Will be switching over to teohuikoon.wordpress.com from now on.
No special reasons. Just trying out the new platform and am still getting use to it.
Life is half spent before we know what it is. George Herbert, 1593 - 1633
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Week 3 to Challenge Cairns
And I am sick again. Fortunately, not too sick but still will need to lighten my training load on my own. Had a tinge of tingling throat irritation on Thursday evening. Friday lost bits of my vocal range. Saturday lost some more. Today, its barely audible.
Was suppose to do an easy 180km ride in the morning as I had to work full day on Saturday - meet the parents in school as well investiture rehearsal. Woke up and I felt fine. However, decided that I should see a doc and to get the bug out of the system quickly. Will likely to go on the trainer, hopefully for at least 3 hours after seeing the doc. Yes, I am feeling fine. No dizziness, no weakness, just the damn throat. Staying out of the road may be advisable too. Breathing intensely through the mouth and nose may just get the throat to be infected even more.
Yes, 3 weeks to Challenge Cairns. My countdown has started much later than usual. Preparedness for this race, I dont think its optimal but it will have to do. I started training for this event since 2 January. It has been a non stop action, except for the 2 weeks of reservist and 4 days of illness after the reservist. That knocked out almost 3 weeks. And with this current throat infection, though unlikely to get me down for too long but will still be considered as downtime, I would have done 18 weeks of training to fine tune my fitness compared to IMWA 2010. Will this be enough to give me another sub 12hour ironman timing? I can only hope so. As I mentioned before, I have to manage my expectations because I am not quite as fit as I would like to. I have changed my running regime and had thrown in intervals and tempo runs followed by long run. I have tried to get back to my swim as much as I could and on Friday, my arms seemed to be getting its life back. So there is a glimmer of hope. As for my bike, I will be able to hold out for 180km but I dont think I have worked too much on the speed this time.
Doing 2 ironman in 6 months, excluding down time like what I have experienced so far and hoping for a miracle, I cant kid myself. No, its not negative thoughts. I will still go all out on 5 June and do what I have been training for. If I manage a PB again, it will be a bonus. If I dont, I dont want to stay disappointed for too long. As Coach said to me, there will be another race another time.
What will be in my mind when I run on that fateful evening on 5 June, will be something I read while running at IMWA2010, "If you cant endure the pain, disappointment will be another 12 months."
For me, it should be 18 months till the next ironman.
Was suppose to do an easy 180km ride in the morning as I had to work full day on Saturday - meet the parents in school as well investiture rehearsal. Woke up and I felt fine. However, decided that I should see a doc and to get the bug out of the system quickly. Will likely to go on the trainer, hopefully for at least 3 hours after seeing the doc. Yes, I am feeling fine. No dizziness, no weakness, just the damn throat. Staying out of the road may be advisable too. Breathing intensely through the mouth and nose may just get the throat to be infected even more.
Yes, 3 weeks to Challenge Cairns. My countdown has started much later than usual. Preparedness for this race, I dont think its optimal but it will have to do. I started training for this event since 2 January. It has been a non stop action, except for the 2 weeks of reservist and 4 days of illness after the reservist. That knocked out almost 3 weeks. And with this current throat infection, though unlikely to get me down for too long but will still be considered as downtime, I would have done 18 weeks of training to fine tune my fitness compared to IMWA 2010. Will this be enough to give me another sub 12hour ironman timing? I can only hope so. As I mentioned before, I have to manage my expectations because I am not quite as fit as I would like to. I have changed my running regime and had thrown in intervals and tempo runs followed by long run. I have tried to get back to my swim as much as I could and on Friday, my arms seemed to be getting its life back. So there is a glimmer of hope. As for my bike, I will be able to hold out for 180km but I dont think I have worked too much on the speed this time.
Doing 2 ironman in 6 months, excluding down time like what I have experienced so far and hoping for a miracle, I cant kid myself. No, its not negative thoughts. I will still go all out on 5 June and do what I have been training for. If I manage a PB again, it will be a bonus. If I dont, I dont want to stay disappointed for too long. As Coach said to me, there will be another race another time.
What will be in my mind when I run on that fateful evening on 5 June, will be something I read while running at IMWA2010, "If you cant endure the pain, disappointment will be another 12 months."
For me, it should be 18 months till the next ironman.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Jinxed Asian Ironman Races
First it was the mad cow disease that got Japan's ironman race cancelled last June - yes, the one I missed despite having trained for it. Just heard that China's ironman race, scheduled in 2 weeks time, just had its swim leg cancelled because of renovation works at the reservoir where the swim was to be held?! I suspect that the June's non MDot sanctioned race was also cancelled because of the Japanese tsunami and nuclear leakage incident - this I havent confirmed but just a thought.
My Coach and a few other friends had signed up for the race. Coach was gunning for a slot at Kona 2011 but seemed like some may be changing their minds about racing in China. I already know that Angeline had pulled out of the race. Maybe Kin Kok may pull out too. He asked me when Cairns was...
Looks like there wont be any more of Asian ironman races by MDot. They may just get so pissed off that they will drop Asia completely. This is absolutely not good for Asians who want to do nearby races. This means that we will only have Australia and New Zealand races left.
Yes, the water was so warm last night that swimming in it didnt make me cooler. In fact, it was uncomfortably warm.
However, the warm water definitely had nothing to do with my slow swimming speed. Had Nick and Teryn scratching my feet and I gave up the position and stayed to the back instead. Last thing I want to do is to hold people back. And I have yet to swim a full 3.8km since reservist. Still trying to get the grip of the stroke and get back the efficiency before by doing set swims. Still wondering when I will get it back.
5 x 1km intervals was the dish today. Pace of 4:35. Completed the sets in 4:23, 4:25, 4:27, 4:23 and 4:20. With about 3:15 rest in between sets. Coach said to have a 400m jog to recover but I only walked/jogged 200m to recover before continuing. I suspect that if I had done this with Andrew and the MR25 runners, it could have been a 5:30 or 6:00 per set - meaning about 1 - 1:30 rest in between. But it would have been very very painful and may not have been able to keep up with the pace. What I had done was more manageable and less painful. Prefer that anytime.
My Coach and a few other friends had signed up for the race. Coach was gunning for a slot at Kona 2011 but seemed like some may be changing their minds about racing in China. I already know that Angeline had pulled out of the race. Maybe Kin Kok may pull out too. He asked me when Cairns was...
Looks like there wont be any more of Asian ironman races by MDot. They may just get so pissed off that they will drop Asia completely. This is absolutely not good for Asians who want to do nearby races. This means that we will only have Australia and New Zealand races left.
***
Who turned on the heater for the pool?Yes, the water was so warm last night that swimming in it didnt make me cooler. In fact, it was uncomfortably warm.
However, the warm water definitely had nothing to do with my slow swimming speed. Had Nick and Teryn scratching my feet and I gave up the position and stayed to the back instead. Last thing I want to do is to hold people back. And I have yet to swim a full 3.8km since reservist. Still trying to get the grip of the stroke and get back the efficiency before by doing set swims. Still wondering when I will get it back.
5 x 1km intervals was the dish today. Pace of 4:35. Completed the sets in 4:23, 4:25, 4:27, 4:23 and 4:20. With about 3:15 rest in between sets. Coach said to have a 400m jog to recover but I only walked/jogged 200m to recover before continuing. I suspect that if I had done this with Andrew and the MR25 runners, it could have been a 5:30 or 6:00 per set - meaning about 1 - 1:30 rest in between. But it would have been very very painful and may not have been able to keep up with the pace. What I had done was more manageable and less painful. Prefer that anytime.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Round and round the hamster went...
I have 4 hamsters at home now. My kids hamsters. 2 of the bigger dwarf ones love the wheel. And ever so often, they would be on the wheel spinning away.
This was just like what I did in the evening today. The weather was so consuming that I decided to hold on the 21 km run till evening. I only started out on the warm up at 1815. Started to run round the track for 21km. I started while there were many people around. Groups of people came and left while I was on my way to 52.5 laps. Till almost 2015 there were only a handful of joggers around.
It was so warm and humid that even after the sun had set, I needed to refresh myself by pouring water on myself several times. And it sure felt good to have the cool water on my head, down my face and to the jersey. Was particularly careful to not get my shoes wet coz they were the new ones which I had worn to season for Challenge Cairns.
Coach had prescribed a 21km run at 5:30 pace. Worked out to be 2:12 per lap and I did just that. Some laps went down to 2:13 and 2:14 but mostly kept at 2:11-2:12. Last 600m I hastened my pace and it made up for all the lost time in the previous laps. Clocked 1:55:05. It was probably the most accurate timing for the correct distance. I may have done better before but I am sure that was a wrong distance because I relied on the Polar GPS which I had found to be highly inaccurate.
So it was an average timing only. But it would have to do. Perhaps considered as another tempo run for myself, except that this is for a longer distance of 21km. 2 more weeks of training before I start to taper I think? Yes, it is 4 weeks to Challenge Cairns.
What do I think was the main reason for the reduction? Was it really all the reasons the citizens had voiced out? Perhaps. But likely the bulk of the reason was the information that was readily available on the internet and the social media. In the past, without the information super highway, most of the people relied on the media - both print as well as televised. With the youths more linked with the internet, word spread like wild fire.
Strikes need not take the physical form any more. Perhaps, they should be considered a thing of the past. Facebook is the incumbant threat. It is strange. I find it worrying. National issues are important, in fact too important to be challenged by the layman who have no idea the works of politics. In the past, the word that went around was that the government always wrestled the people to accept their policies. But with the change in political climate due to the social media, will the government be wrestled to the ground by the whims and fancies of the people?
