How to Choose Running Shoes?

Taken from Take A Challenge.Org

Article by David Fribbins

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Running Shoes, a guide to finding trainers in a complex minefield

For any runner the most important part of their running kit is what they wear on their feet. Whether you know them as running shoes, trainers, sneakers, sketchers, the old girls, or anything else for that matter, they are vital. Your running footwear is what it protecting you from the pounding on your feet as they repeatedly hit the ground as well as handling a variety of other potential hazards that could ruin your run.

The info graphic below will show you some of the subtle and less subtle nuances between different shoes as well as some helpful tips that will ensure you get the right shoe for your purposes! First off, you are unique. You may be targeting a 10min run in your local park, tackling 10K race across the fells or slogging out a marathon. You may be large, you may be small, male, female, tortoise like or turbo injected. What you need are running shoes to suit YOU and YOUR running needs.

Your Feet
Knowing your feet is an essential element of choosing a running trainer and below we have a few free tips on how you can discover more about your body and your biomechanics.

Generally, when running the foot hits the ground landing on the outside of the heel. Then it then rolls inwards to be flat with the ground. This movement is a natural motion known as 'pronation', it absorbs the shock from impact and aids you in balancing as you run.

A common form issue for runners is that their foot rolls too far as they run. This is called 'over-pronation' and there is a very simple way for you to work out if you an over pronator. Don't feel bad if you are an over-pronator, it is a common trait and plenty of shoes are designed specifically to help manage your foot strike, keep you comfortable and help you avoid injury.

The Old Shoe Test
Go an grab an old pair of your shoes and then follow the experiment below. Take note of the OLD shoes as newish shoes will likely make this exercise futile.

- Place them on a level surface (not a table if you are of the superstitious leaning) and look at them from behind the heel.

- If you over-pronate your shoes will show a slight inward lean. Ignore the wear around the heel as this is related to heel strike and not pronation. Supported Shoes for you.

- Under-pronation is when a runner's foot does not roll far enough. If you under-pronate your shoes will show a slight outwards lean. Cushioned shoes are for you.

- Correct pronation and you won't see any lean any lean. You are said to be a neutral runner.

Neutral Shoes for you.
A final thought to add into the mix and confuse it slightly. If your old shoes are support running shoes, you have successfully evaded injury problems and your shoes show no signs of inwards lean then it is most likely that you do need support shoes and that the old shoes have successfully prevented the over-pronation in the past. Simple right?

The Wet Foot Test
It does exactly what it says on the tin. Wet your feet and leave a barefoot print on a tiled floor (make sure you can see the footprint and avoid soft flooring).
Looking at your footprint if there is a 'flat foot' then you likely have a low arch. You should be looking at almost the whole sole of your foot with the band between heel and forefoot virtually the full width of your foot. Low arches usually indicate your feet are prone to over-pronation. Support Shoe.

A 'regular' arch will show the band between heel and forefoot around half the width of your foot. It is less likely that you will over-pronate. Neutral Shoe.

Finally, a high arch will show a narrow band, or even no band at all, between the forefoot and the heel of the foot print. Under-pronation is quite likely. Cushioned Shoe.

If you are a severe over pronator, which is quite rare (less than 10% of people), then you may need a Motion Control Shoe.

Running Style
Remembering that we are all unique, it makes sense that we all have different running styles too, below are a list of the different styles that will have some baring on the type of shoes that you will buy but it is worth remembering that running style will vary as your running develops. you can find out more about running styles, in particular the barefoot revolution, and its importance in this article. Running style also brings into contention another differentiation in shoe type, minimalist and barefoot. If you have a good midfoot or forefoot strike (read below) then it may be worth considering the minimalist or barefoot ranges of shoes.

