Bali Triathlon : An Abysmal Performance

Team Weddings Malaysia & Team JFT

For those of you who have been following my blog would know that I was in pretty ill-shape for the Bali Triathlon. Nevertheless, my stubbornness ensured that I was right there at the starting line on the cloudy morning of 26^th June 2011, together with my wedding industry friends and MOH who formed the relay team of Team Weddings Malaysia and our official cheerleaders : Shirley Hoo, Mama & Papa Lui. The damn cough and the damn pain in my left ribs were the major issues and I had been trying to ‘hide’ this for the past couple of days after we all met up in Bali – for fear that, you know, I might be curbed from taking part in the competition.
Having Kris, Lee Kuen, Shirley and my parents around really took my mind off the stress I was going through – imagining that I will not complete the race. Aaargh! I definitely do not want a DNF in my record! Kris was particularly funny, cracking jokes about racing, teaching us how to pose for the camera (“gaya mesti ada”) and making us all laugh like KKC (not helping the pain in my ribs though).

Oh – oh! I also had the honour of meeting Richard Sambera – the ex-national swimming champ for Indonesia! I got his autograph, a photo with him and his V-shaped bod (very impressive for a retired sportsman) and a few good tips from him about swimming in the open-water. Most of the Indon national team and most of the top athletes from Australia were competing too. Well, not so bad, right? Team Weddings Malaysia and Team Journeys For Two were competing amongst the best-of-the-best!
Bali in June is chilly. I looked at the choppy waves forlornly and say a silent prayer. I was not going to kid myself – I prayed that I completed the race safely and I prayed for Team Weddings Malaysia to complete the race safely too. We all know that in races like these, as well-organized as they may be, anything can happen (and obviously, it did). There was a bit of a panic during my prep-time since my Mom was holding my prep bag and she was at the swim start instead of the bike transition area. They had to do a power walk in the dark to deliver the bag to me so I could lay-out my stuff. Not funny then, but funny now :)

When the Bali governor sounded the horn for the start, it was a “here we go again” moment for me. I jumped into the water, along with two hundred over other athletes competing for top places, prize money and personal glory (Team Weddings Malaysia had a later start since they were doing the Sprint Distance). The swim in the freezing waters of Jimbaran Bay was particularly enjoyable, except for the choppy waters. Although I started at the back of the pack, I kept good pace and the cold numbed the pain in my ribs. One mantra remained in my head while I kept my pace and rhythm – “please don’t let me finish last, please don’t let me finish last..” I thought I was doing well as I overtook a number of swimmers, and then I touched the shore at 44mins. This was particularly de-motivating since my worse timing previously in the open waters was 38mins. Eeesh. (Later, I found out that we swam more than 1.5km since the bloody buoy shifted position!!) I ran the 800m to the transition area (again, a first for any tri I’ve been in) to get into my bike gear and head on out. Of course, Mommy dearest was cheering at the swim finish and Shirley was snapping away on the camera – therefore, must perk-up and smile for the camera, not look like half-dead (although she promised the photos of me coughing and dying were not going to be posted on FB!)

The bike route was a whole different monster, I tell you. It was an arduous uphill cycle for most of 25km – and not just that, we had to maneuver potholes and sit in heavy ‘macet’. OMG. While the chilly water had numbed my pain, the constant uphill climb had brought it all back. It didn’t help that I was coughing and having a running nose. I had snot all over me by the 10^th click. Nevermind the fact that I was on a rented bike and was just not used to it (decided not to lug my bike around when I holiday in Bali). The first three hills, I was still motivating myself and I was trying to sing Rihanna and Eminem in-between to take my mind off. By the sixth hill, I was ready to cry. I could hear my knees creaking and my ribs felt inflamed. When I hit more hills and saw some other cyclists getting off their bikes and pushing instead, I decided that was the smarter thing to do and did the same. It was faster! And then it rained. OMG. The phrase “slippery when wet” was very much real in this race. Lots of bikers lost control and crashed. I myself nearly crashed into a traffic police. Good thing he managed to stop the traffic since I had gone over to the wrong lane as I wobbled to avoid falling! I had never in my life, lost my cool during any race. But at the Bali Tri, I did. You just imagine, you are trying to gather your momentum downhill to climb the damn hill only to find that there is a bloody traffic jam in the middle of the hill and you have to stop! Aaargh! I was cursing and swearing and I wanted to punch people.  It was extremely NOT enjoyable. During the race briefing, Robb Strom said “Enjoy the scenic route and suck in the very soul of Bali.” I was sucking in alright – the smog and pollution. And there was definitely nothing scenic about my route. If I did not know better, I would think I was PMS-ing :P

