I strained my right calf muscle yesterday. My training run at KLCC park was pretty lousy although my right calf was still OK when I was running. I had to run and walk for 5 km and it was one of the most unsatisfying run I've ever done.
For the next 2 days, I will be away in Port Dickson to attend a seminar. I won't be running today as I am walking with a slight limp. The calf injury is not serious I think but it will take a few days to heal.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Monday:A Very Late Run
Yesterday it rained heavily from 4.00 to 6.00 pm. I was stuck in another office in Tun Razak road and could not return to KLCC. When I finally to board a taxi, I only reached KLCC at 6.30pm. It was too late for me to run at KLCC park as it would have taken me another five minutes to walk from the gym to the park. I decided to run on the treadmill and even then I started running at 6.50 pm. I ran 5 km at 10 km/hr and stopped at 7.20 pm. The gym had more people than usual with 70% of the treadmill occuppied.
I only reached home at 9.00 pm. That is the life in the Klang valley, there is so much time wasted on the road.
I only reached home at 9.00 pm. That is the life in the Klang valley, there is so much time wasted on the road.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Europe Trip - A Short Report
I returned to Malaysia on Saturday morning arriving at the KL International airport at 6.00 am.
I and three other colleagues spent about two weeks in Europe. The first week was spent in Norway. I had to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Stockholm airport, Sweden. At Stockholm, the connecting flight on SAS was delayed by 2 hrs. This delay caused us to miss the connecting flight from Olso to our final destination, Trondheim. When we arrive in Oslo, the flight to Trondheim on SAS again was delayed for two hours. The upshot was we boarded the flight to Oslo at 11.0
pm instead, three hours later than our originally schedule of 8.00 pm. It was very cold in Trondeim with the ground was covered with snow and ice. I think the temperature was probably -5 deg C.
In Norway, we went to three places; Trondheim, Oslo and Bergen. I liked Bergen the most as the city is filled with old buildings. Norway is a good place to run really with plenty of lakes and parks. I didn't do any running as I didn't bring any gear for winter conditions.
From Norway (Bergen) we flew to Amsterdam airport to catch a flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. This flight was on Saturday and so I had the weekend in Edinburgh. On Sunday morning, I went to Edinburgh castle. The castle overlooks Edinburgh city and there were fine views from various spots around the castle. In the castle, there were various exhibits on Scottish history with emphais on the military history of Scotland. It was quite surprising how warlike the Scots were in the past. In the past, many Scotsman have in fact served as mercenaries in European armies.
I managed to run twice on a the hotel treadmill (6 km). The gym was in the basement and it was quite cold in the room.
After Edinburgh, I left for Aberdeen about 2 hrs by train. The view of the country side was spectacular as the train track ran fairly close to the sea. Abedeen is not an attractive city as it is an industrial area mainly serving the oil and gas industry.
After spending just one night in Aberdeen, I flew to Paris on Tuesday. The weather was quite good in Paris with temperatures around 18 to 20 deg. C. There was a large park (near Jardin Vendrome) about 200 m from the hotel. But in the end I could not run due to lack of time.
I am hoping to minimise travelling in the next two months and do enough traning for the Penang bridge half marathon on 24th June 2007.
I and three other colleagues spent about two weeks in Europe. The first week was spent in Norway. I had to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Stockholm airport, Sweden. At Stockholm, the connecting flight on SAS was delayed by 2 hrs. This delay caused us to miss the connecting flight from Olso to our final destination, Trondheim. When we arrive in Oslo, the flight to Trondheim on SAS again was delayed for two hours. The upshot was we boarded the flight to Oslo at 11.0
pm instead, three hours later than our originally schedule of 8.00 pm. It was very cold in Trondeim with the ground was covered with snow and ice. I think the temperature was probably -5 deg C.
In Norway, we went to three places; Trondheim, Oslo and Bergen. I liked Bergen the most as the city is filled with old buildings. Norway is a good place to run really with plenty of lakes and parks. I didn't do any running as I didn't bring any gear for winter conditions.
From Norway (Bergen) we flew to Amsterdam airport to catch a flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. This flight was on Saturday and so I had the weekend in Edinburgh. On Sunday morning, I went to Edinburgh castle. The castle overlooks Edinburgh city and there were fine views from various spots around the castle. In the castle, there were various exhibits on Scottish history with emphais on the military history of Scotland. It was quite surprising how warlike the Scots were in the past. In the past, many Scotsman have in fact served as mercenaries in European armies.
