Gigi cross the FINISH line finally at 6 hours 5 mins. breaking a personal best record after 3 months she completed in Philippines. A STRONG coming back in Taiwan this year!
5th November 2011, Saturday at Kenting, Taiwan
(1.9km Swim + 90km Bike + 21.1km Run)
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| 9th Place at my competitive 30-34 Age group! Never think i would get a trophy home:) (Photo Courtesy: Charles Hui) |
Wake up with perfect condition at 4:14am. Thanks Charlies alarm, mine wasn't shown up:( (If i go on tour myself, i won't allow this is going to happened, this is a big mistake!) No stress, first things to wear my race clothes with the chips and started to prepare my breakfast (Milk bring from HK and
Jordans ) and bring everything (my run bag and swim stuff) to the coach with Charles. The transition is about 10km away from our hotel and which is the FINISH line too. On the coach, it is silent, the sky is still dark. Its like in movie Saving Prviate Ryan, the first scene: tons and tons of solider being sent to the front line, and the WAR sooner begin! So, we hold our weapon and food, knowing that it would be a long day to flight against MYSELF! I'm optimistic as i know the wind in Kenting, i won't have a good time here. So, i'm more relax, i expect i would come back around 6 hours and half. So the day would start out easy and i'm feeling fresh.
Transition Set up
Despite the last year experience (3 flat tyres, DNF), i have visualize transition in my mind thousand of time. I know exactly what i should do step by step. I talked little and only FOCUS on my bike, bumped my tyres front and rear. Make sure they are not deflate! Lucky! I have request Eric don't come to my transition area, as i think he would bring me some bad luck like last year! hahahaa. Sorry, he hardly even get close to me this year! Okay, all set up very quickly.
Swim (1.9km) at Nam Wam, water is warm and weather started to heat up
The swim consist of 2 laps swim in a rectangular form, as expected there have thousand of swimmer in mass start which i hate it very much! I practice lots of lots of mass start to stand brave on the front line and ready to flight in the water! not reached to 100m, my google is being kick off, many breast stroke swimmer all around me. I started in far far way of the start line, as i know the current will going to push me back closer to the pack. All the way is fighting, pushing, grasping my legs,arms, head as expected. I didnt pushes myself too much in the first lap as i'm still trapped in with peoples. Second lap is much better, i can swim as wish to be. Catches the last few waves to the shore. Done, clocked at 46min.45 sec. (Rank: 507)! Knowing that i was the last two (from Team Sonic) coming up from the water! Time definitely is not i expected, but let the race to go.....
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| Upper: Me in the front line, in front of the white and red trisuit. Lower: the peoples starts behind me:( (Photo Courtesy: Sonic Sports Association) |
T1
Saw Lyn just right in front of me when rushing to the T1, we say Cheers to each other (mine bib is 130, Lyn is 131 and Stephanie is 129, all Sonic girls together!!!) i quickly remove my swimskin, wear my helmet, put my socks and bike shoe and gloves (This is sucks, so slow) and ran out the T1 at 3min. 27sec.
Bike (90km bike almost flat, with two little hill to roll)
I don't have serious bike strategy, just want to keep up around 30km/h, so i pushes until i feel tired and stay relax a bit and pushes another set again. The road seems much easier than Philippines for me, not windy and warm. Thanks for the bike interval done at home, i know how to pushes myself to keep up the pace. Given the same situation happened, lots of cyclists passing me. I was all my own, NO DRAFTING! Though i saw lots of cyclists in a drafting peloton, and many were resulted in PENALTY JAIL, feel extremely sorry! To help to promote the race clean, please support:
SAY NO TO DRAFTING ORG. Finish my ride at 3 hours 10mins. (Rank: 731) as expected, think i have pushes all through.
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| Gigi is aero position (Photo Courtesy: David Sun) |
T2 (Bike to Run)
Finish my ride happily, Evan is in the same time with me in T2! How lucky you have bunch of Sonics racing together. You are not alone! She must have a faster bike split time, the girls is really smashing me in the bike! Their hard works paid off. I quickly rack my bike, dismantle my helmet, put on my run shoe, grap my visor and gel. Go! Finish at T2 for a quick transition at 2 mins. 18 sec.
