Well, it's finally done!
Earlier today (and a lot earlier today) I ran in the UNICEF Hong Kong Disneyland half-marathon. What a nice race but let's start from the very beginning - a very good place to start... ;)
The race started and finished at Disneyland (what a surprise) which is conveniently located about a good 30 minute bus ride from Central Hong Kong. So I had to board a bus at 5:10am (!!) at the North Point subway stop to make it to the start of the race by 5:45 - 5:50 or so. Unusually cold temperatures (14C) and a pitch black parking lot welcomed all the runners. The announcer mentioned over and over the fact that it is "extremely cold this morning" while I was warming up in my singlet. There were dozens and dozens of runners wearing gloves and hats.. Strange..
The race went off quite suddenly at 7am without any sort of a lead-up or music or public announcement. The field thinned out relatively early due to the huge access road on which we were running. I must admit that this race is probably as flat as it gets in Hong Kong even though we went over two overpasses twice and a tunnel under the highway once (by no means flat based on North American standards) Far from flat but not hilly at all.. The weather warmed up as soon as the sun rose...
A few runners took off from me and were about a minute ahead by the time we reached the 5 km mark while the closest competitor was about 30 seconds behind me by this time. 19 out of the 21km I ended up running having nobody to push me but myself. The race was quite scenic, winding its way on a bike path near the ocean shore towards the Airport and back to Sunny Bay towards Disneyland. I suspect this race would be called 'boring' by some runners in North America but it was quite a refreshment from the hilly city running that we are forced to do on a daily basis in Hong Kong. Hmmm, Martin Goodman trail, how much I miss Thee...
A really strange feeling happened at around 16km, the route entered a park reminiscent of the Mississauga half-marathon route. It meandered its way through this park for about 2 km then we got back on a thinner bike path that lead us back to Disneyland.
At 20 km, the route turns back into Disneyland where a huge statue of a surfing Mickey Mouse welcomed all the runners. Christmas songs blasting out of the speakers for the last 1.1km which is a bit strange since the sun was up by now and the temperatures reached 18-19C. Passing a few more statues of Disney characters we finally made the last turn the lead us into the finish area.
Not nearly 100% effort that resulted in a time with which I am very satisfied. I finished 5th overall with a Kenyan runner winning in 1:07 followed by the best half-marathoner in Hong Kong at 1:08. This race just confirms the fact that with hard work, results will follow. 2 more months 'till the Standard Chartered Int'l Marathon of Hong Kong and there is no reason to doubt that another PB will follow...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Friends / family
There has not been an update on this blog in about a week and a half but that does not mean life stopped in Hong Kong.
After a few months of living out of one suitcase my belongings from Canada finally arrived. Slowly but surely all is being unpacked and re-assembled but the one major addition to the apartment is still missing ---> INTERNET! Hopefully that would be sorted out shortly, I am in hunt for the fastest service so online radio, streaming videos and - most importantly - skype will be smooth as well. Once I am fully up and running you guys will know... :)
Speaking of running, it is going really well. Getting into very decent shape as the weather is cooling down. Nowadays it is about 22-23C during the day and not much cooler in the mornings. I started doing some core work as well in the gym, mostly focusing on the abs and lower back with minimal work on the upper body. I think I am seeing its dividends but the goal-race is still far far away. Next Sunday will be the Hong Kong Disneyland Unicef half-marathon, the flattest and potentially only PB course in Hong Kong. I will be certain to post the results here in a week's time. The week after that is the Macau Marathon which will be only a training run but the weekend there should be quite interesting.
This morning I spoke with many friends in Toronto as they all gathered for the end-of-year annual banquet for our running club (notice how I still say 'our' from HK). It made me realize how supportive and caring people are that I left behind in Toronto. Talking to them I realized how blessed I am to know them and to be able to name distance running as a common interest with all of them. I have always said that I have met some great people through running and this morning just proved me to be correct once again. I have always known them to be great individuals and great friends but reassurance every now and then (especially on the other side of this planet) is comforting. Guys, I hope to see all of you soon, maybe in the summer of 09?
There is no new pictures to post but shortly I will have some new ones. In the meantime, I took this video about 2 months ago. It was taken just before a typhoon warning was hoisted and we were sent home from work. It is the actual view from my office. No, I do not have an office with a window, my desk just happens to be facing the window of the trade floor...
