Dec 08

It's been awhile i had such a long vacation from work.

Since i'm on leave today and nowadays, whenever i'm not working, i can no longer wake-up late. My eyes were already wide open at 530am.

I looked out the window. Nice weather ahead.

I prepped up, did my dawn solat and left the house.

The intention was to do a 12km, 2-loops around my neighbourhood. However, driven by excess adrenalin rush lately, i ended up doing 20km. It been awhile since the last time i ran that far but the difference now, i am walking much much less than before. The pain was almost the same but the difference now, the pain tasted much sweeter.

Did i enjoy my run? NO. I have never like running and i am still struggling to enjoy it.

However, running mileage has crept up quite a bit in the past fortnight. Infact, overall training intensity had gone a notched up a bit. I have been training non-stop in the last 9 days without a rest. The craving for training is back. I am not sure why. Must be the many holidays and opportunity to do a bit more than usual.

This month, running mileage, 93km. Cycling mileage approx 420km. Swimming, 2.8km. Weight loss, minimal. Weird.

Eager

Babah and Mama are nervously waiting for your arrival.

We have got everything possible ready to welcome you to the world including minyak telon (i love pronouncing the word telon.. telon. telon.. haha). Mama had been shopping and god knows how many pink dresses she had bought for you.

Every day and every night, we were talking about you and we hope you are listening. Your Lala (means elder brother in Urdhu), is accepting well that he'l will no longer be the only jewel in our family.

This is where you will sleep. Very soon.

Everything is set. Hope you'll like it!! Even your bouncing net is in pink.

Lala helping Babah preparing your essentials. Though Lala Faiq can be a bit naughty at times but Babah know for sure that he will take good care care of you. I am sure, Lala will screen test all your hopeful suitors before letting them see Mama and Babah.

We'll see you next week, ya..!! In the meantime, be a good girl and stop kicking your Mama. If possible, try swimming around and save your Mama from a belly cut.

Happy. Happy. Happy.

Broga, it's a classic

Menu : Broga Pondan
Actual : Broga Jantan

Heard nothing but only nasty things about it.

136.7km. 4IM, 1IM trainee, 2 fatso, scorching heat, 3 lung-bursting-muscle-wrenching climbs, slippery wet going up reverse Peres, superb camaraderie and one objective.

I rolled out telling myself, "I need to tame and rest my fear".

I came back in one piece and did just that.

Top of Peres. We did it.

With IM Shazly, the mastermind. He provides the route overall strategic outlook and the essentials needed to survive the ride.

Kam, our 'guardian' throughout the ordeal.

He provides a sense of safe and security to our mind.

Gulpppp...

Tomoro is my virgin ride to the evil but famous Broga...

Whoever wanna join, RV at BT18 645am, roll-out 7am.. sharp!

Gulppp....

Ask no more, please...

A : U? Cycling?

Upiq : Yeah. sometimes.

A : How far?

Upiq : Depending on the group i ride with. Sometimes more than 100km.

A: Whoaa?! are you serious?

Upiq : Yeah. can be quite intense, sometimes. Cramping and all.

A : U ride MTB?

Upiq : No.

A : U ride with the racing bike? with the skinny tyre? the one you need to crouch you know?

Upiq : Yeah. that's the only bike i have unless you wanna see me riding on my 3-year old son taiwan-made bike.

A : are you sure you can ride the racing bike?

Upiq : Yeah. i told you oredi. (upiq dah start bosan)

A : the racing bike, you know? are you serious? tak pancit ker tayar tuh? (i knew he will ask this question)

Upiq : Yeah. tayar pancit? It happens.

A : What do you wear? T-shirt and shorts?

Upiq : Yeah. Cycling jersey they call it.

A : U mean, those tight fitting clothes with sponsors all over it.

Upiq : Yeah. (upiq dah bosan nak jawab soklan2 camni.)

A : Ko bleh muat ker jersey tuh? (again, i knew it. Some people just can resist it, huh?)

Upiq : Habis tuh?! (Upiq dah makin bosan)

A : I dont believe it, larr. U and this cycling thingy.

Upiq : Mampus ko larrrr. Pedulik aper aku. Nak tanyer sgt, biler dah bagitau, tak nak caya plak. (Upiq dah tak tahan ngan mamat nih and terus blah)

to that special person, nahhhhhhh... tengok sendiri.. naik bukit lagi!! and this photo was taken only yesterday.... i know i'm fat tapi kalau berani jom arr naik Peres.... kalau tak berani, get out of my life!

Dahhhh... Upiq dah malas nak jawab soklan2 camnih... buang masa aku jerr...

However, to those who genuinely wants to know more, i dont mind answering those questions. Infact, please ask more. I'l share with you.

tapi kalau setakat nak tanya, pastuh nak tunjuk tere... tak payah larr.... nih contoh orang dalam Category D.

Im sorry if the posting sounds a lil disturbing but i need to let it out from my system.

Also today is 26/12/2008, Boxing Day, Friday and there's only 4 people out of approx 40 in the ofis..!! urrgghh...

Do you think you CAN?

Most people when you ask this question, highly likely they wont be able to give a straight answer.

If this is the first time you are asking yourself the question, i bet 99% of us will not have a concrete answer. Even if one has an answer, he will either have a tiny doubt over or he hasn't got a clue of what he is answering.

