Nothing is confirmed yet..
But what a race it would be..
What do you think?
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
To the people of Sungai Buloh and Paya Jaras
My dear muslim brothers and sisters
Please do know that you are not the only one fasting, for i too have endured hunger and thirst since morning.
Please do know that you are not the only one with family, for i have mine waiting
Please do know that i wish to return home with ample time before the Azan, for i havent done my Asr yet.
Please do know that i pay my road tax too, even though it might be cheaper then yours.
Pls do know that my license is valid, i too took the exam way back in 1994
What i dont know is, why do you have to rush everytime Ramandhan comes
What i dont know is why do you have to buy so much food and let your nafsu get the better of you
What i dont know is why does the pasar ramadhan starts as early as 2pm when the call is at least 5 hours away
What i dont understand is why do they double and triple park as they please
What i dont understand is how they managed to ignore a legal parking area 100meter away from the pasar
What i dont understand is how they can simply stop by the road side when they know that there are hundreds of cars behind, crawling and begging them to have some common sense.
What i dont understand is how blind can some people be when they actually saw the problem and the cause, and yet, add up to make it worst..
What i dont understand is how can they endure this everyday?
If only they knew..
that the TRAFFIC WAS BAD BECAUSE OF THEM
that SOME PEOPLE WAS STUCK IN THE TRAFFIC FROM 5PM TILL 7 AND COVERING ONLY 6KM BECAUSE OF THEM
that the TRAFFIC IS AT A SNAIL PACE FROM SUNGAI BULOH TILL PAYA JARAS
that THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE FASTING
IF ONLY THEY HAD SOME COMMON SENSE..
Please do know that you are not the only one fasting, for i too have endured hunger and thirst since morning.
Please do know that you are not the only one with family, for i have mine waiting
Please do know that i wish to return home with ample time before the Azan, for i havent done my Asr yet.
Please do know that i pay my road tax too, even though it might be cheaper then yours.
Pls do know that my license is valid, i too took the exam way back in 1994
What i dont know is, why do you have to rush everytime Ramandhan comes
What i dont know is why do you have to buy so much food and let your nafsu get the better of you
What i dont know is why does the pasar ramadhan starts as early as 2pm when the call is at least 5 hours away
What i dont understand is why do they double and triple park as they please
What i dont understand is how they managed to ignore a legal parking area 100meter away from the pasar
What i dont understand is how they can simply stop by the road side when they know that there are hundreds of cars behind, crawling and begging them to have some common sense.
What i dont understand is how blind can some people be when they actually saw the problem and the cause, and yet, add up to make it worst..
What i dont understand is how can they endure this everyday?
If only they knew..
that the TRAFFIC WAS BAD BECAUSE OF THEM
that SOME PEOPLE WAS STUCK IN THE TRAFFIC FROM 5PM TILL 7 AND COVERING ONLY 6KM BECAUSE OF THEM
that the TRAFFIC IS AT A SNAIL PACE FROM SUNGAI BULOH TILL PAYA JARAS
that THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE FASTING
IF ONLY THEY HAD SOME COMMON SENSE..
Friday, August 14, 2009
Common Sense
An Obituary printed in the London Times
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm; - Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm; - Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Monday, July 6, 2009
Ramblings of a finisher
Ouch..!
They say that with every step you take while you run you are exerting four times your body weight on your legs. At least that’s what the New Balance ad said on their website. Either way, it doesn’t sound good, especially for a 120(ish) kg guy like me. I barely have enough leg strength to support my own body weight, much less the three others piled on top. But they say, if there is a will than there surely be a way!
One hell of a way that is! 42km is more then just a 'way'.. its a road leading to injury if done without proper training, mentally and physically. I may not have enough hours on the tarmac (more like none) but i believe i had done my bit mentally.. haha by being MENTAL to take part!
Ugh.
On the day, my hamstring feels like a rubber band being pulled by two freight trains. Maybe I should do more strength training in the gym. And when I say more training, I mean more than nothing, which is about what I’m doing now.
Oof.
