October 29, 2003

  • I got real solid big muscles on my legs now, and my upper body actually looks great too.  I already planned my schedule till 9 Nov:


    Recovery 28,29,30 Oct (regardless of how good I feel, not going to break it for any ride/spin class).  Medium or hard ride on 31 Oct.  Hard ride on 1,2 Nov.  Medium or hard on 3 Nov.  Ride on 6 Nov and 8 Nov.  Race on 9 Nov.  Next training block starts on race day unless I really feel whacked out on race day.  That should bring me onto schedule for 30 Nov NTU race.


    I stopped swimming back in 1994 when keloids on my chest got so bad I just stopped going to the public pool.  They have gotten worse since then and are still growing at a very slow rate.  These are benign scars which somehow just forgot to stop growing.  It's the reason why I stopped, and still don't swim now.


    Until three days ago.  Went into private pool.  Then yesterday.  Public pool.  At first it feels like getting back on a bike after a long layoff.  A bit unsteady, pull and splash is a bit uncontrolled, but muscles are still there (coz of riding).  I can still hold my breath in the pool but it's nowhere what I used to do.  I should swim if only to increase my lung capacity for cycling.


    Esther teaches me how to kick.  I try for a while.  Nice waves.  But I doubt I'll ever get into a public pool or sea again, so I'm actually quite disinterested.  I do a couple more laps of breaststrokes.


    It's hard to explain stuff like this to Bob (owner of Tribob) who thinks it's a swimming coach I need.