5 Golden Rules for Completing that Marathon

Running a marathon has never been a simple task for anyone. It takes months of preparation and determination to train. For some, they may never get to finish a marathon in their entire life! I still remember running my first marathon 5 years ago when I was 20. I was still in the Army and running has never been a problem to me because basically you spend a great deal of time running in the Army. So when I heard people talking about joining the marathon and I was like, “Hey that’s a good idea! What’s so difficult about doing a full marathon when I usually breeze through half?” So I went for it. The first 20 km was great and I enjoyed every minute of it, overtaking people, feeling the nice warmth of the early morning sun kissing my body but as I progress onto the next half of the race, my body started showing clear signs of fatigue. I wasn’t even feeling breathless at that point in time!

Once I passed the 32 km mark, every step I took felt like someone was using a hammer to pound my feet. It really felt terrible and after I crossed the 37 km mark, I had no energy left in me. My mind was willing but my body was not. At that moment in time, I knew I should have prepared for the marathon. You see, a full marathon is unlike a half marathon, it requires a strict running regime to train your body to be acclimatised to the kind of long distance running. On top of that, it requires a well-planned diet to ensure a good storage of carbohydrates and salts in your body to last the race.

Well, as they always say, “Once bitten, twice shy” and after my first unprepared race, I did plenty of research and needless to say, the second year onwards became a breeze. There are a few simple rules-of-thumbs that you will have to follow and there are as summarised:

Rule #1: Clocking the Mileage
While most elites do about 60-70 miles a week prior to raceday, a general guideline for those who just wanna finish the race in a relatively good time is about 30-50 miles. Research have shown that it is both the physical and pyschological trauma that one gets during the mileage clocking that helps during the actual race.

Rule #2: Speedwork
Now most of you must be wondering why do you needa do speedwork since you are running a marathon. Well the reason? Simple. PEFCV. Performance. Excitment. Form. Concentration. Variety.

Rule #3: Defensive Running Techniques
The last thing you want is to be straddled with injuries while training up for the big day which in turn may never come. Therefore it is vital to know what are the things you should avoid and how you can prevent yourself from getting injured or even sick. Let me just list one very common mistake. Saving out on that nice piece of running shoes for the actual day. By doing so you may just get your feet with lotsa blisters with that old shoes of yours that don’t offer much cushioning.

Rule #4: Planning for Peak Performance
You need to plan your training routine for the marathon. You shouldn’t take too long and neither should you start when the race is only next month. Ideally you should start around 6 months and seasoned runners can afford some slack here. Or else you will realise that you either peak too early or too late.

Rule #5: Distance Runner’s Diet
This should be the most important for those who will be doing the Standard Chartered Marathon next Sunday. Ideally the ration of Protein: Carbo: Fat the three days prior to marathon should be 20:50:30. Note that the carbo we are referring to over here is mostly from starch from plants. This gives the endurance athletes the fuel-efficient calories they need during the race. Carbo loading shouldn’t be done up till the dinner. It should continue even on the starting line to ensure maximum prerace nutrition. This will ensure a higher output time before fatigue.

Last but not least, always have these ready in your pouches and trust me, they come in real handy lest you don’t find any bananas around.

Power Gel.

Hope you find this beneficial.

Dexter
Your Fitness Coach

Dexter personal training, weightlossbuildmuscles marathon, running, training

Passing that 2.4KM run in the IPPT is one of the most difficult tasks for every NS men and even some of the NSF. It seems so difficult to shed off that few minutes or even seconds in the timing. In order to achieve that precious pass or even gold for your IPPT, there are a few things you can do.

The Right Gear
The right gear is something you can buy without putting in too much effort to reduce that few seconds which can be vital in determining whether you pass your IPPT. A pair of racer shoes is definitely a bonus. Back in my army days, I myself have tried running with a pair of lighter shoes and a normal one. The result is 10 to 15 seconds off my timing. The amount of time reduced is typically related to the range of time of your 2.4 km timing. For my case (below 10 minutes), we are talking about seconds saved. If you are running in the range of more than 12 minutes, you can expect to save up to more than a minute in your timing!

