Home|About|Races|Magazine|Events|Blogroll|Press|Contact|Browse Content
Leaderboard Ad

Animo Triathlon 2009 – Part 1

This was so much more fun than my first triathlon last year!  While the first tri was a race to finish, this one was a race to beat—not others—but myself.  I jotted down my time for each sport in last year’s Animo Tri and, as I trained, I made sure that I improved on those times. With the training I had the past week, plus the bike lent by my friend Hans, I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t be the turtle that I was in 2008.  (Well, I wasn’t that confident but I sure was praying for that!)

IMG_0656
– Big big thank you to Hans of GranTrail Bike shop, West Gate Center, Alabang -

{CHECK IN}

Check in and body marking was quick and easy.  Hubby, who did his first mini-sprint, and friends Jamike and Jun were just a few meters away.  After hanging up our bikes on the racks, placing stickers on our bikes and helmets, and preparing all our gear for easy transition, we calmly walked towards the DLSZ swimming pool.

IMG_0629
– Transition area set up -

{SWIM: 350 M}

This is when I started getting all jittery.  Seeing the green, murky water in the DLSZ pool didn’t help at all to alleviate the tension.  I ran to the bathroom twice, talked with my father-in-law about anything that came to mind, fidgeted with my goggles and swim cap, and started wondering if I should just stick to running instead.

When it was our turn, I jumped in the pool along with the other female mini-sprinters.  It was great to see my two highschool friends, cousins Jennie and Tintin, both strong athletes who were as nervous as I was.  After a brief chat, we heard the horn signal the start of our race.

There was a lot of pushing and kicking going on in there.  And, these women were fast!  I threw caution to the wind and went as fast as I could too paying no attention to the kicks I got or gave.  By the first lap, I was spent.  Obviously, I was not made for sprint swimming.  I took a 5 second break and went at it again.  Same speed, same gusto, but probably with terrible form.  

IMG_3275

- Forgot about pacing. I went as fast as I could -

It went on like this for the next six laps.  Before I knew it, I was done.  Out of breath and tired, I ran out of the pool, slipped into my flipflops (which I now left near the exit unlike last year) and made my way towards the transition area.

SWIM TIME: 8.46 mins vs 18:00 mins 2008.  Beat my old time by 9.14 min.

{BIKE: 11KM}

Since the bike course was initially flat at Narra, I got to recover a bit from the tiresome swim portion.  I was still pretty much in relaxed mode at this portion.  As we headed out towards University Ave., that’s where the real race began.  I overtook bikers while the same bikers would overtake me.  It helped that I memorized the ocho-ocho loop a few days before the race.  There was no time lost on second guessing the route, or worse, missing out on a turn or doubling a loop, mistakes that were committed by a lot of participants this year and the last.

After we climbed up Country Club Drive, it was basically one other female biker and I who were competing with each other.  She and I started chasing each other through the rest of the course.  Aaack, it was tiresome, but I gotta admit, it was fun too!  Near the end of the course, I recognized her face and realized it was an acquaintance, Mavis.  We reached the end of the bike portion at practically the same time.  After transition and as we headed out towards the run, I told her how the bike portion became so much more challenging with her presence.

BIKE TIME: 34.21 (11km) vs 41.01 (12k) last year.

IMG_3287
– Never thought I could have that much fun on a bike. I’m a convert. (I look like I’m in pain in the photo though haha) -

IMG_0641
– Sprinters heading for transition -

{RUN: 3.5KM}

And now for the part we all love…When I started to run, I was breathless; I was panting like a puppy.  Nevertheless, I pushed forward, taking one quick step at a time, still paying attention to my form.  By the time I made it out to University Ave., there was no one behind me nor in front of me.  Honestly, had I not ran this route during our simulation last Tuesday, I would’ve thought I lost my way; there were no race signs nor marshalls.  I trusted my instincts and just plodded forward.  Soon enough, I spotted a couple of runners ahead.  One male, one female.  I followed.  There was another female heading back and she was escorted by a marshall on motorcycle, so she was #1.  The lady ahead of me was #2.  Then, in complete disbelief, I realized that I could actually be the 3rd!  

As I circled the turnaround, I spotted female #4. Lord, not her!  It was the super strong french lady runner from Hope in Motion 3 last year. (After chasing her throughout the race, I gave up and fell behind.  She placed 2nd and I 3rd.)  When I saw her, I wanted to run for my life!  Unfortunately, I was just so tired.  I just gave it my all, put on step in front of the other, and prayed to God that she was as exhausted as I was.  In a few minutes, I made the right turn and headed towards the finish line.

RUN TIME: 17.18 (3.5k hilly course) vs 16.06 (3.4k flat) last year.  

IMG_3292
– Tri is lovelier the 2nd time around! Finish time: 1:00:25 -

IMG_0637
– with my training buddies: Jun, Jamike and hubby (or as Annie would say Tito, Vic, and Joey heehee!) -

IMG_0634
– with my “Team Mate”…same trisuit, long hair, but she was a lot leaner and taller and faster on the bike. Sheesh, forgot her name! Please email or comment! -

IMG_0636
– with highschool classmates, Bau and Tin. See you next year? -

{2ND PLACE FOR MY 2ND TRI}

Turns out I got 2nd place for female overall, while the french lady won 3rd.  The lady runner ahead of me at the run won 1st place; she beat me by 24 seconds.  I don’t exactly know what happened to the lady leading the pack.

