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!)

1:58:33...

36 hours since my very first half marathon... and I am still feeling the after-glow of pride and pleasure. I had said before that I would be proud no matter what the outcome, but beating my stretch goal certainly makes it all the more satisfying. Not that I ever doubted it... but now I can savour the outcome of what it is like to invest daily and slowly towards a goal that I couldn't see before. And I was lucky because I was relaxed and positive for most of the week, and managed to stay quite cheery even at the start line as you can see! Way to go - a vast improvement from my 10k race just a couple of months back!


It was an early (and not very bright) start... was up at 4am and out the door by 4.45. Arrived at Hong Kong Disneyland by 5.30am, which left me with just the right amount of time to get ready. It was a very nice 19-20 degrees celsius - I reckon anything between 15-20 degrees is optimum, easy to get warmed up and acceptable when standing in line without a sweater on, but not too sweaty/toasty by the end of the run.

My plan was conservative - go out nice and easy at a pace of between 6 and 6:30 (min/km) for at least the first 5km and then just play it by ear (hopefully at least holding pace or speeding up depending on how I felt). I don't recall much of the first few km until we hit the waterfront next to the Airport Express trains - this was around the 5-6km mark when I was starting to wonder about where the first water stop was! I stopped at the water stations around 6km, 9km and 15km (the first and last roughly coinciding with my slowest splits), skipping the one in between because I was feeling slightly lightheaded and nauseous around those few kilometers. Fortunately, that came and went for about 5 km before going away for good, after which I was able to step it up - my last 6 splits were comfortably under 5:50 (which, adjusted for the inaccuracy of my footpod, would have been under 5:35).

Here's me powering down the final few hundred meters. Looking nice and strong huh? You miss the painful scrunched up face from this view! :) All things considered, I was feeling good enough to give it a real push!


Very pleased after the finish...
Note on kit - Running Room vest, Lululemon tights (note to self - there was a threat of inner thighs chafing just below where the shorts ended, may need longer tights in longer races), smartwool socks, Mizuno LSD shoes, Nike running pack (for my ipod Shuffle and my Clif bloks).

Time on my watch... (notice the distance, which was about 5% off). Just finishing would have been a PB, so this was a PB with a big smile! This can really get addictive! :)

I haven't been feeling too tired since the race although my quads and knees have moaned a little going up and down stairs. Other than that, I feel like I could be back to my regular schedule in a couple of days... not the best idea, I'm sure. Today and tomorrow are complete rest days, before a light gym session and 3-4kms on Weds. I'm going to start working in earnest on my marathon training plan - I have a few weeks to play around with before it all starts for real again! :) 26 weeks counting down now... the next couple of weeks will be 'training on paper' - finding the best amalgamation of plans that will become MY plan... I'll mainly work off the Runner's World and Furman plans, while picking up tips from Greg McMillan, Hal Higdon and Running Planet etc.

Next up -
Clearwater Bay Chase 10km in Jan 2011
Sundown Marathon in May 2011

Whee!!!!

Here's the tough thing...

So I had a great day. Went out plant shopping and came home with a number of new orchids and various other houseplants. Also got myself a new pair of Mizuno LSD 3 - I wanted a lighter shoe with a thinner heel that would facilitate more of a mid foot rather than heel strike, and also one that would give me that extra buzz I need for the races coming up. So in bold black and purple, I found it. I chose this over the Asics Skysensor, which probably would have been the more 'serious' racer but was just a little tight in the toebox area so would not have provided the space required for more 'natural' foot action. It was super comfortable though, but I'm keen to test out the whole minimalist running trend.

And then I went out to test my new shoes and was thrilled. They felt very much like my old Wave precisions - so easy to like... much less clunky and 'stable' than my other runners (which are Kayano's and NB1225's at the moment). I ran about 7.5km in just over 53 mins, a respectable 7 min/km pace. It felt so good... days like these, I feel like I'm running for the pure joy and ease of it! for every day like this, I have at least 2 that I drag myself through and another 3 that I just do for the sake of it. But for every day like this, I would do it all again :)

And then I come home to a lovely bean pasta and roasted squash. Yum.

So my challenge tonight is forgetting the 1 hour I spent hunting around EVERYWHERE for my Garmin ANT+ USB stick... which I am now convinced I have dropped at the gym or hidden away in some corner so obscure it is effectively lost. I hate losing things... and I especially despise myself when I recall having that premonitory feeling (while I was putting it away wherever it ended up going) that I quite possibly going to lose it because I was being lazy.

but so there you go... that's the tough thing... not letting a minor annoyance like that ruin my wonderful day and long weekend. After all, to put it into perspective, I haven't even been syncing my data onto my computer. I'm really an old school type of girl who prefers to still have my training log down in black and white. So what's the big bloody deal about that dang thing? You know exactly what I'm talking about...

at least I feel better reading on Amazon (I can buy a replacement stick if i want one!) that others have complained about the USB stick being small and easy to lose...