The Sweat Addict

A new home

2010-06-13T12:50:00.003+08:00

To all readers of the sweataddict:

I have transferred to a new domain and this blogsite will not be updated anymore. Please check the new site out at

http://thesweataddict.com

Thank you very much.

Deo P.

Top 10 Things I learned in Racing a Triathlon

2010-06-02T09:25:00.002+08:00

I consider myself a beginner in triathlon. I try to absorb all the tips that the veterans shared with me and was able to successfully follow some, but frustratingly failed in most. I realized that athletes have varying levels of endurance and with me being a noob, I am at the bottom part of the “endurance” category.

When I was starting, I thought that I could be better than most triathletes in my age-group. I have been indulging in sports most of my life: varsity basketball, badminton, golf, gym.

But that wasn’t what happened. Instead, I would always be in the middle, either lower middle or a bit on the upper middle of the finisher’s list. Though I have breached the top 40% of my age-group in a race once, that was an exception rather than a norm.

What’s the point of this blog entry?

In a beginner’s perspective, I am writing down the 10 things that I have learned or realized in racing a triathlon. I’ve done 4 of these races ( more than 4 and I won’t be a newbie anymore, right? ) already and I guess its high time that I share these things and hopefully, some people who want to experience tri-ing can pick up a thing or two.

1. Train months ahead of a race

This shouldn’t be brushed off, no matter what your physical condition is. Training properly is your key to finishing a triathlon. Don’t rush your training as you will be prone to injuries. Have you read my Condura 42K 2010 account? That’s a good example of what not to do.

Training way ahead of a race gives you confidence, a much-needed mental trait at the start of the race.

2. Swim more than the race distance

Swimming in pools alone is very, very different from swimming in a pool or sea or lake with hundreds of other swimmers. I learned how to swim properly a month before I joined my first triathlon, a mini-sprint. I told myself that if I was able to complete a 50-meter lap, then there shouldn’t be any problem finishing 350 meters of swimming in a congested pool….NOT!

I sprinted at the start of the race, then slowly faded on the 4^th lap. Then, as if fate was punishing me, a splash of water ended in my mouth and choked me. I thought I was going to drown and panicked big time, and hung on to the lane divider for dear life. I wasn’t equipped with the necessary skills to manage such situations and got off the water among the last ones, with a very, very humiliating 12++ mins swim split.

This would happen again in Camsur 70.3. Before this race, I was doing 2K swims in pools in less than an hour, so I thought I’d have a swim split of about the same time come race day….again…NOT!

Open water swimming disables you from kick-starting every 50 meters, so you’re slower. There are no sea or lake floor markers which you can use as reference if you’re swimming straight or straying away from the course.

Include sighting practice in your swim workout. Don't do this and swim 100++meters more during the race.

My swim split was 1 hour 14 mins, 4 minutes beyond the 1:10 swim cut-off, which, thankfully, was not enforced.

As a suggestion, swim more than the distance you are racing in a pool and try to do it within the target time you plan on completing the swim portion. Also, try to mimic open sea or lake swimming by not touching the lap-ends in the pool, instead, turn around swimming, not stopping.

Also, practice “emergency” swimming or what to do if you panic. Doing this regularly will give you the confidence in the water. Try swimming backstroke or floating, strengthen your breaststroke too which you can use for “sighting” in open waters.

3. Relax in the swim

During the race, if you’re a slow swimmer like me, start at the back of the pack. Enter the water around 1 minute later than the stronger ones to avoid getting kicked, punched or swam over. Relax, and think of happy thoughts while swimming, and don’t mind the depth of the water. Swimming in 50 feet and 8 feet deep waters is the same, your feet won’t touch the bottom if you stand.

Just survive the swim if you're a slow swimmer like me. Finishing it within the cut-off is okay, just give them hell on the bike. :-)

Now, if you’re really nervous about the swim and suffer from panic attacks every 2 minutes, swim near the buoy and hold on to the ropes to recover. Breath-in until you’ve calmed down and swim again. Repeat this if necessary. Better be slow than drown, okay?

4. Transition Fast

To get back some time, practice transitioning fast. In order to do this, make sure that your bike has everything you need: helmet, sunglasses, shoes, gloves, etc. Just wipe the water off you and wear your cycling gear. Helmet first, then sunglasses, then race number then shoes and off you go. Keep the sequence in mind: top to bottom. Your number one enemy at T1 is confusion on what to wear first.

T1: Helmet first, sunglass, race number then shoes. Wear gear from top to bottom

If you transition 30 seconds faster than the guy who smoked you in the swim, that’s like getting back 25 meters of swim advantage. Substantial? You bet!

5. Know the bike course

Bike is the longest part of a triathlon and it pays to know the course, or at least memorize the map.

I promised myself not to race in Ayala Alabang anymore due to one simple reason: I always get lost in the otso-otso loop.

I raced there twice and got lost in the bike leg in both occasions, resulting to slower times. The map was posted weeks before the race but I was too lazy to even look at it, and I paid for it dearly. The sad thing is, those weren’t the only races I got lost.

It became a habit for me to look at maps and study the courses of a race, whether these are triathlons or duathlons. I have to do this or else, I won’t stop knocking myself on the head.

6. Bike like you’re being chased by a lion

Someone told me to take it easy on the bike and reserve some of my energy for the run. I followed this in this year’s SubIT. My strongest among the three disciplines is the bike, and it is with deep regret that I didn’t give it my all in this race, I could have made up more time.

If cycling is your strength, then by all means, exploit it!

Though I felt good after dismounting, I also faded in the last kilometers of the run leg due to heat and exhaustion. Now I know!

Since running is the last part of a triathlon, it’s the part where the pros and elites are tested. They dig better than you coz, well, they’re pros and elites. Heard about how Craig Alexander caught Chris Lieto in the last 5 miles of Kona 2009? The camera captured all of it. What it didn’t capture were the swarm of age-groupers walking the marathon. Yes, that’s a normal sight in long distance triathlons, people like us walking.

Even if you take it easy on the bike, there’s no stopping the sun from baking you to a limp so better to hack it out on the bike and then survive the run. I’m sure you’ll be in good company.

Chris Lieto is not really known for his running, but for his cycling. If he didn’t register the fastest bike split last year, he would have ended up beyond 5^th place.

Attack where you are strong.

7. Eat!

I have a friend who’s a strong runner and swimmer. Bike is his waterloo. Everytime he dismounts and runs, he always fades, almost to the point of bonking. Reason: he doesn’t eat during the bike portion.

Your body burns thousands of calories in a triathlon race, so you need to replenish these burned calories during the race itself, especially if its long distance.

Buy a bike bento box, put gels and powerbars in it, and practice eating while on the bike, together with pulling your water bottle and drinking and putting it back in the cage…and save your race.

In last year’s Camsur 70.3, I had one gel for every 15kms I rode, a total of 5 gels during the bike and a last one before I ran. I wasn’t hungry and had the calories to burn for the run, I just had too much to drink and was bloated. Lesson learned.

8. Wear visors, not caps

I used to wear caps during races, until I discovered how much more convenient it was to wear visors instead. Imagine this: you are approaching a water station, got hold of two cups of water, drank one and threw the cup away, took off your cap to pour water on your head and put your cap back on.

Imagine this now: You are approaching a water station, got hold of two cups of water, drank one and poured one on your head.

Which one is faster and easier to do?

Enough said.

9. Wear socks on the run

Don’t do this and have blisters on your feet. That simple.

10. Smile at the finish line

…and look good in pictures!

Thank the Lord for giving you the strength to finish the race. I read somewhere that there are no atheists in the last kilometers of an Ironman, live it.

Triathlete Levels: Where do you fit in?

2010-05-30T15:57:00.006+08:00

Every aspiring triathlete's goal is to cross the finish line on his/her first race and earn the title "triathlete" and become a member of a group of endurance junkies currently mushrooming in basically all parts of the globe. No matter what the distances are, for as long as its a race involving swimming, cycling and running all in successive green lights, a triathlete will finish.

In the short span of time I have been joining triathlons, I have observed how triathletes in different skill and endurance levels approach races or trainings. Every triathlete is different from one another in some ways, no two are of the same skill and mentality.

There are also stages in a triathlete's life, or journey into the sport. I could say I am probably past the beginner stage but still a long way from being competitive. How about you?

I have broken down these stages in simple layman's language:

1. Triathlete wannabe a.k.a. "Triathlete in Training"

The stage where the interest in joining a triathlon race is steadily peaking. Always surf the net for articles about triathlons, as well as free training programs. Have probably downloaded the sprint, olympic and half ironman training programs from triathlongeek.com. Have gone to Cartimar or Quiapo for his/her roadbike or probably tri-bike. Currently owns an MTB which he/she plans to use on his/her first race and take it from there.

This athlete may also own a high-end tri-bike but hasn't practiced using cleats yet. Or he/she may be a cyclist venturing into triathlon, in which case he/she hasn't got the legs for running yet, or probably still has "hydrophobia" and dreads swimming in deep water.

He/She may probably be a good swimmer with poor bike skills, or a good cyclist with poor swimming skills. He/She huffs and puffs after running for 1 minute and not too sure if he can wear cycling shorts for running.

He tells the world his/her new PRs in training in all three disciplines, even if these are slow compared to others. Every improvement in speed and mileage is reported on his online journal and favorite social networking site.

He/She is bothered whenever asked the question: "are you a triathlete?" and starts looking for answers that will convince the person asking that "hey, I will be in a short while."

If you belong to this stage, just keep on training, we all need to start somewhere.

2. The Beginner

By now, you probably have completed one or even two sprint or olympic distance triathlons. Probably even finished a half-ironman. You are now hooked and eager to race your next. Cost of racing is nothing to you.

"Triathlon is all about finishing"...these phrase goes on and on in your mind. You have felt the pain of joining one, but won't stop. Every race counts and will be good for your resume. Its not about the quality of the race, but the quantity. You want to do more races than the person who started tri-ing the same time you did. You want to be ahead in experience no matter what the cost.

Your mountain bike is not good for your sport, so you seriously consider buying a roadbike...NO, a tri-bike is better, and in all probability, you'd buy one.

You bought a tri-bike which the internet or some smart ass says will fit you perfectly because you're as tall as his friend who has one. You try to squeeze yourself into this bike only to realize 5 rides after that its a teeny weeny bit small for you. You don't trust your own assessment and need others for confirmation.

You are learning the ins and outs of triathlon. You are now friends with other triathletes whom you've raced before. You wake up early to train, but still has a hard time doing so most days.

A noob in the sport: gloves worn during the 1st run of a duathlon, cap instead of visor, knee low resulting to heel strike

You are slowly getting smarter, triathlon-wise and stopped wearing underwear everytime you race. Body glide is your new race best friend.

3. The Intermediate Triathlete

Triathlon is slowly becoming a lifestyle. You ride your bike even without a race.

You wake up at 4:00 a.m. to run or swim in a nearby pool before you report for work. You only join races that matter, so as to save on registration fees and spend the money instead in upgrading your bike, or in purchasing a new pair of shoes, probably Zoot or Newton.

You don't only join races to finish, instead, you want to finish it ahead of the others and your PR. You are more confident now in all the three disciplines of the sport. You may still start at the back of the pack during the swim, but the washing machine is becoming less and less scary.

You now upgrade your bike based on what you need. You have replaced your Vision aerobar with a Profile Design T2 because the latter offers more flexibility on the elbow position. You know what you need based on experience and not by what others say.

If you're the sharing type, this is the point where you mentor others without knowing it. You share experiences and try to let others learn from it. You are confident in sharing because these are all based on experiences, not books or the internet.

4. The Competitive Triathlete

"I'll start from the leftmost and slowly work myself at the turn around to be ahead".

You draft strategies days before the race and execute these almost perfectly. You are oozing with confidence in all facets of the sport. You need to be in the top 10% of your age group, otherwise, its a bad race. You are a lot stronger now, physically and mentally. You don't get intimidated like before. You have fire in your eyes at the starting line.

You study the splits of your nearest competitor, time-wise, and try to look for weaknesses which you can exploit. You are the wolf who pounces on victims when they least expect it.

Others look up to you. You are a hunter, as well as a target.

A newbie and a very competitive triathlete. Javy's bike seem to be a perfect fit for him while mine looks small for me.

Your position in the bike is more aggressive now. Little adjustments mean a lot...you know that now.

You can dig deeper on crucial moments. You are a machine, a well-oiled machine.

5. Elite/ Professional

You live the sport 24/7. Your life revolves around swimming, running and cycling. Your body is striped due to training, and sunburns keep peeling off dead skin, but its all part of the sport.

You are approached by sponsors and look for sponsors as well. That's your source of income.

It is better for you to DNF rather than be beaten by an age-grouper. You'd rather be dead than get caught walking the marathon.

You wear your cycling shoes once you mount your bike and take it off before dismounting. You practice this for faster transition times.

Every second counts. You may have lost the previous race by a mere 2 seconds.

We all start slow and end up stronger every race. No matter what the manner of finishing is, it helps us improve on the next race.

We start as wanna-be's and most peak at intermediate, sometimes competitive.

Where do you fit in?

The Road to Camsur: My Steed

2010-05-29T11:17:00.010+08:00

With 84 days before the BIG event, most triathletes have, one way or another, started training for this year's edition of Philippine Ironman 70.3 in Camsur. As of my last peek at the event's website, there are 570 individual and 58 team participants already confirmed, up by 161 individuals last year.

With bike being the longest part of this race, I am not taking any chances with my ride. Last year, I was praying throughout the bike leg not to have flats, and God heard me. This year, I upgraded some components of my bike, which, hopefully, would serve me well. No matter how you train for a 70.3 or Ironman, even if you have the best swim time, one trouble with the bike and you can kiss your lead goodbye. For me, its not the lead. I will never, ever be in the lead in races, BUT, I can have a new PR, and that's my objective this year.

With very limited resources, my steed is the best I can afford, and so far it hasn't disappointed me. Let's take a look:

Standing proud. My Kinesis KT610 is ready for action anytime.

Armed with a Profile Design saddle mounted bottle holder, I can carry two extra bottles with me for those long rides.

Another Profile Design component. The Elite Pro carbon crank arm, 175mm. Battle scarred but raring to crank it up when the need arises.

Bianchi chainrings complete the crankset. The 53/39 teeth help me keep at pace with most riders.

An Ultegra SL 10 Front Derailleur ensures smooth shifting on the crankset all the time.

Ultegra SL 10 Rear Derailleur takes care of the gear shifting at the back end of the steed.

700x23C Continental Gatorskin tyres wrap the rims. I super love these tyres! The current pair on my bike has over 3,000 kms on them and hasn't shown any sign of retiring. Tough as nails and roll smoothly with proper air pressure.

The ADAMO Road saddle is one of the best investment I made on my bike. The moment I had it on, I kissed perineum area numbness goodbye. I highly recommend this saddle to anyone who wishes to compete in triathlons, duathlons and time trials and would like to stay on the aero position most of the time. Keep your wife happy after each training or race. :-)

The Cateye Strada Cadence ensures that I get the miles even when training at home. Its rear-wheel mounted magnet and monitor counts your mileage even if the bike is mounted on a trainer. It has a cadence counter so you know how many RPMs you are pedaling. If you want to hammer the pedals like Lance, go get yourself this cyclo-comp.

This Profile Design aero bottle bracket keeps my aero bottle in place even on rough roads.

Small but terrible. The VISION brake levers are one of the tiniest brake levers I've seen. But being small don't make it inferior. It's shaped ergonomically enough to enable you to grasp it with one or two fingers to brake.

Why are Dura-ace components so expensive? It's because they do the job well...errr...excellently! This pair of Dura-ace SL BS79 has never misfired since day 1. Shifts correctly all the time, and very smoothly.

Vision aero bars wrapped with red Look bartapes is my resting place on the front end.

My steed's whole cockpit. All Vision except for the bar end shifters.

Profile Design carbon bottle cage on the downtube ensures easy reach of fluids while on the flly.

Light, durable and affordable. The EXUSTAR EPS-R pedals have not let me down. Power transfer from legs to cranks is ensured without a fortune spent.

American Classic front hub ensure smooth roll of the wheels.

This Profile Design bento box is a life-saver! No more hunger on the road...well...at least not on the first 100kms.

TNI carbon wrapped 90mm stem may be heavier than other stems. But it does its job.

