Ironman 70.3 Vietnam 2016

One year on from my first half-ironman, the butterflies in the stomach have mostly flown away, replaced by expectations. Last year I was just hoping to finish in one piece, and I came in at 6:22hr.

Team TriEdge on the day before the race

This year, I had set myself a target time of <6 hrs. Just to be clear, for those unfamiliar with finishing times for half-Ironman triathlons, this isn’t a time that even remotely challenges podium winners. In fact, they are almost done with their run by the time I set off on my run leg. (This year’s winner finished in 3:54hr!)

SWIM

Compared to Putrajaya where everyone seemed to have been funneled into a mass orgy in the water, there was a relatively wide berth for swimmers. But sighting became an issue without any tall buoys used as turn markers at the far ends of the course. I ended up trying to swim behind whichever feet I could find. Also, found myself being pushed into the ropes more than I liked, and getting back out into open water was a bit of a pain. Ended up with a 37+ min swim, which was about 1:30min quicker than last year, and there was no Roka speedsuit this year.

Into T1…

T1

Long run in to T1. I had the shoes already clipped in, so it felt like I hardly had anything to do apart from getting the helmet and sunnies on before getting the bike out.

Bike

I felt my inner knee/lower thighs starting to burn quite early in the ride, and that wasn’t something I was expecting. About 5km out, I knew something was wrong. I was sitting more upright than normal. I looked down at my seat and saw that the marking I had made to indicate the right seat post height could not be seen.

My seat post had sunk. 😦

This means that you’re riding in a position that doesn’t allow for you to use all the muscles you’re supposed to be employing.  Knowing that Coach Mike would be out on the bike course, I was hoping he would have an Allen key with him. Still, it wasn’t too bad as I managed to push 33-35 on some stretches, and even started wondering if I should bother with the seat adjustment. But I told myself that even if I managed to push hard now, this less-than-ideal position would mean sapping strength from my legs, and I would be suffering (even more) on the run.

That sinking feeling. Literally.

Turns out Coach Mike didn’t have the tools with him anyway, so I pushed on.The last 20km on the bike was as painful as I remembered last year with the crosswinds, and the low seat certainly didn’t help. A slightly modified course meant that at least we had a tailwind on the last 6km, which was a nice morale booster. Finished in 2:57hr, just over 10 min quicker than last year. I’d like to think I would have gone quicker without my seat fiasco! After the race, I found that the seat post had gone down by an inch.

LESSON: bring the damn tools!

T2

This was a big downer last year -Going out and seeing most bikes still racked in T1, but coming back in T2 and seeing most bikes back already. This year, not so many were back. by the time I came in. 😉  Not much else to say after I decided to go with a semi-new pair of shoes and run sock-less.

RUN

The first 5km was relatively ok, coming in under 30 min. But each km gradually got tougher, and I was eventually overtaken by my team mate Filippo. Happy for him, but it pretty much confirmed my pace was slipping. I was losing hope that I would crack the 6hr target, but I didn’t bother to do the math. Just wanted to finish as close to the 2 hour mark as possible for the run and hope for the best. Coach Mike shouted at me not to think about everything else earlier on, and focus on what’s ahead. VERY USEFUL ADVICE. Just tried to keep my eye on Filippo and the size of the gap when he U-turned. The 10-15km mark was relatively uneventful, and I was actually waiting to be caught by my other team mates at some point but it didn’t happen.

Trying to hail a cab. (I’m only half-joking)

Later I realised how much they had to deal with (Regis with a badly stubbed and swollen toe and Philippe with severe food poisoning) and still finished their race! I tried to step up the pace somewhere after 15km, but the gear just didn’t seem to click. Once I got to about 4km to go, the strength started to come back. Not sure if it was because I consciously tried to take less stuff at the aid stations in the last few km? I found I could kick harder and eventually overtook Filippo, who had slowed down. Got over the line, looked down at the watch. Run: 2:10hr (17 min quicker than last year)

Total time: 5:52hr. Mission accomplished.