There are 4 category of people :
A. Those who know what they kow
B. Those who know what they dont know
C. Those who dont know what they know
D. Those who dont know what they dont know

Those in category A, will give a simple and direct 'Yes' or 'No' to the question. They normally know what they want, what drives them to keep moving forward, what it takes to achieve their target and humbly yet brave enough to commit a 'No' if they are not ready for the challenge. However, some of them will even say 'Yes' even if they are not ready because they know they can achieve something by having certain strategies to nail the objective. Not many people are in this category.

Those in category B, these are the risk averse people. Most of them will not proceed or take up a challenge if they havent covered all angles needed for them to achieve the target. They will practise, train, simulate, have contingency plan, analyse time and time again, just to be sure that they will know whatever they dont know before. People in this category will take some time before giving a 'Yes' or 'No' answer.

Those in category C, normally they tend to under rate or over rate themselves. Those with self-confidence complexity tend to under rate themselves even though people around him have seen their potential and the success within their reach. They need people around him - friends, loved ones, coached etc to keep telling them of their true ability and how far they can go. Normally, they will take a long time to think of the answer or not answerning at all. However, there are also people in this category whom had over rated themselves and due to their perceived self-confidence, they tend to take up the challenge without knowing that they will fall hard on the ground. It not a question whether 'you never know if you never try' rather it is a case of trying insensibly just a like me being a matador without knowing what it means. These people will give a 'Yes' answer faster than those i Category A.

Last but not least, those is category D, is the most dangerous position you want to be. Clueless. Blur. Oblivious. Sometimes brainless. Can be cocky and arrogant at times. et cetera. These people will never know the answer to the question.

Back to the question, regardless of which category you are in - the one element that will make you achieve what you want is passion. Passion will drive you towards your goal. Being passionate of what you are doing will eventually change you to be in Category A.

Hence, to answer the question - tell yourself that you CAN. Repeat it again and again.

Eventually, whether you believe it or not - you will CAN.

Smell like teen spirit

21 floors...

500++ flights...

Ran up the last 4 floors...

Slashed it down by 13 seconds..

5 mins 32 seconds....

New PB...

I feel like a teen again...

TGIF.... Have a good weekend, y'all..!!

BT14-Tekala-BT14

I am reduced to minimal training in the past few weeks. Hence, i am confined to BT18 route for the time being.

Anyway, after the Double Hill the day before - i went cycling with a group of tourers namely Azmar, Wendy, Boh, Harun, Saifuddin and 3 others.

I started from BT14 at about 7am and met the rest at BT18 car park.

One after another trickled to the carpark and we left just before 8am.

We were going very slowly and at the Simpang Tiga, Saifuddin and his friend decided to scale Peres. The rest left for Tekala.

On the way to Tekala, Azmar and me played with the big crank. I was pulling him between 30-33kmh all the way before Tekala downhill. It was really a good workout and knowing that I am training personally with an Ironman, it provides additional motivation to push to the limit. Azmar didnt let me rest, pushing and hounding my back. Each time i slowed down, he pushed me again. Azmar is a great guy and i knew he was doing it only for the best of our interest.

We got to Tekala in about 20mins. My PB, to say the least.

In Tekala, we rested for awhile and waited for the others for regrouping.

We ride back at around 9am.

I was struggling on the short but steep climb near the dam (maybe due to the earlier sprinting workout) but i felt good to be able to maintain cadence on the same gear (not the lowest gear masa tu).

Along the way back, i was playing catch-up with the others. The tourers, even though most of them are 10-20 years older than me but do not underestimate their strength. They can put anybody to shame without much problem.

Anyway, after going down Simpang Tiga, i caught up with Wendy and Boh. We did a peloton. Wendy and Boh jumped and stayed behind me. I was pulling at 33-35kmh and the short train was blazing the tarmac. After a while, it was only Boh behind me. Wendy backed down.

I tell you, this Boh is a very strong veteran. He kept pushing and pushing me from behind. At times we were blazing around 35-38kmh. I stayed motivated knowing that Boh is willing to assist me in the workout. There was not a single moment where we held back the speed. We went all the way to BT18 town. We got there in less than 20mins.Another great workout.

After the BT18 bridge, i went straight to BT 14 and warmed down 2km before the traffic light.

I clocked 60km only but a worthy 20km of speed training.

I drove back to BT18 and met the other for breakfast.

The best was, my legs felt nothing. Holding up well and burned a good 3587kcal along the way.

Double Hill

I had never knew the Double Hill route. Simply because whenever i wanted to follow the others to run the route, 1 km into the run - they are already gone!! i ended up finding my own route and came back alone.

However, last week they invited me to run the again. I accepted knowing what's the outcome already.

Dicky, Bacin, Azmar, Bacin's friends, SK and yours truly gathered at Bukit Aman car park. After a toilet break hiccup (sakit perut arrr), we left around 645am.

After 1km, except for SK, the rest disappeared oredi. SK promised to go slow and accompany me after i told him i've never done double hill. I doubted it.

However, he stayed to his words.

We were going so slow and SK demonstrated the speed i was going was a fast as he was brisk walking. But it's okay he said. The idea was not about going fast cathing the others but rather to stay on hopping and slow running for the whole distance without walking. Endurance.

