In sports, many had left their legacy for us to remember, in the likes of:
Muhammad Ali. Heavyweight champion boxer. Considered the world's greatest boxer.
Carl Lewis. Multi talented track and field world record setter in his time.100m, 200m, long jump. He owned them all in his time. Of course, there was the brief emergence of shamed Ben Johnson who stole the show from Lewis.
Michael Jordan. Basketballer who retired from NBA's Chicago Bulls. Multi time MVP and dubbed "His Airness". I was a huge fan of the Bulls back then, again when the NBA games were shown on free to air channel in Singapore.
Mike Tyson. Bad boy and much feared boxer. Left the scene with a whole load of controversies and distaste. Still, perhaps still one of the more powerful boxers of that time.
Michael Schumacher. Seven time F1 driver for Ferrari. He really made the contestants a good run for their money when he was at his peak of his game.
Lance Armstrong. Now, who doesnt know Lance? Cancer survivor, 7 consecutive times Tour de France winner, with still a lot to prove till this year when he declared he will retire for good - a 2nd time. Last I heard, he is going back to his roots of triathlons.
David Beckham. Reknown for his ability to curl the ball wickedly into the net from free kicks. Also further marketed for his Posh wife and lifestyle.
Diego Maradona. Infamous for his "hand of God" handball in the 1986 World Cup. However, this soccer superstar was later on plagued with much controversies.
There are many other legends in my lifetime. It is really difficult to name them all. Some are household names, some are known only to the enthusiasts. Regardless of whether they left behind a positive or negative legacy, they would have impacted the sports that they came from.
I cant be a legend like those mentioned above. But how would I want to be remembered by my family, especially my children when they grow up? Do I want them to remember me as somebody who was hardly around to support them? Or would I want them to remember me as being there for them all the time? How would I want my colleagues to remember me by? Someone who could be relied on at work? Or seen as somebody who would do anything to get up the corporate ladder, including stepping on them? Should the people I know remember me as believing in doing my best in all that I do, or should they think of me as skimming?
Legends are made, not born. (Now, where have I heard this before?)
***
Not much of a recovery swim in the afternoon. Did 2x400m (2min rest in between sets), 4x200m (1min rest in between sets), 8x100m (1min rest in between sets) and 6x50m (30s rest in between sets). Almost called it quits after the 1st set of 400m. Fortunately I persevered coz as I swam, the body warmed up gradually and strokes felt better. For the 400m, I clocked 1:51 per 100m; 200m, I clocked 1:51 per 100m; 100m I clocked 1:48 per 100m; 50m clocked in 50s. Pretty decent as this has been consistent for the past few weeks. If this keeps up, a 1:15 should be within reach. *Cross my fingers* Not good by the age group standard, but it will still be an improvement of 6 mins for myself.
2 hours later I did a short 6km run. 1km warm up, 2km slightly faster pace and 5x200m of surges with 200m easy jog in between and final 1km warm down. Legs felt quite oiled but lungs were achy. Perhaps from the swim. I hope with good rest tonight, I will be able to survive the 25km race tomorrow. Here goes nothing!
***
Some people will claim,"XXX coaches really well. You should consider changing." Or the common saying "XXX bike really goes fast. You should get it."
Besides having good sports genes, excelling in sports need not only a good coach or good equipment, but also self motivation and discipline. What is considered a good coach? To me, a good coach is one who understands the ability of the sportsman and slowly builds him/her up over time, without risking injuries. I think my Coach did a fantastic job with me. Brought me up from nothing since last July to a level of fitness I never would have dreamt of myself. The best part was, I never got into any serious injuries. Most of the aches and pains I got were my own doing, due to my negligence of failing to massage and stretch after every session. All in all, yes, I think I have improved compared to last year's preparation for my first ironman race. Yes, I believe I can still improve. But it will take a lot of time, although time is not exactly with me and doing me justice. As long as I can keep my mind focused on the sport, I should be able to progress. Slowly but surely.
So, changing coach is really synonymous to changing to a "faster" bike. How naive...
No comments:
Post a Comment