Little Superhero Girl

Remember the story of the hare and the tortoise? The moral of that story being “the slow and steady wins the race”.

Well, I sure hope that will hold true for me at the Aviva Ironman 70.3 race next Sunday!

Judging from my performance at this morning’s sea swim… I really need to keep my fingers crossed for the waters to be nice and calm on race day.

Swimming is not my forte. And, not my favourite either. (Read previous post.) I’ve told the coach before: I am not aiming to be very fast in the water… I just want to finish the 1.9km swim comfortably, and within the cut-off time.

Yes, there is a time limit for each leg of the race:

Swim – 1.9kms - Cut off is 1:10 after your wave start in the swim.
Bike – 90.1kms - Cut off is 5:30 after your original wave start.
Run – 21.1kms - Cut off at the finish is 8:30 after your original wave start.

*This is to ensure that it adheres to the same time limits held by the Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Florida USA.

This morning, we were supposed to swim 2km within 1hr. The timing was for practical reasons as we only had the safety boat for a limited time!

Each loop, marked by red buoys in the water, was estimated to be about 430m. We had to swim four loops… plus an on-shore turn-around after two loops… which brings the total to roughly 1.8km (methinks). And my time: 57 mins.

That will only give me a 13-min buffer to finish the remaining 100m… which is sufficient, if the water conditions are as calm as it was today!

The swim leg is my biggest hurdle. In order to finish the rest of the race (ALL 113.1km of it), I need to clear the swim segment within the qualifying time. Remember, the more distance I cover, the more money I will raise for the Tetraplegia Workgroup.

If you wish to donate to my cause, it’s not too late! Do drop me an email at kianyan@gmail.com with the title “Triathlon for Tetra” to let me know the amount per kilometer that you wish to contribute. It will be a total of 113.1km of swim, bike and run.

No amount is too small : )

Wish me luck!

Charity, Race, Training Charity, Swimming, Tetra, Training

Swimming training/class has always been my biggest fear.

There will be butterflies in the stomach… and a hint of a tummy ache… as early as in the morning, as I anticipate the evening swim session with the coach.  And when it nears the dreaded 7pm, my mind has already come up with a ready list of 1001 excuses why I should not go swimming that evening.

It is a vicious circle, really.

All the anxiety built-up during the day just explodes into pseudo heart palpitations & imagined scenes of hyper-ventilation at the pool.  Which makes the swim even harder to bear.  And I have to will myself to CALM DOWN & BREATHE.

I have this fear that I will be pushed to swim so hard in the pool… that I won’t be able to catch my breath… and will struggle & drown.

I blame this ridiculous notion on ALL the adults who have collided with me in the middle of the pool during swimming lessons when I was a very tiny 5 year old… causing me to gasp desperately for air while gulping down gallons of pool water.

Yet, I still make myself go down every week (almost!) for swim training with the coach.

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Tonight, however, was an altogether different matter.

Tonight, I joined another class to make-up for some sessions I have missed.  And the dread and apprehension was even greater than normal.  This class is one notch up from my class - they swim & train harder, and the sets given by the coach are more challenging.

If I’m already struggling in the slowest class… I can’t imagine how I’m going to survive this class!

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Well, the thing about phobias is… they can be totally illogical.  And most of the time, they are just self-fulfilling prophesies.  I know mine is.

Tonight’s swim session totally blew my mind.  It was actually manageable!  And if I had not been over zealous about making sure my left elbow is nice & high in my strokes… and strained my left shoulder… I’m sure I would have completed the session with a smile on my face.

It might not seem like much to shout about.  But this is ONE HUGE STEP for me… in overcoming this phobia. *smiles*

Training Swimming, Training

… to go the distance.

I was feeling the fatigue build up, even though I had at least one rest day in a week.  My body was in a constant state of ache.  I knew I was burning out, fast.

Only 4 weeks left to race day… I was in panic-mode… I couldn’t afford to slack in my training… not now?!!  But I knew I needed to rest.

And although the mind was playing its own devil’s advocate: “Hey, you are tired… it’s a great REASON to skip training!” … “Are you sure it is not an EXCUSE just to skip training?”  I decided to put my foot down on the matter.  I’m taking a break.  I needed it badly.

Strangely, as though it was some cosmic coincidence, the weather corroborated and “supported” me in my quest to rest.  Afternoon & evening rains caused most of my regular training sessions to be “cancelled”.  And boy, was it a break most welcomed.

It was also most encouraging to read on a triathlon-coaching website… that sleep is a key recovery technique.  Now, that is something I’d be most happy to follow! *smiles*

I’ve learnt that I need more sleep than others.  Despite the fact that I had stopped all training for a couple of days, I was still feeling tired.  As such, I persisted with my rest for an entire week.  Yes, you read it correctly.  AN ENTIRE WEEK.  This is probably not what any coach will recommend.  But each person is different.  And I knew I needed the rest… not just to recover physically, but also to recharge mentally.

Now, ready to go the distance.

Training Rest, Training

As much as I am grateful for all the help I get on the rides, I often feel embarrassed that they sometimes have to interrupt their own ride in order to do so.

There is no such thing as an easy ride. And for the formula (of improvement) to work, the rest of the equation needs to be filled by one’s own determination, effort and hardwork. There is only so much that other people can help me with.

And on those days when I find it hard to shrug off the sluggishness to drag myself out of the house for a workout… I feel extremely guilty.

Guilty.

Because there are people making the effort to help me… and just what am I making out of it???

Because I am able-bodied and in relatively good health, with no major ailments other than the possession of a rather ill-disciplined mind… and have no excuses for being lazy.

I am reminded that there are others who are far worse-off than me… people who were handed out the shorter end of the stick. Like the tetraplegics… who are so alive, yet sadly trapped in a body that can’t do much.

I have options.  I HAVE A CHOICE.  But sometimes, my will is weak.

They, on the other hand, do not have many options. And most times, they do not have a choice.  Yet, their will to live is strong.

They are a living inspiration.  Making my paltry and miserable excuses seem suddenly so insignificant.

In that moment, I made a decision to dedicate the 2009 Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore race to the Tetraplegia Workgroup. They will be my motivation to get out there to train.

Better still, I can use this race to help raise money for them. And for all those people who have helped me, and are still helping me, along the way… This will be my way of PAYING IT FORWARD.

Charity, Thoughts, Training Charity, Cycling, Me, Tetra, Training, Triathlon

And help, I got… in the form of a much-needed push up the slope, when I find myself lagging behind as the others zip past.

Let’s just put it this way… Cycling with the pack is no ride in the park.

Every ride is a lung-exploding, muscle-burning experience… as I heave and pant to keep those legs moving (as fast as I can!) just so I can hang on to the group. And more often than not, that effort is just not good enough to keep up with them!

So, when a hand comes up from behind me to give me that extra boost of power… I welcome it with great relief.

Although it might not seem like much (to you)… but it helped me in a BIG way to take the pressure off cycling such a long distance (when what I really want is to take a cab home!), allay my fear of not being able to keep up, and give me that extra boost of confidence in my ability.

Most of all,  I’m touched that people are willing to help without being asked.

And so, I just want to say THANK YOU… to all those who helped push & pull me on the rides - Yusoff, Antonio, Chee Kian, Robert Tattoo, Gino (whom I didn’t even know then!), and some others whom I only know by face!  And the girls - Poh Lin, Juliana & Siew Hua- who took turns to pull me on those short-cut groupie rides, when I have no energy to pull my weight up in front.

And, of course, not forgetting the good company of the rest of the pack.

I couldn’t have done it without all your help!

Thoughts, Training Cycling, Me, Training

Thoughts, Training Me, Training