I decided to be adventurous and try a new breakfast - *drum roll please* - cold porridge. Porridge has been one constant in my life, not lately however. So last night, I decided to be really really creative with it and decided to have the "swiss" stylie - basically where you mix up everything and leaves it to stew in the fridge overnight. They have these stale concoctions in over-priced hotels that try to be posh and look like vomit. Anyway, it looked disgusting, but since I am open-minded I decided to give it a shot. I actually ran long this morning because I was dreading being back home for it. Cold anything reminds me of Henrietta Green, that awful stingy woman who died a millionaire - she never turned on the stove so she could save on gas and had cold porridge every day. Yes, this was actually going through my mind during my run. Cold anything makes me feel...well...cold and absolutely not comforted - I think its my North Indian tendency to over-heat everything shining through! Needless to say, room temperature, much like moderation, is something I abhor.
Anyway, I heated it up and all was good in the world again. Oh Porridge - how I have missed thee!
A really difficult new route I took today - absolutely loved it! It was broken up by 4 steep bridges that I walked. 11 miles. 8 slow and the last 3, I managed to sprint and forget about the heat/my legs/sweating. (For anyone interested, I basically took the Bus 36 route down Siglap, Bedok, etc - the East. I bumped into a few fellow crazies who also decided to ditch the usual routes. The usual ones are way too crowded by annoying little kids and "bikers" - those obnoxious boys who look like they are racing through the Tour de France. Anyway, this rant is for another post.)
Followed by 25 - a mile - laps in the cold cold pool.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Recovery - in more ways than one.
I bumped into my father as I left this morning. Dawn is the only time I get to see him properly nowadays, since we are like two peas in a pod, he wakes up for a 10k every single morning around 4am. Did I mention he is 62?? Now you know why I am the way I am :-)
Anyway, we left together, talking and laughing (mind you, I am super grumpy most of the time and especially just before a run!) and before I knew it, we started warming up together and off we went. My father walks about 20 minutes of his route, and I asked if I could pace him today. We both HATE working out with other people, but with each other, its easy, because he reads me like no one else can and when you have that kind of understanding and trust - life is simple.
Cut the long story short, I had one of my best recovery runs today. I feel refreshed and strong and got a few laughs in before 7am - we came back home sweaty, laughing and holding hands. And I know that this is going to be tucked away in my memory bank; and in hindsight, I am going to look at this as an example of how I would want my child to look at me. I can only hope to one day share a moment like this with one of mine :-)
7 miles that I did not time. It felt easy, though I did have a few quick pick ups in between - they didnt last more than 20-30 seconds at a time.
Anyway, we left together, talking and laughing (mind you, I am super grumpy most of the time and especially just before a run!) and before I knew it, we started warming up together and off we went. My father walks about 20 minutes of his route, and I asked if I could pace him today. We both HATE working out with other people, but with each other, its easy, because he reads me like no one else can and when you have that kind of understanding and trust - life is simple.
Cut the long story short, I had one of my best recovery runs today. I feel refreshed and strong and got a few laughs in before 7am - we came back home sweaty, laughing and holding hands. And I know that this is going to be tucked away in my memory bank; and in hindsight, I am going to look at this as an example of how I would want my child to look at me. I can only hope to one day share a moment like this with one of mine :-)
7 miles that I did not time. It felt easy, though I did have a few quick pick ups in between - they didnt last more than 20-30 seconds at a time.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Smile at someone today :-)
I was in an excellent mood this morning! I smiled at absolutely everybody - be warned, I will hunt you down if you dont smile back!! :-))
I wanted to do a tempo as a change of pace today - I havent done one in forever - atleast 12 or so weeks, if not more.
8 miles in an hour. Not bad at all. I did however stop for 10 or so minutes as time-out since it was so breezy. Just sat down with my hands in prayer - doing whatever it is that one calls it :-)
I wanted to do a tempo as a change of pace today - I havent done one in forever - atleast 12 or so weeks, if not more.
8 miles in an hour. Not bad at all. I did however stop for 10 or so minutes as time-out since it was so breezy. Just sat down with my hands in prayer - doing whatever it is that one calls it :-)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Well this has never happened to me before - not this soon anyway. About 15 minutes into my sprints this morning, I felt like throwing up. I dry-heaved my way through my entire workout this morning hoping it would get better. I have done this a thousand times before and I have NEVER felt as nauseous as I did today. Not just nauseous mind you; but on the verge of throwing up - I feel awful :-(. I have enough experience to know my breaking point and I wasnt even close to it today - or recently. Whatever it is, please go away :-(.
300 sprints on the stairs 60 minutes
2 surprisingly fast miles before I called it a day. 7:40min/mile.
