra 2018

Reference : Craze Ultra 2018

BACKGROUND

The Craze Ultra 2018 will be happening on 3 Nov 18. I will be attempting the 101km event once again.

PREPAREDNESS STATUS

For this year's event, I did not have much time to train as I was quite busy with other commitments hovering work and life. I ended up running much lesser but I made it up with hiking at Bukit Timah Hills regularly.

Though I have lost a fair bit of weight and pass my health checks this year, I don't think I have sufficiently conditioned this time round... But I still hope that I could complete this race for the third time.

Training Log for the Last Few Months

Oct 18  - 120 km+

Sep 18 - 207 km

Aug 18 - 96 km

Jul 18 - 78 km

Jun 18 - 130 km

SET TARGETS

My primary Target set is to complete this race.
Secondary Target is to complete it within 21 hours. this would mean that my pacing for the entire race (inclusive of rest intervals) must be < 12min/km (or 5km/hr).

PREDICTING COMPLETION TIME PREDICTIONS

Anyway, I did some Data Analytics based on my previous run data and attempted to predict my race time for 2019. Let us wait and see if my prediction is accurate. :)

COLLECTED DATA FOR 2016 AND 2017				2018 PREDICATION BASED ON DATA ANALYTICS (DA)
Cum Distance (KM)	Cum Time (2016)	Cum Time (2017)	Average for 2016 and 2017	Cum Distance (2018)	Cum Time (2018)	Pace (2018)
0	0h 0m	0h 0m	0h 0m	0	0h 0m	8m 19s
12	1h 33m	1h 34m	1h 33m
13.5	1h 52m	1h 45m	1h 48m	13.7	1h 54m	9m 2s
21.5	2h 58m	2h 59m	2h 59m	22.3	3h 21m	9m 24s
30	4h 41m	4h 20m	4h 31m	30.9	4h 50m	9m 43s
37	5h 56m	5h 39m	5h 48m	44.5	7h 13m	10m 33s
50.5	8h 34m	7h 48m	8h 11m	52.7	9h 16m	10m 32s
62	11h 30m	10h 18m	10h 54m	59.2	10h 24m	10m 51s
71	13h 5m	11h 51m	12h 28m	65.7	11h 53m	11m 23s
79.5	15h 12m	13h 34m	14h 23m	73.9	14h 1m	11m 53s
89	18h 17m	15h 29m	16h 53m	87.5	17h 19m	13m 3s
101	21h 16m	18h 43m	19h 59m	101.2	22h 0m

TO BE CONTINUED

For now till to 3 Nov 18, do stay safe and see you at the start line.  :)

10 Weeks to Craze Ultra 101 Training - Familiarisation Run

"The only easy day is yesterday, but the only better day will be tomorrow"

Back-to-Back 10k runs

I started off my training week with some "light" back-to-back 10km runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Despite the body inability to recover completely from these "light" training session, I stubbornly insisted to participate in the Craze Ultra Familiarisation Run (Section 1) on Saturday. The fatigue took the fun out of me, I struggled throughout the journey but manage to completed it. The consequence I have paid or was spending the rest of my weekend resting and sleeping at home.

Now, I am left wth 10 more week to train for what I wanted to challenge for! Hope I am able to prepare myself better in the next few weeks to come. 

Craze Ultra Route Familiarisation (Section 1: Start to Admiralty MRT 26km) 18 June 2016 

At MacRitchie Start Point

(Photo Credits to Race Director - Ben Swee)

Race Director "flagging off" the participants

The participants are very eager to start

At CP 1 Waterpoint

At Check Point 2

At End Point - Admiralty MRT
(Photo Credits to Kenneth Kwok)

Total Mileage clocked on 18 Jun 16
Do note that the distance is inaccurate as the GPS watch was unable to locate the signal + I walked from end point to sembawang shopping centre after the event :)

Simon Prepares for His Maiden 101km Run!

Swollen left ankle just after the basketball session.

Sidetrack....