No, don’t get me wrong. I love Bali. I fell in love with MOH here and we made it full circle by having our wedding in Bali. But racing in the macet and avoiding potholes was a whole other matter. Besides, Bali is really overly congested and might be losing some of its charm. I’m digressing. The point is, the organizers should at least work on closing the traffic – at least one lane. It’s the 5^th year this has been organized, there should be a way!

I finally finished my 40km uphill bike battle in an unfashionable time of 1:57 – totally aargh, aargh and double aargh! I cursed all the way to the dismount area, cursed all the way as I walked in – MOH met me at the transition area (he obviously finished his 20km sprint distance earlier than I did and was spared most of the hills :P) and I was telling him how much I hated the bike leg. He told me I wasn’t the only one. Apparently, every biker who came in was cursing and swearing too.

I went ahead with my run and at this point, I just told myself to finish the race. I was in so much pain that I honestly didn’t think I remembered my own name (btw – I couldn’t even find where I parked my bike because they don’t mark the transition areas – hence, some athletes found their bikes missing when they came in from their swim!). I was coughing almost non-stop at this point and at the 4km mark, I thought I was having an asthma attack! Still, I pushed on. And then, as if wanting to challenge me further, there was no water available at the water stations. Just the Hydro Coconut Water thingy – while not too bad in taste, was not what my cough needed!! The running route was not any better. Still stuck in traffic, avoiding motorbikes and potholes. Come to think of it, it reminded me of why I do not train outdoors in da Penh :P I finally, finally finished the run leg in 1:02 – again, horrible timing – and crossed the finished line in an abysmal 3:54. My worse ever race timing clocked. My Dad – poor dude – was waiting for me at the finish line and I don’t think I will ever live down the “I waited for 3 hours, you know!!” On one hand, I was touched that both my parents cheered me on and definitely touched that my Dad stood around waiting patiently for 3 hours for me to show up. Of course, he complained afterwards, but I knew that when I didn't show up in the 2nd hour, he was worried that I might have fainted somewhere! Haha. On the other hand, I felt bad. I felt like I had let them down. I should’ve made it back faster. I could’ve. Just that the body ‘mogok’ – I couldn’t help it. MOH, however, scored a “SHUT UP” from me since the last thing I needed to hear was “I told you so.” :P :P :P

Kris offered a good consolation – he said I cannot compare this race with my other previous races because the route was tougher. Comparatively, the Top finisher finished in 3:05, so I wasn’t that ‘far’ behind. OK, admittedly, what he said did make sense. But it didn’t quite make me feel any better finishing 3 effin’ 54. Another consoling point – which MOH pointed out – was I was still Top 10 – I have yet to break that record. But yes, Top 10 out of 11 :P :P Aaargh! Fine, so Team Journeys For Two Solo didn’t do too well if you looked at overall timing (I will now need some time to get over this sore point :P).