Perhaps, the Chinese government was far sighted and saw the threat Facebook posed and thus shut it away from its people. Maybe they were right after all?
Then again, what do I know? I am just a layman.
This was just like what I did in the evening today. The weather was so consuming that I decided to hold on the 21 km run till evening. I only started out on the warm up at 1815. Started to run round the track for 21km. I started while there were many people around. Groups of people came and left while I was on my way to 52.5 laps. Till almost 2015 there were only a handful of joggers around.
It was so warm and humid that even after the sun had set, I needed to refresh myself by pouring water on myself several times. And it sure felt good to have the cool water on my head, down my face and to the jersey. Was particularly careful to not get my shoes wet coz they were the new ones which I had worn to season for Challenge Cairns.
Coach had prescribed a 21km run at 5:30 pace. Worked out to be 2:12 per lap and I did just that. Some laps went down to 2:13 and 2:14 but mostly kept at 2:11-2:12. Last 600m I hastened my pace and it made up for all the lost time in the previous laps. Clocked 1:55:05. It was probably the most accurate timing for the correct distance. I may have done better before but I am sure that was a wrong distance because I relied on the Polar GPS which I had found to be highly inaccurate.
So it was an average timing only. But it would have to do. Perhaps considered as another tempo run for myself, except that this is for a longer distance of 21km. 2 more weeks of training before I start to taper I think? Yes, it is 4 weeks to Challenge Cairns.
***
Talking about elections. The opposition created a history in wrestling Aljunied GRC over from the ruling party. And the ruling party popularity decreased to 60.1%, though out of the 87 seats, 81 went to them. Statistically, it doesnt make sense but heck, that was what happened.What do I think was the main reason for the reduction? Was it really all the reasons the citizens had voiced out? Perhaps. But likely the bulk of the reason was the information that was readily available on the internet and the social media. In the past, without the information super highway, most of the people relied on the media - both print as well as televised. With the youths more linked with the internet, word spread like wild fire.
Strikes need not take the physical form any more. Perhaps, they should be considered a thing of the past. Facebook is the incumbant threat. It is strange. I find it worrying. National issues are important, in fact too important to be challenged by the layman who have no idea the works of politics. In the past, the word that went around was that the government always wrestled the people to accept their policies. But with the change in political climate due to the social media, will the government be wrestled to the ground by the whims and fancies of the people?
Perhaps, the Chinese government was far sighted and saw the threat Facebook posed and thus shut it away from its people. Maybe they were right after all?
Then again, what do I know? I am just a layman.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Elections 2011
For the past week, the papers, the media and the social network was abuzzed with 7 May 2011 elections. Mudslinging, clarifications, apologies, personal statements. Wow, the elections really had changed from the time I first voted at the turn of the millenia. For most of the time where I have stayed were uncontested areas. Either that, I was just too young. I remembered I first heard about the hammer, aka Workers Party, back in 80s when my parents were required to vote. I didnt know much then coz I was just too young. I didnt even understand the relevance of the opposition in the political scene.
Facebook seemed to have changed the whole course of the elections. More information is being put up for more to see, as compared to the past when the citizens were restricted to the news on TV and print. Well, unless of course, you happen to stay in the opposition ward. Only then will people be able to understand slightly what life was like that to be in a non current ruling party ward.
I made it a point to attend the rally because I wanted to have a foretaste of what the electrifying atmosphere was like. Singapore has been peaceful internally so far. There are no strikes, nor demonstrations. And what I saw, opened my eyes to the power of mob mentality. With a crowd of 30000, any form of upheavals of emotions will render any form of law maintenance helpless.
***
Monday's swim was followed by dinner with the blokes. First time doing it and it was peppered with laughter the whole hour I was there. Funny Nick was the joker for the night. Apparently, every Monday night!
Been working late again recently and Tuesday I just couldnt make it out the door for my intervals. Frustrated, I slept in early.
Wednesday afternoon was washed out. Into the 6th km and I was forced to take shelter at petrol kiosk. Lightning filled the sky and was really threatening. Spent the afternoon on the trainer doing cycling sets, to a total of just over 2 hours.
Thursday afternoon I tried to do a 8km tempo run on the track. I had to run at 3pm because I had a meeting at 1630. But on the 8.5 lap (out of 20), I called it off. The temperature was just too suffocating and the body was not cooling fast enough. Stopped to douse water but it still did not work. Started the run again at 1800. This time with Andrew and Uncle Lim (from MR25) following me - dammit, as their WARM UP! They had their sets to do which I did not have a part in. Needed to get home for a nice sports massage at night.
Friday did my swim 500m to 100m in step down of 100m. Followed by 10x50m with 15s break in between. Slightly better than last week's session but still not swimming at the times I did before. Am wondering when I can get the pace back.
Did 180km bike today. 4 loops Mandai followed by the usual route. Am glad that the cadence was back today. But the legs endurance had slipped. Could withstand the distance but the speed was not quite up to mark. Weather played a part in increasing the fatigue I think. It was really hot from 10am onwards and I reached home only at about 1pm.
Thursday afternoon I tried to do a 8km tempo run on the track. I had to run at 3pm because I had a meeting at 1630. But on the 8.5 lap (out of 20), I called it off. The temperature was just too suffocating and the body was not cooling fast enough. Stopped to douse water but it still did not work. Started the run again at 1800. This time with Andrew and Uncle Lim (from MR25) following me - dammit, as their WARM UP! They had their sets to do which I did not have a part in. Needed to get home for a nice sports massage at night.
Friday did my swim 500m to 100m in step down of 100m. Followed by 10x50m with 15s break in between. Slightly better than last week's session but still not swimming at the times I did before. Am wondering when I can get the pace back.
Did 180km bike today. 4 loops Mandai followed by the usual route. Am glad that the cadence was back today. But the legs endurance had slipped. Could withstand the distance but the speed was not quite up to mark. Weather played a part in increasing the fatigue I think. It was really hot from 10am onwards and I reached home only at about 1pm.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Kids Tribob Triathlon
Last of the series of 3. It was a crazy time. Reached there pretty late. They were still doing their warm up swim when I saw the older kid's wave took off! Had to rush her through to start line so that she could start the swim. Next thing I realised, my younger kid's wave had already gone even before they did their warm up. In the end, she joined the last wave with the older boys. Yeah, she was the only girl then. Pretty crazy morning. They still did their tri nonetheless. Starter was nice enough to let my younger kid join the last wave.
8 laps round the estate of 4.1km per lap. Coach prescribed 5:40 pace for 4x8km, 2min breaks in between the 8km. With overall timing of 3:05:41, it is within expectations. BUT I did take extra breathers on the 5th and 7th laps. Times per lap were 22:47, 23:16, 22:55, 22:41, 23:05, 23:09, 23:43 and 24:03. The last 2 laps I was overwhelmed. I thought I was going at the same pace as before - hoping to catch the 23:14 target. Overshot by so much and wanted the last lap to count and it turned out to be the worst of the lot.
Am I ready for Cairns? Before reservist, perhaps. I knew then I was getting kind of tired also. After reservist, I can get by, but not with the improvement I would have wanted. But like I said, such is life. Perhaps I peaked too early. Perhaps it is a sign I should take a break. One thing is for sure, I dont think I am cut out to do 2 ironman distance triathlons in a period of 6 months. That, I am quite sure of.
So, after Cairns, I will focus on shorter sessions but with higher intensity. I have sort of a programme planned out in my head for myself already. To keep myself tuned up and prevent the rust from setting in. After all, it has been 3 years of ironman training. Not about to throw it all away. I still enjoy all 3 legs. Keeps me fit physically and mentally. Hope to continue with this lifestyle for more years to come.
***
Embarked on my 32.8 km run today in the evening. Weather for the whole day had been good. Cloudy, light drizzle, cool temperature. Slept for an hour before heading out to clear any fatigue from the lack of sleep over the week.8 laps round the estate of 4.1km per lap. Coach prescribed 5:40 pace for 4x8km, 2min breaks in between the 8km. With overall timing of 3:05:41, it is within expectations. BUT I did take extra breathers on the 5th and 7th laps. Times per lap were 22:47, 23:16, 22:55, 22:41, 23:05, 23:09, 23:43 and 24:03. The last 2 laps I was overwhelmed. I thought I was going at the same pace as before - hoping to catch the 23:14 target. Overshot by so much and wanted the last lap to count and it turned out to be the worst of the lot.
Am I ready for Cairns? Before reservist, perhaps. I knew then I was getting kind of tired also. After reservist, I can get by, but not with the improvement I would have wanted. But like I said, such is life. Perhaps I peaked too early. Perhaps it is a sign I should take a break. One thing is for sure, I dont think I am cut out to do 2 ironman distance triathlons in a period of 6 months. That, I am quite sure of.
So, after Cairns, I will focus on shorter sessions but with higher intensity. I have sort of a programme planned out in my head for myself already. To keep myself tuned up and prevent the rust from setting in. After all, it has been 3 years of ironman training. Not about to throw it all away. I still enjoy all 3 legs. Keeps me fit physically and mentally. Hope to continue with this lifestyle for more years to come.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Managing Expectations
Past 2 weeks training sessions had not been good. Made me felt as if I had lost my stamina and endurance fitness after the 2 weeks of reservist as well as the bout of flu. Was telling Coach about it and he mentioned that it could due to the high and positive thinking when I was doing well during the daily sessions as well as the AVIVA70.3. And probably due to the inactivity and flu as well. I had expected deterioration. But not as bad as what I had been getting of late.
