Baked Fruit Cakes, Carrot Cakes, Cheese Cakes, Banana Coffee Horlicks Cake and Chocolate Cakes for the Christmas festivities. Ate tons of it and am now high high high on sugar haha. I have to start running again to loose it all man! (However, still not had my fill of cakes and I just baked another Fruit Cake this morning haha!!!)
My knees are much better now after a couple weeks' rest after the Singapore marathon on 5 Dec.
Did my first run yesterday with my Vibrams. It was truly different a different experience, running with it... flat-foot running. My calves were truly sore after the run man!!!Totally different set of muscles used and my legs are still sore after over 24 hrs haha. Will try it again.
With or without the Vibrams, have to seriously start training for the Tokyo Marathon on 27 Feb 2011. Have to also start planning for the trip... book flight and hotel!
Completed the Standard Chartered Marathon yesterday. OK, not the timing I wanted but still a satisfying run. Hot and crowded especially the last hour!!! Fun run with the club-mates, quick soak in the cold pool to stop the lactic acid build up then had a good brunch after that at the club - Hyatt. Followed with another LOOOONG dip in the cold pool to reduce the cramps!!! Had a good rub down this morning and another dip in the cold pool at the club. Body getting back to shop haha. No more runs for the rest of the year.... just REST (pun intended heheh)
5 days to the marathon.... need to start trying to sleep early to get ready for the run.... BUT I'm still sleeping late sigh.... Start to carbo load.... I AM PUTTING ON SO MUCH WEIGHT!!!!! ARGH.... On top of all that, need to start preparing to bake my Christmas Fruit Cakes.... soak the fruits in brandy!!! yums....
OK, working towards my next run - the final one for the year - 5 Dec 2010 - Singapore's Standard Chartered Marathon.
Still not clocking enough miles.... have to do my 30 km soon as I need to start tapering.... sigh.
Doesn't help that I had a tough kickboxing class on Tuesday. That drained me so it was a struggle to run just 18km last night man!! Body is sore all over.... will rest today and try another run Saturday.
Meanwhile... on the sweet side (pun intended)... baked myself muffins on Tuesday (4 flavours - Vanilla, Vanilla/Chocolate, Orange and Coffee) and yesterday, I baked my new Signature cake - BCH!!! Banana Coffee Horlicks haha Check it out....
The Newton Run on 10 October 2010 went very well.... though I thought it would be boring running 3 rounds of 10km each but it was actually quite fun and cos after the first round, the route was familiar so pacing myself was easy. Had a respectable time and I didn't 'hurt' too much post race!!! phew!!
Then a couple weeks after that, I had an enjoyable run at the Nike City Challenge (24 October 2010). It was really a sight being part of the sea of luminous yellow shirts running along the road. One really needed a pair of sunglasses and its not because of the sun!!!
In between all that, I've been experimenting on a few brownie recipes and... I just created my BCH cake.... Banana Coffee Horlick haha.... need to intensify the Horlick flavour and that will make the cake perfect!! Once that is done, pictures will follow....
Have signed up for the Solomon X Trail on 14 November and then finally to cap the year, the Standard Chartered Marathon will be on 5 Dec 2010.
Meanwhile, I'm off to Bangkok with wife for a short R&R.... she shopping and me by the pool, eating and MASSAGES!!! haha
Off to airport to catch the 9 pm flight to Brisbane. Excited!!! I'm going for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon on Sunday. I hear the route is great, flat and easy.... plus the scenery is the best! We'll run by the coast - beach, sand, surf....
Hiccup!! No time to go to the lounge as when I cleared customs, they were already calling for passengers to board. AND the gate was at the extreme end of terminal 3!!!! Sigh.... next time must check in earlier so can rest in the lounge before boarding haha.
Caught a couple movies on the plane - Clash of the Titans and some Chinese fighting movies - 14 Blades and The Legend. (Mistake, should have tried to sleep a bit)
Touched down at 6.30 am (aussie time) the next day Friday 2 July 2010.
Cleared immigration and customs without any hassle.
