Adidas Sundown Marathon - Part 1

what difference does it make anyway? We were having fun as we went along

Made a spur of the moment decision and joined 老爷 to sign up for the Adidas Sundown Marathon. Got a bad feeling this will go down as another example of letting arrogance make me bite off more than I can chew.

The training was disastrous. Despite having all the information and training tips available, I got impatient and made all the classic newbie mistakes.

1. Focus on appropriate training. - Yet I got distracted and bought extra weights for my dumbbells, when I shouldn't even be doing weights training. (Bulking up = extra dead weight during the race)

2. Train safely, avoid injuries. - Having just discovered Parkour, I couldn't resist the temptation to try out, and pulled a thigh muscle while learning to do PK Rolls

3. Train progressively. Recommended over a 10-weeks program. - "That's for ordinary people!" Or so I thought... Since I had been jogging all my life, I don't need a beginner's routine. This was the most classic marathon training mistake, and possibly my biggest undoing. The over ambitious intensive training created knee/tendon problems rendering me unable to run for two weeks now. With about one month left to the main event, prospects are rather grim.

The original plan was to enjoy the experience and have fun, but with these misfortunes, things are beginning to resemble a survivor game. There's still hope tho, since there are joint support supplements in the markets specifically for such sport injuries. Hope I can still recover in time to properly train for the race.

Can't give up now. I've always finished whatever I start, and I'd rather not give this up. That is my way.

...or die trying.

Jiu Jitsu Vs Muay thai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbFn6-Mvv2I

Parkour -PK Roll

PK Roll
A side roll, commando roll, judo roll, parachute roll, forward roll etc.
The roll is the most important PK technique. It can be applied from a drop, a jump, a flip, a vault, or even just a stumble or a misstep during a run.
The goal of rolling is to protect your knees and spine by dissipating shock, without losing flow.

YouTube Links

Pk roll tutorial (Basic)

Team Ukemi PK roll vs. Martial Arts roll (Funny)

PK Roll Tutorial (Extreme)


This skill looks useful. Say, if I trip while running; Dive through closing doors of the MRT; Or in the most far fetch possibility, Throw myself out of the way of some drunk driver.

Parkour

I just discover Parkour by accident. Had always been curious about this, but never knew the proper keyword to search on.

Extract from Wikipedia:
Parkour is a physical activity that is difficult to categorize. Often miscategorized as a sport and extreme sport, parkour

(sometimes abbreviated to PK) (English: the art of displacement) is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body. It is meant to help one overcome obstacles, which can be anything in the surrounding environment—from branches and rocks to rails and concrete walls—and can be practiced in both rural and urban areas. Parkour practitioners are referred to as traceurs, or traceuses for females.

Founded by David Belle in France, parkour focuses on practicing efficient movements to develop one's body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency.

Boogie Woogie Fengshui

The 1st floor office layout had been completely rearranged. Rumors has it that this was done under the consultation of a Feng Shui master. Naturally, this was a strategic decision.

If the rumor was true:
It's said that a particular department was literally sitting too near the exit, which explains the high turnover. Moving them further from the door them will surely pretend more staff from "walking out".

I'm sure there's great wisdom in that. In fact, it might work better if you seal off the door completely. Visiting the washroom would be a problem tho.

that would be the present's legacy to future generations, for now the inhibitants of Acheron ran the processors and struggled to make a dream come true, surviving on a ration of determination, humor, and oversized paycheques. They would not live long enough to see Archeon become a land of milk and honey. Only the company could do that. The Company was immortal as none of them would ever be.

*Taken from the science fiction novel "Aliens" - Alan Grant Foster

Shame-Based Versus Pride-Based Reporting

Interesting article on today's Straits Times.
Shame-Based management or Pride-Based Reporting?
Extracts:
Shame-based Punishing employees for the corporation's poor performance took its toll on individual productivity. The employees just stopped caring. Pride-based 1. If you don't trust your people, they won't trust you. 2. Never give responsibility without authority. 3. You get the behavior you reward. 4. Delegate outcomes, not methods. 5. The job of a manager is to create the right motivational climate

FULL ARTICLE AS FOLLOWS