Tuesday, March 29, 2005
But Enough About Griping Already!
Let's get on with the good stuff. The real nitty-gritty of what happened during the 2005 Sabah Adventure Challenge.
Summarily, the conditions in Singapore were totally unrealistic simulations of the terrain we had to face in Sabah. The hiking sections were exquisitely painful for both our soles and muscles. Uphills were really UP, and the downhills just had the ankles and knees begging constantly for mercy in case a mis-judged foot-step resulted in a sprain, tear, dislocation or worse....
I regret to say that we missed out on a third-place finish in the Extreme Cateogry by a matter of 4 minutes, which is the equivalent of the difference of a hair's breadth when you take into account the total accumulated time over the three days' racing. Of the 1st place team there was never any doubt: They built a substantial lead right from the start - these two Sabahan athletes were phenomenal mountain runners and superbly fit to tackle whatever the mountain bike course could throw at them. My helmet is off to them
Summarily, the conditions in Singapore were totally unrealistic simulations of the terrain we had to face in Sabah. The hiking sections were exquisitely painful for both our soles and muscles. Uphills were really UP, and the downhills just had the ankles and knees begging constantly for mercy in case a mis-judged foot-step resulted in a sprain, tear, dislocation or worse....
I regret to say that we missed out on a third-place finish in the Extreme Cateogry by a matter of 4 minutes, which is the equivalent of the difference of a hair's breadth when you take into account the total accumulated time over the three days' racing. Of the 1st place team there was never any doubt: They built a substantial lead right from the start - these two Sabahan athletes were phenomenal mountain runners and superbly fit to tackle whatever the mountain bike course could throw at them. My helmet is off to them
The Return back to Reality
Somehow, there always seems to be a lull, a dampening of the spirit, you might call it, in the couple of days following an adventure race. Regardless of the result, one somehow feels listless and buggered during this period of 'recovery', whereby the body is coerced, against one's own will, to turn to the 'bum lifestyle'. Chiefly, this involves almost nil exercise of any kind, frequently contemplating the undersides of one's eyelids, watching copious amounts of TV and videos, engaging in frivolous no-brainer tasks one would normally avoid even on a bad day, and binging on typically forbidden gastronomic pleasures like spicy cuisine, high-sugar treats, deep-fried dishes, and assorted junk food in general.
If you live just a couple of days in the abovementioned fashion, you too may just find your motivation for that next race flying out the window, as i feel now. Still, this phase of recovery is important, so long as you know when and how to get back on track in preparing for the next race. I can honestly say that these couple of days' slacking has got me thinking on how we can improve our performance for our next race effort. That's the beauty of adventure racing, in my opinion. Always forcing you to think - improving on what needs work, banking on tried and true race tactics, adapting to the changing demands of each race, cutting out what does not work, and brainstorming new ideas to experiment with in the upcoming training sessions (sooner than you think!).
Adventure racing is as cerebral as any other sport you care to name, make no mistake. But what differenciates it from others is the way it DEMANDS that racers think through their preparation for that next race.
Every Race is Different....
If you live just a couple of days in the abovementioned fashion, you too may just find your motivation for that next race flying out the window, as i feel now. Still, this phase of recovery is important, so long as you know when and how to get back on track in preparing for the next race. I can honestly say that these couple of days' slacking has got me thinking on how we can improve our performance for our next race effort. That's the beauty of adventure racing, in my opinion. Always forcing you to think - improving on what needs work, banking on tried and true race tactics, adapting to the changing demands of each race, cutting out what does not work, and brainstorming new ideas to experiment with in the upcoming training sessions (sooner than you think!).
Adventure racing is as cerebral as any other sport you care to name, make no mistake. But what differenciates it from others is the way it DEMANDS that racers think through their preparation for that next race.
Every Race is Different....
Monday, March 21, 2005
The final weekend
OK, finally the last weekend - on the taper week - is upon us. Tapering for adventure racing is unlike other sports. The intensity is defintely cut down, although some semblance of distance logged must be maintained. The backpack stays on most of the time now for runs and rides.
No, the most interesting thing about tapering is that training winds down when more urgent stuff becomes higher priority, such as:
- making do-or-die accommodation and transportation bookings/arrangements
- arranging for last-minute gear pick-ups
- buying food, medical kit, and other expendable stores
- packing - s***loads of packing to be done! Darn those overweight charges!
- settling of accounts and bills
- phone calls galore! E-mails flying around!
- running around pulling hair out
OK, i still got some hair left. But the needs of the team become such that you eat, breathe, sleep and essentially live THE TEAM and THE RACE in the last fewdays before the event itself. It helps to take a day's leave to sort out the stuff.
