Moving On Willpower

hello.

2006-10-28T23:27:00.000+08:00

it's been a while.

Wah...it is so dead quiet

2006-09-03T12:56:00.000+08:00

I am totally amazed that no one is making any noise in here! Unbelievable! The last entry was in May! Hahah.... I am not one who blog so frequently but what happen to all of you????

Well, sighz.... that says so much abt fun times are always short and good times are never long. At least we all had fond memories of this blog. I hope the death of this blog has not stopped anyone running or meant that no one is running anymore!!!! I know of someone who has even forgot what is running!!!

Even though I haven't been contributing much here, I have not stopped running. In fact, I have actually signed up for the Singapore marathon! I dunno how I am going to do that. One thing for sure I am going to try it, no matter I run, walk, roll or crawl, I will still finish it. Hahhaa...jus for the finisher tee! whahaha. Running has always been an activity for me to meet up with frens, buddies and fun people. It is something that I know I am who I truly am. Work sometimes can make u lose urself, all the madness and wars that need to be fought.

I know it is tough to meet up and run together but i really miss the times when we were at Sentosa running together. Knowing that you have frens cheering you on, running along with you or even "selling" 100 Plus at the carpark. Ok lah, even the ones who come to sleep and read newspaper, your presence is appreciated. I am still going to Sentosa whenever I can make it. Do let me know if you want to come along too. Sorry but no 100 Plus or H2O, the treasurer has no money because members are not paying their membership to runningknows.

So far...

2006-05-04T21:58:00.000+08:00

Hey guys,

What's your latest challenge this time? Anyone preparing for the OSIM tri?

Kenneth
Read my chaotic thoughts

Indoor Soccer League Report

2006-03-10T15:32:00.000+08:00

UPDATED 13/03/06

Wow, the blog looks a little dead.

Anyway its time again for my school's indoor league and its looking pretty tough so far. Last year we had 11 teams in 2 groups. This year, 15 teams in 3 groups. Top 3 teams of each group advance into playoffs and we'll knock each other out until there's one team left on top.

So we had the whole year to prepare for this. We've been playing pickup games and shaping our tactics more or less according to the skills of our players. Our players are more fit, but not very much more than last year. Somehow I got manouvered into a "management" position and I'm now running 2 teams....not 1 but 2 teams. The joke was that my sports franchise is expanding LOL.

Anyway, first game for our 1st team happened on Monday. We were extremely lucky to tie it at 2-2. The first goal against us came because my defender did not clear properly, hence giving the ball away right outside the penalty box. There was no chance in hell that I could get to it. It was a defensive blunder and it wouldn't be the last. Our first equlizer came when the opponent GK knocked the ball into his own net without thinking.....coz he thought the ball had gone "out". Its a little difficult to explain unless I put up the rule book here - which I prefer not to. The ref called the goal which led to some furious response, but the rules were rules....so we lucked out and got a goal back. Our 2nd conceded goal came at the blunder of another defender. This dude also miskicked the ball and basically gifted the opponent with an open shot...and since I was well blocked by my own player, I was completely rooted to the ground. I couldn't respond because I couldn't see the ball. From what I was told, the opponent player hit the volley even before the ball hit the ground....even if I had been in a better position, it was 50-50. Our 2nd goal came by barrelling thru the opposing defense. The player who scored was screaming his head off, not because he was happy...but because he was furious at the lazy running of the rest of the team. It was a bad tie, we needed to win and we should've and could've won. But in the end we needed all our luck to get a tie.....and you know how luck is.....the moment you need it, you'll be scraping the bottom of the barrel. And experience replaces luck....but we don't have enough of both.

Our 2nd team played today. They were definitely a weaker team compared to the 1st team. But they had SOOOOOOO MAAAANNYYYY CHANCES!!! Yet failed to convert them into goals. It was probably the most frustrating game I've watched. They could've gone 5 or 6 goals up. They controlled the game in all aspects but just couldn't score. But I was very pleasantly surprised they held their own and salvaged a 1-1 tie. It was a shame, they could've won. The players morale was so low after that....Funny thing was, after the game they sort of gathered around me expecting a pep talk.....I wasn't really prepared for one LOL but yeah, they do need more encouragement....and more encouraging results.

Also, there's a teacher's strike. Meaning no class HAW HAW HAW HAW. Which is fine as long as it doesn't cost us the school year. It probably won't for my program. Since there's no school, our team has been calling for practice sessions as often as we can. Fitness is always a problem, but we can't expect everyone to show up for practice and all we do is run....people want to play ball. But yeah, next year would probably see us putting in a fitness program :D It won't be popular, but it will help a lot.

Management can be fun LOL.

EDIT/UPDATE
Well, the "franchise lost 5-2 today. They were definitely outmatched in every department and the teamwork was non existent. In any case, they still got their act together and fought back with 2 goals. The ref allowed 2 opponent goals that shouldn't be allowed because they infringed on rules.

But hey, such is life on the pitch. Everyone is moaning and groaning about their fitness....anyone has any bright ideas to slowly help these guys (and myself) build cardio?

What's your New Year Sporting Resolution?

2006-01-02T00:34:00.000+08:00

Ho ho ho, Santa's come and gone. 3-2-1....New Year's Day's come and it's now 2nd Jan. The start of a new year, a new season....running season I mean. So what's your resolution on the sporting aspects of ur life?

For me, this year's gonna be exciting (I hope). I intend to do my first full Ironman! The venue, Western Australia. The date, 3rd Dec 2006. Seems like a long way to go, but it's better early than late, esp when preparing for something that's physically draining over 12 hrs. That means I have to miss this year's Std Chart Marathon though, sad. But I can still can train with the RunningKnows folks! = )

IM aside, I also hope to improve my swim (sub 30mins for 1.5km), cycling (sub 1hr10mins for 40km) and run (sub 50mins for 10km) for an olympic distance tri. That will make up to....2:30 for an OD tri (incl transitions). Woohoo!

Every successful training programme starts with defining your target, make it realistic and specific. And then let EVERYONE know so that u will make the commitment to it, and ur friends will also bug u abt it. = )

So...wat's your target this year? Everyone pls post.

Time to Start Running

2005-12-27T01:10:00.000+08:00

Hmm... now that the 3 days of feasting are over, I have to start running again.

Prob gonna just stick to short runs for now.

Next target is to get money from SAF!! Heh Heh...

Btw, if you haven't already noticed, this post is just to create some noise.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!

Tis The Season To Be Jolly Fa LaLa.....arrgh stupid song....

2005-12-26T02:40:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Technically its still Christmas here in Canada - due to time difference - and the agriculture almanac is right. ITS FRIKIN WARM (3 celsius) AND I CAN SEE THE GRASS ON THE FIELD OPPOSITE MY APARTMENT. Yes grass....green....all the white snow have melted. No white christmas this season. Should've called Santa last night to remind him to put the wheels out instead of his sled but his elves would've done their jobs.

Haven't been posting much here. Living up to my blogger nickname.....no excuses too, schoolwork was a breeze, nothing stressful. Indoor soccer is hardly a workout and I've not been hitting the hamster wheel (treadmill) AT ALL. Its gonna bite me someday. So its pretty difficult to write about stuff when there's not much to write about.

The rest of you here on the other hand should have lots to write about!!! C'mon!! Where are the articles!?

