Still a Newbie at Heart!

(i thought i better start rambling on about running just in case some new running friends stumble upon my blog, only to be horrified that i ramble more on food!

but i could be repetitious!)

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last saturday we got our lazy bums out of bed at 6am to meet with some friends to tackle the 'double hills' route as i honestly couldn't remember it since the NB 15k. at that time, it was my first introduction to the route and i was VERY ill-prepared! (i did very badly, too)

it was a good morning run and it was very nice to bump into other runners along the way. it is when everyone exchange greetings and crack a joke or two, i am then reminded that not ALL KL-lites are stuck up and unfriendly! (but who knows, they may even originate from other states. =D)

i have to admit that a year ago, i wouldn't have expected myself to have improved nor would i have contemplated doing a full a marathon some time in the future. i never thought that by now, i would hunger to further improve myself with running half marathons and that an easy 10k run over the weekend is just not enough.

it's like, "that was it? next time i want to do 15k ..."

i have started stalking runners' blogs within the local community and i'm not sure whether they're flattered or terrified. hehe. i am forever in awe with their achievements and the fun they always have when running with friends.

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it's funny when you talk to a non-runner and they get impressed with your 10km achievement and they'd moan that they wouldn't be able to do it. i've begun to tell them that you'll have to start somewhere and try running 5km first and you will soon realise that 10km is an achievable distance without killing yourself.

once, a non-runner asked a lady and i how do we do it, i mean, how and where do you begin. she probably got confused when the lady and i told her different things but eventually conceded on one thing - that you will have to increase your speed/pace bit by bit and continue jogging/running at least 3 times a week, at a minimum.

i first started with the distance. do or die, i had to complete that 5km no matter how long it would take. and the first time, it took me an hour. 2 weeks later, i would set my target to let's say 50mins. 2 weeks later, 45mins. something like that.

but nobody wants to listen to a newbie, hehe. the lady has 4 years of experience under her belt! =)

also don't think you'll lose a lot of weight once you start running! i did lose some but i'm at a plateau now and my current running regime merely maintains my current weight so that's good for the time being.

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even if you don't have a partner who enjoys running as much as you do, there are running groups available around the klang valley and they would welcome you with open arms should you want to join them for their runs!

i hope to be able to make some more new friends along the way!

hmmm ... and yes, i'm a bit bored that my next run is 26th sept and 17th oct but they are both very short distance. phhhbbbbt.

but maybe one fine sunday i will join the runners for their 20k morning run from bukit aman to hartamas and let's see how i fare!

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[yeah i know no one is probably reading this, haha, but i just thought i'd talk to myself since blogs do act as a diary for me.]

Fresh Spring Rolls FTW!

I was craving for fresh spring rolls yesterday, and so i went on a mission to gather as much of the important ingredients i could to have them for dinner.

Meehoon/bihoon - check.
Rice paper - had to drop by another supermarket for it as the one i initially went no longer had any in stock.
but RM11.89?!
I was horrified.
And desperate.
So check.

While shopping, i was thinking of possible replacements like tortilla wraps or pancakes but it just wouldn't go with the other ingredients, i thought.

And i made do with whatever was in the fridge, seeing that i didn't even have fish sauce! (it was at mine, but dinner was at YB's.)

Spring onions to replace basil.
Japanese cucumber without carrots.
Cilipadi sauce / mayo to replace fish sauce for dipping.
Omelette and luncheon meat bits were additional ones, compared to our previous vegetarian spring rolls.
and enoki mushrooms with a bit of butter, on the side.



Anyway, the winning ingredient is ALWAYS peanuts. and the luncheon meat made it extra delish this time.



YB was happy with the surprise menue for dinner and gobbled a few rolls, if i may say. i could only have 3!

Dinner ended with YB asking me,"so ... when is our flight to Siem Reap?" ;)
(WE MISS SIEM REAP!)

More Belts!

Bought 2 belts yesterday, just because 1 wouldn't be worth the price on its own.

But now as i stare at it, i wonder how on earth am i going to pull it off, or CAN i even pull it off? *lol* I really liked the flowery one!!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Just because he asked,"No bread?"

So I whipped up a small stack of pancakes and threw in some peanut butter.
Hmmm ... Not too overwhelming, phew.

Noms

psssst, jo, i found it! ;)

Found my old love again...*love*
Strudel's in Metrojaya, Midvalley.

But it's best chilled. Bought a blueberry and a strawberry one back and it was nicer than the one I ate there. noms! YB enjoyed his - he's a blueberry fan. =)

=)

watching When In Rome on dvd now and i can't help but smile. *smiles*
i've always loved cheesy romantic comedies and the happy endings. *smiles*
courtship is always the fun part!

unfortunately, i don't think Josh Duhamel can act in romantic comedies.
tsk.
such a shame.

i think i'm going to ask YB to court me all over again, hehe.

the boys.

am missing the boys!
have been feeling a bit lonely (in terms of buddies) and wished everyone was still in town. *fake smile*

ok, but then again, after moping about and Bin having to endure it, i realised i should have made more girl friends since the school days and then we'd remain friends til today and i probably wouldn't be so lonely.

but how can you force someone to be friends with you for so long, if we grow up and go our separate ways? if you click, you'll click. =)

i miss the boys, gahhh!!

