i miss running. and i want to relive the feeling of having the wind in your hair, sweat down your face, the constant awareness of your breath and the only sound is the pounding of your shoes on the ground.
in fact, i already started light runs. undeniably, there is a huge drop in my running fitness since i am out of action for so long. during that training, at a rather hard perceive pace, i did 3.2km in 14 minutes. sluggish and relatively slow, but at least i am running. i will be back!! time to get disciplined again and get rid of the other "free radicals" in my life!
second thing, i told Xihao that i am interested to lead the second Ride from The Heart. it is a 1500km ride from Phuket back to Singapore, to raise funds for the Straits Time Pocket Money Fund. at the same time, it's a way of raising awareness for being involved in community and doing the things that we, as youth, want to. freedom to express.
the whole organising, training and the trip itself is definitely a challenge. a big one, in fact. we will start planning in Dec and the ride will most likely happen in July. i am looking for like minded individuals from the various varsities to join me. we will need all the passion and drive we can get.
if you want to know more about how they did it this year, u can visit their blog at www.ridefromtheheart.blogspot.com
cheerios guys! contact me if interested!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Updates
Finally, i don't feel the thug on my hamstring after 2 weeks of almost complete rest. this injury that has been bugging me for a month seems to be gone.. yet i should be cautious..
today was a simple flat 36km ride.. due to the fact that there is Run For Hope, Costal and ECP was so crowded and parking was a disaster...
met up with Leader, Jessica and Vanessa with Mayee to go for a short ride. Jessica and i did two loops and i felt great. hamstring didn't act on me and although i feel the significant drop in fitness and close to 1 month of absence from cycling, i felt good! could maintain an average speed of around 32kph.. which i think is acceptable given my current rate of fitness.. haha
i will resume training next week. will take it slow and build up slowly.
last but not least, i wish to thank EVERYONE who show their concern for me in the dark time when i felt useless during my injury. i won't let you all down, knowing that all of you are supporting me!
focus now.. let's do it!
today was a simple flat 36km ride.. due to the fact that there is Run For Hope, Costal and ECP was so crowded and parking was a disaster...
met up with Leader, Jessica and Vanessa with Mayee to go for a short ride. Jessica and i did two loops and i felt great. hamstring didn't act on me and although i feel the significant drop in fitness and close to 1 month of absence from cycling, i felt good! could maintain an average speed of around 32kph.. which i think is acceptable given my current rate of fitness.. haha
i will resume training next week. will take it slow and build up slowly.
last but not least, i wish to thank EVERYONE who show their concern for me in the dark time when i felt useless during my injury. i won't let you all down, knowing that all of you are supporting me!
focus now.. let's do it!
Friday, September 19, 2008
down and out
i trained hard for many months. dedicated my time to trainings 6 days a week. make sure i eat well, rest well, recover well and improve.
throughout my short life span of being an endurance athlete, i have been a dedicated and disciplined one. i rarely miss a single training and i always watch my diet which i feel is very important for performance. i know i am not the fastest, but doing endurance sports and excelling in it my own way just gives me a satisfaction i never had before.
i saw a drop in my 10k timing from a 58 + minutes last Oct to last recorded in May of 43 minutes.. i witness my marathon timing downsize from a 4:43 to a 4:04 in 6 months. and i did my first Olympic Distance triathlon in 2hr 38 mins. for me personally, i feel it's a great achievement on my own accord. i know, compared to many others, this is just average timing. yet every seconds of deduction from my personal best makes me elated.
this whole week has been a roller coaster ride for me. last week, during training, i had to limp off the track. my left leg, which already has been bugging me for weeks, finally gave up. on the train home, i was just staring into blank space. spaced out. i can feel the weakness in my left leg. its slow "moaning" and appeal for help which i ignored in order to train.
all that i was, was a crippled man sitting down with my hands on my left leg, trying to massage it and hope it will regain its strength. miracle didn't happened.. it didn't came back.
went to Hallmark physio at Thomson as recommended by Dennis who went there due to injury the day before. i felt so weak and helpless as he examined me. straight away, both of us knew where the problem was.. my right leg could lift almost 90 degrees up when i am lying down.. but my left.. hardly even.. 70% of that..
he said i got a strained hamstring and calf. i gotta stop any training INDEFINITELY. that word etched deep inside my mind.
can this mean it's serious? can i ever run again?
treatment followed. ultrasound and some electrocution. and some deep tissue massage which was probably the worst i ever had. i screamed into the pillow. yes. screamed. not shouted or yell. screamed like a little girl.
i missed Tuesday swim class as advised.missed Wednesday run training. didn't cycle.
went to Dr Janelle, my chiro. she examined me. commented my left tendons are way too tight as compared to my right. and my left knee is misaligned.
this didn't feel good.
she advise me to not train too. not even swim unless i dun kick.
with IVP, Osim Corporate tri and the final hooha Standard Chartered Marathon lined up, i dunno what to feel. the expectations i had of myself.. may just disappear..
will a 3:45 still be possible? will i recover in time... or will i ever recover? i maybe over exaggerating things as some might think.. but.. it's not impossible...
how could this happen to me?
throughout my short life span of being an endurance athlete, i have been a dedicated and disciplined one. i rarely miss a single training and i always watch my diet which i feel is very important for performance. i know i am not the fastest, but doing endurance sports and excelling in it my own way just gives me a satisfaction i never had before.
