We've all come to know Superman as the "man of steel". Apart from kryptonite, the only mineral from the planet Krypton that will nullify Superman's powers and immobilise him with pain, he is otherwise the fastest, strongest and most powerful being on planet earth (in the comics world, that is). Well, I've come to realise that the making of an ironman triathlete requires one to have a mind made of... well, literally - STEEL. And why so? Isn't PASSION an important factor too? We all need to have a passion to fuel the drive to train consistently for 5 days a week. True? Sure. BUT, passion just ain't enough to get you there.
Passion is but only an emotion. So many of us start out strong driven by a dream, a goal or a challenge. I have so many friends who have come to me with great excitement, sharing their wonderful dreams of starting up a business venture, running a marathon, pioneering a new product, being on the dean's list or even... getting started on exercising! Sadly, 8 out of 10 never succeeded in what they originally set out to accomplish.
I've noticed 2 problems here.
Firstly, most never had a concrete plan. Dreams will always remain as dreams unless a proper plan is drawn up. B'cos they only exist in the mind, they fade away just as quickly as they were dreamed up. A plan, a blue print, a strategy is required! Always count it of imperative importance if you seriously want to turn your dreams into reality. That's why I always source out for a training plan whenever I prepare for my races so that I know I'm progressing steadily towards my race goal.
Secondly, we often suffer from a "make it stick" problem. Ok, so we do have a plan. But more often than not, we don't stick to it! In my ironman preparations, I've learnt that it takes a mind of steel to follow strictly to the training regime. I am not the best master at this yet, but I try my very best to given the challenging circumstances. It takes a whole lot of effort and a very disciplined mind to get out of bed at 5.30am to train. The body tells you it needs the sleep and truthfully, 8 out of 10 times the mind gladly accommodates. We need to discipline our minds well if we want to finish well. The mind can be the single most powerful organ in our body if we know how to master it well. Mind over body!
*****
Training log: 29 Jan - 3,000m swim 30 Jan - 30k run (70% effort in 2hrs 53mins)
The Ironman swim is a distanceof 3.8km. That's equivalent to 76 laps in an Olympic size pool. Yesterday was a good swim, but a rather tiring one. My training plan read 4,000m. *gulp* I plunged into the pool without trying to think too much about it. It kinda worked actually but it took a while to find my rhythm. I got out of the pool after hitting the 3,000m mark to drink some water as I forgot (again) to bring my water bottle (yes, you do lose water while swimming). Was feeling dehydrated and needed some fluid intake badly.
Then it happened. I caught a bad chill while drinking from the water cooler. The winds were strong and I think my immune system was down due to the lack of rest throughout the week. Anyway, plunged in again to finish off the remaining 20 laps before hurrying to the bathroom to have a hot shower. Took some medicine before I slept and popped two Vitamin C pills.
Training log: 4,000m swim (3,000m easy; 5x200m @ 80% effort)
I'm off to retreat over the weekend! Will try to catch a long run in between.
For those of you who arewondering about the whereabouts of Mr. Gingerbread Man since his last appearance at the Countdown Party, well, here's what he's been up to.
Cutting a Blues Album! Wow! Way cool!
And he returns with 2 of his long lost buddies too! Rock on Mr. Gingerbread Man!
I know I know, I haven't been blogging of late. Bo Eng. When you're training for an Ironman, your social life virtually cease to exist. You pour so much of yourself into work, ministry and training. AND... more work, ministry and training..... AND? yesssss, more work, ministry and training. But hey, it's really not all that bad. There's only 1 month left to my very first Ironman attempt. LANGKAWI MALAYSIA - here I come! The training has picked up pace and I'm into what they call the 'Build' phase of my training where the mileage for each of the three disciplines increases and there is more focus and attention given to speed work and higher intensity workouts. You would think I have stuck diligently to my training program. Well.... honestly, at least I try to... (that's a good way of saying "No la... BUT I also not slacker ok??") Training programs are nice to follow when you don't have to work and when ministry is limited to Sundays. But we live in a real world. You work harder than you think and ministry always challenges you to... well, die to self. Haha =) But hey, no complains here! Life gets more and more exciting and challenging with each passing day. I love it!
