The K-Swiss Asian Triathlon Championship + SUBIT 20 Na, Hihirit Pa!

Many years ago, there was a movie entitled, the Highlander which revolved around a select group of IMMORTALS who roamed all over the world but would convene every few decades for what was known as the GATHERING. Driven by an unknown force, the IMMORTALS would have to battle to the death until there was only ONE. When one IMMORTAL would kill another, he would gain the loser's powers and then he would utter the phrase "there can be only ONE".

This weekend is going to be a HUGE two days for Philippine Triathlon.

We are the host to the Asian Triathlon Championships and this coincides with the 20th Staging of the  Subic International Triathlon (or SUBIT for short)!

I have always likened SUBIT as the GATHERING! Where for one weekend, almost everyone of note in the Philippine Triathlon community will gather after weeks, or even months of hardcore, unforgiving training. To battle it out and leave everything on the hot, tough race course that SUBIT has become famous for. To know who is the ONE.



The start of the Men's Elite during last year's SUBIT.

And given that this is the ITU official Asian Triathlon Championships, the tri gods - Asia's best and finest triathletes will be decending on Subic to showcase competition on an Olympic level. Several Olympians and Olympic hopefuls are registered to compete.

Some of the World Class Athletes from last year.

Delegate from Russia last year.

Asia's top athletes are coming. Olympians!

The Philippines is pinning our hopes on two triathletes for this important Asian Championships. Philippine Record Holder, Nikko Huelgas (also a member of the Century Tuna Tri Hard Team) and Jonard Saim who is in perfect shape for this weekend. National Team Coach, George Vilog is predicting that Jonard will break 2 hours in the Olympic Distance.


Philippine Hopeful and SUBIT Poster Boy.

Philippine Record Holder and Future Olympian, Nikko

Triathlon has gone a long way here in the Philippines. Registration in races get closed out and staging has become quite sophisticated and even boardering on extravagant, SUBIT remains to be prestigeous despite the very modest manner by which it is staged. It is the race where the country's top team is determined via the annual Team Competition which has been a tug of war battle between Team Fitness First and Polo Tri. Age Group Winners are more proud when they take Podium in SUBIT more than any other race. All the new tri kits of the big teams tend to debut in SUBIT. And this is the race that fueled the growth of the sport that we love.

This is the 7th year I am joining SUBIT. And through the years, I have seen the event grow not only in terms of partipation, but more importantly, in INTENSITY. The level of performance of individuals and teams are taken to a higher level each year. What's more evident is the wild fluctuation of my body weight and mass when I look back to pictures from the different years.




Our first Sponsored Team Uniform - we were Sunkist Tri Hard then.

Our LG Tri Suit - it was so "see through".
 

 We then started becoming more hard core. The level of competition just kept getting harder and harder.

Still heavy but slimmer.



Bromance? Nah, that's just my good buddy, Ironman Ivan at the finish in 2011.

The best part in all these races is the anxiety and excitement at the starting line and the camaraderie and festive mood at the finish.

I wonder who among the age groupers will emerge at the ONE? Is it going to be Don Velasco? Ia Isip? Ferdie Catabian? SEA Games Veteran, George Vilog?

Kay Don ako pupusta!

Whoever it will be, it's going to be a great weekend for Philippine Triathlon.

On the 20th staging of SUBIT, let us all honor the event with our very best performance ever.

I will personally push hard this weekend. I have put in the mileage, I have done the speed work...I've even prepared for the swim (hahahahahah...but I'm still so slow).

And everytime I need to psyche up for the race, I listen to the song, "You Get What You Give" from the New Radicals. It's what they play in all Ironman races prior to gun start. This is what will keep my heart pounding and revved up to achieve my target time.

"First we run and then we laugh till we cry
 But when the night is falling
 And you cannot find the light
 If you feel your dream is dying
 Hold tight
 You've got the music in you
 Don't let go
 You've got the music in you
 One dance left
 This world is gonna pull through
 Don't give up
 You've got a reason to live
 Can't forget you only get what you give"

Congratulations to Tom Carrasco and the rest of TRAP for the 20th staging of SUBIT and for hosting the Asian Triathlon Championship.

See you all in Subic.

Safeguard 2XU Half Marathon - My comeback race.....NOT!

I'm back!

After a long haitus from blogging and from multi-sports, I am attempting to stage a comeback of sorts. Not that I was really ever "there" in terms of excellence in the sport. I guess I could be considered as among the more active athletes in the circuit.

After my dismal performance in the Cebu Ironman 70.3, I had planned on taking a week off from training. The week extended into two weeks, then into a month and before I knew it, my travel schedule (for work), my workload and overall laziness had me taking it very easy for at least 4 months. I quickly gained 15 pounds that to this day, I have yet to completely shed off (the last 5 pounds are usually the toughest). I was logging in 5 hours a week of training or less versus the average of 10 to 12 hours during the regular season. More importantly, I used the time to catch up with work and to put this as a top priority.

Career muna bago pag-ibig (hehehe, triathlon). At a coffee shop in
San Francisco.

