The long run weekend endorphins did not last too many days. Did a couple of 10km short runs on Mon, Wed, Fri. Classes were officially over by the end of the week *cheeeeers!* Two more papers to go over the next two weeks, but they should be fine. The nice thing about adult studies and exams is that it is just another item on the checklist. Moving on.....
The sun was scorching over the weekend, I was totally toasted. Ran my usual route to MR on Saturday. Bumped into some friends and we chatted about Salomon shoes and which models to get or avoid. Continued home and got back close to 1pm. I felt crispy....
Woke up late on Sunday and had to shorten my run. :( Ran to the ranger station, out to the Northern Trail and the first pavilion and u-turned. Met WY, Lynn, KH and Winnie along the way, going in the opposite direction.
By the end of this weekend, my sports bra and shorts have been permanently imprinted on me...I guess it's a happy problem! :) Looking forward to the coming weekend of long runs again.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Happily Sedated Long Runs
Yes! Two long runs this weekend. I'm happily sedated now. :)
Yesterday was a bit of a challenge. Against all wisdom, I headed out without breakfast nor power gels nor money. That would not have been a problem until I decided to run another loop in MR. Since I typically run from home to MR, the decision point is always after the ranger station - whether I then veer right to get home, or I go straight for another loop. So I foolishly went straight as I was still feeling ok at that point and wanted to clock some more mileage. 30min into the extension and I could feel my stomach rumbling. I reached the visitor lobby and filled up with more water. The section through the Northern Trail to the ranger station again was a disaster. Any hint of an upslope and I would walk. Jogging on the flats and downslopes was manageable for a while. Then I would walk.
After re-filling at the ranger station, I headed towards BT. Another disastrous mix of walk and trot, not withstanding the sun beating down on me. When I got to the Rifle Range Road, I was so tempted to hitch-ride passing vans to get down the road.... which of course I did not. So I decided that a brisk walk would be faster and less energy-intense than my futile attempts to jog-walk. And I sort of walked the entire stretch until I got home. Low sugar and hungry, I could have eaten anything at that point!
Distance covered: 34km.... of which I probably walked like 10km. CMI....
This morning I did the same route, minus the extra round. My legs were tired, yes, but not as sore as I thought. I could actually complete it in a faster time than some of my previous runs. Not bad. Must be the slice of bread I took before the run. Distance ~ 22-23km.
I'm at peace now.... :)
Yesterday was a bit of a challenge. Against all wisdom, I headed out without breakfast nor power gels nor money. That would not have been a problem until I decided to run another loop in MR. Since I typically run from home to MR, the decision point is always after the ranger station - whether I then veer right to get home, or I go straight for another loop. So I foolishly went straight as I was still feeling ok at that point and wanted to clock some more mileage. 30min into the extension and I could feel my stomach rumbling. I reached the visitor lobby and filled up with more water. The section through the Northern Trail to the ranger station again was a disaster. Any hint of an upslope and I would walk. Jogging on the flats and downslopes was manageable for a while. Then I would walk.
After re-filling at the ranger station, I headed towards BT. Another disastrous mix of walk and trot, not withstanding the sun beating down on me. When I got to the Rifle Range Road, I was so tempted to hitch-ride passing vans to get down the road.... which of course I did not. So I decided that a brisk walk would be faster and less energy-intense than my futile attempts to jog-walk. And I sort of walked the entire stretch until I got home. Low sugar and hungry, I could have eaten anything at that point!
Distance covered: 34km.... of which I probably walked like 10km. CMI....
This morning I did the same route, minus the extra round. My legs were tired, yes, but not as sore as I thought. I could actually complete it in a faster time than some of my previous runs. Not bad. Must be the slice of bread I took before the run. Distance ~ 22-23km.
