Heat Wave

It has been really hot over here so I have been resting quite a bit. I have had to place a wet towel on my chest as I seem to be feeling hot in that area.

It gets very hot after 12 noon and reaches its maximum temperature at around 4 pm - my  running program has been reduced to 2 miles now. 5km runs can be quite tortuous sometimes, so maybe 2 mile runs could be the right amount. I did not see much of an improvement in stamina doing the 5km runs.

Update 5/5/2016 Have been doing 5 km the last two days since the heat wave ended. 5 km is healthier I suppose but can be quite tortuous sometimes.


Update 7/5/2016 It seems like I have been affected by the hot weather again so it is back to 2 mile runs I guess.

Armband /Wristband for smartphone for less than RM4 at Tesco Ipoh

This armband is actually very good for light running exercise. When I first bought it, I thought it did not look good as an armband near my shoulders and thought it would be junk but lately I have used it as a wristband and it works great.

I downloaded the Accupedo pedometer app for Android and also a Screen off app but I think the fact that my Winds Mobile smartphone has intelligent awaken also helps.

It was selling at an offer price  for less than RM4 at Tesco on Saturday which I think  is a very low price for it.  Its original price is around RM15.

It seems it can also  be used as an additional support for knee braces so it is very handy.

It can cause issues if you use it for a long time as a wristband so for longer distances it is probably  better to use it as an armband near the shoulders. So far it looks better as a wristband than an armband - I don't know maybe blue just isn't the right colour for an armband.

It appears as an armband, it looks better with sleeveless shirts. It's a strange thing but it seems to be the case.

Running Program

I have increased my running program to 30 minutes a  day.  Anlene Gold milk powder  recommends 30 minutes   a day. It seems the American Heart Association also recommends  30 minutes for 5 days a  week.

There appears to be some improvement in stamina for the last few days with this new program but I also read that there are greater benefits for exercising for an hour so I may try that out every now and then.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/10/06/new-study-for-optimal-heart-health-americans-should-double-or-even-quadruple-the-amount-of-exercising-theyre-doing/

Update 2/12/2015 - Have been sticking to 30 minutes as one hour seems too much. Furthermore from the article, it appears that 30 minutes of running appears to be the equivalent of one hour of moderate exercise.

Update 21/12/2015  -   Have been doing 5 km runs these days which can be slightly less than 30 minutes but  it seems that there is some benefit in doing shorter sessions with high intensity too, based on the article below

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/brief-high-intensity-workouts-equal-longer-medium-intensity-training-study-1.2707792

Update 25/3/2016 Have reduced to 2 miles due to the heat wave but I guess that could be the right amount as 5 km can be quite tortuous sometimes.

Update 5/5/2016 Have been doing 5 km the last two days since the heat wave ended. 5 km is healthier I suppose but can be quite tortuous sometimes.

Update 7/5/2016 It seems like I have been affected by the hot weather again so it is back to 2 mile runs I guess.

Good Running Form

I have been trying to read some articles about this and here are the  links to  them-
http://blog.bsxathletics.com/2013/03/27/recommendations-for-great-running-form/
http://www.goodformrunning.com/.
http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/running-technique/

Seems like to run better, it is best to lean forward slightly. I felt that it was taking some time for me to warm up but with a  slight lean forward I seem to be able to run faster at the beginning. So far, I have only run a mile using this running form as my runs  have been  interrupted by rain the last couple of days.

Update: It appears that it needs to be assessed on an individual basis. So here are some articles that seem to state that it may not be that significant-

http://greatist.com/move/proper-running-form-tips
http://greatist.com/move/proper-running-form-tips
http://www.drpribut.com/sports/running_form.html

World Cup Round Up

Looking forward to tonight's games. This week, Nigeria played so well against France. I saw the first 45 min of it and then went to sleep. Before I slept I thought to myself  - oh looks like Nigeria could win it.  Then  I had a dream Nigeria was going to win it. So when I got up, I was a little surprised to find out France won but I  guess I am glad they did as I had said four years ago France are a strong team that could win the Cup. Now the list of dream teams is bigger and  Nigeria are  a team to watch out for in the future.

England, Argentina and Portugal are the other teams in the list but Ronaldo was injured and not at his best -so Portugal are out. I suppose one can say that Brazil is in the list too but they are not as strong as before? -that has always been a question mark for some time.

If Brazil  and France win - I get a triple  discount offer for Baskin Robbins ice cream.

