Christmas Jam!

No, this is not about running, swimming or biking, nor this is a blog entry about gears, an upcoming event or a race report. Yes, I have been swimming, biking and running during the holidays, but writing about those would be a bore, as you'd find them in bucketfuls all around the internet.

Many blogs have been written about Christmas and what it's all about, and I decided to join the bandwagon. Before, my family and I would celebrate Christmas eve at my parent's house. This year, we decided to spend it at home, with only the whole family together. The kids opened their gifts excitedly, while Carol cooked whatever was in the fridge. It was simple, but meaningful. The best Christmas gift I got, the gift of family bonding characterized by this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_x1skVKqh8

Dani just got her new guitar, and I have not been playing for the past 7 years. What could be a better way to play than have a guitar newbie and a non-practicing guitar veteran perform together, right?

The result was not perfect, but the spirit of Christmas was.

Merry Christmas guys! And an injury-free year ahead!

Deo P.

I'm 1 year old!

September 15, 2008, 5:00 a.m.

I got up on my feet, splattered water on my face and donned my rubber shoes. It was going to be an epic day. I walked out the door after kissing my wife and kids goodbye without waking them up. The road was empty and only the curious barks of the neighborhood dogs floated through the air.

I lifted my right leg and took one giant step, then another, then another. Slowly, the steps became more and more frequent and I was running...alone in the middle of the street.

I gritted my teeth in furious agony when my lung started to expand and blew out.

Then I stopped and hunched over my knees. I was catching my breath, dizzy with sweat beads on my forehead.

I looked back and saw the skid marks of my insanity blitz... I have just ran 100 meters...

More than a year ago today, I took my first steps to fulfilling a promise I made to myself. A promise that would challenge my determination and endurance...a challenge to be a triathlete by the age of 40!

My training started a few months before my 40th birthday. I was a heavyweight at 205 pounds of more fats than muscles. I stopped going to the gym a year earlier and saw my gym equipment gather dusts and rusts 6 months after. Slowly but surely, the flat tire around my waist was getting inflated more and more as the days went by.

My only exercise was a bottle of San Mig Light being lifted from the table on to my lips several times, and it did very little to firm up my biceps nor my deltoids. Yeah, I was living a (night)life of pure indulgence and alcohol was my favorite energy drink.

Then, in a bizarre twist of events, something within me just snapped. Suddenly, I was bored and no amount of liquefied roasted malts could overturn it. I wanted out of what I was in...I wanted something new.

Norman Stadler was wincing in pain as he tried to shake off the cramps which hounded him during the run portion of the Ironman World Championships 2008 in Kona, Hawaii. Craig Alexander would overtake him and eventually win.

It was a sight that would be etched in my mind for days after watching it in YouTube.com while I was surfing the internet...and it was the "something new" I was looking for. The thought of becoming a triathlete excited me and in the days that followed, my journey to multi-sports began...

November 22, 2008: 5:30 a.m.

I was at the starting line of Race For Life 2008 5K marathon for my first ever race. I was nervous and stiff the whole time just before the gun start.

+/- 200 lbs on my first race, Run For Life 2008

I was expecting to finish between 40 and 45 minutes and was grinning from ear to ear when I crossed the line in less than 33 minutes. I was pumped and looked forward to running the Milo National Finals the week after, in the 5K category of course.

Milo Marathon 2008 was my baptism of fire to BIG organized marathons with roughly 20,000 runners pounding Roxas Boulevard. Some ran to race, some to socialize and some just to pass their PE class in school. I finished the race in almost the same time as my race a week earlier.

December 2008 was a no race, training month for me. I rode my bike more and started getting familiar with swimming. I must have been crazy wading at the Ultra pool at 8 in the morning with temperatures of 23 - 25 degrees. It was also the first time I felt the pain of going up Sierra Madre on a bike. It was a month of realizing my greatest weakness among the 3 disciplines of triathlon...I didn't know how to swim properly.

In the weeks to come I would try teaching myself how to swim correctly, a futile effort. I instead encountered frustrations and embarrassment everytime I try to cross the 50-meter length of the Ultra pool. Undeterred, I enrolled in a swim class that would start in February of 2009, just in time for my first planned triathlon race in April.

I continued biking and running in January, 2009. I ran my first 10K marathon at the PSE Bull Run and finished in sub-1 hour or 57mins, 35 seconds.

Towards the end of January, I joined my first ever 15K marathon, The HAPPY Run, a race organized by Drew Arellano, a triathlete himself. Finishing the race in 1:26 put me on ecstasy mode, I was getting faster!

From January to March, I joined a 10K, two 15Ks and a 21K marathon which saw me running on the Skyway with thousands of other runners. It was my first half-mary, and what better way to do it than run above the Skyway while the sun rose. Amazing! The organizers of that race, Condura Run, did a great job in giving runners something new. I myself had something new in that race...the stabbing pain of "side-stitch' which hindered me from achieving my sub-2 hours goal for a 21K. Though I was looking at doing sub- 2:15, I changed my goal from generous to aggressive when I completed the 1st 10K in 56 minutes. Lesson learned: Learn how to avoid side-stitches!

The last week of March also saw me compete in my first ever duathlon, the Powerade Philippine Duathlon Open. It was a complete thrill for me to run and bike with the country's top duathletes and triathletes, and it was my first time to eat dusts from the more veteran competitors, and it didn't taste good. I needed more training!

