Training Run 38

Woke up at 6.30, but did not get out of bed until 7.30 and was finally out of the door by 7.45. Need to work on self-motivation. The second that I ran out of my condo, both of my knees simultaneously felt like they were going to buckle. Not sure what it was from, but finally subsided about halfway through the run. My intention was just to go to the Botanic Gardens and back, but I decided to take the long way to the gardens by going through Nassim Road. After entering the gardens via the Nassim Entrance, I ran around for a while and found myself on an unmarked jungle-like trail. I was lost. After about 5 minutes of stumbling around I finally found the park map and ran home on Tanglin Road via the Tanglin Entrance. The run was 3.65 miles long and run a pretty consistent pace of 7.13 per mile.

My Trek 4300 Mountain Bike

Trek 4300-

Summary:
This awesome bike is about 3 years old and is functioning well with almost no problems. Very easy to repair and tune-up. I can ride rough trails, do jumps, get it wet and muddy and it works like a charm. Rides fast and parts last. I have only had to replace one wheel in three years of heavy and regular use.

Strengths:
Frame is super strong, can take a beating. Brakes don't wear easily. Chain works well. Crankset doesn't wear away.

Weaknesses:
Shifters(like most starter-midrange bikes), cables.

My Trek 1000 Road Bike

Trek 1000-

Summary:
I got this bike for a birthday present about 6 months ago. It is a great bike for the "trial by fire" introduction into road racing/riding. The 1000 gives riders a strong entry-level bike but is too heavy to make anyone into a racer overnight. I have ridden on more than 50 rides with this bike and I still love it. For less than $1000, a beginning road rider can not go wrong with a 1000. Within a year and riding against full carbon frames in races, one might want to trade up, but Trek's basic bike is lots of fun and a great value for your money. The color choices are fantastic, I have the one with the black and white paint.

Strengths:
Carbon fork, good brakes, great variety of paint jobs

Weaknesses:
Shifters are Shimano basic level; Wheels are heavy and sometimes wobbly; stock tires are cheap and puncture prone, saddle is mediocre(depends on personal preference)

Recipe for long rides

Found a very helpful article from a website called wheels are
turning which is a cycling group based here in Singapore.
It was written by one of their members and I find it
extremely helpful for when I decide to go on a long rides.

FAQ: Recipe for long rides
Version 1.1 (22 Sep 2002, updated 13 Sep 204)
by Otterman

Recipe for long rides (>=100km)
(See NTU Round Island, 12 Jan 2003: 160km):

A bike in good order

• Get a decent bike with good working gears. Its just not worth the pain after the first 60km! I experienced significant relief after getting my new bike, a GT Avalanche 1.0! See advise about buying a new bike.
• Slick tyres - great when you start out on your first long distance road ride. It makes for a very smooth ride but is not so stable when roads are wet. So in monsoons I favour knobblies (the usual mountain bike tyres). Can cost about S$35/pair.

Apparel

• Bike shorts - get a well padded pair!
• Bike jersey - sweat evaporates quickly. Since I perspire profusely, I am no longer bogged down by a drenched shirt. You can even wash and dry it on very hot days.

Standard Kit (all waterproofed)

• First aid kit - for significant grazes and wounds. I'm always stocked with brave soldier for wound healing. Anything more demanding, its time to look for a clinic!
• Money and identity - I don't bring my wallet but my NRIC, ATM card, Credit Card (Passport), Cash, pen and paper.
• Digital camera - the trusty mud-soaked Sony.
• Always ready for a puncture - Bike repair kit; extra tubes; valve adaptor.
• Stuff I don't have but should get! - Bike tool, Hand pump.

Food and water

• Water! - I use about 1L per 20km; filled with 25% 100plus and 75% water.Some use a 3L Camelpak Mule. I prefer to have nothing on my back, so I use I use two Adidas water bottles in cages on my bike frame and a Camelpak DayTrekker on my waist = 2 x 0.75L + 1.4L = 2.9L. I usually pre-freeze the 1.4L camepak bladder and use it last. It is quite well insulated so I have a cool drink after 40km or more. When I became more fit, I didn't seem to need the 100 plus mixture.
• Power bars - I find these very useful after 60km. With better fitness, I could survive without it longer before I start munching.
• Methy salicyclate relaxant lotion - I use either Salon Pas or Mentholatum Deep Heating Rub, and apply well before I feel the fragility of my thigh muscles! Initially I needed to apply to deep heat to my thighs after just 20km. As I got fitter, it was down to after 60km.

