Well you know I hate swimming. I can swim now... not fast... but I can swim... and I can swim for a long time. But I still don't like swimming. So what's in store today? 2.5km timed swim. So how long is 2.5km? Think of the gym pool in 24 hr fitness. The pool is 25 yrd long and I need to swim 110 of those. Since I don't want to count to 110, so I count laps... 55.
As always, I come up with a million excuses not to swim. It's too late, I am hungry, how am I going to count 55 laps, what if there are a lot of people in the pool, what if the earthquake crack the pool, what if the swine flu is in the pool... just excuses after excuses.
Then I pull out the cancer card. I told myself... dude you are not going to swim and not chemo... Just go! So I shut up and keep driving.
I got to the 24 hr fitness, changed, and walked out to the pool. Wow no lane opened (there are 2 lanes in the 24 hr fitness)... people were just doing their own thing and they are not lap swimming... so what am I going to do? Then a woman was nice enough to split a lane with me. She told me she can just share the lane with her husband. Great... the swim is on!
I started my watch and start my swim. A few laps later two kids were playing in the pool. Luckily they dodge me when I swim by. No problem there. Then there is a girl with fins swimming in the next lane. I push hard and I was able to swim faster than her. That was a good feeling. Then this girl jump into the pool and start swimming in my lane. By then the woman and the husband left the pool... so there is me, this girl, and the two kids on my lanes. Since the two kids are in the way, the girl and I needed to do some lane sharing when we pass the kids. Next thing I know I ran into her... and guess what... I continue to swim... what an ass... I know I know... next time I actually stop and say sorry.
I did plan to stop for a second to say sorry if she is at the end of the lane... but that never happened and she left the pool. Great, now I am offically the green cap asshole in the pool. By now I swam 1km and I feel pretty good. As I was auto swimming (sorry Cheesewheel I copy your term) Then I started to feel bad about the goldfish. Check this... I am freaking bored... 55 laps in a pool... but think about the goldfish... they are in a fish tank... 24/7 doing laps. I told myself not to get goldfish or any kind of pet. Yes, I have random thoughts when I swim. Sorry, I don't think about programming.
La La La... I continue to swim... then this one teen jumped into the pool and start swimming. We need to navigate around the two kids and we actually did ok.
At lap 40 something this dude came in and start swimming. All these time I just sort of split a lane and just swim on the left side. So I continue to do my thing and this guy were in my split. I was able to dodge him and continue to swim. Then I realized he is doing lap swim. Fine, I am all up for lap swim, but I think he should of give me a head up. Then the next thing I know this white cap girl also jump in and join the fun. So now we have 3 people doing lap swim in one lane. By then the kids actually moved over to the other lane. I am guessing because the lap swimming looks a bit hardcore and it actually scare them away.
Not wanting to have them pass me I actually swim faster... which is a good thing. At one point I cramp so the girl need to slow down so I limp my way to the side. With only a few more laps to go, I suck it up and finish all 55 laps. 1 hr 13 min 43 seconds. This is consistent with my speed... my slow speed. Well at least I did it. 2.5km... a new record in my book.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wildflower After Thought
Tyler is doing great!I am not too crazy about finishing because I know I can do it. However I think I got my coaches worry because I was very slow (due to lower back pain on the bike and laziness on the run.. and yes... the long transitions)... which I feel very bad about. Coach Paul and Rad... I am sorry.
One of the thing that I didn't get to see this year is to see all my teammates finish. Alex, Bobby, and Jake are injured so they couldn't do the race. Two of my teammates didn't make the bike cutoff. This is my shoot out for you guys. We'll do it next year again!
I do think that this ironteam training give me a lot of new perspective. By spending a lot of time training and getting out of my comfort zone, I get a taste of how cancer patient family go about their daily life... Busy, Emotionally/Physically drained, face uncertainty, pain...etc.
I am just glad that I finished. I fulfill my promise to Tyler, to finish the Wildflower Half Ironman in honor of him. However, break is over... I have to continue my training for the Vineman Full Ironman distance in Aug 1. I know I can finish for Wildflower... Vineman... not so much.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Wildflower Triathlon Long Course Race Report April 30 - May 3
Yay... I completed the Wildflower Half Ironman this last sat.
Total time: 8:57:05
Swim: 58:12 Pace: 48:30 min/mi
T1: 14:03
Bike: 04:22:01 12.82 mi/hr
T2: 10:49
Run: 3:11:57 14:39 min/mi
Am I excited? No... because I need to unpack and clean all these stuff... give it a few days to sink in. Here is a recap.
