Man, I just love this pic!!! (THUMBS UP!!!)

MOTTO: Determination is KEY!!!





Old Routine:
Previous running distance: 4km
Been running 4km for 1 WHOLE month (never tried to exceed it yet)

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My Brief History:
(1) On 25th of November 2008, I was fedup with my 'couch-potato' habits, and decided to take exercising SERIOUSLY.
Beginning at ONLY 5mins of non-stop running (on 25th Nov 08) I then PROGRESSIVELY increased the intensity to 4km in 4 weeks (22 Dec 08).
(2) Next, after managing to hit 4km, i decided to maintain the 4km ENDURANCE over another 4 more weeks. The purpose was so that my body would be seasoned for an ENTIRE month.
(3) *ahem* And now that it is seasoned.........


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NEW Crazy PLAN:
To Increase my running distance from 4km to 10km in just 10 days:
By adding "+1km" each training day.

Week 1-4 (Status: Completed) (Started with 5 mins of running. Maxed it to 4km)
Week 5-8 (Status: Completed) (Maintained 4km a WHOLE MONTH to season my body)

20 Jan: 4km (note: the last 4km run)
22 Jan: 5km (Status: Completed)
24 Jan: 6km (Status: Completed. I DID 7km INSTEAD!!!)
26 Jan: 8km (Status: Completed)
28 Jan: 9km (Status: Completed 9.1km)
30 Jan: 10km (GOAL) YEAH!!! Completed 10km.
That marks the end of my 10-day CrashCourse. lol.



Let's see how far i can push myself (or dieee trying, heh heh).

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My 10-day Progress log:

20 Jan: 4km (been doing this for 1 whole month, time to move on i guess)

22 Jan: 5km (STATUS: Completed)
Comment: Hmm.. not bad . Really glad the 1 month of effort put in really paid off. I think my body could take the impact of a 6km actually today. But one irritating thing i notice is the chafing due to the amount of sweat, and this causes a burning sensation when the legs rub. Surprisingly i've never faced this before in a 4k. I heard some ppl use some kind of lubricant to reduce the chaffing. Oh well, at least the stinging is bearable.
Wow, another weird thing i notice is the SUDDEN and TREMENDOUS ferocious APPETITE after midnite, (i feel like i could eat a horse) although ive already eaten my dinner 4 hours ago. This is weird, ....

24 Jan: 6km (Status: Completed. I DID 7km INSTEAD!!!)
Comment: I noticed many westerners running in the KLCC park. Plus they are really friendly. I actually made a friend with this guy from Holland, who was in Malaysia for 1 week. He said he was running in the park to train for a company event. There was also another lady running who looked like she was in her mid-20s i think. She ignited a conversation when our paths crossed. Quite a babe actually..
Relating to my physical body, i took some precautions and wore shorter pants that DID NOT chaff so easily. So, thank goodness no blisters TODAY. Also, so far no ache/cramp yet etc. Also, 1 hour after running, the stamina is back to normal, ready for the next challenge.
But one thing i notice is that i get VERY hungry just 45mins after the run. Plus my body seems to crave for Isotonic drinks. hmmm

26 Jan: 8km (Status: Completed)
Comment: Yeah! I did it. However, i have learned something new from this run.
What i have learned: Having Stamina & Energy may be sufficient for runs below 7km, but is not enough for 8km runs and above. In other words, although we are still bursting with energy (e.g. not tired/ not fatigued) but if our leg muscle is not used to the impact/stress, it will slow us down.
Coz when i hit 7km, a muscle in my leg started to get numb. And I was like "what the?!", coz i still had the energy to continue another 1-2 km, but my legs were not. hmmm... I knew I had two choices, to continue and hit 8km, or stop at 7km. Mentally assessing the condition of my leg i figured that the danger of injury was 5-10% (Possibility of Injury more than 30% is a no-no to me). So i continued, as (based on experience) the worse case scenario for this type of numbness was 2 days of rest. So i pushed myself to hit the final 8 km.


