Bintan Triathlon 2014

Well, we did it! 

As noted, we competed (I mean completed?) in the Bintan Triathlon 2014 on Bintan Island, Indonesia. Bintan itself is a large resort island, only 1 degree North of the equator (<-- not making an excuse for our performance, just making a statement of fact ;)). The people were really friendly and certainly excited about hosting this event year after year.  Overall, the weekend was a blast and very smooth sailing (literally) logistically. We worked all day Friday and took an 8:00pm ferry from Singapore to Bintan. The ferry was only about 55min long and with a 1 hour time change we left at 8pm and arrived at 8pm. 

In addition, Michael's colleague Greg and his girlfriend Jingyi were traveling with us as we all signed up for the event together. It was certainly more fun to do the event with friends. The girls did the sprint distance while the guys cheered us on and vice-versa while the guys did the Olympic distance later in the day. 

Wait, backing up, Michael and I are (were?) really not 'triathlon people' but this was a fun adventure to train for and partake in. It is neat to add a totally different type of physical and mental challenge into our lives. Especially as we get older and seem to be more and more focused on our careers and the less fun aspects of becoming a mature adult, it's a fun release and unique experience. I know I complained about it directly before and after the event, but it is a hobby I think we both hope to continue - certainly while we are living in SE Asia. The fact that we can swim, run and bike outside, no exaggeration, 24/7, 365 is pretty unique.

  

All in all we had a great time and were both very proud of our accomplishments - but with plenty of room for improvement :) 

6:30AM wake up call from the Angsana. Good morning! 

After breakfast we took a quick shuttle over to the race at Nirwana Gardens . We picked up our bikes, got our numbers painted on and the girls were ready to go! 

In summary: Sprint Distance

Start time: 9:00AM

Temp at start: 84°F / Feels like 94° / 78% Humidity 

750m Swim

20km Bike

5km Run

Finish Time: 01:57:13

Let's go! 

(Oh did I mention I have a torn calf muscle* and a major fear of open ocean water?)

Everything ended up just fine - I felt pretty good about the swim portion. There are so many slippery bodies touching all over you it's nearly impossible to be worried about jelly fish or Great Whites. My time was pretty good because I could NOT wait to get out of there.

On to the bike! 

My 1st transition time was pretty slow - wait so I am not supposed to take my time toweling off? But I felt pretty good on the bike overall. WAY more hills than I was prepared for. Our training route in Singapore is pretty much entirely flat so this was a wake up call. Also, I cannot seem to jog my memory from the 5th grade and recall how to properly shift gears on my left hand so that may have helped <--- serious tri athlete right here :) BUT I will say I gave it 100% on the bike portion.

My lame calf was a major issue on the run but at this point all I cared about was finishing - run, walk or crawl, it was happening. I looked like Laura Dern in Jurassic Park, RUNNN! 

I did it! Bucket list, check! Where's my beer?!

At this point the poor guys had been standing outside in the heat cheering us on for the past 3 hours. But look how happy we are to be done :) 

Michael's turn. 

In Summary: Olympic Distance 

Start time: 1:00PM

Temp at start: 86°F / Feels like 96° / 74% Humidity 

1500m Swim
40km Bike
10km Run
Finish Time: 03:04:45

The guys are all in the water in the blue caps. The women are in yellow waiting as they stagger the men and women about 10min. I love how you can see the storm rolling in (it never got to us). Not only was I sick to my stomach nervous for Michael ---is this what having kids feels like!?? I really didn't think twice when I was racing, but I was about to simultaneously vomit and start crying when Michael was about to start--- the massive bolts of lightening out over the water didn't help any. 

Fun fact: Michael completed the swim 61/489. Carriage Club record holder anyone?? ;)

Oh and there was a random elephant at the race.

Go, Michael, go! 

Michael + Greg 

Saturday night we had a great dinner at a small Thai restaurant and early to bed. Sunday was pretty rainy all day, but it was a nice break from the heat and we still had a wonderful, relaxing day in Bintan basking in the glory of our athleticism. 

Storms'a'comin'

A couple photos and lunch of local Indonesian fare to round out the weekend. 

Bintan, we out! 

-C

*saw a physio today and I have a grade 1 tear of my soleus - a small muscle that runs under the main belly of the calf. Just in case you were worried ;)