Why We Love To Run

"Daddy, where are you going?" my son asked me recently as I was lacing up my running shoes on a cold, wet Sunday morning. "Running," I said. "Why?" he asked.

He's only three. But it was a good question, and one I couldn't readily answer. I didn't really want to go. My body was still jarring from the shock of being hauled out of its cosy bed. I was training for a marathon, sure, but it was still months away. Right at that moment, it didn't feel critically important to be heading out into the unruly winter morning. I could go later. Or the next day. Or just not run the marathon. Why was I even running a marathon? But something was making me go. "Because it's fun," I said, rather unconvincingly.

The truth is, just before you run is the worst possible moment to try to explain to someone, or even to yourself, why you run. It just doesn't make sense. Running is hard. It requires effort. And after all the pain you usually end up right back where you started, having run in a big, pointless circle.

Often people say to me they can run if they're chasing a ball, but to just run, nothing else, just one foot in front of the other, well, they find it too boring. I listen and nod, not sure I could convince them otherwise, even if I tried. Running doesn't have logic on its side.

Of course, some people run to lose weight, or to get fit, and these are great reasons. Running is also easy to do, it's cheap, and you can do it when you want without having to book a court or rustle up a team. All these factors certainly contribute to the fact that running is one of the most popular sports in the UK, with more than two million people in England running at least once a week, according to Sport England.

But for many of those two million runners, the real reason we head out to pound the roads until our legs hurt is more intangible than weight loss or fitness. I remember, as a keen runner in my youth, constantly correcting people who asked me if I was running to get fit. "No," I would say. "I'm getting fit to run." I may have thought I was being clever, but for me and many others, running has its own inherent raison d'être. What that is, however, is harder to put your finger on.

Many runners become obsessed with times. The need to break the 40-minute barrier for the 10K, for example, or run under four hours for the marathon, can become the all-conquering reason. There is something reassuring about striving towards such fixed goals, measuring your progress in numbers that are not open to interpretation, but stand there as unambiguous achievements in an otherwise confusing world. Yet, really, these numbers are so arbitrary as to be almost meaningless. And as soon as they are achieved, another target is thrown out almost instantly.

A runner I know last year trained with intense dedication with the goal of running a marathon in less than three hours. In the end he ran three hours and two minutes. Afterwards I spoke to him expecting him to be distraught at coming so close. On the contrary, he was pleased.

"I'm actually glad," he said. "If I'd done it, that would be it. Now I've still got my target, I can try again next year."

No, the times themselves are not the reason we run mile after mile, up hills, in wind and rain, when we could be still cosy in bed, or relaxing with a drink in the pub. The times are merely the carrots we dangle in front of ourselves. We're like little Pacmen chasing PBs (personal bests), gobbling them up before looking for more. But why do we dangle them there in the first place.

"Why do we do this to ourselves!" It's a common refrain at running clubs up and down the country. Usually I hear it as I'm about to head out to run with a group of men and women in fluorescent tops, a sense of foreboding mingling among us in anticipation of the pain we're about to put ourselves through. But nobody ever gives a sensible answer. It's a rhetorical question. Deep down, we all know the answer.

Running brings us joy. Watch small children when they are excited, at play, and mostly they can't stop running. Back and forth, up and down, in little, pointless circles. I remember, even as an older child, I'd often break into a run when walking along the street, for no reason. There's a great moment in The Catcher in the Rye when Holden Caulfield, caught in the uneasy space between childhood and adulthood, is walking across his school grounds one evening and he suddenly starts to run. "I don't even know what I was running for – I guess I just felt like it," he says.

This will to run is innate. In fact, humans may well have evolved the way we did because of our ability to run. Christopher McDougall's bestselling book Born to Run is largely based around a theory devised by Harvard scientists that humans evolved through persistence hunting – chasing animals down until they dropped dead. It's why we have Achillies tendons, arched feet, big bums, and a nuchal ligament at the back of our necks (to keep our heads still as we run). While even Usain Bolt would be left trailing in a sprint against most four-legged mammals, over long distances we are the Olympic champions of the animal kingdom. If they could keep them in sight for long enough, our ancestors could catch even the swiftest runners such as antelope just by running after them.

Indeed, the great Kenyan runner Mike Boit told me the story of how his village held a celebration for him after he won the 1978 Commonwealth Games. He was showing off his medal when his old childhood friend came up to him and said: "That's all very good, but can you still catch an antelope?"

But while as children, and even adolescents, we can respond to this natural urge to run and break into a trot whenever the feeling takes us, as adults it's not the done thing to just start running at any moment, without any reason. So we formalise it. We become runners. We buy running kit. We set out our carrots (our targets), we download iPhone apps, we get people to sponsor us (so there's no backing out), and once everything is set up, finally we can run.

