Chillax Weekend

Challenge Philippines Subic and Ironman 70.3 Subic

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I'll be in Challenge Philippines Subic on February 22 and Ironman 70.3 Subic on March 8, two of the three half distance races happening inside Subic Bay Freeport. The third being the Tri United 70.3 which starts inside the Freeport but ends some 60 kilometers from the start line and way out of Subic. Both race courses are scenic and both present a difficulty unique to each one.

SWIM

a simpler layout and a more visible bottom

four sharp turns could mean I'm gonna get kicked in the face somewhere :)

BIKE

a hilly course even on the way back to T2

the novelty of rolling in a runway and riding in a tollway

RUN

inside a forest reserve, the layout is an eyesore, should put a lot of markers 

a seaside run with 1 hill near the airport is gonna be really hot

Triathlon Goals 2015

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First, I would like to thank all of you who dropped by my blog site and secondly, thanks also for joining me on FB as you can see I have more entries on FB since I can share things which can't be found on this site.

Here we are again, beginning of the year, trying to set some goals to work for. December of 2014 was pretty much 'goalless' and uneventful as far as fitness is concerned. I thought that as the new year enters I would suddenly have the urge to train but that wasn't the case, I am still the guy from December who wouldn't go out and ride. So to make it interesting I am here to state some lofty goals of my own for 2015. With some stretch goals in mind I might force myself out of hibernation.

Well here I am typing on my iPad ;P

Swim - if only I could swim at least once a week that would be great. This seems to be an easy task but looking back I know this would be difficult. There are few things that make this tough but mainly because I don't swim when I feel it's cold even if the pool is not.

Bike - to be confident that I can finish an Audax 400 or Audax 600 in April or May. As you probably know by now, I'm a slow biker something that's uncharacteristic for someone so light. My injuries from the past kept me from doing hard pedaling and at times it sidelined me for some time. But that doesn't mean I couldn't try a long adventure ride.

Run - to cover 10 kilometers in under forty minutes. If a am in my twenties or thirties I think this wouldn't be a stretch but now it definitely is. They say at my age one can run a 10K in 38 minutes although I know I wouldn't be able to touch that I think I have a shot at sub 40 at around September and October.

Triathlon - I think I won't be doing much of triathlon this year but still I have two triathlons that was scheduled just a few weeks apart (Challenge 70.3 on February 22 and IM 70.3 on March 8) and it's hard to believe that I am not working my ass off considering how close they are at the moment. The goal... if it weren't for my toes dropping my nails right now I would blurt out some unrealistic time to target but the truth is I really have my toes on a bit of a bind so finishing is as high as I can aim.

Blogging - my goal is to have at least eight entries per month and continue to update my Facebook page. 

So there goes my goals for this year. I hope you can also state some of your goals and help you in attaining a fitter you. Cheers to us!

iPad Apps I Use Frequently

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I love my iPad and I always bring it with me. Here are some of the apps I use most of the time.

Numbers - for workout diary and viewing race results

Day One - diary app for iOS

Photogene - photo editing app with features I can actually use

Panorama Mode - camera mode I play with all the time

Google Earth - satellite view to familiarize with a race course among other things

Blogger - a bad blogging app that needs an overhaul

SwimBikeRun Speeds - to calculate speed, distance, pace, time

Maps With Me - off-line map, I get lost time and again 

Drop Box - photos, videos, docs everywhere

iBooks - for viewing race results and registration forms

IMDB - your favorite movies and actors

Offline Reader - off-line browser for storing web articles I find invaluable 

Some Photos of Our Group Ride in 2014

Group Ride 2014 using Folding Bike, Mountain Bike and Road Bike

The Obligatory Best of 2014

With 2014 winding down to its last day I think it would be fun to share the obligatory best and worst of the year. But let's focus on the best shall we.

Best Race - Milo 21K - This was my first 21K run. I fumbled at the start, got going from there, endured the blisters, kept my composure when I felt cold from my sweaty shirt, misjudged the last couple of kilometers and still went on to finish in 1:38.

Best Adventure - Audax 300 - It was an early start at 3:00 A.M. The lights of the bikes were awesome, the sunrise was breathtaking, the rain poured hard, the sun was too hot, the road was endless, the coastline was fantastic and the mountains on the other side was magnificent. 

Fastest Run - During the first run of the Duaman X2 Duathlon Race in Nuvali I ran the first 10K in less than 41 minutes. The course was only 10.8K according to MapMyRide and I also got into the sub 20 minute 5K Club on that day. The bike was too slow though.

Longest Transition Time - Challenge Philippines 70.3 - I clocked 18 minutes in Transition 1 while waiting for my friend so we could bike and run together.

Best Preparation - RUPM and Bohol 226 - It was the first time I felt ready to run long at a pace of 5:00 minutes per kilometer for 42K. But of course that didn't happen on race day. And for Bohol 226 nothing really happened at all.