Tue lunch
I had my Katsu Don few days before my big race.
Thur
I took Thur-Fri off so I can get up there early. I picked up my teammate Edmund in the morning and we drove 4 hours to Lake San Antonio (near San Luis Obispo). We setup camp near to our teammates tents and started to prepare for Sat.
Fri
I woke up in the middle of the night hear rain drop. I dragged my backpack it under the vestibule and continue sleeping. I woke up several hours later and the ground is dry. The team gathered at 12pm and all of us went down to the expo area. We picked up our stuff and headed down to the transition area. When we were at the transition area Coach Paul and Rad gave help us visualize how we should do tomorrow.
For this race I actually rack my bike at the assigned space. Coach Paul told me that I have to be facing my number and that the wheel that is lower to the ground has to be on the same side as the number... this will prove useful tomorrow. After a Q&A section we went down to the swim area for scout the swim course.
We gathered around the first buoy and Paul talked about our strategy for tomorrow. Since I don't know how to tread water I flap around my arm like a chicken to stay afloat (well the wetsuit help you float but I still need to move around to keep my whole head above the water). It's funny how I can swim 1.2 mile but I can't tread water.
When we got out of the water it was raining. Good thing is it won't be as hot... but the bad thing is the road will become very slippery. Die under the heat or die crashing your bike... pick one!
After the swim the team headed to the expo area. Since I was hungry I had 1 tri-tip sandwich, 1 hot dog, and then 2 scoops of Gelato (cookie N cream & Birthday Cake). Gosh Gelato only costs 6 bucks! Afterward we headed back to the camp and chill. While most people are chilling I went to prepare for tomorrow. I want done with it while the rain stopped and there are still light out... I double checking my gear, packing my transition bag, and prepare my drinks (5 bottles with 2 kinds of mix in each bottle)... my teammates may think I am anti-social... but I just want to prepare during day time... just like I always do in a backpacking trip... we cook, filter water, go dig a cat hole...etc. Since it may rain tomorrow I bought extra stuff to keep myself warm. I also waterproof most of my stuff and bought a change of clothes just in case. At a result, my bag is stuffed.
At 6 pm, we went to the pasta party and had a candle light ceremony. We then had a team meeting to talk about any last minute stuffs. Coach Paul stresses: Don't fight the course because it will bite you. Just follow the course and you'll be finish before you know it.
I double check my stuff one more time, put the timing chip on my left ankle as if I am under a house arrest, set my alarm at 4:15 am, then went to sleep.
Sat:
I woke up super early so I don't have to wait in line for restroom. I changed, had breakfast, and I was ready by 6:30 am.
The team gathered and we rode down (literally... down a long steep hill) to the transition area (This itself is an accomplishment)! I looked at the sky and it seems like it can rain anytime, I setup my stuff and had time to spare. I walked around to wish my teammates good wish. There were definitely a lot of hi-5 and hand-shaking at the transition area. Soon after our mentors showed up with their cameras and start taking pictures of us in action. It was very very very sweet of them.
The race starts at 8:00 am but my wave doesn't start til 8:30 am so I just hang out with my teammates. Each wave has a different color swim cap so people can keep track of which wave you are from... plus it's kind of cool to look at.
I watched the elite women start and I saw the first two elite male coming out from the water. Damn they are fast.
More hi-5 and pictures... the next thing you know it was 8:25 and the wave before me started their swim. As soon as that wave started I jumped into the water and start my warm up. By this time I needed to pee. Usually people pee in their wetsuits in the water. I tried hard and I can't get myself to do it. You spent years learning not to pee with clothes on... how do you expect myself to do it. So I got out of the water... disappointed... and wait for my wave to start.
Swim - 1.2 miles: 58:12 Pace: 48:30 min/mi
5...4...3...2...1... off I go. I jumped into the water and start swimming. Within seconds someone hit my head and luckily... my goggles didn't come off!!! I swam passed the first sphere buoy (sphere means go straight), and soon after I made a right at the triangular buoy (the turn buoy). By this time the crowd thin out and I am just doing my own thing. I passed another buoy then faster swimmers started passing me left and right. I continue to swim and kick very hard to discourage any swimmer to swim over me. I swam and swam... and the next thing I know I am way off course. The shortest way to finish this sucker is to swim STRAIGHT from one buoy to the next... and turn at those triangular buoys. I am slow and I swim away from the course... what a combination!!! So I would swim a while, realized that I am off course, then I will swim back to the course... this went on for a few times. Realizing that I did not sight often. I started to sight more... and better. Finally... finally... I started swimming in a 'sort of' straight line.
