Biathlon of the night

Tried to do a bike-cycle-bike session today.

• Lugged the bicycle down 10 flights of stairs.
• Cycled to the pool at Kompleks Sri Siantan.
• Swam just over 1 km.
• Cycled back home.
• Lugged the bicycle up 10 flights of stairs.

My gosh, it has been too long since I hit the pool! I used to be a speed machine in the water. Now, I have difficulty getting my elbows up. My strokes are all out. Ended up doing stroke drills. Got to clock in more training hours to get my groove back.

Pool entry costs RM3. If I go there regularly, it's gonna cost me a bomb. I never had to pay to enter swimming pools before. I guess this would require some getting used to.

Unless, I go to En. Azahari again, and ask about becoming a life guard. Or if they need any instructors or coaches for the swimming club he was trying to build. Then maybe I can get to clock in my swimming hours for free.

Next time, I'll wear my swimming trunks as I cycle to the pool... Get into the water as soon as I reach... Get back on the bike as soon as I'm done... And cycle back home straightaway. I wanna do a T1 simulation. (T1 is triathlon slang for Transition 1 - the transition from the swim leg to the cycle leg) I read that the swim-cycle transition is supposed to be tough, because the blood from your upper body will rush to your legs as you start to cycle. That gives quite a "blacking-out" feeling.

I'm cycling on high gears everywhere now. No more low gears. Yeah, I may end up mashing. (Mashing is triathlon slang for "struggling with too high a gear selection") But that will keep me from the bad habit of cruising effortlessly, and wasting time on the bike. Every ride on the bike can be maximized as a training session. Be it a ride to school... a ride to the bicycle shop... a ride to the post office... a ride to the bank... a ride to buy dinner... or a ride home. Every time I mount the bike, I should focus on getting stronger and faster.

I think I'm making progress every day. I'm feeling fitter. My pants feel tighter. My legs feel firmer. My bike feels lighter as I carry them up. I feel less crabby nowadays too.

Maybe it's because I'm finally going back to what I used to do. Being who I used to be. Maybe it's true what they say. You can't change a leopard's spots.

I'd like to think that life in Selayang is toughening me up. Struggling everyday without a car. Going everywhere on a bicycle. Weathering out the storms on two wheels and a rain jacket. Fighting off lyin', thievin' crooks. Dealing with work in school. Taking care of my house. Finding my own food. Making ends meet. Making my keep. I'd like to think that all these are making me into a hard-as-nails triathlete.

One day, I'm going to become a triathlete. I'm gonna train, not to participate. I'm gonna train... To win.