D'oh!

Joy here...So after my "surprise" week off last week, I was super worried about getting back up in that saddle again this week.

But much to my surprise, I've not collapsed in colossal failure and, in fact, been rather consistent with my workouts.  Who am I?  What has happened to Joy?

Here's what I've done so far:
MONDAY-Rode the bike (indoors) for 75 minutes, working up through my zones after the warm up, then doing 3 six-minute sets at my medium pace, followed by some recovery and then some sprint sets before a cool down;
TUESDAY-Rode the bike (indoors) for 75 minutes, working up through my zones after the warm up, then doing 3 eight-minute sets of decreasing intensity by high cadence, followed by some sprint sets before a cool down;
WEDNESDAY-I went to the gym at the university for some indoor training sessions with Coach Woods and the rest of the crew (all girls on Wednesdays lately!); we worked through a 15 minute warm up run, and drills for a total of 60 minutes before I did a short tempo run;
THURSDAY-Rode the bike (indoors) for 70 minutes, working up through my zones after the warm up, then doing 10 sprint sets before resting and doing 10 more, before cooling down.

Now the funny part in all this is that for today's (Thursday's) sprints, I was actually only supposed to do two sets of 5 sprints (for a total of 10), but somehow I misread my directions and did two sets of 10 sprints (for a total of 20!!!).  And all the while I thought Coach Andrew was out to kill me.

The moral of the story:  read closely.

Over and out,
Joy

Surprise Week Off...

Joy here...So on Monday morning I got up bright and early (I think the alarm on my phone was buzzing at 4:30am), and after a shower and a coffee (or maybe it was coffee-shower-more coffee), I hailed a cab and was off to Winnipeg for meetings.

Now I've complained before about the difficulties of keeping up a workout regimen when travelling, and so I won't reiterate the same things I've said before (like it's hard to find the time, food, energy, ability, and did I mention time? to get workouts in).  Instead, I'll just mention that I was there for meetings for the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights being built there and scheduled to open in 2014.  And while I didn't get to work out my body, my brain and aesthetic sensibilities did get a rather rigorous flogging...meetings, meetings, and more meetings about a truly one-of-a-kind building and human rights concept:

Photo courtesy of the Winnipeg Sun

But then as I was just about to board my plane to return home, telling myself "it's okay, you've only missed 3 workouts, you'll make those up," the plane was overbooked, and I didn't make it home until the next day, and with less than 20 hours before I was to board yet another plane, I didn't get a workout in that day either.

And before you know it, I was seated on yet another plane, headed away to spend the weekend with my friend and her two toddler sons, my other (pregnant!!) friend visiting from the US, and my sister and little nephew.  So while I may have spent my fair share of the weekend chasing after kids and playing with cars, I don't think any of that counts as a workout.

However, I had booked an early flight out on Sunday morning, telling myself "no worries, you'll squeeze in a workout on Sunday and get your week back on track."  But thanks to Air Canada and its sub par service (that I think I've mentioned before), the plane I was on was damaged somehow and so we all had to get off the plane and sit around the airport for another 5 hours until we could be boarded on a bigger one.  So much for my working out plans!

But instead of beating myself up and whinging on my blog about my surprise week off...I'm just going to treat it like I would a surprise party:  I'll smile as wide as I can, enjoy it while it lasts, and deal with the aftermath in due course.

Over and out,

Joy

Weekend Warrior

Yikes!  That's the highway???

Joy here...Saturday morning came with a vengeance.  Despite my best efforts not to whinge about winter, as I was brushing mountains of snow off my car just to be able to move it, and as I was driving on the highway as a car spun 180 degrees to be facing the wrong way I did my very best not to curse to the white, snowy skies about the rank injustice of the world.  I tried my best not to be jealous of the millions of people worldwide for whom winter is nothing more than a picturesque scene on a Christmas card.  I gave it to old college try NOT to think of all our friends in Malaysia and Australia enjoying the hot weather.

Needless to say, I failed.

But I shan't bore you with the nature and ferocity of my rant.  Instead I'll skip over that part and get to my workouts.

