Reflecting on the season gone by

Good for:  A reminder to be thankful; lessons to be carried forward
Not so good for:  Facing the reality of a race that did not go to plan; accepting finishing the season with a DNF (Did Not Finish)

So it's been more than 2 weeks since my somewhat disastrous Ironman Barcelona.  Two weeks of pretending it never happened, two weeks of not unpacking my suitcases, two weeks of alternating between "you did the right thing" and "why didn't you just finish it?!?", two weeks of basically moping around.  :P

But I started running (a.k.a. jogging) on Monday.  I only managed 2k.  On Tuesday I managed 3k.  And this is 2 weeks after seeing my doctor and being told it will take 4-6 weeks before I can do anything again.  I guess I did the right thing after all.  Who knew that 2 weeks from this cast, I would be out running again??

And so today, I am ready to finally spend some time in reflection....

Reality is, 2014 was a very unconventional season.   I had decided (against my will) that I would do what was fun, and fit with my life, no more, no less.  If it didn't fit, well that was just too bad.  

So the year started with a new year ski trip to Austria (January):

This was followed closely by another ski trip, this time with kids (February):

Where I set an all time record for ski speed, or something.....

Next I realised my work and residence permit for Denmark was expiring, and I needed a new passport (March).  So I made a flying trip to Malaysia to renew my passport, and spend some time with my family (including building some Lego with my brother)....

When I got back to Denmark, I realised I only had around a month to prepare for my first "real" marathon without a 7 hour warm up (of an Ironman).  Three weeks of run training and I was "ready" for Paris Marathon (April).  Great experience to be shared with my parents and my better half, Jesper.  

 

I ran a 3:12 marathon which I was happy with, all things considered.  It was what I thought I could do, and did do.  So happy I might have knocked a few others on the head in my excitement to get to the finish line....

I then had the privilege of spending my Easter holidays with my parents in Denmark.  Guess the arm waving runs in the family?!

Next up, Jesper was doing a race, Grejsdalsløbet (May) in Vejle.  I was just along for the ride....

And then I thought it would be a good idea to do a mini training camp in Mallorca, all by myself...

...in preparation for Ironman 70.3 Aarhus (June), where I started the run in 9th place and ran my way into 2nd place.  Bonus:  Lucky enough to have stayed at a lovely campsite with a view....

I qualified for the World Championship for Ironman 70.3 but declined my slot, in favour of a different project this year, Ironman Copenhagen.

But before that, it was our summer holidays with the kids (July)!  We brought our shiny new caravan to Austria, where apparently they decided to build their mountains very steep.  My time trial bike looked pretty out of context here.  :)

Finally, it was IM Copenhagen (August).  It was a good race, where I took off 18 minutes from my previous PB at an Ironman distance.  A 10:33 Ironman is perfectly respectable, although I didn't realise this was my time as I ran down the finish chute with my flag:

I came 6th, 4-5 minutes away from qualifying for my dream race, Ironman World Championship in Hawaii.  Damn.

I then decided it would be a good idea to sign up for another Ironman, and signed up for Ironman Barcelona in the beginning of October.  So started my new campaign of #2IMsin6weeks.  However, I had an additional challenge to get through before then, Coast to Coast of the Pyrenees with Jesper and PP Cycling.

One week of cycling (September).  35 hours.  735km.  There were tears and there were smiles.  But it was all smiles at the end of the tour:

We had fantastic company, guides and beers:

But I as in dangerous territory, I had been sick, and was still sick by the end of the tour, and leading in to the race.

So starting Ironman Barcelona (October) was a bit of a bad idea, if I were honest with myself.  Maybe if I hadn't caught a cold, it could have been better.  Maybe if I hadn't cycled 35 hours in a week when my normal training hours was more like 10 hours per week, just 3 weeks before the race, it could have been better.  Maybe if I hadn't done another Ironman 6 weeks, it could have been better.  Who knows.

But fact was, I was there.  And so I decided to make the best out of it. Enjoy the experience.  And I did!  I had the opportunity to experience Oktoberfest in Calella!

And enjoy some fantastic seafood along the way!

But the race was not to be.  It started with a morning storm:

And you could argue that it was the storm before the storm.  :)

I pulled out of the race 23.5km into the run.  My Achilles hurt from step 1.  And it just got worse and worse.  My decision to pull out was based on the fact that I was not going to run a fast marathon, and did not fancy walking 20k back to the finish line (as it turned out I had run further than I thought).  I didn't need another finisher medal, and well, I didn't think the risk of being wheeled off in an ambulance was worth "just finishing" the race.

Tough decision.  But I guess it was the right one, knowing what I know today.  Turns out I had damaged my Achilles, probably from riding too hard in a bad position on the bike.  So I am happy that 2.5 weeks later, I am walking almost pain free and able to start running (jogging) again.

So I am grateful.  For being lucky enough to be able to do all of the above.  It's been an interesting year, if just a bit random.  Ten months of non stop action!!  Time to regroup and think about my plan for 2015.

PS:  Missy says "thank you" to her babysitters who look after her whilst I go gallivanting all over the world.  :)

US$3.78 million in the postbox

Good for:  Entertainment value and wishful thinking
Not so good for:  Presumably my bank account at a later stage

So, I collected this letter from my mailbox today:

Being an unbeliever of anything too good to be true, my first instinct was to Google it. And there you have it.  A letter that has been sent out again and again, for the last 4 years or so.  Same address, same name, same amount, same story.   Presumably hand signed too, just like mine.

