Saturday, November 19, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
HKTriA Aquathon - South Bay Beach
This would be my last swim/run combination before the big Ironman Race down in Busselton, Western Australia happening a month later. I joined this one right on the deadline thinking that it would be a good drill since I would be on vacation for a week with less fitness.
This race didn't have many competitive athletes since most of them went to Taiwan, Ironman 70.3 and also my heat was 40+ males and women. But, I knew I was far from winning any placement.
I had to take a cab and the funny thing is that the cost of the cab was more than the race. Once I arrived it was still dark and the HKTriA was just starting to begin preparations.
The transition was on the beach. I basically just put my bag containing street clothes in the basket since I was not going to do any transition stop today. My goal was to see how VFF would stand up to an beach aquathon.
Today's event consisted of 4km (really 3.4km) run + 540m swim (270m x 2 swim + run along the beach) + another 4km (really 3.4 km) run. I'm not sure who measures the distance but 800m is quite significant.
For the first section of the run leg; I just wanted to give all I got and deal with my slow swim later.. Apparently when the gun went off, I was first place until the top of the hill which lasted for about 2 minutes. On a side note, I believe VFF isn't really good going downhill, I find myself breaking on my toes. It's actually interesting to watch on video because as I peak to the top, I gained 30 meters (2 seconds) from the runner who won it, only to lose speed and position coming back down from the other side. As I was foot striking, he was heel striking. At the bottom of the hill my gap from the rest of the group was around 7 seconds behind me as I grabbed my first band and turn around. Apparently, I had a very explosive first 1km; probably the fastest ever if it is correct with a 3:31 minute kilometer. Unfortunately, my speed at this level was unattainable and dropped to 4:18 for the 2nd kilometer. Before I made it up to the peak of the hill, I was passed and in 3rd place with another right behind my tail. Once I reached back to the bottom of the hill and turn around; I already moved back to 6th place. The second loop, no one passed me and I headed toward the beach without stopping passing 3 people to place me in 3rd.
Once I hit the water, I knew my times would slow immensely with packs of swimmers passing me. The runner behind me was able to catch me in my 12 strokes. Approximately 8 minutes later for a 270m swim and one minute of beach running, I would go back into the water and do it all over again. My second swim was 8 minutes and 13 seconds.
After getting out of the water; I was able to pass 3 swimmers. It would be harder to catch up to other runners by this point. As I passed the finishing line to complete 2 more laps, the second place finisher passed me :(. But, each kilometer; I went a little faster than the previous one and was able to finish knowing that I gave the first run leg all I could give.
Unofficial Camera Results
Run: 13:43.19
T1:01:10.07
Swim: 8:00.22
T2: 0:59.19 (Beach Run)
Swim: 8:20.16
T3: 0:53:05
Run: 15:34.08
Official (but not accurate) HKTriA Results
Run1: 00:13:52
Swim: 00:19:02
Run2: 00:15:48
Total:00:48:42
This race didn't have many competitive athletes since most of them went to Taiwan, Ironman 70.3 and also my heat was 40+ males and women. But, I knew I was far from winning any placement.
I had to take a cab and the funny thing is that the cost of the cab was more than the race. Once I arrived it was still dark and the HKTriA was just starting to begin preparations.
The transition was on the beach. I basically just put my bag containing street clothes in the basket since I was not going to do any transition stop today. My goal was to see how VFF would stand up to an beach aquathon.
Today's event consisted of 4km (really 3.4km) run + 540m swim (270m x 2 swim + run along the beach) + another 4km (really 3.4 km) run. I'm not sure who measures the distance but 800m is quite significant.
For the first section of the run leg; I just wanted to give all I got and deal with my slow swim later.. Apparently when the gun went off, I was first place until the top of the hill which lasted for about 2 minutes. On a side note, I believe VFF isn't really good going downhill, I find myself breaking on my toes. It's actually interesting to watch on video because as I peak to the top, I gained 30 meters (2 seconds) from the runner who won it, only to lose speed and position coming back down from the other side. As I was foot striking, he was heel striking. At the bottom of the hill my gap from the rest of the group was around 7 seconds behind me as I grabbed my first band and turn around. Apparently, I had a very explosive first 1km; probably the fastest ever if it is correct with a 3:31 minute kilometer. Unfortunately, my speed at this level was unattainable and dropped to 4:18 for the 2nd kilometer. Before I made it up to the peak of the hill, I was passed and in 3rd place with another right behind my tail. Once I reached back to the bottom of the hill and turn around; I already moved back to 6th place. The second loop, no one passed me and I headed toward the beach without stopping passing 3 people to place me in 3rd.