The 21.1km Run
My hope has all gone, as i knew my bike time wasn't so good. But i never give up my dream to complete the race. The run starts out from transition is a small hill like Shek O, in the begining of the uphill, i cramped nearby the knee muscle :( I never cramped before during race or training! I told myself, be patients, you have to FINISH the race no matter what. So, i started to run really slowly, slowly with the pain! Once i 'm at the first station (every 2km with a water station provided water, local sports drinks, cokes, banana, spongy, and menthol spray) i quickly wash my mouth, drink water and spray over my knee and back. Thanks to the spray, i cannot feel anythings after the 2km run. So i stopped at each station for the spray to get rid of the pain. I was running in exceptional easy, so effortless, like flying! I knew its the moment, and i should take this challenge to race against myself. I keep running along, passed many peoples. They are suffer alots, passed many strong / big guy, they are walking with no expression at all. I tried to keep focus and not looking to them. Now i only have one mission, to run till the FINISH line! My eye stay really focus and forward. I don't have any facial expression or smile anymore! I could not cheer up my teammates when i passed them (i used to high five and call their name in every races!)
The run is almost flat with gentle up and down, thanks for the hills i ran every weeks! I love the uphill, which bring me strong feeling to summit one by one! When i reach the last 7km mark at the start of the village, my feeling got strong again with the kids support! I pushes myself all through out! The last 4km is the most toughest, it is not only about the run, its all about how it tested your mental, how the road against yourself, its all about mental! The last 4km consist of 2km out to the last turning point, which is never reach, never ever you can reach with slightly uphill towards this turning point. And 2km back to the village for FINISH. I could never see peoples reached there to give me some hope. I'm hopeless, mentally broken, so as my pace slowed down...and its like taking few hours to reach this silly turning point. After the turn, my mental is like shut down, asking me to stop my run. I have stopped, walked under the shade. Feeling hopeless, my legs say i could not help you anymore, they are done! I started to think i could have almost a DNF (Do Not Finish) at the last 2km of run becoz out of battery, feeling so shit and no glory! I started to pick up my run, jog till the long road return.
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| Gigi is the last 7km mark (Photo Courtesy: Darryl Carey) |
I saw my light in front: the entrance of the village, i was a bit dizzy, no expression, no feeling. But i know i have to pass through it then i can reach the FINISH line. Just there. I saw a girl in front of me having number 30 on her back of the leg, i know she must be in my age group. Now, i know its only about 500m to FINISH. I can't think of anythings, just smash it with my L4/L5 pace wholeheartedly! I make it to FINISH at 2 hours 2 min. (Ranked:239) with a slightly blackout. I dropped, cannot open my eyes. The race official remind me i have to go through the sensor to make it officially FINISH. My nerve told me you have to crawl over it..And i"m done! Fanny picked me up and i was absolutely no feeling...Clocked 6 hours 5 mins. to FINISH, set another Personal Best after 3 months in Philippines.
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| Crossing the FINISH line painfully! (Photo Courtesy: Rita Kook) |
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And after the race, i got a finisher medal, and a Finisher T-Shirt! And most importantly, the real finisher's reward i gain: the self confidence that comes from overcoming challenges!
The next day morning, i woke up at 5am in the morning in Kenting. Charlie is still asleep like a baby and i didn't wake him up. I take a walk to the beach, and reminding i was standing in the same place last year sobbing becoz i cannot Finish the race. In my return of 2011, i come back stronger, mentally stronger and I'm Here To Win - Myself!
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| The next day morning 5:30A.M. in Kenting, beautiful sky! |
Thanks to Sonic, i would not make to Finish without Sonic Sports, Kenneth, Rockson my coach in Hong Kong! Your run and swim program is killing me every time and i want to scream! And my coach from Singapore - Nicole, which fit my schedule perfectly and tailor my program according to my fitness level.
And the Sonic gang, always there supports me and brings lots of joy and laughs as always:) And my hubby who support me all the way, he haven't got a proper meal at home for so long. And i have trained 14+ hours a week which lead him so alone. And he is still patiently stood there with me:) I'm luckly....and i'll lived the fullest with him!
After this race, i can feel the next race will become harder and harder, more exhaust, more solid session. As human being, we want to challenge ourselves for better day tomorrow, thats how we lives on earth in a nicer view becoz of the hard work our ancestor made. And we works for our future! I look forward for the next challenge.
Back to Uma around 3PM and ready for our yoga class at the pavillion with magnificent view overlooking a valley with river. Charles is so happy to be practicing again and he got no chance to do so in HK. And he is so seriously prepared the warm up before the class actually start. So sweet to see his face like this, is like a child.