Racing along out on the trails, or even through the busy streets of a city, splashing through puddles, letting the rain drench us, the wind ruffle us, we begin to sense a faint recollection of that childish joy. Somewhere a primal essence stirs deep within us; this being born not to sit at a desk or read newspapers and drink coffee, but to live a wilder existence. As we run, the layers of responsibility and identity we have gathered in our lives, the father, mother, lawyer, teacher, Manchester United-supporter labels, all fall away, leaving us with the raw human being underneath. It's a rare thing, and it can be confronting. Some of us will stop, almost shocked by ourselves, by how our heart is pumping, by how our mind is racing, struggling with our attempts to leave it behind.

But if we push on, running harder, deeper into the loneliness, further away from the world and the structure of our lives, we begin to feel strangely elated, detached yet at the same time connected, connected to ourselves. With nothing but our own two legs moving us, we begin to get a vague, tingling sense of who, or what, we really are.

In Japan, the monks of mount Hiei run up to 1,000 marathons in 1,000 days in an attempt to reach enlightenment. I once stood by the roadside at around mile 24 of the London marathon, watching as person after person ran by, almost every one of them at a point in their lives they would rarely visit again. It was almost like seeing into their souls, their faces grimacing and contorted, but also alive with the effort. Each one of them soon after crossing the line would be glowing with a sense of wellbeing. Some may even be moved to tears by it (I was after my first marathon). It's the fabled runner's high, of course, but by labelling it such we diminish it. It may only be chemicals shooting around in your brain, but after a long run everything seems right in the world. Everything is at peace.

To experience this is a powerful feeling, strong enough to have us coming back, again and again, for more.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

6 New Healthy-Eating Rules (Without the Food Pyramid)

By Jennifer Abbasi

After nearly two decades, it’s time to say goodbye to the food pyramid. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled a new symbol — a plate — that replaces the widely recognized (and often criticized) icon that’s been advising American consumers on what to eat since 1992.

Today, First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin unveiled the new icon: MyPlate, a plate divided into four wedges to represent the basic food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. Next to the plate is a cup standing in for the dairy group. “We’re all bombarded with so many dietary messages that it’s hard to find time to sort through all this information,” Mrs. Obama said in a press conference. “When it comes to eating, what’s more simple than a plate? This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating.”

“Parents don’t have time to measure 3 ounces of chicken or look up a serving of broccoli or rice,” Mrs. Obama continued. She said parents “have time to take a look at kids’ plates,” which, according to the new guidelines, should contain half fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy. She said she plans to start using it immediately with her own daughters.

The new logo is a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices consistent with the new USDA dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years based on the latest nutrition science and research on eating habits. The plate-shaped logo is one part of a large-scale consumer nutrition initiative by the USDA, that includes an expanded website and other tools and resources. The initiative’s online home will be ChooseMyPlate.gov, which replaces MyPyramid.gov.

The pyramid won’t be officially retired, but for the first time it will be targeted only to nutrition educators. “We realize the food pyramid has to exist because it’s so familiar, but it’s too complicated and has too many messages,” says Robert Post, PhD, deputy director of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

The latest dietary guidelines, released earlier this year, reflect the nation’s growing obesity epidemic. “They were developed through the filter of having an obese country,” says Dr. Post.

Everyday Health asked Post to explain what else is new about the latest recommendations — and how we can use the rules to eat better, lose weight, and prevent disease.

New Food Rule 1: Eat the Most Nutrient-Dense Foods

Why the change: Americans consume far too many “empty calories” — those that lack good-for-you nutrients like whole grains, lean protein, vitamins, and minerals. “About 260 calories in a 2,000-calorie daily diet could be from indulgences like cookies or soda,” Post says. But the typical American eats closer to 600 to 800 empty calories a day.

That’s why nutrient density is a major focus of the new food guidelines. Nutrient-dense foods, Post explains, are “foods that in their prepared state that have significantly more nutrients per calorie. They’re how consumers can get the most out of their food.” For example, for the same amount of calories as soda, fat-free or low-fat milk offers calcium, vitamins, minerals, and protein, where soda has none.

What you can do: Fill half your plate at any given meal with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, which are naturally nutrient dense. Skip add-ons like batters, breading, and butter, and choose sauces and dressings wisely, like vinaigrettes made with healthy olive oil instead of full-fat dressings. Opt for a baked potato instead of French fries, grilled chicken instead of fried, brown rice instead of white rice, and low-fat milk instead of whole milk or soda.

Remember that nutrient-dense doesn’t always mean low-calorie. “There’s a lot to be said for higher-calorie foods with lots of nutrients, such as nuts,” says David Grotto, RD, a dietitian in Illinois and author of 101 Optimal Life Foods. “Research suggests that nuts actually prevent you from over-eating because they help you feel full.” The key is displacing empty calories with nutritious, filling calories.


New Food Rule 2: Eat Fewer Solid Fats and Added Sugars

Why the change: Plain and simple, “there are no nutrients associated with solid fats and added sugars,” Post says. Solid fats include butter, stick margarine, and meat fats. Added sugars are commonly found in packaged goods such as grain-based snacks and desserts, soda, energy drinks, and juice “drinks.”

“Consuming calories from added sugars and solid fats displaces the types of foods that give you beneficial nutrients, like potassium, calcium, fiber, and vitamin D, which Americans don’t get enough of,” he adds. “Eating more empty calories and fewer nutrients can pack on pounds, particularly when we get too little exercise.”

