As I grow older, it makes me wonder what actually happen when the number goes up. Below is a list of things (facts and fictions) which I can think of:
1- You grow more matured (fiction)
2- Its just a number which counts up (fact)
3- Your reaction is slower due to restriction in movement (fact)
4- Your tummy gets bigger due to overeating and lack of exercise (fiction)
5- Your stress level goes higher due to more responsibilities in life (fact)
6- Your maximum heart rate is lower based on the "220-age" calculation (fact)
7- Your joins starts to ache (fact)
8- Your blood pressure is higher due to increase in stress (fiction)
9- You are more prone to sickness (fiction)
10- You start to lose more hair (fact + fiction)
11- You become smarter (fact + fiction)
12- Your stamina decreases (fact)
13- Your recovery rate is slower (fact)
While I ponder about the list, some of them are mere excuses. For example:
4- Your tummy gets bigger due to overeating and lack of exercise (fiction)
Its just an excuse of not exercising. I've known many older people beyond the age of 60 who exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet. They are still slim and slender and growing old gracefully.
8- Your blood pressure is higher due to increase in stress (fiction)
9- You are more prone to sickness (fiction)
12- Your stamina decreases (fact)
These are also results of not having a healthy lifestyle. While it is true that as you grow older, you will be spending more time doing household chores and work, however there is always some time for exercise. Total time for the day is fixed, however how we utilise time is not. Just have to be wise at managing it.
Few more items in the list are facts which cannot be prevented, however they are things we can do to delay or counter them, for example:
3- Your reaction is slower due to restriction in movement (fact)
Well it is true as you grow older, your movements will be slower due to restrictions. Worn joints can hinder fluid movement in the body. With proper medication, training and equipments, you can actually increase your reaction back to the level where it was few years ago however it may take you double or triple the effort compared to someone younger.
6- Your maximum heart rate is lower based on the "220-age" calculation (fact)
The "220-age" calculation is a generic calculation catering for the average person for calculation of maximum heart rate. Your actual heart rate depends a lot on the strength of your heart and how smooth the blood can flow in your body. If there are a lot of restrictions, your heart will have to pump faster and harder (hence higher blood pressure) to supply blood and vice versa. With proper cardio exercise, one can increase their heart rate and lower their blood pressure, therefore it is still possible to achieve a higher maximum heart rate at a certain age compared to the calculation.
12- Your stamina decreases (fact)
13- Your recovery rate is slower (fact)
Both of these facts are true scientifically, however with regular exercise, one can maintain and even improve his/her stamina. It may take more effort to do this compared to someone younger. As for the recovery rate, as we grow older, our body' defence mechanism is weaker hence recovery from stress to the muscles and immune system takes a bit of time. If we injury ourself, it may take longer to heal naturally compared to someone younger hence as you grow older, more safeguards need to be put in place to exercise safely.
With all these in mind, lets embrace ageing with open arms and grow old gracefully :)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Cleaning the house....
As usual....house cleaning is a "TASK" and quite a tedious one for working adults. Reason is that we just didn't spend enough time at home to do it...and couple that with a few kids running ard at home, there is almost no time at all to spare for house cleaning.
Having a few kids running ard and an illegal sand quarry opposite home seriously demand for very frequent cleaning of the house, at least the floor. The dust gathered is really bothering and Megan (my daughter) likes to sleep on the floor now days. Wouldn't want her to get any skin irritation from the dust.
I've been surveying some of those robotic floor cleaner in the market, from the cheap China made imitations to the original iRobot series. The difference in the price ranges from few hundred to thousands depends on the features that the robot can do. In the long run, this seems to be a good solution to the problem of dirty floors at home. The only issue now is to choose the best fit robot with value for money.
Having a few kids running ard and an illegal sand quarry opposite home seriously demand for very frequent cleaning of the house, at least the floor. The dust gathered is really bothering and Megan (my daughter) likes to sleep on the floor now days. Wouldn't want her to get any skin irritation from the dust.
I've been surveying some of those robotic floor cleaner in the market, from the cheap China made imitations to the original iRobot series. The difference in the price ranges from few hundred to thousands depends on the features that the robot can do. In the long run, this seems to be a good solution to the problem of dirty floors at home. The only issue now is to choose the best fit robot with value for money.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Should I move up ???
