Day two of Interstate 2008. My injured wrist took quite a beating the day before, especially going down that last, rough, bumpy descent.
I decided to rest the wrist today and ride on the final day.
So the day started with me looking for a car to ride in. I had a few offers but chose to go with Jenny in one of the Route Marshall's car since she was driving alone. But that meant I had to do some work.
Man, it's tough being a Route Marshall. Sitting in the air-conditioned car, waving your arms to show the riders wear to turn, waiting for the last rider to arrive at the critical junctions. Tough work. Made me wish I was out there riding on the relentless heat instead.
Watching the faces of the riders during the ride was interesting. At the 51km critical junction, I managed to observe all the riders as they came through.
The first pack had intensity written all over their faces. Same as the second and the third. But the later riders were all starting to show fatigue. And they still had 130 km to go!
A couple of riders were so intense that, despite a big flashing red arrow pointing let, about 10 marshalls waving and shouting "turn left!" they still went straight!
Got to the hotel in Kuala Rompin at about 12.30pm, 15 minutes after the first pack had arrived. Imagine that, I was in a car and I still arrived after the first pack. They took only five hours something to finish 178km. Apparently, they didn't make any stops at all, not even to refuel. Nutters.
With my wrist fully rested, I am now prepared for Day 3's ride.
To be continued...
Monday, September 8, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Interstate Ride Report
So many things to report, I don't even know where to begin.
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.
Day One
Late!
We were supposed to leave at 5am so we can get into Kajang safely by 6. We woke up at 5:15am.
Panic!
Quickly got up got ready, made alternative arrangements with Mac and Joanne in case we missed the luggage truck and headed down to Kajang. In our rush, I left my wallet and Senn hurried through putting on her contacts, which would lead to some dire consequences later.
Got to Kajang with plenty of time to spare, fortunately. The ride started and soon the rain started too.
All the way to Semenyih, we were drenched. Don took out his raincoat and it was the noisiest thing around, flapping about in wind.
By the time we got to Tekala, the rain had subsided. I managed to hang on to the front pack till we got to the dam. At the first hill, I got dropped.
The climb up Peres was quite pleasant There was a light mist hanging just above the road. A few corners from the top, I saw the front pack stopped at the side of the road. Abby, driving her dad's truck, had swerved into the drain, and the riders had just finished pulling the truck out. The only way I was going to catch up with the leaders is if they stopped.
The descent was prety scary stuff. The roads were wet and it was cold. A bunch of us decided to take it easy. Good thing we did too, because just a few corners down the road, a rider had gone into a bend too hot and went straight into a retaining wall.
By the time I got there, he was lying on the ground beside the drain, face covered in blood. Not a pretty sight.
I hung around for bit to see if any help was required. When things looked like they were under control, I made my way down, even more cautious than before.
On the flats towards Titi, I had a mountain biker in sneakers sucking my wheel. I was pedaling furiously at 40-45km/h and here he was, just tagging along. Pretty damn strong. When I opened up to let him work, he just looked at me and smiled. OK. Looks like I'm gonna have to do this on my own. Found the front group refilling at the 77km mark and stopped to join them.
By now I had found out that Senn had stopped just after her Tekala. Her contact lenses were infecting her eyes and she couldn't stop tearing. She would take the contacts out and continue, but would end up in a support car at the 66km junction.
Continued to Spg Pertang, the 91km mark. Only 40km to go. Stopped there to eat and wait for the others. Slowly, they started rolling in: Patrick, Maria, Ishsal, Clarence, Mac, Adeline, etc. Decided to join them for the rest of the journey to Bahau.
We got going again and we were faced with this bitch of a climb. It just seemed to go on forever. Just when you think you've reached the peak, you turn the corner and the road goes upwards again. And when you have a tough climb like that, you're normally rewarded with a nice descent. Not this time. The roads were rough and bumpy and all that rattling couldn't have been good for my recovering wrist. And soon we were climbing again! With already 100km in your legs, this had to be one of the toughest climbs around.
