Newton 30km Challenge 2011

Regardless of all my preparations and apparent confidence, I had major doubts doing this race. I have only ran two 10kms and only clocked once a 30+km weekly mileage. I'm only confident of completing 15km, maybe 20km if I push myself really hard. Why do I choose the mountain of a 30km to mark my re-entry back into racing?

Let's Run!

Race day is near. Preparations are as complete as they can be. These are the the remaining items left to be done.

Plan your race strategy. Yes, even amateurs need to have a strategy. You need answers to: when to consume your energy gels/bars; how often to hydrate; perhaps even when you plan to walk?! As a guide for you, this is what I'm planning for. Consume 1 energy gel for every 1hr, drink at least a mouthful at every drinks station, more at isotonic ones, and walk about 500m for every 10km ran.

Know the route. This is one of the more important items in race strategy. Drive along the route or visit the various places if you have to. I strongly encourage you to know where are the sections where you can be motivated or de-motivated. Take special note of places where the route U-turns or seems to take a unnecessary detour to the finishing line. When you face these particular sections of the route, they can be mentally draining if you don't know about them. Conversely, use scenic stretches to spur yourself on.

Convince yourself that it can be done, regardless the amount training you have had. I call this the final brainwash. If like me, you are not even doing 20kms comfortably, you'll certainly need it, lots of it. Concentrate on what you can do. The mind is the powerful tool to help you cross the finishing line. That said, I must remind you to also listen to your body. The mind can be too powerful, sometimes.

Recovery has been smooth, though slow. Perhaps I'm not pushing myself enough, I don't know. With physiotherapy sessions 3-4 times a week, I'm glad there is at least constant progress.

I have started running since late September. I can almost do 10km comfortably, and my highest weekly mileage is 35km. Not fantastic, but if considering where I have started, it's a tremendous achievement. Come December, I will be as ready as I can be.

Tomorrow will be a major milestone too. I'm taking part in the Newton 30km!!! My first race since the fateful day. All the best to myself. LOL ;-)


Looking back, I have planned and started the first post of this series before my accident, to share what I know. Drafted the second right after the accident, and it was published right after my surgery; it stresses on the joys of training. I have also touched on overcoming pain, a topic truly close to my heart then. Onto recovery, it is important to keep a positive mindset and having enough rest. And making the best of your preparations and getting yourself ready for the last mile towards your goal. Finally, I know it can be done, and you can do it too.

Looking back, I will learn heaps from this unique 3 month journey. Some may think it is a low point of my life, but it is a high point to me. I will have really learnt lots.

Looking back, I am glad that I am at the starting line with you; maybe chance upon you during the journey; and certainly happy for all of us that we will finish, definitely.


I did not planned for the triplet structure. But if it is meant to be, then why not? Go with the flow.

It is just 42.195km. It is not long.

Let's Run!

Aldric's Nike We Run SG: A Weekend of Records

Aldric recounts his Nike We Run SG experience...

Ironman Fanatics would know that Oct 8th marks an incredible day of racing and record breaking in Kona, Hawaii, Oct 8th 2011. Crowie – Alexander’s nickname – has his name cast in the stone of Ironman Championship history joining the Greats – Dave Scott, Mark Allen, Peter Reid – winning the Championship race thrice in his career and being the first man to ever win the 70.3 World Championship and Ironman World Championship in the very same year. As for Chrissie, it’s her 4th take of the title which many has proclaimed much earlier that she is the athlete of the generation.

Though I’m nowhere close both Greats, I looked forward to my 10km Personal Best race which I have chosen to be the Nike City 10K Run, Oct 9th 2011. As I made my way to the race venue on the actual day, I felt that this is a special day for me. I had forced myself not to run the day before and was anxious to find out the wonders one day of rest would do for my legs. More spring? More pop? Better cadence? I’m unsure and I had many questions in my mind. I felt that I was able to put forth a strong performance while waiting for the flag-off. Then again, everything is possible at the start line.

