Day 3/28 – Breathe in, breathe out, and perve

Early morning swim somewhere in The Caribbean  – It doesn’t get better than this!

I’m a water baby.

From the moment my parents took me out for my first swim-and-dip at six months, I’ve been hooked.
Swimming never feels hard for me, it just feels natural and utterly relaxing.

I’ve had the fortune of going for long ocean swims in The Maldives (thanks Napha, Mark and Pat!) and in The Carribbean (oh Skimpy!) and nothing, almost nothing ;-p feels better first thing in the morning. If I had my way, I would start every day with an ocean swim.

Being a decent swimmer however has made me lazy when it comes to triathlon training. I hardly spend any time in the pool, I rarely push myself and often find myself switching to breaststroke when I should be working my heart rate up doing non-stop laps of freestyle.

Tonight, I found some additional inspiration swimming beside me. Two cute guys with killer swimmer bods (one was even wearing Speedos!) and super smooth strokes. Suddenly I found myself swimming faster, attempting to keep up even though all I did was eat their wake or dodging them as they barreled past me.

Near accidents aside, I was happy for anything to make the 45 minutes go by faster (and more pleasantly). On a more serious note, swimming alongside these guys made me push and push till my arms felt that so good it hurts burn. Something tells me I’ll be going back to that pool again, and soon.

Hey, it’s all in the name of training right?

Day 1/28 – Don’t just weigh yourself, weigh your food!

No escaping the scales!

I’m not a disciplined person by nature; determined, but far from disciplined.

I grew up in a household that dissuaded me from eating a full bowl of white rice but encouraged me to heap on the ingredients – there you go, the start of a lifelong portion control delusion.

I honestly don’t know how much chicken breast I should have, or if one small tub of yoghurt is a single or double serve. Or if four slices of lean ham was too much – it was, this explains a lot!

I realize portion control is going to be the key to my success and since this life skill isn’t going to be learnt or perfected overnight, I should buy the help.

A kitchen scale, two measuring cups (1 wet, 1 dry), measuring spoons, smaller containers, even smaller plates – I needed all the right tools to make this easier.

And right because Day 1 breakfast already presented a quandary. The meal plan called for 2 slices of bread, but what if I got thick cut toast?

Yes, you can eat carbs, just don’t go crazy

I was spot on, I only needed one of these babies and midway through breakfast, I was already full!

This portion control stuff is going to take some learning – did I mention I hate numbers? – but if I nail it, I’ll be buttoning up those pants a lot sooner than I think.

My 28 day challenge – 4 weeks, 4kgs!

4 weeks, 4 kilograms… How hard can this be? Well, I’m about to find out.

Being in my mid-30s, I can no longer eat and drink whatever I want.

Not that I’ve ever had that privilege as a larger than the average Asian (1.7m/ 5’7″ tall) and a size 14 since my early 20s.

I should start this entry by clarifying that my weight loss quest is something I’ve been ‘battling’ since I was a teen. Up until I turned 30 in 2008, I ‘controlled’ my weight (to varying degrees of success) by very unhealthy means: drastic diets, fat blockers, weight loss pills… I’ve done it all, and I’m not proud of it.

It was only in 2008 when I saw a very unflattering photo of myself in a bikini that I decided to do something real about it. And this time I was going to take a real and sustainable approach to it.

Cue the start of triathlons (did my first Sprint Distance in 2009 with 8 weeks training) and cultivating a tolerance (not love, we’re still working on that) for running; but more on that later.

My first Sprint Triathlon – 2009

It’s 2013, I’ve completed 5 half marathons, 2 Olympic Distance triathlons, 4 Sprint Triathlons a number of Aquatons, Duathlons and numerous runs of varying distances.

SO WHY AM I STILL FAT?!?

And by fat I mean my BMI isn’t exactly ideal, I still carry a sizable layer of fat around my belly and I honestly could lose a few kilograms and be none the worse off for it.

Would I be better for it? Yes.

I want to have a more positive body image, and I want to do it the right way.

I know that weight can be easily gained and just as easily lost, the golden question is, can you keep it off?

Thus, I have numerous goals tagged to this month long project:

I do love my food! Post Olympic Distance Tri, 2013

1. Increasing my fitness: It’s time to see if I can morph from an endurance athlete (using the word ‘athlete’ still sounds weird to me) to that of a Speedy Gonzales. Conveniently, I’ve also signed up for a Sprint Triathlon in 27 days.

