Updates!!!!

Remember I mentioned the 77km I was suppose to run on Saturday night?

Erm....only made 45km.

Long story.

(actually not really...I was in pain and just shit tired)

Ok...enough with updates.

Later!!!!

Pre-ultra training carbo-loading brunch

It's good to be sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

Gosh....I've not been doing this whole sleeping in business for so long that I forgot how cool it could be!!!

So I'm thankful that I'm scheduled for ultra training of 77km later this evening, so that I could re-experience the whole sleeping-in "phenomenon"!

But of course by 8am, I was wide awake...toss and turned until 8.30am...and decided it was a great time to hop out of bed and slather on hair mask for the sorry excuse of a mane on my scalp, while waiting for brunch appointment.

I was rather restless this morning as I didn't get my weekly fix of Saturday mid-long run.

Anyway.....photo-log of carbo-loading session brunch, pre-77km:

* Brunch at Bad Ass Coffee in Tropicana City Mall.

* Went there with KD once many moons back. I remembered they have pretty decent coffee and beef burger!!!

* Initially it was a get-together of me and KD, then cousin tagged along...then roped in Cynthia and Alexis, and then suddenly Carrie and Dannie called for brunch....

Turned out to be quite a bit of a gathering of runners (minus cousin).

* Foot long croissant hotdog. Would have worked better with some melted cheese oozing out of it. For those observing, I shared two dishes with KD to get a better culinary experience (contrary to popular belief, I do not have 4 stomachs like a cow therefore cannot stomach 2 dishes at one sitting).

* I LOVE this Hawaiian burger. Succulent beef...YUM!!!

Don't ask me how I survived 10 years as a vegetarian previously. I just realized I'm 1 year and 3 months back on the 'Omnivore's Dilemma' (kudos if you've read that book. It was an AWESOME read, by the way).

* All the way from Klang, mind you. Runners make good friends!!!

* Cousin, a non-runner, listening intently (or pretending really hard to not look bored) as we went on and on about our excitement in our upcoming races. Cynthia next to cousin, still glowing of Khon Kaen post-marathon.

* We finished up with brunch and then decided it was a good time for lunch and popped over to the next door (literally) kiosk and had these.....

* Technically I only had the above Tiramisu (not bad at all!!!) while the others had the rest.

* I hope someone remembers as NEXT year's birthday month, I'd LOVE to have this cake!!!!

Who says I have to grow up when I approach 3-0!?

I hope I'm fully pumped up in adrenaline and ready to hit the 11km route-loop in Putrajaya.

And gosh I hope it would be a good route.....7 times around it could drive a pretty much sane person into the abyss of insanity.

.....of course one can argue the abyss is pretty much home for people who run ultras!

Later!!!!

Fess up, it's Friday!

Let's see.....

I confess....that I only had 1 run so far for this week.

Yesterday.....

Measly 5km.....

Not feeling it at all.....

Post-call, lost wallet (let's not talk about it), sleep deprived.....

Yup, not feeling the "groove" at all!!!

I also confess.....that I've been a big fan of McDs this week thus far.

HUGE HUGE FAN!!!!

Like a fanatic groupie sorta HUGE FAN!!!!!!

I prefer not to think of my impending "diet" post CNY-hols.

More of "carbo-loading" for this Saturday's Twilight Challange at Putrajaya.

Yup.....attempting to complete (run/walk/crawl if need be) 77km within stipulated time.

In fact, I don't really know how long I have to complete this 77km.

Thankfully Terence and Maybel are picking me up for the run this Saturday evening.

At least that way I don't have to worry about crampy right leg not being able to lift itself off the accelerator!!!!

Nobody wants a dented car for CNY.

I also MUST confess.....that I'm attempting orthopedic suicide by wearing VFF for the 77km.

I know....quick talk me out of it!!!

My brain has given up on me due to the overwhelming stupidity and my heart (which has taken over control) has decided it would be a GREAT idea to "barefoot" it all the way!!

But on the good side, Mo-maniac and Amelia too think it would be a BRILLIANT idea!!!

Well...I'm not sure if stupidity is gaining popularity these days that it is becoming the new 'smart'.....or misery absolutely adores company.

But whatever it is...I'm really looking forward to the 77km tomorrow.

No.Really. I'm not joking.

REALLY!!!

Why does everything I say has to have second meaning?!

Seriously, y'guys!!!!

Argh...whatever....

Later!!!!

Hopefully another year wiser......

Inching ever so nearer to the big 3-0.

