tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61269851467719950402024-03-13T10:55:29.204+08:00Trying to TriTales from triathlon, training and just about anything else i can rant abouttryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-22005796044542323442012-03-29T18:11:00.003+08:002012-03-29T18:26:40.126+08:00Ironman Melbourne ThoughtsIronman is a long long race. For me it's a 13-15 hour journey all on my own. Plenty of time to let all sorts of thoughts to get into my head.<br />
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So what does one think about during an Ironman? Here is an account of the thoughts that crossed my mind during the my recent 13h45m Ironman Melbourne.</div>
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15 minutes before: Ok... Show time. Let's get into the water.</div>
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14 minutes before: Brrrr.... so cold. </div>
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10 minutes before: I can't feel my feet... Do I have to do this???</div>
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5 minute before: Ok, warm up... swim to the start. Put the head underwater. Great, now I can't feel my face</div>
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2 minutes before: Where the hell is the turn buoy? It's so dark I can't see...</div>
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(Horn goes off for swim start)</div>
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Start: Was that the start? Do we go now?</div>
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10m: Ok, here we go, follow those feet.</div>
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100m: Ouch! Where did that foot come from?</div>
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200m: Ok, got people around me, I'm not that slow.</div>
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500m: Am I going the right way? Where is everybody?</div>
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800m: Shit! Where am I? Waaay off course....</div>
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900m: Where's the turn buoy? Should have seen it by now...</div>
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1000m: Kadush! Another kick, must be back on course again.</div>
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1.2km: Ok just keep that blue seventy guy in sight, I'll be ok.</div>
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1.5km: That looks like the turn buoy just ahead. That was quick. Good swim!</div>
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1.6km: Damn it wasn't the turn buoy. It's the midway buoy. This is sooooo slow...</div>
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2km: Where did everybody go? </div>
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2.5km: That looks like a buoy. Swim towards it...</div>
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2.8km: Damn... it wasn't the buoy. It was a marshall. </div>
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2.9km: Great... Off course again</div>
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3.2km: Ok... home stretch, not far now. </div>
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3.6km: Finally, the last turn buoy</div>
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3.7km: Ok, hands touching ground. Get up.</div>
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3.8km: Yes! Done with the swim. Shit! Can't get this wetsuit off!</div>
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T1: Ok. Slowly! Take left arm off, take right arm off. Opps stuck on the Garmin. Take Garmin off. </div>
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T1: Wow! Big crowds. Look it's dad! Hi Dad!</div>
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T1: Ahh the showers look inviting... BRRR.... too cold, get out of the showers. </div>
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T1: Ok grab bike bag, put helmet on, put arm warmers on. Why is everyone putting gloves and windbreakers on? </div>
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T1: (leaving change tent) Damn, it's cold!!! Not very smart leaving my windbreaker with dad :(</div>
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T1: I'm shivering... how to ride?</div>
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Bike 0km: Strangely not that cold on the bike. Ok, let's go...</div>
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2km: Food! Eat eat eat!</div>
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2.5km: Burp! Ok let's go</div>
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5km: Need to pee. Should have gone at T1.</div>
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8km: Passing people! This is fun!</div>
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15km: Ok pee break.</div>
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20km: I love this course. So easy to go fast.</div>
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28km: Why am I going so sloooow? Are we going up a hill!</div>
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30km: Yay! Two-thirds of the way to the halfway point of the first half of the bike!</div>
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40km: Here comes the tunnel</div>
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43km: Wooo hooooo! 60kmh!</div>
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44km: This climb out is damn steep!</div>
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45km: Halfway there! </div>
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62km: 46km/h and I'm not even pushing! Woo hoo!</div>
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80km: Why can't I hit 30km/h???</div>
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90km: Big crowds here! Off the saddle! Look good!</div>
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91km: Need to rest. Let's stop at special needs.</div>
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100km: Legs are cramping, pop some salt. </div>
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110km: Pushing so hard but still going 23kmh!!! What's going on??!!</div>
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125km: Second wind!!! Woo hooo!!!!!</div>
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127km: I'm tired... What am I doing this again???</div>
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133km: Tunnel again! Wooo hooooo!!!</div>
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134km: I hate the tunnel I hate the tunnel I hate the tunnel....</div>
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135km: Less than two hours to cover 45km to break 7 hours, can be done....</div>
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145km: Cannot be done. Another 7 hour bike, looks like</div>
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150km: I really want to break 7 hours...</div>
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160km: Not going to happen, not at this rate...</div>
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175km: Only 5k to go, push push push.</div>
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178km: Easy, still got marathon to run...</div>
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180km: Made it! Sub-7 bay beh!!!! Wooo hoooo!!!!</div>
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T2: Rest! Phew!</div>
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T2: Oi! Race still on, get off your ass and get going!</div>
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Run 0km: Eh? What's Senn doing here? Oh missed bike intermediate cutoff. She must be bummed...</div>
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1km: Maybe I should join Senn and DNF, I'm not looking forward to this run. </div>
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3km: Trail run???? I thought this was Ironman, not Xterra...</div>
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4km: Wow, they're really taking us on a tour of Frankston.</div>
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5km: McDonald's! I'm hungry. Should have stopped with Senn.</div>
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6km: Ooooh.. tummy ache, pitstop</div>
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10km: Yay! A quarter of the way!</div>
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15km: Oooh... Mexican restaurant... A burrito sounds good right about now...</div>
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18km: Mental! This road is soooo long and straight!</div>
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19km: Hey look! It's Senn and family on the bus! Hi!</div>
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22km: Oooh... we're down by the beach! How nice...</div>
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24km: We have to go up that bitch of a hill??!!! Seriously???!!!</div>
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28km: 2 more k to 30k. Then can walk. NOPE! NO WALKING!</div>
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33km: Damnit! Garmin's dead... So much for 20 hours</div>
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34km: Ok, one hour for the last 8k and I'll break 14 hours... pick up the pace!</div>
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35km: 8k is one loop of the Ironman Langkawi loop. That's quite long, better ease the pace. </div>
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36km: 6k to go. Let's pick up the pace!</div>
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37km: Maybe pushed to soon. Let's save it for the last 2k.</div>
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40km: Last aid station! Woo hoo. Speed up speed up speed up!</div>
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41km: Last k, last k! I can see the finish line! That looks more than 1k to go!</div>
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41.5km: What?! turn right here? But the finish line is straight ahead!</div>
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42km: The finish chute. Woo hoo! High fives high fives!</div>
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42.2km: There's the line. Let's do a leap across the line. Here we go: One... Two... Lea.. OW CRAMP!!!!</div>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-27015274921800087622012-03-26T14:01:00.002+08:002012-04-03T10:17:24.888+08:00Melbourne Chronicles - Race Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Wow! What a day!</div>
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I know I always said that my target was just to finish, but to be honest, I did set some goals, I just didn't want to share them. So now that the race is over, I'll let you in on what my targets were.<br />
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Target 1: Sub-14 hour finish, under 13:30 would be a bonus. Failing which,<br />
Target 2: New PB, which means going under 15:20, Failing which,<br />
Target 3: just finish the damn thing.<br />
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Waking up on race day, I was a little apprehensive. Weather had been bad the past few days, to the point that they had to cancel a few swim practice sessions due to rough seas. Travelling to Frankston early race morning, it started to rain, which did not bode well for the race. In order to meet any of my secret targets, I'd have to get out of the swim, and if the sea was as rough as the day before, that wasn't going to happen. Luckily, when we got to Frankston, we were told that the sea was calm (I didn't even want to look at the sea, for fear it might add more anxiety).<br />
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<b>Pre-Race</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlLazi65D_NwHHVq_71XelkoquIqRac90apBEAymAdAm4U1C3Z58RgHMOwm-gwmd5Z6mrwBddLmYCLWE5iNKiyMnN6bjXmLk5CXmCYNUI5O_kG2h9NY6OLs61W-I1U0zwkpjZbszO6c8/s1600/394327_10150695574339349_525709348_9195963_1202713860_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlLazi65D_NwHHVq_71XelkoquIqRac90apBEAymAdAm4U1C3Z58RgHMOwm-gwmd5Z6mrwBddLmYCLWE5iNKiyMnN6bjXmLk5CXmCYNUI5O_kG2h9NY6OLs61W-I1U0zwkpjZbszO6c8/s320/394327_10150695574339349_525709348_9195963_1202713860_n.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What the hell are we doing up, dressed in<br />rubber, so early in the morning??!!!</td></tr>
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As usual on Ironman morning, the transition area was abuzz with activity. Athletes pumping up their tyres, lining up to use the portaloos, wriggling into their wetsuits. Our pre-race went without a hitch, dropped our Special Needs stuff, our street gear bag, then it was off to see Senn's family. After a quick chat we made our way to the beach. It was still dark when the pros went off, and it wasn't any better when we started getting in to the water for our start. The water was cold. Very cold. But once you start swimming, it was alright.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1F_Sjv3RVQh3kuDQiFhxNv0sFRk7xWn4_Nb0sjA9YBTginFGaBZTK73WQzM68-Jpru6IcC4haHrm3fY8-iJ8un5327BaHh0cEHlgaL0k5N2ub2uqh9b06l26XyqUk3c6mw0uFffgczA/s1600/544862_10150695574049349_525709348_9195960_594346366_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1F_Sjv3RVQh3kuDQiFhxNv0sFRk7xWn4_Nb0sjA9YBTginFGaBZTK73WQzM68-Jpru6IcC4haHrm3fY8-iJ8un5327BaHh0cEHlgaL0k5N2ub2uqh9b06l26XyqUk3c6mw0uFffgczA/s320/544862_10150695574049349_525709348_9195960_594346366_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our support crew for the day. Thanks Mom, Dad and Uncle<br />Loong and Aunty Nancy for waking up at this obscene hour<br />to watch us do some fool's errand!</td></tr>
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<b>Swim</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWWI1AngTkEN3tyeE6qaNp2Oqg9EgPeuR6FZfYW3whCO1q7XfeBtBUX9_bE5DHolfhOFGNfp7mUOl201bnovMgKOdUjCAqMPdCprKomPYz7yOQ1D5eqmTCdft-oOAHbc1OCF8QKLuNbk/s1600/SwimMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWWI1AngTkEN3tyeE6qaNp2Oqg9EgPeuR6FZfYW3whCO1q7XfeBtBUX9_bE5DHolfhOFGNfp7mUOl201bnovMgKOdUjCAqMPdCprKomPYz7yOQ1D5eqmTCdft-oOAHbc1OCF8QKLuNbk/s320/SwimMap.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
As we were making our way to the swim start, we heard the horn go off. Immediately all those around us changed direction and headed to the unseen first turn buoy, about 1km away. The course was poorly marked with only the turn buoy as a sight marker. It didn't help that there were a few swells, making sighting even more difficult.<br />
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I think I must have swam at least 4000m because I kept getting lost. I'd follow feet as much as possible but one turn to breathe and the feet were gone. As long as there were swimmers around me, I knew I was on track, but when I lose sight of people's feet and there's no one around, I can't be sure if I'm on course or not. A few times I had to take my goggles off to look around for the buoy. With the goggles on, you just couldn't see a damn thing!<br />
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Coming back wasn't so bad, at least you could see the lights of the pier, but it can be disorienting at times. Again, strategy here was just to follow feet as much as possible, and if that fails, stop and look around. There were times I found myself in the middle of nowhere, with the closest swimmer about 100m away! That's how far off course I got!<br />
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Finally, I managed to get back to the beach. I'd hoped for a 1:20-something but all the zig-zagging slowed me down a bit. Conditions were the same for everyone so I guess I just had to deal with it like everyone else.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just happy to be done with the swim. </td></tr>
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Swim: 1h33m (a PB by just over a minute)<br />
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<b>T1</b><br />
Struggled a bit to take the wetsuit off (actually didn't want to take it off because it was too cold!), and made my way to the change tent. It was packed, which was good. It meant I wasn't all that slow after all! Took a bit too much time trying to figure what to do next, so had a very slow T1.<br />
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T1: 9m34s<br />
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<b>Bike</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwI3Jl00NV2mGFvjHFF-fcPMOVf643I1SHMEKiijXRHGs1B2Red53PeJjyLPRSfGAD5tuXyKJttxycZX-bMu_xh4hcKHpHeDUm7qx2SLqKHFKm5vfAAiPscjA-9VZpSkSVxX0qQFfYX6g/s1600/BikeMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwI3Jl00NV2mGFvjHFF-fcPMOVf643I1SHMEKiijXRHGs1B2Red53PeJjyLPRSfGAD5tuXyKJttxycZX-bMu_xh4hcKHpHeDUm7qx2SLqKHFKm5vfAAiPscjA-9VZpSkSVxX0qQFfYX6g/s320/BikeMap.jpg" width="222" /></a>The bike course was great! Long rollers which are not steep but you'll never know if it's flat, going up or going down. The tunnel at the far end was great, an excellent touch to the course. I hit 60kmh going down the tunnel, but of course what goes down must come up, so the climb out of the tunnel was a bit of a struggle. Unfortunately being on a highway, there was very little in terms of the scenery. A couple of sculptures here and there and that's about it.<br />
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I had quite a bit of fun out there, maybe a bit too much fun at the beginning. I might have pushed a bit too hard on the first lap, but it was good fun blowing by other cyclists, and that doesn't happen very often for me! Because of that, I struggled quite a fair bit on the second lap, I just couldn't put the power down. Having a brand new tri suit on didn't help either, I had massive chaffing on the nether regions and this didn't allow me to sit on the saddle properly.<br />
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The wind also picked up quite a bit on the second lap, making it much tougher than it needed to be. And it was a strong sidewind, so that made it feel like there was a headwind both ways.<br />
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For a while it looked like it was going to be another one of my typical 15-hour races. I needed to break 7 hours on the bike if I wanted any shot at Target 1 and by the time I got to the far end turnaround on the second loop, it was touch and go. I had 45km to go and a little under two hours to cover it. At this point I just told myself to HTFU and go for it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting the bike. It was freezing cold</td></tr>
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The trip back was slightly easier as it's mostly downhill, but the last 10-15k, it gets harder for reasons I will never know. All the way back I wasn't sure I'd break 7 hours but just kept telling myself to keep going. When I got back to transition, I wasn't sure if I had done it, but later I saw that I did, but only just.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lap 2, The wind is about to pick up.</td></tr>
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A little disappointed with the bike time, thought I could have done much, much better but it wasn't to be. Forget about that and let's move to the run.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy the tunnel is over and done with.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJRr9YEk3Oe_1dSnN_uzPYpqkqKNQB87-xLRciSAyAF-2Yh4E77GT0mamY31IJl2IL5LwWT7fJ8OzIVPSds9iTSGj2iPu7YhpLBU2To4d85uuofkNPLQLW-r_EtTTD7qhJBCEaKNjNOk/s1600/Picture+15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJRr9YEk3Oe_1dSnN_uzPYpqkqKNQB87-xLRciSAyAF-2Yh4E77GT0mamY31IJl2IL5LwWT7fJ8OzIVPSds9iTSGj2iPu7YhpLBU2To4d85uuofkNPLQLW-r_EtTTD7qhJBCEaKNjNOk/s320/Picture+15.png" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senn exiting the tunnel. </td></tr>
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Bike: 6h49m (PB by about 12 minutes)<br />
<br />
<b>T2</b><br />
The change tent wasn't as full as before but there was still quite a few guys in there. Again, a little kelam-kabut with what to do next so spent more time in there than planned. Gotta work on my transitions. But the extra time did give me a bit of a breather, it let me set down, rest and think about the torture ahead...<br />
<br />
T2: 7m:08s<br />
<br />