Wednesday did a session of 75km. That was pretty alright though I know that my cadence was off. I use to ride 90-95 comfortably. That had gone down to under 90. I thought: maybe it was the interval session the night before. So did not put much thought to that.
Thursday started really late on a 11km tempo run. Stopped on the 1st loop of a 4.1km coz I knew I wasnt going to make it for another 2 loops. And that was only a 5:20 pace, which on normal days would be not too bad especially on a shorter run like this. I attributed it to the long work hour and dinner I had with my ex colleagues. Run started past 10pm. So I stopped.
Friday swim session. This was the 1st session by Coach since 3 weeks ago. Dark clouds loomed half way through but I managed to finished all the sets anyway. An absolute nightmare. 4x200m, 10x100m, 10x50m. Before the break I was doing 3:20 for the 200m, under 1:40 for 100m and under50s for 50m. All decreased by 5s per lap this time! 3:35, 1:45 and 52. I was back to beginning of the year times!
Saturday. Had a late Friday night at work. Back home only past 1130. Rushed to prep my bike for Saturday and only turned in half hour past 12. Basically only had 5 hours of sleep or less. Planned to do a 180km ride just to clock the mileage. Waited with Andrew for Wilson for an hour but no show because of a silly miscommunication. In the end, started on 3 loops of Mandai with Andrew and thereafter decided to ride our to the usual long route on my own after Andrew had to leave. Cadence again was off and I know for sure I had lost my cycling legs.
So how do I manage all these setback? Probably 1st start is to forget all the targets I had set in my mind for Cairns. By removing all the expectations for myself will reduce the pressure to amp my sessions up. Slowly rework it through the course of the next few weeks. If things do get better, perhaps relook at the expectations again. If not, just let it pass and handle Cairns has it comes. Its not pleasant to have to go through this. Perhaps, looking it as a family holiday and enjoy snorkeling, theme parks with my family will be something I can look forward to. After all, this is only a triathlon.
Easier said then done, perhaps. But better psyche myself up so that my holiday wont be spoilt.
Wednesday did a session of 75km. That was pretty alright though I know that my cadence was off. I use to ride 90-95 comfortably. That had gone down to under 90. I thought: maybe it was the interval session the night before. So did not put much thought to that.
Thursday started really late on a 11km tempo run. Stopped on the 1st loop of a 4.1km coz I knew I wasnt going to make it for another 2 loops. And that was only a 5:20 pace, which on normal days would be not too bad especially on a shorter run like this. I attributed it to the long work hour and dinner I had with my ex colleagues. Run started past 10pm. So I stopped.
Friday swim session. This was the 1st session by Coach since 3 weeks ago. Dark clouds loomed half way through but I managed to finished all the sets anyway. An absolute nightmare. 4x200m, 10x100m, 10x50m. Before the break I was doing 3:20 for the 200m, under 1:40 for 100m and under50s for 50m. All decreased by 5s per lap this time! 3:35, 1:45 and 52. I was back to beginning of the year times!
Saturday. Had a late Friday night at work. Back home only past 1130. Rushed to prep my bike for Saturday and only turned in half hour past 12. Basically only had 5 hours of sleep or less. Planned to do a 180km ride just to clock the mileage. Waited with Andrew for Wilson for an hour but no show because of a silly miscommunication. In the end, started on 3 loops of Mandai with Andrew and thereafter decided to ride our to the usual long route on my own after Andrew had to leave. Cadence again was off and I know for sure I had lost my cycling legs.
So how do I manage all these setback? Probably 1st start is to forget all the targets I had set in my mind for Cairns. By removing all the expectations for myself will reduce the pressure to amp my sessions up. Slowly rework it through the course of the next few weeks. If things do get better, perhaps relook at the expectations again. If not, just let it pass and handle Cairns has it comes. Its not pleasant to have to go through this. Perhaps, looking it as a family holiday and enjoy snorkeling, theme parks with my family will be something I can look forward to. After all, this is only a triathlon.
Easier said then done, perhaps. But better psyche myself up so that my holiday wont be spoilt.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Mountain Bike!
How true is this? Think some bits are in jest.
http://www.cycling-inform.com/bike-skills/136-unwritten-rules-of-cycling-etiquette
I have my own code. I will not draft others if I do not know them. And if I had wanted to, I would have asked. So more often, I will not bother with drafting others.
The thing is, most cyclists on the roads here do not bother and suck wheels as much as they can. Without asking, I find it most rude and intrusive. And the best part was, they suck wheels so quietly that I didnt know they had sneaked behind. The Saturday ride I had one such rider. He was initially drafting on a big container. Later he sucked on my wheel. What a bummer. Then again, I shouldnt implement my own code on others.
Took over this MTB from a friend at a steal. He needed to let it go coz he was preparing for a 2nd road bike at his place. Its alloy frame but comes with XTR gruppo. Suppose to be the best component for MTBs. And guess what? I know nuts about MTB. A good start for a cross training after Cairns perhaps? Although this will be shared more between myself and my older girl. Notice that the saddle is really at its minimum.
Akward colour, as my wife said. But with such a low cost and only meant for recreational riding, it should suit me just fine.
I think session was good enough for me. At least the mind remained fresh and the sets didnt look too daunting. Under 100s laps meant that I would be able to do under 10min for a 2.4km run. Could hold the pace for 6 laps but with loads of huffing and puffing definitely.
http://www.cycling-inform.com/bike-skills/136-unwritten-rules-of-cycling-etiquette
I have my own code. I will not draft others if I do not know them. And if I had wanted to, I would have asked. So more often, I will not bother with drafting others.
The thing is, most cyclists on the roads here do not bother and suck wheels as much as they can. Without asking, I find it most rude and intrusive. And the best part was, they suck wheels so quietly that I didnt know they had sneaked behind. The Saturday ride I had one such rider. He was initially drafting on a big container. Later he sucked on my wheel. What a bummer. Then again, I shouldnt implement my own code on others.
***
Took over this MTB from a friend at a steal. He needed to let it go coz he was preparing for a 2nd road bike at his place. Its alloy frame but comes with XTR gruppo. Suppose to be the best component for MTBs. And guess what? I know nuts about MTB. A good start for a cross training after Cairns perhaps? Although this will be shared more between myself and my older girl. Notice that the saddle is really at its minimum.
Akward colour, as my wife said. But with such a low cost and only meant for recreational riding, it should suit me just fine.
***
At night, started on my interval training late. Realised I had a 200m running route across the road. So used that as a good distance marker. 10 x 400m at 1:44 pace, prescribed by Coach. But managed all in under 100s. But I did walk 400m as recovery in between, which I think Andrew will say that would be too long a break. I use to run with him and the MR25 guys and do the same routine but at 2:30 intervals. Means, run fast pace and start the next lap on the 2:30. That was one hell of a session.I think session was good enough for me. At least the mind remained fresh and the sets didnt look too daunting. Under 100s laps meant that I would be able to do under 10min for a 2.4km run. Could hold the pace for 6 laps but with loads of huffing and puffing definitely.
Monday, April 25, 2011
My Wife Is A Triathlon Widow?
In the tabloids yesterday, there was a short article about how some wives were made "widows" by soccer, tennis, golf, table tennis. First time coming across soccer/tennis/gold/table tennis widows. Essentially, these wives were widowed by their spouses' obsession with the sports. How some they will not be able to attend some special functions because their spouse had to play those games.
Before I started the sport, I use to drive my kids over the weekends for their enrichment classes - English drama, piano, Chinese drama on Saturdays and swimming on Sundays. But with my training regime over weekends, my wife had taken over the role of the chauffeur.
So now my wife is an ironman triathlon "widow".
But we still manage family outings with friends. And mainly because I keep my dinner times available and train in hours that are transparent on weekdays. Admittedly, it doesnt always go according to plan and more often than not, some things will have to go. Family had been most accommodating so far. And I sure hope this continues into the future.
Started with Friday's 15km tempo run. In the end, broke up into 5km in the morning and 12km in the evening. Managed the 5:25 pace only for the 12km. Saturday's planned at least 140km ride but only rode 90km. Legs felt weak and cadence was just not up to mark. Was pressing more than usual.
Came Sunday. Mind was just not strong and had thought that 24km at 5:30 pace would be hardly possible. Decided not to go out for the usual long route and did 6 loops of 4.1km in my estate. Almost flat ground would give me a certain advantage and it sure did. Completed the 6 loops in 22:21, 22:18, 22:18, 22:26, 22:28 and 22:24. Quite consistent pace. But I had help with me as well. Andrew did the run with me. And the bloke just completed 15km time trial in 62min in the morning! A very easy 24km for him definitely.
The sun took a peek during the 1st 3 laps and my HR shot up tremendously. Subsequently, it decided to have mercy and hid its rays and I had a glimmer of hope. Thereafter, HR went down to a more manageable rate.
Today am feeling much better. Should get a clean sheet of bill by tomorrow perhaps? And hopefully will be able to get into gear and full steam ahead for Cairns. 5 more weeks to go.
Before I started the sport, I use to drive my kids over the weekends for their enrichment classes - English drama, piano, Chinese drama on Saturdays and swimming on Sundays. But with my training regime over weekends, my wife had taken over the role of the chauffeur.
So now my wife is an ironman triathlon "widow".
