Blog Archives

The Need for Speed and Massage

6/30/2014

Boom. Legs seem back to 'normal'. Hurrah! All went well at the track this morning, and although it's about half of what I've been doing on previous weeks for my speedwork, this is what the plan called for, as I guess, one last final speed test / shake up before the race this weekend. In a way, it (I hope) emulates what I will be aiming to do at the Gold Coast half, sort of a mini-version of my plan. On the day I'm aiming for this: 3km warm-up/easy pace, 5km at threshold pace, 1.6km easy pace, 4.8km threshold, 1.6km easy, last 5.1km threshold. As long as I stick to my intended threshold pace (between 4:07 and 4:18, but usually 4:10 to 4:15 ish) and run no slower than around 4:45 for the easy paced sections (I hope), and providing my legs continue to do what I'm asking them to, then it should be a successful race. Watch this space.

Something I've read before but never put into practice is this: pre-race massage. Hmm, why haven't I tried this out before? I mean: I love running/racing. I love massages. Why not combine them, i.e. use the massage as a lead up to the race or part of my preparation? Doing some research this morning has informed me that ideally getting one from 3 to 5 days before your event can be very beneficial. I think I'll be getting one when I head up to Hangzhou (the capital of this province, and where I fly out from), which will be 3 days out from raceday. We wonder sometimes, Husband and I, why we haven't gotten more massages while we've been living here. Because we both LOVE getting massages. Hmmm, for me I think it comes down to this: not knowing which 'massage' places or spas are legit (and not brothels, of which there are many in our neighbourhood, ahem...) and the one massage I tried in a local, looked-legit place around the corner ended up being extremely painful and more of a manipulation massage rather than a relaxing, oily type. The BEST massage I've had out of my maybe 4 massages in total since being in China (in other cities), was one at the airport hotel in Shanghai airport. It was a Swedish massage and this will be the type I'll look for on Thursday. Of course, you can't beat a wonderful Balinese massage, but my journey's sadly not taking back to Bali this year (sigh). On this note if you're ever in Bali, get up to North Bali to a place called Bondalem - it's gorgeous, totally natural and beautiful, and far from the maddening crowds of infamous Kuta or Seminyak. Our friends have a villa there, Villa Selina (http://villa-selina-bali.com/), where you can stay and experience whatever's your cup of tea (surfing, hiking to a waterfall, chilling by the pool with copious Bintang beers, or sunrise yoga looking at the ocean). Another highlight of staying there (along with the amazing fresh and delicious food, and wonderful, warm company and hospitality) would be the massages. Seriously, the BEST massage I've ever had was there. Soooooo good. And I've had a lot of massages during holidays in Bali (and other places, but probably the most in Bali), and this was hands down the BEST. Ask for the masseur Firman, and they'll hook you up.

Here are some photos of beautiful Bondalem and Villa Selina from last year. Oh, if only I could fly in and see Matt and Putu and family, and the talented Firman before my race!

That last photo features the gorgeous Annie (soon to be seeing her on Saturday in Oz! Yes!!) and beautiful Selina, on one of our last days of our long (but never long enough!) holiday in Bali last year. Oh Bali how we miss you....

So, in summary, if I can seek out a masseur who is anything like Firman was, then I'll be a happy camper (or even more of a happy camper) and fully fully prepared for the weekend's race.

Do you get a massage before a race? Or regular massages when you are training? (It's something I should do, but haven't incorporated it into my training or routine for some reason, d'oh...)

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Take The Pressure Down...

