97. Progress - Run 2 ~FAIL

Personal

Refer to http://youareinmydream.blogspot.com/2010/10/96-progress-run.html for a splendid previous record.

Exercise Report/Summary

Day: Sunday
Date: 14th November 2010
Time: 0935 hours
Weather: Sunny and breezy
Temperature: n/a
Terrain: Tarred road and pavement grass ground

Location: Nilai
Traffic: Slightly regular
Start: Same to Run 1
Course: n/a
Finish: n/a

Start time: 0945 hours
Finish time: ~1010 hours

Distance*: 2.9 km
Time*: 19.17.56 mins
Average speed*: 9.1 km/h
Maximum speed*: 19.5 km/h

[*recorded by my phone Fitness application]

Remarks:
1. Weather was exceptionally fine.
2. Sunny weather is great but the heat seemed to drain energy fast and the glare of the morning sun is unbearable at times.
3. Cool and breezy wind blowing helps a lot in cooling.
4. Water bottle is brought along this time. Hydration became convenient and regular.
5. Pre-exercise diet: Banana and biscuits
6. Post-exercise diet: Banana, soya milk and cork flakes cereal

Comments:
I am very disappointed and upset with this latest performance. I would rather not record this at all but that's not the point anymore for progress checks. This would serve me as a reminder and a history of a bad result. I could not even last until at least the distance covered in the previous run. I stopped at the time the time record was taken and then I attempted to continue but to no avail. I stopped again just after 2 minutes.

I was prepared. To improve on my performance as I brought with me a bottle of water. I think, it became a burden to hold it through out the course. I believe I ran out of phase and totally lost my rhythm in the energy consumption and breathing right after I was juggling running and drinking at the same time. Basically, I lost coordination with my steps and breathing when I shifted my attention to opening the bottle cap. The first time was not so bad. I think the second attempt to drink when I was already gasping for more air made me stop for a few seconds to drink and swallow.

After that, I just felt like I lost a lot of energy. The feeling of lazy legs surfaced. Eyes went into sleepy mode. I lost my concentration too. I kept thinking, how am I going to make it this time? I could not even hit 5km, let alone 10km.

I list down here the possible causes which I think are the reasons why I could not perform:
1. Serious lack of sleep
2. Heavy gym work out the day before
3. Heat from the sunny weather
4. Lack of regular training
5. Holding a bottle of water - which added weight and removed the freedom of movement of my arms
6. Had been recently working out on creatine supplement

No.1 factor is a serious detriment. I admit on that that I practically didn't sleep proper hours in the few nights before the run. Rather, I didn't sleep during the nights all only 2-4 hours of naps in the day. This involves time and work management.

The gym workout which I did the day before was a little over the regular repetitions and resistances. I pushed harder than before especially a lot on the quadriceps and hamstrings exercises. I reckon I have not recovered at all after such strenuous activity. I am not quite sure if I have actually converted an pro-endurance regime to strength-building. Plus the creatine-based supplement for muscle building.

Not sure though if that poses any difference in this small scale of training.

The weather is not really hot. It's just clear sky in the morning. Would not blame the heat generally though. It's rather breezy. I feel it's the combination of lack of sleep and the glare of the sun which made me feeling drowsy and lazy.

Holding the bottle. You tell me. The splashing of the water. The centrifugal force acting on the water. The grip on the bottle. It's a 600ml bottle. I actually left it at one spot when I felt that I could not continue anymore holding it for long period. And then when I made a turn-back I recollected it. That was already after I gave up.

Then I had to walk back home which took me almost 1 hour.

Upset.

96. Progress - Run

Personal

Exercise Report/Summary

Day: Saturday
Date: 30th October 2010
Time: 0900 hours
Weather: Wet - Light drizzling during start
Temperature: 20 °C - by feeling only
Terrain: Tarred road and pavement grass ground

Location: Nilai
Traffic: Rare but occasionally mild ~1 vehicle every 3 minutes
Start: ~150m before INTI entrance
Course: Along the road up to entrance of Nilai Springs Resort then reverse until halfway
Finish: Entrance of Taman Melati main road

Start time: ~0910 hours
Finish time: ~0940 hours

Distance*: 5.7 km
Time*: 34:43.60 mins
Average speed*: 9.9 km/h

(I think it's about ~8km/h)

Maximum speed*: 15.1 km/h

[*recorded by my phone Fitness application]

Remarks:
1. Weather was cold and wet so I wore a windbreaker which also helped in warming up.
2. Jacket was removed after feeling a lack of ventilation on my body.
3. The whole course of exercise was without proper hydration - citing the fact that if I were to had some water I would had covered a longer distance at a more consistent speed.
4. No smoking
5. No alcohol
6. No supplements
7. No medication.
8. Pre-exercise diet: A cup of Milk (~6 - 10g of protein) and 3 pieces of Domino's Cinnamon Stix
9. Post-exercise diet: Bread, cheesy baked beans and jambu air

Comments:

Wet weather did not deter me from training. I almost gave up actually at 8am in the morning when I looked at the sky and feel the wind it had not rained yet meaning it wanted to rain later. I assumed that it's going to rain and stop by 8am by comparing with the other days before this day. Went out the first time and felt that the drizzle was too heavy and I did not want to run with my feet soaked wet and especially with having sweaty skin wetted with cold rain water. Stayed back in the house waiting and took a nap, almost making my way back to the bed as a surrender to the weather. But I could not let go of the great opportunity and time to exercise.