<b>Run</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZI1oBavWCBAlmhrJWMkcbTt5aX0trmc6ZPF0f_6JgLw6ydncxKHrU1NVrtEV48H9gscLHO59bKYiT1MF88E946r485A0c77Twn1XkCQdoU-49orCxSaqfJPa-uXPzIpyjMt4xDESXYo0/s1600/RunMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZI1oBavWCBAlmhrJWMkcbTt5aX0trmc6ZPF0f_6JgLw6ydncxKHrU1NVrtEV48H9gscLHO59bKYiT1MF88E946r485A0c77Twn1XkCQdoU-49orCxSaqfJPa-uXPzIpyjMt4xDESXYo0/s320/RunMap.jpg" width="220" /></a>As I ran out of the change tent, I found out that Senn had not made the intermediate cutoff on the bike and was pulled out of the race. I was bummed for her, she had never not gone the distance at an Ironman race. And to travel so far to get a DNF was just not on. But she kept her spirits up and now I knew I had another supporter to carry me through the marathon.<br />
<br />
The run was a point-to-point run starting from Frankston and finishing in St Kilda. The course was very interesting, first taking us along the beach to the southern end of Frankston, then along some trails by a small river, before finally taking us out onto the main road. Along the way to St Kilda, the course would again take you off the road and onto a footpath a few times. Sometimes we'd be running by th beach, then we'd be atop the cliff looking down on the sea.<br />
<br />
I was a bit worried that a point-to-point course would be mind numbing and lonely, since you won't get to see other athletes coming back the other way. But the way it was set up here, I didn't have to worry about that. Because there were a few twist and turns, you're always looking forward to see what the organizers were going to throw at you next. And you're never quite alone, there's always houses or shops to look at while you're running past. And of course the great Aussie spirit, strangers cheering you on as you run by.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of the run gave us an off-road<br />tour of Frankston.</td></tr>
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Out of T2, I knew I was at 8h40 race time, so if I was going to finish and meet Target 1, I'd have to run a 5h20m marathon. My last marathon at SCKLM was 5h25m, and that was on fresh legs. My Ironman marathons have never gone under 6 hours. So Target 1 was looking like a big, big ask.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was an interesting run course:<br />we'll be down on the beach one minute,<br />then up on a cliff the next. </td></tr>
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At km7 Emma came riding up to me on a mountain bike and said I was looking strong. She rode with me all the way to 10k and chit-chatted with me. And she said that if I can keep this up, I might be looking at a daylight finish. From that moment on I knew that I wasn't going to stop running. I'd walk the aid stations, but between them (they were 2km apart), I would run. I would not be tempted to walk, I would just run.<br />
<br />
And so it went, 2km run, walk the aid station, 2km run, walk the aid station and so on. At 18k, the bus that was transporting supporters drove by, the doors opened and there ware Senn and her parents cheering me on. At the 20k live site, there they were. At the 34k live site they were there too. This really gave me the push to continue running. Unfortunately, they couldn't catch a bus in time to watch my finish.<br />
<br />
Also, I knew there a lot of friends back home that were tracking us. This too, gave me the motivation to try and finish this as quickly as possible. Thanks everyone.<br />
<br />
With 8k to go, my Garmin died (so much for 20 hour battery life, huh!). I knew at that point I had just over an hour to make it to the finish to meet Target 1 and started wondering if I could get the bonus as well. At 5k to go, I picked up the pace a little, wondering if and when I was going to hit the wall. At 3k to go, it was clear the wall had been demolished and was not going to get in the way. At 2k, i took my last drink at the last aid station and knew this was it. I had no idea what my timing was, how much time I had left, but I knew, I just had to go for it. At 1k to go, I ignored all the pain in my legs and just went for it. I picked up the pace and ran. Next thing I knew, I was in the finisher chute, I could hear Whit Raymond's voice calling me in and the crowd was cheering. Hands reached out on either side and I slapped them all! Then I got to the little ramp at the finish line and started to leap, only for my quads to start cramping up, giving me a lame, half-jump.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHETL6OSdoH_SMJWK1E7IDsIutNgkWVUqULCWBC17-EPrA1kixtesESW0CS7pbAZEfdW_1sonfq0WFjHTSeUuKcG1RIjTAF8LOhdsSinEMz7XakuRpKf9F_t9hG1ZvUmKB5Lu2yT9dpo/s1600/0147_32534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHETL6OSdoH_SMJWK1E7IDsIutNgkWVUqULCWBC17-EPrA1kixtesESW0CS7pbAZEfdW_1sonfq0WFjHTSeUuKcG1RIjTAF8LOhdsSinEMz7XakuRpKf9F_t9hG1ZvUmKB5Lu2yT9dpo/s320/0147_32534.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The atmosphere at the finish was electric!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My victory leap became a lame-assed<br />trot across the line, thanks to a cramp!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-xULlsD5x2kuzGnLCxOXCw4kznIa-S5C5J-TMoEX8QowV3ItWyNSBqqBwUCZOOlPmlV7lq7lB7kzRCfY6l0VI7GpJFcuptWEOQnUvaA5lTo1ePF1mI0ZWcwsknqDEP-Xzv5rviy0POE/s1600/0147_35524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-xULlsD5x2kuzGnLCxOXCw4kznIa-S5C5J-TMoEX8QowV3ItWyNSBqqBwUCZOOlPmlV7lq7lB7kzRCfY6l0VI7GpJFcuptWEOQnUvaA5lTo1ePF1mI0ZWcwsknqDEP-Xzv5rviy0POE/s320/0147_35524.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaaarghh... cramp!!!</td></tr>
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Run: 5h06m (PB by almost an hour and a half!)<br />
<br />
<b>13h45m</b><br />
<br />
That was my finish time. A personal best by an hour and half. The run was my third best marathon time ever, even faster than my last two standalone marathons. Had I not gone to the toilet several times, I could have gone sub-5 on this one. And I'm really happy I managed to run all the way, something I've only done once before. I think that was the key to getting that time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSqSme1D1yqU7EoeBIwAw6XujtjvdORK4R-BEmozCiMnVvl2npBsgGKtnwjkReOl61ckUpRMCgjrmf4nY8aPXUJdb2GpzAMDLPQ_kjupgz77ptEHPRj5SjBIbCX182tKHu-bk14vmVy0/s1600/0147_35773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSqSme1D1yqU7EoeBIwAw6XujtjvdORK4R-BEmozCiMnVvl2npBsgGKtnwjkReOl61ckUpRMCgjrmf4nY8aPXUJdb2GpzAMDLPQ_kjupgz77ptEHPRj5SjBIbCX182tKHu-bk14vmVy0/s320/0147_35773.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, baby!</td></tr>
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Ironman Melbourne was a superb race but it does have a few niggles. It's the first time ti's being held so we did expect a few hiccups. I think the swim course could have been better marked and the finish area could have been better organized, I wasn't sure what to do next or where to go. Thank God there were plenty of volunteers to help. I'm sure it was a logistical nightmare getting more than 1600 bikes and gear bags from Frankston to St Kilda, but the organizers handled it well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwbLRV3p28hY9XdE_wHH9Qrl9g1QftJM42ctHx5EqT2a6Nu7SESoGXCajo7oKUW41q2pTikiCDag-6v8fxl7FGWvGKjIzGYmddMKsY4ed3tV77eQtATossNJ-FSX4vkRPLpmWorEpEL8/s1600/538225_10150891006453574_819023573_12876394_523781679_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwbLRV3p28hY9XdE_wHH9Qrl9g1QftJM42ctHx5EqT2a6Nu7SESoGXCajo7oKUW41q2pTikiCDag-6v8fxl7FGWvGKjIzGYmddMKsY4ed3tV77eQtATossNJ-FSX4vkRPLpmWorEpEL8/s320/538225_10150891006453574_819023573_12876394_523781679_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finisher swag. This is what we worked so hard for. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv69SNn8sWzJpgvjrIChw7xN2yQTv84cTaUBM5dawQKY2kqQPQ0VlejrEgOevHaNh5jnUuMmaIFf798_vkNExKnN2mjLM7q6fCJSWZUXC-JSVIjxsFIwb8E-_2Xyl7f7nHV5jPH-epTnc/s1600/485729_10150891008158574_819023573_12876398_446828935_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv69SNn8sWzJpgvjrIChw7xN2yQTv84cTaUBM5dawQKY2kqQPQ0VlejrEgOevHaNh5jnUuMmaIFf798_vkNExKnN2mjLM7q6fCJSWZUXC-JSVIjxsFIwb8E-_2Xyl7f7nHV5jPH-epTnc/s320/485729_10150891008158574_819023573_12876398_446828935_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice touch: for AUD10 you can have your name and times<br />engraved on the back of the medal. </td></tr>
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This race is definitely on my Can-do-again race, and Senn has unfinished business here. It's an expensive race, but given the experience we got, it was well worth it...<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pictures courtesy of Finsherpix.com and Grace Tabitha Lim Clark</span></i>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-43553312124319347562012-03-24T16:33:00.000+08:002012-03-24T16:33:33.513+08:00Melbourne Chronicles - Day 4Race day eve.<br />
<br />
Excitement's building up now. Since the 11am swim practice at Frankston was cancelled, we slept in a bit and took our time. We packed our bikes and transition bags (after checking and re-checking several times to make sure everything was there) and took the long way to Frankston. We did this so we could take a drive down the Eastlink Tollway, where the bike course is.<br />
<br />
Overall, it's pretty flat-ish. Except for the tunnel section with it's steep descent and steep climb out, the rest of the course looks flat with slight inclines and declines. Of course, there are false flats but nothing much to worry about. Unless there's strong winds tomorrow. Scenery-wise, the course is pretty boring although there are some interesting-looking sculptures along the way.<br />
<br />
When we got to Frankston, the water was really rough. But since Senn needed to try her new wetsuit, and I wanted to see how cold the water was, we jumped in for a swim. We didn't get very far before we decided the swells made it unswimable. We weren't the only ones, there were a few others who jumped in, swam a few strokes, then called it quits. They say the winds won't be as strong tomorrow, so the water should be calmer. Water temperature wasn't too bad, cold as you first get into the water, but it warms up after a while.<br />
<br />
Then it was bike check-in time. And for the first time since we started Ironman, there were no dramas. We queued up, got our bike's picture taken, racked the bikes up, deflated the tyres, racked our run bags, collected our timing chip, weighed in, racked our bike bags and that was that. Done. No bike dramas. Phew!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTtJKOtRIkmkVERUmFYNxXHFhyfpMyJft1qGd-B3flgAcDP6udeuJHuD84x9D3cQ9iFcahD-Q5kHz6Ne3mwXm5QjlMNJgJeahLXdWEOZKYSLlc2zXkmaCOTPD3hlauobNDewSr5nebmI/s1600/large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTtJKOtRIkmkVERUmFYNxXHFhyfpMyJft1qGd-B3flgAcDP6udeuJHuD84x9D3cQ9iFcahD-Q5kHz6Ne3mwXm5QjlMNJgJeahLXdWEOZKYSLlc2zXkmaCOTPD3hlauobNDewSr5nebmI/s320/large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Racked and ready</td></tr>
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<br />
After that, a quick lunch, then we drove back to St Kilda along the run course. Again, it's pretty flat, especially the first 20k. Then there are a few small hills, nothing too serious. No double hills or Hartamas or Ammah Hills. Just small little "pinches", as the Aussies call them.<br />
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The big worry about the run course are the long, flat straights. You can literally see the road for miles ahead of you. That's going to be mental! Well, I guess if it was easy, it won't be Ironman!<br />
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Anyway, we've just checked into a hotel about 2k from the finish line. Gonna have a quick dinner then it's off to bed. It's only 7:30pm now, but we've got a long day ahead.<br />
<br />
To those doing Kenyir Tri, Kuantan Century, and Sarawak Cyclefest, all the best, stay safe and have fun. See you all at the finish :)tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-52917432496877127092012-03-23T20:45:00.000+08:002012-03-24T07:46:03.646+08:00Melbourne Chronicles - Day 3It's getting closer. The atmosphere is getting hotter, even if the weather is getting colder.<br />
<br />
Today, we headed back to the expo because there was some stuff I didn't get to buy yesterday. Walked out with a 2XU Ironman fleece and an Ironman Melbourne t-shirt.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGn-Dmye1cIM4b-f8sBtzx99QZJ2d7N6YONESBp0eMwA9e6rKd-ZQshCZ0fv6GBXPoCJkPijASjlgAHtlZA8W_kqR_ChWceC0Hu5nHb0bjR49TzqlP4h0KZNgFflQ7aorYCiQHBSMRp8/s1600/IMG_1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGn-Dmye1cIM4b-f8sBtzx99QZJ2d7N6YONESBp0eMwA9e6rKd-ZQshCZ0fv6GBXPoCJkPijASjlgAHtlZA8W_kqR_ChWceC0Hu5nHb0bjR49TzqlP4h0KZNgFflQ7aorYCiQHBSMRp8/s320/IMG_1369.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The obligatory Ironman Melbourne t-shirt. They don't give freebie race t-shirts here. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3akn87kq15SMX8wCSP_cEFyW7xzGqpVuInHBxV_AfaRSdV0zjwFdRSU3_QY7lUSqsrvLigzzlNb-0iS3IH9TuqmoeHUsOVhmyzR_GwfB2eY9RS1WVNZlEjnagnO73m2H0392C9csUx0/s1600/IMG_1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3akn87kq15SMX8wCSP_cEFyW7xzGqpVuInHBxV_AfaRSdV0zjwFdRSU3_QY7lUSqsrvLigzzlNb-0iS3IH9TuqmoeHUsOVhmyzR_GwfB2eY9RS1WVNZlEjnagnO73m2H0392C9csUx0/s320/IMG_1371.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A really great buy, since I didn't pack any warm clothing...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Senn got new tri shorts and top to wear on Sunday (so much for never trying anything new on raceday, huh?)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fi5T_smdcTxTULDelZOFO-k3qVriqpUP69nY4HFNVyTcAyPfVqUM92VVSe6-lqtj0oB166v8Ta3JBOKmi2RHX3KULp9Ifsej3y8VYxOxOzA0vmVksxlHC3cKOibR9HYHBIynyvRxbHs/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Fi5T_smdcTxTULDelZOFO-k3qVriqpUP69nY4HFNVyTcAyPfVqUM92VVSe6-lqtj0oB166v8Ta3JBOKmi2RHX3KULp9Ifsej3y8VYxOxOzA0vmVksxlHC3cKOibR9HYHBIynyvRxbHs/s320/IMG_1365.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senn's new tri kit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The highlight of the expo? Meeting the 2010 Ironman World Champion Mirinda "Rinny" Carfrae! I was looking at the map of the expo, turned around and there she was! I was star struck, but managed to calm down enough to ask for a picture.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf3vIsqqhdAnhJX_LkvbQjgm2dESUQNJ9WMJOjXSrjUVsvJPyraThCVkKJ6_dvQJGsdje4gWFkPAv4Hjm15Cwej5EW-EsvjcYsiT2n4Ft8Wq4kQ7OdFmvbUUAWCu4-pCSpnFS2RJXzjY/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf3vIsqqhdAnhJX_LkvbQjgm2dESUQNJ9WMJOjXSrjUVsvJPyraThCVkKJ6_dvQJGsdje4gWFkPAv4Hjm15Cwej5EW-EsvjcYsiT2n4Ft8Wq4kQ7OdFmvbUUAWCu4-pCSpnFS2RJXzjY/s320/IMG_1353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A star-struck moment: Me and Rinny :)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUTEv3P63q97jk3NdlCP5uqc9FYiRaIvU16B4jqu-XroxcEkhg_JngWrFFgKIPb0ODn_JC4kyusd2l7yoVla53EeUK6rpdg-k13Y54KCZPeX9hLwscVagy3K1DqNHMztBiOLvQowJ2Xo/s1600/IMG_1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUTEv3P63q97jk3NdlCP5uqc9FYiRaIvU16B4jqu-XroxcEkhg_JngWrFFgKIPb0ODn_JC4kyusd2l7yoVla53EeUK6rpdg-k13Y54KCZPeX9hLwscVagy3K1DqNHMztBiOLvQowJ2Xo/s320/IMG_1355.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Senn and Rinny</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After that, we headed home and did a short run to test Senn's new tri kit. About 1km into the run, in true Melbourne fashion, it rained. So we turned back and got ready for the carbo load dinner.<br />
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Due to me misreading the race week schedule and a miscommunication with the GPS, we arrived at the dinner just as they were closing the buffet. We were then rushed to the nearby Palais Theatre for the Welcome Show. You really have to love the laid-back attitude of the Aussies; there were no formalities at all during the presentation and the whole event was a laugh-a-minute.<br />
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It started with a comedy intro by one of Australia's local comedians, then a musical number, followed by the event proper. Ironman Greg Welch came on to tell a funny story about one of his first Ironman races, which included being tricked into taking a shower at T2 by his friends who have pulled out of the race!<br />
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Then Chris Legh and Whit Raymond came on to introduce the top 10 men and women pros who will be racing. Among the pros, Eneko Llanos, Luke McKenzie, Craig "Crowie" Alexander, Jessica Jacobs, Mirinda Carfrae and Rachel Joyce were invited on stage to answer some questions. Another star struck moment for me!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3iMUUGroZPJbtGH-BiJDBup3fbQGD2qx-zIOOAdsP-WMD6VREk2prf8YpiVBfVxGpVPCsuVHW-JRn9a2YT4ormg3MN9Y_uxzaC3YpeOI0aDAuGfVbdznupeLyYW6S_FojF0x9xirhbw/s1600/IMG_1360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3iMUUGroZPJbtGH-BiJDBup3fbQGD2qx-zIOOAdsP-WMD6VREk2prf8YpiVBfVxGpVPCsuVHW-JRn9a2YT4ormg3MN9Y_uxzaC3YpeOI0aDAuGfVbdznupeLyYW6S_FojF0x9xirhbw/s320/IMG_1360.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pros up on stage, Luke Mckenzie being grilled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few weeks ago I entered a Facebook competition to win a free trisuit from BikeSure, a company that insures bikes in Australia. I won! After the show, I met the Marketing Manager of BikeSure to collect my prize. Guess I'll be trying something new on race day too!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD71QBs_SCTXBb6t-NKoOAnruwGiCOvREAnA2bCSyJhxn3SEDdOW7A3Ry1idUOH4NYKjQBnfm2JSMbx2u0eEot1TbxT6dKMlrB60-lVjBkaeK5Jk_UIbD4eIBFDZ8VEFmuuJXU60Qrwok/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD71QBs_SCTXBb6t-NKoOAnruwGiCOvREAnA2bCSyJhxn3SEDdOW7A3Ry1idUOH4NYKjQBnfm2JSMbx2u0eEot1TbxT6dKMlrB60-lVjBkaeK5Jk_UIbD4eIBFDZ8VEFmuuJXU60Qrwok/s320/IMG_1362.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm now a proud member of the BikeSure Triathlon Racing Team!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9x3WwDMQ_nY6IEDnhDmysipejypdcRBXHh3WivIb9o0VggZcvAXHrIT8uQmj80Kd3cTnl587NU1o7DuOauCvgaJKL6zNxErKeZM-ENsrltk5IgCx-3rCJVH0Jtjo6_eQfVWpNVOvhHpo/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9x3WwDMQ_nY6IEDnhDmysipejypdcRBXHh3WivIb9o0VggZcvAXHrIT8uQmj80Kd3cTnl587NU1o7DuOauCvgaJKL6zNxErKeZM-ENsrltk5IgCx-3rCJVH0Jtjo6_eQfVWpNVOvhHpo/s320/IMG_1363.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of the suit. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Day 3 was quite exciting but the weather was not very good today. We had very strong winds and our plans to do a swim to test Senn's new wetsuit had to be scrapped because the sea was way too choppy. Tomorrow's official swim practice has also been cancelled, I'm guessing due to choppy seas. We'll be heading down to Frankston anyway to try our luck and get a test swim in. They did promise better weather on Sunday.<br />
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Hope they're right, otherwise the inaugural Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship might be reduced to a duathlon, and Senn may not get to use her brand spanking new Rocket Science wetsuit :(<br />tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-21822322290307634302012-03-22T18:31:00.002+08:002012-03-22T18:31:44.438+08:00Melbourne Chronicles - Day 2Today we headed down to St Kilda Sea baths for the first time. On Sunday night, this will be the place people turn into Ironman. Registration was also held here and the atmosphere was excellent.<br />
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St Kilda on any other day is a wonderful place to hang out. The streets are lined with cafes and there are quaint apartment buildings facing the beach. There are dedicated bike lanes so cyclists mingle freely with automobiles. If I ever move to Australia, this is where I want to live.<br />
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But this isn't any ordinary day, this is Ironman week, so everywhere you look, you see fit athletes on uberbikes and aero helmets zooming past. The expo and registration was held in a marquee by the beach, with an outdoor lounge, complete with easy chairs and beanbags out by the entrance.<br />
