Emma Bishop aka TTH

Introducing my Ceepo Katana, aka King Arthur!

2011-04-18T16:33:00.001+08:00

I don’t think I was a ‘needy’ child. (David, was I?) But my latest acquisition has been on my ‘want’ list for a long LONG time.

The old adage “all good things come to those who wait,” is a favourite with my mum. As it probably is the same with every parent on the planet when trying to keep their kids wants under control.

I have only ever owned 2 bikes.

My first was a Scott road bike that I used for my first triathlon that happened to be an Ironman. (Yes it was a silly thing to do). I then broke the bike and having already fallen in love with triathlon I knew in my heart a tri bike was all I was ever going to need.

I don’t draft and when I do try I am terrible at it. I like to sit up front. I like to ride solo. So all the signs were there early on to invest in a tri bike.

So I sold my soul (read: got a loan) and brought myself George the Cervelo P2C. George has done me proud, we have had lots of wins and podiums but when I changed my job last year I knew it was time to change the bike also.

Fresh start and all that.

I have always had a soft spot for Ceepo bikes; there is just something about them. Their brand, their design, and the fact they are a PURE triathlon bike company. I fell in love with them much like I fell in love with triathlon...READ MORE

Why Should triathletes beef up?

2011-04-13T11:01:00.000+08:00

Are you a triathlete carnivore in hiding?

Time to get out the steak knives and dig into a bloody steak.

Yesterday I ate a filet steak. Nothing unusual you may think. But for someone who eats less and less meat these days but is NOT a vegetarian, steak is usually off my menu.

Perhaps down to price, convenience and also my diet is pretty raw with more vegetables than bugs bunny could handle!

But my buddy Kharis is always tweeting about the Las Vacas MEAT shop/restaurant in town. There are two outlets and one of them is now within walking distance from his new office. VERY dangerous on two counts: the pocket (he has a weakness for Wagu) and on the waistline!

My bloody lunch sitting in the chiller

But this got me thinking. I know beef is good for athletes. Well lean cuts not the fatty stuff So I thought why not meet the ‘Butcher’ and and listen to what he has to say about his product and outline exactly HOW good lean beef is for you. READ MORE...

Triathlete in Manila

2011-04-04T13:06:00.000+08:00

So where has this triathlete-in-remission been for the past week?

It was a change of scenery to recharge the batteries. Now one might visualize an escape to a dessert island to do this, not a city bursting at the seams with people, traffic and chaos.

While Manila is all of those things it is also so much more. I have always a nagging doubt about getting around such a city where sometimes bad and crazy things happen and where your bag is checked with the 'magic stick' each time you enter a building. Would I feel safe? Would I become a victim?

But as with any new city, a couple of days to adjust and I am reminded why I enjoy the Philippines. The people are refreshingly open and confident, and always looking to strike up a conversation. If I had a buck for every time I heard "your beautiful" of which my response was always, (after I had stopped laughing) "I am just different."

Now who wouldn't love that! But it's not not really hard to point out the white chick walking thru the city or hailing a motorcycle taxi!!

Between the chaos and confusion of a colorful city I found clarity, a new goal, a fresh perspective and my faith...READ MORE

A Not So Funny Week

2011-02-28T11:10:00.000+08:00

Bloggers NOTE: Apologies if you are not a cat lover. But it was that or a picture of a muscle! Plus it's my blog column - so I say what goes :)

Do you ever get the feeling you have been dealt a crummy deck of cards?

Whoa...last week was a tough week in my simple life. And I do not mean tough as in training.

I am a cat lover. Always have been. In the genes ya see (mum's side) dad took a little longer to warm up to the idea of cats, he finally got it after 6 trys and now numbers 7 and 8 are 'part of the Bishop household - UK'.

A very smart cat from a young age. She could open windows, doors, sliding doors, boxes - you name it. She even used to play 'fetch' with a tiny teddy bear I used to throw her.

She was a queen and would not give anyone an audience except me her owner or should I say, servant...READ MORE

Road Testing: K-Swiss California

2011-02-17T19:19:00.000+08:00

Yet to be released the Women's K-Swiss California running shoe looks cool.

But looks are not everything. Oh okay, so looking good and cool account for 90% of triathlon. But those of you who know ME, know I rarely match my top to the bottom, shoes to bike, helmet, runners...you name it.

I think that's why I get free stuff. Manufacturers take pity on me and want me looking a bit more erm...can I say 'serious' - HA!

So I picked up my new K-Swiss California's from Runnerz Circle the other day. I am road testing a sample. It says so in the tongue (I mean it says 'sample' NOT 'Road Testing' - but that would be cool wouldn't it!) READ MORE...

: K-Swiss Women's California - Stability shoe

My Training 'YARD'

2011-02-14T11:24:00.002+08:00

You may have noticed that my posts have become, slower and fewer. I have not gone anywhere, it's just that there is only so much writing I can do - Yes even I have a limit!!

Anyway, over at www.beyondtransition.com/blog you may have noticed my thrice weekly (when on a roll) column called Funny Simple Life aka FSL OR Funny SINGLE Life!!

So what I shall do is post a snippet here and if you would like to read more then please hop over to my new home of BeyondTransition :)

Triathlon training in Modern Day Malaysia.

I thought I would give you a little peek into my current training backyard. It’s tropically hot and exposed but being able to handle the elements is why we train right? The plus side of training under the scorching sun is the unique landscape of this location.

For the past couple of weeks I have joined a bunch of Aussie guys for Saturday training. Since I am not really doing much long stuff this means driving to a start point to join them.

I like these guys as I no longer have to get up at 5am....readmore

An Long Overdue LONG BLOG

2011-02-03T13:01:00.002+08:00

Did I fall asleep? My last training post was on Jan 3rd. Today is the last day of January (that’s when the first draft was written). Oh My GOSH I fell asleep, well I sure needed it.

I am alive and have been climbing out of a very large hole. 56 days ago I had had enough. I wanted to end it. I wanted out. I was at the lowest point EVER in my life.

Looking BETTER, NO, looking GOOD!

I glossed over the New Year and with some expert guidance from Kristian and some very good friends and I KNOW things have finally turned a corner. Why you may ask? Hasn’t she done that before only to fall back and sink even deeper?

Honesty is my policy when writing. When I write about other peoples journeys they are kind enough to open up and be honest with me in the hope they can help others. So that is my policy here to.

But sometimes I have to delay what I want to say until I am strong enough to handle actually writing it down and revealing my inner weakest moments. I do this for two reasons. To prove that I am a strong person and that there is nothing to be ashamed of. And to hopefully help anyone else out there who may read this and be going through a similar experience.

So. If you calculate correctly 56days ago was Christmas Day. Prior to the 25th on the eve I woke up and knew it was going to be a bad day. WHY? Ok briefly…

Thursday it started to build the pounding headache, the anxiety. I should have stayed at home but forced myself up and out of bed - I cannot remember now if I span on the bike or not. It’s not really important.

I went to work, I went for a meeting. Sitting in the coffee shop I felt bad. Hard to explain but when you have CFS other symptoms that happen are the following: paranoia, anxiety, depression, as well as the inability to sleep, body aches, brain fog. Ok enough of that. So sitting there and my heart rate started to rise, I started getting fidgety and very uncomfortable. By the time my friend had arrived for the meeting I was in a right state, burst into tears and just had to run. YES, I collected my things and RAN.

Driving home with tears streaming down my face (I could also not stop crying), now I get angry with myself. I really have had enough. My head starts pounding and by the time the evening rolls round I had found solace in sugar.

Woke up Friday Xmas eve and could not move. Could not stop crying and the effort (mentally not just physically) to get up and go downstairs was immense. For 2 days I did not wash or leave the house (my bed) except to find solace in the only comfort I had become so addicted to…chocolate.

On Christmas day, well I would rather glaze over that day. But by that time I had had enough of my life. I felt a burden on friends and basically shut down, shunned anyone who extended warmth and a kind word. It is not a nice feeling to not want to live. I know I would not do anything about it. But just having the thought is bad enough.

I text a friend. I reached out and On Christmas day she became my savour as I started on the path to an honest recovery. I am by no means there yet, but I now feel strong enough that when the bad days come I can handle them. I DO HANDLE THEM, because I have had them since.

For too many months I care to admit I have run away and avoided my friends because I cannot handle being around them, the questions, the paranoia that everyone is talking about you. I know this is not the case – but this is one of the symptoms of this disease.

I have read so much material on CFS. I found forums, chat rooms where people with the same problem come together. I found this extremely uncomfortable. WHY? Because I felt the people in these forums were too negative, complaining about their problem rather than helping one another. Suggesting medications to take.

I have never wanted to revert to medication to help me through this. I do not believe in it. I believe there to be another way. And after reducing the stress, the work the training there was only one thing left to change.

MY DIET.

This meant taking away the only comfort that I knew. Chocolate. But it was a comfort in sheep’s clothing as no sooner had I consumed the bar the feel good ‘rush was replaced with GUILT, depression and sadness.

In an email to Kristian he replied with so much POSTIVE useful information on CFS that I started to see light. He has introduced me to a new way of eating that I have embraced. He also told me not too fall to far into the black hole and that I have so much to give.

Other people close to my work and me tell me I am great. It’s hard to believe these things when so low but now I read this and I smile. Not cry :)

So amongst some serious positive thinking and channelling of energy the diet changed. I detoxed for the first time in my life and the results were not what I expected.

Actually I do not know what I expected, never having done it before or read much on the subject. You see I guess I am a kind try it first, read it later kind of person.

I have learnt a lot, I am still learning. And for someone who never EVER took supplements I have learnt that this body was way tired and I could not go on treating it the way I was without some inner damage. So now Supplements are a daily intake. More on what I have introduced later.

Also and finally, just how did I get to this place? I know I raced last year in this fatigued state. Why? How do I know this? Because I stopped improving during training a long time ago and was finding it harder and harder to execute any training and have a solid session. And when I think back my hard sessions where hard because I was already in a depleted state – they were not getting quicker. NEVER.

It is no ones fault except my own. I take full responsibility for it. Coach did not force the training. And the work…well I just kept taking more on and never said stop, that’s enough I cannot handle this anymore!

Getting better and better EACH DAY

So now I see the error of my ways. I train lightly at the moment. I have one international race on the cards for this year already registered for :) And I am working part-time.

I believe I am 90% stress free. 10% of stress I do have is attributed to daily stuff like driving, queues and ignorant people – I let those wash over me and avoid negative people and places like the plague and if I find my self gripping the steering wheel and my knuckles turning white. I say a mantra. I take a deep breath and RELAX.

So I am not going to detail the training, there is nothing to learn there. It’s going along well and Kristian and Charlotte (who is expecting their first baby in a matter of days) have been a rock. As has my dear friend Julie and Lynn and the wonderful support and understanding of Big D.

I just completed my first full week for 3weeks. This morning as it is the first day of the Lunar New Year I chose to ride Putrajaya with Mark rather than do the turbo. We had a great chat and now I am off to an open house.

Please check out this website that Kristian put me onto: www.foodmatters.tv. I have been sharing this with everyone I meet:

When I was viewing I just kept thinking OH MY GOSH. The next day after watching this…I detoxed.

Take care, train safe and please listen to YOUR INNER BODY – forget about whats happening on the outside – that falls into place once the inside has the warm fuzzy feeling of happiness :)

TriSpecific: New Year Blog Wk3

2011-01-03T10:38:00.000+08:00

This past week was more about reflection rather than training.

The training was there and it got done. But this is a New Year. And while I have never been one to make resolutions – I do have a good look at what the past year has been like.

If I was to be totally honest it was a bit POOP. I qualified for Kona last year, February. Something I had targeted and worked towards for quite a while. The victory didn’t taste as good as I dreamed it would, I was never well enough to enjoy my little moment of glory. And then things progressively slid downhill from there to the point I withdrew from the October World Championships.

I struggled all year with my self-esteem, demons, one minute up the next minute down. I reduced training. I stopped training. I exercised. I put on weight. I started to really dislike who I was and what I saw when I looked in the mirror.

I thought it would all be okay if I just got back to where I was post illness and fatigue. I thought if I could make the outside look the same as I used to then I WOULD be happier and learn to love myself again.

Don’t get me wrong; last year was far, far from ALL bad. I have found when I am away racing or working at races I transform. I simply love to be in the triathlon playground. For me it is like going to church. There is so much positive energy all around, you cannot help but get high on life and being alive.

I first learnt this when I took a month out and went to Kona as a spectator. That month’s holiday was perfection. I started to heal and spiritually feel good about me again. And I am now going to make that trip (so long as financially able!) my annual pilgrimage, as a friend said to me over the weekend. You can’t take money with you when you go, so enjoy it.

So back to the outside casing of Emma; after hitting rock bottom I had (with the help of some guidance) a revelation of sorts. It all seems so simple now. Why did I not see this before? But sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can start swimming back to the surface. This is going to be a long journey, hence my use of the swimming analogy – the swim is slow but steady as will be my recovery!!

I am trying although it is extremely hard to forget about what I look like on the outside. I now understand the real battle lies deep within. Get control of that and everything else will fall into place. It works. I am learning (and again this is VERY hard) to focus on me, one thing at a time, and to have belief that I can heal.

It seems crazy to say I find that hard, as I never had any trouble believing I could qualify for Kona. But this belief is deeper and a slower, calmer process which is totally the opposite of how Emma functions.

Example:

I went for my first Pilates class the other day. The instructor was shocked at my lack of movement and also the first comment was; you are not used to doing things slowly are you? I started laughing. "NOPE. That’s why I am here. I need to learn how to slow my life down, one thing at a time."

So training went smoothly and slowly and calmly. Kristian was very helpful with his advice and support in my woes and worries and information on CFS. The more you read, the more you learn, you can never stop learning.

Once again I cannot emphasize how helpful it is to have a coach with sound advice in your corner. When the chips are down, just a few words of encouragement are all you need to start moving forward again, or in my case get out of bed! :)

So if I wake up in the morning and feel like I have slept. That is a result, a HUGE result. In the old life I would have a list of 10-20 tasks to do in a day. WOW I am scared just typing that. These days I have maybe a maximum 5 tasks a day that includes training and meetings.

The goal is not to think about any of the other tasks until the first is finished. When that is done if I feel good to do the next and am clear in the head then I will do it. If I don’t finish everything in the day – then it’s not a problem, I will not stress and the world will not stop rotating!

I have been very lucky that I am still able to work whilst feeling so pooped. I do not think I have let anybody down and while some people have to quit work and have no income when handling CFS I count myself lucky that I am still able to do what I love.

2011 - THE ONLY WAY IS UP !!!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Train Safe, Train Smart, SMILE :)

TriSpecific: Training Blog Wk2

2010-12-26T16:21:00.001+08:00

Well it's been Christmas hasn't it, so I treated this week with the holiday respect it deserves and had a little break! Totally back to normal next week I think. But a few of you have been asking questions about the new training, how it is different, numbers, hours, volume etc.

So I asked Kristian to document his thoughts for you, so there is something for you to read this week and it is probably much more interesting than my waffle!!

Remember we are in the midst of putting together plans for Malaysia. If there is an area or something specific you want to target then let us know and we may be able to help you shape your goals.

TriSpecific Head Coach, Kristian Manieta explains in more detail the Low volume Vs High volume training and how it all works

I was previously an IG's coach running operations and coaching in Australia and NZ. I continue to use many of the concepts I learnt with IG's and couple those in with previous knowledge and also new knowledge I acquired from learning via my talks with many athletes and other coaches and of course the experiential learning part of it, from my own training. Learning and application is a never ending pursuit.

TriSpecific was around before I partnered with ig and I relaunched TS due to the stress involved with ig.

My goals are quite simple with my coaching. Provide athletes with the tools and education to not only perform but to ensure a holistic approach to longterm sustainable health. When we provide a foundation of health, performances will come.

There is also way more to coaching than the plans we write and there is way more to results than just following the plan. The plan becomes just a small part of the picture. In one2one coaching we take in the athletes life circumstance and develop them in line with those circumstances and make sure their stated goals are congruent with their current life circumstance.

When it comes to athletes that follow a generic download plan or membership site plan we will see vastly different results for the same plan. Talent doesn't really count that much. How those athletes apply themselves in each and every sessions counts big time as does there day to day nutrition, recovery methods and their attitudes also play a major role.

Coaching whether its one2one or a generic plan or membership site, needs to contain other important knowledge transfer such as the role of nutrition, the role of sleep, stress reduction, regeneration, among other things.

Results come from consistency. Not just in the plan but the above factors also. Many athletes that train 20+ hours/week lack the long term consistency to get great results. Typically they get so aerobically whacked they will miss sessions, due to excessive fatigue, sickness or injury. You'll get better results following year round training at a sustainable volume than you will from 12-20 weeks of higher volumes. There will always be outliers but I talking about the typical age grouper.

When it comes to iron distance racing there is a commonly held belief that you need big volume to perform. Over the years I have found that not to be true. Your base grows from session to session, year to year. This year I have had some major success with athletes doing a lot less volume than most of the age groupers out there.

Out of the five athletes I had in Kona in 2010, four of them where AG champions in the 2010 season and I had three podiums from those five in Kona (1st, 2nd, and 3rd). The volume these guys and girls do is totally linked to their current life circumstances and even so for the most part it stays under 15 hours. Even my pro athletes train under 20 hours/week.

Its all about getting the best return on investment for your training buck. If you had to do 30 hours per week to go 9:30, I would say that is a terrible ROI when I see athletes going that on 8-10hr/week. I know some athletes who train in the 14-15hr bracket and have gone mid 8:30's! They don't miss sessions and each session is very focused and has a purpose to it.

The major issue I see with volume is with the so called 'base' training. The norm is to do long slow sessions early on and then upping the volume and adding in a speed element. The problem here is that excessive volume coupled with high intensity will kill an athlete quickly. Its just so catabolic on the body. With all the long slow stuff, you essentially train the strength and speed out of your body as you wreck your immune system.

Flip that on its head and do more strength and speed work early on to develop those crucial skills and you develop aerobic capacity anyway. Repeat that for the long term and then in the lead up to the race, 6-8wks out you can up the volume in some sessions to marry the specifics of the race.

