Nike Shape Run 2010

Congratulations to dearest wife Joanne for completing her maiden run.
You are the best, Dear!!!
I am so proud of you! =)

Hehe... The hubby decided to sign her up for the race "with" her consent.
"With" cos both of us were laughing when I sumbitted the registration for her. =)

As fate will have it, her only pair of running shoes decided to dis-integrate when we bring our kids for a run at the Stadium.

We decided that we will scout around for a pair of new running shoes.

In the grand scheme of things, it probably will not have matter if a non runner get a pair of good, light and cheap pair of running shoes or not.

But I insisted on the shoes being light.

But as we all know, it is impossible to find a pair of running shoes satisfying all the three conditions, unless you are a sponsored athlete.

So when Joanne is undecided after 2 days of shoes shopping, Daddy decided to make the decision for her.

Top priority - Light!!! The shoes must weigh light. I know how a pair of heavy shoes will de-moralise a runner.
Joanne being a non runner, I do not want that factor to affect Joanne during her maiden run.

Good - Hmm... Good and light pair of shoes. I had a brand in mind, so I thought why not go down and take a look.
Being a lady, the shoes has to be asthetically pleasing, so I was just hoping that Nike has the color that she wanted.

Cheap - Being able to satisfy the top two conditions, there is no way the shoes will come cheap. It is a present for wifee, so no issues here. =)

Shoe of choice? NIKE FREE RUN +

According to the sales executive, Nike Free Run + is effectively a Nike Free 7.0
This suits me pretty well... I mean it will suit Joanne very well, cos it will be an introduction for her to some lightweight shoes with flexible soles which will not hinder her movements. For her to be Free!!!

Color of choice? (Haha.... Tekko is going to like this) ORANGE!!!

Keke, I gotta admit that I do like the look, design and color of this pair of shoes.
Unfortunately, I do not have the chance to try it out myself as they do not have my size. =(

After my sis collect Joanne's race pack, it is down to me to persuade her to take part in the race.

I am pleased to say that it did not take much coaxing to get her to agree to go for the run.
Daddy and the kids will be there to support her =)

====

Back to the race.

It is not a run for Joanne per se.

But it is the first step, the first of many race to come.

One day, Joanne and I may just do a marathon together.

I woke up at 5am. Joanne got up as well.
She could not sleep well.
She felt excited and nervous at the same time. =D

My sister and Joanne took a lift from my sister's friend.
Called Joanne and wish her all the best before her race starts.

Together with the kids, we made our way to the Shape Run race site.
While I was driving there, Joanne called to inform me that she has completed the race!!!
Wow, I'm absolutely speechless.

We quickly made our way to the race while they are still queueing up for the goodie pack.
Met Supcon and wife @ the Car Park. =D
Supcon's wife is also doing her maiden run too.

Met Eve, Roonz, Kia Liang and Fuling @ the race site.
Haha... Eve mentioned "Daniel, in a different role now ah." =p

Someone mentioned that Joanne still looks fresh after 10km. =D

Personally, I am impressed that Joanne completed her 10km.
She has never done any distance beyond 2.4km.
I was crazy enough to sign her up for 10km and she is crazy enough to attempt the distance. =p
She did not really train for the race.
I could not give her gels have she has never tried it before.
She mentioned that she probably dun need them...
I am just hoping that they have bananas along the race route.
All my worries were unfounded as she completed her race with tons of energy to spare. =D
She is elated that she completed her first race.
I cheekily prompted her "Ready for your next race?"
She just look at me and smile. =)

I am now tempted to sign her up for Great Eastern Women 10k Run.
Her answer : "Hmm... 3 months to recover."

As aches set in later in the day, she suggest doing 1 race a year. ;)
Yes! Mission accomplished! She is hooked. =D

Her experience in her own words.
She saw the group turning back and is glad that the U-turn point is near.
After 10 minutes, she is wondering where the U-turn point is. =D
When she finally got to the U-turn point, she is happy to know that there are still a lot of ladies behind her.
(On that note alone, she already beat me hands down. Runners behind me usually dun total a hundred. =p)

Now we are all just waiting for the results to be out. =)

Daily Musings 17th July 2010

17th July - Kinda of a funny thinking day...
Maybe the mind is too cooling that it is starting to freeze. =D

For the first time in 3 years, I have this thought that it is time for me to upgrade to a carbon bike.
That a carbon bike will help me shave time off my rides.
That a carbon bike will make my rides alot more enjoyable.
That Trek Speed Concept will be a good choice...
I think I kena poisoned liao. Haha...

