A Rabbit or a Tortoise...You decide

You know the story, the race between the rabbit and the tortoise, where the rabbit decided to sleep most of the race thinking that he can jump in last minute and win while the tortoise steady and slow progress made it the actual winner at the end.

We were told the story many times with the emphasis on the laziness of the rabbit and the hard work of the tortoise. This is true but there is another element I think to this great story.

Look around you and see so many people acting like the rabbit, at work, in high positions and even as they treat each other and they have the rabbit attitude which is: “I can get up at any moment of this race, jump two huge jumps and win the race; I can do it because I am THE RABBIT”. It is true that the rabbit could have won the race in two big jumps, the problem was his timing. Look at the middle eastern governments; offering reforms to issues after things reached the point of no return, thinking that they can at any point offer a big gesture and HOORAY, problem solved. Or look at relationships, some people take others for granted thinking, “I can always come back with a big promise, a nice gift or a huge change and I can win them back”. It is the rabbit all over again, two big jumps and I will be the winner.

However, no matter how clever you are or how fast you are you need to jump at the right time otherwise you will be left alone on the sidelines wondering “how did it all go wrong?”

Ready for another challenge?

After a successful run last weekend, I got my eyes set on another challenge, a 10 Mile (16K) midnight walk in September. So, my count down clock is back on, the training is on its way and I am back to more pasta and rice!

So, the day came and the count down was over and I had to take my place and run my 10K. what a day it was! wonderful and fantastic. I really enjoyed it immensely. The pasta and rice I had last week paid off and i finished in 77 min which is a new record for me.

high point: passing on Westminster bridge and realising I passed the 8K mark and not 7k, I was over the moon.
low point: seeing the fast runners on the other side of the Thames while I am still trying to get to my 3K mark.
great comments: the crowds were fantastic and some were thanking me for running for Diabetes UK charity.
nice slogon: a guy with a T shirt that said : Give me a hug, I am special

As I crossed the finish line, there were people handing water bottels followed by some people handing leaflests about upcoming running events! now, talk about good timming and trying to pick a good moment to ask people to do a half marathon run just after a 10K.

the good news was that i finished my run and raised a lot of money for Diabetes UK, the bad news is that I have to be at work all day tomorrow :)

keep on running

As the date approach for my 10K run, I started to go to the gym every day in an attempt to calm my nerves and get more training. Today and for the first time, I ran 7K and I am so pleased with that. 5K was my barrier and it was more of a mental barrier than anything else. I do not feel any pain at the moment (who knows about later on). The funny thing is that, as I run I can see how many calories I have burned and at a point when I feel like death, I look at the machine and see that I have burned 70 calories and I am filled with despair as I am sure only looking at a bar of chocolate will make me gain 70 calories!
my aim now is to run faster and get to 10K in one piece before my actual race.

Pain pain go away come again another day..

OK, you know i am trying to keep to my fitness program to get ready for the London run later in July. So, yesterday i was at the gym and i felt great, I ran 3.5K and did 13K on the bike. Now, it was all well and good while i was still at the gym and after i came back. However, today the aches and pains are very evident and it seems that they are here to stay. So, let us hope that i can get over that and move on as time is running out.

As the count down continuo for my 10K run, I am trying to keep fit and go to the gym as regular as I can. So today after an hour of working out I felt great, the only problem with my gym is that it is next door to MacDonald J so the temptation is always there for a little treat after a workout. The funny thing is that after working out for 30 min I can see how much calories I have burnt (it is like 68 or so) and I know that if I eat doughnut I will need to workout for about 3 days to burn the calories in it. So, not only do I have to keep strong and train, but keep strong and say no to fast food. So far so good and I am doing my best. Let us hope I carry on with that.

Impossible is nothing

So, I have made it. I ran and finished my 5K run on Sunday. It was so mush fun. The weather was perfect for running, not too hot or too cold and it did not rain :). The great part was seeing some 15000 women running for various charities.

As I ran, I felt so emotional about the whole thing and had so many ideas running through my mind about my walk (and some times run) with God. As I ran, there were people on the sides cheering and clapping, giving encouragements and support to the runners. I felt that may be that what I need to do more for others as they walk with God, not only when people are going through tough times, not only when they are struggling, but to clap and cheer as we all go through life with the Lord and to say "well done" and "keep going" as we all need that along the way.

God, IL Divo and I

In the last few days, I have been running every day in an attempt to get fit and ready for my charity run in September. I put on my running shoes and just run in the local park. The first time I went, it felt so liberating, the space, the sky and the freedom of a good run. Praising God is wonderful when you are in an open space. The music is another thing, as a fan of IL Divo, I love listening to their songs while I run. So as I get into the habit of running everyday, I am enjoying this combination of God, IL Divo and I.

Grab your running shoes

Now, when it comes to supporting charity, I am very happy to help. However, if I am going to choose between running in the rain to train to get fit or sit down with a friend chatting with a cup of tea in my hand, I know which I pick!
But now I have been challenged with Diabetes UK to run only 5K (I say only!) to raise money for diabetes research. This is so close to my heart and for my daughter and many kids like her and for the future of understanding and treating diabetes, i am going to leave my comfort zone and my cup of tea and start to train to run in September. So in the next few weeks, expect either lots of breathless, sweaty blogs or no blogs at all (that mean I am collapsing somewhere on the bottom of my stairs). On a serious note, I want to physically do something and help to raise as much money as I can for a very good cause. The race will be in September, so I have the time to grab my running shoes and to start to train, bring it on!