Around this same time last year, I joined my first multisport race. It was the 2010 edition of the Ateneo Aquathon. I could barely complete a good 50 meter lap on the pool back then but I managed to finish the 400 meter swim in 14 minutes and the 3 kilometer run with a very pedestrian time of 15 minutes.

That was a photo of me last year. Excited. Full of enthusiasm. Poised to conquer. Ready for the water. But beneath all that was a fear that I wouldn’t be able to finish the race. Back then, I could not even think of swimming with out my earplugs. My strokes in the water were never close to perfect. My inexperience in the swim manifested itself in the finish results as I came out of the water after a very very long 14 minutes.

This is me just before race start of the 2011 edition of the race. I have less hair and have found a new love for the water. I went to the race more confident and more prepared. With over a year of swimming mileage under my belt, I came into the race with an eager drive to best myself from the year before.

I came with friends and it was a joy to do the race with them.

A 600 meter swim and a very easy 5 kilometer run separated me from redemption that day. Even though it was already my 5th multisport race, I always get that feeling of hurling just before the start. As Marvin said, it will always feel like the first time; Full of jitters and uncertainty; Full of fear and anticipation.

My wave finally jumped into the water and I was welcomed with a very piercing feeling of the cold water and it didn’t help to drive out the jitters. I was with at least 19 other guys in the pool and as soon as the starting horn was sounded, it was an explosion of energy rushing from the testosterone engorged pool. It was push or be pushed. There were guys overtaking me left and right and even over me. Being a small guy, I was being bullied in the water. As much as I wanted to fight back, my size didn’t permit me to. I stayed on course and swam. I zoned out and tried not to push myself too hard because there was still a 5k run after. After a couple more strokes, the next thing I knew was that I had finished the 600 meter swim. I am happy to report that I finished it in 13 minutes. I managed to swim at least 2:15 per 100 meters and I was happy. Transition came and it was time to put on shoes and my race belt.

I have always been a runner and I think I will always be one. I will always come back to my first love because it is what I enjoy the most. As I went out running, I could feel the joy creeping in. I ran one of me best 5 kilometers that day for me. I clocked my 5 kilometers with a time of 24:25.

I was targeting a total finish time of sub 43 minutes that day. My actual finish was 37:25 and I couldn’t be happier. I managed to achieve two things that day. I was able to put my swim training to the test. The countless hours at the army pool after work really paid off. With hard work comes results and that is what I got in the race. I was also able to redeem myself too. It was a great victory having bested myself from last year.

A big thanks to Team Endure for the cheers. A big thanks to Marvin for the photos!

Thank you for joining guys!

A big special thanks to our sponsors for making all this possible.
Adidas
Milo 3 in 1
Sassa Activewear
Nature Valey
Men’s Health
Women’s Health
Runner’s World
BlackBerry

A big shout out to the volunteers from ANR! You have our utmost eternal thanks!

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All photo credits by my good friend and excellent photographer Marvin Opulencia. Check out his stuff here:zmarvin.multiply.com/​

It has been a hard 4 weeks of base building for me. I’ve been spending so much time in the pool lately that I have been neglecting my runs and my bike rides. I am proud to report though that the my increased swim mileage is doing wonders for me in the water.

I began my swim today with a couple of 100 meter warm ups. I did three sets of 100s and surprisingly averaged at 1:56. Astounding considering the fact that my normal time for 100 meters is 2:10 – 2:17.

Miracles didn’t end there though. I remeber reading in a forum that I could not call myself in intermediate swimmer unless I can swim 400 meters under 9 minutes. I gave it a shot. The first 200 went pretty easy. I felt like I was gliding more because I was reaching and turning more. Second 200 felt a little slower which could be signs of fatigue. I kept my pace and I managed to push a little faster in the last 50. When I checked my watch I managed to complete the 400 in an amazing 8:24.9.

I swam the distance under 9 minutes! I could finally call myself an intermediate swimmer. I swam the same 400 again just to make sure. I was feeling the fatigue on my shoulders and my lungs becuase of the previous time attack and i could have sworn that I swam a lot slower this time. On completing the 400, I checked my watch and it showed 8:24.3. I even managed to swim faster the second time around.

Late last year, I could not have foreseen myself enjoying swimming this much. I am happy to note that I myself am surprised. I did not see myself doing well in the water as well. There was a time where i would not dare do freestyle with out my earplugs but here I am now doing a lot better. I may not be the fastest swimming in the pool right now but I can definitely and confidently say that I am getting there. Hard work does pay off in the end.

