When will and skill combined to make great - Dave's road to an Ironman

I will be back

2009-09-04T00:07:00.004+08:00

Did the ironman 70.3 in Singapore in 2009 this year and I swam with a metal implant on my collarbone. The swim took its toll on me and I swam only 1 lap thus I did not officially complete the event. Here's a pic of me on the bike.

I am taking a break from triathlon for awhile and concentrate on my running and swimming first. Also, I am having a major exam coming up in March 2010 and will focus on this the time being. I just sold my P2SL and I am looking for a carbon tri bike 54CM next year.

I've to let her go

2009-07-30T22:21:00.006+08:00

Last shots on the night before my Cervelo P2sl leaves me. :(

Steel Man

2008-10-12T22:46:00.003+08:00

On the right of the picture shows the hook plate holding up my broken right clavicle. I just had a follow up with my specialist and was advised to go for physiotherapy. My surgeon mentioned that I had damaged some ligaments and this will be quite a long road to recovery about 3-6 months.

My physio gives me about 4-6 months for me to recover my full strength. So for the moment, it's back to basics on how to rotate my shoulder.

My broken right clavicle.

2008-09-30T14:11:00.004+08:00

As a result of my crash in the 70.3, I suffer a broken right collarbone.

My surgeon diagnosed it to be a distal clavicle type 2 1/3 and I went for a surgery for a reconstruction of my right clavicle (collarbone) which included implanting a metal hook implant.

I will most likely be out of action for about 2-3 months and looks set to postponed my Ironman pursuit. But my triathlon racing career is not over yet, this I promised you.

Mind you, I thought a surgery was a simple procedure but the pain after the general anesthesia wears off is unbearable. Even the painkillers weren't useful in reducing the pain. I definately wont want to go through this again.

Ride safe pals.

Murphy's law

2008-09-30T13:55:00.005+08:00

if anything can go wrong, it will.

That's what happen to me during the Aviva Ironman 70.3 2008. I've had done months of preparation but a cramp during the swim forced me to complete the swim leg at 1:19 and a crash after exiting T1 caused me a broken collarbone.

What happened during the crash was just plain unlucky. After exiting T1, before the right turn to Fort Road, I was swerving left to avoid about 3-4 water bottles on the road and next time I knew, my front wheel got stuck on the drain cover beside the kerb and I flew at 40km/hr. Next thing I knew, I landed on my left shoulder with a heavy bang. I quickly get up and brought my bike to the grass patch and called for help. I laid down for a good 5 minutes thinking my race could be over with this crash. But with the help of a kind ang moh and a volunteer, I managed to change my tube and continue the race after about 60 mins. It was painful riding with a broken collarbone and I didnt know what kept me going. Must be my ego.

Nonetheless, I finished albeit only doing a 60km bike loop as I took about 60 mins to recover during my bikecrash and the broken collarbone sapped away me energy during the bike leg and caused me to pedal at 25km/hr and not helping were the fact that the rear brakes were stuck onto my wheels forcing me to mash my way throughout the bike loop.

For the run, I walked throughout the 21km run as I was too weak to run and I had to rest my right arm and not forced it to swing too much.

Thanks to my baby for supporting me throughout my preparation for the race and getting me to home and hospital after the race. She's my biggest supporter and without her, it'll be much tougher. Also, she tolerated my nonsense and crap. :) Love you baby.

Now for the pictures:

Singapore Ironman 70.3 race week

2008-09-01T22:52:00.005+08:00

The second half of 2008 has been doing great. Whether it's been my private life, my sporting life or my career.

Just a couple of weeks back, I completed the Army Half Marathon in 1:54:46 which is quite an accomplishment since I have only ran one 12km run since May and have been biking and swimming a lot.

Today is Monday 1st September and I am just 6 days away from another race of my life. It's another new thing I am going to try to complete. It may seem daunting, a 1.9km swim, a 90km bike and a 21km run and I am hoping to complete it in 6 hours.

A year back, I set out to do a series of races in preparation for the Ironman in 2 years time and now I am seeing it all pan out in front of me. It teaches an impulsive person like me to plan ahead and stick to my guns.

The reason why I love such long distances events is because it teaches you to think and plan long term. Life is about making the best out of every opportunity.

Come this Sunday 7th September, this will be most probably what I will feel during the race.

I will vow
I will curse
and I will chant and tell myself I am done
No way
Never again
Then the crowds
The music blaring over the speakers
The medal
and the pain is all forgotten
and I hope I will get the chance
to do it all over again

and... this is special as there's someone waiting for me at the finish line which makes it even more meaningful and special. :)

Gotta thank her for being so supportive when I told her I am tired and need to go home and rest after long training and working days. ;)

My Sprint Triathlon

2008-07-11T08:07:00.008+08:00

My first triathlon pictures

Exiting the swim in Changi.

On my way to an individual time-trial at 33.5km/hr average speed for 20km

The run

This picture caps off the day.

Singapore Sprint Triathlon

2008-06-15T13:41:00.008+08:00

I signed up for this Sprint Triathlon for my passport to the Ironman Langkawi Malaysia. (Ironman requires you to complete at least a sprint tri)

The course is actually a 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run. This was held at Changi Beach Park. On the way to the race venue, I chatted with a taxi driver and he was introducing me medicine for my knee cap. Damn knowledgeable folk. He mentioned that my right knee was due a lack of fluid between the knee cap joints as I have overused my knee cap. And he introduced some supplement to me too.

Thats the reason I picked up swimming and bike as it will be put less stress on my poor right knee.

Swim: 24:19
I position myself right at the back of the start and mine. The start of the swim was like a washing machine. Breast strokers were beside me and i avoided them like the plague as I dont want to get kick in the face. I zipzag for the first part as I have problem sighting as the buoy was on my left and I can only breathe on my right.

I think I hit quite a few folks because of this and after the first left turn, I kind of master how to sight. I think the 750m was easier than it was in the pool because I have more buoyancy due to the saltwater.