However, Team Weddings Malaysia finished very well. Kris was super fast in the swim (12^th out of the water), super funny in his 800m transition run (a length longer than his swim –  which he constantly reminded us about throughout our trip together thereafter), MOH finished his bike pretty damn fast as well (16^th finisher on the bike) and Lee Kuen completed the race in fashionable manner (20^th to come in from the run). Lee Kuen – another funny one – everyone looked worn-out after the race but she still looked posh and glamourous – like not a hair out of place! How the hell? Anyway, a BIG kudos to Team Weddings Malaysia for a great virgin race J - finishing Top 16 in a time of 1:47 ahead of many other teams J I am happy that my industry friends are starting to pick-up on my passion too and here’s to more teams forming and more races in which we can all enjoy together J

There had been many lessons learnt in the run-up to the Bali race and even while racing itself for me. I’m not going to talk about the “I told you so” lessons :P At the very least, I know that my “Never Say Die” attitude is embedded strongly and I am not a quitter. I say this easily now because I completed the race, pain and all. But I think the one thing that was going for me on race day was the fact that the sun was hiding pretty much throughout the race. If the heat was on – I am not sure I would’ve made it. I am also very happy that my parents have come to cheer me on and support me and knowing that they were standing and waiting at the finish line kept me going. Of course, thanks to Kris, Shirley, Lee Kuen and MOH too for all the laughs and jokes and mutual team support. These are all the enjoyable part of it all J An experience – nobody can give or take away from me.

And now, I shall start on writing a strongly-worded letter to the organizers because, nevermind that the route was terrible, nevermind that we had to climb uphill on the bike in traffic, nevermind that there was no water BUT what I do mind is that they didn’t have enough finisher’s medal and as such – I didn’t even get mine! C’mon, people! For the effin’ climb and the smog and all the sweat and tears – I should at least get a medal, right? Right? Right. 

Personal Cheer Troupe :) Mama & Papa Lui

Over-Trained = Plans Shattered :\

I am right now looking at my assortment of drugs and I feel rather sorry for myself. By the way, I was literally hoodwinked, taken by surprise, kidnapped and bundled into the doctor's clinic against my will over the weekend. In fact, I was too stunned to even run out of the clinic for my dear life after that.

Yes, going back to feeling rather sorry for myself..... looking at my array of medication - cough syrup, cough tablets, antibiotics (and the effin' strong dosage that makes your lips and tongue go dry and numb), painkillers for the damn pain in my ribs, day flu, night flu, dizziness, ... and what is this? A pill for stubborness? :P

With the Bali race in less than a week, I sure am feeling extremely sorry for myself and how I got to where I am today. I think the word we're looking for is "over-training". When JFT first offered me the sponsorship last year in October, I was of course elated. I had been training hard before and with the sponsorship confirmed, I trained harder. In fact, I trained damn blady hard for the race. I was at my peak 6 months ago. I was doing 27km - 30km long runs every weekends (30km in 2:30) and my idea of a Monday recovery run was doing an 18km run in 2:20. I was clocking up an average of 60 clicks per week on runs, and also spent time on the bike and in the pool. These are all on top of my weight training and my circuit training. I was getting one day of rest in between and I kept pushing every week. I felt I was at the top of my game and fitness level. I was so ready to take on Bali and do better than my Miri Tri PB of 2:57 in the Olympic Distant.

And what do you know? The higher one is, the faster they roll down the hill :P By the middle of March, my body seemed to be starting a protest campaign, starting with my knees acting up. Then, in the last week of March, my "great fall" took its toll on my knees and the "rolling downhill" just picked up its momentum from here on. For some reason, I also developed a cough at about the same time which never went away, and I am still coughing violently. So prolonged was the coughing that I injured my ribs. Or pulled a muscle there - which makes pushing my swim rather painful.

Despite all the above, I continued to train. I continued to push. I don't know if it was sheer stupidity or the prevailing of my "never say die" attitude (some might say - STUBBORNESS), I never stopped training. I may slack off, I may do junk miles, I may have even let my timing slip and slide a little, but I never stopped. There's always this very thin, grey line in which I can't make clear of. People always tell you, "Listen To Your Body"... but as endurance athletes, you're meant to push the boundaries. I mean, how do you train for the Ironman if you're going to give up at the slightest hint of pain? I kept on pushing for better time, or at least get back the timing I was doing 6 months ago. Some days, I get there. Most days, I couldn't.

