We’ve made progress, baby! It’s only been a month since we first accepted the Quaker Challenge and it has definitely helped to get my kids moving and working for their goal.

TBR JR. SIGNS UP FOR IRONKIDS

Anton, my 12-year old, just signed up for his first triathlon: Ironkids on October 20, 2013 at Palms in Alabang. Woohoo! For Anton’s age category of 11 to 12 year old, the distance is 300m swim-10k bike-2k run.

Can I just tell you? I was more nervous registering him for this race than I was when I signed up for my first Ironman 70.3. Actually, I may even be more nervous than the participant himself! LOL

Anton also expressed worry over the 300m swim since he only took this up a couple of weeks ago, but I reminded him that all athletes feel anxiety before a race. You really just have to train hard, overcome your fear, and enjoy the entire experience. Thankfully, he seemed to have believed me, and it calmed his nerves somewhat. Sometimes, I’m just pleasantly surprised over how this not-so-little boy of mine is slowly gaining his confidence. Tissue please.

So far things are looking great. Anton’s swim has significantly improved with the guidance of Coach Norman and his assistant, Coach Jeff. We got him a new road bike 2 weeks ago so he can finally retire the P3,500 mountain bike from Cartimar I purchased last year when I scrimped on him. (Bad mom, I know!) He finally agreed to wear a trisuit, something this tween refused to do in the past. And, best of all, he is just genuinely excited about triathlon. In fact, he thanks God for it in his evening prayer! Seriously, it’s a triathlete mom’s dream come true!

– Fun drills for the kids –


– Hardcore trikids continued training despite the rain and they had a blast too!-

LI’L MISS TBR SWIM AWAITS

As for Nia aka Li’l Miss TBR, we just had to wait for her school exams to end (done last week!) and for her birthday to pass (she turns 9 on the 25th) before she takes up swimming with Coach Anthony Lozada, my swim coach. She loved swimming with Coach Ria Mackay in her Aqualogic Swim sessions last summer so this should be fun for her.

In the meantime, I’m allowing Nia to enjoy her birthday week. Secretly, I’ll be busy planning for her sports activities while she counts the days till she turns 9!

– Li’l Miss TBR can’t think of anything but her birthday wish list. Here she is taking photos of the Littlest Pet Shop toys she hopes to receive –

ALL IN THE SPIRIT OF FUN

While I’m glad the kids are getting more active, I also had to remind them especially Anton, that this was still all for fun. The last thing I want is for them to feel pressured to perform and to dread or detest sports.

My goals as a Mom is clear to me from the onset: I want the kids to be more active so that they adopt a healthy, wholesome lifestyle as early as now. Aside from sports, I’ve also been serving them healthier meals at home—less dairy and red meat, more wholesome grains and veggies and fruits—to fuel them for their activities. (They actually don’t know that they’ve been eating healthier fare so let’s just keep this between you and me, okay?) This is really a holistic plan that I just hope they grow into naturally and eventually practice for the rest of their lives. Crossing my fingers!

This is part of a series of posts under the Quaker Challenge. It’s about the quest that my kids and I have to achieve our Quaker Goal to swim, bike, and run more. Read about it HERE.

Toby’s Sports recently unveiled it’s new look, new campaign, and new endorsers.  I dropped by for the big event at SM Aura last Wednesday to congratulate Toby Claudio and the entire team.

– Toby’s team with its new endorsers and guests –

“It Starts Here” is Toby’s Sports’ latest campaign, espousing that the first step in achieving greater heights is commitment. This is how the brand sees itself through the years: committed to its purpose of helping every Filipino live their best through sports and an active lifestyle. More than a sports store, Toby’s Sports has made a mark on the mind, hearts, and bodies of millions of Filipinos since it started 35 years ago.

To further strengthen and communicate its mantra, Toby’s Sports officially launched its new logo to go with its all-new store design created by a Tokyo-based design firm. Toby’s selected the country’s top athletes who best epitomize the “It Starts Here” campaign: PBA all-star James Yap, volleyball champion Michele Gumabao, and Azkals star goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. These three athletes each exhibit what it is like to have a burning passion for sports, be motivated to reach greatness, and prove that excellence can be fulfilled.

– Toby with triathletes Kesha Fule, Andy Leuterio, and Don Velasco –


– Dyan Castillejo –

– Paolo Abrera –

Toby’s Sports also has its own significant story of starting 35 years ago as a small toy store. It has constantly grown and evolved, and the Toby’s Sports we know today currently has 50 stores nationwide, covers 56 sports, and carries nearly 500 brands – making it the leading and largest sports brand in the Philippines.

Congratulations Toby’s!

Announcing the 100 runners who have been accepted into Armand and Mitch Mendoza’s TBR-ULAH Dream Marathon Weight Mangement Program.  Congratulations guys!

Click below to download the list of runners:

DOWNLOAD: OFFICIAL LIST OF WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PARTICIPANTS

Click below for details on the program. Your first session is already this WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25 at Galilea Events Place at 100 Miles Cafe, 2/F Fort Pointe Building, 28th Avenue, BGC at the Fort. (Old Pier One area near Zong).

LINK: WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

For inquiries, email tbrdream@gmail.com or call 0942-477-6099.

