Start of Expedition

Pictures

Today we set off and leave Mendoza to go to Penitentes. In the morning, we went to the permit and tourist offices to get our climbing permits. This being the high season, it was an astonishing AR3000 = USD757 = SGD1000!! *breathless* We got the "Ascent/ Climbing Permit" as opposed to the rest of the short/ long trekking permits. Those who needed last minute gear rental etc went off to settle our last errands. We have a doctor on board this expedition, so that was good. I hope he stays with us throughout the climb.

We would be setting off on the 3.5h drive to Penitentes, where we would stay a night, organize our duffels for the mules, and start our approach trek towards Base Camp tomorrow. The approach to Base Camp at Plaza Argentina (4200m) would take approximately 3 days. Our tentative climbing itinerary is dynamic and would change depending on the weather and climbers' conditions. Our guides will also be sending dispatches to the expedition coordinator in the city, who will upload it on the company's website.

May we get good weather and a safe climb. :)

Til I am back next year.
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!!

To track us:
Climb itinerary
Progress dispatches
(15 Dec season)

Expedition Meetup - Last Day in Mendoza

Today is the day my expedition team meets in the Hyatt Hotel. This is the most expensive and possibly the only 5-star hotel in Mendoza, a grand structure overlooking the Plaza Independencia. I have the unenviable task of moving all my duffel and barang from the Monkey Hostel to the Hyatt, half a block away. There was no way I could bring everything across, I needed two trips. In between, I squeezed in a phone call to Singapore and a side trip to the money changer.

The Hyatt lived up to its American heritage, and expensive rates. The difference between a USD30 private hostel room and this USD200 Hyatt room is that the latter gives you a bathroom weighing scale and makes you pay for wifi in the room. Ok, I could have gotten free wifi in the hotel lobby, but I decided to treat myself this little luxury of connecting in the comfort of my room. Afterall, we paid for this huge extravagant bedroom.

The guides from Patagonicas went around checking everyone's gear. And I mean literally, everything. They started from the feet (boots, pants etc) and worked their way up. I had to physically take out and show them each item for approval. Impressive that they take the trouble for each client. Responsible.

My room mate was a girl from DC. She arrived this afternoon but not her duffel. They were stuck in transit at Santiago, and now we anxiously await those bags. Apparently, the guide said it happened often, and typically the missing bags go on the next flight out to Mendoza. Hopefully they will get here by this evening. Not a pleasant experience even if one could claim travel insurance for this. Too traumatising for me, especially since I took a bus from Buenos Aires and not a flight. I could not imagine what might happen if my bags missed my flight. Shudder.

Later in the evening, the team met in the lobby to fill out some paperwork and for an admin briefing. There was a mixed group across ages, but mostly from the USA. Looks were deceiving because many times, people who seemed inexperienced ended up performing superbly in the mountains. After the briefing, we headed for dinner at the same restaurant I went last night. Too much wine and food, I was struggling to stay awake (after last night's meagre 4h of snooze) without seeming rude.

Tomorrow we go to get our climbing permits done. The high season fee was USD757! Man, daylight robbery. :(( Then it's off to Penitentes and the start of our climbing expedition. We can track our status at: http://patagonicas.com/2010-2011-season-dispatches/

Acclimatization Climb - Mt Vallecitos (10 - 14 Dec 2010)

10 Dec 2010 (Mendoza - Refugio Mausy @ 2900m)

Pictures

I had booked myself for an acclimatization climb from 10 - 14 Dec 2010. I checked out of my hostel and left with my guide on a 2h ride from Mendoza to the mountains. We were in a 4WD and I was happy to leave the hot and dusty city weather behind.

We arrived at Refugio Mausy (2900m) just before noon. It was a cosy wooden lodge in the Cordon del Plata region. It was one of several that dotted the winding road to the mountain. They housed hikers and climbers who were attempting short hikes in the cool weather, or climbing the many peaks there. This region is a favourite amongst climbers who are acclimatizing for Aconcagua. It has similar terrain and weather to Aconcagua, and offers several peaks, each scalable within a few days. We could choose between Cerro Plata (6000m) or Cerro Vallecitos (5500m), both shared the same approach right up to the High Camp. Although in Apu's opinion, it was better to take it easy and climb Vallecitos, because the idea was to acclimatize. It would not be wise to over-stress the body before Aconcagua.

After a lazy sandwich bite, we headed out for a short hike, up to 3200m. I also managed to have a hot shower that afternoon, a luxury in the mountains. :) My guide, Apu, made us dinner that night - stewed steak & potato.


11 Dec 2010 (Refugio Mausy to Camp 1 @ 3600m)

I got up at 9am and got organized. I had arranged for Walter to bring my pack to the first camp. Walter was looking after the Refugio Mausy and could also provide 'porter' services. The concept of porter was certainly different from what we were accustomed to in Nepal. I must admit that Nepal trekking hospitality totally spoilt us all, unmatched in any other parts of the mountaineering world.

We set off at 11am for a slow easy trek to Camp 1. The terrain comprised loose rocks all the way. We passed some greenery and moved to a dry desert like landscape. Camp 1 was at 3600m, and we arrived at 1.30pm (2.5h). Walter passed us along the way, with my much loaded backpack.

Apu & Walter set up the tent. We had some bites of bread, ham and cheese for lunch. It was windy that day, and all my down gear was out. We lazed around in the tent and campsite. I could sleep a lot when I am in the mountains. An afternoon snooze in the sun, with the wind cooling things down sounded promising. Soon, Apu made us dinner - sausages and potato soup!

In the mountains, the summer daylight was from 6am to 845pm. It felt really good to have such long hours of sunshine. I did not have to use my headlamp at all. I did my usual routine of wet wipes and was snug in my sleeping bag by 830pm. It started snowing lightly.


12 Dec 2010 (Camp 1 to High Camp @ 4200m)

It continued snowing throughout the night. I woke up intermittently and heard the spattering of snow on the tent. By morning, we were covered in snow and assaulted by howling winds. The view at 8am outside my tent was not pleasant. The climbers in the other tents were discussing if they should set off or stay put. Walter had arrived with our other supplies. He was meant to carry them up to the High Camp, but with the weather questionable, we told him to leave the things and go back. We arranged to meet him again the next day at 4pm.

Miraculously, the weather cleared up at 10am. Such was the weather in the region. Climbers began to break camp. We now had a problem of how to bring all our gear between Apu and myself. We somehow managed to strap everything - I am so so thankful I bought this Ariel 75L backpack! My pack was not that heavy - perhaps 12 - 15kg? But it was so stuffed, it looked bigger than me.

We set off at 11am and arrived at the high camp at 2:30pm. We were now at 4200m, and the weather was glorious. Bright sunshine and clear skies. There was even some melting snow nearby that we could get water from. I made a bottle of Tang orange juice in my Nalgene bottle. It was a satchet mixed with water. It was my first time trying the drink, but the sweet flavouring at high altitude was welcoming. For dinner, Apu boiled us some cheese ravioli pasta, accompanied by canned tuna. I also had the luxury of hot tea.


13 Dec 2010 (High Camp - Vallecitos Summit @ 5500m - Refugio Mausy)

We woke up at 4am to prepare for the summit. We set off at 5am and were blessed with great weather. There was no wind at all - a huge difference in the mountains - and visibility was good. I was decked in my new Scarpa boots, down jacket, and shell. There was no snow, but the double boots were an insulation against the cold. It was not so extreme that morning, and I did not have to use my down mitts or balaclava. Nonetheless, I carried them in my pack (just in case) together with my water bottle. I was using a stow-able summit pack (a handy Tatonka travel backpack that kept into a tiny pouch in itself, a birthday gift from friends).

There was a residential dog at High Camp that followed us all the way. We also met a pair of Swiss climbers along the way. Or rather, they overtook me. They were also going to Aconcagua two weeks later. The summit of Mt Vallecitos looked so far. The slopes were steep (we were going from 4200 to 5500m!) and I was going very slowly. We finally made it to the summit at 11am, some 6h after setting off. :) The dog included. Wow! Mt Vallecitos was pronounced as "Val-yel-ci-tos". In Espanol, the double-L sounded like a "Yel".

The descent was not easy at all. All the loose rocks meant a lot of sliding and strain on my knees. I took 3h (2pm) just to get back to High Camp. We hurriedly ate something, packed up and rushed to Camp 1. We were supposed to meet Walter at 4pm and most likely not be able to make it. Apu rushed ahead to try and catch Walter. My knees were feeling the strain from all that descent. More loose rocks. I arrived at Refugio Mausy at 630pm. It had been a long long day, almost 13h of trekking.

We wanted to have pizza for dinner - real food. To my surprise, Walter promptly whipped out his pots and started kneading one from scratch! In the meanwhile, I had another hot shower. Ah bliss. The pizza was heavenly too. All in, I paid Walter Ar 580 for the porter and dinner services. Gladly.

I was extremely sleepy by 9pm. My knees were sore, and my right ankle felt wobbly - the result of a loosened boot on loose rocks. Luckily it was ok after some ankle rotation and stretching.


14 Dec 2010 (Refugio Mausy - Mendoza)

There was a bunch of Argentinian youngsters at the Refugio last night. They were on summer vacation and stayed there for a few days, just doing short hikes and enjoying the outing. How nice! Pity we could not do that sort of escapades in Singapore. Looking at the mountains around me, I would have loved to be there and go trail running everyday. Apu said that he ever ran from Refugio Mausy to Mt Plata in 8h. And that in 2006, he ran up Aconcagua in 20h (road to road)! Gosh, I would be happy if I could do that in 20 days!

The drive back to Mendoza was a rude welcoming to the heat and dust. I spent the afternoon updating Alber and my Facebook photos, and just chilling out. I sent my clothes to the laundry and walked around. I managed to order some lunch - sandwich and tea - via sign language. I did not speak a word of Espanol, and most people did not speak English either. I popped by Carrefour to buy more water, tea bags and Tang orange juice satchets. It was extremely well-stocked, I should not have brought so many items from Singapore. Anyway, the heat was just too much, I bailed out after 2h and returned to my hostel. Sitting in the dining area and writing my blog seemed a better idea. Maybe I would go out to get dinner much later - as the locals do.

Finally, Mendoza

9-Dec-2010 (AR time)

Pictures

Some 30-odd hours after leaving Singapore, I finally arrive at the city of Mendoza. This is the access point to the Andes, but I don't see many trekkers or climbers on the street. I am thankful that my bags and I all made it intact here. The bus ride last night was very decent, the seats are 180-deg-inclined so that I could stretch out fully. Meals & drinks were served on-board the ride. For all that, it was only half the price of an airfare from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. Quite a good deal.