But frankly speaking, a carbon bike is out of my reach right now.
If I ever wanna do a huge investment on my bike, it will probably be Shimmy Di-2.
But not too sure if I will ever get the kind of price that IN paid for his Di-2.

---

A look in the mirror and a flashback of IM70.3 Singapore appeared in my mind.
Spending an hour in the water.
Spending three and a half hour on a bike.
Spending three and a half hour pounding the pavements.
Have I just completed all those?
Was I really that insane to have done all that at all?
Gosh... did I really did all that? Seems so impossible...

Uncertainty sets in after completing the insane distance twice. I wonder why.
I actually fear that I do not have what it takes to do the same race in 2011.
Talk about kiasee syndrome...

Did I just completed a dream, or half a dream so to speak?

---

Sometimes I wonder if it is due to the fact that I had not train much nowadays that leads to all these aimless ramblings...Haiz...

---

FOTR has given me a breathe of fresh air.
FOTR has given hope that my dream is acheivable as long as I followed their training regime.
I am so glad that FOTR is there when my chips are down.
Let's hope that one day I can make the dream a reality.

Inspiration

A word that I would never had thought that it would be associated with me.

Over the past 3 years, friends have come up to me to say that I inspired them.
Everytime I hear the word, I am truly humbled.
I am not sure how I did it, but I am glad I did.
You guys are the driving forces that keep me going.
It works wonders especially when you are feeling down and out.

Albert, let's hope that it really works for you and we shall see you on the triathlon scene soon. =)

十全十美

A good start to a brand new day.

Sub-conciousness

It is amazing what the sub-consciousness can do to you.
Things happened and you cannot prevent it from happening.

It has affected my weekend rides.
A check of my training log confirmed that.

How can I happen and I am oblivious to it?!?!
I am at a loss of words.

FOTR 3rd July 2010

Definitely feel honoured to be part of the FOTR Ride. =)

Started out from Alex's house at 4:30am.
Things were going well after Lornie Road and Mount Alvernia Flyover.
Suddenly Jimmy and Alex decided to accelerate and I am left to chase dust. O_o



I cannot sustain speed for long distances and 7km is truly too long for me.
I must say, I am glad I managed to stay with them for 7km.

We got a break at Bartley Road and I am trying my best to push my HR back to normal before we set off again.
Time to start wearing HRM.
Has been a long time since my heart almost popped out while riding.

Up and down Kaki Bukit Viaduct we went.
Further and further I trailed behind the glorious display of blinkers.
While I stared at the blinkers disappearing into the horizon, I also stared with utter dismay at the final climb up KBV.
When I finally cleared the climb with huge relief, I tried my best to catch up with the guys.
U know you are a goner when you are not even able to spin up to 30kmh on a downslope.

When I finally tango with them at Tampines Ave 10, everyone's shades are still fogged out.
Haha... usually with JR, we get fogged-out shades at Mandai Shell after everyone chionged...
(Speaking of which, there is another string of emails from JR that they are cannibalising the lanes along Mandai Road.
Guys, when are you all going to learn???)

Told BFG that I will start taking shortcuts during the rest of the ride, but BFG won't allow it.
"We will go through it together", BFG replied.
Thanks, bro!

While chatting on the ride, we missed our left turn at Old Tampines Road.
Show the guys the shortcut through Tampines Industrial Ave 5.
Ave 5 is a safer, shorter and flatter option for journey-ing through the lonely and dark stretch of Old Tampines Road.

Travelling through Hougang and Buangkok, we soon find ourselves at the entrance to Punggol Road.
Told BFG that I will be waiting for them while they dash in and out of Punggol End.
It did not take them long to come back out to Punggol Road.
And they had a break at Punggol End!!!
Wow guys, you really need a longer break, cos Jodan truly needs a longer break. =D

We made our way through SengKang, Yio Chu Kang and Sembawang Road.
While the guys climb Sembawang Slopes, I opt for the shorter Mandai Flyover. =D
I truly cannot climb so many hills in a single day.
Out onto Mandai Road, I have no inkling whether FOTR is in front or behind me.
I have just made a terrible ride through Old Mandai Road, the legs are truly spent.
Wish I can change my leg muscles like I change a M16 magazine.