Fighting the sun

• Sunblock lotion - prevents a burn, even if darkly pigmented! It is usually smart to apply well before you feel the need - once you hit 10am. Pre-empt instead of rectify!
• Sunglasses help cope with the glare and dust considerably. Lightly tinted glasses functionin low light andd come is useful in light drizzles.

Priceless

• Kakis - It is morale boosting to ride with others or to chat once in awhile with those who are about your pace in group rides.

Training Run 37

Ran to Dempsey with one of my friends riding along on a bike. Felt very strong. I accelerated on every uphill and sprinted at some points to catch up with the bike. When we got to Dempsey I did some stretching and I was surprised to find it so quiet, it was Vesak Day, expected to see a lot of weekender's. Total distance was 3.33 miles with avg. pace being 7.08 and as I said earlier I felt very strong. I felt like I could run another 3.

Mile Splits:

Mile 1: 7.09

Mile 2: 7.14

Mile 3: 7.01

Bukit Timah and Back Before Breakfest

Tuesday night I decided I wanted to go on a short road bike ride. I was lying in bed at 6.30 am asking myself if I really wanted to get out of bed, get dressed and exert myself. At 7 I decided that I did. :). My plan was to go to Bukit Timah and on the way back I would elongate my route a bit through Nassim and Dempsey roads. As I was passing the Botanic Gardens on my way to Bukit Timah, I nearly ran over a huge, dead boa constrictor on the left lane. It was freshly dead because it wasn't squished yet. The snake was about as thick as a coke can and at least 1.5 meters long. I had never seen a snake that big before.

When I was going down Bukit Timah road I was faster than the public buses servicing the stops on the road. I was averaging about 29kmh on that 5k stretch of road. I u-turned at the end of Bukit Timah and sped down the road at an average of 33.6kmh!

As I was going underneath the underpass at the end of Duneran Road, I had a bit of a scare. I was speeding down the ramp and as I was accelerating uphill, I rapidly changed gears and all of a sudden, I nearly lost control of my bike because my chain had fallen off on the front sprocket. I pulled over the shoulder and after getting my breath back put it back on.

Good ride though, did it all under 50 minutes.

Thighs were on fire on every uphill. I mean every uphill. Even the small uphills, guess I will have to do some hill work.

Stats: Distance-22.41 km, Avg. Speed-28.9kmh, Max Speed-45.3kmh, Time-48.58

Legs and Paddles 2007

Sunday was a day to remember. My first unfinished race! Let me tell you what happened.

Legs and Paddles was an event organized by a bunch of college kids from the NUS Canoing Club and the NTU Sports Club. Categories included a 10k run followed by a 6k paddle, a 5k run followed by a 3k paddle and a 10k run which was called the Brooks Life Run. I elected in doing the 10k, seeing as I don't have any upper body strength. On the 26th I took the bus down to One Fullerton to pick up the event t-shirt and tag number. I got to the booth set up in front of a Starbucks and got a t-shirt for Dad and myself. I then asked for the tag number, but they said it wasn't ready yet and I would have to pick it up race day. College kids!

I got to the starting point at One Fullerton at 9 a.m., one hour before the start of my wave. Dad and I got our tag numbers and our goodie bags. Look in picture for contents of bag. We put the bags back in the car and were back just in time for the mass warm up led by a few women from California Fitness. After the warm-up I was already sweating bullets. I was sweating just waiting in the shade for the race to start. We were scheduled to start at 10am, but even at 10.10, we hadn't even started yet.

Finally at 10.15 the other waves started and we finally started at 10.20. Coming around One Fullerton I was already struggling, no thanks to the extreme heat and humidity. As we proceeded across Esplanade Bridge, I had to run up on the gangway to escape the crowd. When we rounded the bend at the Esplanade I could already feel a cramp starting to form. I eventually ran through the cramp but when we got to Brewerkz, which was the u-turn point, I was in a lot of pain. A combination of the sun and a sore area in my thighs. I told Dad that I was just gonna do the 5k and he said he was going to do the whole thing. I got through the finish line, but just barely. The clock and the finish line wasn't even on, so I had no way of even knowing my time. Luckily, I had my Nike+Ipod and it said I finished the 5k's in 27 minutes at an average pace of 7.50 per mile. Not bad considering the conditions.

I sat at Starbucks for a while, watching the kayakers in Marina Bay and waited for Dad to finish. Dad came in 25 minutes later in obvious distress. But, after some water and shade he was fine. Dad asked one of the organizer's what the temperature was and he said it was 38 degrees. That is hot!

Even though it was a good race, I was a bit disappointed in not being able to finish. I'm glad I did it though. It was good training for the upcoming MR25 5k.