Got around to finally completing the video that Sid and I have been planning for the longest time. I wanted to make it look like those SDE’s that videographers do for weddings. I don’t think I nailed it just yet but I think I came pretty close.

I used a 5dm2 for most of the shots with a 50mm mounted on it. For the underwater shots, I used my Go Pro. I need to learn how to balance out the colors on that one. I am finally getting the hang of Final Cut Pro. I need more disk space though! The videos I converted to Apple Proress ate up my HD. Music is Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia) from Patrick Stump

It was a grueling last 4 weeks leading up to my longest race. I racked up kilometers in the pool, on the bike and on the road with my running kicks. It was a hard 3 months worth of training that could have prepared me well for the task up ahead but the high heavens threw a hard curve ball that literally struck everybody hard.

As with any race, waking up early was the easiest thing to do. Much easier that day because of the anxiety and tension that was boiling up rendered the sandman powerless. I ate my morning meal of milk and cornflakes, dressed up, and then promptly ate again at the breakfast buffet offered by the hotel. It was no where near fantastic but it did the job.

I was body marked by the time Tito Bong and I met up and just after this photo was taken, we made our way to Lago Del Ray. It was part 1 of the 1.9 kilometer swim that we had to do that day. The length was daunting but I am confident that I can swim it. I swam the whole length the day before and I have utmost belief that I can do it again. I didn’t spend countless hours in the pool for nothing. I did not come here to not meet the swim cut off.

The team prayed one last prayer and we were off. I felt teary eyed again. I felt reminded of why I was doing all of this in the first place. It wasn’t for glory. It wasn’t for fitness. It wasn’t for bragging rights. It wasn’t to win. It wasn’t to prove anything. As much as I wanted it to be any of those reasons, I was reminded that the reason for doing all this was to inspire others. If a chubby lampa lampa information technology professional can do all of this, anybody can.

I made a mistake of joining the front pack of the swim in my last open water attack and I paid heavily for it. I made sure that I was at the back of the my wave. It was funny seeing the guys jousting for position when I was at the back easily inching my way forward. It was a long and steady 600 meters or so until the great big ice berg and served as our turn around point. It was hard navigating the murky water and I literally had to pause to a break stroke or do some form of sighting to make sure I was still on course. A few more strokes and before I knew it 30 minutes have passed and I was out of the big lake and I was making my way to poor excuse of a pool cable park. The water was horrendous. I could not see anything. I could not see anything beyond 6 inches. It was a slow 600 meter swim around the lake and it felt like forever. I got kicked in the face and it felt real bad. It made the swim even more agonizing. I slowly and surely managed to finish the small lake and before I knew it, 48 minutes have passed and I was making my way into transition.

My bike was a whole lot cleaner before the event. There weren’t any mud stains and the mechanisms were as dry as baby power. We got soaked in the bike on race day. Around 3o minutes after heading out of T1, the sky started to fall.

Even the new bike shoes that I got wasn’t spared in the rain. They got drenched and soaked. They are a joy to use though. They were snug and they fit just right. The bike course was pretty flat all through out and it was very friendly to bikers of lesser capabilities like me. The rain slight drizzles made the long 90 kilometer ride a bit more Endure-able.

The addition of the cheering and jeering local towns made the experience a lot more enjoyable. The encouragement and the support that we got from them was priceless. They were the 6th men behind the scenes and they made the experience a whole lot more memorable. I never knew that I was that agile and balanced on the bike until race day. I was snagging the water bottles that were being handed to us with ease and with the grace similar to that of a cat pouncing on a mouse. It felt so pro.

As  the rain started to die down, I slowly crept up the transition area. The 90 kilometer bike ride was done and crossed out  of the required tasks at hand.

As always, I looked silly on the bike. A lot more sillier this time because I was chewing on my Garmin.

The new shoes I got were a lot easier to un-buckle and made for un-shoed dismount possible; if you could call it that way.

I racked up my bike, ditched the helmet, put on my socks and shoes and then ran. I bumped into Sid just before running off and his words of encouragement were more than enough to push me through. The run started out pretty good. It is a shame that I forgot the name of the guy I paced with. Running along side him made the run a lot more enjoyable and feel a lot faster. We crossed the 10 kilometer mark a little under 70 minutes which meant that we were doing good time. It was good pacing with him. He was a joy to talk to and he was doing strong as well.

We parted ways with around 4 to 5 kilometers to go. I was having problems with cramps already and I think the sudden influx of sugar from the gummi bears made me crash. My run turned into a very slow jog after that. As I recall, I think my Garmin pace went as low as 10 minutes per kilometer but I tried to keep a steady jog all through out. I kept my pace and soon after, I could see the finish line.

World number 4 Amanda Stevens herself gave me the medal.
I was so relieved to be at the finish. Finally, the exclamation point to my journey was complete. I could, once and for all, call myself an Ironman.

Seeing Tricia at the finish line made everything that much sweeter. Thank you love!

A big thank you to Team endure for all the support.  Thank you for being there for every step of the way.

We are all winners. We are all finishers. We made it happen.

Congratulations to Melvin, Al and Jun for finishing splendidly and with fashion. Congratulations to Rico and Darwin as well. Even if we weren’t able to share the finish line that day, you guys are still winners for being able to make it to the starting line. Let’s work hard to nail it next time.

Congratulations to all the finishers and all the organizers. It was a great experience sharing the road with you.

