I won! I won!

Yes I won a running event but in contrast to the size of the trophy the race is exclusive to parents and students of my daughter's tiny school. The distance is also a short 3.5K. But still I enjoyed the company of a police motor escort all the way to the finish line.  I'm not fast but when the field is thin... even I can win.

3.5K in 14 minutes

What I Learned: Part 5 Cycling

I've never been to a cycling event but from the bike leg of a triathlon race I've learned quite a few things.

Isdaan, Calauan, Laguna

1.  I'm a slow biker dude and I'm trying to change that.

2.  Training can be a family treat.  I tried going to a dining place about 70 kilometers away and let my family meet me there.

3.  Triathletes spend close to half the time on the bike during races.

4.  I'm not comfortable with clipless pedals so I'm back with a pair of platforms.

5.  Bike trainer bores me to sleep.

6.  Bike rides make me appreciate the beauty of different places. More so when doing trails.

7.  I think I gained 7 pounds for having more bike muscles.  Yey! Maybe I'll improve now and I won't be chasing a hundred guys on the run.

8.  Unlike swimming and running, cycling needs a lot of my time to see some progress.  This is where raw training beats technique so if you like to enhance your bike fitness you really have to spend quite some time on the saddle.

9.  My bike weighs 22 pounds.

10. I wear easy to spot colors for safety reason.

11. Bento box is my friend during races. . of course when filled with foodies.

12. I'm hooked on using heavily padded gel insert on my saddle and don't see myself taking it away soon. 

13. I hate upgraditis, I obsess on some bike stuff but I can't have it. 
14. I'm missing my mtb days. It gets fewer when races are near.
15. Having a good bike mechanic is a must.
16. Don't attack a hill right from the start, wait to get close to about 12 to 18 meters from the peak before standing on your bike to get some momentum for the down ride.
17. When trying to sprint to make some progress or to overtake someone, finish it in 18 seconds or less and if you can't, return to your maintaining speed.
18. If you don't have a bike just buy one that fits you, you'll enjoy it... promise. :p

Eco Tourism Road

By The Numbers: Age Group 40-44 Standard Distance

Subic International Triathlon 2012
Male 40-44 Category - Olympic Distance

Hmmm... I guess I have to spend some time on the saddle...

By The Numbers: SuBIT 2012

SuBIT 2012 Age Group Finishing Times
1.5K swim - calm water
40K bike - approximately 40 percent hilly 60 percent flat
10K run - flat

Where do you stand in this graph?

Did you join last year's Subic International Triathlon?  Well here is a very late post about the average finishing time of each age category and the average time of top 5 finishers.  You can use this to assess your current speed or goal time for your next standard distance tri.  If you are aiming for the podium I'm sure you'll be looking at the red numbers.

Shoes!

These pairs are my current line up (January 2013)

Training:  old model NB480 - comfortable

Bike and Trail:  NB310 - light and trail ready

Race:  NB 1400 - super light

Cycling Shoes: Specialized - wore on 2 races then never tried using it again... but coupled with my Look Keo Max pedals I noticed a big improvement in speed when going uphill... I'm just 'not comfy' (afraid) going clipless at this point 

These shoes are great for their specific purpose but my feet's soles are way too thin and running fast is always a problem (blisters). I'm still happily looking forward to my first long run hopefully when I get a pair of NB1090v2.

Watching DVDs

This is how I watch DVDs lately (on my daughter's bike)... preferably TV series

With so much rainy days hitting my place I find it hard (lazy) to run or swim.  So what else can a man do to expect some improvement?  Turbo!  I pedal for 35 to 45 minutes per session.  This is boring stuff but I think I save a lot of time compared to riding 20K outdoors.  I use iPad to keep boredom at bay and this DVD watching really helps.  Dexter, The Walking Dead, Fringe, Game of Thrones, Criminal Minds... just some of the shows I enjoy watching but still 60 minutes is just too much. We'll know in February if this thing works for me (goal time is 2:38 for the standard distance).  See you at the races!