Lim Thow Wee - PB 1hr 20min 11sec for Army Half-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)

Lim Thow Wee - Trailed me from 2008

Picture 1 - Sub - 3hrs gear in Seoul International Marathon 2013

I remember reading Thow Wee's e-mail, in the past, about 5 years back and decided to coach him ultimately. His goal was to do a sub-3hr at that time. This did not materialise until this year where he did 2hr 55min 50min in Seoul International Marathon.

Earlier on, in the year 2008 Lim Thow Wee came in 10^th in the Stanchart marathon race with a time of 3hr 10min, while I, Daniel and Dr Benedict Tan came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd for the race, respectively. 

Subsequently, in 2010, he did 3hr 02min for Stanchart Marathon. After that, he did not do any serious marathon. Seoul Marathon 2013 was his first serious marathon after 2010 Stanchart Marathon. He was maintaining a high level of fitness and he saw me three weeks recently before doing some last-minute workouts for Seoul International Marathon (17/03/2013). He did 3 sessions of workouts altogether.

After running the race, Thow Wee communicated through the handphone with me on his success in getting the time down to below 3hrs finally for the Marathon race. I was feeling on top of the world in knowing that he had finally done it, after getting some injuries which got him out of contention for the sub -3hr time that he was gunning for. 

Picture 2 - (left to right) Myself, Lim Thow Wee, Ashley Liew, 

Noorshidah, Ranjith W

After his success in this, he was resting for 2 weeks and he had about 3 months left to run the Gold Coast Marathon 2013 in 7th July 2013. I strongly encouraged him to run as I was going down there with a small number of our athletes as well. We were not flying together as the flight for him was a little expensive due to last-minute booking. We took different flight, hence.

Picture 3- Lim Thow Wee and myself, just before the  Gold Coast Marathon run

 

In Gold Coast, Thow Wee had communication with me on the phone on Carbo-loading. The strategy we had was very simple. It was for Thow Wee to go at a speed which was 4min per km, which allows him to run at this speed economically, using his tempo run timing. 

All the way, Thow Wee was able to run at this speed until at the last few km, around 33km, he was affected by muscular fatigue. He did the Gold Coast Marathon race in 2hr 53min. It was great to hear this. 

Both, Ashley Liew and Lim Thow Wee were ranked 2nd and 4th best Singaporeans for the race. This was a great achievement by Team Flexifitness' elite athletes. 

The next aim for him was to run the ING New York City Marathon 2013 to be held on 3rd November. He decided to give Stanchart Marathon 2013 a miss because of this. As a coach, I was receptive to either Stanchart or New York Marathon 2013. I had to respect his decision. 

Picture 4 - Lim Thow Wee running in the midst of runners in Gold Coast Marathon 2013

In the recent SAFRA Half-Marathon 2013 on last Sunday, Lim Thow Wee and I had aimed the time to be 1hr 20min. During the last few days, some of our runners like Jimmy Tan and Jasmine got sick.  Lim Thow Wee also fell sick. 

A day before the race, he was wondering whether to run or not. My first advice was on safety and told him to miss the race if he does not feel well as there are other races to contend with. 

After the run, I could not find him, except the other runners. He told me that his time was somewhere around 1hr 22min. The official result was out and it was his personal best time. The next day, Thow Wee told me that he is still not feeling well. I feel that he could have done a sub - 1hr 20min if he did not fall sick. 

In the upcoming New York marathon, Thow Wee and I are planning for a sub-2hr 50min. As the first goal in life of doing a sub-3hr has been achieved, Thow Wee's next move is to do a much faster time. 

Let us find out his answers of how he achieved the time of 1hr 20min 11sec in the Army Half - Marathon by asking him some important questions in this interview. I hope that it will benefit many aspiring runners to be like Lim Thow Wee. 

Picture 5 - Thow Wee finishing in SAFRA Army Half - Marathon 2013 (Courtesy of SAFRA Running Club)

An Interview With Lim Thow Wee

What was the time that you were going for?

I was going for 1 hour 24 mins or faster. That will be 4 mins per kilometre pace.

What was the time you took to cover?

My time was 1 hour 21 mins 11 sec. That is my new personal best from 1 hour 22 mins in 2011.

How was your 3km, 5km, 10km, 15km and 20 km splits?

0-5km: 20 mins 37 sec*

5-10km: 20 mins 53 sec

11-15km: 20 mins 22 sec

16-20km: 19 mins 56 sec

I heard from a friend that the total distance is about 20.6km. He was wearing a Suunto GPS watch. So I guess the 1^st 5km split is not accurate as my GPS watch went haywire in the 1^st few KMs due to the skyscrapers in Shenton Way.

Are you happy with the time?

I am definitely pleased with the time as it was a personal best. I had bad flu since Tuesday and it persisted. I was pondering whether to run even till the night before, so Coach Rameshon told me to access my own condition. I decided to give it a shot in the morning with the intention to pull out after 8k, 10k, 12k or even 15k if I didn’t feel well.

Have you recovered from the flu?

Not yet! It has been more than 1 week as I didn’t want to take any medicine. I know I will incur a lot of wrath from my doctor friends but I haven’t taken any medicine for more than a decade as I always believe in letting my body fight against the illness naturally. Haha.

How was the weather on that day?

I felt that it was quite cooling on race day. It wasn’t too humid and if I remembered correctly, there’s a very light drizzle during the race.

How was the terrain during the run?

The terrain is almost flat except for the slopes at Nicoll Highway and Crawford Street tunnel. But most of us will be more than familiar and prepared for the 2 stretches.

How was the spirit of the competitor and spectators during the run?

As most, if not all, of the local runners, were present, it added a competitive edge to last Sunday’s Army Half Marathon. It was nothing hostile but a very friendly kind of competition. Not many spectators along the route as the race started very early. I can see some tourists, friends and the army people making an effort to cheer us. Really appreciate it.

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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.