Auld Lang Syne

As 2009 draws to a close, it is customary to review the past year and make new resolutions. I couldn't help but be reminded of the song Auld Lang Syne. My favorite rendition of this song is by Rebecca Pidgeon.

The literal meaning of “Auld Lang Syne” is “Old Long Since” or “Long, Long Ago.” But because the song is in old Scot, many words are unfamiliar to me. So I looked up the meaning and some commentary:

Should old acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
and days o' lang syne?”

Commentary: These lines ask whether one can forget the days that have gone by and the friends with whom those days have been spent.

The chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

Verses

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp (pint tankard)
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll take a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

We twa (two) have run about the braes (hills),
And pou'd (pulled) the gowans (daisies) fine,
But we've wander'd monie (many) a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.

We twa (two) have paidl't (paddled) in the burn
Frae (from) morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid (broad) have roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.

And there's a hand my trusty fiere (friend),
And give us a hand o thine,
And we'll take a right guid-willie waught (goodwill drink),
For auld lang syne

It was amazing how the song speaks about running the braes (hills) and paddling in the burn from morning sun till dine (change paddle to pedal). How apt.

Here's a virtual right guid-willie waught (toast) to all my trusty fieres (friends)!

Paying for my indulgences

The last long run for the year, a 30 km effort with two 2km repeats at the end. Surprisingly it was easier to get up at 4 am in the morning for these long rides and runs than to leave the house in the evening. Guess I am more of a morning person.

Took the familiar route to Changi village, coastal road and the park connector. The last time was with TH and DA on the pre-SCSM training run in November. Nothing had changed over the past month, except that the public toilets at CV were now completed.

The key this morning was to keep HR below 150, and hopefully make a 7:00 pace. Succeeded for the most part until 20 km. Perhaps it was the sun, perhaps it was just all the indulgences of the past month and week coming back to haunt me, but it became progressively more difficult to keep the 7:00 pace at HR150.

The last part was two 2 km repeats at "fast" pace. HR went up to 170+ over this segment, but pace was only slightly better at 6:15 to 6:30.

Lesson for the day: less wine, eat wisely, and train more.

Tried the Skins compression tights for the first time. Any difference? To me, the Skins provide better support for the thighs (especially the region above the knees) compared to the 2XU tights. Perhaps this is due to the stitching / design. But overall, I thought the 2XU provided better compression.

Water, water everywhere ...

Never thought that it would be cooler to run in Singapore than in ADL. But the temperature reached 43 deg C on Wed, the day that my family and I returned to SIN.

Tuesday was a decent day for another 16km fartlek run (2km@HR155 and 1km@HR165) along my favorite Torrens River NE route, and I managed to squeeze in a short 8 km run on Wed morning round the oval for the last time.

Thursday was Christmas eve, but I was able to do a 15 km easy run that evening. It was fortuitous in some sense for it rained on and off most of this past week. HR was a little erratic, but I think it is just the HRM.

Christmas day run was another 16km fartlek (same workout as Tue's). I was quite pleasantly surprised to attain the same pace as in ADL, even with the higher humidity. Caveat - it was a cool evening run.

Boxing day was a ride with the 5 am gang, now nicknamed FOTR (Fellowship of the Ride). Good to be back feeling the sweat and humidity. It just didn't feel right to complete a long ride with a dry jersey. For more details about this ride, read post by thebesttaticanbe. I wasn't sure if my legs would be up to the challenge of Mandai and RRR after 55 km of running this week. But surprisingly, muscle memory pulled me through. And the legs felt better after the ride :)

Sunday was supposed to be a rainy day, but it rained only in the evening, spoiling my plans for a long run. Never mind ... enjoying the cool wet respite from the hot dry weather of ADL, and enjoying my favorite Asian food as well.

Would love to get back into the pool ... missing on the swim for the past three weeks.

The Fellowship of the Ride and Run

Never one for team sports (or any sports, for that matter), the most significant development this year was what I termed the Fellowship of the Ride and Run.

