48 hours more, I'll embark into a gruesome 16 hours journey in the air. To a place far far a way, seeing ppl of different skin color, different culture. Am I excited?? Hmmm...Not at all. Oh well...maybe the 2nd part of the trip I will be since that is meant to be a retreat.
So yeah...I'll be flying off to LA. Aliso Viejo to be exact is where my HQ are located. 45mins drive from LA airport. Managed to found out from my colleague that there is a small little pathetic gym at the hotel. I'll still have to stick to it if I am not given any choice throughout my stay. All past training will be down the drain if I'm totally out of action throughout that 8-10 days. Haiz.....hopefully I can squeeze in some time. Just make sure that big boss won't make it compulsory to go out drinking after work....I'll be fine....***finger crossed****
I just don't and have no intention to gel myself with late nights :) After 2 days of consecutive late night, I am sooooooo deprived of sleep now. First one slept at 3am, the second one slept at 12am yesterday. I know I know...12am seems to be early for some...but is definitely not early for me...
I want more sleep..............................................................
Being an early sleeper, I tried to catch 1-2 hours nap yesterday afternoon after church so that I won't be too deprive for sleep in the night run. I always have this pre-run anxiety. Can't sleep well, leg feel numb...etc. Anyway, say a little prayer and I'm set to go!
26 Apr 8pm is Sundown Familiarization Rum #4 covering one full loop of the actually loop totalling 42km. I'm not doing the full loop for sure. How can I lost my virgin mara to a fam run right? right? right? Set a target to myself to hit '3xkm'. Maximum 35km. Hitting '3' during MR ultra last dec is a total bizarre and painful. I'm gonna do it in a better form this time...**hopefully***
Run started and I was with Fennel maybe just for the 1st km. This women....say want to follow my pace..I guarantee her that she will not last more than 1km following me. True enough...after 5-10mins....she started her engine liao. I'm all on my own, hello-ing to some that I passed by and soon after...we're into the long, demoralizing Coastal road. The stretch was ok as I have quite a lot of runners front/back of me. But as I was ending the Coastal road stretch, I start to wonder if i should return back by the same way, joining the rest of the 35km runners. The group have scattered so much so that I only bump into 1-2 once I enter ECP. Hmm..I don't think I want to do that Coastal road alone in the dark. Kind of eerie and there's no light at one stretch. Come out with another plan. Run the 42km route, skipping big splash and Bedok reservoir. That should cut approx 6km.
Reached u-turn point at 17km. Gulp down Powergel endurance drink and top up my botttle, eat a banana, chit-chatting. I told the rest of the gang abt my alternative plan. Tagging along with Burnz, Fennel and Laser we went towards the 42km direction. My usual training route :) The 3 of them as usual, on gear 5 while I prefer to OTOT my speed according to my comfort level. First time I'm running alone at this hour. It's really not as bad as I thought. Safety is one of my concern at first but I'm suprised that at this hour, there's still ppl along the street. Passed 12am, parents are still on a bicycle with their kids. Maybe it's the banana that I had at 17km, got a sudden charged in energy!!! Wohooo!!! Ran thru that stretch of bedok connector towards BR and Tampines. Saw 2 MF runner wondering around and told me JC lost his way and go towards TP. Aiyoh.... I hope he knows the way to get out from TP. We went by the same route many times already. He should know. Hmm..not suprised. I'm sure there are a lot out there having the same problem. Gave them the direction and seeing them slowly disappear from my view.
Reached Tampines Ave 9, legs are a bit heavy by now. Strangely, while running I'm tired, while walking legs is in pain. Anyway, just switched between the two. Just 2-3 km more, I'll hit my '3' digit!! JUST DO IT!! Bump into Burnz at Tampines PCN. Hmm...where's the rest..No idea. Told Burnz that I will probably stop at Pasir Ris once I hit 30km and take a cab back to start point. Pride is not important at this time as I'm happy and contented at this moment. Hitting 30k and still feeling good, althought tired for sure. I would prefer to slowly progress my mileage instead of jumping 20-30% at one go.
Making my way to start point, that's 12:45am. Wondering if JC have reached. I alighted at Changi Village and do a slow jog again back to Changi beach. Still got a bit of fuel in me :) Spotted JC talking to Renoh. Took off my fuel belt, gulp down some drinks prepared and catching up with the gang.
In conclusion, the run is really not bad. Running alone for most journey is not a problem to me because I prefer to OTOT my speed. 2 breakthrough:
- running alone at such odd hours (but I will not run alone in Coastal Road and Loyang when it is dark!! NEVER)
- hitting '3' in good form
Got a lift from Meteor back home. Shower and zzz... And guess what...the calves and feet are so numb and sng at this time. applied yoko yoko but didn't help much. The muscles were contracting on an off throughout till 6am before I can really sleep in peace.
Few things that I learn from this run:
- Never under estimate what our body (God's creation) can do. It can take you much further than you thought.
- S'pore is indeed a safe country. You can never do such thing in Mxxxxxxx
I brought along my usual running gear with me yesterday as Tuesday = CBD run. For some reason, I have a sudden urge to do a longer distance tonight. I then decided that I will skip CBD and go for my OTOT not-short-but-not-too-long run. Reached home, changed, snack on a cereal bar and off I go. It was a pretty good start and relaxing pace. Met Mr.Brokie on the way.
