Pinoy Triathlon

Just Because...

Just because I'm thin and tanned.

"Are you a runner?" I've been asked this quite a lot and would always answer "Nope, just a jogger".

Just because my tan lines are 'well done'.

"A cyclist maybe?" - "Nope, just a biker dude".

Just because they saw me swim.

"Are you a triathlete" - "Nahh but I've done some triathlons".

Just because they saw a photo of me with a finisher's medal.

"Wow! You've won. You're fast." - "How I wish..."

Just because I'm really thin.

"You don't like eating, do you?" - "Are you kidding? I devour" :)

LESSON: Put some sunscreen! :P

I still have 3 weeks to train till the race. But wait is it really a race? To me it's a celebration of sorts for all the days I spent jogging, riding, and swimming. It is a culminating event where I get to enjoy a whole day's worth of workout: a nice bath in the sea, a ride on a scenic route and a sunset run in one of the most beautiful islands we have.

On my 2nd Big Day Workout

By this time I think I am pretty much ready to do the distance albeit in a slow way. I have done the requisite workouts that I think I need to gain confidence. I finished a half distance triathlon last October 26. I've had a week of race specific workouts last November 3 to 9 that went like this; Monday: swim 3.8K and jog 40 minutes, Tuesday and Wednesday: rest, Thursday: big day workout - swim 3.8K, bike 150K, jog 1 hour, Friday: rest, Saturday: bike 180K, Sunday: rest. I had 4 rest days on that week though and I might say my body enjoyed every minute of it.

The foot injury that I got from tying the shoe laces too tight on a marathon last October 5 is finally healing and I went for a 20K jog last Monday. Right now my focus is to get ready for the remaining long workouts ahead of me; there are actually 4 long workouts on my schedule the last one being 12 days prior to the event.

On every long workout I just focused on my nutrition and the intensity was all easy. I think I've never done a hard workout since the first week of October. One thing that keeps creeping in my mind is that I should neither get sick nor injured hence the reason for low intensity exercises.

And for Part 2 of my Road To Bohol I think I've done some good strides since Part 1. I still have some work to do but the big ones were over and I'm glad I'm not cramming the training days left.

Let's hope it'll translate to one fine day of swim, bike, jog.

Tri United 3 2014 Race Recap

draft - TU3 October 26, 2014

This is a 70.3 event in the Tri United Series. I arrived at the Transition 1 with my pajama.. well not really a pajama but something that looks quite like it, and a long sleeve shirt to stay warm in the early morning. Everybody was wearing tri suit and I was an odd man out. After preparing my T1 basket and bike, I fell in line on the porta potty, then back to T1 to take off my shirt and finally with only 4 minutes left to gun start I rushed towards the starting line at Dungaree Beach.

Swim

I didn't swim with my team's tri suit (Puro Tri), just a double Speedo bottom to go with my Speedo goggles and an orange swim cap provided by the organizer. The swim was pretty much chaotic and slow maybe because of the mass start but it was over in 36 minutes. I survived the swim!

Photo by K.Zapanta SnapShots

Bike

Time in T1 was approximately 4 minutes. The first few kilometers went by as anticipated, slow but no sign of fatigue or aches on my injuries. It was actually faster than my goal time for the first 30 kilometers. But you know me, I always end up on the wrong side of the bike and it happened before I get to the 75K turn around point. My neck was hurting really bad and the pain on my upper back wouldn't let up. DNF was knocking on the door but with the distance I covered it's kind of hard to imagine quitting at that point so I kept on pedaling until I reached Transition 2. The ride on SCTEX Highway was worth it though, there were lots of uphills, the view of the mountains was exhilarating and the road closure was calming. I spent some time inside T2 to have a little bit of rest before I went to run... or limp my way to finish line.

with my rubber shoes and pink pedals - Photo by TU3 Official Photographer

Run

At the start of my run I thought I could jog all the way to the finish line with ease but after just a few hundred meters I felt something on my left knee and fact of the matter was I thought I was exhausted so I'd rather finish slow than die trying to look fast. I walked a lot of times and when Chad a fellow age grouper caught me I went to run with him to ask some questions regarding I.M. distance racing as he had just finished 2 such events this year. I am deeply sorry if I disturbed your TU3 race, mate. So there I was in the middle of the road, under the heat of the midday trying to figure out how can I do Bohol 226 if half of that seemed unbearable. Luckily I finished in 6:48. I wasn't disappointed just worried with my neck because I was and still am in the middle of training for a long distance event. I couldn't even complain with my finishing time as half of the field was still suffering under the punishing heat at that time.

