PowerSong: Goldfrapp's Alive (plus a surprise!)

I'm starting a new category in my blog called PowerSong!

Ka-pow!

Just like in Nike+ (how original!) are PowerSongs are songs that "helps you kick it up a notch whenever you need a burst of motivation."

So what are my PowerSongs? For the sake of content of this blog, RainbowRunner's PowerSongs are tracks that I've recently encountered and enjoyed. These songs are my personal recommendations for a run. They can be used as warm-up songs to wake-up those sleepy muscles, or jolt your system and pick-up your pace.

And so, for this week's PowerSong, I'm enjoying:

      Alive by Goldfrapp!!      

Check out the video, MP3 link and my thoughts on why this is my PowerSong for the week after the jump...

Day 18: time trial (1 of 3)

I did my first time trial last Thursday, 9 September.

I started my time trial quite late as I had a client surprised me with additional work that afternoon. :-/ Asar. Anyway, I rushed myself to the tracks of Bukit Timah Campus of the National University of Singapore (NUS).



From the Runner's World training plan that we are following now:

A one-mile time trial can help you track your fitness and set realistic race goals. Go to a local 400-meter track or any one-mile stretch of road. After 10 minutes of walking and jogging, run one mile, or four times around the track. Over the course of training, your fitness gains will be reflected in your time trials.

My results are shown below:

1 mile = 7 mins:17 seconds 36 milliseconds
 

Splits 

Lap 1 = 1:50.30
Lap 2 = 1:51.12
Lap 3 = 1:46.98
Lap 4 = 1:48.96

Narnian said that our target one miler is 6 minutes. Will we be able to achieve that?

Army Half-Marathon this Sunday!

I'm running another Half-Marathon race this Sunday, 12 september 2010.

I'm joining the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon.

This annual mass running event is the largest in Singapore and jointly organised by SAFRA and The Army. The event comprises both the competitive 21-km half-marathon and 10-km routes. The social runners can participate in the non-competitive 5/6-km Fun Run as well. 

The event aims to promote healthy lifestyle and reinforce SAFRA and the SAF’s emphasis on physical fitness. Over the years, participation has grown from 15,000 when it first started in 1992 to about 70,000 last year.

This year, we'll start at the Esplanade where the Merlion is nearby. We're also passing along the iconic Fullerton and the now infamous Marina Bay Sands. Parts of the 21-km route also includes the Singapore Flyer, the Formula One racing track (the F1 GP Night Race in Singapore is on Sept 24-26, 2010!), the long, unending stretch of East Coast Park and Shears Bridge.

Below is a detailed route map

21-km route map. Higher resolution map here from the SAFRA website

I will be running longer than my scheduled 10-mile training run.


Big good luck to me! :-)

p.s. I wasn't able to snap photos of handsome army boys behind the race pack collection when I got mine. Tsk tsk.

(crazy) Day 15: staggered 12-mile long run [part 1]

I knew it was going to be a crazy day when I learned that I'm running 12 miles. And that I have a fun run on the same day. And that we're having our dragonboat training NOT on our usual place.


And it was crazier when I woke up and heard thunder rumbling. I peered out through my window, and I saw a couple flashes. Lightning. Eeek! Not a good omen.
Day 15 was my 12-mile run, or 19.32 kilometers, in our sub 4-hour training plan for the upcoming SCMS 2010.

The (not-so-fun) Fun Run

We hauled our asses to Expo MRT Station where we queued up for a free shuttle to the starting line. It was already 7:45 when the bus started rolling. 

And then, more bad luck. The bus captain, I think, took the wrong exit. We were heading towards the city. I didn't understand his conversation as it was in Chinese. But we made a U-turn somewhere at the East Coast Parkway, some 15 kilometers away from the venue, and headed back. We arrived at the venue around 8:20. The flag-off time for the 6-km Fun Run was 8:15. Sigh, we were late.
It was raining, still. They gave out disposable raincoats while we were in line to hand our respective bags to the crew in mini-trucks. These mini-trucks serve as baggage check-ins. It was actually a cool idea, to have the start and finish points at different areas. No running around a looped route. 

Kadiri. Ang basa-basa na, ang itim-itim ko pa.

Click below to

Day 5: 9 miles long run, under the sun (late post)

So this is already day 5 (22 Aug 2010) of my training. A 9-mile long run under the scorching, Singaporean sun.

Geographically, Singapore is hotter than manila. Singapore is nearer to the earth's equator. Thus, hotter. But this doesn't hold true as cities in the inner part of Manila like Mandaluyong, Makati and Quezon felt like I was inside a baker's oven in April 2010 when I was there.

Anyway, I wasn't able to get up early that morning, so I had to choose between running before or after, my dragon boat training for my Sunday long run. I obviously chose the former.

I started my run a little before one in the afternoon. The Bedok Reservoir Park has a 5-Kilometer loop around the fresh water reservoir. Perfect if you're doing a 9-mile run (14.48 kilometers), as you'll do 3 loops. My run started just fine as the route had a good amount of shade. The reservoir has its share of eye candy that weekend too. Some canoe-polo sports competition is being held in one part. At the middle of the 5km loop, there was the lack or absence of shade and trees. I was under the mercy of the scorching sun for at least a kilometer. Alas, I found a shaded area outside the loop, so I continued my run there instead. And since I diverted from the loop, I had to climb up this hill with a manageable 10-30° incline. It was manageable, but at noon time, my heart was racing at 60-90beats a minute. I felt like my heart was about to explode.

I finished the loop but I had to do it two more times. Thank God I managed to finished my run.

I had to hydrate regularly to avoid heatstroke. There were a few drinking fountains along the route. I gobbled up water every 20-30 minutes. I had to splash water on my body, my head and especially and my nape. As the insides of our body heat up while doing exercise, running under the heat of the sun is very dangerous.

Heatstroke can lead to death. As what happened to Remus Fuentes (RIP) last Milo Marathon in Manila. Even widely popular and well organized marathons like the recent Standard Chartered Marathon in Kuala Lumpur, another fellow runner met a tragic incident. Runners must remember to hydrate before, during and after a run, especially if one runs in hot, humid city like Manila or Singapore.

Tip: Did you know that running cool water on your wrist (where your pulse is) cools your body down faster?