Fartlek round the Oval

For some reason, sports fields in Adelaide are often referred to as Ovals. The closest oval near to our apartment has a 2.2km track (better than bitumen) that provides a good place to train while the kids play in the field.

Last Thursday, I did a fartlek run (5 min at HR 160, 10 min at 150) x 2, and yesterday the same 3 times, bracketed by 15 min warm up and cool down. Yesterday's weather was a little cool (about 16 deg C), but it was sunny. Not many folks out on a Monday morning.

MBH commented that folks here seemed to be very fit and healthy, judging by the number of runners around the Oval. Indeed, our regard for the fitness of Australians in general have been high. One theory is that Australians love their sports and kids are encouraged to play sports from a very young age.

Is it any wonder that some of the top triathletes are Australians?

North Haven 58k bike ride

After a couple of hot days, the temperature dipped to a high of 21 deg C over the the weekend. Today's weather was better than Saturday's - no rain. So I headed out for a long ride that I recce'd a few days ago. It drizzled when I left the apartment, but soon cleared up for a sunny ride.

The ride through Adelaide city was uneventful, though there were a few traffic lights to negotiate. Traffic was light for Sunday afternoon. As I reached the Henley Beach, it was really bright and sunny. 12 km to HB. Went up north. The road along Military Road was nice and fast, especially along West Lakes. Good speed about 30 kph, at my favorite gear combination and high cadence.

Turning into the historic coastal Esplanade road, it was a little slower with many roundabouts and a big carnival. The last stretch Lady Gowrie Road was fast - easily above 30 kph, and at stretches, reaching about 40 kph. Wow, I thought I was getting better....

However, the truth hit home when I turned around. Immediately encountered strong headwinds. The strongest I'd ever experienced. The closest was along the Lakeshore in Chicago. Each strong gust of wind veered the bike off line. It took full focus just keeping the bike under control. Had to go slow... crawling at 15 to 20 kph. All 10+ km.

Decided to turn off earlier at Grange Road where the wind was a little better. Later I found out that it was a 37 kph SW wind. Sure took its toll on me.

After a gel break, I felt better and managed the last 15 km. Got a little lost on the way back, and took the river track back. A nice long ride. It had been a while since I went above 50 km.

30 minutes after getting home, it rained again. What a weekend. What an experience riding against strong headwinds. No wonder I didn't see many cyclists out this afternoon.

Lesson learnt - check weather conditions AND wind conditions before riding. :)

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.

Races in 2010

As it turned out, TNF100 was my last race for 2009.

No SCSM for me this year, as I head off to Adelaide with the family for a month. Originally wanted to participate in the Adelaide triathlon, but that turned out to be once in two years.

So training for the Walt Disney marathon in January, and then the Aviva 70.3 in March.

Coach advises focusing on a few A races in 2010, and cutting down on events. So tentatively, here's my schedule of races for next year:

Jan: Walt Disney marathon
Mar: Aviva 70.3
May: Sundown 84km
Jul/Aug: Desaru long distance/Philippines 70.3
Oct: NF100 duo
Dec: Phuket 70.3?

The last race is still in the air as I could be headed for Tokyo for a short sabbatical. Then there's the Angko Wat bike rally and half marathon that I'd like to do as well.

Looks like 2010 will be a year of long distance events - 70.3s and ultras.

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!

When skin meets gravel

I suppose one of the perils of road cycling is having a close encounter of the unpleasant kind. We all don't wish it to happen - but they inevitably occur. Last Sunday, DB - a strong cyclist who is training for the Aviva 70.3 - had a freak accident while we were cycling down Woodlands.

We were having a good ride till then through the rolling slopes of Mandai and had a good break. Perhaps we were just a little too complacent and comfortable, conserving our energy for RRR. The traffic light changed to red as we were approaching, and we had to brake. But we weren't going very fast. Unfortunately, DB - taking the rear - braked too suddenly and hard and had a flip.

For a few moments our hearts were in our throat as we saw him motionless lying face down. He was bleeding from the brow and nose. He appeared dazed and didn't respond, possibly due to the concussion. We moved DB off the road to the shoulder island and called for an ambulance. By the time the ambulance came, DB was able to talk and respond.

Imagine our relief when we found out later when we got to the hospital that the scan showed no brain damage, and no broken bones. It was fortuitious that DB suffered only a fractured nose, cuts and two chipped teeth.

Unfortunately, that was not the first accident that our cycling group encountered. A few weeks ago, another accident occured when we were negotiating the turn from Old Thomson Road. Two cyclists had to brake suddenly, and one flipped. The good thing was that the rider was fine while the bike had to go to A&E.

What can we learn from these incidents? The main lesson is that our top priority must and always be safe riding. Guidelines for riding safe:

• Never go too fast and never take unnecessary risks.
• Stay alert at all times, especially late in the ride when fatigue sets in.
• Go to bed early when riding early the next morning.
• Don't drink the night before.
• Tell your group if you have difficulties before and during the ride.
• Be alert to the members condition/state of being while riding.

The second lesson is a technical one:

• Get the right helmut in terms of fit and robustness.
• Set the brake calipers a click or two wider.
• Aim for the cassette of the bike infront instead of the wheels.

Get well soon, DB!

TLog: Of perfume and sweat

The smell of perfume is unmistakle, especially when you don't expect it. There I was, doing my drills at the pool when the wiff of perfume caught my nose shen I rotated to breathe. And I smelt it before I could see the swimmer.

Talk about distraction. Perhaps I am just becoming more sensitive to olfactory stimulus?

I suppose we are more comfortable with the smell of sweat. The very next day, I was pedaling down coastal road when another cyclist overtook me. Usually, there weren't that many cyclists on the road at 6 am on a weekday. I decided to draft him, and came close enough to smell the sweat off him. I'll take sweat over perfume any time.

Anyhow, I increased my cadence to over 90 to build up to 30kph (at big chain ring and third largest rear gear), and went closer to 100 to overtake. At least I had the satisfaction of knowing that my speed could be achieved at that gear combination with high cadence. So the past high cadence sessions seemed to be working.

Then there's the smell of stale sweat that goes with gyms and workout machines. The handles and floor reeked of musty fetid sweat. That's me going back to the gym for weights training. Must have been months since I did weights, so started light with just three sets.

Misery loves company

find this mildly amusing that last week saw the largest number of visits and page views on this blog since its inception almost 18 months ago. 322 visits and 478 page views, more than double the weekly averages of 133 and 193 respectively.

The reason for the high traffic? My guess is that someone listed this blog on TriFam re: TNF100 race. Yes, my greatest disappointment for the year and the reason for the high traffic volume!

Do readers find comfort in misery? Or sadistic joy? :)

TLog: new focus

Now that TNF is over, this is a recovery week before restarting training with a different focus to prepare for next year's Aviva 70.3. The shift in focus will be more intense cycling and swimming workouts.

Mon: 24 lap easy swim
Tue: easy 5 k jog/walk
Wed: 41k bike ride focusing on cadence
Thu: rest
Fri: rest
Sat: 30 lap easy swim
Sun: 41k bike ride focusing on cadence

Essentially the same route for Wed and Sun - Changi coastal and Selarang, with minor variations. But Wed was on fifth cog while today's ride was on third largest cog. Average cadence went up to 89 cp 70. Speed fell about 1 to 2 kph while HR went up from 133 to 140 average. Good to feel the spin. Now to maintain 80 - 90 cadence while working to smaller gears. Hopefully speed will improve. :)