Not Giving Up! Not Backing Down!

Yesterday, I went for one of my first participation's in a longer distance run. 6.4km Be a Runner Be A Giver. (Previously, the Jog for Hope was 3km)

And since I am purely honest in this blog, I would say I was quite disappointed and upset in myself, and I felt the worst I have ever felt after a run. I felt a kind of down, I haven't felt in a long time that I went home and cried.

Trying to push myself made the sharp pain in my foot come back, and it came back full blast, the pain was excruciating. And being yelled at to run and not walk when you have an excruciating pain in your foot, not the best experience.  Further more, taking part in it made me realize I am so far behind, and I've got such a long way to go. My friends are way up there, and I felt I will never be able to get there. It probably got to me more because I was doing it alone. It upset me quite a bit, and I felt extremely demotivated yesterday, and wanted to give up on participating in these events, till I am actually ready. I wanted to scratch the 7km PJ Marathon and the 5km Putrajaya Night Run.Because yesterday, I just felt like I really can't do it. Emotional and mental pain.

BUT, after I spoke to a few friends and I did some proper thinking, and watched the Shay Carl video again. I changed my mind and I have decided to not give up.

If I think I can't I never will be able to. The power of the mind.

So,I changed my perception and decided to suck it up. Yesterday I did 6.4km, even though it be slow, the fact is , I did it. I got up in the morning and did it. I lapped everyone who was in bed that morning. It IS something.

And I should be happy that I have actually gotten that far. I  have to remind myself, Small Steps. I mean, that is the title of my blog.

There is no fast road to achieving my ultimate goal. I just have to suck it up and keep going.

So I am doing the PJ and the Putrajaya, even though I suck! I will do it, I will keep going, to the extent my foot allows me to.

I should be happy and proud that I got up and did it, because I can. When I first started this, doing 4kms. I thought that was my limit. Now,my daily workouts are 6.5kms. Slow progress, but its progress non the less.

So, I had a bad day. It has to not stop me. It should never stop you. Yes, I had some irrational thinking. But now with my head clearer, I will not let it pull me down.

I will have one big challenge to overcome, which is the pain in my foot, but I will do something about it, and it should not stop me. And I will keep going.

Some pictures from yesterday. My favourite colour as well.

Thank you Wils, for making me do this. And Thank you Hanna for telling me to not let it discourage me. And thank you Hariz and Sam for making me feel better. :)

Small distance it is. But , I did it. And I will keep on trying. 

P.S, as of today, I've lost 13 KG! =)

Jog for Hope 2012

So on Sunday 15 July 2012, I did my very first Fun run of 3km- Jog for Hope.

It was a good first run. I couldn't actually really run much which upset me a bit due to my inflamed ankle which was giving me issues, but I am just glad I completed it, my very first fun run. small steps!  =)

7.30am before the start, drops of drizzle falling on our heads.

Me, Feez and Bren before the start. 

Approaching the u-turn for the 3km, when I was here I was walking, the pain in my ankle was a bit too much and I pushed myself too much running up the initial hill. 

 My motivator and sunshine doing his 10km coming in at 6th place! Congrats Wils!

Complete random storm trooper walking about after the run. lol.

Me and Wils. Hopefully one day I would be able to do a 10km with him (of course not at his speed tho, he is too fast)

Sunnies from my Sunshine!!

After the run, Wils gave me this, for the completion of my first run. Its something I have been needing for quite a while, a good pair of sunnies. It was very sweet of him to do so. =) 

It was a good day! And I cant wait to join more. The next one I have already signed up for is the Putrajaya Night Fun Run of 5km. I gotta step up on the training, and hopefully my accessory bone will not give me problems. Arches Arches! I must wear my Arches!

Speaking of which check out my new Birkenstocks! The Doc told me Birkenstocks are the best for Arch Support, and I should try and wear them as often as possible for my condition, so I decided to make an investment and get a pair.

Purple ones of course! These were the prettiest purple ones of them all, and the arch support is awesome.

I have never really been a fan of them, as they aren't the best looking kind of sandals. But I have discovered when I do wear them, my foot feels so much better. It's like a constant massage on the pain I feel at the area surrounding my accessory bone. 

Today I did my workout. I was supposed to rest a few more days but I was tired of sitting still and resting my feet.I love swimming, but when swimming you don't sweat and it doesn't feel like much of a workout for me.

The past week, I have been swimming and not doing my usual morning walks/runs. Slowly I felt myself slipping and giving up which I know I cannot let happen.Swimming just doesn't feel the same was walking/running. I feel I get a better workout when I do walking/running compared to swimming, though they like to say you burn more calories with swimming. I am not too sure, but I know my heart is not in it compared to running. I want to be able to run with my friends one day. I want to be able to do a run with sunshine, one day, hopefully, eventually. 

Anyway, so today when my usual morning alarm when off at 6am, I decided to get out of bed and just do it. I was tired of not being able to do my walks. I rested 3 days last week.Even though I promised myself and Wils I would rest today because of my foot, I decided to screw it and just do it, and I am glad I did!

I made sure I wore my arches in my kicks, and I did purely power walking with no running intervals up to the very last round. Only on the 5km lap round, I ran a lil to try and make it under an hour (my July goal) and I did! 5km in 59 minutes and 55 seconds! Yay!  Also, I achieved a personal best at 6km of 1 hour 12 minutes! Yay again! There was minimal pain today, which is also another Yay thing for today. 

Congratulations to Hanna and Wils!!

Before I start my normal blogging, I would first like to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to two of my very close friends William and Hanna for doing really well in the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2012. Hanna in the top 1% of her category and William in the top 2.5% of his category. I feel extremely proud  and extremely happy for the both of them because both of them have worked so hard for this. They are living proof you can do it if you just work hard and keep going. Inspiration!!

CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!!!!

So yesterday I decided to pick up some new kicks because my old ones were falling apart and were kinda heavy. Before getting them, I did some  research on what type of shoe I should get considering the issues I always have with my left foot, weak ankles, plantar fasciitis etc, and yesterday I found the perfect pair, the added bonus : they were PURPLE!

Nike Air Pegasus +28 Women

The cushioning on these shoes is just what I needed for my issue-y feet. Even though today was not a workout day and was supposed to be a rest day, I wanted to try them out so I went to Kiara Park this morning, and guess what! Absolutely no ankle pain whatsoever! Even with my running intervals which I increased today, to at least run a few times for a few seconds in each round I do. They are so much lighter than my other pair and so much more amazingly comfortable, it's pretty wow at how much of a difference a shoe can do. These new kicks make me want to go more! and I will!! 

Anyways, today was a 5.6km day. Endomondo as below. I am slowly getting closer to my goal for July. My goal for the month of July is to be able to do 5km in under an hour. How many minutes specifically? I am not too sure, but I just want to be able to do it in less than an hour. I shall set another goal once I complete this small one. 

Today at 5km, I clocked in at 1hr 1 min. Almost there!!

I will be posting motivational quotes here whenever I do blog , for today I created one based on William's quote and a picture of him running during the marathon.

Inspiration from Sunshine!