TRI-LIFE

BACK ON THE SADDLE

2012-02-07T23:02:00.003+08:00

4 - 7 February 2012

Was meant to ride 4 days in a row over the long weekend. But had a little too much drink (beer & whisky) on Sunday night and slept late (CNY gathering with family), so skipped riding on Monday.

Saturday, 4 Feb 2012 - 70km around Putrajaya

Sunday, 6 Feb 2012 - 90km around Putrajaya

Tuesday, 7 Feb 2012 - 70km OAH, Gombak - Gontong Jaya

Glad I took a day off on Monday, I returned on Tuesday with fresh legs which were crucial for climbing to Gontong Jaya. Opted to limit myself to Gohtong Jaya only (and not all the way to the top of Genting Highlands) as my fitness level was not quite there yet.

Had a good ride from the Orang Asli Hospital (OAH) to Genting Sempah, a 16km climb. Not at my best but enjoyed the company of a group of young riders.

Climbed to Gohtong Jaya with them. Had a short refill break the usual mamak shop at Gohtong J and then, I rode down alone.

When I reach the foothill, I did something that I had never done before. I made a u-turn and climbed back to Gohtong J again. Strangely, I felt stronger on the 2nd climb.

Didn't stop at Gohtong J on the 2nd trip and rode back all the way to OAH.

2012 ENGINE RESTART

2012-01-02T20:54:00.005+08:00

2 January 2012

First ride of the year. Thanks to some magic potions from my father in-law, my backache has eased.

But I am completely out of shape at this point in time. Felt weak, heavy & slow thru out a short 65km ride. Not complaining as it was a beautiful day with almost clear blue sky at Putrajaya, my favourite playground.

Missed my bike so dearly. Really hope I can get back to racing triathlons again.

POWERMAN PHOTOS

2011-12-17T18:58:00.001+08:00

"Photos thanks to Janice Chan"

SEASON 2011

2011-12-11T15:01:00.003+08:00

Wish I had done more...PD & Kenyir Lake Triathlons, Bareno Half Marathon, Energizer Half Marathon, Putrajaya Nite Half Marathon, KL Standard Chartered Full Marathon, New Balance 15km & Powerman Duathlon

END OF THE ROAD

2011-12-11T14:17:00.001+08:00

Mid-November 2011

Diagnosis for my back pain:

"There is a loss of normal lumbar lordosis. Ther is no scoliosis. The lumbar spine disc space of L5S1 is reduced. There are osteophytes at L5S1. The sacroiliac joint is normal. The is no spondylolsis and spondylolisthesis. Ther is L5S1 facet joint degenerative change.

Diagnosis: back strain and S1 radiculopathy"

In English: "Quit triathlon or you will have problems walking"

CRAP!!!!

POWERMAN RACE DAY

2011-11-28T17:54:00.004+08:00

Sunday, 13 November 2011

"Photo thanks to Victor Chong"

Once again, my ability to complete a Powerman was put to test. With very little training, I approached the task in hand very conservatively.

Ran the first 11km at an EZ pace and clocked 0:57:34 (51:11 in 2010). I must have taken it too EZ that the 11km felt like forever to complete.

Clocked 2:05:29 for the 64km bike (2:00:47 in 2010). Was on target with my planned average speed of slightly over 30km/h thru'out the bike course. As in previous years, I was careful not to draft behind other cyclists. Enjoyed the bike segment very much. The pace was just nice - not pushing too hard and good enough to regain some positions lossed during the 1st 11km run. Also, felt strong thru'out the bike segment, mainly due proper rehydration and care with my nutritional needs.

Took things EZ in the last transition to the 10km run. For a change, I had a bottle of Endurox (recovery drink) at the transition before I headed out for the final segment of the race. By then, the sun was already at its most glorious state.

Enjoyed the last 10km run under the scorching sun. Hot and sunny but that's the kind of challenge I like to put myself through. As usual, both my hamstring started pulling about 1 km into the run. Was reduced to a slow jog and I prayed hard to God to take my cramps away. Didn't stop or walk. Experience told me that if I kept jogging and prayed hard enough, my cramps will go away.

True enough and like an answered prayer, the cramps went away about 2-3km into the run. I increased my pace a little and by the time I finished the 1st of the 2 loops, I actually felt like I had not had enough yet!! Can't believe I am writing this but I actually thot to myself "Yahoo....I still have another 5km to run".

Finished my 10km run in 1:04:56 (1:05:39 in 2010). Overall, 4:12:04 (net time) compared to 4:00:14 in 2010.

POWERMAN MALAYSIA 2011

2011-11-08T23:08:00.002+08:00

A few more days to my main race for the year and i am so unfit. Save for a few rides and runs here and there, I didn't do much in the run up to race day except skipping training mostly in exchange for longer hours with my lap top.

And for the first time in years, i have not updated my training log for close to 2 months (i have diligently recorded all my workouts in a log book for years). So, this blog wasn't the only thing that i have abandoned after all.

A quick check on last year's training log scares the shit out of me. One thing for sure, I am so unprepared for this Sunday's race.

How on earth am i gonna run 11km, bike 64km and run another 10km??

RAT RACE 2011

2011-09-21T23:19:00.065+08:00

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Photos thanks to Tey, Peir Chyun, Robin Yap & Steven Pan

One of my favourite races. This year was special to me. I clocked my worst ever finishing time but I was simply glad I made it there.

Oli, Wei Ming, Kenneth, James & Chee Whay

My best timing in training for this year's edition was a 21:24. Was targeting to dip 21 minutes but an old back injury came back and haunted me a few days prior to race day. So bad that I couldn't stand up straight. Walking and deep breathing were painful.

Took an injection from my GP to relieve the pain on the Saturday before race day. Then, took pain killers and muscle relaxant in the few days thereafter. Coupled with good rubs from my Teresa, my back loosened up nicely come Tuesday, 20 September 2011.

But I felt weak from my lack of activity in the week before that and perhaps from the pills that I popped. Didn't tell my team mates of my injury. As the Rat Race was also a team event (team of 5 runners), where the fastest team time wins, I kept the problem to myself so to maintain team spirit. Although we knew that there was no way we could end up on the podium, we hoped to improve on our overall position and probably crack into a top 10 spot.

Guys, I have got a problem

I had two options. To take things easy and pace my 2 other team mates for a 24 or 25 minutes run or to go "all out". The sensible guy in me told me to slow down but the athlete in me said "all out". I didn't decide which to take until a few minutes before the gun went off.

Unlike previous years, I started easy. The competition in this years edition was very high. At that pace in previous years, I would still be amongst the 1st or 2nd chase groups. But this year, I was way behind by the time we got on to Jln Raja Chulan (about 500m into the race).

Started EZ

Up my tempo a little when I got to Wisma Genting (circa 1km mark) and regained some positions but found that I was already at a pace slightly below being painful.

My usual competitions started over taking me by the time I got to KLCC (nearing 2km). I have been in this race for some many years, I knew the faces of some guys from SGX, RHB and CIMB. In a good year, I would beat them but I would lose out in bad one. 2011 was meant to be another of those bad ones and I had no choice but to let them go.

The long hill after Shangri-La (circa 3.5km) was my usual hunting ground. Most runners would slow down and it was a perfect place to regain lossed positions. However, this year I became the hunted. With only 1 km to go, my mind wanted me to push harder but the body disobeyed. Kept going at the same pace since Wisma Genting, I finished the race in 22:06, my worst ever at the Rat Race.

Was glad I opted to go "all out". Not much of an "all out" effort but I was please with my timing giving the condition I was in. Also, glad I was there and not miss the fun.

Boys Will Be Boys

Next stop, Adidas King of The Road - 10km road race on 2 October 2011.

MEMORIES FROM THE RAT RACE

2011-09-10T20:35:00.018+08:00

2004 - Team Bursa

2006 - Team Bursa

2008 - Team Bursa

2010 - Team Tricor

RAT RACE

2011-08-21T19:26:00.008+08:00

Training - August 2011

Next Stop - Bursa Malaysia Rat Race 2011

Previous Races

Rat Race 2010 - 21:13 http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html
Rat Race 2009 - DNS
Rat Race 2008 - 20:27 http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2008/10/rat-race-2008.html
Rat Race 2007 - DNS
Rat Race 2006 - 20:23 http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2006/09/rat-race-2006.html
Rat Race 2005 - 21:00 http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2005/11/previous-races-bull-run-2004-rat-race.html
Rat Race 2004 - 21:20

SCUBA DIVING RE-VISITED

2011-08-07T20:32:00.001+08:00

Monday, 1 August 2011

The sport I left behind after getting into triathlon so many years ago. Good to be back at Aqua Sport, Kapas Island. Felt very welcomed by Azam, who couldn't recognise me at first. Can't blame him, I was last there in 2003.

Azam, my dive instructor & his assistant

Coral Garden, here I come.

PD TRI - THEN & NOW

2011-07-25T21:11:00.006+08:00

2007

2011

PORT DICKSON TRIATHLON 2011

2011-07-25T20:37:00.011+08:00

"Thank you Lord for the gift of life, Amen"

Sunday, 24 July 2011

Photos thanks to Tey

With Raiha & Sofian

Start of the 3rd Wave

Starting wide - left side of picture

Out of water

Bike

Young Sameer

Hunted by Chris

Life

Jason, Sofian, Chris & Carmen

STANDARD CHARTERED KL MARATHON 2011

2011-06-29T21:24:00.013+08:00

Sunday, 26 June 2011

Same race, different day, different approach & different set of problems.

Missed my 4-hour target by 12 minutes 26 seconds. I started out much slower compared than last with a 30km split of 2:52:07 (2:44:16 in 2010). Unlike last year, I didn't get any cramps in the last 12km of the run. I believed I fed & rehydrated well and felt much fresher at that stage of the run than last year. Without the cramps, I thot I was on target to dip 4 hours.

Then, things turned south after turning into the Bukit Tunku area (think about 5km to go). My heels started to ache. Each step was a struggle - felt like a stick hitting my heels. Coupled with those damn hills at Bkt Tunku, I was reduced to a jog. Not looking for an excuse but I think the cushioning of my shoes were a little too hard for me.

Anyway, I enjoyed the run very much. The sub-4 hour would have been a bonus. My finishing time of 4:12:26 was good enough to rank 123rd out of 904 runners in the Men Veteran cetegory (age 40 & above).

According to my Polar watch, my average & highest heart rate were 160 bpm & 168 bpm respectively (or 87% & 92% of my maximum heart rate) and I burned 3,012 calories that morning.

10 x PRECINCT 1 @ PUTRAJAYA

2011-06-12T22:50:00.001+08:00

Sunday, 12 JUNE 2011

10 laps or 35km in the bag. Started at 6.30 a.m. and ended run shortly after 10.00 a.m. Nutrition = 4 packets of Power Gel. Ran out of water in last lap & was too hot to go full marathon distance. Guess I will save the effort for race day in a forthnight.

PACESETTERS NEW BALANCE 15KM

2011-06-12T22:15:00.008+08:00

5 June 2011

Photos thanks to Tey.

Another of my favourite races. Clocked 1:14:20 and ranked 25th out of 155 in Junior Veteran category (Age 40-50) and 86th out of 1,120 overall. Average/ maximum heart rate 163/ 176 bpm.

9 x PRECINCT 1 @ PUTRAJAYA

2011-06-12T21:45:00.012+08:00

17 May 2011

Part of my build-up to Standard Chartered KL Marathon. Target was 10 laps or 35km but started late and settled for 9 laps or 31.5km instead. Too hot to continue and ran out of water in 9th lap.

MOMENT OF TRUTH

2011-05-14T21:08:00.003+08:00

2 May 2011
The day I realised my son being taller than I.

RIDE WITH SAMEER

2011-05-14T20:53:00.008+08:00

Monday, 2 May 2011

Labour Day replacement holiday. Went for a recovery spin with Sameer - a triathete in the making.

NEW TOYS

2011-05-14T20:37:00.005+08:00

Polar RS400 Running Computer & Brooks Ghost 3 Trainers.

The former provides real time feedback on pace, distance, current, average & max. heart rate, heart rate zone and calorie count, among other things.

ENERGIZER NITE RUN

2011-05-06T23:32:00.005+08:00

Saturday, 16 April 2011

Swapped my 42km bib for a 21km bib with an old friend. Interesting venue - we got to run on the race track of the Sepang F1 Circuit but it was a disaster for the race organiser and title sponsor.

Nothing much to write about it, except that I finished my run in 1:44:42 and it was under-distance (20km only, according to GPS of other runners).

