Triathlon Ritual #1: Target Time

Before I go to transition area to prepare my gears I write down the target splits and the corresponding aggregate time on my left wrist. Here are 2 samples of my target time.  The first one is from SubIT last May, 2012 and the second is from Animo Sprint last June.

SubIT Target Time

The numbers on the left side are the target splits.  32 minutes for the swim leg and transition 1.  I would look at my watch upon exiting transition 1 and see if it's near the number 32.  1:23 is for the bike leg and transition 2, so 32 plus 1:23 gives me 1:55 upon exiting transition 2.  54 is the target run split for a total of 2:49.  The actual time it took me to finish the race was 2:56 which is 7 minutes off the mark.

Animo Sprint Target Time 2:02... Actual Time 1:58

For the Animo Sprint at Ayala Alabang I ran a 34 minute 7.5k which gave me total time of 1:58.  The target time was pretty accurate up to T2 exit.  But I'm sure glad to break my target time.  So what's your target time?  xoxo :)

See Your Doc!

I had an appointment with my doctor before my rookie season.  Why?  Because I was experiencing chest pain when the intensity of my workout would increase.  I wasn't training that hard nor that long and yet I got this a lot so I would be resting for up to 2 weeks recovering from these bouts of chest discomfort.

Last December 2011 I decided to visit an Interventional Cardiologist at St. Luke's Taguig as advised by my friend who is also a doctor at that place.  When I told my doc about my cardio history (blue baby, mitral valve prolapse, bradicardia and of course the pain) and looked at my seemingly frail body due to my weight or lack thereof :) he said something that really surprised me.  'Let's put it this way, kung meron mga magkakatabing baka at yun isa eh naiba ang itsura of course you have to look further to see if something is wrong with that particular cow.'  Haha! Napatawa naman ako dun.  So to make the story short I was admitted to the hospital right then and there for further exams.  I think the most important exam was the Stess Test and Stress Echo.  Lo and behold, when the results came we were both surprised.  I have no mitral valve prolapse contrary to my tests at Makati Med and Mt. Carmel Hospital.  And the interesting part is this... I did 15 METS with a very short recovery period!  From what he said it seemed that few people can actually reach 15 mets and recover fast.  I was reassured.  My good doctor told me 'I guess you're made for endurance sport.'  Naks! Sarap naman pakinggan nun hehe.  And he went on to say 'just avoid alcohol before a race or a long run because it is dangerous.'  So what happened to the chest pain?  I just avoid high intensity workout, I don't like punishing sessions anyway.  

My daughter made a funny collage of our stay

If you are reasonably healthy maybe seeing a doctor is just an option but if you are feeling something weird or need assurance or plain curious or feeling old for this sport, I think it's a good thing to stop by your doc and hear what he/she has to say.  Or better yet stop by my doc, he's at room 609 of St. Luke's Taguig.


Stage   Speed (km/hr)  Gradient
1            2.74                   10
2            4.02                   12
3            5.47                   14
4            6.76                   16
5            8.05                   18
6            8.85                   20
7            9.65                   22    
8           10.46                  24
9           11.26                  26
10         12.07                  28


3 minutes per stage - if you finish stage 5 I think that's 15 METS so just reaching stage 6 gives you 15 METS. It's not the speed that will make you keel over, it's the steepness.
hmmm i wonder how I would fare right now that I'm actually doing races...

I'm Going Clipless... and I Don't Like It

Don't you think a 91K bike leg is long?  Well I thought so, which leads me to buy cycling specific shoes and pedals to go with it.  The shoes are Specialized and the pedals are Look Keo Max 2.  Together they form an intimidating pair so much terrifying that I spend cycling with my mountain bike trying to avoid using the cleats and the pedals on my roadie. If I'm going to race White Rock Triathlon in October I just think I have no choice but to master these gears.  First race with my new upgrade will be the Powerade Duathlon Leg 3.  Hope this thing works minus the crash. 

Black Specialized with 3 hole cleats and Look Keo Max 2

Cross Training... duh!

Mt. Carmel Grand Alumni Homecoming Badminton Tournament

I've been away from badminton for so long that my racket grip is reduced to powder like over grip.  I never thought I would have played this sport again as it pains me all night long after just two matches on court.  But just like any other sport there are times that you will meet once again.  And for a noble reason of participating in a tournament for our Grand Alumni Homecoming, badminton and I are once again reunited. I stopped my usual swim, bike, run routine for 1 week to accommodate this pain inducing sport.  I can race an Olympic distance triathlon and still feel good but a night of badminton brings me horrors and pain in every joint and muscle in my body... go figure :).

