Thursday, July 25, 2013

Lincoln Han does 3hr 37min 33sec personal best time in Gold Coast Marathon 2013

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 Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)
Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Lincoln Han - Will always be close at heart for Ashley Liew and me



Last year, on our way to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, we met a young Japanese lady who actually got down from the same bus that Ashley and I were taking. We thought that she knew where the Convention and Exhibition Centre was. Finally, we found out that she did not know the place just like us and she decided to ask us instead. Ashley and I felt it was about 1.5km to 2km away as we saw the place from far. She requested in a polite manner to bring us there.

She followed us all the way until we reached the place. Once reached, She was grateful to us for bringing her there. At the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, we met Lincoln Han and his wife Doris Teo. Both couple warmly welcomed us and quickly requested us to take a photo with them. 

Both Ashley and I took a photo with Doris and Lincoln. Actually, we were taken aback as we did not expect this form of gesture from anyone. Seeing this, the Japanese girl also wanted to take a photo with Ashley and I. This all happened way back last year. 

Later on, over time, Lincoln and Doris came for Ashley Liew talk on running at Kembangan Community Club. He asked us some intelligent questions pertaining to running. From there I realised that Lincoln was an avid runner. He was an inquisitive person. 

After our meeting at the talk on running, we did not see Lincoln for a long time. Over time, we somehow met again in the Gold Coast marathon race. He told me that he did 3hr 37min for this marathon race. I was happy to hear that as he did approximately about 10min improvement and it was his personal best time. We took photos together there in Gold Coast. 

When I came back to Singapore, I was thinking of featuring this gentleman, who is close at heart to me and Ashley. He usually gives VIP treatment whenever he meets us. I decided that I should interview him and he consented to this. I believe that through this interview that I had with him would inspire others to improve their time as well.

I will also be putting up a newspaper cutting on his weight loss that took place due to his exercise regimen.  

 Picture 2 - Lincoln looks up to Ashley Liew to do well in running

An Interview With Lincoln Han

1. What was the time that you did in Gold Coast Marathon last year? 
My time was 3hr 48min  41sec

2. Were you happy with the time? 
Nope. I did a post-modem after the race and I kept feeling that I could have done at least 2 to 3 minutes faster.

3. Do you have a personal best time for the marathon? 
Yes. I did.

4. What was the time that you did for this year Gold Coast Marathon race? 
3:37:33

5. How did you train for this year's Gold Coast Marathon? 
3 months prior GCAM, I stopped eating durians and avoided deep fried stuff, besides eating cereal porridge at midday to help me to prevent overeating at night.

On physical training, I tried to run at least once a day ranging from 4km to 15km. I also ran 6 long runs up to 32km, 3 weeks before I tapered. 1 1/2 months before CGAM, I did some speed training on track (1 km x 5) or (400 x 6) with an average mileage of 70km per week. As I am injury prone, I took coach Rameshon and Ashley Liew's advice at heart - run on gentle ground as much as possible. These include running trails at MacRitchie and Bukit Brown cemetery.

On mental training, I read the articles on coach Ram's blog. It helps to fine-tune the mental aspect.

6. Are you happy with the performance?
Yes. I am contented as I didn't train much and definitely not as consistent as compared to 2012 due to recovering from runner's knee.

7. Can you share with us your 10km splits for the marathon this year? 
[Lincoln] Not sure about the split time. Here is what I copied from the "Result" page:
5KM 00:25:34
10KM 00:25:32
15KM 00:25:29
20KM 00:25:08
25KM 00:25:45
30KM 00:25:25
35KM 00:25:53
40KM 00:26:46
Finish  03:37:33


 www.runningcoachsg.com If you like our blogpost, please like us in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/flexifitness.runningcoachsg



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.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Why I did not break the National Record further

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 Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)
Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

National Record-Breaking - People did not notice me in the past, now they notice.

I knew that in order to run and break the national marathon record, I was not supposed to keep looking for my NSA or SSC for any kind of support. I was also under the influence of Yoga books where it was told that we should learn to depend on ourselves for chasing our dream. 


Breaking the national record the first time. - Hong Kong Marathon Feb 1990

Chasing my dream, I did. At first, in 1990, in Hong Kong, I did a time of 2hr 31min and broke Tan Choon Ghee's national record which lasted for a few months as he broke Goh Gam Seng's national record which lasted for several years. Tan Choon Ghee's record was 2hr 34min done in China. My training was all done in Singapore. 

