Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Terence : D-day account
The 2008 Langkawi Ironman race was flagged off at 7.30am, half hour later than customary. We were told the day before that ESPN Sports will be covering this race and morning doesn't break until around 7.15am. Also, the age-grouper would start 15 mins after the pros.
Our gang were all at the transition area at 6am. Usual fare : weigh in, body marking, fill up water bottle, pump up tires, warm-up, queue up for toilet, etc. MC announcing the numbers of participant from the 38 countries represented. One visually handicap participant from Japan, one with prostatic leg, two on hand-powered bikes. There was a absence of usual pump-up music as it was prayer time for nearby mosque.
3.8km swim
0700 hr. Slipped into the super calm sea for warm-up swim. Watched the pros pushed off at 0715. I floated on my back near the start line, eyes closed, appreciating the restful moment, minutes before the start of a long, long day.
0800 hr. Half hour into the swim. By now, have settled into some rhymn : 6-7 pull, sight. Fixed my sighting on a tall white building in the distance. Once in the while, got caught in a pack which make my strokes choppy and I have to swim away. Compared to my last race, I was doing my sighting much more smoothly, thanks to my swim coach, Bernard. But where is the 1.9km u-turn bouy?
0826 hr. Finally, I was making the turn at the half way. Glanced at my watch and was dismayed
I took 56 min. I have to catch up to better my timing from last year. The swim back felt better - I realized I forgot to kick as I was getting caught in the pack in the first half, which I duly corrected. I sped up a bit towards the end. As I walked up the ramp, I was happy to see that I finished my swim in 1:36 hr.
I made it a point to transition fast this year. No more change of clothes - one suit all the way. No gloves. No socks and shoes on the bike. Look around the tent for familiar faces. Spotted Enrico, and then Roger. Downed a powergel, strapped on number tag, helmut and eye shade and I was off.
180km bike
Saw Luan (here's her blog) and the supporter at the bike mounting point. Heard her cheering "Well done, Nai". I slipped into my shoes as I rode out into the main road. Passed Seaview Hotel. Bridge. Right turn. Left turn. Enrico passed me. Then the much anticipated 10 degree Lisram Highway slopes. Blood has not quite got to my leg yet (from horizontal swim position) so the climb up the first slope was shaky. Down slope at 50km/hr. No brake this time - need all the
momentum to get to the next big slope.
Next is the "PIE", the 6-lane East-west express way leading to airport. Passed a local school and received cheers from the school children. Nice. I was reminded of the two big hills from our recce the day before. These hills are not as steep as the one we encountered in last year's route (when a number of people were walking up) but it was longer and combined with cross winds, it was a silent killer. By now, Roger has passed me. Man, he was fast on the bike.
Made the u-turn at the second circle (timing mat) near the airport and then turned left to Ulu Malacca Road ("CTE")
that led us to the almost northern tip of Langkawi, Tanjung Rhu beach. This stretch is mostly flat and I tried to keep to my cadence of 95 rpm. Saw Luan, Jennifer and Jimmy at the beach, cheering and snapping pictures.
Made the tight u-turn and passed the timing mat and back-tracked down south for the next segment. Saw Chris Oh earlier just before the u-turn, about 500m separating us. Half hour later, caught up with Chris. "Go, go" he told me. At "PIE", turned left towards Kuah town and was immediately faced with a big climb. Urg...
Few rolling hills later, came to Kuah town, marking the end of first loop. 65km done - 115km more to go. Back on west-bound "PIE" again and start of loop 2. Saw Ping passed me. She is a chilly-padi on the go. I remembered our first half-ironman in Desaru in Sep 06. She finished way ahead of us (in the same league as Boon Pin) and she ran with me to the finishing line.
By now, I started to experience a small stomach cramp. Oh no! Bad memory of last years'
stomach cramp came flooding back. I prayed that the cramp would go away. Head winds, combined with the slopes and mid-day heat were telling my body (who was in turn convincing my mind) to give in. Told myself to get over the PIE, which was bare without trees.
On the north-bound "CTE", my stomach got worse. The word DNF was now written on the wall. I remembered my Endurolytes (Salt and electrolyte tablets) which I brought along without planning to use them - I never had to use them during training. Nothing to lose, I popped two tablets and prayed. And I recovered after 15 min. So they are right, you really need those pills.
Finally, loop 2 was over. By now, my body got the message : you can't quit. I looked at my Polar watch and was lifted in my spirit. I had a shot at sub-7 bike split (last year was 7:06).
On the third and final loop, I began picking up speed (I think). I was spinning faster, closer to my target cadence of >95. At some stretch, I was doing 110 even. On the stretch back to Kuah town, I took the risk (of thrashing my quads) by climbing out of saddle. This is what I experimented after watching a few elites rode past me : as you approach the slope, you pick up speed, then as your speed drops, drop down to one gear (heavier) and then stand up and climb using your body weight to maintain the momentum, which hopefully will bring you to the top.
Eight and a half hour later,
I gladly handed my bike to the volunteer (thank you so much, all the volunteers) at T2. I was doing better than expected, up to this point. I entered the transition tent - no familiar faces. Have not seen Mecca (Michael) and Logan yet. Took sometime to splat on the Sunblock, wear my socks and shoes. Another pack of gel - my ninth or tenth pack. Strangely, I didn't find the gel so repulsive this race.