When I am quite certain that I was ahead of the pack, I rode as fast as I can towards Mandai Shell.
Hmm... my backyard, my playground...
Negotiating through Mandai Road was an arduous affair today...

Hmm... instead of feeling depressed, it give me renewed hope.
Hope that one day, I can finally achieve my IM dream.
As long as I ride with FOTR on a regular basis...

While waiting for the traffic lights to turn green under BKE Flyover, I heard the swoosh swoosh sound behind me.
It cannot be...
They have caught up so fast!!!
Pedalled as hard as I can up the final slope and dash towards Mandai Shell.
All is in vain as the Speed Machines just swallowed me up.

Took a long break at Mandai Shell where we meet the BnB organising committee.
Chatted with Alethea and Raphael before they start riding out towards Kranji.

Riding along Woodlands Road, the guys keep letting me take the lead.
Waited for each other at the many traffic lights.
Was surprised when the group din turn up at the Jalan Anak Bukit Flyover.
Have I missed the RRR entrance?
Is the Hindhede Road linking to RRR?

Decided to wait for the group at Blossomvale.
Found out that Jimmy had a flat and the guys are stopping to fix the flat.
So sorry, guys... I din intend to ride ahead so far.

SMS-ed BFG to let him know that I am at Blossomvale and tell them to go ahead with RRR as I do not have a clue where is RRR.
While resting, I turned my head back towards the road and there staring right at me is RRR road sign.
Haha... GardenVista which I have just passed is where YHS used to be. =D
Oh boy, I feel so old schooled... YHS, BAT... times where prime factories still have their places along Bukit Timah Road.
RRR 6km loop... there is no way I am going to survive that after I tried the first slope.
Till next time when the legs are more seasoned.

When the guys turned up, they decided to skip RRR.
The tire change has taken too much time.
While cycling back to Ivan's place, Jimmy had another flat.
Luckily we are near Ivan's place, so Jimmy crossed the bridge with his bike while the rest of us took a U-turn at Adam Road.

After a hearty breakfast, it was time for me to go to Novena Velocity to collect my Tri-Run race pack.

Thanks for the ride, guys!

Why Triathlon?

Haha... I think I am sounding more like a broken record, reminiscing my past experiences.
But I guess that is what motivates you and keep you interested. =)

At times it is truly interesting how I got involved in triathlons.

I started out running in 2007 with no intention of taking part in triathlons.

In 2005, I signed up for my first biathlon race, Singapore Biathlon 2006.
I DNF-ed SB2006 and signed up for the next 'safe' race, Singapore Marathon 2006.
I completed SM2006 and felt a sense of euphoria sweeping over me.

For almost a month, I ran on my own around Yishun.
Then I decided that I should log all my thoughts and running experiences down.
Thus TrainingStartsNow Blog was born. =)

While creating my own blog, I started wondering if any other runners could have blog down their own experiences.
Googled for Singapore Marathon 2006 blogs and out popped Kops21 blog.
It is from Kops21 blog that I got to know the SGRunners forum.

Initially, I was plainly checking the forum for information about running.
Then I thought, why not take part in some group runs too?
Got my visas to run after work and off I went to joined SGRunners @ CBD.
I can still remember my first CBD run where I have 3 sweepers running/speed-walking with me.
One is Philip, the second is JamesSoh while the third is Gentle (if I recall correctly).
Philip really brought out the spirit of "Leave no one behind".
I was overwhelmed by the support from SGRunners.

I jumped ship when Running Lab @ Novena Velocity started their Tuesday Runs which clashed with CBD Run.

It was time for NUS Biathlon 2007.
Managed to find out that Linus actually stay in Yishun and offered her a ride.
Instead, she decided to cycle there.
She suffered a fall at ECP, but the gung-ho gal continued with the race with bruises, cuts and all. I still cring at the image of her injuries after her race.

