Giant cupcake to refuel your run & FIRST training

Every now and then you know that you need a little treat for the hard work and also to refuel your next run. A giant cupcake may be appropriate in my case. I received this as a gift and I was gobsmacked how huge it was. I placed the iPhone next to the cupcake to give you an idea how big it was. The cupcake has set a whole new meaning to carbo loading. It was delicious and so difficult not to overeat. Took hubs and me almost a week to finish it and I think will be at least a month to burn off the calories. 

I have done 2 runs this week as an 'induction' course to the 3+2 FIRST Half Marathon training program that I will start next week. This is the training program from the book Run Less Run Fast .

I am following the first week of the program and it's hard work. Basically you do 3 key runs a week and supplement it with 2 cross-trainings a week. The concept may not be easily acceptable for people who has followed high mileage training because many are unconvinced that this style of training will work for them. Pacing is an important component in the FIRST training program. All the paces are based on ones best 10k race pace. It has been proven that training intensity is the most important factor for improving the physiological processes and determine race performance. Each run should have at least a day of recovery in between. The non-running days should be supplemented by at least 2 cross-training sessions.After Key Run #1, my legs were fatigued but I didn't feel as if lungs are burning and I need to be hooked up to an oxygen tank. It's pretty tough but just enough to push you hard but not into total exhaustion. Good sign. Today was Key Run #2, I am quite exhausted to be honest because I think I have over-exerted myself when I went running with the boys at work. It almost turn out to be a race..Grrr!! I need to remember that I have to let them run at their pace and I should just do my own thing.

To give you an idea what the training looks like, here is a snapshot from the book and the training program. As mentioned in the previous post, I will update blog about how I feel about this program a few weeks into the training. It's a total of 16 weeks and I will have about 20 weeks until Adidas Auckland Half Marathon so I should have enough time to finish the training.

And here is another snapshot of the 16 week training program.

After looking at the program, don't you think I need another cupcake ?

Have you tried FIRST training program before?

Are you following a training program for your next race?

What is the biggest piece of dessert you've ever had?

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Positivity Friday with Run Less Run Faster

Workout - 45 mins speedwork on the treadmill and 15 mins core work

The temperature has plunged over the last week and all of a sudden it feels like mid winter. Typical Auckland weather, it's a real mixed bag. After a gruelling session at the gym with lots of composite leg press and leg curls, my legs are feeling like jello for running. To my surprise, I was able to hang on without emptying my tank which was really good. Although I didn't have the best week of running, I have been rewarded with some pleasant surprises with my performance and I'm going to take. What made my day was receiving my copy of Run Less Run Faster in the mail after waiting for ages. I've tried looking for this version in NZ but they unavailable. It's so difficult to buy non-fiction books in book stores these days. Anyway, this version has the additional Boston Training Programs on it. One day it will be handy for me. I will be training for Boston Marathon and have my finishing time tattooed on my arm. A girl can dream eh?

According to Amazon, this version has 50 percent updated content and has just been published in April . I had a quick browse through and the first chapter talks about Running With A Purpose. Each training run has its purpose, there will be 3 runs (speedwork, tempo and long run) + 2 cross-training sessions a week to follow. The writing is easy to understand without getting too technical and the plans are easy to follow. I like that this program requires only 3 running sessions a week and each session has its purpose and you are not wasting time by doing unnecessary mileage which tires you out and the best bit is the 2 cross-training sessions that allows variety and makes training more fun. As much as I enjoy running, I would still like to do other activities like cycling on a stationary bike, circuit-training and yoga so this program is perfect for me. I will try to read up and start following it next week and will report back in a few weeks time.

I am really looking forward to a great Sunday run followed by a trip to Lululemon to "reward" my

efforts. I hope that the weather is going to be kind to me too.
As with all my other Positivity Friday posts, I'm going to share some goody I found this week.

Source: heyrunnergirl.tumblr.com via Michelle on Pinterest

What are your running plans this weekend?

Have you read any running / training related books that help you reach your PB?

                              What is most positive thing that has happened to you this week?

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Foam rolling, yoga and Indian vegetarian lunch at Ras Vatika

My training last week was  taken down by a notch last week after catching a cold when I was out for my weekly lunch run with my colleagues. It was only a 8.5km run but 8.5km in cold rain wearing only a tiny t-shirt is definitely asking for trouble. Which is what I got. Bingo! I've to skip my cross-training and Sunday long run and spent the weekend nursing my cold at home. Although I felt a little guilty but my experience had taught me that being stubborn is not going to help. Just accept defeat, eat and rest like a queen. I did very well there. 

