Running by the bay

It was a good Wednesday evening.

It was pretty sunny and warmer than what I'm used to with the morning air, but it was still a good run. I'm amazed by the number of people running/strolling by the bay.. totally blown away!

Hoping to kickstart this new form of run at a different time of the day...

Lunch - home-made tapau style

Along with changes in my life, today marks the first of packed lunches from home. It started with me lamenting that I'm eating my wages away with the pricey food options at work, and the very sweet Mother turned up with a brand new set of Zojirushi food containers. With the gift, I found it easy to request for my helper to cook simple food that I may bring to work.

 

Results? A healthy, yummy, affordable lunch that made my heart and tummy full.

 

TADAH! Braised chicken with potatoes, boiled brocolli and rice.

Fulfilling promises

Of new starts, challenges and fulfilments

Shape Run 2015 - family category

Days before the run, I mentioned it to the kids that we will have to get up a bit earlier than usual so that we can make it to the run on time. They were both excited and understood the 'we wake up early to go running"-concept. K, being the older girl, had clear memories of our Shape Run last year and she was one excited little bunny.

 

Race day, we awoke not as early as expected (7am was pretty regular. I had not realised that the flag-off was at a manageable hour of 830am) and made it in good time on-site. There was mild confusion as where we were headed to and the final decision was "let's just park as near as possible to the Sports Hub as we can". The hub was shutdown for the opening ceremony that same day and accessibility was affected. Upon parking, we strolled to the race grounds (thankfully, the carnival set-up was visible from afar and we could see the white and pink tentatges and deco to assure us that we were headed to the right place).

 

Spot the excited little boy whom I managed to capture mid-hop

 

The boy was so excited he exclaimed, "Mommy, I'm so excited!" the moment we neared the event grounds and he could hear the loud music and announcement-noises coming from the event site. It was so adorable. As we made our way through the event site towards the start-point, there were runners everywhere. The vibe was infectious as endorphins of the finishers were abound - people were resting, queueing up for freebies, taking pictures and it was all very upbeat.

 

Making our way to the start-line

Posers in their fashionable and comfortable sneakers

At the start pen, a group of us mommy-friends managed to gather for a happy picture :)



All feeling great in our kicks from Skechers!

Happy J with the giant mascot

 

When 0830 rolled about, we were off!

Running makes us happy

Little pros

Thanks to Mabel, here's a pic of our family in-action!

The sun was beating down fiercely at this time of the morning and the kids were feeling very sweaty and uncomfortable, but both of them pressed on and I felt it was comfortable that we walked and ran through the 1.8km. I cannot contain my pride when I saw them cross the finish line all on their own efforts.

Proud Mama of them both #superlove

 

We were rewarded by a cool drink and of course, our finishers' medals.

Grabbing our refreshments

Resting

The whole fanfare was pretty well-organised and I must say that I did not expect any less from both children. They were both so enthusiastic about the run from the point that we picked up our shoes, to us talking about it pre-race and being such happy campers through the whole morning. They were obviously very comfortable in their new shoes that not only served its purpose of them exercising so happily, but also undoubtedly looked amazing.

The husband and I had not done a run together for ages and I know that he - a more seasoned and experienced runner than I am -  appreciates the shoes for its light-weight build too. I like how the spunky colours make the shoes so fashionable and wearable - not only for sports but for regular wear too.

All in all, the whole experience was fantastic and I really enjoyed how we hung out together as a family, exposing the children to healthy experiences in hope that they become our next generation of healthy lifestyle advocates. In this day and age of technology, it is very easy to become couch potatoes and I am thankful for such healthy platforms that my children can begin their healthy lifestyle from this early age.

Disclaimer: Skechers has kindly sponsored us our fun-kicks and the run entries for the Family Run. All opinions are of my own.

Experimenting with hair

A suitably light-hearted (& bimbotic) subject matter for a Friday. TGIF!

 

Picking the best hair for 'me'

My new kicks

After picking up our shoes over the weekend, I had the opportunity to test out my new beauties two nights ago. I planned to do some light training with an online workout video and was excited to pull them on.

The first thing I felt was taller - the shoes provided quite a bit of cushioning on the base and I felt slightly buoyant, and definitely taller with them on my feet. One of the key features of this Strada range was how it has more cushioning (explains what I felt) and how light it is. The husband, who has never owned a pair of Skechers before, commented on that instantly the moment he held his pair in his hands. Lightweight with cushioning - sounds like a good start.

I chose a relatively simple workout, because my shoulder/neck twang is still unresolved, so the workout worked up a decent sweat with little strain. I felt particularly bouncy with my new shoes and my burpees seemed to be extremely well done!

Squats, which typically are a pain to work on, were made bearable because everytime I peeked down at my feet, all I saw was a lovely splash of cool + colour in black + pink. That made me very happy!
The full range of colours of this particular GoRun Strada range can be viewed off the Skechers website here.

Looking forward to the run this Sunday where I can flash these kicks with my family. Woot!



 

Black and pink

Our experience at Skechers - preparations leading up to race day

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon where we trooped out to the stores. We were on a mission to pick up our running kicks for the upcoming Shape Run - and we were excited!

 

The store was easy to locate on the third level of Raffles City. The familiar signboard greeted us and the colourful store was very attractive-looking. The children marched in and headed straight to the kiddy-filled shelves.

 

Picking their shoes

 

What size are my feet, Mommy?

"I'd like this pair, please"

One happy boy

With the friendly staff

"Mommy, LOOK!"

 

Happiness

The staff were friendly and the children's shoes were settled easily. I appreciated how they interacted with the children, assisting with their persistent questions (a million 'whys') and making it a very stress-free experience for the parents.

