Starstruck

Another thing that came out from the weekend's Long Distance Triathlon World Championships was that 2008 and 2009 Ironman World Champion, Craig Alexander a.k.a. Crowie was the ambassador of the event.

...and, last Saturday, he made an appearance at the local tri shop, Total Triathlon in Claremont!

It was a pretty informal Q&A session. No journalists or anything like that (although there was a photographer). There were only about 5 people there when he first came, but the crowd started to increase later on. He spoke mainly about Kona, his training, some of the other competitors (including how shy Norman Stadler is in person, and that Chrissie Wellington trains harder than all the guys put together!). Clearly a family person, always talking about his kids and his wonderful wife, who does all his ground arrangements for his various training bases and races.

All great triathletes - Beijing Olympics gold medalist Emma Snowsill, Crowie, former ITU World Champion Peter Robertson, and David Wrighton, proprietor of Total Triathlon

It was also nice to have finally met, John Cooke (Cookie) in person. John did his maiden Ironman in Austria in July, and he's training for Ironman Busselton in December. He's also considering signing up for Ironman China in March next year! Talk about getting hooked!

Hmm, he looks a lot smaller size in person than in the big screen. Very lean. More pictures here.

I should have brought something better for the autograph, and not my greased out water bottle. I had plenty of running caps and visers, but somehow that didn't come to mind. Good thing David gave everyone print outs of Crowie for him to sign.

Fever

Nah, I'm not having a high temperature or anything like that. I'm talking about the recent Long Distance Triathlon World Championships held in Perth. And the atmosphere building up to it... was pretty amazing.

During my rides to work, I see many elite triathletes practising the course in their flashy bikes, with high profile wheels and aero helmets. During my lunch breaks, I see quite a few of them in their national jerseys, looking for places to eat. It was a bit like tri Hollywood.

About a few months ago, Cookie from North Coast Tri Club, suggested that I sign up for this race through Triathlon Malaysia. I was apprehensive as the idea of competing with the world's best seemed somewhat intimidating.

Well, I'm kicking myself slightly now, for not taking up the challenge. There were plenty of spots available, and I might have found myself finishing somewhere in the middle, barring any upsets. Also, the course was favourable to me, with a longer swim (3km) and shorter bike distance (80km) than the usual half ironman. And, who knows when is the next time it will be held in Perth again?

Anyway, there was a representative from Malaysia, and he's no other than our Mr Nice Guy, Sofian. I had the pleasure of having dinner with him and his lovely wife the night before the race (which he treated myself and Li-Ann too! We owe you one, mate!) at Antico East Perth. Sofian finished in a gutsy 6 hours and 21 minutes, and believe me, it was a TOUGH race. The winds were blowing ferociously at 35kph, and just as it was time for the run, the wind stopped and sun rays were scorching.

Although I missed out on all the fun, I have no regrets as two of our friends, treated us to a wonderful cruise to Fremantle, followed by a delicious lunch at Char Char Bull and ending with chocolate overload at San Churro. And by taking part in the race, I would have missed out on this fun.

Yes, you bet dinner wasn't really quite on our mind that night! Thanks girls!

Happenings

Thought I'd write something about non-triathlon stuff for a change.

I attended a luncheon cum seminar yesterday at KPMG, on invitation by my former divisional partner. It was very nice of him to invite me. Most of the people there were from large corporates, whereas I was the only one from a not-for-profit organization.

The food was really good. It was a three course meal - shark bay whiting for entree, lamb roulade with cous cous for main, and Belgian chocolates with tea/coffee for dessert.

Although I personally would suggest having the lunch separate from the seminar, rather than have it while the presenter was speaking. It was a bit hard concentrating on economic forecasts and business trends, when you're stuffing yourself with gourmet food!

I also met a former client of mine there. He was very friendly to me... although to be honest, the audit I did for him didn't quite end up on such friendly terms. Maybe he can't remember who I am.

Speaking of audits, our audit is pretty close to it's finalization. Our auditors are still asking for random bits of information. But the end is near!

P/S - A cyclist who passed by me, while I was cycling to work, noted that my rear wheel is a bit misaligned. I hope it isn't due to over compression from the indoor trainer. I have aligned the wheel now, it's just the brakes that needs a bit of adjustment.

PP/S - That last bit had to be included separately, as this was meant to be non-triathlon related post! :P

Sssllloooowwww...

I guess the hype from last week's Kona Ironman is beginning to fade out. I blitzed my Wednesday morning 10km run with a time of 42:24, but some strong winds on Friday morning saw me dropping the pace to 42:49.

