Thursday, May 05, 2011

Journey to Ironhood: Week 16


Week 16 (25 Apr - 1 May):

Mon morning 3am greeted me with a hot flushed body. There was no way I was gonna push myself to run 32k so I sat down, evaluated my condition and decided the best thing to do was to sleep in. I have 4 weeks to go and the best thing I could do for myself was to make sure I'm in tip top health.

Am sleep deprived - truth is, for many weeks now, I haven't
been sleeping well - my mind keeps its engine running even while I'm supposed to be sleeping! Checked my heart rate - below 50 resting heart rate - a good sign that I'm not overtraining.

Tue evening: Disheartened with my lack of progress. Unmotivated. Hit a wall. Slept early at 9.30am. Woke up at 4am on Wednesday and suddenly I was alright. A good rest is all it takes to cure an ailing heart.

May Day weekend: Rode in the cold wind, a painful 180km. If I may be plain honest here - riding over 6 hours on your butt ain't a pleasant thing, no matter how much I love triathlons and biking. I contemplated how my body's gonna hold up and bring me through a full marathon after a 180km ride. I have no idea how - I just have to trust that my training the past 4 months have conditioned my body to perform on race day.


Stayed over in the simple town of Sungai Rengit. No matter where I go, one factor always draws me in - the presence of communities - families fussing over their young children, friends chatting over food and drinks, coffee drinking elderlies, rowdy beer buddies.

Sitting at a table having a cuppa by myself while the rest of the gang were still fast asleep, I watched a young family with 2 kids. This could be another Ironman journey of it's own - except it lasts a lifetime. No, not a bad idea.

And there and then, a smile broke across my face. I was thrilled to be right where I was - watching people, watching lives, watching love among families, watching bonds being built; and being oh so thankful for each moment I live.

No comments: