Manjung, Perak
(photos from Mr Tey Eng Tiong at http://pmtey.multiply.com/)
Yes!! I Did It!!!! I finished the gruelling duathlon called POWERMAN with very little training (http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2008/11/crash-course.html) .
It felt really good to be back at POWERMAN. Last raced in 2005 when it was still being held at Putrajaya. With so little training , I only hoped to finish the race without suffering too much.
Found my way to Manjung with Robert on Saturday, 8/11/08. He is kind enough to give me a lift to and back from Manjung. He also let me share his room at the Lead View Hotel. Robert is 64 years of age and is a keen triathlete & marathon runner. If my dad is alive, he would have been Robert's age. We chatted so much through out the whole trip and I find him to be a great guy and a very down to earth person.
Found my way to Manjung with Robert on Saturday, 8/11/08. He is kind enough to give me a lift to and back from Manjung. He also let me share his room at the Lead View Hotel. Robert is 64 years of age and is a keen triathlete & marathon runner. If my dad is alive, he would have been Robert's age. We chatted so much through out the whole trip and I find him to be a great guy and a very down to earth person.
Robert
I had a good night sleep on Saturday. No pre-race jitters. I slept like a pig and woke up feeling fresh at 6 a.m. on race day. We left the hotel at 6.45 a.m. and got to the starting line shortly before 7.00 a.m. I had half an hour to set up my bike and warm up for the race start at 7.30 a.m.
Sea Of Bike
It was such a good feeling to be there at the starting line, to be amongst hundreds of like-minded people. People who chose to wake up at 6 a.m. and pushed their mind & body to the limit simply for the love of the sport. I MISSED RACING SO MUCH!!!!!!
RUN 11KM
I took my 1st 11km run really easy. I was hoping to finish in 1 hour but was surprised with a 0:55:57 split (about 5 min pace). The run course was great- flat and shady. We went through the neighbourhood of Manjung (2 loops within housing area of Manjung town).
Quite Relaxed With The 5 Min Pace
BIKE 64KM
Good Ride!!
The bike course was great too - mostly flat with a short climb over a bridge. I finished my ride in 2:01:10 and averaged 31.7km/h.
RUN 10KM
The real test begun in the last 10km run. As usual, my legs felt heavy and stiff. My hamstrings started pulling as I left the transition area. It was quite bad and I was reduced to a very slow jog. From my past experience, I knew the pulling will go away and I must not stop but keep jogging (no matter how slow).
Suffer-feast
From the pictures above, it is quite obvious that I was in pain. But the best part was knowing that if I persevered, the outcome would be very rewarding. Like an answered prayer, the cramps went away right after the first water station (about 2.0 km into the run). I was able to run again. I pushed a little harder in the last 5 km and the cramps were long forgotten by the time I got to the finish line I finished the last 10km in 1:00:52 (6 min pace).
So Relieved To Finish & Yes !!! I Can Still Finish a POWERMAN.
My overall time was 4:01:14 and I ranked 17th out of 47 starters in my age group of 40-44 years old. Very pleased with the result given my current level of fitness and was simply so glad that I was there at Manjung.
My POWERMAN Medal Collection - 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2008
My Entire Tri-Life Collection
