Hero

I had a good training run yesterday constrained as it is by my injured knee.

Yesterday, I ran 2 laps at KLCC park and it felt good to be able to run at a faster pace (7 min 30 seconds per 1.3 km lap). My fitness is fairly good now, allowing me to run 5 km continuosly but only if my knee is OK on but yesterday I had to stop at 2.6km. I was pretty disappointed that I could not run further. I was just getting into the "Zone", feeling calm and wonderful but alas it wasn't to be. I limped(walked) for another 2 laps before calling it a day.

My friend, Hairul Awzar, PM3 completed his first Ironman Triathlon. Congratulations, man! Read about his heroic effort and experience here.

Here is a running website from Robert Key, based in the U.SA. who posted a comment in my previous report.

Music currently listening to : Ahir by Prem Joshua and Chintan
Book currently reading: God's Messengers What Animals Teach Us about the Divine.

Reduced Training

I have been on a reduced training mileage for since 14 February 2007. Up to that date, I have been able to run 5 km 4 to 5 times a week notwithstanding my right knee meniscus and cartilage problem. Ocsasionally I even managed to do some tempo runs of 20 minutes. My eagerness to get back into shape fast and nmy ever ready desire to run everday brought my downfall. As it is now, I have a sore right knee most of time. I am still trying to run as often as I can.

I've had some success in my quest to lost 6 kilogram weight. I think I have lost about 1 or 2 kg over the past one month. I can't lose a lot of weight by running due to the limited mileage I run nowadays. So I am compensating by eating less food. I often don't eat lunch in particular on the days where I don't run. For dinner, I only eat one small bowl of rice. It is not a Malay custom to eat in a bowl instead of a plate but that is what's I have to do for portion control.

I have also implemented another rule "Eat until I am 60% full". Way back in year 2000 I also followed the same rule when I lost 6 kg but I also ran 50 km a week then. Honestly I cannot figure out why anyone would eat until they are completely stuffed.

"Eat to Live" I say instead of "Live to eat".

Gong XI Fa Chai

I would like to wish Gong Xi Fa Chai and to all my friends. Drive carefully to your hometowns and I hope you will enjoy the long holiday.

I also wish Happy Tet for my Vietnamese friends. If you are reading this blog, please send me an e-mail to my jaring e-mail as I have lost your e-mail addresses due to a configuration problem.

As for me I have no plans to go anywhere very far. Hopefully I will be able to do longer runs during the four day holiday.

Knee Problem Again

I have pushing things a bit too far over the past 2 weeks. My right knee is a bit sore today even though I didn't run today. Over the past 3 weeks, I have been trying to increase my daily training mileage with the occasional tempo runs thrown in. Although my endurance have noticeably improved (I am now able to run 4 km continuously without becoming tired), I am reminded by the sore knee that I am certainly far from OK.

Reminder to my self "Be patient and take things one step at a time (literally)".

Book currently reading : Records and Recollection -1889 to 1934 by J.H.M. Robinson. Published by the Malaysian Branch of Royal Asiatic Society. This book contains a series of articles covering the period from 1889 to 1934 written by an Englishman, J. Robinson who started the Malay Mail newspaper in 1896.

Fraser Hill Rest

Going to Fraser Hill is a bit easier now. The new road (8 km long) to F.H. is operational although it was built way back in March 2001. Rumours say the new road was closed for five years due to land slides and slope improvement. Frankly the new road is worse than the old "Gap" road. Firstly it was cut along hill slopes where unlike the old road where you drive with the slope on the left side and trees on the right, for the new road the right side is "Air". Beyond "Air" is a steep drop down the hill. Driving along the road was a rather disconcerting experience. Secondly, the road has too many turns and corners, some at extreme angles. Just five km on this road, I got a mild headache probably caused by the frequent movement of the car to take the corners. It was not a really pleasant driving experience.

Despite the new access road which now allows continuous access, there were still few visitors to F.H. on Friday night. During dinner at the restaurant near the clock tower, there were four foreigners. Counting six locals including myself brought the total to ten. During the weekend, the crowd was larger but I think at most, there were still only 20 to 30 visitors to F.H. I am not complaining as I enjoyed the peace and quiet that F.H. offers compared to Genting or Cameron Highlands.

I didn't run at F.H. as the hilly routes would cause further damage to my knee.

I returned home on Sunday and after 2 days of rest was eager to run again. On Sunday, I had to run at Shah Alam because the stadium in Klang was closed. The surface was too hard for me to run long distances so I just ran 4 km. On Monday the stadium was still closed and I had to run somewhere else again (4 km).

