Bloodied....

That is what happened when you think you can run sockless.

Took ANT for a run today, despite the nagging back ache.
Decide to do a quick 5km around Yishun Park.

Within the first 1km, both my left and right knees started complaining. But both kept quiet 2 km into the run.
Strangely, the back din complain throughout the whole run.

I can finally understand why runners tends to use the word "responsive".
This is my first pair of racers and the feeling is awesome.
My feet have never felt closer to the ground and I would definitely call the shoes "responsive".
Maybe it is psychological, but I did notice that my strides are much bigger and I could go much faster without the increased heart rate.
Something which I had not done for a long long time.

After 3km, things start to go wrong. I have blisters at both achilles heels and the left arch.
I tried to walk the rest of the way home, but it only make things worse.
I did a painful 1.5km jog.

Took off my shoes after the run and noticed that I have colored my ANT with my own blood.

1st km - 6.10 min / km
2nd km - 6.16 min / km
3rd km - 7.33 min / km
4th km - 8.38 min / km

So question now is....Is there any shoes that I can place my faith in for my coming races?
I definitely need to retire those old Kayanos...

XXXXXL

Saw the write-up about obesity occasionally in the newspapers.
Somehow this time round, it seems to have struck a nerve.

I guess I can relate to it as I have been battling obesity even before I reach my teens.
I weigh 72kg since Primary 5 and has not been able to shed the pounds ever since.
That is until I had a week-long high fever during Secondary 2.
Most people choose not to believe it, but I lose 10kg and 5 inches off my waist.
Thank god, it happened during the school holidays and just before I got to have my long white trousers made for Upper Secondary.
Everything improved since I lost those kgs and I went from a NAPFA Silver/Bronze to a NAPFA Gold.
I could still remember achieving 260cm for my Standing Board Jump.
Why I could remember it so vividly? Two of my Track-and-Field classmates were trying their best to outdo me in that department. :p

But I gave up all these when I stop exercising during my polytechnic days.
By the end of the 3 years, I have gained back the 10kg plus a bit more.

Intrestingly, I did not shed any pounds when I was in the Army but I could run a lot faster. My normal heart rate even went down from 80 to 60.

After Army, I manage to keep those kgs from piling up for two years.
But things starts to go haywire after I started dating and stopped exercising.
I started to hit 78kg...80kg...84kg...88kg. I even stop weighing myself.
It wasn't until my wedding in 2003 that I weigh myself and I have already hit 99kg!

During those years, I went from size 29..33..34..36..38..40
When I reached size 38 and 40, I started to stock pile my pants as the pants are hard to find.
At times there were scary thoughts that I would have to tailor made my pants if my waist line continues to grow.

In 2005, I had my first try at losing weight.
I successfully lost 5kg within the first month, but things seem to plateau after that. No matter how hard I exercise, the weight do not come off.
Worse still, I got my knee busted so badly that I could not run for eight months and the kilos started piling back and more.

Last January was the first time I really took a hard look at my weight.
I stands at 108kg, 33% body fat.
I started to aim for Standard Chartered Full Marathon 2007, but got realistic in July and signed up for the SCSM Half-Marathon instead.
During SCSM 2007, I weigh 95kg, body fat 26.5%.

After SCSM, I started to slack and live a sedentary lifestyle.
Lots of bak kwa later, I am now back to 101kg, body fat 29.5%

Now I have to take a hard look at myself.
I should not go to races and just aim to complete it.
It does not make sense anymore.
I should train for it and hope for a better timing.
Even if I do not achieve a personal best, at least I know I tried.

I hope I remember all these and work towards achieving a good timing at my first Olympic Distance Triathlon in May 2008.

I Missed the Roads

While driving along Yishun Ring Road to buy lunch, I was looking at the pavements and realised that I missed the pounding on the pavements and the wheels spinning on the road.

Maybe I have been cycling on weekends so often now that I truly missed this weekend's training although it meant that I can sleep a bit longer.

NETS revises pricing for NETS CashCard

Taken from CNA. Looks like we are caught in no-man's land.

