A thought for this weekend...

"While investing in gold, stocks, and bonds might be a recipe for hedonic wealth — riches that can be used to buy the dismal, mass-produced, rapidly depreciating, worthless-by-next-month commodities that line the sagging exurban shelves of every crammed-to-the-brim, beige big box store from here to Pluto — my little suggestion's a set of ingredients to craft your own recipe for eudaimonic wealth — riches that are made up of the stuff you probably can't buy, but have to earn: the stuff that people usually don't (and probably won't) sell, but can choose to freely bestow upon you, give to you, and keep in trust for you."
- Umair Haque over at Harvard Business Review

Yes, we are talking about things like love, kindness, compassion, true passion and dedication, creativity, beauty, freedom, peace, contentment and sufficiency, wisdom, courage, sacrifice...

His challenge to his readers... and mine to you this weekend:
Put what, why, and who you love ahead of what, why, and who you don't, and your roadmap will begin to write itself.

I value all the things that money and corporations and careers and material goods cannot give me - running, time, goodness of my fellow people, contentment, handiwork and gardening, physical well being and health... let this guide my thoughts this weekend and my life's roadmap.

What does your list look like?

Inspired!

I'm out of the rut! Yay!

I allowed myself some time 'off', took the pressure off, came back from holiday, started looking into training plans, started ramping up on running again... and bam, I'm back in the game!

Running thoughts and other related items...

1) So what training plan should I use?

I'm reading Run Faster by Brad Hudson and playing around with what my plan should look like. I may have already mentioned before that I've adjusted my goals slightly for the year - taking into account the number of times I've been ill this year and the niggling issues (right SI joint and left hamstring/knee), I've decided to push back my virgin marathon, but still work on a HM and maybe a couple of 10km races this year (hopefully with PBs in both!). I had originally thought of doing a combo of the usual Runner's World plan and the FIRST plan (of Run Less Run Faster fame) - that would mean alternating between weeks of 3 and 4 runs, with 1-2 hard workouts (hard = tempo or speedwork), as well as long runs at quicker paces than I'm used to (the FIRST plans actually suggest paces just 20-30 seconds off race pace... which I am unsure I can do week on week, and I certainly cannot achieve on the hilly roads around home).

But the more I read, the more confusing it all gets - you have plans advocating 3 days of running, others that say 6... and then add in tempo, speedwork, progressing, hills, sprints, fartleks... heart rate, all types of suggested pacing, effort based training... oh my goodness! So now I'm thinking that I may need to review...

So this is where I am at:

• Choose the number of runs per week - I'm probably going to settle for 4 as an average, with more 3/4s at the start and then working up to 4/5s later.
• More variability - up to now, I've predominantly based my training on the Runner's World type of plan which is quite repetitive. I'm going to mix it up a lot more with my speedwork especially. Also, 2 new things that I'm going to add are - Progression runs and hill sprints/intervals.
• Paces - don't know about this one. FIRST paces are killer. I can probably do a bit better than the RW's suggestions. So right now, I'm hitting somewhere in between. Haven't quite gotten to that bit in Run Faster.

2) Cross Training and Strength Training Joys

Just ordered a bike trainer and looking forward to doing more cycling. I'm also squeezing in at least 1 full (1 hour) yoga session at home weekly and may even go for classes again.

My core/strength training has also gotten a bit stale, so I've upped the ante with this a bit and think I could still dial it up another notch. So if you're thinking of that too, then enjoy these killer training vids by Coach Jay - check out in particular the videos he did for Running Times, as well as the ones featuring the lunge matrix, Core H routine and running-specific Swissball work.

Just like running plans, there are just so many different things you can do - the trick is to balance time, simplicity, practicality with need, outcome and specificity.

3) And just to keep things complicated...

More thinking to do?!?! Isn't running touted as the simplest of exercises, just lace up and go?

Still, I thought it would be good to mention this study comparing barefoot and shod runners and their injuries over a period of time.

This study, like most others, are not without limitations but it does bring up many salient factors. In my mind, though, there is almost too much variability in the exercise of running and in the history of runners to make it possible to ever draw a final conclusion.

If anything, it just highlights the fact that it's good to have this debate and an alternative viewpoint, but that with running and shoes, as with life, it's never one-size-fits-all. Like my training plan and strength work gets pieced together from a wealth of choices, so my shoes and how I use my minimalist versus 'normal' shoes will be something I trial over time - I won't hit jackpot immediately, but will learn and adjust along the way... hoping for wisdom and patience as I find the way to self-improvement with minimal casualty.

4) and some YUMS....

Try this if you have a sweet tooth (or are in need of reward!) - I found this fantastic banana bread recipe over at Runner's Kitchen!!! Tried it and approved!

So with this, I shall leave you! Happy running and experimenting!

Run with me for Japan - 25th March

To raise funds towards disaster relief in Japan, I will be hoping to complete the longest run I've ever done running 1.4km laps around the Happy Valley Racecourse, this Friday 25th March. Sponsor me for every lap that I run... or come run with me.

More details to follow...