Most people heel strike meaning that their foot hits the ground heel first before then rolling forwards and pushing off of the toes. Heel Strikers = Cushioned Shoes

Forefoot strikers land on the ball of the foot before rocking back onto the heel and then moving forwards off the forefoot again. Forefoot Strikers = Any

Midfoot strikers land with the foot of their heel and forefoot landing together before pushing off of their toes. Midfoot Strikers = Any

The absolute final thoughts on free testing for finding you running shoe is to go to your local running store (you may want to call in before hand) who will generally perform a free GAIT test for you and establish which type of shoe that you should buy from their establishment.

Good luck in finding your shoe and enjoy your running!

Flashback: Powerman Malaysia 2012

Doing back to back races is hectic. Once you completed one race, you need to prepare another one (mentally and physically); plus you need to pack and repack your traveling bags. In between i need to balance work, family and kids.

This hectic schedule of mine kinda left the experiences un-blogged. Now i understand why Sarongman Yimster left his blog in cobwebs.

There’s few past races that i need to blog for my future references; Powerman Malaysia, The North Face 100 Singapore, Berlin Marathon and Craze Ultra. So this is kinda of the Flasback Series, lets start of with the Powerman Malaysia experience.

Powerman Malaysia or The Malakoff Powerman Asian Duathlon Championships, is a Dualthon race; which requires a participant to run the distance of 10km or more, then 60km or more cycling and then finishing with another run with the distance of 10km or more.

In the case of Powerman Malaysia 2012, the 11th edition was held in Putrajaya (4th November 2012), one would need to run 11.4 km, cycling 64km and finish with 11.4km run to earned the title Powerman. Only Individual Long Distance finisher can claim this title NOT the Sprint Finisher nor the team relay. Comparatively when you ran the Full Marathon distance and finish it you have the right to be called a Marathoner, certainty NOT 10km finisher nor 21km finisher.

Malaysia is the only country in Asia that held this annual international Dualthon event, hence called Powerman Asian  Dualthon Championship. This year it attracted over 1850 participants from 30 countries all over the world.

Other Powerman events, includes Powerman Alabama, USA, Powerman Holland / Horst aan de Maas, Powerman Germany / Falkenstein, Powerman Vlaanderen Geel/Belgium, Powerman Weyer, Austria, Powerman Fuerteventura, Powerman Italy / Malgrate and the World Championship Duathlon Long Distance held in Powerman Zofingen, Switzerland.

Powerman Malaysia was divided into few categories;

INDIVIDUAL LONG DISTANCE : 11.4km Run - 64km Bike - 11.4km Run
(2 laps of 5.7km Run - 2 laps of 32km Bike - 2 laps of 5.7km Run)

TEAM RELAY LONG DISTANCE : 11.4km Run - 64km Bike - 11.4km Run
(2 laps of 5.7km Run - 2 laps of 32km Bike - 2 laps of 5.7km Run)

SPRINT DISTANCE : 5.7km Run - 32km Bike - 5.7km Run
(1 lap of 5.7km Run - 1 lap of 32km Bike - 1 lap of 5.7km Run)

First and foremost, i would like to thanks dear friends of mine – Ziff and Dett for sharing their past Powerman experiences. It was really helpful for a Dualthon newbie like me, especially it was my first ever official Cycling event.

The cut-off time for  my category event was 5:30 hours. For my maiden Powerman, my only is target to complete the within the cut-off time and most importantly having fun doing it. Especially when i’m still green with my cycling and lack off cycling mileage before the race. I kid you not, my longest cycling distance prior was only 40km. When i complete this Powerman, the 64km cycling distance would be my longest ever.

 

“Rocket Queen” ready for maiden official race.

The Race

I  woke up early for the race and arrived at the venue before 6:00 am, did my Subuh prayer at Perbadanan Putrajaya’s Surau. Then quickly set up my bike at the transition area among many expensive road bikes. I found out that, Yim was placed few bikes away from mine in the transition area – great, now i’m nervous..he he. The atmosphere for this Powerman event is totally different from running scene. It’s like a family day said KA, which i concurred.

Most participants were looking professional with their expensive bikes, cool shades and trisuit. But don’t let their appearances fools you, once the race started if you don’t do the required trainings – all that expensive bikes and trisuit won’t be much of a help during the race.