Cold wind coupled with the lack of proper sleep time (5 hours only) made me felt sleepy while walking on the way to the course. Jacket helped protect from cold temperature, rain water, cold wind and keep warm.

Lower legs were not in best condition though due to ice-skating first time on the previous night. But the whole course was great. Smooth progress and breathing was properly coordinated for most of the time except during gulping saliva for hydration and inhaling hard to retain the nasal mucous in cavity.

After stopping the exercise I walked back to home. It took me around 30 minutes to reach at a paced walking speed. That is equivalent to walking back and forth PFS and CGL 4 times or 3 days worth of walking back (grandpa house) from school calorie burnt.

Fun sake yeah.

Theme music feeling: Satch Boogie

Credits: Adidas Performance. Nike Pro. bzzzzt materialistic

95. Snakes In The Rough

Personal/Ideals

Welcome again.

It seems that filefactory does not have music widget anymore so kinda if you wana listen to that song you can download it by clicking. mmm it could be illegal already to put other songs for download. like free. bad

I would like to present to you my latest endeavour in improvising. It's not a complete and well prepared recording. It's an improvised recording of an improvisation.

The gears and materials used:
1. Sony Ericsson W580 - sound recorder
2. Squier Telecaster
3. Marshall MG10CD
4. USB cable
5. MIKSOFT Mobile AMR Converter
6. Guitarpro 5.2
7. Hoobastank - The Reason ver2 (from Ultimate Guitar website)
8. yeah my laptop and windows XP @#$%^

Just for the fun of details. Use any guitar any amp anything. Keep the ruggedness.

So yeah, I like these few notes which you play together and they sound like snake charm. And they can be used to improvise. And so I decided to randomly record what I can do with these few notes with a drums backing track, an I recently started doing with. It's fun.

1. I use Hoobastank - The Reason guitarpro drums track as my backing. Set to 50% tempo

2. I put my amp in gain. Cos i want the gain feeling in my guitar sound. yer know like rock solo

If you already feel bored, go to http://www.ultimate-guitar.tv/guitar_lessons/guitar_world_paul_gilbert_presents_shred_alert.html where you can learn snake-charming tunes. It's a different style of snake-charming though and presented in a different key.

Hooi has listened and tested out my notes and he identified it as part of the Gmin scale. Yes, indeed I use G as my primary key, the root which the improvisation is based on.

So, just move on to my filefactory and play my mini demo.

Things I would like to point out; Of course I will never keep silent on my own work. Ok cool 7mins long with slow drum beats it's rather sleep-charming actually. In fact, I didn't actually base my improvisation on snake-charming melody along the track. I altered naturally and intrinsically when I chose to base it in the key of G. Somewhat gypsy-ish-deserty-mystery sound.

Lack of dynamics: I could have do more tremolos, bending and sliding, legato or any other forms. I was concentrating on the beat so I ended up staying static on individual notes. And also thinking ahead of the notes and their positions to play. Because I didn't learn up the scale and the positions, otherwise it would have been easier and maybe juicier...

Lack of rhythm: Not so bad rhythm because it's me and the preset drums track. It's lack of the rhythmic articulation of my playing. Messy and not structured. I will improve on this. Also, because I was concentrating on the fretboard.

Sloppy: Obviously yes. Choppingly no. They could be heard as mistakes clearly mishandling the strings. Or just mere improvised dynamics. Chop. Scrape. Sloppy flick. Dirty notes. Works both ways. Just feel differently.

Other than that you give your comments I hope can work it out in my subsequent playing.

The final eighth of the song which you can spot some smells-like-shredding but fail-type is just some getting high and adventurous try-out on shredding tune. It's basically and usually for me to just play 3 notes per string (usually 2 strings) fast either chromatically or just randomly or any notes I happen to spot deem to be the notes in the scale.

"if you get the note wrong, get the next note right" haha this is easily true. Or rather, get your feel right.

Thanks anyways for any attention spilled here.

94. Tribute

Ideals

Just a tribute.

Thanks to Hooi for referring me to this song.

And it so happens that these comments touch my soul. Knowing that this song is quite somewhat dedicated to some kind of desperado in which I felt some similarity with in myself. Just like what parents or old wise grandparents would say to their children.

And the last comment below amazingly fit what I felt. heh. Anyways, thank you all. I'm still alive.

musemorris
~YOU MUST be kidding? You guys must be the REAL Eagles?! FANTASTIC! Dedicated to our beloved son Jarrod Ryan ~ June 10, 1987 ~ April 4th, 1991!


KumarsDad
~What a beautiful song! I dedicate it to my son Jared. Your Mom and I really miss you.Gone but never forgotten.RIP 10/18/1990-04/08/2009

mlee86a
~This song is for the late Jennifer Vincent who dearly loved the Eagles and especially this song.  I will always remember her with this wonderful song.

bubbles9084
~omg i really needed to hear this :') my brother was 23 when he died in a car accident this was his absolute favorite song and his birthday is october 16th and he pasted on october 20th i really love this song and it helps me get true the day :) thank you :')

TheGrimRomance
~its amazing how this song fits me. x)) *2 thumbs up!*