Pushing your body to its limits is what racing is all about...

The good thing about trying to finish a race is that when you know that you will finish within the cut-off time, you can relax and take it easy and look good for the photographers at the finish line. I have often wondered then why some of the people I raced with would cramp or be out of gas or even bonk while struggling to break the tape, in front of the so many spectators, ending up with a “heavily suffering” look when their pictures came out.

In 2009, I raced 3 triathlons and 3 duathlons and in my 3rd and last duathlon, I had cramps while trying to break 2 hours completing an 8Km run, 30 Km bike and 5K run, and fell short by a mere 25 seconds off my target. It was heartbreaking, but eye-opening as well. It made me realize that the people who cramped and struggled were the ones racing, and my participation was only to ramp up the number of those joining whose only aim was to finish. My respect to those who crawled to the finish line went through the roof and I told myself that in the 2010 season, I would RACE.

THE FIRSTS

I drafted my racing schedule for 2010 in late 2009. I had a long break due to the Leptospirosis I contracted during Typhoon Ondoy. My schedule included 4 triathlon races and 3 duathlons. I was done in swimming pool triathlons and intended to join only “open water” races. This included Subic International Triathlon, Tri-King Long Distance Triathlon and White Rock Triathlon, all of which I was joining for the first time.

I also registered for my first international race, a sprint duathlon in Singapore dubbed as Tribob Sprint Series. Thanks to my brother Russel, my registration fee and accommodations were excellently taken care of.

These races came and went by so fast that while I was typing this blog entry, I couldn’t remember anymore the nitty gritty details of each race. Thanks to the photos of myself taken by some random photographers, tidbits of how I suffered through these races were preserved digitally.

The results I had were far from fast though. All the targets I set with each of these races were not achieved. I probably have set my targets high against my level of fitness during these races. However, I am still happy to have finished it all, especially the longer distances.

In February, 2010, I also raced my first marathon and suffered my first serious knee injury. ITBS ( Iliotibial Band Syndrome ) was just a by-word for me until I suffered from one in January, while training for my first full marathon, the Condura 42K. When this beast reared its ugly head, I learned what pain was all about. Condura 42K was my first taste of trying to beat a race cut-off. Breaking the tape with 11 minutes before the cut-off, it was the closest I got to not finishing. Whew!

SECOND CHANCES

As aforementioned, not breaking 2 hours in the Powerade Duathlon series in my last duathlon in 2009 was a heartbreaker. I would have accepted the failure better if it was by more than 5 minutes, not by just 25 seconds!

When the series started in 2010, I made sure I was one of the first to register. I had an objective, and in 2010, I intended to achieve it, even if I had to crawl my way to the tape.

I finished my first 2010 duathlon in 1:59 then the second one in 1:57. I was happy and happier in these races.

The one race I looked forward to though, was Philippine Ironman 70.3 in Camsur. In 2009, I literally walked half of the half-marathon enroute to a 7 hours, 20 mins. That left me with an unfulfilled feeling. I could have pushed to a better finish time, but I did not. I was contented with just finishing, and, after a few days, regretted what I did.

In 2010, I pushed. I didn’t have any fun on the bike ( I threw up twice ) but I finished 8 minutes better than in 2009. I relaxed in the swim but finished that leg 9 minutes faster. The run course was longer but I finished 5 minutes better. Over-all, I finished 22 minutes better last year. I was contented with my effort.

I raced and I cramped in almost all the races I joined. I cramped because I pushed my body to almost its limits. I wasn’t fast, but I raced, and, in racing I found out my weaknesses. These weaknesses now dictate my 2011 racing season.

2010, by far, have been my most memorable year as a triathlete. I raced in races local veteran triathletes race, and I now feel more part of the triathlon community than in 2009. I am more confident now in calling myself a triathlete. I bled in trainings and races, I suffered, I threw up and almost bonked, but I raced and finished. Several times I chatted with other triathletes I wasn’t acquainted with while walking the run course. I shook hands with them as a sign of respect. It was all what triathlon is to me, respect.

Happy new year to everyone! Have a great and safe 2011!

Deo P.

