4th day IRONdream

28th November 2009
21km run..


after reading Shahidan's www.kakirunner.blogspot, i got inspired to run 21km.
just to try and test my capability to keep up the pace for 21km. it ended up not so well, as u can see on my watch. i didn't strap on the heart rate monitor coz i dislike having a strap on my chest. hopefully one day they'll come out with strapless one. or already have? i don't know..
i brought 2 bottles of plain water, 2 gels and beans. i'm very alert with the sodium intake for this run. i started at 8 am plus.. so by the time i go for final loop, day is getting hot. the old me never wear cap when i run, but nowadays i prefer to have cap cover my forehead and absorb the sweat.
didn't push myself coz tmrw will be my last day of holiday, and the military training will be strenuous through out the whole month. might be my last training for this holiday=) i made good use of my holiday and no regret=) hope my sacrifice worth and bring me closer to my goal.

i took Idan's advice for this run, and it works..
i hate my shoe get wet. in IM, i only shower top of my body. my bottom will stay dry. but this year, for the 3rd loop, one of the volunteer shower my whole body. i was very angry that time, but i know he was trying to help.



my meal after training..
Tuna Spread rich in protein and bread as my carbo source. this is the best i can have in a military camp. we're not allowed to have stove and fridge, so no choice.. better than nothing..


this is my new balance 903..
didn't buy the 904 because the sole is a little bit hard.. this 903 give me the "running-on-pillow" feeling, and the ventilation is great=)
always bring cask when u run, just in case anything happen. every long distance run and ride i'll have money with me, be prepared if my body fail suddenly and i need to stop at the grocery shops to buy water of take cab home..

Titanium Stuff

after 3 days of training in UPNM, the "Prisoner-Of-War" feeling started to overwhelm me.. i might regret not taking this opportunity to do my own stuff, so i went outing. wanted to buy a printer, but would it be necessary since next month will be the military training? or i should wait till next semester? hmm may be the price will drop, then can get it cheaper.

then i hunt for some sport stuff..
contacted few guys asking about some sport products namely POWER BREATHE the lung dumb bell, titanium necklace and some cool stuff..
so this is what i found.. checked in www.bicyclebuysell.com and i saw them selling the Titanium necklace RM45, and i got it RM15.
all the titanium stuff RM15 each. crazy cheap right? titanium necklace i was afraid that it'll be a fake one, but i tried it. it works! haha.


here are those cool stuff i got after days of surveying..


see those 2 tiny patches? there's a titanium ball in it, very very small.. paste this patches on yr meridian point and it'll cure yr pain and stiffness.
i feel kinda stiff on the neck after few long rides, within 10 seconds after putting it on my neck, i felt really great! my neck no more pain and regain flexibility!
i asked Jun Win to help me patch it on my meridian point.
This is truly interesting and worth investing.

3rd day training for IRONdream

DISTANCE : 92.2KM
AVERAGE : 25.5KM/H

Rode all the way from UPNM to Hulu langat Batu 18.
i met Farhan at Sekolah Rendah Pengkalan Tentera Darat.
not really in the mood to cycle coz before meeting farhan, a car passed by me and the side mirror touched my handlebar.. the car was dashing in a military camp! should have taken the plate number..
here goes our breakfast before climbing Perez.


my menu, as usual, Teh O Ais Limau and Roti Kosong satu..
don't wanna take too heavy coz the climb gonna be steep, and when i come back down i'm gonna eat again. so i just eat what i need to climb Perez.


this is Farhan's first ride to this place. wearing a Blue Orca trisuit under his cycling jersey. itz a smart decision coz he is going to wear that to go IM10, so by wearing the actual day's attire he can simulate the real condition.


this is me.. been here few times, but never get bored with the route..
so far Hulu langat is the best place for me, coz of the traffic in rural area, and nice roti canai.. haha. from here to Batu 18 this place is a great track to do TT coz it is slightly going down and mostly flat, remain in a aero slicing wind position will be great, left and right of the track covered by trees, so the wind isn't strong..


my weapon.. CSK.


look at this Pink Guy's wicked smile.. his weapon Trek 1000 upgraded groupset and Arione CX saddle.