Don't force me to start writing about articles of my steamboat or sushi buffet adventures here in Canada. Oh man last night's sushi buffet was most excellent...so full.....raided the sashimi counter 4 times.

View from the back

2005-12-08T22:27:00.000+08:00

Let me share with u from the perspective of being part of the last few runners to limp back to the finish line (managed to be within the top '20' pack, could even see the last vehicle trailing behind me abt 50 metres away). Pain due to pronation (a condition of excessive twisting of feet when running) kicked in at the 7km mark, hence I had to stop. I was contemplating to just walk back after marina south, when I saw a few old ladies running... this really spurred me on to finish the race. Images from the latest terminator 3 movie propped out, when u can see the terminator crawling with its arms even when its legs were crushed. The objective had to be fulfilled no matter what happened, Such determination! (I'm trying to personify the robot). This decision to move on resulted in a really painful walk all the way, made even worst under the long hours of sun tan.

Its been a really humbling experience, coz when runners keep overtaking u, u just have to grit ur teeth and move on. Food and drinks were almost wiped out. Had to walk a long way just to get water and we didn't know that there was no food left. Sprays for muscle aches were totally wiped out too, which I felt was all the more impt for the remaining people who decided to limp back. However, I spent time walking and encouraging other pple who decided to so the same and it u shld see us all, taking big awkward steps to cover the remaining distance... all these ended when I crossed the line after 8hr 20mins ordeal. If you were to ask me if I was depressed abt the timing, I sure am. But somehow, this wasn't a race anymore, it turned into a mental game of overcoming the odds stacked against you.

Still... press on towards the goal in life, even when u are struck down or seemingly tired. The goal and prize awaits those who presevere. This race sorts of brings a parallel on how we shld face the seemingly 'impossible' challenges in our lives.

Kenneth

we did it!

2005-12-07T19:46:00.000+08:00

I couldn't have done it without you guys. Cheers to all who ran on that special (ie. e-special-ly HOT) Sunday! Here's to more long runs, races and most of all, good times.

RunningKnows rocks! :)

I couldn't find a photo of Siok Ying... apologies!

A Year Ago

2005-12-07T14:55:00.000+08:00

"So, what would you like to be doing a year from now?"

If you had asked me this question a year ago, you probably would have gotten a reply like - "Oh, I dunno... maybe FYP. Slack ard a bit, enjoy my last sch holiday." What you never would have heard will be - "I would like to be doing a marathon!".

I guess my perspective on exercise has changed greatly over the last year. A year ago, exercise was the occasional run or swim. Nothing more than a few rounds on the track or a few laps in the pool.

However the turning point came after taking part in the NUS Bi-Lite in the beginning of the year. That was my first event and from then on, there was no turning back. What followed was a series of runs, a biathlon and a half-triathlon. All these ending with the event of the year - Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.

Completing the marathon has only whetted my appetite for these races. I'm pretty sure that next year I would be aiming for more of such races and events.

So back to the question of "So, what would you like to be doing a year from now?".

I guess I'll say "Next year, I hope to better this year's timing".

My Marathon Experience....

2005-12-06T19:05:00.000+08:00

It's been a couple of days since the marathon took place, seems like it was only yesterday. It was my 3rd full marathon, in 4 years. Having completed 2 already, the aim now is not just completion but to do a better time than before. Time to beat: 4hrs 44mins 46secs.

I started out "dead slow" as planned. I had the RunningKnows khakis for company. After about 10km it filtered down to just me and Jon. I was enjoying myself....keeping the discipline to go slow and relax. Once in a while I would check with Jon that we are still overtaking more people than being overtaken. Finally it got to the 30km mark, where the REAL marathon begins....I always feel that the first 30km is just the warmup for the last 12km.

By now Jon had dropped behind. I was very tempted to up the speed, but memories of 2004 filtered in when I speed up too early and hit the wall at 35km. Ha, then God made me meet my friend Yong Peng, who by the way is very chatty! So we chatted and jogged...and I realised I was jogging at a very relaxed pace (heart rate went down). I suppose you can say it was a rest period enforced from Heaven!

Then came the 34km mark, where I started to struggle and lose steam last year. This time round I could even speed up, thanks to the disciplined pacing and "rest". I think I ran the last 6km in a 10km race pace, when everyone else was already walking and struggling. Felt strong. Met a commando at the last few hundred metres (one of those wearing the white "Army Marathoners" jersey). Said to him "C'mon, For Honour and Glory!" and we sprinted down the last 100m.

Well, completed another marathon, didn't walk, quite glad. But somehow timing doesn't seem to be better than before, and I walked at least 2km last time. Disappointed, I thought could do a new personal record. Soon the official timings were out: 4hrs 44mins 32secs. Just 14 secs faster than my previous best!! Hey that commando out there, thanks for sprinting with me, otherwise couldn't make a new PR. And to all who ran a segment with me, you're like friends who have come into my life at certain periods of times and made an impact. And those who waited at the finish for hours in the hot sun to cheer, you make it all worthwhile! = )

Oh well, a new PR, happy! = ) Next year....aim sub 4:30!

Singapore Marathon

2005-12-06T02:53:00.000+08:00

Seems like no one has posted anything about the marathon yet.

Guess I'll start the ball rolling. But it won't be about me.

This post is about this guy.

That's Kenneth. One of our RunningKnows kakis.

The reason this post is about him is because I think that this guy truly represents the spirit of this blog. He is just an ordinary guy like you and me, who happened to accomplish something amazing on the 4th of December.

He didn't just finish the full marathon (which in itself is an achievement), he did it with all the odds stacked against him. This guy went into the full marathon with less than 1 month of training and nursing a knee injury.

Doing the marathon with months of preparation and free from injury was already a torture for me. I can hardly imagine what it is like for Kenneth. It must have taken a whole lot of mental strength and willpower to push through such a seemingly impossible task.

I wonder if I would have been able to do the same if I were in his situation. Would I have just quit? I dunno, I probably would have. But for Kenneth, he didn't. So maybe he's not so ordinary after all.

My point is, Kenneth is an amazing example of what each of us is capable of if we really set our minds to it. Which is why I hope Kenneth would be able to share his marathon experience with us. To serve as an inspiration to the readers of this blog.

running on my own...

2005-11-30T13:59:00.000+08:00

helllo! hello! (",)!!!!!!! hhahah! i can now make some noise here... i've been dying to tell everyone about what i went thru to get myself running last sunday... for those who's wondering who i am... i'm the turtly slow blogger - cupid... slow and stead though.. hehe....

i had apparently left my all 3 pairs of my running shoes in places that i could not gain access to over the weekend... a pair in school, a pair at the gym.. the other at the cobblers! hahah.. so guess wat... i drove over to my friend's place to borrow hers on a saturday nite.. at 11... an unearthly hour to borrow shoes from the cabinet outside her house... i simply took them actually.. will return them to her when she runs the standard chartered 10km with me.. hehe.. =P

Then came sunday... haha.. this time i managed to get howard to run with me... we did a good 5km together before he decided to give up being my runspirator to admire the SCENERY* (NB: scenery constituted of bikinis and skimpy islanders)...tsk, tsk... (*some people's definition of scenery can be rather warped)... i contemplated stopping (to mete out some good hard knocks to the straying eyes) and going for a good breakfast at maxwell instead... but eventually decided to do a second round of 5km before indulging in a hearty breakfast...

my runspiration for the second round was the trusty sentosa TRAM! with the sound of the tram's engine behind me.. i kept running so that it wouldn't catch up... haha... Anyway.... i ran a good 11km and returned to find howard chatting up some contractor at palawan beach.... and that made me stop... hrm...