The flag-off release the runners to the first incline along Nicoll Highway Bridge and it was a unique experience having an incline for a warm-up. It was a race course with recurring intermittent punishments as runners had to ascend and descend the Nicoll Highway Bridge 3 times. It was a challenging course for a PB and I knew I had to ‘cut corners’. I raced through the hydration stations and drinking as I run – instead of slowing for a better swallow – and ended up spilling more than I could consume. Also, I generated quick turnovers over tangents and diligently maintained pace while ascending the Bridge. I was delighted that the Bridge took out many front runners. It means a potential good ranking. Bonus~!

Many front runners had their zip taken out by the second Nicoll Highway Bridge climb. As I crossed the 5km distance marker and running the final ‘loop’ at Nicoll Highway, I could see Kartano and Max in the opposite direction not far from where I was. I decided to put some distance between us and started surging during my final climb. I was maintaining a 3:57 – 4:00 min/km pace so I was feeling comfortable. What I didn’t count on was a lurking fellow runner – who ran beside me since 6km – making his pass decisively at the 8km mark and I wasn’t able to respond as I was experiencing a momentary shooting pain from my right leg to my hip. I was definitely percolating but I wasn’t allowing my PB target to evaporate. I wanted very much to nail my 10km PB so I dug deep and pressed on by tucking myself behind him.

The final 750 meters was an all-out sprint was 4 other guys to the finish as I wanted to pass the pack but they seem motivated not to let me. That’s great~! A little friendly competition is always good as it goes a long way. We ran stride for stride from the Kallang Bridge to the finish chute and it felt fantastic though I was already hurting and was dying for the race to be done. The race announcer who spotted us some distance back was describing us as a 5-man race for the finish. I managed a final surge for the race and broke away from them close to 50 meters from the finish and crossed the finish line. It was my best 10km race experience ever.

I had 4 PB’s under my belt after today’s race for 10km, Half-Marathon, 25km and Full Marathon. It’s definitely a crazy year of running, a year of harvest and not to mention that I have set new records only to be broken in the future.

Let's Get Ready To Run!

It is just 2 months to the year-end marathon. I don't mean to do a count down with my postings, but it's really a reminder to you that you haven't got much time left to train. Be serious about it and get down to doing it.

In my previous post, the target was to hit 15km. I'm sure you will question: "What am I thinking about? With less than 3 months to the race, only 15km?" Yes, I'm aware of it and it is deliberate.

For those who are conscientious and disciplined in your training, you should be already doing 20kms or more. You are almost there. Proceed upwards to 24, 28 and 32. There is still enough time. And you'll realise that it is just a matter of mind over body to overcome these distances.

It was a deliberate attempt to "help" those who are still struggling with their training and not having enough mileage to help them cross the FINISH on the morning of 4 Dec, in under 6 hours. If you are still struggling with your 15km, I'm here to tell you that yes, it is not the best situation that you will want to be in, and yes, you still can complete the 42km in under 6 hours. I'm not sure if 6 hours is your target, but 6 hours is a realistic target. And this is how you can achieve it.

Keep running. Do not let up, maybe because you think your current mileage will never get you there. Every little bit of distance that you put in helps.

Be disciplined. It is just 2 months more to bear. Run at least 3 times a week, with one run covering at least 15km.

Push yourself. During any of your runs, attempt to run faster, or slightly further. You may not have enough mileage under your belt, but at least you can compensate a little by increasing your aerobic intensity.

Towards the end of October or in early November, find at least an opportunity to run more than 20km. Just one opportunity. You can do it at a slower than usual speed, no problem with that. Yes, you will likely take more than 2.5 hours to complete it. The purpose is for you to have a feel of what it is like running long distances for more than 2.5 hours, so that the shock to your mind and body will not be that great on race day itself.

Prepare yourself mentally for the 42km. Even if you are a top athlete or seasoned marathoner, 42km is a long way which many things can unexpectedly happen. It helps to visualise in your mind how you are going to breakdown the distance, how you are going to motivate yourself, how when in extreme tiredness to overcome it.


My mental preparation for the marathon started many weeks ago, but my physical preparation has just started. If I think I will be as fit as I was back when I did my last marathon in July, I will certainly be dreaming. But I know be it run, jog or walk, I'll see you all at the FINISH.

Aldric's Adidas King Of The Road 2011: Being School’ed By Girls?!

Aldric recounts his Adidas King Of The Road 2011 experience...