But we still manage family outings with friends. And mainly because I keep my dinner times available and train in hours that are transparent on weekdays. Admittedly, it doesnt always go according to plan and more often than not, some things will have to go. Family had been most accommodating so far. And I sure hope this continues into the future.
***
The return to training had not been an easy one. A flu bug knocked me off my feet for a few days. And sessions had shown that I was not totally fit yet.Started with Friday's 15km tempo run. In the end, broke up into 5km in the morning and 12km in the evening. Managed the 5:25 pace only for the 12km. Saturday's planned at least 140km ride but only rode 90km. Legs felt weak and cadence was just not up to mark. Was pressing more than usual.
Came Sunday. Mind was just not strong and had thought that 24km at 5:30 pace would be hardly possible. Decided not to go out for the usual long route and did 6 loops of 4.1km in my estate. Almost flat ground would give me a certain advantage and it sure did. Completed the 6 loops in 22:21, 22:18, 22:18, 22:26, 22:28 and 22:24. Quite consistent pace. But I had help with me as well. Andrew did the run with me. And the bloke just completed 15km time trial in 62min in the morning! A very easy 24km for him definitely.
The sun took a peek during the 1st 3 laps and my HR shot up tremendously. Subsequently, it decided to have mercy and hid its rays and I had a glimmer of hope. Thereafter, HR went down to a more manageable rate.
Today am feeling much better. Should get a clean sheet of bill by tomorrow perhaps? And hopefully will be able to get into gear and full steam ahead for Cairns. 5 more weeks to go.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Choices
I gave it a go at 15km tempo run at 5:25 pace this morning. Stopped on the 13th lap at the track. Head was feeling light and giddy, breathing strayed from the usual which shouldnt have happened at this pace and legs cadence was slowing. The last was indeed true when I checked with my Polar software after downloading the data.
The same old thoughts came back to haunt me and the feeling of frustration grew and ate me up. But this time round I was more in control. Yes, it was a good chance to head out with my family for a good breakfast. And that I did!
As I walked home, the heavy heart got lighter. And indeed, life is about choices. This time, do I choose to be frustrated and spoil the day, or I could see it from the perspective as having the opportunity to spend good time with the wife and kids? I chose the latter. And am so glad I did.
Will be attempting another round of 15km# later with Andrew. Probably on the track again instead of tarmac. Hopefully this time, the body will hold up. And tomorrow will be an easy ride, target distance of 180km ^. Just to ease myself back to riding again after missing almost 3 weeks of sessions. Hopefully all will be still good to go.
# Completed 12km (30 laps) all laps under 2:10. Total time taken was 1:02:43. Slightly faster than 5:25 pace. So all is good. Didnt want to be too tired for the ride on Saturday morning. Thus decided to reduce by 3km. In any case, I had already done 5 in the morning. I ran on lane 1 while Andrew ran on lane 8. Thats 456m per lap for him. And it was still a very comfortable pace for him. Bugger!
^ Not even close! Managed only half the distance. Cadence was way off and could feel that the legs were very heavy. Just satisfied that I could easily overtake a bunch of roadies who initially overtook me. Whole pack broke up into different pockets after a while, while I slowly reeled them all in, except for the lead few riders. Given more road I would have reeled all of them. Yeah, still cant stand the showy roadies.
Actually, the veins on my legs are also coming through during work outs. Strangely, it gives me satisfaction. Probably because I have never seen my legs like that before and also more likely, that I know I have been giving my legs a good work out thus far.
I am not losing the weight I was hoping to do since January. And there are still loads of spares around me. But heck, it will have to do. Maybe I can feed on these spares during the race? And perhaps come back leaner?
Yeah right... This never happened. Not for the past 2 ironman anyway. The holiday with the family will just put them all back anyway. Next time. Maybe next time. I will watch my calories and lose the weight instead of training to shed the extra pounds.
Maybe.
The same old thoughts came back to haunt me and the feeling of frustration grew and ate me up. But this time round I was more in control. Yes, it was a good chance to head out with my family for a good breakfast. And that I did!
As I walked home, the heavy heart got lighter. And indeed, life is about choices. This time, do I choose to be frustrated and spoil the day, or I could see it from the perspective as having the opportunity to spend good time with the wife and kids? I chose the latter. And am so glad I did.
Will be attempting another round of 15km# later with Andrew. Probably on the track again instead of tarmac. Hopefully this time, the body will hold up. And tomorrow will be an easy ride, target distance of 180km ^. Just to ease myself back to riding again after missing almost 3 weeks of sessions. Hopefully all will be still good to go.
# Completed 12km (30 laps) all laps under 2:10. Total time taken was 1:02:43. Slightly faster than 5:25 pace. So all is good. Didnt want to be too tired for the ride on Saturday morning. Thus decided to reduce by 3km. In any case, I had already done 5 in the morning. I ran on lane 1 while Andrew ran on lane 8. Thats 456m per lap for him. And it was still a very comfortable pace for him. Bugger!
^ Not even close! Managed only half the distance. Cadence was way off and could feel that the legs were very heavy. Just satisfied that I could easily overtake a bunch of roadies who initially overtook me. Whole pack broke up into different pockets after a while, while I slowly reeled them all in, except for the lead few riders. Given more road I would have reeled all of them. Yeah, still cant stand the showy roadies.
***
Read Chrissie Wellington's blog on her latest win at IM South Africa - the one that Clifford did on his 11th chase of IMs. The iron lady - no, not Margaret Thatcher - won her race with the fastest run split even among the male pros. It was simply amazing! In the blog, there were pictures and one was taken of her legs. Her legs were so toned that the veins were popping out at the calves.Actually, the veins on my legs are also coming through during work outs. Strangely, it gives me satisfaction. Probably because I have never seen my legs like that before and also more likely, that I know I have been giving my legs a good work out thus far.
I am not losing the weight I was hoping to do since January. And there are still loads of spares around me. But heck, it will have to do. Maybe I can feed on these spares during the race? And perhaps come back leaner?
Yeah right... This never happened. Not for the past 2 ironman anyway. The holiday with the family will just put them all back anyway. Next time. Maybe next time. I will watch my calories and lose the weight instead of training to shed the extra pounds.
Maybe.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
K.O.
It was a really silly thing to happen. Having endured the reservist for 2 weeks, on the last day in the morning, I felt symptoms of an onslaught of flu bug. I had been saying that it would take quite a strong bug to get me down and indeed it happened. The bug knocked me off my feet and been lying on the bed the whole day today. The medication I got last night just was not working. An initial dose of antibiotics and lozenges - probably a milder form. This morning I saw the same doctor and asked for something stronger. And stronger they got. Could feel the difference almost instantly. The sore throat had diminished, the runny nose had almost dried up. Just had a slight hangover of dizziness. Perhaps due to lack of food since last night?
Doctor told me to drink chilled electrolyte drinks as well as ice cream since I was not in the mood of solid food. And that I did. Udders ice cream with bread twice and 2 bowls of porridge. Soft food was very gentle on my throat.
My return to ironman triathlon training had just hit a snag. 2 weeks of just a couple of runs, once swim and once rubber chord training is not going to be put me back on track for Cairns. It is coming up in 6 weeks and that is including this week. Coach had to stop me in my tracks to remind me to stop stressing over training for the race. After all, there will be other races to do well in.
Sometimes it is hard to catch myself in my following my training schedule. After all, who would not like to see an improvement with all the hard work put in? But in the end, instead of thinking of training, I let it go and rested. Hopefully I will be able to get back into the routine stronger than before.
In any case, even if that doesnt happen, it is not the end of the world. After all, I am not depending on this as my livelihood and I do have a family to look after as well. I read this with interest and delight.
Doctor told me to drink chilled electrolyte drinks as well as ice cream since I was not in the mood of solid food. And that I did. Udders ice cream with bread twice and 2 bowls of porridge. Soft food was very gentle on my throat.
My return to ironman triathlon training had just hit a snag. 2 weeks of just a couple of runs, once swim and once rubber chord training is not going to be put me back on track for Cairns. It is coming up in 6 weeks and that is including this week. Coach had to stop me in my tracks to remind me to stop stressing over training for the race. After all, there will be other races to do well in.
Sometimes it is hard to catch myself in my following my training schedule. After all, who would not like to see an improvement with all the hard work put in? But in the end, instead of thinking of training, I let it go and rested. Hopefully I will be able to get back into the routine stronger than before.
In any case, even if that doesnt happen, it is not the end of the world. After all, I am not depending on this as my livelihood and I do have a family to look after as well. I read this with interest and delight.
***
On the last day of reservist, there was an announcement that there were some of the soldiers who had already done their time and completed at least 10 years of service to the SAF. Pleasantly surprised was that I was also called up. It felt good to be classified as MINDEF Reserve (also known as MR), while the rest of my peers still have yet to complete their cycle. However, I am older than them, so this is warranted.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Another Trashed Run
Started the run just past 3pm. Scorching hot temperature ranged from 29 to 36. I would presume it was 36 when I started. Average was 32 at the end of the run.
1st 16km in 1:38:40 and 2nd 16km in 1:40:42. Heart rate shot up to at times above 150 on the 1st 16km, probably primarily due to the heat. Total crap was the 2nd 16km. I even took the easy way out by running in my estate after 20km - as flat as can be. I had thought I would benefit but turned out to be otherwise. My long run of 32km timing is dipping - from 3:06 till 3:20. It sucks considering that I had been resting for the past 2 weeks. And it is not making it any better with the race looming in 6 weeks time. Damn!
