The Singapore 70.3 now on its 6th rendition is probably one if not the oldest running IM70.3 event in South East Asia. The expectations were high for this event and the general field was usually much stronger than the other races held in the region. There were so many participants from all over the world and not just Asia probably because of the amount of expatriates working here and the central hub location of Singapore as well.

Knowing that this is one of the most attended IM70.3’s in Asia, I couldn’t help but compare the differences with our own IM70.3 Philippines with the most recent one held in Cam Sur. Surprisingly, the overall mood and feel of the event was more festive and special back in the Philippines. Probably because we have more first-time participants there and the Ironman 70.3 is a much bigger deal in the Philippines compared to the one here in Singapore. I could recall how there were so many billboards and advertisements months before the Cobra 70.3 and I only noticed banners for the Aviva 70.3 just less than a week prior to race day.

The race briefing and carbo-loading dinner was well-organized and straightforward but uneventful. The competitors seemed okay but don’t look eager or nervous compared ours. And there were definitely waaaay less tri teams participating and more like everyone was on their own. The race organization was well-planned and the marshals were plenty, well briefed and knowledgeable. They even closed a portion of the East Coast Parkway for the race which was one of Singapore’s main highways to the airport. Although due to the small land availability of this country, the bike course was to be done in 3 loops. It’s such a pity though that the course didn’t go to the city anymore as this sight I believe is the showcase of Singapore. The whole race handling was typical of typical Singaporean style in my opinion: well planned and executed but lacks a bit of character.

Now with regards to my race – I started the swim with wave number 4 or 5 I think while there were 3 more waves after ours. That shows how much participants were there! Swim was two loops by the waters of East Coast Park beach and it’s quite an interesting sight to be swimming towards HUNDREDS of ships waiting for their turn to dock to Singapore. As my wave started, I found myself in the worst washing machine start I’ve ever experienced to date! It was a relatively stronger field with too many strong swimmers. I struggled to get my own space for more than 5 minutes of intense pulls and kicks.

I had a harder time with the swim here than in Cam Sur probably because of my fitness level too but I still enjoyed the swim a lot especially when I got my rhythm going and started to pass people from the earlier waves (can be distinguished from the cap color). I came out of the water with a little over a minute off my own target time but I was still happy and not too exhausted coming out.

The bike course was expected to be very fast due to the flat roads. Despite that, it was not as fast as everyone expected as the winds could really pick you up but also slow you down greatly on some portions. I remember Ani saying the bike course was deceiving since people really expected faster bike splits on this race. Drafting was enforced by the draft marshals along the Changi Cost Road which is a long road parallel to the runway of the airport. Other than this stretch though, they were quite lenient since there were a lot of tight spaces on the course. There were three very sharp u-turns per loop including the interchange bridges on the highways which I have seen several participants having difficulties and almost crashing. There were actually a number of people I have seen on the ground as most of the u-turns were just right after the downhill portions. I was able to maintain a good pace on the bike since I am already quite familiar with the course (I’ve been riding around here for more than 3 months already!). I was a little above my target average speed and I felt I might have pushed a little too much since my quads were beginning to cramp up during the return of the last loop. It was very tempting and convenient to push oneself a little harder as the tendency of the riders were to bunch together due to the tightness of the course. I was also awestruck at one time when I was riding at around 35 kph and the lead pack of the men’s pro who were in their 2nd loop passed me as if I was taking a leisure ride on the park. It was just amazing to see how their legs fired up like engine pistons hammering the crank of their bikes.

The run portion is something I’d rather not talk about if not for some good thoughts I had. I came down from the bike with my quads slightly cramping. My first 500m was really slow and just trying to stretch and loosen up my legs. Unfortunately, the rest of my run never really picked up anymore. It was very hot despite the course being around 70% shaded. I could really feel the heat every time I run through an unshaded portion which also gave me the perception of the course being longer than it really was. This was where my lack of preparation really showed as I was just trying to survive the run and try not talk walk aside from the aide stations. My first 10 km was not that bad but as the race went on for me, my pace got slower and slower and my splits were just beginning to be discouraging. There was a lot of thinking going on in my head during the 2nd half of the race from possible finish times to just walking til the end. But at one point just before the 3rd loop, I decided to just rid myself of all the pressure I’ve been putting on myself and tried to remember why I joined this race in the first place.

I remembered that I joined this race to have fun and experience racing here in Singapore with my friends. I remembered that I wanted to race to put all the small trainings I do into better use and gauge how I have been progressing. I remembered that this race was to prove to myself that I could still enjoy triathlon despite having a heavy and unusual workload away from my home town or my base. Most of all, I remembered that I should just cherish and enjoy every moment in the race as this is why I do triathlon.

