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 Swim
Comments: Start: The pro's were flagged off at 7:30am. Excitement was building in the swim ledge. The crowd from the audience is cheering, definitely felt the energy. The cheering got louder when the 10min mark was announced. I jumped in with 3 minutes left. First Half: Boom! Placed myself near the bouys. These bouys were placed at 50m mark. I had a good rhythm but found myself banging with the other participants. I was scared that someone would kick my face. It took me around 55mins to hit turn-around bouy. At times, I tried to draft. Navigation was pretty good, made use of the bouys as my reference points. Second half: The current helped me cut my swim time. However, I often found myself veering away from the bouys. Didn't do a good job on that one compared to the first half. The sound from the stage was getting louder which meant that I was nearing the end of the swim leg. I was surprised with my time of 1hr 36mins. What would you do differently?: I probably would do more drills during the training phase to improve my breathing, body position and speed.  Transition 1
Comments: Showered to rinse the salt off my head and body. Walked towards the tent, hollered my number to the race volunteers, got my bag and went inside the changing tent. Inside the tent, applied vaseline and sunblock. Wore my socks, cycling shoes, sunglasses, gloves and helmet. Got my bike and off I went. What would you do differently?: Practice transition.  Bike
Comments: Hydration and Nutrition Consumed water during the first 20mins to settle my tummy. Started gu gel after 20 mins. In addition to gels, I also consumed Mars bars, Clif bars and Combos which is relatively high in sodium. For hydration, interchanged between gatorade and water along the cycling leg. Heart Rate and cycling cadence Was able to manage my HR well. Average HR was pegged at 148 while maximum HR was at 160. I may have underperformed at this stage. Cycling cadence averaged at 78, which was really great. Gearing used during this time was the big ring and middle of the cogs. Used smaller rings during the start and climbing hills. Most of the time, I was in the aero position. Practice paid off. What would you do differently?: Should start focusing on my speed. Transition 2
Comments: In T2, I gave my bike to the volunteers and immediately hollered my number. I received my bag and proceeded to the change tent. Took my time to change socks, wear my shoes, etc... Great thing here is that I did not suffer any form of cramps. What would you do differently?: Practice transition  Run
Comments: Coming out from T2, I immediately had to do a pitstop (toilet). Spent a good 15mins. I tried consuming gels but was not welcomed by the body. I had to resort to defizzed coke. FOrtunately it worked! My target time was 5:30 for this leg. I ran in between aid stations, which were placed a km from each other. Made good use of the aid stations. Last loop, I realized that I was going to finish the course. The finish line was vibrant. The crowd was going wild. SOmeone handed me the Philippine Flag and saw my little family in the finish line. Then finally, "You are an Ironman". What would you do differently?: Nothing, Planned my race and raced my plan. Probably in my succeeding races, I would be more aggressive in terms of the time in each leg but since this was my first. I wanted to concentrate in finishing the race comforably. Post race
Warm down: I was taken to the recovery area where they took my weight. Only 0.5lbs were lost. I was surprised by this. Had a cold shower and changed clothes. I also had a warm soup. My wife and baby were there beaming. Was happy to share this moment with them. Took some time from them in order to train for this event. What limited your ability to perform faster: This was my first race. I tried to be conservative with the estimated completion time of each leg. I focused on completing my very first Ironman. Again, I planned my race and raced my plan. There will always be a next time where I plan to execute the things that I learned from this experience. Event comments: THe race was pretty organized. If there were lapses, they were insignificant. The weather was expected to be hot and humid. The only thing that I did not like was the state of the run aid stations. It had five loops. First, it was heavy on the mind. Second, the trash - sponges, used plast cups, water bottles, etc... were scattered and can be potential safety issues. Last updated: 2009-03-05 12:00 AM
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Malaysia
Ironman Langkawi
35C / 95F
Sunny
Overall Rank = 336/524
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Woke up at 4am. Spent some time in the toilet. Wore my two piece suit: Sugoi tri top and my orca tri shorts. For breakfast, I had 2 cheese buns, coffee and water. I also brought a cliff bar and a bottle of gatorade. Kissed wifey and baby. Left the hotel at around 5:20am and walked towards the event location. Made sure I had my timing chip, roadid, goggles and headcap with me.
I reached the location at around 5:40am. At the registration area, the volunteers ushered me to the weighing scale where I registered around 68Kg. Then I was body marked. Deposited my special needs bags for the run and bike.
I went to my bike, brought it to the on-site bike mechanic. The mechanic gave it an ok and pumped around 120psi into both tires.
Poured water into my aero bottle and gatorade lime in my 2 bidons. Am good to go.
Went back to the registration area and saw my mates. Had pictures with them. Chatted with other participants and saw my wife again.
Had a quick swim warm-up at around 7am. During this time as well, I consumed my cliff bar and drank the gatorade.