SINGAPORE : Consumers are going to have pay more for their NETS CashCard come May, as it will include the cost of the CashCard as well.

They will have to fork out S$10 for a CashCard - comprising S$5 for the cost of the card and S$5 for the stored value amount.

Consumers can expect to see fewer blue CashCards costing S$7, which includes S$5 for stored value and S$2 for a refundable deposit. It is still available but only while stocks last.

The new S$10 CashCards will be sold from May.

NETS said the revised pricing helps to cover the cost to produce and fabricate each CashCard. It said since the cards were introduced in 1996, the cost has been borne by the local banks.

NETS said the revised pricing is also in line with the market practice of other stored value cards in Singapore.

However, the reaction from members of the public has been less than enthusiastic.

One person said, "It is a burden to the general population of Singapore. But hopefully the government can do something about it to regulate it a bit better."

Another commented, "For me it is quite okay, but the lower-income group will be quite affected."

The new S$10 CashCard will be valid for five years.

Intervals

Maybe I shall try this after my back heals.

Monday
400m (3 mins) x 3 sets (3 minutes rest between sets)

Wednesday
800m (9 mins) x 3 sets (3 minutes rest between sets)

Friday
4-8km Run

Hehe, maybe someone can advise me on a better workout plan for 10km? :)

I am trying to reserve the weekends for my "not-so-secret training" rides.

Victoria’s future up in the air

Taken from Today Online.

TO HIM, the issue is not about whether Victoria School (VS) goes co-ed.
Member of Parliament Teo Ser Luck says the question is whether his alma mater sees education as being about “more than just ranking”.

It is one of several questions for which the school and its old boys are finding there are no easy answers.

Three years after VS decided to remain an all-boys school — for 132 years now — discussions about its future have resurfaced with the big question now whether to merge with affiliated Victoria Junior College.

TODAY understands that principals of both schools and alumni from the Old Victorians’ Association (OVA) met last Thursday for a dialogue on future plans.

This, at a time when big-name schools have been making big moves. Hwa Chong Institution will award its own diploma to students from this year.

Raffles Junior College will do the same, while its management board and that of Raffles Institution will become one.

MP Dr Ong Chit Chung, the chairman of the Victoria Executive and Advisory Committee — the school’s board — did not respond to queries.

But his parliamentary colleague and OVA president, Mr Teo, said that any decision would have to take into consideration the views of students and teachers of both schools, parents and alumni.
“Any decision will need proper support from all stakeholders,” said Mr Teo, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
“The key thing is to look objectively at what is the best way to take us forward.”

When approached by TODAY, both schools issued a joint statement to say “the consultation process is still ongoing”.

Several options are being explored, they said. For example, the schools could merge but offer different programmes for students, including a six-year Integrated Programme, the O and A level programmes.

VJC principal Chan Poh Meng was also reported to have said in January that one possibility was for both schools to continue operating independently and to remain affiliated.

The junior college could then start its own co-ed programme from Secondary 1.
VJC currently admits Secondary 3 students for its four-year Integrated Programme.
Talk of a merger between both schools went public in August 2005.
And when a proposal was floated then that VS could turn co-ed to become the main feeder school for VJC, it was met with uproar among old boys.

TODAY tried contacting six other members sitting on the school’s 18-member board for this story, but did not get a response.

Among some old boys, the possibility that VS could go co-ed still does not sit well.
Mr Cheong Cheng Swee, 73, who graduated in 1954, said the school’s track record has proven that there is no need to turn co-ed to raise the quality of the intake — the reason offered for co-ed plans initially.

Ms Jenny Lin, 26, a VJC graduate, also sided with the boys.
“Being an all-boys’ institution all this while, they must have a strong emotional attachment to the tradition,” she said.

According to the schools’ joint statement, a proposal would be submitted to the Education Ministry when a decision has been made. It added that both schools and all stakeholders are “committed to working together in offering the best possible education opportunities for its students”.

My Back Hurts!!!

So excited to get ANT on Monday, but I still din get a chance to try out the shoes.