2. Inches matter: While I’ll be watching my weight, it won’t be the only basis of measurement. Here’s looking at you Size 12 Ralph Lauren white slacks!

3. Portion and nutrition control: I think I have relatively healthy eating habits, now. Most lunches I opt for salads, hawker food is occasional, and nasi padang (be still my heart!) is a treat and often only after I’ve done a long run. But how many of us actually know what a healthy portion is? Clearly, not Americans, or any of my own family members that I’ve ever met. Luckily for me, I’ve had some menu plans drawn up by Nutrilicious.

4. You are what you drink: As much as I love to eat, I also love to drink. How much can a few gin & tonics hurt? As it turns out, a fair bit. So I have now put myself on a ‘I run, I drink’ diet – Again, more on that later.

5. Who else can I inspire?: When I first started working out, it was a lonely existence. My close friends were either super keen triathletes or they did nothing at all. Fast forward to a few years later and I’m now surrounded by fitness-minded people – some of whom I’m proud to say I inspired – and would prefer to date someone who does some form of regular exercise.

It’s going to be a very interesting month, especially when I’m determined not to compromise too much aside from my food and drink intake.

I’ll keep exercising. The goal is work out 4 times a week, a mixture of my own personal tri training, Vivafit classes, sessions with my amazingly supportive trainer James Chong and yoga at Yoga Movement.

And on days when I ‘break’ my diet – I predict there will be a few – I’m going to have to burn it off somehow. Like I said, this could get really painful.

I’m also going to use this month to learn more about food and try out any, and all forms of exercise to examine how my body responds. So, if you have any suggestions, swing them my way, I’ll give them my best shot; short of vomiting (but no promises on that!).

One month isn’t too long but at the end of it I could permanently change my life.

I’m excited.

You are what you eat

Growing up, i never quite got the phrase, ‘You are what you eat’, raised in a Peranakan Chinese family, you learn never to turn down food and you grow used to being ordered to finish whatever is put on your plate, no excuses.

So while it seems common sense that running/training on a lunch of nasi padang is going to be a lot harder than a bowl of salad or a healthy wrap, I’ve had to find this out the hard way. Call me stupid but I always saw salads as ‘diet food’ not a full meal, and certainly not one that could give me a real burst of energy.

The re-angling of my diet has been one of the more interesting changes of the past year. Favourites like bar chor mee, nasi padang and burgers are now a special treat, while big healthy salads form 25% of weekly food intake. Funnily enough, I’m not really complaining, I do like my greens and I whip up a mean mixed green salad with grilled chicken and chunks of avocado.

That said, nothing quite beats a salad or a wrap from Salad Stop!

You could say I have an addiction but this addiction is working for me.

Need a jolt of energy? It’s got to be the Jai Ho!

The Cheaper Than A Facial salad is for days when I’m feeling a little weak.

And if I feel really greedy, the Hail Caesar usually does the trick.
.

It’s 12.30am on a Saturday but I’m already looking forward to my Monday Salad Stop! fix.

Photo credits: Salad Stop!

The dry run

If I had to do this mini-tri all over again I probably would do things a little differently.

For the most part – and this is totally my fault – I’ve been navigating through this like a blind person.

I am three days from this event and i have NO idea what to eat, how to carb load or even what in the world to wear on Saturday!

And in about 30 minutes time i am going to attempt to ride home from work on a racing/road bike…. never been on one before, wish me luck!

However, i did attempt to do a dry run on Sunday. I roped in my long suffering niece Sarah to run with me, while my vacationing buddy Simei came for the swim with me.

Shiny, happy (exhausted) people

I didn’t do the full distances but I now have a rough idea of how hard it is going to be on the day itself. My legs really felt like jello going from the swim to bike, and after run (and subsequent bike home) I was laid up on my couch feeling rather sorry for myself. But interestingly, while my body was tired, my mind was racing.

All this exercising has had quite a few advantages. I’m amazed at the changes I’ve seen happening with my fitness. At the start of the year I was barely able to make it pass 1km on the treadmill. Last week, I went for a 45 minute run two times after work with Lyn – see photo! – and even combined one run with a cycle home. Amazing.

Keeping a sense of humour is important!

While I will probably never be super duper fit… I love that I am fitter, and relieved that it didn’t take as long as I thought it would.

