Thursday, July 29, 2010

Port Dickson Triathlon 2010

This is one event where I DNF-S. It took me three full days to slowly recompose myself and to finally accept the fact that I’m not fast and strong enough. I initially did not want to blog about it at all. I was emotionally devastated. And no, I am not kidding. Luckily I changed my mind. I almost promised myself not to blog about it when I crossed the finish line last Sunday. That was how bad I felt on the overall picture. If you don’t like a sad ending story, then this is not for you.

Wah, first paragraph already sounded like one of those drama series on Saturday night on the TV lah.

Ok. This is my third time doing PD triathlon and I think the participation this year increased quite a lot as compared to before. Some say it was the largest ever. In the news, a total of 1200 contestants were reported to have taken part. A good point for me of having done triathlons here before is that I knew the race route and the challenges the race will put on your plate. It helps to keep the nervous attack below the radar. The swim will be ‘flat’ (if it is not windy as last year), the cycling course will only give a little bit of ticklish sensation of climbing here and there, and the running course will bring you sight seeing alongside the PD coastal road. Nothing to worry about if you do not fancy running uphill, because there will be none.

But, the bad thing about it is that, I took it slightly easy on the preparation and training. Not that I totally took training for granted. For me, training is still the paramount for any endurance events. But this time, it was partially because of improper planning between previous races (which were mainly running events) where I can’t find a good blend of time to mix up the swim, cycling and brick training sufficiently. Although I have the confidence that my current fitness level can pull me through this Olympic distance triathlon, I was humbled down by my own physical capacity. Or, maybe my expectation was too high.

The transition area, where we place our cycling and running stuffs.

Anyway, I made myself available at the race site around one hour before race start, which gave me enough time to prep up my bike and other stuffs at the transition area. I earlier took few slices of bread as breakfast. And once I was done arranging the gears at transition, I went for a quick run for a warm up before getting my self body marked. 475 was my race number for the day.

The 1.5km Swim

Soon, an announcement was made to call all triathletes to gather at the beach. I took the opportunity to do some swim warm up. Different from the previous years, I did not feel nervous getting into the sea this time.

The first wave was released at 7.30am, and my age group wave was released 5 minutes later. I positioned myself slightly towards the front, and slightly on the outside (right side) of the counter-clock-wise swim course. As I entered the water, I didn't even look behind. Seeing less swimmers at the front was much comforting than to be seeing the bigger number of them at the back. The swim start in triathlon is always chaotic. You must really be confident in the water, and must be able to compose yourself in anyway and not be panic. There were arms, legs, and bodies all trying to hit you from all directions. And when you tried to surface to grab some air to breath, splashes of sea water came into you mouth and nose.

This picture was actually taken the day earlier, for the sprint category.

All I tried to do during the swim was to move myself forward, in the straightest way possible. It was not so easy for me for obvious reason, that I'm not a fast swimmer. Many other swimmers were on my left and right, overtaking me. I know it was a race and the crowd was unavoidable, but all I was thinking was about my own safety, at which I tried my best not to hit other people, or get myself hit or kicked in the face.

For the first 500m I was feeling alright with my swim, although much earlier I did have the intention to quit the race. I could say my heart was not inside the race. I lost focus, I was thinking about some other things. I was questioning myself why did I took the risk by being there at the first place. And then, getting into 650m I started to feel a cramp trying to attack my right hamstring. I never cramped during a swim before and I was not sure why it came this time.

After making the turnaround, I guess somewhere around 800m, the cramp really hit my right hamstring so badly. I can't move my right leg at all. I sighted for the floating buoys to hang on but the nearest was about ten to fifteen meters away. And if I were to swim towards the buoys, I needed to cris-cross among the swimmers which may cause more harm to me since I might be hit or had to stop in the middle of the ocean to let others pass through. That’s something I didn’t want to do, especially with one leg cramped up. So, I finally decided to swim ahead with only single leg kicking. I didn't really know how I did it, but after another few hundred meters the cramp subsided a little bit. I continued swimming towards the shore, still not putting so much work on the cramped leg. It was such a relief sight to be seeing the shoreline once again.