I have been missing my running sidekick since November 2014. Rachel (aka Mrs. RunTheTown) was going through a long and worrisome period - being closely monitored for suspected metastasis of cancer to her bones. We were lucky. Her cancer did not spread as suspected. My dear wife fought it through once more. She, however, has been ordered for complete halt on running due to a fractured knee (bad enough to look like cancer and failing her bone scans and blood tests every month). She was feeling the pain in sleep and walk. It left me with lesser time and motivation to do my own running for a while.

Back to my own running....

On the last day of 2014, I injured myself by severely spraining my left ankle during a casual basketball game. The injury forced me to take a long term break from all load bearing exercises. In fact, the pain disallowed me to participate in any form of exercises. It was disheartening as my stamina was badly compromised. Even though time is said to be a vital factor for healing, this totally uncalled for injury has been taking me more than half a year to recover...and sadly slowly....

By May 2015, I decided to register myself for the Craze Ultra 101km. It is to be held from Saturday, 5 September till Sunday, 6 September 2015. I did the 78km last year. I would not want to miss this year's event! Despite my injury, I set my mind to complete this awesome distance, hoping for no further aggravations to my ankle. At that juncture, I believed that my ankle could heal by June and I would still have sufficient time to train for the event.

I thought I was feeling good by June. My ankle was healing sufficiently for some sort of trainings. I started running shorter distances to gauge my stamina and strength. Alas! Never in my dreams would I expect myself to be panting profusely and struggling to complete a fairly slow pace 5km run! I even fell sick after every back-to-back training session - a sign of overexertion due to my poor physique. 

I realised that I had to tweak my trainings to accommodate my injury plus deterioration in fitness. I knew I had to strictly adhere to a walk-run approach (from trainings to actual race) so that it would not trigger further injuries to my body. I needed to be disciplined!

The idea was to clock sufficient mileages so that I would have the capacity to complete the event within a gracious cut off timing of 32hr. 2015 is just not my year to talk about performance! To be able to finish the 101km would already be my greatest achievement of the year.

2.5 months on, the longest training distance that I accomplished was on Sunday, 9 August. I did a D.I.Y. SG50 Walk-A-Jog (in the wee hours of our country's 50th birthday) with one short 20-minute break due to heavy downpour. The registered GPS distance was 50km. My gut feel told me that I had probably clocked 45km instead. Perhaps my GARMIN FENIX 2 was not quite accurate (assuming the accuracy to be +/-10%). 

DIY SG50 Walk-A-Jog

Now that I have less than 3 weeks before the actual race, I shall not stretch myself unwittingly. I intend to focus on my core strengthening and maintenance walks/runs. Irregardless, I will not give up! I have every intention to turn up for the event on 5 September. 

Stay tune to my next post....I will share my strategy to finishing the Craze Ultra 101km on actual race day.

My training log for June 2015.

My training log for July 2015.

My training log for August 2015.

An Interview By RunSociety.com

Source : http://www.runsociety.com/2014/09/15/simon-and-rachel-running-gave-this-wonderful-couple-a-second-chance-at-life/

Simon and Rachel are what you would call a picture-perfect married couple. Simon, an officer in the Singapore Armed Forces, and Rachel, a General Manager in a public listed company, both enjoyed fulfilling careers and shared a blissfully married life together.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse in 2012, when Rachel started to feel very unwell. After a series of medical screenings, she was hit with bad news: it was breast cancer.

Cancer treatment started immediately for Rachel. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy took a large toll on her, but with Rachel’s tenacious spirit and unwavering support from Simon, she tackled her sickness head-on, was pronounced cancer-free in December 2013.

Throughout this ordeal, their love for each other never wavered, and Rachel was determined to bounce back and live a normal, fulfilling life.

Simon had always been a runner, and with encouragement and support from him, Rachel took up running shortly after her final chemotherapy session.In the short span of 9 months, she completed 2 half-marathons, a 14km run, and 9 10km runs. That included travelling to Australia for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in July, which was their first overseas run together.

RunSociety is proud to share this inspiring story of how Simon and Rachel built their life back after cancer, step by step!

RS: We understand that Rachel is a cancer survivor. Can you share your story with us?