We went to Ras Vatika for vegetarian lunch as I had a craving for light indian food and since I've been curious about this place, it was  the perfect destination. We were relieved not to find a big hungry crowd on a Saturday afternoon when we arrive. After staring at the menu like we were choosing a name for our first born, we settled for a Puri dish with vegetables, rice pillaf and pink falluda with cardamom and pistachios. I really enjoyed the food here but I think it's not as light as I'd like to. It would be nice if they had more salad options but that's just my personal preference. It's still a very good place to get your carbo fix without the extra saturated fat.

I love their special falluda drink : rose syrup with milk, cardamom and pistachios..yumz

Fried puri bread with salads and chickpeas

Since I have a few days of resting indoor, I opt to spend some quality time with my BFF the foam roller to ease the knots on my calves. I also have a hand-held massager when the knots become too tight in my calves for the foam roller to take on.It's my saviour. In the last couple of months since I have ramped up my running frequency, I do notice the niggling pain in my knees are subsiding except for the occasional fatigue knees and hamstrings from hilly runs. I think this has got to do with ditching the orthotics and switching to Saucony Fastwitch 5 from my first love the Mizuno Nexus 5. I love the Fastwitch 5 and it's been really kind to me. I am considering buying a second pair but also want to try out the new Kinvara 3 that is coming out in June.

Getting my weekly Ohmm at Lululemon. I'm still trying my best to plank like a pro but you can see that I look like a collapsing plank there. Need to work harder on my balancing and core strength. I've been bitten by the yoga bug and can't stop promoting its benefits to my husband and people at work. I am trying to rope in as many people to go to Lululemon for the complimentary yoga sessions. My husband is next.

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Positivity Friday :Why every athlete should do yoga

This week has been insanely busy for me and didn't leave me with too much spare time to blog.
Anyway, I love doing my Positivity Friday posts to share some positive energy that I have gathered this week. First of all, I'm finally on Twitter now!! It's a huge step for me because I have never  understood how Twitter works and I still don't but I'll learn. Come and say hello !

Aside from the workload that has been keeping me from blogging as much as I'd would like to, the week has been a real treat with lots of great presents from friends and family for my birthday and not to mention I have been eating non-stop. I will blog about that later. The one thing that kept my sanity intact when everything become crazy is getting my Ohmm hour doing yoga or go out for a quick run. Always feel so good. Of late, I have managed to convince my significant other to try out yoga too and if you still need convincing because you think you are too inflexible, I have found this article that will hopefully convince you a little bit more.

I found this great article on MindBodyGreen.com, written by Rich Roll. Rich is a two-time top finisher at the Ultraman World Championships and in 2010 was the first person (along with colleague Jason Lester) to complete EPIC5 – 5 ironman-distance triathlons on 5 Hawaiian Islands in under a week.

In my opinion, EVERY athlete – irrespective of sport or discipline – has the potential to enhance his or her ability by adopting a consistent yoga practice. I’d go so far as to say that if you’re not practicing yoga, you’re competing at a disadvantage and missing an opportunity to enhance peak performance.

Here are a few benefits I have reaped:

1. Improved Strength: Routine and consistent practice of the various yoga asanas (poses or postures) has helped me build strength and improve lean muscle mass. Most notably with respect to several muscle groups under-utilized in my chosen athletic disciplines of swimming, cycling and running. These gains have enhanced core body stability and significantly impeded overuse injury by strengthening the supportive but otherwise under-developed muscles surrounding the more utilized muscles, creating a more balanced and optimally functional overall strength.

2. Balance: As a swimmer, I have always been rather flexible. But my balance is historically horrible. But through a consistent yoga practice, my coordination and balance have improved immensely. Why is this important? Better balance and coordination means enhanced control over how I move my body, which in turn leads to better technique and form -- the brass ring every athlete spends a career refining, whether your focus is a swim stroke, golf swing, running stride, jump shot or wrestling move.