I managed to run twice on a the hotel treadmill (6 km). The gym was in the basement and it was quite cold in the room.
After Edinburgh, I left for Aberdeen about 2 hrs by train. The view of the country side was spectacular as the train track ran fairly close to the sea. Abedeen is not an attractive city as it is an industrial area mainly serving the oil and gas industry.
After spending just one night in Aberdeen, I flew to Paris on Tuesday. The weather was quite good in Paris with temperatures around 18 to 20 deg. C. There was a large park (near Jardin Vendrome) about 200 m from the hotel. But in the end I could not run due to lack of time.
I am hoping to minimise travelling in the next two months and do enough traning for the Penang bridge half marathon on 24th June 2007.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Going Overseas again
My 2nd trip overseas is next week for two weeks. I will be going to Norway, Scotland and France. I am not looking forward to facing the winter temperature in Norway. Is April spring or winter in Norway? It must still be winter as the cities I am going is still receiving snow. The temperature in Trondheim ranges from -5 deg C to 2 deg C. Olso is warmer if you can call temperatures ranging from -2 to 5 deg C "warmer". I certainly won't be running outdoor because there is snow and ice on the road.
After Norway, I move to Scotland where it is "warmer". The temperature ranges from 5 to 10 deg C. Again it's too cold for me to run outdoor and it is such a hassle to bring along my winter running gear.
My last stop is France. I will be going to Paris and Lyon (Southern France). Wow, the temperature is quite good ranging from 3 to 20 deg C. But I am not sure I would be able to run when the temperature is higher as I have to attend meetings in the daytime.
Overall, my prospects to continue training over the next two weeks are not very good. I am hoping the hotels where I will be staying at will have a gym with a treadmill. In Europe, most of the smaller 5 star local hotels do not have a gym or fitness centre. Often you have to pay to use the gym facilities even if you staying there. Tomorrow I will spend some time surfing the hotels website to check if they have a gym.
Update : From the hotel websites, most of them have a gym or fitness centre. I am not to sure if they have a treadmill.
Larian Mesra Polis (Did Not Start = DNS) : Although I collected the bibs on Saturday and pinned them to the running vest, I didn't go to the race. When I woke up at 5.30 am, I discovered I still had a cold and sore throat.
After Norway, I move to Scotland where it is "warmer". The temperature ranges from 5 to 10 deg C. Again it's too cold for me to run outdoor and it is such a hassle to bring along my winter running gear.
My last stop is France. I will be going to Paris and Lyon (Southern France). Wow, the temperature is quite good ranging from 3 to 20 deg C. But I am not sure I would be able to run when the temperature is higher as I have to attend meetings in the daytime.
Overall, my prospects to continue training over the next two weeks are not very good. I am hoping the hotels where I will be staying at will have a gym with a treadmill. In Europe, most of the smaller 5 star local hotels do not have a gym or fitness centre. Often you have to pay to use the gym facilities even if you staying there. Tomorrow I will spend some time surfing the hotels website to check if they have a gym.
Update : From the hotel websites, most of them have a gym or fitness centre. I am not to sure if they have a treadmill.
Larian Mesra Polis (Did Not Start = DNS) : Although I collected the bibs on Saturday and pinned them to the running vest, I didn't go to the race. When I woke up at 5.30 am, I discovered I still had a cold and sore throat.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Short Report on a Trip to Singapore
I was in Singapore for a 2 day business trip (Monday night to Wednesday afternoon). Other than a meeting on Tuesday, I had some free time on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. Initially I was planning to go to Queenstown shopping complex to buy the Saucony Progrid Triump 4 shoe but I had decided to buy it from Choi. After lunch on Tuesday, it was too hot to walk around so I stayed in the hotel until 4.00 pm. After 4.00pm, I took the MRT trains to City Hall station which was near the Funan IT mall. My destination was the "Running Lab" shop.
In Kuala Lumpur there are no specialist shops for runners and triathletes. I spent about one hour in the shop and bought a few things:-
After a shower and rest, I felt a bit restless and so went out to the Borders bookshop about 100m away from the hotel. I spent one hour there and bought 2 books and a LED reading light.I was a bit hungry as I had not eaten dinner and by the time I left Borders it was almost 10.00 pm. I made a quick stop at McDonalds to get a Fillet-O-Fish which I took with me to the hotel.
Lights out at 11.00 pm.