And when we finally got to some flat land, we then had a strong headwind to contend with. By now, even maintaining 25km/h was a real chore. I had nothing left and got dropped by Ishsal, Maria and Clarence. 20km to go and I was left all by my lonesome.
I caught up with Clarence with about 15km to go and we started working together. Till he had a flat. He had no spares (i used mine fixing a flat on that rough descent), so he abandoned and waited for a support car. I pushed on ahead, fighting the wind by myself. It was the longest 10km of my life.
When I got to the hotel in Bahau, I just parked my bike and lay down for a while. The wrist was hurting, the legs were stiff. I made a decision right there and then to give the next day's 178km ride a miss.
To be continued...
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.
Day One
Late!
We were supposed to leave at 5am so we can get into Kajang safely by 6. We woke up at 5:15am.
Panic!
Quickly got up got ready, made alternative arrangements with Mac and Joanne in case we missed the luggage truck and headed down to Kajang. In our rush, I left my wallet and Senn hurried through putting on her contacts, which would lead to some dire consequences later.
Got to Kajang with plenty of time to spare, fortunately. The ride started and soon the rain started too.
All the way to Semenyih, we were drenched. Don took out his raincoat and it was the noisiest thing around, flapping about in wind.
By the time we got to Tekala, the rain had subsided. I managed to hang on to the front pack till we got to the dam. At the first hill, I got dropped.
The climb up Peres was quite pleasant There was a light mist hanging just above the road. A few corners from the top, I saw the front pack stopped at the side of the road. Abby, driving her dad's truck, had swerved into the drain, and the riders had just finished pulling the truck out. The only way I was going to catch up with the leaders is if they stopped.
The descent was prety scary stuff. The roads were wet and it was cold. A bunch of us decided to take it easy. Good thing we did too, because just a few corners down the road, a rider had gone into a bend too hot and went straight into a retaining wall.
By the time I got there, he was lying on the ground beside the drain, face covered in blood. Not a pretty sight.
I hung around for bit to see if any help was required. When things looked like they were under control, I made my way down, even more cautious than before.
On the flats towards Titi, I had a mountain biker in sneakers sucking my wheel. I was pedaling furiously at 40-45km/h and here he was, just tagging along. Pretty damn strong. When I opened up to let him work, he just looked at me and smiled. OK. Looks like I'm gonna have to do this on my own. Found the front group refilling at the 77km mark and stopped to join them.
By now I had found out that Senn had stopped just after her Tekala. Her contact lenses were infecting her eyes and she couldn't stop tearing. She would take the contacts out and continue, but would end up in a support car at the 66km junction.
Continued to Spg Pertang, the 91km mark. Only 40km to go. Stopped there to eat and wait for the others. Slowly, they started rolling in: Patrick, Maria, Ishsal, Clarence, Mac, Adeline, etc. Decided to join them for the rest of the journey to Bahau.
We got going again and we were faced with this bitch of a climb. It just seemed to go on forever. Just when you think you've reached the peak, you turn the corner and the road goes upwards again. And when you have a tough climb like that, you're normally rewarded with a nice descent. Not this time. The roads were rough and bumpy and all that rattling couldn't have been good for my recovering wrist. And soon we were climbing again! With already 100km in your legs, this had to be one of the toughest climbs around.
And when we finally got to some flat land, we then had a strong headwind to contend with. By now, even maintaining 25km/h was a real chore. I had nothing left and got dropped by Ishsal, Maria and Clarence. 20km to go and I was left all by my lonesome.
I caught up with Clarence with about 15km to go and we started working together. Till he had a flat. He had no spares (i used mine fixing a flat on that rough descent), so he abandoned and waited for a support car. I pushed on ahead, fighting the wind by myself. It was the longest 10km of my life.
When I got to the hotel in Bahau, I just parked my bike and lay down for a while. The wrist was hurting, the legs were stiff. I made a decision right there and then to give the next day's 178km ride a miss.