It was very frustrating for me because the more I couldn't get back to my peak, the harder I pushed. And the final straw came when last Friday, I woke up with fever, sore throat, running nose - the whole works. I was sneezing all morning, and with this, in addition to the cough, my rib was in sheer pain. I was in pain even though I wasn't moving my body. And I knew right then that my dream of at least gunning for Top 5 finish in Bali was shattered. I couldn't even look Top 10 in the face. To be honest, I was in tears. MOH of course, had no idea what to do with me, although I knew it was at the tip of his tongue to say "I told you so!".

I think, after a weekend of trying to recuperate and finally taking some proper medication (and not some googled home-remedies), I'm finally coming to terms with my participation as a non-competitor in Bali. Well, at least, in my head, I think I have come to terms with it. If you race competitively, you would surely understand the frustration of changing your race goals from Top 5 finish + new PB to just finishing the race and try not to crawl to the finish line.

BUT, I also think, any athlete - even the top ones must surely have their time in the mud. And any athlete worth their salt would surely find a way to claw their way back to the top. I mean, a friend of mine told me once that the reason why the great endurance athletes are in the older age group is because they are smarter about it and they accept defeat with grace and fight their way back to the top when the right moment comes by. Perhaps, it is time for me to accept a first round defeat in the battle against my body's rioting :P Hey - if I could make a come back after a 3-year hiatus, I'm sure there's always the next race in which I could be racing strongly. The idea is to be able to race for a long, long time and not be a one-hit wonder, right?

So, I shall spend the next few days coming to terms with my shift in race goals and really, if you look at it, since the trip and all have been paid anyway, I might as well go there to have fun rather than sulk and cry. Right? Right? Right.

p/s : (It all make sense as I am writing this, and I am assuming this is part of my process of coming to terms with my goal shifts...... :\ )

Sofitel Luxury Wedding Fair - Running For Lifeboats

"When the Titanic is sinking, you don't stand there and scream at the iceberg. You run for the lifeboats." - Debra Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond

International & Local Vendors Group Shot (LiveStudios)

The 1st Luxury Wedding Fair - The Art Of Celebrating Weddings At The Sofitel Phnom Penh Pokeethra has come to an end. Whilst the days pre-fair were rather chaotic and disastrous, the fair was successfully held and finally closed on a very high note. A romantic one at that. This blogpost is going to be a long one, but rather personal and I hope inspiring to all. 

On the 2nd June 2011, all the international vendors - Beauty Haven, Carven Ong Couture, La Flaire Malaysia, LiveStudios, Marsio Timeless Productions, Kid Chan Photography, Janet Lee and Acadia Cards were scheduled to arrive and have a relaxing lunch and welcome briefing before the press conference takes place. Unfortunately, it being Cambodia and all, there was a big issue with the customs clearance of the decor products from La Flaire and ended up with the group being delayed for 2 whole hours. What a welcome, eh?

Nevertheless, they all arrived safely - minus the decor items - and we had a really great press conference. (Marsio - I apologize again for missing you out in the intro! OMG! How could I have missed such a big man??) The media had strings of questions and none were taken from the pre-planned guided media Q&As. It was good to see my industry friends from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia again and it was also great to connect with wedding vendors from Cambodia, some we've worked with and some we haven't - Artworx Studio, iFriend Studio, Silk & Pepper (who supported us at our TWP launch too), Water Lily (Christine is a really funny and fun woman!), Romyda Keth, Khmer Angkor Jewellery (From grandpa Kim Seng to the grandchild, the entire family was super-nice), Bite Production, LiveWire and Royal Jazz Band - who were all very supportive and excited right from the start with the fair and have been darlings to work with throughout the preparation stages.

