Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
XTERRA Wetsuits
Really happy to have Xterra Wetsuits as a partner of mine for my 2011 season. Now lemme tell you guys more about it!
Last year I was looking to buy a speedsuit to use for my races. I figured that over a long distance swim, the speed advantage of a speedsuit would be multiplied several times over. So I looked at the market, and there were sooo many options to choose from. My biggest problem was the sizing. Most companies offered their suits in the generic small medium large sizes, which gave me quite a headache as I'm considered tall for my weight, and I always found myself in between small and medium sizes.
Then I came upon Xterra's website (http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/), and was pleasantly surprised when I found that they offered their suits for those of us in between (small long, medium large, etc.) I emailed them for help regarding shipping to Singapore, and before I knew it, I got my speedsuit in the mail.
My first impression with the suit was awesome. It fit perfectly, and was flexible and I was able to put it on without too much hassle. One feature that I really liked was the breakaway zipper. Rather than having a string tied to the zip (which most companies use), all I had to do was lift it up, and I could open the suit up from behind. No more fiddling and trying to find a string while running towards transition!
I used to own a wetsuit whose brand also features an "X" in its name (go figure), and I hated swimming in it. The shoulders were too thick and inflexible, and I got tired swimming in it really quickly. When I got the chance, I purchased a Vortex 3 Fullsuit Wetsuit for my race in Clearwater, Florida, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The difference was instantly noticeable, as the really flexible shoulder section made me enjoy swimming in a wetsuit. I stopped getting tired really quickly during the swim, and came out of the 1.9km swim during the race in 30mins, a new PB!
Even though my speedsuit (Velocity 0.02) is now deemed illegal for WTC races, I still use it in the ones where it is not banned. However, I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new Velocity-M, now WTC-legal! It debuted during the Ironman World Champs last year in Kona, and if my past experiences with Xterra are any indication, this new swimskin should be awesomely wicked fast!
Read more about the Xterra Advantage here: http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/products/#advantage
For those who need a wetsuit or swimskin to kick off their 2011 season, use the coupon code SA-JMA when making your orders! This will give you the suits at the following great prices!
-Vortex 3 Sleeveless USD$139 (u/p $300)
-Vortex 3 Full USD$189 (u/p $400)
-Vector Pro X Sleeveless USD$199 (u/p $400)
-Vector Pro X Full USD$299 (u/p $600)
-Vendetta USD$500 (u/p $750)
http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/products/mens/wetsuits/
First out of the water at OSIM Tri 2010 in my Velocity 0.02, all smiles!
Last year I was looking to buy a speedsuit to use for my races. I figured that over a long distance swim, the speed advantage of a speedsuit would be multiplied several times over. So I looked at the market, and there were sooo many options to choose from. My biggest problem was the sizing. Most companies offered their suits in the generic small medium large sizes, which gave me quite a headache as I'm considered tall for my weight, and I always found myself in between small and medium sizes.
Then I came upon Xterra's website (http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/), and was pleasantly surprised when I found that they offered their suits for those of us in between (small long, medium large, etc.) I emailed them for help regarding shipping to Singapore, and before I knew it, I got my speedsuit in the mail.
My first impression with the suit was awesome. It fit perfectly, and was flexible and I was able to put it on without too much hassle. One feature that I really liked was the breakaway zipper. Rather than having a string tied to the zip (which most companies use), all I had to do was lift it up, and I could open the suit up from behind. No more fiddling and trying to find a string while running towards transition!
I used to own a wetsuit whose brand also features an "X" in its name (go figure), and I hated swimming in it. The shoulders were too thick and inflexible, and I got tired swimming in it really quickly. When I got the chance, I purchased a Vortex 3 Fullsuit Wetsuit for my race in Clearwater, Florida, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The difference was instantly noticeable, as the really flexible shoulder section made me enjoy swimming in a wetsuit. I stopped getting tired really quickly during the swim, and came out of the 1.9km swim during the race in 30mins, a new PB!