The next morning I had a late breakfast at almost 9.30 am. Loitered in my hotel room and decided to check out at 11.00 am. After checking out, I went to Bugis and Arab street using the MRT. Walked around in the hot mid-day sun to have a look around the area. The area is a backpacker hangout but it is unlike many such places around Asia. For one, it was spotless clean. I guess the Singapore authorities have "sanitised" the area. I did not sight a single grubby back-packer nor were there any whiff of an easy availability of illegal substances a.k.a ganja, pills etc.
I had lunch at Raffles hospital food court. On the way back to the hotel, I stopped by a shop to buy some CDs. I collected my bag from the hotel and took a taxi to Changi airport. I managed to get on an earlier shuttle flight at 3.25 pm. I reached home at 6.00 pm.
As usual, Singapore has always impressed me with its efficiency in doing most things. Buses and MRT trains arrive on time. The streets are free of litter. There are none of the chaos and disorder found in cities like Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The efficiency and order are good for business and makes life predictable for most people living in Singapore. I have say that the more trips (this was my 3rd trip in 3 years) I made to Singapore, I could be live there for a while.
However what I discovered is Singapore is not a forgiving society/country. In Singapore I have always come across various people who lived on the margins. The elderly woman at the Orchard Road MRT selling various cheap goods for a few Singapore and a blind man selling tissue at Funan IT mall. For a country listed as the 21st wealthiest in the world, should such people be left behind and be forced to live at the margin ? This article has something to say about "Survival of the Fittest"mentality amongst Singapore leaders.
In Kuala Lumpur there are no specialist shops for runners and triathletes. I spent about one hour in the shop and bought a few things:-
- One Sorbothane Elite insole
- Two race bib belts
- One Wright Coolmax sock
- One wallet that can be clipped to a short (Nathan brand)
After a shower and rest, I felt a bit restless and so went out to the Borders bookshop about 100m away from the hotel. I spent one hour there and bought 2 books and a LED reading light.I was a bit hungry as I had not eaten dinner and by the time I left Borders it was almost 10.00 pm. I made a quick stop at McDonalds to get a Fillet-O-Fish which I took with me to the hotel.
Lights out at 11.00 pm.
The next morning I had a late breakfast at almost 9.30 am. Loitered in my hotel room and decided to check out at 11.00 am. After checking out, I went to Bugis and Arab street using the MRT. Walked around in the hot mid-day sun to have a look around the area. The area is a backpacker hangout but it is unlike many such places around Asia. For one, it was spotless clean. I guess the Singapore authorities have "sanitised" the area. I did not sight a single grubby back-packer nor were there any whiff of an easy availability of illegal substances a.k.a ganja, pills etc.
I had lunch at Raffles hospital food court. On the way back to the hotel, I stopped by a shop to buy some CDs. I collected my bag from the hotel and took a taxi to Changi airport. I managed to get on an earlier shuttle flight at 3.25 pm. I reached home at 6.00 pm.
As usual, Singapore has always impressed me with its efficiency in doing most things. Buses and MRT trains arrive on time. The streets are free of litter. There are none of the chaos and disorder found in cities like Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The efficiency and order are good for business and makes life predictable for most people living in Singapore. I have say that the more trips (this was my 3rd trip in 3 years) I made to Singapore, I could be live there for a while.
However what I discovered is Singapore is not a forgiving society/country. In Singapore I have always come across various people who lived on the margins. The elderly woman at the Orchard Road MRT selling various cheap goods for a few Singapore and a blind man selling tissue at Funan IT mall. For a country listed as the 21st wealthiest in the world, should such people be left behind and be forced to live at the margin ? This article has something to say about "Survival of the Fittest"mentality amongst Singapore leaders.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Malaysia = Fat Nation
Last month, the Malaysian government proposed to ban fast food advertisements. Ever wonder why?
Malaysia now has the fattest population in South East Asia. In 2006, Malaysia passed a milestone - the overweight population (54%) now outnumber the "not" overweight (46%). In just ten years, the proportion of population who are overweight in Malaysia has more than the doubled from 24 to 54 %. See this report.
As for me, I am doing my bit to ensure the minority (46%) of Malaysian do not fall into the majority category. On Friday I ran 6 km in 36 minutes and yesterday 4 km (time unknown).
Malaysia now has the fattest population in South East Asia. In 2006, Malaysia passed a milestone - the overweight population (54%) now outnumber the "not" overweight (46%). In just ten years, the proportion of population who are overweight in Malaysia has more than the doubled from 24 to 54 %. See this report.
As for me, I am doing my bit to ensure the minority (46%) of Malaysian do not fall into the majority category. On Friday I ran 6 km in 36 minutes and yesterday 4 km (time unknown).
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