This year's SAC charity swim has just passed over the last weekend...
Instead of toughing out in the sea, I was toughing out in a seminar at Bangi...haha...it was a great seminar with plenty of amazing speakers...but I am not writing abt that here :p
The SAC charity swim has been something I try to participate annually since I first found out about it in 2006. I can't quite remember what got me to sign up for this swim...but I believe it was an impulsive decision when presented with the challenge (at least that's how I signed up for the 20km swim last year :p)...if someone actually brought me through the distance I have to swim...I would have freaked out (that's how I felt last year while taking the boat from end point to start point of the 20k swim :p)...haha...
and like all endurance events I have participated, once u have tried it, u tend to develop some addiction to it...even though during the event u may curse yourself for signing up AGAIN!!
So this year, I signed up to swim in the dirty waters of ECP again when SAC sent out the email abt the event...
Swimming was in my life since I was very young...
I started learning to swim when I was in primary 1, joined some "competitive" training in our country club in primary 4 ("competitive" because we basically have fun and compete for the last few positions during competition...at least during my time)...got switched to focus on tennis during secondary school...and started joining the school team again when I was studying in JC in S'pore...of course, I was never a serious swimmer...but we do have a lot of fun...and in uni, we did have our winning team for IBG and IHG when I was in Kent Ridge Hall :)
In 2004, after graduating from undergrad, marathons, open water swims, biathlons and triathlons came into my life. It started of with 5k runs, then 10k, and b4 I knew it I have completed 42k marathons (yes more than one :p)...in the mean time, I also started biathlons, triathlons and even adventure races...
However, somewhere around 2006-2007, I got busy with PhD and other work, and my sporting activities got reduced until almost zero...of course, I was still walking around with my big bag a lot...so that's sufficient exercise to burn calories and keep me trim :)
For almost a year, I went without any exercise...I almost gone crazy...haha...fortunately, I managed to force myself to take time off and go for a swim one day, and the effect was amazing...there was an instant calming effect the moment I jumped into the water! Since then I have always made an effort to swim at least once a week or at the very least, once in a fortnight, unless I am sick...
It wasn't until last year (2010), after I have official graduated from PhD, that I started picking up on my exercise again...
First there was the 20k charity swim I was training for...so I swam on my own in various pools, on certain days, swam with Trevor (organizer of the charity swiim) at NYP, and on Sun with the charity swimmers at UWCSEA...
Then in oct, there was that move to my current place which has a 50m pool...yippee!
Somewhere in dec, I started to join the Mon tri swim at Buona vista pool...then not long later, I joined the Tanjong beach swim on Sat...
...and since May this year, I have been swimming very regularly, at least 3-5 times a week...and with the influence of those crazy ironmen/triathletes I swim with, bike and run is also part of my training...although still not as frequent as swimming :p
As a result of all these training, plus some technical tips from various experienced swimmers such as Amos Tan, Matthew Wong, Dion Gan etc...I found that my swim has improved beyond my previous personal best...I was looking forward to my best swim in this year's 10km charity swim...but alas an important meeting clashed with the charity swim date. It was probably to save me the agony of making the decision to swim, with an unknown cause low grade fever lingering around...that initially worried me, is more of annoying me now :p
But that said, I am still very happy to have seen significant improvement in my swim times during the various preparatory events I participated in...
(1) Trifactor 3k swim... 62 mins
(2) Port Dickson triathlon (<1.5k swim)... 25 mins
(3) NUS splashdown (5k swim)... 102 mins
(4) Mega tri (1k swim)... 18 mins
(5) Charity swim time trial (1.5k x 4 sets, <2-3mins rest in between)... 29:04, 30:13, 29:25 (cheated with paddles :P), 25:35 (cheated with fins!)
It is definitely disappointing to not be able to participate in the charity swim after so much preparation and to know I have improved so much this year...but like I tell my friends when they have to skip an event (usually due to injury), there are many many many more races in the future ;)
I look forward to more open water swims, biathlons and triathlons in 2012!
Below are links to some of my previous charity swims...and also photos put up my SAC for this year's swim
2011 10k swim photos.. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Student-Advisory-Centre-SAC/174213012636176?ref=tn_tinyman
2010 Tioman 20km swim... http://penguinowner.blogspot.com/2010/11/charity-swim-tioman-2010.html
2008 ECP 10km swim... http://penguinowner.blogspot.com/2008/11/marathon-charity-swim.html
2006 ECP 10km swim... http://penguinowner.blogspot.com/2006/06/marathon-charity-swim.html
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