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Walk in and it's a tri geek heaven! Zipp, Zoot, Profile Design, Rocket Science, Trek and more were all in there. We must have spent at least two hours just gawking at the stuff. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring any cash so I couldn't buy much. I'll be back tomorrow.<br />
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Registration was simple: fill out a waiver, sign your name on the Wall of Fame, then go get your stuff. The goodie bag was awesome: the stuff inside was the normal shit, but the bag itself was nice. They gave us each an actual bagpack!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg-lDE22ZsgbhO91DNK3GPKuf-x9-eNMXDIyGelVI0W_pFfSxl7qptr2LhnvYdRBxm0ZGyUGhy0eihnAh-rJ9yqIY9myOkiRiyrf-ZNPVb4_pvuRobS47UnprjbsbYdweA9wJCHGp7Fc/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitg-lDE22ZsgbhO91DNK3GPKuf-x9-eNMXDIyGelVI0W_pFfSxl7qptr2LhnvYdRBxm0ZGyUGhy0eihnAh-rJ9yqIY9myOkiRiyrf-ZNPVb4_pvuRobS47UnprjbsbYdweA9wJCHGp7Fc/s320/IMG_1323.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sign your name on the Wall of Fame</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YQH513xSPd509YeuYLdU30DEbsQEf-Xaf6x5K5R4f1IYYGsKAGBDMCLw2cbkovqnVeLnXIaZVODlHdsqm-0P7W5bmi83V95D92BXVNV7bcUxdH60jtQKIZIuML48uDbpq0ZeWe6bH3o/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6YQH513xSPd509YeuYLdU30DEbsQEf-Xaf6x5K5R4f1IYYGsKAGBDMCLw2cbkovqnVeLnXIaZVODlHdsqm-0P7W5bmi83V95D92BXVNV7bcUxdH60jtQKIZIuML48uDbpq0ZeWe6bH3o/s320/IMG_1325.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Registration time</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXZbIcmGwqVzzxg8X-6pApAvMaM-w5sapjB3wmy2VoWOFx1RS1srqNNMJjQ510wlE5rgMZnz8jir4bwTsQpfslrjpVnzu1n-NVwiN5j9nPZA6OM2yBYuhSloXla8WNsoXGDr1mA8o1Os/s1600/IMG_1335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXZbIcmGwqVzzxg8X-6pApAvMaM-w5sapjB3wmy2VoWOFx1RS1srqNNMJjQ510wlE5rgMZnz8jir4bwTsQpfslrjpVnzu1n-NVwiN5j9nPZA6OM2yBYuhSloXla8WNsoXGDr1mA8o1Os/s320/IMG_1335.JPG" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The goodie bag. Cool huh!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After spending so much time at the expo, we went off to drive the run course. It's a mind-job, for sure, but from the looks of things, you're never really isolated: there's always something out there to see, whether it's the coast or one of the lovely beach houses along the way. There's also quite a number of shops, so maybe I might bring some money to buy ice cream or something!<br />
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Well, that's it for today. We're headed back to St Kilda again tomorrow for the dinner and welcome show. This time, I won't forget to bring my cash :ptryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-52442485929990507112012-03-21T23:23:00.003+08:002012-03-21T23:23:27.396+08:00Melbourne Chronicles - Day 1It was way back in early August when the announcement was made. Told Senn about it and we were both excited. "Yes, let's do it!" was the common reaction. After all, 2011 was an Ironman sabbatical year for us, and this race was the perfect race for a comeback, even more so now that IM Langkawi is gone.<br />
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Then on August 28, registration opened. It started at 11am Malaysian time. At 10:55am, my laptop was on, finger on the refresh button, ready to enter my email address to begin registration.<br />
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Five minutes later, the race was sold out. Fortunately, both Senn and I got our slots.<br />
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Fast forward to March and here we are: 3 days away from the inaugural Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships in Melbourne. 3 days away from racing with the likes of World Champions Craig Alexander and Mirinda Carfrae.<br />
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We arrived early this morning. Very early. We landed at Tullamarine Airport just after 2am. The good thing about arriving at this ungodly hour was that we were the only flight arriving, so passport control and customs were very quick. Kinda felt sorry for the customs guy though, he was overwhelmed by the number of bikes going through customs. There were about eight to ten bike on board our flight! The conversation at the Customs line went something like this:<br />
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Customs guy: What's in the box, sir?<br />
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Guy in front of me: A bike...<br />
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Customs guy: Ok, I need you to move ever here and open up the case. And how about you? What's in there?<br />
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Me: A bike.<br />
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Customs guy: Ok, Over here I'll need you to open it up so I can look at it. (Then to Senn) Is that a bike too? (Now he looks behind Senn and sees a few more bike cases) What is with all these bikes coming through???!!!<br />
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The bad thing about arriving this early was that nothing was open save for some fast food outlets. The car rental place only opens at 5 so we had a two and a half hours wait to get our car. We grabbed some food from McDonalds then found a nice comfortable spot at departures to plonk ourselves down and sleep.<br />
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At 5am, Senn's uncle met us and took us to the car rental office. Got ourselves a fiery red Ford Falcon XR6. It's got a huge boot so after unpacking the bikes, we managed to fit both into it. The cases folded flat and just fit the back seat. Our luggage went into Uncle's car and finally, we could leave the airport.<br />
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After about an hour's drive, we arrive at Glen Waverly. We were so tired, we didn't even bother unpacking the car. Went straight in and slept. Till mid-afternoon.<br />
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The afternoon was spent putting the bikes, then off to the nearby mall to get us a couple of local SIM cards. After that we took a short drive out onto the Eastlink tollway to see how steep the tunnel climb really is. The course description said 12% but it didn't really look like it. But then again in a car, you can't really tell. It looks to me like it can be done in the big ring but we'll find out on Sunday.<br />
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We then took a short bike ride out into the park to see if everything was put together ok and that nothing broke during the flight. I must have looked like a major dweeb with an aero helmet and disk wheel, wearing a windbreaker, going all of 15kmh!<br />
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Tomorrow, we're off to St Kilda's to check in and check out the finish area and expo. Can't wait to see what the atmosphere there is like. I'll bet it's electric :)tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-45786855768698091142012-03-09T15:29:00.002+08:002012-03-09T15:30:13.837+08:00The Orang Asli Trail Run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv6Dx4gihaGPmmOP-R96x-7HBe7leqF71vo3dhY7zl8kjOl3eMXhR0L2DvNYYIevur63BGODsYLBM62-OpDl30CikSjcWi2IBIa6RBp9lhP0zNDf-rKkXGwbms0R5wUfWz_TtPFuOdwI/s1600/2012+OATR+FB+Timeline+banner+san+sponsor+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv6Dx4gihaGPmmOP-R96x-7HBe7leqF71vo3dhY7zl8kjOl3eMXhR0L2DvNYYIevur63BGODsYLBM62-OpDl30CikSjcWi2IBIa6RBp9lhP0zNDf-rKkXGwbms0R5wUfWz_TtPFuOdwI/s320/2012+OATR+FB+Timeline+banner+san+sponsor+02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's your chance to get in a great trail run as well as help give back to the Orang Asli community.<br />
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This is only the second time this no-competitive run is being held. Last year's event was a big hit amongst the runners who took part, as they enjoyed the natural and the lush surrounding of the forests offered on the trail.<br />
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Like last year, the run takes place at Kampung 16, Jalan Bentong Lama (GPS coordinates : 3.325979, 101.754792) and is organized by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Running-for-Orang-Asli/176238289092408" target="_blank">Running for Orang Asli support group</a>. The run is held on a 12-15km trail, scouted and marked by the Orang Asli themselves. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GKsuhcdfY8HZQ8gEgbW7ZNEjf7QFECf33R5O9CHvOeA3K_zRO6ZB3BMW8REkN4Pfp4Wito4gDQP5hRTNivcY4e8MIweeEp4vTxKHCxXZ8vZmLwDEmFf3l0PUrYbvU7EG737gWHHrzX8/s1600/Flyer+on+OA+trail+run+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GKsuhcdfY8HZQ8gEgbW7ZNEjf7QFECf33R5O9CHvOeA3K_zRO6ZB3BMW8REkN4Pfp4Wito4gDQP5hRTNivcY4e8MIweeEp4vTxKHCxXZ8vZmLwDEmFf3l0PUrYbvU7EG737gWHHrzX8/s640/Flyer+on+OA+trail+run+2012.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
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You can read more about this run and how it benefits the Orang Asli on <a href="http://www.tristupe.com/2012/03/running-for-orang-asli-april-282012.html" target="_blank">Ironman Stupe's</a> blog.<br />
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So if you've got nothing to do on April 28, do take part and support this great event for a good cause. Registration is at <a href="http://www.themarathonshop.com.my/live/" target="_blank">The Marathon Shop</a> and should go live by the weekend.tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-83019520382706138062012-03-08T18:53:00.001+08:002012-03-08T18:54:18.031+08:00Hi Again!Haven't been blogging for a while, the last post was from the PD International Triathlon way back in July last year.<br />
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Lots have happened since: I've parted ways with BeyondTransition.com, a tough decision but had to be done: I've also been certified a TRX trainer, so if anyone wants to do TRX, do let me know; Shafeeq scored 5As in his UPSR (against all odds, but I knew he had it in him to do it) and is now in secondary school; Shaqeel is doing well in fencing, punching way above his weight in competitions, Senn has achieved her dream of becoming a Blue Diamond Executive at Nu Skin. Lots more have happened but then this post would never end.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4F_bxhuX66RJoHiJFcqoHm5qRy1kJyoaxwevTjv6FF9cxMgry4J0R0_caDRmkDQdZn77Ef9262wbKo8ee7mFXhkKd6auaPFtf-FVgxDuF8tgr0iZZHrTh1j1GCSv1B4V0V9KczQrKu4U/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4F_bxhuX66RJoHiJFcqoHm5qRy1kJyoaxwevTjv6FF9cxMgry4J0R0_caDRmkDQdZn77Ef9262wbKo8ee7mFXhkKd6auaPFtf-FVgxDuF8tgr0iZZHrTh1j1GCSv1B4V0V9KczQrKu4U/s320/photo+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a certified TRX instructor!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAI46BrtxYmyEGKQihiLKHW1cXHctCYDimJwNeiVoLfWsp_itMw1HNseWNgI6cDPSsOvujq1f7xuHRIX5AZoBYxQuF1hAZeKmqTsU2s67fs13tV2A0cQAw9SQPnQpC6zNAQCKQMSStt6E/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAI46BrtxYmyEGKQihiLKHW1cXHctCYDimJwNeiVoLfWsp_itMw1HNseWNgI6cDPSsOvujq1f7xuHRIX5AZoBYxQuF1hAZeKmqTsU2s67fs13tV2A0cQAw9SQPnQpC6zNAQCKQMSStt6E/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKszBjBkWxJjWiNEf8aY0m_aO0NhWX0G8yBU_pjtwSBxmirbDdQ7J0UMKhGJrcMYmSi8xR1qyr_9wJA8qGQZ7wtlRe1jXoB9BqBIJZnGn8y4IEt25eq-dSM6mNWEXHmF3Wh1JhC26QGE/s320/photo+2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="256" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My TRA Transformation</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpYZDx4MInGLJ6ObRRBN9Wx56BmpB09AfjX1jDadgw6qU5GpjRBSHwZCw9wq8dg2knE8QZbinYvPXKz2qa_PiWk7bezhyphenhyphen_45VOzn38_ujXZGe337gHhO5riih1h3cKryEllvx_ezqjrY/s1600/396428_10150815734174689_645049688_12445605_594020338_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpYZDx4MInGLJ6ObRRBN9Wx56BmpB09AfjX1jDadgw6qU5GpjRBSHwZCw9wq8dg2knE8QZbinYvPXKz2qa_PiWk7bezhyphenhyphen_45VOzn38_ujXZGe337gHhO5riih1h3cKryEllvx_ezqjrY/s320/396428_10150815734174689_645049688_12445605_594020338_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Diamond Recognition</td></tr>
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As far as triathlon goes, my one-year hiatus from Ironman has ended and I find myself two weeks away from Ironman Melbourne, which will be my first race as a 40-year-old. Training's been going good, I'm feeling stronger and fitter than ever before. I'm feeling like I'm back to 2008 levels of fitness, when I was at my fittest. My weight has dropped to 2008 levels as well but my body composition is much, much better, thanks to a healthy dose of TRX and to the TRA weight management program I've been on for the past three months. My weight has dropped from 60kg to my ideal race weight of 52kg and my body fat percentage is at 8%.<br />
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But the Melbourne prep has hit a bit of a snag today. While picking up my bike from the bike shop today, the mechanic pointed out a small crack in the frame, at the seat tube just above the bottom bracket. Oh no! I immediately took it to Specialized for Daniel to have a look and offer some solutions. He took pictures and will send them to the US but I don't think a replacement frame will get here before I leave. He says the bike is still rideable, but I'd much rather have a replacement. There's a nice Shiv TT hanging on the wall there...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdfDuSC3fRKZdJT36yWMP-TIfYfGVuNNVoL7ow1BZltsNBx7UkGls2OPDJDjuO1uwtFwyE1ywgKxRv69t7v9XXwK8gaBtTbvQ1V1lbP-aav5o7CIKk7ns16eQ4ZCrHqUpx6oCzqw73-k/s1600/crack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdfDuSC3fRKZdJT36yWMP-TIfYfGVuNNVoL7ow1BZltsNBx7UkGls2OPDJDjuO1uwtFwyE1ywgKxRv69t7v9XXwK8gaBtTbvQ1V1lbP-aav5o7CIKk7ns16eQ4ZCrHqUpx6oCzqw73-k/s320/crack.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cracks in the frame. I'm hoping it's just the paint...</td></tr>
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Anyway, last long ride this Saturday, followed by a half marathon on Sunday and then it's taper time. Can't wait. Although I'm feeling good about my training, I'll have to admit, I'm getting tired. Can't wait for the taper to start.<br />
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Well, that's it for now. Will try post more as we get closer to Melbourne.tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-28311899923577071242011-07-26T22:41:00.001+08:002011-07-27T00:52:50.358+08:00Mind Games - The PD Triathlon ReportThe mind lost the PD Tri way before the race even started. It lost the battle when I signed up thinking, "Yeah, let's just do this for fun. Forget the PB, forget the timing even." <br />
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So, going into the race with that mindset, it was no wonder the mind gave up early in the race. In all fairness, it wasn't too bad a race. I was outside my PB here by about 12 minutes so, really, it's all good. <br />
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I've always maintained that having good mental strength is the key to finishing any race strong. And this race just proved my point for me. Had I gone into this race with a different goal, then possibly the outcome would have been different. Looking back now, a PB was definitely possible with the right mindset. <br />
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But anyway, what's done is done. The important thing was my goal of "just do this for fun" was achieved. And that's all that matters.<br />
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So how did the race go?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMXC-MC0J5e5YjoPpVnXBrUq5dRIyele8gNFesJBEB9wXv_NswlBvfrWB76WmZ4g-KLflmvcT2tUNG0f7Bh-8Gn_GE7GI3SotBx6lSwHarUnHGChD_Vj9rO_UHNIf3F0e-aLO0NOVYhQ/s1600/Prerace1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMXC-MC0J5e5YjoPpVnXBrUq5dRIyele8gNFesJBEB9wXv_NswlBvfrWB76WmZ4g-KLflmvcT2tUNG0f7Bh-8Gn_GE7GI3SotBx6lSwHarUnHGChD_Vj9rO_UHNIf3F0e-aLO0NOVYhQ/s400/Prerace1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The usual cam-whoring pre-race</td></tr>
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As usual, I started off in the second wave. The <a href="http://www.beyondtransition.com/">BeyondTransition</a> Racer's Guide to PD (which I wrote, incidentally) said to start the swim as far right as possible to avoid the crowds by the bouyline. What did I do? I started on the left, right where everyone was. Practicing what I preach much?<br />
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Anyway, by the time I realized I was by the bouyline, it was too late. Commence the kicking and punching. Got a solid breast stroke kick in the chin early on. But for once, I wasn't timid. I was aggressive but fair in the swim, not wanting to give up my space and it paid off. Got to the first bouy in no time and once in the marina, I had some space, save for the occasional swimmer zigzagging. <br />
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Was quite surprised to see the turnaround bouy so soon. Turned around and had no contact with anyone whatsoever. After the right turn towards the beach it got a little messy. By then I had caught up with the the mass of slower swimmers breaststroking their way to shore. Frustrating, but managed to sprint past them.<br />
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When the water was shallow enough, I stood up and looked at the watch. It said 28-something. PB! First time I broke 30 minutes! But I wasn't out of the water yet, there was about 50m or so to go in knee deep water. Too shallow to swim, but deep enough to wreck your calves running through it. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFR7LVHjy3itjIFPyuDXf4p2bBvtuUrH6IDZt8nlrSffK-14POYsACGt3-NZ0KKtqlo0hZMuaXNzWWjZcfefp-guaBUXSRRFAVKQjo4L89lJxKCf3xXV0ohPWrsrAYxh7dxDLo1spXF0/s1600/Swim1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFR7LVHjy3itjIFPyuDXf4p2bBvtuUrH6IDZt8nlrSffK-14POYsACGt3-NZ0KKtqlo0hZMuaXNzWWjZcfefp-guaBUXSRRFAVKQjo4L89lJxKCf3xXV0ohPWrsrAYxh7dxDLo1spXF0/s400/Swim1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See how far we had to wade in knee-deep water</td></tr>
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So I waddled my way to shore and already I could hear my calves protesting. And this is when the legs said, "OK the race is over. I'm wrecked." And the mind agreed. After about a minute, I finally got out of the water and onto the soft sand for that long run to T1. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuWZbFHyspvxHRp-KrHwG8hyphenhyphenakrcpU_S1OkEYWTzLSuKT89Q96Dwi-PKxZ1Z9CrsZWdAjjYyonUCoEnqCI7_TRD5seJ4wImmQLoQYNoJHoKM6ZrvOfJYNMyEn25vvC9JtJ9kz1W1j0s0/s1600/swim2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuWZbFHyspvxHRp-KrHwG8hyphenhyphenakrcpU_S1OkEYWTzLSuKT89Q96Dwi-PKxZ1Z9CrsZWdAjjYyonUCoEnqCI7_TRD5seJ4wImmQLoQYNoJHoKM6ZrvOfJYNMyEn25vvC9JtJ9kz1W1j0s0/s400/swim2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, out of the water. Already exhausted from all that wading.</td></tr>
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This time, the heart and lungs protested. And the mind went along. Game over. But I didn't come all the way to quit at the swim, so on I went. Into T1, sunglasses on, helmet on, race belt on and off I went. <br />
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Out on the bike, I pushed hard early on, trying to maintain a 30+km/h pace. I thought when the fast train from the next wave caught up, I'd be ready to hop on. Just under 10k in, they caught me but I was struggling up a hill, and failed to latch on. The legs said, "You're wasting your time. We'll never catch them." The mind said, "Shaddup!" On the other side of the hill, I tried to get some guys to work together to catch the train. We pushed and pushed, but that train was getting smaller and smaller. The legs said, "I told you so!" The mind tried to ignore it but couldn't.<br />
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I knew there would be another train coming along and just after the turnaround, Japanese Sam's train caught up. I jumped on and managed to stay on. While enjoying the free speed, the mind teased the legs, "Nyeh nyeh!". <br />
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Legs said "Just you wait!"<br />
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And sure enough, with about 12k to go, we headed up a hill. And I got spat out the back. "Told you so :p" said the legs. Damn you, legs!!!<br />
