SAFRA AVventura 2010 over

Scorching hot day, 50km route and a supposed 9hr cut-off time... sounds familiar?

But this time, it is an adventure race! I guessed we ran about approximately 10km, biked for around 30 odd km and kayaked for another 5km? Not so sure about that cause we only found out our route on the spot! I think that was the beauty and bane of adventure races... you somewhat do not know when the finish line would come. Worse?! There is no distance markers to tell you how close you are to the end and will there be other mystery challenges coming your way..

The best mystery challenge i thought was the 'Potato Challenge'! One of us... (ME...cos FB cramped out! Hahaha...) has to tie a raffia string with a potato at the end, dangle it and swing it to hit another potato on the ground, rolling it about 20m across to the finish line. Choon said that husbands and fathers should't have a problem with it... Hahaha.. which proves why i took some time to get used to it.

The adventure race brought us to our 'home ground' basically as both FB and I were trained extensively at those areas. So much so that we knew which route we would prefer to take due to inclined slopes and so on. The cycling route was scenic and exciting with a few long steep slopes to raise your adrenaline.. Brings back some childhood memories of riding bicycles and not wanting to ever hit the brakes downhill!

There was also the Kayak part which i think we should not be having problems with due to our background. The headwinds were strong as the area was very exposed and had natural shelters whatsoever. But that was the time to overtake as many people as we can as well as chalk up on lost timing at the Team Biathlon station.

There was also the deflating and inflating of tires station which we nearly got pomchet literally! I was so confident we could do it until FB took out the newly requisited pump and both of us stared at it...hard! The head was totally different from the valve! Hahahaha...it took some time to figure an improvisation (or maybe figure out the design) before we could start pumping. And boy... if our arms were not in play before, it was really working hard at that station. We realise that there is low and there is high pressure pumps. Revelation!

There were other revelations too...

1. I hated powergels. Raisin bread was great.. I think banana-walnut would be great. Nothing beats fresh food!

2. "Always apply deep-heat before the onset of cramps." You can feel it coming. The light spasm thingy. - Wilfred

3. Salt tablets are best for cramps. Pure salt tablets... some are also loaded with potassium and other stuffs. The body takes them in fast! - Kenneth and Choon

4. Always have gummies in your pack! - Fatboy

5. Dun bother riding uphill if pushing it is faster. - Faizola

6. Always learn to use your tools and stuffs first before a race, lest you really have to use them in an emergency. - Team FatBOYs

7. Where ever you can, use quick release for bicycle tyres!

All the different tips coming in from friends after the race and things you realise during one. It's quite amazing!



Anyway, we finished top 10 in the novice category... 10th exactly! Hahaha... timing of 8hr 10mins approximately. I don't think anyone else made it past the finishing line after us.. While we were walking off the last km, we turned around and as far as our eyes can see, we saw... NO ONE!!

We were adamant in finishing the race though... fully completing our passports and not skipping any stations. We were advised at the 11th station to go on to the finishing line as the timing was about to pass but team FatBoys wouldn't have met our objectives then...

We walked hard during the last parts as FB's cramps wouldn't subside. Met one of my pax who volunteered as a marshaller. Made a few friends over gummies... and got the 1st Finishers' Medal for the year! Next up...Singapore Biathlons!

(It sounds freakily similar to Pokemon... "I got the Gym Badge! And next...to the other city to fight the gym leader!")

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

The thrill of doing it again and again...

I found a picture of me whilst running in the NF100 last year. I think, that was the event that really sparked my interest in running. I have never really thought that i could complete a full marathon run... but this event opened my heart to it after completing 50km. Even though it was a slow timing of 8hr 40mins, what's important is the spark that ignited.

Check out the drybag i'm carrying! That was unpreparedness.. hahaha. The event required us to bring hydration packs, hp, powergels and all... i came with.... NONE!