Mendoza is a sleepy city. It is sweltering hot here, summer time. The temperature today was 34degC, almost like in Singapore. But it is very dry, minus the humidity. And dusty. The toilet system here is like China's - one cannot throw paper into the toilet, but into a bin provided. Deja vu.

Everything literally shuts down after lunch, when people take their siestas (not joking). Things come alive again after 5pm, and dinner time is past 8pm. It is still bright now at 8pm. I had gone out much earlier for dinner and the dining places were still empty. I had a non-descript pasta, the cheapest item on the menu. Dining out was not cheap here. Restaurants charge for bottled water and expect tips. Some of the South Am guys here are gorgeous, with their olive-kissed tan bods. Just like in the movies! Ooooh. Good to look at.

I am now back in my hostel room, which is in a mess. Earlier in the day, my guide came by to check my equipment. I am going for an acclimatization climb for the next 5 days to Mt Plata (abt 6,000m) or Mt Vallecitos (5,500m). Then I come back to Mendoza next week and wait for my Aconcagua team to arrive. My guide is Peruvian and have been guiding for about 10 years. He sounded experienced, and I should be in good hands. He took me to a few gear shops to look for down mitts. I eventually rented a pair as he insisted that they were necessary for Aconcagua.

Singapore is 11h ahead of Argentina, and my body clock is confused after all that flying and transits. But the good thing from that is that I could sleep anywhere, anytime and not having much problem with jet lag.

The Journey Begins - Argentina

Leaving was tough. I hadn't count on that. I certainly didn't think of that when I made my bookings and plans for the climb. The thought of being away for 1 month already got me missing everything. It must be age. 5years ago, I would have gladly jumped on any flight that took me far and long. I was apprehensive, and for all that uncertainty in the planning, I was glad I took SQ. Leaving wasn't easy, but SQ made it more bearable. Something reliable that I was familiar with. I realised that I was more nervous than going for an IM race. That would ending 17h. This would be 25 days of non-stop adventure. Very different from a triathlon for sure, too many elements outside of our control.

I managed to sleep 7h on a flight of 10.5h. Decent! The flight was not full and I could lie across three seats and snooze. There was a moment as we descended to Johannesburg when the plane was flying at 6,700m. A sudden reality spank when I realised that I was trying to climb above this plane?! Aconcagua stands at 6,900+m. Gosh!

I'm now in transit in Johannesburg. I hope my bags made it onto the plane too. I had an enormous giant duffel at 20kg, and a smaller one at 8.5kg. Putting everything into one bag would have made it impossible to lug it. I wonder how I would manage them when I arrive in Buenos Aires, but I would leave the worrying to 12h later. My next flight is 11h. I have not flown South African Airways before, I hope it goes well.

The journey has started. I was told by friends that no Singaporean female climber has summitted Aconcagua. Really? I found that hard to believe. Let's see how my climb goes. At the very least, I will be back with new lungs. :)

Run to Calm My Nerves

I will be flying off tonight in the wee hours. My flight is 2:30am. Earlier in the day, there was a little emo moment where I got all sentimental in the car. Thank goodness for sunshades to shield the eyes, so unglam, cmi! So a short recovery run was in good order. Something familiar, comforting. Something to calm my nerves and distract me and keep me occupied before I go.

Singapore Marathon 2010

I got a bib just 2 weeks before the race. Alber and I did not sign up nor plan to run this year, but many people were giving up their slots at the last minute. So we accepted the opportunity and took part in the race. Neither of us had trained for this at all. The last long run we did was TNF 50km on trail. Then it was 21km max at Powerman. So this marathon would be our first training run, well, for the marathon itself. *grin*

The marathon had a new format this year. The three categories - 10km, 21km, and 42km - had different start points and times. The 42km full marathon was flagged off at Orchard Road, amidst the xmas lightups at the malls. Rather beautiful. I was reminded of the HongKong marathon that begins along Nathan Road each year. The atmosphere was fun too, I was enjoying myself.

I had no expectations for the run, just to soak in the crowd, a training on a Sunday morning, and burn some calories. Hmmm, in that case, should I seek to run longer and burn more?

My first 10km was right on a 6min pace. 59min. --> 4h.
But with every 10km, my race completion time was extended by another 15min.
21km - 2:06h, still ok, and sharply deteoriated thereafter.
30km - 3:13h.
37km - stuck at the human congestion on the Republic Ave ECP where all the categories merged, and majority of the 10km participants were strolling, blocking the way.
Final - 4:47h

But then again, this was first full marathon in almost 2 years. I have not done a proper 42km race since HK in Feb 2009. Wow! The race support this year was great, water and muscle rub were in plentiful supply. I stopped many times to drink (for once I did not hold my bottle) and smear myself with Tiger rub. I felt like an xmas turkey being smeared and marinated all over!

When a person expands his/ her horizons, and when life does not simply revolve around 1 race, it is much easier not to get overly attached to the event. Race done. Moving on to my climb. :)

Last Stairs

Absolutely my last stairs training before I leave for my climb. The pack gets dried and emptied and well, packed.

But my legs were so tired, it was literally a drag. I pulled through 6 sets and quit. It was my shortest ever training, but what the heck, it was my last. By this time, it would not have made any difference if I did more or less sets.

9:16min, 9:08, 9:42, 10:02, 10:34, 10:39

Gone case.

Fingers crossed for a good climb.

Planning an Aconcagua Expedition

I had been planning for my Aconcagua expedition since the start of this year. However, I was very undecided about the climb, paid a deposit, still indecisive, and only committed a few months prior to the trip when we had to pay the balance. And that began a series of last minute scrambles to get myself trained and organized. Oops. Friends had asked about various aspects of my expedition, so I am jotting down my logistics and planning thoughts for future reference.

(To be updated along the way)


Climb

My climbing portion (as it is now being planned) comprises 2 segments: (1) an acclimatization climb to Mt Plata (~6,000m), and (2) the actual Aconcagua climb (6,900m).

Acclimatization Climb

Many climbers do an acclimatization climb prior to attempting Aconcagua. If you have some days ahead to spare, consider signing up for one. There are many easy trekking peaks in the valley near Aconcagua ranging from 4,000+m to 6,000m. Popular acclimatization climbs include Cerro (Mt) Vallecitos (5,538m) and Cerro Plata (6,000m).

I chose to do my acclimatization climb on Cerro Plata with a company called Andes Vertical.

They gave me a low quote of USD800 (+ USD100 for transport) for a private climb, whereas Patagonicas and 7Summits quoted me around USD1500 - 2000+ for a single pax. I am not sure why there is a such a huge discrepancy, and I will find out after my trip. *gasp*

Aconcagua Expedition

The company I am going with for my main Aconcagua is Patagonicas, and we are climbing via the ameghino-valley-upper-guanacos-traverse route. Patagonicas is a Colorado-based climbing company and also operates out of Chile.

I paid USD3,700. They usually have offers for the next season from Feb/ Mar onwards - I signed up very early this year. The non-early-bird rate is currently USD3,900 but I expect this to increase next year because the climbing permit fees for foreigners have just increased substantially. The peak season permits used to be USD500, but was just upped to USD700.

Patagonicas seemed very experienced & professional over the emails, logistics, admin instructions etc. I have also spoken to them over the phone. The lady, Bonnie, manning the office in Colorado was very experienced and organized, and could recognize my name just from the email exchanges when I called her! She was very friendly and helpful. They were not hard-selling. I was indecisive of my trip, so they told me not to rush, and that the mountain would always be there. Then I wanted to switch my dates, and Bonnie highlighted that I would be the only female in my new choice, and advised me to reconsider. I felt like they were thinking of issues from the client's angle, rather than just wanting me to haphazardly commit and pay up. Do email them to ask for quotations.

I know some friends who went with a local company called Grajales a few years ago. It was much cheaper, below USD3,000. But I had problems getting email replies from them, typically a few days after my email. That made it very difficult for me to seek clarifications and advice.


Getting There

See a world map. To get to Aconcagua and the Andes region, you will need to get to Mendoza in Argentina. Mendoza is closer to Santiago, Chile than to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

From SGP to Buenos Aires: Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airways, British Airways/ Qantas - these are on OneWorld. Some people chose to fly in via Santiago instead of Buenos Aires.

For Star Alliance routes - the shortest is to go thru South Africa, next is to route thru Auckland/ Australia. A long way is to route thru Europe and, even longer via USA (East Coast).

I deliberately did want to fly through USA because it would be (1) much longer, and (2) usu via East Coast, and those airports are known to close in heavy snow storms (Dallas, Chicago, NYC) in Dec/ Jan periods, and (3) SGP to east coast requires an extra transit stop in between.

From Mar 2011, SQ flies direct to Sao Paolo (Brazil). If they had it this year, I would have taken it! I do not want to risk lost bags, delayed & cancelled flights etc. Now I have one sector on South Africa Airways, whose reviews are only 1-star. :(

I am taking a 13h overnight coach from Buenos - Mendoza and saving on one night's lodging. An one-way ticket on a first-class coach costs about SGD180, with a fully-inclined seat and served meals. An one-way domestic flight ticket would cost USD180.

But if you're flying all the way, do not break up your international ticket. An international ticket gets a higher baggage allowance than a separate domestic ticket. And travelling with big duffels & backpack & expensive gear, I would not want to keep transferring my luggage multiple times. So I prefer flying from Changi instead of going to KLIA for a cheaper ticket on Malaysia Airlines. It will be very tiring to move those bags & risk them getting lost in airport transits.


Accommodation

Hostels in Argentina are very cheap, so do not worry abt where to stay. Will be able to give you more feedback after my trip.

There are several decent hotels and hostels in Mendoza. For the couple of days that I was alone, I stayed at the Monkey Hostel, half a block from the Hyatt Mendoza (5-star) (where my expedition would be staying). These are next to the Plaza Independencia (the main square). Nearby, there is Hotel Internacional (4-star), Hotel Mendoza and various others. My guide stays at the Hotel Windsor (1-2 star) for a month when he is in Mendoza. Another decent hostel is the Mendoza Hostel. All within walking distance to Carrefour and tourist services.


Tips:

1. If arriving from Buenos Aires airport, change your USD to Argentinian peso at the bank outlet right outside the Arrival hall (after clearing immigration). The money changers' rates on the inside are much worse.

2. Carrefour in Mendoza is very very well-stocked, and cheap. There is no to bring all the toiletries and munchies for the climb from Singapore. J&J baby wet wipes come in more variety than in Watsons! Not to mention a whole variety of other toiletries & personal hygiene items.

3. Tang orange powder mix comes in satchets for Ar 0.95 each (S$0.30). Very handy for the climb.

4. The weather in Mendoza is very very hot and dry. Drink lots and lots of water to adjust.

5. Summer days are very long, still bright at 8pm. Shops close from 2-5pm for siesta, and re-open at 5-8pm. Dinner starts after 8pm and lasts til 1am.

