I'll cut straight to the chase and get to the race.
The day started as per any usual race day. Had my muesli and cereal breakfast, then went with the rest to set up my transition area. did a bit of run and swim warm up. the south china sea was quite "wave-y", but the tidal stream was not too strong.
the swim start was one of the roughest i had ever been in. there were quite a number of strong swimmers, so even after the first turn, there were quite a number of other competitors fighting with me for postion. it was only till the end of the first loop of the swim that the crowd wore thinner, and i managed to find some room for myself. for the start of the second loop, i plunged right into a wave that was coming in. in my adrenaline, i had forgotten how shallow the coast was, and smacked my face and chest right into the sand. stupid boy. and it was so obvious as i had to stop and stand for a moment to adjust my goggles again. after another loop (definitely did not feel liek a 2k swim though), i came out of the swim among the lead pack, and ran a very LONG transition (250m!) to the bikes.
the start of the bike there was a small but steep slope to the road. i was trying to wear my shoes while attempting that slope. almost stopped and fell over. whew. i hit the bike hard. all the training i had done on the trainer helped alot. after 1hr 45mins on the trainer once, an almost 3hr ride was like nothing. i just kept pushing myself on the bike, telling myself to not give up on the up slopes, and then go insanely fast down, and put the hammer down on the flats. the fun part of this bike course was that it had so many u-turns, so it was always fun to be able to see your friends after the turn and give each other encouragement. about the end of the third loop i saw that it was about 3hr 12min (give or take) and i did a nice T2 and chucked my bike onto the rack while the back wheel was still spinning. it was then i thought that a sub-5hr was actually possible, barring any race-ending happenings. my speedo did fly off though, towards the end of the bike leg. gives me a good excuse to change speedo, which i have been wanting to do.
i had brought my newtons along for this race, and they did not have lock lace on them, so i had to take a short while to tie my laces. my legs felt a tad heavy (which was usual after a bike) so i just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. i was suffering also from the lack of training for 1 and a half weeks due to my tendonitis. to be frank i felt that i was just hanging on in the run. i tried to push, but everytime i did i could only last a short while. after about 16km i actaully felt empty and i was lucky to be near the 100plus aid station to refill. after two cups i could definitely feel the difference. i just hung on for the last bits of the run, my feet felt like they were on fire, i could barely feel them under that searing pain. at the finish line i could not do much to celebrate but just thank God for answering my prayers. time on my watch, 4:55:12.
before the race, i prayed. i didnt ask for podium, or to be in the top ten. i just prayed for a good race, one which i felt good in. prayed for safety, prayed for good weather. thank God for answering them, and for the timing that i had made. really, without Him all these would not have been possible.
the company, as usual, was fantastic. had alot of laughs and made great friends with coach david's friends. as usual, there was lots of camwhoring and joking. and the food for its RM pricing at the hotel was worth the money! thanks coach for organizing an unforgettable experience!
PS: more accurate (or not) timing to be up when the results come out. and photos as well.
PPS: well done to all our first timers! lala, QR, serene!
PPPS: haiz... just spent over $200 to get my bike serviced (it was making alot of wierd noises during the race) and getting a new speedo... gonna be broke... still need to get new helmet..... =(
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