19 days to Auckland Half Marathon 2012

You know that feeling when the date that you've marked on your calendar is inching closer and you know how much it means to you after months of training and talking about it? I am getting excited and actually looking forward to the Auckland Half Marathon that's going to take place in 19 days. Months of training will be put to test and see if I actually am going to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labour. It also means I am going to be eating more salads and less chocolates,cheese and ice-cream. I have been dreaming of finishing a half marathon in less than 2 hours but I am still yet to achieve it. I'm ok with that. I just aim to beat my previous time. I know honestly that I have not trained as hard as some people but definitely way harder this year than my previous years. I'm happy with that. The worst thing is to finish a race feeling defeated and unmotivated - just brush myself off and try to do better the next time. Finishing a race is something to celebrate - to honour the dedication and hard-work and enjoy being able to run with thousands of others who shares the same interest with you. A PB is a bonus. I hope I would remember this when I finish my race in 19 days. I still very very eager to achieve a 2:10 and will try my best on the day.

3 more long runs to race day and I'm eager to run as much as I can but also have to remember to overdo it and risk being injured. I went out for my Sunday run yesterday and it was the perfect weather for running. If it wasn't because my ankle and calves starting to hurt I would have gone for longer. I ended doing 14k  and I had planned for 16k but it came out shorter but it's ok because better be safe than sorry. I really enjoyed running an even pace of 6:53. Started out with a walk and then turn my Garmin on after about 8 minutes of warm up. I realise that with a good warm-up I am able to run a very even pace without having to stop. Good stuff. My run got better when I saw these guys in the park.

I have no idea what it was for but Auckland is full of cool zany people so it's not uncommon. The couple was sweet enough let me snap a photo.

Summary of my training this week:

Monday : 45 mins of weights and cardio

Tuesday: 45 mins of interval (10x 400m)

Wednesday: 1 hr of vinyasa yoga

Thursday: 1 hr mid-tempo run

Friday: 45 mins of weights and cardio

Saturday: Rest & Stretch

Sunday: 14k easy run.

After a little lunch and resting I went out and came back with this:

It made my day. I will be doing a post of my latest looting   trip to Lululemon.

And if all the above wasn't enough to make a great day. I saw this beauty when we left the restaurant after dinner.

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Positively Random Friday: 5 things Happy People Do

It's Friday again! I love Fridays so that I can have a long sleep-in on the weekend and going for my weekly long run on Sundays. Aside from that, I might have a chance to tackle one of the many ambitious recipes on my to-do list which I am usually to lazy to get to.

One of the many things that I am very happy with at the moment is that I have finally bought a Garmin Forerunner 410 that I have been hesitating for far too long. I always spend all my money on food and Lululemon clothes that I my 'fitness' fund is empty. But after a few agonising misfortune with Runkeeper and Runmeter I threw in the towel and vow to myself to buy a Garmin. So far I like it and it does give me an overall good GPS coverage except for my runs in the CBD on Thursdays. The same happened to Runmeter, the data are always wonky when I run in on the same route on Thursdays. It's also made my long runs more enjoyable because it constantly display the average pace I running and I get more even pacing with it. One of the biggest problem I have before was that I run too fast for a few kms and then too slow for the next few.

I love doing a positive Friday post because I try to infuse some happy genes before the weekend starts and it's always a good idea to be happy and here is an article that I found on MindGreenBody.com that I can't wait to share.

5 Things Happy People Do

By Jennifer White

All of us have the ability to be hard-hearted. Life brings pain and trauma, and our ability to love and be vulnerable becomes compromised. Physically, our upper spines round, our pecs become too tight, and metaphysically our heart chakras become imbalanced. So why are some people perpetuallyhappy and successful in life? They obviously have pitfalls and struggles too. Here are five tips to help you stay smiling.

1.  Happy people are resilient. 

Life knocks everyone down, but staying down only leads to misery. Have your day of wallowing and then get up, dust off, and try again.

2. Happy people are open. 

Being hurt makes you never want to feel pain again, but if you want to be happily successful in life you have to open yourself up to new opportunities—and the chance to get hurt again.

