Showing posts with label ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ramblings. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

A comic that best explains why I run

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

A very good friend sent me this link saying she saw it and thought of me. I read it and thought of me. That said, I don't do marathons, much less ultra-marathons...but I do run to eat. And I am well acquainted with the Blerch (you'll see...). If you don't run, this is hilarious anyway! Enjoy!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Different Strokes for Different Folks...and a non-race report

I was supposed to do the Metasprint Discovery Triathlon (stupidly short distance triathlon). I didn't. I did however pack my bag the night before, drive all the way to the race and set up my bike in transition. What I also did do was muck up the start times. For some reason I read that my wave started at 10.50am. It didn't. It started at 10.20am. I could feel angry, but instead I felt more stupid than anything else. You see, I'd actually got to the race area at 9.55am. Enough time to sort out my shit but instead I was taking my own sweet time to set up. And why not? I assumed I had close to an hour before my race started. Thank goodness I strolled over to the information area to find out where the start point was otherwise I'd be standing around the race start looking like a complete idiot. As it was I felt pretty foolish when I had to walk back to the transition area 20 minutes after popping my bike there to retrieve it sheepishly and drive quickly home hoping no one would notice that I was neither body marked nor looking like I had done a race of any sort.

My friend, Mun in da house (he made me sign him up, so I decided to give him a name he'd remember for life on his race bib!) who signed up for the sprint did pretty awesomely though. We talked after about doing a triathlon again and he was keen on signing up for a Olympic distance triathlon. I wasn't so keen. I have a 1.5k swim race coming up in May and for me working towards that was my highlight of the year. It was a do-able distance and a distance that I knew wouldn't cause me to hate myself too much mid-way through. Mun felt that he wanted something to work towards so for him doing a long swim was lame because he could do it in the pool, he wanted something more than that. I wanted to tell him that technically he could do a full triathlon if he had a pool, put his bike on a spinner next to it and then went out after to run 10k but he went into a dead zone and the phone line got cut off.

I did start thinking, however, why people did races and (as obvious as it probably is to everyone else) it really was for different reasons. Back when I was younger I always thought that people thought the same way as me. It never occurred to me that something I felt strongly about meant absolutely nothing to someone else, or vice versa. I realised later that people were inherently different and that we make friends with people who share little similar parts with us. I said before that friends were like bits of a jigsaw that make up a persons life because no one friend is exactly like you are, but just a wee bit similar. In the same way, I took for granted that people took part in races for the same reasons and the same goals.

For me, I like the swim leg in a triathlon. I'm not great at it, but it is the most decent of my 3 legs. Mun seems more bike-friendly. I once took part in a longer distance triathlon relay with 2 other girls. All 3 of us couldn't imagine ourselves doing what the other person was doing. I definitely would not have enjoyed cycling 60k (I think that was what it was), nor would I have enjoyed running 18k. My 1k swim was fine for me.

Then there's the other bit where I'm starting to realise I like races that interest me rather than races where I push my limits. I'm not a huge limit-pusher. I've always been very content with where I land. There are times when I sit around and think 'oh I think I might be able to handle a full tri' or 'I'm sure I could finish a full marathon' but then I think about the sheer amount of training that goes into it and I lose my nerve. The same way, the best 10k I've ever done (maybe not the fastest) was when I was back in Manchester after almost 8 years and I did a 10k run around town. The weather was beautiful, it wasn't stupidly hot and it was interesting seeing how everything had changed in Manchester. It wasn't extremely efficient because of the constant sudden stops where I stood in front of a building going 'oh the university has some some new fancy glassy thing going on there' or 'wow they haven't changed the law school building, have they?', but it was enjoyable and it really made me enjoy running. I love the trail races in Singapore, because they're different and this year Rich and I hope to go to Angkor Wat to do the halfie there.

A tri interests me in so far as when I get bored with doing one thing, I'm doing something else straight after. Which works for a mini or even a sprint distance one. But Olympic distance? That's a long time of doing something I may not actually enjoy at all! Basically what this means is I have a short attention span and I need a race that interests me.

So I seek out races where I know I won't be bored out of my mind. Mun takes part to push himself which is admirable. I wish I had that perseverance or strength of will, but I'm really just deep down just a lazy little thing who bores easy. In a way it's good that I've come to this realisation since I never really thought about why I take part in these races. I do like the competition with random people, the adrenalin that comes in a race and the fact that I push myself more than I would if I were swimming / cycling / running by myself. But most of all I need the fun factor in the whole thing and a lot of races in Singapore are starting to lose that. That said, there have been some interesting races popping up so there is still hope! I just wish they'd stop holding triathlons at East Coast Park with the gross waters and the mind numbingly dull runs!