Keep ya updated. Still gotta fit in an easy run and bike before returning to packing....
No, the most interesting thing about tapering is that training winds down when more urgent stuff becomes higher priority, such as:
- making do-or-die accommodation and transportation bookings/arrangements
- arranging for last-minute gear pick-ups
- buying food, medical kit, and other expendable stores
- packing - s***loads of packing to be done! Darn those overweight charges!
- settling of accounts and bills
- phone calls galore! E-mails flying around!
- running around pulling hair out
OK, i still got some hair left. But the needs of the team become such that you eat, breathe, sleep and essentially live THE TEAM and THE RACE in the last fewdays before the event itself. It helps to take a day's leave to sort out the stuff.
Keep ya updated. Still gotta fit in an easy run and bike before returning to packing....
Monday, March 14, 2005
Somehow this weekend feels... bleah!
OK, so i had competitions of both days: Saturday was the heats for a 1000m K2 sprint; and Sunday was the 2005 Legs n' Paddles. Got 2nd for the Saturday event, so that means next Saturday will be our semi-finals, with the finals on Sunday. As for the Legs n' Paddles, HQ and i got 2nd in our wave, and 3rd overall. I maintain that we were just going for fun, and thus our resultant placing. We can attribute our results for both days to only 1 thing: Mindset.
The human mind is a powerful tool. Its incredible suggestive powers can determine whether the body can or cannot exceed certain human-imposed limits, whether be they physiological or 'according to training doctrine'. Both times, had we gone in with the goal of just getting through the competition, we would have found ourselves floundering in a sea of 'nua-ness' and would not have performed up to the mark. On the other hand, had we psyched ourselves up to the point of wanting to win, no matter what, we would have been inflicting undue stress upon ourselves. Why? This is due to the following two sets of circumstances. In the 1st case, Yong Kim had done a 1000m K1 event prior to our K2 effort. He did not qualify for the semis on that one, but that did not de-motivate him to the point of not doing his best for the K2 event. Instead, he, together with me, remained upbeat but realistic on our chances in the heats. Thus, we felt little stress as we lined up at the 1000 mark along with our rival teams in their boats. As we closed in on the finishing line, our focus was kept largely intact due to the lack of 'stomach flutter' that so often affects performance in a negative way. Were we then just lucky to clinch 2nd in our heats? I would like to think so, but i feel that maintaining a worry-free, can-do attitude was also a contributing factor to our small success.
OK, for the 2nd case, it was similarly a case of 'can-do' in action - my mate HQ had not run in the last 3 months, nor had he touched a kayak or paddle. Still, the promise was to go do the competition 'just for the heck of it'. The same carefree attitude translated into considerably less start-line stress and pre-race anxiety, something which our trained fellow competitors and more contest-tuned fellows would likely have had in larger amounts.
Being well-trained and well-prepared for an event certainly increases one's chances of getting a top placing or even a personal best. But even more important, i feel, is the synergy and positive vides that are generated out of trust and mutual understanding of each other... a team environment where it is NOT a matter of achieving results based on what the slowest member can put out; but what two, or more, can achieve in harmony (and the sum of their efforts surpasses that of a singular effort) when crunch time comes. Taking things with a smile and a laugh just helps things along. Keeping the team environment fun and injected with camaraderie at all times pays great dividends when the seriousness of competition finally catches up with the team.
The human mind is a powerful tool. Its incredible suggestive powers can determine whether the body can or cannot exceed certain human-imposed limits, whether be they physiological or 'according to training doctrine'. Both times, had we gone in with the goal of just getting through the competition, we would have found ourselves floundering in a sea of 'nua-ness' and would not have performed up to the mark. On the other hand, had we psyched ourselves up to the point of wanting to win, no matter what, we would have been inflicting undue stress upon ourselves. Why? This is due to the following two sets of circumstances. In the 1st case, Yong Kim had done a 1000m K1 event prior to our K2 effort. He did not qualify for the semis on that one, but that did not de-motivate him to the point of not doing his best for the K2 event. Instead, he, together with me, remained upbeat but realistic on our chances in the heats. Thus, we felt little stress as we lined up at the 1000 mark along with our rival teams in their boats. As we closed in on the finishing line, our focus was kept largely intact due to the lack of 'stomach flutter' that so often affects performance in a negative way. Were we then just lucky to clinch 2nd in our heats? I would like to think so, but i feel that maintaining a worry-free, can-do attitude was also a contributing factor to our small success.
OK, for the 2nd case, it was similarly a case of 'can-do' in action - my mate HQ had not run in the last 3 months, nor had he touched a kayak or paddle. Still, the promise was to go do the competition 'just for the heck of it'. The same carefree attitude translated into considerably less start-line stress and pre-race anxiety, something which our trained fellow competitors and more contest-tuned fellows would likely have had in larger amounts.
