Seeya Suckers!

I’d rather be physically and mentally exhausted from running a marathon than being emotionally drained from handling all drama and office politics.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to just excommunicate yourself away from all the drama because I find that burden totally unnecessary. For whatever reason, friends do not talk, innocent people get dragged in, camps form within the office and emotions run high. The only running that should be high is the one that involves pounding the pavement every alternate night.

Oh well, what a fitting way to start 7 weeks of intensive training. I’m really going to miss the company, laughs and support I’ve been getting from my peeps. Suddenly it seems like everyone’s gone! (for reasons, good or bad) But I guess my shoes, that lonely track and that start line remain.

Oh, I know you’ll never leave me…even when I neglected you for so long. Felt good to do long runs. I hope I’ll make the 20kms a regular session – every alternate night. And I felt a familiar soreness in my arms after doing 1.5km pulling at the pool for my main set. Oh my, how I have neglected my swim.

You may call all that my distraction; running away from my feelings and emotions. I look at it as running into something that gives me great pleasure and joy.

Long Weekends

Gotta love long weekends. No work means running in the late morning, getting a swim in at lunch time and leaving the rest of the day to chillax.

Work sucks. It just takes up the entire day, drained you mentally/physically and gotta rush home to run or to the pool to swim.

I had fun the past week..managed to have good food with awesome friends even with all the training in is so, so awesome.

Yamcheon meat!

best French toast i've tasted yet! at Mimolette!

Things are improving. There are still some ups and downs but it's getting better and sooner than i expected actually. Holding steadfast to my goals and beliefs.. keeping my heart safe, my mind sharp and my body in health for the challenges ahead...yeah, the challenges emotionally and physically.

It's already May. 3 more months.

All things made new

Awesome sermon this morning. Learnt so much about resentment, bitterness, showing love and undeserved Grace. It was a good wake-up call for me.

Most importantly, it assured me of my decision. No more striving, no more expectations, i'm going to enjoy the ride. I've made my choice and i'm going to miss alot of things/people... but there's only one thing on my mind now. And that is..

2:35

This blog is a training log and that's what it should always have been. two, thirty-five. Let's do. Here we go.

Really need to..

Missed the Singapore Biathlon this weekend and i missed training all week while recovering from a flu.

And tomorrow's Valentine's Day. I don't think i've ever celebrated Valentine's Day much. Even when i was attached, i don't think i did anything extravagent. Guess i'm just cynical about a day that has become over-commercialised.

So in my individual attempt to mock the day tomorrow, i've gotten all ready to run my legs and lungs out. Just me and the tracks...

I admit that every time a good thing comes my way, i am afraid to believe in it, or to act on it. I just run away. I don't have the patience to wait for it to mature. I just run.

I know better now than to fill my head and heart with useless emotions. I'll just plug in to my new toy and do what i do best...

OMG, it has a friggin pedometer installed in it! If this sweet baby can live past a year, i'm more than happy.

Maybe two weeks of hardcore of running and swimming will get me back in physical shape, emotional stability and back to race-ready fitness.

Here we go..

Input vs Output

So far, still no races planned for 2011. Was supposed to sign up for couple of runs in March, but i have missed the registration deadline in January, so i'm left races-less.

Once again, Chinese New Year is the season to overeat and spend all day visiting relatives. I'm glad i managed to eat only 2 meals a day (big meals nonetheless) and got a run in this afternoon.

But it's been really hard to stick to a firm training schedule. More often than not, i'm working til late during the weekdays, and sometimes missing meals. I can't remember how many times i've had snickers for lunch.

Yup, i even stocked up on snickers. That's bad it is.

With whatever remaining time i have left, i've been hanging out and meeting my babes and dudes cos i really miss them. With great company, comes great food...

Oh gosh, i really do need my peeps to just chillax and forget about the weekday grind. :) Mucho lurve to them.

But i guess there are consequences. Been 6 days since my last run and this is what happened...

Epic Fail. Hahaha...

I believe it can be done and it's definitely been done before. Juggling work, friends, family and training. I'm sure you know someone who is doing it. It's not easy, but it can be done.

I'm gonna learn, suck it up, get disciplined and do it all over again. Hopefully, i'll be one of those guys you know who can work, train and make time for all my awesome friends!

22 in 2:22

Running has evolved for me over the past 3 years. I remember starting out doing 3km runs, 3 times a week around my neighborhood (well, 3km is just one round around the block la...pfffft) to lose weight. I progressed to doing 5-7km in preparation for my first few races. Some discipline finally paid off and i started enjoying being fitter.