6/30/2014

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I went for a ‘test’ run this morning, checking to see if my legs were fixed. Well, yes and no. Yes, I ran with no pain and aches and niggles. Phew. But NO – they felt very very slow, and weak, like I’ve lost any sort of power that I had built up?! I hope this is not the case, and that it was perhaps due to it being my first run back after 3 days sans-running, or maybe the humidity was doing its thang again. Hmm, not sure. It was only meant to be a recovery paced run for me to test the waters, so it was successful in that sense, however my legs do not feel their 100% best. At all. Tomorrow I have my last speedwork session of the training plan: 3.22kms easy, then 4x 1200m at threshold pace with 2 minute rests, and then 1.6kms cool down. So, I will be able to see if my speed is still there. I have an awful feeling that all the speed and strength that I feel I built up earlier in the training period, have been jeopardized by the 50km trail race that I plonked in the middle of my half marathon training program. Oops… (Hmm, and I still wouldn’t change doing that race! I just might plan my races and schedule a bit better next time.)

However, hey - what if I can’t keep to the intended pace during the half marathon? What if I don’t get a new PB and beat my time from the Shanghai half last December? So, what?? The only person who will be disappointed is me. I highly doubt anyone else cares if I manage to complete it in 1:30, or 1:31, or even 2:31 (3:31, people may be concerned about however, namely the race organizers, as there is a 3 hour cut-off time). Sure, friends would be very happy for me if I DO complete the race in the time that I want, but I’m sure they’ll be equally happy for me if I don’t and I run it anyway and am happy with the race. It struck me this morning, as I was lamenting my crappy run, that it is only ourselves who pressure us. We are our own worst enemies sometimes, and if I treated my friends the way I treat myself sometimes (i.e. the pressure I put on myself to meet goals and other things) then I’m sure I wouldn’t be their favourite person to hang out with, if at all. Before I left for this morning’s run, I was deliberating about whether or not to go, and was generally procrastinating drink green tea after green tea (shock! We were all out of coffee, nooooo…..), Husband told me to stop pressuring myself – it didn’t matter whether I went now or later in the day. Hmm, he had a point. However, it already being mid-morning (crazy sleep-in this morning until almost 9am!), and hence a hefty amount of traffic and humidity out there, I knew these two factors would only get worse later on, and that if I didn’t go right then and there, that I wouldn’t go at all and the day would simply get away from me. So, yes, I pressured and forced myself out the door! But then, during the run, his words came back to me, and I thought that yes, as runners, I think we tend to pile on the pressure about certain paces, times or distances we think we ‘have’ to run. I know how awesome it feels to tick off certain goals and to achieve training successes, but when things don’t go according to plan, we really shouldn’t take it so seriously or to heart. I mean, no one else does, right? Your friends and family are just happy if you’re happy, and (should) support you whatever your time or place in a race. At the end of the day, it’s just for fun and it’s a form of playing. Like anything in life, we shouldn’t take it so seriously. I will try and heed my own advice!

And so, for something completely unrelated to running paces, fuel, injuries, or any other running related topic, here are some pictures of a beautiful, playful soul, who definitely doesn’t take life too seriously (although she takes begging for egg yolks or peanuts kind of seriously at times) and would never put pressure on herself for anything, she just goes with the flow. I should follow her example:

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Rain and Red Bayberries

6/27/2014

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Update for today: 1) it's still raining; 2) my legs are still tight/sore (but a little bit better I think?); and 3) it IS the shoes!!! Noooo.... I should have clarified the other day, that I have two pairs of running shoes (one about 2 years old, and one about a year old, the latter I was planning on racing in) and when I slipped my older trusty pair on yesterday morning to go somewhere, my legs and feet felt fine, no dramas. However, when I put the slightly newer (but still needing to be replaced, they are well overdue too) pair on and skipped out the door to take Puppy for a quick walk when the rain subsided a bit - boom, instant calf ache/pain, and also some foot pain too (the balls of my feet). Hmmm, so it's safe to say that I will NOT be racing in these babies next week. Looks like I'll be back in my older pair, as they don't seem to give me the grief of the other ones, and for some reason don't seem too worn out? (Which is crazy as they are well, well overdue for a change.)