Second Time Breaking the National Record - 2hr 30min in California Marathon

This was done in California Pacific Rim Marathon, USA. My training was all done in Singapore. I did a time of 2hr 30min for this. I was awarded a merit award for this by the then Singapore Amateur Athletic Association. Most of my training for this marathon was all funded by me. I used to race in Malaysia and find my own race there, assisted by Mr Chan Meng Hui. I did not go to the western countries for this quest. It was my own representation of these races that developed me as a good runner. 

Third Time Breaking the National Record 

This was done when I was in England training with my coach Alan Guilder and my training partner was Tim Dickinson. At first, I did not take my coach as a coach. However, having done a time of 2hr 29min for London Marathon in April 1993, I decided to take him as a coach after London Marathon in 1993.

Fourth Time Breaking the National Record 

After training with Coach Alan Guilder for just two months, I had a massive improvement in running.  I registered myself in the Berlin Marathon. I could have done a 2hr 25min there, but I was distracted helping a Kenyan top runner who wanted help.  This made me to, a day before the Berlin Marathon 1993, have a rest of 3hrs just before the start of the race. 

During the race, I also pushed myself too hard for the earlier part of the race. Around 17km of the race, two women started to overtake me. I just kept pacing myself with them all the way and was able to sustain like that until for the last 3km. They split from me at the last 3km.

Finally, I did a 2hr 28min. Both women open runners did 2hr 25min and the second runner did 2hr 26min. 

Fifth time Breaking the National Record

I was sent to Thailand to run in the Chiengmei marathon, 9 months before the SEA Games itself, also at the same venue. The officials there told us that they wanted to test the route just before the SEA Games. We felt that the place was very cooling and flat. I did 2hr 29min and became the first qualifier for the SEA Games 1995 as I was faster than the previous SEA Games marathon bronze timing. 

Here, I knew that I should take full- time training which the SAAA was not really supportive of this idea. I had to go to India to relax and to think about whether to run in the SEA Games or not. The SAA kept calling me to see that I was able to run and they were willing to write in to SSC to help me financially.

I did not get full funding. I asked the SSC to fund me half and I do some form of coaching to get the other half. SSC gave me $1500 under GLOW Grant and I was coaching Catholic High School's school cross-country team. I was training and coaching for the next 6 month from the end of May to end of November 1995. 

I wanted to train with Coach Alan Guilder in England and it was not given support by SAAA. I felt that if I had gone to train under him, I could have brought the gold medal to Singapore in the year 1995. It is still my firm believe even until now. That was the big mistake by them I guess, by them.

Hence, quitely, I trained in Singapore for the next 6th month, after a 5 weeks holiday in India with practically no running at all. It was a similar form of training that I had done with Alan, just before my Berlin 1993 marathon race.

Finally, I did 2hr 24min 22sec in Chiengmei SEA Games. Yvonne Danson, a female runner from Singapore also broke the National Record to 2hr 34min for the women's record. Just a few months before the SEA Games Yvonne Danson had done a time of 2hr 32min and was placed 3rd in the Commonwealth Championships.

Just before the SEA Games, Yvonne Danson was coached by her coach in England. However, she used to train with me for some tempo runs and was quite regularly coming down for my circuit training for strength training. Her husband, Tan Choon Ghee, sometimes used to join us also.

The good thing that happened was that both of us qualified for the Olympics. Although she was second in SEA Games 1995 for the marathon race, she was given the chance to run in the Olympics. She was hoping that I will also be able to come with her for the Olympics. 

Although, I qualified in the 'B' Category of the Olympics. I needed the nod from SSC and SAAA. The officials favoured the medal winners of SEA Games for track and field even though they did not meet the Olympic qualifying time. This made no sense to me but I was willing to accept this decision.

Nevertheless, by making it to the Olympic qualifying mark, I told myself that my dream has been realised. There is no need to keep breaking the National Record as it was pointless. The funny thing is that I was thinking that by going National Service for 2 1/2 years will destroy my dream. As a matter of fact, it was not so. I was able to do my national service, get into the CAT A (very fit) platoon in Basic Military Training and did the leadership courses and finally went to 1st Signal Unit to serve rest of my 2 1/2 years.  

In short, my training started after doing my National Service and it lasted until I reached 29 years of age, after doing 2hr 24min 22sec. I decided to keep fit from then onwards. 
 
To my surprise, I realise that it is only now that people are starting to appreciate the time 2hr 24min 22sec. It was all done as a normal citizen of Singapore. 

 www.runningcoachsg.com  If you like our blogpost, please like us in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/flexifitness.runningcoachsg



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.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Noorshidah Ibrahim - Braves Gold Coast Marathon With Various Obstacles

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

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


Noorshidah Ibrahim - Finally Does 5hrs 16min for Gold Coast Marathon 2013.