To be continued...
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Confessions of a Relay Runner
I did my first relay triathlon over the weekend.
Not because I wanted to. But because doc said, "No swimming or cycling while your wrist heals."
"How about running?" I asked.
"Running ok," he replied.
How heartbreaking was that? Knowing your favourite race was coming up and you can't compete.
But all was not lost. Senn came up with this brilliant idea: let's do a relay.
She swims and cycles. And I run. And we'll all ourselves Fast N Fuyoh!
And so it was I began my first triathlon as a relay runner.
Our target: 1h00m swim, a 3h30m bike, a 2h00m run for a total of 6h30m.
It was a bizarre experience. For once, as I looked upon the waves crashing along the Desaru beach, I did not have the usual butterflies in my stomach that normally appear before a swim.
Even packing for this race was bizarre. Running shoes: check. Lucky visor: check. And that's that. No bike, no cycling shoes, no goggles.
The race started with the mad rush going into the South China Sea. And I was glad I was not part of that rush. Yet, at the same time, I was wishing I was.
Senn did a respectable 59 minute swim (much better than my 1:09 last year) and things were looking good.
Off on the bike and I was starting to get very nervous. It's very nerve-wracking knowing that whatever happens out on the bike is not within your control. I really don't know how the other relay athletes do it.
Her first loop she clocked a 1h09m. Very good. We were on target.
Her second loop was a 1h14m. Oh-oh, it was beginning to slip away. The good news, though, was that she was closing in on CK, who was seven minutes ahead at the end of the first loop. He was now only one minute ahead.
Her third loop was a stormer. This was when she decided to drop the hammer. She finished the third loop in one hour flat for a bike split of 3h23m! We were way ahead of schedule.
Buoyed by her brilliant performance on the last loop, I grabbed the wristband from her and sprinted through transition. I set off at a pace way beyond what I was capable of. I knew if I kept this pace up, I would be in trouble towards the end.
But for some reason I kept it up. I was pacing with two other runners and we made it the turnaround (about 1.5k) in under 7 minutes. At 3k, only 15 minutes had expired. I was running a 5 minute pace! Unbelievable!
I slowed down just a tad because I knew if I kept that pace, I'd be crawling across the finish line.
Yet, there was this pressure to keep going. Because I didn't want to let Senn, who did a brilliant job on the swim and bike, down. So I kept going. Adzim later remarked that I looked like I was hunting someone down!
And so, I kept going, passing runner after runner. This too was an unusual experience for me. Very few passed me, yet I was passing people left, right and centre. Of course, the fact that I had fresh legs probably had something to do with it.
I finished the first loop in 56 minutes and wondered when it was going to all fall apart. I thought the hill at the far and of the course would do it, but it didn't. I just shut my eyes and gave it all I had. And before I knew it, I had gone over the hill.
The final four kilomteres. I kept going. It was tunnel vision. I only had the finish line in my mind.
Finally, I heard the music from the finish line, I could hear MC Lan welcoming the runners back. Then Senn was running alongside me. Then I saw the finishing chute, the finish line. I picked up the pace. I sprinted and it was all over. 1h55m21s. A personal best by a good 23 minutes!
So that was the story of my first relay tri. And hopefully, my last.
It was probably too long and not very good but I just had the best run of my life so please humour me!
Not because I wanted to. But because doc said, "No swimming or cycling while your wrist heals."
"How about running?" I asked.
"Running ok," he replied.
How heartbreaking was that? Knowing your favourite race was coming up and you can't compete.
But all was not lost. Senn came up with this brilliant idea: let's do a relay.
She swims and cycles. And I run. And we'll all ourselves Fast N Fuyoh!
And so it was I began my first triathlon as a relay runner.
Our target: 1h00m swim, a 3h30m bike, a 2h00m run for a total of 6h30m.