Swim Drop Swim Drop

Tonight was a night of 100ms. We had a new routine of having a short drink break between every sets, and everyone scrambled out of the pool and jumped back in.

8x 100m, 8x 100m, 8x 100m, 6x 100m.

Did not bother with timing the sets. My legs refused to kick, I was getting dropped at every 100m and had to merge. I probably could count the number of times I touched both walls end-to-end!

Brrrrr......

We went for dinner after class, probably the last time I would see everyone before we all go off for our overseas races, and my climb. There was a slight tinge of sadness in me.

Anyhow, I went to collect my wetsuit on the way home. I bought Winnie's 2nd-hand Orca Sonar wetsuit that she had initially sold to J who used it recently at Clearwaters 70.3. So it is considered 3rd-hand, but still ok. I had thought of buying the Blue Seventy Helix that was on clearance sale now, but the neckline was too high. The last time I tried it on, I could not breathe, the neck was choking. :( So no go with that. The Sonar is a mid-range wetsuit, decent, seasoned (after multiple swims by the girls) and fitted me well. Next would be to try it out in the pool.

Killer Stairs in Dripping Sweat

The aim was to get to BT for some real stairs early in the morning. The final execution was the stairwell at TB. I decided to run my errands and shopping before going for training so that I could have a long uninterrupted and unhurried session in the trail. Alas, by the time I was done, the skies were in overcast. So I decided to execute the backup plan - HDB flats.

Whereas the skies were gloomy in the north-west, it was bright sunshine in the south-central. It was absolutely warm and humid in the stairwell, and I was soon dripping buckets. It certainly made a huge performance difference between training in the afternoon and evening, even if both were indoors. Or maybe it was the result of my run yesterday, but I actually felt my quads threatening to cramp.

Pack: 22kg
Ankle weights: 5kg

10 sets - and cmi towards the end
9:19min, 8:54, 9:13, 9:57, 9:53, 10:25, 10:35, 10:49, 11:50, 11:33

This is my slowest set of training, ever.

Mid-day Tranquility in the Trails

Ok I confess, I was running in the trails at 11am simply because the bed was more enticing in the morning. So there I was, braving the mid-day sun and trying to get a decent jogging lane amidst all the people going for walks in MR. Surprisingly, the weather turned cool shortly, with the sun shielded by some gloomy clouds. Past noon, the crowd thinned and I was enjoying having the trail all to myself, the peace & tranquility.

I managed to complete 2 loops, each about 1:13h. This was my first and last LSD before the full marathon next weekend. It was not long, but certainly very slow. Kinda suicidal to attempt 42km next Sunday. Hmmm....

Slow Run & Stretching

A short 5km run around HarbourFront and club, followed by a nice deep stretch on my trigger ball. Left knee was a wee bit locked, but after a good rub at a traffic junction, all was well. Whew. I was getting a little paranoid, fearing a recurrence of the previous right knee injury.

I have gotten a last minute bib for the full marathon and am still wondering if I should participate. My legs are not conditioned for a 42km and my last training was, well, yesterday. Oh well, maybe I will just go along for a trot and earn myself a dim sum treat. :)

Bad Horribly Stiff Neck

Saturday - I woke up on Saturday morning with a stiff neck. I could not rotate my head and could barely turn it. Driving was a chore because I had to turn to check blindspots. I went for a much needed massage (eversince the pain of sitting through the Powerman 10h bus ride), but my neck was still bad. Sigh, no training.

Sunday - My neck was still horrid. Range of motion: right turn, look down. Another wasted day of no training. I went to see Frankie, and had a painful session. The tension was much worse than I thought. I never had a stiff neck so, .... stiff. Perhaps it was the accumulation of (1) nodding off in a weird position on the Powerman coach ride, (2) weeks of training with a heavy backpack, (3) aero-position cycling, (4) over-zealous swimming, (5) doing up a deck of powerpoint slides via the tiny touchpad on my laptop, and generally heatiness and lack of sleep.

Monday - Range of motion increased a tiny wee bit: right turn, look down, semi left turn. If I supported my neck spinal bone, I could lift my head and do a full left turn. In certain positions at my office desk, there would be a sharp pull when I moved my arm. Sheesh. The medicated plaster was permanently going on my neck.

Tuesday - Unaided turning left, and semi-upwards. Still not complete range of motion, but I getting there. Neck and shoulder felt less tensed up, and the level of pain was less acute. Today, it felt like a typical pillow-stiff-neck day.

..... wonder what the next few days will be like?

Trotters Tottling on Slopes

I skipped stairs training today because my neck was still not fully rotational. Sigh. I joined the MF guys for their training run at Telok Blangah Hills. This was my first run since the Powerman race. My running mileage has really plummetted in the past months!

I managed to heave my heavy trotters up the slopes, 8 times, slowly. Amongst our runners, I must be the tow-truck.... slowly chugging along. It drizzled for a while on my 5th loop, then stopped and I could continue my run.

6:44min, 6:32, 6:33, 6:37, 7:04 (drizzled), 6:52, 6:52, 6:55

Legs felt heavier, knees unused to the pounding and slopes, and all that for 54min of sweat. Hmmm....

Poor Water Feel

For whatever reason, I was extremely tired in the first hour of swim class tonight. Maybe it was the milo that I drank just 15min before class. I felt like my heart rate was going up and my breathing was not smooth. So I was swimming with a lot of exertion, but not moving very much. In other words, inefficient swimming.

So I stopped and commented to Coach. He said "Your feel of water is very poor.". Uh... ok, I guess different people have different 'feel and sense'. Like how some people can never take to a bicycle or find their footing in a trail. My nemesis is the water. He told me to do more sculling drills in the water. Then he observed me and commented that my pulling was clumsy. So I tried to focus on that, and the last few sets felt slightly better.

8x 50m @ 1:30min - 1:04, 1:09, 1:06, 1:09, 1:08, 1:13, 1:11, 1:11

8x 200m @ 5:30min - 4:55, 4:59, 5:11, 5:12, 5:07, .... (skipped 1 set, merged 1 set, and the last one was 150m)

Leisure 2x 100m - 2:33, 2:38

8x 50m @ 1:30min - 1:12, 1:12, 1:12, 1:12, 1:14, 1:11, 1:15, 1:10 (where I focused on my pulls. At least I was consistent.)

Birthday Stairs

It was meant to be a birthday ride this morning, but I refused to wake up. So Alber went ahead with the guys, and I headed off later to BT for some nature-stairs. I wanted to try out my new plastic boots (yoohooo!) but figured they were too bulky for a time-constrained training session.

There were so many people at BT today, the car park was entirely full. There were groups of public strolling around, and groups of students on training. I bumped into KK, who was there with SL and some others for a hike. Then I bumped into Jas and Yihui, who was there with her students. I was training with two trekking poles, and some of the students referred to me as the 'mountain skier'. Haha.

We had a lunch appointment with friends and I had only 2h to complete my training. Barely sufficient, but I had to make do. So I decided to focus more on the tougher Rengas trail.

Summit x1: 3:21min
Rengas x4: 6:13, 6:14, 6:38, 6:58
Jungle Fall: 6:35, 6:16, 5:48

Either I was getting desperate for time at the end, or I finished too much water (and lightened the load), or both.... but I made it down to my car in time.

Good sweatout.

Powerman Malaysia 2010

Friday/ Saturday

The annual bus journey to Powerman race in Lumut, Perak began on Friday night. I missed the race last year, but otherwise, this would be my 3rd race there. We had a long and tedious routine of loading our beloved bicycles onto the coach buses and clearing immigration before we were finally on our way. It was close to midnight. We had the usual pit stop at Yong Peng, and I really wondered why the food there remained in the functional state after so many years and customer flows. Sigh.

We arrived at the Orient Star Hotel in Lumut around 8am. Sleepy and groggy, we unloaded our bicycles, collected the room keys and headed for breakfast. Then Melody came by for our race briefing and distribution of race packs. Next on the agenda was a sumptous lunch, a 8/9-course Chinese seafood lunch that was oh-so-filling. We stopped by the race site and Giant supermarket for some last minute shopping before returning to the hotel.

Sunday

Race morning, we checked out of the hotel at 6:15am and had a leisurely 8km ride to the race site. There was a light drizzle. Along the way, I spotted 2 packets of Gu gels on the road. I thought it could be Alber's because few people used Gu gels. So I headed back a little to retrieve them. True enough, they were his fallen ones!

I arrived at the race transition area with only about 5-10 min to set up my bicycle and gear. And then a mad dash to the washroom before making it to the start line, just in time for flag-off. Whew.

The first 11km run was ok. If past races were track records, then I would cramp on the second run and had to walk. So my strategy was simply to push a little harder when I still felt ok. I finished the run in about 59min.

The weather remained cool throughout. I went a little faster than usual on my first loop. The bridges and rolling slopes were not as steep as the ones in Langkawi. Or maybe it was my first loop and I was still fresh. The route was very straightforward, but mostly in bumpy conditions. It was difficult to overtake because the smoothest part of the road surface was within the roadside divider. I finished the first bike lap in 1:02h. The fatigue started to set in on the second loop, and my speed dropped a little. Oh well. The sun was starting to peek out now, argh, the run leg would be really hot. I made it back to the transition area and took my time to apply my 'Zheng Gu Jiu' - the Chinese medicinal muscle oil. Freddy used it on me during the recent TNF race and it worked like a charm to alleviate cramps. So I bought a small bottle for trial today. It was awesome, the menthol sensation beat all other muscle creams and sprays that I had ever tried (and I had tried a LOT).

I still had a little quad and hamstring cramp in the first 1km, but after soothing on more medicinal oil, I was ok and able to jog. In previous years, I would have limped the entire 5km! I managed to jog through the 10km, while polishing off two bananas. The sun was in full glory now and it was extremely hot. Luckily it was only 10km.

I made it back within the 5h cut-off mark. Not sure if my timing was any better than previous years, but well, it was always nice to complete a race. :)


Times:
Lap 1 run: 31min
Lap 2 run: 28min
Run 1: 59min
T1: 7min

Lap 1 bike: 1:02h
Lap 2 bike: 1:13h
Bike: 2:15h
T2: 7min

Lap 1 run: 36min
Lap 2 run: 37min
Run 2: 73min

Total: 4:42h

Stairs 'Eat Snake'

I left the office late and only started my stairs training around 715pm. Argh... it will be a long night. Mind still preoccupied with work projects, I started climbing the stairs. Surprisingly, I was very consistent tonight, no outlier timings. But I got really bored (I was alone) and bailed out by the 8th set (instead of 10).