Woke up on Tuesday with the whole body aching and swelling on left ankle.
It feels like someone has hit my ankle using a hammer.
Spend Tuesday massaging it with CounterPain and the swelling finally subside.

Woke up on Wednesday with a mild back pain.
Alamak, looks like ANT will have to wait quite a while for its maiden run.
Got through the day pretty much ok.

Woke up on Thursday in cold sweat.
The back is killing me...
I could not walk down the stairs without hurting.
I could hardly extend my stride on my right leg.
But I endure the pain and suffer the whole day at work even with the medicated plasters on.

Waking up today, the pain seems to have multiplied four-fold.
Just lying down flat on my tummy, the pain just refused to go away.
I have resisted medication 2 hours now, but I shall not torture myself.
It hurts so much that I am unable to do anything much.

I am right now on painkillers and muscle relaxer.
The metsal cream is the icing on the cake. So shiok........Ahhhhhhh..........

Hmm.... wonder how this week would have progressed if I had went for a run on Monday night. Will it be better or worse?

Doctor's diagnosis
D : Did you carry any heavy stuff?
J : Not really
D : Do you carry your kids?
J : Yes, I do carry them. On my shoulders.
D : How heavy is your kid?
J : *Puzzled* (What does Shannon's weight have anything to do with it?) 19kg
D : *Wide-eyed* 19kg?
J : *Getting more puzzled* Yes, one-nine kg
D : Do you know that is 2 big bags of rice?
Have you ever tried to carry 2 bags of rices from NTUC to the MRT bus-stop?
J : Yes. But carrying my kid on the shoulder does not feel that heavy leh.
D : *Virtually smacking head* (Started describing the causes and effects)
J : *Finally understood*

I guess it all started from my gung-ho army days, where we used to carry Browning M2 single-handledly.
Never thought that heavy stuff is a problem due to my heavy build, I guess now it is payback time. =(

ANT Run aborted

Had wanted to take ANT for a run.
But as I was driving home , the sky got darker and darker.
Exiting CTE, raindrops start to cover my windscreen.

Surprisingly as I reached home, the roads are dry with dark clouds hanging low.
Was frustrated that till 8pm, the sky still stay clear.
By then, I already had my dinner...
Well, I guess there is always another day for a run.

Losing Weight......

Gained 6kg over Chinese New Year.
Now I look like my yucky old self a year ago.
After a lot of pedalling over the weekend, I manage to maintain the weight around 100kg, 2 kg loss....

Still a long way to get back to SCSM's weight of 96kg.

Cycling 23rd March 2008

Woke up at 4am.
Did some work before proceeding to prep for the 5.30 LongHouse Morning Ride.
What I did not expect was the triple visit to the loo.
When I am ready to ride, it was already 5.45am. Argh...
Another fun ride in store for me today. :p

The feeling is good today. After 2 days of morning ride, my legs are still okay. :p
Ride hard all the way to Mandai Shell. Not a rider in sight...Haiz...

Finish 3/4 bottle of water and continue on my way.
Sure is demoralising riding alone.
Less than 1 km along Woodlands Road, I spot a blinking light and give chase.
Wow, this rider is fast. I am clocking 31-32km/h and I am not closing in at all.
Strangely, his blinker's brightness is very inconsistent.
When I overtook him at Chestnut Drive, I realised that the rider is a construction worker on a MTB and his blinker is powered by a dynamo! Does this thing still exist?
These MTB riders can ride as fast as a road rider, if not faster.

Manage to draft a bus for quite a distance.
Haha, drafting a bus is shiok, but it is really bad for the health.

Reaching the traffic junction of Jalan Anak Bukit, I finally meet the first road rider.
Jodan : Morning !
Cyclist nod head.
J : Going to LongHouse?
C : No.
J : Riding alone?
C: Yes.
Haha, I guess it is not everyday that you can kick up a conversation with another rider.

Just after the traffic junction, tried to clip in and was unable to do so.
My wheels are spinning downhill fast and I was not clipped in yet.
The bus stop and the turn is approaching fast. Eeks...
Just before the bus stop , I manage to get clipped. Phew...

