Thursday, November 24, 2016

Ironman Langkawi 2016: Race Notes

Ironman Langkawi 2016: Athlete #331

1. Few days leading up to the race itself was quite tough. 2 weeks before the race, I wasn't even sure I would start the race. My grandfather was ill and my 3rd child due date was actually in the week of the Ironman. I am certain I can't travel considering the (then) current situation. My grandfather passed away on Thursday and my baby was born on Monday. I won't reveal much but let's just say emotionally/physiologically it made me think a lot about what I'm doing and about to do. So, the most anticipated race of my life and I just can't find the mojo. It was a hard week trying to pick myself up. I didn't train much and when I did, I didn't care about pace/intensity. All I actually did was showed up and just workout. It was taper week anyway. But as the saying goes, do your best, and let God do the rest. Alhamdullilah, I started and finished the race.

A photo posted by Hafdzuan (@hafdzuan) on



2. My race strategy was quite simple. The theme would be to stay comfortable and keep moving. On the swim I decided early that I would focus on going as straight as I can and maintain a comfortable rhythm. And don't get stung by jellyfish. On the bike, to stay comfortable and fuel on the first loop and try to gain some time on the descend on the second loop. And hope not to experience any puncture/mechanical. On the run, walk at every aid station and maintain a decent respectable pace (by my standard). And not bonk. I relied on my heart rate monitor to validate my effort and to ensure I stayed "comfortable".




3. So, race morning, I went into transition and pumped my tires. Helped a buddy of mine pumped his tyres. Chatted with other athletes on the beach and got some last minute tips about the swim course which proved to be really helpful. I warmed up a bit trying to get my shoulder loose and just get the feel of the water. The water wasn't cold as I expected it to be. I warmed up pretty good. When I finished warming up, I didn't remember waiting for too long. So wave starts as I went and try to get to the front as much as possible. Once in the water, I started doing my thing. It was really a comfortable swim. Was bitten by some sea bugs but it wasn't the first time, so I proceeded even though the spot was burning. Sighting was good. There were buoys and flags all over the swim course and kayaks as well. You could practically sight the buoys or anything on land. I think it's unlikely that you'd go way off course with the kayaks marshaling swimmers and everything. But it was a long swim. Very long. I didn't get tired but I got bored. It was long. Long, Long, Loooooooooooooooooooong.




4. On the last stretch heading back to the beach, I up the pace a bit because I just wanted to get out of the water and also the spectator factor (you always go faster when people are watching, don't know why). Walking into T1 I saw my dad and he was really cheerful. Not to mention other supporters/buddies who came to give their support. It was electric as I got into T1. I love T1 and I think the best part about doing a triathlon is T1. Once in T1, got my bag and put on everything. Most of the athletes were delighted to finish the swim and took their time. But there were others who charged out of T1. As for me, I just stayed comfortable. It's going to be a super long ride. Looooooooooooooooooooooooooong.

Fuel, Take it Easy, Comfortable. The guy behind me seems to be doing the same.
5. Got on my bike and quickly got some calories in and some water. I needed a sports drink and another bottle of water as I only brought one bottle of plain water with me. So I did that at the first aid station. The Datai climbs wasn't much of a surprise as I rode the route 2 days before the actual race. I knew once I got through Datai it will be more or less neutral elevation. I sort of got a sugar rush from my second gel and a banana and actually went a bit faster than I should. Once I reached the Kuah climbs things got real. I had to do the climb twice and I know It's going to be tough the second time around. And it was. I struggled on the Kuah climb. But for the rest of the ride I stayed comfortable. Too comfortable perhaps. There were kids on the side of the road cheering and asking for high fives. Or so I thought. Turned out, they just wanted empty bottles. The route was ok except for some awkward twist and turn which totally disrupts my rhythm (slow, but still). The ride was tougher than I anticipated as the climbs sucked a lot of energy out of me. But the main challenge on the bike was actually to remain focused, especially because I never rode that long. And I mean really looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.

