Bought 2 pairs of shoes today. A newly minted Mizuno Wave Elixir 2, my favourite race shoes. :) And a pair of Asics GT-2130 Trail! So happy. I spied the shoe from the USA website but could not find it in Singapore until today. Very few shops bring it in, and I had no lobangs for it. Apparently the difference between USA and Australian versions was the shoe width. The non-USA shoes are D-width (ie. wider), which are what our shops carry. Can't wait to test them on the trails!
Went to Safra and did a 12km route with Heng, Alber, Henry, Adam & Philip. I baptized my new Elixir. Felt super lightweight. :) But I had to adjust and re-tie the laces a couple of times to the 'perfect' tension. We did a loop inside Canterbury estate. As we exited at Hort Park, we bumped into Anthony & Bev, who had ran to Kent Ridge Park earlier. The group continued towards Harbourfront & Kg Bahru.
After exiting Canterbury at Alexandra, I felt like I could pick up speed. Very very conscious of foot landing and hip response. Ran a bit faster and sustained the pace until Kg Bahru. For that short distance, things felt good. Hips felt confident, legs were obedient. But when I turned into Telok Blangah Rise, I could feel the tensions building in the hips. Utterly conservative me slowed down immediately and slowly jogged back to Safra.
Kenny made a guest appearance today. He came to train with Alan and the fast fast runners. Over dinner he was dispensing tips on training and recovery. Managed to get a sports physio contact from him & Melvin. Perhaps I'll give it a try too.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Floated!
Since I was still walking like a duck today, it was a real struggle deciding whether to hit a Pump class (and ache more) or RPM Challenge (and use hip joint). Then Bingo! Remembered that I had my swim gear in the office and decided to hit the waters instead. When I told my colleagues I was going for a swim, everyone responded with the same "Swim?" remark. Yes yes, I know, I would strike 4D for going swimming. Hope the water was not cold.
I reached Safra, changed and stared. Muffins. Damn. Made my way as inconspicuously as possible into the pool, had to suck in tummy and hold my breathe. Haha. Water was snug and warm! 1st lap breast stroke. Ouch ouch, arms and legs protested. 2nd lap front crawl. Ok much better. 3rd lap front crawl. Had not gotten used to the swim rhythm, out of breath. Slowly I swam. Every lap warranted a self-pat. Covered 24 laps tonight. The last time I swam was almost half a year ago!
I reached Safra, changed and stared. Muffins. Damn. Made my way as inconspicuously as possible into the pool, had to suck in tummy and hold my breathe. Haha. Water was snug and warm! 1st lap breast stroke. Ouch ouch, arms and legs protested. 2nd lap front crawl. Ok much better. 3rd lap front crawl. Had not gotten used to the swim rhythm, out of breath. Slowly I swam. Every lap warranted a self-pat. Covered 24 laps tonight. The last time I swam was almost half a year ago!
Icy Duckling
Inner thighs were sore now. DOMS after Saturday's pump class. Yes yes, the effects of not having done squats for..... 2-3 months? I'm walking like a duck today. Chest and triceps were also sore, could not reach my back fully. Pathetically funny.
Got a ice-pack from Alber last night. I tested it on my precious hip, straight from the freezer. Oooh ouch. Ice cold. But after a while the cold dissipated, so I pressed it on the other hip, calves and knees. In the end, I slept on my side with the pack still pressed against the hip. No idea if it was useful or not. Popped the ice-pack back into the freezer this morning. Tonight I might try again.
Got a ice-pack from Alber last night. I tested it on my precious hip, straight from the freezer. Oooh ouch. Ice cold. But after a while the cold dissipated, so I pressed it on the other hip, calves and knees. In the end, I slept on my side with the pack still pressed against the hip. No idea if it was useful or not. Popped the ice-pack back into the freezer this morning. Tonight I might try again.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Dinner Discovery
Island creamery! Had a craving for the entire week. Finally satisfied it tonight. :) Horlicks & teh tarik double scoop, drowned in horlicks powder. Oooh luscious heavens. But first, dinner before desserts.
