Saturday, January 17, 2009

After Marathon: Recovery Week 1

Activities/Actions:
Week 1 of Recovery schedule


(only for Saturday course)
Course condition:
Date: 01/17/2009
Start Time:
16:48:00
End Time:
17:29:00
Time Taken:
00:41:09
Route:
HuShi Park and beyound
Total Distance:
3.50 mi.
Burned:
401 (kcal)
Laps:
1
Pace: 11:45 (avg)
Speed:
5.1 (mi/hr) (avg)


How I felt:

(the 5-point scale)
Physically 4
Mentally 4
About my nutrition 4
About my sleep 3


How hard did I work?
(the 10-point scale) 5

Note and reflections:
Decided to follow 4-week recovery program with Hal Higdon (2 weeks delayed.. eieiei), I planed to follow it closely. I did two runs on treadmill inside but the other two runs outside. The TM runs were usual and followed by a set of strength training. For the last two outside runs, Thursday run on Tai Chi statue route, while Saturday run was on a new route.

I ran alone up HuShi Park, where graves of many former Academicians, including Professor Hu, were elected. The path is relatively well marked and taken care of for the first kilometer or so (only 250 meters in the park at 1-2% climb), while the next 1 kilometer section ascents up into the hill and is not well marked at all. The trees are covered my head making it relatively cool; however, I ran up 6-8% climb, making my body relatively warm. The sun was getting down on the West ridge on the other side of the river. I could not see Taipei 101, though. I was hearing students playing sport below in the field of JuZhuang Elementary School. Leaving the voices behind, I climbed up to the first peak of the hill, where a tower of electricity line was located. I ran pass this tower following the less well paved path up to the second peak; After this point on the path descends sharply (9-11%) on an unmaintained path (just dirt).

At this point where I only can hear the sound of cars on the highway nearby, I felt that I should have brought a cellphone with me... I continued running down seeing a gate of probably a temple. where on the left side of the gate is a path leading to a house or something. I continued running towards that place, and it is really a temple but no one else was there at all. Now, I came out to a civilization again. Wheeew... Good for me. I continued running down from the hill among the temple buildings and came down to Academia Rd. Section 2. From now on, I knew where I was and continued my way along my well-known-along-the-river route. I followed that route to compete ~ 5.6 kilometers at Tai Chi statue, which totaled to 41 minutes.

This was a good Saturday run on "the Road Not Taken." [วิ่งไม่หยุด: Week 1. Thursday]

Continue reading the rest...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

cold weather in Thailand

"แม่คะนิ้ง" or "เหมยขาบ" two local names in Thai to describe a phenomenon of frozen dew, a pretty phenomenon but harmful to agricultural products.
(photo: www.matichon.co.th)


Recently, most part of Thailand has been under cold front moving down from China. It has been Bangkok's coldest temperature in the last 50 years (plus the situation was worsen by some rains; now Bangkok weather probably seems like that of Taipei's winter days). Frozen dew has been observed in many parts of hilltop and even happened for the first time in some areas. The beautifulness of the phenomenon has drawn many visitors but made severe damages to crops. Fellow runners in Thailand have also experienced a hard time to get out of their house for a run, I heard. But I think that they should get out and experience the coldness. I have been running in a cold weather in Taipei for several days. :D (I also did several cold-day run back in Chicago. I do miss those runs!) You know what, some people do running in a deep snow!!

There is a technique that we, people in a tropical climate, should take before heading out of the house... If you feel too cold, you should wear more layers, gloves and hat. However, I am sure that after 10 minutes or so, we will be warm up and get some layers off. For me, gloves really help during my cold-day runs. So, do not worry.. it is not in a snow field... so get out and run, folks!


