Happy Mother’s Day to my iron supermom! My mom raised all seven of us kids and made it look oh-so easy. She was never athletic, but I say that caring for all of us took more guts and endurance than any marathon. Love ya, Mom!

TBR Mommy. Don’t you love her shirt? LOL

Family pic. I’m the littlest one.

My mom with just some of her grandkids

Happy Mother’s Day to all running Mommies too (and I’m not just talking about the athletes!) I think all mothers are running all over the place constantly striving to balance family, careers, and the rest of their lives so that they can be the best they can be. No mommy is perfect, but we all try our darn best to be!

For those of you who would like to treat you Mom to a special gift, hop on over to Move or Runnr tonight or tomorrow!  To my kids, if you’re reading this, you can get me the Halo headband below…or an iPad mini.  Either one of those will do. Tsk tsk.

I joined the Unilab Active Health Camp Alpha Advanced Triathlon Camp last weekend, May 3 & 4, at The Village Sports Club.  I had mixed emotions about this camp: I wasn’t too thrilled about all the suffering (past participants jokingly call it “Cramp Alpha”…gulp!), but, at the same time, I looked forward to double or even triple workouts over the weekend and pushing my body hard again.  With Tri United 2 coming up, I felt I needed something to jolt me back into bricks and dual workouts.

Camp Alpha is led by my triathlon coach, Coach Andy Leuterio, and assisted by Keshia Fule for the bike sessions.  The swim coach is Martin Carandang, my swim coach way back in 2012. He basically got me from being a newbie to finishing IM 70.3 Cebu 2012 without drowning.  Needless to say, I was quite familiar with their coaching styles and, more importantly, happy with the way they supervised us throughout the camp.  The coaches provided the right amount of guidance, not too basic nor theoretical, and generously shared more practice tips for triathlon training and racing.

with Coach Andy. Scary eh?
Good thing Coach Andy smiles one day a year. This was it. Here we are with Keshia and my parrot hair
with Coach Martin for swim

The sessions at Camp Alpha were mostly speed sessions and some aerobic activity with a couple hours of classroom sessions for both days.  It was a good mix so that participants were able to maximize the camp in just two days.

Participants were all advanced and experienced triathletes.  Before the event, Coach Andy divided the participants into two groups, Group A and Group B, and emailed the schedule of activities for the weekend.  It was a great way to manage the different fitness levels of the participants and ensure that each one got adequate attention.

Here are photos of the camp for Day One and Two:

DAY ONE:

1) Swim with Coach Martin

Photo by Coach Andy

2) Run Intervals (my fave!)

Photos by Coach Andy

3) Practical tips on the bike (flying dismount, flat tire assembly/disassembly, and bottle pick ups)

4) Lecture

DAY TWO:

1) 20k Time Trial in Daang Reyna

Photo by Coach Andy

2) Aerobic Swim

3) Lecture

What a weekend!  I suffered, survived, had quite a bit of fun, made a few new triathlon friends, learned advanced triathlon tips during the lectures, and, best of all, I lost 2 lbs. in the process! If you’re an advanced triathlete looking to improve your performance for an upcoming race or eager to pick up new expert triathlon tips, you may consider joining the next Camp Alpha.

The next leg of the Unilab Active Health Camp Alpha will be on June 20-21, 2014. Presented by SPECIALIZED and sponsored by Newton Running and RUNNR, the camp is open to all triathletes who would like to make 2014 their breakthrough year. Inquiries can be sent to Coach Andy at alpha_tri@yahoo.com .

It’s the last day of our TBR CINCO DE MAYO Contest!  Read why we’re celebrating and giving away all these prizes on this LINK, then join us and have a chance to win the Grand Prize worth over P15,000 in prizes!

WHAT CAN YOU WIN:

> 2 pairs of Nike Running Shoes (model and color of Nike Running shoes varies from photo)

> 1 pair of Telic Recovery Sandals

> 1 Yurbuds Sports earphones (model and color of varies from photo)

> 1 Runnr Backpack
> 1 Runnr Expandable Waistpack

> 2 race kits to Brooks Run Happy 3 

HOW MANY WINNERS?  Just 1 winner! Woot! 

HOW TO JOIN?

1) Follow The Bull Runner on Twitter

2) Follow The Bull Runner on Instagram

3) Like The Bull Runner Page on Facebook

4) Post a comment on this blogpost with the answer to this:

IF YOU WON THE GRAND PRIZE IN THIS CONTEST, WHO WOULD YOU GIVE THE 2ND PAIR OF NIKE RUNNING SHOES TO?  WHY?  (Answer must be in 2 to 3 sentences only.  Exceeding 3 sentences will lead to disqualification.)