With Filippo, who helped pull me forward in the last 3km, and placed 4th in his age group!

Special thanks to Coaches Scott and Mike for all the advice and coaching, and all the members of the TriEdge family for the encouragement! As they say here in Singapore, “Semangat“. 😉 Go google it, you know you want to!

(All images here by Michael Lyons and Gladys Kwok)

Metasprint Triathlon 2016

This was a bit of a mess, coming after 1.5 days of a major event launch at work plus the onset of flu. Thankfully, I woke up on Sunday morning feeling relatively ok. Thing about racing after/during illness is you’re not exactly sure how hard to push, especially with the big race just around the corner – Danang is less than a month away.

Credit to Jaime K for the pic!

 Swim: I decided to take things relatively easy, and not push too hard. Unfortunately the swim was a nasty one. There was some contact in the swim, some gulps of salt water during unfortunately-timed breaths, water in the goggles and I started hyperventilating. Wasn’t sure if the flu had anything to do with it, but severe self-doubt crept in. Was really tempted to call it a day, and had to stop to tread water for a bit before restarting. I also underestimated the strength of the tide, and how important positioning was. Could have just started way to the right of the course for the current to push you back on target. Ended up on the ropes at one point and having to push through bodies to get free of the tangle, then having to swim an arc for being pushed too far out on the last leg. Lesson: Visualise the path you’re going to swim, and where you want to be in the pack. Even if it’s just a easy race. Sight more, don’t count on following the guys ahead. They might be lost too.

T1: Something new I tried was having the shoes already on the bike, which made it really feel like I hardly spent any time in transition at all. No flying mount, but some time saved already. Lesson: Have the velcro on the shoe partially done. Having the shoe completely unstrapped makes it difficult to locate the end of the strap.

Bike: Fairly uneventful, and didn’t have that many people overtake me. Might be psychological, but my legs are feeling less used to the road bike position now. I could however, pretty much stay on the drops the entire way. Maybe time to move on to a more aggressive fit for the road bike?  Unfortunately I had no idea how fast or slow I was going thanks to a Garmin cock-up that I didn’t want to spend time meddling with lest I crash. Ended up with a 31+kmh average, which still sucks. Lesson: Get used to the handling on the TT bike and stick with it. Learn to screw with the garmin while moving(??)

T2: Silly thing is I somehow came off my bike and had the rear tyre rub my shin, taking off some skin with it. Didn’t realise it until I started running that I felt bit of a sting. Re-racking issue with my bike falling off the bar twice. Like WTF? Lesson: Practise the dismount. a lot.

Run: Coach Mike asked my how I felt was I was heading out. Didn’t know what to say, but I wasn’t comfortable so I just shrugged. Relatively slow 1st loop at 5:20 – 6:00min/km pace, but gradually built till I was on 4:10min/km for a 4:53min/km average. Lesson: Apparently my racing shoes suck, says the podiatrist form myFootDr. Hmmm.

So am I happy with the result? Hmm… Can’t really say? Feeling a cough coming on though. That, I’m not happy with.

DNG #40: Coach Class

Going into a race like Danang, you see all sorts of people taking part. Ranging from the seasoned professionals, to those who make you worry for their well-being. Seriously, you risk doing some real damage to your body if you’ve not conditioned yourself prior to the event. I’ve mentioned my emphasis on getting the right coaching before, and it’s on raceday when you see everything come together.

Coaches Scott (left) and Michael

It’s been just under a year since I joined my first triathlon. Safe to say I would never have  trained as hard had I not been given the right instructions and structured programme to follow. The tips along the way have also helped move me along the learning curve much faster than if I relied on trial & error, and the internetz. (FYI, the internetz is full of idiots with half-baked theories and potentially dangerous advice)

So this post is for you TriEdge Coaches Mike n Scott. Also to Coach Vargin who shared some killer tips that have made a real difference…  At least to me! Thanks for pushing us hard and looking forward to many more PBs.

