1 week already...

Last week, I was electrified by the personal best that I made in my last marathon in NICE.. now, I'm sitting in London and rekindling this sweet memory.

I actually still can't imagine that I have achieved 4 hours 15 mins in this difficult course.  It's truly a major encouragement for my 2012 marathon preparation and a wonderful way to finish my first year of marathon running.  I was reading my diary again about that day and I still can taste the tiredness on my both legs, the cheers from the crowds, the electrifying feeling and the thrill... I think it's gonna to be in my memory bank for the rest of my life.


Back to London after another 2 days in Nice. The first thing that I did was to celebrate another completion of the marathon... what did I do?? Hahaaa... a BIG HUGE Bunch!!!! It's kinda routine for me now... a BIG HUGE BUNCH in this funky eating place called... The Breakfast club in Spitalfields market. They truly know how to make a nice and yummy English breakfast (well.. I'm vege, but they do have vege twisted fired up!), with eggs (proteins), hashbrowns (carb), tomatoes (Vit C), mushrooms.... Yum Yum Yum! These all help me to recover after the 26.2 miles of running! This time, I had my lovely friends, my fellow workers, Lianne and Polly to go with me! Can't be better than this! 


Before heading to Nice for this amazing run, I did think about what I'm going to do after the race.  After all, I have been training for marathons, one after the other from the beginning of this year.  I still remember how I spoke to one of the following runners in my church about training for my first marathon (Paris) at the beginning of the year.  I sounded so naive and inexperienced.  After all the races, I was planning to have 2 weeks off from running so that I can recover properly. How can I resist the temptation especially the sun has been so lovely in London? On Thursday, for the month of Movember... my running club, Nike had a Movember run.  For guys, no shaving for 1 month and running with the mustache; for girls.. well, no hair to grow.. so stick one on! Like this...

 I won't say that I looked handsome... but I do think that I look better without it!! Would you agree?

Fellow runners in the Nike running club in Stratford

What next? To be honest.. I don't know.  I have started to look into different training programs and then to plan my training program for next year.  Meanwhile, I will take running easily.  Just enjoy the moment of running, lovely winter sun shinning on the face, gentle wind breezing onto my face, the sound of the trees like dancing with the wind...and there is nothing, no pace, no distance, no time, in my mind, but just let the body to take control and run as the body is pleased.... A little rekindle of running.. why not? I love running...

P.S. if you are reading this, and having any good marathon training program, please let me know!

Just a few snaps....

Some times, photos mean more than words..

Personal Best has created today! Wow!!!

The time is 4 hours, 14 minutes and 46 seconds!!!! It is the time on my Nike plus; official time may come later this afternoon. I just can't believe that I have done my PB on this course actually not that easy at all! One thing I do know, my mind was focused and ready for the challenge. It is also a course that I ran all the way from the beginning till the end!!! I'm electrified! What a way to finish my first season of running, especially after my disappointing time from Berlin!

Details come lata! Now, it is a celebration time!!!!

Day 3 - a day before the race

Love breaky run.

It is like a little 'loosing-up'-per-race exercise. To get my muscle going; to get my head and mental to prepare and focus onto the race tomorrow. So, I took part this small breaky run hosted by the race organisation. It is a small run, just running along the Promenade des Anglais. It wasn't that grand like the Berlin one, running all the way to Olympic Stadium. As a warm up run, it wasn't too bad! So am I ready for the last race of year 2011? Maybe. Normally, I ask myself this question on the morning of the race day. As for now, I'm chillaxing... Trying not to think about it.

As I'm chillaxing, I went to Matisse museum. Apparently, he spent his last few years of his life in Nice. It is a small museum but has adequate work of Matisse displayed in the museum. I really enjoyed it. It wasn't too much that makes my brain absolutely exhausted, but there are enough work to know him and be interested in his work.

Enough of walking today... I'm just chill, reserving energy for tomorrow. The question for me is how fast I can do this time. Not that I'm pressured myself to run real fast. But I want to do my best, so that I can work out how I can prepare next year.

Next blog, it will be the time.....

