Category Archives: Sports

Sports

Opening ceremony? No thanks, I’d rather have coffee

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Call me a spoilsport, but I didn’t really enjoy the London 2012 opening ceremony. Admittedly, I’m not a keen fan of opening ceremonies – I think the money is better spent elsewhere. But the truth is that it didn’t appeal to me.

Don’t get me wrong – the event was not boring for me because it was in any way mis-choreographed (at least the parts I saw). The whole set up was spectacular. There were a number of great parts, such as the forming of the five interlocking Olympic rings and the lighting of the flame. The latter was especially significant because of who lit the flame: not David Beckham as I had hoped but seven promising athletes – even better!

I’m sorry, but I got bored reasonably quickly and I just waited patiently to see the Maltese contingent walk in with the flag for my very own brief moment of pride.

And pride, in a sense, is what it was all about. The only thing is that it was the pride of anyone British or related in some way to Great Britain. If you were in neither of these two groups, it didn’t really work. Well, it didn’t for me.

It’s like watching The Malta Experience – a slide show depicting 7,000 years of Maltese history in 45 minutes or thereabouts. I got a sense of pride whenever I used to watch it. Non-Maltese just learnt about our history – period.  

If I understood the London 2012 opening ceremony correctly, it was also meant to be a historical re-enactment, with a pinch of salt – hence the inclusion of characters like Rowan Atkinson and the Queen jumping out of a helicopter (sic). And thank God – or the British – for that sense of humour. Which other head of state would so readily be willing to do what the British Queen did?

If I were British, I would be very proud of what the island nation achieved. And the comments on Facebook were testament to that. But I’m not.

I guess it’s comparable to tea – the British appreciate it in a way few do. While tea is great, I’d go for coffee any day.

Sports

No Olympic glory, but 40 minutes more sleep

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Saturday sees me participate in my first – and probably only – triathlon for 2012. It was supposed to be the year I moved up from Sprint triathlon to Olympic, but there’s no way on earth that was going to happen. At least, thanks to a change in scheduling from last year, I get to sleep 40 minutes longer.

My plan was simple – train hard, eat better and get in shape in time for the Zurich Triathlon. I did none and so decided – reluctantly – to be realistic and stick to Sprint for now – I didn’t want to take on the longer distance, do badly and get de-motivated.

The thing is my running is still very weak (average 5:30 per km) and I did very little time in the saddle. On a positive note, my swimming has improved tremendously – especially thanks to my Trigether swim trainer Iris. Only this week, I managed 500 m in 10:45 min, my fastest ever. That on its own, however, is not enough to progress to the next level.

So on Saturday, at 8.40am, I’ll be joining hundreds of others in the Sprint distance – 500 m swimming, 20 km cycling and 5 km running. A year ago, the start was at 8am, so I guess it’s 40 minutes more sleep for me. I almost feel better now.

Last year, I clocked just over 1 hour 21 minutes – anything quicker will be a bonus.

Sports, Thoughts, World of Cars

New job, cr#p hotel and Olympic dreams

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Camaro photoshoot in Spain. Many early mornings and long days - but one hell of a lot of fun!

Now 2011 has been one hell of a ride, and I’m seeing it off with a mixture of satisfaction and anticipation for next year. It took some time, but things are finally falling into place.

The year started off with news that I got the job I wanted at Chevrolet (General Motors). It was great news at the tail end of a year, 2010, I would sooner forget.

Work at my former employer had become untenable for a number of reasons – incompatible chemistry, divergence of opinion of how things should be run and a salary that was – by Swiss standards – laughable. It was neatly closed off with a broken promise by the company boss in NY for a reference letter. But that’s the past, way past in my books. The only good thing about it is that I met some nice people (still following you on the social media highway, chaps).

In my new job, there are the usual office clashes and bumpy rides, late nights and early mornings, long meetings and uncooperative people (you know who you are!). But you know what? It doesn’t matter. It’s still great and I love it. And my bosses are great, colleagues too, our products are best in class and our Europe-wide team rocks! Even the folks across the pond and beyond are helpful and supportive.

I sometimes wonder why it took me so long to get into the business. I guess we just tend to be dragged along into a job that pays the bills. People don’t seem to understand that I chose my job because I love it. And judging by the faces of some people on trains or in cars, during the morning and evening commutes, I’d say that the vast majority of people do not particularly like their job/boss/life.

