Still Running...

My company just confirmed that they will sponsor personnel wishing to join the upcoming Standard Chartered Marathon to be held on Sunday, 8th April. I know there's a few people in the office interested including me! So my deadline to train for my first ever 10km run has been pushed forward by a month.

With that in mind, when I am running be it on the treadmill or outdoors, I have 3 things in my head that keep me going even though I am tired:

1. The 10km marathon which I must finish

2. .....

3. .....

I can't share the last two yet until some time later in the year or perhaps even next year :-) Nonetheless, it keeps me focused. 

The other day, I decided to join my colleagues on a run. We excitedly changed into our gear at 5pm, started the run/walk at 5:15pm and finished 56 minutes and 55 seconds later. We ran past the Indera Samudra Grand Hall at Empire Hotel, followed the road past the golf course and some beautiful beaches which led us to the end of the road connected to Jerudong beach and the Jerudong Fish Market. We continued up the highway, running opposite the traffic, ran past Bukit Shahbandar and back into Empire Hotel. It was fun because there was 5 of us altogether. I ran with Kath who set the pace for me but the 3 other boys, they were fast! Even though they were fast, I was not bothered. It would not have been a race of me against them, it was a test for myself in terms of my stamina and persistence. Kath taught me how to slow down without having to start walking so that I wouldn't lose momentum. It was useful especially in those moments where I felt tired. At the last leg, I sprinted just so I could get my heart rate up. According to my friends, we ran about 5km! My first ever 5km run and it was all unexpected!

And then today, I was meant to go for another run with Kath but that got postponed to tomorrow. So I pushed myself to go to the gym. Afternoons are a little bit challenging for workouts. I find myself more fresh to workout in the mornings. Being aware of how I was feeling, I decided to take it easy on the treadmill and ended up doing as follows:

10 mins @ 5km/h - walk

10 mins @ 6km/h - jog

10 mins @ 5km/h - walk

10 mins @ 6km/h - jog

5 mins @ 5km/h - walk

10 mins @ 6.5 km/h - jog faster

4 mins @ 5.5km/h - walk 

1 min @ 8.5km/h - run!

I then lifted some weights before stretching to conclude my workout. 

I feel really good about myself and I like the pace of how things are going. It is encouraging me to do more and to continue doing my best.

The Last Workout for 2011

It was meant to be my second outdoor, on real road run this morning but it rained. So despite being awake at 6am ready to go, Kath and I had to wait till 7am to head to the gym when it would be open. We both settled into our respective runs on the treadmill with our iPod Shuffles keeping us company. I was also watching TV at that point and reading the subtitles but overall in my mind, I kept thinking about my preparation for the 10km I will run in 4 months time. 

The runs the past 2 times I have been to the gym seem comfortable and at the last lap of my workout I ran faster at 8.0km/h just to get my heart rate up. I only felt the ache in my knee after I was done with the 2 - 3 minutes of it. But Kath and I pressed on and decided to excitedly follow this magazine she bought when she was in Penang on body toning. It was a very good magazine with a number of body resistance exercises focusing on different areas.

We followed what it said in the magazine. Today's combination of body resistance exercises was legs, back and waist. It was a very good combination and since we didn't know our "strength", Kath and I opted the beginners route of 2 sets of 10 repetitions. I'm glad we did. I think I would have cringed a lot more today if we did the intermediate route!

What made it a real good workout today was having Kath there. We were motivating each other. Making sure we counted things off together. Made sure we did things correctly. And just suffered together. Suffering with another certainly seems more appealing than suffering on your own! I'm really happy that today being the last day of the year, I had a chance to be with my close friend Kath, working out together and making me look forward our workout in the new year!

That outdoor run will have to wait till 2nd January 2012! Tomorrow I rest and tonight I spend time with my family to usher in the new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You have...

A turn of events recently!

Instead of people asking me, "Have you lost weight?", I have had two people this month making a statement, "You have lost weight." And they say it with such calm and sincerity in their voice too. One of them said to me, "Whatever you have been doing, continue doing it." I had flashbacks in my head of what exactly have I been doing? It couldn't possibly be all the durian and tarap I have been eaten that fell from the tree in our backyard or the cempedak that was given to us by my brother. Nor could it be of all the late night snacking I have been doing before heading to bed. What is it?

I have not stepped on the weighing scale. I am not sure if I want to right now. I am just going to judge based on the clothes that used to fit me when I was at my smallest. Some things are a bit tight around the arms, chest, tummy and hips so I am aiming to fit into them again.

My gratitude to the two who made the statement. You (amongst other things) have certainly made my month! 

 

For You vs. For Others

I am demotivated with one part of my life.

And when I sought for advice last night, these words of wisdom gave me a nice big slap across my face:

"Not unless you are ready and willing to do something for yourself instead of others"

Then it dawned upon me, the part of my life which I am demotivated about, who have I been doing it for?

It also made me realise how the dancing, the singing, the music, the fervent need to train for the marathon etc albeit difficult, can drive me mad, yet overall makes me happy I had never really complained about. It was because I was doing it for myself, not for anyone in my life. It was a measured choice and if I was unhappy with something (recently I had decided to stop dancing with one teacher), I would simply make a change and move on, not dwelling too much with my choice.

So the words of wisdom said many other things but he also said:

"If you do it for yourself then you will do it best and even be willing to take risk without frustration"

How true. But right now, with that part of my life that I am currently demotivated about, it is making me reassess - who have I been doing it for? And have I forgotten about doing it for me? Now here's a lesson of, "when you change your perspective, you change your world. When you change your perspective, you change how you move in this world."

