My Dad, Col. Leonardo "Narding" Banzon

The door in his bedroom slammed hard right after he and my mom had a fight. This was rare. They never showed us kids their quarrels. Almost all their fights were done in private and quitely. My mother was crying and my dad was furious and stormed out of the house. I knew then that it was serious. And my world was never the same after. It was 1975, and though I was only 11 years old at that time, the realities of life was like a hard slap in the face. That's the first time I heard them talk about separation. And in an instant, I was no longer a child.

But more importantly, I saw the human side of my father. The true person behind the tough and commanding persona.

Dad with his Fighter Plane

I come from a brood of 8 children - 1 girl (our eldest, Joanne) and 7 boys with me being the youngest. As a child I remember that we all adored our beautiful and glamorous mom whose personality could power a million lightbulbs and idolized our over-achieving, strict and serious dad.

My Dad, then a Captain with the Philippine Air Force, 1st from the Left.

My dad was a ranking officer in the Philippine Air Force. He flew planes and at some point in his career was with the 5th Fighter Wing and part of the elite Blue Diamonds Aerial Acrobatic Team. He had an imposing presence being tall, very fit and with the deep, strong and confident voice of an officer. He played basketball in our neighborhood league and would whip the teenagers and young adults to shame. He even scored over 50 points in one of the games. He was handsome but quiet and brooding. He was also a strict disciplinarian and would rule us boys with an ironfist without the velvet glove.

All these plus his many achievements and awards plastered on the walls of our study room made me see him as super human. Mythical even. To me, he always loomed larger than life and I immensely idolized the guy. To the point that I had difficulty even carrying a simple conversation with this great man because I was always at awe of him. Especially when he was in his military officer uniform.

I always found Dad intimidating when he was in his uniform. Dad in Washington.

And through the eyes of an innocent and idealistic child that I was, I knew all of my Dad's toughness was the perfect match to my Mom's beauty, charm, wit, glamour and loving heart. I saw them as the perfect pair and probably idealized them as a couple even more than I idealize my dad as Superman. She was the perfect wife to a successful and debonair senior military officer.

My Mom, Merced Hernaez Banzon

Mom as a Law Student - Dad just fell crazy in love. As in "laglag ka boy".

Their union was a golden moment in time that etched an indelible mark deep in my Mom's heart that would make her love Dad unconditionally no matter what. A reality that is true to this day. No amount of heartache and hurt would make my mother give up on him. Truly a love eternal.

She also kept things interesting. One time, when Dad was training in Virginia, USA - mom surprised him with a visit and brought with her the day's newspaper saying that she was there to deliver him his daily periodical.

Mom arriving in Virginia to surprise my Dad. From
Left to Right: Tito Sonny, Mom, Tita Corazon

They are blessed with eight children: Joanne, Erwin, Jun, Dicky, Raoul, Baby (aka Jo Mari), Rene and myself. Philip Zayco, our next door neighbor and 1st cousin is like an adopted 8th son. He was always in our house as we were at his.

Dad and Mom made sure that we all got a good quality education but balanced this out with family activities and "weaved ribbons of memories" that we would all take with us way into adulthood. Trips to Baguio, Bataan, Caliraya and even simple family picnics and gatherings were what gave us all a sense of family. Unforgettable moments and memories in our lives that to this day is a source of warmth and happiness for me especially whenever I feel sad.

A day in Luneta Park with 7 out of the 8.
From Left to Rigth: Greg, Raoul, Joanne, Baby, Dicky, Jun and Rene

Our family car....the batmobile? We'd fit 8 kids plus two parents in this baby.

Trip to Baguio with Mom and Dad as a young couple

Rene and I at the Zoo.

Yan ang gupit. Military Discipline....military haircut for Baby?

Through the years, and as we saw our Dad's tough facade melt away either because of the strains in their marriage or just because he grew mellow with age, Dad allowed us many liberties including being "hippies" even if he was a member of the military who frowned on this kind of social expression.

Bell Bottom Days....and long hair...

Dad, Jun and Raoul in a Bonfire in Baguio

Dad also allowed us to see his warm and friendly side as we grew older. He became "one of the boys" and kept pace with us in our many activities together as a family.

Bond...Mighty Bond....

Dad with Abs in his 50's?

Sino'ng papatayin nyo?

