Hamstrings

With exactly two weeks to go before Powerman, training has been disrupted by my left hamstring. Since last weekends race in the Philippines, I haven’t been able to run. I tried to go for an easy run two days ago, but had to quickly abandon that plan. The good news is that I’ve been able to cycle pain free. Still, not being able to run properly just before the race of the year is a major bummer.

Most likely, I have pulled the hamstring. As there was never any swelling, I’m assuming there is no tear in the muscle. I hope by resting a few extra days and taking some anti-flammatories I should be able to resume some light running on Tuesday. Since running is my strength, I don’t believe it will be too much of a set back, but the situation is far from ideal.

Heat & Sanity

Roughly 90 km from where I live, there’s a city named Bien Hoa. There’s nothing mind-blowing about the place, apart from the fact that it has a quite famous mental hospital. The moment I even mention Bien Hoa and their infamous hospital, my students always chuckle. I’m seriously contemplating having my mental sanity assessed by the local psychiatrists. Then again, I hope they have moved on to modern day techniques and have dropped old ones such as lobotomies. Just kidding! :-D

One of the main reasons I love living in South East Asia is the weather, and I can now officially declare the rainy season to be over in southern Vietnam. OK, that’s not entirely true; currently it is the stormy season. Vietnam does frequently get hit by hurricanes which create enormous amounts of damage and deaths, especially in the north of the country. Just a week ago, a storm ravaged some northern provinces.

The end of the rainy season has brought scorching hot weather with temperatures over 35°C. For some reason, this shift from Mother Nature has had a positive effect on my training. For some reason, I thoroughly enjoy running in this heat at midday. For some reason, I just think that’s not normal. The Vietnamese certainly don’t. They must be amused seeing me on another masochistic and torturing run every day. Crazy foreigner!

I’m really getting excited about next week. The Open Duathlon Championships in the Philippines will only be my second Duathlon of the year, but unlike the first one in Singapore, I’m much fitter and will not hold back on particularly the run. It’s going to be full on business and I will try to give it my best. I’m going with certain ambitions, but realism keeps me in check. I have various tactical scenarios in my head for what might happen and most importantly who might be there. The goal is to utilize my strengths to the maximum.

How I adore my sloth days

Last Friday, I had my beloved sloth day from training. For the past month or so, I’ve been able to focus well on the schedule my coach had prepared for me. My endurance level is excellent, but I’m a little bit worried about my explosiveness. The constant solitary nature of training is starting to get to me a bit, thus having an effect on my motivation level. I guess it’s the end of the season blues, but the prospect of Powerman keeps me going. It’s the only Duathlon race in which I can test myself against some of the best duathletes in the world.

In two weeks, I will have my penultimate race of the season and my last warm up for the big one on November 9. The Open Duathlon Championships in the Philippines are going to be intense and I hope Aussie Rafael Baugh will be there. He finished 12th at the recent World Championships in Rimini, and even though I know he’s a more talented athlete than me, I relish the challenge.

As Powerman is a longer distance, it will be in my advantage. I prefer longer distances, and if it was up to me, they could add some kilometers to both the run and the bike. My goal will be to finish in the top ten, and if possible as close as possible to the number five spot. If I can run both run segments in roughly 37 minutes, my placing should be good. I have proven in various races this year that I am capable of reaching those targets. I can’t wait!!!

P.S.: Powerman Malaysia = 11 km run - 64 km bike - 10 km

The road to recovery

Today was a promising day in training. I had to take it easy for a few days as I was having some issues with my right Achilles tendon and calf. I was able to do the bike workout exactly as my coach had written it in my training plan. I did not do the 2 hour run off the bike; instead I did an easy 5 km run. Since I did it in 20 minutes flat, I think I shouldn’t complain too much. There is no negative reaction, so I hope by next weekend I can increase the volume again. We’re back on track.

Training can be mythical

The volume in training has been quite high lately and most of the time it’s a fine balancing act between what is sustainable and what isn’t. Currently, my body is telling me I’ve crossed the line. Therefore, the next few days, I won’t be running. I have strained my right Achilles tendon a bit. I’m not too worried. Rest for a few days should do the trick. Nevertheless, I couldn’t resist the temptation of doing some Google research and came across the story of the Greek mythical hero: Achilles.

According to ancient Greek mythology, Achilles was the Greek hero and greatest warrior of the Trojan War. His exploits were chronicled by Homer in the Iliad, one of Western civilization’s first great epic poems; Alexander the Great used the title Descendent of Achilles; and Achilles was a lead character in three movies: Helen of Troy (1956), Helen of Troy (TV 2003), and Troy (2004).Achilles' mother Thetis was one of the fifty Nereids. Nereids were friendly women who: lived in the Mediterranean Sea, associated with Poseidon (God of the Sea), helped sailors during storms, rode dolphins and sea turtles, and could predict the future. Achilles’ father Peleus was King of the Myrmidons and one of the Argonauts who accompanied Jason on the quest for the Golden Fleece. All the gods and goddesses except Eris (goddess of conflicts) were invited to Thetis's and Peleus's wedding. Eris did not like being excluded, so she threw a golden apple into the wedding banquet. The apple was inscribed “to the most beautiful”; which led to an argument between the beautiful goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite; which later contributed to the beginning of the Trojan war.

There are two versions of how Thetis tried to immortalize Achilles. In the earlier version she anointed him with ambrosia (a drink of the gods that reinforced their immortality) and then put him in a fire so that all his mortal parts would burn away, leaving only his anointed (and therefore immortal) parts. However, Peleus interrupted her and pulled Achilles out of the fire before his heel was burned. In the later version she dipped Achilles in the sacred river Styx, making every part of him that touched the water invulnerable. However, Thetis held Achilles by his heel while dipping him, so his heel was not touched by the water. In both versions, Achilles’ heel remained mortal, while the rest of his body became immortal. Achilles’ heel was Achilles' only vulnerability.

During the Trojan War Achilles was a seemingly invincible warrior. He captured over 20 Trojan towns, and killed many Trojan warriors and their allies. These included: Hector, Prince of Troy and the 2nd greatest warrior in the Trojan War; Memnon, King of Ethiopia and Greek historian; Cycnus, son of Poseidon and King of Colonae; and Penthesilia, Queen of the Amazon warriors. Later, Paris (who started the Trojan War by kidnapping Helen from Greece), aided by Apollo (God of Music and Archery), shot an arrow into Achilles’ heel and Achilles died of the wound.

As a result of the Achilles legend, the expression Achilles heel came to mean a small but fatal vulnerability, and the tendon connecting the heel to the calf became known as the Achilles tendon.

Rest day

Sigh!!!! (a relaxed sigh)

I love my lazy days. In my dictionary, it means a day without exercise. My goal, on days like these, has always been quite simple: “be like a sloth”. I try to honour my imitation in true spirit, although I wish I had less other commitments like work and grocery shopping. Nonetheless, today I’m a sloth.

Over the next 28 days or so, I’ll have exactly 3 lazy days (including today). My training schedule has been set up in 10 day training blocks. Each day consists of a bike workout and a run off the bike. Obviously, the intensity varies from day to day, but I’ll have my work cut out for the next month.

The toughest part of training is the constant loneliness. I miss having training partners, people who can push you to the next limit when training requires you to push that little extra. Vietnam isn’t a very sport minded country; let alone finding someone who does duathlon/triathlon. The biggest challenge until Powerman isn’t the physical aspect, it’s the constant mental strain training puts on you. I’m glad I’m an ultra-competitive someone, it helps. I reached my goals in Desaru, and I will achieve them in Powerman too.