Limits of Endurance

I came across some interesting ideas that could aid an amateur marathoner.

Maximal oxygen uptake or VO2max
This value is determined genetically and determines the limit of oxygen burn rate for a person.

Lactate Threshold
The more accurate metric that determines athletic performance. It measures how close a person gets to his VO2max for a particular activity and it can be improved through training.

Lastly, an interesting discussion on how to train for a marathon.

Training as usual

Since the Angkor Wat 10km run, I have been training at the municipal stadium weekly.

I have been thinking of doing one adventure run - perhaps an ultra-marathon - somewhere crazy. Alternatively, I could train to bring my 10km time sub-40 minutes and just concentrate on that for the next year.

My next adventure run would most probably be the Nepal Half Marathon or the Dubai Marathon.

Angkor Wat 10km Run @ 47:53

I couldn't believe my time!

This is the most fascinating run I have had so far!

Run #10: Monsoon Run

Subang Jaya Municipal Stadium. Dark, cloudy skies. 7am. 8km.

I ran.

I ran because I haven't done so for 2 weeks and I felt suffocated.

For the past week, amidst the haste of workaday life, I imagined myself of running carefree through majestic backdrops: running through the Yosemite valley, the mountainous plains of Colorado, through the lonely village roads in the Japanese mountains...

Perhaps, I just felt like fleeing from the drudgery of working for my pain quotidian.

Run #9: Follow-up Run

Subang Jaya Municipal Stadium. Cloudy. Rising Sun. 6.30am. 4km in ?

I didn't want to record my time. No pressure.

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Some thoughts on metabolic efficiency:

1. For energy to release, our bodies needs glucose + water + O2.
2. Glucose can be stored in muscles, broken down from fat in the liver. The rate of glucose delivery to the muscles depends on biology. This we can improve through long term conditioning (correlates with training distance), if at all.
3. Water we can maintain by ensuring fluid goes through the body in a timely manner. BUT our bodies can't store too much water -- this translates to regular fluid stops along the running route.
4. O2 depends on both respiration and heart rate. Respiration depends on exhalation, which removes CO2 for more O2 capacity; and inhalation, which delivers the O2. Heart rate determines the speed at which the O2 can be delivered. Assuming heart rate is constant, O2 depends on lung capacity - how much CO2 is exhaled and replaced by O2; assuming O2 in lungs is constant with each breath, heart rate determines how much of O2 can be delivered to the muscles.

My target for this month would be to condition my heart and execute adjustments in breathing method.

Training has resumed.

Subang Jaya Municipal Stadium. 6-ish. 4km in 30mins?


Crap. Out of shape. Intended a 10km but terminated the attempt after 4km. Didn't think I would be healthy if I pushed for 10km after past 2 weeks of slacking.

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I will be participating in the 10km Men category for the Angkor Wat Half Marathon on 6 December 2009. I have 1 month to prepare and restore my form.

BIM 2009

The run was beautiful and the BIM slogan was apt - "The Beautiful Run". 

Despite not training for 3 weeks, I finished the run ranked #31 overall and #25 in the Men's 10km category, and clocked 00:53:27.

Ice-sponge was a first for me: I squeezed the freezing water onto my head and felt lighter afterwards.

The Kenyan runners ran in great form. I never did caught up with any of them. The times they clocked were world-class times and inspired me to train for a 40+ minutes 10km.

The run is over, the restless part of me wonders when and where my next run is going to happen... The Angkor Wat Half Marathon seems interesting and I have 2 months to prepare for it. 

But for now, I feel so very tired and so very in need of a good rest. Perhaps I shall return again next year for the 3rd BIM run.