The comeback !!!

The day before

On Saturday I did my pre-race tune-up by going for an easy run in the morning. But I was quite disturbed by the fact that my Polar OwnZone was very low, at 97-127 bpm. On my normal training days this would be between 110-140 bpm. Polar OwnZone is a unique feature of the Polar HRMs, Ur HRM will help U determine Ur optimal training zone in the 1st 3-5 mins of Ur training. I think this is a very good feature. Ppl usually train in a designated & widely accepted training zones, ranging from 50-60% of Ur max, to 100% effort. But these numbers will be fixed, based on Ur max heart rate, unless U have the time to do the max heart rate test every month. OwnZone will be based on how Ur conditions on that particular session. So if U're tired or fatigued, U will have a lower training zone.

So off I went for a 4 km easy run that took me about 30 mins. I just wanna see if any of my injuries are still there, & I did some accelerations, controlled ones. I was satisfied that I managed to run pain-free again.

After the run, I went to UPM to collect my race pack. I had to accept an L-sized vest, although I'd put XL as my vest size when submitting the entrance form. Then I bought some PowerGels, I want to start training for half marathon early December, so that means I need some feeding while running. I've never taken (or needed) these before, so it'd be interesting to see the effect.

Once I'm done at UPM, I went to The Gardens, to the Mizuno store. I've decided to buy a track spike. I'ma run in the 10,000m event in the Pesta Sukan Kementerian Kewangan next week. In July I ran the 10,000 without spikes. But now that I guess I'ma take my running up a notch, I guess having a track spike won't hurt. I can use it for my intervals & speedwork. Meaning I will spend at least a day every week on the track.

I've had my eyes on Mizuno Tempo LD spikes for quite sometime now. It's designed for long distance track events up to 10,000m, which is the longest track event anyway. I had to take the biggest size that was available at the store, US11. It was really comfy, fits snugly, & has a very low profile. I can't wait to test the spikes on Tuesday.

Mizuno Wave Run 2009

On Sunday I went for my first race in 3 months. I dun have high hopes for this race, just want to finish it & if possible finish within the medals, which is for the top 500 runners. There were 4200 runners in this year's race, the biggest ever according to the organizer.

I'd prepare for this race the best way I can. I had some problems with my tibialis posterior for a couple of weeks before the race, fortunately it was gone. All in all, I had less than a month of solid prep for this race, I had less than 100km in my legs, so I was preparing for the worse. I met a couple of my batchmates, so that was good.

I knew the course would be hilly, rolling hills. & to make it back to the stadium U have to climb a long, steep hill. I was okay in the 1st 10-15 mins, I had some prob with my Polar, it gave me inconsistent pace readings. But after awhile it was okay. I couldn't really push, I didn't have the speed. So I tried to maintain a pace below 6min/km. When I got to the finish my time was 1:08, my worst time this year. & I was given a beige card, to collect the goodie bag. I knew I'd finished out of the medals, again my first this year. My average pace for the entire 11K was 6:10.

But I tried to take things positively. When I had trouble cresting the 1st two climbs, I knew I had to take the race just as a prep for my track racing in the coming week. I knew that if I pushed myself too hard, I would take a longer time to recover & I'd have probs in the track next week. I hope I won't have too much prob in the track. & I can't wait to try my new Mizuno Tempo LD tomorrow. I'll have my review on the spikes by Wednesday, insya Allah.

Good luck, Livestrong.