3. Happy people know sadness is temporary. 

Viewing the snowstorms—and occasional blizzards—that we all go through in life as showers before the sun shines is a must. Yoga teaches us balance. Call it yin and yang, light and dark, because whatever you choose the meaning is the same. Unfortunately, we all have to experience negativity in life. How you deal with it is where the true challenge lies.

4. Happy people choose to be happy. 

Here’s another thing my physical yoga practice teaches me—how I react to stress on my mat is a choice. I can be angry and frustrated or I can choose to lighten up and take it one breath at a time. Sometimes that’s all you can do in life off of your mat as well—smile, breathe and choose to see the world as a generally good place that occasionally flat-out stinks.

5. Happy people fake it. 

When I was waitressing, I had to put on a smile and be kind even if I just had a terrible fight or some other personal distress in my life. The way I looked at it was that for all I know, this could be someone’s special anniversary or birthday and who am I to spoil it when my job is to bring these people food and a good experience? That carried over into the realization that misery doesn’t have to love company, and that sometimes simply pretending to be happy makes you feel better. I’m not suggesting that you hide your feelings—I’m big on communication and sharing. What I am suggesting is simple—sometimes you have to fake it to make it.

Happiness doesn’t have to be some pie-in-the-sky dream that we only see in movies, but the thing is that we often have to work at it. We see these happy, successful people and assume that they are “born that way” or “lucky.” The reality, though, is that like most wonderful things in life, happiness is mindset that for many of us takes—wait for it—practice. Learning that we have the ability, more often than not, to deal with a situation in more than one way is liberating because it gives us some semblance of control over things that we have no control over. So when life hands you lemons, try making some kick-butt limoncello—and try choosing to be happy during the process. I think that’s step one.

And to finish off such a positive photo I'm sharing some of my favourite finds this week:

A friend posted a photo of these uber cute pups on Facebook and it just made my day.

Do you Chaturanga? I found this photo of me doing a side plank in yoga class last year and I find it so hilarious that I have to share it here. I look more like I was striking a side prawn pose. Yes, yoga makes me happy regardless how uncoordinated and silly I look when I am doing it. It calms my mind and body after a long day at work and amuse myself with the poses that I struggle and finally able to do it and most of all it allows give me 'me' time to just breathe deep and long to clear my mind. If you have not tried it out, there are free classes every Wednesday  evening at Lululemon Stores in Britomart and Ponsonby and you don't have to purchase or bring anything. Just pop over for a 60 minutes relaxation after work/study and you will love it. Again, I am not associated with Lululemon or benefited in any monetary ways. I just love the free yoga classes and their high quality clothing.

Are you running/ cycling/ swimming/ yoga-ing over the weekend?

Wearing pyjamas till mid noon on Sundays - love it or hate it?

Do you treat yourself on the weekend for your hardwork? What is it?

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Steamboat dinner @ Golden Steamboat, Dominion Road

I went out for my Sunday long run in the cold blustery weather. And true to popular belief, it starts raining 5 minutes after you start and ends 5 minutes before you finish. I was a bit lucky because it was just drizzles but it was so cold and tiring to breathe in cold dry air. But I was pleasantly rewarded with the newly bloomed cherry blossom trees that lines part of my route. They are so pretty and I can't resist taking a photo. Can't wait for next week's run because I think there will be more flowers on these trees. 

I always treat myself to a good lunch/ dinner after a long run. It's my way of motivating myself to tell myself that I deserve a big meal if I've done the running. Which kinda explains why I am still so far away from achieving Jillian Michael's fab ab. Bet she only feed on protein shakes, lean meat and salads. It was a very cold spring night and I was craving for spicy hot soup so we decided on going to Golden Steamboat on Dominion Rd. It's just a few doors away from the very busy New Flavours. I have given up on going there before 10pm on weekends. Golden steamboat is upstairs of Love A Duck and it was really nice and quiet.

The restaurant is very clean and tidy. Good first impression.Every table has its own trolley to hold the food and tissues. Our waitress was very friendly and explained all the specials in the house and helped us choose our soup base. If you've never tried steamboat before you should. You choose a soup base and then the meats, seafood, vege and  condiments that you like. The menu is extensive

so there would be something for everyone. Steamboat is very popular during the cooler months and it's awesome when you can't decide what to eat but also good during summer because the heavy sweating will help cool you down. 

