ATM Triathlon, Melaka

May I dedicate this page to hub? Special thanks to him for letting this happen. I have been lamenting to him, everyday & night about my lack of training, lack of races, lack of strength and everything. After the race, i realised the one I should really thank to, is him =) Not only he handled Aydeen, also he handled all my logistics, accomodations as well as race strategy this time. The strategy lies in mind setting.

I think I am addicted to triathlons once again. Have been wanting to do Kenyir tri, but the travel is too far; plus my training macam hampeh doesn't justify the hassle, i guessed. So, I DNS (registered, but chickened out) & aimed for ATM Tri, Melaka. Aimed for the tri, but training is still macam hampeh mode. I just couldnt find the time for training. Or was it just my lazy hideout? Come yesterday, it was the race for me. Pre-race was fun, chicken rice balls, hotel hunting, packing & unpacking stuffs. Aydeen himself was excited too.

Fong, how come you are so fair now?
Hehe, erm.. speechless.

Early morning, I was greeted with a compliment on my complexion. I was speechless, seriously. Only had 1 outdoor ride before Kenyir tri, & 1 more ride on my trainer, how could i get back my tan? There, I saw few familiar faces. Michelle, Jaja, Wendy, navy team, ATM team, hardcore racers, some common friends & their family. I looked closely to my neighbour, how she placed her bike shoes, running shoes, helmet & i followed exactly the same. . Quietly, I arranged my stuff. Forgot my helmet, forgot my running shoes, bike shoes, luckily they are in the car. Thanks to hub. I ran to the car to get my stuff. Gosh, prior to start, I forgot my body marking. Had it done & straight to the sea. Nice seeing Abu & family there as well.

Sharp at 8, the whistle blow. We had our mass start. The swim was chaotic, as the triangle they had lack of buoys. Everyone was having their own route. Some shortcut, some even longcut. I had my sightings set on the 3 big buoys, & made sure i reach them before i turn. So tempted to follow those who shortcut; not to win, but because I had not swim for long. But, this is my race; might as well play honest; at least I am honest to myself.

Opps, swim time 37mins. But my last 1.5km last month was 34mins, well well. Lagi mau complaint, training nyer cam tampal lubang kasut. Quickly, ran to the T1 & changed. I forgot how to mount the bike with shoes clipped on the paddle. Lucky me,my bike leg was unexpected. I managed to catch the train & drafted them through the race. Thanks 214 & 251, u guys were great. Tailed from behind, I bet they could hear me huffing & puffing loudly, a slight lesser tone than labour scream. Even told them to drop me off if I could not follow. We had managed to keep ourself cruising at above 30km/hr. Thank GOD the route was flat. Towards my last lap, I took over as the guys were exhausted. Kesian dorg buat keje, I draft jer. Finishing my 4th lap, the 2 guys had another lap to go.

Average bike speed, 31.2km/hr; total swim + bike time 2:00 sharp. Bike leg was overdistanced a lil bit, @ 43.5km. I questioned myself, betol ke ni? I worried the most was my biking. Then run came in. Hehe, I was totally out during the run. I ran like a sissy, abit haywired & mentally disturbed. It was scorching hot, next to the beach. Slowly, I made my way to the first U-turn, then the 2nd. The run felt like forever, & I almost wanted to quit.

Total run time, 1hr16min for just 10km. Total time, 3hr 16mins. The girl in front of me, was 6mins earlier & she got 3rd. I was abit puzzled, the only training I managed was my running, quite a consistant one as I ran every weekend. But, run was my weakest discipline this time. Anyhow, I was too ecstatic to finish the race & to be able to hold Aydeen again. Hub was there at race venue all the time. I really thank them both for being there with me. Congrats to Jaja too, as she got 2nd for her category. I really had a great time yesterday. Managed to catch up with some navy/ATM friends as well. Right after race, we went back to check out, then head to the beaches & home straight.

Today, is Monday Blues.

My training this time
Ergo at night while watching HOUSE series <- seriously need to revamp this to a competitive one
Weight training1 or 2x a week
Steps at Batu Caves 1x a week
Weekly running, 10km - 16km <- not to run like a sissy anymore
Note: Please add some ride & swim workout!!!


No more scene like this in future!! Mount the bike while putting on/off shoes...