New gears, new motivation, new route...

With daylight savings now, I am able to explore new routes which I wouldn't be able to in the dark... This is one such route, where I dropped off at Westona train station and run via the Truganina Swap... Although the route is less than 5km, the run is actually quite enjoyable... It is good for me as I do not wanna clock too much too fast while transiting from normal to minimus/barefoot shoes...

Here is what my FR610 had recorded... you can also follow this link to the web page...

Stats galour!!!

Here are some of the pics I took along the way... Enjoy!!!

Dropped off at Westona station...

800M from the station, here comes the SWAP!!!

Lots of birds and ducks having fun in the water...

Hitting the gravel trails and let MT10 does its magic...

Along the outside of Kooringal Golf Club

Spot the flag...

The bridge around the 1.9km mark to cross over to the other side...

Crossing the bridge... drivers must be thinking this guy is nuts...

On the other side now...

Concrete or trail? I choose trail...

End of concrete (well at least for now)...

Came across 3 owners and their dogs... The dogs are well behaved and well trained and let me passed... No dramas...

Exit ahead...

End point, under the bridge... Laverton station is just after the bridge...

Last but not least... Angelena says hi!

New Toys... I mean new gears...

So excited!!! My New Balance MT10 and Garmin Forerunner 610 with Heart Rate Monitor have finally arrived yesterday!!! It's time to get serious!!!

Garmin Forerunner 610... Fresh out of the box!

The slick NB MT10 Minimus Trail

I have been holding off these purchases for a while as my budget now has another line item named "Angelena"... But I decided that I should continue running and the only way to get me motivated is to spend some money on new gears so that I have excuses to use them and continue to run...

Why MT10? As you may be aware, there is a big push on running barefoot as since the beginning of time, human beings are born to run barefoot... Nowadays, there are a lot of shoes that are designed to make you feel like running on barefoot. MT10 is just one of the many products out there... After conquering 2 road marathons, I am now pushing towards trail running... Have always like the outdoors and I think I will enjoy running with nature... as for the type of races? TBA...

Why Garmin FR 610? Well, it's all about the statistics isn't it? I do not want to get too technical, go google the610 and you will know what I mean... I also choose this because it actually looks like a watch and not a mini laptop (FR310XT) on your wrist...

So what did I do after coming back from work yesterday? You guessed it!!! As soon as I know Angel has not done her walk, I eagerly volunteered to bring her out for a quick run... The boxes were unpacked in a matter of seconds and we were out of the house to test drive the gears... And we did a quick 2.8km in 15mins plus... I have also uploaded the run onto garminconnect... Check it out http://connect.garmin.com/activity/128635866#.TsDxWMQtDNQ.email

Verdict on MT10:

Loved it!!! It is like wearing a pair of slippers to run while it stick to your leg and don't fall off... The material feels very flimsy and I seriously thought that it will fall apart anytime... I love my NB MR890, but now I think I love this MT10!!! It just feels a bit hard on concrete pavement but when running on dirt and grass, it does provides better grip and more control... Can really feel the rocks and all that was underneath my feet... was actually quite sceptical that the rocks will puncture the shoes... But I have faith in them and just have to trust the shoe and just soldier on and throw this thought out of my mind and continue on...

Verdict on FR610:

If you are into statistics, the data from this machine will blow your mind away... The touch screen needs a bit of get used to but the FR610 feels solid and well built... Menu are easy to move around and very user friendly... I have since tried the HRM and I must say you do not feel like you are wearing it at all as it fits nicely and the strap is very comfortable...

I truly believe these toys will motivate me to achieve better results in 2012!!!

The learning curve...

We discharged from the hospital last Friday 28-Oct... Felt happy because we finally get to welcome Angelena to our home... Felt very daunting because all the help and support we have from the nurses and doctors from Frances Perry House is now history... We are on our own (with help from my MIL and FIL)...

All set to go home...

Everyday we learn something different... just like running, we learn to improve our techniques to increase our efficiency and also learn to do things correctly (at least according to us)... We learned that sleep is a luxury item and we should catch as much sleep as possible as the baby will wake you up at a time when you most want to close your eyes... We learn how to persevere and think positive... we learn how to be more efficient in time management... We learn to be patient with each other and think about the bigger picture...

And I am sure many of you will say:"Mate, this is just the beginning..." Oh well, all I can say is:"Bring it on!!!"...

Enjoy the pics of Angelena...

Angelena's first bath...

Shiok man...

Ok, this car seat passed...

P.S. I did sneaked in an evening run (4.8km) with Angel yesterday... Felt real good as I have not run for over a week... But I did paid for it as it did affect my "night shift" performance...