Aboitiz Marathon

42KM

A marathon is a 42KM run (or jog or walk or crawl).  It's a stupid sport but certainly not for the stupid.  Joining a marathon without adequate training is stupid.

But I want to be stupid.  I want to join an ultramarathon (the 100K challenge) and I figured if I can get away with doing a 42K with the training that I have, I think I can survive the 100K.

THE JOURNEY

July-August were race months.  I dont know how or why but we ended up joining weekend races for 5 straight weeks, thus, the training will just be a track training on Tuesdays and a long run on weekends.  Simple, right?

Tuesdays would be interval or tempo or negative-split or whatever-comes-into-my-mind run.

Week 1 was capped by a Chinabank 12K weekend fun run.  My time was 1:14.

Week 2 was the triathlon run.  Time on 10K was 1:15.  (of course, after a 1.5K swim and a 40K bike)

Week 3 was the POGS 15K run.  Time was 1:34.

Week 4 was the Maasin Half-Marathon.  Time was 2:23.

With 4-weeks of training, I am ready for a marathon, right?

Well, I did finish the marathon but was reduced to walking at KM 25 & up and everytime I started and restarted running, my leg muscles would tighten up.  Lack of mileage would be my convenient diagnosis for such.  Time was more than 6 hours, inclusive of fun walks, race walks, three food stops & constant thinking of "Why am I doing this?"

Well, it was supposed to be a psychological training to prepare myself for the 100K challenge.  If walking would not be a problem, I will survive.

But, walking is a problem for me.  I don't enjoy it.

Thus, for now, no ULTRAMARATHON for me.  It will make my life simpler.  I will just be training for the Singapore 70.3 Ironman in March.  The three Summit Triathlon Series (Olympic Distance) in Oct, Nov, & Jan will be great fitness exams.

1st Mayor Moonyeen Durano Triathlon Cup, Sogod, Cebu

The challenges of training

In June, I structured my training to do at least two sports on the same week.  With a full-time job, travel necessities, health, house chores, it was more of a challenge.  Whenever I have to choose, I was just marking priority days, for example, Tuesday is a priority day for running at the track as my running group meets at this day (we call ourselves the Tuesday Group) and a Saturday bike-run brick.

It also helps to have an incoming race to aim at, thus, I was amazed to hear that an Olympic Distance Triathlon is scheduled in a month.  The distance encompasses a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike ride & a 10K run.

The plan

The plan was simple: take it easy.  I want to run when the run leg comes.  I am capable of running a 6min/km 10K.  A 7min/km run would still be an improvement over my previous triathlon.

The race

The race was graced by no other than the town CEO, Mayor Moonyeen Durano.  Unlike other politicians who only stays at a sporting event as long as their speeches, Mayor Moonyeen was there up to the awarding (some 5-6 hours later).

Except that the transition area is so cramped, the race was very well organized.  We had fun at the area before the race officially started.

 This was Bazinga's 4th triathlon and her first Olympic Distance. :-)

SWIM

The swim leg was a one-way trip to the buoy and back at the white sandy beaches of Sogod.  I will never ever join a race that does not feature a good beach. :-) (Maybe, I'll make an exception later but for now, that statement will stand)

I was taking it very easy on the swim and I was one of the late swim finishers of the leg. :-)

BIKE
The bike leg was nice but tiresome as there were four downhills followed by uphills (of course).  At the through were bridges, thus we have to slow down.  This takes the momentum out and thus, the leg (pun intended) was indeed painful.  The rain did not help also as I was using dry lubes and when it poured, I can almost feel my chain almost giving up, thus I have to slow down at the last loop.  (Lesson learned: always watch the forecast, even if you're not windsurfing).

RUN
The run leg was a one-way trip, from sea level to a higher level.  I was feeling great, and the iPod was really of great help.  As expected, I was doing around 7min/km but I was happy that indeed I could still jog at the end of a 1.5K swim and a 40K bike ride.

THE SIGNATURE FINISH

Of course, this race wouldn't end without Adz' signature flying finish.  My photographer, yaya, driver, fiance marvelously captured this moment again.

I love triathlons!

Panglao Triathlon

I planned to explore as many beaches as possible, not just in Cebu but also throughout the 7,107 islands of the Philippines.  The original plan was to bring our windsurfing gears and document (through this blog) the wind patterns of the places that I've been to.

When I got bitten by the triathlon bug, it's time to revisit that plan, albeit with goggles, bike & running shoes.  Triathlon not only makes us fit but also enables us to enjoy the beautiful beaches that the swim leg has to offer.