Pack: 22kg
Ankle weights
9:36min, 9:39, 9:46, 9:51, 9:47, 9:31, 9:29, 9:45

Total: 1:17h

Drenched.

Swim Swam Swum

Swam and swam and swam tonight. Lost count of the laps. I was extremely late for class, stuck in the office til 7pm. When I got to the pool, they had already completed 7x 100m. Oops. So I jumped in and joined the 7x 200m. Alas, the swim bottom that I had was too loose and would not last the class. I could barely kick my legs! No choice, dashed out of the pool for a change. Luckily I usually had two sets of gear with me.

Back to the 200m 'sprints'. The guy that was leading our lane was going so fast. It was suppose to be 5:30min, but we did an average of 4:45ish min per set! Blooober.

7x 200m @ 5:30 - 4:47, skipped, 4:40, 4:43, 4:49, 4:50, 4:58,

7x 100m @ 2:45 - 2:22, 2:24, 2:33, 2:25, 2:30, 2:35, 2:32

Leisure 50m - 1:22, 1:17

Sprint 4x 50m - 1:11, 1:17, 1:10, 1:13
Hardly sprints.

Arms were dying. I noticed that my pulls were all awry once I tried to swim faster to catch up with the front swimmer. That made my pulls very inefficient, when I could glide much better at a slower pace. Hmmm, would have to pay attention to that.

Riding Mandai Loops

The plan was to wake up at 4am, cycle to Casuarina and meet the guys for a long long ride. We (or rather I) had not completed any long rides more than 100km since I could not recall when... The meeting time was 545am, but Alber wanted to cycle there. I, of course, preferred to snooze a bit longer and drive there. The alarm went off, snoozed, and off again, several times. By 5am, however, it started pouring heavily. So we went back to bed. Apparently the downpour hit many parts of the island and subsided in 1-2 hours.

It was a nice weather to snuggle under the blankets. By the time we started our ride, it was 130pm. Oops. We headed to Mandai. The sun was hidden by the overcast, and there was a lot of tailwind throughout the ride! Despite that, I was extremely thirsty, and finished 1.5 bottles of water by my 2nd loop. Wow, a record. We stopped for a refuel at the Shell station toilet, and headed out for the 3rd loop. I kept getting dropped on the climbs, even though I tried to give chase. :( But overall, legs felt quite fresh and could definitely have gone for another loop.

We arrived home just before it started drizzling and raining. Whew. Total: 98km, comprising 3x 26km at Mandai, and about 18km to/fro home. Hungry....

Short Run

Lazed around the whole day and deferred our run until the evening. From joining the MF Safra guys in the morning (but could not wake up), to mid-morning run (but too hot), to finally getting our butts out of the house around 6pm. That meant that plans for a long run also went up in smoke.

We managed a short 10km run around the estate. The weather was extremely hot today, but the clouds decided to dump the pent-up rain just as we were finishing our run. Argh...

BT Trail Steps

It was a public holiday today but my grand plans of getting to BT early was futile. I only got there at 11plus and the place was very crowded. I attempted my stairs weight - 22kg + 5kg ankles. Not too bad, could still walk.

The height of the steps in BT were higher than the HDB flats. Having ankle weights meant that each step was a conscientious effort to lift up one's quads to lift up the foot - instead of lifting the calf to raise the foot. All the abductors and quads and hamstring muscles were engaged.

I saw many aunties walking and having nice trekking poles on hand. However, it was amusing that they used the poles like how they would an umbrella, instead of the right height or right way. The poles were mostly too short, not extended to their desired height. That then affected the way the aunties could leverage on the poles to take their body weight while walking. Some had the poles behind them while going down the steps (instead of in front). Some poles were too low and did not offer any support at all. Almost everyone used the poles with the rubber stopper attached at the ends (instead of the poles' metal tips). I wondered if they were protecting the poles or their legs.

I was in a rush, and only had time to do 2x, 3x, and 3x sets. But I guess BT was not a training ground for speed, but more for technique and being familiar with one's gear in the natural setting.

Stroll up to Summit Path - abt 20min
Summit 2x - 3:42min, 4:++
Rengas 3x - 6:59min, 7:53, 8:13
Jungle Fall 3x - 7:08, 6:56, 6:30
Stroll back out to visitor centre - abt 20min

Each descent took just slightly shorter than the ascent. I left around 2pm.

Running for Pleasure Run

I love this phase - what I call the "run for running pleasure" phase. No race to stress myself over, run when I wish to, for whatever distance I felt ready for. :)

I did a solo run around Canterbury (yes, it is now my favourite recovery route), and continued on to Morse Road, up MF, down Kg Bahru and back to club. I think it was about 13km.

A nice trot on a cool evening, all by myself, the solitude. :)

Speed Training with Weights?

The idea was to go faster on the stairs, but I suppose I did not drop the pack weight enough to go fast. Speed training with a pack and ankle weights seemed like an oxymoron. I had my pack at 22kg, with the ankle weights strapped on. I managed to go faster for the first 4 sets, and then sort of crashed out the remaining 6 sets.

Time:
8:49, 8:59, 9:13, 9:20, 10:04, 9:47, 10:16, 10:06, 11:22 (!! crashed), 9:49

Swimming Longer Laps

I think Coach is increasing the laps and mileage and cutting down on the drills. But the speed for the sets has decreased too.

6x 100 -
2:13, 2:24, 2:22, 2:19, 2:22, 2:27

4x 200 -
4:48, 4:50, 4:52, 4:57

6x 50-
1:03, 1:07, 1:06, 1:07, 1:04, 1:06

5x 100 -
2:23, 2:26, 2:24, 2:24, 2:28

2x 200 -
5:07, 5:18

Total mileage: 2.6 km

Rock Climbing in Krabi

Finally, a much needed break. We spent a weekend in Krabi, just because. For nothing. Finally, a trip that was not for work or race. A trip for no particular reason. :) Well, ok, I had 3 aims - have an entire steamed fish by myself, rock climbing, and massage.

The trip was suppose to be Sat - Mon, but the infamous Tiger Airways cancelled our flight. So we had to reschedule it to Fri - Sun, and rebook the accommodation. But all went well eventually, because we had great weather on the trip. There was a slight drizzle when we arrived on Friday, which cleared up quickly. Cool and sun-less, perfect. We had equally cool weather on Saturday for rock climbing. And then it rained the whole of Sunday when we left.


Friday -

The flight made it to Krabi, and we checked into the Phra Nang Inn in Ao Nang. It was located near the beach front, a superb location for exploring the little shops in the vicinity. We spent a lazy afternoon wondering the streets. It had been 3 years and there were many new shops and hotels. We had a light bite from the roadside hawkers. It was impressive that the lady was able to whip up so many delicious dishes while keeping her little push-cart spotlessly clean. It put some of our hawker centre stores to shame.

We walked some more to find the seafood restaurant that we patronised on the last trip. Papaya salad, glass noodle salad, fried vegetables, steamed cockles, deep fried soft shell crab, and a giant steamed white snapper! The fish was so fresh and its meat so thick, it was heavens!

I ended the day with an 1h oil massage, while Alber sat alongside an ad-hoc drink store enjoying his alcohol with an united nation of tourists. Bliss.


Saturday -

A full day of rock climbing! Yeah! We signed up for a full day event, and were picked up at 745am to catch a longtail boat to Railay island. Our climbing school was Hot Rock, and the instructor was called Nut (??) We had our own gear and off we went. He asked what level our climbing skills were, 6 or 7 (according to the French system). He thought too highly of us, we were probably at beginners Level 5 (the most basic).

There were many climbers at the rock wall. We tried 3 routes, one of which was a 6A. But we cheated and 'walked' to the starting point instead of starting in 'mid-air'. It was great fun. The walls were limestone and were relatively clean and sturdy for climbs. Most of the natural handholds were very good - big solid handholds for a very strong grip. I could even wrap around my elbow around some of them!

We stopped for a quick lunch, and continued climbing. We headed to the northern part of Railay island, where I had the chance to try out lead climbing twice. Nut refreshed my memory on what to do when I reached the anchor point (which had a metal ring) and how to secure the rope through the top ring. Nut was very familiar with the climbing route, and could give exact pointers on where to place my feet, where to move my hands, and what to grip onto. Every move was exactly like what he instructed, if he said to move my right arm higher over my shoulder, sure enough, there would be a very good handhold there for me to move on to.

It was extremely fun to be rock climbing in nature, especially limestone walls. We covered another 4 routes before calling it a day at 5pm. My fingers, arms and shoulders were aching, but it was very good to refresh my memory on how to climb! This would be the reason for re-visiting Krabi.

We headed back to the hotel for a quick wash-up and decided to have another steamed fish again. :) Chicken in coconut soup, white fungus salad, 3x steamed tiger prawns, steamed squid, and a steamed fish.

After a nice stroll back to the hotel, it was time for another massage. I chose a 90min aloe-vera massage. Cold aloe-vera gel from the fridge was mixed with some massage oil, and applied onto the skin. Oooooh cooling! For every body part, the masseur would knead to prepare the muscles, then slap on that cold mixture, and rubbed with deep, firm strokes. Then she would end off with some light kneading and patting to totally relax the muscles. All that for about S$20. Heavens.


Sunday -

The day started with a slow breakfast and then walking around the same streets again. I was getting bored by shops. It was drizzling in the morning, and luckily we did not sign up for any outdoor activities. Our flight was in the late afternoon, and we had half a day to kill. I decided to lounge in bed with a book, while Alber tried out the open bathtub in the room. Soaking in the hot tub with a chilled beer in hand, he certainly knew how to enjoy himself.

We went back to the same push-cart hawker for lunch. Green curry seafood, fried noodles, fried chicken basil + rice, a chocolate-cashew pancake and a watermelon juice.

Ahhh, I would certainly miss the lemongrass-lime-with-anything food. Looking forward to the next trip to Krabi. Perhaps I would try the island-hopping next.

PowerBreathe Ironman Plus

About 3 weeks ago, I purchased the PowerBreathe gadget. I opted for the Ironman Plus Heavy Resistance model. There was also an Irongirl version that came in a pretty pink, but it was sold out. :(

The Ironman Plus series is targeted at serious athletes (as opposed to the medical and wellness series). Some of the beneficiary sports that caught my attention were triathlons, and high altitude training. What it does is to train our diaghram muscles and engage them for more efficient breathing.

The PowerBreathe has a resistance dial of 0 - 10. You should start at 0 and slowly work your way up. Each exercise involved taking 30 deep breaths (at reasonable speed and effort), twice a day (morning and night). When you feel that the exercise became easier, you turn the dial half-round and increase the breathing resistance.