During these races, i saw many familiar faces and thought, 'if they could do it, why can't i?'. I guess that's when my obsession started. I admit that vanity and ego played their part; I signed up for longer distances and trained my knees out for them.

Now, after having completed couple of full marathons, a handful of Olympic triathlons, some duathlons, many biathlons/runs and an Ironman, i find myself running for a different reason.

I run because i want to get away from everything else. Some quiet time thinking about the challenges ahead and enjoying God's presence. And during one of my longer runs tonight (i did about 22km?) I had couple of prayers answered...

*

The verse, Psalm 68:19 "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits..." finally sank in. The words 'loads', 'daily' and 'benefits' just popped out at me and despite the new year/challenges coming up, i'm reminded to take things one day at a time.

I've also prayed about being in love again. Remembering all my past relationships and looking at couples around me, it dawned on me that being in love meant not drawing my identity and security from my partner. My needs of love, attention and affection must ultimately be grounded on God. Being in love means being selfless, but every man/woman gets depleted somehow. Not when they keep drawing from God.

I realised i've been too selfish in my past relationships. I've not been fair (to say the least) to all those who have given me nothing but support, understanding and love. They've either left me, or due to my (selfish) needs, i've let them down. I may not realise it then, but the reason i got upset/angry at my partner(s) then was i expected something from them. If you become less selfish of your own needs, you'd genuinely care for your partners, there won't be any infidelity and alot more understanding and less anger/fights.

I agree that the world's divorce rate would be cut in half if husbands and wives become less selfish and actually start giving.

I owe that to the next girl who captures my heart. All i will do is to love her. She don't have to worry about me, cos God's covered my needs. My only and best reward will be to see her happy.

*

As 2010 winds down, i'm going to miss many things. The colleagues and (strange) friends i've made during the last three-and-a-half years at work. The deeper bonds i've made with my schoolmates. Especially when we guys fell out of our relationships like dominos. Hey, at least one good thing came out of that!

And lastly, i'm going to miss running.

My Asics when i first got it. It has served me through two Olympic triathlons, one biathlon, one marathon and the Ironman. It's dying now..the seams are splitting.. but let's do it one more time k? one last 42?

It seems like this year's 42km will be my third..and my last. Sadly, my knees don't seem to agree with me anymore.

2 hours and 22 minutes is alot of time to think, reflect and pray. and that's what i did this evening.

Keeping My Eyes Open

Finally ran 19km last night. Surprisingly, it wasn't that painful. The knees starting aching during the last couple of rounds, but overall it was a smooth run as i wasn't left panting.

Made sure i ate well and stretched to recover well. But with only 4 hours of sleep, i'm really struggling to stay awake today..

.. oh i was so tired i even forgot to get coffee. Will probably grab some during lunch before the afternoon meeting.

Hmm..and i'm starting to feel the aches in my thighs. I want to do another 19km tonight and i need to do some late-night shopping.

Please, let it be so!

Motivate

There's no secret to it - stagnate and perish. If i don't continue training, i'll backslide. And it's very painful to climb back up to a reasonable fitness level.

Last night's swim was painful. My arms were sore in the middle of the swim, when the aches usually come the next day. So you can imagine my arms, neck and back today at work. Sigh.

You would have thought that after all this training, it should be getting easier. I've accepted the fact that it never will. If it does, that would mean stagnating. Even champions don't remain status quo, you keep going until you can't go on anymore.

I've said before that if i had the choice and more importantly - the talent, to become a professional athlete, i would. I guess it's OK to complain every now and then (training is tiring, so sian, etc) but at the end of it all, it's the passion of 'doing' that will drive me to keep going.

I read in the papers that an Australian runner is planning to run from North to South pole for the Red Cross. It's these little bits that help remind me why i'm risking my knees, wasting my evenings in solitude and spending most of my salary on equipment/events to 'torture' myself.

But just for tonight... i take my motivation from UFC fighter, Tito Ortiz's comeback.

Today is just today. Tomorrow is another matter altogether. Tonight's run is just tonight's run.

And now... for something new

I'm going to stop, really. There's no more excuse not to. My knee's recovered considerably, my fitness is back, i'm ready to go longer, faster and be fitter.

It's time i draw a proper plan and stick to it best i can. 4 runs, 3 swims a week. No meals after 10pm, no fried food, more fruits and fibre.

