runningcoachsg

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Readership in 8 months 24/05/ 2010 to Jan 24/2011

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)

Facts on the number of people reading the Blog

My friend Lua Choon Huat was inquisitive in finding out on the readership. When he heard the facts, he told me to release the number for the interest of the readers, hence I thought of releasing it today.

All countries with readers. Singapore, United States of America, Georgia, Mexico, Brazil, Croatia, Ukraine, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Serbia, Russia, Moldova, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Austria, Ireland, United Kingdom, Iceland, Israel, France, Germany, Spain, Holland, Cz Greece, Finland, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Canada. United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Guyana and South Korea, South Africa, Egypt, Fiji, Chile, Jamaica, Vietnam, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Peurto Rico, Peru, Venezuela, Pakistan, Macedonia, Turkey, Belize, China, Czech Republic and Morocco

Figure 1- Top 10 countries are shown below, other countries are not shown here as they are not top 10.

Figure 2 - Page view in 8 months.

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.

SAA Cross - Country Championships (Part 2 - 22/01/2011)

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)

SAA Cross - Country Championships 2011

Picture 1 - Hwa Chong boys came in second. Four to run and three to count.

Yesterday, the surprise came when Raffles Institution, as opposed to Victoria Secondary, came in first in the Under 15 Boy's race. Hwa Chong came in second for the race. Even more surprising was the third position went to Bendemeer Secondary School. Many people were wondering whether Victoria Secondary will be able to deliver just like previous years.

During the race, a parent commented that winning of the race depends on the final day, National Sch Cross-Country Race, and not the SAA race. He said that the weather was ok. He told that sometimes the day can be very hot and sometimes cooling.

He also commented that he was not able to see many schools yesterday who can surprise the field in the national schools' cross-country championships 2011. He told that much is yet to be seen.

In the Under 20 Boy's race, RI and Hwa Chong came in first and second, respectively.

I saw two students feeling very dehydrated during the race. One of them was not able to breathe properly. The first-aid was called upon. The first-aid came to assist immediately. When contacted the teacher-in-charge, she did not know the cause of it. Even after 2hrs, it was found that the female student had not recovered, although she was feeling slightly better.

In one race, I saw a runner who came from the mainstream school by the name of Tinesh from Bendemeer Secondary School. He told me he felt very happy winning an individual position of 4th, hence I interviewed him.

An Interview With Tinesh

Were you happy with the race?

It was a memorable race. I really pushed at the last part of the race. I felt that for the first time, I finally my inner strength. All the while I did not know I had it.

How did your father feel about this?

He was delighted on the way I ran my race. He felt very pleased. I saw my son at the last 300m of the 5km race. He was around 25th position. I told him not to wait too long. He decided to go for it and came in overall over u 15 and u 18 years old around 10. Finally, I felt elated when it was announced that he was the fourth position.

How do you find the weather?

At first, before the start of the race, it was very hot. When the race started, I felt that the weather was suddenly cooling and windy.

What was your timing?

My time was 19m 37sec.

How do you feel on your team getting Team 3rd?

It was a good feeling and I am proud of this that my school has done well. However, ACS (I), Catholic High and other schools may have something up in their sleeves.

How did your girl's team fair?
Only Marissa Sng did well by coming in 8th position. Last year, she did 22minutes plus. Today, she did 19min 15sec in the 4.3km run. In the inter-constituency race, she came in 7th last year. She is running consistently and so we feel that she has a very good chance of coming in top 10 this year.

Last year, I was elbowed by this boy from a school wearing a brown singlet. Marissa was blocked most part of the race by a girl. We just hope that these incidents do not happen again.

After hearing this I contacted Marissa Sng's mother about the incident and the daughter winning the top 8 positions.

When contacted Marissa's mother she gave her feedback on the race. She told that she is going to come down personally to the race so that fairness is practised in the national schools' competition. Jenny said, "I hope that coaches teach the runners the correct core value of fair competition". "Else, coming down for CCA and running in the competition will be of no use in the end". "I am very happy that my daughter has done a very good personal best timing today," she said.

