Leadership Lessons From Triathlons

Read Novels & Biographies

2012-01-31T00:18:00.001+08:00

‘I make things up and write them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or my own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON). In my spare time I read and sleep and eat and try to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.’

I just completed reading Neil Gaiman’s ‘American Gods’. I took almost two months of intermittent, page turning, to complete this 600-page novel by British cult-author Gaiman. He is best known for the graphic novels of the Sandman series, as well as the film ‘Stardust’.

This version I read was his facsimile of his original submission, complete with spacing errors and favourite type/font. The protagonist, Shadow does coin magic. Interestingly, one of Gaiman’s book consultant for the magic segments was Jamy Ian Swiss, a well-known magician-TV consultant-author. I attended Swiss’s card clinic in 2003 in Las Vegas – all legal moves and skills I assure you. He is also one of the fiercest and foremost critics on magic, and the performance of magic.

As I read the story, I began to develop a curiosity for small towns in America. With each small town lies a small population, and a social order peculiar with the rural folk. Each micro-system (each diorama with its own microcosm) expresses itself in subtle or grandiose ways, like the roadside attractions it purports to have, and promotes with wanton, hand-painted, bold fonts, on signboards. Unusual food offerings, unique features, peculiar characters and social values grace this small community of usually close-knitted kinfolk. Of course, these small towns have also been the backdrops of Hollywood slasher-films – domiciles for serial killers, homicidal maniacs and students film-makers gone missing (however with strangely, easy to locate equipment with huge amount of raw footage and shaky camera-work).

Read novels for pleasure, and biographies for mind, method and madness of celebrities from actors to musicians to authors to entrepreneurs to world leaders. Get the first-person account for more dramatics and depth. Unabridged and unauthorised versions tend to be over-done with research and assumptions that do not seem to connect.

Leadership Lessons: Be discerning in what you read. GIGO. Reflect on your reading. What did you again from each literary adventure? Read for fun and for pleasure. You need not glean them for knowledge. Enjoy the writing and perspectives of the writer.

Accomplishments & Achievements In the Dragon Year

2012-01-30T16:57:00.002+08:00

Isn’t it great to accomplish something? What does it feel like to you to achieve something difficult or challenging? It feels good, doesn’t it? Whether it is race certificate, race-tee, or finisher-medal: these badges of merit do add on to our sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Recognition is a value that many can relate to. Which were your achievements and awards in 2011?

Within the area of your profession and career, our achievements may include:

Promotions
Incentives
Enhanced package
Expatriation posting
Study grant/scholarship

Outside of your profession/career, you could achieve:

Challenging physical tasks (run a marathon, qualify for membership in a prestigious running group, swim in open-water, ride around the country, climb Mount Everest)
Win an award for public service
Win a competition in your hobby/pastime
Write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days

My friend, Steven Novick’s list of achievements – as a climber and mountaineer – is impressive. He has climbed the seven summits.

What will be your achievement and accomplishment for this year? Which items on your bucket list will you cross off this year? Dare yourself.

How Are You Holding Up?

2012-01-29T19:04:00.001+08:00

How familiar are you with this expression? How are you holding up?

This question arises after somebody suffers a predicament, setback, injury or illness. It questions the person’s situation, sense and sensibility after personal or physical trauma. After last weekend’s careless crash into the back of a vehicle, I have been asking myself this question.

After an immediate physical status check on my body and my bike after the accident, I made a calculated decision to pedal home. Of course, I pedaled home slowly by the safest route I chose. The post-accident, post-activity, flood of adrenaline in the bloodstream can mask injury. Other than a sore left arm, right pelvis and visible scratches and abrasions (road rash), I thought I was all right. Subsequent checks indicated showed a mild bruise on my right pelvis, and a horrid one on my left elbow.

My bike frame did not hold up well, and she suffered some compression and cracks. I do swear by bike technology, and strongly believe my bike cushioned most of my impact and so I sustained minimal injury. As such, I am ordering another Elite custom-crafted bike frame. I hope it will arrive within a fortnight’s time.

After this afternoon’s 2-hour intervals sets at Ironman marathon pace, my left chest feels tight and it mildly affected my breathing (as I increased the running speed and intensity a tad). It reminded me briskly of Chrissy Wellington’s pectoral injury as a result of a bad bike crash before her world championships win last year. It affected her swim, and she felt it on her run. I suspect that my chest absorbed part of the shock, and reacted by tightening up. I hope that this minor setback will be resolved soon. Fox has provided me flexibility with this week's program, and I rested up for three days after the crash. In the last four days, I have managed about 10 hours of training, which is more maintenance-based. It is important that I stay consistent in my preparatory training if I aim to secure that triathlon PB that has eluded me.

Déjà vu? Almost two years ago, before the Lunar New Year, I was the victim of a road accident. While riding home, I was hit (from behind) by a taxi. Last week’s event certainly stirred up residual memories of that fateful day. Both bikes suffered their demise, yet I used up one of my nine lives. Live to train another day. Live to race. Live to learn and be more alert.

Assuming New Positions

2012-01-28T23:06:00.002+08:00

I am a proponent of professional bike fitting. A proper and thorough bike fit can be delivered through state-of-the-art measuring tools, a vast knowledge of kinesiology and anatomy, a scientifically inquiring mind, and hands-on experience. Having been fitted by David Greenfield of Elite Bicycles, I have learnt to appreciate that all bodies are different and unique, and the one-size approach may not fit all. Not all bodies are designed to fit stock sizes, and adapting to these fixed measurements may upset your body's normal geometry and symmetry.

After my customized bike-frame got thrashed after last weekend’s collision behind a parked truck, I used my old (but reliable) Orbea Vitesse road-bike for my 5-hour ride this morning. Although I was not used to riding for prolonged periods on the handlebars, I did not feel too uncomfortable. David fitted me on this bike in 2010 and I have once on it at Ironman New Zealand 2010. Instead of adjusting myself to my bike, I had my bike adjusted to my unique body structure. I will be ordering another Elite Razor triathlon frame as I place my fullest trust on a well-tested and well-designed product.

My friend, Andy Ng has assumed his new role as President of our triathlon club, Triathlon Family. Although hesitant about this initially, he has immersed in his new role with the energy and gumption required of a leader. He will lead us in our first club event – Triathlon Sprint – on 5 February.

When I moved from member to committee member to secretary to vice-president of my club, I had to make quick mental shifts into each position of leadership. With each role was a loosely defined job description (JD) and job scope (JS); the rest you figured out as you moved as gracefully along with your duties. You could rely on the veteran colleagues to assist you in clarifying functions, acquire new skills, and absorbing new experiences.

Leadership Lessons: Which new positions have you adopted recently? How did you quickly learn your new function and responsibilities? Who did you turn to when you needed guidance and clarification? How did you adapt and cope with changes? How open were you with modifications and suggestions?

Starting Conversations

2012-01-27T07:38:00.002+08:00

I have heard, on many occasions, how students, friends and associates have found it hard to sleep after an engaging conversation. That is what a great conversation can do to one’s senses and sensibilities. Creating conversations of worth at the workplace can lead to more productive performance. We relish in the meanings and moments found in these interactions, be it face-to-face or through social media.

We are responsible for whatever happens at each stage of the dialogue: beginning, middle and end. The process can be as straightforward as ‘How are you today?’ to ‘How do you do it so well?’ to ‘I like to apply some of your ideas!’ Integrate questions with useful ‘silences’ and appreciate the responses.

Conversations are subtle interviews, or interviews done in an invisible way. Introverts can benefit and be assured with asking questions, and then listening actively. Extraverts can answer with more focus, when you are specific about the comprehension questions you ask. Apply your sense of curiosity and intrigue, and delight in the discovery of new knowledge and insights. Each respond or question is another starting point for how the conversation can shift or assume new momentum.

Begin your enjoyable conversations now.

Can Knowledge Be A Cause of Paranoia?

2012-01-26T23:04:00.001+08:00

Leadership Lessons (for yesterday’s piece): First-aid can be applied to relationships. Upon injuring somebody’s pride or self-esteem, you can reduce further injury by applying apology. Draw into the affected relationship, new value. Add value to the strained relationship by using relaxation. Learn to be less tense in future conflicts. Conflicts are inevitable, even with the best of friends or colleagues. Our choices of interventions matter, if we are to seek the results we desire. Build bridges, not destroy them. You never know if the colleague you disliked could one day be your employer.

Is this a possible cause for alarm? Extreme endurance training may be bad for the right ventricle of our heart. Could this be a cause of sudden death?

The more we learn about stuff, how much of that affects you? When you say that you have learnt, does that mean that you apply your new-found knowledge? When it comes to health matters, research material, new facts, clinical evidence, testimonials from patients and doctors, and the like can shift our equilibrium of what we belief, and how we behave. What leads us to feel anxiety, concern and fear? Can too much head knowledge be count-productive and counter-intuitive to our attitude and psyche?

Spend time with argumentative people, and you may acquire their trait. Arguments are more fun when you have loads of knowledge. A lack of knowledge leads to poorly structured arguments, with superficial grounding. If we spend too much time with people whom are hypochondriacs, manic-depressives, and those suffering from depression – can we become like them? Conversely, how do once-negative people become positive? More importantly, how do you stay positive-minded amongst a school of negative-minded colleagues?

As my student shared with me today: ‘Accidents do not occur accidentally! Our energies are transferred from person to person, from thing to thing.’ Respect things as much as you would people.

First Aid & Post-Recovery Strategies

2012-01-25T19:15:00.003+08:00

Most people will skip this post thinking that it is a feature on medical first-aid. In fact, it is more. It also pertains to your leadership.

Having healed from injuries, and suffering a few residual ones (stiffness, inflexibility, rheumatism) I have learnt a few useful techniques about self-healing (versus self-medication, which I do not condone especially if you have an existing disease or medical condition or are under medical supervision) that may help you accelerate or exacerbate the painful symptoms of physical injury or trauma.

The sports-aid methodology of RICES holds. RICES is Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and Support. It helps reduce further damage to the injured part, and treats mostly the symptoms; in most case, this is the preferred result when you are suffering from pain. Pain indicates something is wrong, so pay heed to the source of pain. Is it localized? How wide is the area of impact? Which visible signs of injury can you detect?

1) With immediate injury from bruising or physical contact, use ice as soon as you can. Ice-therapy reduces the temperature of the injured area, reduces further inflammation, tissue damage, and lessens pain.

2) A day or two after injury, you can apply deep tissue self-massage to relieve the tightness. One trick is to apply enough pressure on the sore or tender area, for about 5-10 seconds. You can feel it relax. Acupressure – using the fingers as acupuncture needles – can help provide relieve to the tensed muscle. Upon suffering trauma, most muscles tighten into ‘knots’ that are tender spots, and can be gradually softened with direct manual or mechanical contact.

3) Some physical activity, however mild, draws nutrient-rich blood to the injured area. You can do supported, low-impact activity in the swimming pool or do light, high-cadence, spinning on the stationary-bike or walk.

4) We are what we eat. GIGO: Garbage in, garbage out. Focus on higher quality foods that provide all the six major nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, fats, water, vitamins and minerals. Herbs can help by accelerating the cleansing and repair processes, however seek a trained TCM specialist for consultation.

5) Because repair of damaged tissues take precedence, consume slightly more protein for the next few days. Also, consume more antioxidant-filled foods like juices of pomegranate, tart cherry, concord grape and blueberries. If you can consume the fruit all the better.

6) Monitor the injured area for prolonged pain, or expanded pain. Seek immediate medical attention when you detect peculiarities such discolouration of skin, sharp pains, and reduced mobility (broken bones and fractures can impede movement and breathing).

7) Sprained (torn) and strained (pulled or over-stretched) muscles take longer to heal because these are soft tissues. Use ice to reduce muscle swelling and when stretching do not exceed its flexibility or you will trigger the stretch reflex.

Leadership Begins Outside of Corporate Life

2012-01-24T12:35:00.001+08:00

Let’s face it: corporate leadership is being questioned for its values and effectiveness. The masses demand that leadership deliver, with their expectations of deliverables, leadership values and strength of character. Disappoint them, and the consumers and Followers can boycott a company’s products and services. Choices are ubiquitous. Companies can choose to lead with their head, heart or hands or self-implode from arrogance and conceit. Number One can slide down the spiral of self-indulgence and self-aggrandisement.

Have a holistic view of leadership: from within, and from without. Looking inwards, we glean from our hindsight, insight, and foresight. From the outside, we can learn lessons and wisdom of those who became regarded as models of inspiration and best-in-class practice. Let who you are in your personal life manifest itself in your professional life. We cannot have opposing sets of values. ‘Being yourself’ is not a pipe-dream in a corporate setting.

Professionalism is about reducing inappropriate behaviors. Start with ourselves! Lead with our actions. Talk is cheap. Theft is rampant. Control is on the rise by fearful people. Opportunists will patiently wait at every corner. Self-esteem and self-worth are taking a beating because leaders continue to talk down to their staff. Please remove archaic and demeaning titles like ‘subordinates’, ‘employees’ and ‘superiors’ from your Performance Appraisal forms and system. Treat staff like a colleague and person, not a prisoner number. Add value by creating pleasant working experiences and have productive conversations.

Communicate constantly and clearly. If your business language is not strong enough, do it face-to-face or over the telephone. Written skills are not a core competency of many, especially those who ignorantly hide behind templates, and are naïve about their lack of clarity. Reduce doubt, worry and anxiety because staff will intuitively suspect you of your dubious behaviors and intentions as a leader. Update your status and stature as a manager and do the right thing.

Earn your title as a leader. Live it. Express it. Let the Dragon within us arise!

Breathing Well In the Dragon Year

2012-01-23T16:32:00.004+08:00

Happy Lunar New Year in the Year of the Dragon!

Here is a story to warm your cockles, and even inspire you. It comes from my charity of choice for Ironman New Zealand. Fund-raisers get a t-shirt of participation, and get to meet staff of Breath4CF and the CF children and families. One of the athletes is attempting to get his racing-top signed by all the kids there.

‘Here at CFANZ we had a huge success for one of our young people with CF – Kristy Purton, who despite her condition is a fitness FREAK and who has tried several times to do a half ironman but her health has always got in the way. Well, late last year, Kristy finally cracked the Tauranga and Taupo Half-Ironman – an achievement we are all so HUGELY proud of her for. I wanted to share with you Kristy’s email to me letting me know what she’d done. Should give you all a bit of TRUE inspiration for the weeks ahead. As the CEO, I get to see bravery each and every day of a kind that most of us can only dream of – it makes me very thankful for healthy lungs and a full life.’

Kristy wrote:

‘Hey Kate,

I, finally, managed to enter and finish not just the one Half-Ironman, but two: one Taupo, then on Saturday the one in Tauranga. I was on IV antibiotics on the day of Taupo, so was at my best and felt healthy. I so enjoyed that one the most, although the course was harder than Tauranga. In Tauranga, I was full of flu few days before event which turned my chest nasty, have some nasty bug, huge temps and spit balls of blood, so was only going to attempt the swim, but after I started I thought I would give it my best and I somehow finished it. Wahooo! But am paying the price now, booked into hospital on Thursday, managing my diabetes was a mission during the Tauranga one to.