It was a bizarre experience. For once, as I looked upon the waves crashing along the Desaru beach, I did not have the usual butterflies in my stomach that normally appear before a swim.
Even packing for this race was bizarre. Running shoes: check. Lucky visor: check. And that's that. No bike, no cycling shoes, no goggles.
The race started with the mad rush going into the South China Sea. And I was glad I was not part of that rush. Yet, at the same time, I was wishing I was.
Senn did a respectable 59 minute swim (much better than my 1:09 last year) and things were looking good.
Off on the bike and I was starting to get very nervous. It's very nerve-wracking knowing that whatever happens out on the bike is not within your control. I really don't know how the other relay athletes do it.
Her first loop she clocked a 1h09m. Very good. We were on target.
Her second loop was a 1h14m. Oh-oh, it was beginning to slip away. The good news, though, was that she was closing in on CK, who was seven minutes ahead at the end of the first loop. He was now only one minute ahead.
Her third loop was a stormer. This was when she decided to drop the hammer. She finished the third loop in one hour flat for a bike split of 3h23m! We were way ahead of schedule.
Buoyed by her brilliant performance on the last loop, I grabbed the wristband from her and sprinted through transition. I set off at a pace way beyond what I was capable of. I knew if I kept this pace up, I would be in trouble towards the end.
But for some reason I kept it up. I was pacing with two other runners and we made it the turnaround (about 1.5k) in under 7 minutes. At 3k, only 15 minutes had expired. I was running a 5 minute pace! Unbelievable!
I slowed down just a tad because I knew if I kept that pace, I'd be crawling across the finish line.
Yet, there was this pressure to keep going. Because I didn't want to let Senn, who did a brilliant job on the swim and bike, down. So I kept going. Adzim later remarked that I looked like I was hunting someone down!
And so, I kept going, passing runner after runner. This too was an unusual experience for me. Very few passed me, yet I was passing people left, right and centre. Of course, the fact that I had fresh legs probably had something to do with it.
I finished the first loop in 56 minutes and wondered when it was going to all fall apart. I thought the hill at the far and of the course would do it, but it didn't. I just shut my eyes and gave it all I had. And before I knew it, I had gone over the hill.
The final four kilomteres. I kept going. It was tunnel vision. I only had the finish line in my mind.
Finally, I heard the music from the finish line, I could hear MC Lan welcoming the runners back. Then Senn was running alongside me. Then I saw the finishing chute, the finish line. I picked up the pace. I sprinted and it was all over. 1h55m21s. A personal best by a good 23 minutes!
So that was the story of my first relay tri. And hopefully, my last.
It was probably too long and not very good but I just had the best run of my life so please humour me!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Proud Daddy!
Shafeeq, my eldest, came back from computer class today and said he wanted to show me his movie on YouTube.
I'm like, "You have a movie on YouTube?"
He's like "Yup!"
He wrote, directed, shot, edited and constructed the props. And he's only 9 years old!
So without further ado:
Pizza Battle
(Sorry, can't embed the movie, so please click on the link.)
I'm like, "You have a movie on YouTube?"
He's like "Yup!"
He wrote, directed, shot, edited and constructed the props. And he's only 9 years old!
So without further ado:
Pizza Battle
(Sorry, can't embed the movie, so please click on the link.)
Monday, August 11, 2008
adidas King of the Road... not!
The adidas King of the Road was nowhere near worthy of being a King.
It was a badly run event. No water, no distance markers, very few medics.
Before the race started, we were herded into the kandang like a bunch of schoolchildren. Even the short briefing given was like a headmaster addressing his students.
The race went underway and as usual, I started off the back. We came to the first aid station and they only had isotonic drinks. Never mind. Downed a couple fo cups and went on my way.
Pretty soon, it looked like there was going to be no water at any of the aid stations. They alternated between 100plus and sponges. And the sponges weren't even cold.
I got to one aid station and it said 12km to go. I was happy. 10km in 55 minutes. Not too bad. If I can keep up this pace or even do a negative split, I may just come in under two hours. Or so I thought.
