What the…..!!! October 31, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentI woke up at 6am, looked outside, saw some rain and went back to bed. 7:30am, I woke up again to go see the half marathon course that I'm gonna be running in exactly a week.
And the course…It was just a heartbreaking course. The first 2km or so, is flat and looked pretty easy. Then comes a right turn and here are the words that went through my mind, 'What the F*%#!?!?". There was this one super long/steep uphill lasting forever and guess what, the car was having a hard time climbing it…I guess I'll have a LOT of fun climbing that one. The uphill lasted until around the 10km point and after that came a really steep downhill. The view was nice, you could see the ocean and some trees but the bad part…It's a bridge and when you look down, You're like 100m above the ground…Yikes!!! So I look back at what I've trained for and what kinda courses I've been running. I've been running FLATS!!! I wonder if I could climb that hill…I guess the first 10km will be a slow one.
Later today: I went for a haircut and stopped by at one of the sports shop. Got myself a fuel belt and this one girl came by to my mom, she gave a little pamphlet about a credit card whatever…She was all nervous and stuff and admitted that today was her first day working…hehe. It looked like she was gonna cry any second, how cute…When I got home, I took a nap and was wearing my new fuel belt around the house for no particular reason, it just felt good to have one. I'm gonna test it tomorrow since it's been raining all day and I had a headache due to the humidity.
Wow, this is taking longer than I thought October 30, 2005
Posted by clayton in : , add a commentBike maintenance….It's interesting doing all these new stuff that the book tells me to do but it just takes way toooo much time. I have absolutely no problem with the Bike Wash ofcourse, but the chain, gears, etc is just killing me. I hate messing with the derailleurs especialy….I don't wanna mess with it but my gears aren't changing smoothly, I'd love to take it to the bike store where I bought my bike but it's 20km from my house plus all the traffic's in the way. So, I have to do it myself. Besides, once I know how to do it, I won't have to keep on depending on the bike stores. I wish they could teach me how, I did ask the store owner but he told me that I shouldn't mess with it much…Then how do I get better at it? I don't care if I break a few derailleurs as long as I get the hang of adjusting all the screws.
Here's my favorite part of bike maintenancing, Bike Wash!!! It's soooo goood to see my bike shining:-) Hey buddy, lookin good eh? hehe…I thought some of those dirty marks were hopeless to take off until THE saviour, BIKE WASH came to rescue my bike.
The worst part of bike maintenancing, getting used to it. This maintenancing thing is still stressful for me…Still? it's my first time but anyway I think this is something that I can't avoid because triathlon is a life long sport, isn't it??;-) I don't wanna become 40yrs old and say that I've been training for triathlons for 24yrs when I can't even maintenance my bike properly. I know young people will ask how to do things like this because I ask questions to people who have been in this triathlon thingy for…well atleast longer than I've been in. So, I gotta get used to it.
No workouts today…actually, for the past 3days…my body is starting to rust and I need some oil, or in other words, SWEAT!!! I feel like running tomorrow, only if the sky gets its blue back. Hopefully, it will and I'd love to run 20km. I'm also gonna get a haircut tomorrow, my hair getting long is really bothering me, especially when I run.
Sleepy October 29, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentI just finished maintenancing my bike for the first time and it's 2am!!! I'm just way toooo sleeeepy to be blogging. I was gonna start around 8pm but still didn't have the oil…When I noticed, it was already 10pm…So, it took me 4hours and I'm still not done with the whole thing. I need to do some bike setting and stuff. No ride tomorrow but maybe Sunday. To be honest, it was kinda fun getting my hands dirty and cleaning my bike…I think I'll be doing this once a month or so. I just hope I get better and faster at it. I'll write some more tomorrow, good night!!!
I needed oil? October 28, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentI guess I did…Yes, I made my first attempt to try to clean/ maintenance my bike but nope, it didn't go well. I needed oil!!! I did test the "Bike wash" that I bought last weekend and it REALLY works. The dirty stuff that's been sticking on my bike which I've been trying to wipe off with a little bit of water and a towel that never came off…I sprayed bike wash on a towel and wiped…and the dirty stuff? Where did it go? Was it even there? CLEAN!!!
Oh yeah, does anyone know how to use "Cyclone Chain Scrubber"?? On the box, it said, "For more information and complete instructions visit: www.parktool.com". I did get some more information but where's the complete instructions? I'll figure it out somehow…
Tomorrow: I'll clean/ maintenance my bike and won't forget to get some oil. After that, the usual swim and 6km MTB ride.
A combination of happiness and motivation October 27, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a comment The usual day at school, played soccer during PE and I was sooo careful not to get myself kicked…It worked, I wasn't kicked at all but on the other hand, I wasn't really in the game either. Who cares? I don't feel like getting injured 
I got off school really early for some reason and I got home before 4pm. The bad part…It was raining…It's time to take a nap!!! Forget about the rain and relax, I'll need to save some energy for the swim anyway. I did put some oil on the back brakes of my MTB but couldn't test it because it was raining pretty hard outside. No 20km ride to the swimming pool today, instead, a nice swim.