i saw a drop in my 10k timing from a 58 + minutes last Oct to last recorded in May of 43 minutes.. i witness my marathon timing downsize from a 4:43 to a 4:04 in 6 months. and i did my first Olympic Distance triathlon in 2hr 38 mins. for me personally, i feel it's a great achievement on my own accord. i know, compared to many others, this is just average timing. yet every seconds of deduction from my personal best makes me elated.
this whole week has been a roller coaster ride for me. last week, during training, i had to limp off the track. my left leg, which already has been bugging me for weeks, finally gave up. on the train home, i was just staring into blank space. spaced out. i can feel the weakness in my left leg. its slow "moaning" and appeal for help which i ignored in order to train.
all that i was, was a crippled man sitting down with my hands on my left leg, trying to massage it and hope it will regain its strength. miracle didn't happened.. it didn't came back.
went to Hallmark physio at Thomson as recommended by Dennis who went there due to injury the day before. i felt so weak and helpless as he examined me. straight away, both of us knew where the problem was.. my right leg could lift almost 90 degrees up when i am lying down.. but my left.. hardly even.. 70% of that..
he said i got a strained hamstring and calf. i gotta stop any training INDEFINITELY. that word etched deep inside my mind.
can this mean it's serious? can i ever run again?
treatment followed. ultrasound and some electrocution. and some deep tissue massage which was probably the worst i ever had. i screamed into the pillow. yes. screamed. not shouted or yell. screamed like a little girl.
i missed Tuesday swim class as advised.missed Wednesday run training. didn't cycle.
went to Dr Janelle, my chiro. she examined me. commented my left tendons are way too tight as compared to my right. and my left knee is misaligned.
this didn't feel good.
she advise me to not train too. not even swim unless i dun kick.
with IVP, Osim Corporate tri and the final hooha Standard Chartered Marathon lined up, i dunno what to feel. the expectations i had of myself.. may just disappear..
will a 3:45 still be possible? will i recover in time... or will i ever recover? i maybe over exaggerating things as some might think.. but.. it's not impossible...
how could this happen to me?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
One World One Dream
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games have finally come to an end. all i gotta say is.. China did a fantastic job in... well EVERYTHING..
they grab the most number of Gold medals in even the sports where u think they will not excel in i.e fencing.
they put up a fantastic opening and closing ceremony, simply spectacular. i remember that the opening ceremony was one day before our National Day Parade and everybody felt that NDP this year weren't as good because they just saw the opening ceremony the day before. of course can't win la. imagine the amount of resources, manpower, effort and co-ordination Zhang Yimou and the committee put in to put up such a big scale show.
spectacular fireworks (they shoot fireworks like they are free!)
nevertheless, we witness many falls and rise.
the falls of many Olympic Records (OR) and World Records (WR) in many events.
the rise of countries in disciplines which they were not known in.
we saw how Michael Phelps rewrote history by grabbing 8 Gold medals in swimming. we saw how he won by 0.01 seconds. we saw him being ahead of the green WR line 90% of the time. we saw how long he can keep his mouth open and shouting non stop. we saw how long he can dolphin kick underwater.
and we saw a man who chase after his goal with sheer determination and hard work.
see, his mouth is open again
the man in action.
Phelps and his team..
Usain Bolt brought Jamaica to our eyes. not just by his frame of 1.96m. this man is now the fastest man over 100m and 200m. a speed of 9.69 seconds for 100m. a brand new world record. he even slow down in the last 20m, provoking the idea that he can even make it to 9.55 seconds.
and he became the first man to smash both 100m and 200m (his pet event) world record in a single Game. 19.30 second for 200m. and also smashing world record at the 4 x 100m relay.
we also saw how he point to the TV and said "i am no 1. i am no 1". we saw his awfully choreographed dance moves and his golden PUMA boots. how Jacques Rogges ask him to GROW UP. but he's only 22 this year. give him some slack la. when you are young, you should behave young. he didn't exactly disrespect the other athletes anyway. he was just enjoying his moment.
the Jamaica 4 x 100m relay team.
Triathlon also brought a surprise result to us. Fordeno of Germany pulled through at the last stretch to grab the Gold while the favourite Javier Gomez 'punchek' at the last 200m. i think the heat and humidity got to him. well, that's the thing about sports. the unpredictability.
Frodeno (same shades as me!)
Emma Snowsill fought her way to Gold, after jumping across the boards when a buggy containing lunch boxes blocked her way! she was a pre-race favourite and her victory was definitey in the calculations.
Emma Snowsill (she has asthma u know!)
Men's marathon witness a new Olympic Record of 2:06.32, smashing a 24 years old record. Samuel Kamau Wansiru became the first men from Kenya to win a Marathon Gold medal. these people are just damn fast. i am probably due at 25km when they already completed!
Samuel Kamau Wansiru.. 21 years old only!! and also Half marathon record holder.
this Olympic also saw the fall of many.
Team USA 4 x 100m relay men and women all saw their baton on the ground instead of seeing it at the finishing line. maybe, arrogance got to them. afterall USA had been dominant in this event previously.
Liu Xiang dropped out of the 110m hurdle race due to injury and how China weep the fall of their hero. right at home. the pressure of 1.3 billion hopes were too much for his shoulders.
Brazil losing 3-0 in the Football semi finals. the samba nation couldn't hold their stand.
Team Singapore had another shot at the Olympic. honestly speaking, i ain't really proud of the Silver medal we won in table tennis. i believe many would think likewise. maybe we should just embrace them for now and cultivate our very own medal along the way. it sounds crude but that is how it work.
