Regent Aguila IRONMAN Asia Pacific Championship Philippines 2018
This is my fifth year in taking part in this Ironman 70.3 race (1.9km swim, 90km bike & 21km run) in Cebu. It is hard to get bored with Cebu. The carnival like spirit at the race, thousands of supporters screaming their lungs out, awesome support, friendly locals, ..... I can keep going on. But I think 5 years is enough commitment for this race and I hope to explore other locations in 2019. Till the next race !
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| Carbo loading Dinner with Amigos Edward, David & Praveen |
Arrived in Cebu on Friday 3rd Aug. The training buildup to the race, heavy work schedule, lack of sleep and last minute bike problem took a toll on me. I started developing a bad running nose and was feeling really tired. Months of training can be undone by just a bout of illness. Was hoping that cold medication and good rest would take care of the problem.
Went straight to the hotel, unpacked, assembled the bike and headed straight to carbo loading dinner.
After dinner, i was in bed by 9pm and after a 8 hour sleep, my running nose was seemed to be going away.
2. Prep and Bike-Check-in
The following day on Saturday, we went for a test ride with my Amigos Praveen & Edward and took a very easy ride along the 10km run course loop. This was to test the bike for any faults and perform any last minute fixes. Last year, my Di2 battery for bike failed and I could not shift any gears as my gear shifters are battery operated. It made my Tri bike a expensive fixie bike and that affected my race very badly. With an extra battery, I was well prepared for any battery failures.After an early bike check-in, we headed back to the hotel and headed early to bed . Had to wake up at 3.45am the next day. Had to get at least 6 hours of quality sleep.
3. Race day - Swim Course (1.9km)
Arrived very early at the race site at 5am and did the usual inflating of tires and prepared my cycling and running gears in the transition area. Wished all my buddies a safe race, and took a quick dip in the waters to prepare for the swim. I was given a white cap and placed in the last zone. Given the rolling start of 5 swimmers every 5 seconds, it took a while to release 2000 swimmers out to the waters.Swim course was crowded as usual with many swimmers taking aim on my face, grabbing my leg. Not intentionally though but it still feels frustrating.
As much I keep clear of swimmers and flank the swim course, I will get an occasional swimmer who will make me stop for a few seconds. This usually takes away precious time.
The swells were unusually higher this year though the current was not strong. Took some time to compose myself after all the drama in the water. Swamed 2.1km instead of 1.9km . Precious time was wasted swimming additional 200ms.
Took some time at the transition to put on all my gears and replenish. Swim Time - 45mins & Transition time -5 mins
4. Race day- Bike Course (90km)
Bike course was 3 loops of 30km mainly within Mactan island with an exit to mainland Cebu over a bridge. Paced myself well within the first loop and increased my efforts over the 2nd and 3rd loop. While it was tempting to go hard, I had to save some gas for the 21km run. Whenever the heart rate went above Zone 3, i would pull it back with some steady efforts.
Went to into transition 2, with a PB. Shaved off 5 mins off my previous best of 2hr 56mins for 90km bike ride. Started the run with a strategy to hold my efforts at steady zone 2 effort and work up to zone 3 for last 7km. Bike time - 2hr 51mins & Transition time - 6 mins
5. Race day- Run course
Prior to signing up for this race, I took part in Ironman 70.3 Davao PHILIPPINES in March 2018. During this race, I discovered that i had developed a bad reaction to cold or chilled water during the race. That made my heart rate to go up to nearly 200bpm and caused my chest muscles to constrict. It almost felt that I was having an heart attack on the run course. With the severe heat on the run course, there was no other option but to take chilled water. With several walking breaks on the run, i managed to finish the run in agony. With this past race and reaction, in mind, I had to be very careful with hydration during my run. I brought 4 bottles of Pocari Sweat isotonic water and placed them at the hotel security post which happened to be along the run course. So i had own my aid station and the hotel staff were more than happy to help dispense my drinks as I ran along the course. With a bottle always tucked in my Trisuit, i did not have to stop at aid stations for drinks and that saved some very valuable minutes . However , I would pick up cold water to douse my head to keep it cold during the run but this didn't require my to stop.
I decided to switch my watch setting to only reflect the heart rate, not wanting to be distracted by the pace, Focused only on my heart rate, breathing and hydration. It took me at least 5-6 km to bring back my heart to a comfortable level. I had to keep my ego in check when i saw many runners overtaking me on the run. It was hard but I had a racing strategy to follow and i was not going to risk it.
Felt stronger as the kms went by and occasionally I would switch my watch setting to see my pace if my pace was getting better. Though the heart rate was fairly constant, i could feel my pace getting faster and faster. My confidence was getting a boost and I was also felt great. No cramps no shuffling, and no hydration issues.
It felt great to be racing instead of breaking into a shuffle and a jog. Managed to run hard for the last 3 km and happy to have managed a good negative split on the run. Very satisfied with a PB. The sub 6hr race seems elusive again but I am getting close. Need to fine tune few elements of training and racing . Run time - 2hr 23 mins
For this race, I took a training plan from Coached. https://www.coached.fitness/
I had also attended the swimming classes which were very useful in building some good swim strength and technique. The coaches Ben and Jim gave very good advice when I had doubts and their prescribed racing strategy worked really well for me. A Big Thank You to Coached!
Lessons learnt during this race.
1. Rest well during the days leading up to the race. Have ample rest so that months of training can channeled into good race experience.
2. Have a good race strategy and keep to it as closely as possible. Good race times are all about race strategy and not just fitness. I have learnt this the hard way.
3. As the saying goes, the "The Devil is in the Details". Keep close watch on all elements of training and preparation for the race. Run through all the details and prepare for any "Murphy Law" events.
4. Keeping doing the right things and work harder on weak points. During the off season, I need to work on my swim technique, strength training and transition times. Hopefully with all these fine-tuning and tweaks, the 5 hours+ race will be within reach for my next race. Till the next race.