Went we got the the first hill, i was in awe looking at the steep terrain. Cursing oredi. However, we stayed at the same speed or maybe slighly slower due to the uphill climb and got to the top. The same thing with the 2nd hill. The difference was - i wasnt cursing.

It's painful but a very important training.

We spoke, we gossip, we bitched about others. One hour and 20 minutes later, we got back to the car park.

I did not manage to run the whole distance without walking eventhough SK kept pushing me to the limit. However, it was my longest running without walking session ever.

Now, I know what i can do.

Thanks, SK.

Aidiladha ride & swim

On the eve of Eid Adha, my bro and i went doe a ride. Lil' bro bought his own cycling shorts..!!! So, to further add fire to his enthusiasm, i decided to call off all other training arrangements and decided to accompany him. His work horse is the 'borrowed' MTB from a dear Dr friend of mine which until now (it's been almost a year), i havent returned to him. Poor him and bad me.

The menu was: Bt14-BT18-Tekala-BT18-BT14 (7+11+10+10+11+7= 56km)

My lil' bro's PB was 36km. Thus, it would be a new PB if he can complete the ride.

Actual : BT14-BT18-Half-way Tekala- Bt18 - BT14 (7+11+5+5+11+7 = 46km + 4km = 50km)

Lil' bro didnt complete the course, though. we had to discount the ride coz :
1. He slept late the night before, thus, didnt have enough rest resulting in a ride discount. half-way to tekala and turned back.
2. On the way back, 4 km to BT18 - his MTB tyre decided to retire. Punctured. I had to rescue, backtracking about 2km to locate him and ride back to BT14 alone. Additional 4km there.

Lil' bro resting at Simpang Tiga. Look at the mist at the back. we were that early bursting our bottom early Sunday morning. he set his target, but short of 1km of his PB. Nevermind, next time we make sure we break the wall.


After the rescue mission was accomplished, we lepak for nasik lemak at the normally humble BT18 nasik lemak roadside stall. But not today, folks from nearby villages came out in throngs to do last minute raya essentials shopping.

Pekan BT18 was buzzing with traders and buyers meeting at one point. Here, I bought ayam 'pencen' too, RM10 per bird (mahal siotttttt...!) for raya rendang. My small contribution to the local economy.

And of course, one activity not to be missed at BT18. Our usual 'natural' spa. very refreshing.

His first taste of the nature's wonderful gift.

This BT14 parking lot. Full of traders and buyers too.

I saw this.

..... and bought 2kgs of ribs. Another contribution to the local economy. Mind you, it's not lembu but korbau. I had soup tulang for dinner... Haha

My bro, wanting to compensate the lack of mileage, we decided to go for a swim the same evening. I taught him my lil' knowledge about swimming and he started to swim freestyle better than ever. Spoke to him about Ironman and 'bakar' his curiosity further... haha..

A good end to an otherwise lack of training week. We cycle and we swim. Biathlon our own way.

Sick again

The past three weeks had not been kind to me.

was hit down by a bout of tonsilitis, diarheaa and flu.

Needed a few more extra resting days to come to full recovery.

when i recovered, managed to crank in a few good swimming and cycling sessions with extended hours on tennis. But then, the joy did not last long as i succumbed to another bout.

this time around - bad cough complete with slimey greenish phlegm, flu with irrirating blocked nose and fever again.

Worse still, the monsoon is here. Raining almost every evening and sometimes in the morning too. Wet, wet and very wet.

Training routines were affected. Motivation is low.

Foe some reason, kicking my arse out of the bed early in the morning seemed so difficult. I'm hooked on House, Heroes, Amazing Race, Asia Food Channel, late nite footie and slowly i'm becoming a couch potato. Eating appetite is huge - Kudu, weekly fish head curry with extra servings of spicy fried chicken, laksa, maggi mee, nasi dagang etc - you name it, i cant hold it back this time around.

Nothing went right larrr, friends. Off-tangent from my normal schedule.

I guessed when the body system goes haywire, your routines also become a rojak.

I dunno what you call the situation i am in now. I've been searching on the net to decipher it but i couldnt find anything convincing.

If i cant find anything convincing, i can only blame myself for not being discipline to stick to my routines.

Sighhh.....

Out of the blue

Ive been sick for the past 5 days.

tonsilitis. fever. diarrhea. all at once.

At its peak, i was shivering and sweating whole nite long. Eating pattern had gone haywire too. Most of the time, no appetite plus it's quite painful to swallow any solid food. Warm water can be a pain too.

Good thing is.. ive got enough rest. though it can be a painfu and uneasy rest but at least my body has time to recover from all the previous beatings and lost some valuable weights (muscles it is!!) along the way. I must start eating good food again and rebuild what ive lost.

just nice before the weekend starts.

Long long time ago

I had trouble finding shorts. Mainly because shorts are not made to fit people of my size. Sports shorts to be precise.

Hence, most of my beachwears became my sports shorts.

Last week, all my beachwear koyak kat celah kangkang and i had to find one. An enormous challenge, for sure.

The last time i had any branded shorts was like 18 years ago. Long long time ago....