This works so well, because you have increased not only your cruising paces but have more efficiency and will complete the longer race specific work faster and using less energy expenditure.

In terms of hours, unfortunately there is no magic number of hours that will see results. As I mentioned above, it's so much more than the training. Everything counts. Looking at my generic 20 week Ironman plan we see an average training week across the board of 12.5 hours. But there is 8 weeks where the volume is between 16-17.5hrs on the advanced plan.

For between 14-15hr/week you can get:

SWIM: 3-4 40min sessions

BIKE: 1x70min, 1x 90min, and 1x4hour

RUN: 4-5- 2-3x 40-60min, 30min and 1 x 120min.

What's important here is how these sessions are placed and what they contain. ie intensity and quality are very important. Quality does not always mean intense effort. Quality can also mean intense focus on form.

So I believe we start talking lower volume when we are under 15hours per week. Between 12-15hours is a very sustainable model for the majority of athletes competing over the iron distance. I know others that successfully train and race with much less than this. For example: 8-10hour week. When we train under 14hours, each and every session is very much key.

I do emphasize swimming as it is so important to your overall results. Even though its the shortest part of the day, it can take massive amounts of energy away from the bike and run. Being swim fit is a key component to triathlon success.

As Emma mentioned we're working on a Malaysian part to the TS site and will have that up and running soon.

Hope you all had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year

Kristian

Chrishmush Cake anyone?

2010-12-22T17:02:00.000+08:00

Courtesy of Disco:

Mmmmmm-perfect-
recipe :
Ingredients;

2 cups flour
1 stick butter
1 cup water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
lemon juice
4 large eggs

nuts
2 bottles wine
2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the wine to check the quality. Take a large bowl, check the wine again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the wine is still ok. Try another cup....Just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off the floor. Mix on the turner...If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the wine. Now shift the lemon juice and stain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar or some fink. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven . Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally throw the bowl out of the window. Finish the wine and wipe the counter with the cat. Go and buy a cake
Bingle Jells

TriSpecific: Training Blog Wk1

2010-12-19T16:34:00.001+08:00

Well I am still alive and kicking (even though now that hurts). The idea was to ‘gently’ ease back into things, so actually I have done less this week than I have been doing previous weeks past.

So what's the difference? Now I execute with meaning and with the effort required, this can also be determined as effort available!

While my new routine and work pattern have heaps LESS stress I sometimes have the tendency to try and fit too much in. When the afternoon rolls round I am pretty much useless and so if able I will take a nap. I think it is much wiser to do this than to carry on in a zombified state and go to meetings with a trance-like glaze over your eyes! (sorry Denis, and everyone else).

I harbour no secret desire to qualify for KONA next year. Lets make that clear. While I would love to race and race well, at present I am happy to have renewed motivation.

Monday:

I have enjoyed my swims this week. Something a little different but not too different, remember what I do now is similar to the old stuff just less volume.

I got through Monday unscathed from a 1.5k swim set.

Tuesday:

Tuesday morning and I am reunited with my friend the bike trainer. The bike legs are still there, just under some extra padding, once again, I escape unscathed and went off to work.

Wednesday:

Another short 1.5k but rather odd swim set that I really enjoyed, with that in the bag my first double session (a run) was in my mind for the afternoon.

The run is my first of the week and my first run of any intensity. For months I have just being going out and trying to maintain some sort of fitness, never really pushing it.

It was only 40minutes (the idea is to ease into things), but the intention is negative splits, (this HURT).

Not sure if I started off too quick, I guess time and trial and error will teach me. But I managed a final set of negative splits and also managed to nearly throw up. I think this affirms the fact that I was trying (or was it the litre of ice cream rolling around in my stomach before hand?)!! NO NO NO JOKING!!!

The good thing about the session is while it is short, it allows me concentrate and to have the confidence to PUSH into the nasty uncomfortable pain box. You just have to keep telling yourself…it’s just for a little while. It will soon be over. Spittle flying, heart popping, the legs didn’t actually hurt during this session…then again it was their first real outing!

Thursday:

We get back on the trainer. I looked at the session and thought piece of cake. But with a warmer morning, no fan or air-con as I was out on the car porch I was overheating. Short 1minute efforts are no problem in the heat. Longer efforts take their toll. Lydia and Dave revived me with ice water that I poured over the head to cool down and before the last effort I had to get off before I fell off and let my body temp come down before I started the final set.

Power is there, legs a little queasy after Wednesday run and a note to self…put a bloody fan out next time!

Friday:

Friday morning and swim time again. I am swimming a little without the buoy and paddles. It feels weird but trust in what I have been told and just execute. I really do not question much at all. I just do it. What I am doing different though is making sure the coach knows how I FEEL.*

Friday afternoon I had a short run dialled in. Friday was a mentally mind numbing day. The brain was mush from work and it rained for most of the day. But it was just 30minutes and sometimes/most of the time when I get my butt out there I DO fell better for it. Now in hindsight, maybe I should have skipped it, because Saturday came and kicked me swiftly up the butt!

Saturday:

When you only have a short time allowance for your only road ride of the week, one word of advice. Make sure you ENJOY it. So what if you have to drive to a scenic loaction and spend 45min’s in the car. The pleasure you get is so much worth the drive and you still get home earlier than if you were doing a 100plus k ride.

Mother Natures perfection can be found just a short drive outside of Kuala Lumpur

I drove to Ulu Langkat. Easy is on the menu with my last 20mins moderatly hard. I still have a tough time determining what is easy, easpecially when on the bike. It being my strength even in my current level of fitness I never quite know what to do. Does it mean not pushing any resistance? Or just keeping an extremely low heart rate, which funnily enough while the weight increased over the past few months this is the one factor that has remained a consistent low.

So I kind of keep it on the small chain ring. Yes you read correctly. For a short while at least. I do not gun it up Perez (a 9km climb). The final TT section back to Batu 18 I push so I am uncomfortable. Nasty headwind yesterday but I believe I still averaged 38/9kph from the 12km marker.

I ran off the bike. This was my first run off the bike since August. I was ready for pain, for serious discomfort. Imagine my surprise when it never came? Hip is pretty uncomfortable but after four minutes I was shuffling away and enjoying the scenery. Drove home and that is where the day ended for me. The week caught up and the body gave up for the rest of the day. So I accepted my fate and vegetated.

Sunday:

A short run (Read 50minutes) this morning over rolling hills, so I went to Bukit Aman. I started out really REALLY easy. I have never truly followed a Sunday run plan to a T, so now I am going to try and execute. Nothing to lose I figure. After 25minutes of really easy I ramp it up (well try) for just 15minutes. I make myself uncomfortable and just keep telling myself it’s only 15minutes. I felt good. My legs are killing me from the week and the fatigue in my system but my breathing that usually poses such a problem was not a hindrance today.

So the week is done, tomorrow it all starts again with a slight increase. It seems a bit bizarre starting training with Christmas just around the corner. But I think I have had enough eat-whatever-you-can-lay-your-hands-on time and now I need to start moving gently forward again.

*If you are embarking on online coaching, remember your coach cannot SEE YOU. A lot can be revealed in seeing an athletes face; fatigue, tiredness, sickness, health, your spirit etc. So it is your job as an athlete to relay how you feel to your coach.

I get this now. Some coaches can read it through how you write. You feel good training is all hunky dory and you are blogging and face booking up a storm, simply put, the world could not be rosier.

But then come the crossroads, the doubt, and the tough days. You are having a rough time and you shut down, close out the virtual world. When this happens they can only help you IF you seek them out and explain what’s going on and how you feel.

Never think you are being a pain in the butt (I always thought this, so didn’t ever bother my coach much). But this is the priceless advice that you are buying into: The guidance. It’s not so much about the plan and what to do and how to do it.

It’s the support network, the understanding, the peace of mind a coach can deliver to you.

Use it!

Zeal for Christmas

2010-12-13T14:41:00.000+08:00

I should have blogged these a couple of weeks ago but have been rather busy and now the 10 pairs of samples I received from Zeal Optics are reduced to 6 pairs!

If you are looking for a last minute Christmas gift then a pair of Polorized sunnies could be just the ticket item! For a long time I have used Oakley to train and race in because nothing else fit and felt comfortable. Thing is only one design worked!!

I want a sunny that I can run in and race in, bike in and socialise in and Zeal offer all of this and more.

Lifetime warranty, ALL designs are polorized and prices start from just RM350. Designed in Boulder, Colorado, USA by outdoor sports enthusiasts, these guys know their stuff.

I am in the midst of putting a larger order together now, but that will not arrive until the new year, this however is what I have left. Interested? You know where to contact me!

TriSpecific: Because the answers have changed

2010-12-11T19:55:00.000+08:00

This Monday 13th of December training resumes. Since August 22nd I have not trained. I have tried to stay healthy and exercised when the body allowed but there has been no structure what so ever. This was hard at first to get used to, but since returning from the states I have relished not having the pressure to train for a race or do certain things and just go with the flow. I have a lot of people to thank for showing me how to think and live this way; once you ‘get it,’ each day without structure gets easier.

On December 1st I started the next chapter in my life. I am not quite sure how many chapters we have got to by now. And while not exactly the riveting page turning stuff of ‘The Girl the With Dragon Tattoo’, each journey on a very personal level, has been a huge learning curve.

While I am no longer working with The Bike Boutique I have relished the time I spent with them. It was sad to leave, but necessary for me to move forward and get well. The plus side about working in triathlon is that the world is so small that you never really say goodbye. And so while I am not in daily contact with my old team I will always see them at events.

Starting a new job (or jobs, I am now doing a few different things) was just one of the changes that had to happen. I needed to also make changes to my training life and racing decisions. Just like it was time for me to move on in my career it was also time for me to try something new for training.

TriSpecific has elements of familiarity that I am used to, the big difference however is I will no longer be doing large volumes. This is so important for my body to heal and hopefully with a good diet will enable me to finally get this CFS under control. I still have days when I cannot get out of bed, but now I usually know when they are coming on and as such do not let myself feel guilty about sleeping for a whole day. I wish I could say the same about the depression that comes with those bad days, that’s pretty tough to handle and that is also why I have done something else totally new and moved house and now am cohabitating with two VERY outgoing people. I am hoping when my dark days come they will just give me a good kick up the backside and help snap me out of it!

So back to the coaching, I first met Kristian Manietta last year at the 70.3 Philippines. He is an awesomely fast age grouper and also happens to be husband to the lovely Ironman champion of China and Busselton, Charlotte Paul. We all got on like a house on fire last year and had lots of fun. I met them again in Kona this year and then again in Maui and that’s when things started happening and wheels began turning.

I have always wanted to help the tri scene here in Malaysia. And I am amazed in the past couple of years at how triathletes here have started taking training more seriously. I personally think most people can go faster with a little help and A LOT of self-discipline but my old large volume training was admittedly scary and the biggest problem with working triathletes is precisely that, WE WORK. We have FAMILY. We have other COMMITMENTS. And so while triathlon is our lifestyle it has to be balanced in with everything else we do.

Not everyone has 20 plus hours a week to train. Not everyone wants to or physically can train for this amount week in week out. So how about training less with exactly the time YOU have allowed for your sport but also the knowing that you can be faster.

Sounds good right? But remember. Just like a diet, unless you follow it with the discipline and willpower it deserves you won’t get faster. That is your choice.

My choice is to try something new and I feel with Trispecific I have the opportunity to train again and be fast while not over extending myself. My life next year will entail a lot of travel, training will not be easy, so it is all about balance (there’s that word again, admittedly I have not been very good at this in the past!), huge trust in what you are given to do and execution on those sessions.

After much discussion with Kristian about how we can offer help to Malaysians at an affordable price we came to the conclusion that a 20week IM program as an introduction could be just the key.

The program is targeted at IM China 2011, but even if you are not doing an IM maybe you want to do a half or an Olympic distance. Maybe you just want to get ‘tri-fit’. Programs are customised to cater to your time available. There are all sorts of other perks that will be made available to you should you be interested.

As for me, the idea is racing China but I am honestly not thinking about that right now, it is just an idea. And if I do not race in China I will still do the training at a lower intensity so that I can train and follow anyone that is with TriSpecific, think of me as the one holding the whip, your conscience on the ground!!

So my training starts on Monday and I will be doing a weekly blog to let you know what is going on in my tri-training world – good and bad! Interested in joining me and getting more TriSpecific? Drop me an email or go to trispecific.com to find out more.

See ya on the road!

Going Beyond Transition

2010-11-19T09:42:00.001+08:00

Beyond Transition (formerly Go-triathlete) is a new website (Launch Date Jan 2011) that aims to give a unique service to triathletes around the world. A place where you can visit and find out about global races on one site rather than hop-scotching across various dead-ends.

BT will serve to answer all your race needs, from the simple stuff as how much, where and when, to what is the goodie bag like, what's the bike course? Where can I stay, where's the best place to eat, carbo loading, awards, race nutrition, the list goes on and on and on.

Why are they doing this? Becasue there isn't anything like it out there. It's a monumental mountain to scale and data capturing of all these races is a headache waiting to explode! So BT are taking baby steps and it will be a while before we are up and running at full speed so please be patient :)

Whilst all the data capturing is going on the BT blog will be live and ready for you to check out within the next week. The blog will keep you updated of what's going on, how beyondtransition.com is progressing as well as giving some awesome contents to read over your morning coffee.

Motivation should not be a problem when you drop by, BT aims to inspire and turn the "I cant's" into "I can's". BT has some super stuff to unleash on the world but they are trying to apply the 'pacing' theory for the moment :)

Next year BT will be regularly on the ground at selected races around the world. So watch this space, or even simplier pop over to this space : www.facebook.com/beyondtransition.

Big Brother Comes to Malaysia

2010-11-16T17:21:00.000+08:00

Well sort of. I have had enough of living in a condo and also had enough of the rental price hikes. I needed to cut back on my outgoings and the easiest place to do this was to move into a house.

Trouble is I have always been a little wary to stay in a house alone. No security, blah, blah, blah. So I mentioned this to Lydia a few months back when out on a run, that I was thinking of moving and would like to stay in a house. She said yeah me too! There is a third party. Disco Dave. So I ran the idea by him and as if by chance our leases were expiring within a month of each other.

Now I have not shared a home (not counting when I was married) since my student days. And that didn't last long - the sharing I mean!! So Lydia has been a star and found the perfect house while I was away slogging it in Kona, Napa and Maui. I viewed the house for the first time last week. I can not believe how relaxed I have been about the whole process, virtually horizontal I would say, but then I am supposed to still be resting!

When I was away I also realized that on our moving date, December 1st - I would not be in the country. I am off to Phuket to cover the LPT and IM 70.3 Asian World Champ's. Whoops! A quick mail to Dave and Lydia to the effect of. "Guys, if I pack everything up nicely and leave the keys with you, do you think you could let the movers in to shift the stuff to the new place on December 1st?"

Oh it's good to have friends. Now they probably said something to the effect of "Blooming Cheeky B****" but their reply was, "of course we can." Wonderful, wiggled out of that one didn't I ;-) But I will play chef to show my appreciation when I get back - now you know I am a GREAT cook!

This will be my third move in just under 3years. I plan on traveling rather a lot next year if all goes well. So no point throwing money down the drown at a place you are never in.

Now lets rewind to my comment about "Now I have not shared a home (not counting when I was married) since my student days. And that didn't last long...!!" Reason being, I couldn't get along with my roomies at all and just had to move out before I went cuckoo.

Since then and these days I believe I am much more relaxed about life. I certainly have less stress in my life. And while there are a whole lot of opportunities that keep coming along, I do not have to do them all. I am learning to say the words, "No thank you. I am too busy." Mind you, I haven't used them yet!

So it's going to be a little like big brother I feel. We have even spoken about hidden cameras!! Hey! If someone offered money I'm in, are you?

A time & A Place for Everything

2010-11-11T15:37:00.000+08:00

There are lots of people including myself who want to extend their lifestyle of triathlon into their workplace. It’s about enjoying what you do so that word work is actually irrelevant, as it doesn’t seem like work.

I like writing stuff. I love meeting people. I get paid for this. Don’t tell anyone but I would actually do this for free. But then again I have bills to pay so need a little money!

So, back to Trix-Gear. My friend Paul who raced Kona this year and his lovely wife Celeste are the people behind this funky label of casual tri apparel. He threw me some free T’s and asked if I would not mind modelling them, of course not I said, my pleasure. Although I was and am still a slighter rounder version of my racing self they fit well, and when I say fit I mean as in a chick fit – not big and baggy :)

I love the pink PaperDoll one and also the aero T that was featured recently in what 'we have noticed' on slowtwitch. And for a snug sexier look the ‘Triathlete” vest is a nice look. I have a little story about that, here we go…

So I am in Kona and have got my special VIP pass for the awards. I have absolutely nothing to wear. Now I know chicks always say this as an excuse to shop, but when my MALE roomies look at me with the “your not gonna go out in that are you” look, I honestly had nothing to wear!

So I put on the trademark skirt and paired it with the Trix vest. Looked pretty cute and we were going to the K-Swiss party after so, sexy casual-ish! But this look still got a sigh. Yeah it will do, its fine!

It's not me modelling, sorry to disappoint you!!

So we are walking down to the awards, and we get to one of those ABC (711 type) stores and he pops in to pick up bevy. Next door there is this really cute clothing store. He mentions that they have some cool stuff, so I took that as a blatant hint.

Shall I go get something then? Yeah sure! He says. So I go in, straight to the tops, pick the first thing I see, try it on, keep it on, go to counter, pay, get the guy to cut the label and just as this happens the roomie walks in and says “I didn’t mean it”!!! Yeah right.

Anyway, the top stayed and I am sorry Trix, your top didn’t get to be paraded at the awards, but you know, there is a time and a place for everything I guess and that this was a time to be subtle and girly!!!

And the Tan Lines are Fading

2010-10-31T11:55:00.001+08:00

Okay, so I didn’t get much of a tan. I think we all know that Emma doesn’t ‘brown’ very well! But for me I did turn a darker shade of pale and now my skin is shedding and returning to its normal magnolia self.

I took a lot of pictures on my trip. It has been years, around 15 to be exact of when I last took so many pictures. Not quite sure why I stopped, maybe I just got lazy. And as much as I love to write, sometimes a picture is all you need to say those thousand or so words that routinely flow from my fingertips.

