New Balance 15k '07

This time drove to race site alone instead of car pooling with other Klang kaki. Might just do that for other races as it makes it convenient to go back early and attend bible study in church. Wow the number of participants seemed like it had doubled since last year. Sure enough I found out later that 1500 runners had turned up!

As planned I started really slow and only slightly picked up the pace after 5k. I had a few fast workouts during the week and just wanted to complete the distance considering the terrain was already hilly. Even took some extended walking breathers at the water stations and one final one at tani hill before turning onto the palace road.

Overall it was an enjoyable run. Completed the race in 1h 34m, quite a few minutes slower than last year's 1h 28m. As suspected my leg muscles felt mildly sore on Monday as my longest run for the last 5 weeks was just 8k. On a positive note, there is no sign of the tendonitis returning!

Postponed marathon

In view of my injury with took 3 weeks to fully recover, I am not going to Penang this year. I will choose another marathon to participate in when I have the time to train again. I've kept fit these few week's by some shorter runs, weight training and swimming.

I will be running the New Balance 15k on May 20th but will take part to just have some fun. My next serious race will be the Subang Jaya 10k on July 1st, followed by the PJ Half marathon on August 12th. No targets set for either race for now.

Worse than expected

The injury is worse than expected. The anti inflammatories get the swelling down and pain subsides by morning but after walking around the whole day its back by night. This is going to take longer than expected to cure.

Meanwhile I shall not be running. Tomorrow's Power Run is off for me then. No point risking long term injury. I shall be taking Nick to the swimming complex today and hope to get a workout there myself.

Extensor Tendinitis

I am down with an injury called extensor tendinitis. I believe it occured during last Saturday's long run. There was a dull pain after Sat's run at the top of my left foot but it went away quickly. I did not feel any pain while running my tempo on Monday but as soon as I finished running I felt it.

Icing the foot and oral anti inflamatories helped and I did not feel any pain yesterday before my evening run. After 1k I started feeling a slight pain but by km 3 it was gone. The pain returned after my run. Once again icing the foot and the oral anti inflamatories with rest has helped and the pain is gone today. I need to rest completely for a few days and continue treatment.

I shall leave my Penang bridge marathon registration to the very last minute. There is a possibility of switching to the half marathon if I can't get in sufficient training or if ANY injury occurs or persists.

Description

The extensor tendons to the foot come from the relatively small muscles in the front of the leg. The two main extensor muscles are the Extensor Hallucis Longus muscle (EHL) and the Extensor Digitrorum Longus muscle (EDL).

The tendons from these muscles cross the front of the ankle, pass across the top of the foot and attach into the big toe (EHL) and lesser toes (EDL). These tendons function to pull the foot upward and work with resistance from the Achilles tendon and the calf muscles (flexor muscle group) that pulls the foot downward.

Cause of Extensor Tendonitis:

When these tendons become over stressed they become inflamed and painful. Swelling may accompany the inflammation. Most commonly it is the extensor tendon to the big toe (EHL) that is affected. In other instances the extensor tendons to the lesser toes (EDL) is affected. The most common factors that cause extensor tendonitis are excessive tightness of the calf muscles, over exertion during exercise and falling of the foot arch.

A simple test to determine if the pain on the top of the foot is due to extensor tendonitis is to flex the foot downward and have a friend provide resistance to the top of the toes. Try to pull the toes upward against resistance. If you experience pain across the top of the foot or along the course of a tendon on the top of the foot then the diagnosis is likely extensor tendonitis.

Treatment:

In mild cases of extensor tendonitis treatment consists of calf muscle stretching and oral anti-inflammatory medications. In more sever cases treatment may include a removable below the knee cast, calf muscle stretching and oral anti-inflammatory medications. Many podiatrists may also recommend long term treatment with inserts for the shoes called orthotics

10 weeks countdown

These last three weeks I have to keep reminding myself... Accept and appreciate the fact that not every single run can be a good one... Don’t think too much about it or you won’t do it... Even a bad run is better then no run at all. It has been a struggle so far but I'm positive it can only get better!

I'm not overly happy with my mileage logged so far but I have decided to listen to the body and adjust accordingly. I shall also adjust my race goals appropriately as race day gets nearer and I'm able to judge my level of fitness. In the next 10 weeks the key is to 'somehow' enjoy the experience of training hard in the midst of pain (if this is possible).

Yesterday's failure to complete the planned 25k means I will be skipping the Power Run next week to re-attempt the 25k. Instead of taking part in the New Balance 15k, I've decided to take part in the Centennial Half Marathon in Ipoh on May 6th as the distance would be more appropriate to fit into my training program.

Diverting away from the topic of running now, my wife is suffering from some bad pregnancy sickness again. With Nicholas, it lasted till the fifth month so we are hoping it does not last nearly as long this time. This time it gets worse at night. Do any of you mothers or ladies out there or even guys have any tips on how to ease this feeling of nausea?

This month is a stressful month at the office. The next few weeks could be crucial in indicating what direction the company's business will take in the next two years. There is one major contract renewal pending and a few more crucial pilot projects we hope to get a long term contract for. I have a positive feeling that we are going to have a good year.

