Finisher's Medal (SCSM 2009)

Just Do It --- they did it !

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM)

Total Marathon Finishers : )

Running Out of Apples? ...let's Run!

  A Run a Day Keeps the Doctors Away !  

For a Better Tomorrow? ...let's Run!

Everyday,

in Every Way, 

a Runner is Getting Better

and Better !

Do Not RUN Away !

a Runner's got to do what a Runner's got to do !

In the Long Run...

Once a Runner, Always a Runner !

About Sand and Shoe.

"It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out;
it's the grain of sand in your shoe. "


'Sandy' always 'fly and jump' into your shoes and socks. You might not feel the finer ones, but you certainly don't want to ignore the bigger ones. I always try to clear them away as soon as possible. If not, they will cause minor cuts or blisters that slow you down during the later part of your training run and race.

Most shoes should be replaced after running a combined distance of 500km in them. They could last till the 800km mark if you have a light-weight body, keep your shoes in a cool, dry and airy location, have other pairs to rotate for running, do not use them for any other activties, don't need to take a long walk to and fro your running routes, do not have pet dogs at home that bite your shoes to grind their teeth, you had paid a higher price for a pair of a reputable brand and hopefully they are of a better quality, the shoes had not been 'idling' in some stores for a few years before you bought them...

You've got a Good Attitude !

This is where you will win the battle  

— in the PlayHouse of your Mind.

Ability is what you are capable of doing.  

Motivation determines what you do.  

Attitude determines how well you do it.

Wisdom of George Sheehan 4

"Running has given me the chance to be a Saint,

to be a Hero.

Like everyone else, I want to be challenged.

I want to find out whether or not I am a coward.

I want to see how much effort I can put out . . .

what I can endure . . .

if I measure up.

Running allows that."

Wisdom of George Sheehan 3

"I run because I am an animal and a child, an Artist and a saint."

"Being an artist is, after all, only Seeing things as if for the First Time.

When we do, we see the Real Meaning of things,

the Solutions to our problems.

Running gives me that Creativity.

It provides the Meditative setting.

It Opens Up areas in my Mind I seem not to use otherwise."

Wisdom of George Sheehan 2

"Running makes me a Child,

a child at play.

That is the aim of life:

to become an adult

while remaining a child at heart.

Play is the key.

When we play,

we do things

because we want to,

without thought of payment.

Play is something we would do for nothing,

something that has meaning but no purpose.

When I run, I feel that.

For that hour a day,

I am a child finally

doing what I want to do

and enjoying it.

When I do,

I realize what happens to the body

is simply a bonus."

Wisdom of George Sheehan

"I run because

I am an Animal

and a child,

an artist

and a saint."

"I have that animal energy,

that ease of movement,

that good tight body,

that sense of occupying just the right amount of space.

I am pared down to bone and muscle.

My skin taut, my eyes clear, I become my body.

I occupy it with delight."

Keep Moving...

It is exercise alone that supports the spirits,

and keeps the mind in vigor.

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Movement is a medicine for creating change

in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states.

Carol Welch

You CAN Do It !

Go forward confidently!

Energetically attacking problems!

Expecting favourable outcomes!

Few things in the world are more powerful than a Positive push.

A Smile :)

A World of Optimism and Hope!

A 'you CAN do it' when things are tough.

A Healthy attitude is contagious,

but don't wait to catch it from others.

Be a carrier !

Follow your Heart! Lift your Spirits!

There are many things in life that will catch your eyes.
But only a few that will catch your Heart.
Pursue those !

The five S's of sports training are
stamina, speed, strength, skill & spirit.
But the greatest of these is Spirit !

Cheer Up ! 加油 !

There was never a night or a problem

that could defeat Sunrise or Hope !

Bern Williams

The secret of getting ahead is ...getting started.

Mark Twain

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

Beverly Sills

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out ...how far one can go.

T. S. Eliot

Man cannot discover new Oceans

unless he has the Courage

to lose sight of the Shore.

Andre Gide

What is the good of the Stars and the Trees,

the Sunrise and the Wind,

if they do not enter into our daily lives?

E. M. Forster

Why Runners Run?

