Life beyond running

Ran 6.6km today, outdoor. Great weather, it was sunny and not hazy. Felt a bit tired, but I had to psyche myself up and chant "I'm bursting with energy" in mind.

Just thought of some activities which I want to take up but haven't got the equipment or time to start:

* Tap dancing
* Roller blading
* Kick boxing
* Mountain biking
* Pilates ( stiff from all that running)

A group of girlfriends are starting a pilates class. I'm interested but it's a question of timing. I'll see when they decide on the time and I'll see if I can fit in.

Another kg off!

Yes! Another kg off! But I think this one's not for real..it's just water loss. It's impossible to lose 1 kg within a day. But I can fit in 1 of my white tops which I couldn't get in last week. Actually I could get in, I just looked like a bak chang, that's all.

Today's exercise:
35 min on elliptical machine
10 min on stepper
Assisted chin up
Machine row
Lat pulldown
Tricep dip
Reverse crunches

1 kg off!

Today's exercise:

Had wanted to do the Tivoli hills but decided against it. Did the usual Pantai route, I think I panted quite a bit today but it was a good run. Oh yes, hurrah, I've finally shed 1 kg! After 1 1/2 months of hard work. I think it used to take me only 2 weeks to lose weight when I was younger but it's getting more difficult now.

Tummy does feel a lot flatter now. I was quite horrified when a friend commented recently:" Oh last time your tummy never used to spill out but now it does". OUCH!!!

Yesterday's workout:
4km run on treadmill
8 mins on elliptical machine
Leg press
Alternate lunges
Bench press
Dumbell flyes
Shoulder presses
Abs crunches
Plank

Sat Morn run

I had a really fantastic run on Saturday - 20km..considering that I only had 5 hours of sleep the night before, I had lots of energy. Also, perhaps my body was still warm, and I didn;t have to warm up as much as I usually would have to. I usually would hav half a power bar before the run and 1 power gel during the run for 20km but I managed to get by this time without eating anything! Must have been the fried rice the day before.

Thanks C-Cube for pacing with me, it really helped me to run a bit faster than I usually would. I hope my speed can improve a little bit.

The best part was gulping an ice cool 100 PLus after the run! :)

Extra Energy

I don’t know if it was Fatboy’s cake last night, or the choice of right footwear that gave me extra energy today. Ran the usual 6.6km with added energy today. Maybe it’s a combination of both.

Celebrated May’s birthday last night and we took her to Gin Ryu Tei in Mid Valley. The highlight I guess was presenting her the cake which was a gift from HL, who commissioned Fatboy to bake it.

Middle age spread sure rules!

For other happenings in my life, check this out.

Phew!

Woke up late this morning. Had my clock set on pm instead of am so it didn't ring. I jumped out of bed thinking it was Pantai Hills training again!But it's gym day. Phew!

Last night my hip flexors were so tight I had to stretch myself when I got back home. Woke up feeling a lot better.

Today's workout:
40 min on elliptical machine
push ups
DUmbell press
Lat pulldown
Bent over fly
Reverse crunches

Go!

Rest is good. Last week after the Putrajaya Run I took a week off Pantai Hills training. I had boundless energy as I did the hills today. My muscles were fully recovered from the previous weeks of hill training.

Ran about 8km today. I think I need to watch my diet better as there are days that I still feel a bit sluggish. But it's all in the mind...these days , as much as I feel lazy on certain days, I just think, "Go!"

I shall also endeavour to keep this blog purely on my exercise activities! It has strayed too much lately! Shall post the link to my other blog later.

Saucony Grid Hurricane 8

My favourite range - Hurricane. I like it for its stability and thick soles. Triumph looks more savvy though. I have yet to test and compare both the shoes. I'm presently still using my New Balance 1060 and 901.

Read the review in Running Times.

Saucony Grid Triumph 3

This is what my Saucony Grid Triumph 3 looks like. It is categorised under "Responsive Cushioning" category. As the name suggests, these shoes provide added cushioning.

Check out the review in Running Times.

