I am feeling absolutely exhausted from the weekend.

Funny how we wait all week long for the weekend, only to totally tire ourselves out playing.

Yesterday was pretty enjoyable, all except the failed video session with the sibs. Damn the cheap DVD player! Gretel got attacked by a monkey, which was a little surreal at the time, but quite a funny thought when I think about it now. Amazing how daring those little scratters are. I pretty much flung one down the the ground and it still came back for more. Freaks.

Run/Jog/Walk
Distance: 18km
Time: 2hrs
Energy: 659kcal

I intend to get plenty done today, so I'm outtie. Ciao.

I really pushed it hard tonight.

When J said to go fast on the sets, I decided it was time I tried to push the limits a bit. My knee was still buggered so I concentrated on moving my torso. At a few points during the swim, I felt like I was on the verge of cramping up. But my body seemed to welcome the feeling and nothing siezed up too bad. I feel really good tonight.

Distance: 3km
Time: 1.5hrs
Warm up: 600m
Sets: 2 x 1km
Warm down: 400m

Dinner time with Ga. Boy, I'm famished.

I really didn't feel like getting up this morning but when the husband gave me the easy way out, I found myself protesting.

Sick.

There were a lot of cyclists out on the road this morning from all sorts of teams. Met a couple of dudes from the Anza group and one of them reaffirmed the theory that I've been leaning toward: It doesn't matter how slow you're going, as long as you're out there riding and getting the distance in, you'll get better. It's no surprise that I'd really like to believe that, since I'm seriously crawling right now.

The plan was to try and get 80ks in but when someone mentioned teh tarik, I succumbed to temptation. Turned off and had a nice tall ice horlicks, and then proceeded to feel like a bit of a cop out. Woopsie. Hee. Meanwhile, the husband is making me feel guilty by heading on out to coastal and doing a grand ol' route of 130.

Sick.

Distance: 65.77km
Time: 2:32:02
Avg: 26.0km/hr
Max:46.9km/hr
Energy: 888kcal

Stretch time. Da glutes ain't happy.

Ps: I was a roadie this morning. Sick.

krank it up

The bike race this morning was surely one to remember.

The plan was to ride and finish together, and Angie and I were determined to stick by each other throughout no matter what. And we sure did. I've always had this mental block with mountain bike races because of a one and only race I joined in KL, where I DNFed. So to say we actually completed it is accomplishment in itself to me... Even if I did feel like a bit of a crash test dummy throughout.

I'll keep this short 'coz I'm still feeling kinda woozy, but I basically endo-ed pretty badly at one of the drop-offs. I tried not to let my nerves get the better of me, but a mixture of fear and panic meant I took the drop with a slanted wheel and a last minute brake sent me flying over my handlebars and sideways onto the hard concrete. Got back on the bike and kept going but I was, needless to say, pretty darn rattled from the crash. Had a couple of minor falls here and there afterwards, simply thanks to my rattled nerves and unresponsive reflexes. I did a lot of boarding with the bike once again, skidding around and trying to maintain some balance.

But not once did Angie take off without me. Whenever I veered out of sight, she'd find a pocket in the shrubbery to wait up for her fallen friend. She knew I was in a bit of shock and I got a strict, 'Come on, Janice. Don't let it throw you off. You're doing great.' She even fed me Gatorade a coupla times to recover. Talk about showmanship... And just as planned, we made it to the finishline crossing it hand-in-hand. The plan was to share the 2nd spot but I felt this was just not right. Angie rode the course like a pro and was such a great competitor... So after some haggling with both her and the race directors, we had it sorted. Athena the Han took first place as expected, and was also declared national female champ of the year - It felt such an honour to be third next to two admirable female athletes.

Sorry babe, I know you insisted and wanted me to say it was so here but it just wouldn't be right! In principle we did share second place though and I honestly couldn't have done it without you. Here's to the next one! =)


champs!


negotiating a corner


right behind orangela


the ladies


cuties


dem boyz


the surly pugsly


sharing second


great job, guys


the great reward


pretty dinged up


close up #1


close up #2


tore my brand new shirt


helping to clear up

More pix here

Yay! Thanks again, babe!!


before the ride


all set


the first concrete hill


made it up


mun taking it nice and light


even steven


a good break


resting at echo valley


flopping like waynetta


being a complete pig after


yummmmm

final stretch


phew

Many thanks to dear o' Lianster's Matty for these very nice professional pictures. Apologies for the poor subject!