Friday, January 11, 2013

What I've Missed



My legs ached after the next day after my 2k run/walk. Pretty depressing. Still in my bid to cram as much ‘training’ as I could in the week before the race, I hit the gym and pedaled my way to race fitness…or at least as close as I could get to some semblance of it given the lack of time. This pretty much means my legs haven’t actually stopped aching since Tuesday. I kind of regret being a bit of a lazy arse the past couple of days now.

That being said, I did miss the aches. The past few weeks where I was down with the flu have been a chance for me to get a good rest after the 50k walk, but I was literally going stir crazy after a couple of days. Thankfully, I had friends in town so I was kept sort of occupied, but I still missed doing something…or moving. And more than just restlessness, it really felt as if something was missing.

You see, every time I go out for a run, a walk or hit the pool, there is that alone-ness that I actually really like. I actually enjoy those few minutes where nothing is going through my head except things like ‘dang, that’s a song I haven’t heard in ages’ or ‘wow, that stitch came on pretty fast’ (before all that is swiftly taken over by my incessant whinging in my head). Then there are those days where everything that could go wrong has and all I want to do is pull out my shoes and go for a run…a sort of metaphorical escape from it all. And yes all the crap is still there when you’re done, but those few minutes you were out there, they just stopped mattering for a while.

What I basically beating on about is that whilst my quads are still aching 3 days after doing my sad little 2k attempt at a run, my head is grateful for that 20 minutes much missed reprieve. So there you go, there’s my ‘sort-of’ admission that I do like running more than I make it out to.

What I’ve done:

Wednesday – 20 mins on stationary bike

Thursday – 15k on stationary bike


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Day #1: 600m Swim

I've decided to take inspiration from Jess and her 21 Day Habit and try to get back into the groove of things by just training (read: struggling through some activity) for 21 days (it takes 21 days to form a habit and all). I'm in a slump right now and really need a big kick in the back side.

So to start off, I did 600m in the pool last night. I planned it such that I'd be at the pool at a time when the annoying little brats were back home having dinner, but evidently I'm not that great a planner. A huge group of kids decided to play ball in the middle of the pool. You'd think their parents would tell them to be nice to the swimmer who's meandering around them and stick to one corner instead of using the entire pool, but no such luck. The parents joined in (of course they would!). After getting kicked in the head once and having a kid swim over me, I was resigned to the fact that they were likely to be there throughout my swim and convinced myself that at least I was having some real race simulation kicks and all! Can't beat that!

Nat, Small Addie and I are taking part as a team in the Mega Tri (or most crazy expensive race in the world - 400 SGD!!!) in September and it should be fun. I think I have the best deal because I pretty much just have to finish a 1k swim, while Nat has to clock 65k on her bike and Small Addie has a whole 18k to run! Hats off to the girls who have a much harder race than me! It'd be fun taking part in a triathlon as a team and I can hardly wait (also I can't bail out of it). So keep your prayers and best wishes for Team Short Fart - the shortest (literally!) team in the race!


What I've done

Yesterday: 600m @ 16:02 mins

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Half Shower

Well lookie here, two entries in a day...

I'm supposed to meet a friend and I was thinking of running down to the sports arena near the restaurant and shower there. OBVIOUSLY I would forget to bring my towel. Which meant I had to go nip by the Adidas store and pick up a tiny towel there. This also gave my friend the opportunity to inform me that the towel was probably lying on the floor and it was disgusting that I was going to use it. Pretty picture, thanks Mun.

So now because all I have is a potentially filthy towel, I have to resort to the half-shower. Which essentially is the shower you take to get the sweat (hopefully the smell as well) off you and then look semi-presentable at your appointment. Ever since I've started doing some gym sessions during lunch I've developed the half shower - you kind of half-soap and half-shampoo...some but not too much...ideally of course the half shower would just be to run water over your head and hope that the sweat gets washed away (that I do when I'm being truly disgusting). The rationale for the half shower is that I'd probably go off and do a run or swim at night. Which means showering again. And frankly, showering 3 times in a day (I need my morning wake-up shower) can't be all that great for the skin. Hence, the half-shower. I'd love to go on more about the half-shower, but I really have to go for my run and do a half-shower after. Till then, cheerio!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Morning Exercise

and I don't really get along. I tried an early morning run on Tuesday and felt like throwing up after not going very far. I think it's something to do with gastric juices bouncing around....or I'm just not used to running that early and maybe if I did it more often, my stomach would get used to the motion.

Meanwhile, my heart goes out to the Japanese and the people in Japan. I've been both saddened and also uplifted that in the face of all this sadness, there have been stories of selflessness and courage. I'll be keeping them in my prayers! I just want something to go right for Japan! They've had no good news at all in the last 6 days.