Shaving The Timing
Even with the proper attire and shoes, the most important factor will still be the running itself. Different people have different style in tackling the 2.4km run. Should you give all out right from the start and only to fizzle off in the end? Or should you start slow and slowly build up your momentum? This really depends on the timing you want to achieve and the fitness you have. I can safely tell you there are three main categories of runners in this aspect. Class 1 people are those who are running in the range of below 11 minutes. They are comfortable in achieving silver but miss out on the gold by just a bit. Class 2 is those who are in the range of below 13 minutes. Class 3 is for those who are too far to even getting a pass.

Once you have identified which category you are in, the appropriate training can be designed for you to meet your target. Generally, it will enable you to progress from one class up to another.
2.4km is a very short run to test your speed and the way to tackle it is very different from long distance run. Breaking up 2.4km into 3 sets of 800 m or 6 sets of 400m is a type of training you can adopt. You can call this power run training.

To reduce the timing for your overall 2.4km, you can start by reducing the time taken for each round. Let’s says a person takes 12 minutes to complete 2.4km, averaging 2 minutes for each round (400m). To run 2 minutes for one round should be very easy for the person since he don’t have to run 6 rounds all at once. Hence, you need to increase the pace considerably. Try running one round at 1 min 30 s, resting for approximately 2 min and then continuing the next set. Repeat for 6 sets in all. The technique applies to sets of 800m each. Aim for 70 – 80% of the average time you would take for each set if you were running 2.4km. Rest for approximately the amount of time you have run and slightly more, and then continue the rest of the sets.

Other than power runs, you can adopt interval training to improve the timing. This training is to build your anaerobic endurance. Start by slow jogging till you are warmed up. Once you have done so, sprint for 10 seconds before jogging to recover. Jog long enough for you to catch your breath before sprinting for 20 seconds, then slow jog again to recover. For beginners, you can do a 10-20-30 set: Slow job -> sprint 10s -> slow jog -> sprint 20s -> slow jog -> sprint 30s -> slow jog -> sprint 20s -> slow jog -> sprint 10s -> slow jog -> end.

For better performance, do a maximum sprint time of up to 60s. This training not only allows you to build up on your endurance, it also enables you to force yourself to short burst of power which is required in short distance running. However, it is a very tough training and minor variation might be required to suit different people.

To summarise, improving your 2.4km timing is not difficult. You just need the proper training programmes and the patience to tough it out. Hard work is essential to achieve your goal!

Best Wishes,
Wee Sin
Your Fitness Coach

Dexter personal training IPPT Gold, IPPT Training, Passing IPPT

Measurement & Identification (Part I)

Most of us know that during a visit to the doctor he will usually take your pulse rate to determine if you’ll ill. However, what most of us do not know is your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) can actually tell you a lot about your general health and fitness level. Therefore I’m gonna write a series of articles to address all queries regarding RHR and it’s health benefits just because it is important that you know and I want to share these with you.

Pulse Measurement

Your pulse is the rate at which your heart beats. Your pulse is usually called your heart rate, which is equal to the number of times your heart beats each minute (bpm). However, the rhythm and strength of the heartbeat can also be noted, as well as whether the blood vessel feels hard or soft. Changes in your heart rate or rhythm, a weak pulse, or a hard blood vessel may be caused by heart disease or another problem. But today we are not going into the diagnosis of the strength of your heart pulses.
Here is a simple method to take your RHR:
 Using your two fingers, press it against either an artery in the wrist or neck for 10 seconds and multiply the number of pulses by 6
 Alternatively you can take the pulses for a full minute or even use a heart rate monitor
 However, it is important to note that the RHR is best taken early in the morning after you wake up as the body is not subjected to any stress

Identification

Now that you know your RHR, so what’s next? That is to know where you stand for your age group! The tables below are categorised into Males and Females for your convenience. Don’t get a rude shock when you scroll down because I’m gonna tell ya that it’s common but it’s NOT normal!