I will never tire of looking at these Maui sunsets

So, back to normal or is it? It actually is not back to normal. Back to normal for me would mean going backwards and getting lost again. So I am taking everything I learnt while away and applying it to my new journey. It started yesterday when I rode with the guys. They said it was just 100k. I said I am just going to the toll – for me that is a nudge over 70k. Wet and punctuated with 3 punctures before we reached the toll I was asked to go a little bit more, just 15mins they said.

Yes, but 15minutes out and 15 back is 30mins. That’s an extra 15km roughly, so why not 30mins out and 30back? When and where do you draw the line? When is enough, enough? Before going away I was easily talked into doing a little bit more and then finding out all about it when the effort would come and hit me up the bum.

No one else knows how you feel except YOU. But sometimes the toughest challenge of getting well is listening to YOU. Another person who I do not see much asked how my ‘so-called illness’ was. Well that made me feel like crap, like I was a faker, because from the outside I am functioning so much better than I have for a long time. But inside the workings are still pretty rusty. But only I know this, I FEEL this. No one else can SEE it or FEEL it.

So if training and doing an IM is about mental strength so is getting better. I could ignore group rides and runs and just do stuff on my own but that isn’t fun so until I am ready to go longer I will join to the best and as far as my body will allow and I will do no more than that.

When I am ready to make my switch and start again you all will know about it. And if you want to come along for the journey you are more than welcome. But until then Emma’s mission is to reduce weight and have a healthy clean engine so she is primed and ready to go faster and better than before :)

Running in Lava Fields

2010-10-28T05:23:00.000+08:00

I am on my way home. I wrote this aboard JAL going to Narita and this time I was not in Business Class. It doesn’t matter though because as far as I am concerned I have had a first class experience. Thinking about when I last had a holiday of any sort (without a bike) I worked it out to be 3years ago. And while I have still been touching base with work and doing some correspondence during my travels it has been a holiday, I feel it and more importantly my body after eleven months is finally telling me so.

Good Morning!

We are in this sport because it is our lifestyle. It is a healthy lifestyle and if your health is at anytime put into jeopardy because of how you live the lifestyle then you need to step back and re-evaluate. It doesn’t mean you cannot reach your dreams but you must be able to smile every day and love what you do even when you are having a tough day.

After months of feeling depleted, exhausted, fatigued beyond recognition I came to the silly conclusion that what I was feeling every day was normal. It was how one is supposed to feel. I now know and understand how wrong that mindset was. I am embarrassed to say how long I have been ignoring this. As someone who noticeably trains hard so she can race hard and be the best she can be I got lost. I lost myself, I lost my passion, I took on too much and I stressed about everything. I lost my smile.

Sunrise in paradise

I achieved my goal but not without a huge sacrifice that resulted in my not being able to go and enjoy the goal I worked so hard towards. I am not particularly impressed with how things turned out but one thing I will always be, is honest. I always seek out the positives from every desperate situation because no matter how hard things are, whatever life throws you, there is always a positive to be found. It is not always going to stare you in the face. But they are there; you just have to decide whether or not you are able to accept it when you are at your lowest and be ready to move on because it is so much easier to wallow in your own self pity.

You do not have to look far, it is right there within yourself. Just as doubt and fear of failure can cloud your mind, the power of positive thinking is there too. A bit harder to grasp and control, that ebbing feeling of doubt is always going to try and override any good thoughts about yourself, your situation, your current place in life.

Oceans and Islands

I am currently the heaviest I have been for two years, (stick with me, this is leading somewhere!) My jeans are tight, my face is full and I feel heavy. But it is nothing compared to the weight that I have lost from my shoulders and my head. I can start to control my real weight again as soon as I want, I have been on holiday and it is to be expected so I am told:) The weight that has taken so much longer to remove is the one that does not register on the scale but has been there, etched on my face for far too long.

I have many decisions to make about my future and I did not want to make any decisions until I was clear in my head and thinking straight again. I did not want to rush this decision-making. For me there is no rushing any more. I can only do so much. So the goal is to be in control of what I decide to do next, sounds simple enough!

I have spent some time with old friends and made many new friends on this trip. I have laughed so hard I have cried and my jaw sore. I had one meltdown, that’s all. And that was promptly nipped in the bud with the help of a friend - where would we be without our friends?

I have watched, I have learnt, I have questioned all things life and triathlon related. I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with some of the sports greats as well as some inspirational amateurs. I no longer have this ‘need’ to go and race Kona, bizarre but true. I can honestly say I would be quite happy to play the same role as spectator and supporter in 2011.

Inspiring landscape

But also I know I can qualify again if I want to. Nothing is ever guaranteed but I can put myself in the best position to give it a shot that much I do know. So the new challenge for me will be in trying to qualify a different way. By taking a lighter approach that’s what I am really excited about.

So I got to ride on the Queen K but I never got to run in the Lava fields. The one thing I love about IM is the soul searching, the lonely road. Nothing gets me more emotionally charged than seeing long stretches of nothingness. In a car whenever I see such roads I imagine riding these roads and sometimes running. All alone with just my thoughts and silence, no music required. Why would you need music when you are with the perfection of Mother Nature? To handle such isolation is all about your mental strength. Total isolation such as running through Lava fields is for me like attending church. It is where I learn to be thankful and appreciate my life.

And so while in Maui for Xterra I ran and I swam. I ran for 4 days in a row at one point, just one hour at a time. I ran out to the lava fields and got to experience that isolation I so crave at times. I got to experience it at sunrise, sunset and with a friend. With the Pacific Ocean on one side of the road and mountains on the other and black fields of lava rock in between it is hard not to feel inspired and moved by such landscape.

Isolation road

And so each day I would start my run just for 30minutes and it would turn into 60minutes, just because I wanted to see more. And each day I felt better. I still have my aches and pains, and most of the time I was sweating out the previous nights alcohol intake and it was never fast but it was always enjoyable.

I look forward to running those Lava fields again next year, maybe this time it will be in Kona. Until then my mission remains the same. It is my passion to inspire and to motivate and use my mistakes and experience albeit short but extremely well equipped to hopefully helps others to believe that they can do anything.

That little dot is not a smudge but the moon:)

I have said it many times throughout this trip when explaining to others what I love to do. And that is find out peoples stories and help turn ‘I cant’s into ‘I can’s’.

Halloween Shopping

2010-10-24T04:14:00.001+08:00

I guess I could post this on Gotriathlete as it is Xterra related, but thought I would add some spice to Emma's page ;-)
So was I the only one that didn't realize there is a Halloween party after the awards on Sunday night? Apparently it is THE party and we all know how I like these occasions, more so since I have not been racing and am in cruise phase until...(to be determined)!
So I am out at dinner the other night with the crew and they are talking about their costumes. I mention how huge Halloween is here that it blows my mind. All the houses in Napa were decked out with caldrons, cobwebs, pumpkins you name it. So I said, oh shame I will miss it as I am back home on October 31st.
What do you mean they say. The party is on SUNDAY! Didn't you know?? Whoops!
Okay so after meeting Charlotte and Kristian and discovering they already have costumes, and then Whit tells me he has a costume. Why the hell didn't you tell me about this!!! Last night CP & KM pick me up for dinner and a spot O fancy dress shopping. Now CP is pregnant as I have already mentioned. We were laughing so hard at the costumes that I was putting on that the tears were flowing and our sides were hurting. I was at one stage concerned CP may go into labour rather early right there and then.

As I was making a complete and utter fool of myself (BUT, having FUN) trying on all these 'saucy' numbers. Ya see as a single girl CP & KM inform me a plastic garbage bag with a belt tied around the middle is not going to do the trick! If I wasn't single, it didn't matter.
So with my stylists in tow we had a hilarious night. KM admitted it is THE most fun he has had shopping EVER with girls. And then the icing on the cake was when CP picked out a little number and tried it on. All we could hear was squeals of laughter from her pink boudoir booth. So we pulled back the curtain and....AH! You shall have to wait for Sunday's photo's for the unveiling of CP's frock!
You will also have to wait until Sunday's Party for the unveiling of mine too. But to keep you entertained I have posted all the others that didn't make the cut because of fitting or cost. (sorry, but I was not going to spend RM350 on a halloween frock - unless of course I can use it more than once). Hence the search for a saucy number!!!
Excuse the blurry images, all KM's fault, he was laughing too much!

A la Co Co the clown...check the arm ruffles!

Sexy Back...I wasn't shy!

This one nearly won but was way too expensive!

French Maid anyone?

Hawaii, take II

2010-10-18T13:35:00.000+08:00

So I am back in Honolulu airport awaiting my connection to Maui to the Xterra World Championships. No, of course I am not competing, I have never even ridden a MTB off-road, but I was given the opportunity/invite to ‘pop over’ and so here I am!

I have no clue what is in store for me. All I know is that I am volunteering my services, be they brute strength as in hauling stuff around, running as in fetching and carrying etc, etc. I think the term Gopher would more accurately describe my position in waiting and I am ok with that. I am here to watch, learn and help and see how a World Championships is staged from the word go.

I hope to bring you some behind the scenes footage, interviews with organisers, age groupers and chat with a couple of pro’s and generally try to paint the picture as real and colourful as I expect it to be so you too can experience it all the way from wherever you are reading this.

Anyway before I slip back into Aloha life let me tell you about my day thus far. Because it very nearly didn’t happen; if I am going to be doing more of this travelling malarkey I really need to sort out my timing otherwise I am going to miss one of these flights!!

OK. So my flight out of SFO this morning was 9:05am. I had to get a taxi to the airport shuttle that left at 6am. So I booked my ‘cab’ (sorry I am in the USA after all) for 5:30am. I went to bed and set my alarm for 4:30am.

Things to do in the morning were:

Get up and move straight to kitchen and make strong black coffee.

While this is brewing have a shower.

The next sequence of events however was NOT planned…

I am in shower just washing soap out of my hair and I hear Rocky the RockSTAR dog barking.

Hmmmn? Weird – I say weird because that big ol’ dog was still snoring his head off when I got up!

He carried on barking and then I felt a rising panic starting to build beneath the suds.

For a split second I stood in the bathtub frozen in panic. I then jumped out wrapped a towel around me and opened the front door.

There was my cab – YIKES!

Is it 5:30am? I ask in REAL surprise.

Yes replies my large and very tall female cabbie, that’s what time you booked.

SHIT SHIT SHIT (Actually I think I was probably a little more colourful than this), I thought it was 4:30. You guys have daylight saving??

ME again: Wait, please can you wait…I will be 5minutes?

Oh, yes of course, she says. (Yeah, the more she waits the more money trickles out of my pocket at a scary rate – For every 15secounds an extra 25sen (American!).

I dash back in. Into the bathroom and get dressed. Soap still in hair, it is staying, pack up wash stuff rush into bedroom, throw everything in the case. Zip everything up. Feed Rocky The RockSTAR dog as he looks on in bemusement.

Sadly look over at the coffee pot of freshly brewed coffee. Switch it off and sigh. Have a look round make sure I have everything. And then I am out that door.

Okay, so I took 7minutes!

Put the case in the cab, my driver could not lift it! She was twice the size of me.

Made it in time to the Shuttle place and was on the bus with 5mins to spare.

But boys and girls the adventure doesn’t end there! When I changed my Hawaiian flight they told me to be there 3hours ahead – I guess it’s all the rigmarole of going through security, thank god for lock laces and my current need of late to NOT need a belt (my stomach and butt is doing a perfectly good job without, thank You very much). Well of course I was not going to be there 3hours ahead since the earliest bus from Napa was 6am and due to get to the airport at 8am – it was gonna be tight!

So we are on the freeway and the bus slows down. I was half asleep but I open my eyes a little and see a lot of flashing lights and highway patrol cars. CRAP. An accident. Luckily not too many rubbernecks and just a slight detour and we are on our way.

I arrive at the airport at 7:35am (It’s Sunday and traffic is light)! RESULT :)

Now what should have happened is a nice proper shower where I could wash and dry my hair and make myself presentable to the public. Wash my face. Have a nice cup of coffee or two, perhaps some fruit. Feed the dog, let him outside and clean up all the dirty dishes.

Very VERY sorry I was unable to do this! Bad, BAD HOUSE GUEST!

But the car is still in one piece, as is the house, as is the dog, although I expect he is still wondering what hurricane came through the Valley this morning and disturbed his beauty sleep!

Ok, now I can say it…

: Sunset in Maui

ALOHA!

Running in the Wine Country

2010-10-16T11:20:00.000+08:00

I do not think anyone can argue that I am not having a great time. The trouble is when you feel good and relaxed I still get tendencies to think I am superwoman and can do anything. The landscape here is Godly, I just want to run and run and run and ride and ride and ride. BUT my body will not let me:( So I am doing little runs and little rides and trying not to overdo it.

Training is a word in the dictionary. It is no longer in my vocabulary. It will be back but not until I know my body is ready. My mind is in a pretty good shape. I am having ideas, brain waves, I do not forget stuff (much), I am functioning :) But the body is taking longer to heal and mistreat it and it comes up and whacks me in the butt as a gentle reminder that I need time out away from races and structure but not necessarily the sport. That is my life :)

SO. I did a short short run the wrong way last night, nothing to speak of so I will not go further than that. I checked out exactly where I had to go today and my 9am run got pushed to 11am. Out the door and I only need to run for 10minutes at my snails pace to be in the wine country, now how blooming super cool is that??? I ask YOU! HOW COOL IS THAT???!!!

I will TELL YOU! Extremely super duper cool, pretty, inspiring, luscious, scenic, calming, tranquil. If you believe that God made the world in 7days, I reckon he spent a good six and half days in this neck of the woods!

Ok enough, I think you get the picture, for more just pop over to my Facebook page.

Tomorrow I will be tackling Atlas Peak solo, I have the destructions written down and I also worked out how to drive the Prius today and use the GPS because I got ruddy lost! All is good though and I because there is no milk in the fridge to make a hot chocolate (it is friday night) I cracked open a bottle of white. A Napa label of course!

Atlas Peak

2010-10-15T11:38:00.000+08:00

I have heard about Atlas Peak in Napa for some time now. So it was only right that I get my butt on Roger the roadie and follow my tour guide up the peak. The temperature here in Napa is spookily hot for this time of year. I believe I have brought the heat, read: mid 90's, with me!

The mornings are still chilly as are the evenings, but when it warms up - boy is it hot! On my ride through the vineyards the other day it was mainly flat with some little 'bumps' and gorgeous scenery. The vines are so heavy and ripe for harvesting that you can literally smell the wine as you ride past :)

So. Atlas Peak. An 8mile climb, thats 12/13km for us so a little bit of an extension to Perez. I am still pretty wiped out and the other day did too much and smashed myself up. Plus it is so dry here that my asthma is giving me some problems. With that in mind I left my ego in bed and tootled up the mountain.

What can I say, AWESOME! It has been 17years since I was last in the states. And then I was in Houston - not the best introduction in the world. I tell you one thing though. It will not be 17years before I return!!

I now have two days of downtime before I leave for Maui. I am also now house sitting Rocky the Rockstar dog as my tour guide is up at Jackson hole in Wyoming for a few days. I will try not to get lost, and try not to burn the house down and try not to crash the car.

I did test drive the car yesterday. Never driven on the wrong side of the road before or driven left hand drive. It went ok. But I think my co driver was pretty edgy about the whole episode. So when we got back in the car he asks: "don't you want to drive back"?
No WAY, I say...YOU are freaking me out so much I would probably have an accident!

Anyway, I will attempt to use the Prius tomorrow, and ride the bike and do a run and not get lost. If there is no post by this time tomorrow then you can pretty much assume I am halfway across the states!

K-Swiss Party

2010-10-15T11:06:00.000+08:00

I had been reliably informed the K-Swiss party was the place to be and it seems everyone else was heading in that direction too. We needed some sort of pass, not quite sure what it was but the place was heaving. Madness. I bumped into Charlotte Paul outside. Charlotte and hubby Kristian will also be in Maui for Xterra (Kristian is racing for FUN).

Amy and Brandon Marsh were inside, Amy was taking a load off, her legs were sore. Then I saw Xena at the bar. She looked amazing. I have not seen her since March and gave her a huge hug and mentioned that she had been my pick but when I saw her running she did not look too comfortable. Were you working into it I asked? No she said I felt awful, that was the toughest run ever!

I got chatting with Richard from IM UK; I had forgotten how good Brits are at getting to the bar and claiming drinks. He kept the buds coming. It was just a really great vibe but when I checked my watch and it was almost 12midnight I knew I needed to go home with an early flight and before I drank too much!

Rebekah Keat & Emma

I walked back and the condo was already open. Whit had beaten me to it and was still up so rather than go to bed, (which would have been the sensible thing to do), the party continued again.Once Sean made his way back a battle of the iPods began with each of us selecting our favourite tunes. Yes it was ugly as in ugly dancing, but was also FUN:)

Emma, Brandon & Amy Marsh

So what happens when you have been drinking and silly? You get an attack of the munchies! So for the first time that week I donned my pinny and emptied the fridge of whatever food was left and whipped up a giant Frittata for my roomies in the wee hours of the morning.

And so another 3:30am bedtime. Off to SFO the following day.

I actually wrote this on board Hawaiian en route to SFO: Goodbye Kona, it was immense fun, just the tonic. I have laughed until it hurt all week, boy it feels good to have those deep belly laughs back again :)

I am so glad I came out to your big island and look forward to returning again for IMWC October 8^th 2011. Will you be there?

Down Time

2010-10-15T10:52:00.000+08:00

Post race: Sunday Oct 10th

With only three hours of sleep I woke up not so much with a hangover I think but perhaps still high from the previous evening. The reason my head was so dodgy I believe was an over indulgence of Sake!

I had a race report to write for the teamTBB and as much as I wanted to idle around I wanted to get it written up ASAP so I could go relax out on the beach. Finally by 11am I had done my work for the day and we went and chilled on the lawn and watched the surfers play in the surf.

It's a hard life...but you know what I am not apologizing or feeling guilty. O make you feel slightly better I did burn my white belly - it had to happen. I call it an undercoat so now I can build on that before I go to Maui on the 17th.

