Because we all love hollywood...
in one of my earliest post i spoke about the difference between a TRIathlete and a TRYathlete. i spoke about the guiding principles that make and differentiate the two sets of athletes in the triathlon universe and how both are celebrated depending on your aim in this universe.
last night while celebrating arif's first sub-5 marathon despite worrying about a returning knee injury just two days before and reminiscing about how far we've come since our first sprint together at a'famosa i realised TWO things:
1. dawning of a new era
while he has had tremendous improvement in his performance (albeit slower progress than he would have liked, and me thinking he's fantastic) i had pretty much stayed where i am. YET amongst good friends we have been blessed with equal support, encouragement, compliments and our fair share of loving 'fans' (i.e not people who worship us but people who genuinely care and like to track our well being in the tri universe)
it got me thinking about that try-triathlete post and suddenly it dawned on me that my favourite tryathlete was becoming a triathlete. he, of course, was a bit sad.
our conversation went something like this:
A: but baby, my blog is called Trying to Tri and the blogspot is TRYathlete1403!
S: well i'm still beyond cut off after finishing within cut of.. so go figure. change it if you wanna be correct about it
S: and when people ask you why you do this, you can no longer say because it's fun.
A: but it is!
S: baby, your definition of fun is different from norm. your idea of fun is aiming to clock 50k run weeks. that to the NORMAL human (not even the average human) is nuts.
A: but that is fun.. :(
S: yes of course! for a TRIathlete..
A: ... :(
He then put up a small effort to justify that he was still a recreational athlete. poor guy didn't stand a chance when i started asking if his training schedule had recreation written all over it (had to name every training schedule and behaviour and forced him to admit that he actually enjoyed the training pattern he designed himself). he felt better after i told him that there's no shame in what he is slowly becoming. of course there's more room to grow, more hours needed, better more structured training to be formed but if he held on to being recreational, his mindset would be holding him back. it would be an excuse to say 'ah well, missed the timing.. that's ok. i'm recreational after all' (two 10ks + one 15k + one 20k per week in mind - recreational my arse!)
after much rationalising, reassurance and showing him how proud i was that he was naturally evolving into a different kind of athlete we 'cheers-ed' to a new beginning.
*naturally, if he ever wanted to be a tryathlete again, we will still applaud him and welcome him with open arms. or if he decides to swing both ways and become a... BIathlete perhaps? hey, any thing's better than being a couch potato - but let's leave the BIs for another time!
2. becoming diva
which then left the other part of the conversation: me.
my question was how was it possible to be congratulated and complimented when i'm, as newly defined by arif, 'euro-cool' about training?
(euro-cool = to train by FEEL. only train if and when i feel like it and even if i was training, i only push when i feel like it and never on someone else's terms)
how is it that i manage to outgrow my newbie status but kept newbie performances (or sometimes even worse than newbies) and still celebrate my 'achievements' of finishing a race? heck, even my dnf at powerman last year was somewhat celebrated.
one word: DRAMA.
yup. it's no longer about what i accomplished but HOW i accomplished it. finishing remains important but how it was achieved gave my races life.
think about it: i am slowly but quite surely becoming a DRAMAthlete:
powerman 2008: dnf because i passed out at such an early stage of the race. had to be whirled back in a van to the ambulance that was not prepared because it was too early in the race.
IM2009: completed with a not particularly fantastic time, but with a hole in my foot and hospitalised for 5 days after that
NB15k: took me close to 4hours to finish and i tore some back muscle fibers that took me out of action for 10 days with help of double dose painkillers
and my latest epic: SCKLM, 7 hours but what happened?
this is what happened: (caution: graphic details entrails. stop reading if you have a weak stomach)
the truth: did not train. plain and simple, hence 7 hours.
the truth well sold: this needs more flair
my target was to try a get a new pb timing. which meant an easy sub-6. what happened apart from euro-cool training the months before was that my last official water station was about 15k into the race. i was so slow, the water stations had ran out of water from the 21k mark onwards. after that 15k water station, i relied heavily on the charity of friends like Azmar who gave me a powerbar and water at about 17k and Budin who bought me a bottle of water at 21k, and a race official that swapped my bottle at 25k when he saw me refueling water at the shell station's men's toilet. thankfully the water stations at later parts (35k, 38k and 40k) were replenished by the time i got there.
but you would wonder: she needed a whole bottle at 17, 21 and 25?? was she showering herself? why so much water for such short distances between?
well, it's a bit embarrassing to say, but i needed it to 'kinda' shower. more like legs and below.
erm.. ok here goes (gory! gory!)
somewhere between 15k and 17k, i felt the familiar warmth of the month. not kidding. i realised i didn't bother calculating this month and did a quick mental date check and voila! 'relatives' had arrived on schedule.
bummer.
then the dull cramps set in and my back felt a bit sore.
double bummer.
THEN! it started to trickle.
DRAMA!!
first thing that came to mind was 'and to think i wanted to wear a white skirt this morning!'.
and since i had no money and medic was not even sophisticated enough to have counterpain let alone a sanitary pad, i had to wash myself to avoid noticeable traces with every blob, and trickle.
quite tricky since it was already starting to get bright by that time and i wanted to avoid running in wet, blood stained socks! (sorry.. but there's more)
anyway, good thing is i was wearing a black skirt, so this hid the nasty stain and the mess on my inner thighs.
bad thing is i was wearing a skirt, which held more water when wet than normal shorts.
the entire race after that, so that's for about 25k or close to 5 hours i ran/jogged/walked with a dripping skirt, a suspicious looking trail, wet inner thighs, deteriorating energy level and limited water supply.
see the drama?
probably psychological about lack of energy with blood loss and being immensely uncomfortable, by the time i reached the finish line i thought i was going to collapse.
good thing stupe was there to take me to the finish line.
AND to add drama, i approached the finishing line with the clock striking twelve: the mellow bell was ringing. comfort and encouragement from stupe. my dad's voice shouting from the nearby pavement...'hurry senn! the clock is striking twelve'. i honestly felt like cinderella rushing home before my carriage disappeared!
bad thing stupe was there to shower me while i sat on a white plastic chair! (sorry stupe, i really appreciated and enjoyed the shower. just didn't realise the mess it made after!)
fully drenched, the mess became worst. stains were just trickling and dripping uncontrollably. i was in the medal tent with some 15 other late comers and i didn't want to get up from my white chair. i asked arif if it was noticeable and he said (rather calmly i thought) 'you're dripping blobs through the chair'.
finally mustered the courage and thick skin to just get up. got a couple of worried stares from knowing women about the familiar coloured pool left on the chair, and walked back to the car looking like i was wounded waist down.
dad made me sit on a doubled towel and drove his princess home - knackered and admittedly defeated from the race.
was that good drama or bad drama? i'll let you critics decide.
i'll just admit this much: i am a dramathlete. love hollywood but may appear more bollywod at races.
a drama queen full on.. but honestly not on purpose.
may even start writing race trailers rather than reports! (not that i reported much facts in the past anyway!)
*from the racer of 'there's a hole in my foot' and 'bloody hell!'. IM70.30 Putrajaya.. what would you do if this happened to you? - coming this july*
p.s my dad did great for his first 21k by the way. he said he's motivation was to say 'c'mon senn!' to himself, hoping to fool his mental game and not give up. 3:02 and mighty proud.. :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
I am MACHO
If you're a person looking for a new hobby, whatever it may be, it pays to listen to those that are already in the hobby for advice.
How many of us have done something on an 'introductory' level yonks ago and then decide to take it up for real and think you can wing it base on your past experience?
How many of us in this group then think that things could not have been so different from the past experience and that you would know what to do and don't see what the fuss is all about?
I know a couple of people and have been one myself.
I'm also the sister of one such person.
