Posts Tagged with: "Ironkids"

Last Sunday, May 25, our entire family woke up in the wee hours of the morning to drive out to Club Manila East on the opposite side of the world for Anton’s (or TBR Jr.’s haha) first Aquathlon.  (Read about his first triathlon here.)

There were three options for registration: Race category (medals would be awarded and kids were split into age categories), Play category (with short and long options), and Relay.  It was the first time the Play category was introduced and, after consulting with Coach Ani de Leon, I chose to register Anton in the Long distance Play category where I thought majority of the kids would be joining.  Boy was I wrong.  I guess the kids (or parents LOL) are pretty serious and competitive now.  When we showed up for the race, there were only 4 kids in Anton’s category.  Everyone else had signed up for Race!  Well, it didn’t bother Anton so it didn’t bother me!

My boy was cool and calm as always from claiming of race kit, body marking, to dropping his stuff at transition.  I believe it was his Mama (yet again) who was a nervous wreck.  I asked him more than a handful of times: How do you feel?  Excited? Nervous?  And, TBR Jr. would reply in jest: “I’m nexcited.  Just a bit nervous and more excited.”

At 8:00 AM, Coach Ani briefed the kids. 2 girls. 2 boys including Anton.  By 8:15 AM, they were off.

The swim was 300 meters.  Anton had trained under Lozada’s swim program all summer so I was pretty confident he would finish this.  But, as I watched from afar, I knew he was struggling.  Later on I learned that, since he didn’t have his glasses and the water was murky, he couldn’t see a thing.  (Woah boy, that’s what I get for refusing to spend on prescription goggles tsk tsk)

The 2 girls came out strong followed by the boy and Anton came out last.

I chased after Anton as he made his way into transition.  I watched him from the sidelines as he expertly slid his foot into his shoes (without socks like a real triathlete…so unlike me! LOL), wore his race belt and bib, gulped down his water and sped away for the 2k run.  (If only he wouldn’t be so embarrassed by me, I would’ve hugged and kissed him like he was 2 years old right there and then! Haha!)

I waited for him by the finish line and, before I knew it, the boy came flying in.  After a minute or two, Anton came 2nd.  Judging by his face, I knew he pushed hard and gave it his all.  And that, for me, was a winner!

Congratulations to my not so little big boy, Anton!  We’re so proud of you!  Congratulations also to all the kids who finished and to the awesome organizers of Ironkids!

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.

The entire family–the hubby, both kids, and I–woke up early Sunday morning of October 20, 2013 to get ready for Anton’s first triathlon, Ironkids Philippines.  The future triathlete woke up as if it was a regular day, while his Mother (er that’s me) was a bundle of nerves.  Truth is, it was almost, if not more, nerve wracking than my first triathlon!  I taught our future triathlete how to pack his gear for transition, made sure he had a good breakfast of oats to fuel him for the morning’s race, and we were off.

RACE KIT CLAIM, CHECK IN, AND BODY MARKING

We arrived at the event area at Palm Country Club to find a lively and exciting atmosphere.  Since there were various wave starts, younger kids had already finished the race, others were about to start, and other older kids like Anton had just arrived like us to check in.  It was like any other triathlon for us adults except for them, to ensure the safety of the kids, they have assistants to check in the bike and their equipment at transition.  How cool is that?!

Start and Finish Area

My future triathlete

Body marking…check!

Kids’ bikes lined up at transition area

Kuya who assisted us at bike check in

The not so little boy with his super nervous Mama (who is incidentally shorter than him now)

RACE START

We headed for the pool for the 7:15 AM race briefing led by Coach Ani de Leon.  Before the race started, I reminded Anton that his goal was simply to finish the race.  If he crossed the finish line, he was already a winner.  With that, he went on his own and I watched from the sidelines with my heart exploding out of my chest.  Man, who knew that Ironkids could be so stressful?!

We watched from afar as the kids listened intently to directions explained by Coach Ani.  I noticed that Anton was the tallest in the group.  I also knew that he was probably one of the least experienced.

Race briefing by Coach Ani de Leon for 11-12 year old boys

Kids get ready to start. Always the scariest part of the race.

And they’re off!

The race started at 7:30 AM.  The other kids swam with power and ease.  The leaders broke away by the first two laps.  My eyes were focused on Anton who was at the end of the pack.  He swam slowly and calmly, his stroke a reflection of his personality.  Earlier that morning, I told him to simply focus on his stroke and go at his own pace.  And, I was glad that he listened.

Struggling through the swim

Anton was the last out of the pool, but when he came out, I couldn’t have been prouder.  With the little training he had and his disdain for swim training, I was glad that he pushed himself to finish the swim!

Anton quickly went to transition and took off on his 3 loops around Filinvest City to cover 8km.  Each time he passed us on the loop, I was relieved to see him enjoying the race.  Other kids were entering T2 at this point and heading out to run. Anton came in from the bike and made up for some lost time from the swim.  Then, he was off to run 2k.

Anton loved the bike portion

Nervous dad and bored sis waiting for Kuya to pass on the bike

First placer. This kid can leave me in the dust!

