A healthy activity for us

Assalammualaikum and hello....

I surmise it's kinda palpable that I love running right? You haven't notice? Where have you been dude.... Anyhoooo, YES, I do love running. I never expected that I would feel affection for the entire concept of jogging or even joining marathons. I was never much of a sports person ever since school. Yes, I've participated in netball and sprint runs but just for the sake of curriculum which was made compulsory on everyone... Plus, I was always sought after because of my height, not because I'm talented.I could still remember how I was approached by my seniors including the school's starlet Kak Vanessa where they persuade me to represent our Red House Team in 100m run.. What a bummer..... 12 years later and whaaam! I love sweating.. I love running, doing Jazzercise and considering to return swimming. But for now, I'm so immersed with this...

Inspiring.. source from Mr Google

 Uncle Din is truly my knight in shining armor. Imagined that he would accompany me to ALL my runs where we have to get ready as early 5.30am? Furthermore, he has to look after Piya for 1 hour while waiting for me to cross the finishing line. Thankfully Piya is more sober and her terrible-two-attitude has subsided. She understands instructions and listens.. Well, sometimes.. So after accompanying me for 4 runs now, I successfully inculcate the interest in him. He began by inquiring on the routes, my preparations, the other runners and even shoes. I just told him "Sayang, as long as you have the passion, everything will come into place". 

So, tadaaaaaa! Someone just bought a new pair of shoes. Aaaaauuuw... Cost him RM200+ so I'm gonna make sure that he will optimize the utilization. 

 To officiate the shoes, we joined my aerobic ladies at Denai Alam Lake for a morning jog. Did you know that morning jog burns more calories? Hehehe... *caloriecounterfreak*

 He had fun but he still needs a lot of practice. For me, I'm practicing to push the stroller while runner. It sure takes a lot of my energy as Piya is 14kg man.... I was panting when I completed my 1st round (800m) and wasn't sure if it was a good idea... Nevertheless, this is definitely a new chapter for us.

 Thank you for reading

Jazakallahu Khayran

MILO Breakfast Day 7km Fun Run 2014

 Assalammualaikum and hello there...

Last week was the peak of the month where I have to manage monthly meetings at my work place. A lot has happened and I do mean A LOT. But fret not, we'll pen things accordingly if I'm in the mood to share them yeah..

So I've joined another marathon on April 20, 2014 which was MILO Breakfast Day 7km fun run. I read that more than 20,000 people participated in the run and that is epic! I simply love runs that have big coverage and activities too. I love joining such prominent runs so that my 'resume' seems more appealing. You know, joining important runs for a good cause has more added value don't you think?

 Well, we departed from home quite late that morning causing us to arrive late as well. As we approached the place, the 7km runners were already on the loose hence I had to start running from the mosque... Pfft! 

The 3km runners were waiting for their turn and thankfully I didn't mistaken them by staying put for the whistle. I really had to motivate myself to think positive and not let the tardiness affected my mood. I only got to do some stretching for 5 minutes and off I went. Along my way I stumbled upon familiar faces and that was fun. Normally I would run solo but this time I had running buddies.

 I was truly mesmerized by the beautiful scenery of Putrajaya. And did you know that morning runs is the most effective way to burn more calories? Yezzzzer... I like that~ Being a calorie counter freak, of course it would matters. I wasn't bothered enough to take photos while running as I was focusing on the road but others were taking selfies carrying the monopod in hand. Some even stop for awhile and took photos of the beautiful scenes. Again, I wasn't bothered. What matters is that I want to finish this run and improve myself. I love running and that my dear is the key of success.

 Finished my run at 66 minutes (everyone was provided with a timing chip) at number 1684. Not bad huh? My spot was at number 1684 against 20,000+ runners! That is awesome! Wah laaa weyh!! Happy happy happy! 

 Upon collecting the finisher medal, met some more familiar faces, did some photo shoots and of course went to look after my family. 

 Uncle Din is soooo nice.. This man.. Always supporting my interests and keeping me company. He had to look after Piya too as Piya had a little fever. I do hope one day he would join me & perhaps we could run together. Piya? Well, she could join too by staying put in the stroller.. 

