Half Ironman Pacing

It's less than 2 weeks to go to Ironman 70.3 Philippines. I've got nothing much to say, and have a readership of about 3 people (including Hannah and my Mom - who probably just reads up to check up on me), so here's a little something for everyone who'll be at Camsur.

Good luck, Race clean and most especially, embrace the pain.

Here are some tips from Triathlon Coach/Elite Triathlete Gordo Byrn:

[1] Go out easy on the swim - the swim makes no difference to your overall performance. Use it as a warm-up for the bike. Two minutes faster on the swim can result in 20 minutes slower on the run. I ran past 250+ people at Wildflower last year. In an IM race, I typically pass 5-800 people with this strategy.

[2] Go out easy on the bike - your body will need about 6-10 minutes to make the adjustment from swimmer to rider. Take the first part of the ride easy in an easy gear. Initially drink water or highly diluted sports drink. Don't start eating until your HR has settled to your normal bike pace. It is okay for the HR to be a little high at the start but if this is the case then you should feel like you are pedalling VERY easy. Remember, it is a long day - there will be plenty of time to hammer later.

[3] About 15-20K into the bike it is time to start eating. By now you have let your HR settle and you have found a pace that feels comfortable. Personally, I will be racing Vineman at 10-15 bpm below my AT. On my first 1/2 IM I was 20-25 bpm below my bike AT. For your first race, remain aerobic at all costs.

[4] 45-75K is, for me, the crux of the bike - this is where you should be fueling up and maintaining concentration. It is easy to get distracted in this period. Maintain concentration, maintain fluid intake and EAT.

[5] Overall, the purpose of the bike is to replace what you lost on the swim and prepare yourself for the run. There are ZERO benefits to hammering - let the hammerheads go. You will see them later [if you don't then they are faster than you anyhow ;-) ] Find a steady, comfortable pace. Stay aero, hydrate and focus. Remember that good body position is golden in a long race.

[6] Now the run. Start the run SLOW - are you noticing a pattern here? Many people do 1-5 above and then arrive at the run feeling great. They then blow their load in the first mile. Remember that you are about to run a half marathon. I normally leave a frozen bottle of drink at T2 so I can have a cool beverage to start the run. I run the first two miles real slow [please use your own definition here - right Craig?]. Normally, my stomach is full of food and water from the bike. Stitches are common as is a feeling that your legs will never come right. Believe in yourself, believe in your legs and they will come right somewhere between the 3-5K mark (assuming you listened to me about the bike!).

[7] Personally, I like to think about the run as really 4 x 5K. My strategy is to run the first 5K slowly. All I want to do is find my rhythm, hydrate and ensure that I am fueled up for the real race, about to begin shortly. Don't sweat your HR. The name of the game is getting your running muscles going.

[8] The second and third 5K pieces are where it all happens. You are still focusing on running steady. Here you can use your HRM to make sure that you don't run too fast and also make sure that you are not dogging it. If you are having trouble getting your HR up then get on the sports drink or cola if available. If your HR is running very high but you feel OK then this could be a sign of dehydration - water, water, water.

[9] Somewhere in the 8-16K region, you will have a period that feels absolutely awful (at least I always do). Stick with it. It will only last about 5-10 minutes and then you will be through it. Push through these problem times and you will get out the other side. Believe in yourself as an athlete.

[10] Hopefully, you are now around the 15K mark. You are tired but a bit stoked that things have gone so well. You can sense the finish line and you can do the math to see that you are going to beat your goals. You have run a smart race to here and will achieve/exceed your goals. Now it is HAMMER TIME. If you feel like it then rev your pace up. You will know the right amount to increase. Keep it aerobic but it is OK to get a good sweat going. Remember to continue to take fluids at every aid station, particularly around the 15/16/17/18K marks. Just ask PNF about the risks of skipping aid late in the game.

[11] Once you hit mile 12 (19K) spend everything you have, or simply enjoy the tailend of the race. I have done both.

Race Report - The Bullrunner Dream Marathon 2010

I hadn't been this excited since Ironman a few months ago. Perhaps it's the thought of completing an entirely new distance that fueled this excitement. Contrary to popular belief, I have not run a marathon. Yes, I completed the Ironman, which consisted of a marathon, but barely ran it. In fact, I have only 1 Open Half Marathon (Condura 2009). My longest run race was back in 2008 (New Balance 25k).