Luan and Jimmy met me outside the tent and we posed for a picture. Luan passed me a Kit Kat and off I went. The start of a marathon. 42.2km to go.
42.2km run
The marathon route was exactly the same as last year's - four laps of 10km each. Strangely enough, I was actually looking forward to the "jog" down the memory lane. I spotted Logan and Halil, outside their condo, looking fresh from shower and clean clothes. They must have DNF'ed and their sufferings have ended. I couldn't quite figure out if I was feeling sorry for them or for myself.
As I turned into Jln Air Hangat - the 6.5km stretch where car fumes mixed with oxygen powers your leg muscles - I saw Roger Chow running towards me. Also saw the guy with prostatic leg, who already has one rubber bangle on his wrist (one bangle per 10k loop). Also saw the visual handicap athlete from Japan and he was guided by a Malaysian runner who had to clear the way by uttering "excuse us".
There were drink and food station every 1km, so I can look forward to 42 buffet helping along the way :-). I finally met Michael, at half a kilometer after the u-turn, which means he was only 1km behind. (Can you imagine that Michael was a 20-stick-a-day smoker, non-active guy just 3-4 years ago.)
Somewhere in the second loop, I saw Ping and Jimmy was accompanying her. I later heard that Jimmy ran almost 30km all in all. (What's love got to do... got to do with it)
I tried to keep a pace of 8km/h or 1:15 hr per 10k loop but found that to be too ambitious. After the first lap, I had to stop at every aid station to get the anti-cramp sprayed onto my quads to relief the pain.
Luan came back with her jogging shoes on my second lap and accompanied me from Seaview hotel to Condo Istana. That boosted my morale. On my third lap, I asked Luan to buy the deep heat rub for me - didn't want to waste time going to the medical tent anymore. She did so many "domestique" work for me that she later wondered how I could have done this without her last year.
On my last lap, I told Luan to wait for me at Seaview. The plan was to run up to the finish line together. It didn't quite work out as she couldn't catch up with me and she didn't want me to slow down. Looking back, I regretted that I didn't slow down for her. (That means we have to do another Ironman - Ha Ha).
SWIM 1:36:56 BIKE 6:51:47 RUN 5:48:06 OVERALL 14:29:59 POSITION 292
Second-time Ironman.
Our gang were all at the transition area at 6am. Usual fare : weigh in, body marking, fill up water bottle, pump up tires, warm-up, queue up for toilet, etc. MC announcing the numbers of participant from the 38 countries represented. One visually handicap participant from Japan, one with prostatic leg, two on hand-powered bikes. There was a absence of usual pump-up music as it was prayer time for nearby mosque.
3.8km swim
0700 hr. Slipped into the super calm sea for warm-up swim. Watched the pros pushed off at 0715. I floated on my back near the start line, eyes closed, appreciating the restful moment, minutes before the start of a long, long day.
0800 hr. Half hour into the swim. By now, have settled into some rhymn : 6-7 pull, sight. Fixed my sighting on a tall white building in the distance. Once in the while, got caught in a pack which make my strokes choppy and I have to swim away. Compared to my last race, I was doing my sighting much more smoothly, thanks to my swim coach, Bernard. But where is the 1.9km u-turn bouy?
0826 hr. Finally, I was making the turn at the half way. Glanced at my watch and was dismayed
I took 56 min. I have to catch up to better my timing from last year. The swim back felt better - I realized I forgot to kick as I was getting caught in the pack in the first half, which I duly corrected. I sped up a bit towards the end. As I walked up the ramp, I was happy to see that I finished my swim in 1:36 hr.I made it a point to transition fast this year. No more change of clothes - one suit all the way. No gloves. No socks and shoes on the bike. Look around the tent for familiar faces. Spotted Enrico, and then Roger. Downed a powergel, strapped on number tag, helmut and eye shade and I was off.
180km bike
Saw Luan (here's her blog) and the supporter at the bike mounting point. Heard her cheering "Well done, Nai". I slipped into my shoes as I rode out into the main road. Passed Seaview Hotel. Bridge. Right turn. Left turn. Enrico passed me. Then the much anticipated 10 degree Lisram Highway slopes. Blood has not quite got to my leg yet (from horizontal swim position) so the climb up the first slope was shaky. Down slope at 50km/hr. No brake this time - need all the
momentum to get to the next big slope.Next is the "PIE", the 6-lane East-west express way leading to airport. Passed a local school and received cheers from the school children. Nice. I was reminded of the two big hills from our recce the day before. These hills are not as steep as the one we encountered in last year's route (when a number of people were walking up) but it was longer and combined with cross winds, it was a silent killer. By now, Roger has passed me. Man, he was fast on the bike.
Made the u-turn at the second circle (timing mat) near the airport and then turned left to Ulu Malacca Road ("CTE")
that led us to the almost northern tip of Langkawi, Tanjung Rhu beach. This stretch is mostly flat and I tried to keep to my cadence of 95 rpm. Saw Luan, Jennifer and Jimmy at the beach, cheering and snapping pictures.Made the tight u-turn and passed the timing mat and back-tracked down south for the next segment. Saw Chris Oh earlier just before the u-turn, about 500m separating us. Half hour later, caught up with Chris. "Go, go" he told me. At "PIE", turned left towards Kuah town and was immediately faced with a big climb. Urg...