A pair of 2009 American Classic Aero wheelset connects the bike to the ground with minimal friction. The fastest wheelset I have ever used. They will stay on my bike for as long as I can think of.

The Kinesis logo on the headtube. No, the "K" doesn't stand for King, but probably should have been with the Kinesis KT610's bang for the buck reputation.

At 5'11", the frame fits me perfectly.

What's for snacks during the ride? Choco Mucho ( 150 calories ), GU energy gel ( 100 calories ). This bento box also contains a pair of tire removers and 3 Allen wrenches for quick adjustments of saddle, seatpost, cockpit, etc.

Kinesis KT610's proprietary carbon aero seatpost becomes the holder of my spare tube.

Never leave home without a hand-pump! This MOB hand-pump stays at my back pocket while riding.

Ultegra SL 10 brake calipers stops the bike when it needs to. Equipped with a Salomon brakepad, these calipers give me the security I will ever need on descents.

Ultegra 12-27 cogset enables me to climb those hills and burn the flats.

The Kinesis KT610 frame in all its glory. Responsive, durable and affordable.

A couple more races before Camsur and I'm sure me and my steed will be in fine form. That new PR looks too tempting to break! :-)

Thanks for reading!

God bless.

Deo P.

Race Report: Subic International Triathlon 2010

2010-05-07T15:38:00.003+08:00

2010 SUBIC INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON

The Subic International Triathlon is the oldest and most prestigious ITU ( International Triathlon Union ) sanctioned triathlon race in the country, and this year's edition has attracted more than 600 participants including delegates from 23 countries and the who's who in the local triathlon scene. This edition also hosted the 2010 Junior and Under 23 Asian Triathlon Championships, the highlight of the 2-day event.

May 1 was the staging of the Adult Sprint ( 750m swim - 20kms bike - 5K run ) and the female Olympic Distance ( 1.5K swim - 40K bike - 10K run ). The male Olympic distance was held on May 2.

I was registered to race in the Olympic distance category and drove to Subic on May 1. Had lunch with my teammates and did a short recon of the swim course. Normally, my nerves would start racking up a day before the race, but, this time around I was unusually very relaxed. I have raced the Philippine Ironman 70.3 in Camsur last year where the distances were crazier and I survived, so I thought this race would be easier.

Race Day

I woke up around 3:30 a.m. on race day. My teammates and I informed the admin, in the hotel we were staying in, that we would be up early and would need to be served breakfast around 3:00 a.m. Teammates doing a triathlon for the first time hardly slept due to nervousness and anticipation of what was in store for the day. I slept like a baby and needed to be woken up by my wife after getting my wake up call which, unfortunately, only she heard.

The whole race course of SubIT 2010 was different from other triathlons I joined. The transition areas were in different locations: T1 was at Dungaree beach where the swim was going to be held, and T2 was at the Boardwalk just in front of our hotel where the run part was going to happen. After depositing our T2 bags, we proceeded to Dungaree beach for the start of the swim.

The SWIM : 1.5 Kilometers

The race started at exactly 6:00 a.m. with the Elites, then the Juniors, then the 29 below and 50 above...then us.

Waiting for the horn start, I could see different facial expressions among my co-age groupers. Some were obviously nervous, others look focused. I was a bit tense but nowhere near nervous. I had visualized the distances weeks earlier and was ready for this race. It was just a matter of charging into the water and finishing the swim.

Then the horn went off, and all of us attacked the ocean...

My game plan was simple: stay at the back of the pack during the swim, attack on the bike, and then hold them off in the run. I am a poor swimmer so in order for me not to be last, I need to make up lost time in the bike.

Upon diving into the water, I immediately saw bubbles from the kicks of the swimmers in front of me. 50 meters into the swim and I got kicked in the face, my goggles knocked off. I held onto the buoy, released the water from my goggles and swam back into the race.

The swim part of a triathlon is always the most dangerous. In 2008 alone, on the 9 deaths recorded in triathlon races around the world, 8 occurred during the swim portion. Some were caused by cardiac arrests due to the sudden change in body temperature upon diving into the water, the rest were due to drowning and mostly claimed the lives of those who were new to the sport. Last year, in Philippine Ironman Camsur 70.3, Miguel Vasquez, a CEO of an insurance company, suffered a stroke during the 2^nd half of the swim portion and drowned. His body was only discovered after all the other participants got out of the swim portion. He was seen floating near the banks of the river, lifeless.

Swimmers on both sides of the swim course. A great sight to see!

The Subic shoreline is a trench, where there is an immediate deepening of the ocean floor after around 200 meters from the beach. Once we reached this, some swimmers panicked and swam towards the buoy line where I was swimming comfortably. There were a lot of contacts. There was one particular swimmer who stayed on my left for quite some time. He was annoyingly hitting my left shoulder every time he stroked and I pushed him to my left so he would stop hitting me. He came back and hit me again. Pissed off, I intentionally hit the back of his head with my left stroke. He held on to the buoy, and so did I. We stared at each other for a second then I yelled at him to go. We hit the water again and never saw each other throughout the duration of the race.

Finished the first lap of the swim in 20 minutes and dove again to complete the swim portion. At about 200 meters to my swim finish, I was overrun by two faster swimmers to the right. Good thing me and my teammates practice situations like this in the pool so I was kind of used to it.

Finished the swim in +/- 42 minutes. Not fast but definitely my fastest 1.5 kms in the water. I was grinning from ear to ear with my swim time, also relieved that the swim was over for me.

Getting out of the water with two Polo Tri members. Grinning from ear to ear, relieved that I was done with the swim portion

The BIKE: 40 kilometers

I was at T1 with Hans Pe, a former teammate, and Poch, a forum colleague. Whatever part of triathlon I was good at, it was in transitions. It only took me 1min 33seconds to transition from swim to bike. As a practice, I always psyche myself up upon mounting my bike. I am a cyclist and whatever time the other participants had on me in the swim, I always try to get back at the bike.

At T1, trying to transition fast to catch the guys who got out of the water ahead of me

Leaving T1, I was with two other cyclists who got dropped within the first kilometer. Going up the bike course, I saw a group of around 7 cyclists doing the same pace climbing the hills.

Caught the group in front of me in less than two minutes and hung on with them for about a minute. Thinking their pace was slow, I excused myself and tried to pass to their left, but, four of the cyclists were blocking the road and wouldn't let me , so I did the next "bad" thing: I passed these four in the middle without excusing myself which caught them by surprise.

I caught a lot of participants on the bike, mostly going uphill. Some even walk their bikes on the climbs. In all modesty and surprisingly, I never felt it was that hard of a climb, or I probably was used to climbing steeper roads, or probably my adrenalin was pumping so hard. Whatever the reason maybe, it served me well in this race.

Going back down was fast, as in 60kph fast. It was nerve-wracking. I crashed on descents before so I know how it feels sliding down the road using your palms as brakes. I pressed on the brakes gently while negotiating the downhill turns, it was better to be slower and safe than fast and crash.

When I reached the flats, I pushed on the pedal harder. I felt my eyes turn red and all I could think of was to pedal faster than the one in front of me. I caught several participants again, but other stronger cyclists also passed me. I caught someone I look up to in triathlons and that actually surprised me big time, or he was just probably having a bad race. Whatever the reason was, it boosted my confidence so much. I adjusted my saddle height two days prior to this race and I think the risk I took paid dividends.

Pushing the pedal harder upon reaching the flats

I reached T2 in after 1 hour and 25 minutes on the bike. I wanted it faster but miscalculated my speed. My cyclo computer conked out in the middle of the bike leg! My hopes of doing sub-3 hours seemed to become hopeless! I was at 2:07 of the race already and running 10K in 53 minutes, including transition, was something I haven't done yet. My 10K PR stands at 56 minutes!

The RUN: 10 kilometers

I transitioned in less than two minutes in T2, had an energy gel then ran. The run course was to go 4 loops at Boardwalk then a short 600-meter loop going into the finish line. I would normally be struggling to get my running legs after biking for more than an hour, but this time, its different.

My position in the bike has changed. I now sit at a 78 degree angle which makes me use my quads more than my hamstrings while biking. As a result, I could run fresher off the bike.

I had a good run on the first 3 loops. I was at 2:55 of the race going into the final 1 1/2 laps. I pushed and pushed until my legs hurt hoping I could finish even in sub-3:10.

I was at 3:03 of the race with one full lap to go. I gave up hope of going under 3:10. I relaxed my stride but going slower meant feeling the heat more. I maintained a steady pace of about 6:30-6:45. My legs felt like burning and my mind was telling me to walk even just a bit. I didn't. There was a water station at the turn going to Waterfront road, I thought I'd pour water on my legs there.

Upon reaching where the water station was, it wasn't there anymore. Shit! Now I felt my burning legs more and had to walk a bit. It felt good. So I walked more than I needed to and did the shuffle before reaching the final water station leading to the finish.

Running towards the finish line

No matter how you raced a triathlon, whether you're the first or the last to cross the finish line, it always feels good. You forget all the pains and agony you went through during the race, leaving you with a euphoric feeling that will last for days.

Finished the race in 3 hours, 19 minutes. It will do for now.

Deo P.

Roadbike or Tribike?

2010-03-20T18:21:00.003+08:00

For those who are venturing into multi-sports and still don't have a bike to race with, the question of whether to use a roadbike or tribike ( short for triathlon bike ) is a reasonable question. We always see the pros riding that blazingly fast looking bike, with bar-end shifters and brake levers, tucked down in an aero position in all Ironman races. Do you really need something like that?

I have raced triathlons and duathlons both in a road bike and a tribike, and have experienced what it feels like running after dismounting from both and can tell you this: There's a reason why its called a tribike!

Below is an image of a tribike with the seat angle highlighted in red. Let us decipher what this diagram means:

1. The Seat Angle

The seat angle differentiates the tribike from the road bike. Tribikes have steeper seat angles ( 76-78 degrees ) than road bikes primarily due to the benefit it gives the legs after dismounting and getting ready for the run. Tribikes are designed for a rider to have fresher legs for the run after dismounting from his bike, it preserves his hamstrings which are used when running.

So how does that happen?

Compared to a road bike with shallower seat angles, tribikes enable the athlete to ride "taller" by putting him on a more forward seating position, thereby forcing him to use his quadriceps instead of his hamstrings. This position helps an athlete to cycle easier, with lighter pedaling and almost like in a running position.

To experience how this feels, mount your bike, put your body nearer the handlebars and try pedaling. Next, slack up on the saddle by pushing your butt back, seating on the rearmost part of the saddle. You should feel the pressure on your legs more when in the slacked up position. This is also the reason why you cannot just install an aerobar and basebar on your roadbike, the geometry just won't match the cockpit!

2. The Head Tube Angle

The headtube is the part of the bike where the fork is inserted and where the headset stand on. In tribikes and roadbikes, the angle of the head tube is almost similar, with the tribike's angle just a teeny weeny bit steeper.

However, if you factor in the seat tube angle with the head tube angle, the difference between the tribike and roadbike starts to show. With the tribike's seat angle steeper, the top tube becomes shorter than a roadbike. Road bikes have seat angles of 72-73 degrees which is almost parallel to the head tube. With the tribike's seat tube at 76-78 degrees, its top tube will be around 1.5 to 3 cm shorter. Do the math.

3. The Top Tube

The top tube of the bike is where the head tube meets the seat tube. Its the topmost part of the bike which is located between your legs.

Tribikes are designed to have a shorter top tube than road bikes as the intention is to keep the rider in an aero position, the back curled up like a ball, head down into the wind. Comparing the sizes, a medium tribike would have a top tube of between 53-54 cm while a roadbike will have 55-55.5 cm. Most athletes will tell you that if you're riding a Large sized roadbike, you should be getting a medium sized tribike...NOT!

Tribike manufacturers have already incorporated the measurements into the design of tribikes. So if you are using a Large roadbike, get a Large tribike. Their measurements are different.

I made the mistake of buying a medium tribike when I ride a Large roadbike. I followed the advices of some friends and ended up spending unnecessarily. I changed my stem to 110mm from 90mm and set back the saddle. In the end, I was riding in a roadbike geometry already. The benefit I should have been getting from having a tribike was lost. I was virtually riding in 73 degrees when I should have been at 76 degrees. To top that, I always slid forward when in the aero position and would always have neck and shoulder pains after a ride. The medium tribike's top tube was shorter than what I needed.

The longer stem also made my bike more difficult to maneuver on road rides, plus I had to pull the seatpost up more than regular just to accomodate the correct angle of my legs when pedaling. There were more things to tweak than if I got a Large sized frame at the start.

Some would advise a new multi-sport athlete to buy a road bike, slap on a clip-on aero bar and insert a fast forward seatpost to mimic a tribike geometry. This could work. However, it will not look as aesthetically mean as having a real tribike. Would you like to go through all the trouble of changing seatposts everytime you race? If yes, then go for this set-up, there's nothing wrong with it. But if your intention in getting into cycling is to compete in triathlons and duathlons, why not train and race with the proper equipment?

Being on an aerobar takes some getting used to. You are more prone to crashing while on an aerobar than on a dropbar. Taking this risk, though, is properly compensated with the faster time you will be doing.

It is necessary for someone who gets into multi-sports to think about what's best to ride in races as the bike leg is always 50% of the race already. Back in Camsur Ironman 70.3 2009, I was among the last to come off the water. By the time I was on my last quarter of the bike portion ,I passed almost a hundred athletes already. I was comfortable with my ride because of the correct bike I chose to use. Being on an aero position for more than 2 hours enabled me to catch the faster swimmers during the race. They were using roadbikes which were heavier on the legs, and at the halfway point of their bike rides, they slowed down substantially enabling me to catch them one by one. I also had good legs when I dismounted, and was able to complete the first 10K of the run in just a little over an hour, until I succumbed to the heat.

Going back to the question on whether to invest on a tribike or roadbike, I'd say invest on a tribike if you're seriously doing multi-sports. It will be more costly for you to buy a roadbike now then change to a tribike later. You can use both in road rides anyway, but a tribike will give you better results in races.

Deo P.

Race Report: Tribob Sprint Duathlon Singapore

2010-03-18T12:55:00.007+08:00

Tribob Sprint Duathlon is an annual race in Singapore designed for people who want to experience multi-sports racing. The distances are short (3k run-18k bike-3krun ) and the race is claimed to be fun and friendly. I was registered to race this event courtesy of my brother, Russel, who has been in Singapore for quite some time already.

http://singaporesprintseries.com/

Russel, Edu ( a Spanish friend who was also racing ) and myself took off from Russel's flat in Serangoon to Sengkang West using our bikes at 6:30 a.m. The streets of Singaapore, though busy with vehicles, were a lot safer than the roads in Manila. There were no undisciplined drivers similar to jeepney and bus drivers here. They respect the right of way of bikers and avoided them as much as possible. I guess that's how it really is when traffic laws are properly implemented.

We got to the race venue by around 7:15 and proceeded to the bag check-in area to deposit our things, then went to transition to rack our bikes.

Checking in my backpack. Russel, Edu and myself rode our bikes from Russel's Serangoon flat to the race venue

Edu's age-group wave started at 8:00 a.m., mine would start at 8:30 so I took the 30-minute difference to warm up. When I started a slow jog, I realized all the strolling and shopping we did 2 1/2 days leading to the race took a toll on my legs. It felt heavy. I shrugged it off and told myself it was going to roll smoothly at race time.

At 8:20 a.m., the 40+ participants were called in at the starting line. I positioned myself at the front of the pack to avoid getting caught in the middle and have trouble running my way to the front. The front pack was mostly caucasians, and I was bent on giving them a run for their money.

At exactly 8:30 a.m., we started.

Start of our age group. I stayed at the front to avoid weaving through the slower runners at the back.

Trying to keep a good pace at the start of the first run.

This was a short race and I knew well before the race that it was going to be an all out sprint from start to finish. I kept a 4:30ish pace on the first 2K but suddenly felt heavy legs on the 3rd K of the run leading to the T1. I was huffing and puffing and was having sidestitch. What in the world was happening to me?

Huffing and puffing towards the end of the 1st run. I wasn't at my best.

Upon reaching T1, I couldn't change to bike shoes as fast as I could. I finished the first run in 14+ minutes which was within my target but was having a hard time transitioning.

As I rolled off the bike, I told myself I'll hack it out and try to catch up with the leaders.

I was still thinking of landing in the top 40 of my age group at the start of the bike leg.