And while training for Dec's 42, i guess my IPPT before October will help me gauge my progress. Time to cash in on that four hundred.

I'm praying that from now til then, i stay injury-free and my schedule continues to allow my training. Feeling really good about all of it, i see everything falling into place and i'm really happy. Thank God.

I had this funny dream... that i was running the marathon with her. It's her first marathon and she's nervous, but i assured her that i'll run it with her all the way. And we did...round the bend, what a relief to see the finish sign.

The crowds on both sides are cheering us down the final 200 metres. And though she's tired, i can see her smile from accomplishing a gruelling 42km. Kinda reminded me of the feeling i had when i completed my first 42.

She's holding my hand now, looking straight at the finish and soaking up the cheers. I hold her hand and we jog slowly towards the final stretch. She is amazing; i can feel her pulling me along now, the pain a couple of hours ago seem to disappear as she's really enjoying her achievement.

Just a couple of steps away, i grip her hand tightly and i pull her back. She turns and i see that smile facing me now. I can't believe how beautiful she looks, even after running a friggin' marathon. Her smile fades and confusion sets in.

"What, why are we stopping in.."

I made sure she's looking at me. I looked straight into her eyes and suddenly the cheers become muted. The other runners running past us become shadows, a blur... as i see her face radiate with charm.

Perhaps it's my problematic knee acting up after five hours of running... i get down on one knee..

"I don't want to finish this race without you... I want to run the rest of my life's race with you; i'll be running behind you, cheering you on when you are tired. I'll be running ahead of you to help guide you, and i'll walk through every painful moment with you, your hand in mine."

I can see her eyes widening and i think i see a crowd staring at us. I think it's kinda moist, but i take out a silver band from behind me. (i think, 'thank goodness i didn't get an abrasion from carrying this')

"I want to cross, not just this finish line...but my life's finish line with you... will you let me?"

...Will you marry me?

Just Two.

I'm thankful for whatever life is throwing at me; i'm taking everything as a learning phase and it's all about becoming a better person at the end of the day. I've come to realise that i've found stability in two things - Jesus Christ and training.

I don't doubt that everyone has a conscience and know when they made a boo-boo. Guilt and fear is a clear indication. Worry is the subtle cousin that tends to come before that.

I know i haven't exactly been the best role model at times; i curse when some driver cuts my lane, to being a total jerk when it comes to people's feelings. The best part is that it's not about me, but how great is a God that knows how much i am failing and with the purest form of love, He forgives and turn my screw-ups around to bless me abundantly.

"God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant." - Romans 5:20

I'm really comforted and loved to have that assurance.

Running/training has also given me so much in keeping me sane. It takes on so many different forms for me. A run after a busy, emotional draining day just lets me spend time alone, collecting my thoughts in prayer and getting my bearings right for the task ahead.

On other days, the anger is displaced when i pound the road or crawl up and down the pool during the evenings. Better than keeping it inside and going crazy, a run/swim always helps to diffuse the frustration.

I know i've neglected my two loves from time to time. The best part is, they've always been there even when i haven't. Everytime i need to, for as long as my knees can take me, the track will always be waiting for me to visit. I thank God that He'll never leave nor forsake me too. He's really awesome and is always just a whisper away.

I'm really blessed to have the two with me. But somehow, i got the feeling that there actually might be a 'three'...




...all along.

Status Quo

I like the feeling of a half-filled stomach and muscle-weakened body. I've found my status quo again; after six continuous days of running and swimming, i've ran 35km and swam 7.5km in total.

Mentally, i'm focused on training again. Emotionally, i've cut myself away from all distractions. It's a real roller-coaster ride the past couple of months. I've been to many funerals, weddings and baby showers. Today, i went for a baby shower in the morning and i'm headed to an ex-colleague's wake later. News of my Inang's husband's passing last week is still fresh in my mind; my heart, thoughts and prayers going out to her and the family in Philippines everytime i run/swim.

It puts life into perspective. People celebrate, then they die. All too quickly. So make the most of it.

Emotionally, i've hit both high and low in love. After my swim earlier, i realised that i've had the blessed opportunity to know what love feels like, i've tasted utter rejection and despair and i know what it's like being 'loveless' and comfortable.

I take the three words, "I love you" very seriously. And i can't remember the last time i said it (though i can remember who i said it to), but when i do, it'll be the day i give my love away again. For now, under all these circumstances, i'm going to be comfortable with 'loveless'.