After Ironman, I took a few weeks off training, and began putting in some runs in preparation for my first marathon, The Bullrunner Dream Marathon. The weeks flew by, and before I knew it, I was about to tackle my first marathon, with Hannah, Jake, Drew, Levy and many others.

The 2am gunstart created quite a stir when it was announced, but was a welcome change, since it meant not having to deal with much heat. The day began at 12 midnight. After 'breakfast' (more like a midnight snack) and other pre-race rituals, we found ourselves at the starting line all revved up to go.

Drew, Levy & I
Photo Courtesy of Photovendo

The gun went off, and so did we...into the darkness. The first few hundred meters were quite awkward. Since it was almost pitch black, we (Levy, Drew & I) did not know where to go. We did the next best thing - follow the motorcycle (whom we assumed was a race marshall). Thank God he was.

The first 24 kilometers went by pretty quickly. After rounding thru Solenad for the first time, Drew, who had to ready himself for his Emcee duties, peeled off. I began the 2nd loop, the final 18km. At that point, I was pretty much on target. I had a decent rhythm going, and despite a queasy stomach, was feeling fine. A few KMs later was the turnoff to the bird sanctuary, a 3+km off road trail in almost complete darkness. The trail was a welcome break from the hard concrete, but traversing it in darkness meant pacing down a bit, or risking injury. As soon as I got out of the trail, I began the steep ascent. In all honesty, I was not ready for this kind of course. It was a 70m vertical ascent in 2km - that's equivalent to a 21 story building.

My pace was deteriorating badly, and so was my body. My quads were on fire, and my calves were beginning to freeze. Slowly but surely, I made it up to the highest point. The race director Neville, surely didn't let us have it that easy, as he situated the major turnaround another 2km below the highest point. This meant after climbing to the highest point, we had to run another 2km downhill, and make that uphill return, before heading to the finish line. My calves were ceasing, and I was looking less and less like a runner, and more and more like a Nordic skier. I was talking to my calves, asking them to cooperate. As soon as one calf relaxed, the other ceased.

I hit the 32km mark at just under 3hrs. At that point, I was not sure if I could break 4hrs, considering the condition I was in. I gutted it out and proceeded with caution. Running with cramp stricken calves is like treading on thin ice - go too fast and they'll lock up.

The final push
Photo Courtesy of Photovendo

With less than 4km to go, I passed thru the SecondWind zone. Hec ran alongside me for a few meters, shouting encouraging words. Those last 4km were the longest 4km I ever ran. With 2km to go, Levy strode past me. He was going strong, and I could not hang on. It was only in the last 500m that I started to relish the moment. The live band was playing 'My Hero' by Foo Fighters as I made my way thru the finishing chute. 3:57:02. Not bad. Not bad at all.

My signature headstand
Photo Courtesy of Photovendo

Sub 4!
(with one of my senseis Levy Ang)

One by one, first and 2nd time marathoners crossed the finish line. Each had their own emotion, each, their own story. It was an amazing experience I enjoyed sharing with 200 other first timers. We had done what 99.9% of the human population will never do. We had finished a marathon.

with Hannah, who completed her 2nd mary in 4 months

Props to Jaymie and her team for putting up a spectacular race. Congrats to all the Bullrunner Dream Marathoners. Special mentions to Hannah (for gutting it out), Jake (for popping his cherry) and Levy (for PRing by 10mins).

with Jaymie aka The Bullrunner, and Levy aka Happy Hour

'Don’t the best of them bleed it out
While the rest of them peter out
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around

There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary'
- From 'My Hero' by the Foo Fighters

Race Report - Subic International Triathlon 2010

Honestly, this race almost didn't happen. If not for peer pressure (aka Drew), I would not have participated. Back in February, after my terrible Ironman attempt, I decided I wanted to do a marathon.

I have never run a marathon, and all those kilometers I logged gearing up for Ironman seemed wasted as I practically walked the entire marathon at Ironman. As soon as Jaymie posted The Bullrunner Dream Marathon, I immediately signed up. It was slated for May 22, and Subit was slated on May 2. This meant that the triathlon fell right smack into what would be the biggest run week. If I was to do both, one would have to take a backseat, and I decided the triathlon would.