28 Jan: 9km (Status: Completed 9.1km)
Comment: YEAH!!!! Eagerly anticipating 30 Jan!!!
Wow, I realized something new today. Something that did not even happen in the previous runs.
I finished running at 7.00pm. Came back to take a shower at 7.30pm. changed and ate dinner at 8pm while watching the news. (still laughing about the BN cross-over). anyway, at 8.30pm now (about 1 hour and 30 mins after completing the run) .....i am STILL SWEATING?????????? I think the 9km run KICKED my metabolism into HIGH-GEAR. Normally, i stop sweating after 15-30 mins, but 1 1/2 hours? Woaahh. I think i will take a 2nd shower.

PS: I sprinted at the last lap.

30 Jan: 10km (GOAL) YEAH!!! Completed 10km.
That marks the end of my 10-day CrashCourse. lol.

(NOTE: Detailed comments such as running speed and etc can be found on page 2)

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 30 2009, 04:38 PM

Nope, not weird at all. Hungry every 3 hours here.

Will he be able to do it? Anyone want to bet? I am taking bets here.
I want to see your progress. I think its good that u push urself with this target, even IF u dont reach the 10km by 1 Feb, it wont be a shame..as long as u reach ur 10km target. Good luck bro. Run like the wind.. GODSPEED

24 Jan: 6km (Status: Completed) (YEAHH!!!!! I DID 7km INSTEAD!!!)
WOOOT!!

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 27 2009, 01:51 PM

Wah, congrats man.
By the way, what is ur running speed per km? Just curious..

Thanks man! Godspeed...

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Added on January 24, 2009, 8:13 pmI see. hmm.... thx for the info m8.

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 24 2009, 08:13 PM

Haiz...wish the park where i jog had some chicks in it.. here all aunties and granpa doing yoga got la

Well, between 4.48-6.47 mins per km.
6.47mins was for my final 7km today. I did not dare sprint in the last lap to avoid injury. (coz i know my body never ran a 7km before)

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Added on January 24, 2009, 8:22 pmSeriously Same here. I know how you feel. The old park i jog in also same. Today i tried KLCC was once-in-a-blue-moon thing.
Today was just to ACCURATELY measure the running distance (coz KLCC have distance markers.)
I will be going back to the old park next week onwards.. oh well...


PS: I'm currently deciding whether to:
(a) maintain 7km in the next round (for conditioning purposes) or
(b) *ahem* to boost it up 8km..

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 25 2009, 01:16 AM

wow...crazy dude...i here hate cardio.. haha..and u ar like cardio on steroids... GOOD LUCK MATE!!
will be keeping tabs on ur progres

Thanks mate. By the way (and i hope this motivates who ever reads this) I am an ex-couch potato, (prior to 25 November 2008) but am fed-up with it.
It is time for a change....

PS: Once i can maintain a 10km running endurance (for 30 days) the next step would be body-building. But i need to achieve the 10km first... hehe

Running endurance + physical strength = My Ultimate Goal.


This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 25 2009, 12:06 AM

YEA POWER TO U!!!
ive been gymming the wrong way fer 1 year...

ive also just started my journal here..and planning on doing it right..
just got my protein...planning my workout (used to cincai carry heavy heavy like stupid only)

am gonna log my progress...

i started gymming because i was getting pushed around the basketball court....imagine....57kg and 178 cm 3 years ago.... ouch..........

we all have our starting point.....
may u always have the drive to keep at your goals.. gdluck mate

You too man!!

26 Jan: 8km (Status: Completed)

Comment: Yeah! I did it. However, i have learned something new from this run.

What i have learned: Having Stamina & Energy may be sufficient for runs below 7km, but is not enough for 8km runs and above. In other words, although we are still bursting with energy (e.g. not tired/ not fatigued) but if our leg muscle is not used to the impact/stress, it will slow us down.
Coz when i hit 7km, a muscle in my leg started to get numb. And I was like "what the?!", coz i still had the energy to continue another 1-2 km, but my legs were not. hmmm... I knew I had two choices, to continue and hit 8km, or stop at 7km. Mentally assessing the condition of my leg i figured that the danger of injury was 5-10% (Possibility of Injury more than 30% is a no-no to me). So i continued, as (based on experience) the worse case scenario for this type of numbness was 2 days of rest. So i pushed myself to hit the final 8 km.

So far, so good. Leg is in "tip-top" condition to take the next 9km challenge (9km @ 28 Jan)
(10km @ 30 Jan)

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 27 2009, 01:58 PM

congrats bro.
Keeping tabs on your progress. By the way, are you benchmarking to run at 10km for entering contest? If you don't mind me asking, why specifically 10km?