Why do you Run?
Because you're wondering if your grandchildren will too.
Because it's raining.
Because You Can, and others can't.
Because it's faster than walking.
Because that shaky-leg-thing is all about nervous energy.
Because you can't fly.
Because you can fly.
Because your personal best is just that, yours.
Because the pain of a blister is nothing compared to the pain of stopping.
Because you like the resistance the wind gives you.
Because you like the resistance you give the wind.
Just Because.
NYC Marathon Ad

I ran and ran every day,

and I acquired a sense of Determination,

this sense of spirit that I would never, never, give up,

no matter what else happened.

Wilma Rudolph

I run because it's my Passion, and not just a sport.

Every time I walk out the door, I know why I'm going where I'm going

and I'm already focused on that special place

where I find my Peace and Solitude.

Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise

...it's a consistent Reward for victory!

Sasha Azevedo

We run, not because we think it's doing us good,

but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...

The more restricted our society and work become,

the more necessary it'll be to find some outlet

for this craving for Freedom.

No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this,

or jump higher than that.'

The human spirit is indomitable.

Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

I always loved running...

it was something you could do by yourself,

and under your own power.

You could go in any direction,

fast or slow as you wanted,

fighting the wind if you felt like it,

seeking out new sights just on the Strength of your feet

and the Courage of your lungs.

Jesse Owens

I see myself as an artist.

Running is the way I Express my Talent.

I wish I could paint or write music,

but running is what I do

and I feel great Joy from it.

Joan Nesbit

For in running it is man against himself,

the cruelest of opponents.

The other runners are not the real enemies.

His adversary lies within him,

in his ability, with brain and heart

to master himself and his emotions.
Glenn Cunningham

the "Finishing Touch"...

Defeat doesn't finish a man, quit does.

A man is not finished when he's defeated.

He's finished when he quits.
Richard M. Nixon

Even if I don't finish, we need others to continue.

It's got to keep going without me.
Terry Fox

It's the job that's never started takes longest to finish.
J. R. R. Tolkien

Run across the Sheares Bridge

Sheares Bridge Run and Army Half Marathon.

I've been running across that bridge, once a year, for the past 11 years.
And I am doing it again this coming Sunday!

These are the designs on some of the event's tee shirts...

1998's






2009's










2008's








2007's





2006's







2005's







2004's







2003's

I run less to run more

Sometimes, even when your mind is thinking Fun and your heart is feeling Joy, your body is sensing Pain. That happened to me two years back when I first experienced discomfort in my knees while running.

Since then, I take glucosamine pills, use knee straps and run with additional cushioning insoles in my shoes. I would start every run with a 4km warm-up walk, run slower, take walk break immediately when I feel any discomfort, avoid running down slope and cycle more to cross-train. I have also decreased the number of run in a week from 5 to 2, stopped running on the uneven terrains at Macritchie forest reserve and Bedok reservoir park and given up participating in all faster 5 and 10km running events.

Hey! Despite finishing almost 2 hours slower for the past two marathons, I'm so glad that I can continue to join in the crowd to have fun every time.

Okay, I think it is alright to walk during a training run and on the race day itself. Of course, if you are feeling fine and your body is in good condition and you have the time to follow a systematic training schedule, it's wonderful to try and find out how fast and far you can run!

Walking before the run is the best warm-up routine. Walking after a run gives you a proper recovery. Walking in-between your run enables you to double the distance covered. Good for you if you are trying to burn more calorie to reduce weight! The walk breaks also enable you to do some fast running safely during each run.

If you are like me, who join the running races for the simple joy of moving my legs and body, and the intense fun of being charged-up by the energy of a mass-participating event, we should always remember not to make it inconvenient for serious and faster runners to bypass us and move up, and maintain their running pace and rhythm.

When the going gets tough, remember to smile to yourself. And tell yourself that you just have to, and in fact you can only, do the best with what you have, with who you are, wherever you are. This works for me every time. I hope it'll also work for you :)

Have fun, running or doing your type of sports!