I initially was averaging 33-34 kph on the bike. I wanted to go faster and be at an average of around 36kph for the whole bike leg. However, at the time I was on the saddle, there were still some riders belonging to the earlier waves who were still on the course, making it tight for fast riding. The turns were tight and I had to pussyfoot to avoid crashing with other riders. What's worse was that the women's wave got on the bike on my last lap. Some of them were weaving through the course dangerously, so I had to take extra caution. It was a "no drafting" race, but on my second lap, there was a group of around 5-6 people bunched up in a peloton. When I excused myself to pass them, the nutheads drafted behind me. Cheaters!

Turning cautiously at the tight turn around

I finished the bike leg in 33+ minutes, at an average of 32.2kph. Not an ideal time.

Already disappointed at my performance, my legs already felt heavy going into the 2nd run.

At this point, I have given up hope to make it to the top 40 of my age group. I had heavy legs upon leaving T2 and my stamina was suspect. The days leading to the race was spent in late nights and all day strolling around Singapore. It wasn't a good way to prepare even for a short race and it all fell apart on the 2nd run for me.

There was only one water station along the whole course, located at the 1K point of the run course. With the 9 a.m. Singaporean heat already taking its toll on me, I did something I haven't done in my past 2 duathlons, walk!

I tried hard to keep a good pace on the 2nd run, but my legs weren't there anymore. I was hoping for a second wind, but it did not come the way it came on my previous duathlons which were a lot longer than this one.

I reached the finish line at 1:07 of the race, only to find myself exiting in the wrong direction. I proceeded to the transition area once more instead of going into the finish line chute. My brother Noel and wife, Carol, called my attention on the mistake I did. I was already walking towards my bike then and had to run back to where the finish line chute was, taking away precious minutes from me.

Took a wrong turn at the finish line and smiling about it. What a way to cap a disappointing race.

I officially finished the race in 1:09, with a second run of more than 19 mins, a personal worst.

Just posing happily while receiving the finisher's medal.

I was looking at finishing this race in sub-1 hour, but needed 9 minutes extra. Not nice. I placed 66th in my age category out of 175, 217th among 440 males and 239th among all racers with an official finish time of 1:09:37.

The only consolation I got in finishing, a kiss from my darling Carol

It was a good experience though. I underestimated the distance and paid dearly for it. I guess I just have to learn from it.

Our support group ( from left ): Noel, Mike, Carol, myself, Edu, Nimf, Leila. Russel took the photo.

Moving on, Tribob is a good race, but not the best. I still find the Powerade MOA duathlons better in a lot of ways. First, there are more water stations in the duathlons held here. The turns, too, are wider and safer. And the athletes here are more mindful in the bike leg and they don't weave in and out of a lane without caution. Different race, different atmosphere. Oh well.

See you guys at the Powerade National Duathlon Open on April 18.

Deo P.

REVIEW: ISM Adamo Road Saddle

2010-02-28T17:04:00.003+08:00

If you're a cyclist, I'm sure you have encountered, at one point in your cycling career, the feeling of numbness on your private parts ( the part where the body meets the saddle ) after an extended period of riding. I personally have felt it in my earlier cycling days, but, not as bad as when I completed the inaugural Philippine Ironman 70.3.

After crossing the finish line, I proceeded to the shower area to wash up a bit and change clothes. While taking a shower, I felt the need to pee and instinctively held my "junior". I felt nothing. It was as if there was nothing hanging there!

The numbness I felt lasted for several days, in fact, more than a week. I was so worried about it that from time to time, I would try to feel it and check if some sort of sensitivity was back.

I've asked friends around and felt some relief that most of them experienced it before, telling me it would come back in no time. For as long as I was out of the saddle and let the circulation of the blood in my perineum area flowing, I was on my way to recovery.

I never wanted to experience the same again!

I've heard of Adamo Saddles, or saddles that has a revolutionary design that was getting popular among my triathlete-friends. It had no nose and claimed to have solved the "numbness" issue with cyclists. The saddle was beyond my budget though. So instead of buying one, I tweaked my bike's configuration to allow for a more relaxed seating position: pointing up, pointing down, leveled, lower seatpost, higher seatpost, saddle set back, saddle set forward, etc. I never thought there were more than one saddle position in a bike!

My knee ached. The relaxed seating position's trade off was shorter leg pedaling length which meant prolonged curled knee and more pressure on the forefoot causing numbness.

I ordered an Adamo saddle from Ebay right away!

There are two models of multi-sport Adamo saddles in the ISM line-up: The Adamo Racing and the Adamo Road. The Adamo RACING is lighter but more expensive and is tri-specific. The Adamo ROAD is heavier but with more gel and has a wider base for road position. I ordered the ROAD.

Adamo saddles are odd-looking and does not conform to traditional saddle designs. It has no nose and has a cut-away from where the nose should have been, up to the middle of the saddle body. Its rails also are higher than traditional saddles. These differences are actually what makes the Adamo better saddles than the others.

It being without a nose and with a cut away makes it gentler on the perineum area. By letting blood flow through the perineum, numbness is drastically minimized.

Its wider tip, though, warrants some getting used to. After riding the saddle for 20kms for the first time, I felt some soreness on my sit bones. Using the saddle regularly enables the sit bone muscles, which is very seldom used, memorize being on the Adamo thereby minimizing or eliminating the soreness. I rode with the Adamo yesterday for more than 100kms and have no sit bones soreness as I write this. Felt like magic!

The Adamo is easy to install. It follows the same installation procedure as other traditional saddles. However, in order to get the full benefit of the product, you need to tweak the position a bit so you'd feel its claimed "therapeutic" effect immediately. If ever you purchase one, try to visit their site www.ismseat.com and view the installation video. Since it has no nose and has a cut-away, configuring it on your bike takes a bit of trial and error.

There are two ways to ride the Adamo: either by seating on a forward position and let the rear-most part of your butt touch the saddle, or, you may want to sit via the sitbones and leave a small distance between the saddles and your "nuts". I prefer the latter.

The Adamo Road also enabled me to bike faster as I'm in the aero position more. Before, I would go aero for a kilometer then use the hoods after. I needed to stand up on the bike to avoid "numbing up". This has been taken cared of by the Adamo. There isn't any worry now that I'd be numb in the private area no matter how long the ride distance is. Now, if that's not enough reason to buy one, I don't know any reason anymore.

Thank you Steve Toll for coming out with this excellent saddle!

In summary:

Pros:

- eliminates numbness in the private area during and after bike rides

- gel-padded and seems really durable

- easy to install

- transition hook on the rear enables easier racking up at transition area

- enables you to stay on the aero position longer

Cons:

- not easily configure-"able", requires some tweaking before maximum benefit is achieved

- soreness on the sit bones during initial use

- heavier than some saddles

If I have been using 5 stars to rate a product, Adamo Road saddle would get 4.5 from me. Great product!

Deo P.

REVIEW: Profile Design RM1 Aqua Rack

2010-02-28T13:53:00.003+08:00

My tri-bike is fitted with only one bottle cage. Not because I don't want to put another, but, because there's no more space in the triangle of the frame to put another one into. This posed a problem with my long rides before, and I've resorted to using a hydration backpack to address it. However, riding on a tribike with a hydration pack is not a good sight to see. Other rider friends would smile, or even laugh, at me at the start of the ride. I was in racing gear except for the hydration pack normally used in MTB rides. Yeah, funny.

I have seen rear aqua racks in races before, but when I inquired about it from the owner of the bikes I've seen it on, I would be disappointed to learn that these were seatpost mounted. My Kinesis KT610 TT bike has an aero seatpost which makes it, well, aero and not rounded like the traditional seatposts.

But then, I found the Profile Design RM1 saddle mounted bottle holder.

This bottle holder mounts to the rail of the saddle and can be installed on all saddles, whether road, MTB or even the cruiser type. For as long as the saddle has rails, the RM1 can stick on it.

Getting the RM1 a day before a century ride was perfect timing. I would get to test the rack in real life and in real conditions where it was needed.

The RM1 comes in a plastic package which probably has become Profile Design's trademark by now. The package included the RM1 frame, two lightweight Profile Design Kages and CO2 mounting brackets.

Installation was quite easy. I just screwed the clamps on the rails using Allen wrench, then adjusted the angle of the rack to my taste. Once adjusted , I tightened the bolt of the rack to make sure it didn't loosen up during my ride.

In testing the fit of my water bottles with the Kages, I filled up two of my bottles and inserted it in the rack. The Kages were tight, and I had to twist each of the bottle just to get it inside. Eack Kage was wrapped in a rubber band to ensure a tight grip on the bottle. A loose grip will launch the bottle out of the Kage when or if I hit a bump.

During the actual ride, the rack proved to be very useful. I had enough hydration to last me three-quarters of a century ride, replenishing only on km 80.

The bottles were easy to reach even on aero position, much more when riding on the hoods of the basebar.

Putting the bottles back in the rack needed some learning curve. In my case, I had to feel the mouth of the Kages first then try to insert the bottles once I found it. In twisting the bottles, I was able to put these back easily. However, the pressure from pushing and twisting the bottles down took its toll on the frame of the aqua rack, it loosened.

I had to remove one of the Kages first before I was able to tighten the bolt back on the rack's frame, it wasn't as easy as 1-2-3.

At the end of the ride, the RM1 held up quite nicely. It performed its duties with flying colors and in great aesthetics too. No wonder even the pros in Kona for the World Ironman Championships use these wonderful piece of accesory. Liquid at the front and at the back, what else do you need?

In summary:

Pros:

- Light and durable

- Easy to install

- Does not come into contact with the body even if its installed close

- Well thought of design

- Includes CO2 mounts in the package

- Cheap

- Does not launch the bottles even if you hit some bumps

Cons:

- Supplied Kages too tight for water bottles

- Rack frame loosens due to pressure when inserting the bottles back in

Verdict:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. A necessity for long rides.

Condura 42K: A Survivor's Story

2010-02-08T14:15:00.004+08:00

" Pure confidence will not take you to the finish line..."

When the schedule of Condura Run 2010 was announced late last year, I told myself this was one race I wouldn't miss. I only had good memories of the 2009 edition and this is one race which offers other organized races don't : run on the Skyway. The 2010 edition, though, is 21K different from the 2009 offering. Yes, it now has a full marathon included in its distances.

Before I even trained for it, I registered for the full marathon last December. With or without training, I was going to be at the starting line and would finish the race no matter what. It was going to be my first full marathon and a DNF would leave a bad taste in the mouth, wouldn't it?

I started training for this race in Jan. 2, 2010, after the holiday binging in December, 2009. I planned a short 10K run to start, then followed it with a 20K run the following day. It was then an unforgiving enemy revealed itself to me.

On the 18th kilometer of my planned 20K run, I felt a stabbing pain on the outside of my left knee cap. I stopped and shook my left calf, then ran again, only to stop again a few meters after. The pain started to become worse and I had to put a stop to my run. Another day, I thought, another day.

Throughout the first week of the new year, I ran for 10-12kms during weekdays and would attempt a long run over the weekend but would stop just before I complete my training run due to severe left knee pains. I wasn't sure of what was happening to me. I thought my running shoes needed to retire and as a solution, I bought a new pair.

My new shoes made me run faster, but not longer. Still, the left knee pain persisted around the 20K mark of my runs.

After some research, and later to be confirmed by my doctor, I was suffering from ITBS, or Iliotibial Band Syndrome, an injury most runners encounter at some point in their running lives. The treatment involved not running for weeks, something I couldn't do with Condura Run just two weeks away.

I asked my doctor if he could just prescribe me a medicine that would take the pain away while I was running. He prescribed Feldene Flash tablets which I would put under my tongue for immediate effect. With this prescription, I was confident I would finish the race in one piece. I now have new shoes and a medication to go with it to last the horrendous distance.

But it wasn't going to be like how I thought it was going to be...

A day before the race, I went to Bonifacio High Street to claim my race pack, then dropped by All Terra to buy several GU energy gels which I would take during the duration of the run to avoid "bonking". I had my race strategy repeated in my mind so I wouldn't forget.

Also, Feb. 6 was mother-in-law's birthday celebration and my wife threw a party for her. I told my wife beforehand that I would have to excuse myself by 8 p.m. to get some sleep as I needed to wake up at 2 a.m. for the race. It was okay with her.

I hit the sack at exactly 8 p.m. but couldn't get some sleep. The party downstairs was keeping me awake. I tossed and turned in the bed but at 1:00 a.m. of race day, I had "zero" sleep. I decided then not to sleep at all. I had a 15-minute nap in the afternoon of Feb. 6 and slept divinely on the evening of Feb. 5. I thought I had enough sleep as I went into the race.

Geared and ready for the race

I was at the parking lot of BHS by 3:15 a.m. There were a lot of runners already when I donned my shoes and put on my knee bandage and knee support. I saw the takbo.ph bunch and stayed with them for a while. Ian was early as well. Retzel was in compression tights which made him look thinner, or more aerodynamic, than usual. Shook hands with my "teammate" Joni Lopez of team Timex who was also running her first full marathon. Saw Noel Padrigon at the parking area and we went to the check in area together.

Javy Olives was there too though he was running the 21K. His wife, Hannah, was doing the 42K.

Saw my BelieveStrong teammates, Hans, Jason, and Philip Roxas. Pastor Ernie and Col. Dennis were there too but I didn't see them.

The check-in area was abuzz with people, newbies and veteran runners alike. It was that few minutes of handshakes and chatting that calmed most of the runners before the big bang.

At 4:00 a.m., the start gun was fired.

It was hard to get a run line at the start. Runners were almost at the same pace, not too slow and not too fast. Everybody was afraid to blow and the best way to avoid it was to maintain a comfortable pace. I settled at a 6:30 pace and intended to do so for the duration of the run. At 6:30, I would have finished the 42K in about 4hours and 30minutes.

I was very comfortable with my pace that even after 8 kms, I wasn't breathing heavily nor was I tired and needed to slow down. I completed the 1st 10kms in 1:05, a minute faster than the 1:06 I planned. I felt stronger as I entered my 11th km. I increased my pace a bit and completed the first 14kms in 1:30, slightly ahead of my target.

And then, disaster struck...

As I was halfway through the 14th km, above the skyway, my worst fear started. An invisible hand hammered my left knee, leaving it with a stabbing pain so bad that I suddenly stopped and yelled out a snarl. My worst enemy, ITBS, had attacked so soon. I slumped forward and felt my knee, then tried shaking it off. I slowly started running again but needed to stop after a few steps. I was hurting really bad I was thinking riding inside the ambulance was a better idea than finishing the race. I had to convince myself that I could finish with the pain.

I walked and jogged the next few meters going into the 15th km. The pain was getting worse and worse at every step.

At the 15K mark, I stopped and chewed on a Choco Mucho chocolate bar. I needed something to fill my stomach before I take in a tablet of Feldene Flash. Finally, a few meters just after the 15th km, I put the Feldene Flash under my tongue. It instantly melted.

I walked for around 500 meters until I felt some relief from the medication. I didn't feel any. If it had an effect, it was minimal, enabling me to just walk and not even jog. I changed my running style from midfoot to forefoot to see if the pain would be minimized. It was. From then on, it was running and walking on forefoot on my left and midfoot on my right, making me limp as I went along.

After the first 15K, I was at 1:39 of the race. Still not as bad as I thought I was running already. If I could run/walk the final 27K in 3 hours, I would still finish in 4:39. I thought it was realistic even under the condition I was in.

I ran the 16th to the 26th km in 1hour, 26minutes. I was already experiencing pain at its purest form. I winced, grimaced and cursed shamelessly as I was trying to run/ walk the distance. I was already at 3:05 of the race with 16K to go. In healthier days, I could run 16K in less than 1hr, 30mins. During this race, I was hoping I could do it in 2 hours.

The Skyway is a long stretch of lonely roads if you're running with an injury. Runners passed me left and right. Even runners I see barely able to meet cut-off times in races went past me. I was alarmed. I was in a lot of pain but needed to go faster.

Friends would ask how I was, and I'd say I was fine and would just ask them to go ahead. For as much as I was hurting, I wouldn't want anyone to slow down because of me. A runner whom I've not seen or met before offered to pace me. But even his jog pace was too fast for me. I thanked him for the gesture and asked him to go ahead.

Noel would shout "easy bro! easy lang!" as he saw me grimacing on his way back to the finish line. Erick ( of takbo.ph ) passed me and asked how I was, as well as the other takbo.ph guys running as a bunch.

