Back to studies

For the past 3 weekends, I had been going down to Robertson Walk to attend modules conducted by Edith Cowan University that will eventually lead to a Bachelor in Sports Science degree. This is a serious commitment on my part as I will have to sacrifice time away from other areas of my life for the next 2 to 3 years to pursue this degree. I really hope that my students who are reading this will really cherish the time that they have in school and give it their best shot now because it is going to be very expensive and time consuming to study once they are working.

It's mainly interest that is driving me to do this course. I want to understand how the human body functions and responds to exercise. I want to know the workouts that should be prescribed in order to help someone become faster and stronger. Sad to say, though I have been a practitioner of the sport for the last 10 years, my knowledge is still very shallow. I really hope that with this new knowledge that I gain, I will be able to help the people around me reach their athletic goals.

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I am into my second week of training for Langkawi now. Last week went pretty well for me. I took it a little easy as I had lessons 4 out of 7 days, plus I was still recovering from flu.
I managed around
Swim-5K
Bike- around 160k
Run- 30k

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Yehhhh!!!!! I passed my Driving Basic Theory Test today and got my provisional driving license. I am looking forward to my first driving lesson next Tuesday :)

Busy times for me

The last two months have been really busy for me; setting exam papers one after another, non-stop marking of school work and exam papers and conducting remedial lessons. Even Emily commented that I hardly reach home before 5.30pm nowadays!

I'm really glad that all this is coming to an end for me this week. After this Thursday, I should be able to breathe a little easier and maybe train a little more in preparation for Langkawi.

Back to Basics

Over the years, I have forgotten what it takes to train myself to be fit and I have splurged money on expensive bikes and components to buy speed and make up for my laziness.

Today, I had to opportunity to ride with a guy who has represented Great Britain in triathlon as an elite. He was riding a Giant TCR which is considered a piece of crap by most Singaporean athletes. What groupset was he using? Shimano Ultegra. And his bike does not even have any aerobars on. There was nothing flashy or extravagant about his bike, just functional and dependable components.Yet he was easily the strongest guy during the Tribob bike-run session. It was really an honour sharing the workout with him.

Seeing the way he pedalled and ran was a big reminder for me that having expensive bike and wheels in the world will do me no good if my engine is weak. I have to go back to focussed, consistent and smart training if I want to achieve my triathlon goals once more.

Last week's training had been good......except for maybe the bike.....really need to ride more!!

totals(km)
swim: 7
bike: 105+24(commute)
run: 41

Morale booster

Last Sunday was my first running race in a long time....I honestly can't remember when I actually put on a race number and ran in a pure running event....maybe 2000? But I'm quite happy with how the race went. I think I did a high 38 for 10k, which is quite respectable considering the fact that I don't run as much as I did in the past. I may have overdid it the first half though, because I slowed down considerably the second half.

The run was quite a morale booster because I had been battling cramps in my hamstrings in races longer than 1 hour this year. Being able to run sub 40 for 10k has given me the confidence that once I get my hydration and nutrition sorted out, I will be able to perform better than what I am doing now, which is just struggling through the run.

I did a 1:30 run with Desmond today, which is one of the longest runs I've done this year. Running with him was good because we keep each other's pace in check and he really is a good buddy to me. I am really thankful to God for him.

Bike problems

Woke up this morning and did a 1:50 ride, my first road ride of the week. Rode to Mt Faber and went up 3 times.
I've been feeling really tired this week.....maybe it's the heat, or even the daily commute to school. if you add up the distance, that is another 20-25k added to my cycling mileage weekly. I try to ride easy, pedalling easy most of the way, but there are sections where I really have to pick up speed and that really works up a sweat in me.
Funny how time flies....it's almost four years since I've had the Giant. Today, it's age showed when the cable that is attached to the ergopower levers snapped. Must have been due to the heavy duty shifting loads on Faber. Luckily, I had already finished my climbing repeats, otherwide it would have been quite an effort going up with limited gears. Then my seat post binder bolt broke while I was tightening it.
I cannot imagine what it would be like if this happened in the middle of an Ironman.

My first post

Found this on the slowtwitch forum today.....it kind of articulates how I feel about my being able to do triathlons

"I believe that God has given me the passion for triathlon for a reason, a purpose. He is the one who fuels my desire for this sport. He is the one who wants me to treat my body as a temple. He is the one who wants me to be an example for my kids. He is the one who wants me to eat healthy. Although I'm not generally one to place in my AG, I still believe that God has given me this gift, the gift of desire, dedication, devotion, and if I don't use the gift then He will take it away from me. "