Once I hit the water, I knew my times would slow immensely with packs of swimmers passing me. The runner behind me was able to catch me in my 12 strokes. Approximately 8 minutes later for a 270m swim and one minute of beach running, I would go back into the water and do it all over again. My second swim was 8 minutes and 13 seconds.
After getting out of the water; I was able to pass 3 swimmers. It would be harder to catch up to other runners by this point. As I passed the finishing line to complete 2 more laps, the second place finisher passed me :(. But, each kilometer; I went a little faster than the previous one and was able to finish knowing that I gave the first run leg all I could give.
Unofficial Camera Results
Run: 13:43.19
T1:01:10.07
Swim: 8:00.22
T2: 0:59.19 (Beach Run)
Swim: 8:20.16
T3: 0:53:05
Run: 15:34.08
Official (but not accurate) HKTriA Results
Run1: 00:13:52
Swim: 00:19:02
Run2: 00:15:48
Total:00:48:42
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Moontrekker 40 2011
Facebook Pictures
I ran this race last year; and my only goal was to beat my time and of course beat the morning sun. I decide to wear my old solomon trail running shoes and notice severe wear and tear on the outer edges of the sole. This race is not for those who are interested in running with VFF. It is a very rocky course and I'm glad I didn't think twice in wearing them.
I actually don't know how some of the runners can run without any hydration pack. Although the air was slightly cool; the humidity appeared to be quite high. This year I decided to start at the race line because the gate is quite small. After sprinting out of the court; I didn't feel comfortable being in front since I actually forgot the way to the trails. No worries because there was a pack behind me upping the pace. Once we headed into the trails, the fast group sprinted off into darkness. I felt happy with my time so far, but I'm sure I went faster out than I wanted. The next 14km is total darkness and undulating with rocky sections more on the western side of the peninsula. Around 9km into the race, my arch was giving me some pain in my right foot and I also notice that a pool of sweat was splashing around inside my solomon gortex shoes. This was my first indication that I should take a salt tablet. Luckily, I had 3 tablets. I drank all of my water by the time we arrived at CP1 16km later.
After a water refill, the 200m ascent climb would start to the next Checkpoint. I had plenty of water at this point so there was no reason to stop, but unfortunately the time I gained by passing it was lost with a wrong turn, I lost 3 minutes only to realize that I had the compass on my garmin watch showing me last years route.
I started to get in a rhythm again with 2 others quickly walking up the hills and jogging the descents for 5km. We ended all together at CP3 which is near Tung Chung Rd. There is a steep paved road downhill connecting back to a trail which passes a monastery and then some long inclined paved path to Ngong Ping entrance connecting us to the based of Lantau Peak trail.
Every time I climb this peak, it never appears to be easy. Again 700m ascent with little downhill is never a walk in the park. I was able to pass just a couple people this year only to get passed by a different others. Finally reaching the 'summit', Vince Natari was there to greet all the Moontrekkers with camera in hand.
Starting the climb down from the peak, my legs spasmed forcing me to dead stop and take a stretch. I didn't have any salt at this point. Another runner passed me but I was not going to get left behind and my time at this point was 25 minutes faster than last. Eventually after the descent became easier on my legs, I was able to keep a decent pace and pass the runner again. As I knew I was close to Tung Chung Rd and very close to finishing. I heard someone behind me making giant leaps down the stone path. I gave it one more push, turned the corner and barely beat him as I was forced into the road.
This year my legs are much stronger. I haven't done a lot of trail running, so I actually feel very happy with my time. I shaved off 37 minutes from the previous year. My official time was 5:45 minutes.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
HKTriA National Triathlon Championships
Morning
Today is the final wrapup of Triathlon in Hong Kong season. I've been working hard on the bike and somewhat on the run. So, at 4:00AM, I woke up and wanted to prepare myself for a hilly day. I ate oatmeal which is quite unusual nowadays. But, it certainly was needed since I decided to bike at 5:00AM from West Kowloon to Tai Mei Tuk where the race course was moved this year instead of Walt Disney.