Kenyir Lake Tri 2011 - Part 2

2011-04-17T22:48:00.011+08:00

Pre Race Activities

Kertih

Kemasik Beach

Lake Cruise - Post Race

Herbal Island

Saok Waterfalls

KENYIR LAKE TRIATHLON 2011

2011-04-16T13:58:00.004+08:00

Was surprised to receive this e-mail a couple of days after the race.

"Hi Chee,

Congratulations!! You have won the 9th placing in Men 40 - 49 years category at the recent Kenyir Lake International Triathlon 2011.

Your prize money is RM100.00. As you were not there to collect your prize, we have collected it on your behalf.

Please contact us for the collection of the prize"

Was surprised as I did not stay for the prize presentation. I never do because I knew I am not good enough.

However, thanks to the absence of many superstar triathletes that day, I had finally won some prize money from a triathlon race after 8 years in the sport.

Had a great time swimming, cycling and running in the rain thru'out the race. Rain was so heavy during the bike segment & rain drops felt like needles. New bike and run courses were most refreshing.

Official time 2:42:45

RAN OUT OF FUEL

2011-03-22T11:36:00.009+08:00

Sunday, 20 March 2011

Literally ran out of fuel in a 30km run. Started late at 8.15 a.m. and suffered the consequence. Half an hour into the run, it became apparent that it was going to be a hot and sunny morning.

Started from home in Puchong. Ran to Lim Kok Wing University in Cyberjaya via Bandar Bukit Puchong 2/ Kampung Meranti and back - one of my favourite routes for a long run.

With Energizer Nite Marathon in less than a month away, I desperately needed the mileage. I thot I had enough water with me - 1.2 litres in four 300ml flasks on my Fuel Belt. Also, had 4 packets of Power Gels with me. Coupled with a near zero training since last Sunday's Bareno Run, a 30km at easy pace would have been routine.

However, things started to fall apart after 20km. Energy level dipped and the Power Gels couldn't turn things around. The heat started to get to me and my flasks were running dry pretty quickly. I was reduced to a slow jog, then walk - jog - walk - jog. My tank was empty by km25 and I ended up walking the last 5km.

I was both mentally and physically defeated by the heat and the distance. Mental defeat because for the 1st time ever in training, I took a short cut home. The last that it has ever felt this bad in training must have been the 40km run back in Janury 2007, while training for Ironman Langkawi that year.

http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2007/01/broken-down.html

Am seriously considering giving the Energizer Nite Marathon a miss.

SWIMMING AT MID-DAY

2011-03-17T19:12:00.003+08:00

Thursday, 17 March 2011

Took half-day leave from work to accompany wife to somewhere later in the afternoon. Went for short swim at Celebrity Fitness, Mid Valley, before I was due to pick wife up from home. Have been and will be skipping regular training sessions for various reasons, hence had to make the most of what ever spare time I have to log in some mileage.

Not much though but better than zero - swam 1x400m front crawl + 1x800m kickboard + 1x800 paddles with pull buoy, total 2000m, at one-something in the afternoon of a working day.

BARENO RUN 2011

2011-03-17T18:46:00.006+08:00

Photo thanks to Tey - You Are The Man!!!
>
Ranked 27th out of 245 in Veteran Category (40-49) and 126th out of 1500 overall.
>

Last few km - rushing to the loo!!!

BARENO RUN 2011

2011-03-13T16:27:00.006+08:00

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Woke up at 3.00 a.m. Had breakfast & left the house at 4.15 a.m. Destination - National Stadium @ Bukit Jalil for the Bareno 21km run.

Race started at 5.30 a.m. Was hilly, quite dark at certain sections and plenty of twist & turns along the race course. The cool air of the early morning was most pleasant. Had a good run, except for some stomach problems in last 4km. Felt a little weak due to that.

Finished 27th in the Junior Veteran category and posted 1:48:18, probably a new personal best in a half marathon.

First Medal For 2011

DRILLS AT THE POOL

2011-03-12T15:56:00.003+08:00

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Beginning to enjoy swimming again. Menu prescribed by coach a 100m EZ + 800m paddles with fin + 10x25m with pull buoy + 500m front crawl (9:41) + 400m one-armed pulling + 300m front crawl (5:42) + 200m catch-up pull + 100m front crawl (1:39) + 50m front crawl (43 seconds) + 100m EZ.

Never any good in swimming, so very pleased with my front crawls today. Felt so fresh after the swim despite a long day at the office.

SPEED WORK

2011-03-02T18:05:00.005+08:00

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Back to work at Kampung Pandan track. I could resume training mainly thanks to the massage from my wife over the weekend. Missed out on such training at the track for a month due to various reasons (rain, work, family etc.)

The day's workout was somewhat different than usual. Main set 10 x 600m @ 3:20 (read as 10 times 600 meters on 3 minutes 20 seconds).

Coach was cheeky as usual and did not reveal the number of 600m reps at the start of the set (we were told not to ask). But there were murmurs amongst the runners that we might be going for 10 times.

Unfamiliar with running 600m, I started the set easy and ran 2:42. Hence, I had a good 40 seconds rest before the next rep. The pace felt easy and 38 seconds rest interval felt long enough. But experience told me that things will turn around drastically deeper into the set. So I made a conscious attempt to maintain my pace at around 2:40 per 600m.

It was only after 5 reps that coach announced that we had another 5 more to go. The stronger runners got promoted to run the balance of the 600m @ 3:00. I was only good enough to continue with the other runners @ 3:20.

Indeed, 2:40 pace began to feel quite painful to maintain and rest interval seemed to fly pass without a trace as we piled up the reps. I was reduced to 2:47 in the 9th rep, partly feeling the pain and partly to reserve for the last rep.

In the 2nd half of the last rep, I think experienced what they called a runner's high. I was half-dead & seeing stars but somehow found the strenght to go a little faster. I finished the last 600m in 2:33.

Rep 1 - 2:42

Rep 2 - 2:40

Rep 3 - 2:39

Rep 4 - 2:40

Rep 5 - 2:38

Rep 6 - 2:42

Rep 7 - 2:43

Rep 8 - 2:43

Rep 9 - 2:47

Rep 10 - 2:33

Typically, coach made us run another 2x400m to end the day. So much for my "runner's high", I was completely drained by then. I ran the last 2x400 almost at warm up pace.

One of the younger runners ran too hard and puked in the last 2x400, that's how tough the day's work was but that was the fun part.

DOWN TIME

2011-03-02T17:53:00.003+08:00

26 - 27 February 2011 (Sat/ Sunday)

An old back injury returned to haunt me. Been out of action for 3 days prior to the weekend. Rested over the weekend as walking straight was a problem. Massage by wife really helped to loosen things up.

So, it was a lazy weekend for me....sleep, eat, sleep & watched some DVDs with wife (plus the massage, lucky me!!).

SWIMMING

2011-02-24T22:41:00.004+08:00

Friday, 18 February 2011

Menu for the evening:

12x100 @ 2:00 with Paddles & Fin + 300 Kickboard + 1x1500 in 30:51; total 3,000m. First 1 x 1,500 since Port Dickson Triathlon in July 2010.

Can't wait to race another triathlon...next stop Kenyir Lake, 10 April 2011.

http://www.triathlonmalaysia.com/race-details.php?eventID=24&tab=race

8 x PRECINT 1, PUTRAJAYA

2011-02-17T11:29:00.009+08:00

Tuesday, 15 February 2011 (Public Holiday)

Another of my favorite workouts revisited.

I used to go 12 x Precint 1 "massive round-about", which measures 3.5km each (i.e. 42km) in 2005/ 2006, while embarking on my journey to Ironman Langkawi 2006 & 2007.

http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2007/02/last-long-run-precinct-1.html

http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2006/02/return-to-im-langkawi-solo-long-run.html

Target for the day was to run 6 rounds in slightly under 2 hours with negative splits (i.e. going faster each lap). That would be 21km in the bag. Started at 7.45 a.m. and would get pretty hot by the time I finish.

By the time I got to the 4th lap, I started thinking of adding another 2 rounds as "bonus". Had a packet of Power Gel in the 4th lap and another at the end of the 6th. Went on to redeem my "bonus" laps to wrap up the day's work with a satisfying 28km run in 2:35:32.

Splits:-

Lap1 20:33

Lap 2 20:15

Lap 3 19:46

Lap 4 19:16

Lap 5 19:15

Lap 6 18:56

Lap 7 18:53

Lap 8 18:35

60km Time Trial At Putrajaya

2011-02-15T21:23:00.004+08:00

Sunday, 13/2/11

One of my favourite workouts, solo time trial on the bike. Used to do 90km and 100km time trial back in 2006/ 2007 while training for Ironman Malaysia.

http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2007/01/bike-90km-time-trial-putrajaya.html

http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2007/01/bike-100km-time-trial-putrajaya.html

With a lower fitness level and not having an Ironman race coming up, a 60km time trial would be good enough for me. Target was to average a mere 30km/h over the distance, a piece of cake for most cyclists but quite a challenge for me.

Had a go few weeks back but gave up after 40km. Attempted again today with PowerGels, which must have helped in keeping up my energy levels thru the workout.

Started with a 12km warm up at easy pace, riding from home to Lim Kok Wing in Cyberjaya.

Started the 60km workout (after the warm up) in moderate intensity, being careful not to tire myself out too early and quiting. The route chosen was mainly a 20km loop around Putrajaya and I had to go around it at least 3 times to cover the distance.

Posted a split of 0:59:49 at 30km, just within target speed. Had a PowerGel at 40km and pushed harder in the 2nd 30km. Was up by more than a minute at 50km but realised that there would be a long 2km hill at the end of the 60km distance, at which I would lose all the time gained thus far. So, I rode harder to gain as much time as possible before the last 2 km.

My calculations were spot on. I was down to the last 2km by the time I got to the base of the long hill. Average speed was reduced to 18-20km/h, which meant that I could have easily ended the 2nd 30km outside the hour mark. Gave all I had and posted 0:59:47 in the 2nd 30km or 1:59:36 over the 60km.

Was very happy with that altho' still a long shot from my peak in 2006/2007. Love such workouts. While at it, it was just me, my bike and the open road. Everything else, especially unfinished business at the office, was irrelevant.

Rode another 42km in moderate to high intensity and ran a 5km off the bike under a scorching mid-day sun.

8x50 @ 1:00

2011-02-15T18:58:00.007+08:00

11/2/11

Read as 8 times 50 meters on 1 minute. Piece of cake for a swimmer but was quite a tall order for a hopeless one in me.

My short term target since returning to the pool is to nail this set of workout. The session for the evening started with strenght training - 8x150 (Paddles & Fin) + 12x50 (Pull Buoy) + 400 (Kick Board).

I was hoping that coach would prescribe a 8x50 set as I was feeling quite good in the water that day for reasons unknown to me. After a short rest, came the big test. Have been trying in vain to complete such a set in the last few weeks but was only good enough for 3 reps of 50m continuously before skipping a rep.

Think I logged 50 seconds in the 1st 50m and averaged 55 seconds per 50m for the entire set, which meant I had a good 5 seconds to catch my breath in between reps. Lost count after the 3rd 50m and set seemed to have continued forever. Had to check with coach that it was just 8x50 after the session (as it felt something like 12x50)

Swam another 200m easy and called it a day. Next immediate target is to swim 8x50 without feeling like 12x50.

RETURN TO THE TRACK

2011-01-11T23:23:00.004+08:00

Tuesday, 11/1/11

Back at the Kg Pandan track for the 1st time in years. Good to see coach, Mr. Chan, again. Short session but tough since I was like starting all over again with speed training.

Menu was pretty sraight forward, just 400m set time.

1000EZ + 800 warm-up + 4x400 @ 2:20 + 5x400 @ 2:00 (skipped the 3rd rep at coach's instruction) + 3x400 @ 2:30 + 4x400 @2:00 + 800EZ (total 8.6km)

Will make it a point to do speed work at least once a week, if workload at the office permits.

MEMORY LANE

2011-01-09T17:02:00.004+08:00

I missed training days like this:-

>
Ironman Training in 2006
http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2006/11/bike-run-brick.html

MINDLESS TRAINING

2011-01-09T15:58:00.006+08:00

Wednesday, 5 Jan 2011
>
8.00 p.m.
>

Renewed my Chin Woo membeship & returned to training at the pool under the instructions of Don Khor. It has been more more than 2 years since I last completed a full training session with them. What would have been an EZ session a couple of years ago turned out to be very painful now that I am quite unfit.

The menu was 100 EZ + 8x100 Pull Buoy + 8x50 Kick Board with Fins + 8x100 Paddles with Fins + 16x50 (drills) + 100 EZ (total = 3km).

The set of 16x50 was most painful and comprised 5 x 3x50 (25 Butterfly/ 25 Front Crawl (FC) + 25 Backstroke/ 25 FC + 25 Breast Stroke/ 25 FC) + 1x50 FC. As one of the slower swimmers in the pool, I had to push hard so that I would have a short rest interval before the next rep.

