SingFirst dig at PM - Genes can be inherited but not performance

uglyloser said:

Col Ang has slimmed down considerably.

Click to expand...

<figure style="outline: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </figure>

<tbody>
</tbody>

<article style="outline: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Running does not require wealth, intellect, education or talent. When one is in a reflective and philosophical mood, running makes one wonder about life. Running truly completes the person - physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually. Meet Dr Ang Yong Guan, Consultant Psychiatrist, who believes in ERP.

When I was doing only halfmarathons, I thought people who ran the full marathons were crazy. That was before I did my first marathon in 2007. Now, I don’t think marathoners are crazy. They are simply in another world when they run the 42 km stretch. In the last one and half years, I have done five full marathons. If there is one addiction I can be proud of, this is it!

The seed of my interest, in long-distance running, was first planted around the year 2000. I was 45 years then. Before that, I was doing mainly the 2.4 km runs expected of me in the IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test). I am a slow runner. At my age, I am not concerned about speed. Other than my first marathon, which I did in 6 hours 41 minutes, the other four took above 7 hours. I liked to pause and take photos and enjoy the scenery which prompted a fellow runner to say that I am a tourist marathoner. I am more interested in completing the race rather than competing. People run for many reasons. I run to experience the positive feeling and joy that running gives me.

As a psychiatrist, I often encourage my patients to exercise. Whenever I mentioned the word ‘exercise’, they invariably cast a glance at my waistline; thinking in their mind: “What about you, doctor?” Realising their curiosity, I would quickly say I run the marathon. They stare at my paunch even harder; still refusing to believe. I have to show them my finisher’s medals to quell their disbelief. I would then spend a few minutes extolling the virtues of running and singing praises about this unique breed of creatures called marathoners.

Running the marathon taxes the body to the maximum and touches on the four aspects of health as defined by the World Health Organisation - the physical, social, mental and spiritual.

The physical aspect is obvious. Marathoners run to keep themselves physically fit. I commented to my friends that if I can pound the road for 7 and half hours, from morning till noon, and under the scorching sun, my heart must be strong enough to take it. Every time I reached the end point of the 42 km race, I would raise both my hands in jubilation; acknowledging that my heart can handle the entire race. Besides having a healthy heart, marathoners tend to have normal blood pressure, optimal lung capacity, and strong leg and body muscles. This is largely due to the increase in blood flow to all parts of the body whenever we run.

As for the social aspects, marathoners are linked by one interest: running. Put two marathoners together, They would soon talk animatedly and non-stop regarding their past runs and their impending races, their personal bests and their preparatory efforts and tips. Collectively, marathoners are fond of forming running groups to promote a sense of togetherness and comradeship. In 2000, I was running round Temasek Club car park a few times a week. One day, an old classmate of mine, Boon Swan Foo, spotted me running alone round a car park! He joined me for a few runs and suggested that we try running up and down Portsdown Road instead of confining ourselves to a car park. Swan Foo then introduced me to Chia Wee Boon who soon encouraged us to get out of Portsdown area and venture into various parts of Singapore.

We started to run on Sundays starting from places like MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore Island Country Club, East Coast Park, Kent Ridge Park, Dempsey Road, and Petir Road. Gradually, the three of us added more friends to the group. We would usually do 8 to 10 km runs. By the second half of 2000, more and more runners joined us. We started to name our group ABC Runners (ABC - the first letters of our surnames). Today, we have close to 40 members.

As a group, the two key events we look forward to participate each year are the Army Half Marathon and the Standard Chartered Marathon. We have so far gone to Hong Kong, Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Phuket to take part in their respective Marathons. A few ABC runners have even finished the Ultra Marathon (84 km).

