It's been a long time since I got up early and went for a run so this morning was fun.

It didn't take a lot to get up 'coz I think my body is still on show time so I got my kit on and headed out the door. Did a lot more stretching than normal beforehand as I'm that much more paranoid now. Did a very slow one to get the legs moving and to see how I felt... They felt alright, just a little strained I must say.

Man, I've got a lot of work to do.

the new balance duathlon

I found out something about myself today.

I don't like being a spectator.

The whole time today, I felt jealous everytime I saw someone run in and out of transition. I wanted to be out there pushing the limits. I wanted to be out there having some fun. I wanted to race a fellow competitor back to the finish line. I wanted to let out some aggresion on the pavement.

But that was not to be. Due to the duo factor of nursing my bad knee and promising not to race till after the wedding (the whole bad tanline affair), I sat on the sidelines watching the husband and some friends race. Randall, whom I hadn't seen in a long while, did some pretty strong running with his friend Nick, who incidentally also knew Hubba. Andrea and Hansel also formed a team and ran a good race. Fellow injured matey Ee-lyn turned up to spectate as well and we bemoaned our bad legs and our itchiness to race.

I guess the only good consolation of the day was that Rachel was there to keep me company - and good company it was too. So much so that we didn't move much from our grassy patch during the race. Also bumped into Liz with her baby girl Skyla and I couldn't help but melt inside. Her little one is so incredibly cute. She was also there spectating, so I felt a little better... 'cept she's an elite triathlete and she's allowed to be picky in races.. And I'm not. Boo.

Ok, I'm still tired. I've been falling asleep every chance I get this weekend and I'm still tired. Didn't even make it to Pling's birthday barbie on Saturday. Pants. Mummy and Daddy are back though, so at least I got to have a nice bak ku teh dinner with them before getting a good night's rest.

I must say I'm very inspired to kick start training proper though. Just got word I've been roped into another adventure race in April and my teammates are.... erm... hardcore (to say the least)!! Shudder.

Ok.. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...


with randall


with ee-lyn


hubba and mao


standin' on the sidelines with Rachel

When in doubt, ride.

I am now a survivor of TA's TTT, a.k.a Thursday Torture Training.

I've been on my feet all week because of the airshow and I guess I just started to feel like it was time to put myself through some proper training and to start pushing the limits once more. The way I see it, the tougher I am physically, the stronger I get emotionally and at work too. I don't crack as easy under the pressure and I seem to handle a whole lot more in terms of stress levels. So I decided to just go try riding with the group.

I must admit I felt pretty intimidated as I've heard so much about each of the riders - especially the really strong ones. Protein Shake, Diesel... I met them all tonight and it was nice to put faces to the (nick)names. And obviously, I had utmost respect for the group since I've heard so many awe-stricken words from my husband, the Android.

Anyway so the ride was pretty good. I thought all day about how much pain my body had been through in the past few days just standing around all day and running around for work. My lower back had felt really awful and my legs and feet were totally done in. So feeling a different sort of 'pain' in the saddle was somehow pretty good fun all of a sudden.

I must say it is pretty fun riding in a big group. I felt safe and like I was shielded from a lot. It was also really reassuring riding with a bunch of experienced riders - Don't ever go out there on your own! I was also extremely motivated and I kept pushing for as long as I could. Pretty much kept up with the pack till we came to the end of a loop somewhere in Tuas and started heading back to the West. My odometer says my top speed was 46km/hr or so but I figure that was probably on a downhill somewhere. I did push myself pretty hard at one point and I remember drafting the husband's wheel and going pretty fast (for me). Like a true coach, he kept looking back and making sure I was doing an alright job sitting on his wheel. And when he felt I was still alright, he'd push me that much harder so I managed to hit 41km/hr on a flat during one of the segments.

But once we completed the extra loop near the checkpoint and headed back (around 30ks into the ride?), I got dropped. We were on a gentle climb and my legs started feeling like lead. I felt like the dude in the Gatorade advert with the huge ball and chain attached to my rear wheel. Suddenly, I fell away from the pack and their blinking rear lights started to fade away in the distance. That was pretty demoralising... But Andrew was encouraging and lovely and he stayed with me throughout. He worked hard to get me back to the main pack and made my heart melt when he got in front of me to 'shield me from the wind'. Beef came looking for us and we spun our way towards the main pack, who'd all stopped to wait for the straggler that was me.

Woopsie.

All in all, a good ride. Ended it with a can of soya bean, a really sweet milo and a pau, and then home for a nice long snoooooze before work started all over again this morning. I did feel extremely energized at work this morning though!

Perhaps this is the start of a new cycle for me - pun intended.

Distance: 61km
Energy: 1082kcal
Time: 2hrs 18mins

So I haven't done any training whatsoever all week. In fact, the word 'training' can hardly be used when trying to describe the activities in the last month or so since I've hardly been pushing my limits at all.

As a result, I'm feeling really soft and weak. There is no doubt in my mind that I'm going to have to start from scratch once the wedding is over. The annoying thing about not training is this feeling of absolute haphazardness in my life at present. When I had some sort of schedule to stick to, I felt like I was in control. That's the most satisfying thing about it, I feel. Finishing a workout and knowing you completed what you set out to achieve. It felt normal. It felt good.

Now I'm just flailing around madly trying to get a grip on all sorts of nonsense. And while I feel that I'm handling everything alright, my body doesn't feel the same at all. I don't know if I'm making any sort of sense at all. Then of course there's the issue of my wedding dress being too big when I'm training... And I'm so afraid it's suddenly going to be too tight 'coz I've stopped.