We ordered a half and half of fish soup and medium spicy. Both are very delicious. I prefer the spicy soup because it's so addictive. It looked very oily but once it starts boiling, the oil gets 'pushed' to the side of the pot and it's a lot better. I would order mild the next time. I can eat quite hot but the medium hot here gets a bit much halfway through the meal.

 I forgot to take the photo of our dried tofu salad and peanut and celery salad because they look so yummy. We have also ordered the house specialty sauce made with minced pork which is quite oily but we just scoop out the mince and it was really tasty albeit a little oily but you only need a small amount to flavour your food.

Our waitress recommended their gold kiwifruit juice which was really good to wash down the spicy food . A jug is only $6 ! What a steal considering the amount of work to skin all the prickly kiwifruit skin.

We paid $55 for two of us and we were really full and happy. We will definitely come back if we have a craving for a hot steamboat meal again. But next time we will come with friends so that we won't be so full and it's always fun to have steamboat with more people because it's a very interactive style of eating.



Golden Steamboat
551 Dominion Road (upstairs)
09-6388268

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Easy Pandan Chiffon Cake

I love Pandan Chiffon cakes and I could eat them any time because they are so light and fluffy. I have never really desired to bake one because I can get them easily from a local Asian bakery but I found a recipe from Christine's Easy Chinese Recipe and it sounded easy enough and I have all the ingredients in my cupboard so I might as well give it a try. 

Christine's recipe calls for a 20cm angel cake pan but mine was 25cm and it came out a little flatter than hers but it was moist and good. The next time I will increase the eggs to 8 instead of 5 so that it will rise higher. I also did not make my own pandan juice as I have done this before and the results were not great and it's easier and better to use pandan paste. Also I have used lemon juice to substitute cream of tartar because I didn't have any.

The cake came out to be very light and not overly sweet, truly happy with the results and I will be making this more often in summer in other flavours : vanilla, lemon, orange. And I will also use more eggs because my cake pan is bigger than what was used in this recipe.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Bake time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients of batter:

• 5 egg yolks
• 20 gm caster sugar
• 100 gm cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100 ml coconut milk
• a few drops pandan essence/pandan paste, optional
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp of pandan paste

Ingredients of egg whites: 

• 5 egg whites
• 60 gm caster sugar 
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Below is the method copied from Christine's blog

• Preheat oven to 170C (338F).
• Beat the egg yolks with a balloon whisk and mix in 20 grams of sugar. Add coconut milk, pandan juice, and a few drops of pandan paste (if desired). Combine well.
• Sift in cake flour and baking powder in three batches into the egg yolk mixture. Mix well. Lastly, add olive oil. Set aside.
• Use a large clean bowl, making sure there’s no water or oil in it. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until bubbles form. Add the cream of tartar. After mixing well, add the 60 grams of sugar in three batches, about one-third at a time, and beat well between additions. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. (Note: please refer to this video “How To Beat Egg Whites”.)
• Spoon out 1/3 of the beaten egg whites and fold into the egg mixture. Lightly fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites with a spatula, until just combined. (Note: please refer to this video "How To Fold-in Egg Whites.)
• Pour into the cake pan and bake in preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. After baking the first 15 minutes, if you find your cake gets browning, reduce heat to 150C（302F）, continue to bake until cooked through. A needle comes out clean when inserted in the middle. 
• Remove cake from the oven. invert the pan immediately. Allow it to cool completely.

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Positively Random Friday

I used to do Positively Friday posts but decided that I should revamp it a little and make it "Positively Random Friday" post. Lets be honest, Friday is the day that you just want to finish work early and enjoy the well-deserved weekend. To celebrate a hard-earned Friday I am going to share some light-hearted randomness with all of you who care to read and maybe have a good laugh at my randomness.

