Well I just want to write something to get rid of the Ironman post. It was nice to be able to write a few nice posts with the Ironman but it always pains me a bit for not being able to swim there. Also while I am with my current job, it probably would be impossible for me to train for a full Ironman, that is the reality. And even if I can do I really want to? I am always more into trail running than marathon running, mountain biking than road biking, big wall rock climbing than technical sports climbing, adventure racing than triathlon. The only thing that I will give it to the on-road endurance sports is the people in it, they have a far stronger mental strenght than I can even fanthom. Anyway, it was good to see the Trail Running season coming back. This year, I am actually bothering to do the Trailwalker for its full 100km length. Well I am the team leader (as in my name won the lottery draw) so there is no getting away this time, as no team can change the team leader. I am doing it with Alain, Alice and Wing and we targeted 20 hours for the finish. Alain, Alice, myself and a guy from UK which I met in Korea are also plotting to do the Gobi March in June next year! So long way to run ahead.
I saw a wicked poster during my quest to find a new trail running shoes today. Check this out:
Look absoultely nutter, I would love to come back from a King of the Hill looking like that one day. The shoes that I have in mind is a relatively new brand called inov-8, by a UK company, their shoes are totally aggressive, lightweight and designed to give full flexibility to the ankle, and let your muscle do your own protection. Of course the consequence could be grave if you ankle joint is not strong enough. Anyway, I will let my waffle take you this far, good day.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Back to The Trail Running Season
Monday, September 04, 2006
Gregory Burns
It has been such an honour to me that Gregory Burns, the inspirational athelete who completed Ironman Korea on a hand bike and wheel chair, has found my humble blog. He left me a message for his new blog, this is a compulsory reading for the regulars of Freeyasoul Adventure. Here is what he said in his speech to us in Korea, "We are here to complete, not compete, when you compete you measure yourself again others, but when you complete, you are trying to beat yourself."
Congradulation Greg and look forward to here about your next challenge!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Ironman Korea - Defining the Word "Determination"
This is part 2 of my Ironman Korea adventure, read part 1 first if you haven't already.
Ahdont guessed it rightly, after the swim, I did not sit still. But this piece is not about me, but about those brave men and women out there facing up the Ironman challenge.
The SCBHK Team
The Winning Characters
Defining the Meaning of "Determination"
After Alice had taken off and after William had returned from the bike section, I took William's racing bib and jumped onto the marathon course. I planned to run 28km and experience what was out there and I found the most moving picture I have seen in all the races I have been to. I cannot stress more of my admiration to these people. All the athletes were fighting through the torturing marathon course, almost half of them have reduced to walking, others were jogging in pain and few were lying on the side of the road, recovering from cramps or heat exhaustion. No doubt they were shattered, but they persevered. Everyone of them were defining the word "determination" in front of my very eyes.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Ironman Korea - The Perfect Storm
Let's dealt with my part of the race first, just to warn you, it will be painful.
High Wind
On the day of the Ironman Korea, I woke up before dawn, psyching myself up for the big day. I couldn't feel more ready, the wetsuit had been the final piece of jigsaw, it was very restrictive on the first two times I wore it in Hong Kong. But in the practice session the morning before I finally feel the wetsuit had been wore-in, I cruised through one loop of the swim course (I have to do two loops in the race) without feeling out of breath. The wetsuit had really helped me glide through the water.
Soon I got into the my wetsuit and headed out for a warm up, I swam about 200m out and could body surf back on to the beach, literally punched a few people on their way out in a Superman position.
Soon we gathered on the beach to wait for the start, at this point the sea was getting increasingly restless, the lifeguards out there couldn't even maintain their jet-ski and kayak in positions, the organiser delayed the start for 10 mins. 10 mins gone and we had no comfort but downpour, a few distant thunder and few gigantic waves that makes us wonder if we will survive the day. Then came the heartbreaking news, the lifeguard had declared the sea condition to be unsuitable for the race and they will cancel the swim leg of the Ironman, it would be a dualthalon. Brothers, you couldn't understand the pain it felt at the time, after 3 months of training and I am to play no part in the event.