After taking a break in March, I resumed running in April. I put in a few swims and bike rides here and there, but my main focus was logging in those miles for the marathon. Subit race day came pretty quickly. Before I knew it, I was having the customary beers with Team Super at The Lighthouse. One turned into two, two turned into three...a familiar story. My teammate Jake asked me what my race strategy would be. He caught me off-guard as I myself did not know at that point. I said it would be 'controlled aggression'. As I really did not know what pace my legs could produce, I could not really do much. Controlled aggression for me meant not holding back too much, but also not running myself to the ground.

Race Day

After some hurried setups of T2 then T1, and a few minutes of swim warmup and light stretching, I found myself toeing the startline of our wave. I gained some confidence, and positioned myself towards the front of the line, about 15 people to the left. I figured this would be a good position. The starting gun went off and so did we. I tried to put in some effort in the first 100m, and it paid off. After around 200m, there was no longer any mayhem. At the first turnaround, I found some feet...bubbly feet. When you see bubbles, you know that's a kicker - and you know that only good swimmers can maintain kicking hard for 1500m. I quickly latched onto his feet, trusted his navigation skills, and enjoyed the ride. After the first loop, I checked my watch and it was 12:40 - whoa! I quickly dove in and latched onto the stranger's feet once again. He towed me thru the backmarkers and onto a swim PR. We exited the water in just over 25 mins. Amazingly I was not huffing and puffing. I later realize that he was a UP swimming alumnus - thank you sir! You are my Bubbly Toes!

I jumped on my bike, and finally pulled off a smooth flying transition (shoes on pedals). I began the tricky part of the course, which was the climbs. This was only the 2nd time on my tri bike since IM, and I was testing a brand new position, so I didn't know what to expect. I went on a decent pace on the uphills, and tried to be as aerodynamic as possible on the downhills. As I hit the turnaround, I started to see familiar faces zooming down. This is usually the point wherein the elites start catching me and zooming by. Surprisingly, only a few people caught me on the bike. On the flats, I just maintained my position, and tried to keep a decent cadence. I rolled into T2 at around 1:15 - success!



All my races have quirks, and this one was in T2. I had totally forgotten where my rack was, since it was early and I wasn't really paying attention when I setup T2. It took a while, and a marshall finally helped me find my rack. I slipped on my shoes, race belt, and our (Drew & I) secret weapon - GSP 'Kamikazee' headbands.

Trying to pace with Idol Abe Tayag

I began running at a decent pace. My run strategy was simply to run with what I had, and try to keep pace. Early on, I felt the effects of long running - I had no speed in my legs. I chugged along and made the most of what I had. Early in the 1st lap, uber runner Martin Lorenzo zoomed by, and made me look like I was sunday walking in Luneta. My pace was slowing down every lap (that's why they call me Positive Split), and there wasn't much I could do about it. At around the 3rd lap, Abe Tayag had caught up with me, and I tried to pace with him. 1k later, I had dropped - his pace was just too much for me to bear. I chugged along the remaining laps, and finished the run decently in just over 48mins.

No its not Karate Kid, its GSP!

All in all, I had a pretty good race. 2:30 total, 20th place overall and 6th in my age group. I was able to slash 7 mins off last year, and improve my standing by 2 places - despite being in a sea of elites, former national team members and a Kona Qualifier.

Next stop, my first marathon @ The Bullrunner Dream Marathon.

Team Super Reprezent!

Customary recovery BBZs at The Lighthouse

'When you move like a jellyfish
Rhythm don't mean nothing
You go with the flow
You don't stop
' - From 'Bubbly Toes' by Jack Johnson

On Shutterbugs, Big Hands & Billboard Dreams

A few months ago, my cousin-in-law Paco Guerrero, a professional photographer, asked if I could be a model for him as he needed to add some sports photos to his portfolio. Naturally, I obliged. What else would it be but a swim, bike and run. I may not look good, but the photos certainly do!




His website is www.francisco-guerrero.com and his blog is located at franciscoguerrerophotography.wordpress.com. Checkout his awesome pictures. He has an interesting 'Hands Project' which I have been fortunate enough to be part of. He also has a spread in this month's Digital Photographer Philippines.