The podium finish was a pleasant surprise.  I really just set out to beat myself, so the medal and P250 David’s Salon Gift Certificate (perfect for covering up my new dead toenail) are really just bonuses for an hour of sweat, excitement, and friendly competition.

IMG_0651
– 2nd Place female overall -

IMG_0648
– Official results -

More photos in the next post…

Posted on 06.14.09 to 02 Race Reports, Favorite Posts. Tags: . Subscribe to follow comments on this post. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

«
»

33 Responses to “Animo Triathlon 2009 – Part 1”

  1. Congratulations! It’s time to buy a bike!

    Regards Mark & Tiffin

    m8parco said on Jun 14 09 at 8:57 PM

  2. congrats jaymie! yey! ;)

    vimz said on Jun 14 09 at 9:14 PM

  3. congrats! i was inspired to join a triathlon after reading this. sana next year! heheh. more power! =D

    Ricardo Martinez said on Jun 14 09 at 9:19 PM

  4. great job! congratulations!

    Raymund said on Jun 14 09 at 9:32 PM

  5. hi tbr, congratulations on your 2nd place finish! more importantly, kudos for drastically improving your performance from last year. i was the girl who shouted “go bullrunner!” so loudly on your way to the finish line :)

    hubby did better than he thought on his sprint… your comment earlier made me vow to learn how to ride a bike so i can do a mini-sprint next year too!

    khun said on Jun 14 09 at 9:56 PM

  6. Wow galing jaymie! congrats! :)

    Mayen said on Jun 14 09 at 10:00 PM

  7. congrats. ganda ng bike mo. mag tri na rin kayo ako pagbalik ko? hehehe

    ibetlacbay said on Jun 15 09 at 12:28 AM

  8. Nice game…Congrats Jaymie :)

    sweet reborn said on Jun 15 09 at 6:11 AM

  9. Go Jaymie! Congrats on a great finish! If your training buddies are Tito Vic and Joey, then you are…?

    Jay said on Jun 15 09 at 6:15 AM

  10. Hi Jaymie,
    Congratulations!
    Mark

    knightrunner said on Jun 15 09 at 6:46 AM

  11. Hi Jaymie,

    We met briefly before the race you may not remember. Congratulations to you that excelled on what is only your second TRY (and tri).

    I hope your feat will inspire Jammy to keep on TRYING (tri-ing) with secret practices. I haven’t seen him and your father in law since the 80s so it was a pleasant surprise to meet up with him again.

    Hope to see you guys again in the road.

    Keep up the good work! regards to the family

    JPaiso

    JPaiso said on Jun 15 09 at 7:08 AM

    • Hi Jojo, of course I remember :) It was nice meeting you too. I’m sure we’ll see each other again at future races. Jammy sends his regards

      thebullrunner said on Jun 15 09 at 8:51 AM

  12. Jaymie,

    How did that girl run an 8min 3.5km off the bike? :)

    Congrats on your 2nd place win!

    Javy said on Jun 15 09 at 8:18 AM

  13. congratulations, ms TBR!:)

    the beginner said on Jun 15 09 at 9:05 AM

  14. Hi Jaymie. Congratulations on your podium finish. Galing! Sayang I didn’t get to see the mini-sprint competition as I was patiently lining up for the race pack collection and body marking. Ang daming participants! Ang saya :-)

    ricov said on Jun 15 09 at 9:09 AM

  15. hi there, saw you there yesterday on my first tri! i’m a fan, should have had our picture taken.
    congratulations on that podium finish and that’s on your 2nd tri race. galeng!

    coolace said on Jun 15 09 at 9:19 AM

  16. Hi Jaymie, Congrats on placing 2nd! Swimming’s my waterloo (mwahahaha. pardon the pun), so it’s amazing how you’ve improved by 10 mins on your second tri palang. =) Go for gold next!

    janine+ said on Jun 15 09 at 9:34 AM

  17. hi jaymie.. this is irene benitez your “teammate” :-) .. thanks for posting our pix and the results. Your blogs are very interesting and informative .. I am now officially your fan :-) yesterday was my first tri race. Had no training for it except the bike which i have been doing since jan and i didnt know anyone… was a bit anxious .. seeing a friendly face like yours was helpful.. it was also relaxing to see dedet there too supporting you :-) and the matching tri suits gave a feeling of having a teammate although false relaxing din… congrats for finishing 2nd! (sayang… my husband thought it was me finishing wen your were crossing the line hahaha…)

    Irene said on Jun 15 09 at 11:47 AM

  18. Ang galing mo. Congrats!

    Christy said on Jun 15 09 at 12:01 PM

  19. congratulations Jaymie ! Galing ! Will send your in-action photos … :)

    allyn said on Jun 15 09 at 12:12 PM

  20. Congratulations TBR! As usual your story is always an inspiration.

    We’re also trying to entice new triathletes (even those who don’t know how to bike!) by holding indoor triathlons here in Cebu at the Holiday Gym and Spa. It’s 300M swim – 10KM on stationary bike – 3k run in an indoor track.

    Hopefully the newbies like myself can do a mini sprint on an actual beach and ride a real bike very soon.

    Best regards,

    Haide

    Haide said on Jun 15 09 at 12:22 PM

  21. Jaymie!!! 2nd place! Congratulations! Ang galing, I’m so impressed by your swim time ha! And after reading your post I’m so thankful I didn’t join this one. I probably would have drowned with all that kicking going on! hahaha :-)

    MARY715 said on Jun 15 09 at 5:27 PM
Return to Top