Last weeked, i went to RSH and tried the above. Size XL and god is gracious, i fit them..!!!!! Wait no more, i grabbed it instantly.

It's been a long and winding road with lotsa painful challenges. It maybe not a big deal to some and nothing to shout about but it's definitely one of the more significant moments of my life.

Cheras-Putrajaya ride

On friday nite, i played golf until mid-nite and got home around 1am. Went to bed around 130 am.

i knew i am going to be knackered if i join the Saturday without enough rest but stubborn as i am, i woke at 515am, prepped up and just when i was about the leave my house - the rain started pouring. Darnnnn.... I should have tucked myself in the bed rather than dwelling whether i should brave the rain.

In such situation, i summoned the 'I CAN' mantra. You actually have to summon the courage dep inside you and push yourself out of the house. No one can help you here. It's DIY. DO-IT-YOURSELF. The next thing i knew, i was on the road around 6am. The plan was to catch-up with the Rawalpindi express at the exit near Bukit Jalil before 620am. I managed to get there around 615am and waited for the train.

10mins, 15mins, 20mins - not sign of any train stopping by. I smsed and called the pilot - no answer. after 30mins of waiting, i continued to the Putrajaya toll as i am not sure who's waiting for who. the train might had passed already.

It was a dark, cool and lonely ride to the toll. I was hoping nothing bad will happen to me coz until today, i have no idea how to handle any mechanical breakdown. Yeah, lame excuse. i know.

Anyway, as i reached the toll, still no sight of the Rawalpindi express. I checked with the toll collector whether she'd seen any train passing by, she said no. Hmmmm.... i refueled larrr.

Putrajaya toll. The one and only stop and no refuelling station nearby.

Resting. heart rate dropped to relax level. Still no sight of the train.

After 45 mins of waiting, i saw Azmar and Laif. a moment later, Julie and Kam. Got to know the pilot's turbular wheels punctured causing the train delay.

Anyway, we proceed to KLIA toll at Putrajaya exit and on the way to the toll we were pushin at times hitting 38km/h with an average speed of 30km/h. It was fun.

On the return leg, i was quite tired already and the effect of lack in resting started to kick-in. I slowed down and let the rest continue to the finish line.

All in all there were 13 climbs. A good route with a combination of flats and climbs. My thighs were put to test to its limit.

I exited at the Bukit Jalil and reached home around 1000am.

Total distance : approx 80km.

Ride time : 2 hrs 42 mins.

Calorie burned : 3756kcal

VIP nite

Last week, i had a dream come true experience.

Imagine being ushered personally from the main gate until the dining hall. The buffet spread was prepared by Mandarin Oriental, megalicious. Dignitaries from the upper class society eating on the next table, smiling at you. After eating, the usherer ushered us to our box seat. I felt like im walking on cloud nine. Maybe this is how the rich and famous being treated out there.

All these happened at the National Putra Stadium. Yes. a stadium, renovated to fit a tennis court so that champions of 2 eras mesmerised the 6000-odd fans. I love the sport. To an avid fan like me, it was an opportunity of a lifetime..!!

We were sitting so close to the players that even if the players chose to pluck their nostrils hair, you can witness it in person.

Subsequent photos were taken using phone camera without zooming capabilities.

The tonggek man. Dekat giler, kan?

The evergreen.

Side line seating. How do you top this? Felt like David Beckham watching US Open finals.

The person who made it happened was non-other than the great TSB/Kharis/Chomel. thanks bro..!! terima kasih daun keladi, kalau ader jgn lupa bagi lagi.

Step it up

21 floors...
462 steps...

5mins 40sec... new PB...

Recovery to 112bpm... 2mins 30 sec...

I'm getting there....

Powerman 2008 - result

Event Category : Men's Sprint (run-bike-run)
Distance : 5.5km - 32km - 5km
Race No : 693

Time split
Run 1 00:39:42
T1 00:01:53
Bike 01:06:37
T2 00:01:56
Run 2 00:42:14

Total Time 02:32:24
Position 81/125

My HRM showed sub-2:30 but the official result showed additional 2 mins. Takpe larrr..

Ive been the maintstay of bottom-10 for every event i've participated but not this time around. Yeay..!!!

major motivation boost.....

Poser

Gulppp... for once i thot it's a real poster. A friend made this poster to commemorate PM2008.

Excellent for the effort and creativity, missjewelz.

Cool stuff. Wa syiokk sendiri. hahaha....

PowerMan 2008

Initially, i wasn't sure whether i should participate in this event. It's a run-bike-run event. Not easy especially for someone with my size and my weight. It's tough and hard on the legs, knees and ankles. I was skeptical. Very skeptical.

Thus, when i knew the full distance event registration was closed due to overwhelming responses, i figured out maybe this was not the year. Infact, felt a bit relief. However, I eventually registered for the sprint event just in case i changed my mind in the last minute. Heavy workload at the office was affecting my usual evening runs and the more i missed the runs the more i have to work to compensate the loss. So, i started my training early in the morning, at times - running alone at 530am to prepare for the race.

On the eve of the race, bad news struck the family. Wifey's auntie passed away. When everyone was preparing for the race, i was sweating in soil, working hard burying my dearest auntie. Not a good sign at all.

