HYPE: Adidas Predator D5 LZ vs Nike Mercurial Vapour VIII

With 2 new boots coming your way in the market, which one would you choose? Which one will dominate the turf?

Adidas Predator D5 LZ (Leathal Zone)

With all the hype of it having “perfected” the spots on the boots for where the First Touch, Drive and the Sweet Spots are, the way i see it,.Adidas is targeting the serious footballers. Although it has yet to #unleash (hashtag on twitter) this latest range of football boots here in Singapore, Question is – Will all these “sweet spots” really make a difference to a player’s performance? Will the weekend warriors give it a go?

With the previous season’s adizero F50 boots being powered by the miCoach tracking device, i really hope that this Predator would be designed to hold the miCoach too. It would be awesome to be able to track your fastest speed, distance etc in a game of soccer. Oh yeah, one more thing, rumour has it, the Xavi from FC Barcelona is the player tasked to mark the spots on the boots and co-developed it. Afterall, that guy has spectacular ball control and delivery skills. OMG. :O

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Nike Mercurial Vapour VIII 

With 2 big names in the sporting world coming together to put up an interesting advertorial concept on the latest Nike football boots, i had to watch it. Whats interesting is that it does not really tell about the boots intended specifications. But instead makes you run wild with your imagination to what this boots could do for you. Well, then again, its Cristiano Ronaldo here with the boots. He could score with a back heel with his eyes closed if he wanted to. Anyways, gotta love that guy! My sporting idol by the way. Heh.

Back to the boots – With a clean cut, bright orange design, the boots indeed looked slick and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Would probably appeal to the youngsters who would go for looks and colour rather than actual performance. Mind you, im not saying this boots will not deliver, but seriously, its all up to the player’s skills at the end of the day.

All in all, to all football (and soccer) lovers out there, these 2 boots really really looked delicious and would certainly be the highlight amongst your football kakis. I would not go on to say which one i prefer the more because for me, my feet’s comfort being in the boots is my number 1 factor in selecting a pair of them. Aesthetics wise, bright colours would certainly make my day as i dazzle past defenders doing step overs etc. Hahaha! 😛

At the end of the day, what’s important is the bond and game time you have with your friends (and even strangers!). Afterall, keeping fit and healthy doesnt necessarily have to be boring or a chore. It is super fun when you are doing it with friends. Like playing football. 🙂

P.S, as the team and I are having our semester’s exams real soon, we apologize for the lack of updates, posts and stories right here on the blog. Also our uber late responses in replying the overwhelming emails. We will resume blogging proper once we’re done with exams (in mid-May). Till then, do follow us on Twitter for our shout outs on health, fitness and sporting updates and retweets!

(Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/whywerunn)

EVENT: Sundown Marathon Race Routes

18th April 2012 – With over 25,000 participants having already registered for Sundown Marathon 2012, this night marathon event makes it one of the most eagerly anticipated sporting events on the local sporting calendar.

This is the first-ever marathon that will take runners on a scenic route through the Marina Bay Waterfront area and the western region of Singapore.The carefully crated routes ensure that runners would be able to run through the picturesque landscapes under the cool night sky.

Run the night. Sleep can wait.

Below are the race maps/routes of the different categories made available – 10KM, 21KM and 42KM. (Click on the pictures to enlarge it). Psssst…. registrations have been extended to Thursday, 19 April 2012.

You can find out more information about the run at: http://www.sundownmarathon.com/ OR http://www.facebook.com/SundownMarathonSG 🙂

Flag off @2230hrs

 

Flag off @0030hrs

 

Flag off @0030hrs

 

 

 

See you there! 😀

EVENT: Maserati 5K Road Race in Jakarta

Maserati 5K Montage

Sunday, 1st April 2012 – With exams round the corner in late April and having just completed a truck load of essays, I needed a break. I need a short getaway to be more precise. After checking my budget and places i had in mind, I settled for Jakarta. But I needed more than just a “vacation”. I needed to run. Luckily for me, a good friend in Jakarta informed me of the Maserati 5K Road Race happening on 1st of April 2012. Best of all, it was a charity run. Thus, I gathered 2 other friends and we headed down to the bustling city of Jakarta soon after. 🙂

Running in an unfamiliar place/terrain is always exciting.

