Final Countdown!

3 MORE DAYS! Did my last run today, 4km. Haven't really been eating that much this week, just as normal. Didn't want to gain any extra weight just before the race ....it would be more difficult to run with all that added weight! Will start carbo loading proper tomorrow..although I had some rice today, I wouldn't really say I am loading up yet. But will eat more tomorrow and the day after.

How do I feel? At this moment, I am not having any jitters yet. Don't want to think about it until the day arrives. Infact, I'd like to enjoy myself, even during the race...until the point where I start to question myself "Why on earth am I doing this?"

Just heard a song called "You can Get it if y ou Really Want" by Desmond Dekker - it's an oldie but somewhat inspiring for the race!

Singapore, here I come!

Chicken rules!

There's nothing like a bottle of Brand's Essence of Chicken to perk you up! I have been feeling tired since my HK trip, as I've not had enough rest..started hitting the books the day after I came back and I've been studying every night. My weekly long distance run (which I'm cutting back anyway) has suffered also but I'll not worry about my run until the day itself! No point worrying now..I can't do much about my physical strength anymore at this stage.

Thanks to TA who wanted some Brand's essence of chicken bottles, I was reminded that I have quite a few bottles left. Decided to take a bottle last night and it made such a REMARKABLE difference this morning. Felt more energetic than usual this morning, and I was able to run at a decent speed without feeling tired.

Must remember to pack a bottle of Brand's in my bag for the Singapore run.

Mental over physical

It's tapering period. Since I got back fom Hong Kong, I don't think I've rested enough. Can't seem to run as well as I did before I left. Now mental strength will have to take over physical strength.

and prayers....i'll need a lot of that.

Starbucks girl

My most frequented Starbucks stores (in order from most to least)

1. Jln Telawi 3
2. Bangsar Village
3. Section 14 (Jaya)
4. Amcorp

I've been told that Starbucks in Hong Kong sucks.

No Men Allowed

While I was away in Hong Kong, my gym had made an announcement that they were going to convert to an all ladies' gym effective 1 December 2006. Lifestyle had been one of the pioneers in the fitness industry in KL, but unfortunately lost out to many mega gyms over the years. I continued to gym there for the last 8 years, as I was comfortable with the fact that it wasn't a flashy gym and they don't push personal training, which most gyms do (and on top of that most so called personal trainers in those gyms are inexperienced and know nuts about fitness)

Celebrity Fitness will be opening in Bangsar Village 2 in February 2007, and Lifestyle made this change of direction so as not to compete head on with Celebrity. Instead they are trying to look for a more niche market,but unfortunately this message was not communicated well to the members. Members were left disgruntled and unhappy, as there are several male members, and even the female members are happy to have the men around. I myself am affected, as I have a joint membership with my brother, and we had paid our fees upfront until March next year. So my brother's membership will be terminated, and I do not want to be left in the gym by myself. If we were to join another gym, it will obviously be a joint membership as it usually works out to be cheaper. So at the moment I do not know what the gym's decision is, whether the ladies with joint membership with men will be compensated at all.

In my opinion, this was really a bad move, as they did not consult existing members, and existing members are the ones paying them and keeping them going. It would be much easier to build the business from within, than to start recruiting new members. In any case, I would have to start looking for a new gym. The options I have are:

1. Fitness First ( parking isn't exactly great here and I'd have to bring own towel)
2. True Fitness (I don't mind this gym but it's not that accessible)
3. Celebrity Fitness ( I don't like their marketing oriented style, but it seems to be the most convenient)

Although I am not into flashy gyms, in a way I am kind of looking forward to joining a new gym...hopefully I'll be more motivated and challenged.

Foretaste of Hong Kong Marathon

I'm back from Hong Kong!It's good to be back to clear blue skies! It was extremely hazy in Hong Kong, it was quite difficult to snap nice photos. All you see is a blanket of grey in the background.

Only 3 weeks more to Singapore Marathon. I only got back from Hong Kong yesterday and I had to miss the run this morning as I was too tired. Anyway, I've done my long run last week and I'm beginning to taper off. I did a lot of walking in Hong Kong, but I did not bring my orthotics along (in case I did something silly like leave it behind, which I absolutely can't afford because I desperately need them for Sing marathon). Walking around without the orthotics caused my feet to be sore most of the time, and what made it worse was not wearing proper footwear (I only wore sandals and not running shoes as it was hot).

Did a lot of walking daily, and in the sweltering heat it was really tiring. I did manage to go out for a run one of those days, on Tuesday morning. I stayed with my friend in a suburb called Shau Kei Wan, which is pretty good for running, as the streets are less busy, and there's a courtyard just down the road where you can see senior citizens doing taichi every morning. The only thing I didn't like was, i had to run on the pavement because it was quite dangerous to run on the narrow streets, and the pavement was hard on the feet!

So, if I ever decide to run the Hong Kong marathon, there are a few things I have to take note of:
1. Hong Kong is pretty hilly (oh ya, my butt feels worked out after all those uphill walks)
2. It's quite polluted (someone DIED from the run last year)
3. It will be quite cold to run sometime in February


HK Marathon will be on 4 March next year..should I?

34km!

I ran 34km today. Now I feel at peace to go to Hong Kong! That will be my last long distance run before the race. After this I will be tapering. It took me 4 hours to complete 34km, as I went very slowly. I didn't feel exactly in tip top condition, considering I was feeling anaemic the last 3 days. I had to take a break from gym yesterday, so that I could compelte 34km today.

An unfortunate event occurred today. One of the men in our group met with an accident. While crossing the Jalan Duta highway, he got knocked down by a bike and suffered fractures in his leg. After completing 20km at the Petronas Station in Jln Hartamas 1, most of us decided not to do the extra loop but this uncle decided to do the extra loop. As such, he was behind us, and I was quite far ahead. I did not know about the accident until I got back. It was a good thing that there were other runners with him at the time it happened, and helped to call for ambulance.

The last time I heard, his condition is stable and he's resting in hospital.

The dangers of running..

Me, quit? Never.

This is a line I got from Bethany Hamilton's website. Bethany's a teen surfer who had her arm bitten off by a shark back in 2003. Yet today, she's still riding the waves, and living her life for the Lord. It's an inspiring story for athletes, with the message or never giving up. She's even go ther own devotional book, called "Soul Surfer", in which she said she was very calm even after that incident happened, as she knew God was watching over her.

Quotes of Bethany:
"I might not be here if I hadn't asked for God's help"

"I look at everything that's happened as part of God's plan for my life"

She attends North Shore Christian Church, an evangelical church in Kaua'i, Hawaii.

I've got to do my long run this weekend despite feeling weak and anaemic in the last 2 days. Oh well. I guess I have to remember: "Me, quit? Never."