After a sunbathing session it was into the convertible and off for a spot of lunch before the awards and party!

Checking in

2010-10-08T16:07:00.000+08:00

Just in case you are checking here for any Kona updates let me re-direct you to the go triathlete blog. I have just posted my latest inspired story: http://gotriathlete.com/blog/index.php/2010/10/hot-corner-plays-host-to-the-voice-of-asia/.
Aloha!

USA...are YOU ready?

2010-10-03T21:42:00.000+08:00

Packing a small bag for a month of travelling was a challenge. Luckily only one of my destinations calls for some long sleeves and proper shoes (whatever those are).

So my trip starts with Carmen and Wong and myself all flying together to Kona. We stop off in Tokyo, then on to Honolulu and last stop Kona.

I am very lucky to be sharing a condo on the beach with a couple of guys. I say lucky, maybe I should clarify that when I arrive as I have yet to meet one of my roomies! We arrive in Honolulu at the same time so perfect we can share a cab. I was joking when I mentioned the placard. I don’t think he was though!!!

I went shopping last week and finally got a couple of bikinis, I know, I know the island will be full of them. But honestly the last thing I want to do is go around bikini shopping! Now a few weeks ago I was told ‘we’ as in me and my roomies are doing the underpants run. A fun run for a kilometre I think, in yes your underpants, knickers, smalls, undies are some other terms you may be familiar with.

Ok cool, I am up for that. But first I must go underpant shopping. Don’t misread me I do own underwear and I do wear it. But this kind of ‘exposure’ calls for a very special pair of knickers!

If I have forgotten anything too late now (I ment to post this earlier but had no time so I am now at the airport). I have a video camera and will be doing my best to shoot some little V-blogs as well as some sensational snaps.

Now even though I am officially on holiday I have a secret assignment. Not only will I be trying to blog here but also I will be bringing you live and exclusive footage to Malaysia’s first REAL go-to website: gotriathlete.com. The website has had a few technical snags in the past months but please do not lose faith, we all know how tricky these things can be when starting up. So check into the blog daily here and you can also access via facebook here.

So if you want to know what’s going on during race week and actually more importantly what trouble I am getting into then make a point to log on every day! And if you are not a fan on FB then become one and you can get instant alerts!

Ok, enough for now. The adventure is about to begin…Selamat Jalan Malaysia, ohayoo gozaimasu Japan and Aloha Hawaii!

Brace Yourself

2010-10-01T21:30:00.000+08:00

The adventure is about to begin, but before I embark on reports and tales that will have you frothing at the mouth and green with envy, a little update of whats been going on :)

So as everyone, well almost everyone went to Desaru it would not be wrong to say that my impending adventure is not quite what I had planned, but we all know nothing really ever goes to plan and in my book everything no matter how crap, happens for a reason.

So I am still going to Kona. But I am not racing. I am over that now, although still I found it a hard bitter pill to swallow on seeing my name on the start list this morning. I have eased off of everything since I got ill for the third time. I have come to realise I need to try and simplify my life, no please stop laughing - seriously this time I WILL. I have had advice to get out and away from the sport, to take a year off. I have also had fantastic support from friends and well-wishers to do otherwise - whatever I do, it will be my decision and for what I believe, to be my own good.

It is very difficult even for me to accept that I am not well when I actually feel ok. If I didn’t have the need to exercise then you could say there is nothing wrong. I went for a complete check up, convinced the doctors would find something wrong. Secretly I harboured the idea that they would find something. I know that is terrible but at least then I would have an answer for why some days I can function and then other days I cannot get myself out of bed - it is like my body has a 10ton weight on top of it.

The doctors found nothing internally wrong. The tests however revealed high cholesterol, which shocked me, as I do not eat fried foods or dairy high in fat. I knew I had put weight on but that was due to indulgence not fat intake. High cholesterol can be genetic it can also be related to stress. Well my dad bless him has very high cholesterol and stress, yeah well I don’t really handle that too well we all know that! What did they say? CFS aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME or in the old days in the UK it was called Yuppie Flu! YES, those rich young workaholics in the city worked so damn hard they then were unable to function. Unable to get out of bed in the morning - or maybe that was over drink indulgence?

Well I am far from being a YUPPIE but I tick 99% of the boxes and that’s what the doc said it was. I know in part it is in the head too. I think of it as a switch. One day when I first found this sport a switch went off in my head and I was in LOVE, I was alive, I had a goal. Well somewhere along the way this year the switch got flicked to 'off'. The passion went away, I had no care or enthusiasm for what I was doing anymore. I am pleased to say though that the smile is back and I have found the switch. I wouldn’t say it is on; there is no rush. I am going to enjoy my break and enjoy trying new things. But I am no longer afraid that I have lost it. When ready, I will just turn it back on!

So many things are happening in the coming months, I will be moving house, AGAIN. Lightening the workload, basically changing my direction. I feel the stars are finally starting to align again which makes me very happy but also quite scared. Good things keep happening, not used to that!

My passion has always been triathlon, helping people, training, running, biking, racing, all things tri related. What is sad though is I lost that passion. I lost the love of something I really LOVE - how the heck did that happen?

The only good thing to come out of the tests is my resting heart rate is still pretty low. This was a shock as I am not training and any efforts I give I know about it, hence the reason I have really backed off and the method seems to be working, finally and just in time for my adventure!

Ok, so I never EVER give stats but I am pretty chuffed at my HR. So here you are for all you stat geeks, not far from Lance-what’s-his-name, it's 37!

BTW: This is absolutely my LAST post without pictures :)

Trail Run FUN

2010-09-10T17:09:00.000+08:00

For so long, I have followed the 'plan' to the point of turning down lots of opportunities to do other stuff and try new things. I made it my mission to try new things after Kona. Well since Kona is now on the back burner and the new plan for next year I am making the most of my 'leave of training' and embracing a new plan of daily exercise.

My prescription to myself is 2hours per day Monday thru Friday of whatever I like, but keeping it balanced so I do not do too much or too little of one thing. If I do not FEEL like doing two hours then no biggie, so long as I do something. It is exercise and about feeling good about oneself. It is not training and about pushing myself until I meltdown (which Emma is pretty good at). On the weekends I am then free to enjoy riding after nearly a two year absence of with the 'gang'. The gang stop for breakfast half way on the rides. Something I WOULD NOT DO when in training. Now I can enjoy taking my own sweet time and if I want to swim or run in the afternoon I will. If I want to do nothing, I will do that also. Sunday I aim to make Bukit Aman my regular fixture. Running long is the one thing I am really taking my time and easing back into. At the moment I am content to just shuffle along and not worry about how far or fast I am moving. I know if I go too far and hard too soon I will be back at square one! Plus, no need to go mad, training will not resume until after CNY next year!

So I have from now until February to do as I please. The first steps into the unknown were taken today where on a whim - (yes, you read correctly, I did something on a whim!) I joined Bee, Tomato and Mich for a trail run in FRIM. It was raining so hard our 8am start was delayed until 10am but once we started it was very cool!

Now I am not accustomed to running trails. My ironman shuffle revolves around a fast cadence (when fit and healthy) and very low steps, mum said it enough when I was a kid and today I could hear her voice "Emma, pick your feet up!" I am not as stretchy as I used to be in the days of practically having rubber band legs when playing badminton. I used to be able to jump and lunge all around the court and bounce back up. Just thinking about that kind of movement now hurts!

Once I got into the run I felt pretty good. Probably the best I have felt for a couple of weeks. (Told you the mojo is coming back and just in time for Hawaii!) So I tried to push a little and get my heart rate up. That was pretty easy mind, as the hills kinda blew my lungs. But then my lower back, read: right kidney area starting really hurting when going down hill and tackling anything that was rocky - so basically everywhere. It was getting pretty uncomfortable and then I realised it was because I was doing something totally unnatural - I was having to pick my feet up!!

On occasion I go for a massage, when they get to my right lower back - kidney area, they start making noises and then ask "got pain ah?" pressing deep into my side. Erm, yes, ouchy! This is something I need to get checked out, something to put on the new todo list now I have the time!

As for the trail run? Frigging GREAT FUN. Something different and something I would like to do more of. I am totally pooped now and so have spent the rest of the day vegetating. I am hoping to snag a road bike in Napa for the mountains and a MTB (that will be a first) in Hawaii for the trails!

Ironman is not forgotten, it is just 'on hold' for the moment and so long as I keep the body moving, when the time comes to switch, I think I will be stronger than ever :) Watch out IM China!

A tough decision, but the right one for me

2010-09-03T16:36:00.000+08:00

WOW. It certainly has been a rollercoaster in Emma’s World this year. In one month I will be all packed ready and waiting to take the night flight and start my trip to Kona. I set my sights on getting my slot last year and finally achieved it this year but not without battering my body in the process.

It has now become abundantly apparent to me at just how much damage I did and how the combination of work load and my inability to balance and cope with stress now means that I shall making that trip alone. Alone as in without George.

I will not be on the start line, treading water with the masses this October 9^th. I will be there to support my friends because I am in dire need of a holiday and I cannot think of any better form of healing than to be around the sport and people I love on the world’s biggest triathlon stage.

I do not think I will be sad. Honestly, I have cried enough over the past two weeks. I do not think I have any more sad tears left in me to spill. Any more tears are going to be tears of happiness. It is after all just a race. And one where I know I will have another chance, on another day.

So what happened? To save repeating myself, explaining the situation for those who want to know you can read on here. I know myself I have been blogging very infrequently this year. It is never my intention but perhaps the lack of blogging itself is a symbol of my state of mind and well-being?

I finished IM MY and was in a mess. When I started to get moving again I struggled with a hip flexor problem and running was extremely painful. Do not worry I told myself and was told. It will be ok. And so I carried on. It never got worse but my inability to train my run totally meant I lost my ‘run’ legs.

Since March I have been ill 3 times. That may not seem like a lot for some, but for a person who had not fallen ill for over two years it was a shock to the system. So much so that I thought the first bout would magically go away if ignored. HA! Nope. One month later after suffering in silence I finally got my stubborn arse to the doctors. It took two rounds of antibiotics to clear up that episode.

I started my training shorter stuff but things just never seemed to come together. I have felt something was always not quite right. Being unable to run without discomfort was equally frustrating; especially when you have told yourself the run is going to be better than before!

The next hiccup was a nasty head cold. One minute I was feeling fine and then WHAM. Just as I am instructed to step up to phase two I fall sick. Well this time I was taking no chances and went straight to the doctors. It took two rounds of antibiotics to shift it and another week to ease back into training. Camsur was now 4 weeks away and I was feeling far from peppy. But I also know that this is all about one session at a time. While 4 weeks seems like nothing, in training time a lot can change.

All the time I was training for Camsur I still had congestion and was constantly clearing my sinuses (sorry for such graphic detail). There was no infection so I just put up with it. Because of my asthma whenever I have a head cold or sinus problems it always takes longer to recover and in the process I suffer with excessive dehydration and even more difficulty in breathing than normal.

I am used to it, so I just carried on. Camsur was to be the litmus test. See how the body was fairing. And I felt pretty ok when I got there. The week leading up to the race I felt like I had hit the familiar wall of fatigue so I backed off. I was just completing a four-week period of consistent training – the most consistent training I had been able to complete all year. So I knew I was due for a bad spell. It was just bad timing that the bad spell came when I had a race to do.

I went for a light run with pick-ups on the Saturday night before the race. When I got back to my room, my roommate mentioned that I have a race to do the next day. No worries I smiled, ya know what after so long I feel quite perky I told him!

I remember being very relaxed, having a good Skype chat with mum and dad and then having an early night. My plan was to hammer the bike, let the swim be and see what I had left on the run.

Race day. The swim was not good but I felt good. I sighted well and while not fast it did not bother me at all. You see this race I did not even bother to start my watch. It was never going to be about time. I just wanted to let my body tell me what to do and go by feel. It was training.

On the bike and I hammered. I felt pretty good and comfortable but my heart rate if I was honest probably felt higher than it usually is when riding aero in the big gear for most of the way. Cadence was fine, bang on what it should be.

I got off the bike having made the same split as last year. I did not expect to do that. I knew I was nowhere near as fit as last year. And then I found out the bike was 3k longer this year. Last year was short. So actually I went faster!

On the run and it was a death march. The weird thing is, I thought and felt like I was going ok; I was overtaking people. But then 8k or so in I lost the hearing on my right side. You know when in the plane and your ears go, well it was like that. I frequently tried to clear it, pop it but nothing. And then the old mental battle of oh crap I have had enough, don’t want to play this game anymore came to visit.

My mind kept telling me to walk. You know you want to, go on. Just walk. Just stop and then walk. Boy, I cannot tell you how much I wanted to walk. But then I started smiling to myself because actually I probably was walking, it was that bad. I got over that finish line and felt ok. Crap, but ok.

I had been drinking plenty and started chatting to friends and then had a craving for french fries. We went in search of the savoury goodness and then got caught up chatting with some other people. I remember I had to keep sitting down. I was beginning to feel rather sick.

When my friend finally said come on lets go, all I could squeak was “Paul, I don’t feel too good.” He took one look at me and said go and get an I.V it will sort you right out. “A-ha, ok.” I said. The medical was a few steps away. Off went Paul. “Wait”. He turned around, “I don’t think I can manage that,” I said. Vinnie from Ironguides was in shouting distance and basically he ran over they caught me and they both carried me to the tent.

My blood pressure had dropped to 80/50, I still could not hear but just wanted to lay down and sleep. I ended up not having to go to the hospital, they were all ready to take me but the hearing slowly came back and I went to my room and just chilled for the rest of the day.

Awards: I was almost T-total!! If there was any warning sign – that was it. I was in no mood to party.

Monday: day on the beach: NICE.

Tuesday: A swim and run was planned and that is what I did. How? I do not know. It was cut short and shrugged off the dry mouth and dizziness.

Off to Manila for the day and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep. I had a sore throat and was started to feel decidedly dodgy and very weak. By the time I boarded the flight that night I must have had a soaring temperature. I was also freezing cold. When we landed at LCCT I half expected to be taken aside when we went through the screening process my temp was that high!

And so there you have it. I spent the next 3days in bed. My temperature hit 40, and I was on so much medication I felt like a junkie! Last Saturday was the first time I had ventured out. I had since been tested for Dengue and Malaria – both were negative. The doctor said rest. He knew what I was doing and I am ashamed to admit I also broke down and was very tearful when in his office – oops.

I met Julie on Saturday for a coffee. I just had to get out. I told her my plan to go to Kona and run/walk the marathon. Yes she said just go and have fun. Honestly. I knew in Camsur I would never be making the start. My heart wanted to but I knew I would not be well enough.

Well after running. Sorry shuffling with Julie yesterday, she now sees that I have made the right decision. I had to keep stopping and catching my breath. I cannot explain how fatigued I feel. I just have nothing in me. I am supposed to be running 3hours now for IM training – just the thought of that alone tires me out.

And so yesterday I formally withdrew from the competition. I don’t feel sad anymore. I have gone through feelings of numbness and anger and now I just want to be healthy. I want to get up in the morning and go for a run because I can, because I am healthy.

I have a couple of goals for next year. Yes China is one of them. But I am not thinking about anything other than exercise for the rest of the year. Hawaii is now going to be a fantastic holiday and from there I am going to ride in the Napa Mountains, and from there I go back to Hawaii, Maui to watch Xterra World Championships.

So there is a silver lining in this big Ol’ grey cloud of mine and hopefully by the time I board that flight in four weeks the sun will be shining through. I am pleased as punch that Carmen is going to support too, what fun we are going to have. I have a condo lined up smack bang on the beach, so all I need to pack are my runners, swimmers and sunnies!!

Thanks all of you for your support over the past couple of weeks, and I hope you respect my decision that I have made here. Believe me if I felt I could do the race I would be there with George ready to rock it. But if anyone knows Emma, you know that I do not do anything by half! So I am not going to risk my health even further only to add more disappointment by coming away with a DNF.

Happy training, and I will see you on the road J

And Finally

2010-08-17T20:59:00.000+08:00

So here I am sitting at the airport. Waiting for a 1am flight to Manila. Such is the life of traveling peasant class:) Finally I have time to write some thoughts down. Actually, finally I have time to collect my thoughts. The past 10days has been a blur and today was manic from the alarm. I like to keep busy, but sometimes you need to come up for air right?
So it is race week. Last year I was in great shape. The swim was problematic but the bike and run were strong and I was looking forward to racing the inaugural Cobra 70.3. It was fantastic, a great time. And I told myself I will not miss out this year.
But as the time has crept closer I know I am not health and fitness wise where I was. 5 weeks into some solid training, I have not yet had the needed 'day off'. But it is looming, it is looming this week. YIKES!
Bad timing yes, I feel in need of a rest, to recoup and regather and instead I am off to race.
Oh ok so I tell myself just go for training and hope it will be a solid day. But I still want to win. It's in my nature. So long as I can give a good effort I will be happy. I will smile, I promise :)
Last year post race I really, I mean REALLY let my hair down. Well this year I am thinking more about October 9th rather than August 22nd and I fully intend to ride my bike on Monday morning before it gets driven back to Manilla. I also intend to have an easy swim. Then on Tuesday another swim and a run.
This is what I intend to do. There may be pictures published that prove Emma was unable to carry out the above. I hope not. I am trying to have my focus head on but I will not lie, it has been hard.
What do I want out of the race? Camsur and Kona? To be fit enough to race well and enjoy the moment.
More soon, I hope.

Take a look in the mirror

2010-08-08T20:46:00.000+08:00

So another week has passed. It's been a bumpy ride through no fault of anyones except my own. I know my head is my weakest link on a number of occasions. How then in a race situation it becomes one of my strongest links I still have yet to fathom that :/

I would say I am chugging along at the moment. Nothing fantastic and trying not to think about it. Trying not to look at the watch. In the pool things are still going pretty swimmingly but I was suffering a couple of weeks ago with serious pain in my shoulders - I thought this was the swimming. Oh how wrong was I.

You see, I was getting painful shoulders when riding too. So painful that staying in aero was really uncomfortable. So from someone who can stay aero for hours at a time and think nothing of it suddenly i could hardly go for 10minutes without having to move and relieve the discomfort.

To top that off my knee started hurting.

Alarm bells started to ring.