Oh yeah, one more thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! :)
After a few months of living out of one suitcase my belongings from Canada finally arrived. Slowly but surely all is being unpacked and re-assembled but the one major addition to the apartment is still missing ---> INTERNET! Hopefully that would be sorted out shortly, I am in hunt for the fastest service so online radio, streaming videos and - most importantly - skype will be smooth as well. Once I am fully up and running you guys will know... :)
Speaking of running, it is going really well. Getting into very decent shape as the weather is cooling down. Nowadays it is about 22-23C during the day and not much cooler in the mornings. I started doing some core work as well in the gym, mostly focusing on the abs and lower back with minimal work on the upper body. I think I am seeing its dividends but the goal-race is still far far away. Next Sunday will be the Hong Kong Disneyland Unicef half-marathon, the flattest and potentially only PB course in Hong Kong. I will be certain to post the results here in a week's time. The week after that is the Macau Marathon which will be only a training run but the weekend there should be quite interesting.
This morning I spoke with many friends in Toronto as they all gathered for the end-of-year annual banquet for our running club (notice how I still say 'our' from HK). It made me realize how supportive and caring people are that I left behind in Toronto. Talking to them I realized how blessed I am to know them and to be able to name distance running as a common interest with all of them. I have always said that I have met some great people through running and this morning just proved me to be correct once again. I have always known them to be great individuals and great friends but reassurance every now and then (especially on the other side of this planet) is comforting. Guys, I hope to see all of you soon, maybe in the summer of 09?
Congratulations go out to Lynn and Roger for winning the "Runner of the Year" award for Longboat. There couldn't have been two better choices for the award after what they have done as running ambassadors and club members. Congrats guys! Let's postpone the celebrations 'till May 2010. I will make the restaurant booking as well. How does Durban sound..?
There is no new pictures to post but shortly I will have some new ones. In the meantime, I took this video about 2 months ago. It was taken just before a typhoon warning was hoisted and we were sent home from work. It is the actual view from my office. No, I do not have an office with a window, my desk just happens to be facing the window of the trade floor...
Oh yeah, one more thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A true local...
The day has finally arrived. On Thursday, November 12 I was returning home after a very tiring 18km run and as I was stretching while waiting for a green light to cross the street someone walked up to me and asked me for directions. This is not quite as big of a deal as it seems but being able to give precise directions to this pedestrian's choice of destination made me really feel like a local.. So when it comes to directions, I am 1 for 1.
Now that you guys wasted 2 minutes of your time reading this message, feel free to get back to whatever you might have been doing before this post....
Now that you guys wasted 2 minutes of your time reading this message, feel free to get back to whatever you might have been doing before this post....
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Random Running Report
It has only been a few days since the last post so obviously not much has happened since then, except for the fact that I have registered for two great running events in late November and early December.
November 30 will be the date for the UNICEF Hong Kong Disneyland half-marathon which is by-far the flattest race in Hong Kong. It starts and finishes in Hong Kong Disneyland so it should be a fun race.
Click here for UNICEF Charity Run website
Last but not least, the following week is the Macau International Marathon which I will run as a training run. I was just desperate for a reason to go to Macau and this was it. A nice run, a fun race, good training and hopefully good food.
Click here for Macau International Marathon website
Race reports are sure to follow...
November 30 will be the date for the UNICEF Hong Kong Disneyland half-marathon which is by-far the flattest race in Hong Kong. It starts and finishes in Hong Kong Disneyland so it should be a fun race.
Click here for UNICEF Charity Run website
Last but not least, the following week is the Macau International Marathon which I will run as a training run. I was just desperate for a reason to go to Macau and this was it. A nice run, a fun race, good training and hopefully good food.
Click here for Macau International Marathon website
Race reports are sure to follow...
Monday, November 3, 2008
I am back !
Well, it has been a long time since I last posted anything to this blog and I have too many reasons to justify the absence…However, none of these reasons can be valid since friends and family (those who read this blog) should always come first and hereby I promise to be a little better at this thing going forward.
