Sunday, April 29, 2007

Hahahaha........

Had a drink at Compasspoint Starbuck's a few days ago and i saw this:

Summary for week of 22 - 28 April

Busy, busy week.
  • Sunday, 22 April: Gave up on the Mount Faber race, had to clear some work at the office.
  • Monday, 23 April: No runs.
  • Tuesday, 24 April: Travel day, no runs.
  • Wednesday, 25 April: Lots of work to clear, no runs.
  • Thursday, 26 April: Final preparations before ISO Audit, no runs.
  • Friday, 27 April: Too tired to run after work.
  • Saturday, 28 April: Gave up on Real Run Terrain Race, had to travel.

No runs this week, too much work to clear. 1 week to the back to back half marathons at Alor Setar and Ipoh, and 2 weeks to IPPT.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Summary for week of 15 - 21 Apr 07

Lazy, lazy week.
  • Sunday, 15 Apr: No runs, still sick.
  • Monday, 16 Apr: No runs, watched 2 movies, Turistas and Smokin' Aces. There seems to be a wide selection of gory movies nowadays.
  • Tuesday, 17 Apr: CBD Run.
  • Wednesday, 18 Apr: No runs. Wanted to do a simple circuit training at the fitness station near office, but rain spoiled my plans. Watched another movie, The Hills have Eyes 2.
  • Thursday, 19 Apr: Travel day, no runs.
  • Friday, 20 Apr: No runs, again, watched 2 movies, The Red Cockatoo and Fracture.
  • Saturday, 21 Apr: Went to JB with Ed. Rain prevented us from having goreng pisang, but we watch a rather lousy show in Zombie Kampong Pisang.

CBD Run - 17 April 2007

After being sick for the last week, i was delighted when Tuesday arrived. Left office and made my way to CBD. On arrival, I put on my Asics Cumulus, having already donned my Mizuno Orange top and black shorts earlier at the office.

No baggage service this time so Tiwazz volunteered to be security. That also meant no one to lead the way to Mt Faber, so i volunteered to show a new route, which was up Sheares Bridge from Sundial and down at Marina Promanade before going back up at Promenade and exit back at Sundial.

Running along Maxwell Road, the group headed towards ECP and turned left into the underpass towards Marina South. We then ran at the pavement and into Marina City Park towards the sundial. Walking slowly below the Sheares Bridge, we got to the proposed IR site and climbed up the stairs and then ran on the bridge towards Marina Promenade. The fumes from vehicles plying the bridge caused us to pick up pace. Reaching Marina Promenade side, we climbed down the stairs and made a loop to the opposite site of the bridge. Climbed the stairs and ran slowly back towards Marina South. Climbed down the stairs and walked on the grass, towards Sundial.

We ran by the rockwall towards the barrage construction linking Marina East and South, turned right to soccer field and right again once we reached the seafood centre. From there, i slowed down and ran with Piglet, ST and Ronnie, who was nursing a knee injury. Slowly, we made our way back to the start.

Shoe: Asics Cumulus
Distance: 10.33km (based on previous run)

Monday, April 16, 2007

Summary for week of 8 - 15 Apr 07

Down with flu and buried with work.
  • Sunday, 8 Apr: Down with flu. Stayed home all day until Ed dragged me out for dinner.
  • Monday, 9 Apr: Lots of work to do, no runs. Didn't want to take medicine, couldn't afford to get drowsy.
  • Tuesday, 10 Apr: Still down with flu, and had the ISO auditor to entertain. Wanted to drop by CBD and share my flu germs with the runners but rain spoiled my plan.
  • Wednesday, 11 Apr: Travel day, had a meeting in Bintan. Had to get back to office upon reaching SG, clear some work. No runs.
  • Thursday, 12 Apr: Another travel day, meeting the guys from Jakarta, coming over to Bintan to discuss and iron out issues concerning the hospitality school. Brought my gear along but no time for runs or any forms of work-out.
  • Friday, 13 Apr: Still in Bintan, still working, still sneezing.
  • Saturday, 14 Apr: Got back to SG in the mid-afternoon. Watched Wild Hogs with Ed. Probably one of the funniest show i've watch for sometime.
  • Sunday, 15 Apr: Rested all day, had tea with Ed at Caffe Beviamo at Tanglin Mall. The sticky date pudding is something to die for. Soy latte good too.
So now runs this week, still recovering from flu. 1 week to Mt Faber run and 1 month to IPPT.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Summary for week of 1 - 7 Apr 07

Started with running in the rain, ending with flu
  • Sunday, 1 Apr: PD Half Marathon.
  • Monday, 2 Apr: No runs.
  • Tuesday, 3 Apr: CBD Run.
  • Wednesday, 4 Apr: Refused to run.
  • Thursday, 5 Apr: Watched 2 movies with Irwan, "The Reaping and Shooter".
  • Friday, 6 Apr: Had to forgo the Northern Run organised by Jamessoh.
  • Saturday, 7 Apr: Went to JB, had goreng pisang. Then watched a scary movie "Jangan Pandang Belakang". Scary, good plot but they could have done better with the ghost, looked like a mannequin. Though was sneezing all day, i still stayed up late and watched Man Utd lose to Portsmouth.

