Lisbon, Portugual - Atlantic Coastal Run at the Oldest City in Europe

Praça do Comércio (Commerce Sq). Surrounded by government custom and naval offices

Bull fights, Ronaldo, Booze, Red Meat and a total lack of motivation to run at Madrid made the unfit runners, totally not prepared to take on the hilly slopes of Lisbon. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is one of the oldest cities in the world. Another nick name for Lisbon is "City of 7 Hills".

We had a sense of forbidding when we had to challenge the steep stairwells of Lisbon, along with our 10KG luggage (pretty light by any standards!) to our apartment in the old district of Alfama . Our arms were dead tired by the time we collapsed at our apartment and we decided to take a few hours nap in order to recover from our hill-climbing-with-luggage ordeal.

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Madrid Spain - Sorry, We rather Eat than Run in Madrid!

Puerta del Sol - The Heart of Madrid @ 1am

Rather than go for an evening run at Madrid, we decided to go for a leisurely evening walk instead.

Why?

Madrid is simply crazy when it comes to weekends. The streets are literally full of people and everybody are partying till 5am in the morning. On top of that, our hotel is right in the commercial heart of Madrid at Puerta del Sol . So rather than trying to jog through the thick evening pedestrian traffic, we swapped our running shoes for walking shoes instead.

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Granada, Spain - A Vibrant Historical Southern City Which We feel like Immigrating to

Spain, Granada: The Tomb of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II

The ancient Moorish city of Granada, home to 3 UNSECO world heritage sites: The Alhambra, The General Life and the historical district of Albayzín. When I planned our itinerary to Granada, I imagined it to be a small city, with narrow winding  roads and charming buildings. There are no direct connecting train or plane routes to Madrid, making it a not so accessible city. The best way in and out of the city is by bus or by car.  I was impressed by the broad straight roads, the bustling shopping & diners and lots of young energetic university students. We were surprised by the amount of young people at Granada as most of historic tourist cities are made up of mostly elderly tourists and bored folks running the souveniers and eating establishments.

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Cordoba Spain - The Cultural City with the Largest UNSECO Urban Area in the World

Cordoba, Spain

At Barcelona, Big Boned Guy (BBG) came down with a bout of stomach viral attack. He was quite miserable for 3 days.

A few days later, I was infected with the same virus, resulting in non stop diarrhea and stomach cramps. As BBG and Alcoholic set off for their early morning run at Cordoba, I had to roll around on the bed moaning in pain, wishing for the cramps to go away.

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Seville, Spain - Running Along River Guadalquivir

End of the run. Take a while to enjoy the morning

This is the time of the year for Unfit Runners annual getaway trip. This year, we are going off to Spain, along with Alcoholic and Big Bone Guy (BBG)

We touch down at Barcelona and spent 4 days tapas hopping, visiting Gudi's buildings and bumming around in general. Big Bone Guy came down with a bout of food poisoning and we had to cancel our run at Barcelona. But not to worry, we will end our trip at the beach-side city of Barcelona and should be able to clock in a run or two before leaving for Singapore.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Desa Park City: Clean & Green & Safe

Desa Park City: The Lake View

It has been one month since my running ban and allow some VIP treatment for my knee to recover. Do I miss running? Honestly YES. However, to prevent aggravating my injuries, I have decided to do some brisk walking in order to keep my morale up. I spend the week over at Malaysia Kuala Lumpur this week to prepare for the upcoming launch of my card game Wongamania. You can find more details here.

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The Outpatient Bills of Post Thyroid Surgery

I just went to visit my surgeon again for a post operation check-up. Turns out that my thyroid hormone levels are on the low side again. I now have to consumer 100mg of thyroxine hormone pills from Monday to Thursday and 125 mg on Friday to Sunday. I hope that I do not confuse the medication again.

Oh, did I mention that I confused my medication and ate two 25mg tablets for 3 weeks before I realize my mistake during April? No wonder my hormone levels are so screw up. It doesn't help that I am losing hair much faster than usual thanks to the hormone imbalance. My fashion consultants are contemplating whether to advice me to shave off my hair or not...