For months now dad has been cycling on his own. I bought him an old steel bike and it seem to work well for him. Nothing fast, nothing far.. just leisure morning rides on his own, at his own pace.
Dad has also been proud of his progress. Conquering from 5k to 15k now 20k ride with a 5k run after.
And like any proud man, my dad has been cornering everybody in the family and telling them of his daily conquest. Always ending with the same line "not bad, huh?"
With me, the line goes "i'm not racing like you.. i go steady.. not bad, huh?"
My second brother, Lok, is one of my dad's favourite victim. And like a fish to bait, lok always falls for dad's "not bad, huh?" trick.
What's the trick?
Well, i believe dad says that line for a purpose. Like a bait to talk more about his conquest.
In the past i had teased him and he would continue like a broken record what he did and always end the same.
"not bad, huh?" was dad's way of saying "ask me, tease me, mock me, i wanna tell you more about my conquest!". some conversations can have him saying that for 3 times!
being his only actively cycling daughter, i was most exposed to this trick but learned pretty quick that if you wanted the subject changed, just say "yup" and smile.
there will be silence.. it will be uncomfortable.. but hold your stand. just say nothing.
if you are disciplined enough, this is what dad will do (in sequence):
1. he will swing and clap his hand (like trying to loosen his shoulders)
2. mumble to himself "yeah.. not bad"
3. one hand on waist, the other touching his imaginary stubbles
4. stay quiet for a few seconds.. then say "yeah, ok.."
5. leave you in peace.
Lok on the other hand, never learned this trick.
Every "not bad, huh?" thrown at him has been lapped up like a hungry puppy.
Lok would tease, laugh, ridicule, and give a sacri remark much to my dad's pleasure. And they would go on throughout dinner.
Two weeks back lok said he wanted to do some excercise. Dad pounced on the idea and suggested cycling (followed by daily conquest and bait question)
Lokker didn't have a chance.
Lok's view of cycling was this:
1. "it's an easy hobby, i did it all the time as a kid"
2. "what's the fuss about the tight shorts?"
3. "dad rides a BIG seat!"
so 'heated' was the discussion of cycling to exercise because lokker didn't believe it was much of a challenge or a hobby to fuss about.
finally, a 20k challenge was set up between dad and lok with me as the referee. the date was set at that week's coming saturday itself.
The father vs son 20km challenge was simple, it was not about speed and there was no prize-winner. It was more of a pride thing and the first person to koyak/get off the bike loses.
The day started early, 6.30am at my house in putrajaya.
My dad was very steady throughout, cruising at his own speed, about 20-25km/h.
Lok was a different story.
Here's the conversation snippets I had with him that will give you an idea of what i mean:
6:45am, 0km
Senn: Lok, i think you need to wear cycling shorts. here's mine, i never wore it .. too big.
Lok: er.. ok. looks gay
Senn: grey? ya it's grey.
Lok: no, gay.. gay..
Senn: just wear it.
7:00am 0km
Lok: senn, how do you walk in these tights? like wearing a sanitary pad!
Senn: you'll get use to it.. btw, howchu know what a sanitary pad feels like?
Lok: i've seen you walk
Senn: sharrup! you wearing underwear?
Lok: ya-a.. it's disgusting without
Senn: you'll get chaffing
Lok: can we remove this jelly seat cover?
Senn: i think it'll help your cushioning
Lok: i'll risk it.
7.15am - race starts
7.30am 5km
Lok: my butt hurts... i think i need a thicker padding
Senn: did you pull it up snug? got to make sure you are seating on the padding.
Lok: sigh.. i'll just stretch...
7.35am still 5km
Lok: are we there yet?
Senn: nope. we need to ride to the end of this road.
Lok: my butt hurts
7.40am about 7km
Lok: you know, if my chain didn't drop earlier, i would be cycling in front with dad
Senn: u-huh.. guess that's why he's getting smaller and smaller now!
Lok: ya! sheesh.. are we there yet?
Senn: we've just cycled 7km.. almost there. drink water.
Lok: can't.
Senn: why?
Lok: might fall. dont they have those people in cycling that feeds you and stuff in a race?
Senn: yes, they are called domestiques.
Lok: ya senn.. feed me!
Senn: just stop and drink
(Lok tries to coast and drink)Lok: ta-daah! i did it.
Senn: good job, you're far better than most newbie girls i've ridden with!
7.50am 10km turnaround.
Met up with some saturday lumba haram-ers at the dead end
8.00am push back home
8.10am about 13km
Lok: my butt hurts
Senn: ya.. just now arrogant, right?
Lok: ya man.. "don't like cycling shorts, take out jelly seat"
Senn: now suffer, right?
Lok: ya..
Senn: now whine like girl, right?
Lok: ya...
Senn: now wished you had that jelly seat, right?
Lok: ya..
Senn: last week dad said you can have his strawberry seat, whatchu say? "don't want, too big, ugly" now you wish you had it, right?
Lok: no.. now need bigger.. a sofa!
8.45am Alamanda Hill
Senn: Lok, big kahua hill. be steady and just go at your pace
Lok: ya, ok got it.
Senn: don't push ya? after leg cramp
Lok: My butt hurts.. legs ok
Senn: ok.. then you should be ok.
Senn at peak, slightly after the crest, waiting in the shade
Dad cycles towards Senn
Senn: Lok?
Dad: Think he's suffering
8:50am Alamanda Hill
Dad walks to peak
Senn: Is he walking?
Dad: dunno, cannot see him
8:55am Alamanda Hill
Dad: think the poor fellow's walking
9:00am Alamanda Hill
Dad walks to peak again
Senn: walking?
Dad: haha.. yea.. poor fellow. walking
9.05am Alamanda Hill
Dad: ok, can see his helmet
Senn: good job, Lok!
Lok: Wheeze wheeze
Dad: don't worry. i walked up the first time i did Alamanda too. It's tradition
Senn: i didn't..
Lok: you're weird.
9.20am race finish..
9.40am
Senn: So Lok, wanna buy your own bike?
Lok: howabout i take your cow bike
Senn: Can, but you must use the pink saddle and pink bartapes
Lok: how girly! maybe i respray it yellow with black spots... like leopard
Senn: lucky you didn't say cheetah.
Lok: why?
Senn: at you're speed, it's either your cheetah is pregnant or you'll just embarass your bike.
***
THANK YOU:Nurina - for your perfect bike.
Mac & Arif - taking turns marshalling and sweeping
***
The race was two weekends ago.
Today, I will be going to check out a second hand bike for Lok.
He has decided that it would be best to let an experienced rider help him out with his new hobby :)
How many of us have done something on an 'introductory' level yonks ago and then decide to take it up for real and think you can wing it base on your past experience?
How many of us in this group then think that things could not have been so different from the past experience and that you would know what to do and don't see what the fuss is all about?
I know a couple of people and have been one myself.
I'm also the sister of one such person.
For months now dad has been cycling on his own. I bought him an old steel bike and it seem to work well for him. Nothing fast, nothing far.. just leisure morning rides on his own, at his own pace.
Dad has also been proud of his progress. Conquering from 5k to 15k now 20k ride with a 5k run after.
And like any proud man, my dad has been cornering everybody in the family and telling them of his daily conquest. Always ending with the same line "not bad, huh?"
With me, the line goes "i'm not racing like you.. i go steady.. not bad, huh?"
My second brother, Lok, is one of my dad's favourite victim. And like a fish to bait, lok always falls for dad's "not bad, huh?" trick.
What's the trick?
Well, i believe dad says that line for a purpose. Like a bait to talk more about his conquest.
In the past i had teased him and he would continue like a broken record what he did and always end the same.
