Finally, after a couple of weeks of knee pain while running, this week has been free of it. Sunday's 28km was fine except for the bruised knee. Yesterday's 16km was also fine and pain free! I hope this is a good sign that things are getting better and that my legs are getting back in shape? I certainly hope so!
Yesterday saw a 37km bike session followed by 4 sets of 4km run. The pace for the 4 sets were 6:04/km, 6:05/km, 5:50/km, 5:37/km. I find that I am relatively fine and more confident in doing runs less than 20km. Anything above that, I tend to be more cautious with the pace. I think it is a mindset that I will have to get myself to overcome. Likely the lack of confidence and that I know my body has yet to be ready to take higher pace during the greater distances. Only time will tell if I am up to it. As Coach always said, slowly "chip" off the timing block.
Patience, old man, patience.
I did a swop with the training programme. I did my swim today instead. Planned to hit out 3-4km but I made a mistake of not eating something just before I got into the pool. Well into the 20+ lap, I was feeling hungry. As I went on, my arms started to feel tired. I was maintaining 1:55-1:57 per 100m pretty leisurely for about 30 laps but slowly got into 2min during the 19th and 20th 100m. My arms were trembling from the lack of food. I know my cadence had already dropped significantly. Decided to call it a day and head to Subway for a 12inch sandwich! Or maybe, its just the lazy part of me telling me to stop.
In any case, it is the time of the year again - to go back to office and do what teachers do best: mark the test papers. Long nights ahead...
Life is half spent before we know what it is. George Herbert, 1593 - 1633
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Swimming Drills
I had been skeptical about swimming drills. How can they really improve one's swimming?
Today's session with the Monday Swim Squad opened my eyes to the benefits of swimming drills. We did some sets on side flutter kicks, clenched fist front crawl, zipper or my Coach calls it "chicken wing" front crawl, paddle resistance front crawl. The moment I broke free from the drills and started swimming, I seem to find new freedom in the strokes and found myself pulling stronger and seemingly more efficient. Wow! I am beginning to see the benefits from swimming with this group!
Today's main set of 4x250m was not too bad. Should have gone slightly faster. But never mind, I have another 4km to swim tomorrow in the afternoon. I hope the weather will hold up tomorrow evening. Will be interesting if I can hold up under 2min per 100m again tomorrow.
Man! I had to change my tyres out today after about 30000km! Cant remember if it was 20000km mileage or 30. If it were 30000km, it would have been a reasonable mileage. There was bad inner wear on the rear set. No point changing only the rear because it will be only another 5000km before I have to change the front again. And I dont believe in compromising the grip of the tyres. Contemplating now whether to fit in rear camber kit to correct the negative camber which obviously is killing the tyres prematurely. The negative camber was made worse from the stock setup with the lowering of the car. Oops...
Michelin Pilot Sport 2 (PS2) is no more. The replacement is PS3. Supposedly better than the old model in wet. Was tempted to try out the Goodyear F1 Asymmetric. They were cheaper and made in Germany. PS3 is made in Thailand and more expensive. What the heck?! But decided to forgo it and use the PS3 instead.
Tyres have not run in yet. Still feels very oily on the road. Will probably need 100km to get it to grip properly. Was running down Lornie Road and did not have the confidence to do high speed corners - steering feels very light. There was a Ford Focus seemingly trying to test out my car. If the tyres had been run in, I would have smoked him much earlier round the bends. I was not trying to race him as I was in a hurry to get back home. Anyhow, not a fair game. The Focus in Singapore are after all 1.6litres and I am not a scaredy cat when it comes to car handling. What I did not like was, he put his family - including his young kid - at risk as he tried to out maneuver me.
By the way, the PS2 does not aquaplane over puddles of water - the steering stays much in the same straight line. At least when they were still very new. Recently there has been some sight twitches but not too bad. This is the same reason why I still continue the PS range. Let's see how this set goes. Hope it stays true to previous set's holding qualities.
Today's session with the Monday Swim Squad opened my eyes to the benefits of swimming drills. We did some sets on side flutter kicks, clenched fist front crawl, zipper or my Coach calls it "chicken wing" front crawl, paddle resistance front crawl. The moment I broke free from the drills and started swimming, I seem to find new freedom in the strokes and found myself pulling stronger and seemingly more efficient. Wow! I am beginning to see the benefits from swimming with this group!
Today's main set of 4x250m was not too bad. Should have gone slightly faster. But never mind, I have another 4km to swim tomorrow in the afternoon. I hope the weather will hold up tomorrow evening. Will be interesting if I can hold up under 2min per 100m again tomorrow.
***
Man! I had to change my tyres out today after about 30000km! Cant remember if it was 20000km mileage or 30. If it were 30000km, it would have been a reasonable mileage. There was bad inner wear on the rear set. No point changing only the rear because it will be only another 5000km before I have to change the front again. And I dont believe in compromising the grip of the tyres. Contemplating now whether to fit in rear camber kit to correct the negative camber which obviously is killing the tyres prematurely. The negative camber was made worse from the stock setup with the lowering of the car. Oops...
Michelin Pilot Sport 2 (PS2) is no more. The replacement is PS3. Supposedly better than the old model in wet. Was tempted to try out the Goodyear F1 Asymmetric. They were cheaper and made in Germany. PS3 is made in Thailand and more expensive. What the heck?! But decided to forgo it and use the PS3 instead.
Tyres have not run in yet. Still feels very oily on the road. Will probably need 100km to get it to grip properly. Was running down Lornie Road and did not have the confidence to do high speed corners - steering feels very light. There was a Ford Focus seemingly trying to test out my car. If the tyres had been run in, I would have smoked him much earlier round the bends. I was not trying to race him as I was in a hurry to get back home. Anyhow, not a fair game. The Focus in Singapore are after all 1.6litres and I am not a scaredy cat when it comes to car handling. What I did not like was, he put his family - including his young kid - at risk as he tried to out maneuver me.
By the way, the PS2 does not aquaplane over puddles of water - the steering stays much in the same straight line. At least when they were still very new. Recently there has been some sight twitches but not too bad. This is the same reason why I still continue the PS range. Let's see how this set goes. Hope it stays true to previous set's holding qualities.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Cool Run
Started out on the run in the morning today. Need to rest more for the rest of the day and get ready for the crazy term to start. Not quite ready mentally but definitely rested well for the last 4 weeks.
Started out with the bruised knee complaining but bearable nonetheless. Warmed up for 4km at 6:35/km pace. Nice and easy. Thereafter, strangely, the HR started to drop, yet again. Just like last week. But I think this time is really due to the cool weather. Drizzled a bit as I moved on but nothing torrential. But on the u-turn trip, noticed that the roads were pretty wet. God must have been good and kept the rain off my head as I went about my run.
Planned to do a 14km before uturning but at 13.5km mark, saw whole troop of monkeys by the railings and changed my mind. So had to do 1km loop around my block. By the end of the 24km run excluding the 4km warm up, I completed the run at 6:32/km. A good pace for my marathon in the ironman, I hope. More base running coming up. Next Sunday will be a 30km base run again. More more more! Then this will keep my legs conditioned to run long. 5 more months to WA and counting.
Started out with the bruised knee complaining but bearable nonetheless. Warmed up for 4km at 6:35/km pace. Nice and easy. Thereafter, strangely, the HR started to drop, yet again. Just like last week. But I think this time is really due to the cool weather. Drizzled a bit as I moved on but nothing torrential. But on the u-turn trip, noticed that the roads were pretty wet. God must have been good and kept the rain off my head as I went about my run.
Planned to do a 14km before uturning but at 13.5km mark, saw whole troop of monkeys by the railings and changed my mind. So had to do 1km loop around my block. By the end of the 24km run excluding the 4km warm up, I completed the run at 6:32/km. A good pace for my marathon in the ironman, I hope. More base running coming up. Next Sunday will be a 30km base run again. More more more! Then this will keep my legs conditioned to run long. 5 more months to WA and counting.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Sleepy...
Oh dear. And term is going to start, which means going to start work. Dont think I can get use to the regime of waking up at 6am yet... I know I will get use to it, but how I wish there is no need to...
Anyway, I work up at 5ish to ride. Feeling sleepy despite turning in at 2330 last night. Did 85km on the usual route, but did NTU Nanyang Drive double hump climb and the long climb at the back of the university. Thereafter, met some riders at West Coast Highway. 2 of them were pretty steady riders. Another on yellow Dogma. Hmm... Nevermind...
Tried the South Buona Vista Road up for the first time because had to hit the planned mileage. Nice ride up. Always thought it was a difficult ride up but turned out not to be the case. Easy climb and should ride up fast or beware the wrath of the drivers behind.
Did a 8km run thereafter with 6min/km pace. Just nice. It was a comfortable run. Yesterday had my sports masseur to come over. Yup, my sports massage is done at home. Save me the time of travelling. Has been on going since last year's training. Usually I do it once a month, till one month before IM race - once in 2 weeks and always once more just before I fly off. He helped loosen the muscles and cleared the clogged up some of the scarring. Legs felt so much better today. Perhaps thats why the run was nice.
Am still feeling sleepy. Darn!
Anyway, I work up at 5ish to ride. Feeling sleepy despite turning in at 2330 last night. Did 85km on the usual route, but did NTU Nanyang Drive double hump climb and the long climb at the back of the university. Thereafter, met some riders at West Coast Highway. 2 of them were pretty steady riders. Another on yellow Dogma. Hmm... Nevermind...
Tried the South Buona Vista Road up for the first time because had to hit the planned mileage. Nice ride up. Always thought it was a difficult ride up but turned out not to be the case. Easy climb and should ride up fast or beware the wrath of the drivers behind.
Did a 8km run thereafter with 6min/km pace. Just nice. It was a comfortable run. Yesterday had my sports masseur to come over. Yup, my sports massage is done at home. Save me the time of travelling. Has been on going since last year's training. Usually I do it once a month, till one month before IM race - once in 2 weeks and always once more just before I fly off. He helped loosen the muscles and cleared the clogged up some of the scarring. Legs felt so much better today. Perhaps thats why the run was nice.