When I learned that the next triathlon event will be in PANGLAO, I promised myself not to miss it.  How could I resist the white sandy beaches of the island?  The clear waters?  The sexy... err.. rocks?

The fallen coconut tree?

Panglao Triathlon

Panglao Triathlon is a race-for-a-cause event co-organized by Panglao Business Club & Sugbutriathlon.  It featured a 1k swim, 30k bike and 7.5k run.  The beneficiaries were the public elementary schoolchildren of the island.

In association with Team TG & my employer, Dyno Finance Corporation, we also gave a little extra to the beneficiaries.  School items like notebooks, pencils and ballpens were turned over to the organizers before the race started.

Pre-race

The first transition area was in Dumaluan Beach Resort.  There were about 80 triathletes who joined the event and an additional 20 relay teams.

This is the first out-of-town race for Bazinga, my Kona road bike.

We did the stretching with Team Chups.  The team could shock the next triathlon event with skimpy outfits so you better watch out for them.

Briefing

The usual briefing followed for those unfamiliar with the race course. 

Some were just enjoying the sand.

 Some desperately wanted to play love to the camera.

Hazel, of TG relay team, was just awed by the elite competition.

Race Start

We assembled and waited for the gunstart.

Bang!

The pictures just wouldn't do justice on how elated we were for the crystal clear waters of Dumaluan.  Many of us got lost as we were just enjoying the underwater view.  I was off-course by about 20 meters when I raised my head to sight.

After the 1k swim, we "hopped" back to the transition area.

The bike leg was beea-yuu-tee-ful!

Good roads, less traffic, people cheering, trees, cameras, you name it!

It was also my best bike leg to date, averaging more than 33 kilometers per hour.  Okey, I was drafting, but so are the rest. :-P

Sydney and my yaya, Kingking, also perfected their panning shots with me as the subject.  I will always be glad for this opportunity. :-)

The bike leg was my PB (personal best) at 55 minutes, at the expense of running.  I never trained for the high heart rate that I experienced during the bike, thus my run was reduced to a 7:45 pace.   

Team TG runner Hazel was actually astonished of the different "atmosphere" during the run leg of a triathlon.

Special Thanks

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Ted Zamora for making sure that no stomach was empty during our stay in Bohol.  Thank you kaayo bossing!  (Manganad ra ba ni sila!) Also to Yoyet and Manang.

Thank you also to my officemates in Dyno Finance Bohol, particulary George for lending me the car and Sylvester Bulilawa for the assistance.  Thank you very much.

Dayo Triathlon

After CCM, I got the chance to train again for a triathlon event in 4 weeks.  I haven't swum in almost 2 months and my cycling was limited.  I got myself a roadbike in late December but could not ride her yet.  I was afraid that a petty accident could ruin our 3-month marathon training.

The DAYO Triathlon is a sprint distance event organized by sugbutriathlon and sponsored by the Dayo brothers (Cebuano triathletes who are now residing abroad.)  This will be the maiden triathlon race of my new roadie: BAZINGA (a Kona Zing road bike).

Learning from the mistakes of my previous triathlon, I was more confident joining this event.  With no speed training, I targeted a very conservative time of 1:30, broken down into a 20-minute swim (2:40 min/100m), 40-minute bike (30kph) and a 30-minute run (6 min/km)

With strong winds that day, the water was choppy and most were swimming slower than usual.  I enjoyed it though.

The swim leg exit was a beach full of rocks so one should be very careful.

The bike leg was a 2-loop rolling terrain with very strong headwind.  At one point, I was descending at  50KPH but a side headwind almost knocked me over.

Then there's the run leg and I felt that core muscle pain again.  Later on I realized that I was too tensed during the bike leg.  Relax man...

Disregarding the pain in my body, I attempted to do a "jump" shot before crossing the finish line.  Kingking marvelously captured the moment.

I finished the event in 1:32.  I did not reach my target but we had fun, which I believe is the very reason why we joined this sport.  Next event will be on April 3: The Speedo National Age Group Triathlon.

CCM 2011

The Cebu City Marathon marks our 1st runniversary and will be our longest run to date.  Over the past few weeks, facebook status messages were all about marathons.  I posted my favorite quote:

"Trying to explain the marathon is like trying to explain color to a man born blind"

I am so excited to see that color at the finish line.

My longest run was 33K 3 weeks ago (my birthday run) and since then, I tapered to around 20K a week.  I did not do any speed drills as our goal was just "trying to finish".