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Luckily, there was a guy in a Garmin Cervelo jersey with me and without saying a word, we worked together to get home, each taking a turn at the front. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChuJNyHL7uJgV4auNQiivhpgbN4hteCx40EaxKCf0R9xlzmDmIjD8UXCjkYcBnjV_CWlukIAM65bQHnb0Qbitz6BvwdGjJBn9m0CmHCzszZ7i8gojXq84SG-ppIZLNmIr6pLnUwt7fDY/s1600/bike1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChuJNyHL7uJgV4auNQiivhpgbN4hteCx40EaxKCf0R9xlzmDmIjD8UXCjkYcBnjV_CWlukIAM65bQHnb0Qbitz6BvwdGjJBn9m0CmHCzszZ7i8gojXq84SG-ppIZLNmIr6pLnUwt7fDY/s400/bike1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relieved that the bike leg is almost ending.</td></tr>
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I was quite surprised to see the time when I got to T2. The 40k was done in about 1:16. I thought it would have been at least in the 1:20s. It could have been quicker if I had managed to hang on to the packs but I'm pretty happy with the time considering there was not that much drafting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF6q0hEnx-i5AtigccVr0vxg4l1jYXoiPamM3m_1-U80ehG2KLi8NM-u6yqPJn3Hr7LE_1wTDAKJqA1B_HbTpM-m3IvylNpwmXbE6eXfB738LRV7SOQSMzcla_vc8H55mAyNh70U4xYo/s1600/Bike2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqF6q0hEnx-i5AtigccVr0vxg4l1jYXoiPamM3m_1-U80ehG2KLi8NM-u6yqPJn3Hr7LE_1wTDAKJqA1B_HbTpM-m3IvylNpwmXbE6eXfB738LRV7SOQSMzcla_vc8H55mAyNh70U4xYo/s400/Bike2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fly!</td></tr>
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Now it was off for the run. But the legs said, "Dude, I had to work extra hard on the bike, now you want me to run?" I said, "Uh huh, let's go!" But the legs refused. Ended up walking the first 500m. When I got to the main road, the legs relented and we went running. <br />
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Up until the new section of the course, that is. "The new section took us on to the beach, across a little bridge to an island then back on the beach before joining up with the old course again. <br />
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This is when the legs just said "Forget it, dude. I ain't running on that sandy shit! Remember how much pain I was in at the swim exit?" And the mind complied. So it was about 3km of trying to coax legs and mind into running but to no avail. We would run a bit and then walk. It was like this all the way till we got back to the main road. <br />
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Once we got the the main road, the mind simply said, "Ok, we're on the road now, can we go?" Reluctantly, the legs agreed. Got to the turnaround, over the hill and, according to the Racer's Guide, hit the gas. And promptly ran out of gas. But I knew we had 2km to go, so we ran on fumes for the last 1.5km.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJC2FqQulzpeZCOwXcpqfY4z_CuojS5rnZ3mcJ_vLPXPm9dxJtMKqTYgcaca-YbT8zX6qjuvTT2HEXGHY25VCaQedDhNrCuZJk9etJKyEq97h94ymyposltJEb30w24CQ9A2Y1Ose0ao/s1600/run1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJC2FqQulzpeZCOwXcpqfY4z_CuojS5rnZ3mcJ_vLPXPm9dxJtMKqTYgcaca-YbT8zX6qjuvTT2HEXGHY25VCaQedDhNrCuZJk9etJKyEq97h94ymyposltJEb30w24CQ9A2Y1Ose0ao/s400/run1.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run form going off. Just wanted to get back to the finish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Never was I so glad to cross the finish line. Couldn't even muster a sprint at the end. Just an easy jog back to the finish. Crossed the line in 2:52 which was only possible thanks to the short run course. If the course was 10k like it should have been, I wouldn't have been able to break 3 hours. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g7ljk1Lv-w6td38cLJsqDUiU89vPVzYIKTZMx9_v9O-R1NI8sHtK9G9LMdAmyrRfBql2yISjOGeLHbJVr-G_aMxp3RBrietjS7pA1U4zTiqf-Gr-JfChG0U8Phrgu_2OVpgTr650ZaA/s1600/run2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g7ljk1Lv-w6td38cLJsqDUiU89vPVzYIKTZMx9_v9O-R1NI8sHtK9G9LMdAmyrRfBql2yISjOGeLHbJVr-G_aMxp3RBrietjS7pA1U4zTiqf-Gr-JfChG0U8Phrgu_2OVpgTr650ZaA/s400/run2.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally over. Just a few more meters...</td></tr>
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See how important it is to go into a race with the right mindset? Without it, the mind will easily give in to the legs' requests to give up. I knew this was going to happen and I let it happen, so it's all good. And most importantly, I did have fun during this race. And that, ultimately, was the goal.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Pictures courtesy of Paul Lee, Maybel Chung, Hsing Ling, Reza Ali, Leong Kwan Weng, and Janice Chan.</i></span>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-79313462916067835752011-04-18T00:07:00.007+08:002011-04-18T17:46:57.303+08:00Energizer Night(mare) Run 2011Whoa!<br />
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Just whoa!<br />
<br />
What the hell was that? Was that supposed to be a world-class international event brought to us by a world-class international brand? I've been to primary school sports days better organised than that.<br />
<br />
What happened last night at the Energizer Night Run was just plain shameful. The way the organisers handled the situation was beyond shameful. <br />
<br />
Most people who know me know that I don't normally complain about race organisation, not so publically at least. This is because I believe that race organisers are actually doing us a favour by hosting these events. Having been on the organisers side before, I know this is a thankless job. <br />
<br />
Without these organisers, we wouldn't have any race to participate in, so we owe them at least some support. By all means criticise when things go wrong, but make sure it's constructive so they can learn from it and improve. And when they do, they improve a thousand-fold. I've seen this happen before. And that's how the sport has grown so much these past few years. <br />
<br />
However, last night's run was so badly handled, I cannot keep it quiet. These goons who organised the Energizer Night Run don't deserve anything but the scathing comments they've been receiving on Facebook. As of now there are is a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_179523118766311¬if_t=group_activity">boycott group</a>, a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BoycottEnergizerNightRace">boycott page</a> and a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Energizer-Night-Race-KL-2011-We-want-justice/210315055662582 ">we want justice page</a> (I'm on all of them!).<br />
<br />
It was shocking considering all the pre-race hype. Even the race kit collection was smooth, giving me a false sense of security that this was going to be a well-run event. But as soon as we got to the circuit, my friends and I saw that it wasn't to be. <br />
<br />
First off, parking. How bad was that? I've heard that the parking fees were RM10! Highway robbery. And not all were charged apparently. My friend, Keni, who drove us there, was just waved in. He had already wound his window down to pay, but the jagas just waved him in. We were the lucky ones. <br />
<br />
We walked to the circuit and everything was fine. Till we saw a bunch of runners being shepherded into a tiny door, which led four floors down into a narrow tunnel under the track. Having been to the circuit before, I know there are a few other tunnels that lead to the paddock, but they only opened the one. Now, if you know you've got 10,000 eager runners coming through at roughly about the same time, why the hell wouldn't you open the other tunnels?<br />
<br />
I soon found the answer. After going the crowded, stuffy tunnel (which has been dubbed "Tunnel of Death" by the way), we found that it led to a small room where the headlight collection was. And it was utter chaos there. I couldn't see where the collection table was but apparently there was no one manning it. Keni braved into the crowds and grabbed one each for him, Shifa and me. <br />
<br />
We left that room into a large open space wondering why the hell they didn't do the headlamp collection there. It was much more spacious and a hell of a lot cooler. But these smart bastards just had to inconvenience everyone and do it in a small confined room. Bloody brilliant. I also heard that when things got out of control, the volunteers and organisers high-tailed it outta there leaving the participants to fight it out like wild animals. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, as Malaysians, we don't know how to queue so the situation got very chaotic very quickly. They should have had some kind of system in place to ensure order. But instead, they ran. Useless. <br />
<br />
Anyway, after that I went off to look for the baggage handling area. Senn was coming later to pick me up so I didn't want to leave my stuff in Keni's car. There were no direction signs telling me where what is, you just have to go scout around and if you find it, you find it. Otherwise you're shit out of luck. <br />
<br />
I finally found it after going round and round the so-called carnival area. Another chaotic scene. After standing in line for about half an hour, I finally got to the front to see that there was no one manning that booth either. I saw loads of runners just tagging their own bags and dumping it in the room so I did the same. Suddenly I heard someone shout, "Everybody! Get the hell out of here! GET OUT ALL OF YOU!" Ahhh.. so that's where the volunteer was, busy yelling at people. Well, if you were doing your job efficiently, we wouldn't have to go in there to do your job. I mean, how difficult can it be to take the bag, tag it and pass the baggage claim tag to the runner? Seriously? A lot of full marathoners missed the start because they were still in line at baggage handling!<br />
<br />
Anyway, I dumped my bag in plain sight so I could (hopefully) retrieve it easily later and went off to meet Emma and the RoE gang to begin our run. <br />
<br />
The first kilometre or so was not too bad. It took us from the track, to the paddock area and out to the main road via the paddock access road. This is when it got a bit scary. Understandably, because it was a main thoroughfare, they couldn't close the whole road. So they had us running down a busy road with cars coming from behind. What they could have done was create a contraflow on the opposite side so the runners could have the whole two lanes to themselves. Running down that road with cars whizzing past your shoulder just inches away was bloody scary. <br />
<br />
Emma and I skipped past the first water station and proceeded down the dark road that serviced the circuit's car parks. We were doing an ok pace (slow by Emma's standards, I'm sure) and soon came to the second water station. Chaos again! Volunteers there weren't ready. Cups were still in their packaging as the volunteers were busy trying to retrieve the cups from the packaging and pour the water. In their panic, they just threw the cups, packaging and all, onto the table, leaving the runners to take the cups out themselves. Runners were pouring water for other runners, while the volunteers stood idly by! What the hell are you there for, son?!<br />
<br />
Emma was smart, she just grabbed a Gatorade from the ice tub and we were off. Soon, we got to another water station. More of the same. Were these volunteers not briefed before the run?<br />
<br />
When we completed the outer loop, we were supposed to grab a wristband then enter the circuit. I moved to the left where I saw three volunteers standing there with the bags of wristbands in their hands. The first two did absolutely nothing. Nothing. Just stood there with their mouths agape. Again, what the hell are you there for, son?!<br />
<br />
I grabbed two wristbands from the third guy and passed one to Emma and continued down to the circuit. We were directed to go down the pitlane then make a u-turn onto the start/finish straight. Now the track is so wide, one of the widest in the world in fact, yet we had to funnel into a narrow section to cross the timing mat. Again here, there was chaos. 5.5k runners, having completed their run, were just loitering around the area, getting in the way of the 21k runners. Also, we were given more wristbands here, which turned out to be of no use because no one checked them at the end. We navigated through the chaos and found some open space and ran down to Turn 1. <br />
<br />
This is where I saw the ugly side of runners (oh yes, runners, you are not going to be spared from my scathing remarks either!). There were a whole bunch of runners cutting the corner at Turn 1. They shamelessly ran on the grass cutting the whole corner and rejoined the track at Turn 3. Those of you who took the shortcut and think you're being sooooo clever, you're not. You're a total disgrace to the running community. They cut Turn 1, Turn 4, Turn 9. They would have probably cut Turn 14 too if the water station hadn't been positioned on the outside of it. If you feel the need to cut corners, please stay home next time. You're a waste of space. <br />
<br />
Speaking of water stations, the map had shown two station on the circuit: One at Turn 6 and the other at Turn 14. Guess what? The one at Turn 6 was just there for show. There was no water, no Gatorade, nothing. Just two volunteers sat there twiddling with their cell phones. Once again, what the hell are you there for, son?!<br />
<br />
The water station at Turn 14 was slightly better. But only just. They had water and Gatorade, but like the earlier water stations, the volunteers just weren't ready for the onslaught of thirsty runners. And because the volunteers were ineffective, runners had to resort to getting their own drinks from the ice tub. Runners were grabbing 1.5 litre bottles of mineral water, taking a few sips, and dumping it to the side of the road. What a waste.<br />
<br />
As we finished our first loop on the circuit, we again had to go through the chaos at the start line. If you're done with your run, get off the track, people! Don't impede those still running. Apart from that, the second loop went without much incident, save for the useless water stations. The worst part happened after crossing the finish line. Total chaos. There was no one to tell us where to go, there was no water available, nothing. Just a whole bunch of people looking important but without a clue. <br />
<br />
We crossed into the pitlane and saw a long queue of people. We found out that it was the queue for the goodie bags. We waited in line for a while and saw that it wasn't moving, so I decided to go get my bag instead. This was the only part that went smoothly. Because I put my bag in plain sight, when I got to the counter, I just pointed at my bag and the volunteer went and got it. There were no queues (mainly because everyone else was on the other side queueing for the goodie bags!) and I got out of there in under three minutes. <br />
<br />
After that, we decided to try our luck with the goodie bags again. We had waited in line for only about five minutes when we heard the announcer rudely announce that no goodie bags will be handed out because of the riot earlier. All goodie bags will be couriered, now please disperse!<br />
<br />
Can you believe that?! No apology, no sympathy, nothing. Just a terse get-out-of-the-area-now-you-hooligans! So we left. I found out later that the bags were just left on the floor for anyone to take. And when it got crowded, volunteers were throwing the bags at the runners. How utterly disgraceful. To top it off, they gave the wrong bags to the runners. Some of those 11k runners were probably delighted to discover they had gone home with 42k finisher t-shirts and medals! <br />
<br />
Now, all those disappointed runners had to leave but the only way out was that horrid Tunnel of Death. By now, the runners were all sticky and sweaty and had to go through that narrow, stuffy tunnel to get out. If someone had fainted, there'd be no medics around (not that I saw any medics the entire night). Even if there were medics in the tunnel, with the throngs of people going through, they wouldn't be able to get to there on time. Good thing there was no stampede, else things could have gotten really ugly. <br />
<br />
Luckily for me, Senn had parked her car at the Paddock entrance, so I was spared that trudge through the tunnel. I walked in the open air, cheering on the full marathoners who were now making their way onto the circuit. I feel sorry for what they were about to face. After busting their asses for 42k, they would not be getting a medal, a t-shirt or even a drink. In fact, by then, I heard even the organisers had left. <br />
<br />
The company responsible for this shamble is called Expose. How appropriate for on this night, they had exposed themselves as being incompetent, money-grabbing fucks. A friend told me they charged RM3 for a bottle of mineral water after the race! Who brings money to a run? And those things were supposed to be given free!<br />
<br />
Beside the organisation, or lack of, the MC, a Josie Huang, I believe here name was, was utterly rude. No professionalism at all. She flat out called the runners hooligans and claimed that the runners were the ones causing a riot. And she did this over the PA system for all the world to hear. Fact is, had she gotten her shit together, none of this would have happened. And instead of being apologetic, she chose to instead shift blame to the runners, the very people that helped fund the event. Professionalism at its best. <br />
<br />
I have been to many races in the past 5-6 years. Some have been well organised, some badly organised but I have never been to one this badly done. Even the KL Marathon of 2009 wasn't this badly organised. I worry about how the backlash of this will affect future running events in Malaysia. Already a lot of people are turned off by running events here and this may lead to less participation, local and international, which in turn will lead to the number of events decreasing and the growth of the sport stunted. I hope it doesn't happen, but we are well on the way. <br />
<br />
Thanks a lot Expose, you have single-handedly ruined running for Malaysia.tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-40681411600478494992011-01-22T11:45:00.000+08:002011-01-22T11:45:13.667+08:00Good-bye Ironman... for nowIronman Langkawi. On? Off? Who knows.<br />
<br />
Whatever it is, I've said good-bye to Ironman racing. If it's off, it'll be a shame. I was looking forward to going and lending support to my friends who were going to race. After four years of getting continuous support from friends while I was participating, I figured it's time to give back.<br />
<br />
I've always enjoyed racing in Langkawi. Many have complaints about how it's organised but I have to say, with the exception of 2010, it's been one of the best organised events in this country. 2008 was exceptionally good (I guess they had to step it up there because Faris Al-Sultan was racing and the ESPN TV crews were covering it). Maybe I'm just easier to please than most athletes here.<br />
<br />
I have very fond memories of Ironman Malaysia. My first big-time disappointment DNF-ing on '07. The biggest high of finally crossing the line in '08. The camaraderie of athletes and supporters. The makan at Wonderland. Istana Condo. The list goes on.<br />
<br />
Having since done an Ironman in Australia, I have to say, nothing beats racing at home. Sure, Busselton was great, well-organised, great support from the community, etc, but it still felt cold (and I'm not just talking about the weather). You don't get the warmth of having your friends around cheering you on.<br />
<br />
This post is not meant to eulogise the demise of Ironman Malaysia (we don't even know if it's gone yet). The good-bye is from me to Ironman itself. I've done 5, finished 3, and I've not gotten anywhere. My times have always hovered around the 15:30 mark and it seems to all be in vain. I need to make massive improvements everywhere before I can even begin to think about doing another one.<br />
<br />
For the first half of this year I will focus on improving the run while enjoying the bike. Sub-4 marathon is the goal. Impossible? Maybe. But we try. Then if that is achieved, the second half will focus on improving the bike and enjoying the run. Will get a turbo trainer and possibly a powermeter, if I can afford one. Swim, we'll just throw it in there.<br />