Some headlines from Thai news:

Source: Local - Manager Online
Address : http://www.manager.co.th/Local/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9520000004489
Date Visited: Wed Jan 14 2009 23:15:18 GMT-0600 (Central Standard Time)

เลย - อุณหภูมิในพื้นที่จังหวัดเลยยังลดลงต่อเนื่อง ล่าสุดบนยอดภูเรือติดลบ 2 องศาเซลเซียส นักท่องเที่ยวแห่กางเต็นท์สัมผัสความหนาวเหน็บและชมปรากฏการณ์ “แม่คะนิ้ง”

http://www.matichon.co.th/online/2009/01/12321011321232101325l.jpg

วันที่ 16 มกราคม พ.ศ. 2552 เวลา 17:18:29 น. มติชนออนไลน์

http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1232101132&grpid=01&catid=19

"หนาว"ไทยทุบสถิติหลายพื้นที่ "เขาค้อ"เกิดน้ำค้างแข็งครั้งแรก

"หนาว"ทั้งประเทศทุบสถิติประวัติศาสตร์ กทม.เย็นสุดในรอบ10ปี เผยกว่าจะหมดหน้าหนาวเดือนก.พ. ปลายสัปดาห์นี้ร้อนขึ้นอีก1-2องศา

Continue reading the rest...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Gym Membership

Activities/Actions:
  • Stretching & Weighting
  • Ran 3 miles on the 10th
  • Took four days to obtain a gym membership


Note and reflections:

It has taken me four days to get the gym membership for this year (perhaps, because of my stupidity?). It started on the 8th, when I was required to attach two photos even though my employee card will be used at the entrance. This means no card would be produced from these photos as it did last year. The 9th was after 9PM when the accounting was closed. The 10th, I forgot my cellphone number (I usually do not remember the number) and an emergency contact number. How would I know since last year this information was not required and they should have told me since the first time I asked. Finally, today I got it done!

I ran the third time after the marathon.

Continue reading the rest...

Bike to Shenkeng (The first year Anniversary of my Taiwan Stay)

The First Year Anniversary of my stay in Taiwan

Activities/Actions:
Biked to and from Shenkeng, and walked Shenkeng Street.

Stat & Course condition:

Bike to Shenkeng

Date: 01/11/2009
Start Time: 16:55:00
End Time: 17:28:00
Time Taken: 00:33:00
Route: Sinica 2 Shengken
Total Distance: 5.16 mi.
Burned: 143 (kcal)
Laps: 1
Pace: 06:22 (avg)
Speed: 9.38 (mi/hr) (avg)

walk shenkeng

Date: 01/11/2009
Start Time: 17:30:00
End Time: 18:05:00
Time Taken: 00:35:00
Route: ShenKeng St.
Total Distance: 0.44 mi.
Laps: 2
Burned: 76 (kcal)
Workout Weight: 139.0 lbs.
Laps: 2
Pace: 79:31 (avg)
Speed: 0.75 (mi/hr) (avg)

Bike back.
Date: 01/11/2009
Start Time:
18:18:00
End Time:
18:46:0
Time Taken: 00:28:00
Route:
Sinica 2 Shengken
Total Distance:
5.16 mi.
Burned:
143 (kcal)
Laps:
1
Pace:
06:22 (avg)
Speed:
9.38 (mi/hr) (avg)


How I felt:
(the 5-point scale)
Physically 4
Mentally 5
About my nutrition 4
About my sleep 4.5


How hard did I work? 7
(the 10-point scale)

Note and reflections:
Since the sky was bright and temperature was relatively warm, I decided to ride from the office to Shenkeng (a.k.a. Dieter's Kingdom) in the evening. However, I started rather late (around 4:50 PM). The road climbs up over a mountain with the elevation gain around 210 and 190 meters on Nangang and Shenkeng sides, respectively. Also, the distance on Nangang side is longer than that on Shenkeng about 700 meters. Thus, I spent time climbing up from Nangang longer than from Shenkeng. This is probably one of the reasons that I saw many of riders coming from Shenkeng instead of going from Nangang. Even though the wind was relatively cold, the ride up the hill warmed me up well.