Transition 1: 01:23

Bike: 35:42 average speed 33.6km/hr
As I am a pretty weak swimmer, I was one of the last to exit the swim. But I made it up for the bike by passing most of the pack and I was never passed in my bike except for one guy. I time-trial at an average speed of 33.5km/hr for the bike split.

Transition 2: 02:14

Run: 25:34 mins about 5min/km pace

Another of my stronger segment, nothing eventful. My target was a 1:30 finish and I made the cut at 1:29:11

Not bad for a first event. Next up will be Singapore Ironman 70.3 I need to swim more.

http://www.singaporesprintseries.com/Sprint%20Triathlon%20Results%20Overall.pdf

Here's my official results:
Full Name Cat. Pos.
Kah Kiat Lim M20-29 24

Swim Time # T1 Time # Bike Time # T2 Time # Run Time # Total
24m 19s 330 01m 23s 80 35m 42s 79 02m 14s 335 25m 34s 86 1h 29m 11s

Now let's put these numbers into perspective:

My swim I was placed in position 330 out of 358 competitors (last 92% cohort)
My transition 1 from swim to bike was 80 out of 358 competitors ( Top 22% cohort)
My bike I was placed in position 79 out of 358 competitors (Top 22% cohort)
My transition 2 was placed in position 335 out of 358 competitors (Last 93% cohort)
My run I was placed 86 out of 358 competitors (Top 24% cohort)

Period, I need to improve on my swim times and tie my shoe laces a little faster.

The unique experience on races

2008-05-23T22:28:00.002+08:00

The alarm sounds at 3am and I am feeling strangely alive at this hour. I have had a night of broken sleep. Slowly, I made my way out of bed and stretch a little. The whole family is still asleep at this unearthly hour.

Into the kitchen, I made myself once of the few important meals, grabbing the gatorade water bottle marking how much i should drink before the race.

4 slices of bread and 1 bannana with a cup of coffee is what will get me through the morning. I showered to stretch and warm those muscles and put on your race gears and stretched a little. Not a word has been spoken yet as the whole family is still alseep.

Race bib checked, power gel checked, water bottle checked, running shoes and socks all set. I drive to the race and arrive at the start. I stretched a little and run a little as warm up. The heart keeps pumping again - relax!

All's quiet and I see a few friends and wave exchange a few words. Good luck and see you at the finishing line. I moved myself to the sub-4 hour pen and the mecee calls out and announces there's ten more minutes to the race. I am at the start pen and the anticipation of the race is killing me,will this be another personal best? The horn goes off.

The story on the race doesn't matter, it hurts a lot as most races do. But once I have retired from the world of running, swimming and biking, I knew I will miss the pre-race experience. The processes, the pre-race rituals, the motivating words you mumble to yourself before the horn goes off, the training that you do in the wee hours of the morning and the concentration you've

No other circumstances in my life can match the pre-race jitters. It makes me feel in charge of my mind and body. During this period, my mind will be free of all the rest of the stuff in my life and the concentration will be on the race.

So stay an athlete as long as I can, for only an athlete will enjoy this unique experience.

Racing Calendar for 2nd half of 2008

2008-05-09T00:40:00.003+08:00

First half of the year would be a busy period for me as I would be rushing the project and paper for my degree and as usual work.

But nonetheless, I have targeted 2 races. The Sundown Marathon and the Tribob Sprint Triathlon. For the Sundown Marathon, I am still targeting a sub-4 marathon finish although I have been running once weekly only. For the Tribob sprint triathlon, Iam intending to us it as a passport to complete my Ironman Dream.

I would give the OSIM triathlon a miss this year as its very near to my project dadline. Furthermore, I have an ICT from 9th Dec to 21st Dec, I gotta give the Ironman Western Australia a miss this year. I would do it next year.

I would race the Ironman Malaysia next Feb 2009 for my Ironman dreams.

So here's the plan:

May 08: Sundown Marathon
Jun 08: Tribob Sprint Triathlon
Aug 08: Singapore Army Half Marathon
Sept 08: Singapore 70.3 Ironman
Oct 08: Tribob Lombok Triathlon
Dec 08: Singapore Marathon
Feb 09: Ironman Malaysia

Lombok Triathlon will be a very hilly course but it's a very nice place judging from the pictures. I get take a well deserved break there too. A very nice resort. But the tag line for the Lombok Triathlon is "Prepare to weep" and its the toughest course in Asia. Gosh, would I be doing leg presses during the bike route?

Here's a sunset of Lombok

Dawn Riders

2008-04-12T21:41:00.003+08:00

WK, Arron
Raymond, Herman
Daimen, Me, Kyne

Marathon training season is here again.

2008-03-15T08:23:00.002+08:00

I have signed up for the Sundown Marathon which will happen on the last Saturday of May. I have not done any long run for 4 months since the last marathon in December. For my first long run of 2008, I managed to maintained a 5:23 min/km pace for a 20.5km route to the Upper Seletar Reservior in 1:50

Not bad since I have laid off from runs for awhile. Comparing bike to run, I find that for bike, my heart rate is slightly higher than run as on bike, I usually push myself to maintained a steady pace.

More long runs coming up.

New events

2008-03-01T22:11:00.005+08:00

Since I didn't managed to pass the swim trial and didnt compete in the Singapore Biathlon owing to not enough time for swimming or just plain lazy, I have new goals.

For my bike, I have improved and I can time-trial 120km with an average speed of 30km/hr. My bike timings are quite good, however I have been slacking in my run and swim.

For this 2nd quarter, I will focused more on swimming and running as I have some unfinished business to do. That is run a sub 4 hour marathon and complete a sprint triathlon for me to gain entry to compete in an Ironman event.

First is the Singapore Sundown Marathon. I checked my schedule and this didnt conflict with my degree project deadline. So off I go for my third marathon.

And I signed up for a Sprint Triathlon too which is a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. Objective of this is to get familiar with open water swim and complete it.

So here goes, a marathon in sub 4 and complete a Sprint triathlon.

I have came up with a training program with 2 swims, 2 bike and 2 runs each week with Monday a rest day. I will stick to this plan and I am sure I can do a sub 4 marathon and improve on my swim timing.

