Jakarta - A Break from Running

"Patung Selamat Datang" Welcome Statute. The landmark of Jakarta.

Jakarta is just a city with no real tourist attractions except with plenty of shopping malls. I actually got bored after the second day as we run out of places to visit other than shopping malls. I always wanted to visit as many Asia Pacific cities as I can to see the development in the whole Asia Pacific area. But the development in Jakarta is quite rapid looking at the big shopping mall like Grand Indonesia which is really grand. And the upmarket shopping malls are just full of branded goods. The landmark of city is "Patung Selamat Datang" (Welcome Statute). And this landmark is surrounded by 5 star hotels like Grand Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia.

We manage to book MAS holidays which covers the flight plus accommodation. The hotel accommodation is good which is Le Meridien situated in the business district area and very near to the shopping area. The taxis by the Bluebird group is good. No bad experience with taxi drivers. They just run by the meters and no detour by taxi drivers. Our KL taxi drivers are a real shame as compared to them. I have been to so many Asia Pacific cities and taking taxi is unavoidable. KL taxi drivers are really the worst I have met. No wonder we are voted No. 1 for the worst service.

Grand Indonesia

Plaza Indonesia

The only thing that I feel uncomfortable at first is security checks at the hotel and the big shopping malls that are full of foreigners. It is like going through airport security. I actually saw a street demonstation against the USA during my trip. But generally the workers at the shopping malls offer better service than our shopping malls. The income disparity between the rich and poor must very great because once you travel away from the cities the living conditions are really bad. The places are actually very filthy.

Fitness Centre at Le Meridien, Jakarta. The treadmill is feeling like a dreadmill when you do your long run on it. 

Fortunately the hotel that I stay has a properly equipped fitness centre which I still manage to get my long runs on a treadmill. I have to cut my long run to just 10km just to maintain the endurance. Running too long a distance on a treadmill is starting to feel like a dread. I thought I was supposed to take a break from running? Looks like I can't break from the endorphins high ! But I did cut down the distance.

Chinese Food sold at Chinatown

Chinese Temple at Chinatown. The structure of this temple looks very similar to the Kuan Yin Temple in Penang

We also visited the Chinatown area in Glodok which there are many Hakka descendants staying in the area. We went into one of the Chinese medical shop and they started to speak Mandarin and Hakka to us. The Chinese culture are very deeply rooted into most Chinese. So which ever country you visit, once you go to Chinatown and you will be able to feel the Chinese culture.

Bajaj, one of the mode of transportation in Jakarta

This "Ayam Bakar" (BBQ chicken) is really tasty which is across the street from Blok M. But I end up falling sick after eating it.

The last two shopping malls that I visited on the last day were Plaza Senayan and Senayan City which is actually full of branded good and full of Chinese. I thought I was in one of those upmarket shopping mall in KL. And there are plenty of Chinese restaurant. But they served beef instead of pork. And all the waiter and waitresses are Indonesians. They played Chinese New Year songs at the mall since it was still the last day of Chinese New Year.

Probably for a tourist destination, Yogjakarta or Bali would definitely be a better choice to visit than Jakarta. Anyway, another city ticked from my list.

Going for Bananas

A great refueling food for runners.

If you need one tip to save money on energy gels, try bananas during your training sessions. You will probably need energy gels only your half marathon or full marathon days. Or during those 32km long runs. That is to test your body against energy gels. Energy gels are much more expensive as compared to bananas. A pack of energy gel cost a minimum about RM5 as compared to a banana that cost 60 cents for the most expensive type. A banana is real food and it is full of vitamins and nutrients. For my current training of my second marathon, I have been surviving on bananas for my long runs. My last long run is 26km and that translate to 3 bananas. Starting with one banana just before running and a banana for every hour after that and I have steady energy throughout the run.

In between, I drank some sports drinks in addition to water after 10km. And it is definitely tastier than having energy gels all the time. A banana has about 108 calories which would nornally sustained your energy level for about an hour. Some people has advised that instead of taking sports drinks, the better option is to use coconut water. But it is inconvenient to purchase it and having to store it in the fridge and drink it the next day could be rather troublesome.

The health benefits of Bananas summarised from Lifescipt.com are as follows:-

• Bananas provide energy. Bananas are a great source of natural energy. Ideal for eating during midday when you feel sluggish. Provide a level of energy that lasts longer without the crash like caffeine.
• Full of vitamins and nutrients. Bananas have two times as many carbohydrates as an apple, five times as much Vitamin A and iron and three times as much phosphorus. In addition, bananas are also rich in potassium and natural sugars. 
• Rich in Potassium. Helpful in reducing strokes and regulating blood pressure as it promotes circulatory health.
• Bowel Health. Help stop constipation. Contains certain fibre that helps to restore and maintain regular bowel functions.
• Lift your spirits. Contain a chemical called trytophan that helps the mind relax so you feel happier. 
• Increase brain power.
• Reduce the effects of a hangover.
• Great for pregnant women to combat morning sickness.
• Rub the peel on mosquito bites.
• Help soothe ulcers.
• Rich in iron. Help promote hemoglobin production.
• Great Fertilisers using banana peels

So it is time to consider bananas instead of energy gels for your training sessions. The only problem is how to do you carry the bananas on a long run. Hang them around your waist? You will probably get your photos splashed all over Facebook the next day and become famous !

Happy Chinese New Year !

There will normally be lots of eating during this festive season. The Chinese was well known for food. Just have to burn all those calories through running after that.

Happy Holidays and Gong Xi Fa Cai (Have a Prosperous New Year) !

Life is like a Marathon

This is an excerpt from an article in a local Chinese newspaper which I felt it explained why "life is like a marathon". I have done the English translation to my best ability. A lot of marathoners felt exactly what has been written. 

跑者說：“人生就像一場馬拉松，再累也沒有人能代替你跑，但會有許多人陪伴你一起跑。”跑者說：“跑到身心快要崩潰時，有人鼓勵和扶你一把，就可以咬牙撐過去。”“多累都不能半途放棄，就算用走的，也要慢慢走到終點。”“跑馬拉松不是為了與人競爭，而是超越自己，更重要的是以自己的節奏，跑好每一步，享受跑步的快樂。”

這些都是至理名言。咦，我們到底是在講馬拉松或人生呢？(From : 中國報）

Runner : "Life is like a marathon. Even when you are very tired, nobody can run for you but a lot of people will be running with you. When you are extremely exhausted with people's encouragement and help, you peservere to finish and never give up. You walk to the finish line slowly when you have to. Running a marathon is not to compete with others but to exceed yourself. Run with your own pace and made good with every step and experience the joy of running.

These words of wisdom. Are we talking about marathon or life?

"If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon."

~ Emil Zatopek, the triple-gold winner in the 1952 Olympics, winning the 5,000m, the 10,000m and the marathon. A Running Times article on Emil Zatopek.

"I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought." 

~ Arthur Blank

"Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best."
~ Meb Keflezighi, U.S. Olympic marathoner


"Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived." 
~ Dean Karnazes


"That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is." 
~ Kara Goucher 


"Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself -- expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip." 
~ Dean Karnazes