world of tri

as some of you may know, i actually embarked on my journey to become an endurance athlete not too long ago. started running perhaps.. 6 months ago. done a few races and my last marathon in dec 07. coming up is March's Singapore Biathlon. did the trial, got past it and training up now for the actual day.

it's not easy being a triathlete (or a training-to-be triathele). you need to spend lots of time, money, effort and brain power into the disciplines. afterall, while others are training in one discipline, you are training in the three sports consisting of swimming, cycling and running. it's definitely not for the fainted hearted.there are mainly four different distances for triathlons.

Sprint
swim - 750m
bike - 20km
run - 5km

Olympic
swim - 1.5km
bike - 40km
run - 10km

Half Ironman
swim - 1.9km
bike - 90km
run - 21km

Full Ironman
swim - 3.8km
bike - 179.2km
run - 42km

before you can actually start training ,you will probably need to get the proper gears, equipment and apparels. due to the long hours of endurance training, insufficient or wrong preparation will leave you stranded with injuries, forcing you out of the entire picture.


Swimming
- probably the least injury prone discipline. However there are in fact a lot of techniques to learn to swim faster, fully utilizing the buoyancy of the water to propel youself. you need to keep your body straight which means keep it as parallel to the bottom of the pool as much as you can. make sure you rotate your hips and stretch out your hands to the max when "crawling" forward. paddling is only a minor part of the overall effort so focus is not so much on your legs but actually your core muscles.

its' even more difficult to swim in open water and with a lot of zealous competitors making splashes beside you. you would have to glup down lots of saltwater, probably face the fate of steering off course, getting lots of bruises on different parts of your body and coming out of the water shagged out with two full disciplines waiting for you.

a triathlete will have to master how to draft (swimming behind someone so as to cut down on energy use to break waves), swim and scout at the same time to make sure you are on course, able to breathe on both left and right side and pace yourself (without the aid of any other equipment except probably a watch) to conserve enough energy for the bike and run.

after the swim comes Transition 1 (T1) where a triathlete will mount his bike and go on a high speed chase.



Bike
- the most technical part of the whole event and the main bulk of the distance is covered here. most dangerous because one can reach speed of 40km/h and more. basically, you can use any type of bike here. mountain bike, those with 1, 3 or 4 wheels and those with pink ribbons at the handlebars. however, you would probably see a lot of thin and sleek road bikes (a.k.a racers) from all the different brands such as Trek, Scott, Cervelo and more.

you need a computer to tell you how hard you are paddling and pace yourself out. the cadence (rpm), watts you are generating, speed and also a heart rate monitor to see whether you are pushing too hard. mastering gear shifting, maneuvering while in aerodynamic position, techniques of turning, drafting (yeah.. riding too.. has drafting). as much as the kind of bike and its accessories matter, your technique is the most important in this stage of the rest.


Running
- last stage of a triathlon. you would probably be exhausted here due to the two previous disciplines. the constant pounding on the floor and its pounding back on you . similarity you would need a heart rate monitor to monitor how much you are pushing yourself. a shoe that is right for you. one that corrects your running deficiency if you have any. one which can accurately absorb all the shock you are experiencing. one that will propel you to the finishing line.


Training for a triathlon
you cannot be lazy because you need to train in 3 disciplines. a triathlete (or training one) has to wake up in the morning for a 40 lap swim and proceed on to a 5 - 10km run. have breakfast and go to work. come back from work and go for a 20-30km bike trail. sometimes you would have to throw in gym sessions to train your core muscles and cut down fat level (crucial because a lighter and lean triathlete will definitely be better than a heavier one). on weekends, it intensifies to an open water swim of 2 hours, run of 15km and above and bike of up to 40km.

in this case, you would need lots of food and supplement to recuperate what you've lost. electrolyte drinks would become your best friend along with bread, pasta, white meat, red meat, protein drinks and powerbars/gels. you would probably forget how mac's fries and KFC crispy chicken taste like due to the require low fat and calories intake.