Few rolling hills later, came to Kuah town, marking the end of first loop. 65km done - 115km more to go. Back on west-bound "PIE" again and start of loop 2. Saw Ping passed me. She is a chilly-padi on the go. I remembered our first half-ironman in Desaru in Sep 06. She finished way ahead of us (in the same league as Boon Pin) and she ran with me to the finishing line.
By now, I started to experience a small stomach cramp. Oh no! Bad memory of last years'
stomach cramp came flooding back. I prayed that the cramp would go away. Head winds, combined with the slopes and mid-day heat were telling my body (who was in turn convincing my mind) to give in. Told myself to get over the PIE, which was bare without trees.On the north-bound "CTE", my stomach got worse. The word DNF was now written on the wall. I remembered my Endurolytes (Salt and electrolyte tablets) which I brought along without planning to use them - I never had to use them during training. Nothing to lose, I popped two tablets and prayed. And I recovered after 15 min. So they are right, you really need those pills.
Finally, loop 2 was over. By now, my body got the message : you can't quit. I looked at my Polar watch and was lifted in my spirit. I had a shot at sub-7 bike split (last year was 7:06).
On the third and final loop, I began picking up speed (I think). I was spinning faster, closer to my target cadence of >95. At some stretch, I was doing 110 even. On the stretch back to Kuah town, I took the risk (of thrashing my quads) by climbing out of saddle. This is what I experimented after watching a few elites rode past me : as you approach the slope, you pick up speed, then as your speed drops, drop down to one gear (heavier) and then stand up and climb using your body weight to maintain the momentum, which hopefully will bring you to the top.
Eight and a half hour later,
I gladly handed my bike to the volunteer (thank you so much, all the volunteers) at T2. I was doing better than expected, up to this point. I entered the transition tent - no familiar faces. Have not seen Mecca (Michael) and Logan yet. Took sometime to splat on the Sunblock, wear my socks and shoes. Another pack of gel - my ninth or tenth pack. Strangely, I didn't find the gel so repulsive this race.Luan and Jimmy met me outside the tent and we posed for a picture. Luan passed me a Kit Kat and off I went. The start of a marathon. 42.2km to go.
42.2km run
The marathon route was exactly the same as last year's - four laps of 10km each. Strangely enough, I was actually looking forward to the "jog" down the memory lane. I spotted Logan and Halil, outside their condo, looking fresh from shower and clean clothes. They must have DNF'ed and their sufferings have ended. I couldn't quite figure out if I was feeling sorry for them or for myself.
As I turned into Jln Air Hangat - the 6.5km stretch where car fumes mixed with oxygen powers your leg muscles - I saw Roger Chow running towards me. Also saw the guy with prostatic leg, who already has one rubber bangle on his wrist (one bangle per 10k loop). Also saw the visual handicap athlete from Japan and he was guided by a Malaysian runner who had to clear the way by uttering "excuse us".
There were drink and food station every 1km, so I can look forward to 42 buffet helping along the way :-). I finally met Michael, at half a kilometer after the u-turn, which means he was only 1km behind. (Can you imagine that Michael was a 20-stick-a-day smoker, non-active guy just 3-4 years ago.)
Somewhere in the second loop, I saw Ping and Jimmy was accompanying her. I later heard that Jimmy ran almost 30km all in all. (What's love got to do... got to do with it)I tried to keep a pace of 8km/h or 1:15 hr per 10k loop but found that to be too ambitious. After the first lap, I had to stop at every aid station to get the anti-cramp sprayed onto my quads to relief the pain.
Luan came back with her jogging shoes on my second lap and accompanied me from Seaview hotel to Condo Istana. That boosted my morale. On my third lap, I asked Luan to buy the deep heat rub for me - didn't want to waste time going to the medical tent anymore. She did so many "domestique" work for me that she later wondered how I could have done this without her last year.
On my last lap, I told Luan to wait for me at Seaview. The plan was to run up to the finish line together. It didn't quite work out as she couldn't catch up with me and she didn't want me to slow down. Looking back, I regretted that I didn't slow down for her. (That means we have to do another Ironman - Ha Ha).
SWIM 1:36:56 BIKE 6:51:47 RUN 5:48:06 OVERALL 14:29:59 POSITION 292
Second-time Ironman.
Chris Oh : Langkawi Ironman 08 account
On Thur we did the recce ride on the highway, which is the new route, the hills look bearable. But it was not to be so after 140km, it was really a torture to go up those hills at less than 10km/h.
During the recce ride, I already felt a bit of chest tightness. I thought I was not having enough rest as the night before I had trouble sleeping.
That night, I also did felt a bit of chest pain halfway through the night, but was alright the next day.
On race day, although I did try to sleep early at 9pm plus, but just could not sleep. Must be the race anxiety.
The race started at 745am, everything was smooth. Had a good swim, at turn around at 48 mins, and back at 1hr 29min. Lots of sea bugs and jelly fishes. Strangely not of us got bitten though all of us touched or kicked most of them.
Had a smooth transition, but the HR monitor is not working so I cannot tell my HR. The 1st loop was good, going quite well and feeling ok. Enrikoh passed me on the 40 km and terence on the 80 km. After the 1st u turn, I notice I was going a little too fast, so I slowed down my speed especially on the climb. Then I felt my legs begin to tired, a worrying sign that I might have hit the hills too hard, as I climbing is very lousy. After the 2nd loop Mecca passed me and I was suffering already. I do not have my HR, I do not know how hard I was going. I felt the tightness in the chest again. After the u turn, I could not do deep breathing, every deep breath I did, I felt pain in my chest. By then I was debating within myself should I stop, nevertheless I continued till the 120km mark medical stop. I just rest on the stretcher although the medical staff did asked me if I want to give up. I just told her let me rest a while.