I was in unfamiliar territory. I pitied myself which has never happened to me before. Slowly, the ambulances, again, were tempting me to ride it and stop the horrendous ordeal I was in. I did not give in.

There were sponges given out just a little after the 42K turnaround point. I took two and put one inside my knee support. It was quite a relief. Unfortunately, there was only one aid station giving it out.

A man was slumped on the sideways at around the 28K point. Another man was massaging his back with a wet sponge. I stopped to ask what happened to him. He felt dizzy while running. I pulled out the sponge from my knee support and massaged the man's head with it. He needed the sponge more than I did.

It was again, very lonely after that. I was running alone, on the Skyway, with the sun giving runners a feel of what El Nino is. I was in survival mode already, and about to hit the red line in my running gauge.

I was at 3:52 of the race after 30kms.

I was doing mostly walks now instead of jogging. The pain on my left knee has magnified to include my left hip. I couldn't bend my kneecaps as much as I wanted to at this point. I was about to break.

Suddenly, two female runners caught me. One was a very familiar runner I raced with during my first duathlon. She was obviously overweight but has trimmed down substantially since I first saw her. The two were jogging at around 7:30 pace. They invited me along. I mustered enough courage to run with them, even with all the pain that has now almost immobilized my whole left leg. I jogged with them for about 300 meters and told them to go ahead.

I limped again after.

What made the race course lonelier if you're at the tailend is the sight of the marching bands, who were supposed to cheer you up and encourage you, lazily beating down the drums which was the only instrument they were playing. The rest of the band just sat down and watched us, and probably were heckling us in hushed voices. Couldn't blame them though. With the heat slowly rising up, anyone would be melted to a mashed potato.

I caught up with Timmy Sebastian's ( takbo.ph) group at around the 31st K. We just walked until almost at the Skyway ramp going down Buendia, where Quennie joined us. They then jogged and I was left alone again.

The vehicles were now allowed to ply one half of Buendia, and the traffic enforcers wouldn't stop the vehicles for me to cross the street on to the runner's lane. I breathed in and in a few big leaps, bit my lip to cross in a hurry. It was very, very painful! I held on to the center island to relax a bit and regain my composure. Tears almost welled my eyes due to the severe pain.

I was at 4:23 of the race with 9K to go.

I reached the takbo.ph aid station where Mccoy spread some liniment on my left knee. I got temporary relief from the pain. I was also handed a banana and ate it, then took my second and last Feldene Flash.

I was doing 10min/km at that point. With 9K to go, I would finish in 5:53, hanging by a hairline to beat the cut-off. But the Buendia flyover was already near, and it would definitely slow me down. I needed to do better than a 10min/km pace.

As a last ditch effort to save my race, I increased my pace. The last 9K of the Condura Run 42K would be the most painful 9K of my life. I was moaning and groaning left and right as my left leg hit the asphalt. EVERY STEP WAS PAIN now, literally. The sun was scorching hot already. It was already past 8:00 a.m.

I would run and walk every 100 meters and walked going up the Buendia flyover. Ran the flat part and then walked the descent.

Last 4K of the run and I was at 5:06.

I played "patintero" with the vehicles upon descending the Buendia flyover towards the final 3.5K. No more marshalls to guide the runners, no more traffic enforcers to stop traffic. I, and the other runners were left to fend for ourselves, guess which way to the finish line ourselves and encourage the other runners ourselves.

Saw Javy Olives near the Market Market left turn. "Last 2.5K bro! Konti na lang!" he shouted.

That was the longest 2.5K I ever ran, or walked.

I caught Joni Lopez on the final 2K. She was walking already and joking with her teammates who were there to support her. I was brisk walking.

I tried to muster a run just after the last 2K but felt dizzy. I was going to bonk if I forced it. I would just walk, and walk fast to finish.

I was at 5:36 of the race on my last kilometer. The finish line seemed so far even with just 1K to go.

There was just a handful of people at the finish line, an indication that I was among the last runners to cross it at 5:49 of the race. It felt bittersweet. I was happy to make it, sad that I clocked in more than an hour of my target.

The takbo.ph guys made a banner with my name on it. Thanks guys!

I slumped on a gutter just after the finish line. I wasn't exhausted, I wasn't even tired. I was just disappointed. My left knee had forsaken me. I didn't feel like crying, I felt angry.

Why in the world did this happen to me?

I found the answer when I looked back more than 2 months ago.

I was confident I'd finish the race in sub-4:45. I didn't train properly for the race. I did shortcuts on my training program resulting to the ITBS which hounded me 3 quarters of the race. I didn't pay my dues, so why did I expect too much?

Sometimes, a single achievement changes a person. In my case, it catapulted my confidence to a much higher level, a level which is only attributed to athletes in champion forms. However, thanks to that over-confidence as it brought me back to where I'm supposed to be, an athlete in need of proper training.

Condura 42K was both a victory and loss for me. It made me realize that sheer determination was needed in times of desparation. When my ITBS attacked at the 14th km, the determination to finish the race more than compensated for my physical inability. I lost my (over) confidence, in turn making me realize that indeed, humility is a virtue I needed to practice and have. Being passed by runners who normally wouldn't even see my shadow humiliated me, but humbled me far more. And with it, I am thankful.

I prayed to God to give me the endurance and strength to finish the race within my target time, instead, he left me with an 11-minute allowance before the cut-off. Did God turn a deaf ear on me? No, He instead turned a loving understanding. He let in the ITBS early in the race to let me realize that there's no shortcuts to a marathon. He let me get passed by slower runners to teach me humility. He let me felt dizzy when I tried to run in the last 2k of the race so I can learn to call on him when there's nothing I could do anymore. He left me with 11 minutes to spare to cut-off to let me know that He has not forsaken me.

After Condura 42K, I would like to believe I'm a better athlete...and God-fearing individual.

Deo P.

Review: New Balance 738 Cushioning Shoes

2010-01-25T09:46:00.003+08:00

When I started feeling some pains on my left knee, I always suspected the shoes I was using as the culprit. Since the day I started running back in 2008, I have always worn the same pair of shoes, a New Balance 846. I bought this shoes not knowing what overpronation, underpronation and neutral shoes were. When the sales staff who assisted me showed me the shoes, I tried it out and liked its highly cushioned soles, then bought it.

My NB 846 had logged more than 1,000kms since. It was on my feet in all of my marathons, duathlons and triathlon in late 2008 to the whole year 2009. No wonder it got so overused that during my first run in 2010, it started complaining and bashing my left knee. I should have noticed it, but didn't, my 846 was already arched upward when not in use which meant it was already up for retirement. The spendthrift in me just didn't want to shell out precious moolahs for a new pair, until my left knee started knocking on my pockets.

Early this month, I did what I was supposed to have done many months back: visit SecondWind running store and have my gait analysis and take home a new pair of running shoes.

It came as a no-surprise that I am an underpronator. I always messed the outer soles of my shoes, whether for work or run, first. My feet weren't rolling in, or pronating properly, everytime I run resulting to an uneven wearing out of the soles of my shoes.

What came as a surprise was the design of the NB846 I used for more than a year. I thought, and like what the sales staff who sold it to me told me, it was a "neutral" pair of shoes, which should have been okay for underpronators like me as it was cushioned very well. IT WASN'T! The NB846 is designed for moderate overpronation and stability, the exact opposite of what I was! No wonder it almost blasted my kneecaps away!

Neville, Secondwind's manager, suggested I try out cushioning shoes for my feet. It made sense when he told me that underpronators should use well cushioned shoes, especially on the outer soles, to support my weight properly when I run. He had me gone through gait analysis and confirmed my undepronation.

There were several "cushioning" shoes to select from, but I was on a budget. Knowing New Balance makes great, affordable shoes, I bought an NB 738. I got my new pair of shoes on a Wednesday, and couldn't wait to test it the following morning.

Thursday, Jan.14, 5:00 a.m.: I ran with my the NB738 around our village for 8kms. The shoes felt great. The cushion was a relief to my feet and it held my left knee intact during the whole run. It must have worked, though I was skeptical because it was just a short run.

Saturday, Jan. 16 @ 6:a.m.: I had a planned 20K run in preparation for the Condura 42K marathon. The first time I ran more than 15K this month was in January 2, and thats when I thought my knee shattered at the 18K mark. If I survive after the 18K, then the shoes probably work.

My plan pace was 6:30, but completed the first 10K in 55mins for a 5:30 pace. I slowed down a bit to make sure I wasn't over-exerting and ran at 6:15 throughout the remainder of the run.

Reaching the 18K mark, I wasn't a bit sore on my left knee. I was running a lot faster than when I ran last Jan. 2 but wasn't feeling any pain at all.

My ghost haunted me on the 19K mark though. There was already a bit of soreness on my left knee but it was tolerable. At 20K, I decided to stop and not push further. Though I completed my run, running more than 20K that day was at the back of my mind.

I completed my 20K training run in 1:58, averaging 5:45/km.

At home, my left knee was sore but I could walk up and down the stairs without problems. By noontime, I was pain free without taking analgesics or any pain medication.

I was happy with my new shoes.

New Balance 738 specs:

ABZORB®: Cushioning provides exceptional forefoot and heel shock absorption.

ABZORB FL®: An added layer of Abzorb that runs from heel to toe.
ACTEVA™ Lite: Lower density of cellular foam structure increases resistance to compression set.
Blown Rubber Outsole: Provides a lightweight cushioned ride.
Synthetic/Mesh Upper: provides light weight comfort and support.
Stability Web™: Provides midfoot support and torsional stability while reducing weight.
Dual Density Collar: uses both a softer density foam against the foot for cushioning, and a firmer density foam for support.
Lighting Dry™ Liner: keeps your feet dry and comfortable as you train.
Non Marking Sole: All New Balance have non-marking soles.
Sure Lace™: secure shoe laces provide added midfoot support and keep the shoe snug around the foot.
360° Reflectivity: for added safety.
Shoe Weight: 295 grams (10.4 oz)

New Balance 738 may not be the best cushioning shoes out there, but it is definitely one of the most affordable. The price, though, comes only second to what it offers, this model ROCKS!

The 738 is very stable. Not once during my runs did I feel losing my feet's balance, and I could feel the cushioning working as the cement road I was running felt more like asphalts. The "shock" on my heel and forefoot was negligible.

Better cushioning is a bonus to my knees, and the 738 proves this. Though there were some soreness on my left knee after my run, these were not as painful as the pains I felt using my old running shoes and were gone after a few hours.

The Lighting Dry Liner works! My feet felt dry after running close to two hours. The 738 also does not lack in visibility. When I first used it around the village, a running mate commented he saw me from more than a hundred meters away even if it was pitch dark, the reflectors on my shoes were like stars on the road!

Over-all, I am very happy with the NB 738. I can probably be happier with higher priced models but spending more is not happening in the near future.

Thanks, Neville, for the great suggestion!

Deo P.

ITBS: The downside of training

2010-01-11T09:43:00.002+08:00

I was running last Jan. 2 when I felt a stinging pain on my left knee. I was scheduled to run 22K in preparation for Condura 42K on Feb. 7 but had to stop at 18.5K due to severe left knee pains.

I tried walking it off but after just a few seconds of relief, it would come back again once I started running. Seeing a futile effort to finish the 22K and resting to fight another day, I thought it was best to stop and make sure I won't do my knees more harm.

Going up the stairs at home was a struggle, more difficult was going down. I wore my knee support to alleviate the pain a bit but it was still there. I walked limping throughout the whole day and just looked forward to my bike ride the following day.

Early morning of Jan. 3, upon waking up, I noticed the pain wasn't there anymore. Funny, I thought, but I was expecting even a bit of the pain to still be there the following day. I prepared for my bike ride and completed a 45K spin at my favorite lap route, Club Manila East in Taytay, Rizal.

I researched when I got home. What was that pain?

Everything I read pointed to one culprit, ITBS or iliotibial band syndrome. Wikipedia describes ITBS as follows:

"The iliotibial tract (iliotibial band) is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of thepelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, moving from behind the femur to the front while walking. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed."

There are several reasons pointed out by the internet on the causes of ITBS, but the most probable reasons for me suffering from it are:

1. Running on pavements;

2. Inadequate warm-up or cool down;

3. Under pronation or bowleggedness.

I have always ran on cemented roads or pavements and it took its toll on my knees. I also do minimal warm ups and cool downs before and after my runs. I guess I'm just too stubborn to do such activities prior to my runs.

I also have been using neutral shoes when in fact, I need under pronation specific shoes. I invested too much on my bike that I thought it wouldn't hurt if I scrimp a little on my running accessories, I was wrong.

But the most glaring reason which I believe contributed to this injury is the weight I gained over the holidays, which is more or less 8 lbs. I had quite a number of long runs already, and these long runs happen when I just feel like running longer than what I normally do. I would run 20Kms on a weekend with no prior runs two weeks earlier, and not suffer from ITBS. I guess my training regimen must be tweaked a bit after this.

I hope and pray that this injury gets out of the way before Condura Marathon on Feb. 7, otherwise I'll be running with knee support. No, DNS is not an option. :-)

Run safe everyone!

Deo P.

New Year, New Goals...

2010-01-07T12:22:00.004+08:00

2009 was a banner year for me in terms of being a multi-sport athlete. I have seen and actually felt my endurance getting better and better the longer and more frequent I trained and joined races, whether these were marathons, duathlons and triathlons. My resting heart rate dropped from around 70 to 56, proof of my better physical condition. Though I have yet to go sub-2 hours in a half marathon, I have now consistently averaged 5:45 min/km in runs longer than 5K, and have improved my 5K average from 32mins to 26mins, a shade over my 25 mins, 5:00 min/km target.

A lot of friends and running and cycling buddies have congratulated me for my Camsur 70.3 finish last August 23, 2009. Though I was really happy with that achievement, I believe I could have done better. Looking back, I could have slashed more than 10 minutes off my time in the swim portion of that event. With the scrapping of the swim cut-off time, I thought it was okay to just survive the swim portion and completed it in 1hour, 14mins. My average 2K swim during trainings in pools is 52mins.

I could have done better as well in the run portion. After seeing a teammate cramping up on the last 11K of the run, I decided to stick with him and egg him on, when I still had enough in the tank to run the 21K in 2hours, 30 minutes. Though I am proud of having crossed the finish line with him, I now believe that just making sure he'd finish would have been enough.

2009 was all about joining and finishing. I was new to multi-sports and never gave myself a chance to compete. All I wanted was to finish every race I joined.

2010 will be different.

As evidenced in my last Duathlon back in September 20, 2009, in order for me to compete, I have to get out of my comfort zone. I was always cautious about cramping or "bonking" in a race that I always checked on my pace, my heartrate and over-all physical condition. I was always afraid of not finishing that whenever I feel something going wrong, I would slow down and take it easy just to make sure I'd finish. This will not be the case in 2010.

In 2010, I will compete.

After watching my Ironman videos again, I realized what competing means. Competing separates the "athletes" from the recreational sports people. Competitors give it all, participants are just in there for the heck of it. I now understand why people DNF or bonk in a race, it is the "competition" that drives them to exert effort more than what their bodies could handle. These are the athletes, those who finish with fresh looks are the participants.

With whom am I going to compete?

Myself.

Then, the others.

My competition will be my previous PRs. I will train for races with the end goal of having a better finish than my previous races. In doing this, I hope to move up my age-group's ranking and the over-all rankings as well. I have seen my finishes bring me to the upper half of the finisher's list. Now, it's a matter of breaking into the top 40%.

I will now choose my races more wisely, starting off the year with the Condura Run 42K to have a base time for a full marathon. Then an aquathlon for another base time establishment.

This year will be the first time I'm competing in a race abroad, the Singapore Sprint Series, doing the Sprint Duathlon, a 3K-run, 15K-bike, 3K-run race which may be really short but I'm sure will be really fast. I thank my brother, Russel, for registering me in such event.

The other races I have lined up this year are repeats of what I did last year, with the exception of Subic Int'l Triathlon and the White Rock Triathlon. In all these races, I hope I don't bonk or DNF en route to a better PR finish.

My first multi-sport race wouldn't happen until March 14 this year. But to be in better condition, I started doing the legwork as early as the last week of December 2009. I hope that with my "uplifted" interest in competing, I race all my races in personal record times.

Everything went well in 2009, and I hope everything goes better and faster this year.