Dawn Rider's

2008-02-07T09:07:00.000+08:00

Some Dawn Rider's pics, a group whom I ride regularly with. We've fast rider's like Kelvin who can average 50km/hr on Changi Coastal Road to the climb master Zahid, too many to list.

Some pics

2008-02-02 Sat ride with Joyriders

Weekly training

2008-01-20T22:42:00.000+08:00

I really must put in more swim training for if I want to compete in the Singapore Biathlon, 70.3 or Ironman this year. My swim is my weakest part.

So this shall be my weekly training, with work and my studies squeeze in. Workload is getting heavier as a few of my colleagues have left but still manageable. Modules for this semester ain't that tough so with this, I shall be able to squeeze in more training

Monday: rest
Tuesday: 1.5km Swim after work.
Wed: early morning 30km easy bike with Dawn Riders
Thur: 10-15km run in the morning before work
Fri: Stroke correction with Alvin or lap sessions
Sat: Swim day
Sun: Dawn Rider's bike ride. Alternate weekly distance of 97km(Sungei Kadut) or 120km (Jurong East)

Bike and run is ok, swim cannot make it. If I can't pass the swim trial for the Singapore Biathlon, I will reconsider my options for the Ironman this year. Most probably I will postponed it to next year.

Sunday Dawn Rider's Ride Field report.

2008-01-20T22:38:00.000+08:00

Sunday 20th Jan 08

The usual group met up at Jurong East met up at Jurong East and Dave being the lazy chap decided to skip the additional 34km to and from Woodlands and instead met at Sundei Kadut instead.

Dave joined the group at Sungei Kadut and the first to arrived were Damian and the rest arrived about 1 min later.

We regroup and started off for LCK. Not much attacks as Kyne and Dave took the lead and took turns to draft each other until Neo Tiew.

We took Neo Tiew at a cruising speed of around 34km/hr with not much attacksI was admiring the sun rise across the horizon after the satellite farm.

Kyne and Dave hit LCK and were crusing at about 34km/hr thereabouts. We were cruising at a steady pace and it looks like a recovery ride to me. I was admiring the sun-rise and the cool crisp air. The stretch along LCK and Neo tiew was with an average speed of 31km/hr. We overtook a guy wearing an Aero helmet cruising at around 20km/hr and Kyne slowed down to check out the girl. :D sshhhh....
The group re-group at Jurong West shell and Grace's friend, Chin who's an Ironman joined us. A quick intro and off we go with Weiheng breaking off for home. We cruise along Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim and I didnt pulled away as I felt there was too much traffic. As we turned into the Tuas South Ave 1, I pulled away at a speed of 40km/hr and soon slowe d down to 36km/hr.

I especially like the stretch along Tuas South. The sun will be shining on your left and you could see the sea on your right. The sun would cast a shadow on your riding position and I used this to see how aero I am when I am down on my aerobars. haha. :) Actually quite aero.

I pulled away from the group as I wanted a high intensity ride today. We soon turned right into Pionner Road and Damian and Jon drafted trucks. There were attacks along the way with Jon drafting the truck to overtake the group. Soon Damian joined in and the two of them lead the ride.

Chin and I were behind checking out the action. Soon, I heard gear changing. The slope beside the Pionner Road Esso was approaching. Chin attacked the group flying past me. The rest of us got up and started pedaling furiously. I was behind and I shouted, "OUTSTANDING". I responded and attacked, passing Chin. :D Great attack. This slope along Pionner Road shall be our attack point. We should have a scoring system to see who leads after this stretch.

Along Jalan Buroh, we were cruising with Steriod Grace drafting Kyne. Kyne is a great guy who can pull. After the first flyover, I saw a pack of 10 riders who were supposed to be the faster pack of the Joyrider's Sunday ride approaching. My adrealine was pumping as I saw them approaching. Shifted my gears, and pedalled furiously and my heart rate shot up. I was cruising at around 40km/hr before the slope of the flyover. One of the pack leader flew past me with about 10 drafting him. How can I dont response to an attack? On the downslope, I gained speed and reached about 55km/hr and overtook the pack who past me before the flyover. But they were too strong and past me again and I was left smelling their smoke. I was left panting with my tongue sticking out.

Great breakfast and more Ironman stories.

After breakfast, we break off and went for home. I cruise aloned LCK and Neo Tiew with very strong crosswind. It was so strong that my bike swayed to the right and it felt like climbing a hill. Speed was about 30km/hr and the sun was blazing down on me.

Reached home 97km richer with an average speed of 30.5km/hr for the whole ride.

Riders Present:
Kyne
Dave
Grace
Daimen
Jon
Chin
Weiheng
Herman

Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008

2007-12-30T21:56:00.000+08:00

It seems like yesterday was just the 1st of Jan 2007, now it's coming to an end. 2007 has been a blast for me.

2007 was a year which had me furthering myself in terms of brains and brawns. haha. I started my degree course in 2007 and also this was my 2nd year into endurance events like marathon and triathlon.

Pursing a degree while holding down a full-time job and finding time to train for marathon and triathlon was tough. Your social life takes a hit and it seems like I was busy for the whole year.

Weekdays was spent burying myself in work and going for classes at night. If I have the energy in the morning, I will go for an early morning run. Saturdays usually consists of early morning swim and run and followed by catching up on my full-time job work and my study workload.

Sunday is when I usually do my long distance running/biking. I will run more than 25km or bike at least 100km and will spent the rest of the Sunday afternoon napping.

These are the highlights of 2007:

Getting a tri-bike (biking those miles away on the bike makes me feel like I am 10 again. :)

Achieved a personal best for my marathon runtime about 8 mins faster.

Good results and news for career wise and my degree.

Now for 2008

Pass the freaking Biathlon swim trial for 1.5km in under 40 mins.
Run a sub-4 marathon.
Complete the Singapore Ironman 70.3
Complete the Western Australia Ironman
Graduate from my degree program with outstanding results. :)

So anyone wanna be my support crew for Ironman Western Australia 2008?

Dawn Riders

2007-12-23T16:55:00.000+08:00

I have been joining this Dawn Riders for group rides. Their usual weekend ride is about 60km but coming from Woodlands add another 40km to me.