Even though my speedsuit (Velocity 0.02) is now deemed illegal for WTC races, I still use it in the ones where it is not banned. However, I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new Velocity-M, now WTC-legal! It debuted during the Ironman World Champs last year in Kona, and if my past experiences with Xterra are any indication, this new swimskin should be awesomely wicked fast!
Read more about the Xterra Advantage here: http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/products/#advantage
For those who need a wetsuit or swimskin to kick off their 2011 season, use the coupon code SA-JMA when making your orders! This will give you the suits at the following great prices!
-Vortex 3 Sleeveless USD$139 (u/p $300)
-Vortex 3 Full USD$189 (u/p $400)
-Vector Pro X Sleeveless USD$199 (u/p $400)
-Vector Pro X Full USD$299 (u/p $600)
-Vendetta USD$500 (u/p $750)
http://www.xterrawetsuits.com/products/mens/wetsuits/
First out of the water at OSIM Tri 2010 in my Velocity 0.02, all smiles!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
NOLA I MISS YOU
Its been about a month since I got back to Singapore. But more significantly, its been that amount of time since I left New Orleans. And freaking hell I miss it.
Woke up one morning thinking that I'll do a 3 miler along the St Charles streetcar track. Then I realised that I was back in Singapore.
I miss the friendly strangers in the Crescent City, how you can strike up a conversation with people around.
I miss the St Car, going down the GORGEOUS St Charles, with the really nice architecture houses. Heck, I even miss the hugeass potholes.
I miss the beautiful campus of Tulane.
I miss Walmart. It has like, everything. And Whole Foods, one of my favourite haunts with its wide variety of food, the pizzas, the baked goods, all from wholesome ingredients!
I miss Magazine St. Away from the big malls and conventional shops, and a whole street that goes on for really really long of shop houses, each unique and different in their own way.
I miss going to the Lakeside, just watching the water on a nice sunny day...
I miss the French Quarter, how it comes alive at night, and the live jazz music there.
I miss watching the Saints games, at least during normal waking hours.
I'm gonna be missing a whole host of races. The Mardi Gras Marathon, the Crescent City Classic, the Pelicanman (no chance to defend my title), Barathon, The NOLA 70.3 IM.
I'm also gonna miss the Mardi Gras itself!!!
But most of all, I miss my friends. Those from the Papillon Apartment, the Chuangs, Diego my cycling buddy, the TU cycling team, the classmates I was just starting to get to know, and of course, the Varsity Sports crew!
Woke up one morning thinking that I'll do a 3 miler along the St Charles streetcar track. Then I realised that I was back in Singapore.
I miss the friendly strangers in the Crescent City, how you can strike up a conversation with people around.
I miss the St Car, going down the GORGEOUS St Charles, with the really nice architecture houses. Heck, I even miss the hugeass potholes.
I miss the beautiful campus of Tulane.
I miss Walmart. It has like, everything. And Whole Foods, one of my favourite haunts with its wide variety of food, the pizzas, the baked goods, all from wholesome ingredients!
I miss Magazine St. Away from the big malls and conventional shops, and a whole street that goes on for really really long of shop houses, each unique and different in their own way.
I miss going to the Lakeside, just watching the water on a nice sunny day...
I miss the French Quarter, how it comes alive at night, and the live jazz music there.
I miss watching the Saints games, at least during normal waking hours.
I'm gonna be missing a whole host of races. The Mardi Gras Marathon, the Crescent City Classic, the Pelicanman (no chance to defend my title), Barathon, The NOLA 70.3 IM.
I'm also gonna miss the Mardi Gras itself!!!
But most of all, I miss my friends. Those from the Papillon Apartment, the Chuangs, Diego my cycling buddy, the TU cycling team, the classmates I was just starting to get to know, and of course, the Varsity Sports crew!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
And packing is just the easiest part..
After hours of dumping, packing and cleaning, I am finally ready to move out of my apartment. Looking back, its been 4 of the best months I have ever had. Sure, I stupidly took THREE Level 600 (grauate level) classes, one supremely boring Philosophy class, and the worst ever cinema class, and the workload kinda killed me. BUT, I did everything I wanted to do here in the states, and I got more than what I bargained for, in the most positive of way.