Day 2 in Nice but not in Nice

After one day walking around in Vienx Nice, I decided to go outside of Nice coz honestly there isn't much to see apart from shopping.... (not my cup of tea). I jumped onto a train & travelled 2 hours, to a place called Entrevaux. It is a small town very close to the Alps in France.

What is so good about this place? It's kind random choice. But I picked this place out of all other small towns around Nice because it is kinda far from Nice and it is an medieval town built over hundreds years ago. If u know my love of history, then you will see why I draw into this small town.

To say that, I don't have much knowledge about this village. However, it a small village has its own charm. The medieval village was surrounded by a fortress wall. There is a building called Citadelle. It can be either a residence for the head of the village or a prison, on the top of a hill, which is in the village, within the wall. There are museums telling you the history but with my limited French. I can't give you more than what I saw. The village is small and actually quite packed. The roof is still made out of clay.

I did climbed up to Citadelle, not advisable to a runner but I was driven by my curiosity badly. The view from above is always beautiful. But Citadelle, the building itself,is quite run down, considering it is over 100 years old. Reconstruction is in process as I saw all the working tools around.

The surrounding view is beautiful. The Alps is magnificent! The Autumn color just glorified its beauty. Interestingly, the river bed, as low water level, is actually in pale pastel white color, it gives a very strong contrast against the Autumn colors from the mountains. Even though there are some areas with higher water level, the color of the water was chalk blue. It actually printed an interesting but beautiful picture.

It has been a good day out for me. With only 4 trains running between Entrevaux and Nice. That's how I now am in cold train station, typing his entey and awaiting for the last train back to Nice (it's coming at 1927...about 40 mins away).

Anyway, it is a day for me. I also have met another runner in my room today. Sue is an experienced runner. She has just finished the NYM about 2 weeks ago. She told me that she wasn't feeling great in NYM but she finished in 4 hrs (wow!). She hasn't set her time for this one, but i think it wont be too long. She also is a qualifier for Boston marathon next year and VLM as well (running with me!!) Impressive!

Anyway, there will be a breaky run tomorrow (��). Now, I just want to head back and sleep.... Good sleep.

9017... 3 days to go and I have a question....

How much exercise is enough in the final week of tapering?

Yes! 3 days to go... I have arrived to Nice today and collected my bib number! 9017. As I open the package, I have realised that I have put 4 hours as my target time. Now, I really don't know how to give that result, since my best result remains 4 hrs and 24 mins. But will see.

This race was truly introduced by my running buddy in USA, Kathleen. She did this one last year. And now, I'm doing it. How do I feel right now? Actually, I'm overwhelming tired since I didn't get any sleep at all as my flight was 0720 in the morning. There isn't an overnight service from my place to the airport. As a result, I stayed overnight in the airport last night and finished one of amazing books.

Since I have arrived in Nice, I have not been stopped. I walked in Vienx Nice and went to the expo for the bib number. Now, I'm totally tired. I always find that it is a very fine balance between tapering and exercising during the final week before the race day. How much exercise is enough in the final week of tapering? Last time, when I was in Berlin, I realised that I might have overworked my two legs too much a day before the race day; therefore, my 2 legs weren't fresh as I was hoping for. This time, I don't want the history repeat itself again. That's why I'm in my hostel room and typing this.



Anyway, I still have 2 days to go. I will chill out again in these two days for this Sunday. If you have any answer for my question, please be free to throw in.

Day 1 in NICE, 3 days to go....

I'm typing this at the beach! With a lovely sun shining in me and a clear blue sky. I forget now nice it is sitting under the sun and just facing the sea with the warm blanket provided by the sun and the gentle breeze from the sea!!! It is nice because I'm in Nice.

I'm actually sitting where the marathon will be started on Sunday. As I'm facing the sea, Monaco is on my left hand side and Cannes is on my right. And looking into my right hand side, I feel suddenly that Cannes actually is very far from where I am now! And I'm going to run to there on Sunday. It is a lllllooooooonnnnnnnngggggg way.

But it will be on Sunday, 3 says away. Now, I think I will make my way to explore the Vieux Nice, Old Nice. CJ is faithfully with me. Let see what we can get. But so far, it is the view that I'm having....,