Shortest Race - 5K Run - Building up to a marathon I did a 10K, 5K, 21K and a duathlon.

Best swim course - Challenge Philippines - I can see the bottom most of the time.

Best Bike Route - Tri United 3 70.3 - A ride from the beach to the Subic tollgate was great and the next kilometers were ridden at SCTEX Tollway. Try Google Earth to see the route: Subic Dungaree Beach to Porac, Pampanga.

Best Run Route - The Challenge Philippines run route in what looked like a jungle was unique but the lack of kilometer markers on a jumbled course made the RUPM city run a better course to me.

Race I can recommend - From the few races I joined in the past year I can recommend the Subic International Triathlon with its new race course. For 2015 I think they renamed it to Asian Triathlon Championships.

Race to look forward to - I'm leaning towards Run United Philippine Marathon maybe in the first week of October, 2015 just because I like to run a marathon during that time of the year.

Best Shirt - This one's hard; Challenge Shirt loses its print, Tri United 3 has its bold color, Run United looks Run United, Duaman X2 is youthful, SuBiT has red streaks on black, Bohol 226 has distance numbers on the back, hmmm... I'll save the best shirt for next year.  ;P

Event to look forward to - I guess it's the Audax 400 or Audax 600 for the sheer distance and love of cycling.

So how about your 2014? One thing is sure, we both enjoyed our races and events. RIGHT?

My training ground: How I wish I could workout in the cold... Naahh! Posers don't do that!

Off Tangent Tuesday - December Is A Non Training Month For Me :P

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After my last races were canceled and postponed I got disinterested with training. I still have a couple of races in the near future but I don't even like to hit the road and prepare for those events namely Challenge 70.3 Philippines Tough and IM 70.3 Subic. Nothing seems to motivate me right now and the weather here is really cooperating. It seems futile to expect a sunny day and the coldness of the day render swimming not even worth imagining. Maybe it'll turn around in January but for the moment let me enjoy December without the sweat and panting.

Badminton Club Party

Enjoying The Christmas Atmosphere At The Malls

Catching Up With Friends

Despedida, Welcome, Birthday and Christmas Party All In One

Enjoying The Nightlife

Warehouse Inventory

Visiting My Good Friend and Attorney

Familiarizing With Pugs

My Daughter was Accepted In My Alma Mater: Studying The New Campus

Renovating and Decorating

Tried A New Branch That Opened Near Our Home

Looking For Old Photos: Ancestral House (diesel was 18 centavos per liter)

Indulging In Sweets

Watching T.V. Series on The Net

Keeping My Toes From Getting Cold

12 Days Of Christmas - Off Tangent Tuesday

12 - minutes to finish a 3K run

11 - days before a race: last long ride

10 - races this year

9 - hours to finish a big day workout

8 - kilometers of jogging workout

7 - days of 'malunggay, buko, saging, dalandan' before a race

6 - days of training per week

5 - pairs of running shoes

4 - bikes in the house: road bike, hybrid, mtb, foldie

3 - sets of attire for a triathlon race

2 - races 'displaced' by Typhoon Ruby

1 - podium* finish with asterisk haha

2014 Races

I was lucky enough to get back into endurance sports after I got sick and lost interest in it. Although I didn't get the chance to try Bohol 226 or do the Milo Marathon Finals I think my races were satisfying and well scheduled. Each race prepared me for something in the future races and they were all so varied from 5K run to a full distance triathlon. The events that required me to check in for an overnight accommodation were mostly short family vacations also so they were fun not just to me. 

All The Events Were Special In Their Own Way

Challenge 70.3 Philippines - the best swim course, unique run route, finished alongside my two teammates Reggie and Monki.

Subic International - an easy standard race distance course, almost everything went well, finish line at a shopping mall

Audax 300 - a 300 kilometer adventure filled with sun, rain and for others moon, ate a pack of Milkyway chocolate

10K Run - on my first fun run of 2014 I learned that I wasn't as fast as last year (not that I'm fast or anything), I thought everything's fine until kilometer four and I still have six more to go.

5K Run - I did okay, felt like I was getting faster... no kidding ;)

Milo 21K - I didn't like the singlet but I thought everybody should wear it on race day so I did and it almost ruined my run. The night before the race I thought I should pace myself for a 1:38 finish and that's exactly what happened on race day.

Duaman X2 - I won the race because apparently I was a junior among a field of freshmen.

Run United Philippine Marathon - I farted way too much and stopped for a long break in a rest room but for 26K I was coasting at a pace of 5:00 minutes per kilometer

Tri United 70.3 - an exciting ride on a tollway, a painful neck, and a bunch of nephews and nieces on a 'semestral' break.

Bohol 226 - last year there was the earthquake, this year we had the Typhoon... I mean Super Typhoon.

Milo 42K Finals - since the long distance triathlon was cancelled you'd think I'd be lucky enough to run the marathon.. it was postponed to a date I wouldn't be available... REALLY?

The Race That Wasn't Meant Be