me at the same place..
if u notice, on the board there're bullet holes all over. even if u look at the back of the signboard, u can see the sheet metal was penetrate by more than 30 bullets at a time.. who shoot it??? no body gonna climb up there to make holes right? the penetration looks exactly like the target in shooting training..



farhan's first time to Perez...
later we got to know that there's no such thing as Perez..
the actual name is Genting Peras, and the white people pronounce it as "Perez" instead of Peras.. haha been here since 2 years ago, now only know the true story..

came back to UPNM and bought Nasi Ayam Panggang. haha Farhan's recomendation..
then later proceed with 7km to kaki Bukit Besi.. feel good at first, after 3.5km i feel my body have no fuel to burn, forcing me to walk. another 1km to finish, i'm already at my limit, keep on running will only trash my day and result in longer recovery. what if i faint? the sun was really hot as i'm running at 12pm, and my arm shivering.. thatz not a good sign..
run walk run walk all the way like the Jeff Galloway technique. it works for me in this condition, or else walking for 7km for an "IRONMAN-cadet-triathlete" is really NO-BALLER.

back to my room did my laundry and quickly drink my supplement. within an hour after training is the best period to take supplements as the body can absorb really well.
i know nutrition is very very important and will bring extreme impact on me. this year's experience in IM proven to be a fruitful lesson as i cut down 1 hour 44minutes compared to previous year by barely an improvised nutrition plan=)

here comes my Nasi Ayam Panggang Bandar Tasik Selatan..
an hour nap and 2 can of 100 plus freshen me up and now blogging..
increment of sodium after long hours training will replenish fluid in body and make athlete recover faster.


here is my new saddle, all the way up to Perez i tried few sitting position and all i can say is my butt simply love this saddle. i changed new saddle mainly because my old saddle rail already out of shape and Arione allows various sitting position including on the saddle nose! can imitate Fabian Cancellara who sits on saddle nose during TT at the angle of 82!

2nd day of holiday training

yesterday's long ride was challenging, so today not going hard. i walked all the way from UPNM out to the Military Police.. this is the round about where few of our team cyclist fell.. look at the tarmac, LOOKs slippery right? yes it is..

went Mid Valley to hunt for new toy.. hehe.. my brother Jun Win gave me a Pizza Hut coupon, so i went there to have lunch at Pizza Hut. i didn't look at the coupon, so i thought a large pizza should fill in my stomach. when i got it, what a disappointment, itz just a small one. never mind, itz free after all.. so i continue with a snack plate in KFC.


Gagah setia the army's motto..


i saw this same species shoe of mine in Mid Valley..
i'm wearing 903, Eneko Llanos won Kona no 2 wearing 902, and this is 905...
it looks great, but not much different compared to 904. the sole also almost the same as 904, but this colour nicer..


here comes my new toy.. bought it at RM89.90.
reason why i bought this is.. my goggle will "flood" when somebody kick me during mass swim start, and my goggle is for pool racing, low profile hydrodynamic design, and no rubber padding. after 3.8km swim, my whole head dizzy.. however, the red screen is good for open water swimming coz of the contrast between blue seawater and greenish shore after filtered by the red screen.

this is a speedo goggle, after i made a study last night and searched in the net, i saw most of the Total Immersion swimmers wear this, because TI swimmers mostly swim open sea. and it will tremendously improve yr navigation, provide very wide view.
so, i have decided that this gonna be my new toy. haha.
chose red colour as my socks and running shoe is red..


as i am blogging.. i put this goggle on.
just now after i bought this goggle, i excitedly went to Bukit jalil to swim.
was very disappointed that the pool closed for maintenance till the 3rd December.. i'm no national swimmer, better don't argue and follow the rules.
i've been wearing this goggle while blogging for nearly an hour, feel very comfy with it=)


this is how my face gonna look like after 3.8km swim...

came back to UPNM before 5pm, went for 7km jog..
feel kinda good.. trying to improve my strides.. still working on it..

the Dawn of my Holiday..

the last day in UPNM, hundred over cadets were detailed to become spectator for the Passing Out Parade of Graduate Officer intake 25. their strength is only 2 company, and 2 of the 4 awards won by ladies.. suprisingly..the parade commander was a captain from Kor Kagat!
normally we'll yell "GEMPO WIRA!!!"
but the parade commander.. "GEMPuuuuuurrrrr WIRA!" haha sounds a little funny..
at the end of the parade when they're about to slip in the sword to the sword cover, one captain failed to slip it in. too bad.. hundreds over cadets watching him..