However, before i went to bed - wifey whispered, "It's okay. You can go for the race. Don't worry about it". I went to bed feeling a lil' queasy, not sure whether i should go to Lumut when others were in grief.

Cut the story short, next day i woke up early, packed up all my gears and sooner rather than later I was in Lumut already.



The gang having lunch at the native restaurant, Silaturrahim. superb makan place. Packed like sardines. BTW, AJ paid for all. THANKS, AJ..!!!

Race day. The battleground. Beautiful sight.

Me, at the transition area. The best part of the race. I love it - A chance for friends and familiar faces meet each other, good luck wishes in abundant, smiling faces, tense faces etc before the real torture begins. As per the triathlon events, easily i was the biggest person (size wise) around. As usual, hundreds pair of eyes were staring at me. Now, i couldnt care less anymore. Say whatever you wanna say. Think whatever you wanna think. I may be crazy but i'm just trying to do something good to my health. I came to this event fully prepared and be sure that i am ready to tackle the bull by its horns.

However, sad to say, on the same morning, my roomate Kam was down with diarrhea and out of competition. Rashid almost.

The full distance race were flagged off around 730am, followed by relay at 740am and sprinters at 750am. I was at the back of the pack and my strategy was to keep running for as long as possible and possibly catch-up with the other turtles as the race progresses. The running route was too flat, too boring. The two long straights had their ends but it seemed so far when you're running towards it. After 2km, i got into a steady stride and slowly overtake the other slow coaches. I knew i had the endurance but i knew i am not fast oso. Plus, i am very careful preserving with vital organs. So, maintaining my pace was much more important than trying to overtake others.

I reached the T1 approx 40mins. Yeah, i know it's slow..... but please dont compare the timing with people who are 40kgs lighter than me. BTW, i'm competing with myself. Myself. And myself.

I spent quite some time at the T1, looking around absorbing the energy of the competition. It's fun and i can feel the adrenalin gushing through my veins.

The cycling leg was great too. Mostly flat with 2 minor bumps and 1 major bump. I was cruising at race pace i.e. 25-28kmh when suddenly a train passed by and i hopped onto it straight-away. The marshall kept harassing us to split the train. So, i slowed down but when the marshall disappears, i hop onto it again. Haha.... The train was cruising at about 35kmh all the way until the last climb, when i dropped away.

At the u-turn, another train passed by and i hop onto it again..!! haha... This time the train was faster cruising at 35-37kmh and i stayed with them for awhile until one of the minor bumps. Best siollll.... I guess the two trains helped in my cycling timing. If my HRM was right, I completed the cycling leg in less than one hour. Woohoooo....

The 2nd run leg was all about finishing the course. Time to summon my mental mantra and using my sub-concious mind to push the already battered body. I was expecting harrowing moments in the last leg.

I started the leg by replenishing body fluid at the first water station at the exit of T2 with PowerBar race sponsored drinks. Slowly, i exited the stadium trying to adjust my stride, hobbling before the right muscles engaged.

After 2km, i felt fine. 3km, still fine. No signs of cramping or hurting. Surprisingly, all system were in good condition. I felt good and gung ho. Kept tellin myself that i need to get the job done and do it well.

500m to finishing line, i saw the the banner. The endorphin and adrenalin were working at one gear up now. Seeing the many people and whispering as i reached the finishing line was common to me now but the feeling of touching the line, no matter how many times i've done it was uncommon. pure satisfaction. The last leg took me slighly more than 40mins.

PowerMan.

In total, i did around 2hrs 20mins and i surpassed my expectations. Defeating myself, i did. Albeit it's just a sprint event but i underestimated the intensity and the challenge. Retrospectively, i am glad i didnt register for the full distance. Maybe that's for next year.

In terms of preparation, race condition, physical endurance and performance - this is my best event so far. I am humbly grateful and definitely this will spur me to do even better in other events.

Lunch after the race. Spaghetti tak sedap.

Last but not least, i dedicated this race to my auntie and you were in my thoughts during the race.

Rest in Peace. Amin.

To Tey - Thank you very much for the great photos....!!!

Masuk paper

SPG in the newspaper..!!! Wooohooo......

Here

Next year, kita buat lagiiiiii....

SPG

Sarong Party Gang..!!!

Yeah.... might seemed a bit daring for some but we were enjoying our morning stroll at the Terry Fox Run 2008 at the Lake Garden, KL. A journalist even came to interview us about the sarong craze.

Before the run... blom panas lagi and ada rasa malu2 sket sbb ramai yg duk tengok aper kena ngan orang2 mutant nih.
not too bad actually.

Ngae, the President of the Sarong Club

After the run, we got numerous request for a photo shoot and let out our sexiest pose. Check out may senn... hilarious...

Bogged down

It's been a really busy fortnight at the office.

Been slacking in everything including blogging.

Powerman this weekend. aiyooo....

ahhh, just finish it.

LifeLINE

Check this out....

My company's Total Sickness Absence (TSA) is at 1.6. It simply means - for everyday other day, there were 1.6 people went on medical leave for the last six months and the company feels this is a bit tad too much considering total loss of mandays, increase in medical costs, waste of resources etc.

Thus, to tackle the problem my company is running a fitness programme for her employees and the programme is called LifeLINE. How cool is that..!?