Swim
I noticed once I got toward the water that the left buoy was not orange. I knew my sighting would be an issue today. Once we entered the 'chilled' waters (76F?), and headed toward the buoy, not a second later and bam: siren horns. I wasn't quite ready and so off we went. The first lap was overall pretty non-eventful. It was the second lap that I stupidly followed two guys who of all people were breast stroking to the 3rd buoy and not the 2nd. I realized quickly and headed back on course; but lost at least 50m. Then, thinking I was close to the buoy, I 'sighted' and found myself backtracking and swimming the opposite way to reach the second buoy. I had another mistake and followed a guy to the right of me and he was headed off to the first buoy and not the last. So, I had to re-align myself and finally made it to shore. I'm pretty sure I would have had shaved off 5 minutes from my swim-time. Oh well, I need to start sighting better and not rely on others.
Bike
The bike course is quite hilly and once you get out of transition; there is a big incline for about 300-400m. As I pushed hard and passed a cyclist, he asked me 'Do you know this a hilly course?" I guess he doesn't know that I've been training over here. The course is out and back 4 times. I started to lose track of the number of times I went around it and even became more concerned when my watch showed a shortage of distance. I actually thought I might have not completed a lap. However, it just appeared my watch had a malfunction.
Run
The run course is very flat for the first 2km and then a gentle incline and back down. We had to run it twice. I didn't pass as many runners as I thought. Is it possible that my cycling is getting better? Overall I was pretty happy with my time for such a hilly course!
facebook pics
Today is the final wrapup of Triathlon in Hong Kong season. I've been working hard on the bike and somewhat on the run. So, at 4:00AM, I woke up and wanted to prepare myself for a hilly day. I ate oatmeal which is quite unusual nowadays. But, it certainly was needed since I decided to bike at 5:00AM from West Kowloon to Tai Mei Tuk where the race course was moved this year instead of Walt Disney.
Swim
I noticed once I got toward the water that the left buoy was not orange. I knew my sighting would be an issue today. Once we entered the 'chilled' waters (76F?), and headed toward the buoy, not a second later and bam: siren horns. I wasn't quite ready and so off we went. The first lap was overall pretty non-eventful. It was the second lap that I stupidly followed two guys who of all people were breast stroking to the 3rd buoy and not the 2nd. I realized quickly and headed back on course; but lost at least 50m. Then, thinking I was close to the buoy, I 'sighted' and found myself backtracking and swimming the opposite way to reach the second buoy. I had another mistake and followed a guy to the right of me and he was headed off to the first buoy and not the last. So, I had to re-align myself and finally made it to shore. I'm pretty sure I would have had shaved off 5 minutes from my swim-time. Oh well, I need to start sighting better and not rely on others.
Bike
The bike course is quite hilly and once you get out of transition; there is a big incline for about 300-400m. As I pushed hard and passed a cyclist, he asked me 'Do you know this a hilly course?" I guess he doesn't know that I've been training over here. The course is out and back 4 times. I started to lose track of the number of times I went around it and even became more concerned when my watch showed a shortage of distance. I actually thought I might have not completed a lap. However, it just appeared my watch had a malfunction.
Run
The run course is very flat for the first 2km and then a gentle incline and back down. We had to run it twice. I didn't pass as many runners as I thought. Is it possible that my cycling is getting better? Overall I was pretty happy with my time for such a hilly course!
facebook pics
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sportsoho Triathlon Challenge Race (香港三項鐵人挑戰賽) 2011
What a difference one year of solid training will do! I'm very happy with my overall sprint triathlon. The course is similar to the one last year for two exceptions: rough waters and a stronger me. Unfortunately, I almost DNF because of I lost my goggles when I jumped into the water. Luckily Danny was able to locate them quickly in the choppy sea :). Also, I got donkey kicked about 600m with a bruised eye..
I reviewed my blog from the previous year's similar event, and 11 minutes extra in the water. Yes, I am still considerably slow but much improvement has been made. This includes a 23k bike ride over Tai Po Road before the race started.
But it is not just the swim that I was faster. My bike time increased by over 4 minutes and the run by a whopping 30 seconds per kilometer with a consistent 4:14 average.
