Triathlon Checklist

Here’s a checklist I prepared for the event. It includes the stuff I would actually wear on that day since I intend to bike to and from the race.

General

1. Watch or Heart Rate Monitor – I just used a watch as I wasn’t comfortable wearing the chest strap during the swim, and wanted to keep things simple for the race – the less to fiddle with the better.
2. Plastic Bags – To store all the wet clothes, towels for the ride home.
3. Fuel for Bike & Run – Accelerate, Pocarri, Power Bar/Gel, whatever your fancy.
4. Sun cream – Essential for sun protection, works well to prevent jelly fish stings too.
5. Change of clothes for after the event.
6. Tri clothes – For me, Tri shorts. Some prefer Tri full suit – you will need a race belt with a full suit, unless you want to start pinning race numbers in the middle of a transition.
7. Race kit – race number, registration form, identity, etc…
8. Wallet/phone (water proofed in case of rain)

Swim

1. Goggles
2. Big bottle or bucket of water - To rinse off after the (sea) swim leg, and to wash off the sand from your feet. Also helps to have some water to drink during the transitions.
3. Big Towel – To spread on the ground to step/sit on after you have cleaned your feet. I also like to have one more (smaller) towel to dry off during the transition.

Bike

1. Jersey or Singlet (with race numbers pinned on). If you are wearing a Tri full suit, this is where you put on the race belt with the numbers pinned on.
2. Socks (if you need them – I do).
3. Bike shoes (if you need them – I do).
4. Bike Helmet with race numbers stuck on.
5. Bike with race numbers stuck on, and bike water bottle(s).
6. Sunglasses (if you like)

Run

1. Running shoes.
2. Running cap (if you like).
3. Spare socks – in case of rain, it is good to have dry socks before the run.
4. Dry shirt (if you like – I couldn’t be bothered to change, just wear DriFit)

Animals...

Been having some run-ins with animals lately. Perhaps God is teaching me and the family about our responsibilities towards the animals around us.

' Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." ' Genesis 1:26

1. 
   
   
   First, some bird decided to build a nest in one of the trees in a small garden next to our lift lobby, and of course it got cut down when the trees where pruned. Some kind soul (gardener?) tried to prop it back up on the branch, but it was not in a good position (no shelter from wind and rain). From quiet observation (involving a bit of hiding and creeping), discovered that it was the nest of yellow vented bulbul - quite pretty birds as you can see. We re-positioned the nest, strengthened the branch with some ropes, and over the next few weeks, checked back regularly. The nest actually fell a few times after that due to gusts of wind, but praise God that the eggs were not damaged. The eggs finally hatched into 2 pretty little birds (see pic on the left: nest and two gapping mouths of the hatchlings, and pic on the right showing what the adult birds look like), and over about 2 weeks, the parent birds both came back to feed the hatchings. Even then, one of the hatchlings fell out a couple of times, and we had to chase it down (can't fly yet) and prop it back up into the nest. Finally one day I came back and saw the nest empty - I hope it means the two baby birds are fine and well now. There are many yellow vented bulbuls in my area, and each time I see them, I like to imagine that the two we "saved" through God's grace are there amongst them. :)
2. Then some time later, we were dropping off some stuff at the Salvation Army collection centre, I saw that someone had left a hamster cage. Upon taking a look, I found that there were actually two live hamsters still in the cage, can you believe that? It is hard to imagine what would possess a person to abandone their pet hamsters at the Salvation Army collection centre. If the rodents are becoming a problem, why don't they pay for a vet to put them to sleep in a humane way rather than abandone them at the shelter to die a slow death. I must confess that I too did not do the right thing - I was in a rush and that's just what I did, I rushed off.
   
3. Just when I was feeling really bad about leaving the hamsters there, we found an abandoned rabbit where we live.
   
   Apparently someone tossed it into the rubbish chute and the cleaners found it and did not know what to do with it. We took it home for a couple of days least it die of hunger or be attacked by the neighbourhood cats, and of course the kids fell in love with it - a very beautiful brown rabbit as you can see.
   
   Had to make a quick decision - keep it or drive it all the way to SPCA. Finally decided on the latter, mainly because the kids are still too young to care for it. It was a good experience for the boys to come with me to SPCA, but kinda hard to explain why anyone would want to throw such a beautiful animal into the chute!

My prayer is that even as the Lord blesses us, that we do not become an ungracious society that takes it as our right to abuse animals in the name of selfishness and convenience. Although it is sad that the pets were abandoned, I am thankful that the Lord brought these animals to me, as it gave me the opportunity to teach my children their God given role to care for the animals around us. Hopefully, the brown rabbit (named "Brownie" by the boys) has found a good home by the time of this post.