So I checked my seat. In the past any position other than absolutely level and problems would start. So when I saw it was pretty darn tilted I thought well there ya go. Problem sorted!

On my next ride though after a while the pain started again. Weird? I tightened the seat. I chugged through it. I put up with the pain but in the back of my mind I was thinking of an injury I may be causing. Shoulders I can handle but knee pain, effects the run.

So I checked it again. It had tilted again. Next time I rode I took the multi tool with me and as soon as any pain started I checked it. Yup sure enough it had moved. Crap. What's wrong?

The seat is over two years old. It was pretty darn gross. Seen plenty of miles and been on the receiving end of many 'on-the-bike pitstops' - if ya know what I mean!

So I changed the seat and the clamp. Still not convinced but thought better give it a go. Well, thats all it took, still no clue what was wrong with the old one but now I have a nice new black ISM. No more shoulder pain, no more knee pain just rather a little discomfort in the nether regions - if ya know what i mean (still seasoning the baby in)!!

Well, my ride on Saturday with Jens well and truly christened in the ISM seat. I have never ridden a mountain bike but George looked like I had rode him on a MTB course not the road by the time I got home on Saturday.

I felt pretty ok when I set out. Head was clear, body not unduly tired, was looking forward to a good effort. Jen's is way quicker than me on a bike these days, he is just a gentleman. But even he was surprised when he waited for me to catch up. I apologized and said thanks for waiting. I feel ok ya know, but this is it, this is all I have today, I told him. He looked at me in surprise. I said I know...it's bad!

It was so bad that doing a negative split was not hard to achieve. How was I going to do my afternoon session hmmm?

I was in a battle of I MUST train, against but you just witnessed what happened on the bike...maybe it's a warning? I emailed coach. I waited for a reply. I then had to email for an explanation of the reply. As good as I am getting at editing and deciphering I really didn't get this one!

I then went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Even though the body was not screaming its usual fatigue my face was another story entirely. Red eyes and huge dark rings - I looked like ****. Ok thats it. Leave it I decided.

So I had a GOOD rest and got up this morning looking forward to a swim and long run. I really enjoy my swim sessions now. It is monotonous but I enjoy the fact that I am now able to challenge myself. I feel like I am really working when in the pool. Gasping for breath I am able to get my heart-rate high - I KNOW I am working and it feels good.

Out the pool, change and a long run. I decided against music today. Don't know why, just wanted to hear mys own rhythm. I ran for two hours at home over a very hilly route. Finishing at 10:30am, I was doing my warm down walk and felt great, rejuvenated. Everything hurt but I had such a buzz, this is why I do it, for the buzz, knowing that I can just go and run and be thankful for these small things.

I catch myself complaining quite a lot of late. And I really shouldn't. I really do not have much to complain about. I work in an environment I love to be around, I get to swim, bike and run every day. I get to feel alive when I train and the pain and fatigue reminds me that I am lucky to have the choice to do this.

Pretty Bad Blogging

2010-08-06T17:01:00.000+08:00

I have plenty of excuses as to why I have not blogged for nearly 2 weeks. But I am not going to go into details, but teamTBB do have a new World Champion in the form of Caroline Steffen aka Xena who won the ITU Long Course World Championship last week - same race Simon did.

This week I retreated from the world, did my training (am very pleased to report I am getting stronger day by day and the endurance is coming back). And then I did my work. And some more work. And then a little melt down. And then a BIG melt down. And then some more work.

That pretty much sums up the week. I am as anal about work as I am about my training but I must learn when good enough is GOOD ENOUGH. When you have 101 things on a 'to-do' list, note to self : do it, don't fanny around and move on!

So I am now entering my 3rd weekend of phase two training. Two weeks ago I was all snuffled up and moving slowly very slowly. I am still not quick but the thing to notice and remember is that as the endurance comes back and you get fitter you can complete the sessions with a good effort but then not be totally on the floor trying to recover for the rest of the day :)

I have a new seat on George - story and pictures to come about that episode. I also have a new sticker on George - rather RUDE, pictures to come on that too. I also have another pair of NEW Avia waiting for me to start walking quicker than I have of late - the old ones melted on the last track session.

Jen's reminded me last night, well not reminded me I just heard him utter the words - 9weeks. Susshhh! I said. Plenty of time, actually this may well be one race I will be able to peak at the right time for. The Philippines on the other hand...erm, we are just gonna have some fun over there. Gawd knows I need it!

note to self: DON'T WORRY

2010-07-25T14:09:00.000+08:00

For two years I didn’t fall sick. I was putting my body through hell, friends fell sick around me but I never even got a sniffle or headache (hangovers don’t count). It led me into a false sense of thinking that I was impervious to sickness, that I was some sort of superwomen :)

So since Langkawi which was oh such a long time ago I have struggled. Big Time. Last year work was not as demanding and I was able to execute the training and have more rest. Since Langkawi it has been Go, Go, GO with regards to work and that has affected my energy levels hugely, it has meant even when training I am usually thinking about what I have to do as soon as the session is finished.

Also post IM, physically my body fell apart, so did my head for a little while there. But the body was in tatters. I had done two previous IM’s and felt great and recovered. This one however I think the damage ran a lot deeper.

And then just as I begin to feel better and see light at the end of the tunnel and get ready to step up to the next phase – WHAM. Emma gets sick again. This time I was taking no chances and went straight to the doctors and demanded antibiotics.

So all my friends – my triathlon family, raced PD today. I accepted over a week ago that I probably would not be going, but left it until Thursday to let coach make the call. Initially it was to be a training day. I am far from fit – hence the reason we call it a training day. But going in under cooked and not 100% healthy would have me back in bed tomorrow morning – exactly where I spent most of last weekend :(

PD tri is especially meaningful to me. We all know it is a distance I rather fondly despise but two years ago Port Dickson triathlon was the very first thing I won, EVER. Never had I come first in anything on my life before (unless you count a poetry competition!!!)

Despite the emotional attachments and my desire to race, it’s no biggie, not sad at all. After Langkawi I made a list of the races I wanted to do this year. The thing is you can have an idea of what you want to do but you never know what is going to happen between A and Z. Well so much has happened that has forced me to rethink and re focus. The Philippines 70.3 was to be a target. Now it has become another training day. I have four weeks today until THAT training race. But hey, there are worse things in life to deal with and it is just a race.

And so this year has now come down to two triathlon events. One is already completed. The next stop is Kona. There are ‘potential’ things in-between but they will be last minute decisions.

After spending my first week of phase two struggling and sweating it out on the turbo wrapped up in jumpers with the air-con off, the swim was the only discipline that despite having bad congestion – carried on pretty smoothly. I have made some huge improvements in this department and that gives me great confidence for October. My fitted T’s are getting slightly too fitted these days – so all that work in the pool is paying off and I can also loosely blame this for my extra weight increase :)

So Monday I stepped up again under the instruction of build back slowly. I have a lot of strength and power. I just have no endurance. I have also switched a lot of my training around. No longer do I have earth shattering early mornings that do not let me rest. Instead my monster Wednesday starts with a swim. I love to swim in the morning. I then ride long and run in the afternoon. What about work I hear you say!

Well I figure since I work late most nights and on weekends because of the demands of keeping on top of the teams racing, if I am able to take a Wednesday afternoon for myself over the next 11 weeks then that’s what I will do.

I rode my first 4hour ride yesterday for a long time. I kept hearing the words SLOW in my head. What is slow though? How am I supposed to feel? Does it mean no pain in the legs? A low heart rate? In the end I finished the ride and took it easy in stages. If my head was starting to hurt I backed off.

My afternoon session was a mental battle. Head hurt, back hurt, arms hurt…grumble grumble. In the end I listened to that word SLOW again and at 6pm I went for just a swim. A leisure swim. For 30minutes I went up and down and the time flew by. Loved it, the aches and pains had faded and I felt awesome afterwards.

This morning I did a two-hour run at Bukit Aman. Again, the word SLOW kept ringing in my head; I have struggled hugely with my run because of an injury and my legs are just basically a mess. I was told the run is harder to get back. I was told they have lost the electricity but don’t worry we are on track.

So rather than try and kill myself this morning my goal was to finish the two hours and feel ok. Mission accomplished and even better, with a BIG smile. There was a walk/run going on as I was heading back and never have I smiled so much and said so many good mornings! It was good to get that one in the bag. I keep telling myself not to worry, it will come back, patience and as you hear a lot, hurry slowly.

I have eleven weeks to go. It seems like a long time. It isn’t. I am excited. As I was running back this morning I got REALLY excited and couldn’t stop grinning (I probably looked pretty stupid, all alone and grinning like a Cheshire Cat). The best part about this morning is it was the first run I have done since February without hip flexor discomfort. I wish I could say the same about the burning pain in my quads…but I need that pain to remind me I am still alive!

I will be taking it one session at a time and I shall not worry about it.

I also vow to blog a little more in my lead up to Hawaii :)

Link

2010-07-10T12:01:00.002+08:00

Sorry guys, many of you have asked for the link about the Taiping Heritage Run that triggered my previous post. Here it is:
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=%2F2010%2F5%2F12%2Fnorth%2F6238328&sec=north

Run Malaysia RUN

2010-07-09T14:02:00.001+08:00

Tey’s latest FB post did not sit well with my Friday lunch!

“Tey EngTiong Now more local races going to limit foreigners join road races in Malaysia....cinya ! To prevent Kenyan runners ? To help promote local runners win prize money ? To promote running ?? Although PR (Permanent Residents) still allow to join, but for foreigners who work in Malaysia, can't join race already, but they really interest to join cause they love running.”

Our favorite Pix Man Tey is always on the ball with running races keeping us all informed of what’s on and where. Boy oh boy, has Tey thrown me a carrot to chew, chomp, and tear apart with his latest post. I could say thank you for the blog material. But to be honest, I would rather NOT have to write this. Writing this as a ‘visitor’ in Malaysia does not make me happy. Anyway here we go…

Run Malaysia run, run away from those who train harder. Run from those who achieve sporting success more than you. Hide your head in the sand and ignore those with a foreign passport yet are proud to call Malaysia home. Ignore those who love to take part in a healthy lifestyle. Retreat to your bubble Malaysia, that bubble where all is safe and protected. Where you can have some small glory and not lose face or have to come up with Picasso style excuses. But beware. EVERY TIME you step out side your bubble, you may as well throw your money down the toilet. If you cannot compete at home how can you ever expect to compete at an international level? This is not right. This is NOT ONE MALAYSIA. The politics between organizers of many sports events and people who think they know best for the future of sports in Malaysia should put their cigar and VSOP down right now and pass the baton to someone that knows how it should be done!

There, that’s my piece said. And…breathe…ahhhh.

On a final note, I went to the link in the Star online to read the organizers note. How on EARTH can a race be Tourism friendly when TOURISTS are not even eligible to race!! Someone get this GUY A BRAIN…or at least half of one! Then again we would need someone to teach the Neanderthal to use it. Bahhh!

Saturday Ride

2010-07-03T12:10:00.000+08:00

I was riding to the broken bridge this morning. On my way to TBB to start my ride when something in my noggin suggested that a 3hour turbo session would be fun. My head also told me it would be a good mental workout and a very good leg workout. Far harder than going out on the road for three hours. So I dug out one of my 3hour sessions, picked up the iPod and started my date with torture.

Whoops she did it again! NO, no accident, just a little puddle of hard work

I have not done a three hour turbo since February so needless to say it was tough. But the feeling when you have finished...absolutely awesome. Not quite sure how the afternoon session is going to go but thats the whole point, one session at a time :)

The Warm Up discipline

2010-07-02T19:39:00.000+08:00

I need to post about my terrible KL half, that can wait though this comes first...
I was told in no uncertain terms a few weeks ago to stop (insert) 'expletive' thinking about my swim. Just get in there do the time, get and and forget about it. Take whatever rest you need, forget about splits and do it. The swim is your warm up for the bike and run.
When I first read that I thought coach had finally given up on me. It is true. The swim is my warm up. I shall never be a fishy but I know I can go into every race with the confidence that I am supremely 'swim fit' NOT swim FAST just swim fit. That helped me a lot in Langkawi when the tough swim caught up with some other athletes later in the day. You never realize until later how much it can take out of you.
So it's my warm up. Last year I swam more than I ever have in my life. I got in there did the stuff and never saw any real improvements. It was mentally mind numbing, confidence shattering and at times I wondered what the hell I was doing. How, I mean HOW an earth can I ever improve? Why, I mean WHY am I not going faster?
I struggled with these questions day in day out. Up and down the swim lanes when I was going along like a tank I would be thinking over and over and over, I feel fit, I am fit. I have swimming muscles even. So why is it not translating :(
I have stuck at it. I have switched off from comments many close and not so close friends have thrown my way. I have had offers off free coaching, offers of a coach being paid for me. Guidance, advice, thoughts, everyone has given me their two cents and some. I appreciate all of the thoughts because it shows you care. It shows you want to see Emma swim faster :)
But, I am stubborn and loyal. I put my trust in one person and no matter how hard it got I never budged and stayed put with what I was told to do.
It's very weird how when it comes to triathlon and training I do as I am told - to the T. Part of this comes from the respect you have for the guidance a person gives. I believe in this guidance, I respect the person giving the guidance and that is enough.
Now every time I get in the water I am knocking chunks of time off previous weeks sessions. I know I have a lot to knock off but when I say chunk I mean HUGE chunks, so much it is almost unbelievable.
So I get very excited about this and report back to the coach. And he says, there you are, you have stopped over thinking.
I cannot think because I am trying to breathe on my sets. Sometimes I think I will drown because I am so puffed and think I may not get to the end. During this time I think gosh this is going to be a mighty slow set. But I get to the end and my watch reads another PB.
I know I still don't look right to the perfect trained swimmers eye. I probably look rather clumsy, I know I make a hell of a noise as I smash the water. But I really don't care. And I don't care about understanding how I am improving. When I cared about all those little things they stopped me and held me back from just swimming. So now I just swim. And you know what, I really look forward to it, and that is THE biggest improvement that will trump any PB I can ever do.
How will this translate into a race situation? I have no clue. I know I will still suffer with my anxiety so I guess I still have quite a lot of work to do with the head side of things!!
So to all you non-swimmers out there. If I can improve ANYONE can, just apply some patience and hurry along slowly :)

Kind Deeds Deserve lots of Home Baked Goodies

2010-06-28T21:32:00.000+08:00

So George and I have been using a 23/12 cassette for the past 10days. My legs are not keen on high cadence and out on the road on last weeks Saturday ride the changing was smoother after months of putting up with the gears jumping, slipping and making noise. The only problem is I have never used a 23/12. I didn't realize what a difference 23/11 makes and also I guess didn't realize how much I use that gearing. Losing valuable speed down hill and on the flats I needed to find a 23/11 and we were out of stock :(

Bang on the dot at 6:30pm today, one half of my good kind sponsors walked in the store with a shiny brand new 23/11. I am (for a change) lost for words at the kindness of these two people and as I mentioned earlier to him I will say thank you the only way I know how, with baking. So you can expect delivery each Sunday at Bukit Aman of freshly baked goodies.
This past Saturdays ride was a easy spin so the smaller cassette did not matter. In fact I did not leave home until 9:30am as I was doing a back to front triathlon! I rode the duke and stopped at not the nicest place for a photo moment but it does offer up once of the coolest views of the city from afar. And it was such a gorgeous day. usually its pitch black when I pass by on Wednesdays.
This Saturday George and I will be kitted out with our new smooth cassette. I am looking forward to speeding along and getting stronger. I have 15weeks of training to go. And two more weeks of this light stuff, better enjoy while it lasts!!

Weekend Wittering’s

2010-06-20T13:22:00.001+08:00

Finally, I have coffee coursing through my veins. I had a sore run this morning. Sore because I wore a shirt I have not worn in a long time. 45minutes in I knew I was going to pay the price for wearing it but I preferred to be squealing like a little girl (oh wait I am a little girl) in the shower afterwards rather than strip off mid run and scare off every other runner on the road this morning with my white – one ab. Oh ok its not that bad…but if the day comes where you see me running stripped off it will be with a 6-pack. So that isn’t ever going to happen is it!

Not a bad run. Never know how far I run but if my fast twitch muscles are talking to me I know that I have tried. Also another gage is how easily I can extract myself from the car after I have driven home! Oh and while we are on the subject one more telling factor is the shoes. This morning I could actually shake my leg and the water would come out my shoes – and we are talking sweat people!!

So run in the bag I needed to do something I really do not like to do on the only day I have that post run can be looked upon as a rest day. I needed to brave a shopping mall. I needed to buy some kit. Sport bras. You know just in case there does come a day when I do strip off I need to make sure I am wearing something under there, no matter how small an area it covers!

So while I would have liked to sit on the sofa coffee in hand and snooze, I had breakfast and headed back out the door.

Now if you have to go to the mall on the weekend. Do it EARLY before the rabble gets there for their free air-conditioning, window-shopping and eating.

I decided no coffee until the chore was done and in the bag. That would get me moving and give motivation to the cause. Thankfully it didn’t take too long and I am now positioned in a quiet coffee bar away from the maddening crowds with another large Americano due very shortly.

Apparently I am supposed to be in Bali doing the triathlon. Well that was news to me? But I had an email yesterday saying some people were asking where I was? This person didn’t know quite how to respond so asked me “why the hell are you not here. Get your butt over here and kick butt”.

Ahem. I responded ever so politely. There is the little matter, little being the operative word here that in my phrase book we all know that an Olympic Distance to me means Oh Dear. So as tempting as it is to pop over to Bali and have a party, AND despite the fact that in the past couple of weeks there has been an improvement of sorts in my swim I still do not swim quick enough to warrant the trip. It’s a bummer really; a lot of friends from all over have gone to the race. I hope they had an awesome time this morning. But if there was one thing that would bite it is the transition from the swim exit to the bikes. 700 metres over sand!! Yes that’s what I said. That’s almost a kilometre. Over sand. My gosh, PD is a tough enough transition. You come out the water and I find myself sprinting and trying to breath all at once but 700metres. Hey, maybe I would have had a chance after all!!