Well....move of my friends have moved up...so should I do the same ??? What I am talking about is running. Most of my friends are either doing the 21km (half marathon) or the 42km (full marathon) category, but I am still stuck in the 10km category. That is not even a quarter marathon distance.
Few reasons why I am still doing the 10km....as I can remember them:
1- Not yet set my target PB which is at the lower 50mins or better.
2- Previous record of knee and leg pain.
3- Boredom from running more than 70 mins.
Clearly there are a few more reasons but can't recall them anymore.
Looking back....by going for a longer distance run,
1- I can still join 10km runs whenever I like and try to hit my target PB. Maybe with the training for a longer run, I might be able to hit it.
2- Lesser knee and leg pain now days due to constant medication, exercise and rest.
3- Will be able to run with friends, hence may kill the boredom.
So I am thinking whether should I seriously consider going for 21km runs starting next year. It has to be a quick decision as training need to start early. Results and effect from the 16.8km Adidas King of The Road race in Sept 2012 will greatly contribute to this decision.
Few reasons why I am still doing the 10km....as I can remember them:
1- Not yet set my target PB which is at the lower 50mins or better.
2- Previous record of knee and leg pain.
3- Boredom from running more than 70 mins.
Clearly there are a few more reasons but can't recall them anymore.
Looking back....by going for a longer distance run,
1- I can still join 10km runs whenever I like and try to hit my target PB. Maybe with the training for a longer run, I might be able to hit it.
2- Lesser knee and leg pain now days due to constant medication, exercise and rest.
3- Will be able to run with friends, hence may kill the boredom.
So I am thinking whether should I seriously consider going for 21km runs starting next year. It has to be a quick decision as training need to start early. Results and effect from the 16.8km Adidas King of The Road race in Sept 2012 will greatly contribute to this decision.
Monday, June 25, 2012
SCKLM 2012
This is my 3rd SCKLM run, having joint the 2011 and 2010 edition of the run previously. I am still doing the 10km category, partially because of my laziness in running any race that will span more than 70 mins and because I still have not reached my target PB (personal best) time for a 10km run.
The route this year is exactly the same as last year. As the 10km category has the most runners (was told ard 12K), the organisers split the runners into 3 different groups based on their average running time. You can choose the group when you register and all the 3 groups starts at different time. The aim is to manage the runners at the ending as there won't be a sudden surge of runners ending the race at the same time and causing all sorts of problems, especially the long queue to collect your baggage. I was in the 1st group, starting at 6.30am.....1/2 hour earlier than last year.
Started the race with the intention to set a PB as this race is ran over a fairly flat route. As usual, the first 2km is crowded and keeping up with a consistent pace is not easy as there are a lot of overtaking and slowing down to avoid other runners. After 2.5km, the crowd clears a bit and I try to push for a consistent pace and try to cover as much ground as possible in the 1st 6km. What caught me be surprise was that I felt no energy in my thighs to push. I was thinking that maybe I haven't really warm up yet, however that could not be the case as its already 2.5km into the race. Tried pushing all the way till the 4km mark and still I can't feel the strength coming, so lastly I decide to just cruise and try again from the 6km mark onwards.
The 6km mark is the start of the slightly hilly area. I tried to push here and I nearly cramped !!! That really caught me by surprise as this is only at 6km and I am used to pushing all 10km. From here onwards, I know that PB is definitely out of the question. I am just going to cruise myself throughout the race and finish with a 6min/km pace. Its better to finish the race with no injury then to retire it with an injury.
Lastly finish with a time of 63 mins. Its actually worst than last year by 3 mins. As I was waiting for my friends at the finishing line, I started to ponder what went wrong. Could it be the company's inter-department badminton game I played the day before ? or was it lack of training ? As I am pondering, soon I saw my friends finishing their races and that took the attention away from the post-mortem. Chatted with a few friends before I left Dataran Merdeka about 9am.
Overall was happy to be able to do the race again. Despite the time, was glad to finish and meet so many friends at the finishing line. Next up will be the NTV7 Feel Good Run on 8th July.
The route this year is exactly the same as last year. As the 10km category has the most runners (was told ard 12K), the organisers split the runners into 3 different groups based on their average running time. You can choose the group when you register and all the 3 groups starts at different time. The aim is to manage the runners at the ending as there won't be a sudden surge of runners ending the race at the same time and causing all sorts of problems, especially the long queue to collect your baggage. I was in the 1st group, starting at 6.30am.....1/2 hour earlier than last year.