.. we girls can do it too

Today I ran my first proper 10km non-stop run - a first since my injury at the half marathon in December.

And it's July already... Has it really taken me more than half a year to come to terms with and learn how to manage the problem? Yes. And that's really sad. I should have bucked up a long time ago, but I sat on my arse in total denial and waited for the injury to go away instead of making a quick decision to take matters into my own hands. I only blame myself, really. Had I gotten over my pathetic state of self-pity and hit the gym a long time before my first race in May this year, things would be moving along a lot quicker than they have or are.

Having said that, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm making progress. They say injuries like mine never truly go away and it's all down to self-management. For the last few months, I've placed emphasis on strength training for this sole purpose. And today, I felt a result.

I pretty much flaked out during the OSIM... running, walking and striding whenever the tendonitis took over. My 10km run leg was a sad 1hr 15mins or so. So a realistic aim for today was just to try to run it all and come in before the clock hit 1hr10mins.

Distance: 10km
Official Time: 1hr4mins

For the first time ever in half a year, my legs held up all the way. I didn't feel the slightest bit of pain throughout, which was just fantastic. Was sort of forced to start off right next to the elite runners in the front (for fillming's sake) and when the horn blew, LA and I sprinted to the side to wait for the camera crew to get sorted. I'm sure we wasted a good minute or two faffing around before I was told I could go off without them. As a result, I've decided to use 1hr2mins as the basis for drafting out my training plan for the next 6 months.

I really was just over the moon about finding my pre-December legs again!

Hung around for a coupla hours after for interviews and stuff, and quickly felt the pain creep back and plague me when I was warmed down. So I guess it's not all gone - but it just reaffirmed the fact that what I've been doing to help the injury is working. And that's just great!

Results (time) might be crap but what I see and what I feel is just making me jump for joyyyyy! *boing*

Now for a quick rest before an easy 30km bike ride later. Happy legs, out.

So taking my queue from the rest, I have now signed up for the Desaru Pengarang International Triathlon. It's a strange sprint:

Date : 10th September 2006
Time : 9.30am
Distance : 500m swim, 18km bike, 3km run
Registration: Friday 8th Sept 2006 from 11am - 7.30pm @ Desaru Golden Beach Hotel

Hubba will be attempting the half ironman, a distance I hope to attempt in a year or two.

Chris McCormack is going to be racing!!!!! HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!?!?!?!

Rest is oh so important, as I learnt tonight.

The last time I tried to attempt a road ride after a race, I had loaded up on weights a few days before. My legs felt like lead and my breathing was erratic. It was basically a no-go in every sense of the word.

Since last Sunday, I've not done anything to tax myself. I did a bit of yoga to stretch the muscles out but otherwise, I've been on a chill pill big time. So how I felt on tonight's ride was a good lesson learnt about what a body can do if you cut it enough slack.

As usual, I was right at the back of the pack. But I decided not to let this get to me. I had Chicane's Strong in Love playing deep inside my head - nope, no shuffle - and told my legs to keep at it. 's girlfriend Rebecca was there and her speed was astounding. Respect. But I reminded myself that it takes hard work to get there and since I haven't put any in, I should just shut it and ride.

I came out feeling fine. And hey, I'm feeling just a teeny bit less intimidated.

I'm gonna be just fine.

Distance: 43km
Time: 1hr33mins
Avg Spd: 28.0km/hr
Max Spd: 44.6km/hr


just a coupla shots from sportsphotox

So while all the AAA dudes have been talking about mounting their bikes today, I was keeping complete radio silence.

As much as I keep telling myself I need to start riding with TA more regularly, there's always this feeling of apprehension when Thursdays draw near. I come up with all sorts of excuses about why I shouldn't go. Compared to the android I have for a husband, I spin at snail's pace. So when I messaged the husband about my apprehension about joining the ride this evening, I was surprised at his response.

A: You don't wanna come?
J: I want to
A: But...
J: But what if you guys go nuts and fast and ... schtuff
A: You know e way back don't you?
J: Yeah..
A: Come on, girl!

He went on to lecture me about how he used to get dropped all the time and how he could barely hang on. And how group rides are good 'coz I'll never max out on my own. Think of it as a fast track to improvement, he said. Those who train the hardest, get there the hardest.

All words of wisdom.

And you haven't been training hard at all.

Ouch.

I'm your coach. I'll tell you when you're slacking.

Double ouch.

Alright, alright. So I guess I need to have some food in a bit so I've got enough energy at 8.30pm. Mummy.....

