Its the weather again. Sadly the monsoon season has made it difficult for me to run home after work. It continues to rain at around the 630pm mark, and I can't afford to take any risks with my fragile immune system. Still, I won't make any excuses- I'll have to find a way around this.

On a very sad note, Gary Speed has passed away, apparently by suicide. Shocking as it is to a football fan like me, it seemingly sent ripples through the footballing "community" if you will, especially to his family, friends, and others who were touched by him in one way or another. The general consensus was that he was top bloke. Alan Shearer, when asked about his friend's death, said something that really struck a chord with me: "The stupid and sad thing is that he can’t see what he meant to people."

The Singapore Marathon is this Sunday, but I won't be able to run it despite signing up for the 10k event. It would have been nice to run it but I can't. Still, I will collect my race pack this Friday as the venue is located fairly near my office.

Sadly it rained again yesterday evening. But I managed to put in a rather late workout in the gym at around 10pm after putting the elder one to sleep, so all's well and ends well.

As I type this the sun is scorching, with clear blue skies, at least from where I am sitting. I hope it stays that way when it is time for me to leave the office.

That aside, the weekend is upon us, and it is salary time, being the end of the month. Have a good weekend and happy workin' out...

Blah. The rain put paid to my plans to run home today. Usually I would run in the rain (just no lightning, please) but having been saddled with this seemingly incessant stubborn cough and cold/blocked nose for the past 2 months, I did not want to stress my immune system any further. So, grudgingly, I will have to take the train home. May the weather tomorrow be good.

Nike X Undercover Fall 2011 Reflects the Tranquility of Kyoto

Interesting post here that I got off a website. Nike has a range known as the Nike X Undercover, which sadly will not hit our shores. The release is a collection of high-performance running gear for Fall 2011. Using advanced lightweight, waterproof, breathable materials and traditional craftsmanship, the Nike x Undercover Gyakusou collection is rooted in a simple philosophy of creating running products that strike a balance between style and absolute functionality. See this link:- http://www.nikerunningpaths.com/.

So I have run a few times in my new rubber. Here are my impressions on the shoe:-

Looks
Looks is subjective; looks is also extremely superficial. Having said that, part of the appeal of a pair of shoes (running, sports, fashion) would be the aesthetics. In my opinion, Asics have never really made beautiful shoes, other than the retro designs of 1970s. So the look of this pair was average. In fact, it came in a different range of colours, most of which I didn’t quite fancy and I chose the most sober and conservative of the lot. I would have chosen black if it was available:-



Initial feel
I usually wear a size 8.5 US; on this occasion I wore a size 8 instead. It felt very light; it must be in the region of 7.5oz or below. My upper feet felt fairly snug but comfortable; the open mesh upper made my feet feel cool. From my midfoot to heel portion, there seems to have a sort of motion-control associated with motion-control shoes for pronators. Very lush cushioning on my heels (which quite honestly I don’t need for my runs). On the forefoot, cushioning was moderate. It is seemingly flexible on the forefoot, but less so on the midfoot to heel onwards. Heel to toe difference was noticeable.

Running in them
Less forefoot cushioning than what I am accustomed to- it feels slightly firm, but comfortable nonetheless. Very light. Good grip, at least on the surfaces I run- mainly on asphalt, concrete and a little bit of grass. I believe that I can wear these shoes up to 21km.


Technical Specs
Weight: 7.2 oz
Stack Height: Heel (26mm), Forefoot (14mm)


CUSHIONING
· To keep weight down, this shoe contains no additional cushioning technologies.

MIDSOLE
· Solyte is Asics' top of the line cushioned and responsive midsole. Solyte is very light for the level of cushioning and durability it delivers.
· Racing Trusstic System is located at the bottom of the midsole and is made from thermal plastic. Its lightweight design allows for faster turnover while still maintaining torsional integrity between the rearfoot and forefoot.

