26th Thaiquain 10k

Hong Kong had a tropical depression on Friday which moved the thick smog out but cleared in blazzing, hot and humid weather for Sunday's hilly race. Thaiquain starting point is the same as Oxfam Trailwalker 100km which I will participate in November.

Morning Start:
Sai Kung is not the easiest to go. But it only required 2 transfer from mini-bus to the double decker bus. Another note about early starts - make sure you eat at home otherwise, it's egg salad sandwich from 7/11. The bus ride took 1.5 hours with about an hour to spare to collect my packet

From 26th Thaiquain 10k

I recently bought a few gadgets which I would like to share with my viewers before I begin:
1. Vibram Five Fingers KSO

From 26th Thaiquain 10k

This is the first race that I ran with VFFs. In training I've ran with them less than 6 times varying between 1km to 10km. It's hard to say if I would have had a better time. I notice a little heat building up and my forefoot feeling ready to start blistering. I wouldn't recommend running anything more than 10k in the hot, humid Hong Kong with them because the sweat runs down your legs and into the shoes making it quite wet; hence the start of a blister? Some people report very sore calves running in VFF. I don't seem to have that problem; however the following morning I feel a little sore all over.







2. Action Camera:


26thThaiquain10k "OntheRun" Pictures

3. Cyling jersey














I find that runners like to run in baggy outfits. I am not sure why this is the case especially in Hong Kong. I would think that this would create more rash. For myself, since I having began to cycle more; I am wearing cycling jersey. The zipper provides open access to the chest when it gets hot. The tight jersey is "aerodynamic" for the speedy downhills :) Also, for longer runs; there are pockets in the back to provide easy access to energy GU.

4. 2XU Compression short pants
















Now for the race route:


Race Split:
1 00:04:10 1.00 04:10 <--- I need to get to the front... too much congestion!
2 00:04:56 1.00 04:56 <--- What happened? Oh right - gravity and hill
3 00:04:30 1.00 04:30
4 00:04:26 1.00 04:26
5 00:04:38 1.00 04:38

6 00:04:31 1.00 04:31
7 00:04:42 1.00 04:42
8 00:04:42 1.00 04:42
9 00:04:45 1.00 04:45
10 00:04:10 1.00 04:10
11 00:00:34 0.13 04:16

A semi-decent beginning to the race season..

1 1 1 MB 2005 FELBABEL, Erich 0:37:11 0:37:06 0:18:47 0:18:25

2 2 1 MC 3039 NG Kam Tai 吳金帶 0:38:05 0:38:02 0:19:49 0:18:16
3 3 1 MD 4023 KAM Wing Keung 金永強 0:38:46 0:38:44 0:19:50 0:18:57
4 4 1 MA 1007 CHAN Hon Man Alfred 陳翰文 0:38:54 0:38:50 0:20:13 0:18:41
5 5 2 MB 2018 CHAN Ka Chun, Eric 陳家俊 0:38:59 0:38:57 0:20:12 0:18:47
...
67 66 14 MD 4037 Dwyfor EVANS 0:45:01 0:44:56 0:22:36 0:22:25

