A little better prepared

Jamie and Nisa signed up for a package of roller-blade lessons. It started with Jamie wanting a pair of blades and we thought it best if he tried some lessons in order to get going. If he liked them, the next step would be to buy blades. Nisa was keen because she also wanted to learn something new.

They both got started maybe 2 weeks back and I could see they all enjoyed themselves. I have a pic of them struggling and it did look tough but they really had a lot of fun. I just sat by to watch and was not prepared with drinks and the other stuff you need for a blade session.

This time, I am ready for the lesson tomorrow. I will have bandanas because they need to wear helmets, long socks, towels and a change of clothes (they were actually dripping with sweat) and of course, lots of drinks! And there would be lots of laughter. Another perfect weekend coming up!

Teaching my boy how to cry

It's clear to everyone that I do not like whining, and by that extension, crying. I mean it's fine if it's a baby but beyond a certain age, it's symptomatic of somthing that's not right. More so when it's excessive and attention seeking or simply to get one's way. To me, at least, it shows an inability to solve and deal with problems, an inability to stomach it and get on with it.

Obviously Jamie doesn't know all of this, just that he should not be crying excessively. To his credit, he's no cry baby and he does stomach it pretty well. He even proudly proclaims to me after an episode where other kids would be brawlling (or sobbing) that "daddy, you know I did not cry".

We were playing soccer in his room last night. Nothing big, just a dad kicking a ball to his son, and his son kicking it back. Kicking about and having fun. My father played a version of this with me when I was Jamie's age now and I was very glad I was doing this with Jamie. He slipped and he fell. His hands came in front of him to shield his face but it somehow was not adequate and he hit his forehead on the ground. He was a little stunned and he held his forehead for just a flash. He looked at me with one hand on his forehead and his face changed. The fall hurt and he wanted to cry. I was surprised that he was hurt because I thought his hands had protected him and so I had a look of surprise; certaintly there was no look of disapproval. In the time it took to blink, my brave boy declared he was not going to cry and the pain was no longer. He started smiling again but I knew he took it all inside.

My heart broke. The "no crying" obviously got drummed into him so well that he did not think it was correct to cry anymore, on any occasion. I could only hug him and tell him it's ok to cry as well. Because I was crying inside.

To refresh ourselves..we walked..

The long days and the endless nights have had its toll on me. At least this is how I used to describe my army days when we would be out in the field for extended periods of time and at some point, no matter what your fitness level was, your body would rebel and break down. It’ll start with a sniffle here, and an ache there but you know your body is telling you to rest. I even recall there was once when we were out in the field and a “down” day in the camp where you were not carrying your kit provided welcomed recovery.

It’s not a sniffle these days, but an ache that lingers, and a lack of motivation. Fitness-wise, I find I can still do the runs but the lack of mental energy makes it such an effort to complete it. I have been feeling like this all week and I guess it is because I want to (and have!) put in the miles so that I can put up a decent show at the NB 15k. Oh, and this is all part of the grand plan to do the half at the end of the year.

You really don’t know you are knackered until you take a break to smell the roses and see the sights; which is what Nisa and I did just now. It was all in the name of discovery the fabled “double hills” route at Lake Gardens. I had seen the maps but being a non-local, I was hesitant to venture in Bkt Tunku. Nisa and I decided to go and look and instead of a run, we walked the route instead. And we could tell we were on the right track because there were other runners! Surprisingly, the change in routine actually worked and we returned feeling better, and slightly charged as well. I want to run this evening…or buy new shoes!

I think I know why

I'm really miffed our season opener run got postponed. Nisa and I were really looking forward to it this Sunday. I'm wanting this because I want to open with something manageable; now I would open with the NB15k in a few weeks. It's not that I've not done that distance yet, it's just that I don't think I'm ready. Every 15k I've completed so far has taken me a while to recover from.

I've also been following the Hulu Selangor elections a little, more so because the opposition candidate is a prominent lawyer over in KL. The firm that he built, and still carries his name, is one of the largest around. The elections take place this Sunday, smack on the same day as the run. The run is organized by the local municipal authority (currently held by the opposition) and no doubt every bit of energy is now devoted by them to winning the election. This is why..