UPPER
· Open mesh encompasses the majority of the upper and offers breathability to keep the foot cool.
· Asics logo is located at both the medial and lateral sides of the upper to keep the shoe snug to the foot.
· Standard sockliner
· Slip Lasting involves wrapping and stitching the upper in a bootie-like shape before it is glued to the midsole to increase flexibility and decrease weight.

OUTSOLE
· DuoSole integrates two materials in a manner designed to increase flexibility, decrease weight while maintaining traction and durability.

New rubber

Couldn't help myself despite my previous posting about waiting a while till my next shoe purchase. Its the Asics Tartherblitz 2 that was on sale here and I thought it was too good a deal to pass. After doing some research on it and superficially testing it I decided to buy it. I will let you know how it feels for me.

I am literally getting itchy feet- my shoes are starting to wear out and I am considering all the new shoes out there in the market. Things came to a head on Monday when my enthusiasm got the better of me and I went to Velocity armed with my wallet ready to make a purchase. In fact, at that point, almost any shoe would have sufficed. Luckily Jamie and I communicated over the course of a few days via WhatsApp to discuss my options (although I am sure he already sensed my over-enthusiasm) and on that particular day, messaging just wouldn't suffice and I decided to call.

Bless the fella, the patient man, the voice of reason, patiently discussed my options, asking me how each shoe that I tried felt, giving me the pros and cons of the models and voila, at the end of the conversation, managed to convince me to wait a little while longer. The Connects will be released in January; there are a few others yet to consider. Other "mitigating" factors included my relatively low mileage- my shoes, while aging with every kilometer, should still last me at least until January. Additionally I do actually own a pair of shoes I have neglected for some time, a pair that is still in good condition- the Newtons. During my conversation with Jamie I brought up the topic about the Newtons, remarking that I couldn't remember why I neglected them, but the next few days gave me the answer. Read on...

Except for yesterday I ran Monday and Tuesday in the Newtons and on Wednesday, my legs felt completely thrashed. My forefoot, calves and thighs were slightly sore, but what really got to me was how fatigued my whole legs felt. I had made an unconscious choice to revert to my Nikes for yesterday's run, but it turned out to be the right choice as I plodded along, shuffling as if my legs were filled with lead.

I understand the concept of the Newtons and see where they are coming from, but even for me, despite already landing on my forefoot from the moment I started running, it seemed too much. I can draw 2 possible conclusions from my experience- either I am completely unsuited to wear the shoes, and I can't wear minimalist shoes because I am a "heavy" forefoot runner, or transitioning to these shoes will take a heckuva long time, meaning I have to gradually ease into the shoes and slowly build up strength over the course of the next year(!). I spoke with Jamie who is slowly transitioning to the Connects and he said the process is so far has taken 8 months (and counting). I am inclined to take latter view. I will take it easy and switch to the Newtons, running in them around once or twice a week, gradually running in them on a regular basis.

Gosh. The average marathon timings seem to be getting lower and lower. The Africans are really taking marathon running to a whole new level. Geoffrey Mutai, won Boston in 2:03:02 last spring. He won in the recently concluded New York Marathon in a time of 2:05:06. 2nd and 3rd place were fast too- both went under Tsefaye Jiffar’s 2001 course record of 2:07:43 — Emmanuel Mutai in 2:06:28 and Tsegaye Kebede in 2:07:14. The gulf as it is between the professional runners and mere mortals like us is already extremely wide; these guys are aiming to take it even further away. Unless of course, we, the mere mortals decide to run 250km per week at altitude for the rest of our lives.

Ageing is an inevitable process of life. We begin to age the moment we are born. For many sports, the physical powers of athletes are near or at their peak up from around 19 years old (give or take) to around 30 years of age- look at sports like tennis, triathlon, football, basketball. While we don't doubt their legacies and contributions to the game, one cannot deny that current athletes like Roger Federer, Ronaldinho, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham were at their respective peaks a few years ago. What they have done is accept the inevitable and changed their games to suit their ageing bodies. Having the added experience helps too, and this is why they are still able to perform, although not as well as before. This is what Rio Ferdinand, a world class defender for Manchester United for so long, at 33 years of age, has to do- adapt and change his game as finds his position in the team in jeopardy because he has lost his pace.