The feel and set up of the race is totally different from that in Singapore. Closed roads were just marked and indicated by cones (not the metal barricades) and that we collected our race packs and paid on the day itself, just minutes from the flag-off time. I dont think you can get that kind of service in Singapore. Can you?

Also, the bibs weren’t equipped with electronic tags nor do you have any tags to clip onto your shoes. Seems very basic and unmodernized and low-tech, but i love it cause when i started out running in Singapore, we had all this electronic gadgets and tags. Its back to basic, right here in Jakarta. 🙂

Here are some of the photos which we managed to snap during the event:

The hustle and bustle before the run

Gentlemen, start your engines.

With some of our Indonesian friends made before the run

Push cart food stall by the road. How quaint.

Thats right boys....thats right....

Off the ground, gliding.

The Family Fun Run. And the kids received a Maserati medal! >;(

With the organizer of the run whom we liaised with for the race

Taufiq from SAA, Afrizal, Tristan from Nike and I. Post-race meet up. 😀

All in all, we had a fun run-holiday in Jakarta. First time being in Jakarta and also our first time going for a run there. Running in Singapore is fun too but due to the limited and typical routes of Nicoll Highway to Marina Bay area etc, running in Singapore is becoming a little too predictable and at times mundane (especially if the organizers dont make effort to spice up the routes).

No doubt most avid runners run races because of passion, but for me, when i go for my runs, i love to to soak in the atmosphere, culture and buzz that’s happening on the ground. (A good example would be the 2010 Nike We Run SG 10K) Running similar routes over and over again can be dull. And we all know that banal routine kills. So time to freshen up and look abroad for races overseas if you have been running in Singapore for……ever.

Some overseas run/races to look forward to:

• Adidas “King Of The Road”
• Nike “City 10K”
• Gold Coast Airport Marathon 2012 (Australia)
• Solar Eclipse Marathon 2012 (Australia)
• Bintan Triathlon 2012 (Indonesia)

Till next time, Guten tag and Run happy! 

We Came, We Ran, We Completed. Thats right...

Gears Used: 

Taufiq – Asics Lyteracer

Afrizal – Nike LunarEclipse+2

Nabil – Adidas adiZero Feather

OCBC Cycle Singapore ‘Safe Cycling Day’

Are you a cyclist or a cycling enthusiast or simply someone who is looking to pick up cycling as a hobby/sport? Well, you gotta check it out!

EVENT: OCBC Cycle Singapore ‘Safe Cycling Day’
DATE: Saturday 17 December
LOCATION: The Longhouse Hawker Centre at Upper Thomson (see map below)
TIME: 6.00-8.00am

The OCBC Cycle Singapore Safe Cycling jerseys will be distributed to the cycling community and at a popular cyclists’ meet-up point! So be there! Dont worry, there’s no pre-registration sign-up needed. 🙂 Just meet up at the rendezvous point and mingle around with other cyclist while waiting. 

Let’s wear the jersey on this day to help spread the ‘1.5M Matters. Sharing Saves Lives’ message. 🙂

See y’all at the Meet up point!

For more info, do check out: www.ocbc.cyclesingapore.com.sg

Athletics: Where 0.001 second makes a whole lot of difference

Tuesday, 15th November 2011, Palembang, Indonesia – It was Day 4 of the 26th SEA Games and the Jakabaring Athletic Stadium was filled with hordes of supporters for the athletics event held there. It was the Men’s 4x100m relay finals and Singapore had qualified for it. I simply love the relay games. Be it 4x100m, 200m or even 400m. I guess, as individualistic as i am, i prefer working in a team.

Anyways, all 4 teams had their eyes on Gold but everyone knows, only one could be the winner. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore lined up their 4 fastest men each to compete in the event. Singapore fielded Calvin Kang, Lee Cheng Wei, Muhammad Amirudin and Gary Yeo.

The men, got off to a great start and were a good 3 meters at the final turn but a stunning run by the Indonesia’s 4th runner saw him over taking Gary Yeo AT THE VERY LAST SECOND! In fact, the Indonesians won by 0.004 seconds! Ahhh… a photo finish finals. What more could we ask for? It was saddening to see Singapore lost out by 4 thousandth of a second, but hey, thats athletics for you. EVERY, MILLISECOND COUNTS.

