The story of "-2s/lb/mile", Project 5k takes off!

Doris' story
I have been following Doris' blog at http://doriscbwong.blogspot.com/ especially on her fight against obesity.  Am impressed with her continuous mental and physical attempts to keep her weight under control.

(picture from doriscbwong.blogspot.com)

At the beginning of this year, Doris posted a blog entry http://doriscbwong.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-resolutions.html sharing her 2010 resolution.  One of her resolutions is to be able to run a Full Marathon (in either Venice or Frankfurt Marathon) in 4hr 40minutes by losing some weight and putting in some tempo runs in her training.  At that time, her personal best was 5hr 12minutes.

Interestingly, in her research into some sources, she mentioned that every 1lb of weight-loss can be translated into 2s faster per mile of running.

I believe that the formula only works for runner who are over-weight and who trains running regularly.  It would be illogical to assume that one could gain speed by merely losing weight without training.

Doris' 4:40 target finishing time was calculated based on her current personal best (as of Jan,2010), her weight (on Jan,2010), and her target weight when running Venice/Frankfurt Marathon (Oct,2010).

10 months passed, has Doris achieved her resolution by running 4:40 in either Venice Marathon or Frankfurt Marathon?  Yes... I was delighted to find out from her blog that she successfully did a new personal best at Venice Marathon by slicing more than 1/2 hour from her previous record!!!  Congratulation to Doris... and hat off!

I did a little surfing through her training record to see how she trained and how her weight changed.  I believe she did not run Venice Marathon with her target weight of 70kg, but I think she did run the race with much less excess fatty baggage with much more muscle mass and stronger cardio.

So, regardless of the accuracy of the formula "-2s/lb/mile", I think in the effort to keep the weight low by doing the RIGHT things, Doris is directly or indirectly benefitted.

Lesson learnt
Looking back at myself, since I took up running as sport in 2009, my weight has been maintained at 70kg with BMI of 25.7, which is in the overweight category by BMI.  Yes, many sources also say that BMI is not an accurate measurement.  Anyway, for its simplicity, it did give me a quick insight into my current state of weight considering I am not overly muscular.

According to BMI, my ideal weight should be between 51kg to 67kg.  Taking the halfway point between 51kg and 67kg (i.e. 59kg), if -2s/lb/mile is accurate, with my current state of fitness (or un-fitness), I shall be able to achieve

(70kg - 59kg) X (2.2lb/kg) X (26.2miles) X (-2s/lb/mile) = -1268s or 21minutes reduction in Marathon finishing time!

Putting physic and truth aside, isn't that beautiful psychologically?  I just have to do what I have been doing and by eating less, I can gain 21minutes reduction in Marathon finishing time!

Now, I am determined to lose at least 5kg, and that mark the begining of my project 5k.  The motivation...

"Reduction in Marathon finishing time without doing extra!"

Beautiful!  The story continues...

Difficulty of Endurance Activities

From your guts-feeling, list the following activities in rising difficulty.  There is no right or wrong answer, it is just my curiousity of how you view the difficulty of these endurance activities:

1.  To run a sub-4 Full Marathon, i.e. to run a Full Marathon of 42km in less than 4 hours.

(Picture from running.about.com)

2.  To run a 84km Ultra Marathon, i.e. to run 84km in less than 15 hours.

(picture from freshlysaltedwounds.com)

3.  To complete an Ironman race, i.e. to swim 3.8km followed by cycling 180km followed by running 42km in less than 17 hours.

What is your pick?

My Pick
I have not done any of the listed activities.  However, it would be "cool" if I can try one or two of these activities at least once in my lifetime.  Now, there are 'inverted comma' around the word 'cool'... meaning that it may be something nice for no reason.  I am not a linguist, but I think English is just one of the most ambigious language in the world... with words like 'cool' and 'quite'.

My pick is 2,3,1... being
Least difficult: 84km Ultra Marathon,
Median difficult: Ironman,
Most difficult: Sub-4 Full Marathon.

Now, before you 'hantam' me for being arrogant... I did NOT say Ultra Marathon is easy.  I might not be able to do it in my lifetime.  I was just saying it is the least difficult among the listed endurance activities, from my 'guts' feeling.

My guesses
For 84km Ultra Marathon, I believe if one had done 'enough' of Full Marathons, he/she can do Ultra.  I believe by training and with persistency, "anyone" can do it.  Well, when I said "anyone" can do it, I meant "anyone" who has the persistency, craziness, stubbornness.
Hopefully I can be an 'Ultraman' by 2012 before human race is extinct.

For Ironman, in addition to pure stubbornness, one needs a lot of time, suitable venue, and extra investment on apparel and equipment.  Again, with determination, anyone can do it.  Hopefully I can evolve from an Ultraman into an Ironman after 2012.  My sons will be delighted to have an Ironman as dad.

For Sub-4 Full Marathon, in addition to stubbornness, time, suitable venue, extra investment, 2 more important factors: genetic built and age.  Sub-4 Full Marathon would certainly be something, like licking my elbow or my nose, that I canNOT achieve within my current lifetime.