"not bad, huh?" was dad's way of saying "ask me, tease me, mock me, i wanna tell you more about my conquest!". some conversations can have him saying that for 3 times!
being his only actively cycling daughter, i was most exposed to this trick but learned pretty quick that if you wanted the subject changed, just say "yup" and smile.
there will be silence.. it will be uncomfortable.. but hold your stand. just say nothing.
if you are disciplined enough, this is what dad will do (in sequence):
1. he will swing and clap his hand (like trying to loosen his shoulders)
2. mumble to himself "yeah.. not bad"
3. one hand on waist, the other touching his imaginary stubbles
4. stay quiet for a few seconds.. then say "yeah, ok.."
5. leave you in peace.
Lok on the other hand, never learned this trick.
Every "not bad, huh?" thrown at him has been lapped up like a hungry puppy.
Lok would tease, laugh, ridicule, and give a sacri remark much to my dad's pleasure. And they would go on throughout dinner.
Two weeks back lok said he wanted to do some excercise. Dad pounced on the idea and suggested cycling (followed by daily conquest and bait question)
Lokker didn't have a chance.
Lok's view of cycling was this:
1. "it's an easy hobby, i did it all the time as a kid"
2. "what's the fuss about the tight shorts?"
3. "dad rides a BIG seat!"
so 'heated' was the discussion of cycling to exercise because lokker didn't believe it was much of a challenge or a hobby to fuss about.
finally, a 20k challenge was set up between dad and lok with me as the referee. the date was set at that week's coming saturday itself.
The father vs son 20km challenge was simple, it was not about speed and there was no prize-winner. It was more of a pride thing and the first person to koyak/get off the bike loses.
The day started early, 6.30am at my house in putrajaya.
My dad was very steady throughout, cruising at his own speed, about 20-25km/h.
Lok was a different story.
Here's the conversation snippets I had with him that will give you an idea of what i mean:
6:45am, 0km
Senn: Lok, i think you need to wear cycling shorts. here's mine, i never wore it .. too big.
Lok: er.. ok. looks gay
Senn: grey? ya it's grey.
Lok: no, gay.. gay..
Senn: just wear it.
7:00am 0km
Lok: senn, how do you walk in these tights? like wearing a sanitary pad!
Senn: you'll get use to it.. btw, howchu know what a sanitary pad feels like?
Lok: i've seen you walk
Senn: sharrup! you wearing underwear?
Lok: ya-a.. it's disgusting without
Senn: you'll get chaffing
Lok: can we remove this jelly seat cover?
Senn: i think it'll help your cushioning
Lok: i'll risk it.
7.15am - race starts
7.30am 5km
Lok: my butt hurts... i think i need a thicker padding
Senn: did you pull it up snug? got to make sure you are seating on the padding.
Lok: sigh.. i'll just stretch...
7.35am still 5km
Lok: are we there yet?
Senn: nope. we need to ride to the end of this road.
Lok: my butt hurts
7.40am about 7km
Lok: you know, if my chain didn't drop earlier, i would be cycling in front with dad
Senn: u-huh.. guess that's why he's getting smaller and smaller now!
Lok: ya! sheesh.. are we there yet?
Senn: we've just cycled 7km.. almost there. drink water.
Lok: can't.
Senn: why?
Lok: might fall. dont they have those people in cycling that feeds you and stuff in a race?
Senn: yes, they are called domestiques.
Lok: ya senn.. feed me!
Senn: just stop and drink
(Lok tries to coast and drink)Lok: ta-daah! i did it.
Senn: good job, you're far better than most newbie girls i've ridden with!
7.50am 10km turnaround.
Met up with some saturday lumba haram-ers at the dead end
8.00am push back home
8.10am about 13km
Lok: my butt hurts
Senn: ya.. just now arrogant, right?
Lok: ya man.. "don't like cycling shorts, take out jelly seat"
Senn: now suffer, right?
Lok: ya..
Senn: now whine like girl, right?
Lok: ya...
Senn: now wished you had that jelly seat, right?
Lok: ya..
Senn: last week dad said you can have his strawberry seat, whatchu say? "don't want, too big, ugly" now you wish you had it, right?
Lok: no.. now need bigger.. a sofa!
8.45am Alamanda Hill
Senn: Lok, big kahua hill. be steady and just go at your pace
Lok: ya, ok got it.
Senn: don't push ya? after leg cramp
Lok: My butt hurts.. legs ok
Senn: ok.. then you should be ok.
Senn at peak, slightly after the crest, waiting in the shade
Dad cycles towards Senn
Senn: Lok?
Dad: Think he's suffering
8:50am Alamanda Hill
Dad walks to peak
Senn: Is he walking?
Dad: dunno, cannot see him
8:55am Alamanda Hill
Dad: think the poor fellow's walking
9:00am Alamanda Hill
Dad walks to peak again
Senn: walking?
Dad: haha.. yea.. poor fellow. walking
9.05am Alamanda Hill
Dad: ok, can see his helmet
Senn: good job, Lok!
Lok: Wheeze wheeze
Dad: don't worry. i walked up the first time i did Alamanda too. It's tradition
Senn: i didn't..
Lok: you're weird.
9.20am race finish..
9.40am
Senn: So Lok, wanna buy your own bike?
Lok: howabout i take your cow bike
Senn: Can, but you must use the pink saddle and pink bartapes
Lok: how girly! maybe i respray it yellow with black spots... like leopard
Senn: lucky you didn't say cheetah.
Lok: why?
Senn: at you're speed, it's either your cheetah is pregnant or you'll just embarass your bike.
***
THANK YOU:Nurina - for your perfect bike.
Mac & Arif - taking turns marshalling and sweeping
***
The race was two weekends ago.
Today, I will be going to check out a second hand bike for Lok.
He has decided that it would be best to let an experienced rider help him out with his new hobby :)
Friday, March 6, 2009
Heroes are just people blessed with more guardian angels than most
5 days and 20 hours after crossing the finishing line at Langkawi, I am finally home and able to write about my epic adventure.
4 days after crossing the finishing line at Langkawi, I was told that I was a hero and an inspiration to my friends in this small multi-sport circle. I was so touched I wept.
3 days after crossing the finishing line at Langkawi, I found myself on a cold hospital bed, right leg elevated above my head, sharing a ward with four others in the maternity wing wondering how the hell I landed up in this mess.
Well, I know exactly how I landed in this mess. And I also know that I would be in a bigger mess without my guardian angels:
Exactly one week ago, I was in Langkawi with Arif, Mac, Adeline and many other IM hopefuls and our fantastic supporters.
The Friday had not gone smooth at all.
My parents arrived in the morning to find out that the hotel does not have their reservation. I had to fight with the reception lady as I have made reservations last year and checked just the week before whether they had my reservations. Suddenly, my reservation record was ‘missing’.
After sorting my parents’ accommodation, we headed for bike check in.
At bike check in, I asked the bike boutique mechanic to check my gearing. The mechanic could not fix the jumping gear (the chain would drop whenever I back peddled on my big ring). He finally just said I had no choice but to ride the bike with “chain drops”. He said it was normal and there was nothing he could do about it (!). I only had 7 working gears.
I was so stressed out and dumbstruck I just sat in the jetty mall by myself wondering how I was going to race the next day. I am grateful for my first guardian angel, arif, who came to my rescue and took over the situation. He managed to pull Daniel away from the bike check-in line to take a look at my bike.
I was told that I had a missing washer from my cog and a couple of my back spokes were frayed and dangerous to ride with. After fiddling with the cog for about an hour, we decided it was much safer to switch my wheels with Mac’s. Thank god my guardian angel #2 had decided to come in full support mode.. he helped me get to the starting line.
Switching the wheels didn’t work as the gear still wouldn’t stick. That’s when Daniel said my bike’s geometry is such that it pushes my crank outwards. So, he removed my crank and started filing it to make it more aligned.
We left at 7pm after spending 3 hours at the bike transition area, just getting my bike to work. Not a good psyche to have the eve of raceday.