But I am so happy I have my two medals, mark them off the bucket-list, and just the full Ironman to go! LOL. The lady with me holding my medal is my coach. Without her, I wouldn't have stood a chance. She came to all my appointments and got my diet and diabetes and everything so sorted; and came training with me, and put in so much of her time.

You must be getting all organized for Ironman coming up, can't wait to watch that again.

Cheers

Kristie’

If you would like to make a donation, feel free to do so at our page: Ironman-Team Varella. All donations go straight to the Breath4CF and the Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand. My thanks to you for reading and donating. We are two-thirds there to our initial target!

10 Pre-Triathlon Tips

2012-01-22T19:00:00.001+08:00

I like to share my suggestions for those attending their first Sprint this year, including the Triathlon Family (TriFam) Sprint on 5 February.

1) Focus on your main goal. As I learnt from TriFam co-founder, Ser Luck, ‘Aim to complete. You can compete later.’

2) Practice your transitions: From-swim-to-ride, T1 & ride-to-run, T2. Make time to wear your attire and footwear properly before dashing off.

3) Use time-savers: elastic laces for running shoes; shoes mounted on pedals; helmet & sun-shades and race-belt (with race-tag) on bike-handles;

4) No need for power-gels or drinks for the race. You can consume one power-gel 15-30 minutes before the race. Be hydrated. Have a full bottle of water on your bike-cage.

5) Pacing is everything despite it being called a sprint. Do it at your best training pace, not harder or faster.

6) Patience is a value to be mindful of throughout the endurance race. If somebody has a mechanical failure on the bike, or has a goggle-leak you can still catch up.

7) Make sure that all your equipment is in serviceable condition. Check brakes, tyres, helmet, goggles, and shoes before you race. Race with the exact attire, equipment and footwear you trained with. NO NEW STUFF!

8) Race only if you feel about 90-100 percent ready. Never race if you are unwell.

9) If you have to walk it (run) or slow down (ride/swim), do so. Ask for help if you think you need. Do not be offended if an official asks if you are all right.

10) Enjoy the day. Appreciate the volunteers, spectators and officials – they help make our dreams happen. It is just a race. There will be more.

In 2006, I ran my only OSIM Bosses’ Challenge (triathlon sprint) in which I placed third. I had to fight hard for the podium placing, and missed second place by three seconds (as the spectators alerted the guy in front through their cheers). I learnt to be patient despite a moderate swim (I am no sprinter), a decent ride (the favourite dropped out due to a lose seat), and ran my heart out for the finish (thus clocking the fastest overall run-time). I did not know I placed third until the race announcer informed me. It was a sweet ending for sticking to the plan.

In the Zone or Zoned Out?

2012-01-21T20:00:00.001+08:00

Athletes have described their experience about being ‘in the zone’. It is a sensation of clarity, confidence, alertness and fluidity. Everything falls into place, and the body feels that every swing, stroke, step or toss is almost effortless.

‘Zoned out’ is the reversed situation. Fatigue and malaise can cause one to daydream, and lose alertness. This afternoon, after more than four hours of cycling, I found myself ‘zoned out’. Before that, I was enjoying being in the zone. This was what I posted on Facebook an hour after my accident.

‘Used up yet another one of my nine lives. After four hours of riding against headwinds, I ride smack into the back of a stationary, trailer-truck at a traffic light. Left shoulder felt like I got punched by a 'Real Steel' fight-robot. Aero-bar cracked, bike slightly scratched, tire unhinged, chain dropped - picked myself up, gathered my pride (what's left) and braved home. Two pre-CNY ago, I was hit by a cab while riding. Story of my life. I am laughing to myself over this with a plethora of self-deprecating adjectives. My cycling friends: Be careful when riding, especially when riding on Coastal Road or elsewhere.’

Now that I have regained my silent lucidity, I spotted several grammatical errors in that post. Emotions and adrenaline have a way of shading one’s intellect. Having iced my left shoulder, I feel better and may be taking a few days off serious training. I have 2.5 hours of distance running which I may postpone to a few days after. My custom-made bike by Elite has a few cuts and scrapes, and it certainly needs a close examination and partial overhaul; it did protect me, I am sure.

On a positive note, Iron-Team Varella have raised about NZ$1,800.00 so far. We expect a few more donors to surface shortly, so that is good news to us. Thank YOU, my caring and considerate sponsors! I am proud to represent Singapore with a team of about a dozen participants in Taupo on 3 March. To be able to train for an Ironman as we do is a profound privilege. Every breath that we take during a triathlon reminds us of those who suffer debilitating conditions like cystic fibrosis, asthma and emphysema. May they breathe better with thoughtful medical and physiotherapeutic initiatives.

Breathe well, and live well. Inhale every moment!

Running Strong Off The Bike

2012-01-20T23:27:00.001+08:00

Coach has put me on strict training diet of ride-run ‘bricks’. Last Saturday morning, I rode for 4.5 hours and ran 40 minutes after that. Needless to say, my legs were thrashed the next morning after a 2-hour run (with 12X5-minute sets). Tomorrow, I will be doing 5 hours of paced (15-minutes X 6 speed sets) riding with a 40-minute run, immediately after I complete the ride. I am assured of my personal safety, as a few of my triathlon buddies (Chris Smith, Hui Koon, and Vijay) will join me for this extended session. The roads will be busy, as delivery trucks will be making numerous trips to the cargo complex.

Why do bricks? A brick comprises two disciplines, done back-to-back, as individual sessions. The purpose of a ride-run brick is to simulate fatigue of your recently ridden legs, for the marathon that is to follow. Running a stand-alone marathon is easier than running one after an 180K ride. The time differential for a pure marathon and one done during an Ironman is about 20-30 minutes. As my best differential (60 minutes) has a much larger margin, I will need to train specifically for this race to reduce the deficit. A strong runner may not necessarily do well during an Ironman triathlon unless he/she trains as closely to race-day conditions. Therefore, the pre-race training focuses on ‘running on tired legs’. There is a lot of psychological and mental stress on such prolonged sessions, and this is necessary to fully prepare for the actual conditions of competition. Mental preparation is the ‘difference that makes the difference’ between completing and doing a PB.

However, bricks are hard as these sessions increase in duration and intensity. What you consume on the ride determines your energy level for the long run. I will be reviewing my use of nutritional needs, so as to ensure higher energy levels and lowered risk of gastrointestinal (GI) distress during the run leg. Coach has requested I review another brand of sports nutrition by Hammer. I am currently using High-5 supplementation that has served me well for marathons and half-Ironman races.

Strengthening Your Relationships

2012-01-19T23:27:00.003+08:00

Sports medicine specialists have long touted the importance of strengthening muscles around a weak joint. For instance, stronger quadriceps help stabilize a weak knee-joint. Developed strength on the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint, lowers its risk of being re-injured or compromised by high intensity movement.

Being aerobically fit is one aspect of developing fitness as an endurance athlete. A strong musculature provides the body with better posture (gait) both during activity, and when resting. Developing core strength has been central to keeping athletes strong enough for sustained physical activity. Weakened muscles due to under-use can lead to muscle imbalance, which exacerbates the lop-sided condition.

Include strengthening exercises at least twice a weak. Swimmers could incorporate pedal/pool-buoy, and sprint workouts. Runners could run up hills, or off-road. Working with weights can help runners balance out their relatively weaker upper-bodies, which enhances their torso posture (avoiding the collapse of their core). Riders can increase the gear-resistance and do time trials, or interval sets at lower cadence. Core strength allows them to stay in the 'aero-position' for longer. Adding resistance encourages the body to adapt to the new workload by becoming stronger, which recruits more power during races. Challenge yourself with at least one speed or strength workout for each discipline each week.

Leadership Lessons: How often do you strengthen your relationships? When did you last audit yourself for weaknesses? How do you address your shortcomings? How critical are you with your prevailing compromised condition and situation?

Preparing for Personal Bests

2012-01-18T23:47:00.001+08:00

This evening, I completed a 90-minute ride, followed immediately with a 30-minute run. Last night, I completed my first (fast) 10K tempo run in two months. Last week, I completed 15 hours worth of triathlon training time. It is six weeks out to my next Ironman triathlon. The total hours of training dedicated to the 226K-triathlon may be deceptive, as consistency matters just as much as pure distance. The ability to complete twice-a-day workouts, or back-to-back disciplines counts towards the final race-day tally. Faster or slower, in daylight or in darkness – your preparation means a lot to your ability to complete or compete.

Last year, I did not take too much of a break after the Singapore Marathon. After completing Ironman Lanzarote (my second time), and canceling Ironman Canada (my first) I focused on running. I earned personal best times in my 10K, 10-mile, 21K, 30K and full marathon. I also earned my first Boston Qualifier (BQ) at the Hong Kong Marathon last February. I also experienced my first bout of foot injuries, despite a successful training regime of 3 weekly run workout that did not exceed 50K in total.

I earned some personal achievements including winning the veteran’s category in a half-marathon, several top-6 placing in duathlons and runs, and a BQ/PB in a marathon. I also maintained my top-1 percent national ranking as a marathoner.

Ironman NZ will be my biggest challenge to date, as I will attempt to earn PBs in all three disciplines, as well as an overall best timing for the full Ironman distance. I trust my Coach, I am committed to my training, and I have faith that the process will work (as it did for others). Six weeks may not seem like much time but every workout, every resting moment and every meal will add to my capability and confidence.

Which will be your next challenge and attempt for a PB?

Drowning in the Dubious Digital Domain

2012-01-17T22:59:00.001+08:00

The Third Wave, according to futurist Alvin Toffler, is the Information Age. This has succeeded the Agricultural and Industrial ages. We moved from farming to manufacturing to informing. News is uploaded almost instantaneously with Social Media 2.0, and reputations are varnished or tarnished with relative ease.

Content is still king! Whether you own a blog, website, Facebook or Twitter account your audience is drawn towards newness. Fresh is vital as fast. Print news has suffered from the microwave-ready, fast-food convenience, paint-by-numbers, approach to reporting. Anyone with Internet or Wi-Fi access can play quasi-journalist or pseudo-commentator and attempt to ‘go viral’. The more sleazy, nefarious and notorious the news is, the larger your captive audience. Lace it with clever or deceptive headings, and the legions will home in onto the potential prey. The ‘magic words’ still apply and intensify when you combine them with celebrity names. Shout 'caught on camera' and 'exposed' and the lurkers and voyeurs will have a field day (and night). The city doesn't sleep...

It would be interesting to note if a new charismatic guru were to descend from the mountains with his digital tablet with new messages from the cosmos. In the past, leaders would be burdened with stone tablets with laser-etched wisdom. Today, everything is compact including the way the message is contained and presented.

Why do we communicate in code, messages edited to the point of acronym? LOL. LMAO. LMFAO. ROTF. Has these added to clarity of thinking, or density of confusion? Many challenge the need to write in full over text messages (SMS), yet if there is clarity of thought why do they resort to multiple text messages. Unfortunately, many miss the point and fail to communicate effectively. In some ways we have become soft; in other ways, we have gone hard. HTFU.

Are we high technology and high touch? Or, have we failed to connect and communicate as humans once did. Why do we e-mail our lunch invitations to a colleague seated next to us? Have we become isolated in our electronic hardware? Are we becoming xenophobic and afraid of our own shadows? How is the world flatter when we falter on the most basic of connectivity with a human? No more talk – I mean, offline conversations. Just lots of online chat and chatter.

Looking back, we may snigger in private that we used to deploy humungous mobile-phones resembling thermos-flasks. Today, it comes as no surprise when you see a person talk into a tablet-phone that is at least six times the acreage of an android phone. In the past, we consumed rolls of film for those joyous moments. Today, we devour megabytes of digital real estate on a card just for a few high-resolution photographs or video-clips. Tradition is deemed boring and it has made way for Radicalisation.

As long as there is a full moon, somewhere in the twilight, the lunacy prevails.

Doing What Will Make A Difference

2012-01-16T19:25:00.001+08:00

It is one week exactly till the Chinese Lunar New Year begins. In effect, it is 15 days of festivities marked by feasting and renewing friendships in the Year of the Dragon. I will still be training despite the initial two days of public holiday, although I will be scheduling it in the earlier part of the day.

This past week, I clocked 15 hours in total for my spartan Ironman training. It is, after all, six weeks before the Big Dance at Lake Taupo, New Zealand. The last time I committed so much time to triathlon training was in 2006. The subsequent races that followed, I had to compromise total time invested on each race. I managed to successfully get by with minimal allowed time to complete each race in reasonable time (12-13 hours bracket). I also focused on the half-Ironman, or 70.3 format in 2008 and 2009. Those were the last two years I qualified for the world championships in Clearwater, Florida.

Coach ‘Fox’ has been sending me my schedule for Ironman NZ 2012 every Sunday evening. The variations have been subtle, however the riding is increasing by 30 minutes each time. The intervals sets within the long rides are longer, and more intense (higher cadence or higher gear). I need to get stronger on the hills, and be fresh off the 180K ride for a confident marathon. On Saturday, I completed a 130K ride, followed by 40 minutes running. On Sunday, I ran 2 hours (with 12X5-minute intervals at moderate pace) in the morning. I ran 35 minutes in the evening (with 12X90-seconds intervals), followed by 30 minutes of swimming with pool-buoy. I was knackered, to say the least. Just another day in paradise! All would be well after a good night of sleep. Heal and hammer again!

These weekly interventions are designed to lead me towards my race goals, which include a few personal best (PB) times. Race-day nutrition will be a major factor, so I have been experimenting with scientific applications like pre-training meal, type of complex carbohydrates to use, hydration (versus over-hydration) and electrolyte replacement. This is a delicate physiological equation I will have to balance, and that has cost Fox and I in the past with premature fatigue, cramps or gastro-intestinal distress.

Our fund-raising efforts have been positive so far. After one week, Iron-Team Varella (comprising a team of Singaporean endurance buddies) has raised NZ$1,195.00. I am grateful to friends and sponsors for believing in our cause: Breath4CF, which supports sports and physical interventions for New Zealand kids suffering from cystic fibrosis. I have a sense that more sponsorship will come as some have made pledges to our training. Our team of Ironman triathletes will race for the kids and for charity on 3 March; it has spread the word smoothly and subtly.

Read about the ruminations of a focused lawyer and multiple-Ironman finisher, John Cooke. When did you last take the road less travelled?

Leadership Lessons: Take a walk on your wild side. Be outrageous for a moment. Stop taking life too seriously for once. Immerse in, and enjoy the numerous moments that may pass us by. To struggle is also to live. Regal when you breeze through things and events.

Pareto Principle: The 20:80 Rule

2012-01-15T17:00:00.001+08:00

Vilfredo Pareto discovered that 20 percent of pea-pods in his garden contained 80 percent of peas; he extrapolated that to his observation that 80 percent of the land was owned in the early-1900’s by 20 percent of the population.

The Law of the Vital Few, also known as the 80:20 Rule (Principle of Factor Sparsity) is an interesting and universal one. Without delving or stirring more contemptuous disregard for the often-maligned and misunderstood Bell Curve theory, suffice it to say it describes how most processes are engaged by a smaller group of action-orientated people. 20 percent of the top salespeople draw in 80 percent of the company’s profits. 20 percent of the giving population donates nearly 80 percent of the total funds in public charity.