" " to Kick-Start another Month of Running Fun

Number one is just to gain a passion for running:
to love the morning !
to love the trail !
to love the pace on the track !
And if you get really good at it, that's cool too !
Pat Tyson

Running has given me the courage to start,
the determination to keep trying...
And the childlike spirit to have Fun along the way.
Run often and run long...
but never outrun your Joy of running !
Julie Isphording, Marathon winner

I do not run to add days to my life.
I run to add life to my days !
Ronald Rook

Runners just do it !
They run for the finish line,
even if someone else has reached it first.

The miracle isn't that I finished.
The miracle is that I had the courage to start !
John Bingham, running speaker and writer

There are two types of people:
those who run,
and those who should :)

Exercise lift depression!

"People with major depression, who exercised for 40 minutes 3 times a week, experienced the same lift in depression as those who took prescription medication."

"Life is too short to waste on negative thought or action. Whatever the goal, running can help people reach their dreams."

"Running will create a big space in your life in which all other things fit. It will help you to achieve balance."

"So much in life seems inflexible and unchangeable, and part of the joy of running and especially racing is the realization that improvement and progress can be achieved."

Fuel for your Mind

It's necessary to fuel your body, physically, for the training and for proper recovery.
It's also as important to fuel your body, mentally.
There is a functional link between physiology and psychology.


"The secret of great runners is not after all in their stride.
It lies in the power they gather inside themselves on the starting block,
before they take the first step. "

"Don't ever accept any one's preconceived limitations.
If there is something you want to do, there isn't any reason you can't do it. "

"Winning is never having to say I quit. "

"A runner who wishes to get strong must make use of the strength he has.
The more he gives, the more he will get."

"Feel worthwhile as a runner.
Feel proud of yourself as a runner.
You strive to do your best just like the elites up front."

Ayurvedic Guidelines for Healthy Exercise

One of the classic Ayurveda texts states: "By physical exercise, one gets lightness, capacity to work, firmness, tolerance of difficulties, diminution of physical impurities and strengthening of digestion and metabolism."
Exercise creates energy!

Exercise should be performed in moderation.
You should use only 50 percent of your maximum capacity, exercising every day, preferably in the morning from 6am to 10am.

If you can run 10km, go for 5. The lower limit makes exercise more efficient, because you are not giving your body so much repair work to do afterward, and your cardiovascular system will have an easier time returning to normal after your workout. You should feel energetic and comfortable, never too strained or tired.

Exercise should get you all ready and pumped up and excited to take on the brand new day with all its challenges thrown at you. Exercise should not be breaking you down before you even get started. In that case, you might as well use the time to sleep in and continue with your sweet dream until it's time to get up for the day's work.

Also this is not detrimental to your fitness. With regular exercise, your capacity will grow. By gradually increasing the amount of exercise, as time goes by, you will start to speed up while your heart rate and sense of effort and intensity remain constant.

In the heat of competitive sports, you may not notice how strenuously you are exerting yourself. If it is fun to play, then carry on. But if you are pushing on just to win the game or simply to prove that you can keep up with someone else, your attitude is needlessly punishing your body.

Make the distinction between fitness and health. "Fitness is the physical ability to perform athletic activity. Health is the state where all the systems of the body -nervous, muscular, skeletal, circulatory, digestive, lymphatic, hormonal, etc - are working in an optimal way." Health should lead and guide fitness. Not the other way around.

It isn't "no pain, no gain".
It's "no pain, no pain"!
So remember: No strain produces maximum gain.

Saw Sun(-rise)? Run.
Heard Gun(-shot)? Start Run.
No Fun? Stop Run!

Exercise is Addictive !

"Exercise [Running] washes away the chemistry of distress, which gives you such a great feeling.

This can be addictive.

Add the feeling of self-worth that comes from accomplishing a difficult physical challenge.

And you have a potent combination.

Before you know it, it becomes harder not to exercise [run]."

Do not confuse exercise with work

That is,

• you work when you work
• you work when you exercise
• you work when you play.

Work, work, work! All works & no play?

You are turning the poor Jack into a dull boy!

But, all play and no work make Jack a mere toy?

Just send the dull-Jack and toy-Jack to play on the see-saw!

Do not confuse exercise with work.

Work could be fun. But exercise should be fun. Running is fun!

Finisher's Medals for Army Half Marathon (2005-08)