Coach Mike in the back doing a Ray Charles impression

DNG #39: T2 + The Run

Hopped off the bike knowing the legs would be jelly. True enough, I stumbled a bit and stepped on my front wheel, not knowing till the next day that I broke the valve in the process. Ran with the bike back into transition only to realise that a whole motherload of bikes had come in, almost like what I saw when was there during T1. 😦 It was depressing.

Still, I was hoping to make up time on the run. I did, but it was a slow, painful process.

Slowly increased the cadence and stride in the first couple of km

The inner quads were hurting like I feared, but after the first 2 hydration points, I found that the ice down the shorts and electrolyte really helped. I managed 6 – 6.30min/km pace leading up to the 10km mark, and even thought I might be able to push harder on the way back.

But rounding the 10km mark, I felt the pain coming back on, and sometimes even hurting more. The pace dropped, and I ended up dropping to 7 – 8min/km pace, especially in the last 5 km or so. What I was thankful for that did not come up at all, was the killer pain that comes on the outside of my knees at each Stanchart Marathon. Given the ultra-flat Danang course, I’m quite certain that the knee pains were a result of the hilly Stanchart 21km course.

Nutrition wise, I was religiously downing 2 cups of electrolyte and shoving ice down my pants at each aid station. Sponges too whenever I saw them. Still, I didn’t really feel like I could down another gel without potentially throwing up, so had only 1 gel on the way up and half a banana on the way back.

Lesson: Forcefeed myself. If I throw up, pray there are no cameras around.

The end in sight...

I had hoped that there might have been a chance to come in under 6hrs, and if I had been able to put in a better performance on the bike, I’m definitely sure that I would have at least come close. All that pain that came with the bike leg carried into the run, screwed up any chance of putting in a run that would clock in close to 2 hours. 

Done. Dusted. Next pls!

Overall, it’s been a great experience preparing for the race. Not sure if I can keep up the same level of training though. Definitely know there are minutes to be lopped off the next time around.

DNG #37: The Swim

The race is finally over, and now it’s time to sit back and reflect. Being a rather long race, I  thought to break my report into parts rather than ramble on, and on… And on. So here goes the first bit.

Coach Scott giving some tips on start strategy

When it comes to triathlon starts, I’ve been quite the chicken and started to the back and wide. For a change, I wasn’t too far off the front. In fact I think I was just behind the front row, but slightly wide on the right. Right off the start, I think I kept pace because I didn’t feel much happening beside nor bodies climbing over me. Midway to the first buoy though, I started hyperventilating.  Had to try to slow down the breathing and exhale properly, else nothing would be going in.

Did a bit of breath stroking which helped, then carried on as per plan. Rest of the swim was less eventful, except for groups that seemed to hover at my feet, then did a combo of slaps on the back of the head followed by elbows to the face. Irritating, but not life-threatening. On hindsight, probably could have pushed harder in the water, but was worried about busting the legs if I pushed too hard. Got out of the water and saw Roro a few metres ahead. On to T1!

DNG #36: Game on

Time to get my ass to the startline. And check out the new tattoos.

It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day too. 1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21km run

See you at the finish!

DNG #35: Tracking the Ironmen

Less than 8 hours away till race start.

Had a long nap this afternoon and a relaxing massage, so I’m still up now at 10.41pm and fiddling with stuff.

No supporters here, so here’s an unused supporter sticker.

Thought to let everyone know that they can track the progress of all participants tomorrow.

If you have nothing better to do, or are just kaypo, you can track my progress either by
1) the official ironman website
2) downloading the IM Trackr app (iOS and Android)

My bib number: 314 (coincidentally relevant to my history with the game of pool, as my pool khakis would know)

Like my (newly-shaved) aerodynamic calves?

