A Marathon Running Guide

Guide to running - A good coach with experience will help or the other alternative is to get hold of a complete book on marathon.

Picture 1 - Daniel Ling, champion in the Standard Chartered Marathon 2007.

Picture 2 - In the prize podium, during the Standard Chartered Marathon 2008, left to right is, Daniel Ling (second), Rameshon and Dr Ben Tan (third). It was our proudest moment and a milestone as we were top 3, winning 1,2 and 3 placing.

In order to improve in your marathon time, I always believe that a good coach is vitally important to expedite your run performance time. It would be good that the coach has a knowledge in the subject like Sports Science and have the necessary experiences running races as well, to give the necessary feedback in order to expedite in improving the athlete. If this is not available to a sincere marathoner, the other way, a person can improve in running is by procuring a good book which explains thoroughly on running a marathon. The person writing the book on marathon must have the experience of running successfully in previous marathon races.

Since the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon is fast approaching, I thought that it is a good idea that one should know on how to train for it. Dr Benedict Tan's book will come in handy to those who want to do a very good time for the race, be it for the competitive or for those who just want to improve their performance time. The title of the book is "Run for your Life". I shall be featuring on the book in this blog in two parts. The first part, I shall write on what I have written in the foreword section of the book and the other will be a review on the essence of the book itself. I also would like to say that I feel honoured to write the foreword section of the book.

Picture 2 - All the hard work paid off as we worked as a team.

Foreword of the Book on "Run for your Life"

Picture 4 - The cover page of "Run for your Life"

September 2008, Berlin.

Daniel Ling (2007 Singapore Marathon champion) and I had just completed the Berlin Marathon earlier in the day. Dr Ben Tan ran in the same marthon, finishing the race in 3hr 01min 15sec. Certainly impressive for a 40-year-old medical doctor and former sailor, with no background in track and field. To top it off, he had dengue fever only a month earlier!

As a running coach, I thought it was a matter of time before he went under three hours. Almost all the Singaporeans who took part in the Berlin Marathon arranged to have dinner that evening, and that was when I first got to know Ben. It was then that I invited him to train with Daniel and I, with the aim of going sub-3 at the Singapore Marathon just two months away. Being the athlete that he is, Ben accepted my challenge, and started training.

Despite his busy work schedule, he joined Daniel, my Hwa Chong Institution runners, and I each Saturday evening for workouts. On the other days, he trained on his own or with his regular training partners. Ben's determination, systematic approach, and focus were evident during training. I could see why he is an Asian Games and four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medallist in sailing, a three-time Sportsman of the Year. He understood and absorbed training concepts easily. He could process information, adapting and customising it, to his needs. So it was no surprise that Ben comfortably ran a sub-3 (2hr 56min 20sec) at the 2008 Singapore Marathon, even though it was much hotter than in Berlin!

I've dedicated my life to running, and it is worth every minute that I spend on it. The desire to reach one's potential, hard work and know-how are the necessary ingredients. Nothing beats the feeling of completing your first full marathon, or knowing that you've given it your best. I know Ben understands this, and that is why he has chosen to share his journey towards, a sub-3 with others through this book.

Dr Ben Tan is a sports physician, and he makes full use of this sports medicine and sports science training to squeeze every ounce of performance from his body. His systematic and holistic approach will certainly help other runners fast track their progress towards their personal goals. Ever the team player, Ben has also roped in the best experts Singapore can offer in various aspects of running- the collective knowledge base makes this book highly comprehensive, balanced, and holistic.

Whether you are a 3- or 6-hour marathoner, I personally feel you can make a breakthrough and sighnificantly improve your time by applying the methods from this detailed and meaningful book. Along the way, you will also find yourself setting personal best times for your 2.4km, 5km, 10km, 15km, and half marathon times as well.

With this book, you too can bask in the glory of achieveing your personal best!

Murugiah Rameshon

National record holder for the marathon (2hrs 24min 22sec)

Winner : Singapore Marathon, 2008