My huge Hand

Hit him up if you want some awesome photos taken!

'Day comes
Visible horizon
Right where it starts it ends
Oh and then we start the end
Day comes
A visible illusion
Oh where it starts it ends
Love like a sunset '
From Phoenix' 'Love It Like A Sunset'

Geek Tech - Tribikes & Aerodynamics

Warning: This is gonna be techy and geeky as hell. You see, I'm really a geek at heart. Aside from doing math calculations during the run, I also enjoy playing Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit and the like. I'm a Wiki whore, and often immerse myself not only in the history of things, but also in its science and art. Triathlon is no different.

I'm not at all an expert at these things. I am merely an enthusiast who loves the technical and scientific aspect of the sport - especially the bike. Let's start with Triathlon Bikes.

Aerobars does not a tri bike make. In the true sense, a triathlon bike is specifically designed to be ridden both comfortably and efficiently in the aero position (elbows on aerobar pads). Geometry is the main difference between a Road and Tri bike. The geometry of a Tri bike makes it easier to ride in the aero position. The main differences are the steeper seat tube angle (76-78 vs 73-74) and the shorter top tube, allowing the rider to be more 'forward'. Also, Tri bikes have shorter headtubes, allowing the rider to 'get lower' up front - for that more aerodynamic profile. Lastly, Tri-bikes tend to have a longer Front-Center (bottom bracket to front wheel axle), for better handling in the aero position.

Taken from Bikesport Michigan

Let's move to Aerodynamics. I'll avoid most of the technical mumbo-jumbo and try to site some real (triathlon) world dilemmas. On a flat road, drag makes up around 90% of the total rider's resistance. 80% of this drag is the rider, 20% being the bike. This means that practically speaking, aerodynamically superior bike equipment does not play as big a part as an aerodynamic position does. Simply put - an aerodynamic position will provide the most time savings. Of course, this assumes that the rider can comfortably stay in that position, generate a decent amount of power and safely steer the ship. The most aerodynamic position is useless if the rider is unable to either generate power in that position, or stay in that position. In these cases, some riders are better off riding a standard road bike, on the hoods.

Weight savings is another very popular topic when it comes to bikes. 'Lighter is better' seems to be the prevailing train of thought. Yes, in a world where I had a bottomless supply of cash, I would most probably build a barely UCI legal bike, with the most aerodynamic parts known to man, and the deepest wheels suitable to the bike course. But of course, that's not the case.

In a test Cervelo did, they pitted 2 bikes (22lb and 17lb) on the same 40km course with the same rider. They found out that the 17lb bike was ONLY 36 seconds faster over 40km. Pathetic, right?

That's the bike - what happened to the rider? Let's assume an 18lb bike, and a 160lb rider. Total weight = 178lb. This means that the bike is only 10% of the total equation. A 1lb saving on the bike, will only mean a .5% saving in overall weight. How much time will that 1lb saving get you over 40km? Around 4 seconds. Lose a pound yourself, and you've saved 4 seconds, and a couple of thousand bucks.

In a humorous, but very technically accurate article, Evan McFarlane explains how his relatively slimmer 'aerodynamic' ankles in fact, have twice the amount of time savings as a top of the line Cervelo P3 Tri Bike. Funny, but true.

So what really am I getting at? I guess what Lance Armstrong says is really right - 'It's not about the bike'. I say that every time I get passed by a 60 year old on a hybrid bike going up Antipolo, and every time I ogle at the uber bikes I cannot afford. Good thing I haven't gotten passed by that Selecta Tri Bike.

IM Proud

Let me start from something from my sister's blog:

---000------000------000------000------000---

He wasn't what I initially hoped for but I soon learned a little brother wasn't half bad. He was cute as a button and I loved teasing him until he cried, or bossing him around until he squealed. Then one day. Boom! He grew up. And I couldn't push him around anymore. No one could.

with LilBro and BigBro

Yesterday, I was up at six. The boys and I bought playing cards the day before. I promised to teach them Go Fish and Crazy Eight first thing in the morning. By 6:30 I had shuffled and dealt the cards. And then the mechanics. Tato argued that if he turned the card upside down the spade could be a heart. When did he turn into such a wise ass? I guess I didn't take into account little hands couldn't possibly hold the cards together. Or that four year olds look at everyone else's cards except their own. We did breakfast, moved on to puzzles then did a little TV when I needed to catch up on some work. Lunch followed then we were off to do what felt like a million and one errands. With the sun still up we managed more puzzles, more card games, then dinner. With MacDaddy away for the week , a slumber party for three in my room seemed like a good idea. We all piled in and called it a day thirteen or so hours later.

