My first two Interval Trainings

I had been reading about interval training on and off but have not really tried it out seriously.  Initially, I did try to run fast and slow intermittently and thought that was interval training.  However, after reading more regarding interval training in more details, I realized that my fast interval wasn't fast enough.  So, I decided to try real interval training more seriously.

By reading a few articles on interval training, I figured out that my fast interval pace should be around 5 min/km.  I plan to use this as my starting target.  With the help of my FR220, I set up for 5x interval run with 400m.

In the first trial, I thought I could manage the 5 min pace well and thus I just set the rest time of 1 min.  Unfortunately, this wasn't the case in my first trial.  Although I could complete 5x of interval, but the last 2x was slower than my plan.

Here's my splits:


Looking at the results, I concluded that my fast interval was too fast, and probably my slow interval was too short.

So, I adjusted the setting so that the slow interval is also following the distance of 400m and go for second trial after one week.

Unfortunately, the result is even worse.

Here's my splits:


Same issue as before, my fast interval is too fast.  I should learn to control my speed better.

I couldn't continue after three times due to heel pain.  After going though some self-diagnostic, I think I had a Plantar Faciitis.  I had it after the Penang Bridge Run and it become worse after the interval training.

I will reduce my mileage quite a lot going forward to prevent the injury before worse and come back to this interval training after I am free from injury.

My problem now is to control my pace to prevent further unnecessary stress to my body and leg!

My 1st Penang Round the Island Relay

I have been hearing and reading blog regarding this annual event and have not joined any.  As this is the relay of 12 runners, and I usually run alone, it is not easy for me to join this event.  However, starting mid of this year that I joined a group of runners, I was asked to join them to form a Mixed Team.  Just to try out what it is like, I agreed to join.

From what I read, all runners would be sent to their station at the beginning of the race.  So, I thought that would be the case for me.  However, I understand from one of the team mates that the rules have changed since last year that only the first 3 runners were sent to their respective stations at the beginning of the race.  With this arrangement, the runners at the last few stations would not be that tired waiting for their turns to run.

I was arranged to be at station#11, which would be hot by the time of running.  As this is the mixed team, last few stations would normally be run by male runners.

This year, the race started at 4am, one hour earlier than before.  Again, this is good for the runners at last few stations.  Our team captain made the arrangement for all the teammates to go from one station to another to cheer for other teammates.  This was very fun and excited.

To make it more exciting, as this running group formed 2 mixed team, we have a friendly match between the teams.

As planned, I reached the starting line at 3am.  I met a few friends there.  After getting our BIBs, we just hanged out at the place.  Right after the 1st runner took off, we sat in separate cars to go to station #2.  We were there at station#2 to see the pass over of baton to another runner.  After that, we went to another station.  This is the process until the last station.

As we were competing with another team, our team was losing probably around 15 mins until the sixth runner.  When the seventh runner from our team started the run, we just hope that we can close up the gap with another team.  To our surprise, our team runner overtook the other team at the last 100m before reaching station #8.  This really gave pressure to the runners after that!

Before the run, I have been told that runner #11 from the other team is a fast runner.  So, I just hoped that runner#10 either losing to another team or can give me 6 mins advantage so that I would not be the one causing our team to lose.  Finally, runner from our team reached station#11 first.  The pressure was on me now and I didn't know how much advantage we had over the other team.

I initially planned to run at 6 mins pace due to the heat.  Also, I set my watch to alert if my pace is faster than 5 mins/km.  However, under pressure, I started up the run at 4+mins pace.  I knew I couldn't continue for long in that pace but I wasn't really able to slow down much under pressure.  Eventually, after 2km, I was too tired and just slowed down to walk.  Calculating by heart telling me that I should have 1~2 mins time to walk.

After walking for around 1 min I think, I ran again.  And this time, with slower pace, 5+ min, which I think I could continue for awhile.  So, I continued with that pace for awhile and stop for another walking session before reaching station #12.

Finally, I completed the 6.5km with 5:14min/km pace.  This is not the fastest pace that I had but certainly is the fastest under the hot sun.  This is really exciting event and the most pressure run that I had so far!

2015 APBIM HM Race Report

Finally, after weeks and weeks of training, I have completed the race.  Well, I just managed to clock 2-hr (well, 2 hours and 9 seconds to be exact) for this HM.  Not as good as I'd like to be, but I have tried  my very best this time AND I think I have identified my weakness so that I can train well in next HM!

For this time, since I was expecting a narrow road at the beginning of the race, I squeezed myself a bit in front than before.  I was just more than 10 rows in front of the starting line.  This helps as I didn't feel like being blocked by anyone at the beginning of the race.  In fact, after analyzing the running split, I found that I actually saved more than 1 minute for the 1st km as compare to last year HM (my fastest HM before this one!).

