Tag Archives: ateneo

The First Dimsum and Siomai Duathlon

Posted on by dimsumandsiomai
10

The recently concluded Dimsum and Siomai Duathlon held last night was a smashing success. It was a run – bike – run format that proved to be challenging for the only participant that joined the event. It was composed of a 4 kilometer run, 20 kilometer bike and a final 2 kilometer run. It was held at the Ateneo de Manila Campus and an astounding number of zero spectators came to witness it.

I might be over sensationalizing my training session from last night but it was a big eye opener for me and my body. Even though it was just for training, I ran and biked it like it was a real race.

I started off with an easy 4 kilometer run around the campus. Since I had a good 2 kilometer route planned out already, that’s what I ran last night. I wanted to go all out in the first run session because when it was time to bike, I could easily just let the bike roll on its own if I got too tired. I ran all out. I completed the 4 kilometer run after 20:10 minutes. An amazing time. A blistering pace of 5 minutes per kilometer. Not bad. I need to make it faster though because I plan to do a sub 23 in the Unilab race on March 7.

I ended my run walking to my car. I opened my trunk and I started assembling my bike. Rear tire first and then the front tire. I put on my helmet and my cleats and I was off. I was stuck in transition for 4:04 minutes. Quite long by real duathlon standards because if it were a real race, I wouldn’t have needed to assemble my bike anymore.

I started off my bike by going around the campus. It was still busy around  the campus with all the cars and tricycles going around so I took a lot of caution. I started off pretty fast. There were times where my cyclometer would read 30+ kph and after a few seconds, I’d be out off breath. One thing I learned is that going over 30 doesn’t really help me right now because I can’t maintain it. Going up to more than 30 just takes too much from me and I’d need a lot of time to recover. I slow down. If I were just cruising at around 20-25, I would have traveled a little bit more with a lot less effort and a lot less panting. As expected, I was able to catch my breath from the run when I hoped into my bike. I finished the 20 kilometer ride around the campus after 54:52 minutes. Looked good to me because I was at least able to maintain a speed over 20 kph.

It was transition time again. I hopped off my bike and headed straight to my car. My legs were a little numb from all the biking but they got a little better after a few meters. I opened my trunk, disassembled my bike and I gently put them back in. Total transition time was 3:03 minutes. It could have been shorter because I tried to look for a water fountain before I started to run.

It was the final stretch at last. It was a very short and easy 2 kilometer run that separated me from becoming the first ever winner of the Dimsum and Siomai Duathlon. I started the run very slowly and cautiously. I have heard stories of legs turning into jello after long bike rides. I guess 20 kilometers aren’t enough to make my legs feel like jello or I must have taken too much time in transitioning that I somehow got some rest. I was slower in my run this time compared to the first 4 kilometers that I ran. I was tired and exhausted. I was spent and all out. Part of me wanted to walk but I didn’t want to disappoint the zero spectators that were waiting for me at the finish. After an agonizing 13:09 minutes, I finally finished the 2 kilometers and words alone could not express how tired I was after it.

It was a great run and bike for me last night and it sure proved to be a fun one. I am hoping to do better in an actual duathlon this March. Wish me luck guys!

Running: 10k Around Ateneo

Posted on by dimsumandsiomai
7

In my constant pursuit of getting faster on my runs, I ran a 10 kilometer tempo run last Sunday around Ateneo. I had this rough 2 kilometer loop around the university and I ran around for 5 times to do roughly 10 kilometers.

Running 2 kilometers around Ateneo

“It was a very good day to run”

I told myself like how a Protoss Zealot would and indeed, it was a good day to run. It was around 5-6 pm in the evening. The wind was breezy and the heat from the sun has subsided. After I finally parked my car, I made sure everything was ready. My Nike+ iPod was ready. I put on my shoes. I used my old adiZero LT pair for the run last Sunday. Knowing I had to be fast, I knew I had to wear shoes that felt fast. My feet always felt lighter and faster when I wore that pair. My hydration belt was empty so I ran out to Katipunan avenue to grab some supplies at 711. That was my warm up run. I went back to my car to fill up and I started to run.

I ran at race pace. I completed my first loop in 10 minutes 30 seconds. That meant I was running at an average on 5 minutes per kilometer. That was fast. Faster that what I expected. I was somewhat worried that I went too fast and would lose a lot of steam heading into the final stretch but I kept my composure and just ran. After my first loop, I had a lot of time left to complete 4 more. I tried to maintain the pace I had in the first loop and maintain it I did. Finished my second loop at about the same time I did the first one because when I check the clock, it was at roughly 21 minutes.

The last three loops were the hardest. Fatigue was starting to set in. My legs were starting to get all tight and crampy. There was a point in my fourth loop that I wanted to quit and maybe just try again another day but I stayed strong and ran harder. Running is a mind game too. I’ve ran a lot of races where I almost beat my previous PR’s but I always come up short because I always told myself that there was a next time. I zoned out. I zoned out to block out the pain and fatigue so I can finish my run.

My last loop finally came in and I was exhausted as hell. My calves were really hurting already. I wanted to stop and walk for a minute but the fear of not beating my personal best pushed me to run more. I completed my 5 loops of 2 kilometers each after 58 minutes. Just as Ateneo won over its biggest rival DLSU last Sunday, I won against my biggest rival too. I won against myself. I won against the thought go quitting. I won against the time. I beat the clock.

It was a good day to run. It was a good finish for the past two weeks of training. My 1.5 hour long runs around Ortigas helped. It’s all about endurance. I finally had enough endurance to complete the run yesterday. Congratulate me please? I need affirmation that I did good? Please?

I hope I can perform at the same pace this Saturday in the Kenny Roger’s Urbanite Run. I signed up for the 10 kilometer run. Completing this under 1 hour will finally validate my new found personal best. See you guys at the run.