Am still feeling sleepy. Darn!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Realities of Corporate Life
Picked up an autobiography over the weekend, of a former big shot in a big advertising firm, JWT. Michael Gates Gill wrote about his life in "How Starbucks Saved My Life".
Simple and easy reading after a day's outing in the sun and rain - like I mentioned before, the weather had really been totally unpredictable. I am almost done with the book. My greatest takeaway is this: no matter how secure your current job is, it may be one for life. Contributions may have been much, but once your time is up, you will have to get ready to go. This is the reality of corporate life. Michael Gill spent 25 years slogging for the company and gave up watching his kids grow up. As a parent, I feel his pain. I watched my kids grow up. And I enjoyed it very much - although sometimes I wish they would grow up faster and be out of the house - more often I enjoyed interacting with them and appreciate how they naively see the world to be. It was also through his down and out moments that he learnt to appreciate the little things in life. Even a simple "thank you" to the cleaners would make a difference to their lives. How often have we forgotten that these so called "lowly" jobs are held by human beings like ourselves? We are no different from them really.
I want to live my life to the fullest, knowing that I have made the best out of it. I have done an ironman - and more to come, of course; I have trekked 4500m up a mountain and admire the glory of God's creation along the way - touristy route, no doubt but the gasping for air was real for a newbie like me; I have bungyed 70m (I think, and at that point in time, I thought I was diving off the top of Everest); I have seen the beauty of Yosemite and the Grand Canyon - both really took my breath away, the sheer grandeur of them. I have more to do and hope to do them in my lifetime. These are what enriches me and keeps me happy. Now, this is experiential learning and living. Life's experiences, not something that you can check out from the books.
I did my bike trainer session in the morning because it was pouring. It didnt stop till lunch time. But I did not manage to complete the session because I had to bring my family out for lunch as well as to run some errands. Grudgingly definitely, but had to remind myself that this is part and parcel of working family ironman.
In any case, I did my swim in evening. Wife had been on leave for the past 3 days. This really freed up my time to do the sessions. I could leave my kids to play in the public pool with my wife looking after while I lapped up 200m of warm up and 3km of ironman pace swim. It was a great session I must say, consistently clocking 1:55 on average per 100m. This is about 15s faster than last year while training for WA 2009. I guess it was great! Totally unexpected because I thought I would have been trounced from yesterday's 165km bike ride. So all is well so far. I think I have missed just the Monday squad swimming session and my running interval training.
Like my Coach always says, life goes on; we do what we can. Somehow I think I must have rubbed off this attitude and translated it to the way I lead my life now. Which might just have explained why I have become more forgiving.
Yes, for all things that happen, life goes on; we do what we can.
Simple and easy reading after a day's outing in the sun and rain - like I mentioned before, the weather had really been totally unpredictable. I am almost done with the book. My greatest takeaway is this: no matter how secure your current job is, it may be one for life. Contributions may have been much, but once your time is up, you will have to get ready to go. This is the reality of corporate life. Michael Gill spent 25 years slogging for the company and gave up watching his kids grow up. As a parent, I feel his pain. I watched my kids grow up. And I enjoyed it very much - although sometimes I wish they would grow up faster and be out of the house - more often I enjoyed interacting with them and appreciate how they naively see the world to be. It was also through his down and out moments that he learnt to appreciate the little things in life. Even a simple "thank you" to the cleaners would make a difference to their lives. How often have we forgotten that these so called "lowly" jobs are held by human beings like ourselves? We are no different from them really.
I want to live my life to the fullest, knowing that I have made the best out of it. I have done an ironman - and more to come, of course; I have trekked 4500m up a mountain and admire the glory of God's creation along the way - touristy route, no doubt but the gasping for air was real for a newbie like me; I have bungyed 70m (I think, and at that point in time, I thought I was diving off the top of Everest); I have seen the beauty of Yosemite and the Grand Canyon - both really took my breath away, the sheer grandeur of them. I have more to do and hope to do them in my lifetime. These are what enriches me and keeps me happy. Now, this is experiential learning and living. Life's experiences, not something that you can check out from the books.
***
I did my bike trainer session in the morning because it was pouring. It didnt stop till lunch time. But I did not manage to complete the session because I had to bring my family out for lunch as well as to run some errands. Grudgingly definitely, but had to remind myself that this is part and parcel of working family ironman.
In any case, I did my swim in evening. Wife had been on leave for the past 3 days. This really freed up my time to do the sessions. I could leave my kids to play in the public pool with my wife looking after while I lapped up 200m of warm up and 3km of ironman pace swim. It was a great session I must say, consistently clocking 1:55 on average per 100m. This is about 15s faster than last year while training for WA 2009. I guess it was great! Totally unexpected because I thought I would have been trounced from yesterday's 165km bike ride. So all is well so far. I think I have missed just the Monday squad swimming session and my running interval training.
Like my Coach always says, life goes on; we do what we can. Somehow I think I must have rubbed off this attitude and translated it to the way I lead my life now. Which might just have explained why I have become more forgiving.
Yes, for all things that happen, life goes on; we do what we can.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Overdue Ride
Completed 165km ride and a 5km run, saddle time of 6h15min and run time of 5:39/km pace. Too fast an ironman pace for me. Will have to take it easy. So many close shaves riding on weekday mornings. I realise that it is not advisable to ride on weekdays. Traffic is just too heavy and probability of meeting assholes on the road is simply too high.
I realised that with ironman training, I have really become more patient. Even my wife agreed on that. For instance, this young idiot tail gated me for no reason and when he overtook me, wound down his window and stared at me. My 1st instinct was to give him the middle finger and if it boils down to a fist fight, seriously, I think I could have seriously wounded him. After all, I do have muay thai self defence. 4 years of that. But I decided to stay calm and continue on my way. In no way was I in his way? He was filtering onto the main road which I was on, from a side road. I was already in front of him. I dont think I have committed any offence. In any case, yes, I think there are assholes and there are assholes. Take a look at this.
This is just one of the few idiots who plough the streets which we as cyclists share the roads with. Seriously, if road tax equates to more right of the road, then I will probably deserve the road more than 50% of the other drivers. I am quite sure my road tax supercedes more than 50% of the cars on the roads. So really, paying road tax is in no way equal to more right to use the roads.
I digress. I have become more patient because I use to drive and curse other stupid drivers. But I have reduced that by a lot and give and take more. Perhaps its age? Perhaps its fatigue? There is no point in trying to influence common sense to others. It is such a lost cause. I am hoping that one fine day, common sense will seep into the minds of these people and see the light. The world is not just about them.
I realised that with ironman training, I have really become more patient. Even my wife agreed on that. For instance, this young idiot tail gated me for no reason and when he overtook me, wound down his window and stared at me. My 1st instinct was to give him the middle finger and if it boils down to a fist fight, seriously, I think I could have seriously wounded him. After all, I do have muay thai self defence. 4 years of that. But I decided to stay calm and continue on my way. In no way was I in his way? He was filtering onto the main road which I was on, from a side road. I was already in front of him. I dont think I have committed any offence. In any case, yes, I think there are assholes and there are assholes. Take a look at this.
This is just one of the few idiots who plough the streets which we as cyclists share the roads with. Seriously, if road tax equates to more right of the road, then I will probably deserve the road more than 50% of the other drivers. I am quite sure my road tax supercedes more than 50% of the cars on the roads. So really, paying road tax is in no way equal to more right to use the roads.
I digress. I have become more patient because I use to drive and curse other stupid drivers. But I have reduced that by a lot and give and take more. Perhaps its age? Perhaps its fatigue? There is no point in trying to influence common sense to others. It is such a lost cause. I am hoping that one fine day, common sense will seep into the minds of these people and see the light. The world is not just about them.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
NorthFace 50km Duo
Finally! Found a colleague to run with me for the 50km duo - 25km each. What is exciting about it is that I will be doing Newton 30km the next day. If I am able to cover this distance over the weekend, I think my legs will be in pretty good shape. Definitely not fast, but for the time being I just want to be able to cover the mileage.
Understand that NorthFace route is pretty crazy. 10km worth of rolling terrain in some army training ground. Not sure if it is suppose to be all trail though. But nonetheless, it will be a good training regime for myself in preparation for the ironman at the end of the year. Yes, am looking forward to the WA race already. I will have to change my mindset and make sure that every ironman that I go to will have to count, regardless if the route has been done before or not. Even if not for the course, it will be the bettering of my own record from last year.
Like I told my friends, in the ironman race, myself and the clock are my own competitors. All else do not matter. Here's a toast to the preparation for IMWA 2010!
Understand that NorthFace route is pretty crazy. 10km worth of rolling terrain in some army training ground. Not sure if it is suppose to be all trail though. But nonetheless, it will be a good training regime for myself in preparation for the ironman at the end of the year. Yes, am looking forward to the WA race already. I will have to change my mindset and make sure that every ironman that I go to will have to count, regardless if the route has been done before or not. Even if not for the course, it will be the bettering of my own record from last year.
Like I told my friends, in the ironman race, myself and the clock are my own competitors. All else do not matter. Here's a toast to the preparation for IMWA 2010!
Weather Is Bonkers!
Is this not suppose to be the driest period of the year in Singapore? Just last week the rain resulted in a "flash flood" - which by the way was totally unheard of - and flooded portion of district 10, Orchard Road? Killed millions of dollars worth of cars parked at the basement in town. Caused millions more of damage to the eateries as well. It rained havoc thereafter and today again!
Monday was suppose to do a swim with the tri blokes but stuck at home to look after my kids. So took it as a rest day. Tuesday was suppose to do a long bike BUT fanciful The Bike Boutique (TBB) says bike not ready for collection till afternoon of that day. In the end, I did my swim sets, 400m warm up, 400m kicks, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m, 2x50m, 6x50m and 200m warm down. Not too bad a session, managed to keep to 1:55 per 100m.
