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.

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.

***

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.

Challenge Cairns: Decision Made!

Yes, after much deliberation, I have decided to go with Cairns. Will pass on the Japan race by JTU and definitely skip Busselton next year. Race has been registered. Will come back to settle accomodation. Itinerary has not been planned yet, but should be driving up from Brisbane as I will want my kids to get to the theme parks in Brisbane when we drive back. Yes, 1700km drive one way is going to be quite painful. But split into a couple of days with multiple stops may be a good way to see Queensland. 3 consecutive years in Perth might just be an overload for my family. This is a good chance for a break from the Busso jetty and waters! So Cairns, here I come!

With this registration, it means I will have to skip the Sundown Marathon - registered because of a miscommunication with my boss. Oh well, from the past records, I DNS one race every year. I hope this will be the only one I will DNS in 2011. There are other running races that I will be training for and looking out to take part in - Northface 25km or 50km, Desaru half iron triathlon and Standard Chartered Marathon. And probably skip the rest.

Next year will be an exciting year again! Am so looking forward to it! But between now and next year, BUSSELTON, HERE I COME!!!

Cairns or Not? That is the question...

Miscommunication with my boss and I thought I would not be able to race next June. So I signed up for Sundown Marathon. After registration, my boss clarified that he was ok with me racing next June! Oh darn! Woes of SMSes! Wasted my registration fees. Aristole said he would take over from me and I am going to hold him to his word!

So yes, almost all set for Challenge Cairns in June. But holding back because I am not sure with 2 weeks gone for reservist in April - yet again - whether it will be detrimental to my training plans.

Or should I give myself more time to prepare for WA 2011 and get stronger for Cairns 2012 instead? Problem is, I will not know which month Cairns 2012 will fall on. If they change the  race month, I will have to race WA again.

Decision, decisions, decisions...

***

Swim felt good on Monday. I was not too far from the fast blokes during the set drills. The last couple of fins sets I was on their feet. Most of the time when I train with the swimming gang, I would trail behind these fast guys buy 15m or more. I think the rest from the not so hard sessions since last week had given my body time to recover for next Sunday's ironman. Just what I needed as well. Spend more time with the kids. This is the time I return the favour to my family.

Last night I joined the Eastern Night Riders for the usual fast and furious 30km ride. There were just 7 of us, one of whom was a young chap who just joined the riding group recently - so I heard since I havent rode with this bunch in a while. For a good part, we were riding constant pace of 40-42kph. The last straight stretch I helped to pull at 46kph for about 300m. Lactate for the legs did not build this time, which was surprising. Could be because I was holding back so that I could last for a longer distance at that speed. For the whole ride, the HR must have been sky high - no HRM last night - and I was breathing really really hard. Overall, a good hard session for the taper.

Challenge Cairns 2011

I will have to make up my mind really soon. Cairns or Busselton... Cairns or Busselton... If Cairns, no Sundown Marathon but will be Standard Chartered in Dec. If Busselton, I will have to register for the Sundown Marathon really soon. Slots run out very fast. Running a marathon in Singapore has become a daily affair for many. It has gained popularity in recent years.


Doing Cairns will be refreshing. New destination, new place to holiday, new route. BUT same distance. Good time to visit the Great Barrier Reef as well. Only snorkeling though coz nobody in the family dives. My heart is with Cairns. But the flight time is really long. Driving from Brisbane will be quite insane, whole 1700km straight!


Will have to make up my mind or I risk losing the Busselton slot as well coz it opens on 6 December, the day after the race...

***

Did a 130km bike today. Was suppose to be 140km but I shortened the warm down as I took a lift from my family who was in the east. Slacker... Heart rate was again very high. I think the illness had left some memories behind. Hope tomorrow's run will get better.


During the ride, riders were passing me. Got me mad that I could not go any faster. The HRM was beeping away. Speed was no more than 30-32kph consistently. Oh well, better sick now then later. I still have 1 week to do some short but intense stuff. Hopefully the body will feel better then.