Rachel: I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 and went through mastectomy, 16 cycles of chemotherapy and 25 times of radiotherapy. The intensive treatments spanned across 1 and a half years.

It was a tough, tough time. I went from being fit and healthy to a deteriorating body during the treatments. To a certain extent, I was incapacitated and my quality of life was really impacted. For instance, my right hand cannot sustain heavy loads for long periods. In other words, bowling is out for me now. It was a sport that I enjoyed with my husband in the past.

To reciprocate Simon’s undying support all this while, and also in an effort to live a healthier lifestyle, I started brisk walking and running shortly after the treatments.

Simon has always been passionate about running. At first, I thought running would be the least I could do together with him. After running for a while, I surprised myself by falling in love with running too. Running started to become evidence of me putting in a fight for my life, especially when I cross the finishing line each time in every run I complete.

Rachel's first chemotherapy session.

Q. Now that the toughest is over, how are both of you now? Does Rachel require any more treatment or medication?

Simon:The toughest times may have passed, but the treatment is still far from over. 

Rachel is still undergoing monthly treatments for the next few years and daily oral medications for 10 years. Her body is still undergoing adjustments whenever a change in medication or treatment is required. During those times, her running regimen would take a back seat.

Having watched Rachel deteriorate with her illness and come back to health, it taught me an important lesson: that we should accomplish dreams when we are still able and fit. Hence, as Rachel picked up running, I also started chasing my dreams – to participate in overseas runs and ultra-marathons. 

Rachel's first shave off at the hair salon 2 weeks after her first chemotherapy session.

Q. Rachel, before you decided to run your first marathon at the 2XU Compression Run (21km) in March earlier this year, you only started training 4 months before. How did the both of you train for this run?

Rachel: Simple, I followed Simon whenever he went to East Coast Park for his long runs. We did 2 to 3 weekends per month from January to March. Due to our different paces, Simon and I would train independently at East Coast Park.

His norm was to cover 20 to 35km in each run whilst I could just cope with 10 to 18km. By the time I attempted my first half-marathon during the 2XU Compression Run in March, finishing 21 km was no longer too intimidating for me.

Simon: I was initially worried for Rachel as this was her first half marathon event. I advised her on some do’s and don’ts for running half-marathons whenever possible.

Q. Simon, you have a mantra: “Complete, not Compete”. How did you come up with this motto?

Simon: To me, completing races are more important than winning. I only have myself to beat in a race. I believe that we should enjoy the full distance without feeling too much external pressure from competition. The priority is to challenge oneself to enjoy and complete the race. That’s how I encourage Rachel in her runs.

When I go for a run, I just have to ensure that I give my best shot and do not give up easily. What is more important is that I learn valuable lessons from every run. For instance, one of the memorable lessons I personally learnt is not to consume stimulating food before any run. I remember puking during a running event because of a stomach upset. I had taken nasi lemak an hour before the run!

Rachel: It took my recent illness and 8 years of marriage for Simon to ‘infect’ me with the running bug! I still remember his shocked look when I told him that I had registered for the 10km category in last year’s Great Eastern Women’s Run. As that was my first attempt in any organised runs, he advised me not to be affected by other runners’ speed and just focus to complete the full distance, which I did!

Rachel at her very first run, the Great Eastern Women's Run 10km distance.

Thereafter, “Complete, Not Compete” is something I always repeat in my mind whenever I participate in any runs. It works for me, and makes reaching the finishing line easier!


Q. You had your first overseas runs in Australia. For Rachel, it was the Southern Cross University 10km Run, and Simon ran the Gold Coast Airport Marathon. What was the motivation behind going overseas for a run?

Simon: Having participated in many local road races over the years, I began to feel that the race routes started to look too similar in most races. For example, race organisers would usually entail routes along East Coast Park, Nicole Highway and Benjamin Sheares Bridge.

We heard many good reviews about the Gold Coast Airport Marathon - the warm support from the community, flat terrain and cool weather. The decision was easy after we won a 3-night stay at Four Seasons Sydney during last year’s Run for Hope race bib creation contest. These motivated us to make Gold Coast Airport Marathon our first overseas run.

