Endurance Events Participation 2008
1. Adidas Sundown Marathon - 42km (31 May)
2. Saucony Passion Run - 15km (8 Jun)
3. OSIM Sprint Triathlon - S750m, B20km, R5km (12 Jul)
4. Port Dickson Triathlon - S1.5km, B40km, R10km (19 Jul)
5. Desaru Long Distance Triathlon - S2km, B90km, R21km (16 Aug)
6. Aviva Ironman 70.3 - S1.9km, B90.1km, R21.1km (7 Sep)
Enough for 2008 lar
My Operation (Part 1)
Tuesday, 9 Sep 08 (2 days after Aviva Ironman 70.3) I checked into Changi General Hospital for elective Anterior Cruciate Ligament re-construction surgery. This is a must-do surgery.
In March 08, I had quite a nasty fall, which severed almost 80% of my ACL (but unknown to me at that time). I found out when, after the mandatory rest of 3 weeks, when I went back to running, my speed slowed down tremendously. From being able to finish 10km in 50 minutes, I was taking like as much as 100 minutes for the 10km! It really came to be a head when I completed the Sundown Marathon in close to 7 hours!!
Anyway, to cut the long story short, I went for all the requsite tests: X-rays, MRI scans. Diagnosis: My ACL graft, which I did in 1994 has torn!! I chose surgery to repair, else that is the end of my triathlon days.
Here are some notes of the surgery. Don't ask me what it means, just copied from the discharge summary.
Left ACL graft tear, -s/p therapeutic left knee arthroscopy, left tibia bone defect autograft
ACL LAX
PCL AND PLC INTACT
PROM = RIGHT (FULL)
SKIN AND BONE QUALITY GOOD
MED AND LAT MENISCI GOOD
PCL INTACT
ACL GRAFT 80% TORN
MFC CARTILAGE GRADE 3 WEAR
TIBIAL MED PLATEUA 15MM DIAMETER POSTERIOR MEDIAL CORNER GRADE 4 WEAR
LFC AND LAT TIB PLATEAU CARTILAGE INTACT
TROCHLEA GRADE 3 WEAR
PATELLA GRADE 1
MED AND LAT GUTTERS NO LOOSE BODIES
Summary: Sounds bad...
Some Pictures of the scars...
Picture of the left waist where the bone for graft was taken
The sewn-up left knee... Long wound shows there the previous screw was removed and bone grafted.
Anyway, its "Part 1" because in Dec 08 I am scheduled to go in for Part 2: The actual ACL re-construction itself.
I am on MC till 24th Sept 2008. Lying at home is not a good option... Missed the hectic school life, and the workouts...
Aviva 70.3 Ironman
The 70.3 (formerly called Half Ironman) is a race of 70.3 miles (converted from metric), consisting of Swim 1.9km, Bike 90.1km and Run 21.1km. This year the event was held on 7th Sept 2008 at Playground @ Big Splash. This was the 2nd time Ironman 70.3 was held in Singapore. This is the biggest Ironman 70.3 in Asia and the only official Ironman race in Singapore. 1,400 participants from 57 countries were there.
I was fortunate to be among the 1400 participants. Many of my triathlete friends were with there, either as participants or volunteers.
My placings: Total time taken: 8 hours 6 minutes 44 seconds
Swim time: 1:06:52 Transition 1: 0:07:11
Bike time: 3:21:08 Transition 2: 0:06:59
Run time: 3:24:32
Swim: Its a mad house with I-kick-you-you-pull-me in the water. It cannot be help as we were all swimming almost all at once, and it was crowded and messy. I did not enjoy the nice scene (nice scene?). If there was nobody around it means bad news and there may be something wrong... maybe I am not on the right track? Or I have swam off-course? Finally... after 1 hour 7 mins... I am out! I was happy to get out of the water in 1 piece after all the kicking, punching, scratching, etc...
Bike: The bike course was from Big Splash in ECP towards Fort road (flat) and then going up to AYE, and then to Pasir Panjang, U-turn back on AYE towards ECP again. There were lots of climbs, headwinds, downhills. Personally, I do not much like the bike course. (Too many hills, which I think I under-trained for these). The roads were also too narrow, being closed on one side only. Seriously, it was too narrow to avoid drafting.
Run: 3 laps of ECP is boring like hell. My run was super slow, with 80% of my left ACL gone, a torn meniscus, and eroded cartilage (I found out after my operation, but this is another post). I stopped at every water point to grab water, 100+, sponges and gels then started running again. Waving and smiling to thank everybody who was cheering us on, and encouraging others.
While on the run, I felt like giving up at some points of the race. My knee was seriously giving me problems. Pain was with me from maybe the 8km onwards. My only thought: I didn't pay so much to give up. I WILL finish the race!! And finish I did!!
On the whole, I enjoyed the race. I thank my wife and daughters who were there to greet me when I finish. I appreciated all who were there supporting and cheering. I saw many friends on the day. Special thanks to: (in alphabetical order)
1. JoyRiders
2. Yellowfish
Well, that is all for now...