<br />
If all goes well, I'll reacquaint myself with Ironman in New Zealand in 2012, which will coincide with my 40th birthday. If it doesn't go well, I'll just find another way to celebrate the big four-oh.<br />
<br />
So, for now, it's good-bye Ironman. If you do show up in Langkawi in May, I'll see you there, but I'll be there supporting my friends, and not to face you. But I'm sure I'll face you soon enough...tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-2235226252332346182010-12-10T20:34:00.007+08:002010-12-12T11:12:32.348+08:00With A LIttle Help From My "Friends" - The Busselton ReportIn the four years we've been going to Langkawi, we've always enjoyed the support of our friends, who would take the trouble to travel all the way there to cheer us on. They would cheer, motivate, run along with us in those moments when we've hit the wall or when we've abandoned hope. They encourage us to go on when we're about to give up, they help keep our sanity while we're doing something completely insane. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVnz2FlbXFoxz80rcU2Cbm9PMIqbb13UCXAmK6zwxi147SMcArPKVVMd7I0fO4wbcXgDrUPp7CiUO9sECUEOo_5na2D3wWCZZoTH5gD80hSkj-kkQDmMrD3_YMBit9_3UqEK1Gn89PgQ/s1600/PC030004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVnz2FlbXFoxz80rcU2Cbm9PMIqbb13UCXAmK6zwxi147SMcArPKVVMd7I0fO4wbcXgDrUPp7CiUO9sECUEOo_5na2D3wWCZZoTH5gD80hSkj-kkQDmMrD3_YMBit9_3UqEK1Gn89PgQ/s320/PC030004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race: The whole town gets ready for the Ironman. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Going to Busselton to race in Ironman Western Australia, I knew we weren't going to get that level of support. It was too much to ask of our friends to come along for the ride. So, we just had to make do with what was out there; watching people cheer for others. It was going to be a lonely race for us with no one to cheer us on, no one to motivate us.<br />
<br />
I was wrong. <br />
<br />
The 1500 volunteers and the supporters lining up the run course were great. They cheered everybody on, regardless of whether they knew them or not. They called you out by name. They kept you motivated. They kept you going. In the absence of our friends, this was the next best thing. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirorUxroZZWdlwS4Cv8E-HzgFfspiaEbwXgg6Mntk5njNW19KdSWVS3zTY2sEbdsE5h9QGxnbTjWV55dYmLv6bNK7GBMfgY00CVr7DlwXnwtBISLWEnuF9_e0Nd2lCN83XejrQGNu4x_k/s1600/PC030006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirorUxroZZWdlwS4Cv8E-HzgFfspiaEbwXgg6Mntk5njNW19KdSWVS3zTY2sEbdsE5h9QGxnbTjWV55dYmLv6bNK7GBMfgY00CVr7DlwXnwtBISLWEnuF9_e0Nd2lCN83XejrQGNu4x_k/s320/PC030006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race: Sofian and I goofing around. 12 meter draft zone is looong.</td></tr>
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If it wasn't for the great crowd support, I'm not sure I would have been able to finish this race. It was a tough race, for sure. I had known from about 100k on the bike that the target I had set would not be met. From then on it was a case of damage limitation and just finishing in the shortest time possible. In fact, even a PB looked out of the question. When it mattered most, my legs didn't have it.<br />
<br />
I had a decent swim. It was the first time swimming in a wetsuit so it felt a bit weird. I think I didn't put it on properly because it felt tight around the shoulders. Ezer helped to hike it up a bit in an attempt to loosen the shoulders, but only the right side loosened up. The left side still felt a bit constricted. Sure enough, 100m into the swim, my left arm went dead. It was just so tiring to try and move the left arm. At one point, I was even swimming with just my right arm toe give the left one a rest! Not funny. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUzAFHmWlPC3BbSyGLRkPGqhmavNyiXJCr_vy1WsNzrmdvaVosln9a4oSBWe9PwR3t0k2KUgIqAMFv6iDJH1EcHmfqe7mFkPPZH_VUV3nuSy7j2QR6EG8wP5WfG4H9jJG0qTx1vVT3-M/s1600/PC030008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUzAFHmWlPC3BbSyGLRkPGqhmavNyiXJCr_vy1WsNzrmdvaVosln9a4oSBWe9PwR3t0k2KUgIqAMFv6iDJH1EcHmfqe7mFkPPZH_VUV3nuSy7j2QR6EG8wP5WfG4H9jJG0qTx1vVT3-M/s320/PC030008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-race: The famous jetty we had to swim around. It was a long way to the end. </td></tr>
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We got to the turnaround and I was afraid to check my time. Didn't want to cause myself any unnecessary panic if I were too far behind. I looked around and there were quite a few heads bobbing around me so I knew I was ok. By now the left arm was already numb from tiredness and didn't put up much of a fight. Water was a bit rough on the way back and at one point it didnt look like I was making any forward progress. But since the water was sooooo clear, I could see the floor and that assured me that I was, indeed, moving forward.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvvhWzoEvbqTprpYmUOUoPra3aqRjv5a5saBEsxilmD2IPLbZphToChpgKxRmEfhdm43TJFEFaNwpFxDf3ufpYOPPAALDh9YLqf-bAliUJPiKvJIdeiE_wKgFzABASiWxewzlErTc-Iw/s1600/2-9262-v.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvvhWzoEvbqTprpYmUOUoPra3aqRjv5a5saBEsxilmD2IPLbZphToChpgKxRmEfhdm43TJFEFaNwpFxDf3ufpYOPPAALDh9YLqf-bAliUJPiKvJIdeiE_wKgFzABASiWxewzlErTc-Iw/s320/2-9262-v.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: This wetsuit makes me look fat!</td></tr>
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Finally got out or the water in 1h34m. Now comes the difficult part: getting the suit off! Luckily, I had practiced this the day before and got out of the top part relatively easily. A quick run through the showers, grabbed my T1 bag and I was met by helpers in the change tent. These guys are great. They helped take the rest of the suit off, emptied your bag, and set about putting your stuff on. Before I knew what was going on, my race belt, helmet and shoes were already on! One guy was putting sun screen on, and another one was packing my swim stuff into the bag. And just like that, I was ready to go riding!<br />
<br />
Out on the bike, I was going at a good clip. Within the first few kilometres, I was already passing people. I was averaging about 32-34km/h without exerting myself too much. With such a flat course doing a 6 hour bike shouldn't be a problem, right?<br />
<br />
Wrong. <br />
<br />
As I approached the 15km turnaround, I was pedaling along at about 35km/h. Hit the brakes for the very narrow u-turn, turned and suddenly my helmet was filled with the sound of the wind. I got out of the saddle to power on the pedals and the bike just didn't move. This must be the nastiest headwind I've ever encountered! I was pushing on the pedals like I was doing 40km/h but the speedo said, "Sorry, it's only 25!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtztdO25VdugF7Qx81yd6cbuPlzlRmJkLftDAO7xBsA87FZE4mMst5Lo2VVWR8ue3ZgMIy1EC1AeNPjRL_LO_1rFR7trXESRelvNf-p_9xTpzFkroG8MXRx7Hnli0hYVEoHogDRrVRho/s1600/Picture+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtztdO25VdugF7Qx81yd6cbuPlzlRmJkLftDAO7xBsA87FZE4mMst5Lo2VVWR8ue3ZgMIy1EC1AeNPjRL_LO_1rFR7trXESRelvNf-p_9xTpzFkroG8MXRx7Hnli0hYVEoHogDRrVRho/s320/Picture+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: Heading out towards the first turnaround, before facing the headwinds.</td></tr>
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And that really was the story of my bike leg. Nice tailwinds heading east and north, nasty headwinds heading west and south. And the more I tried to pedal through the winds, the more tired my legs were getting. It was the same for everyone, but my legs just couldn't cope. The worse part is, the winds got stronger and stronger with each passing loop. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZchFKUfe-MbejkpUenA835NDLwJr9iLwF7atJ5b3tlnrPhpKkg5FQ7XL1eN0d4xUgu9zV3OBPYptBBwM2fWOCR5O4HsLKIMoSyYnFvA2my4xzTHs6tcIqL34a6Ic9VwzIVxa0n8_Y5U/s1600/2-9143-v.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZchFKUfe-MbejkpUenA835NDLwJr9iLwF7atJ5b3tlnrPhpKkg5FQ7XL1eN0d4xUgu9zV3OBPYptBBwM2fWOCR5O4HsLKIMoSyYnFvA2my4xzTHs6tcIqL34a6Ic9VwzIVxa0n8_Y5U/s320/2-9143-v.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: End of first loop, can still smile.</td></tr>
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At 100km, my legs cramped up. At this point, I was on pace to do a 6:30-6:40 bike. But now, I could no longer push the big gears without my my legs seizing up. I took salt tablets but it didn't seem to help. I had to just get through the next 80km and hope the legs don't completely seize up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1VniQuSNl2luPlrygUOWukgxSF_rk1crDLytAxQU2lXXYMALaDHleBpS40INNQwENgiB86Tv_PWu_YtvS13MIEFkCvZQ3rmRL3_O4aTDgEAO97qlowmTMfrd0dCEkTxOS-1mrxGLH0g/s1600/Picture+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1VniQuSNl2luPlrygUOWukgxSF_rk1crDLytAxQU2lXXYMALaDHleBpS40INNQwENgiB86Tv_PWu_YtvS13MIEFkCvZQ3rmRL3_O4aTDgEAO97qlowmTMfrd0dCEkTxOS-1mrxGLH0g/s320/Picture+3.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: Starting the second loop</td></tr>
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The last 10k was probably the longest 10k I've ever had the pleasure of cycling. The headwinds heading back to town had really picked up and I was pushing on the pedals to just do 20km/h. I swear if I stopped pedaling, the wind would push me backwards! But it was difficult to keep pedaling because then my legs would seize up. I put the chain in the small ring and tried to spin all the way back. Anything to get home. <br />
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Arrived at T2 after 7h01m on the bike, and I couldn't even manage a flying dismount. As it was I couldn't even lift my legs over the saddle! Again, the helpers were wonderful. They held my bike while I slowly tried to get off. In the change tent, same thing. The helpers unpacked my bag, put my stuff on, repacked my bag and sent me off. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjDJzHtVjAtdIgJgdK3AhaF0DyQWvKK3MKg-_s8IhYHT9bOX1-I92NEuK2AAGRpccZMOxb_xCtAau6GJGNvxFh2Wkr8kn6Vb8fpqewLMuXi2NjEcgblFrm2BDNQnFRfcmp3iTP-0dDt4/s1600/2-8994-v.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjDJzHtVjAtdIgJgdK3AhaF0DyQWvKK3MKg-_s8IhYHT9bOX1-I92NEuK2AAGRpccZMOxb_xCtAau6GJGNvxFh2Wkr8kn6Vb8fpqewLMuXi2NjEcgblFrm2BDNQnFRfcmp3iTP-0dDt4/s320/2-8994-v.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: First loop of the run leg, when I can still run!</td></tr>
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Now this is where it gets exciting. I ran the first km ok then my legs cramped up again. That was the story of the run: run, cramp, walk, repeat. But throughout the 42k journey, the supporters lining the streets kept me going. At the beginning of every loop, you have to go into the town centre, right next to the finish line where they've erected grand stands and a large screen. The atmosphere here is electric! You hear the Voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly, announcing the finishers, you hear and see the crowd in the grandstands cheering on all the athletes, calling your name like they know you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFhPteU_17_Tvg9qUdOsUDPy5hyphenhyphenlXPPL1AAfZkkd35eh5hHWAaLUi7FjgcaU4-XVVvz2q7hapWLzxf8VWP7FHOZ82c2JfPwlYozYOi-xljAU3DR6hG0rCmp2Tw99pVcqfzmbrVs8t8EQ/s1600/2-8907-v.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFhPteU_17_Tvg9qUdOsUDPy5hyphenhyphenlXPPL1AAfZkkd35eh5hHWAaLUi7FjgcaU4-XVVvz2q7hapWLzxf8VWP7FHOZ82c2JfPwlYozYOi-xljAU3DR6hG0rCmp2Tw99pVcqfzmbrVs8t8EQ/s320/2-8907-v.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: Start of the last loop, reduced to a walk. </td></tr>
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I wondered how this was possible: how did they know my name? Did I meet them during these past few days and, in my delirium at the time, forget who they were? Then it dawned on me: my name was on my bib! So I responded back, slapped their outstretched hands, joked around with them a bit. And this happened all throughout the 42k, save for that lonely 4k stretch by the beach. When we ran (or walked, in my case) past the houses, the residents would come out and give us more of the same. On my last loop, one family even took out a string of coloured lights to mimic the finishing arch. I crossed it like I crossed the finish line and high-fived the whole family. Another household was blaring music and encouraged us to sing along. And when they saw you walking, they offered words of encouragement: "keep going", "you're going in the right direction", "you're still moving, that's all that matters". Here, the crowd would probably tell you to get on the bus!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyk1os9E1C3UYQ0Q8u35i4K5UrvODVTjHY7_hm2-Jzcq2a_ODQV11oGBjMzLlOLt8JV_2DYP_UmXZppIGSj9XLojwW1-ilVxS7ycJ5fKIIt_ao4UC_ovsQUmr-pYTWrab309o0FUNOrX4/s1600/Picture+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyk1os9E1C3UYQ0Q8u35i4K5UrvODVTjHY7_hm2-Jzcq2a_ODQV11oGBjMzLlOLt8JV_2DYP_UmXZppIGSj9XLojwW1-ilVxS7ycJ5fKIIt_ao4UC_ovsQUmr-pYTWrab309o0FUNOrX4/s320/Picture+4.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: The finish line. Finally!</td></tr>
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And so it was, with the help of my newfound friends, all of whom I don't know their names (though they certainly knew mine!), I finished the Ironman Western Australia in 15h20m, a personal best by 5 minutes but nowhere near the 13h32m target I had set for myself. I ran down that finishing chute, slapping high fives to every outstretched hand as I heard Mike Reilly yell, "Nik. Arif. Sidek. You. Are. An. Ironman!" over the PA system. I crossed the line and let out a primal roar. This was probably the hardest Ironman I've ever completed. The cold weather, the strong winds, the cramps didn't make things any easier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54jyWYI2KEhXDjHSU25d2hjjrz6ZBjdrWV0Evjp_os3aGrBKnzXyxMzPlyI8ifDcFWfAAuxyN0dDUVsDp0IDAxs7Ev95hbQmwdvWy9A53oOhf-9W4Q54Xlq2koG_v8qCAWnqyydcJe_M/s1600/Picture+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54jyWYI2KEhXDjHSU25d2hjjrz6ZBjdrWV0Evjp_os3aGrBKnzXyxMzPlyI8ifDcFWfAAuxyN0dDUVsDp0IDAxs7Ev95hbQmwdvWy9A53oOhf-9W4Q54Xlq2koG_v8qCAWnqyydcJe_M/s320/Picture+1.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Race: The finisher picture</td></tr>
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But it was certainly one of the ones I enjoyed the most. The only thing that would have made it better was to have all my friends there to support as well. To the 1500 volunteers and countless supporters that day, this one's for you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA54HTVbLw8XeZPXStEkbiaZk3RcAxs7liKvK67j_GuEWqhaqPcL10T_j1fMMQhsPtZ81HCdzpf5MSL-38eIrbIV_2t0_jtbP603VWAOuWCqH2mKqlInYxwZbTgV9mcy3zOEY15yyCCiM/s1600/photo-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA54HTVbLw8XeZPXStEkbiaZk3RcAxs7liKvK67j_GuEWqhaqPcL10T_j1fMMQhsPtZ81HCdzpf5MSL-38eIrbIV_2t0_jtbP603VWAOuWCqH2mKqlInYxwZbTgV9mcy3zOEY15yyCCiM/s320/photo-6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race: All that money and effort for a towel, a t-shirt and a medal!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqx1QYtTQd5OLDInla48NW5hep7skCtDwalnjyq02A2FwZJxfhUTofpKBaP2sg55D6HXWVyKuYlv66t9SZfVyWPm8K47sWGv4xRNPOpeMlqEvCW1J2DYlUEaEeiIOKVFwe8BVrUGGimjw/s1600/photo-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqx1QYtTQd5OLDInla48NW5hep7skCtDwalnjyq02A2FwZJxfhUTofpKBaP2sg55D6HXWVyKuYlv66t9SZfVyWPm8K47sWGv4xRNPOpeMlqEvCW1J2DYlUEaEeiIOKVFwe8BVrUGGimjw/s320/photo-5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-race: The medal I worked so hard for</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWaLhpSZ2utRC2Mi1c_K-JFL84Aq2tZALxFFFbHQAXxx_mfXjatKb6Ru2SDpn6R1T-91UR74HWIXp1-6Fl-P_rK0AWgBadItSIZLNLCFIbxSQ1e57m7TBxS3JB3queugdWDTu1tndirY/s1600/photo-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWaLhpSZ2utRC2Mi1c_K-JFL84Aq2tZALxFFFbHQAXxx_mfXjatKb6Ru2SDpn6R1T-91UR74HWIXp1-6Fl-P_rK0AWgBadItSIZLNLCFIbxSQ1e57m7TBxS3JB3queugdWDTu1tndirY/s320/photo-4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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</a></div>Post-race: "WE DID IT!" The Malaysian contingent </td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photos courtesy of Claris and <a href="http://www.finisherpix.com/">Finisherpix</a></span></i>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-85240114823006887612010-11-29T10:44:00.004+08:002010-11-29T11:38:28.364+08:00Race WeekThis Sunday, I'll be toeing the start line at Ironman Western Australia in Busselton. It'll be my 5th time starting an Ironman race, my first one overseas. <br /><br />The final week heading into a race is always a tricky one. Without fail, my head will go through the same motions:<br />"Finally! Can't wait for the race!" <br />"Woo hoo! It's race week!"<br />"Taper time!"<br />"By this time next week, I'll be done!"<br />"Let's get this over and done with!"<br />"OMG! It's this week ah???!!!"<br />"Shit! Didn't train enough!"<br />"Oh no! I'm gonna die!"<br />"Die! Die! DIE!!!!"<br />"Taper?! What taper?! Didn't even train, want to taper ah!!!"<br />"Ok, still got one week, let's rack up more mileage!"<br /><br />This last thought is the dangerous one. This is the week you're supposed to be resting and carbo-loading, workouts to be kept short and low intensity. And yet, your mind is saying, "Dude, you haven't trained enough, let's go get that ultra-long ride in, let's jump in the pool and do 5000m, we need that 35k run done."<br /><br />Don't.<br /><br />The temptation to go out and whack a the long miles will be strong this week. Especially when you know you haven't done enough. But at the same time, you also know you don't want to tire yourself out. And you want to stay injury-free (yesterday's short 10k run already put a strain on my left calf. Thankfully, it's all good now). I was already warned last week that I was heading towards burnout. A friend sent me a long email, saying she saw some of the danger signs I was displaying. The funny thing is, you don't see it yourself. You need someone to point it out for you. She also gave me some really good training advice. And when that advice comes from a Kona qualifier, you listen!<br /><br />Now that race week is here, I'm going to do myself a favour, I'm going to do what I do best: be lazy! This Sunday will show whether I've trained enough. <br /><br />Wish me luck!tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-44755720935991553192010-11-15T14:32:00.012+08:002010-11-15T18:53:55.409+08:00PB at PM thanks to SSS.I know the title of this post seems a bit weird, but read on and you'll be able to figure it out.<br /><br />I just scored a personal best at one of the races I usually suffer at. In fact, I gave Powerman a miss last year because the mere thought of suffering through that second run was enough to make me wish I'd never started running. But for some inexplicable reason, I let my mouse wander over the registration button on the Powerman website and clicked it. Next thing I know, I'm registered for this year's event.<br /><br />This year, I had the bonus of having my kids, Shafeeq and Shaqeel, come watch me race. And Senn was more than happy to give up racing to help babysit them while I was out there suffering.<br /><br />Having them there really made a difference. For one thing, I didn't want them to see me fail again like what happened in Langkawi this year. So that gave me an extra incentive to do well. For another, having them there made it feel like we were on holiday, so I was completely relaxed the night before and didn't feel any pressure. And also, having them there made me want to hurry back to the stadium so I could see them and I knew the boys were going to be restless waiting, so I knew I needed to hurry through the race to save them from prolonged restlessness!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFkDZBdX-9th5K7G6JjDTYrjfGjQPq7P0tQPd3kh2uqfiz7o2JenyXgFZgIfOzf4ZVTqPPmjDhfRRtmSBpUggJuq25DVMshkI90CIOCEkZlQoo3mAZ3NuI8UawNYTBRj9oDQjGbylgSs/s1600/photo.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFkDZBdX-9th5K7G6JjDTYrjfGjQPq7P0tQPd3kh2uqfiz7o2JenyXgFZgIfOzf4ZVTqPPmjDhfRRtmSBpUggJuq25DVMshkI90CIOCEkZlQoo3mAZ3NuI8UawNYTBRj9oDQjGbylgSs/s400/photo.