On running - I have a sore ITB after going hard out on the treadmill during an interval training session. That was followed by a hard Tempo run session and of course it's not a surprise that my ITB is not happy. I think I was trying to run down a hill faster than I normally would and it's just a nice cocktail to make me start limping around this week. Therefore I was reduced to spinning on the bike instead of running on a treadmill last night. This is followed by lots of foam rolling to help stretch out the ITB. Just hoping that it will be ok again for me to run on tomorrow. Also, I have finally bought myself a Garmin 410. I have only used it for one run so far but will do a review soon. My current favorite track when I run is Dog Days Are Over from Florence + The Machine. I love this song so when I run. I love the this part the most :

"Run fast for your mother and fast for your father

Run for your children for your sisters and brothers

Leave all your love and your longing behind you

Can't carry love with you if you want to survive."

One other thing I love this week on the blogosphere is this photo from one of my favourite blogger Jenn of Runitmyway. She'd just completed her first ever marathon and she had scribbled this on her hand on race day. I just love it. It's so non-tacky but motivating. I plan to do the same for my next half marathon in October( I know I am so original).

Source: runitmyway.blogspot.co.nz via Penny on Pinterest

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So you think you can run??

Every Sunday when I go out for my routine long run I ask my legs and lungs if they want to be faster. Sometimes I have a mind chatter during my training and asks if my mind thinks it can run faster and stronger. The mind needs to work with my body and vice versa but even on days that my legs are weak and fatigue, my mind seems to be able to tell the legs off and get them to run a little faster. But not the other way around. My mind is the boss. If the boss doesn't want to run, no matter how strong my body feels it will not run. It's like a control room. A lot of people say that running is 50/50  mind and body but I believe mine is more like 65/30/5 mind, body and environment. I have wanted to achieve a 2:15 PB half marathon 2 weeks ago but I just didn't have the mind power. On race day, my body was able and ready but somehow I got too distracted and not being focussed. On the other hand I was rather confident that I will be able to finish it without too much struggle because my training has been going rather well this year without any major injuries. I believed that my cardiovascular fitness was up to the task but I was wrong. I was struggling after 14km and when 18km came I just threw in the towel and just finish the race for the sake of finishing it. Not good. I have never felt that way in a race before. 

There's no point to cry over spilt milk and I just need to do better in less than 8 weeks.If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will realise that I have been training under the FRST programme, although not religiously. There are some days that I just couldn't cope with the intensity of the programme and I have to accept what I can get. I have less than 8 weeks to go until the Auckland Marathon which is the main event for me. I really, really want to achieve 2:10 and beyond. 

I did a calculation and it said that I have to run an  average of 6:10 min/km to achieve my goal which is quite ambitious because it means I have to run an average of 39 sec/km faster. I think it's going to be challenging but not impossible. I just have to try harder.

                 

Goal: 21.1 km in 2:10:00 9:55 min/mile (6:10 min/km)
SPLIT	ELAPSED TIME
1 km	6:10
2 km	12:19
3 km	18:29
4 km	24:39
5 km	30:48
6 km	36:58
7 km	43:08
8 km	49:17
9 km	55:27
10 km	1:01:37
11 km	1:07:46
12 km	1:13:56
13 km	1:20:06
14 km	1:26:15
15 km	1:32:25
16 km	1:38:35
17 km	1:44:44
18 km	1:50:54
19 km	1:57:04
20 km	2:03:13
21 km	2:09:23
21.1 km	2:10:00

I also need to work harder on my mental strength - to face adversity during a race to not panic when I feel pain or keeping myself motivated when I realise I am not going to reach my goal time.

When I feel deflated I try to picture Jillian Michaels yelling "When you think you don't have it, you have to dig deeper!!". But I think that trick is wearing off on me now. I need something else.

What do you tell yourself when you are in pain during a race or training run? 

How do you motivate yourself to keep pushing when you know that you won't reach your target time?

How do you keep your focus during a race or bad training day ?

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Brunch at Laundreth and Co. Ponsonby

It's been a while since I posted a food review here and guess it's time to do so now. Last week I rewarded myself to a nice brunch after braving the rain for a 16k run. It's one of those days that I have there needs to be a carrot dangling over my head to keep me running. That carrot was a brunch at Laundreth. It used to be a small treat from Lululemon but my last trip costs $400 so I won't be treating myself much very soon. It was difficult though because Laundreth is just across the road from Lululemon and I can hear the new brightly colored swiftlys calling my name, yearning to be tried on and go home with me. But I was strong and resisted. Actually it was pouring when I got outside and just jumped into the car instead of walking across to LL.