Trying to catch up with other riders during my first duathlon

After religiously following my swim schedule, I plunged further into multi-sports by registering and competing in TRAP's mini-sprint triathlon offering in Ayala Alabang in April. It was again, a whole new experience for me. I realized that in triathlons, mere guts wouldn't take you to the finish line, you need the skills first. As I was making my 2nd lap in the 50-meter pool, a swimmer on the 3rd lane took a stroke and the water splashed directly into my mouth as I was breathing in, causing me to choke and hang on to the lane line. I panicked and lost my rhythm. A more experienced triathlete would have just took it easily and continued on, I didn't. I finished the 350 meter swim, 12K bike and 3.5K run in 1:06, not last but definitely far from the finishing times of the stronger competitors.

That finish would dictate my training schedule. I swam, biked and ran more often and with higher intensities.

May 6 was one of my most memorable day this year. My father-in-law, who had been paralyzed for 10 years, passed away. When he suffered a debilitating stroke in 1999, my wife and I decided to have him, with my mother-in-law, stay with us in our house. In the morning of May 6, he passed away peacefully, nobody in my household even noticed he wasn't breathing anymore. Our househelp just found out he was dead when she was about to feed him his morning snack.

I was registered to run the Botak Paabilisan 21K that weekend. When my father-in-law's body was cremated a day before Botak, I hardly had any sleep, and was in doubt on starting the half-marathon the day after.

Saturday night at 9:00 p.m., I decided to run.

It was one of my toughest races, primarily because I wasn't 100%. I was at 1 hour and 45 minutes into the 17th kilometer of the race when I bonked, a condition I felt for the first time. Though my lungs could still manage to run, my body just gave up. I couldn't run and walked the remaining 4 kilometers leading to a 2:19 finish, my worst.

June came and I was back to my competitive self. There were two races I was setting my eyes on, The Animo Sprint Tri and the Powerade Duathlon 2nd leg. I managed a 2:26 finish time in Animo and a 1:55 in Powerade Duathlon, and ranked respectably in the finisher's list. I was happy with the progress and set my sight on Camsur Ironman 70.3.

Crossing the finish line all smiles at the Animo Sprint Tri in June 14

With Javy Olives of Team Super during the Powerade Duathlon 2nd leg

The whole month of July was a no-race, all training month. Every triathlete in the country eyeing a good finish in the inaugural Ironman event in the country littered the swimming pools, running places and biking routes in Metro Manila and probably the whole of Luzon. Nobody wants to come unprepared for the "ultimate" race of the year.

In August 23, I toed the starting line in Lago Del Rey, Camsur Watersports Center, with 409 other triathletes who were all hoping to cross the finish line. The 1.9Km swim, 90 Km bike and 21 Km run wasn't a joke, and it was a test of not only one's physical strength, but also of one's mental toughness.

Camsur 70.3 was a race of agony, pain and ecstasy for me. It was scorching hot during the bike and run, and for a brief moment then, I was about to give up. But the recognition of being an "Ironman" plus the substantial registration fee I paid, plus all the months of training, was too much for me to just say "I quit!". As my good friend Retzel Orquiza have said "With everything that we have done and paid for for this race, DNF ( did not finish ) is not an option.". So at the 7th hour and 20th minute of the race, I crossed the finish line with my teammates Pastor Ernie Catanghal and Melvin Fausto. It was the pinnacle of my multi-sports journey, to be referred to as an Ironman.

Gritting my teeth as I left T1 for the bike portion of Camsur 70.3

Though my body ached for almost a week, the roads saw me training for my next race less than a month after. In September 20, I ran away from the starting line of the 3rd leg of the Powerade Philippine Duathlon Open, which would prove to be my fastest race for the year. I ran the first 7.1km run in 38 minutes, biked the 32Km course in less than an hour and completed the whole race in 2 hours 25 seconds. I was 57th among more than 140 competitors and was only behind by 3 minutes from a good friend Noel Padrigon, who normally smokes me by more than 10 minutes. It was a great last race prior to Ondoy, a typhoon that brought havoc to my family and training.

Running a strong first 7.1Km at the Powerade Duathlon OPen 3rd Leg

My 40th year on earth had been blessed. I turned from a literal couch potato to an Ironman due to sheer determination and resolve. I have done 7 marathons, ranging from 5K to 21K, 3 duathlons and 3 triathlons and finished the holy grail of it all, an official Ironman 70.3.

As I turn another year in my life, I cannot help but to look back to the past and analyze how the year turned out the way it did. There was one person that was common in everything that I have done, from training to races, from morning until night, from pain to complete recovery, from getting down to standing up again...Carol, my beautiful and ever-supportive wife, who single-handedly managed to keep everything intact while I busied myself, was there. I love ou very much!

In all that has happened, God always played a big role. From the very moment I leave the house to train or to race, He was there. There were several times I had close calls with Hades but He always protected me. When I had my first BIG crash along Aurora Blvd. when two jeepneys sandwiched me and a 3rd one almost ran me over, He was there embracing me...Praise you, O Lord! And may You always protect us from harm....

I will turn 41 four days after I have completed writing this entry, but to me, and probably for others as well, AGE IS JUST A NUMBER. I have never been so fulfilled and happy in my life. There is a saying that Life Begins at 40...in my case, it DID! and I just turned 1!

Moving On: Sweating it out again

The past 30 days saw me go through the toughest part of my life. Ondoy left us full of mud ( literally! ) last September 26. Just when I thought that we were done with the devastation this nasty typhoon brought us, I was admitted at The Medical City last October 10 for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection I got from wading in the floodwaters stricken with rats' pees....eeeewwwwww!

