Posts Tagged with: "Animo"

As I type this, I hear the birds chirping outside and realize that there is no sound of the rain’s pitter patter on our roof.  Finally, there’s hope of clear blue skies for today.

Normally, the rain doesn’t bother me much.  In fact, I love the occasional run that leaves me soaked not just in sweat but in rain water too.  But, lately, the unpredictable weather has been giving me much agony.

You see, I registered for Mizuno Infinity Run 15k (June 7) and Animo Tri Mini-Sprint (June 14).  I haven’t run over 10k since Condura in March and I haven’t entered a pool in days.  (I’ve been very consistent with gym work and running thrice a week each.  Oh, and thrice a week massage too, of course!)  The only saving grace in this worrisome scenario is that I registered only for a Mini-Sprint at Animo (same distance I did last year since I didn’t want to stress myself out over a 950m swim along with the kids’ start of school) so I only hope to improve my deplorable swim and bike times.

I had a lot of plans last weekend.  Not just any kind of training, but training with new tri teams and coaches:

Saturday:  
PLAN: Short run around BHS
EXPERIENCE: cancelled due to rain, had breakfast at Pancake House instead

Sunday:
PLAN: First time bike-run training with Sunkist Tri-Hard Team (just a trial!)
EXPERIENCE: Skipped it due to rain, extended sleeping time instead.  Learned yesterday that they pushed through despite the rain.  

Monday:
PLAN: First time swim training with tri friends and Ani de Leon
EXPERIENCE: Cancelled due to rain, 5k treadmill run instead

So many exciting plans, so much rain!  I know, I know, I shouldn’t blame my lack of training on the rain.  Still, I hope for brighter days ahead…at least for the next two weeks, please.

Results of the Animo triathlon are out. No big surprise here, I had a fairly clear idea of my performance…

I was 8th out of 17 women. Not bad for a first timer who was enjoying herself throughout the race. It felt good to know that the 1st and 2nd placers were teenagers—no way I could outpace these kids on land or in the pool.

If I were to grade myself, here’s how I think I did against the competition:

1) Swim: B. I believe I swam well but my pauses in between each lap ate up a good chunk of my time. I’m pretty optimistic about the swim portion though. Before the tri, it took me 37 minutes (with long breaks) for 650m. This morning, I swam 750m in 32 mins (yes, still with breaks). It’s not a great time, but there’s improvement. Of course, I’m still pathetic compared to Ani de Leon who swam 1.9k in 35.36…phew.

2) Bike: C (or maybe even D). I want to hit myself on the head for the bike portion. I relaxed here. During the race, you could have put a sun hat on my head, a basket on my bike, and asked me to whistle and I would’ve looked like Mary Poppins on wheels. Note to self: Slowly introduce to hubby the idea of buying a new roadie for myself. Target time: 1 month. Do wives get presents during Halloween?

3) Run: A: I placed 4th in running, but I know I could’ve gone faster. I’m over a minute away from the fastest runner, but just seconds away from 2nd and 3rd (Carolyn that’s you…hehe. Congrats for placing 4th!)

Congratulations to Harry Tan who placed 2nd in the men’s mini-sprint for his 1st triathlon! Sounds like someone is ready for the Sprint.  Congrats also to Dedette, Ting, and Me-Anne! We did it!