Anyway.... i think i shall just pat myself on the back for my latest achievement...despite missing some of the running noses and certain motivational factors... like ice cool H2O and 100plus... well enuff said.... shall embark on another 10km today...not going to do the full marathon for standard chartered run.... ain't ready for it yet...

for the full marathon runners... keep running! i'll be at the finish line waiting... cheering... do i have to bring pompoms? and banners? =P

it's been awhile.

2005-11-15T08:51:00.000+08:00

Dear everyone,

Hello! How're you doing? It's been a couple of weeks since I last saw the RunningKnows people... hope you guys are doing fine.

A quick 30-second update on myself: I was down with a nasty flu bug about two weeks ago, now fully recovered and raring to go. (y) Still having exams though.

Anyway, did everyone get the e-mail from StandChart? If you haven't, read it here. Some of the important stuff to note:

1) Half-marathon flagoff time has been changed to 6.30! Marathoners please run faster to avoid been overtaken by half-marathoners, hahaha :P

2) Registration is now closed, except for CEO challenge and the 7-11 Kids Dash. So you kids who haven't registered can still join the rest of us!

3) Is anyone planning to drive on race day? I'm kinda undecided at the moment. But if you're taking public transport, the best way is to head down to the nearest stadium and catch the Race Day Bus Service! Tickets will be available at $3 at the marathon expo...

4) Which brings me to my last point! The marathon expo details are as such:

Date : 1 - 3 December 2005 (Thu - Sat)
Time : 11am – 9pm (Thursday & Friday)
11am – 7pm (Saturday)
Venue : Sports & Fitness Expo
Marathon Village
Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre
Level 6, Hall 603

I'm thinking we can all go together on either Thursday or Friday evening to collect our race packs? And perhaps do dinner, where we can discuss important last minute race details (eg. who is bringing camera, hahaha).

Yup that's all I have for now. So until the next time we meet up, everyone stay healthy and stay safe. :)

Akan Datang...

2005-11-06T22:58:00.000+08:00

Akan Datang... Coming Soon...

Just a post to create some noise...

Run Entertainment

2005-10-24T10:25:00.000+08:00

Hmm... gonna make it a short post.

Just wanna get some ideas from you guys.

So how do you entertain yourself on those long seemingly endless runs?

Some of the things that Hucks and I did on our run yest:

Talk cock
Sing song
Jia huang - eat wind (it was windy at Sentosa yesterday)
Random facts game
Complain abt the songs being played at the luge area

Any other things to do? Best suggestion wins a free drink on our next Sunday run!!

the countdown continues.

2005-10-11T23:50:00.000+08:00

According to the June 2005 issue of Runners World magazine:

Heheheh. ;)

Its also a struggle to get people motivated....

2005-10-04T11:59:00.000+08:00

After looking at Alex's post, I too have been guilty of tapering off (I refuse to say I was slacking off!!).

Its worse when you're trying to kick people to start something. I'm trying pretty hard to push my soccer team guys to start running or biking because we not only lost out on skills and tactics in the last tournament, we also lost out on fitness. Simply put, those guys....who are younger than most of the contributors on this blog.....can't friggen run.

Take today for example. More than 1/2 the soccer team are in my class, so during class I was doing my coach-manager-captain thing. So I was just talking about our tactics and lack of overall fitness then suddenly I mentioned....

"We should all go for runs or at least hit our cardio target 3 times a week." -- Team stares at me.

"And if we can't at least we should bike or swim to raise our stamina." -- More staring.

"I think 3km is a good distance." -- Every pair of eyes got bigger.

"So any suggestions as to how we can start?" -- My 'last man' raises his hand,"How about we DON'T start?" Followed by "Yeah, soccer once a week should be enough." Followed by "Can we not play this week? I'm injured/stubbed my toe/have bad knees blah blah blah...."

I come home and told my 'star striker' who happens to be my roommate....he laughs and pulls out his cigarettes and went off to the balcony to take a fag.

Maybe some higher power was telling me to give up trying to motivate those idiots.

Any bright ideas from you guys? I'd like to do a BMT style training for those wiseguys.

It's a struggle....fight on n win!

2005-10-03T17:25:00.000+08:00

Have u ever felt slack, dun feel like training, juz wanna stay home n watch tv, eat n sleep, even though u actually planned to go for a run? Well if u do, u're not alone. I ALWAYS feel this way! It's an everyday struggle for me to get out n swim, cycle or run.

So why am I bloggin such "negativity"? I wanna let u know that everybody struggles with it, but anyone can overcome it. A little personal story....after the Half Ironman, I put on a few kgs. Think it can be explained by the body still in a state of "Nutrients Deficiency", making me feel hungry, and so I eat. But training has ceased or slowed down, therefore the extra weight. So I havent been training much. Feel so slack.

Well, for the past week I've been trying to put things right. Go gym if I can't run, do exercise at home if I can't go gym. And yesterday did a 17km, on my own. I've lost the extra kgs, and the run felt great! I'm proud of what I've done!

Now back to you. Are you giving in to the daily battles, or are u fighting hard? My suggestion is to "overplan" ur training, then if you only do 70% of it, it's still good enough. And whenever u do ur session, u ALWAYS feel glad that u did it, isn't it rite?

Lets all fight this war together, comrades! When u cross that finish line, it's not just a reward of your effort from the start line to finish, but also a celebration of ur efforts in the daily battles.

Best Run in a While

2005-09-25T16:38:00.000+08:00

I have once again reaffirmed my belief that Sentosa is one of the best places to run. After this morning’s LSR, I don’t think I’ll be running anywhere else anytime soon.

This morning saw the RunningKnows people gathering at tanjung beach to try out a new route proposed by our coach Alex. It was a 6 km loop that took us from one end of the beach to the other and back.

The starting point was Tanjung beach carpark where we set up our water station. This was Alex’s brilliant idea. It was to provide us with some hydration after the first round. Ice-cold H2O sure provides you with the motivation to do the second round.

From Tanjung beach, we headed towards Siloso following the road that runs parallel to the beach line. Check out the route below.

Red line shows the first part of the route. The blue line shows the route after the roundabout at Siloso. After the roundabout at Tanjung beach, we end the loop back at Tanjung beach carpark (where ice-cold H2O was waiting for us), making a total of 6 km.

Terrain wise, this route is flat all the way. And it’s road all the way. So it’s quite good as it allows u to go at a constant pace.

I think this has been one of the best runs I’ve had in a while. First of all, great route. Secondly, H2O. Last and the most importantly, GREAT company! RunningKnows Rocks! ;)

Finally a Female contributor!

2005-09-24T20:23:00.000+08:00

YOz!

Finally hearing something from the other sex! Ok I mus admit I am not exactly representive of the female gender. Afterall I am Adrian. Hee

I had put up my own blog. http://crazyabtrunning.blogspot.com/ Decided not to put it up here in case I bore u guys. Jus wanted to share my craze for running and the beginnings of this craze. Definitely not due to some traumatic experiences.

Am really looking fwd to the run tomolo. Afterall I haven't been to Sentosa for 2 weeks. This is just too weird for an ISlander!!!! I target to run 12km tom. Mus wait for me to finish hor!