Singapore is still a very young nation. Sports culture take very long to be cultivated. we are picking up in sports, but not there yet. i believe one day, our own Singaporeans will be a bigger force to contend with. just.. not yet..
i believe focus is very important. we need to find our strength and work on them. for many years now, we have been focusing on a particular sport (f**tba*l) and it has been obvious that Singaporeans can't play that for nuts. sometimes, we should stop dwelling on the past and move on. there are so many other sports we are good in but SSC just kinda ignores them. wake up u old fat big beer belly people! stop drinking beer and watch the Olympic to wake up your idea!!
Beijing 2008 is probably the best Olympics up till now. the sheer effort of the Chinese deserves our praises. we saw how different people can push themselves to achieve for their ultimate goal. sporting excellence and a celebration of humanity. the message of the Olympic of a unified human race has been reinforced by this 29th Olympic Games. Kudos to the Ah Tiongs!
they grab the most number of Gold medals in even the sports where u think they will not excel in i.e fencing.
they put up a fantastic opening and closing ceremony, simply spectacular. i remember that the opening ceremony was one day before our National Day Parade and everybody felt that NDP this year weren't as good because they just saw the opening ceremony the day before. of course can't win la. imagine the amount of resources, manpower, effort and co-ordination Zhang Yimou and the committee put in to put up such a big scale show.
spectacular fireworks (they shoot fireworks like they are free!)
nevertheless, we witness many falls and rise.
the falls of many Olympic Records (OR) and World Records (WR) in many events.
the rise of countries in disciplines which they were not known in.
we saw how Michael Phelps rewrote history by grabbing 8 Gold medals in swimming. we saw how he won by 0.01 seconds. we saw him being ahead of the green WR line 90% of the time. we saw how long he can keep his mouth open and shouting non stop. we saw how long he can dolphin kick underwater.
and we saw a man who chase after his goal with sheer determination and hard work.
see, his mouth is open again
the man in action.
Phelps and his team..
Usain Bolt brought Jamaica to our eyes. not just by his frame of 1.96m. this man is now the fastest man over 100m and 200m. a speed of 9.69 seconds for 100m. a brand new world record. he even slow down in the last 20m, provoking the idea that he can even make it to 9.55 seconds.
and he became the first man to smash both 100m and 200m (his pet event) world record in a single Game. 19.30 second for 200m. and also smashing world record at the 4 x 100m relay.
we also saw how he point to the TV and said "i am no 1. i am no 1". we saw his awfully choreographed dance moves and his golden PUMA boots. how Jacques Rogges ask him to GROW UP. but he's only 22 this year. give him some slack la. when you are young, you should behave young. he didn't exactly disrespect the other athletes anyway. he was just enjoying his moment.
the Jamaica 4 x 100m relay team.
Triathlon also brought a surprise result to us. Fordeno of Germany pulled through at the last stretch to grab the Gold while the favourite Javier Gomez 'punchek' at the last 200m. i think the heat and humidity got to him. well, that's the thing about sports. the unpredictability.
Frodeno (same shades as me!)
Emma Snowsill fought her way to Gold, after jumping across the boards when a buggy containing lunch boxes blocked her way! she was a pre-race favourite and her victory was definitey in the calculations.
Emma Snowsill (she has asthma u know!)
Men's marathon witness a new Olympic Record of 2:06.32, smashing a 24 years old record. Samuel Kamau Wansiru became the first men from Kenya to win a Marathon Gold medal. these people are just damn fast. i am probably due at 25km when they already completed!
Samuel Kamau Wansiru.. 21 years old only!! and also Half marathon record holder.
this Olympic also saw the fall of many.
Team USA 4 x 100m relay men and women all saw their baton on the ground instead of seeing it at the finishing line. maybe, arrogance got to them. afterall USA had been dominant in this event previously.
Liu Xiang dropped out of the 110m hurdle race due to injury and how China weep the fall of their hero. right at home. the pressure of 1.3 billion hopes were too much for his shoulders.
Brazil losing 3-0 in the Football semi finals. the samba nation couldn't hold their stand.
Team Singapore had another shot at the Olympic. honestly speaking, i ain't really proud of the Silver medal we won in table tennis. i believe many would think likewise. maybe we should just embrace them for now and cultivate our very own medal along the way. it sounds crude but that is how it work.
Singapore is still a very young nation. Sports culture take very long to be cultivated. we are picking up in sports, but not there yet. i believe one day, our own Singaporeans will be a bigger force to contend with. just.. not yet..
i believe focus is very important. we need to find our strength and work on them. for many years now, we have been focusing on a particular sport (f**tba*l) and it has been obvious that Singaporeans can't play that for nuts. sometimes, we should stop dwelling on the past and move on. there are so many other sports we are good in but SSC just kinda ignores them. wake up u old fat big beer belly people! stop drinking beer and watch the Olympic to wake up your idea!!