This group has pretty strong riders like Kyne, Reave, Weiheng, Damian, Zahid, WK. Averaging cruising speed was 38km/hr-40km/hr Scary!!! I have a hard time keeping up with them if I was not drafting. Nearly got dropped.

Average speed for a 100km ride on my cateye was 31km/hr which usually makes out to a speed of at least 38km/hr when cruising.

Good fun ride. But riding in a group make me realised that tri-bikes are not really for group riding and they're not good for hill climbs. It's good for courses that are flat and rolling hills. But if you were to attack a hill with a tri-bike, I may need more training.

Triathlon Training Videos

2007-12-21T22:56:00.000+08:00

Some videos for triathlon training.

I admit that I have the following faults for my freestyle.

Over stretching, low elbow and dropped elbow.

Efficient Swimming

And riding on a triathlon bike.

ActiveDotcom on youtube has lotsa Dave Scott Ironman training videos
Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?p=r&user=ACTIVEdotCOM&page=2

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2007 Pics

2007-12-04T21:24:00.000+08:00

SCSM 2007 (a new personal best)

2007-12-02T12:49:00.000+08:00

hours before race

Alarm clocks rings and off I jump outta my bed. I was feeling good as I did catch some sleep unlike previous races. Made myself 3 slices of peanut butter bread, a banana, and a cup of coffee for my marathon day breakfast. I did some light stretches at home to loosen the muscles. Round up my breakfast with a bottle of 100plus.

Start Line to 10km - Time taken 54:15 10km= 54:15

I got myself into the sub-4 pen. I was really hoping to break the sub-4 barrier as I have been thinking about it since last year. The weather was cool and windy and it felt like 23C. The horn went off and I was caught behind runners doing 6.5min/km pace. Took me about 2km to get out of them. I felt strong in the first 10km although my left knee felt a little sore.

Overtook some animiles runners but .......

10km to 20km mark - Time taken 50:50 20km = 1:45:05

I saw the trifam 3:45 pacers and run behind them for a good 10km. I felt that they were going a little too fast and their pace was a fast 5:10min/km and maybe they were running based on the gun-time. Felt strong and since my intention is to break sub-4, might as well follow their pace. Followed them till ECP before I lose them.

I saw a group of Japanese runners at the 14km stretch. They were doing a good 4:50min/km pace and I noticed someone leading the pack, it was a man running BAREFOOT! Yes you heard it, BAREFOOT! He overtook me with a 4:50min/km pace BAREFOOT! Those soles must on his feet must be like rubber. OUCH the thought of running barefoot give me the chills. It must have hurt.

I was running a little fast now as you can see my pace was a fast 5min/km. It took me about 1:50 to reach the half marathon mark.

20km to 30km mark - time taken 56:45 30km = 2:41:51

In the 20km to 30km, I was finding it hard to find someone to pace. Most of them were too fast and overtaking me. Proofs that I was losing steam and I will hit the wall soon. I had some power gel at the 30km mark to give myself some motivation and refuel the depleted glycogen.

I was still doing good at the 30km mark, but as always, the marathon only begins after 34km.

30km to 40km - time taken 1:11 40km = 3:53:37

I hit the wall at Mountbatten Road at the 34km mark. I knew I will hit the wall soon as I was running too fast for the first 30km. Each aid station seem like too far apart from each other. By now, the sun was out in full force and was blazing down on me. I splash more water on me at each aid station to cool off the heat.

I cramped after 36km, HIT the wall. Now, I knew that for the next 6km, it will be hell. I struggled to run and walked 50% of the time. Reenactment of last year scenario.

I really struggled at this part and in my heart, I was still hoping to break the sub-4 barrier. Along Kallang Road, it proved too much for me and I stopped to stretch my calf. It was really a torture with the heat blazing down on me and my body keep on saying no. There was a part when my body was telling my mind, hey stop hey stop! I wanna sleep. But I pushed on.

40km to finish = time taken 19:51

From the 40km mark, I was jumping for and not running. You know why? The cramped was out in full force and any movement of my knee will caused my muscles to pull. Fact of, I was limping. As you can see the 2km took me close to 20mins. a slow 10min/km pace.

At the last aid station, I joked to the volunteers, my hair messy? Going to finish and need a nice photo to wrap the day off.

Finally, the cramp was too much for me to bear and just before the esplande bridge, about 500m from the finishing line, I cramped and lie flat on the ground, hands covering my face. Grimacing in pain. Both legs were im-mobilise, cant move them at all.

A guy and lady rushed over to me. Gave me some words of encouragement. They were shouting, are you OK, are you OK?

After about 2 minutes of lying on the floor, and some light stretchingI got up with the guy's help and continued running. Thanks, mate!!! You made my day. After 42km of running, your body will do crazy things. Like cramping both of your legs up at the same time.

At the final stretch, I was high-fiving all the supporters along the finish line. I got the crowd crazy by dancing to the song played out over the speakers!! That has got to be the highlight of the race. haha.

Round up
Finish my second marathon in 4:13:25 chip time, an 8 minute improvement from last year. A new personal best but the sub-4 timing is still eluding me.

Guess it will be next year before I can break the magical 4 hour barrier and join the elite sub-4 club. :)

Pre-Race Day

2007-12-01T12:36:00.000+08:00

Finally, after 4 months of long weekend runs, it is 1 day to the Standard Chartered Marathon 2007. Looking back I have clocked 520km in training runs in 3 months.

Much lesser than last year, but I am feeling good. I feel so good that I can conquer the 42.195km in 3:45 hours.

Colleagues and friends have been asking me, why do I want to do such endurance activities. Like marathon and ironman. My answer has always been, it seems like such a difficult task to complete and I want to challenge myself. I have never sought to compete against anyone except myself. I better myself in everything I do. And also, doing activities like this helps one to learn how to cope with stress in life.

So here's the breakdown for tommorrow's race.

10km: 53 min
20km: 1:46 hours
30km: 2:39 hours
40km: 3:33
42km: 3:45

Should be "do-able" I am very SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never ending swim..........