The newly rejuvenated Triathlon Family of Singapore will deliver its annual TriFam Sprint event on 5 February. Do spread the word and invite your endurance-minded friends to join. We hope that the concerted efforts of less than 20 percent of the members can activate the participation and involvement of the other 80 percent. Already TriFam has attracted a significant pool of volunteers, many of who raced in the earlier series. Many of these have progressed to longer-distance races like Olympic Distance Triathlon, Half-Ironman, Ironman and ultra-marathons.

Celebrity DJ, Rod Monteiro is now a champion of stroke prevention after his case of acute stroke. The active sports-person is noted for being a very strong cyclist and runner, and a golfer with a low handicap. Perhaps, star-power can be amplified through publicity and positive word-of-mouth marketing to enhance education and active awareness on health and well-being.

Leadership Lessons: How would you apply Pareto’s Law to your favourite cause? How will you engage the other 80 percent on your team to excel? Which processes in your profession and business reflect Pareto’s Principle? How do you harness the social media platform to significantly support your cherished charities? How will you engage the other 80 percent of your performers on your team?

Going Long

2012-01-14T20:20:00.003+08:00

I found this week to be a busy one for me. In common parlance, I experienced a ‘long week’. This weekend will be no different for Coach has designed my program to comprise longer sessions, with immediate runs off the ride, and longer running sessions. I have been tossed the ‘bricks’ (two disciplines done back-to-back).

This morning, with minimal sleep for the last 48 hours I rode 4.5 hours (easy/moderate/hard) followed by 45 minutes of running in the pool. I coincided my ride with friends from TriFam (Desmond, Hui Koon, Matthew, Craig, Robert and Conrad). I caught up with them after my late start, and did three loops of Selarang (30K each with some mild hills) and the dreaded Hendon Road hill (a nice spanner to thrown in after hitting Selarang Hill). I was supposed to run on the road, however decided to play it safe as I was not sure of the physical condition of my left heel (residual plantar fasciitis?). By far, in the last two meso-cycles today has to be my longest session I have undertaken. I missed a similar cycle last week as rain wiped out any chance I had for a similar hard ‘hit’.

I have found that riding solo (save for other riders I meet on my ride) develops my sense of independence and alertness. It is also a useful simulation of race-day conditions: no-drafting and keeping to 7-10 metre rule; focus on nutrition and pacing; playing its strategically, as it is all about the marathon, not the ego.

On Sunday, I will have two sessions for running: A two-hour morning run (with intervals), and a shorter afternoon/evening (with short bursts). I look forward to the discipline in my pacing and accessing how my body holds after a 15-hour week (within a tight working schedule). Coach focused me on running stronger off the bike, as that has been my relative weakness within an Ironman race. He believes I can hold a 4:50-5:00 minutes/K pace, and score a sub-4 hour marathon that has eluded me for years. I have my work cut out for me for the remaining 6 weeks till I arrive in Lake Taupo, Auckland.

Leadership Lessons: What is your comfort level about working alone? How well do you take to autonomy? How do you take to prolonged projects? How do you respond to extensions on deadlines? How tolerant are you of delays, distractions and indecisiveness? Endurance, tenacity, persistence and determination are values to latch on when going long and far.

Trust Your Intuition

2012-01-13T00:30:00.003+08:00

‘Be still my heart…’

Intuition is a value. It has been referred to as the sixth sense. Researchers have considered it as an amalgamation of all our five senses (synaesthesia). Others have suggested that it is a mixture if foresight and instinct. Whatever it is, it is intangible yet relevant to our sense of direction and purpose.

Sometimes, our head may say ‘yes’ yet our ‘gut feel’ suggests, otherwise. This may be a sign to pause, or even hesitate. If our gut feel tells us to wait, or even procrastinate – do consider it. Impulsiveness may be risky if it leads us to make rash or irrational decisions. If our intuition buys us time, we should heed it. Use the opportunity to explore areas of doubt, worry, and uncertainty.

If you head out for a ride, and the weather looks inclement – you can still ride until it looks unsafe. However, if your intuition tells you that that day may not be a right day to be outdoors, then it may be better to err on the side of caution. It may be perceived as laziness, however you can replace it with a safer activity. If your intuition prods you to do an open-water swim with your buddies, call them up. If you feel like going for a run, then just do it.

Leadership Lessons: Listen to that voice inside. Heed those feelings of discomfort and disquiet. Use your intuition to back up your decisions. Value your intuition as it might just add value to your decisions and actions.

Circa 2012: Leadership Now

2012-01-12T07:31:00.001+08:00

‘I love the smell of napalm in the morning!’ ~ Captain Willard, Apocalypse Now

To lead is to influence. When we influence others, we are taking the lead. So, be influential.

With the epic failure of corporate leadership in developed countries, we are responsible for reviewing, rethinking and reconfiguring leadership.

Leadership has succeeded. Leadership has failed. The balance sheet does not look encouraging. Where leadership is expected to be clear, committed and competent, instead we perceive confusion, indifference and incompetency.

Do you question the ludicrousness of corporate leadership where an enticing package awaits those who resign or who are asked to resign? Shame on the promoters and perpetrators of ‘false’ leadership! Resignation is such a cop-out. Real leadership expresses itself with diligence, discernment and decisiveness. Stick to your guns, and not gun the stick!

The values of leaders need to be audited: Not only by others, but also by themselves. Is conscience a static thing? Do moral codes stay the same way? Is character a measure of a leader? Who measures the fibre, values, beliefs, behaviors, pre-judgements, instincts and perceptions of leaders? Certainly not only by the experts or the impertinent.

Questioning leadership is not about being perched on a moral high horse. It is the right and obligation of followers to challenge authority at times. Blind obedience and allegiance may be counterintuitive to support for a leader. Leaders build capability in their people. They support, encourage and engage followers. They do not exploit them for selfish ends.

Leadership Lessons: Be your own leader. Lead with your values. Lead with your head, heart and hands.

Focused On Your Priorities

2012-01-11T07:54:00.003+08:00

There are those who still think multi-tasking is a core skill that adds value. Instead, multi-skilling adds more value than juggling numerous tasks. As a manager, you can delegate specific tasks to your staff as long as these tests them adequately and engages their capability. Never delegate to staff work that is yours to do, for that is irresponsible and creates risk of disappointing results.

Steven Covey (author of the ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’) proposed a 2X2 matrix on time management. The axes of ‘Important/Unimportant’ versus ‘Urgent/Not Urgent’ describe tasks that need to be attended to immediately, or later. Your manager (reporting officer) and you decide on the priorities based on their relative importance to you.

You can focus on one thing at a time, in order to do it well. Too many distractions will only shift your focus. The ability to shift focus fast and with purpose will enhance your value as a staff who can manage crisis, as well as interruptions, meetings and time-wasters. As a manager, focus on what matters to your staff, even the small, seemingly unimportant things. Create a happy working environment that enhances the value of every staff.

In sports, focusing on your weakness can be useful in promoting your overall fitness. There are so many facets of fitness including strength, power, agility, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. By focusing on one positive aspect at a time, you can build a more stable, strong and steady body that is injury-free. This will make assist you in performing to your best (and optimally) during races.

Ice It If It Hurts

2012-01-10T07:57:00.001+08:00

Water is one of the most abundant compounds of Earth. Made of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen, it is a nutrient for the human body. Interestingly, both our body and our blue planet comprise 70 percent water each. Ice is the solid state of water, which can be gaseous and in liquid form. No two snowflakes are alike – each is unique – despite the fact that water is colourless and odourless. I wonder who is keeping track of all the pictures of every snowflake that existed?

When treating sports injuries, ice therapy (cryotherapy) can be useful to reduce swelling. Icing the injured part reduces inflammation and blood temperature around the damaged body part. It promotes recovery and reduces pain. Pain receptors are blocked somewhat so that the injured athlete does not feel the full extent of the pain. Asians believe that cold is counterintuitive and encourages the early onset of rheumatism. An old wife’s tale was: Never bath with cold water late at night. Injured body parts can also experience rheumatoid symptoms.

The technique for using ice is simple. Put ice-cubes in a Ziploc bag, seal it, and apply it with some pressure on the injured part (strained muscle). Never use ice directly on naked skin, for it burns. You can also frozen gel-packs available from the pharmacy. Alternatively, you can re-use the freezing packs of gels used in Japanese sushi restaurants, used to accompany raw seafood. A bag of mixed frozen vegetables (peas, corn, carrots) also doubles up during an emergency. Have it washed, put it in the freezer, ready for use. I awoke early this morning to use two small packs (with a towel lightly wrapped around it) for my right shoulder girdle and it reduced my pain markedly. I swam with a pull-buoy last night, and it tested my weak rotator-cuff. Icing relieved my symptoms enough to operate functionally today.

Caveats include not immersing the sore or injured in a large body of iced water for prolonged periods. You do not want to risk gangrene. Mountaineers have experienced frostbite when they are not aware of the freezing fingers and toes.

Sponsoring My Charity As Part of Ironman

2012-01-09T07:44:00.002+08:00

Hello, Friends! It is that time of the year where I race another Ironman triathlon and raise funds for charity. I am supporting the same charity as 2010, and it is for kids stricken with cystic fibrosis. This charity provides resources for these brave and positive children to exercise and breathe better and naturally. I certainly hope that you can assist us in our collective cause. Breathe Life Fully!

My fund-raising page ‘Iron-Team Varella’ is up. I am supporting Breath4CF, part of the New Zealand Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. My mathematics is simple: 100 multiplied by $30 each or 300 times $10, will do the delightful and meaningful deed. Or will Pareto Law persist? Let us see if we can budge paradigms and social phenomenon.

Thanks to David Chambers, from NZ, who reminded me to consider this initiative we did in 2010. Back then I closed with a whopping NZ$2,083.00, and David did better. Both of us got to meet the charity organizers and the kids after the race – it was a touching moment to meet both parents and children of CF. My target this year is NZ$3,000.00. I hope to raise funds as close to this amount. I would deeply appreciate your participation and involvement in this cause. I than YOU in advance for donating or spreading the word!

It feels good to do something helpful and useful for others. I am fortunate that I can enjoy a lifestyle that includes endurance sports. Children stricken by cystic fibrosis have difficulty in breathing because the experience large buildup of phlegm in their lungs. Exercise discharges this fluid and allows the kids to enjoy their childhood and stay alive. In this case, exercise can sustain lives!

*****

After a tumultuous week wrestling with a second bout of flu, and a sprained lower back I managed to complete my sessions. I skipped Thursday as I was quite knackered and my lumbar region was making it hard for me to ride the double sessions. Yesterday, I swam with my group in the open-water lagoon, followed by a short run. After Friday evening’s 2-hour long run intervals in the evening, I crossed the 'imaginary finish-line' in third after two tough-working veteran runners, Jimmy and Vincent. It was a fun way to cap the week's training commitment.

Total training time this week: 11.0 hours (3 sessions for each discipline)

Running Through 2012

2012-01-08T14:50:00.002+08:00

Whatever you believe about mankind’s demise or rise from the ashes of despair, I believe that running will continue to be a strong global Movement. Humans have been psychologically wet-wired and geared for running towards (pleasure), and running away from (pain). You can wreak havoc with your brain if you trust the Mayan calendar, or you can create your own.

Have you made preparations for your inaugural or even umpteenth race? You could run your first twilight or sundown marathon, qualify for the MR25 club, complete your first biathlon (swim & run) or off-road, obstacle course. Here is a schedule of exciting physical activities (courtesy of Running Lab) for the first five months.

In case you missed top-Singaporean marathoner (and SEA Games gold-medalist in triathlon), Mok Ying Ren’s piece on post-racing blues.

Run far. Run short. Run when you want. Stop when you choose to. Time is what we make of it.

10 Post-Training Recovery Methods

2012-01-07T17:20:00.007+08:00

What happens after training is as important as what occurs before it. Recovery methods help us ready ourselves for the next session. In the hours leading up to the next strenuous session, what we do can spell the difference between a good or better session.
1)    Hydrate and rehydrate. Water is a key nutrient for recovery. It is one of the six nutrients required for life. Many biochemical reactions in our body rely on water as a medium. Be mindful that you can be dehydrated during long swim sessions.
2)    Within 30-60 minutes of cessation of exercise, consume ample quantities of carbohydrates and protein. Cellular repair and glycogen replenishment begins as soon as you stop all strenuous activity.
3)    Quick-fixes for carbohydrate-protein meals after exercise include chocolate milk, meat-based rice porridge, fruit and yoghurt, or a whey protein shake (like Muscle Milk). Power-gels or a Power-Bar is a good stand-by source of ready-to-eat nutrients.
4)    Load up on natural sources of antioxidant-laden food like fruit and nuts. Polyphenols, found in fruit juices like pomegranate, concord grape, blueberries and tart cherry can help reduce muscle soreness. Chocolate and red wine also contain these natural chemicals. You can buy these from major supermarkets like Giant and NTUC in the organic, health-food section.
5)    If you are into popping of pills, then a multi-vitamin and mineral blend helps. Vitamins A, C and E are useful anti-oxidation nutrients that also protect the heart.
6)    Smaller meals comprising carbohydrates and protein are probably more useful than humungous meals that bog you down.
7)    Raise your feet up – against the wall. Gravity delivers the residual lactic acid back to your liver for reprocessing. This was a favourite passive recovery method of competitive cyclist, Greg Lemonde.
8)    Spinning on a stationary-bicycle can be most rewarding as it recycles the lactic acid that dwells in muscles, and flushes impurities and toxins out of fatigued muscles.
9)    Sleep is under-rated. Aim for uninterrupted sleep, in a dark room, with temperature set to cool. The nutrient melatonin may be useful if you still are experiencing a buzz from an evening workout.
10) Stretching, yoga and self-massage may aid recovery. It puts the muscles in a relaxed and less tensed state. Why deny your self of relief from pain and discomfort?

10 Things About Training For Your First Ironman Triathlon

2012-01-06T07:48:00.001+08:00

1) World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) organizes the M-Dot series of Ironman. Non-M-Dot races may be less expensive and you are more likely to get an entry spot. European races are transferrable within the EU for a mild transfer fee. There are currently no more Asia-based races; only in Australia and New Zealand.

2) It would be best to link your vacation to a race, or the cost to race alone would be punitive. You may want to bring your spouse along to experience the event.

3) With a consistent base of one year of endurance training, it takes about 16-20 weeks to prepare adequately for an Ironman race.

4) You will require at least 12-15 hours per week of training for your preparation. Some weeks are ‘easier’ weeks, with possibility of twice-a-day sessions (depending on your work schedule).

5) If it is your first time, it will make more sense to use the services of an online coach. Select an expert who has raced a similar race before, and who may fit your profile.

6) In training, you will have to cover at least 180-200K in your longest ride, 4K in your swim, and up to 32-34K in your longest run. Include shorter, local races as preparation.

7) You will access your nutritional needs during these long run and ride sessions. How much you consume during the longer legs will be determined during training. Use products you trained with.