Might be my last post before the race, so wish me luck!

DNG #31: Triathlon packing checklist

It’s been a quiet few days here, but IRL it’s been a little more busy trying to get last-minute things sorted before the race that’s happening …. in 3 DAYS!? Where did the time go…??

Typing this at Changi Airport, waiting for my flight to Ho Chi Minh city, where I connect to DANANG!

20+++kg of gear

I’m usually one to travel light, so the logistics of a triathlon are a bit overwhelming. The bike alone, I had to have help from Coach Mike to break down and get it inside the huge-a$$ box (another courtesy clearance sale from Aylwin!).

Anyway, put together a list for future reference derived from an even longer one that Aylwin shared. It’s a long list… and there would have been even more stuff had this race been in a temperate region! *shudder*

Race day
– Tri top
– Tri bottom
– sunblock
– watch
– transition bag
– 3x bottles
– 10x gels
– electrolyte tablets
– goggles
– vaseline
– speedsuit
– towel
– race number belt
– bike
– 2x wheels
– seat post + seat
– helmet
– bike shoes
– bike lights
– lubricant
– running shoes
– socks
– visor
– sunglasses
– towel

Others
– Passport!
– mobile phone
– SIM card(s)
– $$$, credit card(s)
– charging cables
– bike pump
– electrical tape
– camera
– slippers
– moisturiser
– shampoo/conditioner/soap
– toothbrush+toothpaste
– X sets of clothes & underwear
– jacket
– contact lenses / spectacles
– entertainment (music, headphones, speakers, laptop)
– tools (allen keys!)
– rags

Ok… Time to board.

DNG #22: Taking stock

When I did my first triathlon back in September last year, I thought I’d be happy just completing it. And I was. But what I was even happier with, was that I finished in the top half.

Newbie alert!

Fast forward to today, and I’m wondering what targets I should set for myself for the upcoming Danang race. If you asked me back in September whether I should even be attempting a half-ironman, I’d probably be extremely doubtful. Now, I’m thinking of what times I should target.

Recently though, I seem to be struggling at times in the pool. And my cycling seems to be stuck in a rut. The run, my biggest weakness when I started, is now where I’ve shown the most improvement. It’s all quite depressing and thrilling.

15% less newbie?

Coach Scott reminded me of the 15% improvement I’ve clocked over the sprint distance, and how it’d translate if it were in any other part of your life. Imagine 15% more sleep, 15% more time, 15% more pay! That is substantial.

And most importantly, I need to remind myself  to enjoy the ride. I’m not gunning for a podium spot, and I don’t have sponsors to please. It’s time to enjoy how far I’ve come in 7 months. To do that, here’s to the Raj man who showed me how to finish a triathlon in style.

The Raj breaks out the dance moves before crossing the finish

DNG #21: A day in the life of…

Sorry for the hiatus, folks. It’s been a trying time. I know I’m quite far behind now, but I’ve also got quite a few half written posts in the drafts folder so you might start seeing a few double header days soon…

Anyway, one of the questions I’ve been getting a lot of is “what training is like?”, and “do you train every day”. To answer these questions, here’s what a week typically looks like:

Monday: 75 min swim
Tuesday: Turbo Trainer class
Wednesday: 90 min lunchtime run*, 75 min swim
Thursday: Morning bike ride on Mount Faber
Friday: spare day* / off day
Saturday: Macritchie run
Sunday: Long bike ride (about 100km)

All the sessions, with the exception of the ones with the asterisk*, are group sessions. This means you don’t suffer alone. And if you’re feeling up to it, have some other people to compete against.

Rodrigo (faking heart attack) horsing around after another Macritchie run

This is really important because you’ll be amazed how much harder you can push yourself when there are others around you pushing as hard, if not harder.

And there are the coaches – Mike and Scott – too. They spot mistakes, and show you how to improve. Not something that watching YouTube videos will do!