19 April 2009: Tribob Sprint Triathlon:
Woke up like last Sunday at 5.30am and shxx! it was pouring outside! Not sure if the event would be cancelled. Took same breakfast as last Sunday TriFam event. Thankfully rain stopped at 6.30 and reached site at 6.50am; lucky few to park near the race site. After the rain it was cooling and met KM Wong and Zul! Maybe we can start training together at our PCRC!
Zul went for 2nd swim wave while I choose to go in the last wave; less people better. Took a pre-race dip in the sea and felt good. As I stand at the starting line on the beach, somehow I got sandwich in the middle of the pack! Too late to manoeuvre to the back, so just go along and hope for the best.
As usual, the start was so frenzy! The adrenaline overflows, I think! Found myself getting used to all the trashing of limbs and the sound of thrashing waters like that of hundreds of fishes thrashing in the water as the fisherman reel in the net. Being caught in the middle, I learned the meaning of being elbowed, kicked and pushed! Kana elbow in the face once and learned to 'siam' and fight back; you have to fight for your own space. If not they swim all over you! Had to push away some swimmers to gain space and protect face. Was very weary of the breaststrokers; a kick from their legs pack a punch. Was glad I did not receive any kick in the face. Surprisingly, I wasn't afraid of all these joistling around, in fact I found it to be quite fun! Didn't need to do lots of sighting as the swimmer next to me was doing breast stroke, so i presume he should be able to see the markers clearly. Some of these breat strokers are really good! Swam off-course a little, but better than last weekend. Relax the last 100m to enjoy the sensation of floating in the sea, take a good look at the blue sky and peep at myy fellow swimmers.
Transition was smooth and sped away as fast as I could in my son's bike. The first 5km seems like eternity! and everyone seems to be faster than me! The next 5km, managed to catch up with people using mountain bike. Then my mind began to drift and lost focus; resulted in inefficient paddling. And it seems so hard to catch the next guy. Forced myself to concentrate on technic and it did wonders; managed to overtake some more riders :). Still has a lot of work to put into my cycling, it sucks!
The running leg was/is/will be a drag during the beginning stage. As the mind began to drift again, i almost wanted to stop and walk but told myself to focus and take a step at a time. Regulated my breathing rate and be mindful of my running posture and it helps; found my rythm only at about the 2km mark! From then on the run became more enjoyable. The cooling isotonic drinks and icy plain water was a welcome relief for my head and body . Felt great to overtake youngsters in their 20s :). So relief to see the finish line and some girls were kind enough to hold up the finishing tape and I literally jumped into it! It makes me feel that I am a winner!
Congratulated a lady of 60 yrs at the finish line and she gave me a 'High Five"! Amazing lady and I hope I would still be able to do it at her age :) Well done lady!
Lesson Learned: Stay focus! Stay Focus!! STAY FOCUS!!!
Overall it was more enjoyable than last weekend, as it was my first Tri race. Looking forward to the longer distances for new challenges and with longer running distance, hope that I can catch up with more people! :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
1st Triathlon Race!
12th Apr 2009: The day began early, much earlier than I would prefered. It started at 1am and at every hourly thereafter; dreamt of the race and kept waking up! Finally 5.30am arrived, had nice cup of hot coffee and 2 slices of bread. Reached MOE Changi at 6.50am. Beautiful cool and sleepy morning with scattered cotton clouds. Thankfully the sea was calm with light winds. Registered, spread items and do stretches. Then a dog came and stop at my feet and kept sniffing! Paul, my new found friend, joked that it's a anti-dopping dog! That's how the conversation started. Next was at the beach reciving final instructions. Then this Causasian, Trevor, in my age group came over and chat. Said he is slow in swim and run; in the end he came in 3rd! Nice guy.
The swim kicked off and as usual the 'pro' rushed to the lead. My matra is to 'focus' n 'relax', so start off way behind. The frenzie of so many people swimming and thrashing in the water together really can make one excited and charged! Had to calm myself down as my heart goes hay wire. A few long look at the blue sky has a calming effect on me. Told myself to just enjoy it. Overall I swam like a snake; going off-course at various places, so hard to spot the small buoy. The training at Sentosa paid dividends; 2months ago I would not step into the sea without a life jacket!
Finally, reached shore n head for the bike. Suprisingly not as goggy as expected. There weren't many bikes left, so quickly put on whatever necessary and head out to the road. Mid-way the hip and tigh weren't feeling too good. To take my mind off the pain, thought abt how/what to write in my Facebook. Didn't catch any front participants. Almost caught up with a lady but the traffic lights wasn't favoring me today.
When I finished my cycling, some of the runners were already back! So I began to run as fast as I could, but it is impossible to run fast at the start; the legs are wooden n the breathing is out of sync. Finally, managed to catch 2 front runners! The weather was great! In the excitement of it all, forgotten to start my stop watch. Think I did a respectable time in the run.
It sank in at the finished line that I have finally completed a Tri Race. Thanks also to friends who came to help; Mitchell (S'pore youngest Ironman), Perry (who pushed us further out the sea) and Maryanne (who spent many Sat afternoon at Sentosa with us and patiently guide the 'old man' along). Without you guys, my dream would always be a dream! Looking back, such excitement is good for our soul, body and mind! And dreams are good for us to keep going....I dream to do a full Ironman one day but there are still lots of work to be done in my swimmiing n cycling. Can I ever achieve it? I think I can if I am willing to put in effort to train and dare to dream! Are you?
The swim kicked off and as usual the 'pro' rushed to the lead. My matra is to 'focus' n 'relax', so start off way behind. The frenzie of so many people swimming and thrashing in the water together really can make one excited and charged! Had to calm myself down as my heart goes hay wire. A few long look at the blue sky has a calming effect on me. Told myself to just enjoy it. Overall I swam like a snake; going off-course at various places, so hard to spot the small buoy. The training at Sentosa paid dividends; 2months ago I would not step into the sea without a life jacket!
Finally, reached shore n head for the bike. Suprisingly not as goggy as expected. There weren't many bikes left, so quickly put on whatever necessary and head out to the road. Mid-way the hip and tigh weren't feeling too good. To take my mind off the pain, thought abt how/what to write in my Facebook. Didn't catch any front participants. Almost caught up with a lady but the traffic lights wasn't favoring me today.
When I finished my cycling, some of the runners were already back! So I began to run as fast as I could, but it is impossible to run fast at the start; the legs are wooden n the breathing is out of sync. Finally, managed to catch 2 front runners! The weather was great! In the excitement of it all, forgotten to start my stop watch. Think I did a respectable time in the run.
It sank in at the finished line that I have finally completed a Tri Race. Thanks also to friends who came to help; Mitchell (S'pore youngest Ironman), Perry (who pushed us further out the sea) and Maryanne (who spent many Sat afternoon at Sentosa with us and patiently guide the 'old man' along). Without you guys, my dream would always be a dream! Looking back, such excitement is good for our soul, body and mind! And dreams are good for us to keep going....I dream to do a full Ironman one day but there are still lots of work to be done in my swimmiing n cycling. Can I ever achieve it? I think I can if I am willing to put in effort to train and dare to dream! Are you?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
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