This is the third visit to Shenkeng and the first with my bike [see the story of my first Shenkeng visit: An Adventure on Formosa: Eating shenkeng tofu and visiting Zhinan Temple kick off my Chinese New Year]. I spent about 30-40 minutes walking the old street filled up by a good size crowd. By the time, I prepared to ride back, it was already dark. After dropping a postcard to a mailbox, I biked up to the hill. The moon was very bright and large over the ridge of the mountain--very pretty scene. When I was approaching the top ridge, I saw two fellow riders ahead of me. I said "Ni Hao!," as I biked pass by them. They replied, "Jia Yo!" Then, I just let the bike rolling down hill until I arrived at the office.

It was a good decision to bike out to visit Shenkeng on the first year anniversary day of my stay in Taiwan!

Photos:
Many people taking a photo in front of this Chicken Restaurant on Shenkeng St.

The full moon viewed from the top of the mountain on my way back from Shenkeng

Continue reading the rest...

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Walk and eat

Activities/Actions:
  • Walk from Zhongxiao Xinsheng to Zhongxiao Dunhua
  • Dinner with Wayne and his colleagues

Stat & Course condition:
a walk from dentist

Date: 01/07/2009
Start Time: 17:30:00
End Time: 18:36:00
Time Taken: 01:06:00
Route: ZhongXiao-Walk
Total Distance: 2.16 mi.
Burned: 143 (kcal)
Laps: 1
Pace: 30:33 (avg)
Speed: 1.96 (mi/hr) (avg)

Date: 01/07/2009
Start Time: 20:30:00
End Time: 21:30:00
Time Taken: 01:00:00
Route: ZhongXiao-afterWayneDinner2Eros-Walk
Total Distance: 0.34 mi.
Burned: 130 (kcal)
Laps: 1
Pace: 176:28 (avg)
Speed: 0.34 (mi/hr) (avg)


Note and reflections:
After a fail attempt to do my six month dentist visit (because the last visit was less than 6 months; but the dentist should have told me on the phone), I walked to underground mall to sit and read a book, waiting for an appointed dinner time with Wayne. The first time to walk around the area was interesting. I saw various shops and stores and the road filled with rush hour traffic. I stopped by to get some traveling brochures at the visitor center before walk to the end for a rest and reading.

Wayne showed up with his colleagues and we had a dinner at a curry place nearby. Soon after we all were full, we walked to EROS, a famous high-end hair designing place, where one of the friends would get a haircut (one of Wayne's friends also worked here). The dinner and EROS visit were fun. I left the place, came to lab and biked home. The mask I usually used for biking was lost yesterday (the 6th). I will need to get a new one soon.

Photos:

A drawing on the wall at the platform in Nangang Station.

Continue reading the rest...

Monday, January 05, 2009

Sick days

Activities/Actions:
Slept and slept....


Note and reflections:

After came back from the trip yesterday [วิ่งไม่หยุด: Walk and Train Ride in PingXi], I did not feel good and later had fever. I slept and cope with the fever for most of Friday night, the whole Saturday and Sunday. At the end of Sunday, I felt a bit better (did not have much fever anymore). I went to see a doctor on Monday morning before taking a bus to lab. The doctor said that my tonsil glads were inflammatory as I expected because I had a little sore throat since last Thursday [วิ่งไม่หยุด: the first run after the marathon]. In the evening, Pei-Ling and Kai-Yeh brought two beef buns from a famous store in Kun-Yang for me. This is very appreciated.

It was too bad that I was sick because the weather was nice on Saturday and relatively good on Sunday. :<

Continue reading the rest...

Friday, January 02, 2009

Walk and Train Ride in PingXi

A memorable token for this PingXi visit from the two new friends Yi-Zhen and Yu-Tzu.

Activities/Actions:
Took train from Nangang to Rueifang and changed to PingXi Line for visiting three towns: Jingtung, PingXi and Shihfen


Note and reflections:
A plan to visit PingXi area was changed right at Nangang Station at 9:06AM, the time where I was supposed to meet with the other four friends. Suddenly, they changed their mind and did not want to go as the plan anymore. I decided to go anyway and met two new friends, Yi-Zhen and Yu-Tzu at Rueifang Station. We hoped on the crowded train at 1 PM for our three destinations (Jingtung, PingXi and Shihfen). At each destination, we walked around and enjoyed the city in this cold and overcast sky afternoon.