Laundreth is really cosy and warm with comfortable seating plan. The coffee was nice and strong and service was prompt. I ordered truffled eggs and it was really good. Not greasy and every component on my plate was so fresh and tasty.

I ordered the Truffled Eggs with tomatoes, mushroom and some greens. The eggs were brilliant and everything tasted very good and it's not greasy which is an added bonus!

Hubs ordered Fish Croquette Nicoise and the portion is rather large. He loved the crunchy beans and the freshness of all the components.

Overall it was a good brunch on a blustery day with prompt service and comfortable seating. A little complaint was when I went to pay the bill with my Grabone voucher the guy at the cashier uddenly became a little unhappy that I wasn't paying full price for my meal. That kinda ruined the experience for me. Would I come back? Possibly because to be fair, I enjoyed the coffee and the food is pretty good but I definitely won't be a regular here. Reason? There are way too many good cafes in Auckland that serves ridiculously good coffees and food that comes with more character and super friendly staff i.e Revel Cafe on K'rd, Brick by Brick in Onehunga, Good One on Douglas St, Little & Friday in Newmarket and the list goes on.

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Race Recap: North Shore Half Marathon 2012

This was my first half marathon for the year and second race overall. I have been training with with FRST program for about 10 weeks now and so far my running has improved, I feel better and it doesn't hurt as much as it used to but I am just not getting much faster. My main event this year is the Adidas Auckland Half Marathon in October and this race would be good to let me know what my weaknesses are. So many that I really hope to have enough perseverance to improve before the next race.

 My race day outfit : Lululemon shorts and my favourite Under Armour shirt. The bib is printed with my name, how grand it that?

I had more sleep than I thought I would get the night before and not as nervous as I thought I'd be. The race starts only at 8.20am and it was easy to find free parking around the corner. If only all races are like this one.  Perfect weather condition with no headwind and great sunshine. The entire route was stunning although I was busy being focussed running with as much ease as I possibly can.

1-5km:

During the countdown, I try starting my Runmeter. It crashed. I restarted my iphone and retry. It crashed again and this is the latest version of Runmeter. I am going to order my Garmin this week and not let this happen again. Luckily, I borrowed an old Polar from S and used it to track for time.

We took off on the beach and ran the 1st km on Takapuna beach. This is much better than last year's route where the last 1 km is a dash on the beach.
My game plan was to take it easy for the first 10km and run at a rather comfortable pace. I ran with a friend who was a stronger runner but I was able to keep up the pace. There was lady who ran in front of us and we used her as our pacesetter because she was very well paced and at a level where we felt comfortable with. Got a quick sip of water at 4.5km. Next time I shall bring my own water because it's more convenient. We didn't chat much on the course as we'd normally do as we were just focused on keeping our tanks full as long as we can.

6-10km:

This is the tough bit, going up North Head starting with a small dash on the beach and then 1km of mostly hill. Coming down and out of North Head was the best bit. The view was stunning but I was too focused on not stopping at all. A little bit of run down the hill which was really nice as my hammies were starting to sting. Had a bit of drink at 9.1km and then slowed down to pull out my iphone for some music. This was such a bad move. I dropped back from my friend and then I can never catch up to her. Sucks. I should have just focus on running with her.

10-15km:

It started to go downhill from here. I was aiming to run the whole course but I couldn't manage it and had a few quick 20sec stops to walk.I was so thirsty and there were mileage markers are all over the place. There are a few signages and the rest are just sprayed on the ground. Since I do not have my Runmeter going I can't tell how far I've gone. I became more dehydrated and hammies are stinging more by now. Finally at 14.1 km there is a water station and I took only 1 small cup of water and keep running. My mind was blank I can't think of anything to keep me focused. My mind is all over the place. The familiar runners who started with me are nowhere to be seen. This is bad for anyone in a race. You always want to stay with the pack. At least that gives you a point of focus.