2007-11-24T00:32:00.000+08:00

This is the Ironman Western Australia swim leg picture I got from trifam. Beautiful isn't it? Clear blue water and a straight 1.8km out into the sea along the jetty and u-turn back. Total swim distance is 3.8km

The jetty looks like it can reach Indonesia. One of the must do things for 2008!!!

second longest run of the year.

2007-11-11T11:26:00.000+08:00

This morning, I went for a 34km run around the Upper Seletar Reservior and Mandai Road. This run was originally scheduled for Saturday morning but the heavy thunderstorm washed it away.

The goal for this solo training session is not to hit the wall at all. The route today was very quiet with very few runners. Thus it was just me myself and the road.. My first lap to the Mandai Zoo at 17km took me 1:35 a good 5:30 pace but the return lap took a while longer at 1:43 a 6.0min/km pace.

Good thing was I did not hit the wall for this 34km run. The 2 powergel and 100plus helped me to replenish my depleted glycogen.

Off to meet my classmates for school work. Now, time to taper and the remaining LSD runs for me will be 19 and 13km. I hope that I can do a 3:45 marathon on 2nd Dec.

http://www.mapmytri.com/run/singapore/woodlands/962762991

One more long run before the taper

2007-11-05T23:18:00.000+08:00

Let's recap my training for the SCSM 2007. The whole idea for this SCSM was to run a 3:45 marathon in a 5:19min/km pace.

I have only done 1 30km LSD run, 3 25km run and numerous 20km runs. All with pace ranging from 4:54 to 5:30min/km

I will do one final LSD this sat with a race pace of 5:19min/km pace for 30-35km this week to test my race fitness. After that, I will taper to 19km and 13km the following week.

I hope I meet my goal of finishing a sub-4 marathon this year.

New Balance Real Run

2007-11-05T23:00:00.000+08:00

Hot hot New Balance Real Run. I was taking it slow for this race as first, I wasn't really in the mood to push myself to push myself. I slept at 2am the night before waking up at 4.30am for this run. Furthermore, I slept only 4 hours the on fri night before and my body was really not geared for a race. And for the whole week, I was too busy with work and school and didnt sleep much. Add to it, on Sat morning, I just ran 30km to the Zoo.

Decided to take this race at a slow 6.5min/km pace and paced Peifen for the first half of the run. For the first 8km of the run, I was doing a 7.5min/km pace.

I was running pretty slow enjoying the scenery. The planes taking off, the sun shining through the canopy of the Changi Coast Road, the early morning bikers, the sight of a few thousand runners who got nothing better to do just like me. :D

At the halfway mark. gestured to Peifen that she's on pace to finish a 1:40 min run for the 15km. But she was very quiet and didnt talked much. Guess she was very serious in her running. :D dont wanan karjiao her also. So I picked up my pace and left her behind. :D

As I crossed the 9km mark, I decided to quicken my pace. Got to a 5.8min/km pace for the beach and as I ran along the soft sand at Changi Beach for 1km, I thought to myself. Machiam Rocky on his training runs. haha. Rest of the runners were running on the grass whereas only stupid me tackling the soft sand.

As I exit the beach, along the 2km stretch of the runway, I decided to picked up my pace as the sun was blazing down at me. Thank god for my Rudy Project.

Crossed the finish line in 1:40:06 in a 6:34min/km pace. Nothing impressive. Great run, great 100plus, great place to catch the sunrise. First time I saw a blazing orange sunrise in Singapore.

Another hidden gem in Singapore.

Finally, it's here!!!

2007-10-31T22:41:00.000+08:00

After a month's wait for the aerobars to come in, 2 hours and 30 mins of bike fitting, the bike is finally here. Just paid for her and cost me quite a fortune. Really a neat setup, there's even a speedometer and odometer to tell me how fast I am and how far have I bike!

The bike is a Cervelo P2-SL (pronounced as Sir Ve Lo).

Here're some pictures. I have taken her out for a ride yet and most probably this weekend when the time permits. Now that the bike is here, time to work on the engine.

Now let's take a tour around the bike.

Here's a look at the cockpit of my bike. This is where I will be shifting my gears and taking a look at the speed I am going. Note that the bars are straight as these are triathlon/time trial bikes and not your road bikes.

And these are the pro saddles that my butt will sit on. Doesnt look that impressive right? But the price is kinda. hehe. More expensive than my desk chair.

Thats all for now! Now to work on my V6 engine.

When will and skill combine to make great

2007-10-21T16:16:00.000+08:00

At the 4 min mark of this video, it shows the last hour before the 17th hour cut-off timing for the Ironman Worldchampionship in Kona, Hawaii. Very inspirational. This part shows the trimpuh of the participants.

May I quote the commentator:

Sports is at its best, when it’s transcended. When a player’s joy tell you it was more than a game, like a movie only real .That the dream connected the heart to the soul, and the participant’s were make better for it, for all their private and spoken reasons. When will and skill combine to make great, that final hour here, it happens almost every second.

Now, for this Ironman Worldchampionship at Kona Hawaii, you can search for youtube on Ironman Hawai 2006 and there's 10 parts to it. Enjoy. :)

October Training

2007-10-20T17:55:00.000+08:00

Oh my god! I only managed to clock in only 2 runs for the whole October. And the marathon is less than 6 weeks away. My target timing is still below 3:45. Need to do more training!!!!!!

For this whole week, I have been pretty busy with work and school. So today, decided to wake up at 4am for a 29.5km run to the Zoo. Only 4 hours of sleep, my body felt tired during the first 10km. But the first lap to the Zoo of 14.5 km took me 1:21.

It was a cool morning with not much runners along the Mandai Road route. Didnt not see the animiles cheetahs this time around so guess they've headed to ECP. The whole route of 29.5km took me 2:46, a slow 5:37 min/km.

My target pace is 5min/km which should set me in good pace to finish the marathon in under 3:45.

I drop by BikeBoutique during lunch on Friday to check out how my new bike is doing. Saw the Ironman Worldchampionship winner Chrissie Wellington in person. She looks just as human as you and me although she can do a 3.8km swim in 52 mins. And run a sub-3 marathon after 180km on the bike.