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539677583000760674" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shafeeq and Shaqeel with me at the start. </i></span></div><br />I was one of the last ones to start the race because I was giving instructions to the boys to listen to Senn when the gun went off. The first run was in cool conditions from the rain that just stopped. Within the first k I found Azmar and Fadil, so just paced with them throughout. We were running a decent pace, about 5:45min/km which may have been just a bit too fast, but I felt good and we continued. At the end of the first loop, there were Senn, Shafeeq and Shaqeel waiting for me. Boys looked quite happy to see me and that made me feel good. High-fived them and it was off for another loop. Another half an hour before I see them again.<br /><br />More of the same on the second loop and we finished the run in one hour flat. A little faster than I had intended but it was ok. Off with the running shoes, on with the helmet and grabbed the bike. And there, at the bike exit, were the best support crew in the world: Senn, Shafeeq and Shaqeel. Another round of high-fives and I was off on the bike. One hour before I finish the first loop and see them again.<br /><br />The first loop was pretty uneventful. Was going at a steady clip of about 32-36km/h. Legs felt good, aero position felt good. Got over the bridges without drama and headed back. Azmar passed me going up the bridge and I just couldn't hang on to him. But no big deal, just run my own race. Fadil, too, passed me on the way back to Manjung and again, I didn't even attempt to chase. Got back to the stadium and saw the boys and Senn again. Gave them a wave and I was off on the second loop. Another hour before I see them again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DKX9M5g5RgXzVJe_u7wU53SZj9Ay-pXrSWqkquceA4D30Faare25jkZHuGObOGnM_EmuaUNvc4k75l_Htjg2ksVJy02E-20PIddoVZAbLlvU1ddDR12nb4GK-JGQb7c2B6ibhNBqaz4/s1600/photo-3.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DKX9M5g5RgXzVJe_u7wU53SZj9Ay-pXrSWqkquceA4D30Faare25jkZHuGObOGnM_EmuaUNvc4k75l_Htjg2ksVJy02E-20PIddoVZAbLlvU1ddDR12nb4GK-JGQb7c2B6ibhNBqaz4/s400/photo-3.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539678683471657730" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Really getting into the spirit of the race!</i></span></div><br />Second loop wasn't so smooth. I could feel my calves starting to cramp up. Squirted some water on them and the cramps went away. Then I heard a thud behind me and AJ yelling I'd dropped something. At first I thought it was a water bottle, so I went on since I didn't really need that. Turns out it was my gel flask. That I need! So had to stop, lay the bike down, and run back the 20 or so metres to retrieve the bottle. Cost me a minute or two and about 10 riders passed me. Got back on the bike and it took a while for my legs to get back into the rhythm. Once I did, I caught up with the riders who passed me and was going back and forth with this lady on a Cervelo S2, being careful to stay out of her 7m draft zone. We were like this all the way back to T2. I gave it all I could since I knew my second run was going to be screwed anyway, thanks to the cramps that were developing in my legs.<br /><br />After 2h07m I was back in transition. And as usual, there were my SSS (Senn, Shafeeq and Shaqeel) support crew out by the run exit. Gave the boys a quick hug (much to their disgust!), and I was off for the second run. Senn told me she was going to take the boys back to the car to rest. That was my cue to try and finish as quickly as I can. Wouldn't want the boys to get too restless.<br /><br />The first km was quite tough and I was thinking, "Oh no! Here we go again! This is why I don't like to do Powerman." The crampy feeling had moved up to my thighs and it was getting really hard to run. But I refused to walk, walking would have been the end of it and the SSS support crew would have to wait two hours for my return. Not gonna happen. So I shuffled along to the first water station where there was a medic holding up that spray, so I told him to give me everything he's got. I swear that's a miracle spray because after that, the pain was gone. I just had to tell myself to run to the next water station, take a drink, then run to the next. And that's what I kept doing. Saw SSS by the car at the end of the first loop and gave them a wave. By now my pace was between 6:15-6:30min/km. All I had to do now was maintain this pace and I'll be able to see SSS in half an hour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82Nh0E0KD-hwArL-AMomm60_NzUKwidFSwAYMxXwEC4gwzSvhxqlnJ2wG29FFisF7MThXAMBfmhmZv7rj2i7IgKf9ONdAt5COPsQFx7WGnti3kXLZmEuDO9srT81l9001RzvG1CWe4uw/s1600/photo-2.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82Nh0E0KD-hwArL-AMomm60_NzUKwidFSwAYMxXwEC4gwzSvhxqlnJ2wG29FFisF7MThXAMBfmhmZv7rj2i7IgKf9ONdAt5COPsQFx7WGnti3kXLZmEuDO9srT81l9001RzvG1CWe4uw/s400/photo-2.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539678261244436818" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Waiting for their slow-ass dad to finish the race.</i></span></div><br />It's quite amazing what the mind can do. By now, the sun was out in full force, and my legs were getting really tired. But I just kept telling myself to run to the next station, run to the next station, run to the next station (it also helped that there were more water stations this year!). My mind refused to let me stop and walk. Just wanted to go see SSS as quickly as I could. And before I knew it, I was rounding the final corner and heading into the stadium. As I turned into the finishing chute, I saw, just beyond the finish line, SSS. It was all I needed to pick up speed and cross that line. Nailed the second run in 1h06m for a total time of 4h17m. A PB by half an hour.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgOYr1hdvWkLo9-t7cKAjF_ruRtMzJObAfM145kaUS7C5Jxca94DkNcmbjMYUy26OdaSgACx5LUFEF_29NlBYptTCHflUyMXAZUW7IU7xGWscYihl2EdnozyG7ee_oMVuJ8kC5HtFyr4/s1600/photo-1.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgOYr1hdvWkLo9-t7cKAjF_ruRtMzJObAfM145kaUS7C5Jxca94DkNcmbjMYUy26OdaSgACx5LUFEF_29NlBYptTCHflUyMXAZUW7IU7xGWscYihl2EdnozyG7ee_oMVuJ8kC5HtFyr4/s400/photo-1.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539677808908077218" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Finally! Can we go home now???!!!</i></span></div><br />And I owe it all to having the boys there and to Senn for having to put up with their restlessness. Please forgive her if she wasn't as chatty as usual, she had to put up with my boys' boredom. And that was not an easy task to do. Thank you, baby, for putting up with that so I could go racing. I owe you big time!<br /><br />In case you haven't figured out what the title of this post means, it means Personal Best at PowerMan thanks to Senn, Shafeeq and Shaqeel.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pictures courtesy of Senn. </i></span></div>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-44855004301019755272010-11-11T15:47:00.002+08:002010-11-11T16:09:38.567+08:00Fellow Triathlete in Hit and RunEsmenn Mohd Mokhtar, a local triathlete, was hit by a taxi last night in Cyberjaya. He has a fractured collarbone and some head injuries. <br /><br />Esmenn is warded at Ward Neuro 4 A2, Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Visiting hours :- 12.20pm-2.30pm and 4.30pm-7.30pm. <br /><br />It's a dangerous sport we partake in, and unfortunately, sometimes things like this do happen. Please be careful when you're out there guys, especially when riding solo. Be vigilant of your surroundings, take off your ipods so you can hear traffic better and always assume the driver is not going to see you. Also always carry some form of ID and emergency contact number (this reminds me I need to get my RoadID ASAP). <br /><br />Here's hoping Esmenn recovers soon and is back in top form in no time.tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-46899164749493109462010-09-29T13:48:00.004+08:002010-09-29T14:28:54.508+08:00Hill is "Hell" Mis-speltThe title of this post just about sums up the Newton 25k Challenge. It was all about hills and the hills, yes, they were hellish. Combine it with the heat, then you have one of the toughest events in Malaysia. Frank of Runnerz Circle had already warned us that the usual Bukit Aman - Hartamas loop was just an appetizer compared to the Newton route. Guess I was hoping he was exaggerating a bit. He wasn't!<br /><br />The run started well enough but within 4k, we hit the first hill. Legs still fresh, the first series of hills were not too bad. And the sun hadn't come up yet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA3L63vBF14c6gz8zEbGJWg48OZ52qkRuvjLSjHoDDD_Hy24NLZ0kHwMdPyHQqZlbuREvaOodr-e5szYjjXvsMCb9OfiFlDWJZoLIN4cTOzNPHclyYoplERc8gIJfRsAcLJuWdlQWWEM/s1600/photo-1.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA3L63vBF14c6gz8zEbGJWg48OZ52qkRuvjLSjHoDDD_Hy24NLZ0kHwMdPyHQqZlbuREvaOodr-e5szYjjXvsMCb9OfiFlDWJZoLIN4cTOzNPHclyYoplERc8gIJfRsAcLJuWdlQWWEM/s400/photo-1.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522215054600217538" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>When the hills were not a problem... yet.</i></span></div><br />It was after the 12k mark that hell came. By then the sun was out in full force. It wasn't that the hills were particularly steep (ok, some of them were) but they were just long and relentless. I was beginning to think the 140k ride the day before maybe wasn't such a good idea.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9thJ0y-B2xTIZPqDZa2vS-3GAhIcDSck_QIloUCP5g5mQG-haf9U_oVImgztt0KMEp8KiFT_dqzzIgYoXS-Z3NWq6t13iKTctZ0zlAf-cMZN1QVWsHCRG81Hof7HvvI0VMCnnX6YiJI/s1600/photo-4.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9thJ0y-B2xTIZPqDZa2vS-3GAhIcDSck_QIloUCP5g5mQG-haf9U_oVImgztt0KMEp8KiFT_dqzzIgYoXS-Z3NWq6t13iKTctZ0zlAf-cMZN1QVWsHCRG81Hof7HvvI0VMCnnX6YiJI/s400/photo-4.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522215058945853778" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Before hell came!</i></span></div><br />By 18k, I was reduced to walking. Walk up the hills, and try to run down them. At this point I was wishing I had just done the 12k!<br /><br />With about 3k to go, Emma caught up with me (feels funny saying that since Emma is normally miles ahead, but today she was just having some fun and taking it reeeaaaallly easy) and saw me walking. She kept urging me on, telling me it's all in the head. When she found out it wasn't my injured knee that's making me walk, she said, "C'mon Arif, baby steps." So from there on I mustered up whatever I had left and just followed Emma and Lydia home. Thanks for the encouragement, Emma.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZJFfFqXOmNxVvDn2Tpb_nYcy89dkfHyhJcMIwP5KiW5hxcV0UQqyUaF2GzWxxZHy6h8ebh7TOXVfC6Ghaa4ZhANytWIWJPLqTQiDtN3r6NGLlVqHCuY83m7iEiwKrPW_kZJwUS0IRVM/s1600/photo-3.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZJFfFqXOmNxVvDn2Tpb_nYcy89dkfHyhJcMIwP5KiW5hxcV0UQqyUaF2GzWxxZHy6h8ebh7TOXVfC6Ghaa4ZhANytWIWJPLqTQiDtN3r6NGLlVqHCuY83m7iEiwKrPW_kZJwUS0IRVM/s400/photo-3.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522215068022156226" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Almost there!</i></span></div><br />And so I crossed the finish line in 2h47m. One of the toughest races I've ever done. And I was lucky enough to get a medal for my troubles. And a pretty medal it was. Hard-earned too!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1pfpC0_-4hMtedddXLKyRNCnWBYT-8aONx7-BqL0SsyOVBYaUzM2eO_4-CbOpbj4f2F_YLPCRiPAn9Qub8N14jlvYzxQQWlOg7YD7AcJ2qsfeik7qTLwbwdfk4-cFwMRv8bJXscDmsU/s1600/photo-2.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1pfpC0_-4hMtedddXLKyRNCnWBYT-8aONx7-BqL0SsyOVBYaUzM2eO_4-CbOpbj4f2F_YLPCRiPAn9Qub8N14jlvYzxQQWlOg7YD7AcJ2qsfeik7qTLwbwdfk4-cFwMRv8bJXscDmsU/s400/photo-2.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522215069645385730" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Just glad it's all over!</i></span></div><br />Senn did quite well. She did the 12k and finished in about 1h45m. Not too bad for someone who hasn't been running at all!<br /><br />I must say Uncle Chan loves to inflict pain on athletes. Who else would organise a run in such hilly terrain? It's kind of reminiscent of his Lake Kenyir triathlon. Anyway, it was quite well organised with some lovely freebies.Traffic management could have been better though and the water stations could have been closer together, especially with the heat. But other than that, everything went well. Once again, another good job from Uncle Chan.<br /><br />From this run, I can see that I still have a long way to go to hit my target in Ironman Western Australia. Bring it on...<br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Pictures courtesy of Emma, Tey and Julie.</i></span></div>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-90204897589070211382010-09-01T15:00:00.004+08:002010-09-01T15:20:23.051+08:00Ironman Western Australia TargetI normally don't set specific time goals for any of the races I do. My target has always been to PB or do better than last year. But since this will be the first time in Busselton, there is no benchmark to measure against.<br /><br />So now I'm going to put it out there, I'm going to set a time goal for IMWA: to finish the race before nightfall. Sunset at Busselton on 5 December is 7:17pm, last light at 7:46pm. The race starts at 5:45am. That gives me 13h32m to finish the race, almost two hours under my best IM race.<br /><br />Which means I'll need to shave about 10-15 minutes off my best IM swim, an hour off my best IM bike time and an hour off my best run time.<br /><br />So that's it, it's out there: 13h32m. 13h32m. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">13h32m.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /><br />Maybe I'll get it. Maybe I won't. But now that it's out there, I have no choice but to work my ass off towards it. Full time Ironman training begins after Raya.<br /><br />Shit... What did I just get myself into?tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-22905059241905013772010-08-30T15:58:00.001+08:002010-08-30T16:00:40.146+08:00Pedal Away PolioRide for a good cause, guys...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSOFUF_zzcx6Hh1hBs2ssFXkH5YLZp1fQ6qCptq8wq4uw9kK8OKdzpq8p_ILtZqqvV3BEzJaJLHdR6dndajaW28aEoQMHBSK7r2-t-np8BOoSyOm76TyMOvLXm2FJvHqyKyxc-3TsJDE/s1600/FLYER+A5+FA+IMCyc-01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSOFUF_zzcx6Hh1hBs2ssFXkH5YLZp1fQ6qCptq8wq4uw9kK8OKdzpq8p_ILtZqqvV3BEzJaJLHdR6dndajaW28aEoQMHBSK7r2-t-np8BOoSyOm76TyMOvLXm2FJvHqyKyxc-3TsJDE/s400/FLYER+A5+FA+IMCyc-01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511109545299386914" /></a>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-70211796783845189722010-07-26T10:54:00.009+08:002010-07-26T11:48:43.204+08:00I got my mojo back!I lost my mojo in PD.<br /><br />During the 2008 PD International Triathlon, on my way to a personal best, I hit a pothole and crashed hard onto the tarmac 1.5km from transition 2. Among the things scattered on the road was my mojo. As i got going again, pushing the bike to transition, I must have left my mojo there.<br /><br />In 2009, I returned to PD to look for my mojo after a season of dismal results. It wasn't to be. Thanks to a knee injury and some drama that had me driving all the way back to KL and back to PD again in the middle of the night, my mojo was nowhere to be found.<br /><br />Fast forward to the PD International Triathlon 2010. The search for my mojo continues. A friend said, after screwing up in PD two years in a row, you better do well this year. Talk about added pressure! I was more determined than ever to find that elusive mojo.<br /><br />But already the dramas had begun. On the way to PD, the airconditioning in the car broke down. Not a big deal really, except that since the aircon runs on the same belt as the water pump, and other vital systems, it made the problem terminal.<br /><br />As I sat there waiting for the car to be fixed (courtesy of a bunch of mechanics who roam the highway looking for car trouble), I started to wonder whether it was a good idea to race the next day. Could today's incident be a sign of things to come? Will I never find my mojo?<br /><br />Or is this simply a case of getting all the bad luck out of the way today, so I can have good luck tomorrow?<br /><br />Four hours and RM800 later, we rolled into PD. At this point, I have to say I was really glad I had Senn with me. She kept calm the whole time and helped keep me from pulling my hair out. She said that whatever I wanted to do the next day, she will support. Thanks, babe, I needed that.<br /><br />We skipped the carbo load dinner. As much as we wanted to catch up with old friends, the thought of fighting for food with 1200 other triathletes turned us off. So we had a quiet dinner near the apartment and then went to go buy water and breakfast for the next day. On the way, we found a mamak shop that was showing the Tour de France final time trial on TV (earlier I had been fretting about how I was going to catch this). What luck! And while walking back to the car, Senn found a RM10 just lying there on the road. Even more good luck! Maybe I had gotten rid of all bad luck. Maybe my mojo was coming back to me. Maybe I should race tomorrow. Funnily enough, these two good luck incidents happened a few metres for where I crashed two years ago!<br /><br />So race I did. And I have to say, it was the best race I've ever had.<br /><br />We got there late so didn't really have time to mingle. Set up transition and headed straight to the start. Managed to take this picture though.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NGmQ1c5IRN0bryT_UvZZc_h91w5-kVubK4-7Zy9JVrc1fARAQZcOf2ZAxgJszeeky6T-_YvJ3ybjIY81dYkF_mF1o_xvBYHPu5V8mk8WkMUUGcJ6F95YGxFtL_ofq7clE0hRrAnTi3o/s1600/photo-3.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NGmQ1c5IRN0bryT_UvZZc_h91w5-kVubK4-7Zy9JVrc1fARAQZcOf2ZAxgJszeeky6T-_YvJ3ybjIY81dYkF_mF1o_xvBYHPu5V8mk8WkMUUGcJ6F95YGxFtL_ofq7clE0hRrAnTi3o/s400/photo-3.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498051159563911058" /></a><br /><br />The swim was decent. I was in the battles all the way. Which meant that I was keeping pace with the others. When I had calm water, I thought I had strayed off course. As it turned out, I had dropped the group of swimmers I was battling with and was moving towards the next group for more battles.<br /><br />Out back onto the beach and only 33 minutes had elapsed. 35 by the time I crossed the timing mat (running on the beach is not easy).<br /><br />On the bike, I started looking for a train to latch on. For about five or six kilometres I kept looking, then I realised there was a short train behind me! OK, game on. As soon as a faster rider overtook me, I latched on and so did my little train. We went forward, tagging on to the next train in front of us, then the next and the next. Pretty soon, we had a decent sized pack. From then on, It was an easy ride back to transition.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzc3hqgxgfjZngRUnyR4e02xl9T9RpjsmGHeLsRDTom8uaSV335NEui0naUFL-HghFwpnNZmRUmfYJZ04Q_6j_ijy6xG93wTdh8Ss7iFwXEQBHVAiWZfNwwzUIt6Y6C7qHXtZkqLW87w/s1600/photo-2.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzc3hqgxgfjZngRUnyR4e02xl9T9RpjsmGHeLsRDTom8uaSV335NEui0naUFL-HghFwpnNZmRUmfYJZ04Q_6j_ijy6xG93wTdh8Ss7iFwXEQBHVAiWZfNwwzUIt6Y6C7qHXtZkqLW87w/s400/photo-2.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498052654429669378" /></a><br /><br />Off the bike in 1:09.<br /><br />A quick transition and it was off on the run.<br /><br />My legs felt a little jelly like and I had trouble finding a rhythm. The athletes in the train I was with were starting to drop me one by one. And the side stitches came. I thought this was going to be a tough run. Fortunately, the weather was overcast, so that helped things quite a lot.<br /><br />3km in, I started to find my rhythm. Stomach cramps were still there but not to severe. I started passing people again. Coming back I saw people who would normally be ahead of me on their way out. That gave me the motivation to push that little bit more.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpj2B3wKP_MefuBbO_2j1kJaBJmm_LmiNPu6sar2tagnmxAvHZaa2jxcTiia8s3EYFjlU4Yj3_uqRgdiaPP-oLUcTBzlVG43HUOSmw-ywFn9hpo2_aPAekpxisU_dgHkeODvvPa3y6Kk/s1600/photo-4.