2 New Hills

Yesterday we went for a simple ride.

The same route, same hills, only he added 2 new ones. Cycling with my coach/riding buddy is a love and hate thing. I loooove it when it is over or if I was faster and stronger that day, but I hate it because he always make me feel like I wasn't good enough. While climbing a particularly steep hill, I was struggling and he pointed out that we were only going at 7km/h! And to make matters worse, he did not bring any water with him whereas I had to stop and drink a Livita.

We also got chased by dogs. That was a funny moment. I thought I was going to be dead because damn it, my legs did not need the extra speedwork! But luckily the dogs stopped chase after a while.

I came back and did 2 hours of SS workout. And now my arms are supersore. But my legs felt really good during the 2 hour session. I think I need the running and cycling to prepare me for these sessions. I always thought I can do without.

Training Vs Riding

This morning he said to my gasping for air face, "Now you know the difference between simply riding and training." Most cyclists, have impressive mileage. We can ride 70km++ with hills and make it back, tired but accomplished. Most cyclists, are fast - on flats. But simply training will tire you out completely.

Today we did only 8km+. For one hour. And I was so tired.

I admit I wished I didn't give up at one point. On the third set he was pushing me harder, and I tried to sustain it until we reached the end, but I just did not have it it me so I stopped. And a few seconds later I regretted doing that. Was it because I am not training for a race? Because I didn't register for anything? Thus making me automatically lazy for pushing myself to break the edge? My riding buddy has never entered any event but he didn't use that excuse.

I think that's what differs a real athlete and normal weekend warriors. We want to enter events and 'train' but we don't want to take the fun out of it. Why should we, since it's not like we are sponsored anyway right? That would be the answer.

I go back and forth. I just wrote here a few days ago about wanting to just ride but alas there I was this morning learning tricks and trade of proper riding. At first I was wondering if I should tell him that I just want to ride, but then again I do not want to lose a riding friend - he didn't wake up early to just go for a ride with me chit chatting about work and crap - we can do that in a larger group ride. So I followed his crazy instructions.

And I will see if I really do improve. I used to think that I was somewhat fair cyclist; I climb hills with gutso and can do real long rides without any base mileage. But that was because I love hills and do regular cross training, come to think of it, most runners can survive riding and climbing. But how fast and how good you ride without bonking is a whole different matter.

And that doesn't simply rely on weekly rides with makan2 stop in between.

Updatess

(written today)

Just got back from a tough intense session as usual it's getting harder as the students turnout remained the same. Sensei is not that lenient anymore and my push up still suck. One thing that is good about this is that I am working on my speed so much. We have to run laps doing incredibly tough negative splits - this is in running terms and I bet the sensei doesn't know that; all he knows is asking us to complete the lap in 1 minute, then 50 seconds then 45 seconds and so one. CRAZY!

I did a half-assed brick session yesterday. since I missed riding last week due to rain and schedule, I was told to warm up my legs by cycling around the neighbourhood - even for 2km, using the heaviest gears. So I did, and cycling around neighbourhood is dangerous, well, when you're not wearing a helmet and wearing clipless shoes. there's just too many junctions and cars! but there's this slight incline that really worked me in heavy gears... i found myself cheating a little bit by switching to lower gears hehe. my back hurt! After about 25 minutes of mindless cycling I went for a short run. that was good since I felt strong if you didn't take into account my knees.

Looking forward for tomorrow's workout.

(wrote this on Tuesday)

Today was such a great intense workout! I felt so glad that I dragged myself off the bed at 5am and steeled myself against going back to sleep. So many thoughts went through my mind - I didn't have enough sleep, didn't really have a good full dinner, etc, - anything to bail out of this workout. But I reminded myself that I WILL feel good at the end of the session.

And I was right.

Today's session was meant to be tough. We started with basic drills, then a 5x20 seconds of strength exercises working on each major muscle group: arms, core, and legs. That means 5x20 seconds of arms, 5x20 seconds of core, you get the idea. Then we had to do jumping kicks for 2 laps. And REPEAT to doing karate drills. FOR ONE HOUR.

Karate is just sooooo, well, satisfying.

Last Sunday, I hit the pool. I miss the pool. It doesn't feel like a workout for me, and if it does, I feel more like a sexy mermaid than a drowning whale (although while doing drills I am the latter... never the former). That Sunday, I felt energized. The pool was empty - totally devoid of people. Syok nooooo. I fantasized on doing 2k, but will take at least 1k of swimming to keep me happy. That's my worst case number. If I was REALLY feeling sick, 800m pon jadi laaa.