More story on An Adventure on Formosa. I came to Shihfen once last February during Lantern festival with Wayne, Xiao Bing Bing, Pei-Ling, Tent, and P' David.

Continue reading the rest...

Thursday, January 01, 2009

The first run of 2009 - Taipei New Year Run

Run to welcome New Year in the style: each hand holding a Taiwanese flag.


Activities/Actions:

Ran 98 年元旦升旗暨慢跑活動辦法

Stat:
Advertised to be 3K, the actual course was measured 2.15KM!

Date: 01/01/2009
Time Taken: 00:09:20
Route: Taipei New Year Run
Total Distance: 1.33 mi. (2.15 KM)
Burned: 141 (kcal)
Laps: 1
Pace: 07:01 (avg)
Speed: 8.55 (mi/hr) (avg)



Course condition:

Course in kilometer.


Observed weather on New Year's Eve and New Year Day. A cold morning (10C).


How I felt:
(the 5-point scale)
Physically 4
Mentally 4
About my nutrition 5
About my sleep 2.5


How hard did I work? 7
(the 10-point scale)

Note and reflections:

After a late stay to welcome New Year last night, I woke up at 6:30AM, biked to City Hall and ran 2.15 KM to welcome New Year (again) in style with run and flag raising ceremony. I was in my shorts and a thin jacket amidst a windy and 10C-mercury-high atmosphere under the shadow of Taipei 101. To my surprise, many people showed up with enthusiasms. I got bib number 1929 and two Taiwanese flags at the event registration tables. Soon after, Taiwan flag was raised on top of the City Hall after two songs were sung by the crowd, led by aboriginal singing group on the stage: the first was National Anthem (flag not raised) and the second was the flag raising anthem (as its name suggests).

The city mayor ran with us as well. A group of shivering kids in orange t-shirts painted the colors of the course. A group of "Free Speech" protesters also showed up to voice their messages just minutes before the gun was fired. I did my best running out with many stuff in the jacket pockets. I was one of those in front of the line. There were couple of serious runners ahead of us too. I finished just 9 minutes and 20 seconds and received a gift of bathroom essentials (such as shampoo, toothbrush, comb, etc). After that, I biked home along very windy and cold ZhongXiao E. Rd., where few cars just started to fill the road. I slept right after arrived home, woke up around noon for lunch and went to lab. I had dinner with P' Den and Nong Jeab that evening.


Photos:

Many gathering for flag raising ceremony and run.


Even in a cold morning, we came in a good spirit!
Note: 10C on the billboard digital thermometer.


Various flags signeting different districts of the city under the shadow of Taipei 101 on a shivering morning.


Ready for my run!


Songs by aboriginal people; some kids with only a few pieces of clothes.


A group of orange t-shirt youngsters warming up for the run.


The first light of the year.

Continue reading the rest...

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 Exercise Review

2008 Review

Few steps after the finish line in 2008 ING Taipei International Marathon (credit: Wayne; Thanks to Wayne for capturing the moment.)



My thoughts at the end of the year:

Finishing a full marathon became my history on the morning of December 21st. Now, I can say that I am a marathoner! It was such a proud moment when my feet passing the finish line in front of Taipei City Hall. Achieving this moment from a dormancy at the end of 2007 had taken time and a "mental" decision.