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, January 22, 2011

SAA Cross-Country Championships 2011 (22/01/2011)

Note:

By Rameshon

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

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

SAA Cross-County Championship 2011 at Bedok Reservoir (3pm)

Part 2 of the SAA Cross-Country race will be out tomorrow

Picture 1 - Jason Lawrence from MR 25 Team 1, coming in with the fastest time for the 5km men's open section

Jason Lawrence from MR 25 Team (1) came in as the individual champion in the men open section of the 5km in the hot sweltering weather, doing a time of 15min 58.29sec. He ran a relaxed race with no fight or opponent. Only his stopwatch was his opponent and at the final stretch, his training partner Mok Ying Ren was seen cheering Jason to go for a faster time. Second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth position for the 5km race were Feroz Khan, Soh Rui Yong, Melvin Wong, Ashley Liew Wei Yen and Devathas Satianathan.

The fastest time posted for the day for the Women Open race was by Jenny Lundgren. Her time was a blistering 15min 45.42sec. The distance for girls and women, as a whole, was 4.3km.

The route was all ran in the track which was made up of gravel. About 4 people complaint to me that the weather was hot as there was no shelter for the runners.

Clearly, MR 25 Club dominated the scene today as they won the Men Open team section of the 5km race also. MR 25 Team 1 got 9 points from Jason, Melvin and Devathas Satianathan. I saw Donald Ng, an avid member of MR 25, running around to assist the MR 25 Club runners to win in this section by cheering at the sideline. Definitely, it was a fine performance by MR 25 Club. Swift Team club came in second as three of their runners managed 28 points. The team with the lowest total points will ultimately win the race. The Mindef Team came in third. Surprisingly the SIM Men's Team 1 came in fourth.

In a team event, the top 3 runners of the club of the 4 team members are taken and counted. The lower the total, the team wins the race

Picture 2 - End of phase 1 training for the Hwa Chong Institution by running in the race.

In the women's under 20 section of the race, Mok Ying Rong from RI came in first with a time of 17min 03sec, which was about 1min 02sec from the next RI runner Wan Zahrah, who did 18m 05sec. Clara Wong from VJC did 18m 32sec, with Bell Tan from ACJC doing 18m 50sec. In the team section of the under 20, RI came in first, with ACJC team 2 coming in second and VJC Team 1 coming in third.

Picture 3 - Ashley Liew, will now be doing his second phase training for the upcoming Hong Kong Marathon 2011, Brendan Lee, right is preparing for duathlon/biathlon races in weeks ahead

Note:

By Narayanan

Friday, January 21, 2011

Cobra Posture - For Running

Note:

By Rameshon

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

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

Cobra Pose - A healthy and flexible spine represents youth.

Benefits Of Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

1. It stretches the shoulders, chest, arms, and abdominal muscles.

2. It strengthens the spine and firms the buttocks.

3. It helps to stimulate the abdominal organs and thereby improves digestion.

4. Cobra Pose is a great stress reliever.

Before anyone tries this exercise, it is advisable to adhere to the following below;

1. It should not be done during pregnancy.

2. It should also not be done by those nursing neck and back injuries.

How to do Bhujang (Cobra) asana (Pose)

1. Place your belly on your mat. Your legs should be outstretched, with the heels of your feet pointing up. Fold your hands under your head and rest for a while. Take a few calm, slow and deep breaths.

2. Now, pressing your feet, thighs and the pelvis, firmly into your mat, take a deep breath in and start to straighten your arms, raising your chest off the floor. Reach a height without straightening your elbows. The elbows are nearly straightened (90-95%).

3. Push your shoulder blades back and keep breathing in and out normally, expanding your ribcage.

4. Stay in the pose for 15 – 30 seconds, breathing normally. To exit, breathe in deeply and while exhaling lower your head and torso back down to your mat.

It is better to do this asana slowly and gradually. If your lower back is firm, inflexible and tight, there is nothing to worry about, though, as the initial discomfort will go away with time, due to improvement in spine flexibility. This posture is a highly recommended pose, particularly for those with stiffness in the back. It is better to make the spine supple and strengthen the lower back by doing this and prevent back problems rather than treat injuries by doing this.

Note

When there is an injury, find out from the yoga practitioner on what kind of back exercises that you can do. The instructor will then individualise a program that enables you to do simpler cobra pose that will enable you to do some form of strengthening for the lower back even when one is injured.

Note:

By Narayanan

SAA Cross-Country, Sat, 22/01/2011 (Program For the Day)

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

Tomorrow is Singapore Athletics Assn 2011 Cross-Country Race

The map and program for the day are given below.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Importance of Breathing Technique - A Study In The Chinese High

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By Rameshon

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

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

Abstract

Objective: To determine the efficiency of deep breathing exercise (belly breathing) on middle and long-distance athletes (n=7) of The Chinese High School.