It was during that period that Roonz introduced me to road bikes.
Roonz has a Trek and is intending to upgrade to a Cervelo.
Got psycho-ed by her to get a Cervelo too. =D
Turned out to be a good move, cos I do not need to upgrade my bike for the foreseeable future.

On my very first outing with Cerv-One, I got a terrible fall which knocked 4 teeth out.
There goes my first shot at triathlons.
Was out for action for 4 months.

Did my first triathlon during November 2007 - OSIM Corporate Triathlon 2007.
Had a good outing with Aerosolcan, but that did not perk my interest in triatlons.

Then came Singapore Marathon 2007 where I signed up for the Half-Marathon.
What irks me after the race is the complaints by the SGRunners community about qualifying time, cut-off time etc.

In January 2008, I decided that it is time to get back onto Cerv-One.
But the accident has instill fear into me.
I no longer dare to ride alone.
Pluck up the courage to contact Joyce of JoyRiders and the rest is history.

Went for the first JR ride in running shoes, hydration pack and an oversized helmet.
Joyce was amused to see me. She thought I was gearing up for adventure racing.
My gear and my bike looks totally out of place.
Needless to say, I could not keep up with the group and had to ride my way back to LongHouse alone.

Decided to get Joyce to guide me during one of the rides.
She gladly obliges and stayed behind me observing my moves.
1) You need cleats - After 2 months of nagging, I bought my cycling shoes. =p
2) You need to shift gears efficiently - I tend to ride in single gear throughout the whole ride as I do not dare to lift my arms off my bullhorns. After a few months, Out goes the bullhorns, Hello Drop Handlebars.

Shifters and Cleats are an awesome combi and that really drives my interest in cycling.
Finally a sports I can excel in.

The challenge now is to keep pace with the JoyRiders main group.
It took me a year, but I finally DID it! =)

In January 2009, Kai asked me to help her with her ride.
She has just gotten a new bike and has yet to ride on the roads.
We missed the train and Viv's pipeapple tarts. =(

During our 2nd ride, Kai has improve tremendously.
She din stop pedalling throughout the whole ride.
And her gear shifting is definitely smoother.
Kudos to Kai.

Kai is my first and probably will be my last "student".

One night, I got a "special order" from Joyce.
To sweep a newbie for a weekday ride.
When I saw her cycling experience, I told Joyce that I will probably kena "sweeped" by Rynnette instead. =D

I do give pointers during rides.
Not that I am good in riding... Nah... I still have a long way to go.
But some cyclists are blatantly obvious that they are in the wrong gearing.
(Trying to drive a car at 70kmh in 2nd gear.)
I became a roving sweeper, but that did not last long.

If Kai is my last "student", Min will be my last time in a pure sweeper role.
Min wants to do the Botanic Gardens ride but having suffered a fall a week before, her will to ride is truly shaken.
Thus I offered to be her personal sweeper.
Alas, that was her very last ride with the JoyRiders.

Signed up for Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore on the very last day of registration.
Completed it and felt so happy, so relieved.
Another tick on my To-Do list.

Interesting, after the IM 70.3, I got over my phobia of lifting my hands off the handlebars.
Within two months, I learnt to drink on the move, go down on my aerobars. Actions that will definitely help me tremendously during my future triathlons.

Did Tribob Triathlon 2009.
Got to know Adri.
Interesting how a chance meeting at a car park can blossom into a friendship.

Did Trifam Sprint Triathlon 2009.
A guy standing beside me ask me if I am Jodan?
When I replied "I am", Kia Liang told me he reads my blog. =D

Next up, Tri-Factor Swim.
Got to meet one of my readers, BFG.

Haha, life is definitely getting interesting.
A simple post on SGRunners review and I gain a few friends. =)

Soon after, I took my foot of the pedal as work piles up.
Rides become a luxury.

The Ironman Dream still continues...
Hoping to do one IM before I turn 40. =)

Green

Posted with author's permission


National Security : Something that most of us have always take for granted.

Some of us have served our NS and Reservist without understanding the "real" reason behind it.

Some have complained that it is a waste of time.

Some have said that they will shrink away from their responsibilities in times of war and let others do the fighting.

Such people exists and I am sad to think that our society is becoming very self-centered.

Oh well....