Yesterday we went back to the hotel pool for some excellent sauna and pool jogging/running/playing malarkey. This was GREAT, and I hope has helped my legs? Felt great to be splashing around and occasionally stretching in there too. Managed to do about 50 minutes in the pool! This was a mixture of pool running/jogging, stretching, doing random kicks while holding onto the side, and a few laps of 'proper' (sort of anyway, I am not a good swimmer AT ALL) swimming. Wow, let me just say that, after ONE lap of 'swimming', I was extremely puffed and feeling my heart rate soar, and would swiftly get back to pool jogging instead. I am not a swimmer hey. This is crazy yes? As Husband is a swimming teacher (as well as English teacher and all round Champion/wonderful man). He did try to teach me back in 2012 in New Zealand, but to be honest, I don't like swimming, so we let it slide. However, maybe, just maybe, in the future I like the idea of doing a triathlon, or, dare I even say it, an Ironman!?! So, will eventually have to conquer my fear (loathing?) of swimming.

The first 25 minutes or so in the pool were just me by myself (while Husband was sauna-ing) and, pool running by yourself? Yes, the time goes SLOWLY (I hear you, Kristina!). It was only when Husband joined me and we added in lots of funny aquarobics-style moves, and backwards jogging, funny arms/faces combos, that the time flew by. A few super-hot (are there any other types? lol) saunas later and skulling of a litre and a half of water = feeling awesome.

When we got back to school we went to the leaving 'party' for Grade 9 students (kind of a speech/presentation event with music performances etc) - these were my students last year, and now they are leaving this school in order to go on to high school next term. They are all grown up! Literally. Most of them have shot up and now tower over me.

My former student friend Jenny must have heard my call for increasing my intake of healing vitamin C and antioxidants, as she arrived early in the morning with a basket of these amazing, juicy, delicious little fruits (called 'yangmei', or red bayberries), and told us of the party later in the day and asked whether we would come. There were more in the punnet, but, erm, as previously noted - they are delicious! (Thanks Jenny!) So, a fair few have gone already:

This last shot is Husband and the Principal of the school - a lovely, very chilled guy (like all the teachers here). We often call him the Prime Minister or President as we see him coming, lol, as in 'Look! It's the President!' Lovely guy, and has always made us feel very welcome and respected/valued.

It's easy to see why this town is so lush and green and colourful, what with all this rain! Here are a couple of shots that Husband took yesterday, and I love how colourful and full of plants/trees this school is:

Another highlight from yesterday was seeing and talking to (via the power of Skype) my BEAUTIFUL nephew! (and my bro, my sister-in-law, and my mum too, of course). He has grown up so much since I met him last year. He is about 14 months old and gorgeous. Not sure when I'll get back to England to see him in person again, so for now I suppose he'll have to go on thinking that Aunty Lou lives in the computer.

I'm off to do some (indoor and safely out of the rain) yoga now. Have a Super Saturday!!

Have you seen/tried those fruits before, where you are?

Are your relatives nearby or are you spread out across the globe too?

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Food for Healing, Health and Happiness

6/26/2014

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Aaaaand: the rain is back. I suppose one day’s reprieve is better than nothing? It is raining hard this morning – I believe the technical term is ‘bucketing down’ or ‘pissing down’. That’s ok with me, seeing as I cancelled what would have been an easy paced 9.66km run this morning, as I am still resting my achey/sore legs (both of them feel very sore and tight up the back of my legs/hamstrings now, so the rest will continue, as frustrating as it is). So, it’s quite nice sitting here and sipping my coffee watching/hearing the rainy-season-esque downpour (it is reminding me of my time in a small Amazonian jungle village in Bolivia, where I visited during rainy season and subsequently got trapped there when I realised no planes could fly back out from their grassy ‘airport’/runway if it was pouring with rain. Which it was. Every day. It’s quite a nice, relaxing, lulling sound though).

This means the things and errands we had planned for today (which involved cycling to and from) may now be postponed due to the weather. (Yes, we could always take a taxi, but that’s no fun.)