So briefly back to the swim. I met this French lady at the pool a couple of weeks ago. She swims a couple of times a week with her husband and we usually bump into one another in the changing room NOT the pool, I can swim in a straight line in the pool. Lovely things those blue lines :)

I saw her on Friday morning after our swim. We exchanged the usual morning pleasantries and then she said something that made me think. And then made me quietly smile. My arms hurt, they always hurt. On the bike they hurt in the pool they are lactic until about 10minutes in.

“You have got a lot quicker,” she said.

(Me) “I have?”

“Yes, I said to my husband that you are going so much quicker now than two weeks ago,” she said.

(Me) “I am?”

I am not going to say anymore. I am just going to keep hurrying slowly. I now have to tape my left wrist before swimming because the paddle has started to cut me due to the fact I only swim with paddles and all the other stuff including donut aka towrope. I think the paddle is cutting because I am maybe starting to do something right? Well that’s what I am telling myself.

Yesterday I carved up some kids in the pool. There was a day when any kids in my way would be excuse enough for me to get out and skip the session. Not any more. That is MY POOL. YOU get out the way. You can see me. I cannot see you. So if I hit you, your fault. Sorry but that’s the way it is.

So far so good, it is like a constant parting of the waves and they do move out the way when I come through. Yesterday however BANG. Now the thing I have found out and have been thinking about whilst swimming is what happens if something happens mid swim before I reach the end?

Silly question you may think. BUT. When fitted with paddles, pool buoy and donut if you want to stand up in the pool you cannot. Not without having something to grab hold of. Yesterday it was the poor kid I crashed into!! I guess if I do get in trouble I can just do an impression of a whale and roll onto my back!

Total Blog Lapse

2010-06-15T19:32:00.001+08:00

Just been reading Denis's blog. Love the new look he has implemented. Also I am impressed that he is able to blog every day. I used to do that, sometimes more than once a day. Now I realize it is just over a week since my last blog - YIKES. Am I getting lazy? No, not really, it's just sadly my blog comes last on the list these days.
I still have plenty of time to think about what I want to blog because I am still training - and that is when I do my best blog storming. No matter how busy things get. Training is something that will ALWAYS be executed. Sometimes I have to not be so anal in order to get it done, but for the most part I feel I am balancing things pretty well at the moment. That could all go bottoms up once the training moves up to the next level, but I think. No, I KNOW it will be all right.
I am not really thinking of Kona. Ok, correction. Here is something that I was thinking about when hurting myself running up the stairs this morning for the 14th time. For some reason my legs and lungs refused to work in harmony. Meaning when the legs were lactic and I was on the verge of falling up the stairs my lungs were fine and dandy. Get towards the top and the legs started working while the lungs were just SCREAMING STOOOP! And I did. Popped in the lift, down to the ground floor and repeat X 14.
I am persevering with my stair runs despite the fact my hip is nearly as good as new. But I am not crazy enough to do them more than once a week. Keep a good balance I am told and so I just make sure to get one stair session in a week. It helps, I really think it does. While I am no where near the pace I was beginning to discover on the run last year due to the injury I am looking forward to the half marathon next weekend. It will be a nice little test of sorts. Especially as I will be riding one hour before running, Apparently for non-runners like myself I will run quicker off a warm up bike rather than a warm up run...Hmmm, we shall see :)
Anyway, what was I thinking of. Oh yup. When I was training for IM Malaysia I used the visualization technique A LOT. It gave me motivation when I was in that dark tunnel of pain and pity. I would imagine seeing myself cross the line in first place, it was so clear it was almost real. I used that a lot in my training. So now I move to Kona. No where near training for it, I am not even thinking about that yet. But the problem with not having been there or done that before is that I have no clue what to expect. I don't know what the finish line will be like. I have seen the pictures, we all have and I think I can see myself riding on the Queen K. But as for crossing the line I do not have a clear a picture of what that will be like. Perhaps I should ask Kona Carmen, I am sure she can enlighten me :)

Didn't Lose My Bottle

2010-06-06T13:22:00.000+08:00

I have lost count of how many bottles I have lost from my rear cage. Broken countless aluminum cages, I know titanium is better but not easily available. So I switched to a carbon one that has a pretty good fit. It doesn't break but I think I have lost 3bottles from going over a bump and they just 'popped' out. On most instances when this has happened I have had to let it go as stopping would have been too dangerous.

I am not fussed about losing bottles, but I am fussed about losing liquid that I need to complete my rides. Also since I ride 95% of the time in aero, reaching behind me for the bottle I have found not to be an easy thing. Thats fine in training but when riding a long distance in a race, reaching behind and doing unnecessary movement is not something I want to risk. Hmm, maybe my arms are too short? So when racing I always forget about the rear cage, pop the aero bottle on the front and use one on the down-tube. This allows me to stay aero and drink without too much movement.

But the aero bottle is noisy. It splashes. Any little bump and you think that its going to fall. Hence the reason I do not use it for training - too annoying. So I tried something new yesterday on my ride. My wet ride, I hasten to add. So the liquid really wasn't required much. I have seen a lot of the pro's experimenting with this idea and they swear by it preferring it's convenience over the aero bottle. It is an aero bar bottle holder fashioned by using a regular cage tied to the bars using lots of cable ties. After some adjusting I had a pretty good secure fit on Friday and was all set for my Saturday ride.

It works! I didn't lose the bottle, despite the road out to Ulu Yam being very VERY bumpy in places. Now with a little extra modifying you could probably fix a straw from the bottle - a la aero bottle style. But in races - the main attraction here, especially in a long race - is I can throw this bottle and slot in the new one. Saves filling up my aero bottle and while I cannot sip while I ride the bottle is still there in my face telling me to drink!

First real test will be the Philippines I guess, but until then it will get some solid Malaysian road testing :)

The Price of Taking Part

2010-06-03T17:42:00.000+08:00

It has been a while since I blogged, bizarre as I am constantly online every day. But that IS my work. Keeping an eye on what is happening in the world of triathlon and teamTBB. Coming up with stories and ideas has never been a problem for my overactive brain or perhaps we should say imagination, so I have a long list of ideas and stories/features I want to write about for the website that keeps getting longer not shorter.

Because of this my own blog has been feeling a little left out. Anyway, I love FB the way you can see, virtually hear and read what your ‘friends’ are doing and how they are feeling. And even though I don’t get the chance to blog as much I can still post the occasional FB status. I have always been a firm advocate of a NO SWEARING policy on FB or on the Blog. Basically anywhere where people may get the wrong idea or you may offend someone by a use of inappropriate language is for me a no-no.

This is just how I personally feel. Call me a hypocrite if you like as people who know me know I swear like a trooper. But that is in the presence of those that know what I am like. They can take it with a pinch of salt. I do not want people to start judging me just because I let myself have an emotional 5minutes on FB and go loopy. So I try to keep my emotions in touch when on virtual airwaves.

I am not having a bash at those that do like to vent. Heck even my brother earlier this week launched into a foul-mouthed tirade of abuse at his employer. That’s his choice. I know what he is like - a bit of a hot head like me. Someone else however may think crikey…wouldn’t like to meet him in a dark ally.

Anyway what is all this leading to? As always I am wittering on without getting to the point! The subject, The Price of Taking Part implies something to do with sport and you would be correct in thinking this.

Just this week I have had emails and messages from a local riding clubs about the Century Ride. I won’t be taking part because I choose not to. But apparently the fee has increase from RM90 last year to RM100 this year and they have been inundated with complaints. Even with my terrible mathematical brain that’s a little over 10%. On paper 10% is pretty steep. But lets remember it only started at RM90 not RM200. And apparently you get a lot for your money, a great jersey for starters. Isn’t that worth the RM100 alone? And then there is the privilege of joining a race with all your friends, having support, safety cars, nutrition etc. Is RM100 so much?

Lets move on to Mr Chan and triathlon Malaysia. Now every man and his dog are complaining about not enough local triathlon races and it being too expensive to go overseas. IM Malaysia is off the books, is Putrajaya on/off – who knows? And so Port Dickson registration has increased. I think by RM10. Again I ask you. What is the BIG deal? We all love to take part in Mr Chan’s races. I distinctly dislike the Olympic distance but if there is a race here that I can and am able to support whatever the cost I WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT IT.

Now don’t go sending me comments about Emma the expatriate, earn loads of money etc. Those that know, KNOW that this is NOT the case. I have always taken part in local ‘money’ races with the aim that if I come good and win something then I use that to pay for entry into another race. You will NOT find me Monday morning at the mall spending my hard earned winnings.

Finally, running races. I have yet to do any of these this year. I hope to do the Standard Chartered 21k – but have not yet registered. I am always late to sign up for these things because I never know what I am doing or where I will be. So while it costs a little more as I can never get the early bird that is my choice. I will not complain.

So why are people now complaining about the cost of local running races? The organisers that put these events together are WORKING. It’s their job and they need to make money. We have a choice and many of us make the decision to take part because it is fun to run a race with friends, get a t-shirt, and maybe win something. It makes you work harder. It gives you extra motivation when you sign up for a race.

So why complain? Malaysia, while not perfect in all her organisational skills is still the cheapest and one of the friendliest when it comes to participating in a race whether it is a swim, bike or run. It seems we may have lost IM and that is a huge HUGE shame. This means looking farther afield to take part in an international triathlon that for some is not financially possible. Now that is especially sad since the two years that I have been racing I have seen countless newbie’s enter the playground that I so love.

We can keep fingers crossed and hope for the best but you can also look further afield for your next BIG race perhaps. But whatever you decide please take a positive attitude and support the organisers that are here putting together races for you and I and charging what I deem to be a very honest fee.

You have a choice. You can choose to do your own triathlon, duathlon or run your own 42’s, 21’s, 12’s and 10’s OR you can choose to spend a little money and take part and support the local scene.

Be positive and be constructive, complaining over an extra RM10 that you would not think twice about putting towards your next sporting purchase, dinner, frappacino or movie just does not add up.

Okay, I am getting down off my high horse now, Thanks for reading :)

I Dare You

2010-05-26T19:32:00.000+08:00

The 'worst drink in America': 2,000-calorie milkshake has as much saturated fat as 68 rashers of bacon

Go on, I DARE YOU. Personally the calorie content of this nasty evil filthy milkshake is my current calorie intake for the day. I am trying slowly but surely to get back to my fighting/racing weight...just a couple of Kg's to go now.

I used to drink ice blends (with cream) until the cows came home. I then learnt of the calorie content - such a waste. So I only have it now as a treat.

Would you dare drink this monstrosity even though you knew it was over 2000calories?? YIKES. Surely there are substitutes. Then again I would think nothing of scoffing 200gms of chocolate and that's a 1000 :D

Each to their own I guess.

It used to be easy

2010-05-26T19:21:00.001+08:00

This morning was my ride / run brick session. It is an early start leaving at 05:20 for a two hour ride. This morning however I didn't have any friends to play with :( And while I will ride alone on a Saturday, on a Saturday traffic is not so mad and I leave home when daylight is near.

I made a vow not to ride the Wednesdays alone. It is too early and while I would probably be okay and nothing would happen, as a girl alone on the road I would rather not take the risk. Luckily there is no excuse to not train as I just hook George up to the trainer. Lately my trainer sessions are only one hour long under the 'light' plan. Easy peasy. This morning I did 2hours. Two hours used to seem easy when I was doing 3hours but this morning that hurt. Big gear stuff and pools of water on the floor, I have a way to go I think before I am where I was...OR maybe I am improving. I think I am able to use bigger gears for longer and more resistance now. Well some days I can :)

I was going to do a stair run as my brick but after the hammering I gave my quads on the turbo I decided on a run outside. It had just rained and was so inviting. The good news: I am almost running pain free now. Again, a long way to go..my speed has dramatically dropped but at least when I finish running now I can step up the kerbs and walk rather then gingerly move my legs.

So all is GOOD in my world. Still too busy. I have a to do list a WIP (Work In Progress) list on Malcom (the Mac). It started off with 12items. And the goal was to reduce it each day, but then something would come up and get added to the list.

The current total is 17 items. And every time I delete one task I add two more. But it's ok. You can only do so much right? And this Friday is a public holiday and I am NOT going to do any work ALL DAY. In fact I have a day and a half of debauchery planned...ahem, I wish. But I do have a fun weekend planned where I will be having some much needed down time.

Can't wait!

Danger..DO NOT GO IN THE POOL

2010-05-19T17:34:00.000+08:00

Oops too late!

I just finished my swim. The 30 metre pool has always had a problem with the filtration system at my home. I think they need to drain it and fix it once and for all. And after all that rain yesterday it was a bit green. But what the heck...are you man or mouse??? There were some people with nothing to do except sun themselves and splash around in the other 25 metre pool that does not have a problem with filtration. But I gotta do my swim and get back to work so opted to take a risk.

Plus points about swimming in a green pool - or so I thought. No one else will go in. I will have it to myself! Oh how wrong was I? While I did catch quite a few odd looks from passers by, a family with their little girl came down and decided to go in. But they were nice enough and kept out the way of my paddles. Then another guy comes in and starts swimming in a line and style that actually made me look quite good!

Anyway swim done and out I get and at the corner of my eye I see some technicians with some chemistry looking type jobbies. Hmm?

I go over to them and say good/bad? He starts playing with the water and it turns RED. I say again good / BAD?? BAD he says, no swimming.

I leave them to it go up and shower and then walk back down to TBB and see they have put up the TAPE!

Oh well too late. I am still breathing, my hair hasn't all fallen out yet and coach I am sure would be very proud of me...or NOT?! :)

Goodbye Old Friend

2010-05-17T20:24:00.000+08:00

I am supposed to guy to Ngae's wake and here I am sitting in TBB. My home away from home. It is probably best and I am going to say goodbye the best way I know how. Through the written word.

It's been the usual busy day but it wasn't until I got to TBB later this afternoon and sat down that what has happened started to sink in. I thought I was handling it all a little too easy, very weird. Especially as it really doesn't take much to set my emotions off into a turmoil. I edited a story today for the website. It is an amazing true story and one I have been waiting to tell since I first met this person last year. It is so bloody ironic how today I am editing this man's 'happy' story on a day where my friend Ngae's story did not have such a happy ending.

What may you ask is the link? The link is both men had a brain tumor. Both men are Ironman. Both men fought against the odds. One has a happy ending, the other has sadly departed this world.

Ngae's actions have made me look deep inside myself. I have had my own ups and downs, we all have. Funnily enough the last time I spoke with our friend was on legal matters pertaining to a personal situation. I am a long long way away from my family, so my friends here are my family. Without my friends my downs would have been deeper and darker and I may not have had the strength to come through. True friends are those that stand by you whatever. I mean whatever as in whatever you do, however crazy, silly, selfish, rude, arrogant you get...they recognize you are in a bad place and stand by you...WHATEVER.

Why have I been so sad this afternoon? Why do tears keep falling?

Because I didn't know Ngae was in such a dark place. I don't know if any of us knew. We would have been there I am sure if we knew. We would have been there whatever. But we didn't know how bad it had got until it was too late.

Goodbye Old Friend. I am booking my tickets to Kona and you are coming with me.

Loss Of A Champion Human Being

2010-05-16T07:54:00.002+08:00

Life is certainly very fragile. You most certainly must grasp it, embrace it, relish in it, and enjoy it, LIVE IT. Ngae did this without compromise. Before his life threatening operation last year, I believe Ngae was already living. He never merely existed. He was out there and if you couldn’t see him on a Sunday morning you most probably could hear his rumbling laughter and banter in the cool morning air.

We are all inspired by people. I remember my first triathlon and there was Nage giving me support. As the months progressed he would then tease me about my serious ‘race face’ as the sport took a grip of me. You see Ngae always wore a smile from ear to ear whatever he was doing. And when in his playground of exercising whatever it would be he would wear that big old smile.

After his operation he appeared to bounce back from tragic circumstances. I remember visiting him in Brickfields and he told me about his new positive outlook. He was so grateful at ‘this’ second chance. Well I am not sure I can agree with you my friend about taking a new positive outlook, you were always one of the most positive people around and that is why you touched so many people’s hearts.

When running on a Sunday the beautiful highlight of the morning is seeing your friends, your comrades participating in the same morning ritual of starting the day with honest exercise. On those days post operation when I saw Ngae on the road I would stop. Something I do not do a lot of. But if there was one thing I had for Ngae it was time. We would stop, hug and say good morning before going on our way. He was so full of the joy of being ALIVE.

The last triathlon we did together was Putrajaya 70.3. He was so happy to finally be able to complete a triathlon again. I remember on the run he was wearing that big old smile and laughing. And every time he saw me he would make a beeline to the white chick with the race face. ON that day however I was smiling on the run and when he squirted Gatorade over me – I still smiled!

He was loud, he was cheeky, he was thoughtful and caring. He was my friend. He was your friend. He was NOT your average human being. He was Ngae. RIP; in your too short life you lived a thousand lives.

Hello Legs

2010-05-15T12:20:00.000+08:00

Last time I rode Ulu Yam I was nearly savaged by dogs as I could hardly pedal up the first little bugger of a hill. I put it down to a bad day. And it is the first time I cut a ride short. EVER. Trouble is, I was having lots of 'Bad' days. Feeling under powered and not quite myself'.

So used to having my health and not being ill, when I was actually struck by food poisoning I thought my super human resilience to bugs would shake it off. Oh how wrong was I.

So it has resulted in too many weeks of not feeling myself and ultimately getting quite down especially when at the back of your mind you know you have a rather big race to do later in the year. Supposed to be enjoying my base building, intense training but low hours at the moment; it has been two steps forward and one back. At least you could say I have been moving forward though.

So I attacked Ulu Yam again this morning with Jens. That first hill always gives me the hee-bee-gee-beez, its tough enough on your heart and legs without dogs chasing you!

Great morning for riding. Great company and I felt good and strong. The legs and body are finally back together and that has in turn given me a huge helping of much needed confidence.

Times are not something I make a habit of writing down. When I have a good one, I remember it. When I have a bad one, I remember it, because those are the ones that really build your mental strength.

Today, it was a confidence ego boosting ride. Not flat out and I still posted a new record for TBB to Ulu Yam and back. I am proud of myself today, proud and happy.