I'm at peace now.... :)
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Missing Blogs of Runs
Right ok, missing blogs do not mean missing runs. Everytime I get into this time-tension with Alber over running and he asks if "don't run will die" (a literal translation from Chinese slang), I say "Yes!" without hesitation. I need the space to chill and recharge, and running is my space. But my space also takes a long, long time, and I like to pack-squeeze everything (im)possible into an ultra tight schedule. And that fixation with cramping and doing everything causes much grief. *grin*
I managed to keep up with morning runs, but they have since grown shorter to around 55min, followed by some lunges and push-ups. I blame that on my sleep cycle, which I blame on my studies and others, but which I think ultimately it is just my poor last-min time management and obsession with not wanting to give up anything. Even my weekend supposedly long runs have been shortened, or missed. :(
Take last weekend, I only ran on Sunday. Went from home to MR ranger toilet and rushed back for lunch. Thankfully I caught the cool pleasant weather, which turned scorching by afternoon. To soothe the guilt, I very disciplinedly ran (jogged) every morning this week. And since I am alone this weekend, I must get some long runs into my system! The Monday exams can wait. My runs cannot. :)
I managed to keep up with morning runs, but they have since grown shorter to around 55min, followed by some lunges and push-ups. I blame that on my sleep cycle, which I blame on my studies and others, but which I think ultimately it is just my poor last-min time management and obsession with not wanting to give up anything. Even my weekend supposedly long runs have been shortened, or missed. :(
Take last weekend, I only ran on Sunday. Went from home to MR ranger toilet and rushed back for lunch. Thankfully I caught the cool pleasant weather, which turned scorching by afternoon. To soothe the guilt, I very disciplinedly ran (jogged) every morning this week. And since I am alone this weekend, I must get some long runs into my system! The Monday exams can wait. My runs cannot. :)
Monday, June 4, 2012
Out of Room 3-5 and a Chillax Run
No class today, tmrw, and Thurs. Hooray! Like a kid released from school, I was relishing my freed evening(s).
I was out on Fri and Sat at the OBS as part of my school module with my classmates. It was a most enjoyable experience, we had great team mates who made the entire 2 days a hilarious affair. Their wicked humour and laughter were so infectious, I must have laughed my quota for the month!
And then I promptly slept through the whole of Sunday. I guess it must be the prospect of no classes this week, I felt like my tightly-wound spring had uncoiled itself and I simply refused to do anything else.
So tonight I was able to have an evening run in place of class. Ahhh. Love. Just a simple chillax 10km around MF. Chill..... :)
I was out on Fri and Sat at the OBS as part of my school module with my classmates. It was a most enjoyable experience, we had great team mates who made the entire 2 days a hilarious affair. Their wicked humour and laughter were so infectious, I must have laughed my quota for the month!
And then I promptly slept through the whole of Sunday. I guess it must be the prospect of no classes this week, I felt like my tightly-wound spring had uncoiled itself and I simply refused to do anything else.
So tonight I was able to have an evening run in place of class. Ahhh. Love. Just a simple chillax 10km around MF. Chill..... :)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Hello Shoes! I'm Back!
Three weeks since my last post. My runs had been as smattering as my blogging. A couple of morning runs, all under an hour (translate: bad... too short), were all I managed over the weeks. I still kept up the long runs over the weekends, but those were getting slower and slower. Where the route from my house to MR and back used to take 2:45 - 2:50h, I was clocking 3h now. *shake head*
Then I laid off for one entire week, and had bouts of ups and downs (mostly downs) for the next two weeks. Runs were so lethargic, I walked an awful lot. Something was not quite right.
Anyhow, I'm so glad things are sort of back under control, and I'm fitted snuggly into my shoes again. :) Happily went out for my long run this morning. Glad to report that apart from burning legs (because of the stair-climbing last night), I was not out of breath and totally enjoying the run by myself. :)
Hello shoes! Yes, I'm back to hit the trails again! :)
Then I laid off for one entire week, and had bouts of ups and downs (mostly downs) for the next two weeks. Runs were so lethargic, I walked an awful lot. Something was not quite right.