Half an hour into the swim I swam pass the U turn buoys and started to swim back. Soon after I saw a yellow cap swimmer and I thought it was my teammate (he started his swim 10 minutes before me... I think)... Anyway, I got close and realized it wasn't my teammate... so I move on.
Then... my right calf started to cramp... not a lot... but just a little. What am I going to do? This is exactly what Coach Paul and Rad warn us. He told us something will always come up during the race. How you would handle it determine if you can finish. Well I stop swimming because I know things will get worst if I don't fix this issue. I stopped and collect myself. My first concern is to drown. I know I have my wetsuit and everything but I am sure I will sink if I panic. I massage a little... that didn't work. I then look for life-guards in case I need to swim to their surf board to rest. I decided that the best action is to continue swimming and just shake the hell out of my right cramp. I swam for a little bit and the cramp went away. I continue to monitor my right calf and focus to stay loose.
Then I got out and I started running to the transition area... yay
serious look... (or the kind of out of it look??)
Swim Comment:
- need to swim faster next time
- stretch my arm more
- sight more often
- learn how to pee in a wetsuit
Transition 1: 14:03
Remember I told y0u I need to pee before the swim? I still do. So I started running toward the restroom... with my wetsuit half on. As I was running I saw my teammate Bobby standing outside of the transition area cheering for us. Bobby was injured and I was touched by him driving all the way for LA to Wildflower just to cheer for us. I talked to him for a bit and continue to the restroom.
While I was waiting in line I took off my wetsuit. I ended up not having to wait in line because the spectators let me cut in front of the line. You know how sometime people let you go first if you have one item that you need to buy from the supermarket. It's kind of like that but this is to the extreme. Good job Louis!
I went back to the transition, changed clothes, put more sunscreen, helmet...etc... double check that I have everything... then I head out. I know I am taking a long time but it's a 56 mi bike ride. I want to make sure I don't forget anything. As I was getting out I went to Bobby again to give him a hi 5.
T1 comments
- fine tune how I lay my stuff
Bike - 56 miles: 04:22:01 12.82 mi/hr
I ran pass the little blue mat and a few feet after the mount line, I mount my bike and started biking. I saw mentors cheering on the sideline and I was happy to see them. At mile 2 I started to climb a big hill called beach hill. I keep my own pace to make sure I don't kill myself early on. Few miles later we exited the park and started to ride on the public road (which cars on the opposite side of traffic)
Everything seems to be going fine right? Not exactly... By this time (which is super early in the race), I started to have sharp pain on my lower right back. At the same time my whole right arm was very very tight.
The right arm was ok... it bother me but not a big deal. But the back... oh my god. I felt like someone stick a needle on my back. This is something I never experience before. I decided that I am still good to race. The pain is there but it's not alarming... when I say alarming I mean this is not something where I need to stop the race and go see a doctor right a way. So I continue with this two issues during the ride.
Although I have this pain going on during the race, I need to be extremely focus, especially on the down hill. As much as you think a tarmac road is silly smooth... it is not. There are potholes and uneven groove that you have to watch out for (luckly 'most' potholes was spray printed so it make it easier for you to see). If your wheel get caught and you don't pay attention, you will loose your balance and crash. This is so true in high speed. To give you something in comparison, this is the speed that I can handle.
speed 0-25 miles... no problem
speed 25-30 miles... this is where I have to be very very careful
speed 30-35 miles... this is when I feel like I was coming back down to earth from the space shuttle... the bike shakes and you really need to be focus or you will definitely crash.
speed 35-40 miles... my life flashes in front of my eye (just kidding)... but it's very serious stuff!
