Irrelevant

A few weeks ago, I accidentally flipped on MTV and caught Taylor Swift's new video.
We had a good laugh.
Intro sikit punya ganas tapi bila start je lagu.......FAIL!

But a few days ago, this appeared on the net.
Brilliant!
Walk Off The Earth made the song a billion times better.
Almost made me reach for my guitar again for the chords.
Almost.

Short one today. My keyboard is busted so I'm writing this with he help of the mouse and an on-screen keybord.
Seksa.

Fresh Start

It's been a while. Been busy doing this and that.
My beautiful son will be in 3rd grade this year. And my beautiful daughter will be a senior in her kindergarten ( we've been sending her to kindy since she was 4).
My, how time flies.
When we send our children to school, we're most likely one of the youngest couples there.
Which makes me glad to marry young. Comparatively.

This year will be good. I predict a lot of changes to my schedule. Changes that are good, and I hope in favour of me and my little family.

I've been on an inactive 3 weeks hiatus. 1st week was because of oncall. 2nd week passed just like that because we were busy holiday-ing. 3rd week? Well, 3rd week was just an excuse to start exercising on the 1st day of the new year.

Seronoknya cuti 13 hari!

But business will be as usual come Thursday and I will tackle whatever needs to be tacked at work with the fullest of heart ( psaiko diri, psaiko diri, psaiko diri...)

Today, I've started running/ shuffling again on my creaky treadmill. Gladly after all that break, not much issues on the tummy department. As lazy as I was today, I had to do something. Konon to get a good start on the new year physically.

Next week will mark me entering the 3rd trimester.
And I wonder to myself, how can I get larger than I am now?
God does wondrous things.

Love you guys for still reading.
Happy new year!

Malas

Serius malas lari hari ni

Bila aku balik rumah aku teringat janji nak lari hari ni. Last time lari hari Isnin. Selasa sampai Khamis busy sebab outstation berkursus.
Kat hotel tempat berkursus, tiap-tiap hari lalu tepi gym dia. Nampak treadmill dia menggoda je. So aku buat janji, balik hari Jumaat,  first thing after work I'll get up on the mill to run.

Tapi bila balik je, banyak betul idea setan nak divert attention aku.
Penatla ( walhal tak penat pun)
Senak perut la ( takde la sangat)
Garmin tak jumpa la ( semenjak dua menjak ni memang tak guna pun)
Lapar la ( memang selalu pun)
Nak kalut apa, hang tu bukannya nak race pun ( ha, bab ni memang betul)

Tapi aku tengok treadmill tu dok tenung semacam je kat aku.
Aku buat derk pun dia dok usha jugak.
Aku naik atas , Runner's World pulak dok jegil. Bila aku flipped the cover down, muka belakang pulak ada gambar kasut  lari.
Hampeh.

Bila bukak komputer jangan cakap la. Secara otomatis je benda-benda running berceragah depan mata.
Sabar je la.

So the treadmill won.
And after 32 minutes, I guess I feel better.

To Shed Some Light

This is an excerpt of Runner's World 2010 interview with top women marathoners Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher during their 5th month of pregnancy. Some parts of the interview has been omitted because it tends to drag on.
Let's make it more merepek with me imaginary butting in, in that same interview with my answers that hit home ( and let's face it, makes more sense)



RUNNERS WORLD: How are your pregnancies going?

KARA GOUCHER (KG): Because this is my first pregnancy, I didn't know what to expect. During my first trimester, I felt tired and nauseous, but usually 10 minutes into a run, I'd feel better. By the fifth month, I felt great—I was able to train twice a day and lift weights three days a week. But priorities definitely have shifted. Training isn't about staying fit as much as staying sane.

PAULA RADCLIFFE (PR):You don't understand what tiredness is until you are pregnant. No matter how tired you might feel at the end of a marathon or a hard training week, it's nothing to how tired you are in that first trimester.
 Like Kara said, running now is about staying sane, but it's also keeping yourself fit because that's what we do, and also because all of the research says that it's good for the baby, too. It's hard when people say, "Are you sure you're doing the right thing? What if you're shaking that baby to death?" That worried me the first time. I'm more relaxed this time.

JJ: Train twice a day? I'd be lucky if I can get 4 decent 30 minute workouts in a week ! But I'm lucky because nobody comes to me and ask "  "Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" because I don't really sell it to people close to me that I'm still running and doing some strength training.They'll throw a hissy fit definitely.

Any food cravings?

PR: I crave food in general. I have to have something before I run, and I have to eat as soon as I come back. I've always got energy bars or nuts or fruit or something in my bag.

