Coach Sumathy - Hope is to do a marathon in less than 5hours.

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 Saranniya

Coach Sumathy - A certified SSC's National Coaches Accreditation Programme Coach who believes in leading by example. 

Coach Sumathy, 47, is the wife of Coach Rameshon. She was only running once a week in the past, when she was very young, as part of staying fit and healthy. Coach Rameshon has never forced her to take up running when he married her. Coach Sumathy only took up running when Flexifitness athlete Ashley Liew told her on the benefits of running. After hearing this from Ashley, she was motivated to run the 10km race before running the half-marathon race. In the long-term, she is hoping to even complete a marathon with a respectable time, under the guidance of Coach Rameshon.  

During her younger days, between 16 to 25 years of age, she used to run on hard ground like pavements and road, three times per week, and started to have severe pain at the knee area, which made her to stop running totally, over time. Later on, when she met Coach Rameshon, she was taught to do some important stretching exercises and some warm up runs before and after a run. She found that by doing the exercises it helped her to come out of her injury, and it enabled her to run a 10km race before doing the Great Eastern Race in 2013 and 2014.

She has proven her worth by doing well in coaching. She has enabled Bendemeer Secondary School to come in 4th and 6th in the Nationals Schools' Cross Country Championships Boys Under 14 team event and Girls under 17 team event. She was able to groom Tineshwaran to come in as the under-14 boys champion in the 4.5km race as well in the National Schools' Cross Country Race. Tineshwaran also came in as the 3000m champion and was second in 1500m National Schools' Track and Field Championships for Under 14 boys' race.

She has gone for the Singapore Sports Council's National Coaches' Accreditation Course (NCAP) and is a level one coach currently.

At present, she does at least 3 days to 5 days of running for fitness and health, per week. I believe that many can learn from her example to lead a healthy life through running. In the Great Eastern Run, she was able to do a time of 2hr 23min 46sec for the women half-marathon race.

Coach Rameshon told me that he was hoping that Sumathy can run the marathon in the future. At first, she has been resistant to this idea in the past. However, recently, she has been encouraged by the results of Flexifitness female runners like Tarandeep, Charlene, Shireena Woon, Jennifer and Wang Yan and other female runners in our group in doing well for half-marathon and marathon races.

Hence, Coach Sumathy, using her own independent decision, is hoping to do a marathon soon. She has mentioned and confirmed this to Coach Rameshon.  For the latter, he feels that it is important that a person runs when they are ready and it paramount not to force a person to run the marathon. The only thing he wants from her is to prepare properly before the run. Coach Sumathy believes that a marathon preparation is good to keep herself active and it is also one of the bucket lists to achieve.

Let us hear from her on the interview I had with her. I hope that this interview will spur many outside to train to do a sub-3hour marathon in the future.

An Interview With Coach Sumathy

How was the race route?

I liked the route. We were lucky to have the roads to run and not the pavements except for a brief distance once or twice. It was scenic and felt refreshing as I ran the route. There were some slopes up and down but none were too hilly or unmanageable. As a whole I know I enjoyed the run. It was like a running meditation.

Which was the toughest part of the race?

The last 1.1km was the toughest part of the race. It was slightly hilly and I suddenly felt a weight on both my ankles. I found it hard to lift my legs and slowed down drastically. I kept on, determined not to stop and completed at 2hr 23mins.

How was the organization of the race?

The race was very well organized. Especially the hydration points were well spread out and sufficient. There were lots of free flow of food and ice creams for all participants, families, friends and supporters. There was a corner for the women to refresh themselves after the race too.

How was your preparation for the race?

I was training with Team Flexifitness. I slowly started covering 8km, 10km, 13km, 15km and 17km with the encouragements and cheering from all the coaches especially, Coach Rameshon and Coach Tan. Coach Rameshon always constantly encourages me and applauses me for whatever mileage I cover. He always reminds me to take it easy and enjoy my run. Those words took away the pressure in me as those were true words. He made me believe in myself to run the half marathon. My first half marathon was in 2013 the Great Eastern Women's Run. Coach Tan gives me tips to hit the hydration points when you are tired, tough hilarious, but certainly, it is a mental strategy I had to complete the race. All the other teammates have certainly served in my mental preparation for the 21km.

What is your next goal?

To run in Stanchart Marathon 2015, if possible. 



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.

Experiments With Coffee (Part 2)

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)

Coffee - Boosts performance

It is a well-known fact that coffee has a number of disadvantages. However, researchers, in the past and at present, are agreeable in acknowledging that coffee does boost performance and has a number of advantages as well. 

It was at Loughborough University that I was informed by my former lecturer Sir George Gandy, who explained to us in our Athletics lesson on the quantity that you need to take to boost performance.