Simply Lovely

It would not be wrong to describe us as bring house-proud people. We like to keep the home spotless, and toilets bone dry and nice smelling. It's not easy and it takes up almost every waking moment. Evenings back from work are spent sweeping and mopping. It's pretty difficult to keep it up and some things are best left to the professionals. Why try to repair the engine when a mechanic will be able to do it at twice the speed and half the effort.

I called my mom yesterday. It was an idea I had broached before and I decided to pursue. Would our (theirs) maid mind coming over for a few hours once a week, earning some money in the process? No compulsion and she would have the right to say "no". Mom agreed on a rate and today was the first time the maid came over.

She completed two toilets in a blink!! I would have taken some 45min and emerged totally knackered. She was fresh and started on the third with some zeal. The floor were next and everything was done in 2hrs and a bit, faster than the anticipated 3hrs. A much superior effort too because this was "clean" that can be felt, seen, and smelt. Not to belittle the effort, she shed hardly a drop of sweat.

It's been in my core to resist help in cleaning my own home. After all, this is part of picking up after yourself; and along the lines that you only bathe yourself. Having experienced professional help, I think this will be a brand new start to how we treat and take care of our home from now onwards.

Roach killer

Here we are sitting down watching post-American Idol TV. In flies an insect that I thought was a moth but nisa spots it immediately for what it was. A flying roach. It must have known the roach killer had previously despatched to Roach-land many of it's kin and it home-ed in for it's kamakazi attack. It was certaintly suicidal because when it missed, Nisa picked up a slipper and with a twat, sent it permanently to Roach-land to join the rest.

Jamie cheered so loudly that I was afraid the neighbours would get alarmed.

What I like in a running shoe

I am not a gear nut. In fact, I am writing this post down so I can be reminded what I like in a shoe. No point looking at all and sundry, worse, buying something and later being reminded that I hate these features.

For starters, I am a mid-foot runner. The mid-foot of the midsoles will therefore have to be as soft as possible. Needs to be durable too but I find it hard to have great expectations because midsole technology is always focused on the heel. Until my biomechanics change, heel cushioning is not important to me at all.

The heel counter is important though. I need some form of structure to hold my ankle together. Some of the shoes (especially in the barefoot range) do away with heel counter structure totally so those are not for me. I feel like I’m wobbly without any meaning heel counter support.

The overall weight needs to be light too. I aim for 10oz and below. This brings my choices into the “performance” category, which means a compromise on the cushioning. Until I put on weight, I think a lower level of cushioning is fine.

From a feel standpoint, I somehow need to feel the ground when I am running. This probably means the soles must not be too thick. I definitely do not want to feel as if I am wearing platform shoes. Many shoes have been rejected because I have had this feeling. The final bit that is important is that it must have overlays at the mid-foot region to tie down the upper to the sole. Not many shoes have this. Lastly, I am a neutral runner so I don’t need a stability post, but some stability for longer runs would not be a bad thing.

After putting everything in the wash, out pops the…Brooks racer ST4! What a beau, and durable too. I’ve had it for some 4 months now and absolutely love it. A few days back, out pop another from the wash. This one was the Lunarglide, something that I had rejected previously. It has some serious cushioning.

I am not a gear nut…maybe…

osim singapore triathlon

No, we did not participate, that's why it's in small letters. We were there as spectators and saw the mere mortals as well as the elites!! The atmosphere simply makes you want to race race race!!

Here's what the family looked like there..

Victory

Don't know what they call it these days but back in my time, they were called amusement parks. These are the places in shopping malls then, dark and smoky, with all the arcade game machines. School kids wearing uniforms were not allowed in, a futile effort to prevent truancy during school hours. Well, we kids (then) would just bring a tee shirt along to school. Scary people hung out there, to me at least; the boys were bigger, and a stare would easily lead to a fight. On the one hand, you had to concentrate on your arcade game, on the other, you had to always be looking down (to avoid being accused of staring at some idiot, and the popular games always had a queue. My parents never gave me money to visit the amusement park and what little left of my allowance was spent there. Needless to say, I was not there often and that was one bit of my childhood that was different from everyone's else.

I'm much bigger now, and older too. Kids whom I do not know at all call me "uncle". Some where along the way, the amusement park got another name. This one is called "timezone".

Father and son walked into one today, at Jamie's insistence. Nisa wanted to do her hair and Jamie spied an amusement park in the shopping mall. Jamie and I walked in, I surveyed what was around. The same tough guys were there but it was no longer smoky or dark. There are more kids around now and smoking is no longer considered "in". There was no need for me to fish out coins now because everything is now operated via a stored value card.