I however did get lapped by the stronger athletes, but considering that I've been only doing this for a year. I am happy with my results.
For those who think they could have tried a little harder today. No worries, commitment and desire will prevail!
-joggerjoel
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Revolution Asia Double Triathlon
It's been a few months since I've competed in a local race. This triathlon race has a unique format of super sprint times 2: 300m swim, 12km bike, and 3km run. The week earlier I had a nasty cold virus which prevented me from exercising about 6 days. On top of that, the night of the race as I was retrieving my bicycle from the window, I stepped down hard onto an electric plug. I drew blood and it really hurt. Luckily in the morning, I was able to walk on it and only penetrated near the arch.
Although I doubt that I really save much time, I decided to wear Vibram Five Fingers throughout the race without changing in transition. Actually, I'm glad I did because my sore at the bottom of my feet was stinging when I entered the water. The transition between the bicycles seemed around 200-300 meters and being in barefoot on the stony asphalt would increase my chance of more issues with my feet.
Unfortunately, since the waves are spread out so much to accommodate the traffic, our age group start would be at 8:40AM. This meant a hot/humid run for the second leg. I biked over from my house to the starting line which takes around an hour (35k). I've raced over here multiple times so I knew what to expect; although the second time would be much slower.
Swim (7:11; 24/47)
The swim started in the water supposedly behind the pier. I enjoyed this swim because it was relatively quick. Once again when I exited the water, I wasn't last. Out of the water, I was able to pass around 16 people in my squishy VFF. I put away my camera and quickly went off on my cervelo.
Bike (25:16; 16/47)
This bike leg, I felt pretty fresh and was able to increase my place by 8. The first turn around came quick and I saw an injured guy on the road. I also had to slam on the brakes!
Run (17:14; 13/47)
The run leg, I felt pretty good as well but tiring at the end. I was able to pass another 3 people. But, once I hit the water.. I felt really sluggish. At the point, I was only 7 minute back from the winner Luke Wimbush.
Swim #2 (10:31; 17/47)
I lost a lot of steam on the second swim. Adding an additional minute per 100m. I also didn't have the camera for the second swim. I did notice and confirmed with others that there was definitely an increase in current.
Bike #2 (29:27; 17/47)
Usually I'm able to pick off some riders, but with the age group competitors being so slim and the fact that I was getting tired. I was able to keep my placement, but was neck-in-neck with a guy named Kevin Lam.
Run #2 (19:39; 18/47)
This is probably the first time I got picked off on the run and lost placement. But, personally; I was happy I could run at all with the troubles I had earlier in the week and the night before. Although, I wasn't able to pass Kevin and he beat me by 10 seconds.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines
definately more Video and pictures WILL follow: 340 visits in 2 days tells me you want MORE.
subscribe to my videos as I will be going turbo on Ironman - next stop (before I'm 90) qualifying for IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!
facebook pictures:
Before/After
Swim
Bike
The experience of participating in any triathlon (Ironman Full/Half; Sprint, OD) is all about the ride. Just coming off from Ironman France - 7 weeks later, I felt very strong. I did a string of half marathons, brick runs with speedy 20k loop, and even some sprints on the bike; although I totally didn't go to swimming class. I loaded up on Magnesium, flax seed and other multi-mineral supplements. I felt that this race with all I've done would be under 6 hours. WRONG! 3 weeks back, I had a spill in the rain and bruised my right hip. I went to the physio and she said that my muscle was weak from the accident and couldn't keep my hip aligned causing a clicking sound whenever I bent my hips. Fortunately, it didn't really hurt but was annoying.
Registration
Initially, I was quite concerned about travel arrangements once I arrived at Legaspi which is 80km from the venue. But, after calling them, I was more comfortable to hear that a bus would be arranged. So, I headed out late on a Friday for Manila Philippines and would arrive around 1AM and re-board at 6AM. It's not ideal as I would have preferred proper sleep at a hotel. I couldn't really sleep in the airport, so I did a power nap on the way to Legaspi. After landing, I was really surprised by the welcoming committee. They had the banners and lei in the airport and outside a band with cheerleaders. Way cool. Once arrived, my good friend I met in Singapore 70.3, Ebbie, was able to get a villa at Camarine Sur Watersports Center. It was really close and convenient to registration and transition. I grabbed some grub as I had very little to eat and assembled my bicycle as I waited for Ebbie to arrive. Ebbie really showed me great hospitality and got a car for us to recce the bike route. At 45k, the turn around point, we stopped and grabbed some snaps of us painting the dot M. It was great painting the town red!
