i woke up this morning feeling cold. it took a really really hot water shower, some breakfast and warm water to warm me up. took a cab to chinese swimming club as i wanted to take a short walk to the race site. the cab driver said he didnt have a bank account so he couldnt take NETS, so i had to ask him to send me to a ATM machine to withdraw money for him. diao.
at the transition area, everything went smoothly and quickly, unlike last year where my inexperience made it a long and draggy process. tyres were pumped, helmet, racebelt, shades, shoes were prepped, and i was left with a ridiculous amount of time to socialise and queue for the porta-loo.
only had time for a short swim warm up, which i felt really good. the tidal stream wasnt that strong, and the low tide didnt really affect me much. my stroke felt good, and i carried that confidence to the start line.
the pros went off, followed by the age group women. then it was my wave which consisted of 18-24's, and a large group of men above 45. i was standing next to number 206 (i was 207) mark luckin. when the horn sounded, he sprinted into the sea and i chased to catch him.mark set the pace for the swim, with me swimming next to him and another man from the other age group swimming with us. that guy was fast, and soon dropped mark and i after the second turn. i tried my best to follow and stay in his draft. once we hit the shore and ran to start the second loop, i managed to catch him. along the way there were quite a few people shouting my name, though i didnt manage to catch who they were. this time the man and i swam side by side for most of the second loop, with our hands and shoulders hitting each other most of the way, it was really quite a "fight". on the final stretch back to shore we split up and were swimming our separate ways. i didnt see him, though i heard he came up a bit before me. but i managed to come first out of the swim for my age group in 32mins. mark came up about 50 seconds behind me.
T1 was a bit long due to the aero helmet, but once on the bike it felt really good and i just started pedaling quickly and was on my way. mark caught and passed me on benjamin sheares bridge and took the lead from there. i was determinded not to let the gap open up too much and gave chase. my feet at this point was numb from the pain killer i had taken before the start (for my shin splints) and it was quite a wierd feeling. after 2 loops, the gap between mark and i was still about the same. then JJ caught (finally) with me on the 3rd loop and pulled me for a short stretch, though i was dropped pretty quickly by him. the benjamin sheares bridge was such a horrow for me last year. this year it was much more different as my slowest up the bridge was only 20kph, and it felt much easier. all the hill trainings really paid off.
the stretch towards the U turn at big splash was always a thrill, with so many supporters and people cheering for the competitors. at the end of the third loop i caught up with mark luckin again, and we zoomed into transition together and ran to rack our bikes. the commentator himself seemed quite excited at our competitiveness.
my T2 was no match for my australian compatriot, and he zipped out of transition waaaay ahead of me. on the first 1k of the run, my left quad started to cramp up. after going up the bridge i had to stop and stretch. that was when ashley overtook me. (WAH LAU EH DAMN FAST CAN)
my lack of run training really showed on the 21km. having been blighted by shin splints since last year november, i havent really been able to run as much as i would have liked, and my longest run to date has been 9km 2 weeks before this. i struggled to find my rythmn and was just shuffling along. everyone was overtaking me left right centre. male, female, old, young. i felt pathetic, as compared to just last november when i managed to run under 40mins for a 10k. i caught up with JJ on my second loop (he was doing his first cause he was in pain all over the place and had to stretch) we ran together for the next couple of kilometers, until finally i got a bit more momentum and went ahead at the 12km point.
i was able to get back some pace at this point, though i still walked the aid stations. the singapore sun was in its full glory at this point, and i was being roasted. cup after cup of water was poured over my head, and i just tried to down as much electrolytes as i could to fight off the niggling cramps that were threatening to surface. i was running a few kilometers at a good pace, before having to slow for one km, then going back to that pace again. some parts i ran to the side on the grass the reduce the impact on my legs and the strain on them. the supporters at this point was amazing, they really helped everyone out there and made it a bit easier for all of us out there.
i was decked out in full macca attire, and saw him along the way. it was quite exciting, and he cheered me on along the way. too bad he left before i finished so i could not get a photo with him or something.
finally after damn long, i was just 2km from the finish. ben lau had been running behind me the whole time, though i kept pushing myself ahead before he caught me again. finally i cracked and he overtook me and never looked back. on the last km i got a bit of speed again, but by then it was too late and he was to finish before me by a bout a min.
approaching the finishing chute i wanted space all for myself, so i let 2 people (not from my age group) to sprint past me. i had the luxury for the whole chute to myself when i finished.
i thanked God, for answering my prayer for the weather, for protecting me on the bike, for the support i received from my friends, for being able to complete the run, and i was just very thankful that i was able to do what i could do.
my splits were as follow:
Swim: 32:01 (1st out)
T1: 1:34
Bike: 2:37:56
T2: 1:28
Run: 2:01:18 ( i know. SLOW)
Total: 5:14:17 (6th in age group)
afterwards, the clearwater slots were rolled down to norman and i cause everyone else in our age group from 1st to 8th didnt claim them. SHIOKS! and jocelyn will be coming with us as well! w00ts!
managed to achieve 2 out of 3 aims for today.
1) first out of swim CHECK
2) clearwater slot CHECK
3) sub 5 hours NEXT YEAR after i get my run back to where it used to be
Thanks also go out to the many supportes!
Just (amazing signboard) Elaine (learn how to use camera properly) Norman's mum and sister Agnes, David (thanks for the help), Dex (thanks thanks thanks for trusting and lending me your wheels), Fana (i'm waiting...), Qiurong, XuePing, SaiYann, QiuKun, Delphine, Mich, Ying Liang (thanks for the shots), Mok, Dinah (damn fun to see you two!) , serene, ling er, desmond, the SMURTS and the NTU guys as well, and of course, MACCA, for the inspiration. (hope i didnt forget anyone!)
Ok, time to sleep. tomorrow will be painful. pictures up soon!
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