As I exited the water, my stopwatch showed 35 minutes plus. I was so glad that I finished the swim. And since I still had a little bit of hamstring cramp, I couldn't really run all the way on the beach towards transition. The official timing for my swim leg was 37 minutes, which was much improved as compared to previous years. It is my best swimming time so far. Still, plenty of room for improvement.

The 40km Cycle

My transition went pretty smoothly. I quickly put on my race belt, helmet and cycling shoes, and headed my way out. I brought along two Powerbar gels for energy replenishment.

The training I lack the most was cycling. By lack, I mean I didn’t do any long distance rides of more than 80km or 100km for the past 9 months. I knew I won’t have that high endurance to push it on the bike, and I didn’t feel good about it. My legs felt heavy and irresponsive whenever I tried to put power into them. Every time I saw some cyclists passing by, I tried to give a chase but after ten seconds I gave up. I simply did not have the power to paddle hard or fast. When I glanced at my speedometer, I felt so embarrassed with my own self.

By the way, the cycling course was superb. The weather was very kind and headwind was non-existence. The undulating road gave me some chance to relax my tired quads as I went down the rolling bumps. Most of the times, I was just cruising by myself. I thought I’d better save some energy for the final 10km run.

Another new mishap of the day was that, I had a back and stomach cramp during cycling, on the right hand side. The cramp, although not as bad as the hamstring cramp during swimming, was ugly enough to force me to slow down even further. It was so frustrating.

Somewhere at KM15 or 18, I noticed the riders at the front rose up their hands and started to slow down. There were palm oil plantations on the sides of the road. Suddenly, a big group of more than fifty cows emerged from the right side, crossing the road into the other side of the plantation. Cyclists from both directions had to stop as it would be suicidal to cycle into the panicky cows. I wish I had a camera with me at that time, as it was one-in-a-million chance that it will happen again, in a triathlon race.

After I made it to the turnaround point at KM20, I slowed down to grab the icy cold water they served there. I wanted to grab one cup of it to cool down my body, but the volunteer dropped the cup even before I manage to hold a grab onto it. No time to waste and I proceeded with my paddling, feeling a little bit angry.

Nothing worth mentioning on my way back to transition, other than seeing more and more cyclist overtaking me on the flats, inclines or declines. I did say hi and cheered for the riders I know on the other side of the road, which shows how not properly focused I was during the ride.

If there was one moment where I really put an effort to cycle properly, was when I saw the photographer from Snap Attack (www.snap-attack.com) by the roadside. I went down to my aero-position, put on my focus-race face and tried to look as I was paddling strong. And below is the awesome result.

I heart Snap Attack. Thank you guys!

Yup, and if you noticed, I forgot to shave my legs. Sungguh kurang enak mata memandang.

I finally arrived back at transition with a group of cyclists, with an official timing of 1hr19min. It was very shabby indeed. All I was thinking was that, “If only I could train much harder before the race”. Another disappointment.

The 10km Run

I really don’t get it. Every time I raced in triathlon, this is the time where my quads will surely get stiff and finally cramp. This time was no exception either. As I hooked my bike on the rack and took my helmet off, I bent down to change from cycling shoes to running shoes. I started to feel the cramping sensation and tried to stretch it out a little bit. I took a sip of water and made my way out from the transition for the final 10km of the race.

Jumbled up with the ITB pain I already felt during cycling, the painful quads cramp forced me to slow down and walk just 300m after exiting the transition area. It was a bit humiliating to have started walking that soon, especially when there were plenty of spectators by the sides of the road.

