Killing time whilst on the road

Our journey home last night was delayed by around 4 hours (started driving around 4pm and only got home by 1130pm (incl a brief stop at Maccas to update ourselves via free wifi) due to this chemical spill on the I-10

It's the first time i've ever seen traffic come to a standstill on a freeway like this.No one knows what is really happening. local radios have proved themselves uninformative, stating only a diversion.

Stop. Start. Stop. Start.
 

How do people kill time on the roads  on these long commutes? 

STOP
You might see some get off, go to the back to their coolbox, grab some beers, and 'watch' the action (such as news reporters (as pictured). Truckies emptying plastic water bottles of yellow liquid out their windows, and then bottles of clear liquid afterwards..hmmm.

START
Whilst on the move, the roads are straight and pretty much uneventful (apart from the occasional rogue lane-changers, and the usual desire to overtake trucks, and then being overtaken by the huge 4WDs again).

Some drivers choose to slow down and talk on the phone (dangerous!) ......... but Podcasts are our answer.

In fact, we've almost exhausted our selection on yesterday's run (the time taken could've easily taken us from Louisiana to Atlanta and beyond). With a bit of preparation, they keep you awake, they are informative, amusing, and can bring you to anywhere in the world. Here are some of our favourites:

Freakonomics Radio (US) - the hidden side of everything, very well researched and a good hour's worth of

Restoring the Balance (Australia) - an extreme take on the Australian economic and political scene, views of young Liberal and young National personas , incredibly funny

Friday night Comedy (UK) - a satirical take on the week's news.


Marathon Talk  (UK) - keeping me motivated with news and celebrities from the running world.


and because they are free, and easy to subscribe to and update using iTunes, we're always trying new shows, and shut off those that make you go off to sleep (before you do). Lots better than the car radio, and good for when we've outgrown our music collection on the iPod.


The road ahead may be dark and lonely, but with more than just music in your ears while your hands and feet are preoccupied with driving, it might not be all too bad (with a bit of a laugh).

All done before sunrise!

Managed to get myself out of the door at 5am, the same time as my marathon training pacer, and glad to be back home, dipping my feet into the pool, all before sunrise (7:10am)!

Just short of 11 miles before sunrise, at times when it was still really dark, and we were seeing people running and cycling with headtorches/lights. Houston is a crazy place to train for sports, if one gets out at around 7:30 (like I did last week), it would be too hot, and too humid. On top of that, most people will be out and about, the roads will be dustier. My newly washed trainers have luckily escaped the dusty restoration by my early start this morning.

Saw this signpost on the home stretch of my run this morning, which echoes my last post on the LIFO/FIFO concept in God's books  :)

 

This can surely be applied to the need for speed in our daily lives.  The rogue drivers I see rushing about on the I-10 West every friday afternoon, cutting and chasing through from the slow lane across to the fastest without indicating, and some copycat 'chasers'....what's the point? Occasionally we see them pulled aside somewhere ahead of us by a cop.  In the distance running world, we are constantly reminded that we should start slow, to finish in good shape. True enough, from VLM 2011, I've encountered a few cases of 'hitting the wall' (myself included in the 'starting too fast' category). Is it worth blasting to pieces? and at the end of the day, does the record matter? This week, we've gathered that Paula Radcliffe's World record in the 2003 London Marathon has been scrapped. Similarly, I've written to RunBritain too as my sub-2 half-marathon PB @ Dorney Lake in Feb this year cannot be counted into my handicap as it was not an accredited course. All it matters at the end of the day, is that you have achieved a result that you have worked hard enough for. Recognition can only be external. 

Now waiting for my pacer to come back for breakfast. After all, he's going to be the last one in this morning as he's doing another loop round the bayou!

Matthew 20: 1-16

Hi from Starbucks in  Broussard, Louisiana. Trying to blog on a MacBook Pro whilst sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte - just like the creative types do :P 

Finally finished reading the 48 days book (although it did take me longer than 48 days, at least I got there!) So here begins my 'Countdown to the Work I love' - (the name of the activity section after each chapter).

What I found interesting with one of the activities is 'read Matthew 20:1-16'. Not having touched the Bible too much since my school days, I turned to my rather less frequented Bible iPhone App.
What has it got to do with job searching? In a nutshell it refers to workers of the vineyard getting the same pay for a day's work regardless of the time of the day they were hired. The parable implies that in the Kingdom of God, everyone is treated the same regardless of when they chose to join. Or rather, the master of the house can choose to compensate the workers in whatever rate they think they are worth, or treat everyone all the same.

Is it the same in the real professional world?

The 48 days book provided examples of those who were able to negotiate for more than their worth, but at the end of the day, it is really up to the employer, and to the employee, whether they are being paid more than just can be measured by cold hard cash. The recipient can choose to be happy about it, or otherwise.

Food for thought for those seeking more, or having a love to boast the % raise they have had since they last signed onto something. It is all relative.

I've posted a link here of the parable for those who may be interested.