The 'triad' of fitness, sports and adventure

2005-09-23T01:02:00.000+08:00

Among this group of like-minded friends who are deliberately or consciously active in the 'triad' of fitness, sports and adventure, I am not quite sure where I stand in the spectrum of commitment to the 'triad'. On one extreme we have our celebrated half-ironman Alex (or is there an even greater extreme?), on the other...I shan't mention names lah, but suffice to say Nua Sai, who by the choice of his nick, has already admitted to being on the latter extreme. (However that was in the past, dead but not forgotten by Nua Sai himself, and indeed perhaps the very raison d'etre for this blog, to motivate those who have developed sedentary habits of lifestyle to be more physically active.) For me I have always had an ambivalent relationship with physical activity. It was always a necessity--either of being a male Singapore citizen (such as NS and school life)--or of an unknowable force within myself that tells me I just need to get that body moving--of physiology and psychology. As a student while I dreaded the NAPFA fitness test's 2.4 km, I also enjoyed swimming. I got a thrill out of swimming more and more consecutive laps in the pool (psychologists may say I had developed a positive achievement motivation?). For swimming it was the very activity itself, of exertion that gave me a high. I'm not sure why it didn't apply to running, but I think it was the combination of school authority and competitive environment of my fellow classmates that made me associate running with forced physical exertion and the ballooning of the male ego, whereas I swam not because someone forced me to, but because I enjoyed it. Maybe I would have enjoyed running if I wasn't forced to do it in school. So, I sometimes liked physical exercise, but other times I hated it. But it was always part of my life, like having to bathe every day.

It was only quite recently that I began to make some sense out of the 'triad' (fitness, sports, adventure). I begin to realize that the most motivated people, those who never miss their training schedules, those who keep signing up for sporting events, those who always know what's the next thing they're going to do, those who are always trying new outdoor adventure things, those who keep themselves fit and healthy, are perhaps actually subscribing to this 'triad', either unconsciously or not. It is not a choice between doing one thing instead of the other, nor is it a choice between two of them and neglecting the third. If we choose one, we might as well choose all.

Those who relish things like trekking, mountain cycling, orienteering, rock-climbing focus on the 'adventure' aspect. They seek excitement in new sights, sounds, experiences of physically exerting their bodies in different outdoor environments.

Those who are crazy about tennis, badminton, hockey, basketball, volleyball, water polo, scuba-diving, ultimate frisbee etc. focus on the 'sports' aspect. Whatever game that physically stretches them rocks their boat.

The link between sports and adventure is this: You can make a sport out of every adventure; you can also make an adventure out of every sport. (Indeed 'adventure sport' is a common phrase.) There is the sport of rock climbing, the sport of diving, the sport of mountain biking, and it's likely that any outdoor activity can arguably be called a sport. Likewise in every sport there is an element of adventure. We don't mechanically practise our tennis backhands just because they're enjoyable. We don't seek greater diving depths just because we can chalk up greater numbers in the log (Nua Sai and the divers in the group may dispute that, but c'mon!). We strive higher in sports because there is adventure in stretching our bodies beyond their limits, in exploring what our bodies are really capable of, in moving our bodies in new ways faster or more efficiently. There are mysteries about our own bodies that await discovery whenever we push ourselves to go faster or further.

Most important of all, fitness is an aspect of both sports and adventure. The extent to which we enjoy a sport or adventure depends crucially on how fit we are. Unfit persons never enjoy the trek or dive because they lack stamina and become breathless easily. Their physical tresholds are lower and so are easily discomfited, depriving them of any sights and sounds of the forest or underwater world. Conversely, serious outdoor adventurers and sportsmen (and sportswomen) deliberately and systematically increase their fitness because they want to scale greater heights in their passion--for more exotic experiences underwater, in the jungle, for the rush of adrenaline knowing that one is at the threshold of records (world, national or just personal), at the limits of skills and mastery of a particular technique etc. People who keep fit for its own sake (are there any in the first place? for those who seem to do so may actually just want to look good--i.e. for the sake of vanity) usually don't last very long compared to those who straddle all the three aspects.

So that's my personal philosophy (at this point in life) of physical exercise. Just as in life, where money is only the means to greater (and preferably good) ends in life, physical exercise is just a means to more worthwhile ends--of fitness, adventure and sports. I think that's the "willpower" in my "moving".

campus run.

2005-09-23T00:42:00.000+08:00

Vorlacks: no need to thank me regarding Sunday lah. It's your turn to be my chauffeur this week! ;)

Anyway, I did a 5km run last night in NTU. At 10pm (after watching the exciting Channel 8 drama, heheh), I laced up my shoes and went downstairs. The weather was pretty nice and cool, perfect weather for a run.

The roads were pretty clear, but lots of people were at the bus-stops. Lots of hotties, in particular... after a while, I realised that it was Wednesday aka ladies' night, haha.

But of course, I stuck to the task at hand and concentrated on the road. Really.

I always feel that the first 10 minutes of any run are the hardest to get through. My emotions always run through the gamut (look that up in the dictionary, people) during this time:

1) Am I going too slow?
2) Am I going too fast?
3) I feel very sleepy, zzz
4) I think I ate too much for dinner, !@#$

etc etc. But after a while, I just got into a regular rhythm and concentrated on my paces and my breathing. (y)

NTU is a damn hilly place to run. Going upslope really sucks, but after that, there's only one way to go: down! The momentum keeps you going for quite a while... nice.

So anyway, to cut a long story short, I finished my NTU perimeter run (about 5km) in 33 minutes. Not too bad lah hor?

Looking forward to Sunday's run. See ya guys! :)

My Journey Thus Far

2005-09-22T00:51:00.000+08:00

I must say that Alex's post has definitely given me a much needed motivational boost to train for the Stan Chart Marathon. At a time when assignments and project deadlines draw nearer, thoughts of training for the marathon were the last thing on my mind. But after reading the article, I've decided that 3 runs a week can't be all that time consuming. I'm sure I'll work something out.

Sunday morning runs at Sentosa would definitely be something to look forward to after a week spent with all the crazy readings, projects and watever other nonsense sch has thrown at me. So yeah, I'm on! Let's make it a regular affair. Anyone who wants to join us will be more than welcome. That way we can all satisfy the last requirement of the training article. ;)

I guess now's a good a time as any to reflect upon what I've done exercise-wise. At this time last year, I had trouble climbing up some of the slopes in NUS. There is this particular slope near the Computer Centre that always left me breathless and shacked out at the top. It wasn't really all that steep, I was simply unfit. I was so against walking up that slope that I resorted to taking the lift in the Computer Centre, though the slope was a faster route to my destination.

Then, I signed up for NUS Biathlon. Though I did the Bi-Lite (the gu niang race to some), it was a start. That event started me off on all these races. And to prepare for them, I had to train. And with gradual training, I began to see my fitness improve.

Recently, I went back to face the slope again. Shouldering my backpack, I took the first few tentative steps towards the top. Not that bad... Halfway up, I'm still breathing normally. And when I reached the top, I was ok aside from my slightly quickened heart rate. But at least I wasn't breathless.

Well what's the point of telling this grandfather story? My point is that no matter how unfit you think you are, you can always start exercising. I started out as someone who would run (more like lumber really) only to catch a bus. But now, I'm on my way to taking part in my first marathon.