At that point, It seems to tighten even more with every stride. At any moment its going to snap in half, I think to myself. A quiet little “dink!” that’ll instantly send an atom bombed ripple of pain surging through the nerve receptacles of my body. From my hamstring to my hip, scrambling towards my spine, streaming up my back and neck, all the while building speed and momentum in a mammoth-like snowball effect that would make Calvin and Hobbes proud. Suddenly it will slam into the pain receptors of my brain like a speeding bullet brutally stopped by a metal wall. It will hurt. A lot. I will double over in pain, crying and wriggling on the ground, praying for somebody to put me out of my misery. The horse (or elephant) with the broken leg. Just shoot me.
I slow to a stop, which is not that much of a change at this pace. I hobble over to the edge of the sidewalk and begin stretching out my hamstring. To the passers-by it looks like I’m just standing up straight, leaning on the sidewalk. But, trust me, I’m stretching and it hurts.
After five minutes I shake out the legs and get ready to go. With a hesitant push, I begin my shuffle once more.. this time all the way to the finishing line. Im actually saving everyone the trouble to go thru all the drama that i went thru the entire 7hour journey.. Yeah you can take a cab all the way to Kuantan and do the whole Xterra route and im still not done with my 42km yet.. haha!
Nevertheless, i made it in one piece and that is all that mattered. At some point during the run ( more like crawl) i thought i should kill one of the organizer for trying to kill me and letting me dehydrate under the unforgiving KL heat, but being a good sport i am, killing was reduced to some healthy barrage of words, rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication with some officials at the finishing line.
42km done!
Most of the time these days, my running feels like crap.. Simply because it is none. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but it seems to be fading with every passing day. I can’t go on like this. I suppose I should train some more. And when I say more, I mean more than never, which is just about the amount of training I’m doing these days.
- I'm survivor-
Im good at that. But I have serious doubts about whether i’d even get to the starting line in one piece – or even two, as the case may be.
No thank you.
So i decided to make a difference and take note and hopefully take part in the IM next year. It took me the whole week to be genuinely interested and convinced that i will SURVIVE. That saddens me. It’s the right decision – the smart decision – but it saddens me anyway.. Dont ask me why. Im just sad because my wife and my family gave me their blessing and thats one excuse not to do GONE! LOL
I don’t even want to talk about it now. Maybe I’ll tell you more later in my future ramblings..
Ouch! (in advance for the upcoming weeks of dedication and loneliness and the heartaches and the backaches of a trypetidae wanting to be a triathlete)
As you probably know by now, I haven't exercised much in the past.. Thanks to the sickness that doesn't want to let go, the malays call it 'penyakit-M', I've been feeling very run down and not overly excited to strain my immunity system with some over-exertion.. apart from the odd 42k drama around town.
Throughout the past week I tried a couple of rides on my 8yr old MTB. On both ride, I did about 30 minutes of incredibly light pedaling at which point I felt so feverish that I decided to just do a little stretching and call it quits. But last Saturday i went a bit further then 50km mark with a bunch of guys on the effing MTB! I decided not to humiliate my trusted cervelo and took the heavy 'LeRun' metal block for a ride instead. Should i stress on the word heavy?
Honestly, at this point I feel like my form is worse than it was before I started my journey to IM2008 many moons ago. I'm flailing in the water, I am hopelessly feverish on the bike and without a doubt, im snailing on the run.
for god sakes, I just want to slim down!!
They say that with every step you take while you run you are exerting four times your body weight on your legs. At least that’s what the New Balance ad said on their website. Either way, it doesn’t sound good, especially for a 120(ish) kg guy like me. I barely have enough leg strength to support my own body weight, much less the three others piled on top. But they say, if there is a will than there surely be a way!
One hell of a way that is! 42km is more then just a 'way'.. its a road leading to injury if done without proper training, mentally and physically. I may not have enough hours on the tarmac (more like none) but i believe i had done my bit mentally.. haha by being MENTAL to take part!
Ugh.
On the day, my hamstring feels like a rubber band being pulled by two freight trains. Maybe I should do more strength training in the gym. And when I say more training, I mean more than nothing, which is about what I’m doing now.
