Anneliese is off ... but has to face up to a few home truths
The aim during my winter months is to train to run a half-marathon without inflicting grave injury. I'll be running in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Half-Marathon on February 8 - 21 long kilometres, my friends - to raise funds for the Hong Kong Cancer Fund which provides free support for friends or families of cancer patients. This is in memory of my mentor, veteran reporter Kevin Sinclair, who lost his battle with colon cancer nearly a year ago.
This column is aimed at we average, beer-loving folk who perhaps with discipline and dreaded exercise, train to conquer the half-marathon in less than three months.
My goal is to finish without injuring myself. Injury is nothing to laugh at and when training, this is a common problem for would-be athletes who over-train. Well, what about the ones, like me, who have never trained before?
Surfing around the Hong Kong Marathon website, I find the answer to my non-training dilemma, the Beginners Marathon Clinic run by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association and held at the Polytechnic University. These three sessions are geared for the many that aspire, but have absolutely no idea how to calibrate and fine-tune their bodies.
Leading the charge is Dr Simon Yeung Sai-mo, associate professor at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who offers classes for the crazy few keen to up their stamina without seriously injuring themselves.
At our meeting, his friendly, no-nonsense attitude is a relief and soon enough I talk him into letting me try the isokinetic machine and the V02 oxygen-consumption machine - soon to become known as instruments of torture.
The isokinetic machine measures muscular power and endurance. Translation: they strap your leg onto a machine and shout at victims to kick harder, longer, faster. After my initial 10 heavy kicks and then 15 quick repetitions I think I did rather well, despite the fact that by that time, my thigh is completely numb.
'Not too bad,' says Dr Yeung with his poker face. 'You are very steady, but I think your hamstring, which is the muscle at the back of your thigh, is not as strong as your quad, the large muscle on the front of your thigh. This will be an issue for you as you continue training.'
I am affronted. I have a withered back thigh muscle and an elephant-like front thigh muscle? This, to any woman, is a bit much. Moving on quickly an unruffled Dr Yeung says, 'It is important to have a balance, which will alleviate any risk of injury. Awareness is important so you can adjust your training.'
We move to the next instrument of torture in the lab: the treadmill. Attached to a harmless treadmill is a HK$300,000 heart-rate machine and a HK$500,000 pressure sensor with a camera which videos your running patterns.
'The idea is to measure your tread, your running style, your oxygen consumption, aerobic fitness and heart rate,' explains Dr Yeung with a patient smile as he straps the heart-rate belt across my chest and latches the mask onto my face.
I feel like an astronaut undergoing tests - that is, a mentally inferior and totally unfit astronaut. 'Let's see what happens,' he says mildly as he presses the start button.
The first minute is a mere 7km/h, a slow jog or fast walk for most of us on a flat surface. That is where the cakewalk ends. Each minute, he ups the rate half a kilometre an hour until he reaches 10km/h, or approximately the pace you would set if you are being chased by a pack of rabid dogs.
But the fun doesn't end there because every minute thereafter, he moves up the gradient a notch so I am gradually running more and more uphill.
'Just run until you can't go on any longer,' says Dr Yeung as I pant like a rhinoceros inside the sweaty mask.
I last a respectable 10 minutes (marathon runners scoot along on the machine for over an hour!) and nearly fall off the treadmill.
While catching my breath, Dr Yeung reads the results of my heart rate and comes to the damning conclusion I have not tried hard enough. Is this man mad? Did he not see me nearly fall off the treadmill? Still unruffled, he continues: 'These numbers say it plain. You did not over-exert yourself and I have a suspicion you could have gone on longer.'
I am caught out by the numbers.
'By looking at your aerobic fitness numbers, you should already be running at 9km/h to increase your cardiovascular fitness.'
Did this man just call me lazy?
'The rate at which you are currently running is most likely difficult, but not uncomfortable. You should feel slightly uncomfortable when you run in order to train your cardio.'
I sheepishly agree and promise to train harder, challenging my cardiovascular muscles. 'It's just a matter of knowing. You can run for half an hour, 50 minutes at the pace you are running right now, but you will not improve. In order to improve you need to train slightly faster and you will see results.'
I guess that's all it is. I just need a bit of a push to shed my lazy-runner persona and Dr Yeung helps me lay off the excuses and just get on with it.
My first weekly mileage is 21km. This may be pathetic compared with the hundreds racked up by real marathon runners, but we all have to start somewhere.
For you fellow sufferers, Dr Yeung is hosting intensive marathon clinics on Wednesday and Sunday to give advice on how to train without injuring yourself.
But I have already learnt a golden lesson - training to run a marathon is much like the marathon battle to fight cancer. Both take a lot of effort, energy and encouragement.
Road runner
Anneliese has started her journey which will take her over the line in February after running: 21km
Age: 29. Height: 170cm. Weight: 68kg. BMI: 22.9. Fat: 30.9%