A big special thanks to Joel for cooking up this program for me. It is far from complete and I still have more than 5 weeks to go but I am extremely enjoying doing it and extremely enjoying reaping the benefits as well!

I timed my 100 meter laps in my last training session and here are the results. I had at least 2 minutes to rest in between the laps  and I managed to average at below 2:13. Decent already but I would want to get faster. If I had the opportunity to swim with some of the pool monsters, they would still leave me in their water dust. I did my first 100 as a warm up and after that, I started timing myself.

• 100 – Warm up
• 100 – 2’10:7
• 100 – 2’09:8
• 100 – 2’07:1
• 100 – 2’05:7
• 700 – 16’33:1
• 100 – 2’05:4
• 100 – 2’04:9
• 100 – 1’57:3
• 100 – 2’08:4
• 100 – 2’18:7 – Cool down

I am happy to say that I am extremely happy with my averages. I still managed to swim below 2’10 even after going 700 meters straight. I had a blazing lap of 1’57:3 but that burned me out. I don’t think I will be seeing myself doing that in the near future. It took me more than 5 minutes to recover from that lap and if did that on race day, for sure my pacing would be put out of whack.

In those laps, I managed to swim relaxed and calm. I tried to maximize my glide before did the next stroke. I am far from calling myself a barracuda, but I think I am getting there.

I am far from calling myself a good competitive swimmer but I think I am getting there. I went up to Caliraya over the weekend and I spent a good amount of time in the water trying to acclimatize myself with how it feels like to swim in open waters. Not to brag but I am no stranger to the open water but my first encounter left me seasick which is why I took this opportunity to get a better feel of the water.

After a very light breakfast of cereals and fruits, I came down to the lake side with Tricia and her dad. We brought some life vests with us just for safety’s sake. We left them at the platform I was standing on so we could easily get to them if ever the need arose. I am glad to report though that we didn’t need them.

We really didn’t stray too far off from the shore because Caliraya lake was infamous for swimmers getting run-over by roaring speedboats but I still got the feel of the open water. I would swim out 25 strokes and swim back. I could feel the water getting colder as I strayed away from the shore. I could see the water below me getting darker. I could feel the water below me getting deeper as I swam off. I spent some time at the deep part treading and trying to keep myself floating before heading back. It burned me up fast.

All the energy spent trying to keep my self afloat should be better spent swimming. I’ll remember this next year when I do SUBIT.

I almost hit one of those posts while I was swimming. I started swimming out and I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going. Before I knew it, the water was shallow again and it got dark all of a sudden. I stopped swimming just in time to look ahead and there it was. A big concrete post right in front of me. Tricia and her dad was laughing their asses off. I was glad I saved myself from a bump on the head.

Open water navigation is a chore. Sighting every few strokes is a must.

The swim last weekend felt so much easier compared the my last foray into the open. I guess it could be attributed to the fact that I am more experienced now. It could have been because the water was so much calmer this time around and it didn’t kick-start my motion-sickness. I felt so much more comfortable in the water.

I look forward to my next encounter with open water. With so much pool time under my belly, I think I’ll be a lot more prepared come SUBIT next year.

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.

The joy and accomplishment I had at my first triathlon can be summed up with this photo.

With that joy and accomplishment came pain and suffering but all that went away when I crossed the finish line. It was a long journey and after finishing the race, I am finally able to call myself a Triathlete.

The race started off with a long 950 meter swim. The count down to swim start was excruciatingly long. I could feel my stomach turning inside out and I could literally feel my motion sickness kicking in again. After throwing up at sea in my last attack at multi-sports, every chance I get to jump in the water has been a battle inside my head. It was a war between throwing up and letting motion sickness kick in and myself. I just hope this phobia goes away soon.

After a few more minutes, our age group was gunned off and it was pure chaos. It was hard to swim with nearly more than 50 other guys swimming along beside you. It was kick or be kicked in the pool. Joel advised me not to push myself too hard in the swim but the rush with the other swimmers made me push myself to the limit.I could not have imagined myself swimming with a group this big. It was a good thing that we always practice mass starts in our swim nights with the team. Thank you guys for training me. The first 7 laps were the hardest. I had to share the lane with a lot of other swimmers and it somehow made my swimming a bit cramped and conservative. I guess that helped a little in not burning myself out.

On completing the 7th lap, I got out of the pool and dived right back in.

That was my best dive of my career. I looked stupid and it hurt when I landed but it felt good. I passed some other swimmers and I could feel that I wasn’t sharing a lane with other guys anymore. I kept my pace and I slowly but surely finished the 950 meter swim in 23 minutes. I ran to transition and made my way to my bike. I was happy to see that not everybody from my age group hasn’t left yet. I put on my bandanna, helmet, race belt, and then my cleats and I was off. I was on my bike faster than you could say ‘fuji roubiax 2.0′.