I was glad to met so many familiar faces, after i met Yim. I saw Nick Arthur, Azlan Aiman, friends from Singapore running scene.

Running Leg 1: (55:39) 11.4km

The race started at 7:00 am, the weather was super perfect – kinda cool morning with expectation of a rainy race. My strategy was to run as fast as i could in the running legs, as i expecting that i would perform badly later during the cycling leg.

I guess i started running too fast, i was in horror when after 2km i saw i my pace was sub 5:00 (4:32 and 4:44). I quickly adjusted my pace and slowdown around 5:00. As this was my first Powerman, i don’t know how fast i should go and decided to conserve energy for the remainder of the race – still a long way to go.

My run was stabilized after 2nd loop, i stopped at every water station and drink half cup of water to keep hydrate. The weather was still  perfect and the water stations was plenty every 1.5km or so. I saw Azlan Aiman overtook me when i stopped at water station to consume my first Powel gel, i need the energy for cycling leg later. I said hi to AA as i overtook him later before entering the transition area.

Completing the first running loop (first leg)

I completed 2 loops of the 1st running leg (11.4km) in 55:39 mins, T1 took me 3:23. As i arrived to my bike, i was surprised to see that Yim arriving soon after. I thought he was long gone by now, it was funny when AA and i said it out loudly “alamak, habislah kita Aiman, Yim sudah sampai” he he.

Before entering the transition area, i remembered what Ziff told me – calm down and think clearly what you should do step by step when changing into cycling gears. First, i put on my Garmin GPS watch from my wrist on to the bike’s Garmin pod, then i put on my Chap Ayam Cycling Jersey, i put on the helmet next, gloves and finally change my running shoes into cycling clip shoes. Yay, my first ever transition done! Never had the time to practice beforehand. Great now we ride!

Cycling Leg: (2:25:48) 64km

I pushed the bike along transition area before riding it on the road. I haven’t rode the bike in the past few weeks, hopefully i remembered how to change gears and cycle…dang!  Ray, are you sure what you’re doing? Not really, i said to myself quietly – “ini bidan terjun namanya atau luncai terjun sungai dengan labu”. We shall found out soon enough.

Wow i said to myself when i started cycling – this is fast, i felt great and light; yeah especially when you rode a full carbon road bike. An investment that paid off handsomely in the end – i bought the bike earlier in June for the sole purpose entering the Powerman, now i’m living my dreams – no more a wannabe!

I overtook few bikes on the Seri Wawasan bridge, then entering Lebuh Sentosa, i overtook few more bikes – the bike route was just like PNM route. The first loop (32km), i maintained around 10 minutes for every 5km. The rolling hills around Putrajaya were merciless, thankfully the weather still perfect and cooling with drizzles during the second loop of cycling leg.

I was playing cat and mouse with AA during the cycling, whenever i overtook him, he will came back and overtook me few km down the road. This game really took of my mind during the boring cycling leg, thanks AA. I completed the first loop around 1:08 hour, so far so good.

Now as i’m still green in cycling event, and top it off – this was my first ever cycling event, i still figuring out when to consume energy gels. During the cycling leg, my strategy was off – i took Power gels much too late. When nearing a bonk state, that’s when i took the gels – already too late. As a result, the second loop was a disaster. Plus i felt a cramp coming up on my left leg during the attack on the hill around PICC at the end of first loop, i lay off and dare not to push as i did during the earlier part of the cycling leg. Which was a wise decision, once cramped – game over! DNF! Like few unlucky participants i encountered during cycling route – i could see huge disappointment in their faces.

 

During the second loop, i really took it easy plus i was bonked, dang!

Then all the bikes that i overtook earlier came and passed me by…double dang!

I could say about 200 bikes or so…the highlight was when a foldie with aerobar attached overtook me during the hill climb…triple dang!

I really learned my lesson that day – never ever racing without enough cycling mileage after this, plus my butt hurts like hell after cycling leg.