I'm stronger now. I appreciate celebrations like birthdays and weddings. I see them in better perspective and maturity. I have come to terms with departures and know that life may be brief for many, but its worth living.

Running with hope in my heart, i'll swim against the tide just to tell you, 'i love you'. Off to more runs and swims, training and prayer; putting everything in perspective.

It's happening again

As i'm lamenting on how 'aimless' i have been, my prayers always get answered. Registration for the the Aviva Ironman Triathlon and Stan Chart Singapore Marathon are open.

Talk about the two most painful races i have done so far. I've done two full marathons and i'm still nervous about hitting the 30km mark, Maybe third time will be a charm, but the pain...oh boy.. the pain.

The Ironman Triathlon is no better. I still get the heebe-jeebies when i drive past ECP.. i will never forget cycling out of the Fort Road exit and climbing that hell of a slope pass MBS. That was the only time during a race i really wanted to cry. Yeah. Weep like a baby. When my car climbs that slope, i swear my legs twitch a little.

Wow. This post really helped to jog (no pun intended) the memory.

I think i should sign up for both, yes? Singapore Marathon 2010, Ironman Triathlon 2011.


Here we go again!

Secrets to Long Distance Performance

How very true. We can be training our lungs out, but if we don't do it smart, we might as well not be training at all.

I used to approach every run, swim and cycle with the mentality of 'torturing' my body. For most of the time, i did see some improvement but not only was i exposing my body to injuries, i started to loathe putting on my shoes, trunks or getting on my bike knowing that i'm going to be in alot of pain.

My experience with a dietician for my second Olympic triathlon really showed me how helpful some good expert advice can be. Likewise, this article i recieved in my mailbox was pretty enlightening...

The 4 Secrets of Long Distance Performance
If you are doing an event of over three hours in duration, there are 4 key things that are going to enable you to achieve a great result:

Use Lots of Fat - The first step to having a great race is having enough energy to go the distance. Many people break down at the 3/4 mark of a Half or Full Marathon or struggle to run well off the bike. Racers' Toolbox Fuel Efficiency testing can show you exactly why this is happening and show you how to maximize your performance through specific training to improve your utilization of fat. Fat provides twice as much energy as carbohydrate in case you were wondering why we are so into it.

Be Strong - We often here our clients say things like; 'I'm not fast enough, I need to do more speed training' or 'I always train fast but my results don't improve!'. 95% of the time the problem is not in the lack of 'speed', it is the lack of strength to sustain the 'speed'. In any long event your legs will fade long before cardiovascular system so doing the right amount of strength endurance training is crucial.

Matching Zones - To be successful in long distance events, you need to have a body with corresponding Fuel Efficiency and Lactate zones. Without this ability to burn fat and clear lactate acid from you system consecutively, you are going to struggle significantly after the 2 hour point in your event as you will likely run out of energy. Our goal in the lab is to help you sync your Lactate zones with your Fuel Efficiency so that over time you can go faster and faster and know you have enough 'gas in the tank' to finish strong.

Mental Toughness - If you look at any of the best athletes in the world, they are extremely mentally tough (Lance Armstrong is a great example). Mental toughness needs to be developed prior to the event, it is not just something that happens on the day. Specific training sessions that are at race pace over 1/2 or 3/4 of the peak event distance are invaluable.

1 more week to 40km cycle, 2 more weeks to 1.5km swim + 10km run, 3 more weeks to Ironman!

So far so good

My auntie came to Singapore 2 weeks ago. It was really exciting to have her come to Singapore during the lunar new year holiday season. I knew it wasn't going to be easy to keep up the training while having to juggle time and diet; i had (and definitely wanted to) show her around, spend time with her and to eat all the CNY goodies on top of all the glorious Singaporean food she last had 5 years ago.

She's here!

So i decided that with less than 3 weeks to the March/April competition season (OCBC cycle, Singapore Biathlon, Ironman 70.3 and OSIM Triathlon) i really had to do some form of training.

And i'm glad i did. I started waking up at 5.30am to run. I admit it did become a b*tch after the first couple of mornings - really painful to drag yourself out of bed and the inertia to start running is worst than doing it in the evenings.

But if that meant i had most of the evenings after work to be with auntie, it was definitely worth it. Looking back, i still managed to run at least 3 times a week, and burnt only 2 evenings (per week) at the pool.

