Camarines Sur Cobra Iron Man 70.3 is only 5 weeks away and I am still far away from how I expect myself to be and I have nobody to blame but myself. It will be the biggest race of my life to date and what am I doing? 

Instead of going out on the open road to tear up the streets on my bike, I am busy catching up on the ever so popular Doctor Who series. Instead of being in the pool crunching lap after lap, I am busy scouring the local food scene for the best salmon sashimi; I may have found it in the form of an eat all you can stint at Sambokojin. Instead of changing directly to running clothes after work for that ever so routine afternoon run, I am busy having a good time with Tricia. 

I guess it’s a good thing because it means that I still have a life outside of the pool and the road. I guess it’s a good thing because it means that I still chose Tricia over the ever so addicting high that I get out of breaking sweat. 

With only 5 weeks to go, I am pressed for time. I need to balance this out. 

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.

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.

Went back to Subic to cheer for Tito Bong and take photos in the process. It was a lot more packed this year compared to last year and the years before. This was my third time shooting the event and I must admit I was kind of getting bored already. The boredom went away though when I was able to take photos of the takbo.ph guys and Tito Bong. It was great seeing them in their best form. See you guys next year. I might not be able to take pictures though because I plan to join next year.

Full album!

A lot has happened in the past two weeks and I can’t think of any fancy words to start of this entry about the time that has passed so here it is, clear and simple.

New Kicks. I got myself a new pair of shoes. After a brief realization that I was housing my good old running feet with the wrong type of shoes, I became a bit cautious about running in my NB769′s. They were very good stability shoes but if worn with the wrong type of foot, they might end up doing more harm than good. I was a supinator and if my kind wears stability shoes, I would in totality worsen my supination. I would end up rolling out my foot more which could lead to severe injuries. I was sidetracked. I held back on my running. I limited my runs to a maximum of 5 kilometers at a time because of the fear of having the wrong type of shoe. The opportunity to get new shoes came when I went to Shangrila Mall before heading home from work. I passed by the New Balance store which I always did ever since I got back into running. They just release new models and there was one the really caught my attention. I always knew cushioning shoes were on the expensive side. They were shoes meant to correct a very bad type of pronation which mean that more technology had to be put into them which also meant that they would be a little bit more expensive.

God Bless New Balance for coming out with the 758. They were cheap cushioning shoes which I got for a little less than 4000 pesos. They were good and had a really snug fit. The fit on the heel part of my foot was very snug. I didn’t even feel my heel slightly come off when I lifted my foot. I fell in love with them.

I instantly felt the difference between my 769 and my new 758 pair. I could no longer feel my foot rolling out. I couldn’t even force my foot to roll out when I’m just standing up. I ran 5 kilometers with them the next day and the feel was like eating a hot and fresh Krispy Kreme donut, light and satisfying. I love the fact that me feet doesn’t roll out anymore. I also the fact that I’m now wearing the right type of shoe which means that I am less prone to injuries.

Urbanite thoughts. I wanted to break the 60 minute barrier in my last 10 kilometer run. I tried to do it but failed. I came up a bit short and finished at a very respectable 62 minutes. With my recent attempts at trying to beat my personal best, failing is no stranger to me anymore. To date, I have not broken any of my personal bests. I have sulked about it in the past and I firmly believe sulking is what kept me from beating my limits.

I should learn and improve. I should train more. I should run more. I should do more long runs to improve my endurance.

The 10 kilometer route in the Urbanite race got the best of me. Hills were always my pitfall and I knew I never really trained for them. I have learned my lesson. A day or two after the race, I went back on the road and did some up hill trainings. I now include that hills in the village I run in when I do easy runs. It may make me pant like a dog one a hot summer day but it is all worth it. I should join a 10 kilometer race again soon to see if I’m improving.

Long Breaks. I had a very long 5 day break from running last weekend. The runner in me wanted to run but it was a very warm welcome break for me. I went to Camsur last weekend to cover Cobra 70.3 Ironman Triathlon. Before I got back into running, I was hastily clicking away on my DSLR. Now I got a big chance to show off my photography skills and show them off I did. It was a very long car ride to Naga city but it was well worth the trip. I was able to see Mayon, was able to see a lot a elite athletes strutting their stuff on a 1.9k swim, 90k bike and 21k run and to top it all off, was able to spend some quality time with my girlfriend and her parents.

Expect to see some photos of the event in my blog soon. I just have to process them. Congratulations to all the participants for finishing the race. I extend my deepest condolences to the swimmer who didn’t make it. May your soul rest in peace.

I could never imagine doing such a distance but seeing how easy they make it look brings me to my last thought.

…that Ultimate Dream. I know I’ve been blabbering about completing my first full marathon this year but there is a bigger dream to be waiting to be realized after its completion. I always envied my girlfriend’s dad when he competed in triathlons. I’m a religiously training my endurance so that I’ll be able to complete a triathlon someday. I should get myself a bike first. I should get over the fear or getting water in my ears first too. So many things to conquer and overcome and there will come a time where I will have had surpassed them. By next year, expect to see me in Subic competing in their triathlons. Come 2011, expect to see me back in camsur for the third installment of the Ironman. Oh how ambitious I can get sometimes.