After getting out of the hospital last October 14 and getting some rest, I was back at the office last October 19. Though I still felt a little weak coming from my bout with some vermin's urine, I thought that going back to the office was the best way for me to get back on track and get stronger after the 3-day, 40-degree fever and horrendous diarrhea sapped the athlete out of me. NOT!

I craved for the road, and needed to release some endorphins and have that feel-good moment.

So, in October 20, I RAN.

It was great pounding the pavement again, but sad to feel like dying and gasping for air after running 4 kilometers when I used to run 20 kms during training and still have enough strength left to lift some weights. It was frustrating to clock 33.46 minutes for a 5K run when my worst PR for a 5K is 32 minutes flat!

So I abandoned the idea of running and postponed it until after I really recovered from the damn rats' pees.

Then... I saw my bikes! My beloved bikes...staring me in the face...

I placed my roadbike on my bike trainer and tried spinning for 30 minutes....heavenly!

From then on, it was spinning on the trainer until I get my running legs and lungs back.

But after getting bored with watching TV while cycling, I decided to take my bike on the road. Fortunately, Rico ( Korix in pinoyroadies.org ) organized a Pasig PR riders ride and meet last October 25. The idea was to do 30 kms around the Valle Verde 2 loop which covers C-5, Julia Vargas and Lanuza. Each loop was around 2.2Kms.

Meet up point was Mcdonalds Tiendesitas at 6:15 a.m., ride out was by 6:30 a.m. The meet was well-attended. There were more than 10 of us.

With the PR guys after the ride, having breakfast and coffee

L-R: Doc Dennis, Emjaybeltran, LItoBen, Jim, myself and Gadjie

Before riding out

The ride started out at a leisurely pace, say around 20-23kph. After doing around 2 laps, Alfred Racho ( of Team Sunkist ) and I broke away from the peloton. I hang on to Alfred for about 3 laps or 7kms, but then, the headwind started blowing at Lanuza St. which drastically slowed me down. Alfred had it better with his tri-bike, an Argon 18 with HED components including the wheelset, what a beauty! He slowly put a gap between him and myself which swelled to around 300 meters. We started at around 36-38kph and he was almost able to maintain that speed while I slowed down to around 32-34kph. I saw him join the peloton again.

After doing 26 kms around the loop, I decided to catch up with the peloton. Once I was back in the pack, Doc Dennis and I had a good conversation which actually slowed us both causing us to lose sight of the others.

After doing 30kms, and seeing Mcdonalds again, it was breakfast time for me. I had a good ride after a month. Though I skipped the hill repeats at Ultra, I know I'm back from sickbay.

The breakfast with the guys was priceless. Though I have ridden with most of them for the first time, it was as if we knew each other for quite some time already.

At 9:30 a.m., I head back home with Emjay and Jim, taking the Ortigas Extension route.

I rode a total of 43kms that day, but that 43kms is by far the most enjoyable ride I have ever had.

Can't wait to ride with the guys again!

Deo P.

Typhoon Ondoy: Faith, Love and Survival

I didn't know at first whether I can write something about a tragedy that my family has gone through. Typing the first few words of this blog was a struggle, a struggle to be objective despite the memories of the ordeal I and my family went through during the wrath of typhoon Ondoy.

Typhoon Ondoy wasn't a strong typhoon. In fact, most people I talked to didn't even know it would hit Metro Manila, and hit it hard. It was just an ordinary typhoon, the kind which most people, including myself would just sleep off and won't even allow to alter the schedule of activities we have lined up for the day.

I was supposed to be on my way to Caleruega, Batangas to attend a two-day weekend company seminar, but decided not to participate as my wife, who had just undergone an operation to remove a cystic mass on her right ovary, was to visit her doctor for her follow-up check up last September 26.

I was supposed to run in the morning of September 26. I was preparing for the Asian Duathlon Championships in Subic to be held on November 15. With non-stop rains from the Friday night continuing on til Saturday morning, I was left with no choice but to ride my bike on a bike trainer and thought I could do brick trainings the following day.

I completed my bike workout around 9:30 a.m. Was about to hit the showers and get ready to leave the house for Medical City for wifey's check-up when I thought I'd better take a look outside and see what the non-stop rains had done to our village.

Upon opening the gate, I was greeted with calf-deep water on the road, 1/4 of my car tyres were submerged in water already. No worries, I said, as this happened before and water just stayed that high before finally drying up. I went inside and removed my bike shoes and changed my shirt.

Some neighbors informed us that water was rising and I had to move my car to higher ground. When I checked, it indeed rose! Half of my car's tyres were submerged already. I went inside to get my car keys and moved my car to the vacant lot in front of my house which was about 3 feet higher than the street.

I told my wife we wouldn't leave anymore as water was high, and would probably be higher on the streets going out of our subdivision.

At around 11:00 a.m., I was again informed by my neighbors that I needed to elevate my car again. Water already reached half of the rear tyres which meant an increase of about 1 foot from less than an hour earlier. Water also reached our garage, where my wife's car was parked. With the help of some neighbors, we jacked my car a bit to elevate it by about half a foot more. Going back in my house, I also jacked up wifey's car to about half a foot as well.

At around 12 noon, water breached the 1st floor of my house and was rising fast. I immediately carried my LCD TV to the 2nd floor. We are not yet done paying for it.

1:00 p.m. and water was already around 1 foot inside my house. My car was half-submerged already and although we tried to elevate it further, gave up after realizing we couldn't do anything anymore. Driving it to higher grounds outside the subdivision wasn't possible anymore, as putting it at street level would put the flood waters on it window level.

