Just recovered from my coughs and sniffs, and did not want to push myself too hard.
Slow jog to Jervois-Tanglin Rd. Wow, amazing number of beautiful houses. Never knew there was this stretch of road in Singapore, it was like a totally new place for me to explore. Many private developments with ostentatious designs.
From Jervois, we went to Tanglin, Ridley Park and then back along Holland Road, Margaret Drive, Alexandra Rd and to club.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Runny Nose
Tried to jog despite a whole day of coughs, sneezes and sniffs. Obviously the run went nowhere. Hardly broke a sweat, but hacked a few times on the go. Geeez.
Club - Depot - Labrador - 1/2 loops - Henderson - back.
I even forgot to time the run, that was how slack I was tonight....
*cough sniff*
My nose was out there running its 84k.
Club - Depot - Labrador - 1/2 loops - Henderson - back.
I even forgot to time the run, that was how slack I was tonight....
*cough sniff*
My nose was out there running its 84k.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A Messy Pool
Ever tried swimming in a class with almost 50 swimmers? It was like a zoo in the pool tonight. Coach scrapped the Tues class, so Mon bore the bulk of the avalanche of migrant swimmers. It was like a giant reunion for us. Each lane had about 10+ swimmers and it was so difficult to swim properly without hitting the person ahead, or be hit from behind. Maybe I should consider moving to Thurs instead.
We did so many drills tonight, I could not recall the last time we spent almost an hour on routines. 6x 100m of Kicks, pullbuoys, 4-stroke-1-breath, and some combo of easy swims. The awkward timings are evidence of the bottlenecks in the lane.
Easy 200m - 4:46min, 4:54
Easy 100m - 2:22, 2:25, 2:21, 2:22, 2:24, 2:26
'Faster' 100m - 2:21, 2:16, 2:17, 2:19
Sprint 50m - 1:04, 1:08, 1:05, 1:10, 1:05, 1:02
I figured out something though tonight. Johnny told me last week that I should thrust and rotate using power from the hips. I had a vague sense of that while doing the easy laps. Hmmm... I should experiment more on my own.
We did so many drills tonight, I could not recall the last time we spent almost an hour on routines. 6x 100m of Kicks, pullbuoys, 4-stroke-1-breath, and some combo of easy swims. The awkward timings are evidence of the bottlenecks in the lane.
Easy 200m - 4:46min, 4:54
Easy 100m - 2:22, 2:25, 2:21, 2:22, 2:24, 2:26
'Faster' 100m - 2:21, 2:16, 2:17, 2:19
Sprint 50m - 1:04, 1:08, 1:05, 1:10, 1:05, 1:02
I figured out something though tonight. Johnny told me last week that I should thrust and rotate using power from the hips. I had a vague sense of that while doing the easy laps. Hmmm... I should experiment more on my own.
2009 in Reflection
This is a reflective post that should have been written a few days ago, but which was waylaid by sugar-rush and party treats. To my mind, 2009 was truly a blessed and eventful year that surpassed all my expectations and imagination.
It began not with aplomb, but quietly, with injuries and dismal trainings. Maybe it was the tailend of the Chinese zodiac year, which was apparently bad for me. Impatience did not make for good recovery, and I learnt that the hard way. I stubbornly showed up for an overseas run, but thankfully had the wisdom to forfeit it at the last minute. My friend who ran on my behalf did it in far better timing than I would if I foolishly persisted. It was a humbling start to the year.
It was impossible for me to be inactive, so I filled the empty space with travels. Work was the lifeline, with random assignments and opportunities falling in place. Work took me to far flung places, where I experienced life that opened up my world. I fell in love with the whiteness of Saarisselka, the dreamy Swiss alps, and all things Finnish and Scandinavian. I clumsily tried cross-country and nordic skiing, flirted with reindeers and huskies, and lost myself in the fjords' lushness. Silence, I learnt, had a mesmerizing and beguiling voice. Silence could be deafening.