I don’t often mention it or write about it on here, but I am a qualified nutritionist (before English-teaching-Lou!) however I’ve been travelling and doing other things with my life lately, so this has taken a back-seat (and I hope I haven’t forgotten everything that I studied so hard for!). Next year, I am aiming to go back to uni (in Australia) and complete a masters or post-graduate degree that will give me the extra credentials and expertise so that I’ll then be able to work as an accredited dietician. Anyhoo, I digress, the point I was trying to get at, is that I love all things nutrition related and about how we can thrive and live our lives to the fullest and happiest, and cure any ailments, just by good nutrition and being aware of what we eat. I mentioned yesterday that I’d be eating lots of healthy, healing foods, so I thought I’d expand a bit more on exactly what those would be.

The first thing that comes to mind, when thinking about healing your body, would be protein, and making sure you’re getting enough good quality sources of this. Such as: lean-meat and fish (if you are not vegetarian), eggs, tofu, yoghurt, nuts, seeds, pulses. A protein powder/drink can also be useful. Protein helps to heal and repair the body and build new, lean muscle.

However it’s not just protein that you’d need to ensure your getting enough of. Key vitamins/minerals to up your intake of would be: vitamin C (and antioxidants, to help with inflammation), vitamin A (acts as an antioxidant also, for inflammation healing, and also needed for new cells/tissue) , zinc (needed to repair and grow new muscle), along with a regular supply of B vitamins (for tissue regeneration and repair as well as daily general well-being, energy etc), enough calcium (from more ‘natural’, bioavailable sources if possible, i.e. dark green veg, almonds, eggs, tinned fish rather than bovine sources of calcium for their young, ie. Milk), an adequate intake of carbohydrate (even if not training), and enough ‘good’ fats too (for reducing/eliminating inflammation).

So, to up your vitamin C, people often think ‘oranges/citrus fruit’, but there is an abundance of vit C (and antioxidants) in potatoes (mainly the skin, so keep it on if possible), strawberries, kiwifruit, broccoli, capsicums, cabbage, and many other fruit and veg. So, aiming for a variety of different coloured fruit and veg will help increase your vit C intake (and usually your B vitamin intake too).

For making sure you’re getting enough vitamin A, initially look for orange coloured veg, such as sweet potato and carrots, but also be aware that there’s vit A in eggs, fish, dairy products (aim for eating less of these though), and dark green leafy veg.

Zinc is often thought to go hand in hand with your protein intake, i.e. if you’re getting enough protein then you’re probably getting enough zinc, but if you’re unsure, then aim to add in some: nuts, beans, seafood (i.e. oysters and crab), lean meat, dairy foods (but keep these to a minimum). A zinc supplement can be useful too (although it’s best to aim to get your vitamins and minerals naturally through bioavailable food sources rather than a capsule, but an extra supplement at times, such as when you are aiming to heal and injury or prevent an illness, can be a very good thing).

Good sources of B vitamins: cereals, beans, nuts, meat, fish, vegetables etc (found in many different foods, so aim for a varied and interesting diet).

Eating enough in general, and not reducing your carbohydrate intake is important for healing too. If you eat too few kilojoules or not enough carbohydrate sources, then your body will naturally start to burn your own protein for fuel instead, thus slowing the healing process. Good sources of carbohydrate foods to choose would be starchy, whole-grains if possible, and aiming for a variety of these and not just one type.

‘Good’ fat choices could be olive oils, peanut butter (or other nut butters), flax seeds, oily fish (salmon, sardines, tuna etc), and avocado.

So, these would be the main foods and items to focus on, but don’t underestimate the power of herbs and spices! I mentioned previously re: Husband’s turmeric habit, and turmeric is an amazing panacea that can assist with a number of ailments and issues. I really need to take his advice about this and incorporate it into my daily diet, along with more garlic, especially when aiming to heal quickly. (One of turmeric’s benefits is that it has anti-inflammatory properties).

