the day i cycled to NUS

yesterday,on a spur of unknown courage and determination,i asked my father to lead han wei and i to cycle to his hostel at NUS. FYI,i live in bukit batok,which is actually not too far from NUS at Kent Ridge,about a 20 minutes bus ride away.

so,the three of us set off into the hot and searing late morning sun,my father leading,followed by han wei and then me. oh,did i mention my father actually cycles to esplanade (about a 45 mins train ride from my place) and once cycled to changi point(about an hour train ride and 30 minutes bus ride)? so of course,cycling to NUS is probably chickent feed to him, and han wei(who keeps claiming he's gone fat but has actually lost weight. *grrrrrr*)

as for me,all the bodypump and bodystep i've done misled myself into thinking that i am actually quite fit. boy was i wrong...

actually,the initial part was quite alright cos it was pretty much cycling on almost completely flat road. my quads were sort of aching abit cos it was going through endurance training which it has not been exposed to for 4 months,but i was pretty ok. and then,the nightmare began as we approach NUS. NUS is built on Kent Ridge, which means it is a very hilly region. and the slopes are not just steep,they are very long, so i have to work really hard to keep my bicycle moving uphill. by the time i reach han wei's hostel,my quads were trembling and my heart rate has hit about 150bpm. i was gasping for oxygen and part of me wanted to just collapse onto the ground.

and then,in the evening,i had to cycle back to my place. fortunately,it was mainly downhill on the way back...but unfortunately,my quads were so fatigued from the earlier ride that it was pure pain and agony cycling, even on flat road. by the time i reach home,i had trouble standing up straight...and my ischial tuberosities are sore from sitting on the teeny bike seat. *ouchie*

but,i feel really good.been so long since i actually work my muscles that hard.and i do have a sense of achievement in knowing that i actually made my way to NUS based on my own manual strength. right now,strangely enough,my quads feel fine but my trapz are aching.

well,at least i am exercising and trying to keep those flabs off. especially with all the local cuisine i have been indulging since i've returned, cycling is probably the only way to keep my body as lean as possible.

next stop on my cycling endeavours? maybe han wei's place at woodlands...or as my father has challenged me, Changi Point *faint*