Kok Chin came thereafter, he told me he is having double vision and headache. I did encouraged him to stop as this can be very serious. But he proposed we continue further at a slower pace to see if everything will be ok. So we did just that, ride beside each other for the next 20km before Kok Chin need to stop to bathe his head to stop the headache. At this point I decided we should call it a day.
That is when both of our races end.
Though I am disappointed but I felt I am right to listen to my body. Even before the race, I felt that I am totally not ready for this race and with the current stress at work, it kind of 'damaged' my body and health.
Well, at least I live for another day to try out other races but not IM in the near future as I realised there is not way to go for an IM without proper training and preparation.
Congrats to Terence and Michael who broke their PBs.
Congrats to Hui Ping and Clement who has set their PB, now is for them to break them again.
Andrew Leong tracking race in real time
Andrew's update @ 9.15pm
----------------------------------
Roger Chow has completed with a fantastic time of 13:11 in his first ever IM.
Chow, Roger 367/244/203 41 01:36:37 06:17:11 05:01:56 13:11:10
Mecca Tan and Terence still have 10 km to go....
Mecca Tan
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(47:56) 7.64 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (43:15) 6.94 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (42:17) 7.09 km/h
FOURTH RUN SEGMENT: 21.1 km 5 km (41:10) 7.29 km/h
FIFTH RUN SEGMENT: 26.1 km 5 km (43:05) 6.96 km/h
SIXTH RUN SEGMENT: 31.1 km 5 km (43:56) 6.83 km/h
SEVENTH RUN SEGMENT: 36.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
EIGHTH RUN SEGMENT: 41.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
FINAL RUN SEGMENT: 42.2 km 1.1 km (--:--) -- km/h
Terence
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(48:34) 7.54 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (42:12) 7.11 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (41:12) 7.28 km/h
FOURTH RUN SEGMENT: 21.1 km 5 km (40:21) 7.43 km/h
FIFTH RUN SEGMENT: 26.1 km 5 km (43:00) 6.98 km/h
SIXTH RUN SEGMENT: 31.1 km 5 km (41:58) 7.15 km/h
SEVENTH RUN SEGMENT: 36.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
EIGHTH RUN SEGMENT: 41.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
FINAL RUN SEGMENT: 42.2 km 1.1 km (--:--) -- km/h
Andrew's update @ 6.30pm
-----------------------------------
The top three men
RACETIME: 09:06
Faris Al-Sultan (#1) won in 8:34:42
* Petr Vabrousek (#11) at 9:04:54
* Elmar Schuberth (#10) at 9:06:03
Crazy2Tri Buddies
Halil, Chris and Logan did the right thing of pulling out. There is more IM races in the future.
Mecca Tan has a very good bike split. He has to pay for his P3C.
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:48:56) 2:52/100m 438
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (50:57) 28.26 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (36:11) 24.87 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (55:51) 27.93 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:39) 29.36 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (36:01) 23.32 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (58:15) 26.78 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (34:50) 24.11 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (38:00) 23.68 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (59:17) 26.31 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (13:13) 23.61 km/h
TOTAL BIKE 180.2 km (6:53:14) 26.16 km/h 348
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(47:56) 7.64 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (43:15) 6.94 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
Terence
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:56) 2:33/100m 368
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (48:31) 29.68 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (33:47) 26.64 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (53:39) 29.08 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:31) 29.49 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (38:25) 21.87 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (1:00:59) 25.58 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (34:52) 24.09 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (38:28) 23.40 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (59:11) 26.36 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (13:24) 23.28 km/h
TOTAL BIKE 180.2 km (6:51:47) 26.26 km/h 313
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(48:34) 7.54 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (42:12) 7.11 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
Roger Chow
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:37) 2:32/100m 367
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:04) 28.20 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (32:39) 27.57 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (49:26) 31.56 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (27:28) 32.77 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (33:47) 24.86 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (51:58) 30.02 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (29:34) 28.41 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (34:05) 26.41 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (54:38) 28.55 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (12:32) 24.89 km/h
TOTAL BIKE 180.2 km (6:17:11) 28.67 km/h 244
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(40:33) 9.03 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (34:16) 8.75 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (36:17) 8.27 km/h
FOURTH RUN SEGMENT: 21.1 km 5 km (35:31) 8.45 km/h
FIFTH RUN SEGMENT: 26.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
Andrew's update @2pm
------------------------------
Faris goes through 11 km
RACETIME: 06:16
And his competition has yet to make it to 6km of the marathon here.
His first 11 km took 45:05, which is about 4:06/ km.
That would equate to 2:52 marathon!
Crazy2Tri Buddies : Terence and Roger continue to pull strongly on the bike. Still no news on Logan. Eric says he is having McDonalds for lunch!