Here're some pics of my incomplete bike. I am still waiting for the stem and aerobars to be in. Damn, it's a long wait. Oh yeah, I told them to change the ugly blue wheels to red. It's a good wait as the frames were on offer and cost $420 cheaper. So a wait for 3 weeks and it saved me $420. I can use this money to buy better wheels.

Can someone get me a pair of Hed or Zipp Carbon wheelsets for Xmas? :D

And here's the Cervelo P3 Carbon. Love the sexy wheels. Chrisse Wellington rode this bike and won the Ironman Worldchampionship at Kona. Think the frame will cost $8k alone. Chio bike.

And some chio Planet-X Bike.

September Training

2007-09-30T15:18:00.000+08:00

I clocked in quite a number of LSD for September. The distance range from 20km to 26km. Let's see.

21km Home to Upper Seletar Reservoir 01:50:00 pace at 5.17km/min
26km Home to Lower Pierce reservoir 02:21:00 pace at 5.24km/min
21km 21km Home to Upper Seletar Reservoir01:41:46 pace at 4:54km/min

Today's morning Long Slow run was particularly good even though I was having a sore throat. The air was fresh and cool and the mist covering the Upper Seletar Reservoir was a sigh to behold. I should take my HP next time with me and capture the sunrise over Upper Seletar Reservoir. This is my favourite spot in Singapore other than Old Upper Thomson Road.

Lower Seletar Reservoir pales in comparision due to the various litters left by those fishing overnight and lovebirds.

My pace is increasing getting to be consistently to sub 5 km/min and this should set me in good pace for a sub 3 hr 50 min marathon later this year.

I signed up for the 15km Real Run too but there's a part of 1km running on beach sand. Not really my type of run as I hate the feeling of sand getting into my shoes. But for this 15km Real Run, I am targeting a finish time of 1 hr: 15 mins with a pace of 5 min/km.

Real Run 15km will be hot especially the part on the Runway and the Changi Coastal Road.

Oh and clock in some swimming too. Practicing my strokes with interval training now. Not really going for distance. Wanna get my frontcrawl strokes correct first. :)

World's Greatest Dad

2007-09-08T01:04:00.000+08:00

Documentary about Dick and Ricky Hoyt. This is an amazing story about how a Dad wanted his son to live as normally as anyone else, including graduating from university, competing in marathons and ironman.

And some touching music videos. :)

The world's greatest dad. This Dad swam 3.8km pulling his son on an inflated boat, cycled 180km with him on the bike and wheeled him 42.195km all at the age of 65. And completed an Ironman!!!!!

They are a father and son team named Team Hoyt.

Rick's birth in 1962 the umbilical cord coiled around his neck and cut off oxygen to his brain. Dick and his wife, Judy, were told that there would be no hope for their child’s development. But the couple brought their son home determined to raise him as "normally" as possible.

Amazing. A Dad's love for his son and wanting him to live a normal life and compete and face each day's challenge.

Slacking in my training

2007-09-02T14:46:00.000+08:00

Busy week for me, deadline from school for assignments, trip to bintan and lastly work.

I have not been sleeping much for this whole week. Average of only 3-4 hrs each day. And to add on to it, we drunk quite a bit in Bintan.

I tried to log in some swimming in Bintan but they dont have a lap pool. So was doing much of my work when I was free in Bintan.

Had a blast with the old classmates. Amazing to see all of them doing so well. Time really flies. Anyway, back to my Ironman training, I slept at 3.30am on Sunday morning and forced myself up at 7.30am for my sunday morning swim. After which followed by a 90 min badminton session. During the badminton, Binly and Hans commented on my eyebags. But what the heck, it's just lack of sleep. After getting my beauty sleep, this will go away.

So for this whole week, only 1.6km swim in 40 mins. September will be a good month for me to pick up on my training, and I am going for my bike fitting session with the bike boutique.

And some Ironman promo video. :)

Shopping for a tri-bike

2007-08-26T15:00:00.000+08:00

I have been looking around for a tri-bike for my Ironman next year.

I have went to thebikeboutique.com and they were a friendly bunch of folks. All of them have done tri events and looks like a good place to know more tri folks.

Here's the bike he recommended.

Cervelo Dual Bike Dura Ace 10 Speed

Seems like a good tri-bike from the reviews on the bike. I need to go down for a fitting session with him in September.

2007 Army Half Marathon

2007-08-26T14:22:00.000+08:00

August marks the first year anniversary that I have gone smoke-free. So what better way than to celebrate by running an AHM with a personal best.

I did not ran the AHM last year as my fitness was still there yet for endurance events like this. This year AHM end-point was at the new floating platform in NDP. To be held in conjunction with our national day. The turnout was 60,000 runners with 3/4 coming from the army based on my estimates.

Pre-AHM training

In order to prepare myself for the AHM, I have only ran once or twice a week unlike last year marathon when I was running 3-4 times a week. This is because of my work and school schedule eating into my training hours and social time. But nonetheless, I have managed to clock a few long slow distance (LSD) runs prior to AHM. Not forgetting my laps in the pool to prepare for next yr triathlon events.

I found a new route this time, it's down the Old Upper Thomson Road. Each run will take about 20-24km depending on the u-turn point. For 3 sat morning before the AHM, I have woke up at 4.30am in the morning religiously to put some mileage in my training. The route is good, air is fresh, lots of runners like me, and some hills for me to do me tempo. As usual, it's just me and my ninja training.

Pre-race day

Woke up on sat morning and went to Safra Yishun at 8am to do some swimming. My swimming is getting better as I could feel that my speed and endurance in swimming is there. I can managed a 700m swim in 13 mins. Just 2 months before this, I was still struggling with swimming. Did 2 sets of 700m and went home as I want to conserve my energy for tomorrow AHM. During lunch, I received an urgent call from a colleague. Rushed back to office to sort it out.

I had a dinner with my family at some steamboat restaurant for carbo loading. I reached home at around 10.30pm and only hit the sack at 11pm. But, I couldn't really sleep well due to the heavy dinner I had.