What's the big deal... I can always brake! Well yes and no... to throw a curve ball in here, I also ride in aero position. Aero position allows you to go faster but you don't have access to your brake levers. If you want to brake you need to go back to the regular position. Also, since your elbows are closer together you can't steer as well. You can under steer or over steer thus resulting in a crash... at 20-30 something miles an hour!!!
aero position from another tri event
So you need to analyze the road to see if is make sense to use aero position downhill. When I go down hill, I look at my speed. If I know I will go 'too fast'... I will get back to the regular position so I have my brakes. Having riding the course at the training weekend definitely help plan my downhill
ok... so much about the speed thing, let's go back to the ride. So I would passed some people and many would pass me. The back pain never go away. I took breaks at the water stop but those breaks didn't really help. I thought about my friends who are battling for cancer. I thought about my grandmother who didn't go thru her chemo because she said it was too painful. I never donated bone marrow but I feel like a rider who just came off from donating one. Mainly I thought about Tyler. I told myself I am doing this for him and I want to finish. I told myself the pain is only temporary... several hours maybe... but this kid (and many others) have to go thru this kind of stuff every day. I push on (without being over the limit).
While all these are happening I also want to vomit. I guess that's like an extra credit.
As much as I like to go fast... this back pain thing took a beating on me. I am definitely going much slower than I am capable of. I left it this way because I still have 13.1 mile run to go and I want to make sure I can finish. I rather slow down on the bike and finish stronger on the run.
A few teammates passed me and I told them I am ok. At around mile 41 I got to the bottom of nasty grade. The only thing I can say is this is one nasty grade. I struggled a lot when I rode it last time. What is this going to be this time. Again, I stuck with what works. I go at my own pace and I got to the top. Then I saw the most amazing thing ever. I saw a woman dressed up as an Energizer Bunny beating the drum! I told her you made my day.
Well I am not out of the blue yet. I still have several hills to climb and I still need to over come my fear of thigh cramps. Last time I did this course I cramped 3 times near the end. It was so painful that I can't even get off my bike and I definitely don't want it to happen today. I continue to ride, stay loose, and not to push myself over the limit. I passed the place where I had the first cramp.... not problem... second location.... no problem. I was happy... I feel good (except my right arm and my back). At this time I am already back into the park... only 2-3 more miles before I finish... then at area where I had my third cramp last time... I cramped up again!!! *_*
I was able to stop and get off my bike. I didn't want to sit down because I think it will make it worst. I rub around both of my legs and wonder why the hell I am cramping again. Last time I stretch and sit around for the cramp to go away. This time... I started walking my bike to walk off the cramp. I don't want to waste my time standing around. I need to finish the bike ride and continue with my run! After maybe 2-3 minutes I got back on my bike and started riding again.
A mile after I saw Coach Paul and Rad. I told them about my problem and they told me to stretch, eat, and pour water on top of my head at the transition.
Bike comments
- not to cramp again!
Transition 2: 10:49
I got off my bike and I was so happy. The back pain just go away. I sit down, changed, ate something, stretch a little, and head out.
P.S. It did took me a while to find my Endurolytes from my tribag because I lost my bag of endurolytes during the bike.
T2 comment:
- faster next time
Run - 13.1 miles: 3:11:57 14:39 min/mi
I started running and I felt great. If anything I am just happy that the back pain went away! Then I feel hot. As soon as I got to the first aid station I told the girl to hose me down. Physically, I am sore but ok. Mentally, my mind tell me the stop. I think the bike took a beating on me. I don't want to cramp during the run. I just want to finish my first ironman because I know I can improve my time in another race. I decided to go slow on the first half and then pick it up on the second half. I continue to struggle and managed to pass a few people. By mile 4 Sharon caught up to me and we walk up the hill together. She pressed on while I lag.
After a while I entered the camping area. Then I saw Sharon walking with Catherine. I caught up to them and say hi. Then suddenly someone yelled hey Louis! I turned around and it's Godfather Sean (Godfather Sean used to be involved with TNT and he is now a proud member of the WB Tri Team. He is also the brainchild of the New Year Rose Parade Run). I gave him a hug and we took a picture. He gave me an ice cold towel and I used that to cool my head. I told him I think I have a race to finish and I started running again.
Soon after Sharon and I are near the Team In Training Camping Area. I told her I don't want to do the Walk of Shame so we started running. We then actually run for a while but I need to slow down because my legs start to hurt. Again, I am focus on finishing the race than finishing with a good time.
By this time I ran out of all food (well I didn't pack enough) so I am just eating whatever the aid station has. I continue to do my own thing then I bump into this guy and he started doing the rocky song with his Harmonica. I was like wow. I should of totally stop and get a video out of it but I continue to push on.
By now I am at this section call the pit... you basically go down to the bottom and then run back up. As I was making my way down I saw Becca, Mark, Chris, Matt, Coach Rad, and Sharon. Then I saw Aubrey and Eurie on my way up. I ran most of it down and I slow down again near the bottom because of my leg.