Happy new year everyone!

Deo P.

Christmas Jam!

2009-12-28T07:50:00.003+08:00

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!

2009-11-16T13:15:00.011+08:00

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

2009-10-27T15:42:00.003+08:00

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

2009-10-07T07:56:00.032+08:00

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

2009-09-21T11:57:00.005+08:00

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!

2009-08-26T12:27:00.009+08:00

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

2009-08-12T10:37:00.000+08:00

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

2009-08-03T13:32:00.005+08:00

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.

40 is the new 30

2009-07-29T12:59:00.005+08:00

One of the fears or worries of an athlete is the time when his performance deteriorates due to age. The fear of not being as competitive anymore as when he was several years younger forces an athlete to retire and end up hoping to land a coaching job. In sports, the early 20's is prime, the late 20's is peak and the early 30's is planning for what lies ahead and thinking about raising the kids well. The early 30's is when an athlete makes a graceful exit from competitiveness. The sponsors and coaches all start looking for someone to carry their banner when their star athlete crosses the last numbers of the calendar.

Throughout the years, sports science and nutrition has become so advanced that years have been taken off from an athlete's age in terms of competitiveness, resulting to longer stay in the sports that an athlete dominates, or better body recoveries even at an age when athletes should be retiring. Athletes now have learned to defy age and continous to compete in races before were thought to be for the younger athletes only.

At the age of 41 years, Dara Torres won three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She holds the distinction of being the 1st American to compete in five Olympics: 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2008 and the reason why she didn't compete in 1996 and 2004 is because she just sat it out.

In 2009, Torres won the 50m freestyle at US National Championships to qualify to swim at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. Torres will also compete in the 50m butterfly in Rome. This will be the first time since 1986 that Torres will compete in the World Championships.

Dara Torres

Lance Armstrong may be considered a household name in sports. Why wouldn't he? The "Boss" won the grueling 3,500 kilometer, 21-stage, 23 days Tour De France 7 times, from 1999 - 2005. Armstrong survived testicular cancer which, in 1996, metastasized to his brains and lungs and his prognosis was "poor".

He announced his retirement from competitive cycling in 2005 and focused his attention to Livestrong Foundation.

Armstrong returned to competitive cycling in 2009, competing in Giro D' Italia where he placed 12th, besting 157 other riders.

His celebrated return to Tour De France tested Armstrong's physical limits. This was the tour he dominated for 7 years and everyone expected him to finish strong despite not competing in the last three years and breaking his collar bone in a crash in March, 2009.

After 23 days, 21 stages and 3,500 kilometers, Armstrong was at the podium, placing 3rd in a field thought to be the toughest Tour De France field in history. He will be back next year with his new team, RadioShack. Lance Armstrong will turn 38 in September.

Lance Armstrong

Natascha Badmann, or the "Swiss Miss" in the triathlon community, is the first European woman to win the Ford Ironman World Championships, a competition many consider to be the toughest race in the world. The race consists of a 3.8km swim in open sea, 180km of bike and a 42.195km of run all done in succession.

Badmann is coached by husband Toni Hassler and is well known for her positive approach to triathlon depicted in her unending smile during the whole duration of the race. She has won 6 Ironman World Championships, the last in 2005, when she was 38 years of age.

Badmann placed 4th in 2006 and suffered a bike crash in 2007 which resulted to a DNF ( did not finish ). In 2008, despite her lack of training, she got into the starting line at Kailua-Kona and raced but failed to finish again.

Badmann will again try to extend her record by winning a 7th Ironman in this year's World Championship, at the age of 42.

Natascha Badmann

The numbers are changing. What trend there was in the sporting community, age-wise, is now different. Mid-life crisis perhaps?

In the upcoming Cobra Ironman 70.3 in Camarines Sur, out of 373 registered so far, 96 belong to the 35-39 age group, the biggest group in the race. This is followed by 86 in the 30-34 age group with the 40-44 athletes at close third with 80. The younger ones? They are at a poor 4th with 44 for the 25-29 age group, while the 18-24 is 3rd to last with 6, besting out age-groupers belonging to 60-64 ( with 5 ) and 65 and above ( with 1 ).

Some say that the mid to late 30's people are those who have already "made" themselves and are the ones who can afford a few luxuries in life, such as indulging in sports.

With these developments and the continuous influx of performance-enhancing vitamins, food supplements and drugs ( yes! including Viagra, Cialis and Levitra ), I'm sure there will come a time when we all can really say 'Yeah, LIFE BEGINS AT 40!'.

Reading glasses anyone?

Deo P.

Review: Nathan Speed 4 Hydration Belt

2009-07-27T10:24:00.003+08:00

One of the most important thing a triathlete need to do is hydrate everytime he or she works out. Hydrating is easier during swim and bike trainings. When swimming, you can put a water bottle at the end of the pool so you can have a quick gulp just before starting your next lap. While biking, you have your water bottle either on the downtube or seatpost, or in-between your aerobars for easier access.

In running, especially during those LSD runs, you have your water bottle in your hands, hanging on your waist or on your back. In whatever way you carry your bottle, it adds weight to your body and causes minor discomforts. These discomforts are what I was trying to eliminate during my search for a "better" hydration pack/belt to wear during long training runs and organized races exceeding 15K. I always use a two-bottle hydration belt and the weight it adds either to my back or front always irritates me, not to mention the sound of the splashing water inside the bottle.

I have seen hydration belts with a 4-flask configuration. According to some triathletes and runners I talked to, 4-flask hydration belts are better than two-bottle belts as the extra weight is distributed evenly around the body. After hearing this, my search for 4-flask belts began.

I searched the internet for 4-flask hydration belts and found several brands. These brands, though, are sold at a price which to me is "hefty" already. However, with Camsur 70.3 nearing, I was running out of time to get myself one to test and probably use for the big race.

Yesterday, Sunday, July 26, after attending worship service, my family and I strolled at Megamall. Before going home, I did a quick pass at Toby's while waiting for my eldest daughter buy accessories for her cellphone. I stumbled upon some pieces of Nathan 4-flask hydration belts and tried checking it out. The price was marvelous! The 4-flask belts were being sold for Php 1,595, +/- Php 1,000 lower than the other brands I've checked. The materials used were of good quality and it has a stash pocket on both front and back for gels, cellphone, car keys, etc. Nice! After trying out a piece making sure it fitted my waist, I lined up for the cashier.

After a short rest at home, I started testing out my new "toy". I immediately filled the flasks with water and slapped it on my waist. Amazing! The weight of the water indeed was distributed evenly around me. The stash pocket could fit my car keys on one side and two Choco Muchos and a hammergel on the other side...perfect!

The belt

The velcro strap held the belt firmly around my waist as I started running. The belt itself is made of elastic material for a snug fit. There were no fears of the belt sliding down as I ran along. It has a comfortable breathable mesh which makes it comfortable around the waist and probably during warm day runs.

The Bottles

There were no water splashes registering in my ear as I ran along. The holsters were molded efficiently for the flasks, it was really easy for me to pull out a flask and put it back in. The nozzle of the flasks are made of rubber and plastic for a secure fit. There were no drips after I have snapped the rubber nozzles back in. Water flow from each flask was generous, and with a little more squeezing can produce a faucet-like water rush. Each flask can hold 10 ounces of fluids or an equivalent of 1.1 liters of much needed hydration, perfect for 10K+ runs.

The Nathan Speed 4 4-flask hydration belt was indeed a precious find and purchase for me. I am now confident that I won'tt get dehydrated in Camusr 70.3 much less ran out of calories to burn. As a summary, the pros and cons of this belt is listed below. Please take note that the pros outweighs the cons by so much.

Pros:

Cheaper than other brands;
Well thought of design. Water bottle weight is distributed evenly around the body;
Comfortable;
Made of good quality materials;
Bottles and holsters perfectly fit each other;
Bottles are of great design and appear durable;
Perfect fit around the waist line.

Cons:

Bigger bottles than other brands mean heavier extra load.

Nathan Speed 4 is available at Toby's. I have no idea how many of this they carry though.

Thanks for reading and happy training!

Deo P.

Powerade Duathlon 2nd Leg Race Report

2009-06-29T09:21:00.007+08:00

With Javy. He just completed his first loop while I had just turned right from transition area to start my first. Photo courtesy of Javy O.

Photo with the strong participants. ( L-R ) Elmer Santiago and Javy Olives (Team Super), myself, Retzel Orquiza ( Team Xycos )

Finishing my first run. I wore my gloves too soon. Photo courtesy of Noel Padrigon

It was slightly drizzling around 3:00 a.m. of June 28, Sunday, which made it harder to get out of bed and prepare for the 2nd leg of Powerade Duathlon Open which was going to be held that day at MOA. I couldn't sleep the night before due to either anxiety or excitement about this race. It was my 2nd time to join and I was looking forward a better finish time, and with this some sort of pressure built up inside me resulting to lack of sleep.

I aimed on finishing the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes, almost 10 minutes better than my finish time during the first leg. My specific goals were as follows: Run 40 minutes on the first run ( 7K ), finish the bike leg in 1 hour ( 30K @ 30kph average ) and run the last 4K in 30 minutes. completing the whole race in 2:10.

At 4:20 a.m. I was off to MOA. The parking area at McDonald's, Macapagal Ave. was already full, so I had to park somewhere else and found a good spot near the registration area.

After getting body marked, I proceeded to the transition area to rack my bike. There were a number of participants already there. Had a nice chat with Arnel Castro, who belonged to my age-group and a brother in Christ. Going back to my car to get some more of my stuff, I saw Pastor Ernie Catanghal and Melody from CBF ( Christian Biker's Fellowship ) and fellow churchmates at CCF ( Christ Commission Fellowship ). Melody was not so sure about joining even if she registered as she was still recovering from a nasty bike crash which left gashes on her knee. A few chit-chats and I was back to the transition area where I saw MJ Beltran, Retzel Orquiza and Javy Olives, friends from Pinoyroadies.org. Also met with Jason Dela Rama and Jonas Gopaco from Takbo.ph. Transition area preparation was actually where the participants say their "HIs" and "HELLOs" to other partcipants, either old friends or new ones.

After checking my Hammergels and aero water bottle and spare water bottle, I was off to my warm-up. I planned on "eating" during this race to avoid the hunger which hounded me during the first leg. My plan: Eat a bar of Choco Mucho 45 minutes before the start, eat another bar after the first run, consume 1 sachet of Hammergel after the first half of the bike and another after. I stacked the gels inside my stem pannier bag and made sure I could pull it out easily. After munching a bar of Choco Mucho and stacking one more inside my jersey's back pocket. I ran off to warm-up.

I ran with Arnel Castro during warm-up and saw Pastor Ernie doing the same. A few minutes of running and some sweat, I began stretching.

At around 6:45 a.m., the participants were called in at the starting line, and at 6:50 a.m. the gun sounded off.

First Run: 7K

I planned on doing a positive split on the first run as I thought it was the best strategy I could employ in this race. Slowing down nearing the transition area will buy me some time to recover before I start hacking it out in the bike.

I started strong at 4:30 pace. After the first loop, I still felt strong. There was a minor confusion on the run route as the "elites" whom everyone was following made a wrong turn, and that error became the norm. We ended up running almost a kilometer more than what we should've ran.

After the first loop, I pulled out my cycling gloves from my back pocket and put them on so that I won't waste time at the transition area doing it. However, my plan was to put it on around 300 meters to the transtion area. 5K into the first run and I was already wearing it. Some of the participants might have been puzzled why my gloves were on more than 2 kilometers before the end of the 1st run.

I was at 5:00 pace on the 5th kilometer of the run and I thought I needed to slow down to around 5:30 just to be slightly rested before I started biking. At the 6th K, I slowed down to 5:45, thinking the transition area would be around 1K ahead. However, it wasn't. It was almost 2K down the road and I realized I slowed down too early. I tried catching up and increased my pace to 5:30 again. At around 500 meters to transition area, I slowed down to 5:45 again. Arnel Castro caught up with me around 300 meters to transition area. He had a nice running form and he looked strong. Way to go Arnel!

50 meters to transition area and I pulled out my Choco Mucho, opened it and started munching. The whole bar was in my mouth when I entered transition. Time check: 39.19 minutes. 40minutes first run target: DONE! With more than 40 seconds to spare. It took me more than a minute to change to my bike shoes, put on my helmet, gulp some water and run my bike to the mounting area though. I wouldn't want to do the bike leg with something not in its proper place.

Bike Leg: 30K

I felt strong when I started on the bike leg. Saw Javy making his first loop when I turned right from T1 to Macapagal Ave. He was zooming! I tried to shadow him a few meters back but had to disengage before the turn-around point as I was afraid I'd blow. He must have been doing 38-40kph, too fast for me and my strategy.

My bike plan was to average at 33kph, thus, completing the bike leg more or less in 53minutes. At first, I was averaging around 35kph. The bike route was almost flat and it was really tempting to hack it out to 40+kph. I controlled myself though. I stuck to my plan and slowed down to 33kph.

After doing my first 3 loops, I pulled out one of my Hemmergels and downed 1 sachet. I was at KM 13 at this point and was wondering why I was short on distance. I then thought that "maybe" the course was really shorter than 30KMs.

There was a mini-race among myself and 3 more participants on my 4th loop. We were doing between 32-35kph and would be overtaking one another in alternate succession. It was actually fun. One would go 37kph while the others would play catch up and do 40kph. It was like some sort of rotation among us and each one of the four of us had his time on the lead. While doing this, we were overtaking some of the slower riders. After reaching the turn-around point, 2 riders in our group proceeded to the transition area while the 2 of us left continued on with our 5th loop.

The 5th loop was when my confusion took place. My cyclometer only registerd 22K at the start of my last loop. I estimated that I would end up with around 26K only after my 5th loop when it was supposed to be a 30K course. I had to slow down and pace with other riders to ask them how much distance they have logged in. The problem was we weren't all in the loop, some were still on their 4th so I had to find someone doing his 5th loop as well. I caught up with a rider and asked him if he was on his 5th loop. When he said "yes", I was elated. I asked him how much distance he has logged in already, he replied "Sorry man but I don't have a cyclocomp...". Grrrrrr! I was about to panic at that point. We chatted a bit while doing 28kph and I told him I was on my 5th loop but the distance I logged in was short for a 30K bike course. He then told me that if I needed to make a "tough call" on whether to proceed to transition area after my "5th loop" or make another loop and lose time but brush off any doubt on the distance...Tough call it really was. In that instance, I did what I needed to do...PRAY. I asked God to give me wisdom...

God is really good. While I was getting confused with the distance, a runner shouted to his friend that the bike course was only at 26KMs. After overhearing this, I sped off to 36kph and proceeded to T2 after my 5th loop.

Time check: 49 minutes, 15 seconds. Total Race time: 1 hour, 31 minutes.

I took off my helmet, changed to running shoes and just threw my cycling gloves near my bike and then ran towards the run course again. I didn't eat another Hammergel anymore, I wasn't hungry and I still have some energy in the tank to last the 2nd run of 4K.

2nd RUN: 4K

A few strides into the 2nd run and I immediately felt a stabbing pain on my right lower leg...I was about to cramp. I pointed my right foot upward and ran awkwardly for the first 100 to 150 meters of the 2nd run. When I felt it was gone, I ran normally and realized I could actually finish in sub-2 hours. I had 30 minutes to run a 4K course and it was highly possible, barring any "bonking" similar to what I experienced during the first leg of this race.

I was at 1:36 after the first kilometer of the 2nd run, and I was almost sure I'd complete the whole race in sub-2 hours when one of my greatest running "foes" suddenly "attacked" out of nowhere, MR. SIDE STITCH!

I ran with Mr. Sidestitch hammering my lower abdomen. He wouldn't beat me this time around and I was bent on finishing in sub-2 hours. Upon reaching the first water station, I took a cup each of Powerade and water, and brisk-walked for about 25 meters just to see if Mr. Sidestitch would go away....NADA! He was still there and I said to myself "Okay, if you want to hang in there then do so, I'd finish this race in less than 2 hours even if you trying to slow me down..."

At the turn-around, I caught up with MJ Beltran, who was walking already. I egged him on to run and he did. We planned on "walking" once we reached the shaded water station and run after that to finish the race.

We ran after hydrating a bit, I was pacing MJ so that he won't lose precious seconds. Upon reaching another water station, he was falling behind already. I was running at 6:20 pace and couldn't slow down anymore as I was afraid I wouldn't finish in sub-2 hours. I waved off at MJ and went ahead.