It wasnt the weather - it wasnt all that hot this morning (was it?) or particularly humid. I am at a loss??!!
300 sprints on the stairs 60 minutes
2 surprisingly fast miles before I called it a day. 7:40min/mile.
It wasnt the weather - it wasnt all that hot this morning (was it?) or particularly humid. I am at a loss??!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Easy Monday
Ive been waking up ridiculously early again.
2.5 mile run
220 stair repeats 45 minutes
Went back out for another 3.5 miles
How do I feel after yesterday? I feel good and tired, but not as though a herd of stampeding elephants have lovingly tap danced all over my body.
Have a good week all!
2.5 mile run
220 stair repeats 45 minutes
Went back out for another 3.5 miles
How do I feel after yesterday? I feel good and tired, but not as though a herd of stampeding elephants have lovingly tap danced all over my body.
Have a good week all!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Of Kipling and a 27 mile run!
I wish I turned 13 - that way I'd only have to run 13 miles for my birthday. I bought new shoes yesterday and I always do a celebratory run in my new shoes. Now new shoes *and* my birthday is just too much to resist. Boy, do I sound like a *huge* geek. Please bear with me :-)
Anyway, as usual, I got the ugliest color available - thank you Asics. They never have a decent color for me - EVER! Since Asics dont make pink - thank god - I dont care. I got a hideous orange pair. If anyone has ever had a look at my footwear, its pretty obvious that I dont sweat these things too much.
I also turned 27 yesterday. I have spent the past 3 days eating way way way too much. *sigh*, I know I run alot, however, the excess in my personality means that I do everything to excess and unfortunately, this means eating and sometimes (only sometimes) drinking. I chalked it up to carbo-loading and set off on a 27 miler at 2am this morning. I love running! I havent done a long run in ages and my body protested - alot. The one thing you learn from running is that discomfort is never an excuse to stop. Discomfort only means that you dont do it enough and you should suck it up and do some more :-)
One of my favorite running quotes and something that I think about alot during my runs is from the poem "IF" by Kipling, my favorite author thanks to my father, who first introduced me to Kipling when I was 6. The clincher, for me, is in the last 4 lines of the poem that go "...If you can fill the unforgiving minute, With sixty seconds worth of distance run - Yours is the earth and everything thats in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!".
This poem used to be plastered on my desk right from the time I started first grade. It had been plastered on my Father's desk when he was a cadet at the NDA in India as an 18 year old. I think I was being groomed to be a certain type of person from a very young age. I am not complaining.
Thank you mister Kipling. Once again, your words teach me alot about myself :-)
27 miles this am in about 4 hours. I felt *alot* better than I felt during Sundown, although, I know I have a long way to go before I am back to where I belong in terms of speed. The smell of Durian around mile 14 made me double over and almost throw up. Sometimes Singapore annoys me SO much!!!
40 laps in the cold water as a "treat" for my legs.
Anyway, as usual, I got the ugliest color available - thank you Asics. They never have a decent color for me - EVER! Since Asics dont make pink - thank god - I dont care. I got a hideous orange pair. If anyone has ever had a look at my footwear, its pretty obvious that I dont sweat these things too much.
I also turned 27 yesterday. I have spent the past 3 days eating way way way too much. *sigh*, I know I run alot, however, the excess in my personality means that I do everything to excess and unfortunately, this means eating and sometimes (only sometimes) drinking. I chalked it up to carbo-loading and set off on a 27 miler at 2am this morning. I love running! I havent done a long run in ages and my body protested - alot. The one thing you learn from running is that discomfort is never an excuse to stop. Discomfort only means that you dont do it enough and you should suck it up and do some more :-)
One of my favorite running quotes and something that I think about alot during my runs is from the poem "IF" by Kipling, my favorite author thanks to my father, who first introduced me to Kipling when I was 6. The clincher, for me, is in the last 4 lines of the poem that go "...If you can fill the unforgiving minute, With sixty seconds worth of distance run - Yours is the earth and everything thats in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!".
This poem used to be plastered on my desk right from the time I started first grade. It had been plastered on my Father's desk when he was a cadet at the NDA in India as an 18 year old. I think I was being groomed to be a certain type of person from a very young age. I am not complaining.
Thank you mister Kipling. Once again, your words teach me alot about myself :-)
27 miles this am in about 4 hours. I felt *alot* better than I felt during Sundown, although, I know I have a long way to go before I am back to where I belong in terms of speed. The smell of Durian around mile 14 made me double over and almost throw up. Sometimes Singapore annoys me SO much!!!
40 laps in the cold water as a "treat" for my legs.
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