Running 2

So by now, you have been walking at least 7-10 times for an hour as a good pace. 5-6km per hour is great progress.

Running or jogging is a different ball game compared to walking. Walking is essentially a non-impact activity that requires little (other then great shoes) equipment or preparation. However, I would recommend that one progresses to jogging/running as the benefits outweigh the cons.

If you're the type who's only going to get one thing out of this, get this: The golden rule here is to go as slow as possible when starting out and then slowly increasing the speed or the distance by 10% a time.

Before you run, always, always warm up. And after you run always, always cool down. Doing this, by itself will reduce the aches and injuries that you will experience drastically.

Pre jog session
Eat something two hours before your jog and drink two glasses of water one hour before. This will give you the energy and ensure that you're properly hydrated.


Warming up and cooling down
My method is to walk briskly for 5 minutes. Then doing the stretches as shown on the coolrunning.com website. It's called Stay Loose click here. There's even a printer friendly version available. An example would be as follows:

2. Wall Pushup #2

From the previous position, bend forward to lower your body to waist height. Bring one foot forward with your knee slightly bent. Lift the toes of the front foot to stretch the muscle under the calf. Stretch both legs.

Do the same for the cool down as well, but instead of a 5 minutes walk I do a 2 minute one.
Never stretch your muscles cold, they will spasm or worst, pull.

Couch to 5k program
There's a famous and successfull program that was introduced by Josh Clark. It's a nine week program that is designed to take you from the couch (or bed!) to be able to run 5km or for 30 minutes. 

It takes up only 30 minutes a day, three days a week. You can find the Couch to 5k program here.
An example of a week goal is as follows:

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Two things to remember

1, Jog as slowly as possible. In fact for the first few session, your jogging speed should be just a little faster then your walking speed. And 2, don't go faster then the program even though you feel that you can. And feel free to repeat each week as often as you must, before you move on to the next one.

The next running series will focus on aches and pains and how to remedy and avoid them.

Running (1)

I've been asked by my friends about my running and how to get started. So I will start a series of post that are simple, to the point and terse. Most of what you see here is an amalgram of experiences, theory, anecdotes as well as rudimentary physiology that I picked up from various sources. When in doubt, DOUBT!

Getting started.
Get great shoes
This is the best thing you can do for yourself. And it takes no sweating! Don't skimp and spend at least RM250-RM300 for a good pair of running shoes.

Which brand?
ASICS or New Balance as these are enthusiast shoes that cost a lot for the technology gone in to rather then advertising.

Which type?
Basically, there's three types of foot.

Neutral, flat foot and high arch. as shown in the images below. This is an imprint that you can see when your feet are wet and you step on to a dry surface. To learn more click here.

Why should you care? Because different feet require different shoes. And choosing the wrong shoe for your feet is the primary reason why pain and injury occurs.

My simple rule of thumb is, if you're flatfooted and heavy or female, get motion control shoes (just tell the nice shoe lady, she'll understand). If you are flatfooted and not-so-heavy get stability shoes. If you're none of the above get cushioning shoes.

Recommendations:
Flatfooted:
ASICS Gel Foundation 8 - RM275
ASICS Gel Evolution 5 - RM420?
ASICS Kayano 15 - RM470.
New Balance 768 - RM 250.
New Balance 1225 - RM 340

Start by walking
Walk for a week or two. Everyday if possible, at the minimum 3-4 times a week. Try to walk at a pace where talking becomes difficult but not impossible. You should be breathing very audibly as well. You should be able to slowly increase the speed and distance to cover 5-6km in one hour. Once you can do this comfortably, then you're on to the next stage.

I'll continue the next stage on a later post.

So after the accident ..

So after all that, it took me a whole month before I could do semi normal things, like take a shower, sit up and take a walk. I would get breathless easily after some exertion and moving excessively would cause pain. It took effort to be awake for more then 5 hours at a time. After two whole months from the date of the accident (July for anyone who is counting) I regained most of my physical abilities as before the accident.

I'm not sure, if it's being immobile for so long, or a sudden realization or consciousness that spurred me to start swimming once again. I had learnt it from my brother in 2004 but for some reason quit it when I started working full time after graduating from university.