70 69 17 ME 5089 CHAN Chau 陳 就 0:45:12 0:44:58 0:23:07 0:22:05
68 67 5 MF 6054 CHEUNG Kwok Ming 張國明 0:45:03 0:44:59 0:23:03 0:22:01
69 68 16 ME 5091 LEE Chau Ning 利就寧 0:45:09 0:44:59 0:23:26 0:21:44
74 73 15 MC 3018 LEE Kin Wai 李健偉 0:45:26 0:45:05 0:22:58 0:22:29
71 70 13 MC 3042 WONG Pui Yuen 黃沛源 0:45:22 0:45:07 0:23:37 0:21:46
81 80 21 MB 2057 FONG Chun Wing 方俊穎 0:45:41 0:45:09 0:23:49 0:21:53
73 72 14 MC 3104 CHOY Kai Man Tenny 蔡啟文 0:45:25 0:45:14 0:23:22 0:22:04
78 77 18 ME 5084 CHUI Chi Lap 徐自立 0:45:36 0:45:15 0:23:20 0:22:16
72 71 6 MF 6163 POON Pak Sun 潘百新 0:45:24 0:45:21 0:22:47 0:22:37
79 78 16 MC 3075 LEUNG Tsz Kong 梁子江 0:45:36 0:45:22 0:23:13 0:22:23
76 75 7 MF 6052 CHAU Yun Tung 周潤桐 0:45:33 0:45:25 0:23:33 0:22:00
77 76 8 MF 6031 WONG Chi Kuen Johnson 黃志權 0:45:34 0:45:26 0:23:11 0:22:24
75 74 20 MB 2085 LEE Siu Hong 李紹康 0:45:32 0:45:27 0:23:16 0:22:17
83 82 16 MD 4009 CHAN Hon Man 陳漢文 0:45:44 0:45:31 0:23:19 0:22:25
80 79 19 ME 5048 TAM Ping Hung Simon 譚炳雄 0:45:39 0:45:34 0:23:04 0:22:35
82 81 15 MD 4063 LEE Ying Ho 李英豪 0:45:43 0:45:34 0:23:09 0:22:35
84 83 1 MG 7009 CHAN Kwai Tim 陳貴添 0:45:46 0:45:39 0:23:14 0:22:32
90 87 22 MB 2060 NGAN Chiu Wik 顏昭域 0:46:11 0:45:40 0:24:07 0:22:05
86 84 20 ME 5122 Victor YUEN 0:45:51 0:45:44 0:23:45 0:22:07
85 2 2 WC 331 CHEUNG Chui Fong Kitty 張翠芳 0:45:50 0:45:46 0:23:04 0:22:47
88 85 9 MF 6029 YIP Kei Fu 葉基虎 0:45:58 0:45:53 0:23:18 0:22:41
87 3 1 WD 440 CHONG Miu Ying May 咗 莊妙英 0:45:58 0:45:54 0:23:43 0:22:15
89 86 17 MC 3066 KUT Yip Ming 吉業明 0:46:05 0:45:57 0:23:13 0:22:53
93 90 19 MC 3052 Joel LABELLE 0:46:18 0:46:03 0:23:07 0:23:12
...
690 601 167 MF 6112 TANG Siu Hung 鄧肇雄 1:28:57 1:28:32 0:42:06 0:46:51

691 90 18 WE 510 LEUNG Oi Yee 梁靄儀 1:31:50 1:31:27 0:44:09 0:47:42




At the end of the race, there was RedBull. Here is a tip: Don't drink it without plenty after race hydration. Your pee will turn dark red for about 2-3 restroom stops.

HKTriA Sprint Triathlon 750/20/5

My First Sprint Triathlon... :)


I started the day really early by waking up at 4:00AM. This wasn't necessary I feel since my race wouldn't start for another 3:45 hours. Since it was my first triathlon, I took several days off without much biking or running. The last two weeks, I pounded the trails and ran up mileage on the bike. My goal was to be fresh and reduce the inflamation that I caused by twisting my left foot twice in a row. I took a cab at 5:15AM to arrive early to get my numbers placed.

The race basically was the same as the Aquathon I did previously the month before with an additional bike run. My swim was better but I seem to go off course a lot which took a lot of time out. One time I thought I was last, but then an official shouted at me stating that I was off course. I was heading for the starting bouy and not the third. Throughout the swim, I was fighting space and continuously hitting a breast stroke swimmer. I'm sure he hated me... Even the end, I went off course and had to swim to the right for about 20m to get on the pier steps. My time in the water stood at 28:43. Next time, I will look up every 6th stroke.
The transition for the swim2bike was very long. You had to run to your bike which seemed more than 100m. I used rubber bands for the shoes, but my right shoe hit the ground and came off before I mounted the bike. So, I had to retrace my steps with the bike and pick up my shoe and put it on.

The bike required 5 laps and the fast cyclists passed me twice. Although, I felt I trained sufficiently for my first triathlon, I obviously see that I can improve in all areas. My time on the bike were very inconsistent and I felt sluggish as well. I took a gel while in the transition and drank fluid right after the corner.

T1 - 1 min 57 seconds
2 00:02:37 1.00 22.8 - includes my mishap with wardrobe(shoe) malfunction

3 00:01:44 1.00 34.3
4 00:02:02 1.00 29.4
5 00:01:55 1.00 31.3
6 00:01:55 1.00 31.1
7 00:01:50 1.00 32.6
8 00:02:05 1.00 28.6
9 00:01:50 1.00 32.5
10 00:01:57 1.00 30.7
11 00:01:52 1.00 31.9
12 00:01:52 1.00 32.0
13 00:01:57 1.00 30.7
14 00:01:44 1.00 34.3
15 00:01:52 1.00 32.0
16 00:01:56 1.00 30.8
17 00:01:53 1.00 31.7
18 00:01:43 1.00 34.7
19 00:01:57 1.00 30.7
20 00:02:03 1.00 29.2
21 00:02:09 1.00 27.8

T2 - 2 min 25 seconds

Run - 5k, My time on the run is a bit weird and very inaccurate. I gathered both armbands, but this is my times:

Garmin
22 00:02:52 0.81 16.9

23 00:02:18 0.49 12.8
24 00:04:37 1.00 13.0
25 00:04:46 1.00 12.6
26 00:04:45 1.00 12.6
27 00:02:20 0.50 12.8

Polar
A23 - 3:52 - transition?
Manual Split - 2:13
A24 - 4:34
A25 - 4:47
A26 - 4:50
Stop - 3:33

I will work harder for the 1500m/40km/10km in October...