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpj2B3wKP_MefuBbO_2j1kJaBJmm_LmiNPu6sar2tagnmxAvHZaa2jxcTiia8s3EYFjlU4Yj3_uqRgdiaPP-oLUcTBzlVG43HUOSmw-ywFn9hpo2_aPAekpxisU_dgHkeODvvPa3y6Kk/s400/photo-4.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498054553367583378" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBiCHZ3n1jgl2Cj_3IXuLR3GdXe_TZdIdVBe0RH_TGHYxfatHfFqC0Mkqr9Bt2PKA4SUECm3lM0790i6O5WEQUxMl97y4enW5IWsKzPbPlYnS7kNs6u_BEvmAwSAbbsFZ_Tw3T2rOr8w/s1600/photo.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBiCHZ3n1jgl2Cj_3IXuLR3GdXe_TZdIdVBe0RH_TGHYxfatHfFqC0Mkqr9Bt2PKA4SUECm3lM0790i6O5WEQUxMl97y4enW5IWsKzPbPlYnS7kNs6u_BEvmAwSAbbsFZ_Tw3T2rOr8w/s400/photo.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498054560300332306" /></a><br /><br />Crossed the line and my watch said 2 hours and 40 minutes. The run had been done in 52 minutes. A personal best! I was shocked! Elated! Happy!<br /><br />I had found my mojo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeQEbnwnvC08djU3OZSYYgN3AED3tCZv-amgxpiK7HE-hU9A9B8UNtuVxWTYUCbqR8A9OUxJ5AxXEIw2BI_NJMASr0Jv2XlqcH9Co_IKG0uaAWriDdraMnVcfwPGAXxBfnRu2KFqnOf8/s1600/photo-1.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeQEbnwnvC08djU3OZSYYgN3AED3tCZv-amgxpiK7HE-hU9A9B8UNtuVxWTYUCbqR8A9OUxJ5AxXEIw2BI_NJMASr0Jv2XlqcH9Co_IKG0uaAWriDdraMnVcfwPGAXxBfnRu2KFqnOf8/s400/photo-1.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498056377734362258" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photos courtesy of Aileen/Stupe, Yit Thing/Zabrina and Keni K. </i></span>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-69650943712004123832010-07-11T16:24:00.001+08:002010-07-11T16:24:28.382+08:00What a week!Monday: run 6.4k<br />Tuesday: swim 1500m, bike 27k<br />Wednesday: run 12k<br />Thursday: swim 1200m, bike 36k<br />Friday: swim 1200m<br />Saturday: bike 115k<br /><br />Wow! I haven't had a week like this since the buildup to IMMY08. All in all, 4000m swimming, 178k biking, and 18.4k running. I was so beat up after saturday's ride, I decided to skip Sunday's run.<br /><br />Hopefully, this is just the beginning. If I can keep this up and slowly add more quality mileage as the weeks go by, I'll be in good shape for IMWA. <br /><br />Ironman training has begun!tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-62200409815274955262010-06-28T15:07:00.006+08:002010-06-30T13:09:10.539+08:00Not the Best of Marathons...Thankfully not the worst either. <br /><br />If anything, the 2010 Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon taught me the importance of training. Without which, be prepared to suffer. <br /><br />And suffer I did, from about 25k all the way to the end. <br /><br />But before I get into my race, let me just say that this year's edition was a marked improvement over last year's. There was plenty of fluids at the water stations, the route was great and the medal collection was excellent. It's good to know that the organisers learnt their lessons from last year and made efforts to improve.<br /><br />There were still a few issues though: traffic management was ok throughout but there were a few intersections where it could have been handled better. Particularly at the Jalan P. Ramlee/Jalan Ampang intersection but you can't really blame the cops when the motorists decide to ignore them and almost run down a few runners. Another issue was that there was no water given out at the finish line. If there was, it must have been hidden somewhere because I didn't see any. They should have given us water together with the medal/finisher t-shirt. Would have been a lot better that way for runners. <br /><br />Anyway on to the race: it started wet. Really, really wet. But after a few km the rain stopped. I was doing a pretty decent pace, a pace I thought I'd be able to sustain for 42km. Hit the first 10k and I was going slightly quicker than I thought. My first 10k was 1h03m. <br /><br />Continued on. By now the thighs were starting to feel the burn. Thought I'd slow the pace a little. But apparently, I didn't. Second 10k was 1h04m!<br /><br />Now was when it started to unravel for me. At 25k, I lost it. Just couldn't run anymore. So I walked/ran. It was painful. Runners were passing me left, right and centre. It was quite demoralizing. At this point, I was wondering if I called it quits, how would I get back to the start line. Then Sofian runs by. He must have sensed my agony because he yelled out, "C'mon Arif, don't give up!"<br /><br />That really helped. I went on till the 28km water station. I had some of my EFS gel, rubbed some ointment on my legs and took some ice from the nice medic there. This gave me a bit of a second wind. I managed to run till the 31km marker. Saw Jason going around on his bike, he asked if I needed anything. A taxi back to the start line perhaps, I wanted to say. But I kept on going. <br /><br />Finally hit Jalan Kuching. Sun was up and blazing by now. This is one mentally challenging stretch. It goes on for only about 2km but it feels damn long. Meng, the 5-hour pacer, caught up with me now, and urged me to run with him. Made it as far as the 34km water station before I had to walk again.<br /><br />At 35km, Adeline passed me. She looked damn strong. Guess all that distance/endurance training has paid off for her (she achieved her first sub-5 marathon!). She motioned me to tag on but at the pace she was going, there was no way I could. At this point, I couldn't tag on to anyone, no matter what the pace!<br /><br />Shortly after the 36km water station, there was some welcomed relief. Kash, Rais and Uncle Allen were there with a mobile kedai runcit. Rais gave me some Counterpain, Kash offered me a Gatorade and Uncle Allen offered me encouragement. Thanks guys, you really helped! Thanks to them, I managed to run all the way to the bottom of that steep hill near the little roundabout. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zCYiCSkOgNNskotE28gN396fnNESpZcZSRXLlZZ-EYkbE5Y5RO6-QjBqfvynQZGIcCMsrwAwgZY2a9LgXsoAobWvAUt2G6mZByt8o1NCc_znFnEKtlDY2H5xMkK7LiWfdblCREwRLvc/s1600/AN0_0436.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8zCYiCSkOgNNskotE28gN396fnNESpZcZSRXLlZZ-EYkbE5Y5RO6-QjBqfvynQZGIcCMsrwAwgZY2a9LgXsoAobWvAUt2G6mZByt8o1NCc_znFnEKtlDY2H5xMkK7LiWfdblCREwRLvc/s400/AN0_0436.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488429084639903842" /></a><br /><br />After that steep hill, I knew we'd have a nice downhill stretch. I love going downhill, you can pick up speed with hardly any effort at all. But it was not to be this time. There was just so much lactic acid in my legs that each step was agony! And to make things worse, at the bottom of the hill, they made us go up another hill just to u-turn midway up. Cruel.<br /><br />From there it was a slow run/walk all the way to the last turn at Pertama Complex. By then we had maybe about 800m to go so I threw all caution to the wind and ran all the way to the finish. It was painful, but it had to be done. <br /><br />About 100m from the line, I saw Senn cheering me on and I knew I couldn't stop now. Passed a few other runners along the way too and finally crossed the line. Felt like collapsing right there and then.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrQlNYqcs_L8h3zvkwVNLboP09thvr069D9GoBl6dNsRXUZbOyqVoNHZdwllxNWR3KD8QxrtDktRpLwa7EFUQ1AAkOIPqOu-2LaWkNw_4LxkAZRCPZw6-4sIHSoSYEwZwfK5mLVr6TY4/s1600/finishing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrQlNYqcs_L8h3zvkwVNLboP09thvr069D9GoBl6dNsRXUZbOyqVoNHZdwllxNWR3KD8QxrtDktRpLwa7EFUQ1AAkOIPqOu-2LaWkNw_4LxkAZRCPZw6-4sIHSoSYEwZwfK5mLVr6TY4/s400/finishing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487728442041246930" /></a><br /><br />The race clock showed me finishing at 5h10m. For a while I thought I'd come in closer to six hours, maybe even after six hours. I guess when I hit that wall at 25k, I knew sub-5 was out of the question so then it became a matter of limiting the damage. I hadn't set a target for this race as I knew I was unprepared for it. Still I wanted to do the best I could. And If I could go under 5, all the better. So doing a 5h10m was ok. Painful, but ok. <br /><br />Lesson learnt. To run a marathon, you must get the miles in. Last year I was running 40-50k, sometimes even 60k, a week in the build-up to the marathon. This year, I was lucky to get in 20k a week. So for me, to finish itself is a result. <br /><br />But I couldn't have finished it without the help of friends. Special thanks to Sofian, Eugene Teoh, Jason Hue, Dr.Sya, Kash, Rais, Uncle Allen, Bro Md Nor and a whole bunch of others for pushing me on in one way or another. That percussion group in front of Pavillion, all the medics and volunteers, you all were a great help. <br /><br />And finally, a big special thank you to Senn, who was there for me after the run and took care of me when I could barely walk. Love ya, babe!tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-17245126774277648142010-05-17T15:45:00.006+08:002010-05-17T20:36:40.928+08:00NB15kThe NB15k run this past Sunday was probably my best race so far this year. There were minimal dramas and no injury issues. The only drawback was that I hadn't done a long run since the Energiser race back in March.<br /><br />There was a bit of drama the night before when we heard of Ngae's passing. Ngae was a legendary character in the runners/triathlete's circle. He always ran barefoot in a sarong, was always humble and always had a smile on his face. He's never one to forget his roots, always telling stories of his days as a young boy in the kampung. He was loud and witty, and always a joy to hang out with, ready to dispense some friendly advice if it were needed. We were amazed at how quickly he got back into action after having gone through brain surgery to remove a tumour last year. Within a few months, he was running again. His passing was a big shock. Ngae, you will be missed. <br /><br />The morning started with a one minute silence to remember this great man. A few were running in sarongs.<br /><br />My personal best at this race was a 1h30m. Thought I might be able to improve on that but the question was by how much. The dinner at Laif's house the night before certainly wasn't going to contribute to any improvement. But really, on a day like today, it wasn't about the time. It was about honouring a friend. <br /><br />In the end, I managed to better my PB by almost 5 minutes. It was as if Ngae's spirit had come to join the run and was pushing me on. My finish time was a 1h25m58s. As I crossed the line, I pointed up to the heavens, at Ngae. This PB I dedicate to him.tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-10538251561743329502010-05-06T12:20:00.016+08:002010-05-07T15:18:23.702+08:00PCC Inter-State of MindWow! What an epic 3 days.<br /><br />So much to tell I don't know where to start.<br /><br />The annual PCC Interstate this year took us through Perak, Kelantan and Terrengganu. All in all, a little over 480km over three days. Tiring? Yes. Painful? Yes. Fun? Hell yeah!<br /><br />Before I go on and on and on, I'd just like to thank PCC for organising such a wonderful ride. This is my 4th Interstate and like every year, they've worked tirelessly to bring us a great event yet again. Kudos to James, Ivan, Dennis, O'Neil, Christina, Annie, Sellina, Don, Vong, Ashley and the entire organising committee. It was a great route and the organisation was perfect. Thank you.<br /><br />To the support crew, especially Willie, Joanne, Patrick (half of day 2 and all of day 3), Wong CC (half of day 3) and PK and family (day 2 and 3), thank you for bringing us home each and every day. We wouldn't have made it without you. I know how tough it must have been for you guys to wait for us. And Patrick, the spray bottle was genius!<br /><br />And to my little peloton: Amanda, Azhar, Clarence, Patrick and Wong CC, you guys rawk!. Thank you for letting me in on your little group. You guys made the torture fun. Couldn't have completed the distance without you. Thanks for the pulls, the pushes, the camaraderie and the laughter.<br /><br />Anyway, on to the report:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 1 - Kuala Kangsar - Pulau Banding (140km)</span><br /><br />Woke up to the sound of pouring rain. Half contemplated sleeping in but heard the cyclists gathering outside the hotel room. Looks like the ride is on, rain or shine.<br /><br />Got out and there was a mass of riders in the resort carpark. The mood still seemed chirpy and festive, despite the rain. Well, it is day 1 and the riders were rearing to go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1cahx79DCv9N8RJxZE2LHYwJTr33g61a4kRUpwLeZsa8KZW2cg3UVJzTX7PxNE5vaXeQJ1aMCPA6aEWQclksavJGgxtRtZOPPEEOImvdum6igmDcrNVvA4CUBVJKHWpfOlNS-MMG7I8/s1600/28149_124020267614764_100000203750391_327033_7071048_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1cahx79DCv9N8RJxZE2LHYwJTr33g61a4kRUpwLeZsa8KZW2cg3UVJzTX7PxNE5vaXeQJ1aMCPA6aEWQclksavJGgxtRtZOPPEEOImvdum6igmDcrNVvA4CUBVJKHWpfOlNS-MMG7I8/s400/28149_124020267614764_100000203750391_327033_7071048_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468075732211032674" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>All smiles before the start.</i></span></div><br />After a quick briefing, we were off, crossing the bridge over Sungai Perak. By now the rain had stopped and left us with some cool, comforting weather to ride in.<br /><br />I was settling myself in towards the back of the pack, not really knowing which group I'd end up riding with. Then, not 10km in, I saw Amanda pulling off. She had a flat. I stopped to help, as did Azhar, Clarence, Patrick and Wong CC. This would eventually be my little peloton over the next three days.<br /><br />As we worked on changing Amanda's tube, we saw the whole peloton passing by. Once we sorted out the tube, we were off, in chase mode. We were now the tail-enders and wanted to catch up with the main pack.<br /><br />So focused were we on the chase that we actually missed a turn! Actually, we were too busy posing for the cameras to hear the marshalls yelling out, "Turn left!"<br /><br />Back on track, we continued the pursuit...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAm6lLjEWJ9vgqSxkWcTiz-YvLCPBSpXzKbH8dt8PRDAXEglffR03D8w_eTtKvcIK-fAlL7FgC15pwt_FhpltIf4baNcCJNiWJIcWoROZD1sdvZL1AhfWMEfz5AbqRfMX4xb6mrmFiJE/s1600/28296_383560345884_742305884_4013377_1260948_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAm6lLjEWJ9vgqSxkWcTiz-YvLCPBSpXzKbH8dt8PRDAXEglffR03D8w_eTtKvcIK-fAlL7FgC15pwt_FhpltIf4baNcCJNiWJIcWoROZD1sdvZL1AhfWMEfz5AbqRfMX4xb6mrmFiJE/s400/28296_383560345884_742305884_4013377_1260948_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468009154642093874" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>All smiles still. Three hours later, the smiles would be gone. </i></span></div><br />As this stretch of the route was flat, it was easy to give chase. In fact, as the picture above shows, we were still smiling. We were making good time, so good that we didn't notice that Vong's pack had stopped and we had passed them. It was only when we stopped, at about 90k, that we realised we did.<br /><br />As we refilled our bottles and refreshed ourselves with Patrick's spray bottle, we saw Vong's pack coming. We quickly latched on and got a free ride for a while. At Gerik (100km), Vong's pack stopped to refill. Our little peloton decided to go on ahead, since we had just stopped 10km earlier, no point stopping again. Also, Vong's pack was pretty big and that could be a little dangerous, so it was safer to go on our own.<br /><br />This was when the smiles disappeared. This was when we started climbing. The first 10k was rolling so it wasn't so bad, then then it was 20k of hell. The climb was relentless and by now the sun was out in full force. Our little pack slowly got separated, with the faster climbers like Azhar and Clarence moving on ahead. I was struggling to keep up with Amanda and eventually got dropped.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJx4uFkn1zPsNKGBo2_vre3TJzHoWAacY2PjOQCE8Xxx6n29ylRDAVpwHpJEDsqqs3VXCKuUy8FB1PV6Q7Rq6ye-_mv5ws4EE3VI3cD8QLVLRs0EUAIfU3Y3A1uVMO0yv0o406ZGmowzo/s1600/27806_388948736537_526116537_4194012_4645898_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJx4uFkn1zPsNKGBo2_vre3TJzHoWAacY2PjOQCE8Xxx6n29ylRDAVpwHpJEDsqqs3VXCKuUy8FB1PV6Q7Rq6ye-_mv5ws4EE3VI3cD8QLVLRs0EUAIfU3Y3A1uVMO0yv0o406ZGmowzo/s400/27806_388948736537_526116537_4194012_4645898_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468345925949964882" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>The climb begins. Smiles all gone now. Amanda still smiling as she drops my sorry ass!</i></span></div><br /><br />As we went higher, I found my legs working again and soon caught up and passed Amanda. Further up, Clarence had stopped because he ran out of water and was waiting for the support car.<br /><br />The peak never seemed to come. Each time the road went down, I was filled with a sense of relief, thinking the climb was over. But no, the road would then point skywards again. This went on a few times, and i had just about given up on seeing the final descent.<br /><br />Then it came. And it was a steep, fast descent. Almost too short because just as I was starting to enjoy it, I saw a marshal saying we have to go up this really steep hill to get to the hotel. One last kick up that hill and day 1 was done. Just in time too, I felt the cramps coming in on those last few pedal strokes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 2 - Pulau Banding - Kota Bahru (180km)</span><br /><br />Day 2 started early, before the sun came up. It was the longest day and we had a 30km climb to start the day. It was nice of the organisers to want us to clear the climb before the sun came out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGipdeEBkaz2rZqu28g-dcjROaX6MCiVAM5V1G10KSmHVz5gBLyoi48LkzkhtR49zvMvae1tO2f7LlEiPN8H6FNdcYn0P6RtUiU43DHn4wKhJC72yB7q8FLsPsGe6o8kiqjQdpw24NgpU/s1600/28296_383520140884_742305884_4011936_5080072_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGipdeEBkaz2rZqu28g-dcjROaX6MCiVAM5V1G10KSmHVz5gBLyoi48LkzkhtR49zvMvae1tO2f7LlEiPN8H6FNdcYn0P6RtUiU43DHn4wKhJC72yB7q8FLsPsGe6o8kiqjQdpw24NgpU/s400/28296_383520140884_742305884_4011936_5080072_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468022538386466274" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>An early start to avoid climbing in the sun.</i></span></div><br />We started by crossing the bridge into Banding, then out the other side before the climbing proper started. Hardly enough time to warm the legs up before we went skywards.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFYsDBSjiayLAquKDg5SE3lWs17keKL7xopgy3GbdbV-mnkeSyjS6E4A7KBJMvF1i7Tvtr0m9TrHBWQ8GCWiKGlgc4CF3tvuPpJhYDzLvpHJJq1OznMuUzQR-5lC1mmqRcgef-n4k7QE/s1600/28296_383522065884_742305884_4012048_4554617_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFYsDBSjiayLAquKDg5SE3lWs17keKL7xopgy3GbdbV-mnkeSyjS6E4A7KBJMvF1i7Tvtr0m9TrHBWQ8GCWiKGlgc4CF3tvuPpJhYDzLvpHJJq1OznMuUzQR-5lC1mmqRcgef-n4k7QE/s400/28296_383522065884_742305884_4012048_4554617_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468023535370583202" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>The start of the climb on Day 2.</i></span></div><br />It was good to start the climb so early. The weather was cool, there was a nice mist hanging in the air. The mist helped disguise how steep the climb really was.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvAFn5jIGbGij6CbtDaeWRsDcB6YP2EEpQfJpaW6vN7nEpNDYIPyB0QSRBvFy8_j2z40BNHrzh4enWAWF19Vte47km-HhWzs5cWWpTySMC0IF8U6awcpa0SRn1zhwtJ3SXjAHKEhhwH8/s1600/28296_383505935884_742305884_4011330_4007351_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvAFn5jIGbGij6CbtDaeWRsDcB6YP2EEpQfJpaW6vN7nEpNDYIPyB0QSRBvFy8_j2z40BNHrzh4enWAWF19Vte47km-HhWzs5cWWpTySMC0IF8U6awcpa0SRn1zhwtJ3SXjAHKEhhwH8/s400/28296_383505935884_742305884_4011330_4007351_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468024148586002850" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Reaching the top. </i></span></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eRQ101Zr4a-m7jPBwXeMccwbHESoBhnQU24_7v4MyVVaZQKWmjCjt0j04uNw8FMS87x9JAJDuxsFmZQ7c-CMLEx4EP7ViSl1FRHxDRCBK-pzBDoUhiM3l7w7Ry9ZY0rBQz3X1o1DGlo/s1600/28149_124020277614763_100000203750391_327036_7918340_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eRQ101Zr4a-m7jPBwXeMccwbHESoBhnQU24_7v4MyVVaZQKWmjCjt0j04uNw8FMS87x9JAJDuxsFmZQ7c-CMLEx4EP7ViSl1FRHxDRCBK-pzBDoUhiM3l7w7Ry9ZY0rBQz3X1o1DGlo/s400/28149_124020277614763_100000203750391_327036_7918340_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468075726296849138" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Clarence, Wong CC and me at the top. </i></span></div><br />Our little peloton regrouped at a rest stop at the top. After a quick refill, and something to eat, we were off again. This section had some nice downhills but there was still a bit of climbing to do. It was only when we crossed the border into Kelantan the the road dropped. It was an exhilarating descent, all 30+km of it. Some sections were so steep that some riders hit speeds of up to 65-70km/h.