Had my first Electronic IPPT today. Amazingly for a whole group of 50-100 candidates, only 3-4 PTIs are needed to take them all, with one watching each station at every go. This is so unlike the IPPTs I’ve conducted before during my active days. The thing now is that you need not take the stations in sequence – I remembered last time that there was a particularly sequence to follow and you can’t ‘jump’ from station to station. But now you can!

You will be given a number tag upon registration, tagged to your NRIC where all your records will be stored. You can start a station after placing your number tag at the station’s own sensor pad then all your records will be stored in your Tag using RFID. With that, heres a run through of the stations:

Pull-ups
Placing your RFID tag on the holder, you can mount the bar with both over or under grasp or alternate grasps. The machine will count (in a ‘manly’ but rather awkward electronic voice) the number of chin ups you did when your head cuts the laser sensors (found similarly in ‘smart’ lift doors and escalators placed above the head area) and go below the bar. What the system can’t really detect is the straightening of the arms when your head is below the bar, which needs intervention of the PTIs. Furthermore, if you do valid pull ups with very wide V style with hands at both ends of the bar and your “rest” point is somewhere with the tip of your head sticking above the bar, the system won’t count too.

Sit-ups
No more doubles/partner system here, courtesy of a Velcro strap to hold your legs in place. After placing your tag on the sensor pad, you can do whatever adjustments you want, stretch, bua long long… then just lie down, the timer will only start when you do your 1st sit-up (i.e by ‘freeing’ the laser line of sight by lifting off the ground. The system will register a sit-up count when it get a successful registration of the laser sensors being alternated (i.e On-Off-On). What the system cannot detect is you touching your knees and you can even register a sit-up by doing crunches! (not going up fully) which is what the PTI particularly looks out for. Another flaw in the system is that when you are done (but with your time is not up yet) and if you sit up with your arms behind you (cutting the lasers beams behind you in the process) the system will still count!

Shuttle Run
There are 2 variants, the one I personally seen is one with a gantry to register start stop (and not being at the mercy of notorious human reaction times) the rest is all the standard Shuttle Run Rubber mat, only there are no blocks but only marked lines to touch at both ends. The other kind have a whole “sandbox” like flat rubber “bowl” where you have to touch 2 metal plates at the end (was told this is so at Bedok Camp). But both registers time start and end at the end. Timings are more consistent with this system and it beats having to grab a wooden block which will not too often fly off your hands when trying to grasp them.

Standing Board Jump
Same, place your tag on the sensor pad to load your details be greeted and “ready” the system. The system will register a fault even at the slightness intrusion over the red start line. The system registers jump distances to the next lowest distance at set intervals, i.e …<216, 221, 225, 230, 234, 239.. and so on. So basically upon landing it registers the last unobstructed laser beam at whatever interval and returns the jump distance from there, that includes too if you happen to fall back and land with your hand behind you too – as standard procedure to the non-electronic version. There are green LED markers demarking target distances from 216cm onwards. It’s usually good to use the LED markings as an obstacle and try to jump over them, doing do can get your 239cm and above.

2.4km Run/Jog
I’ve not run this yet due to CAT1 in my test, but Maju seems to be better than the other camps. The 2.4km comprise of 3 rounds round a 800m camp perimeter with terrain, so its harder to pace compared to the 400m round track if you have not run the route before, but otherwise more relaxing and not so mentally taxing to run. This is the only station where you have to wear your number tag to run which uses the RFID to track your lap counts and timing (similar to the RFID number tags in the 2005 Safra Sheares Bridge Run, Army Half-Marathon or the similarly, like the Champion timer chip in SCM, VM, etc…).

That is all I have to share from my first Electronic IPPT! Good luck for yours!

Today is my first in-camp NS IPPT and my first with electronic IPPT scoring as well. But the system is quote idiot proof for anyone but noticeably there are quite a few areas of possible exploitation of the system, not something that I would do while not under the watchful eye of the PTI, but something noticeable after studying the mechanics and visually dissecting test equipment, seeing how they tick. Just as to say, by means like any system, there is still need for human intervention and is not completely “un-cheatable”. But don’t be imitated by it too, as there is still the old fashioned way of doing it – just approach the station PTI.

😕 I am looking to maintain my silver just like during my active days, it’s possible to get 25points, but still a silver. Why? 2.4km as a marathoner is difficult to achieve below 9:45mins, having being so used to my steady LSD pacings. Maybe I should do more MSDs. So it’s quite uncommon for me to finish 2.4km without feeling breathless at around 9:59 tops and still raring to go another 20km (while others are all panting and collapsed), maybe it’s just me. Sub 10mins is 1:40mins of leeway from the silver cutoff timing of 11:40mins and I will still get the same $200 incentive just as someone who came in 11:39.59 for CAT X, bummer….

😡 Nevertheless after clearing my pull-ups, situps and shuttle run with 5 points, with the exception of my Standing Board Jump barely making 225cm (3 points) for a silver, it RAINED! CAT 1. So much for that, my first NS IPPT – Drenched! ALL of us can’t take our 2.4km station and left with a “Failed, Try harder next time” dinky receipt with 0.00s for 2.4km station. You can only retake stations when you fail and can’t take anymore if get to a higher incentive, bummer!

What’s more as things couldn’t get any worst, the journey back is as demoralising – it rained so heavy, you can’t even make out the vegetation from one end of the parade square to the other. Waiting inside or outside of the camp bus stop will get you drenched either way as any vehicle which passes by will send meter-high tsunamis into the bus stop… DAMMIT!