Anyhow, I'm so glad things are sort of back under control, and I'm fitted snuggly into my shoes again. :) Happily went out for my long run this morning. Glad to report that apart from burning legs (because of the stair-climbing last night), I was not out of breath and totally enjoying the run by myself. :)
Hello shoes! Yes, I'm back to hit the trails again! :)
Friday, May 25, 2012
Stairs Oh Stairs
Today was "Eat with Family Day" and everyone could be let off at 5pm. Unfortunately, my family, one was out at an office function. And my mum whom I was supposed to have dinner with 'flew my aeroplane' and abandoned me for an outing with friends. Brilliant.
Thankfully my friends decided on an impromptu stair-climb training that evening. I did not have any gear with me and had to borrow practically everything from Winnie (thanks!). It was my first time joining them in this drill, and also my first time at the 40-storey TPY flats - I usually train at the 30-storey flats in Tiong Bahru.
Drill - 6 sets of up and down
1-up: 7:11min
1-down: 5:56min
2-up: 7:13min
2-down: 6:52min
3-up: 8:05min
3-down: 7:06min
4-up: 8:54min
4-down: lift!
5-up: 8:50min
6-up: 8:42min
I alternated between taking double-steps for one set, and single-steps for the next set. The former was less tiring (surprisingly), perhaps because it engages the bigger muscle groups in the quads. The latter was a strain on my calves, with the higher leg turnover and cadence.
It was such a long time since I last did any stair-climbs. My legs were burning and jelli-fied by the end of the session.
Thankfully my friends decided on an impromptu stair-climb training that evening. I did not have any gear with me and had to borrow practically everything from Winnie (thanks!). It was my first time joining them in this drill, and also my first time at the 40-storey TPY flats - I usually train at the 30-storey flats in Tiong Bahru.
Drill - 6 sets of up and down
1-up: 7:11min
1-down: 5:56min
2-up: 7:13min
2-down: 6:52min
3-up: 8:05min
3-down: 7:06min
4-up: 8:54min
4-down: lift!
5-up: 8:50min
6-up: 8:42min
I alternated between taking double-steps for one set, and single-steps for the next set. The former was less tiring (surprisingly), perhaps because it engages the bigger muscle groups in the quads. The latter was a strain on my calves, with the higher leg turnover and cadence.
It was such a long time since I last did any stair-climbs. My legs were burning and jelli-fied by the end of the session.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Crazy School Weeks Make Sub-par Runs
Over the weekend, I tried to relish whatever free time I had left before school term begins again. Saturday morning was a washout and I happily slept in til late. It was generally a very cool day and I went for an evening run along the MTB - yes, mud pools and couple of fallen branches all over. Then on Sunday morning, I did my usual to-and-fro MR loop. Of late, the weather has been utterly random. It was sweltering hot on Sunday, compared to the previous day. I was toasted, again. However, by the time I reached home, it started thundering and I barely missed the short but intense downpour. Whew, at least I got my run done.
And.... *drumroll please* .... the start of school. Four evenings per week. The schedule was simply crazy. That meant that all runs had to be in the mornings. Given that I get home anywhere between 10 - 11pm each day, followed by random To-do tasks, I was most reluctant to get out of bed each morning. And consequently overslept.
I only managed to get myself out on the tarmac on Wed and Thurs. :( And only managed to tackle 52min each time on the tarmac Rifle Range Road. Sigh. :(( Way off norm. But no matter how short, I needed those quiet me-time to simply breathe normally, un-tensed, and ease into the craziness of each day.
*Deep breath*
One week down, five more to go.
And.... *drumroll please* .... the start of school. Four evenings per week. The schedule was simply crazy. That meant that all runs had to be in the mornings. Given that I get home anywhere between 10 - 11pm each day, followed by random To-do tasks, I was most reluctant to get out of bed each morning. And consequently overslept.
I only managed to get myself out on the tarmac on Wed and Thurs. :( And only managed to tackle 52min each time on the tarmac Rifle Range Road. Sigh. :(( Way off norm. But no matter how short, I needed those quiet me-time to simply breathe normally, un-tensed, and ease into the craziness of each day.
*Deep breath*
One week down, five more to go.
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