<br /><br />We regrouped again at the bottom and made our way to Jeli. At the Petronas there, we were treated to a little surprise. One of the Bukit Jelutong boys owned the Petronas and his mum runs it. So they had a little kenduri for us there. Since our team captain, Azhar, was one of the Jelutong boys too, we were treated to a scrumptious lunch of nasi berlauk. We let Vong's group go, and enjoyed the little makan.<br /><br />By now, PK and family had joined us in their car. They had driven from KL that morning and was now here to lend us their support. After lunch we continued on our way. The road here was flat and windy and really tested the mental strength.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLYF2ZYmAI9NwFSgf9282RyzYwiCCB84ORzSlPhN3LcHuiVtHlnwrG-leV9KZOREgzsumK6O_PmYLxoK9DJ8rmrVp9kSZhQga8RrkqShHHhKXRMuKeM49FeG84-1-pP7kSLbNqj62ZMU/s1600/27806_388953886537_526116537_4194145_1813218_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLYF2ZYmAI9NwFSgf9282RyzYwiCCB84ORzSlPhN3LcHuiVtHlnwrG-leV9KZOREgzsumK6O_PmYLxoK9DJ8rmrVp9kSZhQga8RrkqShHHhKXRMuKeM49FeG84-1-pP7kSLbNqj62ZMU/s400/27806_388953886537_526116537_4194145_1813218_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468423860679435986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDj8p8GnxYfjATPMKAM-nw3VqJAEts4zrEktP5IMlMw5i-hy-IuPKgM4RvS5Fo8TVJMLmuKSx6sHMcLMWus64mV_M6-ee5MdZj2YcnhTw7B1yOgbCSW3agtSBMFp-La3QI2lfsUverEw/s1600/28149_124020284281429_100000203750391_327038_1475008_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDj8p8GnxYfjATPMKAM-nw3VqJAEts4zrEktP5IMlMw5i-hy-IuPKgM4RvS5Fo8TVJMLmuKSx6sHMcLMWus64mV_M6-ee5MdZj2YcnhTw7B1yOgbCSW3agtSBMFp-La3QI2lfsUverEw/s400/28149_124020284281429_100000203750391_327038_1475008_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468075710300497810" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Doing my share of the work.</i></span></div><br />As we were riding along, PK had gone ahead to see where the rest of the peloton was. He came back to report that Don and Vong's group were only 5km ahead. He motorpaced us for a while to try and catch up but we gave up when we saw a air kelapa stall. By now we were still another 30km away from KB and it was really, really hot.<br /><br />Approaching KB, we got another surprise. Amanda had suddenly got a second wind (it was the power gel, she claimed) and started pulling us all at 36km/h, blowing our little pack to pieces!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA1r5CwCeh7JjnNF9JnWXFonjMAFZqYx8Nh9iWQjZtKbBosmtwAKBJ1O12N9YE-s6OmCg7YafTK50lbzh83xiP_cqqNuLpCm1XCsRr5RbfhzKuKTn-F0uuua-xSnvgFbug1tLC5WRt-8/s1600/29479_386431146397_543071397_4116613_5105467_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA1r5CwCeh7JjnNF9JnWXFonjMAFZqYx8Nh9iWQjZtKbBosmtwAKBJ1O12N9YE-s6OmCg7YafTK50lbzh83xiP_cqqNuLpCm1XCsRr5RbfhzKuKTn-F0uuua-xSnvgFbug1tLC5WRt-8/s400/29479_386431146397_543071397_4116613_5105467_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468027284397861362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Amanda killing us all with her sudden pace.</i></span></div><br />After a lot of yelling and begging for her to slow down, we got into KB town. We rolled through town and to our final stop for the day, the hotel. End of day 2.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Day 3 - Kota Bahru - Kenyir Lake (160km)</span><br /><br />Captain Azhar's mission to us: Get in ahead of Vong today.<br /><br />The score between our little pack and Vong's was one apiece. We won the first day, they won the second. Now to move in for the kill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5-mwycuTcsXPr56u4mQlmzqR-ACiAvU7CtvA02Y2P0t1A6OuHJKAq3-tBpsifUboN-OIKRz59VAgYeW4g1aZm7_SPebES8hNh5LmbOAYWQfNqwz1ZBMiqNQOJ9PrzDxSVhEf_TZOXmE/s1600/29045_386634831397_543071397_4120550_6065912_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5-mwycuTcsXPr56u4mQlmzqR-ACiAvU7CtvA02Y2P0t1A6OuHJKAq3-tBpsifUboN-OIKRz59VAgYeW4g1aZm7_SPebES8hNh5LmbOAYWQfNqwz1ZBMiqNQOJ9PrzDxSVhEf_TZOXmE/s400/29045_386634831397_543071397_4120550_6065912_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468047598324253010" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>The last ones to leave. </i></span></div><br />We started late because Azhar had to change a flat but didn't take long to join the rest of the pack. At the 40k mark, we broke away. It felt like a real cycling race: breaking away and the four of us working together to stay away from the pack.<br /><br />But we had to stop 10km later when we realised Amanda was still stuck in that pack. We waited for the pack to arrive, she joined us and off we went again, well behind Vong. It wasn't long before we saw them stopped at a petrol station, so we picked up the pace and pushed on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpy9H3jgTYOm_gCV0zqhFxaFXJGfkAm6_RrRkccbub2hyMg825E-90VkaTpk5WITPK9wJe0SOnegLFF3OcCh-omZEqTOGSkKlS52h8fH5DJ70t4SiBjiHO5m8p1SEwi8eEKUAYCXc7dro/s1600/27805_393139308119_591153119_3935771_5933985_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpy9H3jgTYOm_gCV0zqhFxaFXJGfkAm6_RrRkccbub2hyMg825E-90VkaTpk5WITPK9wJe0SOnegLFF3OcCh-omZEqTOGSkKlS52h8fH5DJ70t4SiBjiHO5m8p1SEwi8eEKUAYCXc7dro/s400/27805_393139308119_591153119_3935771_5933985_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468047599350465970" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Working hard to accomplish our mission. </i></span></div><br />So eager were we to accomplish our mission, we made our stops as short as possible. A quick refill and spray from the spray bottle and we were off again. Each refill stop lasted no more than 10-15 minutes. Thank God for support cars. Patrick, Wong CC, Joanne, Willie, PK and family were always there when we needed them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaZyhFsosKXiir6ftYbKMPo0dbbRdLwesQQSA0vCu1IUqlhobVU8DjVup1JVC609GEwSD2H8PBzgaRZcPSqtOzhJjibxBBfvLEIoF49qbpkmTdckDjoabw8iuz4TR7x2TZDwqG5_vTpE/s1600/28149_124020287614762_100000203750391_327039_2223700_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaZyhFsosKXiir6ftYbKMPo0dbbRdLwesQQSA0vCu1IUqlhobVU8DjVup1JVC609GEwSD2H8PBzgaRZcPSqtOzhJjibxBBfvLEIoF49qbpkmTdckDjoabw8iuz4TR7x2TZDwqG5_vTpE/s400/28149_124020287614762_100000203750391_327039_2223700_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468075715899101826" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Pushing really hard now. </span></i></div><br />At 130k, we heard that Vong was about 20k behind us. Later we found out from Vong that had we been any closer, he would have picked up the pace and given chase. As it was, we were safe so we could have eased up. But we didn't. We were further bouyed when we saw Don sitting at a roadside stall with about 15k to go. Double bonus! Get in ahead of Vong AND Don. So we pushed on even more.<br /><br />This proved to be a mistake for me. Little did we know there was going to be a huge mother of a hill coming up. Not the hill we usually climb during the Kenyir tri, but one that was steeper. Much much steeper. And to make it even worse, the hill was covered in gravel and rubble.<br /><br />As we approached the hill, you could hear the cussing from the riders. I zig zagged up the hill to try and reduce the gradient, but at one point I felt I had to stand up to pedal through. Big mistake. I lost traction, the rear wheel spun and I almost bit the dust. After that, there was no way to get back on the bike. Frustrated, I threw the bike down (I was looking for a longkang), threw my helmet down, and just collapsed. Luckily Joanne offered to pushy my bike up the rest of the hill for me, saving me the indignity of pushing up the bike myself!<br /><br />At the top of that hill, I got back on my bike and continued. I was totally spent by now. Fortunately, we were at the entrance of the resort already. Just a couple of short, steep hills to go and we were done. We passed the resort gates, and sprinted up the hill to the lobby. It felt like the uphill finish of Flech Wallone! I got to the lobby and raised my arms in triumph.<br /><br />That's it. Ride done. Mission accomplished. Three grueling days in the saddle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyv1_m3pGRUGdRO3THorOKaVpJEtyj9Irq5ltLkSKhYDZi2kpe8N-qonugQEB62ssibZsjPlcL3tIerjg9Y9k0IMvr5DAdzCuXKllswTQmfSuT-Yyn3gqjN5Dfa9InS7MN1oUAnFxZDg/s1600/28149_124020320948092_100000203750391_327049_3392031_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyv1_m3pGRUGdRO3THorOKaVpJEtyj9Irq5ltLkSKhYDZi2kpe8N-qonugQEB62ssibZsjPlcL3tIerjg9Y9k0IMvr5DAdzCuXKllswTQmfSuT-Yyn3gqjN5Dfa9InS7MN1oUAnFxZDg/s400/28149_124020320948092_100000203750391_327049_3392031_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468075736250354994" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Koyak-ed at the end.</i></span></div><br />By far the toughest Interstate I've ever done. But also by far the most fun. The company, camaraderie, the little friendly unofficial competitions is what makes the Interstate such a fun event. This year's was no different. Let's do this again next year!<br /><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i>Pictures courtesy of Jamie, Janice, James, Patrick, Mac and Miow Chin. All taken from Facebook. </i></span></div>tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-18664440784572396632010-04-13T13:02:00.004+08:002010-04-13T14:00:21.288+08:00Race CalendarLately, I've been feeling kinda demotivated and put off by this whole multisport malarky. Could be that I'm jaded already, having been doing this without much significant improvement since 2006. It doesn't help that I've not had a single good race this year. Not a one. <br /><br />So in hopes of turning my season around, I thought I'd sort out my race calendar. Hopefully, this will give me something to aim for and help motivate me to get off my ass and start training. So without further ado, here goes:<br /><br />May 16: New Balance 15k <br />Jun 27: KL Marathon<br />Jul 11: Siemens 10k Run<br />Jul 24: Malakoff University Duathlon Series Round 1<br />Jul 25: PD International Triathlon<br />Jul 30: Malakoff University Duathlon Series Round 2<br />Aug 7: Malakoff University Duathlon Series Round 3<br />Nov 14: Powerman Malaysia<br />Dec 5: Ironman Western Australia<br /><br />Also, I've found a new running group who put the fun back into training. They've had me set up an account at <a href="http://www.dailymile.com/people/arifsidek">dailymile</a> and I'm enjoying the banter that goes on after we've all posted our workout for the day. <br /><br />Dailymile also helps keep me going as I can't stand to see an empty day on the calendar!<br /><br />So there it is, my race calendar for the rest of the year. Will I be motivated enough to go through with it? Will I finally have a good race this year? Find out...tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126985146771995040.post-37156017498673000862010-03-01T09:48:00.004+08:002010-03-01T17:49:24.852+08:00Dee En EffA DNF is always hard to swallow. Especially when it's your A-race, the one you've been gearing up for all year long. Making that decision to quit, to DNF, to retire wasn't an easy one. What made the decision tougher was the fact that for the first time, my parents and my boys were in Langkawi to watch me race. I didn't want to disappoint them, having dragged them all the way here just to watch me fail. <br /><br />But looking back, I suppose quitting and having them disappointed was a better alternative than having them worry about me while I lay in hospital had I chose to go on. Yes, it may sound dramatic, but it certainly looked like it was heading that way. <br /><br />Here's the story:<br /><br />The swim was a killer. Even before the swim, I was feeling a little gassy in the tummy. I put it down to nerves, but little did I know how much of a big part this little problem would play later on in the race. <br /><br />At the gun, I was swimming briskly. There were swimmers all around me and after the first 50 metres or so, I got into a rhythm. I felt my strokes were long and smooth, and I was gliding well. Being surrounded by other swimmers gave me this false sense of confidence, that my pace was good. <br /><br />At the 1600m mark, I looked at my watch. 1h04m! WTF! I usually hit the turnaround at 50-55 minutes. Now I'm at 1h04m and I still have 300m to go. Not good. <br /><br />Hit the turnaround at 1h10m and started wondering if I was going to make cutoff. It looked marginal. My strokes were now shorter but the push was stronger. Breathing was getting laboured. Short and abrupt inhaling and exhaling. Currents kept pushing me away from the bouys, so it was a bit of a struggle just to get back on track. While I felt I was swimming in a straight line, the currents were actually making us swim at a 45 degree angle away from the swim lane. <br /><br />Finally made it back in 2h01m. The last time I swam this badly was my first IM, back when I didn't know how to swim. I was completely winded by the time I got out that I was barely able to walk to the change tent. <br /><br />By now I was feeling bloated. But because of the seawater taste in my mouth, I just downed any liquid I could find. Water, Gatorade and even Coke became victims of my thirst. That would prove fatal later on. <br /><br />Spent more than 10 minutes in the change tent. Most of it trying to get my arm coolers on. Grabbed my bike and saw my dad, yelling words of encouragement. But I couldn't really hear what he was saying, my mind was just a blur. Mounted the bike and went about 100m before I saw my boys. Stopped to get a hug and kiss from them and moved on, being very careful not to push too hard. <br /><br />Started on my nutrition plan. Took a bite out of my EFS bar and then it happened. All the liquids I ingested in the change tent was starting to rise. AS I chewed on my bar, trying to swallow it, the liquids started coming out the other way. Puke number one, while I still had the bar in my mouth!<br /><br />I later lost count how many times I threw up but it's safe to say I decorated the road to the Padang Lalang roundabout with my sick. At 20k I decided to stop a while and just get rid of it all. Spent 20 minutes puking my guts out till I was sure there were no more liquids in my tummy. This worked last year when I had the same problem and I was able to continue after that. <br /><br />This time, however, it wasn't to be. Any time i took a sip from my bottles, whether i twas Gatorade or water, it all just came out again. By now a couple of other problems were starting to creep in: I started getting chills and every time I stopped pedaling, I started to fall asleep. Not good. <br /><br />I decided to stop at the 40k aid station to shower so I can get the sleepiness out. Another 20 minutes spent. But then the chills kept getting worse. Continued towards Bukit Malut, shivering and sleepy. A nice ice cold Coke would probably help wake me up and get rid of the gassy feeling. <br /><br />Saw Bandit as I apporached Malut and asked him to buy me a bottle of Coke. Shortly after, saw Mac taking pictures of riders going up the hill and stopped. I needed to take a nap!<br /><br />I laid down and took a nap while waiting for Bandit to return with the Coke. Right there on the grass in the hot sun! The Coke came and I downed it. I felt the burp coming and I let it out. Unfortunately, it came out with all the Coke too. All over my white tri top. <br /><br />It was at this point I contemplated a DNF. I had heard over the SMS grapevine that Ishsal had called it quits and that there was no more water on the bike course. Do I really want to continue? The foremost thought in my head was that I didn't want to let my parents and boys down. They came all the way to watch me finish. I wanted them to be proud of me. I couldn't possibly let them down with a DNF. <br /><br />Bandit suggested I take an easy spin through Malut towards Kuah and see how. I took off my arm coolers (which were giving me the chills) and changed my aero helmet for a normal ventilated one (thanks Mac, for lugging my spare helmet around and switching the helmet stickers) and continued. I felt better slightly and was able to hold a good pace. Started passing some riders (probably unlapping myself). But the puking continued. <br /><br />Then I reached the dreaded Bukit Hantu. I started climbing it but midway, I felt a big one coming. Stopped and let it out. Continued riding up the hill, but was now feeling quite woozy. I think dehydration and lack of nutrition was setting in. I was wobbly at the top, so I decided to ride on to the next aid station and try to eat. I was scheduled for a bar anyway. <br /><br />I got to the next station and tried to get off the bike. But cramps started to set in. Bandit was there and passed me some water and ice, made me sit down by the side of the road and gave my leg a massage. I tried to drink the water but I coudn't even swallow, I was dribbling like an idiot. I looked at the time and decided I wasn't going to make the intermediate cutoff and it would have been foolish to try. I told Bandit to call Mac to pick me up. I had no choice but to let my parents and kids down. <br /><br />I passed out while waiting for Mac to arrive. Apparently, the temperature had hit 46 degrees at that point! Senn came by after I woke up, needing a new watch, hers had run out of batteries. Bandit passed her his and she passed a message through him that she loved me. That was comforting. <br /><br />Mac arrived shortly after and I got my phone out and called my Dad. With tears in my eyes, I had to tell him I couldn't go on and that I was sorry I dragged them all the way to Langkawi just to let them down. My dad comforted me and told me it was ok. Shafeeq, my eldest, called me soon after to find out what happened. He said he wasn't disappointed and that made me feel better. <br /><br />Surprisingly, I wasn't too disappointed with this DNF as I was with my first. I guess already having two finishes under my belt meant that I could let this one go. I knew that if I couldn't keep anything down, I was going to end up with a massive bonk and severely dehydrated. It was a risk not worth taking. Better to call it quits and live to fight another day. I think my parents were glad I pulled out. Only Shaqeel was a bit disappointed. I thin he really wanted to cross that line with me. And really, that was the only thing that made me sad: not being able to run across the line with my boys. <br /><br />I did some research the next day and it turns out that I swallowed too much air during the swim. If you don't exhale completely before inhaling, the excess air that you take goes to your stomach, causing bloatedness and subsequently vomiting. The tough swim made things worse. I have to learn to breathe properly before tackling my next Ironman. <br /><br />Speaking of which, I don't have to wait a whole year till the next one. I've signed up and paid for Ironman Western Australia in December. I'll be looking to redeem myself then. Hopefully I can coax my parents and kids into going for that one so they can finally see me finish.<br /><br />As for Langkawi, I'll be back next year. But as a supporter. This was a decision I made even before the start of this year's race so this DNF had nothing to do with it. <br /><br />Langkawi this year was truly a race of attrition. Of the 538 registered, a whopping 116 did not finish. Nine of those didn't even make the start! It really was a tough day out there. Congratulations to the 422 finishers, especially the first timers. You survived on a day many did not. <br /><br />Special shout out to Senn who finally had an incident-free race and Emma for finally getting her Kona slot. And a big big thank you to Bandit and Aileen for fussing over me like I was a prissy little princess and to Mac for taking care of me pre and post race. You guys rock!tryathletehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00224088631665895663noreply@blogger.com8