Busy bee

So I've just finished 3 weeks of my 18 week structured Ironman training. I can't deny that it's pretty hard work. The volume is more or less the same as I'm used to, but there are a few long runs which are scheduled midweek which knocks me out at the end of the day. Thankfully, we live close to work, so we spend less time commuting and I have more time to myself.

My former colleagues - Derek and Mark, from KPMG came to visit on Wednesday night. They attended the Warren Buffet AGM in Omaha and did a US trip before dropping by. They would visit Niagara Falls next and probably the other side of US again before returning to Australia. Thanks boys for dinner and drinks, and coming all the way to visit, it was good to catch up!

The warm weather took a turn this weekend. Unlike last Saturday, I had a nice group ride in the 20 degrees warmth with a couple of guys from the London Triathlon Club. We rode to Lakeside and did two loops before heading back. All in, it was a 120km ride. There were plenty of cycling groups out that morning too. This weekend however, I was the only idiot out there. The temperature was about 8 degrees, but with winds blowing at abouve 25kph and a bit of mist in the air, it felt like sub zero degrees. I called off my ride after 2 hours, I was shivering so badly I could barely steer. Li-Ann came to rescue me, it was her first time driving here, so I was a bit worried about her too. Thankfully, there weren't many cars that morning.

I did make up for the remainder of the ride on the trainer that afternoon. It was after a run review session with coach Sheri. The session was really helpful and pointed out many of my imperfections that I never thought about. The next day I did a swim review and Sheri picked up quite a few things I should be working on to make me a more efficient swimmer. Like an old dog learning new tricks, many of these things are long term habits and would take a while for me to un-learn them.

That evening, I did a 2 hour run covering 25.6km. I nearly got blown off the road by the wind! It may seem a bit earlier to be doing 2 hour runs - in a week's time, I'll be doing 2:15 and soon, 2:30. But I've disciplined myself to start off slower and paying attention to the tempo work in the middle of the runs, and finishing strong. Previously, I used to just hold onto a constant average which may seem cruisy at first, but find myself struggling at a later stage.

I've started a small online coaching service for triathletes in Malaysia. I've had my first client signed up this weekend, so I'm pretty excited! I'll be keeping the numbers small so that I can manage the personal approach to each client. If any of you are keen and would want more information, feel free to drop me an email at kevinsiah (at) gmail (dot) com