16-20km:

By now I was walking a lot more often than I did before. Feet was starting to burn as it was so hot and it didn't help that I have sand inside my socks. I start to lose focus because I don't know how much more to go after I saw the 17km mark. I was so thirsty and my throat is really dry. I keep telling myself that I only have 1km to go. I try to picture Jillian Michaels screaming "You can't stop now!!" next to my face to keep me going. My right starts to buckle in the last 500m. Awesome.
When I reach to finish line I was so happy that it's over. The clock says I did 2:25, not great but I am always happy that I finish. I wanted to do 2:15 so bad but I had to accept that I didn't. I've learnt that I need to be more focused in my next race. I have to stop being distracted by gadgets that didn't work when you need them to. I learnt that I should stop letting Runmeter ruin my run again and buy a Garmin asap. Lastly, I've learnt that I need to train harder and stop letting pain get into my head.

Overall it was a very good event, lots of support from the crowd and the run marshals, the weather was perfect and a little boy hi-five me on my first km which brought a huge smile to my face. I still have about 8 weeks to the more important race which is the Adidas Half Marathon and I hope that I will learn from all my mistakes and run a better race in 8 weeks.

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Running with Compressport Calf Sleeves

I have been reading a lot of bloggers favouring the calf sleeves and finally decided to get a pair for myself after reading mixed reviews. Some swears by it and some think it makes no difference so I thought I'd give it a try anyway.I bought a pair of Compressport calf sleeves on Wiggle.co.uk since they received a lot of great reviews. Many were saying that these are much more comfortable than 2XU so I gave it a try. It arrived in the mail on Thursday and I  gave it a test run  when Iwent out for a quick run of 10km on Sunday. They are not cheap and cost approx USD 45. I slip it on and it felt pretty snug but not too snug that it bothers me. There were so many colours to choose from but I went for black because it will look clean longer!

Although I have only used them once but I have to say it was pretty comfortable. I like the grey bits where it stays on well but not leaving marks and cutting off blood supply to my legs. I can feel that I am wearing them when I run but it wasn't restricting or uncomfortable. It's very breathable and gave my calves a little support and I am pretty happy. 10km for the first try, I think that's a pretty good amount of time to test it out. I like the length too. It's not too long for my 5'1 frame. I was worried that it would go up to my knees. I am thinking of wearing them on Sunday for my first half marathon race of the year. Excited!!

After the run, S and I went over to Pah Homestead in Monte Cecilia Park,Hillsborough. It's crazily beautiful and relatively unknown. The homestead was built in the 19th century and houses an art gallery and a cafe. It's just 5 minutes drive for us and we are so coming back for regular cuppa.You can sit on the veranda and soak in the beautiful views of the Manukau  Harbour.

We got a table on the veranda and soak in the beautiful views and weather. It's a great place to relax and feel revived by the surroundings and forget that you are in busy central Auckland.

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I've been tagged :11 Shades of Randomness

I'm so honoured to be tagged by Jen from Run It My Way because I've been reading her blog since months and it's one of my favourite running blog. When I found out this morning that I have been tagged by her to list 11 random things about me, I was ecstatic. I hope that I still come across as "normal" after you've finished reading my random 11.


1. At 32 I still can't ride a bicycle and my husband is a very strong cyclist. I have always wanted to learn how to but never got past my shyness of falling off a bike and we don't have a backyard for me to learn. My goal is to borrow an old disowned bicycle from a 10 year old daughter of my colleague and learn how to ride.

2. I have always been a couch potato until 4 years ago when I quit smoking because I just don't want to any more. Before that, I could barely walk 100m uphill without feeling dizzy and sick.

3. My all time favourite sitcom is FRIENDS and I have watched it so many times that I can almost   remember the lines from every episode. My favourite character is Ross.

4.I didn't speak much English (and not much of anything) until I went to primary school at 7 in Kuala Lumpur and it has since become my first language. I just didn't like talking when I was very young but became a motormouth after primary school.

5. I am utterly uncoordinated and have given up on going to STEP classes because my feet can agree on what to do.

6. I love spring and winter and hate days that are above 20 degree celsius . Summer is the worst time to run for me and I usually take January off running because it's the hottest month in Auckland.
 

