IPPT & The Trails

I was glad to get my IPPT gold back during my ICT last week. I clocked 8:56 for the 2.4km run, possibly the fastest I have achieved on that particular running route. Tired from the hustle and bustle of the week, I decided to rest on Saturday and only hit the trails on Sunday. We did the Mandai trails and Bukit Timah last (at a leisure pace), before heading home feeling very satisfied.

I spent the rest of the afternoon resolving drive-train issues – my existing DuraAce/XTR chain was worn and one of the pulley wheels on my RD had a bent tooth. In the end, I swapped the chain for a lesser-utilized Deore LX one from my commuting hybrid and forcefully bent back the misaligned tooth. The “new” chain still skipped under intense pressure (probably due to bent cogs of my cassette) but it was generally roadworthy. I managed to test the bike for 16km today when I went out to get spare tubes ($5 each) from the LBS. Orane Concept had no stock so it was down to BikeLink.

1. 17 June 2010 – Camp (return) – 25km [P]
2. 19 June 2010 – T15 / BF / BT – 21.5km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
3. 21 June 2010 – LBS – 16km

The Prata Spin

I was tempted to take a day off riding but the invitation to a short breakfast ride was too hard to resist. I found myself eating a bowl of glutinous rice before heading out to meet Kah Kiong at 9.15am at the Kranji MRT station.

We proceeded to meet Siang Jun at the junction of Woodlands Road and Mandai Road, after which it was the rolling “hills”  of Mandai before breakfast at The Prata Place. After a chat over breakfast, we continued to Upper Pierce Reservoir to chill before making another stop at the Lower Pierce Reservoir. The others got a good chance to put their hybrids through a short dirt trail. Cyclo-cross, anyone?

It felt great just to be able to ride slowly, take in the fresh air and admire nature. These days, I have been pushing hard both on-road and off-road and today’s ride was a real relief from my usual pace =)

Total distance: 41km
Money spent: $3
Participants: LSH, Kah Kiong, Siang Jun

A Couple of Crashes

Today wasn’t really my day. I felt very tired last night and the unwanted fatigue was still lingering around when I dragged myself out of bed. Running my rear tires in the reverse direction, I was hoping to get more traction out of the worn Nevegals but the response became unpredictable on muddy terrain.

Obviously I learnt a lesson or two when the tires slipped without warning but the biggest fall of the day was partly attributed to my rear brakes which had been out of order for nearly a month. I was descending slightly too quickly for the front brakes to slow me down effectively and my front wheel caught a rock, the movement sweeping the front wheel from under me. I skidded down the rocks and a tree trunk halted my progression, at the expense of my shoulder.

Total distance: 23km (off-road), 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Eric, Frankie, Shirley

Interval Speed Training

• 4x: 50% power sprints
• 4x: 75% power sprints
• 4x: 100% power sprints
• 4x: 100% power sprints
• 4x: 75% power sprints
• 4x: 50% power sprints

8 x 12-floors Stairs Run & Sprint Training

Upping the Tempo

Buoyed by a good ride yesterday, I hit the trails again this morning. I covered Mandai with a pretty decent pace and kept the speed through the trails till I reached the Bukit Timah trail head. In a way, it was a pretty good warm-up. Since Frankie was late, I linked up with Shirley to do a lap. It was a good pace - leisure and soothing to my tired muscles.

Frankie showed up soon after and I did my third round. The pace was definitely a lot faster and later, we proceeded to Track 15 and Scorpion. I was getting tired when I took Mandai Road home but in a sense, glad that I was crawling towards better off-road fitness.

Total distance: 29.5km (off-road), 20.6km (on-road)
Money spent: $0
Participants: LSH, Frankie, Shirley

The Rest Period

I was down with flu after Vesak Day and spent three days resting. On Tuesday, which fell on the first of June, I got myself back on my bike and managed to pedal 2 laps of Bukit Timah. I wasn’t all recovered though but it was good enough.

I ran 21km on Wednesday. It was just another lazy afternoon but I managed to drag myself out (with Dad along) for a long run. Once again, my respiratory capability seemed restricted but a rest on Thursday aided in my recovery.

Pushing myself on a half-island at 5.30am on Friday morning, I managed to clock 66.3km in about 3 hours or slightly less. I took no breaks, just traffic stops along the way. Considering the climbs along Clementi Road, Mount Faber and Thomson, it was not surprising my already sore muscles felt worse.

Mountain biking this morning was great. Never mind my tired muscles. The pace was comfortable and I really enjoyed the ride with Jeremy and Pan’s bosses.

1. 1 June 2010 – T15 / BT (2 laps) – 23km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)
2. 4 June 2010 – Half-island – 66.3km
3. 5 June 2010 – T15 / BT / BF – 21.5km (off-road); 20.6km (on-road)