For my session today at CGH, I was introduced to another physiologist who apparently played a part in the coordination of Sundown 2008 with Hivelocity. He gave me a lot of training tips and he told me what he experienced while providing medical coverage for the past 2 Sundown events.

He told me that there were a few ultra-marathoners who couldn’t take it and they gave up after the first round of 42km. He advised that I should do the same if I experience any pain, and especially since I don’t have much time left to prepare. Safety is afterall, most important.

Having said all that, he told me that I could still attempt and finish it within 12-15 hours which is quite a good start for a first timer.

He proceeded to go through a simple consultation session with me to assess my fitness levels.

I was very pleased with my results for this particular assessment where he made me run on the treadmill for 7 minutes at a 7kmh pace. It was a very comfortable pace where you can still run and talk.

However, after the initial 7 minutes, the speed would increase by 1kmh for every subsequent minute. So I would be running at 8kmh for the 8th minute, 9kmh for the 9th minute and so on.

I managed to hit 15kmh and started running at 16kmh for the 16th minute, but I only lasted about 20 seconds and then my legs felt like jelly. It was almost like sprinting on the treadmill.

My physio said that this is already a very good level but I felt that I could have even crossed 17kmh if I didn’t stress myself so much last week.

Still, I am satisfied but I definitely need more preparation for the upcoming Sundown ultra-marathon in May.

(The treadmill test is quite a good assessment of your running efficiency level. You guys may want to try it.)