 

 

 

The only downturn of the day was that there were too many people as people came with families & friends. The breakfast tables were congested, there were long queues everywhere that kinda put us a little bit off..  

 Nevertheless, I had an amazing time. And I hope to inspire mothers to be active and join a run. Start with small runs such as 3km or 5km. Be healthy and be a good example to your children as parents lead by example. Let's teach our kids to put down those gadgets and play outside.

 

Thank you for reading and do enjoy the photos.

Jazakallahu Khayran

KCK 7km Fun Run

Assalammualaikum & hello..

Last weekend was tiring.. How was yours? Me? Nothing much.. Just some photo shoot, a marathon and a visit from my brother..

(-__-)

Heheheeee...

C'mon..! I had an awesome week! Not only did I get to do a photo shoot with Lazada Malaysia, I even get to join another marathon peeps! Haaaa.... Yezzzer... I joined KCK Fun Run 7km on April 6, 2014 and the location was at Setia City Park. How awesome is that?? The place is adjacent to Shah Alam and took us 15 minutes of driving. Setia Alam vicinity is so beautiful hence I was really excited on this particular run. I'm not sure how many people joined the run but the crowd was awesome! There was 2 categories; 7km & 5km but the finisher was only offered for the longer route. I'm a sucker for finisher medals so I was ardent to join the 7km run. 

 Like many other runs, the run started at the brisk of dawn around 7.30am and we began gathering at the starting point 15 minutes prior. There I was standing in the middle of the crowd observing people. Most of them were in groups. Some were taking selfies, some were stretching, some were having a good laugh while others looking rather serious focusing on their chi. Me? I ran solo. Like always. I like running solo. The thought does not maim me at all because I get to focus on me. Only me. And that's the beauty of any marathon. It's all about focus and motivation. Plus it juxtaposes Malaysian under one purpose; charity for a good cause. *teaaars 

Off we go exactly at 7.30am. People began to run (they literally ran you know) leaving me behind while I struggled to refrain from following their trail. I tried as much as I can to keep jogging at my best pace; not too fast, not too slow. Just jog & control my breathing. Let these people passes by without giving you an irk. Mampu?? I improved a lot from my preceding runs especially on maintaining the correct tempo. By 2km, I was already passing by a lot of the runners. People began to walk and that does bother me. I keep my eyes on the road as I do not want to be influenced by them. Once in a while, I looked up high in the sky and I could see dawn was leaving, giving way to the beautiful morning ray. The green trees, beautiful blue sky and the cool morning breeze against my skin. Subhanallah.. What a feeling.. 

As soon as I had a vague vision of the finish line, I began to step up and accelerated my pace. The thought of passing through the finish line was thrilling!  I completed my 7km in 50 minutes and Alhamdulillah I finished within the stipulated time. I reckon that I would finished in 70 minutes but apparently I did better this time. I smiled all the way and definitely was extremely happy. I'm happy I did this. I'm happy I chose to live a healthy lifestyle. And while I was running on the tracks, Uncle Din was accompanying Piya playing at the playground. She too got her chance for an outdoor play. 

 

Post-marathon; treat-the-family. Ayah (as usual) would claim his Sushi King while Piya would request for more coloring books. Fineeeeeeee...

 Syukur Alhamdulillah I feel so blessed. A lot to balance but hey! You color your own canvas. Choose to make your art bland or choose to spice up with colours. Either way, choose what makes you happy.

For me, this shall be my legacy. InsyaAllah.

Thank you for reading.

Jazakallahu Khayran.

My 1st medal : IJN Run For Your Heart 2014

Assalammualaikum & mooooorniiiiing..

Lovely Monday.. Isn't it? Lovely laaa sangat...... My entire body is aching as I'm writing this entry. It was also aching when I got up today, bathe, drove to work and walking from the parking lot to the office. It hurts when I stand and it hurts even worse when I walk... Huaaaargh... What am I experiencing at the moment? It is called post-run-pain. Yeaaaaap! I did another run this month and joined IJN Run For Your Heart 2014. This is an annual event organized by IJN aiming to promote a healthier lifestyle by jogging and exercise. 