There are a number of human reactions to ageing. As we age, some of us look to delay the ageing process; some of us accept the inevitable and let ourselves go. I suppose some of us fall into either category, or have our feet planted in both categories, either in equal or unequal proportion. For those of you in your mid 30s and above, I am sure you have some friends who look almost the same as they did in high school; some look completely different; some look older but more or less the same. I'd like to think that I fall somewhere in between. My weight is more or less the same since I was 14 years old (give or take 5kg, depending on factors such as how much I eat and exercise at a given time- it varies), but I certainly look older now. I try to work out as often as possible, and I try to eat the right food. The acne that ravaged my face throughout my teenage years and up to a few years ago is gone, but the scars are permanent. People would still recognise me but the moment they are up close, they will see an aged, pock-marked, tired looking man.

What is my point here? Physically and numerically we age, that is inevitable. We can do what we can to delay the inevitable, although at some point in our lives, we have to accept it. Priorities change. But we can always keep ourselves mentally young by constantly working out our minds. Like a muscle, our minds need to be worked out. This is why I fully respect the "elder" men in our society today- Dr. Mahathir, Lee Kuan Yew, Sir Alex Ferguson are prime examples of men who have constantly worked out their minds and remain active in their day to day lives. I strive to be like them and I hope that I can live as long as life as them.

Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates his 25th year managing Manchester United this Sunday, and he shows no sign of slowing down. I am in awe of the man- he still celebrates every Manchester United goal as enthusiastically as any fan would, he has developed so many teams over time, adapting, changing his personnel and tactics. Aside from remaining healthy, his strength is his mental strength, keeping an open mind, his ability to adapt and change with the times, and tweak the style of play accordingly. While he has his wealth of experience from years past to draw upon, he also looks forward and is not burdened by the past. His vast experience from the past is a means to build towards successes in the present, and future.

I understand Sir Alex likes his glass of wine and he shares a bottle with his opposing managers after matches. Very classy indeed. Sir Alex, I salute you for your years of exceptional service and I will toast my glass of wine to you this Saturday at 11pm when Manchester United play Sunderland. Cheers.

Of late, I have begun re-visiting Runners World site again, partly because I've been running more (running more does ignite my passion to read about running too, at least for me), and partly because I am becoming more and more of a tightwad nowadays- my philosophy is that on the whole, the articles in a whole magazine are not interesting enough for me to part with my hard earned salary. Sure, there might be an interesting article or two, but I can't imagine paying around $9 for a magazine on that basis. So, I have resorted to visiting the website, where I can pick and choose to read the articles that matter to me.

Which brings me to Amby Burfoot's blog/contribution on Runner's World called Footloose. I don't read every single entry, but there are a few entries that have stood out. In particular is an older one on July 3, 2007 regarding Alberto Salazar's heart attack. His thoughts on heart attack, his high cholesterol (like me), Jim Fixx and mortality were so fitting and fully encapsulated what I thought, although I am not as articulate as he is. I'm reading his entry a good 4 years plus late, but as they say, better late than never. Click here for his entry.

Just to share a few of my favourite running-related photos I discovered (circa the 1970s). Obviously, I don't claim ownership to these pictures. NOTE TO copyright owners of any of these pictures, please tell me if you want them removed:-

Frank Shorter on the cover of Sports Illustrated, May ed, 1976, a few months before the 1976 Olympics to be held at Montreal, Canada.

5,000 meter finals, Olympics 1972 at Munich, West Germany. From left to right- Steve Prefontaine (in USA vest), Emiel Puttemans (partially covered bib no. 6), Mohammed Gammoudi, Ian Stewart, then I think its David Bedford (his face covered), Seradov of Russia, and of course, Lasse Viren.

Marathon, Olympics 1972. Kenny Moore embracing a yellow Adidas-ed moustachioed Frank Shorter (the latter of whom won the gold medal).