Along Dunearn Road, I caught up with the road rider and started to draft him.
Hehe, drafting is so fun. I manage to draft him all the way up to Adam Flyover.
Hmm... I am beginning to hate Lornie Road.
I just could not catch up with the other riders after Adam Flyover.

As I turn into Longhouse, the road rider continue on.
Hmm... I guess a lot of riders does their rides similar to the 5.30 Longhouse Route.
Speaking of which...I really admire the runners whom I see on every ride doing the same route.

Haha, I am the only JoyRider doing the 5.30 ride today. So sad....
Eliza and Stazla are going for the breakfast ride.
Took a short break and we move off at 7.05am.

Once again, I pulled so far in front that I decided to do OUTR and meet up with the group at Prata Hill Junction.
Just before reaching Prata Hill Junction, the group rode past and I quickly join up at the rear.

There are 2 choices today. Either Old Mandai Road or Sembawang-Mandai Road.
Decide to take up the challenge and took Sembawang-Mandai Road route.
Wrong choice as I start to lose the group.
After 35km into the ride, Mandai Road is no longer a walkover.
I am really suffering. But I guess I really need the training badly.
Reached Mandai Shell and the group has already left.

Make a U-turn and continue home.
What I love about Mandai Hill is that you are rewarded for every tough uphill ride.
You can also make use of the uphill-downhill momentum to get through the route. =D

What Doesn't Kill You Makes you Stronger ....

Wrecked

2 falls on 2 consecutive days and now I feel like a total wreck.
What made things worse is that I fell on each side of my body, so now both sides of the body are aching like mad.
Will I have enough mental will power to go for the 5.30 morning ride tomorrow?

ANT Shoes

My dear pal has just SMS me that he has bought the ANT shoes for me.
Thanks, mate!!!

Guess it is time for me to start running again. =)

Cycling 22nd March 2008

Not too sure if the alarm clock went off this morning, but when I woke up it is already 4.45am.
Gosh...today will be a fun ride....
Sticking to my cycling routine of brekkie + long toliet break, I left the house at 5.35am.

Tried to chiong to Mandai Road and encounter red traffic lights at all the traffic junctions. So frustrating...Grr....

When I reach the Mandai-Sembawang Road traffic junction at 5.47am, I do not have any idea if the train has already past by.
Ride hard and I finally saw a rider in the distance near Mandai Zoo.
Keep on chasing and finally overtook the rider just before Mandai Hills Camp.
Say hello to him and keep on riding hard.
I was so glad that when I am near Mandai Shell, the guys are still there.
Once they see me coming, they started riding off.
Saw Winston at Mandai Shell, but somehow my mind is not functioning correctly today.
I keep addressing Winston as Raphael for the whole day, even though he corrected me. :p Sorry, mate.

My legs are feeling so good that I even manage to pull after Hume Avenue.
Just before Dunearn Road, fear overtook me as usual and I started to brake before the turn.
I could hear brakes screeching behind me. Sorry, guys.

At one of the traffic lights along Dunearn Road, I had a hard time clipping on.
When I finally clipped on and try to chase the group, I was unable to do so.
Checked the cyclometer. 35-36km/h!!!
The group is really flying...
Hope that at least part of the group will take the Novena route, but no one is entertaining the idea. :p

Went up Adam Flyover and that is the last I saw of the group.
I really miss joining the pack up Adam Flyover. It is such a breeze doing so. :)

Just before reaching Longhouse, Joyce and Raphael (Opps, I mean Winston) overtook me.
Haha, so demoralising.
Reached Longhouse and was introduce David. He was the last rider at Mandai and a friend of Winston.
Wait till 7.15am and the Changi train started moving off.

Still feeling good, I start pulling and was so far in front that I decided to take a detour through Old Upper Thomson Road and hope to join the group at Prata Hill traffic junction.
Bad mistake!!! The junction into OUTR was so congested , partially due to AniMiles leaving the area in their cars that I decided to make a U-turn after a long while.
Fell from the bike and tore the netting on the side of my cycling shoes...
Argh... why do I always pay for stupid mistakes.
Checked for cuts and bruises and was glad that there were none.