Today's workout:

4km on treadmill (gotta burn last night's chocolate truffles)
Leg press
Leg extension
Leg curl
Crunches

Today's meal:

Breakfast: coffee and toast
Lunch: Chicken sandwich
Dinner: Stir fried celery, home made char siew, blanched okra with sambal, green apple soup
Dessert: honeydew melon and pineapple

More To Life

My running buddies weren't going to be running today so I decided to go by myself. Decided not to run the Mizuno run tomorrow as I'd wanted to clock in a slightly longer distance. I'd planned to do 15km. Since I was alone, I decided it wasn't safe to go too early...(plus I had a pretty late night yesterday). Another reason was to acclimatise myself to the heat during the Singapore Marathon. So macho me decided to start running at 7.30am.

Nearly died.

It's from lack of sleep also.

I was so glad I had brought along my MP3 player to accompany me and to kill the boredom. I was listening to a number by Stacie Orrico (There's Gotta be More to Life) and I decided it's NOT a good song to listen to while you run. It makes you think, why am i doing this??? Here's what the song says:

"(There's Gotta Be) More To Life"

I've got it all, but I feel so deprived
I go up, I come down and I'm emptier inside (note: makes me think of hill training)
Tell me what is this thing that I feel like I'm missing
And why can't I let it go

[Chorus]
There's gotta be more to life...
Than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me
Cause the more that I'm...
Tripping out thinking there must be more to life
Well it's life, but I'm sure... there's gotta be more
Than wanting more
I've got the time and I'm wasting it slowly
Here in this moment I'm half way out the door
Onto the next thing, I'm searching for something that's missing
[repeat chorus]

i'm wanting more
I'm always waiting on something other than this
Why am I feelin' like there's something I missed.....


Anyway, I DID run 15km...and then went to reload my calories with a huge breakfast.

Washed Out

Was up early...and then I heard it....pitter patter raindrops ....and then it started pouring!! Had planned to do the Pantai Hills route today but was secretly hoping to skip it. When it started pouring I had a good mind to stay in bed since I rarely get the chance to sleep in.

Alas, the peanut butter chocolate which I had last night sent me on a guilt trip. So I decided to run 5km on the treadmill.

Picture from Putrajaya Run

Peck Yah and I heading for the finishing line. What a relief! We were both terribly untrained and both also signed up for full marathon in December. Crazy!!

I don't think I can improve my time from 2004. My attitude now is "die die lah, just finish the race". ..

Caramel's Homecoming Anniversary

September 18,2006 will mark a year that Caramel's been with me. How time flies! It's been almost a year since I found this little pooch in Sentul Park and brought him home. He's a big boy now, but he's the lanky sort, hasn't been able to gain much weight since the last 1 year UNLIKE the owner. Oh I don't have his current photos now on this pc. Shall post later.

Everything's Dying

Ok my blog is DYING. Just seem to be busy plus there hasn't been anything interesting to blog about. I ran the Putrajaya half last Sunday..nearly died as my body was untrained. THe maximum I had achieved before that was 12 km. It was my worst half marathon time ever.

Besides that, I also went to the Saucony warehouse 2 weeks ago, bought myself a Hurricane and a Triumph. (Saucony running shoes by the way.) It was the best experience I ever had in buying shoes because FOR ONCE, someone was able to give some advice on the shoes. Most shop assistants are just dodo's and can't tell you the difference between 1 shoe to another. I've always loved Hurricane models because they are sturdy. Yea then the guy told me Hurricane is good for heavy set people. (Read my lips - it's good for FAT people). Triumph was the highest end available, and it was pretty sturdy as well. I'm saving it for SIngapore Marathon.

The irony of life. I've been running so much the last 1 month but i have been GAINING WEIGHT. Sigh. Think my body is resistant to losing weight already. Perhaps it is because I am running so much, then I think it's ok to replenish my body with MORE food. I guess that only works if you're an elite athlete. But I'm not. I'm just an athlete wannabe, remember? Time to cut down on calories....