2:00 p.m., water was up to my knees inside my house. At that point I realized it wasn't an ordinary flood. I asked help from the neighbors to help me lift my refrigerator. My "kumpare" Enjie dropped by hoping he could still plug the bathroom bell-traps in our 1st floor to avoid water from seeping out, he was too late. I asked him to turn off my swith breaker instead as the outlets were already breached by water.

3:00 p.m., water was leg high inside our house and almost waist deep outside. It was rising fast. I remembered our 2nd floor not having a fire escape. I tried looking for my steel saw and couldn't find it. Went out to borrow one from the neighbor, they couldn't find theirs as well. Went to Enjie's house which was about 5 blocks away to borrow his. On my way back, I was surprised that the water was already belly-button deep. I stand almost 6 feet, it was already too high for people smaller than I am.

I asked my next door neighbor if I could evacuate my family to their house, their house has 3 floors.

3:30 p.m., I started evacuating my family one by one. I had a styrobox I use as a cooler during parties in the house. I put my 5-yr old daughter, Keidy, inside. It floated. Great! I pushed on the styrobox while my eldest, Dani, hang on to my shoulders.

I carried Collete, my 10-yr old, on my shoulders and we made our way through almost chest deep of water to the neighbor's house.

I held on to Carol, my wife, by the waist. She had her wound all taped up just to make sure water wouldn't get inside. With my motherr-in-law behind us, we all made it safely to the neighbor.

I went back to the house and closed the door, then made my way up to the 2nd floor.

Water was still coming out of the faucet and I took advantage and showered.

Inside our bedroom, I could see what has happened to my car:

Only the roof was visible. By this time, water on our streets would be around 6 feet.

At around 5:00 p.m., flood waters inside our house was around 5 feet already, reaching the last two steps leading to the mezzanine.

Then at 7:00 p.m., it reached the 5th to the last step of the stairs going up to the 2nd floor. Water was rising by an average of half a foot every hour.

By 8:30 p.m., water was already at the last 4 steps of my stairs going up the 2nd floor. At this point, I decided to cut the grills of my 2nd floor window to make an emergency escape. Horrible thoughts started going on in my mind. What if water reached the 2nd floor, or even the 3rd floor of the neighbor's house where my family was staying? How could the kids make it through the water? How would they float?

After sawing off the window grills, I gathered all the back packs, styrofoams and beach balls or floaters I could find. I found 4 backpacks but not enough floaters. I remembered seeing beach balls downstairs and immediately changed into swim shorts. I dove into the floodwaters and tried feeling the un-inflated beach balls in the pitch dark water. I found one and a bottle of Sprite, but still, it wasn't enough. I dove again, this time down to the part of the floor where I last saw the bag of beach balls. I found it! Swam my way back to the stairs immediately.

I lost no time inflating the beach ball and cutting half of the styrobox which I put Keidy into, then started inserting these into the back packs thereby making floaters for the kids.

I tested each of the back packs in the water, and damn! it was so cold. I wore the back packs at the front and back trying to see which was the best way it could be worn by a kid who doesn't know how to swim. I figured wearing it at the back was the best way, wearing it at the front can cause any kid to lose balance and fall on the side, having a great chance of losing the back pack.

After tying the back packs together and putting these beside the window where the grills I sawed off earlier, it was all waiting time. I sat on the stairs and watched the water rose millimeter by millimeter, praying while watching.

All I prayed about was my family's survival. The kids were still very young to be at harm's way. I was ready to go, I have lived a full life, but them...my tears fell...

The reason I worked hard all these years was because of them. That night, I promised myself I'd bring them to safety even if it would cost me my life. I planned my move at any probable stage the flood would get us. Once water reached our 2nd floor, I would get out of the window with the back packs tied at my waist then swim my way to my neighbor's 3rd floor using my swim paddles. Once I get there, I'd put the back packs on my kids and wife, tie their back packs in a line, and tow them to safety as hard as I could, at the extent my strength would allow. I love them, and that's reason enough for me to make sure they survive this tragedy.

At 10:00 p.m., floodwaters stopped rising. I sighed in relief. Little by little, it started going down, one millimeter every 30 minutes. I waited until water has gone down even by half an inch before I started getting some rest. But even then, I would get out of bed every 15 minutes to check whether water was still going down.

At around 5:00 a.m. of Sunday, water has substantially receded, but still was around 6 feet inside my house and around 8 feet outside.

I was running out of food. I only had 4 pandesals, 2 cups of rice and a few fried okra and talong with me. At 8:00 a.m., I heard my wife called out to me from my neighbor's house, asking me how I was and telling me there was food at their side but didn't know how to get some to me.

I was getting hungry and tried thinking of a way to have food transported to me from my neighbor. I saw the roof of my neighbor's sari-sari store. It was just beside the firewall separating my house from theirs. I asked them if they could send someone to that part. When they said yes, I started tying a sheet of fabric to a small back pack. Once there was someone already at the roof of the sari-sari store, I would swing the back pack to him and let them fill it up with food and they would swing it back to me. This was how we transported stuff from and to each other. It was probably a sight to look at.

5:30 a.m., Monday, September 28, water receded to ankle deep inside the house. For the first time in three days, I had a glimpse of the devastation Ondoy has brought to my household.

