Definite improvements!

OSIM Triathlon in March '05
Swim: 00:22:34
Bike: 00:52:11
Run: 00:35:35
Ranking: 41/85
Total time: 01:50:20

New Balance Corporate Triathlon in Oct '05
Swim: 00:21:38
Bike: 00:45:23
Run: 00:30:31
Ranking: 55/96
Total time: 01:37:31

the race

So today was race day again. It was time for me to tackle the sprint distance one more time and I was hoping I'd at least beat my time or feel better physically in general.

Mission accomplished on both counts. Once again, I was reminded of the power of last Saturday's adventure race. I don't think it strengthened my body half as much as it did my mind. Whilst in the past I would have found it hard pushing the distances, thinking 'can I do it?', today's race was more of a 'hmm, can I do it it in 1.5 hrs?'

Heh okay, so I was being a little ambitious.

My best time thus far (and this is not saying much, seeing as it was only my second sprint race!) was 1hr50mins @ OSIM. Today, I cut it down by 10 mins and this was a huge personal achievement. I have yet to confirm this of course, but I'm my watch readings were a good estimate.

My body felt pretty strong throughout and I didn't feel like dying when I crossed the finish line - although I did feel relieved. I think it had partly to do with the fact that I took a spill at the end of my bike leg, and the pain was starting to set in in my knees. In fact, by the time we'd gotten home, I could barely bend it or walk, let alone jump and put pressure on it. (Aero is going to find the limping on Monday very amusing.)

Strangely enough, my weakest leg today was my bike leg. The water was pretty trecherous - and my prayers go out to the participant who was called home to God today - but I felt pretty good throughout. My upper body was a little tired but I came out of the water fresh and ready to tackle the next leg. Think the swim training has definitely be helping.

On the bike, however, I felt weak. I tried to maintain a 30km/hr speed and it was an okay effort. But I just couldn't push any harder than that and this was really frustrating. I was on my largest chain ring and I knew it was going to make the running that much harder when I started. On my last lap, I intended to dismount whilst coming to a halt - a trick that Sher and I taught ourselves when we were but ickle girlies. But my eggbeater was gunked with a thick wad of sticky mud and I failed to disengaged the clip from the pedal.

Splat.

And right onto the knees as well. Ouch. My knees were a little shocked but I jogged back to transition, where a very happy husband was there to pour ice cold water on my head whilst I changed my shoes.

The first 800m running was tough. My legs felt heavy from the lactic acid build-up and my knees were still reeling from the shock. I'd poured some water on the wounds so the wound was biting me something chronic. Decided to take my mind off it by trying to pass any female participants I saw.

There was this one lady who was running at a pretty good pace. I ran alongside her and we gave each other words of encouragement. But the inner devil in me decided to overtake, so I left her behind. She ran back up alongside me at one point and we started to talk about how the swim went, and the fact that I'd gotten bitten at least six times by sea bugs. But I decided that I wanted to try and get as good a ranking as possible, so I picked up speed again and left her behind. Couldn't find her after that. Passed a couple of others and then I was heading back to the finish line.

It was really sweet coz as I headed back, Andrea and her beau Hansel started cheering me on, encouraging me to keep going. I was feeling pretty good at that point but still, the sight and sound of such support spurs you on even more. It was really nice to get the support! In fact, I think Andrea did her best to catch us at as many points as she could to cheer us on. The husband and I were pretty touched.

Speaking of the hubby, he was at the finish line waiting for me, but he was talking to a business contact. He tried to introduce me when I got there, but all I could say was, "Hi, nice to meet you... Sorry but you will have to excuse me, I have to go pee."

Hmm, not exactly the perfect wife sometimes, am I! :/


the day's supporter and photographer


just us


andrew, the whirling dervish


isn't my helmet kinda wonky


homerun


mud fest


this made cleaning shadowfax and zippy an ARSE

beat my time!

He wrote it in 5 mins...


"Start Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Big splash steam challenge Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Pillion 2 on a bike Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Abseil at Fort road Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run 3 on a Kayak Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Team Orienteering Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Jumar Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Absei Run Run Finish !"

HAHAHAHA!!!