At one stage in the 16x50, I had to switch my mind off the pain & pushed off the wall "mindlessly" when the coach shouted "READY.....GO!!!"

BARENO & ENERGIZER RUN

2011-01-08T15:10:00.004+08:00

Just signed up for these:-

1) Bareno 21km Run 13 March 2011 http://www.themarathonshop.com.my/events/bareno2010/

2) Energizer Night Marathon 16 April 2011
http://www.energizernightrace.com.my/

and 8 more days b4 Stand Chart KL Marathon is open for registration.

http://www.kl-marathon.com/

2011 will to be an ACTIVE year for me.

RACE SEASON 2011

2011-01-08T12:55:00.010+08:00

Sources : -

http://runwitme.blogspot.com/

http://www.triathlonmalaysia.com/index.php

http://www.pacesetters.com.my/

http://deo-runner.blogspot.com/

http://www.duathlonseries.com.my/v2/

http://www.sabahtourism.com/sabah-malaysian-borneo/en/event/month/10-october/

19 Feb Putrajaya Wilayah Day Run (10km), Putrajaya
20 Feb KL Wilayah Day Run (10km), Dataran Merdeka
6 Mar KL Towerthon, KL Tower
13 Mar Bareno Run (21km), Bkt Jalil
27 Mar (tentative) Kenyir Lake Triathlon (Swim 1.5k-Bike 40k-Run 10k)
16 Apr Energizer Nite Marathon, Sepang F1 Circuit
24 Apr (tentative) Bidor Half Marathon
24 Apr (tentative) Kapas Swimathon (Swim 6.5km), Kapas Island
1 May Borneo Marathon, Kota Kinabalu
xx May (pray hard) Ironman Malaysia (Swim 3.8k-Bike 180k-Run42k), Langkawi
8 May Coca Cola Run (10km), Dataran Merdeka
1 Jun New Balance 15km Run, Lake Gardens (KL)
26 Jun Standard Chartered KL Marathon, Dataran Merdeka
10 Jul Siemens Run (10km), Dataran Merdeka
10 Jul (tentative) Seremban Half Marathon
17 Jul Olympic Day Run, Dataran Merdeka
24 Jul Port Dickson Triathlon (Swim 1.5k-Bike 40k-Run10k)
30 Jul Shape Nite Run (10km), Putrajaya
xx Jul (pending) Malakoff University Duathlon Series 1 (Run-Bike-Run)
xx Aug (pending) Malakoff University Duathlon Series 2
xx Aug (pending) Malakoff University Duathlon Series 3
xx Aug (pending) The Edge-Bursa Rat Race (Run 4.5k)
24 Sep (tentative) Desaru Triathlon (Swim 2k-Bike 90k-Run 21k)
23 Oct Mount Kinabalu Climbathon (21km, vertical limit)
30 Oct New Balance 30km Run, Lake Gardens (KL)
30 Oct Genting Trailblazer, Genting Highlands
13 Nov Powerman Malaysia (Run 11k-Bike 64k-Run 10k), Manjung, Perak
20 Nov Penang Bridge Marathon
4 Dec Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon
19 Dec Malakoff 12km Run

TRI SEASON 2010

2010-11-25T20:42:00.003+08:00

Didn't do much this year except 2 marathons, a 15km & another 25km Run, PD Triathlon, Powerman Malaysia & Ironman Malaysia.

POWERMAN 2010

2010-11-25T20:18:00.005+08:00

14 November 2010

"PHOTO THANKS TO WINNIE WONG"

New personal best in official finishing time of 4:00:19 (2009 - 4:11:14; 2008 - 4:01:14). Pre-dawn rain plus cloudy & cool conditions for most part of the race played a role in the faster overall timing.

Pushed a little harder in the first 11km run and clocked 51:11 (previous years circa 55 minutes). Quite happy with the 60km bike split of 2:00:47. Things fell apart in last 10km run with a split of 1:05:39 due to cramps.

Finished 18 out of 56 in my age group of 40 -44 and 137 out of about 500 overall.

ROAD TO POWERMAN 2010

2010-11-06T21:41:00.011+08:00

Without Ironman Malaysia in the race calendar, Powerman got upgraded to Priority A race category. Hence, in the last few months (since PD triathlon), I had zero swimming and focused on bike & run.

Key workouts since PD :-

31/7/10 - Bike 70km

7/8/10 - Run 10km/ Bike 70km brick

11/8/10 - Run (Tmill) intervals 9 x 4 mins Hard @ 2 mins rest interval (RI)

15/8/10 - Bike 115km

19/8/10 - Run (Tmill) 10km

22/8/10 - Super Brick; Bike 51km + Run 6km + Bike 51km + Run 3km

26/8/10 - Run (Tmill) intervals 10 x 4 mins Hard @ 2 mins RI

28/10/10 - Run 21km

29/8/10 - Bike 108km

31/8/10 - Run 15km (hills)

2/9/10 - Mini Brick; Run 1km (Tmill) + 1 hour RPM (bike) + Run 4km (Tmill)

4/9/10 - Run 10km EZ pace

5/9/10 - Bike 91km

7/9/10 - Bike 53km/ Run 6km brick

11/9/10 - Run 10 EZ pace

12/9/10 - Bike 60km/ Run 3km brick

13/9/10 - 1 hour RPM (bike)

15/9/10 - Run (Tmill) 1km EZ + 10x4mins Hard @ 2mins RI + 5mins EZ

16/9/10 - Brick; Bike 53km + Run 6km + Bike 48km

18/9/10 - Run 21km

19/9/10 - Bike 123km

25/9/10 - Bike 53km EZ pace

26/9/10 - Run 25km (Newton 25k)

27/9/10 - 1 hour RPM (bike)

3/10/10 - Bike 62km (afternoon ride)

6/10/10 - 1 hour RPM

10/10/10 - Run 10km (a.m.)

10/10/10 - Bike 80km (p.m.)

12/10/10 - Run (Tmill) 6x4mins Hard @ 2mins RI

13/10/10 - 1 hour RPM + 4km Run (Tmill)

14/10/10 - Run (Tmill) 10km EZ pace

16/10/10 - Bike 53km EZ

20/10/10 - Run (Tmill) 10km EZ pace

23/10/10 - Bike 91km

21/10/10 - Brick; Bike 105km + Run 3km

3/11/10 - Run(Tmill) 1km EZ + 10x4mins Hard @ 2mins RI

4 - 6/11/10 - Fever + Gastrick + Diarrhea

7/11/10 - ?????

8 - 13/11/10 - Taper (EZ workouts)

14/11/10 - Race Day POWERMAN 2010

Wish I had done more of those Super Brick. But then again, there can never be enough training.

OFF THE WALL PART 2

2010-11-06T09:31:00.006+08:00

2 October 2010
Tricorthon Adventure Race

Post Race Activity - Don't Tell My Mum I Did This!!!

NEWTON 25KM CHALLENGE

2010-10-09T16:43:00.006+08:00

26 September 2010

Part of my training program for Powerman, Newton 25km run at Kinrara, Puchong. Hilly & scenic race course.

25km didn't feel too long a distance. Clocked 2:16:something (net time), ranked 21st in Junior Veteran category (age 40 -50) & had a great time !!

>

Pushed a little harder in last 2km to stay ahead of some guys I know.

OFF THE WALL

2010-09-24T19:09:00.008+08:00

11/9/09 - Sendat Waterfalls (Ulu Yam)

Thank You Jane & Carven For The Photos

Have you got the balls to slide off that waterfall?

Views From The Top

Here goes...

Ouch!! That Hurts!!

"God, Walk Me Out Of Here"

Cheers !!! After the Plunge!!

I did this in my early 30's. Ten years on, I have done it again!!!

And it sure feels GOOD!!!

Will do it again 10 years later!!!!

NEXT STOP POWERMAN MALAYSIA 2010

2010-09-05T14:58:00.004+08:00

Training for this :-

Powerman Malaysia, 14 November 2010
Run 11km/ Bike 64km/ Run 10km

Race Start 2009, Manjung, Perak

Previous Races:-

Powerman 2009

http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2009/11/powerman-malaysia-2009.html

Powerman 2008
http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2008/11/powerman-malaysia-2008.html

Powerman 2005

http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2005/11/previous-races-powerman-malaysia-2005.html

RAT RACE 2010 - PART 2

2010-08-11T08:05:00.009+08:00

3 August 2010

PHOTOS BY TEY

Good to back at the Rat Race again. Ran for Tricor for the 1st time. Had a great time with the cheerleading team b4 the race. Gave all I had in the race and collapsed at the finish line.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the pre & post race actvities with former and current colleagues from Bursa & Tricor respectively.

Started from the 3rd or 4th row, right behind those strong RHB runners. Very hot & humid compared to previous years. Was stuffy & hot and waited for almost 20 -30 minutes in the starting crowd for the preceding CEO race to commence & finish before we could get on with the main event of the day. Glad I had a bottle of water with me while waiting for the starting gun. Sipped and washed face in order to stay cool and hydrated before the gun went off.

I think Dato' Yusli (Bursa CEO) saw me among the crowd. He was standing on a platform with the Tun Chairman of Bursa to start the race. I waved at Dato' Yusli & he waved back and I thot that was cool.

Sprinted the 1st 100m or so after the gun went off to get away from the slower starters . In a short 4.5 km race, every second counts. My PB at the Rat Race is 20:23 in 2006. In training for this year's run, I clock 20:56 but that was done in a cool Saturday morning condition. But my previous experience thot me that I would usually go faster on race day (despite the hotter condition) mainly due to adrenaline rush from race crowd. Fresh from a good run in the PD Triathlon, I was actually aiming to dip 20 minutes.

As usual, I found myself amongst the 1st or 2nd chase group after we came off the ramp onto Jln Raja Chulan and settled into my target race pace. I remember seeing the RHB & CIMB runners pulling away fast. They were of a different class, so I made no attempt to follow their pace.

Approaching Wisma Genting, Mohamad Ali & Mathi from Bursa overtook me. Mathi is my old team mate during my Bursa days. He has improved tremendously & quit smoking. As per the results he finished 8th overall in 20:01 and I am very happy for him. Mohd Ali is the new kid at Bursa. Only 25 and has been clocking 18 minutes or so in training & last year's race. He finished 3rd overall in 18:45 this year.

Mathi

Muhamad Ali

I lost sight of the leading pack soon after Wisma Genting. I remember being overtaken by quite a number of CIMB, Maybank & OCBC runners. They were easy to recognise with their blue, yellow & red shirts respectively. Found myself running along side Vasu from RHB. I opted to keep pace with him because I came close behind him many times in previous races and i believed we were in the same league. He is one of those guys I wanted to beat that day.

Vasu - RHB

Glad I grab a bottle of water at the water station near Public Bank junction. Was so hot and humid. Fume from cars stuck in the jam due to the race didn't help. My throat was dried and I thirst. Had a quick sip (and disposed of the bottle), which I must have helped in the later part of the race.

Then, Jessica Tang (CIMB & regular runner) came up to me some where near Lai Ming school. She was matching my every stride and I was kind of worried she might beat me. Jessica finished 32nd overall but came out 1st in the women category. Kenan from SGX caught up as well. He beat me every year during my Bursa days. He is another whom I was dying to beat that day.

Jessica - CIMB

Kenan - SGX

My race plan was to push hard after Shangri-La. The hill after Shangri-La and approaching The Weld is a good place to attack. My observation from previous races proved right when I saw many racers (some in blue, yellow and red shirts) reduced to walking. I made up some positions there. I must have dropped Vasu, Jessica & Kenan at the hill as I did not see them until after the race. Pushed harder after The Weld. By then, it was only some 500 meters to the end. The toughest part of the race was behind me and the last 500m was a gentle down hill.

There was a bunch of 5-6 runners some 100m ahead of me. They seemed to be running at a constant pace, as if conserving energy for the final dash up Bukit Kewangan (the short hill outside Bursa bulding). I found myself gaining on them rapidly, which made me more determined to catch them.

I caught them at the traffic lights just before Bukit Kewangan. I was almost spent by then. Told myself to hang in there for a few more seconds. I attacked hard up Bkt Kewangan, screaming out loud and overtook the whole bunch of them.

Girl in the background saw what I was up to

The Catch Is On - Too Bad This Bloke ended a second a head of me

Bad move, I reckoned. In a way, I think my scream made them more eager to catch me back. I remember yellow shirt and a red shirt caught be back at the finish line. A check at the results showed that I finished 3 seconds behind a Maybank guy by the name Azwan Nordin and 1 second behind an OCBC bloke by the name Jefferey Choong.