What you can do: Trim fat from meat, remove skin from poultry, and use less table sugar. Watch for sneaky sugar in foods (you’d be surprised how many non-sweet-tasting foods, like ketchup, contain added sugar). Read ingredient lists of packaged foods for tip-off words like corn syrup, sucrose, sugar, honey, syrup, and dextrose. If you spot them in the first few ingredients, avoid the food or eat it less frequently.

Treat desserts, sugar-sweetened sodas, and candy as treats — not as everyday foods. Or rethink your definition of dessert: “A bowl of fruit with an ice cream topping can be as satisfying as a bowl of ice cream with a fruit topping,” Grotto says.

New Food Rule 3: Eat More Seafood

Why the change: Seafood is rich in heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which the typical American diet sorely lacks. The new food guidelines recommend consuming at least 8 ounces of fish, shellfish, and other types of seafood every week (the 2005 guidelines did not recommend a specific amount of fish).

In a recent study, people who added two 4-ounce portions of fatty fish a week to their diet had a whopping 10-fold reduction in risk for a fatal heart attack. “That’s a powerful association,” Grotto says.

What you can do: Swap out your usual meat or poultry dinner twice a week for seafood. A 4-ounce serving of fish is smaller than you might think — it looks like a deck of cards. Pick fish that’s high in omega-3s but low in mercury, such as salmon, trout, or herring.

Pregnant women should eat fish too, but it’s especially important to pick low-mercury varieties (in large amounts the heavy metal has been linked to health problems).

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, limit your intake of white tuna (albacore) to 6 ounces per week, and and don’t eat tilefish, shark, swordfish, or king mackerel, which can be high in mercury. If you’re concerned about the mercury content in tuna, use canned salmon instead for your sandwiches or casseroles.

How to get your kids to eat it? Grill salmon burgers instead of hamburgers, puree anchovies or smoked sardines and add to tomato sauce, or toss teriyaki tuna strips onto a salad.

New Food Rule 4: Show Red Veggies Some Love

Why the change: The previous food guidelines mentioned orange, but not red, vegetables. Now the two have been combined into one veggie sub-group. The guidelines recommend eating more of this group, along with dark-green veggies and beans and peas.

“Red vegetables, such as tomatoes and red peppers, are a great source of vitamin C, lycopene and other antioxidants, and other nutrients,” Post says. (Technically tomatoes are a fruit, but the USDA lumps them into the veggie category because that’s how people tend to eat them.)

What you can do: Most people should eat five-and-a-half cups cups of red and orange vegetables each week. To get the most nutritional bang for your buck, keep in mind that your body is better able to absorb lycopene, the fat-soluble antioxidant in red peppers and tomatoes, in the presence of oil. Lycopene is important because it may improve heart health and lower the risk of cancers like breast and prostate cancer. Keep a supply of jarred red peppers in oil and add them to sandwiches, salads, stir-fries, and omelets for a flavorful nutrient boost.

Tomato sauce is another easy way to boost your red veggie intake, but the ready-made stuff can be loaded with added salt. Look for jars with 300 or fewer milligrams of salt per serving. Some stores even carry no-salt-added versions.

And think beyond the usual suspects to red varieties of vegetables such as cabbage, beans, and Swiss chard. Red cabbage and beans contain anthocyanins, plant chemicals that show promise in preventing heart disease and cancer and protecting brain health. Red beans are the most fiber-rich vegetable in the world, Grotto says.

New Food Rule 5: Eat More Fruit Every Day

Why the change: Okay, we’re cheating a little bit here — this isn’t actually a new rule, but it’s an essential part of the food guidelines we couldn’t not mention. Here’s why: Only 42 percent of Americans eat the two cups of fruit per day that are recommended for someone on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Choosing fruit over less-healthy snacks will automatically make your diet more nutrient-dense and lower in calories.

All fruits are healthy, but berries are among the best – gram for gram, they’re jam-packed with nutrients for very few calories. For example, says Grotto, a whole cup of strawberries has about 50 calories and contains elagic acid that may help the lining of your arteries become more pliable, which could help prevent atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

What you can do: The best way to work more fruits into your diet is to have them on the tarmac ready to go: peeled, cut up, and mixed together in individual serving containers in your fridge.

At least half of your fruit should be in whole fruit form — fresh, frozen, or canned if it’s packed in 100 percent fruit juice — because whole fruit contains fiber that juice doesn’t. You can get the rest of your fruit from 100 percent fruit juices, such as orange juice. Eat fruit for snacks or dessert, add it to salads, and use it in place of sugar, syrups, and other sweet toppings for cereal and pancakes.

New Food Rule 6: Vegetarianism and Veganism Can Be Healthy

Why the change: For the first time, the dietary guidelines include a model for healthy vegetarian and vegan eating.

“In looking at a variety of eating patterns around the world, we now recognize that vegetarian diets that include dairy and eggs, and vegan diets, can provide enough of the nutrients we need to be healthy,” Post says. “We know that with proper planning, you can get enough protein from dairy, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and nuts and seeds, and other nutrients from vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.”