For different reasons, three of us in our small group bought bikes mid last year. Of course, it was only logical to ride together, first with SY and JN along the park connector, and earlier this year, to ride on the roads. It was the Tri-Factor ride that JN and I first ventured on the roads. Quite an experience that was. Our first encounter with the slopes of Thomson and our first tire puncture. That puncture was to be the first of many eventful landmarks in our Fellowship of the Ride together.

Yes, I am talking about our Sunday 5 am cycling fellowship. At one ride, the group had 11 cyclists (and that was the Thomson corner incident), but about four or five of us are the mainstay regulars.

Group riding taught me many valuable lessons. The main lesson was to look out for one another. It could simply by being responsible - calling out "car back!" to pointing out road hazards, to pulling the train, to waiting for one another. At our last ride, we said a short prayer before the ride, out of responsibility to our beloved ones back home - who might fear receiving an early morning call from her spouse's phone, but hearing someone other than the spouse's voice.

Riding is the most exciting of the three sports - but possibly the most hazardous. Recent news about another accomplished triathlete and friend who had a nasty fall reinforced this perspective. Yet, there's the lure of ever-faster speed and surmounting the next slope and the ensuing thrill of the downhill ride thereafter. Responsible riding. We ride, but being accountable to our loved ones, we ride responsibly and look out for one another. No heroics, please.

Then there's the breakfast fellowship. I recall the time when we had to shorten our ride on account of the heavy downpour, and had to make a beeline for my place. Wet though we might be, we had a hearty laugh at ourselves and a good breakfast. It was a good ride, even if we were a pathetic lot.

What do we talk about? All sort of things, from sharing riding tips, to fanciful flights of fantasy about future rides, to the latest gadgets and gears, and to common ministry work that we find ourselves committed to. Bike4COSI - our riding team for next year's OCBC cycle is one manifestation of this ministry work.

It's through these times that I feel that our group has grown closer and more intimate. Nothing like common adversity (and interests) to build bonds.

The same has to be said for the Fellowship of the Run. This year marked the launch of the running community at PMC. We had the privilege of encouraging fellow runners to run for a cause (run4COSI) and for some to achieve their running aspirations. Recently, TH and DA ran the SCSM together - the first for TH!

I had the chance to join them for a 32k long run in the lead up to SCSM, and on another occasion with DW on a 15km long run. It was these runs that allowed me to gain insights into their lives and aspirations. Yes, 3 to 4 hours of running together is a long time to talk and share.

Then there was the 9.5 hours painfest that was TNF. It was a journey of shared pain and joy with PK. Others may think we are nuts, but there're no words to express the grueling treks through rainforest and hills, through heat, humidity and rain, through sweat and tears. No, I stand corrected. The words are "Let's do it again!" --- the journey makes us sign up for two more endurance events next year - the 84km ultra and another go at TNF100 duo.

To the uninitiated, it may seem somewhat baffling and crazy for guys in their forties to don tights and sacrifice previous sleep to do the things we do. But I for one am glad that I did. For what appears to be craziness on the surface is actually a deeper spiritual work that is within us.

The Fellowship of the Ride and Run fosters accountability and discipline. We demonstrate commitment by showing up when we say we would. In so doing, we are accountable for one another in our faith journey. We demonstrate discipline in our riding, running and training. These are desirable traits to cultivate, to say the least.

In our fellowship, we confront and conquer our deepest fears. Perhaps not immediately, but we work at it, baby-steps at times, but slowly and surely we surmount our doubts and fears. Completing our first 42km, our first 60km ride, overcoming our fear of falling or that hill-that-is-our-Archilles-heel.

Perhaps more significantly there’s the issue of vulnerability. That inner vulnerable place within that we guard ever so jealously, through years of practice, not to reveal, is often brought to the altar of inadequacy when we put it all on the line. And we recognize and respect the deeper forces that are at work within us and among us.

Yes, it is this vulnerability that draws and binds us closer as brothers of the fellowship.

God willing, this fellowship may be part of the legacy we leave for our children.