I also lost my pretty little pink camera that Friday. Not sure where it went but it really added onto the unnecessary stress I was already feeling with my bike.
The morning of raceday I was still feeling the stress from the day before. Heavy doubts of not making it that day weighed my spirits down.
So dark were my feelings that I excused myself, walked towards the dark parking lots and for the first time, I smoked before a race! I felt alone and was certain my day was a failure.
That’s when I cried.
Out of desperation, I prayed.
I prayed to god to keep me safe.
I prayed to the spirits of Langkawi to be kind. I told them I have been humbled by the challenges they have given me the day before and I was sorry if I have offended them with my loud behaviour, days leading to Saturday.
I prayed to mah-mah, my parental grandma who passed away exactly 1 year that Saturday. I told her I missed her and asked her to take care of me through the entire race.
I then laughed and said “while you’re at it, I’ll appreciate it if you’ll make me a little faster too!”
Feeling better, I rejoined my friends and met my mom at the transition entrance. She said “everything is going to be ok”
That didn’t last long.
Less than 15 mins into the swim (prolly about 500m at my speed) I was pushed by the mass swimmers towards a buoy. I did a breaststroke kick to reposition myself and kicked something sharp underneath.
I felt a warm sensation on my right foot and did a turtle flip to check what was going on. I remember saying “crap, my bad day isn’t over. The prayers were done too early in the morning for anyone to hear it!”
I had a deep gash, about an inch wide. My skin flapped open like a fish gill. Blood was oozing like a red ribbon in the water.
The salt water made the wound numb and I decided to swim a little quicker to get medic help on land.
Medic help on land might as well be medic help on Mars!
The medics were so dumbstruck by the urgency of my voice they just looked at me and my wound repeatedly. My wound was not washed. They only managed to slap gauze on it and taped it in place.
My race would be over had it not been for the other guardian angels I met along the way:
Faaisal for my 1st painkiller on the bike. It lasted me the whole 180k.
The le tuangers for the endless cheers up and down the bike loop. Knowing they were taking pictures distracted me from pain for awhile and I looked forward to bumping into them or passing the “GO! Le Tuang” message at bkt malut.
Getting off the bike and putting real pressure on my foot for the first time felt like a white electric strike up my foot. But the run leg was where angels just kept popping out left and right!!
“Comfort angel” Arif for walking with me for almost a loop.
“Unexpected angel” Bernard for my 2nd painkiller.
“Super guardian angel” Mac for meeting me at the run turnaround to pass me more painkillers. And “IM08 returning angel” Patrick for ensuring Mac got my message of wanting painkillers. (not sure when, but I took another 3 in total to survive the run.)
“Unsung but definitely important angel” Adeline kept me going on the run. Trying to keep up with her was a real challenge! Her comfort and company throughout the trip made me wish I had a sister.
Even “sluggish angel” Ishsal’s determination made me think twice for slowing down!
And the endless stream of ‘supportive, spirit uplifting angels” of le tuang and imcyclist.com for cheering me on and telling me I’m doing fine although I’m sure I got them pretty worried. Shazly, Kharis, Luvis, Azly, Mervyn, Jim, Jason, Din, Willie, Tip, Azura, Aileen, Aini, Zabrina, Lin, Alisa, and many more.. I owe you my medal.
Now it’s been 6 days since crossing the auspicious line. While many of my angels have retired after a good day’s work, one angel is still on duty.
To me he has since been promoted from “comfort angel” to “grand supreme angel”. For his patience, his endless care and support. From helping me stay focus through adversities the night before race, to taking me to hospital, to ‘hero-ising’ my IM attempt, to taking me home, to my coming two weeks of daily hospital visits for wound dressing. I am glad he volunteered to be the resident angel in my life.
Thank you Arif, I am only a hero because of you.
4 days after crossing the finishing line at Langkawi, I was told that I was a hero and an inspiration to my friends in this small multi-sport circle. I was so touched I wept.
3 days after crossing the finishing line at Langkawi, I found myself on a cold hospital bed, right leg elevated above my head, sharing a ward with four others in the maternity wing wondering how the hell I landed up in this mess.
Well, I know exactly how I landed in this mess. And I also know that I would be in a bigger mess without my guardian angels:
Exactly one week ago, I was in Langkawi with Arif, Mac, Adeline and many other IM hopefuls and our fantastic supporters.
The Friday had not gone smooth at all.
My parents arrived in the morning to find out that the hotel does not have their reservation. I had to fight with the reception lady as I have made reservations last year and checked just the week before whether they had my reservations. Suddenly, my reservation record was ‘missing’.
After sorting my parents’ accommodation, we headed for bike check in.
At bike check in, I asked the bike boutique mechanic to check my gearing. The mechanic could not fix the jumping gear (the chain would drop whenever I back peddled on my big ring). He finally just said I had no choice but to ride the bike with “chain drops”. He said it was normal and there was nothing he could do about it (!). I only had 7 working gears.
I was so stressed out and dumbstruck I just sat in the jetty mall by myself wondering how I was going to race the next day. I am grateful for my first guardian angel, arif, who came to my rescue and took over the situation. He managed to pull Daniel away from the bike check-in line to take a look at my bike.
I was told that I had a missing washer from my cog and a couple of my back spokes were frayed and dangerous to ride with. After fiddling with the cog for about an hour, we decided it was much safer to switch my wheels with Mac’s. Thank god my guardian angel #2 had decided to come in full support mode.. he helped me get to the starting line.
Switching the wheels didn’t work as the gear still wouldn’t stick. That’s when Daniel said my bike’s geometry is such that it pushes my crank outwards. So, he removed my crank and started filing it to make it more aligned.
We left at 7pm after spending 3 hours at the bike transition area, just getting my bike to work. Not a good psyche to have the eve of raceday.
I also lost my pretty little pink camera that Friday. Not sure where it went but it really added onto the unnecessary stress I was already feeling with my bike.
The morning of raceday I was still feeling the stress from the day before. Heavy doubts of not making it that day weighed my spirits down.
So dark were my feelings that I excused myself, walked towards the dark parking lots and for the first time, I smoked before a race! I felt alone and was certain my day was a failure.
That’s when I cried.
Out of desperation, I prayed.
I prayed to god to keep me safe.
I prayed to the spirits of Langkawi to be kind. I told them I have been humbled by the challenges they have given me the day before and I was sorry if I have offended them with my loud behaviour, days leading to Saturday.
I prayed to mah-mah, my parental grandma who passed away exactly 1 year that Saturday. I told her I missed her and asked her to take care of me through the entire race.
I then laughed and said “while you’re at it, I’ll appreciate it if you’ll make me a little faster too!”
Feeling better, I rejoined my friends and met my mom at the transition entrance. She said “everything is going to be ok”
That didn’t last long.
Less than 15 mins into the swim (prolly about 500m at my speed) I was pushed by the mass swimmers towards a buoy. I did a breaststroke kick to reposition myself and kicked something sharp underneath.
I felt a warm sensation on my right foot and did a turtle flip to check what was going on. I remember saying “crap, my bad day isn’t over. The prayers were done too early in the morning for anyone to hear it!”
I had a deep gash, about an inch wide. My skin flapped open like a fish gill. Blood was oozing like a red ribbon in the water.
The salt water made the wound numb and I decided to swim a little quicker to get medic help on land.
Medic help on land might as well be medic help on Mars!
The medics were so dumbstruck by the urgency of my voice they just looked at me and my wound repeatedly. My wound was not washed. They only managed to slap gauze on it and taped it in place.
My race would be over had it not been for the other guardian angels I met along the way:
Faaisal for my 1st painkiller on the bike. It lasted me the whole 180k.
The le tuangers for the endless cheers up and down the bike loop. Knowing they were taking pictures distracted me from pain for awhile and I looked forward to bumping into them or passing the “GO! Le Tuang” message at bkt malut.