I must admit, when I first got told that I was going to be sent to New Orleans for exchange, I was a little apprehensive. However, since I cant refuse the offer from my school in the choice of destination for my exchange, I decided to look on the bright side. The first day I got to New Orleans, it was storming. In fact, it stormed for the first two days I was there. And when the rained cleared up, it was hot, and humid. I was thinking "Aw crap, I came halfway around the world to get the same type of weather as Singapore."
But I soon got to experience the side of NOLA that most people who have not lived here get to know. The people, culture, and attitude of the city is amazing. Out of all the American cities I have visited so far (I have been to quite a number), the people in New Orleans are by far the most friendly and welcoming (with maybe the exception of Hawaii. But then again, its Hawaii) I never fail to get a smile and a greeting from people around, or on the streets. At first I was not really used to it, cause in Singapore people mostly keep to themselves, though I must say I like the attitude of the people here alot more.
And as the title of this note says, packing really is the easy part. Because I have got to know so many good friends here, and saying goodbye is the most painful and difficult bit. Within this short 4.5 months away from home, I really feel that I have taken root here in NOLA. They have all been so friendly and helpful to me, especially since I can't drive (I do walk alot though hahaha) and even though most of them were 'training partners' to me at first, they have become SOOOOOO much more. Mark Berger, Jessica (CONGRATS again!) Nic, Stacy, Dominic, Carolyn, Adam,Ann Elise, Lanie, Doug, Jenni, Mark Carter, Chrishelle, Carolina, Ashley, Gary, Nell, Fergus, Myles, Ryan (did i get everyone?) Thank YouS and I am going to miss you all on tuesday, thursday and saturdays!
farewell dinner at louisiana pizza kitchen
carolina and chrishelle after their beer mile
jessica and nick, BEFORE their beer mile
the lovebirds. definitely AFTER the beers
carolyn, jessica and i before ole man river half
hi ashley! one of our long saturday runs
mark, me, chrishelle, adam.
jenni! coach and friend!
lanie! schoolmate and running partner!
post ole man river
stacy. giving everyone else a chance by not running the race
these are the folks who made long runs and intervals really fun, and nothing better than hanging out after runs on thursdays!
then there are the people i ride with. at the pelicanman duathlon i got to know diego and friends. i then rode almost every week with diego, really such a kickass cyclist, and sometimes with steve who we both call a 'machine'.
long rides into the headwind, and avoiding stupid ass dogs, then running off the bike made up my sundays, then we would catch the saints games on tv at kona club or diego's place. thanks bro for everything.
of course, Tulane cycling, another fun group who i looked forward to ridin with on fridays and saturdays. rides into the headwind on the levee along the missisipi wiver, and the city rides where we explored the cresent city on our bikes. Jordan, Mike, Ric, Doug, Allie, Carlo, Alex, Randy. wishing u guys an awesome season ahead, with gatorade!
my sociology of education class gave me a chance to give back to the city as well. I tutored Tahj and Jariell on wednesdays on reading. It was a pleasure and I loved this two kids. Unfortunately on the lst day Tahj was too hyper and I didnt manage to get a photo with him. But here's the lovable Jariell
wishing her a future as bright as her smile!
then there are those who lived in the papillion with me. my best friend there, and my companion on tues and thurs morning 730am shuttle rides to school, katie! im really gonna miss hanging out with her!!! The others from the apartment include Pete (England), Carly (Ireland), Virginia, Carmen (both from Spain) and Franziska (Germany)
katie!
my classmates! Max (thanks for being my guide in NYC dude), Beau, Samantha, Miles, Chloe, Ellyn, Margot, Sabrina, Mia, Tina, Schuyler, Moira, Julie, Jilian, Gwen,Hank... (i definitely missed out some, but u all know who u are!)
then there is a family, not from NOLA, but still who have welcomed me and made me feel at home in Atlanta and Maryland. The Chuangs! Saying hi to Christine in the NUS pool was one of the best things I have done all year, and maybe my life.
thanksgiving at the chuangs'
christine and way joe here in NOLA with hand grenades!