Transitions and Bricks???

There seems to be a global culture of inventing strange words to confuse newcomers, and sometimes it seems Triathlons are no exception - it has a bit of its own language and sub-culture as well. :) I learnt pretty quickly that T1, T2 refers to the swim/bike transition and the bike/run transition respectively. I also leant recently that a brick is not just the stuff we build a wall with, it also refers to any training that combines two or more of the swim/bike/run workouts.

I was initially focused on just doing more swims, cycling, runs, but not all together. I was thinking that if I wanted to do all three together, I am already doing the Triathlon, so no point in parting part in the OSIM Triathlon. Well, last week I got worried about my ability to complete the course, so started doing some bricks - specifically swim/bike and bike/run (I will probably try just one full brick swim/bike/run - if any - before the race). Despite reading about it, I was still surprised at how "strange" it felt going from the swim to the bike (T1) and the bike to the run (T2). Going from the swim to the bike, I felt all "wobbly" and unstable. 1st time I did it, I actually fell over while standing over the bike having a quick chat with my traning buddies! Just last Sunday, I did the bike/run brick and this time, going from the bike into the run, my legs felt very stiff - my calfs especially felt that they were at the border of cramping up. I actually had to stop running for a few minutes to stretch out my calf.

So the lesson learnt for me is to take it slow on the bike after the swim and be extra careful of losing my balance. Perhaps to take it easy and just "spin" on low gear for a few minutes until my legs are probably warmed up. On the bike/run transition, perhaps I probably should slow down just before the end of the bike route and start stretching my calfs on the bike to save some time, I should also start the run slow and take time to "warm up" the legs for the run - different muscle groups afterall.

Month Number Three

WOW... almost at the end of month 3. Have not been updating my blog for almost 2 months - was discouraged when I found out that I cannot add pictures to it anymore using "Hello!". Also discovered that the Polar 625X comes with a nice training log software so I have stopped updating my training log here. Sorry!

Been getting dis-illusioned with blogspot and trying to find a better place to host my blog... Besides nto being able to post pictures using "Hello" (the only method I know how to post pictures), I also found that not all my post titles are displayed on the right bar. Perhaps it is time for me to learn HTML. :(

My motivation for pursuing Intentional Discipleship & the Sprint Triathlon has not changed though. So what's new? Well, I have signed up for the Sprint event in the OSIM Triathlon (2-3 July)! This is much earlier than my original target to participate in the Coporate Triathlon scheduled in Oct. I have been joining some friends in their training for the Olympic distance and I decided I might go for the Sprint event after all. I am probably not 100% prepared for the Sprint event, but with all the encouragement (peer pressure?) I am getting, I decided to go for it.

Will post more details on my preparations next time...

GAP Analysis - After The First Month!

Can’t believe it has been more than a month since I started this blog! Progress wise I have not come as far as I would have liked.

Sprint Triathlon GAPs
On the Sprint Tri side, I have been using the “comments” in my post on “Couch to Sprint Triathlon - TRAINING LOG” as a training log, but the short of it is that I am still not confident of being able to complete even one of the 3 events (swim, bike, run) within a reasonable time. The main learning point for me this first month has been the awareness of the GAP between where I am now and where I want to be. I was never the athletic sort to begin with, and it is really a challenge to even get to the fitness levels of some of my peers without even talking about a Tri! After a month, the “shine” of entering a Sprint Tri is wearing off and hence motivation is also getting lower.

1. If I go into the individual events, I am probably most challenged by the swim. I really struggle to swim 800m front crawl non-stop and when I do, even my wife and kids tell me I am slow – to quote my 4 year old “Papa why are you so slow when you swim? The other man is so fast, but you are so slow.” :) The plan here is to try breaking up the swim into 4 “reps” of 200m with overall timing of 8mins per rep – i.e. if I finish in 7 mins, I get to rest 1 min, but if I take 8mins, then no rest between reps.
2. I should be able to finish 20km on the bike in about 30mins, but if I compare myself to my biking buddies, I am still way slow – I am probably consistenly 2-5km/hr slower than these guys overall, and I am also weaker in hill climbs. My trusty old steel bike is working out well so far, despite the jests about the down-tube shifters, the heavy steel frame, and the colour – seems pink and yellow is no longer in season. ;) I am pretty happy riding it and do not foresee myself splurging $3K on my dream bike – Giant TCR Composite 3 – anytime soon.
3. I am getting worried about the run. I can consistently finish my usual route in about 23-24mins, and I had thought it was longer than 4km. Yesterday I went and measured the distance (finally) and found it is was more like 3.9km. :( This means I need to extend my run and get conditioned to running 5km or more. At this point I don’t even know how long it will take me to run 5km!