I guess having a goal actually makes it easier to stick to your training, but you don't have to use these races as goals. A goal can be something as simple as reaching the top of a slope without feeling breathless. It worked for me, I'm sure it will for you.

And like I always say, go ahead and give it a shot. You'll be surprised at what you can do. You may even surprise the people around you. I know I did. ;)

You can also be a marathon finisher!

2005-09-21T22:03:00.000+08:00

yoyo.... after HIM (Half IronMan), the next big thing has to be the Std Chart Marathon. I know many of you are attempting it for the first time, maybe you do not know how to go about doing it. Here's an article which I find useful, I personally try to abide by it also. Take a look:
http://www.trinewbies.com/Article.asp?ArticleID=14

To summarise, what it's saying is two 30-min runs during weekdays, and a long run (aka LSR, Long Slow Run) on weekend. Sounds do-able? It is. I hate training plans that cram your week with trainings as if you have nothing else to do, but this is achievable and yet effective. Most important is to gradually increase the mileage of the weekend LSR and to consistently RUN that LSR. No point build it up for 3 weeks, break for 3 weeks, then come back and start from scratch again.

So, what it means for us is that we have to do our 30-min runs ourselves during the week. Then on Sunday, we hit Sentosa and do our LSR. Since most of us have done at least 10km recently, I suggest we start from 12km, and build up from there. That's from Tanjong Beach to Siloso Beach and back, 2 rounds. We start this weekend?

About 10 more weeks to the marathon....You can also be a Marathon Finisher!

Wet Sunday Morning

2005-09-20T23:11:00.000+08:00

It was a dark and stormy morning. The wind was howling and the leaves rustling...

Eh wait... I'm not writing some secondary sch essay. But I guess that kind of sums up the morning that we went down to Sentosa for the Terry Fox Run. It was wet wet wet...

In fact it was so wet that they had to cancel the 8K run that we had signed up for due to safety concerns. I think there was lightning => Cat 1 (which means inclement weather not suitable for military training for those who haven't been through NS).

Anyway we were told that only the 4K run was going on, so off we went to join the crowds of aunties, uncles, toddlers, babies in arms, boys, girls, fit men, fat men that were heading in the direction of tanjung beach.

It was really a whole diverse group of ppl who were taking part in the race. Everywhere you looked you saw groups of ppl from different walks of life coming together for this run. I guess wat struck me most was that all these people had come down to take part in the event despite the heavy morning rain. Sure they looked a little wet with hair a little damp, but there was no mistaking the look on their face that said "I'm here to run, I will run".

After 1 round of the further shortened 4K route, we (Hucks, Voctir, Eve and myself) decided to continue our run away from the crowds. It actually was fantastic weather for running. Kind of like running in air-con. Long story short, it was a good run. A little wet, but still good.

Anyway I would like to thank Hucks, Voctir and Eve for turning up at Sentosa. Thanks for not pang seh-ing me. Esp Hucks for driving round to pick us up. Thanks bro!

Back from Desaru 1/2 IronMan

2005-09-19T04:10:00.000+08:00

It was 10am on Sat morning. The sun was already blazing down on Desaru beach, which was the start of the Desaru Half Ironman. Without much delay the race started. Some rushed and dived into the sea, while my friend and I slowly waddled in. The swim was relaxing, surprisingly. Being in the cool clear water was a relief from the scorching sun. First time in my life I was actually enjoying the swim segment; I wouldn't mind swimming on for a longer time. Time was good and I felt good.

Swim target: 1hr. Actual: 46mins

Took a very long time at the transition, but it was intended. 3 loops of 30km. First loop went pretty well, many cyclists passed me but it's ok, I was relaxed. Heard stories of endless rolling hills in Desaru, but I only counted 2 serious hills, that's a relief! 2nd loop, I was passing people, but the darn water stations had no more water!! Strangely this time I counted at least 4 hills. Even molehills became mountains. But I realise I go up the hills faster than the cyclists around me. Last loop, was feeling the heat (about 1pm now) and dehydration. Stopped to drink at one of the few water stations that was still operational, and with one leg still clipped to the pedal I fell over from the dizziness. Finished all my powergels, not much water left, body and butt's aching from the hours of cycling.....just can't wait to get off the bike!

I must pay special mention to the last hill of the loop. It's long. It's steep. And there's strong headwind! 3 in 1 combo!! I was like crawling up in 12km/hr. It's so hard that I decided to name it. Can't think of anything better (don't forget I was in a partial dehydrated state), shall name it Monster Hill. The only good thing about it....it's the last hill of the loop. Finally finished the 90km and back to the transition, where my 2 bottles of Gatorade were waiting for me! = )

Cycling target: 3:30. Actual: 3:15.

Started the run feeling good and relax. This is supposedly my strongest leg. However after a few mins of running my legs crampped very badly and I had to walk. Walked for awhile and started to run, and within 30secs it crampped again. This went on several times and finally I had to kneel down and stretch. Many runners were passing me. I thought, how am I gonna complete 21km in this state? Can't even walk! Is this it? The prospect of not finishing was becoming real.

Then I decided to walk....for a good 10-15mins. I'm not gonna rush my legs into running. After the long walk, I managed to run, what a relief! I kept telling myself "I will not cramp, I will not cramp!" The people in front of me became my source of motivation, I was passing them one by one.

Finally it came to the last 5km and I was really feeling the accumulated fatigue and dehydration. My only thought now is to be at the Finish as soon as possible and end the ordeal, and to do that I should keep running and not stop. Slowly but surely, the music in the distance became louder and soon I could see the balloons and inflatables. And there.....was the big sign that said "Finish". As I crossed the line, the annoncer said "Number 103, Alex Tan from Singapore...You are a fiiiiniiiiisher!!!"

Run target: 2:30. Actual: 2:33
Total target: 7hrs. Actual: 6:45

Some snippets of memories....
- A fellow acquaintace from TriFam gave me a "suan mei" during the run, it helped relief the cramps. Thanks bro!
- Special tribute to the race organising chairman Mr Chan Chee Seng, who did the race briefing, body marking, even helped out at the water stations! Talk about leading by example!
- All my frens who gave water, cheered and took photos, you're the best! One of my students from Hwa Chong also cycled up and down the run route and gave water whenever he saw me, thats nice!

This little personal story is not abt my self-satisfaction, but I hope it can inspire YOU to do things you thought you cldn't; and not to give up easily after you have set your mind to do it. After reading such a long blog, you are also a "Fiiiniiisher!!!"

The Day before the Reckoning

2005-09-16T14:07:00.000+08:00

Think I shld pen something before embarking on the journey to Desaru for the Half Ironman, in case I dun return in one piece. This week, the Taper Week.... it went like this:

Mon,Tue: Rest, legs still aching from the past few days of "Peaking Training"
Wed: Supp to swim, but too lazy. And ANGEL jio me for dinner (Angel leh, how to reject?!!)
Thu: Supp to run, but again too nua, and besides gotta fetch my gf from airport
Fri: Aiya too late to train already, race is tmr!

So as you can see I hardly broke a sweat the whole week. According to the books, "during Taper Week, Less is More". So I guess I have done the most I could. And I have been getting hungry easily too, so I "carbo-loaded" frequently as well. Good preparation.

I will try to return and give a full account of my "race" (I don't like to call it a race when the objective is just to complete). If you don't see an entry from me, it could be I have drowned in the South China Sea, or lying in hospital from dehydration. Hopefully I can finish it before the sun sets on 17th Sept....