MEN
AGE 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65
ATHLETE 49-55 49-54 50-56 50-57 51-56 50-55
EXCEL’T 56-61 55-61 57-62 58-63 57-61 56-61
GOOD 62-65 62-65 63-66 64-67 62-67 62-65
ABOVE AV 66-69 66-70 67-70 68-71 68-71 66-69
AVERAGE 70-73 71-74 71-75 72-76 72-75 70-73
BELOW AV 74-81 75-81 76-82 77-83 76-81 74-79
POOR 82 82 83 84 82 80

WOMEN
AGE 18 -25 26 -35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65
ATHLETE 54-60 54-59 54-59 54-60 54-59 54-59
EXCEL’T 61-65 60-64 60-64 61-65 60-64 60-64
GOOD 66-69 65-68 65-69 66-69 65-68 65-68
ABOVE AV 70-73 69-72 70-73 70-73 69-73 69-72
AVERAGE 74-78 73-76 74-78 74-77 74-77 73-76
BELOW AV 79-84 77-82 79-84 78-83 78-83 77-84
POOR 85 83 85 84 84 84

See what I mean? Most of us think that by looking good means that you’re healthy but what truely is more important besides looking good is your RHR:

A Resting Heart Rate anywhere in the range of 60 - 80 is considered in the normal range. Your Heart Rate will fluctuate a lot depending on such factors as your activity level and stress level. If however, your pulse is consistently above 80, you should consult with your physician. This condition is called tachycardia (increased heart rate).

Many athletes have pulse rates in the 40 - 60 range, depending on how fit they are. In general, a lower pulse rate is good. Sometimes however, one’s heart rate can be too low. This is known as bradycardia and can be dangerous, especially when blood pressure gets too low as well. Symptoms include weakness, loss of energy and fainting. If this situation applies, medical attention should be sought immediately.

If the pattern of beats or throbs you count is irregular (i. e. a beat is missed) take your pulse for a full minute. If you experience irregularities in your pulse on a consistent basis, you should consult with your personal physician.

Many factors influence heart rate. These include emotions, temperatures, your position or posture (sitting, standing, laying down), and your body size (if you are overweight for your size, your heart will have to work harder to supply energy to your body).

Reducing Your Resting Heart Rate
A decrease in resting heart rate is one of the benefits of increased fitness due to exercise. Before starting into any exercise regimen, however, be sure to consult with your personal physician.
Your heart is a muscle and will respond just like any skeletal muscle in that it will become stronger through conditioning. If your heart muscles are stronger, then your heart rate will decrease. In other words, your heart will be putting out less effort to pump the same amount of blood.
In my next article, I will tell you more about the various training methods to reduce the RHR.

Link: Training & Reduction (Part I)

Best Wishes,
Your Fitness Coach
Dexter

Dexter personal training Cardio Workouts, Resting Heart Rate

This may sound cliche but it works everytime I share it.

“If you think personal training is a stroll in the park, think again”. This is my favourite phrase of late. Perhaps I should be immortalised for coining a new phrase?

Besides commitment from both client and trainer, personal training also demands a lot of determination from the client. It is definitely not an hour of chit-chat time where you pour out all your sob stories, latest problems or gossips to me.

Have you ever wondered why there are some people who work out at the gym for years and still remain scrawny or chubby? That’s because they spend too much time chatting up other people in the gym and neglect the workout.

Sorry, in my personal training sessions, you will never get this. Yes, we will have some small talk but basically that’s about it. My role is to push you to the limits and be responsible for your improvement session after session. I want to see you perspire as if you have never perspired in years. I want you to become stronger each session.

It’s amazing how there are some who look at the weight and even before they start to push or lift, start forming negative thoughts in their minds which go ‘no, no, no way I can lift that’.

Such self-defeating beliefs should be thrown out of the window. I’m here to help you push through the barriers. Let us work on a meaningful and beautiful partnership

Personal training is a stroll in the park? Please think again…

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Hi, welcome to our very own weightlossBUILDMUSCLES.com blog! This blog was created with the intention of allowing both our trainers as well as our existing clients along with the general public to pen down their experiences and training methods.

Please do not abuse this blog by spamming it with self-promotional or suggestive material. If not, have fun blogging and hope to hear from you soon!

Best wishes,
Dexter
Your Fitness Coach

Dexter weightlossbuildmuscles build muscles, fitness blog, personal training, weight loss