Extra Mayo, Please

our team went out for lunch at Dave's sometime in July and gosh, it was a while since i last ate Dave's.

we never fail to order their signature pizza: ham and pineapple with mayo. super duper awesome!

check out the mayo oozing out from the pizza. a colleague requested for extra mayo in it.

which you don't have to, really. it's good enough already ... and add a dash of tabasco ... awesome!!

never forget to have their pork knuckles!

but i think the pizza's my all-time favourite! *drool*

sis went to Paris in July and bought back 2 boxes of macarons, one for me and one for our parents.

don't you just adore their presentation?

the goodies inside ... i can't remember which ones i liked best, but they were gooooooood. they weren't supposed to taste as hard as biscuits, but well, they had to be kept refrigerated for a while until i felt like consuming them. =)

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ok, i'm hungry already ... time for bed!

Hola!

it's friday, it's fridaaayyyyyy ... *skippity skip*

despite being twitchy, we haven't gone all crazy to sign up for more runs for the rest of the year. BUT we are going to join the Pacesetters, so yay! that's one running-related thing we're doing this weekend. =)

we should be trudging up Bukit Tabur tomorrow and off to UPM for something on Sunday. i can't wait! i hope and hope that i'll take splendid photos on Sunday ... but that doesn't mean i'll edit and upload them quickly, anyway. lol. i have photos from October 2009 which i haven't put up. hmmm. why ah? why am i so freaking lazy?

coming across atrocious photos of me running, i'll probably have to focus more on my running techniques instead of speed or i won't improve as a whole. reading some articles on techniques have got me worried ... since 30mins ago. =P

oops here i go, slouching with my shoulders tense. *straightens up*

anyway, sorry. let's talk about non-running stuff.

• the fasting month begins on the 10th.
• my next holiday is in September, yippee.
• a lawyer just slammed the phone down on me.
• i still wished i had studied psychology.
• i'm wondering what to eat for lunch.
• i ate 2 small biji of durian last night, it was gooooooooooooooood as i've been wanting to have some for so long.
• i wanted to run last night but YB had a headache so we watched The Mentalist, before i eventually dozed off.
• (oops, non-running stuff!)
• i need to buy a new mobile phone pronto as my backup is dying soon. (the old one went cuckoo)
• i'm also checking out data plans of network providers but i really don't understand stupid Celcom's website. Digi's is more straightforward but i wonder if there are any hidden terms.
• i need to lose my belly fat.

ok, i'm slouching again ... *does her best to straighten up, shoulders back*

KL Rat Race 2010

pre-race ramblings is here.


Tuesday, 3rd August 2010.

i was worried about doing a good time as i was pushed back into the crowd the minute the gun went off. my mouth was dry and i didn't like it, as it made it difficult to breathe comfortably. (strangely, this is not the first time! i must have dehydrated while waiting under the sun!)

i hit my target for the 1st 1.2km at 6mins (the junction of Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan Sultan Ismail), and then i caught with a few of my colleagues including NR, during the 2nd 1.3km. shortly after, i began suffering from a sudden cramp on the right side of my back. (2nd time this has happened) it was so hard to run with my right knuckle trying to ease the pain in the back, AND then i developed a slight stitch on my left side at the front. gawd. i didn't know what to do - stop running or just continue with my right arm on my back and my left arm placed in front below my ribs?

there was a water station and i gladly grabbed a bottle of water but it is SUCH a waste. i left the bottle at the bus stop on Jalan Ampang after a few sips as it isn't easy to run with a bottle in your hand, ok.

that's when i caught up with my teammate, who kept stopping and then she stopped just before we reached Concorde Hotel on Jalan Sultan Ismail. (i'm the girl way behind in the picture)

trudging along now, i focused breathing normally and hoped the pain would disappear. thankfully, it did. so i continued moving my legs along, overtaking a runner one by one. it's always very amusing to overtake a guy and have him shooting you dirty looks. i am going at my comfortable pace, mind you!

anyway, upon reaching the Junction of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan P.Ramlee, i checked my time and couldn't figure out whether i was on target or not. 18-19mins? at that point i just decided to just continue moving along and made sure i conquered that freaking incline at Shangri-la Hotel. saw a few girls ahead and thought to myself, "gawddammit, they're fast!"

i overtook them just as we reached AmBank Building and checked my time. 20.5mins. oh gawd. now it's the final push until the end. just 5 more minutes, i kept telling myself and pushed forward.

the minute i reached the Shell station, the last 600m or so, i forced myelf to speed up a little and made myself overtake the girl in blue ahead of me just before we reached the foot of the hill of Bukit Kewangan, where the incline is just crazy. and i prayed like mad that she didn't catch up and overtake me at the finish line!

haha, who knows? anything is possible! we watched the video playback of the finish and we did see some guys overtaking others just at the finish line!

(that's the lady i overtook at Shell.)

but ok, no one else overtook me at such a late stage, that's good. guys don't count. =P

and once again, i'm sure there are awful photos of me soon to float around. the ex-CIMB guy showed everyone the pics taken and mine was bad. =S

i'll never look good while running, ok. so which one to choose, to be a runner or to look good while running? hmmmm.