Running in Malaysia

Joy here...Okay, so I didn't take my computer with me on our Asian/Australian holiday adventure, and as a result, I'm very behind in my blogging.

But, well, that's kind of okay, because I'm very behind in my workouts too.  So instead of logging my workouts, how I felt, what I achieved, and whatnot, today I'll give you a little sampling of what it's like to run in Kuala Lumpur in December.

First...

Early morning run in Lake Gardens.

There's running in the beautiful scenery of the Lake Gardens.  I went running there with The Man and with Nomi (my erstwhile running partner, and former co-blogger at east and west running, who remains my running inspiration).

The tropical temperatures are somewhat moderated at this time of the year, with breezes keeping things comfortable, even when the sun comes up.

What's even better is that Nomi is a member at the club at Lake Gardens, so our early morning run was topped with an al fresco breakfast by the club's pool.  Can a December run get any better than that???

Pool side dining, post run.

Second...There's the joy of running around the Kelab Darul Ehsan (or KDE to the locals), where the monkeys like to gather.  Like the Lake Gardens, I've run around this other loop many a time in the past, and getting to run there again (albeit slowly and carefully to nurse my left knee), was amazing.  The greenery all around invigorated me and reminded me what I love about running and what I love about Malaysia.  It's a place where you can feel alive and connected to everything around you as you hear the buzz in the air even while you work up one heck of a sweat.

What's not to love in running by this kind of view???

Third...There's the food.  Okay, okay, I know that I've blogged before about how much and what kinds of food we eat (Part 1 and Part 2 can be seen by clicking the links).  And even though this is a new blog, I'm keeping true to form and mentioning a small sampling of the foods that we indulged upon while we were away.  To be sure our few 30 minute runs out there in the sun and greenery was not nearly enough to counter balance the food, but even with our best intentions fully in place, there's really only so much one can do to maintain moderation while on holidays...especially when there's such good food to be had:

First lunch upon arriving at the Mother-in-Law's house,
tasty South Indian/Sri Lankan yumminess.

Appetizer of various raw fish (tuna, snapper, salmon) at
Chinoz, one of our FAVOURITE restaurants in Kuala Lumpur.

Sarawak Laksa (like a spicy noodle soup), a standby favourite
of The Man and a must-have on every trip back to Kuala Lumpur.

Dining al fresco at our friends' house (with a balcony that has a view
of the Petronas Twin Towers in the distance).

Chinese noodles -- with shrimp and chicken liver -- at a restaurant called Champs
where we went with good friends for dinner.

Yummy Chendol, a dessert made with sweet syrup, coconut milk,
shaved ice, red beans, and some green stuff.  I crave this dessert
when I'm back in Canada like you wouldn't believe!!!

Probably the most MALAYSIAN of all the dishes:  Nasi Lemak.
Each year we have to go to Madame Kwan's to have this dish at least once.  Mmmmmmmm.

So our record for staying in shape after a December trip to Malaysia is 0-3.  When we went in 2009-2010 I literally burst out of my pants before getting on the plane, and that was the impetus for me to train to run my first-ever running race (and start blogging).  Then when we went in 2011-2012 I barely ran at all, and had to give up on my running race goals for the spring/summer and take up cycling instead.  And now, this year (2012-2013) I seem to be back where I started, bursting out of my pants and feeling fat and full.

But at least now I know that all I have to do is get back on my plan and my program, follow what Coach Andrew and Coach Woods plan for me, and all will be well.  

I hope.

Over and out,

Joy