I was less than a kilometer to the finish and I was at 1:51 already. I was at 6:30 pace and thought I'd finish in around 1:57. Arnel Castro and Jael Wenceslao passed by me in succession around 500 meters to the finish. It was okay, for as long as I have them in sight.

I was already thinking of Arnel, Jael and myself finishing in succession when two runners caught me by sprinting around 20 meters to the finish line. I smiled wryly and was asking myself why they were sprinting when they won't be winning anything and they'd be just ahead of my by 1 or 2 seconds in the results. Oh well, people really have different satisfaction thresholds.

I finished the race officially in 1:56:02, 24 minutes faster than my finish time during the first leg. My 2nd run was completed in +/- 24 minutes even with Mr. Sidestitch around. I thank God for giving me the strength and the wisdom to finish the race in decent time, better, in fact, than what I expected.

Nice seeing the Pinoyroadies.org guys headed by Bai Al. I hope to see the photos sir!

Race Summary

Powerade Philippine Duathlon Open 2nd Leg was a lot better than the first one held in March 28. The things they have improved on are:

1. The bike route

2. The start time

3. The registration and body marking

Things they still need to improve on;

1. Number of marshalls

2. Race distances accuracy

Over-all, it was a great race. The bike route really pumped me up and it was the first time I enjoyed racing on the bike during the race itself. The field was very competitive. Even Rowell Odonio of TeamTBB joined, but, unfortunately lost, which just shows how tough the field was. I look forward the 3rd leg in September.

Nice seeing old friends and meeting new ones. I hope our community increases!

You may check the results here:

http://tri-pilipinas.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=results&action=display&thread=37&page=1

From this point on, it will be all about Camsur 70.3.

Deo P.

Tri-Pilipinas: A new forum for the Pinoy Triathlete

2009-06-17T10:24:00.004+08:00

Ever since I decided to join triathlons and other multi-sport races, I have already been on the look-out for a Philippine-based Triathlon site which would enable me to learn the science of the sport. What I found were several forums not dedicated to triathlon but have triathlon boards within its forum categories. Thus, I made one which I hope would be appreciated by the Pinoy triathletes, both veterans and beginners. Friends, let me introduce to you Tri-Pilipinas.

The site was created using the free proboards.com platform, so don't expect any fees being paid for you to register. This site was intended to bring the Pinoy triathlon community together and enable the members to interact, share and learn from other members. To be taken to the site, please click the link below:

http://tri-pilipinas.proboards.com/index.cgi

See you in the forum!

God bless!

Deo P.

Animo Sprint Triathlon Results

2009-06-15T13:42:00.001+08:00

To those who want to see the results of this great race, please click the link below;

http://tri-pilipinas.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=results

Thanks.

Deo P.

Race Report: Animo Sprint Triathlon, June 14, '09

2009-06-15T07:29:00.013+08:00

Lining up to register and get body marked

Getting body marked. Still can't recall what I was looking at during this time.

At the transition area. Last minute prep.

Having a nice chat with Arnel. We belonged to the same age group.

Race briefing by Rick Reyes.

Our turn at the pool. Decided not to wear my swimcap, my head feels squeezed using it.

Crossing the finish line with a smile.

My takbo.ph buddies, Ian and Ziggy. Rico V. wasn't around yet.

It was a hot and humid early morning of Sunday, June 14. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. to get ready for the Animo Sprint Tri, a sprint triathlon with the following distances: 950m swim, 30km bike and 7K run. It was a good thing I prepared almost all my things the night before, as I didn't cram anymore looking for the things I needed for the race. Carol, my wife, prepared a good breakfast for me. She too woke up early just to feed me properly before I race....talking 'bout support. :-)

At 4:30 a.m., we were on our way to Ayala Alabang. Carol slept while I drove. At around 5:20 a.m., we were already parked. Monki, a former officemate and a first time triathlete, parked behind me. After a minute of small talk, we headed to the registration area.

There were already a lot of people registering for the race. It took me around 15 minutes to get my race pack and get body marked. I then headed to the transition area to rack my bike, put down all my things in order and meet old and new friends. I was athlete #410.

It was already 6 a.m., and my age-group's wave wouldn't start until 7:45. With almost two hours of waiting, I decided to sit it out with my wife and not waste energy roaming around.

After the race briefing by Rick Reyes. My wife and I headed out to the pool and watched the different waves start. There were a number of celebrities who raced, Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel Laxa, Tessa Prieto Valdes, Paolo Abrera and his wife Suzy and Sen. Pia Cayetano. We were amused by Tessa Prieto Valdes, she was one hell of an entertaining athlete. :-)

At around 8:00 a.m., it was my age-group's turn to start. We were the last wave to race which meant not much people were around anymore to watch us. I thought it was good as having no more wave waiting for us to finish would relieve the pressure on the swim part. I could take my own sweet time finishing the swim. :-)

The SWIM - 950meters

There were around 30 of us in our age group, including a bunch of Polo Tri and Tri N' Hard tri team members. Anthony Pangilinan and Wilfred Uytengsu belonged to our group.

When the horn sounded off, there was the usual jockeying for position resulting to kicks and nudges among the swimmers. I tried to position myself in the back to avoid these and walked the pool for around 10 meters before I started swimming. I still had to wrestle, kick someone, get kicked, nudge someone, get nudged and get held on the legs even after starting later than most athletes. I am a slow swimmer, but, there were a few who were slower than I was, I felt them getting hit by my kicks and I even swam over someone. So sorry about that.

On my second lap, I was overtaken by swimmers on both my right and left sides, so I had to breast stroke and let them pass for my own safety. When they were a good leg's length away, I swam freestyle.

From that point on, it was cruise pace for me. I stuck on my plan to walk the first 8-10 meters of the pool and then swim the rest. After my 4th lap, I was the 3rd to the last swimmer. I also discovered that I didn't turn on my stopwatch. :-(

I found my rhythm early in the swim, which was good. I targetted a sub-40 minutes swim and I was on track, in fact better. If I would put my first 200 meters at 8 minutes, I would have swam the first 600 meters at 20 minutes. I thought "NICE"!.

The last loop of the swim was a start at lane 5 of the pool. After jumping into the water on my final loop, I realized I still had the energy to have a blitz on the swim. There were 2 swimmers behind me and another swimmer was around 25 meters ahead of me. I said to myself I'd catch him up.

I caught up with that swimmer on the last lap. I even rubbed elbows with him on the last 25 meters of the swim. Got out of the water ahead of him and took my slippers from my wife who was there waiting for me to finish. My swim time: around 35minutes. Ran to the transition area feeling good. I wasn't last on the swim, my weakest in this sport.

I transitioned quickly. Didn't towel dry anymore and put on my bike shoes immediately. Gulped half a bottle of Extra Joss with Hydration salt and munched a bar of Choco Mucho...I was ready.

Bike: 30kms

I started out well on the bike, which I consider my second strongest in this sport. After mounting it, I sped up to 30kph going to Country Club Drive. I caught up with a number of athletes along the way. The uphills were a killer and I saw some athletes struggling. I took that opportunity to overtake them. Though I overtook quite a few number of racers, I was also overtaken by some.

The confusing part of the bike route were the loops. We were supposed to do 3 loops of Otso-otso, which, to someone not very familiar with Ayala Alabang, would be a big problem. I lost a lot of time asking for directions at first and even when I was about to do my last loop.

I caught up with a foreign racer on my 26th km on the bile and asked him how much he has logged in his cyclo computer already. When he told me were about the same distance, I asked him if he was in his last loop, he said yes. Good! I thought to myself. I'll just follow this guy and will get to complete the bike leg with little problem.

After about 500 meters of riding side by side with this racer, I realized he was riding slower than I was. So upon reaching the last uphills, I let it all out, leaving him instantly. Then I saw the loop-counters and said to myself I was on the right track. I've seen two sets of loop-counters 3 times already which meant I did the loops correctly.

At this point, I have already spent 1 hour 5 minutes on the bike. I was targetting a bike time of 1:10 and I was on track. At 1 hour 7 minutes, I reached the transition area. Great!

Ran my bike to T2 and changed shoes. Munched one more Choco Mucho and gulped the last Extra Joss with Hydration salt liquid I have. Didn't wear socks anymore, an error I'd pay later in the race.

RUN: 6.9K

I was feeling good at the start of the run. My legs were a bit stiff from biking but I knew it would loosen up as I run along.

After running around 300 meters, I felt the urge to pee. I stopped in one of the posts and relieved myself. My pee was clear, not yellowish as I expected. Great! I'm not dehydrated! The hydration salts must have worked!

With that development, I started running like I was running a marathon. I caught up with a number of runners, some belonging to the younger age group.

I felt stronger the longer I ran. The Extra Joss and the hydration salts were kicking in. I lengthened my strides. I started running at 1 hour 45 minutes into the race. I told myself if I could run in around 35 minutes, I would be able to achieve my over-all time target of 2:30.

I was catching up runners almost consistently. There was one runner who was more than 500 meters ahead of me whom I caught up in the last 2 km of the run, and left behind by more than 500 meters.

I still felt strong at the last turn towards Narra. When the marshall said I was 200 meters to the finish line, I gave it all.

Then I felt a stabbing pain in my feet...I had blisters already for not wearing socks!

I crossed the line in 2:20 according to my watch. Add to this the more or less 8 minutes I failed to time during the first part of my swim and I would have achieved my target. I hope I did.

Summary

Animo Sprint Triathlon was a good race but not without hitches. First, the pool was really murky. I couldn't see the pool floor clearly even at broad daylight.

Next, the otso-otso bike route was very confusing. Add to this the inadequate number of marshalls who could give you the right directions. If this race had enough guides for the racers on the bike, I would have slashed a good 3 minutes from my bike time.

Lastly, they ran out of shirts!

But even with the above-mentioned things, and considering the number of participants, Animo Sprint Tri would be one of the good races I joined. Kudos to Rick Reyes and TRAP for a job well done. Also to Ani De leon who did a good joob controlling the waves.

Thanks to my wife for keeping up with my sport and for taking my pictures. Love you very much!

Most of all: Thank GOD for letting me finish the race and for being with me always.

Next stop: Powerade Philippine Duathlon Open

See you!

Update:

I was able to achieve my target time of 2 hours 30 minutes, doing a sub-2:30 in this race:

96 410 PATALINGHOG, RODELIO 41 M 0:29:47.00 1:11:31.00 0:45:10.00 2:26:28.00

Ranking 96th out of 167 is a bonus!

A Funeral of A Race Called Botak Paa-Tibayan

2009-05-12T09:07:00.006+08:00

With Ziggy(Foreground), Ian, Rico (guy on red singlet behind me ) of takbo.ph

Thanks to Javy O. for the photos. I owe you man!

I thought last Wednesday was another uneventful day of the week for me. It was my "rest" day from triathlon training and I woke up later than usual. I didn't know that it would turn out to be one of the most memorable 24 hours of my life.

Rewind to 10 years ago

My father-in-law was a restless man. Restless in the sense that even after coming home from work, he would still find time to do some carpentry or repair work at home. This was his routine almost everyday, despite being hypertensive.

One evening, as my wife and I just arrived home from work, we got a call from my mother-in-law telling us that something has happened to my father-in-law and we needed to get to their house fast. Worried, my wife and I rushed to get there.

We saw the poor man lying unconscious at the lap of my mother-in-law. He was tinkering with some stuff when he felt dizzy. He tried taking in his medicine, but he wasn't able to swallow it anymore. He lost consciousness.

We brought him to the hospital and was declared under coma due to stroke. He popped a vein in his brain and had cerebral hemorrhage. Operating on his brain would be useless already. Though he would survive, he'd be paralyzed.

Half of his body was paralyzed when we took him home. My wife and I had half of our garage converted into a room for him. We took him in, together with my mom-in-law.

After months of therapy, his condition didn't improve. He was bed-ridden and paralyzed and that would be his condition for the rest of his life.

Fast Forward to Last Wednesday, May 6

As I was about to leave home for office, I noticed the shallow breathing of my dad-in-law. He was running a fever and I thought he might have pneumonia. I asked my wife to call a doctor to have him checked, then left home.

At around 10:30 a.m., I got a call from my wife telling me her father had passed away. I was so shocked that all I could say was "shit!". Though I know he was in bad shape, I didn't expect him to die that day.

I hurriedly got home.

At 5:00 p.m., his body was already at Arlington Memorial Homes in Pasig.

A Funeral and an upcoming race

As with all wakes, the family of the person who died would be so busy with the funeral arrangements...we were no exception. We needed to take care of the friends and relatives who paid their last respects to my father-in-law. We'd go home early mornings for 3 days and wake up a few hours before lunch to go back to the wake.

At that point, running a marathon was the farthest thing on my mind.

My father-in-law was cremated last Saturday, May 09, at Loyola Memorial in Marikina.

I wasn't sure I was going to run the Botak Paa-tibayan 21K the following day. I lacked sleep and only ran once during the week, for a measly 5K at a very slow pace.

At 8:00 p.m. of the same day, I decided I'd run.

Botak Paa-tibayan 21K, Race Proper

Starting the 21K race at 6 a.m. should have sounded alarm bells in my ears. Although it has been raining, it is still summer. The sun shines earlier than any of the months of the year and with the 6 a.m. start, it was expected that we will be running through the scorching heat of the morning sun. I thought it shouldn't be a problem, as I was used to the heat due to my biking...I was wrong.

When the runners started racing, probably most, if not all, expected good hydration during the race. The first water station was disappointing. It was inadequately manned resulting to runners waiting for the cups to be filled up. I skipped the first water station as I still had two full bottles of fluids with me.

The 2nd water station was similar to the first, and I skipped it as well. At that point I was running at a pace of 6:45 and was thinking of doing a negative split, a strategy I was employing for the first time.

The 3rd water station was better and I was able to hydrate. It was from that point that I increased my pace to a 5:30.

Upon reaching the 10K mark, I was at 00:58 and thought I could get a sub-2 hours for the 21K if I maintained a pace of 5:45. No problem, I said to myself, I do that all the time during my training runs.

The water stations became scarce and waterless after that. I only had half a bottle of hydration left with me. Uh oh....

Upon reaching Kalayaan Avenue, I was almost water-depleted. No water stations were in sight. My problems began.

After almost getting sideswiped by a passenger jeepney near Burgos, I tried to maintain composure after the incident but got a bit nervous. Nervousness coupled with running drains you of the much needed energy...I was draining fast.

I saw another water station at Estrella, only to find out it ran out of water already. A runner with a missing limb also thought there was water, and had to beg another runner for water just to keep hydrated. It was a scenario which would be repeated again and again throughout the whole race.

My hopes of getting a sub-2 started diminishing. I could only muster a pace of 6:15 and really couldn't go any faster. I was getting dehydrated and realized this after spitting a bubbly saliva. I needed water, fast!

When I saw the 36K marker of the 42K runners along Buendia, I was so elated thinking that we only had 5K left to go. My time was 1:28 only, but my Garmin reflected a distance of onlyt 14+K. Something was wrong.

I saw a water station again along Buendia which gave out Gatorades. I had 3 cups and felt pretty hydrated after. Looking at my Garmin, I was already running for 1:45, distance ran at 17K...goodbye sub-2! Even if I ran at 5:00 pace, I would still end up at 2:05. I decided to run at 6:30 and beat my PR of 2:12.

I walked the stretch from Paseo until the foot of the Kalayaan flyover and started running again going up. Seeing an MWSS truck sprinkling water to the runners, I sprinted to reach that spot and get wet. Around two meters to the water sprinkler, they reduced the spray power of the sprinkler...and I didn't get sprayed on. Tough luck!

The water station after it had no more cups, and I had to scoop water with my bare hands just to get my face, neck and mouth wet.

My time was already 2 hours and I was on the flyover. I thought that the finish line was a little over 2K from that point and I needed to run at 6:00 pace to be able to match my PR. I couldn't! The fastest I could go was 6:30. My legs were dead, and every stride became a painfest. I started walking again.

Upon descending from the flyover, I had another surprise. The route was to go through 32nd street, run through the road between Market! Market! and Serendra then right to the finish line. It was farther than 21K! All my hopes were dashed in beating my PR. I was already at 2:10 when I was running in front of S&R, I wouldn't be able to run another kilometer in 2 minutes!