PMS does not help. Cramps, hot flashes.. Raar.

Ah well. In all, it was an alright day. No real complaints here... 'cept for the fact that I'm fast becoming a soft ickle pile of mush.

*Wobble*

... They ruin the fun in organising one's own wedding.

In trying to keep everyone happy at work, you neglect what you've got to do at home.. For the biggest moment that is to mark the history of your life.

Now I know why so many friends I've known have taken time off work to sort their nuptials out.

zipping on by


coming out at echo valley


climb, climb up sunshine mountain..


down the stairs


up the rut


up, up and up


the hugeass bike and the android


careful of the roots


picking the wrong line completely


just me


andrew

Thanks for these, babe!

When you're out on the trails, fear can be an incredibly debilitating thing.

I had no idea what was wrong with me yesterday, but half my ride was terrible. It all started when I was about to leave the house when I realised that my biking shoes were over at Andrew's. Ended up driving over to get them before rushing back down to BT. Thankfully, Hubba had gotten to there on time and I didn't leave Angie and Wayne waiting high and dry. Had prata for breakfast before we got to the trail for a spin.

On the very first slope entering the trail, I pulled a boo boo and picked the wrong line. Didn't make it up and had to turn round and have another go. Obviously, I made it the second time. But the boo boo didn't do much for my mental being. Suddenly, I felt a mess. I had this jittery feeling lodged inside my chest and every single up or down was weird. I was afraid. I started to pick the wrong lines, mess with my shifters and think about endo-ing. On one particularly challenging bit which I usually absolutely love, I did something I've never done before.

I stopped.

Angie was tearing up the trail and leaving us way behind. She bombed down the segment with Wayne hot on her heels. Andrew, on his single speed, tried to catch up whilst half waiting for his wife. I rode down half of the segment when my arms locked up and jammed on the brakes. I walked down the rest of the rest of the segment and wondered what on earth was going on with me that day. I was absolutely appalling.

My three ride companions were extremely supportive and encouraging. Perhaps I was having a bad day, perhaps it was all a mental thing, yada yada yada. I was so mad with myself at one point that I decided to just ride the heck out of the second bit.

And I did.

It felt really good. I cranked up the ups without stopping and let Shadow carry me through the downs, with some additional pedalling to pick up some speed. Channelling anger to the right place can really be so effective. The rest of the ride was great - Did some stairs without hesitation and a technical bit riddled by roots as well. I'd gotten over the fear.

I was back.

Meanwhile, Hubba is super duper impressed with Angela's 'newbie' skills. He says I wasn't exaggerating when I said she was a natural and he has never seen a newbie ride down the technical bits in BT ever before! He has thus delivered a message from the Jedi council that she is to become a padwan under my care, and it is now my responsibilty to ensure her continuance in the sport. I think Wayne's going to key in that since they're going again today anyway! What a pair! 'You've created a monster, you know,' said Andrew. And Wayne only knows this too well.

What fun!


she doesn't like her helmet


andrew and shadow


having a rest at echo valley


ok i look tiny


on orangela


sigh, i need height


droo giving angie some tips


*pant pant*


cycling up rifle range road


andrew and angela up front


angela and wayne


better than last week!


me and andrew

Resting Heart Rate: 61
Ideal: Below 72

Resting Respiratory Rate: 9
Ideal: Under 7

Breathing Factor: 118
Not completely at rest during the test

Adrenal Factor: 112
Ideal: Greater than 100

Heart Factor: 112%
Ideal: Greater than 100%

Lung Factor: 93%
Ideal: Greater than 100%

Fitness Factor: 93
Ideal: Greater than 100

Metabolic Factor: 99
Usual: Between 100 and 120

Carbohydrate Factor: 83
Carbohydrate intake is interfering with energy production

Fat Burning Factor: 134
Optimal: Greater than or equal to 100

Energy Quotient: 115
Optimal: Greater than or equal to 100

Biological Age: 30
Lowest possible age

Fat Burning Heart Rate: 125bpm

Anaerobic Threshold Rate: 145bpm

These were taken over the weekend at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve...

Oh, I wish....



























Courtesy of mtb.com forums

So I managed to get up this morning for my run and the goal was to finish a round-the-estate 6km route.

All I can say is running in the morning is near enough impossible when:

1. You haven't got any fuel.
2. You forget to down a good amount of water before you set off.
3. You suffer from a wobbly knee condition and you haven't gotten your in-soles made yet.

Ended up slowing down and doing some strengthening and stability exercises instead before a walk/run home. The total distance couldn't have been longer than 3km but I figured it wasn't worth pushing and hurting myself more.

I sure wish I'd trained up better for that half marathon. It makes me wonder if I'd still be facing this problem and suffering through this injury. Sometimes it makes me think I'm just using it as an excuse for a lot of things, but then I set off with full intent to whip myself into shape and the little joint down there just goes 'nooooooooooooo'.

Lesson du jour: It's not always about training hard, but training smart.

Sigh.

So it's Tuesday evening and I still haven't gotten a run in yet.

I meant to go after giving my tummy some time to digest my dinner last night but I ended up too swamped with wedding work to get round to it. Got to bed at a decent time and woke up at half six this morning for a run, only to hit the snooze button and end up merely dreaming about going for a run instead. Needless to say, I was slightly late for work from oversleeping.

Thankfully, the boss saw the funny side of it.

No training again this evening as well since a client meeting ran a little over and there're tactical things that need to get done before I leave for the day.

Okay, doesn't it sound like I'm just making excuses now?

this looks like so much fun!