And now more about TBB. When I wanted to collect the bike on Monday, "for safety reasons" I was told not to rush the job and collect on Tuesday. Fine. For my own safety, I wont rush them. Went on my planned 170km ride today after collecting bike yesterday. Guess what? My seat post slipped on the 20th km and continued slipping all the way till 30th km where I stopped to ask my wife to pick me up. There was no way I could continue riding all the way back to TBB and get it fixed up because that's another 30km away. Plus, I looked like a fool riding in that position. And TBB does not have my seat height - this is with ELITE.
I was FURIOUS! I dont think these people get it, by botching up my training regime, it means that I will have to lose some other sessions because I cannot do 2 long sessions back to back. I was already squeezed out by not riding long on Tuesday already and now THIS? I planned to get into TBB to scold these incompetent guys but thought the better and went straight to ELITE. Save my energy on something more positive. The best thing was this: I got SMS from the boutique manager and he said that all nuts were checked and seat post was torqued in at 4Nm. No apology, nothing. He simply sided his mechanics. Although he offered to send the bike mechanic to where I was to fix it up, by then I had already come back from ELITE. And that was 2 hours after I SMS him.
You know, I really am giving up on our local TBB. Although Cervelo is touted as a popular brand, I think the shop does not take care of the owners. If a bike shop treats a bike as just another bike and takes no ownership, how can an owner who paid big bucks for it be satisfied? I was speaking to ELITE, many Cervelo owners are turning to them for servicing. After all, the head mechanic for Cervelo is now with ELITE.
Having said that, I think Singapore has many such bike shops that are only interested in making the money and that's it. Service ends when the bike rolls out of the shop. I am pretty sure that this is not the only industry with such an attitude. Face it, customer service has always been frowned upon by corporates because they do not bring in tangible P&L. It is always about the bottom line.
Anyway, I planned to swim after the botched up ride. But the rain is here to wreck havoc again. Mother Nature must be telling us something. Mess with the environment, bear Her wrath...
Monday was suppose to do a swim with the tri blokes but stuck at home to look after my kids. So took it as a rest day. Tuesday was suppose to do a long bike BUT fanciful The Bike Boutique (TBB) says bike not ready for collection till afternoon of that day. In the end, I did my swim sets, 400m warm up, 400m kicks, 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m, 2x50m, 6x50m and 200m warm down. Not too bad a session, managed to keep to 1:55 per 100m.
And now more about TBB. When I wanted to collect the bike on Monday, "for safety reasons" I was told not to rush the job and collect on Tuesday. Fine. For my own safety, I wont rush them. Went on my planned 170km ride today after collecting bike yesterday. Guess what? My seat post slipped on the 20th km and continued slipping all the way till 30th km where I stopped to ask my wife to pick me up. There was no way I could continue riding all the way back to TBB and get it fixed up because that's another 30km away. Plus, I looked like a fool riding in that position. And TBB does not have my seat height - this is with ELITE.
I was FURIOUS! I dont think these people get it, by botching up my training regime, it means that I will have to lose some other sessions because I cannot do 2 long sessions back to back. I was already squeezed out by not riding long on Tuesday already and now THIS? I planned to get into TBB to scold these incompetent guys but thought the better and went straight to ELITE. Save my energy on something more positive. The best thing was this: I got SMS from the boutique manager and he said that all nuts were checked and seat post was torqued in at 4Nm. No apology, nothing. He simply sided his mechanics. Although he offered to send the bike mechanic to where I was to fix it up, by then I had already come back from ELITE. And that was 2 hours after I SMS him.
You know, I really am giving up on our local TBB. Although Cervelo is touted as a popular brand, I think the shop does not take care of the owners. If a bike shop treats a bike as just another bike and takes no ownership, how can an owner who paid big bucks for it be satisfied? I was speaking to ELITE, many Cervelo owners are turning to them for servicing. After all, the head mechanic for Cervelo is now with ELITE.
Having said that, I think Singapore has many such bike shops that are only interested in making the money and that's it. Service ends when the bike rolls out of the shop. I am pretty sure that this is not the only industry with such an attitude. Face it, customer service has always been frowned upon by corporates because they do not bring in tangible P&L. It is always about the bottom line.
Anyway, I planned to swim after the botched up ride. But the rain is here to wreck havoc again. Mother Nature must be telling us something. Mess with the environment, bear Her wrath...
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Soothing Music and Video
Family friend brought bluray disc on Andrea Bocelli's Vivere Live in Tuscany to my home for viewing...
Wow! The backdrop of the landscape was simply picture perfect. Accompanied by the voices of Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Heather Headley, the dusk was absolutely stunning! I have not tried watching the concert in my theatre room, but the effect was simply mesmerising. Did not realise there can be such a picturesque concert available. With the HD recording, I could even see Heather Headley run her hands through her hair and pulled out a strand!
It struke a note within me - the desire to turn audiophile. The good thing was, I have a remedy: my pocket aint deep enough to get into expensive audio systems. I will get by with what I have now. And for years to come. Frankly, I am quite happy with what I have already. So there is really no need, nor ability to get anything more luxurious. It is important to live within my means.
It was a great night of rest and relax after 25km base run in the afternoon. Fortunately, the weather was not too humid. The knock on the left knee was not fully recovered, but it could sustain the slow pace pounding. It has always been slow, especially for 20km and above, anyway. Sigh... Did a 5km warm up and straight 20km run at pace of 6:24/km. Completed the 25km in 2:43:31. I need to reduce this to 2:30 really soon. My target is to hit 6min/km for 30km. It is just not starting to show yet. Newton 30km run is coming soon...
Wow! The backdrop of the landscape was simply picture perfect. Accompanied by the voices of Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Heather Headley, the dusk was absolutely stunning! I have not tried watching the concert in my theatre room, but the effect was simply mesmerising. Did not realise there can be such a picturesque concert available. With the HD recording, I could even see Heather Headley run her hands through her hair and pulled out a strand!
It struke a note within me - the desire to turn audiophile. The good thing was, I have a remedy: my pocket aint deep enough to get into expensive audio systems. I will get by with what I have now. And for years to come. Frankly, I am quite happy with what I have already. So there is really no need, nor ability to get anything more luxurious. It is important to live within my means.
It was a great night of rest and relax after 25km base run in the afternoon. Fortunately, the weather was not too humid. The knock on the left knee was not fully recovered, but it could sustain the slow pace pounding. It has always been slow, especially for 20km and above, anyway. Sigh... Did a 5km warm up and straight 20km run at pace of 6:24/km. Completed the 25km in 2:43:31. I need to reduce this to 2:30 really soon. My target is to hit 6min/km for 30km. It is just not starting to show yet. Newton 30km run is coming soon...
Friday, June 18, 2010
Crashed Again!
Coach gave me a 60km ride with 8km run. But never made it back more than 40km.
The truck driver headed out from left side road without looking at traffic in my direction. I know that because I saw the back of his head - he was attempting to cut out to the main road in the direction opposite me. I was heading up the road at 30kph and picking up pace when the accident happened - just confirmed with the updated software.
Anyway, I braked but the road was wet, the rear tyre skidded and both bike and me were sent crashing onto the floor. Left hip, left thigh and left side of rib cage had abrasions; left shoulder very sore; left knee had some cuts and probably bruised too. Overall, it was quite a getaway considered that I was sliding on the tarmac.
The good thing was that the driver stopped to help. Most would have scooted off I presume. I didnt even have the chance to feel any emotions. I was just nursing my wounds for a while and getting over the shock that I was still alive. He even sent me to the clinic and sent me home thereafter.
Throughout the incident, I figured that it was no point getting angry with him or even get him to compensate for anything - he already had paid for the clinic's dressing fee. After all, it was an accident and never in any accident, would anybody said that they wanted it to happen. He knew he was in the wrong and apologised. So I let the matter rest.
I did send the bike in to TBB to be checked, in case there were any cracks. Apparently, bike is fine and I will live to ride it probably a few days later.
Lesson learnt: no more fast riding when there are small roads around. It is not worth any injuries nor life. If HR goes down, so be it. If I have to slow down, at least I will live to ride the next day - there is nothing to prove. I should be able to resume my run on Sunday, I hope. Yes, injuries were not major. Thank God!
The truck driver headed out from left side road without looking at traffic in my direction. I know that because I saw the back of his head - he was attempting to cut out to the main road in the direction opposite me. I was heading up the road at 30kph and picking up pace when the accident happened - just confirmed with the updated software.
Anyway, I braked but the road was wet, the rear tyre skidded and both bike and me were sent crashing onto the floor. Left hip, left thigh and left side of rib cage had abrasions; left shoulder very sore; left knee had some cuts and probably bruised too. Overall, it was quite a getaway considered that I was sliding on the tarmac.
The good thing was that the driver stopped to help. Most would have scooted off I presume. I didnt even have the chance to feel any emotions. I was just nursing my wounds for a while and getting over the shock that I was still alive. He even sent me to the clinic and sent me home thereafter.
Throughout the incident, I figured that it was no point getting angry with him or even get him to compensate for anything - he already had paid for the clinic's dressing fee. After all, it was an accident and never in any accident, would anybody said that they wanted it to happen. He knew he was in the wrong and apologised. So I let the matter rest.
I did send the bike in to TBB to be checked, in case there were any cracks. Apparently, bike is fine and I will live to ride it probably a few days later.
Lesson learnt: no more fast riding when there are small roads around. It is not worth any injuries nor life. If HR goes down, so be it. If I have to slow down, at least I will live to ride the next day - there is nothing to prove. I should be able to resume my run on Sunday, I hope. Yes, injuries were not major. Thank God!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Fatigue!