Beijing 2008 is probably the best Olympics up till now. the sheer effort of the Chinese deserves our praises. we saw how different people can push themselves to achieve for their ultimate goal. sporting excellence and a celebration of humanity. the message of the Olympic of a unified human race has been reinforced by this 29th Olympic Games. Kudos to the Ah Tiongs!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
have you ever wonder?
have you ever wonder.. whether you could be so much more in life if u just have the correct guidance?
i was reading Mok Ying Ren's (Singapore promising triathlete and 2007 Sea Games Gold medalist) write up on the Nike webbie and i realise his first OD at Afamosa was clocked at 2 hr 32 mins.. which wasn't very far from my Port Dickson's 2 hr 38 mins...
it took him 4 gruesome years of hard training to win it finally this year.. at an awesome 1 hour 58 mins.
the questions just linger in my mind.. if i train hard too, will i be able to be like him 4 years down the road.. without the proper guidance, will i be able to do so too? Sham guides me for running.. but pure running and tri training is very different.. still, i really appreciate what sham is doing for the team and us as individuals.
for now, i shall make do with what i have.. train hard..
i was reading Mok Ying Ren's (Singapore promising triathlete and 2007 Sea Games Gold medalist) write up on the Nike webbie and i realise his first OD at Afamosa was clocked at 2 hr 32 mins.. which wasn't very far from my Port Dickson's 2 hr 38 mins...
it took him 4 gruesome years of hard training to win it finally this year.. at an awesome 1 hour 58 mins.
the questions just linger in my mind.. if i train hard too, will i be able to be like him 4 years down the road.. without the proper guidance, will i be able to do so too? Sham guides me for running.. but pure running and tri training is very different.. still, i really appreciate what sham is doing for the team and us as individuals.
for now, i shall make do with what i have.. train hard..
Monday, August 11, 2008
Oikos
University life started off with a bang for me! i actually signed up for 3 camps during matriculation!! They were Freshmen Teambuilding Camp (FTB), Oikos (Economics faculty camp) and SMUX (SMU Xtremist camp).
didn't manage to get FTB's pix yet so i figured i will update on my other 2 camps (which were blasts!!) first. and Oikos and SMUX were back to back, from 4th to 8th August!
Oikos
Everyone here is from School Of Economics (at least that is the case before some were transferreed to Biz). haha. Econs people are unique in a way that they are kinda rational yet crazy. We don't go crazy drinking and mambo-ing like what most in Biz camp (aka Bondue) do. but we have our own version of going hay-wire.
reached SOE subway gathering area and called Cindy (one of my faci for the camp). the group actually met up to do up the mascots' costume and pre camp dinner but i was busy on both occassion so i couldn't join. but they didn't make me feel left out. everyone was friendly and intro themselves to me. nevertheless, i kinda did shitty for the ice breakers cause of my "lack in advantage".. 2 years in NS made me stupid.
well 1st day ain't much. we did some ice breaker games and a massive balloon popping game. everyone tied different coloured balloons onto both ankles and we have to go into the centre to smash the balloons with the colour the emcees said. there were some dumb guy who actually saw his own balloon and tot it was someone's else and he smashed it. -_- quite dumb. but we had a good luff about it. haha
Cindy and Junrong with drawn face.. cause of us!
the Flintstones!
jumping sleeping bags race!
"u can't catch me!"
after that, it's all the admin stuff. how to bid for courses on BOSS, intro of professors, tech support talk etc.. took like 3- 4 hours lo.
2nd day was crazy.. it was a bright and sunny day and we headed to sentosa for games.
before we start the games, still fresh!
you spin me right round, baby
right round like a record, baby~~
squeezing me dry
mad-ness in the sea
i think i'm the "big splash" behind. haha
Cindy and her 2 seconds hangtime
classic boyband + uptown girl pic
all ready. fall in position
forgive my sissy position! no choice!
Pradeep went for facial... the flour way..
never doubt Junrong's sexual orientation..
girls won the tug of war!
the winners!!
gonna find out what's inside the box! *screams"
Sophia looking ultra cool.. "bang!"
Operation "protect sophia" commences
still got time to pose? going to start war already!
the warriors!
all washed up after exhausting games under super hot sun
Seow yong, what were u doing??
the dudes enjoy BJ .. oops. i meant Ben & Jerry's
the "look"..
the classic SMU jump @ Vivocity
CHUBBY BUNNY! cheerios Daniel!
Nice~ that's 16 mashmallows right
the "suckers"
there's an identity crisis here!
the deathnote thingy.. whatever it is called.. haha
forget the theme but he's damn good. even flirted with the Dean!
Edward Scissorhand!
my hand just went where it was SUPPOSED to be going.
final group pic!
thanks Flintstones! u all were great. since we are all in same faculty (except for some of the girls.. still same uni though!), we shall see each other often in classes ya.. really enjoyed myself!
We're the Flintstones
didn't manage to get FTB's pix yet so i figured i will update on my other 2 camps (which were blasts!!) first. and Oikos and SMUX were back to back, from 4th to 8th August!
Oikos
Everyone here is from School Of Economics (at least that is the case before some were transferreed to Biz). haha. Econs people are unique in a way that they are kinda rational yet crazy. We don't go crazy drinking and mambo-ing like what most in Biz camp (aka Bondue) do. but we have our own version of going hay-wire.
reached SOE subway gathering area and called Cindy (one of my faci for the camp). the group actually met up to do up the mascots' costume and pre camp dinner but i was busy on both occassion so i couldn't join. but they didn't make me feel left out. everyone was friendly and intro themselves to me. nevertheless, i kinda did shitty for the ice breakers cause of my "lack in advantage".. 2 years in NS made me stupid.
well 1st day ain't much. we did some ice breaker games and a massive balloon popping game. everyone tied different coloured balloons onto both ankles and we have to go into the centre to smash the balloons with the colour the emcees said. there were some dumb guy who actually saw his own balloon and tot it was someone's else and he smashed it. -_- quite dumb. but we had a good luff about it. haha
Cindy and Junrong with drawn face.. cause of us!
the Flintstones!
jumping sleeping bags race!