Just as I am getting up, the pleoton started running past.
By the time I hit the main road, the whole group is far in front.
Was not able to make it to the traffic junction in time and had to wait for a frustrating few minutes before I could clear the traffic junction.
The group was no where in sight, so I keep on pedalling hard again.
Manage to see the group waiting at the junction of YCK-Lentor Ave.
Just as I am closing in, they moved off.
Haha, till next time...Turned left into Lentor Avenue and spin hard home.

Very nice ride today. Did so much sprinting today. =)

宝贝

婆婆 : 我家有个小宝贝。
Shannon : Stella 妹妹是小宝贝。
婆婆 : 妹妹是小宝贝，Shannon 是。。。
Shannon : 大宝贝！

Good Friday Ride

Woke up at 2.15am. Somehow shoulders felt very tight.
Luckily after apply some Shoulder Rub, I managed to go back to sleep at 3.30am.

Reached Mandai Shell @ 5.50am and went on my loops.
While doing the first loop, I tried to drink on the move.
It wasn't easy, but I manage to drink my fill and get back on the ride.

While on the third loop, the train came along and I hopped on.
Start at the rear with Chris. Boy, it was tough....
Now I can really tell the difference between riding alone and within the group.
Within the group, you just need to pedal.
Alone, you need to really pedal hard to keep up.

Manage to keep close to the group till Dunearn Road.
Spinning at 33-34km/h, I still could not keep up.
Chris was kind enough to wait for me along the stretch.

Onto Adam Flyover, I am all alone. I am really bushed...
The distance is the same as last Sunday, but the energy isn't enough to sustain the whole ride.
Reach back at LongHouse at 6.45am.

Saw Eliza who is doing her first ride with Joyriders.
Just as we are about to leave at 7am, Stazla appeared and had to gulp down her milo as the train starts to leave the station.
That was the last I saw of Stazla as she zoomed ahead.
Ride with Eliza all the way to Mandai Shell where I finally turn back home.

Ring Fencing

Went to CBD to pick up wifee today.

I literally drive into the ERP trap.
I wonder how come the authorities never use the term "ring fencing" for their ERP operations. =)

I felt so trapped. No matter where I drive, I get "beep"ed.

A trip in and out of town during evening peak hours cost me $6!!!

Cycling 16th March 2008

Kena jio-ed by Chris Neo to do a Sunday Longhouse 5.30am Ride.
Why JoyRiders need to be jio-ed? Cos Sunday is recovery ride. =)
Thus we do not have a lot of riders for Sunday 5.30am Ride. Most of them will be taking the 7am train.
Similar to running, the riders will do a LSD (typically century ride) on Saturday which comprises of 2 consecutive rides, a 35km 5.30am ride plus a xxkm 7am East/West ride.

Woke up at 3am. And could not fall back to sleep.
Turn on the computer and was devastated to see Arsenal draw at home to Middlesbrough. Lagi sianz. Lagi cannot sleep.
Waste more time net surfing before preparing for the ride.

Haha, as I am writing this earlier half of the entry before the ride, I must admit that I tend to miss the start at Longhouse on purpose.
But I figured that there is no point in killing myself even before the ride starts.
Why? Cos the ride to Longhouse through Sembawang Road is already tiring, not to mention that you have to do it twice in the first 20km. Argh...
I have a better plan now. Meet at Mandai Shell and do loops while waiting for the guys. Hehe.

Was slacking till TPE Flyover when a rider in Aviva Singapore 70.3 jersey overtook me.
I started to draft him. After a while, he sensed that someone is tagging him and keep looking over his shoulder.
Decided to ride alongside him and chat.
He is doing the ride alone. Turns out Chris (rvf400) is doing purely weekend rides too.

Just before Mandai Zoo, we overtook Stefano and Judith. They are en route to LCK to do their time trial. Looks like no one has taken up their 5.15am offer.
Soon it was time for Chris and me to part ways.
Took a sip and start doing Mandai loops.