Tried to swim yesterday afternoon. Tore parking coupons for 1.5hrs, paid to enter the pool, swam 4 laps and gave up. I was just too tired to continue. I did not feel up to it so I called it a day. Planned to swop the programme with today's and in the end, I skipped the bike trainer session at night as well. Darn!
But I feel better today. Brought my kids to the doctors for eye and dental check up. Rested in the afternoon and early evening I was back in the pool doing up my laps. 400m warm up, 400m kicks, 5x200m averaging 3:30 per set, 5x100m averaging 1:45 per set, 10x50m averaging 50s per lap, 4x50m some routine swimming and 200m of warm down. Fantastic! Felt good during the swim. Looks like the rest yesterday had done me wonders! Girls were with me during the swim but they were playing in the baby pool. They havent had this for a long time. Their swims had been serious laps and lesson every Sunday. Gone were the recreational stuff. I suppose it was a good free time for them in the sun and the water. Nice to bring smiles to their faces and not the tired look every Sunday.
Waited till wife came back and I did my run intervals. 2km warm up, 4x1km with 2min rest in between, 4x500m with 2min rest in between, 8x100m with 1 min rest in between, 8x50m run through with 1min rest in between, 1km warm down. I was very pleased with the pace! Today was an exceptional day for training! Did the 1km in 4:57/km, 4:41/km, 4:32/km, 4:19/km. The 500m splits were just slightly faster and I was not panting? Breathing hard and that was it. Wow! Felt I could go even harder just that I know I have another session tomorrow. In any case, Coach capped it at 80-85%. BUT I would not be able to do too well in the IPPT 2.4km run? I suppose my timing will only be in the range of 10:30 - 10:45 perhaps? Darn! I wont get GOLD! Oh well. Train harder then. But it was a good day nonetheless! Scale of 1 to 10, today was a 9.5!
But I feel better today. Brought my kids to the doctors for eye and dental check up. Rested in the afternoon and early evening I was back in the pool doing up my laps. 400m warm up, 400m kicks, 5x200m averaging 3:30 per set, 5x100m averaging 1:45 per set, 10x50m averaging 50s per lap, 4x50m some routine swimming and 200m of warm down. Fantastic! Felt good during the swim. Looks like the rest yesterday had done me wonders! Girls were with me during the swim but they were playing in the baby pool. They havent had this for a long time. Their swims had been serious laps and lesson every Sunday. Gone were the recreational stuff. I suppose it was a good free time for them in the sun and the water. Nice to bring smiles to their faces and not the tired look every Sunday.
Waited till wife came back and I did my run intervals. 2km warm up, 4x1km with 2min rest in between, 4x500m with 2min rest in between, 8x100m with 1 min rest in between, 8x50m run through with 1min rest in between, 1km warm down. I was very pleased with the pace! Today was an exceptional day for training! Did the 1km in 4:57/km, 4:41/km, 4:32/km, 4:19/km. The 500m splits were just slightly faster and I was not panting? Breathing hard and that was it. Wow! Felt I could go even harder just that I know I have another session tomorrow. In any case, Coach capped it at 80-85%. BUT I would not be able to do too well in the IPPT 2.4km run? I suppose my timing will only be in the range of 10:30 - 10:45 perhaps? Darn! I wont get GOLD! Oh well. Train harder then. But it was a good day nonetheless! Scale of 1 to 10, today was a 9.5!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Reconciliation
Another cold and wet day. My swim and run have been put on hold. Doesnt look like it will be stopping anytime soon?
I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I will have few M Dot races to do. It is heart wrenching but there are other ironman distance races in the calendar. For now, I am deciding between 3 K226 races. One in Bergen (Norway), one in Hannover-Limmer, and another in Moritzburg. The last 2 in Germany.
Good thing about the K226 races is that they are not as expensive as the M Dot ones, after all, they are not branded. As a consequence, these races also will not have slots for Kona. However, it being Europe, the cost for me to get there will be considered as very high. Looks like I will be getting there on my own and probably leaving the family behind.
Having said that, these European races seems very cold. Norway is after all home to Norseman Triathlon - world's hardest ironman distance triathlon. Bergen triathlon website stated that the sea temperature ranges from 16 to 18 degrees celsius. Western Australia was 20-22 degrees last year and my ear drums already hurt so bad during my pre race swim. I shudder at the thought of 16-18! Bike and run segments have temperature ranging from 10 - 25 degrees celsius!
I probably cant prepare my training for the climate. But I will have to get there with proper body warming gear. This I will have to learn along the way. Frankly, this is exciting for me! It will be a whole new experience for myself. Hmm... as I write this, I am getting all perked up again! Heck M Dot for the time being, seems like I will be doing these K226 races for the next few years to come! Hoo arhh!
I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I will have few M Dot races to do. It is heart wrenching but there are other ironman distance races in the calendar. For now, I am deciding between 3 K226 races. One in Bergen (Norway), one in Hannover-Limmer, and another in Moritzburg. The last 2 in Germany.
Good thing about the K226 races is that they are not as expensive as the M Dot ones, after all, they are not branded. As a consequence, these races also will not have slots for Kona. However, it being Europe, the cost for me to get there will be considered as very high. Looks like I will be getting there on my own and probably leaving the family behind.
Having said that, these European races seems very cold. Norway is after all home to Norseman Triathlon - world's hardest ironman distance triathlon. Bergen triathlon website stated that the sea temperature ranges from 16 to 18 degrees celsius. Western Australia was 20-22 degrees last year and my ear drums already hurt so bad during my pre race swim. I shudder at the thought of 16-18! Bike and run segments have temperature ranging from 10 - 25 degrees celsius!
I probably cant prepare my training for the climate. But I will have to get there with proper body warming gear. This I will have to learn along the way. Frankly, this is exciting for me! It will be a whole new experience for myself. Hmm... as I write this, I am getting all perked up again! Heck M Dot for the time being, seems like I will be doing these K226 races for the next few years to come! Hoo arhh!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wet Ride Yet Again
Raining cats and dogs in the west. Riding in the rain was really painful because of the heavy raindrops. Strong wind made it tiring to get the bike going with the water sloshing over the wheels too. Had to take shelter at an abandoned bus stop along the 40 lamp posts at LCK.
Did a 155km ride today. The usual route, except that I headed towards coastal after West Coast Highway. Needed to do some flats so that I can keep my HR up. Had some sets of HR training to do. Surprisingly, I felt fine throughout the ride. Threw in some slopes at Old CCK, NTU and Faber, legs still felt fine. Speed on the flats were pretty decent too. I was able to get HR up quite easily.
Following which was a 4km run at 5:33/km pace. Speed was picking up during the run, but I reminded myself that I have to run at a pace comfortable to complete 42km. And 5:33/km is not exactly comfortable pace for me. It was alright for a 4km run, perhaps a 10km run, but that was it. At some sections I slowed down so that my HR wont shoot up too much.
Last night had a swim with the tri blokes. Had a 1.5km time trial, I did it in 28:43, but this was really not as good as the other blokes. They were all overtaking me after the 800m mark or something like that? But it was ironman pace for myself and if I were able to keep the pace up, it would have been a decent 3.8km swim in the ironman race. Oh well, I dont swim that often to justify a good swim time. I will have to live with it. Looking forward to improve more with the squad. I just need to keep my arms cadence higher, as well as glide more.
Did a 155km ride today. The usual route, except that I headed towards coastal after West Coast Highway. Needed to do some flats so that I can keep my HR up. Had some sets of HR training to do. Surprisingly, I felt fine throughout the ride. Threw in some slopes at Old CCK, NTU and Faber, legs still felt fine. Speed on the flats were pretty decent too. I was able to get HR up quite easily.
Following which was a 4km run at 5:33/km pace. Speed was picking up during the run, but I reminded myself that I have to run at a pace comfortable to complete 42km. And 5:33/km is not exactly comfortable pace for me. It was alright for a 4km run, perhaps a 10km run, but that was it. At some sections I slowed down so that my HR wont shoot up too much.
Last night had a swim with the tri blokes. Had a 1.5km time trial, I did it in 28:43, but this was really not as good as the other blokes. They were all overtaking me after the 800m mark or something like that? But it was ironman pace for myself and if I were able to keep the pace up, it would have been a decent 3.8km swim in the ironman race. Oh well, I dont swim that often to justify a good swim time. I will have to live with it. Looking forward to improve more with the squad. I just need to keep my arms cadence higher, as well as glide more.
Is it worth the trouble?
The ironman race is about the physical and mental demands. But at the same time, it is also about the different races with different demands and strategies as well as the different types of training preparation.
Western Australia runs a flat course on the bike leg but it boasts of heat as well as string winds. Japan has rolling bike terrain which force me to train differently, but of course in the end, I did not experience that race. St George at Utah was mountainous, very windy and cold throughout the whole race. Lanzarote claims itself to be the hardest M Dot sanctioned triathlon race.
I want to experience other races besides WA and I actually requested for permission to take part in one of the races that will be held during term time. I will have to seek clearance as to how my work can be offset somehow during that period and likely deemed to be a selfish move. Frankly, I understand from that perspective that it can get pretty disruptive and selfish. And probably, I will not be following through the cause, as much as I would want to.
I cant expect others to understand that ironman is now a drug - check out Chrissie Wellington's June post on 220 Triathlon, where she has a column - and it is addictive for me. I love to put myself through the different challenges. It also forces myself to remain positive and motivated in the training regime. It is frustrating to know that there are so many other beautiful and demanding courses out there that I am not able to experience. So, is it worth the trouble with the college? With the people I have to report to and their type of mindset, no. As such, I think I will just let the matter go. It is no point trying to convince them anymore. A leader who dares not, does not. No further elaboration.
So it will be good bye Lanzarote 2011. Maybe next time...
Likely, it will have to be Bergen 2011, Norway, a non M Dot ironman distance triathlon. It is going to be a cold, cold race... Not ideal for Asians I must say. But what other choices do I have?