In between figuring out the time zones, I squeezed in a medical procedure, led a corporate team up Mt KK, climbed an awesome snow mountain in China, and reacquainted myself with running and training. It was only in May 2009 that I resumed running, 8 months after a string of injuries. I was always mindful of triggering them and ran gingerly with much caution. Stepping back, I discovered more about my strengths, inclinations and dislikes, what excites and what stresses. If there was anything I learnt in 2009, it was that less was more. It was better to enter a race with fresh legs, than to overtrain and start with fatigue. I reaped unexpected PBs and wins at several running races, and gone beyond self-imposed distances. In 2009, I swam more than I ever did in my life, and fulfilled an 8-year dream of completing an Ironman race.
An expanded social and training circle meant more friends, more activities and less time. Relationships bore some brunt, I lost a few friends and regained some. Paths crossed, some cemented, some faded. The wands of friendship wielded their magic and surprised me with firm friends. The house was a lot quieter with my brother and sister abroad. In return for the rowdy clatter, I became more tolerant of the mess and inconveniences when they came home. I still angst over things that my partner does, but I am learning to focus on that which he does better than me or for me. We hit several road bumps in 2009 - some strips and some crashes - and rebounded stronger and more enlightened.
The year also saw challenges at work, changes and threats, and I am immensely grateful to weather them with a team that was more friends than colleagues. A team that daringly tried new things and experimented at the boundaries, and we had fun while doing that. I made tough, major career moves, and was extremely glad to have them steer me back when my resolve wavered.
To my mind, a fruitful year should be one of many firsts - a spirited can-experiment and can-try attitude - as well as one of furthering traditions and bettering what we already do. By that account, 2009 was 365 days well-lived. Hopefully 2010 would bring as much cheer and personal development.
Cheers!
It began not with aplomb, but quietly, with injuries and dismal trainings. Maybe it was the tailend of the Chinese zodiac year, which was apparently bad for me. Impatience did not make for good recovery, and I learnt that the hard way. I stubbornly showed up for an overseas run, but thankfully had the wisdom to forfeit it at the last minute. My friend who ran on my behalf did it in far better timing than I would if I foolishly persisted. It was a humbling start to the year.
It was impossible for me to be inactive, so I filled the empty space with travels. Work was the lifeline, with random assignments and opportunities falling in place. Work took me to far flung places, where I experienced life that opened up my world. I fell in love with the whiteness of Saarisselka, the dreamy Swiss alps, and all things Finnish and Scandinavian. I clumsily tried cross-country and nordic skiing, flirted with reindeers and huskies, and lost myself in the fjords' lushness. Silence, I learnt, had a mesmerizing and beguiling voice. Silence could be deafening.
In between figuring out the time zones, I squeezed in a medical procedure, led a corporate team up Mt KK, climbed an awesome snow mountain in China, and reacquainted myself with running and training. It was only in May 2009 that I resumed running, 8 months after a string of injuries. I was always mindful of triggering them and ran gingerly with much caution. Stepping back, I discovered more about my strengths, inclinations and dislikes, what excites and what stresses. If there was anything I learnt in 2009, it was that less was more. It was better to enter a race with fresh legs, than to overtrain and start with fatigue. I reaped unexpected PBs and wins at several running races, and gone beyond self-imposed distances. In 2009, I swam more than I ever did in my life, and fulfilled an 8-year dream of completing an Ironman race.
An expanded social and training circle meant more friends, more activities and less time. Relationships bore some brunt, I lost a few friends and regained some. Paths crossed, some cemented, some faded. The wands of friendship wielded their magic and surprised me with firm friends. The house was a lot quieter with my brother and sister abroad. In return for the rowdy clatter, I became more tolerant of the mess and inconveniences when they came home. I still angst over things that my partner does, but I am learning to focus on that which he does better than me or for me. We hit several road bumps in 2009 - some strips and some crashes - and rebounded stronger and more enlightened.
The year also saw challenges at work, changes and threats, and I am immensely grateful to weather them with a team that was more friends than colleagues. A team that daringly tried new things and experimented at the boundaries, and we had fun while doing that. I made tough, major career moves, and was extremely glad to have them steer me back when my resolve wavered.