3. Flexibility: Yoga invariably improves joint and muscular flexibility, which is crucial to the body’s overall structural soundness.  Enhanced joint and muscle pliancy translates to greater range of motion, or an increase in the performance latitude for a particular movement or series of movements.  For example, a swimmer with supple shoulder and hip joints is able to capture and pull more water than a swimmer with a more limited range of motion. The result is more forward movement per stroke as well as enhanced muscular economy. In turn, this increased range of motion provides a greater ability to strength condition a particular muscle group due to the amelioration in overall force that can be exerted with each movement. And although there is some dispute about the advisability of “over” stretching (for runners in particular), I remain a huge advocate, finding that the more I work to maintain my flexibility (something that wanes with age), the less likely I am to suffer an overuse injury.

4. Mental Control: The physical benefits of yoga for the athlete are huge. But they’re nothing in comparison to the more ephemeral benefits. Most people, particularly athletes, tend to think of yoga as a great “workout” – a means to tighten the core, flatten the stomach and tone that butt. Sure, it does that. But as soon as the rigorous portion of the class comes to a close and it’s time for savasana (corpse pose), otherwise known as the meditative portion of the session where the student lies down on his or her back for a period of quiet meditation, I watch people flee for the door, ducking out early under the false belief that this most important asana is optional and unnecessary – the hard work is done. Not only are these people wrong, they’re missing the point of yoga entirely. Because savasana is wherethe magic happens. Deprive yourself of this experience and you are missing out on the best and most beneficial part of the practice. From a traditionalist point of view, the series of physically challenging yoga asanas were originally designed for a specific purpose that has nothing to do with the strength or flexibility. Instead, they were conceived and organized solely as a means to prepare the mind and bodyto reap maximum benefit from the important meditation that follows, which, taken as a whole, is a routine designed not to give you a nice butt, but to improve your ability to quell, quiet and control the impulses of the mind -- to clean mental house, center focus and promote serenity by silencing the endless and seemingly unmanageable mental chatter that invades our daily experience and undermines the expression of our “best self” within.

You can read the full article here

If you need some inspiration for your next yoga practice at home you can refer to this great guide:

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Little Fatty Dumplings New North Road

The art to great eating finds in Auckland is just go with your gut feeling but sometimes you need more than just gut feeling. Little Fatty aka Tasty Takeaway is one of those places where a little sense of adventure is needed as well. This hole in the wall eatery looks a little dingy from the outside and does not get any better when you get in but it's nothing to worry. These are usually the places that gives me a surprise that I wasn't expecting.

This place is run by a small family and we ordered a serving of their famous Sang Chian Bao as it seems everyone in there had this item on their table. Four dumplings for only $4, what a steal. We had some rice dishes and they were just average and didn't look great on photo so I'll just leave that out. They only accept cash here but there is a National Bank next door so it's not a big deal.

Little Fatty Takeaway
598 Great North Road
Auckland.

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Positivity Friday : Facing your fears through running

"Perhaps the biggest fear for many of us is a fear of failure.But if we never try, how will we know the outcome?  So many people worry about what will happen if they fail, that they lose sight of what could happen if they succeed....People who achieve their dreams are people who are not afraid to take risks.  And we will never know what we could have accomplished if we never put ourselves to the test" -  an excerpt from a blog post by American Idol finalist Scott MacIntyre that I read here

If 5 years ago (when I was a chain smoker) someone would tell me that I will one day be dedicating a substantial chunk of my life being active and preaching about it on a blog, I would just laugh it off. Lo and behold, I am doing exactly that and enjoying every bit of it. When I finish my first run of only a mere 3km I felt elated because I never could have imagined my weak legs were capable of doing that.When I ran home from work for the very first time, I was in awe that my body can be my mode of transport. To push past the fear that you can't do it to actually achieving it is a moment of extreme joy and feel of redemption.Redeeming the ability that body has given you to do things you never thought you could.

 Running has not only made me fitter, it made me face my fears head-on, making new friends, get to know myself and until recently taught me a lot about social media and editing html which I have completely forgotten since after University years.I would also like to share a little piece of treasure I found on the internet recently and it has been a mental boost for me when I do speedwork and overall running. At the same time, the article of Bruce Lee below also made me realise how often I fear of failure and let it set a limit on what I could possibly achieve. I will work hard to overcome my fear and not my mind set the limits on my body.

I have times when my mind tells me that I cannot do this or that, followed by fear of not achieving what I've set out to achieve or even hurting myself if I push too hard. It's all a very complicated situation when I can't be sure of whether it's my mind or my body not wanting to push harder. I am still working through it and in the future, I'd try to have a moment of  'What would Bruce Lee do in this situation? ' .