What you can do: Not surprisingly, the biggest concern with meat-free diets is getting enough protein. You’ll need to replace meat with other foods that qualify as complete proteins -- which means they contain all of the essential amino acids. Complete proteins include dairy, eggs, soy (such as tofu and edamame), and certain grains, such as amaranth and quinoa.

Watch out for the salt: Veggie burgers and other frozen meat substitutes can be packed with sodium. “Frozen food is an equal opportunity employer of high sodium, whether it’s vegetarian or not,” Grotto says.

Vegans, and vegetarians who don’t get enough dairy and eggs, may also be deficient in certain nutrients, namely vitamins B12 and D, calcium, and iron, so it’s a good idea to talk to a registered dietitian, who may recommend that you take supplements or make other changes to your diet.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/

10 Common Running Mistakes to Avoid

As runners, there are plenty of things we can do to improve our performance, such as eating healthy and getting plenty of sleep. But what about those bad habits -- the things we do that sabotage our efforts? Here are some common pitfalls many runners fall into -- and how to avoid them.

1. Stop ignoring pain
Some runners assume they're invincible and push through a run despite some pain that's not going away. Don't make the mistake of thinking that missing a few runs will ruin your training or prevent you from reaching a goal or finishing a race. Pain is a signal from your body that something is wrong and rest is usually the best treatment. Taking some time off from running when an injury is in its early stages will prevent more time off later. If you push through it, the injury will most likely get worse.


2. Stop giving yourself a license to eat whatever you want
I'm not guilty of this all the time but, often after long runs or a big mileage week, I find myself going a bit overboard at meals. I justify some junk food binging by telling myself how many miles I've run. This is an easy way for runners to gain weight, despite all the exercise they're doing. Keep track of your exercise and calorie intake in a journal -- you'll get a better picture of how many calories you're actually burning and taking in. And tracking everything will make you think twice before eating lots of high-calorie, high-fat foods after runs.

4. Stop saying, "I'm not a real runner."

This quote from Bart Yasso always makes me chuckle: "I often hear someone say I'm not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner." Like Yasso, I frequently hear people say they're not real runners, and some of them have been running and racing for years. You don't need to sub-7:00 miles or run marathons to be a real runner. If you run regularly -- no matter what pace or distance -- you can proudly call yourself a runner. 

5. Stop skipping your warm-up

I sometimes skip or rush my warm-up, usually because I'm short on time or I'm just eager to get started with the meat of my workout. But neglecting my warm-up often results in developing a side stitch or feeling tight during my first couple of speed intervals. No matter what type of run you're doing, it's important to warm-up beforehand to get the blood flowing and your muscles warmed up for exercise. A warm-up can be a 5-minute brisk walk or slow jog, or warm-up exercises such as marching in place, jumping jacks, knee lifts, or butt kicks.

6. Stop running without hydrating

I know runners who won't drink water while running because they think they'll get a side stitch. And then there are those who avoid the water stops during races because they don't want to waste time. If you're running longer than 30 minutes, you really need to hydrate during your run to avoid the effects of dehydration. The current fluid recommendations for runners say that they should "obey your thirst" and drink when their mouth is dry and they feel the need to drink.

7. Stop running on an empty stomach

While some runners can get away with not eating at all before a run of any distance, you'll run stronger if you eat something before. Ideally, you want to try to eat something at least 90 minutes before running, so you have time to digest your food, you're fueled for your run, and you're not starving during your run. But that obviously doesn't work for everyone, especially morning runners. If you run in the morning and your run is for under an hour, you can get away with not eating before. But you still need to make sure you're hydrated before you start running. Drink at least 6-8 ounces of water when you first wake up. You could drink a sports drink before your run so you know you're at least getting some calories. 

If you're running longer than an hour or doing an intense speed workout, and you're running in the morning, it's best to force yourself to wake an hour and a half early or more for a small meal. Eating a 300-500 calorie breakfast of mostly carbs will ensure you're not running on fumes. Some examples of good pre-workout fuel include: a banana and an energy bar; a bagel with peanut butter; or a bowl of cold cereal with a cup of milk. If you're eating less than an hour before your run, aim for a light, 200-300 calorie snack such as toast with peanut butter or a cup of yogurt. If you're running long and you really don't have time or your stomach gets upset if you eat before running, try eating something small, such as an energy gel, about 30 minutes into your run.

8. Stop comparing yourself to other runners

There's always going to be someone who can run faster or longer than you. Don't drive yourself crazy by comparing yourself to them or being discouraged because you can't do that. Instead, think about how much progress YOU have made so far. This quote from Amby Burfoot, 1968 winner of the Boston Marathon, sums it up best: "In running, it doesn't matter how fast or slow you are relative to anyone else. You set your own pace and you measure your own progress. You can't lose this race because you're not running against anyone else. You're only running against yourself, and as long as you are running, you are winning."

