Archive for April, 2012

HOLY SHIV! That’s all I could say—well, okay, something that sounded like that—when I saw the new tri bike that Specialized was going to loan me.

My new bike is a Specialized Shiv Comp Rival.  It’s a tri specific model. 10 speed. Fully adjustable cockpit.  And, as if it was made for me, it has an internal hydration bladder!

The Shiv is the same model that Craig Alexander, seen in the ad above, used to win the Ironman World Championship last year.

There’s only around 10 of these in the Philippines.  When I saw it, I was overwhelmed.  I thought: I’m just a newbie. I’m not worthy.

BUT, man, whenever I take a look at this handsome bike, I just drool.  And smile.  And I wanna train all day and ride fast in it (heehee!)  It’s love at first sight, really.

– Me and my new baby…or boyfriend…whatever label is fine with me –

– with Joey Ramirez of Dan’s Bikeshop, distributor of Specialized –

So, here’s the deal with Specialized. The Shiv will be on loan as I train for Ironman 70.3 Cebu. Specialized will set a target time for me. If I reach it, the bike is mine. If I don’t, they will offer it to me at a discount.

It’s not like I needed an incentive to do my best at Ironman 70.3 Cebu. But, ya know, this sure makes the journey a whole lot sweeter!

– Hey shiv, you’re gonna be mine! –

For inquiries on Specialized bikes, please contact:
Dan’s Bike Shop
Phone: 894-5110
Email: maris_delamerced@yahoo.com
Facebook: search for dan’s bike shop or specialized philippines
Website: www.specialized.com

It’s always nice to catch up with old running blogger friends.  So, when we found out Philip and his wife Vina were back in town, we had to call for a get together.  Of course, talk was about running, marathons, and triathlons over sinigang na corned beef and crispy pata.

– Jay, Vina, Philip, me, Jun, and Levy –

Several years ago, Philip, who hails from South Africa, would tease us about running Comrades Marathon.  Now, looking fit in his Ironman 70.3 shirt, he bugged us about joining Ironman in his hometown 3 years from now. We’ll see, Philip, we’ll see.

Read their old running blogs here: (Guys, can you please update them? I miss reading these!)

> Jay – Prometheus Cometh
> Levy – Happy Hour
> Philip – Foreign Runner
> Jun – The Solemates

I signed up for Phuket Marathon last year only to be sidelined by injury.  This year, I may be able to squeeze in a half marathon in my training. Hmmm…

If you’re looking for a destination run within Asia, you may consider Laguna Phuket Marathon.  Online registration is available until 2 June at www.phuketmarathon.com with special deals at Laguna Phuket hotels also available on the website.

Here’s a press release below…

Asia’s Fastest Growing Destination Marathon Set for Record Numbers

Hundreds of runners from around the world will “Run Paradise” in the seventh annual Laguna Phuket International Marathon on Sunday, 10 June, to re-affirm its status as Asia’s fastest growing family-friendly destination marathon.

International registrations opened in October and since then entries have surged ahead of the same period last year, with total international entries now close to 1,000.

Local entries opened on 1 April to great enthusiasm and the final number is expected to exceed last year’s record of some 5,000 participants from 45 countries.

The biggest international group so far is Japan, with more than 200 runners, followed by Singapore (96) and Hong Kong (78).

Year-on-year growth since the inaugural 2006 event with less than 2,000 runners makes Laguna Phuket International Marathon Asia’s biggest and fastest growing destination marathon.

Its “Run Paradise” tagline is an apt description, with runners of all ages and abilities on a mainly flat course that takes in rubber and pineapple plantations, beach views, local villages and the tropical lagoons of Laguna Phuket – all in a family-friendly carnival atmosphere.

As well as the full marathon there’s a 21.1km half marathon and 10.5km run, with families catered for with the 91.5FM 5km community walk and 2km children’s race.

A two-day expo with sponsor booths and fun activities around Laguna Phuket will stoke the carnival atmosphere.

Event Director, Roman Floesser, of organiser Go Adventure Asia, said: “We encourage runners to enjoy the scenery and have a fantastic race experience instead of pushing themselves to achieve personal best times.

“It’s all about participation and having fun in a great atmosphere.”

“The miracle isn’t that I finished.  The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”

– John Bingham

Woohoo! I finished Tri United 1 yesterday! It was a 1k swim – 30k bike – 7k run, a distance that may seem short to experienced triathletes, but daunting to this newbie.  I’m writing to you now so that’s proof that I survived it.  Even better, I actually had fun!

I hesitatingly showed up for the women’s race yesterday all nervous and jittery. Quite honestly, I didn’t know what I was doing there.  I knew I didn’t have enough training.  I wanted to stay home with the kids for the weekend.  And, every time I thought of the swim and bike, my stomach churned. But, surprisingly, when I looked out at the sea in Laiya, I felt a certain calmness.  All of a sudden, I felt I made the right decision in showing up for the race and facing my fears.  Just like my first 5k way back in 2007, I knew I was at the right place.

RACE BRIEFING

The women’s race was at 2:30pm Saturday while the men would race Sunday morning (earlier this morning). We were 42 participants in the women’s race.

The course was friendly for beginners like me. It was 2 loops each for the swim, bike, and run. So, we pretty much knew what to expect for each of the 2nd loops.