8) Never use new equipment or nutritional products on race-day. Break in your wetsuit early (at least three times in training before the race).

9) Do core and strength training as part of your weekly preparation – over and above your core training. Focus on flexibility, core strength, and weight-bearing resistance exercise.

10) Once you confirm your race application, do book your accommodation early. These sell out early if they are situated near the race-site. Longer distances may involve rental of vehicle.

No Pain, No Gain is Out-Dated

2012-01-05T00:12:00.001+08:00

I recall in the 1980’s – due to the emergence of the aerobic-dance movement – the term ‘No pain, no gain’ was successfully promoted and promulgated by actress-activist, Jane Fonda. Her mantra included ‘feel the burn’, which referred to the lactic acid searing cause by repetitive resistance work. Through time, even bodybuilders sang the song of ‘no pain, no gain’ as a means to an end. It was not funny when some muscle-heads collapsed under the sheer weight of their egos and weight-stacks.

Pain is a major indicator that something may have gone wrong within our body. Pain is detected through nerve endings and our central nervous system (brain and peripheral nervous system). Pain is detected on our skins and deep within our organs. It can be described as acute or chronic – is it sudden and short-lived, or long and debilitating?

As endurance athletes, we learn to cope with varying levels of pain and discomfort. We can build some tolerance to lower levels of pain, or by directing our focus elsewhere. Pain may indicate that we are alive, yet prolonged pain suggests a forewarning. Western medicine treats the symptoms of pain, but fails to address the organic causes of it. If we attend to the cause of the pain, we can reduce its impact on our well-being. Being pain-less and pain-free can be a precursor of a blissful state.

Deliberately creating pain for pain-sake may not be useful. There are other useful ways of inducing pain to draw upon abject lessons. Pain from physical fatigue can teach us discipline, determination, patience and tolerance. Inflicting pain on others can reflect on our poor leadership, character and lack of humaneness. Emotional pain needs to be dealt with early, for it can be crippling to almost anybody. Part of the grieving process involves managing our pain through denial and resistance; subsequently, we progress to exploration and commitment. The pain becomes distributed and diminished through time.

Leadership Lessons: Be aware of signs of pain. Pain signals possible trouble, and a need to slow down and inspect. Pain within a team can multiply, and accelerate so it has to be moderated and monitored. If this pain is due to hard work, and then the sense of achievement and accomplishment sets in then this pain is perfectly normal and acceptable. Pain that leads to relief is useful. That is why we need to resolve the conflict, or the pain nags us.

The Structure of Sleep

2012-01-04T14:46:00.001+08:00

‘To die: to sleep;

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause’

~ Hamlet.

My Coach advises me to sleep at least 8 hours a day. This being a new work-year, it is certainly going to be challenging to catch on so much 'shut-eye'. Yet, with eight weeks to go before my next Ironman, sleep is an essential component of my potential success. Sleep equals recovery equals tissue and cellular repair equals healing. Healing leads to adaptation: stronger muscular development and, thus, performance. Sleep also encourages healthy brain functioning, so we ward off debilitating mental conditions like depression, lethargy and malaise.

Our brain works in amazing ways! It has been, incorrectly, described as right-brained or left-brained. Technically, we have two hemispheres or halves of the brain joined by a bridge called the corpus callosum. Thus, we are whole brain with a preference or dominant side that expresses us differently as thinkers. There are numerous crossover activities that traverse across this conduit to enhance mutual collaboration. That explains why Leonardo Da Vinci was a scientist, inventor and artist.

If you are short of sleep, you can still ‘cheat’ for a short while and stay alert while training or functioning normally. Since the sleep cycle takes place every 90 minutes, with alternating periods (30 minutes) of light sleep with deep sleep/REM (Rapid Eye Moment) – sleep in pockets of 90 minutes or 1.5 hours. That is 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 7.5 or 9 hours. 8 hours is just within light sleep (nap) whereas exceeding the 8-hour threshold will lead to a disorientating awakening. That is why we tend to sleep through the screaming ‘alarm clock’.

You cannot cheat on sleep, nor pay it back. Induce sleep normally and naturally. Avoid medication that causes drowsiness. Instead you can use melatonin to stimulate sleep neurotransmitters in your brain, especially if you are traveling for business or a race, across significant time-zones. Sleep well, for it spells great dividends when we train hard.

Staying Hard Core

2012-01-03T19:06:00.002+08:00

‘Hard-core’ is that term that outsiders call serious enthusiasts and hobbyists. When you spend lots of time on a pastime or pursuit, you are considered hardcore because what you do may be perceived as extreme, unusual or tough. Endurance athletes can be christened as hardcore because of the unusually long and demanding hours required for training. Add the three disciplines in triathlon, and hardcore takes on a multiplier effect: times three, yet not necessarily in equal amounts.

Instead of considering hardcore as extreme, indulgent and insane can it be seen positively? When somebody spends as inordinate amount of time at work, he/she is labeled a workaholic. When an artisan or artist spends hours developing their art and craft, they are pursuing excellence as a master. When amateur athletes do well at sports, they belong in the sphere of elite age-grouper.

When you strengthen your core muscles that is developing a hard core. Core muscles hold our posture together and they comprise more than the admirable ‘six-pack’ abdominals that A&F male models flaunt as part of their launch. It involves the lower-back, and internal girdle or corset that protects our abdomen and vital organs. It keeps our torso from collapsing as we complete a triathlon or marathon without leaning ungainly forward.

Hardcore need not be a derogatory term or debilitating condition. If professionals, occasionally, take a hardcore approach to their performance they may excel in their endeavours. You don’t often hear of hardcore parents, however you do hear of doting parents. Love knows no boundaries or labels. You can be hard outside, but still soft to your core.

Run Down, But Not Run Out of Time

2012-01-02T17:35:00.001+08:00

This morning, I got up early to do a three-hour ride. It was a shame I missed yesterday's ride as I was still feeling under the weather. Ideally, I would have preferred a 4.5-hour ride as prescribed by Coach however my recent run with the flu virus led me to hold my enthusiasm back. Why would I take undue risk of a viral infection on my heart after brief convalescence from disease? As my last foray into the marathon indicated, if you are not 100 percent recovered then you will not perform to your best.

I started a little stiff in my back, but I was not run down – the feeling of disinterest or indifference caused by fatigue and pain. I did an easy warm-up and then shifted into slightly higher-gear. It was all about control and being disciplined to hold my pace. On my way out towards the airport runway, the familiar and predictable headwinds welcomed me. I dropped into aero-position on my tri-bars and focused on spinning in nice smooth circles. I also paid heed to my breathing, taking in generous mouthfuls of air as I cranked the pedals. I did all these while staying alert to fast-moving traffic (and that meant more than the herds of roadies sweeping furiously but respectfully by), and being aware and cognizant of my surroundings. Might as well enjoy my morning if I was training, anyway.

I took one High-5 gel every 30 minutes, after my first hour passed. Before I left my house, I consumed one packet of gel and one can of Red Bull. The latter tastes like bad medicine, but gives you wings minutes later. I took two bathroom breaks, refilled my water-bottles, and completed the entire 90K in just-over 3 hours. I was pleased for the time, as I did not waste much of my time churning out ‘junk miles’.

You can run yourself down to the ground, yet your joints may hold if you are blessed with the right genetics for endurance sport. Or, you played it safe and held back in your youth by not thrashing your knees and ankles from overuse, or faced full physical contact from testosterone-infused sporting adversaries. I always found it delightful when well-intentioned people caution me about overdoing endurance sports for fear of damaging my knees. What is more amazing is that some of these naysayers are only in their 20’s and 30’s and are suffering such debilitating conditions. Well, I believe in the science and am assured by anecdotal evidence. I think of 79-year-old Mr Kor Hong Fatt who ran Boston this year, and think: ‘Now, who do I prefer to listen to…?’

Brand Tribes author, Reeves Lim writes about ‘running in and running out’. This is a stunning example of encapsulated writing using the analogy of running. I am looking forward to meeting Perth-based, multiple-Ironman finisher John Cooke tomorrow. We will definitely have war stories to trade over coffee. I will certainly ask him about his lessons learnt at IM Western Australia. Stay tuned for more sharing.

What’s Your Kryptonite?

2012-01-01T19:50:00.003+08:00

Superman’s weakness was the very same mineral that came from his birth planet, Krypton. Kryptonite sapped his strength and could kill him eventually. Greek premier fighter, Achilles’ weakness was his heel – thus the saying ‘Achilles Heel’. Every superhero had his weakness and an arch-villain as his nemesis.

What is your kryptonite? What weakens you? What drains you of your energy and enthusiasm? Positive psychology has included a term called ‘toxic people’ – they pollute the workplace and leech it of positive energy and goodness. Putting yourself in a place of most vulnerability increases your risk of being affected by these threats.

For me, being ill is my kryptonite for I am psychologically and physically affected by it. On the physiological level, I am victim to how my body responds to the infection. On a mental level, I am tempted to train through my condition although that is not recommended. Having conversations with positive people, achievers, survivors and the like, provides me with nourishment and medicine for my spirit. Perhaps, it is all about energy and the various physical forces in the universe.

What you do when you face your weakness is critical to your long-term success. Think and act tactically, and it is short term. Think and act strategically, and you may have to lose a few fights in order to win the war. Sometimes, less is more. It is the sum of all parts, and then some.

****

This is my third meso-cycle out of four, before Ironman New Zealand. Coach has prescribed me a tough fourth week of preparation. Since I returned from my short vacation, I have been stricken by another bout of flu. I am sore in my muscles and joints, and these aches have been indicators that I needed to rest. As uneasy and uncomfortable the thought was of resting and convalescing, I decided to give in. It was hard passing up the opportunity of doing the New Year Day’s ride-run brick this morning. It seemed like an opportunity lost. Coach has prescribed a double-session this week for riding on the same day. He hopes that I will learn to do a better back-end leg of the ride. As I resume my work schedule of teaching, I will have to be creative with my time and ensure I cover my training thoroughly. To achieve a PB for my next Ironman triathlon requires a completeness of approach and preparation.

To Reflect Or To Look Forward?

2011-12-31T15:49:00.001+08:00

It is that time of the year to reflect, genuflect, ruminate and pause for a cause – before the festivities begin. I have learnt to appreciate recentness and recency, yet I prefer to look towards the future. Being a learned optimist (as I had to learn how to think differently), I rather work with possibility and purpose. I will also pretend that we will have another conversation next year on 31 December 2012. Humans make mistakes, and so could the defunct race called the Mayans. Choice or destiny? I rather take my chances. Be resolute instead of making an unending and unfulfilled list of resolutions.

Never rest on your laurels. Leave the past behind. You cannot change your past. Stop dwelling on the past.

Anticipate change. Tomorrow is another day. You can still change your future. Our future has not formed yet.

Here is my list of challenges for next year:

1) Be more creative. Add ‘1’ (+1) to whatever I do, with whomever is with me.

2) Add value to what I do. If I am not adding value, remove myself out of the equation.

3) Shift and sift through some serious paradigms. Time to create a larger Ripple Effect that benefits more people.

4) Apply totally and thoroughly my values to my actions and interactions.

5) If it does not feel right, and my intuition backs me up, I will rather shy away from a project or business relationship. Money isn’t everything. Gain and value, are.

6) Collaborate, commemorate and commiserate.

7) Be more constructive and build on more possibilities with and for others.

8) Do more acts of kindness and charity.

9) Build a coterie of fishermen who will teach others to fish. This applies to my both my profession and pastime.

10)Share my ‘bucket list’ with others.

Thanks for sharing this journey with me so far (for the last three years). I do deeply appreciate your support, friendship and partnerships. Have an amazing 2012! Challenge yourself to make your next 365 days count for you, beginning tomorrow.

It May Not Hurt (Much) to Take A Break

2011-12-30T17:16:00.001+08:00

The reality is, few people will be fondly remembered for coming to work early, leaving later than others. That is old school and out of date. Result and performance matter more, than putting in the lengthy, unpaid, overtime hours. We are the sum of our efforts, but not because of it. Effectiveness and efficiency ranks higher than people who look busy, are unproductive, and slow in their movements.

One thing we can draw from triathlons and journalism is: fail to meet the deadlines, and you are done. It is painful to watch swimmers being dragged out of the swim leg of the Ironman triathlon for failing to meet the 2 hour 20 minutes cut-off timing. You have 17 hours (exactly) to complete the 226K of swim, ride and run. You need to respect the stringent guidelines for each discipline/phase, for therein lies the challenge of sports. Faster, stronger and higher – these are and to be the Olympic ideals.

If your work-life dominates your entire being, then it may be eminent that you may seriously need to take a break. Request for the nearest duration of leave days you can use. Workaholics are employees who allow their work to dominate and desecrate their lives. All work and no plays, does dull your mind and body. If you choose to bring work home, you do it out of your choice. If you think it spells into future results, do it for deliberate and clear reasons.

If you think that as a marathoner, that you must do 70-90 kilometres a week of running then that is your belief. If another runner attains similar if not better results than you do with less mileage, then you need to recognise that. There are many variables to factor in for sporting excellence, and over-training may not be one of them. Some of our elite age-group runners run only three times a week, and supplement this activity with cross-training: star-climbing, hill-running, weight-training, core stability work, cycling, swimming, and others.

I just took a two-day hiatus from work and endurance training and did some travel. One of the physical discomforts I experienced was newly found, soreness and stiffness in some of my muscles. I may have exercised some muscle groups used in retail-therapy, or it could be my body responding to rest. When muscles heal during inactivity, they may feel weak and sore. Fret not – it is merely nature’s way of repairing overworked muscles and weaving a stronger fabric. That way, you will be cut out for the work when you begin training or racing.

Leadership Lessons: Take time to smell the flowers. If you are Type-A, learn to slow down occasionally. If you are pushy, hold back your forcefulness. Push through with your earnestness; yet pull with your influence. There are more to life than work and play; explore, discover and enjoy. Work less, however work effectively.

Learn By Speaking To Experts

2011-12-28T08:02:00.003+08:00

Dr Cal Lightman is an expert on lie-detection in the hit TV series. It is based on real-life social anthropologist, Dr Ekman's work and research on facial recognition and micro-gestures.

One of the lessons in business and in endurance sports I have learnt is: Talk to experts.

This approach seems to be a common pattern among people of excellence. Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson suggested that he ‘surrounds himself with experts’. He manages this ‘team’, while they help manage his numerous businesses he has created. Macro-manage instead of micro-manage. Tap on the expert’s expertise and breadth of working experience. Learn to leverage on their lessons.

I was at Adidas retail-outlets last week, looking for minimalist shoes to train and race in. I met one of their experts, Sean who asked me questions about my running needs. He surprised me pleasantly by identifying some of my discrepancies about my feet; I had a broken toe that has caused my foot to be slightly wider. Together, we decided on the most comfortable shoe size, design and weight for my running needs. I respectfully asked him questions that intrigued me, however naïve or ignorant I may have sounded. Ask, and ye shall find.