Race-day

I woke up at 2.30am and couldn't get back to bed. I had only about 3 hours of sleep. Got onto my laptop and did some work. Endless load of work from school and my job. Really looking forward to my break in Sept.

Anyway, for breakfast, I had 3 slices of bread with peanut butter, coffee and banana. Feeling good. Drove to Marina Square and off I went to the start point. For this year, I positioned myself nearer to the start line as I want to avoid the crowds that were doing 7m/km to 8min/km. My target was to finish in under 1:45 and so for every 1km it will be 5 mins. 5min/km pace.

The gun went off and my pace was good. I overtook lots of folks doing a slower pace. I was doing about 4:50min/km for the first 5km of the race. I had some stitches for the first 6km of the race. I could feel it and maybe it was because of not much training logged in for this race. My pace was good but my body isn't. I was trying badly to shake off the stitches.

At the 5km mark, as I was going up the Sheares Bridge, it was a little tough and my stitches got worst. But I pushed on, knowing that it's just some race jitters. This year, they sealed off 4 lanes on the ECP for us runners. Well-done AHM! This is definitely a runner's event. The air was cool but I was perspiring a lot. Must be the humidity.

I continued with my 4:50min/km pace and along the ECP, right up to 12km, I was still within target. Had a mix of powergel at the 12km mark and decided to open up my pace a little. But mind willing, my body was not. So I slowed to a 5min/km pace right up to the 16km mark.

At Fort Road, images of what happened to me last year flashed through my mind. It was at this exact stretch that I nearly gave up as my cramps were seizing me.

At the 16km mark, I was still within reach of my target but it was getting a little too humid for me and I was a good customer at all the water-points.

I slowed to a 5.5min/km pace for the last 2 km and I crossed the finishing line in 1:48:23 (my time). I was still feeling good after the race.

A personal best for me as the 21km I did in the army were all above 2 hrs in timing.

My next target for the marathon will be to run a sub-4 marathon. Looking at my AHM timing, it should be within reach but I need to find more time for my runs.

Endurance events are tough. As I was drinking my 100-plus, I thought to myself Gee, an Ironman will be much tougher.

But ............... I want to chase my dreams.

Overall, this was a good event just that the endpoint should have not been infront of the gallery. It should be somewhere along the road infront of Esplanade.

My official results are as follows:
Rank Bib Name CheckPt NetFinish GunFinish
379 N1974 LIM KAH KIAT 1:00:00 01:48:18.18 01:48:48.48

My rank is 379 out of 3324 runners. Out of the top 10% but still a Personal Best for me.

Pace : 5:09min/km

Now time to buy 4D, 4848.

My first Marathon report

2006-12-03T19:41:00.001+08:00

* drum rollssssssssssssssss* First off, gotta thank those who donated to Handicaps Welfare Association! Thanks for making the world a better place :)

And drum rollss, we have.... Wong, Jiehong, Robin, Peifen and lots more.........

After 4 months of training, finally it's race day. Didnt really sleep well the night before as I was too anxious about the whole run. I had carbo load 3 days before eating 4-5 meals a day that are high in carbo.

Pre-race day, Saturday. Met up with my good friends Robin and Deihai for lunch and movies. Tried not to do much walking as I want to conserve my glycogen store. Ate 2 meals in the span of 3 hours, 1 rice 1 noodles.

Got back home around 4+ and took a short nap. Well, my good buddies decided to wake up early sun morning to support me and carry my bag. hehe THANKS ROBIN AND DEIHAI!

Met up with Robin and Deihai at the Padang around 5:10am. Did some light stretching and had 2 bananas. Woot, took a look around and decided to do quick pee. Gave Peifen a morning call and mine she was still in bed when her run is at 7:30am

Off I went to the start line, I found a place in the sub 5 pen. Really excited. First time racing a marathon. The mcee was cheering us to shout. He think this one 10km big walk. 42km, we better conserve my energy for the home run.

First 10km
Off the flag went, it took me about 1 min plus to get to the starting chute. Not bad, soon runners were overtaking me. But I decided to take it slow keeping to a 5.5min/km pace. At the 5km mark, my left knee starts to hurt. Thought to myself, shouldn't be a problem. Just havent wake up niah.

First 10km pace was a good 55 min. Not bad considering my target was 1 hr 05 mins

10km to 20km

Off we made the u-turn to head back to the CBD. Now it's my right knee that starting to hurt. Oh no, not again. My strategy for this marathon was to walk through the drinks station. For this, I look forward to the drinks station so I can take my walking break. Ran along Robinson Road and saw a few lone supporters. Some wifey waiting for their hubbys to run past, some children cheering their Daddy on. Showed a thumbs up sign to some of them. Way to go for waking up so early. ;) Took some bananas at the 15km mark.

20km to 30km
At Mountbatten Road, saw my NS PC. Mark, he was running and had a quick chat with him. No time to lose, so off I went. Looked on the other side of the road and saw that the Kranji Turfclub black horses were on their way back. sibei fast.

Soon, I hit the ECP. Going good. Still havent hit the wall.

30km to 40km.
Ran past 32km, going good. Taking more walking breaks now. Guess I am hitting the wall soon. Soon, i exited ECP and saw a PaceSetter reading 4:00. One Ang Moh was saying, "Hey 4 hours! Let's follow him!"

I think the bugger also losing steam as he gestured to his friend he cant make it sub 4 already. Looking at my watch, it is less than 3 hours and I am at Fort Road. Hrmm maybe I can hit sub -4?

At the stretch along Fort Road, cramp seize both my legs. It cramped all the way from my ankles to my ass. I stood still in the middle of the road, unable to move. I tried to inched 1 step but the cramped got worst. I teared, and thought to myself. Maybe I overestimated myself.

Limped forward and tried to run the cramp off, approached the next aid station for more deep heat. Getting tougher as I was practically walking during the mountbatten road stretch. Maybe I ran for 7 mins and walk for 3 mins.

It was tough, mind games. As I ran along Kallang Ave, a woman in the bus gestured the thumbs up to me. That gave me the motivation to soldier on. I was running with a limp now, but heck. A bit more.