Rainy Sunday Edition...

Wet, cold and quiet... one of those perfect Sunday afternoons to just catch up on random computer activities such as downloading photos and updating my Garmin Training Center.

So I did my 20km yesterday at a 6:51 pace, but chose a slightly easier one way route with a mean elevation of around -95m. Was a fantastic run, ending along this promenade at Sai Kung town center where I promptly popped into a popular bakery for some goodies before heading home!

And to keep with the theme of photos and scenery on my running trips, here's a glimpse of a other shots I took during my previous 2 long runs... aren't I lucky to live in this part of Hong Kong! These trails make for some killer, but very rewarding running...

What are you doing this cold winter Sunday? :)

(P/S annoying bug alert - if you have a Garmin, do NOT download the latest ANT Agent update, v 2.2.13 I believe it is... it's just totally messed up my data - it somehow includes stopped time so that your total times and pace in the TC end up different from what's on your watch... argh, how annoying is that! and I am not techie enough to fix it, so will just have to wait for the next update. Be warned!)

Sniffle sniffle cough... cough!

Yes, still sick, but not too sick that I can't run! :) I'm dying to head out there today but don't think I'll get a chance before the sun heads down (and it turns chilly...), so it may still need to wait yet one more day. Feeling more optimistic though... I just need to get back out there quickly so my confidence will return.

So here's a thought for you...

"It's not about dedicating your life to your training, but about dedicating your training to your life." - Dan Millman

Isn't that something to carry with you this week? My life isn't about the training... instead my training is about life - it is celebrating life, it is embracing life, it is thanking life, it is loving life, it is wringing all I can out of life!

Thought for today...

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."

I have no idea who wrote this, but wow...

Fear does not change anything or protect us in the way we imagine it does. I am letting go of my fears, of my desire for security... I'm scared of running 42.2km, I'm scared of being alone, I'm scared of wasting my life and precious time... these do not help me, so I'm going to release them because "...there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful..."

Instead, "... for in movement there is life, and in change there is power". Bring on the challenges and all the daring new things I haven't tried before! Bring on the not needing to know, bring on the release of control... bring on discovery of life and joy today!

How? Or more importantly, Why?

Ran for a shade over 3 hours and 9 minutes yesterday *BIG smiles*
about 24km, so just under a 8 min per km pace - slower than I would like, but it's hilly where I run so I should be too hard on myself.

Quads aren't entirely happy today, but all in all, I'm feelin' good!

So I had a bit of time to think while on the road...

I was out at dinner on Saturday night when a friend asked repeatedly, "How do you do it? Where do you find the discipline, the motivation??". And then, "Why would you do it? I just don't understand..."
I'd like to think that the Why is easier to understand than the How, but on occasion, I realise that not everyone feels that pull.

I have always been someone who sets goals, who needs to feel that I have grown or improved with each passing year. I have the intrinsic yearning for the sort of capability, dedication, focus, physical mastery that you see in professional sports people, challenged athletes, marathoners... anyone who is pushing the envelope on what they should 'normally' be able to do.

My assumption is that the desire for self-improvement, the continuous extension of limits, the challenge, that yearning is common to us all... and that is the simple answer to the "Why?".
When every week, I am able to run further than I've ever done before (granted... one day, I will hit a wall with this one, won't I?)... when after every really hard session, I know I have gained strength mentally and emotionally... that is more than enough to keep me going.

Running and training is like Life, condensed. It asks of me as much as it can get, but it also gives bountifully in return. The gap to be bridged between my physical capabilities and Roger Federer's or Paula Radcliffe's is a forever chasm, but that does not mean that I cannot explore the limits of my talent and celebrate the power of my being. The discovery of how far I've come and the possibility of how much further I can go... that is one of the most amazing life lessons I've had in years.

And like Life, running teaches me to be at peace while striving - my body is what I have, is what I have been given even if it may not be what I want. Every time I push it to be 'more', I also ask myself to accept what it is in that moment.

Running is about heart... so it's more about Why than How. If I started by asking how, then I would have been swallowed up in doubt, overcome by a tide of "Cannot... no way... how could I?". Why, instead, reminds me daily that I want to be better, stronger, faster, more patient and wise... why, reminds me of the who I might one day become...

The Wisdom of George Sheehan...

The music of a marathon is a powerful strain, one of those tunes of glory. It asks us to forsake pleasures, to discipline the body, to find courage, to renew faith and to become one's own person, utterly and completely.

A Singular Resounding YES!

This line came to me as I was running yesterday... and I have been using it endlessly, shamelessly. This is what I will wave madly in welcome of 2011 - a singular resounding YES!

YES to Running challenges aplenty... scary commitments made, I'm all signed up, so I just need to make it happen!
- I signed up for the LA Marathon in March, hoping to tag on my first full marathon and international running event onto the end of a business trip! I also have a backup/potential additional plan in the Sundown Marathon in Singapore in May. I want to ensure that I will manage at least one Full Marathon before mid year!
- I aim to also improve on my Half Marathon and 10km race times over the course of the year.

