Tribob Sprint Triathlon 2009: A first of more to come?

Have you ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle? Initially, the pieces appear so random, but persevere long enough, you'll find that the pieces fit together to form a cohesive picture. There's usually the eureka moment, when you start to see the big picture and at that moment, all the frustration and hours appear insignificant to the joy of accomplishment.

That's how I felt this morning after completing the TriBob sprint triathlon at Changi. The few followers of this blog would realize that about 8 months ago, I decided that I wanted to go into triathloning. The initial months of frustration in learning how to swim, the steep learning curve in two new sports, and the money spent on equipment, bike, shoes, goggles, etc and not to forget MRK that continues to plague me.... they seemed trivial as I left the festivities. In its place, I was basking in the afterglow of stringing together a 750m swim, a 20 km bike and a 5 km run.

No, my work is not quite done yet. For in 5 weeks' time, I have to be ready to take on the Olympic distance triathlon event - double the distance and without doubt, more than double the pain. But before I embark on the next phase of training, here's my brief race report.

Coach called me last night to brief me on pre-race routine. Great tips - such as checking out the entry and exit points, transition rehearsal, etc. All that I did faithfully. Got to the site early (a short bike from Changi Village hotel), surveyed how the other participants set up their helmets, shoes, etc. Mentally rehearsed the order of equipment change, and then went out to check the points of entry/exit. Then went to the water and leisurely swam out 50 m or so towards the first buoy and then back. Water was not choppy, and I decided to do another short warm up swim, at the finishing end. Unlike Sentosa, I felt comfortable in the water.

As in the aquathlon, we self-seeded and again, I chose the last wave - men friendly. At the pen, coach found me and offered words of encouragement. Then it was off into the water.

I took my time getting in, staying to the rear and far side. Even so, a lot of bumping and bodies to negotiate. I was just glad to avoid the first danger zone without incident - not getting kicked in the face or man handled. Some one tried to swim across my legs - that was about it. It was a triangular course, two left turns (lines on the left, which was why I had to switch to bilateral breathing). The first turn was tight and crowded and lots of bumping there. There was a slight left to right current, which helped a bit. The second turn was less crowded and before too long, could see the beach bottom. Good thing I went out earlier to check it out, so I knew that the water was shallow and there was still quite a distance to go.

When I exited the water, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the swim leg took less than 18 minutes. I took 22 minutes in the aquathlon.

Long way to the transition area, but that is another danger zone. The transition area was covered with large sheets, but there was a smooth sheet and with water, it became a nice slide for me. Just a bruised ego. No harm done physically.

The T1 transition went smoothly, and off through the exit to the road. Here's another danger zone. Just as I mounted, two cyclist crashed behind me. I didn't see what happened, and didn't stay to find out. Took some time to get cadence up and then shifted in to race gear.

It was probably all the speedwork sessions, but I found myself pulling in excess of 32 km/hour in the first 2 to 3 km. Overtook many others, some of whom were on mountain bikes. Reminded me of me last year. Surprisingly, I overtook a few tri bikes as well. Hhhmm...

The return leg was a little easier as I wanted to keep some reserve in those legs. I tried to pick up the pace on the last 5 km. Passed many female competitors, who had a 5 min head start. At the dismounting zone, another cyclist crashed. Probably not familiar with the cycling shoes and cleats. Another danger zone.

Time check. Almost one hour, so took 40 min on the bike segment. Later I found out that the average speed was almost 30 kph.

Silly me missed my bike row, and wasted a few seconds reversing track. Out of T2 for the run. Lots of spectators and supporters cheering.

Having been through the Changi Beach Park many times, both on runs and on the bike, this segment was not very eventful. Except that I couldn't bring my pace up. Perhaps I went out too hard on the bike leg. Many others were ambling along, and I passed a number here.

No danger zones during the run leg. I passed the father-son team (ala team Hoyt) and clapped and gave them thumbs up. After the first 2.5 lap, I reached for my favorite Peet's chocolate covered expresso beans only to discover that the hot sun had melted and fused them all together. So settled for the Accelerade gel pack.

Unlike the aquathlon, I was quite the unfriendly competitor this time. Spoke to no one (coz I recognized no one). I was also glad for the shade as the temp was starting to soar.

The finish line - about 1:32 by my Timex watch.

A pretty lady offered me a red bull, and of course, I gratefully accepted. The sun was out in force by then, so it was a hot ride back to the hotel.

Coach thought it was a solid first effort, and was pretty pleased.

So am I. :)

Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera along, so here's what I have.


Here's the provisional result:
swim: 18:30
T1: 1:54
bike: 39:20
T2: 2:02
run: 30:08
total: 1:31:54

position: 338/746 (45.3%)
swim: 372/746 (49.5%)
bike: 321/746 (43.0%)
run: 259/746 (34.7%)

Honor roll: Cannondale six13, Lake CX 210, Saucony Type A2, 2XU endurance tri suit