Method.

The subjects were briefed about the test. they were given a survey form to be filled in. Each component has a score from one to ten to circle. Subjects were told to circle one of the numbers first and twenty days later circle how they felt. During the twenty days, the subjects were asked to practice breathing exercise. They are to do this 10mins in the morning and 10mins in the evening.

If the subject circles, for example, 6 for the positive domain (energy level, feel good, mental relaxation, calmness) and 6 for the negative domain (fear, anger and stress) and then 20 days later circles 8, it means there is no improvement to these areas.

To further elaborate, it means there is an improvement in the positive domain - namely, energy level, feel-good factor, mental relaxation and feeling of calmness. It also means that there is a reduction in the negative domain - namely; fear, anger and stress level. If, however, 20 days later the subject circles 4, the result is otherwise as mentioned earlier. The past and present results are given below.

Results of the present study show that there is a reduction in anger, fear and stress level and an improvement in mental relaxation, energy level, feel-good factor and feeling of calmness.

Picture 1 - Belly Breathing
(1) Stomach go out, breathe in
(2) Stomach come in, breathe out.

Note:

By Narayanan

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

An Introduction to Deep Breathing and Running

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By Rameshon

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

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

"If hostile thoughts do not invade the mind all his other thoughts may swiftly manifest"

(Kural 309 Subramaniyaswami, 1999)

Picture 1 - A simple belly breathing 10 min every morning will energise us for the rest of the day.

The essence of Breath - Introduction

Introduction to the Study

This work was carried out in the hope that it may in future benefit the pupils in The Chinese High School doing sports and also in academic areas. This may also help Singapore sportspeople in high-level competitions by knowing what stress is and the knowledge to counter this problem through breathing technique.

In 1995, the author learnt about pranayama and Sudarshan kriya breathing techniques from Bangalore, India. Before elaborating further, it would be appropriate to know what these two techniques are.

Pranayama is a deep breathing practice which opens up our lungs to maximize the absorption of prana (in Sanskrit) or qi (in Chinese) means life force. This technique recharges the cells, keeping us young and energetic with resilient clarity of mind (Narayan, 2000),

Another unique breathing technique known as the Sudarshan kriya was developed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation worldwide. This wonderful technique floods every cell with oxygen and a new life. Negative toxins developed in our body, over time, are easily washed away. The effect is immediate and tangible. It is a completely natural process which eliminates anxiety, depression and lethargy and we will feel good about ourselves and our entire life improves.

After learning the two techniques and the benefits, the author decided to apply them for the South East Asian Games. Both techniques took about 30mins to practice per day.

In 1995, the author participated in the 1995 Chiengmei SEA Games. Before the Games, he was practising breathing techniques - pranayama and Sudarshan kriya - daily. He did it either int he morning or at night. By doing the breathing technique, it was found that there was an increase in focus, energy level, discipline and the feeling of fearlessness before and during the competition.

He ran the marathon in 2hr 24min 22sec, a national record time, which enabled him to seek a qualification to run in the Olympics 1996 (B category). Though he was not selected for it, the author felt that he has reached his objective in life - that is, meeting the qualifying mark for the Olympics.

For the year 2001, the author coached the Chinese High School cross-country team which emerged champions in the under-14 category and first runner up in the under-17 category. The success of the Chinese High School cross-country team in performing well in the National Schools' Cross Country Championships 2001 can be attributed to specific training done and deep breathing technique practised.

It is known that in high-level competitions, athletes go through immense stress some days and a day before the race itself. The Chinese High School long-distance athletes were given breathing exercises to counter this problem.

Also, scientific studies done recently show that stress can weaken the immune system, intensifying cold and flu symptoms in an individual(Marsland, 2001). A person also has a tendency to overeat (Wardle, 2000). Dr Vgontzas of Pennsylvania State University found that subjects in this study suffered from a sleep disorder. Another study conducted on women found that there were a reduced fertility rate and early childbirth because of stress (Glynn, 1999).

The University of Zurich and University of California research studies found that during stress cortisol, a hormone is released. In both studies, it was found that stress can diminish a person's memory and learning.

At present, there are studies undertaken on pranayama and Sudarshan (3-cycle breathing) kriya in relation to hypertension, obesity, HIV, cancer and mental depression (The Art of Living, 1996).

Note:

By Narayanan