After getting down, I tried opening the door but was unable to. It swelled and tightened itself up, making it almost impossible for me to open it from the inside. I shouted for help, and immediately, a neighbor climbed up the gate and started kicking the door from the outside until it opened. My mother-in-law was already waiting to get in.

The first thing I did was to clean up the oven and try making it work. Situations like this always result to lack of food and water. By making the oven work, we can boil water thereby taking care of drinking water problems. After cleaning and drying the oven up, it worked. We were then left with food problems.

My mother-in-law heating up the oven

My 1st floor was a pile of wet furnitures, appliances, kitchenwares, glasswares and MUD. Each room has a story to tell. Things piled up on top of each other, a total mess.

My bike room

More of the bike room

The children's playroom

My living room

Living room from another angle

The dining area

My wife's car

My car, swept away to 20 meters from our house

Our street, with my house in the foreground

Relief goods were flown in around 10:00 a.m. of Monday, but I could only count around 5 bags getting dropped. People expected more.

Military personnel visited us on Tuesday trying to help any way they could.

Once water fully receded, the mud problem was evident

Our small business of Christian shirts took a grounding halt. All these were given out to neighbors.

My wife's relatives from Marikina who weren't affected came by to help us clean.

I left the house on Tuesday morning to try find some food. After walking around 2 kilometers of mud and stagnant flood waters, I was able to find a vendor selling freshly slaughtered chicken. There were 3 chickens left and I bought it all. Then an elderly woman asked me if we could split it as her family also had nothing to eat...I gave her one.

It would take 2 days before we could get most of the mud out of our house. By Wednesday lunchtime, electricity was back. For the first time after 5 days, we learned of the extent of the devastation through the radio, and also heard that another typhoon, Pepeng, which was stronger, was threatening to victimize us again.

I called up our office to ask if there was a spare car I could borrow and luckily, there was. I took a shower immediately and commuted to the office to get the car as well as additional relief goods and medicines.

My mother's house was also submerged and they evacuated to MMLDC in Antipolo. My brother works in Meralco and enjoys a discount on the room rates there. Upon learning that typhoon Pepeng was coming, I asked my brother to reserve a room for my family for the weekend or until Pepeng has passed. The kids have had enough and I wouldn't want them to go through the same ordeal again.

We left the house at 12:00 noon of Friday for MMLDC. My househelp's family stayed in our house while we were away.

There was a sigh of relief from everyone after we checked in at the hotel. The dry room and beds, the fresh linens and the safe environment were all what we needed after a week of chaos, devastation and exhaustion. The hot showers were soothing.

The kids slept like little angels. My wife and I took that opportunity to plan the rest of our lives. What were we going to do after this? Do we sell the house and live somewhere safer? The answers are kept hanging as we tried to rest and get some much needed sleep.

Fortunately, and with all the prayers, typhoon Pepeng didn't affect Metro Manila the way Ondoy did.

We went back home on noon time of Sunday, October 4. Our house was showing signs of normalcy. Most of the floor were dried up and only the garage, where most of the cleaning was being done, was the only place wet.

We went through a very tough ordeal, but not tough enough to break our spirits. The kids still carry the trauma of what had just happened, but, I'm sure in time, they will forget about it.

People's lives changed in the afternoon of September 26. We all were reminded that people are no match against the wrath of nature. Insurance companies refer to what happened as an "Act of God", but, why blame it on God when people are the ones who laid waste to the environment?

Everytime I get home from work, I would always tune in to the news. This time around WE were the news, and its something I wouldn't want to be a highlight in.

Filipinos are resilient. We still manage to smile even in the worst of calamities. Does that make us numb? No. It just makes us capable of bouncing back. However, the true essence of bouncing back is the realization that something needs to be learned from everything that all of us have gone through.

Help came from unexpected sources during this ordeal. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU very much. There are a lot of you who have gone out of your ways to extend a helping hand, and rest assured we will repay you in whatever way we can, hopefully, not in similar situations.

Up to a point last Saturday, I tried to save the material things I have collected through the years of hard work. When things became almost hopeless, it was purely a question of survival. In desperate times, GOD will always be our resort. It is HE who nurtures us when our spirits break down. He holds us and looks over us and keeps us safe. He allows us to love, so that in loving we become unselfish. It is with loving that we live and by living we learn to survive.

For as long as God is with us, no Ondoys can break us...

Deo P.

Race Report: Powerade Duathlon 3rd Leg

I have done the first two legs of the Powerade Duathlon but something in the 3rd leg just kept me excited. Probably it was because this race would be my first after Camsur 70.3 and a real test of how I improved race-wise...if I have improved at all.

The run and bike routes of this race was similar to the 2nd leg, only 1 loop more in the bike portion to complete the 30K published distance. I have completed the 2nd leg in 1 hour, 55 minutes and expected to finish the 3rd leg in about 2 hours and 5 minutes given the longer bike portion.

At around 5:00 a.m. of September 20, I was already parking my car at Mcdonalds Macapagal. There were quite a number of participants already, some new faces and a lot of familiar ones. Met old and new friends from takbo.ph, pinoymtbiker.org, tri-pilipinas and pinoyroadies.org. Also met some friends I made in the previous marathons, duathlons and triathlons I joined. The beauty in competing in these types of races is that not much people join unlike in marathons, so you almost meet everybody the more you join.

With Doc Randy of Pinoyroadies.Org

With Pinoyroadies guys ( photos courtesy of Ronald )

Around 6:25 a.m., everybody was given 10 minutes to complete their pre-race warm-ups, then we were called in to the start line. As expected, the gun sounded off when most were still chatting. I knew this would happen so I avoided any conversation with anyone before the race started.