Working with an expert such as a coach – whether in sports, business or career – can be an edifying experience. You learn much about collaboration, perspectives, and developing capability. You also learn to recognize the values of performance, respect, potential, broad-mindedness, and choice. When choosing to work with experts, interview them as you would any job candidate. How close do they fit your profile and expectation? How wide is their experience? Which unique skill-sets would you find complementary? Which personality type would you prefer? Would you prefer an astute critic, or an engaging encourager?

A coach who walks their talk is highly relevant. Being consistent in their thoughts, words and deeds is important. Certainly, coaching is a partnership. Once you engage a coach, you will need to trust them and the process. You will have to commit to the active processes of exploration, analyses and prescription. Constant feed forward and feedback are crucial pieces of the strategic equation for performance.

If you are keen to enhance your swimming performance during a race, here is an expert’s opinion.

If you would like to change your tire, and this is crucial during a race when the technical support team is not immediately available. It is important to be self-sufficient through your technical skills and working knowledge.

Positive Psychology: Learn To Be Optimistic

2011-12-27T20:28:00.001+08:00

We are who we spend time with, including our own self. Martin Seligman, PhD., wrote about ‘Learned Optimism’. Despite its usefulness about being positive, pessimists are better than optimists at evaluating conditions during a crisis. Napolean Hill wrote: ‘What your mind can conceive and believe, it will achieve.’ You can, if you want to.

The trouble is: if there’s a will, there’s a will not! If you need a kick-start in your pants to get going, here is a good piece by Inc. magazine. Work with Type A colleagues, and you may be agitated into action. You may even learn to procrastinate away your procrastination.

You have heard about the seven habits of highly effective people. So, what are the seven approaches of productive people – those who get more done in their working hours, or even get it done much earlier. Endurance athletes can accomplish a lot even if they hold full-time jobs.

I love swimming, but it is the workout I hate! Have you ever considered mixing your swim drills up? What about fun activities between? How about dry-land workouts? Changing variables help in injecting excitement and fun to an otherwise staid and static training program. Even my students in class enjoy the occasional physical activity or puzzle.

This morning, I rode for 100 minutes. It was a strategically-placed workout for an ‘easy’ week. Coach assigned this week for me as ‘easy’ for recovery. I did a 20-minute warm-up, followed by 20 sets of 1-minute low-cadence pedaling on the highest-gear I could manage; rest period was one minute between sets. I completed the menu with descending sets of 3 minutes, 2 minutes, one-minute, and 90 seconds with 2 minutes recovery between sets.

Last night I ran in the swimming pool for 30 minutes and followed up with swim drills for 40 minutes. It has been a challenging fortnight of conditioning. Come January, I will have to step up my training intensities and mileage. It will be serious business. 226K are not something to fool around with. It can be impossibly hard work at times, and obscene at other times. I would need an inordinate amount of optimism and motivation to complete each session; all lessons unto them selves.

The point to all this? To coax the body into handling more physical stress in incremental amounts. However, at times it needs to be surprised with a harder session. Triathletes adore routine; so does the body. Once the body gets bored, it stops adapting and becomes resistant. Do shock your body with variety so that it does not get too intelligent, and refuses to progress. It's all in your mind and body. Stay tough. Be bold.

Be A Skyscraper: Building Strong Foundations

2011-12-26T18:19:00.001+08:00

Demi Lovato played a princess in Disney’s ‘Princess Protection Program’. She blossomed into a pop star, alongside her co-star Selena Gomez (JB’s squeeze). Lovato’s MTV video ‘Skyscraper’ has drawn in excess of 35 million hits. Many graduates (including Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears) of the Disney film or television series and franchises have attained royalty status with their worldwide fan-base of teenagers, youths, and even adults.

Skyscrapers are extremely tall concrete structures that are built on strong and sturdy foundations. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world – standing at 830m, in Dubai. Tom Cruise filmed his own aerial stunts on ‘Mission Impossible: The Ghost Protocol’ on this iconic landmark. Being the athlete he is, he rappelled and climbed on the side of this glass-and-steel modern monolithic wonder.

Like the 49-year-old box-office star, foundational training is vital to pulling off physical challenges. Cruise spent months training on a four-storey structure before taking on the actual skyscraper, complete with feisty crosswinds and heart-stopping moments.

Poets write their poems with words, built on a structure of head, heart and hands. As the film ‘Music & Lyrics’ described, it takes both melody and words to make beautiful music. Yin and yang: the harmony of nature. How you write your training program will depend on your goals. Co-writing your preparation plan can be a powerful, collaborative experience. You weave a fabric based on the threads of possibility and experience, which is then cut to size. Sure, your work is cut out for you and you need to put in the foundational time, be it for aerobic base building, or speed and strength training.

Endurance athletes are also poets at heart. They may do extreme tasks (like long runs and rides), with apparently, no rhyme or reason. Yet, there is a method to their madness. You do not plunge into the open arms of a triathlon with scant preparation, as you will ‘suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes’ (with reference to ‘Hamlet’). Every step is calculated and intentional. Every punctuation or word is written to engage different parts of our intellect and emotion. Build on the skyscraper of your being, and beyond.

Spinning Away Excuses

2011-12-25T23:52:00.005+08:00

I did a 120K ride this morning and afternoon, as the weather was inclement. The monsoon season deters riders from making their pedaling sojourn since it means cleaning up after making a mess. Your bike forks are subject to accumulation of dirt and debris that are spun inside during your ride. A wet road enhances adhesion of these foreign particles, and scratches to your paintwork are a risk you take when ride. It was tempting to call the ride short when it drizzles, however brave the elements and temptation we must. Otherwise, plans become compromised as we fine easy excuses to ditch training.

I have focused my energies in training to completing specific sets, swimming more, getting my nutrition needs pin-pointed, developing rising strength and flexibility. I am certain it will convert into the outcomes that I seek in my quest for my PB in Taupo. I note all my measurements on my Garmin 310XT, as my RPE, and for my post-training evaluations.

Fox sent me my new weekly training schedule. Mercifully, this week is ‘easier’, with less emphasis on specific sets. It is more about keeping my body engaged in the routine, as well as recover from the last fortnight’s work. Sleeping about 7-8 hours a night has been instrumental in my ability to make some gains in strength. I am fully recovered from my flu, and should be shifting towards higher gear.

T’was the Morning Before Christmas…

2011-12-24T14:26:00.005+08:00

Photo-credit: Richard Leong (One of our largest turnouts)

This morning, 18 swimmers showed up for our fortnightly Sentosa Lagoon Swim at Tanjong beach. Our new President of our online tri-group Triathlon Family, Andy ‘Small Circle’ Ng attended as a participant – which we appreciated. Four times of the 420-450 metres (according to our Fearless Leader, Matt) laps later, we did a 4.5K run. After some fun plotting (strategizing with the Survivor mantra ‘Outwit, Outplay, Outlast’) we managed to overtake our youngest Ironman Western Australia finisher in our group. I had fun acting out a mock ‘Iron War’s scene where you go mano a mano with a young buck, and then breast the imaginary tape with experience. At the end, pacing is everything and, if you do not want to hold the lead then drop the pace and follow. I called out everybody’s time as they cross the last lamp-post before the carpark. Some of us were coasting on our post-Ironman or post-marathon peak. Like Steve 'Pre' Prefontaine said: 'In running, what matters is the heart!'

Photo-credit: Richard Leong. My poor impression of Macca; 11 IMs down, two to go for 2012!

I learnt from my cyclist friend, Bernard that doing power sets on the ride, builds strength quickly. However, this comes at the expense of tendon and ligament development. It takes longer for your elastic and inelastic connective tissues to adapt alongside the highly responsive gross muscles used in pedaling. This must contribute to my mild soreness near around my kneecaps – whose history has been relatively injury-free. We were in agreement that riding with faster riders should encourage strength and speed on the bike. You learn to hold your pace and place when you 'pull' your team or draft with it.

Photo-credit: Richard Leong (End of the run set. Spent but happy!)

Tomorrow, I am headed for a 4.5-hour ride (with 30-minute sets as my Main Set) in the east. Already I have a few interested parties who are tempted to ride on a humid and cool Christmas morning. I will follow up with a brick-run, which sets the premise for an unrepentant evening of Christmas feasting and friendship. Next week, Fox will probably prescribe an appreciative easier week; or not. The daily rainfall has affected one 2-hour run, and two pool-swims so far this week. No drama. There is always the next session. Put heart and mind into the effort, and savour the results and outcomes.

Enjoy your weekend and celebrate in your unique way!

Updates and Up-enders

2011-12-23T14:17:00.002+08:00

It has been a physically challenging second week of Ironman preparation in my second meso-cycle. A meso-cycle, in my case, is a month’s load of triathlon-specific training. Each week, I have three sessions each for swimming, cycling and running. I have a heavier workload over my weekends, as this reserved for long rides and runs. It has been three weeks since my flu-troubled Singapore Marathon; I only registered a dismal 3:41, nowhere near the revised Boston Qualifier time of 3:24:59.

It is supposed to be an off-season, and in my personal design I am thick in my racing season. 3 March, in Taupo, New Zealand will be my 12^th assault for an Ironman finish. This will be my third time in Auckland to attempt a personal record for an Ironman course. After my PB plan was up-ended with last year’s pre-Ironman road accident, I had to refocus. I have the numbers to improve on. Numbers do not lie, and plans can be tweaked. Because my weaknesses lie in climbing (and rolling courses) and headwinds, I have dedicated my training towards strength development: time-trials, intervals, and sprints. I am aiming for fresher legs at T2, holding steady for 180K, before the marathon in nine weeks’ time.

Disease and acute fatigue can up-end a well-designed, comprehensive race program. Rest is something I factored in deliberately in recent weeks. I aim for 6-8 hours each night of quality sleep. I am also flexible (with my coach, Fox) with how I attend to my training sessions. For a time-crunched triathlete, you need to be able to shift sessions around without bogging yourself down. You have to be decisive in changing plans and altering your goals. The monsoon season is predictable for its abundant and ubiquitous rainfall. Sometimes, you may miss a session or two, and you move on. It may be useless to recover it like lost sleep. Instead, you could focus your efforts on the next workout/s, or do something else like focus on building your core stability and strength, run on a treadmill, or ride a stationary-bike. Never allow your body to be too clever in adapting to routine. After all, triathletes love routine and structure to their madness.

My nutritional changes include: higher antioxidant-laden foods (mainly unprocessed nuts, tart cherry juice and pomegranate juice); more vegetables, water, vitamin C (with zinc) and protein (including two Muscle Milk whey protein drinks daily).

I am reading ‘Ironstruck’ (2006) by Ray Fauteux, which I bought online as an e-book. He describes his fascination with marathons, ultra-marathons and his 14 Ironman triathlon finishes. John Cooke wrote about his reflection and perspective on preparing for Ironman races. How do you restore balance when this sport is skewed towards a 10-15 hour training week? How can we reduce its impact as an indulgent sport? How do we position it as a sane sport when many perceive it as extreme from the insanely long hours we spend training? When this bolt of lightning strikes you from out of the blue, you can bet your last cup of Kona coffee that life will never be the same again.

Have a very good Christmas weekend!

Elementary, My Dear Watson…

2011-12-22T16:59:00.001+08:00

Sherlock Holmes: Uh, hmm...Right. Where are the wagons?

Madam Simza Heron: The wagon is too slow. Can't you ride?

Dr James Watson: It's not that he can't ride...How is it you put it, hon?

Sherlock Holmes: They're dangerous at both ends and...crafty in the middle. Why would I want anything with a mind of its own bobbing about between my legs?

I caught ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ at Golden Village new cinema in Katong last evening. This is a screenplay based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Final Problem’; this is NOT a screen adaptation.

Robert Downey, Jr. returns as the annoyingly, intelligent and maverick private detective Sherlock Holmes. Jude Law reprises his role as Dr Watson the unflappable sidekick who complements his manic-depressive partner. In this installment, Watson gets married and his honeymoon prematurely terminated when Dr Moriarty – Holmes’ arch-enemy and nemesis – plots to upset the balance of peace in the world pre-dating the 1900’s.

Madonna’s ex- Guy Ritchie directs this sequel and does a fabulous job with the pacing and sequencing. Most memorable was the escape-cum-gunfight sequence shot in a combination of real-time and slow motion. Loyal friends to the series may be perturbed by the well-stocked action sequences that portray Holmes as an Indian Jones-type character. However, in today’s micro-wave-ready, paint-by-numbers, convenience-food society, film audiences may expect more physical action as well as cerebral competition. There is the perfunctory speed chess-game that evolves into a hands-off, mental bout which chess connoisseurs can pick holes on. Yet, this build-up is important to the climax of the film where we wonder: Is this The End?

Overall, this is a fun film that pays mild tribute to the uniquely vivid characters created by Doyle. Ritchie amplifies and assiduously adheres to the film genre of action, crime, adventure and comedy for 129 minutes.

If you enjoyed the stories of Sherlock Holmes, you may also consider the latest BBC television version that is more contemporary and gritty. Make your own comparisons and enjoy playing along with the clues, deductions, and analytical journey.

Intervals and Pause That Refreshes

2011-12-21T17:21:00.001+08:00

A Zen monk receives a greeting card. He smiles. He opens the card. It is blank on the inside. He smiles even wider.

We reap what we sow. What we do, or not do, has consequences. In the area of physical fitness, your race day results reflect what you invested into your training sessions. If you trained as you would compete, then you may settle in quickly into the race conditions, come what may.

I did interval training for the past two weeks. An interval set is where you incorporate higher-intensity work in seconds or minutes. For example, as part of one-hour cycling session, you may integrate 10 sets of 30 seconds where you pedal at your largest gear at about 40-45rpm. Between each set you recover by spinning at a lower gear for about one minute. As part of your long ride (4-5 hours), you could even extend your intervals into 3 sets of 30 minutes each (at 75-85rpm) with 15 minutes of easy recovery between. You could do 30X100m sets with 10 seconds for recovery with the front crawl.

How do intervals work? They work best after your warm-up, where you raise your intensity via higher cadence (spins) or heavier loads (gear). However, this increased workload is done at a brief duration, as you do not want to overly tax your body or you will suffer in subsequent sets. Your investment could be working with heavier resistance, or working at ‘all-out’ effort. The recovery period between sets is lower in intensity (usually lower gear at higher cadence) so as to allow your body to recover (lower your heart-rate, return your breathing to near normal, and encourage the removal of lactic acid from stressed muscles). This interval-between-intervals is crucial in order to challenge your gradually fatigued muscles to maintain its power output.

For running, you can also insert (one or twice a week) intervals that can be as simple as four sets of four minutes (4X4) of higher intensity running. A recovery of one minute should be adequate, unless you go all out in your earlier sets. That’s a total of 20 minutes for your intervals. For a 50-minute run session, you could do 20X30 seconds (with one minute recovery) as your main set.

Intervals help simulate race-day pace. In reality, you may run at various speeds throughout the race. You increase your pace to overtake; you slow down if you start to pant (and creep into Zone 4/upper lactate threshold). How important is the pause? How often do you take advantage of the time to recover? It allows your body to regain equilibrium, earning adequate oxygen intake and time to fuel your body. Walking through a drink-station may be the brightest idea than rushing through the fuel-stops without restoring your energy and fluid needs.