The Vengeance
From that point Ironman has became a training camp for me, there were 12 unfortunately souls like me that day, most of them staff relay athletes, 6 of us gather back onto the beach half an hour later after the bikers have departed and we decided to finish the job that we come to do, even without lifeguards. Lead by a Chris Werner, a former German national swimmer and Ju Wei a current Singapore national swimmer, we charged into raging sea. A UK guy got hit by a wave and did a 360, he turned back after fighting through a few more waves. I struggled forward to keep up with the others, and after a while I completely lost sight of them. Swimming alone in an undulating water surface, I felt like a boat in The Perfect Storm. Well, that might be an exaggeration, but sometimes I was swimming upward and sometime I got thrown off a wave and slam face flat onto a trough. Eventually I felt less and less comfortable on my own and headed back. When I was back on the beach I realised I was out there for a full hour, and probably covered the distance of only half a loop. Michael the organiser of the Relay race was having a heart attack, as the other four is no where in sight. They eventually made it back 15mins later, a full loop completed. The two national swimmers headed out for their second loop.
Well I couldn't come back and say that I did the 3.8km but at least I have been out there and took up a battle.
coming up next: Ironman Korea - The pinnacle of Human Spirit
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Off to Korea, see ya!
This is probably the last post before the Ironman Korea. Tonight I will be jumping onto the plane. I had great fun preparing myself for this event, and now I feel ready. I am looking forward not just to the 3.8km swim itself but being able to absorb the atmosphere of an ironman event, to rub shoulders with some of the most motivated, single minded and determined warriors in the world. See you after the race.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Kin's Adventure in Shangarila
While I am writing my own 'supermarket adventures', I also like to write about some real adventures from people I know. My mate Kin (see Moganshan Race) has been traveling from Sichuan to Tibet by jeep and then will join a bike trip from Lhasa to Kathmandu. My freeyasoul travel companions, Martina, ahdont, Jacy and Tammy will probably let out a sigh when they read about this. We loved Nepal and Sichan (at least some of us), what a nice trip it would be to fit Tibet in between. Anyway, here are some quotes from Kin:
Due to the attidue 
I had nose bleeding of the century. Blood just keep running out nonstop until I plug a roll of tissue in my nostril. I was looking so stupid that the other guests in the hostel was stairing at me.
On their stupid driver
When trying to blend in with the localsThe most stupid thing he did was to reverse the van on a very narrow highway with a cliff on a side. He knows nothing about reversing and the van ended up with two wheels dropped in a ditch. Luckily not on the cliff side.
There was a water fall with water melting from the snow mountain. The locals says those are blessed if they go around the water fall three times. Of course, three out of five of us were stupid enough to do it. We were armed with Gore-Tex jackets and trousers but with the volume of the water fall, we were all soaked with icy cold water.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
I am a NAMNORI
The title is just a teaser on this week's episode of my ironman training. My ironman wetsuit has finally arrived last week, after my first attempt and failed to squeeze myself into the rubber tyre, I consulted June, the iroman lady doing the full course in Korea. She told me here is what I need -
So finally, to keep the story short, with air-con, baby oil and lastly some common sense, I squeezed into the wetsuit alright, and tried it out today in Deep Water Bay.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
More news on the SCBHK Ironman Team
SingTao News
More media coverage on our challenges, haha, soon I will be caught by reporters for drinking myself out in a pub in Northern England.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Feeling the Nerve
I had a crap week last week, Thursday worked till 12pm and Friday worked till 10pm. Hence by Saturday, I felt so completely knacked, I hit the pool on early morning and knew instanly that it would be a waste of time. Did about 1.5km in total but could hardly pushing myself at all, taking long breaks between laps. Then on this morning, Alain and Alice met me at Stanley Beach at 6:30am after their 20km run (yeah, they started at 4am) and paddled next to me while I swam openwater. I still feel rusty in the morning, but having companions for a change was motivating, especially being able to fill myself up with powergel and isotonic drinks out in the deep sea was luxury. In the end I swan from the windsurfing store out to the rocky beach underneath American Club and back, around 2.6km and 1hr20mins. That is only 2/3 the distance that I have to do in Korea, but consider the bad state I am in, I can probably still count on this morning as a confidence boaster. None the less, with only 2 weeks to go, I am begining to feel the nerve, most times I turned out overcoming the challenges but failures aren't unprecedented, Moganshan Race, also AXN Challenges 2004, Amazing Adventure 2003 were all incidents that I have screwed up. But then I have put so much effort this time, so let's just take a deep breath and take the dive!
Friday, August 11, 2006
SCB Ironman Team on Apple Daily
Apple Daily 10-Aug-2006
Haha, the Ironman Relay team is on the news yesterday. And we also got a can of ginseng from the CEO as a well wish.