Will take the following week to rest, before starting intensive training for IPPT and Mt Faber race.

Crazy or what???

Kak J called me up... "Eh Shut... a group of us going to Alor Setar in May... u wanna go?". My first reaction was... where is Alor Setar. Scanning my brain, i realised that Alor Setar is in Kedah, the second-most northern state in Peninsular Malaysia. Kak J then continued "the run will be on road for the first 3km... then we run at the padi fields..." . I started to laugh, not just because i've started to get interested, but also because i imagined myself being cramped up in a bus, sitting for 12hrs, dying to reach Kedah. But the ultimate laughter came when Kak J said "after the run we'll go down to Ipoh and run in the Centennial run the next day".
I was in 2 minds about saying yes. Firstly, i will need to take leave on Friday since we'll be leaving on a Thursday night. Secondly, 12hr journey by bus is no joke. And no toilets? Lastly, it would mean another weekend away from Ed.
Thinking about running through padi fields, i asked Ed what she thought and surprisingly she replied, "i think you should go for it." What more can i say......

Checked my leave when i got back to office on Monday and saw that i have a meeting the Friday, when i would probably be in Alor Setar. Checked with BG Lim and he said... "go lah, go lah, just change the meeting, what's the big deal?".
So, i am going to Alor Setar and Ipoh. The Alor Setar run is on the Saturday and the Ipoh one is the day after, both are 21km. Can i do it?? Doesn't matter.....

Sorry seems to be the hardest word

Why do we have difficulty saying "sorry"? It is that hard........??
Was in JB last Saturday.... at a shopping mall... and a woman knocked her trolley into me, hitting my right thigh. I called her a woman and not a lady because of her reaction...... though i honestly think that the incident was truely an accident, the woman was... not woman enough to simply apologise. Instead she immediately said.... "not my fault... he cut into my lane".... Humans.....

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

What's next??

Can't believe it is April, how time flies?
I've completed:
  • A 30km race - GE Pacesetters 30K
  • A full Marathon - KL Marathon
  • A half Marathon - Port Dickson Half

So what now? Let's see.....

  • continue running but concentrate more on short and fast runs: I need to work on my speed, especially if i want a decent timing during IPPT, which is less than 1.5months away.
  • strength training: Got to start pumping iron and hang if i want to get monetary rewards during IPPT. My weak stations have always been standing broad jump and chin-up, though i remember failing 2.4km after passing all the other stations, once, long time ago.
  • swim: Not that i can't swim, i was dubbed the "Gold Medal Swimmer" by my squadmates during PA. Can't remember where i kept my Survival Gold pin. Still, forward crawl is what i need to practice nowadays, since i can survive on frog-style.

As for races:

  • Mizuno Mount Faber race is coming up: that reminds me, i need to orientate myself with the route.
  • Real Run Terrain Race: 2 rounds round Bedok Reservoir, what a bore. Then again, hope the t-shirt is good.
  • Ipoh Centennial Celebration Half Marathon: Can i not go??
  • NB Pacesetters 15km: Just got clearance from OC Troop to go ahead with this. Yaahhooo...
  • Bintan Triathlon: Need to see the coach and my teammates soon.
  • World Harmony Run: Might as well join, get some mileage.
  • Penang Bridge...... we'll talk about this later. Now got to go makan.

CBD Run - 3 Apr 07

The day we went up Fort Canning
With Marina South undergoing facelift due to the IR, CBD runners had to look for new running routes. This week, the group headed for Fort Canning.

Reached startpoint just after 6. Stopped by Coffee Bean and bought one whole cheezcake, partly as punishment for running faster than JT and Charlotte 2 weeks ago, partly because i just felt like bringing something, to liven up the now-seemed-very-dull-and-sien CBD Run. (photo courtesy of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf - i was too lazy to zap some pictures)

We got going just after 7. I was in my Mizuno blue vest and shorts, NB1060 and USK attached to my racebelt. The route will take us from Maxwell Rd to Shenton Way down towards Esplanade. A u-turn and down under the bridge will swing us to the direction of Empress Place, Riverfront and Clarke Quay. Crossing the overhead bridge to bring us to the other side of the road, we'll run against traffic flow and turn right towards Clemenceau Ave before turning right again into Fort Canning. Running up the slopes and round the hill before eventually ending up at the same overhead bridge near the Reverse Bungee station at Clarke Quay. From there, back to the start.