KG: I've been craving dairy. Cheese and yogurt—I don't know why. My husband told my strength coach that I've been keeping Ben & Jerry's in business.

JJ : Did I mention before that I'm hungry all the time. Whenever I go to shopping malls or restaurants, I'd be like " Ooh, that looks good," or " I gotta have some of that" and most of the time I have no idea what they are. On that note, are you going to finish those fries? If not..

Has your training changed?

KG: The intensity is so much less. Track sessions now are fun. Instead of doing 8 x 1600, we're doing 200s, or if I am doing mile repeats, they're on an AlterG [antigravity treadmill, which reduces the body weight of the runner]. We're working out twice a day, but it's not like we're going to the well every time. In the morning I'm running an easy 45 minutes to an hour, and in the afternoon I'm just on the elliptical for 30 minutes. I also have access to an underwater treadmill. I think I'm going to be shifting more and more to using that for my second daily workout. That might sound like a lot. But for us, that's scaled back quite a bit.

PR: I've scaled back mileage-wise about 50 percent. I'm not even adding it up. In terms of intensity, it's hugely scaled back. I'm doing maybe one rep session on the AlterG once a week and then something on the track, but really short, like 150, 200, or 300 meters. I'm not trying to hit times; I'm trying to just run and feel good.

JJ: (Rolls eyes) Pengsan! I'd be lucky if I was doing what they're doing when I wasn't pregnant. Gile.
I like to say what I do now is running, but it's more of an awkward shuffling motion. But I guess at least I'm moving. And kebende tu AlterG? Aku kenal Kenny G je. Tu pun taim kecik-kecik. Ade -ade je la korang ni.


How has your pace changed?

KG: It's hard to tell what our pace is. The last time I did a hard session on the AlterG, I put the weight at 128 pounds (which is still more than I would normally weigh), but I was still able to do a six-mile tempo at 4:55 pace, and it felt so great. The next day when I ran outside, I was running only 7:30s, and that felt really hard. But there are days when I can run under 7:00. It's not this steady decline—I still have great days, but then I also have these amazingly awful days. There's no control over it.

PR: To be honest, it just doesn't matter. I've got no idea about pace.

JJ: Kan? Aku sekeh jugak minah Kara ni kang.
I don't run with my garmin. My treadmill hasn't been calibrated in years. So I have no idea of my pace. I run by feel. If my tummy feels heavy or there's a strain, I walk.


How have people reacted toward you—and your bumps?

KG: I was at the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego, and I did a little talk and then met with people afterward. And there was a lot of belly-touching. I was like, Wow, we're that close? I love meeting people and they're so friendly; it's just something I'm not used to yet. It threw me for a loop. And then one of my neighbors pulled up the other day and she's like, "Make sure you don't lift anything—a friend of mine went into labor early because she lifted a box." I know she meant well, but she would drop dead if she could see me in the weight room, because I'm still squatting, and throwing medicine balls, and doing everything I did before. Some people are shocked. But our bodies are used to working hard, and I'm not doing as much as I normally did. It's just all relative.

PR: You feel like saying, I'm not sick. There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just pregnant. Even people I know really well will come up and say, "Are you still able to run a bit?" And then they'll see me on the track and say, "Should you be doing that?" And I'm like, yeah, 'cause if you look at how slow the times are compared to what they've been before, it's not really comparable at all. But at the same time, it is keeping me fit, it is good for the baby, and it makes me feel better.

JJ: I get that totally. I hate unwanted belly touching. I hate it when I tell people I'm pregnant and immediately their hands go to my belly. I have to refrain this urge to swat them off like flies.So to avoid this,mostly I don't tell people I haven't seen in a while of my condition so I'll leave them wondering whether I've gained weight or I actually have a baby in my tummy.

we like to touch our own bellies, thank you very much

How do you think being active influences pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery?

PR: Being fit definitely helps. Even if you have a complicated pregnancy, the fact that you're fit is still going to help your body handle that situation. And I think that being fit through labor helps. The mental techniques you know from getting through races help to keep the concentration and stay focused. You come back stronger because you're happier, because you have a child that you love and cherish, and it's something you really wanted in your life. You probably become a little bit more focused as well, because your priorities are sharpened. And the time away from intense training means that you come back more refreshed. There is a flip side, though, because you are so used to being in tune with your body, and having this body that responds so well to what you ask it to do. You can't do that during pregnancy. You feel frumpy and fat. You kind of have this anxiety because you know you have to put on a certain amount of weight and hit the target so the baby is healthy, but it's hard to get fat and to go through that.

JJ: Yeah, what she said.

How did the pain of labor compare to racing?

PR: The pain of labor is more intense. But I found that it was just not comparable. When you run a marathon, your body is working with you and you've trained and prepared for it. With labor, for me, my body seemed to be working against me.