I gave everything I had and collapsed at the finish line. Stayed on the ground for a few seconds. The race officials picked me up and asked if I was OK. Got up with their help, thanked them and walked away by myself.

Nothing Spared

I finished in 21:13 (gun time & 21:09 net time) and ranked 20th overall (out of 705 starters). Am very pleased with my results despite missing out on my target by more than 1 minute. Very pleased with myself for not giving up at the base of Bkt Kewangan, and more importantly to finally beat Vasu (RHB) and Kenan (SGX)!!

Age have really caught up with me. Took me quite a while to recover. Had a couple of cans of 100Plus + some water and sat on the ground for more than 15 minutes feeling dizzy . Missed out on the cheerleading performance by Tricor's team ad I was still in a daze when their turn came. But I could hear the MC announcing the team and heard the screams from the guys watching their performance.

I was not the only one who collapsed that day. Arumugum from Maybank required assistance to finish in the top 10 & collapsed on the finish line.

Fellow triathlete friend - Nik Raiha, CIMB

Mak, former team mate, Bursa

Tricor team mate, Chee Whay

Tricor team mate, Goon

Tricor team mate, Jamal

Tricor team mate, Kuan Yee

RAT RACE 2010 - PART 1

2010-08-05T20:35:00.009+08:00

3 August 2010

(Photos by Tey.)

My Cheerleaders From TRICOR

Can't get better than this!!!

Fooling Around

PD TRIATHLON 2010

2010-08-05T19:55:00.010+08:00

24 July 2010

Good to be back at PD.

My main worry for the race was my lack of training on the bike. Last rode a mere 30km (OAH-Sempah-OAH) on 20/6/10. Looking further back was a 42km + 6km bike/ run on 22/5/10 and the last long ride was a 94km + 3km bike/ run on 9/5/10. Had a few Flying Wheel sessions at Celebrity Fitness in between. Focused was on running in last few months in preparation for the Std Chart Marathon.

Woke up at 5 a.m. on race day at PD. Had 2 self-made Ham & Lettuce sandwiches, canned Mocha Nescafe & 500ml plain water for breakfast. Had 1/2 PowerBar at the transition area, while setting up my bike.

Again, wave start. Was in the 3rd wave. For the first time, I was confident to start the swim in the 2nd or 3rd row, instead of being at the back of the pack. Swam hard in 1st 50-100m and didn't get kicked & punched by other swimmer. Settled into a steady pace, found the 1st bouy in a breeze and u-turn bouy didn't seem to too far away. Felt a little longer getting back to the start/ finish line of the swim leg & got out of water in circa 35 minutes, which by then the faster swimmers from the 4th wave already caught up. Remember running thru T1 with Don Khor, who started some 5 minutes after I did.

Out of Water

Wet Suit.. Isn't This Illegal???

That's Better!!

Had a smooth & quick transition at T1. Found myself charging for my bike & simply ran thru' the showers without slowing down to clean up a little. Put on my race belt, helmet & sunglasses, grabbed my bike and hopped onto it at the exit of T1. The 1st km was rather technical where I had to I slip into my (already clipped on) bike shoes while negotiating a couple of sharp turns with a bunch of other cyclists riding close to me.

Hiding behind a small pack

Opted for my Trek road bike as this was a draft legal race. Have not riden in a group for quite some time. All those solo rides in training on my time trial (TT) bike worried me as I was kind of rusty with drafting. My choice for Trek was for the ease to respond to attacks with my gear shifters on the handle bars (as opposed to those thumb shifters attached to the aerobars of my TT bike).

To my relief, the choice was proven right when the 1st of the relay cyclist passed me a couple of kms into the ride. I was drafting behind a small bunch of 3-4 riders, when the relay guy overtook us. I shifted gear quickly, jumped off my saddle and tucked myself right behind his wheels. A few others tacked along. We picked up a few other strong riders along the way and the rode together until the u-turn. I was determined to ride smart that day i.e. declining to go to the front of the group and instead, stayed some where in the middle of the pack thru' out. I regained some positions lost in the swim & was very pleased with myself when I passed those younger racers who started in the earlier waves. But it wasn't easy. As usual, the pace seemed to quicken every time we come to an incline. Typical pack behaviour (as I have learned over the years). The idea was to shake off the weaker riders. Hence, if you couldn't keep up, you would be left behind (mean fellows!!!).

Some scary moments awaited us shortly after the u-turn. A herd of bulls and cows crossed the road. It was dejavu for me as I had similar experience in 2007, while training for the KUL - JB rides with my Chin Woo gang. The herd got the race to a standstill (well at least to those of us on both side of the rode who were there at that time). Some brave riders took the risk and rode thru the stampede. Others, including myself stopped. Was very scary, those beasts were frightened and were charging like "mad cows". They charged acrossed the road, some in front of me and some behind me. God must have sent his guardian angels to look after us that day as it was a miracle that none of us got hurt.

I was the 1st to resume the ride (on my side of the road). To my dismay, the stronger riders whom I drafted with b4 the u-turn were among those brave ones who got away. With due respect to those who rode with me on the return leg, it wasn't quite the pace/speed as b4 the u-turn. Got to the front of the pack and did some pulling. But, stuck to my strategy of riding smart for most part of the return leg by dropping behind quickly.

Caught up with my friend, Sofian in the last few km of the ride. Sofian started in a later wave but was until then in front of me. Wasn't too puzzled as I knew him as a strong swimmer. A check at the results later revealed that he swam 28 minutes. Finished my bike leg in 1:07:42 (as per results)

Drafting - cycling made easy (notice my smile)

Sofian

T2 was not as swift as T1. Lost some time fumbling with my shoe laces. Should have used those little gadget I have for a speedy lace-up (can't remember what you called them).

Must be the cool & cloudy conditions and the right strategy on the bike that kept my running legs fresh. Pushed hard right from the start. The high mileage in prep for Std Chart Marathon was most helpful here. A 10km seemed like a walk in the park. Pushed harder after the 5km u-turn. Pushed so hard that I was probably the loudest on the run course. Later, after the finish, Simon Lau asked why was I moaning so loud during the run. Lost some positions to stronger runners but regain some at the same time.

A competitor in my same age group made a last minute dash to the finish line. I didn't respond. I was contended with what I have done for the day. He was sporting enough to turn back and gave me a hug at the finish line, which I took as a sign of respect for a fellow triathlete after a hard day's work.

Am very pleased with my 45:30 run split as per my watch (altho' the official result showed a 47:01, which must have included time in T2). Overall time 2:32:11.

Finished 29/129 in my age group of 40-49 and 136/636 overall.

Very happy that I kept my record of not missing out on PD Tri since 2003. More pleased with myself for finishing in low 2:30's, something which I have been struggling to do in the last few years (2009 - 2:49:50/ 2008 - 2:43:48).

Hot Winners On The Podium

STANDARD CHARTERED KL MARATHON 2010

2010-08-05T19:44:00.004+08:00

27 June 2010 : Sub-4 Material (Part 2)

Went bed at 12.00 a.m. & woke up at 2.30 a.m. Didn't really sleep but was not too worried about it because I slept well the 2 nights b4. Had usual breakfast of toasted pita bread with garlic spread, ham (2 slices) & lettuce. Left home at 3.30 a.m. Got to Bkt Aman car park at around 4 a.m.

This is my 2nd marathon after PutraJ Nite in Jan 2010. Wasn't sure of target time to aim for but decided to be ambitious & followed the 4hr Pacers. Started to rain quite heavily b4 start of race.

Ran in the rain during 1st 10km. Followed pacer Hin Tong in 1st 10km. Then, another 4 hr pacer by the name Lau ran pass & I decided to follow him & ditched Hin Tong.

Then, found Lau a little too fast & was dropped. For almost 5-7k (i think), without a pacer & didn't fall back to Hin Tong. Then, found myself closing the gap with pacer Lau. Caught him at around the B. Bintang area (I think) and ran with him for at least 15km. Was comfortable with his pace & felt strong.

Also, bumped into Azwar in front of Pavillion (21km mark - 1:56:something). He wasn't in the run. Heard him shouting out my name from fall. Was very happy to see him. High fived & I think he was happy to see me too.

Was confident at that point to dip below 4hr when I got to the 30km mark (split 2:45:02). Still with Lau & were like pacing each other.

But things fell apart at 32km when my left calf started to pull. Had to let Lau go, cramps got worse & both calves were pulling. Dug deep & kept telling myself that I been thru' worse. My experience in running with cramps from races like Powerman & Desaru half IM was most helpful. The knowledge that if I kept going, the cramps would subside. The weather condition was also great - cool morning after an early shower, so unlike the hot sun at Putrajaya/ Lumut Powerman or Desaru.

The cramps subsided but I lost my running form and last 10km split was reduced to 1:02:03. At the 40km mark, my split was 3:47:05.

Was required to run at least 6 mins pace for a very tight sub-4 finishing. Pushed hard but couldn't really move any faster. The big crowd in last 1.5m (Jln R Laut/ Jln TAR) didn't help.

Didn't look at my watch in the last 2km & only realised I was to miss the sub-4 mark by mere seconds when I approached the finishing line. With about 50meters to go, I saw the timer at the finishing line ticked away (fast) at 3:59:40 something.

Crossed the line at 4:00:19 feeling dizzy (official time 4:00:10).

I gave everything I had in the last 10km & was near bonking. Felt better after drinking some 100Plus. Am happy with run - shaved 30 minutes off PutaJ Nite marathon (when I had better mileage while training for IM2010). With a little more experience & mileage in training, I am quite sure I am a sub-4 material.

New Balance 15KM

2010-08-04T20:30:00.005+08:00

16 May 2010

Pushed For Those Precious Seconds

Official time 1:15:17 but timing on my stop watch was 1:17:17. Finished 24th out of 214 in Junior Veteran Category (40-50) & 75th out of >1500.

TUN & I

2010-07-28T19:05:00.002+08:00

IRONMAN MALAYSIA 2010

2010-07-28T18:30:00.007+08:00

MANY THANKS TO TEY FOR THE PHOTOS

Couldn't find the time to update my blog, so its kinda difficult to write. Anyway, in summary:-

Had a bad race, worst finishing time ever - 15:29:00 (Best time - 13:45:00 in 2007)
Bad swim, slow swimming out but quick coming in due to strong current. Swim time 1:50 something.
Bike time 6:30 something. Struggled with the steep climb in the last lap.
Run time 6:50 something. Run reduced to jog, jog reduced to brisk walk, brisk walk reduced to walk.
Not too dissappointed. Was simply happy to be back. Same time last year, thot I would never get to do another IM.
Now, a 5-time IM finisher

SUB-4 MATERIAL ???

2010-02-17T12:09:00.015+08:00

Week 10 : 2/2/10 - 7/2/10

Am I a sub-4 hour marathon runner?

Since my first Ironman in Feb 2004, I have always wondered if I am a sub-4 material. I have ran 4 marathons but all were parts of the marathon legs of an Ironman. Best time was circa 5 hours 30 minutes.

This week, I was to run my first ever (plain vanila) marathon. The timing of the race at Putrajaya Nite Marathon on 6/2/10 was simply perfect. I have built up to 35km on my run and was meant to run a 42km at least once before race day at Langkawi.

Rested my running legs for most part of the week & focused on swimming.

Sat, 6/2/10 : (p.m.) PutraJ Nite Marathon

Race started at 8.00 p.m. Target was to go slightly under 4 hours. Was familiar with the race course, which was my usual cycling playground on weekends. Thot a nite race would be cooling but the humidity made the run tougher than the usual morning races/ runs.

Race support was excellent with water stations every 2km. The cool sponges were particulary helpful with the humidity - I could literaly hear the hissing sound of heat evaporating as I squeezed the cold water over my head.

Started the run EZ and found a comfortable pace shortly into a couple of kilometers. The km markers seemed to come & go very quickly. At half way mark, I thot I was flying. Maintained a good pace that felt effortless. Was actually holding back, knowing the common complaint amongst marathon runners of breaking down after 30km into the run.

At km23, I tripped & fell. I landed hard on my left hip. Felt disorientated momentarily. Was a little confused and couldn't really figure out why I was lying on the tarmac. Immediately, the fellow runners beside me came over to see if I was alright. I extended my hands to one of them, who took them immediately to pull me up.

One of my Felt Belt bottle fell off and was lying on the tarmac. I couldn't bend over to pick it up and the guy who gave me a pull, helped me. I thanked him, turned around and continued with my run.

I was in trouble. The fall hurt my hip quite badly and I continued with a limp. To make things worse, my calves started to pull at about 35km. It felt like forever to finish the last 5km. Many passed me and I ended my 1st ever marathon in 4:29:something.