I think I have most of this covered, as my daily diet anyway consists of a large variety of different coloured veg, a good amount of carbohydrate (from rice, bread, other grains in soups/porridge, potatoes), plenty of tofu, nuts, seeds and eggs, and a fair bit of olive oil and peanut butter. I have also added in some protein powder drinks too (courtesy of my recent prize of a giant tub of protein powder), and I have a zinc supplement (in theory anyway – for some reason I forget to actually go and find the bottle and take a pill out to take it! They’re around here somewhere…) so I will be adding that in too. Oh yeah, and GREEN TEA, loads of it (we drink it by the bucketload here), I will be continuing with that, for its anti-oxidant properties and for making me feel awesome. I will also eliminate any beers or wine and my usual ice-cream addiction for the next week (yep, you read that correctly!), as this will help no end too, I’m sure.

So, in theory: good nutrition + lots of rest/sleep + positive thinking = I will be fixed and have ‘new’ legs again in no time, yes?? That’s the plan anyway.

Here are a few links to articles re: healing and nutrition if you fancy reading more (theirs may well be more technical than my ramblings on here too):

http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/01/nutrition-for-injury.aspx#axzz35nHbndUz

http://www.livestrong.com/article/303683-foods-that-help-heal-muscle/

http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/foods-heal

http://www.fitbie.com/slideshow/5-kinds-foods-heal

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/foods_to_soothe_sore_muscles

Oh, Ginger too! Fresh ginger is great for pain relief and reducing inflammation too. (How could I forget ginger?! Another of Husband's daily habits - hmmm, I really SHOULD follow his example more, it seems...)

Are you a fan of protein powders?? (This has been the first one I've really given a go, and so far, so good. It's not my favourite thing to drink though.)

Enjoy your day people! Wow, it's the weekend (pretty much) already, again! How the hell did that happen?!

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Fankle Pain

6/25/2014

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The rain has stopped! Hurrah!! However, looks like the humidity is returning in full force, so I’m sure there’s yet more rain in our not-too-distant future.

The morning I went for a slow, recovery paced run, 11km, on a regular route down by the riverside. The niggling calf ache/pain (I guess it's really my upper ankle, or 'fankle' - fat ankle - as its painful and slightly swollen/has a bruised feeling) was still there, and it felt like it got better and then worse, then better, then worse again throughout the very slow run (20 minutes slower than usual). In fact, my legs felt tight and achey all over, and by the end of the run my right hip had started to ache and feel strange too. What’s going on? It feels like I have just run a hard race or a marathon yesterday or something. Perhaps, this is a delayed reaction to my 50km trail race (back on 7th June), and I didn’t get away with such an awesome, quick recovery after all? Hmm… Not good. But, I think I will do the sensible thing, and cancel my runs for the next two to three days, so the rest of this week, and rest my legs (albeit for the usual walking and cycling as transport, and maybe some yoga too) and see how they are feeling on Monday’s planned 9.66km easy paced run. I am still thinking about the 16km run I should be doing over the weekend though, hmmm. If I can, I may also get back to the hotel’s swimming pool for some active recovery pool running/jogging.

I will also be eating lots of healthy, healing foods, and will be aiming to get more sleep than I’ve been getting recently.

I hope my legs are back to normal by next Saturday!! How annoying. It’s got me worried that maybe I have reached my peak during my training and that when I come to run the actual race, I won’t be able to repeat and emulate the successes I have had when training. Hmm, maybe running an ultra 50km trail race just one month before this half marathon wasn’t a great training idea, in hindsight…

Have you got any secrets/tips for a speedy recovery?

How many days would you take off from running if you’re feeling sore?

Aaaand, a few shots of the beautiful Gold Coast, in the hope that this mental motivation helps my legs return to 'normal' in time for next week (and ideally in time for Sunday so I can get my final long-ish run in):

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New Shoes and New Jobs

6/24/2014

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Another week, another random pain, hmm, what’s going on? Today’s random (and I hope one-off) pain was in my lower right calf, and then another niggling (but more subtle) similar pain occurred in the left calf towards the end of my run too. The pain wasn’t too extreme, just annoying, but in the end it caused me to reduce my last tempo interval by a kilometre, as I decided to listen to my body and call it a day earlier than planned. (Today’s run was as follows: 1.6km warm-up, 2x 4.8kms at threshold pace with 3 mins rest in between, then a final 3.8kms threshold pace instead of a third 4.8kms interval, then the 1.6kms cool-down.)