Anyway, I resolved to start swimming again, so I went to buy swimming trunks, which was another barrier as I felt a little shy trying out for swimming trunks being as overweight as I am. To cut a long story short, I got the trunks and my old goggles and prepared my bag for my swimming debut. I choose a Saturday morning, betting my hunches that Malaysians will be Malaysians and that mornings are best left for sleeping. So here I am, all charged up and ready to go, with my bag and stuff all ready, and as I step out of the house, there was no car. Face with the giving-up-before-starting syndrome that seems to always affect me, I choose the unthinkable alternative.

I choose to walk to the swimming pool. OK granted it is not that far away, approximately 2.25km away. But put it in the context of an overweight, unfit, someone-who-abhors any and all type of physical exertion, it was a miracle that I somehow made it. But something even more miraclous happened. I actually enjoyed it and continued with it for about 2 months.

By this time, I wanted some mid week activity that I could do. I didn't want to swim, because it would always be full and there's nothing worse then breaking your stride by bumping into someone else.

So on the spur of the moment, I decided to go walking. And thence began another journey of mine.

Today :-)

Fast forward to today, where I've recovered fully and not only that I've had a passion for fitness. This came from an awareness that there's a lot of life to live. And that there're no shortcuts to life. But the journey itself is wonderful and yields a joy that is available to everyone regardless or race, status, wealth or even talent.

So I resolved that I will not let anything or anyone stand in my way of living a true, full, kind and right life. So my fitness had to improve as it was impacting the way I life and the choices that I could make. I was extremely unfit. I weight 132kg or 270 pounds! I could not climb up a flight of stairs before huffing and puffing that would put the big bad wolf to shame. I had also very little energy and by 8pm, felt like doing nothing.

So the first thing I did was to eat healthier. I'm not interested in losing but in being fit. And I guess losing weight is a part of being fit but, there's a point in this(besides being fussy), and the point being that my goal is fitness. And that calls for a lifestyle change. A choice, if you must, to make the right decisions or good decisions. A chance to revamp my philosophy, or to test it and realign it back to what I believe and an opportunity to learn how to live what I believe. I don't believe in diets as the goal of a dieter is to hit a weight target. Then what? Back and forth?

My goal is to be fit enough that I may then have the choice of doing what I want in my pursuit of a full life. So I went to learn and read about our body and what it needs and what nutrition is and so on and found out about some interesting things. I learnt that the food pyramid we were thought when young is not true. A healthy food pyramid which was introduced by the Harvard School of Medicine, based upon our current understanding of the human body, looks like this now. You can get more information about the healthy food pyramid here.

And then my close friend taught and introduced me to the glysemic index study. Basically the idea is that hormon levels are responsible for our health and moods and that we need a wholistic way of looking at the human needs instead. And certain food affects us in certain ways. So I incorporated this in my diet as well. You can get information about the glycemic diet here.

Next I will write about how I got into my exercise stuff :)

6 months ago minus 6 days ....

The very next day the same doctor had told me to stand. I was troubled by this momentous task, as it appear impossible to me. I mean sitting up is one thing, but getting off the bed? Again, this patient but strict medical man gave me an astounding revelation that when revealed to me, rendered me speechless. He simply told me, "You broke your ribs, your legs are fine". And with that, I was lifted from the bed. It was beautiful. And my dad was there to see me learn to walk a second time..

And beyond that, the healing took place a lot faster. And day by day I got a little better. The whole recuperation took a total of one month before I could resume work. My family helped me a whole lot, especially my dad who moved a bed down so I didn't have to go up and down the stairs. And my mom who made sure I had good food to eat. And my brothers who kept me company.

I also suffered from post trauma depression for about 3-5 days during this. Everynight especially at around midnight (the time of the accident) I would suffer nightmares and chills. Also I felt very very sad. After a while, I couldn't take it and I cried and wailed. Then I felt completely fine emotionally at least.