Doubt I could dip under 4 hours without the fall. So, a long stinding question has been answered that night.

Paid a visit to the first aid tent and went home in bandages.

5 WEEKS TO LANGKAWI

2010-02-01T15:12:00.005+08:00

WEEK 9 : 25/1 - 1/2/2010

Time flies when you are training for an Ironman.

5 more weeks to go b4 race day. Plan for a 2 week taper, hence, effectively left with 3 more weeks of real training time. But my real job at the office took precedence & ate up a big chunk of my training time.

Perhaps, not too bad a thing to happen since signs of fatigue & burning out from training has surfaced.

Mon, 25/1 :

Rested, worked late at the office.

Tue, 26/1 :

Rested, worked late at the office.

Wed, 27/1 : Run 7 km

Worked late again & settled for a short 7km run on the Tmill at Celebrity Fitness ("Cel Fit").

Thurs, 28/1 :

(a.m.) Swim 1x2000 Paddles with Pull Buoy at Cel Fit.

(p.m.) Worked late again & settled for anothe short 7k run on the Tmil at Cel Fit.

Fri, 29/1 : Rested

Not really. Out of office & conducted branch training in Ipoh the whole day.

Sat, 30/1 : Bike 100km

For 1st time in almost 2 years, a 100km bike ride felt like a short ride. Recent high mileage & lack of training time during the week must played a vital role in feeling this way.

Opted for a 100km ride to reserve energy for the long weekend (Monday being 1st February, a public holiday for KL), which I hoped to pile up some heavy mileage in running & cycling.

Sun, 31/1 : Run 31km

Home - Cyberjaya - LimKokWing - Home. Covered the distance in 3 hours 15 mins (excluding 2 pee stops & 1 refill stop). Probably best timing at the distance/ route for this season. Maintained good pace thru'out with minor negative splits.

Mon, 1/2 :

(a.m.) Abandoned planned long bike ride due to unforeseen circumstances. Ahhh...so much for reserving energy for the long weekend!!!

(p.m.) Took a nap in the afternoon & woke up just in time for dinner.

FAVOURITE PLAYGROUND

2010-02-01T14:27:00.011+08:00

Week 9 : 18/1/10 - 24/1/10

My favourite playground during my weekends - Putrajaya.

Views from my bike:

Beautiful But Bloody Hot

Mon, 18/1 :

Rested, worked late at the office.

Tue, 19/1 :

(a.m.) Run 7km on Treadmill, was meant to swim but pool at Celebrity Fitness was closed for a week.

(p.m.) Worked late at the office.

Wed, 20/1 : (p.m.) Bike/ Run Brick

40mins Flying Wheels + 7km Run on Tmill at Cel Fit.

Thu, 21/1 : (p.m) Run Tmill

1km EZ + 10km Random Inclines at Cel Fit.

Fri, 22/1 : Rested (LAZY)

Sat, 23/1 : Run 35km

Home - CyberJ - LimKokWing - Home + 3 neighbourhood loops. Felt heavy & tired. Starting late + clear skies with blazing sun didn't help.

Sun, 24/1 : Bike 120km

Home - CyberJ - Maju Expressway (MEX) - Jln Tun Razak - Imbi - Kg Pandan Round About - MEX - Putrajaya - CyberJ - Home

Couldn't muster the physical & mental strenght for a 180k ride. Felt tired from long run the day before. Sign of burning out??!!

BACK TO WORK

2010-01-21T07:57:00.012+08:00

Week 8 : 11/1/10 - 17/1/10

A double puncture + a big hill almost derailed my long ride on Saturday. Despite the odds, I logged a 181km ride that felt like forever.

Monday, 11/1

(p.m.) Run EZ 2km + 1 hour Flying Wheels @ Celebrity Fitness ("Cel Fit")

Tues, 12/1

(a.m.) Swim 400 EZ + 1x2000 Paddles with Pull Buoy + 400 KB @ Cel Fit
(p.m.) Run Treadmill 1km EZ + 9km Intervals (6 x 5mins Hard/ 5 mins EZ) + 1km EZ + Weights @ Cel Fit

Wed, 13/1

(p.m.) Bike 20min EZ Spin + 1hour Flying Wheels + Stretching @ Cel Fit

Thu, 14/1

(p.m.) Run @ KLCC with Ronnie See & his gang;
2 KLCC Laps EZ + 5 Laps Hard + 5 Laps (10k Pace) (total 15km)

Missed this place so much.

Fri, 15/1

(p.m.) Swim @ Chin Woo 1x3200

Saturday, 16/1

(a.m.) Bike 181km, same drill (well almost)

Home (Puchong) - Meranti - Cyberjaya - SKVE - Country Heights - Kajang - Grand Saga - 9th Mile Langat - 14th Mile - Bukit Ampang - Tmn Putra - Bkt Ampang - 14th Mile - 18th Mile - Peres Junction - Semenyih Dam - Nirwana - Semenyih - Beranang - Mantin - Nilai - Pajam - Salak Tinggi - Jenderam - Putrajaya - PICC - Cyberjaya - Meranti - Home

Rear tyre was deflated by the time I got to 14th Mile of Ulu Langat (with only a mere 45km on my cycle computer). Changed into my spare tube but broke the valve because I pumped too hard to get maximum pressure from my pathetic hand pump. My spare came with a 60mm valve, which was rather fragile.

So I was strandled, alone with no more spare tube or patch. Call tt to arrange a rescue mission. But she was not familiar with Langat & wouldn't know how to find me. So, the plan was for me to find my own way to my in-laws in Tmn Putra in Cheras (which is a climb away over Bkt Ampang) & she wld pick me up from there.

I had a few options. Push my bike over Bkt Ampang or hitch a ride over Bkt Ampang or fix back the original tube, which had a tiny puncture & was only deflating slowly, & climb Bkt Ampang with multiple stops to re-inflate my rear wheel.

I bet any cyclist would opt for the latter. So, off I went & climbed Bkt Ampang as quickly as possible. To my surprise, the tube held up nicely until I reach the top of climb (at the Look-Out Point). Got off my bike, pumped in some air & descented towards the Cheras side of Bkt Ampang.

Then, it crossed my mind that there is a bike shop just a stone throw away from my in-laws. Without hesitation, I ditched the rescue plan, rode straight to the bike shop, fixed my wheel, got myself a spare, called tt to cancel rescue mission & carried on with my planned long ride.

Pit Stop At The Garage

The shop owner commented that it was too hot to ride. It was already 11 a.m. but I was determined to stick to my original plan as much as possible. So it was Bkt Ampang again. Got back to 14th Mile of Langat & took the usual route home thru Mantin & Nilai but with a slight modification due to time constraints.

Missed my usual papaya at Broga as I took the direct way from Semenyih to Mantin, which was rather congested with traffic. Ended the day at 4.30 p.m. feeling totally drained due to poor nutritional discipline (survived the entire 181k with 1 Powerbar, a couple of mini Cloud 9 & tonnes of Gatorade and 100Plus - missing the papaya didn't help).

Sunday, 17/1

Woke up at 6 a.m. Heard my body screaming "REST!!!!". Adhered to a very important rule in training - "Listen To Your Body" & rested.

TAN SRI & I

2010-01-15T08:13:00.004+08:00

Tan Sri Syed Yusof - Owner of Concorde Hotel, KL & Hard Rock Hotel, Penang

RECOVERY WEEK

2010-01-13T18:29:00.004+08:00

WEEK 7 : 4/1/10 - 10/1/10

I really needed this. Completed a 6-week block of training, some good rest is overdue.

Didn't do much except:-

Wed, 12/1 : (p.m.) Swim 1,800m Drills

Thu, 13/1 : (p.m) Swim Drills 1,200 Drills

Fri, 14/1 : (p.m.) Swim 1x3000

PRINCE RICHMAN

2010-01-13T18:24:00.003+08:00

Saw this during a recent long ride. Location - Salak Tinggi b4 De Palma Climb.

TRAINING INTO A NEW YEAR

2010-01-12T08:26:00.004+08:00

WEEK 6 : 28/12/09 - 3/1/10

Mon, 28/12 : Rest

Wanted to do a 10k on the treadmill. Got to the gym only to realise I didn't have my pad locks (for the lockers) with me. Great excuse for a little slack.

Tues, 29/12 :

(a.m.) Swim Drills @ Celebrity Fitness ("Cel Fit")
(p.m.) Run Treadmil Intervals @ Cel Fit 1 km Warm-Up + 6x5mins Hard/ 5mins EZ + 1km Cool Down

Wed, 30/12 :

(a.m.) Swim Drills @ Cel Fit
(p.m.) Run Tmill @ Cel Fit 1km Warm-Up + 10km Random Inclines + 5mins EZ

Thurs, 31/12 : Rest

Cel Fit closed early for New Year's Eve, another great excuse for some slack & catch up on some family time (it's New Year's Eve afterall).

Fri, 1/1/2010 : Bike 204km Solo

Same drill, rode from home to Ulu Langat, Semenyih, Broga, Mantin, Nilai, Salak Tinggi, Jenderam, Putrajaya, home & enjoyed every minute of it!!!

Sat 2/1/10 : Run 25km Solo

(a.m.) Same drill (well almost). Ran from home to Cyberjaya & back. Was meant to repeat a 31km run but lacked the discipline & made an early u-turn. Felt slow & heavy thru'out run.

Sun 3/1/10 :

(a.m.) Woke up at 6 a.m. & all set for a 100k ride. But rain derailed my plans. Don't mind the rain, as long as I'm already out riding. But rain b4 leaving the house was another of my excuse for more slack.

(p.m.) Bike 60km to make up for the slack in the morning & HOORAY start of my scheduled Recovery Week.

WEEK 5 - IM TRAINING IN FULL SWING

2009-12-29T18:08:00.005+08:00

21/12/09 - 27/12/09

Ironman Training is in full swing when:-

1) Pants are getting lose (again)
2) Acute Spousal Neglect Syndrome kicks in (this is bad!!)
3) Lunch at 5.00 p.m. (after long ride on weekends)
4) Becoming an absentee husband, son & father
5) "Out Training Again?"
6) Hit the pool at dawn before clocking in for work
7) "Sorry Bro, can't stay late - have to sleep early, training 2moro" on a Friday/ Saturday night
8) Time on the saddle (on long rides) = a full day at the office
9) Recovery week marked on my table calendar

MON, 21/12

Rested, need some recovery after long weekend of training

TUE, 22/12

Rested, TT's birthday - watched AVATAR (on leave)

WED, 23/12

(a.m.) Full medical check up (p.m.) Bike 60km (on leave)

THURS, 24/12

(a.m.) Swim 3,200m Drill at Celebrity Fitness (on leave)

FRI, 25/12

(a.m.) Bike 193km Solo + 4km run -same route as last week plus extra 5km riding into Precinct 1 of Putrajaya, lunch at 5 p.m.

Kouta Goes To Nottingham

Nottingham, Broga County

145km @ Jenderam

Storm Ahead @ Jenderam

SAT, 26/12

(a.m.) Run 31km solo - same route as last week (Home - LimKokWing (Cyberjaya) - Home).

SUN, 27/12

Rested, overslept & abandoned plan to ride Genting - felt tired & needed the rest.

MOVING ON WITHOUT YOU........

2009-12-22T21:33:00.035+08:00

Week 4 : 14/12/09 - 20/12/09

Another good week of training, which begins to feel like a 2nd job. A good way to move on with life (outside Bursa Malaysia).

Finally, logged in some serious miles on the bike and in running. Also for 1st time in years, I climbed Genting Sempah to Theme Park Hotel (Genting Highlands) on a bike non-stop. I think the last time I did a non-stop was back in 2005.

MON, 14/12

(a.m.) SWIM 2,000m DRILLS @ CELEBRITY FITNESS, MID VALLEY ("CEL FIT")

(p.m.) BIKE 1 HOUR SPIN CLASS @ CEL FIT

TUE, 15/12

(p.m.) RUN TREADMILL 1km WARM-UP + 10km RANDOM INCLINES @ CEL FIT

WED, 16/12 :

(a.m.) SWIM 1x200 + 1x1600 + 1x200 @ CEL FIT (p.m.) CEL FIT CLOSED EARLY FOR STAFF DINNER....BLEK!!!

THURS, 17/12 :

(whole day) DIRECTORS' TRAINING FOR KARYON INDUSTRIES BERHAD IN JOHOR BAHRU (can you believe this......I was the trainer)

FRI, 18/12 :

(a.m.) BIKE 188km SOLO

Started at 6.40 a.m. & finished at 2.20 p.m. Started from home in Puchong - Bdr Bkt Puchong 2 (BBP2) - Meranti - Cyberjaya - South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) - Country Heights - Kajang - Cheras 9th Mile - 14th Mile - 18th Mile - Sg Gabai - Peres Junction - Semenyih Dam - Nirvana - Semenyih - Broga - Lenggeng - Mantin - Nilai - Salak Tinggi - Jenderam - Persiaran Selatan (Putrajaya) - Putrajaya Convention Centre - LimKokWing (Cyberjaya) - Meranti - BBP2 - Home.