"u can't catch me!"
after that, it's all the admin stuff. how to bid for courses on BOSS, intro of professors, tech support talk etc.. took like 3- 4 hours lo.
2nd day was crazy.. it was a bright and sunny day and we headed to sentosa for games.
before we start the games, still fresh!
you spin me right round, baby
right round like a record, baby~~
squeezing me dry
mad-ness in the sea
i think i'm the "big splash" behind. haha
Cindy and her 2 seconds hangtime
classic boyband + uptown girl pic
all ready. fall in position
forgive my sissy position! no choice!
Pradeep went for facial... the flour way..
never doubt Junrong's sexual orientation..
girls won the tug of war!
the winners!!
gonna find out what's inside the box! *screams"
Sophia looking ultra cool.. "bang!"
Operation "protect sophia" commences
still got time to pose? going to start war already!
the warriors!
all washed up after exhausting games under super hot sun
Seow yong, what were u doing??
the dudes enjoy BJ .. oops. i meant Ben & Jerry's
the "look"..
the classic SMU jump @ Vivocity
CHUBBY BUNNY! cheerios Daniel!
Nice~ that's 16 mashmallows right
the "suckers"
there's an identity crisis here!
the deathnote thingy.. whatever it is called.. haha
forget the theme but he's damn good. even flirted with the Dean!
Edward Scissorhand!
my hand just went where it was SUPPOSED to be going.
final group pic!
thanks Flintstones! u all were great. since we are all in same faculty (except for some of the girls.. still same uni though!), we shall see each other often in classes ya.. really enjoyed myself!
We're the Flintstones
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
三项全能
Alright folks, I had a fantastic weekend over at Port Dickson, Malaysia!! In case you guys dunno, I had my first full triathlon over there. And boy, I must say it was a fantastic experience! I had one of my most enjoyable race. And now I am OFFICIALLY call myself a triathlete.
Saturday, 0630, Lavender Bus Park
The sky was still dark but the bus park were already full of chatters. A group of us were gathered to load up our bikes onto the buses. There were me, Jacqueline (who pride herself over her last minute surge over me in the last 400m surge in Sundown Marathon in June), Carol (who just had her first OD triathlon one week ago in OSIT), Lynn (my fellow neighbour who stays at the condo beside mine!), Sandy (who was the newly proclaimed Nun as she shaved her head for charity! Respect!!), Yong Sheng ( a fellow Funfanatic!), Chong (a fellow Yellowfish swimmate who is also doing his first OD triathlon), Elvia (the face of Aviva 70.3 Ironman and a super fast triathlete!) and a big group of fellow triathletes. There were a lot of blink bikes that day and boy, I was treated to “bike porn” early in the morning already.
Saturday, 0715 to 1330, Singapore to Port Dickson
The buses departed at 7:15am. One bus was ferrying people and the other was half people half bikes. Haha. The journey was long but the bus was quite comfortable with a lot of leg space for long leggers like me. We stopped a few times for toilet break and once for brunch. The bus uncle even screened Fantastic 4. Well, a little Jessica Alba was good entertainment. But at the back of some of our minds, we are thinking of the big race the followday day.
Saturday, 1330 to 1530, Marina Resort Apartment
We reached the accommodation we were going to stay at. It ain’t fanciful like some 5 stars hotel but it was pretty good enough for a one night stay. 4 to an apartment and 2 to a room. I was assigned a room with legendary Sanjeev (he is an incredible guy whom you will not think that he is an triathlete because he is rather “big” in size. But this guy just serve as a motivation and reminder to all that doing triathlon is about racing against yourself and nothing else. He is indeed an inspiration to many including me), Sam (Key Power International Technical manager who is a superb runner) and RV (a muscular guy who loves gym and endurance sports. He’s pretty caught up because he loves both but they are inversely related to each other!). They are all nice folks and pretty fun to mix around with.
Saturday, 1530 to 2100, Admiralty Cove Hotel
This is the place where we come to register for the race and where all the administrative stuff are settled. We walked about 15 – 20 minutes over here and the sun was beating down on us very hard. (a preview of what’s coming the following day). Registration was straightforward and things were kept to the simplest in Malaysa. Register in the name list, fill in an indeminity form, get your tee (which happened to be oversized and probably one of the worst shirt design I’ve ever seen!!) and that’s it.
After that we were super hungry, so a couple of us went to the Hotel’s cafeteria to order some food. It was about 3:45pm and our food took almost 45 minutes to reach!! It was just some sandwiches and drinks!! Now we know how efficient things are in M’sia. How I wish their service was as fast as how fast they swept some political guy , suspected of being Heath Ledger the Second, from his house before the deadline was even up.
After that, we saw the other group consisting of Dennis, Alvin Chan, Keng (Alvin’s new found love!), Alvin Goh, John, Andy, Grace, Jules, Chuan Cheng, Richard, George… They were suppose to be with a guy from Trifam but apparently he went missing and they had to drive up on their own.
After the late lunch, we explored the race site. Swim start, finish, transition, run start, finish and bike start, finish. Then lingered around for the carbo-loading dinner. Before that we had some phototaking at the waiting area for the dinner. I sneaked into the their storeroom and got some water for the group. Haha. Not my fault. They left the door open!!
Carbo-loading was not very good. Food were pretty ok with some stuff burnt such as the soup. The rest were ok. I wasn’t picky so I just do what I was supposed to do. Just eat! Haha.
