lifesong
Everyone needs compassion
And love that never fails
Let mercy fall on me
When everyone needs forgiveness
Kindness of the Saviour
The Hope of the nation
Saviour, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything that i believe in
Now i surrender
Shine a light in and
let the whole world see
Singing, for the glory of the risen king
Jesus, Shine a light and
let the whole world see
Singing for the glory of the risen king
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
-11:01 AM
Dear HSF & those who dare to dream together,
This entry is for all of you.
When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of finishing an Ironman Race. I remember vaguely that it was a teenage goal to try an Ironman after I watched an inspiring Ironman series on NBC about the Finishers in Kona Hawaii. To know more about Kona, Hawaii, you can read Sebastian’s Blog “SELAH” @ http://sebastianteo.blogspot.com/
There, you will find true inspiring stories about men and women and the reason why they race. As I grew older, I moved on from different sports but always knew that an endurance sport was God’s gift to my life. Hence, I hung up my rock climbing shoes in 2004 and went out with my running and cycling shoes. However, swimming was never my cup of tea. I never swam 20 laps of Freestyle non-stop until January 2007. I started swimming breaststroke when I was young and started re-learning Freestyle in 2006. That’s the reason why I am slow to begin my triathlon journey. Here’s a brief history:
OSIM 2004 – First Tri Experience (Sprint Distance)
OSIM 2005 - ------ Registered but did not participate due to ministry commitment
OSIM 2006 – First Short-course (Olympic Distance)
Port Dickson – Second Short-course (Olympic Distance)
East Coast Park – NUS Long Distance Tri
Ironman Langkawi – First Long Course
So how does it feel now that you have completed the IM?
I’M thankful! I really can’t say that there was a highlight in the whole experience because everything was a highlight! The pre-race, during and post-race emotions and thoughts were all wonderful journal entries and there are so many lessons to learn and draw from the entire Ironman journey. I guess that’s why people do it because to do an Ironman is something more than yourself – it is not the race but the experiences your draw from the journey through each leg of the course.
Was there a scariest moment during the race?
Well, it is not the heat [34 -34 Degrees Celsius] but rather coming down the hills after you have laboriously climbed it – yes, coming down at 65 -70 km / h with the kids by the side of the road trying to pick water bottles and vehicles on the other side climbing slowly up the hill. To me, I felt a sense that I had no control and could only pray as I went swooping down in my aero-dynamic position.
Many people were concerned that you had some problems, especially Shirley who has been waiting anxiously for you. Was there a point you thought you would not finish?
Oh …. I guess Shirley was worried and that’s normal now …. Haha because she will see Sebas finish followed by Jacyln and I will be the last of the 3 in that order. I wasn’t worried that I couldn’t finish the race because I could hear the words of encouragement by many of my friends and family back in Singapore saying, Swim with Courage, Ride with Resilience, Run with Endurance, Always thankful, always victorious, always a blessing, Ironman don’t go half-way, Ironman go all the way BUT there was a moment I was concerned.
That moment happened after climbing a hill along the bike course. We had to climb 5 hills in total. After climbing 4th hill with about 100km to go on my bike leg, my derailer shifters started to bother me. The cable or screw had come lose and the tension affected my paddling. The chain kept skipping / jumping and couldn’t stay in my chain ring. I tried several times to shift my gears hoping that the chain would stay in one position instead of skipping but to no avail. Hence, I got off my saddle at least 3 times and tried to rectify the problem but it still didn’t work. This saw my timing & rhythm slip. I had planned to cycle at an average speed of 27 – 28km/h so that I could finish my bike leg between 6hrs 30min to 6 hrs 15min. By about 3.30pm under the scorching heat with about 40km remaining, I started telling God that I need a miracle for my marathon leg. I recalled telling God that I wanted to finish strong and I prayed that I will not hit the wall or feel any cramp during the run. God was silent as I rushed through the countryside and villagers along a series of flat road into KUAH township. Later at about 4pm, I spoke to God again and asked Him if He has heard my cry??? As I passed the runners and entered KUAH, the Holy Spirit whispered and reminded me that everything is gonna be alright in Christ. That gave me a boost and I pressed on to the transition area. I met Shirley & Huimei along the roadside but couldn’t bring a smile as I was really exhausted and frustrated with my bike. I went into transition and soon started my run.
So how did you feel as you started running?
I made the transition and ran passed Shirley & Huimei and tried to smile and give them a nod of my head and all that was on my mind was finishing well and strong.
Some people said you were looking strong in the run, what kept you going??
