Missing out on OZ day and CNY

Gosh... my last post was the first post of the year and now, we're nearing the end of January already! Partly to do with me blogging less often. Not that I'm unusually busy, just haven't found anything exciting enough to be worth blogging about. And I think opening a Twitter account has something to do with that too. I have been posting micro news regularly through Twitter and hence, not leaving much for me to blog about.

Anyway, so here's my 2nd post of the year. Nothing much has changed over here really. Still cold, cold and bloody cold! We do get a "warm" break every now and then, when the temperature moves closer to zero celcius but has been in the negative teens for most days. I haven't ran or rode outside since mid November. The problem with running on the treadmill at hard efforts most of the time, not always can my legs keep up and it's pretty demoralizing to have to manually turn down the speed. Whereas when I'm running outside, if I feel tired, I just slow down and not think much about it. I know it's the same thing, but somehow it feels different!

Well, only about 1.5 months or so until it's officially spring. And I hope we get some spring weather earlier than that. I'll be signing up for the Forest City Half Marathon soon. The early bird entry ends this month. It'll be my first race for the year... but it's so far away in 3 month's time! Well, the good thing is, I get to do some outdoor runs in early spring before the race. We'll see if I can better my half marathon PB from 3 years ago - race report here.

It has just dawned upon me that it's Australia Day this Sunday. It's funny how you miss and appreciate these things when you're away. We have occasionally gone to see the fireworks but sometimes it has been too much of hassle with the road closures and high traffic. One memorable Aussie Day ritual was the underground triathlon organized by my good friend Dennis. I did it for the last two years. Man, I sure miss those days. Wishing all my Aussie mates a happy Australia Day!

With my partners in crime - Sam and Dennis. Thanks Dennis for the pictures and organizing everything!

And in a week's time it'll be Chinese New Year! Although I haven't been back home for CNY every year, I was home for probably only 3 times in the last 10 years, it still doesn't make it any easier not to miss spending it at home with family. This would be Li-Ann's first CNY away from home too. So we'll try to have our own festive celebration on our own. My wonderful wife is going to make my two favourite CNY treats - pineapple tarts and bak kua! The atmosphere won't be like home of course, but it will still be special regardless. Wishing all my family and friends a happy Chinese New Year! May the year of the horse gallop you to plenty of happiness and prosperity! Kiong hee huat zhai!

CNY last year with my in-laws

Dad's birthday is always near CNY. We had buffet lunch at Majestic Hotel last year.

Fresh start

It has already been close to a week into the new year. How time flies! To many, starting the new year means starting with a clean slate, a fresh start. I've decided to jump on the Twitter bandwagon. I know... it has been around for ages and I'm lagging behind. My Twitter page is listed on the right hand side of this blog. I've also given my blog a new look. For most people, the new year is also a time to set new goals and for many triathletes, this relates to their training and races for the upcoming year. My latest article was featured on Lycraheroes here on how to get back into training after the festive season, thank you Lycraheroes!

We had a nice 9 day break for the Christmas - New Year period. There was a bit of ice storm in Southwestern Ontario the weekend before Christmas which left certain parts to have their power cut off for days. It was a pretty sight with trees being coated with shiny ice but it was inconvenient and sometimes dangerous getting around. We had a lovely Christmas dinner with Li-Ann's cousins and had a short visit to downtown Toronto, our first since we've been here. It was pity that it kept snowing and we could barely spend much time outdoors.

For New Year's, we took a drive to Niagara Falls. Again, the roads were very slippery with snow and the wind was pretty strong that day. Our car actually skidded on the way to the winery where we initially planned to visit for some ice wine tasting. Luckily nothing bad happened. The wheels did get stuck in a thick layer of snow but a kind couple who were passing by in their 4WD came to our assistance and towed us out. After that, we decided to call it off and head back to the B&B. At night, it was still windy and cold -20C with the wind chill! The plan was to watch the countdown concert featuring Demi Lovato, but we skipped that too and watched it on the live stream from the comfort of our room. Still, it was a nice getaway and the Always Inn Bed & Breakfast is a great place to stay if you're visiting Niagara Falls. It's managed by a Zimbabwean couple and we highly recommend the place.

On my training front, I've just been ticking along, nothing too crazy. About 2-3 sessions each of swim, bike and run. All of these are done indoors. One of the bike sessions include the group bike class with Coach Sheri, with our own bike trainers. It's a nice change in environment from facing the window in our living room. The aim each week is try to get just over 200kms of mileage or about 10 hours of training. I can't wait until summer comes when I can start getting serious in my training.

So far the first week of 2014 has been pretty uneventful except for this morning where we had over 1 foot of snow blocking our driveway. The road in front of our house doesn't get ploughed as it's a residential road with not that much traffic. Took us (my wife shovelling and I tried to steer the car out) over 30 minutes before I could get moving. I thought it would have been a day off from work but unfortunately, it wasn't.

Until then, we'll drive safe and keep warm over here. For our friends back home and in Australia, I have to say I'm really envious of the sun and heat you guys have over there!