6 hrs 23 mins into the race
Mecca Tan
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:48:56) 2:52/100m 438
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (50:57) 28.26 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (36:11) 24.87 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (55:51) 27.93 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:39) 29.36 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (36:01) 23.32 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (--:--) -- km/h
Terence
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:56) 2:33/100m 368
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (48:31) 29.68 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (33:47) 26.64 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (53:39) 29.08 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:31) 29.49 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (38:25) 21.87 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (1:00:59) 25.58 km/h
Chris Oh
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:29:43) 2:21/100m 307
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:06) 28.18 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (35:40) 25.23 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (58:05) 26.86 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (35:33) 25.32 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (41:20) 20.32 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (--:--) -- km/h
Roger Chow
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:37) 2:32/100m 367
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:04) 28.20 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (32:39) 27.57 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (49:26) 31.56 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (27:28) 32.77 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (33:47) 24.86 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (51:58) 30.02 km/h
Andrew's update @ 1pm
Al-Sultan has less than 5 km to go
RACETIME: 05:16
The 2005 Ford Ironman World Champion is flying through the bike course here today.
He'll be at T2 in the next 10 minutes or so. He is at least 20 min ahead of the chase pack.
Faris
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (50:00) 1:18/100m 2
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (34:25) 41.84 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (23:53) 37.68 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (37:31) 41.58 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (19:42) 45.69 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (24:10) 34.76 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (38:02) 41.02 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (21:07) 39.78 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (25:20) 35.53 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (40:31) 38.50 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (--:--) -- km/h
For our Crazy2Tri :
Oh no, looks like Logan may have DNF!
Mecca Tan
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:48:56) 2:52/100m 438
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (50:57) 28.26 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (36:11) 24.87 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (55:51) 27.93 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:39) 29.36 km/h
Terence
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:56) 2:33/100m 368
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (48:31) 29.68 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (33:47) 26.64 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (53:39) 29.08 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:31) 29.49 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (38:25) 21.87 km/h
Chris Oh
OTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:29:43) 2:21/100m 307
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:06) 28.18 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (35:40) 25.23 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (58:05) 26.86 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (35:33) 25.32 km/h
Roger Chow
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:37) 2:32/100m 367
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:04) 28.20 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (32:39) 27.57 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (49:26) 31.56 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (27:28) 32.77 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (33:47) 24.86 km/h
Andrew's update @10am
------------------------------
Al-Sultan, Faris 2/--/-- 30 00:50:00 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Mecca Tan
437/--/-- 44 01:48:56 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Ng, Terence
367/--/-- 45 01:36:56 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Oh, Chris
306/--/-- 37 01:29:43 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Chow, Roger 366/--/-- 41 01:36:37 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Loganathan
446/--/-- 41 01:51:57 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
----------------------------------
Roger Chow has completed with a fantastic time of 13:11 in his first ever IM.
Chow, Roger 367/244/203 41 01:36:37 06:17:11 05:01:56 13:11:10
Mecca Tan and Terence still have 10 km to go....
Mecca Tan
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(47:56) 7.64 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (43:15) 6.94 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (42:17) 7.09 km/h
FOURTH RUN SEGMENT: 21.1 km 5 km (41:10) 7.29 km/h
FIFTH RUN SEGMENT: 26.1 km 5 km (43:05) 6.96 km/h
SIXTH RUN SEGMENT: 31.1 km 5 km (43:56) 6.83 km/h
SEVENTH RUN SEGMENT: 36.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
EIGHTH RUN SEGMENT: 41.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
FINAL RUN SEGMENT: 42.2 km 1.1 km (--:--) -- km/h
Terence
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(48:34) 7.54 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (42:12) 7.11 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (41:12) 7.28 km/h
FOURTH RUN SEGMENT: 21.1 km 5 km (40:21) 7.43 km/h
FIFTH RUN SEGMENT: 26.1 km 5 km (43:00) 6.98 km/h
SIXTH RUN SEGMENT: 31.1 km 5 km (41:58) 7.15 km/h
SEVENTH RUN SEGMENT: 36.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
EIGHTH RUN SEGMENT: 41.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
FINAL RUN SEGMENT: 42.2 km 1.1 km (--:--) -- km/h
Andrew's update @ 6.30pm
-----------------------------------
The top three men
RACETIME: 09:06
Faris Al-Sultan (#1) won in 8:34:42
* Petr Vabrousek (#11) at 9:04:54
* Elmar Schuberth (#10) at 9:06:03
Crazy2Tri Buddies
Halil, Chris and Logan did the right thing of pulling out. There is more IM races in the future.
Mecca Tan has a very good bike split. He has to pay for his P3C.
