Pinagbanderahan Hike

Pinagbanderahan, Zig Zag Road along the towns of Pagbilao and Atimonan, Quezon

Coming from Lucena City this is the most accessible mountain for me to climb. Combined, the ascent and descent usually takes two hours, but since I insisted on going inside two of the caves, and it rained during the middle of our trek, I was on that mountain for almost three hours.

The trail was mostly stairs, so it was a workout for my thighs and legs. The floor was also damp, so we had to navigate carefully or else risk tumbling down. Since it was the rainy season, the trees and the leaves scattered on the floor were peppered with water. So the effect of it looked like everything was glistening under the weak sunlight.

We were the only people to climb that day, so it was kind of scary to think about the fact that the three of us have the mountain to ourselves.

The difficulty level of this mountain is 1/9, but I was heavy breathing in some parts of the mountain despite its unassuming level. There are many undiscovered caves on this mountain, but only one is really safe for climbers to explore.

Kuya Mario, our guide, was nice enough to tell me a bit about the history of Mt. Pinagbanderahan. He could have saved himself from explaining though because I could have just read about it at the top.

Reaching the top was refreshing because it was so bright compared to the shade of the forest we just passed through.

Going down was easier for me even though I slipped and fell on my butt. It was raining but the cover of the trees made it feel like it was only drizzling so we didn't get that wet from our climb. We used a different exit, so we had to walk on the road to return to the park. This climb was short but straightforward. And the caves were a nice addition to the hike. This is a perfect mountain to climb for beginners.

PS - There is a parking lot, bathrooms and eateries beside the tour guide's office at the top of Zig Zag Road.

Regent 5150 Triathlon

Sunday, June 5, 2016
Subic Bay, Olongapo City
1.5K - 40K - 10K

I arrived in Subic Bay at around 11:30 A.M. and went straight to Travelers Hotel to pick up my race packet. The place was full, a bit crowded except at the stage area. I proceeded to pick up my race kit and then lined up to have my race number tattoos sticked to my arms and legs.


In the afternoon I brought my bike to the transition area. The bike check in was the same for Subic Bay IM 70.3, me and my bike was photographed for security reasons.

On the day of the race here's what I remember.

Swim
It was a rolling start kind of swim and together with my teammate Lloyd I lined up in front of almost every age grouper. With a very tight goggles hugging my face to avoid leakage I didn't enjoy the swim as much as I would like to. With too many scratches on the goggles I I couldn't see where I was supposed to go, I guess it's my vision and the flare from the sun. Luckily I started in front and avoided the frenzy of swimming in the middle of the pack.

Bike
I started slowly and entered the airport tarmac hoping to get faster but still my bike powers continue to fail me hah! I wouldn't bet on myself even on a lucky day. I don't think the day I'll become a stronger biker will ever come... EVER haha. But considering that I wasn't hitting the road anymore I knew I was lucky with my race time so far. The bike course was technical. There was a portion where overtaking was a no no. It was over in 1 hour 23 minutes.

Run
Transition 2 was at the Remy Track and Field oval. It's my first time to go in a transition area inside an oval. The run course was fairly easy. We run through a part of the bike course. I was really lucky to swim early as the sun was pretty much unobstructed the whole day. Just like in my previous runs, I thought i could've gone a little bit faster but I was worried side stitch would just ruin the race. 52 minutes into the run and the race was over for me. It was a also a first for me to finish while running on the asphalt of a track and field oval. It felt like I was an athlete at least for that moment.

The Loot
Having a sponsor like Regent Corp. I knew my hands would be full but I decided to jump in the nearby swimming pool before joining Lloyd for a quick massage. Also a first for me to have a massage after the race. It's awful I've ignored all the massage tents in the past.

The Finish Line
It's kind of surreal to see two finish lines in the same place. Regent 5150 and Sunrise Sprint had one each for their respective finishers. The medal felt solid and heavy. I waited for some time for the bike check out before going back to the hotel. I joined this race as a package with the Subic Bay IM 70.3 and next year I'll probably join both races again. 