I relaxed my stride and alternately walked and ran the remaining distance. I had nothing to beat anymore except the race itself. I just wanted to finish and go home. The conditions throughout the race was nothing impressive, in fact, it was one of the worst.

I finished the race unofficially at 2:22, 10 minutes beyond my PR and 12 minutes beyond my target.

Botak organized one disappointing race. I had high expectations about this race and I guess I expected wrong. Though their brand name is Botak, they didn't know a thing about organizing marathons, worse, not even a thing about running in one.

I like to believe that I did the right thing when I still ran this race despite lacking sleep, but I guess it would have been better if I slept this one out.

Thumbs down on this race.

Ride Review: Kinesis KT610 Time Trial Bike

2009-05-06T09:22:00.003+08:00

I went to Cartimar three weeks ago to treat myself and buy a new frameset and wheelset after selling my telephoto lens. I planned on converting my road bike to a time trial bike which will be my "official" ride during duathlons and triathlons. I planned on getting a Kinesis KT415 and an American Classis 420, as those were the components that would fit my budget.

Upon arriving at Christy's, I instantly felll in love with the Kinesis KT610 which I saw hanging on the store's show area. The price was a few thousand higher than the KT415 but this was the latest Kinesis TT Frame model, and it sure looked mean. When Aling Christy confirmed that they have a stock of the size I was looking for, I didn't have any second thoughts on getting the frame.

The frame had a seat tube angle of 75.3 degrees and a head tube angle of 72 degrees, which to me was perfect.

The next thing I looked for was a wheelset. They didn't have any stock of American Classic 420, which was good as I was having second thoughts of getting that wheelset due to reports of problematic front hub. After some looking around, my eyes zoomed on an FSA RD600 deep section wheelset. After asking for the price, it was a done deal.

The FSA RD600 wheelset was a great match for the Kinesis KT610 in terms of color. The matte black/gray/white finish of the frame blended well with the black and white combo of the wheelset.

Christy's offer a lot of second hand, good quality items at good prices. Seeing these items, I thought, why not have my frame and wheelset built up to a full bike?

That was the start of my new time trial bike.

The other components were priced really reasonably and were made up of the ff: Tiagra FD and RD, Tiagra 9-speed cogs, Diacomm Brake levers, Dura Ace bar end shifters, Profile Design Carbon crankset, Vision Tech aero bars, Kinesis headset, generic stem and a generic basebar.

The whole bike weighed 20lbs.

Impressions

I took the bike for a spin at my favorite lapping route, Club Manila East in Taytay, Rizal. Immediately, the other cyclists were impressed with the Cervelo-like design of the frame. After learning how much it cost, they were much more impressed.

The bike handled well. Dropping on the aero bars came all natural to me when I encountered some headwinds on my first lap. I could feel the frame cutting through the wind due to its aero design. I accelerated from 25kp to 33kph with little effort.

What I like about Club Manila East is that it offers both headwinds and crosswinds. With my roadbike, crosswinds were a nightmare. I could feel it slowly blowing me to one side and there were times I had to stop for my own safety. The KT610 and FSA RD600 combo handled this well. I felt the crosswinds, yes, but haven't gotten any feeling of crashing. It was as if there was a protective barrier between me and the wind which softened the impact of the gushing wind on me and the bike. 35kph with crosswinds? Piece of cake!

I pushed the bike to 42kph and checked for vibrations. Nothing. The bike was so stable that if my legs could do 50+kph, it would respond well.

I rode through some rough pavements to see if the bike would jar me to bits. The bike was all aluminum and I thought that it would be more jarring than my Merida 901 on rough pavements....it wasn't. In fact, it rode softer. Probably because of the design of the seat tube which curves from the bottom bracket to around 5 inches of the seat clamp.

I enjoyed riding Kinesis KT610 and I realized I just purchased a bike which would fall into the "bang for the buck" category.

After doing 30 kms., I rested for a while. The beauty of using a TT bike is that it doesn't crush your legs after doing your workout. After averaging 33kph for almost an hour, I felt I still had the strength to do a 10k run....I, however, saved it for another day.

Upon dismounting, I noticed the sweat marks on the frame of the bike which were very visible. This was the only setback I saw. With the frame having a matte finish, the sweat "pooled" in microscopic ponds along the frame and dried up, leaving marks on the bike. This, however, could be easily wiped off by wet rags.

The Kinesis KT610 and the FSA RD600 are two of the most affordable bike components I have found so far. These are not heavy on the wallet but are good enough to race with and impressive-looking enough to pass as high-end components. Of course having a Cervelo P3C would still be better, but that's if you have more than 200K to spend on a bike. For under 70K, you can have a great professional TT bike in your garage with the KT610....not bad eh? :-)

Deo P.

Race Report: AAV Mini-Sprint Triathlon 04/19/09

2009-04-20T08:52:00.003+08:00

At 5:00 a.m. yesterday, I found myself driving along SLEX heading towards Ayala Alabang Village for my first triathlon, the AAV Mini-Sprint Tri for beginner's like myself. Funny, but I was supposed to feel nervous about it, but I wasn't. Was it good or bad? I was going to find out the answer later in the day.

After a few stops to ask for directions going to AAV, I finally got to the venue at around 5:40 a.m., just in time for the registration and racking of my bike at the transition area.

Saw some friends from takbo.ph namely, Ian and MJ. Ian was also doing his first tri while MJ was competing in the adults' aquathlon. Also finally met Javy aka ricecooker of pinoyroadies.org, a really cool guy who didn't scrimp on sharing his experiences with triathlon newbies like myself. He was joining the aquathlon.

The race also had aquathlon and triathlon for kids, a really cute event especially when you see really young kids racing their hearts out. I wished then that I had started on this sport much, much earlier....

There were a lot of first timers in the adult triathlon, and though I met and spoke with some of them at the transition area, I hardly recall their names. Talking to other first timers was also a way of easing the nerves, which by that time had started to shoot up, before the race.

The distances for this triathlon were relatively short compared to sprints and olympic distances. 350 meters of swim, 12K of bike and 3.4K of run were distances much shorter than the distances I do whenever I train. I thought that bringing water bottles on my bike wasn't needed anymore, a mistake that would haunt me during the race. Though confidence helps in races, overconfidence is a no-no.

At around 7:45, the adult triathletes were briefed about the race route. The waves were divided into three: all female, those within the 30-39 age group, and everybody else. Being 40 years of age, I fell in the "everybody else" group, which also had Fernando Zobel de Ayala and some other Polo Tri members.

At around 8:00 a.m. we were called in at the pool.

SWIM: 350 meters

The AAV pool measures 50 meters, with 8 feet at its deepest. My plan was to stay at the sides, close to the ropes so I will only mind the swimmers to my right...one thing I learned from reading Javy's blog. However, several participants already occupied that area at the starting point and I just did the next best thing I thought of, start at the rightmost part of the lane.

When Ani De Leon, one of the organizers and a famous female triathlete in the country, sounded of the start of the race, everybody rushed to get a good space at the lane.

I got kicked in the forehead early in the swim, and I believe I also kicked somebody else behind me. That was part of the race so I guess nobody was offended about it. I got my rhythm early in the swim, and finished the first 50 meters in around one minute.

I was strong on my 2nd 50 meters, even kick starting to get good acceleration. I overtook a swimmer ahead of me and was poised to overtake another one when I got hit by a kick, which slowed me down a bit. Upon reaching the end of the 1st 100 meters, I was ahead of around 4 or 5 swimmers already.

I swam the 3rd 50 meters without a hitch, and overtook someone who was already hanging by the ropes to rest.

The 4th 50 meters was when my problem started. I was pacing well, and looked forward a sub-10 minutes finish on the swim. In the middle of my 4th lap, a participant on the 5th lane took a stroke which splashed water on my face just when I was to breathe in some air, resulting to a "choking" feeling for me. The water got into my nose and caused me not being able to get some air on my upstroke. This took its toll on me. I felt like drowning and had to catch my breath even before I raised my head again and I got to swallow water. I held on to the ropes to breathe and relax and after a few seconds, started swimming towards the end of my 4th lap.

I coughed at the start of my 5th lap. I felt my throat burned with the coughing. I lost my rhythm and had to hang on to the ropes to rest before I finished my 5th and 6th laps.

On my final lap, I rested a bit before I started swimming again, then walked towards the 5 feet mark before I swam again to end the swim part.

I got out of the pool in around 12 minutes, two minutes longer than what I have planned.

BIKE: 12K

Whatever time I lost in the swim, I planned on making up in the bike leg. I took my time in transitioning to bike which probably took me around 6 minutes from the time I got out of the pool until I mounted my bike. I was too slow.

I started on the bike thinking that if I rode my bike at an average of 30KPH, it would only take me 20-24 minutes to complete the bike leg. With 18 minutes already spent in the swim and T1, I will end the bike with a total time of around 40 minutes, which would give me 20 minutes to complete the run leg and be at one hour flat by the time I reach the finish line.

I thought of hacking it out in the bike, and average around 35KPH. I thought this was do-able when I started pedaling out of Narra St. towards the main bike route. I rode in aero position right away and my bike responded, cutting through the wind making it easier for me to pedal.

Then, some surprises.

I never thought about the humps along the way, and the "rolls" of the route.

I rode my bike using the basebar 70% of the time I was on it. The humps and the climbs made me realize one thing: I brought the wrong bike!

I should have used my roadbike instead of my TT bike. Roadbikes are easier to use in a race than TT bikes when there are a lot of shifting involved, and in this race, there were lots of of it!

Shifting gears up and down became "hellish" for me. The humps made me stay on the basebar and not the aero bar as I was afraid I'd crash if I hit a hump.

I got slightly lost on my first loop and only realized it when a marshall shouted at me to get back.

On my second loop, another problem: my throat was all dried up and I had no water bottle with me. I underestimated the distances to the point that I thought I'd finish the race before I get thirsty, and its hitting me back.

I finally got to T2 after 24 minutes of bike. By then, my total time was at 42 minutes. I needed to finish the run in 18 minutes to hit my target time.

HOWEVER,

Upon entering T2, I saw my friend Ian looking desperate. He suffered a flat tire on the first half of the bike and had no spare tube. He asked if he could borrow my bike. I told him that I would lend him my front wheel, as using my bike may be dangerous for him as he never rode a TT bike before and was really new to cycling.

I helped him replace his front wheel and sent him off to finish his bike leg before I was able to change my shoes and started running. A good 6 minutes lost, one friend saved from DNF...what more can you ask for? Until this writing, I still am smiling at the thought that I was able to help out someone during the race...

RUN : 3.4K

I took a big gulp of water from my water bottle before I left T2 to finish the race. At the first water station just outside T2, I hydrated again with 2 cups of water, and poured a 3rd on my head and back. I was already 48 minutes into the race and gave up hopes of finishing under one hour. Time didn't matter anymore for me. I was happy with how everything turned out by then. Seeing Ian on his bike rushing to complete his bike leg was enough for me to consider this a good race.

I ran at 6:30 pace initially, then increased my pace to 6:00 after the 1st kilometer of the run.

I was a good customer at the 2nd water station, getting 4 cups, 2 for my hydration and 2 for my sun-scorched head and back.

I egged on the athletes I ran across with. It was less than 2 kilometers to the finish and we can then call ourselves "triathletes", a reward more than anything that we wanted after yesterday.

200 meters to the finish, I thanked God for the strength and endurance He blessed me with during the race. A lot of things could have gone wrong but He made my path safe. Nearing the finish line, I looked up and thanked Him again. God is great!

Crossing the finish line on a race like this makes you want to do it again. Participants become friends instantly as you now share a common denominator in your sporting life. All of us became triathletes in the hot morning of April 19, 2009, and the euphoria was so great that you feel you know your instant friends forever, even if you hardly recall their names.

There were pains in the process, but those pains are motivation enough for us to train again a day after a race. Pains are what make a race special, the more painful the race is, the more euphoria at the finish line.

Javy had a podium finish at the adults' aquathlon, Ian finished the race and I ate the free food with him, and MJ finished the aquathlon despite not being able to train the week before the race. Everything turned out well for everybody....even the triathlete who was running towards the finish line when the awarding ceremonies were done and everybody was already going to their cars on their way home....

And oh, by the way...I finished the race officially in 1:006:23...:-)

Deo P.

Race Report: Powerade National Duathlon Open '09

2009-03-30T09:20:00.017+08:00

Waking up at 2:45 a.m. on a race day was 15 minutes earlier than my usual wake up time. I normally wake up at 3:00 a.m. on a marathon race day, but since this is the first time I'm competing in an official duathlon race, I thought I'd wake up earlier. Feeling sluggish upon opening my eyes, I felt my adrenalin shooting up at the mere thought of Powerade National Duathlon Open, which I was going to be part of.

After the normal race day preparation routines, my wife and I headed to MOA at exactly 4:00 a.m. The race registration and body markings were to start at 4:30 a.m. and since I always despised coming in late for a race and having problems looking for a parking space, leaving at 4:00 a.m. was just right for me.

The race wasn't going to start on time

We got to the venue at 4:40 a.m. and parked at Mcdonald's Macapagal Ave. There was no sign that a duathlon was going to be held at the venue as there wasn't any sign at all that a national race was scheduled that day at that place.

Worried that I went to the wrong venue, I called up a good friend, Retzel Orquiza, who was also competing and asked him if I got the venue right. He did confirm that I was correct and told me to just wait as the organizers were known to start their races late.

At around 5:00 a.m., some other racers started arriving one by one. Ronald, a fellow runner from takbo.ph, parked beside my car with his girlfriend. Noel with his wife Jude, from both Pinoymtbiker.org and takbo.ph, parked like 3 cars away. All three of us were competing.

The registration and body marking booth finally opened around 5:15 a.m., and Ronald and I were the first ones to register and had our arms and legs marked with our race numbers. The good thing about being marked the first is that you get to be video'd. hehe

After the registration and body marking, it was all waiting.

At around 7:00 a.m., when the race was supposed to have started, the line to the registration was still long, and it was evident that the race was a far cry from starting. Romy Doctolero, a friend from Pinoymtbiker.org, was among those who lined up at the registration only to find out that his name wasn't on the list even if he registered weeks prior to the actual race day. His problem was shared by several others and they were told there might be possibilities they wouldn't be allowed to compete. This raised a howl of disagreement from a lot of participants. In the end, they were allowed into the race.

At 8:00 a.m., the race was still a no-go. The only thing on time was the heat of the sun. It was already scorching my body even before the race started, and my legs were starting to get sore from all the waiting and standing up. People were already complaining. I would have been at the venue by more than 3 hours then. Many wondered if the race was still going to push through.

At 8:05, people started shouting and complaining, and this probably forced the organizers to let the program roll. There was a short race briefing done by a girl who didn't even have a microphone, not even a megaphone. She was just shouting at the top of her lungs and I hardly understood her.

At around 8:15 a.m., people were asked to get inside the starting line. Finally, we were about to start. Then a gun went off which caught a lot of racers by surprise. The race just started!

1st leg - 7K run

My run on the first leg began smoothly. I was at the rear part of the pack and since I wasn't comfortable with it, I started moving ahead slowly. When I got into the middle pack, I stayed there and paced myself.

The run route was great. The road was all by ourselves and there were more than enough water stations handing out water and Powerades to the racers. It was turning out not so bad at all.

The run route took the racers on a part of Macapagal Ave. It was split into a 4K and 3K loop to complete a 7K route. I ran the first 3K at an average pace of 5:15 and realized I was running too fast and decided to slow down to a 6:05 on the next 3K, then sprinted to a 4:49 on the last 1K of the first run. I finished the first run at 38:47 and by then almost a hundred runners have already started doing the bike leg.

After transitioning for 1 minute and 33 seconds, I was off to the bike leg myself.

The Bike Leg - 30kms ( 6 loops of 5+K )

I started out strong in the bike, which I consider my strength. In a few seconds upon mounting my bike, I sprinted to 25kph, then maxed at 35.6kph. I overtook a lot of riders both in roadbikes and MTBs. I was comfortable with my pace, and was poised to zoom past a lot more riders at the first loop. Then, an error....

Two riders accidentally covered the U-Turn sign on the first loop and I missed it. I rode towards the starting line and was surprised not to see anyone ahead or behind me. Then I realized I must have taken the wrong route. A policeman confirmed this when I asked him if I took the right race route. He pointed me back. It was a mistake which would haunt me at the latter part of the race. I went back almost a kilometer and was fuming mad at myself for wasting 2 kilometers of effort in error.