Luckily i had my 1.5l nalgene in my bike and my hp. The drybag was contributed by Syed who had it in his bike. Hairi on the other hand, had to use his helmet bag to contain his 500ml nalgene and stuffs. So, i can attest, we WERE the weirdest ppl there! Lots of runners came up to us surprised at our bags... coming up with names like "Ali baba" but cheering us on at the same time. However, you can also sense the slight sarcasm with the words such as, "If you make it to the finish line, i salute you ah!" Actually all that didn't matter.. Hairi and I nearly gave up at the 30km mark anyway. We were so adamant that once there is a bus stop, we will head back to MacRitchie. We took a 20min break, stretched and ate and stocked up on bananas and 100plus.

However, something funny happened at the 35km mark. We recalled our commitment run at the end of both our 21 day courses. It was 15km and we had to commit ourselves to completing it after an arduous 20 days before that. So, we decided to shelve our plans to give up and go all 'Tenacity in Pursuit'. That became the theme for our last 15km. It was past cut off time at the last 10km station but we convinced the marshalls to let us continue and promised them that we will make the final 5km mark within time. They gladfully let us go and walkied the finishing line to inform them about us (safety i guess) and we kept running.

Cramps set in my calves. And as i attempted to stretch my calves, my shin muscles started cramping up to! So no choice, we powerwalked! Fast marched all we can till the cramp wore off and continued running again till the cramps set in again... we did it all the way till we could hear and smell the finish line. That was when, surprisingly, all cramps disappeared and we began smiling and running to the end! (Funny how that happened. Could feelings and attitude have a result in preventing and allaying cramps??) Familiar faces were there, people who passed us and talked to us, uncles who cheered us on and people who laughed at us... All there congratulating us... and there, the gifted us our very meaningful and unique NF100 finishers medal. We were 20mins before the final cut-off time..

The sense of elation and achievement was there. I declared never to run in this event again but somehow deep in my heart, i knew i might be lying. We tend to say that all the time like "I will never do this again!" or "Why the hell am i doing this??", "I swear this will be the last time!" BUT...every year you subject yourself to it again. You can't deny the feeling of wanting to complete the event again. You can't deny loving the adrenaline and atmosphere. You can't deny the friendship that happens during the course of the event... all that and more.

And so, that's why this year, i plan to line myself up for an event every two month. Event, recover, prepare, event. And the cycle goes on and on....

One day, i wish i can do a mixed team event with my Mimi... someday.


May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

Inspired for a Night Trail run..

I was inspired to just head out for a run in the dark out at the trails after reading Born to Run and asked around if anyone was willing to accompany me... none was until thursday night when one colleague of mine came up to me and asked whether or not i was still interested to run.

One of his students left behind a bag at one of the rest-huts which was around 2-3km away from base camp. So we figured, why not? Commit, grab a head torch each and off we went around 5.15am in the morning.

I found it exhilarating to run in the dark. Each and everyone of your senses were heightened. Every bird that was awaken and flew away, every owl that hooted, every fruit that dropped, every puddle and overhanging roots kept us alert.

I managed to test my KSO Trek VFFs on the trails and i must admit, it performed wonderfully. In my last review, i reported that the sole-protection was quite protective that it masked the feeling of complete nudity. However, on the trails, you naturally convert to a shorter, quicker forefoot stride. You spend lesser time absorbing impacts and i seem to feel more stable. The heels seldom impact the ground and i was literally on my toes. Traction was good as we went over some wet and loose rocks and soil. My calves really had a workout and i dun really feel pain on the sides of my knee so far as of yet.

It was quite a great run and i hope to be able to continue this and at the same time, grow the number of night trail runners amongst my group of friends. (Since we are really lucky to literally live and work in an island!)

Anyway, here's a good pictorial on barefoot running benefits. I got it off Barefoot Ted's site..

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

VFF 1st run!

My calves are still aching from the previous nudefoot run… ouwww….

Today morning, I managed to squeeze in a 15min run in the middle of work in my VFFs. To be honest, it felt quite different from a real barefoot run. You still feel protected from the natural elements and to a certain extent, it still masks the sensation of impact.

The VFFs are ablt to allow you feet to operate barefooted still though. Your toes can spread is allowed room to flex very well. It’s a great alternative to nudefoot runs though. Admittingly, nudefooted runs cause some degree of blistering and cuts so these VFFs are in a way, protecting it and at the same time, allowing for the benefits of barefoot running.