Last but not least, my HK roomates Juno and (Gemma u spend so much time up here anyway) thanks for the company and friendship! hope i get to go back to HK soon to visit u guys
juno and gemma!
Thank you everyone for makin my experience in NOLA. Im gonna miss watching Saints games during normal daytime hours (im gonna have to wake up in the middle of the night to watch them in singapore), the street car, the buildings, the people, the food, the knowing that there is always something happening in New Orleans. I will come back one day, whether it be vacation or something else, but I will. And If anyone of u come to Singapore, do lemme know!
I must admit, when I first got told that I was going to be sent to New Orleans for exchange, I was a little apprehensive. However, since I cant refuse the offer from my school in the choice of destination for my exchange, I decided to look on the bright side. The first day I got to New Orleans, it was storming. In fact, it stormed for the first two days I was there. And when the rained cleared up, it was hot, and humid. I was thinking "Aw crap, I came halfway around the world to get the same type of weather as Singapore."
But I soon got to experience the side of NOLA that most people who have not lived here get to know. The people, culture, and attitude of the city is amazing. Out of all the American cities I have visited so far (I have been to quite a number), the people in New Orleans are by far the most friendly and welcoming (with maybe the exception of Hawaii. But then again, its Hawaii) I never fail to get a smile and a greeting from people around, or on the streets. At first I was not really used to it, cause in Singapore people mostly keep to themselves, though I must say I like the attitude of the people here alot more.
And as the title of this note says, packing really is the easy part. Because I have got to know so many good friends here, and saying goodbye is the most painful and difficult bit. Within this short 4.5 months away from home, I really feel that I have taken root here in NOLA. They have all been so friendly and helpful to me, especially since I can't drive (I do walk alot though hahaha) and even though most of them were 'training partners' to me at first, they have become SOOOOOO much more. Mark Berger, Jessica (CONGRATS again!) Nic, Stacy, Dominic, Carolyn, Adam,Ann Elise, Lanie, Doug, Jenni, Mark Carter, Chrishelle, Carolina, Ashley, Gary, Nell, Fergus, Myles, Ryan (did i get everyone?) Thank YouS and I am going to miss you all on tuesday, thursday and saturdays!
farewell dinner at louisiana pizza kitchen
carolina and chrishelle after their beer mile
jessica and nick, BEFORE their beer mile
the lovebirds. definitely AFTER the beers
carolyn, jessica and i before ole man river half
hi ashley! one of our long saturday runs
mark, me, chrishelle, adam.
jenni! coach and friend!
lanie! schoolmate and running partner!
post ole man river
stacy. giving everyone else a chance by not running the race
these are the folks who made long runs and intervals really fun, and nothing better than hanging out after runs on thursdays!
then there are the people i ride with. at the pelicanman duathlon i got to know diego and friends. i then rode almost every week with diego, really such a kickass cyclist, and sometimes with steve who we both call a 'machine'.
long rides into the headwind, and avoiding stupid ass dogs, then running off the bike made up my sundays, then we would catch the saints games on tv at kona club or diego's place. thanks bro for everything.
of course, Tulane cycling, another fun group who i looked forward to ridin with on fridays and saturdays. rides into the headwind on the levee along the missisipi wiver, and the city rides where we explored the cresent city on our bikes. Jordan, Mike, Ric, Doug, Allie, Carlo, Alex, Randy. wishing u guys an awesome season ahead, with gatorade!
my sociology of education class gave me a chance to give back to the city as well. I tutored Tahj and Jariell on wednesdays on reading. It was a pleasure and I loved this two kids. Unfortunately on the lst day Tahj was too hyper and I didnt manage to get a photo with him. But here's the lovable Jariell
wishing her a future as bright as her smile!