Oof.
At that point, It seems to tighten even more with every stride. At any moment its going to snap in half, I think to myself. A quiet little “dink!” that’ll instantly send an atom bombed ripple of pain surging through the nerve receptacles of my body. From my hamstring to my hip, scrambling towards my spine, streaming up my back and neck, all the while building speed and momentum in a mammoth-like snowball effect that would make Calvin and Hobbes proud. Suddenly it will slam into the pain receptors of my brain like a speeding bullet brutally stopped by a metal wall. It will hurt. A lot. I will double over in pain, crying and wriggling on the ground, praying for somebody to put me out of my misery. The horse (or elephant) with the broken leg. Just shoot me.
I slow to a stop, which is not that much of a change at this pace. I hobble over to the edge of the sidewalk and begin stretching out my hamstring. To the passers-by it looks like I’m just standing up straight, leaning on the sidewalk. But, trust me, I’m stretching and it hurts.
After five minutes I shake out the legs and get ready to go. With a hesitant push, I begin my shuffle once more.. this time all the way to the finishing line. Im actually saving everyone the trouble to go thru all the drama that i went thru the entire 7hour journey.. Yeah you can take a cab all the way to Kuantan and do the whole Xterra route and im still not done with my 42km yet.. haha!
Nevertheless, i made it in one piece and that is all that mattered. At some point during the run ( more like crawl) i thought i should kill one of the organizer for trying to kill me and letting me dehydrate under the unforgiving KL heat, but being a good sport i am, killing was reduced to some healthy barrage of words, rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication with some officials at the finishing line.42km done!
Most of the time these days, my running feels like crap.. Simply because it is none. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but it seems to be fading with every passing day. I can’t go on like this. I suppose I should train some more. And when I say more, I mean more than never, which is just about the amount of training I’m doing these days.
- I'm survivor-
Im good at that. But I have serious doubts about whether i’d even get to the starting line in one piece – or even two, as the case may be.
No thank you.
So i decided to make a difference and take note and hopefully take part in the IM next year. It took me the whole week to be genuinely interested and convinced that i will SURVIVE. That saddens me. It’s the right decision – the smart decision – but it saddens me anyway.. Dont ask me why. Im just sad because my wife and my family gave me their blessing and thats one excuse not to do GONE! LOL
I don’t even want to talk about it now. Maybe I’ll tell you more later in my future ramblings..
Ouch! (in advance for the upcoming weeks of dedication and loneliness and the heartaches and the backaches of a trypetidae wanting to be a triathlete)
As you probably know by now, I haven't exercised much in the past.. Thanks to the sickness that doesn't want to let go, the malays call it 'penyakit-M', I've been feeling very run down and not overly excited to strain my immunity system with some over-exertion.. apart from the odd 42k drama around town.
Throughout the past week I tried a couple of rides on my 8yr old MTB. On both ride, I did about 30 minutes of incredibly light pedaling at which point I felt so feverish that I decided to just do a little stretching and call it quits. But last Saturday i went a bit further then 50km mark with a bunch of guys on the effing MTB! I decided not to humiliate my trusted cervelo and took the heavy 'LeRun' metal block for a ride instead. Should i stress on the word heavy?
Honestly, at this point I feel like my form is worse than it was before I started my journey to IM2008 many moons ago. I'm flailing in the water, I am hopelessly feverish on the bike and without a doubt, im snailing on the run.
for god sakes, I just want to slim down!!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Should i?
Hi everyone. (Im actually wondering if there are people out there reading in the very first place.. hmm..)
I have been playing with the thought of experiencing the ironman journey once again. Its not the destination that bothers me but the journey towards it. The sacrifices, the time, the commitment and most importantly.. The Family.
Its not just my decision to make but the whole family. Its dedication from everyone right from the word GO..!
I kinda missed the whole experience and to be honest, i cant remember how does it feel to cross the finishing line. The adrenalin rush, excitement and the satisfaction.. I missed all that.
After being on the side for a very long long time, i decided to watch a couple of videos on Youtube today. Certainly it made the hair on the back of the neck stand but im still not convinced about the journey just yet.