What I've done:

Last Thursday - 1hr Personal Training (mainly TRX)

Sunday
- Cycled less than 10k and got completely rained on
- Swam 1.2k

Monday
- 2k Run in 13:37 mins
- 1hr Personal Training (mainly circuit training)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Crosswords, Vino, an Old Friend and the Arts

**Warning!!! slightly emo post!!**

Since I've been unable to do anything too strenuous lately and since I've had my heartbreak a couple of months ago, I've been trying to fill my time with things I've always wanted to do but didn't because I had no one to go with me or because I was too busy training (or at least thinking about training, not doing it and then feeling guilty about it). So in a whole bid to seek this independence that I seem to have lost over the years, I went off and got myself a ticket for Jeremy Monteiro (one of Singapore's more famous local Jazz talents) to see his solo piano recital. Right after I did that though, a friend, Ed, and his wife decided to join me - okay, so I didn't go solo in the end, but the thought was there! The three of us also got tickets to watch Natalie Cole at the Sun Festival and did that just last Sunday.

I have to say, I've really been enjoying these recitals/concerts . Previously I would kind of wait around for my man (now, ex) before I could do anything...not because I really needed to have him around, but just as a whole 'if I enjoyed the moment, I would really want to share that moment with the person I loved'. So I would always wait for my man to be free and he wasn't free a lot for me somehow, which meant I didn't end up doing a lot of things I wanted to. I guess it is a blessing in disguise that I now have the opportunity to do all these things now. I've been reading a lot, going for blue-sky holidays and attending more jazz concerts - things I could never seem to make time for. Also tonight I'm off to watch Jose Carreras in concert - I'm not sure I'll fully enjoy it, but who knows? Mainly I'm once more starting to get out there and be curious about the world again.

Along with this life change, an old friend has also reappeared in my life. A very good friend and a friend who I've shared certain important moments in my life with. It's been weird because in the last week I've seen more of him than I have in the last 2 years. For 2 years, we've had, at most, a handful of half-hearted calls; if we met up, it was because we ran into each other and nothing more - then all of a sudden he rings up one day, we meet up and magically we're the best of friends again. And it is nice. And I realise I do actually miss our little chats and that bizarre chemistry we share as friends. We've met up about a good 4 times last week - as if to cram in 2 years worth of yapping - and we'll play crosswords over a glass/bottle of vino till late into the night. Did I mention I've become a huge crossword buff as well lately? Really really love doing them! So, a good friend, some vino and crosswords - what more could one ask for?

Side note - I've not been doing much by way of exercise. I did 10 lunges on each side on Sunday and my hamstrings were aching the next day (I'm totally in fighting shape). Also did a 3k walk with my folks and a bunch of crunches. I think I need to watch an episode of Tomb Raider for inspiration again!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Running Philosopher - Running with Music

A friend of mine has just lately started running as a philosophical experience. He had also just finished reading Murakami's 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' and decided to dust off his running shoes (You can read his account here).

I've been for a couple of races with him, (which despite him not running at all before, still managed to beat me hands down!) and have had quite a bit of fun. I won't quite say that he's any replacement for G as my favourite race buddy yet (for one, he's too darn fast for someone who doesn't train!) but it's been interesting. He's asked me before what I think about when I run and I had to tell him the truth - the only thing in my head is that continuous whiny voice in my head going on about another different part of me that aches.

The thing is though, that isn't entirely true. I've become so used to slagging off running (in a kind of experienced, nonchalant 'the pain and I are one' way) that I neglect to mention that there are times, certainly not all the time, that my mind wanders off and the run goes by in a rather pleasant flash. In the past year, I've become the kind of runner that has become way too reliant on my Ipod. If I forget to bring my music in to work, I'll start my run thinking it's going to be dull and boring. This really doesn't make any sense since half the time I'm listening to the same 5 songs over and over again when I run. I hate uploading songs into my Ipod and I only had the patience to upload 5 CDs before I called it a day. The irony of it is that I only listen to 1 of those CDs, and even then I only listen to 5 songs on that one CD. So it really can't be that the music is entertaining me. On a normal day I don't even like listening to music all that much! Maybe I need the noise to distract that voice in my head that shouts out which joint hurts. Or maybe I've become lazy about going to church and this is the one time I can fit in a huge powerful worship session.

The times I do forget to bring my Ipod, I start the run with a sense of dread - how am I going to go through a whole long run without music? But ironically enough, those runs have been the runs where the voice in my head isn't as active. Last week I forgot to bring my Ipod, for instance, and I got through the run pretty fine. I also tailed this random guy who became my pacer (and my pseudo running buddy) about half the way, but that's another story.

So the aim of my long long rambling post? I think from now on, I'm going to try to ditch the Ipod sometimes. I won't give up my powerful worship sessions altogether, but I'll try to go music-less at least once a week. Running with music just makes me all too aware of the whining in my head...you know, because I'm trying to shut it out therefore subconsciously I know it's there blah blah...

For all the stuff I was too lazy to put down last week:

Tuesday: 1hr Swim Training
Wednesday: Ran 6.02k in 46:38 mins
Thursday: 1hr Climbing
Friday: Ran 2.98k in 21:06mins
Saturday: 1hr Pilates