I completed the cycling leg in 2:25:48 , i couldn’t wait for the cycling part to be over with and get me into familiar territory – the running part. I was relief when seeing the transition area – i made it without major problems (cramps or getting my tire punctured).

As i was entering the transition area, Lina Jumaat from SG arrived, oh no she just caught up with me. Gotta run fast now!

T2 took me 4:39 min, changing from cycling gears into running gears now plus i was limping and walking funny along the transition area.

Running Leg 2: (1:07:17) 11.4km

I couldn’t help to laugh it out loud when i started running, and it’s funnier when you see all around you people running like a zombie lol. Now where’s that 200 peeps that overtook me earlier? This what happened when you used different muscle set from cycling to running, i tried to push it off by running faster and overtook more and more peeps. By 2km, i was back to normal running. YES!

I passed Dett nearing the end of the first loop, said hi and bye. Met few more familiar faces during the run. I saw KA at the side road cheering for me after completing the first loop, thanks dude, that made ran faster.

The second loop was the best, i was having a blast! I knew this Powerman was in the bag, i knew i will finish sub-5 and within the cut off time. That piece of information made me happy, so i said to myself let try to finish this sub 4:30, if you don’t try you never know. So pushed on all i got during the second loop – i ran with my heart that second loop i guess. I didn’t felt tired, i didn’t felt pain – i just felt light and overjoyed running. I could say i was FLYING :)

Now i must confessed that Powerman has the most photographers in any races that i ever entered. You feel like a movie star when they took your photos in action. I sincerely thanks all the photographers for all the support you  given us – without you guys there’ll never be our photos in action. Thanks a million.

Entering the finish line i saw KA, and i high fived him. He was there supporting friends – thanks bro you’re the best!

I completed my first Powerman in 4:36:54 (Position 53/117 Age Group 40-44). No. i didn’t made it under sub 4:30 , but i was overjoyed to finish my maiden Powerman (Dualthon) almost one hour under the cut-off time and earning the Medals and Finisher Polo Tee.

 

My hard earn Powerman’s Medal and Polo Tee

I have another confession, Powerman will be my annual event from this day onwards; i had so much fun it’s addictive. Plus it was great seeing friends from Malaysia and abroad, see you guys soon at next year edition of Powerman 2013.

Larian Kitar Semula@Putrajaya

The plan was to do 21km LSD before this short 5km run this morning, but i was raining when i woke up at 4am.

Dang, there goes the LSD.

By 730 am, i was ready to run this maiden Larian Kitar Semula at Putrajaya. I wanted to run the 10km category, but it's only open to 18-39 y.o.

I was forced to enter the Veteran Category (40 y.o. and above), and it was only a 5km run. I guess they didn't think old folks like me could run more than 5km :/

The medals was limited to top 20 for each categories.

I completed this short in 5th place (27:17) thus secured the limited medal. Yay, this old goat still have some speed left in him :]

Maps and running splits

Fantastic Four

4 back-to-back Marathon & Ultra Marathon completed between 22 September – 20 October 2012.

• 22 September – Craze Ultramarathon (Singapore) – 100 Miles / 160 km
• 30 September – Berlin Marathon (Germany) – 42 km
• 13 October – The North Face 100 (TNF100), Singapore – 100 km trail.
• 20 October – BSN Putrajaya Night Marathon (Malaysia) – 42 km
• Total mileage – 344 km in 29 days.

Thanks for the kind wishes and supports dear friends, syukran i made through and completed all back-to-back races without any injury.

My BIG races is done for the year, all the hard work since the beginning of the year finally bear fruits of my success.

I just can’t wait for next year which i will unfold new running adventures, let see where shall my feet takes me in 2013 :)

PBIM 2012

The 100.Miler.Man bids good luck to all runners taking part in this year edition of PBIM, the final Marathon on the old bridge.

Next year, the Marathon will take place on the new bridge. I’m gonna skip this year PBIM and excitingly waits to run on brand new Penang Bridge next year.

