A Quote from Tecumseh, Chief of the Shawnee

Here is a quote I found, while exploring the notion of valour. I enjoyed it because it conforms to my beliefs about Nature, and affirms the Laws of Life that prevail if I keep my senses open.

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and

Demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,

Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and

Its purpose in the service of your people.

Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,

Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and

Bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and

For the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks,

The fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing,

For abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts

Are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes

They weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again

In a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home

Lesson Learnt From A Weather Bomb (Part 2)

7)    As tempting as it was, I avoided drafting other than during the climbs. I saw too many drafting situations, however what is the point of cheating yourself of your potential?

8)    The headwinds at the Broadlands stretch are notorious; they sneak up on you in the return leg. You may post one hour on the first 45K, but suffer a 2-hour return. Going aero is the only way for both headwinds and tailwinds – just ‘tuck in, and suck in’ and let your legs move. Just another day of windy riding on a blue-sky day.

9)    I had a tragic swim, lethargic ride, but a strong run. I did not walk except for aid-stations; chased down my buddies, succeeded except for one (our Fearless Swim Leader, Matthew) because I ran out of real estate on the run. Felt like Rinny chasing down Chrissy last year in Kona. I enjoyed the tough, hilly, half-marathon, and was glad for a 1:50 time after all the biking brouhaha. I, successfully, earned an average of 5:13 minute/K pace - a pace that would have given me a sub-4 hour (3:50) marathon in a Ironman. The hilly, 2-loop, run route made it harder on the ascents although I did not adopt the 'walk uphill, run hard downhill' strategy at all.

10)    Friends say I share too much about my training regime on my blog, so I will cease and resist for a while until the next race (in July). Haven’t trained for five days since last Sunday’s race, so I may see you at the Aviva Singapore 70.3 race on 18 March.

Photo-credit: Brightroom, official photographers of Ironman NZ 2012

Lessons Learnt From A Weather Bomb

Last Saturday, a ‘weather bomb’ befell the town of Taupo shattering all windows of opportunity for 1,600 participants to do Ironman New Zealand. Winds of about 120-140kph and punishing rain compromised the safety of participants, volunteers and spectators. Although painful, race-officials made the right call to cancel the race on Saturday, but instead held an alternative half-Ironman race on Sunday. These are lessons I learnt from racing in the inaugural, 70.3, triathlon format.

1)    Despite the use of a wetsuit, I found it too cold to swim well in 15-degrees Celcius water. The cold knocked the wind out of me. Hypothermia is a serious threat to weaker swimmers, as over-exposure can drain your body of heat or fatigue you prematurely.

2)    I took about 10 minutes to complete Transition 1 yet think it was worth the delay. A 400m run up the slope to T1, removing my wetsuit with cold hands, putting on two layers of clothes, and using socks during my ride. Still cold during the ride, but bearable.

3)    I took only Hammer Nutrition ‘Perpeteum’ powder as my main source of nutrition. Suffice to say, it met my energy needs and filled my stomach without gastro-intestinal (GI) issues. Just add water, sip the ‘paste’ and chase it with water.

4)    If you got to pee, you got to pee. System check: I was well hydrated. My body responds to the cold air (low 10’s) and headwinds the same way it does to caffeine, by seeking refuge at a porta-loo.

5)    No caffeine on this race, except for the last 5K with flat Coca-Cola. I did it as Macca suggested in his biography. Sweet as hell, but beats the ‘bonk’.

6)    I suffered cold cramps on the 70K mark of the ride, and thereafter during my run. Imagine getting cramps about 300m away from the finishing-line! I did my best Crowie impression by stretching my hamstrings – did not do much except to irk the spectators to cheer me on – I gritted my teeth and pushed on, painfully. Four days of sore thighs suggested the extent of damage from the cramps. (Note to self: take more Endurolytes, like 3-4 per hour on hard rides)

Playing Catch & Catching-Up

Playing catch is an American game of casual baseball, where mitt-wearing throwers toss balls to each other and catch. It is a useful practice for developing speed and accuracy of both throw and receive. Having played softball as a child, and having a broken small finger (on my right hand), I have learnt to appreciate the relevance of simple drills.

When I was a child, I had to play catch up on some of my least favourite topics in schools. At one point, physical education (PE) was one of my prejudices, as compared to recess (which I naturally excelled in). Playing catch up in subjects and procrastinated homework was painfully boring, and I had to resort to the All Or Nothing principle: either do it, or not. Lag behind, or play laggard and you may never attain your results.

