Race Against Cancer 2013

So, this year, I finally joined my first official race, the Race Against Cancer 2013.

There were several categories, but I signed up for the 15km Men's Competitive with a few friends. It was illuminating, to say the least. It was a new experience, therefore an eye opener. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

"Constipated face, mistaaaaa!"

Some of the photos compiled of that day.

15KM Finisher medal!  Super shiny stuff.

My results

At the end of the day, I managed to complete my 15KM in 1h 13min 34s. So far, that is my best timing for a 15KM run, so I'm really satisfied. Hopefully I can improve further during my next race, be it a 10K, 15K, 21K or 42K. My friends also did decently, so it was overall a good experience. Would I join this event again next year? Definitely.

As a runner, I'm looking forward to my next race. It'll most probably be the AHM 2013 or the B.I.G. Farm Run and Walk 10K run. Whatever the case, I plan to do my best. :)

Peace out, people!

A little energy protein shake recipe...

Recently, I've seen a nifty little recipe , involving peanut butter and protein shake. I'm deciding to try it out.

As most know, I run, grab breakfast, then head to the gym. So what I'm planning to do, is to substitute in this little recipe as a meal replacement cum supplement. It'll be my post run/pre-gym energy drink and breakfast. I hope it'll work out.

Ingredients:

• CytoGainer (1 scoop)
• 1 large banana
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 serving of HL Low-Fat Milk

Basically, just blend the above stuff with a mixer or blender. It should do for a pretty high energy/pre/post-workout drink.

Nutritional Info are as shown:

Calories: 561

Protein: 32.5g

Carbohydrates: 66.1g

Sugar: 25g

Fibre: 8g

Fats: 19.25g

Now, you'll be kinda telling me, "Dudeeee, too much fats!!!!" But most of the fats come from the peanut butter, and the fats are healthy monounsaturated fats. It only has 3g saturated fats (the bad ones) and 0g trans fat, so start adding it to your list of diet foods. But like everything else you eat, moderation is key.

So yeah, I'm going to start this peanut butter protein shake for a little rev up. Hopefully it gives me the results I'm looking forward to. :)

Thoughts about hiatus...

As someone pursuing fitness, not being able to work out is sheer mental torture. No, I'm not talking about rest days, but hiatus due to certain reasons. Sure, it might be due to external factors, such as haze, stitches due to wisdom teeth extraction reopening etc, but it still feels unsettling. You'll just tend to feel more unfit.

I've just had my wisdom tooth removed on Tuesday, and my gum was stitched up. Doctor's orders were "Do not do vigorous exercise". Well, there goes training. 3 days of hiatus and I feel unfit as hell already. Might be psychological,but still.

Not to mention that all I've been having is bread/biscuits dipped in hot coffee to soften them, oatmeal and bananas, blended fruit/vegetable juice and fish porridge. This just messes up my body system and makes me feel so lethargic due to poor eating. I know, circumstances.

I'm going to have to revamp my system after recovery as well as my training. Hopefully, my body's performance won't have dropped so much by then.

In recent news; Introducing... a new recipe

Hi.

Remember in my previous post, when I said I was doing an experiment? It worked out in the long run, a workout regime. In addition, recently, my gym buddy and I got this protein powder called CytoGainer.

Now, as I mentioned before, my goal is to become leaner, stronger and faster. So, for the past 3 weeks, other from running interval trainings, I've been visiting the gym more often, with the above said supplement in hand. From what I can gather, the regime has been useful. See for yourselves.

"Please do not mind the mess behind that is my room."

So what have I done to gain such results? Keep in mind protein supplements only work when you have an adequate workout regime and a healthy diet. So I'm going to share.

Basically, I have a 5 days workout regime. 

Saturday:

• Morning
• Sprint Interval Training (8x400m/16x200m)
• Core Muscle Abs Blaster
• 15 sit ups
• 15 side crunch
• 15 full forward crunches
• 15 Swimmer Stretch
• 20 side benders
• 1 min plank
• 1 min side planks
• 20 knee benders
• 50 sit ups
• 100 crunches
• Noon
• 3km 80-100% Effort
• Gym

Sunday:

• 7km-10km Run
• Core Muscle Abs Blaster
• 1 set circuit training
• 1 min push ups
• 1 min flutter kicks
• 1 min squats
• 1 min chair dips
• 1 min knee benders
• 1 min lunges
• 1 min wide arm push ups
• 1 min crunches
• 1 min jumping jacks
• 20 diamond push ups

Monday (in camp):

• Morning
• Gym
• Evening
• 5-7km run
• Gym
• Abs Blaster

Tuesday (in camp):

• 5km run + 4x400m intervals
• Gym
• Abs blaster

Thursday (in camp)

• 5-7km run
• Gym
• Abs Blaster

And that's the general gist of things. In addition to the workouts, while I'm at home, I try to eat more healthily. No empty carbs and junk foods... unless I'm socialising or they're cheat meals.

Stuff I've whipped up :)

So today, I shall share another new recipe! It's simple to make, and ingredients are readily available in the supermarket. Best of all, it's going to be made from healthy ingredients, so you can enjoy it without the fear of it being sinful. :)

Previous Sunday, I was viewing through Instagram and realising everyone was eating Egg Benedicts, so I figured I could try poaching eggs. It's just boiling an egg, no extra oil or additives. Next was deciding what it was gonna be on. I hadn't had salmon in a long time, and I had a craving. Then it hit me.

Salmon Benedict™ (self named). What upppppp, people!

Salmon Benedict

Ingredients:

• A piece of salmon
• An egg
• Fresh vegetables (I used lettuce and cabbage, but you can be creative!)
• Olive oil/Low fat margarine
• Vinegar
• Light soy sauce
• Pepper
• Assorted Spices/Herbs (I used some pestos given to me by a friend)
• Mixed nuts

Steps

• Wash the salmon thoroughly with clean water, then proceed to cover it with some salt to season it/sterilise it. Add spices/herbs to marinate. Put it in the fridge for an hour or two.
• Wash the vegetables and cut them to bite size pieces
• After the fish is fully marinated, preheat the oven at "grill mode" or low temperature as salmon get cooked very easily
• Apply olive oil/margarine to a metal plate, then lay the salmon steak on it. This is to ensure the salmon does not stick to the plate's surface
• Put it into the oven and grill each side for 6 minutes
• Now, fill a small pot with some water, add some vinegar in, and boil it.
• When it's bubbling, lower the heat so that the water settles to a simmer
• Crack the egg carefully into a small mug. Be careful not to mess up the yolk.
• Slowly lower the egg into the simmering water. Cook the egg for 2 minutes
• Use a ladle/spoon/scoop with holes to remove the poached egg from the water and lay it on the salmon
• Season the egg with a bit of soy sauce and pepper for taste
• Lay the vegetables onto the plate as well and add some mixed nuts to give it more taste.
• Viola! Your Salmon Benedict is complete.

As a tastier alternative, you can also choose to fry the salmon in olive oil. I prefer oven grilling as it's healthier and there's less hassle cleaning up an oily pan. To learn how to poach an egg nicely, you can search it up. There are a lot of sites that'll teach you how to poach an egg.

I certainly hope this very long post is useful. Stay healthy, everyone! :)