5-7-2014  Looks like Brazil won but France lost. Still have a chance for the offers if Argentina win.

Malaysia goes down fighting as Japan clinches first Thomas Cup with a 3-2 win

What a final it proved to be as both teams played probably one of the most entertaining Thomas Cup final in recent times. Except for the second singles in which Wei Feng was simply outplayed by Kento Momota,  the other matches could have gone either way.

Chong Wei started the ball rolling for Malaysia with a straight sets win over Kenichi Tago but it was not an easy match - Tago was 5 points ahead in the second set at one stage and could have won it.

The first doubles was an even closer match but the Japanese pair managed to squeeze out a 21-19 win  in the third  set to make the tie 1-1. Perhaps Thien How should consider losing some weight as that could be seen as a weakness from his opponents.

The second singles was  the most disappointing match as much more was expected from Wei Feng. This is probably the first time I have seen Wei Feng play. He has an oddball style and I am not sure how far he will go with it. The loss certainly leaves a lot of question marks for him. With this loss, Japan were ahead 2-1.

Based on current form,  the Malaysian pair of  V. Shem and Wee Kiong was expected to win the second doubles quite easily and though they did win - it was a very close affair. However looking at  their performances , it appears  this partnership should be kept.

Daren  performed creditably in the third singles and with  a bit more discipline he probably could have won it.

Malaysia was not expected to go far with this team  so getting to the final was a bonus but it seems like the second singles was the bane once again. In the past, China was able to win the Thomas Cup mostly from the strength of their singles and hence it would seem that this would be what Malaysia needs to continue work on  to bring back the Cup.

Malaysia in Thomas Cup Final

In what is probably one of the biggest surprises in  badminton this year -  Malaysia has made the final of the Thomas Cup.  This probably has been mostly due to the performance of the second singles Chong Wei Feng who has won all his matches so far in this years edition. In the last few editions, the second and third singles have not been strong enough - putting a lot of pressure on the the doubles pairs to perform.

Japan will not be pushovers in the final, as on paper except for Lee Chong Wei, they have performed better than the Malaysians  in international tournaments this year. However, the idea  of splitting up  the Malaysian doubles pairs appears to have worked favourably for our country and together with Wei Feng's improved performance, Malaysia would probably be  going into  tomorrow's final with a slight edge over the Japanese.

Badminton - All England 2011

Chong Wei won the All England Badminton defeating Lin Dan 21-17, 21-17. This is considered as a breakthrough win for him as he has not beaten Lin Dan before in such a major tournament. For the last few years, the doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong have been the ones to watch but in the last few months things may have been different.

Malaysia has been quite a strong force in the the Thomas Cup for the last few years even though we haven't won it since 1992. For the Thomas Cup, it looks like our weakness lies in the second and third singles.

Football World Cup 2010: Second Round

Tonight's match between England and Germany would be an interesting one. Even if England were to win against Germany, they may have problems against Argentina the team they could be facing in the quarterfinals. Argentina seems to have improved since the qualifying events and together with Portugal, their chances of winning the Cup are better now. It seems like Argentina and Portugal are the fourth and fifth favourites to win this World Cup after France, England and Brazil.
What a pity France just could not get their act together. With England struggling to score goals and Argentina almost peaking for this tournament, a tough encounter for England in the quarterfinals is on the cards if they do make it to that stage.

Football World Cup 2010 Results

France 0 Uruguay 0

South Korea 2 Greece 0

Argentina 1 Nigeria 0

England 1 USA 1


Argentina won by a goal scored by Gabriel Heinze in a rather one sided match. The Nigerians were let down by a poor defense hence giving the Argentinians many chances to score. If it was not for their goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria would have lost by more goals. It is funny how things have changed in just a few years. Nigeria used to be a team that had solid defense and attack and could take on some of the best teams in the world. Now it looks like their chances of winning the Wold Cup is slim if they continue to play like they did against Argentina.


Meanwhile USA and England were evenly matched in an exciting encounter. USA is a much improved team these days and they showed what they were capable of doing by holding England to a draw. England captain Steven Gerrard scored a nice goal early in the first half and it looked like England would be cruising to victory against USA . However a costly blunder by the England goalkeeper Robert Green allowed USA to draw level through Clint Dempsey.

Football World Cup 2010: South Africa 1 Mexico 1

Mexico were favourites to win this game and it seemed like they were going to do so quite easily after the first half which saw them attacking more than the South Africans. However in the second half the roles changed and South Africa scored first through Siphiwe Tshabalala. Even though Mexico equalized through Rafael Marquez, the South Africans were looking dangerous and were close to scoring their second goal only to be denied by the post.