..the best part, chilling with auntie!

I plan to keep my exercise regime as such - running in the mornings, swimming in the evenings and perhaps i can feed in some gym and cycling (FINALLY!) after work.

i miss you.

So even when it's back to a new, old work week without auntie. i'll keep my body and mind busy with training and fulfiling that resolution to get in better shape. I understand that i'm actually nowhere near optimum training for the kind of races i'm preparing for, as i'm only doing 10-12km runs per training for a half-ironman triathlon, but i'm cool with that. I'm just going to enjoy the races and timing-wise, i guess i'll be fine. I'm praying alot about it, leaving it to Daddy God and He's given me a peace to go ahead with it.

So i'll keep writing my letters to Philippines, praying for her while i run in the quietness at 5.30am and be even more focused than before.

Theres nothing left but to train and have fun racing!

A Start to the Finish

I've decided to wake up at 5.30am every morning to run 11-12km, do sets of chin-ups and sit-ups. On alternate evenings, i'll do my swim (and hope to bump into VTYT at the pool) and i need to get back on my Felt.

This week is going well, i've managed to wake up easily and do my runs before buying breakfast for my lovely guest and family before getting myself to work. It feels good to be up early and concuss at 10pm every night. I may miss some good late-night TV, but who cares about TV when you've got really sound sleep!

It feels good, that i'm wide awake at 9am by the time i hit the office and best part is my evenings are now free! And i guess i need most of them to be with my auntie who's here from the Philippines for the next two weeks.



And just when i said i'm getting distracted with personal life, i've decided to pull the plug. Don't ask me, i don't know too. I've taken a step back, viewed my options and doesn't look too good. I've had my heart sway too easily too. That's really dangerous, and i'm just glad that Daddy God has been ever so protective to shut doors i tried to pry open and let me enjoy the peace that i'm enjoying.

Was listening to an old sermon and was reminded that sometimes the circumstances outside show otherwise, but we still have that position of rest and speak forth what we want to see happen. That ignited a flame inside and i'm seeing that manifest.

So that's that. Now on to the Lunar New Year - will try to stave off the alcohol and tidbits. On with the training!! 50km cycle, Biathlon and Ironman coming up in March!

Waiting for the Six...

I did a good run yesterday, and that's giving me motivation to do another one tonight. But my legs are still aching, so i should give it some rest. At this point of time, i'm finding harder and harder to find motivation to do my runs.

Perhaps it's been 3 years since i've committed myself to doing endurance events and the fact i've pretty much reached where i can go as an amateur. I'm really blessed to have a job that allows me to commit that much time/energy to training and preparing for races. If i had been in an agency (which i am actually planning to go back to), i doubt i'd have the luxury. Secondly, i'm so thankful to have advice from professionals - specifically dieting. Professional athletes pay for such services. I have a good friend who kindly does it for me, for free!..professionally i might add. Awesome.

I used to have an avid supporter who would be there for all my events. Sounds superficial but think about this - whether you are running your first race, or doing your third full marathon, knowing that there's someone waiting for you at the finishing line, patiently waiting, even though you'd probably take another hour, makes a hell lot of difference.

He/she is eagerly waiting to see your body appear round the bend. He/she's cramped up with hundred of other supporters under the blazing midday sun, and yes, he/she hates crowds.

And he/she is willing to support you. Now how does that sound? I'm only too grateful and to have lost such a supporter is really sad. If you have someone like that for you, i hope you're not taking him/her for granted.

Not letting this get me down, i still want to keep going. I'm still going to keep training and i definitely want to get faster. But now, i think i'm going to hit another wall.. bad timing of course, considering i've got 42km in 5 weeks' time, and an Ironman in March next year.

Shucks. If only i could just turn professional for couple of months, that would be so cool. The closest i'm getting to that is via Lance Armstrong's tweets. Sheesh.

Cutting It Away

I have never wanted anything so bad, so much in my life before. I want to stop clinging on to the past and wake up to a completely new start.

One last time, I’m looking back at all the failures and achievements that I’ve had during the past 25 years of my life. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine myself where I am now.

And now it’s time to move on to another phase.

This time, I don’t want to carry the memories with me. It’s not going to be easy because I know I will cling to parts of the past, especially the ones that I hold dear, but I must accept the fact that these memories will not serve any further purpose, apart from the sad reality that things have changed; different.

On this very day, I’m totally new. People, job, environment, life.