YES to staying healthy all round...
- With a short training cycle running up to LA, I need to balance up my focus on the finish with the need to make sure I stay well and injury-free... to keep my head about me as I push myself to train hard, but make the tough calls if and when I need to hold back. This is a wise lesson - I envy those who can keep going and never seem to hit their limits... I am still unfolding the layers of yoga wisdom - ambition with acceptance, effort with surrender...
- I will keep up with cross training at least 1-2 times per week, as well as stay diligent with stretching and foam rolling... I'll get my core/strength sessions in 2-3 times per week as well.
- Healthy eating and enough sleep is also priority. Luckily, the diet piece is usually manageable for me, although my sleep quality leaves some to be desired.

YES to keeping things simple... I have numerous other things floating about as I think about 2011... but then I realise that I can only do a few things to do them well. So this year, mindfulness and simplicity will be my only other (non-running) key theme...
- 10 minutes quiet time daily
- TV time will be kept to 5 hours or less per week
- 'Consume less'... simplicity in life for me means 'needing/wanting' less because I already have plenty. This means shopping less, wasting less, using less, but with mindfulness of abundance.

In some ways, I have become someone I never specifically aspired to be but I am glad I am slowly becoming - I stop myself in surprise every so often with the feelings of gratefulness and content and optimism that fill me. I honestly couldn't and wouldn't ask for a single little bit more... a truly blessed and happy space to be in. At this end of 2010, I give thanks.

Trivial Friday...

• Do it... Do it today... Do it NOW!!! signed up for my first Marathon - Sundown Marathon in Singapore, May 2011 - Asia's only nighttime marathon!
  
• Reading Dean Karnazes' book 50-50 and am amazed - he is able to run sub-4hour marathons at a heart rate of 110... that is my heart rate at a brisk walk/slow jog!!! He has also run 350 miles NON-STOP (over 80 hours!), 24 hours on a suspended treadmill over Times Square, in addition to his ridiculous 50 in 50 in 50.
• Onto real human beings instead - for every person who starts thinking about getting out of their seats to do some exercise or contemplates the possibility of extending their limits, for each thought that says "Maybe I can do that too..." or "Today I could start here...", for every contagious enthusiastic vibe that I send out into the world... here's a big smile on my face!
  

On my mind...

This Sunday, I will be doing my first Half Marathon... 21 km... not easy, but not too difficult. And I ask myself to just push out those limits a tiny little bit more.

I want to do a full marathon soon but today, I found out that I am a month late registering for the StanChart Hong Kong marathon. Life is short and I don't want to wait until next autumn... but there aren't a wealth of choices here in tiny Hong Kong :) oh, well, so I will live to run the next marathon I can find - watch this space...

Shoring up on courage and strength for Sunday - these will be among the thoughts/people on my mind...
Bart's dream to complete the Comrades - I almost teared up reading this... it made me happy and proud, to be alive, to have dreams, to live to dare. Running is a celebration of humanity and of our connectedness...

Mark Hellenthal went from being overweight at close to 400 pounds to running a 100 mile race just recently. He sounds like a bit of an addict gone the other way, but I can relate to that...

My partner, who stubbornly, daily, chooses to be happy, optimistic, resilient, full of faith and hope.

Athletes everywhere, but Challenged Athletes particularly - watch the videos!

Dean Karnazes' book 50-50 is on my bedside table, my iPod shuffle will be loaded with my faves (for the tough second hour of the run!) and I'll be surfing the net on Saturday for more inspiring stories!

The world is out there for the taking!

A little something today

So I haven't been writing much... sorry to all my loyal fans out there, all 3 of you :)

But I have had time to set up my RSS feeds so I can track all the fantastic bloggers out there... Vanessa - if you're there, thanks for mentioning RSS at the weekend...

so just leaving you with a little inspiration today - read about Bela and hope that it makes you feel that sad and yet triumphant strength that comes from having faith in our human-ness.

For all the crazies out there...

On running and yoga, on moving and then, stopping, just for one moment, on the flip side of the physical to the spiritual, on figuring out where you go from here, on breathing in and breathing out until you can finally take another step, on grace and faith and love, on what to do if what you love is lost, on living and learning and growing... read about it on this fantastic piece on the New York Times.

(PS i nicked this photo off a yoga website on the internet... am I allowed to do that?)

No better reason...

Coming off my record long run on Sunday, this week has looked like this so far:

Monday - 2 hours tennis
Tuesday - 6km easy run and light core work
Wednesday - 20 min cycle and core/strength work

i can't quite decide what this week is supposed to be. I haven't followed the 3 weeks hard, 1 week easy rule as closely as I had originally intended (it's been more like alternating weeks - Will that affect my HM performance?!?!!), so I can do pretty much anything I like. Having said that, this will likely be an 'easy' given the Super Typhoon (yes, officially, Super) coming our way this weekend which does not bode well for outdoor activities of any kind.

I'll keep this short. I mainly wanted to share a fantastic article that Kristen Armstrong has written. If you ever wonder what it's all about, why you bother, what joyfulness truly is - you'll find some answers here.