After that, went back. Pack the stuff ready for race. Went down for a v short cycle to make sure alignment of my bike and everything was ok. Had a short chit chat session with my roommates. Went to sleep. The next day is the big day.
Sunday, 0500, Apartment.
Woke up, bathed, had a Blueberry Crisp Clif Bar, a bottle of Kopi-o I bought the day before and final check of my race pack. Did some pre-race self talk. Did my business and off I go.
Sunday, 0630, Apartment Lobby
Met the group and cycled to race site which was about 2km away. Set up my transition area, went to toilet to pee, had a warm up swim and gather at swim start.
Sunday, 0800, Swim Start
1.5km swim. 40km cycle, 10km run. That’s Olympic Distance (OD). I asked myself “Am I ready?” and I replied “Yes, I got to take back what was take away from me in my OSIM swim relay”. For those who dunno, I did very badly for my OSIM swim relay. A disappointing 40 minutes, personal worst. I feel that I owe my team and myself an answer. And it was a humiliation. I want to take it all back. Everything. I am ready.
The signal goes off and it started. I burst to the front of the pack and sprint off. The start of a triathlon swim is half wresting half swimming. Especially if u choose to be near the front. That was where I am.
I struggled to keep myself swimming forward. The start is usually a sprint to break away from the main crowd. When I was reaching the left turn buoy, I felt someone pulling both my leg into the water. In my mind, I was like “WTH!?” then I did something super evil. I paused and gave him a kick (though I dunno where I kicked him). I was cleared and continue swimming. Suddenly I chanced upon someone familiar right in front of me. He was easy to recognize with goggles with white strap. It was Alvin a.k.a Cookie! I knew Alvin was about the same speed as me in swimming. So I drafted him, all the way, till the last turn to the swim finish. I broke off from his slipstream and sprint towards the finish. Therefore he was only a few seconds behind me! Haha thanks cookie!
Swim time: 28 mins 24 sec
out of water!
running to T1 with Cookie hot on my tail!
Transition 1 (T1, Swim to bike)
I did biathlons before so swim to run was ok for me. Swim to bike was something new to me. I wore my bike shoes (as I’m still not seasoned enough to wear my shoes on the go when they are attached to the pedals), wore my helmet and my shades. Then push my bike out. Cookie was in front of me and he mounted and took off. I chased him on the bike out to the main road. Then for about 5km, we were playing hide and seek. I overtook him and he took it back. After that, I was alone. That’s when the real games start.
The cycling leg was lonely but exciting with the climbs and descends. On the flats, I maintained more than 35kph and slowed to a crawl of around 22 to 24kph on climbs. My fastest descend hit 55 kph. Woohoo~! I’ve never attained that speed on Bumblebee before. Still, draft groups overtook me. These are where the strong cyclist cut their timing. Cycling is probably my weakest leg so I had to let them go, maybe drafting their pack for a while at times. Zipp wheels were my biggest enemies in the draft pack as I couldn’t keep up with their acceleration! Maybe it’s just my engine. Haha. I was on aero-position almost 80% of the time. Back was killing me at the last stretch. I managed to closed up the gap with some who overtook me earlier by pedaling hard (about 40kph) on the last straight. After the turn at the circle, I switch to the small chain ring to start warming up my legs for the final leg. 10km run.
Moving into transition 2, the emcee was irritating. He was saying “ok, slow down. Brake. Stop”. It’s as if I dunno how to stop myself on the bike. Anyway, at T2, Cookie did a one of a kind step down from the bike. He braked and the back wheel lifted off the ground. He got off the bike from the front of his base bar and still managed to hold on to the bike!! He said people even clapped for him. Haha what a way of dismounting the bike man! I was telling him that he was lucky not to have installed aerobars on his bike. If not, father’s day may just be a dream for him. Haha
Bike leg: 1 hr 12 minutes
Placed Bumblebee onto the rack, took off my bike shoes, put on my running shoes. Helmets off, visor on. Took along my gel and a bottle of water. Off I go. Once again, the annoying emcee said “don’t take extra weight along. There’s water on the route.” I was like “ya I know. But u have one right now? I need water to take my gel ah!” stupid emcee.
running out of T2
By now, the sun was beating down on us hard. Legs were feeling different after cycling. First few kilometers were to get my legs used to running after 40km of spinning. It was torture. Luckily, the water points had icy cold water. But they didn’t have any isotonic drinks like 100 plus the whole day. So water was what we had to cope with. And Malaysia doesn’t have the cleanest water around. Well, good thing, it was cold.
At every water point, I took 4 cups. One to sip and splash my face, one to pour on my head where the sun immediately vaporize all the water, one to pour on my front torso and one on the back. One helper even commented I took so many. Aiya, don’t care already la. At the turn around, the marshallers gave me a pink tape, indicating I reached the turn around and didn’t turn along the route.
Time check after turn around (at 5km of run leg): 28 minutes
This is bad. I took 28 minutes to run 5km!! Am I dropping? Am I showing weakness? I can’t let any line of weakness get into me now. Once it does, it will stay. I started to aim for “targets” to chase after. It work pretty well. Felt stronger on the way back. Saw some of the group people cycling back such as Carol, Alvin and Jacqueline (who almost knocked into a guy in front of me ,trying to say hi to me). Turn around at the roundabout again, probably less than 2km. I burst down the road. I have to finish strong. I have to give the final kick. Turn into the finishing lane. And the finish line was in sight. Leader was there to take photo and I tried to look my best but I was more focus on the line. 10m, 5m, 3m and one more step! I broke the tape and a medal landed on my chest. Along with a cold towel plus a can of 100plus.
i'm finally back!