Abs runs in the family. Dicky and Raoul in Montemar Beach

Dad had very high expectations and seemed to set the standard in terms of living an excellent life. He encouraged the three youngest boys to excel in sports. And so, we did. All three of us - Baby, Rene and myself were Captains of the La Salle Greenhills Track Team with Rene and Baby also leading the team in College at DLSU. All three were also multi-bemedalled athletes throughout highschool and college. This also served as foundation for my being an athlete to this day.

Rene and Baby in their college running days.

As our Dad (and Mom) aged and our childhood home slowly became an "empty nest", I would still think of my Dad and what he would say or do as I faced my own challenges at work and in my personal life. I used what I saw of his life and his standards as a barometer in my own career and life in general.

Over the years, we would see less and less of each other but would be in touch via "text", occassional phone calls and whenever he is in Manila. Over time, I saw him age from a dashing debonair to an ageing statesman and eventually, into a grandfather and even a great grandfather (from my sister's children). But the look of dignity and sharpness of being a military officer never left his face.

From Left to Right: Baby, Rene, Joanne, Raoul, Mom, Erwin (hidden), Dad, Me and Dicky (hidden)

The growing family. Mom and Dad now have 17 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren

The kids are alright....6 of the 7 boys plus mom and dad during Rene's daughter's debut.
From Left to Right: Erwin, Dad, Greg, Rene, Dicky, Baby, Mom & Raoul.

The Family (although Jun is in New York) - From Left to Right: Raoul, Greg, Dad, Dicky, Mom, Joan, Baby, Rene, Erwin.

Just in case you were wondering how Jun turned out.
Our American brother, Jun and wife Evelyn.

Though not apparent before, I seem to see an emerging similarity between my Dad and I. In more ways than one.

Dad in his late 40's

40's now...

I saw both sides of my Dad. His enigmatic, perfect and mythical superhuman days and his human, humble, mellow, caring side. He inspired me to pursue and reach my full potential. As an athlete, a career corporate executive, a father. I know I have disappointed him more than I have made him proud but I a continue to strive to excel so that I am able to meet his standards which is a reflection of how highly he sees me.

More importantly, I pray to be a great father and have as much positive influence on my own children as my Dad had in mine.

My son and I in Sydney, Australia's Darling Harbor.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Have a good one.

Dad and I sharing a laugh 3 weeks ago.

Managing Work and Training Load

Everytime I feel that there's too much work to do, I pause and tell myself "work and making a living are blessings". And each time I feel too lazy to train, I find motivation in realizing that this isn't going to be foreover. And that I should enjoy running and triathlon while it lasts...while I can.

My work load has increased exponentially over the past few weeks given brand activations, new ad campaigns, profit improvement projects, etc. Whatever it is, I am finding myself coming to work a bit earlier and leaving for home a little later than I used to. My teaching load at the Ateneo Graduate School - Center for Continuing Education whether on campus or off site has stepped up as well. These plus some work needed in my small businesses all compete for time and energy with the training needed for the upcoming Century Tuna 5i50 Standard Distance Tri and the Cobra 70.3 Half Ironman in August.

One of the "A-Races" of the Year.

Training Load

To get an appreciation of my training workload, this is what I did last week lifted directly from my training log book as actual workouts:

Sunday - Long Brick. 100k ride + 8k run in 3:45 hours
Monday - 1 hour easy recovery run
Tuesday - 50k ride with hill repeats
Wednesday - 12 X 1,000m run intervals,
Thursday - 40k easy ride
Friday - 15k easy run in the morning, 2k easy swim at night
Saturday - Easy run in the morning.

I usually train at night at least twice or three times a week. These are usually swim sessions or an easy run or time on the saddle using a bike trainer (stationary bike). However, last week I taught classes at the Ateneo CCE on Wednesday and Thursday eve and the whole day of Saturday. Nevertheless, total time spent training was 12 hours. This week's load is roughly 14 hours.



Racing and Training to stay competitive.

Work Load

It's usually best to be at work early to allow time to get work organized before meetings start. I try to get all the admin and routinary tasks out of the way within the first hour at the office. However, I also have a full month plan of all the goals, objectives, tasks and major projects I need to accomplish cut into weekly and daily deliverables. These are usually sorted out in the following order of priority:

1. Brand Health and Competitiveness (advertising, PR, price competitiveness, new product development, distribution, etc)
2. Revenue Generating Activities (projects to keep sales and market share soaring high).
3. Profit Improvement Projects (growing the bottom line)
4. Organizational Health and People Development
5. Innovations

I stay focused at work until the daily, weekly or even monthly deliverables are accomplished before I goof off or attend to unplanned tasks.

