Thursday, October 14, 2010

Measured for Performance

I have a friend who has the rare skill of bespoke tailoring. He sews, by hand, high-end gentlemen suits, and each piece takes many dozens of hours. He tells me that accurate measurement is a vital factor in producing these customized clothing that costs in the high hundreds to early thousands of dollars. He studied this craft of exquisite tailoring from English bespoke tailors, who are masters at what they do. Prior to this, my friend did skillful carpentry, and measurement mattered just as much. Patience is a virtue and value appreciated by both tailor and client.

My name and timing was, noticeably, missing from the results page. Yet again in a span of five weeks, I was denied once again the opportunity to identify my relative ranking in this 1,300-strong field of men doing the 30K run. I was not alone, as a few of my registered training buddies suffered the demise of their timings.

I found it strange that, with mechanical (good old, hand-eye) and digital technology, the sensors did not detect a significant number of race-bibs. Perhaps it was a case of human error and judgement. I don’t know, however it does reflect on the level of sports organization. Inaccurate or missing timings leave a sour taste in our mouths. I hope at this Sunday’s 15K trail/road race will yield more optimistic results. On the bright side, I met up with new old friends and new ones.

Seven weeks to Ironman Western Australia. I have started riding, and since Saturday I have cycled four times. Tonight I rode for nearly two hours with another 45 minutes with barefoot run and walk. This is my first of many brick training sessions, and I intend to be fresh off the bike for a strong run. Tomorrow will be a swim-run affair, and I am looking forward to it.

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