1st 16km in 1:38:40 and 2nd 16km in 1:40:42. Heart rate shot up to at times above 150 on the 1st 16km, probably primarily due to the heat. Total crap was the 2nd 16km. I even took the easy way out by running in my estate after 20km - as flat as can be. I had thought I would benefit but turned out to be otherwise. My long run of 32km timing is dipping - from 3:06 till 3:20. It sucks considering that I had been resting for the past 2 weeks. And it is not making it any better with the race looming in 6 weeks time. Damn!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Equipment Care
I am not quite into taking care of my equipment till recently when I realised that the cost of replacing parts of the wear and tear were increasing. This time round was another indication of being "penny wise and pound foolish".
I recently sent in my bike for servicing. My mechanic found that my handlebar was not in very good shape. I was quite surprised that my usage over the 2 years of training and taking part in triathlons, the salt deposits had corroded the aluminium bar. The white/yellow patches in the pictures were indentations as a result of the corrosion.
Not wanting to risk any problems in the coming race, I changed it out and threw the old piece away. A result of not changing the bar tape regularly, although the last change was just 5 months ago? The above picture showed the revelation of the white salt deposits after the bar tape was peeled off. And my dear friend had to endure the foul smell that came with it. Really disgusting I must say.
So yes, from now on, the bar tape will be changed regularly as well. By hook or by crook.
Cant wait to jump onto the bike again. It has been 2 weeks of absence. Before I took the break for reservist, I was feeling tired from riding. Probably suffered a burn out then. But now I am back and am looking forward to riding again. So the break must have done me good psychologically.
Again A Slack Week
What a slack week. Hope I dont put on weight from inactivity. Managed to do my interval training on Tuesday: 1km, 2km, 1km x 2. Took 4:08, 9:07, 4:27 and 4:32. Far cry from the 4:22 for 1km and 9:04 (2km) that Coach gave me for this week. My only excuse is that I am not on the track and it was difficult to check on my time. I was running in 1km laps.
Thursday did an 8km tempo run. Suppose to be a 5min pace but took 40:22 instead. Again wasnt sure of the pace I had to run. I must have started pretty slowly as I know I was running faster during the last 3km. It was a very comfortable 8km run though. Maybe I have rested well for the past 2 weeks and legs had recovered from the months of training for the 1st half of the year.
Cairns is coming. In less than 6 weeks. I will have to get my performance to peak by then. Dont think anything much I do within these 6 weeks will matter any more. Now should be mere sustaining what I have trained since beginning of the year.
Lets see. I had started on intevals which for the past 2 years I had never dabbled on. I started on stronger swim since WA 2010. Bike wise, not much had really changed. Perhaps the next race I should work on a stronger bike. Maybe a change in methodology as well?
Have decided that I will not do the Marina21k run and the Army Half Marathon. Instead I have signed up for Mega Tri Singapore long distance triathlon. Slightly longer race than the 70.3 - 2km swim, 102km bike and 27km run. Yes, I am still choosing my races this year. And hope to do more triathlons than runs. Besides Newton 30km, the next run will be StanChart marathon.
Thursday did an 8km tempo run. Suppose to be a 5min pace but took 40:22 instead. Again wasnt sure of the pace I had to run. I must have started pretty slowly as I know I was running faster during the last 3km. It was a very comfortable 8km run though. Maybe I have rested well for the past 2 weeks and legs had recovered from the months of training for the 1st half of the year.
Cairns is coming. In less than 6 weeks. I will have to get my performance to peak by then. Dont think anything much I do within these 6 weeks will matter any more. Now should be mere sustaining what I have trained since beginning of the year.
Lets see. I had started on intevals which for the past 2 years I had never dabbled on. I started on stronger swim since WA 2010. Bike wise, not much had really changed. Perhaps the next race I should work on a stronger bike. Maybe a change in methodology as well?
***
Have decided that I will not do the Marina21k run and the Army Half Marathon. Instead I have signed up for Mega Tri Singapore long distance triathlon. Slightly longer race than the 70.3 - 2km swim, 102km bike and 27km run. Yes, I am still choosing my races this year. And hope to do more triathlons than runs. Besides Newton 30km, the next run will be StanChart marathon.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Restful Week
Started reservist on the wrong foot. For the 1st two days, I had splitting headaches which went away with painkillers. With a night off, I went home and measured my blood pressure, it shot up through the roof! I had no idea at all for this sudden surge. Probably due to lack of training for the week? Too inactive for too long? Monday was the swim, Tuesday did nothing. Thursday did an easy 8km run and Friday did a slightly faster 5.4km run. Didnt manage to follow what Coach had prescribed.
Today, I managed to get out of the flat about 2pm to do a 24km run. 1st 10km in 53:37, 2nd 10km in 59:45 and last 4km in 23:30. Total time taken was 2:16:53. Again a far cry from the 5:30 pace I was suppose to hold. Heat really got into me when I started. A hefty 36 degrees - according to my watch. Of course not throughout the run? But yes, I would say that at 2pm, that would have been a possible temperature.
I had thought I would be able to give it a good go for today's run. Terribly disappointed I must say because I felt really trashed during the run. Could be the heat or it could be just myself. Looks like I have more to do with the run.
Today, I managed to get out of the flat about 2pm to do a 24km run. 1st 10km in 53:37, 2nd 10km in 59:45 and last 4km in 23:30. Total time taken was 2:16:53. Again a far cry from the 5:30 pace I was suppose to hold. Heat really got into me when I started. A hefty 36 degrees - according to my watch. Of course not throughout the run? But yes, I would say that at 2pm, that would have been a possible temperature.
I had thought I would be able to give it a good go for today's run. Terribly disappointed I must say because I felt really trashed during the run. Could be the heat or it could be just myself. Looks like I have more to do with the run.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
When Is Too Much Just Too Much?
Nit picking on the smallest of issues in recent times, like the extent of personal attacks on 27 year old incumbant MP, can really leave an ill aftertaste. It just like eating the same food over and over again will change the taste buds, from pleasant to an overkill.
So, how much of endurance training should we do? Met an old friend today. He knew I was into ironman races - cos he has seen me running around the area and that I have lost a lot of weight since I left the school - and he shared with me this link.
I doubt that I will fit the category of people training seriously and hard. I am just going by what I think I can do. Will this research be applicable to me? I hope not.
Probably wont be doing the intervals but instead go for a light run in the morning tomorrow before I report. Run off all the sweet stuff I had been eating since the 33km run on Sunday. Somehow the body had been craving for that sweet stuff which I seldom consume usually.
The break is here. I hope not to lose any fitness during these 2 weeks. I have brought bungy cord to replace my swim and more sets of running gear. Hopefully I will be able to squeeze in some runs before meals of some sort, as well as include core exercises. Contemplated bringing in the yoga mat but decided not to. At least I still have my Sunday to do the long runs.
So, how much of endurance training should we do? Met an old friend today. He knew I was into ironman races - cos he has seen me running around the area and that I have lost a lot of weight since I left the school - and he shared with me this link.
I doubt that I will fit the category of people training seriously and hard. I am just going by what I think I can do. Will this research be applicable to me? I hope not.
***
Havent done my run for the day. Spent the whole day settling my work as well as errands I needed to run before I go for my reservist. Not forgetting there was rain in the afternoon. As well as hunger.Probably wont be doing the intervals but instead go for a light run in the morning tomorrow before I report. Run off all the sweet stuff I had been eating since the 33km run on Sunday. Somehow the body had been craving for that sweet stuff which I seldom consume usually.
The break is here. I hope not to lose any fitness during these 2 weeks. I have brought bungy cord to replace my swim and more sets of running gear. Hopefully I will be able to squeeze in some runs before meals of some sort, as well as include core exercises. Contemplated bringing in the yoga mat but decided not to. At least I still have my Sunday to do the long runs.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Kids Tribob Duathlon
A family outing in the morning yesterday. Was there to cheer my kids on their 2nd duathlon for the year. They were severely handicapped like the 1st race. Bike can only go as fast as their fixie will allow them. Again. But the red faced kids were fun to look at. Suffering not on my end but theirs! Nice! :P
***
Saturday saw the early morning rain wash out any possibilities of riding. Decided to have breakfast with my wife after dropping kids for their enrichment classes. Started my bike session just before noon. That only meant that I could not hit the 200km that I planned to and in the end did 120km only. It was nothing of high intensity considering that I had some residual fatigue in me and also had to hold back because of the prescribed 32km run on Sunday.
From this ride, I realised that eating up after the session was very important. I felt faintish after the ride despite having nailed my nutrition on the bike. Missing lunch could have contributed to it and perhaps not carbing up for the week could have been a factor as well. Because all fainting spells were gone after I ate up a double portion of spaghetti.
The run was suppose to be my last big one before I break for reservist. But instead of my usual route of 32km, I decided to run to my parents' place and have my dinner there. Huge mistake. It turned out to be the hardest 32km run I had to do in a training session. I had to keep climbing slopes for a good 7km of the route. I got to the last 4.5km and I decided to turn into the track to finish up the rest of the mileage. I was just too trashed to do any more slopes. The body was feeling too weak already.
To make things worse, the GPS did not compute the laps accurately and I did almost 33km. And that took me 3:27. Way way off the mark of 5:40 pace that Coach had tasked me to do. Will live to see another day.