When I arrived at the first water station, I poured the icy cold water onto my thighs but the pain didn’t diminish. I tried to continue running but not after long, I had to walk again and stretch my quads. Even after pouring the cold water at the consecutive water stations, the cramp and pain still persist. At one point, I even sat down by the road side and squatted for almost a minute, with the hope that the cramp would disappear, but it didn’t. I finally lost hope.

It was the most painful and longest run I’ve ever had. Along the way, I guess 80% of runners overtook me, while I only overtook 20% of those who were on my running course at that time. When I reached the turnaround point at KM5, I only had 15minutes to go if I were to clock a new PB. And with that situation, it was time to say goodbye to a PB which I clocked last year (3hrs).

On the way back to the finish line, I walked even more. I knew I’ve ruined my time. I even felt like giving up and just sit down by the road side. I cannot focus on my run anymore. I was focusing on the pain I had. I just looked down and kept on moving forward. I didn’t realize who were coming on the opposite side, and I didn’t realize who overtook me. Never did I felt this bad in a race.

And never did I shower myself with 100Plus before, except for this time. Similar to the other water station stops I made, I was more looking forward to pour the icy cold water on my thighs rather than to drink them. At one of the water stations, I didn’t realize it was 100Plus filling up the cups. I grabbed few of them and poured them on my thighs, over my head and body to cool down. Just as I was about to finish with my ‘shower’, the volunteer said, “Errr, that’s 100Plus lah, not water”.

On normal circumstances, I would be laughing at myself for that silly act. But on that particular moment, I was emotionless. I was in full pain, and was feeling at my lowest.

Another moment of prominence was when I saw the Snap-Attack photographer again. I shouted to him from afar, trying to notify him that I was coming into his frame. I gathered all the strength to look like I was in a strong running form for the shot. Before I saw him, I was walking and was actually begging for a life. Oh, what a poser I was.

Biar slow, asal bergaya.
(Hakikatnya, sedih gile)

When I ran towards the finishing chute, I just wanted to have the finisher medal, the cold towel, and whatever they wanted to give me. I stopped my watch at 3hrs12min, with an official running time of 1hr14min. It was not my best overall time, and not my worst time either. However I felt so devastated with myself. I was angry and disappointed with my legs, with my ITB, with my training effort, and with myself.

That why I said this was the race where I DNF-S (Did Not Feel Satisfied).

I didn’t even mingle around after the race. I was not in the mood. I grabbed two or three cups of Milo, returned the timing chip, went to grab my bike and other stuffs at the transition area and quietly made my way out for a quick shower before I headed back to my car. You don’t want to know what I was thinking while I was driving back home.

On a retrospect, perhaps I put too high expectation to myself for the race, when in fact my training was not really up to it. And perhaps, I was trying to deny that I was racing with an injury. But, I’m all OK now, emotionally and physically. The DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) which I had on my thighs for three days has finally subsided. So does the ITB pain. The pain in my heart should heal as the time goes by. It’s the reality of life I should be strong to face, not only for this time. Sometimes we are at the top, and some other times we fall to be at the bottom. We just need to bring ourselves up once again.

At least, the finisher medal is nice.

A big congratulations to other triathlete friends who most of them, managed to get their PB's. Some other first timers were doing amazingly well too. I love to see their happy faces and good sportmanship spirits. Triathlon is actually not that difficult, provided you are well prepared for it. Many first timers have proven it that even normal people like us can become a triathlete. When you prepare well, you'll be able to race well.

If they can do it, so can you.

50 comments:

June Malik said...

ok, now going to read lol

kookykash said...

OK aper Nik. Janganlah sedih sangat. You did your best and didnt give up when its easier to actually DNF.

Miri Triathlon next?

June Malik said...

dont be so hard on yourself Nik, you finished it and that is what matters. i know how you feel, but there's always another one to redeem this one .. i wondered when you didnt reply my text that afternoon and was a bit worried. in my book you did awesomely, with pain and all. next year i might just be there with you *dreamsss* congrats!!!