The swim: It went really well and I felt some speed. I think I'm able to swim much smoother than last week. I usually feel myself moving forward, stop, move forward, stop…None of that today. The best part of today's swim, my coach and two triathletes said, "You're getting faster, aren't you?" or something like that. Well, I do go to the pool 4times a week…It'll be crazy if I'm not getting any faster…But still, someone else noticing/ telling me that I'm getting faster is really good motivation. Now, I wanna get faster;-) and I will. Swam about 1000m, focused on form…"catching" the water, not pushing my arms back but pulling my body forward. Today's swim made me think a bit, 'Swimming IS fun' when's the last time I thought that? I've always been thinking of getting faster, ofcourse, but getting away from that thought and swimming slow while having fun for awhile really changes a day, a week, maybe a month. In my opinion, it's not all about doing my best to get faster but it's more like doing my best and having fun while I'm at it. I guess that's what I learned from today's swim, a valuable one hour:-D
Tomorrow: I'll fix/ clean my road bike and if I have time, I'll do the same with my MTB…priorities…I'll study before cleaning the MTB. If I have some more extra time, a run will come in. I really wanna go for a hill climb, just don't know why…I'm just weird.
Am I weird? October 26, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentAs always, I didn't go as planned. Who does? I mean, something has to go wrong doesn't it? I don't really believe in 100%, I do my best to take myself closer to that number and that's all. I do believe in temporarily being 100% though… Motivation and stuff like that are different…try to keep myself at 200% or more everyday:-)
Today, I cancelled a 10km run that wasn't even planned. I told myself, 'it wasn't planned anyway.' though I still felt like I left something behind…What is it with me? ummm….I don't know. The worst part of it is that I had a long 1hr nap instead, which was planned to be 30min…To be honest, it wasn't even planned until I felt drowsy after school. I always suspect the weather predictions and think that they are wrong (which they were today too) but for some reason, I get a little grumpy when they really are wrong. Especially when it's supposed to be sunny but starts raining. 'Is it just me?' 'Am I the weird one?'…I get these thoughts because when it rains, my friends are like, "oh, it's raining…" and they don't seem to care much about wrong predictions unless it's a typhoon coming by and they have a big event coming up. Is it the difference in hobbies/ sports? but most of them play outdoor sports…Do they really like the sport they're doing? (I bed they do…)or are they just keeping the tiny little anger inside? It's not like I'm pissed off with wrong predictions but just a little upset, one of those times where a person sighs. This is why I sometimes wonder if I'm the weird one…I don't really have anything against being weird though…Then why do I wonder if I am or not? I'm not sure…
Swim: I did some 50m intervals but I don't know how much I swam. 1200m? obviously not above 2000m, now that's for sure…One of the fast swimmers talked to me and I have no idea why. We've been in the same pool for what? a year? and today's the first time talking…We take different courses, is that why?? Then why all of a sudden? Anyway, good to know this guy…he's an 11th grader too.
Tomorrow: I will fix my MTB brakes since they started squeaking. I think a little bit of oil on some parts will do, it better cuz I don't know any other way to fix it…and then, the tough Wednesday swim which has been getting easier after the triathlon event done 2weeks ago.
Not tired October 25, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentAm I getting used to training? I think so. Wednesday swims are still tough but other than that, everything is easier than it was a few months ago. I really think I got some endurance with running, still have hard times but it's fun looking at my lap times gradually getting better.
Swim: Medley practice again but nothing is really tough nowadays, I'm still slow but it's not like I don't have the energy. I might start doing some speed training…but how? I don't know. We had the usual interval trainings but I really don't need the intervals…Do I really have to rest? For me, I think it's better to have long distace interval trainings. It's always 50m, I think 200m is nice. I didn't have any workouts before the swim so I was energetic (and still am afterwards too). It was a good swim but just not tired.
Thoughts: oooooohh, I wanna go out for a hill climb. I don't know why but I miss riding that tough course. So, tomorrow, I'll maintenance my bike if I'm able to figure out how and I'll go for a hill climb on Saturday and Sunday morning!!! A little worried about the weather though…it's been cloudy these days. I'd like to say 5 laps!!! but I've never rode that long plus I don't even know if my legs could last 1…
Tomorrow: Gonna maintenance my bike if I'm able to understand the book and I'll have a swim. Looking forward for another 2000m or so. I'll have fun getting hit by the soccer ball during PE class tomorrow too. I was hit 2 times and was grabbed once today, it's only PE class but some guys just take it waaaayyyy tooooo seriously. I'll becareful not to get injured, already kicked in the legs 2times today…ouch!!! Felt like kicking him back, hehe.
Unintentional?? naaa…half-intentional? maybe October 24, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentI had an unintentional? 20km run. The plan was to go 10km at a fair pace but my legs didn't wanna stop.