2013... another chapter

Today is my last working day for the year. Only a couple more sleeps before Christmas and just over a week before the year ends.

2013 has been interesting to say the least. Moving to Canada early this year, the other side of the globe with a time difference of over 12 hours and climate difference of over 40 degrees Celcius during winter. The snow has been coming and going. Yesterday was a first where although it didn't snow but we have crystalized ice all over the roads making them into skating rinks and the car was frozen with a layer of ice that I could not break. I stayed home a while more and went to the gym later when the ice have thawed.

Having a new job at the hospital on a contract basis in the finance division and dealing with physicians' finances was another experience. I have less autonomy and there is more red tape than my previous jobs but I'm getting used to it. Took me over 6 months just to get to know what's going on and I'm still learning as I go. Only another 9 months more in my contract and I doubt I'll be able to know everything at the back of my hand by then, but hey, that's the way contracted work goes. Just try to do my best in the given timeframe.

Starting my small coaching service for fellow triathletes back in Malaysia was something I've been thinking about for some time. So I'm glad that things took off pretty well with the athletes I coached achieving their goals with flying colours. And I hope to build on this next year, as I'm competing in Ironman Malaysia myself so it would be exciting going through the same training cycles with my athletes and racing on the same course with them on the day.

On the side of my own training, it has been fun training with taskmaster Coach Sheri and Team Sheri athletes. The dynamics of the group is very diverse compared to the Break Your Limits team back in Perth. Not better or worse, just different. And I look forward to training with Team Sheri once again in summer - Splash N' Dashes, Megadays and Niagara camps, can't wait!

We'll be off to Li-Ann's cousins this Christmas and then to Niagara Falls to usher in the New Year. So my next blog post will probably be in the 2014 year.

Until then, thank you all for reading this blog for another year. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

From the other side...

I've not mentioned this in my blog before but I started a small coaching service for triathletes in Malaysia specifically for those aiming to race in a half Iron or full Iron distance. It was something I have been thinking about for a couple of years now but I didn't make it happen until sometime middle of this year. I've done triathlons for over 10 years now and although I've had my fair share of training and racing experience, coaching is a different ball game altogether and I'm conscious of imparting wrong information. As we all know, what works well for an individual may not work or even be detrimental for another!

Anyway, after being coached for the last three seasons under former pro triathlete Bill Scanlan in Perth, and currently by Sheri Fraser, the grand dame of Ontario triathlon, I decided to take the plunge and see if I can give something back to the Malaysian triathlon community. As I'm geographically thousands of miles away, technical aspects like swim stroke analysis was going to be difficult. So I roped in my brother, a former state swimmer, to conduct these sessions for me. All my athletes were impressed and most made separate arrangements with him to have ongoing sessions. From there, it took off further through word of mouth and referrals, he's pretty much booked out for most of the week with stroke correction sessions. It's great to see my baby brother (okay, maybe not so baby anymore) having such a success with this.

Coaching athletes was definitely not without it's challenges. There are many things I've taken for granted as an athlete myself. I've been blessed to be given the opportunity to train overseas, with world class facilities and top notch infrastructure e.g. a 75km bike path with no interruption from road traffic. Li-Ann is very supportive and quite often, she's occupied with her research work, so I don't feel too guilty being away and logging the long miles during the weekends. Yes, I have it easy and it did take me a while to realise that the athletes I coach have it different. Very different. One's a pilot who travels several times a week. The other works night shifts. And finally, another one gets last minute calls for business trips. Plus the heavy traffic in Malaysia suburbs makes it almost impossible to log in mid week outdoor workouts. And with young families, long training hours on the weekends would be a massive hurdle to overcome.

But hats off to these guys for being determined and pulling through these challenges. The past few months of coaching came to the final test in the past couple of weeks. One competed in Challenge Laguna Phuket, the other two at Ironman Western Australia. I've never been so anxious tracking live results before! The end result? I'm happy to say each one of them achieved their goals... and more. I've always had my heart skipped a beat each time I see a finisher line or a finisher medal picture. But seeing pictures of these guys celebrating their race finishes is even more special... much more. I felt that a part of me crossed the line with them!

But the credit should really go to them. The effort is mostly theirs and they all deserve the rewards. Congratulations and well done, guys! You guys inspire me. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share this truly humbling yet invaluable experience with you. I'm already looking forward to the 2014 season. With Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya and Ironman Langkawi making their comeback, I hope to be able to work with many more to achieve their goals.

In the meantime... for those looking for a triathlon coach, you know where to reach me *wink*

Snow white

Sorry, I'm not exactly the fairest of them all. But this is me last Saturday, preparing to go out for a bike ride. It was forecasted to start snowing sometime between 10am to 11am. Which means if I started my ride early enough, I could have got about a 3 hour ride in before it snows. It took me almost 20 minutes to put 3 layers of clothing on every part of my body - including my hands and feet. My helmet fit because of the layers. Another 30 minutes of trying to adjust the helmet buckle and vents of frustration ensued... Li-Ann was very calm throughout though. 