Somewhere under the scorching heat in Langkawi, Malaysia on this very day and in the time we managed to do all of that, the LilBro had one hell of a day. And I'm sure his began way before ours did. He must have played the scene over and over in his head. Oh and the hours he put in! Unbelievable. I kept tabs through his little cyber corner over here. That little boy we used to bribe to take his shirt off while dancing to Village People was hell bent on being an Ironman. I thought he was crazy when he told me he wanted to do this. But I also know something about people and dreams. And know you'd be crazier not to chase after a dream. And so like that package from Shopbop you can't wait to get your hands on, I tracked him down on the website like a mad woman.

keeping track

Swim? Check. Sigh of relief. Bike? Done. Can exhale now. Run? All done. I could finally sleep easy. Thirteen hours and fifty five minutes later he was officially an Ironman. Amazing. And really. He is.

For my brother, who makes me want to push harder.

---000------000------000------000---

My comment in her blog reads:

'Thanks Sann. Its the thought of you guys which really kept me going. There's an Australian Pro (Amanda Balding) who, like you is a breast cancer survivor. I met her before the race, and during the race, every time we crossed paths, we egged each other on. I thought of you and what you went thru every single time. You are the original IRONWOMAN Sann :) Luvya Guys!'

What most people don't know was that I had orginally planned to do an Ironman to raise some funds for my sister's iCanServe foundation. Not that they need any, or that I would raise much, but I wanted to race for something bigger than myself.

As for the race, well it was tough. The gun shot off at 7:45 am, with U2 playing, almost unexpectedly. The swim was out and back 3.8km along the coast. It was tough as we faced a current heading out, but took advantage of it coming back. I came out of the water pretty relaxed and ready for the bike leg. This is where I slowly began to realize why they call this race THE TOUGHEST SHOW ON EARTH. The sun was starting to come up, and the hills just kept on coming. There were 2 hills in each loop wherein I was on my last gear, standing up, grinding at 30 cadence, barely moving. Most of the age groupers preferred to walk their bikes up the hill. Those hills would be on my mind the entire bike portion.

At around KM120 into the bike, I was starting to gas out. My body was rejecting calories, and so I decided to pace down and eat less, hoping my stomach would settle. I persevered thru the heat and headwinds, and came off the bike in pretty decent shape (or so I thought).

Hot Hot Hot!!!

The run portion consisted of a 5 lap 8km loop, plus 2km to and fro the transition/finish line. Coming out of the crazy-hot transition tent, I began shuffling the first kilometer. About 2km in, there was a short and steep bridge, which I decided to walk. On the downhill portion, I had resumed my jog. However, I kept thinking how good that walk felt. The blisters I had on my feet were not helping matters -- I named them Titleist and Precept since they were the size of golf balls.

I stopped in every aid station, and showered myself with sponges and water. I could still take no calories, so I relied on water and some electrolytes. I made the first loop in just over an hour. The walk-jog then started turning into more of a walk as my energy dropped to a low. Soon after that's all it was. With more than 21km left in the race, I had given up. The race had won. It was then that I had resigned myself to just finishing the race.

This journey started with a silly 5k. I call it silly because back then, that's all it really was. As the story goes, I egged Hannah into joining a 5k race, and to make the decision easier for her I told her I would run with her. And so we ran (or jogged) the Mizuno Infinity 5k, and finished in a decent 32:30. Two weeks later, I found a reason to quit smoking - triathlon. I borrowed a bike, learned how to swim, and joined the AAV Sprint Tri. This journey started with a silly 5k, and ended with an even sillier 9k.

Hannah began walking with me, in what would be the final 9km of my Ironman journey. While walking, she read text messages from friends and family. It was then when I started to realize how important this was not only to me, but to my friends and family. I had swallowed my pride, slowed down to a walk, but I held my head up high. I ran the final km, thru the chute, straight into Hannah's arms. I had failed, yet I had triumphed.