Getting off the bike and putting real pressure on my foot for the first time felt like a white electric strike up my foot. But the run leg was where angels just kept popping out left and right!!
“Comfort angel” Arif for walking with me for almost a loop.
“Unexpected angel” Bernard for my 2nd painkiller.
“Super guardian angel” Mac for meeting me at the run turnaround to pass me more painkillers. And “IM08 returning angel” Patrick for ensuring Mac got my message of wanting painkillers. (not sure when, but I took another 3 in total to survive the run.)
“Unsung but definitely important angel” Adeline kept me going on the run. Trying to keep up with her was a real challenge! Her comfort and company throughout the trip made me wish I had a sister.
Even “sluggish angel” Ishsal’s determination made me think twice for slowing down!
And the endless stream of ‘supportive, spirit uplifting angels” of le tuang and imcyclist.com for cheering me on and telling me I’m doing fine although I’m sure I got them pretty worried. Shazly, Kharis, Luvis, Azly, Mervyn, Jim, Jason, Din, Willie, Tip, Azura, Aileen, Aini, Zabrina, Lin, Alisa, and many more.. I owe you my medal.
Now it’s been 6 days since crossing the auspicious line. While many of my angels have retired after a good day’s work, one angel is still on duty.
To me he has since been promoted from “comfort angel” to “grand supreme angel”. For his patience, his endless care and support. From helping me stay focus through adversities the night before race, to taking me to hospital, to ‘hero-ising’ my IM attempt, to taking me home, to my coming two weeks of daily hospital visits for wound dressing. I am glad he volunteered to be the resident angel in my life.
Thank you Arif, I am only a hero because of you.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Race kit, waste kit
Ever wonder whether anybody actually took the time to think about what should really go into a race kit?
after 3 years of racing, i finally received a race kit with sense. well, it wasn’t an actual race kit, more like a goodie bag from the penang fellowship ride organised by the KOTRT boys. in it were the rider number, a t-shirt, a water bottle and a backlight (!). when i saw it i thought “wow.. now this is a race kit not a waste kit”
definition:
race kit: the oh-so-crucial kit to be collected before race day. contains your race number, briefing/route booklet, race itinerary and sponsor goodies like powerbars/gels, visor cap and anything else that is race related.
waste kit: still the oh-so-crucial kit to be collected before race day and technically contains the same must have race items above but with different sponsor goodies.
naturally, the sponsor goodies that make a race kit are things like, powerbars/gels, backlight, water bottle, hydration salts/pills, sun block, even the t-shirt i got at that penang ride. sure, one does not wear a t-shirt during a ride, and i didn’t wear it either. BUT for other newbies, this t-shirt was very useful – it came with the ride route printed behind.
nonetheless, there are some sponsor goodies that made a race kit, a waste kit. here are some of the prominent ones i’ve received:
1. maps to local attractions and festivity dates
i understand the need to promote tourism, but seriously most of us only make it an annual pilgrimage to that one race weekend and none of the touristy dates fall on race weekend. even if it did, would i, after having traveled so far, trained so hard, paid so much, say “hey.. i know race is tomorrow, but erm, let’s cancel it to go see the annual international pottery competition!”? nuh-ah.. i don’t THINK so.
2. visit malaysia pins
right. so… what exactly are we suppose to do with these pins? we can’t pin our race numbers because they only provide one. and they’re not really secure.. so might poke us as we tuck into aero positioning. plus, it’s heavy.
3. plastic clappers
honestly, i love these clappers. they’re so cute and i won’t hurt myself if i wanted to clap for long periods of time. keyword here being “IF”, and IF i did.. how would i be able to do that when i’m racing? did they think i was so lonely that the only show of support i’ll get is by cheering and clapping my own self while racing?
maybe that’s why it’s a single hand held clapper.
maybe it’s suppose to be for the benchside barbie/ken that tagged along over the weekend (then give it to them directly.. don’t stuff my race kit and confuse me!)
4. handheld plastic fans
again, love the item, love the concept (i geddit.. it gets hot at races) but useless to me while i race. perhaps one day when i’ve mastered the art of fanning while on my aero tuck or while running.. won’t use it for the swim though, in case they mistake it for a front propelling device and disqualify me.. (eureka! get two handheld fans and train swimming with them on. far cheaper than pedals!)
5. shampoo & nescafe 3-in-1 sachet
ok-ok.. maybe this is pseudo waste kit material. because you can use it to clean up after race and have a nice hot coffee. received this at the recent 50km putrajaya walk, it was a 12-hour overnight race, starting at 8pm. at least they gave you the option of washing your hair mid-race and have a cup of coffee (bag even came with a ceramic mug!) at dawn just before crossing the finishing line!
6. toilet seat sanitiser spray
saving the best for last… the toilet seat sanitiser spray is formulated with anti-bacteria properties, and promises to kill up to 99% of the germs on a toilet seat. to use effectively, simply wipe the surface of the seat dry, spray it on and wait for 15secs. wipe dry after 15secs, use when necessary.
how naïve.
when, pray tell, has anybody found it necessary to sanitise the seat during a race? i can almost imagine chrissie wellington, winner of IM07, Kona going:
“o my! i need the loo..”
“euw! look at the state of that seat!”
“thank goodness i have my seat sanitiser” (brilliant smile facing audience)
“tut-du-du.. i’ll just spray it on and wait… 15 secs”
“wipe and go!”
the waiting is one thing.. have they even seen what the toilet seat looks like later in the race? it’s a biohazard!
tsk! tsk! tsk!
why can’t we get sponsor goodies that make sense to the racer? a spare tube, a co2 canister, quick lace-locks, anti-fog spray for goggles, deodorant, stuff like that.
did they really think i would train my swim with two handheld plastic fans, wear the visit malaysia pin proudly on my trisuit at IM, wash my hair at T1 coming in from the salty sea, race really hard into the night only resting for that 15secs here and there while my toilet seat gets sanitised and drinking coffee to keep me awake on the long run and not feel lonely when i cross the finishing line beyond cut off and everybody’s gone home because “hey! i have my own clapper! i’m my own cheerleader!”?
but sponsors are not all to blame. i’m sure they know how hard it can be.. they know what would make a good sponsor premium to us racers.
and after a hard day of racing, going through all that anxiety, pain, and emotional turmoil, perhaps they were right.
perhaps i should have known better, skipped the race and gone to that annual international pottery competition instead!
after 3 years of racing, i finally received a race kit with sense. well, it wasn’t an actual race kit, more like a goodie bag from the penang fellowship ride organised by the KOTRT boys. in it were the rider number, a t-shirt, a water bottle and a backlight (!). when i saw it i thought “wow.. now this is a race kit not a waste kit”
definition:
race kit: the oh-so-crucial kit to be collected before race day. contains your race number, briefing/route booklet, race itinerary and sponsor goodies like powerbars/gels, visor cap and anything else that is race related.
waste kit: still the oh-so-crucial kit to be collected before race day and technically contains the same must have race items above but with different sponsor goodies.
naturally, the sponsor goodies that make a race kit are things like, powerbars/gels, backlight, water bottle, hydration salts/pills, sun block, even the t-shirt i got at that penang ride. sure, one does not wear a t-shirt during a ride, and i didn’t wear it either. BUT for other newbies, this t-shirt was very useful – it came with the ride route printed behind.
nonetheless, there are some sponsor goodies that made a race kit, a waste kit. here are some of the prominent ones i’ve received:
1. maps to local attractions and festivity dates
i understand the need to promote tourism, but seriously most of us only make it an annual pilgrimage to that one race weekend and none of the touristy dates fall on race weekend. even if it did, would i, after having traveled so far, trained so hard, paid so much, say “hey.. i know race is tomorrow, but erm, let’s cancel it to go see the annual international pottery competition!”? nuh-ah.. i don’t THINK so.