9. Stop getting stuck in a rut

Do you run the same flat, 3-mile loop every day at the same pace? Switching up the elevation, distance, and pace of your runs will not only help you prevent boredom, you can also improve your running by adding some hill running, a tempo run, and a long run once a week. 

10. Stop expecting a PR in every race

When you first start racing, it's not too difficult to keep improving and set a new personal record (PR) every time you race. But you'll eventually reach a plateau when it becomes increasingly harder to shave time off your best times. And putting pressure on yourself to keep getting faster and faster can suck all the fun out of running and racing. While it's fine to set goals for certain races and work hard to achieve, it's also important to be realistic and make sure your goals match your abilities and training efforts. And, to relieve some of that pressure, you may want to pick a couple of races every year that you just do for fun and run without any expectations.

http://running.about.com/

Running & Life’s Lessons

Sharing a good article from http://www.runsociety.com
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What Running Has Taught Me: Paralleled with Life’s Lessons

The famed Eric Liddell was quoted in the Oscar-winning film, Chariots of Fire, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure”. To which I always say, when I run, I learn perseverance.


I haven’t always been a runner. But when I picked it up some years ago, I found that there were many life lessons to be learnt from running, lessons so profound and experiential that only runners get it.

Excuses Don’t Cut It

When I signed up for my first full marathon, I was all hyped up and raring to start training. As the race date drew nearer and the distance for each run became longer, that enthusiasm started waning. If you had known me personally, you would know how I’m always coming up with excuses not to run. ‘ I've had a long day’, ‘I’m feeling a little unwell’, ‘it looks like it’s going to rain’ – these were my favorite excuses. My running partner had to do quite a bit of convincing and coercing so that I don’t skip the training sessions. Getting myself out there with my running shoes was a big achievement in itself. Has that ever happen to you?

Whether it’s a desire to start doing voluntary work, achieving your new fitness goal, or even finishing that dreaded project at work, it would always be easy to put it off with some excuses. Some of them may even be valid, but no matter – excuse is just another word for inaction.

You Can’t Do It Alone

There is a particular stretch of road that I love running on. But at night when we run, sometimes the street lamps would be out and we would be running in complete darkness. In the dark, it’s hard not to feel creepy and uncertain of where I’m heading. Yet what kept me going was hearing someone else’s pounding on the gravel, knowing that I wasn't alone. The same can be said of life. When things ahead look daunting and uncertain, we are afraid and don’t want to step forward. But knowing that someone is with us and walking alongside us makes all the difference, especially if some of us are on an off-beaten track. That support from people around us may seem trivial but don’t underestimate it; it is the force that keeps us keeping on.

Discipline = Success

There are no two ways about it. Discipline paves the way to success. Often, discipline requires sacrifice. Saturday mornings are the best time for long runs but it is the only day I can sleep in. Imagine my struggle every Saturday – where most people are snoozing, there I am trudging out at 6.30am to do my 3-hour run. Besides sacrificing sleep, you also need to deal with missing out on that dinner gathering, seeing less of your family, and critics who do not identify with what you are doing. Discipline is no walk in the park. Yet when you are out there clocking up the miles, you know that this is going to be good for you and this will make the final race so much easier.

When I run, I think and self-talk all the time. It’s true when they say endurance sport is all about mind over body. Call it what you will, but for me, running symbolizes the race in life that is set out for us. There will always be the excuses, obstacles and falls that we encounter in the race, but what matters is you never, ever give up. Just finish the race – it will be worthwhile.

The Running Year

The Newton Challenge 25 km Run wrapped up the year I started running. An accidental runner, to say the least. I initially thought running is boring but then I got hooked. In the beginning I use running as a tool to lose weight and to improve my fitness and heath. And it actually WORKS! Seeing is believing. With a combination of eating healthy and drinking plenty of water, I have lost quite a bit of weight since I started running. Most importantly, I feel fitter and healthier than ever before. I am trying to make running a habit, following the mantra "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going". I also take part in a few races now and then to keep me motivated.

My plan in the year 2013 is to run a few more half marathons and try the distance of 30 km before I even contemplate to attempt running 42 km in a full marathon. Tentatively, I am targeting to run an FM at the new Penang Bridge later this year. Well at least that is the plan.

Moderation Is The Key

Recently, a string of articles cropped up online like:
Marathon running is bad for you, and it's best to keep exercise to a maximum of 50 minutes a day say doctors - http://www.independent.co.uk/
Too much exercise may be bad for you - http://clovetwo.com/
Too much exercise may be bad for your heart - http://news.insing.com/

Researchers found that too much exercise can wear out your heart. High intensity exercise continued over hours and repeated regularly over years and decades “stretches” the heart, disrupting muscle fibers and causing micro-tears that do permanent damage. There are signs of damage after a single marathon but these rapidly return to normal after a week.  If the damage is repeated, however, it can eventually lead to scarring and stiffness.

Vigorous exercise is good for health but only if it is limited to a maximum daily dose of between 30 and 50 minutes. If you really want to do a marathon or full distance triathlon, it may be best to do just one or a few and then proceed to safer and healthier exercise patterns. A routine of moderate physical activity will add life to your years as well as years to your life. In contrast, running too far, too fast, and for too many years may speed one’s progress to towards the finishing line of life.