After our weekly Sunday morning runs, we proceed to a nearby hawker centre for our breakfast. Looking at us it seems as though our motto is: run to eat! Running leads to the toughening of the mind, which is the mental aspect of total health. To survive a race, a runner has to think and act positively. Negative thoughts, once they enter the mind, sap away the motivation which is essential for enduring the entire distance. One of my favourite photos is the one taken during my first full marathon in 2007. I was posing next to a big poster which says: “Run with your mind.” The mind keeps the legs going. The running in turn helps to produce endorphins in the brain which keeps the mind alert and the runner feeling positive and high in spirits. I have come across persons suffering from depression using running as a form of “self-medication” to produce enough endorphins to make themselves feel good.

Running is also a spiritual experience. As a solitary runner, you are connected to one’s feelings and thoughts as you pound the road over a period of time. You immediately experience a sense of freedom - for a moment, you become who you actually are. Human spirit – I have seen during such marathon - inspires me. I was taking part in the Race Against Cancer on 23 August 2009 when half way through the race, I heard a voice commenting from behind: “For your weight, you aren’t doing that bad.” I saw an elderly runner who caught up with me and after introducing himself as Jeffrey, told me that he was a 60 year old cancer survivor who had his cancer of stomach operated on in 2008. His doctors, knowing that he was a marathoner before his diagnosis of cancer, had told him to go slow on exercise. He was too impatient to wait. Slightly more than a year after his operation, he clocked 1hour 51 mins for his half marathon during the Army Half Marathon. It was an impressive timing given that he had just recovered from a cancer operation. He commented that he was an optimist and cannot see himself idling his time away. He picked up momentum and raced past me and before he left, he turned his head towards me and added: “You are older than me. Do your best. Keep up the effort.”

Although it was a short encounter, it embodies the principles of socializing, physical fitness, mental strength and optimism. I didn’t mind his sarcasm regarding my weight, my age and my speed because I knew he was saying all these to encourage me and not to ridicule me. Besides, it is up to me to perceive what he said. I am too optimistic to take things too negatively. Every runner has his own tips to share with other runners. My tips for doing five marathons in 18 months can be summarized as ERP.

E is for envisioning the endpoint of the run, the goal, the target and the sense of accomplishment you would experience upon reaching the endpoint. Running provides a great opportunity for spontaneous imagination; transcending our present selves to realize our future, our hopes and dreams. In practical terms, E is also for envisioning each segment of the route and for looking forward to complete each segment before moving on to the next.

R is for relaxation during the race. I do this by taking deep abdominal breaths. This will send sufficient oxygen to the brain so that one can remain alert and feel good emotionally. Besides oxygen, relaxation also means adequate hydration (i.e. water and electrolytes) and energy (gu and gel). When I am relaxed, I enjoy the running process and I remember the words of Plato: “Life must be lived as play.” Running is playing to a person like me who is more interested in completing than competing.

P is for positive thinking; focusing on the positive attributes and achievements one has attained from the past to the present. For instance, during the race, I would recall with pride the previous marathons and how I succeeded in completing them. I constantly remind myself of ERP as I run the race. That’s how I endure 7.5 hours of pounding the road u sing the ERP way... and I am ‘charged’ – positively!!!
</article>

Force 136 said:

All the best - hope Pinky gets to eat Dr Ang's ice cream too.....

Click to expand...

yellowarse said:

AYG runs marathons ... don't pray pray ...

Click to expand...

Force 136 said:

Genes can be inherited but not performance:

Full article here : http://singfirst.org/2014/12/08/genes-can-be-inherited-but-not-performance/

Click to expand...

jw5 said:

Bytheway something I don't agree with SFP and with those in this forum who think that we would still be a fishing village or "Finished" if not for..............

Why would they want the performance to be inherited?

Click to expand...

mojito said:

Merit on the other hand can be easily inherited. Like Desmond Lee from his father Lee Yock Swan. Or Loong from his father Lee Kwan Yew. Ours is a meritocracy, a meritocratic society filled with merituous people.

Click to expand...

laksaboy said:

Tin Peiling from her husband. Grace Fu from her father. Singapore meritocracy at its finest.

Click to expand...