First Sepang Night Duathlon 2015

I never really wanted to do a Duathlon because I suck at running. And I don't get the benefit of the swim which I'm slightly above average.

But I have the Powerman duathlon (10-60-10) coming up next year in March and I definitely need to try this out, at least once. What's more, it is on the Sepang International Circuit itself and at night!

7th November came and here I am in the very first Sepang International Circuit Night Duathlon 2015. The distance cover is 5km run, 22km bike, 5km run.

The run segment is on the service raod around half of the track. That means we had to run 2 laps.


For the bike segment, it would be on the full course of the Sepang circuit, doing 4 laps of it.

The day was indeed a wet day. Running and biking in the rain. Felt soggy and wet through but what a way to rough it out in the cool night. The BMC performed well through the wet roads. Grip was fantastic in the Continental GP4000S II. Great tyre!

The lower regular SIC lighting were not great but we could see the track well. My front mounted lights helped.

The Youth hand Sports minister of Malaysia, Khairy Jamaluddin took part in the event too. He was close to me after the run leg but I made sure I dropped him during the bike leg and I never saw him close again as I continue to gain on fellow racers in front.

I manage to complete the SIC Duathlon in 22nd place (in class out of 56 participants) and 58th overall with a total time of  1:41:29 (27:23 run, 45:00 bike, 26:09 run).

Full results here.

Very pleased with my performance and kinda like the shorter distance. Looking forward to more of these events to come.

PDIT 2015 - Swim Bike Run Repeated!

They say to do it once is a dream. To do it again, and again and again is reality.

Here I am again in the Port Dickson International Triathlon 2015 at the Admiral Marina Cove Resort hotel in the this beach town in Negeri Sembilan on 11 October 2015. Coming back to where I did my first triathlon event. Last year I was hit with a really bad food poisoning a day before the race and was suffering throughout the race. Very disappointing then after all that training.

BMC all set

This year, I trained hard but didn't put in as much time as I wanted in the pool due to the hazy weather. And with the haze, trainings were limited to indoors but never underestimate the work one can do on the stationary bicycle, treadmill, free weights and weight machines.

I had a simple goal. To break the 3 hours for the Olympics distance of 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run. Seems easy for strong runners but I crap at running. Nonetheless, I trained with this in mind and focused on my weakness.

The swim leg was good. Got in, everything in order but indeed I felt the lack of swim training compared to last year but arms and shoulders were ok, thanks to the weights work. Caught up with the earlier groups too. Pull strong and kick less and got out the water including T1 at 33:10. It's a good feeling when you see tons of bicycles at T1.

Cycling was nice and most importantly, had to make sure my bike works fine throughout. A good service before and testing all component to make sure it works. Of course, did a long ride before the event just to ensure all systems is a go. Never change something last minute! Completed the 40km in 1:18:18, slower than I expected but I had that in mind to save for the run.

Came the run and it was much better than I did before. Felt more comfortable. Started to cramp up in the beginning but that slowly went away and I could maintain my pace doing a 1:07:06

Started in group 5 mins after gun

And indeed I met my goal by 1.5 minutes. You see, common to most runners, we get bored after a while and the pace slows down. I saw my watch on the last 2 kms and I was coming close to 3 hours. Picked up the pace and mathematically counted that if I maintained 6+ min/km, I will reach my goal. And I came in at 2:58:34!

I was told that the run distance may have been shorter. Some recorded 10km, some 8.5km. But not forgetting that the back part of the run was on beach sand. Quite challenging but at least it did not have the mangrove run like what we had last year!

Already set my goal for PDIT next year. Doing both Sprint the day before and Olympics the next day.

Now, looking forward to the next race. A sprint duathalon event. Stay tuned.

Official race results can be found here.

**Picture taken by various photographers and all rights belong to them respectively.

I am on Strava. Are you?

Do you guys use some sports gps monitoring program?

I use Strava mainly for my runs and cycling and have it sync to my other programs like Endomondo, Garmin, Runkeeper, Training Peaks etc.

I personally like Strava for one of its feature - segments, where it keep tracks of a performance ladder to see where you rank for different segments of your route with other who have ridden on the route. It's a lot of fun and motivates you to work harder, whether to improve your personal best or to move up the ladder.

Come... follow me one Strava.

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Try a Tri to Keep Tri-ing

It has always been my dream to be part of a triathlon. Ever since I saw friends taking part, I knew that was something I want to do at least once. 

Watching professional triathlete, Craig Alexander aka Crowie (3 times Ironman World Champion and 2 times 70.3 Ironman World Champion) and his journey to triathlon greatness really motivates me! The struggles he went through to achieve what he has tells your hear that whatever you set your mind to, you will make it eventually. And look around you, friends who do this all the time. You have to join in the game to self achievement.

 

After doing triathlon race once, the Olympic distance whereby you swim 1.5km, cycle 40km and run 10km, I got addicted and did it again and looks like more to come. 

Aiming for something bigger soon, probably a longer distance eg. 70.3 Ironman.

First Triathlon Event: Port Dickson International Triathlon 2014
Second Triathlon Event: Morib Triathlon 2014
Third Triathlon Event (relay-swim): Ironman Putrajaya 70.3  2015

“It’s not just about winning. It’s about doing all the little things, putting the processes in place for that positive outcome – and a good race day performance.“ - Craig Alexander

"To accomplish something extraordinary, one must have an extraordinary dream.”

www.ironman.comIRONMAN is a statement of excellence, passion, commitment. It is a test of physical toughness and...
Posted by IRONMAN on Thursday, February 26, 2015

Travel to Toronto.. Niagara was amazing!

I recently posted a short write-up of my trip to Toronto, Canada. It was a work trip and did a little sight-seeing in Mississauga, Toronto downtown and Niagara. What a beautiful city in the winter! The basketball game was awesome and Niagara in the winter was cold and breathtaking!

You can find the article here on The Little Globe.

My contribution to the blog world - The Little Globe

Occasionally I contribute articles to a travelling blog called The Little Globe, telling stories and adventures of my recent travels and travels that have brought certain memories. 

Here you can find my write-ups of the following places here (last updated 1 June 2016):

1. Krabi, Thailand

2. Taipei, Taiwan

3. Toronto, Canada

4. Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

5. Doha, Qatar

The Little Globe Blog

Hope you enjoy it.

Australian Gaijin

Come visit this blog of an Australian adventures in Tokyo, Japan. You will find experiences of food and life of a foreigner in a new land and culture.

Aussie Gaijin at https://aussiegaijin.wordpress.com/