Che said...

its an emotional post, terasa macam aku pulak yg race time tu. but i guess a kudos and a pat at the back for not giving up? u did ok. there's always next Tri to do a PB. Next time yer..

sckhoo said...

hi Nik, nice meeting you the day before the race.

Glad you finish the race.

Always enjoy reading your blog and inspire me to make a goal to complete OD tri too. 2011 maybe? :)

Justiffa said...

Pheew u got me worried there. akak dok ingat mende la pulok DNF-S -_-'

Congrats nik..u finished.

plee said...

It was an awesome effort that you finished despite cramping so early on(swim)and going into the race with knee problems.. I wud hv probably called it a day.

You finished in spite of the pain and your emotions and that makes you a seasoned triathlete.We all have our up and down cycles but we always live to run another day!

rest and recover well Bro!

EnAikAY said...

Kash,
Dah tak sedih dah. Tapi masa lepas race haritu mmg banyak habuk nak masuk mata la.

Miri triathlon? Thanks, but no thanks. :)

June,
There was no Gatorade during the race!!!!
(that's why i was stressed and didn't reply your text.. sorry. hihi)
Thanks for the thoughts and support. Really appreciate it.

Daud,
Make sure your Zigman competition doesn't end like my triathlon race ya. Go Zigman Che, go!

Khoo,
Yup, finally we met.
How did your race go? Are you not going to blog about it?
Don't worry, you can surely finish an OD tri by yourself soon.

Tiff!
Biasala, drama je lebih budak EnAikAY sorang ni... paham2 ajelah ye. hihi.
Thank you.

EnAikAY said...

Paul,
It was nice to hang out with you on Saturday, my pleasure to be around a good Ironman like yourself.
Thanks for your support, as always.
And please let me know once you come up with your own blog ok. :)
Congrats on your gorgeous achievement Paul!

RaYzeef said...

Congrats NIk on completing the Tri,

not everyone got what i takes to complete the 3-Alam.

U will get better next time:)

Deo said...

Terrer laa tu bro! I think you did a good job (to my standard laa).

EnAikAY said...

Thanks RaY,
It all begins with a single dream man.
Never doubt yourself.

EnAikAY said...

Deo,
Don't shoot me.. i'm not a terrorrist! :)

rusfarizal rusli said...

congrats nik,tak kira la berapa lama janji habis.. :)

Unknown said...

You're being too hard on yourself lah bro. Do you know that there're a lot of peeps out there who can only dream of doing what you did? I was one of them. Boleh try again next time & congrats on a superb performance (that's what I really thot)

EnAikAY said...

Rizal,
Lu lagi superb. Berdesup je tanpa belas kasihan.
Well done. Next time kalau kita buat triathlon sama2 lagi, confirm wa pancing belakang beskal lu.

Zaki,
It's a good learning experience for me also lah. The sky may not always be bright. Thanks bro.

June Malik said...

agree with zaki wholeheartedly and yeah will make it up to you on the GO deal :) apa pun i love the pics that you "posed", awesome.

Kevin Siah said...

Yalah Nik, too hard on yourself. Cramps and injury gets to the best of us, even the pros. Considering how much you have suffered, 12 minutes off your PB is a pretty good effort. Rest and recover well, and you'll be back with a vengeance!

EnAikAY said...

Kevin,
Yeah, and i didn't really enjoy the race this time. Too hard on myself.
Well, a lesson well learnt for me.
Thanks bro.

ziff71 said...

Bro, with one leg kick u managed to complete the swim in 37 minutes! I would be just happy to finish IF I EVER do a tri, even at superkids level hehe.

Congrats!

EnAikAY said...

Ziff,
Aku tak lemas pun dah syukur gile dah. Pengalaman yg sangat mengerikan. Nasib baik tak panic.
Takpe, tahun 2011, RBU will have a new name: TBU (Triathletes Blogging United). Rugi kalau tak join. :)
(racun.. racun...)

Ms Road Runner said...

congrats and well done on competing the PD triathlon! janji habis right? ;)

hope i'll be able to join your boat soon! :)

EnAikAY said...

