Less is More

On two counts.

First, taper started this week, and with that lower volume but same intensity. Still did a 3.8km TT swim w/o wetsuit (6th), bike intervals and brick run.

Second, contentment (αυταρκεια) signifies a competency, a sufficiency; that measure or portion of secular things which is necessary for the support of life. So it is with training. The rest is faith.

Less is more.

Bounded Convergence Theorem

This is the mathematical definition of the Bounded Convergence Theorem (BCT):
 if ƒ₁, ƒ₂, ƒ₃, … is a sequence of uniformly bounded real-valued measurable function which converges pointwise on a bounded measure space (S, Σ, μ) (i.e. one in which μ(S) is finite) to a function ƒ, then the limit ƒ is an integrable function and

Convergence is due on Dec 4 at this event known as IMWA.

TdB reloaded

Is it in the nature of man to settle unfinished business? As Alice Hoffman writes,"Unfinished business always comes back to haunt you."

I was in two minds whether to take part in this year's Tour de Bintan. It was not crucial to my prep for IMWA, with the emphasis on race-specific training, and in fact, it was definitely a detour, if not a distraction. But in view of the poor display last year and because of unfinished business, I bit the bullet and went for it. However, I was clear that this would just be a training ride, with nothing more to be expected other than to finish.

And so it transpired that I managed to make the cut-off time, and complete the 150km just under 6 hours. But not without significant help from the kind weather (overcast and rain instead of unrelenting sun), shorter route (no Tg Pinang, 5 km shorter), 12-29 cassette in addition to the compact crank, and no strong wind along the coastal stretch. 


Ok, end of post. The rest is just indulgence on my part.


The best way to describe the ride was a series of snapshots, matched with mental pictures from last year.


Start from Simpang Lagoi: It was all the familiar roads and slopes. Deja vu. Tried to take it easy so as not to get cramps later on. But HR was above 160 to keep up with the peleton, with average speed above 30 kph for the first 15km. Just drafted William and Heng from Westpac. Instead of sun, we had rain. It poured.


KOM part 1: Yelp, the slopes did not change. Thankful for the compact crank and 12-29 cassette. Kind of glad when KOM 1 was over.


Coastal stretch: Quick drink stop before this stretch and lost the peleton. Managed to catch up with a young lad from Indonesia and then latched on to a strong lady rider going above 32kph. After a while, I took over to pull, but some faster guys came up and I was content to stay behind and draft. Where's the strong headwind?


Back to undulating terrain: The sun came out in her full glory. The C monster came as well, at about 60km. Hello, my old friend. Slowed and spinned it off.


Town detour: The only segment where we could see who's ahead. Needless to say, all the rest were ahead, but only saw IN. The school kids were out in force as usual. Couldn't help waving to them, although many kept asking for water bottles :(  


Surprise: Saw a photographer snapping pictures, and only on closer look did I realize it was DC. Just out of his foot cast, and yet there to support his friends!


Water stops: Last year, we ran out of water just before the left into the town. This year, we had more water stops, and well supplied. Skipped the second water stop. And had to wait till 107 km for the next top up. I was down to only an eighth of a bottle by then. 


Tg Pinang: Images of how I suffered through the hot and humid conditions when passing this town last year were waiting to be mapped. But the route this year went around the town through a series of smaller roads. No complains from me.


The-long-demoralizing-slope-that-defeated-me: Next up was this mental image of the killer slope where I dismounted to walk (upon seeing so many others doing the same) and where I spent agonizing minutes by the side seized up with cramps. Now, where is that slope? I kept looking at my watch and anticipating that climb, hoping that my cramps wouldn't go into convulsion. Only when I was half way up did I realized that I had gone up on the large chain ring. A ghost-past laid to rest. (The cramps did come on, but thankfully I managed to spin them off).


Cut-off time: Next up was a constant tap on the time. 2:20 pm was the cut off for 125km. That was where my stage 1 ended last year. We had to do the second KOM before the 125km mark (due to the new route), and I was happy to get that over with. By 2 pm, I was safely past the dreaded cut-off. Hallelujah.


25km more to go: My spirits were high, but not for long. The unrelenting climbs, though not tedious by any measure, took their toll. Keeping HR below 150, my average speed fell to below 25kph. 


Last 10km: Ate my bars and M&Ms but it was still tough going. Especially the last 10 km. Then it started pouring again, and with lightning in the distance. Wondered what would happen if I got hauled off due to inclement weather, with only 5 km more to go. That would be a real bummer. Never been so happy to see the last 2km and 1km markers and then the 100m countdown to the finish line. No one to chase at that point, and not even my virtual partner from last year. 


5:54 on my Garmin (excluding three water stops and a dropped chain stop). It felt good to cross the finish line and for a moment, I thought I would cry. But it was just dirty rain water.


Good to see some of the guys there, finished in good time! And collected my finisher medal. 

One less unfinished business.

3.8k TT Swim

It's somewhat gratifying, the unexpected improvement in the least relevant discipline.

12 Oct: 1:35 (ws)
20 Oct: 1:28
3 Nov: 1:24 (ws)
8 Nov: 1:21 (ws)

If only the bike and run were making similar progress. Wishful thinking.

The world of second best

What is first best? In economics-speak, first best is when information is complete and everyone acts rationally. In the real world, we operate under incomplete information and irrationality. That is the world of second best, when optimality conditions cannot be satisfied. Does it mean that we don't act optimally in the world of second best. Not at all. There is still an optimal action/outcome given non-optimality conditions. We should still do the best we can even though we are not at the preferred optimum.

Indeed that should always be the case, for we are never in the first best world. Things can and do go wrong - in races, in training and in life. We just have to make do the best we can.

And that is good enough.