you would also have to spend a fortune getting the

running shoes (prob $100-$200 for one pair and you will need 2-3 pairs to rotate because shoes need to "rest" too so as to allow the cushioning to return to its original form)

a bike (probably $1000 + for entry level and you can go ever higher after that.. probably.. 4 -5k for a higher end one), helmet (safety first, could cause you around $80 for low end and $500 for high end), bike computer,bike shoes, seats, aero bars for more advance level which might end on a few hundreds.

apparels such as running tights, tri suits, trunks. they are made from special material for performance, lightweight and wicking.

countless of lessons paid to improve your performance. swim camp, swim lessons, bike maintenance, bike fitting. and also health checkup to make sure you are physically ok.

the money needed for nutrition such as protein powder, multi vitamins and supplements, powerbar/gels and healthy food are always more expensive.

entering races. these races ain't cheap, ranging from $30 and over.

constant need to find inspiration and motivation to push on such as overseas training, race dvds and books to read up.

- simply put, it is a big financial and physical strain, but in the world of tri, we never say die, never!-

there is this constant target ahead and one which you will never get sick of. you will never be satisfied with how you are performing and that is the motor behind every endurance athlete. you will always be thinking "if someone else can do it, why can't i?".. you will be spurred on and eventually perform in an outstanding and of course, stylish manner.

it's the new year! 2008

ok. this is the year which i am gonna turn 21 (full fledge adult, in terms of age). a year which i will no longer be affected by people who stand between me and R21 movies, a year which i am going to enter university and commence on a 4 year long and gruesome Economics degree course in SMU, a year which i swear i will be better to all my friends (try la, ok? haha), a year which i will try to bring my performance in sports to a higher level.

i have a request for those who actually bothers to come to my blog (if there is any due to the super lack of updates!!).. please share with me your new year resolution(s) because i think it would really be fun to hear what you guys have in mind!

i still got 1 month to ORD!! please, come on, make it come faster. i just can't wait. the wait is killing me. let me smell the pink IC!!!

hmm.. anyway, speaking of wait, i kind of caught "The Lake House" again on HBO. It's actually a good movie which u will only come to appreciate after you watched it more than once (like me!) It's about a couple (Sandra Bullocks and Keanu Reeves) who actually fell in love by writing to each other. However the catch here is that they are living 2 years apart (Sandra in 2006 and Keanu in 2004). Their only way of communicating with each other is through a "magical" mailbox by a Lake House (the house is really amazing and just gives me a feeling that is out-of-the-world when i see it). Just catch it. if not u can borrow the DVD from me =)


nice pic ain't it?

never doubt myself again

The words printed on every banner as i lifted my head "Run Your Own Race"

I was thinking to myself. Different people run for different purposes. therefore, that saying is true in every sense because you are running to achieve. your goal.

i completed the marathon of 42.195km on 2nd Dec 2007 with a timing of 04:43:45:95! it is not exactly fabulous but i am proud of it. My target was under 5 hours.

starting off at the starting line with me at 0530 (crazy timing i know, but it's pretty cool to be in the town area running so early) was Zihao and Weiyang. Zihao was super high while i seemed a bit tense. haha. afterall the long preparation was all for this ultimate run. we were standing in the sub 4 hours box (act zai a bit) and at 0530 sharp, the horn went off and off we go. on our 42 km!

1st stretch was Marina area. wind was great, no sun, i know my pace was good. i lost track of the two of them. i was thinking they went to the toilet or something. found them and lose them again. so i just decided to follow the race slogan of running my own race. and i believe they will want me to go ahead too.

i am beginning to go past area i have never been to. there was this building at this marina south pier and it is pretty. like a glass house. i swear i will be there someday to really see what it is. heard some runners say the food there is not bad! o ya, and i spotted the kenyans running past on the opposite road (yeah they are that fast!)

