Kyoto Marathon 2016: Last 5 Weeks of Training

T-35 days aka 5 weeks more to go.

To date, I've hit 22km for my training with my mum on the first Sunday of the year. The longest pure running I've ever done for the sole purpose of training. I felt fine for the first 13km along the flat roads of Kuala Lumpur, having taken advantaged of the KL Car Free Day. We stopped every 5-7km for drinks and then when car-free session ended, we rerouted to the neighboring area to continue. It wasn't easy especially at the last 9km when my mum and I decided to tackle the Bukit Tunku route as the finishing distance under the blazing hot sun at 9am.

That probably wasn't a wise decision but then again, the alternative was running in the wee hours of the morning to beat the heat and that wasn't safe. With so many cases of snatch thief, kidnapping and assault happening, our roads are no longer safe to run on. Especially for ladies regardless even if we're in groups or not. So we picked the less of two evils and braved the sun.

AirAsia X jets to Auckland, New Zealand via Gold Coast

Kiwi fruit, Lord of the Rings, Kiwi bird, Mouri, Kiwi as in the people and now...AirAsia X.

The obvious answer to where I am heading with this is of course, New Zealand. 

AirAsia X today launched its new daily route to Auckland, New Zealand via Gold Coast, Australia. Held in the vibrant and naturally-lighted up Glasshouse at Seputeh, the new route was launched by New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia John Subritzky, AirAsia X Group chief executive officer (CEO) Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, and AirAsia X Bhd CEO Benyamin Ismail.

Salted Egg Yolk Croissant, Bake Plan SS2

Is this me hopping onboard the salted egg yolk croissant wave? Of course not.

Le Bread and its now famous salted egg yolk croissant was introduced to me by a colleague long before a certain popular blogger shone the spotlight on it. I ate it, I liked it, I forgot about it the very next day. To me, it was just salted egg yolk custard delivered in a croissant. Dim Sum restaurants have the steamed pau version and yet I don't see everyone flocking everyday to a Dim Sum restaurant just for that. Yes, I am looking at you, people who have nothing to do but stalk the bakery for two- three days in a row for salted egg croissant.

Spartan Training at Crossfit Pahlawan, Citta Mall

First Spartan Race training session of the year at Crossfit Pahlawan, Citta Mall and it was a killer. The training session was organised by Spartan Race and Crossfit and was held in two sessions in the afternoon of 9 January 2016.

I love working out at Crossfit Pahlawan mainly because it comes equipped with a section for rope-climb practice. It was the ideal location to prepare for an obstacle race like Spartan or Viper. Specifically for the Spartan Stadium series or for Viper Arena. When we were preparing for our Trifecta attempt last year, my team used Crossfit Pahlawan for our training sessions. Check out the madness in the video courtesy of Hashida Lee below.

Follow the United Spartans of Malaysia on Facebook here for more training sessions and OCR updates.

Lo Hei with Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel KL

Shang Palace at the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur is offering seven varieties of Yee Sang to usher in the Year of the Monkey – Korean snow pear, crispy fish skin and jellyfish flower, salmon fish, Japanese tuna, sliced abalone, Canadian lobster and geoduck clam – at lunch or dinner with friends, colleagues and family for prosperity, good fortune and abundance.

Prices range from RM91 nett (small) and RM161 nett (large) for the Korean snow pear Yee Sang and Crispy Fish Skin and jellyfish flower Yee Sang, to RM126 nett (small) and RM220 nett (large) for Salmon Yee Sang and Japanese Tuna Yee Sang.

Sliced Abalone Yee Sang is RM173 nett (small) and RM313 nett (large), while the Canadian Lobster Yee Sang is RM290 nett (small) and RM546 nett (large). Geoduck Clam Yee Sang is RM266 nett (small) and RM511 nett (large).

Yee Sang is available for dine-in or takeaway from 8 January to 22 February 2016.

For reservations or more information, call 03-2074 3904 or email restaurantreservations.slkl@shangri-la.com or visit their website at www.shangri-la-specials.com.

Men's Health Women's Health Night Run by AIA Vitality takes Penang, Putrajaya and Johor

After 2015's successful race in Putrajaya, Men's Health Women's Health (MHWH) Night Run by AIA Vitality is back and is taking off in three different cities across Malaysia from North all the way to South.

In addition to Putrajaya, the MHWH Night Run by AIA Vitality will also take place in Penang and Johor where anticipated number of 33,000 runners can enjoy the scenery of three of Malaysia's most exciting and liveliest cities. Previously the race only offered a 5km fun run category and a 12km competitive category. This year, runners can challenge themselves with the new 21km category for both open and veteran age groups. The Entry fees are RM78, RM88 and RM98 respectively for these distances regardless of locations.

Under Armour Crowns 2015’s Ultimate Fitness Warrior‏

Under Armour ended the year with a bang, with the Under Armour SkyWarrior Rainforest Challenge – a fitness challenge like no other. The Challenge marked the finale of the ‘Earn Your Armour Challenge’, a series of free bi-weekly workout sessions organised by Under Armour and had gained widespread popularity with the Malaysian public in 2015.

As part of the Challenge, Under Armour’s gym partners sent in teams to battle each other and overcome challenging obstacles, to earn the title of the ultimate fitness warrior! A whopping 120 participants from all across Malaysia turned up last Sunday at SkyWarrior Putrajaya, all geared-up to face the challenging obstacles head-on.

Tokyo 2015 - Day 4: Last Day in Japan Thoughts

This entry will be mostly a photo entry because I feel that the pictures best describe how amazing Tokyo was for me. I revisited Akihabara and wandered the bustling Asakusa once more for gifts and treats and along the way, rekindled my affection for this beautiful country and its people.

My guided tour through Akihabara the previous day gave me a good bearing of my surroundings and I retraced my steps to revisit the stores for last minute shopping. My only regret was not dedicating at least two days solely to this area. Perhaps next time. 

SCORE Cupid Run 2016

Ola to all you lovey-dovey people.

This Valentine's Day, instead of doing the conventional dinner and movie date, why not slip on your running kicks and run hand-in-hand along the Glass Slipper Trail at Kepong Metropolitan Park! 

It's a perfectly healthy and romantic way to spend time together in an all-natural setting without the hassle of having to plan much. No, seriously. You just need to sign up, pay and just turn up with your partner. 

Kyoto Marathon 2016: Race Preparation Jitters

I kicked off the first day of 2016 with a 9km run starting and ending at Padang Merbok before joining up with the Kuala Lumpur New Year 2016 run for a 10km (it was actually 11.2km) race around the city center. You see, I was training for my first ever marathon, the Kyoto Marathon set to take place on 21 February.

Why I picked a marathon with a 6 hours cut off time, I have no idea.
Why I picked a marathon with cutoff points, I have no idea.
Why I picked a marathon set in winter, I too have no idea.
But I do know that I love Japan and running my first marathon in Japan is the dream.

By a stroke of beginner's luck, I won the lottery for the Kyoto draw. Not by a stroke of beginner's luck, my mum won the lottery too. I saw it as an encouraging sign from the Powers That Be. Then I recalled I have never ran further than 21km in my life. I also remembered that running is not my forte. I would sooner swim through an ice-cold river and climb up a rope than run. Running a marathon was going to be my toughest challenge both physically and mentally. Oh boy...