PhilHealth Nationwide Fun Run

by Camille

I’m supposed to get used to fun runs by now. But I guess not. Phil Health held a fun run in Greenfield City yesterday (February 17, 2013) and right now, my legs are screaming at me for not taking it easy on them. Of course not literally since legs can’t scream, you know what I mean.

At Paseo de Sta. Rosa

I ran five kilometers and it felt amazing.  We started just as the sun began to rise and it was beautiful mind you. The sky changed into different colors until it settled into blue.  The wind was just fine, cool but not the biting kind of cold. There was not much to see but trees and tall grasses swaying in the wind but that is just the type of image I want. I had no problem while running. My lungs seem to agree with me for the first time because every time I join fun runs I’ll feel nervous and that is not good for my breathing.

Long lines at the photo booth... and everywhere

Throughout the run, you will see plenty of water stations for five kilometers. Well at least it’s enough unlike the last fun run I had. They didn’t even put up a water station! Such liars. So let’s go back at the topic at hand. They didn’t start right on time, they started too early which is very wrong. Many were late starters because of that. If they agreed on a certain time, well they should follow it. It only confuses people if they don’t. Marshalls were there to guide us so the direction was clear. Many booths were planted on the field filling them with people lining up for something. My only real problem was the finish line. After you finish, someone will give you a paper with a number written on it stating your place among the finishers. When you get the paper, you will crowd around some poor guy writing your place and race number. Sweaty people crowding around him. It kinda looks like this

Oh yeah, I’m the one crawling away while they’re busy with the guy (AMCtv.com)

All in all the run was okay. Loads better than last year's Nat Geo fun run.

National Age Group Triathlon 2013 Leg 1

draft

February 3, 2013
Subic Bay Freeport
1.5K-40K-10K

National Age Group Triathlon
A very calm sea at exactly 6:01 a.m. - a prelude to fast swim time

Getting some tips from Chad of Team Fitness First


triathlon Philippines
The one and only half-naked redhead


triathlon: it's more fun in the philippines
27 minutes later


Subic Bay Triathlon
1:23 bike split on a relatively easy bike route... transition time included equals a slow biker

After a 45 minute 10K run on a very flat course by the seaside

Free breakfast at Dungaree Beach after a well organized race


triathlon blog
My traditional pose at the transition area

By The Numbers: SUBIC National Age Group Triathlon

February 3, 2013
Standard Distance Male Age Group
Average of Top 3 Finishers

was your age group well represented?

In this fast race course a time of 2 hours and 30 minutes will not get you to the podium.  Few triathletes came to race but each group's top 3 were still crazy fast.  Thankfully at 2:36 I managed to improve on my last year's time by 32 minutes.  Unfortunately I was still way too slow compared to the top finishers.

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
Age Group 40-44 triathlon
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


triathlon average finish time
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!

triathlon 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!
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