When Condura Marathon 2011 opened its website for registration, many interested runners’ reactions were oohhhs and ahhhhs to ouch and arrgghhhs after seeing the registration fee for each of the distances. Couldn’t blame them though, as the 42, 21 and 16Ks have breached the Php 1,000 mark. The first time in Philippines’ running history that an organized run has cost so much. With these fees, it has boiled down to how much one runner wants to experience what this race has to offer: run on the Skyway.

Many have questioned what else was included in the “sky-high” registration fees. What singlet will be given out? What are included in the loot bag? Will there be enough hydration? Are there bananas to be given out? etc, etc. It seems that organized races have become a battle of loot bags. Runners are asking what they will get out of their registration fee first before asking what the race will be like. Sad.

The above, though, is not the point of this post. What irked me the most about some runners’ reactions regarding Condura Marathon 2011 was how it has shown that running is not for everyone anymore. What?

Let us dwell on this pathetic mindset of some so-called runners.

Running, by far, is the one sport that everyone does or have done ( if in some way you can’t run because of some illness or deformity ) in their lifetime. After you learn to walk, you become faster and start running. When these runners say that running isn’t for everyone anymore, does it mean that God has taken away the legs of those about to be born?

Or is this statement purely sour-graping from the people who wanted to join Condura 42K but don’t want to spend more than what they pay in regular races that take them through the same route week-in, week-out?

Issuing or posting in some forums that running isn’t for everyone because of the registration fees show how misinformed and inexperienced a runner is. I would rather say that “I don’t have the money to join” OR “can’t join because of the high registration fee” rather than attack the race organizers and call them capitalists because they pegged the registration fees outside my wallet can afford. Its more honorable and respectful.

To correct this, I am saying that RUNNING IS FOR EVERYONE, JOINING A RACE ISN’T!

Better?

Nobody can stop someone from running, whether the runner is a sidewalk vendor or an owner of a top company. It is everyone’s right to run anywhere except in places where his safety is in peril. Everyone, repeat, EVERYONE can run, even the guy who lost one of his legs in a war can.

So, before we gripe and downplay an excellent spectacle, let’s be vigilant and accepting. Sour-graping is immaturity, acceptance is experience. Plan your races wisely and calendar the more important races instead of joining weekly for bragging rights. It doesn’t work that way.

“Train hard, race easy. Train easy, race hard…”

This phrase kept on flashing in my mind as I was run-walking the run course in this year’s edition of the White Rock Triathlon ( 2Km swim- 91Km bike- 20Km run ), which has been renamed to Tri-United primarily due to the major sponsorship of a local pharmaceutical company. It was around 11:00 a.m. and the sun was at its full glory. The run course was by far the hardest run course I have ever encountered in all my triathlon races, with multiple hills with ascents not shorter than 200 meters. Two words accurately defined this stretch of a road: cramps and dehydration.

My training for this race was minimal. After Ironman Camsur 70.3, I always found reasons not to train my butt off for this event. I delayed starting my program until there was only a month to go before the painfest, but, even after delaying it, I would only do 3 or 4 days of the 6 days/wk training required. I was as lazy as lazy could be, and I know that somehow, I would pay the price. I set my expectations low to justify my laziness and, for some reason, it worked mentally. There was never an instance I felt nervous about toeing the line on this race.

I woke up at 3:30 a.m. of race day, Saturday, November 13, 2010. It was hard getting out of bed and once I was able to do so, I immediately checked out the weather to see if there was a typhoon which could result to the cancellation of the event. I wasn’t in race mode yet! Unfortunately, although there was a short drizzle, the stars shone so brightly which meant the race would push through. Aarrrgghhhhh!

We were at White Rock Beach Resort by 5:00 a.m. Got bodymarked and after checking our bikes in at the transition area, we were at the starting line.

The SWIM:

The starting line for the 2-kilometer swim was narrow. We were to swim at open sea 3 loops of 660meters each and then proceed to the transition area to start the bike.

Posing with teammates and friends before the big bang...

At 6:45 a.m., we were off.

The washing machine started. Since the start line was narrow, bodies were bumping into each other in the water. About 15 meters from the starting line, the water became very deep, as in “0” visibility deep. Anyone who was not confident in swimming in open seas must have panicked as I saw people holding on to the swim line early on.