But have some time running really nude footed as it really forces a good running technique. What else can you ask? You run wrong, PAIN!

Nude Footed Run

I just did my 1st barefoot run since i was a kid. It was just 10mins but i think its a good start. I tried to go over as many surfaces as i could, grass, tar, concrete, brick-tiled and gravel... and yeah, 10mins was enough for this morning to get used to nude-feet runnin'. I will try to go for another short 10min later at night after sufficient rest is given for these two 8.5s. (Now i'm starting to feel blisters forming at the inner-side of the balls of my feet...Hahaha!)

Anyway, it was quite refreshing to be able to feel what you are running on and adjust accordingly. I tried to employ Ch'i running that i have been practising since i read the book last year and also something called POSE method which i recently explored. It's quite similar (these two methods) in a way that it advocates going for economy as well as injury prevention. And also in a way, it's science. It reasons that by using these methods, your body run at a neutral posture hence nothing is 'twisted' in a sense.


If i was to refer to what i learnt from Economics, allocative efficiency, for something to gain, something must lose. So, in a sense, Ch'i Running and POSE tries to get runners to get into a natural, neutral gait so one part of your muscle or tendon is not overly stressed whilst another is not being employed. I think thats how running injuries usually happen (besides accidents!).


Plus, barefoot running has recently been researched and endorsed as it presents many benefits. Somehow, people start to realise that all the technology being put behind running shoes are just masking the effect of poor running technique. Barefoot running improves form. Most runners tend to land hard on the heels way too much with trainer running shoes. Being barefoot forces you to land softer, and more with your whole foot to absorb the impact. Because of this, your form will automatically adjust. 

Anyway, lets hope this is long-term and not just a hot-hot chicken shit thing that often happens to me once i lose the fire.

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

**Picture taken from http://www.barefootrunner.com/barefoot-101/

Ready to Race!

We went for the AVventura  race brief today at SAFRA Yishun. We got our goody bags and there were quite good freebies inside. First notable one is the event shirt which i personally feel was nicely designed and quite a good quality. It's a Salomons shirt and it reminded me of Boca Juniors home jerseys. The feel is soft and light its a slight v-neck. Well done on this department!

2nd notable item in the race pack was the Official Event Buff (above). Adds one more buff to my collection. Its quite a kiddish design but looks cool. Plus point that it's BLUE! One of my all time favourite colour. =) 

And yah, buffs may be the in-thing and all amongst people but for our occupation, it IS actually something useful and even important as we use it to shield ourselves from the sweltering sun. It helps that by wearing this, you dun really need to slap on dollops of sunblock on your skin which is sometimes sticky or oily... =\

After the race brief, Team Fatboys went shopping! Race is in a weeks' time and there are a few critical items we have yet to procure. Number one on the list is a hydration bag. We were naive enough to think that a small and slim hydration pack is sufficient for the race, so we actually zoomed in on the Nathans at Running Lab earlier on. However, suddenly it dawned upon us, with the amount of team items and personal items we needed to carry...one question popped up.. 

"Where the hell do we put in these stuffs?!"

So we decided to consult adventure race veterans amongst our colleagues. And with their advice, we decided that we needed a bag, light and compact BUT have enough space to squeeze in items such as harnesses and carabiners, bicycle toolkit and medical pouch and some food. It also has to have pockets at the shoulder strap so we can access things like our powergels. Plus point, if its' shoulder straps were mesh so it's light and cooling. So we headed to queensway after having scoured Velocity the week before to no avail. And we saw this!

Apparently its a ski-pack but FB and me somewhat fell in love with its' design at first sight! Central main zipper that provides easy access to items and easy stuffin' in. Shoulder straps were mesh and there were plenty of pockets on it. The mesh waist straps also has a zippered pocket on each side. Apparently, this product has been continued. Hmmm... anyway, it doesn't come with a hydration bladder so we had to buy a separate 2l bladder. Altogether... should cost 109 + 59 = 168. But we haggled on till the auntie happily-with-hesitation brought it down to 140. Expensive BUT should last a long time. I can use it for riding too! Hehehe... 