My only complaint during my time there so far is that cr#p hotel I stayed at during our Centennial event. Man, was it bad. The Sternen Hotel in Worb, near Bern. For a start, calling it a hotel is an offence to hotels worldwide. Can you imagine that after a long day at work, I arrive, at around 8.05pm and was shouted at (really!) by the owner-cum-receptionist because I was late. No, seriously. I was told off because I was late arriving at a hotel! Not only, she walked up the steps and turned a sign round sternly saying that guests should arrive from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.

Now two things spring to mind – 1. It was turned the wrong way, so even if by chance I had driven by, I would not have seen it, and 2. the first time I got there was when I arrived to check in – how on heaven’s earth should I have known. So I duly apologised for being but a mere client paying good money (it wasn’t cheap!) – she didn’t get the sarcasm. So if you are ever in Worb and need a hotel, DO NOT GO THERE! The room was OK, although the TV was a relic of the 1970s (you could hear what’s on but not watch), the towel was normal sized if you were an elf, and the windows had little pieces of cloth which you had to stick on with Velcro. Oh, the mini-bar was simply not there (although the piece of furniture that housed it was there, vents and all).

My year is now ending and I have just one resolution – I’ll be moving up from Sprint Triathlons to the Olympic distance. Cycling and running should not pose too much hassle, if I survive the swimming.

I close my first year as a blogger with three little notes: the first is that my eldest kid (Kim) is an up and coming gymnastics star, the second is that my middle child (Mia) is a little artist, and finally, my youngest (Lea) is a tough little cookie who will probably go on to rule the world (must make sure not to piss her off, I guess).

PS: Jerry has four leaves now!

Sports

The ‘level playing field’ switch

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It was one of those times when God intervened and levelled the playing field, one of those rare occasions when I played football and was on the best team.

You see, playing football when you are in your 40s is exactly the same as when you are in your teens – you get the very good players, the average players and the poor players. The very good ones are also the ones who complain most about everything and blame everyone else – especially when they are at fault.

That is how it was at my school – De Las Salle College in Malta – and that is how it is now, more than 20 years later, with my club FC Othmarsingen. This difference in skill inevitably leads to a drop in confidence making the gap between players far wider than it really is. This is bloody annoying!

We are now in the winter break and training consists of playing mini best-of-three three-a-side games, with the winning team staying on.

Last training, I was in a team with two average players and one poor. There were two other teams, each with two very good players and one poor player. We were destined to get our derriere whipped.

But it didn’t happen. We played better, ran faster, tackled more and scored classier goals. There were even a couple of back heels (all from our team) and I even took a pot shot with my left foot. The very good players didn’t know what hit them, and we didn’t know what had suddenly happed to our feet. And I left the pitch uninjured, which, in itself, is nothing short of a miracle.

Tonight we have football again. So please, dear God, remember to hit the ‘level playing field’ switch again if you don’t mind.

Sports

Disappointing, but a happy finish

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I knew it was going to be hard, but didn’t expect it to be so hard. I hadn’t trained half as much as I should have and therefore have no real excuses to offer. But I was hoping to equal my time of last year.

It didn’t happen and I was a whopping three minutes slower. My time at this year’s Zurich Triathlon (Short) was something over one hour 21 minutes, which honestly is a bit disappointing. And as what happened last year, I am putting off moving up to the Olympic distance for now.

The swimming part was the usual disaster – my goggles fogged up, I felt out of breath and believe someone had cunningly tied a 20kg deadweight to my leg, thus dragging me down – at least that’s what it felt like. This was topped off with a kick to my chest and kidney courtesy of other competitors.

The ‘hard’ part over, I got on my bike – my strongest discipline – but once again I felt I was a V8 with just three cylinders working. My time was, however, respectable at just over 31 minutes for 20km.

Running, or moving-just-a-little-bit-faster-than-walking as it was in my case, felt as though somebody was beating me up with every stride. A colleague past me at the 3km mark and I decided to use him (he was relatively faster) as a pace maker. This plan was unceremoniously abandoned around 30 seconds after it was hatched.

The ending was surprisingly positive. I picked up pace for the last 200m and people were really cheering me (and all other athletes) on. And at the very end, six cheerleaders cheered me (as they do) past the finish line. Probably the first time someone in so much pain smiled so happily!

