Collection

With four months of training, I realized that I have slowly accumulated stuff without intending to do so.

Im a big fan of Decathlon because of their cheap items.  I realized that most of my branded stuff are actually gifts hehe

This is a Christmas gift from my sister.  I saw it on a mannequin here.

This is my first semi-compression tights.  I also got it as a Christmas gift from my sister who is always so excited about our sporty pursuits. Aside frot the shiny material, I LOVE everything about this tights.  The fit is flattering, the length is perfect for my height, and its wicking properties is amazing.  I can run under the heat but my legs would still feel dry and cold afterwards.

This is my first splurge for this run.  Given its popularity, I had high expectations but its results are underwhelming.  I had to return the first item that I got from the store because it had a hole in it. It wasnt a tear but a small area that was unsewn. The garter at the waist area is also tiny.  I read somewhere that a wide garter for the waist area is better because it can provide more support for the core.  And I dont know if it has sweat-wicking properties?  

Aaah, my ever-reliable stuff from Decathlon.  Knee support and compression  stuff for the calves.

And lastly, this tape.  I allowed myself to be salestalked.  The auntie in me feels like it is a more trendy version of Salonpas :)

Day 122: Race pack collection

This is the last Satuday that we're doing a long run. Whew. Although Im sure Im going to miss the route, and the routine. And the push from knowing that I have to train so that I can come out alive from what I expect is a gruelling race. 

So we did 10km. In 2 hours. Under the hot sun.  It was difficult! Not tiring difficult but it's-so-hot-and-the-sun-is-scorching-my-skin kind of difficult.

We had breakfast at Toast Box after.  M had fried bee hoon while I had laksa which was a product of a 10-minute deliberation on my part. To have or not to have.  In the end I gave in to my craving. Oh gosh, I miss laksa so much.  Food deprivation is really a killer.

It's also race pack collection day today!  The organizer's Facebook page said that last night, collection had a 90-minute waiting time.  We dont want to go through that so we decided to go in the morning, right in time after breakfast.  It took us about 15 mins (?) I think.

There were a lot of requests for t-shirt exchange.  Most were asking for a smaller size. Probably people have lost weight, and reduced inches, after training for the race :) (p.s. i learned from the FB comments that some people were given shirts that are one size bigger than they've requested for. M also had the same experience)

So these are the main stuff from the pack.  The bib, singlet, and the free polo tee. Im excited!

Day 116: The longest distance

Yesterday was supposed to be our longest run in the training plan we peaked early so we had ours 3 weeks ago.

Yesterday, we did 17.7km.  It was the first morning run again after 2 weeks of running at night due to 1) laziness, and 2) sore body parts that just keeps us glued to bed in the mornings.

The body really gets used to a habit.  It was just 2 weeks and I personally found it different.  I was sleepy while running.   I woke up at 4am because of random people shouting and fighting at dawn and didnt manage to go back to sleep again so essentially, I only had 4 hours of sleep the previous night.

On the way back, the right part of my right thigh started hurting so I switched to brisk walking.  I walked all the way back home.

The left knee still hurts but the upside this time is that, Ive already been introduced to the magic of ice compress so after running, I applied an ice pack on my thighs and it helped.  The knee doesnt hurt as much as it used to.

13 days to go!

Shakes

I've been trying out different shakes recently and happy at how easy they are made and how the tastes blend well.

Usually I freeze the fruits and cut them into small pieces before I throw them into the blender.  I then mix it with milk, spinach, water and a bit of honey.  If it's too thick, I add water and more ice.

This papaya, kiwi and spinach

Papaya, kiwi and spinach smoothie

Papaya, spinach and grapes smoothie

For a full meal, especially for breakfast, you can add oatmeal or yoghurt. It's advisable to soak the oatmeal in milk overnight so that it becomes soft when blending.

Day 109: Running from the East to the City Centre...and yes, another sore knee

This week, we had our trainings mostly at night.  It was because of early morning rainshowers.