While on my 2nd loop, the train came along. I stopped at Mandai Shell to see who is on board.
Strangely, Chris Neo is missing. Hmm... overslept?
As the train chug along, I took out my phone and was about to message him when I saw his SMS that he will be late.
Was doing my 3rd loop when Chris came along.
Chat and slack all the way back to LongHouse.

Reach Longhouse and was introduced to Chris Panes, one of the JoyRiders Fantastic Four.
He is being posted overseas, so today is Chris' Farewell Ride.
Have a good trip , Chris!

Cycling 15th March 2008

Woke up at 4.15am by the alarm clock.
Decide to take it slow and join the group at Mandai Shell.

The start of the ride was terrible.
I have slacked too long and the body is starting to complain about the lack of exercise.
Took me 3km to warm up.
Start to analyse how to attack Mandai Hills, in case I am really signing up for Singapore Sprint Series Sprint Duathlon.
Looks like the easiest way is to keep a constant pace on flats and uphills.

Reached Mandai Shell at 5.50am.
Waited till 5.57am and not a cyclist in sight.
Aiyoh, did I miss the train again?!?!

Decide to do loops along Mandai Road, in case I doze off by the roadside.
On my 2nd loop, I finally see a bunch of flashing lights.
Yeah!!! The train is here!!!
Did a quick U-turn and the group just sprinted pass me.
Gosh, this group is flying. Will I be able to keep up?

Decide to stay with the front pack and was very surprised how easy it is to ride in a pleoton.
Basically just need to spin at the same cadence as the riders in front.
I realise why verbal communication is so important riding in a group.
Staying close to the rider in front, 80% of your focus is on the butt of the front rider.
There isn't much of a chance to look at the traffic light ahead.

After the traffic light at Hume Avenue, the group started to break away!
I could have kept up with them, but the thoughts of an accident keep flashing across my mind.
An accident will spell a end to my morning rides.
Instead I keep the brakes on and let the other riders rode by.

Rode with the middle pack and the group starts to break away again after Adam Flyover!
Argh.... I hate breakaways, but I really have no intention to get myself injured.

Reach back at LongHouse and manage to find a good parking lot.
Haha, now I realise why riders like to sprint home.
It is so hard to find parking lots when there are 100 plus riders in the house.
Took a very long break before the Changi Ride starts and I hitch a ride home. =)

Cycling 8th March 2008

Woke up at 4.15am.
Tried putting Stella back to bed and only succeeded to do so 1 hour later.
Quickly had my breakfast and zoomed down to Mandai Shell.

Reached there at 6.07am, without encountering anyone along the way.
Hmm... dun look like a Saturday ride to me.
Normally I still encounter other non-JoyRider cyclists along the way. Where is everyone?!

Waited at Mandai Shell for a minute and 2 guys joined me.
Turned out to be RaphChong and a friend, Winston.

They told me that the JoyRiders has already pass Mandai Shell. What!?!? The group is getting faster and faster.
They are waiting for DaftBitch and JellyBean.

Chat along the ride. This is always the fun part of rides.
To cycle and chat. Something I will not be able to do during runs. :)

Winston is going with his family for Bintan Triathlon too. =)
Cool!!! The Bintan group is getting larger! Or rather that is how small the triathlon family really is. =p

Hmm...either I dun feel fatigued cos I started from Mandai Shell or the cleats really work wonders.
I do not feel tired after climbs and my speedometer keep registering higher speed than my past few rides.

Very soon, we reached Adam Road and RaphChong right towards home.
Wanting to avoid Lornie Road (which DaftBitch readily agree), we continue towards Newton Road where Winston ride straight on home.

Cycled with Daftbitch all the way back to Longhouse.

Met Joyce at Longhouse, where she took a photo of my new shoes. =p
Spoke to Chris and he is jio-ing me for 5.30am ride tomorrow.
Good Good, now I cannot idle liao. If it is not raining, I shall be riding tomorrow. =)
Cycle with Chris to Ang Mo Kio where I drop him and cycle home.