Being well-trained and well-prepared for an event certainly increases one's chances of getting a top placing or even a personal best. But even more important, i feel, is the synergy and positive vides that are generated out of trust and mutual understanding of each other... a team environment where it is NOT a matter of achieving results based on what the slowest member can put out; but what two, or more, can achieve in harmony (and the sum of their efforts surpasses that of a singular effort) when crunch time comes. Taking things with a smile and a laugh just helps things along. Keeping the team environment fun and injected with camaraderie at all times pays great dividends when the seriousness of competition finally catches up with the team.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Woodcutters again!
I've said it once and i'll say it again...
Woodcutter's is a good place to train up navigation skills. Just don't stick to the main trail and you should learn a few things about the importance of holistic navigation!
We had fun, once again, tramping around inside trying to beat the sunset as we traversed from hill to knoll to re-entrant, and attempted to link ourselves up with the main trail.
Now i know that Mr. Compass is the most trustworthy of all!
Of course we'll be going back there to train again! In fact i'm game for something even more ambitious... Lim Chu Kang... soon!
Woodcutter's is a good place to train up navigation skills. Just don't stick to the main trail and you should learn a few things about the importance of holistic navigation!
We had fun, once again, tramping around inside trying to beat the sunset as we traversed from hill to knoll to re-entrant, and attempted to link ourselves up with the main trail.
Now i know that Mr. Compass is the most trustworthy of all!
Of course we'll be going back there to train again! In fact i'm game for something even more ambitious... Lim Chu Kang... soon!
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Yong Kim and Kang Wei had a meeting with us regarding our upcoming trip to Sabah. They have kindly agreed to be our support crew – knowingly subjecting themselves to late nights, frenzied packing and unpacking, logistical duties, dirty bodies, and abuse in general – all for the sake of making our race more efficient. Words cannot express how grateful Qi Xiang and I are to them for committing to helping us out.
An early morning run and PT session, in the rain no less, is just the ticket to a great day at the office. The discomfort of having rain in your face, soaking your socks, and running between your butt-crack, is alleviated by the thought that you come away more prepared for inclement weather during competition… altogether not a bad thing. I was in high spirits for the rest of the day today. How about the risk of falling sick? Juice, and lots of it, would help reduce that.
An early morning run and PT session, in the rain no less, is just the ticket to a great day at the office. The discomfort of having rain in your face, soaking your socks, and running between your butt-crack, is alleviated by the thought that you come away more prepared for inclement weather during competition… altogether not a bad thing. I was in high spirits for the rest of the day today. How about the risk of falling sick? Juice, and lots of it, would help reduce that.
Yesterday we just got our bikes back. New chainrings! We have new grips too, courtesy of Patrick at Eclipse Sports. The only outstanding issue on the product front seems to be the bike transportation boxes. They are a major pain in the butt to borrow, as so few people we know have them, and even fewer bike shops sell them. Currently I’m pondering the merits of Crateworks bike boxes (www.crateworks.com). They are certainly cheaper than the stuff currently on the local market, but at the same time I’m considering building our own boxes out of plywood and metal L-bars...
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Product!
Helmet-wise, Qi Xiang needs one as his current $7 lid gave him a headache while cranking out laps at BT last Saturday. We’ll shop around for that…
We need to run in the Schwalbe tires a bit more… whereby we have to get used to the handling as well as wear down the center tread a bit more. Other stuff we need to run in are chains (mentioned by Patrick) - both the race chain as well as the spare one, the chain rings – real smooth, don’t seem to need much running in, but still…) the trail running shoes (clocked only about 27km so far for me since last week), and clothing.
The Weldtite lube (kindly provided by Andre of Klimax Imports) will need to undergo further testing in varying conditions (i.e.: We need to ride in the rain more!). The weather has been kind enough to dump some rain in recent days, so at least we get some practice in damp conditions. We reckon the weather might turn wet at the race site too.
We need to run in the Schwalbe tires a bit more… whereby we have to get used to the handling as well as wear down the center tread a bit more. Other stuff we need to run in are chains (mentioned by Patrick) - both the race chain as well as the spare one, the chain rings – real smooth, don’t seem to need much running in, but still…) the trail running shoes (clocked only about 27km so far for me since last week), and clothing.
The Weldtite lube (kindly provided by Andre of Klimax Imports) will need to undergo further testing in varying conditions (i.e.: We need to ride in the rain more!). The weather has been kind enough to dump some rain in recent days, so at least we get some practice in damp conditions. We reckon the weather might turn wet at the race site too.
