| Date | Route | Distance | Timing | Pace | Remarks |
| 7-Jan | 3.5 km seletar | 3.5 km | 19:30 | 5:35 | vff with 2kg load |
| 6-Jan | 3.5 km seletar | 3.5 km | 19:37 | 5:37 | vff with mask |
| 5-Jan | 3.5 km seletar | 3.5 km | 17:04 | 4:53 | vff |
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| 'Born To Run' by Christopher McDougall |
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| Autographed by Author |
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.
Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.
With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
I challenge anyone to read Christopher McDougall's Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen and not be inspired—to run, to be healthy, to be, well just, better.
Born to Run is about McDougall's investigative adventure into the world of running, ultramarathons, the shoe industry, and the Tarahumara Indians, a seclusive group of "superathletes" known for their running endurance and speed. The tale begins with a question, "How come my foot hurts?" and ends with a race between a few elite ultrarunners and the Tarahumara Indians in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. In between are a number of answers, questions, and challenges.
It was difficult to put Born to Run down. The book is simultaneously thrilling and informative. It not only recaptures the excitement of past distance running races (like the 1995 Leadville 100), but it also tells the backstories of BtR's protagonists — Ann Trason, Ken Chlouber, Caballo Blanco (or "Micah True"), "Barefoot Ted" McDonald, Scott Jurek, Jenn "Mookie" Shelton and Billy "Bonehead" Barnett. Even still, the book serves as an indictment of the running shoe industry, specifically Nike, while also laying out a compelling case that human beings evolved to be runners—chasing prey down, out-enduring them via the persistence hunt. At under 300 pages Born to Run, like the runners and races it describes, covers a lot of ground quickly.
Perhaps one of the most inspirational paragraphs from Born to Run contains the book's title:Distance running was revered because it was indispensable; it was the way we survived and thrived and spread across the planet. You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running, or you wouldn't live to love anything else. And like everything else we love—everything we sentimentally call our "passions" and "desires"—it's really an encoded ancestral necessity. We were born to run; we were born because we run. We're all Running People, as the Tarahumara have always known.
Born to Run is one of those rare books that captures within its pages an authentic human experience and conveys that experience directly to the reader. It's a book in which you are awed by superhuman athletes while still seeing their core humanity. And therein is one of McDougall's primary takeaways: every human being was born to run, the design being coded within our DNA.
Since this book review is for the Vibram fivefingers fan community, I'd be remiss not to note that BtR gives a hearty mention regarding VFFs, specifically via Barefoot Ted, who apparently inspired Vibram USA's CEO, Tony Post, to go for a run in his fivefingers. I'm guessing this was back in early 2006. "El Mono" (Barefoot Ted) also made use of his fivefingers at various times during his trek to race with the Tarahumara. And as previously noted on this site, Christopher McDougall seems to enjoy his fivefingers for running these days, too.
Conclusion: BtR is a fantastic read, and I whole-heartedly recommend it. More than anything, I expect this book to spawn the next generation of runners, and I'm optimistic that it will take barefooting (or pseudo-barefooting/minimalist footwear) mainstream. Born to Run is yet another step in a more general movement towards acquiring a higher understanding of what it means and requires to be human.
The Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon in 'BORN TO RUN'
This morning, I completed my first half marathon (21.28km with a timing of 2:26:43hr) for the year in the western part of Singapore.
The route that I have plotted and ran was more challenging than Army Half Marathon 2010 as it went through many up-slopes...and I had to wait for many 'green man' at traffic junctions. But I believe this will be a better training ground compared to running a 21km at my usual super flat ECP.