A nice addition to my collection of medals, really solid and expertly done

Registration area at Travelers Hotel

Patching the race number tattoos

Tri necessities booths inside the registration area

With my dirty Orbea aluminum road bike

Transition 1 at ACEA Hotel

Attending mass at a chapel inside Subic Bay Freeport

Red One, Rogue Too, Kap, MeltMyFart :)

I would've shown a pic where I was running through here but my eyes didn't look good  

Even in photos I look extraordinarily slow, like going for a chillax ride

Awarding just beside the finish line... no I wasn't at the photo

It could be the race course but going slower is definitely becoming my trend ;P

No Ride, No Power

I've been busy and lazy to workout for a couple of months now due in part to some business matters but mostly due to just being LAZY. Since June I only had two bike rides and those were in the races I joined. I do some indoor trainers though.
I wish the roads a little bit safer, the sky forgiving, the time longer, the work lesser, the bed less seducing and the mind willing. Naahh!

My one ride on the month of June happened at Regent 5150

My last ride so far at Tri United 2

Parked indefinitely and terribly missing the road

Swim Analysis by Mediswim

Swim Analysis by Coach Jaycee Macdonald

Photos by Nikki Santos

The frames from my video analysis confirmed that I swim crappy at best. :) Everything is just awful, but hey everyone has something to improve right maybe just not as many as I have to though. No wonder I go slowwww.

There's a good reason why you should try swim analysis by Mediswim.



 

 

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EFFORTLESS ENDURANCE 1.0 – 

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ARMY GYM CLASSES REGISTER HERE

SUMMARY OF REGISTRATION LINKS:

MANDALUYONG/ORTIGAS CBD

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> AUG 15 – 26: REGISTER HERE

> AUG 29 – SEP 9: REGISTER HERE

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ARMY GYM CLASSES REGISTER HERE

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Organizer: Coach Jaycee Macdonald

Swimming At The Heart Of Marine Biodiversity

Verde Island Swim Challenge

June 12, 2016

Lobo, Batangas

by: Camille Ong - Pinoy Triathlon's daughter that was supposedly the reason why he started doing triathlon in the first place. I do not understand how this came to be because my dad had to bribe me just so i would swim/bike/run during those days when I was little.

The swim for Verde Island Passage was a unique one. Not because this was my first open water swim, but due to the fact that this was a competition wherein I was swimming for a cause; to stop miners from destroying Verde Island Passage marine life with their cyanide hands and destructive intentions. It is especially paramount to protect this place because it is declared as the world's center of marine biodiversity, and all those species underwater have been there for a long time now so preserving them is a priority over mining gold. I have heard that the issue with the mining in Lobo popped up a long time ago. According to a survey, over 319 species and 74 genera of hard corals can be found in Verde Island Passage. And further studies reveal more species that are new. This area is also important for tourism, which the speakers in the event emphasized. 

Swimmers are to participate in 2.5 and 5 kilometer swim to raise awareness on the threat of mining on the Verde Island Passage. We have been warned that we should be able to finish before 8:45 AM, because then, it would be impossible for us to swim against the current of the ocean. Even though it was reported that it was going to rain on the day of the race itself, I woke up to clear skies and the sun was beating down on us, so the free sunblock we got along with the swim cap didn't go to waste. 

 not only is this free but this sunblock is also reef-friendly! why is this important, you may ask. It's because some chemicals in sunblocks have been found to bleach corals

Instead of the usual sand, the beach was littered with smooth, small rocks that my mom wanted to steal so she could use it as a scrubber. Racers were scattered along the length of the beach as we wait for the gun start. Behind all of this was the Punta Malabrigo where there are tents and tables for body marking and breaking of the fast.

When 6 o'clock approached, the 5k swimmers started with a bang (ha. bang). Some of them had an impressive start but others were kind of left behind. I'm just  gonna take that as a sign that they're just saving their energy since it's a 5k swim we're talking about.

