Intensity

Many years ago, I said this to someone :
If we meet each other once a year, for one hour, and we live another 20 years, this will only be 20 more hours in our lifetime.

What I did not say at that time was :
I would rather lets just spend the 20 hours now.

It is an irony that I was reminded of this today back by the same person I said it to - it kind of means that we have very little time, if we just spread them over a number of years and waste it, it will be meaningless, whereas if we spend the time within the right frame, all at once, it is worth a lifetime more than it being dots in the ocean.

It is like making an agenda of people you would like to spend time with before you die, except that you are in control, and when it is all done, you get to be free...

I thrive on intensity.

Last Race of the Year 2009 - Malakoff 12 km Run 20 Dec

Photos excerpt from Tey's album, thanks bro...










































I have race fatigue over the last 3 months! This was a really interesting race as it was a new route - Jln Beringin x2 = 12 km!!! Ever stampeded across the millionaire row early in the morning and doing the 3-4 hills?


I could almost imagine Yong Sun and Lum stepping out of their house to have a laugh at how I'm pushing myself. But hey, this is my personal goal. I am ALIVE!


Great race, fun to pant up the hill (FUN??), and really run down the hills, and my 2XU helped a lot with the compression... 1hr 23mins - nothing to shout about time, but I did push myself a bit here and there...


After the race, met up with many fellow racers - thanks for 2009, and I will be back with a bang in 2010.

Alumni nite .. 11 Dec 2009

Excerpt photos. Probably the event I look for every year.

Among some of the people who played a big part in my career. Enough said.


HKS - the person who hired me, and in my mid-career assignment in Taiwan, you were one of those who stood firm with my capabilities when I was nearly a casualty

JH - dont know you as well as I wanted to, but your level headed-ness, and diversity leadership inspires me

MST - did you remember you met a young university student in Melbourne many years ago, and asked - what is wrong with you, when I wanted to understand what I was getting hired for?

MYS - not in picture. taught me that anything is do-able in crafting a deal.

LP - not in picture. smart. balance. shrewd. can't describe you better.

MXH - not in picture. got me into the phone business and cannot forget my singapore trip to meet the boss instigated by you. changed my alignment.

CT - clients respected you because you could get them to program. even when they are already way past their prime.

LBC - you have your teachable point of view indeed.


The rest, not in photo - my fellow journey men, its like an unsaid fellowship. May we have many more such ring gatherings in the future...

Buy you a beer, coffee or dinner anytime. I have a lot of unsaid respect for all of you and more.

Celebrating Dad's birthday at SCSM with a 21km redemption race - 6th Dec 2009

Very late post - 6th December 2009 was my dad's birthday. Happy belated birthday dad, despite my old age, I do hope one day I can be as "amiable" as you are - I know you will always look at your youngest and only daughter with pride for what I have achieved over the years, by what you compared yourself to, but also you do not know what I feel about what I have not achieved. I am thankful for those rare quiet drives when I drive you and you listen to me rant because yes, I need to express some things, and yet, there are still so many things unsaid.

I took my parents to a trip in Singapore for a break, a holiday they could not afford now with the higher price per exchange for Singapore and also the expensive hotel room. Coincidentally it was also the weekend of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2009. This year, I signed up earlier and signed up for 21km. I knew after KL Marathon I had no capability to train and run a full marathon and I was just tired of failing to run a better race. Two weeks earlier, in Penang, I had run a terrible race, and it resulted in me really very upset with myself for the poor timing. In the weekend in between, I powered up two 10km double hills and I felt I was ready for a better timing.

Arrived in Singapore on Friday morning, and collected the race pack at Singapore Expo - waited for Boone & friends, but was very tired waiting, because their flight was delayed, I was severely dehydrated, and tired from the early morning flight. Went back to hotel after meeting with them briefly, and started feeling the onset of a sore throat. By night of friday, I felt really uncomfortable, and ate the Tony Romas (a must do) with my parents in significant discomfort.

As such, the next day was purely about resting. I passed out on a trip to visit the singapore zoo, and instead opted to shop and visited the Singapore Flyer. The flyer was a really peaceful ride as I managed to take photos, have a relaxing spin and also appreciated the route I ran on the next day, although singapore is sorely messed up with the construction of a million and one things.

Race day, I got up early, for the 645 start time, and the walk from the hotel to the starting point was less than 5 mins about 100-200m, how cool is that!!! The race atmosphere was electrifying, and after visiting the loo and warming up, I was ready to go... As strange as it is, the races in singapore has always been me against myself, even though I seem to come with or know people who would run. I fault myself for being so crazy sometimes, but running... has given be a new perspective on peace... and something I - an ordinary girl who was once more of a brainy nerd than a sports person can claim fame to and enjoy as well...

Race route was very friendly, even though I was really surprised there were so many people at the 21km... I will definitely never run the 10km race - it must have been worse!!! I was not used to having so many people at the 21km race, that it was completely crowded all the way from start to the end. The route went passed the marina sands building, suntec city, then onto nicoll highway and turned back, came back through the f1 pits, the floating field, etc. The last 5km was a common finishing for all race categories, so the split start times suited very well, at least I did not hit too many 10km racers, as it was too slow for the men, and almost too fast for the women. Heheh...

It was cool that my company's singapore office managed to get us some adidas vests for the race, but it was really strange that they opted for the standard Stan Chart colors, which made me miss all the photos... so the photos above are from someone's iphone..

And though not a PB, redemption was 15 mins off Penang time, and a good comfortable run.

To next year's SCSM - now I itch for the 42km again... where you get roasted but at least treated well !!!

