Roda Impian ku

The saying goes, "life is like a wheel, one day you'll be up, the other day you'll be down".

Well, yesterday's LSD was exactly the down side of the wheel. Unfortunately, I did not finish as I thought I would, at least not at this point. I was taken back to my first ever LSD with Ian from Bukit Jalil LRT towards Shah Alam toll plaza (via KESAS) and back, preparing for Adidas 2008. I failed miserably.

Well, I have never been 'up' yet, but the 'down' yesterday was rather frustrating.

We planned a 25k, running Bukit Aman - Matrade - Hartamas and back. There was Diket, Shuk, Hanchik, Det, Crusshio and Akmal. I figured Nik was either running with Kash from Kiara, or could be in Langkawi getting all inspired for his first Ironmang! I thought of raking in Double Hills too. We started pounding as planned, and the first part was great, and as usual we threw jokes around. We progressed well towards Petronas, and did our mandatory pitstop.

It was thereafter that started in agony. It was near Matrade that I took a glance at my HRM, and it read 182bpm. Wallau! It turned out that my HR was way out of the radar, I was running anaerobically, and at 90%+ off - I read somewhere it could be fatal. Or at least, it is damaging, and does no good at all.

Note :

Need to google and do a little research on running beyond the allowable %.

Regardless, sorry Diket and Shuk. Didn't mean to hold you guys down. Seeing you guys walking and waiting up for me was already punishing enough, I felt like hailing a cab back and swear any LSD with them, ever again. But, life is not as simple as opening a milk carton.

I thought there are many factors that may affect, or cause my anxieties. I cannot dwell to much in what went wrong, or let alone sulk in my wardrobe - some things just won't work out some times. Pick up the crumbs, and move on.

Being a Friday and swim-replacement class done earlier, I was not factored to rush for swims, or classes and hence granted sufficient time to stretch. A cool iced milo-O was a must nowadays, as I drove home in a relatively traffic-free ride.

LSD done. At the end of it, I was doubting my ability to go full for Energizer. The race, is right smack in the middle of the period when my wife could be in a delivery room, clutching my hands. I have gone through that once before, and the weeks leading to it, and right after, are some crazy days.

O well, will see if next week's LSD goes, that will gauge enough intensity of whether Energizer is a go or not.

And today, P.O.S. #4 at Bukit Jalil Aquatics! I have grown really fond of swimming lately, where there are days I skipped lunch to dip in the warm pool at home. And BJ Aquatics have so far been home to my 'swim LSD' - good crowd, good pool, free parking etc. There were Ian (our host), Kash, Nady, Nadia, Shyrim and bubbly Fong, all training real hard for Kapas-Marang.

Had a great swim, or at least that's how I felt. I only managed the first 100m non-stop, and the rest with 50m wall breaks. In total, I did a full 1.3km (wow! that was 26 laps!).

I struggled the first half, finding my ways to float, as if I have forgotten all what Eric has taught me all along - from breathing to flutter kicks. It was the second half that I felt more comfortable with breathing, mostly doing 2-strokes/breather, as opposed to 4-strokes/breather. Perhaps next week, I'll ask Eric to whip out the bilateral breathing 101.

What I realised was, the 2-strokes/breather gives me more peace, knowing mentally that I could get my air every 2 strokes etc, and focus more on gliding and techniques. Baru tenang sikit... but I did alternate between that and 4-strokes, to lengthen my strokes and spend less time looking up. I felt Bukit Jalil Aquatics is a new playground. I wish it is a stone's throw away from my house.

Aiyya... (heard that UIA has a pool too - will check it out)

Anyway, the guys did their mandatory 3km like eating cheesecake while laughing about simple things in a cafe (btw - Fong learned swimming from lifeguards, and Arief learned his from youtube - talk about inspirations!). We left the pool and melepak outside at the building for a surprise birthday makan-makan for Nadia, where Ian brought hotdogs/coneydogs, and Kash with her cold drinks and she sponsored the birthday cupcakes too, which I spent doing the day before (and losing sleep thinking the relations between Rocket Queen and Axl Rose - I mean, how is that to the story behind the title Rocket Queen).

Alas, what I thought was true as what Nadia told us. It was 'that' Rocket Queen in Axl Rose's love/sex life which she did not know earlier. So, hope the cool devilish cupcakes was right. It was a moist chocolate muffin with blackcurrant paste, topped with meringue cream and lemon zest, fashioned like white fire.

Anyway, regardless the translation, Happy **th Birthday, Nadia!

Will rest now - have Larian Merentas Desa at Kiara on Sunday. Just a short 6k for kick - and I missed the trails really badly. It was rainig when I left Mutiara Damansara this evening, and tomorrow will be slippy!