The workshops scheduled on the 3rd June were also great successes. Starting with the hair & beauty workshop by Beauty Haven for the local models who will be donning Carven's new collection and also Romyda Keth's bridal collection which had all the models learning the art of natural-looking make-up and they were eating right off Cindy's hands throughout the workshop. The photography and videography workshops were more of an informal coffee-table discussion between the international vendors with the local vendors - more of a skills-sharing and cultural exchange session - which was the whole idea of the workshop. We were not here to show them we are better than them. We are here to learn from them and vice-versa. This question was actually raised during the PC :)

The no-show of the decor items was nerve-wrecking all through the night and the day and even as myself and my local team kept chasing for the updates, there was little that we can do. I think one thing people need to understand when working in Cambodia is to know that sometimes, even the staff at a luxury hotel can have its set-backs. A lot of times, instructions are lost in translation and we don't get what we want, when we want it. What we need to do is to be flexible and find other means and ways to get what we want. A very good example was the fact that the hotel was reminded 6 times to make sure the flowers were brought to the ballroom before 12noon, but the flowers never showed till 4pm. Of course, many an hour were wasted from the wait. And it's not like Yaku from the hotel (who is another absolute darling to work with and I am grateful for his support) didn't crack his whip. He did. But what can you do? You can stand there and scream and shout but it doesn't solve the problem. I've learnt this many times the hard way, having been here for 3 years now.

Friday was fire-fighting all through the day and I was hell-bent on running for the lifeboats. I sure as hell ain't sinking with the damn ship and I sure as hell will not stand there screaming at the bloody icebergs. I am the "Cambodian" here. I regrouped my boys - Udom, Samneang & Sovann and launched a new plan of attack. My boys have been with me since Day 1 and while they have a long way to go, they have come a long way too. We engaged all of the Mango Rain's BAs to standby for the set-up - anticipating the late arrival of the decor items from customs. I am glad that my other business here in Cambodia gives me a pool of manpower to steal from at my whim and fancy for emergencies like these :P My BAs, they came at a moment's notice. I may be the fierce mother of a biatch with them when training them, but they are willing to stand alongside me in battle and I know gratitude where gratitude is needed. But the credit of the bond between management and these BAs have to be given to my local team. Basically, I am proud of all of them. They are now skilled florists - according to Bryan from O'hara.

For me, I was also grateful and touched to see all the other international vendors lending a helping hand to ensure the event turns out as spectacular as it can be. I am of course absolutely thankful that aside from my local team, my Nupts & Such team was here too - in the form of Cindy & Carolyn who were supposed to represent Beauty Haven. They were rock solid throughout - and even when they lost their luggage (since the hotel van decided to tour the town with their luggage!) - they didn't bother me with it. And they were there, cleaning flowers in the ballroom since 2pm right till after midnight. Another person I am eternally grateful to is Bryan. He came - supposedly on a holiday, but ended up working on the flowers despite the one-arm set-back. He was the man of the hour - when there were not enough flowers for him, he was flexible enough to change his floral designs. When we couldn't find ribbons, he made do with some straws. My utmost respect for him. And has to be made known - he had no logo up anywhere at all. Yet, he fought alongside. And then of course, there were my brother, Sue Yee (his now fiance as you all know) and Keam Hong who worked the hardest. NOW - in what capacity were they attending the fair? They are actually La Flaire's business investors. There was no need for them to lift a finger even. But in support of his sister, they all became overnight florists.

I am also thankful to Janet Lee who also helped with the floral arrangements and missed a night out with the rest, Keet from Carven Ong Couture who also stayed past midnight to help "poke" flowers as she put it. And then there was Marsio - the award-wining photographer and videographer from Indonesia who came to help as well. Well, not exactly him, but his wife, Mimi - who helped with folding of napkins and the flowers too. Aunty Debra helped too in the afternoon with the cleaning of roses. To all of you who helped, who came in to the ballroom to give moral support, I am truly grateful to each and everyone of you. If there be another time where you will need my helping hand, if it is within my powers and capabilities, I will be there.