It was a very interesting exercise. Over the past 3 weeks, I had gone from 0 to 3 on the dial. Initially, it was very difficult to complete 30 breaths. The first time I fixed the gadget and tried, I could only manage 6 breaths. Then I realised there was a way to inhale deeply, until there was a 'click' sound, which meant the diaphragm had 'moved'. That was when I noticed that I could get more air into my system. It was a way to build lung capacity.

I have yet to test or verify the effectiveness of the PowerBreathe training on sports performance. In general though, I could feel that each breath was fuller and that I could suck in more air if I wanted to.

To be continued.... :)

Ankle Weights for Extra Gravity

I repacked my backpack & strapped on the ankle weights where they belonged - on my ankles. Pack 22kg (1kg discount, big deal...). Weights 2.5kg each.

Managed to survive 10 sets with no loo-break. It was really mental especially the last 20 storeys of the last set. Joanne, Carmen etc were there, so it was good to have some company. Or at least face time occasionally since we all climbed at different timings.

9:39min, 9:26, 10:00, 10:20, 10:37, 10:18, 10:50, 10:41, 11:01, 10:38

It was very different being weighed down by the ankle weights. The idea was to simulate the heavy mountaineering boots we would wear. Each boot was about 1.2++kg. The difference between having those ankle weights on my feet instead of backpack was that they made it heavy to lift the legs up the stairs. So it stressed the muscles more, especially the big groups like quads and hamstrings. There was some stress on the back and hip gluteals too, as they needed to be engaged for balancing a heavy load with every step. It would be more difficult training in BT and I probably would have a lighter pack too.

Joanne suggested reducing the load slightly and going for speed next time. Or to do alternate trainings each time. Sort of like a long run vs interval. Hmmm ok, will try that next week.

Laps and Laps

Swim class:

200m: 5:07min, 4:53

6x 100m @ 2:30min - 2:13, 2:23, 2:33, 2:26, 2:26, 2:21 - basically it meant non-stop

6x 50m - 59s, 1:09, 1:05, 1:07, 1:04, 1:08

4x 200 @ 5:30min - 5:08, 5:08, 5:09, 5:08

8x 50m - 1:04, 1:15, 1:11, 1:15, 1:15, 1:14, 1:14, 1:03

Stairs on a Sunday

Plans to train at BT were washed away by the torrential downpour. :( I was already on the road and driving towards BT, when the drizzle became another washout. So I decided to change plans and head to TB for indoor stairs instead. The rain continued for another hour or so, bringing a respite from the haze.

The first 5 sets went well, and then downhill:
9:17min, 9:07, 9:30, 9:06, 10:07
9:54, 10:10, 9:44, 10:53!!, 9:31

Shivering Ride

We got caught in a tremendous downpour just after the Mandai loop. It started with thunder and a light drizzle, and we decided to cut short our ride and head home. Less than 1km later, the rain pelted down, in an orchestrated washout. Visibility dropped, the roads started to swell with water, and we were getting splashed by passing vehicles.

We decided to stop at a bus stop and wait out the rain. We had started the ride in bright sunshine and did not have our lights on the bikes. Drivers would not be able to see us on the roads. There was not much of a shelter at the bus stop because the rain was simply too heavy. The wind blew the rain in, and every passing vehicle created a fountain in our way. We were drenched a few times even as we sat on the bench, waiting. It started to get cold too. Hailing a cab was not an option despite the many empty ones that drove past. No drivers would want to stop in the torrential rain to pick up 2 wet cyclists, with or without our bikes. "Lame sitting ducks" sprang to mind, that aptly described us at the bus stop - cold, wet, miserable. I started to shiver. Brrrr.....

After about 30min, the rain seemed to have lightened up (but still heavy nonetheless). We decided to just brave the rain and cycle home. It was cold, and stressful. I was literally shivering at one traffic junction when we stopped for the lights. Hands and legs involuntarily shaking. Had to try all means to generate some body heat for myself. We went very slowly and carefully. Thankfully, traffic was slow as well, as drivers battled the rain and wet roads. They gave us enough berth. At one stretch, the left lane was flooded with muddy waters, and we had to filter with the cars to the other remaining lane. Harrowing. The rain was pelting into my eyes, I had to force them open and rub them frequently. We were not wearing shades as they were too dark in the rain.

The rain got heavier as we neared home. Crumbs... Finally, made it back. Whew! I had never cycled in such a heavy rain before. And it was not a pleasant experience.

Recovery Run

The haze was back in Singapore and the air smelt burnt. I did a loop around my favourite recovery grounds at Canterbury. Very slowly, and took an hour. Then I spent another hour with the trigger ball and stretches in the gym. Leg still felt tight. But my mind was relaxed, there was no pressure to run. No races until next year. :)

Stairs Upped

Pack weight increased to 23kg tonight (from 21kg). I must be nuts. I could barely stand up if I put on the pack sitting on my car boot. There is a certain height of the 'pack launch pad' where one put on a pack, that ranged from 'Impossible to get up' to 'Already standing'. My boot was somewhere in the middle of the scale. Any lower and I would be see-sawing on my butt trying to stand, but counter-balanced by the pack. I think this would be my max weight, or I would really roll backwards!

And then there was the haze. The air was so bad, I could hardly see beyond the next road from the top floor of the flat. Being stuck in a stairwell with foul air and a heavy pack had me drenched in no time. Not from any effort, yet.

My first set was a bit of a shock, I had to get used to the weight. Then it got better. Nobody was at the stairs tonight, until Thiam Huat came along after my 5th set. I was glad for some company. We did different directions/ stairwell, but met at the top floor and took the lift down. Any familiar face or company was much welcomed.

I managed to survive 10 sets at a relatively consistent timing:
9:53min, 9:35, 9:57, 9:50, 10:08 - toilet break
9:34 (must be because the hydration bag got lighter), 9:38, 9:28, 10:13, 10:02

Whew... Not sure I could up the pace or sets next time. Or perhaps I should use those ankle weights that are currently in my pack.

Jabbed Arms Bad for Swim

Silly me decided to take a couple of travel vaccines in the afternoon. 3 to be exact - 2 on one arm, 1 on the other. Needless to say, my biceps were like rock-tired by the evening and pulling through laps in the pool was far from the best solution.

6-7x 200m:
4:31 (merged?), 4:44, 4:44, 4:44, 4:45, 4:48, 6:09 (250m)

8x 100m:
2:23, 2:27, 2:31, 2:31, 2:29, 2:33, 2:28, 2:19 (merged)

100m:
2:34, 2:37, 2:38, 2:41, .... suppose to do 7 sets but bailed out early.

Jelly arms were falling off my shoulders. Totally unable to pull properly.

BT Trail Again

After a week's break in Seoul, I was back on BT with my pack today. My hydration tube was leaking, after my smart-alec mistake last week before TNF where I sort of broke it. Today, I had jelly legs and my timings were so-so.

Summit - 2x: 3:10min, 3:27
Rengas - 4x: 6:17, 6:51, 7:05, 6:57
Jungle Fall - 3x: 6:26, 6:16, 6:32

Then I met my boss on the way down the steep BT slope. In my utterly sweaty and unglam state, it was uncoolness at its best. Argh... Yikes!

TNF 100km Duo Win

This was the real race, the one that I was looking forward too, and praying very hard that my legs would hold up well and the injuries did not flare up. The annual The North Face trail run. I teamed up with Lai Chee for the 100km Women's Duo - each to run 50km concurrently and the times totalled would be the team's timing.

We reached MR at 6:30am and readied ourselves for the run. It felt like it would be a hot day. Lai Chee and I made our way near the start of the funnel. My role was very straight forward - just finish the run, as fast as I could, and do not drop out of the race. It was a very real possibility a few weeks ago, when I could barely go on for an hour pain-free. I opted to wear my normal road Asics GTs today instead of the hardier trail shoes, in part a worry that the stiffer shoes would trigger my injury. But then I would have to suffer the pain of stones and blisters hitting those softer shoes.

The race flag-off was at 7am. The fast runners ahead sped off while most others took their time to find their pace and rhythm. Afterall, it was a long long race. Some of the guys from the back overtook me, some fell behind. I focused on spotting the female runners. I think there were a couple of them ahead of me at the flag-off. If they were very fast, there was no way that I could catch up. If they were not, I could try to close the gap. My strategy was to keep a lookout and not let any female runners in my race category cut me. That was a wee bit tough, because soon after, Khina whizzed past me along Rifle Range road. So I had to make sure that her partner did not do likewise.

We ran into the BT mountain biking trail. I had only hiked there once, but it was a nice stretch of trail, real trail. My first 10km was relatively fast, but little would I know that the timing would deteoriate swiftly towards the end. After many twists and turns, we finally got to the infamous Lor Asmara and Hill 265. This year, runners had to go through a longer stretch within this section, and that proved to be the killer. It was part of the army training ground, and was hardly considered 'trail' (think lush greens, trees, soft mud....). This was rocky, stony, full of steep slopes up and down, a debris-ed route for tanks to roll and troops to march on. I spent an inordinate amount of time walking through Lor Asmara, as did many other runners. The slopes were so steep that it made no sense to further expend energy running up them. My legs were starting to feel crampy, so I did not dare to run down the long slopes either. Serene ran by and soldiered on very strongly over the terrain. Oops, I was really slowing down and others were catching up very soon.

The area was totally exposed to the harsh heat, it was morale defeating. I trotted along with Ansley for a short distance, and when suddenly he told me we could stop running. For looming before us was Hill 265 - literally a red-soil hill. Last year, it was a culture shock to me. This year, I was mentally prepared for it. In fact, the steep gradient was very good for stretching out my cramped calves and hamstrings!

I took a banana along the way, stuffed the banana skin into the side pocket of my hydration pack and wondered if the monkeys would attack me. We finally wound our way out of Lor Asmara. 30km down, 20km more to go. I refilled my hydration bag, went to the toilet, had a gel and ploughed on. Wayne offered some cold Ribena which tasted really good. Winnie was also there by the roadside with her solo support vehicle-station, ready with an iced Milo for me! Whew! Then across the road, Shirley, Eddy and Jimmy's girlfriend were there with their little support station of drinks and fruits. Thanks everyone!

But the next 20km proved to be the killer for me. My legs were really crampy, and every step threatened to seize up the entire leg. I had muscle cream but it was not very effective. My run became trots and shuffles that were on par with those who were walking. One other lady overtook me, but I think she was in the Mixed category. I hobbled for what seemed like an eternity between Mandai back to Zhenghua, and was devastated to see the signage recording only 5km. :( I took almost 2h to clear that 10km, and was way behind my target.