At the moment, the management have provided a small budget enough to cover for 10-15 people only. This is the first time the company is running it and it is part of the overall Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. Those who gets into the programme will be the guinea pigs. If the programme prove to be successful, the company will increase the budget up to five times next year.

Wahlauuuu... what a pleasant surprise, huh..!?

To get into the programme, one has to go through a complete medical examination to assess one's physical condition incl BMI, BMR, fat %, blood sugar level, cholesterol level etc etc(sponsored by the company) and interview sessions by professional trainers (sponsored by company). Once your physical conditions has been established, you'l' be assigned to a trainer which will come with complete 6-months training programme (sponsored by company) and dietitians to advise and monitor our diet (sponsored by company too).

The company will also build a gym specifically for the programme in our office which will eventually be part of employee recreation facilities. (of course, sponsored by company)

The programme will be run either during lunch time (1-2pm) or afte work (5-7pm) and participants are allowed to choose to suit their time with minimal or ZERO interruptions to their working time.

The company will also run a soft competition among the participants and winners (such as the most kgs or the most inches loss) will be rewarded and added into their appraisal.

The best part is, our superiors will be told in advance that his/her employee has been accepted into the programme and they must be released from their jobs for the sake of training! Our superiors must sign an undertaling letter giving their commitment to the cause. Amazing, kan....?

As you can see, the company will pay almost EVERYTHING (except supplements & additional personal equipment) relating to the programme and cost per head is estimated at RM2-2.5k. The catch is, if you fail to achieve the target set due lack of commitment, you may have to pay back 25-75% depending on your reasons.

Am i excited? of course, i am. I have registered and hopefully i'l get selected.

Please please please please let be part of the of the programme.

anybody wanna join my company....? drool guysss....

Lunar-tic

One had been reminded. Many many times before by people (triatheletes, IM as such and even Mark Allen) had mentioned that NEVER gatal2 trying new equipment close to a race or on the race day. Best is, to know your equipment before hand and if possible use your training equipment for the race itself.

Their advices are commonly known, widely accepted and proven to be true.

Yours truly, being a newbie - chose to be ignorant and ignored the advice he did. Typical of a beginner's naivety.

A day before the Mizuno 2008 run, he decided to attend the Nike Lunar shoe trials. As eager as a beaver, he was at the Bukit Aman at 6am and excited about having the chance to become one of the world's biggest sports manufacturer shoe tester.

He chucked his loyal and reliable NB 1224 into the car boot and swapped it with the more stylish and glamourous Nike Lunar. Proudly, he whizzed off expecting great things to happen around the Lake Garden.

An hour later and after all the intimate moments with the Lunar, he had to limp back to the Nike booth in pain. Blisters on both feet....!!!

Padan muka. Kasut glamer punya pasal, hampeh pon tarak. Dapat sakit ada lerrr....

Lunatic.

GIVE ME MORE!

Let them test you,
Let them challenge you,
Let them laugh at you,
Let them make fun of you,

For they shall stand,
...and watch you,
To see the giant in you,
Quitting is not in the menu..

If you listen to your giant,
The giant will give you more,
and if you give him more..
The end zone will yours..

Open houses & training....

It's been a while since the last time i updated the blog. work has caught up with me.

Anyway, just quick update on my training.

I have started my training since the 1st Raya (yeah... 6km run to greet the 1st Syawal). Since then, i've been piling up my running mileage (63km as of today) and started to feel some strains at different part of my body including knee and ankle.

Only one cycling session thus far and i will it update soon.

Open house invitations and visiting relatives raya-do momentum are still strong and i didn't even bother to miss any good, authentic and delicious food. I'm a good eater and i can really eat if i switch on my eating mode. hahaha..... Recovery meal are in abundance and i can choose which one serves the best delicacies... FOR FREE tooo..!!! The best is.... the more i train, the more i can eat..!! yeahaaa.. the setback is there's no weight loss during this period. Doesnt matter.

Swimming is on the shelf for awhile now. Still trying to find a suitable oach.

I managed to squeeze other sports too to kill the monotonous of SBR. My tennis, badminton and golf are getting better thanks to the improved fitness level. Though i'm not as quick or as sharp as before....but i can feel that i can last the game longer than my younger days. My recovery rate has improved tremendously too.

A year ago, i was a blob. Double-chinned. Double-belly. Potato couch freak. Sedentary life. Shopping complex was my playground.

A year later, never had i imagined i will be in this condition - healthier. I belief i can do better.

Muhammad Ali once said,

"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."

Belief in yourself and you'll see a new you.

Esok hari raya...!!!

Im still in the office.

Only handfull of staff filling up what seemed to be a void office.

Morning traffic was excellent. No jam. Less cars. Less mental strain.

Share market in plunging into the dungeon. Chaos spreading outside US shores oredi.

My mind is straying away. Obviously, in festivity mood oredi.

Planning to run early tomoro morning before mega carbo loading sessions throughout the day.

I'm not goin to abstain myself from the food tomoro. Whack them... it's a once in a year celebrations. Burn the calories later.

Have fun, celebrate and enjoy in a harmonious, peaceful and safe way.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI.