Friday, April 1, 2011
LOOK Keo Power Pedals
LOOK (pun intended) at the review here. Could this be the future of powermeters as well? Many considerations though. I have heard of how fragile LOOK pedals are because of the presence of play at the spindle. And with the strain gauge at the spindle, will there be a compromise in structure? Just a perspective from a layman, nothing scientific. The pedal is probably the part that is most ill treated in the whole bike besides the tyres. Clip in and out all the time, used as a bike stand against the kerb, 1st part to hit the ground if bike topples sideways? And if you think that its going to be cheap because it is so small, think again. 1600-1800 euros! That is more than the price of the Quarq.
However with another competitor, with the market dominated by upmarket SRM and Quarq, midmarket Cycleops and the low end iBike (which I use), this may be good for end users. Perhaps the price of these equipment will feel the heat and reduce its prices in due time and made more affordable to a bigger market segment in the cycling industry.
Bollocks! I have to miss JP Morgan because of work commitment. Irony is that this was suppose to be corporate race. Afraid there will be no choice. It will be the 2nd DNS for this year! But with 1 DNS, I have compensated by registering for 5km Open Water Swim at East Coast in July (and I signed up for Newton 30km over the weekend).
I will have 1.5years to train for IMWA 2012 after Cairns. No letting up. Hopefully to do an 11 hour race then? Very, very ambitious I must admit but will work on the bike as well as run. I dont think my swim can go down much further. Even if it does, it will be too small and may not be significant for the whole race.
And in 2013, perhaps Norseman. IF I can get a slot. Otherwise it will be back to June/December races again. Am hoping that I can mark my 5th ironman chase with the toughest IM in the world. And yes, the target will be the black tee.
Lets see how things turn out. A plan can only be just that, a plan. There are still too many variables in life. Uncertain variables.
However with another competitor, with the market dominated by upmarket SRM and Quarq, midmarket Cycleops and the low end iBike (which I use), this may be good for end users. Perhaps the price of these equipment will feel the heat and reduce its prices in due time and made more affordable to a bigger market segment in the cycling industry.
***
Bollocks! I have to miss JP Morgan because of work commitment. Irony is that this was suppose to be corporate race. Afraid there will be no choice. It will be the 2nd DNS for this year! But with 1 DNS, I have compensated by registering for 5km Open Water Swim at East Coast in July (and I signed up for Newton 30km over the weekend).
I will have 1.5years to train for IMWA 2012 after Cairns. No letting up. Hopefully to do an 11 hour race then? Very, very ambitious I must admit but will work on the bike as well as run. I dont think my swim can go down much further. Even if it does, it will be too small and may not be significant for the whole race.
And in 2013, perhaps Norseman. IF I can get a slot. Otherwise it will be back to June/December races again. Am hoping that I can mark my 5th ironman chase with the toughest IM in the world. And yes, the target will be the black tee.
Lets see how things turn out. A plan can only be just that, a plan. There are still too many variables in life. Uncertain variables.
Tired Week
Hectic season has come to pass and gone with the wind. Could finally breathe in huge sigh of relief. Spent the week trying to convince my wife to go with me to Annapurna on a 50km trail run cum holiday but she had flatly turned it down. It was suppose to be a trip without the kids.
On hindsight, it probably would not make much sense to get to Pokhara if we dont get out of town to trek? Unless we go there just to enjoy the slow moving lifestyle, low cost of living and appreciate a different culture and lifestyle we wont get to see in Singapore. I think the run includes going up Poon Hill where there is a magnificent showcase of the Himalayans at dawn. Have wanted to go back to trek in Nepal again but the very thought was snubbed out by The Wife so many times. No choice but to put a pin in that thought.
The press had loads to debate on various local issues. One of which was a picture of a army boy who had his backpack carried by his domestic helper. And the other was the fielding of a 27 year old (or young) politician for the coming elections.
Of course with the above picture, sparked off a furore of doctored pictures on the internet related to the domestic helper, just to spite the young soldier. To what extent should we as parents pamper our children? I know I dont. At least not in terms of simple things like carrying their own burden. When my girls started school, they were already carrying their own bags, despite them being big and bulky. Has the growth in wealth, led to a new generation of youths who are probably a far cry from their forefathers who could take in the hard knocks of life? Or is the new generation expected to be performing at a different level of competence that do not require such lifeskills any more? Is the old school of upbringing passe or are they still relevant in the current knowledge base economy? The evolution has taken for a turn. I suppose we can only find out the impact of this in another decade or 2. Hopefully the change is for the better of the society. Although frankly, I personally doubt it. Perhaps not all are in this state, but quite a handful I am sure. Being in schools, I have seen quite a fair number of students heading in this direction of over sheltered nature. And the "I, me and myself" mindset.
The week had passed so fast. Soon it will be reservist time. Was hoping to intensify sessions before the 2 weeks break from everything but the body just refuse to budge. Some of the guys chipped in to buy a clock for Monday's swim session. Before I could offer to contribute, Dion said that it was fully paid for already. Clock was useful in timing the rest period as well as the intervals between swimmers. Useful but not sure if the price tag was well worth it. $490!
Tuesday's lone interval session didnt turn out too well. Did a 7:10 1.6km, 15:04 3.2km, 2 sets of 800m in 3:34 and 3:27. All sets were over what Coach had prescribed. I am still not in tune with doing quick sets without looking at 400m lap splits. The inability to gauge my speed was probably largely due to unaccustomed to faster pace runs. And on top of that, I was doing intervals alone. I miss the heart thumping sessions with Andrew and the MR25 runners. And I miss the opportunity to train with people who would serve as a motivation and provide the social interaction as well.
As the week progressed, the fatigue slowly ate me up. The bike ride was suppose to be 85km, mostly to serve as a reduction of workload. Really, the sets were not all that tough. But after the ride I just did not feel like doing the 4km run. And I gave in.
Thursday got slightly better. Somehow this felt like some sinusoidal curve. Up and down throughout the week. Did 6km tempo run but instead of 5min/km, completed in 28:30, which worked out to be 4:45 pace. Pretty decent because I know I could have gone on beyond the 6km quite comfortably. Maybe even 10 if I had dug in slightly. So 5min pace is comfortable over 10km. This bit is comforting.
This morning was a day off from work. Did my swim sets after dropping my kids to school. 1km time trial in 17:26, hitting under 1:45 for most laps. Thereafter completed 10 x 50m on the 55s. 3 x 200 in really tired times of 3:27, 3:35 and 3:37. Notice the drop again. Final sets of 3 x 100m all under 1:45.
Hopefully tomorrow's 200km bike session will be fine. Will try to carb up more and rest more tonight. Maybe it was all due to sleep depravation. Been going into the sessions feeling sleepy and tired. Havent had a chance to do my short naps before the sessions. Hopefully that could be a contributing factor. 70.3 fatigue should be gone after more than a week. That shouldnt be used as an excuse any more. Just got to perk up the mind!
On hindsight, it probably would not make much sense to get to Pokhara if we dont get out of town to trek? Unless we go there just to enjoy the slow moving lifestyle, low cost of living and appreciate a different culture and lifestyle we wont get to see in Singapore. I think the run includes going up Poon Hill where there is a magnificent showcase of the Himalayans at dawn. Have wanted to go back to trek in Nepal again but the very thought was snubbed out by The Wife so many times. No choice but to put a pin in that thought.
***
Of course with the above picture, sparked off a furore of doctored pictures on the internet related to the domestic helper, just to spite the young soldier. To what extent should we as parents pamper our children? I know I dont. At least not in terms of simple things like carrying their own burden. When my girls started school, they were already carrying their own bags, despite them being big and bulky. Has the growth in wealth, led to a new generation of youths who are probably a far cry from their forefathers who could take in the hard knocks of life? Or is the new generation expected to be performing at a different level of competence that do not require such lifeskills any more? Is the old school of upbringing passe or are they still relevant in the current knowledge base economy? The evolution has taken for a turn. I suppose we can only find out the impact of this in another decade or 2. Hopefully the change is for the better of the society. Although frankly, I personally doubt it. Perhaps not all are in this state, but quite a handful I am sure. Being in schools, I have seen quite a fair number of students heading in this direction of over sheltered nature. And the "I, me and myself" mindset.
***
The week had passed so fast. Soon it will be reservist time. Was hoping to intensify sessions before the 2 weeks break from everything but the body just refuse to budge. Some of the guys chipped in to buy a clock for Monday's swim session. Before I could offer to contribute, Dion said that it was fully paid for already. Clock was useful in timing the rest period as well as the intervals between swimmers. Useful but not sure if the price tag was well worth it. $490!
Tuesday's lone interval session didnt turn out too well. Did a 7:10 1.6km, 15:04 3.2km, 2 sets of 800m in 3:34 and 3:27. All sets were over what Coach had prescribed. I am still not in tune with doing quick sets without looking at 400m lap splits. The inability to gauge my speed was probably largely due to unaccustomed to faster pace runs. And on top of that, I was doing intervals alone. I miss the heart thumping sessions with Andrew and the MR25 runners. And I miss the opportunity to train with people who would serve as a motivation and provide the social interaction as well.
As the week progressed, the fatigue slowly ate me up. The bike ride was suppose to be 85km, mostly to serve as a reduction of workload. Really, the sets were not all that tough. But after the ride I just did not feel like doing the 4km run. And I gave in.
Thursday got slightly better. Somehow this felt like some sinusoidal curve. Up and down throughout the week. Did 6km tempo run but instead of 5min/km, completed in 28:30, which worked out to be 4:45 pace. Pretty decent because I know I could have gone on beyond the 6km quite comfortably. Maybe even 10 if I had dug in slightly. So 5min pace is comfortable over 10km. This bit is comforting.
