LOVE.

My 10km test last Saturday only shows that I need a good night’s sleep prior to running. With raya and other stresses, the sleep pattern has been wonky- that, coupled with greasy foods and high sugar content in most stuff I ate = just heavy.  I miss the feeling of running free.  Anyway, since I have decided to not stress over timing, I just want to be able to finish strong - double hills is still a challenge. I want to be able to run DH fully, not the jog-walk that I’ve been doing. Plenty of time to improve on this, if I only manage to keep the motivation going and keep running. 

This week’s an anomaly as instead of following the log for Saturday’s long run (6km road), I ended up doing 8km trail instead. And what a trail run it was!  #Ipoppedthetrailruncherry 

This was an inaugural run held at the BOH Plantations in Bukit Cheeding, Banting, Selangor. Parts of the proceeds go to the Malaysian Conservation Society in order to preserve the forests around the area (Kuala Langat). We were only allowed 500m in the forest reserve, where the end of it, we were treated to yummy, home-grown, freshly opened with uncles with parangs on a lorry BOH-BOHnuts! SO YUMMY!!!!!  The view along the route was spectacular. I must admit that I have not trained much for this, thus walked most of the way. With such a scenic view, who can blame me, right?

Green, green tea trees/plants, interspersed with palm and coconut trees. Majestically wonderful. 

Adrea did warn me about snakes, but thankfully did not encounter any. 

>.<  I will do more ‘fun’ trail runs in the future, for sure! 

As to the log, this week’s been pretty good and is a repeat of last week’s. I however missed swimming (replaced with Ashtanga) and the Thursday double-workout as had dinner with Adrea. Nutrition wise has been wonky and indulged at Saturday’s Hunkles’ party (but when you’re celebrating sexagenarians who pedalled from Alor Star to Bangkok, you MUST partttayyy) and missed meditation that day due to the early start for the trail run and the segue towards lunch + party. Broke my streak of meditation, but thankfully was able to get back into it this morning (monday of week 3).  Oh, double yoga on Sunday with AM session of “Yoga for Runners” with Ash Be Nimble and PM session Yin with the most fabulous Nyonya in town. Some shopping was done in the AM too! >.< 

#Lyrunshappy 

#roadtoSCKLM #estradaparaLisboa

#Lytrainshappy

It’s starting that’s the hardest. Hoping that after this week, it will become habitual. Followed the training log quite religiously, with options taken to incorporate swimming and Ashtanga in. Also did an AM/PM workout on Thursday. I would very much like to increase the days when this happens but will have to see how the body adjusts, too. Praying for no injury!!!!!!!!  Running wise: am still struggling, but slow and steady. Building my fitness will not happen overnight... and this is but a reboot for a long and healthy journey, I hope. Need to incorporate more stretching, too.  Food wise: I am also working towards eating better, and with the coming puasa month coming, I will struggle... but am going to give this food journalling a try.  I am also hoping to live healthily, thus will be mapping my nutrition, sleep and meditation. :) For now, logging in as excel spreadsheet- assessing these components monthly and evaluating for better.  Week One: DONE AND DUSTED. T minus 11 weeks! 

Despite news that Malaysia is to expect return of the haze from next month up till October, my training for this year’s Standard Chartered KL Marathon will begin next week.  I have been off the bandwagon for too long, having used the excuses of sustained injury over the past 2 years. The last time I “ran happy” was back when I completed my first Full Marathon in Penang in 2013. It’s time to fit running again in my life, and what better way to dedicate myself again than to ensure that I update on here. *clears cobwebs* I have also restarted my Strava premium account in an attempt to return to running from late last year. 2 years is too long of a break, and it is already May of 2016 anyway. I keep telling myself that it’s okay, I just need to keep trying again, and again. So here goes!  I will be running:  1) 8km trail on 28/05/16 (first EVER trail run!) in Banting, Selangor 

2) 21km road on 07/08/16 on the streets/highways of KL and  3) 21km road on 02/10/16 in Lisbon, Portugal.  I will follow the Medibank HM beginners’ guide from 16/05/2016 for run #2 (see below), and will use an 8-weeks training schedule for run #3 (to be updated). 

Instead of following a plan-I no longer run using my Garmin and get stressed over split times etc.  Going to start documenting what I did for the week instead on here and evaluate on how I feel more.  week 1: Oct 6th-12th

Monday: 50 mins rpm + 90 (+~10) mins pump 

Tuesday: intervals 5sets x400m (+ 1x400m cool down) Wednesday: rest  Thursday: Bkt Kiara loop 

It started like any other tragic bachelorette story.