My 'First Aid" cap

7. On race day, I love to tape blister pack, nurofen and plasters under my cap for emergency. If you are need a plaster on race day, flag me down!

8. I love painting my nails and love to have my nails painted the night before my long run so I can stare at my nails when I run. They also give me great motivation when I do push-ups because I am too busy staring at the colour and not realise how gruelling it gets. Win-win.

9. I have Ailurophobia - a persistent and irrational fear of cats. I don't know the exact cause of this but I found out in my teens that I have a fear for this tiny harmless animal. I am not afraid that it will hurt me but just the sheer thought of the fur and long tail scares me and sometimes I can't even look at a photo of a toby cat (tobies are my most feared cat).

10. I love dogs, a lot. The best part of my Sunday run is running through a popular park where I get to see lots of dogs and it makes my day.

11. I eat too much cheese and there's no cure and I am happy with that.


Hmm...I'm beginning to understand myself more after finishing this post. If I need a flatmate someday I will reuse these questions. If you think you had enough of me, not yet.

Here's my answers to Jen's questions:

1. What is the one race/ athletic event you would most like to do? (cost, travel and logistics aren't factors!)  Disney Princess Half Marathon. And if ability is not a factor either it would be a triathlon.

2. What food tempts you most when you're trying to eat healthy? Ice-cream and french fries. Always.

3.Biggest pet peeve at the gym or races? Equipment hoggers who holds you up using a machine because they are busy facebooking or tweeting.

4.Running skirts. Love 'em or leave 'em? Haven't worn one before but I could imagine liking it.

5.What are your thoughts on makeup at the gym? As long as it doesn't melt and no one is wearing fake lashes it's okay.

6. What blog post that you've read in the past week week or so that has inspired you? I have not come across a significant in the last week but have come across many outstanding motivational posts in the past.

7.  3 things you cannot live without? Sleep, husband, internet.

8. Do you have a post race tradition? Eat a big calorific meal that I wouldn't normally allow myself   to.

9. Do you spend more on work attire or athletic attire? I don't have specific work attire so I have to say street attire.But the gap between athletic and work attire spending is closing.

10. What's the best costume you have worn or seen another runner wear at a race? Not sure it was the best, but definitely most uncomfortable was a man dressed as Darth Vader to run a marathon! For myself, it's being dressed as a Santa for a Santa Run.

I wonder if the lobster will stay put if I go race in this headgear 

11. What's the best running book you've ever read? Hmm.. I have only read 2 so far and it's not a fair comparison - Run Less Run Faster and  The Runner's Body.

I'm tagging the following bloggers because they have been inspirational to my running:

1.Emz from If I can't convince you at least I can confuse you 

2.Katie from Msfitrunner

3.Alli from See Alli Run

4.Becky from Run Fun Done

5. Susan from Nurse On The Run

6. Janae from Hungry Runner Girl

7. Julie from ROJ Running

8. Whitney from Live Run Love Yoga

9. Sarah from Once Upon A Lime 

10. Christy from My Dirt Road Anthem

11. Rachel from Running Rachel


Your questions are:

1. Jogging on the spot at the red lights - good or pathetic?

2. What is your best running moment?

3.What gets you into blogging? Do you get inspired to run more by other bloggers?

4. What is your favourite running blog and why?

5.What do you carry on you when you run?

6. If time is not an issue,would you prefer to run in hot or cold weather? Rain or shine? Day or

7. What is your favourite dessert?

8. What are your short-term running goals?

9. How do you reward yourself after a long hard run?

10. Do you try to eat healthy most of the week and how do you do it?

11. Name one really good movie you have watched recently and why?

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Overdose of London 2012 and the best moments so far

Thank goodness that the Olympics happens only once in every 4 years because it's so intense. I have been watching almost everything - athletics, swimming,diving, rowing, badminton, heptathlon, marathon, triathlon, gymnastics, weightlifting,track cycling and the list goes on. My favourite event so far? The men's badminton singles final between Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia and Lin Dan from China. It was a spectacular nail-biting and adrenalin-pumping affair down the the very last second when the winner emerges! Such a good fight between two of the world's best players. I was so looking forward to Lee Chong Wei to win the first gold medal for Malaysia but Lin Dan was such a strong opponent and both played their best game for the night. A little disappointed that Lee didn't win but it was such an awesome game and for that, it was a gold medal performance.

