First off, congrats to all the people I know who participated in last Sunday's Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon! Regardless of whether you did the 10k, sampled a taste of long distances with the 21k, or went all out and completed the 42k- having finished the race is a wonderful accomplishment in itself. I heard the weather was actually quite conducive for running, cloudy skies and not too warm. I will have to try the Singapore Marathon one day, but probably not any time soon because it doesn't coincide with any of my term breaks. Meanwhile I'll just pursue my marathon-running in the USA!

"You pass out before you die". I took this quote off the Facebook profile of my teammate/ coach for the Michigan Powerlifting Club. Isn't it true? Okay, maybe it's kind of perverse, but it really makes a whole lot of sense when you're a few steps away from the barbell and all psyched to perform your lift. Powerlifting and triathlons/ marathons are worlds apart- not just due to perhaps the most obvious reason that the former is a strength/ explosive power sport while the latter two are endurance sports. In powerlifting you only have one shot. You either make it or you don't, and it all comes down to the matter of a few seconds once you grasp the barbell with your chalked grip. Marathons and triathlons are different. You have to apportion your energy and reserve over the distance, which can be almost too much to fathom. Both are painful- powerlifing; through the excruciating few seconds when you utilize just about every ounce of will and every muscle fiber to perform the lift, endurance events; the mental anguish and prolonged agony that accompanies the fatigue caused by lactic acid buildup. Most people would find it odd to pursue both of these sports, perhaps citing the incongruity of training fast-twitch muscle fibers through powerlifting, while simultaneously building endurance with slow and sustained efforts. But I guess at this current point in time it's still possible for me to do both- after all, life is short and I don't want to regret not having tried something I'd have loved to. And if anything, the speed and power gained from powerlifting definitely have a discernible impact on helping me with regards to my endurance pursuits. Even for endurance sports, long and slow is definitely not the way to go all the time- I find speed intervals and varying resistance levels absolutely crucial to the performance function.

On another note, I think winter has finally arrived for good in Ann Arbor after a series of false alarms. The ground outside is covered in about an inch or two of snow. Drats. I'm not much of a winter person because it's, well, cold, and it's nearly impossible to run outside when there's ice blanketing the ground or heavy snowfall which restricts visibility. I managed to go for a run before the snowfall started today, though, and so I'm quite glad I worked that into my schedule. The early-morning thrice-a-week erg sessions with my teammate from the novice crew team last year are working out splendidly. Today we both admitted to each other that there was probably no way we would either have left our beds if we hadn't had the obligation to each other to meet at 0630 hours to row. And that's why I'm thankful for accountability and great friends like her who are similarly motivated, because it just adds to the meaning I derive from doing such things. And I'm slowly rediscovering my mojo for erging, which is great since it's probably one of the most beneficial forms of exercise, and proper form and technique ranks up there as one of the most important and valued things I took away from my year in Michigan Rowing. Especially since erging is only really useful when you know how to do it right- I've seen countless numbers of people get tangled up in themselves by moving the wrong body parts at wrong times, and it kind of prevents them from deriving any sort of benefit from the workout. Anyway I don't even suppose I did it entirely right myself before I was actually taught the step-by-step fundamentals. It's not easy, but it's pretty worth learning and knowing.

Okay time to get some work done!

***
Psalm 138
Of David.

1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

3 When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.

5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.

8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.
***