This morning was a day off from work. Did my swim sets after dropping my kids to school. 1km time trial in 17:26, hitting under 1:45 for most laps. Thereafter completed 10 x 50m on the 55s. 3 x 200 in really tired times of 3:27, 3:35 and 3:37. Notice the drop again. Final sets of 3 x 100m all under 1:45.
Hopefully tomorrow's 200km bike session will be fine. Will try to carb up more and rest more tonight. Maybe it was all due to sleep depravation. Been going into the sessions feeling sleepy and tired. Havent had a chance to do my short naps before the sessions. Hopefully that could be a contributing factor. 70.3 fatigue should be gone after more than a week. That shouldnt be used as an excuse any more. Just got to perk up the mind!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
True Love
What Are Words?
Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
Anytime you whisper my name, you'll see
How every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most
What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then they don't
When it's love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone
And I know an angel was sent just for me
And I know I'm meant to be where I am
And I'm gonna be
Standing right beside her tonight
And I'm gonna be by your side
I would never leave when she needs me most
What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then they don't
When it's love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone
Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
And I'm gonna be here forever more
Every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most
I'm forever keeping my angel close
I dont really follow American Idol much. But 2011 season, I caught an episode of a touching moment of one guy who stayed with his fiance even though she met with an accident and resulted in her suffering from brain damage(?) Chris Medina never made through one of the preliminaries despite being one of the few talents, but what was more important was his undying love for the woman he proposed to a few years before the accident. Heart warming to see the human spirit at its best.
Lyrics - simplicity at its best.
***
Today started the run early at 0630. Distance of almost 29km completed in 2:46:49. The last 6km was really really tough on the body and mind. Coach told me to keep it at 5:36 pace but no way I was able to keep to that, sadly. Seemed like I am unable to push the pace over long distances. Disappointing session yet again. The plus point was that I kept minding my posture and landing of the feet. To the point that when I stopped at traffic light, I could feel that my core crying out to give way. Hopefully the core had done its work today.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Future Is Here!
Ever wondered if the finger pressing Head Up Display computer screen that Tom Cruise was browsing through in Minority Report will ever be a reality?
Or a room that automatically dims as you sit down to watch a movie at home, or brightens up on its own when you return home at night? Check this out! It is a reality in the making already! May be in its primitive stage for now, but soon will evolve into probably marketable? Or maybe its already in production?
Or a room that automatically dims as you sit down to watch a movie at home, or brightens up on its own when you return home at night? Check this out! It is a reality in the making already! May be in its primitive stage for now, but soon will evolve into probably marketable? Or maybe its already in production?
***
Instead of swimming on Friday, I changed it to Thursday so that I wont have 2 consecutive days of running. Spent about 2 hours in the pool trying to get my swim better. Alternated laps of 50 with fist swim as well as sliding workouts for 10 laps (i.e. 5 each). Followed by 10x100m all under 1:40. 6x50m was suppose to be on the 50s but could only make it for 1st lap of 50m. The rest were about 52s. Somehow something is wrong with the efficiency. This was followed by 4x50m with hard 50m and 50m breast stroke recovery. Maybe I was just fatigued from Sunday's race.
Yesterday's tempo run was strange. I thought I was hitting out good and fast. Felt like a 4:30 pace. But turned out to be just over 5min pace. I suspect that the Polar GPS has computed the distance wrongly and made me run more than the prescribed 5km. Took 26:21. Too long... way too long. Came back very disappointed.
This morning went for a ride with Kin Kok. Did Mandai loops 8 times over. Total mileage of 172km. Was planning to do 10 loops but the weather got into me. Heart rate was too low and I tried to ensure that my powermeter read more than 170W. In fact, I did not even go out for a 4km run after the bike. I hope the Sunday's 70.3 race will start to wear off soon. This week had not been the same and my A race is coming up fast and furious!
I have concluded that the powermeter is not that accurate. Reason being that it doesnt take into consideration whether I was riding with big chain ring or small. Like I mentioned before, it is probably driven mathematically by elevation, cadence, speed and wind speed somehow. At speeds over 40kph today, the powermeter registered 0W. I dont know why. Would I recommend the iBike system? If budget is a constraint, yes. Its better than nothing. If not and user is into accuracy, then most likely not. For me, it will work just fine.
This morning went for a ride with Kin Kok. Did Mandai loops 8 times over. Total mileage of 172km. Was planning to do 10 loops but the weather got into me. Heart rate was too low and I tried to ensure that my powermeter read more than 170W. In fact, I did not even go out for a 4km run after the bike. I hope the Sunday's 70.3 race will start to wear off soon. This week had not been the same and my A race is coming up fast and furious!
I have concluded that the powermeter is not that accurate. Reason being that it doesnt take into consideration whether I was riding with big chain ring or small. Like I mentioned before, it is probably driven mathematically by elevation, cadence, speed and wind speed somehow. At speeds over 40kph today, the powermeter registered 0W. I dont know why. Would I recommend the iBike system? If budget is a constraint, yes. Its better than nothing. If not and user is into accuracy, then most likely not. For me, it will work just fine.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Running Clinic with Pete Jacobs
I skipped a session with the Monday swim squad. Instead, I paid a token sum to attend an hour's running clinic with professional ironman triathlete Pete Jacobs. In the end, turned out to be almost 2 hours worth of session with him. Pete Jacobs is sponsored by BPM Sports and the company is run by Nicole Gallaghar and her husband here in Singapore.
Frankly, I didnt know who Pete Jacobs was till he competed in Sunday's AVIVA Singapore 70.3. And I didnt know that he did the fastest marathon in Ironman World Championships Kona 2010. All along I thought Craig Alexander did the fastest run time of 2:41:59 then but Pete did it in 2:41:06. 3rd fastest in Kona's history, the record being held by Mark Allen (2:40:04), followed by Dave Scott's 2:41:03. The last 2 since 1989!
Anyway, lessons I learnt much from Pete during the session:
1) Stretching exercises should not comprise of 20s static stretches. He believes that dynamic stretching is more apt because static stretching may tend to overstretch the muscles. The idea of stretching is to allow the muscles to retain its elasticity. This is to prevent any possible injuries from overstretching.
2) We have probably learnt from magazines, books, that while running a marathon, we need to keep our chest up and stand tall and straight. All this while, leaning slightly forward. The landing of the feet should be just under your body so that the pounding is not fully on the knees, thus reducing any possible injuries. Besides this, the landing of the foot should be flat while the body weight on the forefoot. I have been using Newton shoes and with the thick lugs, the landing tends to be solely on the forefoot and not flat. Perhaps it is time to relook at the type of shoes again. Having said this, I think most of us will know this technique of chest out and standing tall. The question is whether I can sustain this posture for the full 42km run when the fatigue set in after 7hours on the road in the ironman. I think it is a matter of reminding ourselves while we train. Maybe it will become habitual after some time? Hopefully not too long, for me.
3) The movement of the arms determine the pace of the strides. If we casually swing our arms back and forth, so will the legs swing leisurely. If we swing really fast and hard, the legs will follow suit. Compare Usain Bolt's 100m sprint. Even top marathoners have the jerking motion and that will have a bearing on the pace. Of course, as age groupers, our movement of the arms will not be as fast as the pros. But if we remember to have a sharp and faster swing, so will the cadence of the legs pick up. And all this while, when the cadence is higher, the landing of the foot will still be under the weight of the body and not ahead. Pete said that the pace is dependent on how fast the leg moved and not the stride. Although I cant seem to understand how the stride will not increase with speed.
4) One of the 1st few things that Pete brought us through was this (without shoes): jumping and landing on the forefeet, we were able to bounce very easily. However, landing on the heels will have a very dead thud that sends all the impact throughout the whole body. 2 things I learnt from this simple exercise, 1 of which Pete explained: the bouncy feeling is because the Archiles Tendon is a very strong instrument that is highly elastic and the 2nd, if we land on the heels, the whole body will become the shock absorber. Which is why the expert says that we should have some form of bounce when we run. Not the exaggerated bounce of up and down, but a more controlled one. In this way, the gliding movement horizontally will be a less concerted effort compared to the lift and push off of the feet.
5) The feet is made up of many fragments of bones, which are built to spread when the soles hit the ground. This works sort of like a shock absorber. The advise is not to tighten the shoes overly tight because it will prevent the bones from spreading and absorb the shock, which will in turn become floor pounding on the feet with no suspension. I suspect this was what happened when I ran with my K-Swiss. Maybe it wasnt the shoes after all? It was just the tight laces?
6) The feet should be on the ground for split second only. This means that the landing should be very light and quick. There should be minimal noise from the feet as we run on the tarmac. Pete looked at my posture and all was good except that there seemed to be a slight noise while running barefoot. I suspect that I was not quick in taking off after the landing? Or maybe I was braking slightly as I landed? I will continue to work on this.
7) Pete suggested running minimalistic. If all the techniques were observed, there will be no need for thickly cushioned shoes. The idea of running barefooted is for us to feel the natural way of running. And heavy cushions take away just that feel that will be important. He recommended racers. And this is not the 1st time I have heard this. The plus point is that racers are cheaper anyway. And I just bought a slightly cushioned shoes (Mizuno Wave Precision 11) after K-Swiss (with some discount, thanks to the Army). DARN!