This was the roughest swim start I have ever encountered. People were bumping me left and right. I got so busy pushing bodies away from me for fear of getting kicked or punched. It was purely survival. After around 100 meters I swam closer to the swim line. I wanted to see the buoys to my right so I wouldn’t need to “sight” often. I wanted a faster swim time. A few minutes later, the swimmer I was drafting on must have been punched or kicked hard, he held on to the swim line and I had nowhere to go. There was a swimmer to my left. I swam through him and pushed his shoulder back so I could propel myself. He tried holding on to my right ankle and I gave him a big kick to let go. I was free!

Near the turn around buoy, it was worse. Everyone converged to the swim line to make the turn. I stayed away a bit and let these swimmers battle it out. I had enough adventure on my first 300 meters.

Finished my first loop in 17mins and 26 seconds. Right on target!

Completed the first lap of the swim within my target time. Sweet!

My 2nd and 3rd loops were bumpy but wasn’t as bumpy as the first. The swimmers have thinned out and everyone had a good line already. Except for the occasional nudges and kicks, it was calm until I reached the swim finish in 54 minutes. Great! My fastest 2 Kms swim in any triathlon race I joined.

The BIKE: 91 Kilometers

There were around 5 of us in the changing area of Transition 1. I didn’t wear socks anymore and was off to do the bike in about 3 minutes.

The bike course was a 91Km out-and-back route which went through the major highway from the White Rock Beach Resort to Cabangan, Zambales. Though traffic was controlled, the road wasn’t closed, so we had to snake through some parts and avoid getting hit by the traditionally disrespectful jeepney drivers. The marshalls and policemen were great in scaring them off though, and I felt safe all throughout.

The course was flat on the first 45 kilometers. I was averaging 38-40kph in some parts and around 33-35kph in most. Worried about pushing too hard, I tried slowing down just right after the turn around. I reeled in about 30 people on the bike and felt great until about 30 kilometers to the bike finish.

The bike back was harder than going out. The headwind was there plus the roads were slightly elevated. I struggled keeping a 33kph average and was down to 27-29kph in some parts. If there were descents, I’d push the speed to take advantage of gravity. I pedaled lightly on some ascents to keep my legs fresh.

At Km 75, I felt some cramping on my quads. I was following a good race nutrition program to a “T” and was wondering why the hell I was feeling the cramps. Then I realized the lack of training was starting to set in.

I slowed down a bit and maintained an average of 30kph for the rest of the bike leg.

10 kilometers to the bike finish and I got caught in traffic in the town of Castillejos. I had to stop and inch my way to where the traffic marshalls could see me. Once I got through this bottleneck, it was easy riding back to White Rock.

Reached Transition 2 after biking for 2 hours 54mins.

The RUN: 20 Kilometers

We did a recon of the run course a day before the race and was surprised how challenging it was. Well, surveying it from inside a car was a lot, lot easier.

I had my fastest swim and bike on a half-ironman triathlon so far and was happy with my effort. I could run a 20K in less than 2 hours on a good day, so finishing the run course in this race in less than 2 hours, 30 minutes wouldn’t be a problem.

And so I thought.

Just 500 meters out on the run and my quadriceps cramped. Another runner saw me and offered a capsule of salt. That was a relief!

1K into the run and the first water station was offering water and Gatorade. I should have been glad to see them but the first long uphill being their backdrop wasn’t a welcome sight.

My first lap on the run was excruciatingly painful!

400 meters after the water station and we started running up, or walking up. I was still confident on running a 2:30 20K, it was just a pace of 7:30mins/km. Piece of cake!

As I ran through the course, I became slower and slower and was reduced to walking more instead of running. My pace dropped from 7:00min/km to about 10min/km. I kissed the 2:30 20K goodbye. This wasn’t a course for a running PR. The run course was brutal to say the least. Add to that the searing heat from the noontime sun. We were getting toasted on a run course that resembled a mountain.

There were bananas and oranges given out at the turn around point of the run. I would take advantage of this to nourish myself. I’d stop for about a minute at each aid station to pour water on myself, drink, eat and rest a bit. My shoes were soaked with water and have become heavier than it needed to be.

I wasn't alone suffering though...