When I got out, first thing I did was to get a local SIM card. Great! Vodafone had a prepaid card promo going for A$28.95 with a value of S$150 airtime. (SIM card cost another A$10)
Next got the train tix (A$28) into Surfers Paradise. The gal told me to stop at Neerang Station and catch a bus into Surfers Paradise. Sounded simple.... AND IT WAS!!! Took 1 hr 30 mins to Neerang Station. It was real convenient, the buses were waiting just outside the station. Told the friendly driver that I wanted to get to Holiday Inn Surfers Paradise and he said that his bus would take me there - it was the last stop .... another 30 mins. Then had to walk a couple blocks to the hotel. Good thing my samsonite was empty haha.
Checked in but check-in time is officially 2 pm sigh.... So decided to go to the Expo at the Gold Coast Convention Centre to pick up my run kit. The hotel staff tells me its a 10 min bus ride away. So I grabbed a bite at Subway before heading to the expo.
The Gold Coast Convention and Expo Center
Cool man!! Picked me up the new Skins long compression tights for A$149.95 (savings of A$20!!) Also bought the power gels for the run. (Note to self: next year, better to bring from Singapore as its cheaper heheh.)
Had a McDonalds lunch then headed back to hotel and unpacked. Went 33 hrs without sleep..... need to catch some shut eye.
Sigh... couldn't get to sleep so watched TV. Dinner.... hmmmm..... where? Walked to the McDonalds (again) near the expo - 1 hr walk!!! (saved S$3.40 bus fare haha). Popped back into the expo. There were so many compression tights brands - Skins, 2XU, Bsc..... and they were on promo. The Bsc Shorts were only S$50!!! So cheap!! So I got one too!!
Walked back to hotel to hit the sack! Can't believe it, 6 pm and its already so dark!!
Saturday 3rd July 2010
Next morning, met Steven at lobby to accompany him to the expo. Met Ronnie at the expo.
Walked back to hotel after that as they stayed for the carbo lunch while I had to meet Peng (KK's cousin). She's driving down from Brisbane to pick me to go to Lululemon to get some stuff for sis. The walk back was gonna be another hour so I figured might as well take the scenic route - via the beach. Really nice walk!!
The beautiful sand and surf....Well the drive to Brisbane is about an hour. We stopped at Habour Town for some shopping. Stopped by another town for a quick lunch break - pies!!! Then rushed back to Brisbane to meet Peng's friend and together we went to Lululemon. Picked up some stuff for Sis and myself - I got a nice running top and cap. Will use them for the marathon tomorrow.
Had tea break then Peng lent me her car to drive back to Surfers Paradise - another hour's drive. With clear directions from Peng, it was a nice and pleasant drive back:)
Grabbed a spaghetti box for dinner in preparation for tomorrow's run. Slept at 10 as have to meet Steven at 6 in the lobby to go to the start point.
Sunday 4 July 2010
6 am and met Steven and Thomas in the hotel lobby. Walked to the bus stop - it's FREEZING!!!! It's unbelievably cold... my teeth are chattering!!!
The free bus shuttle takes about 10 mins to get us to the run location. We take about another 5-10 mins to walk to the start point. Met some more Singapore runners. My gosh.... so many people and they are all so scantily dressed compared to me. Me dressed in L/S Compression shirt, Lulu tee and my new Skins long tights and I was still freezing and every other person around are just in shorts and singlet!!! Unbelievable haha.
This event is so well organised!! The race starts on time and the race goes well... I catch up with the 4 hr pace group. I keep up with them easily for about 25 km.... cruise pace man. All's going well....BUT..... at around the 28-30 km mark, both legs start cramping up ARGH!!!!
Why???
What happened??
I drudge on for another 5 km then the pain really gets unbearable... only 7 km to go... must plod on.... sis sms me that she's online to catch the live web broadcast of the race. haha. Since I'm walking, I sms back and finally call her to distract myself from the "pain". I finally cross the line in 4 hrs 24 mins. Sigh.... if not for the cramps, I'm sure I'd done it in 4 hrs or under. Next year I'll be back. Learnings.... warm up more and more salt intake.