Moral of the story: Just thrust your chest forward as you cross the finish line. Or Singapore could, you know, just sign that Indonesian 4th runner under our Foreign Talent scheme and perhaps we could win something. Just look at Table Tennis sweeping all 5 GOLD medals at the SEA Games. 

Below is the clip of the race. Awesome stuff. :’) Reminded me of my athletics track and field stint back then….until i decided to ditch it and play rugby. 😛

Compared to the INTERNATIONAL areana where the Jamaicans (no surprises here) won the event. At the same time, breaking the record too! 37.04 seconds!

THAT. IS. JUST. FAAS.

Unbelievable.

Train hard, Live strong.

Its been a really hectic week for me, really. Busy with work and hardly having time to gym proper, i’ve resorted to doing daily sit ups, some dumb bell exercises or push ups to maintain my physique. At the moment, im covering the SEA Games 2011 event. Keeping a close eye on all the events and medal tally and player updates from Team Singapore, its been a really great experience.

Yes, i was given the opportunity to intern as a Sports Reporter for a certain media company which i shall not name at the moment. Understanding how things work behind the scenes in giving reports, interviews and updates, this internship, though the hours are long, i have really been enjoying myself. Someone joked – I used to write (this site) and 6000-7000 people read it a month. Now, the things i write, 60,000-70,000 people view it a night. Loving every moment of my internship. Sorry, but i’ll be a little busy for this 2 weeks.

I mean, sometimes the things we do don’t have to be seen by others to make us feel really good about ourselves. 🙂 

Nonetheless, my partners and i have a few VERY USEFUL and INTERESTING articles coming right up. Not gonna say what it is, but stay tuned to find out more! Lastly, i hope all my running and fitness-freak friends (like me) out there are doing well with your trainings. I know its coming to December and all out butts are itchy for a quick holiday getaway but just dont forget to lead a healthy lifestyle. With the demise of McDonald’s curry sauce, im hoping that lesser people will be drawn towards eating the great tasting unhealthy McNuggets.

Just remember to eat in moderation, drink plenty of water and DONT forget to train at least 2 times a week too! Im looking forward to my next race on the 27th of November – the Nike We Run KL 10K and then on the 4th of December for the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore! 😀

Loving you all out there, hoping to inspire more sports-fitness-health oriented people out there! And if you’re not, its never too late to hop on the bandwagon! 

Afterall, we had it in us when we young…like wayy younger. 😉

No excuses, serious.

Its the mid-week and if you have not planned anything sporty or fitness-oriented for this week, well, not to worry, cause you’ve got Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday left. You have got 4 days to train, to run, to exercise, to workout, to swim, to cycle, to climb, to jog, to do yoga, to gym, to fight, to spar, to lift tyres, to kettlebell, to play soccer, to play tennis, to play rugby, to do everything that you possibly could to maintain or UP your level of fitness.

Personally, im having my exams next week, havent covered much and you might think that i dont give a damn about it. Well, NO! Cause i do give a damn about it just as much as i give a damn about my fitness/health/training. I make it a point to train AT LEAST 3 times a week. Focusing on building strength, size and cardio.

One of my favourite ways to “end of the workout” is to do a treadmill run (since im already in the gym) for min 10min…..with weights. 2 x 3kg dumbbells is good enough to make me sweat like mad at a level 10.0 pace. Believe me, once you take away those dumbbells and run, its simply amazing at what speed you could push yourself to run at. Overall, the exercise is kinda dangerous if you’re new to it. But hey, i always like to spice things up a bit. 😉

Busy this week still?

Spotted: adiZero Feather @ iFLY Singapore

Adidas launched its latest model in its adiZero range of shoes – the adiZero Feather. With tons of new specs to the new running shoe, surprisingly, the shoe weighs much less than a conventional running shoe! Weighing at only 190gm (men’s size) and 160gm (women’s size), it IS light i tell you. 

Adidas has further reinforced the adiZero Feather with 3 new features:

The SPRINTFRAME – 

The unique platform (directly attached to the upper) of the shoe which defeats mid foot flex while allowing torsion. Allowing independent movement of the forefoot and rear foot. Meaning: more stability for your midfoot as you run

The adiPRENE –

Adidas special cushion element which acts as a rebound cushioning element for minimizing energy lost. Meaning: with lesser energy required to run, runners will get to run further and faster which gives a competitive edge in competitive races or to chase for your Personal Best.