Went with Alber to hunt for a new dinner venue. We ended up at Commonwealth hawker centre intending to have black bean paste bee hoon, but decided to explore the area instead. We walked past the HK Street Fish Steamboat coffeeshop. Hidden at an obscure corner of the said coffeeshop was a Vietnamese stall. Cheap and authentic food cooked by a Vietnamese auntie. Everything was priced at $3.50 for a small and $5.50 for large portion. It looked good, we decided to try it.
Alber ordered a beef noodle soup. The "small" was a surprisingly large and generous bowl of beef rice noodles. The soup tasted nice without MSG. I had a BBQ chicken dry noodles - spicy, whew, my tongue was burning! But tasty. The chicken had a sweet coconut taste to it. We also had a traditional Vietnamese rice paper spring roll. It was decent, except that it tasted like a wrapped up version of my noodles. Same ingredients minus the chicken. Ahhh. And best of all, total damage was only $10.50. Immediately sms Alvin to come and try next time. Auntie was so happy when Alber complimented her food, she kept slapping him on the shoulder and even offered us some sweet tapioca dessert FOC! Haha. Of course he declined. Perhaps next time we could try some. :)
Went with Alber to hunt for a new dinner venue. We ended up at Commonwealth hawker centre intending to have black bean paste bee hoon, but decided to explore the area instead. We walked past the HK Street Fish Steamboat coffeeshop. Hidden at an obscure corner of the said coffeeshop was a Vietnamese stall. Cheap and authentic food cooked by a Vietnamese auntie. Everything was priced at $3.50 for a small and $5.50 for large portion. It looked good, we decided to try it.
Alber ordered a beef noodle soup. The "small" was a surprisingly large and generous bowl of beef rice noodles. The soup tasted nice without MSG. I had a BBQ chicken dry noodles - spicy, whew, my tongue was burning! But tasty. The chicken had a sweet coconut taste to it. We also had a traditional Vietnamese rice paper spring roll. It was decent, except that it tasted like a wrapped up version of my noodles. Same ingredients minus the chicken. Ahhh. And best of all, total damage was only $10.50. Immediately sms Alvin to come and try next time. Auntie was so happy when Alber complimented her food, she kept slapping him on the shoulder and even offered us some sweet tapioca dessert FOC! Haha. Of course he declined. Perhaps next time we could try some. :)
MR25 Progressive Run 20km
Aim: pain-free run. Mantra for self-recital: pain-free run. Verdict: not so pain-free run.
Today was the MR25 Progressive Run 20km. I had 2 cartons of 100-plus with me so had to arrive early. Almost could not wake up in the morning. Reached MR before 630am, ample parking lots at that time. Taped my feet, wore my shoes, registered for the run. Not many Safra runners were around yet. Some of SGRunners were there already, DO, Anthony, Ricci, Ultra, Stardust.
The run was flagged off at 7am. We waited a while for Heng before joining the runners. They had dashed off fast ahead. I was hoping for a totally pain free run this morning. Hip felt good, no particularly feeling. Butt a bit sore, either from the massage or Pump class. Inner thighs sore. Must be the lunges and squats.
Slowly slowly. It was not very difficult to be the last runner. Took a sip at the 1st water point and continued running with Heng. I directed him into the golf course towards Pierce and he went ahead. Then I lost him for a short while, hmm... I think he made a wrong turn after the pump station. He reappeared after I reached Upp Pierce carpark. We ran to the aircon road. Most runners were already on the out-direction of the road. Some of the very fast runners (they were wearing number tags) had even finished the gate u-turn and were on their return towards MR! Did a quick stretch at the end of aircon road before continuing the run towards main gate. All that rolling slopes.
Reached the u-turn finally, and refilled my bottle. Very hot weather. Ran back to the carpark and straight for the water cooler at the toilet. There was no one with the number tag for miles ahead of me nor behind me. It was rather embarrassing to be wearing the tag. Maybe I should not have registered in the morning.
