End of (Bi) Season

the NUS Biathlon season ended yesterday, with the NIE Biathlon.

i was trying not to think too much about the race. i had ashley liew from smu in my wave, and i knew i had to pull a big lead over him in the swim since i heard that he was stronger than me in the run.

Moments to remember
1) started the day badly, waking up at 620 ( i was to meet jason at 630) so i had to rush down and have bread for breakfast, rather than my usual pre-race muesli cereal.

2) the girl who did the body marking was using a very hard marker. pure agony as she scribed the numbers 023 on my arms.

3) mine was the second wave at 830. just before the start, lemin fell into the pool. cue memories from RP where i did the same thing as he did.

4) first tumble turn the left side of my goggle got loosed and water flooded in. i swam the next 50m with my left eye closed. more shit to come.

5) second tumble turn my goggle came out entirely and dangled around my neck while i continued swimming. Murphy's Law indeed. i had the option of sacrificing a few seconds to put it on again, but i didnt want to stop my momentum for the swim, so i swam half-blind.

6) finishing the swim i came out of the water blinking furiously, checking if my contacts were still in my eyes. they were (cue huge sigh of relief)

7) nicolas telling me as i ran to my transition box "go jon ma chase jiajie!", and some girl shouting "jon you're second out of water!" this was it, a run till i die 5km

8) overtook jiajie after the roundabout, and just kept going

9) at the 2.5km mark i took a look back. no one. dunno where ashley was but i imagined him chasing me down.

10) last 800m, as i turn right i looked back and still saw no one. contemplated slowing down since i was almost dying. then i remembered that this was a team race based on time, so i just kept going.

11) was hitting the last 100m when i ran into the carpark, i truck in front looked like it was gonna hit me. imagine me DNF-ing cause i got hit by a truck. joke of the year.

12) crossed the finish line at 34min 27s. breathless.

we went on to win 1st and 2nd for our guys and girls team, as well as overall! NUS team 2 pipped NTU team 1 to second place by 3 seconds! (heng i didnt slow down) it was really a race well done by everyone!

all in all, it was a good season. dealing with burn outs, injuries, doubts and our studies and everything, the team came through together. this team has become more than a team, but rather a family. we not onbly see each other during training, but out of training as well. amid a dull hall life and a hectic life in Arts, the team was what made my past 8 months more than enjoyable.

thanks boss aldrich, zhiyun and kepkee for everything you have done for the team. words just dun do it justice. thanks for being understanding and as dedicated as you have been. i would not have been able to achieve all that i have in sporting terms without you guys. Of course, thanks to david tay who helped my swim improve tremendously.

to nic, norm, qiukun and JJ, i have faith in you guys and the decisions u will make to bring this team forward. rest assured that i will continue to give my best to the team and contribute to it in anyway i can.

till the next race (on sunday 22nd March) 1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21km run