Missed riding this massive loop. Last done in Feb 2008 (in prep for IM Langkawi 2008). Missed the open road & the solitude.

Peres Junction - Near Semenyih Dam

Visited Dad at Nirvana

Good to be back at Mantin

Post 188km With New Cycling Jersey

SATURDAY, 19/12 :

(a.m.) RUN 31 km SOLO

Home - Meranti - Cyberjaya - LimKokWing - Meranti - Home.

1st > 30km run since Feb 2008. Gonna need more Power Gels - was weak in last 5km. Had flashbacks of those miserable days when I drove home from work while still at RHB. I would drive pass this area & thot I would never run to LimKokWing again.

SUNDAY, 20/12

(a.m.) BIKE 86km GENTING HILL WORKOUT SOLO

International Islamic University (UIA, Gombak) - Orang Asli Hospital (OAH) - Genting Sempah - Gohtong Jaya - Awana Genting - Pagoda - Theme Park Hotel - First World Hotel - Mushroom Park - Amber Court - Pagoda - Awana Genting - Gohtong Jaya - Genting Sempah - OAH - UIA

In October 2008, I told myself that I will one day regain my previous fitness & climb Sempah - Theme Park Non-Stop http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2008/10/pagoda-with-zero-training.html .

A little more than a year later, I did just that. A slighly weaker mind, I would have abandon the climb at Genting Sempah. A fellow cyclist pointed out to me that I storm was brewing up ahead when I stopped to replenish my carbs at Sempah. I might have been unsure of myself lately but at that moment I only had one thot on my mind - (like they say at Powerman Malaysia) "Rain Or Shine, I Climb!!!"

Felt the difference of Trek bike with Rolf wheels, so light I knew I was going to have a good climb right from the start (have always climbed with old Cadex & Genting Fun Ride in August 2009 was Trek with Shimano wheels http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2009/08/genting-fun-run.html).

Started to drizzle as I passed the 1st guard house at base of climb and stayed that way until I reach the top. Split at Pagoda was at 1:18:42; Pagoda - Theme Park 19:42; overall Sempah - Theme Park 1:38:25 (less than 5 mins slower than my all time best 1:33:55 logged in 2005).

Still Panting Hard - Waited For My Cuppa

Visibility 100m

Alone & Cold And ......

This Is Not In Malaysia!!??

Super Bikers Who Applauded My Finish At Old Town Coffee - overheard them saying something about ppl doing Ironman & that they bike, run & swim. Wanted to tell them that I am one such ppl & we swim, bike & run (in that order).

RM14k Worth Of Machinery ("without engine, somemore") - Worth Every Sen.

Route To Amber Court - where you literally vanish into thin air 100m ahead

De javu @ Amber Court Guard House - did the ride in similar conditions many years ago, where Sempah - Theme Park was not enough & extended ride to Amber Court.

Descented from the peak slowly - was cold & shivering. The short climb after Gohtong Jaya was most welcoming & helped warm up the body somewhat.

Back To UIA - the old Bentong Road, winding & quiet. The climb from UIA to Sempah earlier in the morning seemed like ages ago. Was still full of energy & attacked every corner during the last 21km descent. Would turn my head to listen for on-coming traffic at every corner & hammer the cranks upon visual confirmation of a clear road behind each. Found myself racing with a motorcyclist for a kilometer or two & had a light pick-up truck tailing me for a couple more.

JUGGLING ACT

2009-12-15T17:56:00.009+08:00

Week 3 : 7/12/09 - 13/12/09

It's tough juggling family, work, social & training time - there's only 24 hours in a day. Another particulary busy week as far as non-training commitments are concerned.

Monday, 7/12 : (p.m.) Bike Hill Repeats @ Saujana Puchong (returned from Melaka trip with the family at 4p.m. & went out at 5.30 p.m. for a short hill workout. 1 hour ride & did 8 repeats at a hill in Saujana Puchong)

Tuesday, 8/12 : Run Tmill at Celebrity Fitness, Mid Valley ("Cel Fit") after work (1km warm-up + 10km random inclines + 5mins cool down + 20min stretching)

Wed, 9/12 : (a.m.) Swim 1,800m @Cel Fit (Drills) (p.m.) Bike 1 hour Flying Wheels @ Cel Fit (Good to double despite having to attend dinner with boss & officials from Cambodian Securities Commission)

Thurs, 10/12 : Run Tmill at Cel Fit after work (1km warm-up + 10km random inclines + 5mins cool down + 20mins stretching)

Fri, 11/12 : (a.m.) Swim 2,200m @ Cel Fit (Drills) (Skipped training in the evening to have re-union dinner & drinks with old friends Mike Cheah & Jeff Hong)

Sat, 12/12 : Skipped training for white water rafting at Slim River, Tanjong Malim with Mike Cheah, Ah Seong & Chee Khoon. A long over due trip that I was suppose to organise for Mike Cheah, an old fren who is based in Hong Kong.

Ah Seong, Mike, CKM & Chee Khoon

Listen Up - Briefing By River Guides

The Main Drop

A Good Break From Split Time, Drafting, Brick Training, Swimming Drills, PowerGels, Gatorade

40 Something

Sun 13/12 : (a.m.) Volunteered as race marshall for Chin Woo Biathlon. They were short handed & it was only right for me to help out. (p.m.) Ran 15km in the evening from home to & around Saujana Puchong and back.

Mak Chin Kow at Chin Woo Biathlon - A Triathlete In The Making ???

HAIRCUT

2009-12-10T08:19:00.002+08:00

WTF - Just because I had a haircut, I was accused of trying to look younger & reminded that I have a 12 year-old son.

WEEK 2 - ROAD TO LANGKAWI

2009-12-07T20:06:00.005+08:00

30/11/09 - 6/12/09

After so many years in the sport, I thot I could take on anything that comes around. But there were certain ting that I couldn't handle & made me quite miserable, including the Monday after a long weekend of training....it seemed harder to recover from heavy workouts these days. Not sure how the body is going to handle heavier workloads, which is a must simply to be race fit (i.e. simply getting to the starting line).

Monday, 30/11 - Rest

Tuesday, 1/12 - (p.m.) - Run Treadmill 8km Random Inclines @ Celebrity Fitness, Mid Valley (Cel Fit)

Wednesday, 2/12 (a.m.) - Swim 2,000m Drills @ Cel Fit
(p.m.) Run Tmill 7km Intervals @ Cel Fit (wanted to do a 10km but ended with 7k, felt tired)

Thurday, 3/12 (a.m.) - Swim 2,200m Drills @ Cel Fit
(p.m.) Bumped into an old fren on the way to Cel Fit, skipped training & had a drink instead

Friday, 4/12 (p.m.) Swim 2,000 Drills @ Chin Woo

Saturday, 5/12 (a.m.) Bike 90km Puchong (Home) - Cyberjaya - Putrajaya - Puchong (quick & short ride, started at 6.00 a.m. before trip to Melaka to spend the weekend with Iain & Chung Hwa)

Sunday, 6/12 - Rest (Weekend in Melaka, watched 2012 with the boys)

BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2009-11-29T19:58:00.006+08:00

Week 1 - 23/11/09 to 29/11/09

Monday, 23/11 - (a.m.) Swim 1,400m Drills @ Celebrity Fitness Mid Valley (Cel Fit)
(p.m.) Run Treadmill 10km @ Cel Fit

Tuesday, 24/11 - (a.m.) Swim 1,500 Drills @ Cel Fit
(p.m.) Run Treadmill 6km Intervals @ Cel Fit

Wed, 25/11 - (p.m.) Bike Spin Class @ Cel Fit (pushed hard & sweat a tonne)

Thu, 26/11 - Rest

Fri, 27/11 - (a.m.) Bike 142km Puchong (Home)-Cyberjaya-Putrajaya-Jln Imbi-Putrajaya (via MEX)-Putrajaya-Cyberjaya-Puchong (5 & 1/2 hours solo under scorching sun, Kuota bike felt great)

Sat, 28/11 - (a.m.) Run 25km Puchong (Home)-Cyberjaya-Puchong (ran in the rain 2:33:00 with a pooh break at u-turn in Cyberjaya)

Sun, 29/11 - (a.m.) Bike 70km Hill Workout UIA (Gombak) - Genting Sempah - Awana Genting - Pagoda - Awana Genting - Genting Sempah - UIA

Rode from UIA - Sempah with a sweet 20-year girl who kept smiling at me, then b4 we parted she called me "Uncle".... :(

Original target was just Gohtong Jaya but ended up at Pagoda. Cadex bike still felt great after all these years. Had great weather-cool & misty as I approached the Chin Swee Temple. Enjoyed the cool air on descent-great way to end a long training weekend.

2 hrs 32 mins to get from UIA to Pagoda non-stop

I Love This Spot

Good start. Missed training like this so much. Will build up to race distance by end January 2010. Still long way to go but I will be there.

THE JOURNEY HAS BEGUN

2009-11-26T07:59:00.003+08:00

Next stop, Langkawi - Ironman Malaysia 2010.

Training for 2010 commenced considerably late as compared to previous endeavours, which would typically have started in October prior to race day.

Did my first long ride of 124km on 22/11/09, had my first double session on 23/11/09 (swim in the morning b4 work & run in the evening after work) & have plans for some heavy stuff over the coming long weekend of 27 - 29/11/09.

The thot of going back to Langkawi simply excites me - I AM ALIVE AGAIN!!!!!

POWERMAN MALAYSIA 2009

2009-11-20T08:16:00.011+08:00

PHOTOS BY PM TEY

8 November 2009 - Manjung Perak

Run 11km - Bike 64km - Run 10km = FUN

>
Another tough race in my book.
>
Was looking forward to dip below 4 hours - a good target since I did 4:01:14 with much lesser training last year (http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html). But strong cough medicine taken on the Friday prior to race day Sunday had affected my body so much that I felt weak when I started warming up for the starting gun.
>
Took 1st 11km run EZ with a 5 minute pace. Things turned bad 20km into the 64km bike ride - I had body ache. Not due to fatigue but the feverish type of body ache. Contemplated on quiting at end of 1st 32km loop but stubborn me - I just made the u-turn @ end of 1st lap and headed out for more suffering.

Things got worse in the 2nd loop. I was overtaken so many times, I thot I was gonna finish almost last. Thot of quiting lingered in my mind. Such big difference from last year's race - when I felt strong on the bike.

Told myself to quit the race, if I have cramps at end of the bike. Strangely my leg muscles held up nicely, altho the body still feel weak. It was quite late in the morning & the sun was scorching hot.

Stubborn me (again), I slipped on my running shoes, put on my running cap, walloped some Power Gels & set out to complete the damn race with another 10km run. By then, many who overtook me on the bike were already walking. I wasn't running fast but it was good enough to regain some positions lost on the bike.

The pain was there, but I found myself repeating the chorus of the song "Pain Is So Close To Pleasure" (Queen). Regaining the positions lost kept me going.

I ended the race in 4 hours 11 minutes & was good enough to rank 13th in my age group (out of 60) & 137th overall (out of 600 or so).

Very satisfied with my result - altho slower than last year but timing was secondary. Overcoming the pain & the loud silent voice from within that kept repeating "Quit, Quit, Quit!!" is an experience I can always fall back on, in tough times outside triathlon.

Despite the pain, I guess I am gonna keep doing Powerman for as long as I can. Somehow, its the pain that kept me coming back - something only my fellow die hard triathetes would understand.

IRONMAN 70.3 PUTRAJAYA

2009-10-18T20:52:00.009+08:00

PHOTOS BY TEY & LYNN GUAN

Out Of Water - 1.9km Swim

Debut Race For Kuota K-Factor, bike 90km

Run 21 km

Pain Is So Close To Pleasure - Queen

True Ironman Spirit - Fellow Competitors Giving High 5's

Official Finish Time 6:11:24

(started in 3rd wave, 10 minutes after the professionals)

The Ultimate Satisfaction!!!! I Love This Life!!!

RACE SEASON BEGINS

2009-09-23T11:00:00.004+08:00

A lineup of races until February 2010.

Now, that's having a life....

Half Ironman @ Putrajaya

8 November 2009 - Manjung, Perak

27/2/10 - Langkawi

TRANSFORMERS WITH THE KIDS

2009-09-23T10:44:00.006+08:00

Some time ago.......

