Nike Running Club organize a 5k training run at Marina Bay City Gallery. Despite the gloomy weather due to the morning showers many still turn up for the training run. We gather infornt of the Marina Bay City Gallery at 7am, where they conducted a short talk and share tips on how to improve your run. This was a great opportunity for me to try out my New Nike Lunarglide+2 and the sportsband v2 (Yes, I’m training back with Nike Sportsband after my Ipod and Nike+Ipod had failed on me).

The Running Lab in Novena Square was crowded when I went in. Many were already in their running attire and all too many cameras were seen, flashing their shutters with style. It wasn’t just a normal day for Running Lab and all the people in it. It was a day where Luke McKenzie, a three time Ironman Champion, came to run with runners and triathletes because just so conveniently, he was in Singapore during that time. A nice turn-up of 74 athletes came and the run was broken down into three groups to accommodate the various running speeds; not leaving anyone out. A brief introduction of Luke and Steve was done. Steve Locke is in-charge of -Swiss and he’s a triathlete as well.

Let’s face it. Everyone gets injured from time to time. Even with the best technology and whatsnot, ultimately, your body is still the one controlling your every movement. The fancy gadgets are just forms of aids that minimize the impact or the probability of the inevitable pains. Training with a coach, trying to run with a nice form, stretching before-and-after trainings, somehow, somewhere along that line, you tend to get cramps, hamstring pulls, etc. Human err everyday, you can never escape injuries no matter how good you are.

It was a Thursday and the Sun was shining brightly on my Optic Nerve shades. I arrived in Core Concepts office which was located in Parkway Parade. The office emitted a soothing music the minute the glass door was pushed open and it had cool colours and matching furniture. Immediately, I felt comfortable because the feeling was inevitable. The receptionist asked me to fill up a form and I on the couch while waiting for Chye Tuan, a physiotherapist. I was meeting him at 1430 for my sports massage. Chye Tuan is tall and athletic built (later on, I learnt that he is a basketball player) and his smile greeted me when our eyes met. I was led to a room and then my massage session began.

Forefoot Cushion: 8/10
Rearfoot Cushion: 9/10
Stability: 9/10
Responsiveness: 7.5/10
Overall: 8.5/10

Comments:

For the amount of cushioning it has, this lightweight distance trainer is really light. The cantilever technology at the heel which curves inwards towards the middle of the heel allows a stable landing for the foot as only the edge of the heel touches the ground.

This also reduces the impact at the center of the heel like a trampoline since the middle heel portion of the shoe does not touch the ground.

Mesh at the front allows the foot to breath easily and overall cushioning is very comfortable with the OrthoLite comfort foam insoles. Longest run clocked is 12km so far but I feel it will be comfortable enough up to marathon distance for most runners.

The forefoot feels a bit roomy for me as I prefer a tighter fit and shoe makes a pronounce landing sound, likely due to the air pocket at the heel from the cantiliever system even though I don’t land heavy while running.

Recommendedfor:

Runners with neutral to slightly overpronated foot type. For 10K to marathon distance. Otherwise, the Avia Bolt probably offers a faster ride for those racing <10k.

SUUNTO’s new Training Effect technology is set to revolutionize the market of Training Aids and Heart Rate Monitors. With all the world looking to technology for more innovative training methods and that competitive edge, it was very interesting to listen to Suunto’s take on training with a heart rate monitor.

ust Do It and that was exactly what Nike Run Club SG did! Nike offered the first group of runners a unique sporting experience with the launch of the Nike Run Club SG, the first running club to be conveniently established in the heart of Orchard Road. Sounds like an April’s fool joke? No joke. The free platform calls upon new and seasoned runners to come together every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month to run a 5km route through the bustling Orchard, starting and ending at Nike’s Flagship store at Wisma Atria.

I woke up early at 0830, caught a cab at 0910 and then, together with the driver’s help, I found Key Power International Showroom amongst a row of shop houses. Alexander Craig and Pete Jacobs, the renowned triathletes, came in for a sort of interview where they talked about their experiences and advices on the trainings and triathlons, including Ironman at 1000 sharp.