Western Australia runs a flat course on the bike leg but it boasts of heat as well as string winds. Japan has rolling bike terrain which force me to train differently, but of course in the end, I did not experience that race. St George at Utah was mountainous, very windy and cold throughout the whole race. Lanzarote claims itself to be the hardest M Dot sanctioned triathlon race.
I want to experience other races besides WA and I actually requested for permission to take part in one of the races that will be held during term time. I will have to seek clearance as to how my work can be offset somehow during that period and likely deemed to be a selfish move. Frankly, I understand from that perspective that it can get pretty disruptive and selfish. And probably, I will not be following through the cause, as much as I would want to.
I cant expect others to understand that ironman is now a drug - check out Chrissie Wellington's June post on 220 Triathlon, where she has a column - and it is addictive for me. I love to put myself through the different challenges. It also forces myself to remain positive and motivated in the training regime. It is frustrating to know that there are so many other beautiful and demanding courses out there that I am not able to experience. So, is it worth the trouble with the college? With the people I have to report to and their type of mindset, no. As such, I think I will just let the matter go. It is no point trying to convince them anymore. A leader who dares not, does not. No further elaboration.
So it will be good bye Lanzarote 2011. Maybe next time...
Likely, it will have to be Bergen 2011, Norway, a non M Dot ironman distance triathlon. It is going to be a cold, cold race... Not ideal for Asians I must say. But what other choices do I have?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Day After...
Cool and wet. Weather was just that.
I went out on my 24km run nonetheless. Hey, I just remembered that I was suppose to be doing my ironman in Japan today! Oh well, now that that is over, I plough on with my daily routine. It was a good outing on the run. A bit of drizzle, got my shoes slightly damp, but nothing very serious. Came back from the run and legs were not aching, so that is a good sign. Knees were alright too. Which is just great and comforting that I probably have not been stretching myself sufficiently after runs. Now I have been more diligent and discipline in doing so.
Split the run into 3 parts, 4km warm up and 10km x 2. Planned some HR but the HR just would not pick up. Only managed to pick up at the end of the 2nd set of 10km. Pace was alright though. Could be the nice weather? Warmed up with 6:13/km pace, followed by 6:02/km and 5:32/km for the 3 parts. When can I do a 5:00/km and followed by a 4:30/km pace for 2x10km runs? I want to improve more, more and more. Seems like I have been stuck with the 5:30/km pace for a while already. 10min in a 10km run seems really hard to cut down.
I went out on my 24km run nonetheless. Hey, I just remembered that I was suppose to be doing my ironman in Japan today! Oh well, now that that is over, I plough on with my daily routine. It was a good outing on the run. A bit of drizzle, got my shoes slightly damp, but nothing very serious. Came back from the run and legs were not aching, so that is a good sign. Knees were alright too. Which is just great and comforting that I probably have not been stretching myself sufficiently after runs. Now I have been more diligent and discipline in doing so.
Split the run into 3 parts, 4km warm up and 10km x 2. Planned some HR but the HR just would not pick up. Only managed to pick up at the end of the 2nd set of 10km. Pace was alright though. Could be the nice weather? Warmed up with 6:13/km pace, followed by 6:02/km and 5:32/km for the 3 parts. When can I do a 5:00/km and followed by a 4:30/km pace for 2x10km runs? I want to improve more, more and more. Seems like I have been stuck with the 5:30/km pace for a while already. 10min in a 10km run seems really hard to cut down.
Together Time
It was not very often that me and my wife have our own time without the kids. The kids are great company, really. *minus the unusually often fights between them, the constant reminders to behave, the screw ups in school work, blah blah blah...* Really. Parenthood brings out a different perspective of life - one that reminds ourselves that we do not live for ourselves but for others around us as well.
Wife and I had a night out at Fullerton Hotel. Exquisite and quaint hotel I must say. Comes with a rich historical story behind the building. Came with a 4 course dinner that was pretty sumptuous, just that the carb was too little for me? But fortunately, knowing myself very well, I had my predinner out of the hotel. *I am after all still taking in 4-5 meals a day, of high carb diet*
I did go on my Sentosa swim in the morning with the tri guys. Good time hanging out and swimming. Decided against wet suit and went on tri suit swim instead. Didnt tire myself too much for the celebration. Which was good.
Appetiser - salad with mozzarella cheese.
Wine - very young wine and quite harsh on the palette as a result. I have stopped drinking for a while already and cant appreciate it very much now. Not much of a connoisseur anyway.
Main course - I had my beef steak while my wife had her black cod.
Dessert - Tiramisu good during the initial part then the sugar just got the better of me. I suppose age has caught with me pretty fast? I dont really like desserts for a long time already. Probably the only sweet stuff that I eat are my gels and chocolates as snacks.
Anniversary special from hotel - so yes, chocolates are my favourite. But I dont over indulge in them.
Friday, June 11, 2010
11 years and counting
Tomorrow will be my 11th year of marriage. In a blink of an eye, both of us have turned 37 years old. There were ups and downs during this period, especially so when we just started out in our career and got married 2 years after I started teaching. It was not easy especially for the private sector at that time when the world economy was in shambles. But we have lived it through and here we are, none richer than before, but comfortable enough lifestyle.
What I am proud to say is that all that we have now, are purely built up by ourselves, with no help from both our parents. Of course, it would have been nice to have some financial assistance but we were not born with silver spoons in our mouths. Our parents will lead their retirement lives comfortably, not luxuriously definitely, but sufficiently. They are still in good health, thankfully and hope they will have more good golden years to come. So yes, with God's blessings, here we are, experiencing what many other families will enjoy - with roof over our head and children to enrich our lives. *Although sometimes, they can be such a pain. Ha ha!*
My younger girl went for a dental surgery just yesterday. She had a freak additional tooth embedded in the front of the gum, obstructing the permanent front tooth from growing out at all. I opted for sedation for her during the surgery, rather than general anesthesia (frankly, I have no idea just what is the difference between the two - to me both are still going to sleep?). Wife was more worried than the kid. Of course the kid was afraid of the needle, but that was it. Nothing else seemed to perturbed her too much. So concluded, kids are much stronger than we think they are. She is nicely recuperating at home, and eating well too. Sweet!
After my kid got back home safe and sound, I went on my 20km run, split into 4 sets of 5km, with 500m walk in between each set. Coach gave me free play and I could opt for whatever HR I wanted to be in. I was more worried about the knee than anything else. Good thing was when I started, the knees felt really really good. And I thought to myself, it will be a good run today. True enough, all turned out well till the 19th km, but nothing a stop and stretch could not get rid of. Completed the sets in 6:20/km, 6:10/km, 5:50/km and 5:34/km pace. Later in the evening, I went on the trainer for about 1.5hrs doing sets at specific HRs. Been a long time since I started training on the trainer. Felt good and it was a refreshing change from my normal routine. So the day ended well for me.
Today, I did a 80km run and a 4km ride. Suppose to be an easy day out because the ride was just to ease up the body I think. Nothing strenuous but complacency set in and I went out with only 3 bidens of water without Gatorade and gels (in any case, I am out of gels and my gel delivery got lost by Singpost somehow - has been 3 weeks!). In the end, I had to focus on the pitstop at 60km for my fix of sugars, otherwise, it would have been difficult to get back home. Run was capped at easy run too. Actually, more like I could not go any faster because of the heat as well as the lack of carbs. Still managed a 5:48/km pace but legs lacked the pace and energy.
Good 2 days of training I must say? I have Sentosa swim tomorrow with the tri blokes. That should keep me from being too tired for my anniversary?
What I am proud to say is that all that we have now, are purely built up by ourselves, with no help from both our parents. Of course, it would have been nice to have some financial assistance but we were not born with silver spoons in our mouths. Our parents will lead their retirement lives comfortably, not luxuriously definitely, but sufficiently. They are still in good health, thankfully and hope they will have more good golden years to come. So yes, with God's blessings, here we are, experiencing what many other families will enjoy - with roof over our head and children to enrich our lives. *Although sometimes, they can be such a pain. Ha ha!*
My younger girl went for a dental surgery just yesterday. She had a freak additional tooth embedded in the front of the gum, obstructing the permanent front tooth from growing out at all. I opted for sedation for her during the surgery, rather than general anesthesia (frankly, I have no idea just what is the difference between the two - to me both are still going to sleep?). Wife was more worried than the kid. Of course the kid was afraid of the needle, but that was it. Nothing else seemed to perturbed her too much. So concluded, kids are much stronger than we think they are. She is nicely recuperating at home, and eating well too. Sweet!
After my kid got back home safe and sound, I went on my 20km run, split into 4 sets of 5km, with 500m walk in between each set. Coach gave me free play and I could opt for whatever HR I wanted to be in. I was more worried about the knee than anything else. Good thing was when I started, the knees felt really really good. And I thought to myself, it will be a good run today. True enough, all turned out well till the 19th km, but nothing a stop and stretch could not get rid of. Completed the sets in 6:20/km, 6:10/km, 5:50/km and 5:34/km pace. Later in the evening, I went on the trainer for about 1.5hrs doing sets at specific HRs. Been a long time since I started training on the trainer. Felt good and it was a refreshing change from my normal routine. So the day ended well for me.
Today, I did a 80km run and a 4km ride. Suppose to be an easy day out because the ride was just to ease up the body I think. Nothing strenuous but complacency set in and I went out with only 3 bidens of water without Gatorade and gels (in any case, I am out of gels and my gel delivery got lost by Singpost somehow - has been 3 weeks!). In the end, I had to focus on the pitstop at 60km for my fix of sugars, otherwise, it would have been difficult to get back home. Run was capped at easy run too. Actually, more like I could not go any faster because of the heat as well as the lack of carbs. Still managed a 5:48/km pace but legs lacked the pace and energy.