Picture 1 - Off to Gold Coast Marathon 2013 with a positive mindset
(Left to Right) Ranjith W, Noorshidah Ibrahim, Coach Rameshon and Ashley Liew







In our preparation to Gold Coast Marathon, of the whole Team of Flexifitness, Ranjith W, Ashley Liew and Lim Thow Wee looked very prepared for the race. Ganesh, Ranjith's friend, where the latter encouraged the former to go to Gold Coast Marathon to race, did a time of 3hr 10min, instead of the targeted 3hr 05min. Ganesh was with us throughout the 4 days stay at Gold Coast. We even had lunch and dinner together when the opportunity arose. Ganesh recounted that he was following a pacer who ran with the 3hr 00min helium balloon on both shoulders. At the 26km mark, his pacer threw out and had to stop. That made the group disperse and made them run at a different pace.

As for me, after having done an 8min 40sec for 2.4km 7 weeks before the race, I injured my hip-flexor muscles and had some problem training on the last 3 weeks of the marathon. Fortunately, it got better in the last week of the race. However, it was too late. I was happy to do a 5min per km pace till the 33km mark. After 33km, I hit the wall. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the run. In the race, actually, I was running easy and was not running moderate or hard. At 33km, I believe that I had no more glycogen left due to low mileage because of my injury. 

The good thing that happened to me is that when I reached the half-way mark in 1hr 45min, I felt that, after 5 years I am finally crossed the half-way mark. I was looking for meniscus injury problems that I endured for 3 years. Throughout the next half of the race, I did not have any single sensation or any sign of injury. This proves that I am able to run the marathon with no form of injury or sensation. This means that I could go up on speed soon, of course, very carefully.

As for Xu Pei Hua, she had some form of training for the marathon. She did 54min 07sec for 10km Southern Cross Race. 

Picture 2 - (Left and right) Noorshidah Ibrahim, Xu Pei Hua, Coach Rameshon and Ashley Liew.


Finally, as for another runner/coach Noorshidah Ibrahim, she was feeling very stressed just before the run and this is just my perception. It may be wrong. Noorshidah was not prepared and wanted to pull out of the race. Fortunately, she ran and finally completed the run in 5hr 16min. 



Picture 3 - About to run the Gold Coast Marathon (left to right) Noorshidah, Coach Rameshon, Ashley Liew and Ganesh.


She told me that young people should invest their time to improve in running and not waste time. They are having the luxury as they are single and not married yet. At present, Noorshidah had to do a lot of chores that she finds it very difficult to fulfil all the task and this leaves her with very little time to attend to her training in running. 

Picture 4 - After a tough day running a marathon, we enjoyed dinner in a Punjab Restaurant in Gold Coast, Australia
(Left to Right) Doris Teo, Lincoln Han, Ganesh, Ranjith W, Lim Thow Wee, Eliz, Noorshidah Ibrahim, Xu Pei Hua, Coach Rameshon, Ashley Liew




Let us hear her story on her journey to Gold Coast Marathon 2013. This is just Part 1.



GCAM Part 1

As a mother to a very active 2-year old boy who has been in love with distance running since the age of 13, I have often found myself having to juggle being a full-time mum, a working professional and a long-distance runner. The demands of my social, family and work-life often leave me conflicted and trying desperately to find time for all the important things in my life. Often, I would find my personal goals taking a backseat to all the other demands people made on my time. It was thus with no little trepidation that I made the decision to finally fulfil one of my goals – to run a sub-4 hour marathon overseas. The Gold Coast Airport Marathon (GCAM) 2013 in Australia was the perfect avenue for making my dream come true.

Making the decision was fairly easy, but actually carrying it out proved to be quite a daunting task. For starters, I had not done any running since I had gotten pregnant with my son in November 2010. The terrible effects of pregnancy and delivery took their toll on my physical health and put a stop to my running for the next one and a half years. Believe me, morning sickness does not just come in the morning! Morning sickness to my horror and indignation lasted throughout the day and night. And unlike other fortunate mums-to-be, my all-day sickness lasted for the first five months of my pregnancy. Furthermore, complications that arose from the delivery of my son, slowed down my recovery substantially and forced me to have to take a far longer break from running than I had anticipated.