2. visit malaysia pins
right. so… what exactly are we suppose to do with these pins? we can’t pin our race numbers because they only provide one. and they’re not really secure.. so might poke us as we tuck into aero positioning. plus, it’s heavy.
3. plastic clappers
honestly, i love these clappers. they’re so cute and i won’t hurt myself if i wanted to clap for long periods of time. keyword here being “IF”, and IF i did.. how would i be able to do that when i’m racing? did they think i was so lonely that the only show of support i’ll get is by cheering and clapping my own self while racing?
maybe that’s why it’s a single hand held clapper.
maybe it’s suppose to be for the benchside barbie/ken that tagged along over the weekend (then give it to them directly.. don’t stuff my race kit and confuse me!)
4. handheld plastic fans
again, love the item, love the concept (i geddit.. it gets hot at races) but useless to me while i race. perhaps one day when i’ve mastered the art of fanning while on my aero tuck or while running.. won’t use it for the swim though, in case they mistake it for a front propelling device and disqualify me.. (eureka! get two handheld fans and train swimming with them on. far cheaper than pedals!)
5. shampoo & nescafe 3-in-1 sachet
ok-ok.. maybe this is pseudo waste kit material. because you can use it to clean up after race and have a nice hot coffee. received this at the recent 50km putrajaya walk, it was a 12-hour overnight race, starting at 8pm. at least they gave you the option of washing your hair mid-race and have a cup of coffee (bag even came with a ceramic mug!) at dawn just before crossing the finishing line!
6. toilet seat sanitiser spray
saving the best for last… the toilet seat sanitiser spray is formulated with anti-bacteria properties, and promises to kill up to 99% of the germs on a toilet seat. to use effectively, simply wipe the surface of the seat dry, spray it on and wait for 15secs. wipe dry after 15secs, use when necessary.
how naïve.
when, pray tell, has anybody found it necessary to sanitise the seat during a race? i can almost imagine chrissie wellington, winner of IM07, Kona going:
“o my! i need the loo..”
“euw! look at the state of that seat!”
“thank goodness i have my seat sanitiser” (brilliant smile facing audience)
“tut-du-du.. i’ll just spray it on and wait… 15 secs”
“wipe and go!”
the waiting is one thing.. have they even seen what the toilet seat looks like later in the race? it’s a biohazard!
tsk! tsk! tsk!
why can’t we get sponsor goodies that make sense to the racer? a spare tube, a co2 canister, quick lace-locks, anti-fog spray for goggles, deodorant, stuff like that.
did they really think i would train my swim with two handheld plastic fans, wear the visit malaysia pin proudly on my trisuit at IM, wash my hair at T1 coming in from the salty sea, race really hard into the night only resting for that 15secs here and there while my toilet seat gets sanitised and drinking coffee to keep me awake on the long run and not feel lonely when i cross the finishing line beyond cut off and everybody’s gone home because “hey! i have my own clapper! i’m my own cheerleader!”?
but sponsors are not all to blame. i’m sure they know how hard it can be.. they know what would make a good sponsor premium to us racers.
and after a hard day of racing, going through all that anxiety, pain, and emotional turmoil, perhaps they were right.
perhaps i should have known better, skipped the race and gone to that annual international pottery competition instead!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
I finally came in first!
Malakoff Duathalon, Lumut 9.11.2008
could it really be me? am i the first runner his referring to?
“431, 431.. girl.. girl” he said
but hang on.. what’s that he’s saying?
the scene passes quickly yet it seemed like forever that i was there. so much confusion, so much urgency in everybody’s voices.. i hear an ambulance in the distance but i can’t see it.
what’s happening.. am i not first runner in?
we suddenly stop.. it is calm again. i can hear my breathing. i hear somebody mumbling, i look around to trace the voice. three faces looked at me. and then I heard it..
“oh! dah tumbang lah tu!”
he placed me onto a day bed in the ambulance and starts taking off my shoes. another man comes up. a flash in my left eye.. another in my right.. i blink. he asked me questions i can answer but only mentally. i somehow could not speak.
“are you asthmatic?” he asked, “no” i said inside.
“did you eat?” he asked, “i think so” i said inside.
“can you hear me?” he asked, he looked a bit worried so i said “penicillin”
don’t ask me why i said it, i’m sure a simple ‘yes’ would have been sufficient at that time, but it was the first word that came out of me.
“what?” he said, “i’m allergic to penicillin” i replied.
finally, he laughed “don’t worry, we’re not going to give you penicillin, you’re probably exhausted, or had a sudden low blood pressure. lie here, we’ll check your oxygen levels in your blood. you’ll be fine soon..”
there you have it. my first victory.. my first “faster than everyone else”. of course we’re talking about under the circumstances of being the first to require emergency medic help and an instant pull out from the race.. but the fact remains, that after 3 years of racing, i finally came in first!
and like most first timers, i’ll like to share with you the events that lead to my ‘victory’.
the day started pretty normal. woke up at 6am, cycled to start point at 6.45am, reach transition at 7am. race starts at 7.30am.
at transition, i realised i left my riding shoes in the hotel. panicked a little but made a quick counsel and decision to ride back to get them.
rode back to hotel, grabbed shoes and headed back to transition. i reached transition at 7.20am.
flung my bike on the rack, arranged my shoes, placed my helmet, ransacked my transition bag for my number and my breakfast bar, reset my bike computer, grabbed my sunnies, grabbed my sunblock, got chased out of transition by marshal at 7.25am.
heard the lady say “5mins to start”, ran to start line, found my buddies and asked for help slapping on sunblock while i tried to eat my breakfast. was told i could give my sunblock to another buddy supporter, ran to him about 80m away and ran back still trying to finish half a bar. before i could swallow, the race started.
so off we went. i was actually feeling quite good. somehow faster and lighter than normal. i said to myself “must have been that fast and furious warm up i had, i’m already sweating buckets!”
first water station, i rewarded my fast pace with a brisk walk pass the station. still feeling strong but perhaps pushed a bit too hard first part. so, i started running again but at a slower pace. but water from the station made me feel a bit queasy, especially since i had just swallowed my bar not too long ago.
i slowed down a little more, tiring to settle my stomach.
as I approached the second station, just before the 5k mark, i thought “ok, very queasy now.. starting to see a bit of spots and can feel the bar escaping me”
at that time, Rahim had just passed me at a good pace. feeling up to it i told myself “walk to station, after station, there’s a van, hide in front of the van and puke (didn’t want to disgust the other runners so early in the morning!), then catch up with Rahim”.
i looked at my timing “not bad.. this could be one of my faster 5k!”
so I wobbled, controlling my restless bar, drank some water, and headed for the front of the van, away from everybody.
i bent over to let it rip, resting my hands on my knees, when the grass suddenly looked grey and my head very light. a thought came to mind “wonder what would happen if i just rested my head on the ground?”. i looked to my left and the van had a fender bar. i thought it would be a good idea to reach for it and held it for balance while i puked instead.
i reached for the fender bar but i’m still not sure if i touched it because next thing i know, my eyes won’t open and i hear people speaking in a rush.
i open my eyes to see the sky, i was on my back and a girl was speaking to me in mandarin. not sure what she was saying so i just stared. nothing seemed to register and nothing seemed to be moving.
i was confused and rolled to my side to push myself up. nothing happened. instead, for the strangest reason, my eyes were fixated on an ant sniffing a blade of grass. i don’t know why i was so attracted to the ant and i don’t know why i was looking at it and not getting up instead. i just looked at it with a blank mind.
finally, i hear English “ok, this one cannot wait already” and whoosh! a man scooped me up from the ground and carried me into the van. i felt like jello!
even as i lay in that van, and later in the ambulance, i couldn’t believe what happened. did i really pass out? i was just trying to throw up, and i always felt better after throwing up. why did i plop down and close my eyes? the race had only started! why would i do such a thing.. now my race is over!
much later, as i sat at the back of the imcyclist van i thought of what i’ve done while watching people coming in from their bike leg. a huge sense of guilt, and regret came over me. i felt that what happened in the morning could have been avoided. i should not have thought about resting my head on the ground, i wouldn’t have passed out.
i felt sad, angry at myself and defeated. so, i called that number we all have. that number that we always called when we wanted to feel less lonely and more loved. when we wanted to tell ourselves "it's ok" but needed to hear it from someone else just to be sure.
i rang his mobile but no answer. “maybe he’s home” so i called there.
as he said “hello”, i’m suddenly 6 years old again. with a lump in my throat, i tried to sound normal and said “hi dad, can I speak to mom?”
he replied equally cool “ya, ok. hang on”. but you could hear him rush, calling out for my mom, great urgency in his voice. and then you can hear mom, rushing to the phone.