July 7 was a day of games, foods, drinks, camaraderie, photo opps and a chance to know the priest and non priest badminton players.  After calling it quits with 9 matches on my pocket, my classmate and I headed to the nearest spa.  Recovery is bliss!

With my running shoes

Smash, drop, moon shot, net, push, lunge, stop, go, arrgh

With my partner Gerry and Darwin  

Adrenaline Off-Road Duathlon Race Route and Elevation Profile

Adrenaline Off-Road Duathlon - La Mesa Forest Reserve - September 9, 2012
Distance - 6K-25K-3K
Registration Sites - Bike King, Cycling Zone, Life Cycle

www.adrenalinemultisport.com

Race Route

Run 1

Bike Leg

Run 2

What's Keeping Me Busy These Days

With my personal cost cutting program in mind :( , I have to skip 3 great races, Subic 5i50, Laiya Tri United 2, and Cebu 70.3.  To keep my lean, mean, delicate mortal body in fit condition I join local fun run and fun rides. Here are some images from my activities last month.

Takbo Para Sa Libro at SM City

I came late for this event and missed the gun start for 10k, heck I even missed the start of the 5k

Can you figure out the numbers?

2 in 1

My fellow 5k finishers

Riders flock together

Philippine Air Force Run

With my badminton buddy after a 10k run

My Common Swimming Form Mistakes

I was 12 years old when I stopped swimming and after 30 years triathlon brought me back to a sport I once loved.  As a child I used to like swimming, seeing how my brothers were trained by a very good coach I wished that I could also train with them but that wish never came to fruition and instead my brothers taught me the basics and betamax tapes helped me to some extent.  Then I transferred to a seminary for my high school and swimming was gone for good... or so I thought.  Back to the present and here I am struggling to correct my own stroke but knowing that I can swim gives me the confidence that somehow I can have a decent swim split (my standards are low) with just a handful of 25 minute workouts before a triathlon race. Here are some of the mistakes that I usually do during race day.

1.  Split kicking  - with my emphasis on the next legs - bike and run - I change my kick in triathlon as I intend to save leg strength and the result is an imbalanced kick.  To avoid doing the same thing practice your two-beat kick just in case you are not prepared to kick correctly all the way to t1.

2.  Forward looking head position - as triathlon necessitates sighting for the buoy and bodies all around I keep looking forward to navigate through the traffic and this position adds to my exhaustion.  When bodies clear up avoid looking up and forward.  Practice swimming straight even without floor lines.

3.  Arms too high on recovery - I do not have the endurance to swim as fast as I would like to so I take all the time in the world to rest during recovery phase and put my arms so high to time it with my intended pace.  With this stroke you can spot me from afar because this mistake is so unique and I don't wear a trisuit that narrows down the search. Fitness plays a big role in endurance sports but good technique never goes out of style, and as flawed as my form could be it is comforting to know that some lessons learned from the past can make me a better swimmer than I am right now.  Happy training and keep that feet wet!

Pinoy Triathlon Tee

The Tee that travels with me when I'm doing multisport races.  Made by my friend bisikletaadventures.blogspot.com.

To Go Clipless Pedal or Not

I am such a newbie or a sissy for that matter.  After a year of riding my bikes I still don't use clipless pedal.  So what's for the holdover?  I was and still am afraid of that dreaded 'SEMPLANG'.  Funny as it may seem but yes Pinoy Triathlon uses running shoes when training and racing.  I guess being so far out against the seasoned triathletes aspiring for a podium was not in my list and going clipless where I'm not comfortable to wear may just stress me out.  Something that's against my goals - to finish and relieve my stress.  But why am I writing about this? Well, I have a plan to join White Rock Triathlon and it's kinda long 2K-90K-20K so I guess a shoe upgrade is just a necessity; something that must be done like wearing a trisuit that until now am still not wearing.  But as much as I don't see the need for a trisuit yet, going clipless is a no brainer barring the phobia for bike crash.  So the contemplation is over.  I'll go with clipless pedal and hammer out on the bike leg before WRT.  Who knows I may be on the podium - NOT! Cheers.