STORM RUNNER

2009-09-19T20:07:00.003+08:00

29 August 2009

One week after riding thru a tropical storm enroute to Berjaya Hills Resort, I found myself running in yet another storm.

Was all set up to ride Kuota (from home), needed some time trial workouts but it started to rain as I was about to leave the house. Kuota, being brand new, I wasn't ready to ride it in the rain (that day will come but not today).

Didn't wake up at 6.30 a.m., had breakfast & all set for a bike workout but go back to sleep at 7.30 a.m., simply because of rain. Without hesitation, I changed into my running gear and ran off at around 7.45 a.m.

It was just a drizzle at first but it started pouring dogs & cats 15 mins into my run - it was another tropical storm. There wasn't any fallen tree this time round but it felt like running in a river on those uphill stretches (I choosed a multiple hilly loops at Saujana Puchong, some 3km from home).

As a parent, I would not allow my kid to play in the rain. But, there I was, a 40-something running around a neighbourhood in a storm. At 41, I felt like a 14-year old. That was one of the many reasons why I love my sport. I get to do stuff I wouldn't allow my kids to do.

Logged a cool 15km run that morning - no it's not me that was cool but am refering to the weather. As for the storm, it was reduced to a drizzle in the last 3km of my run.

DOUBLE HILLS EXTREME

2009-09-02T08:02:00.013+08:00

22 August 2009 - Family trip to Berjaya Hills Resort (BHR)(f.k.a. Bkt Tinggi Resort) located along Karak Highway, after Genting Highlands inter-change.

Why drive, when I could ride - was the order of the day.

Had many options but a direct ride from home to BHR would not suffice. So, I opted for something more challenging (the previous week's climb up Genting with Yip & Faisal boosted my confidence).

This was the route I took:-

Home (Mutiara Indah) - Bdr Bkt Puchong - Meranti - Cyberjaya - Putrajaya/ KL Highway - Kampung Pandan Round About - Ampang Park - Jln Ampang - Joo Ngan's - MRR2 - Ulu Klang Village (UK Village) - Zoo Negara - Batu Caves - Batu Dam - Ulu Yam Bahru (UYB) - Batang Kali - Gohtong Jaya - Genting Sempah - Janda Baik Junction - Bkt Tinggi Village - Karak Highway - BHR interchange - BHR

Bike : Trek
Time :0700 - 1600
Distance : 145km
Ave Speed : 19.5km/h
No. Of Stops : 4 (UK Village, Batu Dam, UYB & Gohtong J)
Weather Conditions : Mostly Cloudy + Tropical Storm

First stop was at UK Village, to re-visit the place where I spent the first 5 years of my life.

Site of my old home, Jln Gurun, UK Village - sold many years ago to fund my studies - now a parking lot

Where I attended pre-school, now UK RC field.

Start Of Batu Dam Climb - short steep1km climb

Behind the climb - Batu Dam

Next stop was after Batu Dam, to fix a puncture. The clouds parted while I was at it & was baked under the hot late morning sun.

Ooppps!!!!

Quik Fix

The flat didn't dampen my spirit, instead I thot the incident made the ride more interesting. Batu Dam to UYB was a breeze. Had brunch at UYB.

Delicious substitute to PowerBars

UYB Junction to Batang Kali

94km logged

It started to rain after brunch & I rode into a storm climbing to Gohtong Jaya via Batang Kali. There was a fallen tree that blocked the road somewhere after the Batang Kali River (BKR). Was tempted to stop at the rest area near BKR but decided otherwise. Rationale - I would definitely be shivering there & the place looked deserted. Pushing on kept me warm. Was soaking wet & cold by the time I got to Gohtong Jaya for lunch. The chicken rice I had at UYB was completed burnt off by then.

Lunch @ Gohtong Jaya,

Cold & Wet @ Gohtong Jaya

The cruise down to Sempah was bloody cold. Wished I had my wind breaker. The short climb after Gohtong Round-About was most welcoming & got me warmed up again.

Good old Trek - Now dedicated climbing bike (no more aerobars)

134km logged at base of Bkt Tinggi Resort, now Berjaya Hills Resort.

The final climb to BHR was a piece of cake. Approximately 9km with plenty of flats & down hill in between short steep climbs. The road signs showed 11 - 12 percent gradient thru out th 9k.

Reunited with tt & family at Colmar Tropicale at 4 p.m., 9 hours after I left home earlier that day.

After 9 hours of solitude, 145km in the bank & still smiling - had a good day in the open road!!!

WOW - I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!!!

2009-08-28T19:21:00.005+08:00

Fellow Ironman Kevin Siah (http://just-tri-hard.blogspot.com/ )from Perth left this comment on my blog:

"Hey Chee Kai Mun (not sure which names you go by, so the full name will have to do, for now hahhah). Glad to hear that you are making progress in your comeback. I have been following your blog since your first IM Langkawi, and it was one of the blogs that inspired me to my first IM last year."

Double WOW !!! Since my 1st IM, which was back in 2004!!!

Kev, you really made my day. BTW, I'm known as Ah Chee in the tri community but my other friends & family call me Chee or Kai Mun.

Hope to meet you some day.

GENTING FUN RIDE

2009-08-26T07:52:00.006+08:00

16August 2009 - An oxymoron title - Genting Fun Ride - those who have done it before would agree that bike ride up Genting can't be fun but sheer torture. But the 3 of us agreed to called it a fun ride simply because that was exactly how we felt, I believed.

Started from the usual place, the Orang Asli Hospital (OAH) along the old road to Bentong. The carpark was already crowded with cyclists - different groups with different agenda. Some would ride up to Genting Sempah & back, some to Janda Baik or perhaps Bentong & back but only the 3 of us were gonna attack the mother of all climbs - Genting Highlands.

EZ warm up to Sempah. I logged 52 mins from OAH - Sempah.

Short break at round about b4 Gontong Jaya - Yip & Faisal.

@ Pagoda with Yip

@ Old Town Coffee, outside Theme Park Hotel with Faisal.

3 Bikes outside Amber Court; Sempah - Theme Park was not enough for us. We extended our climb to Amber Court.

The whole gang with Trek.

All wrapped up for the cold descent.

RETURN TO BURSA

2009-08-25T08:10:00.004+08:00

Joined my old team mates at Bursa for Rat Race training.

Sun rise at KESAS Highway

So good to be back - felt like home & still part of the team. Ran a 21:15 (over the 4.5km course) and was 3rd behind Marthi & Mak.

TRI RE-ERECTION

2009-08-25T07:51:00.006+08:00

Dream Bike

18 pounder !!!!

ALL MINE !!!!!!

My Prized Possessions

My Bike Collection

TRI RESURRECTION

2009-08-15T17:05:00.009+08:00

May 2009 - Mid-July 2009

Quit the bank job in May 2009. Couldn't decide what I wanted to do. Times were bad & most employers had frozen recruitment. Savings dwindled, self confidence plunged to an all time low & tt held the fort all by herself.

While the whole world was in a financial crisis, I found myself in a crisis too but at a personal level. Some friends suggested "mid-life crisis". At 41, I suppose that was quite accurate.

I had no clue on how to get out of the mess I was in, except surrending everything to Him. It wasn't easy for I am a mere mortal & I couldn't see His better plans for me. Without a clue, I re-employed the same method I did when I was in another crisis back in my mid-30's.

I got back on my bike, ditched the booze & trained like mad. Somehow, it is through physical fitness that I slowly regained confidence. Hence, for 2 and 1/2 months, I swam, biked & ran almost daily -

i) sometimes doubling (2 training sessions a day)

ii) ran a 10k at noon under a scorching sun

iii) swam at Chin Woo at 2.30 p.m. on a weekday (and had the whole pool to myself at times)

iv) rode Gombak to Frasers Hill solo (via Sempah, Bentong & Tranum)

I rebuilt my fitness from almost zero base, while hunting for a new job. I called up my old contacts, some were very helpful and some were simply cold. While I was at that, I took part in the NB 15km, 21k run at the Std Chart KL Marathon & PD Tri.

21k @ Std Chart Marathon

Finishing PD Tri

My break finally came at end-June 2009. I had a great interview with a prospective employer, who decided to hire me after 3 rounds of interviews.

I have a job again on 15/7/09!!!!!!

DEMISE OF TRI-LIFE

2009-08-01T17:14:00.010+08:00

Between November 2008 - April 2009, my typical training week looked like this:-

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Worked late, skipped run
Wednesday - Worked late, skipped swimming
Thursday - Sneaked out of office at 8.30 p.m. & managed a short 5k run
Friday - TGIF, left office early (7.30 p.m.) & swam @ Chin Woo with Don Khor & gang
Saturday - Skipped bike training, no heart for training (when managed to get out of bed, 50k on the bike felt like 100k)
Sunday - Skipped run, no heart for training (when managed to get out of bed, 10k felt like 1/2 marathon)

Work sucked big time, self confidence plummeted, alcohol consumption took an upswing, all split times....what splits, I hardly trained.

Had a good time at Perth & down south but was back to miserable self upon return.

Kenyir Lake Tri made me realised how important triathlon is to me. When I took the plunge and joined the Bank in November 2008, I made a choice that training & triathlon would have to take a back seat. My Trek bike didn't do much, except collecting dust.

Life was simply upside down :(

KENYIR TRIATHLON 2009

2009-04-19T21:34:00.009+08:00

29 March 2009 - Simply glad I made it to Kenyir Lake. Last raced in 2006( http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2006/04/kenyir-lake-triathlon-2006.html )

New Found Friends at Kenyir - Eugune Fong & Sharil Sharudin

Only managed to finish in 3:11:55 and struggled throughout all 3 disciplines (swim 36:47, bike 1:22:17 , run 1:07:59). Would have been devastated by such result in the past but I couldn't expect too much from myself this time around due to poor fitness ( just recovered from surgery in December 2008 - http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2008/12/appendicitis.html ), high stress level at the office & close to zero training in recent months.

The swim felt like forever. Arms felt weak thru'out & left toes almost cramped. Was alone most of the time riding out on the bike, simply couldn't find strenght to draft anyone and was dropped by almost everyone. Managed to tag behind 2 young riders from UPNM on the return leg and made up some time. Struggled on the last climb before entering T2 - almost pulled my right thigh in the process. Pulled my right hamstring 2km into the run and had to stop & stretched. Stephanie Chok lapped me and offered me PowerGel (thanks Steph). Recovered but walked on every inclines thereafter.

Have not taken so much time in completing an Olympic Distance triathlon (my first tri at A- Famosa in 2003 took me 3:05:15, altho I must add that Kenyir has a much tougher course-very hilly on the bike & run).

A quick check at my previous race results at Kenyir revealed the following:

2005 - 2:24:54
2006 - 2:48:11

2009 - 3:11:55

I guess age has finally caught up on me!!! 2005 results seemed so IMPOSSIBLE (I had a good ride back then-drafted thru'out bike & ran 50mins).

Pre-race excursion:-

Have always wanted to visit a waterfall at Kenyir. Did it finally - joined in a group of holiday makers from Singapore and had a great time visiting the Herbal Tea Garden (Tongkat Ali Tasting) and Saok Waterfalls.

Tongkat Ali Root

Tongkat Ali Brewery

Tongkat Ali Tasting With Julian and his gang (from Singapore)

JUNGLE TREKING & CYCLING

2009-02-17T18:25:00.047+08:00

16 February 2009 - Field day at Sg Pisang . Last visited with my Baby back in 2003 (it was one of our very first dates).

As today was a working day, there wasn't a soul there & I ended up all by myself in the jungle for more than 3 hours. The trek started from Jungle Lodge, located 2km from Orang Asli Hospital in Gombak (popular starting point for bike rides to Genting Sempah, Genting Highlands, Janda Baik, Bentong, Raub & Frasers Hill).

A short stroll from Jungle Lodge is this, a "water in-take" facility (for Syabas, I presumed).

This gate was unlocked in the old days but the guard there told me that it is now off limits and I had to cross the river from outside this gate. He was surprised that I was treking alone and advised me against it. "Saya tinggal sini pun tak berani masuk seorang", he said.

I had to cross this river (Sg Gombak, I think) to get to the next landmark, which is these massive monsoon drains.

These may be drains by definition but the water is crystal clear. Here is where Sg Pisang flows into Sg Gombak. I couldn't agree more with the red markings "Taman Hayalan" (which should be spelt "Taman Khayalan" or "fantasy garden").

It was noisy here-sound from vehicles passing by could be heard. These drains are actually under the Karak Highway. Made a last phone call to Teresa before I proceeded because there would be no coverage beyond these tunnels.

Looked scary from here. One could imagine rats in there (like in Indiana Jones movie). But there is nothing filthy here, just crystal clear water of Sg Pisang.