so it was a big round back to the starting point at esplanade bridge and off we go towards ECP. sun is coming out now but it is still pretty cooling at this point of time. supporters make my day. their cheering really pushed me on. at the bridge, people offered bananas and water (out of their own pockets!). u see, that's the spirit of keeping everything fun and cool the way they are doing it.

it was up Nicoll Highway and then Kallang. just as i was going to turn into ECP at Fort Road, i saw Sharon (weiyang's girlfriend). then next, it was a super amazing moment. the first runner (Kenyan i suppose) was on the other side. meaning he has completed his whole ECP and running back to the finishing line!! i was stunned. i looked at the big timer on top of this car and it reads somewhere 1 hour 40 - 50 minutes plus.

alright, a left turn into ECP and this is the playground for runners! it's just one straight stretch of road with the turning at the 26km mark. i was super motivated at this point of time because i know i am going to go into my longest distance ever ran (furthest was 21km). as i was indulged in that thought, the 21km mark appeared and i checked my watch. 2 hours 10 minutes. unknowingly, i broke my own personal record (was 2hour 14 minutes) and my next thought was fear of over exertion on the 1st half stretch.

"aiya, heck la, just run" that's what i was thinking when i shook away that fear. just run man! ECP was fun. a lot of supporters and they were great. more free bananas! drinks were plentiful at the drinks station. as some of my practice runs were in ECP, it was actually a pretty good stretch. the view and wind were great but the sun was coming on and the heat is turning up.

at 27km, the fatigue and pain is catching up with me. 6km more than my longest distance ever. i have to stop for the first time in the race. i begin to walk and swallow my fourth power gel pack. then i saw hao and wei yang. seeing them just makes me wanna go again. and yeah off i go. didn't last long, stopped at 30km and subsequently almost at every 1.5km.

sun was coming down hard on us. burning skin, aching calves, tired quads, funny ankles, abrasions on underarms. at 35 - 36km, it was the most torturous moment of the race. took up 2 cups and pour water over my head and drank half a cup. glup down the last powergel. looked at my watch. wonder whether i can really make it under 5 hours. and i was just thinking, every step forward is one step closer to the finishing line. so i went.

last 3 km. somewhere near esplanade. supporters were there. and they were cheering so hard that if you don't run, you seem to be letting them down. picked up my fatigue body and pounded the concrete with heavy steps. but as i move closer to the line, cheers get louder and it just gives me more motivation to run faster. so i unknowingly picked up speed. and for that last 3 km, i didn't stop a single step. i just ran.

beep. i pressed my watch and it says 4 hr 43 mins. and i smiled to myself. i did it. =)i shall never doubt myself again.


PS: Hao, the cramps were really most unfortunate but i am real proud of you completing the race even under such undesirable condition. seriously, you're the man.

Weiyang, good job in the race! try again next year and we shall aim higher.

Wee Ling, great effort!! this is the first of many to come right.pick up more tips from work and i am sure we will go to greater heights

Ling Xiu: Fantastic. 4th in age group among the girls! so are u migrating to Kenya soon?

Fana: Thanks for the loud shout at the last stretch. it really works! a pity u cant run due to your flu. next year. see ya with the black tee!

also to those familiar faces during the race. yun kay, amy, sharon and wei bin etc. you all contributed to me finishing the race. thank you!

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008. here i come!

but let me rest my legs for at least a week first! deep heat, here i come!


biting my way through.we are all real tired


that's us. finished!


the finisher's tee.

Hectic!

woooh, yesterday mark a gruesome 34 hours of work with only 1.5 hours of sleep.

fri morning 0730, hao and i went back to SAJC to check out an Amazing Race organised by the very CCA we set up 2 years ago, Saints Sports Club. She is now under its fourth batch of leaders! what a nostalgic feeling when we were back there seeing what they were doing. the passion and energy they exude while in work is just a reflection of what the four of us (Hao, Teresa, Mei Ling and me) were like. doing everything we can in our limits to go for success and victory.