In the end, I figured out it was not worth it and decided I would ride indoors that day. And a good decision too as the snow came earlier than expected with some howling winds as below. Had I had no gear issues, I would have been stuck in this!

It stopped snowing at about midday but the floors were slippery. I slipped and fell while we were out shopping for groceries, my bum still hurts as I'm typing this. Not much cushion I have in my rear end! 

Overnight, more snowing followed and we woke up to the sights of these!

As if not being able to do my long ride outdoors was bad enough, the roads were all blocked and we could not drive out, so I couldn't get myself to the gym or the pool. I wasn't going to go through another 90 minutes on the bike trainer staring at the wall, so I took a rest day from training.

It was reported that London experienced an average snow fall of 30cm over the weekend with some areas having up to 70cm of snow. Had this happened on a weekday, it would have been declared a holiday... darn!

This is going to be first full winter here and I'm going to have to learn to be flexible and creative with my training regime. It's not going to be easy but I will try. Until then, I'll take a step back and enjoy the white scenery and it's beauty.

Few seconds of fame...

I was mentioned in the Malaysian New Straits Times today. I was asked to give a quote by Ironman journalist Emma Bishop but I did not expect my picture to be included. Full text of the article below or can be found in this link. Thank you, Emma for the opportunity! 

IRONMAN is back and everyone here is talking about it. Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya takes place on April 13, 2014 and Ironman Malaysia returns to Langkawi on Sept 27, 2014.

The events are a welcome reintroduction of the Ironman brand here, giving local triathletes the chance to take on the ultimate endurance challenge.

But before that finish line can be crossed, there is a lot of work to be done. Not for the faint-hearted, Ironman is often regarded as the toughest endurance event in the world.

Training for the 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run can take the average weekend warrior up to a year. Some athletes may require the full 17 hours allocated to complete the distance while professionals may need less than nine hours.

ENTERING THE SPORT
If you are new to the sport or interested in taking part but find the full Ironman distance overwhelming, then the Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya is a great way to enter the sport.

The half Ironman distance of 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run also has a relay team option.

Geoff Meyer, Ironman CEO Asia Pacific, says the relay option gives more people the opportunity to take part in an event where they may not be comfortable in all three disciplines. It’s a great stepping stone into the sport and gives athletes a taste of the Ironman experience and healthy lifestyle that triathlon offers.”

Local athletes who deemed themselves newbies a few years ago are now leading the charge for a surge in participation.

Lim Ee-Van, 37, is ecstatic that Ironman is back. “Triathlons are very much a lifestyle for me and my family and having Malaysia back on the Ironman map means a lot.

“The chance to race alongside the world’s best triathletes and friends and the camaraderie during training goes beyond transition. It is a huge commitment to train for the Ironman but the rush to complete the race and taking part in the event is unlike any other.”

MUSCLE OF METAL
Kevin Siah, 30, is a Malaysian living in Toronto, Canada. He has many races to choose from in North America but has chosen Ironman Malaysia as his race for 2014.

“Langkawi is where my Ironman journey started in 2009. There’s something special about racing on home soil with the Malaysian triathlete community. I know I can pick one of the many North American races to enter but I wouldn’t miss Ironman Malaysia for the world, even if it takes me more than 30 hours to get there!”

Ironman Asia Pacific will be setting up a permanent presence here, working alongside local partner Hivelocity Events to deliver a complete athlete experience that will reflect the international quality Ironman is recognised for while embracing Malaysia’s local culture and communities.

Registration for the two events is now open. Details at www.ironmanmalaysia.com and ironmanputrajaya.com.

Follow IRONMANAsiaPac on Facebook. E-mail your enquiries to ironman@usmevents.com.au

It's official...

7.58pm... 7.59pm... 8.00pm - CLICK!

The registration for the 2014 Ironman Malaysia opened on Thursday morning 9am - Malaysia time. Though I didn't think that the race will sell out within minutes but as I have already booked my long flight home and local flights to Langkawi, I was not going to take the risk!

I completed my entry under 5 minutes - having a pre existing Active.com account saved me from filling in all my personal details. No confirmation as to who was the first to sign up but I'm pretty sure I'm amongst the first few - as I can't win the race, I might as well try to beat the rest to signing up right? I was literally shaking after my registration was confirmed. And this would be 8th Ironman race - which shows how excited I am to be racing at home with the Malaysian triathlon family! And getting spoiled by mum and dad as my supporters on race day :)

I've been slowly getting back into a routine of training regularly. The recent switchback of daylight savings meant that it gets darker quicker after work. And temperatures are dropping quickly too. Which means most of my workouts now are kept indoors - on the treadmill, on the trainer, in the pool. I'm not too worried as the race is more than 10 months away. The key goal for these few winter months is to keep fit and to work on my speed by including short but high intensity workouts. This will help me get stronger and faster when Ironman training hits full swing beginning of Spring.

For those still pondering on whether to sign up or not, don't take too long. Rumour has it that the participant limit is capped to 1,000 and being the cheapest Ironman race on the calendar - both in terms of entry fee and the local cost of accommodation, transport and food etc., I'm willing to bet that it will sell out soon.

See you at the start line!