Today's workout was no different. I completed 80.42km ride in 2:55.38 (average 27.6kph) compared to sub 2:50 on a good day. My 6km brick run after that was slowed down to a jog, with a target of merely completing the distance. I finished the run in 27:39 (average 4:36 per km), about 1.5 minutes slower than usual.

Blame the 30kph winds, blame the sudden rise in temperature, blame the scorching sun... but I guess these things happen sometimes. We can't be on top of our game for each and every session. So, I'm looking forward to a new week, after some recovery, to be back in attacking form again :)

Speaking of slow... here is an interesting article from the Everymantri website, which I have been frequenting lately since Kona. The key message I got was - men who cycle more than 186 miles (about 300km) a week, can risk being erm... slow swimmers. And I don't mean swimming slowly in the pool, hehheh.

I supposed, in a way, it's a good thing that I'm under trained in my bike mileage. Even during my peak training period in preparation for Ironman Langkawi, I barely exceeded 160km per week. BUT I know some guys who do VERY crazy cycling distances, so you guys better watch out!

Oi, you dreaming ar?

Yes, with the recent conclusion of the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, I cannot help but dream that I'll be there some day... racing on the same stage with the world's best Ironman triathletes. But that shall remain a dream... for now.

And regardless of whether the dream will be fulfilled someday, it is only from a dream, when it can become a reality. One must DARE TO DREAM.

This last quote, I got from my lil' sister Karen, whom I've always felt is living in a world of her dreams, and needs a reality check from time to time.

Karen will be running the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon this coming December... blindfolded. She'll be doing this to raise funds for the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation, Malaysia.

Dreams begin from imagination. From seeing yourself in a cognitive visualisation. And for most of us, to begin dream, we have to close our eyes, block out the barriers, and let our minds go wild.

...because I'd like everyone to have the opportunity to have dreams...dreams that you and I were fortunate enough to be given the chance to pursue simply because we were born able and healthy.

In a way, we need more dreamers like Karen... to escape from the cold, harsh surroundings in our everyday lives, which have become very much a reality.

So for those of you with a bit spare change or would just like to find out more, please click here. Your support is most appreciated :)

Birthday dinner with SLB gang

Pizza feast at Lo Zucchero, Dalkeith (formerly known as Italian Kitchen, Pizza Palace).

I was bit apprehensive at first, as we just found out that the place is now under new management. The decor was jazzed up a bit, no longer your casual take away cafe. But the food was SUPERB! Everything we ordered tasted good - pizza, pasta, risotto, salad.

And darling baked a BEAUTIFUL honeycomb cheesecake. I'm so lucky :)

I went to bed with a very satisfied and stuffed stomach, hehheh. Thanks all for coming!

Something for Julie

Although registration ends tomorrow, I guess it's never too late to do a bit of promotion. Here's a message I got from a fellow Ironman(lady) Julie. Definitely a worthwhile activity to encourage the kids to get into.

Dear all, the Young Endurance Athlete Triathlon will be held on the 17th and 18th October, 2009.

Venue, Precint 6 Public Pool, Putrajaya.

The event includes a triathlon clinic on the 17th and race on the 18th. Registration will be opened until 7th October. There will be 3 categories for this race. Distances will be according to the age group categories.

A. 7-9 y/o = swim 50m , bike = 500m (0.5km), run= 100m
B. 10-12 y/o = swim 100m, bike = 3000m (3km), run= 200m
C. 13-15 y/o = swim 300m, bike = 6000m (6km), run= 500m

Kids from age 7-15 years old are welcome to register. Registration fee for participants is RM50 and will be collected on registration day (17/10).

We're happy to announce that we're also recruiting volunteers to help out on both dates. For more info , please contact us:
Major Kalam at kalampie@yahoo.com 0192712569
Amir Hashimi at ybicycle@yahoo.com 0122195552 (Facebook: Kalam Pie)
Juliana Ali at missjewelz@gmail.com (Facebook : Juliana Ali)

*Click on the forms below to print*

Early birthday celebration

My birthday gift from darling this year...

Impact... by Julius Marlow. As most of you know, I'm not one who spends a lot on my attire, apart from sports apparel. So it was nice to have to have a pair of working shoes, which have their own branded website. Thank you so much, darling!

We had lunch at Panorama Restaurant, Mullaloo Beach Hotel. About 40 minutes drive north of Perth.

I was being really greedy, by ordering two shanks of lamb, rather one.

Li-Ann made a classier and probably the wiser choice too, by having the salmon.

Fully stuffed with lunch, we took a stroll along Mullaloo Beach before taking a short drive to Hillarys Boat Harbour. Where we had ice cream from Bellisimo Gelato... which was also huge!

I think we'll have a late dinner tonight... hehheh.