As I was making my way up I asked Coach Rad if I have enough time to finish the race. He told me I have enough time to finish... so I stop running and walk =P.
So now I passed the mile 12 mark and this Vineman Girl (but first time doing wildflower) came up to me and told me I should run the last mile with her... so I running. She is like the female version of Coach Paul telling me to pick it up. We started running together and I started to pull away..
As we are getting to this uphill section I started to power walk so that she can catch up to me but she keep falling behind. I decided to wait for her near the end to finish with her. If she didn't push me I wouldn't start running. I figure I owe her that much.
As I was going up the hill Godfather Sean pop out of the middle of nowhere and tell me this is the last hill I need to climb, then it's all downhill after that. Hey he wasn't lying!
So now the finishing stretch... all downhill. As I make my way down I can see that Vineman girl behinid me. I looked at her and she told me not to stop and continue running. Ok, I guess I'll just give her a high-five when we finish.
Few minutes later, I entered the finishing area. This is the time when I usually sprint to finish. Since I never push myself too hard I always have a lot of energy left for a strong finish. I thought about it for a second... then I was like nah. My legs are pretty tired... I don't want to start sprinting and collapse. That will look very very stupid... so I just jog it in.
As I was crossing the finish line I saw a bunch of people at the end. I was like who are all these people blocking the exit... then I realized they are all my teammates. After I got my finisher towel and medal, all my teammates rush to me like a mad mob and start giving me hugs. I felt like one of the member from The Beatles exiting the airport gate. Funny thing is they are more excited than me =)
While all these craziness was going on I heard the announcer said something like Louis Kwan from Monterey Park... yay (in wildflower triathlon they announce every finisher's name). I think that was kind of cool. I told my teammates Aubrey and Eurie are behind me for probably 10-20 minutes and I told the team what Aubrey and Eurie were wearing so that they can spot them as the duo come in. I walked around to give hugs to my teammates and to thanks all the support staffs for doing such a great job.
So now I am a half ironman finisher...
Wait... there is more..... but I need to go to work again... hahahahhaa
Total time: 8:57:05
Swim: 58:12 Pace: 48:30 min/mi
T1: 14:03
Bike: 04:22:01 12.82 mi/hr
T2: 10:49
Run: 3:11:57 14:39 min/mi
Am I excited? No... because I need to unpack and clean all these stuff... give it a few days to sink in. Here is a recap.
Tue lunch
I had my Katsu Don few days before my big race.
Thur
I took Thur-Fri off so I can get up there early. I picked up my teammate Edmund in the morning and we drove 4 hours to Lake San Antonio (near San Luis Obispo). We setup camp near to our teammates tents and started to prepare for Sat.
Fri
I woke up in the middle of the night hear rain drop. I dragged my backpack it under the vestibule and continue sleeping. I woke up several hours later and the ground is dry. The team gathered at 12pm and all of us went down to the expo area. We picked up our stuff and headed down to the transition area. When we were at the transition area Coach Paul and Rad gave help us visualize how we should do tomorrow.
For this race I actually rack my bike at the assigned space. Coach Paul told me that I have to be facing my number and that the wheel that is lower to the ground has to be on the same side as the number... this will prove useful tomorrow. After a Q&A section we went down to the swim area for scout the swim course.
We gathered around the first buoy and Paul talked about our strategy for tomorrow. Since I don't know how to tread water I flap around my arm like a chicken to stay afloat (well the wetsuit help you float but I still need to move around to keep my whole head above the water). It's funny how I can swim 1.2 mile but I can't tread water.
When we got out of the water it was raining. Good thing is it won't be as hot... but the bad thing is the road will become very slippery. Die under the heat or die crashing your bike... pick one!
After the swim the team headed to the expo area. Since I was hungry I had 1 tri-tip sandwich, 1 hot dog, and then 2 scoops of Gelato (cookie N cream & Birthday Cake). Gosh Gelato only costs 6 bucks! Afterward we headed back to the camp and chill. While most people are chilling I went to prepare for tomorrow. I want done with it while the rain stopped and there are still light out... I double checking my gear, packing my transition bag, and prepare my drinks (5 bottles with 2 kinds of mix in each bottle)... my teammates may think I am anti-social... but I just want to prepare during day time... just like I always do in a backpacking trip... we cook, filter water, go dig a cat hole...etc. Since it may rain tomorrow I bought extra stuff to keep myself warm. I also waterproof most of my stuff and bought a change of clothes just in case. At a result, my bag is stuffed.