The researchers analyzed recent studies, particularly two that have been presented at major medical conferences that support their claim that exercise is best done in moderation. One study tracked the heart health of more than 50,000 people over the span of 30 years, finding that while the 14,000 runners in the study were more likely to live longer, those benefits were limited only to those who ran between five and 20 miles a week. The longer distance runners did not live any longer than the non-runners. The second study- based on 20,000 Danes- found that slow jogging can increase life expectancy.

You can have too much of a good thing. Like everything else, anything in excess can do you harm. It seems that it's true for exercise too. Before you say why bother to exercise at all, the take home message is "it's TOO MUCH exercise might be bad for you, NOT exercise might be bad for you".

Runner's High

A friend of mine sent to me the article featured below. It spurred me to write this blog post because I can totally relate to it. Firstly, I was one of those who thought that running for miles and miles is monotonous. I took up running with the initial goal of losing weight and getting fit. Now it has become a love affair. Secondly, I am constantly trying to progressively run farther and farther, pushing myself to the limit of my endurance to get that runner's high. 

Runner's high: is it real or just an exercise lore? Yes, running can make you high. You need to experience it yourself to believe it. I did experience it, twice, when I successfully completed 18 km in the Newton Challenge and 21 km during the Penang Bridge International Marathon. On both occasions I ran my farthest distance at the time. However, on both occasions, I recalled that the experience of high were not after finishing the race but somewhere during the race when I felt I could run effortlessly and endlessly. Unfortunately, the high disappeared 3-4 km before finishing the race. There is no surprise I always struggled 3-4 km to the finishing line. 

I will progressively increase my running distance. My next benchmark distance will be 25 km in the Newton Challenge Malaysia end of next month. This time I will try not to look at the distance marker towards the end of the race. Then maybe I could extend the feeling of runner's high to the finish line. My goal now is to run a full marathon distance of 42.195 km next year on the new Second Link Penang Bridge!

Some may ask why I want to run a marathon? I have a simple answer to that. Because I think I can!

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Long-distance runners lap up miles for the love of it

By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Although many people begin running as a practical path to weight loss or fitness, for many it becomes a love affair as the miles increase.

Tom Holland, running coach and author of "The Marathon Method," tells his clients that running for 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) was horrible for him too, but farther down the road things changed.

"It happens for different people at different times and different distances: that runner's high," he said in an interview. Holland calls it a cardiovascular turning point where the run becomes exponentially easier. "There's a point where the run becomes enjoyable," he said. "Whether this happens at 8 (12.8 kilometers) or 10 or 12 miles down the road, it will happen," he said. A veteran of 60 marathons, Holland was set to run his ninth New York City Marathon earlier this month, until the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) race was canceled in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. "Over 100,000 people apply to the New York City Marathon each year," he said. "There must be something there that people want."

Gregory Chertok, a sports psychologist with the American College of Sports Medicine, said many people are drawn to running because it's an uncomplicated activity. "Put one foot in front of the other and when you work hard, you improve," Chertok said. "Not everything in life is so simple. You could spend 10 years in a ballet studio and not become a ballerina." Few runners enter a marathon to win it, he said. "It's so rare in sporting culture for those who aren't physically or aerobically gifted to feel included in something that's competitive but not exclusive." While it's tough to categorize athletes, Chertok said, long-distance running seems to be appreciated by those who enjoy solitude - or periods of solitude - and are OK with monotony. Chertok differentiates external from internal motivation and said studies show that people who set goals based on intrinsic motivation are more successful. "People run with the initial goal of losing weight or getting fit, which are external goals, but during training they realize they love running, so they end up running for internal reasons," he said. Qualitative evidence for the runner's high suggests that for those prone to its euphoria, it probably contributes to running's addictive quality. "Those that have it swear by it," he said. Most sports medicine practitioners would agree that people are born to be mobile, he said, but not necessarily to run long distances. "Physicians will deter people from running marathon distances, but it's such a powerful allure that it becomes greater than risk of hamstring injury," he said.

Richard Finn, spokesman for New York Road Runners, organizers of the New York City Marathon, agrees that long distances do not suit everyone. "Running 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) is a big, bold brash undertaking," he said. "You've got to put heart, soul, mind, body in it for months. It's like climbing Mount Everest. Not everybody should be doing it." He said a runner is a runner whether you're doing a marathon or a five kilometer (3.1-mile) race. "We do running 365 days a year, since 1959," Finn said of the New York Road Runners. "Get those sneakers on and run, even on a treadmill. We're not elitist. We think running is good for you." Holland believes running also exposes our weakest link so he urges novices to start slow. "Running is an amazing cheap thing that can make us feel great about ourselves," he said. "But the secret to running is balance. We're born to run but we're not born to run six days a week at the start." 

