Langkawi 226km

Ok, it's story telling time... :)

Langkawi Ironman this year was...tougher! Yes, compared to last year, the sea had stronger currents, drinking water in distress over the bike route and scorching sun as the clouds cleared up in the afternoon for the marathon.

25Feb - Flew together with pretty much the same iron bunch as least year's.
Reaching Langkawi, first thing we did was registering ourselves. I was shocked by my BP reading! 155/90!!!! Gosh! That's hypertension! I'm having hypertension??? Noooo!!!! Fortunately after a question session with the medical officer in charge, my entry was approved. But I was worried with such a high BP. Work stress, lack of sleep (3hrs before flight) causing it? One thing for sure, I had to double up my daily omega-3 intake now.

Afternoon was spent fixing up our bikes. I had Michelle, Jezamine, Kenny & Debbie for company in our Kondo Istana unit. It's Debbie's IM debut and clearly she was very anxious, just like how we were last year. However, this year Michelle decided to be a spectator, supporter, photographer and tourist. Hmm...I did play with that idea a few months back but what da heck...let's do it again this year. A second eagle medal and I'll get both framed up nicely. (I was expecting the same eagle medal again!) Carbo loading dinner this year took place at Cenang beach Oasis Cafe. That's the same cafe as last year and I was tempted to have the same meal as last year as well but lunch was the same Kenny Roger's so I turned to North Indian menu for a change.

After dinner and a bit of grocery shopping, we headed back to Kondo Istana for a good night's sleep. ZZZzzzzz......

26Feb - Pre-race day started with swimming practice...or in other words, getting our ass accustomed to Langkawi waters. Running back to condo with Michelle after the swim warmed my body engine. Upon reaching our unit, Debbie was ready to test her bike. Both of us rode to Seaview & back and that was the test, less than 3.8km! Friends were doing 30-40km but we'll save the distance for tomorrow la...Hahaha!
Race briefing, carbo loading lunch, afternoon nap...time went by rather fast and we did our bike check-in before 5pm to beat the bike jam. Yup, bike jam! Even bikes have it! Well, for this event la...

Ok, fast forward...

27Feb - Race Day
It's going to be my first race using freestyle. Not going to be pretty with zig zagging as part of the game. True enough, 200m out and I was heading left, out to sea. Had to re-align & get back in the crowd. Halfway to U-turn, a poor jellyfish suffered my freestyle slap. In return, I had stings on my wrist, elbow and thigh. Burning pain!! F&%#!!!! But I had to keep on going. My fear was allergic reaction and a DNF. That thought kept my mind off my pace which was already really slow. I reached the U-turn buoy in 1hr12min! My goodness...people are already off on their bikes and I was only half way through the swim. Last year I took 55min. So much for my freestyle. Going back was easier with current on our side and I decided to switch to breastroke. Whacked it hard...and going STRAIGHT! No more zig zagging. My return swim was 40min, giving a total of 1hr53min. Bloody hell!
But then again, I was happy to be out of the water. For this race, I didn't touch 3km in my training :P And to top it off, the jellyfish sting didn't had me swollen like a TOMATO! I should be happy! With so many friends shouting "Go tomato, go tomato!!" it was refreshing to be on land again.The amount of Gatorade I downed in transition tent showed how much water lost even though it's a swim...a very long swim. Putting on bike jersey was a good choice as there was no sun block lotion provided this time. Organiser cutting cost? No sponsor?

After checking my jellyfish wound, I felt relieved again. Inflammed red patches but no worries! Phew!!

Bike was going to be fun. Look at the sceneries. This year go slow to enjoy. That's what I kept telling myself and of course, praying for no punctures.Before I forget to post this, I'd better do it while waiting for my brain to recollect the riding & running...

Sorry gotta say...to be continued....