Nana,
Err.. in triathlon we do not take the boat, we swim.
hehee.. just kidding.
Thanks. You should start training now if you seriusly wanna become a triathlete. It's really fun. :)

zulhassan said...

ko sedih aku lagi sedih gilerrr coz dapat baca report member je :(.

tahniah bro... lain kali kita race bersama ya.

EnAikAY said...

Aku bukan sedih Zul, aku kuciwa aje.
Ye ye, ramai orang tunggu the coming back of triathlete cap ayam ni. Lekas2 sikit keluar dari pertapaan tu.

Diket said...

Always the downside of a race will make the climb back up very strong bro. Perhaps next year hopefully we can train together with the rest of the gang like LSD :)

Lots of races come end of the year. Better buckle up to avoid DNF-S the sequel.

IJAM said...

dari pagi sampai nak balik aku baca blog kau...curi2 baca...

pertama, congratulations nik, walau pun tak cukup training, tapi aku rasa bila nya yang cukup?
teringat member aku cakap "did i trained enough? and there is somebody who trained more than me"..

buat paragraph, senang baca comment aku ni..
mcm mana kot2 kalau letih masa tengah berenang tu, nak stop? pening jugak aku fikir...
i'm still learning..

cycling dgn running tak power, takde daya tujahan tu tak brp penting la bg aku asalkan tamat larian, jgn tamat riwayat sudah le..

Yg berenang tu...ha..tu yg risaunya..kaki tak boleh cecah dasar tu, cepat le panik oiii...

Walau apa pun Nik, lu memang bagus...dan to all triathlete out there, you're awesome!!...gua salute you nik...mata aku pun masuk abuk jugak ni...

EnAikAY said...

Shakhir,
Aku baru terlintas pasal DNF-S the trilogy. Hahaha...

EnAikAY said...

Ijam,
Aku post blog tengahari tadi, camne kau boleh baca sejak pagi? Jet lag ke apa?

No worries Ijam, masa aku buat triathlon tahun 2008, aku gayut je kat tali buoy tu bila dah penat swim. Takpe, tak disqualified pun.

But.... kalau nak buat triathlon, takleh la kau jadi McIjam. Even kak jenap pun tak pakai costume time dia run for triathlon.

Gerb said...

Dah masuk triathlon ni gua dah bangga dah. Bukan semua orang sanggup gi berenang,berkayuh,berlari tengah2 panas tu. (Masuk tibi bro)

Takpe insyaallah ada lagi time nak buat PB.

But the proudest part is, u didnt quit.

Yeah to Nik!cayalah

tolldoll said...

only real men can carry awesome leg hair - remember that.

i am slightly disappointed with this race too, to be honest. i guess i was too confident especially in the bike part. it took me one whole monday to be ok with what i got.

tsar said...

nik, i can emphatize with you on the ITB and cramps pain. tapi itu aje. yg lain tu, like biking and swimming tu hapek pun tak leh. hehehe.

anyway, you still did great, in my books, if that counts for something. :D

iamsyah said...

sorry to hear that bro... but remember - many could only dream what you have achieved so far, bro! An Ultra, and many, many tri-s... we could all drool in envy.

Regardless, you have given your all within your means, it was not a lost battle, so give yourself a pat on your back. Just come back stronger!

And thanks for sharing...

shuklazim said...

wah banyak nya comments.

it's okay to be disappointed, it shows the competitiveness in you. you'll learn and do better next time. macam pakar motivasi tak?

renung renung kan dan selamat beramal.

Khairul Anuar said...

this will make u stronger for sure.
hang ni akan jadi inspirasi aku nik. sama macam kak jenap. bukan tri la, belum lagi. tapi menambahkan jumlah marathon :)
whatever it is, congrats! at least, there were nice photos for u to keep.

EnAikAY said...