Running in Canada

2005-09-14T08:42:00.000+08:00

Before I start I must say this first.......If ever I felt unfit in my life (which was all the time), the last run I went on showed me the all time lowest point.

Simply put, I almost died.

Here are some choice excuses:

1- Dry air.
2- Thin atmosphere.
3- Uphill
4- Heat (no kidding, its about as hot as Singapore here right now which is wierd)
5- Insufficient hydration (my fault)
6- Bad pace (too fast)

Wasn't a very good experience....I had a splitting headache after that run. Anyway I'm gonna go run again later tonight. Maybe it'll work out better at night. If it still feels like crap, then I'm just gonna give up and go cycle for for my workout. Less impact too, don't have to worry about shin splints.

Football (soccer) tomorrow after classes.....should be fun.

Update: Lighting on Canadian roads weren't exactly "state of the art".....took a wrong turn and ran further tonight. Bloody hell...... at least don't feel so bad after the run.

Bowel Movement Update: Now got shit liao. *thumbsup*

High note for midweek.....Football with hot babes tomorrow (yeah girls play soccer here....3 blondes on my team...whooo hooo!).

Three Asses of AHM

2005-09-11T22:03:00.000+08:00

Bet the title caught your attention. But yeah that's all it was meant to do. And now that I've got your attention let me explain what it is.

Nope, there weren't 3 donkeys at the AHM. Its more like 3 S's. That basically sums up the Army Half Marathon(AHM) that we (see photo) went for today. To describe the event in 3 words - Squeezy, Sweaty, Smelly....

First of all, Squeezy. I thought the Real Run was bad with its river of runners, but AHM was something of a different magnitude altogether. And with so many runners all vying for the same road space, its like being stuck in a traffic jam.

Next Sweaty. The amount of heat produced from that MASS of human beings is phenomenal. Trap all that heat between 2 concrete buildings and you have an instant sauna. Its no wonder that we were all pespiring like crazy at the 1K mark... sigh 20 more to go, i'm feeling dehydrated alr...

Lastly Smelly. They don't call it the ARMY half marathon for nothing. Everywhere u look, you have ARMY boys. And we all know how ARMY boys smell like. So imagine an army of ARMY boys running the ARMY half marathon... And being stuck in the midst of all this ARMY scent...

All in all, I guess it wasn't too bad for my first time. Well done all those who were doing it for the first time. (Blatant self-praise ;p) I shall leave you with a photo of the HALF-MARATHONERS!!

New Contributor

2005-09-10T23:49:00.000+08:00

yoyo.... there's a new contributor here, that's me Ah Zi! First post here, shall keep it short n sweet....

The BIG thing for me this mth wld be the Desaru Half Ironman (2km swim, 90km cycle, 21km run). To prepare for it, yesterday I swam 2km in the pool, today cycled 90km and tmr running the AHM 21km. So after the run I wld have completed my Half-Ironman....but over 3 days! And next sat I wld be doing all that in ONE DAY, ONE AFTER ANOTHER!! Shall keep u guys updated on it.

For those doing the AHM tmr, esp those for the first time, ALL THE BEST! MAY THE POWER(GEL) BE WITH YOU! Ok now I must sleep, gotta meet damn early!

Really Running!

2005-09-10T12:21:00.000+08:00

Hmm... its been almost a month since the last post. Slack Jack's been bugging me about posting. So here's the long overdue post about the New Balance Real Run.

I don't even remember when I signed up for this event. It was sooo long ago. At first I thought it would be just me and Rob who would be crazy enough to sign up for this. But to my surprise, I managed to drag Cupid along to sign up on the same day.

Soon enough, people started signing up for the run after joining us for our weekly Sentosa runs. Hucks was one who was convinced (go read his blog) that he's cut for running after joining us for a Sunday morning run.

Well... long story short, we managed quite a turn out for the actual event as u can see.

And that's not all, there were a few who left after the run. This was after we were done playing ultimate frisbee with Slack Jack and PC

Anyway my point in all this?

Running is addictive. Once u start, you would want to keep at it. But the good thing is this is an addiction that will not be shaving time off your life.

Running is infectious. It started with a few of us. Angel, Rob, Alex and look at the number of ppl we dragged along with us. They all caught RunningKnows!! Btw that's the yahoogroup that we've started to organise our running activities. Check out the link below.

Click to join RunningKnows

Ok enough advertising. Let me just end off by saying - Get out there and start running. You'll surprise yourself. And if you need company, RunningKnows is just a click away. ;)

A New Reason To Run

2005-08-16T05:13:00.000+08:00

First up, congratulations to Nua Sai/Vorlacks on completing his first Triathlon...even though its just half the actual thing its still a very mean feat. If you guys have seen the state he was in when serving his NS, you'd have never guessed he could run, swim or bike.....more like roll, float and trolleyed into the Ambulance. But hey, its a brilliant feat...so you go ahead with your Tri...I'll be chasing blondes in Toronto.

And no, the new reason to run isn't because I need to chase blondes.

If you're eating now I suggest you go read some other blogs or just finish your food.

I finally realized the connection between peristalsis and exercise. In the past I paid no attention to it. Recently I noticed something important. Very important. It may not apply to everyone, but it seems that if I don't exercise, I can't shit!!

NO SHIT!!...no I mean no shit, I really have no shit....wait...nevermind.....anyway....

NO SHIT!! That's what's happening. I'm rushing a project right now and its like...2 weeks overdue. That's besides the point. I haven't been running or working out coz my work hours were busted, basically when you sleep, I work...and when you work...I work too....... and I'm not disciplined enough to fit in workout time. My shoes are fucked anyway so whatever. But the connection is there. In the last week or so that I didn't run, I didn't take a dump on a daily basis. I only had to take a big one once every 3 days....in fact I took my biggest TWO on the weekend when I actually went to pig out. What the hell is happening to all the food I ate?

No clue. But for a fact...NO SHIT.

So how? I'm finishing up what I can today and hopefully go for a short one later (bad shoes and all) see if it works out. If I take a crap on Wednesday.....I'll let you guys know.

Tri-ed it Loved it

2005-08-14T22:28:00.000+08:00

Woot! My first triathlon today! Ok maybe it was just the NUS Tri (half the Olympic distance) but still I swam, cycled and ran. So to me it counts!

I think that there's a certain feeling of empowerment that completeing an event like a triathlon gives you. You feel that if you can complete a triathlon, there's no reason to give up on anything you set your mind to.

It sounds cliched, but the race once again affirmed the saying "Mind over Matter" for me. At a few points along the race, I felt the beginnings of a cramp; but with a little help from my homemade Gatorade "Gao" (thick, as in Milo "Gao") and a little self psycho-ing I managed to will the cramp away and push on.

All in all, I think this race has tantalised me enough to sign up for another one. This time, maybe I'll try the Olympic distance. But I would have to put in lots more training first. But all I can say is this - a year ago, I never ever would have imagined myself being crazy enough to try something like the tri.

PS: Thanks to all those that came to support me today. Esp to Angel, Rob, Weiyi and Wei Hong for staying till the very end. Thanks you guys!

I Must Be Doing Something Right!!!!

2005-08-06T05:06:00.000+08:00

Well hey, today I did good speed on the first half, then slowed down a little...and pushed for the 2nd half. Felt like puking afterwards. I must be doing something right! HAW HAW HAW HAW!

