Holiday Plans for 2005

Happy Deepavali and Happy Hari Raya to everyone.

There are two more events I am looking forward to before year 2005 ends. One is the Singapore Marathon (I am running the half). The second is my postponed holiday. I had initially planned to take a long holiday in May but had to postpone it to December 2005. December is a bad time to travel as many flights are fully booked but I will take a 2 weeks++ holiday in December. The only problem is I haven't decided where to go yet. A few places I am considering are:-

India : I have been to India 3 times. In fact, my first holiday overseas was to India when I was 25 years old. The best things about India is the diversity of cultures, people and sceneries. The worst thing is the hassles from many things such as touts, beggars etc. The northern part of India is quite cold in December.

Vietnam : I've been to Vietnam 3 times to many places from the South, Central and Northern Vietnam. Beautiful sceneries and there are still many unexplored places to visit.

China: I've been to China once. A huge and diverse country but the cities are too crowded and polluted. I found the people to be quite loud and rude.

Thailand: I've been there so many times and just about everywhere. One of the easiest country to travel in with very good long distance buses.

I will have to decide on my holiday destination during the Hari Raya holiday.

But the place I really want to go is so far away : Central America. The reason? I met an American guy in China a few years ago and he told me about the Mayan & Inca temples in Central America.

Five More Days

Thanks to everyone who had wished me Selamat Hari Raya.

Last week I actually ran quite often; 5 km on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Yesterday I only ran 2 km. Four days in one week, a record for me during the fasting month.

After checking this website, it is likely that Hari Raya will be on Friday. Another five days of fasting to go. I really miss doing the long runs. The shorter runs are just not satisfying for me. It's only after 40 minutes of continuous running (7 km +) that the "feel good" effects start to kick in. I have made plans to 3 long runs (12 km and 2 x 20 km) in November.

Come Hari Raya - I must discipline myself not to eat too much. I have already lost 2.5 kg over the past 25 days. I don't want to put it back in one month before the Singapore marathon.

Running on Empty

Yesterday I ran on the treadmill for the 2nd day in a row.

Usually I set the speed at 10.0 km/hr and run at comfortable pace. Yesterday I was curious on my fitnes level after fasting nearly one month , so I set a faster pace at 10.5 km/hr.

I was running OK for the first 3 km. The next 1 km was harder as the treadmill was automatically inclined up by 1 degree.

Then the last 1 km became much harder. I had to concentrate to keep going. The words "Focus, Focus..." ala what Mr Miyagi said to Daniel san in the Karate Kid movie appeared in my mind. I focused and kept going...I felt a little bit light headed.

At the end of 5 km, I felt empty inside, as though all energy have been drained out of my body. Fortunately after 5 minutes, I recovered.

Shoe Review : ASICS GT-2100

On Thursday, I finally exchanged the wrongly sized ASICS GT-2100 at the shop. On Saturday evening, I ran on the 400 m track at the Klang stadium wearing the coveted shoes. Here is my review of the shoe. For the record, I am 1.68 m (5 feet 6 incches) tall, 56 kg and a have slightly flat arches.

Fashion : Fashion is not very important for me but neverthless the shoes I bought was different from the usual dull and colourless ASICS shoes (blue and white). There is now a orange strip around the ankle slot. Adds a bit of colour and dash to the shoes. Quite a nice touch, I think.

Comfort and Ride: This shoes has the perfect balance of cushioning and stiffness. It is slighty harder than the ASICS Kayano XI but still gives a soft cushioned ride. The shoes also felt extremely stable when I ran on the track. The shoe did feel noticeably heavy but it is defintely lighter than Kayano. Transition from heel to forefoot appears to be smoother than the previous model, the 2090.

The only shortcomings are first : the shoe that I have (2E) is a bit wider than my foot. Second is the price : RM 369 per pair.

Conclusion : A shoe that I will enjoy running in but it remains to be seen the larger width will become an issue.

ASTRO and Other Updates

After I sent an e-mail to Measat , the provider of ASTRO services, someone actually bothered to call me the next day enquiring about my complaints. She recorded the complaint again and said they will be able to send a technician to check the problem. The only problem is the visit will cost RM 50 excluding any spare parts costs. I didn't think it was a problem with the decoder box or the satelillite dish or cables since the customer service rep. let on "they have increase signal strength" due to the complaint I made one week before. From the beginning , it was problem with the signal strength (output) from the ASTRO satellite. To cut it short, since Thursday last week, the ASTRO programs are now clear.

I haven't done much running over the past one week. Ran 5 km on Friday. 4 km on Sunday and just walked 3 km on Sunday. Quite pathetic really.

ASTRO Sucks

For those who don't know what is ASTRO, it is a satellite TV company providing TV programs within Malaysia. I sent an e-mail to them tonight. The message is shown below:-

What's wrong with you guys?