we marched all the way back from 1st Battalion Royal Malay to UPNM, along the way, few of the cadets got slapped by the Chief Instructor for failure to swing arm appropriately. orders keep changing.. sometimes the officers said swing 45', sometimes 90.. but those who got slapped really deserve it coz they swing neither 90 nor 45. itz really an eye sore looking at those guys.

fall in at Cadet Officer's Mess, got extra drill for more than one hour. Few guys made mistake, so we got collective punishment. and CI even threatened to stop our leave.
"U cadets F****** I**** can't follow simple orders, how to become officers?"
during the extra drill, more and more people got slapped..
it has been years that i see the same thing happening in this camp, military culture and tradition never dies..
once we got the leave pass, went to see Haziq to buy some tubes. plan to ride long this holiday=)


this is my new race kit. New Sidi T2 Triathlon Shoe, and 2XU compression socks.
today's ride will be 80km. thatz the game plan. i upgraded my groupset to Shimano 105, the previous one was Shimano Ultegra, but the Grandfather Ultegra.
i decided to buy this year's 105 because, it is equivalent to last year's Ultegra, and i got it cheap=) and now i have 10 speed, smoother shifting.


at the Semenyir and Klawang junction, before reach here, i was struggling hard to keep up with the speed. i'm really in poor shape right now. lack of mileage...


WHY THE HELL I CAME UP TO PEREZ??
haha i saw a bunch of cocky Chinese cyclist, so i gave them a challenge=p
i chased after them, but i falied to overtake 2 of them. they're crazy fast. the others, i smoke them=p haha. if i have more time to bike each weekend, i'm sure i can beat them. all i need is time!


Barisan Nasional..


this is the bunch of cocky cyclist i met. most strong cyclist are cocky. so are they strong? QUITE...


this is where i ended up after the climb up Perez.


Pekan Hulu Langat batu 18..


the lady making Roti Canai..


this is my breakfast.. 2 Roti Kosong..
when going back, i feel the speed suddenly come to me.. haha half way through, another familiar sensation attacked my thigh, forced me to stop. should no have climbed Perez!!! but if i don't climb, when am i gonna climb right?
the ride was hard for me, as i was really lack of distance.

DISTANCE 94KM
AVERAGE 26.7KM/H

It really hurt my legs, but i know what to do.. here comes my nutrition plan.. haha the savior of the day.. i increased my sodium intake and suck in Chocki Chocki as my source of glucose and carbs.
got back to UPNM, and saw hundred over candidates. they really not highly spirited..
imagine the fitness test, the 2.4km run they walk.. itz not a MALAY MAIL BIG WALK la.. imagine form 4 with that kind of fitness? wahai Bangsa Malaysia, wake up man..
more than 20 of them are chubby cutie Doraemon. none of them run all the way to complete 2.4km. feel sad to see that. i followed few of them to run, but they just refuse to give the best in them.
RMC is a great school, fight for it man..
i jogged for 15minutes around UPNM, as i don't want to waste my long ride..
i cramped few times.. such a lonely day, whole UPNM Tri Team, only me stayed back.
3 consecutive years i stayed back during Raya Haji. i was alone in the whole UPNM! but this year some seniors are here. i just believe this extra ounce of effort will make me to the IRONMAN finish line before the sky turn dark in February.

bumped into Major Zulmadi on the way walking back to block C5..
Major :"u're not going back?"
Chan :"No sir!"
Major :"when is yr next tournament?"
Chan ""February sir!"

he was surprised that my next race is February.. and his compliment for my sacrifice boost my morale up. haha. he is a sport science guy, thatz why he shows extra concern for athletes.

i envy my friends out there can have ample time training and ride long every weekend, but i must carry out my duty as cadet officer and follow rules in here. it has been 7 years i follow rules in this same old camp.. triathlon is a way to release pressure..

like what Andy Potts said "triathlon is sport which give u more than what u take from it"..

Aero Helmet

this is how i look like with an aero helmet.

thanks to Ahmad Syazwan and Amirul my techincal team for this year's IM08 for snapping this picture=) great shot=)

the aero tail isn't close to my back, so it can't guide the air to flow down my back..
and the gap between my back and the aero tail will cause turbulence..
aero helmet can save up to 50 seconds for 40km in wind tunnel. in the actual race, i can't save that much..