We walked around to see what were the games. When we left after some 30mins later, we had played quite a few shooting games. Not cheap too but it was worth every penny and memory. Jamie played the shooting game with me helping him hold the gun; but he did the aiming and firing. He shot down many bad guys in the game and my boy just blasted away. It was worth every penny and memory because he raised one arm in victory after the game; the other arm only stayed down because it was holding the gun. I could see he was signalling victory to the bad guys on the game screen and was obviously very satisfied.

Jamie and I lived our childhoods today.

9 min

I can bang out a pretty decent email in 9 min. A presentation on getting around a listing issue too, if I am disciplined enough to get my thoughts down on a piece of paper. In 9 min, I can run a mile, and walk half the distance. Jamie can invent a new game during that time too. Nisa gets chores done in 9 min. The bus takes 9 min to get from our home to my parent's (including waiting).

9 min is the snooze period on my alarm. This morning, I discovered more of what I can do in 9 min.

If only I hit the snooze button less frequently in the morning, I would have more time to ready myself for the day. Throw in a few occasions where I missed the bus to work and I decided to give this a try this morning. Less of hurrying around the house to get ready, I even had time to look out of the balcony and saw the day break. When I was ready to leave the house to catch the bus, I was so pleased to see I was earlier than I had been in the last few weeks - by 9 min!

I crossed the road at the pedestrian crossing further away to get to the bus-stop, instead of weaving amongst traffic when I dash across because I was late. I had time on my hands. I even managed to take in my surroundings and the morning fresh air, noticing 2 runners as well. When I arrived at the bus stop, I even had time to write this post. The bus arrived and I got on without the previous fuss and bother of having had to run after it because I was late. Got my seat and read RW for the journey.

I'm pinching myself now..and yes, this is reality. Perfect.

Gear nut

If you have to be a nut at something, what better than to be a gear nut. There is also this term, a shoe slut, that came across mind as I was writing this post but that got thrown out as quickly as it came in. Some weeks ago whilst I was at the driving range, I got introduced by a classmate to another. He said I was the one who got him into golf and that I had (then, with dome degree of truth to it) almost all of the best and latest. His friend then remarked "oh, a golf slut". It was with great self control, borne out no doubt from needing to push myself beyond pain at every run, that I managed not to punch the lights out of his head when I got identified as a slut.

Anyway, I'm the gear nut...because I came across 2 pairs of shoes that I now have my mind on. What's nutty about it all is that I'm right now at a Coffee Bean, tapping onto their free wi-fi connection to surf for reviews of the shoes!

I now no longer want the Asics 1150 nor the Adidas tempo. The Asics are too expensive (every bloody modal of theirs is expensive!) and the Adidas is not as soft in the forefoot as reviewed. What i now covet is the Nike air zoom structure triax and the Brooks Ravenna. Both are soft in the forefoot, have overlays that tie down my arch onto the shoe, is flexible and more importantly, soft in the forefoot (emphasized twice to indicate importance). The Brooks is significantly cheaper than the Nike, which almost never go on sale. I've even looked at my current shoes hopping to see signs of wear - none for the Racer ST4 & 3, which is really a nod yet again in favour of the Brooks.

Good sense will surely prevail after a few days but that has been said before.

Our season opens

Our season finally opens, after that dumb false start of the NE Run.

We wanted to start like last year, with the Orange Run in April but by now, we had not seen any of the promotional banners, nor anything st the BH petrol stations. I was eyeing the NST run in subang jaya as an alternative. I don't think it has the same standing within the community as the Orange Run but it seemed like a popular run nonetheless. Nisa and I went down to the municipal office and signed up for it today. We're a little late signing up for something in late April but we managed to get our applications accepted. On fact, there was no one else at the counter and the person accepting our applications actually looked bored. We didn't ask much about the event tee shirt because we paid RM10 for signing up and the form did not ask got our size. Well, this is no different from how our season opened last year - the Orange Run did not have tees as well and yet we had a great time.

Although I'm in better shape than I was when our season opened last year, I was somehow nervous after submitting our forms. Nisa laughed when i told her so. Being nervous is good, I guess, because it makes me want to be prepared. It's a tough few months next coming up - we have the NB 15k in May, and it's the SCKLM 10k in June. One race a month. I am really looking forward to this.