Probably nearing the end of the ride judging by the absence of water bottle on the frame. I discarded them on the final 20 km.
6. I stopped only once at the aid station near special needs. Stopped, peed, ate something and even chatted with the volunteers who were Langkawi locals. They were really nice. They offered me lots of stuff like ice, bananas etc. I don't really need them but maybe out of courtesy (since they were so enthusiastic about helping you out) I accepted everything. So I spent a lot of time at that particular aid station. I planned to stop anyway. Knowing I still have like about 100km to go I moved on. This was when it got really comfortable. I was day dreaming. I kept a relatively high cadence and it felt like one of those training ride where you just wanted to get home and nothing else mattered. It was a long 2nd loop heading to T2. Loooooooooooooooooooooooooong.

Long training ride. 

7. It started to rain just as I got in MIEC (T2). The timing couldn't be more perfect. I was worried about my bike handling in the rain with the crazy descend on the bike course. But, I know the rain would help my run. It is proven in PD Tri where the same thing happened where just after completing the bike it started to rain. I ran a 10km PB that day and eventually PB'ed the race. So I was happy. And I wasn't the only one. T2 was buzzing. Smiles everywhere. I prayed and put on my stuff. And again, my entourage was there supporting me. My mum, dad and my son. So, it was a very good start to the run. I can usually gauge how good it would be on the start of the run and it seems promising. Since it was raining, I ran the first 2km faster than I should. Considering it was raining and cool, my effort was not off the charts like the usual run off the bike I did in training. However, I knew it was too early for any heroics. I still have a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way to go.




8. The first order of business was to stabilize my heart rate. And soon enough, I settled to a more realistic pace and effort. I broke up the run into a 21-10-11 targets. The first target was to run a half marathon. So I ran as planned. The next target was a 10km. No biggie. And then, the rain stopped. I remember the last 3 km to get to 30km was really hard. But I was still running although I spent a lot of time at aid stations basically trying to ensure everything was taken care of before I set off running again. This was when I realize there was no point trying to keep up this low heart rate strategy. I was well below my aerobic zone with all that stopping. So the last 3km of the 30km, I conciously made sure my heart rate didn't get too low. So I ran. It was weird. I slowed down to stabilize/lower my heart rate for the 1st half of the run but for the 2nd half of the run I actually had to run to get it back up again. But it worked and probably prevented me from walking too much. So, as I got to the 30km mark, I was actually feeling quite ok. This was when, like in any other running races I did, a decision had to be made. Either to go for it or just run comfortable. At that time I know a 10km run to the finish will feel long. Really looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.


Gotta love the rain. Gotta love the pain.
9. A decision was made. I've been comfortable for far too long. Ironman was suppose to hurt and I was ready to hurt. I stopped looking at my Garmin and just ran, and spent little time at aid stations. My heart rate never got to threshold since my legs were starting to hurt, cramped etc and I had to slow down a bit at times. So I initiated the pain protocol. Ice all major muscle groups at the aid station, spray perskindol, eat some, drank exclusively 2 cups of coke and washed it down with water and go. I did cramped in between aid stations but stretching sort of made it went away. It was just run, run, run, move, move, move. Shut everything off. Run, move. It was a long run. Really loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.

Made sure I press stop.
10. With about 5-6km left, I realized I could actually sub-5 this marathon. Seems plausible with the way I'm feeling and how my pain protocol managed to keep the cramps under control. That made me ran faster. I was going to do it. So the last 5km was about pushing as hard as I could. I know I could just blow up at any moment but stopping at every aid stations probably prevented a total blow out. It was starting to feel like those tempo runs except for the fact that my legs were numb with all that ice stuffed in my shorts. I knew I got the race in the bag but I had to keep going as a sub-5 marathon was at stake. The final few kms were long and painful. Painfully looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.

Bottled up emotions finally bursts!
11. It was quite dark and all I could see was silhouette of people going in both direction. Then someone called my name. It was my weekdays training buddy Piji. He was going the opposite direction when we came across each other. I responded but didn't stop because I was trying to sub 5 the marathon and everything. He turned around and I told him to run as fast as he could so I could pace him. He did plan to help me on the run but I never saw him until that moment. The exact moment when I felt like everything was about to fall apart. The moment where I was hanging by a thread. The moment that I will always remember for the rest of my life.