Genting run 2 - 26/9/2008

As crazy as it may sound, I gave the Genting Run/Walk/Crawl/Bike 2008 another shot. This was the last Genting run for the year organised by the gang. The next time we'l meet again at this place will be next 12 months.

We congregate at McD Genting Sempah. Here, we were waiting for the rest to arrive as most of them we caught in the traffic jam with the 'balik kampung' crowd. Can you imagine when people were busy going back their kampungs and here, there's a bunch of mutants eagerly waiting to climb Genting and enjoying the ordeal too? There's maybe sumthing had gone wrong somewhere 'up' there.

Kam brought remnants from his bukak puasa do and i was the first to grab it. Haha, i've been staying away from murtabak far too long and tonite's was my revenge. sedapppppppp... carbo loading before the gruelling climb.

and onde-onde too...!!! Felt no guilt gobbling the whole lot. Many times better than any other energy gels or bars.


We started our pilgrimage slightly past 10pm and there were only 7 people walking up which later became 5. The rest of the gang were running..!! Gila dorang nih..

Tgh2 panjat, sempat cam whoring lagi. Pose macam2.

After the 6km mark, it was downhill going towards Goh Tong Jaya and i decided to leave the walking group. Ran all the way to Goh Tong Jaya. Running downhill uses less energy but will put tremendous pressure on your knee and ankle, especially if you're as big as me. Compared to the last two attempts, legs felt stronger this time, thus, taking the opportunity to see how long i can last the run.

After 1hr 31 mins (new personal best), i reached GTJ 10 mins ahead of he walking group. To our pleasant surprise, the genting management took notice of our event and ordered the Polis Bantuan to escort us right up to the top. Though i felt honoured by the assistance but can't help feeling awkward having these police car following our butt with their blinking lights. It attracted unnecessary attention from the public but cant complain much as they were they to perform a noble duty.

We took a break at one of the mamak at GTJ for refuelling. I didnt refuel much as i wanna see how far my fitness can last. after 20 mins or so, we continue our journey.

The next stage, wind chill added new dimension to the challenge. As much as we want to walk faster, the stonger and chilly wind slowed us down as the body was burning more energy and calorie epxenditure when into high gear to keep the us warm. We stopped many times as to ensure we stayed in one group, thus, avoiding any untowards incidents and to encourage the first timers to keep going grinding to the top. It is important pushing our limit and increase the body treshhold tolerance level but at the same time avoid injury at all cost. So, whenever one of us felt a pain or cramping signs, we decided to stop and gave the muscles some rest. We nursed each other and kept the motivation level high. We had our support car tailing us all the way up but except for one, the rest presevered and determined to conquer the top albeit, slowly.

In the end, we reached Genting highlands as a group and Bukhari (who'd never run/walk/crawl more than 10km) defeated himself to the top.

We were greeted by the faster guys when we reach First World Hotel and glad that the Genting Hotel had sponsored somw hot beverages and food at the summit. It was another satisfying moment. Personally, i managed to complete the journey much better than before as there were no sign of cramping or muscle twitching at all. One for the book it was.

This will be stamped in the memory book for a long time.

Total distance : 21 km

Total time walking : 3 hours 30mins.

Total calorie burned : 7652kcal

Many at times, people were saying that i'm being too the extreme in doing this sort of activity but if one wishes to rediscover him/herself, be closer to your thoughts and wanna listen to your body as it speaks, this is one challenge which you should try to complete. You'll be reborn as a new person after reaching the top. Believe me on this.

Genting, see you next year...!!!

Genting Walk 2 - 26/09/08

To those who'd some loose screw in their brain cells, you are invited to join us for the follwong event :

Genting Run/Walk/Crawl/Bike
2100hrs
Genting Sempah McD


See you there...!!!!

Honeymooning

Fasting month proved to be my honeymoon month.

The 3rd week of puasa went smooth with lotsa resting and minimal on training.

3rd week total mileage :

Run - 20km
Bike - 30km
Swim - 0
Tennis - 0
Badminton - 0
Golf - 0
Weights - 0

My body is having a well-deserved resting time. I am gonna enjoy the rest of the period for as long as possible and be prepared for a mega-buster training regime for the next three months starting from 1st raya.

So you think you have lost some weight?

"Hey, look. My belt has loosened up."

or

"I've loss 2kg in the past two weeks."

or

"I've lost an inch off my waist."

It's too common to hear such comments during fasting month. People been coming to see me and pulling-up-and-down their pants just to show that they have lost some size.

However, let not fool ourselves.

First of all, the pants have loosened up because you were measuring it during the day when your tummy is almost empty. It is like a balloon. If it's full of air, it'll expand and when you let out the air, it'l shrink. The same goes to your stomach, if there's food, there'll be a slight bulge and when it's empty, it'l shrink. The best time to see whether you've lost some inches off your waist, try wearing the same pants just before you leave for terawikh. You'l be surprise that you havent lost anything yet.

Secondly, you will definitely loose some weight during the fasting month because your body needs energy to survive during the day and it will find its own way to ensure that you have it enough. Mind you, our body is in a 'starvation mode' during the day and when the body is in such a state, highly likely the source of energy will not come from fat. Fat will be the last source of energy when every other sources have been exhausted. The body is so intelligent that it will hang on to the fat for as long as possible before burning it as a source for energy. When the body is deprived from a constant supply of energy source, it will burn calorie in a more efficient way i.e. it will draw energy from easier sources and fat is not one of the easier source. Infact, it is much harder to burn fat when you are in the starvation mode. Furthermore, even if the body decides to burn fat, it will burn very minimal.