Aquathon Series - Race 3 (Repulse Bay)

Race No English Name Swim Time Run Time Swim Time Total Pos Points % Remarks154 Luke Wimbush 00:09:19 00:21:07 00:10:53 00:41:19 1 24 100.0
123 Cheung Wai Kei 00:10:01 00:20:28 00:12:37 00:43:06 2 23 95.8

127 Daniel McFee 00:13:24 00:26:39 00:16:11 00:56:14 21 4 16.7
215 Joel LaBelle 00:16:37 00:22:51 00:20:01 00:59:29 22 3 12.5
125 Chu Kwok Leung, Dickson 00:14:58 00:29:49 00:17:36 01:02:23 23 2 8.3
128 Douglas Gordon Parker 00:13:10 00:34:38 00:16:53 01:04:41 24 1 4.2

This is my second aquathon at Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. I hope in a year I'll look back and laugh, but I think I should cry.. Well, at least I didn't drown. My training partner and I were not happy about the trash floating in the water.. Easy to gulp down plastic straws and stryofoam.. Also, the 2-2.5k back and forth on a narrow walking lane made it difficult to run. So, overall - I could say.. I wasn't very happy about the race.

The position results:
swim round #1: 2nd to last (overall)
5k run: 6th place / 27th overall
swim round #2: 3rd to last (overall)

I am working on the swim.. I free-style swim, but even the breast strokers was beating me.

VIETNAM 100k 3DAY stage ultra marathon

This week has been heavy on the running. Including the 10k race that past Sunday, it will be over 123km. The most I've ever done in one week was 75km. One big gigantic step forward.

Hanoi, Vietnam where bridges are built but no roads on either side. That's how I'll remember Hanoi.

This event is well organized by Action Asia Events. There was spectacular views, steep hills, and easy to get lost because the villagers took down the markers.

Both day one and two are incomplete because the watch battery didn't last.

Splash ‘n Dash Aquathon Series – Race 2

This race is my first ever duathlon. I had butterflies the week of the race thinking about swimming 1500m since my swim is a little better than doggy paddling. I spent the prior weekends with a buddy of mine in open water off Gold Coast near Tuen Mun. At the race, I didn't realize they changed the course and it would be 3 laps.. I was focused on finishing 2 since this was the instructions I read on the internet; only to find out that it was changed at the last moment to 3 laps.

My swim consisted of 28 minutes for 750m. I believe I got lapped since the fastest guy finished the race in a little less an hour. I saw him before and he is a 30ish min 10k runner.

Because everyone wears the same cap, I wasn't disqualified but I will know that it will take me around 45 minutes for 1500m until I speed up with daily training in the pool


Split Time
1 0:29:39
2 0:04:16 - heavy breathing and high heartbeat out of the water
3 0:04:27
4 0:04:35
5 0:04:36
6 0:04:38
7 0:04:38
8 0:04:36
9 0:04:37
10 0:04:41
11 0:04:37
12 0:00:25
13 0:00:01
Summary 1:15:53

Overall, I am happy with the time.

Salomon Suunto X Trail 17k – Taiwan race

RAIN. RAIN. RAIN = Slippery Wet Muddy Run

Garmin Statistics

This weekend in Taiwan was all about being wet and muddy. This is my first trail running race where more than 80% were trails. Taiwan trail featured at Zhi Nan Temple with me falling a lot. I stopped counting after 10 falls... It's single track featuring lots of roots making it a difficult but interesting race. Although I've yet mastered the stamina to run up 500m hill without stopping. I was surprised to see over 430 participants for both the 9k and 16.5k

Split Time +Elevation -Elevation Temp



1 0:05:10 81 0 73F
A nonstop shoot up the steep road. I tested this out before the beginning of the race and was pooped by the time I hit the toilets... So, I went a little slower and was able to pass a few people. No dips on the elevation either. Most of it is paved before a major turn into the mountain. The 9K's went left and the 17K's went right.











2 0:06:09 53 15 73F

First fall was when my right leg slid off the ledge. Very close call. The second fall was when I slid face first - and I'm not playing baseball! I stopped counting after 10 falls.










3 0:05:23 61 13 73F
4 0:10:12 130 14 79F
Tiring steps going up; even had to hold ropes to climb at times.

5 0:14:07 96 12 77F
6 0:11:47 67 71 77F
Finally made it to the top. Once you are in position, it's hard for runners to pass you unless you give way. Luckily, I wasn't passed by too many runners. And at times, I felt I was alone running (no one in 50m front or back)










7 0:11:51 15 126 77F
Downhill required much technical ability. At one time I had to go backwards.