Finally Over!

In my eyes I had failed utterly, but in others' eyes, I had done something quite extraordinary. I guess what I could take from this experience, I quoted in my last blog entry -- '...at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.'

I guess there really is no shame in walking...for as long as it is towards the finish line.

For my family and friends, who have taught me how to triumph in defeat.

'And if you say to me tomorrow
Oh, what fun it all would be
then what's to stop us, pretty baby
but what is and what should never be'
From Led Zeppelin's 'What Is And What Should Never Be'

Don't Stop

The past 2 weeks have been more than just 'taper' weeks. Last week, I visited my mom's hometown. I walked (and ran) the beautiful streets of Barcelona. During the first morning, fighting jetlag, I ran at 5:30 am in 1 degree cold, in the rain. It was awesome in a very, very different way. I also did alot of walking in leather shoes -- bad, bad idea!

The Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's masterpiece which has yet to be completed

During my flight, I finally finished the book Unthinkable by Scott Rigsby. It was truly inspiring, and the perfect read before my Ironman. In that book, I encountered a quote from Theodore Roosevelt which almost brought me to tears. It reads:

'It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.'

The journey has been an awesome experience. Although I was not able to train as long as I wanted, I still swam, biked and ran farther than I ever have. Yes, I swam 3.8km. However, I have not biked 180km and not run anywhere close to a marathon. I put in 5 good weeks of training, pouring in 8-10 hours a week. Not much by most standards, but quite alot for me.


This is the part where we're all anxious, wanting to do more when the program says rest, eat, sleep, rest, eat, sleep. Anxious, scared shitless, antsy, excited, proud...so many emotions and thoughts running through my head. I guess it will all quiet down once I toe the starting line. T minus 4 days and counting.

'Til then...

'Why not think about times to come,
And not about the things that you've done,
If your life was bad to you,
Just think what tomorrow will do.

Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Don't stop, it'll soon be here,
It'll be, better than before,
Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.'
- From Fleetwood Mac's 'Don't Stop'

My Other Passion

My other passion has brought me halfway around the world to Barcelona, to attend the GSMA Mobile World Congress. This is not a shameless plug, I am really passionate about my work, and the industry in which it thrives. It's also the perfect way to forget the fact I'll be attempting an Ironman in less than 2 weeks.

Rewind. My passion for the Internet started way back in the late 80's/early 90's, when the world wide web did not even exist. Access to the Internet then was via direct dial-up (IDD), with a whopping 9.6kbps US Robotics Modem. The 'Internet' then consisted of Gopher Sites, and Usenets. Content was very limited but the idea of a web of networks intrigued me. Search engines back then were called Archie, Jughead and Veronica. Suprisingly, Jughead and Veronica actually stood for something - Jonzy's Universal Gopher Hierarchy Excavation And Display & Very Easy Rodent-Oriented Net-wide Index to Computer Archives, although they were chosen first for obvious reasons, then forced to be acronyms later on.

A few years later came the real Internet - the World Wide Web. By then, the US Robotics modem was a speedy 14.4kbps, and local ISPs were born. The Google then was Webcrawler or AltaVista. THE web browser was Netscape Navigator, years before Microsoft 'eased' them out in a very controversial way.



I was in highschool and began studying Internet programming as a hobby. I built my first website and got hooked. After college, I went straight into programming. Ever since, my work (and now social) life has revolved around the Internet.

Fast foward to 2010. The buzzwords here at the MWC are SmartPhones, 4G, Mobile Internet, Mobile Payment and Telco 2.0. I encountered some interesting products and solutions over the first 2 days.

What caught my eye (pun intended) was a quite amusing but very interesting product by NTT Docomo - Eye Controlled Earphones. Yes, you heard me right. Apparently, slight eye movements cause electrical differences which are detected by tiny electrodes which reside on the earphones. Volume control consisted of rotating your gaze as if it were a volume knob. Looking left then right meant a play/pause, and looking to the right twice meant next track. Wild eh? What's next?

