History Made?... ...

Finally, I'd decided to do up this report, as that I think that I owe myself for that much. Hope that the Lazy Bugs won't get to me before I finish up here...

Here it goes...

12/7/2009 - Port Dickson International Triathlon 2009, it was my 1st ever Triathlon race. I was very nervous about it. I'd already started to feel the excited since 2 weeks back & counting down to the date where I make my own history (Bobby's History) to remember by. The excitement & also the anxiety feelings are all mixed up, I'm happy & excited, & at the same time worried about can I complete the race? For some reasons that worries me... Hmm... ... ...

11/7/2009 - Travel day.
Woke up 8am (Slept 1230 the night before, after a movie & also some "tong shui"@ SS2 with Lydia, Bernard & Jacqueline) & only took me 15mins to pack all my clothes, racing gears, water, money & even my bike in my car. Drove out of home @ 9am sharp & cruise to Lydia's house to pick up Jacqueline.

After picking Jacqueline up, without Lydia, we cruise off to PD @ exactly 930am. Drove an easy 1hrs 30mins to PD, while stopping for petrol, candies & toilet breaks, by almost 11am, PD, destination reached. Admiral Cove was the race venue, collected bibs, goofed around with the Organizers, Quick-sports & TYR. & then off me & jac went for a quick lunch & checked-in to the hotel Lydia booked. For RM80 per night for a 1 room apartment, IT IS A GREAT DEAL!!!

Get settled down & the rushed off to Admiral Cove @ 3pm for Jacqueline's Sprint Triathlon, 750m swim, 20km bike & 5km run. It start @ the worst time ever, 4pm in the evening. After almost 2 hrs of wait, Jac finally manage to complete her 1st even sprint. (Oh, forgot about Lydia, she reached PD before the Sprint race starts & join Patrick on a Kayak to "disturb"the Sprint Triathletes). After Jac completed her race, we went for dinner @ Admiral Cove, supplied by the organizers (Heck, we pay for it), Carbo Loading Dinner. Food was okay & then come Briefing. 1st time listening to Uncle Chan's briefing for the OD. Weird feeling but I get what he means, & the off we went back to hotel & rest.

12/7/2009 - Race Day.
Unfortunately, for me when the clock hits midnight, my phone rang. I was telling myself in my blurry sleep, "CRAP!! Someone Called!!"(honestly I was cursing left & right about it). I ignored it for about 6 times, then it stopped ringing & I finally get to sleep @ God knows what time. But the next thing I know, my phone alarm went off. 545am. Time to wake up. But I tell myself, heck 15mins more, & then I'll get up. Wash-up & also get myself clear with the usual morning business & also not to forget to wake up the Jac & Lydia. Then prep with all the gears & off we went to the race course.

However, in this wonderful day, the sky decides to rain & make my warm-up cycling session from hotel to race course quite insanely wet & freezing cold, especially when the cross wind blowing hard & I'm riding head on. Yet it was a great 2km bike ride or some spins & warm-ups. less than 5 mins, there, I see the race course & also my transition area & the number tag that is being allocated to me. Had some breakfast courtesy frm Powerbar, get body marked & also decided to go in of the sea with only my tri-pants, swimming goggles & the events' swimming cap.

The Swim...

The swim does not concerns me much, just that I'm worried about Jellyfish rather that get kicked on the face for the swim. But the waves are really hard & tough to attack, as that the condition was really rough, some of them said that it was Desaru's Swim x3, as waves are really the killer!! 1st time ever 1.5km swim was all so ever long lasting, it swim was like endless, as that I do not have anything in front or beside me to tell me how long I'd swam & how long more to go.

After 37mins, I'm are the shore!! I'd survived, & thank God that after my 1st ever open water swim,I'd completed the swim, with only dirty sea water in my stomach (No Jellyfish). But the weirdest part is that I'd cramps on both of my hamstring after the bloody ROUGH open sea swim @ 1.5km, just before I get out of the sea. But it was not a serious one, manage to flex it off & got out of the sea & ran all the way to the transition area & prep for the 2nd league, the Bike. But the cramping part was really the werid part. Hmm...

When I was preparing myself for the bike, I can still feel the strain from the cramp & also the spiked up heart rate (the dash after the swim to the transition area) I think that I'm over confident on my swim & I'd fail to train properly in my swimming discipline. (ROGER YEE KICKED MY ARSE ON THE SWIM WITH BREAST-STROKE!!!) I was kind of disappointed on my swim & I strongly believe that I can do much much better in the swim, regardless the condition. Back to the drawing board for my swim!! Drills, Speed & Power trainings & even long distances. 3 times a week should be sufficient, I hope...

The Bike...