Tennis - French Open

Rafael Nadal won his fifth French Open title while in the ladies section, Francesca Schiavone became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam title.

Men's Final Rafael Nadal (2) def. Robin Soderling (5) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

Women's Final Francesca Schiavone (17) def. Samantha Stosur (7) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)

Tennis - French Open

Nadal is through to the semis. In the ladies section, Francesca Schiavone will face Samantha Stosur in the final.

Quarterfinals
Rafael Nadal (2) def. Nicolas Almagro (19) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
Jurgen Melzer (22) def. Novak Djokovic (3) 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4

Tennis- Could Soderling be number one?

Soderling defeated Federer in the quarter finals yesterday but is he really ready to be number one?

Hard to say when there are players like Ferrero who just return to form suddenly to win two titles this year. However Ferrero is getting older and has not been consistent the whole year. Still if he takes care of his health, I would say Ferrero is still a player to watch.

Quarterfinals Robin Soderling (5) def. Roger Federer (1) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 Tomas Berdych (15) def. Mikhail Youzhny (11) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2

Football World Cup 2010: Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Philips in England squad

Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips have made the England squad but Theo Walcott is not in it.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Robert Green (West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth).

Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)

Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Football World Cup 2010: France, England or Brazil to win World Cup?

There was an interesting discussion a few days back at BlogCatalog in which I wrote that France, England or possibly Brazil could win the World Cup. Click here to read it


Here was what I wrote when asked if Argentina winning the Cup is a sure thing:-

1. 
   

   No, it is not a sure thing. In fact it is very hard to predict the winner of the World Cup. The last winner of the World Cup which I believe was Italy, was actually a dark horse.
   
   France has a very good potential to win the World Cup but they didn' t do that well in qualifying. England without Beckham really playing could have problems winning it and Brazil as most of us know these days always seem to have a strong team.
2. 
   

   If Beckham plays, England may have a better chance of winning it but don't count out the French.
3. 
   

   I think Beckham is underestimated these days by many people as he is gettting old and doesn't score many goals. End of last year, I was trying to convince my brother that Beckham was still a force to reckon with, and few days later in the newspaper I read that Beckham was playing well for his team. As he plays in the midfield, Beckham is not a prolific goalscorer and that is why he is not in the news as much as Rooney and Messi. He has very good control of the ball and experience. I think these are the reasons why Fabio Capello wanted to put him in the team even when he was injured. England could still win it without Beckham but I think they have a better chance with him in it.
   
   Yes, France has a good potential to win the World Cup this year - it is strange that they did not do well in qualifying. They have the players and I think it is a matter of fine tuning the team to do it.
   
   It would be fun to see one of the underdog teams do well in the World Cup. I used to support Jamaica once but they didn't do well that year - the French won it.

   
   

Sports, Football - Beckham out of World Cup?

With Beckham out, England's hopes of winning the World Cup could be in jeopardy. Although Beckham has had problems off the field, I still think he is one of the key players in the England squad.

Badminton - All England 2010

It won't be a surprise if Chong Wei wins it this year. He faces a qualifier in the final.

Sports - Badminton, Japan Open 2008

In the men's singles Lee Chong Wei who is now the world number one defeated Zhu Weilun from  China 25-23, 21-8. Lim Khim Wah and Wong Pei Tty also made it to the second round of the mixed doubles.

Roslin Hashim has  made it to the second round of the men's singles. He defeated Chan Yan Kit in three sets 18-21, 21-19, 21-13.  Sairul Amar Ayob defeated Lee Tsuen Seng 21-17, 21-18. 

Gong Weijie from China upset  third seeded Peter Hoeg Gade12-21, 22-20,  24-22.

 In the women's singles, Wong Mew Choo defeated Yu Hirayama from Japan 21-16, 8-21, 22-20.

Other results on the 17th Sept  are here

Sports - Athletics, World Athletics Final 2008

Asafa Powell won the men's 100m. 

LaShawn Merritt defeated  Jeremy Wariner by 0.01 seconds in the 400m.

Barbora Spotakova broke the world record for the women's javelin. 

Runners from Kenya continue to do well in the men's long distance events. On the second day Haron Keitany won the men's 1500m event.

Shelly-Ann Fraser from Jamaica won the women's 100m.

Here are some results for the World Athletics Final 2008 (Click to

 read) -

Day 1

Day 2