“why senn? what happened? did you fall, are you hurt? don’t cry.. just tell me what happened”
like a 6 year old who climbed a tree, fell and now can’t play with all her friends, i told my mom what happened between sobs. all just to hear her say those magical words - it’s ok, just enjoy the rest of the trip with your friends and try again next year.
and honestly, i really did after that. i passed my camera to willie to take pictures, i watched and cheered my friends, i gave my water to a runner in need. by the time most of them finished, i’ve resigned to the fact that shit happens and i’ll just have to try again next year.
i had a good balance of concerned friends, well wishers and friendly slander.
here are some of my favourite slander moments, all shared in good faith and loads of adoration:
#1
senn: they didn’t have water in the ambulance, so I drank saline! yuck!
ishsal: maybe it was so early, they didn’t even have time to prep that ambulance and you came in!
#2
mac: where did you pass out?
senn: at the second water station, before the 5k mark
mac: so technically is that worst than dnf? because you didn’t even pass the first timing mat, your timing would say dns!
senn: haha! you’re right.. man, what a waste of a good race
mac: what a waste of a timing chip!
#3
alwin: what happened la?
senn: passed out even before 5k man..
alwin: o! you just said “malas to race” and faked your pengsan, issit?
#4
senn: the medical attendant asked me if this was my first race and i replied i’ve been racing for 3 years!
ishsal: you should have said, “i’ve done an ironman! TWO in fact”
senn: haha.. wonder what he’ll say then..
ishsal: mm.. “yea right, 5k pun tak habis.. nak buat Ironman!”?
#5
ade: when did you pass out?
senn: it was before the 5k mark. i think even before 8am
ade: o! very early ya..
ishsal: well, you know how it is: if she ain’t going all the way, she might as well be the first to quit!
#6
mac: we need petrol. the light’s been on for some time already
ade: don’t worry, next rest stop area is coming up
ishsal: ya, i see the signboard coming up
senn: ya mac, don’t worry. it’s so near, worst case scenario i’ll walk to the station. but i must warn you, if it’s further than 4k, i might pass out before reaching the station!
***
thank you:
* malakoff: for your team’s quick response to my emergency.
* mr mystery man in the van for acknowledging my urgent need of medical assistance, carrying my weak body and rushing me to the ambulance instead of waiting for it to arrive.
* ms mystery mandarin speaking red crescent volunteer for seating behind to make sure i didn’t fall of the seat of the van. by the way, you still have my rudy sunnies.
congrats to all winners and finishers. to all DNFs or DNSs, don’t worry, come back and i’ll finish the race with you next year!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Learning to tri from Bali..
I read in someone's blog that everything you do in life can be a lesson to be learnt for races.
after coming back from a tiring weekend in bali, let's see if that's true:
1. this is me fooling around in the hotel pool:
after coming back from a tiring weekend in bali, let's see if that's true:
1. this is me fooling around in the hotel pool:
of course, you'll wonder.. what's the lesson here? well, i thought about it too and found this other video:
what happened? i'll tell you what happened. i tried to do a new trick unprepared and something i'm not familiar with. water went up my nose and ruined the video.
so lesson 1, tying back to triathlons is.... never try anything new on race day!
always ensure you try everything (a friend of mine does not even try new socks on raceday) during training and not on race day itself. even if the item is old but has not been tested for the distance, don't risk it.
earlier this year i had hoped to wear my matching pink decente cycle shorts for langkawi. i had worn it for desaru 2007 and it worked out well with the long distance. but i figured "180k is double the distance".
so when the opportunity came up to cycle to lumut from center point, i took it.. and would you know it... 50k no problem, 70k nothing, 90k still in tact, 95k ouch! but not too bad, 100k what the...
i retired shortly after with really bad chaffing. strange isn't it? good but just not that good enough. good thing i found out before langkawi, it saved my race (of course along with the pills mom gave for the tummy ache)
2. this is me checking out my swim strokes
i'm sure some of you 'quick-eyed' ones will say "is that her bikini coming off?" (haha... made you watch the video again, didn't i?)
well, if you must know.. it was hanging.. semi off the right side.
so, lesson 2: wear proper attire.
seriously! and there's no hard and fast rule to what is proper. you will still need to test it.. and not on raceday. i once wore a new tri top bought day before the race. i figured, it's a tri top, must be appropriate.
nope! it was too loose and i had loads of air pockets in the swim. very uncomfortable. so make sure you wear and test your attire before a race.
o yes! and feel free to give constructive feedback on how to improve my swim strokes
3. Tough women (note the lady with two dive tanks on her head!)
i dived for the first time in my life over the weekend. it was a good experience and while waiting for my lunch to settle, i saw these women carrying dive equipment back to the car. one lady in particular had two dive tanks on her head! i was thinking.. lordy me! i can't even carry one on my shoulder! (the dive instructor actually had to help me put it on in the water)
so how does she do it and what's the link to races?
lesson 3: it's not the equipment. it's the skill.
how many of us have heard or are guilty of blaming our lack of speed, endurance, strenght on our race equipments? c'mon.. honestly..
i think we all have. one point or another it's either bike too heavy, shoes to stiff, swimgear chaffing.. etc. as a result, we spend more and more money upgrading our gear in hope that along with it comes an 'upgraded' performance. newsflash: it's not the medium, it's the engine..
i do, however, have friends who do not seem to matter what equipment they have. in fact, some ride and run in the most basic of levels and are super fast.
ironman randy is one of them. of course at races he whips out his super duper tri bike. but at training, his bike is heavier than mine! and yet, he flies.
ngae is another star to learn from. while perhaps running barefoot is not for most of us, it is a clear example that your equipment does not define your preformance. i remember i once saw him at the start line with tapes around his toes and selected areas of his foot. it was one of the first times i've spoken to him. being ignorant i thought he had blisters. i asked him "did you hurt yourself?" he replied with his charming self "no la. i woke up early today.. so i dress up a bit more la.. normally it's totally bare". i think i'm still dumbstuck by his ability and talent till today.
then of course there are those whose equipment outshine their performance (i'm slowing trying to balance mine out). here we have proud owners of the latest trends.
admirable as well, as they are proud of who they are and what they have chosen to be.. or ride..
but seriously.. it's not the bike or the shoe or whatever gizmo you have that's weighing you down.. :)
unfortunately, my trip went by in a daze and i didn't take anymore 'interesting' videos. will do so again on my next trip.
Friday, September 5, 2008
"You don't have to be great to do something...
...you have to do something to be great!"