As if my life was not complicated enough, with me being a new mother, my family life spiralled out of control at the same time. Losing my mother barely two months after the birth of my son, the lack of a strong family support network, and the new responsibilities I found myself having to take on in the care of my elderly grandmother – all these things coming at me altogether near drove me out of my mind. Both my husband and I did not have any family support in terms of taking care of my newborn son, and being inexperienced first-time parents was difficult and challenging for both of us; particularly, as my husband had to work full time while I had to stay home as the primary caregiver to my son. The whole of 2012 was a whirlwind of 2 hour feedings and countless nappy changes. As all experienced mums can vouch, babies puke and poop almost constantly, especially in the first year! At this time, I was also dragging my infant son along to the many hospital appointments for my elderly grandmother. Many a time, I felt overwhelmed and stressed, as if I had lost myself somewhere in the midst of being a loving mother and a filial granddaughter. In living for others and putting the needs of others first, I was losing my direction, losing track of my own personal goals and my sense of self.

The GCAM thus holds a very special significance for me, as it was the one thing – the only thing – in my life that was all about me and all for me. It was a way for me to express myself and re-affirm my identity to myself; that I was more than a mother, a wife, or a granddaughter. I was also a runner and I needed to remind myself of that.

In January 2013, I began to run again and at the same time, I also went back to work part-time, so that I would be able to look after my son and my grandmother. In the beginning, I thought that being on a part-time workload would enable me to balance my responsibilities towards my son and my grandmother, my family life, and my work duties while also fitting in running. However, reality soon caught up as I found myself struggling to find time to train. Between fetching my son to and from daycare, going to work and keeping up with my daily chores, I could scarcely find the time to run. Every minute of my time was taken up. At first, I tried to run to and from work, thinking to make the most out of my day. However, my practice of appearing at work drenched and in my running attire was frowned and remarked upon, such that I was forced to stop. As the year progressed, I found myself mired in more and more work responsibilities, which meant that completing them required me to sacrifice my off days and weekends. I found myself postponing my runs, as once again my commitments to my family and my work took priority over my own goals. Weeks would go by without my having had a single run. I began to worry about my lack of preparation for the upcoming marathon. Things came to a head about two months before the marathon when I felt so discouraged and frustrated and considered pulling out from the marathon altogether.

Fortunately, my circle of friends and well-wishers vociferously objected to my decision and encouraged me not to give up. After thinking long and hard, I decided to stay on with the marathon. At the very least, I would be able to complete the marathon and that would have to be enough for now. This was my only chance to do something just for myself since I became a mother.

So as unprepared as I was, I found myself standing at the start line of the GCAM on the morning of 7 July 2013, along with thousands of others in my quest to finish what will be my first marathon in nearly 4 years.


 www.runningcoachsg.com
If you like our blogpost, please like us in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/flexifitness.runningcoachsg



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.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Gold Coast Marathon 10km - Xu Pei Hua Does 54min 07sec

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 Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)
Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Xu Pei Hua - Still keeps herself fit while studying for her PHD.

Picture 1 -  Team Singapore Photo, just before the start of the race.

Two people who showed great leadership quality and who brought up Dunearn Secondary School in the early 90s were Helen Toh and Xu Pei Hua. I was their teacher-coach at time. Both made the school emerge as the champions in 1991 for the B division (Under 17 girls category) during the National Schools' Cross Country Championships. Right now, you cannot hear about neighbourhood schools performing well as compared to the past results. We need some real reflection in this. It is my firm belief that every school have very good runners who need to be developed to be a fast runner. 

Picture 2 - (Left to Right) Coach Rameshon, Ashley Liew and Pei Hua holding the Singapore Flag.


Anyway, coming back to the story of Dunearn Secondary, I had this athlete by the name of Xu Pei Hua, who actually ran for us in the Under 14 girls race and came in individual 3rd in the race. She was a very hard working girl in training. An intense dedication was shown in her running days. 

Later on, she went to ACJC to join the school's cross country team. While she was there, an unfortunate accident happened which ended up on her training pattern being changed drastically. She had to stop running and look after her mother who had an accident which was quite a serious one and that made Pei Hua to just maintain fitness. 

Picture 3 - Xu Pei Hua, a few seconds after her 10km run.

Over time, she joined our Team Flexifitness as an IT person. Over time, she had to travel to Australia to study at the Queensland University of Technology for her doctorate studies in IT. We do keep in touch and she kept her fitness regime regularly. 

Recently, knowing that we will be coming to run, she maintained contact with us. She told me that she was aiming for a 55min to 1hr run Gold Coast Marathon 10km run.

Picture 4 - A picture with running legend Steve Moneghetti (in the centre)


Eventually, during the run, she did a time of 54min 07sec and made Team Flexifitness proud. I did not expect this kind of time. I thought that she would have been down and out because of her studies.

