Just warming up

Will try to post my weekly workout diary from now on
Week starting 23/6/2008
Mon:
swim 35 min
15 min run on treadmill
weights 3x12
Tue:
bike 2 hr, 1x pepys, 5xfaber ,hills big gear
Wed:
swim 40 min + run 20 min
Thurs:
run 20 min +2x25 floors stairs
Fri: Rest
Sat: Bike 2 hrs + hills at Rifle Range
Sun: rest
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I don't seem to have trained much this week. School started and I have been busy again. Gone are the long afternoon naps that I have been taking during my holidays. I am sleeping on average 7.5 hours, including naps, but it just never seems enough. The increased standing and walking and biking to school is leaving me really tired. Even today, I was supposed to bike in the morning, but that was postponed to a run in the afternoon that never materialised. All I wanted to do was get some sleep in before the next week kicks in.

I also have not been running much this week. I am not in much pain (on a scale of 10, I would rate it as a 1), but my achilles tendon attachment to the foot on my left leg feels tight when I stand after prolonged sitting. It also feels a little tender when I press it hard. So I have been diligently icing it everyday......it feels slightly better now, but it can definitely be even better! Also, the area under my right arch is feeling a little tight too! No pain when I run or walk, but it just feels tight! I've been rolling a ball under it and stretching my arch a lot the last couple of days. I also went out today to get a new pair of work shoes....I have been wearing the previous pair for the last 3 years.....it's time to get new support for my feet.

I find that I become more aware of my body the more I am into my training. Every ache sends warning signals to my brain; I just do not want a repeat of that overuse injury almost 2 years ago that derailed my training for months and I had to spend quite a bit of money to get it treated and be healthy again.

Ironman from the Inside

This video makes me want to do Ironman all over again!

Just arrived!

My new ride-to-be! I have been eyeing this frame for the last one and a half years. Now that the US dollar is at a low, I decided that the time is now and placed my order online when the school holidays started. There were some hiccups processing my order but it arrived last week while I was in Bintan, and I had to get Singpost to resend it today.

Out of the box, this bike frame is simply stunning, even nicer than the pics I have seen of it on the Internet. I believe mine is the only blue Planet X stealth tt bike in Singapore, for now :)

Unless I am hit by an irresistible urge, this bike will not be out on the roads anytime soon because I am going to build it up bit by bit, plus I don't think it is wise to switch bikes in the middle of the season.

Happy orgling:)

So.....what went wrong today?

"In those races where I fell apart, I saw the darkest parts of myself; the parts that were not strong, that were weak, where expectation did not meet reality..........."
-Mark Allen, 6 time winner of the Hawaii Ironman, and my very first sports hero

Well, today I had my worst race of the season at the city duathlon. I had a solid first run, had a solid bike for 3/4 of the way and got passed by many people on the final run because I was cramping badly. Honestly, I am disappointed because running and biking is supposed to be my forte, and I got passed by people who are usually slower than me :(

So what went wrong?
1. Expectation did not meet reality?
I ran a 41 min (i think) first 10k......which was not really fast for me. It was a controlled hard; I was not red-lining at any point. But when was the last time I ran a hard 10k? In January. Maybe my legs were simply not ready for the kind of pounding that it was taking. To want to run a fast 10k and then followed by a fast bike and run requires a certain amt of strength that I do not have, but I was running like I had it! For quite a while, I was running stride for stride with Tan Yeow Chung, Singapore's fastest Ironman, and I was thinking that it was an honour to be running with him and how nice it would be if I could beat him........wishful thinking!

2. Poor preparation for the race
I have raced six times in the last 7 weeks. Some of you must be wondering......am I nuts? No, I am perfectly sane. I just wanted to experiment what works for me in racing. For the last few years, I only did two to three races a year, and these are spread far apart, where it is hard to build upon each race's performance. So I decided that this year, since I am fit and injury-free, I will do as much racing as I safely can. The logic being that if I want to be good at racing, then I better be doing more of it.
However, this racing is not doing me as much good as I thought it would be. I was racing almost every weekend, therefore it took me some time to recover on the weekdays, and because I wanted to arrive fresh for the race, I neglected my speedwork. I could feel my run fitness dropping over the seven weeks. Perhaps, in future, I can still race often but space them like maybe once every two weeks?

3. Wrong timing of the race
Honestly, I wasn't even sure f I wanted to race. I am having my holidays now , went to Vietnam for a couple of days on a school trip - the food there was wondrful and by the time I got back, I was already feeling sluggish. I have planned to do much training but have not had the self discipline to get myself out of bed in the mornings. I find that I am actually training better during school time because everyday when I return home, I tell myself that I have to get out of the house by a certain time, otherwise I lose the opportunity to get my workout in. Basically, I was in switch off mode for the last 2 weeks and the results show today.

4. Weak hamstrings
I always cramp in my hamstrings and cramps are usually caused by electrolyte imbalance or fatigued muscles. I think my problem is more of weak hamstrings. Well, the solution to this would be to strengthen it by lifting weights. However, I have not been going to the gym due to lack of time. I really need to solve this problem, otherwise it will forever be a race limiter for me:(

Well, I have another important race coming up in August - The Desaru Half Ironman. Exactly 9 weeks to get everything sorted out. That's life isn't it? You try, you fail, you get up again and try some more.