If I had only three more days left ...

End of the year wind-down brought about a pensiveness that did not become of me. Perhaps it was the packing to return home after my one-month mini sabbatical, or perhaps it was simply a tinge of sadness to leave a wonderful city that had been good to my family and me.

After a 10km easy run at HR145 (first 5km under 7 min pace, and the next about 7:30 on account of the higher temperature), it was the ritual saunter with the kids at the Oval where the boys kicked ball and played in the playground. Incidentally, there was this rather bemusing sign at the entrance of the playground.


Watching flocks of birds up in the clear blue sky, with the background din of music from the river, observing the occasional runner doing intervals, dogs and their faithful owners bringing them out for walks, and soccer enthusiasts milling about, it was a good moment to savor.

If I had only three more days left, I would not have done anything different - woke up early to make breakfast for the boys, attended service to say hi to some friends, lunch at Mario's (pizza and latte), a short afternoon nap (I was tired from this week's more intensive training), time with the family, a nice jog, rounded up with a cozy dinner cooked by my beloved wife and a nice glass of Barossa wine.

A day well spent. A year well lived.

McLaren Vale recovery ride

It was only a recovery ride, but since this would be my last ride in Oz, I decided to squeeze in a ride at McLaren Vale while the family went sightseeing.

Picked up the trail at McLaren Vale town, the Coast to Vines trail that goes through wine country. This portion was the Shiraz trail. Living up to its name, the trail brought me through vine yards and wine cellars - up close and personal. Headed towards Willunga, a small village well known for its Saturday farmer's market, where our families spent many a happy morning.


The ride was flat and cut through several quiet roads. But it took the momentum away, having to stop to check for traffic. Nonetheless, it was a really scenic ride. Worked well for me as a recovery ride.

Wonder if I would have the chance to do a bike tour in the wine region - be it in McLaren or Barossa. Such wishful thinking. :)

Up-ing the ante

Longest and hardest Adelaide run to-date. Total of 20km, with 10km at HR145, and 5km at 150, 2.5km at 155 and last 2.5km at 160. Fourth consecutive day of running this week.

The temperature when I started off was cool at 16 deg C. Windy too, so I was glad to be in the sun. Headed upriver - which is my favorite route thus far. First km was slow to warm up (literally) and to get the clinks of out of the legs. Took a 100m (1 min) walk break every 5 km. Pace under 7 min per km, closer to 6:30.

Completed first 10 km in 1:15, in the city of Enfield (actually it is a suburb, and I know of another Enfield close to London, where my sister and her family live). Took a gel and had to scout around for a bin - the Australians are very particular about preserving their parks and trails - before heading back.

The next 5km back was good, actually. Pace was close to 6:30, and at times under as well. Later I realized that this was due to the slight decline. The 155 segment was good - mostly close to 6:00 as well - but the route was now undulating. The last 2.5km wasn't as bad as I thought, even though I was slower than expected - only 6:00 pace at HR160. But happy that this run was an improvement over the last run - better pace for comparable HR.

Legs felt better than expected; they're a little achy/painful the night before.



Side note: Encountered many friendly folks walking their dogs and children in prams. Also elderly folks walking or cycling. Great way to keep fit.

After thought: Checked out the weather forecast for Orlando in January. High of 22 deg, low of 7 deg C. Comparable weather. That's good news.

Further thought: At least two more long runs to go - back in the heat and humidity. :(

Heat wave!

Summer's finally here, with two consecutive days at 38 to 39 deg C. Stepping out of the air-conditioned office felt like stepping into a furnace. Every surface, wall and road radiated hot burning heat. Certainly not ideal weather to run.

However, I ran early morning on the first 38 deg day and late in the evening on the second to avoid the worst of the heat wave. Short runs - fartleks about 1:15 to 1:45 hours. The second session was long intervals - 2km at HR155, recover and then 1 km at HR165. Supposed to do this twice, but I did three sets instead for good measure. Able to come within the time targets, although HR was a wee bit higher than the 155 target.