Rachel: We were grounded in Singapore after my surgery. I was really looking forward to a getaway with Simon. The greatest motivation for me was the chance to be physically there to support Simon in pursuing his dream - to run in an overseas marathon.


Q. Will there be a second overseas run for both of you? Or will it be a vacation without the run?

Simon: Why not? I have registered for the ballot for the 2015 Tokyo Marathon. If I am lucky enough to secure a slot, we will go to Tokyo for a vacation and end it with the marathon in February 2015. Otherwise, we may be going down under the second time to participate in Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2015!


Q. As husband and wife, how do you train, workout and exercise together?

Rachel: If possible, we try to have weekly walk, run or bike sessions every weekend. In order not to be bored by the same route all the time, we explore different places in Singapore such as East Coast Park, Labrador Park, Bishan Park, Gardens by the Bay, Punggol Waterway and more. It makes our workouts more interesting. With all this different places, we feel like we are going on regular dates with each other.

I will be attempting my first full-marathon in Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore in December. I am worried and excited at the same time. To prep myself in this longest run of my life, I will be participating in a few more running events too, like the upcoming Straits Times Run at the Hub (21km).

We adopted Betty (a local crossbreed dog) into our family a year ago. Since then, Betty has been part of our morning routine as she accompanies Simon and me in morning walks and jogs at our estate.

During rainy seasons, I try to cover regular short treadmill sessions at home too.

Simon: Unlike Rachel, I do not fancy the treadmill, so I have my personal running sessions on weekday mornings or evenings, mostly near where we live. On the average, I clock about 40-70km per week.

A happy family photo with Betty!

Q. Can you share any favourite or memorable memories that happened while running?

Rachel: Every run is unique and memorable to me. I am blessed with a loving husband who will wait for me at the end point, without fail. I am usually way behind him. Most of the time, he will complete his own run, then make a U-turn and pace me to the finishing line.

Simon always goes that extra mile for me. He is my personal pacer, trainer, motivator and mobile porter whenever possible. How can I forget such fond memories?

Simon: My wife is my best friend. It is precious to have a partner that knows your life and runs together with you. Rachel and I may run at a different pace, but our hearts and minds are together. I will always remember how Rachel stood alone in the cold morning of Gold Coast Airport Marathon and cheered me on crazily at various distance markers.

She was running a fever that morning. Yet, she stood there for me from the start to the end of my full marathon race, because she wanted to be there for me. 

Left: Simon at Gold Coast Airport Marathon with Rachel cheering him through the full distance. (Photo credit: Marathon-Photos); Right: One of the many happy memories in Australia.

Q. In light of Rachel’s victorious fight against cancer, both of you have been selected by Run For Hope as Ambassadors. What are some of the things to look forward to in the lead up to Run For Hope in November?

Simon & Rachel: Run for Hope will take place on 16 November 2014. To date, we have done some PR initiatives such as photography/videography and interview sessions. We look forward to meeting other ambassadors for we know we have the same mission – to run for hope and cancer research for patients and their families. We are likely to clock some long distance challenges before the actual event day. We are really looking forward to it, as we know we are doing it for a good cause!

At the 5km mark for Run For Hope 2013.

Q. Rachel, your brave fighting spirit in the face of cancer is such an inspiration, and Simon’s support during this ordeal is truly commendable. Do you have anything to share for others who are going through similar situations with their loved ones?

Simon & Rachel: The route to recovery may be tough, both for the patient and the family members. As patients, we need to stay strong and positive. Our strength and positive attitude will inspire our family members and loved ones to be strong too.

However, do bear in mind that many have endured the treatments and overcome cancer as well. Like me, they were given a second chance to live again, so let’s all make the best of it!

Rachel’s next race will be the Straits Time Run at the Hub, while Simon will be attempting his very first ultramarathon distance at the Craze Ultra. Rachel will also be running her first marathon with Simon at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore in December! Let’s wish them all the best!


Photos courtesy of Simon and Rachel Leng, unless otherwise stated. 


*Above is a full extract from www.runsociety.com