Pigged out after the run....I know I know....its not healthy but hey I've not been taking protein based food for the last few days...I think its fair I pushed some chicken into my system after the run.

So far so good. At least I can put aside the Glock for a bit.....dun feel so frustrated now. And since Vorlacks/NuaSai is away on his diving trip...no one to make fun of on MSN. Gotta find something entertaining (and free) to do. Decisions, decisions.....

Expanding my Hit List.....I need a Glock right now.

2005-08-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

Most people know I keep a very public "hit list". Top 3 spots are of course, former employers, but recently I've added one Genius.

Why? Because this Genius in the town council finally decided....after 20 years....that my neighbourhood needs a chin up bar. So he gave us 2. So this Genius finally figured out that after 20 years, most "kids" in the neighbourhood would be in NS or going into NS and would need the chinup bars....what this Genius haven't taken into consideration is that the neighbourhood was made up of relocated residents from another part of Singapore where most families already have kids nearer to 10-15 yrs old. Since the last few batches of kids in the neighbourhood are already in NS and the big majority are either NSmen or already moved out of the neighbourhood after getting married....so who the fuck will use 2 spanking brand new chinup bars? Not me, I'm flying back to Canada in less than a month. Let's give a round of applause for this Genius.

From the above paragraph I think any non-geniuses like the rest of us knows I'm not in the best of moods. I'll need to revise that hit list again.

Anyway with the chinup bars it'll be easier for me to get some chinups done before my runs. I need to get back into my runs too. Its been a week since I last ran coz it hurts like nuts whenever I speed up. I dunno if a week's rest helps....because I'm starting to suspect its the shoes I'm using. Its coming apart. I better get paid soon so I can go get my new running shoes. If not I'm gonna have to extend my hit list again. I'm running out of ammo budget if the list keeps expanding.

On a lighter note: I was on TV yesterday. Honestly, like I give a rats ass :D I was at the awards ceremony for my overseas education grant from MDA. So the usual media crew was there and I was trying my best to avoid being filmed.....gotta pick up some tips from Batman when I see him. My parents were like...."Isn't that our son?..man our kid looks ugly". My sisters were very excited and kept shouting at me to go watch the news. My buddy asked over ICQ..."Hey, I think I saw your ugly face on TV, please confirm." I'm like.....go away I'm rushing my projects.

What has all these things have to do with my runs?

Lots, for starters, all those abovementioned nonsense is provoking me to go for a run tonight. As long as the sky don't decide to take a piss during the hours I run, it should be fun.

Effects of Endorphins

2005-07-31T13:40:00.000+08:00

Today was a nice run. It was Huck's first run after three months so we took it slow. The weather was great too. The shower the night before or in the morning left the air feeling cool and fresh. Going down the roads of Sentosa, I can't help but think Sentosa was indeed the best place for a Sunday morning run.

Well after the run, we headed down to the beach for a little Bball action. Shooting some hoops and playing a little 2-on-2 with Angel and WY. Angel and I were on the same team and we reverted to our winning strategy of "I pass the ball to her and she score". Well with tactics like that, we were pretty invincible! Until the rest started warming up...

I decided to go for a dip after a while. Splashing ard in the water, it was nice to just bob ard and soak up some sun. Esp after a 10 K run!! Wat a fantastic way to end another sunny outing to Sentosa!

After all that, I was feeling pretty high on endorphins. I was just happy with the world! And this was most apparent on the drive home. A van cut into my lane. But instead of feeling all frustrated and flashing my lights, I just sighed and slowed down. Gosh... its like a wonder happy drug! Heh, if that's not a good enough reason to start exercising and feeling the endorphin rush, I dunno what is!

weekend plans.

2005-07-29T11:48:00.000+08:00

Me and Vorlacks were just discussing about a running excursion to Sentosa on Sunday! And we managed to get our pal Ivan to come along too. Now if our other brudder Justin comes too, then it'll be really fun. :)

I was just commenting that we never do any healthy stuff. Everytime we meet up, we just eat a lot and/or drink ourselves silly. Haha!

But I guess we have the rest of our lives to do that? ;)

The ironic thing is that we'll probably all be driving (except license-less Ivan) to Sentosa!

Oh well... I'm looking forward already! So in the meantime, here's to some good weather on Sunday...

Me, Ivan and Justin (minus Vorlacks), Coffee Club Siglap, 2004

Sentosa Run

2005-07-29T00:22:00.000+08:00

First of all, welcome to our new contributor Huckerby. Great to have u on board bro!

About the sand running in Sentosa, its actually not that bad for the Tanjung beach section. Pretty flat stretch of sand that's not too loose. But of course if you're starting out after a long while, you might want to take to the pavement instead. Safer alternative unless you want to run the risk of twisting ur ankle. The pavement runs parallel to the sand stretch of the run, so you won't be cheating yourself in terms of distance.

Anyway, I'll be going down this Sunday for a run. Will be meeting at the Visitor Arrival Centre carpark at 8 am. Should be starting off behind the main group of runners so that we don't have to go and fight for space with them. Hopefully they will still have 100 plus left at the end pt!! Do join me yah!

my first post.

2005-07-29T00:02:00.000+08:00

To start off, thanks to my bro Vorlacks for inviting me here.

It's been a long time since I went for a run. Come to think of it, the last time was one sweltering afternoon a couple of months back... bad experience, haha. Maybe that's why I haven't run since!

Would much prefer to cycle these days, actually.

This picture was taken during my last competitive race, at Sentosa more than a year back. Those were the days when I would lace up my running shoes at least 3 times a week, late at night, and pound the empty roads around campus. Up the hill, down the slope! Hahaha.

But times changed, and I got lazy. Sigh. Must really start running again!

Been looking at the Real Run website... sounds fun, but I hate running on sand and the goddamn trail is a terrible pain in the ass. It's so steep at some points that you have no choice but to walk slowly so that you won't fall and break your neck, lol.

But Sentosa is a nice place to spend a Sunday morning lah, heheh. Aside from expensive bike rentals of course.

Vorlacks, when you going again? Maybe I'll join you one of these days. ;)

REBIRTH!

2005-07-26T01:49:00.000+08:00

There comes a time when things that held us down for a while gets shaken off or resolved. Its a feeling of empowerment for some...a feeling of newfound freedom for others....and for myself? I thought I felt reborn.

This afternoon I had a talk with someone who matters a lot to me. For a long time we didn't open up....got kinda close at one point but we're both having problems with other people at that time so it wasn't....right. Anyway things are cleared up....I felt as if something was lost....but at the same time it freed me and while there's disappointment, there's also hope. I'm a forward looking person. I look back to smile at the dumb things I did in the past and to learn lessons. But never to dwell in it. We're still friends and I hope we will remain so for a long time. That chapter in my life is closed.

Also this afternoon. Managed to clear up some financial issues. First of which was the study grant application. Signed my life away to the devil!!! But heck, it eases my parent's bank account and its good enough for me. So that's another huge rock off my chest.

Of course there are other...more short term things to take care of...like I'm running behind schedule for my project :D My friend is gonna kill me but I'm taking it one step at a time.