Give interval training a go. Begin with one session per week. Once you get stronger, you can manipulate the menu of duration, number of sets, recovery time, and speed. Monitor how you feel after each session. You should get faster and more confident as the sessions accumulate. All the best!

Leadership Lessons: How often do you monitor your ‘intervals’? How often do you stop to smell the roses? Do you pause for a cause? How often do you press the ‘pause’ button? Does your life end when you push your work aside? What’s the worst that can happen when you shift your priorities? Go on a vacation. Leave your work for a while! Avoid e-mails for a day. Live life, or it will pass by you.

Pushing Lazy

2011-12-20T12:31:00.001+08:00

The quirky, macabre and touching story of star-crossed lovers, Pushing Daisies is available on Amazon.com

Congratulations to my TNF100 Duo buddy, Hui Koon for completing seven loops on Sunday’s MR25 Ultra-marathon! Each lap of the Macritchie Reservoir was 10.2K of trail with slopes and uneven surface. The seasonal downpour made it challenging for the later part of the 12-hour, beat-the-clock, and do-as-many-loops-as-you-can. Each lap of this popular year-end ultra-marathon was as hyphenated as my previous sentence, for it was a 5-loop sentence you subject your body to. Five loops spell the minimum for an exclusive t-shirt. I recall earning my first ultra-marathon badge of honour from MR25 and I still value it, as it holds deep memories of my self-directed, assault of my feet.

With the persistent rain and gloomy skies, it would be so easy to succumb to the sin of sloth. We tend to make excuses to be lazy when nature decides on the collective mood of the day. When you have a plan, it makes veering from it a less than easy decision. Miss a day of training, and you may forfeit on your body’s ability to engage its resources on race-day. Train as you race, we are taught.

Steven Covey, author and perpetrator of the highly lauded ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ and ‘The Eight Habit’ proposed his time management matrix. It is based on the axes/variables of Urgent and Important. If it is not urgent and unimportant, it has to be a time-waster. Crises fall under urgent and import tasks. During a marathon, treating a mild abrasion can be not urgent and but important, as a grain of miscreant sand can cause you to suffer a painful and bloody situation down the road. Taking unduly long for a bathroom break, or spending too much time enjoying the smorgasbord of snacks during the marathon phase of an Ironman triathlon can add up into a disappointing timing for your overall race.

You can ward off unnecessary laziness by focusing on the more important tasks at hand. Even celebration need not be a passive process. Engaging in enjoyable conversation, when interest in another person is expressed builds on your relationship. Engage others. Be engaging. Learn from another: just this morning, my buddy David Chambers sent me his IMNZ 2010 preparation strategy (he posted a sub-12-hour completion). He was stoked thinking about my mild question, whereby he spent the whole night writing out his pre-race and post-race thoughts for me. Thanks, mate!

Leadership Lessons: How do you deal with your procrastination? How much time do you waste each day? How much do you squeeze out of your waking hours? How do you push your laziness away? When is being lazy vital to your well-being? How much time do you put aside to learn? Make first things, first.

The Party Does Not Have To End

2011-12-19T11:03:00.001+08:00

Rock 'n' Roll makes people feel great. That's been Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos' thinking since 1971 with a plan to bring good music, good food, and good people while having a blast doing it! Today, the party need never end, and no one has to go home. The famous rock-and-roll themed restaurant moved from creating dates to accommodate. It combined wine-and-dine with laying supine in a comfortable room after celebration.

Yes, it is the off-season for sports in the tropics, so the idea is to while away the time doing nothing – since we slogged for the entire year at work and in sports – so let’s vegetate and let the hard-earned fitness go to waste. We can always recover our fitness, since we have muscle memory.

Since making a plan makes the invisible – visible (according to motivational guru Anthony Robbins), then it stands to reason that we can formulate a strategy for next year that capitalizes on our abilities and capabilities. Physical fitness is an asset that although intangible, can spell the difference between make it or break it. Applied energy in professions includes passion, enthusiasm, curiosity, courage and purposefulness.

I have always stressed leveraging on a post-race peak – an elusive and thus seldom-noticed condition, of peak performance that occurs about 7-10 days after a major endurance event. Recent finishers of the Ironman Western Australia shared that they feel much stronger and fitter now although it has been almost a fortnight after they raced a 226K triathlon. That is one of the best things that occur after a race, as part of your rest, recuperation and recovery. Your body appreciates sleep, rest, active and passive recovery and replies by becoming adaptive, flexible and responsive – traits that augur well for leaders to develop.

So, what do you do if you are still experiencing post-marathon or racing blues? Continue exercising, although not in high volumes and intensity. Go back to the FITT formula: Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type. This is an opportunity to heal completely from your injuries, smartly select key races to train for, and optimize your presence as a time-crunched athlete. Ironman champion, Rachel Joyce’s won at ITU in Las Vegas; she uses the Compu-Trainer.

If you are facing issues with ITB (iliotibial band) syndrome, then here is Master Bike Fitter/Customised Bike Designer, David Greenfield’s explanation of a common condition among runners and cyclists. The strength and balance of your large gluteal muscles can spell comfort or discomfort, strength or weakness, for your ride or run. Form follows function. Poor technique and form leads to improper adaptation. Perfect practice makes perfect. Poor practice spells permanence.

Just because the train and rain is down, it doesn’t mean you cannot walk to the party. Fast foot forward!

Venturing Overseas & Overseas Adventures

2011-12-18T19:05:00.001+08:00

Would you consider working overseas? In the early-1990’s, many PMETs shied away from the idea of being expatriated. However, it soon dawned on many with the opened markets of China and Indochina that opportunities presented themselves for those who dared venture overseas. A foreign land presented apprehension and anxiety, yet proposed a plethora of purposeful possibilities. As opportunities appear less in an abundant labour market, moving overseas seems like the useful way to go. Here are some reasons to work overseas.

Doing different things with your career can certainly add value, whether it is perceived or actual. Taking on new roles and responsibilities is basic when it comes to enhancing your value as a staff. As a manager overseas, you have many opportunities to express yourself as a leader: Territorial Manager, Cross-Cultural Manager, Country Manager, and Specialist. How you effectively lead your team, work closely with others, manage expectations, recognize results, evaluate fairly and regularly – these build up to your resume of your abilities and capabilities.

******

Building our capability for the second and third disciplines of triathlon, was what our team did this morning. Our team of eight riders – familiar faces and trustworthy people from our swim sessions – realized that we had our work cut out for us with the medium-paced distance we set ourselves to do. We did about 70K over the Selarang circuit (30K for each loop) followed by a moderate, 6K run 'brick'. Matt, Chris, Wilson and I would be doing Ironman New Zealand on 3 March, so it was time that we cranked our pedals for the 180K of rolling ride around Lake Taupo.

Photo-credit: Wilson Ang [Pit-stop at the patrol-station]

We took turns, leapfrogging, to take the lead, for as long as we could; I did my best setting the pace for the first loop since I had fresher legs. Since this was our first group ride, we did not punish our bodies unduly. I climbed up the steep Hendon Hill with my cries of ‘Attack!’ Matt wrote that he would return with ‘Counter-attack!’ at our next ride. Rain did not dampen our spirits during the run, although the heightened humidity was an issue. In total, I consumed six packets of High-5 energy gels and my legs felt decent during both the ride and run; my hydration was adequate.

I took this morning’s ride as a gauge of my current fitness and how my body responded to Coach’s training prescription this week. I almost completed his sessions, except for two swim sessions that I could not do due to a re-emergence of bursitis/tendinitis in my right, formerly injured shoulder. I will not re-instate these two sessions over the next 7-10 days however will integrate swim-specific sessions next week. The guidelines for training are: If you miss a session, move on. If you need to rest, rest. Train hard but stay injury-free.

Since there are no more Ironman triathlons hosted in Asia, we have to venture overseas to seek new endurance adventures. Part of the triathlon lifestyle is traveling. It is a race cum vacation. Ironman participants travel with their Iron-Mates, without which the celebration becomes hollow and meaning-less. For a report on celebrations, here is Matt’s report on our recent post-Ironman WA/Singapore Marathon gathering.

Bespoke-Tailored New Year Plans

2011-12-17T12:49:00.002+08:00

I recently commissioned a London-trained, Saville Row, bespoke tailor to make me a few shirts and a coat (jacket). What I learnt from the strenuous but needful process – selecting fabric, style, collar, button, button-holes, cuffs, pocket, inner-lining and monogram – is the true meaning about ‘If it fits, wear it!’ The best clothes take time to sew, and they feel good to the skin, and makes the wearer feel good about themselves. Having watched many episodes of 'Project Runway', I have acquired the lingo in tailoring and designing and am more educated about 'threads'; I am not a connoisseur of fine raiments, well not yet.

I did not use the words ‘resolution’ as I have found it to be errantly ineffective for goal-setting. How many of us end up, starting the New Year, with revisions to previous year’s resolutions? The mounting weight gain shows no respite, despite upgrades and mounting mantras to attain the flimsy constructed goals. Resolution may be described as ‘re-solution’; ‘resolve’ is to ‘re-solve’. That suggests, on an unconscious level, that we are sabotaging our efforts for success by imprinting a ‘panic button’ to fail. How about you sticking to a plan of action and committing to it like a bridegroom fitting into his finely-made suit? The dateline/deadline matters as much as the intention. A goal is a dream with a deadline. A resolution sounds cool like satin, so few are hot about it like a rip in your pants.

Instead, stay steadfast to your original goal by dissecting it into smaller chunks. As in proper nutrition, chew thoroughly before you swallow. Mastication or chewing, increases the surface area for thorough digestion. The larger the food size that you consume, the higher the risk of choking on your food. Your goals can be re-sized for a higher chance of achieving it. Chunk it down into manageable portions. Split it into intermediate goals.

Let’s avoid corporate buzzwords like ‘right-sizing’ and ‘re-engineering’, and call a spade a spade. Go back to accounting basics like the reliable mathematical signs of Plus, Minus, Multiply and Divide. Relook your goals and see how each can be tweaked to meet your specific needs. Add value to your profession; be valuable. Remove annoyances and minimise distractions. Accelerate and amplify your influence. Share recognition and celebrate together. These are like hand-stitched clothes, and the monogram the fine embroidery that completes your personal attire.

With a custom-fitted bicycle, you will ride comfortably and injury-less, and thus better. With a custom-made, hand-crafted bike, you would benefit even more with your body’s unique measurements. With a bespoke tailor, you can specify how you would like your cloth cut. With a nutritionist, you can learn which foods to avoid (allergy-causing) and which superfoods to eat. With a sports coach, you can turn into an awesome time-crunched athlete. In a world of ‘less may be more’, we need to explore options that enhance our time and resources.

Take some time to lay out your better plans.

Biking Tips For Riding Long

2011-12-16T00:02:00.003+08:00

This is a long week of endurance training for me. My short rides are strength/power-based while my long ones will be about 4.5 hours (with specific, short intervals woven in). Some of these rides will be followed with a run of about 10K, thus I need my legs to be fresh enough for the pounding of pavement. The following is a contribution on riding considerations from my Dubai-based, architect friend David Chambers. He and I completed Ironman New Zealand last year. Thanks, mate for this!

TIP OF THE WEEK: Tips For the Long Ride Ahead.

Change your hand and body position frequently. That will change the angle of your back, neck, and arms, so that different muscles are stressed and pressure is put on different nerves.

When going uphill, shift gears to maintain normal cadence. On a long hill, conserve energy by staying in your seat (not too big a problem in Dubai, but worth a mention).

Brake right. To exert optimal pressure, brake with your hands at the ends of the levers. For a quick stop, as you press the brakes firmly, slide your buttocks to the very back of the saddle. This will keep the rear of the bike down so that you don't flip over the handlebars.

Don't wear headphones. They can block out the street sounds you need to hear in order to ride defensively.

Use hand signals to alert drivers to your intentions.

Try to make eye contact with drivers as you pull into an intersection or make a turn, so they know your intentions and you know that they've seen you.

Drink sufficient fluids even if the weather is cold. You will still need to replenish lost body fluids, and keep your energy levels optimal for the long ride.

Don't pedal in high gear for long periods. This can increase the pressure on your knees and lead to overuse injuries such as biker's knee. Shift to lower gears, and faster revolutions to get more exercise with less stress on your knees. The best cadence for most cyclists is 60-80 revolutions per minute (rpm), though racers pedal in the range of 80-100 rpm.

You Are Empowered to Give Permission

2011-12-15T11:17:00.001+08:00

My friend, Shan wrote me yesterday: ‘But Enrico…You must have been smoking cigars to celebrate completing 11 Triathlons. Read about you in the papers today. I will follow your advice and I will take up yoga again.’ This was in reference to three-time, national marathon champion Mok Ying Ren (soon-to-be medical doctor) who mentioned me in his weekly column on running in The Straits Times.

Our appreciation to K K Chin for forwarding this piece.

I would be happy to assist you, Shan in ways that are useful and thinking about resuming an activity is a splendid start. Next, give yourself the permission, then the motivation.

Why permission? Too often, we hear family and friends comment: ‘You make me angry?’ or ‘You are making me feel bad!’ Technically and physiologically, nobody can ‘make’ you feel bad or do anything unless you commit to it. Emotions are a personal thing, and your body determines your emotional state. With about 2,000 words describing our emotions how often do we activate other less commonly experienced emotions?

Human interactions include eliciting in others (through our behaviors, consciously or unconsciously) emotional states. Only we can give permission to ourselves for feeling happy, angry or sad. Nobody else can incite these feelings you feel, until you allow them to do so. Stop allowing others to do that. It is not nice of them, and not useful of you!

You want to avoid being a pushover; you may not like people taking advantage of you when it comes to work. Some colleagues may take full advantage of their observation about you being easy to ‘unload’ on. Some people like to seek assistance form those who are not assertive, and have not learnt to say ‘no’. You are empowered to give permission to yourself and others through your thoughts, words and deeds (as observed by philosopher, Renes Descartes). ‘I think, therefore I am.’ These phrase and mindset applies to many things in our lives – both personal, and professional.

Furthermore, many of us are not used to compliments. If you do not know how to respond to ‘How are you today?’ with ‘I’m fine. Thank you. And you…?’ then you are, probably, uncomfortable and unskilled in giving and accepting compliments. The late-co-founder of Solutions Focused Brief Therapy, Insoo Kim Berg used to teach us to deliver three kinds of compliments: Direct Compliment, Indirect Compliment, and Self-Compliment. Give and receive words of kindness and gratefulness. Practise and learn on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and electronic mails.

Leadership Lessons: Stop bullying others to do your work. There is a difference between designate and delegate. Give permission to yourself to say ‘no’. You can only give permission to somebody to blame you. You do not have to take things sitting down. Stand up, and stand up for your rights and beliefs. Be sincere. And, while you are it dish out some genuine compliments. Enjoy the responses.

Creating Change That Matters

2011-12-14T08:45:00.001+08:00

Train, recover, adapt, and repeat. The essence of training is to stimulate and simulate physical stress on the body. With adequate rest and sleep, the body gets a chance to heal. Upset the rest/recovery equation, and the body may succumb to the stress with fatigue or an over-trained state. Over-arching has its risk for it must be systematically applied, or it consumes the body’s ability to recuperate.