Good 2 days of training I must say? I have Sentosa swim tomorrow with the tri blokes. That should keep me from being too tired for my anniversary?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Lethargy
This Saturday was my intended inaugural Ironman Japan race. I was suppose to fly off on Thursday. Funny thing was, I did not feel as fit as a fiddle one bit. Last weekend I was still eating up the tarmac and able to push my bike for a 180km. This week, I was barely hanging on to a 100km ride. What is wrong with me? I think the adrenaline to the built up had finally worn off. I can only hope that my mind will still be disciplined and strong enough to last another 5 months of training.
The Sunday that just passed, I did a short 8km run. First lap of 5:56/km, the second at 5:31/km. I think the ride on Saturday with the 2 strong ironman did me in on the run. I started it feeling cold - because I just woke up - and flat. Legs were not moving as fast as I would have liked. It got better after about 3km when the body started to warm up. I just have no idea how Enrico trains at 4:30/km. I have much to catch up. Darn...
Monday I did another 3x4km run. Run splits at 5:40/km, 5:33/km and 5:16/km. Right knee was aching away on the 3rd lap and I could not push for a faster pace. Heart rates were alright for the 1st 2 laps, but the 3rd lap was on the lower range of the planned session. This knee has been quite worrying. I thought it was muscle tightness, but now may be something else? Will see how the week goes with the run and decide whether to rest and lay off running for a week? I hope it will go away soon. Oh! And night, I had a swim with the trifam blokes at Buona Vista. Did training sets for an hour. The speed will be good to spur me to move faster. Otherwise, the mileage is just not enough for an IM training I think.
Tuesday was suppose to ride 120km and a 4km run off the bike. Woke up and it was dreary and cold. Drizzled and got heavier as time passed. Needed to ensure that the kids had their lunch before riding, in the end, started the bike really late after lunch. Did only 100km and missed the run because I had a farewell dinner for a colleague. Ride felt flat. I could not hit the intended HR, not like during the 180km nor the 145km ride. Perhaps it was just fatigue as well? I am not sure. But it sure brings my mood down, knowing that it was an off ride. Double whammy! Double damn!
I am not sure if I should continue to do rolling terrain because I cant seem to maintain my HR on downslopes? But at the same time, I want to train rolling terrain because I want to train more hill climbing? It is such a dilemma. Perhaps Coach will be the better person to consult.
The Sunday that just passed, I did a short 8km run. First lap of 5:56/km, the second at 5:31/km. I think the ride on Saturday with the 2 strong ironman did me in on the run. I started it feeling cold - because I just woke up - and flat. Legs were not moving as fast as I would have liked. It got better after about 3km when the body started to warm up. I just have no idea how Enrico trains at 4:30/km. I have much to catch up. Darn...
Monday I did another 3x4km run. Run splits at 5:40/km, 5:33/km and 5:16/km. Right knee was aching away on the 3rd lap and I could not push for a faster pace. Heart rates were alright for the 1st 2 laps, but the 3rd lap was on the lower range of the planned session. This knee has been quite worrying. I thought it was muscle tightness, but now may be something else? Will see how the week goes with the run and decide whether to rest and lay off running for a week? I hope it will go away soon. Oh! And night, I had a swim with the trifam blokes at Buona Vista. Did training sets for an hour. The speed will be good to spur me to move faster. Otherwise, the mileage is just not enough for an IM training I think.
Tuesday was suppose to ride 120km and a 4km run off the bike. Woke up and it was dreary and cold. Drizzled and got heavier as time passed. Needed to ensure that the kids had their lunch before riding, in the end, started the bike really late after lunch. Did only 100km and missed the run because I had a farewell dinner for a colleague. Ride felt flat. I could not hit the intended HR, not like during the 180km nor the 145km ride. Perhaps it was just fatigue as well? I am not sure. But it sure brings my mood down, knowing that it was an off ride. Double whammy! Double damn!
I am not sure if I should continue to do rolling terrain because I cant seem to maintain my HR on downslopes? But at the same time, I want to train rolling terrain because I want to train more hill climbing? It is such a dilemma. Perhaps Coach will be the better person to consult.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
My Cars
I loved cars. I still adore them but as I got older, I realised that these are toys meant for the rich and famous because they deplete my reserves really fast. So instead of desiring to buy the cars that I like, I have decided that the car I own now will last for many more years to come.
.JPG)
Suzuki Swift 1.0 from 1997 to 2001
Now, let's see. My very first car that I owned was a second hand 1.5yr old Suzuki Swift 1.0. Yup, a 998cc ride I think. It was a very reliable workhorse for me back then. Bought in October 1997 I believe? At a price tag of about $62000. It was a crazy crazy time I must say. COE was very high and the dot com bubble had just burst, or going to. Anyway, I drove the car for about 3.5 yrs. I was going everywhere with the ride. Mileage was so high that it went through a 2nd cycle but I believe the odometer only allowed 99999km. It was that ancient because the new cars now will be able to hit 999 999km before the cycle changes.
Below is a picture of the look alike. The colour should be a dark green and the rims, look exactly the same!
Nissan Sunny 1.5 from 2001 to 2004
In 2001, the Nissan Sunnys were roaming Singapore roads because it was a car that was comparable to the Toyota Corollas. And it was during this same period, Nissan outsold the Toyota. It was nicer shaped than the Corollas definitely. Their big headlamps was just not attractive. In any case, the Sunny was bought because we felt that we needed something safer compared to the Swift. Although, technically speaking, the Sunny was not much better. But it was the best the family could afford then. The car cost $75000 I think. Again, I cant recall.
The picture below was the 1.6 Super Saloon version. What I bought was the 1.5litre EX-Saloon. It was a lightning blue - I think it was called that?
Ford Mondeo 2.0 from 2004 to 2007
I cant find pictures for the previous 2 cars that I owned. But from the Mondeo on, I have been keeping pictures of them all. The Mondeo was the first continental car I bought with much apprehension. Rumour had it that continental cars are hard to maintain and that parts tend to spoil easily and costly to replace. But with this car, it came with 5 years warranty and 5 years free servicing! There was nothing to worry about. It was spacious and it handled very well. Just what does it mean to have a car that handled well? The controllability and the feedback to the driver at the steering was really good. Car was bought at about $92000?
Car had gone up North-South highway and sitting in the car, it ate up the tarmac really well. Despite the 170kph I was going, the steering still felt firmly seated to the ground. Usually for cars, at certain speeds, the steering will start to feel light but not with the Mondeo. I particularly liked the corner of the vehicle. Despite its length, it could corner very well with little body roll.
It was also with this car, that I first started using Michelin Pilot Preceda tyres. And from then on, I had been a Michelin convert. The tyres were sufficiently grippy for this car and yet comfortable on normal roads. There was one particular modification that I did to the car - I changed the springs and lowered the car noticeably. And it was also the first time that I used 17inch rims (quite a popular size then). The handling became even sharper.
The only complaint I have for the car was that it was severely underpowered. Driven by a 2 litre Dura-tec engine, 5 cylinder it may be, the body was just too heavy for it. Not only that, the 4 speed gearbox was just making it very fuel inefficient, thus the running cost in terms of petrol consumption was not very ideal. But again, if you look beyond this, it was a huge comfortable saloon car to drive.
There was a 5door hatchback version that looks similar to this but cost a couple of thousand more. There was also the estate. The part of the car that I loved the most? It was the rear look. Front was kind of dated, but I somehow liked the circular brake light embedded into the triangular rear lamp cover. The paint job was better than the Swift and Sunny, but nothing beats my current Volvo's.
Volvo S40 2.4i From 2007 to Current
.JPG)
From one safe car, I jumped onto the Volvo bandwagon because of the fantastic safety specs of the car. Let's see, 6 airbags including the curtain ones, side impact protection beams, rigid body cage, anti whiplash headrest, pedals that break upon impact, are just some of the aspects.
2.4litres naturally aspirated, powering 170 horses with 190 Nm torque, is able to see me off the traffic lights faster than most cars on the road. Not exactly that massively powered, but sufficiently for me and my family. The other version comes with turbo, known as the T5. Now, that is one mean machine. Subtle looking, exactly the same as mine, but the acceleration is intense. Century sprint for that car is 7.2s, versus my 8.9s. I would love a 2.5litre turbo car, but it was just too costly for me. It was then, another $22000 more. So I passed.
Immediate change was the exhaust to HEICO twin mufflers, lowered springs, BBS 17 inch rims with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres profiled at 225/45, a stiffer anti-roll bar, front and middle H braces, which gave the car a tighter control on the road, especially during a corner. The exhaust, oh well, it was just pure vanity and for me to to enjoy a deeper throttle roar.
In all, I liked the car very much. Besides the fact that I will not want to spend the money to buy another car, it is also because I enjoy driving this ride. It is smaller and shorter than the Mondeo, but this makes it zippier and more agile (although the turning radius of such a small car is quite crazily big, but most of the Volvos have big turning radius anyway, so that's fine). In addition, the mileage is quite low compared to my other cars.
It is coming to its 3rd year now. Warranty is running out in a month's time. But the only parts that needed to be changed so far were tyres and brake pads, excluding the 15000km interval engine oil change. I just hope the wear and tear will just keep it slow and steady so that I can drive the car as long as I like.
Pilot Preceda was initially used for the car but the S40 was not like the Mondeo. It had more power drivetrain and I found that the tyres were not quite as suitable because there was frequent wheelspin upon acceleration (yes, I am quite heavy footed). Thus when the tyres wore off, I changed to the Pilot Sport version and the wheel spin had since disappeared. But with the lowering of the springs, the camber angle had somewhat changed and the inner wear of the tyres had become more prominent. Perhaps it may be time to install a camber kit? My policy is always to run good tyres all the time, after all, on the road, what separates my family and the tarmac are 4 small patches of rubber. If I compromise these 4 patches, I will be compromising the lives of the passengers as well.