8 0:09:56 55 12 75F

There was a part of this trail where I felt I was skiing down the mud.

9 0:11:14 20 83 75F
10 0:08:20 13 98 75F
11 0:08:35 18 128 77F
Another part was overgrown and I almost felt I had to bushwhack my way through; although, the front runners probably already did that for me.


12 0:06:05 9 73 79F
13 0:07:27 21 70 79F
14 0:07:16 50 37 79F
15 0:07:42 47 14 79F
As I was getting close, the weather opened up and I was able to view Taipei 101

16 0:07:18 51 14 79F
17 0:01:36 10 17 79F
A Carlsburg with my name on it was waiting for me at the end of the race.

16.3k 2:20:16 795 795

After cleaning up, a guy that I met in HK for marathon training and his friend were chatting with 6x World Trail mountain champion New Zealander Jonathan Wyatt for 15-20 minutes asking him all sorts of crazy running questions!








Official Race Results: 25th place out of 221
http://www.actionasiaevents.com/attachments/087_Overall%20Results%20with%20cp%20splits%2017km%20TAIWAN%20SSXT%20jun%205%202010.pdf
1 Fu-Cai Chen 01:41:14 1 17km MEN 40-49
2 Jonathan Wyatt 01:44:50 1 17km MEN 30-39
3 EAGLE You-Jia Wu 01:46:00 2 17km MEN 40-49

...
25 Joel LaBelle 02:20:20 16 17km MEN 30-39
...
221 Ming-Hua Chao 05:15:01 25 17km MEN 50-59

Dadaepo Busan Half Marathon 2010 (다대포 부산 하프 마라톤)

Race #22299. The Dadaepo course was flat, but windy and cool at the start.. later becoming hot, but nothing compares to the humidity that Hong Kong serves. It is a good flat race to run including helicoptor, ballons, band, pacers, and fireworks all at the start. Actually, this is the first race I ran outside of Hong Kong without the humidity. It was very pleasant.

I just bought the Polar RS800CX, here are the times

Km Time        Split           Temperature

1.    0:03:39.7 0:03:39.7 - 23C
This time is quite fast but I see already that this watch isn't precise. No GPS watch is although it was holding up compared to my old Garmin 405CX. A big problem at the start was I didn't really know my new watch very well, so I was figuring when to press the button noticing that I fine tuned one of the settings preventing me from getting it to start. I went to "Free" mode and it was working (wheh).

Unfortnately, as I started to run after the sound of the gun, I was too concerned about the watch that I ran into an "official"; we collided and I bounced back. Unphased, I started my run again to a band, fireworks and helicopter! The wind from the helicopter made an extra "wall" to push through, but the intensity was exhilarting for everyone to quickly run through it.

2.    0:07:42.5 0:04:02.8 - 22C
3.    0:11:52.7 0:04:10.2 - 21C
4.    0:16:12.3 0:04:19.6 - 21C
5.    0:20:30.7 0:04:18.4 - 23C

5*   0:20:50.1

I am a big believer to run out quickly. It's the only way to get faster... Unfortunately, I felt I went to fast the first mile and wasn't able to break sub 20s.

6.    0:24:47.3 0:03:57.2 - 23C

7.    0:29:12.0 0:04:24.7 - 24C

8.    0:33:33.0 0:04:21.0 - 24C
9.    0:37:53.6 0:04:20.6 - 28C
10.  0:42:10.3 0:04:16.7 - 26C
10*. 0:42:46.8

I'm basically out on the bridge and the times are pretty stable. There were some ramps that I had to go up. I believe that the pace is decent and only 1 minute from my 10k PR.

11.   0:46:34.0 0:03:46.7 - 25C
12.   0:51:15.2 0:04:41.2 - 27C
13.   0:55:46.8 0:04:31.6 - 29C
14.  1:00:04.6 0:04:17.8 - 31C
15.  1:04:40.3 0:04:35.7 - 29C
15* 1:05:19.7

I was very happy to see 1 hour for 14km. Seldom in Hong Kong practice do I hit 13km for 1hour.

16   1:09:13.3 0:03:53.6 - 28C
17   1:13:53.3 0:04:40.0 - 28C
18   1:18:34.4 0:04:41.1 - 29C
19   1:23:19.5 0:04:45.1 - 29C
20   1:28:08.1 0:04:48.6 - 29C
21   1:32:50.4 0:04:42.3 - 29C

Being under sub 5minutes for the whole race certainly appears that my hill training is providing me endurance. In the Hong Kong Marathon, I hit 5's before the half way mark.
21.1* 1:34:19.4
Official Time: 1:34:22