At the halfway point of the last loop where there was a big aid station, I took some time to stop and just rest. I made sure I would be there for at least 5 minutes and just stretch, take in some liquids and gel, and just try to reset my body to allow it to run the last 4 km’s of the race. Those last 4 kilometers seemed like 6 but I just tried to take small strides and took it one kilometer at a time. Before I knew it, I was already at the last stretch of the lake and headed towards the finish line. My whole body just came down with loads of energy which allowed me to sprint my way towards the finish line. It was the best finish line cross I ever felt since I started doing triathlon.

Overall, I found this race more difficult than what I did in Cam Sur. Probably because of the heat?

I’d like to congratulate my friends who joined and pretty much had the same condition with run preparation (or rather lack of) but just tried to finish the race as well with their own motivations. Many thanks also to our great support team (and also part of our motivation): Chrys, Phil, and Sean.

It was also good to see familiar faces I haven’t seen for quite some time, Jojo Lontok and Ani Brown.

And last but not the least, a big shout out to God who has made it possible for me to do this race from the moment I signed up until I crossed that finish line.

See you in SuBIT!

Photo Credits: Chrys, Phil, Danny, Runevent Shots, Tey EngTiong

It’s been quite a while since I was able to post an entry and it’s mainly due to the busyness of my work lately. I’ve been staying in Singapore for more than four months already for a project and will probably be here for a few more weeks. My current work entails frequent meetings and side trips aside from the usual work hours (plus work on Saturday!) with travels out of Singapore at least once a month which totally prevents me from having a routine training lifestyle.

My training schedule has been erratic so to say. But through these weeks, I’ve been learning new ways on adapting to these circumstances. The time zone in Singapore is a bit distorted that most of the countries it is aligned with on the map has a GMT +7 time zones while Singapore is at GMT +8 just like the Philippines. This means then that the sun starts to come out much later (around 7AM these days) and goes down late too. This easily takes off one usable hour of safe road riding in the morning and my work demands that I start leaving my place before 8AM.

I thought it would be nice to write about how I’m trying to adapt to these changes especially since I signed up for the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore with barely four weeks to prepare! I was somehow out of my mind when I did that but a couple of my good friends are joining also, plus the last tri race I did was Cam Sur back in August 2011. I felt that I already miss racing and I also want to see how my training (or rather lack of it) has been progressing. My training has not been as consistent and volume-packed compared to when I was back home but what I enjoy doing now is being creative and finding ways to incorporate training and building a good program with a hectic schedule.

Weekends are usually reserved for long bike rides with some friends such as Danny, Joel, and Phil. But lately, I’ve been riding a lot more alone along the east coast of Singapore by the airport grounds. There’s a fairly long stretch of road which can range from 13km to 20km per loop depending on where you turn around.

On my rides alone, I would usually look for packs which I can draft or be drafted with to force myself to maintain high intensity for longer periods of time. Singapore is generally flat and there are hardly legitimate hills I could ride on nearby where I do my workouts. Sometimes though I go to the Changi prison complex since it has a 5k loop which has several ‘hills’ a little less steep than the roads in Ultra. There are some days also where I get connected with several decent riders who are willing to pace with me in my loops and give ourselves a tougher time. And then there are also some days where I randomly bump across familiar faces from back home as well.

Weekdays are actually more difficult since weekday = workday. One good thing is that I was able to move from a hotel into a bigger flat where there they have a long 43 meter pool. I would usually swim 2-3 times a week in the evenings after work or replace morning run workouts if I’m feeling lazy or woke up late. I had to replace the workouts I prepare from the usual 4×200’s, 5×100’s, and 10×50’s into 20 laps swim hard, 4×10 laps, 20×2 laps etc. It brings back memories of how we used to interpret our workouts when we were around 9-12 years old.

I would normally squeeze in my run by waking up at 5:30 in the morning and run from 6:30AM to 7:30AM or much later if time permits. Since time is critical, I would usually focus on tempo runs for 25-40 minutes or do long intervals over certain distances. There is a scenic trail from my flat going to the Singapore flyer which is a good 3km distance one way that I would normally try to play around with since I know the distance. I don’t have the luxury of time to do long runs but sometimes I am able to squeeze one during weekends. Very rarely I also get to do track workouts – I found out there was a track oval nearby my work site (my project site is at the edge of Singapore!). At such instance I would have to wake up extra early and board the train by 6:00AM then start working out from 7:15AM. I get to end at 8:30AM since it is not too far from my work site anyway.

For strengthening and conditioning, once a week I make sure I get to go to the gym or have a session with my TRX. Where I do it, let’s just say I try to be creative with different places.

We make sure that we get to do a lot of workout together also whenever Chrys gets the chance to come over.

So there goes some of my ways to adapt training into a busy lifestyle. It may not be the best training program/style out there and there may not be much volume in it but I make sure that I get to churn out quality sessions with every chance I could. And of course, I make sure that I still enjoy every bit of these things I do. Creativity is the key!

*Picture c/o Jeje Sampan