The whole world is the same colour of white.

I'll let you imagine the drive to the indoor dome amidst the still falling snow, and I'll let you fill in the blanks to flesh out exactly the tone and timbre of my comments as I drove.

Once you've fully imagined that, now imagine me turning into the snow-filled parking lot and manoeuvring the car between two snow banks, rocking it into ruts like a cradle and putting it into park, and then envision us in the dome, jackets, boots, scarfs, and mitts discarded as we get ready for our workout.

My workout--after the drills which included hurdles!!!--was 10X1min, so I ran 10 sets of 1min efforts at my race pace with 30 seconds between that.  So around and around the track I went, averaging just over 200m for each 1minute set before taking it easy and walking for 30 seconds (um, just for the sake of comparison, if I was running 200m in around 46secs, Usain Bolt did it in 19.19secs...I guess I have my work cut out for me!).

Keep those eyes on the road, Joy!

In the end, my average for the workout was 5:25min/km for those 1min "on" sections, which is a little humbling at this point because it's a lot slower than I'd like to be for basically 10minutes of running.  Back in October 2010 when I ran my first half marathon, my average pace was 5:12min/km.  So I've got a long way to go.

But the good news is that I'm at least on track (pardon the pun).

Then on Sunday (one day before a week of travelling, which gives me more of a chance to whinge that I will also refrain from pursuing), I hopped on the bike in the trainer and knocked off a high cadence workout given to me by Coach Andrew.

I still find the high cadence drills to be tough...my legs somehow seem happier to turn the pedals slowly but with more force rather than in a lighter gear but much faster.  I think it's just a matter of training myself...so that's what I'm doing...or so I hope.

And now I have to go and pack my bag after hitting a Saturday and Sunday workout like a good, little weekend warrior to head out of town, first to Winnipeg and then to Toronto...let's hope I don't fall off the wagon entirely!

Over and out,
Joy

Get Your Groove On!

Joy here...The Man and I have a good friend in Malaysia named Greg Lyons who is an amazing jazz saxophonist, wine connoisseur extraordinaire, fantastic conversationalist, superb triathlete, excellent cyclist, and all-around good guy.  He's a Brit, born in India, who came to visit his dad once upon a time who was working in the rubber industry in Malaysia.  While in Malaysia, Greg met a girl and fell in love with both the country and her...decades later, he's still in love with both.

Me, Greg's lovely wife, Greg, and The Man (with the
smiling Buddha who definitely is in his groove!)

And on many of the bleary-eyed nights when we all have had too much wine to drink and are sitting around having what seem at the time to be super deep conversations, Greg has told us about his theory of "the groove."  Finding one's groove or being in "the groove," is much more to Greg than just hitting the zone musically or athletically.  Rather, it's about getting to a place in life where everything just seems to work; where creatively, spiritually, physically, all cylinders seem to be firing.

Finding your groove is a way of life.

Greg is finding his.  In fact, Groove Works is the name of a jazz workshop that he started up (and still runs) in Singapore, and his latest venture filled with groove is his new cycle touring company in Malaysia, Equipe Nomad.

And in the spirit of getting my groove on, I've been getting my workouts in.

Yet another indoor track!

On Wednesday, I met up with Coach Woods and the rest of the crew at Carleton University's gym so that we could train (indoors again) and get the workout knocked off.  We did a warm up run, followed by our drills--which we did entirely barefoot!!!--and then I did a tempo run.  I felt good.  I felt springy.  I felt like I was groovin'.  Then I went home and did some work before hopping on the bike to fit in Coach Andrew's bike workout as scheduled.  It was a bit harder, but I did it, and then I went to bed, got up in the morning on Thursday, and hopped on the bike again to hit another workout as planned.  At first my legs felt heavy, but then I got in my groove.

So I'll just keep riding in my groove and maybe, just maybe I'll be fast enough to ride with Greg when we next go to Malaysia!

Over and out,
Joy

Training like it's 2010...

Joy here...Back at the turn of 2010, I was in Malaysia (just like this holiday season), and as I got ready to get on the plane at the end of the trip, I literally burst out of my pants.  Broke the zipper and everything.