I have an awful feeling that this week’s random pain may be a shoe related issue. I.e. that my shoes are well overdue for a change. I have read that you should change your running shoes every 800kms or so. Now, I was planning on getting a new pair at the expo during the marathon weekend in the Gold Coast, but now I’m not sure if I should wait and run in the shoes that I’ve got and have been training in, or buy a new pair and hope I can break them in in time for next Saturday’s race, or run in my older, even more worn out but trusty pair of shoes. Hmm, what to do? Or, maybe it has nothing to do with the shoes and is all in my head?? I hope so.

Something that helped immensely today, and not just with the run, but with the actually getting up and out there in the, yes you guessed it, continuous pissing down rain, was a mantra courtesy of Kristen at Glitter and Dust (http://glitteranddust.com/), about not trading what you want most for what you want right now. Thanks Kristen! This actually woke me up, as I was midway through a random dream re: eating a chicken burger (even more random as I have recently gone back to being mostly vegetarian, along with Husband who is newly vegetarian) and was wondering in the dream if I was awake or dreaming this, and if I was awake then why was I eating a chicken burger so close to getting up for my morning run? Then it struck me, oh it must be a dream, and the mantra came in, adapted to suit the occasion, and spurred me on to wake up as I told myself: ‘don’t trade sleeping in again for what you want most Lou!’

I wish I’d remembered this phrase yesterday afternoon though, when I absolutely traded in what I want most (to get a new PB at the Gold Coast half marathon, and thus, sticking to my training schedule, rain or no rain) for what I wanted right then: going for beers and snacks of our favourite marinated cucumber dish and edamame beans, followed by dinner with a nice bottle of red. So, no, yesterday’s run was out the window! Oops…

Another awesome mantra that helped a lot this morning was courtesy of Kristina over at Blog About Running (http://blogaboutrunning.com/) where I reminded myself that ‘I’ve done it before, I can do it again’. Thanks Kristina!!

I have written on here before about how sad we will be to say goodbye and how much we have loved working here. We also often say how this is the best job we’ve ever had and that it doesn’t feel like a job. There’s been no criticism (‘constructive’ or otherwise), no dramas, and no stress. We have been able to plan our own lessons and teach what we like and use whatever method we choose to, and have always been praised and appreciated. The working hours are great as are the perks of the job, and the other teachers are very friendly and warm and welcoming. If you like the sound of this teaching job, then read on: there are two vacancies here at the school we are leaving soon! It is a great position for a couple, or for two single teachers. If you are hold a TEFL or TESOL or other teaching certificate, and would like to come and teach in China, then please get in touch and send me your details, and I can pass it on to the woman in charge of hiring foreign teachers. Here are some more details about the job:

- Work just over 10 hours a week. (Sometimes less when there are exams, sports days etc.)

- Accommodation provided (fully furnished, utilities paid for, all mod cons, air con, TV, internet etc)

- Bicycles provided too!

- Airfare reimbursed at the end of the contract.

- Extra expenses reimbursed at the of the contract too. (For telephone, medical, and travel.)

- Medical insurance covered by the school.

- After the initial visa to get in the country, the school pays for your health examination, resident permit and all renewals etc.

- Breakfast and lunch provided 5x a week.

- Work only Monday to Friday, and usually between 10am and 4pm.

- Lots of time off and freedom to explore this and other cities.

- Teach 13 to 15 year olds (depending on which grade you teach), and between 22 and 44 students in a class or half class.

- Must be a native English speaker.