Sports

Ironman, well, sort of…

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The long weekend promised a flurry of training in preparation for my next triathlon. But a running foray in Brugg left me reeling. I was dismal, to say the least. The worst came when that 80-ish woman with a Zimmer frame asked me to move aside so she could walk by as I was blocking the way.

So, I was left to nurse my bruised ego and deal with a 7min 30sec per kilometre time over a stretch less than 8km. What on earth happened to me? I couldn’t have gone slower if I tried. So much for my training plans. Sunday also saw me out on my bike, but I should have learnt from my Friday experience and stayed home. I managed an average speed of less than 24km/h. Swimming was left to complete the circle, but I wisely opted out.

But there is some good news. I found out that I do qualify for the title of Ironman after all. I managed (wait for it…) to iron seven (yes, SEVEN) shirts and one pair of trousers in a mere 75 minutes! Impressed, eh? I’m well chuffed about it, really!

I think I might just take up Extreme Ironing instead of triathlon. In the latter, the best I can aspire for is Plasticman.

Sports

Seven seconds

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Some people flog themselves, others walk barefoot for miles in processions, others still get crucified, presumably to win favour from God. I do triathlons. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy triathlons, but jumping into a pool with a water temperature of around 17 degrees Celsius is not fun. It was so cold I nearly stopped breathing.

But my first triathlon, in Thurgau, of 2011 can be considered a success as I managed to finish a staggering seven seconds (well, 6.7 seconds) faster (yes, faster!) than last year – despite the excessive baggage I carried around my waist, the lack of training and motivation at a low ebb.

It’s funny though. I felt good in the swimming as I conditioned my body to get used to the cold; cycling was also good, but my running was weak. In reality, I was four seconds slower in my swimming, 22 seconds slower in the cycling part, but 33 seconds faster in running. My end time was 1 hour 06 minutes 15 seconds.

The conclusion is that training helps; all I did for the past eight weeks was running, albeit not much of it, with a sprinkling of cycling. Also, my transition times – the period when you change from swimming to cycling and from cycling to running – were dreadful.

One crucial point is that I enjoyed it – I hadn’t enjoyed my last three events and was thinking of quitting the sport. I even started football with this in mind. But now I feel newly invigorated to do well in the Zurich Triathlon coming up in a couple of months. The question is: should I do a half-marathon?

Sports

When plans go astray

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Somewhere, something went wrong. My first triathlon for 2011 is a week away and I’m terribly overweight, verging closely and dangerously on the 90-kilogram mark; I’m terribly unfit; motivation is at an all-time low; and I am still struggling with a litany of injuries. I was suppoeed to be fit, at my ideal weight (77kg) and ready to go, at least that’s what my plans said.

But the Thurgau Triathlon is on the cards and I plan to go for it, at the risk of further injury (and embarrassment). Anyway, it’s a terribly short triathlon – 200 metres swimming followed by a brisk 17 kilometre cycle and a four kilometre run. The problem is that the latter two (of course) are generally uphill (it doesn’t feel as though you ever come back down).

Last year I clocked in at one hour six minutes 21 seconds. As usual, I messed up the swimming part, so if I manage to keep calm at the start, I might manage to beat the 5.22 minutes time. Last year was also my worst cycling time (38.09 minutes) – a staggering three minutes slower than my best time recorded in 2007. And running, the discipline I train most, is always my worst as calf muscles are all jammed up – and we go into a killer hill very soon after the start.

So, my predictions, based on the above, are that I’ll be in the same water as last year, maybe a bit slower. Up to one hour seven minutes is OK – anything less is an achievement. Long term plan is to go under one hour – it won’t happen this year, but it will, eventually.

Sports

Running out of time

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On yer bike: Looking ahead to new challenges

It’s hard to find the right motivation to get into my running or biking gear and heading out for a run. Going for a swim is even harder. I’ve done some sort of physical activity for the past few Sundays, but lately it’s getting harder and harder.

I guess one reason for that is that time is a sparse commodity, plus I can’t say I’m currently in good shape. They (whoever they may be) say that if you really want to do something, you’ll find the time.

So maybe it isn’t time after all, but something more deep-rooted. I’m starting to wonder whether I need a new set of goals. Around six years ago, I set myself two targets – to get a degree and to complete a triathlon. I’ve done one of the first and many of the second. Now what?