then there are those who lived in the papillion with me. my best friend there, and my companion on tues and thurs morning 730am shuttle rides to school, katie! im really gonna miss hanging out with her!!! The others from the apartment include Pete (England), Carly (Ireland), Virginia, Carmen (both from Spain) and Franziska (Germany)
katie!
my classmates! Max (thanks for being my guide in NYC dude), Beau, Samantha, Miles, Chloe, Ellyn, Margot, Sabrina, Mia, Tina, Schuyler, Moira, Julie, Jilian, Gwen,Hank... (i definitely missed out some, but u all know who u are!)
then there is a family, not from NOLA, but still who have welcomed me and made me feel at home in Atlanta and Maryland. The Chuangs! Saying hi to Christine in the NUS pool was one of the best things I have done all year, and maybe my life.
thanksgiving at the chuangs'
christine and way joe here in NOLA with hand grenades!
Last but not least, my HK roomates Juno and (Gemma u spend so much time up here anyway) thanks for the company and friendship! hope i get to go back to HK soon to visit u guys
juno and gemma!
Thank you everyone for makin my experience in NOLA. Im gonna miss watching Saints games during normal daytime hours (im gonna have to wake up in the middle of the night to watch them in singapore), the street car, the buildings, the people, the food, the knowing that there is always something happening in New Orleans. I will come back one day, whether it be vacation or something else, but I will. And If anyone of u come to Singapore, do lemme know!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Ironman 70.3 World Championship 2010 Clearwater
I dunno what it means when my blog entries are race reports. But since I'm finally blogging once again, I guess no one should complain.
Training for this race has definitely been different from all my previous races. I had to swim by myself in a 25 yard (as compared to a 50m) pool in school. Cycling was only done twice a week with Tulane cycling and the insane Diego and Steve aka the machine. Running was my one real focus, thanks to the Varsity Sports crew. And this being the World Championship, I knew that I was playing with the big boys in a whole different league. As such, I had very different expectations for this race than all my others. I had aimed to do this race since December last year, when I started the training for the Singapore 70.3 in order to qualify for the World Champs.
Woke up in the morning rather anxious to get down to transition to get all my stuff settled. After a usual oats breakfast and a pre-race banana, we headed down and did the usual preparations. We donned our wetsuits and did a little warm up. Thankfully the water was not as cold as I had expected it to be, and I was feeling a little nervous, but looking forward to FINALLY getting this race underway.
This was my first ever swim in a wetsuit during a race. I dreaded swimming in one because the last wetsuit I owned had such thick shoulders that I got tired very quickly in it. I sold that one off, and bought a second hand Xterra Vortex 3. It had such thin and flexible shoulders that I was able to swim with my normal stroke. Once the horn went off, I charged into the Gulf of Mexico with the rest of my 18-29 wave.
It was insane. I finally knew what it was like to be a middle-of-the-pack swimmer, getting grabbed, slapped, kicked and knocked about by everyone around me. I was pushing people aside as well, trying to get some clear space ahead of me so that I could swim unobstructed.
Near the first turn of the swim, I found myself in the middle of a very large pack swimming our way quickly through. We caught some of the slower swimmers from the earlier waves and kinda swallowed them up then spit them back out behind us. We were like the crazy washing machine from hell.
Got out of the water quickly and employed the quick service of the volunteers to help peel my wetsuit off. Got the bike gear, and mounted DD and it was time to hit the bike course!
Whoever said that Clearwater is a flat course was stupid. It was not hilly, but it was definitely not flat as well. There were a shitload of false flats, and as usual, headwind. Cycling in New Orleans has gotten me pretty used to the headwind around here, but the false flats were definitely something I had not been able to train for in the pancake/soup bowl-like city. Add to this the fact that I had to change my cassette just one week before the race, and was not used to a different cassette ratio. So I struggled to find my usual rythmn during the bike; I was either having to muscle the gears, or spin a bit more than usual.
There were also a shitload number of draft packs that formed up on the bike leg. I know it is not easy to maintain one;s distance on this course, but if I could do it, I do not see a reason why these guys couldnt. I guess they will have to live with the knowledge that they cheated during the world championships.