It’s a a good two weeks to go before my first standard distance triathlon and I am hell bent on proving something. Something that I do not even know yet. I want to finish the race with a bang. I want to give it all that I’ve got but looking at how I am now, I think I will come up short.

Rewind two weeks back, I ran a very unplanned 21 kilometers. My friend gave me his race kit and I cashed in on it. It wasn’t part of my training plan to run that distance and it really wasn’t wise too. I didn’t know if I’ll recover fast enough and be able to put in the other training duties after it but I still ran it. I ran it and finished it short of sub2. My finish time was 2:01. Even though I ended up extremely happy with the result, part of me was wishing that I ran the race more prepared. I could have done so much better. Part of me also wished that I didn’t run the race at all.

Finished with a strong negative spit. My last 2 kilometers averaged at around sub5 pace!

The week that followed was a medley of half-assed training sessions because I was too beat up by the run. The weekend didn’t help either because I was out with friends. We had an outing of drinking and eating over at Clark. I wanted to bring my bike so that I can push in some much needed bike mileage but we had too much stuff in the car and we didn’t have enough space for my bike anymore.

With just 4 days left to train before I start to taper and reduce my training mileage, I am seriously worried for myself. With a looming cold creeping in, I am puzzled as to how I’m going to put in the miles. I may not have enough of IT in me to finish.

See you guys in SubIT. Here’s to hoping that I’m still alive after my four days of catch up training sessions.

I want to complete my first Ironman Triathlon before I hit the very tender age of 30. That is three years from now and I think I am slowly inching in to get to it. Slowly but surely, I will get there.

If it were as easy as just building a suit and fast forward the 4k swim, 180k bike and the 42k run, it would be so easy to hit the goal before I reach 30.

But where would the fun be without all the training and all the hardwork I need to put in? Where would the fun be I didn’t need to spend so many hours in the pool? Where would the fun if didn’t spend countless hours on the bike? Where would the fun be if I didn’t get darker under the scorching heat of the sun? Where would the fun be if I didn’t need to pound the road with my feet every time I ran? Where would the fun be without all the callouses and aches?

It would be no fun at all if I fast forward everything. It would be no fun at all without all the mass swim starts we practice at the army gym. It would be no fun at all without all the fun bike rides up and down the hills of Antipolo and Bugarin. It would be no fun at all without the atrocious tan lines on my thighs. It would be no fun at all without the long runs.  It would be no fun without all the run breaks at ministop. It would be no fun without all the weird stares and heckles I get when I run in my tights.

The fun is in the journey. And the journey is what makes the accomplishment even sweeter. NAGT is up next week. All the training I put should should make my finish even sweeter.

I hope I can pull off a sub2 but it will be a tight finish. I need to finish the swim in 20 minutes. I think I can do that. My 1000 meters time is 23 minutes. If I can swim just as fast on race day, I think I can manage a very slim 20 minute finish on the 900 meters.

I need to pull of a sub 60 30 kilometers on the bike. It is something that has evaded me since time immemorial. I have come close but I am hoping that I can pull it off on race day.

I need to run a sub40 7k. I think this is doable. Finish will be tight. I hope I nail that sub2.

If I nail the sub2, maybe I can call myself World Champion of the World for a change.  And maybe I can get myself that World Champion of the World Championship belt I always wanted.

I WISH! LOL.

You get fat. I have been out of training for two weeks now and I feel my fats coming back. I can feel my endurance spiraling down the drain. I am getting less and less interested in training. I need a goal. I need a quick fix.

I need to get back into training. Without a close race in the horizon, I am stuck without a good motivator for me to train. My Ironman dream is still in the distance and if I stay true to my regimen of training less, I will surely end up as fat as this kid. Without a close race in the distance, I am left with very little motivation to train. The past two weeks have been very mediocre for me. I would barely get up early for a long bike ride. I would rarely run. I would barely even swim 200 meters straight.

I was brushing my teeth this morning and I think I have found my motivation.  I saw a fat me. I saw myself overweight again. I HAVE been eating a lot lately and I have nobody else to blame but myself. I could already feel my weight pulling me down. I could barely see my toes when I look down because my big round stomach is blocking the way. If I want to join my first half ironman triathlon next year, I should really put in the training now. I need to build up more base and core. I could feel my flexibility dwindling. I can’t even touch my toes anymore. I don’t want to make my debut in CamSur next year looking like a tub of lard. I want to be fit and ready for the task.

Back to a weekly run mileage of 30 kilometers for me.

Back to biking at least 3 times a week.

Back to swimming in the pool at least 2 times a week and doing at least 1500 meters.

There there. It’s going to be alright. It’s OK Fatboy.

Back to training. Back to getting fit. I don’t want to see myself fat and full of lard all over again.

I dread the day I will be this fat tub of lard again. I dread the day that I will be back to my fat 2008 self.

Back to training if I want to be a real Ironman. I think I’m back in the groove.

Good luck guys! I will see you there next year. Savor the finish line! Jump. Rejoice. Enjoy the race. To get you all pumped, here some of the photos I took last year. See their happy faces at the finish line makes all the effort worth it!

She was extremely pleased to see the finish.

Tessa Prieto finished with smiles on her face.

Elite women’s champ finished with flowers around her neck.

Coach Rio ran a blistering 21k.

Bozzone had everybody eating his dust when he crossed the finish line.

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.