KG: My husband was tossing around the idea of a natural, at-home birth, so he rented this video, The Business of Being Born, and it had the exact opposite effect that he was hoping for. I'm open-minded. I definitely want to deliver in the hospital, and I want the option of the epidural. But I'm in denial about the whole birthing process still.

JJ: Some smart-alec said to me, " It's your 3rd. The pain won't be as intense as it was with your first". I say that's full of bull s**t. I met a mother of 7 who actually told me, it never gets easier so I'm bracing myself. Honestly, with  marathons I guess it's the same. Even though you've done it 4-5 times, it never gets easier. But if we're talking about pain, of course a marathon is nothing compared to labor.




Have you experienced any uncomfortable moments on runs? Bladder issues?

PR: I think we had one nightmare run, didn't we?

KG: I've had a few.

JJ: ALL the time. But I guess that's normal. I do hope I don't cough or sneeze during a run. That'll be ugly.


How has running helped you with the emotional ups and downs of pregnancy?

PR: You still have that normal mother-to-be-anxiety, like, Will I be a good mom? Will I do the right thing? But running does help. Sticking to a routine is good. You also find yourself bonding with the baby and talking to the baby on the run.

KG: I have my most intimate thoughts when I'm running. That's when I'm most honest with myself, and I think about what I want out of life. I've definitely had thoughts, especially in the last month like, Wow, my baby knows me better than anyone. He's the only person that's ever been behind that curtain. I mean, obviously, he's not really hearing my thoughts, but there's just that feeling that there's some connection that I could never have with another person.

JJ :  I think once you've been running a long time till it becomes somewhat of a habit, it's really weird to fully stop for the whole 9 months. How much fitness you'll lose will always loom in mind. I guess it all about moderation and slowly easing up accordingly and not just fully stop. Exercise is good for moms physically and mentally at these times. At least you won't feel fat and frumpy most of the time.

End.


All merepeks aside, I do hope this interview ( or rather my part of mock interview) can shed some light into running for mommies and mommies-to-be.

I hope I can still go on running/ shuffling/ waddling till full term. This is the furthest I've been. In my last pregnancy, I had to stop halfway when my doctor diagnosed me with type II placenta previa. Hope that doesn't happen again.

It's the hormones

I was lying in bed, with two layers of blanket, shivering with hacking  coughs and waiting miserably for the fever to pass.

In the middle of the dark, suddenly I felt my son's little fingers touching my arm.

" Mom? Mom?"
 " Yes?" I replied groggily.

" Can I pray for you?"
" Do whatever you want, darling"

" Dear God, please make my mom better so that she can be happy again."

And my heart crumbled just a little.

Letting Go

PBIM is close to my heart.
I did my first half marathon on Penang Bridge.
I did my last sub5 marathon on Penang Bridge ( cerita lama bosan ala lemau).
I love running at night on the bridge. It's breezy and sometimes, if you're lucky it rains.
Some say it's monotonous and boring but I love running towards Penang island's skyline.
And imagine running uphill towards the booming drums and the magnificent lights on the middle part of the bridge.
Awesome.

This year will be the last PBIM on Penang Bridge.
They say, next year, runners will be running ( and trying out) the spanking  new , longer second bridge.
I don't know if they'll keep the name. I don't know whether it'll be just as good.
We'll just have to wait and see.
Sedihla pulak.

Last year I gave PBIM a pass due to last minute stomach issues.
This year, I won't be running  the half marathon again for the obvious reasons.
And due to my fondness of this race, I've decided to give out my racing kit for free.
It's such a waste to let it peram in my almari just like that. Kalau boleh jadi jeruk kat Chowrasta tu takpe jugak. Lebih baik berbakti kepada others who failed to or somehow forgot to sign up for the race.

Anyway, I'm giving it all away. The vest, the bib, anything inside the bag. Even the pil che ke teck aun (betul ke eja ni?)
Except the Salonpas which I'll keep for my neck aches.

So anyone of my readers who are interested, tell me why you'd like to run the last PBIM in the comment box. If you're too shy, you can email me at octopusgoreng at yahoo.com.
Kalau ramai sangat takers, I will somehow choose one.
Kalau takde yang nak, by next week I'll mention it on one of the running groups in FB.
Please do take note, it's strictly for those who are interested in running the half marathon Women Open category. And no selling it to anybody else, okay?

Hope to hear from you guys soon.

Larian 1Malaysia Padang Rengas - Sebagai Penonton

Saya tak pernah jadi penonton.
Serius.
Rasanya tak pernah la. Tapi nanti kena tengok balik past entries to make sure.