It is the busy period now at work. For a week or two. Missed my 100km bike session today. Had to keep training session short and did Tuesday's intervals instead. 15min warm up, 2 sets of 6x400m in 1:40 with 2 min rest in between laps and 3min rest between the 2 sets. Completed all 12 laps and warmed down run for 10min. Could feel that the legs were not fully rested. I havent done my spinning session on Monday night as well to loosen up the muscles. 400m were done in 1:33, 1:44, 1:40, 1:39, 1:42, 1:36, 1:39, 1:36, 1:38, 1:39, 1:39 and 1:36. It was not overly stressful. Panting definitely but recovery was under a minute. If I had done with Andrew and the MR25 runners, I was doing 90s over 10 laps of 400m. It was a pity I would not be joining them any more. Having to run with them was stressful but I was sure I benefited over the past 3 months. Oh well, such is life.
Frankly, I didnt know who Pete Jacobs was till he competed in Sunday's AVIVA Singapore 70.3. And I didnt know that he did the fastest marathon in Ironman World Championships Kona 2010. All along I thought Craig Alexander did the fastest run time of 2:41:59 then but Pete did it in 2:41:06. 3rd fastest in Kona's history, the record being held by Mark Allen (2:40:04), followed by Dave Scott's 2:41:03. The last 2 since 1989!
Anyway, lessons I learnt much from Pete during the session:
1) Stretching exercises should not comprise of 20s static stretches. He believes that dynamic stretching is more apt because static stretching may tend to overstretch the muscles. The idea of stretching is to allow the muscles to retain its elasticity. This is to prevent any possible injuries from overstretching.
2) We have probably learnt from magazines, books, that while running a marathon, we need to keep our chest up and stand tall and straight. All this while, leaning slightly forward. The landing of the feet should be just under your body so that the pounding is not fully on the knees, thus reducing any possible injuries. Besides this, the landing of the foot should be flat while the body weight on the forefoot. I have been using Newton shoes and with the thick lugs, the landing tends to be solely on the forefoot and not flat. Perhaps it is time to relook at the type of shoes again. Having said this, I think most of us will know this technique of chest out and standing tall. The question is whether I can sustain this posture for the full 42km run when the fatigue set in after 7hours on the road in the ironman. I think it is a matter of reminding ourselves while we train. Maybe it will become habitual after some time? Hopefully not too long, for me.
3) The movement of the arms determine the pace of the strides. If we casually swing our arms back and forth, so will the legs swing leisurely. If we swing really fast and hard, the legs will follow suit. Compare Usain Bolt's 100m sprint. Even top marathoners have the jerking motion and that will have a bearing on the pace. Of course, as age groupers, our movement of the arms will not be as fast as the pros. But if we remember to have a sharp and faster swing, so will the cadence of the legs pick up. And all this while, when the cadence is higher, the landing of the foot will still be under the weight of the body and not ahead. Pete said that the pace is dependent on how fast the leg moved and not the stride. Although I cant seem to understand how the stride will not increase with speed.
4) One of the 1st few things that Pete brought us through was this (without shoes): jumping and landing on the forefeet, we were able to bounce very easily. However, landing on the heels will have a very dead thud that sends all the impact throughout the whole body. 2 things I learnt from this simple exercise, 1 of which Pete explained: the bouncy feeling is because the Archiles Tendon is a very strong instrument that is highly elastic and the 2nd, if we land on the heels, the whole body will become the shock absorber. Which is why the expert says that we should have some form of bounce when we run. Not the exaggerated bounce of up and down, but a more controlled one. In this way, the gliding movement horizontally will be a less concerted effort compared to the lift and push off of the feet.
5) The feet is made up of many fragments of bones, which are built to spread when the soles hit the ground. This works sort of like a shock absorber. The advise is not to tighten the shoes overly tight because it will prevent the bones from spreading and absorb the shock, which will in turn become floor pounding on the feet with no suspension. I suspect this was what happened when I ran with my K-Swiss. Maybe it wasnt the shoes after all? It was just the tight laces?
6) The feet should be on the ground for split second only. This means that the landing should be very light and quick. There should be minimal noise from the feet as we run on the tarmac. Pete looked at my posture and all was good except that there seemed to be a slight noise while running barefoot. I suspect that I was not quick in taking off after the landing? Or maybe I was braking slightly as I landed? I will continue to work on this.
7) Pete suggested running minimalistic. If all the techniques were observed, there will be no need for thickly cushioned shoes. The idea of running barefooted is for us to feel the natural way of running. And heavy cushions take away just that feel that will be important. He recommended racers. And this is not the 1st time I have heard this. The plus point is that racers are cheaper anyway. And I just bought a slightly cushioned shoes (Mizuno Wave Precision 11) after K-Swiss (with some discount, thanks to the Army). DARN!
***
Tuesday I failed to train. And it got me really peeved because I know I was short of time. Reservist training is coming up and that would mean 2 weeks of nothing. I would have to be more creative to come up with ways of training as I did last year. May have to spend the weekends on the bike trainer for longer sessions, work on core muscle groups. But definitely the aerobic fitness is going to suffer. Not sure if I can sneak in some short intense runs somehow?It is the busy period now at work. For a week or two. Missed my 100km bike session today. Had to keep training session short and did Tuesday's intervals instead. 15min warm up, 2 sets of 6x400m in 1:40 with 2 min rest in between laps and 3min rest between the 2 sets. Completed all 12 laps and warmed down run for 10min. Could feel that the legs were not fully rested. I havent done my spinning session on Monday night as well to loosen up the muscles. 400m were done in 1:33, 1:44, 1:40, 1:39, 1:42, 1:36, 1:39, 1:36, 1:38, 1:39, 1:39 and 1:36. It was not overly stressful. Panting definitely but recovery was under a minute. If I had done with Andrew and the MR25 runners, I was doing 90s over 10 laps of 400m. It was a pity I would not be joining them any more. Having to run with them was stressful but I was sure I benefited over the past 3 months. Oh well, such is life.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
AVIVA 70.3 20 March 2011
Yeah. That was my number tag! Didnt strike me till I got my bodymarking done. The volunteer muttered... 7-11... "Thank Heaven for 7-11"?
No pressure was what went through my head. I remembered in 2010, I didnt have any pressure doing the AVIVA 70.3 either. Not that I was confident of the race, but more of calming myself down. My Coach reminded me again that I had done the time training, I would not be any readier and told me to enjoy the race.
I did my warm up swim. On the way back to the shore, I found myself being swept westwards. And pretty strongly as well. So in my head, I was thinking that the swim may not turn out to be too easy. And I was right. According to ironman.com, I came out of the swim in 48:56! I had expected 35-38min! This was just too far off. I had planned to draft Matthew as I told him at the swim start. But the moment the horn went, I lost sight of him. there were so many blokes around. Some breast stroke, some grabbing my body. Past AVIVA had not been like this. I am not sure why this year was so different. Possible reasons were the current, my poor sighting and inability to find somebody to draft at all. I was passing people and people were also passing me. I kept swimming into people, even on the 2nd loop, which really frustrated me. Bad swim was what crossed my mind.
Coach told me to try riding out of T1 with the shoes clipped on. I had practiced it but decided against it to do it during the race because my shoes velcro tend to slip back very easily. Instead of fumbling with the strap while riding, I decided I should just run with my shoes. In any case, the ride out of T1 was a gentle slope, I may lose more seconds trying to put on my shoes instead.
Bike leg was good on the 1st loop. I let the faster riders zoom past. I was already holding speed of 35-38kph on my own. I didnt want to trash my legs. The 2nd leg There was a huge group of riders going at my speed together. I sat on their train and sped along at over 40kph! I had no intention to draft but the suction power was just too strong, and besides, they were going at my speed and I couldnt go any faster nor slower. So I took advantage of that. Passed Poon when he slowed past the aid station at the start of 3rd loop. But the lead was not for long. He passed me pedaling leisurely. Darn! Clearly not "Muscle Poon" for nothing. And I lost the group on the 3rd loop because there were some of the guys who slowed down and the fast group had zoomed off again. I didnt want or couldnt give chase so for most of the 3rd loop I was on my own, riding at 32-35kph. Hell of a difference compared to the 1st loop because of the wind at different sections.
Photographs by Richard Leong
Photographs by Ng Yong Feng
According to the ironman website athlete tracker, my bike splits were 50:34, 47:56 and 51:55. Total time taken on the bike leg was 2:30:25.
Run was alright. Spent 1:45 in T2. Basically ran at the pace I was most comfortable with at that point in time. I wanted to push it slightly faster but the lack of confidence took control of it. I was afraid that I would not be able to sustain. Had told my wife that I would want to run hard since I had trained so much for it. Clearly didnt take place. I was able to pick up my pace and ran some of the runners down on the 2nd lap, but still not the fast pace which I trained at. As I entered the chute, I still had quite a fair bit in the tank. Possibly a very good pace for my ironman I think. Provided I can still do the same after 180km bike?
Photograph by Adeline Khoo/Alethea Lim
Crossed the line in 1:58:56. Total time taken was 5:23:35.
Among the local athletes, I was
1) ranked 20th of 420 (with 1 female ahead of me)
2) 3rd in my age group of 82 registered athletes (but only 72 took part in the race)
Among the international field, I was
1) ranked 59th of 339 in my age group
2) 266th out of 1538 athletes
Photograph by Richard Leong
My family was there, as per past 3 years. And it was nice to see familiar faces in the crowd of people I didnt know. My colleague and friends were there to support the athletes too. I enjoyed the race. Even when my wife forgot to bring the camera to take pictures, I just laughed at her and went off again on the bike. Their presence was good enough for me.
Will I do it again? Why not? As Matthew said, it is not everyday that we will get to do a race at race pace and with all the support - although I hardly made use of the support except the sponges and water to pour on myself. I will do it again.
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