(Serious) training resumed sometime in January to cram for the Condura Marathon. This was a mistake. Jumping into a full marathon without serious mileage only made the experience very painful and resulted in a foot injury that sidelined me for another 3 weeks. I practically limped to the finish with a time of 4:20++ or something like that.

That's me in front of Raoul Floresca - being fat and anxious
at the starting line of the Condura Marathon.

After somewhat recovering from the marathon and the injury it gave me as a souvenir, I crammed again to try to fit into my tri suit and signed up for the Tri United 1 standard distance tri in Subic. Despite bursting out of my tri suit, I was able to do a decent swim and bike and a good run. Finished in 2:42. This inspired me to try to lose weight (to fit the tri suit next time) and to put a little more in training.

Fat and overheating at the Tri United 1 in Subic.

Bilbil power...ran a 0:50++ min 10k during Tri U 1.

So, I did put in some serious training the past 6 weeks or so. I've been doing the mandated long rides on Sundays (minimum of 80k) and at least one ride during the week. One long run, one tempo and one interval run session a week plus around 3 swim sessions. From time to time, I did twice a day training by spending some time on the bike trainer plus a bit of easy evening runs. I was encouraged by being noticeably slimmer and feeling lighter on my feet or the bike. Thus, I was expecting to run at my usual pace during the Safeguard 2XU Half Marathon.

Congratulations to Coach Rio for once again organizing a great race. This time, though - there is a very serious effort to reduce trash and mess that run races leave as a consequential aftermath. The Runrio group decided not to field plastic cups and sponges through the race course and mandated that runners bring their own bottles which could be refilled along the race course. It does take getting used to. I needed to stop to do refills and it is tough to carry a bottle throughout a 21k run. But overall, it was manageable.

Assembly time might have been called too early though. We were there by 3pm and had to get up by 2am to get ready and drive to Bonifacio. It was so early that the night party crowd was still in full force at the top venues in the BGC. Runners intermingled with party people.

Registration was limited to 1,200 and this was a good number for a 21k. The race start wasn't too crowded and traffic was easier to manage.

Security was extra tight due to the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

10 pounds less than Condura Marathon but 5 pounds short of my target weight.

As the gun when off, I found myself running hard to avoid the pushing and shoving that happens at the start line. There are still a lot of slow runners and newbies who position themselves at the front before the start and this leads to some congestion. I guess they want to be part of the photo when the gun goes off.

It was still pitch black but the course was mostly well lit and the road markers clear and visible. Ran a 0:47mins for the first 10k. This is my usual pace enroute to a 1:38 to 1:40 hours run for 21k. But, unfortunately, I may still be paying for the long lay off. I could only sustain the pace another 2 kilometers before having to slow down and decide to pace myself to the finish. Total time was 1:50 hours. Way off my target of 1:40 hours.

So, it wasn't much of a comeback. More of a diagnostic effort to see what I need to work on for the rest of the run and tri season. But, nevertheless, it's good to be racing again.

I'm a bit apprehensive about my coming tri this Sunday. My only serious weapon in tri is my run. But, we'll see. I think I may be able to pull off a surprise in the bike and unleash a kick ass run.

It's good to be back.

Wish me the best of luck.

 

Eating Right: Staying Fit and Slim in the Off Season

I am giving myself a treat. After 9 months of continuous training and racing, I decided to declare October my rest month! Yes, that's right. I am taking it easy the whole month. And by the looks of it, I just might extend my rest to two months.

I had forgotten how it's like to wake up past 6am. It is still a bit disconcerting that I am in no obligation to train and now have so much time in the morning to just enjoy the best part of the day. Not only do I stay an extra few minutes in bed, it sometimes takes me a full hour to get up.

This sudden drop in activity has slowed my metabolism and given my body type, I am starting to gain weight fast. As such, I has to remind myself of the 5 Simple Tips of Eating to stay slim during the off season. This will shorten my journey in getting back to shape in case I want to go back to competitive racing. Here are the basic Tips:

Fat creeps up on you fast.

Tip No 1: Eat smaller meals but do it often throughout the day!

The idea here is to eat more often. Not to eat more! I try to spread out the total calories I normally eat as an endurance athlete in a day to at least 5 meals throughout the day. So for example, if I eat 2,500 calories per day, I spread this out into roughly 500 calories meals 5 times in the day. 80% of the daily calorie burn is just to run your daily bodily functions - keeping your heart ticking, breathing and even digesting. Also the stuff you do like work, study, walking, chores, sleep, day dream, etc. And the body's furnace is most efficient if its made to run on high steam throughout rather than ebb and flow. Eating smaller, regular meals makes your metabolism burn like a fully fueled furnace thus help burn more calories and keep you slim.

Tip No. 2: Don't skip breakfast.

A good breakfast actually keeps you slim. Keep it to 600 to 700 calories though.

Sleep helps you recover and rebuild from the daily grind of everyday life. However, it also keeps you at least 8 to 10 hours without eating thus eventually slowing your metabolism. If you do not "top up", the slower metabolism will only build fat eventually. Breakfast also keeps you more satisfied which in turn makes you eat less throughout the day.

Tip No. 3: Eat more color and greens.