After the painful run, I call Nigel a sports Therapist I found on the web and made an appointment for a good rub down. I'm sore all over and every move brings on a cramp haha. I slowly get back to the hotel, take a cold dip in the bathtub before a hot shower. After my rub down, I rest a bit then go down to get dinner - noodles. Then back to bed to rest my aching body.
Monday 5th July 2010
Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! My body still aching. I had previously made an appointment for a sport massage a couple days back so I have a small bite and head out for my massage. After a slow scenic one hour walk, I get to Oasis Shopping Mall where the therapist outlet is sited. I'm feeling much better after the massage and decide to walk back to the hotel ... via the beach. Bought a roast chicken from the supermarket for my meal! Yum :)
Tuesday 6th July 2010
All packed and ready to check out of hotel. Took a couple pictures of Surfers Paradise skyline from the balcony of my room.
I load the Samsonite into the car. Its really heavy!!! I check out and start my drive up to Brisbane. I pray I remember the route back - its easy:)
I make a stop for lunch at Charis Seafood. Got me the combo pack... yum and so filling. Peng said its a good place and it is! That's her car in the foreground, the red Ford Fiesta.
After lunch, onto Brisbane.
Peng leaves me very good directions to walk into the city. Weather is nice - warm and a bit cloudy so I head out.
An hour or so, I'm nearing the city but I miss one of the streets but Praise God, He makes it suddenly shower. I turn around and miraculously, the rain stops just as fast as it started!!! I then notice the street I had actually missed. Thank God he made me turn back or I would have walked further past the turn into the city!!
I head on down to the park and catch the ferry cat at the pier to cross the river into the city.
Ahh… the view from the ferry. I couple mins and we’re on the other side of the shore!! A short walk and I’m at the mall. Some quick last minute shopping and time to head back to Peng’s apartment.
Peng helps me repack and weigh my luggage… oh oh… overweight!! Oh well, off to dinner – Greek!
After dinner, we head back to Peng's apartment to pick up my luggage and she sends me to the airport.
Praise God!! At the check in, my Samsonite weighs 26 kg and the gal at the counter lets it pass. Then she asks me about my hand carry and tells me that the immigration chaps are very fussy about the weight of the hand carry. As it was also overweight, she invites me to unload some of the stuff into my already overweight Samsonite haha. God is Great!!
I then clear through immigration and customs smoothly.
Return flight to Singpore was smooth. Caught some sleep on flight as I was way too sleepy to stay up to watch movies. haha.
5.30 am and I'm back on Singapore soil.
Ahh... a wonderful marathon holiday. Next year, I'll be back.
My very good friend Laurie sent me her recipe for the Coffee Banana Cake. ... and it's lip-smacking yummy delicious!!!!
I've baked so many cos I can't get enough of it!!! haha.
OK, my folks don't really like the frosting (too sweet for them) so I bake 2 - one with frosting for myself and another without for my folks haha. Take a look.....
Argh!!! Down with cold and sore throat!!! Pray pray pray I recover in time for the marathon!!! 6 days and counting.....
Checked the extended weather forecast for Gold Coast... and its forecast for showers!!! Argh!!! run in the rain AND cold??? Alamak... good (new) experience :)
OK, this morning met up with some of the runners going for the Gold Coast Marathon - Steven and Ronnie. The informal gathering was organised by Tourism Queensland. They gave away a special "welcome kit" to the runners, a very pleasant surprise indeed :).
Got more info on the race and some logistics like how to get from the airport to hotel on the 'cheap' haha. Azhar, a frequent Gold Coast runner gave some tips and told me about HabourTown - the factory outlet there. Can't wait to go check it out and get all my SKINS stuff haha.
4 days to go before I fly off.... now to just quickly recover from this silly sore throat and pray it doesn't get worse.
OK, I FINALLY got down to booking my flight and hotel to Gold Coast for the marathon on 4 July. Haha.... ya, I know, very last minute.... but Thank GOD!!! The hotel was still available and the flight was cheaper than when Pete and I first looked at it in March.