Thu's rain brought much welcomed relief, bringing the temperature back down to the low 20s. Getting spoiled by this cool weather...

Anyway, did a short 7km recovery run around the Oval at HR145, ave pace 7:00.

Interview with Singapore's DecaIronman Dr Kua Harn Wei

Enrico recently interviewed Dr Kua Harn Wei on his philosophy, passion and achievements. Read on ...

Stalling on a climb

Many times I had wondered what would happen when stalling on a climb? Other than falling off, I mean.

Unfortunately I found that out for myself last Saturday. It was a very steep slope. But because it was short, I didn't shift to the smaller chainring. About 3/4 of the way up, my momentum slowed to a crawl and I knew I was going down. Fortunately, this was on a bike path and there was a clear bank on the right. There were shrubs and a fence on the left. So I chose to go down on the right.

Other than a dent in my ego, I was unhurt. Another episode in my riding adventures to laugh over. :)

Back to the ride. It was meant to be a recovery ride after the long hard hilly ride last weekend and after two hard runs. So I chose to go up Torrens river by the bank. Figured the bike path would be easy.

However, Adelaide is such a small city that pretty soon, I was heading up the hills (again!). It was a gradual climb (100m over 15km), except for certain steep sections! Went as far up the bike path as I could. The last part was closed for repair works. Great views even with the limited height.



40km easy ride. The legs felt tight and crampy, though. And my right butt's still sore.

Festivities

Tis the season to be jolly. Christmas is round the corner, and the festive spirit is in the air.

I couldn't help but notice this on my run yesterday evening. It was 6:30 pm when I started off (summer days in the southern hemisphere), and there was a big concert at the Torrens river. Further up, there was a Christmas display by the riverbank. Both events attracted hordes of people out to enjoy the cool Sunday evening.

Headed on the path westwards, as far as Adam St where the path was under construction. Covered 12km, fartlek-style.

That was the third fartlek run of the week. Yes, this week, I ran more than I biked. Partly training intensity was stepped up for the Jan race, and partly, I had to burn off all the excesses from the good food and wine consumed over the past two to three weeks. I had more fine dinners and great wines during this period than for the entire year.

Overall, 45km run and 40km bike. Coach has scheduled more higher intensity runs instead of long easy runs in view of my high mileage for TNF. Good to feel the burn of hard runs.

'em HILLS!

What was supposed to be a 60km ride through Adelaide Hills turned out to be a 85km crank-till-I-drop hard ride. Elevation gain of 1,917 m, highest elevation reached of 545m (Ashton). The good news, of course is that I completed the ride without the C monster. The bad news is ... well, more about that later.

Met up with Chris at Tusmore at 6 am and had to borrow his jacket as the temperature was only 12 degree C. Met up with first year undergrad Shawn, who's studying sports engineering. Headed up north for Gorge Road that runs along Torrens River heading east. Chris told me the climb wouldn't be too bad, a little steeper but not as sustained as Norton Summit. Yes, it was manageable for the first main climb to Kangaroo Creek Reservoir. I cranked it up on my favorite combo for as long as I could, and then on the small chain ring.

Headed towards Gumeracha by way of Mannum Road. Looked for a store to replenish water, but everything was closed so early in the morning. It was undulating from Gumeracha to Lobethal, but reaching 40 km with ups and downs was taking its toll on me. At one point, Shawn gave me a hand literally, but pushing me uphill. He's very strong and fast - disappearing downhill like a torpedo.

According to Chris, this would be the same route for the open stage ride in the Down Under Tour next January. We took a long break at Lobethal, and then it was decision time. To go back the same way or through Norton Summit. Either way would take another 40 km. I was astounded. I knew it was a tough climb to Norton, but what the heck, might as well do it.

As it turned out, there were about 4 main climbs, first to Lenswood, then to Basket Range, then to Ashton. Never had I surmounted so many slopes. By this time, I had gotten a better hang of climbing - HR was high, breathing was hard, but I treated it as a long walk uphill, just cranking along at 10 ~ 12 kph. I almost cramped up during one of the climbs and had to stop to stretch. Good thing I did, otherwise I would have a long long way to walk.