At 6 pm, we went to the pasta party and had a candle light ceremony. We then had a team meeting to talk about any last minute stuffs. Coach Paul stresses: Don't fight the course because it will bite you. Just follow the course and you'll be finish before you know it.
I double check my stuff one more time, put the timing chip on my left ankle as if I am under a house arrest, set my alarm at 4:15 am, then went to sleep.
Sat:
I woke up super early so I don't have to wait in line for restroom. I changed, had breakfast, and I was ready by 6:30 am.
The team gathered and we rode down (literally... down a long steep hill) to the transition area (This itself is an accomplishment)! I looked at the sky and it seems like it can rain anytime, I setup my stuff and had time to spare. I walked around to wish my teammates good wish. There were definitely a lot of hi-5 and hand-shaking at the transition area. Soon after our mentors showed up with their cameras and start taking pictures of us in action. It was very very very sweet of them.
The race starts at 8:00 am but my wave doesn't start til 8:30 am so I just hang out with my teammates. Each wave has a different color swim cap so people can keep track of which wave you are from... plus it's kind of cool to look at.
I watched the elite women start and I saw the first two elite male coming out from the water. Damn they are fast.
More hi-5 and pictures... the next thing you know it was 8:25 and the wave before me started their swim. As soon as that wave started I jumped into the water and start my warm up. By this time I needed to pee. Usually people pee in their wetsuits in the water. I tried hard and I can't get myself to do it. You spent years learning not to pee with clothes on... how do you expect myself to do it. So I got out of the water... disappointed... and wait for my wave to start.
Swim - 1.2 miles: 58:12 Pace: 48:30 min/mi
5...4...3...2...1... off I go. I jumped into the water and start swimming. Within seconds someone hit my head and luckily... my goggles didn't come off!!! I swam passed the first sphere buoy (sphere means go straight), and soon after I made a right at the triangular buoy (the turn buoy). By this time the crowd thin out and I am just doing my own thing. I passed another buoy then faster swimmers started passing me left and right. I continue to swim and kick very hard to discourage any swimmer to swim over me. I swam and swam... and the next thing I know I am way off course. The shortest way to finish this sucker is to swim STRAIGHT from one buoy to the next... and turn at those triangular buoys. I am slow and I swim away from the course... what a combination!!! So I would swim a while, realized that I am off course, then I will swim back to the course... this went on for a few times. Realizing that I did not sight often. I started to sight more... and better. Finally... finally... I started swimming in a 'sort of' straight line.
Half an hour into the swim I swam pass the U turn buoys and started to swim back. Soon after I saw a yellow cap swimmer and I thought it was my teammate (he started his swim 10 minutes before me... I think)... Anyway, I got close and realized it wasn't my teammate... so I move on.
Then... my right calf started to cramp... not a lot... but just a little. What am I going to do? This is exactly what Coach Paul and Rad warn us. He told us something will always come up during the race. How you would handle it determine if you can finish. Well I stop swimming because I know things will get worst if I don't fix this issue. I stopped and collect myself. My first concern is to drown. I know I have my wetsuit and everything but I am sure I will sink if I panic. I massage a little... that didn't work. I then look for life-guards in case I need to swim to their surf board to rest. I decided that the best action is to continue swimming and just shake the hell out of my right cramp. I swam for a little bit and the cramp went away. I continue to monitor my right calf and focus to stay loose.
Then I got out and I started running to the transition area... yay
serious look... (or the kind of out of it look??)Swim Comment:
- need to swim faster next time
- stretch my arm more
- sight more often
- learn how to pee in a wetsuit
Transition 1: 14:03
Remember I told y0u I need to pee before the swim? I still do. So I started running toward the restroom... with my wetsuit half on. As I was running I saw my teammate Bobby standing outside of the transition area cheering for us. Bobby was injured and I was touched by him driving all the way for LA to Wildflower just to cheer for us. I talked to him for a bit and continue to the restroom.
While I was waiting in line I took off my wetsuit. I ended up not having to wait in line because the spectators let me cut in front of the line. You know how sometime people let you go first if you have one item that you need to buy from the supermarket. It's kind of like that but this is to the extreme. Good job Louis!
I went back to the transition, changed clothes, put more sunscreen, helmet...etc... double check that I have everything... then I head out. I know I am taking a long time but it's a 56 mi bike ride. I want to make sure I don't forget anything. As I was getting out I went to Bobby again to give him a hi 5.