It is an Amazing Race organised for St Hilda's Secondary School. it's an event for a leadership camp for the student counsellors in St Hilda's. the current president, Chloe, is the ex president of the student counsel which explains the co-operation between the two schools. hao and i were attached to two different teams. mine was H (hotcakes). these kids are just incredible. their drive to win is amazing. They literally run everytime they get a chance to do it, off the bus, in the linkway, off the train, in the shopping centre and more! i have a hard time catching up with the huge bag (which i will explain why) i am carrying. went to places like Esplanade linkway, Bugis Junction, Harboutfront and more. i must say the task they have to do are very creative (well done SSC!) and i can see the counsellors have lots of fun doing it. well my team didn't come in first but well seriously, they did a great job and the team leader ,Geneieve and Zi Sheng, who are first time leaders are like old time experienced veteran in their roles.

all in all, i'm proud of SSC and how they still kept up the spirit we intended them to have. the energy and gun-ho-ness of performing the best. keep it up guys, keep us proud!

the whole thing ends around 7+. and we have to report to Sentosa at 8! hahaha, having no choice, hao called ziwan to told her we will be late for half an hour. the long commute finally ends at Siloso beach at 9! haha. we were surprise to see that it was such a big event. they have huge blow-ups, things like the human sphere in which one person goes into and rolls around, huge dinning area and many food stalls. we prepared the various logistics till about 4+! and the worst thing came next!

just as we were preparing to walk to collect our costume (theme is nautical, pirates and sailing) from Glenn (boss). the storms sets in. extremely chilly wind, torrential downpour and simultaneous lightnings. we were all trapped under a small shelter which did not prove very useful against the strong chilly wind. i have a jacket which i lend to one of the girls who was only wearing spag and shorts!. so we were trapped there and the chill is just bad. real bad. hao and i were kind of exhibiting signs of "hypo-thermia". shivering, unclear speech, mind is not thinking right, suicide thoughts. hahaa. u name it, we have it. sat down and surprisingly, we fell asleep. next thing i know, we were about to make a dash to the chalet which is like a 5 minutes walk!

reached the chalet. wet cold and hungry. went to take a bath. we were told that there was hot water but to our dismay, it was only a normal showerhead. nevertheless, drenched in sweat, sand and rain, we proceed to bath. the water may not be warm but it's still accceptable because i think the temp of the water is higher than the temp outside (with the storm and the wind). the chalet is like a conglomeration of 4 attap houses, each with 4 beds within. very small, not much facilities. just beds, lights and aircon. it's now 5.30am. being extremely exhausted, we slept. for 1.5 hr to wake up at 7am.

smae routine, wash up, change to the clothes we were intending to wear. went down to the beach to help out. we went around, salvaging what the storm did to the site. fallen barricade, boundaries, flooded blow-ups and more. with group effort, we make it just in time before the event. went to put on the costume. it's just a vest (shiny! mine is golden!), a badana and a red sash. used camo cream to put two lines under my eyes and a pirate sword made out of balloons! haha. wearing costume is always fun. and all the instructors were dressed up in various pirates and sailor costume. we even have jack sparrow, elizabeth and davie jones! the event was fun and my job is to be the stallkeeper of this little pinball game. u know, a lot of pins along the board and 7 lanes in the end, the marble has to manuever through the various paths and go to the lanes. i let the particpants choose 3 lanes and total of 4 tries to get into each individual lane. there were a lot of people and i didn't have chance to even sit down. i must say the company is really big to organise such a family day (should pay us more!). the whole thing ended in a bang with the lucky draw and all the instructors were so crazy at the end. shouting cheering and dancing. real great. by the time the whole thing ends, it is at 2pm alr. packing up, wash up took us 2 hours and we were reaedy to leave at 4.30. took the bus to harbout front and went home.


what a tiring 34 hours! but it's fun =)

Apologise

You know how sometimes you can just go and download some songs like they are any other songs.

you won't realise the meaning and how nice it really is unless you open up yourself to it when you listen.

today, i was on the bus with my ipod. then this song came on and simply took my soul away.