Let see how it goes and see if i can blog for real before starting to think about doing the whole hullabaloo all over again!
I have been playing with the thought of experiencing the ironman journey once again. Its not the destination that bothers me but the journey towards it. The sacrifices, the time, the commitment and most importantly.. The Family.
Its not just my decision to make but the whole family. Its dedication from everyone right from the word GO..!
I kinda missed the whole experience and to be honest, i cant remember how does it feel to cross the finishing line. The adrenalin rush, excitement and the satisfaction.. I missed all that.
After being on the side for a very long long time, i decided to watch a couple of videos on Youtube today. Certainly it made the hair on the back of the neck stand but im still not convinced about the journey just yet.
Let see how it goes and see if i can blog for real before starting to think about doing the whole hullabaloo all over again!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Job vacancy
Job vacancy
Club manager
Job descriptions:
To run a “has-been, was, old (add any past tense of your choice)” football club in the UK plying their trade in the English Premier League.
Must be able to identify the right candidates/players for the right kind of job and spend millions and NOT get the job done.
Must have qualifications, statistic and also career history that will make a certain Inter Milan Manager blush in anger.
Must be able to ignore a particular championship winning manager when he plays his mind games, If this job description is ignored, Must be able to do a “Keegan” instead.
Must be able to pick up points, statistic and ammos to shoot and rebut the FA, other league managers and also your own players when the results are not going your way
If these job descriptions are accepted, your first job is to look for a new club captain, The old one is crippled and is on his way to AC Milan or Man Utd (haha I wish)
If these job descriptions are accepted, your second job is to look for a new club assistant manager. The old dwarfed fatso is already out of order. (hint * Pinocchio is still looking for a job)
Some other pressing matters that require your considerations are
- Staying above Aston Villa and by all means, FINISH above Everton. Or else you will be crucified.
- Make friends with the Arsenal manager an must be able to form a formidable partnership to shut that old championship winning manager up!
- Assist your Board of Director to search for a wealthy Arab Businessman or maybe a Brunei Royalty.
- Facilitate a move to a new stadium that will boast more audience then the other big club(s) in the UK and actually finding fans to occupy the seats.
- As of now, that certain championship winning manager is about to break our records of honours, so I suggest you to draft a few pages of excuses just in case we need to use it later and please submit them together with your contract papers. Do note that we may use them earlier and
Club manager
Job descriptions:
To run a “has-been, was, old (add any past tense of your choice)” football club in the UK plying their trade in the English Premier League.
Must be able to identify the right candidates/players for the right kind of job and spend millions and NOT get the job done.
Must have qualifications, statistic and also career history that will make a certain Inter Milan Manager blush in anger.
Must be able to ignore a particular championship winning manager when he plays his mind games, If this job description is ignored, Must be able to do a “Keegan” instead.
Must be able to pick up points, statistic and ammos to shoot and rebut the FA, other league managers and also your own players when the results are not going your way
If these job descriptions are accepted, your first job is to look for a new club captain, The old one is crippled and is on his way to AC Milan or Man Utd (haha I wish)
If these job descriptions are accepted, your second job is to look for a new club assistant manager. The old dwarfed fatso is already out of order. (hint * Pinocchio is still looking for a job)
Some other pressing matters that require your considerations are
- Staying above Aston Villa and by all means, FINISH above Everton. Or else you will be crucified.
- Make friends with the Arsenal manager an must be able to form a formidable partnership to shut that old championship winning manager up!
- Assist your Board of Director to search for a wealthy Arab Businessman or maybe a Brunei Royalty.
- Facilitate a move to a new stadium that will boast more audience then the other big club(s) in the UK and actually finding fans to occupy the seats.
- As of now, that certain championship winning manager is about to break our records of honours, so I suggest you to draft a few pages of excuses just in case we need to use it later and please submit them together with your contract papers. Do note that we may use them earlier and
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Iron blues
What makes an Ironman?