I find that by having a structured and discipline approach to running the business, I don't waste time working on things that don't add value. And the time spent in the office is usually all high impact and very productive.

I keep meetings to a bare minimum and usually set time limits to each one. I also try to keep discussions in meetings only to what's relevant.

Focus on the most important matters.

Finally, there are some sacrifices such as keeping my lunch breaks very short - most days I eat in the office and can turnaround for lunch in less than 30 minutes.

This frees up time to take on my teaching load at the Ateneo CCE or other speaking engagements that come by from time to time.

Teaching Load

I teach courses such as Strategic Marketing, Crisis Management and Brand Turnaround, Marketing Warfare, New Market Development and some topics on Sales and Distribution.

These are usually at night and Saturdays.

Grading Sheets and Course Brochures

Close up of the Grading Sheet...the power to Grade!

Ateneo CCE Students working on a case study.

There are some days though that can be a killer. Last Wednesday and Thursday, I was training by 5AM, at work by 8:45am at Ateneo by 6PM and finish by 9:30. Those are the rare 16 hour workdays.

Daily Routine

To handle the load, I usually make it a point to wake up at around 4:45 and be training as early as 5am. This allows me to finish my morning workout by 6:45am and still get to work early.

If I am lucky and get off work by 6pm, I still have a 45 min window to squeeze in either a swim or run at night just before dinner.

But the heaviest training load is on Saturdays and Sundays, early morning.

Putting it all together is always a challenge but it's all a matter of being proactive and organized.

The Animo Sprint Triathlon and my Podium Finish :)

Once again, the Annual Animo Sprint Triathlon was a success. Now on its 5th year, the two day event attracted around 500 participants with Day 1 dedicated to the Tri Kids and beginners and Day 2 for the "main event".

What impressed me the most during the 2 day event is the emergence of teams among the kids. It seems current triathletes have been effective in encouraging their kids to embrace the sport and form part of  the next generation of triathletes. You could see the kids in tri uniforms provided by their team (well actually, by their parents).

Kids from Tri Clark awaiting the Swim Start

The future of Philippine Triathlon is secure as these kids are exposed to proper training, nutrition, mental preparationa and motivation coming from both their parents and the tri community. The Animo Sprint Tri and similar events provide these "Super Tri Kids" with a good venue to show and develop their talent. It's also good to note that the kids are exposed to this discipline and balances off the influences of gadget games and being hooked to the internet.

It was a thrill to watch the kids battle it out in the race course. For every kid, there would be around 3 to 4 people to support the child: the mom, the dad, the yaya and sometimes even the driver. A fifth support person would be either the Lola or the Ninang. In short, it was a huge family event. Kids as young as 5 years old participated.

Youngest Triathlete reporting for body marking.

Stage Parents: Triathlete, Tony Lu, his wife Therese and their daughter Kate, finisher.

Super Tri Kid sprinting to th finish.

Some of the Podium finishers among the kids.

Tri Idol, Art Ifurung of Tri Clark with his son - a future tri superstar?

My Race

In my case, I did a very rare 3-medal haul today at the 5th Annual Animo Sprint Triathlon.

My most notable medal was for 1st Place in my Age Group thus allowing me to defend my title versus Frenchman, Laurent Baucher who finished 3rd this year behind runner up, RJ Lorenzo a teammate with the Century Tri Hard Team.

I also won a medal each for in the La Salle and Ayala Alabang resident categories. The Animo Sprint Tri, being a De La Salle event, awarded the top 3 La Sallites who raced. The Ayala Alabang Village Association also awarded the top three village residents who competed.

Lucky Day - on the Podium 3 times.

Despite not having enough sleep because I attended my neice's debut party the night before, I was very happy with my "new" swim (which I've been working on the past 3 weeks), enjoyed powering through the 30k bike portion even if I didn't have water (I forgot to pack a bottle this morning), and had a really strong run. This gave me today's podium finish.