 There were so many runs this month and I came down to this option as

1. It is only 8km

2. No time limit; you just need to complete the run

3. You will get the finisher medal despite your lousy timing

Last month I tried a 3km run and have been practicing a longer route. I could only do 5km so far but if you follow any health workout tips in Instagram, they always encourage you to push yourself and challenge your limit. That's why I decided to do the run even though my training was under limit preceding the run. So the run took place at Padang Semarak, Taman Wetland Putrajaya. Thankfully the admin team is very active in Facebook and even provided photos of the trail, map & GPS coordinate (2.968898, 101.694897).

 I couldn't sleep that night and was lying restlessly in bed. All races normally gather at 7.00am but as this race took place in Putrajaya, that would be 45 minutes of driving for us. Which also means we gotta leave home around 6.00am. So I woke up at 5.00am, bathe & stretch, packed Piya's stuff and packed food for my cheerleaders. As we reached the spot, it was still at dawn and I just love the cool morning breeze touching my skin. I was very much giddy and anxious for participating something beyond my limits. Can I do this? This is 8km man. I had never reached 8km so far. Can I do this...? Subhanallah.. Tolong laaa aku Ya Allah... and yeap... my mind was immersed with these thoughts ignoring Piya's ceaseless amazement of mother nature while walking to the gathering point.   

As we reached the gathering spot, it was truly one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen. The sky was dimmed in Neapolitan and filled with heart shape balloons. Subhanallah.. Did some stretching and make my move to the starting line. Everyone was excited, taking photos and warming up. As I ran all by myself, I was more focusing on coordinating my run. And then the horn was blown. 

Right before the run

Sempat ber selfie ooo

 Why am I fond of running these days? Can you fathom me if I asked you this; don't you wish that you could just run away? Just run in any direction with no bother of the traffic, of what people would think of you, of your children, of your responsibilities, of your safety, of being robbed and just run? Can you imagine yourself running freely and being stress free? You have the opportunity to focus only on yourself. Some would opt for a spa but I chose running. I felt like running away from this life just for awhile. And the best part is, you have to focus & cooperate with your body. When I was running, my mind separates from my body so I felt as if my body is a different person. It was totally mind over matter. My mind preside my worn out body and keep motivating it to keep going, keep running and imagine the finishing line is just around the corner. 

I keep on running accompanied with blustering music knocking my ear drums to keep the adrenalin rush at bay. All sorts of people joined this run; all shape and sizes. All sorts of rapport; Singles, couples, groups and even families. I was really taken back when I saw a mother running with a friend while pushing her daughter in the stroller. When I stumbled upon her again, she was carrying her toddler while walking to the finishing line. Subhanallaaah.. I don't think I have the strength to carry Piya in a marathon.. I saw the finishing line and was running to end this darn 8km and suddenly I heard a small voice; "Mamaaaa! Mamaaa!" MasyaAllah... Uncle Din and Piya were sitting by the sidewalk WAITING FOR ME... Both were smiling and waving.. I felt like an Olympian siot... 

 Giler x cun siot muka lepas lari.......... (-__-)"

 

Once I reached the finishing line, the admin team handed over the finisher medal. Alhamdulillah.. I've been wanting this medal so bad, so long and finally I earned. It feels so good to earn something that you have been longing & yearning. It makes the entire sweat and pain worthwhile. 

My 1st finisher medal

I was already over joy with my success of completing the run when suddenly my number was called for a lucky draw! Waaaaaa! I dropped my belongings and ran to the main stage. I keep on jumping until the emcee saw me because he was about to forfeit my number thinking no own was present to claim the prize. And this is what I got...

 

Tadaaaaaaa! Digital Blood Pressure! And I don't know how to use it...... (-____-)

To wrap up my story, it was truly fun indeed. A friend once asked me why was I so bothered with the medal because if she was in my shoes, the medal is invaluable & would add more mess to her keeping. My answer is simple; legacy. One day, when I have 3 or 4 kids, I get to tell great stories to my children of keeping a healthy lifestyle & inspire them to exercise. And when I lost my model physique for bearing children, the medal will be a reminder that I was once great and CAN BE AGAIN if I'm willing to do it.

 

Thank you for reading..