Funny story, as you can guess, a lot of folks asked me how I crashed the car. After trying to explain it in futile, I told them that it was exactly like how James Bond did it, in Casino Royale. And a while ago, I read that the stuntman who was in the crashed was actually hurt, breaking his ribs and collarbone ;)

6 months ago minus a day ...

Then I woke up slowly and notice that my parents were by my side, together with my youngest brother. First thing I said was that, I'm perfectly fine and gave them as much as a warm smile as I could. First thing I noticed was the love and worry on both their faces. I felt really guilty and genuinely sorry for making them worry. And I actually told them I was sorry. I know it sounds cliche but my parent's really went through a hard life and they have tried to give me and my brothers a better life, as misdirected as their methods could be. But any form of self sacrifice ought to be esteemed and I do try to show my gratefulness as misdirected as my actions can be.
But I digress, anyway, they were worried, because my cardio thoracic surgeon instructed me to be NBM (nil by mouth) in case I need surgery due to my broken collar bone.

That proved to be unfounded as my orthopedic surgeon said there was no need and the damage was slight, considering. Both the doctors remarked to my parents that it was a miracle that I escaped with so few injuries, just mere bone damage when it should be a lot worse. No one breaks nine ribs, the collar bone and cracks their shoulder blade and NOT sustain any internal injuries or bleeding. Add that to eye witness reports who claimed that my car lifted and rolled, I do believe that for some reason, some one wants me alive :). I thank God for that. I believe that He was there and He ordained it. Now if only He will tell me what my purpose is ...

Another revelation, albeit of a different kind is that I notice that any slight movement causes me intense pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, a tilt of my head causes a pain of 7 and moving my torso or legs causes a pain of 8.5. Lifting me from the bed, a definite 9. I don't know what ten is and I don't think I want to find out. Please note that this is a pain scale for men and therefore, the women super scale of 15 is not included. So I refused to move. My civil disobedience towards moving was so intense that I went on a hunger strike, so that I wouldn't have to go to the loo. And it became funny, because after a while, my position would become awkward but still I refuse to let anyone move me. And all I wanted to do was to sleep. Thankfully, my parents and doctor and nurses had the good sense to just let me sleep.

It got better from day to day. But there were challenges that would be so miniscule to the healthy uninjured me but monumental to me nonetheless. On the next day, the doctor requested an x-ray as the healing of the ribs can sometimes cause internal bleeding. To explain this, I must first explain how a bone heals.

Firstly when you break a rib, the tendency is for the rib to break outward, so that it doesn't puncture any of the internal organs. Also the ribs are supported not only by each other and the usual ligaments and tendons, but also with a complex set of muscles and tissue, much like a scaffolding. When the rib (or any other bone breaks for that matter) breaks, what happens withing the first 4-48 hours is that a temporary connections is formed between the two ends of the broken bone. This connection is done in a hurry and is a rudimentary fix to give the bones some form of support. It is this that can cause the internal bleeding as this quick fix can sometimes have sharp ends. After 48 hours, the bone team constructors called chondroblasts and osteoblasts will then slowly rebuild the new bone which will be identical to the original model. Like building plans, our DNA actually contains the instructions of how to rebuild the bone that we broke. How thick and long, the shape and size, the strength and flexibility and so on. Amazing isn't it? And in 4-6 weeks, the bones will be completely healed (for the ribs, other bigger bones take a little longer).

Anyway, the doctor wanted the xray done, and it was very painful for me. To lift myself with the help of a very kind attendant but that was done. Then after that, on the next day, I had a physical therapist assigned to me to make my recovery sooner. And also the doctor had asked me to try to sit up as often as I can as this will prevent fluid from entering my lungs which complicates matters by causing either pneumonia or worst, a lung infection. So with persistance and a lot of encouragement both positive and harsh, I slowly tried.

Day by day my condition improved and on day 5 my orthopedic doctor helped me sit up, by asking me to trust him. You see, being in a condition where any movement causes me pain. And having a limited amount of energy, my perspective of people changes. There are nurses or people who visit me, who are there for their own agenda. It could be a good agenda, like nurses who are just doing their job. But the lack of connection will drain a lot of energy from me. So sooner or later, what happens is that I start to tune this people off. You see at that point, I needed people to engage with me to achieve the common objective, otherwise, it will not work. So anyway, this doctor, ask me and reassured me that it would be ok. And I sat up slowly with him extending his hand for support. My God, it was a wonderful feeling to be able to sit up. I could breathe easier and life took on a whole new dimension.