Cuti Cuti Malaysia

I am taking 2 days leave starting from today. I was planning to go to Cameron Highlands bur changed my mind for 2 reasons. No. 1 - it's quite a long drive from Klang; at least 3 and half hours . 2nd reason: I woke up late this morning - 9.00am. So I am going to Fraser Hills instead.

Yesterday I had lunch at Madam Kwan restaurant at KLCC with the department staff. The food was pretty good and arrived quite fast. I had rice, stir fried bean sprouts (taugeh) with salted fish and cold tofu.

In the evening despite my vow to rest and a sore knee I decided to run again. To reduce the impact on my knee, I ran on the treadmill. I was glad to see I could continue running until 4 km at 10 km/hr without too much exertion or becoming tired. My stamina has definitely improved since Dec 2006.

Later in the gym I introduced myself to Mr. Z****&& who also runs at KLCC park. He is a new face at KLCC and I've run with him once before and boy he is really fast, probably faster than me at the moment. His running style resembles a horse running at full speed.

Is Running Marathons Bad for your Heart and is Running Bad for your Skin?

I came across 2 recent articles about the "negative" (health-wise) aspects of running. I am not sure what to make of these 2 reports about my chosen and beloved sport.

The 1st article is from Harvard University researchers mentions the effect of marathon training on the heart. The 2nd article is on skin cancer.

My Confession

It's a bit late to write this but had a good weekend. The DVD I was looking forward to see arrived last week from Amazon.com. I spent a good 10 hrs over Saturday and Sunday and finished watching the last episode on Monday morning, 12.30 am. The DVD that I just had to watch was "Justice League Unlimited - Season 1". It is actually a cartoon series featuring DC comics superheroes such as Batman, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern etc. That was my confession - I watch cartoons!. It's not something I am ashamed to write (that I watch cartoons) about. Really there are great and entertaining cartoons with interesting stories.
My favourite cartoons are:

• Samurai Jack
• The Simpsons
• Spongeboard and Squarepants
• Justice League Unlimited
• The Batman
• Tom and Jerry
  

I did some running too over the past four days : Sunday = 5 km, Monday = 4 km, Tuesday = rest and today, I ran about 5 km at KLCC park. My right knee is getting sore again so I had to rest on Tuesday. I think I have to stop running faster pace runs which nowadays mean 7 min 45 seconds over the 1.3 km lap at KLCC park. Any faster than this pace increases the impact on my right knee and causing it to become sore and swollen. My knee is sore as I am typing this now.

I might not run tomorrow.

Back on Line

I'm back on line after getting my PC fixed at a computer shop. I haven't been able to access my home Internet connection for 6 weeks. The fix was to reinstall Windows XP Pro. On the same night I went on-line, the PC Windows XP Pro crashed again and again. I couldn't even login into my PC. My DIY fix was to install a 2nd copy of Windows but now I cannot access most of my program installed on the original Windows. So much for Windows stability and robustness. Even after 14 years since the 1st Windows came out, Microsoft is still unable to produce a robust and reliable operating system. Enough said.

I have been running more often over the last 2 months. My usual daily run 4 to 5 km each time and about four times a week. I wish I could run farther but I still have to be careful as my right knee injury although it is now better, is certainly far from cured.

I was in Langkawi island last week for an industry workshop (4 days). My last trip to Langkawi was 8 years ago. Eight years later, I could not even recognise the place. The roads are wider. The airport and jetty complex are brand new. There was no time to visit places except for a outing to the Mahsuri tomb. Before there was only the tomb and water well. Now the authorities have added traditional village houses, a building for the drama-pantomine show, restaurant and a place where traditonal "kueh" (snacks) are made. Each kueh cost an astonishing RM 2.00 per piece which is even more expensive than the prices in a 5 star hotel in Malaysia.

I watched the drama-pantomime show. I must say I enjoyed watching the one hour long show. The pace was just right with the dramatic elements at the right time to spice things up. I think the organiser have selected the most beautiful malay girls they could find for the show. It was too bad I was sitting a bit too far from the stage.

Not all of the development was good though. I saw some monkeys sitting by the road side from the airport to town. I guess their home in the forest have been "developed". I wonder where they are going to get food and where they are going to live. A very sad thought for me.

The famous Langkawi eagle statue was built at the new jetty and marina area. The jetty also had an adjacent shopping complex named "Jetty Point". Around the area, there were a number of shops selling mostly malay food. Both the jetty and shopping complex were painted white. I thought the entire place was just too monstrously huge and out of place for a relatively small island.

Uhh - I also managed to run only once in Langkawi. On Tuesday, I hit the hotel treadmill for an easy 3 km run. Langkawi island is actually a fine place to run during the off peak holiday season. During the holiday season, I would imagine, you would be at risk being run over by various vehicles (narrow roads).