So overall, I think the challenge now is probably to have a good attitude and keep the training interesting – very important to have fun in the process. :) I also need to set realistic “interim” targets – perhaps to be able to consistently/comfortably complete each individual event in 30mins (i.e. 800m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) by the end of April? Only after that can I even think about combining the events and maybe going for a “mock” sprint tri. I remember seeing some Sprint Tri in July/Aug and the Coporate Tri in Oct, so my objective to COMPLETE a sprint tri this year still looks achieveable.

Intentional Discipleship GAPs
On the Intentional Discipleship side, I am also making slow but steady progress - e.g. I have finally written and posted my testimony. Since receiving the touch of the Holy Spirit in Feb, I can truly see the Spirit working daily in me to give me more wisdom (more understanding/discernment of spiritual things), power (the ability, energy, health, motivation to serve) and love (for my pastors/leaders; fellow brothers/sisters in Christ; and non-believers I encounter at work, in the famly, neighbourhood, etc). Similarly, one of the main learning points has been the awareness of the GAP of where I am currently and where God wants me to be. However, that is where the similarity ends because the Lord has also been teaching me that the means to overcoming that GAP is not my self-effort alone, but through the working of the Holy Spirit that is already in me.
”Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 1 Corinthians 1:21-22
“for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
I have learnt that the key to having an effective ministry (at home, at work, in church, etc.) is to be CONTINUALLY filled (or re-filled) with the Holy Spirit. And in turn the means towards being filled in the Holy Spirit seems to be

1. Submission to God and the authority he has placed over us (e.g. the pastors/leaders in church).
2. Recognizing that the Holy Spirit is a part of the Holy Trinity that lives in us and ministers to us – hence should be treated as a PERSON and not a “feeling” or “attitude” (i.e. just TALK to Him.
3. Maintaining a close walk with the Lord – thru Quiet Time (prayer & reading His Word). In terms of how much of that I have put into practice, I am ashamed to say that I am still not consistently doing my Quiet Time (i.e. both prayer and reading His Word) daily. There has been some improvement, in that ALMOST daily, I either read the bible using the “Cover to Cover” annual plan or do the Masterlife lesson as part of the church’s Intentional Discipleship program. However, I have fallen way short of my commitment to pray for the church at least 30mins a day.

Again, here I recognize the need to set acheiveable targets for April and mine will be to read His Word DAILY (as opposed to ALMOST daily) and to set aside at least 30mins for prayer daily.

My Testimony...

Well, I am at this point in the Masterlife series that I am to practise writing a testimony, so here it is...

My Life Before I Followed Christ
I have been very blessed even before I ever knew about Christ. I was born into a rather traditional Chinese family and have self-sacrificing parents whose only true desire was to make sure me and my sister grew up ok and are happy. As such, I did not lack anything growing up and had a head start in life through my education and confidence in life. I have been exposed to Christianity/Catholism from a young age, but saw it more as a "repent or go to hell" thing so there was abosultely no buy-in from me. :)
Many years later, I had what I thought was the perfect life for a Singaporean - great job, fast car and a air stewardess girlfriend (don't ask me why, but those 3 seemed to be the stuff of dreams back then). But you know what, for some strange reason, I was NOT happy. I was even depressed sometimes, especially when I cannot fill my time with working and being merry - e.g. there were nights when my friends had other engagements and I would be alone at home, and the feelings of depression and nameless anger would start. Needless to say, I was NOT the most pleasant guy to be with, even for my parents, as I was angry with them for not providing me with EVEN BETTER things in life!

