Ever thought of picking up running but never knew how?

You want to run your 1st Marathon but don’t know where to begin?

Chong, one of FIT Malaysia students, is a serious runner. He is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and a lawyer by profession. Recently we asked him a few questions about running.

Describe how you got into running?
I have always love sports since my younger days and had been participating in all sort of sport events such as basketball, volleyball and running competitively since my secondary school days. Having left school and join the working world, I had to stop for some years due to tight working schedule. I only started running again after joining the gym and getting myself in shape again since about 10 years ago.

How many races have you done?
I have done numerous marathons and races. Recently, I am trying to shift to triathlon and dualthon, so, I start to focus more on 10K which is the running distance for triathlon.

Can you describe your training routine?
My training routine varies in accordance to each races but generally I do cardio almost 3-4 times a week, strength 2-3 times a week and power training 2 times a week and one optional LSD every 2 weeks which I may skip if I think it is not necessary. In total, I spend about 4-5 days on training and rest on the other days.

Where do you normally train?
Weekdays in the gym and the park on weekends.

Do you believe in LSD?
Yes, but I do not believe that LSD being the only or major training regime for running.

Do you think strength training places an important role in marathon?
Yes. Muscles are shock absorber to protect our joints and stronger muscles will help prevent injuries. I know many runners have the idea that they should not do too much strength training for fear of getting bigger and hence placing too much weights on their legs which will affect their running performance but we have to differentiate between training muscles strength and endurance which is very important for running as oppose to building bigger muscles.

What do you normally eat before your run?
Bread with peanut butter.

What will be your advice on beginners trying out their first 10k?
You got to train and ensure that you can at least be able to run and walk for 8km non-stop before doing your 1st run.

Is running bad for knees?
No. I know many people thinks otherwise because of the number of runners getting knees injury but ultimately, if you are properly trained and conditioned, there should not be any risk at all.

What’s your goal in running?
To participate and finish as many races as possible in my life and to help others who are interested in running.