In response to Bee Lok: 6 reasons for sudden death whilst jogging

Bee Lok

Let me attempt to answer your questions (Lily, please comment if you disagree). There are 6 points to consider:

1. Health. He could have a undetected, undiagnosed heart problem (here’s where Lily is urging everyone to go for a heart scan to determine the degree of blockage of our heart arteries) and when he over exerts (can’t be because the ST report said the joggers were running at their own pace), his heart could not take it. Again, his son said he ran 4x a week and had no known medical condition. Hence, medical reason is unlikely.

2. Acclimatization to the place. He arrived on Oct 1 2009; he collapsed and died on 26 Oct 2009. How many times had he run in this unfamiliar terrain before his fatal run? What was the weather there like? Lesson for us: Know your terrain and route well; 100 runs, 100 victories.

3. Too many worries on his mind when he ran. Worries kill the heart and can cause heart arteries to go into spasm. (The Hokkien word for worries is (frozen heart 结心; Choon Chiang, right or wrong?). Lesson for us: when you run, relax….don’t let your problems and worries wear you down. One the one hand you are running (and supposed to be relaxing), on the other hand, you are worrying (which send your heart into spasm). An example of collapse due to frozen heart 结心 is when a person, especially the elderly, hears a bad news on the phone, he or she collapses….the heart can’t take it…hence, it goes into spasm. Hence we need to know what were his worries when he was running.

4. Too competitive; was there a challenge between him and his colleagues although it was supposed to be “run at your pace.” We know competition, especially the unhealthy ones, causes stress and the heart can go into spasm under stress. Hence, I like the accolade you heap on me: “the slowest and the most relaxed runner.” (Side comment: Strange thing, when you fall into the extreme ends of the spectrum, you are likely to be featured in the media!!!!. The mediocre don’t get noticed.)

5. Other factors: only God knows……

6. Finally, for those who think things are destined…..it’s time’s up……very morbid idea though.

Yong Guan (dated 27 Oct 2009 0900hrs)

51 year old SAF Warrant Officer dies whilst jogging in the US (Straits Times 27 Oct 2009)

A VETERAN army warrant officer sent recently to the United States collapsed during a morning run yesterday (26 Oct 2009) and died later in hospital.

The body of First Warrant Officer (1WO) S.Thivvianathan, 51, was found alongside Old Cedar Lake in Oklahoma, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a statement. It said the transport supervisor with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) had gone with other servicemen to run at their own pace by the lake.

The others had gone on ahead during the run and were unaware that 1WO Thivvianathan had got into trouble. He was found motionless by a local resident, who tried to resuscitate him. He was taken to the nearby Reynolds Army Community Hospital, but died soon after.

He is survived by his wife and two children, a daughter, 26, and son, 24. The Straits Times understands that he had not complained of feeling unwell before the run.

His son, Mr Jason Mike Nathan, who is doing his national service, said his father ran at least four times a week and did not have any known medical conditions.

ABC Runners mentioned in Dr Ben Tan's book

Seng Cheong writes:

ABC mentioned in Ben Tan' book!!
Page 31 titled 'JOIN THE CLUB' last para:
" Apart from the MR25, there are many other running groups in
Singapore, some bigger, some smaller. There are even clubs with names
like Team FatBird and ABC...."
So looks like we're a club now, are we....

Bee Lok adds:

Can you pse invite Ben Tan to read our blog? He will be surprised by our passion.

Evangeline completed North Face 100 race

Thanks Everyone for your good wishes!

It was a good race even though it was in the sweltering heat! we started at 10am!! Hot hot hot...

I clocked 3hr 5min..not a good timing but no excuses la.. my only complain was that we had to go to the TOP og Bukit Timah Hill ..there was no way anyone could have ran up the hill! lots of time wasted there! But other than that, i met a lot of other runners who inspired me to run the 50km next year!!

From Evangeline

Breakfast after 18 Oct 2009 SICC Thomson run

Leader B tipped to take over as new Chairman of Global Investments (ST 20 Oct 2009)

Leader A comments on private psychiatrists being hired by patients to fight in court (ST 19 Oct 2009)

Leader C and his bevy of ABC beauties at post-run breakfast on 18 Oct 2009

All the 3 photos were taken using Eric's Blackberry. You can guess by now which two ABC runners took the 2 group photos and you can compare their standards of photography.

Who took the photo of Leader C and his bevy of ABC beauties? It was great to see all the beauties smiling and obviously feeling at ease with Leader C (the one at greatest ease must be the one to his left...ha ha!!).

French First Lady Carla Bruni has been seeing psychiatrist for 8 years

41-year-old former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, says she began to see psychiatrist after her father died when she was 28. She adds that she refuses to lie down on the couch as it feels "artificial" when she saw her first psychiatrist.

"I had a life that was totally about action, completely outside of psychoanalysis until the age of 28," Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy told interviewers. But she said the shock of her father's death had prompted her to engage in therapy "body and soul". Initially the exercise was unexciting, she said, but when she switched to her current psychiatrist "the first session was incandescent". She added that lying down on a couch felt like a "masquerade".

"For the last two years I've been face to face with my psychiatrist. This more civilised situation of sitting face to face helps me speak more freely." Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy married the twice-divorced French president in Feb 2008 after a brief romance.

18 Oct 09 (Sunday) run starts at 1615hrs (not 0630hrs) from Pei Lin / Shih Ping's house

From Bee Lok:

The run next Sunday (18 Oct 2009) will be in the afternoon instead. Pei Lin and Shih Ping have kindly agreed to host an ABC party at their house to celebrate Deepavali with the gang.

Suggested programme :

* 4pm - Arrival of runners at Pei Lin's house followed by warm up and stretching exercises. (Adequate parking along the road.)

* 4.15pm - start of run at Northern trail around MacRitchie or any other route of your choice. Just be back by 5.30pm.

* 5.30 to 6.30pm - warm down and shower.

* 6.30pm - Party begins with the usual ABC spread.

In order not to over eat, we need to coordinate over the email who are bringing what food or fruits. There will be no coordinator. I think ABC members are always well cordinated and know what to do.

I will bring fishcakes and wine. Chui Ngor, are you cooking your special porridge?

But for catering purpose and in order not to over provide, those attending (please indicate number of family members as well) should reply by this Thursday 15 Oct 2009.

Have a good week ahead, see you next Sunday (18 Oct 09) afternoon and Happy Deepavali to our Indian friends.

-Bee Lok

Look at the this monkey and its mannerism...and look at Choon Chiang and his curiosity

16 turned up for MacRitchie Run on 4 Oct 2009

Don't shun your eggs. The brain needs cholesterol to function well.

According to an article in Wall Street Journal (12 Feb 2008), your brain needs cholesterol to fully function: “The brain is largely cholesterol, much of it in the myelin sheaths (see drawing above; the part coloured yellow) that insulate nerve cells and in the synapses that transmit nerve impulses. Some doctors theorize that lowering cholesterol could slow the connections that facilitate thought and memory….”

Wee Boon, do you remember years ago, at our post-run breakfast, you asked me about the effects of taking half-boiled eggs on our bodies, I told you and the rest of the group: "Don't worry, eggs are good for the brain because the covering of the neurons in the brain needs cholesterol." I am glad this fact is now supported by this Wall Street Journal article.