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:48:56) 2:52/100m 438
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (50:57) 28.26 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (36:11) 24.87 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (55:51) 27.93 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:39) 29.36 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (36:01) 23.32 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (58:15) 26.78 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (34:50) 24.11 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (38:00) 23.68 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (59:17) 26.31 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (13:13) 23.61 km/h
TOTAL BIKE 180.2 km (6:53:14) 26.16 km/h 348
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(47:56) 7.64 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (43:15) 6.94 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
Terence
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:56) 2:33/100m 368
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (48:31) 29.68 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (33:47) 26.64 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (53:39) 29.08 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:31) 29.49 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (38:25) 21.87 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (1:00:59) 25.58 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (34:52) 24.09 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (38:28) 23.40 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (59:11) 26.36 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (13:24) 23.28 km/h
TOTAL BIKE 180.2 km (6:51:47) 26.26 km/h 313
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(48:34) 7.54 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (42:12) 7.11 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
Roger Chow
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:37) 2:32/100m 367
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:04) 28.20 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (32:39) 27.57 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (49:26) 31.56 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (27:28) 32.77 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (33:47) 24.86 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (51:58) 30.02 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (29:34) 28.41 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (34:05) 26.41 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (54:38) 28.55 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (12:32) 24.89 km/h
TOTAL BIKE 180.2 km (6:17:11) 28.67 km/h 244
FIRST RUN SEGMENT: 6.1 km 6.1 km(40:33) 9.03 km/h
SECOND RUN SEGMENT: 11.1 km 5 km (34:16) 8.75 km/h
THIRD RUN SEGMENT: 16.1 km 5 km (36:17) 8.27 km/h
FOURTH RUN SEGMENT: 21.1 km 5 km (35:31) 8.45 km/h
FIFTH RUN SEGMENT: 26.1 km 5 km (--:--) -- km/h
Andrew's update @2pm
------------------------------
Faris goes through 11 km
RACETIME: 06:16
And his competition has yet to make it to 6km of the marathon here.
His first 11 km took 45:05, which is about 4:06/ km.
That would equate to 2:52 marathon!
Crazy2Tri Buddies : Terence and Roger continue to pull strongly on the bike. Still no news on Logan. Eric says he is having McDonalds for lunch!
6 hrs 23 mins into the race
Mecca Tan
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:48:56) 2:52/100m 438
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (50:57) 28.26 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (36:11) 24.87 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (55:51) 27.93 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:39) 29.36 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (36:01) 23.32 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (--:--) -- km/h
Terence
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:56) 2:33/100m 368
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (48:31) 29.68 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (33:47) 26.64 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (53:39) 29.08 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:31) 29.49 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (38:25) 21.87 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (1:00:59) 25.58 km/h
Chris Oh
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:29:43) 2:21/100m 307
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:06) 28.18 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (35:40) 25.23 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (58:05) 26.86 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (35:33) 25.32 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (41:20) 20.32 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (--:--) -- km/h
Roger Chow
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:37) 2:32/100m 367
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:04) 28.20 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (32:39) 27.57 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (49:26) 31.56 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (27:28) 32.77 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (33:47) 24.86 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (51:58) 30.02 km/h
Andrew's update @ 1pm
Al-Sultan has less than 5 km to go
RACETIME: 05:16
The 2005 Ford Ironman World Champion is flying through the bike course here today.
He'll be at T2 in the next 10 minutes or so. He is at least 20 min ahead of the chase pack.
Faris
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (50:00) 1:18/100m 2
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (34:25) 41.84 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (23:53) 37.68 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (37:31) 41.58 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (19:42) 45.69 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (24:10) 34.76 km/h
FIFTH BIKE SEGMENT: 120 km 26 km (38:02) 41.02 km/h
SIXTH BIKE SEGMENT: 134 km 14 km (21:07) 39.78 km/h
SEVENTH BIKE SEGMENT: 149 km 15 km (25:20) 35.53 km/h
EIGHTH BIKE SEGMENT: 175 km 26 km (40:31) 38.50 km/h
FINAL BIKE SEGMENT: 180.2 km 5.2 km (--:--) -- km/h
For our Crazy2Tri :
Oh no, looks like Logan may have DNF!
Mecca Tan
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:48:56) 2:52/100m 438
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (50:57) 28.26 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (36:11) 24.87 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (55:51) 27.93 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:39) 29.36 km/h
Terence
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:56) 2:33/100m 368
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (48:31) 29.68 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (33:47) 26.64 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (53:39) 29.08 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (30:31) 29.49 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (38:25) 21.87 km/h
Chris Oh
OTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:29:43) 2:21/100m 307
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:06) 28.18 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (35:40) 25.23 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (58:05) 26.86 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (35:33) 25.32 km/h
Roger Chow
TOTAL SWIM 2.4 mi. (1:36:37) 2:32/100m 367
FIRST BIKE SEGMENT: 24 km 24 km (51:04) 28.20 km/h
SECOND BIKE SEGMENT: 39 km 15 km (32:39) 27.57 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 65 km 26 km (49:26) 31.56 km/h
THIRD BIKE SEGMENT: 80 km 15 km (27:28) 32.77 km/h
FOURTH BIKE SEGMENT: 94 km 14 km (33:47) 24.86 km/h
Andrew's update @10am
------------------------------
Al-Sultan, Faris 2/--/-- 30 00:50:00 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Mecca Tan
437/--/-- 44 01:48:56 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Ng, Terence
367/--/-- 45 01:36:56 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Oh, Chris
306/--/-- 37 01:29:43 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Chow, Roger 366/--/-- 41 01:36:37 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Loganathan
446/--/-- 41 01:51:57 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
Friday, February 22, 2008
D-1 day
Woke up (thank God!) around 8am. Last night, the hotel received a bus load of Thai tourist and this morning, they pretty much wiped out the breakfast buffet spread. Luan and I ate what was left.
Bella Vista (previously called Tiara Langkawi) sits on a prime spot in downtown Kuah, facing the
bay. It's about 10 mins drive to the Jetty (Eagle Square) and the official Seaview Hotel. From where I was standing on the 3rd floor looking out to the bay, I could spot in the distance the buoys and the flags where we will be swimming alongside the next day. (See pic)
We headed to Seaview Hotel to get my race registration done. Drove past Bayview Hotel where the Crazy2tri stayed last year. Old memory came back. There were close to 20 of us and loads of fun doing our first ironman.