And how much better could it get? Its almost a week since I last ran due to shin splints. I put on my shoes, went out into the cold damp air after the afternoon rain....and ran. It wasn't fast or anything....didn't go far or anything....I just want to soak in the mood of getting back into my life. There's nothing quite like being alone...concentrating on your breathing, your steps. Took a good run through the neighbourhood and took a good look at everything I'll be leaving behind in September when I fly back to Canada. Pure joy..... sweat out the past......look into the future. It couldn't get worse....it could only get better.

As I type this...as I think back on the things that went on today, I realize that the only people stopping us from having fun...is your own self holding you back.

Your past will always be behind.....you can always look back.....Glance and smile, never ever stare.

Nice New Running Route

2005-07-25T14:05:00.000+08:00

I've just found a nice new running route. Well I tried it out last week but only decided to write about it now after I tried it for the second time yesterday. Its in Sentosa, and its actually the route for the New Balance Real Run. The route is 10K and takes you from the visitor arrival centre to the visitor departure centre. The terrain it covers is over road, sand and trail. Well i'm not gonna lay the route out here cos you can get it from the Real Run website. But I think its a pretty nice run for a Sunday morning. Only problem is, the trail running isn't exactly a trail. More like a pavement that runs through the jungle. So it was a bit of an anti-climax when I hit the trail section. And for anyone who's not too keen on sand running, you can always follow the pavement that runs parallel to the sand section. Sand running is siong btw, WY almost couldn't feel his legs after going on the sand for a while. And the inclination of the beach is also another factor that can lead to injuries. But overall, its pretty fun and definitely something that i'm doing for the first time.

Anyhow, I prefer running in Sentosa cos of a few reasons. First is the absence of traffic. Without having to bother about cars, buses and traffic lights, you get a nice road run minus the stopping and waiting for lights to change. Also the air is better as there is less exhaust fumes to breathe in. There is the occasional vehicle but I think that's nothing compared to the clustered roads around my area.

Secondly, the scenery's nice too. I wouldn't call it great, but it definetly is different. WY commented at one point in the run that the road ahead sure didn't look like Singapore and I have to agree. Nice empty tree-lined road stretching up a gentle incline, sure feels like i'm running somewhere else. And when you hit the beach, woot! Sea breeze and the sound of waves!! What better running scenery can you hope for in SG?

I guess generally, its a nice place cos of the general laid back feeling you get when you enter Sentosa. I've always thought of the place as somewhere to kick back and relax. Just nua by the beach, soak in the waters (not that fantastic but its good enough). And now its also a great place to run.

I think the only problem is that the lockers are only located at the beach areas. This is a slight problem as the starting pt of the Real Run is at the Arrival Centre or somewhere ard that. So that makes it troublesome if need a place to store your stuff. But I guess in future, i'm gonna start my run at the beach area and end there. Stretching while enjoying the sea breeze sure beats stretching in a car park!! Distance might also be a problem, but its fine for me cos I've got NEL that takes me straight there! And I've got my islander card, so I don't have to bother abt entrance fees! So looks like Sentosa runs are set to be a weekly affair for me now. Anyone wanna join me?

Swim

2005-07-22T00:59:00.000+08:00

Finally back in the water! After a week of staying dry, I finally went for a swim. And it felt good! I think i'm a water person. There's just something about being in the water that really appeals to me. Maybe its the cooling effect it has on me. Or the feeling of weightlessness, the feeling of being able to float freely without restrictions. I digress...

Anyway it was not a bad swim today, did some laps. Then relaxed by the edge of the pool. Then did a few more laps. The water was nice today too. I think they might have just cleaned the pool. There wasn't the usual assortment of band aids, leaves and other rubbish that you usually see in swimming pools.

But i guess that's not as bad as having water that looks like barley! Yup that was the state of the NUS pool the first time i decided to take a swim there. I guess i probably just went on the day before they cleaned the pool but it definitely didn't make me wanna go back there again. To date, I can count the number of times I've swam in the NUS pool on 1 hand. Maybe I'll give it a go when school re-opens. Its been 3 years after all...

I've got to start increasing the number of continuous laps I do. And its gotta be freestyle. I didn't believe it at first when I was told that the way to do long distance swimming is by going freestyle. I usually struggle to finish a lap when doing freestyle. But I guess I was going too fast for it to be sustainable. So with some training and pacing, I decided to try it out. I slowly started to increase the number of laps that I do freestyle. And guess what? It works! Since then, I haven't gone back to breast stroke for quite a while. So if you haven't tried it out, try it and be surprised.

Well so much for the swim. I wonder what I'll do tom. Run maybe? Or just Nua? Hey I've got to live up to my name rite?

Why I Run...

2005-07-21T16:50:00.000+08:00

Never liked running. Period. Always in the chasing pack, never had the stamina (or determination) to push beyond 10km. Always giving up before my legs give out....

Few months back I started playing soccer again in Canada. I'm back to school at 27 with all the young pukes who wanted to take on an old man. So I had to start running to keep up with em. Wasn't too bad...I was the team GK anyway....so there wasn't a lot of sweating to do.

Came back home for the summer holidays. Picked up a new project with some friends involving the Annual Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Part of the project was to come up with a new logo/theme for the event....so I thought....the best way to feel it is to go for a run. So I patted the dust off my "No Balance" trainers issued to me when I was in the Army and started my late night runs.

Initially I was just getting a feel for the logo design. Soon I figured that running alone and late at night was fantastic. I live in a rather quiet neighbourhood in Singapore (rather unheard of) and the peace and quiet at 1130pm and a lack of cars on the roads makes it ideal to run. I enjoyed the leisurely pace and the quiet feeling of being alone.

Just perfect. I needed a space to get away....and I treasure the time I get when I'm alone. All I have around me when I was running....were my shadows....one always behind me threatening to catch up....one always in front of me, never letting me win. Its a good half hour of trying to beat myself, and trying not to let myself beat me.

I've also discovered that running and TV are the only things that helps my brain shut off. But of course TV's benefits are....rather less obvious.

Having my fair share of personal and professional issues to deal with recently, I'm getting real grumpy about not being able to go for a run in the next week or so because of my Shin Splints. But as wise men said....we rest to go on a longer journey.....and I think mine had just started.

I'm not running for health benefits....even though my family has almost every hereditary disease types you can think of (except diabetes). I'm just running to get away from things for a few mins each day.....and hopefully to loosen up those muscles so I can continue to stay in shape to play soccer, paintball and so on. Its nothing philosophical too....I just like to feel good....and that's it.

Sushi!!

2005-07-21T00:45:00.000+08:00

alrite!! finally got to eat my sushi!! pigged out with HJ and qw today at suki sushi. looks like i have to swim more tom!! burn off all the yakitori, and wateveroti i had just now.

anyway been a long time since i last had a nice swim. no thanks to the ear infection courtesy of redang! crap... had me wondering if i burst an eardrum or something. didn't help that i was spitting blood!! so tom's time to hit the water!!

BLOODY FRIKIN HELL!

2005-07-21T00:39:00.000+08:00

First whining post.

Finally it gets too painful to run. The shin splints got me.... Had a great run too.... ah well....take a week or so off before I start again. Waiting for my new running trainers anyway. I'll have to remind myself to run on asphalt next time around rather than concrete.

Nothing much on the run this time around. No catfights, no couples arguing when drunk, nothing.....but hell it was fun though. Cool night after the rain too.

Hello World

2005-07-21T00:13:00.000+08:00

yeah, as with any new thing... Hello World!!