You Raise Me Up... (Putrajaya 12 hr Walk 12-13 Dec 2009)

Josh Groban, "You Raise Me Up" in the middle of the night, and I was walking and walking...

You Raise Me Up to More Than I Can Be

This is such an up song!

When the time to sign up for the Putrajaya 12 hr Walk first came up, I remembered this was my new year's resolution post last year. In hindsight, as I sit down to blog this four days after the all night walk, I have to say this was the most extreme endurance event I did this year.

One week after 21km in Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, I have to admit this was no mean feat. Having said that, I raise my hat to the 42km marathoners in SCSM who continued on this event, some having known since last year that this was indeed an endurance event.

The day started with having to get to Putrajaya by 7pm for collection of the bib, and the race started at 8pm to 8am the next day. I liked the way the banner printed Dec 12-13 - it was a great pleasure to say that I have walked across two physical days!

Drive to Putrjaya was smooth - I was wondering during my drive there how it would feel like to drive back 12 hours later. Not knowing what to expect, except that there was buffet and imagining I was going to meet and chat with the whole town, I was very enthusiastic. Bib collection was smooth, and a while later, I met up with Boone and his colleagues - a very big hats off to him also for having managed to persuade a whole group of people to turn up for the race. I only managed myself, despite having claimed to be the sponsor for the company running club..!

After picking up the bib, I was slightly worried seeing people brought tents and camps - I was not sure if these were regular campers (?) or actually walkers who were smart enough to bring their own sleeping mat! The turnout and the carnival like atmosphere was very encouraging.

I had before the walk started, targeted to walk 42km - the distance of a full marathon. I realised how foolish this target after the first 6km, when I found out happily that I managed to do the first 6km in 1hr, but it also meant I had to walk a freaking 7hrs at the same pace!!!

My pace dropped significantly after I made my first stop approximately 2hrs after the race started. I made a mistake and ate some of the dinner buffet, after grabbing a banana initially. The dinner at 10pm sat really badly in my stomach for almost 3km. Who really takes a long walk immediately after dinner, and also walked another 30km after dinner!!!!!

I have to say, the highlight of the middle portion of my walk was the distractions - from talking to people, from Tey and Chee Hon taking pictures, Chee Hon bringing us delicious Krispy Kreme donuts (which settled much better than the dinner), and just from walking and not walking. 11-2am was perhaps the most difficult of the middle distance portions. After 2am, I think it was just ploughing through the 30km + portions and trying to just do 3-5 km each time I had rested.

Finally, just before 10hrs, I believe I managed to make 42km, and I stopped. Not sure if its really I managed to make 42km - its either 40 or 41 or 42 or 43 km, because guess what, you cannot count after 15km, the mind numbs itself! I did not however make it to 12 hours, I made only 10 hours because they were giving out medals at 10hrs, for a min of 20km / 26km for women/men. I took my medal and left, from 35km-40km thereabouts I was thinking - people train for a marathon, and this is a marathon distance, what do I think I am to attempt this without training !

Let me pause a moment and do a Haruki Murakami - what do I think about when I am walking (running)...?

- I was thinking about happiness and was deliriously happy just enjoying the night air and thinking about nothing for the first 3-4km. It reminded me of the "nothing box" - a metaphor used to describe a man's brain when he is watching TV..

- I was thinking about what lap to do the food when the food first came out at 10am. I was also disappointed with the food when it came out - it looked very "dinner bland".. or rather a bland dinner

- I was thinking about how soft someones arm was ... (don't ask me who)

- I was thinking about when Tey and Chee Hon was going to turn up to take our photos

- I was thinking about disco music and how I would dance all night long when I was younger (ahem), giving myself a skip in my walk ..

- I was thinkng if it was possible to change into my 2XU shorts in my car, and not lose so many laps and still manage to do it in the dark of the back seat. I was wondering if it would be worse or better than my shorts

- I was thinking about people holding hands during walking or running competitions

- I was thinking about how many hours of sleep I would need to do the next day to get up for a friend's wedding

- I was thinking about how big the thighs were of one of the foreigner ladies who walked so well

- I was thinking about how good a husband John was, who accompanied Wai Mun all the way (1st runner up) (I've been seeing these two around pacesetter events)

- I was thinking about who else I would talk to - for the record, besides Boone and his colleagues whom I spoke to and I knew before the walk started - I spoke to Haza (a couple of rounds), Sook Ying, whom I suddenly recognised after a few rounds as Pacesetter committee, one indian man who was from putrajaya (who asked me to take powerbar to match the top walker!), one chinese lady who was walking with her son, one red dyed hair lady who was walking non-stop until almost the whole night on and off, said hi to Weng (KC's brother) and to my amusement also listened to a lot of funny banter from the familiar faces..

- I was thinking about 42km every km I walked after 30km.. and how it resembled a marathon - hey I walk during the marathon as well on and off after 30km...

I told Boone that walking was a very solo thing, I am wrong. It is a very personal mind over matter thing - if being solo focusses you, then be solo. If having to chat with people focusses you, then chat with people. I found both of those and a great amount of determination is what it takes to walk all night.

One day, I will do the 24 hour walk. This will be my biggest mental challenge...

Footnote - I suffered in 3inch heels the next day at a colleague's wedding dinner - it was pure torture for me but strangely on the joints of the knee. Normally walking takes it out on the calves but not sure why I suffered on the joints... The next few days, 3 days later, my body was fatigue beyond any feeling I've ever encountered. Not easy....

Photocredit - first 3 photos - Chee Hon - lonely walk to nowhere, reminded to Buat Kerja every round (and fed like an inmate!)