So after putting on some sweat pants with a stretchy waist band and getting on the plane, my friend Nomi and I decided to train for our first ever running race, a 10km race that I am proud to say we both finished at the end of May 2010 in less than 60 minutes.

I've now gone on to run other races, including a couple of half marathons, and competed in bike races, while Nomi has finished a couple of half marathons and a couple of full marathons since that fat 2010 January.

The canal by our house.

Now it's January 2013 and I would probably burst out of those pants again.  I've since had the zipper fixed on them, but I'm too afraid to try them on, lest I bust them once again!  I'm just taking it on faith that I'm probably right back to where I was back in 2010, but instead of feeling down with that realization, I actually feel a bit buoyed up by it.  I kinda feel like "well, I've been here before, and I got back from it, so I'll do that again."  And when I was training for that first ever 10km running race, I had no experience of training, no experience of racing, no real sense for running, and I was living in a different city from my husband.  Now I've got a number of races under my belt which gives me a great degree of confidence; I live with my husband (which makes me much happier and less prone to chocolate); and I've got Coach Andrew (bike) and Coach Woods (running) onside to help me out.

So I have everything going for me this January.

So when Coach Woods scheduled a 50 minute run for me for this Monday, and Coach Andrew told me to make sure I take it easy and pull up before 50 minutes if need be, I was feeling all set for the run.

Yes, that's me, and yes I'm smiling even though it's winter.

Out the door onto the cleared canal path where some of the mountains of snow have started to melt I went.  I had The Man by my side, and we soon found our groove, feeling more springy than we have any right to feel given our out-of-shape-post-Christmas-fattiness.  We chatted the whole way, strategizing life, and before we knew it, we had run 45 minutes and were almost home.  We stopped at the 45 minute mark and walked the rest of the way back home, and I felt invigorated by the run.  I feel like I might just be on the verge of getting my body back from its out-of-shapeness.

And if I can get my body back, then it means I'll feel happier, more productive, and generally better all around.

Who knows?  I might even start to make friends with winter.

Over and out,
Joy

Getting Back on Track...Watch out 2013!

Joy here...Okay, I've been back in Canada for two weeks now, and it's time to update the blog.  At first I wasn't really updating because I was sick and jet lagged, and I didn't have much to say.  I was also nursing my knee and taking things a bit easy.  Then I didn't update, because all I really felt like doing was whinging about the fact that I left the tropics behind and came back to frigid winter.

The frozen landscape greeting us upon our return to Canada.

But I figured that no one wants to read about some crazy, whining lady who has nothing better to do than rant about the weather.  My mom always used to say "if you don't have anything nice to say, just don't say anything at all."  Those are wise words coming from a kindergarten teacher who raised 4 kids of her own.

So I guess following the wisdom of my mom, I just kept myself quiet.

Now, I think I'm ready to weigh in with a bit of a more balanced perspective, as I've tried to get rid of my Christmas buddha belly by getting back into the swing of things with both my running and cycling. Since returning, I've done a few rides on my trainer in the basement and a couple of sessions with Coach Woods and the rest of the running crew he trains.

The dome where we do our indoor workouts.

All of that has happened indoors.

Indoors?  You might ask.  Well, as you know, I've got my bike set up on a trainer in my basement, poised in front of the TV, so that I can ride in the warmth of my house, even in the deepest, darkest moments of winter.

And as it turns out, Coach Woods has arranged for us to do our workouts indoors at an indoor track.  For those of you in warmer climes, you may not have ever seen a "dome" like the track where we do our workouts.  Basically it's like a big, inflated balloon, and inside the balloon it's nice and toasty warm, and we can do our workouts along with other people (mainly kids playing soccer) on a Saturday morning.

The view inside the dome, with fields in the centre
and a 400m running track around the perimeter.

So for the last two Saturdays since returning from the balmy tropics (sigh), we have gotten up and headed out to train with Coach Wood's crew (we're toying with the idea of calling ourselves "Mike's Machines"; there's even talk of getting shirts...yes, we're all nerds).

