May
5th

Had a nice and short 40km  ride today in the beautiful weather— I love how it rains during the week but is so nice during the weekends! Biked to Richmond, met up with my dad then biked to Burnaby, via Queensborough. My dad use to tell me all about about his races when he was younger, how far he can run, his long rides, how he bikes to the pool to swim every single day… but when we invited him to our White Rock ride, he called me crazy. It’s not like I’m asking him to bike to Whistler!

Sigh, dad, sigh.

He was actually planning on riding up to Whistler a couple years ago but never got around to doing it and thinks he’s too old now. I hope he comes with us on our upcoming Squamish ride.

You are never too old.

Especially when you’re as fit as my dad!

Apr
30th

Meet my new baby; her name is Liberty, inspired from the Roman goddess of freedom, Libertas. She’s a beautiful, sturdy and fast Cannondale-built monster. Today, I took her for her first ride around our lovely green city, making use of all it’s wonderful bike lanes. The 40km was such a short ride and I wish we had time for a longer one but we got to do one of our favorite routes (the Marine Drive/UBC stretch) and the weather was on our side. This is why I love riding so much— you get to see so much more and go so much further, as opposed to running.

We have so many rides and so many destinations planned but the problem is time! I’m also going to be doing my first solo ride next weekend— from downtown Vancouver to Richmond and back. I want to show Liberty off to my dad since he rides a Cannondale too. But there is a reason why I don’t like solo rides through the city that are more than 10km… I have NO sense of direction. I always let the guys plan the routes and I just follow and never bothering to remember the street names. Which I really should start doing. I get lost when I go running okay… even with GPS and maps on my phone because my mind doesn’t process maps either. This ride will only be a uber short 30km ride but it may be longer because I may end up in Langely. That may not be a bad thing though!

Apr
7th

Yesterday, I had my first run in a very long time. If you know me, you know that I DON’T run. I’ve been working out at my gym for 5 years and I’ve only ran on the treadmill twice. The first time was a straight 5 mile run where I obviously pushed too hard and my shins [splints] hated me for days afterwards. The second time was another 5 miles but the entire time I was wishing it would be over… and I never get that feeling at the gym because I never want to leave.

Last night I realized that my biggest problem is that I lack patience. If I’m going to workout, I’m going to workout hard and give it my all. I don’t have patience to slowly condition my body to new training. Why do a 2 minute run and 1 minute walk on repeat when I know I can run for an hour straight? Well idiot, there is a reason why people do that. To prevent injury, dumbass. So from now on, my first priority is to practice.

The night before I was talking to my friend, Rose, who is the ultimate Bikram’s junkie, and she made me realize I need to meditate and concentrate more on my body to get the full benefits of Bikram’s. No more thinking about squatting or tomorrow’s lunch in the hot room! Focus, discipline and patience. Last night during dinner, my sister-in-law chided me for always battering my body as I limped everywhere because of my shin splints. Most don’t understand the exhilaration of pushing your body to the limits but at the same time, recovery is such an important aspect to fitness. I always knew this but I admit, I sometimes chose to ignore it.

So anyway, back to running. Last summer I went out and bought new running shoes, a running belt and new workout clothes because I was so excited to start running. Did a couple short runs around my neighborhood with my lazy puppy, a couple of trail runs (or sprints) and that was it.

This time, I’m going to start running and I plan on sticking with it.

So out of nowhere we started a run club and yesterday we had our inaugural run! It was a short 7k and we ran at an easy pace because some of us aren’t runners. My shin splints started kicking in after 3k. We went for a coffee break then ran back to where we started and even though my legs were flaring in pain, I pushed all the way to finish line anyway because I wanted to keep running. I promised myself this was the last time I will do this and I’m going to recover for the next couple days and commence proper run bug training the following week.

This was the stupidest thing I could do but I swear I will train properly from now on … and because I kind of regret it now because we’re going to a music festival tonight and I’m wondering how I’m going to dance the entire night away now with my stiff legs. And not being able to do something because of an injury is the most disappointing feeling ever. And slowing down a group because of it just sucks.