Seperti biasa, warmup with 5x100m. Time tu la stretch aper yang nak stretch. berangan2 sikit while swimming, not caring. Then the set begins. I can't remember now what I did but I limit myself to 10-15 seconds of rest before I start again. I finished the set with a few drills, semestinya my favorite - the baring malas tepi drill. Didn't feel like it was a drill, seriously. Maybe I was doing it wrong the this whole time.

Everytime I see people running or talk about running, I feel like going running. It is such an easy workout, yet I find myself making excuses not to go. I just get bored easily nowadays with running. When I look at my bike, rasa nak pecah meronta2 tuk ride. Tapi sometimes the logistics of this sport makes me feel lazy. But when there's a will, there's a way. Especially if you are riding with someone so f@#$king good. Camana la dier tahan ngan aku ni.

Ramadhan Plan:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Run

Wednesday: Cycle kanak2 riang ria tepi rumah.

Thursday: Yoga

Friday: Cycle/Yoga

Saturday: Buka Puasa gathering!

Sunday: Run/Rest

Have to swim as much as I could for now!

Tuesday good day

Good cardio. No hesitation in the morning, even when I slept at nearly 2am. I knew I was going to have to put in some cardio today and there shall be no excuses.

Woke up, got ready, drank milk, then started. It was fast, and furious (for me) and too soon my heart started racing, legs burning. I kept to my pace, afraid of cramps. At the usual stop I did forward bends until I'm a noodle. Then I continued again, but due to the busy traffic (forgot that Selangor has to work) I have to be careful about the cars. It bothered my pace and I hate having to slow down especially when I'm on a roll. My legs seem to be quite heavy and I worked them hard to 'man up' to the speed. No mollycoddling!

At the last stop I picked up pace that really got my heart pumping and my thighs groaning. The whole distance felt short but I knew I worked hard today, pushed myself.

But when I came back from a hearty breakfast, I realised that it's not enough. I want to be doing more - so I went to the gym and spent about an hour there. I was dying of thirst afterwards.

Chocolate milk is such a good recovery drink. Just a thought.

Due Update

I have been Internet-less for a few days now ever since moving into my own space. The office blocks out most pages I want to access, blogger included. Thank God for my trusty old manual cardio journal.

Saturday:

The distance got the best of me. I never liked this route, mostly because it messes up with my pacing. I am never good in pacing. If it's a loooong steady incline, I always get winded haflway up. If it's a flat road I lose steam after charging fast the first few kms. If it's downhill I get bored with all the going down. No, pacing is never my strong suit, and that is unfortunate.

The first few times where I paced correctly the result was sweet. I'm still trying to figure out at which point I should surge ahead and when I should hold back to accumulate potential energy (chewah!). I ended Saturday workout with a half-hearted joy. Maybe it is just the route.

Sunday:

Met my favourite girls and we got started. The pace was quick and easy, and I was caught by my own joy of empty highways and vast open space. The weather was good. I liked it, but I wish it was hotter. I would have enjoyed it more if the sun was scorching on my back. I like suffering during exercising... isn't it the whole point? Pushing to your limits when you 'train'?

A girl whose blog I frequently read writes about always trying to max out yourself when you train. You will never know how far you can go if you didn't try. Well, I'm not training for anything specific nor do I want to beat any of my (so-called) records but I am intrigued by the thought of just getting better, stronger, faster. I worked on my form. I emulated the better ones. I mimicked closely what they did. And I gave when I simply just couldn't push it anymore. That Sunday was a first for me, giving up and stopping. But instead of feeling deflated, I felt positive, knowing that there is a room for me to improve.

I like having benchmarks. I like knowing you've leaped further than you did before.

Monday was a much needed rest. I slept in late, had a good fest of a lunch, spent some quality time with my family and boyfriend, and then watched a movie. Idris Elba was so hot in Takers. I don't really like accents but I like the fact that he's tall. Harris says he walks like he has a tennis ball stuffed between his crotch and I was like, You don't say...

Tuesday:

Fast cardio! But I took it easy, because I have promised a friend I would. We were always in it together, the same level, the same goals. One of the better, stronger ones, also stuck with us, kept at our pace. I can't believe she took it easy. She's a powerhorse. We slalomed all the ups and downs, curves and bends, laughing, making jokes, feeling like the night is ours. At the end of the workout the Powerhorse started to up the intensity, and I followed suit. Like I said, I just wanted to test myself, see if I could beat myself, and get a good workout while I'm at it. I hung on to her for a good 2 minutes, breathing hard, feeling dizzy.

It felt great however. I believe that I am slowly getting better. Inch by inch, my stamina is improving. Slowly but surely, I am able to cover more grounds. I am, more or less, back to where I was.