I have completed the PBIM Grand Slam, ran 42 km last year and back-to-back 21km and 10km (2010). So my personal mission on the old bridge is complete.

Last year PBIM was a bit special for me, as i was chosen as one of four Marathoners to represent Team Century Marathoner.

Good luck peeps, run safe and don’t forget all the delicious food Penang has to offer; nyum nyum!

Below is an except from last year Marathon taken from http://www.wemotor.com/blog/2011/11/team-century-marathoners-finish-a-good-run-at-penang-bridge-in-international-marathon-2011/

Team Century Marathoners Finish a Good Run at Penang Bridge in International Marathon 2011

Nov 25th, 2011 by Nooralia Zaharin.

All four members of Team Century Marathoner achieved a good finish in the recent Penang Bridge International Marathon 2011 held on Sunday, 20th November this year.

The mixed team of runners consisting of two men; Mr. Moey WooiSan and En. Razif Yahya and two ladies; Cik Robiyatul Munawarah Md Arif and Ms. Jessica Tang finished the gruelling international event.

The team, which is the first under Team Century Marathoner, had trained hard despite their tight schedules.

Proving that age is never a barrier, the oldest in the team, 46-year-old IT Consultant, Moey, finished ahead of his team members and crossed the finish line in 3-hours 27-minutes. Moey came in as the 11th Malaysian and 15th overall in the Menʼs Veteran Category.

“I am happy to have finished the entire marathon within the targeted time and at the same time glad that I was “powered” by Century Battery Malaysia for this event,” said the seasoned runner from Damansara.

“Being part of the Century Marathoner Team provided the motivation I needed to perform stronger, and I hope I will be selected to represent the team again in next yearʼs event,” he added.

Moey, who has taken part in marathons held in Spain and Portugal in the past, will look forward to next year where he will be only one of four Malaysians who have been accepted to run in the highly-acclaimed Boston International Marathon and stand to win up to USD150,000 in prize money.

The Boston International Marathon is the worldʼs oldest annual marathon, hosted by the U.S city of Boston.

Not to be left behind, the exuberant 28-year-old Jessica Tang was also a shining star, crossing the finish line just a little over half hour after her teammate Moey.

Jessica completed the race as the 5th Malaysian and 14th overall in the Women’s Open Category. “I completed the run in 4-hours and 3-minutes and I actually posted a better time. However, my results did not surprise me much as it was what I had expected,” she said.

Jessica, a former investment banker, said whilst she had aimed to complete top ten in her category, she was nonetheless happy with the results.

As the youngest member of the team, she said that her selection and performance as a Team Century Marathoner has spurred her to enter other full marathon events next year, namely the Borneo International marathon in May and the Standard Chartered KL Marathon in June.

Team members En. Razif, 39, and Cik Robiyatul Munawarah, 31, also did well and completed the marathon with finisher medals. Both are motivated by their performance and are looking to perform better in marathons next year.

The Team Century Marathoner competition was earlier announced on Century Battery Malaysiaʼs Facebook page in September 2011 and received overwhelming response. The four were part of 1,000 hopefuls to represent Team Century Marathoner through a selection process. The runnersʼ participation and trip to Penang were fully sponsored by Century Motolite Battery Sdn Bhd.

Mario I. Alba, Director of Century Motolite Battery Sdn Bhd said, “Facebook has become an integral part of many Malaysiansʼ lives, and as such is a wonderful tool for Century to reach our consumers.”

“We have become increasingly active on our Facebook page and with more than 14,000 members, we will continue our efforts to communicate with our consumers through our Facebook platform,” he added.

“I am delighted with the performance of our Team Century Marathoners, they have trained hard and their outstanding performance is a result of that. We are proud to have been represented by a team of committed individuals who displayed excellent endurance. In short, our Marathoners have brought to life what Century batteries signify – long distance running, and long life.”

Strollerman@ Larian Paru Paru

It’s been a while since the Strollerman made his appearance at running event. The final one was at last year TIBI run.