I have been trying to contact customer service (03-95434188) over the past 10 minutes. In response, what I get is a voice message asking me to press '7' for techincal problems. When I press 7, I get an irrelevant voice message about the Astroguide, then the message asking me to press "9" to return to the main menu. I press 7 again and voila, the same thing repeats itself. I cannot get through to anyone.

The problem at hand is over the past 2 weeks, my ASTRO service has been very poor. Last week, no service was available at nighttime. Daytime service was available. Four days ago, the service was back to normal i.e. available 24 hrs. Tonight, there is no service at all. (Satellite signals; BER = 2, AGC = 60).

I request your immediate attention and service towards the above. If you fail to reply within 2 working days, I will take steps to terminate my ASTRO subscription,

I think it’s for me to say in plain English”Your customer service sucks!”

After the e-mail was sent, I received this automated reply on the website.
Should you need immediate response, we encourage you to contact our Customer Service directly.

Immediate ? Nothing could be stated further away than the truth!

2nd Training Week

I have progressed with the 2nd week of training. On Friday, for the first time, I ran more than 5 km. As usual the was hardly anyone in the gym. I managed to run 6.5 km on the treadmil. My lips were dry after the run a sign of slight dehydration. Other than this, I had no problem running 6.5 km.

The 2nd week plan is to run 6.5 km per session on alternate days but I will miss next Tuesday's session as I will be going oustation tomorrow.

Today for the first time, I had a satisfying run outdoor. Last weekend, I only managed to run 2 km at the stadium before crashing out. Today I did much better; 8 x 400 m = 3.2 km without any problems.

First Week Training Report

After one week after fasting, my training is going as scheduled. So far :

Wed (1st day) : Did not run
Thur(2nd day): 5 km
Frid(3rd day) : Rest
Sat (4th day) : 5 km
Sun(5th day) : 3 km only down & out :-(
Mon(6th day) : 5 km
Tues(7th day) : Rest
Wed(8th day) : 5 km

So far I haven't had too much difficulty running 5 km on the treadmill. For the 2nd week, starting tomorrow, I plan to increase the distance to 6.5 km@4 days and 8 km@1 day with 2 days rest. I have to run for a longer time (35 to 40 minutes) which also means I will only reach the KLCC LRT station after 5.00 pm. I will probably end up having to walk to the monorail station :-(

That was the good news.

The bad news; After one week of fasting and 23 km of running, I still have the spare tyre around my abdomen. Next step, liposuction ?

Stupid Putra LRT Managers !

I ran today on the treadmill at the gym. The company has shorter hrs during the fasting month allowing me to reach the gym at about 4.15 pm. Thank you, company

It was my third run during the fasting month. Did an easy 5 km distance at 10 km/hr pace. I thought of doing 6 km (another 5 minutes) but it was almost 5 pm. I wanted to leave and avoid the jam at the KLCC LRT station,

I reached the station at 5.15 pm. There was already a crowd, 4 to 5 persons deep crowded it in front of the LRT train doors.

The first train arrives. I couldn't get in - too many people.

Four minutes later, the 2nd train arrives. Still cannot get in.

Another four minutes, 3rd train arrives. Still cannot get in. What the f*&%!

Two guys from the Putra LTR station arrives. They try to control the crowd, asking people to step away from the door to let the incoming passengers out.

After missing the 4th train. I gave up. Walked to the monorail station (800 m away). There were very few passengers. Even managed to get a seat. Rode the train until KL Sentral and then boarded the Putra LRT to Central Market. No problems this time.

Why can't the LRT trains come more often, say every 2 or 3 minutes? When the LRT service started operation 7 years ago, it was running one train every 3 minutes. Now it's 4 minutes apart during peak hours. It makes no sense whatsoever unless.........

The Putra LRT managers are idiots!

Justin's Wedding Dinner

I attended Justin@PM19 wedding dinner was last night.

You can read various reports about wedding dinner at this site and site . Many of his runner friends attended the wedding. During an interlude, there was a sort of slide show showing Justin & Jeanne (his wife) photos from infancy to the present. It also showed some photos of him with his runner friends. The latter photos brought up a cheer from us runners.

It was a smoothly organised event. The bride and groom looked respelendent. Nice looking girls at the registration table too.

Best wishes to Justin & Jeanne. May both of you live a fruitful and contented lives together.

Tomorrow I have to go see the dentist urgently. I've had a tooth ache since Thursday last week. The cure will be a either a drill or a plier. Ouch !

Insoles

I bought an insole today. What's an insole ? You don't know ? Here the link to the insole site.

I found out about the insole from Yong last Sunday. Julian wears one but he got his from Foot Solutions. The cost was RM 300 , I think. Mine is cheaper and custom fiitted. The sales guy used an industrial hot air dryer to soften the insoles before I wore them. They are made from from shape memory plastic Mine costs RM 169.
I had fitted to Brooks Axiom. I liked this shoe a lot but there is enough cushion for me to use for long runs. Now with the insoles, they may be suitable for a long run but they are also heavier.

