The Return of The Fishmonger

Yep, I'm back again after more than a month of inactivity. It was a time to rest, wind down a little, focus on new developments in my life and attend to a pretty packed work schedule.

A quick update since my last post on the Aviva 70.3 Singapore Ironman. It was a great first half-ironman in Singapore and I thoroughly enjoyed the race. I was feeling good on race day and aside from the choppy East Coast waters, the bike course was pretty fast and I pushed hard in the first 3 loops. I was doing some fast speeds of 37-38km/h and I guess it took a toll on my legs on the final loop. I was prepared to go full out on the bike leg so I was happy with how I lasted in the first 3 loops. I cruised down the final lap and was feeling a little tight in my quads and calfs so I was careful not to push too hard. I was determined to do my half-marathon under 2 hours, so conserving a little for the run was necessary!

My transitions were pretty quick this time round and I got out of T2 in a flash. I was cautious in the first loop as my quads were beginning to tighten up. I shouted to my 4 supporters if they had Deep Heat and their reply came almost unanimously - "NO!" I was hoping they would get it for me when I began my second loop. Thankfully I found some along the turnaround point and that eased up my legs a lot. The start of the second loop was a lot more tiring (and hot!) but I increased the tempo a little as I was concerned I would slow down . There was a point in the run where my right hand stiffened up and it totally affected my running form. I was relieved when it eased up after I walked a bit at a water station.

The final loop at the esplanade brought much joy and relief and I was all smiles as I ran down the finishing chute. I'm glad I came in better than my targeted time of 5:30 - a personal best of 5:20:58! I'm satisfied with my performance and am already looking at beating this timing at next year's race!

Thanks to Shirley, Huimei, my bro who has just been simply fantastic supporting me all this while and to Eunice, my dearest supporter and ardent fan!

The racing buddies were wonderful too and I really do look forward to our next race together. It's the company that makes each race for me so meaningful, special and warm!

Fishmonger