Pre-race
I got up at 3:30AM and prepared my final steps. I took my tire pump and other gear to the bike transition area. I went through the usual laundry list. The funny thing is that my run bag was in the bike area, so I removed my KSO VFF shoes out of the bag to save some time. I had nothing in my bike bag as everything was mounted and ready to go on the bike. I was really feeling good about transition time as this sometimes can easily creep up to 5 minutes based on location from the swim and locating the bags. There was a big bullfrog in front of my bike. I wasn't sure if it was the triathlon 'gods' telling me I would have a decent race. I headed back to the villa and Ebbie had some guys from CMC to deliver hot water. It was nice since I could have my morning oatmeal breakfast. Afterwords, I did a double check on the bike setup and then headed to the man made wake-boarding lake.
Swim (0:53:43)
The swim is comprised of two segments. The first lake is bigger and at a distance of 1.25km; and the second being smaller was 550m meters. I saw a lot of swimmers holding onto the ropes while swimming. As usually, there was much jostling for space; but it wasn't just at the beginning but the whole race. Many swimmers seemed to constantly push on my legs and feet. My camera wasn't really adjusted properly, so I wasn't able to finger out anyone particularly - next time; I will make sure and create a most wanted for swimming worse than me. Once I came out of the water, I completed the first lake in 34 minutes. Doing the math, it would be another 15 minutes until I completed the second, or that's what I would think. The second lake was really murky and brown. There were a few times where my hands could touch the sand, I think it would have been faster walking.. It turns out my total time was 53:43 minutes. Boo hoo. I will blame it on my go-pro and my ability to swim like a rock! As a note, my pool time without wetsuit is around 45:00 minutes...
T1 (1:45)
This required only belt and helmet, no transition bag. Off I went...
Bike (2:48:56)
The transition into the bike segment was great. Under 2 minutes to get my stuff and onto the bike. The initial road out has a lot of twists and turns, but once outside of the complex, it was easy to keep the speed. The weather looked good with a cloudy overcast. I was really happy with my first 20km. Kilometer #4/#5 were exceptionally fast (maybe downhill); both under 1:40km/hr. The next 10km has somewhat a uphill to it and I was 30km/hr for most of it. The next part until hitting back to the small hill was on average 1:55km/hr. I remember a lot of back-and-forth between the other cyclists. During this part it was heavy rain all the way through. Somewhere around 60km, my garmin turned off. I mean - come on... This is a race and it's the 310XT - water proof but not with rain? Anyways, everything changed after 80km: I decided to start overtaking a guy in front and headed toward the middle of the lane. I saw another cyclist 100m in front on the other side of the road and didn't take too much of thought until my wheel hugged the uneven slope in the middle of the road. It kept on hugging and I tried to get out of the 'groove', but I couldn't hold on and the bike tilted left. Take a look at the video! I think it should explain what happened next.. It appears after I fell, as it should be obvious; my time was around 30km/hr on a very flat final finish. I did have a small abrasion on my left hip and arm, but no blood. Overall, I am glad that the fall went so smoothly. But, that's what it's all about - triathlon is about overcoming problems and moving on with your life.
T2 (1:50)
Transition here was seemless. It didn't take too long to put on my KSO Vibram Five Fingers. I decided to use this version of VFF because the sole is a bit thicker and I heard that there were some dirt roads meaning more rocks. I am glad I did!
Run (2:22:26)
The run went rather good for the first 10km. My first split was 4:30, which is pretty fast. I told myself to slow down and overall maintained around a 5:30/km for the next 9km. Then I smelled trouble.. my quads above the knee were in spasms and I had no salt because it was washed out by the torrential rain on the bike. Next time I will make sure to carry more than required salt tablets. My time slowed down ferociously to a walk-shuffle pace. There were plenty of drinking stops; every 1.5km and the local crowd was quite amusing especially them shouting out 'camera'. At the end, I passed a local Hong Kong triathlete woman that I wouldn't expect to beat. I guess she was having a harder day than I.