I’m sure there are lots more details I could tell you about, but if you like the sound of it so far, then please do get in touch! They are looking for someone (or two people ideally) to arrive in late August, for the beginning of term on September 1st.

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of where we live and teach:

I hope the school finds some new teachers in time for September. Of course, we'll naturally be jealous of whoever takes our place! :)

So, tell me, what do you reckon I should do re: my shoe dilemma?

How often do you replace your running shoes?

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Achey-Breakey Whaaat??

6/23/2014

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Woke up with weird achey legs today (mainly my inner thighs). WTF?! Oh, and slightly achey arms, chest and back too. What the... Hmm, maybe I had left it too long in between doing sessions of that kickboxing workout. But it's only a short one and it's only (mainly) cardio?? (There are a few push-ups and lunges though). Oh well.. This ache, combined with the constant rain (that, according to the weather reports is set to continue for another 2 weeks straight!) resulted in me forfeiting my run this morning and replaced it with lazing in bed with this little cutie:

Please excuse the shiny face there. This was us, last year, maybe around September or October, when our student friend who used to look after Puppy when we went away, gave us and "Bear" (her official name - one of about 4 names we currently use) some bling: bracelets for us and a collar for Bear, each with our name on. (She apparently wasn't a fan though, and later managed to get it off and chew it in exactly the right spot so it wouldn't fasten anymore. She has done this with a few leads in the past too. She's one smart puppy.)

I'm hoping the rain lessens a bit later on in the day, and then I can combine the (belated) run with a trip to some shops I've been meaning to get to (the Digital Marketplace, for all your computer/techno needs, we hope), but we'll see.

Oh, and I finally got around to updating this website this morning, so if you've been feeling left out when perusing the Wonderful Websites I Frequent page, then fear not, I have added a few more of my regular looked at sites there. It was well overdue, but for some reason my procrastination habit left me leaving it by the wayside. I have also updated my Race Pictures page, so there are a few more from the 50km trail race if you're interested.

Short and sweet from me in China today. (Internet issues AGAIN, so if I keep it short, there's more chance of it getting out there!).

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday!

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Husband, Herbs, and Healthy Food

6/22/2014

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Surprise, surprise, it is STILL raining here in Yiwu. After all my talk of enjoying a run through the summer rain and drizzle, I woke up this morning and was decidedly not keen to get wet out there today, so instead I did this super fun kickboxing workout instead: http://hasfit.com/workouts/home/cardio-aerobic/cardio-kickboxing/ and will soon be doing some relaxing yoga, plus some core work (finally! It hasn't happened yet, even when I've put it down in my schedule, hmm, seems easy to forget about all too often).

Over the weekend (in between and during the downpours) we cycled around to a traditional Chinese herbalist/medicine shop where Husband gets his turmeric from. It is a fascinating place full of things that for the most part we have little to no idea of what they are or the benefits they hold. We actually went in with a list of a few different items as well as his usual turmeric (he has it daily, as well as ginger and garlic, separately though, usually as a small shot mixed in with some olive oil - so good for your health, don't know why I haven't followed suit yet) however it was a case of things getting lost in translation and they mixed all of the other three herbs and ground them up together, instead of three separate bags, hmmm, must be good for something hey. (Super mix?)

The rest of the weekend was spent avoiding the rain and resting/watching documentaries, catching up with family and friends 'back home' via Skype, and eating delicious, healthy meals, as per these pictures below, some of our favourites dishes here in China:

In other news, it is less than TWO weeks now til I get to see this amazing woman (on the left):

Oh, and I will run the Gold Coast half marathon too. :)

In an excellent twist of fate, Husband's best mate from here in Yiwu will be back in town for his summer holiday with his family (he gets back on the day that I leave town), so Husband will be able to have a good catch up with his good friend, while I am on a mission travelling to Oz and back seeing my best friend and running a race.

I hope YOU had a great weekend!

Do you eat/use turmeric in your cooking? Heard/know about its amazing health benefits?

