Thanks to our resident ultramarathoner and ultra-triathlete Ronald, the team also got some pairs of VFF’s for running use.
Thanks to Cherry and Carlos for experimenting with us! We will not fail you guys! We will put them to good use! I’ll try to come up with a review as well in the coming weeks!
If you aren’t busy this Sunday, come over to BHS for a VFF run. It will be a lot of F-U-N fun!!
More photos of the fitting after the jump!
Ever since I took up swimming and biking, I have been seriously forgetting the need to run. I have been putting off running for so long now that the calluses on my feet are all gone. I have been putting off running for so long now that it somehow doesn’t feel natural for me anymore.
After a good month long break from running, I ran again last night but that same euphoric feeling that I experience every time I run wasn’t there anymore. Continue reading
Walking up to transition area to set up and get body marked. As always, feelings of hurling my guts out were present. I was a good thing Tricia was there to calm my nerves.
Yoda and I at the finish line just before the race. Yoda is the Endure Mascot.
With the team and our patented Triangle Formation. Ellen, Pio, Rj, Me, and Tiff. I was glad they were there.
Me and my ugleh swim form. Bent knees and all.
Coming out of the pool for the first time. I look like a sea monster. I wish it was more than just looks and that I also swam like one. :( Getting out of the pool was the hardest. Had to do that a total of three times.
It was quite a run from the pool to transition area. I was lucky enough to bring a pair good fitting slippers.
I was out of T1 in a couple of minutes. I made sure I had my shades on so that I’ll look like a PRO. Oh yeah. That my friends is how you properly mount up to a bicycle.
I look happy. I finished the 20k bike at around 51 minutes. I am still slow. Thanks to the humps though, I have a reason for being slow.
Oh yeah. My second Triathlon is complete and here’s to hoping that I do more.
Thank you Tricia for coming! I love you! With out your support, I wouldn’t have finished the race.
I am far from calling myself an experienced triathlete and I believe it would still take countless hours in the pool, on the bike and on the pavement for me to really come close to the level of experience that elite triathletes have but here are some things to keep in mind when on race day to make sure that your first race will be fun and that you will live to race another day.
Prepare your gear before you go to sleep. This includes race kits, goggles, swim cap, the clothes the you will wear. This even includes your bike. Make sure everything is rolling OK. Pump up your tires to 100 PSI. Don’t forget your water bottles. Don’t forget your bike tools. Don’t forget your shades and your helmet. Put them in a transition bag (I keep mine in a transition bag. Its a bag where I keep my shoes, bike shoes, some clothes, and everything else. I got mine at Secondwind. Cheap too!) or a basket.
The blue bag there is my transition bag. I always keep everything in that bag so there’s no chance of me leaving something at home.
Set up well at transition. As soon as you get body marked, head on over to transition and hook up your bike to the bike rack. Take out your shoes and open them up. That way, it will be a snap to put them on later in the race. Put a little powder as well around the ankle area so that your foot will just slide in even if they are wet. Set up everything in a way that once you get there you won’t forget anything. Put your helmet on top of the bike to make sure that it will be the first thing you’ll grab! Safety first!
Take it easy in the swim. Nobody wins a triathlon by blazing through everybody in the swim. Take it easy and slow. Don’t get too caught up in the crowd because all you’ll get are lungs full of water. Be prepared to get kicked but don’t let that put you out of your groove. Zone out and just swim! An average of 2.5 – 3 minutes per 100 meters is good enough and you’ll still be able to get a good and decent finish.
T1: Top to bottom. In transition 1, coming from swim to bike, wear everything from top to bottom. Helmet, Shades, race belt, shoes. Make it systematic so you won’t forget anything. Make sure you wear you’re helmet the right way and not the other way around.
Attack with your strengths. If you’re strong on the bike, give them hell on the road. If you’re a good runner, give them hell on the pavement.A lot of my friends have finished this way. Gingerbreadman Luis on his first duathlon blazed through his run to overtake and finish ahead of most of the guys.
T2: Drop everything and run like hell. I heard of many horror stories of people crashing in the run portion of at triathlon. Make sure you still have some energy left and that you can still run easy. Spin easy on your last kilometer on the bike to give you legs some sort of breathing space. Don’t go out running with your helmet on!
Dance to the finish. It’s your first triathlon so you might as well make your finish memorable. Do a cartwheel. Scream out loud like a Spartan. Crawl to the finish. Do anything. Just make sure you finish the race happy and enraged and fueled to join your next triathlon.
I went to Hong Kong 2 years ago to satiate my thirst for camera gear. We were looking for Tony Leung’s place called New Sankyo. We had a lot of trouble finding it and we came to a point where we almost quit trying to look for it. We eventually found it but upon our arrival, it was closed.
That is how I felt after I crossed the finish line last Sunday as the 2nd Powerade Duathlon. I trained for it. I sweated blood and tears for it. But I still came short. I was targeting a finish below two hours but I was 3 minutes over the mark.
Aside from the fact that I did not reach my target, it sucks even more because my legs hurt and are still sore. I still can’t walk properly even after 3 days. And to top it all off, I am feeling all this all for nothing. My body hurts, my shoulders are sore, when I wake up I don’t feel rested, I am over trained, I can’t walk properly; all for nothing. I put in so much time into this and I still didn’t reach my goal. I did everything right and I still missed the mark.
I hope I have better luck next time.