Now, I just need to cross that finish line within the three hour mark. Here’s hoping.

And if hope is not on my side, I’ve told everyone I know who will be there (and now you) to HURL ABUSE at me should they see me flagging or looking like i want to give up.

Trust me, it is the only way I’ll keep going!

So if you see me on Saturday – race number (S370) – please unleash your inner sailor and curse at me!

Tri Bob Training Session 1

One of the first questions I had was ‘where the hell do i start?’

Thankfully as part of the whole gig, I’d scored some free passes to Tri Bob training sessions (www.tribob.com) (Phew!) and with daily sessions, I could not fail… right?

I rocked up to my first swimming session brimming with confidence. I like to tell people I was ‘born in the water’, hence I certainly wasn’t expecting to freak out the way i did.

Tri Bob Training

Arriving at the Farrer Park pool 20 minutes before the session started, I felt panic set in as I watched the group ahead of me. These guys were ridiculously good. In fact, most of them looked liked they swam for a living!

As I could not resort to Dutch courage – drinking before swimming, bad idea – I sped dialed my long suffering gym partner, Lyn. After five minutes of listening to me rambling she calmly (but firmly) told me to suck it up. I believe her words were, ‘Of course you’re scared. You’re totally out of your comfort zone. This is probably one of the hardest things you’ve done in the last few years. Going to bars/clubs isn’t difficult at all!’

She had a point. Damm. Obediently, I trotted over and began to suit up.

For the next hour, I was put through a range of drills – arm recovery, catch-ups – they were anything but easy. On the upside, I was swimming faster and smoother by the end. On the down side, I’d swallowed a lot of water, got kicked because i did not keep a body length’s distance and felt like a complete muppet for not being able to breathe on my left and my right side.

Post session, as I sat down and reflected I realised my ego was getting in the way. Of course I didn’t know how to swim properly. This is why I have these sessions!

Clearly, if I want to finish the swim leg in a decent time I’m just going to have to suck it up, and some chlorinated water.

Now, if only i can train myself to breathe on both sides.

My foray into the world of triathlons…

‘You’re doing what? Have you lost your mind?’

‘Are you on drugs? Do you need me to fly back and sort you out?’

‘Wait, you can’t even run 1.5km! How are you going to do all three together?’

‘I think you need a lot of training. Otherwise you may come in last or worse, have a heart attack!’

These are just some of the reactions when I told friends and family that I was taking part in the Bintan Triathlon (http://www.bintantriathlon.com) happening on the 23 & 24 May, 2009. Granted I’m only attempting the Mini-Triathlon distance (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) but I decided to do this sometime in March, that’s 8 weeks to train up.

Not a lot of time. Less so for someone who isn’t fit at all.

Exercise, me? Ha! Not unless you consider drinking/clubbing a sport.

But seriously, for some time now I’ve been growing tired of my unhealthy lifestyle; that and my muffin top has been growing at a rate that I can no longer ignore.

While I would like to say I took it upon myself to kick start my foray into the world of triathlons, i didn’t. It was the combination of running a triathlon piece in the May issue of Time Out Singapore (www.TimeOutSingapore.com) and an offer from Tri Bob (www.tribob.com) – the organisers – to sponser my entry and training sessions that clinched it.

So here we are, one month from the race…

I’ll be honest, I’m a long, long way off and I’m scared shitless.

At the same time there is a part of me that is extremely excited. When I cross that finish line – and I will, just don’t take bets on how long it’ll take me – I’ll know I’ve achieved something very, very real.

And that’s what I’m after, if someone like myself can finish this race, anyone can.

Just to challenge myself further I’ve decided that beyond achieving a physical personal goal, I’ll like to use this opportunity to make a real difference in someone else’s life. This is something I’ve decided to do through a fundraising group called Pain For Gain (http://www.painforgain.com/).

Set up in 2007 by a dear friend of mine, the organisation’s mantra of ‘simply reaching the finish line’ has been a huge inspiration. The fact that they reach out to schools and causes that are not normally known appeals to me even more.

If you can care to find out more (and hopefully) give towards the cause I’ll be challenging myself for, then go to Pain For Gain (www.painforgain.com).

All the same, I hope you’ll keep coming back to my blog to read all about my bumbling efforts to become a lean, mean triathlete.

As I’m often heard saying… Onward ‘ho!