This post has been edited by crimson_flame: Jan 27 2009, 03:01 PM

Good question. Hmm ....Nope. I'm not planning to enter any race or etc what so ever.
Simply put, it just feels good to know we are physically competent to run 10km non-stop without rest.
Plus, pushing myself to the limit, and finally accomplishing it, grants satisfaction.

Why 10km? Coz its a distance that is 'far enough' to be challenging, and yet 'not' too far till it makes me too thin/wimpy looking.

After managing to hit 10km, I will then maintain 10km over an entire month, ....then only will i proceed to the next phase... *ahem*


This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 27 2009, 04:18 PM

i see. nice.... but actually..i think 10km already enough to make u look "wimply" ahhah. .. why don u combine with strength training?...

is it not good?...

dun bulk up la..just focus on training ur muscles for stamina

it's mentally demanding rather than physically.
we never run 10km daily but when it's needed everyone is able to complete the 10km run.

Strength training? You read my mind. dude, it is uber good. You bet
(Quote) "After maintaining 10km over an entire month, ....then only will i proceed to the next phase...". (unquote).
The next phase IS strength training. (duration: 1-year).

But not for the purpose of bulking up or etc. It is mainly to build STRENGTH for the FINAL phase. Coz after 1-year of strength training, the FINAL phase will be...
*kick-boxing*

As a summary:
Phase 1 (running endurance)
Phase 2 (running endurance) + (physical strength/power)
Phase 3 (running endurance) + (physical strength/power) + (martial arts)



This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 27 2009, 07:32 PM

awesome!! ..good luck mate!

Good job, my friend just ran 10km today in 35:48.

I wish you all the best in achieving your goals.

Thx m8.

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Added on January 27, 2009, 6:21 pmThx man, Wow Good timing. About 3.5mins per km.

For me, im still at 5min per km on average. During the 1-month of maintaining the 10km, hopefully my speed would improve.


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This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 28 2009, 08:46 PM

I found a really good website.
Hope this helps.
http://completerunning.com/archives/2006/0...r-running-tips/

28 Jan: 9km (Status: Completed 9.1km)
Comment: YEAH!!!! Eagerly anticipating 30 Jan!!!
Wow, I realized something new today. Something that did not even happen in the previous runs.
I finished running at 7.00pm. Came back to take a shower at 7.30pm. changed and ate dinner at 8pm while watching the news. (still laughing about the BN cross-over). anyway, at 8.30pm now (about 1 hour and 30 mins after completing the run) .....i am STILL SWEATING??????????

I think the 9km run KICKED my metabolism into HIGH-GEAR. Normally, i stop sweating after 15-30 mins, but 1 1/2 hours? Woaahh.
I think i will take a 2nd shower.

PS: I sprinted at the last lap.

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 28 2009, 09:13 PM

Keep this up and you'll beat the Kenyans. lol

hahaha.... (that really cracked me up)


Hmm...
...i really wished it was the 30th now. The suspense is killing me.
Anyway, i plan to clock my time, and chart the progress over a 1-month period. As they say "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it".

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Added on January 29, 2009, 1:20 am

For those doing cardio, I would like to share a really good website that counts the amount of calories u burn (taking into consideration your weight, height, age, gender, type of activity, intensity, duration, and etc blah).

Not bad.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/calculate_calories

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 29 2009, 01:26 AM

Where will u be running on the 30th of January?

just out of curiosity. When running such a long distance, what usually occupies your mind
is it blank? do u get bored?

what type of music do u play on ur mp3 while running?

KLCC park. Coz it has distance markers.

The 1st reason is so that I can be sure that is it exactly 10km.
As one lap around KLCC = 1.3km, Thus i will be running 7 laps + 900metres.
[(7 laps x 1.3km) + (0.9)] = 10km

The 2nd reason is so that i can 'benchmark' the time i take to run a 10km. So that when i train running 10km over the next 4 weeks, i can track any improvements in terms of speed.

