The Story that won me an Adidas Sponsorship

It was a boring Saturday afternoon quite some time ago and I had nothing to do. I was surfing the web on marathons when I came across this contest hosted by Adidas calling for runners to submit their reasons to run.

*

Well, since I had nothing better to do anyway. I punched in my story without thinking much.
*

Just last Wednesday, I was contacted by a lady from Adidas that my story and tagline actually won me the one-day sponsorship! To be honest, I could not really remember the story that I submitted and I actually had to ask her to email my story back to me.

*

Here's what I submitted:

I signed up for Standard Chartered 10km in 2006. I started training very hard for this event. I had been a regular jogger but the distance covered was nowhere near 10km. Hence when I pushed myself to reach 10km during my too frequent training sessions, I injured myself. My knee cap got inflammed and I was warned by a doctor that I should stop running for at least two months. I collected the kit for that race but naturally never went for it.

Last year, 2007, I thought about joining again. The pain of the year before's inflammed knee cap haunted me and I procrastinated too long. When I finally tried to sign up (around end Sep), I found out that the registration was already closed! What a disappointment!

This year, as I penned my new year resolutions, I told myself that I must fulfill my 10km dream. I procrastinated no more. I did not wait for this Standard Chartered Marathon. I ran 10km runs in Passion Run, Shape Run, KPE Run, Nike Human Race and this Sunday, the Great Eastern Women's 10km.

I signed up for the Standard Chartered Marathon this year for not only the 10km category, but the half marathon! I am training hard but slowly. When I cross the finishing line, I know that there would be pain, sweat and grit. But I also know that I would definitely be smiling.

My Tagline submission: Don't wait to reach for your dreams.

Actually I was never the lucky type as far as contests and lucky draws were concerned. So I was rather surprised when I got the call. Anyway, here are the prizes that I would be collecting. The T-shirt would have my personal tagline to inspire other fellow runners. It's only two weeks to my half marathon and I am really looking forward to it.

I hope my tagline and humble story inspires you in whatever dreams you are reaching for, too!

Happy Friday!

A Colour Test

I was joking with Amel that we used to be crazy about taking online personality tests and compared if we were similar. It had been quite a while since we put up any of such posts. Upon receiving my comments, she gamely took a Colour Test and put up her post.

Now how could I resist? Here's mine ...

The Ultimate Color Test

When you are at peace, you are: Deeply stable When you are moved to act, you are: Giving and warm When you are inspired, you are: Creative and productive When your life is perfectly balanced, you are: Totally in the moment Your life's purpose is: To change the world

The Ultimate Color Test

Check out yours!

Random Thoughts

1) How many more days to my holiday? I so need one now;
2) Should I go for that Amy Lam's talk that Ting emailed me?
3) I need another cup of coffee;
4) Can the phone stop ringing and let me finish this post?
5) Oh my ... I have really been slacking in visiting sites of fellow bloggers. Would they forgive me?
6) Bruce (my nephew) is so cute;
7) Should I cut my hair shorter?
8) I must water the plants in my office;
9) I wonder if Soul is getting better;
10) Ting is going Europe. I am so jealous;
11) I must find a nice 2009 calendar for my office. Aesthetics is important for me;
12) Should I run tonight? Ugh .. I hope I don't end up working late;
13) I hate aggressive people. I hate people who shout when they talk;
14) I need an excuse from that company dinner;
15) Should I arrange a get-together with my NUS buddies this Christmas?
16) Buy coffee tonight;
17) What should I take for lunch later?
18) I need a green eye-liner;

The above random thoughts ran through my mind in less than 15 minutes. As I read from #1 to #18 again, I see how scattered my mind is. Chinese philosophers describe our emotions to be have the nature of a monkey. Unstable. Leaping from one branch of a tree to another. They describe our thoughts to bare the nature of a horse. Constantly running.

It is the nature of our emotions to keep changing. That's what that differentiate us from lifeless things. But let us be aware of the change and take charge of them.

It is also the nature of our thoughts to flow like a constant stream. But let's guide them will the compass of awareness to ensure that it flows, but at least with our conscious goals.

Inflation-Proof Gifts

Christmas is around the corner. In Singapore, Christmas is more of a feel-good & spend-money occasion than a religious affair. Visit Orchard Road and you would agree with me.

At such a time when everyone is faced with inflation, I am here to promote inflation-proof gift ideas. The following are made from nearly 100% recycled material.

The above hand made deco items serve as gifts for my colleagues. To add a touch of festivity to the boring cubicles.