Time check for final 5km run: 25 minutes
Total: 2 hour 38 minutes.
I did it. I’m now officially a triathlete. Did my first OD race. I’m happy with my results and also that I was there with a group of wonderful people. After I finished, it was waiting for the rest to finish. It was fun waiting for them and cheering them on at the last stretch. Unfortunately Cookie had a bad cramp so he didn’t perform as well as he rightfully should. There’ll always be another chance! Dennis did his personal best at 2:40!! The rest completed in their own personal way and were definitely proud of themselves. Especially those who did their first OD. Same as me =D
Then comes, another long journey back home. Tired, drained, sun burnt but.. a satisfied triathlete =D
With regards
Eugene Lim
Special thanks to all friends who were there for me morally and physically and also congrats to Bumblebee for his debut in a triathlon.
Saturday, 0630, Lavender Bus Park
The sky was still dark but the bus park were already full of chatters. A group of us were gathered to load up our bikes onto the buses. There were me, Jacqueline (who pride herself over her last minute surge over me in the last 400m surge in Sundown Marathon in June), Carol (who just had her first OD triathlon one week ago in OSIT), Lynn (my fellow neighbour who stays at the condo beside mine!), Sandy (who was the newly proclaimed Nun as she shaved her head for charity! Respect!!), Yong Sheng ( a fellow Funfanatic!), Chong (a fellow Yellowfish swimmate who is also doing his first OD triathlon), Elvia (the face of Aviva 70.3 Ironman and a super fast triathlete!) and a big group of fellow triathletes. There were a lot of blink bikes that day and boy, I was treated to “bike porn” early in the morning already.
Saturday, 0715 to 1330, Singapore to Port Dickson
The buses departed at 7:15am. One bus was ferrying people and the other was half people half bikes. Haha. The journey was long but the bus was quite comfortable with a lot of leg space for long leggers like me. We stopped a few times for toilet break and once for brunch. The bus uncle even screened Fantastic 4. Well, a little Jessica Alba was good entertainment. But at the back of some of our minds, we are thinking of the big race the followday day.
Saturday, 1330 to 1530, Marina Resort Apartment
We reached the accommodation we were going to stay at. It ain’t fanciful like some 5 stars hotel but it was pretty good enough for a one night stay. 4 to an apartment and 2 to a room. I was assigned a room with legendary Sanjeev (he is an incredible guy whom you will not think that he is an triathlete because he is rather “big” in size. But this guy just serve as a motivation and reminder to all that doing triathlon is about racing against yourself and nothing else. He is indeed an inspiration to many including me), Sam (Key Power International Technical manager who is a superb runner) and RV (a muscular guy who loves gym and endurance sports. He’s pretty caught up because he loves both but they are inversely related to each other!). They are all nice folks and pretty fun to mix around with.
Saturday, 1530 to 2100, Admiralty Cove Hotel
This is the place where we come to register for the race and where all the administrative stuff are settled. We walked about 15 – 20 minutes over here and the sun was beating down on us very hard. (a preview of what’s coming the following day). Registration was straightforward and things were kept to the simplest in Malaysa. Register in the name list, fill in an indeminity form, get your tee (which happened to be oversized and probably one of the worst shirt design I’ve ever seen!!) and that’s it.
After that we were super hungry, so a couple of us went to the Hotel’s cafeteria to order some food. It was about 3:45pm and our food took almost 45 minutes to reach!! It was just some sandwiches and drinks!! Now we know how efficient things are in M’sia. How I wish their service was as fast as how fast they swept some political guy , suspected of being Heath Ledger the Second, from his house before the deadline was even up.
After that, we saw the other group consisting of Dennis, Alvin Chan, Keng (Alvin’s new found love!), Alvin Goh, John, Andy, Grace, Jules, Chuan Cheng, Richard, George… They were suppose to be with a guy from Trifam but apparently he went missing and they had to drive up on their own.
After the late lunch, we explored the race site. Swim start, finish, transition, run start, finish and bike start, finish. Then lingered around for the carbo-loading dinner. Before that we had some phototaking at the waiting area for the dinner. I sneaked into the their storeroom and got some water for the group. Haha. Not my fault. They left the door open!!
Carbo-loading was not very good. Food were pretty ok with some stuff burnt such as the soup. The rest were ok. I wasn’t picky so I just do what I was supposed to do. Just eat! Haha.
After that, went back. Pack the stuff ready for race. Went down for a v short cycle to make sure alignment of my bike and everything was ok. Had a short chit chat session with my roommates. Went to sleep. The next day is the big day.
Sunday, 0500, Apartment.
Woke up, bathed, had a Blueberry Crisp Clif Bar, a bottle of Kopi-o I bought the day before and final check of my race pack. Did some pre-race self talk. Did my business and off I go.
Sunday, 0630, Apartment Lobby
Met the group and cycled to race site which was about 2km away. Set up my transition area, went to toilet to pee, had a warm up swim and gather at swim start.
Sunday, 0800, Swim Start
1.5km swim. 40km cycle, 10km run. That’s Olympic Distance (OD). I asked myself “Am I ready?” and I replied “Yes, I got to take back what was take away from me in my OSIM swim relay”. For those who dunno, I did very badly for my OSIM swim relay. A disappointing 40 minutes, personal worst. I feel that I owe my team and myself an answer. And it was a humiliation. I want to take it all back. Everything. I am ready.