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Added on January 29, 2009, 2:33 pmlol? Well, i usually spend alot of time looking at my stopwatch, coz i have already benchmarked my best running speed each km. So each km, i try my best to beat my best record. So, to answer the question, what is on my mind i guess is "man, im gonna beat this record!!!".
That way, it DOES NOT GET BORING when running a long distance. BECAUSE we are attempting to BEAT SOMETHING each km. (if u dun measure the time u run per 1km, 2km, 3km, etc, you will never be motivated to make improvements)


Hmm...I actually don't run with an mp3, coz there are sometimes ppl riding bicycles in the park. So i need to keep my sense of hearing at tip top condition to avert from danger..

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 29 2009, 02:37 PM

Awesome. We can run together on Monday I work near KLCC

Monday? you mean on the 2nd of Feb?

Dang. Make it Tuesday then

I wont be able to keep up with you though. Doing 8min/km

wow, just curious.. on ur profile it says
My running schedule :
12th Oct - New Balance Klang Pacers 12k
19th Oct - Mizuno 10k

so, u planning to enter a race in october? (is it Oct 2008 or 2009?)
Not bad... ive never entered/planned to enter any race what so ever .
How long have u been running 10km?

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 29 2009, 03:46 PM

That was in 2008

10km? A lil over a year. Just finished a 20km race 2 weeks ago

Can run non-stop but slow lah

Wow, ...running 10km for more than a year. Congrats.
Well done on the 20km too.

Nah, dun worry, different people have different goals when running. Sometimes speed is not the only priority. Health and endurance may also be important. And in your case, im sure you have both.
Like for example, i am running the 10km mainly to build endurance for taking up martial arts later, and not really for any contest. (i used to take martial arts for about 4 years, then i stopped when i entered university, which was bout 8 years back). I remember the sifu would make us run laps and laps around his neighbourhood. haha (ahhh... the good old days).
Come to think of it, i remember him making us do push-ups with our bare knuckes on hard gravel roads. Normally its okay, but on sunny days the friction sometimes makes ur knuckles bleed. (plus a multitude of any other Strength Training activities he could conjure up, e.g. squats a.ka. those kungfu style with barrels of water/weights). He said it was good training to toughen us up. Then, after all the cardio + strength training was over, we then had to fight each other with the balance stamina we had left..

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 30 2009, 03:21 AM

i think u shud try entering a race. It would be good for motivation. What do u think?

YEAH!!! Completed 10km.
That marks the end of my 10-day CrashCourse. lol.

Hmm.. in all honesty, i do admit i was a bit dissapointed with the speed. Maybe it was due to the fatigue, but no matter how hard i pushed myself, i was NOT able to maintain my regular 5min per km pace. Sigh.
However, as usual, i did try my best to Sprint at the last lap (to gauge how much 'balance stamina' i had left after running non-stop for 9km).

Below are the stats, (which i will set as a benchmark, for me to IMPROVE) over the next 4 weeks.

Laps:..........Minutes per km:..........TOTAL:
1km................ 5:10 ......................... 5.10
2km................ 6:04 ........................ 11.14
3km ............... 6:22 ........................ 17.36
4km ............... 6:93 ........................ 24.29
5km ............... 7:15 ........................ 31.44
6km ............... 7:10 ........................ 38.54
7km ............... 7:47 ........................ 46.01
8km ............... 7:42 ..........................53.43
9km ............... 7:58 ........................1 hour 1 min
10km ........ 5:41 ....................1hour 6mins 42secs (Note: at the last lap, i pushed myself to run as fast as possible to test how much"balance stamina" i could dish out) I'm glad i ended stronger @ 5.41.

PS: No panting/ no heavy breathing/ no exhaustion what so ever after the run.
Breathing was close to normal.

PSS: Enough endurance to run another + 2-3 km i think. But not going to lol.

PSSS: no ache, no injury, no cramp, no stitches whatsoever.



*ahem* Yeah, on to the next phase of my training program.


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New Goal: To maintain/run 10km over a 4 week period.

Purpose:
(1) To permanently season my body at 10km. So that 10km will be my default running distance.
(2) To improve running speed
(3) To prepare myself for the next phase... (coming soon)

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 10-day Crash-Course has ended.....