Freddy and Hee Shen were stationed at Zhenghua. Hee Shen was the photographer, and Freddy dished out nutrition. I took another banana and iced Milo, while Freddy sprayed my legs with muscle spray. It seemed to work, because I could run! I tried to make up for lost time and ran the entire section from Zhenghua to Rifle Range Road. I was still trying to hit a sub-7h, and the window was closing fast. But the effects of the spray wore out at Rifle Range, and I was forced to hobble again. Grrr....

There were more runners now, we had merged with those from the 50k Duo. Entering the trails again, Sok Hwa shouted 'Jia-You' to me and sped off. Then Aileen shot past me too. Arrgh.... but there was nothing much I could do, my legs were out of my control and sometimes I could not feel them when I landed. Alternating between jogs and walks, I pushed as hard as I could and painfully made my way back. I was now totally off-target, way past the 7h mark. My arms felt like needles and pins - it was a first sensation! - and I started to worry if I was getting dehydrated or heat exhaustion or something. I bumped into Eliza, Genevieve, and several others who shouted encouragement, but I was too dead to respond coherently. Going in a straight line was a challenge, and I felt a little disoriented running on the Northern Trail in the reverse direction, with no sense of the distance or markers.

Finally, there was light! Literally. The sunlight. We were back out in the open along the reservoir banks, and everyone was immensely happy to see the sun again. I tried to shuffle as fast as I could, all the while thinking that Lai Chee would have been waiting for such a long time. I finally cleared reached finishing line at 7:29h. The beep from the race timing bib was sweetness to my ears. I walked around in a zig-zag manner - legs were still cramped - and located Lai Chee. She had come in first amongst the female runners at 5:45h. Power! We certainly stood a chance for podium because, for what it was worth, no other teams overtook me. True enough, the organizers called soon, informing us that we won the category! It was my virgin First!

Final tally, our Mt Faber Safra runners did very well at the race. We took the:
50k Men's Duo 3rd
50k Women's Duo 2nd
100k Women's Duo 1st, and
100k Women's Duo 3rd
Well done!

On a personal level, I was rather disappointed that I was 50min(!!) slower than last year. That was a whole lot slower, totally not conditioned and not in form. But I consoled myself to be thankful for being able to run and complete the distance, when even 1 month ago, everything looked bleak and my shoes stared at me. (Mental note to self, to thank my physios.)

Thank you legs. :)


Split Timing:
10km - 1:05h
20km - 1:23h
30km - 1:31h
---- 4h ------
40km - 1:48h
50km - 1:39h
---- 7:29h ---

Feeling Good Training

Lovely article about feeling one's run and training. ie. focus on a feel-good session. Not by lounging or slacking. But by being fitter and less fatigue. And the way to the get there is by hard work. Yes, the paradoxical simultaneous existence of pleasure and pain.

http://running.competitor.com/2010/08/training/feel-good-training_12639

"Your mind receives a million times more relevant information about how your body is doing than some silly gadget like a heart rate monitor."

"the most enjoyable runs you experience are not easy runs but very challenging ones that happen to fall on days when your body feels up to the challenge. In running, you can experience pleasure and suffering simultaneously."


I totally identify with that. On reflection, all the runs and races that were memorable were those that were tough but enjoyable.

Trudging up the stairs

Blk 21 again. I completed 2 sets before Carmen arrived. Backpack unchanged, 21kg. Today, the body felt lethargic and slow. My timings were so far off the mark vs last week. Whereas an average set would be 8min-ish, today, my very first set was 9min+. Better brace myself for a tough night ahead.

Ploughed through 10 sets. In a better state, I would finish another 2 sets with Carmen. But rationality prevailed....

Timings:
9:09, 8:59, 8:59, 8:47, 8:59, 9:19, 9:27, 9:22, 9:27, 9:08

I must try to complete 12 sets next time.

Why am I swimming?

Post-desaru and we were back at swim class on Monday. Coach was lenient, gave chance tonight. I was late, because the crappy Tiger Airways sent me an email at 630pm that my flight was cancelled, and I had to spend some time sorting that out. For the record, that would be the last time I would fly with Tiger.

5x 200m @ 5:30min -
but why were the front swimmers pulling so fast??! all the laps were sub-5!
4:48min, 4:48, 4:46, 4:49, 4:47

Repeat 5x 200m @ 5:30min -
4:50, 5:06, 5:06, 5:05, 5:01

6x 100m @ 2:30min - oh boy, it was a mad crawl and messy splash. Merged and merged, forget about the timings...

Goodnight. Ahhh sweet words to the ears.

I was already wondering why I was there swimming more than the desaru race distance, so soon after the race.

Shuffle Shorter Strides

I've been experimenting with a new running form and technique. Well, not entirely new, just that I have not been consciously taking note of my posture and landing.

The articles below are similar to what Gino taught me - a 'falling' run.

http://peakperformance.runnersworld.com/2010/08/aug-24-new-study-reports-that-shorter-strides-can-have-many-benefits.html

http://peakperformance.runnersworld.com/2010/08/aug-19-running-form-center-of-gravity-overstriding-impact-transients-and-where-to-put-your-front-foot.html


Our knees and joints will thank us for those shorter stride lengths, higher stride rate (ie. cadence).

Shuffle along, shuffle. :)

Desaru Long-dist Triathlon 2010

It was time for our annual pilgrimage to Desaru, more for the mega social gathering & feasting with friends than for the race. Uncle Chan said that it might be the last time he was organizing the race in Desaru. Oh no, it was such a convenient place for Singaporeans to get our annual fix of a tough race, and be amply rewarded with seafood!

I was going to be conservative for the race. Very, very conservative. My real race was coming up the next weekend, and I needed to test my legs. I had to check if I could run properly, and if I could last 7hours.

The race began at 10am this year. So unlike other races where one had to wake up at some ungodly hour, Desaru was always a sleep-in luxury.

Swim - the sea was so much clearer and calmer this year compared to the washing-machine-tumble of the past 2 races. And the distance was more accurate. I must have drifted off, because I took 67min to finish the swim! Arrghh...

Bike - I started on the bike leg and 10km into the ride, I was wondering how I could possibly finish 3 loops of 30km. My legs were not awake yet and pedalling was tough. There was the same short ultra-killer slope, and then a long killer slope. In between, there were many many rolling hills. I took it easy, not pushing. Then I realised why my right abductors were always so tight after a ride. I had the bad habit of letting the bike free-wheel while bending my right knee to stretch my left leg. I then compared with the reverse combination, and realised that my right knee was not in a relaxed position. If I bent my left knee, my pedals would be in a 12 - 6 o'clock position. If I bent my right knee, the pedals resembled a 2 - 8 o'clock setting, thus straining my right quads unnecessarily. Aha! Anyway, the bike was only 82-83km instead of 90km. Perhaps to compensate for the slopes. 3:13h for the ride.

Run - it was super super hot during the run. So many people were walking and looking in agony. I jogged along. Oh no, cramp on my left abductor. I kept bending over to elbow the cramped spot to massage out the knots. I reminded myself to use Gino's running method. It must have worked, because after the race, my legs were not as stiff as in my other races. I walked-jogged, and spot Alber. Many friends were in the opposite direction and we called out to one another. Alber was walking so we walked a distance together. And somehow managed to prod each other on to the finishing line, and for once, we went through the ending point together. :) Run time: 2:30h?

Total race time: 7:10h

Pain-free Run

I went for Gino's running clinic this evening. It was useful, because he ran alongside with us and pointed out our mistakes, postures and so forth. The idea was similar to Chi Running, falling from one's ankles, and to have that 'falling' feeling throughout the run. Landing was on the whole foot/sole, rather than heels or too much forefoot/ tiptoeing - which kills our calves. We wanted to let the big muscle groups absorb the impact of the every landing step, and not our joints. Think of the cartoon, LoadRunner, whose legs spin very fast, behind one's body. Not overly high knees, which kills our quads.

Ok, a laundry list of things to remember.... :)

Good Ole Stairs

I had company for stairs training tonight - Joanne & Carmen. :) Deja vu, like the old times, sharing the same stairwell and lift at Blk 21 Tiong Bahru, and staring at the pair of boots in front of us. Good company made the monotony of stairs so much more bearable!

I used the same backpack configuration as Sunday - 21kg, which eventually went to 20kg. All that sweat and I only drank 1l of water?? I was dripping sweat like it was FOC. Every stairs training was a toxic affair, nothing was spared in the sweat arsenal.

I started earlier and finished 4 sets before they began. They good naturedly accompanied me for another 6 sets although they were planned only 3-4 sets. Yeah!

Timings:
8:25min, 8:23, 8:26, 8:50, 8:09 (must have gone crazy), 8:47, 8:59, 9:51 (clearly, degenerating), 9:18, 9:50

Last week I did 10sets with 16kg, approx 160kg of effort. Today, similarly, by the 8th set (8x 20kg = 160kg), the lactic had built up and I was losing form. Every step started to burn, my quads oh my. The last 2 sets were purely mental, for which I was grateful to have company. I have never trained with that weight before. Perhaps I should also be thankful for my (body) weight gain. Haha. Oh ouch my quads....

Struggle Swim

Legs felt like rock, like they would cramp any time. I did not dare kick too hard. The lane was fast today, by the last few sets, I had to merge a couple of times. Crap, I hated to merge laps. Why do I need to merge just because others are fast? Haha... that was my Ah-Q thinking.

7x 100m @ 2:45min -
2:27, 2:24, 2:21, 2:22, 2:23, 2:22, 2:24

7x 100m @ 3min -
2:26, 2:28, 2:27, 2:25, 2:26, 2:26, 2:31

5x 200m @ 5:15min - this one really got dropped, big time.... until I was simply swimming by myself most of the time. :(
5:13, 4:47, 5:21, 5:43, 4:14 (merged)

I think we ended with about 4-5 x 50m sprints. But it was so messy and I simply could not catch up, I gave up timing.

Sigh.... splish, splash, struggle....

Bt Timah Stairs

Alber nicely agreed to forego our ride and accompany me to Bt Timah today. We got there about 130pm, the place was cool and uncrowded. I had my pack at 21kg today, the heaviest I have ever carried! I must exploit my recent weight gain to full advantage. :( My trekking poles had been left aside for months, and we realised that 2 out of 4 could not lock properly. Argh. Still usable, without the 3rd extension. I would have to get it checked next week.

Summit - Rengas - Jungle Fall

Summit 3 sets: 3:25min, 3:27, 3:29 (descent avg 3min?)

Rengas 4 sets: 8:09, 9:02, 7:33, 7:07 (I think I drank up my water and the pack was getting lighter with each set.) Each descent took about 7min.

Jungle Fall 3 sets: 7:18, 7:30, 7:02. Descent about 4-5min

Legs and knees were wobbly. Pack was really heavy by the end. Shoulders sore. More training to come.