I entered this run as a fun run with the kids and to support Zaki Akiki and Titiwangsa runners as the organizer for this race.

For RM18 you’ll get a nice cotton t.shirt and a chance to win some lucky draw prizes. The weather was nice this morning, a bit cool especially after the rains last night.

Me and the boys before the start (Bobby with stylo pose)

At 7:31 am, the runners from category A, B, C and D (7km) were flagged off. It’s been a while since i last pushed the stroller and the kids are getting bigger and heavier, thus gave me a very good resistance workout this morning.

The route was a bit chaotic due to heavy traffics with cars coming in and out of the Titiwangsa Lake. I guess we made some impression with many passers-by, some of them looked and point at us with amazement. Try pushing two kids in a stroller! You’ll get the idea..hehe.

Completed the 7km run in 48:02 and managed to secured the limited medals (100 medals in Men Veteran category). It’s was a nice family outing for the kids and i, looking for more fun run like this in near future.

Malaysia Hari Ini (MHI)

This morning i was invited as a guest for TV3’s Malaysia Hari Ini (MHI) morning show with hosts M.Zul and Nurul Shuhada.

The topics was about Ultramarathon and diets for Ultra runners.

I was matched with Ms. Alina (Expert Dietitician) from Pantai Hospital, it was great experiences talking about Ultramarathon sports and special diets that involved with it.

Frankly, i don’t have special diet. I just whack everything that looks delicious, life too short to worry about not to eat. But, since i started running Marathon/Ultramarathon; i started to lay off from junk food, fast food, carbonated drinks (except when training and racing) and eat more vegetables plus fruits.

Once a while, i need a cheat day! Where i eat what i want and when i want. I deserved it since i ran hundreds of miles in trainings/racing, it’s some sort of rewards to myself.

Everyday you learned something new, and today i learn more about diets and healthy food from Ms. Alina.

Here’s some photos from the show and video.

Video from tonton.com.my (skip to 45:33)

http://www.tonton.com.my/#/home/shows/talk_show/malaysia_hari_ini_2012_d0dd5993f7f048a59f9aa04500dff524/episode_220_6f32ef48d8844893ab72a04500e011a6

Interview with Jamie Pang

I was featured in a blog’s interview with Jamie Pang, which i shared personal stories about my back-to-back experiences running Marathons and Ultra.

I hope you can benefits some of the information regarding running Marathons/Ultra.

Runner Profile: Razif Yahya

It’s been awhile since my last Runner Profile interview [past interviews here]. I’d always wanted to shoot some questions over to Razif, especially after his October exploits of back to back ultras and marathons. He’s one of the most unassuming man machine I know yet there’s more than meets the eye. I’m fully aware that it takes steely determination to not only finish distances beyond comprehension of “normal” people but to do these distances back to back. I was therefore, curious as to how he started out as a runner, how he manages pain and what he has to say to beginners. So without further ado, let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth shall we?

Jamie: How did you get into running and at what stage did those few tentative steps develop into something as monstrous as 100-milers?
Razif: I am always a runner, ever since school days. In addition, I represented my school for Cross Country events when I was a kid. Then life happened, graduated from University, got a job, married and running took a long hibernation. I restarted running seriously and entering event in 2009, it was a 5km Dukethon run that started it all. After completing my maiden Full Marathon at Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2010, I felt that needed more challenging event to test my limits. Endurance race and Ultra Marathon was something that I felt really at home, it given me serenity and calmness.

JP: For the many marathons and ultras that you’ve undertaken, which was the one that truly stood out and why?
R: It’s a toss between the Berlin Marathon and CrazeUltramarathon. But the 100 Miles Craze Ultramarathon organised by Ben Swee really stood out and special to me.

Completing 100km Solo. TNF Thailand 2012.

I think I met my match with the 100 Milers race; it was tough not only due to the crazy distances, but the Singapore’s oven hot weather during that event really tested my limits! There are too many times during the race that DNF was constantly on my mind. Imagine we started running on Saturday morning and end on a hot Sunday afternoon; that was two days of crazy heat wave running under the Sun.