Look Of Relief Upon Seeing the Finish Line - photo by Angela Ong

So here goes:

The Good: the bike route was such an experience, a scenic expressway all to us

The Bad: my neck was hurt

The Ugly: I'm in the heat of training for my first long distance triathlon and a painful neck is not a good sign

The Race: Tri United 3 70.3 is very well organized and priced just right, the only downside could be the proximity of the finish line to the hotel.

The Time: 6:48 total and 2:32 on the run is something I did not expect but at that moment I felt mighty lucky to cross the finish line

The Best: I was glad to have registered for this race, if I knew then that I would be doing Bohol 226 there's no way I would have joined this. The neck issue exposed my... you guessed it, my neck and the risk of riding a folding bike in an upright position when you know you'll be riding long on a road bike in a very different position

The Lesson: train with the bike you're going to use on race day and get comfortable on the aero bar

All In A Day This Tuesday - Off Tangent Tuesday

Recovery Day :)

Breakfast at Cafe France

Went to an Art Gallery to Commission 2 Paintings

Went to UST for My Check Up

Waiting for my Appointment

Lunch at Mexicali

Life Cycle Greenhills for some Bike Gears

Keo Cleats, Aerobar Pads, Cover Cleats, Gel Saddle Cover

Hmmm...

Girly Things for My Girl

Pasalubong - Krispy Kreme

Late Dinner - Bulalo

Tri United 3 - A Day Before Race Day

What Do You Do To Prepare For a Race??? - I never did go to the carnival with these guys though... it was already MIDNIGHT hah!

Arrived at Subic Freeport and Went Straight to a Diner

Checked In at the Hotel

Claimed My Race Pack at Tri United Expo

You Gotta Fall In Line

1.9 - 90 - 21 = 112.9

Expo Booths

Bike Check In at Dungaree Beach

Went To A Supermarket

Accompanied My Nephews and Nieces

Went Korean

I missed this... I was prepping my nutrition in the hotel

Tri United 3 - 70.3 Medal

It was brutal.. My neck felt shit at 75K on the bike and everything went south... Feeling humbled and lucky to finish in 6:48... - I'll tell the details later.

I never expected this to be so difficult but it really was...

Tri United 3: Goals and Injuries

Just like any event that I joined I try to set some goals to aim for and those can be realistic and unrealistic. For this coming weekend race the bar is set to be as low as possible as I am still reeling from my recently caught cough and colds, from the injury I got for tightening my shoelaces and from the pain at the back of my left knee. For the latter one I took the clipless pedals off my bike so I will be using rubber shoes for the 90 kilometer ride to ease the pain - ouch! As I was installing the new plastic platform pedals I felt the bike course just got longer - agh! As for the foot injury, I only logged a paltry 1 hour and 40 minutes of total jogging time since my marathon last October 5 so this is gonna be painful come Sunday noon folks.

So what's the goal? Well, with Bohol 226 on my mind I think I'm pretty much sure I wouldn't push hard given what I feel right now. But if for some miracle that I come in third in Transition 2 who knows I might do something stupid :) like run or more like limp to the finish line.

Now for the real goal: 1. enjoy the ride at SCTEX, this was the reason I joined this race so might as well savor the moment while on the route, 2. as always, survive the swim, 3. finish in 1 piece - alive and kicking, and with my toes in proper places.

This is the reason why I signed up for this: SCTEX Route

Road To Bohol - Part 1

draft

The Bohol 226 Triathlon is a long distance race and with such distance one would expect extraordinary training and unbelievable stories that go with it but with only a few weeks to go I wish I have something like that to tell you - sufferfest galore, long runs, long rides, long swims etc.

Except for the marathon last October 5, I don't think I've done something so different from what I used to do. I still haven't reached a hundred kilometers on a single ride, a long swim to an island; let alone in a pool, a weekly long run or a brick session. With so much respect for the distance my weekly volume went up a bit and that's it for now. I still ride on my folding bike, short jog in the neighborhood, swim in a 17 meter pool and avoid brick sessions like a plague. But like everyone else I have training goals though not as lofty as others who tried to brave the distance. I aim neither to get sick nor injured during the course of my training, to run a marathon, to get fast on shorter distances, to finish Tri United 3 70.3 without injury, to bike for 12 hours in a day, to NOT lose weight, to strengthen my back, to swim in a pool longer than 17 meters and above all else, to train consistently in general and especially on the bike.

So for Part 1 of my Road To Bohol there is nothing much to tell except that I farted my way to a marathon :). and continue to devour 4 servings of rice in a single meal!

Off Tangent Tuesday: Badminton Club

I've never been inside the badminton court for quite some time and I've been missing these guys and the fun of just hanging out at the place. We had a team building of sorts last Saturday and I was really glad to join the club, play some parlor games and eat dinner.