You make adjustments, you try and be flexible, you simply MAKE TIME. That's why I see small miracles happening everyday. I'm always thankful how I've made it through each week given my packed-until-cannot-pack schedule. Sometimes it's literally living each day at a time. If you'll like to experience the lifestyle of a consultant/G12 leader/E144 leader/drummer/worship leader/triathlete (and all the other ad-hoc appointements I take on throughout the year), come live with me for a week or two. Oh yes, and bring along your Vitamin Cs. I reckon you'll need them. Bring along some concealer too to remove the nasty eye bags you'll get. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Well, well, sigh... don't we all want to live a supernatural life someday? We all do, and we must! B'cos we serve a God who specialises in moving in the realm of the supernatural! In Him we live, and move, and have our being.
So the ironman journey begins. I'm starting to realise it's not so much what happens on race day itself, but more the journey leading up to race day. The acculumation of weeks and months of sacrifice, pain and hardwork. The ups and downs, the victories and setbacks, the digging in to find the inner strength to persevere, the laying down of your rights and walking the path of the cross. If one stays on course and finish strong, I think that would qualify him/her the title of an Ironman.
The Ironman is not about me. It's not about attaining a title that gives you great respect. It's a goal far bigger than myself. It's about knowing His character, it's about servanthood, it's about leading by example and inspiring others to fulfill their God-given dreams. So join me in the last month of my journey. I shall attempt to be regular with my blogging and updates. As for now, I'm off to hit the pool for a 4,000m swim.
This week training log: 22nd Jan - 25km run (70% effort. 75mins) 24th Jan - 75mins cycle (70% effort)
Honestly, I wasn't at all surprised Apple was launching a mobile device. Most tech watchers would have seen it coming. With mobile manufacturers these days incorporating MP3 playback and internet capabilities into their phones, it was only a matter of time Apple unleashed their very own phone - the iPhone. Put together their proprietary iPod and a host of other cool features including a touchscreen function... wahla! You have a beauty.
It's only coming out in 2008 though.
Meanwhile, my trusty Nokia should serve me well till then. =)
Our new Korg Triton Extreme Workstation will be arriving today! Woohoo! It's a much awaited replacement since we last sold off our old but trusty upright Yamaha piano. With a much smaller apartment, there was no way were going to fit that vintage piece into the limited space in our living room. It was with much relief (more sadness for my sentimental mother) that we parted away with the piano. It did bring us lots of memories though. My brother practiced on it for years and I remember picking up the piano by translating what I learnt on the organ onto the simplified, unsophisticated acoustic instrument. I fondly recall the days rehearsing worship sessions on it and vividly remember the day I did a "John Koh" by boldly leading worship on a keyboard... after days of countless practice of course!
And so with the passing of the old comes the new. These days synthetisers are intelligent machines, with highly advanced features and the ability to create your own music and tweak the individual sounds to suit your liking. Among some of the features of the Triton Extreme include a 16-bit 48kHz sampler, powerful compositional tool, 1,344 programed sounds, 50 drum kits, 1,280 combinations, each composed of up to eight Programs, split, layered, zoned and velocity allocated across the keyboard... ok, you get the idea =) And that's just a small part of what this amazing workstation can do for you.
Well, I reckon I'll only probably be using 30% of the functions. Can't wait to get started on it! I do hope to compose a couple of songs with it and who knows... the floodgates of creativity and inspiration might just open!
*****
Hey Janelle! We've got another keyboard for our network camps!
Ah Fern! Pop over one of these days to check it out!
Kenny ah, wanna have a taste of it? Let's make music!
OK, so Steven Speilberg and his team have decided on producing a hollywood version of the all-time favourite robot cartoon, Transformers. I am all excited and looking forward to the launch on March 7, 2007.
However, I wonder if the following trailer will continue to entice you to see the movie.
Alright, I'm kidding =) This is NOT the official movie trailer! But don't you think it'll be pretty cool if autobots and decepticons were to groove to hiphop music?