As the question above suggests and as I’ve done in the past years, the 2nd Nike shoe that you win will be your gift to someone else.  You can choose to give it to your husband or wife, your best friend, your colleague, or that runner you see in races all the time who you think deserves new shoes.

Post the answer below and also include:

– your Name
– Name used in Twitter
– Email address
– Shoe size
– Gender

HOW CAN I WIN?

• Deadline for submission of entries: Monday, May 5, 2014 at 6:59 p.m.  Winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 6, 2014.
• All entries submitted within this period complying with directions above will be evaluated by TBR.  TBR will choose 10 of the best answers and these will be eligible for a raffle to be conducted by TBR via random.org.  There will only be one winner.
• All entries will be moderated and will be approved upon closing of the contest.
• Only one entry per runner. Submission of more than one entry leads to disqualification.
• Winner will be announced on the bottom of this blogpost as an update and will be advised via email on how to claim the prize.  Winner must claim the prize at the venue advised by TBR.  TBR will not ship prizes to provinces or abroad.

May the best runner win!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Ma. Blanca Dela Cruz for winning the Grand Prize in our 5th andDay of TBR Cinco de Mayo!  Here’s her winning entry:

I will give the second Nike pair to my daughter if I win. We’re fighting cancer and doctors have already given her the go signal to RUN!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

It’s DAY 4 of our TBR CINCO DE MAYO Contest!  Read why we’re celebrating and giving away all these prizes on this LINK, then come and have fun with us!

What can you win:

> 1 pair of Newton Energy NR.  The Newton Energy NR was named the Running Shoe of the Year by Triathlete Magazine.  SRP P7,295. (color of prize may vary from photo)

> 1 Runnr Expandable Waistpack (color of prize may vary from photo)

How many winners?  1 winner 

HOW TO JOIN?

1) Follow The Bull Runner on Twitter

2) Follow The Bull Runner on Instagram

3) Like The Bull Runner Page on Facebook

4) Post a comment on this blogpost with the answer to this:

See that necklace and pendant on the photo below?  The pendant has got 2 words written on it related to running.  What are those 2 words?  I’ve worn this around my neck since 2011.  

CLUE NO. 1: It’s my sign off in my email.  (See, it pays to email me every now and then!)

CLUE NO. 2: (Okay, fine, this is more than a clue.  It’s a giveaway.)  Check this link from my post on the NYC Marathon Expo in 2011.

Post the answer below and also include:

– your Name
– Name used in Twitter
– Email address
– Shoe size
– Gender

HOW CAN I WIN?

• Deadline for submission of entries: Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 6:59 p.m.
• All entries submitted within this period complying with directions above will be evaluated by TBR.  All entries with the correct answer will be eligible for a raffle to be conducted by TBR via random.org.  There will only be one winner.
• All entries will be moderated and will be approved upon closing of the contest.
• Only one entry per runner. Submission of more than one entry leads to disqualification.
• Winner will be announced on the bottom of this blogpost as an update and will be advised via email on how to claim the prize.  Winner must claim the prize at the venue advised by TBR.  TBR will not ship prizes to provinces or abroad.

May the best runner win!

UPDATE: Congratulations to JEP PAJARITO for winning a pair of Newton Energy NR and a Runnr Expandable Waistpack!  Thanks to everyone for joining!

It’s DAY 3 of our TBR CINCO DE MAYO Contest!  Read why we’re celebrating and giving away all these prizes on this LINK, then come and have fun with us!

What can you win: 1 pair of BROOKS PUREFLOW 3 (color of prize may vary from photo)

How many winners?  1 winner 

HOW TO JOIN?

1) Follow The Bull Runner on Twitter

2) Follow The Bull Runner on Instagram

3) Like The Bull Runner Page on Facebook

4) Post a comment on this blogpost with the answer to this question:

HOW MANY BLUE BROOKS PUREFLOW 3 ARE IN THIS PHOTO?

Also include:

– your Name
– Name used in Twitter
– Email address
– Shoe size
– Gender

HOW CAN I WIN?

• Deadline for submission of entries: Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 7:59 p.m.
• All entries submitted within this period complying with directions above will be evaluated by TBR.  All entries with the correct answer will be eligible for a raffle to be conducted by TBR via random.org.  There will only be one winner.
• All entries will be moderated and will be approved upon closing of the contest.
• Only one entry per runner. Submission of more than one entry leads to disqualification.
• Winner will be announced on the bottom of this blogpost as an update and will be advised via email on how to claim the prize.  Winner must claim the prize at the venue advised by TBR.  TBR will not ship prizes to provinces or abroad.

May the best runner win!

UPDATE: Congrats to MELLY NG for winning a Brooks PureFlow 3!  Please expect an email from me on how to claim your prize!  Thanks to everyone for joining 🙂