Well, when you run from evening to twilight and into the night – it is an awesome and yet tiring experience. What kept me going was self-talk, talking to God, worshiping and thinking about you guys and gals back home [now that’s the mental & spiritual part]. I also had to discipline my body and now fully understand what Paul meant when he said he had to buffet / discipline his body for the work of Christ. I basically practiced what I did on the bike – x1 took salt tablet every 50 mins / x1 PowerGel every hourly and I drink pretty much after every 10 -15mins on the bike or run. During the run, I did not take my salt tablets from the special needs area because I wanted to keep my running rhythm going but the drinks and sponging at the Aid Station were very important especially for the purpose of regulating heat from the evening sun [that’s the physical and physiological part]. More importantly, your friends around make a lot of difference. For instance, a friend of mine ran passed me and said, “Hang in there Yong Howe”. That made a difference when you start seeing others walking and you just tell yourself you got to keep at it and so the marathon leg saw many ‘iron sharpen iron’ moments as your friends passed you by…. Thanks Desmond!
What are some images or pictures you will never forget???
That’s a good question! There are many I must say. For example, when I tried to ‘Hi Five’ the guy with the prosthetic leg Jeffrey Glasbrenner who lost his leg as a child in a farming accident and when I passed the Japanese Para Olympian, Harumi Yanagawa and his friend, I would thumbs up and his buddy would smile! These moments are special because you realize that everyone has got some kind of weakness or disabilities and sometimes the real disabilities and handicap is not physical but mental. Through these guys, I am reminded that our greatest weakness and disabilities is a weak mind and heart that says I can’t or I will not but when we can say like Paul, That we be lacking not in zeal but be zealous for God – WOW! I realize that at that moment when we surrender our physical or mental weaknesses and press on - we can finish any race, accomplish any dreams just as these two brave men proved they did. Read more @ http://www.ironman.com/events/ironman/malaysia?show=all&y=2007
On a more personal note, 2 images will remain in me for a long time to come and you will probably hear me testify over and over again. Here we go:
1. The marathon leg consists of 4 loops with the last all the way to the FINISH. After I did my first loop and collected my first red band, I felt a little weak and sleepy even though my legs were still able. As I took the red band, I told God I was gonna run non-stop and finish the loop for Shirley & our baby – that spur me on. When I finished the second and took the green band, I told God that I wanna run for my family and spiritual family Youthnet and my tribe and my people and every step of the way was either a prayer or a song for you guys….one particular song spurred me during my 3rd lap. It was the song, “I will run to You” not by might, not by power but by the spirit of God…yes I will run the race..till I see your face…Lord let me live in the glory of your grace…..Finally when I collected my last band and interestingly it was WHITE in colour, I told God the last one is for you JESUS, FATHER and Holy Spirit. I remember I would say I love you Jesus along the way, I love you Holy Spirit along the way….I said to God that I wanted to finish my Christian Race strong and well, I want to be more like Jesus…asking God to purify my heart … and as I ran into the mountains ….the Lord spoke to me as He has always done so through His word…. He said Yong Howe, remember Ps. 121 ….remember what you shared with the rest during the eve of your race…. Remember you said that every verse in this Psalms will come alive…. Indeed Ps. 121 came alive as I look to the Hills where does my help come from – the Maker of Heaven and Earth ---- I ran in awe as I looked at the mountains and looked at the moon and the stars…..Up till that moment, God has indeed watched over me in scorching sun till night where the moon was rising and in my coming and going – He who watches over me neither slumbers …. He will not let my foot slip!!! BUT I was kinda concern and caught up with looking at my watch and counting down in my head --- erghhh what time will I finish ….can I finish in my new goal of 15 hours since I had reset my goal from 14 to 15 hours after the bike leg ….. YET somewhere with just 10km more to go, the Lord whispered and said Yong Howe, stop looking at your watch! Look at the stars, enjoy worshiping me and enjoy this journey ---You will finish this race in my time!!! At that moment, songs like How Great is our God and In His Time were singing in my heart … I can’t really describe to you but I smiled and enjoyed the entire run and so the image I will not forget is the stars over the mountains and God whispering to my heart assuring and teaching me trust in Him.
2. The second one has to be my Dada! Yes Shirley at the finish about 30 metres more to the podium and running with her up to the stage and hugging and posing for a finishing shot. I love the way she loves me and seeing her at the end was special because she always knew she would be there despite her pregnancy and she always had such faith and belief more than me at times. Thank you SHIRLEY!
Now that you have completed the Ironman. How would you summarize what an Ironman Race or journey is all about???
Well, anyone can do an ironman because I believe the IM is about finishing. Yes an ironman is about finishing your dreams, your purposes and your goals in life and anyone with the ZEAL, PASSION can FINISH well and strong. However, we must go through the training - that’s pre-race preparation and we must go through the discipline – that’s race discipline and sticking to your plan or strategy and not weaver even when things don’t go your way.
Final Question, what’s next?
I don’t know now with so many things to catch up @ work and ministry and also with baby coming but I do know that this will not be my last IM!
Thanks!