Other things we purchased today was powergels which we got from Uncle Chan's store. We got it at a discount and it was quite an experience being in his store. Firstly, here was was this uncle in his 60s, who was so friendly and all, giving you advise and telling us his experiences and suddenly we saw finishers' certificates being displayed. He, at this age still clocks a 4hr timing for marathon and a 3hr timing for a triathlon... wadda!! And what are we doing?! Hahaha... He told us that he envieed us and wished he could reverse time to be young again... but my reply to him was, i would wish to be like you when im at your age! As we wished goodbye, the fascinating thing was the words "See you at the Singapore Biathlons!" being exchanged by a 26 yr old man and a 60 plus one.

Well, i wished to die healthy. 

I've never really told many people that i always had this feeling i'd die young. I dunno why. But i should start living as though each day were last and at least not die from ill health or due to some freaky accident.. eeeeee...

I love you B.

I'm ready to race!

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

KSO Treks Arrived!

My KSO Treks arrived today in a small carton. I was so excited when i arrived home to see the brown box on the computer table. It would only mean one thing since that was the only thing i ordered that was somewhat that size!

It was exhilarating enough just to peel off the clear tape binding the box together. Upon opening it, it reveals another box inside which clearly shows the picture of a Vibram Fivefinger shoe. I went "YESSAH!" under my muted breath and immediately took it out and inspected it.

The smell was good. Fresh leather and it felt surprisingly light. I would love for it to be even lighter though! The glue on the edges of the rubber sole looks slightly slipshod though if i were critical as you could see some residue on the leather part of the edges. I took the crumpled paper out of the shoe and put it on my right foot first. It wasn't exactly intuitive for my toes to slip in. I had to fiddle my way through for about 5 secs before i am finally able to rest all my 5 toes in the pockets. Then i put on the left side... Took a walk around in my room first. Based on the laminate flooring my room had, the vibram soles were sticky, so sticky it made a squeaking sound whenever i stepped off the floor!

I'm gonna take it out for a test run tomorrow and see the results!

So far, i've been trying to run barefoot for about short intervals whilst doing standby. However, i had to be discreet as we advocate to pax to have footwear on all the time! What an irony.. Hahaha. Been drilling myself in-to the POSE method and incorporating it with my Ch'i running. Not much of a difference though but Ch'i running made me realise that running is my way of meditation. Whenever i run, when i get into 'the' ZONE... i tunnel in and somewhat lose track of time, space, tire-ness and my mind is clear. But i'm still not able to maintain that state too long yet.. cause whenever i reach a traffic light, i had to start all over again!

I'm also currently reading "Born to Run" which FB lent me. It proved a good read so far..kind of sucks you in especially now that i am at the race part between the Tanahumaras and Annie.. It also subtly reveals how the native tribesman of Mexico runs. It's like a fictional instructional based on a true story.. Hahaha...

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

KUA Number 8?

Kua Number Eight People

Kua Number Eight Quick Facts

Your Element: Small Earth
Your Colors: Yellow and Beige
Your Group: West
Your Trigram: Ken the energy of dependability, steadfastness and stillness.
Your Power Objects: Stones and Crystals, especially earth-colored stones that are in soft colors like beige, pale yellow, and soft tan.
Your Best Time of Day: Early Morning
Energized Body Parts: Hands and Fingers

Overall Description (no need for this to be an exact match):
Kua number eight earth people are softer than the kua number two (hard, mountain) earth people and are considered nurturers. You are born to be a down-to-earth and practical person thus making you very reliable to friends and a partner. Being supportive and having a good nature, you are able to get along with everyone. You may prefer to do things with your hands, rather than using your mind.

Your trigram signifies stillness, waiting and solitude. It is also associated with the youngest son, it's element is earth and its best direction is northeast.
People born in this year benefit from the wisdom and experiences of those before them. This affords them greater opportunity for reflection and they can express this knowledge through their own more thoughtful approach. These individuals are very self-reliant.



How Kua Number Eight Earth People are Compatible With Other Kua Element People

* EARTH: Able to get along well without any complication.

* METAL: Likely to be compatible as mates, siblings, friends or business partners but may occasionally lock horns.