See how ignorance ruins everything? Time for me to stop ignoring the obvious.

The route isn't accurate because I forgot to turn pause/resume the app a bunch of times. We also ran up a 4 block hill as a "warm up" to meet our friend who was last to arrive.

So anyway, I hope we continue our little Run Club because I hated running prior but after our run, I kept on thinking, “I want to run so bad!!” I woke up this morning and was so tempted to throw on my gear. I think I’ve genuinely caught the run bug now and although I still like biking better, it’s going to be included in my weekly fitness routine.

This shows how important it is to surround yourself with people who have similar interests and views as you and in my case, motivated and fitness-minded people. Running with good company made it funner and running with experienced runners taught me so much  more.

Knowledge is motivation.

Apr
2nd

I recently finished watching THE BEST REALITY SHOW EVER: Out of the Wild: Venezuela.

Nine ordinary people were flown in, dropped off and abandoned in a remote corner of Venezuela’s southern frontier — a lost world that once lured explorers in search of El Dorado. Now the volunteers, armed with only the most basic supplies, must traverse 70 brutal miles of uncharted terrain back to civilization.

This show is the real deal: no bullshit drama of people getting “voted” out, no million dollars or a grand prize at the end. This is REAL survival, team work, determination and appetite to accomplish something so unrelenting. The survivors battle severe starvation, malnutrition and fatigue as they hike through unforgiving Venezuelan terrain. Rejoicing when they find mere termites to satisfy their hunger, sleeping in the pouring rain, desperation, demoralizing defeats, inspiring victories— this is what you call quality reality television!

I got so into the show as the group grew together and motivated each other to push on towards civilization. It was hard to watch at times because the conditions were so bad but it was so real. There was bickering as would be expected in an environment like this but also raw determination, cooperation, fair delegation and reprieve for weak team members which connected you to the show and made you want to cheer them mentally on because it was a harsh reminder of the tenacity of the human spirit.

This is adventure at it’s purest form.

When we started, I was like I want to do this sooo bad!! Then as the show progressed and I watched all the healthy survivors reduce to skin and bones so I started having second thoughts. Would I be able to survive not eating for days and hiking miles of rough terrain? Would I be able to sleep in the pouring rain, only to get up the next day to desperately scour for food so we have just enough energy for the next long hike?

If I was offered the chance, I would do this without hesitation. I think I may just die but I would love to experience this. Would you?

Mar
27th

Last night, I finally took the plunge and faced one of my biggest fitness “fears” … BIKRAM’S YOGA!

1. I cannot stand heat. I can barely sit in a sauna for long.
2. I have no patience for yoga. It’ssss soooo sssllllooooowww.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad! Physically it wasn’t hard although I can definitely work on my flexibilty a lot more and the heat wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was definitely more fierce than my apparently “Fierce” yoga class I took before so I’m satisfied. There were a couple times were I was lying there hoping it would be over soon when it started to feel suffocating but it was pretty easy to push away that thought… and think about something else like what I was going to make for lunch tomorrow (tuna salad + baked yams, by the way).

The hardest part of my Bikram experience was being there in the present and not letting my mind wander off. One reason I would want to continue yoga is to practice patience— and of course, to get a good stretch and increase flexibility. Stretching makes muscles long and lean.

The second [painful] thing were the foot cramps during most of the balancing poses in the beginning. At least I didn’t get them in the middle of the night when I’m sleeping. That’s the most painful thing ever.

The third [annoying] thing was that I was making garlic hummus while waiting for my girlfriend to come to my apartment which I ate a little of. Then I was self-conscious that my breath smelled like garlic the entire time even though I brushed my teeth twice and popped mints. Lesson learned: don’t eat garlic before yoga.

My other friend was ranting about how bad her first experience was to me so I was pretty anxious going there but overall, I think I had a good first experience!

Have you done Bikram’s Yoga before? What was your experience like?