Meanwhile, the hospital bill for this short 4 hours visit cost me $200.

Ouch!

And I cannot claim insurance this time round as it is out of the 3 months pre and post surgery outpatient claims as dictated by the insurance contract.

My latest bill for outpatient post op consultation and medication

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5 Top Waterfront Running Spots in Singapore ... for Unfit Runners

When it comes to running beside a body of water, there is no shortfall of running spots in Singapore. From the coastal runs of East Coast Parkway and Punggol Promenade, to the reservoir runs at MacRitchie and Pierce Reservoir.

As Unfit Runners, we look out for short 3km-5km distance runs, with nearby food amenities which allows us to feast on food which we normally avoid, using the runs as a pretext. The start and end point should preferably be near a MRT station, as those with knee injuries can take a train back to the breakfast point rather than running back. Without further ado, here are top 5 most scenic waterfront running spots in Singapore.

1. Keppel Bay - Labrador Park

This route allows us a glimpse of the wealthy lifestyle of some of the top income earners in Singapore. Yachts floating gently in Keppel bay; A luxury waterfront apartment complex designed by one of the most famous architect in the world; A park seeped with the colonial history of Singapore. There is always something to discover around here. If you need any motivation to become rich and successful in Singapore, here is the perfect running route!

Distance: 5 km

Nearest MRT: Harbourfront MRT. Labrador Park MRT

Nearest Food: Seah Imm Food Center, Vivocity

I am sure many of us won't mind owning one of these babies!

Reflections at Keppel Bay. Designed by the famous for the famous

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How to Fix a Broken Shoulder Part 3: Recovery

By Slacker | Guest Writer

Previously on How to Fix a Broken Shoulder...

"Throughout my visits to TTSH and Dr Lim, Iwas visiting the Sinseh regularly every fortnight. He would use medicine, acupuncture with heat, cupping & evenletting of blood to aid my recovery & sore muscles. There were times wherehe would put some secret Shaolin formula on my shoulder, wrap it up & toldme to leave it there for 3 days. Given the bucket loads that I sweat, I could feel the itch already..."

My Gym

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How to Fix a Broken Shoulder Part 2: Diagnosis & Treatment

By Slacker | Guest Writer

Previously on How to Fix a Broken Shoulder .....

"To my surprise, the big pain never came & I was still able to use my right hand for light tasks. Off to TTSH (Tan Tock Seng Hospital) I went but not before a bath & lunch as the wait will be way too long I'm sure. It didn't feel too bad but changing of clothes was a real wake up call if you know what I meanGiven the symptoms & my prior experience, I remember thinking that I should be back in no time but unbeknownst to me then, this split second has changed my way of life forever.."

The A&E nurses & doc were somewhat surprised at how calm & matter of fact I was (thanks to my prior experience which calls for another article). I guessed that's why she only offered pain killers (which I declined), 1 day MC & told me to reuse my old arm sling (if I can find it, it was a good 9 years back after all)!

I took it as a sign that all will be back to normal in no time. The swelling went down pretty fast & the pain & soreness were pretty much gone by the 3rd day. I found my old slings & used it primarily when commuting, just in case I get bumped by Singaporeans who are walking blindly, engrossed with their mobile devices.

On the 2nd day, I was back to work & my boss tapped on my injured shoulder hard a few times, thinking that it would be a harmless joke. I was really HIGH and I could probably hit some Celine Dion high notes. He was probably unaware how bad my injury was as I removed my sling once I reached office. 

Morale of the story: Wear your sling, made sure every Tom, Dick & Harry knows about your injury.

I later did some googling, compared the illustrations to my x-rays and concluded that the injury looks like a Type-III AC joint disruption. Generally, surgery is not performed as studies have shown that the recovery is about the same whether surgery is prescribed or not. Some people have also commented in the forums that a complete tear is less painful than a partial tear down the road as there is less contact between the bones. Wonder if I should feel happy or not, hmm...

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