Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya 2015 - Against All Odds

My journey to triathlon started in September 2013 when I first did a mini in Cold Storage Singapore International Triathlon 2013. Fast forward to April 2015, I completed my first Ironman 70.3 in Putrajaya. So much thoughts going through my head and this would probably take me a few posts to complete my journal.

First the RACE.

Even though 8 hours was not a timing that I should boast about, but I was proud that in the midst of all that went wrong, I survived 8hrs of gruelling heat, pain and managed to cross the line :) Ironman is not a race against others, it's a race against self. More than the physical abilities, it was the mental struggles and odds that I had to fight with.

- 3 weeks before the race, one of my team mates met with a freak accident during a bike training. She had to undergo a spinal cord operation and is still undergoing rehabilitation at the hospital. Her husband had to forgo the race to take care of her.
- 1 week before the race, another friend was hit by a car during a taper ride. He suffered a shoulder blade fracture and had to give up on the race.
- 2 days before the race, my period came... Well, kind of expected, but I was hoping that the stress I was facing would delay it till after Sunday.
- My Garmin 910 went dead on the morning of the race! WHY??? Till today, I do not know... It was charged in the morning.
- Thinking that it was flat, we made a calculated risk to U-turn to pick up the charger for a quick charge in the car. We ended up with only 15mins to set up our transition, including pumping our tires.
- Garmin was at 58%. But when I reached the swim start, the battery was flat... I thought time to upgrade :( However, I charged it after the race....and it is WORKING now... Sigh, Murphy's Law.
- After the first turn out from the transition area, I hit my aero bottle and dropped it. Bottle broke and I can only rely on my electrolyte drink. Had to grab a bottle at every aid station for a quick drink.
- I wanted to avoid another female cyclist at an U-turn, I crashed into a metal barricade.
- Was careful not to push myself too hard on the bike so that I can save my legs for the run. Cramp hit on the first run loop... Time to relook on the diet.
- Many had warned me about the blazing sun... But it did not prepare me for how HOT it turned out to be... No shades, humid and HOT HOT HOT! I was burnt badly...

In the midst of the odds, there were much to be thankful for!

- Left with only 1 team mate, we had a smooth drive up to Putrajaya. No major jam at the customs.
- 2 people, 2 bikes. 1 car. Perfect combination.
- Period came but there was no cramps.
- I met Craig Alexander, the legend of Ironman. Scored a pic with him.

- Garmin 910 went dead and I remembered I had a friend who came as a supporter. Managed to see him at the swim start. He was an angel! Without hesitation, he willingly offered his Garmin 920 to me.
- On the first loop, someone saw me cramping and offered me his electrolyte drink. He mentioned that it was those that doctor prescribed for dehydrated patient. He was walking and I could see that he was also in pain. But he willingly gave me one and even advised me to sip it down slowly.
- On my second run loop, saw a guy walking. Asked if he was ok. He asked if I had a salt capsule. I gave him my 2nd last one.
- Medic and volunteers at the aid stations were very supportive and helpful.
- Made many new friends of the same passion.
- Last but not least, LOVE the finisher towel! Didn't expect that :)

 

Thank you Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya for a memorable first race. I've been "stamped" by the IM mark :)

 

 

Preparing For Your First Triathlon

Lately some people asked me how to prepare for their first triathlon. I am not an expert; but I thought I can share my own experience.

I participated in my first tri event in 2013. I signed up for Mini-tri in Cold Storage Singapore International Triathlon 2013. 200m Swim 10km Bike 2km Run.

 

As I had no prior open sea experience, I signed up for the Open Water Swim and Triathlon Practice Clinics by MetaSport. We were taught a little on open water comfort, exit and sighting, race pacing, pace and endurance skills. For Tri Practice Clinics, we did mini triathlon race repeats over short distances including transitions, coaching on multi discipline pacing and technique, including race preparation. These sessions were the best I could find to prepare me for the event. Of course, I googled and watched YouTube videos :)

 

If you are preparing for your first tri, these are some questions you will ask...

- What do I wear?

- What equipment do I need?

- How should I prepare for the race?

 

First of all, decide on the distances that you want to race in... Read more about How I Choose My Races in the earlier post.

 

Triathlon can be an expensive sports.... My advice would be not to invest heavily into this sports until you are ready to go further with it... For the first race, you can actually make do with a lot of "what you already have"...

 

What Do I Wear?

 

Wear something that can transit you from swim to cycle to run... My suggestion for ladies; wear your current swim wear. And if you have a cycling tights, you can wear it over your swim wear during the swim. After your swim, you can either cycling in your swim wear and tights or throw over your running tee and cycle. Make sure the running tee is dri-fit material so that it will not cling to your body.

 

 

A trisuit may not cheap... Do not jump into buying one if you are not going to wear it for a few races :)

 

As for the guys, you can just swim topless in your tights. Throw over a tee for bike and run... Simple :)

 

What Equipment Do I Need?