The trek is quite straight forward. I simply had to follow the river upstream. The scary part was that I would probably be all by myself from this point onwards and had no phone coverage. It would be just me and the JUNGLE.

The sound of traffic from Karak Highway was soon replaced by sound of insects, birds chirping, gushing water and my foot steps.

I was freaking out at some point but what the heck, I can't turn back now!!!

This big rock has always been the next landmark to look out for, simply to be sure that I am on the right track. Its about 2/3rd of the way here.

First sight of the waterfall (in the background beyond my kit) after treking for approximately 50 minutes (from Jungle Lodge).

Ladies & Gents - Sg Pisang Waterfall.

Felt like coming home. I missed this place.

Had to climb this slope to get to the other pool upstream.

Sat here with my Baby (back-to-back) many years ago.

This was what we saw when we looked up.

The other pool.

Couldn't resist a dip into the water.

Crystal clear.

Antz.

Water Spider.

Took the short cut back to civilisation via Karak Highway.

Tunnel at start of trek (near the gate), purportedly dug by communists.

Hey I brought my bike too.

Post ride to Genting Sempah and back.

TRIP TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA

2009-02-17T18:00:00.011+08:00

3 February - 12 February 2009

Perth International Airport

Perth City

Perth City - View from King's Park

The Whole Gang - The Tong Family

King's Park

Perth City - Night View

(More photos coming)

CERTIFIED UNFIT

2009-02-15T20:58:00.003+08:00

1 February 2009 - Back On The Bike

Weight : >60kg
Resting Heart Rate Pre-Ride : 80 bpm (used to be in the mid-40s)
Route : Home - Meranti - Cyberjaya - Meranti - Home
Distance : 53km
Average Speed : 24km/h
Average Heart Rate (during ride) : 149bpm or 83% max HR
Maximum Heart Rate : 181 bpm (during a short 500m climb near Lim Kok Wing University)
Perceived Work Load: Heavy (felt like > 100km bike ride)

Sharp contrast to one year ago :(
http://cheekaimun.blogspot.com/2008/01/ironman-training-is-in-full-swing-when.html

....and all my pants are really tight now & I really missed Ironman training!!!

SCARRED

2009-02-01T14:42:00.002+08:00

ELECTRIC GUITAR

2009-02-01T14:34:00.002+08:00

1 February 2009 - Rocker in the making....

Complete with amplifier and back-up singer.

Le Tour De Langkawi

2009-01-30T14:25:00.004+08:00

THE SEVEN STAGES

Feb 9: Putrajaya-Senawang (135km)

Feb 10: Senawang-Malacca (161.7km)

Feb 11: Malacca-Malaca (186.6km)

Feb 12: Malacca-Bangi (222.2km)

Feb 13: Petaling Jaya-Genting Highlands (95.6km)

Feb 14: Batang Kali-Shah Alam (148.4km)

Feb 15: KL criterium (80.4km).

IRONMAN MALAYSIA 2009

2009-01-30T14:16:00.003+08:00

Too bad I am not going to be there, Sad :(

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ironman Malaysia Triathlon organisers are confident they can attract 1,000 participants for the race in Langkawi on Feb 28. Race director A. Chandrakumanan said the event had attracted 718 people so far. This, he said, was still encouraging because of the limited participation of European triathletes due to the winter season. “Most of the participants who have confirmed their participation so far are from Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia,” he said yesterday.

Aussie wonder: Belinda Granger crossing the finish line in front at last year’s Ironman Malaysia Triathlon. She will be defending her title on Feb 28 in Langkawi.

He expects the number of local participation to increase significantly by the closing date on Feb 15. Chandrakumanan said defending women’s champion Belinda Granger of Australia and 2007 men’s champion Luc Van Lierde of Holland were among 30 professional triathletes who have confirmed their participation.

Defending men’s champion Faris Al-Sultan of Germany is skipping the event due to injury.
The Langkawi Ironman features a gruelling multi-disciplined race comprising 3.8km swim, 180.2km cycling and 42km run. — Bernama

FAMILY TIME 2009

2009-01-30T13:36:00.007+08:00

17 & 18 January 2009, Melaka

RACE CALENDAR 2009

2009-01-22T21:55:00.004+08:00

Looks interesting. Skipping Ironman Malaysia & hope to be in Kenyir. Can't wait to bounce back and continue with my triathlon journey.

1) Ironman Malaysia - 28 Feb 2009
2) Kenyir Triathlon - 29 March 2009
3) PD Half Marathon - 5 April 2009
4) Kapas Swimathon - 12 April 2009
5) Kuantan Triathlon - 26 April 2009
6) Larian Bomba - 10 May 2009
7) New Balance 15k - 17 May 2009
8) Kuantan Off-Road Triathlon - 7 June 2009
9) Standard Chartered KL Marathon - 28 June 2009
10) PD Triathlon - 12 July 2009
11) Desaru Triathlon -1 August 2009
12) Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya - 23 August 2009
13) Perhentian Island Challenge - 10 October 2009
14) Penang Bridge Marathon - 22 November 2009
15) Sarawak Triathlon - 28 November 2009

INVESTMENT BANKER MY FOOT!!!

2009-01-22T21:43:00.004+08:00

An article I read some years ago but was long forgotten since...I wish I never did.

"An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, “Only a little while.”

The banker then asked, “Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The fisherman said, “With this I have more than enough to support my family’s needs.” The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, go for walks with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my friends. As you can see, I have a full and busy life.”

The banker scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and can help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat! With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats.

“Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.

“You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to the capital city. After that, who knows, maybe you could take on the world!”

The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?” To which the banker replied, “I’d say about 15 to 20 years.”

“But what then?” asked the fisherman.

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

“Millions?…Then what?” the fisherman continued prodding.

The banker said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, go for romantic walks with your wife, and in the evenings you could sip wine, play guitar and sing songs with your friends!”

To which the fisherman mused, “Now, isn’t that strange? Isn’t that what I’m doing now?”

TENGKU ZAFRUL TENGKU AZIZ

2009-01-22T21:06:00.003+08:00

Didn't like this guy until I read this article and found out that he is a triathlete too. Like where he was some months ago, I am at the lowest point of my life now.

"YOU CAN IF YOU THINK YOU CAN
By Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz

Failures should be treated as temporary setbacks and lessons to move forward.

THINGS were starting to unravel. Targets were unmet and for the most part, the market was not ready for our products. We had envisioned something different, something big, but things were taking longer to materialise than we hoped. Money dried up and the economy exacerbated an already bad situation.

I spent sleepless nights worrying about where the company was going and how we were to get there. Sometimes we even found it difficult to meet payroll. The more I worried, the worse things got. Everything came to a head when the shareholders decided to delay our expansion plans given market conditions.

I couldn’t blame them. We were just not meeting the targets we had expected to. But I felt like I was running on a treadmill – all that energy and I seemed to be getting nowhere fast. Nerves were strained and tempers were running high, especially among the shareholders. We all said things we were later sorry for.

When I decided to resign, it was one of the lowest points of my life. I was so identified with the company (my face was on the advertisements and my blog was the main complaint centre for dissatisfied customers) that walking away was a huge wrench. I had so many dreams for Tune Money and now it seemed that those dreams would take a much longer time to materialise.

When I resigned, I went on a downward spiral. I felt like a failure because I hadn’t been able to do what I promised and the prevailing economic depression did not help. Every time I picked up a newspaper or read my online feeds, it was only to ingest more bad news. Nothing seemed to be going right for anybody.

It took a few good friends to show me what I was doing to myself. It was a dangerous state and I needed to snap out of it. Nobody was going to come along with a magic solution. I would need to get myself out of this funk.

I started reading motivational books and filling my mind with life-affirming ideas. I also stepped up my triathlon training regime, pushing myself to the limit. The diet of positive thoughts and endorphins worked. Little by little I dragged myself out of this depression. After all, I had always known that we get what we focus on. I just forgot temporarily as I let myself get caught up in the drama of the company and the supposedly bad times everyone is telling us we are facing now.

Motivational writer Lynn Grabhorn pointed out that you can’t solve a problem in the same frequency in which it was created.

There was no use in looking back and regretting what could have been. The only healthy option was to move forward.

By mid-December I had some idea of what I wanted to do. I made a list of my strengths and weaknesses and wrote down some of the elements I wanted my new job to have. I received two very good offers that fit the bill. After much soul-searching, I selected my present position and have been here since the beginning of this year.

I spent my first week in Vietnam, looking at a venture, and I must say it feels good to be back in the swing of things. I have met so many people who are eager to tell me that times are bad and that we cannot make money.

Let me tell you a story about a supposedly even worse recession. I know a man who became a millionaire as the stock market crashed. While his friends were jumping off buildings and seeing their houses repossessed, he actually became wealthy, because he had set a goal to make his first million by the time he was 50. As a matter of interest, he was 50 in 1987.
Which goes to show that you don’t need to believe in the prevailing gloom. You may just be the exception to the rule, as this man was.

I think we are basically responsible for what happens to us. Stop blaming the economy or your boss or your partners for your present predicament. Take responsibility for your own situation and come up with a plan to get out of it.

It is tempting to play the part of the victim, always claiming that what happens to you is somebody else’s fault, but remember: victims never make it beyond a certain point. They remain creatures rather than creators of their circumstances.

The year is still young and we should greet it with hope. Sit down and write out a list of goals and come up with a plan for their attainment. I am sure you know what you want. I know I do. Don’t let all those “wise” pundits tell you that you are being irrational and that you should put your dreams on hold until the economy recovers.

Forget past failures. They are merely lessons along the way. We can either treat them as temporary setbacks or as a permanent barrier to all we envision our lives to be.
You can if you think you can.

· Tengku Zafrul is group director of K&N Kenanga Holdings Berhad and is very much looking forward to riding the year, and not the other way around."

APPENDICITIS

2008-12-10T17:15:00.004+08:00

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

Such a sad way to end the year.

Awoken at around 4 a.m. that morning from gastric pain. Went to the nearby clinic at around 8 a.m., was given gastric pills and MC for the day. Rested at home but pain got worse, especially when applied pressure to the lower right side of the stomach. Thank god Teresa was home and she insisted that I should be re-examined by the GP again.

Confirmed appendicitis by the GP upon re-examination and was given a reference letter for admission to hospital. Gastric pain subsided a little and I was hungry. Went home for some porridge (bad move but what the heck, I was hungry) before we set out for Columbia-Asia Hospital in Puchong (the nearest hospital from home).

Re-confirmed appendicidis by the doctor in-charge of ER. Re-confirmed again by the surgeon, who wanted to cut me up straight away but couldn't because I just ate the porridge.

For the first time in my life, I was admitted to a hospital (at around 1 p.m.). Because I am already 40 years old, I had an ECG, x-ray on my chest and a blood test to see if I am fit enough for the knife. Then, the poking started. Arghhhh...hated that and had to tell myself that it was just like post-Ironman (when I was given drips at the recovery area).

Waited for another 4-5 hours at my ward. Tried to sleep but couldn't. Thank god again for Teresa, who was there to keep me company (and kept me company for the rest of my stay at the hospital). It scared the soul out of me when they came to get me at around 5 p.m. Was given a sleeping pill before they pushed me away.

Waited for a while at the holding bay outside the operating theatre (can't figure out for how long). Thanks to the sleeping pill, I was knocked off completely before they gave me the anesthetic. The next thing I knew, I was already back in my ward and the appendix removed.

Was told later that my appendix ruptured (thought of Lisa Bentley, in an article I read that she ruptured hers during an Ironman race-ouchhh!!!). Was also told that because of the rupture, I was to get fever over the next 5 days and had to remained hospitalised for the same duration.

I was given antibiotics 3 times a day, which they injected through my veins. The fever came by the end of Thursday night (as predicted by the surgeon, 24 hrs after the surgery). My temperature peaked at a mild 37.8 degree celcius on Friday morning but subsided by earlier Friday afternoon. Was hopeful the doctor would let me go home by Friday evening but I succumbed to his advice to stay one more night.

Discharged before noon on Saturday, 6 December 2008 and was given MC until 22/12/08.

Worst piece of news from the doctor.....no strenuous exercise for the next 3 months!!!!! How am I going to live thru that???!!! At least I wasn't planning to do Ironman Malaysia in February 2009 (my recent career change made sure of that). But KL Marathon (March 2009) was on my mind. Not sure if I have enough time to recover and train for it.

POWERMAN MALAYSIA 2008

2008-11-09T21:05:00.010+08:00

9 November 2008
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.

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

I had a smooth transition from running to cycling. I felt good on the bike right from the start. I was targeting to average 30km/h and made sure I did not draft so that I could accurately assess my performance at the end of the race.

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