  One started running and gained a lot of confidence with oneself. Enough to start trusting that she is beautiful. In the midst of it all, walked in a guy- who seemed eligible; and though not quite the deviliciously handsome Professor she was looking for, was charming enough and was ambitious. Someone as hungry as she is to see a change for the better in this godforsaken country. She admired his spirit, she was enthralled by his know-how and most of all; she felt that she can be herself with him.

  She was caught by surprise when she realized she liked him a lot on that rainy day where she and a number of others huddled under the gazebo to escape the torrential rain. Holding on to wet purple balloons- she thought to herself- hey, this guy is something. Then of course they had to spend the next few hours driving around town to find this church where he was supposed to deliver a speech at. Tired, hungry and somehow surprised at that moment of charmed she had; she kept her ground. But she started to trust him. He was her confidante, he was her go-to person. They kissed in her car on another rainy night. Then he left the country for 3 weeks. When he returned, it seemed like she could finally be just a girl- tired of being strong, independent, and single- she fell into the abyss of bliss; believing that finally, finally, she understands what being together with someone is like. How it’s like to finally, be liked back. And then the doubts came. She tried to shut the white noise down. She believed him. He’s a good person. He’s nice. He’s working. He’s busy saving the country from the bigots who run it. Only for her to be burned by the truth.

  And that is, she was just a sideshow. In the end, she was not chosen.

  Tantrum. Anger. Angry texts. Tears, unfortunately. For she believed that she finally could be just a girl. She forgot that she is a woman made not for men. She’s a woman made to be independent, strong, and ruling the world alone.

  The agony of realization was painful. But pain demands to be felt.

  Pain demands to be felt. She felt all the pain that she can muster and more.

  She is a woman. She is a good woman.

  She is beautiful.

  She is grateful.

My Facebook timeline was abuzz with comments from fellow runners in regard to the Singapore Straits Times report of a man who “won” the recent Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM). This man apparently only ran 6km of the full marathon route; having somehow hoodwinked officials and checkpoints, joining the race only towards the end after having rested at a bus-stop and running towards the finish line. His reason for cheating? That he wanted a finisher tee and medal.

  Having recently completed my first full marathon at the Penang Bridge International Marathon 2013; I was appalled when I read this story. My disgust was shared by fellow runners, us common people who have day-jobs and yet still try to turn ourselves into athletes to accomplish a distance who, historically, killed the first man who attempted it (see: Pheidippides who ran from the Field of Marathon to Athens, a distance of actually, 40km. The current official marathon distance of 42.195km was only officiated in the 1921’s Olympics1). A marathon is NOT something that should be taken lightly, nor is a 5km run a marathon. The marathon distance is a challenge for not only one’s body, but also one’s mind.

  Yet the great thing about a marathon, is it (now) welcomes any person who dared to attempt it. Given, one should train for the race, of course. I personally set this goal to challenge myself- a non-runner, non-athlete, once-obese- person; to achieve something I thought was insurmountable. All I had was determination. A training plan and friends who have completed the distance, who were all generous with their experience and support. And I took 4 months to train, with another 4 months before that to prep my body before I began the training. The idea with every challenge one sets oneself is to overcome it. Work hard and then believe you can. 

Running 6km and then collecting the finisher medal and tee is simply, cheating.

  To quote Kathrine Switzer “If you’re losing faith in humanity, go watch a marathon.” What this person did was to show the fallible nature of humans, and humanity itself. That human downfall of greed, the need to brag and the need to be seen as accomplished. Without having done all the hard work. Shameful and what a disgrace. 

I ran my first 42.195km with a plantar fasciitis injury and still completed the distance. My feet hurts, I had chafing at sensitive locations, I was in pain the week after the run. I came back to KL and no one at work noticed that I had just overcame a challenge so big to me. I, who once never believed that I could even achieve anything because I was a fat girl with no talent. I just quietly went back to work, but with this new fire within me because I KNOW I just did something remarkable. In the end, the finisher’s medal and t-shirt are just accessories; overcoming the distance and believing in oneself- that experience, is priceless.

  1The author took these facts from Haruki Murakami’s book “What I talk about when I talk about running.” These facts were only cross-checked with Wikipedia, last accessed December 6th, 2013, 3:21pm.