 

Swim:

- Goggles (Use existing goggles. Make sure it doesn't fog)

- Swimming Cap (You have to wear the one provided by the Organizer)

 

Bike

- Bike (If you are not ready to invest in a bike, you can always borrow from a friend or rent from a bike shop. Otherwise a budget friendly brand to consider would be Polygon or maybe Merida. Both give you a decent road bike without breaking your bank account too much. Visit Rodalink for Polygon and Hup Leong for Merida. Both are reliable bike shops. I have good experiences with both the shops. However, if you are ready to invest on something of a higher end, there are many options to suit every budget :))

- Helmet (This is a MUST. Again, the price ranges from below $50 to a few hundreds of dollars. You can also borrow or rent if you intend to borrow or rent a bike)

- Shoes (If you are not on cleats, then cycle in your running shoes. Otherwise use your current cycling shoes)

- Gloves (Optional. In fact it would be a waste of time to put them on during a race)

- Shades (Optional)

- Race belt (Optional. It's for displaying of your number bib during cycling and run. However, you can also pin the number bib directly unto your running tee. It's also not expensive if you decide to buy one)

 

Run

- Running Shoes (Use your current running shoes)

- Visor (Optional)

- Shades (Optional)

 

How Should I Prepare For The Race?

 

- Sign up for the clinics to prepare yourself. Especially the Open Water Swim and Transition Practice clinics.

 

Can I swim in other strokes; other than freestyle? Yes! Some breaststroke swimmers actually swim faster than the freestyle swimmers :) As there are no cut-off timings, work towards completing the course.

 

- Watch some useful YouTube videos on setting up your transition area. Search for "triathlon transition".

 

- Talk to someone that has done it before you.

 

- Go out and start moving :)

 

Have fun and Happy "tri"-ing! 

TRI-Factor Triathlon 2014

Finally did my last race for the TRI-Factor Series, which consisted of 4 races.

TRI-Factor Swim 1.5 km
TRI-Factor Bike 40 km
TRI-Factor Run 10.5 km
TRI-Factor Triathlon Swim 750 m, Bike 18 km, Run 5 km

Besides cycling for 40 km, there were many "first time" for me.

First time swimming 1.5 km in the open sea. And I did breaststroke... *faintz*
First time running 10.5 km. Good thing I had prior training to prepare for the run.
First time doing Sprint Distance in Triathlon.
First time swimming 750 m freestyle in open sea. Thanks to the open sea training from "Master G".

Part of the fun about triathlon was the setting up of your transition area. Even though there is a recommended way to place your gear, it always boil down to personal preference. Everything needs to be in proper order so that every transition runs like clock-work. I've seen cyclist wearing his helmet the wrong way during transition. This morning, I saw a runner, running with his cycling helmet in his hand. I think he must have forgotten to remove his helmet during the transition :)

I first met Abdul Alim in UBS Cycle the F1 Circuit last year. Met him again this morning at the Tri event. Such an inspiration! There's no reason not to "Tri" - (try)

A friend, who came to support to her husband, caught me at the finishing line. What a surprise to receive this picture after the race :)

Did my first triathlon in September last year. So much has changed in a year. I am glad I embarked on this journey to livestrong.livehealthy :) No regrets!

The race will not be complete without a posed pic in front of the finishing line :)

So TA-DA! The puzzle is now complete! Was told that the first 500 registrants for the series will receive a personalized round medal top fit into the middle. And the cyclists who have completed the Series will receive a cycling jersey from Quickspeed. Looking forward to receive them (if I qualify).

Gonna rest now... 2 more races to complete before the year end.

Ride for Rainbows in October (100 km charity bike ride)
Great Eastern Women's Run 2014 in November (21km half marathon)

I.AM.A.TRIATHLETE.

I can swim.

I can cycle.

I can run.

Last September, my friend invited me to participate in the Cold Storage Singapore International Triathlon 2013.

I can swim.

I can cycle.

I can run.

I thought why not? Sounds fun. I signed up for the easiest category - Mini Open Women Category.

First of all, I had to overcome my fear of swimming in the open sea. Going for a cruise had never been my idea of a holiday. Blame it on the movie "Jaws". Blame it on "Titanic". But I never liked the idea of not being able to touch the floor or not knowing what is floating around my legs... 

On the day of my open water trial, the waves were cruel. I was the first gal in the pic. The waves kept coming into my face. The salt water I swallowed would have been enough to cure any throat infection. We had to swim towards the buoy and turned back after touching it. I felt like I was going to touch the ships...

When I received my number bib - "2013"; I knew that it was going to be a good race. On the day of the race, the sea was calm. Weather was good. I was feeling very high! I repeated the YouTube videos I've watched to prepare myself for the race, over and over again in my mind. Set up my transition the way I saw in the video.

No cleats. No race belt. No tri-suit. No competitors. My goal was to overcome my fear and to stretch my physical abilities.

I swam 200m.

I cycled 10km.

I ran 2km.

Who cares if it was only a mini category... And it didn't matter how slow or fast I was.

"I.AM.A.TRIATHLETE." and it was only the beginning :)

Since then, I have participated in...
- OCBC Cycle Malaysia 2014
- OCBC Cycle Singapore 2014
- Aquathlon (swim+run) by MetaSprint Series Singapore
- Duathlon (run+bike+run) by MetaSprint Series Singapore
- Triathlon (swim+bike+run) by MetaSprint Series Singapore

I am looking forward to my next series of races where I would be moving from mini category to sprint category. Watch this space for my race updates.