I stayed in the middle of the pack at the start, then slowly made my way towards the front to escape. I planned this before-hand. I didn't feel comfortable running with many people around me and thought I'd sprint early to escape the pack. I eventually did.

I ran the first kilometer in 4:58, thus keeping myself in front of many others. It was cruise control from thereon.

Race start. Trying to escape the pack early. ( photo courtesy of Javy O. )

I planned on running at an average pace of 5:30 for the first run. That would put my first 7K run at 38:30, good enough to get me within my target of 2:05 for the race.

I finished the first run portion in 38:43, slightly off my 38:30 target because of the extra 200 meters of the course. I must have been doing well when I caught up with my friend Noel at the transition area. For the record, I haven't been able to catch Noel in the transition from the very 1st edition of this race. He was always ahead of me by more than 2 minutes entering T1.

Keeping a strong stride throughout the first run ( photo courtesy of Javy O. )

Noel and I mounted our bikes at the same time. He accelerated so fast that before I even made the right turn going to the bike course proper, he was already 20 meters ahead of me. Lesson learned: Never, ever pace with a man who's just got a Cervelo Soloist!

I kept an eye on Noel. For as long as he's not more than 500 meters away, I'm fine that he's ahead. I kept an average of 33kph all throughout the bike portion. Noel was pulling away from me but not as far as the first 2 legs of this duathlon.

Upon making my 3rd loop on the bike course, a familiar voice came from behind..."Sir Deo..."...It was Makoy, a friend from pinoyroadies.org. I didn't expect it! I knew I was ahead of him by more than a kilometer during the first run and now he has overtaken me in the bike. I was at 35kph when he passed me by, he might have been doing more than 40 kph! I tried to keep pace with him, but to no avail. I could see him getting farther and farther away but I couldn't do anything. He really showed what a true cycling "halimaw" was.

I felt my calves cramping on my last loop. I shook it off, drank my anti-cramp and dehydration elixir and pushed on with the race. I pedaled flat the rest of the bike course to avoid the cramps and entered the transition area around 8:20 a.m. for the 2nd run. My total time then was 1:37. I averaged 33 kph in the bike and completed it in 57 minutes. Then I realized I had a shot on going sub-2 in the race!

It was pushing and digging deep from thereon. I had to stretch my calves 200 meters into the 2nd run just to avoid the cramps, then baby-stepped the next 200 meters to get my rhythm back.

I saw Makoy around 300 meters ahead and pushed on, catching him before the run turn-around. Noel was just around 300 meters ahead of us.

Then, a bad break...

I turned around too soon, missing the bracelet being handed out at the turn around point. I had to go back 15 meters to get it and that's when Makoy put the lead on me. He was just 30 meters ahead but seemed to have gotten his strides back. He matched my pace, even pulling away further by a few meters at a point.

300 meters into the finish line, Makoy was around 20 meters ahead of me and my time was at 1:58. I can do 100 meters in 30 seconds and that's when really pushing for a sub-2 hours kicked in. I pushed and pushed, gritting my teeth due to pain. I didn't stop at any water stations anymore, I needed to break 2 hours.

100 meters to the finish line and I was at 1:59. Makoy would finish at sub-2, I wanted to also. 30 meters to go and I saw Makoy crossed the line, I gave it all.

I finished in 1:59:47 according to my Garmin. Though I would have been too elated, I'm waiting for the final results.

Painfest on the 2nd run ( photo courtesy of Javy O. )

I held on to a post after the finish line. I was huffing and puffing like a dog. I never raced as hard as this one, not even in Camsur. I was proud of myself. I now understand what "push" and "digging-in" means. I just raced my fastest duathlon and I'm so damn happy about it.

Congrats to all who joined and finished. Thanks to Javy and Ronald for the photos. I got news that a final leg will be held in December. Expect me to be there as well.

Deo P.

Update: I just saw the results today. I missed sub-2 hours by a measly 25 seconds....oh well....:-)

I Am an IRONMAN!

The nerves started racking up two days prior to the gun start of the race. I was staring at Lago Del Rey in Camsur Watersports Complex trying to visualize my swim strategy for Cobra Philippines Ironman 70.3. "It's going to be a long swim..." I said to myself as I could only see the "iceberg" ( swim portion turnaround point ) as a small dot in the middle of the lake from where the swim portion of the race was going to start. I have done numerous 2K swims in the pool, but nothing could have prepared me for the actual 1.9K swim for this race. The view of the swim course was daunting, and after hearing from the race officials that the depth of the lake was more than a Meralco post, I got jittery.

The jitters became stronger as I tried swimming the lake. The water was a bit heavier than a normal pool but definitely much, much murkier. I couldn't see my palm even a foot away from my face, that's how murky it was. I struggled completing a 400-meter swim workout, and immediately felt uncertainty in even being able to complete the swim.

Back in the hotel, my wife noticed how worried I was, and tried lifting my confidence up. I needed to try swimming the lake again to assure myself that I wouldn't risk my life swimming in it with more than 400 other swimmers.

The following day, I had a better swim. I guess getting more familiar with how the water in the lake felt was the key to swimming it. I did 600 meters and was confident I'd finish the swim portion of the race in one piece.

The race briefing in the afternoon of August 22 was a relief. The race director announced that they will still allow those who wouldn't finish the swim within the cut-off time BUT they will be de-classified, meaning they won't have a chance at winning their age-group but would still be considered official finishers. That announcement calmed my nerves. I joined the race to finish, as I knew from the very start that I didn't have a chance to win my age group.

