It's oh-so-simple and yet Ohhhh-so-hard!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Needing a bit of help?
Anyone looking for that extra bit of motivation as the New year really kicks in and the passion behind those resolutions start to die down ever so little... this is a fantastic piece on how to ensure that a plan is put in place to support the achievement of those goals! It's about running, but the tips are easily modified to apply to almost any type of aim.
It's oh-so-simple and yet Ohhhh-so-hard!!!!!!!!!
It's oh-so-simple and yet Ohhhh-so-hard!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, 30 December 2010
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.
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.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Celebrations...
I've been surprisingly chilled out this week... haven't done much and haven't really fretted about that fact. I have a 'store' of desire to get out and run, but my body isn't quite ready I don't think.
Weds - 4km plus strength/core - was nice and easy, but my feet hurt just proximal to the balls of my feet, I imagine where a lot of tendons insert to my metatarsals?
Thurs - easy yoga
Friday - spin class - wow this was hard work! my AHR was 154, but taking away the warm up/cool down sections, I think I was averaging around 160 or 87% of MHR. Feet hurt and were crampy again, same area.
Will do an easy run this weekend and depending on how I feel, go for 1-1.5 hours. Can't wait!
Had a couple of Amazon deliveries this week. It's getting close to Christmas and I decided to start Christmas shopping (for myself, fancy that?!!) early! hehe.
In addition to a couple of books I picked up in the bookshop recently, I now have all these awaiting me (and it is all I can do to control myself and not attack them all at once!):
Dean Karnazes' Ultramarathon Man and 50-50
Pam Reed's The Extra Mile
Bart Yasso's My Life on the Run
Elaine St James' Living the Simple Life
Julia Glass' Widower's Tale (one of my favourite authors, Julia Glass - check out The Whole World Over and Three Junes!)
Pauline Chen's The Final Exam
I have the whole holiday season to revel in all that and get inspiration from some more vegetarian recipes (my neighbour just lent me Gourmet Vegetarian). I always think that my life is a story told in the books I read - I like how things are going right now!
Next week, I should get up to 2-3 runs, but will give myself another easy week since I'm going away for a long weekend anyway. After that, I should work back up to 30km pw and then build from there! Happy weekend now!
Sunday, 28 November 2010
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! :)
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!!!!
Next up -
Clearwater Bay Chase 10km in Jan 2011
Sundown Marathon in May 2011
Whee!!!!
Friday, 26 November 2010
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!
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Run run run run run....
I run because...
- Running, Life and Happiness are so inexplicably intertwined (read Kirsten Armstrong's latest article... I love her writing)
- No matter what happens on Sunday, I will be proud of myself :)
I know I am a runner because...
- I considered my travel options into work today and factored in whether it would be easier to read Runner's World on the bus or on the train
- I am feeling little tingles of excitement inside from the thought of a 2011 marathon dangling in front of me
- My post-race plans include... testing out some neighbourhood trails, running home from Hang Hau MTR station after work, body pump and spin class...
Crazy crazy crazy... have you caught a fever too?
- Running, Life and Happiness are so inexplicably intertwined (read Kirsten Armstrong's latest article... I love her writing)
- No matter what happens on Sunday, I will be proud of myself :)
I know I am a runner because...
- I considered my travel options into work today and factored in whether it would be easier to read Runner's World on the bus or on the train
- I am feeling little tingles of excitement inside from the thought of a 2011 marathon dangling in front of me
- My post-race plans include... testing out some neighbourhood trails, running home from Hang Hau MTR station after work, body pump and spin class...
Crazy crazy crazy... have you caught a fever too?
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
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!
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!
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