As with all my previous Positivity Friday posts, I'd like to share some inspirational/ funny finds with all my readers and here are my picks for the week:

 

Have you taken the leap of faith?

What is your biggest fear?


How are you going to enjoy your weekend?

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Burpees: A Love Story

We don't like to talk about this but have to talk about this: burpees.The hair on neck stands up each time it hears the word 'burpees'. I can't recall how many times I have vomited from doing burpees. They are such horrible beasts no matter how often I do them it still make my stomach churn when I know it's part of my training.I don't know about you but I feel my heart lunging out, sore shoulders and legs, throwing up in the mouth etc when I do them. Every time when I finish my sets of burpees I am left wondering if all my internal organs had ruptured. If burpees would have a Facebook page, it will not have any friends or likes.

I think my best record to date is 5x20 burpees in one session. I can handle them better now than I used to but they still make me shiver unless you are Jillian Michaels who can do them with such grace and have a smile on your face.

There just too many benefits of doing the burpees to omit it from your training plan. It's a good overall body training, increases your heart rate, improve  anaerobic conditions and coordination and above all you can do it anytime and anywhere.

Burpees and me has become friends recently as I promise to visit him every now and then. However, there are a few other frenemies I have at the gym/ in training. They are :

1. Shuttle runs

  Have you tried doing these with a sandbag? Oh my, it makes burpees look like a whimp!
  The  constant stopping and sprinting really makes me want to vomit.


2. My worst fear : Jacobs ladder

This the one machine I hate most in the gym and at any time of the day, you can't find another person using it. Those who do, are usually newbies are barely massaging the machine. If you go on one of these devils and try to achieve 200ft in 2-3 minutes you are not going to eat dinner,or anything.

Having whinged about all the above, I have to admit I have a love-hate relationship with them because I know how fantastic they are in increasing my overall fitness especially burpees.

Do you hate burpees?

How often do you do burpees?

What other moves that you hate but know it's darn good for your fitness?

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Sunday running and lunch at Britomart Country Club

It was incredibly difficult to crawl out of bed and I only manage it, barely, after 5 attempts. But I am so damn glad I did because I felt insanely happy whilst running up the hill. Which is rather unusual for me because I always curse when I see hills.My current plan is to do tempo runs on a treadmill on Tuesdays, threshold on Thursdays with my colleagues and long runs on Sundays and complement that with 2 circuit training and 1 yoga class. Long  easy runs are my favourite as I can listen and hum my favourite tunes whilst and not get hung up on my overall pace.

Running on Sunday mornings are superb because there aren't many people out and about even at 10 a.m and it feels like I have the whole park to for myself to run in. I was surprised that the shin splint that has been bugging me since my tempo run has fizzled away but I played safe and ran only 10km instead of 14km as I'd wanted to. No point to upset my legs this early and then throw my running plan into a complete whack. I have no planned events until possibly August so I will have plenty of time to fine-tune what works for me and what doesn't. I should look for a few 10k races between now until a half marathon. 

I never fail to treat myself after the enormous effort to force myself out of bed on Sunday mornings. Some days will be a shopping trip at Lululemon but I have forbidden myself to go there until I have done a 16km run. Lets see how disciplined I can be. We went to Britomart Country Club for lunch with my Grabone voucher which is expiring soon. The service is pretty reasonable and our waiter apologise profusely because our drinks took so long. I had fish with risotto cake which was very flavourful but salad was in a puddle of oil. I didn't finish the salad. Hubs ordered lamb salad which was very average. We both concluded that we may come back for lunch when it gets warmer because it's got a nice sitting area but won't drive to town just to eat there. There are just too manygood options in Auckland to choose from.

Moving on from lunch, I started looking for some running materials online to keep me motivated and get more bang out of my training . Last year I was convinced to buy Jack Daniels' Running Formula after reading all the great reviews but I have to honestly say that the book is too scientific for my liking and I never got very far. I think it's a very informative book but I am just not there yet so I hope one day I will have a use for it. I really want to run a full marathon in the near future and I have promised myself once I crack the sub 2 hours mark for a half marathon I will honour that promise. My job now is to achieve a sub 2. I am hoping that I can achieve 2:09 in the next half marathon with more consistent training. I just want to be realistic at this point. If I were to set my goals too high I might be hugely disappointed and throw in the towel altogether. Back to reading materials, I have decided on these two:

I am an avid follower of HRG's blog and she'd shared some very valuable information from Runner's Body and I am very interested to understand the physiology of running and take the guess work out of why my body reacts a certain way.