Chris and Shawn were really gracious, waiting for me ever so often. I had admitted earlier that Singaporean riders like me looked good, but couldn't ride. They were very patient with me, encouraging me all the way.

The last major climb to Ashton was tough. And I found it was a good time to be thankful for all the blessings I'd. I couldn't describe the elation I felt when I saw Chris and Shawn waiting at the end of that climb.

After catching my breath, it was time to descend 2 km to Norton Summit, and then all the way down.

By the time we reached Chris' home, it was past 10:30 am. 4 and a half hours (riding time of 4 hours), and a gigantic effort for me. Longest and hardest ride thus far.

See ride in Garmin connect.

View of Adelaide in background from Norton Summit

Oh. The bad news. I forgot completely the stroke mechanics I learnt earlier, and Chris and Shawn had to remind me. Pull and push, smooth circular motion. That is the key to improving on climbs. Back to basics for me.

Torrens River eastward 12k

It was time to head the other way, away from the sea. This path turned out to be much more interesting. A lot of undulating ground, wide paths and beautiful scenery.

At one stage, I had to cross the river on a swaying suspension bridge. No, I did not run across, just walked across, thank you.

Ran besides a bus-track - for buses on train tracks. Quite unusual. Many walkers out with their dogs and a few runners as well.

Would be interesting to see where this trail leads to. That'll have to wait for another day.

View run in Garmin connect.

Life in the Swim Lane

Swimming at the Adelaide Aquatic Center is a good experience on lane discipline. The 25m pool lanes were designated by swim speed - slow, medium and fast. All swimmers in the lane goes clockwise, sharing the lane. Even when there are four or five swimmers in each lane, somehow, there's no collision, fuss and problems. Swimmers automatically move up to a faster lane or down to a slower lane. Even if overtaking, swimmers do so quickly and on the lookout for others. It's that simple and that considerate.

A second good thing I learnt was how some swimmers would bring electrolyte drinks and leave them along the walkway. Hydrating even when swimming. Why didn't I think of that?

Yesterday's session: 50 laps
Last week's session: 40 laps

Up Adelaide Hills

Formidable though it seemed - at least from the morning's recce enroute to the cherry farm at Forrest Range - we were determined to give it a go.

Yes, we went up Norton Summit this afternoon, with Chris and Ben showing us the way. We met up with the two (LG friends of SY's) at Tusmore, and went by way of Magill. The climb started about 2 km into the ride, beginning from 80m and rising to 360m, a total ascent of about 270m over 7.5km. It was a sustained ride. The elevation chart showed a straight upward gradient.

It was an effort, especially for the first couple of km, but after getting into rythm, I was able to appreciate the view from up there and chatted with the others as well (short chats, mind you). HR averaged 165, with max of 170 for the climb. I thought I wouldn't be able to summit this, given the fact that we had yet to go up Mt Faber. Surprisingly, we made it almost to the top. Only hampered from the top most summit because part of the road was closed for a controlled burn.

The downhill ride was fun, but I kept braking as I wasn't so gutsy about descending.

View near summit; Chris and Ben chatting with another cyclist.


Shows the gradient of the climb up Norton Summit.

After regrouping, I thought we were going back to Tusmore, but instead, found myself in another long gradual climb. It was not as steep, and appeared deceptively easier. This second climb to Waterfall Gully was over 5 to 6 km covering 150m elevation. HR averaged 130 to 140. I didn't expect two climbs in one day, so was glad to be able to complete two in one session.

Well, for the record, Norton is supposedly the easiest hill around Adelaide. Waterfall Gully is not quite close enough to Mt Lofty to be much of a real climb. But it was a good workout. Felt that I could have gone up Norton a little faster, but then, wouldn't have been able to sustain the entire 7.5 km.

View ride in Garmin connect.

A big thank you to Chris and Ben for showing the way, and to SY for coming along on a heavy hybrid bike!