Sharing with you some of the breathtaking photos of the event:

I think we should also congratulate LSGH Batch 81 for pulling off the event for 5 straight years and to TRAP and Chili Grass who've both patiently partnered with our team to get the race going each year.

Thank you to all the sponsors - Century Tuna, Arena Swim Gear, SM Southmall, Goldilocks, Nizoral Cream, Gatorade, SBR, Philippine Star, David's Salon, OneSport and Swim Magazine.

Joining a Tri or Running Team

Humans are social beings. We tend to congregate usually to share and exchange ideas, take on challenges we cannot do on our own or simply to enjoy each other's company and deal with the loneliness. Our ancestors gathered together to hunt and to protect each other from predators and other rival or aggressor human groups. Over the centuries, the world has become less hostile but the need for teamwork, camaraderie, friendships or simply having someone share your moments and triumphs with still pervades.

As the sport of running and triathlon grows, it is inevitable that we group with like-minded individuals to provide companionship as we tough it out in training, but more importantly to have a support system as we go through our journey into the sport.

Roughly 7 years ago, two guys then in their early thirties joined a triathlon clinic out of curiosity. But, as what usually happens, they were bitten by the tri bug. Teree Eugenio, a marketing executive from a large local company and Victor Magno, a manager at a multinational shipping company decided to pursue the sport and even form a team. Thus giving birth to the "Tri Hard" team. They wanted a team that wasn't too hard core but whose members shared the passion for pursuing excellence, personal development and doing the best they can in triathlons. They then recruited friends into the team with the original members being Joel Munoz, now with Team Fitness First, Paul Fernandez, Chito Nombres, Armand Bautista, Vince Santos, Vinny Tongson, Ren (whose last name I forget) and myself, Greg Banzon forming more or less the initial team roster.

Original Member: Back Row - Vinny, Vince, Armand and co-founder Teree
Front Row - Vic (Team Captain), Chito Greg and Joel

Over the years, the team has grown and we now have a count of roughly 41 members of which 8 are female. The team is now called Century Tri Hard with the sexy healthy brand, Century Tuna brand as our name sponsor. Our line up comes from different backgrounds - lawyers, doctors, corporate executives, entreprenuers, bankers. We even have an international pilot and a congressman in our team. Our coach is National Team Coach, Southeast Asian Games medalist and 5 time Philippine Champion, George Vilog.

Coach George and Dr. Angeline "Lovs" Vilog

Philippine Record Holder, 2 time Philippine Champion and current Philippine Tri Team Captain, Nikko Huelgas is also a Tri Hard Member. We discovered him in the running races and recruited and converted him into a triathlete.

Philippine Record Holder and Tri Hard Member, Nikko Huelgas
The first and only Pinoy to break 2 hours in the Olympic Distance Tri

The Siblings and Former National Youth Team members, Joshua and Hanah Pe Benito were also Tri Hard members. They were part of our kids developmental team and were accepted to the Philippine Team soon after.They competed in many international triathlons and duathlons donning the national colors before migrating to Australia.

Hannah and Josh Pe Benito - former Philippine Youth Team Stalwarts.

We also grew the women's team over the years. Our first female recruit was Josette Dequina. A marathoner.

First female Tri Hard - Josette.

Others soon followed thus helping us be more competitive. It also helped us recruit more boys into the team. Here's why.

Elaine - runner!

Vanj - runner, finance executive.

Sam - runner, cyclist, marketing and sales manager

Andie - all around athlete, entrepreneur

All this adds to the color and character of the team which tend to train and race seriously but never really taking ourselves too seriously.

The advantages of being in a team are plentiful:

1. Induction/Introduction to the Sport

Joining a team allows you a smoother and easier entry into the sport. Depending on how long the team has been around, your new "teammates" would usually already have considerable amount of experience they can impart on the newbies. At the very least, you get the basic. Usually though, the "veterans" would be more than glad to show the newbies around.

But, being a newbie, also expect to really feel you are at the bottom of the totem pole despite your status in life. Like in my case, I was already a CEO of a large multinational company but my teammates, whom in our parallel life in the corporate world would be sucking up to me, would actually order me around.

Team Captain Victor Magno - he orders me around.

2. Training Programs and Injury Prevention

Teams would usually have a coach or access to some coaching. This saves you from trial and error with regard to training programs.