I found myself running at slightly less than 6 mins pace for the 1st km, which was good.  I have then decided to slightly increase my pace to hopefully at 5:40min pace to meet my sub-2 goal.  However, I didn't want to increase too much of my pace until I was too tired.  I was just running by feel without constantly checking my pace.  At every km, which my watch alert me, I checked my pace and my pace was around 5:50min, which I thought was good enough for the 1st half of the race.

After the 1st water station, around 7km, I decided to increase my pace to be less than 5:40min to make up for the slower pace earlier on.  I then ran with the pace of 5:30min.  I felt a tired with that pace but I knew that I would stop for water at around 10km and thus I just pushed myself a little bit.

At 10km, I stopped for water and I checked out my watch that my elapsed time was 57mins, 1 min slower than what I planned.  So, I cut down the walking time and started to run again just after ~30 steps of walking.  I just ran at controlled pace (comfortably hard, maybe) after the drink.  I didn't check my pace because I knew that I couldn't go faster than this pace and shouldn't go slower than this pace either.  I just want to hold on to this pace as much as I could to go for my best HM time.

I wasn't been able to hold this pace for long.  I knew that if I were to meet the sub-2 goal, I would have to reach the 3rd U-turn before 1:30hr.  Again, I pushed myself hard for not slow down until I reached the 3rd U-turn.  Finally, when I reached the 3rd U-turn, and I checked my watch, it was 1:32hr, 2 mins slower than what I'd like to be.

I was a bit disappointed.  However, I knew that I had really tried my best.  I knew my problem was not trained long distant enough at target pace.  I then realized that I had to train at target pace of 5:30mins instead of 5:40mins due to slightly longer distance in actual route than the calculated HM distance.  Also, I have to at least run a few times at target pace for more than 15km during training.

Instead of giving up altogether, I was thinking that if I didn't try harder this time, it would be much harder next year due to my age.  So, I pushed myself hard again!  Until I had to stop for another time at around 17km!  With the help of negative slope at 18km, I managed to picked up the pace a little bit.  During that time, I just wished to improve from my last year timing instead of hitting the sub-2 goal!

After 18km, I was just running as hard as I could without thinking too much.  I knew I wasn't been able to hit sub-2.  Finally, at the last km, I was running the same pace as a lady runner.  As woman HM started 15 mins later than man, I knew that she was running at faster than sub-2 pace to be able to catch up with me.  The pacing worked as it turned out that I was running slightly faster than earlier!

Finally, I saw the finish line.  To my surprise, the clock was showing 2:00:0x.  I didn't expect to finish at 2 hours.  So, I tried to speed up and it turned out that I was running at less than 5 mins pace for the last 500 m!

Overall, I am quite happy with the outcome, although I'd like it to be sub-2!  My fueling strategy is right as I don't feel hungry and thirsty during the run, and didn't go to toilet too!

As I mentioned, I'd need to train harder at HM pace for longer distance.  I just happened to talk to a 7th placing HM lady and she was logging 90km per week to be able to complete HM in 1:41hours!  So, I have a long way to go.

Here's my results (top 2.4%):-

Fuel:-
1.  1 pack of instant noodle 2 hours before the race.
2.  ~500ml of water 2 hours before the race.
3.  Another ~100ml of water 1 hour before the race.

FR610 vs FR220

My experience in FR610 and FR220.

I have been using FR610 for 7 months and decided to trade in for FR220 for RM300.  My experience for FR610 is not very pleasant.

The most annoying thing about my FR610 was the battery charging.  I have to try many times before the watch can be charged.  I have tried all the suggestions that I can find in the internet but I still could solve my problem.  Either I was unlucky or it was the "returned" watch that I purchased.

Even if the contact is good, I will get reverse charging every now and then.  Previously, when this occurred, I just turned off the watch and turned it on again to have it charge normally.  However, this wasn't the case for the last 2 rounds.  I just had to let it "charged" to 0% before it can be charged normally.

Lastly, I was a bit disappointed with the battery life.  I can only use it for ~ 4 hours in running before I have to charge again.

I blamed all of those to the cheap price for the watch, ie. USD179.99, which I sometime think is the returned watch.

When a friend of mine is willing to trade-in my FR610 for FR220, I have decided to take the offer although I just use it for just half a year.

After using FR220 for just 2 weeks, I am very happy with the performance.  The battery can last for more than 5 hours after charge.  Also, a single charging from flat battery is just around 3 hours.

The speed of GPS signal acquisition is very fast, a lot faster than the FR610.

However, the 2 features of FR610 that I would miss are the Virtual Racer and Virtual Partner.  Although I have not been able to use these features, but I think this is an interesting features to help pacing strategy in a race

Other than that, I have all the features that I want in FR220.

I hope to be able to use the watch for 2 years!