All material are recycled. The plastic pieces are leftover pieces from the material that Aung used for his work projects. The big red tag is actually the size tag of an Esprit skirt that I bought long ago. The green paper are actually reverse sides of the packaging of Clinique cosmetic products that I use. The ribbons came from favours that I received from friends when I attended their weddings. The clovers were cut out from the envelope that brought my StarHub phone bill to me.

So ... Who said that Christmas means spending money?

20km @East Coast Parkway

I SIGNED UP for a training run that was held yesterday at East Coast Parkway. Such training clinics would provide water points and distance markers to simulate the actual run for us. For only SGD6, I would say that it's quite a reasonable deal. One gets a feel of how the actual race is going to be like. It's like a rehersal prior to a performance.

I went for this run alone as Aung had a course at Outward Bound School for an Abseiling Instructor Course. I arrived at the gather point early and got myself registered. The organisers put up the route map on a big piece of cardboard beside the registration table. To be honest, the distance that I had to cover really appeared threatening. The angel in my head was shouting, "Go for the 20km! You can do it! Pace well! Tell yourself that you can!". But then the devil also suddenly woke up and said, "Hey, you sure you can do this? Come on, you should only increase at most 10% of your last longest distance. Which means you should run at most 16.5km!"

I stopped looking at the route map and shooed the Angel and Devil in my head away. While I was stretching my limbs, two cheery faces appeared before me. Hey ... it's Ting & CH! I had seen their pictures and read of their runs, makan night outs, sightings ... etc so many times on Ting's Blog, but never managed to meet them in the earlier runs that I had participated. Ting commented that I looked very much more serious when I was not smiling like the pictures that I put up on my humble blog. Hey, how friendly can one look trying to shoo away an Angel and a Devil fighting in my head??

I was happy that Ting and CH slowed down to match my pace and ran with me. They had only signed up for the 10km run as they had not been running much recently. Ting was exactly what I expected her to be in person. She was very friendly, chatty and sincere. CH turned out to be quieter and more shy a person than I expected him to be. With his passion for kilts and photography, I expected him to be more whacky and talkative.

The one hour or so of run with them passed in no time at all as we got to know one another. I was sad to wave them goodbye as I continued the second 10km on my own. The second half was definitely tougher as the route was very much less shady and the heat from the sun was getting merciless. I willed myself to keep a steady pace and not to stop.

*

As I reached the finishing point about an hour and 15 minutes later, I was greeted by the same two cheery faces again! They had decided to wait for me while they "pat tor" (rendezvous) there! It was so nice to see familiar faces at the end of a run. Thanks guys!

*

Ting offered me more valuable tips on preparation and nutrition to prepare myself well for the coming Standard Chartered Half Marathon. She's really like my mentor for marathons! It's too bad that she will be having a business trip on 7Dec08. I would love to run with her again. Here's her post for the good run yesterday.

*

By the way, I sent in my story of my past failed attempts to join the Standard Chartered Marathon for the Adidas Inspirator Contest. I was informed last week that my story was chosen to win the one-day Adidas sponsorship for the half marathon. The T-shirt that I would be wearing for the run would have my own tagline printed on it. What an encouragement!

Break or Break

It's the time of the year when the office would be quite quiet and empty. It's coming to year end and children's holiday period. Hence a good time to plan a holiday. Or go for a break.

A very common sign that I observe here in Singapore is that our bodies often break down after the break. Why? You see, in Singapore it is common that we have 10 to 14 days of vacation leave a year. Hence vacations must be very well-planned. Often strategically placed before or after public holidays. And no matter where the destination is, Singaporeans being Singaporeans, will strive to be "effective" to visit as many landmarks as possible. We are the Kia Su people (Definition: People who are afraid and do not want to lose out to others), and that can also show in the way we holiday.

As a result?

We see many people calling in sick immediately after they have gone for vacation. Such is very common.

But is that not strange? Holidays are meant to recharge and rejuvenate. For us to come back refreshed with that omph to face the various demands of our lives again.

I am planning my vacation to Burma in a few weeks time. Call me the Lazy Breed. We will be spending seven rather own-time-own-target days there. On top of the most important agenda of visiting the ailing grandma of my husband, our most important target will be to relax.

Have you planned your year end vacation? Hope you plan to give your body a break and not to break it with any mad rush.

Plans for the Weekend

Dinner with parents & Bro's family tonight
Shopping & Dinner with Sis tomorrow
Book Scrapping & Cooking (or baking) on Sunday


Determined to just relax and chill
I will not bring work home this weekend!


~ What about you? ~