T1 comments
- fine tune how I lay my stuff
Bike - 56 miles: 04:22:01 12.82 mi/hr
I ran pass the little blue mat and a few feet after the mount line, I mount my bike and started biking. I saw mentors cheering on the sideline and I was happy to see them. At mile 2 I started to climb a big hill called beach hill. I keep my own pace to make sure I don't kill myself early on. Few miles later we exited the park and started to ride on the public road (which cars on the opposite side of traffic)
Everything seems to be going fine right? Not exactly... By this time (which is super early in the race), I started to have sharp pain on my lower right back. At the same time my whole right arm was very very tight.
The right arm was ok... it bother me but not a big deal. But the back... oh my god. I felt like someone stick a needle on my back. This is something I never experience before. I decided that I am still good to race. The pain is there but it's not alarming... when I say alarming I mean this is not something where I need to stop the race and go see a doctor right a way. So I continue with this two issues during the ride.
Although I have this pain going on during the race, I need to be extremely focus, especially on the down hill. As much as you think a tarmac road is silly smooth... it is not. There are potholes and uneven groove that you have to watch out for (luckly 'most' potholes was spray printed so it make it easier for you to see). If your wheel get caught and you don't pay attention, you will loose your balance and crash. This is so true in high speed. To give you something in comparison, this is the speed that I can handle.
speed 0-25 miles... no problem
speed 25-30 miles... this is where I have to be very very careful
speed 30-35 miles... this is when I feel like I was coming back down to earth from the space shuttle... the bike shakes and you really need to be focus or you will definitely crash.
speed 35-40 miles... my life flashes in front of my eye (just kidding)... but it's very serious stuff!
What's the big deal... I can always brake! Well yes and no... to throw a curve ball in here, I also ride in aero position. Aero position allows you to go faster but you don't have access to your brake levers. If you want to brake you need to go back to the regular position. Also, since your elbows are closer together you can't steer as well. You can under steer or over steer thus resulting in a crash... at 20-30 something miles an hour!!!
aero position from another tri eventSo you need to analyze the road to see if is make sense to use aero position downhill. When I go down hill, I look at my speed. If I know I will go 'too fast'... I will get back to the regular position so I have my brakes. Having riding the course at the training weekend definitely help plan my downhill
ok... so much about the speed thing, let's go back to the ride. So I would passed some people and many would pass me. The back pain never go away. I took breaks at the water stop but those breaks didn't really help. I thought about my friends who are battling for cancer. I thought about my grandmother who didn't go thru her chemo because she said it was too painful. I never donated bone marrow but I feel like a rider who just came off from donating one. Mainly I thought about Tyler. I told myself I am doing this for him and I want to finish. I told myself the pain is only temporary... several hours maybe... but this kid (and many others) have to go thru this kind of stuff every day. I push on (without being over the limit).
While all these are happening I also want to vomit. I guess that's like an extra credit.
As much as I like to go fast... this back pain thing took a beating on me. I am definitely going much slower than I am capable of. I left it this way because I still have 13.1 mile run to go and I want to make sure I can finish. I rather slow down on the bike and finish stronger on the run.
A few teammates passed me and I told them I am ok. At around mile 41 I got to the bottom of nasty grade. The only thing I can say is this is one nasty grade. I struggled a lot when I rode it last time. What is this going to be this time. Again, I stuck with what works. I go at my own pace and I got to the top. Then I saw the most amazing thing ever. I saw a woman dressed up as an Energizer Bunny beating the drum! I told her you made my day.
sample as 2:18 (by the way, this video contains the hills that I rode on... and some downhill footage too)
Well I am not out of the blue yet. I still have several hills to climb and I still need to over come my fear of thigh cramps. Last time I did this course I cramped 3 times near the end. It was so painful that I can't even get off my bike and I definitely don't want it to happen today. I continue to ride, stay loose, and not to push myself over the limit. I passed the place where I had the first cramp.... not problem... second location.... no problem. I was happy... I feel good (except my right arm and my back). At this time I am already back into the park... only 2-3 more miles before I finish... then at area where I had my third cramp last time... I cramped up again!!! *_*
I was able to stop and get off my bike. I didn't want to sit down because I think it will make it worst. I rub around both of my legs and wonder why the hell I am cramping again. Last time I stretch and sit around for the cramp to go away. This time... I started walking my bike to walk off the cramp. I don't want to waste my time standing around. I need to finish the bike ride and continue with my run! After maybe 2-3 minutes I got back on my bike and started riding again.