Physiotherapist
I went to see the therapist 5 days later to fix my injury to the right hip. Wow, it's cool to know about your body... It appears from the fall, it created some stress on my lumbar area - this is probably the reason why I my shoulder became very tired after 12km. So, the fall had an impact on my performance... Sometimes finishing is considered a WIN.
Epilogue
Camarine Sur Water Complex is a great venue. I would definitely do it again and beat my time. I was really hoping to get low 5:30-5:45. Hey~~ I'm cool with my time. That's the great thing about being a wannabe professional amateur triathlete. (This is someone who trains like a professional, but has no pressure from sponsorship)
- JoggerJoel
Also congrats to those who participated from Hong Kong...
subscribe to my videos as I will be going turbo on Ironman - next stop (before I'm 90) qualifying for IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!
facebook pictures:
Before/After
Swim
Bike
The experience of participating in any triathlon (Ironman Full/Half; Sprint, OD) is all about the ride. Just coming off from Ironman France - 7 weeks later, I felt very strong. I did a string of half marathons, brick runs with speedy 20k loop, and even some sprints on the bike; although I totally didn't go to swimming class. I loaded up on Magnesium, flax seed and other multi-mineral supplements. I felt that this race with all I've done would be under 6 hours. WRONG! 3 weeks back, I had a spill in the rain and bruised my right hip. I went to the physio and she said that my muscle was weak from the accident and couldn't keep my hip aligned causing a clicking sound whenever I bent my hips. Fortunately, it didn't really hurt but was annoying.
Registration
Initially, I was quite concerned about travel arrangements once I arrived at Legaspi which is 80km from the venue. But, after calling them, I was more comfortable to hear that a bus would be arranged. So, I headed out late on a Friday for Manila Philippines and would arrive around 1AM and re-board at 6AM. It's not ideal as I would have preferred proper sleep at a hotel. I couldn't really sleep in the airport, so I did a power nap on the way to Legaspi. After landing, I was really surprised by the welcoming committee. They had the banners and lei in the airport and outside a band with cheerleaders. Way cool. Once arrived, my good friend I met in Singapore 70.3, Ebbie, was able to get a villa at Camarine Sur Watersports Center. It was really close and convenient to registration and transition. I grabbed some grub as I had very little to eat and assembled my bicycle as I waited for Ebbie to arrive. Ebbie really showed me great hospitality and got a car for us to recce the bike route. At 45k, the turn around point, we stopped and grabbed some snaps of us painting the dot M. It was great painting the town red!
Pre-race
I got up at 3:30AM and prepared my final steps. I took my tire pump and other gear to the bike transition area. I went through the usual laundry list. The funny thing is that my run bag was in the bike area, so I removed my KSO VFF shoes out of the bag to save some time. I had nothing in my bike bag as everything was mounted and ready to go on the bike. I was really feeling good about transition time as this sometimes can easily creep up to 5 minutes based on location from the swim and locating the bags. There was a big bullfrog in front of my bike. I wasn't sure if it was the triathlon 'gods' telling me I would have a decent race. I headed back to the villa and Ebbie had some guys from CMC to deliver hot water. It was nice since I could have my morning oatmeal breakfast. Afterwords, I did a double check on the bike setup and then headed to the man made wake-boarding lake.
Swim (0:53:43)
The swim is comprised of two segments. The first lake is bigger and at a distance of 1.25km; and the second being smaller was 550m meters. I saw a lot of swimmers holding onto the ropes while swimming. As usually, there was much jostling for space; but it wasn't just at the beginning but the whole race. Many swimmers seemed to constantly push on my legs and feet. My camera wasn't really adjusted properly, so I wasn't able to finger out anyone particularly - next time; I will make sure and create a most wanted for swimming worse than me. Once I came out of the water, I completed the first lake in 34 minutes. Doing the math, it would be another 15 minutes until I completed the second, or that's what I would think. The second lake was really murky and brown. There were a few times where my hands could touch the sand, I think it would have been faster walking.. It turns out my total time was 53:43 minutes. Boo hoo. I will blame it on my go-pro and my ability to swim like a rock! As a note, my pool time without wetsuit is around 45:00 minutes...
T1 (1:45)
This required only belt and helmet, no transition bag. Off I went...