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Bill Trott)

Source: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSLNE8AP01D20121126?irpc=932

First Half Marathon Completed

I am proud to have participated in the Allianz Penang Bridge International Marathon yesterday that was recorded as the bridge marathon with the largest number of participants in the Malaysia Book of Records. It was a record of my own as well: my first half marathon (21 km in 3 hours), the longest distance I have ever run in an event so far bypassing the 18 km Newton Challenge Singapore which I did 2 weeks ago. It was a good bridging distance before I attempted my first HM. My next feat will be the 25 km Newton Challenge Malaysia in about 6 weeks time. I will gradually progress my distance to 30 km and attempt a few more half marathons before I even contemplate to do a full marathon distance of 42.195 km.

The question is why am I pushing myself to an ever-increasing limit? I may seem crazy to the people around me but I can tell you this. Once you get motivated to run, you just want more of it! However, I don't recommend anyone to jump right into the deep end and attempt a full marathon without proper conditioning of your body. You will get into lots of trouble and may get yourself injured or worst case scenario may even cause harm.

My advice will be to start slow, build up strength and most importantly, listen to your body. Get a proper running shoes and learn the proper running technique to prevent injury. It also helps to get yourself connected with people with the same interest or passion in running like The Gaited Community on Facebook for inspiration and motivation. Believe me! This advice comes from a guy who had previously said "Running is boring". Yes, I used to hate running!

Photos:
Above; at the halfway mark.
Below; with few members of The Gaited Community right after the APBIM yesterday with our "gigit medal" trademark pose (from left; Hizwani, Izam, Franco, me, Lini, KZ & Kuya)

November Race Quadrilogy

28th October 2012 Newton Challenge 18km

4th November 2012 Powerman Duathlon 5.7km-32km-5.7km

18th November 2012 Penang Bridge International Marathon 21km

25th November 2012 JB Run 10km

That is my race schedule in October/November 2012. Crazy, isn't it? I may have been a bit too enthusiastic (an understatement!...)  in registering myself in races this year. Considering my first race (The BHP Run 11km) was only in July 2012, inexperience has gotten the best (or the worst) of me. Being a novice in running, I must admit I may have bitten more than I can chew and so soon after my knee surgery. I did not consider time for recuperation and recovery when I registered for the races. Actually I had forfeited two other races (Salomon Trail Run & Putrajaya Night Marathon) because of my operation.

The Newton 18 km Challenge took place at East Coast Park, Singapore. It was my first ever long distance race. Although my longest run is 21km on the treadmill, it was not the same running in a real race. Since it was just 6 weeks after a knee surgery I took it easy. I finished with a time of 2:26. This may be the beginning of many more races in Singapore. I discovered that races in Singapore are very well-organized and well-attended. . It is closer to travel to Singapore than KL from Johor Bahru. Most races in Malaysia are happening in KL. Moreover, there are not many races being organized in Johor Bahru anyway. What a shame!

The next race was my first endurance multisport experience, The Malakoff Powerman Asian Duathlon Championship. This race involved a run-bike-run format. I only registered for the Sprint event which required a 5.7 km first leg run followed by a 32-km bike leg and another 5.7 km second leg run to finish off (Long Distance Powerman involved a 11.4 km run- 64 km bike- 11.4 km run). My official result was No.295/411 2:47:30 2:47:21 0:38:23 0:04:06 1:08:20 0:04:08 0:52:25. I experienced signs of cramps during the bike-run transition so much so that I had to take it easy on the second leg run. I thought it was better to be able to finish rather than be carried away injured. It was a memorable experience, nonetheless. Call me Half-Powerman!

My next race will be the Penang Bridge International Marathon where I will run a half marathon 21 km. It will be followed by the JB 10k Run. Since a JB event is hard to come by, I registered to show my support even though I may still be recovering from my half marathon attempt in Penang.

Odd Things That Make You Fat

I just want to share a good online article I read this morning. These are the odd things that could make you fat. Weird saboteurs to your weight loss plan. Maybe some of us don't realise that we are doing some of the things mentioned in the article. I can relate to a few of them like late night TV, blasting the air-con and filling up the fridge at home. However, there are a few that I have already put into practice. When I travel for conference, I always make sure I pack my gym gears. I've mixed up my exercise routine with cardio and strength exercises. I've rid of my craving for any carbonated drinks, which I used to love.

I hope the article will be of benefit to everybody.

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It’s no secret that taking a months-long hiatus from the gym or indulging in dessert night after night can cause pounds to creep on. But many other less obvious things — from what time you go to sleep to how often you multitask — can impact your weight too. “Lots of women think they're doing everything right for weight loss, but habits that you've never even thought of may be unwittingly sabotaging your efforts,” says Karlene Karst, RD, author of Belly Fat Breakthrough. If you're trying to slim down, pay attention to these shockingly sneaky weight-loss saboteurs.


