Powerman 2020 included. On 30th Oct 2022. And I redeemed myself as well.
Wasn’t that excited leading up to Powerman. Things got very hectic exactly 6 weeks leading into it. 6 weeks was also exactly the last outdoor ride I had (17 Sept 2022). Immediately after Garmin Half Marathon
In between, there were 2 public hols where the kids were at home. Went to Semashur and King Edward Taiping for Angah’s rugby tournament. Then bike tyre didn’t get repaired in time for the weekend, so instead of the much needed outdoor ride, had to make do with just a brick tryout with Zwift instead. Along with that, had a fast finish, non-stop 16km run to mock up the intensity.
Finally able to squeeze in an outdoor ride prior to the event, just 2 days before. It was a very modest 8.7 km ride at Cahaya SPK. The feeling of wind against your face was priceless. Must say it was getting a bit awkward to ride outdoor after that complete 6 weeks hiatus. But glad it was done.
As if those were not enough to make me not Powerman ready, I was due for a futsal tournament just a day before. It didn’t seem to take so much toll when I signed up. But it did. On a big scale. On the very same week (luckily it was Tuesday, so it was quite early in the week), I had my one and only training with the team. The training left me sore, up until the rest of the week. The kind of sore that left me not being able to even solat properly. Lucky I had 3 days to recover, so it kind of subsided on Saturday. Had futsal on the Saturday, which we surprisingly came 1st runner up, beating the favourite team. Immediately left for bike check in right after futsal. Had to have my lunch in the car while driving. Had a quick bib number collection, bike check in, snapped some photos, chatted a bit and off I went. Max duration there was probably around 45 minutes. Had to be home early after being away for the whole day.
Knowing that the Tuesday’s training sore took me sometime to recover, I had all the remedy I could to minimize the soreness this time. Had cooling gel on prior to futsal. Did proper (and even extended) warm up. Prepared protein drink for consumption right after futsal. More cool gel and taping right after futsal. And finally, before Powerman began, popped Panadol Extend as recommended by futsal teammate.
It was raining in the Powerman morning, so, I was a bit worried about the slippery road condition. Some said there might be some potholes. I was prepared to have an easy ride then instead of a fast one. As long as I could get 30kph was good enough for me. My initial thought of having an easy 1st run, quickly changed with the fast start from others, and the possibility of getting a good headstart and less crowd. It was good in terms of able to nail my fastest 5km yet. But not the best move in terms of the headstart. It was not that crowded and seemed to have ample enough road space for everyone. Whatever lead time I had on the run leg, was quickly overcame by some in the bike leg. But still, I used the bike leg for active recovery, hovering below my threshold. I let others pass me by. If I really was able to catchup with anyone, it was non intentional. I was really just cruising along, and ensured that I wasn’t exerting myself. It was a good pace management, except that maybe I could have pushed a bit more. But my thinking was I better be reserved for the final run leg.
Final run leg, as expected, started off with over the top HR. Managed to calm myself down, controlled from going to fast, but was still able to have negative split. I didn’t know the actual finish line (rookie mistake) could have charged up much earlier had I known. It seemed like a decent 2nd run, but upon seeing how others did, either I was pushing a bit much earlier on, or I didn't push enough for the final run. But in any case, it was a great outcome. Satisfied with all 3 parts. I logged my best 5km. I paced myself well and didn’t need to slow down at the end. It was a surprising outcome. But it wasn’t enough to score me a podium finish. My age group seems to be very competitive. I would have gotten a podium finish in a younger category. My run leg were generally stronger that others but bike leg seems to be my kryptonite. Thought 31kph was good enough, but it wasn’t. This is where experience make a difference. My transition time had definitely lost me 1 minute at minimum.
So, what had went well in training.
I think the minor workout that I had on Zwift really helped. I managed to maintain a decent threshold range workout, which is good in terms of stimulation and effort familiarization. I managed to identify the correct threshold pace by feel instead of relying on the device. It gave decent leg strength and power. I notice I have difficulty to slow down for my runs, possibly due to stronger leg and better form.
Runs were very minimal. Had only one 16km which was meant for KLSCM HM training. It had its benefit in terms of setting in fatigue, for the next day’s brick. Other runs was probably some fast finish 10km. Which is good tempo and threshold benefit. Nothing very fancy, everything just coincidental. But alhamdulillah, all seems to work.
So it was a very good event indeed. Especially great knowing that this 42 year old body can still do miraculous things. Let’s hope for better outcome ahead.
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