Lessons learnt;
1. Enjoy the process of training. It is just too long to be boring or painful to be training for months!
2. Eat well not just before the race, you are simply too nervous to eat just before it!
3. carbo load with simple and compact carbo like soft drinks and sweets. The complex stuff like fruits and brown rice will just give you the runs. You will be spending more time on the throne than training. Time to drink up!
4. Have a plan even if it is a simple plan. There are just too many things to worry on race day and for an oversea race, the logistic is simply to daunting. A plan will simplify things and make sure you would not leave out inconspicuous but important item like toothbrush and hydration salts.
5. Book early! To avoid sleeping in a room with 7 others and 8 bikes for a room for 2
6. sunblock, sunblock and more sunblock to avoid looking like cooked lobster after 7 hrs or so in the sun. 15mins of marinating yourself before you are being based in the sun.
7. Don't trust the brochure! There maybe 7 water points but not 7 isotonic drinks station. BYO as much as you can.
8. Have friends who understand the madness of you pushing your limits for 2km swim in choppy sea with 1m surf/ 90km of almost no shade hilly bike ride that will put you out there at the hottest part of the day/ 21km run or rather walk/jog with cramps from the start till the end. Because you need them to motivate you when things are not going too well like running a slow half marathon, eating at strange hours with you and called in carbo loading and being crappy because you just did not have enough rest from all these training.
9. You can eat 5000 or more calories after the race since you did not have lunch and you burnt 500 calories per hour. But you can't really eat so just plan to drink and drink...
10. Try and try and try and for me.. Try again. Finished the race on my 4th try. You just have to try another time.
thanks for reading!
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