TDS mini tri..

Soooo... as earlier noted on my blog, this past weekend was the first of my 3 *gasp* races this year. I dragged my sick and sorry arse out of bed early on Sunday morning and found that Kale had already loaded up all the gear and was just waiting on me rolling out of bed. Felt kinda bad walking out of the house cos I really didn't have to do anything except get ready and push my bike out of the door.

As we walked out the door (me pushing the really cool, borrowed bike [more about the bike later] and carrying only my waistpouch), I said to the hubby (who was locking the door while balancing his bike, a big duffel bag with all the race stuff in it and the cooler bag) - "what would i do without you?" referring to all the stuff he was carrying. My smartass of a husband replied "you'd probably still be asleep in bed..." which was not quite what I was expecting, yet awfully true.

Dawn met us at the carpark (yes, such dedication, she actually got up early to come with) and then Kale proceeded to load up the car (sense a trend yet?). We drove over to the Nanyang Technological University Sports and Recreation Centre where the race start was. Vanessa showed up soon after and I got registered and all marked up while Kale took his mandatory pre-race dump.

The girls kept on asking me to stretch, but I figured the longer I put it off, the longer I could fool myself that the race wasn't happening.. hah. I'm paying for it now as I type. Owww....

I proceeded to get my stuff set up and hooked the bike on the stand. NOW I shall tell you about this bike. See, Dawn was supposed to do this race with me. Problem is, I only have ONE bike and there would be TWO of us. So, Kale asked around, and Jeanette (the other girl who went to Thailand with us) was kind enough to lend us her bike. I figured I'd ride her bike and Dawn would borrow mine. Now, she's a professional triathlete - meaning that she competes in these things for real. So you can only imagine what a nice bike she has. Yup, carbon frame, aerobars and all.

We only had one slight problem - I have never ridden a road bike before. At least not since my pink and green racer bike that I got for my 11th birthday. We borrowed the bike last weekend to try it out, but the rain got in the way, so I got on it for posterity's sake at home just to set up the seat height. We only really took it out for a spin this past Saturday.

I got REALLY nervous when I realised that it steers awfully different from a mountain bike.. it's far more sensitive.. I rode it a couple times around the parking garage (to get a feel of braking on a down ramp)...and then called it quits. Figured I'd use the bike for the race since Jeanette went through all that trouble to lend it to me.

So yeah, back to the race.. I hooked the bike up to the stand and reassured my neighbour that it wasn't my bike and I didn't know how to use it. We headed over to the pool and got ready for the start. My mom and sis showed up for moral support just before the race started.

Kale had a little pressure before the race. The organisers used his picture on the registration form AND he was told he should try to win the race. No pressure, eh? =)

Van, Dawn and I before the race 
Kale and myself before the race


Me in the pool at the start of the race 


They started with the girls. Only 4 girls started - and we spent a full 5 mins waiting for 2 of them to show up. So basically I was bobbing around in the pool with one other girl trying to keep calm while feeling like a deer in headlights.

The race started, and the 2 girls on either side of me took off FAST. I kinda burned myself out trying to keep up with them. What I do remember was that it was kinda like the Olympics.. they had these cameramen on each end of the pool taking pics of you as you surface.. I felt famous.. haha. The novelty quickly died when I was REALLY wanted to stop at the end of a lap to catch my breath and felt too ashamed to be caught on film stopping. Sigh. I saw Kale enter the pool to get ready for his race as I was finishing my last lap, and he made some funny faces at me underwater. He said after the race that I didn't look too happy.. he was probably right. I felt like dying. Must be this whole swimming thing... I don't think I'm cut out for swimming. I don't think I'm going to make it past the swim in the Osim tri in July cos that's in the sea.. and this was but 4 laps in the pool. eeks. Man, I'm unfit.

Anyhow, I got to the transition area and tried to yank my bike shorts over my wet skin (note to self: remember that lycra and wet skin don't go together). Dawn caught some very embarassing shots of me with my fat in folds as I'm yanking my shorts up. A girl that I was in high school with that was volunteering at the race chose that very moment to come over and say hi... I was mortified, but what could I do?

I got on the bike.. and then proceeded to ride straight into the pavement (note to self: road bikes don't take well to sudden yanks on the handlebars). I let out a high-pitched squeal and heard the crowd get a good chuckle behind me.


me on the borrowed bike 


Felt like hurling during the first lap of the bike ride.. was really tougher than I thought. The road bike thing wasn't very smart either cos I was so nervous going downhill that I was probably going slower than I would have on a mountain bike. The marshalls sent me the wrong way so I lost some time (yeah, like that would have mattered) trying to explain to the officials that I had only done ONE lap and I needed to do TWO.. and so could someone please tell me where I needed to UTURN.

Anyhow, I passed the 2 girls who had gotten out of the pool before me on the 1st lap and somehow made it in first off the bike. I was a little nervous cos I hadn't seen Kale at all during the ride...and I had expected he'd probably come flying by me. As I was getting off the bike in the transition area, I realised why. I heard the emcee shout "Go, Kale!!" and I realised that he had already come in from the run and was finishing his race.. AND I still had the run to go. Sigh. The funniest thing was that Vanessa and Dawn told me that as Kale came across the line, the emcee announced "And here's Kale, a professional, 3rd in..blah blah blah.. AND a wonderful person".. heh heh

I walked the rest of the race.. and I only ran right towards the end cos I had seen 2 girls pass me on the run, and I knew the last girl couldn't have been far behind and there's nothing like a little competition to make Denise move her butt. So I did, I ran the last bit of the race and finished it.


all of us after the race

Da family after the race  


My mom and sis left after for church. During the prize presentation, as I went up to collect my prize, the emcee announced "and this is Denise, who's very special to us. She's the BELOVED wife of Kale." Wow. I'm a beloved wife. Sweet!! So by association, since I'm the beloved wife of a WONDERFUL person.. then I guess I'm wonderful too, eh? =)

So, Kale won the race (surprise surprise) and he "said a little something" after he collected his prize and basically said that it was "nonsense" that diabetics couldn't do things like this.. and everyone laughed along with him, so that was pretty cool.

We headed off with Van and Dawn for brunch (mmm.. eggs...). I know I've already thanked them for coming down to show their support.. they gave up their Sunday morning to spend it with us.. and that's just too sweet. So yes, thanks once again girlies! =)

Ok lah, time to go take a shower. I would put pics up but my office firewall doesn't allow the software to access the internet, and the home computer is still undergoing treatment... will try to get them up as soon as I can.. promise!!