And proper training supervision also helps chart your progress from getting started, to conditioning, peak training and recovery. This will get you stronger at a faster rate while preventing injuries.

Our Coach - George Vilog. Need I say more?

A team also helps provide some security and support especially on long rides which have us ride outside of Metro Manila....way beyond the city limits.

Aside from coaching, our members come from different sporting disciplines. Runners, Swimmers, Cyclists but we also have a boxer, a Pilates instructor, coaches, water hockey, basketball players, a Polo Player (well not really). This mix of disciplines provides a melting pot of knowledge and tips on training and physical development.



BJ Manalo - Former PBA and UAAP Basketball Player (with matching glowing effect..)

BJ Manalo - Tri Hard Triathlete

3. Support during races

Going to a run or tri event can be intimidating. Especially if you go about it alone. The team is there to make you feel secure, part of a bigger entity. This also helps in logistics, defraying costs, making travel easier.

Your veterans would usually also already know key people in the sport like race officials, people who manage registration, other athletes and support crew like doctors, etc. This gives you a easier time to also get to know the key people in your sport.

Finally, the morale support is priceless. Going to battle with friends is inspiring.

The growing team

4. Fun and Camaraderie

In our team, Century Tri Hard - fun and friendships run deep. We've been around for about 7 years when our founders Victor Magno (who is the team captain) and Teree Eugenio, our treasurer got together and decided to form a team. Despite growing from the original crew of 8 members to more than 40 today, the spirit of fun continues to be ingrained into the team culture.

Tri Harder!

Pogi Shot!

Suka Finish
Our team motto - "SUKA FINISH" (which means "you have to race so hard you'll throw up your guts at the finish line").

GO CENTURY TRI HARD.

Live on DZMM Teleradio: Guesting on Sports Talk!

I was invited to appear on the live TV/Radio program, Sports Talk under the ABS-CBN Network this afternoon to promote the Animo Sprint Triathlon along with National Team Coach, Rick Reyes.

It was all good fun especially as this allowed us access to the different "live programming" and recording studios of the network. Rick and I got there 30 minutes earlier than call time despite the heavy rains on a Saturday afternoon. We decided to indulge in a 2nd lunch of the day at Grams inside the ABS-CBN complex. Ric wasn't quite finished with his Burger when the contact person from the show picked us up and brought us straight for make up. Despite our protestation (naks), they sat us down and proceeded to work on our faces.

Coach Rick in make up. Buti nagin lalake si Coach. Pangit na Girl, if ever.

Okay pala ito...pwedeng pa dagdag ng blush on, ate?

After a brief wait, we were ushered into the Studio which was totally high tech. The camera was this tiny gadget that would spin and point to whatever the guys in the control room next door wanted to focus on. The host for the day was Jasmine whom I've met before in corporate functions and coverages. Coach Ric was eloquent and clear, especially on technical matters on triathlon, training and running events. I was there as the organizer and one of the sponsors of the Animo Sprint Tri and to provide insights on the lifestyle of a triathlete and on balancing my time between training, work and personal matters.

Trying to sound credible.

It was all fun and we were happy to have promoted the Animo Tri.

How it looks on TV.....

The Century Tuna Animo Sprint Triathlon is now on its 5th year and continues to attract super tri kids, adult beginners and even hardcore triathletes to compete in this annual fund raiser. The beneficiary is the Saint Jaime Hilario Integrated School-La Salle in Bataan. This is a La Salle school catering to the children of fishermen, farmers and provincial dwellers from Bataan with hardly any tuition requriments. The cost of running the school is partially generated from donations such as the Animo Sprint Tri. It is organized by the La Salle Greenhills Batch 81, the Tri Hard Team and the Triathlon Association of the Philippines. The event is managed by Chili Grass, an events company.

Despite being "sandwiched" by the two major races, Subic International Triathon and the coming 5i50 Triathlon, the Animo Sprint Tri was able to achieve its maximum registration limit with a total of almost 500 athletes registering before the cut-off last Friday. It includes roughly 100 Super Tri Kids, 150 or so "mini sprinters" (beginners on Day 1) and the hardcore guys and the more adventurous on Day 2. Anyone who wants to catch a hardcore race, come see the Animo Sprint Tri on Sunday, June 10th at the Ayala Alabang Village.

Thanks to DZMM and ABS-CBN.

That's a wrap!