I turned into the trail after the golf course, under the treetop walk. There were people strolling on the bridge. Hip still cool. Butt still sore. Good sign for now. At least. My favourite part of MR run, the trail. Went down the slopes, crossed the canal, back into the trail and over the mini-stream. Rocks galore. Best fun! Focused. 1-2-1-2-1-2- hop hop hop over the stones and rocks. Ah the Jelutong Tower at last. The end was near.
I could feel my hip a little flaring up though. Damn. Took a stretch and went up the wooden platform. The exposed golf link was super hot. Stretched a few more times along the way. Walked up the roots section. Hip was starting to feel sore now. Sulk... Time check: 2:08h. At least I lasted beyond Friday's 17km and the soreness was much reduced. Yesterday's massage helped a lot, but it had not fully recovered. Demoralizing. Could not even run fast. Would be happy to be able to simply complete without pain.
Past the fitness station, almost finishing. Then I saw a guy on crutches. His right leg was amputated up to the hip and he was using two crutches and his remaining left leg to walk through the trail. He had a cap and looked fit and stout. I think he had been very active before/now. I wondered what happened. He had a very determined look, I could only imagine how tough it was for him to train in the trail. I smiled at him and gingerly greeted morning. Not vey loud, I thought he did not hear me. Then to my surprise, he responded with a very energised Morning! Full of strength, which perked me up tremendously. :)
At least enough to finish the run. Alber and Sumiko were waiting for me near the zebra crossing. Everyone else had returned long ago. Saw Henry too - he came late. He told me he had just gotten a new bike, same model as mine. Ah... welcome to the roads on 2-wheels. :) We washed up and went for brunch at Adam Rd hawker centre. Sumiko told us her Gold Coast travel plans. Sounded like a good deal, very appealing. :)
Came home and thoroughly vaccummed and wiped my little greenie. Cute.
Today was the MR25 Progressive Run 20km. I had 2 cartons of 100-plus with me so had to arrive early. Almost could not wake up in the morning. Reached MR before 630am, ample parking lots at that time. Taped my feet, wore my shoes, registered for the run. Not many Safra runners were around yet. Some of SGRunners were there already, DO, Anthony, Ricci, Ultra, Stardust.
The run was flagged off at 7am. We waited a while for Heng before joining the runners. They had dashed off fast ahead. I was hoping for a totally pain free run this morning. Hip felt good, no particularly feeling. Butt a bit sore, either from the massage or Pump class. Inner thighs sore. Must be the lunges and squats.
Slowly slowly. It was not very difficult to be the last runner. Took a sip at the 1st water point and continued running with Heng. I directed him into the golf course towards Pierce and he went ahead. Then I lost him for a short while, hmm... I think he made a wrong turn after the pump station. He reappeared after I reached Upp Pierce carpark. We ran to the aircon road. Most runners were already on the out-direction of the road. Some of the very fast runners (they were wearing number tags) had even finished the gate u-turn and were on their return towards MR! Did a quick stretch at the end of aircon road before continuing the run towards main gate. All that rolling slopes.
Reached the u-turn finally, and refilled my bottle. Very hot weather. Ran back to the carpark and straight for the water cooler at the toilet. There was no one with the number tag for miles ahead of me nor behind me. It was rather embarrassing to be wearing the tag. Maybe I should not have registered in the morning.
I turned into the trail after the golf course, under the treetop walk. There were people strolling on the bridge. Hip still cool. Butt still sore. Good sign for now. At least. My favourite part of MR run, the trail. Went down the slopes, crossed the canal, back into the trail and over the mini-stream. Rocks galore. Best fun! Focused. 1-2-1-2-1-2- hop hop hop over the stones and rocks. Ah the Jelutong Tower at last. The end was near.
I could feel my hip a little flaring up though. Damn. Took a stretch and went up the wooden platform. The exposed golf link was super hot. Stretched a few more times along the way. Walked up the roots section. Hip was starting to feel sore now. Sulk... Time check: 2:08h. At least I lasted beyond Friday's 17km and the soreness was much reduced. Yesterday's massage helped a lot, but it had not fully recovered. Demoralizing. Could not even run fast. Would be happy to be able to simply complete without pain.