I love running. I also love running with the girls I often train with though they would leave me behind after 3km or so. I am real lucky to have running mates from the fairer sex who blazes through every single race they have participated and they never fail to impress me. We will meet for dinners and then have endless conversations about training mileages and how to run faster and longer.  With 2 of them holding sub-19 minutes 5K PB’s and 1 with sub-40 minutes 10K convinced me that they trained real hard and will run whenever they have the opportunity to. Whenever I hear them talking about breakthroughs during training or racing, my ears would perk up and I will start mentally recording their conversation and have these gems woven into my training plan.

Why do I always trust what they say? Well, the conventional answer is that they run faster than I do. Far out. I trust them 100% because they knew their stuff and these are tough, tough girls that I am talking about. They would run in the afternoon to find ways putting in more power in their run while coping with the heat and humility. They would casually mention how they are practicing their negative splits on a hill and how they are using this as an advantage to outpace others diligently training on flats. They would train in the rain and mention how they understood the adjustments to the amount of water to consume when their core temperatures are much lower and this becomes critical because they would have one more arrow in their quiver to wipe out larger guys competing in the same event (to be honest, it is tough to be smaller than them to begin with). I listen attentively to them because I have been schooled by them many many times......

One of the steeds – Elynn (fake name) – outran me in a sprint finish for a sub-2 hour performance in Passion Run this year. Having publicly declared to them I am going to break 2 hours prior to the event – no big deal actually – I was confident because my training convinced me so. So I cruised along until 19km till Elynn caught me and we ran side by side till the final km. She is a bearer of fierce negative splits so I had to get rid of her real soon before we hit Sunset Bay and she knows that I know how she’s  going to run so she made sure that she kept me at bay by matching her steps with mine. I surged at the National Sailing Club with the intention of making a decisive pass but she kept pace. Arriving at Sunset Bay, we are close to home. One final climb and descent separates us from the finish line and that’s where she made her move. Her head turned left to star at her watch then right and said something along the lines of “We are here. Let’s push for the final sprint” and started bouncing up the upslope. I was struggling to keep pace and she was putting seconds into our gap. The gap widened as we climbed and I was laboring. It was amazing how a simple climb during training feels like a steep hill during the final push. The distance from the crest to the finish line is a mere 400 meters or so and I had to get to the crest before her because it’s all downhill from there. The first person who reaches the crest will have a physiological and psychological advantage over the other who is still climbing. It was critical. I was playing catch up…… but I just couldn’t respond to her surge. She reached the crest and without turning back, raised her right hand and waved. That’s her message to me: “I got here first. See you at the finish”. So she finished me with a 41 seconds lead. To add salt into wound, she finished 1:59:55 and I crossed the line at 2:00:36.      

I made good sure I included inclines during my training runs subsequently.

Moving towards AHM, we are interested in racing each other again. The level of competition is simply obvious. Prior to the dinner, 2 of the steeds just produced a sub-19 5km in Shape Run. Another ran a blistering 3:30 marathon in KL. I was impressed but not amazed. This time round I decided to shut my trap and not blabber something I couldn’t substantiate. Not especially after my Passion Run embarrassment and a humiliating 3:52 finish at the Gold Coast Marathon. They asked for my plans and I uttered that I was going for Adidas King of the Road event and hoping that I would hit 1:10. My mouth said “hoping” but I wasn’t. My dues are paid so I don’t think I needed to hope. I hope.

On race day, I arrived early and I talked a lot to myself to prepare for a hard run. I was preparing to meet my good old buddy by the name of “Pain”. And having prepared myself mentally, I started environment scanning 5 minutes prior to gun start. I saw MYR in front of me to my left, Jason in front of me to my right. I wished Jason a good run and he replied with the usual “You too”. Anne Date was to my left probably slightly behind in terms of location. I was in good starting location with these marquee guys around me. A nice tailwind greeted me just 1 minute to the gun start. Brilliant. Everything feels right. I felt ready and energized. Somehow, I knew this would be my day. This is my race. Right here. Right now. It’s Showtime.

Boom~!