Whatever it is, I need to get myself out of this!

Boxing Day Workout

I love long weekends. The Christmas weekend had brought about an abundance of food which I did my best to eat only the best. And it was YUMMY!

Guilt didn't really set in. Surely guilt shouldn't be the only method of motivation? That's a negative energy to keep living life to. So what motivated me to wake up and get myself going to the gym on Boxing Day?

1. Being able to run better with Kath on Saturday, 31st December.

2. Because I told Kath I would go to the gym instead of our morning run and knowing that she would be doing some form of workout too.

3. THAT BODY I have ALWAYS dreamed about.

4. I made that commitment to myself to be prepared for the marathon in May 2012.

5. And simply because, I felt like it.

I really did feel like going to the gym. I woke up with all sorts of thoughts in my head this morning and none of them uplifted me so I knew I had to focus on SOMETHING. And the gym got the best of me this morning.

After fueling up with some cereal, I drove to the gym, stuffed my things in the locker and resumed my workout plan. 20 minutes alternating of 1 minute walk and 1 minute run. Unfortunately for me the metric on the treadmill was set to miles instead of kilometer so I couldn't gauge at what speed I was running. All I could do was just base it on how I felt. But now with the power of Google, I am able to determine, I alternated between 3mph = 4.8km/h of walking to 4mph = 6.4km/h. No wonder it felt so comfortabel being up there. On my last two minutes, I sprinted at 4.5mph = 7.2km/h just as Kath had suggested to get the heart rate going. I then proceeded to do some weights, following the Skiing Fitness workout from my Fitness for Life Manual by Matt Roberts. The Skiing Fitness workout focuses on stregthening your legs so that it would be easier to run. I complied but struggled with some of the machines. It looks like I'll need to go for that induction at the gym after all...

Overall, it felt good to be at the gym and I look forward to my next visit.  

ZoooOoooOoom...baaaaa

The Zumba craze has been around in Brunei for I would say 2 years now and only now have I decided to venture into what everyone has been talking about.

I saw a "performance" of Zumba while I attended one of the dance parties recently and I was not sure if it would be my cup of tea. All that hip wiggling and body shaking, it made me wonder whether I was capable of such a thing. Only one way to find out...

Eisha who goes to the same dance studio told me she attended a session of Zumba and her verdict was that it was lots of fun. And when she told me another session was coming up, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to just try it myself. And try I did...

All that hip wiggling and body shaking did come into fruition. I'm not sure if I did it properly but at least I got a real good workout of it. I feel it helps to have good coordination (or at least keep on attending to improve your coordination) and recognizing some of the dances in the songs amused me too. I got a little bit worried with the fast pace but I was able to keep up. By the end of it, my t-shirt was soaked with sweat and I had a good buzz. It helps Eisha and Jill were there too. That made a difference.

I have always loved group classes - it takes me back to my days in University where I did aerobics 5 times a week and I have not been able to find the same replacement since I got home or perhaps I am making excuses for the lack of motivation. But now with more gyms offering Zumba, Les Mills classes and the like, there are more opportunities for me to really get serious about venturing into other forms of activities. And with some changes in my schedule of late, I believe I can fit more of these in.

If you would like to know more about Zumba, click here for the official link.

3+km

I was nervous, yet excited, yet unsure, yet hopeful, yet determined to be able to:

1. Wake up early to meet Kath at the stadium for my first outdoor run

2. Keep up with her during the run.

3. Just run.

I must have done enough programming the night before because I managed to wake up at 5am but eventually got out bed at 5:30am. I have not woken up that early for a very long time. Sleeping at 10:30pm the night before really helped me.

I got to the stadium at around 6am where Kath was waiting for me. I was slightly delayed as I was helping dad with the laundry and some other things.

We started out by walking briskly for about 10 minutes or so and then Kath set the pace for the run. It was a slow pace but that was fine with me because I was not sure what I would have done. Kath said that if I had ran by myself, being a beginner I would have ran too fast and tire myself out earlier in the run. The pace was manageable especially when we had to up some gentle inclines.

I had that ache and tightness in my left calf but I pushed through. After 10 to 15 minutes of the run, the ache went away. I felt an ache in my right knee but I ignored it. I was able to breathe, not out of breath but I also could not hold a conversation for too long.

After awhile, it felt "comfortable" to run. According to Kath, we ran 3+km. In the last 20 minutes of the run, I could feel my legs starting to turn into jelly and each step I took, I felt like I paused for a few seconds before continuing but it also felt like my right leg wanted to give way. Kath said to sprint the last few meters before ending just to push the heart rate up and sprint I did, giving my new Asics the test they needed. It lives up to its name of Nimbus. I felt light on my feet.

I had been running for 40+ minutes. An amazing feat for me. For someone who has always hated running and thought that running was just not possible for someone like me. I managed to do it! I thought back about all those times in previous years why I never really attempted to run and it was all those jiggly bits. Each time I ran, my jiggly bits would jiggle really hard and it made it "difficult" to run because the jiggly bits would get in the way and also hurt should they jiggle way too much. I am happy to say, those jiggly bits were not noticeable and (if you are a girl) a good sports bra is also very important!

There were some other "fit" people who ran past us and looked in our direction. Kath said that people normally think big people can't run. Well, we just proved them wrong and I proved myself wrong too!

Our next run is on another Saturday morning. In the mean time, I shall hit the gym to keep on training for that marathon :-)