On Friday March 20th, I was given the opportunity to meet Craig Alexander the two-time Ironman world champion. We met him at Key Power International, the sole distributor for Newton shoes in Singapore. With Craig being sponsored by the Boulder, Colorado based company it was only fitting that we should meet him there.

SGRunners.COM organised a contest for Bloggers. These are the selected bloggers who stand a chance to get an ID Band to do a review. More information about ID Band, please click here.

Entry 1

Makes me realize how important for a lone runner to have a ID with him if anything do happen during the run. I myself is a “lone wolf”, a person who like to run alone, lonely biker along Mandai or LCK would probably be me… I don’t carry my wallet, nor my IC or even my driving licence :-/ call it stupid or stubborn, thinking that it always happens to others instead of myself. more… – zainal63

Entry 2

I totally lost control of my bike while cruising down a slope and bake too late to avoid a sharp bend. I was flung off my road bike and luckily I was wearing my helmet (which has a slight crack). I think I was unconscious for almost 30 to 45 seconds due to the strong impact. I couldn’t speak then. more… – oal

Entry 3

“Miss! Miss! Are you alright?” the voice aroused me from my semi-consciousness. My ankle was fractured, making me lie in an extremely uncomfortable position. The ID Band replayed this re-enactment as a reminder every time I looked at it. more… – nicoletan

Entry 4

Which are what goes on an ID band, so if the extreme ever happens to me when I’m running (like collapse from, I don’t know, too much of the good music coursing through my veins), at least I won’t be just another statistic, or one of those Jane Does lying unconscious in the hospital. more… – hecatemel

Entry 5

i guess the ID band culture isn’t really strong in Singapore at the moment. but i guess it will soon catch on with avid runners who may go for long-distance runs on their own! more… – eline

Entry 6

Marv opens his eyes too fast, too wide, allowing light to hurt his eyes. He feels the bed under him and a hand on his head. He finds his mother standing beside him. His mother opens her mouth “You fainted in the park, someone found you on the ground and brought you here and you never bring your IC with you. It will take me hours to know you’re in trouble.” more… – enzo1103

Entry 7

I was just paranoid. After 200m, it was clear that he just wanted company. So we jogged on for the next two km. At times he went ahead but mostly we jogged side by side. Every now and then, he would do his business by a tree or a bush. In the early hours of this Thu morning along the remote PCN, it felt like Will Smith and his dog in “I am Legend”. more… – seong350

Entry 8

“Breathe – breathe – breathe” his usual calm mantra to keep him steady…This time though something was wrong – his heart, normally the strongest part of his endurance anatomy, was pounding harder than usual and throbbing with pain. In this lapse in concentration he overlooked the pothole in the road and in one explosive second was sent careening off his bike into the ditch on the side. more… – triflash84

Entry 9

I banned the band (pardon the pun) a couple of years ago when the whole Make Poverty History Campaign was out in full force. Donations, money, charity and above all, a silly white band were not going to cure the world of ugliness, sickness, war but most of all greed. So when I saw people brandishing the silly white or yellow or blue or band of choice, i secretly sniggered and walked away very quickly. more… – jessintha

Entry 10

In the past few years there have been cases of hit and run in which runners and cyclists have been run down by a vehicle while crossing the road, even when following the laws of the road. more… – minicoopers51

Entry 11

The ID band also takes the tedium of filling out the same information behind the bib at every race and should you succumb to say heat exhaustion, all the useful information to the medical team is available on the band around your wrist or ankle. more… – bakhwee

Entry 12

Of course, you could carry a card with all these information. A laminated one too, perhaps. But those who perspire a whole lot like me will know that sweat pervades in mysterious ways – sooner or later your card will look like the remnants of the powergel you just took, and surely that’s not the point. Something then, for you to consider: ID Band. more… – Cokiee