The gun goes at 7am pouring all runners held in the start pen at Fullerton Bridge to Collyer Quay. I was curious how long I could tag with Jason and MYR so I tucked myself behind them at the start of the run. It was fast and I figured that I would be able to ‘sit on their draft’ even as they would dump me behind eventually. I clocked 3:39min/km, 3:45min/km and 3:43min/km for the first 3km’s respectively. As they broke away, I was on 4:05min/km pace. Wow. My legs are doing such a good job until… until… until I had to break for pee. Damn~! I have been plagued with toilet issues ever since I got back from Gold Coast. So again, I lost about 1 minute to the toilet. So again I had to push myself harder to make up grounds I’ve lost.

I felt as smooth as butter as I cruised along F1 pit, Republic Avenue. As I approach the first roundabout at Nicoll Highway, I realized that I have been tagged by an uncle with running etiquette that I didn’t really appreciate. The roads are definitely spacious as we ran and he kept bumping into me. Not to mention that he was sweating profusely. Oh, come on. And he was huffing and puffing loudly beside me. That took me out of my flow. I was looking for an opportunity to drop him. The opportunity presents itself to me right before the Nicoll Highway bridge. The water station. Heh-heh, that’s where I am going to get you uncle. As he approaches the hydration point, he was stretching his arm to get the paper cup from the volunteer along the road. I wanted him to do more than that. I want him to break his momentum and drop him before the Nicoll Highway ascent. So for the first time, I bumped him towards the water station so he would shorten his reach to grab the water. I ran towards the volunteer ahead of the one passing him the water and splash the water on my face to prepare myself for the climb. I surged while he was drinking so I knew I lost him for good. Good to get rid of a menace early in the race so I can return to my flow.

The descent from the crest of the Nicoll Highway bridge brings me to Guillemard road where Jason and MYR are coming along the opposite direction. Waved to Jason and continued running. Turning from Guillemard Road towards Stadium loop was the first time I saw Anne. Wow, I’m not that far back as I would imagine. I felt really cool. Haha. As I made my turn at the stadium roundabout, I saw the pack of strong runners – whom I always see during events – closing up at about 1:30 back. I must be having a spectacular run today. I checked my watch and did some mental calculations. 4:01mins/km. It was simply energizing that I was running that pace~! As I exited Guillemard Road and heading towards Nicoll Highway, I high-fived Max as he turned into Guillemard Road. 

Along the descent at Nicoll Highway bridge, I saw a beautiful sea of blue, orange and green which was a clear distinction from Nike run as everyone dresses like everyone else. Turning into Republic Avenue from Nicoll Highway was the second time I saw Anne. She was at the other side sprinting her way to victory. I was encouraged that she was within my line of sight and the positive emotions fed itself like a virtuous cycle. I was feeling strong as I decided to perform a pace check. 4:15mins/km. Woo~~ I was simply enjoying every single moment of my run~!

While experience mild crosswinds during the F1 Pit, I unknowingly landed myself in 2-horse race for reasons I never knew. Seems like my pass irritated this blond who would continue to challenge my pace until the finish. I was fine with that because I saw that as an avenue to push myself harder. She set a blistering pace after she passed me at the flyer. As a responsive male, I decided to skirt-chase. Well, it’s just a natural response since I am used to chasing the running skirts of my training mates all the time. I took 3 seconds off her lead under the Hylix bridge and another 3 seconds at the Floating Platform. I saw so close behind her at the 16km distance marker that I could see the miniscule sweat beads at the back of her arm. Finally at Esplanade I caught up. But I didn’t pass. I wanted to run beside her and gauge whether she has enough in her tank for the final showdown. She was breathing deeply. And then she started using her mouth to breathe. Seems like she was mentally ready for the sprint but I couldn’t detect that from her tell. Sounds like she is more fatigued from keeping pace than mentally preparing herself for the sprint finish. I made my surge near the Fullerton Hotel, left her behind, and finished 1:11:06. That was a good day and I hobbled over to the finish to do my interview with 100Plus.

My confidence has taken a boost and I knew I was able to run 1:30, 1:31 for the AHM based on my KOTR splits. 2 of the girls called to congratulate me for my performance in KOTR and I knew I was back in the game for middle-distance events.  As I retracted from the 4-horse race in AHM to pace my friend to finish in 2 hours and change, I checked the web for their results. Nothing unusual. All had their share of improvements and the timings ranged from 1:28 – 1:36. No longer the last. Fantastic. Thanks for making me a stronger runner, girls. Well, at least for now.