ironman putrajaya 70.3

my alarm rang at 440am, and i sprang out of bed. it's here. it was today. i washed up, pulled on my swimsuit, went to the fridge to put my cold drinks into a bag, loaded everything into my car, and off i went to fetch zane. i'm thankful i had zane to follow me, talking to him in the car, kinda toned down the nerves i had. i ate a moolabar in the car just to fill my stomach. 

we got to the race site about 540am ish. carrying lots of bags, i looked like one of those aunties who went shopping on a no plastic bag day. i kid you not. i went into transition to lay down my stuffs, and my neighbour was staring at me. i said 'hi, yeah i have lots of stuff.' and she just went 'yeah i can see that.' after laying out my bike gear and run gear i realized i left my speedometer in the car. so i had turned to my neighbour and said be right back, i forgot some stuff. and she went like 'what you have more stuff?' with the how is that even possible look on her face haha. 

so after laying out everything, i went to meet zane and andy. aprreciate them both for being there at the start. i was way too nervous. had another bar whilst walking from transition area to the swim start. i get hungry really easily, so, thought it be best to fill my stomach. i have always had a problem wearing swimcaps. maybe my head is just too big. last week when i went for the tadonamo swim, karen helped my put on my swim cap. lucky this week i had andy to help me, if not, need to go up to a random stranger and ask for help. 

okay so at 715 i went into the cage. i decided to go in the 46m - 55m time frame as coach had estimated me to finish my swim in a time of 47-48 minutes. it was a rolling start. i saw everyone dive off the platform, and thought to myself, i can't do that. so when it came to my turn, i sat down on the platform and pushed myself into the water. i just kept swimming. oh i swam breaststroke. 2 minutes into the swim, i felt like my timing chip was coming off. so i stopped to re-strap it into position. then i continued swimming. the best part of my swim was passing freestylers with my breaststroke hahahaa. i just swam and swam and i was so happy when i finished the swim. i came out of the water and glanced at my watch. 43 minutes. wow. i was really happy with my time. that was almost 4 minutes better than expected. then i heard coach. was really happy to see him there at the swim end. 

transition was long for me. because i decided to change. i decided comfort over everything else, especially if i'm going to be on the bike for long hours. so i had to run to my bike, grab my clothes and run to the changing room to change. and then run back from the changing room to my bike. no. 165. put on my socks, my shoes, helmet sunglasses, and off i went.caught a glimpse of andy and zane before i went off on my bike. 

biking is not my strong suit. i was aiming for a time of 3h 45 minutes ideally and in the less than ideal situation, 4 hours 5 minutes. my first loop, i went pretty strong. i took sips of water every 10km, and i had one gummy every 10km. i felt hungry, but i didn't feel like eating at all. so i just took istonic at every aid station and had one gummy every 10km followed by a few sips of water. i was so happy when i came back into transition. i was looking around for coach and zane but they were not there. think they went for breakfast. then i saw guzzy and amir and all. i was glad to see some familiar faces. really being on the bike for so long, not being able to talk to anyone, is torture. i even started talking to myself i kid you not. on the second loop, it was rough for me. the climbs were all tough on me. i kept telling myself, make it back to transition before 12. about 10km before heading back into transition, kuojian, karen and really i have no idea who was in the car because my mind was so blank, drove past me. that was good because at that point it had been 3 hours into the bike and 3 hours of not speaking to anyone. i went back into transition, clocking a bike time of 3h 29 minutes. i was more than pleased. it was better than expected. 

it was good to see vinesh and kaycee when i dismounted my bike. they were saying c'mon run like a pro but all i could feel was my wobbly legs and i felt like my legs were energy-less. i changed into my running shorts. saw coach on the other end of transition. took off my helmet and sunnies, put on my cap, running shoes and race bib, and off i went. coach said, take it slow for the first 5km. and i did. i went more than slow for the whole 21km. i had to stop in the beginning because i was having a stitch and i could feel contractions on the left and right muscles next to my knee. it was a really weird feeling i have never felt before. i stopped massaged it a little and went on. after 6km, it got slightly better. stitch was still there though. 

at the end of the  first loop, i saw people. i heard my name, but all i saw was just a big blur of people. i caught a glimpse of kuojian and kaxin, but that was all. my mind was just blank. one more loop to go. i met someone and ran on with him for a few km before he stopped to walk. i went on. the heat was really killing. 2km before the finishing line, when i stopped to walk, i saw coach. he gave me a bottle, and told me to put the pain aside, and just continue running. concentrate on my strides. i was almost there. he ran alongside me. and i tried to keep up. 

and when i saw the finishing line. that rush of emotion. that tiredness. i was so happy and overjoyed. i was happy to see everyone;s faces. karen, brian, hanyang, xx, kaxin, vinesh, kaycee, fong, amir, luke, felix, aaron, kuojian, zane, and of course coach. i was really touched by everyone's presence to show support. i sincerely thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart. u guys made the experience one hell of a ride and it really it is an unforgettable experience. thanks you everybody, without which, the experience would have been lacking. it wasn't the race that made my day, but every single person that came out to support me.