A mile after I saw Coach Paul and Rad. I told them about my problem and they told me to stretch, eat, and pour water on top of my head at the transition.
Bike comments
- not to cramp again!
Transition 2: 10:49
I got off my bike and I was so happy. The back pain just go away. I sit down, changed, ate something, stretch a little, and head out.
P.S. It did took me a while to find my Endurolytes from my tribag because I lost my bag of endurolytes during the bike.
T2 comment:
- faster next time
Run - 13.1 miles: 3:11:57 14:39 min/mi
I started running and I felt great. If anything I am just happy that the back pain went away! Then I feel hot. As soon as I got to the first aid station I told the girl to hose me down. Physically, I am sore but ok. Mentally, my mind tell me the stop. I think the bike took a beating on me. I don't want to cramp during the run. I just want to finish my first ironman because I know I can improve my time in another race. I decided to go slow on the first half and then pick it up on the second half. I continue to struggle and managed to pass a few people. By mile 4 Sharon caught up to me and we walk up the hill together. She pressed on while I lag.
After a while I entered the camping area. Then I saw Sharon walking with Catherine. I caught up to them and say hi. Then suddenly someone yelled hey Louis! I turned around and it's Godfather Sean (Godfather Sean used to be involved with TNT and he is now a proud member of the WB Tri Team. He is also the brainchild of the New Year Rose Parade Run). I gave him a hug and we took a picture. He gave me an ice cold towel and I used that to cool my head. I told him I think I have a race to finish and I started running again.
Soon after Sharon and I are near the Team In Training Camping Area. I told her I don't want to do the Walk of Shame so we started running. We then actually run for a while but I need to slow down because my legs start to hurt. Again, I am focus on finishing the race than finishing with a good time.
By this time I ran out of all food (well I didn't pack enough) so I am just eating whatever the aid station has. I continue to do my own thing then I bump into this guy and he started doing the rocky song with his Harmonica. I was like wow. I should of totally stop and get a video out of it but I continue to push on.
By now I am at this section call the pit... you basically go down to the bottom and then run back up. As I was making my way down I saw Becca, Mark, Chris, Matt, Coach Rad, and Sharon. Then I saw Aubrey and Eurie on my way up. I ran most of it down and I slow down again near the bottom because of my leg.
As I was making my way up I asked Coach Rad if I have enough time to finish the race. He told me I have enough time to finish... so I stop running and walk =P.
So now I passed the mile 12 mark and this Vineman Girl (but first time doing wildflower) came up to me and told me I should run the last mile with her... so I running. She is like the female version of Coach Paul telling me to pick it up. We started running together and I started to pull away..
As we are getting to this uphill section I started to power walk so that she can catch up to me but she keep falling behind. I decided to wait for her near the end to finish with her. If she didn't push me I wouldn't start running. I figure I owe her that much.
As I was going up the hill Godfather Sean pop out of the middle of nowhere and tell me this is the last hill I need to climb, then it's all downhill after that. Hey he wasn't lying!
So now the finishing stretch... all downhill. As I make my way down I can see that Vineman girl behinid me. I looked at her and she told me not to stop and continue running. Ok, I guess I'll just give her a high-five when we finish.
Few minutes later, I entered the finishing area. This is the time when I usually sprint to finish. Since I never push myself too hard I always have a lot of energy left for a strong finish. I thought about it for a second... then I was like nah. My legs are pretty tired... I don't want to start sprinting and collapse. That will look very very stupid... so I just jog it in.
As I was crossing the finish line I saw a bunch of people at the end. I was like who are all these people blocking the exit... then I realized they are all my teammates. After I got my finisher towel and medal, all my teammates rush to me like a mad mob and start giving me hugs. I felt like one of the member from The Beatles exiting the airport gate. Funny thing is they are more excited than me =)
While all these craziness was going on I heard the announcer said something like Louis Kwan from Monterey Park... yay (in wildflower triathlon they announce every finisher's name). I think that was kind of cool. I told my teammates Aubrey and Eurie are behind me for probably 10-20 minutes and I told the team what Aubrey and Eurie were wearing so that they can spot them as the duo come in. I walked around to give hugs to my teammates and to thanks all the support staffs for doing such a great job.
So now I am a half ironman finisher...
Wait... there is more..... but I need to go to work again... hahahahhaa
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