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!