 The other is Run Less Run Faster based on the formula developed by Furman Institute. I like the fact that this book advocates running 3 quality runs and complement it with 2 sessions of cross training. This fits really well into the amount of time I can allocate for running whilst keeping things interesting for me. I love running but I also enjoy other activities like weight training, cross-training and yoga to keep things fun for me.

What is your favourite running book?

What training plan are you following at the moment?

Do you have any good running books / running plan to recommend?

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Positivity Friday

My training has been going very well this week with a fantastic yoga session and supercharged circuit training this morning. On Tuesday I went to the gym to do some speedwork on the treadmill and it was exhausting but good. When I was cooling down, the Paris Marathon came on and I stayed a bit longer to watch it whilst running on the treadmill. I had no idea that it could be so much fun,but I had to pay for it yesterday when I went for a run because of the shin splints.Not nice.

It was cold  and dark this morning and I almost crawled back into my covers but miraculously got out of bed anyway because I know I will definitely feel better after a tough sweaty workout. It was an exhausting session with lots of squats and killer core work which will make me walk like a lettuce tomorrow. The days are getting colder so I had a reason to buy a nice crop from Lululemon. You see,if you have a reason to buy something, it's a "need" not a "want" purchase. I went for Run Chase Me Crop, Indigo We Are From Space print. The material is superlush and made my legs feel like they are wrapped in soft warm blanket. I wore it for yoga and had a tough time to make myself remove it afterwards. It feels like second skin and the side pockets are just icing on the cake.

Sorry to disappoint you that the spots don't come with the outfit. I need to wipe my mirrors soon!

I am also tempted to purchase the Spirit Tights II in We are from Space but am hesitating because I 

am not sure if I actually need so many crops. 

Source: Lululemon Addict

As with all my other Positivity Fridays post, I am going to share some of my favourite quotes and photos with you like the ice-cream laden goodness below. Makes me hungry already.

Source: chocolatecake-strawberries.tumblr.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Source: blog.runtheedge.com via Penny on Pinterest

I am planning to take advantage of the great weather predicted with a long run and cook up some yummy meals to eat whilst catching up on Project Runway and romantic comedies. With all that extra energy I might do what these people did on a weekend.

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Franzi on Pinterest

What are your plans for the weekend? 

If you can only choose 1 dvd to watch, what would it be?

How do you reward yourself after a long run?

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Homemade Gula Melaka Kaffir Lime Pandan Ice cream

 What do you do on a boring Sunday night with nothing to watch on telly and you are too lazy to even go get some take outs? Make ice-cream,naturally.

I was reading a blog post from David Leibowitz about making ice creams without an ice cream maker; that we have been doing it way back to the days without electricity so it's something that is very easy to do without using an ice-cream maker. The base of a good ice cream is a custard and then you can build flavours on it.Deal.

I didn't have any cream in my pantry but there were 2 cans of coconut cream (400ml per can). What else is there? I have jam ,honey, lemons but they are so common I might as well buy it. Hmm..tomato sauce? No. Canned beetroot? Errrmm...then I found some Gula Melaka which is a gorgeous Malaysian palm sugar. What else? Found some kaffir lime leaves and pandan leaves from the freezer..all looking good. I went on to heat 300ml of coconut cream with the kaffir lime leaves and pandan leaves. Let it cool while I mix 4 egg yolks with some sugar according to your own taste. On a separate pan, I am melt about 4cm piece of gula melaka with 1/2 cup water and let it cool on the side. Mix the milk and sugar mix into the cooled heated coconut milk and put it back on the stove to be heated a little bit more. Remove from stove and let it sit in an ice bath. Once it's cooled, add in extra 300ml coconut cream, cooled gula melaka syrup. Remove the leaves and pour the mix into a container  freeze.

So what is gula melaka?It is sugar from the coconut tree and similar to the Thai palm sugar but a lot stronger and sweeter because most Thai palm sugar has a higher content of coconut milk. 

I left my ice cream in the freezer overnight as it took a while to freeze in my overloaded freezer. I took it out again in the morning to stir and refreeze. It tastes great but just not as smooth as I'd like it to be but turns out great for first time of making ice cream.

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