As a result of so many people jumping onto lifeboats and rescuing the situation, the set-up was almost all ready by 4am in the morning and by 11am - we were absolutely ready for the Grand Opening. I cannot thank all of you enough. First - for your support in coming for the wedding fair, and secondly, for coming to the rescue. Orkun Charan!

The crowd for both days were more than expected and there were genuine enquiries. I hope for all partner-vendors that this is a good sign for businesses coming your way from Cambodia. On a selfish note - it is because I would of course like to see you back in Cambodia too! Janet Lee, as always, charmed her way into the Cambodian's hearts (and has an extremely big photo coverage in the Phnom Penh Post on the 6th June!) Everyone had fun, I would say, despite fatigue. Carven Ong was ill but managed to join us on the 2nd day. It was also a good avenue for networking - as I saw the photogs very busy promoting their FB pages :) But overall, I'm glad it all went well. I am happy to also have connected with some new local vendors that we have never worked with before. Mr. Kim Seng from Khmer Angkor Wat Jewellery made me the loveliest handmade brooch and he gave it to me hot from the oven. It was so sweet of him. The brooch is truly one-of-a-kind and I absolutely love it. Overall, the jive and vibe throughout with everyone, both local and international vendors alike were great. There were some photogs who came in as part of the crowd and tried to get a tip or two from the photographers at the fair and most of them were only too happy to share. THESE are exactly the type of things to see and be inspired from.

And then, we ended on a very high and romantic note - a wedding proposal. Of course, this wasn't impromptu. It was pre-planned since the 'proposer' was my bro. Everyone of the vendors had a downright good laugh and made fun of his nerves and jittery trembles. On behalf of my brother, Ernie, for all who were involved in the conspiracy, I thank you all. (Crikey! I am chalking up a favour-debt!!). Marsio, Willy, Kid - for documenting the moment. Bryan - ONCE AGAIN - who created the very meaningful bouquet : 3 pink roses for I Love You, 9 white roses for eternal love, purple eustomas surrounding the bouquet to symbolize giving the girl an entire lifetime of romance. Bryan even brought the 3 diamantes all the way from Penang. Thank you to Janet too for doing the Opening Song - all a part of the entire "act". When Ernie sang "What Are Words" by Chris Medina - it brought almost everyone to tears - even the big, big Marsio :) A true romantic wedding videographer, perhaps. I'm happy to be a part of the first step in my brother's once-in-a-lifetime moment. It had been fun as I recall the times I helped him sort out the ring, the words, the plans - all the way from here in Cambodia. Well, that was a pretty high note, I would say. :)

Once again, I would like to thank ALL for their support of me and The Wedding Planners to put together one of the best wedding fairs in Cambodia - Artworx Studio, iFriend Studio, Romyda Keth, Khmer Angkor Jewellery, Water Lily, Silk & Pepper, Royal Jazz Band, Bite Production, Livewire, Beauty Haven, Janet Lee, La Flaire, Kid Chan Photography, LiveStudios, Marsio Timeless Production, Carven Ong Couture and Acadia Cards. Together, we CAN.

I am also thankful to the powers out there for answering my prayers :) And very nearly forgot to thank MOH for helping out too!!

Cindy Chang at work with the flowers

Bryan giving yet another crash course to Janet and Ah Kai

My Mango Rain team hard at work

Another crash course for Ernie & Sue by Bryan

Boys who are into flowers :)

Mimi & Marsio having fun too :)

The adorable Wai Keet "poking" them flowers

Bryan giving Carolyn instructions...

Enjoy more photos here : Sofitel Wedding Fair & The Big Proposal :)