The day (or dawn) has come.  We woke up and got ready at 2 o'clock in the morning.  Gun start was at 4 AM.  We arrived at the starting line more than an hour earlier and met some members of our running group.

I felt amazed that exactly a year ago, we joined the 5K category in this very event and we only got to see the 21K runners who were assembling at that time.  I never understood then why they would want to do that distance.  Yet, here we are today, preparing on what will be the longest time we will be traveling by foot: 42.195 kilometers!

5-4-3-2-1 fireworks! CCM 2011 has been dubbed one of the best (if not the best) organized marathon in the country.  Words cannot describe how well this event is organized.  Closed roads, lots of marshalls, abundant hydration, massage station, food, entertainment, you name it!  There was a showband at the SRP area and listening to them made me wanna dance while running.  :-)

Anyway, we ran the first half as expected.  The plan was to run easy and always hydrate at every water station.  I love calculations, even to the point of measuring the number of swallows required to induce 8oz to my body.  I still follow my rule: 8oz. fluid every 10-15 minutes + 40-60 grams of carbohydrates + electrolytes (potassium + sodium).

KM 21-30 was still okey as we knew already how it feels, nothing new.  After KM 35, the time now travels faster (or maybe we were just traveling slower).  We decided to just run/walk up to KM 40.  After which, the excitement and adrenalin rush started filling our veins. 

The finish chute appeared!  What a beautiful sight!  Finally, the "color" of the marathon unfolded in front of our very eyes.

 
And here's the medal.

  ...and the post-marathon nutrition (+ 2 lechons) as we celebrated with our running group

... and the group pic

..and the post-marathon party, with a dance instructor (good thing, there was no bending of knees :P )

We run, we eat, we partyyyyy!!! :-)

Windsurfing 2011

It has been more than 12 months since my surgery and I was excited to try again my big sail in this cold and powerful Amihan wind.  This season is windy and I was excited to sail again.

Feeling my renewed strength, I rigged my 8.2 sail and headed out.

The wind was at 18-20 knots gusting up to 25.  I used to have no problem handling this before but today, I wasn't feeling that well.  I had a hard time hooking up and footstrapping.  I fell a couple of times and it was so difficult uphauling or waterstarting.  I guess I have to be back to square one to have that "feel for the water and the wind" again.

After 5 or so times beam reaching, my arms were sore and my legs were tired.

And the most difficult revelation: I seem to not enjoy windsurfing that much anymore.  Hence, the sport will be at the bottom of my priority list for the time being.  I know it is temporary but I seem to like triathlon (that finding the perfect balance training for swimming, cycling and running) more. :-(

My Birthday Run

It's been months since I updated this blog due to work and other commitments yet I feel compelled to write about three things since my last entry: my birthday run, my first windsurfing this year and race reports.

Dec. 19, 2010 -- the 12th month since Kingking and I got bitten by the running bug.  Since January 2010, we enjoyed the running boom in Cebu and met new and fantastic running friends.   Come January 2011, we will be celebrating our first runniversary and it is but fitting to do it with a bang: our first full marathon.

My 33rd birthday is a Sunday, exactly 3 weeks to go for the Cebu City Marathon 2011.  Most of the running programs schedule this day as the peak training day in terms of distance.  Hence, this would be the perfect day to celebrate my 33rd birthday by running 1km for every year of existence which coincides also with the longest run as suggested by the training program.

15 friends from our running group, "Ungo og dagan", a group that runs every Friday night, showed up.  The route is from Consolacion (KM 13) to Catmon (KM 46), a scenic coastal road.  Being a beach bum myself, the finish line is at our favorite beach resort in Catmon with some beach foods waiting.

 
We stopped at the customary kilometer marking to mark my birthday.  Actually, we did food stops when there are interesting foods or drinks such as Buko Juice in Liloan, Ensaymada at Julie's bakeshop, Bananas, Bibingka, etc, etc.  The abundant ATM's (automatic tubig machine) is also a welcome treat for runners as we only have to shell out Php1.00 for a 250ml hydration.  I still carry though my hydration belt with powdered gatorade as I am very particular with the hydration/nutrition in my runs (8oz of fluid every 10-15 minutes, 40-60g of carbohydrates every hour, + sodium and potassium).

After 5 or so hours, we reached the town of Catmon. 

The finish line:

...and the post-run nutrition:

Special thanks to my sister, brother and brother-in-law for preparing the food and bringing the van.  As I was driving back to consolacion, I couln't help but smile how far we did travel that day.

'Till next year guys. :-)