The signal goes off and it started. I burst to the front of the pack and sprint off. The start of a triathlon swim is half wresting half swimming. Especially if u choose to be near the front. That was where I am.
I struggled to keep myself swimming forward. The start is usually a sprint to break away from the main crowd. When I was reaching the left turn buoy, I felt someone pulling both my leg into the water. In my mind, I was like “WTH!?” then I did something super evil. I paused and gave him a kick (though I dunno where I kicked him). I was cleared and continue swimming. Suddenly I chanced upon someone familiar right in front of me. He was easy to recognize with goggles with white strap. It was Alvin a.k.a Cookie! I knew Alvin was about the same speed as me in swimming. So I drafted him, all the way, till the last turn to the swim finish. I broke off from his slipstream and sprint towards the finish. Therefore he was only a few seconds behind me! Haha thanks cookie!
Swim time: 28 mins 24 sec
out of water!
running to T1 with Cookie hot on my tail!
Transition 1 (T1, Swim to bike)
I did biathlons before so swim to run was ok for me. Swim to bike was something new to me. I wore my bike shoes (as I’m still not seasoned enough to wear my shoes on the go when they are attached to the pedals), wore my helmet and my shades. Then push my bike out. Cookie was in front of me and he mounted and took off. I chased him on the bike out to the main road. Then for about 5km, we were playing hide and seek. I overtook him and he took it back. After that, I was alone. That’s when the real games start.
The cycling leg was lonely but exciting with the climbs and descends. On the flats, I maintained more than 35kph and slowed to a crawl of around 22 to 24kph on climbs. My fastest descend hit 55 kph. Woohoo~! I’ve never attained that speed on Bumblebee before. Still, draft groups overtook me. These are where the strong cyclist cut their timing. Cycling is probably my weakest leg so I had to let them go, maybe drafting their pack for a while at times. Zipp wheels were my biggest enemies in the draft pack as I couldn’t keep up with their acceleration! Maybe it’s just my engine. Haha. I was on aero-position almost 80% of the time. Back was killing me at the last stretch. I managed to closed up the gap with some who overtook me earlier by pedaling hard (about 40kph) on the last straight. After the turn at the circle, I switch to the small chain ring to start warming up my legs for the final leg. 10km run.
Moving into transition 2, the emcee was irritating. He was saying “ok, slow down. Brake. Stop”. It’s as if I dunno how to stop myself on the bike. Anyway, at T2, Cookie did a one of a kind step down from the bike. He braked and the back wheel lifted off the ground. He got off the bike from the front of his base bar and still managed to hold on to the bike!! He said people even clapped for him. Haha what a way of dismounting the bike man! I was telling him that he was lucky not to have installed aerobars on his bike. If not, father’s day may just be a dream for him. Haha
Bike leg: 1 hr 12 minutes
Placed Bumblebee onto the rack, took off my bike shoes, put on my running shoes. Helmets off, visor on. Took along my gel and a bottle of water. Off I go. Once again, the annoying emcee said “don’t take extra weight along. There’s water on the route.” I was like “ya I know. But u have one right now? I need water to take my gel ah!” stupid emcee.
running out of T2
By now, the sun was beating down on us hard. Legs were feeling different after cycling. First few kilometers were to get my legs used to running after 40km of spinning. It was torture. Luckily, the water points had icy cold water. But they didn’t have any isotonic drinks like 100 plus the whole day. So water was what we had to cope with. And Malaysia doesn’t have the cleanest water around. Well, good thing, it was cold.
At every water point, I took 4 cups. One to sip and splash my face, one to pour on my head where the sun immediately vaporize all the water, one to pour on my front torso and one on the back. One helper even commented I took so many. Aiya, don’t care already la. At the turn around, the marshallers gave me a pink tape, indicating I reached the turn around and didn’t turn along the route.
Time check after turn around (at 5km of run leg): 28 minutes
This is bad. I took 28 minutes to run 5km!! Am I dropping? Am I showing weakness? I can’t let any line of weakness get into me now. Once it does, it will stay. I started to aim for “targets” to chase after. It work pretty well. Felt stronger on the way back. Saw some of the group people cycling back such as Carol, Alvin and Jacqueline (who almost knocked into a guy in front of me ,trying to say hi to me). Turn around at the roundabout again, probably less than 2km. I burst down the road. I have to finish strong. I have to give the final kick. Turn into the finishing lane. And the finish line was in sight. Leader was there to take photo and I tried to look my best but I was more focus on the line. 10m, 5m, 3m and one more step! I broke the tape and a medal landed on my chest. Along with a cold towel plus a can of 100plus.
i'm finally back!
Time check for final 5km run: 25 minutes
Total: 2 hour 38 minutes.
I did it. I’m now officially a triathlete. Did my first OD race. I’m happy with my results and also that I was there with a group of wonderful people. After I finished, it was waiting for the rest to finish. It was fun waiting for them and cheering them on at the last stretch. Unfortunately Cookie had a bad cramp so he didn’t perform as well as he rightfully should. There’ll always be another chance! Dennis did his personal best at 2:40!! The rest completed in their own personal way and were definitely proud of themselves. Especially those who did their first OD. Same as me =D
Then comes, another long journey back home. Tired, drained, sun burnt but.. a satisfied triathlete =D
With regards
Eugene Lim
Special thanks to all friends who were there for me morally and physically and also congrats to Bumblebee for his debut in a triathlon.
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