What Happened?
Over time, I broke up with the air stewardess girlfriend, and I met someone else - you guessed it, my wonderful wife! :) She was certainly not destitude, but being from a large family, she also did not have a lot of the things that I had. BUT, she had JOY in her life. I could tell that she was genuinely happy and I could not figure it out. We started dating, and I remember one day, she lost a very expensive necklace of her mom's. She was freaking out and praying, and I decided to help pray too. So I literally said one of those "God, if you are really there.." prayers, and lo and behold, she found the necklace shortly. Still, I was not totally convinced - that could have been just a freak incident. I started attending some church services with her (as all good aspiring boy friends do) and while we were visiting churches, we came to Christ Methodist Church. For some reason, the sermons there really spoke to me in the 1st few weeks that we attended them. I can't really recall what the content of the sermons are, just that they really spoke to my heart. I guess that was the turning point for me, when I realised that Christianity was not about "obeying rules or go to hell", but about having a RELATIONSHIP with a loving God. So I commited to attend the services at Christ Methodist Church and even joined a Care Group (basically a small group that meets regularly to pray, study the bible, chit-chat, and have fun). Looking back, the Care Group had significant impact in my decision to stay in church. Having a group of (eventually) close friends with the same faith with whom I can talk about ANYTHING (my fears, desires, mistakes, encouragements), knowing that I will not be judged, but instead have emotional and prayer support is a tremendous thing. (If you are not in a Care Group, you REALLY ought to try it. It will feel kinda weird the 1st few meetings, but once the ice is broken, you will have loads of fun and be blessed tremendously.)

My Conversion
It is actually kinda hard to place a moment in time when it happened, but I gradually understood a few important facts:

1. Christianity is about having a RELATIONSHIP with a loving God, not about obeying rules, giving money, trying to be good, etc...
2. God is good, and so cannot tolerate sin. The very definition of sin is that which displeases (or does not honour) God. So rather than a God who sets rules and punishes us when we break them, I now understand that our God is a very strong and very pure God - that He is not a wishy-washy, whatever-happens kinda God, but a God who has a strong personality/character and one who is true to His principles.
3. When God created us, He chose (out of His love) to give us free will - otherwise we would be like robots. When God made that decision, He knew that He is relinquishing control over us, and literally giving us the option to turn away from Him (i.e. to sin). This concept may be hard to grasp, but I know that as a parent, I would rather give my children the will to decide to how to live their lives, rather than to have children who are not able to think for themselves.
4. So since God hates sin, and He has promised to punish those who sin (to correct us so we live according to His will - which is good, perfect and pleasing), AND at the same time, He loves us too much to let us receive the full result of our sin - DEATH, the only way He can reconcile us to Him is to punish HIMSELF! For who else can pay for all the sins of all people for all time once and for all? Certainly not mortals like us created in His image.
5. That's just what He did - He stepped into time in the form of Jesus and died for each one of us - without having any control over who will actually be saved, because He has also given us free will to chose to accept Him or not. That means it is fair for me to say that God made that sacrifice even if it would result in only me being saved - how's that for a persoanl God?

What Being a Christian Means to Me?
Because He loves me, I want to love Him and honour Him in return. So I

1. Accept Him into my life as Lord and Saviour (latter is so much easier than former, but they come together) . :) Having him as my Lord means literally, putting Him first in EVERYTHING.
2. I seek to deepen my RELATIONSHIP with Him by communicating with Him (via reading His Word and praying).

The two feed each other, because when we communicate with the Lord, He continually shows us areas in our life that may not be right with Him - i.e. not in line with His good, pleasing and perfect will - and so in response we continue to make Him the Lord of our lives by changing these areas to please Him.

Having a BALANCED walk with God

This is the "Disciple's Cross" illustration from the Masterlife series, and to me it is a good summary of the Christian walk.

1. First and foremost, the starting point has to be the willingness to take up our cross DAILY, so as to have a relationship with God.
   "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23
2. So how do we have a relationship with God? The vertical axis of the cross reminds us that the two main areas of communication with Him are Prayer and His Word. Experience has shown that if either one of these is missing, we lack the means to communicate with our Lord. It would be like complaining that our best friend or family does not call, when we are not even at the phone to hear it ring.
3. Finally, the horizontal axis points to what overflows from a close walk with the Lord - Fellowship with fellow Christians and Witnessing to non-Christians. This forms the basis of our Ministry or Service for the Lord.

I have found this simple illustration to be very useful in checking my walk with the Lord. Anytime that we find that the 4 elements in the vertical and horizontal axis of the cross - Prayer, Word, Fellowship and Witness - not being in balance in our lives, is an indication that we need to check our walk with God. For example, reading His Word but not praying could be a sign that I am relying too much on my own understanding/interpretation of His Word and may even be playing "Bible lottery" - you know, the dangerous game of flipping the bible to a random page/verse and trying to find a specific answer to our need of the moment. Or, another example is if I am consistently praying and reading His Word, but have no ministry (to Christians or non-Christians) to show for it, I am in danger of reading/knowing His will but not doing it.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. " James 2:14-17