The SPRINTWEB –

A lightweight mesh construction with engineered reinforcement which gives the runner not only breathability for the feet but also stability. Meaning: as above. Hahaha!

With such specs and techs of the shoe, one cannot wait but to try it out for my runs and training workouts in the future. The shoe isnt only meant for running but it could double up as a workout shoe too! Im sure its gonna turn heads. I know cause i have had 5 friends who saw me in them telling me that the shoe looks really bright and cool. Doh!     >.< Hahaha!

I mean SERIOUSLY, the specs and techs of the adiZero must have been something as it helped the world’s FASTEST man, Patrick Makau to shatter the world marathon record in a time of 2:03:38 hours at the Berlin Marathon held last Sunday in Germany. Maybe, just MAYBE i could achieve my own PB in future races, who knows?

Did a little video of the shoe just so you readers out there could actually see in “3D” form and not my pictures of it. Hahaha! Do chck out our other vids on YouTube Channel – whywerunn.

ALL IN all, Retailing at SGD159, you can get the adiZero Feather at all Adidas Sport Performance Concept Stores (in SINGAPORE) now!

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Now, Adidas held the event launch of adiZero Feather at iFly Singapore, the world’s largest indoor skydiving simulator! I was giving the opportunity to don on the flight suit and experience my first ever indoor skydiving. Seriously, i think it beats indoor snow HANDS DOWN. ANY TIME. Period.

I must say that i didnt have much photos with me at the moment cause seriously, my battered and beaten iPhone 3GS really needs an upgrade. Nonetheless, as always, Haffiz is there to the rescue with his spanking new iPhone 4S (ok im just kidding, just iPhone 4) to help capture the pre-flight moments.

 Haffiz, me and Sunny (from TODAY Online) in our flight suit and our adiZero Feathers! Either i’m so happy OR that goggles they gave me were really really tight. LOOK AT ME EYES!

Haffiz and I. Awwww….

One cannot help but to think that the instructor is probably checking out my butt. BUTT anyways, “Look Ma, I’m flying!”. It must have been the feathers on the shoes. 😀

All in all, the flight experience was really awesome! Got to go 3 times and what ever hand signals that the instructor taught us before the flight, wasnt much of a use cause we were all flying everywhere and rolling over falling down and all! Funny much! But hey, I LOVE the experience man! Cant wait to try and do a tandem jump or skydiving on my own some day. Looking forward to that day certainly!

Its been a great day to be able to “fly”with the adiZero Feather. So apt to its name dont you think? Light as a baby dinosaur’s feather

iFly Singapore is located at 43 Siloso Beach Walk, Sentosa. You may also wanna check out www.iflysingapore.com for more info on its location, opening hours and other details too.

P.S, i think Hermes from the cartoon Hercules is using the adiZero Feather too. Look! He’s flying with it!

This Able People Can Do Sports Too

In light of today’s NIKE WE RUN SG 10K RUN, i would just like to remind us all that no matter how bad we’re feeling, how tired we are, how doubtful people are of our abilities and dreams, remember this –

You Run Your Run. Run Strong, Finish Strong.

DON’T EVER GIVE UP!
If you can’t fly ~ then run
If you can’t run ~ then walk
If you can’t walk ~ then crawl
But whatever you do…

You MUST keep moving forward!

(Saw this on FB. Got me inspired and motivated.)

“HOW DID I GET FAT WITHOUT KNOWING?!”

The unfortunate case of the white collared workers and prolly even students too. Jeng jeng jeng jennggg….

(Article shared by one of our exclusive guest writers – Victor Chan from Not Just Any Victor!)

Hello there.

Welcome to the “HOW DID I GET FAT WITHOUT KNOWING?!”. What I am going to share with you are my observations of how two groups of people living seemly ordinary lives have no idea how the way they eat, drink, work affect their bodies to an adverse level. Even with exercising, they can’t seem to ever get rid of their “stubborn” body fat. I am going to breakdown what a typical day looks like for these people and we will examine how they actually get fat without knowing. Here goes.

Disclaimer: What I am about to present is based from my own observation when I was working in a corporate environment for a month early some time this year.

The following takes place between 9:00am to 10:00am
So you got caught in the traffic again, no time to eat breakfast at home and there you are feeling tired as hell while barely making it to the office in time. Thankfully on your way to work, you managed to grab some takeaway breakfast (because you heard so many times that breakfast is so important and you can’t skip it) and most importantly – the morning caffeine required to get your day started. The day starts with one hand on the mouse checking emails and the other holding your spoon, eating your breakfast (ok maybe you are not THAT hardworking).