I was suffering from cough since 2 weeks ago. As such, I had to tone down and reduce my weekly mileage. Anyway, it looked like I am ready for 2.4k m training after today's run. time to train once again. :D
| 29 Dec | Chasing Rabbits | With VFF |
| Distance(km) | Timing | Average Pace (min/km) |
| 1 | 04:45.26 | 04:45.26 |
| 1 | 04:29.99 | 04:29.99 |
| 1 | 05:00.01 | 05:00.01 |
| 0.75 | 03:41.66 | 04:55.55 |
| 3.75 | 17:56.92 | 04:47.18 |
| 28 Dec | Running with Ian | With VFF |
| Distance(km) | Timing | Average Pace (min/km) |
| 1 | 06:31.27 | 06:31.27 |
| 1 | 05:25.02 | 05:25.02 |
| 1 | 05:29.98 | 05:29.98 |
| 0.52 | 03:13.57 | 06:12.25 |
| 3.52 | 20:39.84 | 05:52.23 |
| 25 Dec | Coughing | With VFF |
| Distance(km) | Timing | Average Pace (min/km) |
| 1 | 05:29.19 | 05:29.19 |
| 1 | 05:10.00 | 05:10.00 |
| 1 | 05:22.00 | 05:22.00 |
| 1 | 05:44.03 | 05:44.03 |
| 0.13 | 00:39.27 | 05:02.08 |
| 4.13 | 22:24.49 | 05:25.54 |
| 24 Dec | Coughing | With Covered Shoes |
| Distance(km) | Timing | Average Pace (min/km) |
| 1 | 04:54.59 | 04:54.59 |
| 1 | 05:00.00 | 05:00.00 |
| 1 | 05:29.99 | 05:29.99 |
| 1 | 05:40.02 | 05:40.02 |
| 1 | 05:54.99 | 05:54.99 |
| 0.07 | 00:15.12 | 03:36.00 |
| 5.07 | 27:14.71 | 05:22.43 |
Based on my run, my body seems to be fully recovered. :)
15 Dec
| Distance(km) | Timing | Average Pace (min/km) |
| 1 | 04:51.06 | 04:51.06 |
| 1 | 04:49.98 | 04:49.98 |
| 1 | 05:05.01 | 05:05.01 |
| 0.52 | 02:35.65 | 04:59.33 |
| 3.52 | 17:21.70 | 04:55.94 |
I did 2 more runs in the past 2 days. Based on my timing, I felt that I am recovering slowly but surely.
14 Dec 10
| Distance(km) | Timing (min) | Average Pace (min/km) |
| 1 | 05:05.27 | 05:05.27 |
| 1 | 05:25.01 | 05:25.01 |
| 1 | 06:30.00 | 06:30.00 |
| 1 | 07:01.99 | 07:01.99 |
| 0.7 | 04:46.78 | 06:49.69 |
| 4.7 | 28:49.05 | 07:42.99 |
15 Dec 10 (Pacing Ian)
| Distance(km) | Timing | Average Pace (min/km) |
| 1 | 06:28.49 | 06:28.49 |
| 1 | 05:55.00 | 05:55.00 |
| 1 | 04:55.00 | 04:55.00 |
| 0.56 | 02:43.11 | 04:51.27 |
| 3.56 | 20:01.60 | 05:32.44 |
It had been a week after I took part in the 42km full marathon.
Today, I tried running my usual 10km route but I ended up run-walk-jog-crawl throughout the route.
Throughout the run, I felt that my heart was pumping extra hard, I was running short of breath and slightly dizzy..... This was rather unusual for me but I suspected the problem to be the fact that my body has not fully recovered from the blood donation I did 36 hours ago. Less blood = Less oxygen and iron...
I completed the run with a timing of 72 mins (more than 15 minutes slower than usual run's timing). I wondered when my body will be recovered fully....
Anyway, you can read the article below on the impact of low iron in the blood.
http://pfitzinger.com/labreports/iron.shtml
My photos taken during SC Marathon Singapore 10.
p/s - It looked like I have yet to master forefoot running (one of the photo showed me doing heel strikes when I was reaching the end of the race :( .
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| Taken by Sheryll Cacanindin |
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| Taken by BoSe |
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| Taken by Official Event Photographer |
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| Left : Sprint (Red) Size :M40 Right : Sprint (Blue) Size :W42 |
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| Sprint in action during Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010 |
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| Final look at my oversize Blue Sprint |
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| The tears were at the empty space where my foot cannot reach as the shoe were oversize |
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| My new shoes |
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| VFF - Sprint (Red) |
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| Old Meet New |
Many unforgettable First Times I experienced during this Race. Just to share with all :)
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| Running Attire for the Race |
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| Finisher Tee, Medal and my shoes |
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| The reverse side of the Finisher Tee |
After 4 days of rest, I tried to do my favorite 10km run.
looking at the timing, it seems to me that I have fully recovered. Yeah! :)
I intended to run my favorite training route (10km) today but ended up DNF (Did Not Finish). Perhaps the combination of diarrhea, TB Challenge (5km Run+30storeys climb) and ECP Run(20+6km) had caused great damage to my mind and body. Guess I need to excuse myself from Running for the next 3 days!
I think i will miss pounding the floor for the next 3 days! haiz....
