One Moment in Time

I am off today and tomorrow from work. The last 2 days of 'off' before my Nepal trip next Sat! Oh, well, there's Good Friday too. I would be joining the runners at MR for a run in the morning. I have stared to get all my stuff lined up for the trip. I bought more or less, most of the stuff I need. Still need to borrow long johns from a friend. I do hope she has!

I went for a 31min run this morning from 9.37 to 10.08am. I was not feeling well over the past 2 days actually. After my swim on Monday, I wore my wet t-shirt home as the rain which came down when I was still in the pool drenched my entire tee and bermudas. I suffered a sore throat that night. I wonder if it was a result of the rain or simply cuz I have been rather heaty since the week of the biathlon. I started my own self-medication and ate lozenges, Danzen tablets, Panadol and Clarinase.

As a result, my throat did not feel good when I started my run this morn. It had the taste of the lozenges and anti-inflammatory tab that I ate after breakfast. My body did not seem to be able to coordinate very well too. I was breathing kind ohard. Thought my heart was beating too fast. The sun was HOT. I was doing my best to stay in the shade.

After the 1st 20mins, I felt all right. I did not push myself too hard, for fear that I would over exert. After all, I am still not fully well. However, when I had to stop to go climb the stairs, I felt I could continue somemore. I really could go further. However, the focus of the training today was the stairs! :p

And so I went, after changing into the boots that were meant for the trek. I set myself 10 sets at 1st, but pushed it to 12, after thinking that I had done 8 sets last week. An add-on of only 2 sets would not make much a difference. As I climbed, I felt strong and when I was at the 10th set, I decided to make it 15.

Yup, I did 15 sets! Up and down 14 floors. I only felt a bit of the aches at the 13th set onwards. Heh... Good... My legs are already getting accustomed. Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling an ache in my left calf. And I did not train yesterday! Must be all the squatting and bending over in CC yesterday.

I guess I am quite accustomed to moving about for long hours. My line of profession requires me to do that! And thus, I am ready for Nepal, I guess. Hah! After only 2 stair-climbing sessions and 1 trek to Bt Timah!? I will see how my legs feel tomorrow morning. I asked a friend who has been to Annapurna before and she recounted her experiences to me. It's days after days of walking, trekking through different and rough terrain. Average of about 6-7 hours a day? She told me my body would not be used to it the 1st few days, after which it would be bearable. I checked with Alex, my team leader, and it was confirmed that we would have porters carrying our bags for us. We would only be carrying our day pack on our treks. That is a great relief then. My usual day-to-day bag is already heavy enough and I sometimes carry that to go shopping. Mmm... Good training... :p

We would be staying in tea lodges! I feel very relieved to hear that as I cannot fathom sleeping in a tent on such high altitudes EVERY single night. Geez... That would be very cold and I might have problems getting to sleep. Glad to hear that we are going to be sleeping in lodges, be it on beds or simply on a wooden floor, it got to be warmer than sleeping out there in the cold! :p

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It was raining cats and dogs earlier before this. The perfect kind of weather to stay in at home and write... See photos posted... I love to watch the rain come down in sheets and the wind directing them into different paths... The earth would be so clean from the wash after that...

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One Moment In Time --- Whitney Housten

Each day I live
I want to be a day to give the best of me
I'm only one, but not alone
My finest day is yet unknown
I broke my heart for every gain
To taste the sweet, I faced the pain
I rise and fall,
Yet through it all this much remains

I want one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams
Are a heart beat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel, I will feel eternity

I've lived to be the very best
I want it all, no time for less
I've laid the plans
Now lay the chance here in my hands

Give me one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams
Are a heart beat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel, I will feel eternity

You're a winner for a lifetime
If you seize that one moment in time
Make it shine

Give me one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams
Are a heart beat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will be, I will be, I will be free,
I will be free


I remember hearing this song after a run on 24th March when I was cooling down. It was only 2 days before my biathlon. The song means a lot to me. It's like an Olympic event song, somewhat like 'Reach' by Gloria Estefan. I was feeling very good after the run that morning and hearing this song only boosted my morale. I was reminded of how long I had come ever since the days of Judo. I remember that moment of glory when I received my 1st medal in 1997 after the National Schools and the classmates cheering for me. *weary smile* I remember those tortuous days of training when we were being tested to the limit under Sir. I remember those crazy 3 days of training camp in a row during the school holidays, and the muscle aches that would not go away after only a week. I remember the recess times spent at the parallel bars at old NY in order to be able to get through the entire length. I remember the tears and laughter I have shared with my dearest teammates...

I teared.

Now, I am doing a solo sport. I have never thought I could still continue to collect medals after the days of Judo. Although these are merely 'finisher's medals', it still attests to the amount of time and effort I put into training for each event. Behind those time and effort lies determination, courage, the will to achieve more and improve oneself and a belief. A belief that one can overcome anything if he allows himself to believe.

I love endurance sports.


"What matters is not the idea a man holds, but the depth at which he holds it."
~Ezra Pound

"Sport is where an entire life can be compressed into a few hours, where the emotions of a lifetime can be felt on an acre or two of ground, where a person can suffer and die and rise again on six miles of trails through a New York City park. Sport is a theater where sinner can turn saint and a common man become an uncommon hero, where the past and the future can fuse with the present. Sport is singularly able to give us peak experiences where we feel completely one with the world and transcend all conflicts as we finally become our own potential."
~George A. Sheehan