I was glad to have the supports from friends and the mental strength to persevere and overcome all the challenges, thus made history as one of three Malaysian that completed the first and the longest single stage footrace in Southeast Asia.

Completing his first 100 Miles race in 31 hours 48 minutes. Craze Ultramarathon 2012.(Singapore).

JP: Is there any special training that you do when preparing for the ultras?
R: Yes. I follow religiously the 100 Miles / 100km Training Plan, which I obtained from Nancy Shura-Dervin (UltraLadies Running Club in USA). Website

Completing his first Marathon major. The Berlin Marathon 2012. PB at 3:53 . A week after completing the 100 Miles race.

JP: Many are taking up running these days and an increasing number are looking at your experiences (and those of other ultra runners) as catalysts to jump into marathons and ultra distances. What advice would you give to this set of runners?
R: My advice is to take slow and listen to your body; I’m stern believer in evolution rather than revolution. If you get injured, stay away from running and heal first. It always pays off in the end to be smart. Don’t compare your progression with other runners as our bodies react differently; we are somehow unique in our own way.

When you feel the 10km run is easy, then upgrade to Half Marathon. If Half Marathon is no longer a challenge, then it’s time for your first Full Marathon. And if somehow you feel the Full Marathon does not define your limits, then by all means go for the Ultramarathon (I suggest 50km as the first Ultra race as I did at Twilight Ultra Challenge 2011). I trained about a year before running my first Full Marathon at SCMS 2010 and at least six months preparing for my first 100km race, and I never looked back since. I’m a believer in a firm foundation and the old fashion way of hard work.

At the recent BSN Putrajaya Night Marathon 2012. Finished 11th, Men Jr. Veteran Category

JP: 17-19 hours is a long time to be spent doing a single thing. When tackling your long races, what strategy do you employ to pull you through the long periods of monotony?
R: My strategy is to break the distances into small pieces; normally I break it into 10km or the next check point. It’s too mind blowing for me to thinks that I need to run 100 miles/100km at start of the race, I never do that coz it will always screw up your mental strength. Some people listen to iPod when they get bored while running the Ultra, I prefer to meditate and Zikr while running whenever it gets too tough or bored. Zikr and meditation always got me through the long night of running Ultra, whenever I run through the trails, woods or under the stars, I always feel closer to nature and God.

JP: Any tips on how to deal with pain when running really long distances?
R: I’m blessed with high tolerance to physical pain, I guess I’m the King of Pain when it comes to running Ultras. I welcome the pain as it makes me feel that I’m alive. The best tip is to start the race injury free (it would really help during those long days and nights).

JP: If there’s a single piece of gear that you can’t do without, what would that be?
R: My smart phone.

JP: Which races would you consider to be your bucket list?
R: The North Face100 Asia-Pacific series (Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan (UTMF), China, Australia). I completed 100km this year at TNF100 Thailand and TNF100 Singapore. Next would be TNF Philipines2013, I hope to complete the TNF Gland Slam before I turn 45.

JP: Nasi ayam (chicken rice) or Mee Goreng (fried noodles)? Please share your favorite eatery!
R: Nasi Ayam of course. The best Nasi Ayam is at KotaTinggi, Johor – Nasi Ayam Basir. Nowadays, I settled for MONROD Nasi Ayam atSection 13, Laman Seri, Shah Alam as the next best thing.

JP: Will there be a day when an ultra no longer feels challenging to you? And should that day come, what will we most likely see you undertaking?
R: Running Ultras will always be my thing, but I might try different thing in near future. I just bought a road bike few months ago and I been thinking about registering for a competitive swimming class nearby my home. But I couldn’t find the time with my crazy Ultra trainings since beginning of the year. Now that the Ultra season is over for this year (for me), I have time to do other things. Yes, doing Triathlon will be on my wish list, soon I hope.

JP:  Where can one go to follow your adventures?
R: I have a blog [link] which I documented all my running adventures.