Quick Updates

Sorry, I have been lazy I know. But here are some quick-ish updates!

1. I did the Tri-Bob Aquathlon and I did not rock at it. In fact I sucked pretty bad. I was heading the wrong way constantly and by the time I was done with my swim I was out. Then I ran out and forgot my race-bib and had to run back in. Had a stitch a third way into my run, so walked the rest of it. It was torture. I would write more, but I’m really just too bummed with my crappy result. Nonetheless, I finished in 32:31 minutes. My swim leg took me 8:10 minutes (9th for my category) and my run leg took me 22:35 (a very sorry 30th for my category).

2. I also finished the 40k “challenge” (they claim not RACE even though they have prizes for winners) at the OCBC Cycle in 1 hr 51 minutes. It’s a crap time, but I freak easily and there were so many people so I just thought I’d toddle along at my own sad pace. I finished the “challenge” not crashing, so that’s an accomplishment for me.

3. I’ve started running again. Not my 2.5k runs which I convince myself are good enough, but real runs. I know I grumble about it all the time, but running really is like a friend I have this love-hate relationship with. And I’ve missed it a bit. So last week I decided to bite the bullet and run home. I also compiled an awesome playlist (I realize Blondie and Queen songs feature highly in that list), so the run home was a bit painful, but not all too bad. I got 8k (in 1 hr 12 mins) in before I bailed and took the bus home smelly and all. Last night I got 12k (1hr 30 mins) in and I felt pretty darn good after. My knee’s a little sore today, but it’ll go away I think.

4. I’ve signed up for a challenge (real challenge this time) with mapmyrun.com and I’m supposed to run 30 miles in 30 days. All this sounded rather easy – I mean, a mile a day, how hard is that? Until I realized it all added up when I took a few days off. So yesterday I had to make up for all the days I was lazing – hence the 12k run. I'm all caught up for now.

5. I’ve started drum classes again with my good friend and other than the fact that I realize again I’m completely uncoordinated, I am enjoying the lessons. I think it’s largely the company as well!

Sports Massage = Sheer Torture

After the run on Sunday, I took a day off work on Monday and thought I'd head to the sports clinic and get me a sports massage. I had previously bought a package of 6 physiotherapy sessions which I could change to a sports massages so I thought I'd collect on those massages.

It was beyond painful. I can't even begin to describe the pain because it was pain on a very unfamiliar plane. The masseuse kneaded and kneaded at my knots and I spent a good part of the 45 minutes pinching my hand to distract from the pain (didn't work very well), biting into a towel, grimacing and just seeing stars. And I now know that I would make a poor spy. If someone hurt me like the masseuse hurt me, I would have divulged all confidential national secrets. So it's pretty good no one actually does trust me with information like that.

I read that I was supposed to drink lots of water after the session. But I probably ruined all effects of the massage by going for a whole bunch of drinkies. I realise my self-control when it comes to drinks nowadays is more or less zero.

So Tuesday wasn't so happy a day for me because it felt like someone had take a big wooden stick and hit my legs numerous times - I'm pretty sure I'm not that far off in using that analogy. Nonetheless, because I'm so dedicated and devoted to my cause of running 10k under an hour, I decided to do a 5k run home. Wasn't my favourite run. In fact I think I might have done better resting the legs for one more day before hitting the roads. But I was in a bad mood and I needed the run, so run I did - maybe not as fast as I'd run before, and maybe not as graceful (well, in my head I run gracefully), but I felt a lot better for it at the end. There are moments where one just needs a run to get through a bad day.

Totally random note - I'm taking my first drum class tonight and I'm really excited about it. Sometimes, I think the silver lining on the storm cloud of a 'bad mood day' is the spur-of-the-moment things that one chooses to do and would never have bothered to do any other ordinary day.

What I've done so far:
Ran: 4.7k in 37 minutes