9 breaths

At work, I wrote to myself:

Today you will workout. You will try to do a one hour of cardio, but you can always settle on your 'at-least-it's-done' 30 minutes. Nothing shorter, because I know you are stronger than that.

Truth to be told, I was lazy. I was mostly tired from work, and I didn;t really sleep well, I am still recovering from a gastric attack, etc. But I needed to slot that one quick cardio in. I knew how good it feels at the end.

So I did not give time for myself to think. I just stopped work, drove, changed and got to move. And what do you know I loved it. I think I tortured myself quite badly. I felt like fainting. Then I got headaches. I was definitely hard on myself. What I like to do was to imagine that I have an upcoming tough race to participate and my coach was the same one I had for track in high school. He was brutal and he yelled at your ass to GET THE LEGS MOVING!

My workout dynamics have certainly changed now. I have no idea when, and how, but I do know why. I want to get faster and better. I want to be stronger. No longer do I take it slow and steady, training my already solid mental and physical endurance. I enjoy speedier, short bursts of anything now. I like finishing a workout with my heart burning.

I did not burn enough today. I kind of regret that now.

Ever since I read about pushing one's own limit, I am obsessed with the idea of testing myself. I never did that - test my limits. I never HAD to, or wanted to. I was happy doing my sports and coming in last for all it's worth. I didn't want to beat anybody; I just wanted a workout. The only time I found myself tested was during the sundown marathon and that was because I was underprepared. I survived pretty much anything because I know I couldn't stop.

But suddenly I find myself loving this pressure. Wanting the pressure, needing the push. I am not satisfied if I got home with energy left to do laundry, watch Tv, etc. I want to be hammered.

I have to miss out two of the upcoming events that I'd already PAID for thanks to work. But it's an overseas trip so I'm not really complaining, plus I know I would enjoy the FAT (that's factory acceptance test). I'd be bringing my fivefingers and I wish I can bring my other boyfriend but he's quite heavy and won't fold easily. Oh well.

I still have 2 and a half more days before I disappear for 11 days! Make them worth it!

Starting Again

Back to work this week. And to be honest I actually love it. I kind of miss the smell of documents piled up on the table, reading emails of one issue after another, looking at layout diagrams.

After my raya run, I was hungry for another cardio. Not to mention the fact that both my favorite athlete+blogger+superfemale have started their own routine exercise again, one back from confinement (but being American her confinement period's just 4 weeks!) and another back from a well deserved break after her third ultra.

Being on different timezones they update their workouts just when I am strapped to my table at work.

I'm thinking of I don't know, maybe bringing my jump rope at work and jump my jitters away.

Today, I was resolute. About working out. Yesterday was such a disappointment. No car, therefore stuck. Nighttime run hampered by a must-visit to my aunt's house.

Today I did cardio type C. And I think I'm at a better shape than I was before Ramadhan. At worst, the same level. I am ecstatic. I am proud. I am overjoyed.

But different cardio sports have different demands. You think your fitness is awesome because you're a runner, but then you can't last in a rubber set of badminton (believe me I've tried. It's like running 10k with lunges, squats, and jumping jacks thrown in between). I bet I can't return to my sports of choice with this level of fitness. I bet I'd be huffing and puffing.

Looking towards the day. But for now, I'm glad I got the groove back. The burn in my heart, the determination to finish. Something within me stirred.

Super HOT

Ran under the hot sun.

Distance: 5.44km
Time: 35:10

The weather was super hot today, as always, the kind of weather I love. I was parched 10 minutes into running. Because I was in the mood, I did something different than the normal run I usually do for this route.

In high school for cross country training we did this routine where we ran 2x any distance of loop. Instead of doing the first loop as a warm up and the second loop harder, we did it in reverse. We called it the Reverse Bullshit. The idea is that after hitting the first round hard, we are training ourselves to continue pushing on when we thought we couldn't. And sure enough, we always did.

For the first loop, I ran faster than normal. The sun glared my eyes at some parts and I felt like an overheated engine. It was nice to cover the same distance in a faster speed, and by the time I started my second loop my legs were dying for a break. I took my own sweet time running this second lap. Didn't want to push it at all since I practically have to wait for one more hour before Iftar.

I ran wearing my favorite running tshirt. I got it in when I was 18 and usually wear it when I go out for a run. It's heavy cotton and sticks to your skin, but you all know I love sweaty soggy cotton than dri-fit fabric anytime. It has an illustration of lady running and it says Lady Cougar Track and Field. So cool! I always feel like a true professional runner when I run wearing this tshirt.

Off to Singapore until the end of the week. Sighs. Thank God I LOVE my work.