Meeza (gerb),
Perasaan nak quit tu mmg dah ada sejak 100m pertama swimming lagi.
Not quitting the thing we started is the beauty of the game we are in.

Nadia,
Is that a quote or something?
But, kalau bulu kaki panjang sangat bahaya woo, boleh tersangkut kat rantai basikal.
Unless kalau buat rebonding kat bulu kaki, ok sikit la.
Dont worry, it took me three days to get over it. Cheer up ok!

Zarin,
Thank u. I want to see your books. :)

Syah Kingfisher,
I could see the spark in your eyes as you stand by the shore line on Saturday tu. I should have passed you a pair of goggles lah at that time.. Hihihi.

Shuk,
Sedangkan lidah lagi tergigit, apa pula triathlon.. (eh, tak matching lah pulak).

KA,
Rosak la kau kalau lantik aku jadi sumber inspirasi. Kalau jadi sumber lawak-basi boleh la. hihihi.
Yeah, terasa macam nak letak gambar tu dalam frame je..

Kam Kasturie said...

Chill la bro, jgn sedey. You should enjoy the race. If you don't have enough training, just go slow & steady like me.

EnAikAY said...

Kam,
No lah. Not sad anymore.
Next year aku nak carboload nasi briyani macam kau.. baru power.. hehe.

FrH said...

congratulations for completing the 3 alam with those pains & did not gave up. i salute u.

sempat lg posing tu bile jumpe camera :P haha.

EnAikAY said...

Thanks Farah,
There's a little advantage for having done triathlon before, that is, we know where the photographers are!
Hehehe.

Kirim salam to your triathlete hubby too ya! Say congrats to him.

crushhio said...

hi nik,

i am in awe of your sportsmanship and fighting spirit!

congrats bro! no matter how excruciating the experience, you'are only enriched by it and made wiser..

EnAikAY said...

Syed,
Saya lupa makan budu, itu pasal kurang perform kat PD. ahaha.

Where have u been? Secret training with Adidas Crushio kaa?

Julin Julai said...

Nik, sorry for being late to say congratulations!
baru weekend ada masa nak betul2 baca blog daa..
No matter, there will be other thiathlons,more PBs to be done., insyaAllah.

Jaja Shah said...

next race boleh improve lagi

well done on your finishing...

SuN said...

congrats bro nik! medal tu sungguh susah mau dapat woo..anyway,lu x shave kaki tu pon ok bro.anak jantan sejati! :P

ian yusof said...

46th commentor huh!!!!!

Now, I am devastated! ... more that your devastation Nik! :) I would be EXTREMELY happy to be in your shoes Nik. You did well (to me lah) ... this is always part and parcel of being a weekend athlete. We can't afford to train like professionals, mentally and physically. Crossing the line in one solid piece is already an achievement.

Just don't forget to learn from the mistakes .... we are always one step closer towards a stronger us - mentally, physically and spiritually.

EnAikAY said...

Ian,
Are u sure u wanna be in my shoes?
Belum basuh lagi lah....

Thanks bro. U guys sure know how to make me smile.

Dulu korang ambik degree kat university mana ah?

Anonymous said...

Salam kenal.
Terjumpa post ni masa cari2 gambar PD2010...
Pakcik lagi ler frust... tayar blkg pancit masa kat KM5... spare tube & tools, takder.. kayuh ler ngan flat tire.. anyway, syukur dapat habis gak sub4hrs..
*pakcik wawi*

EnAikAY said...

Salam Pak Wawi,
Samalah kita.. sub-4 jugak.
P/s: Kalau ada blog.. sudi2lah mewar2kan.. kitorang semua sgt suka blog-hopping. :)
Thanks for dropping by.

Anonymous said...

Sama-sama la, nik.
pakcik mmg ader blog, tapi dah tumbuh semak-samun.. lama tak masuk menebas.. dulu ada link kat makcik haza (x classmate) punyer blogroll.. komattamusuko
tenkiu for the welcome!