Jasmine - the India of my childhood

Dead of the night - my favorite time of the night (or day). One of the reasons I love running in the dark is two-fold. Its the only time that is not blazing hot here in South-east Asia. The second reason is more close to my heart. As silly as it sounds, the smell of Jasmine is what lures me onto the streets every morning.

How many cities boast any sort of smell nowadays?! Not many! The smell of Jasmine, to me, is one of the most unadulterated smells in memory. Smell is something that takes you right back - to your first kiss, first crush, first love...among many many other firsts. A whiff of a familiar perfume, worn by a lost-love, is enough to transport one back many years.

For me, the smell of Jasmine takes me back to the India of my childhood. Jasmine is the smell of the neighbourhood temple in the morning, the smell of the north after a heavy rain, the smell in a 'havan', a 'jagrata', and not to be too morbid, it is strewn over funeral pyres.

Every morning (or night), running through these strange streets, I look for the familiar - my home - and something as simple as a smell, takes me back to the India of my childhood.

Just 3.25 miles this Saturday am. Its a habit to get up and run - but I just was not in it this morning. I might do some miles this pm - but I really should just rest up for an 18-miler tomorrow. Yes, just run tomorrow, just run tomorrow, just tomorrow :-))

Hmmm - I couldn't resist - did 3 miles at 6pm. The splits were as follows
1 mile @ 6min
1mile @ 6:32min
1mile @ 9min
Low humidity, high temperatures. Oh well, I am not going to complain!

Junk miles again....

10 slow, easy miles this am. I could have done more but did not want to push it.
This took an hour and 15 minutes approximately.
4 speed miles this pm - I want to do it in 22-ish minutes. This is *very* ambitious - we shall see.
*UPDATE*
Nixed the 4 miles - was in no mood to fuss around with my watch or time. Instead took my butt to the staircase and did 130 repeats which took 22 minutes. I actually lost a kilo in fluid in that time - so made sure I was well-hydrated after.

Change leaves me uncomfortable

Familiarity breeds contempt. It does? I wouldnt know - I am a creature of habit. I wake up the same time every single day. Have had the same brekkie everyday since I was 18. I sleep on the same side every single day - 2 pillows slightly askew, the temperature at 19 degrees . I have 2 pairs of running tights. I have one hair-tie I use for long runs - somehow it makes me feel 'lucky'. My ponytail has to be 'bouncy' - not too much that the wind affects it, and not to little that I cant feel like a kid skipping around. Yes I am *that* obsessive. In short, I like routine. I thrive on it. I think runners are like that. There comes a point when it stops becoming a 'chore' and becomes something as second nature as brushing your teeth.

I will be the first to admit that runners tend to be arrogant, self-obsessed and have crazy food habits. This is the reason why it is so important to have a strong support system. I have been lucky. My dad is an athlete - he has been for over forty years (this will be an entry at another time) - he inculcated the spirit of sport in both me and my brother since we were young.

Anyone other than the folks dont matter at the moment since I am single - yes *shock* *horror* (actually, not really for anyone who knows me :-)) - but thats an entry for another time as well.

My run this morning was an easy 7 miles that I finished in 61 minutes. The chaffing from my sports bra has left me feeling a bit raw - so vaseline has been my friend for the last 24 hours.

3 miles this pm - hopefully, definately!!

Of Indian women, Thaipussam and Running!

I was thinking about what to write about this morning. I set out at 4 am. I started out faster than usual - after all, I left with dad and both of us are a little competitive. Reading this blog, you have some idea of how vain I am - I go out fast when I know someone is watching me, even if I am dying on the inside :-)

I wanted to run a different route today - I am getting bored of the same old same old. I set out into Little India, via Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and ended my run on the beach. The reason for this was two-fold. Starting today is the Indian festival of THAIPUSSAM. I find it fascinating. Every city, east or west, in the world today, looks the same. This irritates me to no end. I am always happy when I see a hark back to the old world in a concrete city - especially a concrete jungle like Singapore. On the way to school yesterday, I saw these gorgeous dark ladies in orange and neon sarees, bright gold jewelry and flowers in their hair. I appreciate how confident and beautiful these women look, especially considering I feel overdressed in anything other than my standard white. I love it! It truly is a sight to see.

This was the reason I ran to Little India this morning. Priests in temples were getting ready for the THAIPUSSAM parade this morning. The idols in temples were decked up, the men who were participating in the parade were practicing 'mortification of the flesh'. To be sure, this is NOT a barbaric practice. I see many tourists with horror on their faces when they witness THAIPUSSAM for the first time. However, the devotion of the devotees is truly something to be marvelled at. It always makes me happy to see rituals like this still practised. It is one of the reasons I love living in Asia - where indigenous culture and practices are still alive.

How is this related to running you ask? Well, I always ponder these things on my long runs - it makes them alot more interesting. I ran 23.45 miles this am in 3 hours and 20 minutes. I confess I walked 1/4 of a mile. This was followed by a 26 lap swim. The swim was awesome - very cooling and I am not sore.

I am not running this pm. I am going to try my best to stay off my feet until this evening - I am going to watch the parade with camera in hand!

Varied workout

My body is a bit tired at the moment. I think its because it needs a bit of a jolt. I have been trying to vary my workout. This is what I came up with.

200 stair repeats
170 stair repeats
2 miles @ 11:45
2 miles @ 14:25
1.5 miles @ 11:02
1 mile @ 7:30
10 by 60m repeats
1 mile @ 9
90 stair repeats

Not bad at all, huh? Its very varied, but I need that - I get quite bored and since I dont listen to music I love pushing myself.
I really enjoy stair repeats - Singapore is a pretty flat little island and it breaks up the monotony of flat surfaces. Plus it gives the quads nice defintion - a nice little side effect.
I will try to fit in 3-6 miles (have not decided yet) this pm.

Morning triad

13 miles this am @ 7:30mph (average pace) - satisfied my craving for speed with endurance.
40 repeat of 9 stairs.
10 laps in the pool in 4-ish minutes.

Needless to say alot of the pent-up yuckiness is gone. Also slept 6.5 hours last night.
Happy Sunday all!