Demo-ing the earphones

This afternoon, I caught the demo of the Windows 7 Mobile Phone. Finally, it looks like Microsoft got it right. The OS is based on the Zune platform, so it's more a Multimedia device than a Microcomputer...thank God. Who the hell wants to see that little start button on the bottom left corner in a phone? It was very Iphone-esque but added some cool features, like Wifi synching. They had a cool setup too, a giant touch screen which served as a phone emulator.

Sweet looking interface!

Other cool stuff were...

Team Highroad's Scott Plasma @ HTC booth


Team Highroad's Jersey @ HTC booth

Chicks at the CBOSS booth

Whoops! Back to work.

T minus 9 days and counting...

'Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say. '
- from Pink Floyd's 'Time'

IMpossible? IM possible.

They did it. Why can't we?

Team Hoyt


Scott Rigsby - Double Amputee


Sarah Reinertsen - Single Amputee


Charlie Plaskon - He's blind.


Norton Davey - Completed Ironman at the tender age of 82.

Jason Lester - One arm didn't stop him. And he didn't stop at Ironman. He conquered Ultraman (2x Ironman Distance)

IMPOSSIBLE? IM possible.

'Now my body is starting to quiver
And the palms of my hands getting wet
I've got no reason to doubt you baby,
It's all a terrible mess

I'll run in the rain till I'm breathless
When I'm breathless I'll run till I drop, hey
The thoughts of a fool's kind of careless
I'm just a fool waiting on the wrong block, oh yeah
Light of the love that I found...'

- from Led Zeppelin's 'Fool in the Rain'

*Images taken from Google Images

The Journey Begins

It's been quite a while since I've last blogged. I have been busy in different ways over the past month. After the Powerade Olympic Duathlon last December, I was meaning to begin training once again. As most of you already know, I will be doing Ironman Malaysia next month. However, several bouts with dehydration, freak fevers and a really bad case of food poisoning stopped me from training most of December. I literally got rid of all the shit of 2009, as I celebrated New Year's tucked in my hotel bed, stuffed with everything from Ciprobay to Imodium to Probiotics, to even Po Chai (a Chinese remedy for diarrhea which looks like goat shit). I was desperate. 8 days later I recovered, and it took a while for me to get my strength back. Finally, last week, my Ironman Journey began.

I can't help but look back at 2009, my first real year of doing triathlons.

It began with my first Olympic Distance Triathlon back in April, during the Terry Larazabal Bike Festival. There were not many of us, but the bike route was very tough, and the run was hella hot! In that race I learned how pacing is key.

Sweating buckets, hoping to see the finish line soon at TLBF

About a month later, came SUBIT, my 2nd Olympic Distance Triathlon. Again it was hot as hell, and over 300 of us were crammed into the swim start, making it a true washing machine. It was a tough day, but for the first time, I was able to hit my targets. In that race I was able to pace correctly and find my rhythm...something which til this day I still struggle with. Equally important was the 'launch' of sorts of Team Super - my triathlon family.

3/4 of Team Super at the Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic

Back in August was last year's biggest local race, Ironman 70.3 Philippines. We all had a blast, including my stomach which went south 3km into the run. In that race, I learned how important the 4th discipline in triathlon is - Nutrition.

With Macca, Ironman World Champion

Redemption was the name of the game for quite a handful of us, and that's what we sought after at WhiteRock in November. The run course was tough, and so was the heat, but all of us crossed the finish line with a smile on our face.

Surprisingly I still had some energy left to pull of my signature headstand at the finish

There were a handful of footraces along the way, like the Happy Run, Mizuno 15k, and my first (and still only) Half Marathon at Condura which were welcome breaks in training. There were also a few Powerade Duathlons, which were not only well attended, but were challenging in their own right.

2009 was great. Multi-sport, not only triathlon, is growing by leaps & bounds...its exciting. 2010 is here, and I can't wait.

And so my journey begins (or has begun last week). In 6 weeks I try to conquer the Ironman - a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2 marathon run. So help me God.

With the help of my one-woman support group Hannah, my training buddies Drew, Mer and Hec, and my senseis Levy, Harvie and Makoy, hopefully my journey will be somewhat enjoyable.

'Til then...

'You call me a fool
You say it's a crazy scheme
This one's for real
I already bought the dream
So useless to ask me why
Throw a kiss and say goodbye
I'll make it this time
I'm ready to cross that fine line'
-Deacon Blues by Steely Dan