At approximately 10kms into the run, I was at 5:32 of the race. I kissed any hopes of going sub-6:30 for this race. There was no way I could run another 10K in less than 1hour in such conditions. I could go sub-7 hours though, probably around 6:40 – 6:50.

On the last 5 kms and at 6:10 of the race, I was still confident I could go sub-7 hours.

Then I cramped.

The worst thing between a runner and the road are cramps. It strikes at a time when you’re bent on hitting a target finish time and you’re almost there.

I could barely walk on the last 3kms. In fact, I could barely stand. I still had more than 30 minutes to go sub-7 hours but with the condition I was in, I wasn’t sure that I’d cross the finish line with that time. At least 50% of those I passed on the bike started passing me by. It was a heartbreaker.

I was at the last aid station at 6:46 of the race which meant I just had 1 kilometer to go and I was done. I grinned from ear to ear. With 14 minutes to spare, I was so sure I could do it.

I caught another participant and we chatted a bit. The good thing about triathlons is that you instantly become friends with other racers, especially when you’re both suffering already.

500 meters to go and I was at 6: 52 of the race. Almost there.

Then cramps on both calves. It was so severe that I needed to stop running. My pace-mate went ahead. I was alone again. I soldiered on doing heelstrikes so as not to worsen my condition. The cramps would lighten up then come back again.

200 meters to go and even my hamstrings were cramping up. It was Camsur 70.3 all over again!

100meters to go, at 6:56 of the race, with all the people at White Rock looking at me, my calves locked up. I stopped and bent, stretched and kicked the cramps away.

Then I sprinted to the finish line.

6:57:44, 1 minute better than my Camsur time. 78th out of 131 finishers, 12th out of 21 finishers in my age-group ( 40-44 ).

Cramping and totally wasted upon crossing the finish line...

Then I was carried to the medical tent again due to cramps. I smiled with the all too familiar scenario. I hope it doesn’t become a habit though.

Tri-United was organized pretty well. The team of Extribe headed by Eric Imperio did a hell of a job putting up a world class race at a fraction of the cost of Ironman 70.3. I had my fastest swim and bike splits in any half-ironman distance triathlon I joined so far, but, my run split was a personal worst. Will I do this again? You bet!

Thanks to God for the strength, wisdom and endurance for me to finish the race even with minimal training.

Thanks also to the Team Endure members who cheered us on the course. Special mention to Erick Guieb who doused water on me on my 2nd lap on the run course and Rico Villanueva for herding off a group of kids to cheer for the racers. It really was amazing guys!

Thanks also to the guy who gave me saltstick at the start of my run. Didn’t get your name dude but I pray for good karma for you.

Til next race…or should I say next season!

Tri United @ Whiter Rock, formerly known as the White Rock Triathlon or WRT, opened its registration to participants last September 15. The event is a Half Ironman Distance triathlon consisting of a 2K swim, 90K bike and a 20K run. Organized by Extribe ( same organizers as Camsur 70.3 ), Tri United will again reunite the toughest local triathletes in the country on November 13 at the White Rock beach resort in Zambales.

Registration details can be found here:

http://www.extribe.com.ph/main.php?sctn=3&indx=wrt

See you there!

Deo P.

There has been numerous inquiries, arguments and debates about which one is better between tubular and clincher wheelsets. I have been a clincher cyclist since the very time my butt made contact with a bicycle saddle, but, with my recent acquisition of a tubular wheelset, my views on the usage of both have since changed.

What are clincher and tubular wheelsets?

Clincher wheelsets are those which can accomodate an inner tube and an exterior tyre. Tubular wheelsets are those which can accomodate tubular tyres, tyres with its inner tube sewn into the exterior making it one tyre unit. Google the definitions for your better understanding. There are gazillions of websites that explains the difference in details. I will discuss in this post how each compares with another in terms of use.

Continental Gatorskin Tyre, my favorite clincher

Tubulars are more expensive than clinchers. The cheapest tubular I found so far costs Php 1.2K. The cheapest clincher tyre set I purchased before was Php 650.00 for both exterior tyre and inner tube. On the high side, the most expensive clincher tyre I ever purchased was a Continental Gatorskin, at Php 1.5K each. So far, the tubular tyres mounted on my tubular wheelset costs Php 2.5K each, the Vittoria Corsa Evo CX.

