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Sunday, March 31, 2013

2XU Race - Flexifitness Athlete Alan Fong Does 1hr 44min for Half - Marathon

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By M.Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

2XU Half-Marathon Race - Team Flexifitness had 9 people running in the race, 4 did personal best time,

Picture - Alan Fong is very happy with his 1hr 44min for the 2XU Run


Flexifitness is proud to say that we have four runners doing their personal best time in the race today. Szerk, who had a former personal best time 2hr 00min did 1hr 56min, four minutes. It was his first-ever time doing this time. Roslyn did 2hr 14min, unofficially, today. She was very happy to message me on her progress. In the past, she did 2hr 23min. Alan Fong, was the best performer of Flexifitness for the day, for best improved, when he did 1hr 44min for the half-marathon race. Alan, in the past, did 1hr 47min. He just joined us very recently. I also realised that he has a lot of potential in him. The future will tell. The most important thing to remember is to train with commitment and determination.

Another three athletes did sub-2hr for the half-marathon race. Shireena, Charlene and Leong. Shireena told me that she did not train much after her return from Tokyo Marathon 2013, recently. Charlene told me that she wanted to do a simple long run during the 2XU race before her Amsterdam marathon in 2 weeks. She did 1hr 55min and she was pleased with this time as it was 2min faster than Army Half Marathon 2012. Leong, who had to go to the toilet just before the race told me that there were jams at some area and this slowed down the timing of the run. At some parts, the other forms of bottlenecks were formed and it prevented him from getting a good time. Anyway, Leong told me that he was happy and satisfied with the 1hr 58min in the half-marathon race. He is now confident of 1hr 58min.

Another runner by the name of Shantanu Shete, who is capable of doing a time of 2hr 05min lamented that he had a bad fall at the 1km of the race. He ran the race but was not able to do a good time as he had great pain at the ankle rare at the 17km mark. His ankle was also swollen on that day. I remember that the same thing happened to Tarandeep Kaur and she was not able to continue the race. Hence, Shantanu did a time of around 2hr 20min, around there.

We also have Lim Thow Wee, who did 2hr 55min 50sec, running this race to pace his friend to do a 1hr 30min. Fortunately, Thow Wee ran to pace and did not take the race seriously at all. 

In the 10km race, 52-year-old Ranjit did a personal best time of  58time, which was 3min faster than the Green Corridor Run. Ranjit was very happy with the training given by Flexifitness. He felt that the training has made him go to Genting and back to Singapore. He is hoping to go to Gold Coast Marathon and then do the Tour De France a week later. 

We will now interview Alan Fong and later on interview the rest of the runners who did personal best time on the 2XU Run.

Interview With Flexifitness Athletes.

An Interview With Alan Fong

How was the race route?
It was very good.

What was your time for the race?
It was a 3min improvement to my previous personal best. In the past, I did 1hr 47min. Today, with the training given by Team Flexifitness, in just a few weeks, my time went down to 1hr 44min. I just joined this group recently. I can improvement taking place and I can also feel that I am going to improve even more later on.

Are you happy with the time?
Yes, I am in fact, very happy with the time.

Was there any bottlenecks during the race?
Listening to your advice last Thursday, I did all that was needed to be done. It was a piece of last-minute advice that you gave me using your experience. 

Hence, everything was perfect on that day and I was able to do the 1hr 44min easily. I did not face any kind of problems and I really enjoyed the race. It was an easy race for me. The organisation of the race was very good.

If I say that you are capable of sub-3hr or even faster judging from your fats in the body and your conditioning, do you believe me?
I believe so, the only mistake I did in the past was to know you at a later stage in life and decide only now to join. Hence, I have delayed my sub-3hr target. After listening to you, I am very confident in getting my sub-3hr in time to come, just as how Lim Thow Wee and a number of them have got it.

What is your next target?
Sundown Marathon 2013, end of May. 

What is your age?
37 years of age.

Do you know that at this age many have a higher level of fats, but you have a fat rate of an elite runner?
I am glad to hear this. I just should have found a guide earlier on and I could have realised my potentials.

Do you think that there is a running revolution going on in Singapore?
Yes, I suppose so. Many people find running popular. I friends who do not run in the past have chosen running as a good activity to do. In today's race, it was found that 20000 people took part in it. 

How did you get a low-fat rate in the body until this age?
I was very particular about my diet and I am happy that it is helping me to improve faster now, as you are saying. It was worth the sacrifice to take care of my body that I will reap the fruits soon.

www.runningcoachsg.com


Note:

By Narayanan

Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’  by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.