Zero Week

It has been a week since SCSM'09. I have been curling up in my Zero Week.

So far, I ran a short and very-the-easy 4k at KLCC, trying to keep up with my AdiNation group, friends and yesterday was a fun trail running with friends at Batu Dam. Led by Fong, it was a good Sunday workout, with the run along the dam, and into the woods and back on the road. I have not been looking at what I eat this past week, and wifey was very pleased I gobbled all the things she put on the table. Heck, I finished almost all Toblerones in the fridge (but really, my plan is to finish all junk food we have within this Zero Week heheh). So far so bad.

Hal Higdon, in his article and training for beginner and intermediate marathoners, stresses the importance of this Zero Week, and recovery period for at least 4 weeks post the Zero Week. This includes many, many easy runs coz apparently, we mess up a lot of muscles running the full marathon. No wait, I am not training for this professionally, I am just taking all the best juices for my personal benefit... ahahah...

Anyway, I am itching to return to the gym and hit the weights again, and do steady running. It has been a good closure for 2009, and I have many plans for 2010, whether family, professionally, recreationally and/or financially. Well, aren't we all, all the time?

I have no immediate targets now. The plan is to sideline myself at Kiara next week, when the Malakoff starts because I do not know how hard I could allow myself to run post SCSM without getting injured, or at least trigger my ITB back. Next would be few small races, which I might pirate too. And all for 2009 will end with the One Mile Dash on the New Year's Eve. However, I have missed out on the Pacesetter's New Year Run, which in fact could be a testament to the year 2010. O well, you can't win all.

I want to end this entry with an excerpt from the book I am currently reading - Run for your Life, by Dr. Ben Tan. This will be a reminder to self, an explanation of at least for a man I want to be.

"There are many excuses for skipping training sessions - too busy, soreness, etc. 'No time' is the common excuse. I noticed that it is the busiest of executives that take up the most time-consuming of sports. I have since come to the conclusion that such busy individuals are drawn to marathons (and triathlons) for three reasons.

Firstly, these individuals are high-achievers, and non-competitive recreational activities, i.e. shopping, does not appeal to their competitive streaks.

Secondly, marathons and triathlons training represent a form of 'escape' from their busy and stressful work. The more time-consuming the training/sport, the longer they can 'evade' their work. They see this 'evasion' as in investment in their competitiveness and health.

Thirdly, the crazy, hectic schedules turns their lives upside down. The training schedules, with its fixed routines serves as the anchor, and the work their schedules around this fixed anchor. By doing this, they achieve a sense of stability and regularity in their lives ad end up being more productive."

OK, enough for now. Dr. Ben Tan is a man with many words.

I am hitting the sack now and getting my sleeping rhythm back, and back to the gym in the morning.