Shannon is so sweet. She pass me my bike stand when I came home. =)

Anything for a T-shirt

I am pretty surprised a few runners signed up for Sundown Marathon because of the red Adidas Finisher Tee.
Sundown had never been in my race calendar till my colleague gives me an idea.

He suggest that I do the Sundown Marathon Team category if they are giving the red Finisher T.
Now I am so tempted.
Visa should not be an issue, as the race starts at 8.30pm.
The registration fee is not cheap though.
Team Challenge Relay (10.5km x 4 Runners) cost $250.

But all is not lost, I still have the NTU Bike Rally 2008 , if I decide not to do Sundown. :)

Boy, I am spoiled for choice. :p

Singapore Biathlon 2008 Results

Rank 1051
Bib 7045
Swim 0:44:50
T1 + Run 1:16:12
Total 2:01:01

Rank 802 / 1095 during the swim, that places me in the top 74% to finish the swim.
Ranked 1068 / 1095 during the swim, that places me in the last 2% to finish the run.
Ranked 1051 out of 1095, that places me in the last 4% of all Finishers.

In essence, 266 runners outpace me....

Reflections

A reflection on Singapore Biathlon. Think I better buck up and increase my training.

I had promise a friend that we will do our first Full Marathon this December.
With my current fitness level, I don't think that I will be able to keep pace with her at all.

Judging by the effort that I have put in during Singapore Biathlon, I have to admit that I am somewhat disappointed with myself.
But seriously speaking, my heart rate does not really allow me to continue running at the pace that I did during the race.
I could have run slower at a constant pace, but I find that very hard to accomplish during a race.

But first things first, I need to lose the 6kg that I have gain over the past 6 weeks.
Yeah, dun ask me how... I really gain 6kg over 6 weeks.
And it took me 12 months to lose 12kg. Grr....
Time for drastic measures....

Cycling 2nd March 2008

Without an alarm clock, I still manage to wake up at 4.30am. Gosh, my body sure like to be tortured.

Logged onto the forum to post the answer to "Which direction is the bus travelling".
Took the chance to check all the other threads as well.
Hehe, soon I ran out of time for LongHouse and so Mandai Shell, it shall be. :-P

Although I am still feeling the pain on the outside of my left foot, all of it was forgotten when I started to attack the Mandai Hills.
These cleats really work their magic well, hill climbs ain't that scary anymore. :-P

Reached Mandai at 6am. 2 minutes later, I start to get anxious. Even if the front pack has zoomed past Mandai Hills, I should still see the middle pack by now. Not a single rider in sight, not even one from other cycling groups!
Gosh, everyone is slacking today.

Not knowing what my options are, I decided to hang on and wait.
10 minutes later, a lady rode past. Exchanged greetings and she rode on and turned left onto Old Woodlands Road.
After another two minutes of waiting, I decided that I shall complete the ride back to LongHouse, and let the 5.30am train catch me instead. Haha, who am I bluffing.

Just before Bukit Panjang, I caught sight of the lady cyclist in front and decided to give chase.
Confirmed with her that she is riding back to LongHouse. Yeah! I have company liao.
She started from LongHouse 3 minutes late and was left behind!
Hmm, cannot be leh. Cos we tends to start off 5 to 10 minutes late.
While riding, we chatted non-stopped. The joy of group riding :-)

We decided to take the Novena route back to LongHouse.
Not familiar with the cycling route, I follow her lead down Dunearn underpass and up the Whitley Flyover.
Woot, this is fun.
But I guess most cars won't like it at all. But it is pretty early, so I guess it is not too bad. :p
Turning back via Chancery Lane, we make it back to LongHouse by 6.52am.

Only then did I know that the lady I rode with is Dr Bao Ying, a veteran JoyRider. :p
Waited for the 7am train and ride in their slipstream home.

