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

Race Report - TLBF Olympic Triathlon

Exactly a year ago, I was very unhealthy, weighing more than 185lbs, and drank alcohol almost every night. I smoked alot, and did not exercise one bit. Alot can change in a year. Just a year ago, I ran my first 5km. It was tough, especially on my ego. It was at the Mizuno Infinity Run, and I had 'joined' to support Hannah, who had started running a few months back. I promised her I'd run alongside her (or just try to keep up). We finished in 32:30, and that's how the story began. Shortly after, I quit smoking, cut down on my drinking and dedicated my life (at least the rest of it) to being fit.

A year later and there I was staring down my first Olympic/Standard distance Triathlon. An Olympic/Standard distance Triathlon consists of a 1.5km Swim, a 40km Bike, and a 10km run. It is the official distance on the ITU Circuit and was formerly referred to as 'Olympic Distance' because it is the distance used in the Olympics.

I was very nervous, for several reasons. First, it was my first open water swim. All this time, I had been training and racing in the pool. Open water poses alot more problems, the biggest of which being navigation. Second, the bike route was downright masochistic! Popo & Thumbie said the bike route had 'moderate hills', when in fact there was more than 1,000meters of vertical gain in 40km. Note that in most triathlons, bike legs tend to be flat(ter). Lastly, it was hot! Hydration was key. And oh, one more thing posed a problem - the transition area - which was not only as tight as Embassy on a saturday night, but was on the beach...sandy feet anyone?

My race strategy was quite simple. For the swim, I just wanted to get a rhythm going, and finish comfortably in under 30mins. If I could catch some draft packs, then well and good. For the bike, it was to go easy on the ascents, and hammer the descents. I have ridden parts of the course in the past, and have fallen victim multiple times. One thing was for sure - I had to respect the bike course. For the run, it was basically to do as much with whatever I had left.

A short race brief, a few swim warmups, and we were ready to go. The gun went off and the elites dashed forward, and began hopping over the water and dolphin diving. It was almost 25m in when I finally found space and began swimming. Right off the bat, it was about getting space. Getting kicked, elbowed and shoved takes getting used to. Around 100m later, the pack began to thin out, and finally there was some space.

Beach Start

The swim consisted of 3x500m loops, straight out and back. A bouy line separated the to and fro. I began swimming close to the bouy line so as to navigate better, however, I found myself hitting the bouy multiple times. I tried to adjust by trying to swim slightly away from it, but then found myself about 20m off to the side - a total waste of effort. It doesn't take a genius to know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line - quite simple eh? I struggled to navigate, and did my best. Exactly 27 mins later, I was out of the water and off to T1. Swim, Check!

Drew & I - syncrhonized swimming (Yes Alf I missed you!)

I leisurely hobbled over to T1, and stopped at the Gatorade booth with Drew prior to getting to our bikes. How I wish there was always a Gatorade booth in transition. A quick transition, and off to the bike leg I was - sandy feet and all.

Quick stop - Hydrate!

During the race brief, they mentioned that the bike leg was draft legal. I guess they decided so because the streets were not closed, and parts of the course were tight and technical. Not much of a woo-hoo there since drafting uphill is like driving a Ferrari on EDSA during rush hour. Keeping to my strategy, I took it easy on the first bike loop. Right off the bat, it was a climb - a 180m vertical ascent in 2.5km. After about 6km, it was a right turn at IDESS, and 3km of technical downhill, followed by the opposite. There was hardly any flats in this course, so it was either you were resting (or hammering) on the downhills, or suffering uphill.

I was feeling quite good on the bike, and ended up riding with Drew on the second loop. We rode shoulder-to-shoulder as we do in training rides. Drew even commented that it felt like a training ride since we were relaxed and chatting. On the last ascent, I no longer could keep up so I rode the final 10km alone. I came into T2 just under 2hrs, and knew that I had a shot at breaking 3hrs.

With my feet out of my shoes, ready to dismount at T2

I racked my bike, ditched my helmet, grabbed my running shoes and headed out. Yes, I ran barefoot til the road - where I decided it was better to put on my shoes, rather than risk having a lot of sand in my running shoes.

The run route consisted of three very flat, yet hot 3.4km loops - making 10.2km. There were 3 aid stations along the way, and a Fire Truck providing some rain. I was feeling quite good off the bike, and started at a pretty good pace. My goal was just to keep an even pace, and probably push a bit more (if I could) on the last loop. I let no aid station pass, about 9 times, I drank water and poured another glass over my head. It was probably around 40 degrees out there, with absolutely no shade.

During the VERY HOT run

I pushed, but I didn't have much left, and ended in 2:48 - my longest race to date. I was very happy with the outcome, and I'm very much looking forward to the next. Another first for me - Olympic Tri, Check!

Thanks to Zed Avecilla of The Lighthouse Marina Resort for providing us with THE LIGHTHOUSE, as well as great food and drinks. Lovely place, great food, great service :)

Yes, we stayed INSIDE The Lighthouse

Congrats to Drew for bagging 2nd place in his AG and 10th overall. Congrats to my fellow virgins Pao, Migs, Packy & Ting for a job well done!

Drew of Team Super Bagging 2nd Place in his Age Group

Thanks to Hannah for the solid race coverage and beautiful pictures :)