I thought I was running away. Running as hard and fast as I can, running away from you. But as I turned around and stopped looking back, I realized that I was running into You.

goodbye and Hello.

Grateful, Thankful

I'm thankful for the past 100 days. It was pretty awesome training hard for my first two Olympic triathlons & learning so much along the way. Once again, thanks to my dietician, who really showed me what a big difference proper dieting (yes, you might say 'Durh!?') can help in overall performance.

This looks alot harder than it looks. Really.

I've also enjoyed the training i've gone through. All those dreaded static station mondays, 10k sprints on wednesday, long-painful runs on fridays and lap-after-lap of 1 hour swims in between. It was tough at times, but seeing how much fitter/stronger i've become in 4 short weeks really gave me a kick. Yes, it's not easy, but i want to do it again.

Apart from training, i've had good company. The love and support from loved ones and friends, even those who did so 'silently', are not forgotten. Even the simple stuff like a chat over coffee helped to break the routine. Gorging on buffets was also fun, like a temporary-release from the strict dieting, and having good laughs over all that made it heavenly.

Then after going for reservist and taking a break - much has changed. The diet is gone, i've snacked on junk food and overate at every meal, the training has stopped completely. And sadly, i've lost some of that wonderful company.

So as December's 42km marathon and the Half-Ironman Triathlon in March looms closer, it's time i got my focus back. I'm prepared.

It's red too! Awesome!

I'm totally in love with my spanking new Asics Cumulus 11. I'll miss my Adizero; it has served me well and is, in my opinion, the best lightweight sprint shoe. But for a full marathon and half-iron, it's time for adequate cushioning, comfort, performance and to be injury-free.

Got new running kit, courtesy of Nike too.

And come tomorrow, it's back to the good old simple diet. Trainings will get longer and harder than ever before - now that i'm not just doing a full marathon, but the half-iron is not a exactly a walk in the park.

Perhaps i won't get the support i used to. Having less time to meet up with the guys, losing a dear one along the way, but i'm still counting on God's Love & Grace to get me through it all.

What Next?

Four more days to my next Triathlon. Learning from my earlier race, i'm going slow. Key word for Sunday's race is consistency.

And i feel good, i've been running at least 12k and swimming 3k every alternate day for the past week. I've also been feasting on the carbo-laden food made available in camp and though i feel a tummy coming back, it has undoubtedly given me energy to do my swims and runs.

While i never liked the regimentation of the military, i'm still thankful for my 3-week long reservist. Being unable to buy anything at my whim and fancy, and having all my meals covered means i hardly have any need and time to spend any money at all.

Since i get slots of free time in between my duty, i actually have time to catch up on reading. It feels good to finish a book in 2 days. I'm eager to swallow more!

More importantly, i get to swim and run every alternate day. Or at least i've been disciplined enough to do so. So far, so good. It almost feels like my dream to be a professional athlete. I get to swim and run practically all day long!

In fact, after this post, i'm going to hit the pool (and judging by the weather from inside my room, it looks like i'm going to get a tan) then when the sun is setting, it's time for a long run. And i've found good music to keep me pumped for my runs. I've stumbled upon this from the "9" trailer,

Coheed and Cambria's 'Welcome Home'

So, today shall be the last day of exercise before i rest and prepare for Sunday...

Time to gear up and enjoy the week ahead!

It's Only Been One Week

It's only been one week, so there's two more weeks to the end of reservist. Thankfully, i've had pretty good swims and runs the past week to feel satisfied and prepared for this Sunday's triathlon.

I won't be 'going all out' or as hyped up as i was for OSIM. This triathlon, organised by Trifactor, is pretty much a feel-up triathlon to before i delve into training for the stan chart marathon, again to prepare for the biggest event of 2010 - The Half Ironman Triathlon!

So this sunday's triathlon would be more of efficiency, sustainability and more importantly, safety. Last thing i want now is an injury. The longer runs are causing my right knee to feel sore and i'm starting to experience those jolting pains every now and then. Perhaps is because i left my glucosamine in the office, so i haven't been taking them for the past week. Yikes.

For now, i'm facing the challenges with my in-camp training. We're actually treated like recruits. That sucks. It's different to have tough training for reservist, but to be yelled at and told off my warrant officers and even 19-year-old NSFs? That's totally unecessary.

I'm just leaving all that to God to handle and i'm sure He's the best person to watch my back. For now, i'm just enjoying the time away from the office and more time to train.