Cars will remain a love of my life. But are just too costly to chase. In any case, I cant afford the hypercars in the like of the R8 or Aston Martins or Maseratis (notice, I prefer the cars not as popular as Ferraris and Porsches), or even the cheaper hypercar killer, the GTR. I can admire them from afar. But I shall keep my sight on my Ironman. Cool!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Revival???
Courtesy is for free;
Courtesy is for you and me...
Those born in the 70s and before would probably know this tune pretty well. I sung it while I was in early primary, in the 80s. It was the movement for the residents to be more gracious to the people around us.
Then there was the anti-litter bug campaign that started in the 60s and remained active till I was well into secondary school in the late 80s, if my memory did not fail me. There was also a campaign against "killer litter" where residents in HDB flats hurled big items out of their flats, that will result in serious injuries or even deaths.
I suppose these were needed then considering that the country just got independent and was flogging itself to have a position in the world economy. Its people were getting the education that was badly needed so that the country can be more gracious, as well as make it more attractive for FDIs (Foreign Domestic Investments). FDIs clearly played a very crucial role in providing skilled jobs for the residents, even till now.
vs 
Yesterday, while shopping at United Square, I was surprised to see that the Courtesy Lion had reappeared. Splashed over the media recently - both TV as well as printed newspapers - was a campaign against anti littering.
Perhaps I have not been aware that these campaigns had remained active all these years? I do not know. To me, the Singa Lion was new and re-emerging. A call for the citizens to spare a thought for those around.
Our literacy rate currently stands at 96.3% with 89.6% holding secondary school qualification and above for age group of 25-39 (taken from Singapore Statistics, 2009 figure). This is definitely considered a very huge jump from the 72.7% in 1970. And taking the population back then, 2.013M in 1970 vs 3.7339M in 2009 (Singapore residents only), we are looking at a growing number of people who are educated.
The first thought that hit me very hard was this: if for all the education that the residents have received, where has all the consideration gone? Are these not a social requirement that are inculcated both at home as well as in schools, bearing in mind that Singapore is still considered to be traditionally embedded in the Asian culture and values?
The literacy rate has increased, the economy has progressed faster than anyone can imagined. From a developing country back in the 60s, it now stands proud to be a 1st world country in the 1990s. Yes, within a short span of about 30 years, the country has come a long way.
However, like I mentioned in a previous entry, the social graces have not picked up as fast as the country's progression. To me, this is almost like a degeneration? We are picking up where we started from when the country was developing. Or optimistically speaking? We have not progressed since then. Education and economic prowess does not equal social graces.
I would like to think there has been progress but along the way, in the chase for all the comforts and materials in life, the families have lost their focus on simple values like these. Perhaps the schools have not done enough? Whatever the reasons, I think there is a need to relook at the country internally, besides having a meritocratic system to measure success - the best infrastructures in the world, etc. - but living in a rotten core. Maybe, just maybe, meritocracy was never meant to be?
Courtesy is for you and me...
Those born in the 70s and before would probably know this tune pretty well. I sung it while I was in early primary, in the 80s. It was the movement for the residents to be more gracious to the people around us.
Then there was the anti-litter bug campaign that started in the 60s and remained active till I was well into secondary school in the late 80s, if my memory did not fail me. There was also a campaign against "killer litter" where residents in HDB flats hurled big items out of their flats, that will result in serious injuries or even deaths.
I suppose these were needed then considering that the country just got independent and was flogging itself to have a position in the world economy. Its people were getting the education that was badly needed so that the country can be more gracious, as well as make it more attractive for FDIs (Foreign Domestic Investments). FDIs clearly played a very crucial role in providing skilled jobs for the residents, even till now.
vs 
Yesterday, while shopping at United Square, I was surprised to see that the Courtesy Lion had reappeared. Splashed over the media recently - both TV as well as printed newspapers - was a campaign against anti littering.
Perhaps I have not been aware that these campaigns had remained active all these years? I do not know. To me, the Singa Lion was new and re-emerging. A call for the citizens to spare a thought for those around.
Our literacy rate currently stands at 96.3% with 89.6% holding secondary school qualification and above for age group of 25-39 (taken from Singapore Statistics, 2009 figure). This is definitely considered a very huge jump from the 72.7% in 1970. And taking the population back then, 2.013M in 1970 vs 3.7339M in 2009 (Singapore residents only), we are looking at a growing number of people who are educated.
The first thought that hit me very hard was this: if for all the education that the residents have received, where has all the consideration gone? Are these not a social requirement that are inculcated both at home as well as in schools, bearing in mind that Singapore is still considered to be traditionally embedded in the Asian culture and values?
The literacy rate has increased, the economy has progressed faster than anyone can imagined. From a developing country back in the 60s, it now stands proud to be a 1st world country in the 1990s. Yes, within a short span of about 30 years, the country has come a long way.
However, like I mentioned in a previous entry, the social graces have not picked up as fast as the country's progression. To me, this is almost like a degeneration? We are picking up where we started from when the country was developing. Or optimistically speaking? We have not progressed since then. Education and economic prowess does not equal social graces.
I would like to think there has been progress but along the way, in the chase for all the comforts and materials in life, the families have lost their focus on simple values like these. Perhaps the schools have not done enough? Whatever the reasons, I think there is a need to relook at the country internally, besides having a meritocratic system to measure success - the best infrastructures in the world, etc. - but living in a rotten core. Maybe, just maybe, meritocracy was never meant to be?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Humbling Ride
It was time to put the money where the mouth is for myself. All the talk about safe riding, reared its head to remind myself that I can make the same mistake.
I have been training all these while, mostly on my own, especially during the long rides. Because it was difficult to coordinate the different schedules on a weekly basis. I have a more flexible schedule, while others do not. They may not have their commitments during a certain period, while I may have.
Had a 145km ride today with Nigel. And one of the local lady from Joyriders joined in. For the past few years, she had been podium finisher at the Desaru Long Distance Triathlon (70.3 distance race). It was fast and furious ride for me. The other 2 riders were simply too strong for me. Perhaps, I would attribute it to the lack of gels for the day - I had ran out and the stock had not been replenished. I was basically surviving on concentrated Gatorade mix. But I would say that bulk of the reason was I just was not good enough for them.
I beat a red light and because I thought that there were not other roads entering from the slip road. That proved to be a mistake because the traffic could make a slight detour to enter a very small slip road that I did not see. Lady followed me behind and was fine. But Nigel was caught in a traffic's way. Thankfully, both were alert and the unthinkable did not take place. Else, I would have to live with the deepest regret in my life.
My solo training had made me forget that there is a need for reaction time for the riders behind. And it was exactly this that almost destroyed my riding buddy. This was a good reminder to myself that we have to responsible for our actions, as end of the day, ALL cyclist will want to get home in one piece to relive the tale again on another day. No matter how hard the training was, it is not worth the life of one and others.
Whenever I ferry some colleagues or friends of mine with my car, I have a policy: that I MUST get them to their location safely because I am fully responsible for their lives. They must have enough faith to put their lives in my hands in the first place. They are the child/spouse/parent of others. How am I to answer to them if anything were to happen in my vehicle? And now, when riding in a group, it will be the same burden that I must remember for myself. It was a tough lesson to learn the hard way - to see the frailty of human life.
I have been training all these while, mostly on my own, especially during the long rides. Because it was difficult to coordinate the different schedules on a weekly basis. I have a more flexible schedule, while others do not. They may not have their commitments during a certain period, while I may have.
Had a 145km ride today with Nigel. And one of the local lady from Joyriders joined in. For the past few years, she had been podium finisher at the Desaru Long Distance Triathlon (70.3 distance race). It was fast and furious ride for me. The other 2 riders were simply too strong for me. Perhaps, I would attribute it to the lack of gels for the day - I had ran out and the stock had not been replenished. I was basically surviving on concentrated Gatorade mix. But I would say that bulk of the reason was I just was not good enough for them.
I beat a red light and because I thought that there were not other roads entering from the slip road. That proved to be a mistake because the traffic could make a slight detour to enter a very small slip road that I did not see. Lady followed me behind and was fine. But Nigel was caught in a traffic's way. Thankfully, both were alert and the unthinkable did not take place. Else, I would have to live with the deepest regret in my life.
My solo training had made me forget that there is a need for reaction time for the riders behind. And it was exactly this that almost destroyed my riding buddy. This was a good reminder to myself that we have to responsible for our actions, as end of the day, ALL cyclist will want to get home in one piece to relive the tale again on another day. No matter how hard the training was, it is not worth the life of one and others.
Whenever I ferry some colleagues or friends of mine with my car, I have a policy: that I MUST get them to their location safely because I am fully responsible for their lives. They must have enough faith to put their lives in my hands in the first place. They are the child/spouse/parent of others. How am I to answer to them if anything were to happen in my vehicle? And now, when riding in a group, it will be the same burden that I must remember for myself. It was a tough lesson to learn the hard way - to see the frailty of human life.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Adrenaline Rush
I never fully understood what the rush was really like? While starting on the tapering programme from Sunday onwards, I was so filled with energy and raring to get out to train.
But on Wednesday night, the body did not seem to respond that well to the 16km run session (planned 20km actually but reduced because of sore knee). On Thursday, I felt too lazy to go out on my planned 15km run. Today while doing my 3km swim in the morning, I felt tired.
Somehow, the rush had dissipated and the mind and body seemed to lapse into slower performance. Perhaps it is a good sign? That I can resume normal training schedule without feeling the need to be performing at my level best when the new "A" race is in December? I read that I should not peak early in the training, otherwise I will not perform at my best during the race. I think it is something like the Product Life Cycle? Every time I finish a race, I need to plateau and with new sessions, will bring the level of performance up a notch and increase again from there.
In fact, despite being tired from the swim, my mind and body seemed renewed and alert again. Training will resume soon. This week is just to cool myself off, ending with a 150km ride with Nigel on Saturday. I foresee myself doing a different training regime in preparation for the 2 run races as well as IMWA 2010 coming up. Life is soon normalising for me.