When I got back to the race pack, those whom I overtook earlier already was in the middle of their second loop. I played catch up and pushed my zoom mode. I didn't think of the 2nd run anymore as I thought they would be as exhausted as I would be when we finish the bike leg. I chose my targets efficiently, and one by one I overtook them.

The headwind was harsh from my 3rd loop onwards and I stayed at the aero position about 90% of the whole bike leg. I saw the struggles of those who were using MTBs. The struggle was also similar with those who were using roadbikes without aero bars. They were feeling the full impact of the headwind and couldn't do anything about it. As I rode past them, I egged them on, telling them that somehow, the bike leg will be over.

At the end of my second loop, I caught up with more than 50% of those who were behind me before I made the error. At the end of my 3rd loop, I overtook them all again, plus a few more others. I paced myself at loop 4 and spinted on loop 5, averaging 32kph. I pushed the bike at 36 kph on the last loop and finished the bike leg at 1:06:52, with an average speed of 29.7kph. I rode 33.8kms, 3K more than the 30K race distance...

The ones I didn't catch up were the really strong riders. Retzel and Noel zoomed past me, they both must have averaged more than 32kph.

I tried to remove my shoes while still on the bike to have a quick transition, but was asked to dismount from my bike even before I pulled my feet out of my bike shoes. I ran to the transition area with my shoes loose and almost slipped.

The second run - 4K to the finish line

I transitioned to run again in 43.6 seconds. I intended to be in the front pack going to the finish line.

I did "unofficial" duathlons with friends before and was used to the bike to run transition. Upon exiting the transition area, I felt confident when I started running the last 4K.

I was at pace 5:25 on the first 200 meters of the second run, then suddenly, I felt as if all my energy spilled out of my body. I wasn't as strong as I intended to be. Then I realized, it was the heat.

When my friends and I did duathlons, these wereover and done with before 7:00 a.m. Most of the time, it was 20K bike and 5K run mini-race which we start off at around 6:00 a.m. The absence of heat made us think that we were doing it right.

After the first 500 meters of the 2nd run, I slowed down to a walk. Suddenly, the water station located 1 kilometer from the start appeared too far. I had a water bottle with me and tried drinking water to rehydrate myself and get back into the race...I wasn't able to. It just made me feel bloated and heavy.

I walked and ran the last 4K and chatted with some "walkers" along the way. I wasn't alone in walking, if that's any consolation. A lot of racers felt the heat and I was one of them. The effort I made in catching up the racers during the bike leg slowly started to haunt me. My energy was sapped and there was no amount of water or sports beans that could bring it back.

The racers I smoked during the bike leg slowly caught up with me one by one. I wasn't going to let my bike lead result to nothing and I painfully did a walk-run on last 2K. I caught up again with the others and that time I wouldn't give up my lead. There were a lot of racers behind me, and I said to myself there wasn't a chance they'd still catch up with me.

On the last 200 meters before the finish line. I sprinted to a 5:15 and got short by around 50 meters. Walked for 20 meters and when I saw the others were sprinting to overtake me, I gave it one last push and sprinted until the finish line.

It was all over....

I just completed my first official duathlon!

All the irritations I felt for the disorganizations in the early part of the race were nothing compared to the euphoria I felt when I crossed the finish line. The heat took its toll on me and a lot of others, but the determination to finish was stronger for us. Others had cramps as early as the first run, but continued on to finish. The warriors in the heart of the finishers got the better of them and resulted to arms raised at the 42nd kilometer of the race. That's what racing and competing is all about...

I still haven't made up my mind if I'd still join a duathlon this year or concentrate on triathlons, but one thing is sure, I'm doing this again...when? I don't know....

Powerade Duathlon: You're next!

2009-03-23T10:10:00.003+08:00

After that leg crunching half marathon coined as The Condura Run, I am setting my sight to the Powerade Duathlon at MOA this coming Saturday, March 28.

With leg pains this morning, I thought of doing my recovery run with a bit of biking, resulting to a mini-brick training vis-a-vis duathlon preparation.

I didn't want to push hard, and biking for 5K at a steady pace of 25kph and running for 2K at 7:00 m/km was good enough. It was the transition I planned on training for, not the endurance. Its amazing how your muscles forget a workout when you haven't done that workout for weeks, and the 3-week lay off from endurance biking somehow made my biking muscles "forget" how pedaling feels. Gearing at 2 and 4 felt like it was at 2 and 1.

My legs still felt heavy after dismounting from my bike and running. This is the part where I need more training on, transition. I regret not sticking to my brick trainings weeks back, and I'm paying the price now.

Two more days of bricking hopefully will bring the muscles back to competitive levels....hopefully...

Conquering the Skyway @ The Condura Run

2009-03-22T13:21:00.002+08:00

http://www.condurarun.com/

Everybody looked forward to this event, and I'm one of those who, after having ran several marathons already, still get excited at the thought of running new routes and longer distances. The Condura Run was one of the more exciting running events this year, not because its the first 21K marathon to be held this year, but because it's the first marathon that would take runners to the Skyway. Now, how cool is that? Imagine yourself on the Skyway enjoying the view on both your left and right shoulders and not pay the toll fee? I guess I shared that thought with more than a thousand runners....

My run started out well. I was at a good pace with a fellow Takbo.ph runner Erick ( shocks_5 ). We were doing between 5:20 - 5:45 average during the first 10K when tragedy struck. After reaching the Skyway off ramp going south, I felt a stabbing pain on my right abdomen. Great! A side-stitch! I tried running it off but the pain wouldn't go away, and I had to ask Erick to go ahead as I walked it off.

After walking around 200 meters and being left behind by my earlier co-pacers, the side-stitch was gone, and I was in catch-up mode. I was able to be at pace again with those who overtook me as I walked the side-stitch but Erick wasn't in my sight anymore. He must have ran the same pace when parted.

Upon going down the Skyway, I was looking forward a sub-2 hours run. I registered at 57 minutes on the first 10K and was at 1:08 going into the 12th kilometer. Then another problem...my legs were giving up. The 2 weeks off from training due to flu 3 weeks before the race took its toll on me. I needed to slow down to a 6:20 to let my legs recover, and though they did recover, the recovery wasn't as good as having fresh legs for a sub-2 hour performance.

Going into the 16th kilometer along Buendia was when all my problems piled up and I really slowed down. The side-stitch was back with a vengeance and my legs were slowly dying on me. I could push it real hard and finish at a little over 2 hours, but decided against it. I just hoped to finish within my target time of 2:15. From KM17 to 20, my average pace was 7:20. It was frustrating, but I had no choice.

I knew I slowed down really hard when Pastor Ernie Catanghal, a fellow christian MTBiker, came up from behind me. I saw him last at the Skyway and I was more than a kilometer ahead of him. He was surprised to have caught me and I just told him I was having a bad final 5 kilometers. He offered to run with me, but I asked him to go ahead as I didn't want to negatively affect his time. He went ahead at 18.5K.

Another problem ensued at the 19K. With 2 kilometers to go, I got hungry! My stomach was grumbling so much that I had to reach for my water bottle and tried to ease my hunger by drinking water...I was out of liquids! Great!

I walked and ran from KM17 to KM 20. With no water, hungry and dying legs, I decided to give it a final sprint to the finish after the 20th kilometer. I set my mind to doing this when, out of nowhere, the Takbo.ph support van was in sight, giving out Aktivades, banana and Choco Mucho chocolate bars to Takbo.ph runners. My plan to sprint the last kilometer went kaput as my hunger got the better of me. I munched a bar of Choco Mucho and drank two cups of Aktivade to replenish my energy...then started sprinting for the finish line.

I crossed the line at 2:12, 3 minutes better than my target. Though a bit frustrated, I was in a way happy that I finished the race standing and was able to beat my target time. My average pace for the whole race was 6:14, not my best but good enough for a first 21K.

After crossing the finish line and exchanging pleasantries with friends, I tried to cheer the Takbo.ph members who were not yet finished running. In doing such, I was able to show support to the other runners and realized that I had it better than them. They were happy when they crossed the finish line, I should be as well.

The Condura 21K Marathon is one of the best races I've ran this year. I won't be running anymore until after the Camsur 70.3 Half Ironman Triathlon and this race is a good way to leave marathons for a while.

2009-03-16T16:22:00.003+08:00

Overtraining

2009-03-09T08:54:00.003+08:00

"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure..."

This words kept on ringing in my ears when my throat started to feel like its burning last Thursday night during my swim workout. I didn't listen to my body and continued in completing my workout, then had a few bottles of beer with a friend after.

Result...

Flu!

My body felt as if I was hit by a truck on Friday morning. My throat was too sore that even liquids caused ripping pains. My back had boulders on it and my legs were constantly punched by unknown fists. I was in pain due to overtraining!

I rested the whole day, much to my dismay. I washed both my roadbike and mountain bike to at least be near to my "babies" on a rest day.

1,500mg of Ascorbic acid and two Alaxans later, I was feeling better, and planned on what to do the following day.

Saturday: I had a bit of a cough, but my body pains were almost gone. My throat was still burning but wasn't as painful as it was the day before.

I started to run drills, but gave up after doing 7K. My legs were dead and I was heavily breathing even during the tempo run.

I left the house at 12:00 noon to go to Ultra and did 1km of swim lapping. MJ of takbo.ph was there and gave me pointers on swimming efficiently. My planned 1km lapping became 1.6kms, 600 meters more than my program requirements.

Saturday night and the body pains were back. Took in 2 Alaxans and slept.

Sunday: Woke up at 5:30 a.m. for a 40km bike. Got to Club Manila East at around 6:20 a.m. and started lapping. Averaged 29kph the whole workout with a max speed of 37 kph...not bad!

Felt tired after having breakfast and took a nap. Felt feverish again but hid it from my family whom I promised to take out for some family bonding time.

At 4:00 p.m., I was feeling really heavy, and realized I had fever.

My back was really painful, and even my neck was hurting...talking 'bout pain in the neck, literally.

I am in the office as I'm writing this and I lack sleep due to cough. I had a hard time sleeping as the itchiness in my throat caused me to wake up several times to try and cough it out.

I feel feverish and though not weak, a bit heavy on a regular day.

Condura half marathon is just a good two weeks away but I plan on resting the whole week and pray to God that he gives me the strength to complete the 21K I registered in on the 22nd.

God will answer my prayer, I know...

Deo P.

Why I run...

2009-03-04T10:17:00.003+08:00

At 5:15 a.m., the sun was nowhere on the horizon. The street dogs were still asleep, as well as the rest of the neighborhood. I was already tying my shoe laces...and after two minutes, I was out on the road...

The air I breathe in were music to my ears...my feet hitting the ground served as drum rolls for the start of a brand new day...I was running...

The distance I ran were immaterial to me...I just wanted to run...Sweat beads started running down my face...I took a swipe and flicked it on the ground...I continued to run...

I let my thoughts run with me as I turned a corner, towards a stretch of finely lined up trees...I meditated...There was a song in my head that I couldn't sing with as I didn't have enough air in my lungs to blurt out a tune...I smiled when the song ended...

I slowed down and shook my shoulders, as if checking if they were well-oiled for the run...I slowly increased my pace as I turned another corner...then faster...faster...faster...until I ran out of breath...I slowed down and felt the worries of the past few days escaping my thoughts and body...the stresses, the pains, the uncertainties, the tensions...they were all gone.

One hour has elapsed, and I was still running...then one hour and fifteen minutes, then one hour and 30 minutes...I stopped and walked...15 kilometers of pavements pounded and a week of stresses gone...not bad...

Discovering a new trail

2009-03-02T09:46:00.004+08:00

My bike buddy Che Katigbak and I went back to the Antenna Trail yesterday for some MTBiking fix. This trail got its name from the 3 antennas which stand there from 3 different establishments. The guard told us that one is a Meralco repeater, another one is a radio station antenna and the 3rd one has been there for quite a number of years already and is not being used anymore.

The climb to the trails starts off along the national highway in Angono. It's a gradual paved road climb of about 300 meters, then a short break ensues. After the break, a longer, steeper, granny pace climb will stare you in the face. It's a +/-500 meter off-road climb with loose rocks. Another break of around 10 meters reward those who succesfully pass the ordeal, then a steeper off road climb follows, with more loose rocks. It was at this point when my rear wheel hit a rock which flew backwards, causing my bike to stop and crash, and since I wasn't able to uncleat on time, I fell down with the bike, causing a small bruise on my right knee and a sore right butt cheek.

Continuing on will take you to steeper climbs, with a 10-meter break then an intimidating final climb to Antenna. I reached Antenna way ahead of my bike buddy and had to go back to check if he was okay. All in all, the climb measured 1.8kms, and I am proud to have ridden it continuously, except for my minor crash en route to the resting point. The first time I hit this trail, I pushed my bike thrice...yesterday, I rode it all the way. I guess my bike training is paying off.

After a 10-minute rest, we went down to "Kalmot Pusa", a grassy downhill trail which got its name from the tall grasses which actually "scratch" you as you deal with the singletrack. This is not for the newbie, as the track is littered with sharp rocks. I had to stop and walk my bike at one point due to the loose sharp rocks that I was about to ride into.

After Kalmot Pusa, it was rolling hills all the way. A portion of the trail will bring you to a paved road with around 35 degrees of elevation and riding it will prove futile as your front wheel will definitely "whelee". The rest of the trail is shown in my earlier MTbiking blog.

On the way to the Angono Petroglyphs, I chanced upon a lake ( Photo #4) which was visible along the road. There was also a dual track at the side of the road which we thought was probably the way going to the lake ( Photo #3). It was more than a kilometer of dual track and ends at the water reserve of the Eastridge Golf Club. It was amazing! We never thought we'd discover it. The guard was really accomodating and told us we were one of the few bikers who have been there.

After the Angono Petroglyphs, we were on our final stretch of the whole trail. We passed by Mahabang Parang for our speed freak fix and rode through the "Wicked Drop" like kids. I recorded my fastest bike speed there at 60.7KPH, which previously stood at 55.6KPH in the same stretch.

The sun was scorching hot as we started biking towards home. It was a great bike ride and I will definitely be back...to ride and discover new trails.

Deo P.

I came, I dove, I conquered...the Ultra Pool!

2009-02-25T13:44:00.002+08:00

No, that's not me in the picture. :-)

Yesterday, after an early morning run training of 4x1000, 2x500, 2K warm-up and 3K cool down ( 10K total ), I didn't have the desire to go to work. I just wanted to stay at home and relax a bit. Too much work just stresses me up, and I thought I needed a breather and what would be a better way than spending it at home with my family.

After having breakfast and taking a shower, I took a nap. 15 minutes were all I needed to re-energize for the day.

At around 10 a.m., I was feeling restless. I just couldn't stay sedentary for more than an hour. My wife noticed it and asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to swim. She said no problem, I just had to drop them off at Tiendesitas and pick them up after my swim. It sounded like a good way for both of us to get our fixes for the day...me with my swim and she, on her window shopping wants. :-)

So at exactly 1 p.m., we got into the car, and sped off to our destinations.

Got at the Ultra around 1:30 p.m., changed clothes and dove into the pool.

Coming from a good swim workout last Saturday, I wanted to cross the 50-meter pool without a pull buoy or a kickboard this time around. So, without any delay, I tried.

Got short by around 10 meters on my first attempt and almost the same distance on my 2nd try. In resting, I tried to analyze my swim.

"I am not relaxed!" I thought. That's why I struggled upon hitting the 30-meter mark.

I readied myself for my 3rd attempt. I visualized the other end of the pool and went off.

I relaxed my kick, and pulled with my arms with more force so I'd have a good pace. I was breathing welland relaxed this time around and before I knew it, I could see the "T" at the swimming pool floor...yes! I crossed it, finally!

I was so happy to have done it and wondered if it was pure luck or just a one-time achievement. I tried again going back...and crossed it again.

It became easier for me to cross the 50-meter pool in the succeeding laps. I adjusted my breathing, stroking and kicking to my most comfortable level and was able to decrease my intervals from one-minute rests to 30 seconds in between laps. I was so happy that I did 40 50-meter laps in the duration of the work out, the last 4 laps of which were with only 15-second rests in between.

I did it, I conquered the Ultra Pool, and I'm so damn happy about it. :-)

Deo P.