Enjoy guys... =)


Apologise

by: Timbaland ft Onerepublic

I’m holding on your rope
Got me ten feet off the ground
And I’m hearing what you say
But I just can’t make a sound
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down
But wait...
You tell me that you’re sorry
Didn’t think I’d turn around and say..

That it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late

I’d take another chance, take a fall, take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
(But that's nothing new)
Yeah yeah

I loved you with a fire red, now it’s turning blue
And you say
Sorry like the angel heaven let me think was you
But I’m afraid

It’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
Woahooo woah

It’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, yeah yeah
I said it’s too late to apologize, a yeah

I’m holding on your rope
Got me ten feet off the ground...

Sleep on it

We, humans, can get over confident of yourself. you thought you can do it.. but it turns out you can't. you just can't fool yourself or deceive everyone around you. sometimes you will realise all that time used to prepare and build your fort is just pure useless. if it is going to get you, it will get you. it just knows its ways to.

sleep on it. just sleep on it, divert all your focus away from this troubling thought. Go for a run, go for a swim, go to work, go out with your friends, go for class.

but from experience, no matter how much you numb yourself, it just comes right back in that single second when your mind is idle.

Love can do this to you.

*sometimes you just wish for a shoulder to be there for you.. sometimes..*

Cars & Driving License!

Ever since i turned 18, i've been thinking of getting my license! yet it's only till now (20 years old) that i'm going for my first TP (Traffic Police Driving Test). i guess we just have to postpone some plans ya? haha

Woo.. scary.. my TP is this coming Friday.. 17th at 1545 (so if you happen to be or know any reckless drivers around Bukit Batok, CCK, Teck Whye & Jurong area, please ask them to avoid driving out between 1545 to 1700 ok? thanks!).

A lot of people asked me whether i can pass on my first attempt. i don't really know how to answer them. haha because it really depends. my instructor told me there are 5 elements to consider in the whole test which are driving skills, courtesy, luck, weather and the testor himself. i guess my driving skills are ok (given the fact i have not bump into any car SO FAR.. haha)and i am definitely courteous! so.. out of 5, i can only control 2 elements! so tell me the odds.. it really depends man. but.. you can wish me luck! i need lots of that!

I made my dad to promise to lend me his car this weekend if i pass ( of course he has to orientate me first and his car is rather huge compare to the one i am learning in!) . seriously, i kind of have a phobia driving his car (Toyota Picnic: see below). Esp during turning and steering. haha! well well.. guess that's always insurance (touch wood)!!


Toyota Picnic.. his is light blue though

of course, like every other typical guy, i will fantasize on the cars i will own in the future (maybe 5 or 6 years down the road). nevertheless, there is short term,mid term and long term goals.

Short term means something small and sporty which leads me to the Suzuki Swift Sports. It is not exactly very fuel economic because practical consumption is about 9-10km per litre (from my many hear-says and read up). But i like its chic and sport design. Its bright yellow attracts me the most, like a little spit fire. cost about $62k at current COE prices. Quick survey of the car tells me the backseat is rather small but still able to house 3 mid size adults.


Overall View


Chic eh? =)


Driver's 'cockpit' and dashboard


Stylish and Sporty red and black combi..

Mid term target. Just thinking bout the next car makes me excited. This is a rather new model which is imported from Europe. So far i've not seen one on the road yet. Its design is perfected from many generations of ascendants.

The Honda Civic Type R (shortnamed CTR) is one hot hatchback automobile. Its three door design and sleek streamline somehow makes it look like a bullet wheezing past all vehicles on the road. Bearing the badge with an 'H' with a deep red background, it proves itself to be one of the hottest and newest kid in the Japanese sports car arena.


Overview..


Backview..pay attn to the exhaust. they're streamlined in and not sticking out in an ugly way


Side profile..


Driver's cockpit and dashboard (Spore version will be on the Right side)


Cool seats eh.. i just love the combination of red and black.

~WAKE UP~.. pass TP first!!

wish me luck k!