While fitting the insoles I asked the sales guy the market for the insoles. He said their current market was golfers. Golfers ? I can't imangine any golfer having problems with their foot walking around a grass covered golf course for 3 to 4 hrs. Most golfers I know drive a buggy to play golf. Is golf a high impact sport or are golfers the only people who can afforf to pay for a RM 150 insoles, in addition to their RM 500 shoes.

The First Run

Today is the 2nd day of the fasting. I did my first training run on the treadmill at the Sweat Club.

I set the treadmill at 10 km/hr and started to run. There was only 3 other people in the gym; thety were all the iron jocks. These are the guys who like to lift weight , pose in front of the mirror and maybe say to themselves. "I want to be huge". :P

As there was not much for me to see , I got bored after 20 minutes. I was running well and did not feel tired at all. I stopped when the LED readout showed 5 km. I think I could have have easily run 8 km at my normal pace (11.5 km/hr). But I have to followed my training program; 5 km per day for the first week. Next week, I am going to ramp up the distance to 6.5 km.

Fasting Month Training

Today is the first day of Ramadhan.

Every year is the same for me, I make training plans and schedules, I end up not following them and one month later at the end of Ramadhan, I struggle to increase my fitness.

In the past, my training plans consisted of running 4 to 5 km on alternate days. All done outdoors in the heat and humidity of KL. Unsuccesfully most of the time I should add.

This year I am going to do something different. I will run indoor in the gym on the treadmill. Maybe the airconditioning will make it less tiring.

For the first week, I will try to run 5 km at 10 km/hr speed for 30 mimutes on alternate days (3 days/week).

If the first week goes well, during the second week , increase mileage to 6.5 km at 10 km/hr. Also run four times a week.

For 2nd and 3rd week, same program as 2nd week but do at least one 8 to 10 km run per week.

20 km long runs ? I haven't decided to do them or not. The only time available is at night or very early in the morning like 3.00 am. Running at 3.00 am sounds quite crazy to me.

This Weekend I was Not Lazy

Unlike last weekend, I did a lot of running this weekend but before I start writing about it, there is another I would like to write.

On Friday, I was at the consultant office at Jln Tun Razak the whole day. It rained very heavily at 5.00 pm and I had to wait until 5.20 pm before I could leave. Traffic was horrible and there was no way I could get a taxi so I decided to walk to Bukit Bintang. It took 30 minutes for me to reach Bukit Bintang about 3.2 km away I guess.

I wanted to take the monorail to KL Sentral but before that I wandered aimlessly around the shopping complexes. I took the monorail at 7.30 am to KL Sentral. The route passes by Brickfields, an area well known for its Indian shops. From the elevated rail, I noticed many massage places run by the blind, something else which Brickfields is well known for. Perhaps some of the places may be suitable for sports related massages

Yesterday night I did a google search using "massage malaysia". The 2nd entry on the wesbite Mentioned was a place I thought a good place to get a massage; Sentral Massage. One of the comments on the website about this place is:
Even on a Thu afternoon, the place is filled with cruising men of all races, ages and sizes. Steam room is action packed, but facilities have dim lighting. And the entrance fee is only R$15. Well worth a visit!"

It seems some of these massage places are pick-up joints for gay men. Something I have to bear in mind when selecting a suitable place.

Enough of that. Back to running.

On Saturday. I did an easy 5 km run in Klang.

Sunday moning was the main event. I ran with Yong to Sri Hartamas. The first 10 km was quite hard. It was more humid than usual and mentally I found it hard to focus.

One hr 2 minutes later I was relieved to reach the Sri Hartamas petrol station. We bought 3 cans of gatorade; 3 different flavour sharing one can. As an indication how hard the first 10 km was, I also bought and ate a small chocolate bar.

The return run to Lake Gardens (Tamam Tasik Perdana) was easier. I was able to get into the run mentally and maintained a consistent pace. Yong had sore legs and mine became sore at the Bukit Tunku area (17 km). Nevertheless we kept going until 400 m from the traffic lights at at the turn to the Lake Gardens. We had run a for 1 hr 57 minutes, 2 hrs 01 minutes if we had not stopped short.

There were a few things going on at Bukit Aman; Nike Free shoes promo, some company selling bioelectic gadget (Rakuwa) and Pacesetter Singapore Marathon trip forms.

On Sunday evening, I ran again with the Klang Pacer guys; Kong, Albert and Jimmy. We did 6 km in 36 minutes. My legs were OK and not sore even after the morning's 20 km run.

Total distance ran over the weeekend = 5 + 20 + 6 = 31 km.

Fasting month is coming up in 2 or 3 days time. For this year's fasting month training, I will do most of my run indoor on a treadmill. It's less tiring than running outdoor. I plan to run 5 to 6 km a day. For longer run, I am considering running at night after 9.30 pm. I am not sure how this will work out or even where I am supposed to run. Just have to see how it goes.