SEPT. 18, ST. LUKES, BGC – We had our first gathering for TBR-ULAH Dream Marathon Batch 2014 and it was our biggest gathering ever for our Bull Circle. Over 500 runners came for our talk on “The Marathon Dream” where Coaches Jim Lafferty, Lit Onrubia, and myself were speakers. The number of people who attended our talk was almost double the runners we had on the race day of our inaugural race 5 years ago. Imagine that?!

– We filled the auditorium! –

I kicked off the Bull Circle with the history of the Dream Marathon.

Co-founder of TBR-ULAH Dream Marathon Coach Jim Lafferty discusses how to succeed at the marathon.

Head coach of the event, Lit Onrubia, discusses proper form and pace.

– Q&A with half of the Dream Team –

Armand Mendoza discussed the Weight Management Program that he and wife Mitch Mendoza will be offering exclusively to Dream Marathon participants.

Thank you so much to everyone who attended. We hope we were able to share our knowledge with you on how to best train for your upcoming marathon and we hope you gave you extra motivation and inspiration to pursue your dreams. It was a pleasure meeting you all and to get the chance to chat with some of you.

– TBR-ULAH DM Alumni Mike and Macel Janeo (on left and rightmost) all smiles with their new “recruits” for Batch 2014. –

With the help of Photo-Ops, Dream Marathoners get the chance to order this souvenir showcasing their chosen race image from Photo-Ops and an original medal (aside from what they receive on race day). Pre-orders will be taken by November.

Runners got free samples of Enervon HP. And, if they liked the Enervon HP page, they even got a 700g box for free.

Runners had the chance to purchase customized Dream Marathon Simply Hydration bottles at a discount.

Thank you to our photographers Photo-Ops led by Tong Pascua.

See you for the 1st Bull Session on October 5! More details at tbrdream.com.

We’re happy to announce that TBR-ULAH Dream Marathon will again be collaborating with Armand and Mitch Mendoza offering our runners a WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM as you train for the marathon.  Thank you again to Armand and Mitch for sharing their knowledge and time with our runners!

Below are the details of the Weight Management Program.  Kindly read through it and only sign up if you are certain that you will maximize the use of your slot.

How to become part of the program (Requirements)

• Must be registered participant of TBR Dream Marathon 2014.
• Must be committed to be in the program during the whole marathon training (5 months). If you are unsure, please allow another runner to take up the slot instead.
• Must be willing and motivated to improve health and lifestyle during and even after the marathon.
• Can commit to 5-6 monthly sessions.

Program features and benefits

1. You will learn and apply the most important things you should know in weight control while training for a marathon.
2. You can learn more about yourself, like your eating and exercise style and use your discoveries to achieve realistic and obtainable goals.
3. You will meet a group of people who can give you support and encouragement to continue your journey.
4. You will be guided by coaches, (plus guest weight control experts and successful clients) who can teach you how to improve and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle that you can sustain even after the marathon.

Program inclusion

Topics to be covered

September 2013: Initial assessment, goal-setting, self-monitoring and lifestyle and weight management basics (weight, eating and exercise)

October 2013: The psychology of weight management

November 2013: Relapse management and injury prevention

December 2013: Holiday weight control program (exercise and eating), social assertiveness

January 2014: Your New Year plan

February 2014: Lifestyle and weight control program (rest, eating and exercise) during and after the marathon, program evaluation

Schedule

Sessions: 6 monthly weekday sessions (60 to 90 minutes)

• 1st session: September 25, 2013 – Wednesday 7:00- 8:30pm
• 2nd session: October 16, 2013 – Wednesday 7:00- 8:30pm
• 3rd session: November 13, 2013  – Wednesday 7:00- 8:30pm
• 4th session: December 11, 2013  – Wednesday 7:00- 8:30pm
• 5th session: January 8, Wednesday 2014  – 7:00- 8:30pm
• 6th session: February 10, 2014  – Monday 7:00- 8:30pm – one week before the marathon

Program coaches: Armand Mendoza and Mitch Felipe-Mendoza

Years of experience as lifestyle and fitness coaches: 12 years

Education and credentials: Licensed physical therapists from De La Salle University and certified by the American Council on Exercise in lifestyle and weight management and personal and group fitness training. Mitch holds a Master’s degree in Psychology form Ateneo de Manila University and Armand took sports coaching (DLSU) and motivational psychology (Ateneo de Manila). They are also fully certified Stott Pilates instructors. Have completed several marathons (Hong Kong, San Francisco and Honolulu) and have also coached several runners and marathoners join and finish their dream races/marathons while managing their weight.

Current job/description: Pilates, Redcord trainers and lifestyle coaches at the second b+b studio (Infinity tower) in Bonifacio Global City. They also conduct wellness workshops, fitness/weight loss camps for special groups and companies.  Are currently writing wellness and fitness articles for different publications – ARMAND (Hinge Inquirer Publications, Men’s Health Philippines) and MITCH (Philippine Daily Inquirer and Women’s Health Philippines)

SIGN UP IS CLOSED. 

List of accepted runners will be posted on tbrdream.com when finalized.  Please do not follow up.  Thank you.