Quak Eng Kwee Interview
Written by: Khaisutra | Date: Jul 13, 2010
FitnessSutra interviews a 55 year old runner.
Profile
Name: Quak Eng Kwee
Age: 55
Height: 172cm
Weight: 58kg
Career: Civil servant
Preferred Shoes: New Balance
Activities
Marathon: consecutive 10thtime started in 2001.
Biathlon: consecutive 8th time started in 2003.
Mountain Climbing: Mt. Lumut and Mt. Ophir, leading a team up Mt. Kinabalu this Nov
Charity 10km open water swim.
Swimming life saving instructor.
Why do you run?
I run because...
I went to HK in 1997 and had a spinal injury. The e coli bacteria attacked my lumbar three and four. MRI showed that they had been eaten up, affected the nerves as well.
I was hospitalised for 1 month. I could not move. The Orthopaedic surgeon told me that I cannot participate in sports anymore. I was walking as a form of exercise and slowly elevated to running.
On a fortnightly visit to my doctor, he asked why I am healing so fast. Could it be that I’m taking some traditional herbal medications?
I told him it is because I’m running. The doctor then chased me out and said he would not be liable for my back. I said ""thank you "and went off. Better in a sense that I had always needed to take leave off work for the appointment. And my appointment would be at 10am and I had to wait till 2pm to see him.
Most people injure a spine and stop running, but you got a spinal injury and started running?
As a matter of fact, during physiotherapy, they will be told to run on threadmills.
And I have to thank god I’m still alive today. On the 12thof June (2010), I was knocked down by a car while on my run. The car hit me at least twice. I had deep cut on my head and internal haemorrhage and was put in a high dependency ward.
That was only one month ago (interview done on 12thof July 2010).
Now I’m back to training and the traffic police have not completed their investigations.
Wah! You seem to have the regenerative powers of Wolverine.
What?
What’s your training regime? Weekly training schedule involve?
I wake up at 415am for about an 8km run. I swim after work.
Everyday?
Yes. It has become a second nature.
Nowadays everybody’s running with a heart rate monitor. Do you use one? As how far is it important to training up for a marathon or biathlon?
I own three heart rate monitors by Polar. But the transmitters always drop. So I had to wear a...a...
A suspender?
No no no, something like a bra strap to keep it in place.
But I dun wear it nowadays. I can more or less gauge the dist and I go by how I feel.
There is a recent evolution in running circles. Shoes which simulates barefoot running, are you into that? Do you land on fore/midfoot or heel?
I purchased the...What do you call that five toes thing?
The Vibram Five Fingers?
Yes the Vibram Five Fingers. They gave me a discount at $163.
They gave you a discount? Why did they give you a discount?
They promised me that new stock was coming. But then when the new stock came they had only the pink ones left for my size. And it’s PINK! But I still bought them anyway.
So I would say you are a forefoot / midfoot striker?
I’m trying to change. I have a race coming up and I’m trying to get used to the new running technique.
Some young people run one time and get knee pain and ankle pain... At your age, how do you keep these pains away and yourself injury free?
Patience, hard work and keep trying. You can’t do a weekend warrior kind of thing. You will only invite injuries. Even a new car, you have to season the engine first before it can go fast.
Ya break in the engine and like breaking in your shoes.
Yes breaking in. So the mileage goes like, you have to increase by 5% weekly. A gradual increment.
They say people who run a lot, when they get older, they will experience lots of knee problems? What’s your take on that?
That’s a good question. Let me quote another analogy. Let’s say you buy a new car and park it for six months and another car used as intended for the same period of time. Let me ask you which one will wear off faster?
Erm... the one parked for six months...
Yes at the end of the day both car will wear off. God has designed our bodies in such a way that we will wear off. If you don’t drive the car for six months, the tires will crack and the engine will probably refuse to start or have difficulty starting. Similar to our body, if we dun move our blood, our organs will deteriorate. If just one of our organs deteriorates, there will be a domino effect, one organ after another.
The idea is, at the end of the day, we will still wear off and die. It is just how you make use of it in the mean time to enjoy the quality of life. By quality here I dun mean making lots of money and etc. I mean being healthy and spending quality time with your family and friends.
Any training tips?
I keep a journal. Before and after the run I will check my pulse, blood pressure, weight, height
Height?
No height. Then after the run I will record down the distance and time taken. Also how I feel during and after the run.
Why do you have to take your blood pressure?
I have five BP monitors.
You have THREE heart rate monitors which you have stopped using and FIVE BP monitors?
Yes, to mainly check my pulse before and after the run for my journal. So if example after a run and my pulse is above what it usually would be, then I would know something is wrong.
Any nutrition tips?
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I eat lots of bananas, grapes, oranges, milk, rice and fish. One week before my race, I will eat five meals a day.
Five small meals a day? I’m used to taking six small meals a day for bodybuilding.
No no no. Five big meals. The experts call it carbo loading. Then my last meal before the race is about 8-9 hours before the race. It’s to compensate the lag time to clear the bowels.
Do you have any advice for runners or anybody who are interested in trying to do a marathon?
The idea is to start gradually. You have to take at least six months to one year to prepare for a marathon.
That seems like a long time?
Yes, you will have to season your body first.
Our body is made differently. There is no such thing as one size fits all. You yourself will be the best gauge to know how far you can push yourself.
Lastly don’t be worried that you are too old or whatever. And dun be intimidated by family and friends who tell you that you are too old or whatever to start a running.
Ya you only started when you were 45 or 46 with a back injury.
Yes I was actually inspired by Richard Khoo (pulls out a newspaper cutting from Nov 1999). At that time I haven’t started running or anything yet. I was still recovering from my spinal injury.
He actually started running after retirement at the age of 55 and had finished over 40 marathons at the time of the article. I was deeply inspired by him.
Ok that’s it.
Ok thank you for your time.
No no. Thank you for YOUR time Mr. Quak.
My first marathon in 2001.
My first Biathlon in 2003.
Early Marathon Photo.
Charity Swim. $2k, 10km Open water.
Urbanathlon.
Diving Course.
Mt. Ophir.
Kayaking expidition.