The 5k swimmers are to swim 15 minutes ahead of us 2.5k swimmers, so when 6:15 came around and we were set to go, we could barely see the 5k swimmers ahead of us. That's what a 15min head start can do. 

Swimming in the ocean is definitely harder than swimming laps in the pool. The fear of being dragged into the unknown can be felt and you always have to look ahead of you instead of to your right when you swim the freestyle because you might bump into someone... or something. The blinding glare of the sun didn't help. I was nursing a headache throughout the race just because of that. 

Sadly, there were parts in the ocean where you have no choice but to swim with the garbage. I don't know where the trash came from but as I wade my way out of the trash with swift strokes, Manny Villar's presidential jingle kept playing in my head. Yes, Manny. 'Nakaligo na ako sa dagat ng basura'. I had to be careful because there were pieces of wood floating here and there, not just plastic wrappers. (and if I were being honest with myself I think I saw a diaper floating amidst all of it...) 

I kept a chill pace when I was swimming the first half of the 2.5, so I quickened my pace on the way back to make up for it. I was tailing my cousin the whole way back so I was in good hands. I just wanted it to be all over that the mere sight of all those rafts floating between me and the finish line made me curse. My goggles were too tight on my face and it was giving me a headache so I had to stop every now and then just so I can adjust them on my face.  (you should see my dad, his goggles were sucking up the skin around his face just to prevent leakage - it was swollen as shit :)

When I finally got to the end of the race, dragging myself from the water proved to be hard so I had to force myself to walk on the rocky shore just so I can cross the finish line. I may hate all the training that comes before a race and the race itself because 'why the hell am I willingly doing this to myself' but the feeling of crossing the finish line makes it all worth it. Conquering something always makes me happy. I guess that's why mountaineering appeals to me so much. I may wish for a swift death when I'm climbing a mountain but the moment I reach the summit, all of my complaints fall away and a kind of peace settles within me. That feeling is what makes me do all these physical stuff even when I'm admittedly a couch potato. My dad here can attest to that because he used to bribe me just so I would train for my swim meets. 

After the race, there was free brunch for the swimmers and then the awarding. I didn't go to the awarding but I found out later on that I got 2nd place in my age group, yey for bragging rights, I guess. The event organizers did not lack enthusiasm for what they were fighting for and the volunteers were plenty to help out with the event. Finishers received a medal and a shirt, which makes finishing the race all the more sweeter. I hope many more races like this would be held because fighting for a good cause while being able to experience the thrill of the race is definitely more fulfilling than just a regular race, you know that the effort you are putting in an event like the VIP SWIM CHALLENGE just might make the world a better place.

         

Subic Bay International Triathlon 2016

April 17, 2016

1.5K - 40K - 10K

I think Subic Bay International Triathlon is the longest running triathlon race in the country. It's been a spectacle anticipated by most local triathletes for years until the boom of triathlon gave birth to a lot more races and somehow Subit is no longer in every triathlete's calendar.

Since it has been quite a while since race day and I had few photos of the event, my memory of the race is now diminished and honestly inaccurate.

I remembered how we waited on the shores of ACEA for quite some time because the gap between the wave of the elites and the age groupers was huge. I enjoyed the swim, I think I've swum here more than a dozen times and each swim is a joy except on IM70.3 2016 where I used a broken goggles.

 

The ride was unusual for me in the sense that I didn't see the faster local triathletes in the early stage but still they caught me and left me in their dust at some point.

The run was the easiest 10K in triathlon. It was a flat course along Waterfront Road which is a seaside street inside Subic Bay Freeeport. I had a nice run, it was fun to see how much I was gaining on other triathletes' advantage throughout the 3 loop run course. I finished in 2 hours 42 minutes inside Remy Field running oval which means I'm getting slower by each race HA! 

The souvenir shirt looked pretty. The photobooth wasn't busy at the time I finished and it produced an online photo with my finish time on it. The finisher medal looked a bit cheap to me but it's okay. There were few photos I could snatch on Facebook and unfortunately I had few photos to share too. Overall SuBit is still a race many would repeat especially the elites of triathlon.