Early to mid-October I moved out of the temporary apartment from Tsim Sha Tsui (in Kowloon) and moved into my permanent home for the next (at least) 12 months. The apartment is located in a massive complex that contains 6 towers, each of them over 70 floors. With each floor hosting 8 apartments. Well, you do the math. It is practically a small village. It is on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island, a few minutes from the subway in an area called Sai Wan Ho. It takes about 33-35 minutes to get to work, about 9 stops on the subway and a few minutes walk on both sides of the journey. My very limited amount of personal belongings and my furniture has not arrived yet from Toronto so I am still living without kitchen appliances (forks, knives, plates, glasses) and currently only have a wardrobe and a fold-out futon in the apt. My time will come though… The place is very decent and provides plenty of room for visitors so please come and visit. I cannot think of one person who reads this blog that would not enjoy this city.
Work is still work, I am slowly getting the hang of it. The systems are very similar to the ones we used in Toronto but some connections and routing is quite unique. We also deal with many other brokerage firms to gain access to many local exchanges so it’s been neat to be exposed to these things. We do support our Australian office as well so many times we have an Australian co-worker from Sydney calling us for help but then we get the developers involved that are located in Culver City, CA to discuss a connection to Singapore or Japan. So a Tuesday morning 8am outage in Australia is actually a Monday 1pm outage in Culver City. Sometimes these time zones are mind-boggling….
On a much lighter note, last weekend I traveled to South Korea and spent a lovely 4 days in Seoul. It was a great experience to see the Olympic venues from 1988 and learned a lot about the Korean War and the conflict between the North and the South. That, however, will be further discussed in another blog entry.
Meanwhile, check out some pictures from a hike we did this past weekend to Repulse Bay via the Tai Tam Reservoir area. Who would think that with a 10 minute bus ride from the busy streets of Hong Kong one can experience clean air, beautiful views and great nature? There are many trails on Hong Kong island and I have yet to discover most of them. So if there is nothing happening on a Saturday, there is always hiking to do. The weather is great here these days, constantly around 26C-28C. It never gets too cold around here so let these pictures serve as further enticement to attract a few of you guys towards this part of the planet for a visit.
Hiking pictures from Repulse Bay
On a side note: Congratulations to those who ran the New York City marathon this past weekend. Most of us know that it takes huge dedication and commitment so hats off to Roger and Lynn (as always) Well-done guys!
Stay tuned…
Early to mid-October I moved out of the temporary apartment from Tsim Sha Tsui (in Kowloon) and moved into my permanent home for the next (at least) 12 months. The apartment is located in a massive complex that contains 6 towers, each of them over 70 floors. With each floor hosting 8 apartments. Well, you do the math. It is practically a small village. It is on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island, a few minutes from the subway in an area called Sai Wan Ho. It takes about 33-35 minutes to get to work, about 9 stops on the subway and a few minutes walk on both sides of the journey. My very limited amount of personal belongings and my furniture has not arrived yet from Toronto so I am still living without kitchen appliances (forks, knives, plates, glasses) and currently only have a wardrobe and a fold-out futon in the apt. My time will come though… The place is very decent and provides plenty of room for visitors so please come and visit. I cannot think of one person who reads this blog that would not enjoy this city.
Work is still work, I am slowly getting the hang of it. The systems are very similar to the ones we used in Toronto but some connections and routing is quite unique. We also deal with many other brokerage firms to gain access to many local exchanges so it’s been neat to be exposed to these things. We do support our Australian office as well so many times we have an Australian co-worker from Sydney calling us for help but then we get the developers involved that are located in Culver City, CA to discuss a connection to Singapore or Japan. So a Tuesday morning 8am outage in Australia is actually a Monday 1pm outage in Culver City. Sometimes these time zones are mind-boggling….
On a much lighter note, last weekend I traveled to South Korea and spent a lovely 4 days in Seoul. It was a great experience to see the Olympic venues from 1988 and learned a lot about the Korean War and the conflict between the North and the South. That, however, will be further discussed in another blog entry.
Meanwhile, check out some pictures from a hike we did this past weekend to Repulse Bay via the Tai Tam Reservoir area. Who would think that with a 10 minute bus ride from the busy streets of Hong Kong one can experience clean air, beautiful views and great nature? There are many trails on Hong Kong island and I have yet to discover most of them. So if there is nothing happening on a Saturday, there is always hiking to do. The weather is great here these days, constantly around 26C-28C. It never gets too cold around here so let these pictures serve as further enticement to attract a few of you guys towards this part of the planet for a visit.
Hiking pictures from Repulse Bay
On a side note: Congratulations to those who ran the New York City marathon this past weekend. Most of us know that it takes huge dedication and commitment so hats off to Roger and Lynn (as always) Well-done guys!
Stay tuned…
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