Lance Armstrong's Trek Madone standing on tubular wheelsets

Ride Comparison

This is where the tubulars make hay against the clinchers. Being a clincher person for the longest time, I was used to how the clinchers roll. My pedaling power was developed by spinning clinchers on both the road and trainers.

However, upon experiencing how tubulars ride, I would never go back to racing with clinchers again. Training, probably, due to cost constraints, but not racing. Tubulars can take in more PSI ( pound per square inch ) than clinchers, making it less road resistant. The roll of tubulars are also smoother than clinchers and makes you go faster at the same power output that you have with clinchers. In my most recent ride, I was 1.5kph faster than my last ride with a clincher.

Fabian Cancellara working his way to winning one of the numerous time trials he has won with tubular tyres

Flatting Out and Changing Tyres

With the inner tubes sewn into the exterior tyres, tubulars have lesser chances of having pinch flats than clinchers. However, once you suffer a cut on your tubular, its the end of the show for you unless you brought with you an extra tube. I’d put the ratio of flatting between tubulars and clinchers at 6:10 though, with tubulars getting the upper hand.

Changing flats is easier as well with tubulars. Since you just need to take off the flat tubular and put on a new one, the whole process can only take less than 3 minutes. You just put the tubular on the rim, and that’s it. No need to glue it anymore especially on races, just be careful during cornering. With clinchers, you need to pull out the inner tube and put a new one back in then put the exterior back. You’ll end up 2 to 3 minutes slower with this.

Summary

I have only compared clinchers against tubulars in three aspects which ,to me, are the most important. The internet offers a lot of comparisons from other, more experienced cyclists and you can google them out if you want further, more detailed comparisons. I have compared these two wheelset based on my own standards which hopefully are at par with that of the others.

Below is how I’d score tubulars and clinchers in a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest:

Criteria Clincher Tubular

COST 5 3
RIDE 3 5
REPAIR/MAINTENANCE 3 5

Total 11 13

I will, no doubt, race with tubulars. If the cost is not too restricting, I would even train with tubulars. HOwever, given that I am not a pro and are without sponsors, I will stick to my plan of training with clinchers and racing with tubulars.

Deo P.

Triathlon is a very demanding sport. It requires an athlete to spend countless hours of training specially if he is aiming for a competitive finish time, or win his age-group. With an 8 to 5 job and a family to look after, how does one get to train and balance family, work and triathlon time?

It has been said that to be able to finish a half-ironman, one must train at least 10 hours a week at least 18 weeks prior to the race. These 10 hours is a mix of run, bike and swim trainings so you cannot just bunch a 5-hour training session in one day and the other 5 hours in another day just to complete the 10 hours in two days. These need to be evened out in a week.

Modesty aside, I was able to do this but not without sacrifices. You want to know how? Read on.

What are the things you need to source out before starting your training?

First and foremost, you need to find a public pool which opens and closes during your free times. And by free times, I’m talking about either early mornings ( before you go to work ) or evenings ( after office until around 8 p.m. ). Keep in mind that your family requires you to earn money from 8am to 5pm.

Next, try to look for a safe bike route which is easily accessible from where you live. A place which will only take you 10-15 minutes to travel by car.

Lastly, and probably the easiest to find, look for a run route with minimal dogs ( yes, dogs are a big problem especially in the mornings ).

Once you find these places, you should be well on your way to start training.

Study the sleeping and studying habits of your wife and kids.

Do not steal quality time from home if you’re training for a race. If your kids leave for school by 6 a.m., try your best to finish your training around that time to wave them off. If they get home around five and do their homework until 9 p.m., make sure you check on them before they go to sleep. You don’t want them missing you or growing up without you noticing it.

Leave some energy for your spouse especially at nights before going to sleep. Women wants to know what happened to their spouses’ day and they will feel important and not neglected if we have a good conversation with them before going to dreamland.

Train to wake up early to train. This is the only way your wife and kids won’t be affected with your triathlon training. Though in some days, you may need to leave the house very early to go to the public pool, doing this only a couple of days in a week won’t dent your relationship with them too much. Doing this more than twice a week though, will be disastrous. Keep this in mind: You want them to be supporting you on your sport so best to keep them feeling first priority, not a hindrance to your sporting goals.