August 23, 3:45 a.m.: I had my shortest sleep of the week. The anxiety and nervousness about the race kept me awake all night. Surprisingly, I wasn't a bit woozy due to lack of sleep. My adrenalin was pumping early. I said my prayers early, and asked God to guide me all throughout the race. I lifted my whole race to Him.

All of a sudden, I became relaxed...and became more confident that I would finish the race.

CWC was full of competitors at 5:00 a.m. Athletes were lined up getting body marked by the time I and my friend Che Katigbak ( relay swimmer ) arrived at the race venue. It was great seeing fellow triathletes I have raced before and to exchange "nervousness" stories with them.

After some last minute T1 and T2 preparations, I met up with my teammates for a pre-race prayer and photo ops.

With Rain, Dale and Jason of Team BelieveStrong

With my good friend and neighbor Che Katigbak

After saying the team's prayers, I, Rain and Dale warmed up at Lago Del Rey, where most of the competitors were warming up already.

Psyching myself up for the swim. I can do this!!!

We were called off the water 15 minutes before the race start. The individual competitors were to start at 6:50 a.m., while the relay swimmers would follow 10 minutes after. We were given a choice whether to start with the individual comppetitors, or with the relay swimmers, to avoid the stress of the mass start. I chose to start with the individual competitors.

6 minutes to race start, the pros and elites' names were called. At that point, I was drafting my strategy in my mind. I would start at the back of the pack, swim freestyle, then breaststroke, then hold on to the buoy line to rest...repeat until I finish the swim. Not a very competitive strategy but would surely take me to the shoreline at the other side. There was no cut-off anyway so no need to mad-rush the swim.

The gun sounded off at 6:45 a.m.

The athletes rushed to the lake like wild ducks. You could hear the water splashing all over and could see the swimmers jockeying, kicking, nudging, punching and trying to survive the initial washing machine. I didn't join the melee. I am still a poor swimmer and not equipped with the skill of mixed-martial arts and swimming done simultaneously.

Mad rush to the water. I stayed behind to avoid the washing machine ( that's me wearing the yellow/black tri-suit at extreme lower right of the photo )

I dove into the water with the rest of my teammates ( Pastor Ernie, Jason Delarama and Col. Dennis ) and immediately found my rhythm. I was relaxed and never was in trouble at the start. Once I felt getting tired, I would shift to breast stroke and then freestyle again after getting enough air. I stayed right beside the buoy line just in case something bad happened.

At around 400 meters into the swim, I hang on to the buoy line, not because I need to but I want to. I needed to make sure I wasn't over exerting and was keeping my heart rate normal.

At around 500 meters, I felt someone holding my feet. I gave him a big kick to let go.

Suddenly, someone was trying to sandwich me to the buoy line from the left side. I matched him stroke for stroke as I didn't want to give up my slot. He fell back.

Nearing the turn-around, I heard the relay swimmers' gun start. I knew that most of them would catch me as most of them were true-blue swimmers ( collegiate, national and the likes ). They caught up with me at the turn around. One accidentally hit me in the head knocking my goggles off, good thing I was near the buoy line which I held on to for dear life.

500 meters to the shoreline, I held on to the buoy line again. A kayaker approached me to ask if I was ok, I gave him the thumbs up sign.

There were around 4 of us making a dash to the shores, and we were rubbing elbows with each other. I positioned myself ahead of one and slightly behind another.

I finished the first swim in 48 minutes then dashed off to the smaller lake for the culmination of my swim. I was 369th out of the water. Stopped by the water station to sip a bit.

The smaller lake was easier to swim than the bigger one, but it was where I strayed away from the swim line more often. The swim was to go around the lake, which was harder for me to navigate. There were instances I would swim along the buoy line to my left, only to find myself in the middle upon sighting my swim direction. A swimmer ahead of me was struggling to finish his swim and I overtook him.

Finished the swim portion in 1 hour, 14 minutes.

Getting out of the water of Lago Del Rey

I was a bit disoriented upon running to T1 that I almost missed the changing area. Had to run back to wear my bike shoes, helmet, gloves and sunglasses. There were not much people in T1 anymore when I got on my bike and I told myself that I'd catch them one by one. I was gritting my teeth upon leaving T1 and was bent on getting back into the race and beat my target time. I wanted to finish the swim and bike in 4 hours 30 minutes to give me some buffer for the 21K run.

At T1, there were few bikes left when I rode mine

I was a mad cyclist upon leaving T1. I was with 2 more competitors whom I left behind. I was riding at 38kph on the first kilometer, then realized I didn't need to ride that fast. I just needed to finish the bike portion in 3hours 15 minutes to be back at T2 in 4 hours 30 minutes, which meant a speed of between 26-28kph for the 90K bike ride. I slowed down and relaxed.

I caught up riders one by one, male and female. Some I caught while struggling on the uphills and some due to some mishaps ( flat tyres, non-serious crashes, etc. ). People were lined up along the bike route and cheered us on, the others heckled us. Kids were waiting for us to throw the Gatorade and water bottles beeing given out in the aid stations. There were also some who threw water at us.

It was scorching hot!

My water bottles were laced with Extra Joss and hydration salts. I took sips of it every 15 minutes after taking in my Hammergels. Everytime I did this, I felt a surge of power running through me and would go faster, catching riders almost consistently.

Nearing the turn-around point, I caught my team-mate Melody who was doing the bike leg for one of our relay teams. I just shouted "Go Mel! Believestrong!" then went ahead.

