28th February 2012 Gym

The 8 Hour Sleep Myth

I feel a bit better after reading this. =p

Not been sleeping a lot lately.
Compound to that, my asthmatic symptoms are back =(
It feels exactly like 2 years ago and the search for answers is instantaneous!
Office renovation!!!
Gosh, I always kena this after an office renovation.
No matter how bad the air is outdoors, my lungs is fine.
But indoors, the respiratory system takes a huge beating.

Did a 2km, 15min run today.
Poor knee cannot tahan.
Did 3 sets of Lat PullDown.
20min on the elliptical trainer and another 3 sets of Lat PullDown.
Sure feels good. =)

26th February 2012 Running

Feeling restless all day long, I finally move my butt off the couch.
That is after the awesome dark clouds has loomed away from town. =)

Was feeling awesome when I saw a sub-18 for my 2.4km. =p
Have not noticed the timing for the distance for a long time, but it sure feels good.
I hope to go sub-15 one day.

After struggling with my runs for so many years, I am glad that I am finally making progress in my runs in more ways than one.

Feeling good after 5km, I decided to go for a pit-stop before continuing.
Read the watch at 6.66km, I decided to take a snapshot at 7.77km (Read : Roonz =p)
I am in a rush though.
Haha, managed only six 7. 7.77km @ 58:53min @ 7:34min/km @ 7:47pm. Cheap thrill. =p

Continue on my journey and managed to do a 10.3km in 1:20:07h

TE 5.0

22nd February 2012 Gym

This has to be my best workout so far.

Did a 20 mins Run, 1 set of Lat PullDown follow by another 15 mins Run.

I do not have those negative thoughts that were bugging me during the past 2 workouts.

Still going at the same pace.
Kinda disappointed when I peered over at the runners on the other treadmills everytime.
Almost all of them are going at 11kmh to 12kmh.

TE 4.2
TE seems to be spot on with its measurement.
It will be how I will rate my own workout on a scale of 1 to 5.
Heartrate is slightly higher than Monday.

22nd February 2012 Musings

Recall I mentioned I am having insomnia recently.
Well, it seems like running helps me to sleep a lot better.

Rest a day and the problem comes back.
With the lack of sleep, I am thinking of cycling, but I will not tempt fate given what happen the last time I rode without enough rest.

Was googling for insomnia and this is what I find.
"With age, sleep patterns tend to change. Many people find that aging causes them to have a harder time falling asleep, and that they wake up more often."
Opps...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001808/

20th February 2012 Gym

I do not know how long more I can hold up.

The shins are hurting during the run. The knees are hurting from the carnage I brought upon the body.

Shouldn't treadmill be more forgiving on the knees?
So why am I hurting more than I do on the tarmac?

I could not continue much after 10mins, thus I stopped at 2km.
Went to do 3x10 sets of Lat PullDown and proceed to do another 2km.
Splitting up the run seems to help as my legs did not complain during the 2nd set of the run.

What I felt great about today and the numbers are telling the same thing is that the heart works better today. =)
10 beats less per minute :)

TE 3.6

19th February 2012 Musings

My colleague KT was commenting how awesome Mr Lim Nghee Huat (who was featured recently in the papers) was for completing the 135miles (217km) Brazil Ultra-Marathon.
I agree with him totally.

But KT thinks that an Ultra-Marathon is nothing compared to Mr Lim completing an Ironman.
I disagree with him.
I told him that a UM is tougher than an IM.

We had a few moments of friendly dis-agreement till KT ask the question.
"What do you know about an Ironman?"
Hehe, it was then that my secret identity was revealed. =p

So which one is tougher? UM or IM?
Try the poll on the right hand pane. =)

17th February 2012 Gym

Same routine as yesterday.
4 minutes short though.
It is really hard to keep the pace after 10 mins...
I amazed myself by staying on for another 16 minutes.

TE 4.5

16th February 2012 Gym

This is how awful I am looking now.
And I notice just how huge those thunder thighs are!!!
Hope things will get better. Am trying to psycho myself.
I probably should print this photo and paste it somewhere prominent to remind me.

Anyway, it was a good 4km run at sub-7 mins pace.
ie. if the machines are to be trusted.
I was able to run at 0.5min/km more without feeling any strain to both the heart and legs.
Awesome. =)

11th February 2012 Cycling

The Good? I get to ride. =)
The Bad? I get dropped numerous times.

One thing is certain.
Once you getting into exercising, there is no way of staying away from it.
U feel strange if you do not cycle/run.
U feel the extra pounds building up.
U wonder how people can lead sedentary lives. =p

Checked my training log, my cadence sensor died officially during the first week of on November 2011. =D
Not too bad... MIA for 3 months, I thought it was longer.

Woke up at 2am. Tossed and turned in bed without being able to go back to sleep. =(
Left the house at 5am.
Plan is to catch the group along Thomson Road.