I wanted to bike hard and finish strong. At the level I was at last Sunday, I could say that I did fairly well. It was 3 rounds on the ocho-ocho loop around AAV and it was a joy. Everybody was saying that the course was really confusing and I dreaded the day because of fears of getting lost. I wouldn’t want my good swim time go to waste and get lost in the bike leg so I took it easy on the first loop. As soon as I finished my first loop, I pushed harder on the next two. There was a strong incline that really slowed me down which brought me to the brink of standing on my bike to pedal harder but I resisted. I didn’t want my legs to get shot come run time. My time for the 30 kilometers was pretty decent but it was still slow compared to the other guys in my age group. I finished the bike in 70 minutes. Not bad if I compare that to my last bike race in Powerade.

That’s me coming out of transition. I love running and my photos from the event when I was running shows how much I enjoyed it. It was a 7 kilometer run that separated me from the title of triathlete. Part of me wanted to run hard in the first kilometer to end the race fast but there was a fear that I might not reach the finish line because I ran too hard. It was a long hard climb at the first few kilometers of the run.

I felt sluggish and tired and I felt like I wouldn’t finish with in my target of 2 hours 30 minutes. Things slowly started to pick up when I got over the small hill. After a few more kilometers I saw a fellow age grouper who was struggling, I passed him. I saw another one, and I passed him too. I remember last year’s Kona Ironman, a video of which I gather lot of of inspiration from, where Craig Alexander over took those guys of smoked him on the bike and I felt like him. I was over taking guys from my age group and it felt good. I probably overtook four guys from my age group and it was euphoric. It really felt like a race and not just another fun run.

I continued my pace until I reached the finish line. I clocked in my run at a little over 40 minutes.

Crossing the finish line was a feeling that I could not fully comprehend. It was a mix of both exhaustion and accomplishment. It was a like finishing and passing an accounting exam. It was like completing my first fun run. It was like all those things but more because now, I could call myself a triathlete.

See you on the next race guys.

It was the last weekend before my first official triathlon at Animo and I needed to get some serious training in. I hastily and carelessly ran myself out in my first venture into multisport when I burned myself out in the first run part. With utmost confidence and conviction, I could attribute my crashing and burning in that race due to my lack of experience in the world of multisports. Not to be outdone the second time, I joined the guys in their triathlon simulation. It was a 600 meter swim, 30 kilometer bike and 4 kilometer run triathlon. It was a great experience and I learned a lot.

After a very dismal swim experience at Camaya, I was reluctant to jump back in the water. The fear of motion sickness kicking in started to haunt me. Before the swim started, there was a nagging voice at the back of my head telling me that I should be afraid of the water; I should start to throw up; I should get dizzy again. I tried to block it off with a little warm up but the voice still haunted me. I guess the Camaya swim was so traumatic that it even lurks over my should even in swimming pools. We all started our 600 meter swim at the same time. I took it easy. I wasn’t a good swimmer. I wasn’t what one would actually call a Michael Phelps in the making but I managed to complete the swim.

Slowly but surely, I managed to complete the 600 meters. I made sure I kicked hard on the walls to get a little advantage. The Animo triathlon will be in a pool too so I could really use the walls to get a much need push. I came out of the water at around 11 to 12 minutes. It was decent. I was happy with it.

It was race pace for me even if I took it easy in the swim. The moment I got out of the water, I took of my goggles and my swim cap and headed straight to my bike to put on my bandana, helmet, and cleats. It should be in that order. Top to bottom.

I was out of ‘transition’ before you could even say ’60% Animo Sprint Triathlon Simulation Weekend it was’. I was happy. It was quite a walk from the pool going to the roads of Aguinaldo. It was 10 loops around the 3 kilometer route that was planned. As always, I took it easy in the first loop. There was a strong downhill portion of the loop that I enjoyed a lot. I tucked myself in my aerobars and went down that straight line with speeds of up to 40 kph. It was hair raising and pee inducing. The downhill slope was fun but right after it was a U-turn that we had to make which meant that we needed to go up that steep incline. It was a good 200 or 300 meters of steady climbing. I blazed through it in my first run. The second time around, I switched to a different gearing combination which left me breathless. Not because heavens opened up but the light gearing wasn’t really what I needed going up. I had an easier time pedaling but the light gearing made me go slower. I may have had an easier time going up but I spent more time in the incline because I was going a lot slower. The longer time and effort on the incline left me breathless.