YAWN

2010-05-14T12:49:00.000+08:00

Gosh, my blogging is getting rather poor lately. I blame teamTBB.com. I am now content and media marketing person for the website - so don't like it, you know where to lay blame! It is a WIP though and I hope you like the changes that are gently being made. The idea is to connect you all to the HEART of triathlon, it's not a website for checking out the latest gadgets and bikes, its a lifestyle site where you can connect to the pros, learn tips and tricks and find inspiration and motivation for whatever your goals in life are. Feedback, ALL types constructive is welcome. OK that's the marketing done!!! So now to my post for the week.

The title to this this post is not a reflection of my state of being. ON the contrary I am feeling pretty awake these days since sorting my health out. I forgot how a normal stomach should feel and also forgot the impact a bad one can have on day to day life.

No this statement is a more of a question to myself. And one I have been pondering over for a few weeks now.

When thinking back pre triathlon days I remember always yawning. It didn't matter if tired or not. I would find myself yawning all day. First thing in the morning after good nights sleep and there I would be, in work or somewhere yawning my head off. It got to the point where people would comment on it as I did it so frequently.

It was actually quite embarrassing especially when in a meeting or doing an interview with someone and there you are trying to stifle a yawn. It was not the fact they where boring me - or was it??

These days I yawn very little and I don't understand. Three years ago my working hours were no where near as intense or hectic as they are today. Nor were my exercise hours. In those days I was playing badminton, training at the gym, squash and maybe did an average of 10hours a week. I had days off. It was not consistent.

SO now I have come to my own conclusion that yawning does not always mean we are tired. I have not looked into this at all, it is just my own simple evaluation - we all know I like to make things in my life as SIMPLE as possible! But these days although busy from work, and tired with constant goggle eyes from training I do not yawn much at all. I get up early every day and go to bed as early as I can, within reason (Read: I will not walk out of a movie or dinner date to make my curfew!)

I think it is because I am happy with life (Read: most of the time!). Simple as that. I may complain but I do know deep down I am doing what I am supposed to be doing and going in the right direction. Years ago my direction was clouded, the compass was way off kilter and I got a little lost. And so YES, I do think that my constant yawning back then could actually have been a sign of boredom. I wasn't tired I WAS bored. Bored with my life.

Well that's my non-Einstein-like theory and I am sticking with it :)

Stairway to Hell

2010-05-05T12:42:00.000+08:00

I have found a new form of torture. Struggling to put in a decent run over the past three weeks due to my hip I decided that after Interstate I would re-attack the run with a vengeance - I need to push through that discomfort and come out the other side. So that was the plan. Shame my body didn't agree with my head though and decided to get sick and both head and body flew home on Saturday and spent the rest of the weekend sleeping.

So, yesterday. Tuesday, is my run day. Still easing back into it, I am on medication and not back up to speed. So when your not feeling so great maintaining fitness is the goal. Up I get, runners on and out the door. Gently start I tell myself, and off I go. And...STOP. OUCH...YIKES what is wrong with my back? Okay lets try again shall we? Gently, gently catch a monkey. And off I go. And...STOP. Ye-ouch! Now I can take a LOT of pain but this was unbearable discomfort across my lower back and any form of jogging was completely disabling. I stopped. Hands on Hips. Think Emma, THINK. What do I do? (And don't you dare say go back to BED!)

Do I swim? Last time I was unable to run because of discomfort like this I turned to the staircase at home. Back then it was a last resort and yesterday it was again my last resort.

It is all well and good plunking in an extra swim but it is not what I need to to. What I need to do on a Tuesday is blow my heart-rate sky high. And swimming no matter how hard I try will not do that.

So back home (2mins later). Fetched a water bottle, iPod and went to the stairwell.

I live on the 20th floor. Right to the very bottom is 22floors. It is hot in the stairwell no real air..bit like training in a sauna so the bottle of water I left at the top was needed in between each set.

Set the watch, ipod on and off I go, down the stairs. The thought process was take it easy at first still not totally steady on my feet from the tummy bug. I forget my splits the last time I did this. And I knew the litmus test would be climbing back up - would I be able to bear the back pain?

At the bottom, touch the wall (anal I know) and back up, power up them stairs. At the top I am gasping for breath. My muscles are popping and legs are wobbly but my back...ZIP, no pain at all - RESULT.

Quick drink and off I go again. Lets start to push a little shall we? And so I carried on for an just under an hour the time it took me to do 8 sets.

This mornings brick ride hurt, still slow and my calves and quads from the stairHell were very ouchy. There was worse to come though as I checked with the powers that be and apparently I was doing a very good thing. Great workout. Which meant today after my 2hour ride, YUP I did a brick StairHELL. Only 30minutes today but this time I ran up the stairs. Well, jogged. OMG boy oh boy I think it is the toughest thing I have put my heart through for a long time - it was AWESOME.

I am hobbling round at the moment because my calves and quads are so sore, but that will go away. I am kind of hooked on the stairHELL training I think, sure it will go away and I hope it is not for too much longer as I may develop a rather weird running style (Yes, I know I already have a weird style, thank you very much)!!

The lesson I learnt? When all else fails and you think you can't...there is always a way to get the benefits without compromising your health and safety. Unless of course you go and fall arse over tit when running down the stairs!

Inter-what-a-state

2010-05-02T18:20:00.001+08:00

My Interstate was over before it really started. Ok, it did start. I did start. But for a couple of weeks now I have been feeling rather under powered. I put this down to my workload and solider on. But now it is time to be honest and to admit that my Interstate was more of a triathlon which included a wet night time drive to Kuala Kangsar with Disco and the gang. Not enough sleep and feeling decidedly dodgy Friday morning. Game face on and a ride to the first stop over - I forget where that was now!! And then a flight out of there as soon as I could possibly manage it. This is what happened and as usual another lesson learnt.

Riding a tri bike, there were a few of us, but I was aware and prepared to do the right thing and stay upright. Little did I know how this would screw my back up :( Some of you have back problems from going aero well it seems my back and neck do not like to sit upright. Uncomfortable is a nice way to put the discomfort I had. I rode with the pack, kind of and not really at the front. Was kind of getting fed up with people telling me where I SHOULD be riding but knew that this was about 3days of survival. It actually turned out to be just one day of survival on the bike however.

After a stop for a coffee and food in town with Dave we carried on to the 30k of hills. I do not know where my legs have been the past few weeks. Again, denial? Work I would say it was, anything except something wrong with my body. Me sick? Nahhh! I am indestructible!!!

Cramp came up and bit me on the inside of my right leg. The last time this happened was when I did power man for the first time two and half years ago. It happened then because I was a new cyclist. It happened Friday because I feel I was using cycling muscles I do not have. Sitting upright is totally different to aero. My muscles were not happy. I rode it through, relaxed fought the pain and it went off. Just as I breathe a sigh of relief there it came again. Arghhhh! At the brow of the hill I see abut 100metres away a support car. Okay...just make it to the car and have a drink and carry on. Just make it to the car. Ha ha! I could see the muscles popping and moving around in my leg. Was not going to happen. I unclipped and carefully stopped. Did not get off the bike, just stood, swore a little and told the legs to buck up and quit messing about and then started again. Got to the support car and they had witnessed my little fiasco. I am ok I told them it's just cramp. Had some liquid nectar 100PLUS and on my way. Feeling better, I then started to catch up with some riders who had seen me struggle. They asked how I was and I cockily replied aah the legs are working now! BAM. No they are not. Basically this happened 4-5 times. I granny geared it nearly the whole way holding off the cramp and when I finally got to the descent whacked it in the big chain and away I went to the finish - Thank GOD.

After I stopped, that's when things drastically started to go wrong. I was slightly dehydrated, and had serious stomach issues. I have been suffering for a month now on and off and again put it down to work. But it seems the bacteria had come back with avengence and I could not keep any food in me and just wanted to close my eyes and sleep. I tried to go for a run (stupid I know) and then nearly ended up fainting.

I skipped the photo session and went straight to bed. Saturdays ride was not looking good. My stomach was in such a bad way I felt really embarrassed and sorry for my room mates Chris and Bee!!

Saturday Morning. No way was I riding, after 10hours rest I felt worse. My stomach confirmed this. I was pretty fed up and just wanted out of there as quickly as possible. The idea was drive to Kota Baru and maybe fly out but I did not have my passport and was told my drivers licence IC would not be good enough. I seriously did not know how I could hack another two days - no offence to everyone there, the spirit was superb I just did not feel like being a part of it.

I felt sorry for myself enough as it was. Every one riding or supporting was happy and I just wanted to be alone and sleep. When people saw I was not dressed to ride the obvious questions naturally started and I just didn't know what to do with myself :(

I drove Dave's truck following Joanne and her co pilot (sorry forgot your name). About two hours in, I was dangerously close to falling asleep at the wheel. Driving in the middle of the road I did not want to take out any peloton!! In the end I had to make a call to Jo and ask if she could drive. I was terrified I would have an accident. As soon as she got on the car I was asleep.

I slept and slept and one time I awoke to see Patrick driving! Thank you guys for taking care of me on Saturday. I changed cars and left Patrick with the truck and went in Jo's car to KB. They bypassed the airport first where luck finally was on my side and I was able to get a ticket with airasia using my drivers licence. It cost me RM194 one way! But I needed to get home and get to the doctors.

I got home at 7pm last night. I had some food which kept my up most of the night and this morning went to the doctors. Apparently it is not serious but I do have a lot of medication to take and must abstain from coffee, chocolate and banana's for a few days - not so bad I guess!!

After sleeping all of today I still feel buggered. My body aches and I do not know whether this is from all the car travel or from the body's loss of nutrients from not being able to retain any food. My legs feel numb and dead. And I am worrying on how this is going to effect me...yes I mean as in my training!

I should not worry however. Interstate for me was about fun. It didn't quite turn out that way but my race is in 6months time. So I have plenty of time to get better and stronger. I could have completed the 3days of riding through sheer stupidly and on the fitness that I do have. But I have learnt some things. And by completing the ride I would have set myself back maybe 6weeks, instead I hope that I have finally nipped this bug in the bud!

I am one of those people I am afraid that does not like to go to the doctors. I should have gone a couple of weeks ago when I had a bad ride to Bentong. I didn't see it, but the others riding with me did. So maybe when you can not accept that something is wrong, you should tell yourself to listen to your friends - sometimes they are right and we train often enough together to know when one of us is not on form!

So, interstate 2011? I hear it will be back to August next year. I think that is during my Birthday :) So long as it does not clash with the Philippines 70.3 I think I would very much like to go back and exorcise my demons!!

Tomorrow? A gentle swim to reawaken the body.

Kestral FOR SALE

2010-04-26T15:08:00.001+08:00

UPDATE: PRICE AUD$4,500.00 ono
My friend Charlotte Paul's Hubby, Kristian is selling his 2009 Kestral Airfoil Pro SLSE.

WHY...cos when your wife is a pro and you are a VERY bit of a GOOD age grouper and coach...you get the brand new version!! Anyway see below details of the bike. Interested parties can contact me or contact Kristian at trispecific.com

09 Kestrel Airfoil SLSE 50cm 650c

Kristian says: I got this bike in January 2009 and used it up to the Ironman World Champs in October 2009. I'm selling it as I now have the 2010 model. The Airfoil Pro SLSE is arguably one of the most aerodynamic bikes in the sport of triathlon. This bike is light, comfortable and fast.

All the parts are listed below, however there are some brand new items on it such as the Zipp Vuka bars, both chain rings and an FSA Carbon stem. The reason is that I use 3T bars and I took the chain rings off when I first got it and put Rotor Q-Rings on it instead.

The bike will come with all cables, housing, ferrels and bar tape, but you will need to get it built up as I don't want to cut down the extensions on the Zuka bars.

51cm 650c Frame -- proprietary 800k carbon fiber. New lay-up provides 20% more power to the pedals while reducing weight
Fully adjustable carbon aero seat post -- provides up to 80 degree seat tube angle
Fork -- Airfoil Pro EMS SL Carbon steerer
Group Set: SRAM RED -- Includes brand new chain rings 53/39 -- SRAM chain - brand new for Ironman WC, so only had ~ 300km on it -- 23/11 Cassette was new with the chain, so again - it only has minimal use -- 172.5 cranks
FSA 90mm carbon stem -- brand new
Wheels -- Bontrager Race X lite Aero with DT Swiss Hubs and Conti GP4000 tyres (the rear is brand new and the front is nearly brand new - has been ridden a few times but in great condition
Brand NEW Zipp Vuka integrated aerobars (no box as they came with my other bike, they have all the parts and the extensions are not cut)

The frame is in really good condition and has some of the usual stone chips and some chain slapping/wearing marks on the rear stays, and a tiny bit of surface rust on the hollow section (outside) of the crank, the bike has been well looked after and will provide tons of enjoyment to the person who gets it. If you have any questions what so ever, ask away. The bike as built would retail around $7,500 USD

Emma says: *I am not sure if USD7500 is the asking price here...will update later!

A Swimming Lesson

2010-04-26T11:19:00.000+08:00

The last time my swim was looked at was one year ago in Subic Bay. So I figure one year on, lesson #2, sounds about right. I know many of you have tried to help me in my swim and even offered to pay for a coach for me. I really appreciate these kind offers, but it is not that I am stubborn and think do not need help. Gawd knows we all know I need help! It is just that I have to listen and believe in one person and one person alone. So with that I have carried on for one year with my swim coaching like my bike and run through email.

I need simplicity in my training and Brett's methods and style are aligned perfectly with my needs. No science, no stress (well almost).

I kind of know my problem. As I say it's not scientific and not focused on technique. My problem is my head. I panic breathe. One year ago I was told to increase my cadence (arm turnover) and I shall go faster. Well through much pain I have. Now I can turn my arms and they don't get tired. But I was not going any quicker. Why?

I breath on every stroke. I do not extend properly each time. This equals fast short strokes and even faster more rapid breathing which serves only to build up lactic, panic me, and not allow enough time to get full clean oxygen or expel the oxygen. Basically and this is what it feels like, is that I am breathing with half capacity.

SO, now I am learning to breathe every four strokes, get the lungs stronger and not worry about the short strokes and keep the fast cadence. Apparently Becky Preston (teamTBB pro and known for her 2 IM titles in space of 2weeks) also breathes every 4. She also has a very short stroke. It's don't look pretty but who can argue with those results!

Also I learnt that taking 72 strokes in a 50metre pool (I don't take that many, but it's more than average I guess) is not a bad thing. 72strokes is the number of strokes taken by a world class swimmer Brett used to coach. SO. Work with what works and keep it simple. Triathletes are not swimmers as we are constantly reminded. We just need to be SWIM FIT to get through the washing machine and out the other end.

Flotation. I have a new pool buoy called BOB. Formerly know as Herman, Bob is a 'hand-me-down' from pal Jocelyn. It seems Jocelyn no longer requires the doughnut and Herman...she is on another program. And so a knock on my door when packing and she kindly presented me with BOB. Thank YOU I hope it helps.

The doughnut. A tiny inner tube to put around my ankles. The idea is to create drag. Boy oh boy does it work. So now I go even slower but the doughnut is supposed to work to help me learn to maintain my position in the pool and force me to push the water out - if I do not push I do not move. I am also using paddles while doing this so the muscles are going to grow even bigger!!

The good news and there is some. These days I look forward to swimming. I am out of breath and pooped after each set by 4 stroke breathing but I know in a few months it will soon be no problem to breathe this way. (this is what I tell myself). If I can learn to turn the arms quicker I can learn to breathe every 4!

No more lessons until maybe after Kona. I have my plan. It is a very simple one. And I am going to be positive :D

1237 OUCH

2010-04-18T15:51:00.000+08:00

It was a mad, long, hot, tiring and FUN week in Krabi. The first official shoot of teamTBB we have more material than I know what to do with. We were also filming behind the scenes and in training and have some exclusive interviews, so as you can imagine, a fun experience in a beautiful setting. There are plenty of candid shots of the athletes in action, which will give an insight to the daily lives of being a professional triathlete, some great interviews and funny moments on film. Keep an eye on teamTBB.com in the coming weeks as the pictures and stories filter through.

So with one morning off work before we flew back to KL, Jason and Joe from Snap-Attack and myself made a date to tackle the temple steps early in the morning after my run.

The team were off to swim training and I chose to skip it. I had my 'lesson' on Thursday. Will reveal more about that later.

So to the steps. Only one team member, Rebecca Preston has done the steps. She did it early in camp and consequently regretted it as it screwed up her training for the next few days. Finding that she couldn't power the bike because of muscle soreness from doing something 'different' to swim, bike, run. I totally understand the others NOT doing the steps. When at full training for IM, stairs, let alone narrow steps are the last thing you want to tackle.

Well since I have been struggling with a hip flexor injury my run is currently a slow plod running under the pain. I thought the steps would be a good cultural workout. Plus the guys told us about this awesome fruit smoothie stall at the bottom - the ultimate reward :)

I won't ramble on too much...the pictures taken by Jason and Joe say it all. It was hard work and I believe many people start the climb and never make it to the top. It is steep and VERY hot with no air. But the view from the top is well worth the pain.

Talking of pain. Bentong was dialled in yesterday for my ride. I needed to get back for work at the latest 12pm. Well it was a tough day...it seems the steps were taking their toll on my legs, the calves and quads were seriously sore, add to that a dicky tummy that saw me stopping whenever I could, I had to jump into a truck at Petronas at Genting Sempah and speed back to work.

Hmm, me thinks I will go back and do it again next week - not going to let that beat me!

A new OFFICE

2010-04-10T13:03:00.000+08:00

I haven't been to Krabi before. I hear it is supposed to be rather a nice place to chill out, relax and have some fun in the sun. And if this picture is anything to go by it does indeed look like paradise. Such a shame then that I shall be working :(

My office for the week will be the beach, a running track and the roads of Krabi, Thailand where teamTBB are currently in camp, training. I am going over to help with the team photo shoot. Been a long LONG time since I worked on a photo shoot so it WILL be FUN, but it will also be, from what I remember, very HARD work!

George is staying at home for this trip, to much to do and instead I will work on balancing some runtime and much needed swim lessons from the powers that be, with 3 action packed days of filming.

It's going to be hard to adjust, but don't worry about me, I am sure I will be able to handle it :D

VISA BABY!