The bodyfat is likened to an emergency supply of energy where it will only be called upon to duty when any other energy supply source/system has failed or depleted.

So, from where does the body derive it's the energy from?

The body will get the energy from the easiest and fastest source. When the body lacks the supply of constant energy through food and liquid, it will draw the energy from the ready-made supply, the muscles. When this happens, we will loose muscle mass more and much faster than we loose fat, if we loose any. In fitness term, this is not good. It takes 3 pounds of fat to build 1 pound of muscle and the more bodyweight you loose, the more muscle you have to build to replace what you've lost.

Remember also that the body will also be deprive of water supply and in most cases mild or medium dehydration sets in. That's why you'll feel thristy in the afternoon or after 5pm because your body has dehydrated to some degree. You'll be loosing some more grams of your body weight just because you are dehydrated.

However, there are ways and means to avoid the above from happening but it requires super discipline and advanced knowledge on health nutrition and work-out programme to counter it. If you are a normal or slightly active person, highly likely you will never know the way to counter it.

So you think you have lost some weight???

Check again.

I stand corrected.

Genting walk 2008

12/9/2008...

It was the time of the year where some crazy heads made the annual pilgrimage to the casino city, Genting Highlands. Walk, run, crawl, bike, car etc. Name it...it's your choice.

I did the walk last year and stopped short at Goh Tong Jaya. I reached there in 2hrs 20mins. Even then, it was an enormous physical and mental test for someone who weighed at 146kg. I was really looking forward to this event, just to see how much have i improved in the last 12months.

This year, we gathered again at Genting Sempah McD and I was pleased to see some 30-odd crazy nutheads wanting to conquer the GH clim again. At least i know, there are more people out there who are as crazy or crazier than me (yeah, one of them ran down alone after reaching the top at a freaking, chilly 230am!!). If i put RM100 on the table, which one would you choose - sleep or climb up to Genting Highlands? I bet 99% would have chosen the the earlier option.

Anyway, i started walking at slightly after 10pm. I had Fadil, Shazly, Deh 'O', Azmil, Akil, Jamil, Jason, Jason's friend in my group. it was as dark as ever and it's better to stay in a group rather than being a lone hero.

Sempat ambik gambar lagi. You can see everyone was excited.

Half-way thru Goh Tong Jaya. Notice the darkness? You cant see anything except the signboard.

Last year, at this point - my legs were cramping and hurting. Spirits were rattled too.

This year, still feeling great. No sign of cramping yet. Walking like a raging bull.

Genting Highlands from KM5. Im not sure whether you can see anything from this pic. From here onwards it was going down hill before a gradual climb towards GTJ. Thus i slow jogged to keep warm as the nite was getting colder.

I reached Goh Tong Jaya in approx 1hr 40 mins. New personal best. Yeay....

We then waited for the rest to come before attempting the final climb. We skipped the mamak and decided to proceed without refuelling any heavy.

The real deal starts here. This is where the real pain begins. Steep, continuous and no more flat nor dowhill. This what ive been training for. This is kind of challenge which will send my heart rate sky high. This is the test of my personal physical and mental character. My adrenalin raced through my veins with each step i took towards the top.

At 17KM, we had to negotiate many unforgiven steep bends and long steep terrain. At this point, the benefits from all the long and hard fitness training sessions bloomed as i overtook one after another. I kept pushing and presevered eventhough the muscle twitching kicked-in once in awhile.

I took great care on the nutrition intake from liquid refuelling to complex sugar (i had kismis and dates in my pouch..!!) to energy gel. Plus, I was carefully pacing myself as not to push too early and risk bonking later.

Triathlons have taught me to break-up a long journey into smaller parts and tackle it one by one. I think it's easier to keep your focus that way with each milestone has its own requirement and we must manage it according to plan. I suppose to have a right strategy plan that fits into your fitness and ability is crucial in completing any endurance sports.

At KM20 i.e. inside 1KM to the top, i had quite painful muscle twitch but i deep inside i knew i still had a lot of gas in the tank to complete the climb. The last KM was the steepest of all and every small step that i made will carry me closer to the finishing line. At that point of time, i had nothing in my mind except gunning for the peak.

The great Muhammad Ali once said,

"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe."

True enough.

It was every ounce of energy manufactured by the millions mitochondria cells and the fire in my heart that will take me to reach my goals instead of size of the challenge. Not guts, no glory. I kept drumming my head with many great quotes and at times i uttered it quietly to myself - just to keep my mind away from any pain and focus on finishing the task at hand.

After 3hrs and 40mins, i reached the finishing line and regrouped at Starbucks Genting Highlands at around 230am. The most satisfying moment was when you realised that you had set a goal, planned your strategy, worked the plan and struck the goal.

Yummy. frappucino and mocha latte as rewards.

The crazy bunch who made it to the top.

Total journey time : 4hrs 02mins

Total walking time : 3 hrs 40mins

Total calorie burned : 7863kcal

Total distance : 21km

Total pride : Priceless