Our body has coping mechanisms for stress, be it from disease, fatigue, temperature regulation, or physical work. At its extreme, our body falls ill as its immunity system is compromised; as such, full healing is crucial before resuming intense training. At least 6 hours of sleep is required to begin the repair process for damage tissues. Nutrition is also a critical key for tested muscles to heal themselves through assimilation of high quality proteins and complex carbohydrates.

Coach has prescribed me a tough first week of triathlon training; this comes after a few weeks of conditioning, mainly from racing in long distance running. It has been a week since I completed the Singapore Marathon when I was convalescing from the flu. Fox has offered a flexible program for me, since he is aware that I am a time-crunched athlete who has more time on the weekend to invest in longer distances.

This morning I was supposed to swim 3K (through specific sets) and run for 70 minutes. I swapped it around and did my run yesterday, which comprised four sets of 4 minutes each at Moderate/Hard pace. Prior to that, my runs sets comprised 40 minutes of Easy and Moderate paced running. I will do a 90-minute strength/power set when I ride outdoors shortly. Every training set is deliberately designed to purposefully activate and enervate a certain aspect of my fitness. There is little use for ‘junk miles’. A well-deserved and long overdue deep-tissue massage follows it, as I am very tight in my legs after a heavy season of racing.

Ironman Sweden/Kalmar is the latest installation in the M-Dot series. The bike course passes the former home of IKEA founder, Ingvar Kamprad.

Finally, a treat for us! The video for the Ironman World Championships has been released. Enjoy your day!

Switching Gears: My Second Meso-Cycle

2011-12-13T00:04:00.001+08:00

I am sore in my arms; a result of a fairly intense swim squad session. This evening’s Monday Night Swim session with 22 members, including recent Ironman finishers was my first serious session after a long season of racing in marathons. Tonight spells exactly one week after my post-flu, Singapore Marathon completion. It is timely to switch gears and shift from pure distance-running to triathlon-specific race training.

I have 11 more weeks to go before Ironman New Zealand. Coach has prescribed my first week of conditioning and it includes no rest, but active recovery. My schedule for the second week of my second meso-cycle (4 week-block) looks daunting, partly because I will be focused on more mileage and power-specific intervals. As I will be on two weeks of vacation, I will be able to train more diligently and enjoy more sleep. Of course, Fox has been kind to suggest some degree of flexibility for a time-crunched athlete. Olympian and veteran coach, Chris Carmichael also wrote a book to address the serious triathlete who is tight for time, yet wants to excel based on the ‘quality time’ approach.

This phase of my training that will run through the end of the year is about engaging adaptation. Apply new stress on the body gradually, and it will adapt by becoming stronger, faster and fitter. Deprive it of much needed rest and nutrition, and it may not recover well and may weaken. The axiom is: Train, recover, and race. Repeat. The delicate line of consideration is: stress the body exceedingly and briefly, but not excessively and prolonged. One hard week is followed by one easier week. Active recovery and rest is an integral part of athletic improvement and progression.

I look forward to this phase of my triathlon training as, after withdrawing from IM Canada this year, I was eager to race again. After a hectic season of running-based races, I ready to race an Ironman. Perhaps, my first 226K-race will be my opportunity to do a personal record (PR) I was denied last year. I suffered a bad crash when a taxi knocked me down while I was cycling one month before IM New Zealand. I eventually raced, although not at my best and posted a 13-plus hour completion. I was disallowed any swimming as my fractured cheek would have risked infection of my sinus.

I also signed up for Ironman Switzerland on 15 July. I chose it as the Australian M-Dot branded races were all sold out. IM Western Australia 2012 sold out in just 69 minutes, as the wave of fervent interest for the 226K-triathlon format increases. All Asian Ironman races have been discontinued, with the other Kona slots distributed over the new Australian M-Dot races.

Leadership Lessons: How do you cope with physical and mental changes? What is your coping mechanism for crisis and emergencies? How open are you to changes? How do you cope with changes in the marketplace? How do you stay relevant and contemporary? How much time do you factor in for rest and recovery?

Smashing Mental & Physical Barriers

2011-12-12T00:16:00.004+08:00

Congratulations Ewin Teo for being Singapore’s and Asia’s fastest finisher in the Ironman Western Australia 2011. He completed his race in 10:20. Perth-based Malaysian Kevin Siah also had a splendid day and came into the chute in 10:27, a massive improvement over last year. Congratulations to all the Singaporeans who completed their first Ironman triathlon!

Here is a personal report by Singapore’s oldest marathoner, Mr Kor Hong Fatt.

I finished the SCMS 2011 in ‘5:49:40’, and met my forecasted time of 6 hours. My target time for the upcoming SCHKM 2012 on 5 February will be 5 hours.

The bib that I chose to wear for the SCMS 2011 was designed not only as a beacon of inspiration for myself, but for the runners around me. It really attracted the attention of numerous runners and spectators before, during, and after the race. Many of them approached me and took photographs with me. Especially during the race, I received many kind words along the course, congratulations, encouragement, and comments like: ‘You are truly an inspiration.’ and ‘You are a role model for us’. It was very heartwarming to note that I did indeed stir some inspiration amongst the marathoners around me to continue to strive to keep on running.

Photo: Kor Hong Fatt

For my upcoming Hong Kong Marathon 2012, I will wear the similar unique bib in response to the Hong Kong Marathon's slogan: " Run For A Reason ". In respect to flying the Singapore flag high, my bib will show:

Age is No Barrier

4 Marathons in 10 Months:

Boston 2011 on Apr 18

Beijing 2011 on Oct 16

Singapore 2011 on Dec 4

Hong Kong 2012 on Feb 5

Running to celebrating my 80th birthday today

Singapore Marathoner

Kor Hong Fatt on 5 Feb 2012

I trust that Mr Kor’s words will launch us off into an inspiring week. Have a great week, everyone!

Results courtesy of Ewin Teo

Are You Suffering From Post-Racing Blues?

2011-12-11T01:59:00.001+08:00

My friend, Jodan was surprised that we have a term called ‘post-Ironman blues’ when he expressed his sense of ‘emptiness’ after his inaugural completion of the 226K triathlon. It is natural to feel a sense of being ‘in vacuo’ after the racing season is over. Here is a list of 10 things you could do, when you experience the struggle of having too much free time on your hands, or want to resist the urge to go for a long run or ride.

1) Enjoy the break from physical activity. Let your body heal, recover and get stronger.

2) Get your body re-adjusted (chiropractor), re-aligned (physiotherapist), and relaxed (deep tissue masseur). Your body is still in a state of extreme shock, and can be unbearably tight (ITB, calves, upper back) posing future risks for injury. Most chronic injuries occur weeks after the actual event.

3) Take advantage of your post-race peak, and race in short races (5K or 10K runs). You might even improve on your 5K trail-run ranking, hold your fastest riding speed for 3 minutes, or achieve your best 100m swimming speed in the pool.

4) Participate in Master’s swim classes. Work on swim techniques, stroke rate, and racing drills. This tends to be one of the most overlooked areas of development. You may not win with the race with the swim, but you may certainly lose it.

5) Go on a vacation and take stock of your priorities, including endurance race plans. How many races can you afford to do in a year? What will be the financial impact for overseas races?

6) Join classes that focus on different aspects of your fitness, like flexibility, core strength and power (Pilates, yoga, spinning, CrossFit, or kettle-bell workouts). Run hills, and do intervals.

7) Get back into your fitness lifestyle with bite-sized workouts. Down-scale and down-size all your efforts as you are still recovering from the physical assault on your beat-up body.

8) Organise a gathering of finishers of a marathon or Ironman, and shoot the breeze. Swap stories and experiences, and bask in the myriad moments of mutual suffering and celebration.

9) Join swim, ride and run groups and appreciate their energy and enthusiasm for each discipline. Time to move from training solo to being a groupie.

10) Do a post-race review of what went well, and what could be improved. Do you need to have your bike refitted? Could you tweak your nutritional plan? How did you legs feel after you got off your bike? Which parts of you body were the most sore after the race? How long was your recovery?

Stop being in denial. Accept the fact that with the end of each racing season comes a new one. Give your body and mind a rest. Racing is akin to doing exams, so time to celebrate the end of a successful season of competition. Enjoy your fitness and friends! Time to party!

Your Finishing Pose

2011-12-10T11:40:00.003+08:00

Chrissy Wellington completes her win with the Blazeman Roll (in memory of the brave Ironman John Blaise who was stricken with Lou Gehrig Disease). Greg Welch did a high heel click when he crossed the line for his Kona championship win. Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander celebrated like-wise with a similar diamond-legged jump this year. Macca stabbed the air with both his index-fingers when he won his first Ironman world championships in 2007.

Wilson embraces a familiar milestone (Courtesy: PhotoPix).

Your pose when you cross the line matters only to you. Whether you smile, grin, grimace or wince you made it. To go so far, for so long, indicates your true grit. Even if you did not complete in your attempt (due to injury and bodily dysfunction), the weeks of lonely, pain-staking workouts must account for something. Nobody has a right to wrest it away from your calloused hands. If you have to compete for it, so be it. It is a privilege you earned and you have every right to will yourself through the line, with or without assistance.

Vijay pumps his fist in his first IM finish (Courtesy: PhotoPix).

Register for your event. Train hard for it. Show up for race day. Be steadfast and resolute. Keep your eye on the prize. Jog. Walk. Crawl on your belly if you must. Just do what you need to do. Just focus on the end-point and reel yourself in. Your dream to complete is your magnet, that attracts you there with your plans and preparation. The suffering that you undergo is part of your journey, that adds to your character development and perspective of your world.

Soak in the sun. Bathe in your joy. Shower in your moments! Immerse yourself in your freedom. Plunge into your future. That is your destiny.

The runner in the background is headed for his dream.

The Sum of All Our Beliefs

2011-12-09T18:22:00.001+08:00

'If you think you can, or cannot - you're right.' ~ Henry Ford

Our behaviors are driven by our beliefs and values. Renes Descartes wrote that we are govern by our thoughts, words and actions. Our beliefs are our motives and motivations for what we do. Our beliefs can limit or enhance our actions, and thus our results.

Sports and sporting activities include how we involve our beliefs. If our beliefs create choices for us, then they become relevant and useful for us in our future. When our beliefs reduce our choices and flexibility, then they need to be updated or removed from our mental programming.

When you earn achievements and accomplishments, they shift our beliefs about our capabilities. Each success in our sporting endeavours springs forth new beliefs about our abilities. I have noticed that the recent recepients of the Ironman Western Australian Ironman triathlon were eager to sign up for a new race. In fact, some attempted to sign up for next year's edition, which sold out this morning within 69 minutes! For those who did a personal best, tehir mental programming suggested doing another one in the near future, so as to crack new mental and physical barriers.

Shift your beliefs, update them, and restructure them - and enjoy new results and personal success!

Changing The Way You Look At Your World

2011-12-08T18:39:00.003+08:00

Our opinions are our theories.

Theories change; thus, our opinions change, too. Our perceptions of our world are ours; they are entirely our own possessions. Our sensory interpretations of our world are part of our map. This map – a work-in-progress – is continually being updated. What is truth, fact, and reality is determined by our own choices, perceptions, mindsets and attitudes.

Positive-minded people are not born; they develop their positivism through their experiences, education, knowledge, opinions, awareness and judgments. Optimism can be learnt, although it may not be the most reliable and accurate indicator during a crisis. When crises emerge, we need to be prepared for the inevitable and unpredictable.

There are ways to alter the way we view the world with promise, premise and purpose.

1) Surround yourself with experts, and learn from them by asking questions.

2) Challenge the status quo. What is accepted may not be the best or most useful.

3) Focus on useful behaviors; reduce or eliminate useless behaviors. We have choices.

4) Focus on what has gone well; catch people doing right, instead of only the wrong.

5) Participate in sports: it builds character; promotes a sense of healthy competition, excellence and achieving goals.

6) Celebrate with others. Celebrate the success of others.

7) Be inspired by role models, films and biographies. Ask what makes these people tick, differently.

8) Learn by doing and immersing yourself in the experience. Plunge yourself into the change process.

9) Travel is a good way to make comparison and contrasts with what we know, and have yet to know.

10) Stay actively in touch with others; network actively with people you have placed in your contact list. The future is about connections and connectivity. Harness technology for these reasons.

Connect The Dots When Lean Times Are Ahead

2011-12-07T18:14:00.001+08:00

As I suspected months ago, the early signs of lean times are showing. The economy is slowing down – just read the national indicators for trade and industry, global news, and online patterns of behaviors.

What do you do when times are hard? Make hay while the sun shines. Strike while the iron is hot. Sharpen your saw.

System thinking teaches us to think in details as well as in big picture. The ability to chunk up, and chunk down helps us connect some of dots behind us, as well as ahead of us. Steve Jobs said in 2005 that he could connect the dots behind us, however we can lay down some of these dots ahead of us. The world is scattered with dots, some of these are obvious and others elusive. We need to learn how to lay a path to our future using some of these dots. These dots include our reference points such as our milestones, experiences, capabilities and relationships.

If the Six Degrees of Separation is a theory to be considered, time for us to reduce this deficit with active connectivity. Give yourself a kick on your butt. Nudge others around you out of their stasis. Waiting is a deathtrap waiting to be sprung. Activate whatever you fear the most. Scare yourself into admission instead of submission. Time to stop denying, and start doing.

Being broad-minded and open-minded is part of our education. Stop being one-sided and bias through your profession and organisation. Information flows on many levels and platforms, so we need to source, track, use, and evaluate it. Too much information can confuse, so we need to sort it and ourselves out.

What endurance sports have taught us are the values of patience, determination and persistence. Also, it is about preparation for a purpose, and executing a plan to perfection. These things help us connect the dots to our dreams, goals and aspirations. Becoming lean is part of the process of becoming fit and attaining athletic excellence. Fattening up before a race can help us retain our strength and power. Being lean can help us move faster, and even accelerate.

Leadership Lessons: Study patterns around you. Make mental connections. Seize opportunities to connect with others, although respectfully. Stop selling to your family and friends. It can still be business as usual, if you apply uncommon sense. Perhaps moving salmon-style, we can reverse the flow of the inevitable. Buck the trend by doing different things. Denounce the naysayers who have no track record of progress or achievement. Marry theory with practice and a sense of pragmatism. Keep lean, stay lean and be strong.

Sporting Excellence At Any Age

2011-12-06T22:07:00.002+08:00

This piece comes from my triathlon buddy, David Chambers from Dubai. It is a story about veteran excellence in sports. Cheers, mate!

Just so you know an Ironman is a 3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run and the cut off is 17 hours...ENJOY!

In October, Hollander eclipsed Robert McKeague as the oldest man to finish in Kona – at 81 he came across the line in 16:45:55. Hollander believes there are few keys to his longevity – both in sport and life:

1) He stretches every day.

2) Anaerobic training. “You need to push yourself,” he says.

3) “There are no fat old people so watch your calorie intake,” he writes on his website.