If Japan were slated for June next year, I suppose I should be taking part. There is another non M Dot sanctioned race in Norway around the same period? That is an alternative for myself and location for my family to go for a holiday. I am tempted to try out the inaugural 70.3 in Taiwan this coming October. But I may just save the money for next June's race instead. Europe sounds like a nicer place to be.
But on Wednesday night, the body did not seem to respond that well to the 16km run session (planned 20km actually but reduced because of sore knee). On Thursday, I felt too lazy to go out on my planned 15km run. Today while doing my 3km swim in the morning, I felt tired.
Somehow, the rush had dissipated and the mind and body seemed to lapse into slower performance. Perhaps it is a good sign? That I can resume normal training schedule without feeling the need to be performing at my level best when the new "A" race is in December? I read that I should not peak early in the training, otherwise I will not perform at my best during the race. I think it is something like the Product Life Cycle? Every time I finish a race, I need to plateau and with new sessions, will bring the level of performance up a notch and increase again from there.
In fact, despite being tired from the swim, my mind and body seemed renewed and alert again. Training will resume soon. This week is just to cool myself off, ending with a 150km ride with Nigel on Saturday. I foresee myself doing a different training regime in preparation for the 2 run races as well as IMWA 2010 coming up. Life is soon normalising for me.
If Japan were slated for June next year, I suppose I should be taking part. There is another non M Dot sanctioned race in Norway around the same period? That is an alternative for myself and location for my family to go for a holiday. I am tempted to try out the inaugural 70.3 in Taiwan this coming October. But I may just save the money for next June's race instead. Europe sounds like a nicer place to be.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Sore Fingers
To drown my sorrow from the cancellation of IMJ, I decided to dry my trisuit, hang up my bike and throw away my runners. Completely give it all up...
Nah... Dont think so. I am still biking, still running. Just short of my swim. The premature cancellation of IMJ shocked me for 2 days and those were really dark days to overcome. Tuesday was worse than Monday when I first received the email. Thanks to all the tri buddies who gave me words of encouragement, my family who comforted me and a friend who told me that perhaps it is a sign to rest during this school vacation. Matt commented that IMJ was already considered a race done. But to me, it will never be? A race that never started is never considered as completed, no matter how much time and effort I have spent training for. For all I know, I may not be able to complete the race for all the different various reasons why some pros also dont complete the race, be it mechanical failure, improper nutrition, physical limitations, etc. But there will always be next year, or another race.
Monday I did a brick session with 55km bike and a 23.5km run, split into 3 x 7km with 500m walk in between with a final 1.5km walk. Came back with a sore knee. I somehow think that this sore knee is due to tight ITB? Or basically tight, unstretched leg muscles. I have neglected the massage for a week or so and this had been popping up everytime I run.
Tuesday I did speed bike session with the ENRs. Not many people, just 6 of us. It was good fun having to do it again after such a long period of absence.
Tonight, I did a simple 16km run with Colin. Did not do as I planned for my HR because this old friend of mine just started running again after 1 month of laid off - due to LASIK! At the age of 52... Oh well, perhaps a better quality of life. And my knees complained again. The reason why I mentioned stretching was this - after I stretch the ITB, the discomfort went off and I could run almost normally again. I will be back to stretching later.
In any case, why the title of sore fingers? The first time I learnt guitar playing was when I was 17 years old. I played for 4 years and never really got to learn or improve more than knowing the chords and simple strumming and simple plucking. Back then, there was no internet. Any song I liked had to be learnt from my friends who figured the chords out themselves, by ear. I am not quite able to do the same? After a while, I got tired and stopped playing altogether. Because I saw no progress. Not very talented or musically inclined, I must admit.
Today, I jumped at the idea of picking it up all over again. Bought myself a simple Yamaha acoustic guitar with no pick up - figured I am good only for home playing and not for performances, so no point in getting and amp for home use. Believe the model was FG730S that cost me $450. Even bought a capo. Oh, and the case was pretty nice too. Compared to the old guitar I use to have? A black polyester one with only side carrying handle. Now it comes with shoulder sling! Alright, I really am out of touch in this area. Ask me about bikes and their cases. I will be able to name more brands and types of cases...
Spent the whole afternoon pressing on the strings till the fingers felt so raw. From the internet, came loads of chords of all the songs that I can think of. Couple of things I will need to learn, to learn the tabs which I have always wanted to last time, as well as simple lead playing. One thing at a time. I wont turn superstar overnight, but I have some time during this vacation?
After all, I have no race. *Yes, I am still sore and bitter over it. But to a lesser extent?*
Having said that, it doesnt mean I am stopping training. I told coach, the training will resume next week. I have no plans to rest and start the building phase again. I want to maintain what I have done for the last 4 months, and continue to build to become stronger in all the disciplines.
I will be joining the triathletes swim group on Mondays. They do 1 hour of sets training, with pull buoys, flippers and paddles. I hope I can last the hour. And the rest of the days, it will be the same as before. Another swim session, 2 bike sessions, 3-4 runs, with bike-run bricks built in. I have set some very high targets for myself for WA. May be a bit too far, but hell, I lost IMJ and targets are meant to be just that. If I attain it, I earned it; if I dont, I know I have done my best in trying to achieve it. There can be another day.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
IMJ Cancelled!
Was it not only yesterday that I excitedly counted down to next weekend's race in exotic Japan? Was it not only yesterday that I reflected on how my training started and coming up to this taper?
I am not a professional ironman triathlete, no doubt. That my livelihood is not affected by this cancellation. What I am looking at is the hours that I have put in since 10 January 2010, how much my family had sacrificed for me to attend the race. And all these came crashing down on me with an email from M Dot Japan Office, that they were "disappointed" to inform me that race has been cancelled. It was a valid reason of course, that the agricultural livestock can be affected by the Foot-and-Mouth disease in the Miyazaki region (I have no idea where that is, and really, I cant be bothered to find out as of now but I suppose is near Fukuoka?)
The positive outcomes from my ironman journey to date, with or without this race in Japan, is the heightened fitness and grit, the new friends I have made along the way, people who will truly understand what it takes to face the ironman challenge, as well as appreciate life better. Well, seriously, how can anybody complete an ironman and not think that life is "more to it than meets the eye"?
Yes, I am still sore that on record, I have only done ONE ironman. And that it will take me longer than I think to complete my original target of 5. And it is now become even more infuriating that my job does not allow me to sign up for other ironman races in the calender besides Japan and Western Australia.
For one, I have temporarily lost my focus. I still have training programme planned out for this week and next. Do I continue with it? Or do I look for a race in Europe with k226? Racing in Europe is expensive because of the air ticket costs. I think I am peaking for the race in terms of my fitness and it will be just right and in time for next weekend. I know my swim has improved slightly, my bike has gone on pretty well and running? This is the discipline that I think I have made the most improvement in and I am most pleased with. However, the reality is, there is no race to go for... How can I sustain this training programme for another 5 months? Its funny? Its like getting dumped in a relationship? Ha! This is how much emotions have gone into my preparation.
I was offered a slot for last Saturday's Sundown Marathon. If this piece of news had come earlier, I would have taken it up - am curious how fast I can go on a marathon now. I missed out on the run because of IMJ - did not want to trash my legs during my tapering week. Dammit, IMJ is my "A" race for this year! I would not even consider WA as "A" race because I have gone through the course before and I know it is not suppose to be that difficult a race unless time and PB are taken into consideration.
The disappointment is really really great. And I suppose I cant expect people, not even my family, to truly empathise with me. Now I can truly understand how Enrico must have felt, to have gone into IMNZ this year knowing full well that he would not be able to perform at his best because of the road accident.
Hopefully, soon, life will resume...
I am not a professional ironman triathlete, no doubt. That my livelihood is not affected by this cancellation. What I am looking at is the hours that I have put in since 10 January 2010, how much my family had sacrificed for me to attend the race. And all these came crashing down on me with an email from M Dot Japan Office, that they were "disappointed" to inform me that race has been cancelled. It was a valid reason of course, that the agricultural livestock can be affected by the Foot-and-Mouth disease in the Miyazaki region (I have no idea where that is, and really, I cant be bothered to find out as of now but I suppose is near Fukuoka?)
The positive outcomes from my ironman journey to date, with or without this race in Japan, is the heightened fitness and grit, the new friends I have made along the way, people who will truly understand what it takes to face the ironman challenge, as well as appreciate life better. Well, seriously, how can anybody complete an ironman and not think that life is "more to it than meets the eye"?
Yes, I am still sore that on record, I have only done ONE ironman. And that it will take me longer than I think to complete my original target of 5. And it is now become even more infuriating that my job does not allow me to sign up for other ironman races in the calender besides Japan and Western Australia.
For one, I have temporarily lost my focus. I still have training programme planned out for this week and next. Do I continue with it? Or do I look for a race in Europe with k226? Racing in Europe is expensive because of the air ticket costs. I think I am peaking for the race in terms of my fitness and it will be just right and in time for next weekend. I know my swim has improved slightly, my bike has gone on pretty well and running? This is the discipline that I think I have made the most improvement in and I am most pleased with. However, the reality is, there is no race to go for... How can I sustain this training programme for another 5 months? Its funny? Its like getting dumped in a relationship? Ha! This is how much emotions have gone into my preparation.
I was offered a slot for last Saturday's Sundown Marathon. If this piece of news had come earlier, I would have taken it up - am curious how fast I can go on a marathon now. I missed out on the run because of IMJ - did not want to trash my legs during my tapering week. Dammit, IMJ is my "A" race for this year! I would not even consider WA as "A" race because I have gone through the course before and I know it is not suppose to be that difficult a race unless time and PB are taken into consideration.
The disappointment is really really great. And I suppose I cant expect people, not even my family, to truly empathise with me. Now I can truly understand how Enrico must have felt, to have gone into IMNZ this year knowing full well that he would not be able to perform at his best because of the road accident.
Hopefully, soon, life will resume...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)