On the surface it seems like a pretty easy question, but I think there's more to it. Let's take my friend, XX, as a for instance. XX trained eight long months for Ironman Langkawi. She pounded the pavement just like the rest of us and splish-splashed in the pool as much as the next person. She pushed her body, stretched her schedule and sacrificed her weekends.
She showed up to Ironman Langkawi and toed the starting line. The waters were rough that day and she had a tough time getting through. Seasick, hypothermia, dizziness... somehow she made it through the swim right before the cut-off. She sat in the medical tent until the last minute before she would be disqualified, then got on her bike and rode.
She finished the bike course with only 2 minutes left before the cut-off. It was already a long day but she was determined to finish the race. She head out on the marathon and pushed forward. By the time the clock struck midnight and the official clock had stopped, She still had more than a few miles to go. She kept going. She crossed an empty finish line at about 1am.
To me, she is an Ironman.
I've got another friend who plowed through the swim, trudged through the bike and pushed through the run. Battling fatigue and stomach ailments, she reached mile 14 and couldn't continue. Physically, her body wouldn't move forward. She backed out of the race rather than risk long term disability.
To me, she is an Ironman.
In fact, to me, anybody who has the courage to put in the training and get to the starting line, who pushes through the swim and does the best they can possibly do, that person is an Ironman. Are they an Ironman finisher? Maybe not. You've got to cross the finish line to do that. But an Ironman is so much more than just finishing. It's trying, believing, dreaming and doing. Ironman is starting.
So what's an Ironman to you? The 'state of the art' gears, equipment and apparels? The weekend rendezvous which consume more calories then the initial output? That one odd long run with a bunch of weight lost freaks? That one super long charity ride that you took part? And then brags about the M-Dot..!
Sound pretty familiar ain't' it?
To me, that's a poser.
It was just a regular day - or at least in my terms of laziness standards (keeping in mind that i have very low standards lately). I headed to the nearest Coffee Bean outlet wearing my Ironman finisher t-shirt. Any excuse to gallivant in my Ironman finisher's tee is good enough for me, it will automatically throw away those nasty unwanted comments like.. "err.. i think you have put on some weight". Duh.. I know i have..! I have mirrors at home too! So shoo away and let me enjoy my mocha..
Whenever I wear my Ironman stuffs, my pride collides with my embarrassment. It all revolves around the IM logo. There, stretched from shoulder to shoulder, are eight very large letters, shining forth in bright red stitching. It says: FINISHER.
In my mind, the eight letters mean so much more than the sum of its parts. If you read between the lines of those letters, what it really says is, "Look at me, I'm important. I'm better than you"
Honestly, I just doesn't feel right to cop that attitude. I'm not comfortable with overt arrogance. The fact is, I'm not better than you and I'm not that important.
At the same time, I suppose there's a fine line between arrogance and pride and maybe some humility. The fact is that I am damn proud to be an Ironman finisher. I had dreamed of finishing an Ironman and, gosh golly, I want to share my excitement with the entire world. Being an Ironman finisher makes me feel special. It makes me feel like I joined an elite club. This t-shirt cost more than money, it cost hard work and perseverance and a fair bit of pain. For goodness sakes, I earned the right to wear this..
Unfortunately, the great irony of the Ironman brand is that, as participation in the sport popularizes, the power of the brand diminishes. If everybody claims to be "elite," than nobody is.
Ironman is no longer simply a 140.6 mile event, it is a symbol of determination. It is no longer an endurance event, it is a consumer brand - and one that generates a butt load of money. Ironman is about determination, and now, for a few bucks, anybody can buy in.
We are in the midst of the gentrification of Ironman. Today it is much easier than anytime in history for anybody to experience the Ironman attitude. You don't have to swim, bike or run. You don't have to train for 7-8 months - to sacrifice family and friends. You don't have to battle the physical pain and emotional destruction. You don't have to bring your body to the very edge and confront the demons burning inside you.
All you have to do is open your wallet.
