Avoid Letting Your Inner Sloth Get You

It is official: I am officially OFF running for six weeks. I have been diagnosed with a stress fracture of one of my left metatarsal bones. It is a hairline crack that can deteriorate into an acute fracture if I subject it to more weight. This is my first injury in my relatively injury-free career. Reeves said that I should take this time to fully rest in an uninterrupted six-year-string of active racing in Ironman triathlons and marathons.

In one week, I underwent an MRI session, saw a podiatrist and a sports physiotherapist – new experiences for me. I also learnt heaps about what to do, and what not to do. For the next five weeks, I am encouraged to lay off running as it places two much impact on my forefoot. To think I actually completed Ironman Switzerland with a panful foot fracture. I can relate to the pain that Julie Diebens had to experience in Kona last year, before she dropped out gracefully from the marathon leg. I had a dismal marathon-within-an-Ironman, and completion became my priority at Lake Zurich on 15 July. I have, gratefully, licked my wounds and hobbled on.

It is also apparent that my status in the Berlin Marathon (30 September) is hovering like a menacing, dark cloud. I may have to become an enthusiastic spectator and usher my friends into the finishing chute. I was expecting a PB at this year’s race. My 2010 foray into this world-class, record-breaking course, was a cold, rainy morning and a disappointing 3:37 finish among 7,700 finishers before me. All I will now is take stock of my recovery, do my rehabilitation, wear orthotics, and focus on my swimming and riding. It is so easy to get lazy, and find excuses to remain inactive.

Congratulations to Kevin Siah of Perth for his 1:29 finish in today’s 21K run! Congratulations to Teryn Tham for a PB at the inaugural Ironman USA in New York City. It was scary to note that millions of litres of semi-treated sewage was flushed into the Hudson River 15 hours before the swim start (due to a busted pipe).

Pushing Lazy

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.

My Plank Collection

Here is an official photograph of me doing the Plank - the Sloth style. Thanks to John Cooke of Perth for starting me off this 'sport'. Trust me, my core muscles are fully activated. At the time of performing this colossal task, I 'warmed up' with a full marathon. My muscles were ready to assume the position!


Photo-credit: Melina Chan, 2011