Just passed SLE when I saw three group of FOTR riders.
Gosh, FOTR has really grown in size!
Only Law managed to spot me on the other side of the road. ;)
Tried to find a U-turn and finally found one 1km later.
BTW, I U-turned, none of the riders are in sight.
Keep thinking how I am going to catch up...
Shortcuts shortcuts shortcuts...
There do not seems to be any...
Ohh.... I can carry my bike across to the Punggol Islands route. =)
Just when I succeed in crossing over to Punggol Islands, I saw a group of FOTR just exiting the reservoir!
Din know there was a fourth group!!!
Rode back towards the traffic junction to tango with the group.
The pace was picking up so fast and I was having a hard time catching up that I can only recognise Dennis and a Ridley Noah in the group.
I gave up keeping pace and fall back.
Reach the top of the slope and see the group a kilometer ahead...
Gosh... this group is really fast.
My fitness is really down the drain...
I cannot even keep up with the rear pack. =(

RV with the pack at Punggol.
YP, Sean, Eugene, Jason, Philip, Mike, Jon, Pascal and Nicky are in the group.
Did they do an extra lap somewhere just now?
Was commenting that I could not even keep pace at 32kmh when someone told me the pace was > 40kmh!!! *Faintz*

Was wondering why we are not moving off after 5 minutes only to know that this is actually the first group!!!
Haha, mind is too tired to register that my supposedly fourth group is actually the first!
Jimmy actually took them to Old Mandai Road. =D
Heng ah, else there will be no chance I will be able to catch up with the group.

Peter had a flat and was still missing...
Co-Ride Leader Jason decided that we should RV at Loyang Shell, giving the front group a chance to do an additional Selerang loop or twice. =)

Sean kept me company all the way to Loyang Shell and we managed to pick up Thomas along the way.
Haha... if there is any gauge about my level of tiredness...
Here is another indication... =D
Was commenting about Sean's white Mavic road shoes... =D
It was only when we were nearing Loyang Shell did I realise that it was his usual yellow Mavic! =D

Did a Selerang loop, had a short rest and we are off again!
Lost the group at the start of Changi Coastal. =(
Cannot even keep up with the gal in running shoes. =(

Just past the fateful lone traffic light and it is Sean to the rescue!
Where did he emerges from?
He looked back once in a while to make sure that I am still hanging on...
Thanks, Sean!!! =)

After the RV at end of Coastal Road, the next RV is Old Airport Road. =)
Lost the group again along East Coast.
Saw Tigger and gang near Car Park F2.
Saw a group of speed demonesses (Roonz, Lai Chee, Zhilei and abt another 3-4 gals) near the chalet.
A week after HKSCM and they are doing LSD again!!! Craziness to the max!
Managed to join Jon, Judy and Law at Fort Road and we rode off to Old Airport Road together.

Had a hearty brekkie before we rode back home. =)
Thanks, guys! =)

5th February 2012 Running

7km was all I could muster in an hour.

It was a cooling day for a nice run.
Managed to run without feeling the need to walk.
To do it at a singing pace meant that I am not exerting myself hard enough. =D
Baby steps for the overused but un-recovered knees.

The watch is a joy to use.
With its walk-run interval beeps, I can seriously start planning for such a run in the future.
But you have to turn off the distance alert so as you to confuse yourself with all the audible beeps and vibration alerts.

It has make such a slew of changes that it can truly call itself a GPS-enabled Triathlon watch.
in fact the initial setup are what I would have configured for my own watch!
Haha, so I guess that my watch settings are in sync with the general public. =D

Haha, I was looking for my cadence from yesterday's ride only to realise that my cadence sensor is no longer working.
A check on my training log shows that cadence has been missing for a long long long time.
Din even know when it stopped working...
Yes, it is that long!!!
That is how lackusture I have with my training for the past year. O_o
The magnet is no longer working and I have to change it.

Hope the watch will bring a new dimension to my training and new meaning to my exercise 'regime'. =)

4th Feburary 2012 - Cycling

立春 Ride.

All I truly need is just REST.
I think I need not comprehend it at all.

My bio clock has been waking up at 4am on a regular basis for the past month, but never made my way out the door.
If there were a Procrastinator of the Year, I think I stand a pretty good chance of winning the award.

Was woken up my the alarm clock this morning though and was really late for the ride.
Rode to Jln Buroh via Mandai, Neo Tiew, LCK and was really glad that I caught the group re-grouping at SPC.
Along LCK, my mind wandered off to Busselton... Ahh... I am gonna miss the place and the race.

Riding out from SPC, I feel fresh.
Probably due to the fact that I did not need to keep pace with the group during the start of the ride plus the weather is very kind this morning.

Mike told me that Mount Faber is the prescription for the group this morning.
Riding along Telok Blangah Road, I heard the guys shouting after me.
Stopped at Wishart Road, I turned back but could not see the guys.
Wierd, I can hear them but I cannot see them!
Decided against cycling back along the pavement as I do not know how far back they are.
Went up Mount Faber via Mount Faber Road.
Learning from my past ride, I sit at the tip of the saddle but the extreme low cadence meant that I am still in danger of falling off the bike.
The heart rate spiked at 200bpm.
Near the end of the climb, my vision started to flicker...Scary
Woah... I finally did it... Unfinished biz 1 completed.
Met up with the group near the end of Morse Road.
Most of the riders has just completed 2 loops.
Adjourned for a well deserved brekkie at Maxwell Hawker Center. =)