Past the fitness station, almost finishing. Then I saw a guy on crutches. His right leg was amputated up to the hip and he was using two crutches and his remaining left leg to walk through the trail. He had a cap and looked fit and stout. I think he had been very active before/now. I wondered what happened. He had a very determined look, I could only imagine how tough it was for him to train in the trail. I smiled at him and gingerly greeted morning. Not vey loud, I thought he did not hear me. Then to my surprise, he responded with a very energised Morning! Full of strength, which perked me up tremendously. :)
At least enough to finish the run. Alber and Sumiko were waiting for me near the zebra crossing. Everyone else had returned long ago. Saw Henry too - he came late. He told me he had just gotten a new bike, same model as mine. Ah... welcome to the roads on 2-wheels. :) We washed up and went for brunch at Adam Rd hawker centre. Sumiko told us her Gold Coast travel plans. Sounded like a good deal, very appealing. :)
Came home and thoroughly vaccummed and wiped my little greenie. Cute.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
BodyPump & Butt
Very upset last night over my hip. :( After a night of foam foller, joint still felt irritatingly locked. It was akin to people who had to crack their knuckles or neck to hear that 'cluck' sound and a sigh of relief. A friend recommended a brand of ice-pack to bring down the suspected inflammation. He said I should not roll too much or it would worsen the inflammation. Uh oh... Another gave me his glucosamine brand but it could only be obtained from his doctor. Sigh. Upset.
So my grand plans of trying out a BodyCombat class went *kaput*. I should not be rotating my hip and trying to execute kicks especially since I had not done kickboxing or muay thai for years. Had a hard time restraining myself from the RPM class too. Sanity prevailed that I should not be spinning a bike on the hip joint either. Damn. In the end I went for a BodyPump class.
I was early. Saw my ex-trainer, Tommy, working out at the gym. Still looking buffed and toned. I had some time to spare so I tried the eliptical-ski machine. Goodness me, I lasted about 12min and got utterly bored. Time for class! Ok, the last time I did Pump was eons months ago. Somehow everyone seemed to be taking heavier weights than me even for warmup track. Haha. Whoa, the effects of not carrying weights for so long. Jelly arms and legs by the end of class! My butt felt extremely tight on the lunges. Hmmm.... maybe related to the joint. Luckily I had fixed another massage appointment in the afternoon. Desperate SOS.
Spent a long time at the tui-na kneading on the side hip and back butt. Ouch. Sustained a slight right quad strain last night too. A result of stupidly altering my foot strike to ease the hip discomfort, putting more pressure on my big toe than evenly on the feet. See what happened from trying out a silly stunt like that. Oops. :) Felt considerably lighter after that. Hopefully the MR run tomorrow would turn out right.
So my grand plans of trying out a BodyCombat class went *kaput*. I should not be rotating my hip and trying to execute kicks especially since I had not done kickboxing or muay thai for years. Had a hard time restraining myself from the RPM class too. Sanity prevailed that I should not be spinning a bike on the hip joint either. Damn. In the end I went for a BodyPump class.
I was early. Saw my ex-trainer, Tommy, working out at the gym. Still looking buffed and toned. I had some time to spare so I tried the eliptical-ski machine. Goodness me, I lasted about 12min and got utterly bored. Time for class! Ok, the last time I did Pump was eons months ago. Somehow everyone seemed to be taking heavier weights than me even for warmup track. Haha. Whoa, the effects of not carrying weights for so long. Jelly arms and legs by the end of class! My butt felt extremely tight on the lunges. Hmmm.... maybe related to the joint. Luckily I had fixed another massage appointment in the afternoon. Desperate SOS.
Spent a long time at the tui-na kneading on the side hip and back butt. Ouch. Sustained a slight right quad strain last night too. A result of stupidly altering my foot strike to ease the hip discomfort, putting more pressure on my big toe than evenly on the feet. See what happened from trying out a silly stunt like that. Oops. :) Felt considerably lighter after that. Hopefully the MR run tomorrow would turn out right.