I have tried drinking one drink per race all the time before the race and it has helped me to a great extent. That was during my competitive years. 

Over time, especially now. I have started to experiment on my body on the reaction I get by taking coffee just before a race. I thought about this recently on the need to share this experience to the outside world.

But before that, let me share with you on how I trained for the Chicago Marathon this year. Three months before the race, I tried to train. I was busy doing a number of Personal Training, and coaching. Hence, I was not able to train well. I was doing twice per week of training. However, I kept doing my longest mileage per week 20 to 25km, which was one long run per week. I decided to run The Chicago Marathon as conditioning run for races of the future to do a sub - 3hr run, rather than racing in it.

I started training very hard only in the last two weeks of the race. I ran nearly every day. I did three 30 to 35km distance run in this two weeks, using my own strategy to do a training that does not stress the joints and get myself injured. At the last 5 days, I did not focus on training, but I focused a lot of attention on rest and recovery instead. I told myself to focus on Stanchart Marathon 2014/or any AIMS certified marathon races in 2015.

The training methods I used for the Chicago Marathon was progressive and I was applying my knowledge that I have gained from running experience and after doing Physiology research at Loughborough University and also on following current research.

Hence, on 12 October 2014, on the Chicago Marathon race day, I tried drinking two coffee in the morning. Ashley Liew also witnessed this in the morning. It was surprising as I found that the race went very well that I did 3hr 30min 33sec. I was happy that I bettered my targeted time which was predicted to be 3hr 32min. 

During the run, I did not get any stitch and felt great. I ran the 10km in 44m 52sec and the half marathon in 1hr 37min. It was from here that I told myself that I have a lot of time to get the 3hr 32min. I felt great when I got 3hr 30min instead. 

For people who want to try two coffee, they must use this in their time trial or tempo to see the efficacy of the drink. I hope one does practice this before so that they are sure of not getting into physical complications, like getting stitch etc.

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.

Xu Pei Hua - An Interview on her new 10km personal best time of 53min 59sec (Official)

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 Saranniya


Xu Pei Hua- Running is her passion from 12 years of age till now

Xu Pei Hua is yet another person that I look up to as she is one of the rare athletes who can balance running and studies at the same time, especially now that she is doing her doctorate. Due to her demands in her studies, she is not able to train every single day. However, she makes it a point to train at least three times per week and join Team Flexifitness at least once a week. I admire the great discipline that she has.

When I asked Coach Rameshon what type of athlete Pei Hua was in the past, he shared with me that she followed his instructions to the very letter. He also mentioned that she was a very hardworking and dedicated athlete who was ready to do any form of training without any complaint. This kind of spirit was actually found when she was you and it allowed her to come in 3rd in the Under 14 Girls Individual Category of the National Schools' Cross-Country race, organised by the Singapore Schools' Sports Council. 

(left to right) Xu Pei Hua, Helen Toh and Sumathy

Pei Hua also shared with me that she watched the true story of Louis Zamperini and was inspired by the mental strength that he had. The part that impacted her the most was the statement by him, "In all my life I have finished the race!" She said that the inspiring statement is now her motto.

Coffee, after the Great Eastern Run 2014

Although she has a busy schedule she ran the Great Eastern Women’s Race and she actually clocked an unexpected personal best time of 53mins 59sec for 10KM race.  Her time, in the past, was 54min 07sec in the 10km race category of the 2013 Gold Coast Marathon race.

http://rameshon-m.blogspot.sg/2014/11/xu-pei-hua-intervierw-on-her-new-10km.html

Xu Pei Hua's Great Eastern 10km Run Time.

km	target time (hh:mm:ss)	achieved time (hh:mm:ss)	pace (min/km)
1	0:05:20	0:05:24	0:05:24
2	0:10:40	0:10:46	0:05:22
3	0:16:00	0:16:11	0:05:25
4	0:21:20	0:21:41	0:05:30
5	0:26:40	0:27:11	0:05:30
6	0:32:00	0:32:43	0:05:32
7	0:37:20	0:38:25	0:05:42
8	0:42:40	0:44:02	0:05:37
9	0:48:00	0:49:39	0:05:37
10	0:53:20	0:53:59	0:05:13

As a doctorate student and at the same time running, I found that this interview of hers may inspire many who are doing higher studies to keep exercising while they are highly stressed. As such, it would good to hear it from her. 

An Interview With Xu Pei Hua

How were you feeling during the race?

I was feeling fine. I stopped at the drink stations to hydrate myself. After crossing the finish line I threw up all the water and isotonic drink I drank during the race.

How was the organization of the race?

The organization of the race was good.

How was the race route?

The route was quite hilly. There were 3 to 4 hills which cause me to slow down.

How was your race preparations?