* WATER: You are likely to be controlling of a water person. To be harmonious, do try to give in sometimes.

* WOOD: Wood element tends to control & dominate earth element. It will be best to avoid each other, otherwise learn to be tolerant of each other.

* FIRE: Likely to be allies and this person is your biggest fan. There is no problem with understanding each other.

Feng Shui?

I was having a chat with Gek Fong whilst on the SP and we fell upon this topic of energy and feng shui.

Well, in short, she totally believes in it and has many encounters to back it up with. Whereas me, i am a firm believer of energy. That energy is all around us in some form or another and being a Pri-Sec physics junkie, i also believe that energy is not lost, not created and it can be harnessed from one form to another. This is in complement to my belief of my religion and that HE is the creator of it all.

So back to this topic with Gek Fong, she believes that one has a lucky colour and so on.. so i went on to do a bit of digging and mugging and these were a few results. Of course, this is linked to my 2010 resolutions!!

So dear vZOj, based on the KUA calculator i got from this link.. http://www.redlotusconsulting.com/KuaCalculator.html

Your KUA number is8

Element:    Small earth

Color:   Yellow, Beige

Group:        West

Trigram:Ken

How to Tap Your Auspicious Directions

• Try to sleep, eat, work, or be in this sector of your home
  

• Do as many activities as possible in this sector
  

• Face this direction when working, eating, or sitting in your living room
  

• Sleep with the top of your head pointed in this direction
  

• Enter your home or office from a door that faces these direction
  

Your Wealth & Success Direction:Southwest

Enhance this direction with stones, candles, bright lights, vases, crystal, or porcelain.  You may also use lights, candles, or lamps.  Add objects in groups of eight, such as eight bright lights.  Red colors are also extremely beneficial.  This direction helps boost your prominence and stature, so do be sure to face this direction as much as possible -- particularly at work.  Decorate in colors of beige, yellow, taupe or in red, orange, or purple.

Do everything you can to use this direction to promote your wealth and success!  Mountain images like those below are perfect for placing on the wealth and success wall of your home or office because they symbolize the "big earth" element.

Aahhhh.... i see. I shall do more reading on this and see where it leads me to.


May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...

1st post of TwenTYTen

This site is revived for 2010!

A new year and one with resolutions that i am resolute to achieve... It is placed on the left side of the screen and i will tr my best to apply S.M.A.R.T. in publishing my goals.

S - specific
M - measurable
A - achievable
R - relevant
T - time based

I try to apply what i have been preaching to my students. Alas, we are human after all and then to err, BUT, we shall do.

This year, a lot is about fitness and health.. I received quite a shock when i did a body analysis on the 3rd of Jan 2010. Results that were shown were dismal. My body age was 40yrs old, antioxidant count was in the lowest spectrum of 14,000.. my resting metabolism rate was 1,666 (which was the lowest amongst my family members anyway!).. My BMI was 27 plus, my weight was 73.3kg with a height of 163cm.. and body fat analysis wasn't that encouraging either with something called visceral fat level which was higher than normal...

Quite an eye-opener to begin the year with. Initially i thought this year needed no resolutions. It was no special and the transition to 2010 was just like any other day. However, after that day, i recalled teaching participants and advocating setting of goals so as to have directions in life.. and i felt compelled to craft my own goals.

On another note, besides fitness... other things i aimed to improve is my financial status which mainly culminates around managing my finances well. Water seems to leak right out of my bank account and i can't seem to spot the leak to fix it!

Other than that, love life has been great! The gf has been adapting to my working life and she seems to have worked with it. Now, she has finished school and began on her own journey of passion in education. Both of us are now educators albeit in a different field, though complementing! :)

I too am now officially an uncle and my little neph and nieces can start to call me PPJ...

I wonder when will i have to finally reveal to Danie that i am his uncle rather than his ONLY cuzzin... I tried the other day at Malaysia but he seems to be adamant calling me Cuzzin... so cute! AND talkative!! Hahaha..

May Allah guide us all..bless us with happiness and health n protect us from the dangers of this world, physically or mentally. Help us become successful people in the world and after...