Noom and Zoom Running

Saturday 15th February in Hong Kong was the 4th and final race of the cross-country AVOHK Reservoir series. Going into this race I’d lost 21 lbs (now 25 lbs, thx to Noom!) since the series started in early October. I had been told that on average, for every pound I lose, I’d knock 25 seconds of each mile or km. In the weekly long distance training runs leading up to the race I was surprised how light I felt. With the right conditions my times were much better. I primed all the usual conditions pre-race: blew the Noom diet, consuming 3,000 calories the day before. Deep stretching the day before plus a leg massage. Fiber in the morning. Carb electrolyte drink 90 - 120 minutes before the race. Hot shower in the morning to reduce muscle tension. (Still dealing with muscle hangover from years of stretching neglect.) 

Saturday of the race: course hilly and wet... very slippery. Hoka Trail Runners on deck. But full sail, no reefs. 

Ten minutes before the 8k race, post warm-up, while accelerating and decelerating in mild sprints, I badly pulled a muscle in my right calf. Ouch, piston blown. Sail torn. Batten missing! I could barely walk. Everyone said “be careful, don’t run.” But mind over matter, I knew my body, what it could and cannot do. Remembering 1990s advice from a massage therapist who once helped me with my sciatica, "this is a compression problem, not a stretching problem," I chose to run it out. I started the race slowly (back of the pack) trying to “drop” the muscle back into place. The first portion of the course was steep uphill. My calves compressed with each step. I could feel the muscle easing back to normal. By 3k I was at 90% race pace and moving very fast, passing other runners. Some of my kms were 4:15 even though I was still restraining my stride to protect my leg. Running App audio was reporting running cadence every 2.5 minutes so I knew exactly how I was running without looking at my AppleWatch. So cool! 

In the race I finished in 52:20 and 5th in my age category. BUT... my time was 9.5 minutes faster than last year! In the end I secured 3rd place overall in the series for my age group. (Perseverance Award: those that complete all four races get more points.) Not bad... people couldn’t believe my transformation and physical weight loss. Genuine shock! This is me on the right receiving my trophy from the race sponsor. (Also won $200! Family very impressed. Paid for part of Noom!)

Also, l learned something really interesting. While oatmeal is perfect for regular, daily breakfast, it doesn’t provide enough “fullness” for the race. Normally I have Ezekial cereal pre-race. That day I had oatmeal and was really hungry mid-race even though I had lots of energy.

Moral of the story: Don’t Give Up... Good Things Take Time. Radar says, “Keep sailing into the unknown. Believe in the horizon.”  Stay active. Move regardless of what the movement: walking, running, planking, stretching – it’s all good.  

Aim higher because there’s something more.

Below is the full picture.