😉 On the brighter side, at least todays IPPT is considered an attempt, so I won’t be seeing a fine or MPs knocking on my door so soon, with the exception of maybe an RT letter. And there is KL Marathon to look forward to this weekend too. However, I would still want to take the IPPT sometime this or next week to get the cash incentive. Now if only I can get working on my Standing board jump technique to secure my sure-silver.

❓ Coincidentally met my wing platoon mate Erick also took IPPT today too, also spent some time chatting with some of the old reservist uncles as well. It seems that most of the NS personnel taking IPPT are more than satisfied with a pass, but is definitely a “No-No” to me, considering the double multipliers for Pass ($100 incentive) to $200 Silver and $400 Gold. Recapping today’s event as told, my Dad say I push myself too much and should be more than happy with what I have or can achieve… am I being stubborn or the pursuit for the best and success blinded me? after all Dad is also like those happy go lucky pot-bellied uncles I mentioned previously too, “pass can already!”

Some old addition of millage I left out on calculation for last 2 weeks:

Internship
With that in a flash marks the end of the Chinese new year week and into week 3 into my internship, with my Liason officer coming to visit the my workplace the following workweek.

Yusheng Madness
Notable events would be YuSheng with my company on Thursday as Siam kitchen restaurant, at Cousin Gordon’s home (with both our families) and finally yesterday night at home with my family ourselves. So that’s almost one Yusheng every day for 3 consecutive days.

Indigestion
Went down with a little indigestion since yesterday, but that when down quite controllably with some off-the-shelf medication and the discomfort clearing up by evening. I always get bloating or stomach pains quite expectedly whenever I overeat the previous day or have a rich diet of flatulence inducing foods, such as nuts and cucumbers, resulting in some form of discomfort. Guess I have to control my intake or sleep with a full warm body in air conditioning to keep my “Qi” in. But that didn’t pretty much stop me from running the National Vertical Marathon today, contrary to possibility seeing myself skipping it this year with my given condition.

Murphy Law in Effect
Amazing despite yesterday’s discomfort, woke up this morning feeling much better and raring to run. But it seems that everything is against into running the event today or a typical case of the Murphy law in full effect- From yesterday’s indigestion to the morning alarm falling to ring (Thanks to my friend who woke me up through phone) to dad’s car breaking down at 6am in the dark morning on our way there to the venue at Republic Plaza (RP) – A typical case of a dead battery when the lights were accidentally left on overnight. It was so bad even the car alarm and central locking was not working. Despite able to push start the car it struggled even at the slightest incline prompting the need to drive the car back halfway while I commuted the rest of the journey to Raffles on MRT. That’s should be enough encounters for one day.

National Vertical Marathon 2007
Met up Ahlong, Elrick and Andre at Raffles MRT this morning for registrations, being only 6mins late despite all the mess ups. Also chanced upon Lonely Runner and rest of the SGRunners before my event and even the H5N1 Chicken guy on my way up around the finishing line at the top floor (who had to do like countless runs up the last flight of steps for a perfect media picture). I didn’t push for a good timing given my bad condition the last few days, prompting about 12mins overall time for the 60 floors up Singapore’s Tallest building, just a little longer than what I did for Swissotel’s 73 floors. Elrick and Ahlong did about 11mins and Andre about 13mins if I remembered. The goodie bag was quite wholesome with various tidbits, pasta and rather readable magazines of interest now, even the event Shirt is dry-fit this year. Left the event shortly thereafter to Delta Swimming complex my planned post vertical marathon 1hour continuous recovery swim.

Dad was repairing the car when I came back at Noon and my appetite found it’s way back me again! Lunch was on mum and it was great!

It’s 2007 a new running year and new resolutions to meet as well. With that, it’s time to revise the 2006 usual running patterns.

2007 Revised Tiong Bahru Running Route

My usual favorite bi-weekly running route will have a revised distance, so not only make my lap and distance counts easier but it will be more accurate to do my timings and pacings based on the single kilometer instead of the 800m previously. One round is realistically 1.05km with an additional 50m to accommodate for my habit to occasionally take the insides of corners and bends, so give and take it’s 1km.

I though I might be crazy naming the corners of the run, like the “Delta Apex”, or the “GESS Figure 8”, but unlike that on the BBC Top Gear race track, it’s the basic thing I can have on my mind (besides playing music) for those extended repeated rounds I particularly love. Training runs will be 15 rounds for half-marathon training (present distance for my Amback KL Half-Marathon) and 20-30 rounds for a marathon (2007 SCM).

My Labrador Park Distance will still be fixed at 1.22km so is my other favorite Sunset way canal route capped at 5.18km per round.

Labrador Park 1.22km/Round

SP Canal Route 5.18km/Round

National Vertical Marathon 2007
Got a confirmation on the National Vertical Marathon 2007 this Sunday. This time it’s Republic Plaza (RP) with 60 floors to beat. I had not ran up RP before, contrary to Swissotel and Suntec, hope the stairwell layout is alternating and not so monotonous. Registrations starts at 6.30 – 9am for Men’s Open. Would be meeting my track and classmates at Raffles MRT at about 7am after breakfast around home. Then would be going for a short 1 hour continuous cardio swim after the event to sum up the coming Sunday morning.

Asics DS Trainer
I was looking the Asics DS Trainer 12 is out for $209 at the Marina Square Asics concept shop yesterday. Should be able to get it at about $129 from the running world warehouse. Otherwise, I still find my present Trainer 11 the best looking so far, which simply justify why the DS trainer 11 and 12 are sold for the same $209 price?

Last but not least, here is a little inspiration: Running The Sahara.

Would be going out for another 15km run again. Chaos!