Started the race with the intention to set a PB as this race is ran over a fairly flat route. As usual, the first 2km is crowded and keeping up with a consistent pace is not easy as there are a lot of overtaking and slowing down to avoid other runners. After 2.5km, the crowd clears a bit and I try to push for a consistent pace and try to cover as much ground as possible in the 1st 6km. What caught me be surprise was that I felt no energy in my thighs to push. I was thinking that maybe I haven't really warm up yet, however that could not be the case as its already 2.5km into the race. Tried pushing all the way till the 4km mark and still I can't feel the strength coming, so lastly I decide to just cruise and try again from the 6km mark onwards.
The 6km mark is the start of the slightly hilly area. I tried to push here and I nearly cramped !!! That really caught me by surprise as this is only at 6km and I am used to pushing all 10km. From here onwards, I know that PB is definitely out of the question. I am just going to cruise myself throughout the race and finish with a 6min/km pace. Its better to finish the race with no injury then to retire it with an injury.
Lastly finish with a time of 63 mins. Its actually worst than last year by 3 mins. As I was waiting for my friends at the finishing line, I started to ponder what went wrong. Could it be the company's inter-department badminton game I played the day before ? or was it lack of training ? As I am pondering, soon I saw my friends finishing their races and that took the attention away from the post-mortem. Chatted with a few friends before I left Dataran Merdeka about 9am.
Overall was happy to be able to do the race again. Despite the time, was glad to finish and meet so many friends at the finishing line. Next up will be the NTV7 Feel Good Run on 8th July.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Waiting to be open to the PUBLIC
As I am writing this post, this blog is still in "Private" mode. Private meaning only I know of its existence and no one else, well maybe blogger knows. Part of the reason is that I don't want to open a "half bake" blog for public reading and I still can't find time to finish up the remaining touches to the blog.
There are many things going on in my head on ideas to furnish the blog before its open to public. Things like a chatter box, some time line, survey tolls....etc etc. Even the background picture has not been finalised and the categories for labels.
As for the contents, well there are just too many things to put in ranging from family, holidays to self interest. Will try to populate the blog with sufficient stories and photos before opening it to public, so you (yes, you the reader) can have an entertaining time reading it.
There are many things going on in my head on ideas to furnish the blog before its open to public. Things like a chatter box, some time line, survey tolls....etc etc. Even the background picture has not been finalised and the categories for labels.
As for the contents, well there are just too many things to put in ranging from family, holidays to self interest. Will try to populate the blog with sufficient stories and photos before opening it to public, so you (yes, you the reader) can have an entertaining time reading it.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
cough cough cough
Due to the haze over the weekend, I have developed chesty cough which is hampering my training for SCKLM 2012. Currently the condition is quite bad, coughing badly at night when the temperature is lower.
Few years ago I had chesty cough prior to a run, if not mistaken is the Mizuno Wave Run. It hampers my training badly as I will start coughing if I push too hard during the run. As a result, the run was torturing, as I was coughing most of the 2nd half of the race. Lesson learned is to rest and fully recover before the race. Previously I tried to train while having the cough, causing it to recover slower than expected.
This time round, I'm resting and taking the medications promptly. Hopefully to be at least 80% recovered during race day :)
Few years ago I had chesty cough prior to a run, if not mistaken is the Mizuno Wave Run. It hampers my training badly as I will start coughing if I push too hard during the run. As a result, the run was torturing, as I was coughing most of the 2nd half of the race. Lesson learned is to rest and fully recover before the race. Previously I tried to train while having the cough, causing it to recover slower than expected.
This time round, I'm resting and taking the medications promptly. Hopefully to be at least 80% recovered during race day :)
Monday, June 18, 2012
A week away from the RACE
Its exactly 1 week to the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2012. This is my 3rd time participating in this race, still doing the same category (10km) and the target this year is to set a new personal PB.
Overall the 10km route is quite flat where the 1st 6km is mainly slight downhill + flats, followed by a 2km uphill climb and lastly ending with a 2km flat route. This is considered one of the easiest running route in town. The strategy this year is to push for the 1st 6km to gain some time gap, then maintain usual pace for the uphill section and lastly push with whatever strength left on the last 2km.