Seaview was bustling as expected. SMS Logan and Michael (or Mecca - his name was changed to reflect his new status as a Faris challenger). Mike and Roger is out in the recce bus. After the customary medical check, got my race barang and timing chip, we spotted Logan, Enrico, Halil, Ping and Jimmy (Ping's boyfriend)
Route recce
Time was 9.30am - one hour before the race briefing. Decided to go for the route recce in our rented car. Ping and Jimmy came with us. This was Ping's first ironman, so Lisram Highway naturally caused her jaw to drop. From Lisram, we turned into Padang Mat Sirat (a.k.a "PIE") which is the east-west highway connecting airport to Kuah. Along this stretch are the rolling hills, the biggest shown here, near the airport. Went through the two circles, passed the airport, u-turned back into "PIE". We then turned left into Ulu Malaka Rd ("CTE"), heading north towards Tanjung Rhu Beach. That's it, we have covered almost the entire one loop and it's time to rush back to the race briefing.
We checked in our bikes at 4pm, had early dinner and then headed back to hotel and condo for our attempt at "sleeping early". Of course, I was tossing and turning the whole night, filled with anxiety - as expected.
I reviewed my game plan in my head :
- Swim (from my coach, Bernard Tay) : make every pull count. Smooth rhymnic kick. Left shoulder roll more. Keep neck relax while sighting (look for 2-3 red flag). I will be relying purely on right technique I learnt in past 9 month to get my swim through as I have not swam beyond 1km since Aviva 70.3
- Bike : Spin at 100 rpm. Power = Force x cadence. Since I have not clocked more than 120km since my Batam ride in April last year, I have to rely on my aerobic engine to turn up the cadence.
- Run : Chi-running form. Form, form, form. High cadence (80-85).
No wonder I couldn't sleep...
Bella Vista (previously called Tiara Langkawi) sits on a prime spot in downtown Kuah, facing the
bay. It's about 10 mins drive to the Jetty (Eagle Square) and the official Seaview Hotel. From where I was standing on the 3rd floor looking out to the bay, I could spot in the distance the buoys and the flags where we will be swimming alongside the next day. (See pic)We headed to Seaview Hotel to get my race registration done. Drove past Bayview Hotel where the Crazy2tri stayed last year. Old memory came back. There were close to 20 of us and loads of fun doing our first ironman.
Seaview was bustling as expected. SMS Logan and Michael (or Mecca - his name was changed to reflect his new status as a Faris challenger). Mike and Roger is out in the recce bus. After the customary medical check, got my race barang and timing chip, we spotted Logan, Enrico, Halil, Ping and Jimmy (Ping's boyfriend)
Route recce
Time was 9.30am - one hour before the race briefing. Decided to go for the route recce in our rented car. Ping and Jimmy came with us. This was Ping's first ironman, so Lisram Highway naturally caused her jaw to drop. From Lisram, we turned into Padang Mat Sirat (a.k.a "PIE") which is the east-west highway connecting airport to Kuah. Along this stretch are the rolling hills, the biggest shown here, near the airport. Went through the two circles, passed the airport, u-turned back into "PIE". We then turned left into Ulu Malaka Rd ("CTE"), heading north towards Tanjung Rhu Beach. That's it, we have covered almost the entire one loop and it's time to rush back to the race briefing.
We checked in our bikes at 4pm, had early dinner and then headed back to hotel and condo for our attempt at "sleeping early". Of course, I was tossing and turning the whole night, filled with anxiety - as expected.
I reviewed my game plan in my head :
- Swim (from my coach, Bernard Tay) : make every pull count. Smooth rhymnic kick. Left shoulder roll more. Keep neck relax while sighting (look for 2-3 red flag). I will be relying purely on right technique I learnt in past 9 month to get my swim through as I have not swam beyond 1km since Aviva 70.3
- Bike : Spin at 100 rpm. Power = Force x cadence. Since I have not clocked more than 120km since my Batam ride in April last year, I have to rely on my aerobic engine to turn up the cadence.
- Run : Chi-running form. Form, form, form. High cadence (80-85).
No wonder I couldn't sleep...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
D-2 Day
Wake up in the morning, wondering if I should go for another short run. Decided against it. Went into the office to clear some work and emails. My boss wished me luck, his parting words : "take it easy, there is nothing to prove - you have done it".
4pm came and I headed home. Luan had just returned from Shanghai and her sister was going to drive us to the airport in our MPV.
At the airport, we met a Belgium couple (Stephen and Natalie) and a Malaysian, Kenneth, all going to Langkawi for the race. Roger and his wife, Jennifer was there too. We chatted and learned that Stephen (who looked very rugged with his flowing long hair and deep setted eyes) was about to do his second ironman for the year, after Busselton. Next, he is going NZ. His target is to complete 15 ironman this year! If we are crazy2tri, he must be mad_with_tri (and a wealthy one at that). His PB stands at 10hr+. :-P
-Terence
Landed in Langkawi airport just after 8pm. Rented a car (Proton Wira) after getting assurance from the rental guy that our bike case would go in, and it did.
We made our way to our hotel, Vista Bella. Checked in. Unpacked and assembled my bike - spent a bit of time trying to get my real derailleur to thread in properly. While unpacking, Luan went to the lobby (WIFI hotspot) to update her blog.
