The Ironman Has Landed!

Dex Tai has arrived in Europe. He is getting ready to race in Ironman Austria, his first of a trilogy of 226K triathlons as part of his cause, Racing For Autism.

Congratulations to Tomoya, one of Singapore's fastest half-Ironman triathletes! For his podium position in Japan last weekend, he secured his entry to Kona to compete in this year's Ironman World Championships. 

Lessons Learnt From Films

There are many useful things we can glean and learn from films, if we are willing to be broadminded and creative. Last night, I watched the fascinating work of fiction called ‘My Name Is Khan’ (2010).

Set in the USA, the protagonist (played by the talented Shah Rukh Khan) suffers from Asperger Syndrome (a form of autism, however he is a savant). His key message was a poignant one, and he travelled across country to deliver his two lines to the national leader. He stays true to his cause and survives by repairing broken things; he is a genius at fixing things. We are led to appreciate his character, motivations and skillfulness – beyond his physical clumsiness, reduced empathy and repetitive linguistic behaviors. The character of Jerry Espenson in the TV series ‘Boston Legal’ is an attorney who suffers from this syndrome, and has several quirks (often mistaken for actual symptoms) like ‘purring’ and shouting ‘Bingo!’ when he is nervous.

A hard film to get (but you can watch it in parts on YouTube), and a heartfelt one.

In the Korean film ‘Marathon’, an autistic youth runs the marathon in under 3 hours. Inspired by real-life autistic celebrity Bae Hyeong-Jin, this film raises the compelling issues of raising children with the mental condition. We have yet to fully fathom what causes autism, and the range of similar conditions. Those who have this condition are, generally, emotionally-withdrawn and seem to be distracted easily. There are certainly many forms and shades of this condition.

Both films explored sibling rivalry, when more attention is paid to the disadvantaged member of the family. The Hollywood-made film ‘Rain Man’ (with Dustin Hoffman & Tom Cruise) focused on sibling exploitation, whereas a lower-IQ parent fights for custody of his daughter in ‘My Name Is Sam’ (Sean Penn & Dakota Fanning). These films led me to resource from Wikipedia, and from there it linked me to other resources. I am led to conclude that this syndrome has a wide range of manifestations, and we have yet to fully understand how it works, and manage it. I can empathise deeply with parents and families of autistic children. It must be unduly tough and stressful to raise children with ‘special needs’.

One should be discerning when diligently pursuing knowledge. Knowledge applied is a powerful thing. You can seek information, support a cause, or raise funds to assist a charity. Instead of raising our eyebrows in horror, we can raise our hands in honour.

Remember to support my friend, Dex Tai for his 3 back-to-back Ironman triathlons. He is racing for his charity 'Racing for Autism'. Please help out in your own unique way.

Pedantic & Purposeful Preparation for Switzerland

I use Social Media 2.0 in a variety of active ways. My preferred applications include Twitter, Facebook and Blogspot. I use these tools for learning, sharing and building online and face-to-face relationships. I gratefully appreciate the opportunity to sense and recognize different perspectives from the experiences of others. Seek and ye may find. Ask and you may learn. Apply and you will realize through your experiencing, reflection, genuflection and insights.

In recent weeks, I have interviewed my Ironman friends (Reeves Lim, Neil Franks, Walter Strach III) who completed Ironman Switzerland since 2007. I have learnt that the bike course used to be three loops, and it will be done twice this year. The run course is relatively flat around Lake Zurich.

Most of my questions revolved around the ride, including two climbs known as ‘The Beast’ and ‘Heartbreak Hill’. As such, I have focused on building my riding strength, so as to ensure more resilience during my marathon. To earn my sub-4-hour marathon, I would have to not only improve my run but also to ride strong and not be fatigued. I recall the challenging times and experiences climbing in Ironman Lanzarote in 2008 and 2010. My lack of training and experience riding hills, led me to my longest race rides and a compromised marathon time. I took 4:44 to complete my marathon last year on the Canary Islands.

Running my ass off, for the final sprint into the finisher's chute. A tactical race (and tempo-training run), I had to start near the line and complete first. In terms of nett timings, honorable participant 5240 ran slightly faster than I. However, I placed a position ahead of him. Congratulations, mate! That's the way races go.

The past two weeks, I have earned my personal bests in training and racing. All my races are strategically arranged to allow me to peak on-time, and develop my sense of competition. My A-race is Ironman Switzerland (15 July), and so I need to be in my A-Game, with my A-races supporting my preparation. All the racing and [mostly] solo training will, hopefully, converge to a surprising finish, with memorable milestones throughout the race period. My friend, Dex Tai will be doing three back-to-back Ironmans beginning next weekend. It is part of his Cause and charity of choice, while I will be using my race to promote my Causes. I am grateful for my current fitness, supportive community, and dedicated family for allowing to achieve my performance best.

Another training run, a month ago. I used this race to assess my relative fitness for the 21K. A marathon would have affected my recovery and recuperation. I was pleased for holding this pace and still earn a sub-1:40 finish. My ranking was still top 1-percent of the field!

Leadership Lessons: Do your homework. Research thoroughly, interview comprehensively, and study the course assiduously. Mental rehearsals can help you create a sense of familiarity and déjà vu. Training is the ‘done that’ while your attempt is the ‘been there’. Create simulations to achieve a ‘been there, done that’ sensation. Make your training sessions tough enough without scaring yourself. Enjoy the process/journey.
Photo-credit: Running Kaki

Three Ironmans In 15 Days: A Shared Purpose

My friend, Dex Tai will be racing in three consecutive Ironman triathlons in 15 days as part of his Race For Autism mission. Dex and I last raced the 226K multi-disciplinary race in 2010 in Austria, and will reunite on 15 July in Zurich, Switzerland for my 13^th IM race, and his ‘three-peat’.

Doing an Ironman triathlon is a personal challenge. As much as people believe that we are backed by corporate sponsors, most of the time we travel completely on our own expenses. If you are fortunate to be recognized by sponsors, you may race with some attire or nutritional support. Otherwise, it is a private enterprise driven by willpower, choice, determination and strength of purpose.

In Dex’s case, he is driven by a shared purpose with his wife who has a deep affection for working with autistic children. He has expanded his support for the mutual cause by expanding on his capability to attempt a physical challenge of mind-shifting proportions. Having raced with Dex in IM Austria in 2010, I know that he has the ability to race two Ironmans within one week. He scored a 3:45 marathon on his second consecutive attempt. Our interviewees Wayne Kurtz and Kua Harn Wei have shown that 20 or 10 back-to-back, daily, Ironman distances are possible. It takes a clear plan, intense focus, and dedicated preparation to achieve the impossible. The impossible just takes longer!

Upon notification of Dex’s personal quest to raise S$10,000 for his charity of choice, I applied viral marketing to my community; I sneezed it on two occasions within a week. As an educator, I recognise the massive challenges involved with working with autistic people; they have brilliant brains that just work differently from us.  I hope that he hits his target soon, which is not impossible knowing that Dex depth of character.

Help me, to help Dex, to help his cause. Meanwhile, be more aware, educate others, and spread the word of our human condition. Will you help a stranger? Will you interact with somebody and communicate with them?