- wise words from my long lost tri buddy, peter.
i thought about this for awhile and really think it makes a lot of sense. the statement came about when he was telling how he met a couple of tri friends over the weekend who know me and thought i was gutsy. our chat went something like this:
peter: people admire ur guts!
senn: u know wat dat means right?
senn: means i'm so slow if they were me, they wudn't bother! hahaha
peter: you don't hv to be great to do something... you have to do something to be great
knowing me, i had to be philosophical about everything, so i took a trip down memory lane to last month's desaru long distance triathlon. it was a good race that i did relay with arif. the next day was the sprint event.
it was bloody hot!
as we sat under the tent after the finishing line, waiting for our friends, i saw nurina cross the line. i sat next to her and congratulated her on another great race. i asked her how it was and she replied she did very well. and the fact that she ran the whole distance, she was very proud of herself. she said "i know it's only 3km, but the fact that i ran all the way, i did exceptionally well" (it's been a few weeks now since desaru, but congrats again nurina. keep it up! you did something, and you became great!)
then there's patsy.
gusty patsy, who ran her own race. who wasn't bothered by whatever time it took her to finish desaru.. or any other race. she was alone out there but she went on and on and on till she completed.
again, congrats patsy... you did something, and became great.
and this 'being great' phenomena doesn't just happen in races!
last saturday after a nice ramadhan ride, upiq humoured us with his stories of school. light hearted and strong willed, you would never have guessed how quickly he has improved his physical health.
upiq is fantastic. i met him on a ramadhan run up genting last year. he started about half an hour before the main pack but we caught up with him on the downhill heading towards goh tong jaya. and he looked tortured.
last saturday he reminded me of that genting run where he really did feel like quiting. but with a little bit of encouragement and (a lot) white lies about goh tong being just a stone throw away... downhill... he decided to continue.
since then, upiq has completed triathlons, rides mostly with the front group, is always a burst of energy to watch and looking forward to our 1st anniversary via a night run up genting.
congrats upiq. i know you haven't achieved everything yet and is still just beginning. but see how doing something 'small' has made you great?
same ride last saturday, i brought dad along. dad has been riding his 'oh-so-not-euro-cool' mountie for about 6 months now. every morning he rides around putrajaya. just 10k at an avg of 17kmh. he was proud as a bean (huh?) at what he has been doing.
he treated my invitation to saturday's ride as if it were an ironman race. the amount of prep he did!
1. get bigger water bottle
2. ask nutrition advise
3. seek advice on what attire to wear (imcyclist.com t-shirt was decided because he felt it showed team support!)
4. fix night light
5. fix helmet straps
6. check time... every 15 mins from 8pm till 9.30pm, counting down to when we had to leave for start point.
... all this for a 30km ramadhan night ride with lethargic riders.
i smiled inside because he was so anxious and cute yet it meant a whole lot to him. so i decided to play strict, he likes it when it feels like a challenge.
my dad was tortured physically but didn't complain.
he even had the gusto to ask me if i would take him on my rides to pd one day while climbing the last hill towards alamanda!
dad: do you think i can ride with you to pd?
senn: sure.. but at your speed, it might take forever (senn the tough nut cranking up the pressure)
dad: how far is it?
senn: 70km...
dad: ah! that's just 2.5 times longer than tonight
senn: ...one way...
dad: o.. maybe mom can drive and meet me at pd instead...
senn: maybe... (i said it matter of factly, but i was beaming with pride inside! as if he was my kid learning to ride for the first time!)
halfway through the alamanda hill, he looked so tortured i suggested he turned into our housing area instead of finishing at taman warisan... it was really on the way and we pass the junction en route to start point.
although tortured and out of breath, he managed a smile and a fist and said "must cross the finishing line senn!"
so, cross the finishing line he did. last one back, half the crowd gone but happy and proud. he also rode back from start point that night so technically he rode more than everyone else that night!
good job kol(b) lai. you weren't great at cycling, but you did something, and you were great!
if you look around you'll probably find a lot more people who aren't great at something, but did something and became great.
and if you haven't yourself, why not do something today? you might end up being great...
- wise words from my long lost tri buddy, peter.
i thought about this for awhile and really think it makes a lot of sense. the statement came about when he was telling how he met a couple of tri friends over the weekend who know me and thought i was gutsy. our chat went something like this:
peter: people admire ur guts!
senn: u know wat dat means right?
senn: means i'm so slow if they were me, they wudn't bother! hahaha
peter: you don't hv to be great to do something... you have to do something to be great
knowing me, i had to be philosophical about everything, so i took a trip down memory lane to last month's desaru long distance triathlon. it was a good race that i did relay with arif. the next day was the sprint event.
it was bloody hot!
as we sat under the tent after the finishing line, waiting for our friends, i saw nurina cross the line. i sat next to her and congratulated her on another great race. i asked her how it was and she replied she did very well. and the fact that she ran the whole distance, she was very proud of herself. she said "i know it's only 3km, but the fact that i ran all the way, i did exceptionally well" (it's been a few weeks now since desaru, but congrats again nurina. keep it up! you did something, and you became great!)
then there's patsy.
gusty patsy, who ran her own race. who wasn't bothered by whatever time it took her to finish desaru.. or any other race. she was alone out there but she went on and on and on till she completed.
again, congrats patsy... you did something, and became great.
and this 'being great' phenomena doesn't just happen in races!
last saturday after a nice ramadhan ride, upiq humoured us with his stories of school. light hearted and strong willed, you would never have guessed how quickly he has improved his physical health.
upiq is fantastic. i met him on a ramadhan run up genting last year. he started about half an hour before the main pack but we caught up with him on the downhill heading towards goh tong jaya. and he looked tortured.
last saturday he reminded me of that genting run where he really did feel like quiting. but with a little bit of encouragement and (a lot) white lies about goh tong being just a stone throw away... downhill... he decided to continue.
since then, upiq has completed triathlons, rides mostly with the front group, is always a burst of energy to watch and looking forward to our 1st anniversary via a night run up genting.
congrats upiq. i know you haven't achieved everything yet and is still just beginning. but see how doing something 'small' has made you great?
same ride last saturday, i brought dad along. dad has been riding his 'oh-so-not-euro-cool' mountie for about 6 months now. every morning he rides around putrajaya. just 10k at an avg of 17kmh. he was proud as a bean (huh?) at what he has been doing.
he treated my invitation to saturday's ride as if it were an ironman race. the amount of prep he did!
1. get bigger water bottle
2. ask nutrition advise
3. seek advice on what attire to wear (imcyclist.com t-shirt was decided because he felt it showed team support!)
4. fix night light
5. fix helmet straps
6. check time... every 15 mins from 8pm till 9.30pm, counting down to when we had to leave for start point.
... all this for a 30km ramadhan night ride with lethargic riders.
i smiled inside because he was so anxious and cute yet it meant a whole lot to him. so i decided to play strict, he likes it when it feels like a challenge.
my dad was tortured physically but didn't complain.
he even had the gusto to ask me if i would take him on my rides to pd one day while climbing the last hill towards alamanda!
dad: do you think i can ride with you to pd?
senn: sure.. but at your speed, it might take forever (senn the tough nut cranking up the pressure)
dad: how far is it?
senn: 70km...
dad: ah! that's just 2.5 times longer than tonight
senn: ...one way...
dad: o.. maybe mom can drive and meet me at pd instead...
senn: maybe... (i said it matter of factly, but i was beaming with pride inside! as if he was my kid learning to ride for the first time!)
halfway through the alamanda hill, he looked so tortured i suggested he turned into our housing area instead of finishing at taman warisan... it was really on the way and we pass the junction en route to start point.
although tortured and out of breath, he managed a smile and a fist and said "must cross the finishing line senn!"
so, cross the finishing line he did. last one back, half the crowd gone but happy and proud. he also rode back from start point that night so technically he rode more than everyone else that night!
good job kol(b) lai. you weren't great at cycling, but you did something, and you were great!
if you look around you'll probably find a lot more people who aren't great at something, but did something and became great.
and if you haven't yourself, why not do something today? you might end up being great...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