The run: I start running…The first 2.5km is always a little fast just to warm myself up. As usual, I go fast a little. I'm still dragging my legs but no tiredness or pain left from yesterday… Well, I didn't really do anything yesterday. Not really focusing on anything…I start my 2nd lap and when I was halfway through, my legs started slowing down, I guess my legs were sleepy? just not moving enough. I take it easy on the last little uphill. The 3rd lap was a small disaster, I thought I was running at an even pace but when I looked at my timex, I was wayyyy too slow. I took it hard on the last little uphill which ofcourse got me tired. In to the 4th lap, I begin to catch a fair pace and a peculiar phenomenon occurs to my legs. My legs started recovering from some kind of tiredness/ heaviness. I didn't really take it all that hard on the last little hill but I felt pretty fast. DONE!!! but not satisfied, I could go 20km…Just didn't wanna feel that same feeling of no tiredness that I felt yesterday. The 5th lap…My legs feel perfectly fine!!! but my breathing is getting a little wild, so I focus on breathing. Yes!! halfway through the lap and I'm back to usual. 6th lap, I start getting scared of myself…'Was it this easy?' I ask myself, I've never felt this easiness while running. I keep my pace, just in case, so that I won't have any fears of slowing down during the last lap. In to the 7th lap but I still feel the easiness. I just had to lift my pace up and it felt good:-) 8th lap, AWESOME!!! I had the energy to have my final burst. It was a nice run.
Lap times: 1st 10:31, 2nd 10:34, 3rd 11:00, 4th 10:46, 5th 10:42, 6th 10:45, 7th 10:29, 8th 9:47. Total 1:24.39, a good 3min off my PR, or my first 20km run…YAY!! The best part of it was that I started my run around 3pm, it wasn't a night run.
After the run: I went to "the store" to get my maintenance tools etc…I think it was Mizuno?? they were having a shoe sale or something but hey, after the run, I'm already satisfied with Adidas:-)
Tomorrow: I'll either maintenance my bike or have a run after school. Then comes the usual swim, MTB 6km.
Another lazy day October 23, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentI slept in until 10:30am this morning and was a little disappointed. I did set my alarm clock but I don't remember hearing it ring. I'm sure that I switched it on the night before so here's my conclusion. The alarm clock rang and my arm automatically banged it off hard enough to not make it snooze for today. There's only 15days left till the half marathon and I'm still having these lazy days. By the way, my fat percentage went above 13% for the first time this month, NOOOOOO!!!!!!! Too much junk food, pizza and laziness. So, here's the plan…I'm gonna bring my fat % down to 10% before the half marathon, the only problem is…how? I've never tried to lose weight. I mean, my fat percentage was 16% before I started swimming but it's not like I tried to pull it down. I'm thinking LSD is the best way but then I won't be able to run fast…LSD swimming? or maybe a combination with LSD running and speed running.
Bike maintenance: naaaa, I don't know this stuff. I sit in front of my bike and ask myself, 'What am I gonna do?' I looked through a book that I had about how to maintenance a road bike but one problem, I didn't have the oil and whatever…I guess I'm not gonna have a bike ride tomorrow. I will go back to "the store" and get the stuff I need.
The run: I was lazy…only went 5km which was weird…I didn't feel like I ran, I need some more distance and a little more pain? maybe. 1st 9:39, 2nd 9:42, total 19:22.41. Looking at my lap time, the run was pretty good but there still is something missing…
Tomorrow: I'll have a long run, atleast 10km. Maybe 2 runs and I might spend some time with my other indoor trainer.
Coooooold!!! October 22, 2005
Posted by clayton in : workout , add a commentI had two swims today, one during PE which was sooooo COLD!!! and the usual swim. Some other friends who don't take swimming class were laughing at us…because we were shivering and all. The water temp was 26C, unbelievable. I bet there's something wrong with the thermometer because it was showing 26C on Monday and the water was obviously colder today. One of my friends called the class "ice burg swimming" and I can't think of a better way to explain it. Anyway, today was the last day of swimming class because a lot of students complained about how cold it was, if they didn't, it would've lasted until mid November…I'd probably be dead!!!
Second swim: My legs were kinda stiff after yesterday's 20km run but were much better than I thought. I was expecting some pain…By the way, my prediction was right, medley practice today. I really had a tough time butterflying my way through the water, had some unexpected hydration too. Other than that, we had some freestyle interval training which felt more like a warm up, mostly because I started going to the "other" pool. The last time I went there, I was able to go something like 50m*8 with a 1min cycle. Today's interval, 50*8 1min45sec cycle. Whaaaaaa? did I miss something? I ended up swimming an average of 55sec each 50m. Fastest, 52sec, slowest, 57sec. Ofcourse I was panting but hey, I had one whole minute to rest. Not really satisfied…there wasn't any pain.
Tomorrow: I'll have a run, maybe two. and it's gonna be bike maintenance day!!!! I haven't rode my road bike for a few weeks so I gotta start taking care of it, might spin a little on the indoor trainer if I figure out how to set it up right.