I’ve been MIA for a while now but I’ve been up to some good. In the past few months, I travelled back home (Malaysia), visited the family, met up with old friends, made new ones, opened our own trading company, flew up north for a business trip(Thailand), flew back to Bahrain, unpacked (hubby shifted our home to somewhere nearer town centre), met up with friends, and made some more new ones. Most importantly – started training for the Viper Challenge in August.
What’s Viper Challenge?
“Viper challenge is a 20km Obstacle Course Challenge, which is predominantly filled with man-made obstacles that will put both heart and spirit to the test. It is Asia’s first and largest obstacle challenge, like no other. Imagine obstacles Designed to take you out of your comfort zone, you will enter the challenge either as an individual warrior or as part of a team… Whichever way you enter, you will finish understanding that cooperation and teamwork will be the likely factors that will help you to get across that finish line, without it, you will find it difficult to succeed. Even individual Warriors will depend on others participating in the course alongside them for a boost at times.” -excerpt from Viper Challenge website.
Viper Challenge – August 2013 – Sepang, Malaysia
Obstacles
Jump Platform / Dusty Trench Crawl / Barb Wire Crawl / Through Tube / M Wall / Container Climb / Ice Jump / Hill Slide / Over Under Walls / Tyre Run / Bars Over Water / Log Jumps / Trench Crawl / On the Wire / Trench Pool / Balance Beam / Pyramid Tree / Corrugated Tunnel / Incline Wall / Cargo Net
I am a WARRIOR
Well…not quite yet. In fact I found out how much of a wuss I really was recently. I’ve been running an average of 60 to 70 km a month. Not much to some but for those who couldn’t care less about exercising, that’s plenty! I joined fitness classes to improve my strength. On the very first day I found out I had virtually no strength at all in my upper body (zilch – nada – zero). couldn’t do even 1 push up. Did 1 burpee and decided that was enough for the day. Could do triceps for 1 rep and thought my arms would fall out. No, I couldn’t move an inch on the monkey bar. Couldn’t even hold on for dear life.
That was two weeks ago. Today I could manage a grumbling, scream inducing 22 push ups in a row (1 minute)…yes, still small for some but heck, I’ve been to hell and back these past two weeks and am very proud of it. Planks, bicep/tricep curls, shoulder, pecs, abs…the works. I’m doing them. Some days, after the workout, I can’t even move an inch. Sitting down means plopping myself down. No grace left. But I will be the warrior!
On a side note
I am afraid of worms and totally phobic when it comes to leeches. I hope to God I don’t have to deal with them nasty blood suckers when the day comes.
Here’s the good thing. This is a self discovery. I love running but this challenge will take more out of us than mere cardio stamina. I questioned myself on how far I would go. Some aim for triathlon, ultras, Gobi desert…I just started running – wanting to be healthy. But it evolved somehow.
Now I don’t want to miss a thing (sounds like a cliché or a lyric of a song ;p) but that’s what it has become. I don’t want life to pass me by without a chance to participate in an adventure. It’s not to prove something and it’s not me compensating for a lack in something. This is me participating in life. This is how I do it. I am not alone. Chay Alicaba, Dale Alicaba, Andri Iskandar, Moi Koh – am glad we’re all in this together!!
It’s not the end all but it’s a path I’ve chosen to take. And I shall lie in the bed I’ve made.
Godspeed Bopspeed and all Warriors to be, amen.
bopspeed 