In conclusion, why buy aero helmet? just to keep yr head warm? or style??

or Speed Vs Pride?
it looks great tho.. can't deny that. can the head stand the heat for 180km???

Maiden Long Distance Ride of 2009

Date : 17 OCT 2009

CYCLIST: Farhan, Qayyum, Batjau, Kicap, Stuart, Mek, Black, and Chan


everyone immediately grab their bags and leave UPNM once we got our leave pass, but not the 8 of us. instead of going holiday, we went long distance cycling.
among the 8, more than half never ride on highway and our stamina level varies.
pushed off from UPNM around 10am and gathered at PUZIDA. had our quick breakfast at Pekan Sungai Besi.

as i'm the senior among the 8, i led the ride.. the 1st 10km i wasn't feeling good cost few riders couldn't catch up with the speed. i have not decided where we'll go once we reach Putrajaya. so my short goal is to reach there. in less than 30 minutes, 2 riders went missing.


as u can see, only 6 of us including the photographer was there. Qayyum and Batjau couldn't catch up, and they've never been to Putrajaya cycling. tried to call them but failed. i'm in deep shit.



i told them to take picture with the mosque background coz everyone who bike here must have this picture. still waiting for the 2 missing fella.. Black brought no bottle for this ride=.= while the others come with plain water. no electrolyte in the bottle and go long distance? thatz ridiculous no 1 of the day. i have a handful of sport beans and Power Bar and Gels with me, just incase we're going more than 100km.


Stupidity no2, only 2 riders have spare tubes in the bento box. Me and Farhan.


here is our first stop, at the Pullman Hotel where 70.3 IM was held. i told them to refresh themselves and drink more fluid before we go harder on the road.
we have money with us, and saw the vending machine. BUT, we have no coins. we're lack of 20 cents. normal days 20 cent is just no big deal and no one could be bothered to pick it up when we see that by the road side. and now, because of the 20cent, we can't even buy a can of 100 plus. we even offered 1 ringgit to change with 20 cents! but still, no means no...


we stopped for a while.. discussing how to get cold drinks.. then we continued our ride to nearest R and R at Dengkil. the 2 missing fella made their way there earlier than us. one of them cramped already. after some refreshments, we go on.. i've never been to this place, and the heat is killing me. it has been 8months since after IM that the sun didn't see me on the road. i'm really not in good shape.
we decided to ride below 35km/h, itz really slow, and i know it'll take longer to reach UPNM and i hate slow rides on flat road. really really challenge my mental till the max. looking at the glass and nails on the road, i hope nothing goes wrong. only 2 tubes available. just few seconds after, Mek's tube punctured. i put on my CO2 Canister to the valve and here it goes my first CO2. i really need to figure out how to use it before IM, and i told the juniors to record the scene to prove that i can do better than Chrissie Wellington=p hahaha! Farhan lead the way from there as i have no idea where are we heading.

about 10kms after i changed his tube, 2 staples penetrate into my tire and tube and pierce my rim tape. what a wonderful day right? how come good samaritan have no good return? i thought i helped Mek and i should deserve a better day?=p nevermind..
i changed my tube.. this time i need to use my hand pump=.=
no more CO2...

we passed Negeri Sembilan, and snapped picture.

then we passed the signboard "Selamat Datang ke Negeri Selangor Darul Ehsan".
when we picked up our bike, Farhan's tire punctured. no more tubes available. so he gave me pacthes without glue and he told me his patches need no glue. huh i was suprised with his patch=p ended up failed to repair the tube.

today really challenge our survivability. while waiting for help, we sat by the road side and took turn to ask for help. some cars just honk and didn't stop. ARGH!

