Torrens River 30k easy ride

Summer was definitely here. 30 deg C this afternoon, so I opted for an evening ride along Torrens River, heading west towards the sea. The paths in the City were well marked and paved. But those in the outskirts were narrow, windy and gently undulating.

Interestingly, I rode past woods, on paved road (due to construction), cemetery, wooden pathways and overhands, bridges, through residential suburbs, farms (yes, the smell of cow shit was undeniable) and finally, the beach (West Beach/Henley South Beach). Because of the narrow path, road condition and afternoon glare (riding towards the setting sun), the speed averaged only 19+ kph. A few short but steep inclines to keep things interesting.

Passed many other cyclists, mostly on mountain bikes, as well as runners. Most were friendly.

I didn't particularly like this route for biking, but would be a great route for running. :)

View ride in Garmin connect.

Torrens River easy 10k run

The feeling of running in a dry cool weather under a clear blue sky, along a picturesque river bank would best be described as ... uplifting. Yes, I ran an easy 10k this morning along the Torrens River in Adelaide, South Australia. And for the next month or so, my posts would be about running and cycling in Adelaide.

After a red-eye turbulent flight, settling into our apartment, grocery shopping, and orientating with the city, it was good to be out for an easy run. Chose the easiest route - head toward the river and run along it.

The cool air (15 deg) along with the sun made for an easy affair, HR about 140 to 150.

See run in Garmin connect.

Assembled the bike (took more time to dismantle and pack!) and all ready for an easy ride. Planning to ride toward the ocean, possibly on the weekend.

Training-wise, it'll be more running to prepare for the Jan marathon.

Now to find a swimming pool...

Mandai and Rifle Range Road

There's nothing like some nice slopes to get excited over, cycling-wise. Have not been up Sembawang Road since our first ride. Usually turn left into Seletar Reservoir, and since Jodan told us that going straight up is more challenging, we thought we'll check it out.

There are two long slopes. At the top of the first slope, we turned left into Mandai Avenue for the second long climb. Certainly longer than the reservoir route and yes, it was challenging! The other factor was the wind along Mandai Avenue. Somehow, I felt the crosswind today, especially with the 50mm wheels.

Towards Mandai Shell, AY and JN overtook PK and I on the fast sprint portion. JN would later overtake me on the incline towards Namly. He is really improving!

Next up was RRR. As usual, the first 1 km or so set the tone. It was tougher going up than coming back. Good workout!

Distance: 44km.

Total Immersion revisited

Read Terry's latest book on TI swimming while on the plane to Chengdu. It's an update, less wordy and covers more pointers such as imagining a track with shoulders on each rail (hence not crossing over), lowered arm and curled hand, etc. There's also a few chapters on TI for breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly style.

So what's theory without practice?

Today's swim session was mainly to put the latest TI tips to work. Slowed down considerably just to get the gliding motion back again. The key change was to hold my hand by the side (or in the latest TI terminology, tucked into the jeans pocket) so as to glide more. Another was to start counting strokes again (18 to 20 per 50m). With the slowdown, I had to resist the temptation to kick more. The most significant improvement was a better sense of balance.

The verdict? I was happy that I could cover 60 laps comfortably (HR would be in the 140s) and for the last few laps, I was happy to shave off 15 sec per lap just be increasing the pace.

Longest swim session todate. Good workout.

Conceivable and achievable

John Bingham in a recent RW article notes that the marathon has gained in popularity because it is increasingly conceivable and hence achievable. How true.

Having completed 7 marathons and a 50-k ultra, I find myself in a strange but familiar place of contemplation. The contemplation involves speculating on the possibility of completing 84k within 15 hours.

Why the familiarity, you may wonder? Just two years ago, when I laid hands on the Aviva 70.3 tee, I could not conceive how it was possible to cover such distances. And I told myself that it would be my goal to complete the distance, even though I couldn't swim a decent 300m. That was the point of conceivability (is this a word?). Now I work towards achieving that goal.

More recently, I accomplished another goal of running 50k before age 50. That was conceived after I completed my first marathon. So conceived, so achieved.

So naturally, the next step up is the 84k.

The contemplation involves examining calories from gels and cereal bars and electrolyte drinks, having learnt how ultra-athletes fuel themselves while on endurance races/training. I contemplate various race strategies and outcomes. I wonder if I can do it.

I vacillate between doubt and faith. But doubt appears to be receding (just like my hairline).

The point is this: 84k has become conceivable. And I am pondering the hows.

Update on Tokyo marathon

Out of 10 responses, 70% say go for Tokyo! Much appreciated to have overwhelming support from readers to run Tokyo. It is certainly the best race I'd taken part in.

Unfortunately, I'd to disappoint my good friend PG and forgo Tokyo next year. The reasons?
(1) It's too close to Aviva 70.3, and I'd really like to put in some serious training for my first attempt at that distance.
(2) To preserve matrinomial harmony and conserve goodwill for other races in 2010! :)

That said, I'm setting my sights on Tokyo in 2011. Perhaps can get a bigger contingent to go up together.

Sushi, sashimi, tenpayaki; run; sake with sushi, etc (in that order).

Midweek ride with JoyRiders

It was with a mixed sense of anticipation and apprehension that JN and I rode to LH to join the JoyRider Wed newbie ride this morning. We'd heard much about the group, how large and enthusiastic the group is, and how fast they ride. But promptings from Sharon and Jodan brought us there - just to see for ourselves.

The website notes that newbie rides are at about 27 kph. With some mileage in the bank, we thought we could meet that speed.

We were early arriving at LH, reaching there about 4:50 am. Only one other rider was there. Within minutes, more than 40 to 50 gathered, all with blinkers and all primed for the ride. Caught up with Sharon and Joyce, and got introduced to many others. A friendly bunch of guys.

As newbies, we suck to the rear. Riding in twos is something we are new at, so we tended to leave some distance between us and the front cyclists. The route was via Thomson and Upper Thomson Road, not our usual Old Thomson Road. Almost missed the Mandai/Seletar reservoir turning. Several did not turn, opting to go the easier (?) route.

As we were not going to do RRR, we thought we would push it a bit along this stretch and we did have a good workout. Joyce teased us for overtaking, but the truth was that we were pretty flat by the end of this stretch.

We were among the last to arrive at Mandai Shell, and with less than a couple of minutes rest, the train was rollin'.

Got caught behind a traffic light and we saw later that Sharon and another lady rider were waiting for us. Thanks, ladies!

We got back at 6:11 am. Couldn't believe how early we were done.

Overall, good ride. Ave speed: 27.7 kph, a tad faster than our usual.

We really appreciated how the seasoned riders took care of us, especially making sure that we were ok.

Riding in a big group posed different challenges. It was almost like a race where we had to look out for others constantly. To consider overtaking, and looking back to see if the path was clear. To have others overtake us. To slow down or speed up with the group, etc. What we couldn't see was the front pack... only at the start at LH and at Mandai Shell. Real speedsters they were!