Wow.  Why would anyone sit and look up new names and addresses, to send a letter to, years on end, unless there is a remote chance of success??  Turns out the story is, at some point, the sender will ask you for some money.  Duh.  What else could this be about....  Surely, surely, surely, people do not take letters like this seriously?  Please?!

I would be tempted to create a bogus email address and send this dude some abusive emails, except he knows where I live.  I blame the Danish (maybe Scandinavian since there were a lot of similar stories from Sweden) system of publishing names and addresses on the Internet.  :P

Cycling holiday across the Pyrenees

Good for:  Gaining some bike fitness
Not so good for:  Confidence (if I get my arse kicked by the guys)

So, before I decided to take on my latest challenge of 2-Ironmans-in-6-weeks, I had signed up for a cycle holiday across the Pyrenees.  Called Coast-to-Coast, with 800+km of cycling over 19,000+m of ascent from the East Coast of the Pyrenees (Perpignan) to the West Coast of the Pyrenees (Biarritz), I had my challenge set out for me.  But not an entirely new challenge, as I had done something similar across the Alps, starting from Switzerland and ending in Nice.  But I digress.....

Two weeks plus after Ironman Copenhagen and I can finally run again.  As in, run faster than the 6:20 min/km pace I was running a few days after the race.  I am back to my racing ways of 4:50 min/km of easy running, yay!  And next week we head off to France for a crazy week of cycling.

The hope?    Boost my cycle strength and do Ironman Barcelona in 10:15.  There.  I said it.  Another 17 minutes off my current PB set in Copenhagen 2 weeks ago, which was almost 20 minutes better than my previous PB from 2011.  Game on...

Racing an Ironman, or make that 2!

Good for:  Collecting a cool medal, looking forward to post race treats (see picture)
Not so good for:  Poor tired legs

So today marks 1-week-after Ironman Copenhagen.  I could post a picture of my medal but I've already done that.  I could post a picture of my swollen feet from last week but that would be boring.  So you get a picture of my dinner-with-my-biggest-fan from last night.  :)

Racing is great, but it is even better with the support of friends and family.  Many people follow me on Facebook, apps, in real life, whatever else they can find, whilst I run around for 10.5 hours completing my Ironman.  It is much appreciated, and this post goes out to all my supporters.  :)

For the record, we get to do it all over again in 5 weeks, on the 5th of October, where I will race Ironman Barcelona, just for fun.  :P

Magic Cream from China - Keep Dry and Shady

Good for:  Relieving mosquito bites and other skin irritations, light entertainment :P

Not so good for:  English lessons?!

Having lived away from Malaysia for the last (almost) 15 years, my skin is quite sensitive to mosquito bites.  After 4 days of being here, I am now moderately covered in little red spots.  So I was offered some cream by my parents to alleviate the itching.  It came in the jar above....

I have to say I spent quite some time giggling at the jar and its label.  I am not sure what I found funniest.   "Keep Dry and Shady" or "Do not drink" or "Scribble on skins" - Google Translate gone wrong!  But the cream seems to help the mosquito bites which is what is important.  :)

Touchscreen Notebook

Good for:  Coolness factor, surprisingly convenient option of "touching the screen" to do what you want

Not so good for:  Older techno-phobes, Windows 8 annoying interface

Things have been a bit quiet on my side for the last week and a bit.  Reason being, I was first getting ready for and am now on, a flying visit to Malaysia! Being a true Malaysian who lives abroad, I have 2 interesting items on my agenda:  Eating and shopping.  :P  

I'll save eating for another post, but today I went shopping with my family. 

First I was dazzled by the colours clothes in F.O.S., and eventually I bought a touchscreen notebook.  I am not keen on Apple products, and do not own or use any computers other than my work machine, and my mini laptop at home.  So this is my primary means of storing data, tracking training and social-media-ing.  My criteria of selection was coolness, small(and light)ness and ability to transfer and process training data and pictures.

I first looked at a tablet with a keyboard option, but was told that whilst it appeared to be equivalent to a laptop, a tablet is not capable of supporting special software that I use regularly such as Adobe Acrobat, Garmin Training Centre, and Suunto Movescount. It was "USB capable" but only had one USB port.  And it did not have an SD card reader.  Good to know.  That just rendered it incapable of fulfilling 60% of my requirements.  So it was back to a more traditional laptop option in the end.  But with a touchscreen, hah!  It had to be cool in some way, right?!?

Rainy-Denmark vs Water-Rationing-Malaysia

Good for:  A reminder that things might not be as bad as they seem!
Not so good for:  Cycling outdoors (in Denmark) and/or taking a shower (in KL)

First of all I must admit that keeping to the theme of this blog was a bit challenging for this post.  But I will persevere!  Second of all, I admit that you can't tell just how rainy it was when that picture was taken.  But I can assure you it was RAINY...  my soggy clothes were evident of it (although I have no photographic proof).  :P

Those of you who have been reading my blog will know that I am going on a flying visit to Malaysia next week.  I saw this article about water rationing in the Klang Valley last night, and couldn't help but compare it to how we are always complaining about the "dårligt vejr" (terrible weather) in Denmark.  According to the article, 2.2. million households will have water for 2 days, followed by 2 days of dry taps.  My family are lucky enough that our house does not fall into the areas affected.

So maybe I should stop complaining about the rain and slightly flooded river banks I have to run on.  At least I can take a shower when I want to in Denmark!