Singapore Biathlon 2008

3 years! Yes, 3 years is how long it took for me to earn my first Singapore Biathlon medal.
Woke up at 3am, but manage to get another 1.5 hours of sleep.
Took my own sweet time to prep, before making my way down to East Coast.
On my way out of the house, picked up the Timex watch. Haha, it died on me.
It was still functioning when I pack my race kit yesterday... Guess it does not wanna re-live the whole nightmare all over again. :-)

Reached CarPark F3 at 6.05am. The car park is already full. Decided to park at the Service Road and walk there.
The weather was cooling, mainly to the early morning rain.
When we reach the race area, there wasn't much crowd, thus we had our registration, body marking and baggage deposit done in a jiffy.

While Roonz proceed to do her warm-up, I went around looking for familiar faces.
Alvo transition area is just beside me.
Roonz slot is just beside the T1 exit. How convenient.
Aerosolcan decided to plant a lamppost to mark his spot. Very smart of him.
Tiwazz is so focused that no matter how I wave or shout at him, he never seems to notice. Even standing 3 meters in front of him dun help. Wa kao...
Meet other forumers like Sotong, Le_charlotte, WildCat, Trencen, Gentle, Atomic, Sywog, Chris Neo and NgYongFeng.
Also manage to catch up with 2 old friends, Boon Kiat and Liang Seng.
While Boon Kiat is a race veteran, this is Liang Seng's first Biathlon.
Nice to meet them again. =)

Time passes quickly and it was start of Wave 3.
I decided that I will do something different this year and start in the middle pack on the extreme right.
Big mistake!!! Once into the water, it was a whirlpool. I was immediately sucked into the swimming pack.
The first 250m was horrendous. Most of the distance was spend treading water.
Once past the first swim buoy, I started to "power" away using freestyle.
Before I knew it, I was 50m off course. Haha....
Postive thinking, this is good as I am swimming all alone, no chance of being kicked or slapped by other swimmers. :p

Swimming to the next buoy seems to take forever and being so far from the pack, I am unable to ascertain if I am swimming faster or slower.
Tried to use the current to glide, but I realise that the tide is receding and it is a struggle trying to just swim ahead.
Took me forever to reach the buoy and did my U-turn.
I wasn't surprised to see the crowd this time after the turn.
Looks like most of the swimmers are struggling on the return leg.
Will be interesting to know how I did on the swim leg when the results are out.
While swimming on the return leg, I am a bit apprehensive.
Images of the event 2 years ago start flashing through my mind.
Concentrate on the race and it became a distant memory. Phew...

While I am halfway to the yellow buoy, Wave 5 was flag off. Wow, 30 minutes and I am nowhere near the shore.
Without my watch, I has no other way to time my swim. Too bad there was no wave 6. Else I will be able to gauge my swim time.

Entering the funnel to the swim end, I was surprised that there was no seabug this year. Made the whole swim a lot more enjoyable.
Had wanted to use freestyle to overtake, but decided that I shall conserve my energy for the run. :p
During the last stretch, 3 white cappers (Wave 4) overtook me. These swimmers are good. They are zooming along and avoiding all the slower swimmers at the same time. Saw 3 blue cappers (Wave 2), but I decide not to overtake them. Run behind the last blue capper up to transition point.

Alvo was already at the transition point when I reached my slot.
Had a drink, put on my gear and I am off.
Haha, Alvo is really taking his own sweet time. He is still putting on his shoes when I took off.
But he overtook me at the 1km U-turn point. Haiz, my run is always my nemesis.

Saw Tao, Kops21 and Burnz and wave to them.

The run is getting a bit challenging.
I can feel the cramps coming, and my heart rate is rising.
Had to walk... but walking seems to be more difficult than running.
For once I hate walking, but my heart rate tells me not to overwork myself.

Reached the 6km U-turn point saw SxuanJing.
Say hi to her and continue on my way.

With 1km to go, Aaron overtook me.
Started to plan my finish.
Did a slow run from the 9.4km marker onwards.
Just before I entered the finish chute, I decided to pick up my pace and was surprised how much reserves I had. I have slacked!!!! So much energy left.

Crossed the timing mat and collected my Finisher's medal.
After 3 years, I finally got my first Singapore Biathlon Finisher's medal. Yeah!!!

Went to collect the goodie bag and gathered for some group photos before we make our way to Yishun for laksa.