Sapphire Biathlon Report and Review

Team Sapphire,

You guys are just such Awesome bunch of inspirational people. Especially those who are more "senior" in our group. You've outdone so many of us youngsters and we have indeed a lot to learn from you and one of them is to become more hardworking and less complaining! Gambatte neh!!!!

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for making this event a success and stupid me have to "spoil" the finish at the debrief area because I went to sweep you guys... zzz... Anyway, here is your mini race information!

Before the virtual award ceremony, let's go through in text what we've gone through in training (yawnzzz) just so you appreciate what is happening.

Many of you came to me and tell me:
"This felt so much easy!"
"This is good!"
"I felt strong for _______ !!"
"This 20 laps feel so much better than last week's 750!"

The reason I give you is "Base Training" and good Building phase. Honestly, I think we can become faster in our next race. Like WAY faster than now. I've been very conservative with our training as a group in these build phase and peak phase because I don't wish to see people collapsing but knowing how you guys are dealing with the training load and reacting to the swim training gives me confidence that I can put in a little harder swim and slightly more focus on techniques.

I purposely went to the other side of the pool to do my swim because
1) I want to observe you guys swim
2) I don't want to draft and then made my swim unrealistically fast, I want to know what I can do by myself

From what I see, most of you are not grasping the concept of catching water yet. Also, other than Calvin, Yukari, Gen, Sam and Vincent who're swimming with their butt up, most of you have this tendency to drop your hip.

You should really train to "squeeze" your behind together gently when you are swimming as that causes the bottom to perk upwards towards the surface and stay there better. That is also activating what we did as the superman drill. Calvin's lack of kicking and yet keeping the butt up is a very loud demonstration of him grasping that "Superman" body position swimming concept.

People who can't catch and hold water properly:
Pauline
KH
Vincent
Sam
Wilson
Note: Swimming is a POWER + Endurance sport: If you think you are as strong as somebody faster than you with brute strength, but you're swimming slower even though you're as streamline as he/she is, chances are you are not "holding" on to the water enough.

People with dropping bottoms:
Teckbeng (gets worse as the swim goes on)
Take (Head down please~~~ no pretty woman in front so stop looking so high in front!!! =p)

People who tend to open up the leg and kick (especially when breathing):
KH
Calvin
Note: If you want to do 2beat kick, you have to make sure you're kicking "in a tunnel with small circumference".

People who are doing swim with a pause before starting next pull:
Sam
Gen
KH
Hong Jun

Person with the left hand swaying outwards when doing right arm pull:
ME.
Note: Practice more please..... F*&k the cold water la...

With all the above mentioned, I'd like to say that in my eyes as your coach, the number 1 objective of this swim training has been accomplished and that is giving all of you a great great stroke to swim confidently and comfortably with. Do not mix that up with open water confidence. The latter will need more race and swim experience.

Last but not least, like I said, I am making some changes to my own stroke and I am my own specimen for experiment. Once I mastered and refined the concept I will share with you guys what I've found that had improved my swim so much over the last 2 weeks. It has been crazy I tell you.

Now for awards-------

Female Veteran Category
1st: Yukari San
2nd: Pauline
3rd: err.... >_<...

Male Veteran Category
1st: Lawlaw
2nd: Take San
3rd: Calvin!~! (CORRECT? hahaha sorry if i got your age wrong!!!)

Female Open Category
1st: Sam
2nd: Gen
3rd: err...... =ppp

Male Open Category
1st: KK (Total: 52+ minutes)
2nd: Vincent (Total: 57~59 minutes)
3rd: Wilson

Male Under 19 Category
1st: KH/Hong Jun
2nd: err....
3rd: heh.....

On top of the above awards, below are some special mentioning...

Most Friendly Racer award: Teck Beng! (Waiting for Calvin, chit chatting with Hongjun and KH.. ZHAN!)

Most Improved Racer award: KH! (Feeling like nothing after doing the same kind of timing as previously! Goodness gracious. Can't imagine if you pushed harder! =p)

Most Streamline Swimmer award: Calvin! I was watching from the other side and I can't stop wowing at the long horizontal body you're displaying under the water!

Most "Don't know what's happening" racer: You guess who lor.. =Ppp Hongg....~~~ nvm... you guess lor~ hahaha..

Cheers
KK

ps - Hong Jun, thanks for sending me the lap by lap information. It shows quite a bit of inconsistency. I am thinking its either you shut off your mind through some of the laps and then snap out of the dreaming state and got faster a little.. I dunno, it seems that the fluctuations in timing are consistent thats why I think you're not able to focus continuously for 20 laps and outputing the same amount of force all the time... Good news is you're very strong in your endurance as evidence by your last couple of laps you were able to come up with descending set speed.. lovely. Need to work on your run!

ps ps - Vince! Your run not very consistent at the last lap. I think you need to work more on your drills and also the gym machine (sliding leg forward and backward) I taught you to work on your range of motions. I'd like to think that you're still very unsure about your technique work and thus the inconsistency instead of your endurance ability.
Good choice to hold back on your swim, else the second 3.3km would have been much worst... Jiayou and work smart!