A couple of friends pointed this out when they met me today, including a colleague... Talk about unglam.


can you see it?

This morning, the husband asked a very thought-provoking question.

On the scale of 1 to 10, how did you rank yesterday's race - with 10 being the most pain you've ever felt in your life?

I had a think about it carefully and decided it ranked a 5 or 6 on the pain scale. It definitely feels a bit of an anti-climax now that it's over and I can't help but ask myself: "Was that it?!"

I guess in hindsight I can't help but feel as if I ought to have done a lot better. But in a lot of ways, I suppose, yesterday's race was all about self discovery. I now know what to expect in a race that's part-endurance, part-speed. Prior to this, I was either doing little sprints or long drawn out races, where any speed above 'conversation' speed was considered too fast. I knew I wasn't supposed to be going 'balls to the wall' yesterday, as Hubba terms it, but I definitely felt a little bit more might have been better.



I must say I was pretty chuffed about the swim. Those few sessions with Trifam must have really helped - I was totally surprised when I got out of the water the same time as 2 athletes I respect greatly, but I proceeded to take ages in transition dealing with a stitch. Hubba and Hansel came up to me whilst I put on my shoes and helmet: Hubba gave me a mini pep talk and handed me a bottle to rehydrate with, while Hansel gave me a few words of encouragement. As I ran out of the transition area in my bike shoes, I could feel the patella tendonitis creeping in... Already?!?! I thought. Uh oh. Ignore it.

Once I clipped myself in, I was off. I usually try maintaining 29 to 30km/hr during a sprint, but I decided that would totally kill my legs this time for double the distance. So I was keeping a 27km/hr pace for a bit - But Aquaman aka Chi cheered me on with a 'Go Janice, pace yourself!' and my immediate thought was, you know what he's right. I'm not going to be able to run if I keep this up. I was definitely getting tired. The cross winds on the way back were crazy and I felt like I was being blown about quite a bit. My speed was dropping big time and by the 4th lap, I knew I was at the stage where I couldn't wait to get off the bike.

Less than 1km into the run and my knee totally acted up. Not fun. But I remembered Papa Smurf's advice about keeping a steady shuffle and not trying to go all out and ruin it. The strengthening I've been doing definitely helped, coz I managed to find a pace and get into a rhythm where the pain was definitely still noticeable but yet bearable. It was at this pace that I plodded along, not oblivious to the participants who passed me by. But a work contact once told me to live to race another day, so I stuck to the mantra as I contnued the run.

Stopped to stride quite a bit when the pain got a little overbearing.. I gave my ITB a good ol' stretch once or twice as well. That's when Shemboy passed me and I figured my time was getting a little ridiculous. I turned the last corner and decided to give the homerun a good enough shot. Hella Good came on and all hell - in my head - broke loose.

I upped the pace and ran the final 2.5km back to the finish line.

Like I said earlier, I'm definitely feel like I should have given it a bit more. I didn't suffer as much as before and I think that's where I feel like I've shortchanged the race.

Still, I guess you never really know in your first one and that's where you know you need to sign up for a second one. The husband's brought the challenge up to another level - The Half Ironman. I'm definitely feeling the itch, but I sure as hell know the run is where I need the most work. And a half marathon at the end of a triathlon is just a little bit much for my left patella to handle at this moment in time. But the gauntlet has definitely been laid down and I feel a sense of duty in taking it up... Let's just get a few more triathlons out of the way before I come to that, alright darling?

Speaking of the devil, the husband did very well on his race yesterday and came in 5th in 2:29:45 - a definite improvement on his time last year. He never fails to amaze me... And I always come out of the event feeling a hundred times prouder to be Mrs Fang than ever before.


my hero

A quick comment about the OSIM Singapore International Triathlon 2006: It was one of the friendliest races I've ever been in. I expected the participants to be all pro and unfriendly, but I've never met a more encouraging bunch. Everytime my knee acted up, some kind soul would come along and give me a few words of encouragement or a pat on the back to keep going. Really great stuff, and really renews my faith in my fellow sports and countrymen once again =)

Special thanks must go to Debs, Andrea and Sehsuan who helped capture moments that we would have otherwise been unable to capture on our own now that both the husband and I are racing the same race. Thanks, especially to Debs, for dragging herself out to watch the race in the blazing hot sun. I'm sorry but you've been branded by the triathlon!


from the organisers..

I made it. The knees are doing okay but are blatantly not happy. Pooped. Nap time.

Time: 03:24


01


02


03

courtesy of sehsuan

Race report later.