Congratulations, Chong!

Congratulations to our very own coach & trainer, Chong! He is now an IRONMAN! He just completed the Langkawi Ironman over the weekend. He has trained hard over the months. It was no easy feat, yet he did it! A Great Accomplishment =o) Rest well... The runners are looking forward to having you share your experience with them and of course, for the fitness & conditioning sessions.

Little Blessings...

My first session of the day was with a 8yr old boy who has been having therapy sessions with for about 6 months now. He needed some help in his co-ordination and motor skills. We had one track session to help him orientate and work on his running. Last week he tried out for his school's sports day in 100m, 200m, and 300m. He came in first in all 3 heats. It is such a joy to see him succeed. We all have gifts and talents... Sometimes we just need that little help to unveil those gifts/talents. He has also been chosen to run in the 4 x 100m relay team. Needless to say, he is excited and very happy. We had another track session today to work on his running form and technique. He has made tremendous improvements. It was a joy to stand back and watch him run. We could potentially have a talented runner in the making =o)

The second session was with two 7yr old girls who had to learn to play co-operatively to achieve the goals set for them. They learned that by being fault finders (pointing out each other's faults) was not getting them anywhere. I taught them to be love finders (pointing out each other's strengths and praise each other) and to encourage each other. As soon as they began to be love finders, they achieved their goals almost immediately. The power of being a love finder and encouragement.

The third session was my third therapy session with a 3yr old boy. We had two very difficult sessions before. During our first session, he gave me 5mins of his time and attention and cried the rest of the time and would have nothing to do with me after. On our second session, he cried initially and then we spent about 15-20mins working on certain skills. Today was amazing, we spent 45mins working on his co-ordination and motor skills. He listened and followed instructions. At times, he did not respond to the instructions immediately but he did eventually after about 1 minute. We had a short melt down period after the 45mins as he was understandably tired. I look forward to our next session to assist him in correcting his co-ordination and motor skills more.

What a day it has been and I'm only half-way through the day!! =o) It's a beautiful day!

Longest Ride Ever Alone!

Started the day with a short early morning bike ride. I had to be at work early so I couldn't ride the usual route with the group. Anyway, we rode together at the start and then I 'peeled' away half-way. It was the longest ride I've ever done alone. I think it was only about 18-20km but it sure felt longer. The whole way through, I reminded myself to breath and keep calm. There were lots of big trunks and buses zooming by me. There were of course instances where trunks and buses will for some strange and unknown reason come close to try to intimidate me when the other lanes were free and empty. I always find it amazing what cheap thrill people have by doing such things. What if something fatal happens? Such actions are so uncalled for. And it is a lose-lose situation for everyone. Why can't we be gracious and giving on the roads? There is enough space for everyone on the road.

What does it say about the person if he says, "Guess what? I was in my car/trunk/bus this morning and I sped up close to intimidate and overtook a lady on her bicycle!??!!" Not much does it? So do think again the next time you intend to speed up to intimidate a cyclist, or worse, try to drive him or her off the road.

Am always grateful whenever I complete a bike ride =o)

Fitness & Conditioning

Today was our 8th Fitness & Conditioning session. The sessions have proven to be beneficial to the Fifth Ray runners. Not only do the runners have toned muscles and bodies to prove it, they have also been clocking better run times. Being physically stronger has enabled the runners to push themselves further and closer to their own limits. A BIG Thank You to our Fitness & Conditioning, Chong, who is designing the effective conditioning programme for the runners.

Swim Like No Other

Today I had a swim experience like no other. It was the first time I have guided anyone in the open sea, let alone my friend, Meng Ee, who is visually challenged. Despite being visually challenged, Meng Ee was determined to participate in the upcoming biathlon on 13th March. I thought to myself, if Meng Ee is willing to put himself up for the challenge, the rest of us who are sighted and able really have no excuse. All of us are given gifts/talents and what we do with them is entirely up to us.

I admire Meng Ee for his determination so when he approached me to be his guide, I said yes without hesitation. Of course after I had agreed to be his guide, there were lots of anxiety as I haven't swam for about a year. I was frantically trying to squeeze in as many swim sessions as I could amidst my busy work schedule. I had to get started to get my swim up to speed again. To be honest, swimming has never been my forte to begin with. So I had lots of swimming to do. To top it all, Meng Ee represents Singapore in swimming for disability sports (*sweat*sweat*). So you can see how much catching up I have to do! But Meng Ee has been very kind. He has been swimming at my pace and told be me that he was in no hurry. Hence, I told him that I will help him catch up on swim time lost during the run =op

We have had a few practice swims together in the pool before today. However, when we were out in the open sea, all our big plans and systems went out the window. The cloudy and milky sea water made it impossible for me to see the glow wrist-sticks we had around his wrists. I could only identify him by his swim cap.

I was his eyes in the open sea to help him navigate round the course and around other swimmers. It was tough initially as we had to manage the currents and circumvent the buoys and swimmers, particularly, those swimming breast stroke. After a couple of loops, we had a better grip of swimming in the open sea amidst other swimmers allowing me to guide Meng Ee better. We were swimming along side each other more comfortably during the last few loops. It was a good opportunity for us to work out a system between us and we have David who organised the swim session to thank.

We are ready for race day! So do look out for Meng Ee on 13th march as it is his race =o)

Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Lunar New Year to one and all! Trust that everyone had a well rested long weekend. I did! I really needed it. Been very busy the last few months with the programmes and the move to the new centre. The weekend was just what I needed to re-energize and re-group myself. Am all ready for the Year of the Tiger =o) We started sessions yesterday. Most of the runners were expecting an easy session because it was a public holiday. But of course, there was no slacking off. hahha... I worked and pushed them hard. Everyone ran well. One of my runners commented that since joining Fifth Ray's programme, she is always ready for the unexpected as anything and everything is possible with me. I will take it positively and strive for more surprises.

Twice A Day!

A few of us had two training sessions today. One run session in the morning and one fitness & conditioning session in the evening. One runner joked that today was the day we all 'turned' PRO. hahha... Well, we all survived to tell the day. It wasn't as bad as most had perceived it to be. We did have sufficient rest from our previous training session so we were ready to take on the challenge. I must admit that I did feel my muscles 'burn' during the conditioning session. Lots of positive self-talk had to come in to stay focused and 'push' myself to give my best during the session. I have definitely come out stronger from today's sessions, physically and mentally. Am actually looking forward to next week as I can see that with each training session I am indeed stronger. It's always exciting to see yourself make some progress, no matter how little/small.