Hmm.... see first la.. haha..
Maybe in 4-weeks time (when i have FULLY SEASONED myself to run the 10km) may be a better time to decide. coz for the time being, i don't plan to.
..lol

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 30 2009, 04:53 PM

Congrats on achieving 10km bro!
Goes to show that u can do what ever u want to as long as you're dedicated..
What's next?

Thx mate. And thanks very much for the support.

Next phase:
1 Feb - 1 Mar : 10km runs (for an entire month) (routine: day1 run, day 2 rest, day 3 run, etc)

1 Mar: Now that my body is seasoned at 10km, (1) I will still maintain the 10km run as usual, but add on another routine. Strength training with weights.

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 30 2009, 05:01 PM

Respect to you bro. May you achieve your goals in due time

Thx m8. Thank you for your support .
I really appreciate it.


A bit embarrassed to say this, but I Guess i was too fed-up with being a couch-potato for far too long, until the pent-up frustration/dissapointment made me push myself this far.. haha

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 31 2009, 12:22 PM

Admirable..but strength and endurance training has different styles. Make sure you dont burn yourself out.

This post has been edited by myvi5949: Jan 31 2009, 01:30 PM

Yup, thanks..

Soldiers in the US do powerlifting and run a 10KM course daily. It's possible. Just gonna need loads of good food and supplementation and a right routine.

You'd do alright I think

wow... DAILY....

That's good news. Thx for the advice m8.

Erh...keep a good stock of fish oil though. There's no guarantee against knee injuries.

My friend messed his knee after a few months of jogging 10KM daily during his stint in national service for Singapore. 30KG excess weight+Bodyweight+10KM running=Not logical for healthy knees.

noted with much thanks. That is EXTREMELY very good advice. If not for this advice, maybe i would sustain an injury.

Thanks, well although i will be only running on alternate days, i will take your advice on the 'fish oil' supplements. I Will get one asap at the pharmacy tomorrow.

Thanks a million m8.

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Jan 31 2009, 07:40 PM

that's right, i have gone through ACL (left knee) reconstruction, it hurts.....

Wah... Thanks..
If you don't mind, may i ask, what (in your opinion) CAUSED it? Was it coz u were running without 'rest' days in between? Running with weights? Lack of supplements? How intense was your routine? Or was it a mix of running plus another activity, eg. soccer, basketball, etc..

Thanks in advance. Coz i can learn from your advice, and i will know what to AVOID then. Thanks..

This post has been edited by lionheart8888: Feb 8 2009, 03:45 PM

yea..please let us know..im doing a high impact sport.. : basketball and i play as a forward....(luckily im not the centre..)........

of course i invested in good high cut basketball shoes..any other pointers to lower knee injury?

actually, it depends on strength of ur hamstring and quadriceps... if yours are weak, the stress will go to ur knee + ur knee "berpusing" during ur landing, i get that injury first becoz of highly extreme tackle from opposite side...
strength of ur hamstring and quadriceps are not major factor, becoz profesional footballers also get that injury becoz of highly extreme tackle, for pivot sport (like basketball, volleyball, futsal), i recommend u to go to gym to do exercise...

if u overuse of ur leg, it will become weak....

if u don't go to gym, u can do skipping, squating and many more (i dunno name of my exercise) to strengthening ur hamstring and quadriceps....
i'm also lazy to go to my university gym eventhough it is free ....


do warm-up before basketballing.. go to gym once in a fortnight or a week......
make sure u cover all aspect of ur body...
and don't wear bigger size shoes...

I see. Thanks.

What type of activity were u doing that made u need to go for ACL reconstruction? (e.g. what activity damaged your knee?) You were halfway playing soccer? basketball? jogging?

hey bro..i gym about 3-4 times a week...wear correct size shoes..anything else?

Any sport, that has an involvement of lateral pressure/force involvement, has a risk of having ACL injuries.
Especially at speed.

Hate someone? Ask them to run 30 meters and at 20 meters, take a club and hit the outside part of the knee and watch it crumble.

....ouch...

i want to try many more sport and i'm still young...
if i'm 50++ years old, i just let it go...

i think so, based on my experiences and reading internet...
and how to detect it http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/aclrepain/a/acl_2.htm

yes, i was tackled like that before in futsal costed me half-semester MC last semester and failed 2 subjects....
and +-rm3000 for my ACL reconstruction in general hospital... in private hospital, it is rm13k