So, I'm all set!!! Australia, here I come for a nice, leisurely run. Have been clocking only about 30 -40 km per week but hey, this is gonna be an easy run. No pressure to clock fast times BUT it WOULD be a bonus if I do a PB :) heheh.
Had a nice run in the rain this evening with the club runners - Belina, Sam, Amelia and Zul. ....
OK, under a couple weeks left before the Sundown marathon. Did 18km Monday, 8 km yesterday and 21km today..... will cut down distances now until race day.....
Tomorrow, have a run with a couple of gals from the club, we're going to Sports Solutions to join Gino to get tips on Pain-Free running.
........tired and aching haha.... time to zzzzzzzzzz
My good friend from Oregon, USA sent me her Banana Coffee Cake recipe last year and I FINALLY got down to baking last night. I really wanna thank her for the recipe. The cake was super yummy. I loved it and so did my family :) I'll take pic the next time I bake it so I can share haha.
Yesterday, Philip asked me to join him for a run this evening - where? That was a mystery haha. But I joined him in faith.... He brought me to this place called Sports Solutions at 108 Amoy Street. It's a Sports Physiotherapy & Sports Rehab Clinic. The boss, Gino brought us for a short run along with 3 other runners. But before the run, Gino shared with us great tips on running techniques and showed us how to best run to avoid injury, conserve energy and ultimately have a pain-free run. I must admit, it was tough at first having to remember all the pointers and concentrating on the different aspects of posture and technique. But in the end, I had a blast and surprisingly, the pace was faster than I expected and I wasn't tired out at the end. I must keep practicing this!!! Tomorrow is a long run at the East Coast... will practice this more. Meanwhile, time to bake another cake or two tomorrow haha. Need to satisfy the sweet urge as I burn off the 'fat' at tomorrow's run haha.
OK, a new exciting Ice Cream Cafe called SIMPLY SHIOK opens tomorrow at One North Residences in Bueno Vista area. My friends Alfred and Gladys are embarking on a new business venture by setting up a cafe selling home-made, delicious yummy ice cream. I've tasted them and they are very good. The Coffee flavour is (to me) even BETTER than Hagan Daz man!!
As it's a cafe, they'll also serve waffles, beverages PLUS cakes - some of which are mine!!
I've baked my Chocolate cake (Triple Chocolate Indulgence) for tomorrow and I'll bake an Orange Cranberry tomorrow. Time permitting, and depending on demand, I'll also add a carrot cake.
Check it out. My new Coffee Walnut Cake - 2nd attempt after trying out the recipe for my CNY tea in February.
I liked it then, just thought the icing needed some improvement, so I decided to try it last night. The cake itself is nice, I just amended the icing recipe a little to give it more texture and body haha. And the result.... yum!! Ahhhh..... the smell of the coffee, so arousing :)
The coffee flavour (from both cake and icing) is aromatic and full of body. And the walnut gave it more bite!!! Will surely add this to my repertoire.
Well, I've done it!! Signed up for the Gold Coast Marathon happening 4 July 2010. Now need to figure out accomodations and flight arrangements!! Argh!!!!!!!!! Pete is supposed to go along too but now he has to work and can't get leave. sigh..... Was gonna leave all the logistics to him no I'm saddled with this. Well, going on my own so can rough it!!! hmmmm NAH!! booking into Holiday Inn, the official hotel for the marathon... convenient!!
Ahhh.... think I (happily) overdid it this week.... made apple pie, Oreo Cheesecake, Gula Melaka Agar Agar and Sugee Cake complete with frosting.
Check out the frosting - cute huh? Sudden inspiration from God :) Wanted to give one to my good friend Yang for his son's 1st year birthday yesterday so needed something colourful and cheery, hence the smiling faces.... And.... I will be making a Carrot Cake this afternoon.... so much to eat (and share).... on a sugar high but loving it. Haha.
Need to run and exercise more to burn it all off.... next Sunday is the Nature Run, only 10 km but it should be fun. Will be going to Orchard Central this afternoon to collect the Race Pack...
The Gold Coast Convention and Expo Center
The beautiful sand and surf....