He also feels that triathlon is a great way to remain fit and healthy as you age. Here’s another quote from his website:

Especially for the older athlete, this form of competition (triathlon) is most beneficial because it involves several completely different disciplines. The swim gives you better upper body and improves the core strength. The cycling is great for a non-weight bearing aerobic work out and finally the run is certainly an aerobic work out. Now you move from one to the other sports, as your training requires. If a minor injury occurs you can keep fit in one of the other sports. The advantage for the older athlete is that you are training the whole body. If you are young you excel at one sport but as you age, if you put too much localized stress on the skeleton and muscles they break down and falter. If you have multiple sports you will have the likelihood of better overall health. In addition Triathlon encourages the older athletes and provides awards up to any age that can complete in the allotted time usually 17 hours for the Ironman.

81? Finishing Kona? Are you kidding me?

On another note, Singapore’s younger uber-marathoner and SEA Games gold medalist in triathlon, Mok Ying Ren (a future medical doctor) made it a three-peat in the brave defence of his national title. His story is inspiring for the way he made his recovery from race-related injuries.

A Day of Digging Very Deeply

2011-12-05T22:36:00.002+08:00

That’s the reality of life. Sometimes, we earn what we expect. Other times, delays happen. There are no major failures, only hindrances to our goals and getting the right time. Edison said, ‘I did not fail 2,500 times. I found 2,500 ways which did not work.’

Macca wrote in his book ‘I’m Here to Win’: ‘A goal is a dream with a plan.’ Your plan may be reviewed after an event. That is the essence of reflection and reviews – an attempt to seek improvement and personal excellence. The two-time Ironman world champion took six patient attempts before he won his first well-deserved and executed world championship title in 2007; and his second in 2010. He discovered during those six years that he performed better intuitively, by asking the experts, and challenging what scientist said that he should not do. He dug deeply to find his own race, and left nothing behind when he raced.

Yesterday, my Perth-based, Singaporean-friend John Cooke completed his eighth Ironman. He completed his personal challenge under less-than-favourable conditions; he raced with the flu, and had to dig deep within himself to achieve his hard-earned title. Like he said, these are some the races that really matter. I agree. Usually the races that are most meaningful were earned in the most demanding ways. Sometimes, it may translate to cutting our losses, or revising our game plan. Like my run-partner, Melvin articulated yesterday, ‘I had to move from plan A to Plan C’. We decided to give our Boston Qualifier a pass when we realized our race-pace was too demanding on our racing conditions (my flu, and his injured heel). On a bright side, we both ranked top-2 percent overall. Live to race another day!

My coach, Fox had a terribly challenging day. Second in his age group to emerge from both the 3.8K choppy sea swim, and return from the 180K ride, he had to suffer his arthritic knees to complete a painful and crippling race. On-track for a podium, this setback may have caused his disappointment but being a Kona-finisher I am sure he will return stronger at his next race. It is hard to shake the Ironman triathlete mindset and spirit. You did well, Fox!

Congratulations to Team Singapore for attempting and completing Ironman Western Australia in Busselton yesterday. Ewin Teo was top Singaporean with 10:20. Kevin Siah, a Malaysian accountant based in Perth did a sub 10:30. Big shout out to my tri and swim-mates: Desmond, Vijay, Hong Soon, and Wilson. You are an Ironman!

Top Singapore marathoners at StanChart Singapore Marathon were Mok Ying Ren and Anne Date. Both defended their local titles successfully. Both top national runners dug deep to achieve their goals, which made it highly commendable.

On my second wind before I faded.

Photo-credit: Richard Leong

My 25th Marathon Checked

2011-12-04T16:49:00.005+08:00

It was a tough marathon for me this morning. What started as a decent pace soon degraded into a race to finish it! I met the 21K mark at 1:43 and 30K at 2:25. At the 32K mark, my pacer Melvin How said that our chance for a 3:24:59 BQ was fading, so that was that. By then, my pace has slowed down appreciably with some short walks thrown in to clear my nasal passages of phlegm, re-fuel and re-hydrate. My strong ego, mental programming and my desire to complete what I started were my driving forces of my achievement. As I wrote earlier this year, DNF is not in my DNA (unless it is due to a serious injury).

On hindsight, it would have been useful to skip the race altogether. A bout of stomach flu, cough and cold in the last three weeks with negligible training mileage, is not a proper way to do well in a race. However, I wanted to complete it regardless of my convalescing condition. I just did the right thing – slow down my pace and plod on. I would not recommend that you adopt this competitive mindset, as there is a risk of incurring further disease.

My final gun-time of 3:41:09 was one of my personal worst in three years. I had wanted to crack my best Singapore Marathon time of 3:36 set in 2009, however the course was different and conditions were more challenging. A persistent, overnight rain provided initially cool conditions, yet the heightened humidity made it harder to finish in fine form around 8.00am when it was sunny. The only consolation is that I matched my timing with two of our top-10 local elite female runners. May of the veteran male runners lapped me at the final quarter, but they were awesome. I hope to be as good as them in the coming year; they trained hard and are committed.

I posted on the Facebook forum that my score-line for today was: Flu bug: Me = 1:0. As my friend, Caroline stated: If there's anyone who can take this ‘loss to bugs’ in his stride and use it as a positive learning experience it would be me. I agree with her for I will bounce back, be fitter and healthier, and achieve better results the next time. I am sure I will.

Photo-credit: Adeline Tan & Clifford Lee

Dancing Your Own Dance

2011-12-03T11:55:00.001+08:00

The world championship of Ironman triathlon takes place in Kona, Hawaii every year in October. It is considered the holy grail of long-distance triathlon for would-be qualifiers, as well as the Big Dance on the Big Island for those who qualified.

Tomorrow, on 4 December, several key races are taking place in the Asia-Pacific region. There are the Singapore Marathon, Ironman Western Australia, Phuket Triathlon, and Angkor Wat Half-Marathon. We wish all participants a safe and memorable adventure in their personal quest!

Dancing With the Stars is a popular, prime-time, TV competition in the USA. You can watch many episodes on YouTube to appreciate the athleticism behind ballroom dance, salsa, rock & roll, and many more styles. What is salient is that the celebrities have their preferred dance-forms, as well as the ones they struggle with. In any case, they aspire to do their best to qualify for their next round with their partners (who are actual professional dancers).

Dancing teaches us many things, including rhythm, timing, coordination, cooperativeness, and teamwork. This is analogous to sports, be it running, triathlons, or swimming. Movement is one large, coordinated, synchronicity of gross muscle and fine muscle moves. When the body is educated, it has learnt new patterns of movement with respect to specific muscles that engage in these moves. Our brain is one clever organ that learns both good and bad habits quickly and takes shortcuts when it can.

A few tips before your big dance tomorrow:

1) Do a brief session, rehearsing your event (i.e. short sprints, on-land swimming, short pool session, or quick spin on your bike).

2) Conduct a final check on your race attire and nutritional support. Lay out your stuff before you pack them into the Transition bags.

3) Replace faulty equipment and attire immediately; mechanical failure and wardrobe malfunction are killers to one’s mental focus.

4) Rest your feet for the rest of the day. No shopping if you are overseas (do that the day after the race, as you’ll benefit from the walk).

5) Stretch if you feel tense, however not too deeply to risk a strain or sprain.

6) Attempt to sleep early. Have several naps if you have difficulty with long stretches of slumber.

7) Focus on personal mantras that help you stay focused. Use music to help you relax, but not on race day.

8) Avoid people who arouse anxiety for you. Just say you need to rest.

9) Find your space. Respect other people’s space. John Cooke describes his 'quiet before the big dance'.

10) Visualise your completion of the race. Practise your finisher’s pose (Two thumbs up, waving of hands, rolling on the floor Blazeman style, leaping heel click like Crowie).

You have done the preparation. Time to relish in your execution of the race. The test is in managing yourself throughout the race. This may be the toughest examination you may have taken. You have completed two-thirds of it: training, and for showing up at the start-line. If you had your choice of dance, which would you choose? To each his/her own! Sometimes, we just have to dance to the beat of our own drum.

Enjoy your special day. It is another ‘birth-day’ for you. Appreciate every moment in the finisher’s chute. Whatever happens - you are already a winner. Think of two things: get my right-sized t-shirt and medal. Good luck!

Race-Kit Collection Day

2011-12-02T14:53:00.002+08:00

After my brief morning meeting, I walked from the CBD area for lunch at the restored Lau Pa Sat (which means ‘old market’) for lunch. Breakfast was coffee and a protein shake, deliberately for shaking the sleepiness and boosting my immune system. Since I am convalescing from a mild bout of flu, the protein would help in building antibodies for fighting the germs that caused my cough and running nose the past few days.

Thereafter, I collected my race-kit at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. Thankfully, my decision to arrive earlier and take advantage of the rain led to a speedy collection. The race-pack was similar to previous years, with a drawstring-bag filled with race-bib, race-tee, and sponsors’ items. The numerous collection-lanes accelerated the collection and gave the participants the opportunity to browse longer at the race-fair.

The race-fair was filled with sponsor’s booth. Shopping at a marathon-fair can be a dicey affair. Neophytes and first-timers may end up over-buying stuff they need, nor tested before in training. While purchasing my box of High-5 race gels, and my highly recommended ‘Marathon Race Pack’ (value-for-money, $25 only) I spoke to a seasoned half-marathoner doing his first 42K. I suggested that he focus on his pacing, nutrition (one gel pack per 30 minutes) and consume water/electrolyte drink at every aid-station. I bumped into running-coach Lexxus and we had a chat about his running adventures (TNF China); he scored a 3:06 at his virgin marathon in 2008. He evolved into a full marathoner from a 1:14 half-marathoner. Thereafter, I met multiple-Ironman triathlon finishers Reeves Lim, Ken Lim and Philip Koh – an informal reunion at the Perth City-to-Surf Marathon booth manned by a friendly Australian representative. I recommend this race as well as the famous Gold Coast Airport Marathon as the Aussies know how to run a great endurance event.

At lunch, Reeves Lim of INGENS (a marketing consulting company) and I chatted about the concept of progress and improvements. He asked if it was discipline and consistency that leads to athletic enhancement. I agreed to both factors, and also added adaptation. If we subject our bodies to routine and ‘same old, same all’ then our progress can be hindered. Due to the specificity of sports, we can also hit a hiatus or hindrance to our performance by making it too predictable for the body. By mixing things up, our body has less chance of coping with the training stress too easily, and thus learns by becoming fitter. For runners, this means training on the flat roads, hills, trail/off-road conditions, and with various paces.

Two days more before the big dance! Rest well, stretch and hydrate fellow runners!

Re-Setting The Clock

2011-12-01T17:27:00.001+08:00

Upon touchdown on the tarmac, I sense a re-calibration of my sense of time. After 36 hours of enhanced tranquility on the island resort of paradise, Bali I was ready to immerse myself into the perceived helter-skelter of urban life. Having worked the entire of yesterday, I was still ‘working mode’ and envied those who were there on vacation.

As I ran yesterday evening, on the shores of the Jimbaran locality, I sensed that my metronome was oscillating a little too fast. My need for speediness contrasted significantly against the serendipity and sensuousness of the island. Most tourists were strolling slowly, albeit awkwardly whereas the local boys were kicking their footballs with the ferocity of goal-driven soccer players. The difference between the locals and the visitors was one group was having fun, while he other was trying to have fun.

Given time, nervous energy can be dissipated easily through activity. On Sunday morning, both participants of the Ironman Western Australia and Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon will be clocking their physical performance. As the day progresses, each of them will find their own timing and pace. The endurance race does not go to the stronger or the fastest, but the most patient…and patience is about bidding your own time.

My metaphor for life is that we are all in a queue within a larger queue. What we do in the queue determines how much we move ahead. There will be those who may cut the queue, and there are consequences when they are detected. For the rest of us, we can make the best use of our time and experience standing in line or shifting the line.

All the best to the runners and triathletes for 4 December! May you make full recovery and fulfill your personal destiny.

Leadership Lesson: How often do you reset your body clock? How often do you shift your internal metronome? When you go on vacation, are you able to relinquish your reliance on technology for a short duration? Do you bring your work home? How do you make the most of your time in the queue?

It Couldn’t Have Come At A Better Time!

2011-11-30T23:44:00.001+08:00

Trust my body to succumb to the subtlety of stress. I caught a mild cough and running nose a few days before the big dance. Teaching in enclosed places such as classrooms can invite malicious microbes to launch an assault on my mucous membranes. I could only ward off the influence for so long, and now I am innocently paying for it.

I recall suffering my pre-A Race bout of pre-racing, stress-related diseases such as a cough, running nose and stomach flu. Two weeks ago, I had my first case of gastrointestinal distress, and it cost me some downtime in training. I was tapering from a few long-distance runs such as the 50K and 30K, and thought I could get away with doing any more boring Long Slow Distance (LSD) sessions. My speed-work was affected by these interruptions that upset my body’s equilibrium.

This evening, in Bali I ran my first session this week after two days of intense teaching and traveling. I ran on a relatively flat stretch of beach in the Jimbaran area for 40 minutes, inserting short spurts of sprinting. I intended to exorcise the latency out of my legs, which surprisingly was not docile after Sunday’s 150-minute bike ride. I had to dodge casted fishing lines, soccer-playing kids, and couples strolling by the evasive sunset. Running a semi-wet beach was akin to trail running, with a sense of alertness to the surface I was traipsing across.

Generous shots of vitamin C-laced water later, I hope to rest abundantly and recover soon to be in relatively good shape for a good marathon. I have gathered a few serious age-groupers (such as Melvin and Han Low) to run their BQs, and I hope to have enough motivation to stay on-target and in sane pace to limbo-rock under the 3:25:00 barrier. If all goes well, I should have stories and strategies to share.

Meeting Your Marathon Mark

2011-11-29T07:41:00.001+08:00

It is five days out from the Big Dance; the remaining time is crucial if you want to earn a decent showing for your 42.195K. Start thinking about what will go right on race day. Rehearse the plot for your big day out. Focus on images and sensations of how your ideal day will turn out. Here are some reminder and visualisation tips for preparing smartly and effectively for your long-distance endurance race:

1) Decide on a pace and religiously stick to it.

2) Your second 21K may be slower, so make allowance for it. A negative-split is possible if you are disciplined.

3) Be mindful of how you feel. Use measurements like RPE, heart-monitor, the official-pacers, and your intuition to guide you.

4) Drink from every aid-station, whether you are thirsty or not.

5) Stop and walk at the aid-station. There is no shame. Better to slow down and ensure proper nutrition, then to miss each mouthful in style.

6) Keep to the left when not over-taking. Give a gentle verbal warning if you need to over-take; never show your frustration.

7) Break your race goals into smaller, manageable bits. Every kilometre covered is an achievement.

8) Derive and seek inspiration from around you. Draw upon the positive energy of the supporters, cheer-team, official-pacers, and fellow athletes (including the physically-challenged).

9) Focus on the finisher-medal and t-shirt. These will be your badges of honour. You will wear it with pride after you cross the finishing-line.

10) Write a list of mantras that you respond positively to. Avoid ‘Don’t’ and rule-driven words. Focus on purpose-driven self-talk.

Whatever the results, have an amazing out there. You are already a champion for training and showing up on race morning!