I'll continue on the next post...

6 months ago ..

In May 2009, I was involved in a spectacularly amazing car crashed. Basically it was a dark and rainy night. I was in my car, and suddenly, the rear wheels gave way and I was tired so I tapped on the breaks and my mind screamed NOooo! So the car aquaplaned gracefully, and I would have gone over the cliff if not for the concrete light pole that was in the way. Anyway after the obligatory tires screeching, crash bang and busting of glass, the car lifted and flipped and rolled three to five times (Sorry for the lack of accuracy as I was a bit preoccupied causing me to lose count). When it finally stopped, the car was upside and so was I, stuck in my seat, held up by the safety belt.

I was finding it hard to breathe, so my first thought was to release the safety belt that was restricting my breathing or so I thought. I forgot about gravity, apparently as the moment I pressed the release button, I fell to the floor (which was actually the roof, being that the car was upside down). So I straighten my self up and still found it hard to breathe. I tried to straighten my legs but one of my knees was stuck behind the steering wheel. I remember then trying to move all my limbs including my neck to assess if anything was broken or bleeding. Everything seem OK except that it was hard to breathe.

Then there was a nice man who asked if there was anyone in the car. I say ya, would you mind helping me out? He was being careful, as he told me later, there was a lot of smoke coming from the car. So they were afraid of an explosion or at the least a fire. Anyway, a couple of minutes later, he came back and asked me if I broke my legs. I said no, but would he mind doing a small favor for me. I then told him that there was a small lever behind the steering, would he mind releasing it, then lift the steering and push it back in. He did and now both my legs were on the ground making it a lot easier to breathe.

The next thing they wanted was to get me out of the car and I couldn't fault their plan. So the door was in the way. It took 4 guys to pry the door open. Which is saying something about BMWs. Remember that this door was partially crushed in due to the hitting of the concrete poll earlier. But they did, and I help kicked at the gear box, and I was out of the car. There was a moment of confusion, as they were trying to decide whether to elevate my head or my legs on the pavement. They decided on my head (which is wrong :) legs take up a lot of blood). I didn't have the heart to tell them.

Waited for about 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive and I remember telling someone that I wanted to go to Gleaneagles Medical Center as my records were there and there were doctors there that I trust. This was in case I passed out. When the ambulance arrived, I told the paramedics the same thing. And gosh, the 15 minute ride to the hospital was painful. Everything looked fine (I asked the paramedics) but somehow there was pain especially when I breathed deeply.

As I reached the hospital, the male nurse did a rudimentary check on me. It was chilling because the AC was turned on high and also that I knew what each test was for and the consequences of what falling each test will entail. I didn't fail any except for the pain I felt when I was being moved. My blood pressure and pulse were high, which is good because of the adrenalin flowing through me, but more importantly it showed that there was no internal bleeding. The next part was painful as they had to take x-rays of me. And I had to bend and twist in every possible combination. They must have took at least 30 x-rays. No broken bones, except for the chest area. So my doctor, who's a orthopedic surgeon, referred me to a cardio thoracic surgeon who incidentally was the only one in the whole of Penang and the northern region. Talk about a blessing. Anyway long story short, the doctor came in, looked at the x-rays for about 30 minutes, and came over to tell me that I broke 9 ribs, my collar bone and cracked my shoulder blade.

The nurse asked me if I wanted them to call my parents. I asked him for the time and if I was in a stable condition. He told me it was 2:30 am and what did I mean if I was in a stable condition. So I replied, if there's a chance I might die, then yeah it's a good idea to call them. Else wait till 6am (when they usually get up) before calling. No point worrying them or them rushing to the hospital. I found it hard to breathe, so I told the nurse and they gave me a oxygen mask to help me do that. I then slept peacefully.