Anyway, back to me since this is my blog. My left glute started to cramp with 20km (12.5miles) on the bike left. I managed to grab a bottle of electrolytes from the aid station and drank it hoping that it will help with the cramps. Finally, I hit the Gulf to Bay Blvd, which was the homestretch. Up the bridge and down, and I was back in T2. By now, all the athletes from the earlier waves were already running the remaining half marathon.
I changed into my running gear and ran out of transition feeling really good. I found my running legs really quickly and settled into a nice rythmn early on. Then I hit the bridge.
The first half of the ascent was still good, but as I neared the top, my quads started to cramp. I pushed through, and it felt better on the flats. And since most of the time, what goes up must come down, I managed to find my leg speed again and was overtaking alot of people. It was quite a rush and I was happy with my new-found confidence on the run.
Having spent most of the year since last November with shin splints, an injury that had side-lined my running most of the time, it was like a new start for me. After about a year of seeking peofessional advice, icing, grass-running, and massages, I was finally able to run almost-carefree-ly. I felt happy, and relieved to be able to be "back".
Fespite the relative low humidity of Florida, the sun was still out, and I was losing salts faster than I had anticipated. Salt crystals were encrusting on my legs and suit, and I realised this only when I started cramping when running up the bridge again. I was grabbing coke and electrolyes at the aid stations to replenish what I was already almost empty on. Thank gdness that the run leg was an amazing one, and 21km (13.1 miles didnt seem that long).
On the last uphill I cramped bad, I took 10 steps walking, then started running again on the flat top of the bridge, charged downhill, and focused on making a fast return on the last 2km home. Despite my cramps threatening to cramp at any point, I forced myself to just keep pushing onward towards the finish. Hitting the finish line I thanked God for bringing me through an amazing day! Then I a wave of dizziness hit me and I almsot fell into the arms of a volunteer. The bottle of electrolytes they gave me saved me from collaspsing into a a spasm of cramps.
Richard finished shortly after me, while Ling Er made her comeback from her horrific car crash last year to complete as well, followed by Jocelyn and Norman, who had rough days but toughed it out to finish! Must thank them for being such gret travel companions, and the asisstance they gave when I needed it. Thanks also go to Ji Wen for being out one-man support crew, all the wellwishers in Singapore, and to Diego for being my personal bike coach and training buddy, the Tulane cycling team for the rides out on the levee, as well as the Varsity Sports crew for getting me back running and loving it! To Soon Watt for the equpiment support, and KPI for the Shotz electrolyte tablets (which I should have taken more of). Thank you!
Swim- 30:13
T1- 2:57
Bike- 2:32:15
T2- 2:25
Run- 1:38:59
Total- 4:46:49
Training for this race has definitely been different from all my previous races. I had to swim by myself in a 25 yard (as compared to a 50m) pool in school. Cycling was only done twice a week with Tulane cycling and the insane Diego and Steve aka the machine. Running was my one real focus, thanks to the Varsity Sports crew. And this being the World Championship, I knew that I was playing with the big boys in a whole different league. As such, I had very different expectations for this race than all my others. I had aimed to do this race since December last year, when I started the training for the Singapore 70.3 in order to qualify for the World Champs.
Woke up in the morning rather anxious to get down to transition to get all my stuff settled. After a usual oats breakfast and a pre-race banana, we headed down and did the usual preparations. We donned our wetsuits and did a little warm up. Thankfully the water was not as cold as I had expected it to be, and I was feeling a little nervous, but looking forward to FINALLY getting this race underway.
This was my first ever swim in a wetsuit during a race. I dreaded swimming in one because the last wetsuit I owned had such thick shoulders that I got tired very quickly in it. I sold that one off, and bought a second hand Xterra Vortex 3. It had such thin and flexible shoulders that I was able to swim with my normal stroke. Once the horn went off, I charged into the Gulf of Mexico with the rest of my 18-29 wave.
