1st 20-clicker for 2009: Desa Park City
Its been a while since I embarked on a long run... long meaning anything more than 15km... That might probably not be long for some, and that might be super unimaginable long for others, but that's my range when it comes to long... for now.
Both Plum and I decided to do a night long run sometime this week, and we were thinking about where to go... Places like Putrajaya, Kota Kemuning, Ara Damansara, TTDI were bandied about... and we wanted a place where there was relatively low vehicular movement as well as wide roads and brightly lit. Haha, right, not exactly many places in KL like that...
Last minute we decided on Desa Park City (DPC), Kepong... and we were not disappointed. Place had ample car park, around the Waterfront Mall, they had a 7-11 for refueling if needed, the park around the lake was brightly lit and there were quite a few people lingering around even till 11pm. The roads snaking around DPC had 2-3 meter wide pavements, not many vehicles and pretty good lighting all over.
Although looping around DPC wasn't really long interms of distance; a loop around the lake is approx 2km, detouring to the hill and back will take you about 6-7km. You can pretty much do 3 looping rounds of that and start to hit 18 - 20km mileage. There's also a 600m long climb, gradual at first and increasingly steep to the summit that helps work the quads and mix up the flattish route a little.
We actually went at a pedestrian pace last night... keeping it at conversational pace and actually talking about lotsa BS along the way... So much so that at times, we were practically going like what the signboard below says:
The pace we were going up the hill climb... :)
Would I recommend this place for a run? Yes I would, if only to mix it up a little so that you get a different view. Not many places to run after the sun has set, and this is definitely a pretty good place to head to if you're looking for a workout after dark.
NOT a GOOD start
Seriously. Not a good start to 2009 in terms of achieving my goals. Been really tied up with personal life and family commitments that I just haven't been putting the mileage. Its about 2 weeks into the new year and all I have to show on my training chart are 32 measly kilometers. I have to buck up. But I also have to prioritize. Headache headache...
Travelling every weekend home to see my 2 girls are not gonna be easy, what with races and events being conducted only on weekends. How will I juggle?
I might even be forced to miss the GE30k run this Sunday, the 1st event on my calendar for 2009. To race this event or to spend time with my lil girl? I think its a no-brainer decision. Unless I can work around a plan to go home and spend enuff time with my lil darling and still make it back in time for the 6am gun start on Sunday morning, it sure looks like i'm missing the GE30k for the 2nd consecutive year.
Its really not easy juggling a full time job, being a new father, spending time with the family, working on the sides and trying to achieve a 4000km mileage target for the year....
Please, please. Give me the strength to pull this thru....
Goal Setting
I used to write myself a list of things I should accomplish, things I should achieve, targets I should meet, at the beginning of every new year, each and every year.
I used to write down stuff like "I aim to be a better person / friend this year".... "I aim to spend more time with my wife / family this year".... "I will laugh more and lose my temper less"...
I used to write them down and then never meet them... I mean, how do you measure spending more time with your wife? Put a punch card next to her? Track down on your excel spreadsheet every minute you are next to her? How do you determine you laughed more and lost your temper less? Subjective is the keyword here.
This year, I resolve not to set non-measurable goals for 2009. I will not set any personal life goals; when it comes to my family, I will tell myself that the bottomline is: They can count on me to be there anytime they need me, and that exceeds all goals / expectations set.
For my friends, I will be there for you whenever I can, with my utmost capacity; but bear in mind, I will not be there for you at 3am and you can't sleep and want a teh tarik. Go get a copy of MAXIM or whatever it is that you fancy and keep yourself entertained.
The only measurable goals I will set for myself for 2009 are my training / workout goals. I know what I want to achieve, I know what I want to do and I tailored my goals to keep me on track to meet the targets I have set for myself:
Number 1: Overall Goal: I will accomplish / cover (a minimum) 4000km this year in total in running / biking / swimming.
Number 2: Endurance Goal: I will finish a full marathon (42.195km). This is a target I have set for the 1st half of 2009, with sights set on the KLIM09 in June.
Number 3: Speed Goal: I will achieve sub-4-hours timing in POWERMAN Malaysia 2009. This is a target I have set for the 2nd half of 2009, with sights set on the POWERMAN event in November.
And there you have it. 3 goals, 1 year to achieve them. I will not post a monthly review similar to what I have done for 2008, rather I will just update off and on for Goal #1 and where I stand. Goals #2 and #3 will be reviewed as and when the events I target for are completed.
Wish me luck!
2008 Goals Review
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009 People!!!!
A quick review of my 2008 goals shows that I didn't fare too badly in what I set out to do...
2008 Goals:Distance To Run: 1168km
Races To Run: 6 Half Marathons
Weight To Lose: 6 kgs
What I've Done:Distance Run: 1426km
Races Done: 15
- KL Int Towerthon- KLIM Half Marathon- BHP Orange Run- Shoe String Run- NB Klang Pacers Half Marathon- NB Pacesetters 15km Run- Port Dickson Internation Half Marathon- Adidas King Of The Road- Merdeka Unity Run- Seremban Half Marathon - Pheddipidations World Wide Half Marathon Challenge- NB Klang Pacers 12km Run- Mizuno Wave Run - Putrajaya International 12 Hour Walk- Malakoff TTDI 12km Run
Weight Lost: 5 kg
What's Left To Do:Distance To Go: Done - Exceeded by 258km
What's Left To Race: Done
What's Left To Lose: 1 kg (Failed to achieve, but satisfied anyway - there's always 2009!)
Did I do it?Except for the weight loss failure, everything was achieved.... 2009 will push new goals and new targets my way and I will strive to achieve or surpass them as I roll thru the new year....