Maybe it's the carbo that I took 'unintentionally' in the afternoon? I seems to feel good throughout. Trust me, I hardly felt this way, feeling that i can go on and on and on. Bump into Best at Tampines connector doing his ninja training. After 1.5 hours, I'm back to Pasir Ris. Still have the urge to continue (I must be on drugs??), I continue to clocked 2.15hr and I'm back to my starting point. Suprisingly..... I'm feeling so great physically & mentally ! No pain, no discomfort. Just slightly exhausted but is indeed a good session.
Got home and did kind of a self review of why am I feeling so good at tonight's run...Hmmm...let's see....
- it's night time. No sun, cooling
- the carbo at lunch & banana at tea break
- no arm pouch with me.
- no water bottle in hand (replace with fuel belt)
Yet to give the above combination another try before I can conclude that it is effective on me....:) Till then.......
While I have started to pen down all items that I need to bring over for my upcoming business trip, the list gets longer and longer and to make it worst, there are quite a few items that I need to stock up. That would also mean....... the need to spent more $$$.
I started to do some shopping two weeks ago in fact and for whatsoever reason, although I have the list in hand, I ended up with empty handed when I get home. What is happening to me?!!? Must be getting old. Get kinda of fussy nowadays in buying stuff :(
What's that?? Haha....I do know what's that but I MUST admit that I'm seriously NOT a facebook person.
I was asked again yesterday, whether I have a FB account. Yes, I do. So when I was told that Auntie Lisa added me in, I logged in to my acct (almost forgotten my password), I noticed that I have 30++ pending request.
So much stuff to check out, so many buttons to click, I switched off immediately. I think it's going to be addicted if I continue. So people, once again, I'm not a fans of FB :)
I recently came across a movie-like showing a group of sedentary non-runners who went thru a 9 month training program to prepare them for the Boston marathon. This group of non active ppl are struggling with their health problem. Heavy smokers, heart disease, HIV positive, obesity. You name it, they have it. Some wanna do it to beat depression, some wanted to make a turning in their health.
They started off with 1 mile in their 1st training and it's already a struggle for them. As I watch thru the 5 series from day 1 of the training till the final countdown of the marathon, I see how each of them struggle yet are determine to continue with the training for as long as their body and their doctors allowed.
It's pretty inspiring I would say and it's not only to running. Why on earth do we want to slack and give tonnes and tonnes of reason not to exercise yet there are others out there who went thru physical and emotional struggle and pain in order to keep a healthy lifestyle.
9 month of training, some encounter difficulties in the midst. Can they cross the finishing line? I shall leave the rest of the stories for you to explore:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/marathon/program.html
Now, do you feel guilty?
As you would agree, it's was extremely hot in the past few days. Everyday is hot but yet you see a bit of dark clouds lingering ard from noon till evening but didn't rain. Even if it does, it's only for that mere 5-10mins.
Today, suddenly.....it's pouring like cats & dogs!!! It's like 50m visibility from my office window right now. Hmmm...Probably due to the accumulation of the "rain dun want to rain" kind of weather last few days. So today, at one go...all the way.....
While I was writing this, suddenly I wondered. Why do we often hear people saying "Raining like cats and dogs". What has cats and dogs gotta do with raining.
Click here and there in google. This is what I found:
Pouring cats & dogs?
Where did that come from? Who started that saying
We have all heard the expression "it's raining cats and dogs." There are several theories about this rainfall saying. It is possible that the word cat is derived from the Greek word 'catadupe' meaning 'waterfall.' Or it could be raining 'cata doxas,' which is Latin for 'contrary to experience,' or an unusual fall of rain.
In Northern mythology the cat is supposed to have great influence on the weather, and English sailors still say the cat has a gale of wind in her tail when she is unusually frisky. Witches that rode upon the storms were said to assume the form of cats; and the stormy northwest wind is called the cat's nose in the Harz mountains even at the present day. The dog is a signal of wind, like the wolf. Both animals were attendants of Odin, the storm-god. In old German pictures the wind is figured as the "head of a dog or wolf," from which blasts issue. The cat therefore symbolizes the down-pouring of rain, and the dog the strong gusts of wind that accompany a rainstorm; and a rain of "cats and dogs" is a heavy rain with wind
Something new to learn today.....
Due to some official matters that I need to sort out recently, I went to take 2 sets of passport photographs. One with blue background, another with white. I can’t recall if it’s now a standard that they will print out 12 pics instead of 4? So ya, I was given 12 pics each and a softcopy of it. That gives me a total of 24 pics in all. I reckon that I will prob need 3 from the blue background and 4 from the white. Although the 24 pics did cost quite a big sum, I’m more than happy to pay and just wanted to get those official stuff sorted out asap.
Blue background matters sorted out, now the white. I was told that it is not good enough. ICA rejected and ask me go take again!!! Sianz x 100. What am I going to do with all these pics. Waste money again!!!! And worst still…. I was considered as well dressed and look good for the previous one. Now, with no preparation at all that I’m requested to take again, I did look quite terrible!! Oh no!!! That pale looking face with 2 panda eyes and pale lips..wah…… where’s my lipstick??? It’s in the office!!! $&#*@^$#^$&*%@..Haiz... Bo pian… heck lah. Surely it didn’t turn out as good as the one that I have. Sad…sad…sad….
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On a side note, is this a good year to tie the knot?? I just received another verbal bombing this afternoon. That totaled up to 4 this year!! I’m broke!!!