Picture Story of our mini vacation in Bintan Island, Indonesia

Here is a photo story of our mini vacation to the Island of Bintan, Indonesia.

For my Ironman 70.3 Bintan race report, click here

Never leave home without Scout the dog

While waiting for the ferry

As always Anakin Luke studies the map

Chrissie enjoying the free WIFI at the ferry terminal

Me and Amanda Sophia

Roi's Family just behind us

Amanda Sophia wearing her sunglasses

Anakin Luke looking at the big ships around Singapore

Anakin Luke getting ready to alight the ferry

Chrissie still sitting pretty

Obviously our bikes has a better view than we have travelling to Bintan

Anakin says "Welcome to Bintan"

We're the only passengers in the bus

And we're following the truck where our bikes riding

Reaching the hotel and eating

Me signing on my name on the athletes list after picking up our race kit

Roi too

Preparing my bike before I leave it in the Bike check-in

Bike checked-in

Anakin Luke impersonation of a hungry vulture

Our princess looks irritated because the camera man if blocking her view of the TV

After the race, still have some energy to play in the sand

Before we go home Amanda Sophia has a close encounter with an elephant.

My Ironman 70.3 Bintan Race Report

Here is my Ironman 70.3 Bintan race report.

Ironman 70.3 Bintan is my first triathlon race this year 2015. My last half-iron distance was at Desaru 113K Triathlon in Desaru, Malaysia, and is my 3rd Half-Iron distance race since I started racing triathlon.

I have been training for this race for the last 4 months and I know I have been lacking the schedule to swim, the longest I have swam was 1,500 meters and i think was swimming like twice a week for the last 2 months before the race, sometimes I would swim for 1,000 meters sometime lesser than that. So my swim time was around 47 minutes which is still better than my first triathlon which was 55 minutes. I know I can still do better next time.

I have been enjoying riding my bicycle and a bit of running, cycling for almost 4 times a week,a long 3 hr ride on the weekend, Sunday or Saturday and one hour of GCN Cycling Training on YouTube every other day. Its a 1 hr video of hill and sprint intervals that I have trained in my bike trainer. I think this is what help me together with riding with Team Harabas to get a better timing on the bike leg even though the bike course was a very hilly. I still manage to get a good time of 3 hours and 3 minutes. So even though the hills are a bit stiff and long I am still able to climb with the speed I have trained for.

After the bike is the run (obviously) where all 30 persons that I passed on the bike have all run past me (sigh). This is because I wasn't running, I know I came into this race with a sore ankle and I don't really want to do more damage to the ankle that is why I didn't run as hard as I can, people who passed me will always encourage me to don't stop running. I did started running on the second lap of the 3 laps 21 km run course because I was feeling a bit well.

So when a group of friends was passing by me I tried and run together with them for at least 3 km but again after the 3 km their pace was a bit fast and so I started walking again. On the last 6 km of the race I saw a friend that I have overtaken on the bike course, just 1 km behind me. I started panicking because I don't want him to pass me hehehe, so I started running again until I reach the finished line where surprisingly my wife and my youngest daughter was waiting for me. I was so happy to see them there.

Miles and Amanda Sophia waiting at the finish line

Finishing the race with a new bike Personal Best of 3 hours and 3 minutes and a blistering 3 hours 34 minutes walk of the 21 km run course (hahaha) I have beaten my old 70.3 timings. But overall I have enjoyed the race which always brings out the best in every athletes racing triathlon.

When you hear voices speaks to inside your head saying "give up" and "just cross the finish line on your 2nd lap, no one will notice that you did not finish and everyone will still clap and cheer for you". But inside you heart you will push through all those because you know that you have given time to train, sacrifice time with you family so you can go out on those long hours on the bike and run just to finish was you have started.

And after all the all the hardship in training and giving up time to be with your family just to train outside, to cycle and to run and swim. You will have the satisfaction of saying the you had finished this Ironman 70.3 triathlon.

Thank you Miles for all the sacrifices, for letting me train and race.