Do you regularly take any other herbs/spices/supplements? (Husband eats a few raw garlic cloves and gnaws on fresh ginger each day, and has about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of turmeric.)

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Mantras

6/20/2014

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It's still raining on and off here in not-so-sunny-at-the-moment Yiwu, and yes it's still incredibly humid. Both these weather conditions can only mean one thing: another wet (soggy?) run this morning. The drizzle I can take and handle fine, but the humidity? That is still a challenge. Especially when trying to run at a faster pace. This was the case this morning, and I had the following planned: 1.6km warm-up, 9.6km at high aerobic pace (between 4:21 and 4:45) then easy paced/whatever pace up to about 21-22kms. It ended up being: 1.5kms warm-up, then 8.5kms at high aerobic pace, then 5kms at 'whatever' pace, then 1km at high aerobic pace again, then the last 5.5kms at a 'whatever' pace again. The humidity was really getting to me as I got nearer to the end of the aimed for 9.6kms high aerobic pace portion of the run, and even my best mantras didn't help in the end as I made a deal with myself that I would go until 10km, and not the 11.2km that I was aiming for, but then later on I would run another kilometre at the faster pace. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I suppose it gave me extra training for speeding up on already tired legs and for pushing out a faster pace/finishing strong when you have already run 15kms or so. I am SO glad there won't be the humidity issue when I run the Gold Coast in just over a fortnight's time!

Talking of mantras. Do you use any particular mantras or sayings when you run? These are some of my favourites:

- Strong, Strong, Strong....

- If you can do this, you can do anything...

- You got this!

- You can do it (in a Rob Schneider esque manner)

- Dig deep.

- You can do hard things

- You can do more than you think you can!

What mantras do you use during a race or during training?

After I'd got the 'hard' part of my run out of the way (or most of it anyway) I reckon I must have been giving off happy-runner-vibes or palpable endorphins perhaps as there were so many 'hellos' from passer-bys and I made 3 new running friends! One of them was telling me to look up the name of Yiwu then 'runners' on a Chinese search engine (just about to do that now) so perhaps there has been a running group right here in little ole' Yiwu this whole time?! Only took me two years to find a running community, haha. Anyway, one of the runners joined me for about 4 kilometres and another joined me for a later 1-2 kilometre stretch (the third was a quick hello/which races have you ran/goodbye before he sped off again). It was nice passing the time with someone as I ran. I haven't often gone running with another person before, but every time I do, I think 'why don't I do this more often?' It wouldn't work for speed days or when I'm trying to keep my pace up, but for runs where you're just running/jogging along and chatting? It's nice hey. Good way to practice my Chinese too, but, d'oh! Now we're leaving! Maybe there will be a running community up in Inner Mongolia??

Are you part of a running group where you live?

Have a Wonderful Weekend!! Good luck to those who have races this weekend, or to those out for a long run (or short run, or any kind of run). You can do it!

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Running in the Rain

6/19/2014

10 Comments

Ahhh, there is something SO refreshing, calming and peaceful about running in the summer rain. It's awesome. An added bonus is that the usually crowded riverside pathways are pretty much empty when there are the frequent Yiwu downpours. Which was the case this morning, while I went for a slow, easy paced 15km run in the rain. No music, not much people traffic, and no set pace to try to keep to: just running at the pace that I felt like through the drizzle to slightly heavyish rain. I have mentioned my dislike on here for running on the track in the rain, but out on the pavements and by the river is a different story.

Now, yesterday I made a couple of references to a classic song from my childhood, and one that I hadn't thought about in a very long time (until yesterday's email and confirmation of my 19th position at my last race). I didn't even know it's proper title or who sang it, but after a small search on trusty youtube, I've found that particular song! So, for your aural pleasure, well, maybe (and particularly those who don't know this song or didn't hear it as a kid) here it is: '19 Not Out' by The Commentators http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3bl4xaFZMM

Do you like to run in the rain? Do you do it anyway even if you're not a fan?

Did you hear this song as a child?

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