Run : The Fitness Story in a Year , Jan - June

Early in February, we heard back from 7days Fitness - about 3 months after our 2 months promo subscription ended the year before. We didn't went out for any fitness activities for awhile, we were lazying around and adding up few more happy kilos. 

Until they texted us about their latest 2016 promo :
RM 559 for a year, unlimited passes to classes and gym equipments, weekly training, bring a friend for free on every weekend, RM 80 gift voucher, and free gifts from 7days fitness (shirt, bag, towel). 
The normal fees is RM 799.

After a week of discussion, we decided that we should take the promo offer. We feel that RM 1.60 per day is quite affordable and we consider that we don't have any access to night parks around the area after work and need to wait for the weekend for a run won't be effective for weekly fitness activities. So we signed up for it. I also stopped going to running events since last year.

Here is my 2016 fitness journal (will be updated on monthly basis) :

March :

• Total run : 56 km 
• What I learned so far : After 3 months of resting, I need to catch up with my fitness level back. I had to start from the beginning all over again, by walking to jogging to running, adding few distances per 2 weeks. I need to remind myself in the future; "that if I stop for too long, I need to reset my training again and start from the beginning".
• Strength training : I started to do mild strength training using those gym equipments : for upper body especially torso, back and abdomen, also lower body, because I just run all this time and never do anything else :D The first few days were awful. But I realized that running uses basic muscle strength that I'm so used to - for example even if I run for 8 km, I can no longer feel any bad muscle pain afterwards. But 4 sets of any strength training for not even 15 minutes will make my body sore the day after. I conclude that I might need this after all if I want stronger muscle and bones throughout my whole body to run faster and more consistent. 
• Simple Yoga Stretches : Throughout the day while I'm working at home, I will do several times of basic stretches routine : from hands to heart, to downward dog, plank, cobra and back to the start. This 5 minutes stretches can help my body be more flexible and leaner - sbb I sit in front of the computer for hours.
• Super affordable running shoes : After the third year, my shoes was starting to look like it has been over-worn. I'm planning to buy a new shoe when I reach 800km total of running instead. 
• Challenge : 5km March-ing Forward Challenge - completed! :

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April :

• Total run : 65 km 
• What I learned so far : It's already more than a month of running training, 3-4 times a week, 3-10km per run and additional of strength training. I can run much faster with longer duration :D From the highest treadmill MPH that I can reach was : 8 to 10 ! I haven't lost any weight, and the only changes I noticed are the running session and more duration in planking. 
• Strength training : I continued with the training after my short run. Nothing changes much, I already managed to do the sets without any muscle pain, probably going to try other new machines that I never touched before.
• Sickness : After my sudden sore throat and runny nose for several days, I'm setting a new daily fruits and veggies regime. Fruits can be super expensive but I'm trying to eat it daily - not only my favorite ones, I'm learning to be more flexible *boo .
• Weather : It's getting hotter, our el nino season has arrived. Hardly any rain and jerebu =.= Even running in the gym seems extra heavy and depressing. Tasya just signed up for a month !
• Goal Update : I'm halfway through my 250km total run in 2016. *Maybe I might add more.
• Challenge : Runkeeper April 5km + 10km Challenge - completed !

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May :

• Total run : 17.7 km, Total cycling : 15 km, Swimming : 1 hour
• Goal update : 151 / 250 km
• Challenge : Runkeeper April 5km + 10km Challenge + Runkeeper Global 5k. 

• Runkeeper Global 5k : We ran along with 423,539 runners all over the world on the 29th May. Af & we ran at Putrajaya - we didn't know there was Milo Breakfast Day at the same time, lucky for us we got a free flow of iced Milo after our run. We self-printed our bib, ran randomly without any specific planned track but using Runkeeper to track our km, we started at Taman Pancarona and ended at Palace of Justice. We were the odd ones out - both in full black outfit and different bib on our shirt :D

They said around 20,000 people came for Milo Breakfast Day :

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June :

• Total run : 18.8 km, Total cycling : 8.8 km
• Goal update : 169 / 250 km
• Challenge : Runkeeper June 5km - completed !
• Note : It's was a fasting month and I've became demotivated to run, we only tried to run for the first 2 weeks of June at our apartment 14-floors parking lots. Around 4-5 times, for non-stop 20 minutes run with Af as my pacekeeper and few times before the start of fasting season when we went to the gym for final workouts.

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