Having said that, getting a good starting point is crucial too. Last year was a nightmare, I have to make a U-turn back home to collect my shoe and then arrive in KL when all the roads are closed. Parked 3km away from the starting point and only have 12minutes to get there. I must say it was the best warm-up I had, running to the starting point and when I got there, I was at the very end of the crowd. The first 2km was bad as I have to wade myself over the slower runners.
Lesson learnt, pack your gears early.
As for this year, the return of the haze is not helping much. Running outdoor now is not a very good thing unless you want to risk having sore throat or flu. Hopefully the haze clears up a bit in the next few days so at least I get to do some outdoor running as warm up for the race.
All the best till then.
PS: Hopefully this year the organiser doesn't notice me slipping behind the official cameraman at the finishing line so I can snap pictures of my fellow runners as they past the finishing line.
Overall the 10km route is quite flat where the 1st 6km is mainly slight downhill + flats, followed by a 2km uphill climb and lastly ending with a 2km flat route. This is considered one of the easiest running route in town. The strategy this year is to push for the 1st 6km to gain some time gap, then maintain usual pace for the uphill section and lastly push with whatever strength left on the last 2km.
Having said that, getting a good starting point is crucial too. Last year was a nightmare, I have to make a U-turn back home to collect my shoe and then arrive in KL when all the roads are closed. Parked 3km away from the starting point and only have 12minutes to get there. I must say it was the best warm-up I had, running to the starting point and when I got there, I was at the very end of the crowd. The first 2km was bad as I have to wade myself over the slower runners.
Lesson learnt, pack your gears early.
As for this year, the return of the haze is not helping much. Running outdoor now is not a very good thing unless you want to risk having sore throat or flu. Hopefully the haze clears up a bit in the next few days so at least I get to do some outdoor running as warm up for the race.
All the best till then.
PS: Hopefully this year the organiser doesn't notice me slipping behind the official cameraman at the finishing line so I can snap pictures of my fellow runners as they past the finishing line.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Hazy days are back again
Well...its kinda a yearly affair now....somewhere middle of the year, the haze will return. Source of the haze, well satellite images shows hot spots in the Sumatra Islands and the wind is blowing from North East hence sending the haze to Malaysia and Singapore.
With the haze ard, I got to reduce my outdoor activities. Running at the park seems to be out of the question, and even running the staircase at my apartment is not too healthy with this hazy condition.
Hopefully the condition improves so preparation for SCKLM 2012 can continue.
With the haze ard, I got to reduce my outdoor activities. Running at the park seems to be out of the question, and even running the staircase at my apartment is not too healthy with this hazy condition.
Hopefully the condition improves so preparation for SCKLM 2012 can continue.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Something interesting for car lovers....
More appropriately for those who loves the loud "swishhhhh" blowoff sound generated from the blowoff valves in turbo charged fast cars.
Read this article in Paul Tan's blog....now everyone can have the blowoff sound...even when your car is not turbocharged or have the blowoff valve.
http://paultan.org/2012/06/15/new-iboost-app-gives-you-that-blow-off-valve-that-you-always-wanted/
Read this article in Paul Tan's blog....now everyone can have the blowoff sound...even when your car is not turbocharged or have the blowoff valve.
http://paultan.org/2012/06/15/new-iboost-app-gives-you-that-blow-off-valve-that-you-always-wanted/
ReIncarnation
To be honest, this is not my 1st attempt at blogging. Had a blog previously and then fell into the "blogging boredom" trap....meaning was on "fire" for the first few years and the blog kinda died out after the "fire" grew weaker over the years. Back then, there was a theme, a subject to the blog....which was easy to talk about in the beginning however quickly ran out of topic soon.
This time round, everything goes. No theme, subject nor specific topic. The key point is....a post a day on whatever....and this will keep the boredom away. Hope my daily rumbling will be a source of entertainment for you. I am not a naturally born entertainer however my wife thinks otherwise...so u be the judge :)
This time round, everything goes. No theme, subject nor specific topic. The key point is....a post a day on whatever....and this will keep the boredom away. Hope my daily rumbling will be a source of entertainment for you. I am not a naturally born entertainer however my wife thinks otherwise...so u be the judge :)
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