Counting down to Amsterdam! Worldwide Training update :)

A course close enough to home, that offers the possibility of 10k /Half Marathon/Full Marathon, in a country that is mainly below sea-level (read Flat), some of our friends have signed up...and we should be home by then, why not?

It's a month away from the next race - Amsterdam Half-Marathon (for me) and Marathon (for Seng).

and How is training going? Hmmm...after the hard work towards spring marathons in April/May in the last 3 years - I'm ready to conclude that Autumn races are not easy to train for. Especially when one is situated in places where there are REAL summers (unlike the UK, which 25 degrees celsius is a very hot day). However, I've tried to make the best that I can given my nomadic life. Some of the more interesting training sessions (very few of them serious unfortunately) are as below:

Paris (July 2011)- a motivating session (for Eleanor who initially thought she cannot do 30 mins of running!) from Galleries Lafayette area to Jardin Tuileries, glimpse of Avenue des Champs Elysees, then across the river along Rive Gauche, to Jardin Luxembourg , rewarding with purchases of Pain au Chocolats to take to the hotel via RER.

Hong Kong (August 2011) - in the heat and humidity of mid-summer, where the mercury climbs to 30 degrees celsius if one doesn't step out of the door before 8am. And where to run with all that traffic? My family's new home in central kowloon have put me very close to some very good athletic tracks managed by the Government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department (ie what used to be called Urban council (市政局)). I didn't mind so much having to share the tracks with people who were not using them properly (eg women holding a radio and taking strolls on the slower lane), and at times, I have had to overtake runners on Lane 1. Or having to ensure I don't 'run over' Tai Chi class participants outside the track, or wait until schools that have booked the track for their PE lessons finish, before I can go in. The quality of the track was very good, if one had spikes and wanted to train properly - these are the places where dreams can be realised :)

What was a milestone for me was revisiting Kowloon Tsai Park , an old favourite of my dad that we used to be taken there for jogging on sundays. In the mid 80's , I struggle to complete even the 550m loop outside the athletics tracks (back then the tracks were not available for general use), let along the greater '8 loop' that would roughly equate to 1 mile. Almost 25 years later, I am glad to report that this was no longer a problem - only that if the humidity was reduced, I could run faster.

[no wonder there are many who choose to run at 11pm in the evenings on the streets, not a desirable option for me at all]



Sydney (August/September) 2011 - going back to my second hometown where spring has just sprung, and with the access of a car, presented me with lots more options (and of course, more options than I have enough time to fit in!) Here's what I have managed to do:

Balmain Bay Run - a 7km loop around Iron Cove. One that I had probably not so seriously attempted in my training for the Sydney City to Surf years ago, however, I was ready to give it a good try. Gave myself a late start at around 9:30am and parked near the Leichhardht Rowing club. Thought I'd give myself some bonus miles by going along the canal, however, I couldn't find another crossing after one that was a new bridge being built! and to find that it was not all flat around the cove as one thought. Did try to go fast but then, I was interrupted by a phone call from a friend who wanted to meet up that day!! Oh well, that was a good hour spent around here. Reward: an Italian Doughnut from Sulfaro's on Ramsay street in Haberfield, as recommended by ex-local Louiza.

Centennial Park - the place where I go for a 'safe bicycle ride' and again a full 3.5km loop was virtually impossible to complete even in my uni days (running that is). This particular sunny monday morning I parked along Grand Drive near the baby cycle tracks to find a steady stream of prams passing by me. Eastern Suburbs Active Mothers galore! Glad to see although it meant I had to be careful overtaking some of them. Armed with a 'cross-country' map (yoohoo! Cross country sounds adventurous and unachieveable in my school days) downloaded from the website , I did the usual loop as well as attempting to do the lakes loop. Unfortunately I got lost and had to revert to the Grand Drive loop onto softer ground (another trial run to soften impact) to retrieve my car. What I manage to see in the middle of Centennial Park was rewarding - Black Swans! Along with Balmain Bay Run, this is all starting to remind me of Perth ...hmmm. I must admit that Perth has more of its share of great places to run, Sorry Sydney.

Across the Harbour Bridge to Crows Nest  - of course I cannot miss the opportunity of running across the famous Coathanger and the chance to catch up with my first 'coach' Calvin - a before lunch catchup from Wynyard across the bridge and up on Pacific Highway. This is just a stretch that I know so well but never ever thought of running the Pacific Highway as from driving, it was always uphill, and from the North Shore line - it's quite a few stations to get to St Leonards from North Sydney. But then Route 1 did provide a more direct alternative to one presented by City Rail. Again I wouldn't call that proper training and I was quickly running out of time on the cooler stretch of the round-the-world trip. What can you do but make do?

