PD Tri 2009 Results

It was a great event with plenty of fun. Click on the image below to see the complete official results for the men's relay event. We were placed in position 13 out of 27 teams which is not bad for our first time. Well done team! I'll post some pictures of the event next once I get them from Peter tonight.

PD triathlon prep

I wish I could say I've prepared well for this event, but I've hardly been riding my bike since getting it apart from a few short rides. Today's training ride with Khoo and Boon in Putrajaya was a relief as it gave me one final chance to gain some confidence. I completed 42km in 91mins without too much of a problem giving me a little confidence of completing next Sunday's 40km inside 90mins. To my teamates Lee (swimming) and Peter (running)... lets have some fun!

See you next year perhaps?

I won't be running the SC KL Marathon in two weeks. My lecturer stressed on the importance of our attendance for the last class that Sunday morning so I can't be skipping it. At the same time I've not been putting in my hours on the road so its probably not advisable. Perhaps next year I will have more time to train and be prepared.

Now the next race will then be the PD triathlon. Peter came to my place to pass me the Adidas KOTR registrations yesterday and he asked me to take the bike leg instead of the running as he has not been cycling. Wow that's a daunting 40km and I've not been putting much time on the bike either. With just less than 4 weeks to the PD tri, it's gonna be challenging. I need to now find a runner for Boon's team.

Crazy 2 weeks

The last 2 weeks has been crazy. I've been spending most of my time helping my mum shift her things to the new place, installing the water heater, home alarm system, curtains, painting, some plumbing works etc. The only thing I didn't DIY was the air conditioning.

I managed to squeeze in a couple of hard rides, one a week. The first was a 30km ride around Botanic gardens with Peter which was completed in about 1 hour. Yesterday was an even harder ride at Genting Sempah with Boon. It was a killer 16km ride uphill with some really serious elevation all the way! Now thats what I call a real good workout.

I've hardly been running.. just down to one or two short runs a week. This is not good as the SCKL marathon is just round the corner. Thankfully I will only be running the 21k. Even that is going to be a struggle this time round.

On a seperate note, I've been looking at opportunities to setup my own business. I've registered the company and now working on selecting the best supplier network by speaking to both companies locally as well as in China. It's just going to be a small scale business to begin with focusing on home and office security systems. Let's see where this takes me.

First Putrajaya Ride

My cycling buddy Kien Boon has been quite an encouragement in helping me get started. Though he's been cycling for a couple of years now, its been on a MTB, and yesterday was his first proper test ride on his newly purchase road bike... just like myself. Another two of Boon's friends joined us... Khoo and another guy (can't remember his name now... hehe).

Khoo showed us a route that he uses, the distance for one loop is 17.8km. Khoo and his friend had to leave after one loop but Boon and me continued with a second. My first loop was covered at a slow average pace of 22kmh just to get used to the bike and route. I rode the second loop at a slightly faster average pace of 26kmh.

I think I'm getting the hang of shifting gears etc. The Merida clip shoes also helped me ride more efficiently. The cycling shorts made a huge difference.. no more major aches in that region. I'm now more confident that the Powerman is achievable.

Family Trip Langkawi 2009

Back swimming

With the temperature hitting 36 degrees yesterday, there was only one thing I could think of to cool off... jump into a pool. The closest to home happens to be the Pandamaran pool which does not have the best reputation for being the cleanest, however I was pleasantly surprised as the water was absolutely clean and the pool floors were also clean with no slime that you normally find.

I managed 30 continuous laps (1.5k) indicating that my general fitness is still ok. After speaking to one of my friends who is training for the PD Triathlon, he encouraged me to learn and master the freestyle stroke. I just have never been able to get it right. Well its definitely something to consider, but at the moment let that thought linger for a bit.

Breaking in the bike

After a couple of short test rides, yesterday was my first real training ride. One loop around my housing area is about 1.55km. I rode for 36mins and covered 10 loops (15.5km) at an average pace of 26km/h. Really need to get some cycling shorts with padding!

After the bike ride I continued with a 5k run. Overall I can feel that my fitness level is really low at the moment, but I think its a matter of time with some consistent training I will be back in decent shape. Thinking of getting a good cycling guide book, just like the handbook I have on running by Bob Glover.

Merida 903-18

I decided to purchase the Merida 903-18 which happens to be an entry level fully aluminum frame bike with a light carbon fork and Shimano Tiagra components. The bike is a size L and comes with Shimano R500 set of wheels. With the L sized frame, pedals, bottles etc it weighs approximately 9.5kg.

With two events in mind this year... the PD triathlon relay in July which I plan to take part in with Peter and Lee... and the Powerman long distance Individual in November, I shall need to fit in some time for training in between my busy schedule.

SCKLM - 21km for me

I've signed up for the half marathon. Two more months to get into shape. It's been awhile since I've put in any consistent mileage, so it will take some discipline to fall into routine again. My pants are starting to feel tight already... haha so its probably about time. On a separate note, I'm considering getting a road bike and picking up cycling. Maybe even give the Powerman a shot in November.