after a month of exercising, i made it home for thanksgiving. and family time. means a lot of cooking at home. which means all the exercising had gone to waste. wonderful.
races are awesome. i had never been to one and that rush of being on the tracks, feeling the roar of the engine...the rush of the vibrations....the excitement of the crowd....the precision and physics of racing.... was just absolutely exhilarating. it's a rich sport...and all the richness comes with everything associated...from the booth, to the champagne, to the venue...and the hotel galas and most importantly...the models. thanks amanda!!
mika hakkinen!!!
married boys with kids...need to tediously plan for moments they are allowed out...and even if things don't go according to plan, they need to capitalize on that free pass. and in almost all cases, I'm ur guy. I'm ur excuse. tho that doesn't mean I'm always in the mood for drinks. or that I'm not tired and would rather keep it low key. and with a huge delay at the airport, my day was just running hectic and tiring. even with no luggage...the mad rush of banking, meetings, a trip to the tailor and dinner with my aunt...got me tired upon receipt of the text from josh..."I'm running late...traffic"....i courteously responded with an option to take it easy that rejected with "i'll meet you for a drink." that turned into 4am with guest appearances from charade and monique. topped off with a random ktv lounge in cwb. just another night in the day of me...
With no training and desperately overweight...the least I could've done was to be better prepared for the race by doing some research on the course...or stretching...or eating right...or applying sunblock or applying chaff protection but that slipped my mind after a night out w tequila on friday night. So the next morning started off w false confidence as i finished my swim ahead of the masses and transitioned into the cycle portion having never ridden the loaner bike and no water in my bottle. I cramped almost immediately while having problems downshifting uphill...that's when the onslaught of quitting knocked at the door...banging exponentially harder as i trucked through the majestic beach landscape of kenting...it's besides the fact that i didn't have bike shoes and yet somehow in between a foot blister formation and a hamstring pull...i found a slight groove on the second lap...finding comfort in non aerodynamic biking....sitting fully upright alleviating lower back pressure and finger blisters i finished that portion under 4 hours only to find myself facing a half marathon left. How I ran the first 12k w ease was too good to be true. not even the good ole walk/run/walk/walk/walk/run combination couldn't overcome the equatorial sun that beamed down at 33c to torch my will...lock my knees. i walked the last 3k. With that said...but I knew I'd finish. maybe i should train next time...
20 years removed from the "made in taiwan" phenomenon, i feel as tho taiwan has become lost amongst the asia boom predominantly led by China. Politics have pushed Taiwan to the side and has remained a hidden destination for foreigners. the beauty of kenting is that the 4 star international hotel franchises haven't turned this beach coast into a commercialized resort town. domestic tourists fill the towns domestic villa's and hotels which offers a coastline rivaling any island beach....alongside a surfer southern hospitality. it's the perfect place to go with your group of friends...eat fresh local seafood...beach during the day and hang at the bar truck all night...quaint...relaxing...and cheap.