When we got to the next aid station, the sign there said 12km to go. Eh??? WTF? Apparently, the earlier sign was wrong. It looked like the organisers were really fucking with our minds. By now 1h10m had elapsed. So much for coming in under two hours.
Then at the next aid station, I was really thirsty (the previous one only had lukewarm sponges). But alas, that station had run out of drinks! Luckily for me, Rashid was with me at the time and he had cash, so we crossed the road to the Shell station and got a can of 100plus and a bottle of mineral water each. Thanks Rashid, I owe you one.
We must have been about 12 - 15k into the run at this point (I couldn't tell, there were no distance markers, remember?) and I still hadn't seen any medic teams. Not that I needed medical help but it would have been assuring to see some.
By now, the splint on my left arm was starting to get heavy. So were my legs. I could feel blisters on my left foot. Maybe taking the Zoot shoes sockless wasn't such a good idea.
Caught up with Abu in the final kilometre. The boy was pissed off that there was no water throughout the run course. "Korang pergi dululah. Aku dah tak semangat nak lari," ("You guys go ahead. I have no mood to run anymore!") was his words when I met him.
At last, there was another distance marker. It said "500m to finish". So I picked up the pace a bit.
Bluffers!
It was more like a kilometre to go. Should have known. That final roundabout just saps your energy and the finish was on a slight uphill.
Crossed the line with a 2h22m22s. Picked up my medal (which was still wrapped in plastic) and my cert (which I had to fill in myself). How absolutely motivating! Yu run 22.7km and you still have to fill up your cert yourself. The least they could do was put your distance in. But no, they left the distance portion blank, so you can pretty much fill in whatever distance you like.
Last year's event was much better organised. There were distance markers every 5km, and water was plenty. If they are going to keep having this event, they better buck up.
Having said that, there were some positives. For one, the weather was good, overcast the whole time. And I did get a good workout.
But really, an event with such a world-class brand at the helm could have been much, much better.
It was a badly run event. No water, no distance markers, very few medics.
Before the race started, we were herded into the kandang like a bunch of schoolchildren. Even the short briefing given was like a headmaster addressing his students.
The race went underway and as usual, I started off the back. We came to the first aid station and they only had isotonic drinks. Never mind. Downed a couple fo cups and went on my way.
Pretty soon, it looked like there was going to be no water at any of the aid stations. They alternated between 100plus and sponges. And the sponges weren't even cold.
I got to one aid station and it said 12km to go. I was happy. 10km in 55 minutes. Not too bad. If I can keep up this pace or even do a negative split, I may just come in under two hours. Or so I thought.
When we got to the next aid station, the sign there said 12km to go. Eh??? WTF? Apparently, the earlier sign was wrong. It looked like the organisers were really fucking with our minds. By now 1h10m had elapsed. So much for coming in under two hours.
Then at the next aid station, I was really thirsty (the previous one only had lukewarm sponges). But alas, that station had run out of drinks! Luckily for me, Rashid was with me at the time and he had cash, so we crossed the road to the Shell station and got a can of 100plus and a bottle of mineral water each. Thanks Rashid, I owe you one.
We must have been about 12 - 15k into the run at this point (I couldn't tell, there were no distance markers, remember?) and I still hadn't seen any medic teams. Not that I needed medical help but it would have been assuring to see some.
By now, the splint on my left arm was starting to get heavy. So were my legs. I could feel blisters on my left foot. Maybe taking the Zoot shoes sockless wasn't such a good idea.
Caught up with Abu in the final kilometre. The boy was pissed off that there was no water throughout the run course. "Korang pergi dululah. Aku dah tak semangat nak lari," ("You guys go ahead. I have no mood to run anymore!") was his words when I met him.
At last, there was another distance marker. It said "500m to finish". So I picked up the pace a bit.
Bluffers!
It was more like a kilometre to go. Should have known. That final roundabout just saps your energy and the finish was on a slight uphill.