Now, the hard part.

Waking up very early is hard. You need to command your body to be at training mode at 4 a.m. when everyone else are still glued to their beds and won’t be opening their eyes in at least 1.5 hours. Unfair? Dude, its supposed to be unfair, its triathlon! Its a sport where having a good bike split doesn’t guarantee a podium finish, or where the slowest of swimmers runs past the whole pack enroute to an age-group win. Live with it.

The training program.

You got your training grounds covered, your family’s body clocks dialed in, and your waking and sleeping hours locked. So what do you do?

I have a training schedule which fits my work hours and family hours nicely. You may find this a good fit to your schedule as well.

Monday – REST

Tuesday – Swim. Wake up at 4:30 a.m. for a quick breakfast, leave the house at 5:30 a.m. to be at the pool at 6 a.m. Swim for 1 to 1.5 hours then head to the office.

Wednesday – Wake up at 4:30 a.m. Mount my bike trainer at 4:45 a.m. and spin until 5:50 a.m. Wave the kids off to their school bus and mount the trainer again at 6 a.m. until 6:30 a.m.

Thursday – Swim ( same as Tuesdays )

Friday – Wake up at 4:00 a.m., mount my bike trainer at 4:15 a.m. until 5:15 am, then run immediately from 5:20 to 5:55 a.m. around the village. Get home and wave the kids off to their bus.

Saturday – Wake up at 5:00 a.m. Drive off to Camp Aguinaldo and start running at 6:00 a.m. Finish at 7:30 a.m. then a quick dip in the pool. Home by around 8:30 a.m. just when the kids are waking up. Join them at breakfast…OR…wake up at 5:00 a.m. and bike to Sierra Madre. Home around 11:00 a.m. for lunch with the family.

Sunday – Wake up at 5:00 a.m. and start biking at Aguinaldo at 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., then run until 10:00 a.m. Home around 11:00 a.m. for lunch…OR…wake up at 5:30 a.m. and start running at Camp Aguinaldo around 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m.

Notice that two of my weekdays are near or in the house trainings. This is to make sure that I’m at home before the kids leave for school and have a good breakfast with my wife.

On weekends, the kids don’t wake up early so I have more time to train in the mornings. I make sure I get home by lunch though, except for days when I’m doing century rides somewhere in the mountains of Sierra Madre. But on those days, I make sure my wife knows and understand.

With the aforementioned sked, I am able to do 10 hours of training a week, sometimes even more. I make sure also that when I promise to my family that we will go out on a particular weekend, I fulfill my promise no matter how tired or exhausted I may be from my training. I don’t even let them feel that I’m tired!

All the sleep debts I incur during each morning I try to pay back at noontime in the office. Fortunately, the lights are turned off from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in my office enabling me to take 30-45mins naps.

Triathlon is an addicting sport for people like us who have the “I can do it” attitude. But triathlon addiction isn’t a good excuse to make your family feel left out or neglected. Once you retire from the sport, its your family you’re going back to and not your teammates or sponsors. It just makes sense keeping them in the thick of all the things you do.

In races held in good locations, bring your family. You may not bring all of them but at least be accompanied by your wife. Make sure she is or they are the ones you will be looking for after you crossed the finish line.

When people tell me how I can afford to train given my busy sked, I just tell them “If you really want it, nothing’s stopping you.” Having a family and an 8-5 job is one of the lamest excuses I hear people saying when they say they want to do triathlons but don’t have the time to train. Its all in the attitude, and how much you want to be in an exclusive group called the “Ironmen”.

Most of the base mileage have been swam, rode on and ran, but the final 3 weeks leading to this year’s Philippine Ironman 70.3 will be the toughest and longest training weeks for me.

My schedule for the next two weeks:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Swim ( at least 2.5K )
Wednesday: Brick ( 30K+Bike – 5K+ Run )
Thursday: Endurance Run ( 16K+)
Friday: Brick ( 20K Bike – 5K run )
Saturday: Swim 2K – Bike 70K
Sunday: Brick ( Bike 75K – Run 15K )

Then a taper week on the week of the event.

Should be fun!