Usually if there's a race and there's nobody available to take care of the kids, he would always volunteer to take the back seat.
I pretend to ask if it's okay once or twice and then I'd be off running.

Kesian dia.

So I decided ( or I guess it was decided by fate) to just be a penonton for this race.
And see how it feels like to be on the other side.

I actually signed up for this race despite me saying Taiping International Marathon's 10K was the last for this season.
Talk about being fickle minded.
But blame it on the pakcik yang jaga the race registration.
" Sayang oo kalau tak masuk, dik. Orang pompuan tak ramai lagi yang sign up"
Saje je pakcik ni kan.

Registration pun murah. Aku pun bayar je la. Niat kalau tak lari aku sedekahkan je la.

Pastu bila seminggu pegi kursus, mula la contemplate nak lari ke dak.
Even though it was advertised as only an 8K race, I hardly ever done more than a 5K distance ever since I hit the 2nd trimester.
Pastu nama pun race, for sure I'd overexert myself even though niat pasang taknak buat sedemikian.
I don't trust myself to behave.

Tambah race would start at 8 am. Dianjurkan parti politik.
CONFIRM start lebih lewat.
Overheating will become an issue.

Kejap-kejap aku tepon WW. Nak race ke? Tak nak race ke?
Dia pun dah mula malas layan.
But like I said, fate decided for me.
After I got back from my kursus, I asked mom whether she was free to take care of the kids.
" Boleh, tapi....mak dah miss kelas agama 2 kali dah minggu ni"
Tu dia, punya subtle rejection.

So it was decided. Penonton je la.

Berapa banyak punya mukadimah da

Cantik kan? Bukit apentah.

So 7:30 am sampai kat Sekolah Tun Perak untuk Larian 1 Malaysia kat Padang Rengas..
Aku tengok muka-muka biasa geng-geng Taiping Road Runners buat warm up.
Lepas WW salam-salam sape-sape yang patut, dia pun buat warm up jugak.

warm up melawan arus

Dalam pukul 8.00 am, MC suruh pelari berkumpul kat court tennis.
Ramai jugak la for a race not widely advertised.
And then sessi MC buang masa membebel sebab kononnya organizers masih lagi recce route race untuk clearkan route.
Adeke?
Bebel pokpek bebel pokpek, matahari pun dah naik. Terik.
Aku ngan anak-anak dah mula lapar tapi sebab takut termiss the start of the race, kami tahan jugak.

Tunggu
Tunggu
Tunggu

Ramai runners keluar  'kandang tahanan' by this time sebab:
1. Dah panas
2. Nak warm up balik
3. Nak pi jamban.

Tup-tup pukul 8.55 am baru nak start.
Masa tu matahari naik betul la.
Aku nervous jugak, kot-kot la organizers nak bagi politician berucap sebelum start.
Depa ni bukan boleh. Suka benor dengar diri sendiri bercakap.
Sep baik takde.

So they were let off. And we cheered and cheered. We watched them until they were nowhere in sight.

Silly camera phone can never snap on time. Argh

And then my children looked up to me.
Now what?

Now we wait.

So kami pi kantin dan makan.
Talk about killing two birds.

Ikut resam nasi lemak kantin.

Sedap dan murah. 

goreng pon sodap 

After 26 minutes, we heard the MC announcing the arrival of the first placing runner.
Aik? Lajunya.
Kalut-kalut rush balik kat race site.

Aku tengok sorang-sorang cross the finishing line
1,2,3,4,5..(alamak, podium nak habis)
6,7,8,9...
Just as I was about to look elsewhere, Chiam spotted his old man.
We were cheering, and jumping and clapping. All three of us. Aku nampak paling buruk kot.
And trying to take pictures at the same time.
Which of course came out crappy.

Camera phone aku ada reputation taknak snap at the right timing.

( yang depan tu category budak sekolah 3K) 

Tengok tu! Dia snap tinggal bayang je. 

Harun hashim sungguh. 

But he did it.
No 10. in 32 minutes.
We were pumped.
The kids were really happy ( mostly sebab papa bagged a prize)
"30 hengget je?" kata Chiam.
Jadi la tu. Janji pulang modal.

 Yay!

Ate, takdele besinye koman benor yeop.

The prize giving went smoothly. We didn't have to wait long. The prize money was given promptly and only first 3 finishers had to wait for the prize giving ceremony ( which I heard was held late).
Not bad for a small race. Good quality medal and despite all the lateness, it went smoothly afterwards.

And finally I've officially became a penonton!
I've embraced the other side!
Which is not so bad provided there's nasi lemak.
But then again, nothing can go wrong when there's nasi lemak.