Friday, May 2, 2008
New GTs
After a painfully long 3-day hiatus, I hit the road again. This time with my new GT-2130 in beautiful purple. Painfully long because it was really an ordeal not doing anything for 3 days. No workouts, no exercises, no runs, no rides. :( Boy, was I was grouchy this morning.
My colleague was going to blade at ECP and asked me along for a run. We left office early on a nice-weathered Friday evening and drove to B1. I almost forgot that I had my new shoes in the trunk. Perfect time to break them in. Felt kinda stiff and toe-off was unresponsive initially. Perhaps I was too used to the Mizuno or Pearl Izumi. But it would probably soften up a little after some mileage. Legs felt good, though was fighting the stiffy soles.
There were many people at the beach this evening. Scores of students sitting on the sand, at the BBQ pits, and old uncles taking dips in the sea. Not to mention the many runners, cyclists, strollers and bladers all fighting for a share of the paths. I decided to run to Safra country club and u-turn. There was a middle-aged uncle heading the same direction too. I tagged along behind him, our footsteps pounding the pavement. I saw my colleague who was blading up and down the country club a couple of times in order to wait for me. :) We waved goodbye and I continued on the return run.
The marker on the pavement indicated East Coast Park 0m. The uncle had gone ahead while I did some stretching. I tried to imagine that I was on Round 2 of Sundown. My gosh, the stretch was really quite mental. It was no fun to be there plodding on after 52km. Come to think of it, 84km was no fun either.
Soon I caught up with the uncle near the Bedok Jetty. He ended his run near the Seafood Centre. Hip was inauspiciously feeling tight again. I stretched a couple of times. It definitely had that familiar tightening feel so I stopped at C4, took a water break and tried stretching, rotating, massaging,.... whatever tricks I knew. It did not alleviate much. I ran, but stopped again near Big Splash. It was still stiff and hurt a little to walk. But I had rested 3 days! This was so unfair. I just felt like sitting there and sulk. :(
But of course I could not and did not. I had to get to my car. So I ran, massaged, ran, massaged until I reached B1. So upset. How to complete 84km like that? :((
My colleague was going to blade at ECP and asked me along for a run. We left office early on a nice-weathered Friday evening and drove to B1. I almost forgot that I had my new shoes in the trunk. Perfect time to break them in. Felt kinda stiff and toe-off was unresponsive initially. Perhaps I was too used to the Mizuno or Pearl Izumi. But it would probably soften up a little after some mileage. Legs felt good, though was fighting the stiffy soles.
There were many people at the beach this evening. Scores of students sitting on the sand, at the BBQ pits, and old uncles taking dips in the sea. Not to mention the many runners, cyclists, strollers and bladers all fighting for a share of the paths. I decided to run to Safra country club and u-turn. There was a middle-aged uncle heading the same direction too. I tagged along behind him, our footsteps pounding the pavement. I saw my colleague who was blading up and down the country club a couple of times in order to wait for me. :) We waved goodbye and I continued on the return run.
The marker on the pavement indicated East Coast Park 0m. The uncle had gone ahead while I did some stretching. I tried to imagine that I was on Round 2 of Sundown. My gosh, the stretch was really quite mental. It was no fun to be there plodding on after 52km. Come to think of it, 84km was no fun either.
Soon I caught up with the uncle near the Bedok Jetty. He ended his run near the Seafood Centre. Hip was inauspiciously feeling tight again. I stretched a couple of times. It definitely had that familiar tightening feel so I stopped at C4, took a water break and tried stretching, rotating, massaging,.... whatever tricks I knew. It did not alleviate much. I ran, but stopped again near Big Splash. It was still stiff and hurt a little to walk. But I had rested 3 days! This was so unfair. I just felt like sitting there and sulk. :(
But of course I could not and did not. I had to get to my car. So I ran, massaged, ran, massaged until I reached B1. So upset. How to complete 84km like that? :((
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