A Love of Late-Night Television
Staying up late may pack on up to two pounds a month, according to new research from Northwestern University. The study found that people who go to bed late eat more food (on average 248 extra calories per day), have worse diets, and are more likely to have a higher body mass index than people who tuck in earlier. Study researcher Kelly Glazer Baron, PhD, MPH, says both circadian rhythm and environmental factors may be at play. “Eating at night, when you're supposed to be sleeping, may cause you to process calories differently,” she says. Plus, the foods we often crave at night — Moose Tracks ice cream, anyone? — tends to be high in calories and fat. To ease into a new routine, inch your bedtime back by 15 minutes a night until you’re snagging seven to eight hours of sleep. When you get post-dinner munchies, opt for healthy snacks, such as frozen grapes or berries, air-popped popcorn, or high-fiber cereal (look for less than 5 grams of sugar per serving and more than 5 grams of fiber).


Traveling for Work
The more time you spend away from home, the worse off your waistline, according to a recent Columbia University study. After reviewing the medical records of more than 13,000 employees in a corporate wellness program, researchers found that those who traveled the most for work were more likely to have higher BMIs and a greater risk of obesity. Since 80 percent of business travel in the United States is by car, long stints of inactivity behind the wheel and unhealthy on-the-road food choices are probably to blame. Karst suggests filling a portable cooler with fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, sandwiches, yogurt, and bottles of water, and stashing some nuts (almonds and walnuts) in your glove compartment as a go-to healthy snack. At rest stops, choose sandwich shops (like Subway or Quiznos) where you can pick your fillings; order a 6-inch size sandwich made with whole-grain or flat bread and lean meats, and load it up with filling veggies. Keep a gym bag and a pair of sneakers in your trunk — you can hit the hotel gym if there is one, or at the very least, take a walk.


A Cardio Obsession
Ramp up cardio, burn calories and fat. Sounds simple enough, but the latest science on exercising for weight loss says otherwise. Classic cardio — walking on the treadmill, running, stepping, spinning, etc. — doesn't help you lose as much weight as you might think, says Jim Karas, a celebrity trainer based in Chicago and author of The Cardio-Free Diet. “People tend to do these things for hours, but after 20 minutes you actually start burning muscle, not fat,” he says. Instead of straight cardio, Karas recommends interval training — alternating one minute of working out at a high intensity followed by a minute at a slower rate — for 20 minutes, which burns more fat than staying at the same level throughout. And don't forget strength training. Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than any other body tissue. For every pound of muscle you put on, you automatically burn an extra 22 to 36 calories a day, says Karas. Strength-train every other day to give muscles time to repair.


Blasting the Air Conditioner
A study in the journal Food Science and Nutrition theorizes that modern technologies — such as air conditioning — help keep our bodies in a “thermoneutral zone," a temperature range in which we don't have to work to stay comfortable, which decreases the amount of calories we burn. Also, when you're hotter you tend to eat less, so keeping your house cool may make you eat more. Study author David Allison, PhD, distinguished professor and head of the section on Statistical Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, suggests setting your air conditioner to the highest temperature you can tolerate, or turning it off altogether if you can stand it, though he stresses that this specific approach has not yet been scientifically shown to cause weight loss.


A Jam-Packed Fridge
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help you stay trim, but if your fridge is so full that you don't even know what’s in your produce drawers, your healthy intentions may be falling short. In fact, produce comprises about 25 percent of the food we throw out every day, according to University of Arizona research. It’s easy to forget about food when it’s not staring you in the face, and then it goes bad before you've had the chance to eat it. Wash and cut up fruits and veggies as soon as you get home from the supermarket, then store them in airtight containers on eye-level shelves, suggests Karst. Keep a fruit bowl with apples, pears, bananas, or mangoes on the counter. And don't buy more than a week’s worth of produce at a time.


A Daily Diet Soda Habit
Reaching for a diet soda or a cup of coffee sprinkled with artificial sweetener instead of the sugary stuff makes you a virtuous dieter, right? Not necessarily. According to a study in the journal Obesity, over a 17-year period, people who downed drinks made with artificial sweeteners had a 47 percent bigger increase in body mass index (BMI) than those who didn't drink them. While artificially sweetened drinks certainly pack fewer calories than full-sugar beverages, over-relying on them as a weight-loss tool may backfire. Researchers theorize that artificial sweeteners stoke your sweet tooth and set off cravings that lead you to binge on high-calorie foods later. Craving something sweet to sip? Make ice cubes out of 100 percent fruit juice (try concord grape, pomegranate, or cranberry) and plop them into a glass of seltzer or iced tea. As the ice melts it will sweeten the drink and add healthy vitamins and antioxidants.


Constantly Multitasking
Your rapid-fire, doing five-things-at-once lifestyle has a surprisingly negative effect on your diet. Of course when you're busy it’s harder to carve out time for exercise or cook healthy meals, but new research suggests that serially switching tasks actually wears out your resolve and makes you more apt to give in to temptation. Emory University researchers conducted five different experiments on about 300 people and found that frequently toggling between different tasks can exhaust the executive function of the brain, which helps us regulate self control. “When you help your kids with their homework, then respond to a work email on your Blackberry, then go right back to algebra, you’re doing tasks that require very different mindsets, which is what we found saps self-control resources,” says Ryan Hamilton, PhD, assistant professor of marketing and one of the study’s researchers. Minimizing distractions may help you avoid a snack binge.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/