The husband and I proceeded to pick our preferred kicks.

Decisions, decisions

Our choices!

Skechers, Raffles City
 

With our kicks settled, we're looking forward to race day!

*Our shoes were sponsored by Skechers, all opinions are my own.

Innovative. Or cheap.

 

Before: Bought coffee. Brought oats. Borrowed cup & spoon.

 

After: Drunk coffee. Eaten oats.

Just keep running...

So this happened as of this morning: 95 runs, 637.4km

It's been 45 runs since I last tracked my run progress here. That run was dated in September last year, about 10 months ago which works out to be about 4.5runs per month, which is about once a week. Still pretty alright, but it is less than my record last year where I ran 371.4km in 9 months (Jan - Sept 2014), versus 265.6km in 10months (October 2014 - July 2015). I guess it does make a difference when I was training for something, versus not (I ran my two half-marathon in December 2013 and June 2015). Before using this Nike app, I recorded my runs with a different app - my 2013 fitness journey here.

While I have tried to keep running, I am aware that it's not as much as before. Instead, and I'm not sure why I have not put it on record; but I started yoga about 10 months ago (last September). It started off as a visit to class for Ashtanga Yoga with a friend. I ended up signing up for 4 classes, and attended classes regularly for 3 months. During this period, I discovered a different form of exercise that made me work out in a different way from running. Three months later of practising at home, my kids have also picked it up. In the past 10 months, I had been practising Ashtanga at home and while it has been months since I last went to class, I had continued to practise myself (note to self: I do need to go again to pick up more moves plus have the instructors correct my poses) and the marked difference I feel in my body is how my arms especially are toning up. I also felt that yoga was a softer impact form of exercise that helped to balance my muscles which have been very used to being tight with loads of running. I enjoy yoga. 

Then in the past weeks, I started experimenting with home exercise videos. There are tons of workouts on the internet and they have all sorts of workouts that focus on different body parts, that comes in different lengths from 10minutes to 1.5 hours; and it's quite a nice change to work-out with these videos. I also embarked on a different type of workout that relies mostly on body weight about two weeks back, and that's been quite a challenge to my body so far. I feel myself aching all over in parts that I never knew existed. 

So what next? I think I'm in a good space now - I have a mix of workouts that focus on different types of strength and parts of the body; it also mixes up my days so that it is not boring. 

So, onward we go, on this fitness journey

Saturdate

By myself #happiness 

Our moment of fame

So some months back, someone asked if my family was interested to participate in a campaign. She had seen the storyboard and thought that we may be suitable as it involved characters that well, are we.

I thought about it for a while and decided, "why not?" - and so we did. 

The campaign started running last month and we have started being featured in different print mediums, and the internet. Here we are, in colour and movement!

Mommy, K, Me, J.

The whole ad in Chinese

Screen shot of the TVC

Our brilliant little super star, K

That's us in the mini circle on the
main page of the website www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg

Us again, for the specific campaign

This is the video in its whole:

It was quite an experience, having to be on set with the kids, especially J was a challenge as he is a child and not as "on-demand" as K, and truly, K was a super-star. She was willing and able to listen and she did what she was instructed with gusto and ease. I really thought she was the star in the ad! 

So just for posterity's sake, our little family's moment of fame :) - for a good cause too!

A milestone moment - Primary 1 registration

This little boy came along to school with us to register for his sister's
primary 1 entry. 

Waiting for the results…. another 3 more hours until we know! #anxious

PS: The official news is out - there are sufficient slots for the alumni girls to all get into the school #hooray!

NDP 2015 - attending the rehearsal *HAPPINESS

And so, as always, time whizzes by and it's now a month to Singapore's 50th birthday. Each year, it seems to be more and more difficult to secure tickets and I know that we are very, very fortunate to be able to attend it as a family to rejoice in this national festivity. 

HAPPINESS!

The day rolled along and because there was heavy downpour in the morning, the weather was pretty bearable by the time 5pm rolled along. 

Our contingent raring to go - Mr 3yo, Ms 4yo, Ms 6yo and Mr 5yo

Lucky 8 - am so thankful we secured tickets 

Just because J looks so incredibly adorable here :)

All-time favourite segment - watching out for the Red Lions!

FAMILY

Love this pic of Grandma with her precious little princess

The kids are professionals at rummaging through the fun pack
for food and snacks and things to play

Lesson from J: How to eat a lollipop 101

Fun with tattoos

Happy cousins

#proudwithhistatt

An all-time favourite

This year, it's our 5-0 birthday! Hooray!

A lovely sea of red and buzz

"Mommy, take a picture. See? How I eat this biscuit"

Also special, because about 20 years ago, my bf and I marched in the parade
when we were cadets in the NCC in secondary school 

This pic pretty much sums up this excited little boy
who was elated to be at the parade

And this pic was a candid shot I sneaked of K #happy

Finishing off the night - see how the kids were running past the volunteers giving high-5s?

Truly, the whole night was very special because I got to celebrate not just any birthday, but Singapore's #SG50. To have both kids enjoy the parade so much, and to be excited and involved in the fanfare, songs, dances, really made a big impact on me. I really enjoyed myself too and I am so thankful that I am able to share this parade with the children.

Through the past years that I attended the parade, I've always had a great time. I remember the first time we brought K to the parade, she was so little then and she was actually frightened because it was too much noise for her. Then the next year, we went solo because J was still a baby.  Last year, was the first he attended and he was hooked! To witness him so excited about the parade experience was extremely fulfilling. This year, my children are so aware of what's going on, and to let them live the national pride is truly special.

Happy Birthday, Singapore!