To my mind, a fruitful year should be one of many firsts - a spirited can-experiment and can-try attitude - as well as one of furthering traditions and bettering what we already do. By that account, 2009 was 365 days well-lived. Hopefully 2010 would bring as much cheer and personal development.
Cheers!
Recovery II
Met SL, KM at Safra for another joint session. Legs were better after another round of massage.
Swim - 30 laps - 39:59min.... uh.....
Run - 5 km around Safra-Harbourfront, slow 7-8min pace
Jacuzzi! But got bored after a while sitting in a tub of hot water.
Swim - 30 laps - 39:59min.... uh.....
Run - 5 km around Safra-Harbourfront, slow 7-8min pace
Jacuzzi! But got bored after a while sitting in a tub of hot water.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Long Ride
Dragged ourselves out for a 530am ride. Groan... painful.
Why were drivers so impatient at 6am on a Sunday morning? They were all rushing to beat the traffic lights, despite 3 bicycles with blinking bright lights staring at them. Damn. I struggled to stay awake in the dark. My body just was not awake yet. I actually stopped for a while at a random bus stop along Coastal Road to stretch and perk myself up. Miraculously once past 7am, my circadian clock vanished and I was chirpy once more. Oh my. No wonder I struggled with summit attempts in the mountains, they were all carried out in the coldest and darkest hours of the day.
We rode the usual route from Casuarina - YCK - Serangoon - Tampines - Coastal and stopped at B1 for a water break. Approx. 50+km. It was tough cycling along that ECP stretch, I could not imagine running the Sundown 84 up/down there for 4 times.
Continuing, we cycled to Kallang and the F1 route, and then to West Coast Mac. 75km. Time for breakfast, I was low on sugar.
Headed to NTU (90km) for 2 loops (5km each), my climbs were bad. Stopped for a drink at the sports canteen. Next up was the Neo Tiew and Kranji area, where I loved to speed. 115km. We had lunch at the coffeeshop before riding back to Casuarina. 130km.
Why were drivers so impatient at 6am on a Sunday morning? They were all rushing to beat the traffic lights, despite 3 bicycles with blinking bright lights staring at them. Damn. I struggled to stay awake in the dark. My body just was not awake yet. I actually stopped for a while at a random bus stop along Coastal Road to stretch and perk myself up. Miraculously once past 7am, my circadian clock vanished and I was chirpy once more. Oh my. No wonder I struggled with summit attempts in the mountains, they were all carried out in the coldest and darkest hours of the day.
We rode the usual route from Casuarina - YCK - Serangoon - Tampines - Coastal and stopped at B1 for a water break. Approx. 50+km. It was tough cycling along that ECP stretch, I could not imagine running the Sundown 84 up/down there for 4 times.
Continuing, we cycled to Kallang and the F1 route, and then to West Coast Mac. 75km. Time for breakfast, I was low on sugar.
Headed to NTU (90km) for 2 loops (5km each), my climbs were bad. Stopped for a drink at the sports canteen. Next up was the Neo Tiew and Kranji area, where I loved to speed. 115km. We had lunch at the coffeeshop before riding back to Casuarina. 130km.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Festive Swim
Partied and rested for the last 2 days. What a rowdy NYEve party it was, which left me with a semi flu/ sore throat. I ended up sleeping through the first day of the year. So today I felt compelled to do something. Swim perhaps.
We headed to the HomeTeam pool in the afternoon. It started pouring heavily but cleared up in 15min. Weird weather. It lasted long enough for us to finish 30 laps, afterwhich it started raining again. Gosh.
30 laps
1 - 12:30
2 - 13:08
3 - 13:21
Total -38:59min
We headed to the HomeTeam pool in the afternoon. It started pouring heavily but cleared up in 15min. Weird weather. It lasted long enough for us to finish 30 laps, afterwhich it started raining again. Gosh.
30 laps
1 - 12:30
2 - 13:08
3 - 13:21
Total -38:59min
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)