A Sloshing Trail Run

I reached MR at noon, to a light drizzle. The cool weather looked very inviting for a nice afternoon run. The drizzle stopped after a while and the air crisp and comfortable. I started off slowly. It was my first run back in the trails. To where my injuries first began. Like the chinese saying, to resolve a problem by going back to where it all began. I managed to complete the first round ok. 1:15h.

For the second loop, I decided to swap shoes, from my GT trail to my normal GT road shoes. Naturally, the latter felt softer and more comfortable. Alas, it started pouring soon after, and I was sloshing in mud puddles. My white GTs went from clean, muddy, to clean again after repeated splashes. I had to walk through many puddles but it was nice to run in the rain actually, very in touch with nature. 1:24h.

Just happy to be able to complete 2 loops decently. Hopefully I can survive TNF race.

Stairs Refresher

I finally unpacked my new Osprey backpack and readied myself for stairs training. I stuffed it to 16kg and headed for the Tiong Bahru flats, again.

30 storeys x 10 sets x 16kg

The weight got light as I drank up the water, but per set timing got longer...

8:16min, 8:01, 8:24, 8:12, 8:50, 8:44, 8:35, 8:48, 9:06 (trying to do a mixture of double-steps, tough!), 8:45

The pack held up rather nicely, the fit was quite good. Proud of myself that I managed to drag my fat bum through the 10 sets. A decent refresher for a start. I was totally drenched in sweat, dripping. I drove to Safra for a shower and dinner.

Eventual target, 20kg load.

Short Canterbury Run

I was packing my office cubicle the entire day, back and legs were so tired. I did not want to join the Safra training of tempo run by the canal, I was not sure if my injury might be rekindled. So Alber and I did a short run into Canterbury. He was trying to conserve his legs for IPPT on Thursday. We ran and returned from Kg Bahru. 1:04h.

Gym Day

I spent the evening in the gym, working out my back, core and stretching. Amazing how one could spend almost 2 hours on those machines and the mat. I was supposed to do 5 sets of 10 reps per exercise. Alber showed me some workouts but I was not able to execute some of them - my abs and core were weaker. Tough work, I think I would ache a few days thereafter.

Baked Swim & Run

We had a sea swim this morning, the distances were 1, 1.5, 2, and 3km. I chose the 2km while Alber went for the 3km. The sea was surprisingly friendly, without the usual seabug pricks or bloated carcasses, jellyfish and weird objects. Some swimmers blatantly cut the buoy markings and short-cut the distance, not just once, but every single buoy. I was miffed, why did they bother swimming the distance if they had no integrity to follow the route? For 2km, we did 5x 400m loops. I finished my swim in 52min, relaxed pace.

Then we attempted a run in the hot wilting weather. The aim was 1h or 10km, but we did not survive the run. We ran from F2 to NSRCC to the Eastern PCN and the start of Coastal Road. The sun was relentless, stuffy, hot, humid. We walked and jogged the return. Jogging was hardly the appropriate description though. I tried to move my legs and maintained my posture (which was extremely hard to do when one was tired), and trotted 3-4min. Stopped. Walked. Repeat.

We finally made it back to the car, did not bother with the timing. I was hungry. Alvin's boy, Adriel, had a pack of koko-krunch and a mouth smeared with chocolate. I was tempted to grab a handful too!

Showered, and had lunch at Royal Cafe, for its superb mee siam. Next stop, KPI tri-sale.

100km Ride

We headed out at 130pm for a long ride. The weather was very sunny in the morning but surprisingly became cooler when we started. There was a strong tailwind and even some light overcast.

Route - Home, Upp BT, Mandai, did 2 loops, detoured to Woodlands to Alber's house to pick up something (beats burning petrol and driving over again!), Kranji, Neo Tiew, Brickland, B.Batok and home.

On our second Mandai loop, we witnessed a horrendous irresponsible act. A bunch of 6-7 kids on 4 bicycles were trying to get to Seletar Reservoir via Yishun Ave 4. From a distance, I could see their bikes zooming down slope. Then it occurred to me that they were riding on the opposing lane to the traffice direction. As they came down the slope, so did the cars, but on the other side of the divider. Suddenly, at the junction, the bikes turned left as the cars were turning right! So the bikes came down-left, and the cars down-right. Gosh! Not once, but 4 times as the bikes separately cut the traffic. The drivers horned, and one of the kids even showed his finger at the cars. My goodness, such a dangerous and hooligan act! It was amazing none of the bikes were knocked down.

Even after the junction, the kids rode in a zig-zag manner, spanning the leftmost curb to the rightmost curb. Incredulous! As we caught up with the kids, we scolded them. But the look on their faces told us that they thought they were not in the wrong. I really wondered how parents could give their children bicycles and not teach them basic road safety. I was not even talking about wearing helmets, reflective lights and so forth.

Anyhow, back to the rolling hills ride. 100km. Legs were so not conditioned. How was I supposed to repeat that distance in a race? Ooops.

Core oh Core

Did a short slow 1h run with some friends this evening. Again, trying to get my form correct. It was hard hard work holding up the core. I was not breathing deeply enough. The tendency for inexperienced me was to hold my breath and/or core, and then breath shallowly. Which meant that I would have suffocated or tired out myself through lack of oxygen over a long duration.

Hmmm..... how to hold a tight core for 7h of running?

Long Run

It sucks to be overtaken all the time. As was the case again tonight, I went about my slow trotting manner. Soon, everyone and every group came past me. Arggh. Fume.

Nevermind, I told myself to concentrate on my own pace, posture and focus on completing the 15km. Yes, just 15km. But it was 7-8 weeks since I ran that distance or duration.

My leg felt ok, but not my lungs. We ran into Labrador Park and I went up the slope inside. Pant. Huff. Puff. I had to persevere and finish the full route. I reached HarbourFront, and the fatigue set in, so I had problem holding my core tight and running. I stopped a couple of times, walk-run-walk-run. Oh this was so bad. I felt like I needed a power gel or some energy. The weather was hot and humid and I was thirsty and hungry. I could not believe that I had 'energy' problem at just 1:20h! Grrrr....

I finished the run. 1:45h. What a pain... But glad to have survived the distance.

Swim Terror Resumed

End of the break. Swim class terror resumed tonight. The first 30min was a culture shock to my system, which had laid off heavy cardio for the past weeks. We did some drills and started swimming.

Coach, in all his wisdom, made us swim 100s the entire night, to re-accustomed us to the rigour of swimming.

Lane 1- 6x 100m @ 3:00 + 50m - 2:21, 2:21, 2:20, 2:16, 2:18, 2:21, 1:12

I felt like my heart was going to fly out of my mouth, and that class should end then.... :(

Then Coach: The next set would be faster.
(You mean it was not fast just now?)

7x 100m @ 2:45 - 2:10 (die, too fast), 2:17, 2:18, 2:21, 2:23, 2:26, 2:24, 2:29

Another 6x 100m @ 3:00 + 50m - 2:31, 2:31, 2:32, 2:33, 2:34, 1:18

Chill 2 laps - 1:08, 1:17

Killer - 8x 50m sprints - 1:01, 1:05, 1:03, 1:09, 1:07, 1:10, 1:12, 1:04


I could not recall the last time my HRM went up so much in the pool - it had been a while. Off for a herbal chicken dinner. Hard-earned!

Pre-dawn Ride for Dim-sum

The amazing power of food. Specifically, dim-sum breakfast buffet. We had a big table booked for 9am. Friends who finished the annual Army Half Marathon would join in after the race. For those of us who did not run (my first year skipping the event!), we decided to go for an early morning ride as mitigation for the feast to come.

So I dragged myself up at 5am. It was painful, I was so not a morning person. Alber and I met W, SL and KM at the Mandai junction, and we headed to Kranji. It was rather refreshing to ride in the cool wee hours for once, without traffic and heat. Then wound through Neo Tiew, LCK, Jln Buroh towards West Coast Hwy.

And we decided to split and head home from there. The rest went up the viaduct towards town, while Alber and I proceeded with a South BV and NUS loop before going home.

Total: 56km.
I was so not conditioned, after weeks of no-rides. And 56km was not even 1/3rd of the IM distance! Oh not good....

Meanwhile, dim-sum beckoned. :)

Another Swim Drag

A long weekend, feeling rather lazy. Slept in til late, ran some errands and decided to make amends by going for a swim at Safra. It was probably more demoralizing than uplifting, but oh well, better than nothing.

Swam 30 laps - and took 42min!!! *gasps* *horrors*

That was it. Down the path of degeneration.

Breakthrough 1.5h

It was a glorious morning. My friends were all out riding, long and hard. Me? Too slack and lazy. I decided to go for another trial run, this time using my brand new Asics. Perhaps my old shoes were rather flat and stiff, and not helping with my injury.

Off I went, bouncing in the new gels. It was hard work sucking in the core, holding it tight all the way. I went to the Clementi PCN. I managed to get past, 30min, ok. 40min, ok. I had to rub my lower back on the run, but nothing major.

So I thought I would aim for 1.5h of run time. So I extended into Sunset Way, winding through the private estate and big houses. 1h. Ok, still there. Core was tight but somewhat breathless. I must be doing it wrong. Headed home, 1:10h, ok. 1:20ish, somewhat fatigue - more from an over-doing it fatigue than any sharp pain. Home, 1:30h. :)

I spent another hour on the trigger ball and stretches. It was so so shiok to have the ball on my back. Oh the soreness....

*more hopeful*

Swim Oh-So-Drag

I swam alone. One week of non activity and no swim made a huge difference. Or rather, 6 weeks of non cardio. Sigh.

Swimming 30 laps was a chore in the Safra pool. Took 41min (!!!). Ok, back to the drawing board, reset from zero.... :(

Core Running

I went for another test run this evening around Canterbury. I did some light stretching before heading out. The air was cool after a day's rainfall, but my mind was too focused and conscientious over my knee to notice the surroundings.

The first 12min to Hort Park traffic junction went ok. I briefly massaged my knee while waiting for the light. Moving on into Canterbury estate, there was some lower patella pain, especially on the downslopes.

I experimented with the running technique, very mindful to use what Gino showed me - lean & fall forward, tuck in core and use core to run. Gino also explained that that allowed our big muscle groups like quads and hamstrings to absorb the impact of running, rather than our knee joints. To my surprise, when I deliberately sucked in my core and elongated my spine, the pain in my knee lessened. My footsteps landings were also lighter on the downslope. Just to exaggerate, I relaxed my core and sort of dropped my hip. I could feel my steps heavier with more stomping. On the downhill in particular, holding in my core, body upright naturally led to a 'perky' butt position which minimised the impact of downslope braking. Wow! In comparison, if the core is not held, my pelvic drops and each landing resonated up my leg. Hmmm, interesting observation.