Well it's time to get Nicholas ready for bed now. Here come's the little guy calling me now. Sometimes it's quite fun just to sit and watch him play by himself. He's growing up so fast that it amazes us. It won't be long before he's all grown up and will not be calling me saying 'Papa can you play with me or not?'.

A gift from above

Psalm 127:3 - Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Having Nicholas has been one of the biggest blessing both my wife and I have had. He brings such colour and joy into our lifes and we can't imagine what it would be without him. The bible says that children are a gift from God and that we are supposed to bring them up in His likeness.

Being a parent can have its share of difficulty and frustrations, but beyond that the satisfaction and joy of the daily antics that we go through with the child is something not to be missed by married couples who can have children.

Yes you might find that you have less time for yourself, and sometimes even each other, but we have never once regretted and I'm sure you will find the same joy and satisfaction once you have children of your own. So to my friends who are still waiting for the 'right' time, now is that time!

I'm getting quite excited at the thought of our second little one arriving in November and Nick has already planned by himself which of his Toys he would share with his new sister or brother. Making him feel important and part of the pregnancy has made him quite excited about the new baby as well.

Do your duty

During the last elections, I was almost certain I had registered successfully as a voter, but when the time came it turned out I was on an overseas assignment and could not do my duty as a responsible citizen.

I was quite surprised when I met some election counsel staff in Tesco sometime last year and through their online system found out that I was actually not successfully registered as a voter. So once again I filled in all the required forms and got them submitted.

I'm glad to see that this time I'm on the list. Browse to http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/daftarbi.asp and check your status if you have not already done so. Are you one of the 4.9 million eligible voters that have yet to register?

Relevant running tips and advice

I was browsing Complete Running Network and came across some useful tips and advice which are relevant to me now...

1. Always try to balance running with the people you love by making a schedule that involves and is considerate of everyone.

2. Don’t neglect and irritate your family and friends by spending all your time running and talking about running.

3. Remember that you will have plateaus in your progress and tough days along the way.

4. Accept and appreciate the fact that not every single run can be a good one.

5. Be prepared to remove the words “can’t” and “never” from your vocabulary.

6. Do not compare yourself to others. Run within yourself and for yourself first.

7. Don’t expect every run to be better than the last one; some of them will hurt.

8. Don’t think too much about it or you won’t do it.

9. Even a bad run is better then no run at all.

10. Each pound you lose makes running a little easier.

11. On long runs eat something every hour—whether you feel like it or not (should I practice this? maybe give it a try).

12. To aid recovery the most crucial time to eat and drink is in the hour immediately after you run.

13. Hydrate. Make it a habit to drink water throughout the day (very often forgotten).

14. Do not increase your mileage more than 10 percent per week.

15. Log your mileage for your legs and your Shoes. Too much on either will cause you injury.

16. Do not run two hard days back-to-back.

17. Ice aches and pains immediately.

18. Pay attention to your form. Try to run lightly to minimize impact that could lead to injury.

19. Don’t stretch before a run. Warm up by walking briskly or jogging slowly for several minutes (this works for me, stretching before a run has resulted in muscle pulls during the run).

20. Do not use the hot tub after a race. It will increase inflammation and hinder healing (this I presume includes hot showers).

21. Race day is not the day to try new shoes, eat new foods, or wear brand new clothing (learnt the hard way!).

22. If you conserve your energy during the first half of a race, you can finish strong.

23. Try shoes on in the afternoon when your feet are bigger (will do this when buying my new pair).

24. No amount of money spent on gadget training programs or funny food can substitute for minutes, hours, days and weeks on the road.

25. Do speedwork after you develop an endurance base.

26. Practice running harder in the last half of your runs.

27. Do abdominal breathing to get rid of side cramps or “stitches.”

28. If you can’t find the time to run, take your running gear to work (must start this practice again since I have a shower in the office)

29. Forgive yourself. Over-ambitious goals usually lead to frustration and giving up on your fitness plan. If you miss a goal or milestone let it go and focus on the next opportunity to get it.

30. Mix-up your training plan. Make sure your training plan is not too heavily focused on one thing. No matter what level of runner you are your training plan should include four essential elements: endurance speed rest cross-training.

So now let see how I can use these tips to work towards a good race in Penang!

Special day

A short holiday to Genting to celebrate mummy's birthday was planned some time back. Nick has been looking forward to this trip for a long time as we had printed pictures of all the rides and attractions he could go on and he had already planned everything he was going to do there.

It turned out he really did enjoy himself there, but it was even more special to mummy and papa as we had just found out a day earlier that we are to be mummy and papa a second time round. Baby is due sometime in November, we shall be confirming the estimated due date with the doctor today.

Tired...tired...tired

Trying to whip myself back into shape is going to take a lot of discipline. Getting back the kind of determination and discipline I had almost 2 years ago when I started the journey and shed 15kg before attempting my first marathon is going to be tough. I'm up 5kg since last year's KLIM.

I've just been feeling so tired recently with work really taking a lot out of me, and the rest of my time I try to spend with the family. Having signed up for the PBIM which will happen on June 24th, I must really get my act together and start a regular training program with decent mileage. I need to also get a new pair of running shoes.