Couldn't think. It's all about getting that Sub 5 target.
 12. We were actually going on a 4:45/km pace and I thought it was a bit too fast but I thought, oh well, it was going to end soon anyway. So we ran, in the dark, guided by the dim lights on chennang road, with people shouting, urging me to keep going, clapping. About everyone we saw kept yelling to go even faster and it did felt like the fastest run I ever did during the entire marathon (Garmin showed it was). The last turn into Meritus, Piji yielded to make way for me to finish. I thanked him as he disappeared into the darkness. By this time, I heard music, I heard the announcer announcing someone as Ironman and I was pumped. Then the sight of the M dot carpet and people asking for high fives. I can't feel the lower part of my body but I was still moving forward. I took out my arms which had swung vigorously for the past 4 hours plus and gave everyone high fives and proceeded to clench my fist signalling I freaking got this. This 7 year journey was about to end soon. Somehow all that energy made me wanted to run even more until finally I heard "something, something ... YOU ARE AN IRONMAN"*. It was surreal. All my senses went haywire. Happy, ecstatic etc. I couldn't explain it.


We could buy our finishing photo from Fpix. Judging by this, thanks, but no thanks. LOL.
13. Looked down at my Garmin, press stopped and I did sub-5 the marathon. At the same time, my legs had enough and I almost buckled. I got my act together and hugged my dad. Got my medal, towels and a volunteer escorted and sort of briefed me about the post race facilities (ice batch, food etc.). I was half listening as I looked around and witness the joy of people finishing the race like I just did. They won. I won. We did it. It didn't quite sink in yet. My body was in survival mode so I could not really think or appreciate the magnitude of completing THE Ironman. I met a couple of friends, talked a bit and rushed to get my bike. My mum/dad/son hadn't eaten yet and I needed to get the bike before T2 closes since I got a 9 AM ferry to catch the next day. That was the longest race I had ever participated in. In terms of time and distance, it was really looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong!

14. I think I could finally sort of absorbed what had happened the night before on my way back to Kuala Perlis. I had somewhat rested and decided to get on the upper deck of the ferry as it started to move. The cool wind was blowing in my face as I sat on one of the benches. There were other athletes on board but most are just normal people. I really felt at peace. I have 1001 problems waiting for me, but that ferry ride back was not the time to think about them. It was one of those rare moment where everything was calm. No thought process whatsoever. I switched off. I was smiling the whole time as I watched the island of Langkawi moved away from me. I'm an Ironman. I then put my head on the bench and slept all the way to Kuala Perlis.

A dream was realized, and I wanted to dream again.


*My dad recalled that the announcer actually said "Mohd, you are an Ironman". People don't call me that but whatever. LOL.





Week 24: The End Is The Beginning

Summary of Week 24




Training Goal: Taper
Personal Goal: Stay Healthy
Distance Covered:36.08km
Duration: 2h59m
Elevation Gain: 337m
Overall Training Completion Rate (Actual Vs Planned):
46.6%

Swim Time:
1h47m
Swim Distance:
4.6km

Bike Time:
1h12m
Bike Distance:
31.48km
Elevation Gain:
337m
*For indoor bike - time measurement only
**Including brick

Run Time:
0m
Run Distance:
0km
Elevation Gain:
0m


Time Spent Doing Strength/Core/Stability Exercises:
0h
*Including rest/chit chat

Time Spent Stair Climbing (ascent):
0
Elevation Gain:
0
*Based on what was recorded

Unaccounted for
~ run drills
~ stair - descent



Training Notes for Week 24:

1) Went to Langkawi. Test route. Rest. Race.

Feeling Notes for Week 23:

1) The 1st day of my little girl's life on Monday 7/11/2016

Week 23: The End

Summary of Week 23

Training Goal: Taper
Personal Goal: Stay Healthy
Distance Covered:77.78km
Duration: 6h09m
Elevation Gain: 553m
Overall Training Completion Rate (Actual Vs Planned):
49.7%

Swim Time:
2h09m
Swim Distance:
4.6km

Bike Time:
1h56m
Bike Distance:
53.56km
Elevation Gain:
337m
*For indoor bike - time measurement only
**Including brick

Run Time:
1h53m
Run Distance:
19.62km
Elevation Gain:
147m
*Including brick

Time Spent Doing Strength/Core/Stability Exercises:
0h
*Including rest/chit chat

Time Spent Stair Climbing (ascent):
11m12s
Elevation Gain:
128m
*Based on what was recorded

Unaccounted for
~ run drills
~ stair - descent



Training Notes for Week 23:

1) Taper starts. Life issues. Just showed up to get some workout in.

Feeling Notes for Week 23:

1) The passing of my grandfather.