The first Saturday, all I could do was a little warm up followed by the drills and then a cool down run.

The "corner" of the dome where we gather together to
do all our little running drills together before breaking off
to do our individual workouts.

The second Saturday, I did my little warm up, followed by the drills (where I discovered that at the jumping drills, I have some serious jumping abilities!!!), and then my workout, which consisted of running hard on the 100m straight stretches of the track, and slowing down on the 100m corners of the track for a total of 5 times around the track.  Okay, granted, I only made it 2.5 times around the track before I started to feel a little pain in my knee...but at least I'm getting back into my workout groove!

And it was inspiring to see one of the Olympians running 5kms around that indoor track, reaching a Personal Best (PB) time for herself of 20 minutes.  It was great to see her force, power, and dedication as she ran around and around and around in that dome.  And what was even more encouraging is that her 20 minute PB for a 5km is not all that much faster than my 23 minute 5km run back in the fall of 2010.  It's encouraging for me to know that even though I might feel like a sack of potatoes at the moment, soon enough I'll be back up there running to my full potential.

Indoors.

Definitely indoors until spring.

But I'm not whinging.

Over and out,
Joy

New Year's Eve in Singapore!

Joy here...while my Malaysia post and my Melbourne post focus on food more than fitness, it's only fitting that my final post summing up our holiday trip should also turn to food.

After a week in Melbourne, we hopped on yet another plane to head back to Singapore where we would spend one day only.

And that day happened to be a rainy, rainy day...but that suited us just fine, because it gave us just the excuse we were looking for to head to one of our favourite Singapore restaurants located in the historic Raffles Hotel.

We planted ourselves down in one of the cozy corner booths so that we could watch the rain and the palm trees through the plated glass windows and ordered a table full of dim sum.  And there we sat and ate, and finally we turned from eating to drinking.  Afterall, it was new year's eve!

A table full of dim sum goodness!

Dry won ton noodles (soup on the side).

In fact, we were there so long, eating and drinking and chatting and laughing, that one of our friends who is Malaysian but lives in Ottawa and happened to be in Singapore too was able to meet up with us!  The world truly is a small, small place.

After we were good and full from a rainy day spent indoors eating, we got all dressed up and headed to the Marina Bay Sands hotel to ring in the new year on the 57th floor under the fireworks and above the city.  It was a night to remember...if only I didn't drink so much I might, actually, remember it!!!

Fireworks above the city.

And so while I'm beginning 2013 fat and out of shape, I'm beginning it happy.  And that's gotta count for something, right?

Happy 2013,

Joy

Running in Melbourne

Joy here...My last post summed up my running in Malaysia as basically more of a food tour than a running tour.  Alas, after leaving the balmy tropical weather, good friends, and delicious food of Kuala Lumpur for the windy summer weather of Melbourne and family Christmas, I think I did MORE eating and LESS running than in the previous week!

In fact, while I was feeling a little less in shape after our week and a half in Kuala Lumpur, I was patting myself on the back for not having any real full nights of drunken debauchery and unending desserts (like usual).

But maybe I was feeling a little bit too smug, and Melbourne jumped up and kicked my ass.  I only pulled off a total of 2 runs while there, and did more than my share of eating.  In fact, I think I was eating as though I was pregnant with twins.  Which now I kinda look like I am.

It all started with a fantastic Christmas Eve meal at Melbourne's
fancy Stokehouse restaurant over looking St. Kilda beach...

...where my dessert was awesomeness wrapped in roasted marshmellow!

Then we began Christmas Day with appetizers, before I
was even hungry again after Christmas Eve's dinner!

  

And continued with a Christmas dinner
of salmon...

...watermelon salad...

  

...and veggies roasted on the barbie!
(all courtesy of my little sister)

Then we went to Vue de Monde on the 55th floor of a Melbourne
tower for a fancy smancy 6-course luncheon.

And finished up our Melbourne food extravaganza
with a family dinner with the Australian arm of the
Malaysian relatives!!!

So while my fitness may have suffered in Australia, my taste buds certainly did not!

Over and out,

Joy

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