Due to my busy schedule, I can only manage 3 times per week training with a mix of speed workouts, endurance runs and mental training. I also made it a point to join Coach Rameshon’s training every Thursday.

Were you satisfied with your results?

Yes, I am satisfied and happy with my timing for clocking in my personal best timing. I am thrilled to do a personal best for a hilly course in Singapore.

What is your next target?

My aim will be below 53min for 10km. A little at a time. In the long run, my aim is to improve my speed to a below 50mins for 10km. So that I can aim for a good marathon time in the near future.

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.

Great Eastern Run - Xu Pei Hua does 53min 58sec, a personal best time

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

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

Xu Pei Hua - Her constant passion is running

Team Flexifitness in GE 2014 - (Left to Right) Coach Tan, Coach Rameshon, Xu Pei Hua, Emma Oh, Andrew Oh, Ewan Oh, Helen Toh, Ethan Oh, Coach Sumathy, Divya and Saranniya

I spoke to Dr Ansgar, 48, a dentist by profession, and an associate professor in NUS, on running and he told me that he took up running when he was young.  I also found out he has been running from the past until now. He is very happy with his passion, just like how I am happy with running. I told him that I took up running when I met my school mate by the name of Ow Kok Meng who persistently called me to train in running. At that time, I did not value running.

I was not that interested in running at first as my interest at that time was soccer. It was only when I reached secondary 3 that I took up running seriously. Running instilled a kind of discipline that my academic studies were not able to give. My internal discipline increased over time. It was because of this that I was able to resist many distractions. I came in 6th individual in National Schools' Cross-Country Race. In 1981, I was supposed to come in top 3 but my injury at my knee area made things difficult that I came in 6th, instead. In the heats, I did 16min 02sec for the 4.8km race. In the finals, I did the 15min 56sec for the same distance. 

Over time, I wanted to be a Physical Education teacher. The first student that I started talking about running was Xu Pei Hua who was studying in Dunearn Secondary School. At that time, Pei Hua was just 12 years of age. I was doing my teaching practice at that time. In 6 months, I was able to form 6 teams of runners, a total of 36 runners. We won the A Division (under 18 years old) National Schools' Cross-Country Race. We were the champions. 

When I left Dunearn Secondary School, the school's captain was still following my training programme for himself and the rest of the team. Xu Pei Hua came in 3rd individual when she was in secondary two.

When Pei Hua was in secondary 3 and when Helen Toh was in secondary 4, Dunearn Secondary emerged as champions in the under 17 girl's team event. It is now very rare to see any government school winning or even coming in top 8 in the team event for the National Schools' Cross-Country Race. In the past, the government schools were able to compete and do well with autonomous school and independent schools. Several government schools were well known, like Jurong Secondary, Bartley Secondary, Chankat Changi Secondary, Henderson School, Dunearn Secondary plus other government schools were well known. It is a sad thing that there are no government schools winning the championship for several years for under 14, under 17 and under 20 years of age for both male and female categories. 

Anyway, coming back to the story of Helen Toh and Xu Pei Hua, I maintained contact with both of them for some years. Over time, as I was seriously training for the marathon race, I started cutting contact with the world, as I was too focused in bringing my timing for my marathon time down. I did 2hr 24min 22 sec in 1995 in South East Asian Games marathon race. From 1995, I started to focus my attention on coaching. I stopped training seriously.

After successfully getting 12 gold medals for my school teams in National Schools' Cross-Country Races, over the years, I finally decided to leave my last school, Hwa Chong Institution (college section) to reach out to many people outside to run faster in 2.4km to the marathon race.

Over time, I met Xu Pei Hua and Helen Toh again. They maintained contact with me. After some time, to my surprise, they started back to train for 10km and half-marathon. Recently, they took up running again and has not stopped running ever since. 

Today, in Great Eastern Run, Helen Toh did 2hr 36min in half-marathon and Xu Pei Hua did 53min 58sec for the 10km race. Helen Toh's husband, Andrew Oh, was there to support Helen in the race. For Pei Hua, it was a personal best time. Earlier on, her personal best time was 58min and she has been coming for our training despite working hard to complete her PHD studies that she is doing, currently. My wife Sumathy did 2hr 29min for the half-marathon race.  I was there to support my wife in the race.

Both my wife and Helen are planning to run a marathon in future. We are planning overseas race instead of Stanchart marathon race as it has split start and it takes gun time as official time in the year 2013. 

Saranniya, our sports writer, has told me that she is keen on writing on Pei Hua's experience in running and doing a personal best time in the Great Eastern Race. My answer to the former was, " Why not!". Please stay tuned to read on this girl who has been an avid runner all her life. I am very happy to see her and post the interview in my blog as she has great values of respect, discipline, selfless, filial piety, loyalty and above all, humility, besides liking running.

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.