Desaru Long Dist Int. Triathlon 2010 – Race Report

Date : 2/10/2010
Venue : Lotus Desaru, Johor.
Distance : Long distance (2km swim + 90km bike + 21km run)

This time, I have to write this race report. There’s some interesting things happened, that i would like to share with u all about this race, the trip, the ambiance and the whole event.

For the 1st time, i’m going to do a half IRONMAN distance. That is 2km of swim, 90km of cycling and 21km of run. Look at the distance, sounds ‘easy’ rite! Hahahha. And still, i’m doing all these JUST FOR FUN yoooo!!! (Don’t ever ask me about what’s my placing in the race!!! seriously sick of it) Just ask abt how i enjoyed the race, that’s better 😉

Me, Julie, Hadi & Bedul RVed at Pandan Indah & headed to Sg Besi Toll to fetch adik Fitri. Convoy in two cars all the way to Desaru. Pitted at S’ban RnR to quick breakfast. Exited at Kulai Jaya exit & headed straight to Desaru. Arrived at Lotus Desaru at 1pm, collected our race kits, had lunch and checked-in at Golden Beach Resort, abt 4km further ahead.

After a nap, me, julie & fitri went for short run & stretching session meanwhile bedul went for a short ride around there. Then we off to the race briefing at 6pm. We had dinner at the same place we had lunch earlier. The sup kambing, & sup ayam there was marvelous.

Race Day

The race will start at 10am! That’s quite late, rite! But the reason Mr. Chan(the race Director) did that was because the start of running course will be slightly 2-3 pm, not so hot. OK lah.

Swim

Started at sharp 10am, the sea was very calm, but the underwater current quite strong. The sea water was clearer than PD, i even can see fishes & the sand below clearly. My strategy here is to follow the swimmer in front of me, so i dont have to make more effort to look up & navigate, less tiring 😉 If the swimmer in front slow, i overtook them n find other faster swimmer 🙂 Had no problem at all during the swimming course. Finished my swim in about 1:02.

Bike

My biggest worries was bike course. I’m not good on bike. But i had made some effort to improve my cycling during the Ramadhan nite rides & after Raya rides with my cycling frens. Hopefully it’ll work now!

Started with a short climb towards the main road, i begin with a fast cadence to warm up my legs muscle, learned it from my cycling sessions with friends. As the distance build up, i’m already warmed up my legs, adding my speed, choosing the best gear while maintaining the cadence, going up & downhill. On the 1st loop, i think i’m slow. Dunno about what to expect on the bike route, where to slow down, where to sprint. So, i more like cruising on the 1st loop. The sun was freaking hot! Feel like wanted to faint. Once i reached the 1st water station after the 1st loop, i pour my body with a jug of cold water. What a relief. I feel re-energized & fresh! Completed the 1st loop in abt 1hr.

2nd loop was better. I know the route already, now i can plan my speed to conserve energy, and maintaining the cadence above 90. I managed to overtook some slower cyclist, that’s an improvement for me! 😉 The best thing was, i managed to overtook an expensive looking TT bike!!! What a morale booster!!! Nice one!

3rd loop, i started to feel bored already… with the hot sun burning my skin, just keep my pace to finish this cycling part faster. Arghhhh… i’m so bored! Hmmm.. what if i sing while cycling… hahaha, that’s a good idea to keep the boring feeling away! I sang some song along with what my iPod playing. A good method to forget about the tiredness also 😉

Finished my bike leg in about 3hrs 30mins.

Run

Running is always my favorite part in a triathlon. Coz i came from running background. But running after doing a cycling, is not easy as it may look. DUring the early stage of running, my both legs felt so hard & heavy. But not long. Slowly the muscle adapt from cycling to running mode. No cramping this time 😉 Running all the way smoothly, with my own pace. Met some friends along the way, wave hands & gave high-five!

The heat on that day was killing! I showered at almost all water station. Have to do that to prevent heat stroke & fight fatigue. There wasn’t any shortage of water supply in all water stations. Some water stations served bananas, ‘lepat’ (power bar), endurance drink & iced water.

Finished my triathlon around 5pm. That was abt 7 hrs, i finished my 1st ever long distance triathlon. Alhamdulillah! I made it! Another title earned, another distance covered, another victory achieved!

Thanks to my tri & cycling friends for the Ramadhan nite rides, the brick trainings! 🙂

The end…