I'm finally awake after what seemed like forever in dreamland.

A loud crash of thunder sounded earlier and I thought it was a bomb - yet I couldn't get up. My stomach started cramping up with hunger, yet I couldnt' get up. Andrew says I easily used up two days worth of fuel over the race, so that's no wonder. So by the time I was able to shake myself (and him) up for some food, I could have eaten a cow. The duck rice blokey at the market was a little amazed at the amount I consumed. Oh yeah and I don't think I have ever had so much chocolate or power gel ever.

So anyway, here's what happened...




After a quick stop by my grandparents' birthday bash to say a quick hello and send our best wishes - embarassingly, in our gear - Andrew and I zipped off to meet our teammates. Andrew was in a team with Amazonian-power-woman Rina and fitman Ken, and I was in a team with hardcore-husband-and-wife team Nik and Pei Ling. Cheongsters Ming, Ling and Rebecca formed our third team. We did our race registration and gear check-in, but the bunch of us were yawning away by 10pm. So we grabbed ourselves some kopi ping (iced coffee to you joss) and sat about trying to psych each other up.

Due to a few last minute toilet trips, Andrew and I didn't get a chance to wish each other good luck before the race started. We were flagged off and everyone left the start line at 11.30pm. I knew he was somewhere in the front, and was pretty gutted we hadn't been able to say goodbye. IAfter all, I did feel like I was going to be in on a trip of my life. But anyway, off we went. saw him a couple of times during the race though, and we cheered each other on with a coupla sweaty snogs.

Hmm.. How do I describe my first adventure race? Err. It was an adventure, to say the least! Here was pretty much what we did over the entire time, without stopping once.

- Run from Marina Promenade (next to Esplanade) to Fort Road
- Team biathlon to Big splash. Water challenge. We had to sit on each others' shoulders (mostly Nik's, poor thing) to un-tie a row of really tight knots
- Run to MacDonald's on East Coast. Team challenge - Water puzzle.
- Run via Tanjong Rhu back towards Kallang.
- Abseil down the Benjamin Sheares Bridge
- Team challenge offroad. Find clue using orienteering skills.
- Run to Kallang river. Kayak to the bridge. Fill a bucket up with water and hoist it up to the race marshalls. Kayak back.
- Run back to Marina Promenade. Orienteering back to Marina South.
- Run the Marina South loop back towards the Promenade next to Esplanade.
- Ropes ascending (Jumar) up the Benjamin Sheares Bridge
- Run across and abseil back down the Benjamin Sheares Bridge.
- Run towards the finish line!

Total distance: 30km
Time taken by Team Slow Smurf: 8 hours and 20 mins
Bizarre moments: Running past a drunk naked man pacing around the bridge from Fort Road to the Indoor Stadium

Andrew and his team finished the race close to 2 hours before we came in. Woops. He was there cheering me on at the last abseil station though, which is where he managed to capture the above few pictures for my family. He thought they'd be proud to see them. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a more beaming husband-o-mine ever before. :)

But man, I don't think I've ever been so tired in my entire life. I don't think this was the hardest thing I have ever done though - I didn't stop and I didn't cry, which I totally thought I would do. In that respect, climbing Cameron was a lot worse. But still, my knees are pretty much shot for a few days and I'm aching all over. My toe nails are, once again, going to fall off. In fact, one of them is already showing signs of early detachment.

There's something Andrew said to me before the race that I found extremely true - that you learn new things about yourself when you push your limits in a race like this.

A lot of it is a mental game and you find yourself wondering why the hell you're doing what you're doing - especially once you pass the 4 hour mark. But when you find yourself pressing on anyway, you realise how true the whole philosophy of 'wanting something hard enough and going out there and getting it' is. I really enjoyed myself though, especially during the rope segments. Abseiling is really so much fun and I don't think I am afraid of heights anymore! Whooooosh!

I would definitely do it again.


We made it!


Not bad for slow smurfs :)


team absolut: ken, rina and andrew


team jaft: rebecca, ming and ling


team slowsmurf: me, nik and pei ling


jumar up the sheares bridge


images courtesy of ace adventure challenge