2010-04-09T20:57:00.000+08:00

So I get to the US embassy at 7:40am on Thursday. Go through and submit my forms. The, ahem 'lady' behind the counter says we don't accept these forms now you gotta do it on-line! I explained I knew this but when I submitted, YOUR system was down. So I called and emailed and was told to do it this way.

She goes off, comes back and says:

'Yes, that's right but we are still not going to accept it,' go away and do another form!' - not even a SORRY came out her pursed up mouth!

Well, Emma was seething, in my mind I visualised leaning across the counter and taking her puny white scrawny AMERICAN neck and strangling her. But since I had to be on my best behaviour. I nodded, smiled and left to make another form.

I chose an early appointment so I could miss the traffic and get back to work. I was number 11 when I submitted the first time. I then had to sign out get all my bags, laptop and bombs that I had tried to smuggle in and walk to the MCA building to do another bloody form.

Got back to the embassy at 9:20am. Handed over my bag and bombs and went inside. I was now #85 and the place was heaving. Why do so many people want to go to the States? It's expensive!!!

My number after 40minutes was called up. A different lady - lucky for her (or is that me) !!!

I handed over the form, all in order now and went and sat down to wait.

Wait...

...wait..

Finally, I am called up for round 2 the finger print scan and then back to my seat to wait.

And wait AND wait AND wait. This was the longest wait and I started getting worried. I realised the passport I gave did not have my Malaysian visa in it - oops...now they probably think I am an illegal here - the mind works exceptionally well overtime when one has had trouble with the likes of immigration before!

FINALLY, at 11:45 my number is up. This time it is the 'interview'

A delightful lady behind the counter, asked a few questions and noted I only needed a waiver not a visa. I explained that I had been denied and deported before many years ago and briefly explained what had happened.

She said that it was not here on record. I said it was under a different name. Ah she said.

Well then I learnt that even though British passports don't need a visa we still have to apply on-line for the waiver and from there (being the honest person I am) I would have been directed to apply for a visa because of the past.

SO. I was told I was a very good girl for being honest!!!

And no problem there you go have a visa. For what reason are you going she asked. I explained. She said cool. I said YUP. So they are not all ****holes I guess I can put the first ones unpleasant attitude down to hormones??!!!

Genting Sempah

2010-04-03T14:40:00.000+08:00

Ulu Yam turned into Genting Sempah this morning. I do not remember the last time I rode Sempah. I do believe I have never EVER ridden it on George so that in itself means a long long time. A nice climb and a tricky descent. Well for me it is tricky. Descending FAST is something I have yet to master and I have a feeling the next couple of months will see me tackling my climbing and descending. I am thinking a rotating menu of one week Semaph and one week Ulu Yam. Descending is easy, FAST and so super fun at Ulu Yam but the parts of the ride where you have to work you really have to work and there is no FREE ride home. Unlike Sempah. Get to the top and it's downhill all the way easy peasy, so long as you stay upright :)

I have one more afternoon to do as I please. I need not do anything but I am looking outside of TBB, the sun is shining and the water may beckon or perhaps a run. Tomorrow I will try and do a 2hour run. I say try because I have been having some hip flexor niggle. It will be my last 2hour run (I think) for some time - so I intend to ENJOY it.

For SALE

2010-04-02T15:33:00.001+08:00

Who thinks I am bias? I just don't know any better, but Mon has decided to part ways with lady #2 in his life - the delectable Quintana Roo Caliente.

Interested parties, please leave a comment and I shall forward your details on.
Frame only - Size 51 cm. Aluminium with carbon fork and carbon seat stay. Good condition.
'Very fast and comfortable aero tri bike'.

Not Quite in the Spirit

2010-04-01T12:12:00.002+08:00

I have never done an IM in Europe. Actually never done any sort of triathlon in Europe. Much too cold for the likes of me but never say never I guess. Anyway, I have heard lots of stories about how phenomenal the support is for races throughout Europe, in particular Germany. The European Championship IM race held in Frankfurt, Germany will be held on July 4th 2010 this year. That is the longest day in the Calender. Now there are a few factors affecting this years race that will see the longest bike leg ever at 185k due to road construction.
To allow for this 'extension' the cut off time for the bike has been rightly so adjusted giving athletes an extra 15minutes ride time. But once you get off the bike it literally is a race against time as this year IM Frankfurt will be the SHORTEST race (according to time) EVER.
So just when I was praising the support of the general public, it seems that the local residents have kicked up such a fuss about the crowd noise and support that carries on well into the night that the run time has been rather shockingly reduced.
YES you heard right. And not by a mere 30minutes. In the past the race has finished at 11pm. And because of some grumpy residents who cannot simply accept and embrace the fact that for one day a year their home town holds one of the most celebrated endurance races in the world, the race will now officially finish at 10pm!
Apparently between the hours of 10 and 11pm last year only 120 athletes went through the finish. SO WHAT? If you have to wait 1hour for 1 person - you do it! That is the spirit of IM. A spirit that it seems is seriously lacking amongst the grumpy 'you make too much noise' folks who want to be in bed with a hot cocoa rather than line the street and witness one of the reasons to be at a finishing line in last place :)
Bah HUMBUG!
If you would like to read the full story check out:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/The_longest_day_of_the_year_1276.html

Keeping fit in Lake Kenyir

2010-03-30T07:16:00.002+08:00

Thanks for the snap Abu :)

My 4th weekend of no structure and doing as I like. The goal, once I recovered from a chest infection was to try and exercise for two hours a day. Keep the body ticking over with a relatively good base of fitness. At first it was a nightmare. YIKES. HELP, what do I do? Is it okay to do this and that...Ooo maybe I shouldn't do that? After so long sticking to time and routine it was weird. But crikey. It is March and I needed a break for the mind and body. And have had great fun picking and choosing what do do and how long to do it...my only guidance being 2hours - and that was my decision :)
I also made a promise to myself NOT to ask any advice from coach. No structure means no coaching and so I went off to Lake Kenyir to have fun and didn't say a Dicky bird about what I was doing!
It WAS great fun. I did not want to really hurt myself, I knew the body was still recovering from my cough and push too hard and it would be straight back to square one. But then it is me. And after the swim it is always about catch up - right?
So anyway, it was a VERY long long drive thanks to a GPS. Note to everyone who has them - do not trust a GPS when going out out station. If it tells you to turn right at a football field and you find yourself driving down a road with no signs, a herd of cows and pot holes - something is wrong!
Anyway, great fun with awesome company. I got my kit together Sunday morning...did not bother Saturday night - that's how relaxed I was! Actually said to Razlan in transition - not sure what I was doing there and I was sure I had forgotten something. - HA. Yeah I forgot my nerves.
So the swim, the problem is the start. I am way to slow getting into it. It was quicker than last year at 28:30 but and to quote 'And we need to talk on what we are going to do on swim' - I have been warned.

The bike and run where slower than last year. I wanted to push but I also wanted to play. Once I caught Chris up the plan was for her to sit on my tail. And she did all the way until the last hill. Great job Chris!! We will get you on that podium :)

On the run, bahhh...got a niggle in my hip flexor that keeps coming and going. It was hilly. I saw Jap Sam out in front a wee bit and thought, catch him up and we run together? But then we went up the hill and he went backwards ?

So I ran with one of the army boys - this seems to becoming a regular thing for me. Was great FUN. Nice to know what position I was in, no pressure, no slot to go for, just enjoying the sport. It was sweetened all the more with a pay day.

A lovely event that is my favourite local OD distance. Thank you Mr Chan. Super weekend.

And a special shout to Disco Dave who claimed his first podium of what will be I am sure many and to Prakash the 'Ultra' racer who did the Energizer 21k, hopped in the car with Patrick, drove through the night arrived at 6am and rocked up to the start line! Now THAT is what this sport is about - it is a LIFESTYLE and Prakash embraces it more than anyone I know - AWESOME big guy, proud of you:)

Visa Please Part II

2010-03-25T20:01:00.002+08:00

Now where were we? Oh right...Gatwick airport November 1993, I forget the exact date it was a long time ago which is a bit of a problem since the embassy wants to know EXACTLY when this all happened.
So on the plane, it was a night flight and if I remember correctly London to Houston is a ten hour flight. Was pretty calm, ate my meals, watched the movies – back then though you had to crane your neck to view the TV screen since it was before they started putting games and TV’s in the back of the chairs. I still thought it was all great stuff though. This flying lark was still new. The novelty was yet to wear off. I was just 18years old.

Once we landed the butterflies came back. On the plane they handed out the immigration cards and you know there is a box that says ‘Have you ever been denied a VISA or entry to The United States of America’ well I had. So I ticked YES. You have to be honest right? I mean the passport had a black mark in it...it was like Blackbeards curse – I had been dealt the Black mark!
Exiting the plane walking down the ramp into the immigration hall was one of the most nerve-racking moments in my life, (there were more to come). I remember saying to my then ‘boyfriend’ which lane do you think looks the friendliest? Who do you think will be nice as Apple Pie? I wasn’t joking. I was seriously trying to assess which line would be the best to stand in. Ok ok ok, I already mentioned that I was naive. We were in the states – there was no ‘friendly’ line!
So finally it is my turn at the counter. I walk up pass them my passport and immigration card. They flick through the passport and don't see anything. The passport was quite new – lots of free pages and the black mark was located right at the back. So then he looks at the immigration card. All was going (to coin an American phrase) ‘swell’ until he reached the little blip about VISA denied. Eyebrows raise. Frowns. Hmmmn. Picks the passport back up. Looks again. This time looks properly. Ahhhh, there it is, there is the blip!
‘Could you please wait here,’ he says. And off he goes. He returns. ‘Could you please follow me,’ he says. And off I go. I am led away to an interview room. Well more like a waiting room with small ‘interview rooms’ attached. I sit down and I wait. I was scared stiff.
Time passes, my boyfriend was in the same boat as me, we didn’t speak. We had a friend meeting us from the airport. We were not allowed to even contact them to alert them to what was happening.
We were the only two people in the room. Off in one of the interview rooms there was another guy from our flight. He was being interrogated BIG TIME. Apparently he like us had just returned from the states and was back again. His girlfriend was here, so he said. We could hear everything that was being said...and the things that were being said did NOT do anything to calm my state of mind or nerves.
After we witnessed his head shot and fingerprints being taken the communication kind of went like this:
Immigration Officer (IO) ‘You are going back to London,’
Passenger (P) ‘But I don’t know anyone in London, I am from Germany,’
IO: You came from London you are going back to London.
P: But I do not know anybody there, I have no money, my money is here. Can I not make a phone call to my friend? She will explain. She is waiting for me. She will be worried.
IO: NO. You are going back.
(Now at this point the German passenger (innocent or not) continued to whine and beg and plead with the Immigration officers) I was starting to get REALLY worried about what was in store for me.
P: But please, just let me make a phone call, I cannot go back to London, I do not know anybody. Can you not send me to Germany?
IO: You came from London. You go back to London. If you do not want to go back tonight you will spend the night in county jail!
WELL, at those words I was now quaking in my bottle green doc Martins (Hey – I was an art student!)
Anyway Mr Germany was dismissed and the Officer came to the counter and began looking at our passports lying there. Please pick his first, please please, not me, Let him go first – I was saying over and over in my head.
IO: ‘Emma Bishop’ – Oh S***, My legs somehow worked and I stood up and walked to the counter. They questioned me, put the passport down and then called up my boyfriend.
They then took him away to a room and me to another room. After what seemed an age we met back up and were both ‘escorted’ to the luggage belt to identify our baggage. I was not photographed or fingerprinted – so I guess that was something. He on the other hand was interrogated, interviewed and basically treated like a criminal - which he was NOT.
Our luggage was going round the belt all alone. We picked it up and the female officer who was built the size of a brick ‘ahem’ house then led us back up the way we had come.
To sum up, we were led back to the plane we had flown in on a few hours earlier. They started to rush us. The plane was ready to take off and they were waiting for us. I do not know if the German guy made that flight or spent the night in lock up. As we walked to the plane the Officer had in her hand a large manila envelope. We got to the hatch and there was an attendant waiting to receive us. The flight was full and the passengers in those ‘emergency extra leg room seats’ were looking impatiently at us. The officer then passed the attendant the envelope. I had long since forgotten about the whereabouts of passports and such I just wanted the nightmare to end. To my surprise I had managed to hold it all together, thus far.
IO: ‘These are the two deportees. Here are their passports (hands over envelope). Do not hand them their passports until they are out of American Airspace.’
Well on hearing those words, I lost it. I finally buckled and the tears started to flow. The people in those front seats were now staring and you knew they were thinking – so what did you get caught for? To make things worse our seats were way way back at the rear of the plane. That was a long walk.
I sat down, and once the plane took off I cried myself to sleep. When I awoke we were back in Gatwick. By the time I got back home my mum and dad were to put it lightly, VERY surprised to see me. It had been a nightmare 30hours. I went to bed and did not budge for 24hours.
And that is why I have a phobia of all things related to immigration and why I have not returned to the states since. I have never had reason to go back until now. I can actually laugh at what happened. At the time it seemed like the most terrible thing in my life. But it was an experience, you learn from it; somehow you get strength from these situations. Since then I have travelled thousands of miles. I still get those butterflies when the immigration officer pauses a little longer than usual when looking at my passport.
BUT in my 'everything happens for a reason way of thinking' the truth is that had I NOT been refused entry on that fateful day I would most probably never have ended up in Malaysia. Given the choice – USA or Malaysia, I will prefer to call Malaysia home every single time.

VISA please - part I

2010-03-25T09:08:00.003+08:00

I need to apply for a VISA to go to Kona in October. I am starting the process today. Under normal circumstances a British Passport holder does not require a VISA. But mine are not normal circumstances and I do not want to take any chances. It all happened a very long time ago...here is part one of that story.

Many years ago, 17 to be exact I took a year out from my studies. (Gosh this post is going to make me feel old!) An opportunity presented itself to travel so I deferred my college place for a year so I could go fly the coup so to speak. I got myself a full time job in a frozen chicken factory in my home town so that I could save enough money to fund flights and expenses while away. Working in that factory was perhaps the most mind numbing (literally and mentally) experience I have ever encountered. I lasted 10weeks and then was out of there with a few hundred pounds in my pocket - I do not envy my co-workers who were 'stuck' in such a dead end with no choice but to take whatever they could to earn a living - (but that's another story).

Anyway. I was 18years old and had never flown. My destination was Houston, Texas the grand ol' US of A.

I travelled over and settled into my new temporary life. Life in Houston was plastic, at the time I knew little else but now 17years on I have plenty of experiences to compare it to. But it was a start to my exploration of the world and I made the most of it, eating my weights worth (which in those days was a lot) in Tex Mex almost every day!

After a couple of months I had to return to Blighty for an emergency. The plan was to attend to the 'emergency' and then fly back and continue on the exploration. Since a visa waver in the USA for British passport holders is only 3month's I decided to go to the US embassy in London while back home and apply for a 6month visa so I could travel for a longer period and not have to worry about those dreaded visa runs!

SO off I go to London for the day. I remember quite clearly queuing up outside on that cold winters morning waiting to be let in. Once inside fill up the never ending form, submit it and wait. And wait....AND wait.

Finally your name is called and you go up to the counter - similar to a bank teller, from the get go it is not a friendly environment and nothing is done to put you at ease. I am sure it is probably even worse now!

So the officer in charge (person with a badge that makes her think she is important) goes through my application. Question after question after question. It's all down there I say.

'But you have just come back from the states, why do you want to go back again,' she asks.

'There is plenty more to see,' I say. I want to spend longer there and travel some more,' I say.

'How will you support yourself,' she says.

'I was working full time in the UK before I left, I have savings,' I explain.

'I took a year out from my studies in order to do this,' I add.

'I have pay slips and proof of my employment here in the UK,' I offer.

'Sorry, you have just been in the USA for two months, I see no reason why you should go back or have a 6month visa,' she decides. And there you have it. She then proceeded to put a black stamp in my passport saying VISA denied.

Holy crap I think. I already have a ticket booked for my return. I thought this was a simple thing. Being young, and not having a lot of money I did not want to simply 'throw' my hard earned ticket away - at the time it cost me GBP400. So I asked. 'Will this prevent me getting into the USA if I go on normal visa waiver terms?'

She replies, so very very helpfully I may add, 'I don't know'.

And so I made the decision to fly. I simply did not think that the stamp in my passport would affect my getting into the country. Young, naive but most importantly - innocent, I had done nothing wrong. So 5days later I boarded the Continental flight to Houston. My tummy was heavy with butterflies and I jokingly said to friends on my departure 'see you tomorrow'. At the time little did I realise how true those words would ring.

A Forrest Gump Moment

2010-03-20T16:34:00.002+08:00

I had me a Forrest Gump Moment this morning. Woke up. Put on runners and headed out the door. There was a slight drizzle in the air, it was cool despite being 8am. Perfect running weather. The plan was to run the 70.3 course and some so I knew wearing my iPod would not be a hazard to my safety - no cars to listen out for and I am in Singapore after all so no danger!

I started running, volume turned up to the max. No pressure, no real target. Just enjoy. And enjoy I did. Constantly there was a huge smile appearing on my face. Felt a bit stupid as I was not with anyone and passers by may have wondered what an earth I was smiling at. Mad white chick running in the now heavy rain.

Just happy to be out there and running and feeling good, well kind of good. Still coughing, and stuffed up but a nice run all the same.

And so to the Forrest Gump Moment. From Bayshore apartments I ran down to the East Coast park and along to the big splash and beyond as far as I could go. I then turned around and ran back the other way past my turn off and again as far as I could go. I then turned back and started to head home when I remembered the jetty that goes out to sea. It is pretty long and I wanted to add a little bit more on (I was aiming for 2hours) so okay there was a target. The jetty was lined with fisherman casting their lines, I gave them big smiles they gave me big smiles right back. And then to the end. No where to go but turn around and run back! And that was my Forrest Gump Moment.

It's very rare that I have such runs that make me feel so happy and alive. The race is tomorrow and I am happy I am not racing. It is good to be here, to be part of the action, to be in the playground without having to suit up. I don't think I will always feel this way but since I accepted a month of 'nothing' I do not feel like I am missing out on anything. On the contrary it is good and healthy to be on the other side of the fence...for a change :)