Moving to Taipei was a change that I quickly acclimatized and pushed myself back on exercise routine after relatively inactive months at the end of 2007 (but I had been busy with the move). Leaving this dormancy took me about two weeks for my first run in Taipei (inside the gym [วิ่งไม่หยุด: First Run in Taipei]) and a month after for a run outside [วิ่งไม่หยุด: First time running outside]. Then, my running groove started to kick in. In parallel, biking between office and apartment (~2.35 miles/4.8 km) has been my regular since the first week in the city. I have biked this route in rain or shine: no holidays, except during Typhoon or sickness. My bike and I have gone to almost every part/district of the city. We even journeyed with friends to neighboring towns or mountaintops during our weekend biking tours. In addition to these running and biking activities, I enjoyed walks and hikes with friends as well as strength training and stretching routine.

Running and biking has made me new friends who joined me in these year races, walking and biking trips. It has been great to get some friends to run with me: some started to train for and completed their first race (or even second and third), while some ran for a brief period. I give a special thank to Yu-Hsiang for organizing the races this year. These were the great moments of 2008!


Races:
Events
Date
DistanceRecordBrief remark
Nike+ Human Race
2008/08/31
10K47:41First 10K race
2008 Taroko Gorge International Marathon (2008 太魯閣國際馬拉松)
2008/11/01
Half Marathon1:59:53Ran up & down hill on a beautiful course
2008 ING Taipei International Marathon (2008 ING 台北國際馬拉松)
2008/12/11
Full Marathon4:00:51I did it!






Questions considered:
(adapted from Farres, Laura. 2003. The beginning runner's journal.)
  1. What did you learn about yourself over the past year?
    Learned that I had shuffled the training often, that I usually replaced my weekend long run with bike ride (not substitutable) and that I could dug myself out of dormancy in a reasonable time.

  2. What did you learn about your motivation over the past year?
    My motivation has been high most of the time except for a very rainy or stressful day.

  3. What were the main highlights? What were your biggest accomplishments?
    I put my full marathon to be the biggest accomplishment of the year!

  4. What were the factors that contributed to your highlights and accomplishments?
    Frequent runs (but often lacked on long runs).

  5. What were your biggest setbacks?
    I could not stick with the training plan especially the long runs, which are very important for the full marathon training. Another thing was that a small uncomfortable right key after the half race in Taroko [A Rest Period after Taroko Half; 2008 Taroko Gorge International Marathon (2008 太魯閣國際馬拉松)] created a setback for a brief period of time (and hope it is not a persistent one).

  6. What were the factors that contributed to your setbacks? How did you try to overcome them?
    An desire to enjoy weekend bike rides was the most contributing factors to the missed long runs. I was trying to run during the night time, but I could not run for that long because of weather issues (raining or coldness). For the injury, I should have studied and learned how to run downhill. "Advice and study on the race plan should be obtained during the training process! Ask veteran runners!"

  7. What things about yourself do you feel improved over the past year?
    I could estimate and assess my readiness and capability for a race. Importantly, my mental preparation for a "big" race was the most improvement.

  8. What things about yourself do you think still need to work on?
    Keep up with the training program, especially weekend long runs.

  9. What is your vision of yourself now?
    At a full marathon finish line in less than 3 hours and 35 minutes. :D Dream big!!!

Re-evaluate your personal motivation plan

Vision/Mission
Be able to integrating training routine in my daily life and achieving the above mentioned marathon time.

Handling obstacles
Get some advice and carefully think through for a "good/suitable" solution. Never quite!

Thoughts and feelings
Keep record of these very seriously and everyday!

Social support
"Thank to everyone for supporting so far." But welcome more!! Write down your comments and thoughts, please.

Cues in the environment


Rewards
--NOT YET DECIDED-- but something nice :D

Maintain the gains
I will continue my running along with other exercises for the coming year. I would like to expand cross training activities, such as hitting squash once in awhile or starting swimming practice. To achieve my goal of finish another marathon within 3 hours and 35 minutes requires a well planed program and "stick-to-the-plan attitude!"

My program goals for the next three months:
Be able to do a short race.

Now prepare yourself to start by setting your action goals for the month ahead.
Keep up with regular running as well as find and plan for a good training schedule and activities.

Short-term action goals:
Start NOW!! The rest period after the marathon race was expired long ago!

Continue reading the rest...