Surprisingly not too worried or anxious like I was when approaching 26....(I had early-life crisis, y'see)

Anyway....another self-congratulatory sort of blog post on my 29th birthday!!!

Here's to (hopefully) another year of personal bests in timing, distances and everything in between of running and my mundane life of an (still) institutionalized medical doctor.

Oh...and hopefully a wee bit wiser....although I reckon that if I was any wiser, I wouldn't commit myself into signing up any more ultras. So maybe it's not too good to be that wise of a person in that sense.

Anyway....photo-log over the past few days:

* AP and I sporting the same outfit on last Sunday's run.

I'm hoping to make her a skirt-convert!

* Us messing around, taking photos, stealing Milos and what nots when we gate-crashed the Cross Country Run last Sunday.

* Dinner with mom at this restaurant we stumbled upon by accident.

* It's called Rosemary Bites.....

* ......and it's....alright. Edible.

* Dessert with Sumeet and bitching about psychiatry.....Ok, I was the one doing the bitching. She LOVES psychiatry too much to have anything bad to say about it.

* Brownie with ice cream at Delicious @ Bangsar.

* Birthday lunch with Maybel and Winnie at Jogoya @ Starhill.

* Lunch with personal photog to capture the moments....good deal rite?

* I LOVE ice cream......I LOVE LOVE LOVE Haagen Daaz ice cream!!!!

* My favourite flavour of ice cream...GREEN TEA!

* Post-swim meal of shaved ice Taiwanese dessert at Snowflake @ Subang.

* ....the usual suspects.....

I am cutting down on the running this whole week as a prep to this coming Saturday's ultra trial at Twilight Run in Putrajaya.

I'm hoping to complete 77km.....or at least keep going until my legs goes on a mutiny against me.

And I'll start my diet after CNY. Hopefully.

Later!!!

New personal milestone!

......I've finally broke through the 30km mark in my Vibram KSO.

Yes folks...I've finally.....after taking into consideration the pain (yes, I do enjoy that sometimes as well....masochistic little ol' me)...... run 31km in those KSO of mine.

SGD10 well spent!!! (do refer back to November 2010 posts)

(big pat on the back....and if I could bend down and miss my feet, I so would.....unfortunately I ain't that limber)

Actually I didn't head out to break my 21km-longest-distance-in-VFF-barrier.

I thought we were just gonna be doing a 20km-ish run this morning.

Came an hour earlier to run loops around the bird park and racked up 7.5km, then Terence was suggesting a 10km loop....and perhaps head back to do more lulling loops around the bird park.

I mean...who doesn't like running around a 2.5km circle, with the sounds of bird calling and the smell of avian excretion accompanying you most of the loop?

Dannie and Carrie suggested to run to Solaris, picked up a Gatorade from a 7-11, then head back.

Alexis suggested to head to Solaris and then.....to Hartamas and then head back...

Of course we're all for the increasing distance.

When we got back to the carpark, the Garmin only registered 28-ish km.

So might as well just loop the bird park and make it 30km-ish!!!!

The VFF held on pretty well....until after 16km......then the pain at the left ankle/arch area became a little bit more prominent, thus grabbing a huge portion of my attention. But I already came this far by then. Once the onset of pain starts, I start running slower.

However, I realized that walking only makes the pain worse. So by default, I had to run slowly.

Actually VERY slowly.

Yes I know it quite defeats the point of switching to "barefoot" mode if it makes you run slower but again I INSIST it is all for personal satisfaction.

Besides, I am training my ultramarathon pace.....(yea yea, stop rolling those eyes of yours!)

I still think running uphill in VFF is a lot easier than running downhill. Or perhaps that's my squashed up Morton's toe talking.

Anyway....photo-log from last Sunday's runners-get-together-post-run-breakfast:

* Terence making another one of those general announcements, welcoming runners to the "party".

* Winnie dragged her personal photog very early from bed just for this occasion.

* Elaine came despite being ill and with hoarse voice.

* Karen made her vodka cake!!!

* Mmhhyummmhmmm....

* Mr Wan and his teh-tarik.

* With Winnie...

* The super fast people.....Karen, Yip and Frank.

* Karen, Mo-maniac, yours truly, Dannie and Carrie, Powered-by-Jesus, and Alexis in the front.

* Highlight was Terence cutting open a watermelon....

* Me and my equally insane (if not more!!) "brother".

* The return of the bald runners....

* Alexis telling me that we have two more loops around the bird park to go post-breakfast!!!

Let's hope tomorrow I'll pull in a minimum of 25km...in VFF, no less.

Later!!!