I started fast, as the case after every races. The PD Half caused me sore quads and calf muscles but i knew for sure that i badly needed a recovery run. I shuttled from back to front, trying to save my legs for what the run was all about, the climb up Fort Canning. After some confusion at the overhead bridge, we eventually settled for running along River Valley Rd towards Clemenceau Ave and run up from there.
The slope was not too steep, nothing compared to the double hills at KL. Cokiee was leading and Fennel took over before long. I felt tired and took my time, running slow. As most were unfamiliar with the route, we waited at every intersections, ensuring that nobody got lost.

The run back was uneventful, less me trying to get JT to finish the race in style. SV reminded me about getting some sit-ups, after i told him that my IPPT is coming near. With his assistance in holding my ankles, i managed to do 50, before feeling cramps at the stomach, thigh and calves.

Can't remember who brought the H2O, but the cheezcake was good.

Distance: 9.68km
Shoe: NB 1060

Monday, April 02, 2007

Port Dickson International Half Marathon - 1 April 2007

No sub-2hr but a PB nonetheless

I got up at 5am, couldn't really sleep. Poor city boy not used to sleeping in a kampong house. After shower, applied NEAT Cream to abrasion prone areas and put on my SGRunners running vest, urban survival kit, Adidas cap and black shorts. Having checked everything in place, NL and me left for the startpoint, praying that the weather will hold.

Joining Mr and Mrs IMD at the start point after i put on my Adizero SN Red, i did my customary warm up stretches while waiting for registration to start. The weather however, had other plans. Drizzle turned to heavy rain by the time the VIP flagged off the 21km runners.

I couldn't believe the organisers allowed the race to proceed. However, at that point, i had another thing to worry about. The cold from the rain meant i had to pee, and trying to be the considerate foreigner, i held off my bladder and waited for the right opportunity. We got to the main road by the beach. Yeehua was slightly behind me at first but overtook when i stopped for my first pee break.

Rain probably turned to a slight storm and visibility was poor. I chatted with a runner from Malacca, who liked my SGRunners vest. We u-turned at the 7km mark and collected a ribbon to add to the one given during registration. Running back towards the startpoint, i adhered to my walk at every waterpoints routine, although there weren't anyone at the waterpoints. I felt tired as, opposed to the slight raise of feet for normal runs, running in ankle deep waters at part meant having to raise your feet higher and land harder for grip.

The fatique subsided as i reached the 10km point. Checking traser, i realised that i completed the first 10km in 55minutes. Sensing an opportunity for a good performance, i felt renewed vigour and continued running, a left turn towards the Armour camp, but not before another pee break. I passed by a stall selling pisang goreng but decided against buying some.

Reaching the intersection to the highway, where i needed to make a right turn and collect another ribbon, i continued at my 5-6mins/km pace. I past a runner who told me that he is currently the 90th in the "A" category, meaning we will get the finisher's medal if we complete the race. He waved me on after realising that he couldn't match my pace. I was more concerned for my timing. I missed finishing in 2hr at Putrajaya Half last year because of a miscalculation.

Reaching the round-a-bout, i collected another ribbon before turning right towards the startpoint. Distance markers indicated 2km to go. I tried to push myself but by the time i get to the last left turn towards the Marina, i knew 2hrs was beyond me. I continued on, knowing that i can still better my PB and finished the race in 2:02, cutting 3mins off my best timing.

After surrendering the ribbons, i collected my certificate and medal, got a few gulp of Milo and 100plus, and chatted with Nezz from Pacesetters. NL, who finished in 1:52, and me then left for breakfast. Good run, first time ever running in the rain for me, but an experience i will cherish for life.

Distance: 21.2km
Shoe: Adizero SN Red
Timing: 2:02

Summary for week of 25-31 Mar

No runs.... was out of town most of the week.
  • Sunday, 25 Mar: No runs.
  • Monday, 26 Mar: Left for Jakarta.
  • Tuesday, 27 Mar: Still in Jakarta. Should have brought my running and swimming gear, the gym and pool facilities were excellent.
  • Wednesday, 28 Mar: Got back in the evening and watched Ed's badminton game. No happy ending though.
  • Thursday, 29 Mar: Wanted to swim but the weather did not permit. Watched two movies instead.
  • Friday, 30 Mar: Watched another movie after carbo-loaded with La Mien from Banquet Harbourfront.
  • Saturday, 31 Mar: Left for Port Dickson with NL and IMD. Upon arrival, collected registration pack and bought 24 packs of Powergel at RM4/pack. God knows when i will finish all that. Left for NL's granny's house, a kampong house, where we put up for the night. Went out again after that, first to Pasar Tani, the night market; then for dinner at warong Mak Mah, where i had a not-so-nice version of Nasi Padprik; and lastly to another makan place where we watched Man Utd beat Blackburn 4-1. Before we found the last makan place, i called another NS friend, Sharil to give me SMS updates each time a goal is scored and at half and full time. The funny thing was, the makan place received the live game about a minute later than viewers in Singapore. So i knew whenever a goal was scored even before it was shown on TV. Funny!!

Learning point for the week: Bring sports gear wherever i go.