Crossed the line with a 2h22m22s. Picked up my medal (which was still wrapped in plastic) and my cert (which I had to fill in myself). How absolutely motivating! Yu run 22.7km and you still have to fill up your cert yourself. The least they could do was put your distance in. But no, they left the distance portion blank, so you can pretty much fill in whatever distance you like.
Last year's event was much better organised. There were distance markers every 5km, and water was plenty. If they are going to keep having this event, they better buck up.
Having said that, there were some positives. For one, the weather was good, overcast the whole time. And I did get a good workout.
But really, an event with such a world-class brand at the helm could have been much, much better.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
rant
injuries suck.
going for physio sucks.
paying for physio sucks.
staying off the bike sucks.
/rant
going for physio sucks.
paying for physio sucks.
staying off the bike sucks.
/rant
Monday, July 28, 2008
Rancangan Tergendala
So I go to the KL Sports Medicine Centre to have my wrist looked at. Met Dr. Ranjit, a hand specialist, and he recommended an MRI and an X-ray.
I go down to the imaging department to do an MRI. If ever you need to do mental training for an Ironman, get an MRI done. It was the most mental thing in the world. Imagine, you're lying there and you can't move.And they put you in the most uncomfortable position. Then there's the noise, this mind-numbing, throbbing noise. And this goes on for at least half an hour.
It's also good training for your aero position. You have to stay put no matter how uncomfortable it gets.
Anyway, the first scan was no good because i apparently moved. So I had to do a second scan. By the end of it I was begging for it to stop.
After about 50 gruelling minutes, it did stop. Went out for lunch and then back to the doctor for the diagnosis. Bad news. Doc wasn't happy with the MRI and I had to go do it again.
So anyway, after three MRI scans, I was told that, yes, my wrist is swollen and that i tore a tendon. It was a peripheral tear of the triangular fibrocartilage (TFC). It was most likely caused by the hard impact of crashing on the tarmac at 40km/h.
For it to heal properly, I have to limit movement to my wrist. So now my left arm, up to my elbow, is in a splint. That means no swimming, no cycling.
For three months.
So there goes Desaru. And there goes Interstate. Hopefully, I can be back in time for Powerman.
But by then I would have lost three months of training for Ironman. Great. Just when I'm about to start training for it.
And it looks like Josie's new shoes debut will have to wait. Oh ya, here's what they look like:
And to rub more salt into the wound, my team CSC cycling jersey and bibs arrived today.
Sigh...
I go down to the imaging department to do an MRI. If ever you need to do mental training for an Ironman, get an MRI done. It was the most mental thing in the world. Imagine, you're lying there and you can't move.And they put you in the most uncomfortable position. Then there's the noise, this mind-numbing, throbbing noise. And this goes on for at least half an hour.
It's also good training for your aero position. You have to stay put no matter how uncomfortable it gets.
Anyway, the first scan was no good because i apparently moved. So I had to do a second scan. By the end of it I was begging for it to stop.
After about 50 gruelling minutes, it did stop. Went out for lunch and then back to the doctor for the diagnosis. Bad news. Doc wasn't happy with the MRI and I had to go do it again.
So anyway, after three MRI scans, I was told that, yes, my wrist is swollen and that i tore a tendon. It was a peripheral tear of the triangular fibrocartilage (TFC). It was most likely caused by the hard impact of crashing on the tarmac at 40km/h.
For it to heal properly, I have to limit movement to my wrist. So now my left arm, up to my elbow, is in a splint. That means no swimming, no cycling.
For three months.
So there goes Desaru. And there goes Interstate. Hopefully, I can be back in time for Powerman.
But by then I would have lost three months of training for Ironman. Great. Just when I'm about to start training for it.
And it looks like Josie's new shoes debut will have to wait. Oh ya, here's what they look like:
And to rub more salt into the wound, my team CSC cycling jersey and bibs arrived today.
Sigh...
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