Belated Goodbye to 2008, and Lets upgrade ... for 2009

For my first facebook status for 2009, I said - "lets upgrade".

Lets upgrade for 2009. There are many reasons why, but I will start with my one of my favorite blog topics for the year - running - this passion which has held steadfast for the year.

Leaving 2008 - with two marathons in the belt ...
2008 was a really eventful year of trying with less effort, and enjoying a "stretched" target. As those in sales knows, there is always the target and the stretched target. I did not have a real target for the year for 2008, but I had wanted to do my first marathon. Sometime in Feb or something, I signed up for Sundown. My rationale was so "logical" and so me - that to conquer the 42.195 km, my only option was to run at night, as I had been burned and dehydrated before in even half marathons, and moreover, I am really a night person.

And so the KLIM whizzed past, I remember doing it with the remaining of a flu, could not breathe through the nose, and rushed to Sydney in a plane a couple of hours after that. The overseas travel usually knocks off momentum, and after that I was sick, and before I knew it, Sundown Marathon 31st May approached and I was not entirely ready. With a few usual goading from some friends and fellow bloggers, I decided to "go for it" - moreover a few of my colleagues were going for it, with a couple of us in our maiden marathon. The strategy I had was correct - I did what I could to compensate for my lack of practice, but made the race, terrible time.... and that got me hooked!!! After all, I had joined the marathon's club!

I am not a born runner. Nor a fast runner. Or had I ever raced for many years.

2008 was year two of the running club I formed with some colleagues in the company. I am so proud of the group - this is purely passion fueled, and to do KLIM with about 50 people - wow... and to see so many who started (you guys know who you are), and raised their level, this is amazing to me.

After a few more races, I got the itch again, and went for Singapore Marathon in December. What a close of the year for me, where again I travelled to Singapore with trepidation, regretted to not train enough for it, and finished the race, in the sun - another first for me!

To me, this year, 2009, is all about upgrade - I would encourage all those who are thinking of joining the running community to see what this drug is about, please do not hesitate to join - every year, somehow, I manage to know a few "converts" and when they race past me, I feel that urge to continue to run and run...

Arriving to 2009- and reminder to take care of myself...
I started the year terribly - my first weekend run for the new year last Sunday at double hills track in Bukit Tunku the Pacesetters regular track was really fun. The way my body reacted after the run told me I was in terrible shape, both from lack of sleep of overwork and also from working through the entire longest end of year holidays, uncountable amount of multi-tasking, and much less exercise. Suffice to say that after I got home fine and rested, I developed a "heat wave" - body was heating up from dehydration, and I had headache, vomitting, diaorhea, and was sweating in an air-cond room. And as the week starts for the people returning to work from a long break, my fatigue is really settling in and I still have no time to run, and my sole is aching for no reason. The forces of nature has issued me a reminder, the body is like a machine, it breaks down from over extended use.... press ctrl-alt-delete....

For 2009, my upgrade is not to do an ultramarathon - I have no qualifications for that yet, but a few simple thoughts of what I'd like to upgrade to - to do a few new things, and do better in a few events and not overkill myself physically -
- a 12/24 hr walk - I liked the thought of endurance event at low pace (and its at night heheh)
- two marathons, with target of 6hrs, 5.5hrs - sensible 30 mins increments!
- a dualthon - biking and running
- qualify and run for the rat race for the 4.5km
- do a personal best for the 10km and the 21km
- 10 persons from the company running club for the KLIM, and sponsored shirts from Nike (this one is for my selling skills, not my running skills)

Simple. Lets upgrade....