In swimming, we use Catch Up Drills to learn how to synchronise our swim stroke. For the Front Crawl (Free-Style), this drill helps develop our timing for complete strokes (stretch, glide, pull, and recovery). It is performed with one out-stretched arm (with or without a kick-board) at a time, so as to appreciate the ‘time lag’ between strokes and an optimized momentum. It is akin to maximizing ‘hang time’ in a basketball, or in the long-jump trajectory. The 'catch' phase is an important component for efficient and effective swim strokes.

Leadership Lessons: How do you respond to playing ‘catch up’? Does playing ‘second fiddle’ make you feel inadequate? How do you move from ‘catching up’ to ‘taking the lead’? Learning can seem slow, until you develop ‘muscle memory’, coordination, agility and strength. Turn your weakness into a potential strength.

Mapping Out Your Plans

Have you ever gotten lost before? Have you travelled without much of a firm plan, other than purchase your air-tickets and a few nights’ accommodation? Have you struggled to find your way to your destination without incurring a large cab-fare due to your negligence to prepare your documents and maps?

Going ‘blind’ and leaving it to luck can be a useless decision? Even when travelling with a partner, you cannot rely on an uninformed person and leave them to decide on your mutual fate. You are still responsible for master-minding the original plan, and sticking to a semblance of that plan. You need to do homework – this being your ‘hard-yards’ – before making any definite plans to move.

Map out your plan, decide on possible courses of action, and initiate the first steps. Otherwise, you will remain lost and become dependent on the leaders around you. You may not be factored into their plans. Map out, and man up!

Stock-Taking & Taking Stock

When I was a ‘temp’ (temporary help in recruitment jargon), I used to work in warehouses. At these large stockpiles, I was tasked to do inventory checks. It was a laborious task requiring patience, thoroughness and attention to details. I found it hard but necessary to get the job done, as it reflected on my abilities and reliability.

Years later, I learnt the notion of ‘taking stock’ which is to review my results and evaluate my situation after performing major tasks. Take stock of what you do after your performance, and you can assess the relevance and usefulness of your actions and inactions. After last weekend’s cancelled Ironman race, I took stock of my fitness from the half-Ironman that I participated. I took stock of my fitness, mental preparedness, and ability to withstand disappointments and upsets. My resilience was tested after I heard impending news of a possible cancelled race due to a ‘weather bomb’ that befell New Zealand on Saturday morning (the day of the 226K triathlon). I raced, appreciated my capabilities, appraised my performance, and made decisions for my future races.

Leadership Lessons: How often do you take stock of what you do? How flexible are you to alter your plans? How fast do you bounce back from disappointing news? What are your personal strategies for shifting back on-course when bombs fall around you?

Race or Training Day?

Yesterday, I completed my 12th Ironman event at Lake Taupo, New Zealand. Our 226K-triathlon was cancelled, and in its place we had a contingent half-Ironman triathlon. 
Due to a 'weather bomb' that hit New Zealand, Lake Taupo suffered strong overnight winds and rain. As race organisers judged it dangerous for all 1,600 participants and more than 2,000 volunteers the race was scrapped for the first time in 28 years of the event's history. 


About 1,400 decided to race yesterday morning at 7.55am. The professionals, comprising multiple-Ironman NZ winners Cameron Brown and Joanna Lawn took off from a 'wet start' at 7.45am for the single-loop 3.8K swim. At 15 degrees Celcius, the lake swim was cold for many, especially equator-dwelling participants like us. Most of the Team Singapore raced in what looked like the original event.


It was, nonetheless, a tough day. Call it a race or label it a training day, it was still a hard hit for us. The swim took the breath out of me, and being swam over by strong and competitive swimmers was troubling and anxiety-building. The 90L ride was smooth and uneventful for the first-half, yet the headwinds on the return leg made it harder to attack the ride with the same relentlessness as found earlier. I cramped a little at the 70K mark, and I attributed it to cold cramps - which was to plague me later during the 21K. I found good success in my nutrition with Hammer Nutrition Perpeteum (a soya-protein based energy drink) which caused no stomach distress, and gave a sense of fullness. I wore adequately to keep warn, although this extended my usual transition time in T1: I had to use socks, arm-warmers and gloves.