At the turn-around point ( 45kms ) I stopped to refill my water bottles and get more hammergels, get doused with water and pushed back to the race.

Going back to CWC, I caught my teammate Jason Dela Rama, who was ahead of me in the swim by more than 10 minutes. He was struggling a bit but I knew that he would finish. I couldn't afford a chit-chat so I just egged him on and went ahead.

I caught other riders on my way back but two of them caught me when I dropped my cyclocomputer while pulling out a hammergel on the 60K. With the power surge from the Hammergel, I caught them again.

15K to the bike finish, I was thinking of slowing down. Instead, I pushed further to 35kph and caught 3 more riders. I realized I still had the leg power to at least run 5K after the bike. I saw another rider about 200 meters ahead of me and caught him 2 minutes later. Around 2K to the bike finish, saw 2 more riders in front and tried catching them up. Caught and passed them both upon entering CWC.

I finished the bike leg in 3 hours 6 minutes and left T2 at 4:25 of the race. I was on track! I still had 3 hours 35 minutes to finish the 21K run, more than enough for me.

I took it easy on the first 1K of the run, then sped up on the next 3K then run-walk the next 6K to complete the first 10K in 1:10, leaving me with 2:25 to finish the race. I caught Pastor Ernie around the 12th km. He was cramping already. Tried to egg him on to run but he couldn't so I decided to just pace with him. Though he asked me to go ahead, I wouldn't just leave him like that.

With 8K to go and 2:05 still left. We knew we would finish even if we walk all the way to the finish, and that's what we did.

We just chatted along way and saw a lot of other competitors still doing their fist laps with less than 2 hours to go. Though we weren't sure they'd finish on time, we still egged them on.

Melvin Fausto, one of our relay team runners, caught up with us on the last 1.5K. All three of us, decided to stick it out and put some drama to the finish line by holding hands and raising these up as we cross the line.

People were lined up along the chute leading to the finish. It was a great moment. I controlled my emotion. All the six months of training resulted to raised hands, thank you Lord!

We crossed the finish line in 7hours, 20 minutes. I was ranked 338th out of more than 400 individual competitors. It was good enough for a 40 year old who dreamed of racing and finishing an ironman race just a year ago. The early morning trainings and the sunburns paid off. It was harvest time!

Thank you to all the people who supported and coached me on the way to an Ironman finish.

To God who was with me all the way, boosting my confidence and guiding me.

My wife Carol and family ( my daughters Dani, Collette and KD, as well as my mother and mother in law, sister Weng and brothers Russell, Noel and Manny), who were supporting me all the way. Without their overwhelming support, I wouldn't have done this physically and financially. I love you very much!

To Pascual Laboratories Inc., who sponsored my participation, thank you and I hope you are proud as I am with this endeavor.

To Team BelieveStrong: You guys rock!

To Retzel and Javy O.: Guys, your tips were instrumental to my training and race strategy. See you in the next races and congratulations for the stong finish!

To all the people I met and race with in Duathlons and Triathlons I participated in prior to Camsur: Hats off to you!

Some say that we triathletes are crazy, but I would rather be with a crazy bunch than anybody else.

Until the next race!

God bless!

Deo P.

It's ON! Pasig Int'l Marathon

Finally, the Pasig Int'l Marathon is ON. To be held on November 8, this is one marathon I look forward to as I have always wanted to see a cleaner Pasig River.

Click the link below for the press release:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/08/11/09/marathon-help-clean-pasig

Deo P.

Photography on a Training Break

Training for Camsur 70.3 is a time-consuming activity. Waking up very early in the morning makes you sleep early at nights, and when your body clock has adjusted to this, it becomes harder for you to attend parties without saying goodbye to all your friends at a time when they are just starting to have fun.

It is this very circumstance which hindered me from accepting "paid shoots" for the past several months already. I was afraid I'd mess up my training schedule for Camsur if I accepted a shoot, whether it be wedding, debut or corporate, that would extend to the night and leave me too sleep-deprived the following morning to train.

The company I work for knows about my "sideline" and has asked me to shoot its Board of Director's annual report and conduct a photography lecture to all its top doctors. These two activities made my photography skills known to most of the company's employees and quite a few has already asked me to "shoot" for them. I have accepted only one, only because it fell on a day when I didn't have to train the following day.

Vana is bubbly girl who turned into a lady last July 31st. It wasn't hard to get poses from her as she is familiar with angles and emotions due to her involvement in the Ateneo Theater Club ( or something to that effect ). Her father is a good friend and a colleague and is the second biggest reason why I accepted the job.

It was like learning everything again during the shoot. There were some camera functions which I already forgot to use and some lighting variations I almost missed, but, generally it was a great shoot. Ably assisted by my perpetual back-up photographer, Topy Manalo, the shoot went smoothly, except for the delayed start of the program.

A "natural" in front of the camera. Except for a few instructions on head tilt, Vana practically did all the poses without assistance.

Knowing her angles made Vana a great subject.

Vana's bubbly personality is something worth capturing in digital photographs.

Stress-free: The key to effortless pictorials, as embodied by the celebrator.

The shoot ended when the kids started partying. I just snapped a few shots of them dancing their hearts out and it was bye-bye time for me. I remember having a sigh of relief on my way to the car. The shoot was over and when I browsed through the shots I've taken, I was glad I haven't lost my "shooting" touch at all.

Thanks Topy for making yourself available in such a short notice.

Deo P.