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)
Coffee - Good for metabolising fat
The good thing about caffeine is that it is found through research to boost performance. However, I did not use this for races, especially in the past. It took me a long time to drink coffee for performance.
I used to do meditation and I did not like the idea of getting my mind restless and distracted. It was only over time that I started experimenting on coffee.
I was drinking coffee and biscuits when I was training in Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Marathon race in the early 1990s. I ran my heart out for the race and did 2hr 31min for that. I broke the National Record in this race for the first time. Because of the fact that I was a vegetarian, I had limited choices of food I could take. Most of the bread there at that time had egg included. Hence, I stuck to biscuits and coffee for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I included fruits and vegetable in the diet but it was difficult to get this food at the place that I was staying at that time. Just before the race, I used coffee as I had no choice for my breakfast. However, I did not have a proper understanding of caffeine at that time.
When I train for the 1993 London Marathon, I felt so tired in the morning such that I needed coffee for the running sessions. My observation was that I felt a surge of energy and it was translated by my moderate speed in my runs all the way throughout for my runs. I trained in the morning and evening for 5 weeks after my first-year exams and I did 2hr 29min plus. That was the first time for me to cross the finish line for the marathon in under 2hr 30min. My friend- Tony Bignell- was the one who arranged the breakfast in the morning when I stayed at his place for the London Marathon. He was the main person responsible for me to do this time, which was a National Record at that time. I used coffee just before the race and it came in handy as I was able to run well throughout the race.
My understanding of coffee at that time was that it was a stimulant and it has an ergogenic aid in running,
It can make a person run 20% more, in terms of distance covered, for long runs, the runs that we usually run on Sundays.
Later on, after reading on Dave Costill's work on caffeine, particularly on coffee, I come to an understanding that runners who are fit will benefit from drinking coffee. How? During moderate-intensity, predominantly the energy will come from glycogen (carbohydrate) and not fats for the less fit runners. As for the fitter ones, for example like an Ethiopian or Kenyan elite runner, during moderate runs, they are able to burn fats through a scientific process called Kreb's Cycle. There is glycogen sparing effect. As such, fit people would not feel tired out after a run. For obese people, even a jog is a sprint for them and they use predominantly glycogen only. They get tired out by this usage of glycogen from the body, and as such they get hungry all the time as their glycogen stores get depleted fast.
A thorough understanding of which energy path taken by an athlete was explained to me by Veteran Triathlete Dave Williams and I was able to understand on coffee better. Dave Willaims was my lecturer at that time. It was after my association with him that I was able to find out on the importance of the energy pathways used when one runs fast, moderate or slow intensity runs. He was my Physiology Guru who taught me on Thermoregulation, training in the heat and cold etc. He also taught me about other physiological factors that can help one to improve performance in running. After his imparting of knowledge to me, I was able to understand the caffeine effects better, from then on.
By Narayanan
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.
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.
