Time For A Change

I woke up later than planned this morning, yet the extra sleep did me good. I learnt from my friend, Poon that he trained when he awoke. In others words, he is not bound by the conventions of an alarm clock. I did my near-80K worth of riding along Coastal Road (a popular stretch of pancake-flat road circumventing the airport), the third of this week’s menu. My focus this week has been on the swim and ride: 4 swim sessions and 3 rides. Cumulatively, they add up to quite a busy week of triathlon training. My racing month is ahead, beginning 27 August with three runs and one long distance triathlon. My evidence of this week’s heavier exercise menu: over-exposure to sun (without the aid of sunscreen) and heavily tanned, exposed arms and legs.

I drank a fair bit of water in my swim drills sessions. I am so focused on flotation and gaining distance. The Total Immersion (TI) exercises of side-kicking, facedown kicking, and fist-swimming are used to build water confidence.

In my rides, I focused on sticking to a specific heart-rate zone, mainly Zone 3, not exceeding 150bpm. I emphasised smoothness in pedaling, and avoiding the need to cruise often. These were the changes I deliberately made in my training schedule to effect, hopefully, useful results in the near future. Not easy at times, however I feel the results are kicking in. For change to occur, we need to ask questions about the change, plunge into it, immerse in it, focus on the future, and continue learning. 

Congratulations to Pete Jacobs and Belinda Granger for winning Ironman 70.3 Philippines! I have attended training clinics with both Australian professional triathletes this year, and learnt heaps. Pete is an upcoming star in long distance triathlons (who successfully defended his 70.3 title) Belinda is an enduring, 14-time Ironman winner and Hall of Fame recipient.

Just watched the $163-million action flick, Cowboys and Aliens that stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig (current James Bond) and Olivia Wilde (Tron 2: Legacy). The action picks up after the first 30 minutes, as the director was establishing the key characters. Craig is a gunslinger-bandit with amnesia who engages in an uncomfortable alliance with a ragtag, motley crew comprising native Americans, domineering ex-colonel, small town-folk, bandits and a mysterious, beautiful lady to rescue kidnapped family members. Craig looks fit with very low-bodyfat musculature, is credible on horseback, and wields a deadly handcuff-bracelet that fires incendiary blasts when dangers lurks. Overall, it is a fun and watchable film that takes a dig at history and the plausible plot that predatorial aliens could have invaded Earth a century ago. Science fiction and American Western history make for strange but watchable bedfellows!

Film poster credit (Cowboys & Aliens): Copyright belongs to Universal Studios 2011