I saw the marker it read 38M, did they forget the K? 38m? Am I dreaming? As I ran nearer it read 38km, guess my body's energy is really running low.

50% of the time, I was running, the other 50% walking at this stage. Really tough, as I ran along the Marina Park. It was extremely quiet. Even though there were lots of runners around me, it was extremely quiet. Each one of us was doing a mental battle over our body. We were focused. I ran past a motivation poster. It read "Finish what you started" tio leh. finish what I started. But off I walk again. :)

Lotsa ang moh standing by the road side cheering us on. Too shag, should have more pom pom girls man.

40km to End Point.

Saw the Esplande. The end is near. Reach the second last water point and splash water on my face to cool off. Off I ran, ran past loads of supporters, saw Deihai and Robin sitting by the stretch after the underpass. Gestured to them, end point!!!!!!!

100ms to the finishing chute. Another cramp got me. Limped and ran. Ran into the finishing chute and raised my hands. Did I get a good photo? Guess not. TOO SHAG LAH!

Unofficial time on my watch read 4 hrs 21 mins. My pace was a good 6km/min. Not bad considering I target 4 hrs 45 mins.

And THANKS DEIHAI AND ROBIN FOR COMING TO SUPPORT ME! I didnt wanna you'll to wait so long so I ran a little faster.

And my official results:

Entrant		LIM KAH KIAT

Event		Full Marathon

Date		Sunday 3 December, 2006

Division / Race Number		M2024 / 5063

Gun Time / Chip Time		4h:22m:22s / 4h:21m:16s

864th place with 6348 finishers behind. About 12% of finishers ahead.

Go the extra mile!!!

2006-09-05T22:07:00.000+08:00

I am for sale! I will run the Singapore Marathon 2006 for $1/km for my adopted charity for 2006.

This donation will go to Handicaps Welfare Association

HWA provides transport, rehabilitation, welfare and education programmes for people with physical disabilities, to facilitate their integration into society. And it does this without big charity organization backing with the likes of NKF etc.

For those who are willing to make a pledge, we will make a deal. You will pledge $1 for each km i run in the Singapore Marathon. That will make it $42, a donation to Handicaps Welfare association to help people with disabilites.

If I dont complete the marathon, you can choose not to make the donation. Thats our deal. No complete marathon, you dont need to make the donation. Simple!

I aim to raise $500 and so far I have raised $150 with Robin and Jiehong pledging the highest amount.

Quote from Jiehong's blog

Run for a cause for the coming Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2006 ! I’m pledging $1 for every KM that Dave will be running.

He said he will quit smoking, he did !

He said he will complete a 42KM marathon, well he will !

Details of the Fund Raising event: http://hwascsm06.blogspot.com/

Email him @ davekiat at gmail dottie com

My first full marathon

2006-09-05T21:59:00.000+08:00

An update. Most of you out there know that I will be running my first full marathon this december. My personal best are as follow:

2.4km: 9:14
10km: 44:40

Running the marathon is no mean feat and I will be following a strict training schedule for 17 weeks(above). Total mileage i will be clocking for my training will be 712km and another 42km on Dec 3rd.

Usual routine will be getting up at 5.30am and clocking in for a 5-15km run before work on weekdays. If I cant get up that early, it will be postponed to later in the evening after work around 8pm before dinner.

The past 4 days of my smoke free days

2006-02-27T22:47:00.000+08:00

Day1. Friday.

Today is the start of a new day without ciggie. Went for breakfast as usual, and met up with jiehong on our way to a seminar. My, isnt good to hang out with a smoke-free friend on the very first smoke-free day I have.

Bought some menthos to fight off the craving in case I need to smoke. Throughout the whole seminar, didnt really felt an urge to smoke because folks in the IT seldom smoke. Its only the sales peeps who do, so it was tough really.

But as I got back to office after lunch, my colleagues started asking me out for a smoke. Mine, they were suprised to learn that I have quit smoking. haha. A few of them even shaked my hand to congragulate me on my new mission. haha. It was tough as I can smell the ciggie calling outta me but I have learnt to programme my mind to link pain to smoking. I find more pleasure being smoke free. Arhh, at last my shirt dont smell of cig anymore.

Soon, time to knock off. Got back home, I came from a smoking home so nonetheless, I had an urge to light up. My eyes were bloodshot, running nose. Arhh, the signs of a nicotine addict withdrawing. Decided to go out as I realised the more I stayed home, the more I will smoke.

Went out for dinner with friends and bought a pack of 30 nicotine replacement gums. These will come in handy. As I talked to the pharmacist on those nicotine replacement gums, I realised that each gum has a dosage of 2mg of nicotine. Thats higher than the average ciggie I smoke which has only got 0.7mg! haha. u know what she said "Dont forget the 3000 chemicals that comes with each puff you take! That statement and the smile on her face convinced me that I should quit smoking. Bought it and as I chewed my first nicotine gum, and you should have seen the effects it had on me. I came alive!

Day 2.

Not really eventful. Fight off the urge not during the meeting breaks by avoiding the smoking corner. Guess that I will be less updated about the office news after I quit smoking. But hey, I will be more productive as there's no more smoking break!

How much cig is gonna cost me.

2006-02-27T22:38:00.000+08:00

Well, guess that I gotta blog for my quit smoking agenda. I intend to stay smoke free forever.

Actually, I have always wanted to quit smoking. I didnt really enjoy smoking, but I guess it has become more of a habit. I smoke about 8-10 sticks a day and let's do some sums. Assuming ciggie price never goes up in the next 10 years and this is just a sum of the cost of cigaratte alone. Not counting the cost that goes into lighters, ashtray, dental appointments for those yellowish teeth, extra teeth-whitening toothpaste etc.

So here goes,
At S$11.00 a pack and 8 cigarettes a day, you're spending a total of S$1,606.00 a year on smoking. Over ten years that works out as S$16,060.00.

My cost of smoking is $1,600 a year. That's like spending money on an airticket to New York yearly. Wow, let's see how much interest this will earn me with fixed deposit of 2.5%PA.

This sum alone will earn me $401.5 interest PA. This sum has not been compounded yet. Man, I sure can do my sums.