San Francisco Bay Area - September 2011 my first stop across the Pacific was the Bay Area, and we landed ourselves with hosts that basically has the best recreational area on their back door (we would suggest their boys get on their bikes as soon as they are old enough :P ). The initial suggestion was : there's a track behind where we live, it's pretty flat. The cooler Californian Fall morning enticed us to believe in all this, and started on a 'Ten Hills trail' around 10 mins away from where we were staying in Castro Valley. Hmm. one should believe that this name was descriptive. It was a very Hilly run, however it was rather run towards the end, when we met a guy with a dog who gave us good directions to head back onto the main road without negotiating 10 hills again. We then followed this Proctor trail running downhills (lots of fun!) and ended up near the driving range. Wow. that was my first 'non scary' attempt at Trail running.

Lake Chabot Loop The next day we came back for more - and better equipped, and got corrected instructions from our host - this time we parked at the Lake and started on the 'right hand side' of the trail. The whole trail was ups and downs (not as intense as 10 Hills), but we had very good views of the lake from all around, and it is lots more efficient than hiking when one was in running gear :) One also learnt a bit about Yema Po (wild horse slope), a chinese labor camp that was in the area when the dam was constructed. This all in all took us about 2 hours, was lovely!

Houston  September 2011 - well now, I'm back. no new pictures as I've done most of it before, except not as early as 7:30am and still feeling very humid and hot after being out for 2 hours! I cannot imagine that there are so many running groups out and about even way before then! I'm hoping that training in heat will leave us better prepared for racing conditions which hopefully will be another 10 degrees lower than what we currently experience over here. We can only hope.

Home Suite Home..

Another week,another new suite.

Having spent the bulk of my time in hotels and on the road during my time in the USA in the last few months, I'm curious about the size of this market, the types of people that stay there all the time and the incentives they use to reel you in, and keep you there, coming back to the same place for more.

Prior to my time here, I only know of the five-star hotel chains and few others that do serviced apartments (typically defined as a hotel room that are self-contained , ie more than just a bed, bath and bar fridge, and the gym facilities, the pool).



The attractiveness the extended stay apartment is those things that make a hotel room more like a home: the laundry and storage facilities, business centre with library, movie theatre, that extra microwave oven, kitchenette (depending on the location of the establishment - if it is merely for display, or functional.) For someone like me that have been in and out of these extended stay hotels for weeks, this makes a difference. With a stove, pot, microwave, and a decent set of pyrex crockery, one can have healthy meals away from home!

Not everyone, of course, has the luxury of working away from home and having a wife that stays at the hotel during the day to cook (from time to time). What keeps weekly workers coming back to these 'home away from home'? (Given there are so many choices on the same strip of the highway/part of town, and for all sorts of different budgets).  Some basic operators might do away with Kool-aid sachets, or mints on the counter. For limited service hotels such as Hampton Inn (operated by Hilton) , it could be cookies, or the takeaway breakfast for those on the go. Free wifi internet access is what draws us all the time. :) Or with extended stay establishments such as Staybridge (operated by Holiday Inn), during the summer we were given pansy seeds, biscuits, lollies, water, that little plastic bag on check-in will keep one slightly happier. :)

The little bit extra that premium chains try to draw people out of their rooms is the provision of breakfasts, and dinner (or sundowner). The menu is a simple buffet style dinner, with beer and perhaps dessert. On a nice day in the summer, one may choose to purchase some steaks (from a supermarket) and use the grill outside, complementing the meats with the salads and beer from the sundowner.

So who stays in these places? There are some who tend to live lives out of extended stay suites, as documented by my friend who runs lemonsuites, it could be a long term solution for those that work near the airport or their construction sites, etc. From my location near the Regional airport and centre for the oil and gas industries in Acadiana,  I've met young families that spend their days by the pool, or women who are staying here as their husband just been relocated into this town and they are looking for a house nearby to accomodate the family. Or groups of people in their work suits being briefed by their 'bosses' at the breakfast tables and then setting off to the offices, or chilling out at the bar after work into the late hours. Men with laptops and folders using the dining tables to discuss work, hmm....who says travelling for work is fun?

And why this suite compared to the other suite down the road? which home is 'suite-r'? The fresher softer towels, the occasional service, larger sinks, bigger pots, handier locations, better treadmill, better laundry, less casino-looking carpets, friendlier staff, these are all the things that make a difference. We've established a system of the few extra items of comfort we bring along from week to week, so that we could still enjoy a lifestyle as close to home as possible, whilst being away, and away..

If you ask me, I would still prefer to spend more time in (now) our weekend furnished apartment in H-town, again a huge market for these leased apartments for out-of-towners, that's a story for another day. :)

Further reading:
extended stay hotels (from Wikipedia)

Around the World...and Back

Time flies (and this is a phrase I commonly use) - it's September.
And I'm back in Southern USA - via London - Hong Kong - Sydney - California.
It's been a long way round, I'm glad I have done it, and had the chance to catch up with my family and friends who are still living life in places where I grew up, where I hold and shared memories with all of them.

It's been a holiday, but like all Bonnie-style holidays, they weren't really for resting. My schedule had been packed and only now, a chance to regroup and write up some of my adventures.

Stay tuned. A little bit of gumbo to share to start - from my Cajun cooking class in Lafayette Louisiana back in June - that now seems such a long time ago!