It was insane. I finally knew what it was like to be a middle-of-the-pack swimmer, getting grabbed, slapped, kicked and knocked about by everyone around me. I was pushing people aside as well, trying to get some clear space ahead of me so that I could swim unobstructed.
Near the first turn of the swim, I found myself in the middle of a very large pack swimming our way quickly through. We caught some of the slower swimmers from the earlier waves and kinda swallowed them up then spit them back out behind us. We were like the crazy washing machine from hell.
Got out of the water quickly and employed the quick service of the volunteers to help peel my wetsuit off. Got the bike gear, and mounted DD and it was time to hit the bike course!
Whoever said that Clearwater is a flat course was stupid. It was not hilly, but it was definitely not flat as well. There were a shitload of false flats, and as usual, headwind. Cycling in New Orleans has gotten me pretty used to the headwind around here, but the false flats were definitely something I had not been able to train for in the pancake/soup bowl-like city. Add to this the fact that I had to change my cassette just one week before the race, and was not used to a different cassette ratio. So I struggled to find my usual rythmn during the bike; I was either having to muscle the gears, or spin a bit more than usual.
There were also a shitload number of draft packs that formed up on the bike leg. I know it is not easy to maintain one;s distance on this course, but if I could do it, I do not see a reason why these guys couldnt. I guess they will have to live with the knowledge that they cheated during the world championships.
Anyway, back to me since this is my blog. My left glute started to cramp with 20km (12.5miles) on the bike left. I managed to grab a bottle of electrolytes from the aid station and drank it hoping that it will help with the cramps. Finally, I hit the Gulf to Bay Blvd, which was the homestretch. Up the bridge and down, and I was back in T2. By now, all the athletes from the earlier waves were already running the remaining half marathon.
I changed into my running gear and ran out of transition feeling really good. I found my running legs really quickly and settled into a nice rythmn early on. Then I hit the bridge.
The first half of the ascent was still good, but as I neared the top, my quads started to cramp. I pushed through, and it felt better on the flats. And since most of the time, what goes up must come down, I managed to find my leg speed again and was overtaking alot of people. It was quite a rush and I was happy with my new-found confidence on the run.
Having spent most of the year since last November with shin splints, an injury that had side-lined my running most of the time, it was like a new start for me. After about a year of seeking peofessional advice, icing, grass-running, and massages, I was finally able to run almost-carefree-ly. I felt happy, and relieved to be able to be "back".
Fespite the relative low humidity of Florida, the sun was still out, and I was losing salts faster than I had anticipated. Salt crystals were encrusting on my legs and suit, and I realised this only when I started cramping when running up the bridge again. I was grabbing coke and electrolyes at the aid stations to replenish what I was already almost empty on. Thank gdness that the run leg was an amazing one, and 21km (13.1 miles didnt seem that long).
On the last uphill I cramped bad, I took 10 steps walking, then started running again on the flat top of the bridge, charged downhill, and focused on making a fast return on the last 2km home. Despite my cramps threatening to cramp at any point, I forced myself to just keep pushing onward towards the finish. Hitting the finish line I thanked God for bringing me through an amazing day! Then I a wave of dizziness hit me and I almsot fell into the arms of a volunteer. The bottle of electrolytes they gave me saved me from collaspsing into a a spasm of cramps.
Richard finished shortly after me, while Ling Er made her comeback from her horrific car crash last year to complete as well, followed by Jocelyn and Norman, who had rough days but toughed it out to finish! Must thank them for being such gret travel companions, and the asisstance they gave when I needed it. Thanks also go to Ji Wen for being out one-man support crew, all the wellwishers in Singapore, and to Diego for being my personal bike coach and training buddy, the Tulane cycling team for the rides out on the levee, as well as the Varsity Sports crew for getting me back running and loving it! To Soon Watt for the equpiment support, and KPI for the Shotz electrolyte tablets (which I should have taken more of). Thank you!
Swim- 30:13
T1- 2:57
Bike- 2:32:15
T2- 2:25
Run- 1:38:59
Total- 4:46:49
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