Fiber, lower calories per gram and folate content in green vegetables is a good way of feeling satisfied, getting good volume of food without packing fat and weight gain. More importantly, the folate in vegetables - especially green vegetables gives the extra benefit of reducing fatigue, improve energy levels and enhance your mood. They say it even helps battle depression. Not only do you look better, you'll feel better too.

Tip No 4: Eat more Fiber and Protein.

Fiber cleanses the body and flushes out cholesterol from our system. This in turn keeps our blood sugar levels stable. Protein ensures we have enough muscle mass which burns more energy even if passive. This combination is potent for staying slimmer.

Tip No. 5: Chose Only Health Drinks

If we drink softdrinks and similar sweetened beverages, this adds as much as 500 calories per day to your intake. Cutting this in half can help take off as much as 12 to 20 pounds a year. It's better to stay with water and other low calorie beverages such as healthy, high potasium coconut water.

Stay slim in the off season. It'll make your comeback much more enjoyable.

Travel to the USA - Day 2

Jet lag still got the better of me last night. Although I labored hard not to fall asleep through all the activities of Day 1 including the fast track tour of Washington late at night...and the huge noodle dinner, I still had a hard time sleeping last night. I ended up sleeping at 3am.

I still managed to do an easy run and enjoyed a good heavy breakfast. The run was AMAZING. The residential areas in the outskirts of Washington (actually Virginia already), are typical American homes you'd see in the movies. The weather was perfect and I ran in temperatures of maybe a comfortable 17 degrees Celcius. Lot of greenery and very clean air.

This is the home of my friend and former track teammate, Cherryl Jimenez.

I won't give you the address lest my good friends gains more stalkers.

Most of the homes here kinda looked this way.

Day 2 is a little bit more relaxed. First of all, it's a Sunday!

We decided to just have a slow and easy day (how Sundays really should be except that we are Triathletes who love to torture ourselves in training in our free time).

We ended up driving to the Gaylord National Harbor, a very popular site in Maryland. It was absolutely beautiful. I am always drawn to the water and this was a very clean, cosmopolitan yet quaint harbor town with shops and dinning places that were classy yet affordable. The mix of a very faint smell of the sea marries with the sweet fragrances of the various theme restaurants and coffee shops that I am reminded of Christmas travels with my family. As I was walking along the well manicured streets and walkways, I begin to miss my kids terribly. Anu ba yan, isang araw pa lang, home sick na? It's just that we used to travel a lot together and the trips to the USA and Europe are the most memorable to me. Here are some of the pictures I took at the Harbor.



One of the unique theme shops in Gaylor National Harbor.
This store sell clothing that promotes "positivism".

One of the side roads at the Gaylord National Highway.

How much more American can you get?

There is also that huge glass structure that serves like an Atrium or a  "green house" of sorts as a frontage to a fancy hotel facing the harbor. This is truly an impressive piece of infrastructure.

Wow!

Windswept - a nice piece of sculpture along the harbor.

Inside the Atrium. It's full of shops and dining places.

Christmas Ornaments for Sale Inside the Atrium!
We used to buy at least one ornament a year.

Happily Ever After - Saw this cut elderly couple walking around the Atrium still holding hands.

Mosaic Art near a row of art shops.

Picture by the harbor. At least, it's one of those rare times I am at the sea
and I'm not wearing a tri suit.

The Awakening - an art piece on the sea shore. It's like Poseidon getting up in the morning.

A nice shop full of "pasalubong items".

 

After doing a little shopping, we then had lunch at Nando's Peri Peri. A Portugese Chicken house that served the tastiest, juiciest and most delicious Chicken I ever had.

If you see this sign, EAT HERE!

The Perfect Chicken!

My driver here in the Washington DC area.

Akala ko si Eddie Garcia - Manoy!

Artsy chair along the sidewalk.

Nice little art shop.

At the coffee shop after lunch.

 

The perfect Mocha Latte!

 

After lunch and coffee, we then headed back to grab my stuff and head to the airport to catch my flight to Savannah, Georgia. This is via a the Delta Hub in Atlanta.

Security at the Washinton DC - Ronald Reagan Airport was unsually tight. The long line in TSA led to some minor delays. It didn't help that rain was pretty hard in Atlanta. The plane I took landed around 20 minutes late which necessitated me to run from terminal T to Terminal A. I made it with bearly a few minutes to spare.

Upon landing at Savannah, I am impressed at the charm and welcoming attitude of everyone.

This looks like fun!

I rent a car from National Rent a Car (the only counter open at 11 pm, my arrival time at Savannah). I chose to rent a Yaris instead of an SUV or Minivan because I figured it was easier to drive the Yaris. That's the probinsyano in me.

After a 30 minute drive, I finally arrive at the hotel. No less than the Hyatt Regency Savannah! Nice!

Hyatt! Sweet! I wish the kids were here.

View of the Lobby from the 6th Floor Balcony

Running Path courtesy of the Hyatt. My marathon training won't get to messed up after all.

I brought my Armani Suit to this trip. Good decision. It doesn't get 
wrinkled even if I packed it in my suit case.

It's going to be an interesting day tomorrow.