– Host during the race briefing for the women’s race –

– Female triathletes during the brieifing. That’s Lods Yapson of Team Secondwind in the Sun Broadband shirt. Hey, Sun Broadband, I like! hah! –

– Unilab GM Clinton Hess during the briefing. In the back, my teammates Jake and Paolo are busy with more important matters: packing their baon –

– My teammates Bic, Adel, Mike, and Clint during the briefing –

THE RACE

It was my first open water swim triathlon. The only time I ever swam in open water before this race was at The Next Step Tri Camp last year. To say that I was nervous was an understatement.

Swimming out towards the buoy was tough as we went against the current. It kinda freaked me out that I couldn’t see anything at the bottom.  I don’t know how many times I stopped to hang on to the buoy just to find my way. But, heading back towards the shore, as my Coach had advised, I pulled hard and swam at a good pace. That’s exactly what I did.  Before I knew it, I was out of the water telling my teammates how much fun it was.

We ran 300m from the swim to the transition area. I calmly wore my bike shoes, helmet, shades, race bib, and hydrated, then off I went on the bike. Oh boy, I could use a lot more training on the bike. This was the point where I felt everyone was just overtaking me and I felt frustrated about wanting to go faster but not being able to.  Lots of newbie tales here: there was a time I almost bumped the race signage, or the time I u-turned beyond the u-turn portion to avoid hurting the spectators, or the time I yelled at men on motorcycles ogling at all of us women: “Lumayo kayo sa akin! Babanggain ko kayo!”

After what felt like forever, I finally reached the transition area and dismounted without crashing (one of my nightmares). The first few kilometers of the run were difficult. I wanted to push harder, but my legs felt heavy off the bike. (That’s what I get for not doing any brick sessions!) By the 2nd loop, I felt much better and I went at a slightly faster clip to finish the race.

– Heading towards the finish. Photo courtesy of Gica Limjoco –

THE END

I’m such a newbie. I didn’t even get my time. I guess I was just ecstatic about finishing. And, to tell you the truth, that’s really all that mattered to me at that point.

How many times have we said that, when it comes to your first marathon, the only goal is to finish? Well, for my first serious triathlon, it was exactly the same. The goal was to enjoy the journey and to finish with a smile on my face, and that’s exactly what I did.  I just had a grand time all throughout the race!

Uh oh, guys, I think I’m hooked.

Thanks so much to Coach Patrick Joson for teaching me the basics of biking and chasing after me when I was learning how to ride with cleats, Coach Andy Leuterio for taking me out for interval rides, Coach Martin Carandang for teaching me how to swim even if I take too long in between laps, Team Berlin and Team Kalyo (that’s just you and me, Ton) for our always fun runs, and to Team Unilab Active Health for the camaraderie and support.  This is only the beginning.

– with good friend and 2nd Place finisher for her age category, Bic –

– Teammate Ani de Leon, wins in her age category just 4 months after giving birth –

– with teammates from Team Unilab Active Health. They all stayed overnight for the men’s race the day after (today), but I rushed home after the race to be with the kiddos –

Dear Lord,

Tomorrow is the big day: Tri United 1 at Laiya, Batangas. It feels like my first triathlon since I’ve really only done two mini sprints way back in 2008 and 2009.

Oh God, this is the first time I’m joining a triathlon in open water, first time I’m going out of town for a triathlon, and the first time I’m going to swim and bike for what seems like such a long distance! Last year, I would never have dreamed of swimming and biking this much!

If you sense the panic in my voice, please take pity on me and, should you have a short recess from solving the more weighty problems of the world, perhaps you could accede to one or more of my humble requests:

1. Please don’t let any sea creatures sting me — be it jellyfish or sea ticks. It will be quite difficult for me to employ my own TBR swim-scratch-gasp-swim(R) technique during a race.
2. Please help me make sure I prepare everything properly in the transition area. You know how often I’ve forgotten underwear, toiletries, or even my own surname after receiving epidural for two kids. Just this once, help me leave nothing behind.
3. Keep me and all other participants safe during the bike ride. Yes, needless to say, you may also keep them safe from me and my not-so-perfect biking skills.
4. Guide me as I attempt to drink from the bottle during the ride. I know, I know, you only help those who’ve helped themselves. Promise, I’ve practiced this the past couple of weeks, but I’ve come to the sad conclusion that I must’ve been absent when you blessed humanity with balance and maneuvering skills.
5. Please spare me from any technical difficulties on the bike. I’ve watched so many youtube videos on “how to change a flat tire” but unless my repair kit has a magical caucasian genie triathlete that pops out and does everything for me, I don’t think I’m ready to change it myself yet. I promise to learn before Ironman 70.3.
6. Brick? Oh boy, I didn’t have any brick training during my past 3 weeks of mishmash triathlon training. Please Lord, don’t make me wobble like a duck when I hop out of the bike and attempt to run.
7. Allow me to have a strong and safe run since, this time, it comes after a 1km swim and 30km bike ride. You know I haven’t done anything like this in my entire life, so send some angels to make things a bit easier. If they’re busy doing some good in the world, then second or third or fourth wind would be much appreciated if and when I tire out.
8. Last but not the least, please let me have fun even if none of the prayers above are answered. Remind me that the first race is always about enjoying the experience. I can worry about time and a better performance at the next race, right?

Yours Truly,

The-Bull-Runner-Who-Is-Going-Nuts-Thinking-About-The-Swim-&-Bike-Tomorrow