Those Race Participants In Their Colourful and Tight Attire

I could not resist posting this, as it comes as a timely reminder to those attempting their first (certainly not last) Ironman triathlon. Having completed a race recently, I appreciate and fully knowledge my partner for constantly looking out for my interests and safety.

I believe that the 10 points mentioned on this t-shirt summarises the ordeal our Iron-mates (a.k.a support crew) have to bear. I admit I do have a preference for designing ‘racations’ (#6), that is, a race combined with a vacation. The trouble with racations is, the vacation only begins a day (at its earliest) after the event (marathon, triathlon) has past. By that time, your body may not be in optimal state to walk fast, especially downstairs; or hold a drinking-glass to your lips, after a long-distance open-water swim.

And, when you can create some mobility in your arms and legs, give full credit to your Iron-mates and shower them with full recognition. Our personal achievements mean less without they being around us.

Nothing Beats Your First Time!

100K of nocturnal pounding on the pavement: That was what my friends did with hundreds of other ultra-marathoners at this morning’s Sundown Ultra-marathon. Last year's third-place finisher, Robson Phan (who I shared a photo-finish with, at last year’s Beer Run), braving gastrointestinal issues at the 53K (after holding a 10K/h pace, completed it in under-11 hours (and a 7^th placing). Apparently, his pre-race meal of sweet potatoes did not agree with him on the second-half of the race.

Congratulations to sleep-deprived, Lap Huan, Charlotte (for placing second), Winston and Wilson (93K is two marathons-plus) for their personal attempts! Congratulations to Mika Kume for her podium placing in the Masters’s category, and to Sumiko Tan for her win in the Women’s Open section. Mika out-ran me at last year’s 84K night challenge, much to my honour.

As I read the real-time reports on Facebook (courtesy of iPhone users), I was thinking about these brave athletes. Running in the evening is very harsh on the body, considering the fact that there was high humidity (almost 100 percent) and scarcity of breeze. It rained in the morning, so the air was thick with excitement and water vapour. The race flagged off at the Marina Barrage at 6.00pm, and the route covered the entire eastern part of Singapore. I was also a little disappointed at not racing this year’s marathon, although I swore I would never do it again (soon).  With next week’s Gold Coast Marathon looming, I had to rest up my legs to stay fresh for a potential PB. An ultra-marathon takes too long to recover, and a week does not cut if I was seeking a second Boston Qualifier (BQ). At my current fitness, I believe that I could have completed the 100K in about 11 hours. No loss for fantasizing!

The results came in fast and furious through social media, mainly iPhone reports, Facebook posts and the occasional tweets. For those of us who decided to support our running mates (not political, mind you), we cheered them on – much to their appreciation. My friends (like Charles of AniMiles) drove to specific locations along the official route, and either offered cold drinks and coffee, and even leg massages (Reese of Crazy2Tri supporting Lawrence). Running a night ultra-marathon is a very lonely proposition made more memorable with cheerful friends, excited over your own challenge and celebration.

I wish you the very best on your next challenge. Read about John Cooke's new racing experience.

Leadership Lesson: What was it like completing your first challenge? How does it feel to accomplish something seemingly impossible? How grateful are you of your supporters?

Is There A Geek Behind The Leader?

Barry Buchanan is a satirist and cartoonist. His artistic expressions draw a smile to my face, however his observations are his strength. I think satire is the bridge between reality and the theatrical. There are humorous moments in our daily vignettes as can be read in the cynical comic strip, Dilbert.

I admit I am an ignoramus when it comes to techie things – writing this phrase is a dead giveaway about my technological incompetence. It took a long while before I could put my bike together on away-races. I was motivated to do it myself after my powers of influence and favours ran out. Talk about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (or skillful)!

I am a geek, and so are you. When you consider the profundity of your knowledge within the ambit of your hobby and pastime, you are a geek! We are experts in our leisurely pursuits, for we chase after it. When we start speaking in the tongue of a technophile, we are expressing our brighter side. Who isn’t fascinated with talking about their passions? If you are passionate about your profession and are knowledgeable about it, you are a geek.

A geek is an enthusiast. If you enjoy working with customers, you are a geek. If you enjoy bicycles (and are into bike porn), you are a geek. Ozzie Osbourne bit off the head of a bat (by accident?) during a 'live' performance, so he is a geek (in the carnival sense). If you are familiar with geeks and all things geeky, you are indeed a geek!

Geeks spend hours on their hobbies; does that make work a hobby? Are we suckers for punishment? Sounds like a masochist’s slogan. I still hear cries of dismay when I announce to my colleagues that I’ll be doing yet another Ironman race; my family has resigned (and redesigned) itself to the fact that it is part of my neurosis. I am a neurotic with my abundant share of idiosyncracies and idiotic behavior. Within the triathlon community, I feel normal. Among the blind the one-eyed is king. Hey! I was influenced by idiots!  And I graduated with first-class honours for being an idiot – I just don’t know when to stop (or at least, I pretend I don’t).

Want to track your triathlon races worldwide? Go to AthLinks. It has your race records and history for you to claim. Quite a few fellow bloggers are already on its free membership.

Endurance sports are hard things. Mastering an instrument is a hard thing. Doing my chores is a harder thing. When was the last time you attempted hard things? Michael Ray Hopkin (incidentally, a 3:30 marathoner) blogged about doing hard things and the relevance of supporters, and I actually set my marathon PB as a result of our conversation.

Are you a geek or meek? I suppose that we have a bit of both in our composition. Who shall inherit the earth?


Illustration of DontFeedTheGeek.com by: Krishna Sadasivam the cartoonist behind the excellent www.pcweenies.com