Hence, I decided to interview her on the ability to balance studies with running well, just like our Team Flexifitness top runner Ashley Liew, who is right now doing his doctorate in Chiropractic Studies in Sherman College. Moreover, I feel that many will be inspired by Xu Pei Hua's capability to manage things well. 

Picture 5 - Ready to run the Southern Cross University 10km Run of Gold Coast Marathon



An Interview With Xu Pei Hua

What are you doing for the moment in terms of your academic work?
I am applying IT skills to my passion for running. I am fortunate to be offered a PhD scholarship by Queensland Academy of Sports and Queensland University of Technology, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. The current research is looking at determining the optimal or most economical running speed for individual long-distance runners. The main part of my thesis is to find a novel method to improve efficiency in human movement.

How were you able to balance studies with running before the Gold Coast Marathon?
Frankly it is a constant struggle. Since I am overseas, I have to juggle between working parttime, doing experiments, studying, cooking and doing housework. I have to fix a time or squeeze in any time I have to train. I join QUT running club and encourage my research friends to join me in running too. This gives me some pressure to get out there and run.

What made you take part in the 10km race (6/07/2013) of the Gold Coast Marathon?
10 years ago I went to the Gold Coast and I find the beach is very beautiful. Furthermore, I have heard from Mr Rameshon that this is a world-class route, it is very flat and many people will achieve their Personal Best times in Gold Coast Marathon. These thoughts enticed me to want to do the Gold Coast Marathon. My first year in PhD was really busy and I did not have much time to train. I heeded the advice of my PhD supervisor and decided that I should do a 10 km race first this year and train one full year for the marathon.

How was your preparation for this race?
I signed up with my friends for QUT Classic 10km run organised by QUT. Trained together with QUT running club and my colleagues. I ran below 1 hour for the QUT Classic, despite the hills and windy route. I even felt quite comfortable after the race. This gives me confidence for Gold Coast Marathon 10km. I remembered how I used to train with Mr Rameshon. I ran 3-4 times a week with long runs on weekends.

Can you share with us some details of the race?
In the morning, Mr Rameshon accompanied me to the starting line and said he will be waiting at the finishing point for me. This reminds me of my secondary school days when he used to give lots of prep talk before the race. The thought of someone is waiting for me at the finish line motivates me.

There was a small drama. I left my number tag in Brisbane. I went up to the officials and they issued me a wristband. The wristband that enables me to run the race without a number tag. I am very grateful for that. The morning was chilly. I planned to do a 5min 30sec /km pace throughout. At the start, my legs felt really light. It might be because the weather was quite cold and refreshing. So I ran at 5min 15sec /km pace. The scenery after 6km point was beautiful. The last few km I struggled to maintain my 5min 15sec /km pace and dropped back to 5min 30sec /km pace.

What was your time for the race?
I did a 54 min 07 sec for the 10 km race.

Are you happy with your time?
I am very happy as I planned to finish more than 55 min but in fact, did better.

Is there a difference incoming for the race alone, running the race and coming here and stay as a group and run the race?
It is definitely different. Going for the race as a group gives me a lot of moral support. After the race, we had dinner together to celebrate and it was fun, as all we talked about was running and sports. Overall I find that going to races together is fun and motivating. We have opportunities to cheer for one another, meet like-minded people, share the experience and celebrate the race. It makes the race more enjoyable and complete.

What would you like to say to those who want to have a balance in academic pursuits and sports?
I think in whatever you do, exercise is essential for one to stay healthy physically, feel better about yourself, increases our ability to focus and perform better. In my academic pursuit, there are endless things that I would like to do but many times ideas came during my long runs. So I try to keep running despite being busy. Without a goal, I find it hard to be disciplined for my runs. So I sign up for races and set a target time to achieve. With this target set, I will find running clubs and friends to train with and work towards my target time. Furthermore I believe in resting on Sunday. Resting from work gives me fresh energy for the week. Running is my form of resting too

What is your next goal in running?

My next main goal will be to do a sub 4 hr for Gold Coast marathon. So I plan races in between like Bridge to Brisbane and Standard Chartered Half Marathon to reach my target.

Picture 6 - (From left to right) Xu Pei Hua, Coach Noorshida Ibrahim, Doris Teo, Ashley Liew, Ganesh, Coach Rameshon, Ranjith W, Lincoln Make Tea and Lim Thow Wee


 www.runningcoachsg.com
If you like our blogpost, please like us in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/flexifitness.runningcoachsg









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.