What do you think?

p.s. Did you try to lick your elbow and your nose?  geek...geek...geek...

Crazy Drunk Football Commentator on Ecstacy?

In the year-2006 Worldcup season, there born the craziest and most controversial Chinese football commentator ever.

As a result of his crazy and emotional M16-style football comments, the TV station had to apologize to the public for his 'insane' way of commenting football.

Here come the best of his comments... the Italy v.s. Australia in the last-16 game.  The Italian eventually won an injury-time penalty that sealed their victory, marched on to the last-8... and the rest were history.

During the emotional moment, the "Crazy Chinese Commentator" gave his, probably, most explosive football comments of all time!  He must be on-ecstasy for such an estatic delivery!  See for yourself.

(It will be the best if you can understand Mandarin.  For non-Mandarin readers, I've tried my best to translate his comments into English below)



The English translation:
0:06:  Totti...
0:10:  Crosso...
0:12:  passed him... good!
0:13:  went in... Iaquinta (or did he say Viduka)...
0:16:  ...come... SPOT KICKKKK...!
0:18:  SPOT KICKKKK...!
0:20:  SPOT KICKKKK...!
0:21:  Crosso brought glory...
0:22:  Crosso brought glory...
0:23:  do not give the Australian any chance at all...
0:30:  the majestic Italian 'left back'...
0:32:  he has inherited the glorious Italian's finest tradition...
0:37:  ...the spirits of ???, Cabrini, Maltini has possessed him...
0:42:  Crosso single-handedly... he represented the historical Italian's football tradition...
0:46:  ... at this moment... he is not fighting alone... he is not alone...
0:57:  Totti...
1:02:  Totti is facing the spot kick...
1:09:  he is facing the eyes and hopes of Italian fans in the whole world...
1:12:  anticipating...
1:19:  Schwarzer (Australian goal-keeper) used to... in the 'play-off'... World Cup qualifying 'play-off'... save two spot kicks.
1:22:  Totti seemed to know this very well...
1:24:  can he (Schwarzer) smile while facing him (Totti)?
1:32:  ...facing the person in front?
1:36:  10 seconds later, how would he look like?
1:52:  ...THE BALL WENT IN!!!
1:54:  ...THE GAME IS OVER!!!
1:56:  ...ITALIAN WON!!!
1:58:  ...KNOCKED THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM OUT!!!
2:02:  they did not, once again, fall in front of Hiddink's (Aussie couch) team...
2:06:  the majestic Italy... the majestic Italian 'left back'...
2:09:  ...Maltini, today... Happy Birthdayyyy!
2:12:  ITALY LONG LIFE!!!
3:12: ... did not disappoint the hope of all the Italian...
3:14:  The spot kick is... in complete theory... a complete killer... at the absolute deadly corner...
3:23:  The Italian team advanced into the quarter-final...
3:34:  The victory belongs to the Italian... belongs to Crosso... belongs to Cannavaro... belongs to Zambrotta... belongs to Buffon... belongs to Maltini... belongs to all the people that love Italian soccer.
3:48:  (censored... he actually said Australian 'roll egg' back...)
3:54:  The Australian team may be regretting now... their Hiddink... in the second half, with an extra man, they played too 'conservatively', too 'boring'... they lost their courages... when facing the historical Italian soccer tradition... they did not play the attacking soccer like they did in the group games... they finally bite their own dust...
4:16:  ...they should go home... they do not have to go back to the far-away Australia... most of them live in Europe... good bye!

Someone turned his ecstatic comments into a rap song... turn up the volume!  Here comes the craze...



Brilliantly editted pieces...!

Crazy?  Wait till you see the next.  This guy is definitely drunk!  Man... he has just re-defined the word 'PASSION' for both football and his work!  (you may stop at 4:05 onwards, it was just some talkings that I completely do not understand)



I hope I understand what he said... anyone?

In case you missed them, some of the defining moments:
0:07:  hugged co-worker;
0:40:  kissed co-worker;
0:52:  poor co-worker seemed very distrubed, adjusted earphone at 0:58;
1:10:  same poor co-worker really cannot 'tahan';
1:28:  same poor co-worker gave up... faced the noise with smile;
1:30:  co-worker at far end showed sign language with the co-worker at the side... body language looked like "what do to?"...
1:55:  co-worker tried to calm him down;
2:03:  check the facial expression of lady... hahaha...
2:32:  left the seat and stage and hugged the show-crew;
3:03 and 3:11:  same poor co-worker, expression-less.
3:36:  sing...
4:00:  co-worker from far end definitely is fan of the opponent.
4:03:  (nothing to see from here onwards.)

This crazy guy is Tiziano Crudeli... probably the best commentator in the world, and the most bias too (he is an AC Milan supporter)!  He went completely insane each time AC Milan score.

Now, a popular beer maker got an idea from his ecstatic behaviour, and made a commercial out of it...



Now, the following guys are definitely graduated from the same class of Luciano Pavarotti and Whitney Houston... pump up the volume... the best parts are toward the end...



Have a nice day!