Yesterday was our usual long run.  Since I had health screening in the morning, we had our run in the afternoon after plates of bihon, shanghai, baby back ribs and leche flan from D's birthday party.

We ran from D's place in the East towards East Coast Park and went all the way to Makansutra.  We didnt know the actual route, we just had estimates from Google maps.  We kind of expected that ECP is a long run and we were prepared for that. We werent in 'fully conditioned' though, probably from an incomplete and hasty pre-run stretching.  We could feel the stress in our knees in the first 5 kms.

After ECP, we followed the trail where people and cyclists go and inadvertently went through a park. When we saw a signboard that says Gardens by the Bay is just 2 kms, we couldnt believe our eyes.  We werent expecting that the Gardens was that close.  When we saw the entrance, we were ecstatic.  We were expecting that we will be in Makansutra in just a short run.  But when we were looking for our usual way, we couldnt see it.  We couldnt find the dome and the super trees.  We realized we were on the other side of the river! The other side which I thought was still part of Tanjong Rhu is apparently part of Gardens by the Bay East!  It was an amusing but painful realization because that means we still had to run a long stretch to get to the other side of the river.  So thats what we did. We ran and ran until we got to Marina Barrage and the Gardens by the Bay part that we know.

ECP to Makansutra

It was already 12 when we finished the entire route. We walked the last 4km of it because our legs and knees were giving up.  Makansutra was a welcome respite for drinks and short rest.

It's just 3 more weeks before the actual run!

Day 101 : The longest run

So today, we clocked in the longest distance that we have ran for this training.  My phone says it's 14.9km.  M's says it's 17km.  But regardless of what the phone says, today's training was the most intense.

So we ran our usual route - Home - Kallang River - F1 - Gardens by the Bay - Marina Barrange - MBS - OUE and this time, adding Boat Quay - back to Parliament House - ACM - Esplanade - Merlion and Back to the OUE side.  We did a bit of stretching before the drizzling became rainshowers.

Newater Day at the barrage. The government is on a massive campaign to educate people about the value of water and encourage water conservation

A church bell tolls in the middle of the CBD

We had breakfast at Lau Pa Sat before heading to Fitness First for the running workshop.

In the workshop, we learned where the knee pain comes from. Apparently, it's not the knee itself that has the problem but muscles below and above it causes it to ache.    And I learned that my toes tend to go outwards whenever I ran which may be a reason for my knee pains.  Misaligned nerves and muscles.  Post run stretches were also taught, which I think is helpful for reducing my post-run knee pain.

Anyway, I also have to say that even after the long run that we had, we still had to run on the threadmill.  That's additional 3km to what we did outside.  Insane.

The workshop is in FF so M and I took advantage of the services. We were there anyway.  And it was a big help since I was meeting my friends after that.  We went to the Sauna then transferred to the steam room which was heavenly.  If I am a FF member, I'd probably hang out in that room very often.

While walking from FF to the MRT station, we realized that we had been actively walking/running for 6 hours already and didnt feel exhausted at all.   It's amazing. It helps I guess that we started early and it was cloudy.  No hot and exhausting sun rays.

Friends from PAL and my stinky running singlet whose sweat wicking and fast drying properties amazed me. Imagine a soaked singlet drying after 30 minutes even after being left inside a cabinet in an airconditioned bathroom. Clothing technology people, hail!

For lunch, I wanted to eat healthy (I dont know why but after running and yoga, I usually crave for clean tasting food) but the Vietnamese place where we were supposed to go was no longer there so we went for Japanese instead. Now this is Japanese food so temptation for a bit of fat is very high.  I gave in.  I had ramen and Tonkatsu. I even wanted the fatty tonkatsu but was given a lean portion instead. Oh well.

Most number of steps.  Even I have to admit that this is pretty intense

And the longest distance that Ive conquered.  Friends from lunch were coaxing me to do a full marathon instead.  Let's see.  Doing 21 seems very difficult months ago but is pretty doable now.  Maybe it's going to be the same for a full marathon.

And this is what I had for dinner.

Palak paneer and Naan.  It would have been perfect with a cup of masala tea