Aah shucks!! So what if you not an Ironman.. It dosent really matter to the person standing next to you even if you are. So lets get on with life and enjoy those damn donuts from Big Apple will ya'
On the surface it seems like a pretty easy question, but I think there's more to it. Let's take my friend, XX, as a for instance. XX trained eight long months for Ironman Langkawi. She pounded the pavement just like the rest of us and splish-splashed in the pool as much as the next person. She pushed her body, stretched her schedule and sacrificed her weekends.
She showed up to Ironman Langkawi and toed the starting line. The waters were rough that day and she had a tough time getting through. Seasick, hypothermia, dizziness... somehow she made it through the swim right before the cut-off. She sat in the medical tent until the last minute before she would be disqualified, then got on her bike and rode.
She finished the bike course with only 2 minutes left before the cut-off. It was already a long day but she was determined to finish the race. She head out on the marathon and pushed forward. By the time the clock struck midnight and the official clock had stopped, She still had more than a few miles to go. She kept going. She crossed an empty finish line at about 1am.
To me, she is an Ironman.
I've got another friend who plowed through the swim, trudged through the bike and pushed through the run. Battling fatigue and stomach ailments, she reached mile 14 and couldn't continue. Physically, her body wouldn't move forward. She backed out of the race rather than risk long term disability.
To me, she is an Ironman.
In fact, to me, anybody who has the courage to put in the training and get to the starting line, who pushes through the swim and does the best they can possibly do, that person is an Ironman. Are they an Ironman finisher? Maybe not. You've got to cross the finish line to do that. But an Ironman is so much more than just finishing. It's trying, believing, dreaming and doing. Ironman is starting.
So what's an Ironman to you? The 'state of the art' gears, equipment and apparels? The weekend rendezvous which consume more calories then the initial output? That one odd long run with a bunch of weight lost freaks? That one super long charity ride that you took part? And then brags about the M-Dot..!
Sound pretty familiar ain't' it?
To me, that's a poser.
It was just a regular day - or at least in my terms of laziness standards (keeping in mind that i have very low standards lately). I headed to the nearest Coffee Bean outlet wearing my Ironman finisher t-shirt. Any excuse to gallivant in my Ironman finisher's tee is good enough for me, it will automatically throw away those nasty unwanted comments like.. "err.. i think you have put on some weight". Duh.. I know i have..! I have mirrors at home too! So shoo away and let me enjoy my mocha..
Whenever I wear my Ironman stuffs, my pride collides with my embarrassment. It all revolves around the IM logo. There, stretched from shoulder to shoulder, are eight very large letters, shining forth in bright red stitching. It says: FINISHER.
In my mind, the eight letters mean so much more than the sum of its parts. If you read between the lines of those letters, what it really says is, "Look at me, I'm important. I'm better than you"
Honestly, I just doesn't feel right to cop that attitude. I'm not comfortable with overt arrogance. The fact is, I'm not better than you and I'm not that important.
At the same time, I suppose there's a fine line between arrogance and pride and maybe some humility. The fact is that I am damn proud to be an Ironman finisher. I had dreamed of finishing an Ironman and, gosh golly, I want to share my excitement with the entire world. Being an Ironman finisher makes me feel special. It makes me feel like I joined an elite club. This t-shirt cost more than money, it cost hard work and perseverance and a fair bit of pain. For goodness sakes, I earned the right to wear this..
Unfortunately, the great irony of the Ironman brand is that, as participation in the sport popularizes, the power of the brand diminishes. If everybody claims to be "elite," than nobody is.
Ironman is no longer simply a 140.6 mile event, it is a symbol of determination. It is no longer an endurance event, it is a consumer brand - and one that generates a butt load of money. Ironman is about determination, and now, for a few bucks, anybody can buy in.
We are in the midst of the gentrification of Ironman. Today it is much easier than anytime in history for anybody to experience the Ironman attitude. You don't have to swim, bike or run. You don't have to train for 7-8 months - to sacrifice family and friends. You don't have to battle the physical pain and emotional destruction. You don't have to bring your body to the very edge and confront the demons burning inside you.
All you have to do is open your wallet.
Aah shucks!! So what if you not an Ironman.. It dosent really matter to the person standing next to you even if you are. So lets get on with life and enjoy those damn donuts from Big Apple will ya'
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