Once prep'ed for the bike, I'm still struggling to get my heart rate down for abit, as that it is still pounding & giving me a hard time. I was able to sprint for about 2km flat out, then I'm done!! CRAP!!! Struggling to maintain my bike speed for flats & at least 35kmph & climb at least @ 28kmph. It is just plain MURDER TO ME!! I started with the bike with like such a small amount of people, roughly about 50 participants ahead of me, but because that I could not maintain my pace, I GOT OVERTAKEN!!! AT LEAST MORE THAN 60++ PARTICIPANTS IN TOTAL!!! Most of them are on the my age group 20-29 & 30-39!! I'm so pissed of myself & the trainings, by not having a balance with in my bike & run.

To make things worse, MY SPEEDOMETER DROPPED!! I have to stop to get it!! Even though it is faulty, it still has its sentimental values & at least when it is not faulty, I know what speed & pace that I at least tried to maintain. Boy, Oh Boy... this 40km is really something for me to really reflect on in terms of my cycling. I was pushing myself to complete it within 1hrs 30mins!!

To makes things even worst, I HAD A CRAMP ON MY LEFT CRAFT, WHILE UP-SADDLING & UP HILL!! I nearly fell from my bike & that's it for my race. I stayed calm, tried to flex my crafts while I'm on the bike, try not to lose it, & it fact, I'd manage to flex my muscles, & again, immediately I got back in maintaining my pace once more. After 20km, only I'm feeling the kick to bike much harder as that I'm back in the game!! I was maintaining 40kmph most of the way, back to the transition area!! Whoa!! 40kmph riding ALONE!!! Really freaked my out. Yet I still got dropped as that I still sucked on climbs. Sigh, really need to train for climb till I puke. Then comes Freddie, just 4km before reaching the transition, I tagged his train, & I was cycling at Max Capacity of gears tailing back to the transition area. Speedometer was out, but I know that I'm whacking around 48kmph for the last 4km the bike league!! Along the way back I saw Irene Tan wit my camera!! But sigh, only 2 shots of me in my bike league. How sad :(...

That's it, The bike is completed, by trying out the dismount that all triathletes uses, leaving the shoes on the bike & run to back to your transition area & prep for the run. I tried that, I WORKED!! Dang Stylo lo.. But no photos ARGH!!!.....

The Run...
After when I'd prep parked my bike properly, changed to my old trainers (The Old Ascis, then off I went) I'd started my final league of the race, 10km of run. It started great when I saw all the supporters cheering along the transition area & also the the 1st 300m of the race course, I was runnning @ a very comfortable pace, & keeping a smiling face, until the point when I'd reached the corner when I don't see the any supporters, I'd decided to slow down my pace, as that I know that 10 more km to go. I'd started my run by remembering what Uncle Chan said on the briefing, every 1.2km will be a water station, & that's how i decided to keep count of my distance & how I could budget my energy throughout the remaining of the 10km run.

The 1st water station was always the best, as that it was the 1st place that I can get some ice cole drinks & 100plus. :) But as the mileage come on, I'd started to feel the pain on my legs, especially on the quatz, in the run, the 1st 3.6km was indeed relaxing as that I still have energy & was not feeling any pain, but when comes the 4th water-station @ 4.8km, that's where I'd started to feel the pain. Despite the pain, I'm seeing so many friends along the entire 10km run. High-Five'ing & cheering for each other for the run, was indeed fun. Then comes the 5th water station (just reversing counting the water-stations :P), & 6th & 7th & 8th... The heat started to take to toll in me, the pain on my quatz are really hurting, my heart is telling to stop running, but my mind is telling me to go on, just a few more hundred meters & you'll see the finishing line.

As I was having a fight between my heart & mind, then I saw a few people that really brings my mind away from the "fight", & I pull out the remaining might that I had, & held on & kept on running. As more of my friends & the other supporters, I'd look back checking out whether is there anyone behind me to steal my lime-light at the finish-line...

The Finish-Line...
When I saw Yap, (Mr. Lee's wife), I know that the finish-line is about less that 150m away, I'd look back once more to confirm that there's no 1 behind me to steal my lime-light from me at the Finishing-Line. It's sorted & settled! No 1 behind me, Boo-Yah!! As I was pulling out as much & the remaining energy in me to run faster & much in style, I was thinking on how I should cross the finishing-line. But before I'd manage to think straight, The Crowd was cheering, The Amcee was announcing my arrival at the finishing-line, camera flashes was flashing all over the place, I know that I'm reaching my 1st ever milestone in my sportsman aka triathlete life, COMPLETION OF THE OD TRIATHLON!!

That finishing-line, that ice-cold towel, that 100plus & that ice cold bottle of mineral water was indeed something worth working hard & training hard to achieve for...

Oh My God!! I'd completed my 1st ever Olympic Distance Triathlon!!!

It's already been like 9 days after since my completion of it, I'm still feeling the excitement of it!!!

Next Target to complete, DESARU!!!

I sure hope that I can complete it...