Next, was supper and then to bed. D-2 night is always important as the night before a race is typically quite sleepless.
4pm came and I headed home. Luan had just returned from Shanghai and her sister was going to drive us to the airport in our MPV.
At the airport, we met a Belgium couple (Stephen and Natalie) and a Malaysian, Kenneth, all going to Langkawi for the race. Roger and his wife, Jennifer was there too. We chatted and learned that Stephen (who looked very rugged with his flowing long hair and deep setted eyes) was about to do his second ironman for the year, after Busselton. Next, he is going NZ. His target is to complete 15 ironman this year! If we are crazy2tri, he must be mad_with_tri (and a wealthy one at that). His PB stands at 10hr+. :-P
-Terence
Landed in Langkawi airport just after 8pm. Rented a car (Proton Wira) after getting assurance from the rental guy that our bike case would go in, and it did.
We made our way to our hotel, Vista Bella. Checked in. Unpacked and assembled my bike - spent a bit of time trying to get my real derailleur to thread in properly. While unpacking, Luan went to the lobby (WIFI hotspot) to update her blog.
Next, was supper and then to bed. D-2 night is always important as the night before a race is typically quite sleepless.
D-3 day
Went for a short run in the morning to wake up the legs. Focused on maintaining cadence of 85.
SMS'ed Logan who arrived last night at Langkawi. Said weather was hot at 40C. Yahoo weather said it will be "mostly cloudy" for next 4 days and temperature will be around 34C. We shall see.
Reached home around 7pm. Started packing my bike into the bike case. Everything went smoothly. Praise the Lord.
SMS'ed Logan who arrived last night at Langkawi. Said weather was hot at 40C. Yahoo weather said it will be "mostly cloudy" for next 4 days and temperature will be around 34C. We shall see.
Reached home around 7pm. Started packing my bike into the bike case. Everything went smoothly. Praise the Lord.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
To go or not to go? Langkawi Ironman
Saturday 9 Feb. 3rd day of the new Lunar year. 14 days to Langkawi Ironman. Today is my go/no-go day. I will decide if I should go to Langkawi IM after today's 130km ride, consisting of two loops (Mandai - LCK - West Coast). Up till now, I have only rode two century rides - one on Christmas Day and one three saturdays ago.
There were only three of us : Joe Chua, Kok Aun and myself. Kok Aun has to be back by 8pm so he would turn back at the end of Mandai Road. We RV'ed with Joe at Thomson Road and he said he would do one loop. We did a relatively easy pace and saw Kok Aun off at Mandai Road junction. Joe and I continued to Neo Tew with Joe was leading much of the way.
My aim today was to get used to my feeding (Enery gel, yuk!) plan of 1 gel (110 cal) per 40 min. I also want to see if I can maintain 85-95 rpm cadence for all two loops. After finishing the first loop, we stop at Long House (Thomson) for a 100-Plus. Joe bidded farewell and adviced me to marry up and cycle in a group. I said I would but I did not see any groups later - must be CNY holiday.
Loop 2. Along old Upper Thomson and Mandai Road, I felt my quads stiffening and lost power. Oh shit, it looked like No-go. I quickly feed on my gel - the stop at Long House must have disrupted my feed. I focused on maintaining my target cadence to get best possible efficiency. (Power = Force x velocity. At the same power, increasing velocity means less force needed from muscles contracting). Fortunately, my legs somewhat recovered. The heat from the sun reminded me of Langkawi 07 and I wondered why am I still open to this "nonsense" again.
Loop 1 averaged 29.3km/h, loop 2 - 28.1km/h. Kok Aun said in his sms : "Not bad, considering the traffic lights".
Conclusion : Langkawi 08 - here I come. I want to see if I can finish in 15 hour with virtually no special training program. :-)
Written by Terence Ng
There were only three of us : Joe Chua, Kok Aun and myself. Kok Aun has to be back by 8pm so he would turn back at the end of Mandai Road. We RV'ed with Joe at Thomson Road and he said he would do one loop. We did a relatively easy pace and saw Kok Aun off at Mandai Road junction. Joe and I continued to Neo Tew with Joe was leading much of the way.
My aim today was to get used to my feeding (Enery gel, yuk!) plan of 1 gel (110 cal) per 40 min. I also want to see if I can maintain 85-95 rpm cadence for all two loops. After finishing the first loop, we stop at Long House (Thomson) for a 100-Plus. Joe bidded farewell and adviced me to marry up and cycle in a group. I said I would but I did not see any groups later - must be CNY holiday.
Loop 2. Along old Upper Thomson and Mandai Road, I felt my quads stiffening and lost power. Oh shit, it looked like No-go. I quickly feed on my gel - the stop at Long House must have disrupted my feed. I focused on maintaining my target cadence to get best possible efficiency. (Power = Force x velocity. At the same power, increasing velocity means less force needed from muscles contracting). Fortunately, my legs somewhat recovered. The heat from the sun reminded me of Langkawi 07 and I wondered why am I still open to this "nonsense" again.
Loop 1 averaged 29.3km/h, loop 2 - 28.1km/h. Kok Aun said in his sms : "Not bad, considering the traffic lights".
Conclusion : Langkawi 08 - here I come. I want to see if I can finish in 15 hour with virtually no special training program. :-)
Written by Terence Ng
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