A typical breakfast – “Uncle, Nasi Lemak one packet!”

Your morning coffee will never look this awesome. 🙂

Total Calorie Count and Counting ~ 714 Calories
Nasi Lemak ~494 Calories^[1]
Starbucks 16oz Latte ~ 220 Calories^[2]

The following takes place between 10:00am to 12:00pm
You have cleared your emails, finished up the routine admin work, had your fair share of the daily gossip on how you almost could not get on the 4th bus if you did not elbow your way through the crowd uttering in funny accents. The morning meeting has been pushed back to after lunch and you are now surfing Facebook while waiting for lunch time. Beside you is your favourite pack of snacks that you consume when you feel bored from work or… bored from work.

2 pieces wouldn’t hurt… Ok breakfast wasn’t so much I will take 4 instead

Total Calorie Count and Counting ~ 1094 Calories
Tim Tams (4 pieces) ~ 380 Calories^[3]

The following takes place between 12:00pm to 01:00pm
You managed to ‘chop’ seat at the food court by flicking your pack of tissue paper accurately on to the middle of the table, beating the rest of the people who were merely walking there to place their belongings. Well done! Time to get lunch!

Instead of cards, you flick your packet of tissue paper to save the day (i mean your seat).

Who doesn’t love a cup of pink stuff??!

Wanton Mee

By the time you are done with lunch, you realized that there’s actually 20 more minutes before you are required to be back in the office (due to your elite ‘chopping seats’ skills). There’s time for dessert!

Green stuff with red stuff with white stuff = sweet stuff

Total Calorie Count and Counting ~ 2247 Calories
Bandung ~ 153 Calories^[4]
Wanton Mee ~ 407 Calories^[5]
Chendol ~593 Calories^[6]

The following takes place between 01:00pm to 03:00pm
Lunch was just the usual, nothing too spectacular like an 8 dish menu in a Chinese restaurant. However, now you are feeling rather sleepy from lunch. Luckily for you, you remembered to get another cup of coffee! Of course, only drinking it after the usual afternoon nap that is (because you know your boss isn’t in on Wednesdays).

Total Calorie Count and Counting ~ 2467 Calories
ANOTHER Starbucks 16oz Latte ~ 220 Calories

The following takes place between 03:00pm to 04:00pm
Oh you forgot! Today is <inserts name of colleague whom you barely even know>’s birthday! There’s a small cake cutting ceremony in the meeting room and you get a slice of chocolate cake!

Wah lau er! It looks so good that I can down the whole cake myself!

Total Calorie Count and Counting ~ 2702 Calories
A slice of chocolate cake ~ 235 Calories^[7]

The following takes place between 04:00pm to 06:00pm
Preparing for the end of the work day, you cleared half of the work that you are supposed to, finished tweeting your last tweet and getting ready to go off before it’s actually time to (if you cannot relate to this, my heart goes out for you). Time to meet your significant other for dinner plans!

Total Calorie Count and Counting ~ WTF you’re still counting?!?

“Caloric balance is the key to managing your weight. An average man needs about 2000 kcal/day while an average woman needs about 1600 kcal/day. When you eat more calories than what your body uses or “burn off”, these extra calories will be stored as fat in your body, leading to weight gain.” – Weight Loss 101, Health Promotion Board, Singapore^[8]

Need I say more?

Do you want to look like this for halloween?

Stay tune for part 2 as we look at how the younger kids these days balloon up!

References (I don’t think anyone actually reads this though)
[1] – http://www.healthguru.sg/general/nutrition-information-nasi-lemak/
[2] – http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/nutrition?drink=all#view_control=nutrition
[3] – http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/arnotts/tim-tam/
[4] – http://www.healthguru.sg/learn-about-food/nutrition-info-bandung-drink/
[5] – http://www.nutrition.com.sg/do/hnoodle.asp
[6] – http://www.nutrition.com.sg/do/hdesserts.asp
[7] – http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/chocolate-cake-%28with-chocolate-frosting%29?portionid=38689&portionamount=1.000
[8] – http://www.hpb.gov.sg/foodforhealth/article.aspx?id=8844