As we saw Anton running towards the finish line, it was one of the happiest and proudest moments ever.  He looked exhausted but fulfilled!  He could barely talk.  Um, he could barely breathe as we took the photo of him below.  But, I knew he had a great time!

After packing up and heading for breakfast, I asked Anton if he would do this again.  He replied: “Yes.”  And with that one word, I smiled dreaming of the world of possibilities for this little Ironkid of mine.

Anton just a few minutes after he crossed the finish line of his first triathlon

With good friend, course director of Ironkids and TBR Dream Marathon, Neville Manaois

Couldn’t be any prouder of this Little Man

PREVIOUS: Part 1: Ironkids Philippines – Training for the Race

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.

Ironkids Philippines was held last October 20, 2013 at Palms Country Club, Alabang.  Anton joined the 11 to 12 year old category with the distance of 300m swim-10k bike-2k run.  Before I tell you about how the race went, allow me to share with you how we prepared (read: crammed) for the swim, bike, and run.

SWIM: SWIMMING LESSONS ON FREEDOM FRIDAY

In preparation for Ironkids and also as Li’l Miss TBR’s main sport, we started swimming lessons with Coach Anthony Lozada several weeks ago.

I made the mistake of scheduling their swim lessons on Friday, which Nia has labeled “Free Day Friday.”  By “Free Day Friday,” she ruled that, as soon as she and Kuya are dismissed from school, there should be nothing planned for the rest of the day.  It’s essentially freedom from any schedule and they’re free to lounge around at home doing absolutely nothing.

You can imagine the look on their faces when I told them that swim sessions would be every Friday.  I heard all sorts of complaints from “Huwaaaat?!” to “But you’re breaking the Free Day Friday rule!”  But, I stood my ground and crossed my fingers that they would enjoy.

Off to swim classes we go

And, enjoy they did!  As beginners, Coach Anthony gave them a personal session.  He assessed their skill level, gave them a few drills, and fixed Anton’s form.  By the following week, he and Coach JS got Anton to swim laps in better form. Although he still had a lot of room for improvement, I knew that Anton would be able to finish 300m at the triathlon.

As for Li’l Miss TBR, she was floating, kicking, and swimming all over the place.  I couldn’t help but smile because I knew she was enjoying every minute.  For her, that’s what’s most important.

The kids ended the session laughing and giggling.  I asked them if they had enjoyed and both replied: “Um yeah.” half embarrassed to admit that breaking the Free Day Friday rule was a good idea after all.

BIKE: FIRST TIME ON A ROADIE

Anton’s first bike out with Coach Norman’s trikids at Camp Aguinaldo a few weeks ago freaked me out a bit.  Okay, correction, it freaked me out a lot.

Switching from a mountain bike to a road bike takes some getting used to for any athlete and Anton was no exception.  On his first ride, he was wobbly and I thought that he was going to crash or bump a car.  While the rest of the parents sat by the waiting area, I hopped into my car and followed him from behind like a stage mother.  I think I held my breath for 15 minutes straight.  After 3 loops around Camp Aguinaldo though, I felt like I could relax somewhat. He looked more comfortable after.  Don’t you just love how kids can learn something in half the speed that we do as adults?

with Coach Norman Pascual and the rest of the trikids

Since I felt that the once a week sessions with Coach Norman wasn’t enough, I told Anton that I’d take him biking with me more often.  Two weeks ago, after my run at Run United Philippine Marathon 21k, I fetched Anton and we hurried off to Filinvest City to bike around their carless loop.  This is, incidentally, the race course for Ironkids.

Biking with my boys! Boys meaning with my son and my Shiv!

We biked around the area, first in the flat portions and later on up the hill towards Palms Country Club.  My boy did so well!  We biked a total of 8k, the bike distance for the triathlon, before we called it a day.

RUN: RUN YOUR BEST

The run wasn’t a problem for TBR Jr. as he’s participated in 3k events in the past.  Just last week, he came home from school and proudly announced: “Mama, I ran the fastest and longest during P.E. today.”  Before I could congratulate him, he added “But, after the run, I felt like puking.”

For any runner, ending in “vomit-mode” essentially means that you pushed your body to the brink of exhaustion; you gave it your all.  And, with that, I replied to my boy: “Aaaw, congratulations! Well done!”

NEXT POST: Part 2: Ironkids Philippines – The Race

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.

Only two weeks to go till the first Alaska Ironkids Race of the year!

Event:  Alaska Ironkids Race of the year: Individual and Relay Run Events.
Date: Feb. 17, 2013
Venue: U.P. Diliman Track Oval

Categories:

Individual:
6-8, 1km
9-10, 1.5km
11-12, 2km
13-14, 3km

Relay:
6-10 Mixed Relay, Team of 3: 3x400m
11-14, Mixed Relay, Team of 3: 3x800m

To Register, proceed to ROX store or register via website:

http://ironkidsphil.com/2013/registration/

For Race Maps, please view:

http://ironkidsphil.com/2013/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ironkids-racemap-Feb2013.pdf

For directions on how to get there:

http://ironkidsphil.com/2013/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/DIRECTIONS.pdf