Sprint Tri to Olympic Distance TRi

It has been 2 years since i got into Triathlons and and with 2 Sprint Tri under my belt, it was time to move to OD Tri (Olympic Distance) . The swim is 1.5km (that's really long)  followed by 40km ride and 10km run. Pretty daunting distance but a good one.

I was still training on my own and using training plans downloaded from the Internet. The trainings hours per week were around 7 to 9 hours and balancing work, family time and training was becoming tricky and very hard. Luckily my wife was supportive of my new found hobby.

I did my first OD Tri on the 31st July 2012 and i was starting my work at Visa the following day. Needless to say, i was very sore but i managed to walk into the office the next day.

Why do i put myself through such pain  

Why in the world do i bother riding  bike for 2 or 3 or 4 hours? Why would any person bother going to a pool and swimming back and forth in the middle of the day?

I was coming to the realisation that i was.. still am an Adrenaline junkie. I needed the buzz to keep me in high spirits , help endure tough working conditions and get a good night sleep. It was also improving my health.  My bouts of cold and flu were becoming less frequent and general health was improving. My active lifestyle was also having an impact on people around me. My wife start running regularly and she completed 2 half marathons. My sister Jane also started running and my friend Edward jumped into the world of triathlon after i introduced him to the sport.

Mini Tri to Sprint Tri (2010)

Mini Tri to Sprint Tri

Next Step was moving from Mini Tri (200m swim, 10km bike & 2 km run)  to Sprint Tri (750m swim, 20km bike & 5km run).

Getting a good bike for trialthlon meant spending a good amount of money.  My first racing bike was a aluminium bike (Polygon Helios 200) which was great up to Olympic Distance Tri races. IT weighed nearly 10kg but it was a good sturdy bike that withstood the demands of racing.
The 2010 Tribob Sprint Tri was a great race to get a Personal Best with a flat bike/run course and fast swim. Felt that i was getting into the groove of things.
Training for a sprint was still demanding but there were many good books and online training program that provided a good starting base. Here are some links

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/sprint%20programs.htm
http://www.amateurendurance.com/training-programs/article/sprint-triathlon-training-program/

Training & Race Buddies
 Training with friends makes a big difference as there is always information and tips that are shared and they will always be there to kick your ass when you need it.  

Mini Triathlon... Small steps (2009)

My first step to Triathlon was a big leap for me. I had a big fear of the sea. I wasn't exactly a stronger swimmer and the thought of being out in the deep waters not knowing what was swimming around me was terrifying .....

Overcoming the fear of sea

Fortunately there were swmming clinics arranged by Tribob (now MetaSports) which helped newbie like myself to overcome our fears and teached the basics of open water swimming.

Open water swimming (i.e. swimming in the sea or lake) is a very different experience from swimming the in pool. Firstly, the water is  not clear and the sea can be choppy thus affecting swim path.  Sea bugs or stinger can sting you and disorient you during a swim which can quite dangerous.

The open water training clincs helped to boost my confidence in the open water. Fast swim starts, sighting often, swimming away from fast swimmers, judging the currents and floating,  were some of the techniques taught.  With all these training under my belt, I was ready for the swim. But what about the bike..

 

First Bike (Mountain Bike) 

My race bike was actually a borrowed Mountian bike which weighed at least  20+ kilos.  Some high end bike can as light as 7 kilos .... My neighbour William was kind to borrow one of his many bikes when he heard that i was attempting my first tri. I wasnt sure whether i will be in it for long term,  borrowing a bike seemed to be a good option for my first race. So for those attempting their first tri (up to Sprint Distance), borrowed or rented bike would be a good option.

 

 

 

Road to Ironman

It all started on Sunday morning of 1997 when I was a Uni student at QUT watching Sunday morning sports on TV, gulping down a glass of full cream, milk  a huge bag of cheese nachos.

Kona Ironman Triathlon had just ended a week earlier and CNBC was showing the complied video of the one-day toughest extreme endurance sport. A 3.8km swim in choppy sea followed by 180km ride and a FULL marathon .(42km run). omg!

The 1 hour show gripped me by the collar and got my attention.  There were Pros, age groupers, disabled athletes completing the race . They were digging deep into their souls, heart and body to complete a very gruelling race ... The professionals were taking 8 hours to finish and the rest were going the distance to finish by 17hours which is the cut off time.

While the race was being aired, segments were being shown about how age groupers trained over months sacrificing their time, overcoming cancer, broken bones, personal tragedies to reach the starting line of the race. The power of human spirit was unfolding right in front of me ..  
Unimaginable pain was written all over the face as the triathletes struggled to finish a gruelling race that the human body was not designed for...but the mind was going on...... pushing the limits or what they thought their limits were..

As they cross the finishing line ......jubilation, tears of joys and sense of accomplishment was written all over their face.
 The video was so inspiring that tears welled up at the end and I told myself "Ramesh , you WILL DO this one day".


Fast forward to 2009, i did my first mini triathlon in Singapore (OSIM Tri). Small steps ......