I enjoyed myself on the run, focusing on recovering my lost time on my race-buddies. I started with a 5:45min/K pace for the first 5.25K, and then throttled it up to a 4:43min/K for the last 6K. I made up some ground, but ran out of real-estate to earn more time. No PB for me this time, and more like a PW; however, I was pleased that many of friends did well and they deserved their personal victory. In the end, for a shorter format race, the strong swimmers and riders determined the race. I learnt many lessons from this alternate race, and will use it to prepare for my next full-format race in July. I am not a cold-weather athlete, and excel in hot climates. I will decide how to handle such chilly races in future.

Decisions, Choices and Consequences

Last night, we had a feast at Wilson's motel. The Singaporean team gathered with their contributions of food and drinks for a pot-luck dinner. We had fun feasting and frolicking. You can say we were 'work-a-frolics' having done the time to train for Ironman New Zealand, however with no race to fulfill.
Last night, the storm blew hard and it rained harder. Interestingly, I slept through the threatening conditions. It would have been dangerous to swim and ride. The cold is painfully aware of our existence. Such is life, when outdoor sporting races are subject to the fickle-mindedness and foibles of nature. You have no control over a potential storm of near-biblical proportions (I exaggerate, since I am an urban-folk) looming over a extended swim, ride and run course. The Ironman was cancelled for today. I found out 30 minutes after checking-in and racking my new ride. By the way, each bicycle was photographed with the minder holding it: a nice system of cataloguing who has which bike.
At 4.00pm today, we will find out if there will be a Ironman 70.3 in place for tomorrow. If it goes through, we will have to prepare for it - for those who choose to do it - as it is still 113K of three disciplines. I will decide after the briefing, as my mindset is still on racing, and may even do the Singapore 70.3, if special slots are still open. 
Otherwise, I will focus on IM Switzerland on 15 July, and sustain my fitness and push it to the next level. Coach 'Fox' has encouraged me to still race and aim for PBs in my half-Ironman format. I am curious to discover how my current fitness will see me through a better time. We will see...

Ironman NZ Cancelled: That's Life!

Latest update: Ironman NZ 2012 cancelled!
Due to impending inclement weather, gales and gusts of up to 140kph, the race organisers decided to cancel Saturday's race. A 70.3 race will be designed in place of the original 226K.
More to come...sigh!

Updates On Unusual Activities at IMNZ 2012

Could this be a reprise of 2006, at Lake Taupo, Ironman New Zealand?
According to this evening's race-briefing after the Carbo-Party, the technical officials announced to much concern among the 1,500 race participants for this Saturday's 226K triathlon. Especially more so for the 500 'virgins' to this long-distance triathlon. It was deja vu for me since I experienced my first disappointment at not having to do the full distance and all three disciplines, in the oldest Ironman race outside of the USA (mainly Hawaii, birthplace of Ironman).
In 2006, they cancelled the swim leg due to one-metre high waves and white water. The Ironman became a duathlon of a 90K ride and half-marathon. Based on meteorology reports and tonight race briefing, it may head towards a repeat scenario if all goes sour with the intensity of winds picking up. Lake Taupo is a fresh-water lake the size of Singapore, with its own wind system. As of yesterday, the temperature of the water was 17 degrees Celcius; so was today's ambient temperature. It is expected to be a very cold day!
Last year, it rained throughout the entire race. It reminded me of my first Berlin Marathon in 2010, where it rained throughout the 42.195K run, where I ran in soaking shoes and missed my BQ by 7 minutes.
Whatever happens on Saturday, my team will race. A goal is a dream with a dateline. Our date with fate happens to be our date for personal athletic excellence. You cannot keep a good person down. Resilience will be measured in different ways for all participants who choose to complete on 3 March. I trust the well-intentioned judgement of the technical committee. Some statistics: Singapore fields 25 athletes, 33 couples will race together, and 44 countries will take part comprising the 1,620-strong field.
I will keep you updated. Meanwhile, do whatever you can to influence the weather with your positive thoughts. Thank you for your Facebook and Twitter well wishes!  
On a better note, it was great to have Mike Riley as emcee again. I bumped into the 2008 Ironman 70.3 world champion, Kiwi Terenzo Bozzone. He will pit his experience with the highly experienced 10-time winner of the race, Cameron Brown. At 40, the latter is a legend for being the only professional triathlete to win the same Ironman race ten times. He did not win in 2006, since he was flagged off as the first athlete in the forced-duathlon. Joanna Lawn returns to win another title; she has won it more than half-a-dozen times. We also 'met' at the Carbo-Party the original 15year-old finisher of Ironman 28 years ago, who returns to do another one after a long hiatus. Another IMNZ gave his swan-song speech, after completing 27 consecutive IMNZ races. Saturday will be his last race. We wish him all the best!