Bike (2:48:56)
The transition into the bike segment was great. Under 2 minutes to get my stuff and onto the bike. The initial road out has a lot of twists and turns, but once outside of the complex, it was easy to keep the speed. The weather looked good with a cloudy overcast. I was really happy with my first 20km. Kilometer #4/#5 were exceptionally fast (maybe downhill); both under 1:40km/hr. The next 10km has somewhat a uphill to it and I was 30km/hr for most of it. The next part until hitting back to the small hill was on average 1:55km/hr. I remember a lot of back-and-forth between the other cyclists. During this part it was heavy rain all the way through. Somewhere around 60km, my garmin turned off. I mean - come on... This is a race and it's the 310XT - water proof but not with rain? Anyways, everything changed after 80km: I decided to start overtaking a guy in front and headed toward the middle of the lane. I saw another cyclist 100m in front on the other side of the road and didn't take too much of thought until my wheel hugged the uneven slope in the middle of the road. It kept on hugging and I tried to get out of the 'groove', but I couldn't hold on and the bike tilted left. Take a look at the video! I think it should explain what happened next.. It appears after I fell, as it should be obvious; my time was around 30km/hr on a very flat final finish. I did have a small abrasion on my left hip and arm, but no blood. Overall, I am glad that the fall went so smoothly. But, that's what it's all about - triathlon is about overcoming problems and moving on with your life.
T2 (1:50)
Transition here was seemless. It didn't take too long to put on my KSO Vibram Five Fingers. I decided to use this version of VFF because the sole is a bit thicker and I heard that there were some dirt roads meaning more rocks. I am glad I did!
Run (2:22:26)
The run went rather good for the first 10km. My first split was 4:30, which is pretty fast. I told myself to slow down and overall maintained around a 5:30/km for the next 9km. Then I smelled trouble.. my quads above the knee were in spasms and I had no salt because it was washed out by the torrential rain on the bike. Next time I will make sure to carry more than required salt tablets. My time slowed down ferociously to a walk-shuffle pace. There were plenty of drinking stops; every 1.5km and the local crowd was quite amusing especially them shouting out 'camera'. At the end, I passed a local Hong Kong triathlete woman that I wouldn't expect to beat. I guess she was having a harder day than I.
Physiotherapist
I went to see the therapist 5 days later to fix my injury to the right hip. Wow, it's cool to know about your body... It appears from the fall, it created some stress on my lumbar area - this is probably the reason why I my shoulder became very tired after 12km. So, the fall had an impact on my performance... Sometimes finishing is considered a WIN.
Epilogue
Camarine Sur Water Complex is a great venue. I would definitely do it again and beat my time. I was really hoping to get low 5:30-5:45. Hey~~ I'm cool with my time. That's the great thing about being a wannabe professional amateur triathlete. (This is someone who trains like a professional, but has no pressure from sponsorship)