I look ridonk-culus with my helmet. It looks like it’s just resting on the top of my head. It must be because of my bandana. I finished the 30 kilometer bike at around 70 minutes. It was good. It was good enough for me. It was certainly better than my first foray into the distance. I’m happier I was able to keep up the tempo. I guess the time I spent on the trainer really helped.

I started my run quite conservatively. It was 2 rounds around a 2 kilometer loop and I didn’t want to run out of steam in the first loop. I was easily doing a 7 minute pace in the first loop. It wasn’t too hard to transition from run to bike but the exhaustion was catching up to me. I felt a bit disappointed with my run. It wasn’t the most spectacular of 4 kilometers I’ve ran but it was good enough. I finished at around 24 to 25 minutes. I could have ran faster but my colds were catching up to me. I am hoping I will feel a lot better on Animo day.

It was a good Saturday morning. I am hoping that I can apply what I learned on race day.

It was a day at the beach that I would never forget. It was a day at the beach that would mean a lot of firsts for me. It was a day at the beach for an aquathlon. It was Camaya Coast Aquathlon day last May 29. I made it to Camaya HQ at around 4 am. I registered and I was on the bus headed for Camaya. As much as I hated bus rides, the ride to Camaya was a pleasant one. Sharing the ride with the Endure peeps is a joy. I lost all my fears of motion sickness during the bus ride. It was a long ride but it was a fun one.

We got to Camaya a little after 9 am.

It was quite a ride but it was worth it. We took a boat to Camaya cove and the boat ride proved to be one of my worsts. I sat in the middle of a boat which really seemed comfortable when the boat wasn’t all that full yet but it soon turned into a convection oven ready to cook me up well done. To add to the heat, my motion sickness kicked in and I felt a little dizzy. I always had this puking feeling whenever I would do big races and I had one at the race, both figuratively and literally.

The boat ride was finally over and I was so relieved that I didn’t hurl my guts out on Mike and Marvin and I bet they were too. We were greeted by the staple TRAP emcee upon arriving and it was a joy. It was as if Camaya was waiting for us and we felt like VIP’s. We got our customary drink and we got ourselves bodymarked. I was sweet number 18.

Good old coach Rick Reyes briefed us about the race and the course. It was fairly simple and we were off the the starting gates for a mass start. The aquathletes along with the trail runners all lined up and we all went blazing at around 10:30.

The first 3 kilometer run on the trail was fairly easy. I wasn’t anything as heavy and technical compared to Timberland’s trail course so I was comfortable going fast into the trail.

I was looking good up until the first part of the run. I completed the 3 kilometer trail run at around 30minutes. I got to transition right away. I took off my socks and my shoes and got my goggles ear plugs and I was in the water before you could say Camaya Coast Aquathlon.

I felt good going into my first 500 meters of the 1500 meter swim. The water was cool and serene. It was a sight to see the small fish swimming right under me. I felt like aquaman at that point. I kept my pace and I was able to complete the first 500 in 15 minutes. I was happy with it and I kept on swimming until I complete 1000 meters. I was still on target because I finished the 1000 meters in 30 minutes. A finish time of 45 minutes in the swim wasn’t too far away. As soon as I reached shore at the end of my second loop, I felt dizzy. The waves were a little stronger and I think when I was swimming, my motion sickness kicked in and it really put me out of whack. I had to sit on the beach of a while. I puked a little. I even took off my swim cap to relieve the pressure on my head but it never helped. I went back in the water dizzy and sick. My world was spinning.

I tried to swim properly but the throbbing feeling in my head got worse every time I submerged my head. I can’t remember how many times I stopped at the buoy to recompose myself but it was a lot. I even puked in the water while I was holding on to the buoy. I kept on swimming. I alternated between breast stroke and free style and I eventually finished the last 500 meters in 30 minutes.

I was so relieved to get out of the water but my dizziness didn’t end just yet. I puked once again when I was putting on my shoes. I was close to quitting at that point but since I already completed the hard part, I could easily run the last part of the race.

I thought I would be able to run of the spinning but I wasn’t. The spinning went on even after walking off the whole length of the beach. It made me walk the rest of the run and it game me a really really bad time. I was the last man to finish that day but I am still thankful that I did.

I was still feeling dizzy at this point but this is team endure goofing off.

A big congratulations to all the girls name Pepsi, Tiff, Zinnia and Ellen for bagging podium finishes. Team ShEndure represent!

I will remember to drink Bonamine next time I swim in the sea.