      

I will  use this post a a log book of all the London Olympic 2012 events that was very memorable so far and this is most epic with the QE2 and James Bond. The Queen was such a good sport and this will always be remembered for many years to come.

Then there's the Women's Marathon where Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova made a dashing final bid to win the bronze medal and was the only non African runner in the top 5.

 One of the many highlights of London 2012 was if Usain Bolt can retain his "Fastest man in the world" title after some rough patches and with many critics saying that Yohan Blake will take over his title. Lightning Bolt defended his title fiercely and let his critics know he is still the fastest the world has seen at 9.63 seconds! Blink and you'll miss him in action. Seriously.

 Jessica Ennis- the British golden girl with a smile that melts your heart and a stellar performance to take home the gold medal in heptathlon. She is such a joy to watch; fast, strong, talented and can't look happier doing what she does. Such a sweetheart and I am looking forward to watch her in
 Rio 2016.
 

The most heart-warming moment so far was the Men's 400m final with the much anticipated run by South African "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius because he had made history becoming the first double amputee to compete. No one has looked so happy coming in last but you can see the satisfaction and pride in his face to have beaten the odds and made it to the finals.The cherry on the cake moment was when winner Kirani James approached Pistorius to swap name tags. It was just a brief moment to remember what sports is all about.

Have you been watching much of London 2012?

What is your favourite moment so far?

Who are you looking forward to watch in Rio 2016?

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Positivity Friday & Jalapeno Mexican Grill on O'Connell St

All the running and extra spinning sessions that I have been doing these days call for a carbo loading and I had this huge craving for mexican food the other day and headed down to Jalapeno Mexican Grill on O'Connor Street. The food are cheap and cheerful and the choices are pretty good.

                                   

I love how creative they are with the bar space.

Here is my share of great finds to share for a positive Friday! Have a good weekend everyone !

Source: shes-fine.tumblr.com via Korina on Pinterest

Source: en.fishki.net via Henry on Pinterest

Source: cook-pray-love.com via Penny on Pinterest

Source: fitisthenewbeautiful.tumblr.com via Shiree on Pinterest

Source: fitnessandfaithfulness.tumblr.com via Shiree on Pinterest

What are your running plans for the week? 

What motivates you to go for your long weekend run??

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Runmeter GPS craziness

Of late, I am really getting tired of Runmeter because the GPS has been so unreliable and although I like the results on the screen of my iphone I have serious doubts that I ran that pace. Someone else may, but not me, not yet. After 2 upgrades Runmeter still can't get it right and it's getting very frustrating because on some days it really kills your enthusiasm. After pounding the streets for 2 hours on a dreadful wet day, all you hear is " Average Pace- 12:00/km". It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it's not accurate. 12 minutes per km is walking pace. 

As part of my training program, I have to do two non-weight bearing cardio sessions to complement my running and have been enjoy them quite a bit. There a couple of easy sessions on the bike where I can read while waiting for my alarm to tick off after 30 minutes. Keeping myself on the stationary bike for more than 15 minutes is very ambitious feat. I get really bored unless I am in a spin class or someone starts pedalling competitively next to me. I am reading the Runner's Body now and it's a very good read to understand how each part of your body works together to generate the running motion. Yeah, that's my layman's term. If you are into the scientific terms, go grab one and it's a really interesting read. It makes think of all the blood cells making its rounds in your body etc.

I am really digging these Wattbikes they have at the gym now. It's a lot tougher than a spinning bike as it's got quite a bit of resistance.The harder you pedal, the harder it gets and you can really work out some sweat here. I am close to my 8th week of FIRST training program and I can really feel that I am getting fitter and legs are getting stronger by the week. These are all good signs because I can push myself a little harder each week. In terms of speed, I am not so sure if I am faster. I presume I am because of my overall improved cardio fitness but I am keen to find out when I run my first half marathon end of this month. It will give me a snapshot of my overall performance and improvement. The most significant change is that my legs especially my knees are not as often sore as they were last year. Really looking forward to the half marathon race to see how far I have come.

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