Finished the run. The magic 1h!! Yes!!

I continued with another 40min of stretching and conditioning in the gym. *fingers crossed*

5km Test

I tried the 5km loop around Safra. Running posture - had to conscientiously remember to 'lean forward and fall off' instead of just lifting my knees upright.

10min - some slight discomfort (stiffness) and pain in my right front knee. Stopped briefly to rub under the knee cap.

Continued running, it felt much better.

20min somewhere along Harbour Front. Again a very brief stop rub.

Finished abt 34min. Pretty good, no major tensions.

More hopeful.

Gino Physio

I finally saw Gino on my friends' recommendation after 1 month of nagging knee pain that did not subside even when I scaled back my runs. Prior to joining Physio Solutions and starting up Sports Solutions, Gino Ng worked as a senior sports physiotherapist at the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) for 10 years. He also travelled with many national teams and treated our national athletes. Gino did a few assessment tests on me, & concluded it was my weak gluteus medius. And stiff L3 and L4 vertebrae, ie. if I fully exaggerate my walk or run, my leg will be very bowed out, because the muscle is not holding the leg/ knee in its proper alignment. Plus a very tight side femur dunno what muscle. That's not the ITB. So my right knee is not soft or mobile, and right leg tends to "collapse" easier. So my own guess was quite right - hip & vertebrae, & not ITB. Oh well, got a trigger ball to release muscles. And do strengthening. Fascinating! Maybe I shld study physio!

http://psescapades.blogspot.com/2009/08/contact-list-for-sports-treatments.html

Andrew Physio

Saw Andrew twice in the week. Very thorough, but oh my very expensive too! Well, ok... standard physio rates. Andrew works out of his apartment, but he was very good with his hands-on deep tissue massages and follow-up.

First session, he tested and explained that my side muscles were very hyper tight - the one that ran along the ITB. So he kneaded the end of the muscle, just about my side knee cap. The explanation was to 'tease open the tight muscle joint that was almost fused together', so it was a very deep and hard massage. Then he moved upwards along the lateral quad. Then the inner groin pelvic area. I ended with giant bruises and was instructed to rub and ice daily. He also taught me some ITB and back stretches.

Second session, repeated the same deep tissue massages on the same spots. Then moved on to inner quad (abductor), and also a little on the archilles lower calf. Major ouch. I dragged Alber along to learn the stretches so that he could help me with them. My ITB was so tight that it 'sprang' back as he tried to press it downwards for a stretch. Uhh.... It was obvious because his ITB was a lot more flexible than mine when he tried the same stretch. Oh oh....

All done, Andrew asked me to try running over the weekend.

Test Run

Physio told me to try a run today. 20min run, 5min break, 20-5-10-5-10. Total of 60min run, with 5min regular breaks.

I had a very bad cramp on my right calf last night, the kind of excruciating pain when I got off bed. So I waited until evening to test run. I trotted along. There was a big bruise on my right ITB where Andrew had executed his very deep tissue massage and done an ultra-sound for me. For the first time in I-can't-recall-since-when, the tension down the right knee was gone! I could bend my quads and flex and walk and stand without feeling the heaviness around the knee. Lightness!

But now I had another problem. Maybe the quad muscles holding up the knee were now imbalanced. So now I felt the pain over my front knee rather than the side. Hmmm...

20min run ok. 5min stretch. 5min run ok. Next 5min tightening started, over the front of my knee. It was like having an abductor cramp near the inner quad. 5min stretch. Further attempts to run lasted only 2-3min each before the pain forced me to stop. But thankfully today, none of the side acute pain that I kept having in the past weeks. Whew. Optimistic that the abductor and frontal knee pulls would be easier to treat than ITB.

Walked the rest of the distance home. Outer knee still felt 'loosened'. Great!

Bad Swim No Roll

I went for swim tonight although I was supposed to not do anything this week after a 'bone-setting' session on Fri. My hips were still aching. But we were having term break next week - ie. 2 weeks of no swim! So I showed up for class. Oh gosh, it was rather tough with an aching back and pelvic.

I realised that I could not roll properly or kick hard. So I dutifully stayed behind as one of the last few swimmers in Lane 1. Did not bother to time my laps. Really bad. At this rate, I would lose my cardio power soon! Crap....

Oh recovery.... it was not happening. :(((

Another Disappointing Jog

Canterbury attempt.

First 30min, ok. Then tension. Light stretch.
40min. Tightened, stopped to wait for Alber as he did a second loop. Thorough stretch.
20min jog back to club, with intermittent 5min tighten-stretching routine.

Frustration to irritation to depression to what-the-heck....

Swimming in the Rain

What a hardcore group of fish we were. The skies opened up in the late afternoon, and slowed to a steady drizzle in the evening. And of course, our group of diligent fish was in the pool, splashing our way through the night. The light drizzle became steadier and heavier. In the far far away distance, we spied lightning. But no, there was no thunder nor lightning threats where we were. And so the good 'ole Coach continued with what he did best - .... And Go! Each time I finished a lap, I wondered if class would be halted. No, he donned his yellow rain jacket and went on.

Drills - some combination of bilateral swims, and 10 sets of 4-pulls-1-breath (or was it 6-pulls). No matter, giddying.

Swim - 7x 200m @ 5min
4:55, 4:55, 5:02, 4:59, 5:09, 5:10, ... 5:10 (?) almost non-stop

Easy 2x 50m - ??

Sprint - 10x 50m, almost following Lane 4's cue. Non-stop, not even reaching the end of the lane, and the first swimmer had started on the next lap, and it was almost a messy collision. With an equally messy time recording:
1:06, 1:08, 1:10, 1:12, 1:12, 1:21, 1:16, 1:20, 1:05, 1:03

The drizzle continued throughout the night.

Solo Ride

I pulled myself out of bed (well, not literally since it was already 1030am) and made a pact with myself to go cycling. Not being able to run was getting on my nerves, daily. It had been an irritable week, and I could feel my fitness plunging.

Proven right, because when I got on my bike, it felt strangely heavy. Or maybe it was the weather, midnoon sun. I took Bt Batok Rd to Ten-Mile Junction and headed to Mandai. 12km. Then a loop. At the Seletar Reservoir, I managed to learn how to cycle in a straight line while standing on my bike. A cheap thrill of learning a new trick. Almost completing the loop, I went over an uneven road surface just before the Shell station, hard. And my toolkit flew out of its cage, and spewed its contents all across 3 lanes of the road. Luckily traffic was very light along that stretch. But I could not run in my cleats, so I had to go shoeless across the road and retrieve everything. My carbon handpump was lying in the middle of Lane 2, and a car came by. Arghhh! A hugh relief when it safely went under the car, rather than its tyres. Whew. I managed to pick up everything. 38km.

The weather was hot, and it would have been a mental 2nd loop. I decided to take Kranji-Neo Tiew, and cut through Brickland Rd to get home. 51km to the start of the windy flat stretch outside the cemetries. The headwind was strong, nothing to draft, no shade to hide. I was going at about 20kmh, on a flat. So encouraging... And meanwhile, my phone was beeping non-stop because I was trying to arrange some appointments, and it was very disruptive.

I got to BB West Ave 8, stopped at Shell for a drink, and made my way home. 67km.
Darn, could not even hit 70km....

Another Test Run

Getting most frustrated. I put on my shoes and headed for a neighbourhood test jog. It was about 1030am, but the weather was beautiful today. The kind of perfect race-day weather, overcast but no rain, cooling. Also the kind of perfect training weather.... Sigh.

I attempted an easy trot. It was the kind of recreational jog, the get-fit routine that middle-aged aunties and uncles do weekly. On normal days, it was have been my warmup jog. That made it even more frustrating to me.

Out of my house, up Toh Tuck steep slope, wound through the private estate, followed on to the prata eateries along Upp Bt Timah Rd, back down to Old Bt Batok Rd/ Jln Jurong Kechil, BB St 25, and home.

I went very slowly. Initially, it felt really good to be out there, pounding the roads in my runners. Ahhh that familiar carefree running feeling, the feeling that I could go on and on and run forever. About 20+ min into the run, legs still felt ok. Perhaps a little tension around the knee or the hip. But ok, did not have to stop and stretch. Or rather, a deliberate decision that I could go on without stopping to stretch.

Finished the jog in 37min. It was such a short distance, probably 5km?

End of run. Felt good to generate some sweat, but still half-hearted disillusioned.

Spin Reacquainted

I did not want to be at the track tonight and watch others run while I sat there sulking. Sandy offered me a free pass to the spinning class that she was conducting. Such a last minute arrangement but thankfully I had the right gear with me. So I took up her idea.

The last time I sat on a studio spinning bike was almost 2 years ago. Although it was a different bike, that familiar spinning setup and feeling came back instantly once the music started. A little short-breathed from the sudden intensity but it was good fun. And good sweat. Coincidentally, Andy was there as well, right on the bike next to mine.

The nice thing about spinning was that it loosened up my back (unlike running which was a stiffening sport), and I could spend time after class for a nice long stretch. Which I did, setting my bent legs on the saddle and 'sitting' down to thoroughly stretch those butt and hip muscles.

It was fun!

A Giddying Swim

There was a drill we did tonight that left me all breathless and giddy - 2 pulls, 1 breath, 4 pulls, 1 breath, 6 pulls, 1 breath, 4, 2, 4, 6, 4, 2, 4, 6, etc.... I diligently pulled through the first set, but had to cut corners on the subsequent ones. The lack of oxygen was making me light-headed, exacerbated by the rolling action underwater.

Swim:
4x 200m @ 5:30min - 5:02, 4:57, 5:10, 5:15
1x 100m - 2:31min

4x 200m @ 5:30min - 5:00, 5:09, 5:15, 5:17
1x 100m - 2:38min

Some random easy 50m

Sprint 6x 50m - 1:08, 1:12, 1:09, 1:14, 1:06, 1:06

Another Failed Attempt

My attempt to do another short test run failed. We were at MR this morning.

25min into the run, at the end of the northern trail, my legs were still ok. I stretched a bit, and continued.

32min at the ranger station toilet. Ok. More stretching.

45min in the trail. The tightening sensation crept in. I slowed down, stretched regularly, and pressed on.

Thereafter, it became a jog, walk, stretch sequence until the end of the loop. Alber had to keep waiting for me. It was only a 10km loop, and I could not even complete it properly.

Fail.

*Double sigh*

It was hard to swim 30 laps

I wondered why it felt so tough to swim 30 laps, alone, when we cover a much longer distance at higher intensity during our weekly swim classes. It was quite a drag. I was just counting down the laps and trying to get them over with.

Sets of 10 laps - 12:30min, 12:57, 12:38. Total 38min+

Oh well...