Then my father called.. he asked me where i am and bla bla.. so i told him i'm lost at Selangor and bla bla..
then.. "can u please figure out how to call celcom hotline from overseas"

i was mentally blocked that time...

took a deep breath, and said "yes i'll help u figure that out."

the worst day of my life but the juniors always tell me IRONMAN NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. AHAHAHA very funny.. =.=

i called CELCOM and the operator asked me lots of question which i don;t know how to answer. then i just hang up. sigh..
called again.. finally got the number "*123#" to call CELCOM from overseas. Fuh! another problem solved.. hehehe.. yea now i see the "IM NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE"... *grins*



PLUSLINE patrol car finally came to help us. they led us to the nearest Bukit Makhota at Nilai area. when we reached the town, few guys screen down and said "u guys stylo" haha stylo la sangat, dah satu hari kayuh.. we're getting more and more attention..

bought some drinks and a super glue to patch his tube.

successfully patch his tube.. but when put it on, i hear the hissing sound near the valve area. how can i stop "mencarut" right? another ARGH!



this old auntie asked us where we're from.. itz a disgrace to say we're from UPNM. hahaha! she knows Joo Ngan and some famous cyclist.. she saw me patching and we had a great chat with her! haha modern old lady. it was raining cats and dogs so we have to find shelter. she told us the nearest KTM is around 3kms away! wow here comes our hope!


since one bike punctured, we do a duathlon all the way to the KTM, Qayyum and Black was wearing running shoes, so the took turn to run till we reach there.


Look at the road. Road bike or CYCLOCROSS??? Mat Black with his nice running form.


Mek escorting Qayyum to KTM train station...


once we reached there we were super happy and quickly buy ticket.
then there's this very arrogant train station supervisor i suppose, he scolded us.. and he refused to help us. Long story to explain to him, but we understand he is doing his job.
another ARGH! of the day... 40km to go back UPNM. even if we do a crazy fast marathon it'll take us 3 hours plus dragging the punctured bike and and ride back out to the main road! need a better solution.


so i tried to patch his tube again. thats the final piece of patch! we're really really desperate that time.. people looking at us with the weird stare..
the place is kinda isolated and we're now at KTM Bangi...

Qayyum looking at me patching the 3rd hole in one tube! can u imagine! see the bigger tube at the side? Kicap went to the town to buy tube but he doesn't know the size! no size available, no choice..


the punctured tube and punctured riders.. such a long and lonely day..


last solution.. pack up our bike and take train. bike become baggage!
Mek is always positive and cheerful throughout the day, now i know the juniors are way better than what i expected. Kicap, Farhan, Mek, Batjau, Black, Qayyum, Stuart how can i forget u guys?!


packing our bike.. Qayyum went for Prayers.. hoping that God will answer his prayers..
when he came back, a local man offered us a lorry and i managed to patch Farhan's tube!
Qayyum was so touched that he felt like crying.. huhu..

later when the KTM man know our story, his arrogance somehow gone and show some sympathy to help us packing our bike..
itz too late though, we got help from somebody else..


already Maghrib and we sat on the bike box waiting for help... Batjau, Kicap and Mek..
no one regretted for coming this ride. they said they learned a lot of things..


all of us except Stuart and Black.. Stuart snapped this photo and black went for maghrib prayers..


here is Stuart with me... Photographer of the day, may the National Geographic hire him one day to make a documentation of Sesat Riders..

the truck can fit 3 human beings and barang-barang (stuff)..

So, the 2 local man and black will sit at the front (Human Being)
and the rest are all barang-barang baik.. ( the other 7 riders )


all the way back to UPNM.. it was really cold on the truck.. we're super exhausted.

my aunt called me when i was on the truck. she is the first to know i'm lost..
then my mum quickly call me once my aunt told her..

got back to Sg Besi camp, paid the driver 100 bucks..
we bike in a double file all the way into UPNM. that night, PTD and few other big shots having malam Raya and the camp look so beautiful=)

Farhan's tube with 3 puncture i pasted just now can survive the final 3 km to get into UPNM!

arrived at 8.30PM... in 30 minutes time we gathered again at Regimental Police, then pushed off to go makan makn at Sg Besi. Aiman is organizing a fucntion in his house, but we really can't make it. so we had our own function...

Moral of the story:
1. bring extra tube
2. drink electrolyte to prevent cramp
3. plan before a ride and don't make new cycling routes
4. train hard before cycling outside
5. stay cooperative no matter what happen
6. pray to God when u face difficulties

I had a great experience with Mek, Farhan, Black, Stuart, Qayyum, Batjau, and Kicap!
make good use of the lessons learned.
as experience is a painful teacher, u do it before u learn it..