- JoggerJoel
Also congrats to those who participated from Hong Kong...
| Place | Time | Number | Lname | Fname | City | Cnt | Cat/Tot | Category | Swim | Tr1 | Bike | Tr2 | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 03:51:43 | 1 | JACOBS | PETE | SYDNEY | AUS | 1/6 | MPRO | 24:17 | 1:35 | 2:05:56 | 1:17 | 1:18:40 |
| 2 | 04:12:30 | 820 | THOMAS | JESSE | OREGON | USA | 2/6 | MPRO | 27:26 | 1:20 | 2:09:35 | 1:20 | 1:32:50 |
| 3 | 04:12:54 | 3 | BROWN | CAMERON | DANNEMORA | NZL | 3/6 | MPRO | 27:38 | 1:31 | 2:19:27 | 1:23 | 1:22:58 |
| 4 | 04:17:44 | 80 | FELBABEL | ERICH | HONG KONG | HKG | 4/6 | MPRO | 30:38 | 1:14 | 2:15:29 | 1:36 | 1:28:49 |
| 5 | 04:18:08 | 372 | ATTAMIMI | ASSAD | SINGAPORE | SGP | 1/121 | M35-39 | 29:59 | 1:28 | 2:22:35 | 1:20 | 1:22:47 |
| 6 | 04:24:25 | 212 | CANTWELL | DANE | HONG KONG | HKG | 1/133 | M30-34 | 28:39 | 1:46 | 2:25:11 | 1:29 | 1:27:22 |
| 17 | 04:39:03 | 824 | BUCEK | MICHAEL | HONG KONG | SLK | 3/133 | M30-34 | 28:26 | 1:46 | 2:23:57 | 5:26 | 1:39:31 |
| 44 | 04:58:37 | 768 | PATRICK | ANDREW | HAPPY_VALLEY | HKG | 2/27 | M50-54 | 33:12 | 2:38 | 2:33:46 | 2:21 | 1:46:42 |
| 45 | 04:58:55 | 592 | FESCHE | ANTHONY | SCENIC RD | HKG | 1/141 | M40-44 | 32:42 | 2:07 | 2:32:03 | 1:47 | 1:50:19 |
| 46 | 04:58:56 | 527 | PESCI | GIANANDREA | HONG KONG | HKG | 2/141 | M40-44 | 34:46 | 2:30 | 2:33:31 | 1:43 | 1:46:27 |
| 78 | 05:10:14 | 284 | DURY | MARK | HONG KONG | HKG | 17/133 | M30-34 | 42:14 | 1:55 | 2:36:14 | 2:28 | 1:47:25 |
| 96 | 05:19:05 | 407 | WONG | KENT | HONG KONG | HKG | 12/121 | M35-39 | 44:04 | 1:50 | 2:38:25 | 1:46 | 1:53:03 |
| 102 | 05:20:35 | 688 | STEINHAUER | PETER | MID-LEVELS | HKG | 5/61 | M45-49 | 44:27 | 3:06 | 2:44:03 | 2:11 | 1:46:50 |
| 115 | 05:24:34 | 341 | WHITMAN | JAMES | HONG KONG | HKG | 18/121 | M35-39 | 34:32 | 1:58 | 2:42:27 | 1:51 | 2:03:48 |
| 132 | 05:29:09 | 491 | SOLDATI | CLAUDIA | HONG KONG | HKG | 3/19 | W35-39 | 35:23 | 3:14 | 2:41:17 | 2:44 | 2:06:33 |
| 153 | 05:34:47 | 307 | BUTLER | KATIE | HONG KONG | HKG | 5/23 | W30-34 | 43:28 | 2:56 | 2:56:14 | 2:29 | 1:49:40 |
| 195 | 05:45:37 | 511 | HARLEY | FRANK | HONG KONG | HKG | 28/141 | M40-44 | 44:32 | 3:37 | 2:46:41 | 5:04 | 2:05:46 |
| 252 | 05:55:39 | 528 | TORRES | HECTOR | HONG KONG | HKG | 40/141 | M40-44 | 43:56 | 2:52 | 3:00:54 | 2:27 | 2:05:34 |
| 299 | 06:04:09 | 655 | PIMENTEL | ROLANDO | NEW_TERRITORIES | HKG | 54/141 | M40-44 | 51:15 | 4:29 | 2:50:13 | 5:15 | 2:12:59 |
| 325 | 06:08:37 | 523 | LABELLE | JOEL | HONG KONG | USA | 60/141 | M40-44 | 53:43 | 1:45 | 2:48:56 | 1:50 | 2:22:26 |
| 328 | 06:08:47 | 495 | JONES | LISA | TUNG CHUNG | HKG | 6/19 | W35-39 | 40:02 | 2:14 | 2:41:16 | 1:49 | 2:43:28 |
| 340 | 06:10:54 | 505 | LIEW | ARTHUR | POKFULAM | HKG | 64/141 | M40-44 | 45:09 | 2:04 | 2:56:17 | 1:47 | 2:25:40 |
| 366 | 06:15:32 | 772 | THOMAS | NICHOLAS | HONG KONG | HKG | 10/27 | M50-54 | 41:48 | 4:51 | 2:54:34 | 4:02 | 2:30:19 |
| 386 | 06:18:13 | 239 | BROWNLEE | JARRAD | HAPPY_VALLEY | HKG | 76/133 | M30-34 | 36:27 | 3:29 | 2:57:55 | 3:45 | 2:36:40 |
| 399 | 06:19:50 | 322 | WONG | GIGI GI WAI | HONG KONG | HKG | 15/23 | W30-34 | 45:51 | 4:53 | 3:14:05 | 3:08 | 2:11:55 |
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