Balance

I have forgotten at which point in my life that sports and working out took over and my social life ends. Truth to be told, I actually enjoyed this routine of work, train and sleep if it weren't for my family and friends making noise. I come home every day feeling physically knackered but mentally satisfied and 10 minutes after settling down at home I feel really sleepy. It wasn't until yesterday night when my boyfriend (whom I have not seen for weeks due to me being tired) dragged me out to dinner and my friends were all waiting for me that I realized how far out I have been with my workout. It felt like a suprise birthday party or a welcome back shindig. Welcome back from a coma more like it.

There is absolutely no balance in my life which is ironic considering the fact that balance is such a pivotal aspect in all the sports I play. Everyday during yoga class we spend a good 10 minutes achieving this perfect balance of mind and body integration. And it is not easy to do - the poses. Everytime each of us fumbles and staggers out of our still poses the yoga teacher says, "Aaah, I told you the search of being balanced is lifelong and humbling." Religion also promotes the concept of balance - wasatiah it's called in Islam if I'm not mistaken. Balance is such a crucial point in swimming - you need it for a good bodyroll and streamline. In running balance provides you that stability which maximises running efficiency and definitely lessens injuries caused from tripping, etc. And, you can't cycle at all if you can't balance your bike. Hence, balance is such a useful and important thing to master. And I suck at it, in real life.

I have long ago given up on explaining to others around me why I do the things I do. It's the kind of thing that only a few understand - fellow runners, swimmers, exercise enthusiasts. We blog about this from time to time - how nobody understands us and how people think we're crazy for putting our bodies to such torture. Why? Why do we push ourselves to run until our lungs felt hot, until our legs feel sore, why are we okay to endure waking up with sore muscles? Only you and I know why, and sometimes we can't even explain it.

Nevertheless, all these hard work is useless if I can't pick up one thing I learned from the sports and apply it in real life. What good would practicing balance in each of these sports be if I can't even find time to see my friends and family? Sports have a lot of benefits which I try to reap and I do not want them to have a negative effect to my life.

Two days back in an intense karate session we had to do a series of suicides drills. Suicides is a term borrowed from basketball - where you have to sprint to the middle point of the court, back again, then sprint to the other end of the court, and back again. Basically it's like a sprint interval which leaves you feeling like you are committing suicide. We do these after a session of lunges and karate squats that burned the thighs but prepped our legs enough to feel lighter during the suicides. I wrote about the importance of speed plays earlier and I can't recommend this enough. I believe doing sprints are good for our leg power and also heart. It introduces muscle memory for both parts - at least that's what I think it does for me. You get better after a while, faster, stronger.

Also, I want to share with your this tip given from my karate teacher. During our warm-up run, he insists on us closing one nostril and breathing through only one. This increases lung power and your anaerobic efficiency. Whether it's true or not, I didn't find out. But what I know is that it was harder to breathe and I felt insanely tortured upon doing it the first few times, but I also recover faster and run better when I breathe through two nostrils. Anyways, it's always a good challenge to use on the days you felt your warm up or LSD run is getting too easy for you.

Swim Drills

My first swim class and I was late. 

I went home early after my training, felt a fever acting up and bundled under the covers to sweat it out. Too soon it was nearly 6pm, so I swallowed Actifast and got going. But I was unfamiliar with the area so I got lost. 

 When I arrived the other students were already there. My instructor, Mr Lee, introduced me to everybody by saying that I am a triathlete! I tried telling him that I am attempting to compete but everybody was looking at me like I'm a hotshot swimmer. There's this one guy, Ng, who asked me about my time and all. I was instantly nervous. He had me swim 100m to assess my style, and I got so excited that I went too fast and I burned down at the last 25m. I choked and sputtered in front of them. so embarrassing! hahaha..

 

 He then asked us to do kicking drills, which nearly wiped me out. My thighs were burning. After that it was one arm stroke drills, which I sucked. Then, the best part of the evening, he had us swim across the pool (17m) with only a single breath, kicking all the way. I nearly died! And then, as if the torture isn't enough, he has us tread water with our hands above the surface of the water, all the way. Of course I failed that. My legs simply weren't strong enough. To end it, he asked me, Ng, and this malay dude to race 100m. I went charging the first 100m, but lost steam and came reallll slow, breathing like an asthmatic. What a humbling experience! To think I was a hotshot swimmer in my 3k pool - well of course, when everyone else were elderly grandpas and uncles! hehe.

 He asked me what my goal was, and I told him to be able to swim long distance while conserving energy. Ng's target was all about speed - he wanted to do 100m in less than 1:40. The malay dude wanted to be able to swim; he was practicing his breaststroke mostly.

 All in all, a good tiring workout, but too short to my liking. Can't wait for the next class.